"I am glad to hear it," replied Wainwright.
The little minister took the remark in good faith.
"A believer?" he asked.
"Certainly," replied Stephen.
"Let me shake you by the hand, brother. This is a noble country in which to believe. Among these great and solemn peaks, who can disbelieve or who go contrary to the will of the Lord?"
Stephen made no answer, and the brother, lifting up his voice after a silence, cried again, "Who?" And, after a moment's pause, and more fervently, a second "Who?" Then a third, in a high, chanting key. It seemed as if he would go on for ever.
"Well," said Stephen, "if you will have answer, I suppose I might say the moonlight whisky-makers."
The little brother came down from the heights immediately, and glanced at his companion. "Acquainted with the country, sir?" he asked in a business-like tone.
"Not at all," said Stephen.
"Going to stay at Ellerby awhile, perhaps?"