Taffy," he asked abruptly, "should you like to go to Oxford ?" "Don't, father!" The boy bit his lip to keep back the tears.
"Talk of something else--something cheerful.

It has been a splendid fight, just splendid! And now it's over I'm almost sorry." "What is over ?" "Well, I suppose--now that Honoria wants to help--we can hire workmen and have the whole job finished in a month, or two at farthest: and you--" Mr.Raymond stood up, and leaning against a bench-end, examined the thread of the screw between his fingers.
"That is one way of looking at it, no doubt," he said slowly; "and I hope God will forgive me if I have put my own pride before His service.

But a man desires to leave some completed work behind him-- something to which people may point and say, '_he_ did it.' There was my book, now: for years I thought that was to be my work.
But God thought otherwise and (to correct my pride, perhaps) chose this task instead.

To set a small forsaken country church in order and make it worthy of His presence--that is not the mission I should have chosen.

But so be it: I have accepted it.