nd honour Him most? No professing or doing will stand to us instead of
that, either now or afterwards. And it is our life rather than our lips
that should have the telling of our love. Though they should both
speak," added she, gravely.

"Ay! that should they," said her husband.

"And if we love Him best and honour Him, that is so far an evidence that
we are His, and we need fear no evil."

"I love Him; I know I love Him," said the squire gravely. "As to having
honoured Him before the world all these years--I have little to say
about that. And now my life is most gone--most gone--"

Davie came back for the last time with his full pails, and Miss
Elizabeth was glad that the talk should come to an end, for her father
was showing signs of weariness and weakness. There was a little
discussion about the propriety of boiling all the sap down to-night, so
that the morning's "batch" of sugar should be the larger. That was
Davie's plan, but his grandfather objected, and to Katie's intense
delight Davie yielded to his decision cheerfully enough. So he set to
work to build up the fires, that the process of boiling to syrup what
was now in the kettle might be hastened, for it must be taken from the
fire and strained and put safely into the camp before they went home.

Katie's sugar was by this time pronounced ready to be tested, and Davie
hastened to bring from some distant hollow a bucketful of the snow which
still lingered in shady places. Over this a spoonful or two of the
clear brown liquid from the kettle was spread, and as it stiffened, and
after a little became solid, it was pronounced to be sugar--though to
unaccustomed eyes it would have seemed only a brown syrup still. But by
the time it cooled it would be mostly solid sugar, and when the
remaining moist part should be drawn off, it would be maple sugar of the
very best, Squire Holt declared, and no one knew better than be.

It is not to be supposed that the old people had cared much to have the
sugar made for them, or that they tasted it very freely now that it was
done. But they had enjoyed seeing it made, and had had a pleasant
afternoon. They did not fall into much talk after this. It was nearly
sunset, and time for the squire to be at home. So he and Elizabeth did
not return to the house, but took the buggy at the point where it had
been left, and went straight to the village. Mr and Mrs Fleming went
home together over the fields, and Katie was le