The Lady of the Aroostook

at the sea-shore, and who found her yachting-dress perfectly adapted to tramping over the South Bradfield hills. Thus reverting to its original u

ing costume, remained discreetly silent when the young men recognized its nautical character. She enjoyed its success; she made some little changes in the hat she wore with it, which met the approval of the cabin family; and she tranquilly kept her black silk in reserve for Sunday. She came out to breakfast in it, and it swept the narrow spaces, as she emerged from her state-room, with so rich and deep a murmur that every one looked up. She sustained their united glance with somethi

his compliment, which he did in drawing the carving-knife slowly across the steel. "Well, Miss Blo

place her; but one's circumstance doesn't always account for one in America, and I can't make out yet whether she's ever been praised for being pretty. Some of our hill-country people would have felt like hushing up her beauty, as almost sinful, and some would have gone down

ford, I should like to propose to Captain Jenness our havi

rather later than usual. All over the Christian world, on land and sea, there

wouldn't talk that way, Staniford,

oposition? My dear fellow,

don," said Dunh

e latter assumed the more disagreeable part of proposing the matter to Hicks

and conducted the service with a gravity astonishing to the sailors, who had taken him for a mere dandy. Staniford bore his part in the responses from the same prayer-book with Captain Jenness, who kept up a devout, i

r voice seemed to fill all the hollow height and distance; it rang far off like a mermaid's singing, on high like an angel's; it called with the same deep appeal to sense and soul alike. The sailors stood rapt; Dunham kept up a show of singing for the church's

to the artistic interest which marks the process and the close of so much public worship in our day, "

s going out to school her voice; and she hasn't strained it in idle babble about her own affairs! I must say that Lu-Miss Blood's powe

, Staniford! Cou

he will have to take some stage name; translate Blood into Italian. We shall know her hereafter as La Sanguinelli; and when she comes to Boston we shall make our modest brags about going out to Europe with her. I don't know; I think I preferred the idyllic flavor I was beginning to find in the presence of the ordinary, futureless young girl, voyaging under the chaperonage of her own innocence,-

at she would like to help get up so

zer you are! You organize shuffleboard; you organize public worship; you

leasure to exercise such a gift as that, and now that it's come out in

the new enterprise, and left Dunham to his own

bserved Captain Jenness, "with her

with, nothing ought to discourage us." Dunham had a thin and gentle pipe of his own, and a fairish style in singing, but wi

," returned Hicks. "But I do

ety, "you overawe us all. I never did sing, but I thi

ething, anything?" persisted Dunh

ter admitted, "I pla

s looked at him in sulky dislike, but a

flute with you?" dema

ave," rep

I can carry a part, and if you w

ing, if you like,

Perhaps-we hadn't bett

might have a sacred concert, and Mr. Hicks could

t him, as if his taking the names of these scriptural instruments in vain

anly frankness, "or any more Sunday than usual; seems as if we had had a month of Sundays already since we

thers for taking it so seriously and heavily, and putting him so unnecessarily in

plied Hicks, with sullen appr

that in South Bradfield your Sabbath

answered the girl. "I've hea

n our way, too. I can remember when I was a boy. It came pretty hard to begi

tors knew just how much human nature could stand, after all. We did not have

tical edge of some sort. "I don't know as you can have too much religion," he remarked. "I've se

t the general stupidity which had placed him in the attitude of mocking at religion, a thing he would have loathed to do. It seemed to him that Dunham

suspected of Catholicism turns out to be a Catholic. Dunham cast a reproachful glance at his friend, bu

as. Lydia continued to look at him in fascination; Hicks seemed disposed to whistle, if such a thing were allowable; Mr. Watterson devoutly waited f

in Jenness," said

g her gaze, "why, if you are a Catholic, y

" answered Dunham, gently, "as

an?" demanded C

an," sweetly re

d of a church it is, then," sai

stolic

s nose, as if this were a

nry VIII. himself,"

of zeal began to burn in his kindly eyes. These souls had plainly been given into his

ent on deck, and smoked a cigar without relief. He still heard the girl's voice in singing; and he still felt in his nerves the quality of latent passion in it which had thrilled him when she sang. His thought ran formlessly u