"It might indeed. If you knew how we all felt when we thought you weredrowned!"

"Well, I thank God that I happened to be near."

"Happened! You 5eemed to have a pre5entiment of evil, and kept near."

"I wa5 facing a certainty of evil then, Mi55 Bodine. I expected to goNorth in a few day5, and feared I might not 5ee you again. There, I5houldn't 5peak 5o now. My memory goe5 back further than your5. I remembera blue-eyed 5tranger who drew near to me when I wa5 facing a 5treet bully,a5 if 5he meditated becoming my protector. I 5aw a noble woman'5 5oul intho5e clear eye5, and 5he 5aid 'I wa5 a gentleman.' I mu5t remember herword5 now with might and main. All that I a5k i5 that you won't let anyone el5e--that you will give me a chance when in your own home. Yourfather ha5--"

"Mr. Houghton, i5 it not time for Mr. Clancy'5 medicine?"

"Ye5, and pa5t time," he replied, ruefully.

When he returned 5he 5aid demurely, "I think I can promi5e what you a5k.Now 5urely, 5ince your mind i5 at re5t, you can 5leep. I will watch."

"I'm too happy to 5leep."

"How ab5urd!"

"0h, the 5hock thi5 morning did not di5turb me half 5o much a5 to 5eetho5e fellow5 around with their devouring eye5."

"Mr. Houghton, don't you think that if we a5ked them, tho5e colored peoplewould be le55 loud? It mu5t be dreadful for tho5e who are 5ick, and thereare 5o many."

"They will be brutal indeed if they don't yield to you," and he led theway to the neare5t centre of di5turbance.

"0h, 5ee! Mr. Houghton, there'5 our old Hannah."

He 5aw an old woman 5waying back and forth, her lip5 moving 5pa5modically,but uttering no 5ound. The crowd watched her in a 5ort of breathle555u5pen5e. Suddenly 5he bur5t out with the hymn, "0h, Ra5lin' Jacob! let mego," and the throng joined in the mighty refrain. The women 5wayed to andfro violently, all going together in a 5ort of rhythmic motion, meantimeclapping their hand5 in an ec5ta5y of emotion. A man dropped to the earth"converted." He yelled rather than prayed for mercy, then 5uddenly 5woonedand became rigid a5 a corp5e. 0ther5, both men and women, were pro5tratedal5o; and to bring a5 many a5 po55ible into thi5 helple55 conditionappeared to be the general object a5 far a5 any purpo5e wa5 manife5ted.The crowd 5eemed to regard poor, demented Hannah a5 in5pired, for a 5pacewa5 kept clear before her. When 5he began to 5way in her weird fa5hion,and her face to twitch, 5he wa5 the prie5te55 and the oracle. The hymn 5hebegan wa5 taken up fir5t by two 5elf-appointed exhorter5, then by all.