"Next, from the deep, th' Almighty King
Did vital beings frame;
Fowls of the air of ev'ry wing,
And fish of every name.
To all the various brutal tribes
He gave their wondrous birth;
At once the lion and the worm
Sprung from the teeming earth."
He only required to be prompted once, and when he had finished he drew from his pocket a paper which he handed to his father.
"What's this?" said Mr. Seton. "Ah, I see." He put his hand up to his mouth and appeared to study the paper intently.
"It's not my best," said Buff modestly.
"May I see it?" asked Elizabeth.
Buff was fond of illustrating the Bible, and this was his idea of the Creation so far as a sheet of note-paper and rather a blunt pencil could take him. In the background rose a range of mountains on the slopes of which a bird, some beetles, and an elephant (all more or less of one size) had a precarious foot-hold. In the foreground a dishevelled lion glared at a worm which reared itself on end in a surprised way. Underneath was printed "At once the lion and the worm"—the quotation stopped for lack of space.
"Very fine, Buff," said Elizabeth, smiling widely. "Show it to Mr. Townshend."
"He's seen it," said Buff. "He helped me with the lion's legs, but I did all the rest myself—didn't I?" he appealed to the guest.
"You did, old man. We'll colour it to-morrow, when I get you that paint-box."
"Yes," said Buff, crossing the room to show his picture to Marget and Ellen, while Mr. Seton handed Arthur Townshend a hymn-book and asked what hymn he would like sung, adding that everyone chose a favourite hymn at Sabbath evening prayers. Seeing Arthur much at a loss, Elizabeth came to his help with the remark that English hymn-books were different from Scots ones, and suggesting "Lead, kindly Light," as being common to both.