e only place to see
the warld in."

"Well, Mither, he went to the English church in France--the Protestant
Episcopal Church!"

"Another great wrang to our family. The Rulesons are of the best
Covenanting stock. What would John Knox say to a Ruleson being married
in an Episcopal Church, at the very horns o' the altar, as it were? An
unchristened Turk could do naething more unfitting."

"Mither, I hear feyther and Jamie coming up the hill. Let us hae peace
this night. We will tak' counsel o' our pillows, and in the morning
we'll see things in a different way, perhaps."

"Perhaps!"

And the scorn Margot threw into the seven letters of that one
word, "perhaps," would have been an impossibility to any woman
less ignorant, or less prejudiced in favor of her own creed and
traditions. For it is in Ignorance that Faith finds its most
invincible stronghold.

Ruleson came in with a newspaper in his hand. Jamie was with him, but
as soon as he entered the cottage, he snuggled up to his grandmother,
and told her softly, "Grandfather has had some bad news. It came in a
newspaper."

Grandfather, however, said not a word concerning bad news, until he
had had his tea, and smoked a pipe. Then Christine and Jamie went to
Christine's room to read, and Ruleson, after tapping the bowl of his
pipe on the hob until it was clean, turned to Margot, and said,
"Gudewife, I hae news today o' Neil's marriage to Miss Rath."

"Ay, Christine had a letter."

"What do you think o' the circumstance?"

"I'm wondering, when it was in a foreign country, and outside his ain
kirk and creed, whether it was legal and lawful?"

"Neil is lawyer enough to ken he was all right. It is not the law side
o' the question I am thinking of. It is the hame side. Not a word to
his ain folk, and not one o' us present at the ceremony!"

"Neither were any of the lady's family present. It was, I'm thinking,
a marriage after Neil Ruleson's ain heart. Neil first, and last, and
altogether."

"How's that? The young man, her brother----"

"Neil has quarreled wi' him. Neil has got the lady and her money, and
he is going to begin business in his ain name, exclusive! I consider
Neil something o' a scoundrel, and a mean one, at that."

"I was talking to Finlay anent the matter, and he says Neil has done
weel to himsel', and he thinks him a gey clever young man."

"And I'd like to have Finlay keep his false tongue out o' my family
affairs. I say Neil has done a dirty