"Yes," said Lois, gravely now. "The Bible cannot be mistaken, Mrs.
Barclay."
"But your application of it?"
"How can that be mistaken? The words are plain."
"Pardon me. I was only venturing to think that you could have seen little, here in Shampuashuh, of the miseries of the world, and so know little of the difficulty of getting rid of them, or of ministering to them effectually."
"Not much," Lois agreed. "Yet I have seen so much done by people without means—I thought, those who have means might do more."
"What have you seen? Do tell me. Here I am ignorant; except in so far as I know what some large societies accomplish, and fail to accomplish."
"I have not seen much," Lois repeated. "But I know one person, a farmer's wife, no better off than a great many people here, who has brought up and educated a dozen girls who were friendless and poor."
"A dozen girls!" Mrs. Barclay echoed.
"I think there have been thirteen. She had no children of her own; she was comfortably well off; and she took these girls, one after another, sometimes two or three together; and taught them and trained them, and fed and clothed them, and sent them to school; and kept them with her until one by one they married off. They all turned out well."
"I am dumb!" said Mrs. Barclay. "Giving money is one thing; I can understand that; but taking strangers' children into one's house and home life—and a dozen strangers' children!"