Not a single one gave a direct answer, and yet none of them refused to go. The father gave a sniff, but said nothing. George laughed a little, and said: "We might have expected that would be the first thing we'd hear. Betsy and he'll never rest till we are all Christians." "Never," said Ray, earnestly. The oldest sister looked over at Ray, a deep yearning manifest in her eyes, and, with some show of emotion, remarked: "It's a very little favor for his coming home." The younger sisters laughed, and replied in concert: "If you'll be our beau, perhaps we will go." When the hour came for the service, however, all but the father got ready to accompany Ray. "No, I shan't go," he said gruffly to Betsy's inquiring as to his going; "but you may. I'll take care of the children." It was but a short distance to the chapel, and on their arrival they found quite a number already gathered. Others kept coming, and soon the room was quite full. It had been the custom for Mr. Carleton, or some brother from the home church, to come down to the Forge and take charge of this Wednesday evening service. But the hour arrived for the meeting, and passed, and no one came. There had evidently been some misunderstanding about the leader, or else he had been unexpectedly detained. Fifteen minutes after the usual hour, Mr. Jacob Woodhull, who was present, came from his seat, to where Ray was sitting. He talked a few minutes with him, and then Ray arose and went quietly forward to the desk. He began the service, and proceeded along in the usual order without the slightest hesitation or embarrassment. His Scripture lesson was the tenth chapter of Romans, and his brief remarks were based upon the very first verse: "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved." He spoke first of Paul's great anxiety for his own countrymen--that they might be saved. "He _desired_ it. It was the longing of his heart. The _desire_ because a _prayer_. He could contain himself no longer. The burden had become too great. He now cried unto God. He did more. Wherever he went we find he first preached that gospel to his unbelieving brethren. He saw to it that they heard the message of salvation, and had the opportunity to accept it _if they would_." "Making an application of this truth to myself," he said, "I, as a Christian, ought to desire and pray for the salvation of all of you here at the Forge whom I have been accustomed to associate with; and I do and have. If you only knew how great my anxiety is, how earnestly I have asked God for this very thing, I do believe some of you would come." As he went on, an earnestness took possession of him which held the fixed attention of that people who knew him so well.