adoration as a creature of Romance--one who had been kissed! Missy
continued to gaze at Polly during the preliminary songs--tunes
rather disappointing, not so beautiful as Missy's own favourite
hymns--till the preacher appeared.

The Reverend Poole--"Brother" Poole as grandpa called him, though he
wasn't a relation--was a very tall, thin man with a blonde, rather
vacuous face; but at exhortation and prayer he "had the gift." For
so good a man, he had a remarkably poor opinion of the virtues of
his fellow-men. Missy couldn't understand half his fiery eloquence;
but she felt his inspiration; and she gathered that most of the
congregation must be sinners. Knowing herself to be a sinner, she
wasn't so much surprised at that.

Finally Brother Poole, with quavering voice, urged all sinners to
come forward and kneel at the feet of Jesus, and pray to be "washed
in the blood of the lamb." Thus would their sins be forgiven them,
and their souls be born anew. Missy's soul quivered and stretched up
to be born anew. So, with several other sinners--including grandpa
and grandma whom she had never before suspected of sin--she
unhesitatingly walked forward. She invoked the grace of God; her
head, her body, her feet seemed very light and remote as she walked;
she seemed, rather, to float; her feet scarcely touched the red-
ingrain aisle "runner"--she was nearly all spirit. She knelt before
the altar between grandpa and grandma, one hand tight-clasped in
grandpa's.

Despite her exaltation, she was conscious of material things. For
instance she noted that Mrs. Brenning was on the other side of
grandma, and wondered whether she were atoning for the sins of her