o,' he said to me; 'especially if it's
a case of a bad throat.'

I went to the door to Hugh. 'I am so sorry,' I said, 'but I promised
Mrs. Walters to stay till she returned, and I should like to hear what
the doctor says. Would you mind waiting a short time longer?'

He grumbled a little, but allowed me ten minutes more. The doctor did
not stay very long, and then he came to me with a grave face. 'There
is nothing to be done for him now,' he said; 'it is too late. I don't
want to alarm you, but it is diphtheria. If I had been called in
earlier, I might have saved him. You had better not stay. I doubt if
the poor lad will last through the night. Is there any one besides
this old man?'

'A neighbour is coming back directly,' I answered, my heart sinking
within me at the tidings. 'You will just let me wish him good-bye?'

'If you have been with him much already it will not matter. Not too
close to him, please.'

I stood at the bottom of the bed, and Jim's eyes at once sought mine
questioningly.

I tried to smile. 'I mustn't stay, Jim; you are in the arms of Jesus,
remember. Good-bye.'

His lips moved, but I could catch no sound; only a faint smile crossed
his face, and I turned to the door to hide the tears already springing
to my eyes. I had seen a great deal of Jim lately, and our reading
lessons had drawn us very close together. He seemed to have grasped
the truth as a little child, and I had no fears about his being one of
the Lord's flock. Mrs. Walters entered the house directly after I had
left Jim. She was very concerned when she learnt what it was, and
anxious about Roddy, but promised to stay all night. One word I had
with old Roger before I left.

'Ah!' he said, with a shake of his head, in response to the bit of
comfort I tried to give him; 'I might a known the boy would be taken.
He has been gettin' so fond of spellin' out of my big Bible lately, and
mostly his talk has been of heaven, and the beautiful city, as he calls
it. Well, the Lord wants him, and I'm not the one to say naught
against the Lord's dealin's. He's allays merciful, the Lord is, and
maybe my time will be comin' soon.'

When I joined Hugh outside I found Mr. Stanton with him. He told me
Mrs. Forsyth was getting anxious at my long stay, and wished me to
return immediately. He had volunteered to come down with the message.

I told them a little about Jim, but my heart was too full to say much,
and we walked home