said Winnie, without opening her eyes; --
"he always was just so. No he wasn't either, -- though it
almost seems as if he was, -- but now he's a Christian."

If outward signs had kept inward feelings company, Elizabeth
would have started. She sat still; but the lines of her face
wore a look of something very like startled gravity. There was
a silence of more than one minute. Winnie opened her eyes and
directed them upon her still companion.

"Is he any better than he used to be?" she forced herself to
say.

"Why yes," said Winnie, -- "of course -- he must be. He used to
be as good as he could be, except that; -- and now he's that
too."

"What difference does 'that' make, Winifred?"

Winnie looked keenly once more at the face of her questioner.

"Don't you know what it is to be a Christian, Miss Haye?"

Elizabeth shook her head.

"You must ask Winthrop," said Winnie. "He can tell you better
than I can."

"I want you to tell me. What difference, for instance, has it
made in your brother?"

Winnie looked grave and somewhat puzzled.

"He don't seem much different to _me_," she said, -- "and yet he
_is_ different. -- The difference is, Miss Haye, that before, he
loved _us_ -- and now he loves God and keeps his commandments."

"Don't he love you now?"

"Better than ever!" said Winnie with her eyes opening; -- "why
what makes you ask that?"

"Didn't he keep the commandments of the Bible before?"

"No, --not as he does now. Some of them he did, because he
never was bad as some people are; -- but he didn't keep them as
he does now. He didn't keep the first commandment of all."

"Which is that?" said Elizabeth.

Winnie gave her another earnest look before she answered.

"Don't you know?"

"No."

"'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy mind, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
strength.'"

If Winifred's face was grave, Elizabeth's took a double shade
of gravity -- it was even dark for a minute, as if with some
thought that troubled her. Winnie's eyes seemed to take note
of it, and Elizabeth roused herself. Yet at first it was not
to speak.

"When -- How long ago, do you suppose," she said, "your brother
was changed in this way?"

"Since -- since the time I came here; -- since mother died,"
Winnie said softly.

There was again a few minutes of absolute silence; and then
Elizabeth rose to go.

"Shall I send you the wine?" she said smiling.

"I don't believe