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Mr Ivison thought a moment, and then said: "Your proposition is unusual, Mrs Arnot, but I'll think of it I make no promises, however"

"Mr Ivison," added Mrs Arnot, in her sreat deal of money out of your business this year; but if, by ood and true man, you will be still better off Dr Barstow here can tell you how sure such investments are"

"If I should follow your lead and that of Dr Barstow, all hed Mr Ivison "But I have a special ad fellow, in declining histo stand on his feet here in Hillaton, where every one is ready to tread hi I've had my eye on hiht But it is difficult to knohat to do for one with his ugly reputation I will see what can be done, however"

That sa without, and Mr Growther's passion for a wood fire upon the hearth was an indulgence to which Haldane no longer objected The frugal supper was over, and the two oddly diverse occupants of the quaint old kitchen glowered at the red coals in silence, each busy with his own thoughts At last Haldane gave a long deep sigh, which drew to hih old world, isn't it, for sinners like us?" he rehing against the world; I'ely with myself"

"Umph!" snarled the old man, "I've allers knowed the trouble ith me, for of all crabbed, cranky, cantankerous, old--"

"Hold on," cried Haldane, laughing, "don't you re unjust to one's self? The only person that I have ever known you to wrong is Jereeously sometimes"

At the name of Mrs Arnot the old ether as he chuckled, "How Satan ht lead you to be a little juster to yourself," continued Haldane, "and it has seemed to me that you, as well as I, have been in a better mood of late"

"I don't take no stock in myself at all," said Mr Growther e'lar old gnarled knotty stick, with not 'nuff good timber in it to make a penny whistle That I haven't been in as cussin' a state as usual isn't because I think any better of myself, but your Mrs Arnot has set me a-thinkin' on a new track She come to see me one day while you was at the ufied it round it, and I proved to her that I was the driest and crookedest old stick that ever the devil twisted out o' shape when it was a-growin' On a suddent she turned the argerin ht, Mr Growther,' she said, 'it was the devil and not the Lord that twisted you out of shape Noho's the stronger,' she says, 'and who's goin' to have his oay in the end? Suppose you are very crooked, won't the Lord get all the ht, and won't his victory be all the greater over the evil one?' Says I, 'Mrs Arnot, that's puttin' htened out, it would be the awfulest set-back Old Nick ever had; and if such a thing should happen he'd never feel sure of any one after that' Then she turned on ht have you to say that God is allers lookin' round for easy work? What would you think of a doctor ould take only slight cases, and have nothing to do with people ere gittin' dangerous-like? Isn't Jesus Christ the great physician, and don't your common-sense tell you that he is jist as able to cure you as a little child?'