that Betty liked “folks that were smart!” By
that Betty meant those who had certain
qualities of mind, irrespective of clothes, or
money, or, indeed, opportunity; for leaders do
not always come out of the schools and colleges.

At first Betty could not sing the hymns for
listening to the countess. But she soon piped
away, sweetly, too, in a sort of duet with Lucia,
whose voice was contralto. “I'll sing with you
when we go carolling,” whispered Lucia, with
a bright glance, as she took the hymn-book
which they had been sharing.

Betty was ashamed to think afterwards how
little of the sermon she heard, after the first of
it. The preacher was a little prosy compared
to her own pastor; and Betty's thoughts would
wander to what Lucia had told her, to Count
and Countess Coletti, and with a remorseful
feeling to the “Sevillas,” who had moved with-
out her knowledge. One moment she felt that
it made no difference and that they probably
were not in the least connected with Ramon;
the next minute she was sure that they were
related and had something to do with the mys-
tery that surrounded the “Don.”

She thought of various things that Lucia
could do, to bring her father -- and knew that
she could do none of them. But finally the

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