s?"

"It would be better. Do you know where to find him?"

"I do not."

"I will show you a bell that rings in his room. He will think his
lordship has rung it."

They went and rang the bell. In a minute or two they heard the steps of
the faithful servant seeking his master, and bade each other good-night.

CHAPTER XL.

A RELIGION-LESSON.

In the morning Donal learned from Simmons that his master was very
ill--could not raise his head.

"The way he do moan and cry!" said Simmons. "You would think sure he
was either out of his mind, or had something heavy upon it! All the
years I known him, he been like that every now an' then, and back to
his old self again, little the worse! Only the fits do come oftener."

Towards the close of school, as Donal was beginning to give his lesson
in religion, lady Arctura entered, and sat down beside Davie.

"What would you think of me, Davie," Donal was saying, "if I were angry
with you because you did not know something I had never taught you?"

Davie only laughed. It was to him a grotesque, an impossible
supposition.

"If," Donal resumed, "I were to show you a proposition of Euclid which
you had never seen before, and say to you, 'Now, Davie, this is one of
the most beautiful of all Euclid's propositions, and you must
immediately admire it, and admire Euclid for constructing it!'--what
would you say?"

Davie thought, and looked puzzled.

"But you wouldn't do it, sir!" he said. "--I know you wouldn't do it!"
he added, after a moment.

"Why should I not?"

"It isn't your way, sir."

"But suppose I were to take that way?"

"You would not then be like yourself, sir!"

"Tell me how I should be unlike myself. Think."

"You would not be reasonable."

"What would you say to me?"

"I should say, 'Please, sir, let me learn the proposition first, and
then I shall be able to admire it. I don't know it yet!'"

"Very good!--Now again, suppose, when you tried to learn it, you were
not able to do so, and therefore could see no beauty in it--should I
blame you?"

"No, sir; I am sure you would not--because I should not be to blame,
and it would not be fair; and you never do what is not fair!"

"I am glad you think so: I try to be fair.--That looks as if you
believed in me, Davie!"

"Of course I do, sir!"

"Why?"

"Just because you are fair."

"Suppose, Davie, I said to you, 'Here is a very beautiful thing I
should like you to learn,' and you, after you had p