"Nor of strangers?" she asked, "nor of sick folks?" and her demure mirth, not flung at him or at any one, but quite to itself and for itself, came again. "Ah, that's another affair!" he rejoined. He felt her and Hugh, with half the rest, saying to themselves, "It is not!" but was all the more moved to continue: "My fair daughter, you prepare the way of the Lord. Brethren and sisters, I want you to gather with me here as soon as those yonder are through"--a backhanded toss indicated the children's table, whose feasters showed no sign that they would ever be through at all. "We must--every believer--and whosoever will--on this passenger-deck--spend an hour--more if the spirit leads--in prayer for this pestilence to be stayed." He fastened his gaze on Hugh; no senator was present to overtop him now, and certainly this colt of John Courteney's should not. Yet the largeness with which the colt's eyes stared through and beyond him was significant to all. "And we must do more!" he persisted. "We shall," said Hugh. "We must!" said the bishop; "we must beseech God for a spiritual outpouring. We have on this boat the stranger of our own land and the sick of our own tongue: the stranger to grace and the sick in soul, who may be eternally lost before this boat has finished her trip; and as much as the soul's worth outweighs the body's is it our first duty to help them get religion!" With her curls lowered nearly to the table Ramsey--ah, me!--laughed. Her notes were as light as a perfume, but to the bishop all perfumes were heavy. He turned to the actor. "Isn't that so, brother?" "Oh, bishop, you know a lot better than I do." "He doesn't," tinkled Ramsey, and, as the bishop swung back to her--"Do you?" she ingratiatingly challenged him. "No, you don't! You know you don't!" The company would have laughed with her if only to save their face, and when he made a very bright retort they laughed the heartier. They rose with Hugh. Ramsey said she wished she knew again how her brother was, and Hugh sent his servant to inquire. As all loitered aft, the bishop held them together a moment more. "You don't object to such a meeting?" he asked Hugh. "Not if you don't alarm or distress any one. The doctor forbids that." While Hugh so replied, the circle was joined by the commodore. The bishop flared: "Doctors always forbid! How can we exhort sinners without alarming or distressing them?" Hugh's answer was overprompt: "I don't know, sir." But Ramsey, drawing the Gilmores with her, came between. "Just a bit ago," she said to the bishop, "didn't you say yes, we must all be as gay and happy as we can?" "I did, verily. But surely that shouldn't prevent this." "Oh, surely not!" exclaimed both the players. "It needn't," said Ramsey. "But if we five"--Gilmores, Courteneys, and herself--"and some others--help you with your meeting to-day will you help us with ours to-morrow?" "If I can, assuredly! But how will you help me to-day, my young sister?"