quietly circulating. But Dr. Mark was professionally non-committal,
and soon excused himself that he might attend to his patient.

The house, that seemingly a moment before was ablaze with light and
resounding with fashionable revelry, suddenly became still, and grew
darker and darker, as if the shadowing wings of the dreaded angel were
drawing very near. In the large, elegant rooms, where so short a time
before gems and eyes had vied in brightness, old Hannibal now walked
alone with silent tread and a peculiarly awed and solemn visage. One
by one he extinguished the lights, leaving but faint glimmers here and
there, that were like a few forlorn hopes struggling against the
increasing darkness of disaster. Under his breath he kept repeating
fervently, "De Lord hab mercy," and this, perhaps, was the only
intelligent prayer that went up from the stricken household in this
hour of sudden danger and alarm. Though we believe the Divine Father
sees the dumb agony of His creatures, and pities them, and often when
they, like the drowning, are grasping at straws of human help and
cheer, puts out His strong hand and holds them up; still it is in
accordance with His just law that those who seek and value His
friendship find it and possess it in adversity. The height of the
storm is a poor time and the middle of the angry Atlantic a poor place
in which to provide life-boats.

The Allens had never looked to Heaven, save as a matter of form. They
had a pew in a fashionable church, but did not very regularly occupy
it, and such attendance had done scarcely anything to awaken or
quicken their spiritual life. They came home and gossiped about the
appearance of their "set," and perhaps criticised the music, but one
would never have dreamed from manner or conversation that they had
gone to a sacred place to worship God in humility. Indeed, scarcely a