as her sister's voice reached her. She did not hear the words, if
she had heard they would have helped her. As it was, she chided herself
for beginning the year so badly and hurried down stairs to help prepare
dinner. Both she and Agnes decided it must be the very best dinner they
ever had, for Guy liked good things, and on school days they had to live
plainly. If the pudding was not _plum_ pudding, it would be "almost as
good," and they set to work gleefully stoning the raisins and beating
the eggs.

"Wouldn't it be nice if we could live this way always?" said Ruth, as
she put a large raisin in her mouth.

"Yes," replied Agnes, "but--"

"Now, Agnes, do leave the _buts_ and ifs out once, and say that you
would really like it."

"Well, yes, I am sure it would be very nice not to have to think and
plan so much about our way of living, and sometime I almost wish we had
more money for your sake and Guy's, but--I can't help it, it will
come," as Ruth made an impatient gesture--"indeed, Ruth, I should almost
fear to be rich."

"Why, for fear of losing your religion? I thought you had more faith."

"Yes, perhaps that is the reason, Ruth, my lack of faith on this point.
If I consecrated all but my money to the Lord, I might fear, for it
would not bring happiness with it, but God's grace can dim even the
shining of gold to the Christian, so that neither the eye nor the heart
may be held by it."

"It is when I look at the pitiful way in which it is doled out, even to
Him who gave it, that I dishonor God by having such thoughts. After all,
the grace of submission which we need, Ruth, is as hard to learn, as any
lesson that might come with riches; don't you think so?"

Agnes left the room for a few minutes and Ruth did not reply. But the
thought took possession of her mind. "The grace of submission, that is a
hard thing to learn indeed, at least for some people. I wonder if any
one ever submits _willingly_, or if it is not because when they reason
about it they find they cannot do better. I don't know about this thing
of having no will of your own: some people require greater strength than
others. Now there are Agnes and I so very unlike; she could not manage
and plan nearly so well as I. So it is necessary for me to have more
strength of will because I have no one to depend upon. If we had more
money it would be easier to be amiable and sweet, for then I should not
be perplexed. But I must need a great deal of teaching,