Miss
Mackenzie? when you think of it, why not?"

"I dare say it's best not to be unhappy," said Miss Mackenzie. She
did not speak till she perceived that he had paused for her answer.

"Of course we know that this world can make no one happy. What are we
that we should dare to be happy here?"

Again he paused, but Miss Mackenzie feeling that she had been
ill-treated and trapped into a difficulty at her last reply,
resolutely remained silent.

"I defy any man or woman to be happy here," said Mr Maguire, looking
at her with one eye and at the corner of the wall with the other in
a manner that was very terrible to her. "But we may be cheerful,--we
may go about our work singing psalms of praise instead of songs of
sorrow. Don't you agree with me, Miss Mackenzie, that psalms of
praise are better than songs of sorrow?"

"I don't sing at all, myself," said Miss Mackenzie.

"You sing in your heart, my friend; I am sure you sing in your heart.
Don't you sing in your heart?" Here again he paused.

"Well; perhaps in my heart, yes."

"I know you do, loud psalms of praise upon a ten-stringed lute. But
Stumfold is always singing aloud, and his lute has twenty strings."
Here the voice of the twenty-stringed singer was heard across the
large room asking the company a riddle.

"Why was Peter in prison like a little boy with his shoes off?"

"That's so like him," said Mr Maguire.

All the ladies in the room were in a fever of expectation, and Mr
Stumfold asked the riddle again.

"He won't tell them till we meet again; but there isn't one here
who won't study the life of St Peter during the next week. And what
they'll learn in that way they'll never forget."

"But why was he like a little boy with his shoes off?" asked Miss
Mackenzie.

"Ah! that's Stumfold's riddle. You must ask Mr Stumfold, and he won't
tell you till next week. But some of the ladies will be sure to find
it out before then. Have you come to settle yourself altogether at
Littlebath, Miss Mackenzie?"

This question he asked very abruptly, but he had a way of looking at
her when he asked a question, which made it impossible for her to
avoid an answer.

"I suppose I shall stay here for some considerable time."

"Do, do," said he with energy. "Do; come and live among us, and be
one of us; come and partake with us at the feast which we are making
ready; come and eat of our crusts, and dip with us in the same dish;
come and be of our flock, and go with u