“Ow, sae that’s it!” returned the soutar, without raising his eyes. “You have no objection, I hope?” continued the minister, finding him silent. “What says she hersel? Ye comena to me first, I reckon!” “She said, or implied at least, that she could not leave the child. But she cannot mean that!” “And what for no?—There’s nae need for me to objeck!” “But I shall soon persuade her to withdraw that objection!” “Then I should _hae_ objections—mair nor ane—to put to the fore!” “You surprise me! Is not a woman to leave father and mother and cleave to her husband?” “Ow ay—sae be the woman is his wife! Than lat nane sun’er them!—But there’s anither sayin, sir, that I doobt may hae something to dee wi’ Maggie’s answer!” “And what, pray, may that be?” “That man or woman must leave father and mother, wife and child, for the sake o’ the Son o’ Man.” “You surely are not papist enough to think that means a minister is not to marry?” “Not at all, sir; but I doobt that’s what it’ll come til atween you and Maggie!” “You mean that she will not marry?” “I mean that she winna merry _you_, sir.” “But just think how much more she could do for Christ as the minister’s wife!” “I’m ’maist convinced she wad coont merryin you as tantamount to refusin to lea’ a’ for the Son o’ Man.” “Why should she think that?” “Because, sae far as I see, she canna think that _ye_ hae left a’ for _him_.” “Ah, that is what you have been teaching her! She does not say that of herself! You have not left her free to choose!” “The queston never came up atween’s. She’s perfecly free to tak her ain gait—and she kens she is!—Ye dinna seem to think it possible she sud tak _his_ wull raither nor yours!—that the love o’ Christ should constrain her ayont the love offert her by Jeames Bletherwick!—We _hae_ conversed aboot ye, sir, but niver differt!” “But allowing us—you and me—to be of different opinions on some points, must that be a reason why she and I should not love one another?” “No reason whatever, sir—if ye can and do: _that_ point would be already settlet. But ye winna get Maggie to merry ye sae long as she disna believe ye loe her Lord as well as she loes him hersel. It’s no a common love that Maggie beirs to her Lord; and gien ye loed her wi’ a luve worthy o’ her, ye would see that!” “Then you will promise me not to interfere?” “I’ll promise ye naething, sir, excep to do my duty by her—sae far as I understan’ what that duty is. Gien I thoucht—which the God o’ my life forbid!—that Maggie didna lo’e him as weel at least as I lo’e him, I would gang upo’ my auld knees til her, to entreat her to loe him wi’ a’ her heart and sowl and stren’th and min’;—and whan I had done that, she micht merry wha she wad—hangman or minister: no a word would I say! For trouble she maun hae, and trouble she wull get—I thank my God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not!” “Then I am free to do my best to win her?”