he family never moved. Elizabeth's soul was
carried away far above any bodily discomfort. But not even the
smallest Gordon made a sound. There had been a dreadful day once when
Jamie and Archie, kneeling at one chair with their heads together, had
been caught red-handed playing "Put your finger in the crow's nest";
but since then their aunt had knelt between them and the crime had not
been repeated.

Prayers ended, and the few household duties attended to, Mr. Gordon
shut himself in his study, and the children sat out on the side-porch
and studied their Sunday-school lesson, their catechism, and their
portion of the 119th Psalm, which Miss Gordon had given them to
memorize.

Elizabeth had no trouble with her Golden Text or the Psalm, but the
catechism was an insupportable burden. She was always appearing with
it before her aunt, certain she could "say it now," only to turn away
in disgrace. She sat on the green bench beside John and droned over
her allotted portion. John was far ahead wrestling with What is
required in the commandments, while poor Elizabeth plodded behind,
struggling with the question as to Wherein consisted the sinfulness of
that estate whereinto man fell. She rhymed over the profound words in
a meaningless jargon:

"The sinfulness of that estate whereunto man fell, consists in the
guilt of Adam's first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the
corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called original sin,
together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it."

She strove to keep her mind upon it, but the exaltation of the
prayer-time had passed, and the vision of Mrs. Jarvis obtruded itself
on her Sabbath thoughts. She drove it away--as with tightly-shut eyes
and wrinkled brow and swaying body she attempted to get through the
answer unaided. But she stuck fast at "the want of original
righteousness" and again at "original sin," and was stumbling blindly
over "all actual transgressions" when there came a wicked whisper in
her ear.

"Lizzie," hissed John, "there's 'The Rowdy'!"

Elizabeth's eyes flew open, and the sinfulness of man's estate flew
away. John had turned his grave face towards her, lit up with a quick
smile. Elizabeth flashed back at him the same smile, a sudden gleam of
white even teeth in a rather generous red mouth. Brother and sister
were very much alike in their smiles, but only here, for John's face
was solemn almost to dourness, while E