ible," said Uncle Martin.

"Oh, it is," said Millard, gayly, for this tilt had raised his spirits.
"Now the miracles in the Bible are straight-out miracles. Nobody went
around in that day to explain the vermicular motion of the stomach or
the upward action of nerve-force, or the psychopathic value of animal
magnetism. Some of the Bible miracles would stump a body to believe, if
they were anywhere else but in the Bible; but you just believe in them
as miracles by walking right straight up to them, looking the difficulty
in the eye, and taking them as they are because you ought to." Here
Charley saw his aunt laughing gently at his frank way of stating the
processes of his own mind. Smiling in response, he added: "You believe
them, or at least I do, because I can't have my religion without them.
But your Christian psychopathists bring a lot of talk about a science,
and they don't seem to know just whether God is working the miracle or
they are doing it by magnetism, or mind-cure, or psychopathy, or whether
the disease isn't a sort of plaguey humbug anyhow, and the patient a
fool who has to be undeceived."

"W'y, you see, Charley, we know more nowadays, and we understand all
about somnambulism and hyp-what-you-may-call-it, and we understand just
how the miracles in the Bible were worked. God works by law--don't you
see?"

"The apostles did not seem to understand it?" asked Charley.

"No; they were mere faith-doctors, like Miss Callender, for instance,
doing their works in a blind sort of way."

"The apostles will be mere rushlights when you get your Christian
Science well a-going," said Charley, seriously. Then he rose to leave,
having no heart to await the return of the children.

"Of course," said Uncle Martin, "the world is undergoing a change,
Charley. A great change. Selfishness and disease shall vanish away, and
the truth of science and Christianity prevail." Uncle Martin was now
standing, and swinging his hands horizontally in outward gestures, with
his elbows against his sides.

"Well, I wish to goodness there was some chance of realizing your
hopes," said Charley, conciliatorily. "I must go. Good-by, Uncle Martin;
good-by, Aunt Hannah."

Uncle Martin said good-by, and come again, Charley, and always glad to
see you, you know, and good luck to you. And Millard went down the
stairs and bent his steps homeward. As the exhilaration produced by his
baiting of Uncle Martin's philosophy died away, his heart sank