God in this matter. And in Deut. vii. 3, 4, she studied anew the
reasons there given. "Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy
daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou
take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me,
that they may serve other gods."

Lois studied these passages with I cannot say how much aching of heart.
Why did her heart ache? It was nothing to her, surely; she neither
loved nor was going to love any man to whom the prohibition could
apply. Why should she concern herself with the matter? Madge?-- Well,
Madge must be the keeper of her own conscience; she would probably
marry Mr. Dillwyn; and poor Lois saw sufficiently into the workings of
her own heart to know that she thought her sister very happy in the
prospect. But then, if the question of conscience could be so got over,
_why_ was she troubled? She would not evade the inquiry; she forced
herself to make it; and she writhed under the pressure and the pain it
caused her. At last, thoroughly humbled and grieved and ashamed, she
fled to a woman's refuge in tears, and a Christian's refuge in prayer;
and from the bottom of her heart, though with some very hard struggles,
gave up every lingering thought and wish that ran counter to the Bible
command. Let Madge do what Madge thought right; she had warned her of
the truth. Now her business was with herself and her own action; and
Lois made clean work of it. I cannot say she was exactly a happy woman
as she went down-stairs; but she felt strong and at peace. Doing the
Lord's will, she could not be miserable; with the Lord's presence she
could not be utterly alone; anyhow, she would trust him and do her
duty, and leave all the rest.

She went down-stairs at last, for she had spent the afternoon in her
own room, and felt that she owed it to Mrs. Wishart to go down and keep
her company. O, if Spring were but come! she thought as she descended
the staircase,--and she could get away, and take hold of her work, and
bring things into the old train! Spring was many weeks off yet, and she
must do different and harder work first, she saw. She went down to the
back drawing-room and laid herself upon the sofa.

"Are you not well, Lois?" was the immediate question from Mrs. Wishart.

"Yes, ma'am; only not just vigorous. How long they are gone! It is
growing late."

"The sleighing is tempting. It is not often we have such a chance. I
suppose everybody is out