ry as to give a decided shock to those who regularly
attended, and their presence lent to the meeting an unusual interest,
and an undertone of excitement. To see Macdonald Dubh, whose attendance
at the regular Sabbath services was something unusual, present at a
religious meeting which no one would consider it a duty to attend, was
enough in itself to excite surprise, but when Yankee came in and sat
beside him, the surprise was considerably intensified. For Yankee was
considered to be quite outside the pale, and indeed, in a way, incapable
of religious impression. No one expected Yankee to be religious. He was
not a Presbyterian, knew nothing of the Shorter Catechism, not to speak
of the Confession of Faith, and consequently was woefully ignorant of
the elements of Christian knowledge that were deemed necessary to any
true religious experience.

It was rumored that upon Yankee's first appearance in the country, some
few years before, he had, in an unguarded moment, acknowledged that
his people had belonged to the Methodists, and that he himself "leaned
toward" that peculiar sect. Such a confession was in itself enough to
stamp him, in the eyes of the community, as one whose religious history
must always be attended with more or less uncertainty. Few of them had
ever seen a Methodist in the flesh. There were said to be some at Moose
Creek (Mooscrick, as it was called), but they were known only by report.
The younger and more untraveled portion of the community thought of them
with a certain amount of awe and fear.

It was no wonder, then, that Yankee's appearance in Bible class
produced a sensation. It was an evening of sensations, for not only were
Macdonald Dubh and Yankee present, but Aleck McRae had driven up a load
of people from below the Sixteenth. Ranald regarded his presence with
considerable contempt.

"It is not much he cares for the Bible class, whatever," he confided to
Don, who was sitting beside him.

But more remarkable and disturbing to Ranald than the presence of Aleck
McRae, was that of a young man sitting between Hughie and Maimie in the
minister's pew. He was evidently from the city. One could see that from
his fine clothes and his white shirt and collar. Ranald looked at him
with deepening contempt. "Pride" was written all over him. Not only did
he wear fine clothes, and a white shirt and collar, but he wore them
without any sign of awkwardness or apology in his manner, and indeed
as if he enjoy