Oh, well, we are not arguing, you know.  This is simply a record of matters and things as they occurred at Chautauqua.  It can hardly be said to be a story, except as records of real lives of course make stories.

But Eurie was not a Christian, you see; and however foolish it may have been in her she had picked out dancing as one of the amusements not fitting to a Christian profession.  It is a queer fact, for the cause of which I do not pretend to account, but if you are curious, and will investigate this subject, you will find that four fifths of the people in this world who are not Christiana have tacitly agreed among themselves that dancing is not an amusement that seems entirely suited to church-members.  If you want to get at the reason for this strange prejudice, question some of them.  Meantime the fact exists that Eurie felt herself utterly unwilling to give up the leadership of those fortnightly parties, and that the trivial question actually came in then and there, while she stood looking at that picture of the cross; and in proportion as her sudden conviction of desire lost itself in this whirl of intended amusement did her disgust arise at the thought that she had been actually betrayed into listening to another sermon!

CHAPTER XXVI.

“THEIR WORKS DO FOLLOW THEM.”

Marion went alone to the services the next morning.  It was in vain that she assured Eurie that Miss Morris was going to conduct one of the normal classes, and that she had heard her spoken of as unusually sparkling.  Eurie shook her head.

“Go and hear her sparkle, then, by all means I won’t.  Now that’s a very inelegant word to use, but it is expressive, and when I use it you may know that I mean it; I am tired of the whole story, and I have been cheated times enough.  Look at yesterday!  It was a dozen prayer-meetings combined.  No, I don’t get caught this morning.”

“But the subject is one that will not admit of sermonizing and prayer-meetings this morning,” Marion pleaded; “I am specially interested in it.  It is ‘How to win and hold attention.’  If there is anything earthly that a ward school-teacher needs to know it is those two items.  I expect to get practical help.”

“You needn’t expect anything earthly; this crowd have nothing to do with matters this side of eternity.  As for the subject not admitting of sermonizing, look at the subject of blackboard caricatures.  What came of that?”

So she went her way, and Marion, who had seen Miss Morris and had been attracted, looked her up with earnest work in view.  She had an ambition to be a power in her school-room.  Why should not this subject help her?

The tent was quite full, but she made her way to a corner and secured a seat.  Miss Morris was apparently engaged in introducing herself and apologizing for her subject.