"No, Esther. He is not dead," was calmly replied.

"Is he badly hurt"?

The mother held her breath for a reply.

"Yes, badly, I fear," answered Mr. Howland, in the same calm voice.

"Will he live?" almost gasped the mother.

"God only knows," replied Mr. Howland. Then glancing his eyes upward
piously, he added, "If it be His will to remove him, I--"

"Oh, Andrew! don't say that!" quickly exclaimed the mother. "Don't
say that!"

"Yes, Esther, I will say it," returned Mr. Howland, in a steady
voice. "If it be His good pleasure to remove him, I will not murmur.
He will be safer _there_ than here."

"Oh, my poor, poor boy!" sobbed Mrs. Howland. "My poor, poor boy!"
To think that he should come to this? Oh, it was wrong to send him
off as he was sent! to punish him so severely for a little thing.
Heaven knows, he had suffered enough, unjustly, without having this
added!"

"Esther!" exclaimed Mr. Howland, "this from you!"

The distressed mother, in the anguish of her mind, had given
utterance to her feelings, with scarce a thought as to who was her