was genuine and sympathetic.  No one could have known by his behaviour that he was not at court.  And I thought—­Surely even the contact with such a man will do something to refine the taste of my people.  I felt more certain than ever that a free mingling of all classes would do more than anything else towards binding us all into a wise patriotic nation; would tend to keep down that foolish emulation which makes one class ape another from afar, like Ben Jonson’s Fungoso, “still lighting short a suit;” would refine the roughness of the rude, and enable the polished to see with what safety his just share in public matters might be committed into the hands of the honest workman.  If we could once leave it to each other to give what honour is due; knowing that honour demanded is as worthless as insult undeserved is hurtless!  What has one to do to honour himself?  That is and can be no honour.  When one has learned to seek the honour that cometh from God only, he will take the withholding of the honour that comes from men very quietly indeed.

The only thing that disappointed me was, that there was no one there to represent Oldcastle Hall.  But how could I have everything a success at once!—­And Catherine Weir was likewise absent.

After we had spent a while in pleasant talk, and when I thought nearly all were with us, I got up on a chair at the end of the barn, and said:—­

“Kind friends,—­I am very grateful to you for honouring my invitation as you have done.  Permit me to hope that this meeting will be the first of many, and that from it may grow the yearly custom in this parish of gathering in love and friendship upon Christmas Eve.  When God comes to man, man looks round for his neighbour.  When man departed from God in the Garden of Eden, the only man in the world ceased to be the friend of the only woman in the world; and, instead of seeking to bear her burden, became her accuser to God, in whom he saw only the Judge, unable to perceive that the Infinite love of the Father had come to punish him in tenderness and grace.  But when God in Jesus comes back to men, brothers and sisters spread forth their arms to embrace each other, and so to embrace Him.  This is, when He is born again in our souls.  For, dear friends, what we all need is just to become little children like Him; to cease to be careful about many things, and trust in Him, seeking only that He should rule, and that we should be made good like Him.  What else is meant by ’Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you?’ Instead of doing so, we seek the things God has promised to look after for us, and refuse to seek the thing He wants us to seek—­a thing that cannot be given us, except we seek it.  We profess to think Jesus the grandest and most glorious of men, and yet hardly care to be like Him; and so when we are offered His Spirit, that is, His very nature within us, for the asking, we will hardly take the trouble to ask for it.  But to-night, at least, let all unkind thoughts, all hard judgments of one another, all selfish desires after our own way, be put from us, that we may welcome the Babe into our very bosoms; that when He comes amongst us—­for is He not like a child still, meek and lowly of heart?—­He may not be troubled to find that we are quarrelsome, and selfish, and unjust.”