y--just as Rivers does."

"Now that will be good. I am book-starved except for Rivers's help. Thank
you." He put out a fat hand and said, "God has been good to me this day;
may He be as kind to you and yours."

The Squire went his way wondering what the deuce the man had to do with
Ann Penhallow's politics.

Mrs. Lamb took charge of Grace, and Mrs. Penhallow saw that he was well
supplied and gave no further thought to the incorrigible and changeful
political views of Westways.

The excitement over the flight of Josiah lessened, and Westways settled
down to the ordinary dull routine of a little community dependent on
small farmers and the mill-men who boarded at the old tavern or with some
of the townspeople.

* * * * *

The forests were rapidly changing colour except where pine and spruce
stood darkly green amid the growing magnificence of maple and oak. It was
the intermediate season in which were neither winter nor summer sports,
and John Penhallow enjoying the pageant of autumn rode daily or took long
walks, exploring the woods, missing Leila and giving free wing to a mind
which felt the yearning, never to be satisfied, to translate into human
speech its bird-song of enjoyment of nature.

On an afternoon in mid-October he saw Mr. Rivers, to his surprise, far
away on the bank of the river. Well aware that the clergyman was rarely
given to any form of exercise on foot, John was a little surprised when
he came upon the tall, stooping, pallid man with what Ann Penhallow
called the "eloquent" eyes. He was lying on the bank lazily throwing
stones into the river. As John broke through the alders and red willows
above him, he turned at the sound and cried, as John jumped down the
bank, "Glad to see you, John! I have been trying to settle a question no
one can settle to the satisfaction of others or even himself. You might
give me your opinion as to who wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews. Origen
gave it up, and Philo had a theory about Apollos, and there is
Tertullian, that's all any fellow knows; and so now I await your opinion.
What nobody knows about, anybody's opinion is good about."

John laughed as he said, "I don't think I'll try."

"Did you ever read Hebrews, John? The epistle I mean."

"No."

"Then don't or not yet. The Bible books ought to be read at different
ages of a man's life. I could arrange them. Your aunt reads to you or
with you, I believe?"

"Yes--Acts just now,