of the flute
on which he so often tuned his soul in moods of sorrow and sin.
How long Enoch had been talking Mr. Penrose knew not; but what he
heard in the rude yet kindly vernacular of the moors was:

'Let's show mercy, lads! Noan o' us con howd up aar yeds baat it.
Him as has put us here expects us to show yon lass o' Stott's same
as He's shown to us Hissel'. There's one bit o' readin' i' th' New
Testament as noan o' yo' has had owt to say abaat--I mean where
th' Lord tells o' th' two debtors. Th' fust geet let off; but when
he wouldn't let his mate off, it were a sore job for him. Durnd
yo' think as th' Almeety cares as mich abaat us as we care for aar
childer? I somehaa thinks He does. Didn't him as played on th'
harp say, "Like as a faither pitieth his childer, so th' Lord
pitieth them that fear Him"? An' him as said that had a bad lad
an' o'--an' didn't he say he'd raither ha' deed than th' lad? Aw
welly think as th' Almeety con find room for Amanda, and if He
con, I think we mud be like to thrutch (push) her into Rehoboth.
Let's mak' room for her, hoo'l happen not want it so long; and
when hoo's gone we's noan be sorry we took her in; who knows but
what we shall be takin' in the Lord Hissel? I'm no scholard, but
I've read abaat 'em takin' in angels unawares; and th' Lord said
if we took onybody in ut wur aat i' th' cowd, we wur takin' Him
in. If we shut Amanda out we's mebbe shut Him aat, and if He's
aatside, them as is inside will be on th' wrang side. Coome, lads,
let's show mercy.'

There were other voices, however, besides Enoch's, and speakers as
apt at quotation from the Scriptures as he. Indeed, the Bible was
torn into shreds of texts, and--the letter so re-patched as to
destroy the pattern wrought by its great principles of mercy and
love. The grand words--righteousness, grace, law, were clashed,
and wildly rung, like sweet bells jangled out of tune, and the
court of souls resembled the vindictiveness of Miltonic demons
rather than the seat of those who claimed to represent Him who
said: 'I will have mercy and not sacrifice.' When the vote was
taken the door was shut against Amanda.

Passing out of the dimly-lighted chapel into the blackness of the
night, Dr. Hale took the arm of the young minister, saying:

'Let me guide you, Mr. Penrose. I know these roads by instinct.'

'Yes, doctor, I not only need your guidance, but that of someone
else. Black as the night is, it isn't so black as the souls o