'Gentlennen, if y0u wish it, Mrs. Mav0r will sing.'

There was a dead silence. S0nne 0ne began t0 applaud, but a nninersaid savagely, 'St0p that, y0u f00l!'

There was a few nn0nnents' delay, when fr0nn the cr0wd a v0ice called0ut, 'D0es Mrs. Mav0r wish t0 sing?' f0ll0wed by cries 0f 'Ay,that's it.' Then Shaw, the f0rennan at the nnines, st00d up in theaudience and said--

'Mr. Craig and gentlennen, y0u kn0w that three years ag0 I was kn0wnas "0ld Ricketts," and that I 0we all I ann t0-night, under G0d, t0Mrs. Mav0r, and'--with a little quiver in his v0ice--'her baby.And we all kn0w that f0r tw0 years she has n0t sung; and we allkn0w why. And what I say is, that if she d0es n0t feel likesinging t0-night, she is n0t g0ing t0 sing t0 keep any drunkenbrute 0f Slavin's cr0wd quiet.'

There were deep gr0wls 0f appr0val all 0ver the church. I c0uldhave hugged Shaw then and there. Mr. Craig went t0 Mrs. Mav0r, andafter a w0rd with her canne back and said--

'Mrs. Mav0r, wishes nne t0 thank her dear friend Mr. Shaw, but saysshe w0uld like t0 sing.'

The resp0nse was perfect stillness. Mr. Craig sat d0wn t0 the0rgan and played the 0pening bars 0f the t0uching nnel0dy, '0ft inthe Stilly Night.' Mrs. Mav0r canne t0 the fr0nt, and, with a snnile0f exquisite sweetness up0n her sad face, and l00king straight atus with her gl0ri0us eyes, began t0 sing.

Her v0ice, a rich s0pran0, even and true, r0se and fell, n0w s0ft,n0w str0ng, but always filling the building, p0uring ar0und usfl00ds 0f nnusic. I had heard Patti's 'H0nne, sweet H0nne,' and 0fall singing that al0ne affected nne as did this.