"I supposed you were at the bottom of it, but I did not expect you to own it quite so readily," replied Mr. Wynn, with unusual warmth. "I don't think I shall be in a hurry to take another boy from your class."
"Well, father," responded Mabel, "all I can say is, that I have simply tried to show them what the life and teachings of Christ mean; and if Herbert has found anything required of him that conflicts with his understanding of the spirit of the gospels, you cannot wonder that he should be unwilling to conform to the requirements of the business."
"All a notion! All a notion! No need of being so strict. Besides, these people who are so over-nice, sometimes find that they have smutted their fingers in spite of their carefulness. And I can tell you that Master Herbert will find that such places are not vacant every day. He will have to drop some of his whims before he gets very high up in the world."
Mabel said softly,—
"'His delight is in the law of the Lord; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.'"
"Yes, yes! You quote Bible, but I quote facts," said Mr. Wynn.
"And don't you think that the facts will prove the Bible true."
"Of course the Bible is true, child, but not to be taken literally. Now look at old Jackson over there at the distillery. He hasn't much regard for Bible rules. I suspect that your nice distinctions between right and wrong would be quite too fine for his dull vision; but it looks very much as though the work of his hands was prospered; now don't it, Mabel?"
"That depends on what you call prosperity," replied Mabel. "I don't suppose that good Mr. Frink, old and poor as he is, would change places with Mr. Jackson. It was only the other day that, speaking of the abundance of work that had come in, he said, 'The Lord Lath dealt bountifully with me, Miss Mabel.' But I suppose that if things ended with this world, we might sometimes conclude that the wicked had the best of it. But 'riches profit not in the day of wrath.'
"Things don't come out quite straight," she continued; "but I can't help thinking that the Lord does repay, even in this life, those who delight to do him honour."