The Path of a Star

with his knees crossed on the bench farthest back and the corner obscurest of the Salvation Army Headquarters in Bentinck Street. It had become his accustomed place; sitting ther

ame round. After his first contribution, Mrs. Sand regarded his spiritual interests with almost superstitious reverence, according them the fullest privacy of which she was capable. The gravity which the gentleman attached to his situation was sufficiently testified by the "amount"; Mrs. Sand never wanted better evidence than the amount. Even Laura, acting doubtless under instructions, seemed disposed to hold away from him in her prayers and exhortations; only a very occasional allusion passed her lips which Duff could appropriate. These, when they fell, he gathered and set like flo

e fallen into. When Laura knelt or sang he sometimes looked at her, at other times he looked at the situation in the brightness of her presence at the other end of the room. She gave forth there, for Lindsay, an illumination by which he almost immediately began to read his life; and it was because he thought he had done this with a

ance was a trifle taught and perfunctory. Not the frankness though, or the touch of "Now

vilege so freely. "To-morrow-let me see, we march in the morning, and I have an open-air at four in the afternoon-the Ensign takes the evening m

come at about seven-if you are sure you won't

ng to the acridity of Calcutta's road dust, and a dry crack crept into the silver voice with wh

s hesitation; he looked gravely the

n bugle-call. The entrance is in Cr

rooked Lane, where the entrance was. It gave him a sense that she had her part in this squalor, which was not altogether distressful in that it also localised her in the warm, living, habitable world, and helped to make her thinkable and attainable. Then he went to his roo

ee tamasho-mems, he continued, responding to Lindsay's trivial coin, and one sahib, but this was not the time for the tamasho-it was finished. Lindsay mounted the first flight by faith, and paused at the landing to avoid collision with a heavy body descending. He inquired Miss Filbert's whereabouts from this person, who providentially lighted a cigar, disclosing himself a bald Armenian in tusser silk trousers and a dirty shirt, presumably, Lindsay thought, the landlord. At all events he had the information, Lindsay was to keep straight on, it was the

al-makin

ver is

dle. She made a supple, graceful picture. "Good-evening, Mr. Lindsay," she said as he advanced. "Won't you come in?" She clung to the handle until he had passed int

ate's garb of the Salvation Army. It was apparent that he had been reading a newspaper; he had a displeasing air of possessi

ere he felt dumb. Nor did he in the very least expect Mr. Harris. He crossed his legs in greater discomfort than he had

Harris," she said pleasantly. "I guess you

ing up from his paper. "Well, what I've got to say on that subject I say at the evenin'

heard," remarked Lindsay

ll upon his newspaper. He appeared to devour it. Laura look

all tender texts about loving and believing and bearing others' burdens, interspersed with photographs, mostly of women with plain features and enthusiastic eyes, dressed in some strange costume of the Army in Madras, Ceylon, China. A little wooden table stood against the wall holding an album, a Bible and hymn-books, a work-basket and an irrelevant Japanese doll which seemed to stretch its absurd arms straight out in a gay little ineffectual heathen protest. There was another more embarrassing table: it had a coarse cloth; and was garnished with

aid Lindsay

ching Lindsay's vicinity for a point upon which his eyes could permanentl

olished," replied Lindsay, gove

discipline anyhow," said Mr. Harris with ambiguity. "But you'll find Ensign S

hich Mr. Harris shifted one heavy limb over the other, and lapsed into silence, looking sternly at an advertisement. The air was full of their mutual annoyance, although Duff tried to feel amused. They were raging as primitively, under the red flannel shirt

it. Thank you very much." There was in it the oddest mixture of the supreme fem

tain," said he, and went

a very steady young man-foreman in one of the carriage works here. He is n

a member of the co

enough in grace to give up his situation yet. But he wears the uniform at the me

with anything else, nothing to do with her room or its arrangements, nothing, Lindsay felt profoundly, to do with him. Her personal zeal for him seemed to resolve itself, at the point of contact, into something disappointingly thin; he saw that she counted with him

nly it seemed to Lindsay, who was wrapped in the contemplation

how difficult-" he glanced at the lath and plaster partition, but she to whom publicity was a condi

ard to speak," she said;

urd, but he saw only its dif

ange and very mad," he said. "I cannot

ons! I work at home, you see, a good deal among the hospitals, an

d, staring, "you don't

that! It's so

girl of eighteen, also in the dress of the Army, came through from the bedroom part. She smiled in a conscious, meaningles

lieutenant,

rren," Lindsay groaned.

king a diagnosis. "Do you think," she

quietly, "is the knowledge that we are being overheard. If you go into the

two children, and they are asleep." Her smile, he thought, made a Madonna of her. "Indeed, we are quite alone, you

nviction. Nothing of the sort." He waited with considerateness for this to have its effect upon her; he could not go on until he saw her emerge, gasping,

eel that you ought to be. I thought it had

hat I'd rather you didn't? I want to com

kness that his resolution was swiftly ove

d all my days in what is to me a very new and a very happy way. You hear as much as that often, and from many people, don't you? So

ething for you just for my own pleasure-there must

pted. "I do influence Mr. Harri

he begged, "in a

you," she said.

e you sometimes?" he as

will ask for guidance. Perhaps it is one of His own appointed ways. If you have no objection, I will give you this lit

Harris had been, by the agency of a printed volume. Only in his case a figure of much angelic beauty stood at the top, holding a patent kerosene lamp high, to illumin