I'm a very poor body to look at, Rob? That's what some of the villagers
say I am, but my head and legs and arms are all right. I'm not a cripple
or a hunchback, or blind, or deaf, or dumb, so I must be very glad of
that. What do you think?"

"You're just as straight and plucky as Master Dudley, and you'll grow
up a big, strong man, I dare say," said Hob, sympathetically.

"Old Principle says you may be a maker, a mender, or a breaker in your
life. I want to be a maker. And I should like to find a country and make
it into a nice big town. I want to do something big. I ask God every day
to let me find something to do."

"Do you believe in--in God?" asked Rob, rather sheepishly.

"Of course I do; what do you mean? Don't you?"

"I don't know. I don't know much about Him, only you often talk as if
you're--well quite friends with Him, and I've wondered at it."

Roy brought down his gaze from the hilltops to his companion's face with
grave interest.

"I've known God since I was a baby," he said. "I don't remember when I
didn't know Him. Nurse used to talk to me when I was very small, and
when my father was dying he called me to him, and said,--'Fitz Roy!
Serve God first, then your Queen, and then your fellow men!' I've always
remembered it, only you know we don't talk about these things, and I've
only told Dudley. I'm trying to serve God--you don't want to be very
strong to do that; but I'm longing to serve the Queen, and when Mr.