fold. He looked long, for all were the children Sep- 

 of His Father. Then He lifted September, tember. 

 saying, ' Even so, because thou art the month 

 of fulfilment, and because thy secret name is 

 Peace.' But when He came out of the dark- 

 ness to the fold, the Shepherd went back 

 between the wild lips of flood and tempest, 

 and brought to the fold June, saying, * Because 

 thy secret name is Joy ' : and, in turn, one by 

 one, He brought each to the fold, saying unto 

 each, in this order, 'May, because thy secret 

 name is Love'; 'April, because thou art made 

 of tears and laughter ' ; ' July, because thou 

 art Beauty ' ; ' August, thou quiet Mother ' ; 

 ' October, because thy name is Content ' ; 

 ' March, because thy name is Strife ' ; ' Febru- 

 ary, because thy name is Hope ' ; ' November, 

 because thy name is Silence ' ; ' January, 

 because thou art Death ' ; and at the last, 

 ' December, whom I have left to the end, for 

 neither tempest could whelm nor flood drown 

 thee, for thy name is the Resurrection and 

 the Life.' 



And when the tale was told, some one 

 would say, 'But how, then, was September 

 chosen first ? ' 



And the teller would say, 'Because its 

 secret name is Peace, and Peace is the secret 

 name of Christ.' 



237 



