"Uncle," she cried suddenly, "oh, uncle mine, please pardon me but I
cannot, cannot obey you."

"What's this?" said my father, gazing at her with stupefaction and growing
anger. Our surprise at this untoward daring of our young country cousin was
so great, that even Louis dropped his spoon and forgot to eat.

We had disobeyed very often, especially Louis and I, and many times we had
been punished for it, for disobedience in my father's eyes was the greatest
of all crimes; but never had we dared to defy him openly.

"Paula, be quiet," cried Rosa, fearing the terrible consequences of such
temerity.

To our great surprise, my father, in spite of his anger, remained calm.

"So you don't wish to obey me," he said, fixing Paula with a cold and
severe eye. "That's the first time I've ever heard such words from any
child in this house. Tell me, my daughter, what do you mean?"

"Oh, dear uncle," she said, drawing quite close to father, "oh, oh, uncle
mine, don't be angry, please. I do wish to obey you in everything. Oh, yes,
in everything, everything! I promised my father to be good and to show to
everyone that I am a daughter of the Lord Jesus. But, oh, uncle, I must
pray, and I must serve the Lord. My father told me so, and God Himself
tells me so, for so it is written down in the Bible itself."

"I think," said my father, "you will find written in your Bible, these
words, 'Children, obey your parents.' And according to you, you ought to
obey the Bible."