“Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,
“I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man;
“And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:
“That the Lord may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.”
Not even a boy of fourteen could peruse these words unmoved, coming, as they did, after the memorable interview with Bolland. The black letters seemed to Martin to have fiery edges. They burnt themselves into his brain. In years to come they were fated to stand out unbidden before the eyes of his soul many a time and oft.
He read on, but soon experienced the old puzzled feeling when he encountered the legacy of revenge which David bequeathed to his son after delivering that inspired message. It reminded Martin of the farmer’s dignified and quite noble-hearted renunciation of his own dreams in order to follow what he thought was the better way, to be succeeded by his passage to the farm buildings across the road in order to box the ears of a lazy hind.
Ere he closed the book, Martin went over the opening verses of the chapter. He promised himself to obey the injunctions therein contained, and it was with a host of unformed ideals churning in his brain that he descended the stairs.
Mrs. Bolland was gazing through the front door.
“Mercy on us,” she cried, “if there isn’t Mrs. Saumarez coomin’ doon t’ road wi’ t’ nuss an’ her little gell. An’ don’t she look ill, poor thing! I’ll lay owt she hez eaten summat as disagreed wi’ her, an’ it gev her a bilious attack.”
“Dod, ay,” said Mrs. Summersgill. “Some things are easy te swallow, but hard te digest. Ye could hev knocked me down wi’ a feather when our Tommy bolted a glass ally last June twelve months.”