to confess she's got the
high-strikes wonderful."

"Mother," said Faith, giving her one or two kisses as Mrs. Derrick rose
to prove the contrary of Cindy's supposition, "I shall be a great deal
_happier;_--and I am getting along nicely."

Which sent Mrs. Derrick off in triumph. But when she was gone, Faith
did not take her basket of stockings, nor yet her arithmetic; but sat
down by the table with her head in her hands and sat very still. Still,
until Mr. Linden came in, laid one paper on the table at her side, and
sat down to read another. Faith's darning-needle came into play then,
and worked quick and silently. Mr. Linden glanced towards it as he laid
down his paper.

"I see you evaded my question last night," he said,--"there could not
be such a _constant_ supply, if there were not also a constant demand."

"Mr. Linden," said Faith, her colour a little raised and her voice
changing somewhat,--"I want to ask you something--if you are not busy
about anything."

"I am not but you might ask just as freely if I were."

"I couldn't," said Faith. She drew her hand out of her stocking and put
her thimble on the table.

"Mr. Linden," she said without looking at him,--"a while ago, when you
were speaking of faith and a cloudy day, and I told you I wasn't like
that,--you said I must read the Bible then, and do what that said. I
have been trying to do it."--

Shading his eyes with his hand, he looked at her--as if waiting to hear
more.

"And I don't understand it," she said.--"I don't know how to get on."

"Do you mean, with the Bible? Is it _that_ you do not understand?"

"I don't understand some things--I don't know exactly what I ought to
do."

"In what respect?--where is the difficulty? Some things in the Bible
you never will understand, perhaps, in this world, and others you must
learn by degrees."

"I don't understand exactly what makes a Christian--and I want to be
one."

It was spoken low, and timidly; but Faith was in earnest. Mr. Linden
sat silent a minute, without changing his position.

"A Christian is one, who trusting in Christ as his only Saviour,
thenceforth obeys him as his only King."

Faith hesitated and thought. "I don't understand," she said folding her
hands, "--about the trusting."

"Suppose there was something you wanted done too hard for your strength
but not for mine,--would you know how to trust it in my hands?"

She bowed her head and said, "Yes!"

"Suppose I consented to do