artholomew coolly. "What is all this about, David?"

David had come back in a minute with the Concordance, which he handed
to Matilda. "It's a question of Scripture, mamma," he answered. Mrs.
Bartholomew said "Oh!"--and turned away. But Mrs. Lloyd watched the
group. Matilda was earnestly searching in the pages of the Concordance;
David sat waiting, with a little curiosity; Norton with impatient
defiance. Matilda was busy for some minutes with one page and another;
then, "Here it is!" she said; and looked up. She saw that Mrs. Lloyd's
attention was fixed, and that Mrs. Laval also was listening. She
glanced at Norton, then met David's eyes; and then bent her head over
her book and read.

"'Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise
in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the
wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.' And then again in the
next chapter--'We are fools for Christ's sake.'"

How would her various hearers take the words? She would not look up to
see.

"I am content," said David.

"With what, Davy my dear?" asked his aunt.

"Content to be a fool for Christ's sake, aunt Zara."

"Is there any necessity?" she asked gently.

"Seems so," said David smiling. "At least, it seems that one must be
judged so, aunt Zara."

"Can't it be avoided by judicious action, Davy?"

"Come and see, aunt Zara. Draw up here and join our consultation," said
the boy, with a certain sweet gracefulness which won her to do just
what he asked. She took a chair nearer the group.

"The question is, aunt Zara, what we ought to do for certain poor
creatures that we know of."

"Not for _them_," burst in Norton, interrupting, "but for all the rest.
There is no end to the poor creatures! _I_ say, begin as you are to go
on."

"We must take things as we find them," said David. "There is no end to
the poor creatures; so the question is a big one."

"What _is_ the question?" said Mrs. Laval.

In answer to which, David told the story of Mrs. Binn and Josh.

"There are hundreds of such people!" said Norton.

"Aunt Zara," said David, "I wanted Norton to agree to submit the
question to the Bible. Isn't that fair?"

"Ye-s," said Mrs. Laval cautiously; "I suppose it is. But, my dear
Davy, we shouldn't do anything extravagant; the Bible does not require
that."

"Shall we see what it does require?"

"Yes; go on," said Mrs. Lloyd. "Let us hear what you children can find
about it."