we get Neil's story. I'll ne'er blame my lad
before I hae heard his side o' the wrang. I'm disappointed in Roberta.
Wives shouldna speak ill o' their husbands. It isna lawfu', and it's
vera unwise."

"The faults she names are quite in the line o' Neil's faults."

"Then it's a gude thing he was keepit out o' the ministry. The
Maraschal was gude enough. I'm thinking all the lad's faults are quite
in the line o' the law. Put the letter awa'. I'm not going to tak' it
into my consideration, till Neil has had his say-so. Let us hae a good
day wi' a book, Christine."

"So we will, Mither. I'll red up the house, and read my letter, and be
wi' you."

"Some wee, short love stories and poems, and the like. That verse you
read me a week syne, anent the Lord being our shepherd, is singing in
my heart and brain, even the now. It was like as if the Lord had but
one sheep, and I mysel' was that one. Gie me my crochet wark, and I
will listen to it, until you are through wi' your little jobs."

The day grew more and more stormy, but these two women made their own
sunshine, for Margot was now easy and pleasant to live with. Nothing
was more remarkable than the change that had taken place in her. Once
the most masterful, passionate, plain-spoken woman in the village, she
had become, in the school of affliction and loss, as a little child,
and the relations between herself and Christine had been in many cases
almost reversed. She now accepted the sweet authority of Christine
with pleasure, and while she held tenaciously to her own likings and
opinions, she no longer bluffed away the opinions of others with that
verbal contempt few were able to reply to. Her whole nature had
sweetened, and risen into a mental and spiritual region too high for
angry or scornful personalities.

Her physical failure and decay had been very slow, and at first
exceedingly painful, but as her strength left her, and her power to
resist and struggle was taken away with it, she had traveled through
the Valley of the Shadow of Death almost cheerfully, for the Lord was
with her, and her own dear daughter was the rod that protected, and
the staff that comforted her.

They had a day of wonderful peace and pleasure, and after they had had
their tea, and Margot had been prepared for the night, Christine had a
long sweet session with her regarding her own affairs. She told her
mother that Cluny was coming to see her anent their marriage. "He
really thinks, Mither,