connection
with the new railway in that country and I fear that means trouble for
him. There are those who would be delighted to see him out of the way
for a couple of years or so."

But the old lady would not gossip, so Brown was forced to drop the
subject with the remark, "But I'll do what I can to assist the Fates,
and I'll begin by bringing both those young ladies to hear your big gun
to-morrow if I can, Shock. They ought to know more about their own
country."

Shock glanced up quickly as if to speak, but seemed to think better of
it and poked the fire instead.

"I doubt they would be more profited in their own church," said Mrs.
Macgregor. "'Traivellin' sheep are sair tae keep,' as they say in the
South country. No, it's little enough the poor things will be getting
in yon church of theirs with their read prayers and their bit
sairmon--a sairmonette, they will be calling it. Ay, a sairmonette!"
The old lady indulged herself in a quiet chuckle of indescribable
contempt.

"Why, mother," said Shock in a reproving tone, "don't you know that
their minister is just a splendid preacher. There is no better in the
city."

"And that's not saying much," said the old lady. "But I'm glad to hear
it."

"My! mother, but you are censorious to-night. You can't expect to find
men like Candlish, Chalmers, and Macdonald of Ferintosh in every age."

"Ay," said the old lady with an emphatic shake of her head, "and that's
a true word. Men like yon are not to be found, and like McCheyae and
Burns and Guthrie and the rest of them. Oh! it iss manys the Sabbath
morning when I wass a lass that I walked with my shoes and stockings in
my hand down the glen to hear these men preach. And yon was the
preaching. Yon was the preaching. None of your puny, peeping,
fifteen-meenute sairmonettes, but preaching, terrible heart-smiting
preaching." The old lady had ceased her knitting and was sitting erect
in her chair gazing straight before her. The young men sat silent,
fearing to break the spell that was upon her, and waiting eagerly for
what they knew was coming.

"Man! man!" she continued, "those were the days! and those were the
men! I have heard such preaching as would cause your heart to quake
within you, and make you to listen with the fear of death upon you lest
it should stop."

"It must have been terrible preaching, indeed," said Brown softly.

"Terrible! ay, terrible's the word. Lad, lad," said the old lady,
turning upon Brown h