Its garland-twined oaken columns, its wreath-hung galleries, its scroll-work in the chancel--where "Unto us a son is born," and the message of glad tidings, which the shepherds of Bethlehem first heard when they "watched their flocks by night," and saw the star in the east, two thousand years ago, shone forth in blazonments of red and purple and gold--all reminded the congregation of the festival they had assembled to commemorate; the day of peace and good- will to all, that had dawned for them once more, as I trust it will dawn again and again for us yet on many more future anniversaries.

The place, too, was crammed, contrary to Lady Dasher's fears concerning the spread of unbelief and the degeneracy of the present age.

Everybody was there that could go at all, for it was a year in which we had to be specially mindful of mercies vouchsafed to us.

Even old Shuffler, who had not been seen inside a place of public worship before within the memory of man, was not an absentee.
I was not thinking of him, however, nor of the display which the decorations made, nor of the congregation--indeed, I hardly attended to the service.

All my thoughts were centred on Min.
A madonna-like face, a pair of honest, steadfast, speaking, grey eyes were ever before me; although I could not actually see her, except when we stood up during the service, according to the ordinances of the rubric, as she sat a long way off.