ination painted the picture
with one sweep of its brush. Take care, you boys, Tommy is scudding
back.

They had not molested Elspeth as yet. When they saw and heard her
praying, they had bent forward, agape, as if struck suddenly in the
stomach. Then one of them, Francie Crabb, the golden-haired son of
Esther Auld, recovered and began to knead Grizel's back with his fists,
less in viciousness than to show that the prayer was futile. Into this
scene sprang Tommy, and he thought that Elspeth was the kneaded one. Had
he taken time to reflect he would probably have used the Thrums feint,
and then in with a left-hander, which is not very efficacious in its own
country; but being in a hurry he let out with Shovel's favorite, and
down went Francie Crabb.

"Would you!" said Tommy, threatening, when Francie attempted to rise.

He saw now that Elspeth was untouched, that he had rescued an unknown
girl, and it cannot be pretended of him that he was the boy to squire
all ladies in distress. In ordinary circumstances he might have left
Grizel to her fate, but having struck for her, he felt that he would
like to go on striking. He had also the day's disappointments to avenge.
It is startling to reflect that the little minister's height, for
instance, put an extra kick in him.

So he stood stridelegs over Francie, who whimpered, "I wouldna have
struck this one if that one hadna prayed for me. It wasna likely I would
stand that."

"You shall stand it," replied Tommy, and turning to Elspeth, who had
risen from her knees, he said: "Pray away, Elspeth."

Elspeth refused, feeling that there would be something wrong in praying
from triumph, and Tommy, about to be very angry with her, had a glorious
inspiration. "Pray for yourself," he said to Francie, "and do it out
loud."

The other boys saw that a novelty promised, and now Francie need expect
no aid from them. At first he refused to pray, but he succumbed when
Tommy had explained the consequences, and illustrated them.

Tommy dictated: "Oh, God, I am a sinner. Go on."

Francie not only said it, but looked it.

"And I pray to you to repent me, though I ain't worthy," continued
Tommy.

"And I pray to you to repent me, though I ain't worthy," growled
Francie. (It was the arrival of ain't in Thrums.)

Tommy considered, and then: "I thank Thee, O God," he said, "for telling
this girl--this lassie--to pray for me."

Two gentle taps helped to knock this out of Francie.

Being