"The young men are apt to think so," added Flora.

"But have young women more sense than old ones?" said I. "Because I
see, whenever people mean to speak of anything as particularly silly,
they always say it is worthy of an old woman. Now why an old woman?
Have I more commonsense now than I shall have fifty years hence? And if
so, at what age may I expect it to take leave of me?"

"You are not talking sense now, at any rate," replied Angus--who might
be my brother, instead of my cousin, for the way in which he takes me
up, whatever I say.

"Pardon me," said Mr Keith. "I think Miss Caroline is talking very
good sense."

"Then you may answer her," said Angus.

"Nay," returned Mr Keith. "The question was addressed to you."

"Oh, all women are sillies!" was Angus's flattering answer. "They're
just a pack of ninnies, the whole lot of them."

"It seems to me, Angus," observed Mr Keith, quite gravely, "that you
must have paid twopence extra for manners."

Flora and I laughed.

"I was not rich enough to go in for any," growled Angus. "I'm not a
laird's son, Mr Duncan Keith, so you don't need to throw stones at me."

"Did I, Angus? I beg your pardon."

Angus muttered something which I did not hear, and was silent. I
thought I had better let the subject drop.

But before we went to bed, something happened which I never saw before.
Mr Keith took a book from his pocket, and sat down at the table. Flora
rose and went to the sofa, motioning to me to come beside her. Even
Angus twisted himself round, and sat in a more decorous way.

"What are we going to do?" I asked of Flora.

"The exercise, dear," said she.

"Exercise!" cried I. "What are we to exercise?"

A curious sort of gurgle came from Angus's part of the room, as if a
laugh had made its way into his throat, and he had smothered it in its
cradle.

"The word is strange to Miss Caroline," said Mr Keith, looking round
with a smile. "We Scots people, Madam, speak of exercising our souls in
prayer. We are about to read in God's Word, and pray, if you please.
It is our custom, morning and evening."

"But how can we pray?" said I. "There is no clergyman."

"Though I am not a minister," replied Mr Keith, "yet I trust I have
learned to pray."

It seemed to me so strange that anybody not a clergyman should think of
praying before other people! However, I sat down, of course, on the
sofa by Flora, and listened while Mr Keith read something out