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 -
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 A STORY 
 
 BY 
 
 MRS. ELIZABETH CHENEY 
 
 NEW YORK : EATON cSt MAINS 
 CINCINNATI : JENNINGS & PYE
 
 Copyright by 
 
 EATON & MAINS, 
 
 1900.
 
 It is the King's 
 
 this glinting, yellow stuff 
 
 For which men strain and delve ; exile themselves 
 To cruel Arctic snows or blist'ring sands, 
 Torture their bodies, and destroy their souls. 
 Still it is not their own ; if paltry wage 
 Of unskilled toil, or well-deserved meed 
 Of lauded prowess, or the ringing hoard 
 That Death the realist shakes from stiffening hands 
 Of one swift generation to the next, 
 It is the King's 
 
 and every man that breathes 
 Is but His steward, righteous or unjust; 
 It is the touchstone of man's love for Him, 
 Till, unexpected, He shall come again 
 From that far country and demand His own.
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 To the soul that has not learned to find its all 
 in God, happiness consists principally in a con- 
 fident expectation of the morrow's joy. Reali- 
 zation is not the flood tide of bliss. It is more 
 often the beginning of the ebb. There are days 
 so full of hope that they shine out in memory's 
 landscape like mountain peaks crowned with 
 eternal sunlight; days when beauteous outward 
 conditions and the rapture of the heart respond 
 one to the other in a glorious antiphonal of de- 
 light. Such a day dawned for Helen West one 
 radiant Sunday in June. It was not long after 
 sunrise when she threw open the shutters of her 
 bedroom window over the east porch of the old- 
 fashioned brown house on Elm Street. A 
 shower of dewdrops from the startled rose 
 vines that wreathed the casement fell on her 
 bright, upturned face. She reached up and 
 pulled a large crimson rose, fastening it into
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 the belt of her fresh print gown. The vines 
 made a charming frame for her girlish figure. 
 
 "0, beautiful world! she said softly, looking 
 with shining eyes across the blossoming gardens 
 to the distant hills. Her heart seemed well- 
 nigh bursting with its store of gladness. Hap- 
 piness had overtaken her in a tidal wave. Not 
 one cherished desire, but several were about 
 to bloom into rich color and fragrance. Life, 
 like a splendid diamond, flashed its rainbow 
 tints from many facets and dazzled her soul. 
 She recognized that a deep current of spiritual 
 peace underran her joy and intensified it. That 
 very day she was to unite with the church to 
 which her parents belonged. Although of a 
 buoyant nature, she had inherited from Puritan 
 and Scottish ancestors a serious cast of mind 
 and a conscientiousness that had made her re- 
 sponsive to early instruction on her duty to 
 God. Her father's Christianity was of a stern 
 type. He moved in the atmosphere of the Deca- 
 logue. Although a plain man, a village store- 
 keeper, with simple manners, there was some- 
 thing of majesty in his presence, the dignity of 
 uncompromising godliness. His store, always
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 cleanly and orderly, was never a resort for the 
 male gossips of the place, but the minister 
 oftentimes found a hint for a sermon in a half 
 hour's chat there. Nathaniel West was familiar 
 with no one, and spoke rarely even to his wife 
 and children. He was not glum with his re- 
 ticence, but absorbed as one who pondered on 
 the great things of God. Genuine, just, loyal, 
 he was thoroughly respected by the villagers. 
 The evildoer feared his piercing, keen gray eyes, 
 and his deep, sonorous voice struck terror to the 
 boy who was caught imposing on a small lad or 
 tormenting a dumb animal. 
 
 Mrs. West is not a subject for a pen-and-ink 
 sketch, but for the brush of a Raphael. If her 
 husband represented the Law, she was the em- 
 bodiment of St. John's epistles. Her face was 
 as clear-cut and delicate as a priceless cameo, 
 with a soft, heavenly light upon it, and yet 
 withal a forcible face, firm as well as sweet. It 
 was a face that should have shone out upon the 
 traveler from the stained glass of a dim old 
 cloister, and seemed out of place amid the 
 homely walls of a New England kitchen. God 
 sometimes gives his jewels strange settings.
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 Here was a gifted mind, a nature sensitive to 
 select the precious gold of life from the alloy, 
 a poetic soul shut in to struggle with petty 
 economies, to toil over washtuh and cooking 
 stove, to learn how to do without the amenities 
 and to abound in the discomforts and turn them 
 into serenities. 
 
 Mary West was an orphan when Nathaniel 
 married her. She could not remember her 
 mother. She had a faint recollection of a room 
 under a skylight, hung with a few unframed 
 canvases, and littered with strange-looking gar- 
 ments, weapons, brushes, tubes of paint, all 
 centered around a tall three-legged frame where 
 a pale, thin man sat hour after hour painting 
 trees and lakes and houses. Sometimes she had 
 to stand for a long, long time with a dingy 
 crimson scarf or a square of ragged lace over 
 her head. These same bits of ancient finery 
 did duty at other times as robes for a feather 
 duster, her only doll. The man would often 
 work all day without noticing her, but occa- 
 sionally he would kiss her and smooth her hair. 
 Again, he would burst into tears, and throwing 
 
 aside his brush would pick up a violin and 
 8
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 make it talk of things she could not understand, 
 but that somehow seemed to lighten her heart 
 of a dull pain, as if one had said tenderly, "I 
 know all about it, little one." 
 
 She was often hungry, and many times was 
 left all alone for hours. Her father for so 
 she recalled him always carried out a picture 
 with him, and usually brought it back at night. 
 Xo one ever came up to the skylighted room, 
 except a harsh woman who lived in the base- 
 ment. She always asked for money, and used to 
 get very angry when there was none for her. 
 One day she brought a loud-voiced, red-faced 
 man with her, and they looked at all the pic- 
 tures and other things in the room, and talked 
 much with her father. The next morning he 
 bade the child come, and took his violin in its 
 shabby green case under one arm, and went out 
 holding the hand of the little girl, who knew 
 that her shoes and hat and dress were all rent 
 and soiled. They walked on and on and on out 
 of the crowded town to a country road, and she 
 remembered that he said, "My God, has it come 
 to this!" when they stopped in front of a large 
 
 mansion, and he began to play. They walked 
 9
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 all day, and people gave them a few pennies and 
 some cold food. It was dusk when they rapped 
 at the door of a comfortable house in the vil- 
 lage of Chester, and asked leave to lie on the 
 hay in the barn that night. A gentle woman, 
 who had come to the door and listened with 
 pitying eyes to the father's story, gave them a 
 warm supper. The man was allowed to go to 
 the barn to sleep, but the child was given a 
 small bed in the house. She did not leave the 
 bed for many days, for fever came on, and as 
 her mind wandered she did not ask for her 
 father for a long time. One day, when she in- 
 quired for him, the kind woman who cared for 
 her told her that he had gone to be with her 
 mother. She did not know then that he had 
 died that first night of their wanderings. He 
 had always been associated in her memory with 
 poverty, hunger, cold, and loneliness, but she 
 had belonged to him, and when she found that 
 she could see him no more she felt what a lost 
 child suffers in the streets of a great city, with 
 the underlying agony of the knowledge that 
 there was no home for the seeking. The bark 
 
 that towed the little boat on life's ocean may 
 10
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 have been itself but a derelict, but when the 
 rope parted and the larger craft went down the 
 waves seemed more powerful and merciless than 
 before. 
 
 When Mary grew strong enough to be of use 
 in the household her protector sent her to a 
 friend, a milliner in a neighboring village, for 
 whom the child learned to wash dishes, to run 
 errands, and later to assist in waiting on 
 customers. She had a few terms at the school- 
 house on the green, where she made progress 
 out of all proportion to the opportunity allowed 
 her. When the milliner's widowed sister and 
 four children came to share the slender income 
 of the little shop Mary became the maid of all 
 work, with her pay in board and clothes. Life 
 became stern and monotonous. She felt thirsty 
 for books, but she had little time to read. She 
 was conscious of ability to learn to paint, to 
 master a musical instrument. Once she took 
 her father's old violin from its case, and tried to 
 feel her way on the two unbroken strings, but 
 they seemed to mock her with such horrible 
 discords that she felt as if a demon barred her 
 
 way, an opposition which was more tangibly 
 11
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 expressed in the person of the milliner's sister, 
 who declared that the fiddle was Satan's own, 
 and for her part she "wouldn't live under the 
 same roof with the ungodly thing." The violin 
 was sold for a song to the German gardener at 
 Judge Wellford's, and Mary's only tears were 
 shed out in the meadow, lying in the long grass 
 and detaining a quail from its nest by her soft 
 sobbing. 
 
 Mary loved the sound of the wind in the 
 trees, the patter of rain on the roof, the rustle 
 of autumn leaves. She longed to know flowers 
 and birds. She was sent to Sunday school, but 
 the teacher was a shallow young girl, who was 
 not interested in the pupil with the Cecilian 
 face and roughened hands, and was still less 
 concerned about the lesson. The milliner had 
 given the child a fine-print Testament, which 
 the orphan read at every opportunity, but the 
 Christ who charmed her lonely little soul was 
 purely objective. She dreamed once that she 
 was one of the children that he laid his hands 
 upon in blessing, and awoke stretching her poor, 
 thin little arms in the darkness, to find it was 
 
 only a dream. One winter, while attending 
 12
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 revival services she responded readily to an invi- 
 tation to give herself to God, and believed that 
 he pardoned her sins through Jesus Christ, but 
 she had yet to learn the day-by-day friendship 
 of the Saviour, and she worshiped with a vague, 
 remote sense of his interest in her life. She had 
 observed some beautiful friendships, and it 
 seemed to her that human love could satisfy 
 her and make amends for the hard denials of 
 life. 
 
 Xathaniel West, even as a young man, was 
 much respected in the church and community, 
 and when he sought the company of the girl at 
 Miss Kelsey's, and later asked her to be his wife, 
 many a village maiden looked on with surprise 
 and envy. He was a silent lover, but his sub- 
 stantial character was like a rock in a weary 
 land to the friendless and homeless girl who had 
 always borne the heat and burden of the day. 
 She had her secret thought, too, that perhaps 
 when the strangeness of the new association had 
 worn away his eyes would oftener rest upon her 
 with that look of deep devotion with which they 
 had softened when he had received her answer, 
 
 or that he might sometimes even give her a 
 2 13
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 playful caress. But Nathaniel West, while he 
 would have died for love, would also rather die 
 than to deal it out daily in those precious 
 morsels upon which women's hearts thrive and 
 grow glad and strong. Nathaniel never found 
 fault with his wife, but, on the other hand, he 
 never kissed her. He considered it a weakness. 
 She, however, like most of her sex, could over- 
 look a moderate amount of criticism if it were 
 well interspersed with loverlike attentions. 
 
 Mary had not been long married when she 
 had ceased to expect any such demonstrations 
 from the grave, abstracted companion of her 
 life journey. She was too proud to express her 
 disappointment, and she smothered her own in- 
 clination to talk about their love, or to betray 
 it in the many small ways for which a genuine 
 woman has no need of a teacher. She set her- 
 self to be content to bear the name of a good 
 man, to keep his house in order and prepare his 
 food, to know the run of his business, while her 
 heart ached for that tender communion which 
 the very pain of longing proved to be possible. 
 One night she stood in a dream in a rotunda 
 
 lined with closed doors. One door was marked 
 14
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Wealth," but she did Dot try the handle. She 
 would have liked more ease from her daily 
 work, but her eyes caught the lettering of other 
 doors much more attractive. One was "Music." 
 She rushed eagerly to open it, but it was se- 
 curely fastened. "Art" also resisted her strong- 
 est efforts to enter. "Affinities" seemed barred 
 to her touch. The last door was marked 
 "Love." It stood ajar. She knocked timidly. 
 A hand with a deep scar in the palm opened 
 the door. She beheld a face so glorious and 
 wise and tender and pure and sympathetic that 
 her soul leaped within her and she cried, "Who 
 art thou, Lord?" And a voice said, "I am Je- 
 sus." She saw beyond a beautiful landscape of 
 hills and groves and fountains, and all manner 
 of pleasant fruits and choice flowers. 
 
 She awoke, and knew the significance of the 
 vision. Her life was to be in Christ. The 
 alabaster box of her soul's sweetness was to be 
 broken, at his feet. The beautiful things of this 
 world were denied her, but the fountain of all 
 blessedness was free to her. She absorbed the 
 Christ-life. She walked in that Light. She 
 
 found an alchemy that changed her daily tasks 
 15
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 into incense to the Eternal One. Her kitchen 
 became a temple where she did service as the 
 angels. She did not withdraw herself from 
 others. Many a home knew her gentle step 
 and healing sympathy. The plain little meet- 
 inghouse became a cathedral when she knelt 
 there. When her children came to her, first 
 Helen, and two years later Eloise, she received 
 them with awe, as one whom God had honored 
 with a great trust, and felt aright that her work 
 was not secondary to any in the universe. Helen 
 was a vigorous child from birth, and well-en- 
 dowed mentally. She was also beautiful, espe- 
 cially when in animated conversation, for then 
 there was a dancing light in her large dark eyes, 
 and her cheery smile revealed her perfect 
 teeth. Even as a young girl her carriage was 
 marked by its dignified and graceful poise. 
 Eloise was ethereal in her beauty. She was less 
 robust than Helen in body and mind, but with 
 a livelier fancy, a more agile grace. In t Helen 
 the father's rugged conscience was dominant 
 over the mother's gentleness. In Eloise there 
 was a singular lack of seriousness, but a remark- 
 able amiability, and a faculty of adaptation to 
 10
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 people that made her a general favorite. Helen 
 had a strong bent to literary pursuits, and 
 Eloise was fond of music, for which she had so 
 much talent as to scorn the drudgery of appli- 
 cation, and would therefore forfeit any marked 
 success. Mrs. West had determined from their 
 earliest years that her daughters should receive 
 the advantages that she herself had been obliged 
 to forego, and Helen entered with enthusiasm 
 into her mother's purpose. Eloise had her day- 
 dreams of less serious matters. Sunnyslope was 
 not so remote from the great centers of com- 
 mercial and social life as to be deprived of all 
 glimpses of the brilliant luxury and ease into 
 which most people put a large income. There 
 were several old homesteads in the village whose 
 doors frequently opened to returning sons and 
 daughters from Boston and New York, who 
 brought with them into the sleepy content of 
 the quaint New England town hints and flavors 
 and sounds of an alluring sort to the delicate 
 and imaginative Eloise. She was more sensitive 
 to a bit of color, to the softness of fine fur, to 
 the fine fragility of a piece of rare china than 
 
 her sister, but far less responsive than Helen to 
 17
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 a demand upon her moral nature. Self-denial 
 and plodding industry had no charms for her, 
 but she shirked the less desirable tasks of the 
 'home so gracefully as to cast a glamour over her 
 delinquencies. 
 
 We have left Helen for some moments at her 
 open window, busily engaged with pleasant 
 thoughts. She was now just seventeen years old, 
 and had prepared to enter a certain celebrated 
 college for women. It had never for one mo- 
 ment seemed possible that she could actually 
 go, as her father's means were narrow; but her 
 mother had been often in prayer on the subject, 
 and was fond of quoting to the impetuous girl, 
 "No good thing will He withhold from them 
 that walk uprightly." 
 
 A distant relative had most unexpectedly died 
 and left a small house to Mr. West, and he had 
 promised Helen to sell it if possible and put the 
 proceeds into her college course. A purchaser 
 had been found, and on the day before our story 
 opens Mr. West had received the cash that 
 brought Helen's uncertainty to a bright end. 
 She had already been to the seat of the chosen 
 
 institution, and had passed the entrance/ ex- 
 18
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 animations in the most creditable manner. 
 This was of itself enough to fill the girl's cup 
 with delight; but there was yet another element 
 in the brimming elixir, and the consciousness of 
 it softened her eyes and transfused her face and 
 neck with a faint flush. The village doctor had 
 lived just across the street from the Wests be- 
 fore Helen was born, and his son Harry had al- 
 ways been Helen's favorite companion. Harry 
 was two years the elder, and had assumed an 
 air of protection from the first time that they 
 toddled off to infant class together, and Helen 
 had fallen fast asleep on the bench, only saved 
 from a tumble by Harry's sturdy but aching 
 little arm. They were a pair of as mischievous 
 youngsters as ever explored pantry shelves, or 
 decorated Jay's Morning and Evening Exercises 
 with Mother Goose pictures. They had shared 
 their village schooldays; and when Harry went 
 out of the place to attend a preparatory school 
 for Yale, Helen had managed by the help of 
 Judge Denham and the minister to keep pace 
 with him, and to surprise him at the next va- 
 cation by coming off first in a mutual game of 
 
 quiz. No word of love or marriage had ever 
 19
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 passed between them, but at the last Easter 
 vacation the hearty good fellowship of child- 
 hood and youth had given place to a sort of 
 awkward restraint unintelligible to either. 
 They had joined the church together on a six 
 months' probation, as is the custom in the de- 
 nomination to which their parents belonged, 
 and were now, in June, to be received with 
 several other young 'people into full member- 
 ship. Harry had received special leave of 
 absence, and had arrived home late on Saturday 
 evening. Helen had not seen him yet, but a 
 little note that came on Saturday noon had ex- 
 pressed a desire that the day that marked their 
 Christian lives with a white stone might be 
 memorable also in the annals of their friend- 
 ship. Helen thought of what she had to tell 
 Harry about her prospect of going to college, 
 but the intuition of what he had to say to her 
 set her heart beating wildly. 
 
 A gentle rap at Helen's door caused her to 
 turn swiftly from the window to admit her 
 mother, who stood at the threshold in her white 
 dimity gown, her heavenly eyes glowing with the 
 
 light of the Presence within her soul. 
 20
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Good morning, mamma," said Helen, almost 
 reverenth r ; "come in." 
 
 "Good morning, dear," said Mrs. West, kiss- 
 ing Helen's forehead, and softly passing her 
 fingers over the wavy dark hair. "Your father 
 is making the fire, and Eloise is still asleep, 
 so I think that we may have a few moments to- 
 gether. It is a sacred day in your life, my child, 
 and also in mine." 
 
 "0, mamma," said Helen, as she drew a rock- 
 ing-chair forward for her mother and sat down 
 herself on the floor in an old-time childish 
 fashion of hers, leaning her face against her 
 mother's knees, "niy heart fairly aches with joy. 
 There's the church, you know, and college and 
 and Harry and all!" 
 
 Mrs. West sat silent for a few moments, and a 
 neighboring robin filled the room with his song 
 of praise. Then she quoted softly: 
 
 " ' Jesus, thou Joy of loving hearts ! 
 
 Thou Fount of life ! thou Light of men ! 
 From the best bliss that earth imparts, 
 We turn unfilled to thee again.' 
 
 "Helen, dear, try this morning to separate 
 
 yourself from all but the best. You are to 
 21
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 give yourself publicly to God and his church, 
 and I long for your consecration to be not a 
 form alone, but truly of the Spirit.'' 
 
 Again silence, while the sunshine streamed 
 across the white room, and the robin seemed 
 to sing his heart out in the old cherry tree. 
 
 "The Father's purpose for each of his chil- 
 dren," continued Mrs. West, as she caressed the 
 bowed head beside her, "is to conform eac'h to 
 the image of his Son. You often hear people 
 quote from Eomans, 'All things work together 
 for good to them that love God,' as if the 'good' 
 were a general indefinite betterment of condi- 
 tion. But if you read the whole passage care- 
 fully you will see that the good the apostle 
 meant is that 'we should be conformed to the 
 image of his Son.' Helen, since I learned that 
 truth it has shone like a star above my life. 
 Not a day and not a duty but is sent to further 
 that glorious purpose. Denials and delights, 
 hard work uninteresting in itself, as well as the 
 hours of* rest, sickness and sorrow and disap- 
 pointment are all the Father's instruments to 
 shape the image. It is slow work, and much of 
 
 it is painful. Chiseling is tedious, and the 
 22
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 stroke of the hammer startles and hurts, and the 
 polishing process is wearisome, until we get 
 a clear vision of the pattern, Jesus Christ, and 
 know that we are to be like him! This is the 
 prize of our high calling, to stand at last with- 
 out spot or wrinkle or any such thing, presented 
 faultless in the presence of his glory with ex- 
 ceeding joy. Helen, there is no soul so low, so 
 ignorant, so weak but has this possibility 
 wrapped within it. This is why God goes to 
 such expense for us, and why we should pour 
 out our lives for others." 
 
 Helen lifted her eyes to her mother's face and 
 said: "Mother, dear, there aren't many such 
 saints as you!" 
 
 "Hush, child!" she replied, in tender re- 
 proach. "There is nothing of me but the grace 
 of God. I want this morning to impart to you 
 the open secret of all blessedness. You have 
 different sources of joy and pleasure to-day. 
 What I tell you can make you independent of 
 every earthly delight, and still leave you satis- 
 fied at the center of your soul, and happy be- 
 yond all account. I do not ask you to give up 
 
 your friend, nor that desire for education which 
 23
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 I have done my best to foster in you, but to 
 give them to God. Giving up and giving to 
 God are two very different experiences. All 
 the pure and good and useful things that we 
 yield to him he takes and utilizes and multi- 
 plies and glorifies and pours back into our 
 bosoms in blessed increase of richness and 
 power. The evil we should be glad to let him 
 cast away, for we cannot wittingly keep it and 
 keep him. I did not mean to say so much to 
 you, but you will bear with mother." 
 
 Helen pressed to her lips the hands that had 
 become hard and unshapely by years of toil, 
 beautiful hands in the sight of heaven bearing 
 the stamp of the Order of Useful Saints. 
 
 "Mamma," said Helen, "I will remember 
 every word. Will you pray with me?" 
 
 They knelt together beside Helen's bed, and 
 Mary West prayed for her firstborn with a di- 
 rectness and simplicity of faith that seemed to 
 wing its way to the very heart of love and 
 power. Then they arose and went down to pre- 
 pare the simple morning meal. Just before the 
 first bell rang for service Harry came over and 
 
 inquired for Helen, who had disappeared in the 
 24
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 cool depths of the orchard. He walked on up 
 the garden path to the gray gate. He could see 
 the gleam of her white muslin gown between 
 the trees. She suddenly turned and saw him 
 coming rapidly toward her, tall and command- 
 ing, eager but self-controlled, and she could not 
 run to meet him as once she would have done. 
 A rush of color swept her face, leaving her 
 pale and faint, but she held out her hand and 
 said: 
 
 "I am glad to see you, Harry." 
 
 She did not meet his eyes as he took her 
 hand, for quick tears brimmed her own. 
 
 "Helen," said he, "did you ever know such a 
 morning, so full of beauty and hope and the 
 glory of God!" 
 
 "I've been trying ever since I woke," she re- 
 plied, "to sing what I cannot put into words.- 
 Even the Te Deum does not satisfy me. The 
 robins and the daisies and the sunshine all seem 
 to praise God as I cannot." 
 
 "I have not told you, Helen," said Harry, as 
 they slowly strolled toward the board seat be- 
 tween the trees at the end of the path, "that 
 
 within a few weeks I have received a clear call 
 25
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 to preach the Gospel. You know that father 
 had set his heart on seeing me a famous sur- 
 geon, and my studies were begun with that end 
 in view. But the call has sounded in my ears 
 day and night." 
 
 "And what do you say, Harry?" 
 
 "I have said, 'Wait, wait;' I have said, 'I am 
 unworthy;' I have wept and prayed and be- 
 sought that another might take my place." 
 
 "And wear your crown 0, Harry!" 
 
 She looked full in his face now with fear and 
 reproach in her eyes. 
 
 "No, Helen, it is all over now. Last night on 
 the train I said, 'Here am I, send me!' I feel as 
 if a mountain had been lifted from me. I told 
 father and mother before breakfast, and at 
 family devotions poor father broke down in his 
 prayer. It is the greatest disappointment of his 
 life. But mother took the prayer right up and 
 went on and thanked God that he had chosen 
 me to bind up the broken-hearted, and after- 
 ward we all three had a downright good talk 
 together, and it's all settled; that is Helen," 
 and he took her hands in his, "dear Helen, will 
 
 you share my lifework?" 
 2G
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 The girl's face was lifted with a love and 
 loyalty thereon that could never know change or 
 doubt or shadow that is cast hy turning, a love 
 that could endure silence and absence and death 
 itself and still love on. It was a look like the 
 music of a song without words, and Harry was 
 content with his answer. 
 
 Just then the bells warned them that it was 
 time to start for church. It was a memorable 
 service. The plain little sanctuary was beauti- 
 ful with ferns and roses and bright faces. A 
 number of young men and women took their 
 places at the altar to unite with God's people. 
 Harry and Helen both felt that it was a privi- 
 lege to bring their new happiness there for the 
 Father's blessing. Poor and fleeting are the 
 jo}-s that he cannot smile upon. Separated by 
 a dozen other candidates, yet conscious of a per- 
 fect union of thought and purpose, these two 
 faced each other as they repeated the solemn 
 vows of the ritual. But when they knelt to 
 receive the holy communion they saw no one 
 save Jesus only. 
 
 "Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou 
 goest," breathed Helen. It was a pledge that
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 did not rend her heartstrings, for it seemed to 
 her that her every desire ran parallel with the 
 will of God. That afternoon she told Harry 
 that the door had opened for her into a college 
 career. He had not a nature that would be- 
 grudge to a woman the highest development of 
 which she is capable, but the thought that 
 Helen might become attracted by some profes- 
 sion that would discount domestic joys and so 
 sweep her away from him moderated his sym- 
 pathy with her gratified ambition. He said as 
 much, confessing himself to be selfish beyond 
 remedy, but Helen declared that the highest 
 vocation of any woman is to love and be loved, 
 and that a college course would help her to 
 adorn that calling. So they sat in the orchard 
 all that gleaming afternoon, and built their 
 castles for the future, and mingling with their 
 happy day-dreaming was the sound of the old 
 violin, long since bought back from the gar- 
 dener ; for the child Eloise was playing melodies 
 from the church hymnal, interweaving their 
 stately measures with quaint flights of her own 
 fancy. 
 
 The summer vacation passed rapidly, filled 
 28
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 with many outings, readings from favorite 
 books, and studies of birds and wild flowers. 
 Helen performed her share in the household 
 duties as conscientiously as of old, but so ab- 
 sorbed was she in her pleasures that she failed 
 to see that her mother's step was growing 
 feeble. Even when they sat together in the 
 vine-shaded porch, sewing and chatting by the 
 hour, Helen did not notice that the dear hands 
 sometimes dropped their work and lay listless 
 for a time as if unable to take another stitch. 
 It was near the end of the vacation, and Helen's 
 trunk had been brought down into the front 
 hall. Mother and daughter began to realize 
 what it would be to be separated for the first 
 time in their lives, and as Mrs. West packed the 
 trunk, now r and then stowing away a little note, 
 a new ribbon, a box of sweets, or a new book, 
 a tear sometimes fell upon the garment she was 
 folding. The night before Helen was to start 
 on her journey to college Mrs. West had put the 
 finishing touches to the pretty gray traveling 
 gown, and had laid it out on the spare-room bed 
 with hat and gloves and even a dainty hand- 
 kerchief and new pocketbook. Helen had 
 3 29
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 hovered over the proceeding like a bride over 
 her trousseau, occasionally bestowing a swift 
 hug or kiss upon the dear burden-bearer, when 
 suddenly the scales fell from her eyes and she 
 saw that her mother looked worn and that she 
 breathed with some difficulty. 
 
 "Mamma, dear," she cried, "you are ill. I 
 must not go and leave you." 
 
 "Dearie, you know that I always feel the 
 warm weather, and am a trifle tired. Then, 
 too, I am such a foolish old mother that it is 
 hard to let you out of my sight. But Eloise is 
 going to be a great deal of company for me. 
 How well the child plays!" 
 
 Eloise was practicing on her violin, and 
 the pathetic notes of a simple German air, "Du, 
 du, liegst mir am Herzen," floated up the stair- 
 case. Helen could never listen to it again in 
 all the after years without a vision of that mo- 
 ment the cool, shady front chamber all in 
 pleasant confusion with the final preparations 
 for her journey, the white muslin curtains blow- 
 ing gently in the breeze, the little vase of late 
 verbenas on the bureau, and her mother's 
 
 gesture of gentle command to cease the conver- 
 30
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 sation and listen to the young musician. They 
 stood there arm in arm in the doorway for a few 
 moments, waiting to surprise the child with ap- 
 plause, when Harry appeared at the front door, 
 just in time to join in the encore. But Eloise 
 fled with her instrument to her own room, 
 and Harry inquired through the screen door if 
 he might get some supper there, as he was will- 
 ing to work for it. 
 
 Helen came down and asked him what sort 
 of work he could do, and he proposed a game 
 of croquet. 
 
 "We don't give peach shortcake for croquet," 
 said Helen, soberly. 
 
 "Peach shortcake!" replied Harry. "Lady, 
 give me a hoe, a hatchet, a lawn mower any- 
 thing. I'm not above earning shortcake by the 
 sweat of my brow." 
 
 "Well, if you really want to work," said 
 Helen, "you may walk down to Mrs. Dean's 
 with me after cream." 
 
 They strolled along the pleasant street be- 
 neath the elms, whose shadows stretched far 
 into the road in the sunshine. There was a 
 
 cloud on Helen's brow and in her heart. 
 31
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "I feel troubled about mother," she said. 
 
 "Nothing but the very best can come to your 
 mother," said Harry, gently. 
 
 "Then it must be my own self that worries 
 me." 
 
 "Is it not true of you also, Helen?" 
 
 "What, that nothing but good can come to 
 me? Yes, I suppose so. I believe it with my 
 head, at least." 
 
 "No, if you really believed it you would be 
 comforted by it." 
 
 "But suppose the 'good' means sorrow and 
 loss and disappointment?" queried Helen. 
 
 "And suppose that God labels some of our 
 plans 'not good?'" replied Harry, "Would we 
 still reach out toward them, and weep?" 
 
 "Yes, I am sure I would," said Helen, half 
 smiling, "being a woman and not a philoso- 
 pher." 
 
 "Well, I'm not going to waste my first ser- 
 mon on an audience of one," said Harry, cheer- 
 ily, as he opened Mrs. Dean's gate. 
 
 "It seems to me," said Mrs. Dean as she 
 hastened to set a jar of cream in Helen's basket, 
 
 "that your mar is lookin' drefful peakid. I 
 32
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 wish she'd try cherry pictorial. I come right up 
 on it a year ago." 
 
 "What mother needs is a good rest," said 
 Helen, thanking Mrs. Dean for her interest, 
 but she turned away with a sudden pain in her 
 heart, and not even Harry's merry conjectures 
 as to the style of the illustrations in Mrs. 
 Dean's remedy brought a smile to her face. 
 
 But when they reached her home her fore- 
 bodings took flight. Mrs. West greeted them 
 so brightly, and looked so lovely in her white 
 gown, that Helen thought that her cause of 
 fear was imaginary. There was a dainty supper. 
 Harry was in his gayest mood, and even aroused 
 Mr. West out of his usual brown study. Mrs. 
 West had determined that Helen's last evening 
 at home should be a pleasant memory, and no 
 hint of sadness mingled with the happy talk 
 of the future. 
 
 After the little feast was cleared away Harry 
 carried Helen off for an hour with his mother. 
 Then they went for a little row on the river. 
 It was a brilliant night, for the full moon re- 
 vealed even' leaf and flower. Helen had a soft, 
 
 fleecy white shawl draped around her head and 
 33
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 shoulders, and as she sat trailing her fingers in 
 the stream Harry had need to be reminded of 
 his duty as oarsman. 
 
 "See," said Helen, "we're headed right for 
 Middle Kock." 
 
 "Well, if we're dashed to pieces it is your 
 fault for looking so distractingly angelic/' said 
 Harry, glancing behind him, and pulling to the 
 right. "That's one thing I hate about a row- 
 boat on an occasion like this. A fellow must 
 either be a Tantalus or risk a watery grave for 
 two." 
 
 "What a happy summer this has been!" said 
 Helen. 
 
 "And the best is that it is only the beginning 
 of a lifetime of happy summers and blessed 
 winters," replied Harry. 
 
 "We must go back now," said Helen, after 
 an hour had passed all too swiftly. "You know 
 the train leaves early in the morning, and I 
 Avant a little chat with mother before bedtime." 
 
 So they returned, singing as they went, 
 Harry's tenor and Helen's rich contralto float- 
 ing out on the radiant stillness of the night. 
 
 In the porch of her home Harry took her face 
 34
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 in his two hands, and said as he kissed her 
 good night : 
 
 "Dear girl, I love the ground under your 
 feet!" 
 
 "Better the stars over my head!" smiled 
 Helen. 
 
 "I fear by the time you have finished college 
 you will be like a star," said he, "brilliant but 
 remote to a poor mortal man like me." 
 
 "Don't, dear/' she replied, laying her hand 
 lightly on his lips;" starlight is not the best 
 light to read and work by. I only aspire to be 
 more worthy of love, God's love and yours." 
 
 It was yet early when she stepped inside the 
 door, but the house seemed strangely still. 
 Eloise had gone to a lawn fete in the village, 
 and her father had not come home from the 
 store, but her mother was not on the couch in 
 the sitting room nor in the large willow rocker 
 on the side piazza. 
 
 "Mamma!" she called, but no answer. 
 
 She sped up the stairway, and into her 
 mother's room. The slender, white-robed figure 
 was kneeling beside the window. The head was 
 
 bowed upon her arms. Helen started to with- 
 35
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 draw, thinking that she had disturbed her 
 mother at prayer, but again turned and crept 
 back softly and knelt beside her, putting an 
 arm around the beloved form. Almost imme- 
 diately, with a sudden, awful fear, she sprang to 
 her feet crying: 
 
 "Mamma, dear, dear mamma!" 
 
 There was no response. The room was as 
 light as day, but as Helen tenderly lifted her 
 mother's head she saw upon her face the bright- 
 ness of that land where they have no need of 
 the sun, neither of the moon, to give them 
 light. The next day, upon the floor near the 
 window, Helen picked up a half sheet of note 
 paper upon which had been traced a few falter- 
 ing lines. The following spring in the verbena 
 bed beneath the casement, they found the 
 pencil that the weak fingers had dropped. The 
 note read as follows: 
 
 "DARLING HELEN: Take good care of father 
 and Eloise. God is with you, and with me. The 
 gates are wide " 
 
 It is twenty years later when we resume our 
 
 story. 
 
 36
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 ABOUT an hour's ride from New York city 
 on the outskirts of a sleepy little village stood 
 Mrs. Knight's boarding school for girls. Its 
 somewhat mixed architecture readily yielded 
 to the imaginative mind a hint as to the history 
 of the institution. The central part of the 
 structure was evidently once an elegant private 
 residence whose walls of rough gray stone 
 crowned an elevation that commanded a far- 
 stretching prospect of river and hills. Class 
 ivies had done their best to conceal the fact that 
 the great transverse addition to the original 
 house was of wood; and several pretty cottages 
 about the grounds were also embowered in lux- 
 uriant creepers. The wide lawns were shaded 
 by fine old elms and maples, and at the carriage 
 entrance, one on each side of the iron gate, 
 stood two tall, gaunt poplars once named by 
 some schoolgirl "The Monitors." 
 
 Fifty years ago the statety stone house was 
 built by a Xew York merchant for his bride. 
 
 She was an English girl who had come to 
 37
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 America to visit relatives, little dreaming that 
 her return to England ever after would be but 
 for a visit, and home would be that same semi- 
 barbarous land that returned travelers had por- 
 trayed in sarcastic vein. This house and the 
 grounds were her husband's marriage gift to 
 her, for even as that ancient king of Babylon 
 sought to content his mountain-born wife with 
 the flowery terraces of the Hanging Gardens, 
 so with gray walls and velvety, well-shaded 
 greenswards did the American lover plan to 
 make the strange surroundings of a new 
 country seem homelike to his English bride. 
 There were a few joyous years in the new home, 
 but financial losses came, followed by the death 
 of the husband. There were claims against the 
 estate that could not be met by it, and the 
 widow felt that conscience demanded that no 
 creditor should lose while she had any re- 
 sources. The alternative was before her of 
 sacrificing her home or her own small private 
 fortune. She chose the latter course, and soon 
 found herself in the singular position of sitting 
 down to a dinner of bread and tea in a room 
 
 where mirrors reflected costly hangings and 
 38
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 gleaming silver. She was quick to determine 
 on her future course. Her only child, a boy, 
 must be reared in the beautiful home where he 
 had been born. She was fully capable of lead- 
 ing him in his studies up to the university 
 doors. She would ask for other people's chil- 
 dren to educate with him. 
 
 Her beauty and culture and social position 
 made a picturesque setting to her honorable 
 poverty and sad bereavement, and fashionable 
 society made a pet of her school. From the 
 first day it was a success. She taught one gen- 
 eration of children herself with the assistance 
 of the choicest talent she could command. Her 
 son, Leverett, brilliant and promising, when 
 well launched in the law married a young lady 
 of good birth and fine presence, who brought 
 him no other dowry than her own personal 
 attractions. His sudden death left her in a 
 position to accept with gratitude Mrs. Knight's 
 offer of a place as assistant principal in her 
 well-established school. As the years went by 
 Mr?. Leverett Knight became more and more 
 the controlling power in the institution and 
 
 materially changed its character. She was a 
 39
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 tall, haughty woman, plausible, insincere, domi- 
 nant, strategic, and always stylish and bril- 
 liant. Under her regime the school became less 
 conscientious and thorough in its training, but 
 such was its remarkable prestige that the world 
 was long in discovering that standards had 
 been lowered to meet the mental capacities of 
 many whose purses were better supplied than 
 their heads. None but the daughters of the 
 wealthy could pay the enormous tuition fees. 
 
 Girls were there from Halifax and Los Ange- 
 les, from Montreal and Bermuda, girls whose 
 mothers once tripped through those same cor- 
 ridors, and yawned behind their ^Eneid in the 
 little recitation rooms, and wove their gay 
 fancies under the maples walking hand in hand 
 in the immemorial custom. Some of the girls 
 had brought back to the school the features, 
 voices, and characteristics, and occasionally 
 even the Christian name of those pupils of fif- 
 teen or twenty years before, and Mrs. Knight 
 sometimes felt that she must be nearly a quar- 
 ter of a century younger than she had sup- 
 posed; and only the sight in the mirror of her 
 
 snow-white hair would convince her that some 
 40
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 sunny-faced "Alice" bending over a grammar 
 \vas actually the daughter of a graver and wiser 
 "Alice" presiding over some distant household. 
 The elder Mrs. Knight was usually called 
 "the Madam" in public, and "Gram" in pri- 
 vate, by the second generation of girls. She 
 had grown lovely with the years, but was more 
 and more dependent on her daily nap and a 
 long drive before tea. Her supervision con- 
 sisted for the most part in an occasional visit 
 to the classes, and in entertaining beautifully 
 at a monthly reception to which each pupil 
 was allowed to invite two friends. One after- 
 noon in each week some four of the boarders 
 took tea with her in her dainty drawing-room, 
 and the heavy snowy table linen, the delicate 
 pink china and fragile cut glass, the rich silver 
 and the single rose at each plate were very at- 
 tractive to the youthful eyes of her guests. The 
 "tea" was usually chocolate, that beverage be- 
 loved by schoolgirls, and there were always 
 rolls of melting lightness and fresh fruit, in 
 the winter, sliced oranges piled like embodied 
 Southern sunshine in a dish of Eussian glass, 
 
 and one kind of delicate cake. There were a 
 41
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 few girls w'ho had been rude enough to whisper 
 that "the Madam's" entertainments consisted of 
 a "lily and a glass of water," but they were 
 promptly and indignantly silenced by the 
 others. These teas came to each quartet but 
 once in a term, and were occasions of great 
 pleasure, for Mrs. Knight was a rare hostess, 
 and had the faculty of putting each guest com- 
 pletely at ease. There was an irresistible at- 
 traction in the tones of her clear, soft voice, 
 in the quiet of her shapely hands, in the very 
 folds of her long silken robes. A brilliant con- 
 versationalist, her reminiscences of travel and 
 short chats on current events would have de- 
 lighted any circle, much more the impression- 
 able girls under her care. If Mrs. Knight's 
 winning, cultured, sweet womanhood had been 
 consecrated to Christ how potent for good 
 would have been those little afternoon repasts! 
 How a tender acknowledgment of the Father's 
 love would have glorified the exquisite board! 
 How a few loving words and perhaps a brief 
 prayer and an evening hymn as the twilight 
 crept in at the windows might have infused 
 
 those young hearts with holy purposes! But 
 42
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 Mrs. Knight was only a lovely apostle of world- 
 liness, with no more comprehension of the needs 
 of a soul than the Venus de' Medici that stood 
 in the bay window. 
 
 There was a form of religion in the school. 
 Morning prayer was conducted by the teacher 
 of mathematics, Miss Mallory, and always 
 seemed to partake of the dry and spiritless 
 atmosphere which ever surrounded that very 
 stiff and angular personage. On pleasant Sun- 
 day mornings the pupils were conducted to the 
 only church in the village, where a minister 
 with a sepulchral voice that echoed dismally 
 from the plain, colorless walls made the place 
 irksome in the extreme. As Nel Travers whis- 
 pered to her right-hand neighbor, "It makes 
 me feel as if I want to be wicked." 
 
 Our story brings us to a certain Wednesday 
 following the annual Easter vacation. It was 
 a typical April day of sunshine and showers. 
 Morning and afternoon trains left groups of 
 girls at the village station, and the two or three 
 old roekaways and ancient steeds that usually 
 waited hopelessly at the rear platform were 
 
 kept busy all day long carrying their loads of 
 43
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 chattering and laughing passengers out to the 
 seminary. Within the house there was con- 
 siderable confusion and but partially suppressed 
 hilarity. The porter toiled along the corridors 
 from time to time beneath the weight of a 
 heavy trunk or valise, the girls flitted in and 
 out of each other's rooms to exhibit new trink- 
 ets or talk over the gayeties of the vacation, 
 and through half-closed doors came bursts of 
 merriment and snatches from a late opera. 
 
 The rooms were divided into parlors and 
 sleeping apartments. Each parlor had two 
 bedrooms opening into it, thus accommodating 
 four of the girls. As the latter were required 
 to furnish their own rooms, some of the suites 
 were very tasteful and luxurious. Parlor num- 
 ber eight was the admiration and envy of all the 
 occupants of the second floor. The pupils in 
 number eight were all from lavish homes ex- 
 cept one of them, Edyth Wilsey, who had no 
 home, but whose taste and means had given 
 the most of beauty and comfort to the place. 
 Just now the pretty little parlor presented a 
 scene of chaos that was attractive even in its 
 
 apparent hopelessness, being nearly submerged 
 44
 
 THE KiNG's GOLfi 
 
 by the dainty belongings that four merry girls 
 were dragging forth from as many trunks. No 
 pupil was allowed to keep a trunk in her room, 
 and the porter was to call in an hour to take 
 them to the storeroom; but tongues flew faster 
 than fingers. Furs and laces, ribbons and fans, 
 mingled on chairs and tables with boxes of bon- 
 bons, new novels and magazines, and silver 
 toilet .articles. A lovely little toque wreathed 
 in violets adorned the marble bust of Sir Walter 
 Scott; a jar of mixed pickles, brought tenderly 
 by hand all the way from Baltimore by Eleanor 
 Lee, surmounted the mantel clock; a couple of 
 banjos hung from an easel where St. Cecilia's 
 rapt face shone above her organ keys, and a new 
 chafing dish suggestive of future surreptitious 
 \Velsh rarebits peeped out from under a pink 
 organdie evening gown. 
 
 The four girls who shared this suite of rooms 
 were in the senior class. Eleanor Lee, dubbed 
 "Melpomene" by the girls, shortened usually to 
 "Mel," was tall, dark, and slender, with a great 
 fondness for acids, satire, and Poe's "Baven." 
 Daisy Leslie, Tier chum, was a golden-haired, 
 
 dimpled, easygoing blonde, thoroughly spoiled 
 4 45
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 at home, but with a soft, comfortable disposi- 
 tion, one of those cushiony people who make 
 excellent padding for the nervous temperaments 
 of others to knock against. Slow, equable, ami- 
 able, but saved from insipidity by the very ab- 
 surdities of her provoking inefficiency, she was 
 also generous and affectionate, and quite a pet 
 in the school. They called her "the Philoso- 
 pher." Serene Dudley, named "the Princess," 
 was more thoughtful than the other two; as 
 gentle as Daisy, but with an absorbing love for 
 art that had elevated her thoughts above the 
 ordinary ambitions of the fashionable school- 
 girl, and had imparted the dignity of a quiet 
 determination to her delicate, expressive face 
 and graceful bearing. There was a dreamy, 
 remote air about her at times, and her facile 
 pencil was apt to stray from the dull French 
 exercises, filling her text-books as full of chil- 
 dren's faces as were those of Tommy Traddles 
 with skeletons. She had a vein of humor that 
 lighted up her rather serious nature, and a 
 power of sarcasm that was without bitterness, 
 but was keen enough to be feared. If the girls 
 had dared to express their real feelings in re-
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 gard to a nickname for Edyth Wilsey they 
 would have chosen "the Mystery," for a mystery 
 she was even to herself. As it was, they named 
 her "Old Lovely." 
 
 Twelve years before, the wife of the captain 
 of a Cunard steamship had brought the bright- 
 haired, gray-eyed little girl to Madam Knight. 
 She knew but little about the child, whose 
 father had solicited the kindly offices of the 
 motherly Englishwoman to keep an oversight of 
 her and her French maid during the voyage, 
 and to lodge them safely in the most desirable 
 school accessible outside of New York city. 
 Mrs. Knight was informed that the little 
 Edyth's mother was dead, and as the plea to 
 shelter the child was reinforced by the extreme 
 loveliness of the gentle, almost friendless tiny 
 creature, and a large roll of banknotes that ex- 
 ceeded the cost of a year's board and tuition, 
 Mrs. Knight ventured with many misgivings 
 to receive such a peculiar charge; but the refer- 
 ence to a London banker resulted in a terse but 
 satisfactory reply, and Edyth entered upon a 
 long residence in the seminary. She was then 
 
 in her seventh year. The maid remained until 
 47
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 her twelfth birthday, but had never been in- 
 duced to impart any special information about 
 her young mistress. 
 
 Edyth's father visited her once in a few years, 
 and as she grew older he arranged long journeys 
 for the summer vacations. He was a dark, si- 
 lent, stern-visaged man, who spent most of his 
 time in Europe. There was always an un- 
 natural constraint in their relations, and it was 
 with a mutual feeling of relief that they parted. 
 He kept his daughter well supplied with pocket 
 money at times, but there were intervals when 
 she could hardly afford a postage stamp or a 
 pencil. It used to puzzle her greatly, and she 
 learned at the time of the feast to prepare for 
 the famine. 
 
 Perhaps the somewhat romantic circum- 
 stances of her lot enhanced her natural attrac- 
 tions, but she was indeed a girl of extraordinary 
 beauty of features, disposition, mind, and man- 
 ners. She never lacked for invitations to spend 
 vacations at the homes of her mates, but she 
 seldom accepted such opportunities, as her 
 father had requested her to avoid visits except 
 
 with his consent, and he almost always arranged 
 48
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 to keep her at the school when he could not 
 come and accompany her on a pleasure trip. 
 The girls had a pleasant fiction that she was 
 the rightful heir to some throne, kept out of the 
 way in a strange land, while the usurper reigned 
 undisturbed, and perhaps they had come to 
 believe in their own little romance, for they 
 were all her devoted followers. 
 
 All the admiration that Edyth received did 
 not cause her to become either vain or over- 
 bearing. Underneath all her bright, cheery 
 ways that endeared her to all in the school there 
 was a deep longing for a mother's love and 
 sympathy, a sorrow for the cloud that seemed 
 to hang over her birth, and an unceasing desire 
 to learn something more than her father had 
 ever been willing to communicate to her. Once 
 when walking with him in the mountains his 
 usual distant and forbidding manner appeared 
 to have softened a trifle, and she ventured to 
 speak of what lay nearest to her heart ever since 
 she had discovered that other girls were blessed 
 by a tender love unknown to her life. Mr. 
 Wilsey frowned and bit his mustache a while 
 
 in silence. Then he told her that her mother 
 49
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 had died in France not long after Edyth's birth, 
 that she was buried over there, and that he 
 wished that she would never refer again to the 
 subject. Edyth asked if he could not give her 
 a photograph of her mother, and he agreed 
 after some hesitation to send her a likeness. 
 It came to her several weeks after he went away, 
 a miniature on ivory in a blue velvet case, the 
 exquisite face of a young girl not very much 
 older than herself. Edyth bowed over the 
 painting in a rapture of wonder and affection. 
 
 "She would have been almost twice as old 
 now," she said aloud, "and her eyes would not 
 be so bright, but 0, how tender and kind! And 
 her pretty hair would not have so many dear 
 little unruly curls, but she would always have 
 been lovely, and more than all the world to me. 
 0, mother, mother!" 
 
 Serene was absent in the studio taking her 
 painting lesson, and Edyth threw herself on the 
 bed in a silent passion of tears. She would not 
 show the picture to the girls, nor even to 
 Madam Knight; for although the latter had a 
 very pleasant way of concealing her selfishness, 
 
 at heart she was cold and politic, and was no 
 50
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 more like a mother to her pupils than an imi- 
 tation fireplace with its painted logs and flick- 
 ering gas jets resembles the grand old-fashioned 
 hearth with its warm corners and genial glow. 
 Edyth would have given anything she had for 
 a mother. 
 
 She had spent this Easter vacation in New 
 York city with her father, who had come on 
 from Paris to meet her there. He had loaded 
 her with flowers and pretty trifles, had asked 
 her to order some new gowns, and had taken 
 her freely to the play and the opera. But on 
 Easter morning, when she proposed to go to 
 some church, his anger blazed forth. 
 
 "It is my express wish," said he, "that you 
 shall leave religion out of your life. I have my 
 own plan for you. I am bringing you up for the 
 world. You are to shine, shine! You are to 
 have society at your feet. Only two months 
 more, and your school days will be over, and I 
 will open a door for you into a dazzling career 
 of wealth and power. You will have everything 
 that heart can wish." 
 
 Edyth trembled from head to foot before the 
 
 fire in his e} r es, and looked down at the carpet. 
 51
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "I have schemed and toiled and risked every- 
 thing for this," he went on, "and this church 
 business shall not step in. Do you hear me?" 
 he said in a low but powerful voice, laying a 
 heavy hand upon her shoulder. 
 
 Edyth lifted her eyes to his dark, fierce face, 
 and shuddered. 
 
 "I will try to please you, father," she faltered. 
 
 He saw that he had gone too far, and said in 
 a gentler tone: 
 
 "I forgot that I had never told you how 
 deeply I feel on this subject. I hate Christians! 
 I would sooner see you put to death than to 
 have you become one. Now go to your room 
 and get ready for a drive." 
 
 The talk had occurred in their private parlor 
 at the hotel. Edyth went to her sleeping room 
 and dallied before the mirror, adjusting her 
 Easter hat mechanically, and thinking of it 
 not at all. She realized now for the first time 
 that her father's habitual reserve was but the 
 mask of qualities that struck dismay and ter- 
 ror to her girlish soul. She saw that she was 
 in bondage to a will unscrupulous and unkind. 
 
 She felt the iron hand in its handsome, well- 
 52
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 fitting velvet glove. A sense of injustice and 
 its twin emotion of resentment awoke in her 
 heart. Her father was obliged to knock on her 
 door to remind her that the horses were wait- 
 ing. He was a man of resources, and during 
 the drive he made himself so entertaining and 
 attentive that he succeeded in allaying the im- 
 pression that he had made upon Edyth. When 
 she left for school he gave her a case contain- 
 ing a string of small but perfect pearls. 
 
 "For your graduation," he said. "They be- 
 longed to your mother.'' 
 
 A torrent of questions rushed to Edyth's lips, 
 but she restrained them, for her father immedi- 
 ately changed the subject. 
 
 Serene's home was in New York, and the two 
 girls had exchanged luncheons and visited the 
 shops together. 
 
 "I want you to have this/' said Serene, one 
 day in a bookshop, handing Edyth a parcel that 
 she had ordered from the clerk, "but please do 
 not open it until we get back to Gram's. 
 
 Now they had returned and were hastily 
 emptying trunks and boxes, Edyth came across 
 
 the parcel, and exclaimed: 
 53
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Serene has kept me in suspense long enough. 
 So here goes!" 
 
 Melpomene was having her trials with "the 
 Philosopher," for Daisy, having unpacked her 
 belongings and hestowed them wherever the 
 room presented an available bit of surface, had 
 now sunk down on the rug before the glowing 
 grate with the air of one about to enjoy a well- 
 earned repose. Eleanor was flying nervously 
 about, opening bureau drawers and rushing 
 into closets. 
 
 "Now, Daisy Leslie/' cried she, "come and 
 put away your clothes! These rooms are a per- 
 fect jungle." 
 
 "Mel, it tries me to hear you tearing around 
 so/' replied the culprit, with a comfortable and 
 provoking little yawn. "Do come and enjoy 
 this splendid fire." 
 
 "One vestal is enough under the present cir- 
 cumstances," responded Eleanor, grimly, at the 
 same time casting a wistful look at the ruddy 
 coals. 
 
 Edyth had unwrapped the shallow paper box 
 that Serene had given her, and opened it with 
 
 an exclamation of delight. It contained a large 
 54
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 Easter card with a most exquisite design of 
 white lilies against a delicate azure background. 
 There was also an inscription in silver letters 
 which she did not read. 
 
 "If this august hody does not object," said 
 Edyth, I'll tack this under that water color 
 by the west window. Come, Mel and Daisy, 
 stop quarreling, and say if this isn't lovely." 
 
 "0, it does very well/' replied Eleanor, who 
 was fond of deep rich colors. "I never rave 
 over pale pinks and blues, you know." 
 
 "No," said Serene, who had just entered with 
 a perfume case in her hand, "Mel should have 
 been born in the tropics, her taste is so gor- 
 geous. She would go wild with delight over a 
 picture that I saw once of Lincoln in red drap- 
 eries crowned amid the clouds by George "Wash- 
 ington becomingly arrayed in green, while an 
 American eagle flapped a pair of purple and 
 yellow wings everhead." 
 
 "I don't think that my taste is quite so d 
 TAfricaine" laughed Eleanor, "but I do love 
 warmth and richness, and if ever I have a 
 place of my very own I shall call it Sunset 
 
 Lodge." 
 
 55
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Dreadful place!" said "the Philosopher," 
 languidly. "Green goggles provided for all 
 guests." 
 
 "Peacocks and paroquets all over the lawn," 
 said Serene, "and not a blush rose nor a bit of 
 mignonette anywhere; nothing but trumpet 
 vines and sunflowers and those prigs among the 
 flower-people, dahlias." 
 
 During the merry chatter of the girls Edyth 
 had stood at the window, silent and abstracted, 
 with the beautiful card in her hand, for a ray 
 of sunshine had slanted through the lace cur- 
 tain and across the spray of lilies and the words 
 beneath : 
 
 " He died for all, 
 
 That they which live should not henceforth lire unto 
 
 themselves, 
 But unto Him who died for them, and rose again." 
 
 The words were new to Edyth. Was it the 
 sunlight alone that made them glowing and liv- 
 ing? 
 
 "Not to themselves, but unto Him." 
 Had the glad Eastertide a deeper meaning 
 than she had found in it? To her it was but 
 
 the celebration of a strange tradition. How 
 56
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 could the fact that ages before One was said 
 to have risen from the dead have anything to 
 do with her daily life? Why should she live 
 unto Him? 
 
 "Who died for them." 
 
 "For them," she thought; "perhaps that 
 doesn't mean me!" 
 
 "He died for all." 
 
 "Why did He die for me?" she queried. 
 
 "Edyth, what are you day-dreaming about?" 
 
 Serene had repeated her question, and her 
 rallying voice brought Edyth from her reverie. 
 She turned saying: 
 
 "What is it, my Princess?" 
 
 "I would think you were posing as a model 
 for 'My heart's in the Highlands.' Here, just 
 inhale this new extract, and come back to 
 boarding school." 
 
 "Delicious!" said Edyth, thrusting aside her 
 strange thoughts and dropping into an easy- 
 chair. "Let's follow 'the Philosopher's' ex- 
 ample, and take a little comfort before tea." 
 
 "Yes," said Serene, appropriating the divan, 
 "a whole hour to the tea bell." 
 
 "Come, Mel, dear," coaxed Daisy. 
 57
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "0, the times! 0, the customs!" groaned 
 Eleanor., at the same moment sitting down in 
 the willow rocker, and proceeding to open a 
 bottle of olives as an offset to the box of choco- 
 lates that Edyth was untying. 
 
 "Does it seem possible," said Serene, "that 
 we are beginning our very last term?" 
 
 "I think we will realize that fact on Mon- 
 day," replied Edyth, "when we receive the sub- 
 jects for our graduating essays." 
 
 "0, girls, how can you mention it!" wailed 
 Daisy, her speech rendered rather indistinct by 
 a caramel. 
 
 "Cheer up, my love," said Eleanor, "the wind 
 shall be tempered to the shorn lamb. Won't it 
 be overpowering to hear you expressing your 
 opinion, or, rather, Mrs. Knight's opinion, of 
 Lord Bacon's essays, or reviewing Gibbon!" 
 
 "Jeannette Herkimer will have the saluta- 
 tory," she added after a pause, "and of course 
 ' Old Lovely ' will have the valedictory. Then 
 hurrah for life!" 
 
 "I've no doubt we will wish ourselves back 
 here many a time," said Serene. "My sister 
 
 Belle says that societv is a bore." 
 "58
 
 THE IVIXG'S GOLD 
 
 "I don't know much about it," said Daisy, 
 "but I've sat on the stairs and listened many 
 a night when mamma has had her receptions, 
 and just longed to grow up and dance all I 
 like and eat ices at midnight. Next fall I can!" 
 
