Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-08-31
AA'iAlAll V 'Aa1AAAkAkIlA "A SILENT ]
 WORSHIP
syraAHcrs HOpssoN BURNETT
fWVvyIvyyy yV
 (Copyright. by Joseph B. Bowles.l

the sins of the world,
 Grant us thy peace.
 "oh! Lamb of God, who takest ava! the sins of the world,
 Have mercy on us"
 The solemn softness of the voices . chanting the divine words, swelling
 and rising, filled the groined arches
 of St. Marys with floating, low-breath
 ed echoes of the wondrous prayer, and
 with the rest, fresh, pure young
 voice foated upward--a voice SC
 fresh, and pure, and tender, that il ] seemed almost in itself divine. To this young voice one man had listened through the whole of the previous service. Its first sound had
 struck him with strange sense of
 the sudden thrilling of some subtle, startled chord, touched for the first
 time in 2s quiet years of life.
 I Rev. Marcus Nugent, who was then
 rector, had been absent few days,
 and, in his place, Noel Lowther had
 of1ciated; and it was, as he led the
 morning service, that the sweet, young
 voice broke upon his ear, echoing the
 responses from the rector's pew. He
 could not see the face of it's owner,
 clear as the voice was to him. So
 It was that he was fain to content
 himself with the listening. which had
 become so strangely nervous in it's l eager intensity; and so it was that
 he was conscious of the listening, in
 its intensity, being anything but a content
 The service was over at length, and the voluntary pealed forth in parting ] benediction, the door of the rector's
 pew opened, and, with the rector's wife. the owner of the voice passed
 down the broad aisle. She was a
 fair, pretty school girl looking crea- fure. with one of those rare, purely
 untouched faces, We see and wonder
 at, now and then, in some fair girl woman, before whom lies the worlds sad depth of experience, and whose
 past holds cply the innocent memory of childhood. Just such face as this Noel Lowther singled out of the crowd of onward passing faces. Just such face as this he saw for a moment soft-lipped, dove-eyed. and tender. and then she was hidden from his sight. But, as he passed out of the church doors, chance led him by a group of men rwhoi1were sanntering homeward slowly, and, as he crossed their path. few words fell upon his ear
 The fair innocent-faced girl with the yellow hair? Oh, yes" one of them said. "Nugent's daughter-Lilias Nugent She has just come from school, l believe. Mere child, though not more than l6."
 The curate passed on, a strange quick color flooding his sallow face Lilias.' Lilias The name seemed so purely fttfng that 1t thrilled him. just as her voice had done. Lilias! LII ias! he said to himself again and again. with something like a tremor.
 He went home to his dull, respect. able lodgings slowly, pondering as he went. His dingy little parlor, in the dull, neat street, was cheerless and silent as usual Oh, the slow work. ing of the leaden groove, that this small room had seen; the prayers that he had tried to make fervent, and had fancied he failed in. not daring to murmur. so far as to think that the dull, unresponsive life made him low in spirit. and unrespensive also. He was a conscientious man, this curate of St. Marys. Even the people who liked him were compelled to acknowl- edge that, and the most reluctant con- fessed that he neglected no duty. As he sat by the fire in the small grate. he looked over his life with a heavier than he had ever felt before.
 A very sad romance was the love story of the curate of St. Mary's. No one dreamed of It's quiet life; no one would have comprehended it. if they had guessed at its existence; and all It's concentrated hidden force wrecked Itself upon the single strength of the man whose secret 1t was.
 But one night the door of the rec. tors pew opened, and the hand of A girl did not close 1t, nor the slight. graceful, girlish figure pass out. LII. as was not we'll the rector said to ais curate. when they met in the iestry. She had not seemed strong If late-he scarcely knew why. We'll he truth was. she never had been strong.
 Not strongl This was what he said hat night; but the next day there , ioated to Noel Lowther a darkened loud. She was Ill, dangerously. The ong night hours had brought forth his much. that there was no vague Inxiety. but a terrible agonizing fear. ; n the hearts of those who watched ,. bout the pillow where the sweet face ested in unresponsive silence. Among the many who raised the muf. |, led knocker at the rector's house ,. hat day. came the methodical figure f the curate. who made his few, tin inquiries, in his usual constrain- 2 d manner He had learned that a !, member of the family was unvell. nd so had stopped on his way home : Q inquire as to their progress. This !. Fas all. But his mediocre face was :. ale in It's sallow way. and when the Z ervant replied to his question. it be- '. !. anne paler still The invalid was not \, etter. indeed. was even worse; and ' hen the woman who gave the answer '