ause, and then Sampson looked up and said, gravely.

"Mis' Nasmyth, I ain't a professor. I'm one of the world's people
Deacon Fish tells about."

Janet looked grave.

"Come now, Mis' Nasmyth, you don't mean to say you thought I was one of
the good ones?"

"You ought to be," said she, gravely.

"Well,--yes, I suppose I ought to. But after all, I guess there ain't a
great sight of difference between folks,--leastways, between Merleville
folks. I know all about _them_. I was the first white child born in
the town, I was raised here, and in some way or other, I'm related to
most folks in town, and I ought to know them all pretty well by this
time. Except on Sundays, I expect they're all pretty much so. It
wouldn't do to tell round, but there are some of the world's people,
that I'd full as lief do business with, as with most of the professors.
Now that's a fact."

"You're no' far wrong _there_, I daresay," said Janet, with emphasis.
"But that's neither here nor there, as far as your duty is concerned, as
you weel ken."

"No,--I don't know as it is. But it kind o' makes me feel as though
there wasn't much in religion, anyway."

Janet looked mystified. Mr Snow continued.

"Well now, see here, I'll tell you just how it is. There ain't one of
them that don't think I'm a sinner of the worst kind--gospel hardened.
They've about given me up, I know they have. Well now, let alone the
talk, I don't believe there's a mite of difference, between me, and the
most of them, and the Lord knows I'm bad enough. And so you see, I've
about come to the conclusion, that if there is such a thing as religion,
I haven't never come across the real article."

"That's like enough," said Janet, with a groan. "I canna say that I
have seen muckle o' it myself in this town, out of our own house. But I
canna see that that need be any excuse to you. You have aye the word."

"Well, yes. I've always had the Bible, and I've read it considerable,
but I never seem to get the hang of it, somehow. And it ain't because I
ain't tried, either. There was one spell that I was dreadful down, and
says I to myself, if there's comfort to be got out of that old book, I'm
bound to have it. So I began at the beginning about the creation, and
Adam and Eve, but I didn't seem to get much comfort there. There was
some good reading, but along over a piece, there was a deal that I could
see nothing to. Some of the Psalms seemed to kind o' touch the