, they
were encouraged to ask from God whatever they wanted, and were never
reproved, however strange or incongruous their supplications might be.
Saunders simply told them that if what they asked was not for their good
they would not get it--a fact which, he said, "they had as lief learn
sune as syne."

This excellent theory of prayer was certainly productive of curious
results. For instance, Alec is recorded in the family archives to have
interjected the following petition into his devotions. While saying his
own prayers, he had been keeping a keen fraternal eye upon sundry
delinquencies of his younger brother. These having become too
outrageous, Alec continued without break in his supplications--"And now,
Lord, will you please excuse me till I gang an' kick that loon Rab, for
he'll no' behave himsel'!" So the spiritual exercises were interrupted,
and in Alec's belief the universe waited till discipline allowed the
petitionary thread to be taken up.

The "buik" being over, the red farm-cart rattled to the door to convey
such of the churchgoers as were not able to walk all the weary miles to
the Cameronian kirk in Cairn Edward. The stalwart, long-legged sons cut
across a shorter way by the Big Hoose and the Deeside kirk. Both the
cart and the walkers passed on the way a good many churches, both
Established and Free; but they never so much as looked the road they
were on.

This hardly applied to Alec, whose sweetheart (for the time-being)
attended the Free kirk at Whinnyliggate. He knew within his own heart
that he would have liked to turn in there, and the consciousness of his
iniquity gave him an acute sense of the fallen nature of man--at least,
till he got out of sight of the spireless rigging of the kirk, and out
of hearing of the jow of its bell. Then his spirits rose to think that
he had resisted temptation. Also, he dared not for his life have done
anything else, for his father's discipline, though kindly, was strict
and patriarchal.

And, moreover, there was a lass at the Cameronian kirk, a daughter of
the Arkland grieve, whose curls he rather liked to see in the seat
before him. He had known her when he went to the neighbouring farm to
harvest--for in that lowland district the corn was all cut and led,
before it was time to begin it on the scanty upland crop which was
gathered into the barns of Drumquhat. Luckily, she sat in a line with
the minister; and when she was there, two sermons on end were not too