Yea, more, O soul of mine, rejoice!
By all that he requires of me
I know what God himself must be.

--_Whittier_.




THE BELLE OF THE BALLROOM.


"Only this once," said Edward Allston, fixing a pair of loving eyes on
the beautiful girl beside him--"only this once, sister mine. Your
dress will be my gift, and will not, therefore, diminish your charity
fund; and besides, if the influences of which you have spoken, do,
indeed, hang so alluringly about a ballroom, should you not seek to
guard me from their power? You will go, will you not? For me--for
me?"

The Saviour, too, whispered to the maiden, "Decide for me--for me."
But her spirit did not recognize the tones, for of late it had been
bewildered with earthly music.

She paused, however, and her brother waited her reply in silence.

Beware! Helen Allston, beware! The sin is not lessened that the
tempter is so near to thee. Like the sparkle of the red wine to the
inebriate are the seductive influences of the ballroom. Thy foot will
fall upon roses, but they will be roses of this world, not those that