his may be changed. Rachel I know
is obstinate, but mother means well, Mr. Prong. She means to do her
duty, if only she had good teaching near her."

"I hope she may, I hope she may. I trust that they may both be
brought to see the true light. We will wrestle for them,--you and me.
We will wrestle for them,--together. Mrs. Prime, my friend, if you
are prepared to hear me with attention, I have a proposition to make
which I think you will acknowledge to be one of importance." Then
suddenly he sat bolt upright, opened his eyes wide, and dressed his
mouth with all the solemn dignity of which he was the master. "Are
you prepared to listen to me, Mrs. Prime?"

Mrs. Prime, who was somewhat astonished, said in a low voice that she
was prepared to listen.

"Because I must beg you to hear me out. I shall fail altogether in
reaching your intelligence,--whatever effect I might possibly have
upon your heart,--unless you will hear me to the end."

"I will hear you certainly, Mr. Prong."

"Yes, my friend, for it will be necessary. If I could convey to your
mind all that is now passing through my own, without any spoken word,
how glad should I be! The words of men, when taken at the best, how
weak they are! They often tell a tale quite different from that which
the creature means who uses them. Every minister has felt that in
addressing his flock from the pulpit. I feel it myself sadly, but I
never felt it so sadly as I do now."

Mrs. Prime did not quite understand him, but she assured him again
that she would give his words her best attention, and that she would
endeavour to gather from them no other meaning than that which seemed
to be his. "Ah,--seemed!" said he. "There is so much of seeming in
this deceitful world. But you will believe this of me, that whatever
I do, I do as tending to the strengthening of my hands in the
ministry." Mrs. Prime said that she would believe so much; and then
as she looked into her companion's face, she became aware that there
was something of weakness displayed in that assuming mouth. She did
not argue about it within her own mind, but the fact had in some way
become revealed to her.

"My friend," said he,--and as he spoke he drew his chair across the
rug, so as to bring it very near to that on which Mrs. Prime was
sitting--"our destinies in this world, yours and mine, are in many
things alike. We are both alone. We both of us have our hands full of
work, and of work which in many respects i