 "I wonder sometimes if we were born just to 
 eat and dress and dance and be jolly," said 
 Eleanor; "only you can't always be jolly; that's 
 the trouble!" 
 
 Edyth glanced at the western window. The 
 sun had set and even the lilies on the Easter 
 card had become dim. 
 
 "That they which live should not live unto 
 themselves." 
 
 She did not need to see the words. She could 
 not forget them. 
 
 "Merc} r , Mel!" cried Daisy, "how can you 
 speak of trouble! I don't like to think of it." 
 
 " 'Once upon a midnight dreary/ " began 
 Eleanor, in a deep alto voice. 
 
 "There, Mel, that is sufficient," interposed 
 Serene. "Do leave that old bird of yours on his 
 perch. Here's Edyth looking as wise and 
 solemn as ten ravens." 
 
 "Do I?" said Edyth, with a faint smile. 
 59
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Perhaps it is because I am not wise that I 
 look so solemn. If I could know what life 
 really is and how to live it I would be glad." 
 
 "Our cozy little chat is getting as heavy as 
 one of Dominie Vanderhof 's discourses/' pouted 
 Daisy. 
 
 "Penalty for leaving our work undone/' said 
 Eleanor, rising. 
 
 "Suppose we finish our regulating," said 
 Edyth, "for you know we must pay our respects 
 to Gram and H. E. H. after tea." 
 
 "Daisy was the promoter of all this indolence, 
 so she shall be the first to go to work," declared 
 Eleanor. 
 
 Whereupon the reluctant "Philosopher" was 
 lifted bodily from the rug and deposited in her 
 empty trunk, from which she was not allowed 
 to stir until she had promised to do her share in 
 
 bringing order out of the prevailing confusion. 
 60
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 MANY miles from Mrs. Knight's seminary, 
 the quiet village of Simnyslope lay among the 
 hills of Massachusetts. Its wide streets were 
 lined with comfortable old-fashioned homes, 
 each with its drooping elms, box-bordered 
 garden walks, and spreading lilac and syringa 
 bushes. In the center of the village was the 
 Common, overlooked by the Congregational 
 church, the townhouse, and the ancient acad- 
 emy, whose bell had called several generations 
 to thread the mazes of the multiplication table 
 and endure the more subtle tortures of mental 
 arithmetic. It is the same dignified, peaceful 
 settlement as it was twenty years ago, for its 
 drowsiness has never been startled by the 
 whistle of factory or locomotive. The little 
 frame church where Mary West's face used to 
 suggest thoughts of heaven has been replaced 
 by a more modern structure of brick, but the 
 brown house where she once lived, and the 
 orchard and the river where Harry Reynolds 
 
 and Helen West had spent their happiest sum- 
 61
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 mer, seem all unchanged. Public affection had 
 so far triumphed over public common sense in 
 the preservation of the academy. All agreed 
 that a new building was a necessity, and that 
 the old structure was a disgrace to the com- 
 munity, but to many of the villagers the school- 
 house was only less dear than the family home- 
 stead, and they were proud to say that Ex- 
 Senator Lowell sat there, and Judge Wellford 
 here by the window, and a certain star in the 
 ecclesiastical world now shining on the Pacific 
 coast had its rise from yonder corner. 
 
 It was the same afternoon on which Edyth 
 Wilsey returned from her Easter vacation. The 
 sunlight streamed through the narrow-paned 
 windows of the academy, framing golden and 
 brown heads in a haze of celestial glory, especi- 
 ally that of Bobby Blake, who had surpassed 
 himself all day in impish -ingenuity. It lingered 
 over the rude initials on the old green desks, 
 many of which were carved by hands long since 
 returned to the dust, and blazed upon the large 
 map of the world on the east wall, shining im- 
 partially on China and the United States at 
 
 the same time. 
 
 62
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 The face bending over the teacher's desk was 
 pale, strong, tender, and womanly. No stranger 
 could be content with merely a passing glance 
 at its noble features; but neither the firm, sweet 
 mouth, the dark, luminous eyes, nor the white 
 brow shaded by prematurely silvered chestnut 
 hair gave the real charm to that countenance. 
 The attraction lay in its expression, an inde- 
 scribable illumination from within, the mark of 
 the Spirit only attained in the furnace of some 
 long and bitter sorrow. Twenty years had left 
 their impress on Helen West, but they had not 
 robbed her of beauty, and they had brought 
 to her something far better than youth. She 
 was restless that afternoon, although outwardly 
 calm. Occasionally she glanced at the tall, 
 antique clock which the Rev. Ephraim Good- 
 soldier had bequeathed to the academy. It was 
 a melancholy old timepiece, and struck the 
 hours in a minor, elegiac tone as if lament- 
 ing its former owner. For many years it had 
 occupied a certain dusty corner in the Rev. 
 Ephraim's study, keeping guard over Calvin's 
 Institutes and the rows of serious leather- 
 covered volumes that reached from floor to 
 G3
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 ceiling, and watching on many a midnight the 
 finishing touch on some weighty discourse on 
 election. So thoroughly had the old clock be- 
 come imbued with the atmosphere of that sanc- 
 tum that its slowly swinging pendulum seemed 
 to its owner to say, "Total depravity, total de- 
 pravity." On being removed to the academy, 
 and looking down on the incorrigible Bobby 
 and his train, it gathered fresh assurance 
 of the verity of its favorite theme, and lifted 
 up its voice with renewed vigor. But not even 
 Miss West understood its message. 
 
 "One would never dream of writing 'Tempus 
 fugit' over that timepiece," she said. " 'Time 
 tarries' might do, but 'Time flies' would be 
 sheer disrespect to the stately old aristocrat." 
 
 It was nearly three o'clock when Miss West 
 looked up for the fiftieth time that afternoon 
 to the dial. The day had been an unspeakably 
 trying one, and had jarred upon every sensitive 
 nerve, but that was not the reason of her eager- 
 ness to escape from the hum of the schoolroom. 
 During the recess little Annie Bell Stokes had 
 brought to the desk an offering of molasse? 
 
 peppermint drops wrapped in a liberal piece of 
 64
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 newspaper. Annie Bell had a generous heart, 
 but very limited ideas as to value and fitness. 
 At Christmas time, attracted by its red and 
 golden magnificence, she had presented Miss 
 West with a mustache-cup bearing the inscrip- 
 tion "To my Husband," and but few days 
 passed without some distressing token of her 
 regard. Miss West groaned inwardly over the 
 peppermint drops, having a very particular ab- 
 horrence of that dainty, but she received them 
 with a kindly smile for the child. Annie Bell 
 looked around when she had reached the door 
 to see if the teacher was partaking of the treat, 
 and saw Miss West suddenly drop her head 
 upon the desk. The child rushed back ex- 
 claiming, "0, teacher, are you sick?" 
 
 There was no reply until the question was 
 repeated, when Miss West half raised her head 
 and said quietly, "N"o, dear, run away; that's a 
 good girl." 
 
 A few moments more, and the time for recess 
 was over. However much Miss West desired to 
 be alone, she must ring the bell, and call in the 
 tiresome little faces and restless feet. She must 
 
 hear the class in the fourth reader stumble 
 65
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 through "Rienzi's Address to the Romans," and 
 watch the third class in arithmetic add the 
 long double rows of figures on the blackboard. 
 She must read and correct fifteen compositions 
 on "Spring," each one beginning, "Spring is 
 the pleasantest time of the year," with an oc- 
 casional variation in the adjective. She must 
 hear a class in geography bound the Middle 
 States, and the grammar class parse ten lines of 
 "Thanatopsis." But before she walked to the 
 window to summon the children from Prison- 
 er's Base and London Bridge, she carefully 
 smoothed out and laid in a drawer the piece of 
 paper that had inclosed the candy, which she 
 had transferred surreptitiously to the stove. 
 At last the hands of the clock pointed to the 
 hour of deliverance. Bobby Blake and several 
 others deserved to be kept after school. Maria 
 Green had missed her entire grammar lesson, 
 and Johnny Taylor had bounded Pennsylvania 
 on the north by Massachusetts, and ought to be 
 detained. Might she not let them all go home 
 together to-night, good, bad, and indifferent? 
 The temptation was a strong one, but she would 
 
 not relax the discipline of the school for mere 
 66
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 personal gratification. So the few that had 
 passed through the day's ordeal without de- 
 merits were dismissed, and the culprits and 
 drones remained for another hour. When the 
 clock struck four the array of partially eaten 
 apples, bottles of. licorice-water, knives, and a 
 gray flannel Jumbo that had been confiscated 
 at different stages of the day's proceedings were 
 returned to their respective owners, and the 
 last tippet and dinner pail vanished hilariously 
 through the doorway. The room was silent 
 then except for the slow, steady voice of the 
 old clock, that seemed to the weary teacher to 
 say, "Gone home, gone home," with unusual 
 cheeriness. 
 
 She took from the drawer the sticky and 
 rumpled piece of newspaper, went over to a 
 window and sat down there. The paper was a 
 third of a page published at Troy, N. Y. She 
 remembered that the Stokes family had had a 
 relative from Troy visiting them the summer 
 previous. The date of the paper had not been 
 torn off. It was August of the preceding year. 
 The paragraph that had fixed Miss West's atten- 
 tion was part of a chatty letter from Saratoga 
 07'
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 by "our special correspondent." It read thus: 
 "Among the late arrivals at 'The States' is the 
 successful speculator Laurance Wilsey, accom- 
 panied by his daughter, Miss Edyth Wilsey. 
 Although yet a pupil at Mrs. Knight's cele- 
 brated seminary, Miss Wilsey attracts much at- 
 tention, not only from the fact that she is an 
 heiress, but because of her great beauty and 
 grace. Another year, and society will welcome 
 this new star to its firmament." 
 
 Miss West read these trivial words over and 
 over again with tears streaming down her 
 cheeks. 
 
 "And I have never seen her," she said aloud. 
 "My darling, my darling !" 
 Just then the janitor came in to attend to the 
 fire, and Miss West hurriedly donned her hat and 
 shawl, and walked with quick, nervous tread 
 across the Common and down the street to her 
 home. The brown house on Elm Street that 
 had been her birthplace and her home from 
 childhood was now her boarding place. She 
 retained a couple of rooms for her own use. 
 The Eeynolds place across the street had passed 
 
 into the hands of strangers. Helen had suc- 
 68
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 ceeded in her simple apartments in giving ex- 
 pression to something of her own beautiful 
 inner life, and so with inexpensive materials 
 she had produced effects more pleasing than 
 might be found in the magnificent boudoir of 
 her who is not a daughter of the King. Her 
 sitting room had been once her mother's bed- 
 room. It was in a southwest corner, and so had 
 plenty of sunshine. She had an Easter lily 
 every spring. There was one now in a bracket 
 by a window. It was just bursting into glorious 
 purity and fragrance. Helen said it preached 
 to her every day from the text, "As we have 
 borne the image of the earthy, so shall we bear 
 the image of the heavenly." 
 
 There were only two pictures on the walls. 
 One was a fine photograph of Raphael's heaven- 
 inspired gift to the world, the "Madonna di San 
 Sisto/' It was his to illuminate for grateful, 
 wondering hearts through many centuries that 
 blessed prophetic word "Immanuel." The other 
 was a large engraving of a marine scene, but 
 with no sail in sight; only the great swelling 
 billows dashing their spray on a rocky coast. 
 
 Born as she was far from the sound or scent of 
 69
 
 THE KIXG'S GOLD 
 
 the sea, this picture was a constant enjoyment 
 to Helen. She often felt that the sight of it 
 was like a bit of a vacation. There was an 
 open fireplace in the room, a comfortable easy- 
 chair, and a wide, low couch with several 
 bright cushions. In one corner stood a small 
 table and a rocking-chair. This table never 
 held anything but Helen's Bible, a notebook 
 and pencil, and a photograph of her mother in 
 a simple oak frame. No one but Helen knew 
 that between the back of the frame and the 
 picture was a slip of paper, the little note she 
 had found on the floor of that very room the 
 night her mother went to the better country. 
 
 There was a singular lack of bric-a-brac in 
 this room, a refreshing absence of cups and 
 saucers, china images, and ornate concoctions in 
 dlk and wool. Even the wide mantelpiece had 
 escaped the plague of pettiness that assails so 
 many such, and only a handsome little clock, 
 a vase, and a realty choice match-holder con- 
 fronted the daily dustcloth. Helen's two ex- 
 travagances were in the freshness and dainti- 
 ness of her white muslin curtains, which were 
 
 never allowed to suggest the need of house- 
 70
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 cleaning, and in the matter of her evening light. 
 The flame must be the broadest and brightest 
 to be had, and the lampshade white and softly 
 luminous. This table never lacked a delight- 
 ful book or choice periodical. But the real 
 heart of the room was the low bookcase in the 
 space between the hearth and the southeast 
 corner. It was a peculiar collection of books, 
 clear and significant to their owner. Each 
 volume was an intimate friend, each wore the 
 imprint of genuine and affectionate usage. 
 They were not arranged on the shelves with any 
 thought of analogy or chronology, but, like 
 Elizabeth Prentiss' idea of the saints of all 
 ages in heaven, they were "all mixed up to- 
 gether." There were no stately rows of "Com- 
 plete Works" in gorgeous bindings, but nearly 
 all the immortals in literature were represented. 
 It was a never-ending wonderment to Helen 
 that she could have the very best of Emerson 
 and Ruskin and Robert Browning more truly 
 than if she could have met and known them in 
 the flesh. "The Choir Invisible" sing more en- 
 trancingly than they whom we see amid the 
 
 commonplaces of life. The genius who would flee 
 71
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 our company, after all, shares his most sacred 
 and uplifting thoughts with us. The newsboy 
 on the street, if he will, may read the love- 
 letters of the Hawthornes and the Brownings, 
 letters that were kept under lock and key even 
 from dearest friends. Every one of Helen's 
 hooks meant something as a gift or as a personal 
 sacrifice. Her wardrobe was usually the suffer- 
 er, not in neatness, hut in variety. When she 
 invested once in a good copy of Carlyle's French 
 Eevolution hy doing without a new winter 
 bonnet, she had the satisfaction of knowing 
 that there are single passages in that 'book 
 worth all the new hats in Christendom. Helen 
 had a swinging shelf over the table where her 
 Bible lay, that held only devotional books. All 
 of them were shabby and underscored and tear- 
 stained, an edition de luxe to God and the 
 angels. 
 
 It was to this quiet, bright little corner in a 
 very lonely world that Helen came home from 
 school on this afternoon that has renewed our 
 acquaintance with her. She put away her hat 
 and wrap and applied a match to the sticks on 
 
 the andirons. A bright flame was roaring up 
 
 72
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 the chimney by the time she returned from her 
 sleeping-room with a little rosewood box in 
 her hands. She sat down in her big chair, and 
 leaned back a few moments with closed eyes as 
 if she dreaded to open the box. Then she un- 
 locked it, and took from it an old daguerreo- 
 type. The lovely face of a girl of seventeen 
 looked out at her. 
 
 "Sweet little sister Eloise!" she said. "So 
 many years in heaven, and your baby-girl al- 
 most a woman. I cannot realize it." 
 
 There were three time-stained notes and a 
 scrap or two of newspaper in the box, but al- 
 though Miss West knew them by heart she read 
 each one over and over again. The first note 
 she had found on her dressing-table one June 
 morning eighteen years before. As she took it 
 out of the box to-day she could seem to inhale 
 the breath of the clustering roses that wreathed 
 the casement. It ran thus: 
 
 "DEAR N~EL : When you read this I shall be on 
 the train for New York. It breaks my heart to 
 leave you and father in this way, but I cannot 
 give up my dear Laurance. It seems a poor 
 
 return for all that you have done for me since 
 73
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 mother left us, but I think one of these days 
 when you see how very good and kind Laur- 
 ance is to me you will forgive 
 
 "Your naughty but loving little sister, 
 
 "ELOISE. 
 "P. S. Lots of kisses." 
 
 Then there was a notice cut from a New 
 York daily of the marriage of Laurance Wilsey 
 to Eloise West of Sunnyslope. 
 
 The next note was as follows: 
 
 "MY DEAR SISTER: My husband has forbid- 
 den me to write. You cannot wonder that he 
 feels as he does, knowing how you regard him. 
 He is away from me a good deal, but I have 
 lovely silk gowns and diamonds and a carriage, 
 and would be quite happy if he were not so 
 busy, and I could see you and father. Do not 
 worry about me. I must not write any more for 
 a while, for he would be very angry. 
 
 "Your loving 
 "ELOISE. 
 
 "P. S. I hope the white asters are doing 
 
 well this fall." 
 
 74
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 The third note was dated a year and a half 
 later at Marseilles, France. 
 
 "Mv DARLING SISTER HELEN: I asked L. to 
 write to you about the birth of my darling 
 baby-girl last May. I did not get strong very 
 fast, and so they brought me over here, but I 
 am not so well as when I came. L. will take 
 me home to America before long, and I must 
 see you even if I have to walk to you. The 
 baby is very lovely, but they do not let me hold 
 her, because the least thing tires me so. I often 
 think of the trouble that I have caused you and 
 dear father. Will you forgive me? I wish I 
 could hear mother read the chapter about the 
 Good Shepherd once more. L. will not let me 
 have a Bible, but I lie awake at night and think 
 and think, and many of the dear old verses 
 come back to me, and I can hear the robins 
 singing in the old cherry tree by the kitchen 
 door. I wish father would take me in his arms 
 to-night, I am so tired. My maid will post this 
 letter, but you must not write. My heart aches 
 for your dear faces. ELOISE. 
 
 "P. S. I want a drink from our well. Is my 
 
 1)1 no china mug broken?" 
 75
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 Another newspaper scrap contained the no- 
 tice of the death of Eloise a few days after the 
 date of her last letter. 
 
 Helen closed and locked the little box, but 
 sat for a long time with it in her lap, looking 
 into the fire, but through the fire to the past. 
 The first sorrow of her life was her mother's 
 death, and close upon that followed the dis- 
 appointment about her college course, for she 
 could not forsake the trust that her mother had 
 left to her. Neither her father nor sister knew 
 with what bitter tears she took up the cares that 
 her mother had laid down. Even Harry's sym- 
 pathy failed her here, for he was quite as well 
 satisfied to have her forego the ambitious flight 
 she had planned for herself. She had to con- 
 tent herself with such reading and study as 
 could fill odd niches in the day. 
 
 Eloise gave both Mr. West and herself much 
 anxiety. She grew very beautiful, had a keen 
 desire for pleasure and fine clothing, and de- 
 veloped a determined will of her own, though 
 she always treated her father with respect, and 
 overwhelmed Helen at times with demonstra- 
 tions of affection. Eloise attended church
 
 THE KIXG'S GOLD 
 
 regularly with her father and sister. It was 
 there that Laurance Wilsey first saw her one 
 morning in the springtime. He had come from 
 Xew York to Sunnyslope on Saturday with a 
 friend of his, a young lawyer who had business 
 in the vicinity for a city firm, and had strolled 
 carelessly into the church that Sunday morning 
 to amuse himself with what he thought would 
 be the rustic attire and manners of the congre- 
 gation. When Eloise West entered the pew 
 directly in front of him he forgot his quest of 
 amusement. Before many minutes had elapsed 
 he had determined to make the acquaintance of 
 the dainty girl, who was as fresh and sweet as 
 the cluster of arbutus on her bodice. 
 
 Laurance Wilsey was a living lie in all things 
 except his towering worldly ambition. His very 
 name was one that he had assumed when he ran 
 away from a humble home in the West. In 
 appearance a gentleman, he was in reality 
 coarse and cruel; in business occupying osten- 
 sibly a lucrative position with a wholesale 
 house, he was secretly piling up gains from the 
 gaming table. He did not use intoxicating 
 
 liquors because in that way he would have en- 
 6 77
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 dangered the great end of his desire, namely, to 
 be a very rich man of leisure, and secure in the 
 adulation of the fashionable world. Intense 
 love of self, and consequently of money, power, 
 luxury, and pleasure; a semblance of morality 
 when it would favor his designs; the unforget- 
 ting, unforgiving disposition of an Indian; and 
 a determination never to be thwarted in his 
 plans even at the cost of precious things, were 
 characteristic of this man. He had no more 
 idea of real Christianity than a Hottentot. In 
 person, he was rather attractive to the careless 
 observer, as he had a tall, stalwart, well-propor- 
 tioned figure and was always faultlessly attired. 
 His dark, striking face was called handsome by 
 those not quick to discern thereon the evil bias 
 of the man's nature. A veneering of fine man- 
 ners, and the art of agreeable conversation when 
 he chose to emerge from his habitual reticence, 
 made him an acceptable acquaintance to many 
 superficial people. 
 
 At this time he was thirty-five years of age, 
 and with no intention of marriage until he 
 might take that step to his great social advan- 
 tage. He spent several days in Sunnyslope, and 
 78
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 adroitly managed to gain admission to the 
 humble West homestead and establish an ac- 
 quaintance. He returned to the city, but a 
 few weeks found him again in the little village, 
 and it was evident that Eloise was the magnet 
 that had drawn him back. His admiration of 
 the pretty country girl and her violin playing 
 would have been but a passing fancy had not 
 Mr. West soon begun to show signs of disappro- 
 bation of his attentions. Helen also made him 
 ill at ease by her cool dignity. This angered 
 him and intensified his interest when it might 
 otherwise have flagged. To gain any point in 
 the face of opposition was a keen, supreme de- 
 light to him. Eloise was flattered beyond ex- 
 pression by so stylish and handsome a lover, 
 and turned a deaf ear to the remonstrances of 
 her father and sister. Her pleasure-loving 
 nature was like a leaf tossed in the wind. 
 Laurance Wilsey tried in vain to win over Mr. 
 West and Helen. At last he asked the consent 
 of Mr. West to an engagement, and was met by 
 a decided refusal. 
 
 "You talk of wealth, of travel, you can give 
 
 my thoughtless little girl/' said he. "Can you 
 79
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 give her the love of a heart loyal to your God? 
 No, Mr. Wilsey, I cannot trust you with my 
 child's best interests." 
 
 Laurance Wilsey left the house muttering 
 something about "that crazy old fool of a Meth- 
 odist," and went home to New York, from 
 whence he wrote to Helen begging her to inter- 
 cede for him. Helen replied as decidedly as her 
 father had spoken. Eloise appeared very sub- 
 dued and even unusually affectionate for a week 
 or two. Then one morning her room waa 
 empty, and the little note lay on Helen's dresser. 
 Mr. West was cut to the heart, and knelt hours 
 before God in his own room. Helen was 
 stunned at first, then thoroughly indignant 
 with that terrible, calm wrath born of injured, 
 unappreciated self-immolation, and when 
 Eloise's first letter arrived evil overcame good 
 in her soul, and she wrote long and bitterly in 
 reply. The next week Mr. West was stricken 
 with paralysis, and lingered for weary years in 
 helplessness. In his sick room Helen, at first 
 rebellious and sore at heart in her lot, grew 
 slowly into a knowledge of the beauty of the 
 
 Father's will concerning his children, a knowl- 
 80
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 edge that brought a deep blessedness in*.,, her 
 life. She thought often of what her mother had 
 said to her the radiant morning that she joined 
 the church. She understood it now. Her 
 severest trial lay in the sundering of her re- 
 lations with Harry Eeynolds. He was called to 
 be a foreign missionary, but Helen was bound 
 more really than by chains of iron to the poor, 
 helpless old man who depended upon her for 
 everything but breath. Harry declined to be 
 set free from the engagement, but Helen had 
 insisted. She would not even consent to a 
 correspondence, much as the refusal cost her. 
 
 "I want you to begin your new life entirely 
 unfettered by the past. Your parents are gone, 
 and I, too, wish to disappear from all but your 
 loving memory." 
 
 "Helen, if you cared as I do you simply could 
 not talk in this way." 
 
 "It is because I care so much more than you 
 can ever know that I have made this decision," 
 said she. "The physicians all agree that' my 
 father will probably live for years. "I cannot 
 consent to subject you to the conditions in 
 
 which I am placed." 
 
 81
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 In vain he pleaded and argued his cause. 
 
 "You are free," declared Helen. 
 
 "I cannot be free," said he. "I am bound by 
 a thousand precious memories, by a perfect 
 companionship, by a love stronger than death. 
 I can do no other way than wait for you, dear- 
 
 _-,!. 
 
 est. 
 
 It was his final word. She had asked him not 
 to write, but as the weeks went by and no letter 
 came, no word either of the steamship in which 
 he sailed, she was conscious of passing into a 
 darker room in the school of suffering than she 
 had yet known. It was hard to tell him not to 
 wait for her, even though she knew that he 
 would. But now that she was assured that the 
 waiting for her would be on the shores of 
 another life, and hope was indeed buried in re- 
 gard to meeting again here, she realized that a 
 good deal of her earthly content had its roots 
 in his affection and the will of God had been 
 adorned by this pure, tried friendship. A deep- 
 er lesson lay before her, to love that will for 
 itself alone, unattended by anything dear or 
 sweet or cheering to the human heart. At the 
 
 Master's feet she learned the losson victoriously, 
 
 82
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 and found it possible to say "Thy will be done" 
 not only with resignation but with a joy un- 
 speakable and full of glory. She had long 
 since written to Eloise asking forgiveness for 
 her first letter, but onty Laurance Wilsey knew 
 the destination of the pleading, tear-dimmed 
 sheet. When the homesick little missive came 
 from France forbidding a reply, she could only 
 commit the lamb in the wilderness to the Good 
 Shepherd. She was sure that he would find 
 it and lay it on his shoulder. When the death 
 notice came she felt strangely comforted. Her 
 father's death left her alone in the world. The 
 teacher at the old academy was married, and 
 Miss W^est applied for the position, passed a 
 most satisfactory examination, and was ac- 
 cepted. Countless times she thought of the 
 motherless baby of Eloise, and wondered if it 
 yet lived, and longed with an unutterable long- 
 ing to take it in her arms. The years had 
 passed with no word of information until that 
 afternoon when the Troy paper came into her 
 possession. Her soul was stirred to the depths. 
 Her sister's daughter wa"s living and no longer 
 
 a child, but soon to take a woman's place in 
 83
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 the world. And who would claim that young 
 life Christ or mammon? Already the world,- 
 attracted by her youth and beauty, was ready 
 to receive her into its glittering whirl, and what 
 preparation had she to meet its temptations and 
 disappointments? Great tears rolled slowly 
 down Helen's cheeks. Respected and loved as 
 she was by all the village people from the Well- 
 fords on the hill down to lame Jimmy at the 
 blacksmith's, she had no kindred of whom she 
 knew anything except this one young girl, and 
 she so nearly and tenderly related and yet an 
 utter stranger. Helen reached out for the 
 Bible that had been her mother's, and then 
 dropped upon her knees sobbing like a child. 
 After a little she felt that she was not alone. 
 The room was pervaded by a Presence that 
 hushed her troubled spirit into calm. Christ 
 was there, saying as gently as on his resurrec- 
 tion morn, "Woman, why weepest thou?" Then 
 her loneliness and desire found words. 
 
 "0, Jesus, my Saviour!" she cried. "Keep 
 my darling from the evil that is in the world. 
 Lead her to thyself; and 0, if it be possible, 
 
 nay we know and love each other." 
 84
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 She opened the torn Bible and read the 
 twenty-third Psalm. Then, arising from her 
 knees refreshed and quieted, she sang softly, as 
 she stepped about the room, now illuminated 
 by the sunset: 
 
 " If what I wish is good, 
 
 And suits the will divine, 
 By earth and hell in vain withstood, 
 
 I know it shall be mine. 
 Still let them counsel take 
 
 To frustrate his decree ; 
 They cannot keep one blessing back, 
 
 By Heaven designed for me." 
 
 She did not know what that same hour had 
 brought to Edyth Wilsey, many miles away, 
 but she knew that God is love and will withhold 
 no good thing from them that walk uprightly. 
 But even while she prayed the silver-worded 
 Easter message had flashed in the sunlight 
 
 upon Edyth Wilscy's eyes into her very heart. 
 85
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 CHAPTEE IV 
 
 " TIIE melancholy days have come, 
 The saddest of the term," 
 
 misquoted Eleanor Lee as she stood on the 
 hearth rug and held a sealed envelope at arm's 
 
 length. 
 
 " When each fair maid with fearful heart 
 Her subject shall discern, r ' 
 
 continued Edyth, looking at a similar envelope 
 of her own with mingled dread and curiosity. 
 
 "It's no use, girls," groaned Daisy. "I 
 simply cannot get courage to open mine. "The 
 Princess" ought to begin, she's the oldest." 
 
 "Shoot, if you must, this old gray head," 
 said Serene, drawing a long silver arrow from 
 her hair, and letting a mass of auburn curls 
 ripple over her shoulders. "I suppose I may as 
 well leap into the chasm." 
 
 She cut open her envelope with the arrow 
 and took therefrom a piece of paper. 
 
 "0, this isn't so bad," she exclaimed, com- 
 placently, " 'Art in America.' A very nice sub- 
 ject, after all." 
 
 86
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "It had better be 'Art in Rome/ " suggested 
 Eleanor, picking up Serene's Eoman history 
 that laid open on the table with a caricature of 
 the assistant principal on the margin of the 
 next day's lesson. 
 
 "Never mind my scrawls, Mel," replied 
 Serene. "It is your turn now to break the 
 seal." 
 
 Eleanor turned her envelope over and over 
 with a most provoking air of deliberation, quot- 
 ing Tennyson: 
 
 " ' Take, take, break, break, 
 It may break my heart.' " 
 
 "Do hurry, Mel/' said Edyth. 
 
 AYhereupon Eleanor produced the mystic slip 
 and read aloud, " 'The AVorks of George Mere- 
 dith.' Mercy, girls, what do I know of that 
 man or his books!" 
 
 "Never mind, if you aren't posted now/' said 
 Serene. "Gram and the encyclopedia will tell 
 you all you need to know, and more than any- 
 body wants to hear on a hot June morning. 
 Anyhow, it will look well on the program." 
 
 "Guess I'd better scribble about 'Shams/ " 
 87
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 muttered Eleanor. Then, in a brighter tone to 
 Edyth, "Proceed, my dear." 
 
 "No/' said Edyth, "the valedictory comes 
 last. It's 'the Philosopher's' turn." 
 
 "Well, I just can't," said Daisy, on the verge 
 of tears." I never dreaded anything so much 
 since I was young enough to be shut in the 
 nursery closet. There! Take the tiresome 
 thing and find out for yourselves!" 
 
 She tossed the envelope into Edyth's lap and 
 went over to the piano and began to play a 
 waltz. 
 
 "Come back, Daisy!" cried Edyth, "you have 
 the nicest subject of any." 
 
 " 'Mary's Little Lamb ?' " inquired Eleanor, 
 meekly. 
 
 "N"o," said Serene, looking over, " 'Lady 
 Jane Grey/ ' : 
 
 "Lady who?" asked Daisy, wheeling around 
 on the piano stool. 
 
 "Lady Jane Grey," replied Serene. "Such a 
 sweet subject." 
 
 "Well, who was she, anyway?" continued 
 Daisy; "I've forgotten. 0, no, I haven't, 
 
 either," clapping her hands; "wasn't she mar- 
 88
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 ried to the man who wrote the piece about 
 'The curfew tolls' you know 'Gray's Eulogy,' 
 or something like that ?" 
 
 "0, you little goose!" exclaimed Eleanor; 
 "you mean Gray's 'Elegy.' No, he wasn't a 
 relative. Don't you remember the lovely young 
 lady who was put to death in the tower be- 
 cause " 
 
 "Now, never mind, Mel," said Daisy, resum- 
 ing her playing, 'I don't care anything about 
 those dreadful things. I cannot write an essay, 
 and I shall ask to sing a ballad instead." 
 
 "Suppose they cut two or three inches off 
 from your diploma, Miss Leslie," playfully sug- 
 gested Serene. 
 
 "0, papa will pay my way through," replied 
 Daisy, nonchalantly. 
 
 Edyth had now opened her envelope. 
 
 "This is a curious topic," said she, a shade 
 crossing her sunny face. 
 
 "What is it?" came in a trio from the others. 
 
 "'After School What?'" read Edyth. 
 
 "Easy enough, I must say," rattled Eleanor. 
 "For me, a rich husband, a topaz necklace, and 
 
 fifty consecutive nights at the theater." 
 89
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "'After School What?'" repeated Serene, 
 half scornfully. "I can tell them readily. 
 Travel and art studies for me. Days and days 
 in the grandest galleries in Europe!" 
 
 "Shopping, and dancing, and singing for 
 me," laughed Daisy. 
 
 "I do not care to talk about it to-night, 
 girls," said Edyth, gravely. "I begin to think 
 that there is something more to life than we 
 have ever realized." 
 
 "There, Edyth, you are getting dyspeptic and 
 blue again," said Eleanor. "I don't see what 
 ails you of late." 
 
 "I know," said Eleanor. "She is preparing to 
 drag poor old Dominie Yanderhof to the altar, 
 and so assumes the solemnity suitable to the 
 mistress of the manse." 
 
 "Nonsense, Mel," replied Edyth. "I'm sure 
 I don't enjoy my serious thoughts at all, but 
 they will come. I can't believe tbat life is just 
 a merry-go-round." 
 
 Silence fell on the little group for a few 
 moments. Then Serene said, gayly: 
 
 "'After School What?' I'll tell you, girls. 
 
 Let's go away together for a few weeks this sum- 
 90
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 mer, and finish our schooling with a grand 
 frolic. My mamma would chaperone us." 
 
 "Capital!" exclaimed Eleanor. "Where shall 
 it be?" 
 
 "Newport?" suggested Edyth. 
 
 "Or Saratoga?" said Daisy. 
 
 "No," replied Serene, "not any such stylish 
 place as those. Some nice, comfortable resort 
 where we need not turn ourselves into fashion 
 plates." 
 
 "Mamma has a friend who is always talking 
 of a place below Long Branch, called Asbury 
 Park," remarked Eleanor. "I imagine that it 
 might answer our purpose." 
 
 "Well, we can decide all that later," said 
 Edyth, taking up her German dictionary. "I 
 must study every minute between now and 
 bedtime." 
 
 "After School What?*' Far into the night 
 Edyth Wilsey lay thinking of those simple 
 words. There floated through her brain a frag- 
 ment from some sermon that she had once 
 heard, that compared life with a school, and 
 with the memory came the question, After life 
 
 what ? 
 
 91
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "0," she said to herself, "I wish I had some 
 one to tell me what I ought to do. Everything 
 is so confused in my mind. It is a strange thing 
 to be alive; and then to know that one must die 
 sometime and go out alone into the darkness; 
 that is stranger still. I wish I need not think of 
 such things. They make my heart heavy. 0, 
 mother, mother! If you had not died you would 
 help me, I know!" 
 
 Edyth quietly cried herself to sleep. Poor 
 child! She did not know that the God of all 
 light and comfort was even then "not so far 
 away as even to be near." 
 
 The days sped on to the commencement sea- 
 son. The graduating exercises at Mrs. Knight's 
 seminary always attracted many guests from the 
 city and the surrounding country. The broad 
 piazzas and beautiful grounds were illuminated 
 by hundreds of Chinese lanterns. A favorite 
 orchestra from New York was concealed in a 
 bower on the lawn. The great drawing-room, 
 the library, and the spacious schoolroom be- 
 yond all overflowed with roses. The class motto 
 in Greek, selected because it sounded well and 
 
 looked pretty when written, adorned the arch 
 92
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 of a bay window. The eight graduates, with 
 shining eyes, heightened color, and delicate 
 attire, were lovelier in the sight of parents and 
 friends than ever before. It is the prerogative 
 of the girl graduate to be "sweet." Even an 
 ordinarily unattractive woman takes on some- 
 thing of grace and beauty on her marriage day. 
 The same is true of the girl who has just 
 stepped for the last time from the schoolroom 
 door, and stands looking out into life with a 
 world of sunny expectancy in her heart. 
 
 Mrs. Knight never allowed the programs of 
 these occasions to become monotonous nor irk- 
 some. The classes were usually small. The 
 essays were brief and well interspersed with 
 music and recitations. This seminary was still 
 an especial pet of society, and there was always 
 a brilliant display of jewels and laces and shim- 
 mering satins. The elder Mrs. Knight ap- 
 peared like the dignified and gracious sovereign 
 of a wide realm, and as her snowy head and 
 stately figure, attired in a robe of richest gray 
 silk, moved about among the guests, and the 
 haughty, handsome Mrs. Leverett Knight was 
 
 seen here and there, a striking and elegant per- 
 7 93
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 sonality, many a fan swayed back and forth in 
 maternal hands with an air of profound satis- 
 faction. 
 
 As Edyth Wilsey took her place upon the 
 platform there was a hum of admiration. Many 
 eyes were turned toward her father, who stood 
 tall and dark and distinguished-looking in the 
 doorway; but his stern features did not betray 
 the pride and ambition that surged through his 
 heart as he looked upon the fair girl before 
 him. Involuntarily his thoughts turned back 
 to that spring Sunday morning in the little 
 frame church at Sunnyslope when he first saw 
 Edyth's mother with the cluster of arbutus on 
 her breast. 
 
 "The girl is very like her," he said to him- 
 self, "only with a stronger frame, a stronger 
 will, too. I hope that she doesn't get any odd 
 notions into her head. She shall make a grand 
 match. But what is the fol-de-rol she is read- 
 ing?" 
 
 Edyth had thought and studied faithfully on 
 the subject assigned to her, but the essay was 
 not a collection of trite observations such as 
 
 the ordinary schoolgirl is apt to inflict upon a 
 04
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 suffering audience. It was the simple expres- 
 sion of an earnest desire to know the truth and 
 to do it, with between the lines a pathetic appeal 
 for help and light that would have gone right to 
 the heart of anyone capable of hearing it. But 
 the ladies in the audience were thinking more 
 of the quality of her mull and lace, and the 
 probable value of the string of pearls that she 
 wore for the first time; while the men admired 
 her face and voice and conjectured about her 
 father's wealth. Mr. Wilsey felt a serious im- 
 port in his daughter's unpretentious paper even 
 while he did not clearly comprehend it. His 
 brow contracted, but he thought, "A season at 
 the Springs will cure her of such nonsense as 
 this about truth and light." The frown dis- 
 appeared as he heard the applause and saw the 
 flowers that attended her graceful retreat from 
 the platform. After the diplomas were awarded 
 and the class hymn sung the graduates stood 
 under an arch of roses in the drawing-room to 
 receive the congratulations of their friends. 
 Then the schoolroom was cleared of chairs, and 
 the alluring strains of the "Invitation to the 
 
 Dance" drew a gay bevy of young men and 
 95
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 maidens in that direction. Edyth glided 
 through the first waltz accompanied by Robert 
 Annesley, the son of a railroad magnate, and 
 Mr. Wilsey looked on with silent satisfaction. 
 Edyth refused to engage herself for any other 
 dance, and asked to be taken to her father. 
 
 "Come, father," she said, slipping her arm 
 through his, "let us take a turn on the lawn. 
 It is so warm indoors." 
 
 "Are you so soon tired with the dancing?" 
 queried her father, as they moved toward the 
 door. 
 
 "I am not fond of it," she said, and a wave of 
 color swept over her face. 
 
 "Somehow it seems to me that waltzing 
 cheapens a young girl; makes her less choice to 
 her own self, at least." 
 
 "Nonsense!" replied her father, with irrita- 
 tion. "Don't make war on the customs of so- 
 ciety. I have spared no expense on your edu- 
 cation, and now I want you to sail in and make 
 a sensation. I won't put up with any puritanic 
 notions. l3o you hear me?" 
 
 They had taken their places on a broad settee 
 
 in a sheltered corner of the piazza, and, al- 
 96
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 though Mr. Wilsey playfully pulled a stray curl 
 as he spoke, there was a grim resolve in the 
 words that Edyth felt like the grip of muscles 
 of steel. She did not love the grave thoughts 
 that had been haunting her of late. Why not 
 banish them? It must surely be her duty to 
 obey her father. She must have been super- 
 human not to think it agreeable to have plenty 
 of money at her disposal, and no end of good 
 times planned for her. 
 
 "How did you like my essay, father?" she 
 said. 
 
 "0, it was a bit preachy, was it not? I can't 
 have such ideas in your head. I make it a point 
 never to hear any sermons myself, and I don't 
 want my only child, and a girl at that, to turn 
 parson. 'After School What?'" he quoted 
 with a scornful smile. "You should have told 
 them of the career of conquest of a beautiful 
 woman with plenty of money behind her." 
 
 "May I ask your plans for the summer?" said 
 Edyth. 
 
 "We leave here to-morrow morning for New 
 York. I suppose it will take you a couple of 
 
 weeks to get ready for Saratoga and Lake 
 97
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 George, where I mean to go with you by the 
 iifteenth of next month. After you give your 
 orders to Madam Moray for an outfit I must 
 induce some kind friend to take you under her 
 wing while I am off on a short business trip 
 to Colorado. I would take you along, only that 
 the journey would prove tiresome at this time 
 of the year, and I think you need a rest after 
 your struggle with ologies and isms." 
 
 Daisy Leslie, dimpled and smiling, was now 
 coming toward them, holding fast to the gloved 
 hand of a portly, fair, good-natured matron, also 
 smiling, and attired in lavender moire and 
 point lace. 
 
 "Good evening, Mr. Wilsey," said the lady, 
 who had met him once before at a school re- 
 ception. "This impulsive little girl of mine has 
 been dragging me hither and yon in search of 
 the valedictorian of the evening/' 
 
 "0, Mr. Wilsey, you will say 'yes/ will you 
 not? It's just the loveliest plan!" 
 
 "Miss Daisy's request may be impossible to 
 grant, but Miss Daisy herself is irresistible and 
 defies impossibilities. So speak, little humming- 
 bird, if it be to the half of my kingdom." 
 98
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Thank you., Mr. Wilsey," replied Daisy. 
 "Well, we girls and by Ve' I mean just 'us 
 four and no more' have talked over a plan for 
 going down on the Jersey coast together for a 
 few days this summer. Serene Dudley proposed 
 it, but her mother has to go somewhere else 
 sick relative or something and Mamma Leslie 
 is just delighted to take her place." 
 
 "No, Daisy/' declared Mrs. Leslie, "I have 
 said nothing of the kind. I only heard of this 
 matter a quarter of an hour ago." 
 
 "But you're perfectly willing," said Daisy. 
 "You know we're just worn to skeletons with 
 those dreadful French verbs and essays and 
 things!" 
 
 Daisy had finally sung "The Maid of Dundee" 
 as her part in the exercises. 
 
 "Yes, you look like a much-wilted little 
 Daisy," said Mrs. Leslie, fondly patting the 
 round rosy cheek, "and I believe a few whiffs 
 of sea air will do you good." 
 
 "Can Edyth go, Mr. Wilsey?" asked Daisy. 
 
 "I must say that the plan fits very nicely into 
 my own arrangements," replied he. "I was just 
 
 wondering what to do with my daughter while 
 99
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 I take a run out to the wild West early in next 
 month." 
 
 "I will be very happy with Mrs. Leslie and 
 the girls, father/' said Edyth. 
 
 "Then we will consider it settled," said he. 
 "But what place will it be?" 
 
 "Asbury Park," said Daisy. 
 
 "Why not the Branch?" said Mr. Wilsey. 
 
 "Too dressed up," answered Daisy. "We'll 
 have enough of such places later." 
 
 "Well, I will run down to Asbury Park to- 
 morrow and see about rooms and board, if you 
 are sure that the arrangement is agreeable to the 
 other young ladies." 
 
 "0, yes, Mr. Wilsey," said Daisy. "We were 
 talking with them just before we came to find 
 you. Come, mamma, I want you to meet Pro- 
 fessor Grunwald's new wife, die Tcleine Profes- 
 sor in" 
 
 They turned away, and Mr. Wilsey and Edyth 
 followed them into the seminary. Edyth's at- 
 tention was immediately claimed by several 
 young people in the drawing-room. Mr. Wilsey 
 engaged in conversation with Mr. Dupont, with 
 
 whom he had a slight acquaintance. 
 100
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 It was not Mr. Wilsey's policy to allow any 
 one to know much about himself. He had long 
 since severed his relations with the business 
 house with which he was connected at the time 
 of his marriage. Mr. Dupont was a society 
 man, a confirmed bachelor of enough property 
 to support him in elegant idleness, and a vet- 
 eran adviser to hostesses as to new and pleasing 
 modes of dispensing hospitality. His practiced 
 eye had observed the Wilseys as probable ap- 
 plicants for social honors, and his curiosity was 
 stimulated in regard to them, while his good 
 nature prompted him to assist so beautiful a girl 
 as Edyth to the success of which he felt sure 
 she was worthy. Moreover, there was nothing 
 lent so much amusement to his somewhat blase 
 existence as to watch the struggle of new people 
 to gain a foothold on the sacred summit of 
 social preferment, a height held and intrenched 
 by a few old families of ancient traditions, good 
 breeding, but not unlimited wealth. Mr. 
 Wilsey informed Mr. Dupont with dignity, in 
 response to inquiry, that he expected to become 
 a permanent resident of New York in the early 
 
 autumn, and that he was already negotiating for 
 101
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 a new house then being erected on Central Park 
 West. 
 
 On a divan just opposite the two men Mrs. 
 Van Ross, the wife of an elderly retired banker, 
 and her niece, Miss Corwin, daughter of a. 
 judge of high renown, were conversing to- 
 gether. 
 
 "I do not think the seminary is as exclusive 
 as it used to be when you were here, Cordelia," 
 Mrs. Van Ross was saying in her low, cold tone. 
 "It is a great pity that wealth and not blood is 
 coming to be the passport into American so- 
 ciety. Among the few things that money 
 should not be able to buy is the entree into high 
 life." 
 
 "But, Aunt Dorothea," said Miss Corwin, "if 
 people are well-bred they are not at all obnox- 
 ious, even if they cannot display a pedigree 
 dating back to William of Orange. I am sure 
 that all these young ladies appear well. That 
 Miss Wilsey is exceptionally attractive." 
 
 "A girl who probably does not know the 
 maiden name of either great-grandmother. I 
 have heard that her father was once an actor, 
 
 third-rate, of course, and that he became sud- 
 102
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 clenly rich, and that not by inheritance. There 
 are whispers of an occasional sojourn at Monte 
 Carlo. At any rate, he is often abroad." 
 
 "Well," said Miss Corwin, who had imbibed 
 some of the hopelessly democratic ideas of her 
 day and generation, "he has a fine presence and 
 shows the polish of foreign travel, and I do not 
 see why the charming daughter should be re- 
 pressed because of the father's dubious reputa- 
 tion/' 
 
 "But, my dear Cordelia," said Mrs. Van 
 Boss, with a flash from her steel-blue eyes that 
 almost seemed to light up the remarkable nose 
 that she was proud to have inherited from a 
 Dutch admiral, "unless some of the best 
 families set themselves against this rush of 
 people who are continually springing up from 
 nothing society will be completely undermined. 
 I shall not countenance these Wilseys." 
 
 Just at this point Mr. Dupont approached in 
 his suavest manner, but with secret merriment, 
 and asked if he might present Mr. Wilsey, the 
 father of the valedictorian. 
 
 Mr. Wilsey divined the question, and caught 
 
 the involuntary glance of disapproval darted in 
 103
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 his direction by the elder lady. He perceived 
 that she refused an introduction, and his dark 
 face grew darker as he turned and made his way 
 out again to the piazza. 
 
 Mr. Dupont, not at all nonplused, immedi- 
 ately changed the subject and inquired: 
 
 "Where's Kylmer to-night?" 
 
 "We simply could not persuade him to come, 
 and I suppose the dear boy is with his cousin, 
 Gretchen von Eoosbeck." 
 
 Mr. Dupont flashed a look at Miss Corwin, 
 whose eyes danced with fun behind, just above 
 her satin fan. He maintained a serious coun- 
 tenance, although with difficulty, for everyone 
 knew that Mrs. Van Eoss had set her heart on 
 the alliance of her only son and heir with the 
 plain and ponderous Miss Gretchen, whose only 
 attractiveness lay in substantial property and 
 her irreproachable descent. Everyone also knew 
 that Kylmer Van Ross did not speed his wooing, 
 and that his mother's air castles were destined 
 to vanish into their original ether. 
 
 Mrs. Van Ross was the real arbiter of the 
 innermost circle of New York society, though 
 
 beloved by few. Dupont would like no better 
 104
 
 THE KIND'S GOLD 
 
 amusement than to see her thoroughly routed, 
 even while he posed as her man Friday. Not 
 being weighted with conscientious scruples, he 
 conceived the idea of causing Edyth Wilsey to 
 arise on Kylmer's horizon, and so introduce a 
 little drama with no emd of interesting situ- 
 ations to an onlooker like himself. 
 
 The next morning Edyth said farewell to 
 teachers and school friends and joined her fa- 
 ther in the city. He had taken apartments at 
 the Windsor, and ordered luncheon sent up to 
 the luxurious little parlor. While Edyth dallied 
 with her strawberry ice and cake Mr. Wilsey 
 pushed back his chair and regarded her critic- 
 ally. His soul grew bitter at the thought 
 that this lovely girl, who could adorn any circle, 
 must be made to feel her lack of aristocratic 
 antecedents. 
 
 "She shall not lack admission to even the 
 Van Eoss mansion," he said to himself, "even if 
 it takes all my wealth to accomplish it!" 
 
 After the remains of the luncheon had been 
 removed, he said, with unusual kindness, but 
 gravely: 
 
 "Edyth, there are some things I wish to say 
 105
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 to you. You and I must understand each 
 other. I have given you "brilliant advantages, 
 and my only desire is that you shall achieve a 
 great social success. Unfortunately, your 
 mother's family and my own, while entirely 
 respectable, were not of the class to transmit to 
 you pride of birth, and you will be made to feel 
 that fact by some who will flaunt a pedigree in 
 your face. My plan for you is to place you by 
 marriage on a secure footing socially. What 
 I ask of you is implicit obedience to my direc- 
 tions. As I told you last night, I wish no 
 straight-laced notions. What have you to say, 
 Edyth?" 
 
 He spoke the name with a tenderness he had 
 never before manifested, and the tone went 
 right to the heart of the lonely girl. 
 
 "Perhaps," she thought, "after all, he will 
 be more loving now," and the idea gave her such 
 a thrill of happiness, that she cared little for 
 all that he had said, except that he desired her 
 to be happy, and would try to make her so. 
 He was offering her a cluster of roses with many 
 hidden thorns. Soon the roses would fade, and 
 
 only the thorns remain in the soft young hands. 
 106
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 But she saw only the blossoms, and replied to 
 his question: 
 
 "I do not think you will make it difficult 
 to obey you, sir." 
 
 He then sent her to her room to rest for a 
 few hours. 
 
 "There are some new novels on the table, if 
 you care to read," he said, as she moved toward 
 the door. "At half-past four we will drive in 
 the park." 
 
 Edyth stepped back and kissed him on the 
 forehead and left him, pausing on her way to 
 pick up a bit of trash by "The Duchess." 
 Having reached her room, she donned a cool 
 white wrapper, and, book in hand, dropped into 
 an easy chair, but not to read. Everything 
 was changed. The careless schooldays were 
 over at last. Her feet pressed the shore of a 
 new world. She felt strange and lonely in spite 
 of her father's plans for her ease and pleasure. 
 The ever-present longing for a mother's love 
 and companionship asserted itself with fresh 
 power in her soul. Laurance Wilsey was not a 
 man who would have cared for his child had she 
 
 been born a cripple or blind. He was intensely 
 107
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 selfish, and prized her, not for the sweetness she 
 could bring into his life, but as the instrument 
 of advancing his worldly ambitions. 
 
 At four o'clock Edyth presented herself in the 
 parlor. Her father scrutinized her closely. 
 She looked exquisitely lovely in her delicate 
 blue gown and white plumed hat. He handed 
 her a large cluster of marguerites, which she 
 fastened in her belt. Then they descended to- 
 gether to the entrance, where a victoria and a 
 pair of spirited bays awaited them. All of fash- 
 ionable New York had not yet fled to the moun- 
 tains or shore, for there had been a lingering 
 spring, and the hot weather had only just set in. 
 All over the city there were women toiling in 
 crowded, sweltering attics for a morsel of bread, 
 women who must continue to toil all summer in 
 hunger and pain; but in the park, women from 
 cool, opulent homes, reclining on satin cushions, 
 rode by the fresh green acres, enjoying the light 
 breeze, and congratulated themselves on a 
 speedy escape from the unbearable discomforts 
 of the town in warm weather. 
 
 Mr. Wilsey was swift to perceive that many 
 
 an eye flashed with interest as Edyth's fair, 
 108
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 sweet face was seen, and men and women turned 
 questionably toward each other as they passed 
 the Wilseys' carriage. Two young men in a 
 light wagon had paused near the obelisk, and 
 were engaged in a friendly difference concern- 
 ing some fact in its long history, the result of 
 which was to settle a wager made at the club 
 the night before. One of them suddenly broke 
 off his sentence, and said in a low, hurried 
 tone to the other: 
 
 "Quick, Dort! There's a picture!" 
 It was Kylmer Van Boss that spoke, and even 
 as the words left his lips the Wilseys had gone 
 
 by- 
 
 "Quite divinely fair!" exclaimed his com- 
 panion. "Who is she, Van?" 
 
 "A Fra Angelico angel!" replied he, looking 
 after the retiring wheels. 
 
 "No, a Del Sarto madonna/' declared Dort 
 Harribee, "more human than an angel, but 
 just as beautiful. But to return to the obe- 
 lisk" 
 
 "Confound the obelisk!" retorted Kylmer 
 Van Eoss. "That's a face you see but once in 
 
 a lifetime. The man is Laurance Wilsey. 
 8 109
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 Nobody knows much about him, and the girl 
 must be his daughter, just brought out from 
 some Canadian school for naiads." 
 
 Kylmer so far forgot himself as to give his 
 pet gray mare a sharp little cut with the whip, 
 which she resented in so spirited a manner 
 that conversation came to an end for the time 
 being, and the light vehicle fairly flew along the 
 road. 
 
 Laurance Wilsey knew Kylmer Van Ross by 
 sight, and did not miss the start of surprise 
 with which that scion of an ancient family 
 observed the unconscious Edyth. The attitude 
 of Mrs. Van Ross the night previous rankled 
 sorely in his mind, and now he smiled grimly 
 as the victoria rolled on. 
 
 That evening he took his daughter to the 
 theater. A certain play had been so immensely 
 popular during the spring season that it had 
 run on into the summer. The Wilseys had a 
 box to themselves. Edyth shrank from view in 
 the shelter of the hangings, but her father's 
 striking face was clearly outlined against the 
 white and gold background. 
 
 "She's there, Van, she's there!" said Dort 
 110
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 Ilarribee sotto voce, laying down his opera 
 glasses. "You can't see anything but a pair 
 of pearl gloves, a white fan, and an occasional 
 glimpse of a small nose." 
 
 Kylmer Van Ross caught up the glasses, and 
 looked long in the direction indicated by his 
 friend, but with no further results. 
 
 "What have you found, fellows, that is at all 
 new or striking?" yawned Robert Annesley, 
 who was one of the party. "I know this play 
 by heart." 
 
 "Why, Van was quite struck by a pretty face 
 in the park this afternoon. It belongs, we 
 think, to a Miss Wilsey." 
 
 "Whew!" said Annesley, softly. "I hardly 
 dare to state my own good fortune in that di- 
 rection." 
 
 "What do you mean?" said Kylmer, sharply, 
 turning on him suddenly. 
 
 "Only this. My sister is one of the alumnae 
 of Mrs. Knight's seminary, and to please her I 
 attended as her escort the commencement exer- 
 cises last night. This Miss Wilsey read a vale- 
 dictory that would have melted Prince Bismarck 
 
 himself. Such affairs generally make a man 
 ill
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 wish that he was born in China, but this wa 
 really an exception. I was introduced to Miss 
 Wilsey, and danced with her. She is uncom- 
 monly pretty, and they say that Papa Wilsey'is 
 ducats are no trifle. If it weren't for Marjorie 
 I'd go in and win." 
 
 "Come, now, Bob Annesley, just stir your- 
 self a little between the acts, won't you, and 
 see what you can do for an old friend. But 
 here comes Dupont, late as usual, from his 
 everlasting dinner at Madam So-and-So's. 
 Heigho, Ponty, we're discussing the Wilseys 
 new people." 
 
 "Yes, that girl is destined to cut a wide 
 swath in town next season," said Dupont. "Saw 
 her last night at Knight's school." 
 
 "Well, now, old chap," said Van Ross, "if you 
 and Bob don't smuggle me into that box before 
 nine-thirty you shall never have another whiff 
 of my Havanas." 
 
 Thus it was that when the curtain fell on the 
 second act Dupont and Annesley made their 
 way to the box occupied by the Wilseys, and 
 after chatting a while asked permission to pre- 
 sent a couple of friends. Mr. Wilsey assented, 
 112
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 and the two young men were accordingly 
 brought over and presented, and were received 
 graciously. When the play was done, and 
 Edyth had returned with her father to the 
 hotel, she felt that it was certainly pleasant to 
 be young and rich and at least not very ugly 
 in one's appearance. Also it was gratifying to 
 her to note the look of satisfaction on her fa- 
 ther's usually noncommittal face. 
 
