e to utter such wrong and foolish words. So, still keeping her face
turned away, she took her Bible and began to roll it in her
handkerchief--when a thought struck her.

"Effie," she asked, quickly, "do you believe that God hears us when we
pray?"

In the face now turned towards her, Effie saw tokens that there was
something wrong with her little sister. But, accustomed to her changing
moods and frequent petulance, she answered, quietly:

"Surely, Christie, I believe it. The Bible says so."

"Yes; I ken that," said Christie, with some impatience in her tone.
"The Bible says so, and people believe it in a general way. But is it
true? Do _you_ believe it?"

"Surely I believe it," said Effie, slowly.

She was considering whether it would be best to say anything more to her
sister, vexed and unhappy as her voice and manner plainly showed her to
be; and while she hesitated, Christie said again, more quietly:

"If God hears prayer, why are most people so miserable?"

"I don't think most people _are_ miserable," said Effie, gravely. "I
don't think anybody that trusts in God can be very miserable."

Christie leaned back again on the stone, from which she had half risen.

"Those who have been pardoned and accepted," she _thought_; but aloud
she _said_, "Well, I don't know: there are some good people that have
trouble enough. There's old Mrs Grey. Wave after wave of trouble has
passed over her. I heard the minister say those very words to father
about her."

"But, Christie," said her sister, gravely, "you should ask Mrs Grey,
some time, if she would be willing to lose her trust in God for the sake
of having all her trouble taken away. I am quite sure she would not
hesitate for a moment. She would smile at the thought of even pausing
to choose."

"But, Effie, that's not what we are speaking about. I'm sure that Mrs
Grey prayed many and many a time that her son John might be spared to
his family. Just think of them, so helpless--and their mother dead, and
little Allie blind! And the minister prayed for him too, in the kirk,
and all the folk, that so useful a life might be spared. But, for all
that, he died, Effie."

"Yes; but, Christie, Mrs Grey never prayed for her son's life except in
submission to God's will. If his death would be for the glory of God,
she prayed to be made submissive to His will, and committed herself and
her son's helpless little ones to God's keeping."

Christie looked at her