would not advise you, Matilda, to hold arguments with an infidel,
young or old."

"O he is not an infidel, sir! He is a Jew."

"A Jew!" exclaimed Mr. Wharncliffe.

"Yes. And now, he wants to know whether Jesus is the Messiah."

"Is he in earnest, or talking for talk's sake?"

"Oh, in earnest, sir! very much in earnest."

There came a sudden veil over the clear blue eyes that looked down at
Matilda; then their owner said,

"I must take you home with me."

It was not far, down a cross street. Mr. Wharncliffe left Matilda in
the parlour a few moments, and returned with a book in his hand.

"This is the best I can do for you," he said. "Unless you could bring
your friend to see me?"

"Oh no, sir! he would not. I don't think he has spoken to anybody but
me."

"Nobody but you? Has he no one to speak to?"

"No, sir. Not about this."

"Well, my child, as I said, this is the best thing I can do for you."

"What is it, sir?"

"A first-rate reference Bible."

"I have got a Bible."

"I know that. But this has references, which you will find will explain
a vast many things to you. I advise you not to talk much, because you
might not always know just what to say. Do this. Let your friend bring
any word or promise about the Messiah that he knows of in the Old
Testament Scriptures; you find the place in this little Bible, and see
what passages of the _New_ Testament it refers to; see, here are the
words of the Bible on one page and the references to each verse on the
page opposite. You know what these abbreviations mean?"

"O yes, sir. O thank you, sir!" said Matilda, whose hands had now
received the volume and whose eyes were eagerly scanning it. "I will
take great care of it, sir."

"I hope you will; but not for my sake. I wish you to keep it, Matilda.
It will be useful to you very often. And I shall want to hear how you
get on."

He took back the book to put her name in it, while Matilda coloured
high, and could hardly find words to speak her thanks. Her teacher
smiled at her, escorted her to her own door again, and Matilda went in
a happy child.

She was eager now for another chance to talk with David, and she
fancied he wished for it too; but demands of school on the one hand,
and Norton and Mrs. Laval on the other, for days made it impossible.
For Matilda well understood that the matter was not to be openly spoken
of, and the opportunity must be private when it came. She studied her
new little Bible m