"Mr. Richmond, may we ask you something?"

"Certainly!" said the minister, with a quick look at the two faces.

"If you wouldn't think it wrong for us to ask.--Is the--I mean, do you
think,--the life of a minister is a very hard one?"

"So that is the question, is it?" said Mr. Richmond smiling. "Is Norton
thinking of taking the situation?"

"Norton thinks it cannot be a comfortable life, Mr. Richmond; and I
thought he was mistaken."

"What do you suppose a minister's business is, Norton? that is the
first consideration. You must know what a man has to do, before you can
judge whether it is hard to do it."

"I thought I knew, sir."

"Yes, I suppose so; but it don't follow that you do."

"I know part," said Norton. "A minister has to preach sermons, and
marry people, and baptize children, and read prayers at funerals and--"

"Go on," said Mr. Richmond.

"I was going to say, it seems to me, he has to talk to everybody that
wants to talk to him."

"How do you get along with that difficulty?" said Mr. Richmond. "It
attacks other people besides ministers."

"I dodge them," said Norton. "But a minister cannot,--can he, sir?"

Mr. Richmond laughed.

"Well, Norton," he said, "you have given a somewhat sketchy outline of
a minister's life; but my question remains yet,--what is the business
of his life. You would not say that planing and sawing are the business
of a carpenter's life--would you?"

"No, sir."

"What then?"

"Building houses, and ships, and barns, and bridges."

"And a tailor's life is not cutting and snipping, but making clothes.
So my commission is not to make sermons. What is it?"

Norton looked at a loss, and expectant; Matilda enjoying.

"The same that was given to the apostle Paul, and no worse. I am sent
to people 'to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light,
and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness
of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified.'"

"But I do not understand, Mr. Richmond," said Norton, after a little
pause.

"What?"

"If you will excuse me. I do not understand that. Can you open people's
eyes?"

"He who sends me does that, by means of the message which I carry. 'How
can they believe on him of whom they have not heard?'"

"I see--" said Norton very respectfully.

"You see, I am the King's messenger. And my business is, to carry the
King's message. It is possible to make sermons, and not do that."

"I d