bedtime. That was myself, and her petitions were doubtless sent up by the little cot where I lay asleep. A young girl praying! It is as sacred as the miracle of birth. And by this simple act, this girl had placed in me a greater trust than words could speak. She deemed me good enough to be by[119] her side when she approached her Creator—and was I worthy? I knew I was not. And though my life had been free from those polluting sins which glow like rubies in the souls of some men, I felt that here I had no fitting place, that her prayers would be clogged by the unholiness of my presence. She knelt, immovable as the statued Christ which hung almost over our heads. The glow in the stained-glass windows to our left had turned to a gray blur; the outlines of her figure were growing indistinct. As suddenly and as quickly as she had knelt, she arose, and with the freedom of a child took my arm as we retraced our steps. [119] A young moon was tilted over in the sky near the horizon as we gained the open. The limitless depths above us were aglow with millions of sparkling stars. We stood for a moment before going down to our horses. [120]"We'll be a little late getting back." [120] Again it was my companion who broke the silence. "I'm sorry, for it will be because of me." She laughed,—the bubbling notes so like the falling of a forest rivulet over a low rock ledge. "It will not matter, unless we count the loss of sleep. Mother and father know how I love the night, and when they know where I am, and whom I am with, they are not concerned." "I would gladly lose a night's rest for an experience like this. You have made me very much your debtor. How solemn and beautiful it all is!" My eyes took in all visible things in a comprehensive glance. "Do you come here often?" "No; I only care to come at the close of day, and my parents are getting too old to be dragged around to humor[121] my whims. It is too far to come alone, and so I miss it." [121] "Then did I really perform some sort of service for you in accompanying you here? I had imagined the favor all on your side." "Let's call it square," she smiled. "I showed you the place, and you acted as my protector and escort. A very even
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