ladylike too-that goes a great way, you know, and so many professionals are sadly wanting !" He an The speech was so evidently meant for good-nature that Kenneth restrained the annoyance which he could not help feeling. swered quietly, though with an effort, "Thank you; but there is no need to consider what personal advantages my sister may happen to have this is to be her last public appearance, as well as her first." ance. "Well, to be sure !" repeated Miss Crowther, as she hurried away. She was a little woman, over thirty, with a plain, good-humoured face, and a perpetual air of hurry and uncertainty about her whole appearHer dresses, which she made herself, and called artistic, were always intended to express something peculiar. As it was spring, she wore a pale green bonnet with violets and primrose-coloured ribbons. Her features were always in motion, her ringlets fluttering, and her hands gesticulating. They were pretty hands, however, when not clad in bright green gloves as on the present occasion; and useful moreover as well as ornamental. She too was a musical teacher; and instructed the smallest girls at the College in the rudiments of pianoforte playing, besides sometimes acting as her brother's substitute as organist of S. Stephen's. She was a good little woman, active, warm-hearted, and unselfish; but her commonplaceness and her perpetual chatter were almost equivalent to vices in Kenneth's eyes, at least in effect. He shunned her company and conversation as much as he could; enduring them when escape was impossible, by the recollection of her genuine goodness, and imposing the trial on himself as a penance for the irritation he could not help showing at times. As to George Crowther, the organist-brother, Kenneth liked him best of the S. Stephen's young men. He was a shy, nervous, musical enthusiast, devoted to his work, the only subject he could be made to talk about; besides, he was deeply grateful to Kenneth for helping him to maintain his authority at choir-practices, so often the source of discord rather than harmony. "There, Christie,” said Kenneth, as he closed the door, “you heard those last compliments. What think you of the advantages of a professional career? Are you longing to emulate the fame of Susanna Spearman, whose name I see everywhere advertised in pink letters half a yard long ?" "If I had her genius, I shouldn't mind such trifles as that!" retorted Christina. "Fame has its drawbacks, of course. But I don't money, work for fame; I want most of all to get on and help you-'More and less need of it, is the ardent wish of my "1 heart.' Come, don't think too much of that-the money, I mean. Fame is the nobler object of the two." "My dear Ken! it isn't money for money's sake, as you know. I value it as your ransom from bondage! I want to be your Blondel, Sir Knight of the Fetterlock," she added, sitting down at the piano, and running her fingers over the keys with a laugh. 66 Dear Christie!" said Kenneth, affectionately, "I am glad you can be so unpractical." He came behind her, and put his hands under her chin, while he looked down on her upturned face with a smile. I like you to dream noble things, as well as to do them. And would it have been a fine thing for King Richard to have had his Blondel with him in prison? We shall have a good deal longer to wait though, before we win our freedom-' Heaven's last best gift!' "As you are in a humour for quotations," said Christina, going on playing, “I'll remind you that 'stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage.' ووو "True; but would that this were a hermitage sometimes!" said Kenneth, as he threw himself into a chair. "I was afraid lest you had asked that excellent woman to tea-on grounds of principle, of course; carrying out our social duties to our equals." "Principles of fraternity keep me back, you see, from practising equality too much. Liberty is charming, but impracticable; equality is practicable, but not charming; fraternity is both, and I go in for it with all my heart!" "The best of the three political graces for us, at any rate," said Kenneth, smiling, as he opened his book. "What are you going to play ?" "You won't then mind my practising-something besides principles? It's the overture to 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.' "No, indeed, dear; work away as long as you like. I'm going into Fairyland too." It was fortunate for Christina that her fraternal affection was so deep and strong. Otherwise she might have thought herself hardly used by the bar he had put upon her professional prospects. In the eyes of her College comrades she was quite a heroine; but the amount of felicitation and congratulation she received never made her waver in 1 Queen's Speech to the House of Commons as reported in "Punch." her allegiance, even though she could not, like him, bring herself to despise the flatteries of their "social equals." She found it pleasant to be for the time admired and envied by all their acquaintance. How eagerly they listened to her practising! how many questions they had to ask, and suggestions to make—what dress was she going to wear? Miss Crowther offered a scarf of Stuart tartan, with a great silver brooch "just the thing for her, so Scotch." General disappointment was felt, when they discovered that Christina meant to appear in the plainly made black silk which had been her best dress for a long time, with collar and cuffs of her mother's old lace, and no other ornament. Their only consolation was that it was very ladylike." "She will look well, whatever she wears," said Miss Crowther, with a little sigh. ઃઃ There was however one dissentient voice from the chorus of admiring congratulations, and this was the voice of Mrs. Brooks. Christina had to ask whether she might give her pupils at the Vicarage a week's holiday before the 16th of April, in order to rehearse for the concert. Mrs. Brooks granted her request; at the same time saying it was a pity that "Toxy and Wee-wee and Goo" had had a week of Easter holidays. "You ought to have told me before. It can't be helped now, I