“You surely are not papist enough to think that means a minister is not to marry?”
“Not at all, sir; but I doobt that’s what it’ll come til atween you and Maggie!”
“You mean that she will not marry?”
“I mean that she winna merry you, sir.”
“But just think how much more she could do for Christ as the minister’s wife!”
“I’m ’maist convinced she wad coont merryin you as tantamount to refusin to lea’ a’ for the Son o’ Man.”
“Why should she think that?”
“Because, sae far as I see, she canna think that ye hae left a’ for him.”
“Ah, that is what you have been teaching her! She does not say that of herself! You have not left her free to choose!”
“The queston never came up atween’s. She’s perfecly free to tak her ain gait—and she kens she is!—Ye dinna seem to think it possible she sud tak his wull raither nor yours!—that the love o’ Christ should constrain her ayont the love offert her by Jeames Bletherwick!—We hae conversed aboot ye, sir, but niver differt!”