"Yes, Mrs. Arnot, 'weak and foolish.' Those two words now seem to sum up my whole life and all there is of me." "And yet," she added earnestly, "if you will, you can still achieve a strong, and noble character. O that you had the courage and heroic faith in God to fight out this battle to the end! Should you do so, as I told you before, you would be ideal knight. Heaven would ring with your praise, however unfriendly the world might be. I cannot conceive of a grander victory than that of a debased nature over itself. If you should win such a victory, Egbert--if, in addition, you were able, by the blessing of God on your efforts, to build up a strong, true character--I would honor you above other men, even though you remained a wood-sawyer all your days," and her dark eyes became lustrous with deep feeling as she spoke. Haldane looked at her fixedly for a moment, and grew very pale. He then spoke slowly and in a low tone: "To fail after what you have said and after all your kindness would be terrible. To continue my old vile self, and also remember the prospect you now hold out--what could be worse? And yet what I shall do, what I shall be, God only knows. But in sending you to me I feel that he has given me one more chance." "Egbert," she replied eagerly, "God will give you chances as long as you breathe. Only the devil will tell you to despair. He, _never_. Remember this should you grow old in sin. To tell you the truth, however, as I see you going out into the world so humbled, so self-distrustful, I have far more hope for you than when you first left this place, fully assured that you were, in yourself, sufficient for all your peculiar difficulties. And now, once more, good-by, for a time. I will do everything I can for you. I have seen Mr. Growther to-day, and he appears very willing that you should return to his house for the present. Strange old man! I want to know him better, for I believe his evil is chiefly on the outside, and will fall off some day, to his great surprise." CHAPTER XXXII A SACRED REFRIGERATOR The glare of the streets was intolerable to Haldane after his confinement, and he hastened through them, looking neither to the right hand nor to the left. A growl from Mr. Growther's dog greeted him as he entered, and the old man himself snarled: "Well, I s'pose you stood me as long as you could, and then went to prison for a while for a change." "You are mistaken, Mr. Growther; I went to prison because I deserved to go there, and it's very good of you to let me come back again." "No, it ain't good of me, nuther. I want a little peace and comfort, and how could I have 'em while you was bein' kicked and cuffed around the streets? Here, I'll get you some dinner. I s'pose they only gave you enough at jail to aggravate your in'ards." "No, nothing more, please. Isn't there something I can do? I've sat still long enough." Mr. Growther looked at him a moment, and then said: "Are you sayin' that because you mean it?"