My wisdom to
take care of this man!--his own is immeasurably before mine! The
whole matter concerns him: I will let him know at once!"
The same night he went to see him. His wife was out, and Donal was
glad of it. He told him all that had taken place.
He listened in silence, his eyes fixed on him, his work on his lap,
his hand with the awl hanging by his side. When he heard how Eppy
had tricked Donal that night, leaving him to watch in vain, tears
gathered in his old eyes. He wiped them away with the backs of his
horny hands, and there came no more. Donal told him he had first
thought he would say nothing to him about it all, he was so loath to
trouble them, but neither his heart nor his conscience would let him
be silent.
"Ye did richt to tell me," said Andrew, after a pause. "It's true we
haena that muckle weicht wi' her, for it seems a law o' natur 'at
the yoong 's no to be hauden doon by the experrience o' the
auld--which can be experrience only to themsel's; but whan we pray
to God, it puts it mair in his pooer to mak use o' 's for the
carryin' oot o' the thing we pray for. It's no aye by words he gies
us to say; wi' some fowk words gang for unco little; it may be
whiles by a luik o' whilk ye ken naething, or it may be by a motion
o' yer han', or a turn o' yer heid. Wha kens but ye may haud a
divine pooer ower the hert ye hae 'maist gi'en up the houp o' ever
winnin' at! Ye hae h'ard o' the convic' broucht to sorrow by seein'
a bit o' the same mattin' he had been used to see i' the aisle o'
the kirk his mither tuik him til! That was a stroke o' God's magic!
There's nae kennin' what God can do, nor yet what best o' rizzons
he has for no doin' 't sooner! Whan we think he's lattin' the time
gang, an' doin' naething, he may be jist doin' a' thing! No 'at I
ever think like that noo; lat him do 'at he likes, what he does I'm
sure o'.
Pages:
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224