t on the whole he waited hopefully,
or, rather, he looked forward without any special anxiety as to what
might be the result of his long controversy with his enemy. Nothing so
terrible could happen as had come to him in the past, when his boy had
gone down to a dishonoured grave, beyond the reach of hope. Nothing so
terrible could happen to the bairns. Every summer and winter passing
over their heads, made them more able to meet hardship, if hardship lay
before them. Of Katie he had long been sure, and of Davie he was
growing surer every day. The rest were healthy, wholesome bairns, with
no special gift of beauty or cleverness to lay them open to special
temptation. They would do well by their mother, and by one another, and
God would guide them, the old man said.

As for himself and his Katie, his dear old wife, their time was nearly
over, and they would soon be at peace. At peace! That was the way he
put it to himself always. He did not dwell at this time on all that has
been promised of the glory to be revealed. He never said that he shrank
from the thought of entering through the gates into the heavenly city,
out of which his boy must be shut. That would have been rebellion
against God, and he would not rebel.

But he was walking in darkness. His eyes were turned away from His face
who is the light of the world, and even when he strove to lift them up,
there were clouds and shadows between, that grew darker for a while.

All this had come upon him gradually. After the utter darkness of the
winter that followed his son's death, he might have ceased to think so
constantly of his loss and his son's ruin if it had not been for the
sight of Jacob Holt. If Jacob had never returned, or if he had gone on
in his old ways till the end came to him also, he might have forgiven
him, at least he might have outlived the bitterness of his anger, and in
time might have been comforted for his son, and as other fathers are
comforted.

But Jacob came home, and had another chance, and became a changed man,
or so it was said of him. As years passed he did well for himself, and
had power and influence in the town, as his father had had before him.
And when James Fleming died, and the old man fell into his enemy's hand,
as he thought, his whole life was made bitter to him.

It was not that he grudged to Jacob anything either of wealth or
consideration that he had won for himself. But with every thought of
him was joine