 Kylmer Van Ross lay awake for some hours 
 that night. This son of an exclusive mother 
 had not proved so far in his record to be a 
 credit to his race. Society blinks at many de- 
 fects in the life of a young man who is well- 
 born and wealthy, and Mrs. Van Eoss was to- 
 tally blind to any glimpse of wrong in her son. 
 But Kylmer was woefully in debt just now for 
 horses, wines, and other luxuries, and he had 
 a strong aversion to an appeal to his father, as 
 the last time that the elder Van Ross had set 
 his son on his feet financially it had been with 
 a scathing broadside of rebuke, and a threat to 
 leave him to his own destruction in the future. 
 Kylmer did not share his mother's reverence for 
 
 pedigree, neither did he enter into her project 
 113
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 for an alliance with his cousin, whom he cor- 
 dially hated; but it had begun to seem to him 
 that to marry her was the only way out of his 
 monetary difficulties. Edyth \Yilsey had ap- 
 peared on the scene in the nick of time, and her 
 soft, girlish loveliness and agreeable manners 
 pleased him, and her father's gold glinted in 
 his dreams all night. As for Laurance Wilsey, 
 he saw the impression that had been made on 
 Van Eoss at the theater. He knew the char- 
 acter of the man, but that was a secondary con- 
 sideration, or even less. He believed there was 
 nothing that money could not do, and he was 
 willing to barter his child's future happiness for 
 a gallery of genuine old portraits, and a yellow 
 
 parchment with a list of great names. 
 114
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 CHAPTEK V 
 
 Mil. WILSEY had been to Colorado and back, 
 and Edyth had remained with the Leslies at 
 their country house near Tarrytown, for the 
 Asbury Park trip had been postponed until 
 August on account of the serious illness of 
 Serene Dudley. The first of July found the 
 Wilseys registered at the United States Hotel 
 iii Saratoga. Edyth had not the shallow nature 
 that could long be content with a butterfly ex- 
 istence, but for the present she enjoyed her 
 wardrobe of fresh, dainty gowns and hats, the 
 long, lovely drives to the lake and through the 
 beautiful country, the morning dallying at the 
 springs, the orchestra concerts on the piazzas, 
 the fireworks in the park, and the garden 
 parties. She had been there but one week when 
 she came face to face on the piazza one evening 
 with Kylmer Van Eoss. His mother sat by and 
 saw the meeting, but even she could find no 
 fault with the appearance or demeanor of the 
 fair girl who looked like a lily in her silvery 
 
 draperies and pure pearls, and carried herself 
 115
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 like a princess. There was a perceptible thaw- 
 ing of the frigid heart beneath that haughty 
 exterior. Kylmer Van Ross was incapable of a 
 noble, genuine affection for anyone. lie loved 
 himself too devotedly to receive the expulsive 
 power of a new affection. He had no compre- 
 hension of love in its unselfishness and sacred- 
 ness; but he had a faculty of saying pretty 
 things, and of rendering delicate attentions. He 
 had a good deal of general information and a 
 ready wit, and could make himself very com- 
 panionable when he had his own advantage in 
 view. He had not been long in Saratoga before 
 he made Edyth believe that he loved her with 
 the one love of his life. He fancied her, it is true; 
 he liked to be with her; he lavished money on 
 her that rightfully belonged to his tailor. 
 Edyth looked naturally to her father for ad- 
 vice, and he encouraged the acquaintance, keep- 
 ing himself a good deal in the background. 
 Edyth did not know that he was inwardly exult- 
 ing over the downfall of the maternal Van 
 Ross, who at first raged in her own apartments, 
 then lapsed into an injured silence, but finally 
 
 consented to have the girl without a great- 
 116
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 grandmother introduced to her, and at last in- 
 vited Edyth to a seat in her carriage. Mr. Van 
 Eoss had just lost very heavily in some Western 
 enterprise. Perhaps she could not afford to 
 maintain her inflexible attitude toward a girl 
 whose father was negotiating for a palatial 
 mansion overlooking Central Park, "for dear 
 Kylmer has expensive tastes." 
 
 If Edyth had been a little older, with a better 
 knowledge of herself and of human nature, she 
 would not have cared at all for Kylmer Van 
 Eoss. But inexperienced as she was, affection- 
 ate, and with confidence in her father's judg- 
 ment, she gave to her lover a wealth of sincere 
 devotion and tender appreciation that was as if 
 one had returned a handful of bonbons with the 
 Kohinoor itself. Edyth was haunted by no 
 more grave wonderings during these glittering 
 days. She had no thought but for Kylmer. 
 Life was a dream of splendor and sweetness. 
 Laurance Wilsey was silently triumphant, Mrs. 
 Van Eoss resigned, and her son radiant with 
 self-satisfaction. The fifth of August came a 
 letter from Eleanor Lee, who was now visiting 
 
 the Leslies on the Hudson. 
 117
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Now that Serene is quite well," she wrote, 
 "we must have our little stay at the seashore. 
 I know you must be having a perfectly gorgeous 
 time, but do tear yourself away for a week or 
 two, for the sake of the dear old days that are 
 gone forever. Don't bring any French flum- 
 mery. A blue serge, one wash dress, and a 
 white wool for evenings complete my list." 
 
 "What's the use of this jaunt, Edyth?" in- 
 quired Kylmer. "Aren't you contented here 
 with me?" 
 
 "Measurably so," replied Edyth, laughing, 
 "but I must not disappoint the girls." 
 
 "Can a fellow run down to that barbarous 
 Jersey coast during the carrying out of this 
 brilliant scheme?" 
 
 "Certainly not," she replied, teasingly, "for 
 this is an auld lang syne affair, and you are 
 only a modern innovation." 
 
 "But I shall surely come," he said. 
 
 Mr. Wilsey accompanied Edyth to Tarrytown, 
 where motherly Mrs. Leslie and a merry trio of 
 girls joined them. They lunched together in 
 New York, and took an early afternoon train 
 
 from Jersey City. Many a passenger smiled out 
 118
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 of pure sympathy with the bright faces of the 
 younger portion of the party. It was so evi- 
 dent that they were off for a grand good time. 
 
 "Here you are!" shouted the stage drivers, 
 standing in line at the Asbury Park station. 
 
 "This way for the West End!" 
 
 "This way for the Coleman!" 
 
 "Here you be for the Ocean Hotel!" screamed 
 a third. 
 
 But our travelers had not come for a hotel 
 life, and Mr. Wilsey, at the earnest solicitations 
 of the girls, had engaged board at a private 
 house overlooking the surf. They were soon on 
 their way in the lumbering omnibus, passing 
 picturesque little cottages, and getting an oc- 
 casional glimpse of Wesley Lake, lined with 
 pretty summer homes, and dotted with row- 
 boats bright with scarlet cushions and gay, 
 striped awnings. A strong breeze swept up 
 from the sea. 
 
 "It is an elixir!" cried Serene, her white 
 cheeks already taking on a tinge of pink. 
 
 "Is that the same village on the other side 
 of the lake?" asked Edyth. 
 
 "No, dear," said Eleanor Lee. "That is 
 119
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 Ocean Grove, an awfully stupid place where 
 they have Methodist meetings night and day, 
 and fine you ten cents every time you smile on 
 Sunday. It's as different as can be over here. 
 I've heard Charlotte Mills tell all about it." 
 
 The stage rattled along down one broad 
 avenue to the shore, then turned and proceeded 
 two or three blocks, and finally stopped at the 
 entrance of a large cottage, whose numerous 
 balconies and piazzas suggested delightful chats 
 and promenades and bits of reading in full view 
 of the glorious ocean. 
 
 "It seems rather primitive," remarked Mrs. 
 Leslie, somewhat dubiously surveying the pine 
 walls, straw matting, and painted blue furniture 
 of the room that had been assigned to her. 
 
 "0, mamma, this is just what we want. It's 
 a dry way of camping out, you know." 
 
 Mrs. Leslie smothered a sigh, and tried to 
 content herself by a glance at the magnificent 
 expanse of sea and sky and the long lines of 
 foaming breakers, but congratulated herself 
 secretly that there are only seven days in one 
 week. A ripple of laughter from the next room, 
 
 which the four girls had insisted on occupying 
 120
 
 THE KIXG'S GOLD 
 
 together, did more to reconcile her kind heart 
 than anything else. Mr. Wilsey left that even- 
 ing. He had business in Boston and Montreal, 
 and would return in time to escort the party 
 back to to\vn. He was in a most amiable mood, 
 for his plans were working to his perfect satis- 
 faction. The girls spent the evening on the lake, 
 gayly imagining that the pretty but common- 
 place body of water was the Grand Canal, 
 that the rowboat was a veritable gondola, and 
 that they were ladies of high rank with long, 
 melodious names. The next morning they 
 donned their serge dresses and broad-brimmed 
 hats, bought each a wooden pail and a shovel, 
 invested in a joint bag of caramels and macca- 
 roons, and betook themselves to the beach with 
 two large umbrellas, several shawls and the last 
 Harpers. They scorned the pavilions crowded 
 with dainty lawns and embroideries, and 
 wandered far up the plank walk where pedes- 
 trians are few. Each damsel having provided 
 for herself a most comfortable shawl-lined 
 sleepy hollow in the white sea sand by means of 
 diligent shoveling, the umbrellas were firmly 
 
 planted, and the four friends proceeded to 
 121
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 enjoy the serenity of the morning and the 
 waves lapping lazily on the shore, while Eleanor 
 read aloud a short story by a favorite writer. 
 
 "This is happiness!" exclaimed Serene, idly 
 aiming a white pebble at a bunch of seaweed 
 and hitting Edyth, who sat in exactly the op- 
 posite direction. "Please don't anyone propose 
 to do anything else, so as to suggest that there 
 is ever going to be any end to this." 
 
 "Just see what beautiful lace each wave leaves 
 on the shore!" said Edyth. 
 
 Edyth had not confided to her father the 
 fact of her recent engagement to Kylmer Van 
 Eoss, neither had she yet ventured to put on 
 the brilliant solitaire he had given her. But 
 she smiled with a happy consciousness of her 
 secret. There was probably even now a letter 
 for her in the morning mail, her first love-letter. 
 
 "Shall you cross the ocean this autumn, 
 Serene?" asked Eleanor. 
 
 "I hope so," she replied, "and yet I have such 
 a dread of being out at sea. I would not draw 
 one easy breath until the ship entered the 
 harbor." 
 
 "The ocean looks peaceful enough this morn- 
 122
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 ing," said Edyth, dreamily watching the sun- 
 light flash on the gently swelling waves. 
 
 "Yes, but contrast this with a black mid- 
 night, a raging tempest, a foundering ship!" 
 declaimed Eleanor, in her most tragic style. 
 
 "Don't talk of such things, please, girls," 
 pleaded little Daisy, with a shudder. "It makes 
 the sunlight dim. I'm so afraid to die." 
 
 "So am I," said Serene, "and yet I some- 
 times wonder why I need to be afraid. If there 
 is a heaven it is much more beautiful than this 
 world, and I would think anyone might be glad 
 to go there." 
 
 "It's a foreign land to most people," said 
 Eleanor. 
 
 "But mother had an aunt once, a lovely old 
 lady, who used to call it 'home.' It is never 
 hard nor strange to go home, girls!" 
 
 Edyth had changed her position and had 
 closed her eyes. Into the indolent brightness 
 of the summer morning a shadow had crept. 
 But what had she to do with shadows? She 
 would take her life as it came to her, fresh, 
 radiant, dazzling with love and pleasure. She 
 
 turned merrily to her mates and said: 
 123
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Who is it now that has the blues! Those 
 matters troubled me a little that last term at 
 the seminary, but I have cast them to the four 
 winds. Let us talk only of what is agreeable. 
 I will tell you of a garden party at the Grand 
 Union." 
 
 Thus the time passed until the noon dinner 
 hour, when the four maidens gathered up their 
 belongings and started for the cottage. On the 
 way they met a slight acquaintance of Edyth's, 
 petite, effusive Mrs. Leroy, who paused to chat 
 with her a few moments while the other girls 
 passed on. 
 
 "0, my dear Miss Wilsey," she exclaimed, "I 
 am so happy to see you. When did you come, 
 and where are you stopping?" 
 
 Edyth having indicated the cottage, which 
 was near by, the lady continued: 
 
 "Why, we are almost neighbors, aren't we? 
 I am at the Coleman, and just the forlornest of 
 mortals. My physician ordered me here instead 
 of to the Branch said it would be quieter for 
 my nerves; for you know I still have those ter- 
 rible attacks with my head. But I am nearly 
 
 dying of ennui. My husband is only here from 
 124
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 Saturday night until Monday morning. I wish 
 you would come and spend a day with me; will 
 you not?" 
 
 "Thank you," replied Edyth, "I hardly think 
 I can desert the girls for so long a time, but I 
 will come and call on you some afternoon." 
 
 Edyth spoke with a sinking heart, for she was 
 not fond of the nervous, vapid little woman, 
 and bade her good morning as soon as pos- 
 sible. When she reached the cottage the three 
 girls sat with dolorous faces on the veranda. 
 
 "I did hope we wouldn't meet a person down 
 here that any of us knew!" sighed Eleanor. 
 
 "I'm sorry, girls," said Edyth, "but I shall 
 have to devote a little time to this lady. I met 
 her two years ago at Saratoga, and she has 
 always called on me when I have been in the 
 city, and has taken me out quite a number of 
 times. Has the mail come?" 
 
 Just then Mrs. Leslie, who was sitting near, 
 tapped her knitting bag significantly. There 
 was a rush for the article in question, and 
 Serene, 'having obtained possession of it, fled 
 up the outside stairway to the upper piazza, 
 
 and thence to the room, followed by the others 
 9 125
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 in full chase. Mrs. Knight would hardly have 
 recognized her decorous young ladies in the 
 flushed and breathless quartette, who dropped 
 all upon one bed, each grasping a precious 
 epistle. Edyth slipped her letter into her 
 pocket unobserved, and proceeded to make a 
 simple toilet for dinner. It was delightful to 
 defer the pleasure that she knew was positively 
 in store for her. It was her very first real letter 
 from Kylmer, and she could not read it until 
 she might be alone. After dinner, when the 
 other girls were taking a siesta, she slipped 
 quietly out, and down the street to the lakeside, 
 following the narrow walk until she came to a 
 little grove of pines and scrub oaks where stood 
 a summer house that she had observed the 
 evening before. The arbor was vacant at this 
 hour, and she sat down upon a rustic bench and 
 drew the letter from its hiding-place, toying a 
 while with the envelope before she ventured to 
 enjoy its contents. It was not a remarkable 
 letter, and lacked the ring of true, noble man- 
 hood; but to the trusting girl her lover was a 
 Leander, a Bayard, a King Arthur all in one, 
 
 and his wordy and shallow protestations were 
 126
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 an ambrosial feast to her heart. It was blessed 
 to be alive! The afternoon was very warm and 
 still. There were few people stirring. Edyth 
 was not quite ready to return to the cottage, for 
 it was delicious to dream alone. The group of 
 juvenile boatmen, napping or idly comparing 
 notes on the season's business, became suddenly 
 alert and clamorous as she approached. A 
 patron at this hour was as rare as an unpatron- 
 ized boat three hours later. 
 
 "Kow you across, ma'am?" shouted one eager 
 voice. 
 
 "This way, miss !" cried several at once, wildly 
 gesticulating. 
 
 "What is the name of your boat," said Edyth, 
 turning to a less boisterous applicant who stood 
 hat in hand, and seemed to consider her to be 
 in possession of her hearing. 
 
 ''Elaine" replied the youth, in as matter-of- 
 fact a tone as he would have said "Mary Smith." 
 
 Edyth thought of "the lily maid of Astolat," 
 and the story of unrequited love, and her own 
 happy lot shone more resplendent in her eyes. 
 
 "I like the name," said she. "I'll take your 
 
 boat for half an hour." 
 127
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 She followed the owner of the little boat., who 
 at that moment could not have been prouder 
 were he the captain of a Cunarder. With a 
 growing boy's consciousness of his own awk- 
 wardness, he handed his one fair passenger to 
 the wide crimson-cushioned seat in the stern, 
 and took his place at the oars, one grasp of 
 which set him entirely at his ease. 
 
 "How did you come to name your boat 
 Elaine?" asked Edyth. 
 
 "Wai, you see, miss, it was last season when 
 she was built, an' we hed a summer boarder, 
 an' she was so sorter nice an' 'bligin' thet mar 
 sed I'd better let her name the boat. So she 
 called her Elaine, an' then she told us the story 
 of how Elaine thought an' orful lot of a a 
 a well, some sort uv a soldier 
 
 "A knight?" suggested Edyth. 
 
 "Yes'm, thet's jest who it was. P'r'aps you 
 heard about it in the time uv it? No? Wai, 
 at any rate he didn't care a pebble for her, and 
 finely she run down an' died, an' before she 
 died she made her folks promise to put her on 
 a boat after she was dead, an' to let a dumb 
 
 man thet worked on her father's farm row her 
 128
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 on the river to the place where the man lived 
 thet she thought sech a sight uv. Mar sed thet 
 she hedn't much uv a 'pinion uv a young gal 
 thet would die fer a feller thet didn't want 
 her; an' she'd better hev took kayneen an' 
 helped her mar with the washin'. We didn't 
 think no luck would come uv namin' a boat 
 arter sech a story, but we didn't wanter hurt our 
 boarder's feelin's, an' so I got Jim Brockett to 
 paint it Elaine, an' fer all I see my luck's been 
 pretty fair." 
 
 Edyth shuddered at this massacre of one of 
 Tennyson's loveliest poems, and felt that the 
 captain's silence would be more agreeable than 
 any further exercise of his conversational 
 powers. Leaning back comfortably, she closed 
 her eyes and listened to the even plashing of the 
 oars, too happy to doze and so lose for one mo- 
 ment the realization of her perfect content. 
 Was there ever such a lover as Kylmer? Was 
 ever a maiden so fortunate as herself? The 
 sound of other oars and other voices broke upon 
 the warm, golden stillness of the afternoon. 
 A boat rowed by two young ladies was approach 
 
 ing, and as they drew near the Elaine, Edyth 
 129
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 heard them say to a third bright-faced girl in 
 the stern: 
 
 "Sorry that you missed the meeting this 
 morning, Dora." 
 
 "Yes/' she replied, "I can't bear to lose one 
 of them, but you know I am boarding a long 
 way from the Temple, and nine o'clock is rather 
 early even in summer time." 
 
 "Early ! Not at Ocean Grove. It's quite 
 the thing to see the sun rise out of the ocean. 
 Blanche and I had a lovely half hour on the 
 beach before breakfast this very day. We tried 
 to think of all the Bible verses we know about 
 the sea." 
 
 Then as if by common consent the three 
 voices joined in Faber's hymn: 
 
 " There's a wideness in God's mercy, 
 Like the wideness of the sea." 
 
 Edyth listened as the music died away. It 
 seemed to her that these girls had been speaking 
 a language that she did not know, and yet it 
 touched her heart strangely. She spoke to her 
 little oarsman and said: 
 
 "What did those young ladies mean by the 
 
 Temple, please?" 
 
 130
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "The Temple's a big buildin' right over 
 there," he replied, pointing with one bare elbow, 
 "an' the young folks has a meetin' there every 
 mornin'." 
 
 "Can anybody go?" queried Edyth. 
 
 "Yes, marm. Our summer boarder allus 
 went." 
 
 Edyth felt no little curiosity to visit a place 
 that seemed to have such attraction for girls 
 no older than herself. The next morning, as 
 the four friends emerged rosy and hungry from 
 an early dip in the surf, Edyth proposed that 
 after breakfast they should take a stroll to the 
 queer Methodist settlement across the lake, go- 
 ing by way of the beach, for the bridges that 
 now give so much convenience were not at that 
 time built. The girls were ready for any 
 novelty, and started off in high spirits. Serene 
 insisted on stopping at the first pavilion long 
 enough to make a sketch, and it was after nine 
 o'clock when the girls reached Ocean Pathway. 
 
 "0, what a perfectly beautiful promenade!" 
 exclaimed Daisy. "I wonder where it leads." 
 
 "That is easy enough to determine," replied 
 
 Eleanor, as they all turned and entered upon the 
 131
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 spacious and beautiful avenue from the ocean 
 to the grove. 
 
 "Look, girls!" said Edyth, after they had 
 gone on in silence for a few moments, "at that 
 large semicircular building over there with 
 people standing outside. Let's go and see what 
 is afoot." 
 
 "0, some prayer meeting probably," said 
 Eleanor, with a toss of her head. 
 
 As they drew nearer they heard the sound 
 of a grand chorus, rich and sweet, and as in- 
 spiring as martial music. They involuntarily 
 hastened their steps and made their way to one 
 of the entrances. There was a break in the 
 crowd just then, and as it closed again they 
 were drawn just inside of the edifice. They 
 had never beheld such a sight before. More 
 than a thousand people, many of them under 
 twenty-five years of age, were engaging heartily 
 in a religious service. The music gathered 
 strength and tenderness. Everybody sang: 
 
 "Come to the light, 'tis shining for thee, 
 Sweetly the light has dawned upon me ; 
 Once I was blind, but now I can see, 
 The Light of the world is Jesus." 
 
 132
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 The leader of the meeting opened his Bible 
 and read the first chapter of St. John's gospel. 
 Then he spoke a few clear, concise, pointed 
 words from a heart full of love for souls. As 
 he closed he said: 
 
 "Some of you are walking in the light of 
 youth, of beauty, of health, of talent, of hu- 
 man love, of worldly pleasure, of wealth this 
 morning, but these lights, sparkling and pleas- 
 ant though they be, when compared with that 
 Light of which I have just read, are but as 
 feeble tapers to the king of day. Some of them 
 must flicker and fail in the swift rush of the 
 years; all of them will be blown out by one 
 gust from the Valley of the Shadow of Death, 
 and you will be left in darkness, eternal dark- 
 ness! But you who have opened your hearts 
 to the Sun of Righteousness will find in him no 
 darkness at all, for the path shineth more and 
 more unto the perfect day. If you follow on 
 to know the Lord, his going forth is as the 
 morning. 0, dear ones who have not accepted 
 Christ, come, come to-day. Safe with him, 
 you need not fear the darkness of sorrow or 
 
 pain or temptation that falls upon everv lot, 
 133
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 but like the children of Israel, when all Egypt 
 lay under a pall of thickest gloom, you shall 
 have light in your dwellings, and even the night 
 shall be light about you. Now let us all sing 
 that chorus once more." 
 
 With his own powerful tenor voice he led 
 the singing: 
 
 " Come to the light, 'tis shining for thee." 
 
 The girls did not look at each other. Edyth's 
 face was deeply serious, Eleanor's scornful, Se- 
 rene's tearful, and Daisy's half-frightened, half- 
 perplexed. 
 
 "Now let us have twenty-five short testi- 
 monies!" called the leader. 
 
 Quickly one after the other from all parts of 
 the house came brief, bright, loving sentences 
 of praise, bits of Christian experience, verses 
 of Scripture, lines of hymns, and interspersed 
 with all of these that wonderful choral music. 
 Edyth's mind went back to the Easter verse 
 that she had almost forgotten: 
 
 "That they which live should not henceforth 
 live unto themselves, but unto Him who died 
 
 for them, and rose again." 
 134
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 It was of him that these young people were 
 speaking and singing. Not as of a hard, ex- 
 acting Master, but as of one beloved beyond 
 all joy. But the evil, selfish spirit within her 
 cried, "What have I to do with thee, Jesus, 
 thou Son of the most high God!" 
 
 Her life was full of worldly light, just such 
 as the young preacher had described, but very 
 goodly and pleasant for all that. She wanted 
 no better. She had her lover, her youth, her 
 health, her money. They were enough. A 
 bitter feeling of rebellion arose in her soul. She 
 disliked these people and their talk and noise. 
 She would get away from them all. 
 
 "Are you not tired?" she whispered to her 
 friends, "/ am." 
 
 If she had said "troubled" the low affirma- 
 tives in reply would have been nearer the truth. 
 They were soon retracing their steps along 
 Ocean Pathway. 
 
 "I'm glad to get out in the air," said Daisy, 
 with a sigh of relief. "It was so warm and 
 and queer in there!" 
 
 "What happy faces!" said Serene, musingly. 
 
 "I think it's dreadful for people to make so 
 135
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 free with religion!" exclaimed Eleanor. "Why, 
 they talk of Jesus Christ as if they knew him!" 
 
 "The singing was rather fascinating," said 
 Edyth, lightly. Not artistic, of course, hut 
 harmonious and in good time." 
 
 They sauntered along the plank walk and 
 chatted of trivial things. A Sunday school 
 "exertion" from some inland town was just 
 pouring from the railroad station, filling the 
 pavilions and crowding the plank walk with 
 hundreds of pleasure-seekers. Weary-looking 
 mothers, who had risen before the dawn, pre- 
 pared hasty breakfasts, washed eager little faces, 
 and buttoned small jackets and shoes; shopgirls 
 in pink or blue nuns' veilings or elaborate white 
 lawns, escorted by youths with canes and cigar- 
 ettes; small boys with pockets bulging with 
 peanuts, and brains in a ferment with plans for 
 forts and wells and unlimited wading; crying 
 babies, sleeping babies, smiling babies, solemn 
 babies in arms and in perambulators; fathers 
 of families leaning sidewise with the weight of 
 well-filled baskets, and wiping their heated 
 brows; solitary women in dark spectacles and 
 
 green veils carrying paper boxes of luncheon 
 136
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 and volumes of "Favorite Poems;" little girls 
 with big sashes and new shoes who looked 
 disconsolately at the near but distant water 
 all these had charged upon Ocean Grove in one 
 vast army and had taken possession of the coast 
 from Ross's to Lillagore's. Our four young 
 friends after a little quiet study of human 
 nature walked slowly back to their boarding 
 place. 
 
 "I am glad that we decided on this after- 
 noon for our drive to Sea Girt," said Eleanor, 
 "the weather is so fine." 
 
 When they reached the cottage a note was 
 found awaiting Miss Wilsey. She read it 
 with a slightly clouded face, and then re-read 
 it aloud to the girls: 
 
 "MY DEAR FRIEND : I am suffering with one 
 of my attacks of neuralgia, and am very lonely. 
 My new maid, who came yesterday, is about as 
 dexterous and intelligent as a post. Is it too 
 much to ask your company a little while this 
 afternoon? 
 
 "Your devoted but afflicted 
 
 "MARIE CLINTON LEROY." 
 137
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Of course I cannot refuse," said Edyth, "but 
 you must take your drive just the same." 
 
 After much demurring the girls yielded. 
 Edyth wrote a brief note of consent to Mrs. 
 Leroy, and sent it over to the hotel. The din- 
 ner was a merry one, and the usual siesta was 
 preceded by a frolic. 
 
 "I will omit my nap to-day," said Edyth, 
 "for I think I ought not to keep that poor little 
 woman waiting for me." 
 
 "We must plan out next summer's outing 
 with special reference to regions unknown to 
 the Leroys," said Serene. 
 
 Edyth completed her toilet, and bade a some- 
 what reluctant good-bye to the girls. She stood 
 a moment in the half-open door. 
 
 "Farewell, sweet Sister of Mercy!" said 
 Eleanor. 
 
 "Don't forget us in your round of gayety this 
 afternoon!" called Daisy. 
 
 Still Edyth lingered. Was it the sunny- 
 faced angel of her gay, girlish days that held 
 her those few moments in his arms ere he too 
 should say "good-bye" forever? For just out- 
 side of the threshold waited the Angel of Pain, 
 138
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 with a face of holier but veiled brightness, 
 waited to take her hand and lead her into the 
 shadow, for it is only there that some natures 
 will seek and find their Lord. 
 
 Edyth found Mrs. Leroy nervous and expect- 
 ant, her thin features flushed with fever, her 
 hair disordered, the room strewn with clothing, 
 and the new maid, stolid and open-mouthed, 
 looking on. Edyth persuaded Mrs. Leroy to be 
 assisted to the lounge, while she helped the im- 
 passive Joanna to make the bed and beat up the 
 hot, crumpled pillows. 
 
 Then she bathed the invalid's face and hands, 
 brushed her fair hair soothingly and braided it 
 in a smooth, firm braid, and helped her back 
 to bed. In a short time the room was in per- 
 fect order, the few flies driven out, the blinds 
 drawn down evenly, and the slats in the shutters 
 opened enough to admit the cool sea breeze. 
 
 Edyth rang for a bowl of cracked ice, and 
 placed it on a stand that she had covered with 
 a fresh white towel. 
 
 "Now don't you feel that you can sleep a 
 little?" she asked, noting the relief that was 
 
 already visible in the face of her patient. 
 139
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Do you mind reading to me a while? You 
 will find something there on the table." 
 
 Edyth took up a copy of Longfellow, and 
 selected "Evangeline" because of the cradle-like * 
 movement of the hexameter. Mrs. Leroy's eye- 
 lids soon drooped restfully. Edyth read on 
 softly. Joanna nodded over her crocheting. 
 By and by there was some stir and confusion 
 and hurrying of feet at the hotel entrance, and 
 Edyth knew that a train was in from New 
 York, and that the 'bus had brought visitors. 
 Her patient was now fast asleep. 
 
 There were people on the stairs. Their steps 
 came nearer and nearer. Edyth remembered 
 casually, as she leaned back in the low rocker 
 and closed her eyes, that the large room next 
 to Mrs. Leroy's was wide open when she came 
 by, and in that painful state of order that be- 
 tokens expected guests at a summer hotel, and 
 a maid was filling the water pitchers. 
 
 "These persons are surely coming to occupy 
 that room," thought Edyth, "and 0, I do hope 
 they will be quiet." 
 
 The newcomers were two young men. They 
 
 were complaining about the heat of the after- 
 140
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 noon. Edyth started as she heard a very fa- 
 miliar voice say: 
 
 "This place lies on the equator, and no mis- 
 take." 
 
 "My kingdom for a dry collar!" remarked the 
 other. 
 
 The heavy shuffling tread of the porter, laden 
 with two portmanteaus, followed the impatient 
 steps of the visitors. Edyth heard the jingle 
 of silver coins as the porter was dismissed with 
 the good-natured advice to "buy a ticket to the 
 north pole." 
 
 Then the door closed and deadened the hum 
 of the two voices and the occasional laughter. 
 The two friends seemed in excellent spirits, and, 
 having rung for a bottle of champagne, they 
 waxed yet more social as an hour passed by. 
 
 Meanwhile Mrs. Leroy slept heavily, and 
 Edyth sat beside her. She knew that Kylmer 
 Van Ross had come to surprise her, and her 
 lovely face grew now grave, now merry, and 
 flushed and paled with the thoughts that flitted 
 through her brain. She moved the chair nearer 
 to the window for more air. Just then an out- 
 side door of the next room was flung open, and 
 10 141
 
 THE KING'S COLD 
 
 Kylmer Van Eoss with his friend, Merely Sand- 
 ford, stepped out upon the piazza, and took their 
 places in two chairs nearly opposite to the win- 
 dow where Edyth was sitting. Each young man 
 lighted a cigarette with rude disregard of the 
 possible feelings of invisible guests near at 
 hand, and made himself quite comfortable with 
 his heels elevated to the rail of the piazza. 
 
 "Quite a breeze, after all!" said Sandford. 
 
 Van Ross looked at the time, glancing as he 
 did so at a dainty little miniature in the back 
 of his watch. 
 
 "So you've never seen her?" he said to Sand- 
 ford. 
 
 "No, yon lucky dog, I never have. Let us 
 take a look at that photo, please." 
 
 Obeying a quick instinct of horror at being 
 obliged to hear what was not intended for her 
 ears, Edyth had arisen from her chair to re- 
 treat in the farther side of the room, but just 
 then Mrs. Leroy stirred uneasily and moaned 
 for ice, and the loud voices of the young men 
 were painfully in evidence. 
 
 Kylmer detached the watch from its chain, 
 
 and handed it to his companion. 
 142
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Not a very striking face, but sweet as a 
 posy," said Sandford. "Quite a contrast to that 
 soubrette in the Criterion company that you 
 were raving about all last winter.'" 
 
 "Yes, La Lira had fifty times the verve of 
 this little lady. This one isn't much more than 
 a schoolgirl, you know, and takes everything in 
 dead earnest. Awfully confiding and affection- 
 ate; will be tiresome after a while, I'm afraid. 
 Still, a fellow can afford to be bored by a pretty 
 girl with plent} r of rocks behind her, for of 
 course he need not exert himself to be attentive 
 nor agreeable after the knot is tied; and a fellow 
 whose governor is down on him, and whose 
 credit is as low as mine, must make some sacri- 
 fices, you know. Her father is only too glad to 
 bii}' our name for his daughter." 
 
 Ky liner replaced his watch, saying, as he did 
 so: 
 
 "Poor little goose! She actually believes that 
 there is such a thing as love in the world!" 
 
 "Kylmer A^an Ross," exclaimed his com- 
 panion, indignantly, "if you don't make that 
 girl a good husband you ought to be put behind 
 
 the bars!'' 
 
 143
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Come, now, Morley. I'm not a domestic sort 
 of chap, and you can't make me one. So sup- 
 pose you suspend further effort." 
 
 In spite of herself Edyth had heard every 
 word of this brief conversation. She did not 
 faint under the blow, but her heart seemed to 
 swell and almost stifle her. She had a strong 
 desire to rush out and confront that smiling, 
 nonchalant, traitorous lover of hers, and tell 
 him how she despised him. But she sat still 
 for another hour. The two men left for a stroll 
 on the beach. Mrs. Leroy awoke. The pain 
 had left her temples, and she thanked Edyth for 
 her kind nursing. 
 
 After a few instructions to Joanna, Edyth 
 excused herself and hurried back to the cottage. 
 It was supper time, but she could not eat. She 
 felt thankful that Mrs. Leslie and the girls had 
 planned to take tea at Sea Girt, and would not 
 be home until dusk. Edyth threw herself on 
 the bed and wept, not for Kylmer Van Eoss, 
 but for the lost ideal of truth and love and 
 manliness that he personified to her girlish soul. 
 After a little she arose, bathed her eyes, and 
 
 taking a shawl on her arm left the house. She 
 144
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 did not know where she was going, but she felt 
 that she could not meet her friends nor chat 
 with them just yet. On and on she walked, 
 wrapped in her thoughts, not noticing any of 
 the thronging faces on the promenade. She sat 
 for a while on a bench overlooking the surf, 
 until the horizon became dim in the twilight, 
 and the sea was jeweled with the lights of pass- 
 ing ships. Then she arose and walked on, in- 
 voluntarily turning at Ocean Pathway, and go- 
 ing toward the Grove. The Young People's 
 Temple was being closed for the night. Edyth 
 thought how she had stood there only that 
 morning strong in her young life and love. It 
 seemed years ago. Streams of people were now 
 approaching the Auditorium not the present 
 vast structure, but the sanctuary without walls 
 and with gray tree-trunks for pillars, where 
 "Holiness to the Lord" was as yet unblazoned in 
 electric lights. Then, as now, it shone out in an 
 occasional face. A bell ceased tolling, and a 
 large choir upon the platform began to sing. 
 Edyth was surprised at the multitude that con- 
 fronted the stand. She did not wish to join 
 
 the congregation, but she walked along the out- 
 145
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 skirts of the crowd, and leaned against a tree 
 to listen to the singing. Somebody prayed, 
 hut the words fell on her ear like the distant 
 sound of waves. There was more singing, and 
 then a man arose to speak to the people. He 
 took a text, "He died for all, that they which 
 live should not henceforth live unto themselves, 
 but unto Him who died for them, and rose 
 again." 
 
 Edyth's attention was fixed. She moved for- 
 ward and took a seat on the end of one of the 
 settees. Simply and eloquently the preacher 
 told the story of the life and death of Jesus 
 Christ. It was a new revelation to Edyth Wil- 
 sey. It broke her heart. For the first time in 
 her life she saw the Lamb slain from the foun- 
 dation of the world. She heard about the sin 
 that laid the cross on the Innocent One. She 
 felt that her sin was a part of the dreadful load 
 that crushed him. He became to her a Keality 
 worthy of all love and confidence. She saw now 
 that true living meant to love him, and others 
 for his sake, and that life was but an opportu- 
 nity to grow like unto him. 
 
 The sermon was over. Some one was in- 
 140
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 viting those who wished to become Christians 
 to go forward for prayers during the singing of 
 the next hymn. The congregation arose and 
 sang as one voice the plaintive, heart-stirring 
 words, "Just as I am, without one plea." Edyth 
 stood with tears streaming down her cheeks. 
 Her whole soul cried out, "0 Lamb of God, I 
 come!" But she was "alone and a stranger, and 
 knew not where to go nor what to do. 
 
 "My child, can I help you?" said a low, sweet 
 voice in her ear. There was an undertone of 
 strength in the quiet words. Edyth turned and 
 saw just such a face as would naturally belong 
 to that voice, a face noble and womanly and 
 radiant with unselfish love. She put her hand 
 in that of the speaker. 
 
 "If you wish to go to the altar, I will go with 
 you," whispered the latter, "but it will be" ex- 
 ceedingly difficult to get there through the 
 crowd. Perhaps we had better come this way." 
 
 She had been sitting nearly behind Edyth. 
 and had watched the girl's face, and not the 
 speaker, all through the sermon. 
 
 "I think I would like to go where it is quiet, 
 
 and where there are fewer people," replied 
 147
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 Edyth, following her new friend, who immedi- 
 ately led the way beyond the bystanders and the 
 inner circle of tents to another tent close by. 
 The lady unfastened the door of the tent and 
 ushered Edyth into the small canvas dwelling. 
 It was divided by pretty draperies, thus making 
 the front part into a cozy sitting-room. There 
 was a neat matting on -the floor. A lighted 
 Japanese lantern hung from a pole overhead. 
 The hostess offered Edyth a chair and sat down 
 beside her. 
 
 "It seems like a dream," said Edyth, drawing 
 her hand across her eyes. "I did not come out 
 to-night to find Christ. I have been living a 
 very gay life, and I came down to Asbury Park 
 with some school friends for a frolic. To-day 
 there was a terrible trouble suddenly came to 
 me, and I wanted to get away from everyone 
 that I knew, and I wandered over here and 
 stopped to hear the music. I became interested 
 in the sermon, and now I want to be a Christian, 
 but I don't know how to 'come' to Christ. It's 
 all so strange to me." 
 
 Edyth's friend opened a Bible that lay on 
 
 the stand, and said: 
 
 148
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "In the first place, dear, you haven't far to 
 go, for listen: 'The Lord is nigh unto all them 
 that call upon him.' Then you need not doubt 
 your welcome, for he says, 'Him that cometh 
 unto me, I will in nowise cast out." 
 
 "But I have been so selfish and sinful and 
 thoughtless," said Edyth. 
 
 "Listen yet again, my child, to his word: 
 'Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be 
 as white as snow.' And hear this blessed verse 
 in St. John's gospel: 'God so loved the world, 
 that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoso- 
 ever believeth in him should not perish, but 
 have everlasting life." 
 
 " 'Whosoever?' " said Edyth. "Please let me 
 see it for myself." 
 
 She sat quietly for a few moments gazing 
 on the text, God's brightest beacon to guide the 
 storm-tossed into the harbor of peace. 
 
 "Why, I do believe," said Edyth, smiling 
 through her tears. 
 
 "Then he saves you, dear. 'As many as 
 touched him were made perfectly whole.' >: 
 
 "0, he is here, right here!" said Edyth, in a 
 
 whisper of mingled awe and joyous gratitude. 
 149
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Let us talk with him," said the older wom- 
 an. They knelt together and mingled their 
 prayers and happy tears. As they arose from 
 their knees Edyth suddenly bethought herself 
 of the hour, and glancing at her watch ex- 
 claimed: 
 
 "It is almost half-past nine, and I must hurry, 
 for my friends will be anxious about me. You 
 have been very kind to me, and I thank you 
 more than I can tell. May I have your name?" 
 
 The lady took a card from her Bible and 
 handed it to Edyth, who was looking in her 
 pocketbook for one of her own. Having found 
 it, Edyth gave it to her new friend, saying: 
 
 "I hope I may come again." 
 
 There was a cordial assent from the stranger, 
 and it was scarcely spoken when Edyth had 
 gone. Helen West, for it was she, turned to- 
 ward the light and read the name engraved on 
 the cardboard in her hand. She knew now 
 why her heart had gone out so earnestly toward 
 the beautiful girl. She understood why the 
 delicate, lovely face had reminded her of the 
 dear dead Eloise of the long ago. She neither 
 
 cried out nor followed after her visitor. She 
 150
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 dropped on her knees beside the lounge, and 
 with grateful amazement praised God. As for 
 Kdyth, she \valked swiftly toward the ocean, 
 pausing long enough at the Auditorium to hear 
 the people singing: 
 
 "At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light 
 And the burden of my heart rolled away, 
 
 It was there by faith I received my sight, 
 And now I am happy all the day." 
 151
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 As Edyth approached the cottage in Asbury 
 Park she saw that the piazza was crowded. 
 Daisy Leslie came down the steps to meet her. 
 
 "0, you naughty Edyth!" she said. "Mamma 
 was beginning to get frantic about you. Where 
 have you been so long?" Then in a lower tone, 
 "There's a perfectly stunning man who has been 
 here twice to inquire for you, and now but 
 there he comes again!" 
 
 Edyth grew sick at heart and faint as she saw 
 Kylmer Van Ross advancing toward her. Daisy 
 slipped from her arm just then, and Kylmer 
 had reached her side. 
 
 "Good evening, Miss Wilsey!" said he, in his 
 most polished manner, in response to the al- 
 most imperceptible bow that Edyth gave him. 
 Edyth conquered the unsteadiness of her nerves, 
 and replied courteously but coolly, leading the 
 way toward the parlor, nearly empty of guests. 
 
 "Mr. Van Ross," said she, "I must ask you 
 to excuse me to-night. I am very weary." 
 
 He looked at her with surprise. Here was no 
 152
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 trembling, blushing, loving little schoolgirl. 
 The calm eyes of a woman were looking at him. 
 
 "Edyth," he said, stepping forward, "Edyth, 
 darling, what has come over you? You are not 
 glad to see me me, your promised husband !" 
 
 "Mr. Van Ross," she replied, "I pray you, do 
 not detain me any longer. You may call to- 
 morrow morning at ten." 
 
 He was excessively annoyed, but departed in 
 expectation of a speedy interview. Edyth was 
 never so interesting to him as at the pres- 
 ent moment. His curiosity was piqued, his 
 pride injured, and his cause evidently endan- 
 gered, perhaps lost. He called the next morn- 
 ing and sent up his card. Edyth had written 
 a note and inclosed it with a small pack- 
 age containing her engagement ring and a sap- 
 phire bangle that he had given her. This she 
 sent down to the parlor by Eleanor with the 
 message that it was inconvenient for her to see 
 Mr. Van Ross, and she must be excused. That 
 young gentleman preserved a bland exterior, 
 but returned hastily to his room at the hotel, 
 and tore open the parcel with more zest than 
 
 elegance. This is what he read: 
 153
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Ms. KYLMER VAN Ross SIR: There is 
 surely no need of farther explanation of my 
 present conduct when I tell you that, while sit- 
 ting yesterday with a sick friend at your hotel, 
 I accidentally and unwillingly overheard every 
 word of your conversation concerning myself. 
 No apology is possible. 
 
 "With truest gratitude to the Providence 
 which has delivered me from the sad fate of 
 being your wife, I remain 
 
 "Nevermore yours, 
 
 "EDYTH WILSEY." 
 
 "Here's a pretty potpourri !" exclaimed 
 Kylmer to Merely Sandford, handing him the 
 note. 
 
 Morley read it, gave a long whistle, thrust 
 his hands into his pockets, and said: 
 
 "Serves you right, Van! The girl isn't as 
 tame as you thought." 
 
 "0, I'll make it all right with her yet," re- 
 plied Kylmer, falling back on his invincible 
 self-conceit. 
 
 "Mark my words, you never will, my boy!" 
 
 "But her father will not go back on me," re- 
 ir>4
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 plied Kylmer. "My ancestors will pull me 
 through this scrape." 
 
 "Then you should turn Buddhist at once and 
 build an altar to the departed." 
 
 "0, be still, Sandford! I will write to her 
 at once, and say that a man takes pride in con- 
 cealing the strength of his attachment too sa- 
 cred and all that, for conversation with anyone." 
 
 "A man may be reticent about the love he 
 bears his intended wife, and yet not insult the 
 woman of his choice. I tell you, Van, you're 
 in a bad fix. Don't make it worse by writing. 
 Ten to one she would return the letter un- 
 opened. Your only hope now is in the old 
 gentleman." 
 
 "Well, confound this place anyhow! I'm off 
 on the 2:15 for the city. Papa Wilsey will just 
 about be back from Canada, and I can get in 
 version number one of this stupid affair." 
 
 "I'll go with you as far as the Branch," said 
 Morle}% "but I can't say that I'm pining for my 
 native asphalt with the thermometer ninety- 
 cight in the shade." 
 
 T-xlyth felt no pang of regret when Eleanor 
 
 returned and reported that the caller had taken 
 155
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 leave, hoping that Miss Wilsey was not ill, and 
 that he might soon have the pleasure of meet- 
 ing her. She could not mourn for a man whom 
 she despised. More than this, she had just 
 passed from spiritual darkness into a marvelous 
 light. Her soul was breathing a new, sweet 
 atmosphere. It was as if she had just been 
 lifted from a narrow, sultry valley to some 
 glorious wind-swept, sun-bathed hilltop where 
 every breath is laden with strength and heal- 
 ing. She shrank from telling Mrs. Leslie and 
 the girls of her new-found joy. She feared 
 that they would not understand. She longed 
 for Miss West, the lovely dark-eyed lady 
 of the tent, and yet she felt that she must not 
 mar the plans of her companions by seeking 
 other society. The week was only half gone, 
 but the remaining days would seem long with 
 her heart at the Grove, where she longed to 
 go and learn more about Christ and his fol- 
 lowers. She prayed silently for help and direc- 
 tion. During the morning she proposed a walk 
 to the bookstore near the railway station, and 
 her suggestion was gladly followed. Edyth's 
 
 purpose in going was to buy a copy of the New 
 156
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 Testament. She did not attempt to conceal 
 this desire from the girls, who were interested 
 in looking over a pile of summer novels from 
 which they made a few selections. Leaving 
 the shop, they walked along the lakeside to the 
 same little arbor where Edyth had sat to read 
 her first and only letter from Kylmer Van 
 Ross. 
 
 "Let us rest here a few moments, it is so 
 pleasant and cool," said Serene. 
 
 "Edyth, what possessed you to buy a Bible 
 this morning?" said Eleanor, quizzically, taking 
 off her sailor and fanning herself with it. 
 
 "Why, Mel, what is the first book you would 
 buy before making a tour of a strange coun- 
 try?" replied Edyth, pleasantly. 
 
 "0, Baedeker, I suppose. Cousin Belle says 
 that the bright red covers look so cheerful in 
 those dim old convents and churches in Europe. 
 But I don't see any relation between my ques- 
 tion and your reply." 
 
 "It is just this," said Edyth, with a little 
 prayer for courage, and a rush of color across 
 her sweet face. "I started last night on a 
 
 journey that I know but very little about, and 
 11 157
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 this book will tell me what to do, and where to 
 
 go." 
 
 "Edyth Wilsey, are yon losing your senses?" 
 cried Eleanor, dropping her improvised fan in 
 her surprise. 
 
 "No, Mel, dear, I'm perfectly sane, and 0, 
 so happy! I have been led to know that the 
 Lord Jesus Christ deserves the love of my whole 
 heart, and the service of my whole life, a small 
 return for what he has done for me and for us 
 all, and I've started to follow him, started for 
 heaven, and this book will teach me the way." 
 
 Edyth's voice, at first faltering, was clear and 
 steady now, and her eyes shone with faith and 
 courage. 
 
 "0, this is just too stupid for anything," 
 said Eleanor, picking up her hat, and twitching 
 at the ribbons absently. "If you were fifty 
 years old instead of twenty, it might do for you 
 to get these notions into your head, but at your 
 time of life, and with everything to make you 
 happy, I'm surprised at you!" 
 
 "I'm glad I'm not quite twenty, instead of 
 fifty," replied Edyth. "I think it very mean to 
 live years and years just for one's self, and
 
 THE KIXG'S GOLD 
 
 take and take from God's mercies, and then 
 give him a few days at the very end when you're 
 too worn out to enjoy this world or to do any 
 good." 
 
 Eleanor scowled moodily, but Serene slipped 
 her hand into Edyth's, saying: 
 
 "I'm sure you are right, dear. When I was 
 so ill things looked different to me than ever 
 before. The world seemed so mist}-, and death 
 was real, and I was not ready to go." 
 
 Daisy could sit still no longer. Her volatile 
 little brain was as uncomfortable as a humming 
 bird tied to a stake. 
 
 "I think, girls," she broke out, "that you get 
 pokier and pokier every day. I'm tired of your 
 solemn faces. I'm not going to think of any- 
 thing but good times. Come, Mel, let us leave 
 these pious creatures to themselves. You and 
 I will walk together." 
 
 Edyth and Serene were not loath to have an 
 opportunity to talk over the subject so distaste- 
 ful to the others, and by the time they reached 
 the cottage Serene had asked to go with Edyth 
 to Miss West's tent. They found Mrs. Leslie 
 
 in a great flurry over a letter just received. 
 159
 
 THE KINO'S GOLD 
 
 "Daisy," she said, excitedly, "your sister 
 Christine writes that your Aunt Louise has 
 come to Thistledown, and has suddenly made 
 up her mind to sail for Antwerp with your 
 Uncle Herbert next Tuesday, and Dr. Ells- 
 worth's place was burned night before last, so 
 your papa has invited the whole family over 
 to our house for a few days, and little Clara 
 Bevans, who is visiting Lottie, has been taken 
 down with German measles, and our cook has 
 been found intoxicated and has had to be dis- 
 charged, and poor Chris is nearly crazy with 
 responsibility. We must go home this very 
 afternoon." 
 
 "0, that is too bad!" wailed Daisy. 
 
 "Yes, it quite breaks up our party," said 
 Eleanor. 
 
 "I must wait here for my father," said Edyth. 
 "It is only a short time, for this is Saturday, 
 and he writes me that he will be here by Wed- 
 nesday of next week." 
 
 "Then I will stay too," said Serene, "until 
 I can hear from home, for the change is bene- 
 fiting me already." 
 
 "Well, I think I am quite ready to go," said 
 160
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 Eleanor. "The air is filled with religion down 
 here. It is much jollier at Kichfield Springs, 
 where my mother and sister are." 
 
 So it happened that evening found Edyth 
 and Serene alone together., and under the cir- 
 cumstances the change was not unwelcome. 
 After supper they walked over to Ocean Grove, 
 and met Miss West coming down to sit in one 
 of the smaller pavilions. Helen West felt her 
 heart leap wildly as Edyth approached. She 
 had decided for a time not to reveal her 
 identity to this girl whom she loved more than 
 any human being; but she thought that Edyth 
 would recognize the name of West as that of 
 her mother's family, and make inquiries con- 
 cerning it. But Laurance Wilsey had once 
 given Edyth a false answer to the question 
 about her mother's maiden name, and Edyth 
 believed her to have been a Miss Judson. Helen 
 soon perceived that Edyth had no special inter- 
 est in regard to the West name, and she also 
 realized that it had been purposely concealed 
 by the father. This fresh proof of Laurance 
 Wilsey's undying animosity strengthened her 
 
 determination to be silent, lest by enlightening 
 161
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 Edyth she might set the father and child at 
 variance. 
 
 "Is this your first summer at Ocean Grove ?" 
 asked Edyth of Miss West, when Serene had 
 been introduced, and the three were seated. 
 
 "No, I have been here for several summers," 
 was the reply. "I am a teacher in a village in 
 northern Massachusetts, and the decided change 
 of air is very beneficial." 
 
 Edyth wondered at the light that overflowed 
 the dark eyes as they rested upon her face. 
 This woman was positively fascinating. Would 
 it be possible that she could supply the long- 
 felt want of the motherless girl? 
 
 "I have been telling my friend," said Edyth, 
 with a smile for Serene, "about you. She, 
 too, wishes to become a Christian." 
 
 "I am glad there are two of you," said Miss 
 West, "for you can encourage each other. Miss 
 Dudley, it is no small thing to lead a consistent 
 Christian life, especially where one's surround- 
 ings are worldly." 
 
 "That is just the trouble with Edyth and 
 me," replied . Serene. "We have both been 
 
 brought up to think only of ourselves; and our 
 162
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 friends, most of them, only care for social life 
 and dress and amusements. I want to be sure 
 that I am quite willing to give up " 
 
 Serene paused with a little sigh. 
 
 "0, my dear girl," said Miss West. "Don't 
 look at this matter as if you must make a great 
 sacrifice to give yourself to Christ. Just enter 
 into your religious life on the 'privilege side.' 
 Don't stop and say, 'Must I part with this and 
 that?' but come to him as you are, with full 
 hand> bring him your habits, talents, friends, 
 time, even your inclinations. Let him take all 
 your little store, and cast away what is not 
 good for you to keep, and use the rest for his 
 glory. God once called a poor colored washer- 
 woman, Amanda Smith, to give herself fully 
 to him and his work, and it was a struggle for 
 her -even in her lowly place to yield her will 
 to the Master; but she was enabled to do so, 
 and he has made her the instrument of win- 
 ning many souls. I have heard that woman 
 tell what she gave up for Christ 'one old 
 wash tub and two of the best flatirons in Phila- 
 delphia.' Our best is no better than that, com- 
 pared with what he gives in return." 
 ' ic.:;
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 They talked until the soft twilight was dis- 
 sipated by the light of the lamps, and the ocean 
 was a dim, vast expanse heard but unseen, only 
 as an occasional wave broke into snowy foam 
 within the radiance that whitened the sand of 
 the shore. Serene's faltering desires gathered 
 courage, and Edyth's confidence grew strong 
 and sweet as the two girls listened to Miss 
 West's words of counsel and cheer. When they 
 bade each other good night it was with pleasant 
 anticipations of the morrow, for Miss West had 
 invited them to come to her tent and accom- 
 pany her to the morning preaching service. 
 
 When the morrow came Serene had taken a 
 cold, and was not able to go, and Edyth went 
 alone to Miss West. It was an eventful morn- 
 ing to the happy girl. The first sermon after 
 conversion falls upon the ear like a chime of 
 silver bells. This sermon was on "Service," 
 and the old truth, "You have a work that no 
 other can do," was presented with striking 
 emphasis and beauty of illustration. After the 
 benediction had been pronounced, and the host 
 of people were pouring down the avenues on 
 
 every side, Edyth prevailed on Miss West to go 
 1G4
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 with her to dinner, for the former had to leave 
 the Grove the next day, and Edyth wished to 
 be with her as much as possible. 
 
 "I wonder what my work is to be," queried 
 Edyth, in allusion to the sermon. 
 
 "Do not be anxious about that," said her 
 new friend. "Only be sure that your love to 
 Christ does not grow cold. The work will be 
 put into your willing hands." 
 
 "Miss West," said Edyth, sadly, "it will be a 
 great trial for my father to have me lead the 
 plain life of a Christian. 0, I fear he will be 
 very angry when he knows that I wish to join 
 the Church." 
 
 Helen West knew more about Laurance 
 Wilsey's disposition than Edyth dreamed, and 
 was aware that the coming conflict would be 
 no trifle. 
 
 "I know it will be hard for you, child, but 
 you have a Friend who has promised to be with 
 you always, One who is strong to deliver you 
 in every battle." 
 
 "'May I write to you once in a while, Miss 
 West?" 
 
 "Strange as it must seem to you, Miss Wilsey, 
 1G5
 
 THE KIXG'S GOLD 
 
 1 am obliged to refuse your request, for a time 
 at least. Some day I hope to explain. It will 
 probably be many months before we meet again. 
 I am going to give you this afternoon the card 
 of a friend of mine, a minister's wife in New 
 York city. She will be glad to see you, and will 
 help you, I know. As for me, I will pray for 
 you morning, noon, and night, Edyth." 
 
 The name came involuntarily, and seemed 
 like a caress, and the great dark eyes were filled 
 with a brooding love. The young girl was 
 thrilled with an unspeakable delight. 
 
 "0, I wish I might see you often," she said, 
 pressing Miss West's hand, "for you are more to 
 me than anyone I have ever known. I cannot 
 remember my mother." 
 
 Helen longed to tell her of the sweet girl- 
 mother, but the time was not yet, so she kept 
 silence, while Edyth continued: 
 
 "I cannot tell you how I have longed for 
 her, Miss West. I think mother-love must be 
 so true, so unselfish, so deep. It rests me some- 
 times just to think of it as I believe it is. Now 
 that Jesus has come into my heart I shall not 
 
 have such an unsatisfied longing, but still I 
 1GG
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 do wish it had been all right for my mother to 
 have stayed with me." 
 
 "It will seem very strange to you, dear child, 
 if I tell you that I, a comparative stranger, love 
 you better than my own life." 
 
 Edyth looked surprised and questioning. 
 
 "I did not mean to tell you so to-day," Miss 
 AVest went on, "but I want you to know that, 
 although we may not write at present, anything 
 that I can ever do for you will be gladly done, 
 and that my quiet little home will ever be 
 open to you." 
 
 Edyth could not understand this depth of 
 feeling in her companion, but her own heart 
 responded warmly to the words. When they 
 reached the cottage Serene had come down to 
 receive them. The hours passed swiftly until 
 four o'clock, when their visitor took leave 
 of them. Just as she was going she slipped 
 a sealed envelope into Edyth's hand, telling 
 her that it was not to be opened until 
 some time of unusual difficulty or distress. 
 Edyth lingered on the piazza a few moments 
 after her guest had departed. A carriage from 
 
 Long Branch stopped before the house. A 
 167
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 tall, dark, warm-looking man in a gray duster 
 sprang out, paid the driver, and turned toward 
 the* cottage. Edyth advanced to meet him. 
 
 "0, papa!" she exclaimed. "This is a sur- 
 prise !" 
 
 He forced a smile, asked after her health, 
 said that he hoped to get a room, and went into 
 the little office. Edyth felt that he was angry, 
 and quickly surmised the cause. He went to 
 his room, and appeared again just before sup- 
 per looking as calm and unruffled as was his 
 wont. 
 
 "My business plans were somewhat inter- 
 rupted," he explained to Edyth and Serene, 
 "and I came back to the city yesterday. I am 
 sorry that your party was so soon broken up, 
 but I should have had to spoil the fun even if 
 the Leslies had not been called home. You 
 must pack your trunk to-night, Edyth." 
 
 "0, papa!" 
 
 "0, Mr. Wilsey!" 
 
 "Yes; Mrs. Van Eoss is going to take a trip 
 to Alexandria Bay, and has invited Edyth and 
 myself to join the party." 
 
