leep. Mr. Jackson noted the attitude, and attributed it to a wicked
obstinacy. For the repentant sinner, acknowledging his fault, he would
have had entire forgiveness; but James showed no contrition.
Stiff-necked and sin-hardened, he required a further chastisement.

"Courage, what is courage?" asked the preacher. "There is nothing more
easy than to do a brave deed when the blood is hot. But to conduct one's
life simply, modestly, with a meek spirit and a Christ-like submission,
that is ten times more difficult Courage, unaccompanied by moral worth,
is the quality of a brute-beast."

He showed how much more creditable were the artless virtues of honesty
and truthfulness; how better it was to keep one's word, to be
kind-hearted and dutiful. Becoming more pointed, he mentioned the case
which had caused them so much sorrow, warning the delinquent against
conceit and self-assurance.

"Pride goeth before a fall," he said. "And he that is mighty shall be
abased."

* * *

They walked home silently, Colonel Parsons and his wife with downcast
eyes, feeling that everyone was looking at them. Their hearts were too
full for them to speak to one another, and they dared say nothing to
James. But Major Forsyth had no scruples of delicacy; he attacked his
nephew the moment they sat down to dinner.

"Well, James, what did you think of the sermon? Feel a bit sore?"

"Why should I?"

"I fancy it was addressed pretty directly to you."

"So I imagine," replied James, good-humouredly smiling. "I thought it
singularly impertinent, but otherwise uninteresting."

"Mr. Jackson doesn't think much of you," said Uncle William, with a
laugh, ignoring his sister's look, which implored him to be silent.

"I can bear that with equanimity. I never set up for a very wonderful
person."

"He was wrong to make little of your attempt to save young Larcher,"
said Mrs. Parsons, gently.

"Why?" asked James. "He was partly right. Physical courage is more or
less accidental. In battle one takes one's chance. One soon gets used to
shells flying about; they're not so dangerous as they look, and after a
while one forgets all about them. Now and then one gets hit, and then
it's too late to be nervous."

"But you went back--into the very jaws of death--to save that boy."

"I've never been able to understand why. It didn't occur to me that I
might get killed; it seemed the natural thing to do. It wasn't really
brave, because I never realised that the