t the God who made her and sent his Son to save her, without
answering a word for him, would be cowardly!"

"What do you know about such things? What gives you a right to speak?"
said lady Arctura.

Her pride-strength was already beginning to desert her.

"I had a Christian mother," answered Donal, "--have her yet, thank
God!--who taught me to love nothing but the truth; I have studied the
Bible from my childhood, often whole days together, when I was out with
the cattle or the sheep; and I have tried to do what the Lords tells
me, from nearly the earliest time I can remember. Therefore I am able
to set to my seal that God is true--that he is light, and there is no
darkness of unfairness or selfishness in him. I love God with my whole
heart and soul, my lady."

Arctura tried to say she too loved him so, but her conscience
interfered, and she could not.

"I don't say you don't love him," Donal went on; "but how you can love
him and believe such things of him, I don't understand. Whoever taught
them first was a terrible liar against God, who is lovelier than all
the imaginations of all his creatures can think."

Lady Arctura swept from the room--though she was trembling from head to
foot. At the door she turned and called Davie. The boy looked up in
his tutor's face, mutely asking if he should obey her.

"Go," said Donal.

In less than a minute he came back, his eyes full of tears.

"Arkie says she is going to tell papa. Is it true, Mr. Grant, that you
are a dangerous man? I do not believe it--though you do carry such a
big knife."

Donal laughed.

"It is my grandfather's skean dhu," he said: "I mend my pens with it,
you know! But it is strange, Davie, that, when a body knows something
other people don't, they should be angry with him! They will even
think he wants to make them bad when he wants to help them to be good!"

"But Arkie is good, Mr. Grant!"

"I am sure she is. But she does not know so much about God as I do, or
she would never say such things of him: we must talk about him more
after this!"

"No, no, please, Mr. Grant! We won't say a word about him, for Arkie
says except you promise never to speak of God, she will tell papa, and
he will send you away."

"Davie," said Donal with solemnity, "I would not give such a promise
for the castle and all it contains--no, not to save your life and the
life of everybody in it! For Jesus says, 'Whosoever denieth me before
men, him will I deny