 Mr. Van Eoss had met with another consider- 
 168
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 able financial loss, and his wife felt an increas- 
 ing tolerance for the Wilseys, not unmixed with 
 friendliness. Edyth's face was warm with in- 
 dignation, and her eyes flashed, but she did not 
 wish Serene to have any knowledge of her re- 
 lation to the Van Koss family, and merely said: 
 
 "Of course, papa, I will be ready to leave 
 here at any time that you wish. I dislike to 
 take Serene away from a spot that she enjoys 
 so much." 
 
 "May I not telegraph for some friend to join 
 you?" asked Mr. Wilsey. 
 
 "I think my mother will be glad to come for a 
 few days," said Serene, half musingly, "so if you 
 will be so kind as to send her a dispatch that I 
 am to be left alone I will go to my room and 
 write a letter of explanation." 
 
 After supper Serene went to write her letter, 
 and Mr. Wilsey asked Edyth to walk up the 
 beach with him. 
 
 "So you have been making a fool of your- 
 self, young woman," he said, roughly. 
 
 "What do you mean, papa?" 
 
 "I saw Van Eoss at the Windsor yesterday, 
 
 and he told me all about it." 
 1G9
 
 THE KTXG'S GOLD 
 
 "Did lie tell you why I dismissed him?" 
 
 "Yes; he said that Morley Sandford, who is a 
 terrible case to run a fellow, had been joking 
 him about his fondness for you. Kylmer had 
 been drinking wine and was excited and angry 
 at having Sandford use your name so familiarly, 
 and so he got off a lingo about marrying you for 
 money." 
 
 "Please remember, sir, that I heard every 
 word of the conversation. If he is in the habit 
 of taking too much wine, that of itself ought to 
 make you unwilling that the engagement be 
 continued; but if he would also speak slight- 
 ingly of your daughter I expect at least to be 
 upheld by you in ignoring him hereafter." 
 
 "Whew!" said Mr. Wilsey. "What a strong- 
 minded creature! What an orator!" 
 
 "Papa, I despise him; I shall always despise 
 him!" said Edyth, too indignant for tears. 
 
 They walked on a while in silence, Edyth 
 praying earnestly for help from above. When 
 her father spoke again it sent a chill through 
 her heart. 
 
 "I have planned this marriage," said he, "for 
 
 the wisest of reasons. He will give you the secure 
 170
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 position that I cannot. I have no special ad- 
 miration for him, nor he for me. He wants my 
 money, and needs it too. I want his name for 
 my daughter. I will not be thwarted hy a girl 
 just from school, with silly notions of love, and 
 no more worldly wisdom than a jellyfish." 
 
 "But, papa," pleaded Edyth, "would you 
 make my whole life miserable?" 
 
 "Your notions of happiness are all stuff," 
 said he, taking a vigorous pull at his cigar. 
 "Position and money are the first things to be 
 considered." 
 
 "0, how can I meet him?" moaned poor 
 Edyth. "How can I travel with that family ?" 
 
 "Van Ross has made you a reasonable apology 
 through me. I command you to accept it. I 
 do not wish to talk further on the subject." 
 
 Edyth had thought when they set out for 
 their walk to tell her father of the new life on 
 which she had entered, but she saw that it would 
 be unwise to speak of it then. Her father 
 took it for granted that she would yield to his 
 wishes about the marriage, and his manner grew 
 milder as he talked to her of the new house in 
 
 town that was now nearly ready for furnishing, 
 171
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 and should be fitted up to please her. But 
 Edyth said little, and finally expressed a de- 
 sire to return to the cottage, where she bade her 
 father a grave good night. 
 
 Long after Serene was asleep, and the light 
 out, Edyth knelt, resting her elbows on the sill of 
 the open window, listening to the restful mono- 
 tone of the waves, and praying for deliverance 
 from the approaching ordeal. Then she re- 
 called a verse that Miss "West had marked in 
 her Bible that very afternoon, "Casting all your 
 anxiety on him, for he careth for you;" where- 
 upon she crept softly to her pillow and fell 
 asleep to the music of the words. 
 
 Edyth spoke no more to her father of the trip 
 to Alexandria Bay, but she did not go on the 
 much-dreaded tour. The second morning after 
 her return to New York she was not able to lift 
 her head from the pillow. Mr. Wilsey's first 
 impression was that she was feigning illness, but 
 her hot cheeks and bright eyes soon gave him 
 cause for genuine alarm. A physician was sum- 
 moned, who sent for a trained nurse. For days 
 the dreary conflict with lever went on. At 
 
 times Edyth was delirious, and pleaded piteous- 
 172
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 ly with her father for deliverance from some 
 imagined horror. After she was pronounced out 
 of danger she lay weak and still one day, listen- 
 ing to the twenty-third Psalm, which she had 
 asked her nurse to read to her. The nurse was 
 a woman not many years older than her patient. 
 She was a Christian girl of gentle birth and 
 good education, who had chosen the profession 
 of nursing as one essentially feminine, and who 
 had brought to bear on the acquirement of it a 
 strong will, a clear brain, steady nerves, and 
 genuine but well-ordered sympathy. While she 
 read the psalm in clear, low tones Mr. Wilsey 
 stepped into the room unobserved, and was 
 startled by the light on Edyth's face as she 
 listened. 
 
 " 'Though I walk through the valley of the 
 shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou 
 art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort 
 me/ " 
 
 "Agnes," said Edyth, faintly, "stop right 
 there, please, it is so beautiful." 
 
 "Yes, Miss Wilsey, you have proved it true." 
 
 "My Shepherd!" said Edyth. "I am so glad 
 
 that he found me before I was so ill. His arms 
 12 173
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 rest me. When I get strong again I will follow 
 him anywhere." 
 
 Mr. Wilsey's brow wore a heavy frown, which 
 deepened as Edyth continued: 
 
 "Agnes, won't you pray with me to-night?" 
 
 The nurse sank upon her knees, and offered 
 the prayer of a little trusting child. Mr. Wil- 
 sey went out of the room with a storm of rage 
 in his heart. He waylaid Dr. Ballston on the 
 staircase and took him into his own sleeping 
 room. 
 
 "I wish to get rid of that woman you brought 
 here as soon as possible," he said. 
 
 "Why, my dear sir!" said the astonished 
 physician, "she is one of the very best nurses 
 in this town! You owe your daughter's life 
 more to her skill and faithfulness than to my 
 remedies." 
 
 "But my daughter is out of danger from the 
 fever, and this creature is talking religion to 
 her. It won't take much to make a canting, 
 long-faced Puritan of the girl, for it's in the 
 blood on her mother's side, and I don't intend 
 to have her trouble her head with such trash. 
 
 I've other plans for her." 
 174
 
 "My dear sir," said the doctor, "Miss Miller 
 must not go away for at least another fort- 
 night. Miss AVilsey must not be grieved nor 
 opposed in any way until she regains her 
 health. Such a method will not spoil her sweet 
 disposition. If the subject of religion is sooth- 
 ing to her brain, it is conducive to her general 
 improvement/' 
 
 The conversation ended, but Mr. Wilsey was 
 continually on the alert during the remainder 
 of Miss Miller's stay, and as soon as possible 
 dismissed her, and put a gay French lady's maid, 
 Corinne, in her place. But he could not eradi- 
 cate from Edyth's heart the precious sustaining 
 truths that the devoted nurse had sown there. 
 Mr. Wilsey had hoped that during her illness 
 Edyth would lose her repugnance for Kylmer 
 Van Ross, for he had not relinquished the de- 
 termination that the marriage should take place; 
 but one day when a basket of luscious fruit 
 was sent up to Edyth's room bearing the card 
 of Mrs. Van Ross she said to her father: 
 
 "Please take it awa} r . I cannot bear to look 
 at it." 
 
 Still his courage did not fail nor his iron will 
 175
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 bend. After the invalid was able to drive out 
 he took her to the beautiful house they were to 
 occupy as soon as she was well. 
 
 "You will have no care," he said. "1 have 
 engaged a competent housekeeper. You will 
 also have a companion and chaperon in the 
 person of a Mrs. Severax, a cultivated lady, the 
 widow of an artist. She will call upon you this 
 afternoon." 
 
 Edyth said nothing, but shrank at the idea 
 of taking an entire stranger into such close re- 
 lation to her daily life. A few hours later Mrs. 
 Severax appeared at the hotel according to ap- 
 pointment. Edyth took a prompt dislike to 
 her. She was a woman about fifty years of 
 age with small, glittering, selfish eyes, a profu- 
 sion of yellowish gray hair, thin, bloodless lips, 
 and prominent teeth. She was attired in a long 
 lustrous black satin gown heavily trimmed in 
 jet, and as she glided across the room rustling 
 and trailing, and her black, beadlike eyes rested 
 upon Edyth, the latter felt as if a snake had 
 crossed her path, and her first impulse was to 
 scream and run. She controlled herself suffi- 
 ciently to hold out her hand to her visitor, and 
 176
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 Mrs. Severax laid her pulseless fingers for a 
 second in the girl's palm. She had a fawning 
 manner, and a voice that was suspiciously sweet 
 considering its thin quality. 
 
 "I'm sure, my dear Miss Wilsey," she re- 
 marked after a few commonplaces had been ex- 
 changed, "that it is a kind Providence that has 
 thrown us together you so long bereaved of a 
 mother's care, and I having mourned for years 
 one only lovely daughter." 
 
 Mrs. Severax applied a very pretty handker- 
 chief to her eyes, but Edyth sat like a statue, 
 her blood running cold. Her visitor continued : 
 
 "Pardon my emotion, Miss Wilsey, but you 
 are so like my dear lost Genevieve!" 
 
 A gleam' of hope flashed across Edy th's mind. 
 "If that is the case, Mrs. Severax/' she said, 
 "it will probably be too painful for you to carry 
 out my father's plan, and we had better abandon 
 it altogether." 
 
 "0, no, no!" replied the lady, recovering 
 herself. "It was but a momentary weakness. I 
 have a naturally cheerful disposition, indeed I 
 have!" 
 
 Shortly after the prospective chaperon had 
 177
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 departed Mr. Wilsey came in and found Edyth 
 weeping quietly on the couch. 
 
 "Well," said he, irritably, "what now?" 
 
 "I was thinking," she replied, "of what it 
 will be to live with Mrs. Severax." 
 
 "You are an ungrateful child!" said her fa- 
 ther, leaving the room in anger. 
 
 Edyth felt unusually lonely and sad that 
 evening. The lack of affinity with her father 
 pained her. He was certainly generous to a 
 fault with his money, and wanted to do what 
 he thought was for her best good. She wished 
 that she might please him, and she dreaded the 
 time when she must tell him plainly that she 
 had chosen the very path that was obnoxious to 
 him. As she had gained in physical strength 
 she felt an increasing interest in the new home. 
 She would have been hardly human not to have 
 appreciated the opportunity to select at will 
 from the treasures of the cabinetmaker and 
 upholsterer, to linger over rich rugs, to decide 
 upon patterns in table linen, to choose silver and 
 glass and china, and, more than all, to spend 
 hours in the bookshops and at the art dealers' 
 
 All this took a great deal of time and thought, 
 178
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 and absorbed her attention so thoroughly that 
 her delight in spiritual things had dimmed a 
 little. Her aversion to Mrs. Severax, however, 
 refreshed in her the memory of Helen "West, 
 whose loveliness and genuine tenderness were 
 recalled in painful contrast to the superficiality 
 of the former. She decided to go the next day 
 and find Mrs. Dayton, Helen's friend, whose 
 card was yet in her pocketbook. 
 
 The Eev. Charles Dayton was the pastor of 
 an unfashionable church on the East Side. The 
 little brick parsonage was brimming with life 
 and love and echoing with the voices of six 
 boys and girls. Edyth found Mrs. Dayton in 
 the center of a group in the extension, which 
 was fitted up as the pastor's study. There were 
 a bright-eyed baby and a piece of sewing in 
 her lap, two boys at her feet were struggling 
 over decimals, a girl at her left was learning to 
 mend stockings, another boy was drawing a 
 map on the table, while from the piano in the 
 next room came the sound of practicing. 
 
 "0, Miss Wilsey," exclaimed Mrs. Dayton, 
 rising as best she could, and turning a bright 
 
 face toward her visitor, "I am indeed glad to 
 179
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 see you; but how awkward of Kathleen to bring 
 you in here!" 
 
 "Please do not feel annoyed, Mrs. Dayton," 
 said Edyth. "I should have missed a very 
 pretty glimpse of home life but for this." 
 
 "You see," said Mrs. Dayton, "my dear 
 friend, Helen West, stopped here on her way 
 home from the Grove, and told me all about 
 you, so you are not a stranger to me." 
 
 Helen had confided to Mrs. Dayton the 
 strange story of her relationship to Edyth, so 
 there was a warmer interest on the part of the 
 minister's wife than she would otherwise have 
 manifested. 
 
 "Have you heard from Miss West lately?" 
 inquired Edyth. 
 
 "0, yes, we exchange letters every fortnight, 
 and have done so for years. In every letter 
 she expresses much anxiety concerning you." 
 
 The baby was sent up stairs in the care of 
 the eldest girl, and the boys were dismissed for 
 a game in the back yard. 
 
 "I want to see Miss West more than I can 
 tell/' said Edyth. "It seems as if I must see 
 
 her." 
 
 180
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Are you in difficulty of some sort, Miss 
 Wilsey?" 
 
 "Only this : my father has just bought a fine 
 house, and we have heen very busy furnishing 
 it, and I have put off telling him that I have 
 started to be a Christian. It grows more and 
 more difficult to speak of it, and somehow 
 Christ does not seem so real to me as he did last 
 summer." 
 
 "Congenial associations are certainly a great 
 help in the spiritual life," replied Mrs. Dayton, 
 "and you should have a church home as soon as 
 possible. You will have to come out boldly for 
 Christ." 
 
 "I dread the collision with my father," said 
 Edyth. "He will want me to do many things 
 that I ought not to do." 
 
 "I do not wonder that you shrink from his 
 opposition, but 'the joy of the Lord is your 
 strength,' and he will make the crooked paths 
 straight and the rough places plain. Can you 
 come to our prayer meeting to-morrow evening, 
 Miss Wilsey ?" 
 
 Edyth's heart leaped at the thought, even as 
 
 a traveler catches a glimpse of a distant spring 
 181
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 in the desert. Just then Mr. Dayton came into 
 the room, and as Edyth looked up at his open, 
 noble, kindly countenance she felt that here 
 was a man who could be a guide and friend. 
 After conversing with her for a while he said, 
 as she rose to go: 
 
 "It is very sad when a child has to displease 
 a parent in matters of religious conviction, but 
 do not fear to let your light shine. All heaven 
 is on your side, Miss Wilsey. Also remember 
 that there are two hearts in this city who will 
 not fail to ask the Father to sustain and com- 
 fort you." 
 
 Edyth went back to the hotel strengthened in 
 her determination to walk in the right path. 
 She knew that she could not serve two masters. 
 She thought perhaps to force the issue with her 
 father by announcing her desire to go to the 
 prayer meeting the next evening, but before she 
 had an opportunity to do so she found that her 
 father was expecting her to accompany him to 
 the new house to see the effect of gaslight upon 
 the color scheme of the drawing-room. 
 
 They took possession of the beautiful resi- 
 dence that week. Edyth's principal delight had 
 "182
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 been in fitting up the library, which was paneled 
 Avith antique oak, against which the warm, 
 richly colored draperies showed to the best ad- 
 vantage. There were deep, soft rugs, and in- 
 viting chairs, low well-filled bookshelves, marble 
 busts of a few favorite authors, a curtained 
 alcove with its own ledge for books and a lux- 
 urious divan, and a magnificent mantelpiece 
 framing a great fireplace that suggested morn- 
 ing studies and twilight reveries. Mr. Wilsey 
 had jocosely remarked on seeing Edyth's in- 
 tense delight in the preparation of this room: 
 
 "It is very evident who expects to appropriate 
 this snuggery this winter. I must look out for 
 myself." 
 
 But from the first he had intended to provide 
 himself with a private office, and had even 
 altered the plan of the house to admit of a 
 suite of two small rooms adjoining the library. 
 His daughter had never seen the interior of 
 these, for he kept them locked and always car- 
 ried the keys. Edyth's own apartments were 
 a vision of fairyland, all pale blue and white 
 and silver, misty with lace, soft with plush, and 
 
 gleaming with mirrors. 
 183
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 The Wilseys were no sooner installed in their 
 new home than Mr. Wilsey began to talk of ar- 
 ranging to present Edyth to society. Just at 
 this time Serene Dudley came to call one morn- 
 ing. The two girls had not met since the 
 memorable days at Ocean Grove, and Serene had 
 not known of Edyth's illness. They both felt 
 some restraint in speaking of the subject that 
 was nearest to their hearts, but after Serene 
 had been taken all over the beautiful house 
 they settled down in Edyth's pretty sitting room 
 before the glowing coals, and Edyth said: 
 
 "I was very ill, Serene, delirious part of the 
 time, but whenever I came to myself I knew I 
 had nothing to fear, for my new Friend was 
 with me." 
 
 The quick tears came to Serene's eyes as 
 she replied: 
 
 "Is it not wonderful, Edyth, the peace, the 
 freedom from fear, the rest of knowing that 
 nothing but good can come to one ?" 
 
 "What did your mother say, Serene?" 
 
 "0, you know that mamma is quite a church- 
 woman, and was pleased to have me express a 
 
 desire to join the confirmation class at St. 
 184
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 Andrew's this next season. She said that she 
 hoped I would not take my religion too seriously, 
 but that a proper degree of interest is becom- 
 ing. Somehow I felt as if mamma did not 
 really understand, after all. She is arranging 
 my coming out, and she said she will be very 
 pleased to introduce you with me, knowing that 
 you have no near woman relative. By the way, 
 Edyth, who is that that lady whom I met on 
 the steps outside?" 
 
 "My dear, that is my chaperon !" 
 
 "You poor, dear girl ! She looks too for- 
 midable for anything. I shall get mamma to 
 take you out with us as much as possible. Can 
 you let me know by to-morrow about our 
 debut f" 
 
 "Yes, Serene, and please thank your mother 
 for her kind invitation. Are you planning for 
 any stud}' this winter?" 
 
 "0, yes ! I'm going to join a literary club, 
 also a guild for aiding the poor of our parish 
 that gives a course of lectures on social econom- 
 ics, and I have already begun with a lovely 
 art teacher. I don't feel exactly satisfied with 
 
 my prospects. I want to do some real work for 
 186
 
 THE Kixc/s GOLD 
 
 Christ. At least, I do not intend to put much 
 of my strength into parties and receptions. 
 Edyth, have you told your father yet ?" 
 
 "Xo, I haven't had the courage, nor just the 
 right opportunity. I shall not feel settled until 
 I have let him know how life looks to me. It 
 will be hard to hreast the tide alone ! Some- 
 times it seems to me that I cannot struggle 
 against his will, but do pray for me, Serene, 
 that I will not give up !" 
 
 Mr. Wilsey heard with satisfaction of Mrs. 
 Dudley's plan for bringing out Edyth with her 
 own daughter, and in the preparations for that 
 speedy event Edyth again postponed the declara- 
 tion of her love and loyalty to the Saviour. 
 186
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 IT was the night for Edyth's coming out. 
 She was to be at the Dudleys' home at seven 
 o'clock. At six her gown had not come home. 
 Edyth's usually sweet temper was much dis- 
 turbed, and with the lapse of every five minutes 
 her vexation increased. At twenty minutes past 
 six she sent her maid to call Mrs. Severax, who 
 only added to her annoyance by nervous ex- 
 pressions of wonder at the delay, and the added 
 intelligence that Mr. Wilsey, who was to ac- 
 company Edyth, was pacing the drawing-room 
 in a state of smoldering impatience. Three 
 times he sent word that the carriage was wait- 
 ing. 
 
 "I'll wear the white mull, my graduation 
 gown," said Edyth, in despair. 
 
 "0, Mees Wilsey," cried Corinne, with her 
 most tragic air, "it ees not fresh." 
 
 Just then the peal of a bell sounded through 
 the house, and shortly after steps were heard 
 slowly climbing the stairs. Mrs. Severax and 
 
 Edyth both rushed into the hall in time to see 
 187
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 a slight girlish figure toiling up the flight carry- 
 ing a large pasteboard box. 
 
 "Here at last," sighed Mrs. Severax to 
 Edyth, "but I hope there are no alterations." 
 
 Corinne had snatched the box from the girl 
 at the head of the stairs, and hastened with it 
 to her mistress, the stranger following on, being 
 not merely a messenger, but a dressmaker's as- 
 sistant who was to attend to some slight details 
 after the gown was donned. Edyth was too ex- 
 cited to notice the pale face and drooping figure 
 of the girl, but exclaimed hotly: 
 
 "What does Madam Moray mean by this 
 delay ? I am nearly late for my engagement !" 
 
 "It was not the madam's fault, miss," replied 
 the girl, faintly, "but my own. I left the shop 
 more than an hour ago." 
 
 Corinne had lifted the shimmering mass of 
 gauze out of the box, and the stranger was 
 bending over it as she spoke, shaking out a 
 drapery. 
 
 "Have you not learned to go directly on an 
 errand like this, and not to dally and talk with 
 your friends?" interposed Mrs. Severax, in her 
 
 most incisive style. 
 
 188
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 t 
 
 There was no answer. 
 
 "This must be reported to Madam Moray/' 
 said Edyth, at the same time bending her head 
 and shoulders to receive the cloud of loveliness 
 that fell all about her in exquisite outlines. 
 
 "I beg pardon, miss," said the girl, finding 
 her speech, "but I was really very ill when I 
 left the Fifth Avenue stage, and had to rest on 
 some steps before I could go on." 
 
 "Humph !" said Mrs. Severax, with a disdain- 
 ful toss of her head. 
 
 A wave of vivid crimson swept across the 
 girl's face, and her hands trembled as she tried 
 to fasten a knot of ribbon in its place, which 
 slipped from her thin fingers to the floor. 
 
 "Awkward!" exclaimed Edyth. 
 
 The girl quietly picked up the ribbon, and 
 steadied herself by a great effort as she tacked 
 it with her needle and thread where it be- 
 longed. 
 
 "The madam was very particular about this," 
 she said. "She told me several times just where 
 to put it to get " 
 
 As the last word left the girl's lips she fell 
 
 with a slight moan insensible on the carpet. 
 13 189
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "How inconvenient!" said Mrs. Severax. 
 "Corinne, help me lift this person on to the 
 couch." 
 
 "Poor thing!" said Edyth. "She is really 
 ill, then. Do what you can for her. Get a 
 doctor if necessary. Corinne, my gloves and 
 bouquet. Now my wrap," and the debutante 
 swept from the room and down the staircase, 
 at the foot of which her father stood gnawing 
 his mustache and looking like a thundercloud. 
 
 "Never patronize that Moray woman again !" 
 he said, as the carriage door slammed upon 
 them. 
 
 "The maid was ill on the way, papa," said 
 Edyth. "I left her in a faint in my room. I 
 feel troubled about her." 
 
 "0, she'll come out all right !" said Mr. Wil- 
 sey. "Such people usually do." 
 
 But Edyth found that the worn, sweet face 
 of the girl haunted her all the way to her 
 destination, and even after she had joined 
 Serene in the flower-decked drawing-room, and 
 a brilliant throng had begun to pass before the 
 two new-rising stars in the social skies, and 
 
 flattering words and admiring smiles came 
 190
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 from every direction, that poor, pale face with 
 its wounded expression looked reproachfully 
 into her own. At last she was able to forget it. 
 
 In this atmosphere of gayety and adulation 
 the temptation swept strongly down upon her 
 to resolutely abandon her attempt to lead a 
 spiritual life. Surely her way was hedged up. 
 A reckless spirit took possession of her which 
 manifested itself in her heightened color and 
 sparkling eyes and in the light and easy grace 
 with which she entered into the dance. She was 
 very beautiful, and as her father saw her the 
 center of one and another little group of young 
 and old, and noted the absence of that serious 
 restraint of manner that had annoyed him so 
 much, he looked proud and happy and followed 
 her with glowing eyes that at times met hers 
 with approval. 
 
 That same evening a story was circulated that 
 Kylmer Van Eoss had bravely stopped a run- 
 away horse on the avenue that day, and had 
 doubtless saved the lives of two ladies at the 
 cost to him of a broken arm. Edyth had her 
 full share of the feminine love of a hero, and 
 Mr. Wilsey hoped that this really manly and 
 
 191
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 notable exploit would soften her heart toward 
 the offender, and so fulfill the plan that was 
 in such jeopardy. Accordingly, as they entered 
 the carriage to go home, Mr. Wilsey was in a 
 more amiable mood than he had enjoyed for 
 months. Edyth was now fairly launched upon 
 the social sea, with smooth waves and bright 
 weather and no mutiny aboard and no storm 
 brewing so far as he could observe. Soon he 
 would pilot her to the desired haven of his 
 dreams. As they drove along he bent and 
 kissed her forehead, a most surprising demon- 
 stration on his part. 
 
 "I was proud of my daughter to-night," he 
 said. "Why can she not always make me 
 happy?" 
 
 Edyth's brain was in a whirl. The evening's 
 pleasure had almost won her to the world. It 
 was also very delightful to see her father grati- 
 fied. That wonderful night at Ocean Grove 
 seemed like a dream, and Helen West a ghost 
 of fancy, and the Christ that had summoned 
 her to a life of conflict and self-denial had re- 
 treated into the historic shadows of the olden 
 
 time. She had been foolish to struggle against 
 192
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 her lot. Perhaps her father was right. She 
 longed to reply, "Father, I will," to Mr. Wil- 
 sey's affectionate question, but somehow the 
 words would not come, and she said instead, 
 'I wish I might." 
 
 The tone was so wistful and sincere that 
 Mr. Wilsey felt still more encouraged. 
 
 "You shall go with me to Tiffany's to-mor- 
 row/' he said, "and select a new ring, anything 
 that suits your fancy." 
 
 He then went on to talk of the people who 
 were at the reception. 
 
 "The very best people," he said, "except the 
 Van Bosses ; but of course Mrs. Van Eoss could 
 not leave her son. I always knew that fellow 
 had grand stuff in him." 
 
 Edyth was nervously pulling off her gloves. 
 
 "Please, papa, don't !" she said, under her 
 breath. "Nothing that man ever does can 
 change my opinion of him." 
 
 They were both silent until the carriage- 
 stopped at their door. The mood of each had 
 changed. Mr. Wilsey's usual irritation with his 
 daughter leaped again into life, and Edyth felt 
 
 a wave of disgust sweep over her soul. Sui^. : 
 193
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 these two natures could never harmonize. As 
 they reached the house a sudden remembrance 
 of the helpless figure she had left on the couch 
 came before Edyth's mind, and she said: 
 "I wonder if that poor girl is better !" 
 It was three o'clock in the morning as they 
 entered the house. They had thought to find 
 it dimly lighted and very still. Edyth longed 
 for her own little room, where Corinne would 
 be waiting with her soft, loose gown, and a 
 cup of hot chocolate would soon be in readiness 
 to be sipped quietly before the open fire. 
 
 "Late hours, perhaps, of necessity, young 
 ladies," had been one of Mrs. Knight's axioms, 
 "but avoid late suppers." So Edyth, who had 
 taken no refreshments, had returned feeling 
 some need of nourishment. To the surprise of 
 both father and daughter, they saw that the 
 windows of the servants' rooms on the top floor, 
 Edyth's boudoir, and the reception room were 
 all aglow, and as they mounted the steps Mrs. 
 Severax herself opened the door, her face pale 
 with weariness and terror. There were serv- 
 ants passing up and down, and muffled voices 
 
 overhead. 
 
 194
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "0, Mr. Wilsey," exclaimed Mrs. Severax, 
 with uplifted hands and eyes, "that creature 
 has actually died right here in this house !" 
 
 "May I ask to whom you refer?" said Mr. 
 Wilsey. 
 
 "Why, the dressmaker's girl," replied the 
 lady. 
 
 "Where is she?" asked Edyth, with startled 
 eyes. 
 
 "On Corinne's bed, where she died an hour 
 ago. She came out of that fainting fit and 
 talked a little to Corinne, and gave her her 
 address, and then had a terrible pain in her 
 heart, and I sent the butler for the doctor on 
 the next block. He came right away and gave 
 her something that eased her, but he said he 
 couldn't save her. He said she seemed to have 
 lacked prcrper food. 0, such a night !" 
 
 "You had better retire at once, Mrs. Severax," 
 said Edyth, brushing past her and the house- 
 keeper, who wished to give her version of the 
 story. Edyth mounted the stairs with a quick 
 step. "Poor, poor girl !" she murmured. "And 
 I spoke so harshly to her. May God forgive me !" 
 
 Corinne, with streaming eyes, met her at the 
 195
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 top of the flight. "0, mees," she said, "it ees 
 the end. Come with me and see the poor Char- 
 lotte. Beezy and Edla have done all for her 
 like a seester." 
 
 Edyth passed through her own dressing room 
 to Corinne's neat and cozy room. There on the 
 white bed lay the mortal part of Charlotte 
 Henson. The maids had indeed performed the 
 last offices for the stranger with no unskillful 
 or careless touch. The quiet form was arrayed 
 in a delicate nightdress that Edyth had given 
 to Corinne. The beautiful waving hair was 
 brushed and arranged becomingly, and the 
 hands lay naturally. Beezy had laid her cruci- 
 fix on the breast. Edyth's quick eye took in all 
 these details at a glance, but as she looked upon 
 the thin white face sobs shook her frame. 
 There was an indescribable pathos in every line 
 of those features. Edyth sank on her knees 
 beside the bed, and laid one of her warm hands 
 upon the motionless one near by and wept 
 bitterly. It was a strange scene the child of 
 wealth, with her dainty party gown falling in 
 shining waves around her, sobbing beside the 
 
 body of the homeless sewing girl. 
 196
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Do not, 0, do not, Mees Wilsey," said 
 Corinne. "The poor Charlotte spoke to me be- 
 fore she died and said, 'Your young lady, she 
 will cry when she know, because she spoke in 
 haste to me; but tell her it ees all right an' 
 there's nothing to forgive ; an' give her my love, 
 but tell her too, please, there's lots of girls like 
 me.' Then, mees, she gave me her name, and 
 said she was an orphan, and had no friends, 
 and lived in a room far over on the East Side. 
 She took her bankbook from her bosom, and 
 told me that there ees twenty-five dollar. She 
 even had me write on a paper to get the money. 
 She say there is a man who she pay to for long, 
 and the twenty-five dollar ees the last that be- 
 long to him, and would I get it and send it. 
 He live here in New York. Then she say again, 
 'Tell your lady there's lots like me,' and she 
 go then." 
 
 Just then the towering form of Mr. Wilsey 
 appeared in the doorway. 
 
 "What is this nonsense?" he cried, angrily, 
 pushing aside Corinne, and taking his daughter 
 by the arm. "Go to your sleeping room at once, 
 
 Edyth. I have sent for the undertaker." 
 197
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "0, papa," said Edyth, "where will the girl 
 be buried?" 
 
 "Probably you wish her laid in our family 
 plot, the one I bought recently in Greenwood," 
 said Mr. Wilsey, scornfully, almost forcing her 
 from the room. 
 
 "Promise me, papa, that you will see that she 
 has a respectable burial in a nice part of some 
 cemetery, or I shall not close my eyes to-night." 
 
 He had drawn her into the hall, inflicting 
 positive pain on her delicate flesh by his iron 
 clasp. 
 
 "You are a perpetual disappointment to me," 
 he hissed in her ear; "I find you absolutely 
 wanting in a sense of propriety. Down upon 
 your knees beside a dead menial, and a stranger 
 at that !" 
 
 "But," pleaded Edyth, "promise me about the 
 grave and all that." 
 
 "If you will write to-morrow a courteous note 
 of sympathy to Mrs. Van Eoss, and send a box 
 of orchids with it, referring admiringly to her 
 son's performance on the avenue, I will guaran- 
 tee that everything shall be done for this girl 
 
 to please you. If you do not consent to my 
 198
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 wishes she will be sent to her proper place in the 
 Potter's Field." 
 
 He could hardly have taken a more stinging 
 advantage, hut Edyth agreed to grant his re- 
 quest, though inwardly rebelling at the injustice. 
 He opened the door of her room, and saw her 
 cross the threshold, saying: 
 
 "You will not see Corinne again to-night. 
 She is too much excited." 
 
 Then he left her without a "good night." 
 
 The chocolate set stood on a small table in 
 front of the fire, and Edyth made her own 
 chocolate with the little alcohol lamp, donned 
 a warm wrapper, and sat down to think. She 
 knew she could not sleep. The hateful white 
 gown lay like foam on the carpet. She shud- 
 dered as she looked at the knot of ribbon. The 
 face of Charlotte Henson floated before her 
 eyes, and her last message, "There's lots of 
 girls like me," sounded in her ears. The dance 
 music had ceased to beat in her hot pulse. 
 There was no pleasure in the remembrance of 
 the reception. The thought of the admiring 
 glances and flattering words that had appealed 
 
 to her girlish vanity now sickened her better 
 199
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 nature. While she had danced in her costly 
 gown this other girl only about her own age had 
 died, and died of starvation, and she, the 
 favored one, had given words no better than a 
 blow to the perishing stranger. 
 
 Edyth, who had been on the point of giving 
 up the hard struggle with environment to de- 
 vote herself to the world, now found herself 
 face to face with a terrible fact that fired anew 
 the flickering spiritual life in her soul. Again 
 she heard the words that seemed to keep up a 
 persistent undertone in her life: "He died for 
 all, that they which live should not henceforth 
 live unto themselves, but unto him which died 
 for them, and rose again." She had tasted of 
 the peace of God, she had vowed fealty to her 
 Saviour, and now this very night she had all 
 but deserted him. Until a beam of the rising 
 sun slanted through the curtains Edyth thought 
 and wept and prayed, and as she prayed 
 strength entered into her to bear, to do, to 
 suffer. Falling asleep in her chair from ex- 
 haustion, she had a dream of a crowd of worn 
 and pallid faces surrounding Charlotte Henson, 
 
 and the Saviour standing near, who said, "Will 
 200
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 you live for these ?" "Yes, Lord !" cried Edyth. 
 He smiled upon her, and suddenly the faces 
 changed into those of angels, and vanished in 
 light and song. Edyth awoke filled with a 
 strange joy and rest. The night, with its 
 marvelous blending of gayety and grief, of 
 conflict and defeat and victory, was over, and 
 the sun was shining on a new created world. 
 Her first need was sleep, and sleep seemed pos- 
 sible in that all-pervading peace. She sought 
 her bed, and it was the middle of the afternoon 
 before her heavy eyelids unclosed. 
 
 When she awoke it was with the feeling that 
 something of great importance had occurred. 
 Slowly the events of the night came to mind, 
 and she knew that she was not the same girl 
 who went lightly to the reception. Years might 
 have intervened since then, so settled was her 
 mind, so clearly defined was her lifework. She 
 rang the bell for Corinne, who came softly and 
 anxiously, looking very pale. 
 
 "Is my father at home?" asked her mistress. 
 
 "He has been out all the day," said the maid. 
 
 "You may ask Mrs. Severax to dress for a 
 
 drive, and order the coupe in an hour." 
 201
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 At the appointed time Edyth and Mrs. Sev- 
 erax were driving in the direction of Madam 
 Moray's establishment. On arriving there 
 Edyth found that her father had sent word of 
 the death of Charlotte Henson. 
 
 "She was a good girl," said the madam, "and 
 0, what an eye and what a touch ! She would 
 have been worth a fortune to me in a few years. 
 She earned good pay, but she never seemed to 
 have anything for herself or any good times like 
 other girls. She never associated with the 
 others, except Jean. They were much together. 
 I will call Jean, and let her talk with you." 
 
 Jean came with red eyes into the room. 
 
 "Can you tell me for what Charlotte saved 
 her money ?" said Miss Wilsey. 
 
 "I would not like to break my word, miss. 
 I was never to tell. Somebody belonging to 
 Charlotte took money that was not theirs, and 
 went to prison and died there, and she was try- 
 ing to pay it back little by little. She had to 
 make a decent appearance, but she had no 
 warm underclothing and no fire in her room in 
 winter, and she lived on the least food she could, 
 
 bread and tea mostly." 
 202
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Poor, poor girl !" sighed Edyth. "Well, her 
 troubles are all over now." 
 
 "Yes," said Jean, "for she was a good Chris- 
 tian girl; but 0, miss," and Jean's eyes over- 
 flowed, "do you know where she will be buried ?" 
 There was a terrible dread in Jean's tone. "If 
 it is that that place, you know, I would 
 work my fingers to the bone to get her out of it." 
 
 "My father has arranged for all that," said 
 Edyth, quietly, "and I am sure that you will be 
 pleased with what he has done. I myself shall 
 order a suitable stone for your friend. I will 
 find out where the grave is, and let you know, 
 and next Sunday you and Corinne, my maid, 
 may go with flowers. You shall have lovely 
 flowers, Jean." 
 
 "0, miss, you are an angel !" 
 
 Edyth's face flushed with shame. "No, 
 Jean," she said, gently, "only a young woman, 
 full of faults, but trying to overcome them/' 
 
 Edyth then drove to the park, and Mrs. Sev- 
 erax, in noting the different carriages and their 
 occupants, soon forgot her inconvenience of the 
 night before. She chatted so constantly that 
 
 she did not notice that her companion scarcely 
 203
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 spoke. The grateful eyes that Jean had lifted to 
 her face had filled Edyth with a new happiness, 
 and between her thoughts and those of Mrs, 
 Severax there was a gulf as wide as the poles. 
 
 When they returned home Mr. Wilsey had 
 already arrived, and sent for Edyth to join him 
 in the library. 
 
 "Well," said he, not unkindly, "I have carried 
 out your wishes. The sewing girl is buried at 
 Woodlawn. You may drive to the spot any day 
 next week. Now may I ask if you have carried 
 out your part of the agreement?" 
 
 "No, papa, but I will do so at once," replied 
 Edyth, immediately turning to the writing desk 
 and proceeding to select note paper, and to ad- 
 dress an envelope. This little missive was soon 
 folded and handed to Mr. Wilsey to read. He 
 could find no fault with it except for a certain 
 indefinable chilliness which breathed between 
 the lines. However, he felt that it was a step in 
 the right direction. 
 
 "Now get your hat and furs before dinner," 
 said he, "and we will walk around to the florist's 
 and order the flowers." 
 
 Edyth obeyed with no show of the inward re- 
 204
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 pugnance of her soul. She seemed to be living 
 above it all, upborne by a high and holy purpose. 
 As they stood in the florist's office she hardly 
 noticed the wonderful pink and white orchids 
 that her father selected, so absorbed was she in 
 the thought of the pleasure that Jean and 
 Corinne would take in spending a liberal 
 amount in that very shop. As they left the 
 shop her father informed her that he had re- 
 ceived a telegram announcing that some friends 
 from the South would be at the house the next 
 day to spend the Sunday. He had met them 
 abroad, and they had a standing invitation to 
 avail themselves of his hospitality. He had told 
 the housekeeper and Mrs. Severax, and Edyth 
 would have no responsibility except to make 
 herself agreeable, which she said she would be 
 pleased to do. She wondered who these people 
 were of whom she had never heard her father 
 speak before. 
 
 They arrived just before dinner on Saturday 
 night Colonel and Mrs. La Grange, Mrs. 
 Merle, a widow of thirty, her sister, Miss Mont- 
 fort, and a young man by the name of Lorraine. 
 
 Mr. Wilsey, Edyth, and Mrs. Severax awaited 
 14 205
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 them in the drawing-room. The men were dis- 
 tinguished-looking, and the women graceful and 
 handsome, but given to a lavish display of jewels. 
 All the party were loud and familiar in their 
 words and actions. Edyth's fine sensibilities 
 were wounded at once, and she was surprised 
 to see her father emerge from his usual digni- 
 fied reserve, throwing it aside with the air of one 
 who had escaped an irksome restraint. Were 
 such as these his own preferred associations? 
 The dining-room resounded with gay jests and 
 peals of laughter, and there were many allusions 
 to a sojourn at Monaco, which Edyth did not 
 understand. 
 
 When after the dessert the ladies left the men 
 Mrs. La Grange, who had the assumed hilarity 
 which is as painful in a woman of fifty as are 
 her attempts to imitate the fresh color and 
 youthful dress of eighteen, proposed that they 
 give the men a surprise by taking possession of 
 the smoking-room, and sip their coffee there 
 instead of in the library, where Edyth had con- 
 ducted them. Edyth, too courteous to express 
 any surprise, led the way to an elegant little 
 
 apartment finished in rich woods, and simply 
 200
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 furnished in leather, where Mr. Wilsey proposed 
 to enjoy his cigars and his evening papers. 
 Edyth ordered the coffee brought from the 
 library, and the ladies seated themselves with 
 the glee of schoolgirls at a stolen midnight 
 spread. When Edyth had dismissed the serv- 
 ant with the tray she could hardly believe her 
 senses as she saw Mrs. La Grange pick up a 
 paper of cigarettes that lay on the table and 
 pass them around to the others, who each took 
 one and proceeded to light it and smoke it as 
 if it were a matter of course. As the light 
 wreaths began to circle around the heads of her 
 guests something of the positive loathing in her 
 mind must have expressed itself on her face. 
 Xever had she seen anything so vulgar and un- 
 womanly. 
 
 "I hope we do not shock you, Miss Wilsey," 
 said Mrs. Merle, leaning back in a deep morocco 
 chair, with one white arm behind her head and 
 her knees crossed, while she languidly held the 
 cigarette aloft in her jeweled hand. 
 
 "I do not use it myself," said Edyth, with 
 considerable severity, "and I did not know that 
 
 ladies ever did." 
 
 207
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Why, my dear child," said Mrs. La Grange, 
 in a patronizing tone, "have you not heard 
 how the empress of Austria delights in the 
 strongest of cigars?" 
 
 "Great thing for the nerves, Mrs. Severax," 
 said Miss Montfort, smiling through a puff of 
 smoke." 
 
 Mrs. Severax, let it be told to her credit, 
 was very much disgusted, but she was nothing 
 if not politic, and so she nodded assent. Just 
 then the men were heard approaching, Lor- 
 raine's voice pitched in a very high and excited 
 tone, as if he had been taking too much wine. 
 There was instant silence in the smoking-room, 
 and as Mr. Wilsey slid back the stained-glass 
 door a burst of laughter greeted his astonished 
 face. 
 
 "We're here, and we've come to stay !" shouted 
 Mrs. La Grange. 
 
 "Out with the usurpers !" cried Mr. Lorraine. 
 
 "A most unexpected pleasure, ladies," said 
 their host, bowing. "Stay, by all means." 
 
 While the men were finding chairs for them- 
 selves Edyth had an opportunity to ask her 
 
 father to have her excused, so Mr. Wilsey ex- 
 208
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 plained to the company that the odor of tobacco 
 affected his daughter so unpleasantly that she 
 would be obliged to retire. There was a chorus 
 of superficial regrets, but even Mr. Wilsey was 
 relieved when the reproving eyes of the young 
 girl were withdrawn from the scene. 
 
 Edyth actually fled through the drawing- 
 room, and up the stairs to the pure air of her 
 own apartments, and threw open the window for 
 a few moments that the autumn wind might 
 refresh her flaming cheeks. Then she sat down 
 to read a chapter in her Bible. It was that 
 last prayer of Jesus for his disciples, and Edyth 
 knew that she had a place in it, that prayer 
 that covered all the centuries of temptation and 
 trial that were to come for those who should be 
 in the world but not of it. 
 
 An hour later Mrs. Severax knocked at the 
 door, and as Edyth opened it the sound of merri- 
 ment and the clink of wineglasses came up the 
 stairs. For once Edyth and her chaperon ex- 
 changed a look of genuine sympathy. 
 
 "It ill becomes me to criticise your father's 
 guests, Miss Wilsey," said Mrs. Severax, with 
 
 a sigh, as she took the chair that Edyth offered 
 209
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 her, "but," and she sighed expressively, "that 
 Mr. Lorraine was positively imbecile when I 
 came up stairs. There will be no breakfast to- 
 morrow morning. Mr. Wilsey has ordered 
 coffee served in the different rooms at nine 
 o'clock, and luncheon will be ready at one." 
 
 Edyth's heart leaped at this information. 
 Here was the coveted opportunity to attend a 
 church service. Mrs. Severax sat for a while 
 to talk over some difficulty among the servants, 
 but as she left there was a strange sound on the 
 stairs of slow and heavy steps and subdued 
 voices. Both of the ladies looked over the 
 balustrade, and saw Mr. Wilsey and Colonel La 
 Grange carrying the unconscious form of Mr. 
 Lorraine to his room on the third floor. Mrs. 
 Severax quickly vanished into her own apart- 
 ment, and Edyth just as suddenly retreated into 
 hers. 
 
 "0," she murmured, "it is a shame a shame ! 
 And in my father's house ! How can I bear it !" 
 
 But in the drawing-room a woman's voice 
 was singing a gay waltz song to a brilliant piano 
 accompaniment, and until midnight the music 
 
 and chatter went on. 
 
 210
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 The next morning Edyth was astir in good 
 season, and had the pleasure of seeing Corinne 
 and Jean off for Woodlawn well-laden with 
 flowers, and with minute written directions for 
 their journey. The two girls had met at the 
 florist's the night before and had had a memo- 
 rable half hour selecting roses and carnations. 
 Edyth felt a sweeter pleasure than she had ever 
 known as she watched the girls turn the corner. 
 Then she had a quiet hour alone, in which she 
 asked God's blessing on the day and read a 
 while in the word. 
 
 When the hour for starting for church arrived 
 she put on a dark cloth gown, and went down- 
 town to the church where Mr. Dayton min- 
 istered. There was no sermon that morning, 
 for the holy communion was to be celebrated. 
 Edyth was placed near the pastor's pew, where 
 the sweet-faced mother sat in the midst of her 
 little flock and gave to the visitor a kindh r 
 smile that warmed her like sunshine. Edyth 
 had never been present at a sacramental occa- 
 sion, and as the tender significance of the 
 service was revealed to her she felt that she 
 
 would give the world to kneel with the others 
 211
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 at that altar saying, "Lord, I do remember 
 thee." But although her whole soul responded 
 to the invitation, "Draw near with faith, and 
 take this holy sacrament to your comfort," she 
 felt that she had no right to accept it, not being 
 a member of any Church. However, as the 
 minister passed the blessed symbols, and said 
 slowly and clearly, "The body of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, which was given for thee, preserve 
 thy soul and body unto everlasting life. Take 
 and eat this in remembrance that Christ died 
 for thee ; and feed on him in thy heart by faith, 
 with thanksgiving," Edyth caught a new 
 glimpse of the Saviour and received an assur- 
 ance of her union with him that was unspeak- 
 ably comforting. At the close of the service she 
 hastened to speak with Mrs. Dayton. 
 
 "I long to be one of you," she said, with 
 tears in her eyes. "I know that Jesus saves me, 
 and I am determined to live for him at any 
 cost." 
 
 "You had better be baptized, dear, as soon 
 as you can have it done." 
 
 "Why not now, Mrs. Dayton?" said Edyth, 
 
 impelled by an overmastering desire to receive 
 212
 
 THE KIXG'S GOLD 
 
 the visible seal of membership in Christ's 
 Church. 
 
 Mrs. Dayton, greatly impressed by the ear- 
 nestness in the girl's face and voice, made her 
 way to the altar, where her husband still stood 
 surrounded by a little group of his people, who 
 were talking over some matter of current church 
 interest. She drew him aside a moment, and 
 presented Edyth's request. 
 
 "Like the treasurer of Queen Candace, she 
 says, 'What doth hinder me?" ; ' said Mrs. 
 Dayton. 
 
 "Surely I will not hinder her," replied Mr. 
 Dayton, warmly. 
 
 The congregation had mostly disappeared, 
 but to the few who lingered he said : "My breth- 
 ren, we have with us a young lady who desires 
 Christian baptism at this time. She was never 
 in her life present at a communion service until 
 this morning, for she has only recently decided 
 for Christ. She does not wish to postpone her 
 privilege of thus confessing her faith, and be- 
 coming a member of the Church." 
 
 Interest, sympathy, and perhaps some curi- 
 osity were displayed on the faces of those pres- 
 213
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 ent, but no murmur of disapproval was heard, 
 and Edyth walked to the altar and entered with 
 all her heart into the solemn rite. As only a 
 few moments had elapsed since the conclusion 
 of the public service, the sacred elements had 
 not been removed from the communion table, 
 and the ordinance of baptism was followed by 
 the opportunity to Edyth to realize her oneness 
 with God's people everywhere, for now for the 
 first time she had taken her place at that table 
 which was spread by Christ for all saints. 
 
 She arose marvelously strengthened and 
 blessed, and with a feeling of companionship 
 most comforting. As she passed out of the 
 church, after kindly words from the Daytons 
 and others, Mrs. Dayton said to her husband: 
 
 "I wish that Helen West might have been 
 here. Somehow I feel as if I wanted to hide 
 that dear girl in the parsonage. It seems as if 
 there is a hard path before her." 
 
 "God is taking care of his own," replied the 
 minister. "Only their disobedience can thwart 
 his plans for his children." 
 
 Edyth arrived at home just as the guests 
 
 were gathering in the library before lunch. 
 214
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Ah, a morning walk, I suppose," said Mr. 
 Wilsey, as she entered. 
 
 "A walk to church, papa," replied Edyth. 
 
 "How charming is youthful piety !" ejacu- 
 lated Mrs. La Grange, rolling her eyes ceiling- 
 ward. "Nothing ever kept me from church 
 when I was a girl." 
 
 This far from brilliant speech seemed to 
 greatly amuse the company, and the shout of 
 laughter that arose jarred upon Edyth's every 
 nerve. Mr. Lorraine sent down an excuse from 
 the lunch table under the plea of a headache. 
 
 "Foolish boy !" said Mrs. Merle. "He knows 
 he cannot stand champagne, and yet he persists 
 in taking it." 
 
 "0, he'll be all right in a few hours," said 
 Mrs. La Grange. "The worst of it is, he will 
 miss the drive in the park." 
 
 The worst of it ! Edyth wanted to inquire 
 if a lost drive were worse than injured self- 
 respect, but apparently these people had a dif- 
 ferent standard from her own. She looked 
 across the table at her father, who was apparent- 
 ly in his true element; she felt, but somehow 
 
 neither with a sense of loneliness nor dismay, 
 215
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 that the gulf between them was widening every 
 hour. She had seen his eyes darken when she 
 announced that she had been to church, and she 
 knew that she would have to meet the matter 
 later. She did her best to be courteous to these 
 most obnoxious people, and held her own so 
 well in an argument with Colonel La Grange 
 that Mr. Wilsey's anger with her was somewhat 
 mitigated. However, he silently resolved that 
 she should never go to church again, and that 
 he would enter upon a very definite course with 
 her at the first opportunity. 
 
 At three o'clock the victoria was ordered, 
 supplemented by a landau from a neighboring 
 stable, and the party took a turn in the park, 
 Mr. Lorraine putting in an appearance at the 
 last moment and requesting Edyth's company 
 on a stroll. She had. felt at the lunch table that 
 the holy influences of the morning had been 
 dissipated, and she longed for the quiet of her 
 own room. She loathed the companionship of 
 Lorraine, but it was almost impossible to avoid 
 it, and as he deferred to her in regard to the 
 direction of their walk she proposed the vesper 
 
 service at the cathedral, as being an opportunity 
 216
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 to hear some fine music. In her heart she 
 welcomed the respite from conversation with 
 him that the service would afford to her, and 
 also the change from the gay Sunday parade 
 on the avenue to the solemnity of a sacred place, 
 even though it was dedicated to the ornate 
 formalism of a perverted faith. 
 
 On their return to the house they found the 
 others taking five o'clock tea in the drawing- 
 room, and again Edyth had to repress the in- 
 tense longing for a little time of meditation and 
 prayer. There were now two hours to dinner, 
 and Mr. Lorraine began shuffling cards for a 
 four-handed game of whist, while Colonel La 
 Grange challenged Miss Montfort to a combat 
 at chess. 
 
 "But first, please let us have a little music," 
 said the colonel's wife. 
 
 "Certainly," said Mr. Wilsey. "We must 
 have that duet that Mrs. Merle and Miss Mont- 
 fort gave us last night." 
 
 "Isn't Miss Wilsey a singer?" said the 
 colonel. 
 
 "She has a pretty fair voice," said her father. 
 
 "Edyth, you may lead off with a ballad or two." 
 217
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 Edyth had a sweet, well-trained voice, capable 
 of great expression, although of ordinary com- 
 pass. She knew that she had no songs suitable 
 for the day, but she was determined not to add 
 to its desecration. At school she had learned 
 the hymn "Nearer, my God, to thee !" and had 
 sung it mechanically at those spiritless morning 
 devotions before mentioned. Now the words 
 came back to her charged with life and mean- 
 ing, the very cry of her sorely tried and troubled 
 heart. She sat down at the piano and struck 
 a few rich chords. The day that had brought 
 her into connection with the Church of Christ 
 should not be without a testimony at home; 
 but 0, how much easier it was there to confess 
 her faith than here amid these alien surround- 
 ings ! The courage with which she began to 
 sing was the same in quality as that that has 
 carried the witnesses of other days to the stake. 
 
 " Nearer, my God, to thee ! 
 
 Nearer to thee, 
 E'en though it be a cross 
 
 That raiseth me." 
 
 Her voice had never been so clear and flex- 
 ible. She had perfect control of it. There was 
 218
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 a strange power in it, too, a mighty influence 
 that held Laurance Wilsey spellbound in his 
 wrathful astonishment. The hymn had a curi- 
 ous effect upon the whole group, somewhat as 
 if a company of evil spirits had caught the 
 notes of the blessed as they hurried by the gates 
 of paradise and were detained against their will 
 by the holy refrain. It was not until Edyth had 
 reached the end of the third verse that her fa- 
 ther could call out in ill-suppressed anger : 
 
 "There, that's enough of that stuff ! Give us 
 'Twickenham Ferry.' " 
 
 Colonel La Grange had walked to the window, 
 and with a sudden mist in his eyes recalled his 
 mother and the far-distant past. Mrs. La 
 Grange looked annoyed. Mrs. Merle turned 
 pale and fixed her eyes on the carpet. Miss 
 Montfort made a grimace at Mr. Lorraine, who 
 continued to shuffle his cards. 
 
 "Papa, I prefer to sing no more to-night,'' 
 said Edyth. "Kindly excuse me." 
 
 She arose from the instrument, and retreated 
 to a convenient corner. A chilly constraint had 
 fallen on the hilarious group. Mrs. Merle and 
 
 Miss Montfort positively refused to sing their 
 219
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 duet from "Faust." But Colonel La Grange, 
 with a satanic impulse that led him to smother 
 the faint whisper of his good angel, stepped 
 forward to the piano and in a full, ringing, 
 rollicking tenor began a famous drinking song. 
 When he had finished there were loud applause 
 and calls for "The Low-backed Car," which he 
 rendered with fidelity to both the brogue and 
 the spirit. These performances of the colonel 
 restored something of the congenial atmosphere 
 in which these people lived, and the games 
 went forward with zest. Edyth was thankful 
 that she was not required to make up the num- 
 ber of players. She started after a little to 
 make her way from the room, but her father 
 motioned peremptorily with his hand for her 
 to remain. She retired with a book to a nook 
 behind the piano, but she did not see the words 
 on the page before her. Her soul was swelling 
 with a sense of triumph. She had not denied 
 her Lord. The die was cast. Whatever lay be- 
 fore her of opposition or pain or sacrifice, there 
 should now be no looking back. She took but 
 little share in the conversation at the dinner 
 
 table that night. No one attempted to engage 
 220
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 her in it, and there was no need for her to make 
 any advances, as the chatter was kept up with 
 apparently more ease than usual. Mr. Wilsey 
 had procured a box for a Sunday evening con- 
 cert, and ordered her to get ready and go with 
 the rest. She asked to be excused, and he called 
 her into the library and said in a hoarse whisper, 
 with an evil fire in his eyes : 
 
 "You and I have much to settle to-morrow, 
 miss. I command you to go with us to the 
 concert, or take the consequences." 
 
 "Father," she said, and she was amazed at her 
 perfect calmness, "I will take the consequences." 
 
 They departed for the opera house, and 
 Edyth was at last free to go to her room. She 
 knew that her father's threat was no idle one, 
 but there was no fear in her heart. 
 
 "0, God !" she said, as she knelt beside her 
 bed, "may this be the last Sunday that I will 
 ever spend in this manner. Give me strength 
 to be penniless and homeless if need be, but de- 
 liver me, deliver me !" 
 
 Edyth had never yet allowed herself to open 
 the letter that Miss West had given her at 
 
 parting, for in spite of her perplexities she had 
 15 221
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 not come to a place which seemed critical enough 
 to admit of her breaking the seal. This night 
 she was strongly impelled to take it from its 
 hiding place and find what help she could from 
 it. She hesitated, with her hand on the little 
 drawer in her desk that contained the missive, 
 but concluded to wait a little longer, and took 
 up instead a small copy of the Epistle to the 
 Romans that the same friend had given to her. 
 Turning the leaves, she came upon these words 
 that stood out as if written in fire : "If God be 
 for us, who can be against us ?" 
 
 Her father's guests left immediately after an 
 early breakfast the next morning. Edyth was 
 glad when the street door closed behind them, 
 and yet she shrank somewhat from the inevitable 
 interview with her parent. To her surprise, he 
 did not turn upon her savagely as she had fully 
 expected, although the smile with which he had 
 sped the parting visitors vanished immediately 
 from his lips, and a look of morose and dogged 
 determination took its place. He led the way 
 into the library to look over the morning mail. 
 There was a pile of heavy white envelopes, the 
 first of the inevitable rush of invitations.
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Sit down," said Mr. Wilsey, "and we will 
 look over these together." He proceeded to open 
 one after another, commenting briefly on each. 
 "We must not fail to attend Mrs. Dellicker's 
 ball," said he. "That comes first, and virtually 
 opens the season. Then there is a dinner-dance 
 at the Leveretts', an afternoon tea at the Win- 
 slows', and a theater party at the Van Bosses'. 
 By the way, I've invited a few fellows to dinner 
 for Wednesday night, Challis and Sandford and 
 Van Ross." 
 
