her quiet manner of the quickened
pulses of which she was immediately conscious. Something like a
tremulous thrill ran through her nerves; it vexed her to be so little
mistress of them, yet the pleasure of the thrill at the moment was more
than the pain. Pitt threw himself into a chair near her, and for a few
moments watched the play of her needle. Betty's eyelashes never
stirred. But the silence lasted too long. Nerves would not bear it.

'What can you find to do in this weather, Mr. Pitt?' she asked
languidly.

'It is good weather,' he answered absently. 'Do you ever read the
Bible?'

Miss Betty's fine eyes were lifted now with an expression of some
amusement. They were very fine eyes; Mrs. Dallas thought they could not
fail of their effect.

'The Bible?' she repeated. 'I read the lessons in the Prayer-book; that
is the same.'

'Is it the same? Is the whole Bible contained in the lessons?'

'I don't know, I am sure,' she answered doubtfully. 'I think so. There
is a great deal of it.'

'But you read it piecemeal so.'

'You must read it piecemeal any way,' returned the young lady. 'You can
read only a little each day; a portion.'

'You could read consecutively, though, or you could choose for
yourself.'

'I like to have the choice made for me. It saves time; and then one is
sure one has got hold of the right portion, you know. I like the
lessons.'

'And then,' remarked Mrs. Dallas, 'you know other people and your
friends are reading that same portion at the same time, and the feeling
is very sacred and sweet.'

'But if the Bible was intended to be read in such a way, how comes it
that we have no instruction to that end?'

'Instruction was given,' said Mrs. Dallas. 'The Church has ordered it.'

'The Church' said Pitt thoughtfully. 'Who is the Church?'

'Why, my dear,' said Mrs. Dallas, 'don't ask such questions. You know
as well as I do.'

'As I understand it, mother, what you mean is simply a body of
Christians who lived some time ago.'

'Yes. Well, what then?'

'I do not comprehend how they should know what you and I want to read
to-day. I am not talking of Church services. I am talking of private
reading.'

'But it is pleasant and convenient,' said Betty.

'May be very inappropriate.'

'Pitt,' said his mother, 'I wish you would not talk so! It is really
very wrong. This comes of your way of questioning and reasoning about
everything. What we have to do with the Church is to _obey_.'

'