he believes in the new-light doctrine?" purred one of the ancient
tabbies of the conventicle.

"The new light is but the old darkness, Sister Widgeon," responded
an old farmer of sixty four, who had divided his time so equally
between the plough and the prayer-book, that his body had grown
as crooked as the one, while his mind was bewildered with as many
doctrines as ever worried all sense out of the other.

We shall not suffer these to divert us, any more than Stevens
permitted their speculations upon his person and religion to affect
his devotion. He looked neither to the right nor to the left while
entering the church, or engaging in the ceremonies. No errant
glances were permitted to betray to the audience a mind wandering
from the obvious duties before it; and yet Alfred Stevens knew just
as well that every eye in the congregation was fixed upon him, as
that he was himself there; and among those eyes, his own keen glance
had already discovered those of that one for whorn all these labors
of hypocrisy were undertaken.

Margaret Cooper sat on the opposite side of the church, but the
line of vision was uninterrupted between them, and when--though very
unfrequently--Stevens suffered his gaze to rest upon her form, it
was with a sudden look of pleased abstraction, as if, in spite of
himself, his mind was irresistibly drawn away from all recollection,
of its immediate duties.

If a word is sufficient for the wise, a look answers an equal purpose
with the vain. Margaret Cooper left the church that morning with
a pleased conviction that the handsome stranger had already paid