f and never be able to do anything you want to do."

Norton was unusually heated, and both his hearers were for a moment
silenced.

"You know that's the truth of it, Davie," he went on; "and it's no use
to encourage Pink to fancy she can comfort everybody that's in trouble,
and warm everybody that is cold, and feed everybody that is hungry,
because she just can't do it. You can tell her there is _no end_ to
that sort of thing if she once tries it on. Suppose we all went to work
at it. Just see where we would be. Where would be Pink's gold watch,
and her picture? and where would be her gold bracelet? and where would
my greenhouse be? And where would this house be, for that matter? and
the furniture in it? and how should we all dress? Your mother wouldn't
wear velvet dresses, that you like so much; and mine wouldn't wear that
flimsy muslin stuff that she likes so much; and grandmamma's lace shawl
would never have been mended, for it never would have been here to get
burnt. It's all a lot of nonsense, that's what it is."

"There is law about it, though," David began again gravely.

"Law?" Norton echoed.

"The law of my people."

"O what is it, David?" cried Matilda; while Norton was grumly silent.
He did not want to debate David's Jewish law with him. David gave the
words very readily.

"'When there is with thee any needy one of one of thy brethren, in one
of thy cities, in thy land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee,
thou dost not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from thy needy
brother; for thou dost certainly open thy hand to him, and dost
certainly lend him sufficient for his lack which he lacketh.'"

"That says what the people would do--not what they _ought_ to do," said
Norton.

"I beg your pardon; it is a strong way of saying, in the Hebrew, what
they _must_ do. Listen. 'Thou dost certainly give to him, and thy heart
is not sad in thy giving to him, for because of this thing doth Jehovah
thy God bless thee in all thy works, and in every putting forth of
thine hand; because the needy one doth not cease out of the land,
therefore I am commanding thee, saying, Thou dost certainly open thy
hand to thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy one, in thy land.'"

Matilda was thinking of other words, which she dared not bring forward;
being in a part of her Bible which David did not like. Neither was it
necessary. Norton had got quite enough, she could see. He was in a
state of fume, privately.

"I am g