dear," said Mr Linacre, "let us make no more complaints about the
Redfurns. I am ashamed, when I think of our brethren abroad, that we
ever let Stephen and Roger put us up to anger. You will see no more
tears here, sir, I hope."

"Mildred will not quite promise that," said the pastor, smiling kindly
on the little girl. "Make no promises, my dear, that a little girl like
you may be tempted to break. Only try to forgive all people who tease
and injure you; and remember that nothing more ever happens than God
permits,--though He does not yet see fit to let us know why."

"I would only just ask this, sir," said Mr Linacre. "Is there anything
going forward just now which particularly encourages our enemies to
attack us?"

"The parliament have a committee sitting at Lincoln, at present; and the
king's cause seems to be low in these parts. We are thus at the mercy
of such as choose to consider us king's men: but there is a higher and
truer mercy always about us."

The miller took off his hat in token of respect.

The pastor's eye had been upon Oliver for some time. He now asked
whether he meant to make his new cups plain, like all the rest, or to
try to ornament them. Mildred assured him that Oliver had carved a
beading round the two last bowls that he had cut.

"I think you might attempt something far prettier than beading," said
the pastor; "particularly with so many patterns before your eyes to work
by."

He was looking up at the little recess above the door of the house, near
which they were standing. This recess, in which there had formerly been
an image, was surrounded with carved stone-work.

"I see some foliage there which would answer your purpose, Oliver, if
you could make a model from it. Let us look closer."

And Pastor Dendel fixed a short ladder against the house wall, and went
up, with Oliver before him. They were so busy selecting the figures
that Oliver thought he could copy, and drawing them upon paper, and then
setting about modelling them in clay, that the Redfurns did not prevent
their being happy for this day, at least. Mr Linacre, too, was hard at
work all day, grinding, that the pastor's manure might be served
to-morrow; and he found hard work as good for an anxious mind as those
who have tried generally find it to be.

CHAPTER TWO.

NEIGHBOURLY OFFICES.

When Mrs Linacre was told in the evening of the arrival of the
disagreeable neighbours who were in the marsh, she was s