It was a beautiful evening; the moon was shining in a clear sky and making a silvery pathway upon the waters.
"Where do you suppose Max is now, father?" asked Evelyn, with a slight sigh.
"Probably in Washington; though it is possible he may have received his orders and gone aboard his vessel."
"And doubtless he is thinking of you, Eva, as you are of him," said Lucilla, speaking in low, tender tones.
"No doubt of it," said their father, "for he is very fond of his sweet, young wife. As we all are, daughter dear," he added, softly patting the small, white hand resting upon his arm.
"Dear father," she said, with emotion, "it is so kind in you to give me the fatherly affection I have so missed and longed for in years past."
"And daughterly affection from you is an adequate return," he said pleasantly. "I expect to enjoy that in all this winter's wanderings by sea and land."
"Wanderings which I am very glad to be allowed to share," she said; and then they talked of the various places they expected to visit while on this winter trip.
At length Evelyn, saying it was high time for her to join Grace in the stateroom they shared together, said good-night and returned to the cabin, but Lucilla delayed her departure a little longer--it was so pleasant to have her father all to herself for a bit of private chat before retiring for the night.
They paced the deck silently for a few moments, then she said: "Father, I have thought a good deal of that talk we had in our Bible lesson some time ago, about the second coming of Christ. Do you think it--his coming--is very near?"
"It may be, daughter. The signs of the times seem to indicate its approach. Jesus said, 'Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only.' He has given us signs, however, by which we may know that it is near; and judging by them we may, I think, know that it is not very far off now."
"Then, papa, doesn't it seem as if we ought to be busied with religious duties all the time?"
"I think whatever duties the Lord gives us in His Providence may, in some sense, be called religious duties--for me, for instance, the care of wife, children and dependents. We are to go on with household and family duties, those to the poor and needy in our neighborhood; also to take such part as we can in the work of the church at home and for foreign missions, and so forth; all this, remembering his command, 'Occupy till I come,' and endeavoring to be ready to meet him with joy when he comes."