given these soulless creatures legs
to run and wings to fly, strength, health, and activity to enjoy
existence, and denied all these things to him? Denied them, not for a
week, a month, a year, but for his whole lifetime--a lifetime so
short at best;--"few of days, and full of trouble." Why could He not
have made it a little more happy?

Thousands have asked themselves, in some form or other, the same
unanswered, unanswerable question. Helen had done so already, young as
she was; when her mother died, and her father seemed slowly breaking
down, and the whole world appeared to her full of darkness and woe. How
then must it have appeared to this poor boy? But, strange to say, that
bitter doubt, which so often came into Helen's heart, never fell from
child's lips at all. Either he was still a mere child, accepting life
just as he saw it, and seeking no solution of its mysteries, or else,
though so young, he was still strong enough to keep his doubts to
himself, to bear his own burden, and trouble no one.

Or else--and when she watched his inexpressibly sweet face, which had
the look you sometimes see in blind faces, of absolutely untroubled
peace, Helen was forced to believe this--God, who had taken away from
him so much, had given him something still more--a spiritual insight
so deep and clear that he was happy in spite of his heavy misfortune.
She never looked at him but she thought involuntarily of the text, out
of the only book with which unlearned Helen was very familiar--that
"in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is
in heaven."

After a fortnight's stay at the Castle Mr. Menteith felt convinced that
his experiment had succeeded, and that, onerous as the duty of guardian
was, he might be satisfied to leave his ward under the charge of Mr.
Cardross.

"Only, it those Bruces should try to get at him, you must let me know at
once. Remember, I trust you."

"Certainly, you may. Has any thing been heard of them lately?"

"Nothing much, beyond the continual applications for advances of the
annual sum which the late earl gave them, and which I continue to pay,
just to keep them out of the way."

"They are still abroad?"

"I suppose so; but I hear very little about them. They were relations
on the countess's side, you know--it was she who brought the money.
Poor little fellow, what an accumulation it will be by the time he is of
age, and what small good it will do him!"

And t