just yet; I've often been as bad as this, and
got quite well again. Besides, I want to show that I have turned over a
new leaf. Don't you think God will give me one more chance, now that I
really mean it? I never did before."

"God can tell whether you mean it without that," she answered, not
daring to encourage him where she knew nothing. "But you said you would
remember me, Mr. Redmain: I hope you didn't mean in your will."

"I did mean in my will," he answered, but in a tone of displeasure. "I
must say, however, I should have preferred you had not _shown_ quite
such an anxiety about it. I sha'n't be in my coffin to-morrow; and I'm
not in the way of forgetting things."

"I _beg_ you," returned Mary, flushing, "to do nothing of the sort. I
have plenty of money, and don't care about more. I would much rather
not have any from you."

"But think how much good you might do with it!" said Mr. Redmain,
satirically. "--It was come by honestly--so far as I know."

"Money can't do half the good people think. It is stubborn stuff to
turn to any good. And in this case it would be directly against good."

"Nobody has a right to refuse what comes honestly in his way. There's
no end to the good that may be done with money--to judge, at least, by
the harm I've done with mine," said Mr. Redmain, this time with
seriousness.

"It is not in it," persisted Mary. "If it had been, our Lord would have
used it, and he never did."

"Oh, but he was all an exception!"

"On the contrary, he is the only man who is no exception. We are the
exceptions. Every one but him is more or less out of the straight. Do
you not see?--he is the very one we must all come to be the same as, or
perish! No, Mr. Redmain! don't leave me any money, or I shall be
altogether bewildered what to do with it. Mrs. Redmain would not take
it from me. Miss Yolland might, but I dared not give it to her. And for
societies, I have small faith in them."

"Well, well! I'll think about it," said Mr. Redmain, who had now got so
far on the way of life as to be capable of believing that when Mary
said a thing she meant it, though he was quite incapable of
understanding the true relations of money. Few indeed are the
Christians capable of that! The most of them are just where Peter was,
when, the moment after the Lord had honored him as the first to
recognize him as the Messiah, he took upon him to object altogether to
his Master's way of working salvation in the earth. The