 "Papa, you cannot mean that you have asked 
 Kylmer Van Eoss to our house ?" 
 
 "Certainly. Why not?" he replied, looking 
 unflinchingly into her startled face. "Of course 
 you will play hostess to perfection. "And this 
 matter of the Dellicker ball," he continued, as 
 calmly as if the girl beside him were not quiver- 
 ing with indignation, "must have your special 
 attention. Provide yourself with a new gown, 
 something imported, you know." 
 
 "Papa, you must allow me to send regrets to 
 Mrs. Dellicker. I cannot conscientiously go." 
 
 His hand fell heavily at his side. His eyes 
 
 suddenly blazed like evil stars. 
 223
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Explain yourself," he said, angrily. 
 
 "It is only this/' said Edyth, pale but de- 
 cided. "I have become a follower of the Lord 
 Jesus Christ. I must please him first. I live 
 in a great city where there are thousands of poor 
 and neglected human beings who are dear to 
 him. I must not spend my time and strength 
 in a round of pleasure." She rose and stood with 
 one hand on his shoulder, saying, "I do not want 
 to appear stubborn nor ungrateful. You have 
 been very good and generous to me. It grieves 
 me that I must displease you in any way. Only 
 let me follow my conscience, and I will be 
 the happiest of mortals, and make you happy 
 too !" 
 
 He rose, flinging her from him so that she fell 
 against the desk, and then with a terrible oath 
 he left the room, and the front door slammed 
 
 behind him. 
 
 224
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 EDYTH spent most of the day in her room 
 nursing a violent headache. About two o'clock 
 she felt that a walk in the open air would re- 
 lieve her, and concluded to go and see Mrs. 
 Dayton. On descending the stairs she found 
 Mrs. Severax sitting in the hall dressed for an 
 outing. 
 
 "If yau do not mind, Miss Wilsey," said that 
 personage, "I will take a walk with you." 
 
 "Pardon me, Mrs. Severax, but I do mind 
 very much," replied Edyth, firmly but courte- 
 ously. "I am going where it is not convenient 
 for me to have your company." 
 
 "But I had your father's strict orders last 
 evening that you are not to go anywhere alone." 
 
 "Very well," said Edyth, "then I will return 
 to my room until my father chooses to send for 
 me." 
 
 She did not have long to wait. Mr. Wilsey 
 came home at four o'clock, and it was soon after 
 that Corinne brought the expected summons to 
 
 her young mistress. When Edyth entered the 
 225
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 library he was sitting before the glowing hearth, 
 but he arose and held out both hands to her, 
 and said, with a pitying smile: 
 
 "My poor little girl I" 
 
 Edyth's heart-beats quickened with surprise. 
 Could it be that he had yielded? He led her 
 to a chair and then resumed his own place, 
 watching her fixedly. 
 
 "I was rough with you, child, this morning," 
 he said, in a low, meditative tone. 
 
 Tears of joyous surprise sprung to Edyth's 
 eyes. He had never spoken with such tender- 
 ness in all her life. 
 
 "I was rough with you," he went on, "because 
 I did not understand the cause of your very 
 peculiar behavior. I have since remembered 
 that there was brain trouble in your mother's 
 family. In fact, her father and her only sister 
 both died in an insane asylum. I have tried 
 to shield you in every way from the insidious 
 approaches of such disease, but in vain." 
 
 It would be impossible to describe the cold- 
 blooded way in which these words were uttered 
 under the guise of the most affectionate solici- 
 tude. Edyth perceived at once that her father 
 226
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 purposed to bring her to obedience by pretend- 
 ing that he thought that her mind was affected, 
 but the terrible intelligence concerning her 
 mother's kindred came upon her with crushing 
 effect. 
 
 "If these symptoms continue," resumed her 
 father, after a weighty pause, "we will be 
 obliged to summon medical aid, but I am posi- 
 tive that an exercise of will-power on your part 
 will at this stage of the case restore a normal 
 condition." 
 
 "Sir," said Edyth, sitting erect, "you know 
 that there is nothing whatever the matter with 
 my brain." 
 
 "There, there, my dear girl," replied he, 
 with exasperating suavity, "I dislike to see you 
 becoming violent." 
 
 "0, this is cruel, cruel !" cried Edyth. "You 
 know that if you really thought me beside my- 
 self you would not talk with me about it in 
 this way." 
 
 "If I thought you were in a dangerous con- 
 dition I might act rather than speak," said her 
 father, with ominous significance, half closing 
 
 his eyes as he leaned his head back against the 
 227
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 chair, "but it is because I know that by regard 
 to orders you are yet able to control the difficulty 
 that I refer to it." 
 
 A servant here announced that dinner was 
 served, and Edyth was obliged to take her place 
 at the table and go through a form of eating. 
 After dinner callers came, and it was late be- 
 fore she could get to her room. Corinne was 
 nodding in her chair, waiting to help her mis- 
 tress to bed, but was surprised to be told that 
 she was not needed that night. Edyth locked 
 the door and fell upon the white rug before the 
 fire in an agony of perplexity and grief. She 
 thought of Helen West, and determined to write 
 to her, and as she rose to go to her desk there 
 was a knock at the door. Edyth opened it, and 
 saw Mrs. Severax in dressing-gown and slippers, 
 with a pillow in hand. 
 
 "Pardon me, Miss Wilsey," she said, with 
 evident embarrassment, "but your father has 
 requested me to occupy the couch in your sit- 
 ting room to-night. He is anxious about your 
 health, and does not wish you to be left alone." 
 
 The chaperon could not prevent a nervous 
 
 flush as she spoke. The door was about half 
 
 228
 
 TPIE KING'S GOLD 
 
 open, and Edyth looked forbidding, but just 
 at that moment Laurance Wilsey's strong arm 
 pushed back the door and impelled Mrs. Severax 
 across the threshold. Edyth knew it was better 
 to submit quietly, so she resigned the room to 
 Mrs. Severax, retiring to her bedroom with a 
 pencil and lap-tablet, and fastening the inter- 
 vening door. She had begun to feel like a 
 prisoner. She wrote several pages to Helen 
 West, and the writing -relieved her stifled and 
 burdened heart. She told her of the dreadful 
 news concerning her relatives which would 
 always eat into her consciousness and blight her 
 life. Then she spent a long while in prayer, 
 finding then as ever that the waves of trouble 
 grew still before the voice of the Master. 
 
 When Corinne came in the next morning 
 Edyth asked for a cup of coffee and a roll, and 
 sent down word that she wished to be excused 
 from the breakfast table. She also told Corinne 
 to take the letter that she had written the night 
 before and put it in the letter box at the corner. 
 It was none too soon, for Corinne had scarcely 
 left the room when Mr. Wilsey knocked at 
 
 the door, and was admitted by Edyth. 
 229
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Good morning, daughter," said he, with 
 sickening solicitude, "I hope you are better this 
 morning. We will have a drive after I have at- 
 tended to a little business in the library. I 
 wish to keep you out in the air as much as pos- 
 sible. It is the best thing for your poor head." 
 
 He even attempted to smooth her hair as he 
 spoke, but Edyth recoiled as from a serpent. 
 Just then he espied on the carpet by the desk a 
 directed envelope which he picked up and ex- 
 amined. It was one that Edyth had directed 
 to Miss Helen West, but had thrown aside on 
 account of a splash of ink, and had failed to 
 toss in the scrapbasket. Edyth had seen her fa- 
 ther in anger before, but never had her eyes 
 beheld such a satanic expression on any human 
 face. Glaring at the innocent envelope, he said 
 in an intense voice : 
 
 "Who is this Helen West?" 
 
 "A lady whom I met last August at the sea- 
 shore," replied Edyth. 
 
 "Describe her." 
 
 "Tall and stately, with silvery hair, and the 
 most beautiful dark eyes and musical voice that 
 
 I ever knew." 
 
 230
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Where was she from?" 
 
 "A small village in Massachusetts. You see 
 the name on the envelope 'Sunnyslope.' ''' 
 
 "Were you introduced to her?" 
 
 "No, sir," said Edyth. 
 
 "Ah, she pushed herself upon you, I suppose," 
 and he crushed the paper in his hand and threw 
 it upon the coals. 
 
 "Indeed, sir, she did not," answered Edyth. 
 "She is very dignified and reserved in her man- 
 ners, but ladies at a summer resort do not al- 
 ways wait for a formal introduction to each 
 other." 
 
 "Did she give you any of these confounded 
 notions that have so affected your head of late?" 
 
 "She helped me very much when I was in 
 trouble," said Edyth, so simply and honestly 
 that her father perceived that Miss West had 
 kept her identity concealed, "and she seemed to 
 me as a mother might, or an angel." 
 
 "Have you corresponded with her?" 
 
 "No, sir; she did not wish to write to me. I 
 have never sent her a letter until this one." 
 
 "I suppose you wrote to gain support in your 
 
 rebellion to my authority." 
 231
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "I do not wish to rebel against you, papa; 
 but I must obey a higher authority at any cost." 
 
 "I tell you this is a mania, and you must 
 either overcome it or receive the treatment usu- 
 ally required by such diseases. As for this West 
 woman, never write to her again. While we are 
 out this morning you must order your gown 
 for the ball." 
 
 "I am not going to the ball," said Edyth, 
 quietly. 
 
 "I presume I must expect this stubborn re- 
 sistance," said her father, his pseudo-patience 
 but thinly veiling his inner rage. "It is char- 
 acteristic of the disease. We will abandon our 
 drive, as you do not seem to be as well to-day. 
 I will send for you later to meet me in the 
 library. Until then you will keep your room." 
 
 Painful as her father's course was to Edyth, 
 she was wonderfully sustained and delivered 
 from anxiety and fear. Most precious to her 
 was the knowledge that she was no longer a 
 secret and hesitant disciple of her Lord. She 
 felt that matters were rapidly approaching a 
 crisis, and she prayed that no pressure that 
 
 could be brought to bear upon her should weaken 
 232
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 her resolve or cool her devotion. She prayed 
 much that day, and found so much comfort in 
 her Bible that it seemed to have been written 
 just for her. At times she was harassed by the 
 thought of the possible inheritance of mental 
 derangement that might sometime manifest it- 
 self, but she was enabled to put aside even that 
 torment, and trust implicitly in her heavenly 
 Father. 
 
 Late in the afternoon her father sent for her. 
 Something prompted her to take Helen West's 
 letter from its hiding place and put it in the 
 bodice of her gown, also the little copy of Ro- 
 mans. Then she went down to the library, that 
 beautiful room into which she had put so much 
 thought and enjoyment, but which had begun 
 to seem to her like a bar of injustice. She al- 
 most hoped that her father would no longer 
 cloak his wrath with that horrible pretense of 
 sympathy. She would rather bear the whole 
 force of his displeasure, even to physical vio- 
 lence, than to meet the sarcastic sweetness and 
 false tenderness that he had chosen to display. 
 To her surprise he was not in the library, but 
 
 the door into his private office stood for the 
 233
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 first time wide open, and be sat there at his 
 desk arranging some papers. He called to her 
 kindly, "Come in," as soon as he saw her. She 
 stepped across the threshold, and took the chair, 
 the only other one in the room, to which he 
 pointed. He then wheeled around and regarded 
 her steadily for a few moments. 
 
 "I understand," said he, "that you will not 
 accede to my wishes." 
 
 "I will regard your every wish, papa, when 
 I can do so and be loyal to Christ and his 
 service," said Edyth, looking at him calmty 
 with steadfast eyes. 
 
 "But I wish you to give up all this nonsense," 
 said he. "I have told you before that I hate 
 Christians. I am going to give you a good 
 opportunity to think this over. Your mental 
 trouble happens to have taken the form of re- 
 ligious mania. There is an excellent cure for it. 
 I have consulted a specialist to-day, and he 
 suggests that you have the most absolute quiet 
 and rest for several days. I have decided to 
 put these two rooms of mine at your disposal 
 for a while. You are to have no books or papers, 
 
 and no writing materials. Bread and water is 
 234
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 the best diet for diseases of this particular sort. 
 Before I leave you you may make out a list of 
 such articles of clothing as you would like 
 brought from your room, but it will be the last 
 service that your maid will render you, as I 
 shall dismiss her to-night. You may take my 
 chair here at the desk and write your list." 
 
 Edyth realized that she was to be kept in 
 close confinement for a time, but she was 
 nothing daunted. She prepared the memoranda 
 for Corinne, sending for her toilet articles and 
 such clothing as she desired. Her father took 
 the paper from her hand, carefully put away 
 everything on the desk and locked it, and then, 
 with a grave and sardonic bow, left the room, 
 turning the key in the lock. A flush of resent- 
 ment swept over Edyth's face, but it was only 
 for an instant. She felt that she could bear 
 anything so long as she was assured of the favor 
 of God. She sat lost in thought until she heard 
 the sound of voices at the door. Corinne had 
 brought into the library the things that her 
 mistress had ordered, but it was Mr. Wilsey 
 himself who carried the large paper boxes to his 
 
 daughter. 
 
 235
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "I hope you will be very quiet in here," he 
 said. "Your food will be brought regularly 
 night and morning by my own hand. You will 
 find a comfortable couch in the inner room. 
 There must be no artificial light, as it is ag- 
 gravating to your malady; but as you will not 
 need it for reading or writing you will not be 
 greatly inconvenienced. I will take this little 
 clock away. The ticking might be disagreeable 
 to you. You sent for your watch among the 
 other articles, but I took the liberty of erasing 
 it from the list. This is Monday; on Thurs- 
 day night I will have another interview with 
 you, and will then be able to judge if your dis- 
 order has taken a milder phase. If I then find 
 the same symptoms of defiance to my authority 
 I will be obliged to discuss more strenuous 
 measures." 
 
 Again he bowed himself out and locked the 
 door. Edyth proceeded to examine the situa- 
 tion, thinking with a sort of elation of how the 
 early Christians had been thrown into dungeons, 
 and then laughing aloud at the absurdity of 
 comparing herself with them, shut in as she 
 
 was in a little suite of two rooms and a bath, 
 236
 
 THE KIXG'S GOLD 
 
 stc-am-heated at that, and with plenty of day- 
 light. On the other hand, she could perceive 
 how one could almost go crazy even here, for 
 there was no outlook whatever. The one win- 
 dow in each room was of heavy amber glass and 
 set at a height above the head of an ordinary 
 person. The walls were well finished and tinted 
 a light gray, but were unbroken by a single 
 picture. The first room contained the locked 
 desk, without a scrap of paper or a pencil upon 
 it, and two chairs ; the second room had a couch 
 and one chair. A clock or a calendar would 
 have been a good deal of company, but her fa- 
 ther had anticipated that fact and had deprived 
 her of either. Then to have no light at all dur- 
 ing the long winter evenings, and nothing to 
 read in. the daytime ! Edyth felt a shadow of 
 fear lest the monotony would prey upon her, 
 eating into her earnest determination to be 
 true to Christ. It was now twilight of the Xo- 
 vember day, and she aroused herself and began 
 to arrange her belongings. 
 
 At six o'clock the key turned in the lock once 
 more, and her father set a plate of rolls without 
 
 butter and a carafe of water on the desk and 
 16 237
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 retired without a word. She had eaten but little 
 all day, and would have enjoyed a portion of 
 the good dinner that she knew was being served 
 in the dining room, but somehow nothing had 
 ever tasted so good as that prison fare. She 
 had bread to eat that her father knew not of, 
 bread from the King's own board, and her 
 humble meal was blessed by the same hand that 
 fed the five thousand in the wilderness. 
 
 Suddenly she remembered that she had 
 brought Miss West's letter and the copy of Ro- 
 mans with her. She felt very grateful now for 
 the impulse that had caused her to provide such 
 relief and pleasure for herself. To be sure, she 
 was now in total darkness, but she knew that 
 she would be awake very early in the morning, 
 and that the next day would be brightened and 
 shortened by something to read. Nothing dis- 
 turbed her peace of mind except the thoughts 
 of the dreadful fate that had befallen her 
 mother's father and sister. She found herself 
 again wondering and imagining many things 
 about them; and then came the ever-recurring 
 dread of heredity that seemed to thrust a dark 
 
 cloud across the sky of her future. But again 
 238
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 she found that the demon of anxiety fled be- 
 fore the wand of prayer, and she fell into a 
 sound, sweet sleep, from which she did not 
 awaken until daylight. Feeling entirely secure 
 from disturbance, as the door of this inner room 
 locked on the inside, she drew the letter from 
 under her pillow. It had been saved for just 
 the right time. From first to last it was a blessed 
 evangel to Edyth. With wide, bewildered eyes 
 she gazed at the beginning, "My own darling 
 Niece," and with heart beating wildly with sur- 
 prise and joy she read on to the happy end. 
 The letter told the story of the dear old home 
 at Sumwslope, of the godly grandfather, and 
 the sweet grandmother and her translation, of 
 the childhood and young womanhood of Helen 
 and Eloise, of the marriage and death of the 
 latter, Edyth's own mother. Helen wrote also 
 of her earnest prayer so wonderfully answered 
 that she and Edj'th might meet and love each 
 other; and expressed her firm confidence that 
 God would yet enable them to be together. "Re- 
 member, dear, that the roof that shelters me will 
 ever be ready to protect you. Remember that 
 
 I love you, and pray for you daily." 
 239
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 Many thoughts rushed through Edvtlf s mind, 
 but foremost among them was the assurance 
 that her father had told her a terrible untruth 
 in regard to insanity in her mother's family. 
 This removed a tremendous load from her. 
 Then the knowledge that the woman who had 
 pointed her to the Saviour, and had endeared 
 herself so tenderly to the motherless girl, was 
 her nearest relative brought with it a delight 
 that was like a heartening cordial to the 
 prisoner. She could have sung for gratitude, 
 but did not wish to aggravate her father, and so 
 contented herself with a prayer of genuine 
 thanksgiving. 
 
 When she had dressed, replacing the letter 
 in the waist of her gown, she went into the 
 other room, radiantly glad and full of courage. 
 Her father opened the door sufficiently to re- 
 move the plate and glasses of the night before, 
 and to replace them with another supply of 
 bread and water, and disappeared without a 
 word. He had given her one swift, keen glance, 
 and was astonished and angered to see no traces 
 of fear or dejection. 
 
 Edyth spent the morning in reading the six- 
 240
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 teen chapters of the Epistle to the Komans, 
 selecting several passages and some chapters for 
 memorizing, and she was greatly surprised to 
 find how agreeably the hours glided away. She 
 had included a paper of pins among her require- 
 ments, and now made a calendar for the week 
 on her pincushion. She also spelled out a verse 
 she was committing to memory by means of 
 pins. This she did in the sleeping room, as she 
 knew that her father would deprive her of even 
 such simple diversion should he come in sud- 
 denly from the library and discover it. She 
 found that the supply or portion of bread and 
 water brought in the morning was supposed to 
 sustain her for the day, as no more was fur- 
 nished at noon. As the day wore on she felt 
 cruelly oppressed by her limitations, and by the 
 lack of outdoor air. She could not pray nor 
 study all the time, and her strong, lithe young 
 limbs grew uneasy. She was glad when night 
 settled down once more, that she could go to bed 
 and forget for a time her father's tyranny, but 
 the second night she did not sleep well because 
 of the want of exercise and sufficient food. 
 
 The second morning she felt desperately 
 241
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 hungry. There was the penetrating aroma of 
 coffee and the odor of broiling steak in her 
 room, and the usual bread and water seemed 
 to mock her vigorous appetite. She had read 
 and reread her aunt's letter until she knew 
 it by heart, and she consumed a long time in 
 tearing it into the largest number of the small- 
 est possible pieces, for fear that it somehow 
 might fall into the hands of her father. 
 
 Again she employed several hours in Bible 
 study, to her great instruction and refresh- 
 ment. She also gathered new strength through 
 prayer, for she realized that she had no power of 
 herself to maintain the painful conflict. The 
 later hours of the afternoon wore heavily. The 
 rooms were ventilated by a fireplace in the 
 sleeping room and a transom over the library 
 door, but Edyth fairly panted for a deep 
 breath of the clear cold air of the street, for a 
 glimpse of the sky, for space and freedom. 
 She thrust out her arms again and again as if 
 to push back the bare walls. She remembered 
 reading of a cell where the sides gradually 
 closed in and crushed the prisoner. She 
 
 dreamed that night that it was so with her, and 
 242
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 awoke with a stifled scream, then hid her head 
 trembling beneath the bed covering. 
 
 The third day was one of struggle. The 
 confinement, the loneliness, the silence hour 
 after hour, the lack of exercise in the open air, 
 the monotonous food, the absence of her usual 
 occupations had begun to tell on her health and 
 spirits. If she did not yield to her father she 
 knew not what prolonged misery would be in- 
 flicted upon her. "I'm afraid I'm not much of 
 a martyr !" she said to herself with a sad little 
 smile. As the afternoon dragged on she knew 
 that she would soon be called upon for her 
 decision, and her heart almost failed for fear 
 of herself. Again she knelt in prayer. "0 
 Father," she cried, "thou knowest that I love 
 thee. Help me to love thee better than pleasure 
 or even life itself. I have no strength of my 
 own. Lord, help me, for Jesus Christ's sake." 
 
 Helen West had received Edyth's letter of 
 Monday morning on Tuesday noon. Like King 
 Hezekiah with his letter from the Assyrian, she 
 spread it before the Lord. She dared not write 
 to Edyth directly, but on Wednesday she wrote 
 
 earnestly to Mrs. Dayton, and said : 
 "243
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "My dear Edyth is evidently approaching a 
 terrible test. If you and your husband will 
 join your prayers with mine at some certain 
 hour may I suggest four o'clock to-morrow 
 (Thursday) afternoon? I am sure that she 
 will receive especial help." 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Dayton remembered the request, 
 so the school-teacher bending over her desk in 
 her deserted schoolroom far away and the two 
 faithful hearts in the city met at the mercy seat 
 even while Edyth herself knelt there for succor 
 and deliverance, all unmindful though she was 
 that other voices pleaded her cause and faith 
 joined faith in her behalf. 
 
 One step she saw clearly before her, and that 
 was to stand firmly for Christ. She made a 
 careful toilet, selecting a gown of soft, creamy 
 cashmere. It was after dusk when her father 
 came to the door, saying, "I am ready to talk 
 with you." She followed him into the library. 
 The large lamp on the center table was burning 
 brightly within its scarlet shade. The fireplace 
 was ablaze with royal good cheer. The light 
 danced and flamed and flickered across the rich- 
 
 ress and beauty of the room, the rows of hand- 
 244
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 some volumes, the glinting marbles, the roses in 
 their tall Venetian vase, the comfortable nooks 
 and corners, and warm, deeply glowing draper- 
 ies. Edyth's surroundings for the past three 
 days had made her more than usually sensitive 
 to the luxurious charm of this her favorite 
 room. Her father motioned her to a seat, but 
 himself paced up and down in silence for a few 
 moments. He was very pale and evidently 
 suffering from one of the severe neuralgic head- 
 aches to which he was a victim. He began to 
 speak in a rapid, excited, intense manner, run- 
 ning his fingers through his hair and frowning 
 heavily. He no longer assumed an air of kind- 
 ness. 
 
 "Well, you have made your decision?" he 
 said, pausing in his promenade and tossing a 
 book from one side of the table to the other. 
 "Will you give up your nonsense ?" 
 
 Edyth sat silent. 
 
 "You know what I mean," he continued. 
 "Will you stop all this rant about Christ and 
 his religion, and do as I, your father, wish no, 
 command you to do ?" 
 
 Edyth arose and went to a window, drawing 
 245
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 aside the curtains and peering out through the 
 dusk into the snowy street, for a heavy snow- 
 storm had only just ceased at sunset. She 
 pressed her flaming cheek against the cool glass 
 and waited while Mr. Wilsey went on in a 
 higher and harsher key: 
 
 "You have your choice to-night. If you ad- 
 here to your folly, you are certainly bereft of 
 your senses and must be treated accordingly, 
 namely, taken from your home and deprived of 
 everything that 'makes life worth living. What 
 you have experienced for the past few days is 
 nothing in comparison with what lies before 
 you." 
 
 Edyth turned and took a few steps forward in- 
 to the light, and stood quietly, her hands clasped 
 easily at arm's-length, and with no fluttering 
 of the fingers. Her father turned on his heel 
 and faced her. Even in his wrath he was struck 
 with the beauty of her well-poised head, shin- 
 ing hair, gentle, luminous gray eyes, and slender 
 white-robed figure, as she stood in the glow of 
 the lamplight with her answer on her lips. The 
 words she spoke were almost as old as the Chris- 
 tian era, inspired words of one who feared 
 246
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 neither the emperor on his throne, nor the dark- 
 ness of the Mamertine, nor the hungry lions of 
 the arena, nor the executioner's sword. She had 
 pored over them in her solitude, and they had 
 burned themselves into her inmost conscious- 
 ness: 
 
 "I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, 
 nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor 
 things present, nor things to come, nor height, 
 nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able 
 to separate me from the love of God, which is 
 in Jesus Christ my Lord." 
 
 There was silence between the two as she 
 finished. The fire crackled on the hearth. The 
 tall old-fashioned clock ticked solemnly. The 
 sound of snow shovels up and down the street 
 marked the stillness. Something seemed to be 
 struggling with Laurance Wilsey's anger and 
 determination. But when he replied he said: 
 
 "You have spoken, and my course is clear. 
 Weary months from now, when you have long 
 cried to your Christ for help and no help has 
 come, you may remember your father and your 
 home, and humbly seek for what you cast from 
 
 you to-night." 
 
 247
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 There was intense bitterness in his tone. He 
 waved her back toward the room she had left, 
 and shortly afterward sent a maid with a tray 
 of food from the dinner table. Then he locked 
 the door as usual, leaving her in suspense as 
 to his further procedure. 
 
 It was yet early in the evening when the street 
 doorbell was rung furiously by a messenger with 
 a business telegram, and Mr. Wilsey had occa- 
 sion to come back into his office to secure some 
 important papers that he kept in his desk. He 
 lighted the gas for a few moments, and Edyth 
 asked if a fire might be built in the inner room 
 to secure better ventilation. He consented, and 
 summoned the maid and stood by and watched 
 her while the sticks were laid and lighted. He 
 then went out with his package of papers, hav- 
 ing relocked his desk. As the door closed behind 
 him, and Edyth heard the key turn in the lock, 
 leaving her once again in darkness and soli- 
 tude, a great wave of misery swept over her. 
 Evidently some terrible trial lay before her, 
 probably incarceration in an asylum for the 
 insane. 
 
 The fire was now blazing brightly in the other 
 248
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 room, and she started from her chair in the 
 office to go and sit in the light. As she arose a 
 small golden comb fell from her hair to the floor, 
 and as she felt along the rug for it her fingers 
 came in contact with a thin, flat key, which she 
 involuntarily slipped in her pocket, while she 
 replaced the comb. A strain of one of the songs 
 that she had heard in the Temple at Ocean 
 Grove came back to her mind : "Thy God is able 
 to deliver thee." Yes; God was stronger than 
 all the agents of evil. He could deliver her from 
 the cruel net that was tightening about her 
 steps. Would he do so ? She drew a chair before 
 the hearth, and sat down to continue her 
 thoughts. As the wandering light of the fire 
 flickered along the walls she idly noticed what 
 had previously caught her passing attention, 
 that the space between the mantel and one 
 corner of the room was occupied by what was 
 evidently a small clothes closet. She had wished 
 that her father had given her access to it for her 
 gowns. There was no knob on the door. Only 
 a keyhole was visible. Actuated by a sudden im- 
 pulse, Edyth arose, took from her pocket the 
 
 key she had just found, and tried it in the lock 
 249
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 of the closet. It fitted perfectly and turned 
 with ease. She opened the door, and started 
 back in amazement. No rows of hooks hung 
 with garments nor a series of well-ordered 
 shelves confronted her, but she saw the small 
 landing of a steep and narrow staircase, from 
 which she shrank back in affright. Then 
 gathering courage, she tore the side from the 
 cover of one of her paper boxes, lighted it in the 
 fire, and held it as a torch down the stairway, 
 thereby discovering that it was only a short 
 descent and terminated at a low door in the 
 side of the house. She had read of such secret 
 exits in the stories of old castles, but this lacked 
 all the elements of grewsomeness. Here were 
 no broken, slippery steps, no sudden turns, no 
 dark depths beneath. It was only a private 
 entrance to a modern mansion. The steps ran 
 along the rough stone wall of the basement 
 story, but were inclosed on the other side by a 
 neatly painted partition of wood. 
 
 Edyth made sure that her sleeping-room door 
 was securely fastened, and then ventured down 
 to the foot of the stairs. It was easy to find the 
 
 lock, and to her great delight the same key 
 250
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 fitted it. She opened the door softly, and a 
 gust of outer air blew in upon her. She looked 
 through the opening, and observed that the door, 
 which was very small, led into an area-way 
 right beside the regular side entrance to the 
 basement. It had a false covering of matched 
 stuff like the rest of the interior of the shelter 
 to the big, iron-grated door, and on the outside 
 the keyhole was skillfully concealed by some 
 ornamentation that extended around the wkole 
 place. 
 
 Edyth did not meditate any longer that night 
 before the fire. Escape was easy, and she de- 
 termined to leave at once. Suddenly she be- 
 thought herself that she was without a hat or 
 wrap of any description, and that no street 
 gown nor even a pair of gloves nor boots was 
 among her boxes. She did not hesitate, how- 
 ever, on her course. She dared not delay to 
 change her white gown for a more suitable one. 
 Her father might miss the private key at any 
 moment from his pocket. She had her pocket- 
 book containing nearly ten dollars, and she 
 made a small parcel of necessities, tying a few 
 
 jewels up in a pocket handkerchief. She slipped 
 251
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 her feet into a pair of fur-trimmed bath shoes, 
 wrapped her head in a white lace fichu, and 
 threw a small down coverlet of light blue silk 
 around her shoulders. Even in her haste and 
 peril she almost laughed aloud at her strange 
 costume. She made her way down the stairs 
 and out into the area, shutting the door behind 
 her. It was after eight o'clock, and the streets 
 in that neighborhood were almost deserted ex- 
 cept, for a belated snow shoveler finishing his 
 task and whistling to his dog. 
 
 Trembling with joy and fear and excite- 
 ment, Edyth made her way, passing in one place 
 under an awning where wedding guests were 
 entering from their carriages. She had de- 
 termined to get to Mrs. Dayton, and as she 
 walked on she saw a cab drive up to a house. 
 A man jumped out, paid the driver, and dis- 
 missed him. Fortunately the cabby took the 
 opportunity to remove the snow from his horse's 
 feet. Edyth hurried forward and asked him to 
 take her to the distant street and number, 
 agreed to his price, promised him an extra dol- 
 lar, and soon found herself making difficult but 
 sure progress to the little East-Side parsonage.
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 WHEN Edyth rang the doorbell of the Rev. 
 Mr. Dayton's house it was nearly ten o'clock, 
 and the pastor and his wife had already gone 
 up stairs to their room, and were even then 
 talking about her with considerable anxiety. 
 The sound of the bell at all hours from dawn 
 to midnight was more common than its silence, 
 and Mr. Dayton went himself to answer it, stop- 
 ping to relight the gas in the hall, and wonder- 
 ing if some parishioner were ill, or if a stray 
 couple wanted to get married. He was startled 
 from his habitual poise when he saw Edyth 
 Wilsey in her odd attire asking for admission. 
 Hastily calling his wife and lighting up the 
 parlor, he invited Edyth to a chair. She was 
 very pale, and her teeth chattered so with nerv- 
 ousness that she could not control her speech 
 for a few moments. When Mrs. Dayton ap- 
 peared and opened her motherly arms in welcome 
 Edyth fell into them and sobbed in silence. 
 Mrs. Dayton drew her down beside herself on a 
 
 sofa, and the fugitive grew quiet and able to 
 17 253
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 relate the events of the week. Mr. Dayton 
 looked very grave and thoughtful, and his wife, 
 in spite .of her warm sympathy, was wondering 
 where she could make a place for the unexpected 
 guest, as the one spare sleeping room was even 
 then in the possession of a cousin and his wife 
 from the country. 
 
 "My dear child," said Mr. Dayton, "you are 
 made of the real martyr stuff, and I rejoice in 
 your heavenly courage. We must consider at 
 once what is best for you to do. Your father 
 is not a man' to let you so easily escape him. 
 You will surely be traced, and I think that you 
 had better allow me to take you to a safer place 
 than this to-night. Clara," he said to his wife, 
 "don't you think that Uncle John Campbell 
 and his wife would open their hearts and home 
 to this dear girl ?" 
 
 "They would do anything for the Master, and 
 for you, Charles, as his representative," she 
 replied. Then turning to Edyth she said, "It 
 is a lovely old Scotch couple, who have a neat, 
 cozy little home and no family." 
 
 "I'll run around and see them at once," said 
 
 Mr. Dayton, putting on his overcoat and hat. 
 254
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 ' "I am sorry to have you go another step to- 
 night, dear," said Mrs. Dayton to Edyth, "but 
 we must not allow you to be found and perse- 
 cuted. Now let me see what I can do for you. 
 You are much more slender than I, and my 
 gowns would be awkward for you, but you can 
 wear my fur-lined circular that my brother sent 
 me last winter, and I have a little black fasci- 
 nator that will be less conspicuous and warmer 
 than that white lace scarf." 
 
 Mrs. Dayton went to get the wraps, stopping 
 long enough on her way back to prepare a steam- 
 ing cup of cocoa on her little alcohol stove. 
 "Are you sure that your feet are warm and 
 dry ?" she said, going down on her knees to ex- 
 amine Edyth's footgear, and satisfying herself 
 that the fur-trimmed bath shoes had kept out 
 the dampness. 
 
 Mr. Dayton returned in half an hour and told 
 how he had found "Uncle John" and his wife 
 still about the house, having entertained a party 
 of friends for the evening, and of how the kind 
 old eyes had grown misty and the tongues had 
 lapsed into the broadest Scotch as he told them 
 
 in confidence something of Edyth's story. 
 255
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "The puir bonnie lassie," Jeanie had said, 
 drying her glasses on her white apron. "We 
 canna turn her awa the nicht, John." 
 
 "No, no, Jeanie. We eouldna rin with a pil- 
 low for the Lord when he had no spot for his 
 head, but it isna too late so lang as any bairn 
 o* his has need o' ane." 
 
 "I'll gae noo an' spread the best bed for the 
 mitherless lamb," said Mrs. Campbell. 
 
 "It's a sweet, quiet place to be," said Mrs. 
 Dayton, as she helped Edyth on with the cloak. 
 "Aunt Jeanie Campbell's best bed is a marvel, 
 and you'll be as safe in it to-night as if you 
 were on the Shetland Isles." 
 
 An hour later Edyth was lying peacefully in 
 the soft, fresh, snow-white bed in Jeanie Camp- 
 bell's spare room. The linen was fragrant with 
 white melilot, reminding one of summer fields, 
 and the whole place breathed of purity and rest. 
 Keenly as Edyth felt herself to be a wanderer 
 and dependent upon the kindness of others, a 
 blessed sense of security crept over her. She 
 thought of the soothing "gude nicht" of the 
 serene old saint, her hostess, who turned as she 
 
 left the room with her candle and said, "In the 
 256
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 covert of thy presence shalt Thou hide them 
 from the plottings of man." 
 
 Edyth fell asleep like a weary child, and did 
 not open her eyes again until broad daylight. 
 Mr. Dayton came soon after breakfast for fur- 
 ther conference. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell as- 
 sured him that their guest was welcome to stay 
 indefinitely, but he replied : 
 
 "Miss Wilsey's father will immediately take 
 measures to recover his daughter. If the cab- 
 man who brought her to us is found, and re- 
 members the number of our house, or even the 
 street, she will soon be traced. I am going from 
 here to sec Mrs. Walthope and arrange for a 
 more remote shelter." 
 
 Edyth spent the morning with Mrs. Camp- 
 bell, receiving much inspiration from the ex- 
 perience and beautiful counsels of that genuine 
 Christian woman. Mrs. Campbell told her that 
 Mrs. Walthope was a wealthy widow with no 
 children, and that she had belonged for many 
 years to their church, but within a decade had 
 removed her residence to a little town in the 
 suburbs, retaining her membership, although 
 
 not often able to attend services, and still con- 
 257
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 tributing generously toward the current ex- 
 penses. She was a devoted Christian, simple 
 and economical in her way of living, but with 
 an open purse for God's work. At the mention 
 of the name of Walthope, Edyth's brow had 
 contracted in a puzzled little frown. 
 
 "I have surely heard that name somewhere," 
 said she. "It is not common, and has sometime 
 struck me forcibly, even as it does now." 
 
 But after a few moments of rummaging on 
 the shelves of memory she abandoned the effort 
 to remember. Mrs. Dayton dropped in a short 
 time before noon, and as Edyth had told her 
 of Miss West's letter there was no longer any 
 hindrance to their free conversation about so 
 dear a mutual friend, and Mrs. Dayton was able 
 to enhance even the loveliness with which 
 Edyth's ardor had clothed her aunt's character. 
 
 "I would like to be with her," she said. 
 
 "Yes, dear," said Mrs. Dayton, "but would it 
 be wise just yet?" You know that your father 
 is aware that you have written to her, and ho 
 might think you would go there for shelter." 
 
 Just then Mr. Dayton returned from his 
 
 errand. 
 
 258
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Mrs. Walthope will be delighted to have a 
 visit from Miss Wilsey," said he, "and we had 
 better take the three o'clock train from the 
 Grand Central. It is not impossible that the 
 station is already under surveillance, and we 
 must arrange a complete disguise." 
 
 The Scotch lady was nearer Edyth's size than 
 Mrs. Dayton, and she selected a dark cotton 
 print gown from her store that fitted her visitor 
 tolerably well, and was just the right length. 
 She also provided an old gray woolen shawl, 
 and a crocheted scarf in lieu of a hood. Mr. 
 Dayton had procured a pair of cheap black 
 rnittens and shoes whose coarseness were a 
 torture to Edyth's delicate feet, but which were 
 the right size. These were scratched and other- 
 wise defaced to give them a worn appearance. 
 A thick brown veil completed this peculiar out- 
 fit, and a market basket containing a few po- 
 totoes and turnips and a brown paper parcel 
 added a touch of reality. Edyth laughed until 
 she cried when she saw the reflection of herself 
 in the pier glass. She tried to practice the 
 weary, shambling gait of a middle-aged scrub- 
 woman. 
 
 259
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Now," said Mr. Dayton, "you must not ap- 
 pear to have any acquaintance with me what- 
 ever. Simply follow me at a little distance. 
 When I reach Mrs. Walthope's house I will stop 
 and consult my watch and walk on, but you 
 must turn in at the driveway. I bought the 
 tickets on the way down. Slip this one in your 
 mitten." 
 
 Mr. Dayton went down the front steps, and 
 shortly after what was an apparently respect- 
 able but indigent workingwoman emerged 
 from the area gate. If the neighbors could have 
 looked into the basement hall a moment 
 earlier they would have been surprised to 
 have seen the woman with the basket em- 
 braced and kissed most heartily by two lovely 
 ladies. 
 
 "God gae wi' ye, my bairnie,'' said Jeanie, 
 between her tears. 
 
 Mr. Dayton walked to the nearest avenue, and 
 boarded an uptown car. Edyth waited for the 
 next one. He was in sight when she alighted 
 at Forty-second Street, and even in the crowd 
 that pressed in front of the exit to the train she 
 
 had no difficulty in keeping his tall form in 
 260
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 view. She little knew that as she went into 
 the station she passed right before the eyes of a 
 paid detective who had her photograph in his 
 pocket. After a short ride the train stopped at 
 a small but picturesque stone station, where Mr. 
 Dayton alighted. He had not exchanged a look 
 nor a word with Edyth since they started. She 
 followed him afar along the village street, com- 
 ing shortly to a broad avenue lined with pretty 
 cottages with fine lawns and large trees. Here 
 her guide turned and walked on, pausing after 
 a while at the entrance to a driveway leading 
 under a long arch of trees to a plain brick 
 mansion with a wide veranda. Mr. Dayton con- 
 sulted his watch and passed on, and for a second 
 Edyth felt as if she must throw back her veil, 
 cast aside her basket, and run after him, such 
 a desolate, homesick feeling took hold of her. 
 She went with shrinking steps along the 
 drive and around to a rear door. Her arm was 
 aching with the weight of the basket, but her 
 heart throbbed so painfully that she was hardly 
 conscious of her weariness. A gay little cutter 
 with luxurious robes stood at the front steps, 
 
 and a spirited horse tossed his nose impatiently 
 2G1
 
 THE KING'S GOLD. 
 
 in the air and flaunted his scarlet pompons, 
 pawing restlessly and jingling his silver bells. 
 Mrs. Walthope always indulged herself in a 
 good horse. A dark, handsome young lady in 
 seal cap and coat and a rich red gown came 
 down the steps and entered the sleigh. A groom 
 who had been holding the horse handed her the 
 reins and tucked in the heavy robe. As Edyth 
 passed the corner of the piazza she saw that the 
 young woman was her old school friend Eleanor 
 Lee, "Melpomene," whom she had not seen since 
 their parting at Asbury Park. Eleanor sped 
 like the wind down the avenue, and Edyth 
 knocked timidly at the servant's door. The maid 
 who answered the knock had been ordered by 
 her mistress to turn no woman away who should 
 ask for her that afternoon. The maid looked 
 in amazement when the quaint figure at the 
 door handed her a visiting card. It was one of 
 Mr. Dayton's with an announcement of his 
 church services on the back of it. 
 
 There was only a brief delay, and Edyth was 
 ushered into the sitting room of Mrs. Walthope, 
 and was greeted by that lady with sincerest 
 
 cordiality. Mrs. Walthope was a tall, erect, 
 262
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 slender woman with snowy hair and a some- 
 what severely dignified countenance. Her eyes 
 were dark and piercing, but her firm mouth had 
 kindly lines about the corners, and her voice 
 was not harsh, although a trifle hard in quality. 
 She was dressed in black silk with white lace 
 in the neck and sleeves, and wore a brooch con- 
 taining a miniature of Mr. Walthope taken at 
 the time of his marriage, forty years before. 
 She motioned Edyth to a chair, and with her 
 own hands removed her wraps. 
 
 "It is more than kind of you, Mrs. Walthope/' 
 said Edyth, "to let me come here. I hope I 
 shall not have to trespass long upon your hos- 
 pitality." 
 
 "My dear Miss Wilsey, this episode is quite 
 a break in my unromantic life, as if it had 
 turned into a storybook and I was one of the 
 characters. My father's house was a station on 
 the underground railroad, long, long before you 
 were born, and I hope that I stand as ready as 
 he was proved to be to share my roof and my 
 daily bread with the Lord's oppressed little ones. 
 Now that your shawl is removed I see that your 
 
 gown is none too warm. Come with me up to 
 263
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 my own room, and we will try to make you 
 more comfortable." 
 
 Once again Edyth was clothed in a dress of 
 another, this time a gray wrapper of Mrs. Wal- 
 thope's, too long in the sleeves and on the shoul- 
 der seams. She told her hostess how she had 
 escaped in a white cashmere dinner gown. 
 
 "To-morrow," said Mrs. Walthope, "I will 
 send to town for materials, and have a dress- 
 maker here provide you with something to 
 wear." 
 
 Edyth drew her small package of jewels from 
 her bosom, and laid them in Mrs. Walthope's 
 lap. 
 
 "Please do with them as you see fit," she said, 
 simply. 
 
 "Then I will put them in my safe," replied 
 Mrs. Walthope, smilingly, "until you want 
 them." 
 
 "But I cannot bear to be indebted to a stran- 
 ger for food and clothing," said Edyth. 
 
 "Miss Wilsey," said her new friend, laying 
 one hand on hers, "please put aside all thoughts 
 of that sort and be perfectly content. All that 
 
 I have comes from my Father, who is your 
 264
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 Father too, and you and I are sisters in Christ. 
 I feel it an honor to minister to one who is suf- 
 fering for his truth's sake/' 
 
 "Dear Mrs. Walthope !" said Edyth, involun- 
 tarily, touched beyond expression. 
 
 Her hostess smiled a little sadly, and a 
 shadow rested for an instant on her brow. 
 "Many call me queer and stingy and hard- 
 hearted. It seems strange to hear a word of 
 real endearment." 
 
 "I thought I saw an old chum of mine drive 
 away from your door as I came in," said Edyth, 
 to break a rather embarrassing silence. 
 
 "What ! are you the Miss Wilsey who was at 
 Madam Knight's with Eleanor?" asked Mrs. 
 Walthope, in great surprise. "She is my 
 brother's daughter, and she is here now on a 
 visit. I have not told her that I expected you. 
 Will you wish to meet her?" 
 
 "Why, certainly," replied Edyth. "She will 
 have no sympathy with my course, I know, 
 but she is a part of my lovely years at school, 
 and I will be glad to see her." 
 
 It all came back to Edyth now, how Eleanor 
 
 used to talk of her Aunt Walthope in no very 
 265
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 loving nor respectful terms, ridiculing her plain 
 ways, her religion, and the close management 
 of her household. 
 
 "We take turns in being sweet on her," 
 Eleanor had said, "for she's worth a pile, and we 
 are her nearest relatives. I always dread my 
 time to visit her in her stiff, pious, lonely house ; 
 but there's one thing in my favor she always 
 keeps an elegant horse, and I drive to my heart's 
 content." 
 
 Edyth did not feel an unmixed delight at 
 the thought of Eleanor's presence. Their 
 friendship had met with an entering wedge 
 when Edyth announced at Asbury Park her de- 
 sire to be a Christian, and Eleanor had scorned 
 and resented the message. 
 
 "Eleanor is far from the kingdom," said her 
 aunt. "I don't know that I ever saw a young 
 woman so eager for the world. She is cither 
 hilarious over some prospective pleasure or 
 moody and discontented for the lack of excite- 
 ment. She has plenty of capacity for good, but 
 it is appropriated by foolishness at present." 
 
 When Eleanor returned from her drive her 
 
 surprise at meeting Edyth was unbounded. She 
 2GG
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 had been angry with the latter, and had not 
 written to her because Edyth's straightforward 
 confession of Christ to her girl friends had been 
 a dart that had sped to Eleanor's soul and had 
 never ceased to rankle there. 
 
 When Edyth was preparing for rest that night 
 Eleanor came to her door and asked for ad- 
 mittance. She had already promised her aunt 
 that she would reveal to no one Edyth's pres- 
 ence in the house. Edyth invited her in, and 
 Eleanor threw herself on the sofa and began to 
 talk in a subdued tone, but rapidly and with 
 much excitement. 
 
 "I want to tell you my troubles," said she, 
 as Edyth took a chair beside her. "I'm here for 
 a purpose, and fear that I'm not going to suc- 
 ceed. My father lost the most of his money a 
 little while ago, and we've had to cut down 
 awfully." 
 
 Eleanor paused a moment as if hesitating 
 as to the wisdom of turning her heart inside out. 
 Then with a flushing cheek and averted eyes she 
 went boldly on : 
 
 "To make matters worse just now, there's a 
 
 man in the case, Edyth, a magnificent fellow, 
 267
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 the greatest catch in Baltimore. A party is 
 being formed for a Mediterranean trip after the 
 holidays, southern France, you know, and Italy, 
 and Algiers, and Egypt, and all that. It is a 
 small party under the care of an elderly pro- 
 fessor of languages and his wife, and only the 
 very best people will be in it. This man is 
 going, and his unmarried sister and her girl 
 friend 0, Edyth, her friend, not a bit pretty, 
 but with heaps of money and an elegant figure, 
 and that subtle, elusive, victorious quality called 
 'charm !' 0, how I hate her ! When I am 
 around he seems to have no eyes nor thoughts 
 for her. He has taken me out a lot too. If it 
 wasn't for this girl with her indescribable 
 atmosphere I should be sure of him. Father 
 positively cannot afford to send me on this 
 cruise, and yet I know if I could go there would 
 be little doubt of the result my market would 
 be made ; whereas if she goes and I don't, good- 
 bye to all my prospects. I want two thousand 
 dollars clean cash, and I must have it even if I 
 have to steal it ! Aunt Roxana shows no signs 
 of yielding, although I have told her that my 
 
 life's happiness depends on it." 
 208
 
 THE KIXG'S GOLD 
 
 Edyth regarded Eleanor in silence for a while, 
 pity and disgust mingling in her heart. She 
 was accustomed to Eleanor's extravagancies of 
 speech and manner, but this coarseness of mind 
 was of later development, and Edyth inwardly 
 recoiled from it, even while she longed to tell 
 her of nobler aims and a tranquil mind. 
 Eleanor was in a fever of unrest, and her great 
 dark eyes blazed with the fire of ambition. 
 
 "Why don't you answer me, Edyth ?" she said, 
 raising her voice. "It makes me mad to see you 
 sit there so placid and silent." 
 
 "I am wondering how I can help you, Mel," 
 replied Edyth. "0, if you only would let go of 
 yourself, and turn to your heavenly Father, and 
 let him undertake your life for you !" 
 
 "Nonsense !" retorted Eleanor, rising abrupt- 
 ly. "Your religion has done great things for 
 you so far, I should say. It has taught you 
 to defy your kind father, and has driven you 
 to this villainous outpost of civilization into one 
 of Aunt Roxana's lugubrious double-gowns." 
 
 "But, Mel," said Edyth, calmly, "I have a joy 
 and peace that I cannot express." 
 
 "Edyth Wilsey, if you will pardon my candor, 
 18 269
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 I must say that if you are not a fool it would 
 take a chemical test to prove it, and I myself 
 feel like one to have emptied out my heart to 
 you. I might have known that all I would get 
 would be material for a tract. I will bid you 
 good night." 
 
 Eleanor trailed into her own room with 
 positive hatred for Edyth springing up within 
 her miserable soul. Hate is a plant that grows 
 like the gourd, but takes root like the oak, and 
 maintains a perennial freshness like the ever- 
 green. It withers not except at the lightning- 
 like touch of divine love. 
 
 "I wonder that I ever admired her fair, in- 
 sipid face and soft, catlike ways," Eleanor said 
 to herself. "How dare she preach to me !" 
 
 Long after Edyth had dropped into calm and 
 dreamless sleep Eleanor tossed to and fro on 
 her couch, her mind ravaged by selfish and un- 
 holy desires and purposes, and even when she 
 fell asleep it was only a light doze that brought 
 no refreshing. She was up early, and when 
 Edyth entered the breakfast room she stood by 
 a window, dressed for the street, reading the 
 
 "personals" in a New York daily. She greeted 
 270
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 Edyth with scant courtesy, and proceeded to 
 tear off the page of advertising matter she had 
 been skimming, saying carelessly, "A special 
 sale of marked-down silks at Blank & Co.'s to- 
 day. Think I'll run to town and look at them. 
 Besides, I want some new music. Good morn- 
 ing, auntie," as Mrs. Walthope came in, "can 
 I do any errands for you in town to-day?" 
 
 "Why, yes, Eleanor, if you will order a few 
 articles for Miss Wilsey I will be glad/' 
 
 "Better come along, Edyth," said Eleanor, 
 with a touch of sarcasm in her voice, "you would 
 cut such a swath in that wrapper. It must be 
 delightful to make a prisoner of one's self !" 
 
 Mrs. Walthope frowned slightly, but, ignor- 
 ing the remarks of her niece, addressed herself 
 to Edyth: "Will you suggest as to quality and 
 color of dress goods ?" 
 
 "Since you are so kind," said Edyth, with re- 
 luctance, "as to purpose to get me a gown, I will 
 leave the quality to you. As to the color, what 
 do you think of a navy blue?" 
 
 "Serviceable and becoming," replied her kind 
 friend. "Eleanor, suppose you select a soft, 
 
 medium-weight serge, and bring it with you, 
 271
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 and I will get Miss Prince to make it up at 
 once." 
 
 Eleanor assented with a most indifferent air, 
 finished her coffee, and excused herself, walking 
 listlessly from the room. When she had reached 
 her own bedchamber a change came over her. 
 She fastened the door, clapped her hands softly, 
 and pirouetted from one end of the apartment 
 to the other. Then she drew the page of news- 
 paper from her pocket, and pored over a few 
 lines before cutting them out. This is what she 
 read with devouring eyes : "Two Thousand Dol- 
 lars Cash Reward for information that will lead 
 to the recovery of a fair, slender young lady 
 who has been missing from her home since 
 Thursday night. Call at Broadway." 
 
 "She ought to be at home where she belongs," 
 said Eleanor to herself, as she hurried into her 
 jacket. "I shall be doing the right thing." 
 
 But she would not slacken her grip on her 
 resolve lest she hear a thousand voices shout- 
 ing "Shame !" 
 
 To return to Laurance Wilsey. The telegram 
 that he received the night that Edyth left the 
 
 house was of such moment that he was occupied 
 272
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 with his business documents far into the night, 
 and overslept the next morning, to obtain which 
 temporary forgetfulness of his troubles, and of 
 the physical pain that was still intense, he took 
 a carefully measured dose of a narcotic. When 
 he set the usual tray of bread and water upon 
 the desk in his private office it was late, and he 
 was surprised to see that the inner door was still 
 closed. He rapped upon it, but receiving no 
 reply repeated the knocking quite vigorously. 
 Still there was silence. He procured a step- 
 ladder, and peered down through the open tran- 
 som, only to see that the couch was unrurnpled 
 and that the floor was strewn with clothing. 
 He observed that the door of the private 
 stairway was closed as usual, but instinctively 
 he put his hand into his waistcoat pocket for 
 the secret key, and missed it for the first time. 
 His daughter had evidently made her escape 
 during the night by the concealed steps to the 
 street. Could there have been collusion with the 
 servants ? He dismissed the idea at once. Only 
 one of them, the new Swedish maid, had visited 
 the rooms, and he had always admitted her him- 
 self, and made sure that there was no attempt 
 273
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 at any communication between the two. Mrs. 
 Severax had asked to be excused to visit a sick 
 relative for a day or so, and could not be sus- 
 pected of any complicity in the affair. He per- 
 ceived that his daughter must have obtained 
 possession of the key that he had lost, but even 
 if she had found it how had she known what to 
 do with it ? 
 
 He was livid with anger. He would have her 
 back in his power if it took his last penny. She 
 should suffer for this evasion of his will until 
 her head should lie in the dust at his feet. In- 
 capable of genuine love for the girl, the pride he 
 took in her and the ambition he cherished for 
 her now turned into overpowering hatred and a 
 desire for revenge. Certain extensive financial 
 interests would be trembling in the balance that 
 day, but he would not attend to business until 
 he had taken steps to recover the runaway and 
 grind her will into unanswering submission. 
 Even in his fury he remembered that she had 
 no hat nor cloak nor dark gown among the sup- 
 ply of clothing that he had allowed her to select 
 from her wardrobe. She could not have gone 
 
 far in her white gown and thin slippers that 
 274
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 snowy night. Probably her first thought would 
 be of the Dudleys, who doubtless had taken her 
 in, and then she would borrow some of Serene's 
 clothes and make her way to the West woman 
 at Sunnyslope. 
 
 He congratulated himself on his shrewdness, 
 ordered his coupe, and proceeded to the Dudley 
 residence, where he asked for Mrs. Dudley. He 
 was sure as soon as he saw that lady that she 
 knew nothing of Edyth, and so ventured to in- 
 quire if she were there, stating in explanation 
 that Edyth had started out for a walk downtown 
 that morning, expecting to call for Serene, and 
 he had thought perhaps to intercept her, as he 
 was suddenly obliged to run up to Albany and 
 would like to take both of the girls with him 
 for a little jaunt. Mrs. Dudley said that Edyth 
 had not been there, and Serene was confined 
 to her room by a severe attack of influenza. 
 
 This information was somewhat disconcert- 
 ing to Mr. Wilsey's confidence in his ability a? 
 a detective. He took immediate leave and drove 
 to a private detective bureau, where he was in 
 close conference with the chief for half an hour. 
 
 This man suggested that the young lady would 
 275
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 of course hire a cab, dressed as she must have 
 been so unsuitably for the street, and that she 
 must have taken shelter with friends. 
 
 "But she had no friends in town," said her 
 father, "except those whom I have already 
 seen." 
 
 "However, we can tackle all the cabbies in 
 town," said the detective. 
 
 "And also guard the New Haven waiting 
 room in the Grand Central station," said Mr. 
 Wilsey. "She might venture to a friend in 
 Massachusetts." 
 
 Among the second lot of cab-drivers inter- 
 viewed was the one who had taken Edyth to the 
 Daytons, but he had gotten so jubilantly intoxi- 
 cated on the extra fare that he could not tell 
 "fur the life uv him" where he drove the night 
 before, although "shure it was a side strate, 
 whither aist or wist he'd be blest if he knew, 
 an' she wuz a swate-spoken young craythur in a 
 quare coat an' bunnit." 
 
 An advertisement was put in at a newspaper 
 office, and Laurance Wilsey turned his attention 
 to business for a few hours. He was threatened 
 
 with large losses, and his head was racked with 
 276
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 neuralgia, and nothing but the desire of revenge 
 supported him. When he returned home at 
 evening there was no news from the missing one, 
 and all night long he walked the floor of the 
 library, smoking one cigar after another, and 
 revolving possible plans for her discovery and 
 return. He finally threw himself on the divan 
 and obtained a fitful sleep, waking to listen for 
 the paper boy, and going himself down to the 
 basement to get the sheet damp from the press. 
 He read and reread his advertisement with 
 much satisfaction, and after a light breakfast 
 proceeded to the detective's office. There was 
 no news. 
 
 "It is too early yet to get any result from that 
 ad.," said the detective, "but I am sure that you 
 will hear from it before noon." 
 
