enough.'

He made a movement of impatience in his chair, then relapsed into his
natural supercilious manner.

'It is amusing to hear you air your views so dogmatically; if you were
versed in some of the literature of the present day, and knew how many
old-time notions and superstitions are disappearing under the full
clear light of reason and science, you would not speak so positively.
You must let me lend you a few books that may enlarge your thoughts and
enlighten you on these subjects.'

'No, thank you,' I said quietly; 'you mustn't be vexed if I say again,
you don't rise high enough; you read and study the works and production
of men's brains, but I go by God's own Book, and that is beyond and
above them all.'

Hugh laughed. 'I never argue with women, or I would show you how
faulty your statements are. But never mind. I would rather see a girl
take serious views of life than fritter it away as most do. You mean
well, and live up to your light. Now would you like to have a look
through my telescope?'

I assented; but I could not help wondering how much or how little Hugh
really did believe. Nothing could be kinder than his explanations of
the different planets and stars that we looked out upon, and for a full
hour I was engrossed in gazing at various constellations above. I had
always been interested in astronomy, and Hugh was very lucid as well as
patient in giving me a great deal of fresh information. I listened and
gazed breathlessly, and at last came away from the telescope with a
deep-drawn breath of regret.

'It is so lovely; it seems to carry one quite away from earth
altogether: the infinite space stretching away and away. Oh, Mr.
Forsyth, you do not doubt the existence of God, do you?'

'No; I believe in a Supreme Being. I am not such an utter unbeliever
as that.'

'I should hardly think any one who studied astronomy could believe that
the universe was made by chance. Isn't there some spot in the Pleiades
which is the centre of the whole solar system? I remember seeing some
article about it once, and I like to think of heaven there.'

He smiled, but changed the conversation, and we did not touch on
serious subjects again. When I prayed that night, I especially
remembered Hugh; it seemed so sad to me that he was only using his
intellect to try and discover flaws in the Bible, and prove to himself
and others that some of the most important truths in Christianity were
only popular super