"Why it would be _always_ on somebody else," said Flora looking ready to burst into tears; "and there would be no real living at all--no enjoying of life." "A mistake," said Mr. Murray quietly. "The Lord told us long ago--'He that will save his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake, _the same shall find it_.'" Flora put up her hand over her eyes, but Meredith's eyes sparkled. "Then you think well of my plan, Mr. Murray?" he said. "As far as I understand it." "How would the Pavilion do, for a skeleton of the church?" "O Ditto! the dear old Pavilion!" exclaimed Maggie. "Why not? I do not want to shut myself off from everybody now; and I have the whole house--more than enough. And the Pavilion stands in a good place near the road." Mr. Murray and Meredith went into a discussion of the plan, and Maggie listened, while Flora after a while resumed her work and went moodily on with it. At last Mr. Murray remarked-- "This is not so interesting to everybody, Meredith, and we have time enough to talk it over. Suppose you go on reading." "Do you like these Saxon stories?" said Meredith pleased. "Very much." "There is some more hero about--not Dageförde exactly; but that same fight, which I think you would like perhaps to hear." "And, Meredith, you did not read us about that minister who was converted by the catechism," said Maggie. "No, that is another story--Pastor Grünhagen. I will read to you first about the fight at the Hünenburg. "'The Hünenburg is situated in a deep dell in the midst of the heath about an hour from Hermannsburg; and I will relate to you what I have found in the chronicle about it. It is nine hundred years now since a hard-fought and terrible battle took place here, which was fought between the Christians and the heathen. At that time the pious and Christian Kaiser, Otto the Great, ruled in Germany (A.D. 936-973), who loved the Lord his God with all his heart. He had gone away out of Germany into Italy, in order to free a captive queen who was kept in prison there by some godless folk. But he would not leave Germany without protection; therefore he made over this country to Duke Hermann, to govern it and to take care of it. In like manner Adaldag, Archbishop of Hamburg and Bremen, who went with the Kaiser, confided his dominions to the same guardianship. Now the Wends, who lived on the other side of the Elbe, especially in Mechlenburg, and had spread themselves abroad on this side the Elbe also, were at that time still heathen. And now when the Kaiser was absent, they thought the time was come for marauding and plundering, hunting the Christians out of their country, or utterly destroying them. So they summoned up all their warriors, and that so secretly that the Christians knew nothing of it until they came breaking into the country. As there was nowhere any preparation for defence against them, they robbed and plundered all that came in their way,