it, David."

"Why don't you get angry?"

"I do."

"So do I, sometimes; but it is your affair. Why don't you speak out?"

"She wouldn't care, David; it wouldn't make any difference."

"Judy? No, not with her; but why don't you speak out to grandmamma, or
aunt Zara? They would care."

Matilda's cheeks flushed, and her eyes even looked a little watery; she
did not answer at once.

"I don't want to do that, David."

"Why not?"

"It wouldn't be returning good for evil, you know."

"Good for evil! no," said David; "but it would be right."

"I don't think it would be right," Matilda said gently.

"Why wouldn't it? Good for evil? that is not the law; and it is not
justice. The law is, 'Life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for
tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.'"

"I don't want to do justice," said Matilda smiling.

"Why not?" He was observing the little girl closely.

"I don't know, David; it would be no pleasure. Besides--"

"Besides what?"

"Jesus says we mustn't."

"Mustn't what? Do justice?"

"Yes. No--not to ourselves sometimes. You asked me what I knew about
him; this is one thing. He says we must not return evil for evil; nor
be angry."

"You were angry at Judy, though?"

"Well, for a little while, sometimes. I couldn't always help it; or I
_could_, I suppose, but I didn't."

"How could you?" said David. "I cannot. When I am angry, I am angry;
and there is nothing to do but wait till I get over it."

"That's another thing I know about Jesus," said Matilda gravely. "He
takes the anger away." She wished that David would begin upon his
former line of inquiry, now that she had her little book to consult;
but she could not hurry him. David looked hard at her, and then his
gloom seemed to come over him. He sunk his head again; and Matilda
waited.

"What can you tell me?" he said at last.

"I don't know. Perhaps, if you would try it, my book would tell you
something."

"What could it tell me?"

"Answer some of your questions, perhaps."

David at last roused to action. He went off upstairs and brought down
_his_ Bible--half a Bible, it looked to Matilda's eyes; and under the
bright gas lights the two sat down to compare notes.

"I don't know but a part of the things that are said about the
Messiah," said David, turning over the leaves; "but what I do know,
seem to me impossible to be fulfilled in him you Gentiles think the
Messiah. And yet--they said--"

David stopped, in great