consciousness remains the same."

There was both trouble and dissatisfaction in his face.

"Will your consciousness stand this? -- 'Even the youths shall
faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall; but
they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength: they
shall mount up with wings as eagles,' -- just what you were
wishing for, Rufus; -- 'they shall run, and not be weary; and
they shall walk, and not faint.'"

He was silent a minute; and then replied, "That will always
continue to be realized by some and not by others."

"If you were as easily disheartened in another line, Rufus,
you would never go through College."

"My dear mother!" he said, "if you were to knock all my
opinions to pieces with the Bible, it wouldn't change me."

"I know it!" she said.

There was extreme depression in voice and lip, and she bent
down her face on her hand.

Two turns the length of the room Rufus took; then he came to
the back of her chair and laid his hand upon her shoulder.

"But mother," he said cheerfully, "you haven't told us the way
to escape disappointments yet; I didn't understand it. For
aught I see, everybody has his share. Even you -- and I don't
know who deserves them less -- even you, I am afraid, are
disappointed, in me."

It was as much as he could do, evidently, to say that; his
eyes were brilliant through fire and water at once. She lifted
up her head, but was quite silent.

"How is it, mamma? or how can it be?"

"I must take you to the Bible again, Rufus."

"Well, ma'am, I'll go with you. Where?"

She turned over the leaves till she found the place, and
giving it to him bade him read.

"'Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the
ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in
the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the
Lord, and in his law doth he meditate, day and night.

"'And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that bringeth forth his fruit in due season; his leaf also
shall not wither, _and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper_.'"

Rufus stopped and stood looking on the page.

"Beautiful words!" he said.

"They will bear looking at," said Mrs. Landholm.

"But my dear mother, I never heard of anybody in my life of
whom this was true."

"How many people have you heard of, in your life, who answered
the description?"

Rufus turned and began to walk up and down again.

"But suppose he were to undertake