reach--something that it would be impossible for him ever to find now.
The sound of his mother's voice, softly breaking the stillness of a
Sabbath afternoon, with some such words as these, came back to him, and
just for a moment he realised their unchangeable truth, and for that
moment he knew that his life had been a failure. A pang of regret, a
longing for another chance, and a sense of the vanity of such a wish,
smote on his heart for an instant and then passed away. He rose from
his seat, and moved a few paces down the walk, and when he came back he
did not sit down again. His cedar twig was smoothed down at both ends
to the finest possible point, and after balancing it for a minute on his
forefingers, he tossed it over his shoulder, and shutting his knife with
a click, put it in his pocket before he spoke.

"Well, I don't know as I am much better off for that," said he,
discontentedly. "I suppose you mean that I ought to get religion. That
is no new idea. I have heard _that_ every time I have gone to meeting
for the last thirty years, which hasn't been as often as it might have
been, but it has been often enough for all the good it has done me." He
looked at Mr Snow as if he expected him to make some sort of a reply,
but he was silent. He was thinking how vain any words of his would be
to convince him, or to show him a more excellent way. He was thinking
of the old time, and of the talk wasted on him by the good people who
would fain have helped him. At last he said, gravely:

"It wouldn't amount to much, all I could say to you, even if I was good
at talking, which I ain't. I can only tell you that I never knew what
it was to be satisfied till I got religion, and I have never been
discontented since, and I don't believe I ever shall again, let what
will happen to me."

He paused a moment, and added,--

"I don't suppose anything I could say would help you to see things as I
wish you did, if I were to talk all night. Talk always falls short of
the mark, unless the heart is prepared for it, and then the simplest
word is enough. There are none better than the words I gave you a
minute ago; and when everything in the world seems to be failing you,
just you try what trust in the Lord will do."

Nothing more was said. The sound of approaching footsteps warned them
that they were no longer alone, and in a little Mrs Elliott and Rose
were seen coming up the walk, followed by Arthur and Captain Starr.
Th