e more ere she replied, she took the
miniature, and gazed at it for some time. Then with a deep hopeless
sigh, she answered,

'Ay, it's like him; but it's no himsel'. Eh, the bonny broo, an' the
smilin' een o' him!--smilin' upon a'body, an' upo' her maist o' a', till
he took to the drink, and waur gin waur can be. It was a' siller an'
company--company 'at cudna be merry ohn drunken. Verity their lauchter
was like the cracklin' o' thorns aneath a pot. Het watter and whusky
was aye the cry efter their denner an' efter their supper, till my puir
Anerew tuik till the bare whusky i' the mornin' to fill the ebb o' the
toddy. He wad never hae dune as he did but for the whusky. It jist drave
oot a' gude and loot in a' ill.'

'Wull ye lat me tak this wi' me, grannie?' said Robert; for though
the portrait was useless for identification, it might serve a further
purpose.

'Ow, ay, tak it. I dinna want it. I can see him weel wantin' that. But I
hae nae houp left 'at ye'll ever fa' in wi' him.'

'God's aye doin' unlikly things, grannie,' said Robert, solemnly.

'He's dune a' 'at he can for him, I doobt, already.'

'Duv ye think 'at God cudna save a man gin he liket, than, grannie?'

'God can do a'thing. There's nae doobt but by the gift o' his speerit he
cud save a'body.'

'An' ye think he's no mercifu' eneuch to do 't?'

'It winna do to meddle wi' fowk's free wull. To gar fowk he gude wad be
nae gudeness.'

'But gin God could actually create the free wull, dinna ye think he cud
help it to gang richt, withoot ony garrin'? We ken sae little aboot it,
grannie! Hoo does his speerit help onybody? Does he gar them 'at accep's
the offer o' salvation?'

'Na, I canna think that. But he shaws them the trowth in sic a way that
they jist canna bide themsel's, but maun turn to him for verra peace an'
rist.'

'Weel, that's something as I think. An' until I'm sure that a man has
had the trowth shawn till him in sic a way 's that, I canna alloo mysel'
to think that hooever he may hae sinned, he has finally rejeckit the
trowth. Gin I kent that a man had seen the trowth as I hae seen 't
whiles, and had deleeberately turned his back upo' 't and said, "I'll
nane o' 't," than I doobt I wad be maist compelled to alloo that there
was nae mair salvation for him, but a certain and fearfu' luikin' for
o' judgment and fiery indignation. But I dinna believe that ever man did
sae. But even than, I dinna ken.'

'I did a' for him that I kent hoo