"It is not easy. Do you not see that it would be simply impossible to do the two things at once? You must take the one course or the other; either do your best to repel force with force, resist, struggle, go to law, give people what they deserve; or, you must go with your hands full of forgiveness and your heart full of kindness, passing by offence and even suffering wrong, if perhaps you may conquer evil with good, and win people with love, and so save them from great loss. It is worth bearing a little loss oneself to do that." "But is it _right_ to let people do wrong things and not stop them? Isn't it right to go to law?" "Sometimes, where the interests of others are at stake. But if it is only a little discomfort for you or me at the moment, I think the Bible says, Forgive,--let it pass,--and love and pray the people into better behaviour, if you can." "I never can, aunt Serena," said Rotha low. "My dear, you cannot tell." "Then I ought to let her have my stockings?" Rotha said again after a pause. "That is a question for you to judge of. But can you forgive and love her, and resist her at the same time? You could, if what she asks demanded a wrong action from you; but it is only a disagreeable one." "Is it only because it is so disagreeable, that it seems to me so wrong?" "I think it _is_ wrong in your aunt; but that is not the question we have to deal with." "And if one man strikes another man--do you think he ought to give him a chance to strike him again?" "What do the words _say?_" Rotha looked at the words, as if they ought to mean something different from what they said. "I will tell you a true story," Mrs. Mowbray went on. "Something that really once happened; and then you can judge. It was in a large manufacturing establishment, somewhere out West. The master of the establishment--I think he was an Englishman?-had occasion to reprove one of his underlings for something; I don't know what; but the man got into a great rage and struck him a blow flat in the face. The master turned red, and turned pale; stood still a moment, and then offered the man the other side of his face for another blow. The man's fist was already clenched to strike,--but at seeing that, he wavered, his arm fell down, and he burst into tears. He was conquered.-- "What do you think?" "He was a very extraordinary man!" said Rotha. "Which?" said Mrs. Mowbray smiling. "O I mean the master." "But what do you think of that plan of dealing with an injury?" "But does the Bible really mean that we should do so?" "What does it _say_, my dear? It is always quite safe to conclude that God means what he says." "People don't act as if they thought so." "What then?" "Mrs. Mowbray, I don't see how a man _could_." "By the grace of God." "I suppose, by that one could do anything," said Rotha thoughtfully.