st
that had come to brighten her brother's life--at least at this time she
was not. Afterwards, when new cares and vexations pressed upon her, she
vexed herself with the thought that something had come between her
brother and herself which made her troubles not so much his as they used
to be, and she blamed this new friendship for the difference. But no
such thoughts vexed these first pleasant months.

Hamish was indeed changed. Unrealised at first by himself, the most
wonderful change that can come between the cradle and the grave had
happened to him. He had found a secret spring of peace, hidden as yet
from his sister's eyes. He had obtained a staff to lean on, which made
his weakness stronger than her strength; and this had come to him
through the master. There was a bond between the friends, stronger,
sweeter, and more enduring than even that which united the twin brother
and sister--the BOND OF BROTHERHOOD IN CHRIST. On Norman Stewart had
been conferred the highest of all honours; to him had been given the
chief of all happiness. Through _his_ voice the voice of Jesus had
spoken peace to a troubled soul. To him it had been given so to hold
forth the word of life that to a soul sitting in darkness a great light
sprang up.

I cannot tell you how it came about, except that the heart of the master
being full of love to Christ, it could not but overflow in loving words
from his lips. Attracted first to Hamish by the patience and gentleness
with which he suffered, he could not do otherwise than seek to lead him
to the Great Healer; and his touch was life. Then all the shadows that
had darkened the past and the future to the lame boy fled away.
Gradually all the untoward circumstances of his life seemed to adjust
themselves anew. His lameness, his suffering, his helplessness were no
longer parts of a mystery, darkening all the future to him, but parts of
a plan through which something better than a name and a place in the
world might be obtained. Little by little he came to know himself to be
one of God's favoured ones; and then he would not have turned his hand
to win the lot that all his life had seemed the most desirable to him.
Before his friend he saw such a life--a life of labour for the highest
of all ends. Before himself he saw a life of suffering, a narrow sphere
of action, helplessness, dependence; but he no longer murmured. He was
coming to know, through the new life given him, how that "to do Go