"They were aye a godly race, Mr. Graham, an' mony an ancient martyr bears their name." On the following Sabbath, Malcolm, Roland, Mrs. Lindsay, and Annot started at early down in one carriage, and all the servants in a large, comfortable wagon; the house was closed for the day, for in Scotland these sacrament days occupy the whole Sabbath. Arrived at the place of concourse, large numbers were seen coming in all directions; carriages, wagons, people on horseback and on foot, hurried to the service, for as it occurred so seldom, it was a great occasion to devout Scotch people. Owing to the numbers, the services were out of doors; a table was spread under large shady trees, and temporary seats provided for the occasion. A long sermon was preached, but full of power; long prayers, but full of unction; deep, sonorous, stirring psalms were sung by the great multitude, and Roland thought of the songs of the redeemed in the Revelations, where the hallelujahs were compared to the voice of many waters. The effect was sublime under these old trees; young men and old, mothers, maidens, and little children all joining in the solemn chorus, with the heavens for their canopy, and the green sward for their carpeted aisles. "'Neath cloistered boughs each floral bell that swingeth, And tolls its perfume on the passing air, Makes Sabbath in the fields, and ever ringeth, A call to prayer! "Not to the domes where crumbling arch and column, Attest the feebleness of mortal hand; But to that fane, most catholic and solemn, Which God hath planned! "To that cathedral, boundless as our wonder, Whose quenchless lamps the sun and moon supply, Its choir, the winds and waves, its organ thunder, Its dome, the sky!" But here was the voice of God's ambassador, and the presence of the Holy Ghost, and Roland listened and worshipped with solemn awe in nature's grand cathedral. In the intervals between the services, the people assembled in serious groups under the trees to eat their meals, for all who lived at a distance had come with the intention to spend the Sabbath. No lightness was manifest among the crowds, for Scotch people are proverbial for their reverence for the Sabbath. The minister mingled occasionally with his people; but none, not even the little children, seemed to forget that it was the holy Sabbath. At the close of the solemn day, Malcolm and his family returned to their mountain home, doubtless benefitted by the exercises of this holy service. "We have had a pleasant day, Uncle Malcolm," said Roland, "but would it not be better if the services were not quite so long? I observed many old people nodding in the afternoon." "It would be doubtless better, but the customs of the old Scotch church are very hard to remodel. The good Dr. Chalmers has done much in the way of reform, but it has not reached us yet."