free-thinker who is first
cousin to an atheist, and Mrs. Meek choked back her sobs to stare
wide-eyed at her visitor who had dared to voice such heresy under a
missionary's roof.

"Isn't it God's will when one is afflicted? That is what we are taught,"
said the nurse indignantly.

"We are taught a lot of stuff which is not true," said Honor firmly. "It
isn't sense to impute to a loving God acts of wanton cruelty, and we
dishonour Him by so doing." She kissed Mrs. Meek's cheek and spoke
tenderly to her of her sympathy and sorrow.

"But, Miss Bright, are not life and death in God's hands?" the bereaved
lady asked astonished.

"Indeed, yes--with our co-operation. God needs our help as we need His.
I could never believe that our dear ones are taken from us by God's
will. He could not will us unhappiness. We have got to suffer as the
result of ignorance and neglect, and a thousand other reasons which are
Cause and Effect. Where we fail God, we must suffer."

"How did we fail God? We did all we could!"

"Yes--we always shut the stable door after the steed is stolen. God did
not give your child the germ of enteric which constitutionally she was
unfitted to cope with. It happened through some misfortune that God had
nothing to do with, and, simply, she hadn't enough fight in her. There
are times when we cannot understand why some things should be,
especially if we feel that by stretching out His arm God can save us;
yet He does not do so," continued Honor. "I prefer to believe that God
fights for the life of our dear one along with us, and we both fail, we
and God, because of some lack on our side that has hindered." Honor was
not accustomed to holding forth on the subject of her views and would
have said no more, but Mrs. Meek was roused to a new interest and
persisted in drawing from her all she felt regarding the matter.

"If you put your foot on a cobra and you are bitten, and no immediate
remedies are at hand, you will certainly die. If you prayed your hardest
to be saved and did nothing, you would certainly be disappointed. God
has given us the means of saving life--science and medicine are His way
of helping us through doctors--even then we fail if the patient has no
strength to battle with disease. That is how I feel," she added loyally.
"We don't blame those we love--so don't blame God unjustly."

"Doctor Dalton said Elsie's heart was weak," moaned Mrs. Meek. "Perhaps
had he come last night he would have notic