Our gladness and
pleasure, our trouble when we do wrong, our love for all about us,
that is God inside us; and the beautiful things and lovable people,
and all the lessons of life in history and poetry, in the Bible, and
in whatever comes to us, is God outside of us. Every life is between
two great fires of the love of God. So long as we do not give
ourselves up heartily to him, we fear his fire will burn us. And
burn us it does when we go against its flames and not with them,
refusing to burn with the fire with which God is always burning.
When we try to put it out, or oppose it, or get away from it, then
indeed it burns!"
"I think I know," said Davie.
Arctura held her peace.
"But now," said Donal, "I must go round and have a peep at the other
side of the chimney-stack."
He disappeared, and Arctura and Davie stood waiting his return. They
looked each in the other's face with the delight of consciously
sharing a great adventure. Beyond their feet lay the wide country
and the great sea; over them the sky with the sun in it going down
towards the mountains; under their feet the mighty old pile that was
their home; and under that the earth with its molten heart of fire.
But Davie's look soon changed to one of triumph in his tutor. "Is is
not grand," it said, "to be all day with a man like that--talking to
you and teaching you?" That at least was how Arctura interpreted it,
reading in it almost an assertion of superiority, in as much as this
man was his tutor and not hers.
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