ked on.

"Were you more forgiving?" said the old man, with a trembling voice.
"Was not your son amongst the twelve, and did you speak to him, or look
at him?"

"He did not pass the night in my house; I drove him away!" said the
justice gloomily.

"Oh, oh!" sighed the old man; "how bitter is our grief! We love our
children most when they give us most sorrow; but it must be so, friend,
we cannot act otherwise. Let us enter the church, and pray God to give
us strength to do what is right."

Supported by the justice, he entered the churchyard, while from the
other side the minister, followed by the sacristan and the choirboys,
was just appearing.

"See," murmured the justice, "our good old minister has not come to-day
to preach to us; but has sent his assistant. There is certainly some
disagreeable order of the archbishop to read to us, and our pastor
is not willing to read it; he is a good Prussian, and loves the great
king."

The young minister advanced smilingly to meet the two old men.

"Well," said he, with sanctimonious friendliness, as he offered both of
them a hand, "allow me to congratulate you."

"For what?" asked both of them, astonished.

"For the happiness of yesterday. Can there be a greater joy for fathers
than to receive their sons safe and sound from the tumult of battle?
Your sons have returned home, faithfully fulfilling their duty to their
new master, his Catholic majesty of France. They abandoned the flag of
the heretic king, laid aside his uniform, and are again simple peasants,
ready to assist their fathers in the field. Come, my young friends, that
I may give you the blessing of the Church, for so resolutely fulfilling
your duty."

He held out his hand to the young men, who were just entering the
churchyard. They obeyed his call the more readily, as it was the first
welcome they had received--the first kind word they had heard since
their return. As they approached the minister, the other men drew back,
and entered the church hastily, followed by their wives and children.

"You will see, father," murmured the justice, as they seated themselves
together in the pew, "that there is an order to-day. Whenever the
assistant is so delighted and friendly, there is something wrong. They
are certainly meditating some villanous trick against Frederick, and
therefore our good pastor is not here."

The justice had prophesied aright. When the services were over, and the
congregation about to leave