in itself?"

"No." This was admitted rather reluctantly.

"Then if it be made to serve a good end, it is a good thing."

"But is often made to serve evil," said the minister.

"Then it is an evil thing," promptly answered Grace; "and so every
good gift of heaven may be made an evil thing to those who use it
for an evil purpose. You know it is said that a spider extracts
poison from the same flower where the bee gets honey. The deadly
nightshade draws life from the same rain and sunshine that nourishes
and matures the wheat, from which our bread is made. It is the
purpose, uncle, that makes a thing evil."

"Could you pray on going to bed, after an evening spent in dancing?"
asked the old man, confident that he had put a question that would
clearly show his niece her error. To his surprise, Grace answered,
with a beautiful smile on her face--

"Oh, yes; and I have so prayed, many and many a time; not failing to
return thanks for the pleasure I had been permitted to enjoy."

"Thanks for mere carnal pleasure!"

"All things are good that are filled with good affections," said
Grace. "We are in a natural world, where all pleasure and pain
affect us in the natural degree most sensibly. We must come down,
that we may go up. We must let our natural joy and gladness have