dding, and a glass of wine besides on a wedding-day or a
birthday; and thank him, and feel pleased with him, and anxious next day
to do better than ordinary, mayhap--And there's the Great Master--the
Lord and Giver of all, who made us by his hand, and created us by his
power, and feeds us by his bounty, and shelters us by his care; and all
for no good of his, but ours--simply ours. For what's he to get of it,
but the satisfaction of his merciful and generous spirit, when he sees
his poor creatures happy?

"And we are such dolts! such asses! such brute beasts! such stocks!
such stones! that here we go on from day to day, enjoying the life he
gives us, eating the bread and meat he gives us, drinking his good
refreshments, resting upon his warm beds, and so on.... Every day, and
every day, and every day--and who among us, I, most especially for one,
ever thinks, except may be by scuttling through a few rigmarole
words--ever thinks, I say, of thanking _Him_ for it--of lifting up a
warm, honest heart, of true real thanking, I mean? Of loving Him the
better, and trying to serve and please Him the better--when He, great
and powerful as He is--Lord of all the lords, emperors, and kings, that
ever wore crowns and coronets in this world--condescends to _let_ us
thank Him, to _like_ us to thank Him, and to take pleasure in our humble
love and service!"

Ha paused--every eye was fixed upon the speaker.

"And, therefore," continued Thomas, turning to the laundry-maid, who
stood there with a tear in her eye; "therefore, Mistress Mary, I _am_
pleased with, and I do _like_ these new ways of going on, as you say;
and I bless God, and hope to do it well in my prayers this night, for
having at last made of us what I call a regular Christian family."

* * * * *

I have told you, a little in the way of anticipation, that the
popularity of Mr. St. Leger's new measures was not confined to the
kitchen; but that the general, by slow steps, gradually conformed to the
new usages established at the Hazels.

Lettice and Catherine had not long to take it it turns to stay out with
him, playing backgammon, at the time of evening prayers.

At first it was a polite--"Oh, pray don't think of staying in the
drawing-room upon my account; I can do very well by myself."... Next it
was, "Nay, rather than that, I will go into the library too; why should
I not?" He began to feel, at first, probably, from a vague sense of
p