Robin looked perplexed and uncomfortable. He had not been accustomed to do underhand things; his mother had always brought him up to be quite open; he had never concealed anything from her in his life. Why should he now? Yet, if he refused, cook would never give him anything nice again, and he should not be able to let Corrie have a share of the dainty morsels. That would not be kind, and yet—
A faint remonstrance rose to his lips; but cook did not hear it, as she said, "I will put the basket behind the knife-house door; you can fetch it from there when you leave work; and mind! not a word to anybody."
She was gone, and so was Robin's opportunity of fighting the good fight. He turned away, with a guilty feeling at his heart, to join old Jonathan in the kitchen garden. There was so much digging and planting to be done that day, that Robin's abstracted manner did not attract attention; and the boy set himself to work with double diligence, by way of relieving his conscience, which would awake again and again to trouble him with her stings.
"I have done nothing wrong," persisted Robin's heart; "why should I be unhappy?"
How strange it was that old Jonathan's talk to-day should be of the allurements of sin! "'My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.' 'Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Thy word.'"
"The wise man's eyes are in his head," quoth the gardener, with a frank and sunny smile at Robin. "When you are going on a strange road, you do not walk along staring at the sky. No; your eyes are straight ahead, to see which way you are going. By this means, if there are any pitfalls, you can avoid them; and the finger-posts at the cross-turnings prevent any mistake as to the direction. So with the Christian. The Word of Life is his lamp and guide-book in one, and if he looks into it earnestly enough, he will never go wrong. That is what is meant by 'taking heed according to Thy word.' 'For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light, and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.' The Holy Spirit feeds the flame in the lamp; and when it shines on the directions in the Word the path is as straight as an arrow."
"Yes," answered Robin, but so absently that his companion stuck his spade into the ground and looked at him.
"Is the little sister more ailing than usual to-day?"
"Oh no, Mr. Jonathan; but I want to get back to her as soon as I can this evening."
"Well, my boy, and so you shall; we have only got to finish this border, shut the glass-houses, and do a bit of watering; then I will walk down with you to my house on your way home. I asked master to-day if I might send a rose plant to Corrie in a pot, and he said, 'Yes; let her have one with plenty of buds on it.' Master is always good and kind. So it is all ready for you to take home to-night; that will be better than the fir branch."