d to remember!
that pathetic Life that had not where to lay its head, that mysterious
agony in Gethsemane, that sublime death on Calvary, and he cried out,
"O Christ! O Saviour of my soul! all that I have is too little!"
When Tallisker came in the evening, Hope noticed a strange solemnity
about the man. He, too, had been in the presence of God all day. He
had been praying for his friend. But as soon as he saw Crawford he
knew how the struggle had ended. Quietly they grasped each other's
hand, and the evening meal was taken by Colin's side in pleasant
cheerfulness. After it, when all were still, the laird spoke:
"Colin and Hope, I hae something I ought to tell you. When your sister
Helen died she asked me to gie her share o' the estate to the poor
children of our Father. I had intended giving Helen L100,000. It is a
big sum, and I hae been in a sair strait about it. What say you,
Colin?"
"My dear father, I say there is only one way out of that strait. The
money must be given as Helen wished it. Helen was a noble girl. It was
just like her."
"Ah, Colin, if you could only tell what a burden this bit o' paper has
been to me! I left the great weight at the foot o' the cross this
morning." As he spoke the paper dropped from his fingers and fell upon
the table. Colin lifted it reverently and kissed it. "Father," he
said, "may I keep it now? The day will come when the Crawfords will
think with more pride of it than of any parchment they possess."
Then there was an appeal to Tallisker about its disposal. "Laird," he
answered, "such a sum must be handled wi' great care. It is not enough
to gie money, it must be gien wisely." But he promised to take on
himself the labor of inquiry into different charities, and the
consideration of what places and objects needed help most. "But,
Crawford," he said, "if you hae any special desire, I think it should
be regarded."
Then Crawford said he had indeed one. When he was himself young he had
desired greatly to enter the ministry, but his father had laid upon
him a duty to the family and estate which he had accepted instead.
"Now, dominie," he said, "canna I keep aye a young man in my place?"
"It is a worthy thought, Crawford."
So the first portion of Helen's bequest went to Aberdeen University.
This endowment has sent out in Crawford's place many a noble young man
into the harvest-field of the world, and who shall say for how many
centuries it will keep his name green in e
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