you saw them.'

"And the walnuts whispered to themselves in surprised delight that it
was not neglect and indifference had left them there, but that the
gardener had watched each one fall, and knew where to find them when
their time came at last.

"And when their green husks were removed, and their brown shells cracked
at the master's table, they discovered that the most valuable part of
them was what could not be seen by outsiders, and could only be brought
to light by the master's hand."

"That's a kind of parable," said Roy when Mrs. Ford ceased speaking.

"Yes," she said, smiling; "most people are like the sparrows: they think
it is only the outside you should go by. Now, when I see a person for
the first time I always wonder what their soul is like. If that is
beautiful it doesn't matter about their body. And a little body may
contain a very big soul."

"Can we make our souls big?" asked Roy, with an anxious face.

"They should be growing, my boy, day by day. Put them into the
Gardener's keeping and He will make them grow. It isn't the handsome and
the strong who do all the good in the world; very often it is just the
other way."

"Then there is hope I may do something," said Roy, brightening up; "I
like that story about the walnuts, don't you, Dudley?"