_little_ one; I don't
think God would be very angry with you for anything so small as that," he
said very gravely.

"Mr. Travilla," Elsie replied in a tone of deep solemnity, "it is
written, 'Cursed is every one that continueth not in _all_ things which
are written in the book of the law to do them;' _that_ is in the Bible;
and the catechism says: '_Every sin_ deserveth the wrath and curse of
God!' And oh! Mr. Travilla," she added in a tone of anguish, "if you
knew how _hard_ it is for me to keep from giving up, and doing what my
conscience says is wrong, you wouldn't try to persuade me to do it."

Mr. Travilla knew not what to say; he was both perplexed and distressed.

But just at that moment a step was heard coming down the path. Elsie
recognized it instantly, and began to tremble, and the next moment her
father entered the arbor.

Mr. Dinsmore felt a pang of jealousy at seeing his little girl in
Travilla's arms, which he would have been ashamed to acknowledge to
himself, but it caused his tone to be even more than usually stern and
severe as he hastily inquired, "What are you doing here, Elsie--crying
again, after all I have said to you? Go to your room this moment, and
stay there until you can show a cheerful face!"

Mr. Travilla set her down, and she obeyed without a word, not even daring
to look at her father.

There was a moment of embarrassing silence after she had gone.

Then Travilla said, "It seems Elsie stumbled upon me here quite
unexpectedly, and I detained her somewhat against her will, I believe,
and have been doing my best to persuade her that she ought to be entirely
submissive to you."

Mr. Dinsmore looked interested, but replied with a sigh, "I fear you did
not succeed; she is sadly obstinate, and I begin to fear I shall have to
use great severity before I can conquer her."

Mr. Travilla hesitated a moment, then said, "I am afraid, Dinsmore, that
she has the right of it; she quoted Scripture to me till I really had no
more to say."

Mr. Dinsmore looked displeased.

"_I_ should think," he said almost haughtily, "that the fifth commandment
would be answer enough to any argument she could bring to excuse her
disobedience."

"We do not all see alike, Dinsmore," remarked his friend, "and though I
do not say that you are wrong, I must acknowledge that were I in your
place, I should do differently, because I should fear that the child was
acting from _principle_ rather than self-will or obs