hear tell about these things, but I gave no
heed to them then, and I've forgotten all I ever heard. I've been
thinking a deal lately since I was took so bad, and some of it seems to
come back to me. But I can't rightly mind what I was told. It's a bad
job, Christie, a bad job."

CHAPTER V.

NO SIN IN THE CITY BRIGHT.

It had been a close, sultry day, and it was a still more oppressive
night. It was long before Christie could get to sleep, and when at last
he had sunk into a troubled slumber, he was waked suddenly by a loud
peal of thunder, which made the old attic shake from end to end.

Old Treffy raised himself in bed, and Christie crept to his side. It was
an awful storm; the lightning flashed into the attic, lighting up for a
moment every corner of it, and showing Christie old Treffy's white and
trembling face. Then all was dark again, and there came the heavy roll
of the thunder, which sounded like the noise of falling houses, and
which made old Treffy shake from head to foot. Christie never remembered
such a storm before, and he was very much afraid. He knelt very close to
his old master, and took hold of his trembling hand.

"Are you frightened, Master Treffy?" he asked at last, as a vivid flash
again darted into the room.

"Yes, Christie, boy," said old Treffy; "I don't know how it is; I used
not to be afraid of a storm, but I am to-night."

Poor Christie did not speak, so Treffy went on:--

"The lightning seems like God looking at me, Christie, and the thunder
seems like God's voice, and I am afraid of Him. I don't love Him,
Christie; I don't love Him."

And again the lightning flashed and the thunder rolled, and again old
Treffy shook from head to foot.

"I shouldn't like to die to-night, Christie," he said; "and the
lightning comes so very near me. Christie, boy, do you know what sin
is?" he whispered.

"Yes," said Christie; "it's doing wrong things, isn't it?"

"Yes," said Treffy, "and I've done a many of them, Christie; and it's
thinking bad thoughts, and I've thought a many of them, Christie; and
it's saying bad words, and I've said a many of them, Christie. But I
never cared about it before to-night."

"How did you come to care about it to-night?" asked Christie.

"I've had a dream, Christie, boy, and it has made me tremble."

"Tell me it, Master Treffy," pleaded Christie.

"I was thinking of what you said about loving Jesus, and I fell asleep,
and I thought I was standing bef