"You must not let her know that the thing is got up for her," interrupted the doctor. "Certainly not. You must all come and dine with us, any day you like. I will call on your brother to-morrow." "This Christmas-tide gives good opportunity for such a scheme," I said. "It will fall in well with all the festivities; and I am quite willing to open the entertainment with a funny kind of fairy-tale, which has been growing in my brain for some time." "Capital!" said Mr. Armstrong. "We must have all sorts." "Then shall it be Monday at six--that is, to-morrow?" asked the colonel. "Your brother won't mind a short invitation?" "Certainly not. Ask him to-day. But I would suggest five, if I might, to give us more time afterwards." "Very well. Let it be five. And now we will go to church." The ends of the old oak pews next the chancel were curiously carved. One had a ladder and a hammer and nails on it. Another a number of round flat things, and when you counted them you found that there were thirty. Another had a curious thing--I could not tell what, till one day I met an old woman carrying just such a bag. On another was a sponge on the point of a spear. There were more of such carvings; but these I could see from where I sat. And all the sermon was a persuading of the people that God really loved them, without any _if_ or _but_. Adela was very attentive to the clergy man; but I could see her glance wander now and then from his face to that of his brother, who was in the same place he had occupied on Christmas-day. The expression of her aunt's face was judicial. When we came out of church, the doctor shook hands with me and said: "Can I have a word with you, Mr. Smith?" "Most gladly," I answered. "Your time is precious: I will walk your way." "Thank you.--I like your plan heartily. But to tell the truth, I fancy it is more a case for my brother than for me. But that may come about all in good time, especially as she will now have an opportunity of knowing him. He is the best fellow in the world. And his wife is as good as he is. But--I feel I may say to you what I could not well say to the colonel--I suspect the cause of her illness is rather a spiritual one. She has evidently a strong mental constitution; and this strong frame, so to speak, has been fed upon slops; and an atrophy is the consequence. My hope in your plan is, partly, that it may furnish a better mental table for her, for the time, and set her foraging in new direction for the future." "But how could you tell that from the very little conversation you had with her?"