stairs with the rest, however, I missed Flora;
and going to our room to look for her, I found her crying. I never saw
Flora weep before.

"Why, Flora!" said I, "what is the matter with you?"

"Nothing with me, Cary," she said, "but a great deal with Angus."

"You do not like his being at the supper?" I said. I hardly knew what
to say, and I felt afraid of saying either too much or too little. It
seems so difficult to talk without hurting people.

"Not only that," she said. "I do not like the way he is going on
altogether. I know my father would be in a sad way if he knew it."

I told Flora what I had heard Angus say to Mr Keith.

"Ah!" she said, with another sob, "Angus would not have said that three
months ago. I was sure it must have been going on for some time. He
has been in bad company, I feel certain. And Angus always was one to
take the colour of his company, just as a glass takes the colour of
anything you pour in. What can I do? Oh, what can I do? If he will
not listen to Duncan--"

"Ambrose Catterall says that young men must always sow their wild oats,"
I said, when she stopped thus.

"That is one of the Devil's maxims," exclaimed Flora, earnestly. "God
calls it sowing to the flesh: and He says the harvest of it is
corruption. Some flowers seed themselves: thistles do. Did you ever
know roses grow from thistle seed? No: `whatsoever a man soweth, that
shall he reap.' Ah me, for Angus's harvest!"

"Well, I don't see what you can do," said I.

"There is the sting," she replied. "It would be silly to weep if I did.
No, in such cases, I think there is only one thing a woman can do--and
that is to cry mightily unto God to loose the bonds of the oppressor,
and let the oppressed go free. I don't know--I may be mistaken--but I
hardly think it is of much use for women to talk to such a man. It is
not talking that he needs. He knows his own folly, very often, at least
as well as you can tell him, and would be glad enough to be loosed from
his bonds, if only somebody would come and tear them asunder. He
cannot: and you cannot. Only God can. Some evil spirits can be cast
out by nothing but prayer. Cary--" Flora broke off suddenly, and looked
up earnestly in my face. "Don't mention this, will you, dear? I should
not have said a word to you nor any one if you had not surprised me."

I promised her I would not, unless somebody first spoke to me. She
would not come to Sophy's room.

"T