"
Donal laughed.
"It is my grandfather's skean dhu," he said: "I mend my pens with
it, you know! But it is strange, Davie, that, when a body knows
something other people don't, they should be angry with him! They
will even think he wants to make them bad when he wants to help them
to be good!"
"But Arkie is good, Mr. Grant!"
"I am sure she is. But she does not know so much about God as I do,
or she would never say such things of him: we must talk about him
more after this!"
"No, no, please, Mr. Grant! We won't say a word about him, for
Arkie says except you promise never to speak of God, she will tell
papa, and he will send you away."
"Davie," said Donal with solemnity, "I would not give such a promise
for the castle and all it contains--no, not to save your life and
the life of everybody in it! For Jesus says, 'Whosoever denieth me
before men, him will I deny before my father in heaven;' and rather
than that, I would jump from the top of the castle. Why, Davie!
would a man deny his own father or mother?"
"I don't know," answered Davie; "I don't remember my mother."
"I'll tell you what," said Donal, with sudden inspiration: "I will
promise not to speak about God at any other time, if she will
promise to sit by when I do speak of him--say once a week.--Perhaps
we shall do what he tells us all the better that we don't talk so
much about him!"
"Oh, thank you, Mr.
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