 Mr. Wilsey went on down to Wall Street, and 
 almost forgot his domestic cyclone in the tor- 
 nado that was swirling in the financial world. 
 About eleven o'clock Eleanor Lee, haughty as 
 a princess, and treacherous to the core, opened 
 the door of the detective's office and approached 
 the desk with as much composure as if she were 
 
 on an errand of mercy. She reported that if the 
 277
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 missing young woman advertised in a certain 
 daily were Miss Wilsey she was even then stop- 
 ping with a Mrs. Walthope at Silver Birch. 
 
 "We will go out there at once," said the man, 
 "but can you tell us how we may get access to 
 the young lady ?" 
 
 Eleanor thought a moment. "I will try to 
 induce her to take a sleigh ride with me at two- 
 thirty," she said. "If 1 fail you must arrange 
 a better plan. I will have a bow of red ribbon 
 tied in the center of the dashboard." 
 
 Accustomed as was the detective to human 
 nature at its shrewdest, meanest, and wickedest, 
 he was aghast at the action of this stranger. 
 Something of his contempt for her looked out 
 from his eyes and crowded into his voice as he 
 said, "We will depend on you, miss. Drive 
 around by the railway station. When the run- 
 away is safe in her father's possession you may 
 call on me for the reward." 
 
 Eleanor was stung by his expression and tone. 
 "I feel that I am doing a praiseworthy action," 
 said she. "Miss Wilsey is not of age. She has 
 a kind and generous father. She should stay 
 
 quietly in her home and obey him." 
 
 278
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Ah, then we are to understand that you act 
 purely on high moral grounds," said the chief, 
 "and that you repudiate any reward for your 
 valuable services." 
 
 Eleanor seemed to see the two thousand dol- 
 lars slipping from her eager grasp. The office 
 furniture appeared to whirl around her. She 
 steadied herself with one hand on the doorknob, 
 and said huskily : 
 
 "No, I shall claim the money." 
 
 "Well, it takes all sorts to make up a world," 
 said the detective aloud to himself as the door 
 closed behind her. 
 
 Eleanor hated Edyth, but she hated herself 
 still more. She had showed herself capable of 
 a despicable action. She had committed a crime 
 against her own self-respect, and had become a 
 sister to traitors in all ages. But the money, 
 the money! How much it meant to her of 
 luxury and travel and conquest and love and 
 social advantage! She stifled her outraged 
 conscience with thoughts of the Mediterranean 
 trip, now an assured delight in all probability. 
 She stopped in at a department store, and se- 
 lected the dress goods for Edyth and the neces- 
 279
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 sary findings. Then she returned to her aunt's 
 home in time for the one o'clock luncheon. She 
 was very gay at the table, almost hilarious, and 
 particularly kind and attentive in her bearing 
 toward Edyth. 
 
 "Auntie," she said, as the meal progressed, 
 "cannot we bundle up this refugee of ours, and 
 get her out for a ride in the double sleigh ? It 
 would do her lots of good, and yourself too." 
 
 "I can't go," replied Mrs. Walthope, "as I 
 have to attend a managers' meeting in town, 
 but you may have the cutter and drive. Will 
 you trust Eleanor's horsemanship, Miss Wilsey ? 
 She's a little inclined to be reckless." 
 
 "Do you think it is safe for me to be seen?" 
 questioned Edyth. "I am more afraid of being 
 captured than I am of Eleanor's driving." 
 
 "I think you will run no risk, my dear, in this 
 place, especially if you are well veiled." 
 
 Edyth was longing for the crisp, stimulating, 
 outdoor air, and was quite willing to be persuad- 
 ed to get ready for the drive. Eleanor had a 
 flaming spot on each cheek, and her voice was 
 unnaturally high, but no one remarked her 
 
 nervous manner. It was just about half past 
 280
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 two when they left the house and drove down 
 the avenue at a spirited rate. 
 
 "This is delicious !" said poor Edyth, taking 
 deep breaths of the bracing air. 
 
 They drove toward the station, and Eleanor 
 observed a coach containing two gentlemen 
 fall in behind them. She headed her horse to- 
 ward a somewhat unfrequented drive that led 
 through a long stretch of woods, and having 
 gone about a mile, she stopped the animal, and 
 said to her companion : 
 
 "I want to see if there are any bittersweet 
 berries left on the old stone wall just beyond 
 those evergreens. There were bushels of it there 
 last month. If you will kindly hold Prancer I 
 will plod over there with my basket and scissors. 
 I want to paint a panel of it for a Christmas 
 gift." 
 
 Eleanor had worn her rubber boots, and en- 
 joyed wading through the snow. She was soon 
 out of sight beyond the thick, tangled bushes 
 and low-growing tree branches. The coach, that 
 had kept the cutter in sight all the way, now 
 caught up to it. The road was not wide enough 
 
 for the coach to pass, and Edyth called to Elea- 
 281
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 nor to return, but the latter seemed to have lost 
 her hearing. The driver uttered some exclama- 
 tion of annoyance, but Edyth felt no fear until 
 the coach door opened and two men in citizens' 
 clothes approached her. Evidently they did not 
 enjoy their errand. The foremost spoke respect- 
 fully and even kindly. He said : 
 
 "Miss Wilsey, we are obliged to ask you to go 
 with us. We represent your father. It will be 
 useless for you to object or resist. If you will 
 come quietly with us we will treat you with 
 courtesy, and set you down at the door of your 
 home." 
 
 As the man spoke Edyth saw a detective's 
 badge, which he took pains to reveal on the 
 breast of his inner coat. She stepped down from 
 the sleigh, and then said quietly : 
 
 "Please call my friend. She will be alarmed 
 if she returns and does not see me. Besides, 
 some harm might come to the horse, who does 
 not stand well to-day." 
 
 At the halloo of one of the men Eleanor came 
 running in time to see a stranger holding her 
 aunt's horse, while Edyth was being assisted into 
 
 the coach by the other man. 
 282
 
 THE KIXG'S GOLD 
 
 "What does this mean?" she cried, with fine 
 show of affright and indignation. 
 
 "Edyth, dear/' she called, rushing to the door 
 of the carriage, "what is it ?" 
 
 "Don't worry, Mel," replied Edyth. "My 
 father's agents have gotten on my track, and 
 will take me back to him. Give my love to your 
 aunt, and tell her that I hope sometime to thank 
 her in person for her goodness." 
 
 Eleanor stepped into the cutter and took the 
 lines from the hand of the detective. He peered 
 into her face as she received them. 
 
 "Well !" said she, tersely. 
 
 "I was only thinkin'," said the man, "that the 
 race of Judas ain't all run out yet !" 
 
 Eleanor's horse leaped forward under an un- 
 necessary lash of the whip, and she drove furi- 
 ously on to the next village before she turned 
 toward home. The coach retraced its way to the 
 highway that led to the city, and in the early 
 twilight of the short winter day Edyth was 
 escorted up the steps of her home, and only left 
 at the door when it was opened by Laurance 
 Wilsey himself, who took his daughter by the 
 
 arm with no gentle grip, and half carried her 
 283
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 into the library. He thrust her into a chair, 
 and bent over her, his hands in his pockets, 
 while he stared down at her with malignant 
 triumph on every feature. 
 
 "If you had gone to hell/' he hissed, "I would 
 have found you and brought you back." 
 
 Involuntarily, Edyth closed her eyes to shut 
 out the sight of his cruel, passion-distorted face. 
 She almost felt that he might kill her. He arose 
 to his full, towering height, and turned to pace 
 the room in his usual fashion. He was so en- 
 raged that he could not utter the scathing words 
 that rushed to his lips. At length he gained 
 some mastery over the physical effects of his 
 wrath, and took a chair directly in front of 
 Edyth. He was rejoiced to see that she shrank 
 from him. 
 
 The drive home had been fraught with in- 
 tense mental agitation for Edyth. Somehow, 
 God did not seem quite so real to her, now that 
 she was being carried back a prisoner, as he did 
 a few nights before when she found the key 
 and made her escape so marvelously. She had 
 believed that the whole matter of the key was 
 
 of him in answer to prayer ; but if so, then why 
 284
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 had her father been allowed to regain possession 
 of her? Why had not God preserved her from 
 detection and capture? It had been easy to 
 trust him when she lay so quietly and securely 
 in Jeanie Campbell's white, sweet guest-cham- 
 ber, or while she conversed with Mrs. Walthope 
 in her comfortable out-of-town home ; but mat- 
 ters looked different now. Edyth's spiritual 
 life was yet a tender plant, and it was no wonder 
 that her faith swayed and bent for a little under 
 the powerful breath of the enemy. The old 
 temptation that she thought was entirely ban- 
 ished and outlived now swept down upon her 
 in her weariness and disappointment. Surely 
 she had done her best to maintain her loyalty to 
 Christ, but of what avail had been the painful 
 opposition to her father? Perhaps she had 
 made a mistake in running away, and yet she 
 had been so sure at the time that God made the 
 way for her to escape. She felt perplexed and 
 depressed. Just then the words of Jesus to 
 Peter, that Mr. Campbell had read and com- 
 mented upon at family devotions on Friday 
 morning, shone in upon her darkness: "Satan 
 
 hath desired to have you, that he may sift you 
 19 285
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 as wheat : but I have prayed for thee, that thy 
 faith fail not." She could see now just where 
 she stood, exposed by circumstances to the at- 
 tack of a subtle and determined foe, who was 
 endeavoring to undermine the foundations of 
 her confidence and strength by instilling these 
 doubts into her mind. On the other hand, she 
 was assured that the mountains of trouble were 
 full of horses and chariots of defense and de- 
 liverance. By the time the coach had reached 
 her home her soul had regained its deep, fear- 
 less, blissful calm in God the Rock of her salva- 
 tion. 
 
 "I will take you into my confidence," said 
 Mr. Wilsey. "I will not insist upon your re- 
 maining in this hovel that I provided for you. 
 I have arranged for a more desirable residence 
 for you. We shall leave here to-morrow after- 
 noon at five o'clock. You will have nothing to 
 do in your new home but to meditate on the 
 past, present, and future, with no interruptions 
 except such as come from the sight and sound 
 of persons more unbalanced than yourself. You 
 will not need any of your Paris gowns. The 
 
 most fashionable and popular garment of the 
 286
 
 THE KIXG'S GOLD 
 
 place is a jaunty little jacket that will be pro- 
 vided for you. You may leave your ornaments 
 at home. No jewelry is worn there except brace- 
 lets, which are furnished by the host, and good 
 of their kind. You will observe some difference 
 in the food from that on my meager board. The 
 place may seem a trifle monotonous, and there 
 will be slight difficulties in the way of leaving it, 
 as it is so well defended from burglars that the 
 bolts and bars sometimes interfere with the 
 liberties of the inmates. You will have a 
 key, however, that will at any time allow you 
 to take your departure. The key is a word of 
 three letters, 'Y-e-s,' and when you are entirely 
 ready to conform to my ways and my will that 
 word, when it meets my eyes, will bring you 
 back." 
 
 Edyth had listened as one in a dream. She 
 knew that the horrible prospect had not been 
 exaggerated by her father, and yet his state- 
 ments did not disturb her in the least. She was 
 listening to other words, spoken to her mind and 
 heart. It was the same blessed refrain that had 
 sung itself to her the night of her escape : "Thy 
 
 God is able to deliver thee." 
 287
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 Her father paused to watch the effect of his 
 threatening, but she sat with her eyes shut, evi- 
 dently unmoved. Enraged at her composure, 
 and moved by a brutal impulse, he struck her 
 with his palm full on the side of the cheek. 
 She opened her eyes then, but there was no 
 anger, only divine pity in their clear depths, 
 and his soul cowered before them. "You may 
 go to your old rooms," he said, gruffly. "I mean 
 your own, up stairs." Edyth was glad to have 
 an opportunity to spend another night in the 
 daintily appointed suite that had so perfectly 
 expressed her personal tastes. 
 
 Her father followed her up the staircase, 
 and locked her in, but she did not mind the 
 confinement. She was glad to kneel unobserved 
 and thank God for his sustaining arm and his 
 glorious promise of guidance and' succor. When 
 a tray of palatable food was brought to the 
 door she was busily engaged in sorting her cloth- 
 ing, and deciding what to pack for the morrow. 
 She fully expected to go forth never to return. 
 
 That night Laurance Wilsey's soul was re- 
 quired of him. With his nerves starving for 
 
 sleep and unable to obtain it, he poured out a 
 
 288
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 dose of his favorite cordial, dropping in an 
 anodyne with a less steady hand than usual. 
 Sleep came surely, but it was a sleep that before 
 the next noon had set the whole house into a 
 solemn and awful commotion. Edyth, who 
 awoke late, was surprised at the stillness, and 
 also wondered as the hours dragged by that no 
 one came with her breakfast. It was nearly 
 twelve o'clock when she heard a stir in the hall 
 near her door. Her father's sleeping room was 
 opposite to hers. The housekeeper was holding 
 a conversation with the butler at her father's 
 door. 
 
 "Knock again," Edyth heard her say. "Don't 
 be afraid of making a noise. Mr. Wilsey is an 
 early riser usually." 
 
 Edyth called through the keyhole of her own 
 door, hoping to catch the ear of the housekeeper, 
 "Mallison, Mallison !" 
 
 Mrs. Mallison started at the sound. 
 
 "Please turn the key in this door," cried 
 Edyth. 
 
 "Well, there's a strange state of things in this 
 house," said the housekeeper, "and no mistake. 
 
 I wish I was well out of it, indeed I do !" 
 289
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 A moment more, and Edyth was released and 
 stood on the threshold of her room, saying, 
 "What is the matter?" 
 
 "It's your father, miss," said the butler, bow- 
 ing respectfully. "He ain't put in no happear- 
 ance this mornin', miss." 
 
 "Is it late?" 
 
 "It's near 'igh noon, miss." 
 
 Edyth stepped forward and rapped on the 
 closed door, but there was no reply. She tried 
 the knob gently, and the door opened slightly. 
 
 "Now call him, Jarvis," she said to the butler. 
 
 "Mr. Wilsey, sir!" said the butler, in his 
 heavy tone. 
 
 As there was no response Edyth asked the 
 man to enter the room and see if his master 
 were ill. Jarvis tiptoed across the sill, and ad- 
 vanced silently to the bedside. Edyth followed 
 him at a little distance. The butler bent over 
 the rigid form. 
 
 "He don't seem to be breathin', miss !" he 
 said, in an awe-struck whisper. 
 
 Edyth went to a window, pulled aside the 
 draperies, and gave the shade a pull that sent 
 
 it suddenly up to the top of the casement. Then 
 290
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 she stepped to the bed, gave one swift look at 
 the sleeper, and sank on her knees with her face 
 buried in her hands. Even to her inexperienced 
 eyes there was no mistaking the terrible fact. 
 Laurance Wilsey, lying with clenched, motion- 
 less hands, and with the sin and selfishness and 
 hatred of his soul stamped by the seal of death 
 on his features, was an object too terrible to 
 contemplate. 
 
 "Shall I get the doctor, miss ?" said the but- 
 ler, gently. 
 
 . "Yes," said Edyth, "immediately, although I 
 am sure it is too late." 
 
 She could not bear to stay in that presence, 
 and closing the door behind her, sat down near 
 it in the hall. 
 
 "Where is Mrs. Severax?" she asked of the 
 housekeeper. 
 
 "Been gone on a visit since Thursday morn- 
 ing," replied Mrs. Mallison. 
 
 The maids were whispering together at the far 
 end of the hall. Edyth was too dazed to realize 
 the situation, but she felt that she must have 
 some one with her besides servants, and when 
 
 the butler returned she sent him with two mes- 
 291
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 sages to the telegraph office. One was to the 
 Eev. Charles Dayton, and the other to Miss 
 Helen West. They read alike: "My father is 
 dead. Come to me." 
 
 The physician soon arrived. He told Edyth 
 a half hour later that her father had doubtless 
 been the victim of an unsuspected heart trouble. 
 
 Until Mr. Dayton came that afternoon Edyth 
 was in great agony of mind. She feared that 
 her resistance to her father's will, and the in- 
 tense excitement he had labored under during 
 her absence, had been the cause of his death. 
 When Mr. Dayton's card was brought up to her 
 she went down to the library to meet him, and 
 told him amid her sobs of the burden that lay 
 upon her. 
 
 "Miss Wilsey," said he, "have you done just 
 as nearly right as you knew ?" 
 
 "Yes, Mr. Dayton, I certainly have." 
 
 "Then can you not leave all the results with 
 God?" 
 
 "I think I can," she replied, "but 0, it is so 
 dreadful if I hastened my father out of the 
 world !" 
 
 "But that is the very point I wish you to 
 292
 
 THE KIXG'S GOLD 
 
 abandon entirely/' said he. "Your father's own 
 violent anger was doubtless the means of aggra- 
 vating his heart difficulty to the fatal point. 
 That your course aroused that anger is not say- 
 ing by any means that your position was a 
 wrong one." 
 
 She grew calmer as he talked with her, and 
 when he left her after a few comforting words 
 of prayer it was with the promise that he would 
 send his wife to stay that night. Edyth sent 
 the minister home in the coupe, and insisted on 
 having Mrs. Dayton return in it, even though 
 she had to bring the baby. The library had be- 
 come a place of unspeakably painful memories, 
 so it was in her own little sitting room that she 
 received Mrs. Dayton and her two-year-old 
 Katy. They talked long over the fire, while 
 Katy slept on the couch, and both looked for- 
 ward to the morrow, knowing that it would 
 probably bring Helen West. Mrs. Dayton then 
 told Edyth for the first time of Helen's pathetic 
 love story, and Edyth for a time forgot the 
 tragedy in her own home as she listened to the 
 romance of the brilliant young missionary and 
 
 the lost ship. 
 
 293
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Dear, brave, lonely Aunt Helen !" she said. 
 "We will be everything to each other now !" 
 
 Mrs. Dudley came the next morning, nervous 
 and tearful, with offers of any service she could 
 render. Mrs. Walthope, too, appeared on the 
 scene. They had both read the death notice in 
 the morning paper. Edyth inquired for Elea- 
 nor, but found that she had left that very day by 
 the first express for Baltimore. Eleanor had 
 announced to her aunt her intention of taking 
 that train, but even while Mrs. Walthope talked 
 with Edyth, Eleanor was leaving the detective's 
 office with her ill-gotten treasure. 
 
 Edyth's callers had gone home, when a car- 
 riage stopped at the house, and from a front 
 window Edyth saw the calm, beautiful, loving 
 face of her aunt. She ran down the long stairs, 
 brushed against the amazed butler, who thought 
 that she was surely becoming crazed with grief, 
 and opened the door herself for the beloved one. 
 It was a memorable meeting. 
 
 "We will never, never get talked out !" said 
 Edyth, an hour or two later, as she sat on an 
 ottoman at her aunt's feet in the guest-chamber. 
 
 "It is very sweet to be together, even under 
 294
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 such sad circumstances,'' said Miss West. "I 
 have almost a guilty feeling, however, as if we 
 were meeting secretly for fear of your father's 
 displeasure." 
 
 But that cold, silent form in the drawing- 
 room was impotent now for good or ill. He had 
 been the servant of Mammon for many years, 
 yet he lay at last with empty hands, powerless 
 to control a farthing of his earthly gains, with 
 no account in the bank of heaven, and naught 
 to show for the opportunity of life but the hard- 
 earned wage death; a pitiable reward to a 
 slave for his toil beneath the lash of an unmerci- 
 ful master. 
 
 295
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 CHAPTEE X 
 
 MR. WILSEY'S funeral, in accordance with 
 Edyth's wishes, was entirely private. A succes- 
 sion of cold, snowy days followed, and Edyth 
 would have been glad to spend them in quiet 
 interchange of confidence and in sweet com- 
 munion with her Aunt Helen ; but business mat- 
 ters intruded and clamored for attention. The 
 will had been lodged in a box in a safe-deposit 
 vault with the knowledge of Mr. Wilsey's law- 
 yers, and on being produced disclosed the fact 
 that Edyth was heir to a large estate consisting 
 principally of valuable mining and railroad 
 stocks and government bonds, besides the new 
 home and several other pieces of real estate of 
 great value. The will was dated on the day 
 before Mr. Wilsey and his daughter had moved 
 into their mansion on the Park, and as Edyth 
 was then under age she was permitted to choose 
 a guardian subject to the approval of the law 
 firm who conducted her father's business. Hap- 
 pily, these gentlemen Avere not at variance with 
 
 her choice of the Rev. Charles Dayton. Edyth 
 29G
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 was surprised that her father had not disinherit- 
 ed her, but the fact was he expected to reduce 
 her to obedience in a short time in the surround- 
 ings that he had planned for her, and so had not 
 resorted to the final threat of depriving her of 
 any share of his fortune. 
 
 One evening, when Mr. and Mrs. Dayton had 
 been taking dinner with Miss West and Edyth, 
 Mr. Dayton said, as they sat in the drawing- 
 room together : 
 
 "Miss Wilsey, now that your father has passed 
 out from your life, and you are virtually your 
 own mistress, may I ask if you have any plans 
 for the future?" 
 
 "My first thought," said Edyth, as she held 
 the hand of her aunt, who sat beside her on a 
 sofa, "is that Aunt Helen must remain with 
 me. As for any definite purpose in life, I am 
 thankful that I have one, as clear as a sunbeam. 
 Perhaps this is a good opportunity to tell you 
 all about it. That is one thing I have kept to 
 myself, dear," she said, smilingly, to Miss West. 
 "I have had a 'call,' as you ministers say, to a 
 beautiful work, a call from the edge of the 
 
 grave, that roused me from my timidity and 
 297
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 hesitation toward Christ to a positive declara- 
 tion of love and loyalty." 
 
 Then Edyth told them the story of Charlotte 
 Henson, and repeated her dying message, 
 "There are lots of girls like me." 
 
 "That is my commission," said Edyth, "for 
 it was Christ who spoke to m}' very soul through 
 those poor, pale lips. I have not yet thought 
 out just the course to pursue, but I want to 
 lay all that I have at the feet of the Master. 
 Of one thing I am certain. He would not have 
 me live in a palace afar from the 'girls.' I 
 have no love for this house, where I have suffered 
 so terribly. My plan is to take Aunt Helen, if 
 she will consent, and go among those whom I 
 would help. I shall depend on you all for ad- 
 vice." 
 
 The Daytons and Miss West were deeply 
 moved by the story of the sewing girl, as well 
 as by Edyth's enthusiastic and definite purpose, 
 and now that she had outlined her future there 
 was no lack of suggestive material for conversa- 
 tion. 
 
 Mrs. Dudley heard of a family just returned 
 
 from abroad who were looking for a suitable 
 298
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 furnished house, and Edyth, having disposed of 
 several pictures and much bric-a-brac, stored 
 such articles as she wished to retain for herself, 
 and rented her home at figures that would 
 have secured her an ample income even with no 
 other resources. She then took rooms in a hotel 
 for Miss West and herself until she could select 
 just the right location in which to work out her 
 cherished scheme. Just before the holidays 
 she accompanied her aunt to Sunnyslope, where 
 the latter completed her arrangements for leav- 
 ing the place indefinitely. The family in the 
 homestead were willing to remain there, and 
 Helen's two rooms were to be at her disposal 
 at any time. Edyth was intensely interested in 
 these few days spent in her mother's old home. 
 Her aunt and herself never ceased to wonder 
 at the strange leadings of Providence that had 
 brought them together. Miss "West threw her 
 whole heart into Edyth's plans, although her 
 own peaceful life was to be entirely revolution- 
 ized and her refined tastes sacrificed to the 
 cause. 
 
 Edyth had parted from the Dudleys without 
 
 confiding her purposes to them, so that no one 
 299
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 but the Daytons and Miss West knew what had 
 become of her. The incident of her father's 
 death caused but a ripple on the social sea, where 
 the Wilseys had made but a brief appearance. 
 Edyth met Kylmer Van Eoss on Broadway one 
 day, but vouchsafed no look of recognition, and 
 passed by him with renewed gratitude that she 
 had been spared so wretched an alliance. With 
 Miss West she made numerous observation 
 tours downtown and over on the East Side of the 
 city, and finally secured on a side street the 
 second floor of a house that had once been a 
 fashionable mansion, and that still retained evi- 
 dences of its former estate in its brownstone 
 trimmings and some fine old carvings, marble 
 mantels, and high ceilings. Who can observe 
 the decay of a once splendid family residence 
 without feelings of pain akin to that with which 
 we look upon the wrinkled visage, bowed form, 
 and mean attire, and listen to the cracked, pip- 
 ing voice of a woman who was once the lovely 
 and adored prima donna of a past generation, 
 now dying in poverty and neglect? Such are 
 the changes in our great cities that many a 
 
 man or woman now a little past middle life, 
 300
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 if they revisit the scenes of their happy child- 
 hood, find the once quiet streets swarming with 
 gamin, and littered with barrels of refuse. Di- 
 sheveled heads and swarthy, foreign-looking 
 faces protrude from window casements, the air 
 reeks with vile odors and is vocal with strange 
 gibberish, while open doorways on either side re- 
 veal discolored walls and dilapidated staircases, 
 so completely has many a lovely old neighbor- 
 hood been swept over and wrecked by the great, 
 swelling tides of immigration, the original deni- 
 zens fleeing before them for sweetness and peace. 
 The house selected by Miss West and Edyth 
 for their experiment was a corner one, occupied 
 in the basement front as a German grocery, 
 the proprietor living in the rear rooms with his 
 numerous family. What had originally been the 
 parlor floor was subdivided into several small 
 rents and was let to a Hebrew tailor, a teacher 
 of the accordion, a fortune-teller, and a dealer in 
 third-hand sewing machines. All kept house in 
 their one room ; some had children and dogs and 
 cats, others took boarders. The atmosphere was 
 laden with the mingled odors of tobacco, sauer- 
 kraut, fried pork, and unwashed humanity. 
 20 301
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 For blocks arpund, the houses were in similar 
 condition, and Edyth had special reasons for 
 choosing this one, aside from the possibilities 
 of comfort that lurked in the upper rooms. The 
 house was not far from one where she had ap- 
 plied for employment as a dressmaker's assist- 
 ant. It was also in the vicinity of a mission 
 chapel established by an uptown church. Edyth 
 had enjoyed furnishing the magnificent house 
 on the Park, where she had expected to spend 
 many happy years, but her pleasure then was 
 nothing in comparison to the delight that she 
 now experienced in evolving cleanliness and 
 beauty from the almost hopeless conditions at 
 hand. Miss West and herself had interviewed 
 the burly agent in his den hard by, and had been 
 obliged to explain that they wished to obtain 
 the rooms for purposes philanthropic, for he 
 evidently found it difficult to understand why 
 two such persons could wish to settle in that 
 locality. They received his permission to make 
 numerous improvements in the line of paint and 
 paper at their own expense, and he even con- 
 sented to considerable carpenter work and 
 
 plumbing on the same terms. It was difficult 
 302
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 for Edyth to play the role of the poor but neat 
 person. 
 
 "There is one thing that we can revel in 
 without displaying our lack of poverty," she 
 remarked to her aunt. "We can he extrava- 
 gantly, luxuriously, gloriously clean !" 
 
 "You forget, dear," replied Miss West, "that 
 even cleanliness is a luxury beyond the reach 
 of the very poor. Soap is expensive, and even 
 water must in many houses be carried up and 
 down long flights of stairs." 
 
 With the exception of the front alcove room, 
 the large old apartments on the second floor had 
 never been partitioned off, and though connect- 
 ing doors had been nailed up, they had not been 
 removed and the spaces walled in as is some- 
 times the case. The rooms had never been sub- 
 jected to such an overhauling as they received 
 at the hands of workmen under Edyth's super- 
 vision. They were fumigated and scraped and 
 polished, the woodwork refreshed with two 
 coats of glistening cream-white paint, and the 
 walls hung with the daintiest of wall papers. 
 Broken panes were replaced in the broad win- 
 dows, and as the house was on a corner, with a 
 303
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 south and west exposure, the rooms had all the 
 sunlight they could hold. 
 
 "Now to furnish plainly enough, auntie/' 
 said Edyth, "is a problem." 
 
 They went on numerous shopping expeditions 
 to some of the downtown department stores, 
 and selected mattings and small ingrain rugs 
 for the floors. The windows were hung with 
 simple muslin curtains, not too fine, but im- 
 maculate in their whiteness. They bought a 
 cottage organ, a carpet-covered lounge, a cheap 
 bookcase, and a large stove for the front room, 
 but fell beneath their high ideals of destitution 
 by adding two very comfortable high-backed 
 rockers. The two little beds for the sleeping 
 room which they were to share together were 
 fitted with the most comfortable of mattresses 
 and the nicest of linen. 
 
 "That can't affect the scheme," said Edyth. 
 
 "And it will affect us," said her aunt, "and 
 help us to be more useful in the daytime, by 
 giving us better rest at night." 
 
 They offset the hidden luxuriousness of the 
 beds, however, by the purchase of a conspicuous- 
 ly cheap bureau of ash, with a small mirror 
 304
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 that would have distorted the features of even 
 Helen of Troy, and with handles that were al- 
 ways coming off. 
 
 "That bureau can be set down against the sum 
 total of all our extravagances during our mortal 
 career," said Edyth, "and we will be clear.'' 
 
 We will not follow all their effective devices 
 for giving a homelike air to their temporary 
 quarters. Helen particularly rejoiced in a 
 lavish display of beautiful potted plants, and 
 started a glossy green ivy on a journey up one 
 of the window casings. When the bookcase was 
 filled with favorites, and a few neatly framed 
 photographs hung on the walls, and a canary 
 trilled in his cage over Helen's pretty worktable, 
 it was not difficult for our two friends to feel 
 that they could be content for a season even 
 amid such sounds as arose from the motley 
 crowd below. 
 
 "It suggests what Noah's household must 
 have endured in the ark, doesn't it ?" said Edyth 
 one day when they were getting settled. "It is 
 hard for you, auntie, dear; but it was so lovely 
 of you to consent to come here with me, for, of 
 
 course, I could never have attempted it alone.'' 
 305
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "But perhaps," said Miss West, with a beauti- 
 ful light in her eyes, "perhaps I had a 'calP 
 too !" 
 
 Not many doors away, around a corner, was 
 a dressmaking establishment patronized mostly 
 by the wives of saloon-keepers and by young 
 women out at service. Edyth had been attracted 
 by the sign in a front window, and had rung 
 and asked for "Madam Henebry." The madam, 
 who had bleached hair, small, suspicious eyes, 
 and a coarse mouth, appeared in the shabby, 
 stuffy little parlor, and scrutinized her visit- 
 or closely, through a lorgnette that she had 
 picked up once on the floor of a theater. The 
 glasses were not suited to her eyes, but that 
 fact did not detract from her impressiveness. 
 There was something formidable in her natural 
 appearance, and as she handled it the innocent 
 lorgnette had all the moral effects of a bludgeon. 
 Edyth was attired in a cheap, dark blue cash- 
 mere, a coarse black jacket of the style of two 
 seasons previous, and a turban of velveteen with 
 a bow of black ribbon. Her commonplace attire 
 did not completely conceal her fine figure, and 
 
 made her erect and graceful bearing still more 
 306
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 noticeable. Madam took her at first for a new 
 customer, and wore a gracious smile that faded 
 into a look of doubt and surprise as Edyth asked 
 if there was an opportunity for her to assist in 
 the workroom. The madam asked a few ques- 
 tions: where did she live and with whom, and 
 could she sew well? Then, leaving the room, 
 she returned with a bit of hemming for Edyth 
 to do. Next she brought a waist for overcasting, 
 then a buttonhole to be worked. Edyth had al- 
 ways enjoyed using her needle, and the madam 
 looked on admiringly as the white, deft fingers 
 swiftly and neatly fulfilled their task. 
 
 "You'll do !" she said, bluntly. "I'll have a 
 vacancy one week from to-day." 
 
 Thus it was that on a stormy January morn- 
 ing Edyth made her first appearance in Madam 
 Henebry's workroom. Nearly a doxen girls had 
 rived before her, and were trying to limber their 
 benumbed fingers in the faint, unfriendly 
 warmth from an ill-smelling oil stove. The 
 original partition had been removed from be- 
 tween the two rooms on the second floo.r, thus 
 throwing them into one long, narrow apart- 
 ment. It was a cheerless place, for the rear 
 307
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 windows were darkened by the solid side wall 
 of a tenement house. The green paper shades 
 were rolled loosely to the tops of the windows 
 and tied with tapes. The ceiling was low, rough, 
 and smoke-stained. The walls were hung with 
 dressmakers' charts and paper patterns. The 
 dingy carpet was worn to holes in places. The 
 air was heavy and foul, and it was evident that 
 no windows had been open since the day pre- 
 vious. Edyth paused on the doorsill as she 
 came from the hall room that did duty as a 
 receptacle for hats and wraps. The group of 
 girls caught sight of her, nudged each other, 
 whispered, and giggled. The madam never 
 troubled herself to introduce a new girl to the 
 others. Edyth's gown was that same cheap blue 
 cashmere, but there was a neat white linen 
 collar in the neck, and she wore also a plain but 
 snowy little lawn apron. Just before she left 
 home, when she and her Aunt Helen arose from 
 their knees after asking the Father's blessing 
 on the new venture, Miss West picked a splendid 
 Lady Washington geranium bloom, and pinned 
 the pink cluster on Edyth's waist. This caught 
 
 the eyes of the girls. As Edyth took the wooden 
 308
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 chair that the madam assigned to her tho 
 whisperers gathered strength, and one tall, 
 black-eyed girl, who wore soiled ribbons and 
 siderable cheap jewelry, said audibly: 
 
 "0, say, girls, ain't I jest stunnin', I am! 
 Guess he must drive a wagon fer a flower shop, 
 hey?" 
 
 Edyth expected coarseness and insult, and was 
 not disturbed by the remarks that were made 
 while she took directions from her employer 
 about the facings for a gorgeously flowered silk 
 waist. Edyth sat in Kathie Brent's chair. 
 Kathie had just been dismissed on account of 
 her racking cough. She was a shy, silent crea- 
 ture, not at all companionable. The girls hated 
 her great, mournful blue eyes and long, bony- 
 fingers, and her cough had annoyed them. No 
 one wondered now that she was gone what would 
 become of her. The girls who shivered all 
 winter and drooped all summer in Madam 
 Henebry's dismal workroom were to their task- 
 mistress only so many animated contrivances 
 for turning off work. If one went, some other 
 came. Whether they went silent and white on 
 
 a long journey, or recklessly plunged into the 
 309
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 life of the music halls and beer gardens, it 
 mattered not to her, so long as there were other 
 hands to ply her needles and other feet to work 
 the treadles of her sewing-machines. This new 
 girl was different from any who had ever sat 
 among them. Her fresh, fair face, her erect 
 figure, her simplicity of attire and perfect neat- 
 ness, were a revelation to the half-starved, half- 
 washed, tawdry creatures who made their bold 
 comments upon her, the while they shook out 
 their work and looked for stray thimbles and 
 scissors. Edyth sewed swiftly and well, and 
 gave an occasional keen, unobserved glance at 
 the others. A great love and longing filled her 
 soul. There were eight girls bent over the little 
 heaps of silk and cashmere and dress linings. 
 They had found another subject of conversation 
 by this time, for the madam had just announced 
 that Judy O'Flaherty, the daughter of the pro- 
 prietor of the next corner grocery, was to be 
 married within a month with great ceremony 
 in St. Bridget's, on the adjoining block, and the 
 entire trousseau was to be prepared at madam's 
 establishment. Even the madam's grim coun- 
 tenance relaxed somewhat at this rise in her 
 310
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 prosperities, and her stern hand loosened a little, 
 so that the girls knew that they might chat 
 freely for a season, a privilege not always 
 granted. 
 
 "Uv course it's white she'll be married in, 
 mum?" interrogated Maggie Flynn of the 
 madam, who nodded graciously, adding with -a 
 relish, "Satin !" 
 
 "To think of it!" said the black-eyed girl, 
 who went by the name of "Snap." 
 
 "The luck that some folks has !" sighed Lillie 
 Eiggs. She had a rather delicate, small-featured 
 face, and a head of frowsy auburn hair. SJie 
 usually brought a sensational story paper along 
 with her luncheon, and wore a gilt ring with a 
 glass solitaire on her engagement finger. She 
 had bought the ring herself for twenty-five 
 cents. 
 
 "Maggie, I dast you to ask the madam ef 
 there's goin' to be a toor?" whispered Ann 
 Ferris. 
 
 "I'll not be dared, girls. It ain't fair. I 
 asked about the dress." 
 
 "Go on yourself, Ann !" said several 
 
 smothered voices. 
 
 311
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 So Ann, venturing on the madam's unusual 
 suavity, piped out shrilly with a high flush and 
 a quickened heart-beat, "Please, ma'am, be they 
 goin' a-travelin' ?" 
 
 "Niagara !" replied madam, sententiously. 
 
 "Ah h !" came in an awe-stricken chorus. 
 
 "Jest like Astors and Vanderbilts !" ex- 
 claimed Snap. 
 
 "Now, see here, girls," said Amanda Kaff, 
 whose face showed considerable good, practical 
 sense, "wouldn't you rather never see Niaggery 
 than to hev to take it along with Franz Gun- 
 ther's Jim?" 
 
 Franz Gunther was the ward "boss," and his 
 oldest son, the coming bridegroom, was not in 
 the highest repute in the neighborhood for good 
 looks, sobriety, nor honesty. 
 
 While this chatter had been going on one of 
 the girls had edged her chair quite near to 
 Edyth. She had a pale, pinched face and a 
 tired, discouraged air, but she was much neater 
 than the others in her dress. Her bodice was 
 free from grease-spots, her hair was smooth, and 
 her finger nails were clean. She made no at- 
 tempt at ornament of any sort. Edyth saw that 
 312
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 her eyes were more than once fixed hungrily on 
 the Lady Washington geranium, and she de- 
 tached it from her dress and laid it on the girl's 
 knee. The wan face lighted up as if a beam 
 of sunshine had fallen athwart it. 
 
 "0, thank you !" was the low response. "Be- 
 fore my par died we had a little home of our 
 own in the country, and them flowers grew in a 
 mound in the front yard. I'll take it home 
 to mar." 
 
 She lifted it to her lips, and then pinned it on 
 her bosom. 
 
 "What is your name ?" said Edyth. 
 
 "Ellen Lester," said the girl, resuming her 
 needle. 
 
 While the other girls chatted and laughed 
 Edyth drew from Ellen the story of her family's 
 misfortunes, and made a mental note of her 
 street and number. The madam, who had left 
 the room as mild as a June morning, now re- 
 turned like a stormy November night, gloomy, 
 stinging, and furious. Mrs. Matthias Zimmer- 
 mann had brought back her green cloth suit for 
 extensive alterations. Each girl in turn was 
 
 blamed for some part of the difficulty. The 
 313
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 merry talk suddenly subsided. Madam stamped 
 and roared like a wild animal. The girls 
 seemed to shrink within themselves. Madam 
 wished to punish them in some way. She would 
 deprive them of their usual privilege of steeping 
 a pot of tea at noon on the stove. Few of them 
 were in the habit of going home at noon, and in 
 bad weather all remained. There was but half 
 an hour's intermission at the best. To-day 
 there would be only fifteen minutes. When the 
 clock struck twelve the madam went below for 
 her own luncheon. "Snap" arose and shook her 
 fist at the closed door. 
 
 "You old she-dragon !" she muttered. 
 
 "Let's stab her with the scissors !" said Ann 
 Ferris, brandishing a pair like a mock-tragedy 
 queen. 
 
 "And put out her eyes !" said Maggie Flynn, 
 waving a bodkin. 
 
 "It was her own blunder," cried Lizzie Mc- 
 Crea, "an' she a-layin' it onto us girls !" 
 
 Ellen Lester burst into tears. 
 
 " 'Bye, Baby Bunting, Papa's gone a-hunt- 
 ing,' " called out a mocking voice. 
 
 "Girls," said Edyth, "may I open a window ?" 
 
 314
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Ain't we got enough to bear without bein' 
 froze to death?" cried Snap, viciously. 
 
 "But this air is poisonous," said Edyth. "We 
 will all have headache this afternoon." 
 
 "Well, if you don't like it, lump it!" re- 
 plied Molly Delaney. "It was all right till you 
 come." 
 
 "But it ain't all right," said Amanda Eaff, 
 espousing Edyth's just cause. "You girls don't 
 know the difference between a dead fish an' a live 
 one." 
 
 "Well, we know sass when we hear it, don't 
 we, girls ?" said Snap, picking up a pincushion 
 and flinging it at Amanda's head, which it 
 missed and hit Ed} 7 th full on the cheek, inflict- 
 ing several painful punctures and drawing 
 blood. Snap waited a second, instinctively half- 
 shielding her head with her arm, expecting the 
 immediate return of the missile, but to her sur- 
 prise Edyth quietly took a handkerchief and 
 wiped off the side of her face, then picked up the 
 cushion and replaced it on the table. 
 
 "Shame, shame !" cried some of the girls to 
 Snap. 
 
 "I didn't mean it fer her !" she said, sullenly. 
 315
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "I'm sure you would not wish to hurt me nor 
 anyone," said Edyth, kindly. 
 
 "Yes, I would," declared Snap. "I'd like to 
 smash the whole world." 
 
 Then by a curious contradiction she sank 
 down on the floor, threw her black cotton apron 
 over her head, and cried like a baby. 
 
 "We haven't but ten minutes left fer a bite 
 of something to eat," said Maggie Flynn, and 
 the girls flocked after her to the cloakroom, 
 returning with small brown paper parcels. 
 
 "Come, Snap, up with you !" said Ann Ferris. 
 "Here, I've brought your lunch in with mine." 
 
 Snap dried her eyes on her apron, and took 
 the parcel Ann thrust into her hand. Edyth 
 had provided herself with a couple of sand- 
 wiches in order that she might remain and 
 study her new companions. She was horrified 
 at the array of edibles that was produced. 
 Green cucumber pickles enough to set the teeth 
 of the mastodon on edge, cream puffs made with 
 rancid lard, pieces of baker's pie with only a 
 hint of fruit between two layers of unspeakable 
 crust. There was no word of criticism on these 
 
 dainties from the respective owners, but Edyth 
 316
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 knew how heads and nerves and stomachs would 
 protest, although the girls would not suspect the 
 cause. 
 
 "Hurry up with that pie, Lil," called one. 
 "We're waitin' fer that next chapter. I'm just 
 dyin' to know if Lord Manchester marries the 
 nurse girl." 
 
 Lillie was in the habit of reading aloud from 
 her favorite papers. 
 
 "I can't read, girls, to-day," she said, "with- 
 out my tea. I'm faint fer it." 
 
 "So am I," said Ann. "Ain't it mean, 
 though?" 
 
 "Then Maggie must sing," said Lizzie. 
 "Sing that new tune we heard at Blakely's last 
 night." 
 
 Edyth shuddered. She had seen that name 
 blazoned in colored lights over a coarse resort 
 on a neighboring avenue. Maggie Flynn was a 
 very pretty girl, with a wealth of burnished 
 brown hair, and a lovely mouth. 
 
 "Ain't I missin' my tea as much as any of 
 ye?" she said. 
 
 "But, Maggie, alanna," urged Molly, "cheer 
 
 us up a bit." 
 
 21 317
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 So Maggie took her stand at the end of the 
 room, and sang a really musical little ballad 
 with the airs and graces of a public favorite. 
 Her voice was wonderfully sweet and of rare 
 compass. Edyth listened and jotted another 
 fact down in her mental notebook. The madam 
 returned just then in a more amiable mood, 
 having partaken of a hot and palatable meal, 
 including a cup of strong and steaming tea. 
 
 It was a trying afternoon. A fog set in 
 early, and the kerosene lamps were lighted. 
 The girls missed their accustomed stimulus, 
 and were suffering from impure air and indi- 
 gestion. They had several mishaps with their 
 work. Edyth's skillful hand saved Snap and 
 several others from severe reproof from the 
 madam, as well as a cut in their small wages. 
 Ellen Lester fainted before night, and that 
 time when Edyth proposed to open a window for 
 a few moments no one demurred, and all felt 
 the reviving influence of even the damp outdoor 
 air. 
 
 Ellen's indisposition gave Edyth a chance 
 to walk home with her at six o'clock. A room 
 
 in a neighboring tenement house, divided by 
 318
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 calico curtains into a kitchen and two bedrooms, 
 was the home of Mrs. Lester, her daughter 
 Ellen, and her son James, a boy of fourteen, 
 who responded to the call of "Cash !" in a down- 
 town shop. Edyth observed the neatness of the 
 place as she conversed with Mrs. Lester. Mr. 
 Lester had been a mechanic in a New England 
 town. A long illness had exhausted his small 
 savings, a mortgage on the cottage that they had 
 partly bought had been foreclosed, and upon his 
 death there were no near relatives to help them 
 The family had come to New York, and had 
 lived on the edge of starvation ever since. It 
 was a very commonplace story, but its genuine 
 distress touched Edyth's heart. She might not 
 reveal too speedily her ability to help, but she 
 spoke so kindly and hopefully to the sad mother 
 and daughter that somehow their hearts grew 
 lighter. On the way home she stopped at a 
 grocers and ordered a generous supply of 
 edibles, including some fruit and delicacies, to 
 be sent to the Lesters from "a friend," and, 
 weary though she was in body, she climbed the 
 stairs to her own apartments as if on wings. 
 
 As she reached the landing Aunt Helen's face 
 319
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 appeared at a narrow opening in the front door, 
 as they called their entrance to the sitting room. 
 
 "I was getting uneasy, dear," she said; "you 
 are nearly an hour late." 
 
 "I'll tell you all about it," said Edyth. "This 
 has heen the longest, the shortest, the most 
 trying, the most blessed, day of my life so far. 
 But first, please give me a plate of soup, for I'm 
 simply ravenous." 
 
 After the evening meal was cleared away 
 Edyth lay on the lounge in the firelight, and, 
 holding fast to one of Miss West's hands, de- 
 scribed the events of the day. 
 
 "I have two definite ideas as the result of 
 this day's experiment," said Edyth, in conclu- 
 sion. "First, proper food for the girls. Sec- 
 ond, to find the girl whose place I have taken, 
 Kathie Brent. Yes, I may add a third, to help 
 the Lesters to better conditions. But, auntie, 
 dear, I haven't asked at all about your day. 
 Have you been very lonely ?" 
 
 "On the contrary, I have been very busy," 
 said Miss West. "Perhaps I can tell a story." 
 
 "How delightful!" said Edyth. "What is 
 it?" 
 
 320
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Well," said Miss West, "you had not been 
 gone very long this morning when I heard a 
 great commotion in the hall overhead, and then 
 on the stairs. There were angry voices of men 
 and the wailing of a woman. I availed myself 
 of our chain bolt and peeped out. Some men 
 were carrying a few pieces of rickety furniture 
 down the stairs, and two others bore a cot bed 
 on which lay an elderly colored woman evidently 
 ill and friendless. I ventured into the hall and 
 inquired what was the matter. One man told 
 me that the woman was behind two months in 
 her rent. 
 
 " 'But what is to become of her ?' I asked. 
 
 " 'Sidewalk,' he answered, savagely. 'She's 
 only playin' 'possum, she is.' 
 
 "Whereupon the poor creature on the bed 
 cried in a hoarse whisper, '0 lady, fer de Lawd's 
 sake, help me ! I ain't got nobody in all de 
 worl', nobody, nobody.' 
 
 "I told the men to carry her back to her room 
 and I would go to the agent and pay the ar- 
 rears on the rent. They grumbled a good deal, 
 but I gave them each something, and the bed 
 
 and the poor wrecks of chairs were returned 
 321
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 to a fourth-floor hall bedroom. I found the 
 agent and settled with him, and went for a 
 doctor, who came within an hour. He said that 
 the woman has a very bad cold, but that she 
 needs good food more than anything else. Her 
 name is Clarissy Hallam, she says, and she went 
 out washing and scrubbing until she took ill, 
 but she did not have work enough to provide 
 anything ahead. I have made her comfortable 
 for the present. It was very touching to see 
 her grateful appreciation of the little I had 
 done for her. Somehow I felt as if I were work- 
 ing side by side with the Master to-day; for 
 although all our work is done under his loving 
 eyes, he does not always seem so near to me." 
 
 It was just before daylight the next morning 
 that Miss West heard Edyth call softly: 
 
 "Aunt Helen !" 
 
 "Well, my dear?" 
 
 "I've a new scheme. Those girls must be 
 better fed. How would it do to set Mrs. Lester 
 up in a small restaurant near by here, and fur- 
 nish good, nourishing food for losing prices, and 
 yet charge just enough to make the girls feel 
 
 independent? It may be that your good old 
 322
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 colored woman, Clarissy What's-her-name, will 
 be excellent help for Mrs. Lester." 
 
 "What next, Edyth?" said Miss West. 
 
 "But would you not approve, auntie?" 
 
 "Certainly, dear. I was only thinking how 
 your path begins to widen. It is good that, 
 unlike the majority of philanthropists, you are 
 not perplexed for means to carry out your 
 plans." 
 
 "I haven't told you yet, auntie, of my most 
 cherished plan. It seems almost too beautiful 
 to be practical, and yet it haunts my mind con- 
 stantly. However, it will keep. The restau- 
 rant is the next thing." 
 
 Thus it came about that not quite three weeks 
 after this conversation, when the girls at Madam 
 Henebry's were laying aside their work at the 
 stroke of noon, Edyth drew from her pocket a 
 bunch of neat little menu cards, and said with 
 a happy glance at Ellen Lester : 
 
 "Girls, I find that Ellen's mother has moved 
 just around the corner, and is willing to serve 
 luncheon and supper at small prices. Suppose 
 we go there to-day instead of trying to eat here. 
 
 Just read over the list : 
 323
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 " Tlate of beef soup and a roll, 3 cents. 
 
 " 'Cup of tea, coffee, or cocoa, 1 cent. 
 
 " Toached egg on toast, or boiled egg with 
 rolls and butter, 3 cents. 
 
 " 'Roast-beef or chicken sandwich, 4 cents. 
 
 " 'Bowl of rich milk with rice, 3 cents. 
 
 "'French hash (special), 1 cent. 
 
 " 'One kind of fresh or stewed fruit without 
 extra charge.' ' : 
 
 There were the keenest interest and a buzzing 
 of tongues as Edyth finished reading. 
 
 She had obtained considerable influence over 
 her shopmates by her cheerful dignity and un- 
 varying kindness. They were quite incredulous 
 about the new restaurant. 
 
 "Yer mar can't make nothin' at that rate," 
 said Snap to Ellen, scornfully. 
 
 "She'll make our own table, anyhow, I hope," 
 replied Ellen, "and there's three of us to feed." 
 
 "What on earth is 'French hash ?' " asked Ann 
 Ferris, studying her card. 
 
 "0, you just ought to taste of mother's hash," 
 said Ellen, with gathering courage. "It ain't 
 made out of no plate pcrapin's, I can tell you, 
 
 and it is browned just the loveliest you ever see." 
 324
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "You see, it's only open from twelve to one, 
 and from six till seven at night," said Edyth, 
 consulting the bill. "Mrs. Lester is not able 
 to serve very many patrons, and if we all go 
 there I imagine we will have it pretty much to 
 ourselves." 
 
 "Well, come along," said Snap. "It won't do 
 no hurt to try. I'm half-starved this minute." 
 
 The little procession, v headed by Edyth and 
 Ellen, made their way around the corner to the 
 first floor front, where Mrs. Lester had laid half 
 a dozen little tables with dainty linen, shining 
 glass, and bright silver. There was a bunch 
 of pink carnations in a clear glass vase in the 
 center of each table. The floor was covered by 
 neat linoleum enlivened by some warm-colored 
 rugs. A cheery fire was glowing in the base- 
 burner stove. An ecru and gilt wall paper with 
 a border of roses made a good background for 
 several pretty photographs in oak frames. The 
 deep window sills afforded space for thrifty 
 begonias and geraniums. It was like a glimpse 
 of another world to the girls, or like a tale of a 
 fairy godmother in which they were actors. A 
 
 fine-looking lady of about forty sat at a corner 
 325
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 table leisurely eating her luncheon. Miss West 
 had not needed Edyth's urgent request to insure 
 her presence at this opening day; and, in fact, 
 both Edyth and herself found Mrs. Lester's 
 viands so delicious that they resolved for the 
 remainder of the winter to take only their break- 
 fasts at home. 
 
 When Snap entered she looked suspicious and 
 surly, but a few spoonfuls of the most savory 
 and appetizing soup the poor child had ever 
 tasted seemed to Avarm her heart as well as her 
 stomach, and her frown relaxed. There was 
 little or no conversation in the room. The girls 
 were mystified into silence, and busy with the 
 wonderful food. They paid their insignificant 
 checks to Mrs. Lester, and went out quietly and 
 back to work. A babel of words broke loose as 
 they went up the madam's dusty staircase. 
 
 "Girls, it ain't so !" exclaimed Maggie Flynn. 
 "It just can't be." 
 
 "But it is !" said Ann Ferris. 
 
 "Such coffee !" ejaculated Lizzie McCrea. 
 
 "Such milk !" cried Molly Delaney. 
 
 "Such soup ! Why, I feel like another per- 
 son," declared Amanda Raff. 
 326
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "But all as good as give away!" said Snap, 
 meditatively. "I can't understand it." 
 
 A few days later Edyth invited all of her 
 shopmates to spend the next Thursday evening 
 at her home and enjoy a candy pull. Ellen 
 Lester was the only one of them that had ever 
 made candy, and the opportunity was too inter- 
 esting to be neglected. Accordingly, at the ap- 
 pointed time they all appeared, eager to see 
 where Edyth might live, and desiring to know 
 something more of this strange companion who 
 shared their work, wore cheap clothes, and yet 
 was so different from themselves that her very 
 presence among them had made them want to 
 lead gentler and sweeter lives. Edyth's sitting 
 room was warm and cheerful, like her welcome, 
 and Miss West added the gracious charm of her 
 own lovely spirit. 
 
 "We had better make our candy the first 
 thing," said Edyth, inviting her guests out into 
 the clean, orderly kitchen. Mrs. Lester was 
 there to help, and was setting forth various 
 utensils and materials upon the large table. 
 
 "Here are gingham aprons for all," said Miss 
 
 West, passing one to each girl. 
 327
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Lizzie/' said Edyth, "you may shell these 
 peanuts for the taffy, and Snap by the way, 
 Snap, what is your real name ? I've often won- 
 dered." 
 
 "Louise," replied Snap. 
 
 "What a pretty name !" said Edyth. "May I 
 call you by it ?" 
 
 "I'd jest as lief. It always seemed too nice 
 for me." 
 
 "But Louise it must be after this with me, 
 at least. You may chop the peanuts in this 
 wooden tray. Molly and Maggie may stone 
 these dates, please, and get them ready for the 
 cream filling; and, Ann, if you will, you may 
 help by cracking these English walnuts, while 
 Ellen takes them out of the shells in nice halves 
 like this see ?" 
 
 The other girls were deputed to take turns in 
 stirring the molasses, and as the little group 
 worked merrily together all awkwardness and 
 strangeness wore speedily away amid cheery 
 laughter and anticipations of the coming treat. 
 When the candies were done and set to cool the 
 company returned to the sitting room. There 
 
 was a pile of fine, large photographs, but not 
 328
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 too many, on the center table, views of noted 
 buildings and of grand scenery in our own coun- 
 try. Edyth showed these pictures and talked 
 delightfully about them, and a new door opened 
 in these dark, narrow lives. There was some- 
 thing deeper than pleasure in the expressive 
 faces around the table. 
 
 Then Edyth proposed some music, but Mag- 
 gie, who was the only soloist among the girls, 
 hung back shyly. 
 
 "Come, Maggie," said Edyth, "I have a song 
 here that just suits your voice. I will go 
 through with it first, if you like." 
 
 Maggie stepped to Edyth's side at the organ, 
 and Edyth sang, "There's a beautiful land on 
 high." The words were set to music so full of 
 heavenly inspiration in its rich tenderness and 
 pathos that one would be willing to live long 
 years just to breathe out one such melody for 
 God. Maggie had hardly ever heard a religious 
 song in her life. Edyth had never sung so well. 
 The room was as quiet as a lonely field at night. 
 
 "My Jesus is there, He's gone to prepare, 
 A place in that land for me." 
 
 When she had finished there were tears in the 
 329
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 eyes of some of the girls. Louise had buried her 
 head in the sofa cushions, but Maggie stood with 
 a strange, awe-struck, but beautiful hope shin- 
 ing in her face, even though her cheeks were 
 wet. 
 
 "What a lovely song!" she said, softly, after 
 a pause that was eloquent with deep feeling. 
 "Are there many of that sort?" 
 
 "Yes," replied Edyth, kindly, "there are a 
 great many, but this is one of my favorites. 
 Would you like to try it ?" 
 
 "0, not now," said Maggie, "not after you; 
 but I do want to learn it." 
 
 "Well, come in any evening, and I will teach 
 it to you." 
 
 Molly Delaney was still poring over the photo- 
 graphs. She had selected a grand view of Pike's 
 Peak, crowned with snow, and had set it up 
 against the standard of the lamp, and sat gaz- 
 ing at it with an expression of wondering de- 
 light. 
 
 "Do you like it, Molly?" said Edyth. 
 
 "Like it, Miss Wilsey ! I think if I was ever 
 so tired it would sorter rest me. It looks so 
 
 grand and still-like." 
 
 330
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "You may have it, Molly, to take home and 
 keep." 
 
 "0, but I wasn't hintin' for it, Miss Wilsey." 
 
 "I know that you weren't," replied Edyth, 
 "but I intended one of those pictures for each 
 of you, girls, if you like them. You may as 
 well select them now." 
 
 The choice of the photographs was mixed 
 with much happy conversation, but as the girls 
 settled back into their chairs Snap, who had 
 been nicknamed on account of a steel-trap man- 
 ner of speaking, cried out : 
 
 "0, I do wish I knew things !" 
 
