"Ye had no richt to hearken, Thomas Crann," said Mr Cupples.
"I beg your pardon," returned Thomas; "I never thoucht o' that. The soun' was sae bonnie, I jist stud and hearkened. I beg your pardon.�-But that's no the richt thing for the Sawbath day."
"But ye're haein' a walk yersel', it seems, Thomas."
"Ay; but I'm gaun ower the hills to my school. An' I maunna bide to claver wi' ye, for I hae a guid twa hoors' traivel afore me."
"Come hame wi' us, and hae a mou'fu' o' denner afore ye gang, Thomas," said Alec.
"Na, I thank ye. It does the sowl gude to fast a wee ae day in saiven. I had a piece, though, afore I cam' awa'. What am I braggin' o'! Gude day to ye."
"That's an honest man, Alec," said Cupples.
"He is," returned Alec. "But he never will do as other people do."
"Perhaps that's the source of his honesty�-that he walks by an inward light," said Cupples thoughtfully.
The year wore on. Alec grew confident. They returned together to their old quarters. Alec passed his examinations triumphantly, and continued his studies with greater vigour than before. Especially he walked the hospitals with much attention and interest, ever warned by Cupples to beware lest he should come to regard a man as a physical machine, and so grow a mere doctoring machine himself.