ane o' them. Wha wadna be Zacchay wi' the
Lord in his hoose, an' the richteousness o' God himsel' growin' in his
hert, raither nor the prood Pharisee wha kent nae ill he was duin', an'
thoucht it a shame to speak to sic a man as Zacchay!"

The grandmother held her peace, thinking probably that so long as one
kept respectable, there remained the more likelihood of a spiritual
change.

"Is there anything you think I could do?" asked Donal. "I confess I'm
afraid of meddling."

"I wudna hae you appear, sir," said Andrew, "in onything, concernin'
her. Ye're a yoong man yersel', an' fowk's herts as well as fowk's
tongues are no to be lippent til. I hae seen fowk, 'cause they couldna
believe a body duin' a thing frae a sma' modicum o' gude wull, set
themsel's to invent what they ca'd a motive til accoont
for't--something, that is, that wud hae prevailt wi' themsel's to gar
them du't. Sic fowk canna un'erstan' a body duin' onything jist 'cause
it was worth duin' in itsel'!"

"But maybe," said the old woman, returning to the practical, "as ye hae
been pleased to say ye're on freen'ly terms wi' mistress Brookes, ye
micht jist see gien she 's observed ony ten'ency to resumption o' the
auld affair!"

Donal promised, and as soon as he reached the castle sought an
interview with the house keeper. She told him she had been particularly
pleased of late with Eppy's attention to her work, and readiness to
make herself useful. If she did look sometimes a little out of heart,
they must remember, she said, that they had been young themselves once,
and that it was not so easy to forget as to give up. But she would keep
her eyes open!

CHAPTER XXX.

LORD MORVEN.

The winter came at last in good earnest--first black frost, then white
snow, then sleet and wind and rain; then snow again, which fell steady
and calm, and lay thick. After that came hard frost, and brought plenty
of skating, and to Davie the delight of teaching his master. Donal had
many falls, but was soon, partly in virtue of those same falls, a very
decent skater. Davie claimed all the merit of his successful training;
and when his master did anything particularly well, would remark with
pride, that he had taught him. But the good thing in it for Davie was,
that he noted the immediate faith with which Donal did or tried to do
what he told him: this reacted in opening his mind to the beauty and
dignity of obedience, and went a long way towards revealing the low
m