 "So do I !" said Ann Ferris. "But what's 
 the use?" 
 
 "No use/' declared Molly Delaney. "If a 
 girl works hard all day she's too dead tired to 
 go to school at night." 
 
 "We were born away down in the world, and 
 there ain't no good in tryin' to climb up," said 
 Lizzie McCrea, bitterly. 
 
 "0, but that is doubtless just what we are 
 put 'away down' for," said Edyth, cheerily, "to 
 see if there is enough to us to climb. There are 
 
 better things for every one of us, better and 
 331
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 better, if we will have them. While Mrs. Lester 
 is getting us some luncheon I would like to 
 read you about the very best thing in the world, 
 something that we can all have. A good man 
 has called it The Greatest Thing in the World. 
 Shall I read a little?" 
 
 "We're ready/' said a voice. 
 
 Edyth read a few pages, and then glanced up 
 at the circle of attentive listeners that surround- 
 ed her. Molly had come and sat on the floor at 
 her feet. 
 
 "Shall I go on?" she asked. 
 
 "0, yes, yes !" came in a chorus of sincere 
 appreciation. 
 
 Just then Mrs. Lester appeared in the door- 
 way with a significant gesture that announced 
 that refreshments were ready. 
 
 "We will go to the dining room now," said 
 Edyth, "and finish this later." 
 
 A bountiful supply of sandwiches and pitch- 
 ers of hot cocoa awaited the group, to which they 
 did full justice. Then the platters of candy 
 were brought, and Edyth had provided some 
 little white pasteboard boxes, that each girl 
 
 might fill one with sweets. She wondered if they 
 332
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 would propose to finish the essay, and it did her 
 heart good when Amanda Raff said : 
 
 "Ain't we goin' to hear the rest of that book ?" 
 
 So Edyth read on to the end. 
 
 "That's jest what you have, ain't it?" said 
 Snap to her hostess, as the booklet was closed 
 and laid down. 
 
 "I do love you, girls," she replied, sincerely. 
 
 "But why, Miss Wilsey? You may be poor 
 and have to work for a livin', but you ain't our 
 sort, and we know it," declared Ann Ferris, 
 nervously. "If you ain't up now, you've been 
 up." 
 
 "We won't talk about that now, Ann," said 
 Edyth. "Sometime I will tell you just how it 
 was that my life has been thrown with yours. 
 I love you, every one, and I hope we are going 
 to have some good times together. If you ask 
 why I love you, it is because the One whom I 
 love best, our Saviour, loves you more than I can 
 tell, and wants you to be happier." 
 
 Jt was time for the girls to go home, and 
 Edyth passed a copy of Gospel Hymns to each, 
 and sat down at the organ. 
 
 "Let us try an evening hymn," she said. "I 
 22 333
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 will play it all through, and then we will sing u 
 together." 
 
 They quickly caught the air of "Hursley," 
 and the hlessed words of the hymn "Sun of my 
 soul" .were sung very sweetly, and followed by 
 a short prayer from Miss West. 
 
 "We've had an awful good time," said Ann 
 Ferris, as the girls put on their hats and coats. 
 Edyth received the somewhat dubious compli- 
 ment in the grateful spirit in which it was in- 
 tended, and replied : 
 
 "How would you all like to spend an evening 
 here once a week, perhaps every Thursday ? You 
 can each one bring a girl friend if you like." 
 
 "What luck for the likes of us !" said Molly 
 Delaney, hugging her precious picture to her 
 heart. 
 
 "Well, you may consider that you all have a 
 standing invitation to spend that evening with 
 my aunt and me," said Edyth. "We won't make 
 candy every time, but we will have something 
 pleasant to do." 
 
 The next morning Maggie Flynn appeared at 
 Madam Henebry's with great news to tell. 
 "Blakely's" had sent for her in haste the night
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 before. One of the star singers had been taken 
 suddenly ill, and Maggie was wanted to fill out 
 the program. 
 
 "They want me to-night, sure," said she, 
 "and it's good work and steady pay, and more 
 fun than sewing one's eyes out here." 
 
 "0, but, Maggie, you won't do it, will you ?" 
 said Lizzie McCrea. 
 
 "I'd like to know why not?" asked Maggie, 
 with a willful little toss of her head. "I would 
 like the money." 
 
 "Well, you know if a girl wants to keep sober 
 and decent she'd best keep away from Blakely's 
 altogether," replied Lizzie, firmly. 
 
 "It's mighty pleasant in there of a cold 
 night," sighed Ann Ferris. "What with the 
 lights and the warmth and the lively music, 
 it's a deal pleasanter than it is to home." 
 
 "Well, I may go, and I may not !" declared 
 Maggie. 
 
 She had been skirting the edges of evil for 
 some months. Her home was a pitiable place, 
 for her father and brothers drank freely, and 
 her mother was crushed in health and spirits. 
 
 Maggie liked to get away from the poverty and 
 335
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 wretchedness and forget her troubles for a few 
 hours. So far she had not crossed the fatal 
 bridge to ruin, but she was dallying near the 
 entrance to it. Less than a month before she 
 would have hailed with unmixed delight the 
 opportunity to sing at Blakely's; but last even- 
 ing spent in Edyth's home had awakened a dim 
 but potent desire after the beauty of goodness, 
 and she was hesitant and ashamed. Edyth was 
 on the alert. She walked with Maggie to 
 luncheon. 
 
 "Maggie," she said, "I wish you'd go with me 
 to-night and hear some of the very best music 
 in the world. My aunt will go with us, and then 
 you can come and stay all night at our house." 
 
 "Thank you," said Maggie. "I'll think about 
 it, but I've a very strong mind to go to Blake- 
 ly's. I ain't obliged to go to the bad just be- 
 cause I sing there." 
 
 "Perhaps not," replied Edyth, "but the 
 chances would not be in your favor, would 
 they?" 
 
 "No," said Maggie, frankly, "they wouldn't." 
 
 "There are better days coming to you soon, 
 dear girl, if you will be brave and patient.
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 How would you like to go to a music school 
 a conservatory, they call it and learn to sing ?" 
 
 "0, Miss Wilsey, how could it be ?" 
 
 "Never mind about that. I know the way. 
 Just give up this Blakely matter forever, that's 
 all." 
 
 "Miss Wilsey, the girls say that you ain't a 
 real girl like us, but you're an angel come to 
 live among us." 
 
 "A very human sort of angel," laughed 
 Edyth. "But tell me, will you go with us to- 
 night ?" 
 
 "Yes, Miss Wilsey, I'll go," said Maggie. 
 
 Edyth had bought three seats for the ora- 
 torio of "Elijah," expecting to give some one of 
 the girls a chance to hear one of the best things 
 in life, and thus it happened that Maggie 
 Flynn's depressed and benighted soul came that 
 night into a great center of inspiring and 
 elevating influence that made the terrible and 
 degrading vulgarities of Blakely's appear at 
 their real value, and showed her the two king- 
 doms that divide this world and strive for the 
 mastery of human hearts. The immense audi- 
 ence, so quiet and refined, the glorious music 
 337
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 that she could not wholly understand, the ma- 
 jestic words, all made an appeal to the suscep- 
 tible mind and heart of the girl. What most 
 impressed her was the contralto soloist, a young 
 woman with a noble simplicity of bearing and a 
 rich voice, who stood unconscious of herself, 
 plainly attired, and held the crowded house in a 
 thrall of holy enjoyment. Maggie contrasted 
 this singer with those whom she had heard and 
 seen, and her cheeks flamed with wholesome 
 shame. 
 
 "I will be like her," she said to herself. "I 
 will sing like her, in such places and for such 
 people as these." 
 
 Edyth had won a victory for God and heaven. 
 
 Edyth had observed, as the days wore on, 
 the speedy effect of better food upon her shop- 
 mates. Hollow cheeks were beginning to take 
 on rounder outlines, famished nerves were 
 being nourished, there were fewer headaches, 
 and consequently there was much less irritability 
 in the workroom. She also found that each of 
 these girls had some hidden longing for some 
 special line of work. Louise was quick at 
 
 figures, and wanted to learn bookkeeping. Molly 
 338
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 had considerable natural ability for drawing. 
 Ann Ferris had an ambition to thoroughly un- 
 derstand the underrated art of good cooking. 
 Lillie Riggs had dreamed silly dreams of a 
 coming prince who would lift her to his high 
 estate, but beneath her fostered sentimentality 
 was a real talent for designing patterns for wall 
 papers and dry goods. Ellen Lester and Lizzie 
 McCrea were thoroughly domestic in their 
 tastes. The Thursday nights at Edytlfs home 
 developed these facts and more. 
 
 After the club was well under way she with- 
 drew from Madam Henebry's, her employment 
 there having served its purpose to open for her a 
 way to hearts and lives. She taught the girls 
 much of hygiene, of personal neatness, of quiet- 
 ness in dress and speech, and of good reading. 
 She visited the mothers in their dreary homes, 
 and carried brightness and hope with her. 
 
 With the help of Amanda Eaff she discovered 
 Kathie Brent coughing her desolate life away 
 in a dark, stuffy bedroom in the miserable flat 
 of a poor relative. A family in the room over 
 Edyth's sitting room had moved out, and she 
 
 rented the place, had it cleansed and beautified, 
 339
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 and brought Kathie there to spend her last days 
 in comfort and sunshine, with good old Clarissy 
 Hallam installed as nurse. Clarissy enjoyed 
 this position far more than her situation in Mrs. 
 Lester's restaurant, and gave the sick girl the 
 best of care. Kathie died before spring, but 
 Edyth had pointed her to the Saviour, and she 
 went home with the light of his welcome trans- 
 figuring her wasted face. 
 
 "I'll tell him it was you, you, you!" she 
 whispered to Edyth just before her happy spirit 
 vanished. 
 
 "A star in your crown, dear," said Aunt 
 Helen, as she stood with Edyth beside the peace- 
 ful form in the casket. 
 
 "But the crown belongs at Jesus's feet, auntie. 
 0, what could the world have ever given me in 
 
 exchange for this ?" 
 
 340
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 Miss WEST and her niece had been largely 
 influenced in the selection of their home by tue 
 fact that there was a mission chapel only a few 
 blocks distant. It had been built and was sup- 
 ported by a wealthy uptown church. There 
 was no morning service, but a Sunday school 
 was held in the afternoon, and there was al- 
 ways an evening service of song with an ad- 
 dress by some one, usually the assistant pastor, 
 the Rev. Winthrop Leigh. The first Sunday 
 that Miss West and Edyth occupied their flat 
 they were too weary to present themselves at the 
 chapel, but a week later,. on a stormy afternoon, 
 Edyth made her way there. About a hundred 
 and fifty restless young mortals from the 
 neighboring byways were gathered there, as 
 well as a few adult scholars. There was not 
 only an unusual dearth of teachers that day, 
 but the organist also was missing. The alert 
 eyes of the superintendent noted Edyth's en- 
 trance, and he soon made his way to the chair 
 
 in the rear where she had seated herself. He 
 341
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 thought that she must be some young lady from 
 the uptown Sunday school, who had come in 
 response to a recent fervent appeal for helpers 
 in the mission; but he prided himself on a 
 knowledge of the membership of St. Christo- 
 pher's only second to that of the pastor, and it 
 annoyed him that he could not call this new- 
 comer by name. He advanced in his straight- 
 forward but gentlemanly way, and extended his 
 hand, saying with cordial dignity : 
 
 "I am Mr. Sanborn, the superintendent. May 
 I welcome a new helper in our mission?" 
 
 "If I can be of any service," said Edyth, 
 graciously, "I will be glad." 
 
 "You are from our church, St. Christopher's, 
 of course ?" said he. "It is strange that I can- 
 not place you. Perhaps you have recently joined 
 us?" 
 
 "No, Mr. Sanborn, I am not a member of 
 your church, but I am interested in Christian 
 work in this neighborhood, and I thought I 
 would drop in here to-day." 
 
 "May I ask your name?" 
 
 "My name is Miss Wilsey." 
 
 "Very well, Miss Wilsey, you are certainly a 
 342
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 Godsend to us this day. I hope you can play for 
 us. Our organist is ill." 
 
 Edyth said that she would try to supply the 
 vacancy, and followed Mr. Sanborn to the plat- 
 form, taking her place at the instrument. Mr. 
 Sanborn's daughter, with a violin, and a young 
 man, with a flute, were already there, and Edyth 
 accompanied them in an opening selection. The 
 storm increased in violence, and the room be- 
 came so dim that it was necessary to light the 
 gas. The first hymn was announced. The 
 little orchestra struck up a bright, familiar air. 
 A score of boys began to beat time with their 
 feet, some hummed the melody vigorously, and 
 one or two whistled it. Mr. Sanborn cheerfully 
 but firmly called for order, and when perfect 
 silence was obtained nodded to the organist to 
 proceed once more. Edyth was surprised at the 
 singing, it was so hearty and musical and inspir- 
 ing. It thrilled her, too, to think of these poor 
 children of the street learning to praise God. 
 
 She was radiantly happy to have a part in 
 the service, all unconscious that she looked 
 lovelier and a good deal more satisfactory to 
 
 human view than St. Cecilia herself. Her clear 
 343
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 eyes brimmed with light, and her cheeks were 
 flushed by the novelty and pleasure of the situ- 
 ation. During the second verse of the song she 
 was aware that somebody had come in, had 
 taken off a heavy ulster and spread it on a chair 
 near a register, and now was standing with fold- 
 ed arms by the door regarding her with an in- 
 terest that was too self-forgetful to be an of- 
 fense. For a second her eyes were drawn in 
 that direction. Across the throng of rumpled, 
 restless heads she encountered that searching, 
 masterful, gentle gaze of restrained and reverent 
 surprise, and in that instant one pure and lumi- 
 nous soul recognized another, and life had be- 
 come suddenly transfigured. The tall, broad- 
 shouldered, clean-shaven man by the door made 
 his waj slowly down the narrow aisle during the 
 last verse of the hymn, laying a kindly hand on 
 more than one shabby shoulder; but Edyth's 
 attention was discreetly fixed upon the notes 
 before her, and she did not look up even when 
 the stranger reached the platform, and she heard 
 Mr. Sanborn say: 
 
 "We will be led in prayer by our assistant 
 
 pastor, the Eev. Mr. Leigh." 
 344
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 In the meantime Miss Hetty Sanborn's 
 glances had not been confined to her music, 
 she had somewhat haughtily acknowledged her 
 father's introduction to Miss Wilsey, and ever 
 and anon she had scrutinized the strange organ- 
 ist with an unfriendly eye. With a woman's 
 keen observance of quality and style she noted 
 the velveteen toque and the cheap jacket and 
 gown. She saw that the hands, when released 
 from the black woolen gloves that made her flesh 
 creep just to look upon, were exquisitely shaped 
 and yery soft and white, except that the index 
 finger of the left one was roughened and dis- 
 colored by needlework. She studied the refined, 
 beautiful face, and abundant shining hair, and 
 she knew that no young lady in St. Christo- 
 pher's could compare in attractiveness with this 
 apparently poor sewing girl. Miss Sanborn had 
 also seen the young minister enter, and his 
 involuntary slight start of surprise when he saw 
 the stranger, and subsequent rapt study of the 
 girl's face, had not escaped her lively but half- 
 concealed attention. The regular organist, Miss 
 Isabel Eand, was her intimate friend, the 
 
 daughter of the richest man in St. Christo- 
 345
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 pher's. She was a stylish, rather handsome 
 brunette, strong-willed and fiery-tempered, and 
 Miss Sanborn knew her deep interest in Mr. 
 Leigh and her fair chances of success. Miss 
 Sanborn was already engaged to be married to 
 Mr. Alton, the young man who played the flute, 
 a performance that he laid as his weekly sacri- 
 fice at the feet of his prospective father-in-law, 
 whose particular delight next to a flourishing 
 business was this mission in the slums. Miss 
 Sanborn watched with disapproval as she saw 
 Miss Wilsey deputed to teach a class, and she 
 determined to combat any favorable impressions 
 that had been made upon her father. 
 
 Such was the scarcity of teachers that session 
 that both the minister and Mr. Sanborn were 
 obliged to do duty in that capacity, and Mr. 
 Leigh had no opportunity to inquire about the 
 young lady who had presided at the organ. His 
 class was across the aisle and a little back from 
 hers, and he did not neglect his chance to ob- 
 serve the fine poise of her head and the ripples 
 of her bright hair where they broke into a few 
 stray, sunny little curls around her face and 
 
 neck. Neither he nor Mr. Sanborn gave a 
 34G
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 thought to the quality of her clothes, for she 
 wore them like a princess, and would have glori- 
 fied a linsey gown. The rough street arabs 
 huddled around her in open-mouthed fascina- 
 tion, and forgot for a time their mutual gibes 
 and sundry pinches and pin-stickings. The 
 Kev. Mr. Leigh had the idea that the visitor 
 was some friend of the Sanborns from a dis- 
 tance, but he wondered that she had not been in 
 their pew at morning worship in St. Christo- 
 pher's. The last hymn was no sooner sung than 
 he turned toward Mr. Sanborn to question him, 
 but that estimable man was already in the 
 clutches of an elderly lady who wished to con- 
 sult him concerning some difficulty that had 
 arisen in her class of girls. Edyth would not 
 linger a moment, and bowing distantly to Miss 
 Sanborn, whose hostility she felt, she made her 
 way to the door, Mr. Sanborn calling to her : 
 
 "Many thanks, Miss Wilsey. Come again ; 
 we need you." 
 
 She received her mackintosh and umbrella 
 from ihe hand of the janitor, and was strug- 
 gling into the former when a cheery, resonant 
 voice said: 
 
 347
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Allow me !" 
 
 The cloak slipped lightly over her shoulders, 
 and the minister, for it was he, bowed gravely 
 at her quiet word of thanks, and handed her 
 the umbrella. He was fond of nice personal 
 belongings himself, and while he had not noticed 
 her dress and jacket, he observed that the um- 
 brella was cotton with a cheap, clumsy handle, 
 very unlike the dainty affair of silk, silver, and 
 pearl that he had sometimes had the pleasure of 
 holding above the head of Miss Isabel Rand. 
 It grated on his sense of fitness as a pine frame 
 on a choice oil portrait might have done. He 
 saw the girl turn and pass out into the stormy 
 winter twilight, and, battling a strong desire to 
 go after her, as if he had a foreordained right 
 to protect her, he wheeled around and found 
 himself face to face with Miss Hetty Sanborn. 
 There was a malicious light in her blue eyes. 
 
 "We had a new organist to-day," she said. 
 
 "Not a friend of yours, Miss Sanborn?" 
 
 "No, indeed ! An entire stranger, and a very 
 forward person too. She fairly thrust herself 
 upon us !" 
 
 "Daughter," said Mr. Sanborn, who had
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 joined them in time to hear the remark, "you 
 are unjust. Miss Wilsey appeared to me like a 
 very modest and refined young lady. I went to 
 her myself, as you saw, and asked for her as- 
 sistance." 
 
 "So her name is Wilsey," said the minister to 
 himself. 
 
 "You'll drive up with us, dominie ?" said the 
 superintendent, as he opened the door of his 
 carriage. "There's plenty of room, you know. 
 Eoom at the tea table too !" 
 
 "Thank you, Mr. Sanborn," replied Mr. 
 Leigh, "but as there are some of our mission 
 people ill I shall be busy in this neighborhood 
 until the evening meeting." 
 
 "I'm afraid you'll not have much help from 
 St. Christopher's to-night," called out Mr. 
 Alton as the carriage door slammed on the 
 coziness of the soft cushions and luxurious fur 
 robes, and the restive horses leaped forward at 
 the coachman's word. 
 
 The massive, athletic figure of the young 
 divine strode away in the face of the driving 
 snow, walking block after block with his hat 
 
 pulled down low over his eyes, and his hands 
 23 349
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 buried deep in his overcoat pockets. He en- 
 joyed the force of the blast, the whirling 
 wraiths that swept around him, the wild elation 
 of the fierce night. The rush of the storm 
 seemed to give expression and relief to the 
 tumult that possessed his soul, in the midst of 
 which a strange new tongue was calling upon all 
 that was within him to bless the Lord. It was 
 the voice of love, silent until now amid the other 
 voices that had clamored for the attention of a 
 distraught and hard-wrestling life; but he rec- 
 ognized the belated message, and thrilled with 
 the sweetness, the suddenness, the mystery, the 
 suspense that it had brought. He turned into a 
 side-street, then down and back toward the 
 deserted chapel. Conscientious usually to the 
 point of injustice to himself, he had entirely 
 forgotten his sick people for the time being. 
 
 He had his own key to the chapel door, and let 
 himself into the empty room. He lighted the 
 gas, and walked around and closed the windows, 
 and then went back and stood near the door. 
 It was here that he had caught his first glimpse 
 of her, sitting at the organ, with her lovely, sensi- 
 tive face aglow with the pure delight of self-for- 
 350
 
 THE KIXG'S GOLD 
 
 getful helpfulness. It was here that his glance 
 had unconsciously to himself compelled that 
 momentary flashing encounter of her eyes with 
 his own. He recalled the slight matter of the 
 mackintosh, and the gentle dignity, so free from 
 all coquetry, with which she had thanked him. 
 He thought of the cheap umbrella that had 
 proclaimed her poverty. He went to the outer 
 door and stared out into the night that had 
 swallowed her up. Who was she? Where was 
 she? What roof among the thousands of that 
 great city sheltered her shining head? Would 
 she ever come again to the mission? He re- 
 turned to the room and paced up and down with 
 his arms behind him, while he rapidly reviewed 
 his life. 
 
 He was descended from stanch Pilgrim stock. 
 For generations his ancestors had feared God 
 and had lived clean, thrifty, honest lives. They 
 had been well-housed, well-fed, and well-in- 
 formed. Riches and honors had often fallen to 
 his family on either side; and yet deaths and 
 misfortunes had marked Winthrop Leigh's early 
 years with isolation and poverty. Against the 
 
 dark background of those times of somber hard- 
 351
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 ships and thronging cares his mother's face and 
 form shone out, a pathetic figure too fragile to 
 breast the tempest that had burst so pitilessly 
 upon her, but whose delicate flesh veiled a spirit 
 devout, tender, unconquerable in its faith in 
 God, so that she had transmitted to her son an 
 ideal of purity and consecration that had blazed 
 like a star upon his rough and lonely path. Year 
 after year he had struggled and prayed and 
 worked, wrestling his college education from the 
 grim clutch of want, and hewing his upward 
 steps out of the solid resistance of circumstances 
 that were like a precipitous cliff in front of his 
 path. He believed in the God of his fathers with 
 a practical but buoyant faith. He believed in 
 the coming King, and in the kingdom that can- 
 not be moved. To be approved of God, to ad- 
 vance the interests of the kingdom among men, 
 were the dominant motives of his life. At col- 
 lege and at the theological school he had stood 
 head and shoulders physically, mentally, and 
 spiritually above every man in his class. They 
 had named him "Winthrop the Great," but his 
 genuine humility was greater than his brilliant 
 
 talents, and no man was even secretly jealous 
 352
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 of his honors. His serious nature was shot 
 through and through with sunlight. His piety 
 was not of the anaemic, moldy sort, but natural 
 and breezy, and refreshing as a bright October 
 day. He played a game of ball as heartily 
 unto the Lord as he delved at his Greek and 
 Hebrew. He had an intense love for the poor, 
 an intelligent affection born of hard personal 
 experience and free from any sickly sentiment. 
 He had dreams of devoting his days to the light- 
 ening of their burdens of ignorance and misery. 
 At thirty he was the pastor of a small country 
 church, and it was there, while on his summer 
 vacation, that the Eev. Robert Jewell, pastor 
 of St. Christopher's, met the young man, loved 
 him, and desired him for his assistant. 
 
 Winthrop Leigh found himself shortly in a 
 position much more dangerous to his Christian 
 character than the old days of sacrifice and pain- 
 ful progress. He leaped at once into warm 
 social favor in one of the wealthiest and most ex- 
 clusive religious circles in the metropolis; but 
 he managed to maintain an impersonal and 
 courteous course, and never allowed an attract- 
 ive invitation to come between him and hi? 
 353
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 work. His principal duties were in connection 
 with the mission, and under his labors it had 
 been meeting with renewed success, becoming a 
 pet hobby with several of the young ladies of the 
 church. Of these he had been thrown espe- 
 cially with Miss Isabel Eand. Her father was 
 the principal supporter of St. Christopher's. He 
 paid out of his own pocket for the operatic 
 soprano and tenor of the quartet, he rented 
 the most expensive pew, and laid a crisp ten-dol- 
 lar note on the plate every Sunday morning, 
 and gave largely to the benevolences. His will 
 and his taste predominated in every matter con- 
 nected with the church, from the choice of a 
 preacher to the pattern and color of a new 
 carpet. 
 
 He had taken a great fancy to the Eev. Win- 
 throp Leigh, who was an enlivening comrade 
 for a dinner or a drive, and so he was a willing 
 ally when his wife, in the privacy of their sleep- 
 ing room, besought his good offices in a person- 
 ally conducted campaign against "the knight 
 in shining armor," as Isabel called Mr. Leigh, 
 so distant he seemed with all his cordiality, 
 
 so invulnerable to all her arts. Isabel veiled her 
 354
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 desires and intentions behind a very charming 
 air of simple friendliness, and finding that the 
 mission was the absorbing theme of Mr. Leigh's 
 thoughts, she threw herself heartily into the 
 work, presiding at the chapel organ, teaching 
 a class of embryo bandits in the Sunday school, 
 and even carrying fruits, soups, and jellies to 
 the sick poor. Winthrop was so free from self- 
 conceit that he did not view all this energy of 
 devotion as having any relation to himself, 
 and he had never given Miss Rand a word or 
 look that she could possibly construe into a 
 fond intent. He was kindly and frank and 
 cheery, delighting in music and always ready 
 to sing the tenor in a duet, or to play a game of 
 chess, or to read aloud, maintaining a bright, 
 unaffected, unsentimental friendliness that was 
 the despair of the Rand family, especially as 
 his manner was just the same in a dozen other 
 families where he was continually invited and 
 made welcome to the best the house afforded. 
 Hope had sprung up in many a maiden's breast, 
 but they were hopes that, like orchids, fed on 
 air, so far as the discreet and impartial young 
 
 preacher was concerned. The Rev. Dr. Jewell 
 355
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 had often marveled at the remarkable naviga- 
 tion that had guided so young a mariner among 
 the rocks and shallows of ministerial popular- 
 ity with such safety. 
 
 Winthrop Leigh had only thought dimly of 
 marriage as a future possibility. He had been 
 too busy and too poor to give any serious con- 
 sideration to the subject. It was not definitely 
 of marriage that he was thinking now, as he 
 walked the deserted aisles of the little chapel. 
 He was only conscious that suddenly along the 
 prosaic roadside of life a glorious flower had 
 burst into bloom, filling the air with fragrance 
 and his heart with this sweet misery. He paced 
 to and fro for an hour. The storm was evident- 
 ly abating. Would she come to the evening serv- 
 ice ? And if she did could he have the courage 
 to speak to her ? Then he stood off, as it were, 
 from himself, and ridiculed this stalwart, prac- 
 tical fellow, so quickly bereft of the calm in- 
 difference of years, and driven into a two-hour 
 reverie by the sight of a new face. He went up 
 to the desk, selected some hymns for the coming 
 service, looked over the Scripture verses that he 
 
 had chosen for a brief exposition, and tried to 
 356
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 thrust aside the experience of the afternoon as 
 though it had not been, not that he might for- 
 get, but that it might rush back into his 
 thoughts ever and anon with a thrill of newborn 
 joy. When the janitor returned to make the 
 room ready for the evening he was surprised to 
 see the Kev. Mr. Leigh already on the platform 
 busily engaged with his notebook and pencil. 
 
 "A hard night, William?" said the minister, 
 looking up brightly. 
 
 "Xot snowin' now, sir, but terrible under 
 foot." 
 
 Among the first to arrive were two raga- 
 muffins who were not in the habit of attending 
 any other meeting than the Sunday school. 
 They had been in Miss Wilsey's class that after- 
 noon. 
 
 * 
 
 "Say, mister," said one of them to the jani- 
 tor, "where's thet leddy what taught our class 
 to-day ? She's a brick, she is. We thought we'd 
 come an' git a look at her." 
 
 "0, there won't no ladies git out to-night," 
 said the janitor. "The walkin's too bad/' 
 
 The minister's good common sense assented 
 
 to the truth of the janitor's statement, but his 
 357
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 heart fell even lower than those of the expectant 
 urchins. 
 
 "Wai, we won't stay fer no preachin' an' 
 prayin', will we, Jim?" said the first speaker. 
 "She's better'n all the talk; she's most as good 
 as Christmas, ain't she ?" 
 
 "You het !" replied Jim, vigorously. 
 
 "Better stay, boys," said the minister; but 
 they were off like a flash. 
 
 Even in defiance of his judgment, at every 
 opening of the door through that evening Mr. 
 Leigh's heart beat more quickly, until the clock 
 on the wall pointed to half-past eight, and the 
 meeting was closed. 
 
 As for Edyth, she had returned after Sunday 
 school to her home over the German grocery, 
 wrapped in an abstraction that caused her to put 
 her wet umbrella on the sitting-room table, 
 and her hat on the nickel image that surmounted 
 the stove. 
 
 "Why, Edyth !" exclaimed Miss West. "Has 
 the mission school turned your head?" 
 
 "No, Aunt Helen, but it was a very novel 
 experience for me. I'll tell you all about it 
 
 when I get into my tea gown and slippers." 
 358
 
 THE KIXG'S GOLD 
 
 Edyth longed just then for a room of her 
 very own. She wanted to escape for a little 
 from even that loving, solicitous, motherly gaze. 
 There was an anxious look on Helen's face as 
 she stepped back into the dining room to make 
 the tea and toast. She feared that her niece's 
 nerves were being overstrained, for the girl's 
 eyes were unnaturally bright, her cheeks were 
 flushed, and her manner was quite constrained. 
 At the tea table she talked rapidly but enter- 
 tainingly of the music, the superintendent, Miss 
 Sanborn, and the boys that she had tried to 
 teach, but never a word of the minister. 
 
 "Wasn't the assistant pastor there ?" said Miss 
 West. 
 
 "0, yes," replied Edyth, carelessly. "His 
 name is Leigh, the Rev. Winthrop Leigh. He 
 seems like a worker. I could see," she went on 
 hastily, "that Miss Sanborn did not favor my 
 being there. She is a stylish, proud girl, and 
 evidently considers me quite beneath her notice. 
 This would be intolerable to me if my apparent 
 position were my real one. As it is, I do not 
 mind her snubbing at all." 
 
 They retired early that night, and long after 
 359
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 Miss West was asleep Edyth lay awake reasoning 
 with and reproving her heart, that had dared to 
 vibrate like a harp to distant music, as if in the 
 chapel of a royal castle some master hand had 
 struck a wondrous chord on the organ keys and 
 aloft in iny lady's bower a golden lyre had 
 tremblingly responded without mortal touch. 
 
 The following Tuesday morning the Rev. 
 Winthrop Leigh was busy among the mission 
 families, and at noon was hurrying to catch a 
 street car that would carry him home to 
 luncheon. He was still walking on enchanted 
 ground, and was looking forward to another 
 glimpse of Miss Wilsey. As he turned a corner 
 he met a bevy of boisterous, loud-mannered 
 young women, who had just come down the steps 
 of a dressmaker's house. 
 
 "All aboard fer grub !" cried a shrill, pene- 
 trating voice. 
 
 It was Snap's rasping tone that pierced the 
 air. Mr. Leigh involuntarily glanced at the 
 speaker with a feeling of pity and disgust, and 
 saw at her side the graceful figure and lovely 
 face of Edyth Wilsey. She gave him no sign 
 
 of recognition, except the vivid flame that 
 360
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 crimsoned her cheeks. She knew that he was 
 judging her by her company. His long train- 
 ing in self-control had not prevented a look of 
 swift and overpowering condemnation. He had 
 found the nightingale consorting with crows. 
 Was this the girl whose face he had foolishly 
 enshrined in the holy place of his thoughts and 
 affections? A cold perspiration stood upon his 
 forehead. He walked on dazed and miserable, 
 let his car pass him, hailed the next one as in a 
 dream, and sat with folded arms and bowed 
 head until his corner was reached. Edyth's 
 gentle dignity and reserve of Sunday afternoon, 
 when he had assisted her with her storm cloak, 
 still appealed to his favor. 
 
 "But I did not hear her speak !" he groaned 
 mentally. "She might tear our mother tongue 
 to shreds. 0, what an idiot I have been ! Thank 
 heaven, no one knows but myself !" 
 
 The next night was the time for the weekly 
 prayer meeting at the mission. Mr. Leigh was 
 invited to the Rands' for dinner with Hetty 
 Sanborn and Mr. Alton and several other of the 
 young people, who would make a party to go to 
 
 the downtown service. Isabel Eand was looking 
 361
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 really brilliant in a handsome fur-trimmed gown 
 of crimson and black, and her table-talk 
 sparkled with wit. Mr. Leigh sat opposite to 
 her at dinner. He realized for the first time 
 that an alliance with her would be irreproach- 
 able in every respect. Culture, wealth, social 
 position were all to be reckoned in Isabel's as- 
 sets, and yet, until to-night, nothing but fail- 
 ure had stared her in the face, so far as the 
 coveted alliance with the minister was con- 
 cerned. She was aware that a sudden change 
 had come, and that he was regarding her now 
 with more special favor. She knew this intu- 
 itively, although he had not looked nor spoken, 
 for a woman's heart is more sensitive than a 
 barometer. 
 
 Winthrop Leigh had brought himself to be- 
 lieve that his experience of the previous Sunday 
 had been a sort of insane delusion projected by 
 the enemy as an angel of light, perhaps to 
 thwart his progress and influence. It was com- 
 mon talk that a prominent church in Harlem, 
 in which Mr. Eand's brother and business part- 
 ner were leading spirits, was seriously contem- 
 plating extending a call to the popular young 
 362
 
 THE KIXG'S GOLD 
 
 minister, for their pulpit was to be vacated in 
 three months' time. This was in his mind as 
 he saw Isabel's flashing eyes between the 
 gorgeous blossoms of the long-stemmed Ameri- 
 can Beauty roses that formed the centerpiece. 
 He had begun to be afraid for himself. To his 
 intense humiliation and surprise, he had found 
 himself out as liable to be swayed by a swift 
 and unwise impulse. Would it not be better for 
 him to be anchored, and that speedily, where 
 good sense and a reasonable regard for his 
 worldly prospects might dictate? Did he love 
 Isabel? Not as he had dreamed of love. He 
 thrilled again with the recollection of Sunday 
 afternoon, when he had seemed to mount on 
 wings as an eagle into a dazzling atmosphere of 
 bliss. Then he recalled the group of coarse 
 girls, and Snap's voice and words, and shud- 
 dered. That very afternoon he had reread 
 Emerson on "Love," with the hope that the 
 philosopher's calm, farsighted treatment of the 
 seismic subject would clear his fervid brain and 
 slow his pulses. Doubtless Emerson was right, 
 and the very essence of love is expressed in "a 
 
 thorough good understanding." Surely he could 
 363
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 have that with Isabel. How heartily she had 
 entered into his plans for the ignorant and sick 
 and poor people under his care ! How womanly 
 she had been in her ministrations ! She was 
 well-educated, too, by travel as well as books. 
 She would advance his interests in every way. 
 He would escort her to the mission that night, 
 and on their return would give her an oppor- 
 tunity to accept or refuse him. It was not self- 
 appreciation that led him to feel assured that 
 one who had been always so kind would not 
 turn away his request. He longed to speak the 
 word that would settle his fate, and give him 
 rest from tormenting dreams of impractical 
 felicity. When he helped Isabel on with her 
 rich, jaunty seal-skin jacket, just before they 
 started for the mission, and caught her happy 
 little look of thanks from beneath the brim of 
 her black-plumed hat, he thought what a really 
 pretty, agreeable, and piquant young woman she 
 was, and commended himself for his altogether 
 sensible decision. 
 
 As for Edyth, she had experienced a tem- 
 porary annoyance at meeting Mr. Leigh under 
 the circumstances of Tuesday noon, but her bet-
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 ter nature had immediately quelled the false 
 shame, and she would not allow herself to re- 
 gret that he had seen her walking with Snap, 
 any more than if she had been discovered in the 
 act of throwing a rope to a drowning convict. 
 The girls were so happy that day over their 
 palatable luncheon that her own heart over- 
 flowed with the renewed satisfaction of doing 
 good. There was a basket of luscious oranges 
 by the door, with the inviting placard "Take 
 One," and Edyth was touched to see how eagerly 
 the fruit was appropriated and put aside to 
 carry to a sick mother or a little brother or 
 sister. 
 
 When the Rev. Winthrop Leigh with Miss 
 Rand and the rest of the party entered the mis- 
 sion that night it was a little late, as some ac- 
 cident had caused a blockade of the horse-cars 
 which at that time were the principal means 
 of public locomotion in the city. A sort of 
 right-hand man, a convert who kept a small 
 shoe shop near by, was usually to be depended 
 upon to start a praise service if the regular 
 leader of the meeting failed to appear on time. 
 
 He had looked about for some one to play the 
 21 365
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 organ, and the janitor, who remembered Miss 
 Wilsey's Sunday performance, had pointed her 
 out. Edyth was sitting beside her aunt when 
 the request came, and she arose to comply, but 
 with some reluctance. 
 
 "Do help us !" said the precentor, "for the 
 people sing so much better with the instru- 
 ment." 
 
 Thus it happened that when the minister ar- 
 rived the people were shouting, "Yield not to 
 temptation," and Miss Wilsey was playing. Mr. 
 Leigh felt almost angry at the sight of the dis- 
 turber of his peace. He advanced at once to the 
 platform, followed by the little company from 
 St. Christopher's, and while his head was bowed 
 in silent prayer Edyth arose quietly, nodded 
 slightly to Miss Sanborn, who looked annoyed, 
 and returned to her seat beside Miss West. Miss 
 Eand took the vacant bench, and drew off her 
 gloves, displaying a pair of hands sparkling 
 with jewels, and Mr. Leigh announced a hymn. 
 During the singing he was obliged to realize 
 that the spell of Sunday was not broken. His 
 eyes involuntarily sought the poor sewing girl. 
 Surely there could not be a finer, sweeter, purer
 
 THE KIXG'S GOLD 
 
 face, nor a more dignified but gracious mien. 
 He saw beside her a woman in middle life, by 
 whom any man might be proud to sit in church 
 or palace. He called on some one to pray, but it 
 is to be feared that he heard but little of the 
 petition. Again his soul was swept by a resist- 
 less tide of conviction that his life was bound up 
 in the bundle of life with that of this stranger. 
 The thought of Isabel Eand was like a chip 
 drawn into the whirlpool of inner questionings 
 and lost as if it had never been. During the 
 praj-er he regained his mental poise and outward 
 self-control sufficiently to proceed calmly with 
 the meeting, but his relief was great when he 
 saw the door open to admit a noted mission 
 worker, who was known to be always ready 
 with a pointed address or a stirring song. Mr. 
 Leigh invited him to a chair on the platform, 
 and shortly announced that the newcomer would 
 make the address of the evening. 
 
 Mr. Leigh rested his elbow on a hymn book, 
 and shaded his eyes with his hand. Isabel, who 
 had been very conscious of a certain kindly so- 
 licitude in his manner on the way down, was 
 
 fluttering with hope, and stole a shy look in his 
 367
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 direction, almost expecting to meet his shielded 
 glance ; but she perceived that he was studying 
 the people directly in front of him, and her 
 own eyes traveled over the heterogeneous audi- 
 ence, pausing on the faces of Miss West and her 
 niece. Hetty Sanborn had told her of the 
 organist pro tern, of the previous Sunday, but 
 had said nothing of the evident interest with 
 which Mr. Leigh had observed Isabel's substi- 
 tute. Miss Rand studied her now in the same 
 way that one might take in a fine "Portrait of 
 a Lady." She was sensitive to delicate contours 
 and coloring, and she admired Edyth's beauty 
 in a languid manner, while her thoughts were of 
 the minister. She was impressed that a critical 
 time had come in their friendship. 
 
 After the service Miss West and Edyth be- 
 came hemmed in by a little group of people who 
 chose to exchange greetings in the center aisle, 
 and the minister reached the door before them. 
 It was an occasional usage of his to stand there 
 at the close of a meeting and speak to the people 
 as they passed out. He presumed to-night on 
 his privilege of assistant pastor, and extended 
 
 his hand to Miss West, saying: 
 368
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "It is my custom to greet strangers among 
 us, so pardon the liberty I take if I express the 
 hope that you are sufficiently interested in our 
 work to come again." 
 
 Helen West had been looking at the young 
 man all the evening through a mist of tears. 
 In his stalwart, grandly proportioned figure, his 
 bright, manly face, his clear, deep rich voice, 
 she had recalled the lover of her youth, and the 
 pain that faith and time had dulled throbbed 
 anew in her heart. 
 
 "Yes," she said, kindly, laying her hand for 
 an instant in his, "I have enjoyed the service. 
 At present it is the place of worship nearest to 
 our home, so we will doubtless be often here." 
 
 "Then may I ask your name, madam?" in- 
 quired Mr. Leigh, a small memorandum book 
 and pencil already in hand. 
 
 "My name is Miss West," she responded, "and 
 this young lady," she continued, turning to 
 Edyth, "is my niece, Miss Wilsey. We are living 
 at 234 Street." 
 
 The address caused Mr. Leigh to break the 
 point of his pencil on the page, so heavily he 
 
 bore on it in his surprise, for he knew the 
 369
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 neighborhood well. Edyth had bowed slightly 
 at her aunt's introduction, but she did not offer 
 her hand. Winthrop Leigh was determined to 
 hear her speak, and he said hurriedly : 
 
 "Miss Wilsey, there are three young women in 
 our congregation who would form the nucleus of 
 a new Sunday school class if they could have a 
 suitable teacher. Will you undertake the task ?" 
 
 Edyth thought immediately that this would 
 give her a grand opportunity to get some of the 
 shopgirls into the mission, and she replied : 
 
 "Perhaps I am not adapted to such a class, 
 but I am willing to make the experiment." 
 
 With a slight bow she was gone almost before 
 Mr. Leigh could utter his thanks. She had 
 spoken, and her voice was soft and musical, and 
 her language unexceptionable ! He had feared 
 to hear two negatives, or a discordant "ain't," 
 or a superfluous "got" fall from those perfect 
 lips. 
 
 The throng about him fortunatety left him 
 no occasion for standing there in a brown study 
 of this mystery. He aroused himself to minor 
 affairs, and shook hands right and left. Isabel 
 
 Kand had been chatting with her friends as 
 370
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 they all waited for Mr. Leigh. She had watched 
 his interview with the strangers, but she was 
 too happy in her self-confidence to see aught 
 but professional interest in the brief conversa- 
 tion and the entry in the notebook. She smiled 
 gayly at the minister as he approached her at 
 last and took her jacket from her arm, which he 
 held upside down in his effort to assist her. 
 He flushed at his own awkwardness, and she 
 misinterpreted his abstraction, and blushed her- 
 self with pleasure. He realized that he must 
 take Isabel home, and he dreaded it. She would 
 have loitered at the end of the small procession 
 of ladies and their escorts, but he managed to 
 gain a position about midway of the line, where 
 they had to walk with some celerity to keep suf- 
 ficiently in advance of the couple directly be- 
 hind them. 
 
 Once seated on the car, Isabel noted a subtle 
 change in Mr. Leigh's manner. The old remote- 
 ness had returned. At Fourteenth Street, where 
 the car was boarded by more people than could 
 be comfortably seated, he resigned his seat to a 
 woman with two babies, and to Isabel's disgust 
 
 was obliged to stand until the end of the ride. 
 371
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 He rang the doorbell of the Eand mansion, but 
 when the door was opened he politely declined 
 Isabel's rather too cordial invitation to enter, 
 excusing himself on a plea of having to write 
 until midnight. Isabel spent an hour in a 
 rage of disappointment in her mother's room, 
 and finally retired in tears. 
 
 Mr. Leigh arrived at his rooms and went to 
 work at a competitive essay which he was pre- 
 paring in response to an offer from a standard 
 magazine ; but in a few minutes he flung his pen 
 to the farthest corner of the room, stretched out 
 his long limbs under the table, and thrust his 
 hands into his pockets. His face was perplexed, 
 but lighted as by an inner torch. He arose, and 
 throwing open a window, took long, deep inhala- 
 tions of the crisp night air, flinging up his arms 
 as one who would sweep aside barriers to free- 
 dom. He had heard Miss West as she vanished 
 through the chapel door say, "Edyth !" and now 
 he said it over and over, beneath his breath. A 
 poor girl certainly, a working-girl, but a lady 
 born and bred, a lady from her simple hat to the 
 hem of her quiet gown, a lady in looks, in man- 
 ner, in word, and in reticence ! But what of the 
 372
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 terrible girls with whom he had met her ? And 
 what of her home in a beastly neighborhood 
 rank with filth and wickedness ? He could not 
 recall a decent-looking house on that street. 
 Late into the night he wondered and dreamed. 
 He was thankful that he had not carried out 
 his philosophic resolve toward Isabel Rand. She 
 was a tulip, gorgeous and stately, but who ever 
 desired to gather tulips to his heart or bury his 
 face in their flaring, scentless cups of scarlet 
 and gold ? Edyth suggested the flowers that we 
 love, whose fragrance, floating over garden 
 walls in a foreign city, would fill the eyes of a 
 wanderer with tears of remembrance and long- 
 ing for home. 
 
 The next morning the Eev. Winthrop Leigh 
 was seized with an unusual zest for visiting the 
 people in the mission district, although it was 
 not his regular day for such work. He turned 
 the corner of the squalid street where Edyth 
 Wilsey had her home, and walked by the house 
 on the opposite side. He saw the basement 
 grocery, the dilapidated entrance, the motley 
 array of placards in the curtainless first-floor 
 
 windows ; but a story higher there were shining 
 373
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 panes and snowy draperies and brightly bloom- 
 ing plants, an oasis of cleanliness and beauty 
 in a howling wilderness of repulsive sights. He 
 went on his way more mystified than ever, but 
 looking forward to a possible opportunity to 
 make a semi-pastoral call before many days 
 
 should pass. 
 
 374
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 EDYTH broached the subject of the Sunday 
 school at the Thursday Evening Club. Some of 
 the girls were Roman Catholics, and not dis- 
 posed to attend ; but Louise and Ann, Lizzie and 
 Maggie, agreed to meet her at the chapel on the 
 following Sunday afternoon. 
 
 Edyth was waiting with Lizzie for the others 
 in the vestibule when Mr. Leigh arrived. His 
 eyes brightened as he saw her, and he stepped 
 forward with outstretched hand. His strong, 
 kindly grasp seemed to convey assurance and 
 protection to the brave girl in her unconven- 
 tional position. Mr. Leigh spoke cheerfully and 
 without embarrassment. 
 
 "Very glad to see you, Miss Wilsey. It is the 
 old story of the white harvest and the few avail- 
 able sickles." 
 
 Lizzie had shrunk behind Edyth into a cor j 
 ner, where she was speedily joined by Ann, 
 Louise, and Maggie, who had peered in at the 
 door, and then made a dash for their comrade. 
 
 "I have ventured," said Edyth to the min- 
 375
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 ister, "to invite these shopmates of mine to join 
 the new class of which you spoke on Wednesday 
 night." 
 
 With inward amusement she saw him wince a 
 little at the word "shopmates." She turned 
 toward the confused and giggling quartet be- 
 hind her, saying cordially : 
 
 "Girls, let me present you to the Kev. Mr. 
 Leigh." 
 
 They came forward awkwardly, and she spoke 
 each name clearly, and Mr. Leigh welcomed 
 them pleasantly and said that he was expecting 
 the new Bible class to be a great addition to the 
 school. He invited them to the chairs that had 
 been assigned by the superintendent. Awaiting 
 the teacher were two other girls, who were in- 
 troduced to Miss Wilsey as the Misses Martin. 
 They were shy, sad-looking girls, not long from 
 the country. They were employed in a paper- 
 box factory on small wages. They boarded with 
 an aunt not far from the mission. Edyth took 
 her place at the end of the row, with a humble 
 gladness of privilege. She felt that she knew 
 almost as little of the word of God as these 
 
 whom she was invited to teach, but she had care- 
 376
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 fully prepared the lesson for the day, and se- 
 cured their eager interest from the first. Just 
 before the close of the session the Rev. Mr. 
 Leigh came down the aisle and paused at her 
 side. 
 
 "I must talk with you about this class," said 
 he. "May I see you at your home?" 
 
 "I am always at home on Thursday even- 
 ings," she replied. 
 
 "I want to consider Miss West and yourself 
 as a part of my flock, so if I claim a pastor's 
 privilege I hope it will not be regarded as an 
 intrusion." 
 
 "You will be truly welcome, Mr. Leigh," she 
 said, quietly. 
 
 As she spoke she lifted her clear gray eyes 
 for a second to his face, withdrawing them in 
 sweet inner confusion before the sudden flash 
 of his own. Again an electric message had sped 
 between these two, and each went on through 
 the rest of the day in the conscious joy of the 
 unspoken word. 
 
 Edyth invited the Martin girls to go home to 
 tea with her. As they wished to inform their 
 aunt of their whereabouts, their new teacher
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 went with them to the door of their home and 
 then escorted them to her own door. They 
 were lonely, homesick for the pretty village of 
 their childhood where they knew everybody, and 
 discouraged by the long hours, hard work, and 
 small pay of the confining factory. Edyth drew 
 their whole story from them, a commonplace 
 tale enough. The father had earned good pay 
 as an engineer, and the family had lived up to 
 the limit of their income. They had had a 
 very comfortable home and many little luxuries. 
 When the girls left school they helped their 
 mother about the house and "had a good time" 
 among the other young people of the place. 
 The father had been killed, the mother had died 
 not long after from the effects of the shock, and 
 there was nothing for the girls. Their father's 
 sister had offered to share her small home with 
 them if they could get employment near by. 
 Her husband kept a small butter and cheese 
 store, and they lived in the rooms over it. The 
 girls had been interested in a church in the 
 country, but now they had lost faith and cour- 
 age. Mr. Leigh had come across them in his 
 
 round of visiting, and had persuaded them to 
 378
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 join the mission school. Edytli told them about 
 the Thursday Evening Club, and invited them 
 to come to the next meeting. As they sat in her 
 attractive sitting room, and bit by bit told their 
 new friends of their happy past and gloomy 
 present, and felt the sympathetic charm of the 
 Christ-life in Miss West and her niece, new hope 
 crept into their darkened hearts and their faces 
 grew bright. 
 
 Maggie came in after tea to accompany the 
 two ladies to the evening meeting, and the 
 Martins went too, although they had not ex- 
 pected to venture out from their aunt's house 
 at night, and had dreaded the hours around 
 her dim kerosene lamp. Before they left 
 Edyth's home Hattie Martin, the younger of 
 the sisters, impulsively threw both arms around 
 the neck of her young hostess and said : ; 
 
 "Dear Miss Wilsey, you will never, never, 
 never know what this visit has been to us ! It 
 is the first happiness that we have known in 
 many weeks." 
 
 The Rev. Winthrop Leigh was in his place in 
 the desk when the little group entered the mis- 
 sion. He noted the changed expression of the 
 379
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 Martins, and surmised that they had been visit- 
 ing Miss Wilsey. He was singing vigorously on 
 the chorus of a hymn, but somehow the thought 
 intruded itself between the lines that he would 
 like to have the beneficent influences of such a 
 visit himself, and he was conscious that one por- 
 tion of his brain was actually counting the days 
 until Thursday. 
 
 Edyth's cup of blessedness ran over that 
 night, for Maggie Flynn rose for prayers before 
 the meeting had closed, and received the for- 
 giveness of her sins. There was joy in the 
 mission like that among the angels. 
 
 "0, Miss Wilsey," she said, "if it had not been 
 for you I would have been dancing in Blakely's 
 to-night !" 
 
 Tears of gladness chased one another down 
 Edyth's cheeks when Maggie rose and gave a 
 bright little testimony to the praise of her 
 Saviour. Edyth had never heard her own voice 
 in a religious meeting, and she shrank for a few 
 moments from the opportunity that was offered 
 by this portion of the service, although on every 
 side young and old were speaking of the love 
 
 that had redeemed them from the power of the 
 380
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 enemy. At last she gathered courage to stand 
 before them all, and said softly but distinctly : 
 
 "When I was very far from Christ, when I 
 did not know him at all, this verse from the 
 word of God called my soul from sleep, taught 
 me his love, and summoned me to his beautiful 
 work: 'He died for all; that they which live 
 should not henceforth live unto themselves, but 
 unto him who died for them, and rose again.' '' 
 
 Isabel Rand was sitting at the organ. She 
 had come that night with a young married 
 couple of her acquaintance. She had not given 
 up all hope of Mr. Leigh, for she felt assured 
 there was at least no rival in the field. She had 
 observed that Miss Wilsey was a beautiful girl, 
 but she looked upon her as a princess might 
 upon a peasant, and never thought that the 
 minister could possibly be attracted to a person 
 in so humble a station. As Edyth spoke Isabel 
 paw an expression upon Mr. Leigh's face that 
 started her heart to beating wildly with sur- 
 prise and anger. She had never before seen him 
 look like that at anyone. It was not affection 
 that lighted his countenance, neither was it ad- 
 miration. It was a divine glow. The girl's 
 25 381
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 simple statement had somehow awakened a pro- 
 found response from the depths of his nature. 
 A few lines from George Macdonald sped 
 through Isabel's brain : 
 
 " Two clear souls 
 
 That see one truth, and, turning, also see 
 Each other's face glow in the truth's delight, 
 Are something more than lovers." 
 
 It was a revelation to Isabel that made her 
 clench her small hands behind the organ. She 
 watched the two narrowly from that moment, 
 but saw no look or sign of interest pass between 
 them. When the meeting was out, however, Mr. 
 Leigh went down to speak a kindly word to 
 Maggie Flynn, and Isabel saw him turn from 
 Maggie to the Wilsey girl, take her hand for an 
 instant, and say something that brought an 
 almost awe-struck, tenderly solemn interest to 
 her eyes. Isabel would have given her diamond 
 ring to have been able to hear his words. He 
 had said to Edyth with deep feeling: 
 
 "The Scripture that you recited to-night was 
 my own call to service. It haunted me day and 
 night, everywhere. It sounded like a silver 
 trumpet in my ears until I yielded myself to 
 
 God. May he bless it yet more to us both !" 
 382
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 Several people were waiting to speak to him, 
 and he talked with each of them. Isabel and 
 her friends loitered near the platform, evidently 
 waiting for him to go home with them, but he 
 stepped up to them and said kindly : 
 
 "Do not let me detain you to-night, for there 
 is a man here very much under conviction, and 
 I am going to stay a while and help him." 
 
 Miss West and Edyth had already disap- 
 peared, so Isabel was assured that Mr. Leigh had 
 not excused himself to walk home with them, 
 but it was small comfort to her as she rode up- 
 town, absorbed in dark and bitter thoughts. 
 
 On the next Wednesday night Louise accom- 
 panied Maggie to the mission. She was not so 
 simple-hearted nor so trustful as her friend, 
 but she made up her mind to be a Christian, 
 and said so in her brusque, determined way. 
 
 "It's all along of her/' she said to Mr. Leigh 
 after meeting, pointing to Edyth. "I never 
 knew how ugly I was till she come into the 
 shop, an' set there so patient an' sweet day after 
 day. I can't never look like her, never hev sech 
 hair nor sech a skin, but, the Lord helpin' me, 
 
 I'm goin' to be like her on the inside anyhow." 
 383
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "There's no one that ever had more of the 
 love of Jesus in the heart than you can have, 
 Miss Peters," replied the minister, smiling. 
 
 "But he ain't told me yet that he's forgive 
 me," said Louise, wistfully. 
 
 "Are you sure of that?" questioned Mr. 
 Leigh. 
 
 "Well, I don't feel as if he had," said Louise. 
 
 Mr. Leigh had opened his pocket Testament. 
 "Have you confessed your sins ?" said he. 
 
 "I've told him that I'm awful sorry for every- 
 thing I ever done that warn't right, an' I've 
 nothin' good to say fer myself nohow," replied 
 the girl. "But I don't feel as Maggie says she 
 does." 
 
 "But the Bible doesn't tell you you must feel 
 as Maggie does, or feel at all, for that matter," 
 went on the minister. "Here is what God says 
 about it in his own word: 'If we confess our 
 sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our 
 sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' 
 Now you've done your part and confessed. Has 
 he kept his part of the agreement ?" 
 
 "He wouldn't be God if he didn't, would he, 
 
 sir?" 
 
 384
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Xo," said Mr. Leigh, reverently. 
 
 "And he is God ?" asked Louise, thoughtfully. 
 
 " 'From everlasting to everlasting/ " quoted 
 the minister, with solemn emphasis. 
 
 ''Then, of course," said Louise, slowly, "of 
 course, it's so, no matter if I don't feel it. I've 
 confessed, and he has forgiven me ! 0, glory 
 to God !" 
 
 She had sprung to her feet, her eyes shining 
 and uplifted, her dark face no longer lowering 
 and morose, but beaming with the same light 
 that once shone on the way to Damascus. 
 Among the little group who had lingered in the 
 chapel some one started the old hymn, "There is 
 a fountain filled with blood," and as they sang 
 a girl's slender figure came timidly but decided- 
 ly along the aisle from the rear seat and knelt 
 down beside Louise and Maggie. 
 
 "It's Lil !" whispered Maggie to Miss Wilsey, 
 bending over the familiar auburn head with a 
 loving touch. Edyth could hardly believe the 
 witness of her own eyes. To see three of her 
 girls within one week come to Christ filled her 
 with an almost overwhelming delight. She 
 
 knelt and prayed for Lillie, forgetful of all else 
 385
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 except the seeking soul and its welcoming Sav- 
 iour. Miss West, too, poured forth a tender, 
 earnest petition, and as she prayed the peace of 
 God flowed into Lillie's trusting heart. She had 
 not a tempestuous nature like Louise, and God 
 answered her in peace that was not an exalta- 
 tion, but an infinite, pervading rest. She lifted 
 her tranquil, tear-wet face, and looked at Edyth 
 with an expression of love unspeakable. 
 
