"Well, Kate, the key of life which opens all its doors, and answers all its questions, is not 'how' or 'why' or even 'I wish' or 'I will.' It is _I must_. She must live with them. She must, she must, she must; and she'll do it." "She will not do it long. Mind what I say. She will strive till she is weary, and then she must leave him--or else drift on a sorrowful sea like a dismasted ship." "She believes in God--a believer in God never does that." "Then she will have to leave him. Who could stand the ill-natured nagging of those women, and his sullen, masterful ways? No one." "She must! The tooth often bites the tongue, but they keep together." "Poor woman! It is a hard road for her to walk on." "It is the ground that we do _not_ walk on, that supports us. Faith treads on the void, and finds the rock beneath. She has found that rock, or I am greatly mistaken." "I feel sure she has found it. Angus, if you could get her to sing that prayer, 'O For the Wings of a Dove' in church, say, while the Elders went round with the collection boxes, it would do a deal of good. It would touch every heart--they wouldn't mind their pennies, they might even give a crown where they have given a shilling." "That is a capital idea, but I should have to ask Campbell for his consent." "He does not own her voice." "He thinks he does, and he must have his say-so. But if she could touch every heart as she touched ours what a gracious gift of song it would be!" "I believe she could. Ask Robert Campbell." "I will." Under all circumstances Robert would have received the minister with extreme courtesy, for a Scotchman can no more afford to quarrel with the dominie of his Kirk than a Catholic in Rome can afford to quarrel with the Pope in Rome. Also, he had a great respect for Dr. Robertson, and when he was told of the sermon he intended to preach on the following Sabbath he was very proud of the confidence, and still prouder to be of service in promoting its effectiveness. "Of course," he said, "Mrs. Campbell would sing. Why not? Was he not always happy to oblige the doctor and benefit the church?" And it never struck him that he was assuming an absolute right in Theodora's voice, and in her use of it; because he actually felt what he assumed. Nor did he see that in giving her voice to benefit the church he was thinking solely of the church as a religious society, and the souls composing it were never for a moment in his calculation. Both of these facts were clear to the minister, and he hoped that when Campbell saw and felt the effects of his concession he would be disposed to give some thanks to Theodora, and so get a glimpse of what he owed to a wife so good, so clever, and so lovely. It was remarkable that he never named the subject to his mother, and to Theodora he only spoke of the minister's visit, and asked if he had called on her.