inappropriate to the dwellers in some houses great and fair of his own
day, who, whatever they did or left undone, regarded not the work of
the Lord, neither considered the operation of His hand. Perhaps Barbara
thought so too; at any rate a rather sad little smile appeared once or
twice upon her sweet, firm face as the immortal poem echoed down the
aisle.

The peace that passeth understanding was invoked upon their heads, and
rising with the rest of the scanty congregation they went away.

"Shall we walk home by the woods, Alan?" asked Barbara. "It is three
miles round, but we don't lunch till two."

He nodded, and presently they were alone in those woods, the beautiful
woods through which the breath of spring was breathing, treading upon
carpets of bluebells, violet and primrose; quite alone, unaccompanied
save by the wild things that stole across their path, undisturbed save
by the sound of the singing birds and of the wind among the trees.

"What did you mean, Barbara, when you said that I should be a grateful
man to-day?" asked Alan presently.

Barbara looked him in the eyes in that open, virginal fashion of hers
and answered in the words of the lesson, "'Woe unto them that draw
iniquity with the cords of vanity and sin as it were with a cart-rope,
that lay house to house,'" and through an opening in the woods she
pointed to the roof of The Court standing on one hill, and to the roof
of Old Hall standing upon another--"'and field to field,'" and with a
sweep of her hand she indicated all the country round, "'for many houses
great and fair that have music in their feasts shall be left desolate.'"