 "He's my Jesus, too, Miss Wilsey !" she said. 
 "I wouldn't have known him but for you." 
 
 As Edyth walked home with her aunt that 
 night the very flagstones along the wintry 
 streets seemed to praise the Lord. 
 
 "Aunt Helen," she said, under her breath, 
 "I hardly know whether I am in the body or 
 out of it. I never knew before how bright the 
 stars are !" 
 
 The Rev. Winthrop Leigh overtook them as 
 they turned the corner. "This has been a 
 blessed day !" said he. "Miss Wilsey, you are a 
 soul-winner." 
 
 "God has blessed a few little efforts far be- 
 yond their desert," she replied. "I am almost 
 
 too happy to live." 
 
 386
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Better to sing, 'Lord, if I may, I'll serve 
 another day,' " said Miss West. 
 
 Just then they came to the block next to that 
 where their home was situated. A whole row 
 of shabby old buildings had begun to be de- 
 molished, and the sidewalk was so covered with 
 rubbish that they had to cross the street. 
 
 "I wonder what is contemplated here?" said 
 Mr. Leigh. "I am glad to see so many old 
 rookeries disappear, but I cannot find out what 
 is to be erected instead. I inquired of the over- 
 seer only yesterday, but he was singularly reti- 
 cent about it.'' 
 
 "We have heard," said Edyth, "that some one 
 is to build a chapel, a home for working-girls, 
 an amusement hall, and a model tenement 
 house, light and sanitary. I would love to see 
 such a scheme succeed." 
 
 "And I," replied the minister, "but it seems, 
 as the children sa) r , 'too good to be true.' " 
 
 "Well," she said, "it ought not to seem im- 
 probable in a great Christian city like this. 
 However, we can wait and see." 
 
 Mr. Leigh bade the ladies good night at their 
 
 door, saying, as he lifted his hat : 
 387
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Miss West, I hope I have your permission, 
 also Miss Wilsey's, to call to-morrow evening.'' 
 
 "I assure you, Mr. Leigh, that a pastoral 
 visit will be a great pleasure to me." 
 
 "I think I ought to tell you," said Edyth, 
 "that a small circle of girls meets at our house 
 every Thursday night. You have seen some of 
 them at the chapel. We are on our way to the 
 Pacific coast, and will stop in Chicago to-mor- 
 row evening. I hope you may find it agreeable 
 to tell us something about it." 
 
 Mr. Leigh was conscious of a shade of dis- 
 appointment, for he had hoped to find the ladies 
 at liberty from other callers. Nevertheless he 
 said courteously : 
 
 "Not many years ago I spent a winter in that 
 city, and you will certainly be welcome to such 
 impressions as I have retained of it." 
 
 He went on his way, confirmed in all the 
 beautiful thoughts he had indulged of Edyth. 
 He could not account for her surroundings, 
 but she herself seemed to him to be the best 
 and loveliest of women, whose image was indeed 
 worthy to be cherished in his heart beside that 
 
 dear, unfading memory of his sainted mother. 
 388
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 The next night found him at the girls' club, 
 and Miss West and Edyth were even more de- 
 lighted than the other members at his vivid, 
 brilliant descriptions of that typical American 
 city on Lake Michigan. Edyth had provided nu- 
 merous photographs, and as he explained their 
 special features he was making a keen study of 
 human nature, so that when he took his leave, 
 in less than an hour, he had formed a just esti- 
 mate of the sincerity and enterprise of the girls, 
 and was filled with admiration and wonder at 
 the lifting power that one cultivated, conse- 
 crated young life like Miss Wilsey's can exert 
 on many. He did not go away without a special 
 word of encouragement to each of the three 
 girls who had just started in the Christian life, 
 and a brief, general statement of the love of 
 Christ that fell like a benediction on the little 
 circle. Miss West and Edyth thanked him for 
 his assistance that night, and he strode off 
 through the frosty air, walking all the way to his 
 rooms, that he might think more clearly about 
 the strange circumstances that had discovered to 
 him this gem of womanhood in such a swamp of 
 
 human degradation as Street. 
 
 389
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 During the next fortnight he saw Edyth 
 several times at the mission, and called at her 
 home. They were both greatly interested in the 
 reported plans for rebuilding the next block. 
 The work of demolition had progressed with 
 marvelous celerity. 
 
 "I am afraid that I almost envy the man that 
 can put such a magnificent desire into tangible, 
 practical form," said Mr. Leigh. "I have long 
 felt that my mission in life is to the poor, but 
 I constantly feel my financial limitations. The 
 needs are so numberless that a little money is 
 soon completely out of sight." 
 
 "But it is a pleasure to watch such an enter- 
 prise as this, whoever is called to it," said Edyth. 
 "I sometimes wonder that very wealthy people, 
 who are searching continents for fresh pleas- 
 ures, should miss the absorbing delight there is 
 in losing one's self in the progress of Christ's 
 kingdom." 
 
 The minister gave her a swift, searching look 
 that was almost an interrogation. She had 
 said more than she intended; but the next in- 
 stant she had changed the conversation so skill- 
 fully that his momentary suspicion was ban- 
 390
 
 THE KIXG'S GOLD 
 
 ished. He was sure that she was poor. Even as 
 she talked with him she was mending one of the 
 coarse woolen gloves that he had seen her wear. 
 This was before she left Madam Henebry's, and 
 she said to her caller, by way of apology for not 
 giving him her undivided attention, that her 
 hours in the dressmaker's workroom were so 
 long that she did her own repairing in the even- 
 ing. He had noted that notwithstanding a cer- 
 tain indefinable air of elegance in her sitting 
 room that the details were all very inexpensive. 
 He found that Miss West had once been a 
 school-teacher, so he was not surprised at her 
 intelligence; but he wondered that her niece, 
 who was evidently well educated, was not teach- 
 ing rather than working with her needle in a 
 low-class establishment like that around the 
 corner. He ventured to remark that he would 
 suppose that she would find teaching a congenial 
 occupation; but she replied that she had not 
 been trained to teach. 
 
 Mr. Leigh and Edyth were living at this time 
 in that enchanted region where love lays its 
 finger on the lips for a season, depending on 
 
 other tokens than words to convey its sweet 
 391
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 intent, and reveling in a bliss of suspense that 
 must soon end in certainty, and, ending, lose 
 forever an inexpressible charm all its own, al- 
 though making way for a more solid happiness. 
 On a Saturday afternoon the young minister 
 sent Edyth a bunch of English violets, and the 
 following day when she entered the mission 
 chapel he saw that she had pinned them to her 
 jacket. Isabel Band had already arrived, having 
 driven down with the Sanborns. She was pale 
 and nervous and somewhat irritable. She had 
 reached the chapel before Mr. Leigh, and when 
 he came in and stepped upon the platform he 
 had included the whole company there in a 
 cordial "Good afternoon," and took his seat 
 beside the superintendent with no special recog- 
 nition of her valuable presence. Isabel had a 
 class of small boys, and she sat during the lesson 
 where she could command a view of the whole 
 room. She furtively watched Mr. Leigh as he 
 went from class to class with a pleasant greet- 
 ing. She saw him pause beside Edyth Wilsey, 
 bend his head a moment while he spoke a sen- 
 tence or two, and then pass on with a counte- 
 nance suffused in that light "that never was on 
 392
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 sea or land." She also saw Edyth's drooping 
 lids and rising color. A flood of jealous rage 
 surged in her soul. She stammered, dropped 
 her book, then arose hastily, and with a word of 
 excuse to her class made her way to the vesti- 
 bule. She hoped that Mr. Leigh would see her 
 and follow her, and, finding she was faint, take 
 her home, perhaps, in the Sanborns' brougham. 
 She had subjected herself to a great deal of 
 what she considered real hardship for the mis- 
 sion, and she thought that it could not fail to 
 elicit sympathy from the minister to see her 
 overcome at her post of duty. Isabel heard the 
 door open behind her, and, turning, saw only 
 Hetty Sanborn coining to her relief. 
 
 "Are you ill, dear?" asked Miss Sanborn. 
 
 Isabel was holding the outside door ajar and 
 pressing her face in the aperture. 
 
 "The air inside is vile to-day," she said, 
 crossly, "and I felt nearly stifled. I'm getting 
 sick of this chapel business." 
 
 "So am I, Belle," said Hetty, "but I'll have 
 to stick to it so long as father keeps up the 
 fad." 
 
 "Did you see that plebeian Wilsey girl ?" went 
 393
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 on Isabel. "Winthrop Leigh spoke to her, and 
 they each turned into a small planet for bright- 
 ness." 
 
 "Nonsense, Belle," snapped Hetty. "He 
 wouldn't walk into that trap and ruin all his 
 prospects." 
 
 "I'd like to kill her !" flashed Isabel. 
 
 Mr. Sanborn now appeared in the hall. 
 
 "Well, girls," he said, "nobody seems to be 
 suffering here. Come in as soon as you can." 
 
 They returned to their classes, and Mr. Leigh 
 approached Isabel and said cordially : 
 
 "Will you be able to call on old Mrs. Clement 
 to-morrow? She has sent word that she wants 
 to see you." 
 
 Mrs. Clement was a rheumatic member of the 
 mission to whom Isabel had made herself very 
 agreeable, as the case was one of especial inter- 
 est to Mr. Leigh. Isabel looked up moodily. 
 There was no radiance on his face now. 
 
 "I am going to Lakewood this week," she 
 said, "for a rest." 
 
 "Then I suppose we must excuse you." 
 
 She scanned his expression narrowly. There 
 
 was not a shade of regret at the thought of her 
 394
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 absence. She was suffering keenly, and her face 
 was white. Winthrop Leigh noticed it. 
 
 "You deserve a vacation," said he, kindly. 
 "You have stood by bravely." 
 
 He did not ask on what day or train she was 
 going. She bit her lips as he said : 
 
 "I may not see you again before you go, so I 
 will say good-bye now." 
 
 He held out his hand and touched her cold, 
 listless fingers. Her eyes were blazing, and 
 there was a small red spot on each of her cheeks. 
 As he turned away with a bow and a smile, 
 hatred for him and for the girl she was sure 
 now that he loved ran riot in her heart. 
 
 It had been a raw, lowering day, and at the 
 close of the Sunday school session a light rain 
 had set in. Mr. Leigh had simply said to Edyth 
 Wilsey that he would like to converse with her 
 about the Martin girls after the exercises. When 
 the benediction had been pronounced, and the 
 school was dispersing, she sat in her place. 
 Isabel Band saw the minister put on his coat 
 and go to Edyth, hat and umbrella in hand. 
 
 "We can hardly talk nere," he said, "for the 
 
 janitor is eager to get home to his sick wife. 
 395
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 If you have no objection, I will walk in your 
 direction." 
 
 The two went out together, and a few mo- 
 ments later the carriage containing the Sanborns 
 and Isabel Eand passed them, and Isabel saw 
 them walking slowly under the ministers um- 
 brella. It was dusk, but the street lamp re- 
 vealed Winthrop Leigh's broad shoulders, tower- 
 ing beside Edyth's little black hat. Isabel sank 
 back against the cushions, and planned to com- 
 pound a bitter draught of revenge for the young 
 preacher that would be sweeter than honey to 
 her own evil spirit. 
 
 Mr. Leigh and Edyth had spoken not a word 
 as they left the chapel together. They were 
 conscious of never having been strangers to each 
 other. A "Thus saith the Lord" seemed to 
 Winthrop to glow above them as they walked. 
 There was no constraint in the prolonged si- 
 lence, only blessed, perfect content. He felt the 
 gentle weight of her arm in his, and knew that 
 she was destined to walk with him until God 
 should call one of them to himself. At length 
 he spoke, reverently, tenderly, with an assur- 
 ance that was born of divine conviction : 
 390
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "I have known you since the morning stars 
 sang together. There has been no beginning. 
 There can be no end." 
 
 She was not startled, although she trembled 
 from head to foot. She might as well resist 
 the rotation of the earth on its axis. She re- 
 membered a time when she had stood behind the 
 American Fall at Niagara, deafened, blinded, 
 and almost breathless, but with an awful and 
 exalted consciousness of God in the stillness 
 and security of the cleft rock. The minister 
 feared lest he had shocked and frightened her 
 by his impetuous words, and he stopped in the 
 glare of a lamp, and bent to look in her face. 
 Her eyes were brimming with tears, but there 
 was a smile on her lips. 
 
 "Is it not so -Edyth?" 
 
 He hesitated an instant ere he spoke her 
 name. 
 
 "It is so " she too hesitated, flushing crim- 
 son in the darkness. 
 
 "Say it, dear heart," he pleaded. "Say, 'Win- 
 throp.' " 
 
 She did his bidding timidly, half whispering 
 
 the name. They were at her door, but she did 
 26 397
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 not invite him to enter. He did not expect it. 
 He could appreciate fully her feeling when she 
 said, as she withdrew her arm from his : 
 
 "I cannot bear all this happiness quite yet. 
 I want to get away even from you, to he alone 
 with God." 
 
 "I understand, dear/' he replied, gently. 
 "May I come to-night after service ?" 
 
 "Yes," she said. "It is going to be a rainy 
 evening, and Aunt Helen will not wish to at- 
 tend the chapel, so I will stay with her." 
 
 Winthrop Leigh turned away as on air, hum- 
 ming an old Te Deum. Edyth climbed slowly 
 up the stairs to her aunt, moving as in a golden 
 mist. She threw her arms around Miss West's 
 neck and kissed her, and that good lady per- 
 ceiving an unwonted halo, and having a heart 
 history of her own, asked no questions, but said 
 to herself as she made the tea, which they al- 
 ways took at home on Sunday nights, "It can't 
 be so soon." 
 
 But it could, and was. 
 
 "Auntie," said Edyth, "I am going to shut 
 myself up in our bedroom for a little while, 
 
 if you don't mind. I'll get some tea later.'' 
 398
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 It was an hour after that Edyth opened the 
 door, crept up softly behind her aunt, who was 
 reading her Church paper by the lamp, and 
 kissed her gently on the top of her head. With- 
 out turning her head, Miss West reached up one 
 hand to take the one she knew would meet her 
 own. 
 
 "Don't look, auntie, dear," murmured Edyth, 
 "that is, not just this minute. The the min- 
 ister will be in to-night after meeting." 
 
 "Well?" said Miss West, with a pretense of 
 mental density. 
 
 "Well," said Edyth, "he spoke this after- 
 noon." 
 
 "Doesn't he speak every Sunday afternoon?" 
 asked Miss West, innocently. 
 
 "0, you dear, ridiculous auntie!" exclaimed 
 Edyth, hugging her nearly to the point of dis- 
 location. Then, being set entirely at ease by 
 Miss West's manner, she moved around in front 
 of her aunt and sat down on the floor at her 
 feet. 
 
 "You can't surprise me, my child," said Miss 
 West. "I have felt this in the air from the 
 
 first. I cannot tell you the gladness that is in 
 399
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 my heart for you. As for that in your own, I 
 know all about it." 
 
 She smiled at Edyth in sincerest sympathy, 
 hut the next instant her bright, brave soul had 
 yielded to a sudden rush of tender memories, 
 and she had buried her face in her hands. 
 
 Edyth stole quietly out into the dining room. 
 400
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 CHAPTEE XIII 
 
 IT was not many days before St. Christopher's 
 was agitated by the news that the Eev. Winthrop 
 Leigh, its particular protege and pet, had begun 
 to show the most marked attentions to a work- 
 ing-girl in the vicinity of the mission. The re- 
 port gained credence, and a number of the 
 parishioners manifested a very sudden interest 
 in the downtown services, that they might see 
 for themselves. Isabel had sown a large crop 
 of thistles before her departure for Lakewood, 
 and had nourished it from afar. It grew 
 rapidly, and on her return after a fortnight she 
 found a rich harvest of trouble ready for the 
 pastor's assistant. 
 
 For several weeks the gossip and criticism 
 went on. Winthrop Leigh kept it under his 
 feet, and Edyth, so busy and happy day after 
 day, was indifferent to the openly expressed con- 
 tempt of Miss Rand and her friends. She could 
 see that her lover was destined to the loss of his 
 position, and if she had been a poor girl she 
 
 could not have endured the thought of being a 
 401
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 disadvantage to him in any way. She had not 
 yet told Mr. Leigh her history, but had asked 
 him to trust her until she felt free to explain 
 herself fully. He knew that she had left the 
 dressmaker's place, but she had told him truly 
 that she had work to do at home. She was 
 absorbed for hours every day in certain much- 
 penciled sheets of drawing-board, and went back 
 and forth a good deal between her home and the 
 Dayton parsonage. 
 
 Winthrop Leigh observed that his dinner in- 
 vitations had fallen off, that the Eands scarcely 
 recognized him, that a current of constantly 
 growing opposition had set in, and he some- 
 times felt somewhat depressed at the changed 
 attitude of the people of St. Christopher's. An 
 hour with Edyth always compensated him for 
 any trial that crossed his path, and being sure 
 of the favor of God, he felt that he could main- 
 tain himself against the world. Even Mr. San- 
 born's hearty manner had become constrained, 
 and his daughter had at last withdrawn with 
 Miss Eand from the Sunday school. The pastor 
 of St. Christopher's had been closeted in his 
 
 study several times of late with Mr. Eand and 
 402
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 other of the officials of the church. At length 
 Dr. Jewell asked his assistant to call at the 
 parsonage on a certain morning to discuss a 
 matter of grave importance. As has been re- 
 lated, Dr. Jewell loved the young man. His 
 own son, an only child, had been drowned while 
 at college. Had he lived he would have been 
 just the age of Winthrop Leigh. 
 
 Dr. Jewell stood on the hearth-rug in his 
 study when Mr. Leigh appeared. He held out 
 a strong and friendly hand, and motioned to 
 a chair near by. Winthrop was struck by the 
 seriousness of Dr. Jewell's expression. 
 
 "You have business with me, sir ?" 
 
 "Yes, my son, and painful business to us 
 both." 
 
 There was a long pause. Dr. Jewell cleared 
 his throat several times, and then proceeded 
 with unwonted hesitation. 
 
 "You are aware, Winthrop, that a minister 
 has sometimes to suppress and sacrifice his 
 personal wishes that he may adapt himself to 
 the the opinions of his people." 
 
 Dr. Jewell was a very politic man. Win- 
 throp's eyes flashed ominously.
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "You have been not only very useful, but ex- 
 ceedingly popular, among the members of our 
 church and congregation," went on the pastor, 
 "consequently it is with the greater regret that 
 some of our most influential people have learned 
 that you seek the companionship of a young 
 woman whose surroundings are, to say the least, 
 degrading. It is one thing to labor for the 
 spiritual welfare of the poor and ignorant ; it is 
 quite another to meet them upon equal terms 
 socially." 
 
 Winthrop had turned white with righteous 
 wrath, but his profound respect and love for 
 Dr. Jewell sealed his lips for a little while. 
 
 "And now, my son," went on the elder man, 
 with evident sorrow for his message, "it is the 
 wish of St. Christopher's, and I may add my 
 own wish, that you discontinue your present 
 course in regard to this girl whose station is so 
 much beneath your own." 
 
 Winthrop had risen to his feet, and now 
 looked Dr. Jewell proudly in the eyes. 
 
 "Miss Wilsey is my promised wife," he said, 
 "and no purer, more refined, more cultivated 
 
 young lady walks this earth." 
 404
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "0, my poor boy !" groaned Dr. Jewell. "Has 
 love indeed made you blind? You are not the 
 first man who has been willing to sacrifice 
 brilliant prospects to a pretty face." 
 
 "But in this case the face is but an exponent 
 of a most lovely character," replied the young 
 man. "Dr. Jewell, have you ever seen her?" 
 
 "No, my son." 
 
 "Then I have a favor to ask. Let me bring 
 her here soon to meet your wife and yourself 
 for a few moments." 
 
 "I think that Mrs. Jewell will not refuse 
 your request. She has felt almost a mother's 
 interest in you from the first. But now let me 
 finish my commission. The church through 
 its officials wishes to inform you that unless you 
 accept their alternative, namely, to retire from 
 this love affair, your connection with us must 
 cease by the Easter celebration. I also must 
 warn you privately that your prospects for be- 
 coming pastor of the Harlem church will be 
 hopelessly blighted. Please respect my confi- 
 dence when I tell you that Mr. Alberton Rand 
 threatens to withdraw his support from this 
 
 church, and his brother will close the doors of 
 405
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 that church against you, if you persist in your 
 attention to Miss to this lady at the mission." 
 
 Winthrop stood at his full height, and said 
 with great but controlled emotion : 
 
 "Dr. Jewell, I would give my life for my 
 future wife; how much more my present wel- 
 fare and hopes of preferment! These people 
 insult my judgment and good sense, and my 
 most sacred right of choice. They shall have my 
 resignation at once." 
 
 "Let me plead this once with you, Winthrop. 
 Do not thwart your best interests and hang a 
 millstone around your neck. Marry a woman 
 who will be a help to you socially, who will 
 bring you wealth, and will add culture to your 
 own culture. If I might suggest, there is Miss 
 Isabel Eand, who 
 
 "Please, sir, do not speak of her," interrupted 
 Winthrop. "The woman who has given her 
 pledge for mine was sent to me by God, marked 
 with my name. Our compact is of the nature 
 of the everlasting hills. I ask once more, will 
 you see her ?" 
 
 Dr. Jewell knew that his wife was in her 
 
 sitting room next to the study, so he stepped to 
 406
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 the door and asked her to come and speak with 
 Mr. Leigh. She was a dignified but motherly 
 woman, aristocratic in her birth and training, 
 but with a heart humble before God. She 
 greeted the young man with subdued kindness. 
 It was hard for her to condone a breach of cor- 
 rect taste. Dr. Jewell presented Winthrop's 
 request. 
 
 "My personal regard for you, Mr. Leigh," 
 she said, "has weathered so far this storm of 
 criticism. If we may meet your friend at our 
 own table we will be able to obtain a correct 
 view of the situation. If we disapprove, you 
 must know that we have your welfare at heart. 
 Are you free to-morrow night, Dr. Jewell?" 
 she said, turning to her husband. 
 
 "From six to eight," he replied. 
 
 "And you?" she asked of Winthrop. 
 
 "Yes, Mrs. Jewell." 
 
 "Then allow me to detain you while I write 
 a note inviting Miss " 
 
 "Miss Wilsey," said Mr. Leigh. 
 
 "Miss Wilsey," repeated Mrs. Jewell, "to dine 
 with us to-morrow night." 
 
 She seated herself at her husband's table and 
 407
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 helped herself to pen and paper, writing a very 
 gracious invitation, which Mr. Leigh accepted 
 with thanks and put into his pocket. Edyth 
 received it that evening very gladly, as she was 
 entirely unaware of the test to which her lover 
 had been subjected. When the time came she 
 had a very feminine temptation to take a certain 
 rich and becoming lavender gown from her 
 trunk, and surprise Mr. Leigh; but she con- 
 tented herself with her Sunday cashmere 
 touched up by fresh, dainty ruchings and a knot 
 of black velvet ribbon. She noted that there 
 was a shadow on Mr. Leigh's face, but at- 
 tributed it to a headache. 
 
 Mrs. Jewell's well-trained features were a 
 study when her eyes first fell on her fair guest. 
 She had not been prepared for such a vision. 
 Her heart surrendered at once, and her judg- 
 ment soon followed suit. She had indulged in 
 a bit of innocent strategy that night. There 
 was visiting at the parsonage a brilliant young 
 woman from the West, a graduate of Wellesley, 
 and a pronounced beauty. Mrs. Jewell knew 
 that Mr. Leigh could not tolerate any gauckcrie 
 
 or vulgarity in a woman, and she had in mind 
 408
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 to bring Miss Wilsey into bold relief against 
 the faultless background of her visitor's unusual 
 mental and physical charms. The dinner was 
 arranged with punctilious regard for the most 
 trivial conventionalities. Doubtless the Wilsey 
 girl would be silent and ill at ease, and Win- 
 throp would see his mistake before it was quite 
 too late. It had been many weeks since Edyth 
 had found herself in such a thoroughly con- 
 genial company, and her nature expanded like 
 a water lily in the morning sun. Her entire 
 absence of self-consciousness, her perfect ac- 
 quaintance with the little minor tests of a polite 
 dinner, astonished her hostess, while her in- 
 telligent conversation charmed Dr. Jewell, and 
 threw the St. Louis belle entirely into the shade. 
 ^\Ir. Leigh had never seen Edyth on a social 
 occasion like this, and the shadow fled from 
 his brow, and he triumphed silently in her con- 
 quest of his friends. After dinner he retired to 
 the study with Dr. Jewell, and drew a paper 
 from his pocket. 
 
 "My resignation, sir," he said, respectfully 
 but tersel} r . 
 
 "Keep it, my boy," said the doctor. "I think 
 409
 
 THE KIXG'S GOLD 
 
 the officials will listen to my representations. 
 You have a woman in ten thousand." 
 
 "A working-girl, Dr. Jewell, remember a 
 
 dressmaker's assistant in Street. No, 
 
 my dear sir, I cannot serve St. Christopher's 
 another week." 
 
 Before they left the parsonage Mrs. Jewell 
 managed to whisper to Mr. Leigh : 
 
 "A princess in disguise. Bring her to us 
 whenever you can." 
 
 On the way home Winthrop told Edyth of his 
 resignation, and her woman's wit assured her of 
 the real cause of it. 
 
 "Winthrop," she said, "I suspect that I am 
 the means of your leaving your position." 
 
 His utter silence convinced her. 
 
 "You see that I am a sort of mind-reader," 
 she said, smiling. 
 
 He wondered that she could speak so lightly. 
 He was human, after all, and was conscious that 
 he had surrendered a great deal for her sake. 
 He thought that she should at least show deep 
 feeling at the turn in his fortunes, and deplore 
 the fact that she had been even the innocent 
 
 cause of his loss of place and influence. He 
 410
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 could not understand her cheerfulness. It 
 grieved him. 
 
 "This will postpone our marriage indefinite- 
 ly," said he. "I may not be able to offer you a 
 suitable home for a long time. I shall probably 
 have to leave the city." 
 
 Still not a word of regret from the girl at his 
 side. He scorned to ask her if she did not care. 
 This was the first time that she had failed him 
 with a full complement of sympathy, and his 
 heart felt the chill of disappointment. 
 
 "Did God ever close a door to one of his chil- 
 dren without opening another?" she said, 
 quietly. 
 
 "I suppose not," he answered, somewhat dis- 
 tantly. 
 
 She seemed to be blind to the fact that he 
 was in a state where he did not need to have 
 his faith in God stimulated so much as he re- 
 quired warm and responsive human apprecia- 
 tion of his devotion. 
 
 Edyth had perferred to walk downtown that 
 night. A recent heavy rain had cleansed the 
 sidewalks, the air was clear and not very cold, 
 
 and there was a full moon. Mr. Leigh was 
 411
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 looking straight ahead, and did not see how her 
 eyes were dancing with delight. 
 
 "Winthrop," said she, controlling a joyous 
 tremor that was determined to break through 
 her voice, "if you could do just as you prefer, 
 what would it be?" 
 
 "I think you have heard me remark," he re- 
 plied, coldly, "that it has been my one chief de- 
 sire to work for the poor, to devote my life to 
 them. I see small prospect of it now." 
 
 They walked several blocks in silence. He 
 was behaving very badly, and he knew it; but 
 had he not poured all that there was of him 
 into one mighty sacrifice to the woman he loved, 
 and had she not received it as a mere matter of 
 course, with an almost trifling manner, and with 
 no word of tenderness or regard ? Man though 
 he was, there swept over him a great longing 
 for his mother. If he might go home to her 
 that night, and lay his head on her shoulder 
 as he used to do when a lad, and tell her the 
 whole story ! 
 
 Just then Edyth's hand slipped down his 
 rough coat-sleeve into his own strong fingers. 
 
 Instinctively they tightened over it, hurt though 
 412
 
 ^THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 he was. She attempted to speak, but her voice 
 broke between a sob and a laugh. Instantly his 
 whole soul was on the alert. 
 
 "0, my love !" she said. "What this proof of 
 your sincere affection means to me I could not 
 tell you with ten thousand tongues. When I 
 first left school my father was living, and he 
 planned a marriage for me that he thought 
 would give me great social advantage. I knew 
 nothing of life nor of love. I acceded to my 
 father's arrangement. I learned to care for the 
 man whom he chose for me, for I thought that 
 it was an honest admiration and devotion that 
 were given to me. Providentially I learned for 
 myself that the man was in need of money, 
 and that I was nothing to him except as a means 
 of making my father's fortune available to him. 
 I dismissed him from my life as if he had not 
 been. It was at this time that I became a 
 Christian. I will tell you all about it any day ; 
 but suffice it to say now that the sudden death 
 of my father left me an immense fortune at' 
 my own disposal. I have chosen to learn some- 
 thing of the life and troubles of girls less for- 
 tunate than myself, and to help them to more 
 27 413
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 useful and happier lives; but my work is only 
 just begun. You have thought that I did not 
 see what your love for me would cost you. I 
 have seen from the beginning. I have waited 
 and have let you come to this great test because 
 I knew that God was preparing to put into your 
 hands the implements for doing the very work 
 that your soul has so long coveted." 
 
 Winthrop Leigh was spellbound. He tried to 
 speak, but could not. He walked on mechanic- 
 ally for a while, not observing through what 
 locality they were passing. Suddenly Edyth 
 paused. 
 
 "Look !" she said, pointing across the street. 
 It was the block where the old buildings had 
 been torn down and the foundations of the new 
 structures had been laid. On the corner the 
 walls of a stone chapel had begun to rise. In 
 the flood of moonlight every stone stood out in 
 bold outlines. It shone through the arch of 
 the chapel entrance. 
 
 "Winthrop, dear," went on Edyth, "it is your 
 ideal and mine that is taking shape in granite 
 and mortar over there. It is you and I who will 
 
 be stewards of God in this place, showing forth 
 414
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 his loving-kindness to the suffering brethren of 
 our Lord. It is your money and mine, our 
 money, that by the blessing of God will make 
 the desert, the dreary, hopeless desert of igno- 
 rance and pain and sin in this neighborhood, 
 blossom like the rose with hope and salvation. 
 Darling, the mystery is solved, is it not? I 
 could not keep my secret from you any longer. 
 Every day I have longed to consult your taste, 
 to ask your advice. Mr. Dayton, my guardian, 
 cannot take the necessary time to look after the 
 details of this work. He will offer to you to- 
 morrow the position which it is so necessary to 
 have filled, namely, that of overseer of the en- 
 terprise. I hope you will see fit to accept it." 
 
 Winthrop Leigh seemed for a few moments 
 as one paralyzed, but when they were safe with- 
 in Edyth's sitting room he recovered first the 
 use of his arms, even before Aunt Helen's very 
 eyes, and though his tongue was slow in regain- 
 ing its usual fluency of speech the few words 
 that he managed to speak were perfectly satis- 
 factory to Edyth. 
 
 At the next Thursday Evening Club, Edyth 
 
 informed the girls of her plans for them. She 
 415
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 told them that she expected to become the wife 
 of the Rev. Mr. Leigh, and that they hoped to 
 complete and open the new buildings on the 
 next block by Christmas of that year. 
 
 "Some of you," she said, "can be made very 
 useful to the work by a little training. We 
 shall need a bookkeeper, a nurse, some one to 
 buy supplies for the restaurant, to plan meals, 
 to cook them, some to visit the sick in the 
 neighborhood. Mrs. Lester and Ellen will be in- 
 vited to be the housekeepers. There will be 
 plain sewing and mending to be done by some- 
 body. If you will enter into these plans, and 
 choose your own parts in them, I will furnish 
 you with means to get the necessary training. 
 Maggie and Lillie, as you know, are already 
 studying music and designing, as I have ad- 
 vanced them the funds. Of course, you will give 
 Madam Henebry fair warning if you decide to 
 leave her, that she may have ample opportunity 
 to supply your places. She will easily secure 
 other girls, and we can help them also." 
 
 Edyth's remarks were received with unbound- 
 ed enthusiasm. Some of the girls wept for joy. 
 
 When they knew that a model tenement house 
 416
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 was to be included in the buildings, where for a 
 small rent people could have the means for 
 being clean and comfortable, receiving a share 
 in the light and air that God has made for every- 
 one, and greedy man has withheld from his poor 
 brethren, their hearts broke out into such loving 
 speech that Edyth was fain to thrust her fingers 
 in her ears and beg them to remember their 
 heavenly Father and not his servant. 
 
 Mr. Leigh received the expected request from 
 Mr. Dayton to take charge of the erection of 
 the chapel and other buildings. The offer of a 
 very liberal salary accompanied the wish, and 
 such were the requirements of the position that 
 there was no suggestion of a sinecure with sacri- 
 fice of self-respect. 
 
 "I have just one more secret from you, dear," 
 said Edyth, one day. "Before I told you about 
 this building scheme I had some raised letters 
 cut on the chapel arch and carefully covered." 
 
 "I observed that the arch was screened,'" re- 
 plied Mr. Leigh, "and I have been on the point 
 several times of asking the contractor to let me 
 see the lettering, but something else claimed my 
 
 attention." 
 
 417
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Well, please don't ask/' said Edyth, "for 
 that is my secret." 
 
 "Of course I will respect your wish," he said, 
 loyally. 
 
 Easter came and went, but it did not bring 
 Edyth's wedding day, for she had set the next 
 December, when the new chapel should have 
 been dedicated. May brought a few unseason- 
 ably hot days, when the odors of Street 
 
 became almost overpowering. 
 
 "Do you realize, Edyth," said Winthrop, 
 "that you have chosen to have our permanent 
 home in this horrible neighborhood?" 
 
 "Yes," she replied. "It may not always be 
 necessary for us to live here, but for a few 
 years I think we should remain right in the 
 midst of our people. The Home will be a stately 
 building, and we will have the top floor fitted 
 up for our own use. We can play at Syrians, 
 you know, and have a lovely warm-weather sit- 
 ting room on the roof." 
 
 Miss West had borne the winter well. She 
 had even enjoyed it. But now a severe attack 
 of "Heimweh" seized her, and Edyth found her 
 
 one evening on the sofa weeping surreptitiously. 
 418
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "Why, auntie, dear !" exclaimed Edyth. 
 
 Helen laid her hand on her heart and tried 
 to smile. "It is nothing, child, except a long- 
 ing for dear old Sunnyslope." 
 
 "You poor, patient love !" said her niece, 
 nestling down beside her, "how thoughtless I 
 have been ! I'll pack you off to-morrow." 
 
 "But you cannot stay here alone, Edyth, not 
 a day." 
 
 "No; but Mrs. Lester and Ellen will come 
 here, and 0, Aunt Helen ! Why haven't I 
 thought of it before ! Mayn't I buy the old 
 home in Sunnyslope and fit it up for a fresh- 
 air place for our girls ?" 
 
 "It would be much better than to let it stand 
 empty," said Helen, who had brightened already 
 at the very thought of really returning to her 
 native village. 
 
 "Well, when Winthrop calls this evening I 
 will ask him to escort you to the station to-mor- 
 row morning. You must get ready at once." 
 
 Edyth ran to the storeroom and dragged her 
 aunt's big valise into the front room. Before 
 bedtime it was packed and locked. 
 
 "I can't bear to leave you, dear," said Miss 
 419
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 West, "but something seems to call me back to 
 Sunnyslope. I dreamed last night of it, the 
 shy violets in the grass, the swelling buds on the 
 rose vines, the orchard all pink and white, the 
 ripple of the river, and they all said, 'Come!' 
 Darling, I am going home, going home !" 
 
 Her cheeks were as pink as those of a young 
 girl, and her eyes sparkled. 
 
 "0, Aunt Helen," said Edyth, throwing her 
 arms around Miss West's neck, "how much you 
 have sacrificed for me !" 
 
 "No, Edyth; say, rather, how much I have 
 gained through you. But now I want to fly 
 away for a little. I want to breathe long, deep 
 breaths of the pure air of the hills; I want to 
 feel the grass under my feet again; I want to 
 lean over the brown gate under my mother's 
 lilac bushes !" 
 
 The next evening found Miss West starting a 
 fire on the hearth in her own cozy sitting room. 
 A cool, damp wave had followed the hot spell, 
 and she was glad to feel the glow of the leaping, 
 crackling flames. Edyth's experiment had de- 
 lighted and interested her, but she had felt the 
 
 great change from her peaceful life of years in 
 420
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 a country town to the tenement-house district 
 in Xew York city. She was hungry and thirsty 
 for air, for space, for sweetness. Then, too, 
 while she rejoiced in the rich experience of love 
 that had come to Edyth, the sight of the two 
 young, exuberant lives so happy in their work 
 and so sufficient to each other was like a knife 
 that daily tore the terrible wound of the past 
 and made it throb anew. She was glad for a 
 little season to retire from the new life and to 
 be alone with memory, since she might never- 
 more commune with earthly hope. 
 
 The second Sunday morning of her stay she 
 awoke before sunrise and heard the robins sing- 
 ing in the cherry trees. She watched the glim- 
 mering dawn until bands of bright gold on the 
 opposite wall of her room told that the day had 
 opened in unclouded splendor. 
 
 "The tenth of June," she said as she made her 
 toilet, "and Sunday too !" 
 
 It was indeed the anniversary of that Sunday 
 in the long ago when we first saw her at the 
 window; and now the woman, chastened, 
 patient, calm, and still beautiful, recalled the 
 
 girl that trembled and hoped and exulted and 
 421
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 thrilled in this very room on that glorious morn- 
 ing when her life was opening up before her in 
 a pageant of emblazoned delights. Now., as 
 then, she threw open the shutters and plucked a 
 red rose, fastening it in the bodice of her white 
 morning wrapper. She stood looking out at the 
 same velvety hills across the river. She recalled 
 her mother's knock at the door, and the serene 
 love-lighted face, and she drew the same old 
 rocking-chair a little forward and sat down on 
 the floor in front of it, trying to imagine the 
 soft touch of blessing on her hair, and to bring 
 back from the dead the sound of that tender 
 voice. She could remember almost every Avord 
 of her mother's little sermon, and the short 
 prayer that closed their precious communion. It 
 was all so many years ago ! She buried her 
 silver-crowned head in the chair cushions, and 
 praised God that, although he had afflicted her 
 sorely, he had not forsaken her; though he had 
 wounded, he had comforted her "as one whom 
 his mother comforteth." He had established 
 her goings and directed her. She could still 
 trust him, and say even with joy, "Thy will be 
 
 done." 
 
 422
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 After breakfast she wandered up into the old 
 orchard. It had been neglected, and unpruned 
 boughs thrust their low-hanging, leafy branches 
 across the grassy path. The board seat under 
 the trees had at some time lost its original 
 support, and was now kept in place with stones 
 from the neighboring wall that some one had 
 put there that very spring. Helen sat there 
 watching the little patches of sunlight on the 
 grass, and thinking of the brave, handsome, 
 manly form that once came up the path with 
 vigorous, eager step, a question on his lips. She 
 heard the gate swing on its rusty hinges. Some- 
 body was coming. It was probably the care- 
 taker. Why must the woman intrude upon her 
 now? No, it was not the step of a woman. 
 The boughs were too thick and low to reveal the 
 path. 
 
 "Helen !" called a voice that she would have 
 known in the depths of a mine or among the 
 starry spaces. "Helen !" 
 
 She arose and stood trembling, her face like 
 death, her lips parted, her heart almost stilled 
 for an instant. He came nearer, stooping to 
 
 push aside the hindering, overhanging branches, 
 423
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 then stood before her, tall, worn, and gray, but 
 with the same love in his eyes. He took her in 
 his hungry arms, and kissed her forehead, her 
 closed lids, her cheeks and lips. She could not 
 speak nor look. She hardly dared to breathe. 
 
 "Helen," he whispered, "Helen, look at me !" 
 
 "It is a spirit !" she murmured. "If I look, 
 you will vanish." 
 
 "No, sweet, it is I, myself. God is merciful !" 
 
 She opened her eyes and gazed into his as if 
 she were looking through the gates of death into 
 the fields of paradise. 
 
 "All in white," he said, "just as I have so 
 often pictured you, Helen, standing here with 
 the sunlight dancing on your hair and gown." 
 
 "An old woman, Harry !" she replied, smiling 
 half sadly. 
 
 "Immortals are not old at forty," he an- 
 swered. "It is not a young lover who has come 
 for you, my own ! Love for us must be like wine 
 of a vintage so long gone that the fruit of the 
 vine has become priceless in its mellow sweet- 
 ness, matchless in its color and sparkle, and 
 with life to revive even the hopes that the years 
 
 have slain. 0, Helen, Helen, Helen !'' 
 424
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 They sat for hours and talked. Harry had 
 the strangest of all strange stories to tell, one 
 that if found between book covers would have 
 passed as exaggerated fiction. The ship he 
 sailed in had been burned at sea, and a few of 
 the passengers were picked up by a sailing ves- 
 sel, bound for the far East. It had been beaten 
 far from its course, and finally wrecked on a 
 rocky shore in the South Pacific. Harry Eey- 
 nolds had been preserved almost miraculously in 
 the surf, and cast up at the feet of native 
 savages, at whose hands he anticipated the most 
 horrible fate. They proved, however, to be a 
 kindly tribe, who ministered to his needs and 
 shared their best with him. He discovered later 
 that he was on a large island where no ship ever 
 came. He accepted it as his mission field. He 
 learned the speech of the inhabitants, and 
 taught many of them his own. He taught them 
 of God and of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. 
 He won them from their idols. He would 
 never forget to all eternity the day that the 
 first soul was enabled to become a son of God. 
 The whole tribe became Christianized. They 
 
 had no other Bible than his lips, but he had 
 425
 
 THE Kixc/s GOLD 
 
 from a child committed to memory many por- 
 tions of the Scriptures. Years passed by, and 
 one day as he sat in the porch of the little house 
 that he had built he descried a peculiar speck 
 on the horizon. It was a ship. He knew that 
 God could send for him when he saw fit to do so. 
 It was an exploring expedition that was com- 
 ing. Men were looking for spice islands; but 
 God was sending for his exiled servant. The 
 ship drew near and lowered a boat, and that 
 noon Harry Reynolds for the first time in many 
 years looked into white faces and heard his 
 mother tongue. The island was rich in gums 
 and spices, and contained large flocks of rare 
 and interesting birds. The officers of the ship 
 and the commander of the expedition were pro- 
 foundly moved by the missionary's story, and 
 treated him with all possible courtesy. When 
 they sailed, exultant over their splendid find, 
 the Rev. Mr. Reynolds went with them. He had 
 noble, capable Christian helpers with whom he 
 could intrust his beloved work for a season, and, 
 promising to return if permitted by God, he was 
 carried to Liverpool, and thence was provided 
 
 with funds to reach America. So many silent 
 42G
 
 THE KIXG'S GOLD 
 
 years had elapsed that he knew not what might 
 have become of Helen. He feared that she 
 might be dead, or perhaps married. He re- 
 ported at missionary headquarters, asked to have 
 a younger man appointed to the field, with 
 whom he would be willing to return for a year 
 or two, and then with unspeakable, increasing 
 agony of suspense he had hastened to Sunny- 
 slope, arriving there late on a Saturday night. 
 He inquired at the inn for the Wests, but the 
 landlord was a very modern adjunct of the vil- 
 lage. He went out and walked under the fa- 
 miliar elms, and the very air of the spring night 
 was tremulous and scented with newness of 
 life. He passed the West homestead. It was all 
 in darkness. He bethought him of a kindly 
 woman, a friend of his mother's who owned a 
 pleasant little home not far down the street. 
 He went to the gate. A group of young people 
 were singing college songs in the parlor. He 
 rang the front door bell. A boy opened it. 
 
 "Does Mrs. Greenleaf live here?" asked Mr. 
 Reynolds. 
 
 A girl said politely, "No, sir. I never heard 
 
 of a family by that name." 
 427
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 A middle-aged man stepped to the parlor 
 door. 
 
 "Mrs. Greanleaf used to live here years ago/' 
 he said, "but she's been up in the Congrega- 
 tional buryin' ground these ten or a dozen 
 years. I bought this place from she that was 
 Sally Greenleaf when she moved out West with 
 her husband." 
 
 "Are you Abner Trueman?" asked Harry, 
 with a tear in his voice. 
 
 "That's what they've pretty much always 
 called me," said the man, "but who be you?" 
 
 "Abner," said Harry, recognizing an old 
 schoolmate at the academy, and taking a step 
 forward, "don't say you don't know me." 
 
 "Great Scott !" exclaimed Mr. Trueman, "if 
 you ain't old Dr. Reynolds's boy, Harry! 
 Marier !" he called to his wife, who was clearing 
 away the remains of a feast from the extension 
 table in the dining room at the end of the hall, 
 "come and see who we've got here !" 
 
 Mrs. Trueman came hurriedly forward, ad- 
 justing the strings of a white apron that ap- 
 peared as she removed her gingham one. She- 
 hesitated while she scanned the stranger. 
 428
 
 TJIE KING'S COLD 
 
 "Mercy sakes !" she exclaimed, holding out 
 a plump, comfortable hand. "I guess you must 
 have rose right from the dead, Harry Eeynolds." 
 
 Harry could see now that she had been rosy 
 little Maria Moore. She would know what his 
 weary heart was burning to hear and yet dreaded 
 to learn. 
 
 "I came in on the late train," he said. "I 
 haven't been here in about fifteen years. I've 
 put up at the inn, but I couldn't sleep to-night 
 until I had walked along the old street and 
 tried to find a familiar face." 
 
 "Walk right out here," said Mrs. Trueman, 
 cordially. "The children have had a birthday 
 spread to-night. Can't I give you a bite of 
 something ?" 
 
 "No, I thank you," said Harry. "I'm only 
 hungry for news of our old friends and neigh- 
 bors. I'll sit a moment." 
 
 "Well," said Abner, "the Methodist folks have 
 got a new church, an' the Stanton homestead's 
 been sold, and their big garden cut up into 
 buildin' lots. We've got reservoy water in the 
 village, an' there's gas works goin' up this sum- 
 mer. There's a post office buildin'. They took 
 28 429
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 it out of Hawkins' store five years ago. He 
 was awful cut up over it." 
 
 "But, Abner," said his wife, "it's folks that he 
 wants to hear about. Jest give me a chance now. 
 Ain't you heard nothin' about nobody?" she 
 asked of Harry. 
 
 He thought they must hear his heart pound- 
 ing on his ribs. 
 
 "No," he said. "The proprietor of the inn 
 seems to be rather new here." 
 
 "Well," said Mrs. Trueman, picking up the 
 hem of her apron and plaiting it between her 
 fingers, "I guess your nearest neighbors was the 
 Wests." 
 
 Harry nodded. 
 
 "Eloise run off before you left, didn't she? 
 Yes. Well, it 'most killed her par. He lingered 
 along a spell, an' then he died, an' Helen if 
 there ever was an angel without wings that 
 girl's 'the one went to teachin' in the old 
 academy. She taught an' taught fer years, an' 
 then" 
 
 Harry held his breath. 
 
 "Say, mar," said the oldest boy, rushing out 
 
 into the dining room, "they're all a-goin." They 
 430
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 want to say good-bye to you. Floss Perrine says 
 it's manners." 
 
 Mrs. Trueman said that she would be right 
 along, and, rising, said to Harry : 
 
 "You'll excuse me a moment. I guess Abner 
 can go on with my story." 
 
 "Well?" said Harry, turning to Mr. True- 
 man. 
 
 "Why, it was kind of sing'lar," said Abner, 
 "that after all them years Helen got track of 
 Eloise's only child, a girl, an' after Laurance 
 Wilsey died Helen went down to York last 
 winter 'twas to live with her niece." 
 
 "Is she there now ?" questioned Harry. 
 
 "N"o, she's here. I see her myself to-day down 
 to the post office. She's 'most as handsome as 
 ever. She's kept a room or two at the old house 
 to come to when she likes. Now, them Green- 
 leafs that you was askin' about " 
 
 But Harry had arisen. 
 
 "I'll see you again, Abner," he said, moving 
 toward the door. "It's very late, you know, and 
 I'm very tired. Say good-bye to your good lady, 
 and many thanks for your kindness." 
 
 He went out into the darkness, but the night 
 431
 
 TJU-: KING'S GOLD 
 
 was light about him. He leaned on the gate- 
 post of his old home, and looked across at the 
 roof that sheltered the desire of his eyes, and 
 praised God silently. 
 
 All this he told to Helen that morning in the 
 orchard, and some of it she wrote to Edyth the 
 next day. She also said : 
 
 "Harry hopes to return to his people for a 
 while to get a new missionary started in his 
 work. The ship he came on to Liverpool will 
 return soon after the holidays. Of course he 
 wants me to go with him. I want to see you 
 married to Winthrop before we sail. In regard 
 to the matter of selling this property to you, 
 I am willing to do so at any time. I wish I 
 could give it to you, but it is almost all that I 
 have of my own. 
 
 "Harry urges me to be married here quietly 
 next week. Of course a man does not realize 
 the amount of sewing there will be to do be- 
 forehand. Then, too, my darling girl, my mar- 
 riage will mean the breaking up of our little 
 home in the city, and I do not want to inter- 
 fere so suddenly with your lovely work. Please 
 
 write to me just how you feel about it all." 
 '432
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 The second day brought the following letter 
 from Edyth : 
 
 "DEAREST OF AUNTIES : Hallelujah ! No 
 other word can express it. Certainly you must 
 be married next week. You can sew all the rest 
 of your life, and if you were married to-day 
 it wouldn't give you two any too much time to- 
 gether, after such a terrible separation. I saw 
 Winthrop last night and read him a part of 
 your letter, and he thinks just as I do, with the 
 exception that he had the temerity to propose a 
 double wedding! For this he was duly chas- 
 tised. You will receive this on Wednesday 
 morning. Please take the afternoon train 
 down, and we will meet you at the station at 
 nine o'clock that night. I am going to give 
 myself the pleasure of providing your entire 
 outfit wedding-gown, veil, and all. "We will 
 go right to Madam Moray, who used to make 
 my clothes, and she will rush the whole 
 trousseau through within a week. Then we'll 
 all go to Sunnyslope for the ceremony. Do you 
 ask what is going to become of me ? I think it 
 is better for me to rent your dear old home for 
 
 the summer. You would feel sorry to part with 
 433
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 it even to me, and you will do better to rent it 
 furnished than you would to sell it and invest 
 the money. But more of this when you come. 
 "My love to my new uncle. Winthrop and I 
 both commend his enterprise. 
 
 "Ever your loving 
 
 "EDYTH/' 
 
 Mr. Reynolds was wanted at the Mission 
 Eooms on Thursday, so he accompanied Miss 
 West to New York at the time Edyth had ap- 
 pointed, and impressed the young people, who 
 were at the station to meet Helen, with his 
 distinguished appearance and courtly manners. 
 
 "I thank you both," he said, "for espousing 
 my cause. 'The eternal feminine' in Helen 
 would have put off the happy day indefinitely. 
 I did not see why she could not be married in 
 the white gown she had on last Sunday morn- 
 ing." 
 
 "Edyth/' whispered Helen to her niece, "it 
 was a morning wrapper!" 
 
 "But you looked like an angel in it," said 
 Edyth, giving her arm a hearty squeeze. 
 
 There were a few hurried but happy days in 
 434
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 the city, followed by a couple of still more busy 
 ones in the Sunnyslope home, and the old- 
 fashioned parlor of the brown house was turned 
 into a bower of roses in honor of Helen's bridal. 
 There was no one present but the resident min- 
 ister and his wife, and Mr. and Mrs. Dayton, 
 Edyth and Mr. Leigh. The three ministers 
 divided the ceremony among them. Helen was 
 gloriously beautiful in her rich gown of cream- 
 white satin and rare lace, and Harry stood at 
 her side like a prince whose love had prevailed 
 over time and space. It was a sacred hour, 
 never to be forgotten by the few who were 
 privileged to share in it, when those two whose 
 lips had quaffed the cup of disappointment and 
 pain to the very dregs now stood hand in hand, 
 crowned with loving-kindness and tender mercy. 
 They had chosen to take their wedding trip in 
 the shape of a carriage journey across the pic- 
 turesque country, and they went on their way 
 in all the glory of the June afternoon. 
 
 Mr. Leigh and the Daytons left on the last 
 train for the city, and Edyth, blessedly filled 
 with praise to God, went to rest in the room that 
 had once belonged to Eloise, her girl-mother.
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 The summer flew swiftly on golden wings. 
 Edyth had all of her girls, two or three at a 
 time, and once in a while a worn and discour- 
 aged mother and a sick child, to spend a couple 
 of weeks among the restful hills. Mr. Reynolds 
 was in demand as a missionary speaker at sum- 
 mer assemblies, where multitudes of people were 
 stirred by his story to a deeper love for those 
 who sit in darkness. Helen always accom- 
 panied him on these journeys, so Edyth saw but 
 little of her until the month of October brought 
 them back to stay with Edyth in Sunnyslope 
 until the time for her marriage to Winthrop 
 Leigh. 
 
 He had been back and forth occasionally dur- 
 ing the summer, stopping at the inn, and some- 
 times preaching in the pulpit of a local church. 
 Those who heard him predicted a bright future, 
 but none would have ventured to assert that a 
 time would come when his church in the slums 
 would have a reputation from sea to sea, and his 
 pulpit would make the selfish rich tremble for 
 their souls' salvation. Yet such was his destiny. 
 
 He always brought to Edyth satisfactory 
 
 reports of the progress of the buildings. 
 436
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 "They make an elegant and impressive ap- 
 pearance," he said. "The organ in the chapel is 
 a magnificent instrument, and I hope you will 
 run down soon and see the windows. They are 
 rich enough for a fine uptown church." 
 
 "Well, the poor people who will attend there 
 will need grand music and beautiful windows 
 a great deal more than those who usually have 
 them. I do not think they will be frightened 
 away by such things, so long as we have no 
 formidable pews and rich carpets." 
 
 "0, Edyth," said he one evening, when they 
 had been talking a long time about their work, 
 "what would I give if my dear mother could 
 know about this ! She had a burning love for 
 souls, an absorbing enthusiasm for the kingdom 
 of Christ, and she often mourned that she could 
 do so little. I have always been glad that her 
 name was 'Mary/ ' ; 
 
 "Her spirit set your own on fire, Winthrop. 
 If she had been a woman of the world, I doubt 
 if I had ever met you in a downtown mission." 
 
 Mr. Leigh had taken the proper steps to 
 secure the sanction of the authorities of his 
 
 Church to his work in the field where Provi- 
 437
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 dence had evidently directed him. By the first 
 of December the splendid structures were com- 
 pleted, and the chapel was publicly dedicated 
 to the service of God. It was on the afternoon 
 of the day previous that Edyth stood with 
 Winthrop on the chapel steps and ordered the 
 heavy cloth that concealed the arch of the en- 
 trance to be removed. The winter sunshine 
 streamed on the inscription, and Winthrop 
 Leigh with misty eyes and swelling heart read 
 what love had caused to be traced there: "The 
 Mary Leigh Memorial Chapel." 
 
 A few days later Edyth went to call on Mrs. 
 Walthope, to invite her to her wedding. Edyth 
 had never allowed herself to suspect Eleanor's 
 treachery, but had put the thought far from 
 her. She inquired for her of Mrs. Walthope. 
 
 "Eleanor is lost to me, Miss Wilsey. Shortly 
 after you met her here she went abroad with a 
 pleasure party for a Mediterranean cruise. Dur- 
 ing the voyage a young physician from Balti- 
 more became engaged to a lady in the party, 
 and a dinner was given on board in honor of 
 the event. Eleanor jumped overboard that 
 
 night, but, the steamer being at anchor and the 
 438
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 night very bright, was rescued and resuscitated. 
 She had been moody for some days before, and 
 had confided to a lady of the party that some- 
 thing weighed on her mind and she did not 
 know a happy moment. At Genoa she left the 
 party, and went to London, where she is study- 
 ing for the stage." 
 
 Edyth found that the Dudleys were in Cali- 
 fornia for the winter, so her invitations were 
 limited to the Campbells and the Daytons. Mr. 
 Leigh had a college chum whom he desired to 
 have present, and Edyth had asked all of her 
 girls. 
 
 It was an afternoon wedding, and through 
 the high rose window on the west the sunlight 
 slanted in wide rays of crimson and purple. 
 The chancel was all abloom with white roses 
 and carnations, and graceful, stately palms 
 lent their own peculiar charm to the 
 scene. The outer doors of the chapel were 
 closed, the few guests grouped quietly about the 
 altar, and only the soft, mellow strains of the 
 great organ broke the sacred hush that filled 
 the lofty room. Helen Reynolds, robed by 
 
 Edyth's request in her regal white wedding 
 439
 
 THE KING'S GOLD 
 
 gown, and radiant with happiness, stood a little 
 nearer than the others to the bride's place. The 
 Eev. Harry Keynolds and the Rev. Charles Day- 
 ton waited within the altar. Edyth came 
 through an inner passage from her new rooms 
 in the next building. She leaned on the arm 
 of her lover, and was without attendants. She 
 hardly seemed of the earth, earthy, so pure, so 
 evanescent she appeared in her filmy veil and 
 gleaming white garments. As for Winthrop 
 Leigh, he walked on hallowed ground, his soul 
 filled with awe of this shining being whom 
 God had sent to him with love's golden chalice 
 in her hands. 
 
 We will leave them there, kneeling at the al- 
 tar in the sunshine, the light of God upon their 
 path and in their hearts; and sweeter than the 
 organ music floating through the house of 
 prayer is that divine summons sounding in the 
 ears of each : 
 
 "He died for all ; that they which live should 
 not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto 
 him who died for them, and rose again." 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 440
 
 A 000092116 3