re no to interfere wi' the wull o' the Almichty," rejoined the
former. "It gangs its ain gait, an' mortal canna tell what that gait
is. His justice winna be contert."

Donal felt that to be silent now would be to decline witnessing. He
feared argument, lest he should fail and wrong the right, but he must
not therefore hang back. He drew his chair towards the table.

"Wad ye lat a stranger put in a word, freen's?" he said.

"Ow ay, an' welcome! We setna up for the men o' Gotham."

"Weel, I wad spier a question gien I may."

"Speir awa'. Answer I winna insure," said the man unshaven.

"Weel, wad ye please tell me what ye ca' the justice o' God?"

"Onybody could tell ye that: it consists i' the punishment o' sin. He
gies ilka sinner what his sin deserves."

"That seems to me an unco ae-sidit definition o' justice."

"Weel, what wad ye mak o' 't?"

"I wad say justice means fair play; an' the justice o' God lies i'
this, 'at he gies ilka man, beast, an' deevil, fair play."

"I'm doobtfu' aboot that!" said a drover-looking fellow. "We maun gang
by the word; an' the word says he veesits the ineequities o' the
fathers upo' the children to the third an' fourth generation: I never
could see the fair play o' that!"

"Dinna ye meddle wi' things, John, 'at ye dinna un'erstan'; ye may wauk
i' the wrang box!" said the old man.

"I want to un'erstan'," returned John. "I'm no sayin' he disna du
richt; I'm only sayin' I canna see the fair play o' 't."

"It may weel be richt an' you no see 't!"

"Ay' weel that! But what for sud I no say I dinna see 't? Isna the
blin' man to say he's blin'?"

This was unanswerable, and Donal again spoke.

"It seems to me," he said, "we need first to un'erstan' what's
conteened i' the veesitin' o' the sins o' the fathers upo' the
children, afore we daur ony jeedgment concernin' 't."

"Ay, that 's sense eneuch!" confessed a responsive murmur.

"I haena seen muckle o' this warl' yet, compared wi' you, sirs," Donal
went on, "but I hae been a heap my lane wi' nowt an' sheep, whan a heap
o' things gaed throuw my heid; an' I hae seen something as weel, though
no that muckle. I hae seen a man, a' his life 'afore a douce honest
man, come til a heap o' siller, an' gang to the dogs!"

A second murmur seemed to indicate corroboration.

"He gaed a' to the dogs, as I say," continued Donal; "an' the bairns he
left 'ahint him whan he dee'd o' drink, cam upo' the perris, or wad hae
hungert