suppose. If you had spoken to me on the subject before, I should have had something to say." "Do you mean about the children ?" said Christina; "I am sorry -perhaps I can manage, if you will let me have three afternoons; I might come in the mornings instead." "No, no; I can manage with the children, and you know Mademoiselle comes nearly every morning now. But about this concert; I wish you had told me, and I should have given you my advice on the subject. I cannot think how your brother can allow you to play in public. I should have thought he had more sense of propriety. I am surprised at Mrs. Earle too for letting it come about, but it's easy for you young people to talk her over whenever you like." "O, Granny likes the idea very much,” said Christina, “ though it's not easy for us to talk to her about anything. And I don't see really what objection there can be to my playing." "Your brother might, if you don't. It's not a nice thing for a girl like you to be hustled about among a crowd of professionals. You can tell him what I say." "There are particular reasons why he agreed to let me play on this occasion," said Christina; "and two of the other performers are amateurs, not teachers like me." "I tell you what, Christina, it's just the same as going on the stage," said Mrs. Brooks, who was all the more confident because she little about the matter. "You will be sorry for it some should advise him to make you It would be far better." knew very "Neither Kenneth nor I could draw back from the arrangement, once made. It would not be honourable, even if we wished it; which I don't," she added frankly. "Humph! I suspect it was your doing all along, and that he gave in to please you. I only wish, as I said, that you had spoken to me, and I would have given you my advice pretty plainly." "I've no doubt you would." 'My dear Christina, you will see that when I speak out, it's always for your good. I think it's a great mistake, drawing you out of the safe and quiet sphere in which you have moved. Now don't bite your lip-it's not a pretty trick, and shows temper-you mustn't mind what I say." "No, I won't," said Christina, secretly amused, in spite of her irritation, "I don't mind." Mrs. Brooks went on, apparently without hearing this little aside. "I have always been your true friend, my dear, and you will see it some day. Now, are you going home? I've got something for you, if you don't mind taking it in your bag-I told Mrs. Earle she should have a pot of my home-made marmalade.” Christina was vexed at having to receive a present after all the speeches to which she had had to listen. However, it was only Mrs. Brooks's way; and she summoned her practical philosophy to aid, as she went homeward with the brown paper parcel in her hand, disdaining to put it in the place of the books in her bag. "What a bore it is to do with people without fine feelings! Kenneth would have been in a rage! I'm certainly glad for two reasons that she did not have the chance of speaking to him. It's just her way, and there is no use minding, as she said. O dear! well, I can laugh at her sometimes and she is very kind-and it's no good quarrelling with one's bread and butter." FARRINGIA. THE following summary of the letters of two clergymen now working in the diocese of Sierra Leone, will explain the short Poem to which they form a Preface, and will be read by many we are sure with the deepest interest : It seems that the Rev. P. H. Douglin, a Missionary of the S. P. G., has long been wanting to take up Farringia, a large native town, as a Missionary Station. The great slave-owner and chieftainess of that part is an old Mrs. Lightburne, who on account of a misunderstanding in her old slave-trading days with some English officers, had always given a most determined resistance to the English Missionaries, priding herself upon having repelled the advances of three big white Missionaries, (Bishops,) as she called them. In May, 1878, however, her head-man, Arribo, came down to Fallangia by land, and applied for Holy Baptism. He brought with him two Christian men from an outlying village of the mission as his spokesmen. After some delay, to test the reality of his faith and the purity of his life, the clergyman to whom he had applied, the Rev. J. B. McEwan, and the Rev. P. H. Douglin went up to Farringia on the 24th of August, (S. Bartholomew's Day,) of the same year, and at once informed old Mrs. Lightburne that they had come to baptise her head-man, whom she had sent to them for that purpose. "Next morning she sent round the town crier to tell all her people not to go out, but to wait for prayers. At service time she had the great bell of the district rung to call the people together for service." "It was the first time that old heathen bell had been rung to assemble the people at Farringia to hear about JESUS CHRIST." At this service Arribo and nine children of different families were baptised. Mrs. Lightburne herself came in during the service. Mr. Douglin preached in Susu. Whilst he was preaching she exclaimed several times, "It is true," and at last, "Let us hold it; yes, JESUS CHRIST only, Him only!" After the service, Mr. Marsden, an English merchant, residing at Farringia, who had married one of Mrs. Lightburne's granddaughters, sent to Mr. Douglin and told him that the old lady desired to be baptised. In the words of his letter, "I went to her and asked her if she wanted to be baptised? She replied, that she could not remain any longer without being baptised. After a searching examination,” he continues, "she said in English, I believe in GOD, I trust in Him; I put trust in JESUS CHRIST, in Him only. She promised to serve Him faithfully. She knelt down surrounded by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and by Mr. Marsden, (they acting as witnesses,) and by her people, and was baptised. As she rose and returned to her seat, supported by Mr. and Mrs. Marsden, she chanted a short native ditty of thanksgiving." "She spoke of the long time that she had held out ;" "but that she could hold out no longer. She begged that we would not |