“Malviny Higgins tossed her head an’ giv me one uv her witherinest looks, but I’m not one uv the perishin’ kind, so I kep on a’ musin’.

“‘It’s wonderful what a difference there is between sellin’ by the poun’ an’ the barrel,’ sez I.  ’It’s unfortunet that there’s only one way to the heavenly country, an’ it’s a limited express with no Pullman attached.  The Lord hedn’t time to put on a parlor car fer the wholesale trade; seems like as if it was kind uv neglectful in him.  It would hev been more convenient an’ private.’

“Malviny’s cheeks got as red as beets an’ the flowers on her bonnet danced a Highland Fling as she leaned over to whisper somethin’ to her sister, but I hed relieved my feelin’s an’ could join in quite peaceful like when Mrs. Songster said we’d close the meetin’ by singin’ ’Blest be the tie that binds.’  Well, there’ll be no clicks in heaven, that’s one blessin’.”

“‘Clicks,’ Penelope?”

“Why, yes, child, the folks that gets off by themselves in a corner an’ thinks nobody outside the circle is fit to tie their shoe.  I expect to hev edifyin’ conversations with Moses an’ Elija, an’ the first thing I mean to ask him is what kind of ravens they really were.”

“‘Ravens,’” echoed Evadne bewildered, “what do you mean, Penelope?”

“Sakes alive, child!  Haven’t you read your Bible? and don’t you know the ravens fed the old gentleman in the desert, an’ that folks now say they were Arabs, because the ravens are dirty birds an’ live on carrion, an’ it stands to reason Elija couldn’t touch that if he hed an ordinary stumach.  As if the Lord couldn’t hev made ’em bring food from the king’s table if he hed chosen to do it!  It’s all of a piece with the way folks hev now of twistin’ the Bible inside out till nobody knows what it means.  For my part I believe if the Lord hed meant Arabs he would hev said Arabs an’ not hev deceived us by callin’ ’em birds uv prey.  Folks is so set against allowin’ anything that looks like a meracle that they’ll go all the way round the barn an’ creep through a snake fence if they can prove it’s jest an ordinary piece of business.  They do say there are some things the Lord can’t do, but I’m free to confess I’ve never found them out.”

* * * * *

“Aunt Marthe,” said Evadne, when they had settled down for their evening talk, “what does it all mean?  ‘The victory of our faith,’ you know, and the ‘Overcomeths’ in Revelation?  I thought Christ got the victory for us?”

“So he does, dear child, and we through him.  I came across a lovely explanation of it some time ago which I will copy for you; it has been such an inspiration.  Listen,—­

“’When you are forgotten or neglected or purposely set at naught and you smile inwardly, glorying in the insult or the oversight,—­that is victory.

“’When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your tastes offended, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you take it all in patient and loving silence,—­that is victory.