confessed himself a Quaker.

The young people had found their way, somehow or other, to the bow window at the further end of the room, their elders, meantime, carrying on a conversation by themselves, not altogether of a different character. Mead, aided by his wife, was explaining to Christison, more fully than he had hitherto done, the Quaker doctrines. Could he, a man of the sword, however, acknowledge fighting to be wrong, and henceforth and for ever lay aside the weapons he had handled all his life?

“But surely, friend, if thou dost acknowledge that man is formed in God’s image, it must be obvious to thee that to deface His image must be contrary to His law and will. The world is large, and God intends it to be peopled; whereas, by wars, the population ceases to increase, and that happy time when hymns of praise shall ascend from all quarters of the globe is postponed.”

Mistress Mead occasionally made some telling remark to the same effect.

“Well, friend Mead, I have listened to all you have advanced,” said Christison at length, “and I cannot, as an honest man, fail to acknowledge that you are in the main right. When next I come, I will hear what further arguments you have to adduce; but the truth is, when I determined to return to England, it was with the purpose of taking service in the English army, or in that of some foreign Protestant State, in which I hoped also to obtain employment for my son; whereas, if I turn Quaker, I must, I see, from what you tell me, give up all such ideas, and then how to obtain employment for him or myself I know not. I have no wish to be idle, and as ‘a rolling stone gains no moss,’ I have laid by but little of this world’s wealth for a rainy day, or for my old age.”

“Verily, thou must indeed give up all ideas of fighting and blood-shedding,” answered Mead. “Yet I see not that thou needst starve. There is no lack of honest employments, if a man will but seek them. ‘Thou canst not serve two masters.’ Our God is a God of peace. The devil is the god of war; and devilish work is fighting, as I can answer from experience, and so canst thou, old comrade.”

Christison sighed. “Well, well, friend,” he said, “I feel you are right, and I will think over the matter. And now it is time that I should bid thee farewell. I have a visit to pay to a friend who lives some way on the other side of Temple Bar, and it will be late before we can get back to our lodgings.”

Mead did not attempt to detain 

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