ery busy; the song sparrows full of gladness;
and now and then, further off, a wood-thrush, less worldly
than the one and less unchastened than the other, told of
hidden and higher sweets, in tones further removed from Earth
than his companions knew. The wild, pure, ethereal notes
thrilled like a voice from some clear region where earthly
defilement had been overcome, and earthly sorrows had lost
their power. Between whiles, the little song sparrows strained
their throats with rejoicing; but that was the joy of
hilarious nature that sorrows and defilement had never
touched. The cat-birds spoke of business, and sung over it,
ambitious and self-gratulatory, and proud. And then by turns
came the strange thrush's note, saying, as if they knew it and
had proved it,

"WHEN HE GIVETH QUIETNESS, THEN WHO CAN MAKE TROUBLE?"

The travellers had ridden so far without speaking a word. If
Elizabeth was sometimes weeping, she kept herself very quiet,
and perfectly still. The sights and sounds that were abroad
entered her mind by a side door, if they entered at all.
Winthrop might have taken the benefit of them; but up to the
bend of the bay he had driven fast and attentively. Here he
suffered the horse to slacken his pace and come even to a
walk, while his eye took note of the flushing morning, and
perhaps the song of the birds reached his ear. It was not of
them he spoke.

"Do you mean to begin upon the first chapter of Matthew?" he
said, when the horse had walked the length of some two or
three minutes.

"Yes! -- I do" -- said Elizabeth, turning her face towards him.

"According to the rules?"

The answer was spoken more hesitatingly, but again it was
'yes.'

"I am glad of that," he said.

"Mr. Winthrop," said Elizabeth presently, speaking it seemed
with some effort, -- "if I get into any difficulty -- if I
cannot understand, -- I mean, if I am in any real trouble, --
may I write to you to ask about it?"

"With great pleasure. I mean, it would give me great pleasure
to have you do so."

"I should be very much obliged to you," she said humbly.

She did not see, for she did not look to see, a tiny show of a
smile which spread itself over her companion's face. They
drove on fast, till the bottom of the bay was left and they
descended from the tableland, by Sam Doolittle's, to the road
which skirted the south side of Shahweetah. Winthrop looked
keenly as he passed at the old fields and hillsides. They were
uncultiva