"And then the bereaved father fell on his knees, and cried out: "'Lord, thou hast not punished me. Thou wouldst not punish for a passing thought of troubled unbelief, with which I strove. Lord, take my child and his mother and me, and do what thou wilt with us. I know thou givest not, to take again.' "And ere the schoolmaster could call his protestantism to his aid, he had ended his prayer with the cry: "'And O God! have mercy upon the poor old man, and lay not his sins to his charge.' "For, though a woman's kiss may comfort a man to eternity, it is not all he needs. And the thought of his lost child had made the soul of the father compassionate." * * * * * He ceased, and we sat silent. * * * * * END OF THE FIRST VOLUME. End of Project Gutenberg's Adela Cathcart, Vol. 1, by George MacDonald