Surgical and Medical Corps. He will
go to the battlefield, carry off the wounded, give them first help, or
see them to the hospital. In this way he will be doing constant good
to others and yet be forwarding the career which is to make his future
happy and honourable."

"Then Ian has decided to be a surgeon, Father?"

"Yes, and I can tell thee, Thora, he has not set himself a task beyond
his power. I think very highly of Ian, no one could help doing so; and
see here, Thora! I have a letter in my pocket for thee! He gave it to
me as I bid him good-bye at Spithead."

"I am so happy, Father! So happy!"

"Thou hast good reason to be happy. We shall all be proud of Ian in
good time."

"Did thou give Ian's letter to his father's hands, or did thou mail
it, Coll?"

"I gave it to him, personally."

"What was thy first impression of him?"

"He gave me first of all an ecclesiastical impression. I just
naturally looked for a gown or surplice. He wanted something without
one. He met me coldly but courteously, and taking Ian's letter from
me, placed it deliberately upon a pile of letters lying on his desk. I
said, 'It is from thy son, Doctor, perhaps thou had better read it at
once. It is a good letter, sir, read it.'

"He bowed, and asked if Ian was with me. I said, 'No, sir, he is
on his way to Scutari.' Then he was silent. After a few moments he
asked me if I had been in Edinburgh during the past Sabbath. 'You
should have been here,' he added, 'then you could have heard the
great Dr. Chalmers preach.' I told him that I had spent that
never-to-be-forgotten Sabbath under the blessed dome of St. Paul's in
London. I said something about the transcending beauty of the
wonderful music of the cathedral service, and spoke with delight of
the majestic nave, filled with mediaeval rush-bottomed chairs for the
worshippers, and I told him how much more fitting they were in the
House of God than pews." And Ragnor uttered the last word with a
new-found emphasis. "He asked, quite scornfully, in what sense I
found them more fitting, and I answered rather warmly--'Why, sir,
sitting together in chairs, we felt so much more at home. We were
like one great family in our Father's house.'"

"Are the chairs rented?" asked Rahal.

"Rented!" cried Ragnor scornfully. "No, indeed! There are no dear
chairs and no cheap chairs, all are equal and all are free. I never
felt so like worshipping in a church before. The religious spirit had
free w