"'Sir,'" said Elizabeth, "in the words of Dr. Johnson, 'you may wonder!' All my life this has been the order of meals on the Sabbath Day, and who am I that I should change them? Besides, it's a change and makes the Sabbath a little different. Mr. Townshend, I hope you don't mind us galumphing through the meal? Father and I have to be back at the church at five o'clock." "You don't mean," protested Arthur Townshend, "that you are going back to church again?" "Alas! yes--Have some toast, won't you?--Father has his Bible class, and I teach a class in the Sabbath school. Buff, pass Mr. Townshend the butter." "Thank you. But, tell me, do you walk all the way again?" "Every step," said Elizabeth firmly. "We could get an electric car, but we prefer to trudge it." "But why?" "Oh! just to make it more difficult." Elizabeth smiled benignly on the puzzled guest. "You see," she explained, "Father is on the Sabbath Observance Committee, and it wouldn't look well if his daughter ruffled it on Sabbath-breaking cars. Isn't that so, Father?" Mr. Seton shook his head at his daughter, but did not trouble to reply; and Elizabeth went on: "It's more difficult than you would think to be a minister's family. The main point is that you must never do anything that will hurt your father's 'usefulness,' and it is astonishing how many things tend to do that--dressing too well, going to the play, laughing when a sober face would be more suitable, making flippant remarks--their name is legion. Besides, try as one may, it is impossible always to avoid being a stumbling-block. There are little ones so prone to stumble that they would take a toss over anything." "That will do, Elizabeth," said Mr. Seton. "Sorry, Father." She turned in explanation to Mr. Townshend. "When Father thinks I am flippant and silly he says 'Elizabeth!' and his eyes twinkle; but when I become irreverent--I am apt to be often--he says 'That will do,' and I stop. So now you will understand. To change the subject--perhaps the most terrible experience I have had, as yet, in my ministerial career was being invited to a christening party and having to sit down in a small kitchen to a supper of tripe and kola. Alan says the outside edge was reached with him when a man who picked his ears with a pencil asked him if he were saved." "Elizabeth," said her father, "you talk a great deal of nonsense." "I do," agreed Elizabeth; "I'm what's known as vivacious--in other words, 'a nice bright girl.' And the funny thing is it's a thing I simply hate being. I admire enormously strong, still people. Won't it be awful if I go on being vivacious when I'm fifty? Or do you think I'll be arch then? There is something so resuscitated about vivacious spinsters." She looked gaily round the table, as if the dread future did not daunt her greatly.