"You will not like it," said she. "And if you drew the inference for yourselves, you would be more likely to attend to the lesson conveyed." "Oh, but we might do it wrong," I said. Lady Judith laughed. "Am I, then, so infallible that I cannot do it wrong?" said she. "Well, Sybil, my dear, if thou wouldst know, I think thy tendency—I do not say thy passion, but thy tendency—is to idolatry." "Oh!" cried Lady Sybil, looking quite distressed. "But now, misunderstand me not," pursued Lady Judith. "Love is not necessarily idolatry. When we love the creature _more_ than the Creator—when, for instance, thou shalt care more to please thy lord than to please the Lord—then only is it idolatry. Therefore, I use the word tendency; I trust it is not more with thee.—Well, then, with Isabel"—— Lady Isabel gave a toss of her head,—a gesture to which she is very much addicted. "With Isabel," continued Lady Judith, "unselfishness would take the form of resigning her own ease or pleasure to suit the convenience of another, Her temptation, therefore, is to indolence and self-pleasing. With Helena"—— I pricked up my ears. What was I going to hear? "With Helena," said she, smiling on me, "it would be, I think, to fulfil some duty, though those whom she loved might misunderstand her and think her silly for it." "Then what is my besetting sin, holy Mother?" "Pride of intellect, I think," she answered; "very nearly the same as my own." "Holy Mother, you have left out Dame Eschine!" said Lady Isabel rather sharply. "Have I?" said Lady Judith. "Well, my children, you must ask the Lord wherein Eschine’s selfishness lies, for I cannot tell. I dare not deny its existence; I believe all sinners have it in some form. Only, in this case, _I_ cannot detect it." Eschine looked up with an expression of utter amazement. "Holy Mother!" she exclaimed. "It seemed to me, as you went on, that I had every one of those you mentioned." Lady Judith’s smile was very expressive. "Dear child," she said, "these are not my words,—’Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.’" Does she think Eschine the best of us all? Is she? Dear me! I never should have thought it. "Well!" said Lady Isabel, with a sort of snort, and another toss, "I am quite sure that I have not one of those faults you mentioned." "Ah, my child!" responded Lady Judith. "Take heed of the Pharisee spirit—Eschine, what wouldst thou say was thy besetting sin?" "I really cannot tell, I have so many!" answered Eschine modestly. "But I sometimes think that it may be—perhaps—a want of meekness and patience." I stared at her in astonishment. "Well, thank the saints, I am in no want of patience!" said Lady Isabel. "And if any one knew all I have to try it"—— I turned and looked at her, if possible, in astonishment still greater.