d in a sort of Babel, where the call of the shepherd was too
gentle to be heard. At least, it appeared thus from the effect upon
Rollo of the lady's conversation. She had always feared for him the
effect of seeing the world, as she remembered the world--of his seeing
it before he had better learned to see God everywhere, and to be humble
accordingly--and the conversation he now heard was to him much like
being on the mainland, and even in a town. It had not made him more
humble, or more kind, or more helpful; except, indeed, to the lady--
there was nothing he would not do to help her.

And here Annie sighed and smiled at once, as the thought struck her that
while she was mourning over other people's corruption she was herself
not untouched. She detected herself admitting some dislike to the lady
because she so occupied Rollo that he had left off supplying his mother
with fishes' livers and seal-fat for oil. The best season had passed:--
she had spoken to him several times not to lose the six-weeks-old seals;
but he had not attended to it; and now her stock of oil was very low;
and the long winter nights were before her. She must speak to Macdonald
to procure her some oil. But very strictly must she speak to herself
about this new trouble of discontent. Did she not know that He who
appointed her dwelling-place on that height, and who marked her for her
life's task by that touch on her heart-strings the night she saw her
husband drown, would supply the means? If her light was to be set on
the hill for men to see from the tossing billows and be saved, it would
be taken care of that, as of old, the widow's cruise of oil did not
fail. What _she_ had to look to was that the lamp of her soul did not
grow dim and go out. How lately was she thanking God for the new
opportunities afforded her by the arrival of this stranger! and now she
was shrinking from these very opportunities, and finding fault with
everybody before herself!

There was some little truth in this, and it was very natural; for this
kind of trial was new to Annie. But she never yielded to it again--not
even when the trial was such as few would have been able to bear.

As the dark blustering month of November advanced, the widow's
rheumatism came on more severely than ever before. She had given up her
bed to Lady Carse, and when Rollo was at home, slept on the floor, on
some ashes covered with a blanket; the only materials for a bed which
she had be