Fleda said "Yes!" rather surprised.
"I do not," he said gravely.
Fleda paused a minute or two, and then finding that it depended on her to enlighten him, said in her modest way,
"Why it means that we have no goodness of our own, and only expect to be forgiven and taken to heaven for the Saviour's sake."
Mr. Carleton asked, "Howfor his sake?"
"Why you know, Mr. Carleton, we don't deserve to go there, and if we are forgiven at all it must be for what he has done."
"And what is that, Elfie?"
"He died for us," said Fleda, with a look of some anxiety into Mr. Carleton's face.
"Died for us!--And what end was that to serve, Elfie?" said he, partly willing to hear the full statement of the matter, and partly willing to see how far her intelligence could give it.
"Because we are sinners," said Fleda, "and God has said that sinners shall die."