dancing and story telling, all of
pleasure they require. A common name for a pack of cards is "the
devil's books," and in Orkney they have but few readers.

Thora had partially exonerated Ian from the charge of gambling
when she remembered Jean Hay's assertion that "wherever horses were
racing, there Ian was sure to be and that he had been named in the
newspapers as a winner on the horse Sergius." Ian had passed by
this circumstance, and her father had either intentionally or
unintentionally done the same. Once she had heard Vedder say that
"horse racing produced finer and faster horses"; and she remembered
well, that her father asked in reply, "If it was well to produce
finer and faster horses, at the cost of making horsier men?" And he
had further said that he did not know of any uglier type of man than a
"betting book in breeches." She thought a little on this subject
and then decided Ian ought to be talked to about it.

Her lover's neglect of the Sabbath was the next question, for Thora
was a true and loving daughter of the Church of England. Episcopacy
was the kernel of her faith. She believed all bishops were just like
Bishop Hedley and that the most perfect happiness was found in the
Episcopal Communion. And she said positively to her heart--"It is
through the church door we will reach the Home door, and I am sure Ian
will go with me to keep the Sabbath in the cathedral. Every one goes
to church in Kirkwall. He could not resist such a powerful public
example, and then he would begin to like to go of his own inclination.
I could trust him on this point, I feel sure."

When she took up the next doubt her brow clouded and a shadow of
annoyance blended itself with her anxious, questioning expression.
"His name!" she muttered. "His name! Why did he woo me under a false
name? Mother says my marriage to him under the name of Ian Macrae
would not be lawful. Of course he intended to marry me with his proper
name. He would have been sure to tell us all before the marriage
day--but I saw father was angry and troubled at the circumstance. He
ought to have told us long ago. Why didn't he do so? I should have
loved him under any name. I should have loved him better under John
than Ian. John is a strong, straight name. Great and good men in all
ages have made John honourable. It has no diminutive. It can't be made
less than John. Englishmen and lowland Scotch all say the four
sensible letters with a firm, strong voice; only