“That is our church prayer-meeting night.  I missed it last evening because I wanted to welcome you.  And Tuesday is our Bible-class night.”

“Do you give three evenings a week to religious meetings, Abbie?”

“Yes,” said Abbie with softly glee; “isn’t it splendid?  I appreciate my privileges, I assure you; so many people could not do it.”

“And so many people would not” Ester thought.

So they were not in to dinner with the family, but took theirs an hour earlier; and with David, whom Abbie called her body-guard, for escort, made their way to Abbie’s dear little chapel, which proved to be a good-sized church, very prettily finished and furnished.

That meeting, from first to last, was a succession of surprises to Ester, commencing with the leader, and being announced to Abbie in undertone: 

“Your minister is the very man who spoke to me yesterday in the depot.”

Abbie nodded and smiled her surprise at this information; and Ester looked about her.  Presently another whisper: 

“Why, Abbie, there is the blue-ribboned girl I told you about, sitting in the third seat from the front.”

“That,” said Abbie, looking and whispering back, “is Fanny Ames; one of our teachers.”

Presently Ester set to work to select Mr. Foster from the rows of young men who were rapidly filling the front seats in the left aisle.

“I believe that one in glasses and brown kids is he,” she said to herself, regarding him curiously; and as if to reward her penetration he rose suddenly and came over, book in hand, to the seat directly in front of where they were sitting.

“Good evening, Abbie,” was his greeting.  “We want to sing this hymn, and have not the tune.  Can you lead it without the notes?”

“Why, yes,” answered Abbie slowly, and with a little hesitation.  “That is, if you will help me.”

“We’ll all help,” he said, smiling and returning to his seat.

“Yes, I’m sure that is he,” commented Ester.  Then the meeting commenced; it was a novel one.  One person at least had never attended any just like it.  Instead of the chapter of proper length, which Ester thought all ministers selected for public reading, this reader read just three verses, and he did not even rise from his seat to do it, nor use the pulpit Bible, but read from a bit of a book which he took from his pocket.  Then the man in spectacles started a hymn, which Ester judged was the one which had no notes attached from the prompt manner in which Abbie took up the very first word.

“Now,” said the leader briskly, “before we pray let us have requests.”  And almost before he had concluded the sentence a young man responded.

“Remember, especially, a boy in my class, who seems disposed to turn every serious word into ridicule.”

“What a queer subject for prayer,” Ester thought.

“Remember my little brother, who is thinking earnestly of those things,” another gentleman said, speaking quickly, as if he realized that he must hasten or lose his chance.