When they happened to meet, Miss Carmichael took no more notice of him than her father.
But she impressed it upon the mind of her friend that, if unable to procure his dismission, she ought at least to do what she could to protect her cousin from the awful consequences of such false teaching: if she was present, he would not say such things as he would in her absence, for it was plain he was under restraint with her! She might even have some influence with him if she would but take courage to show him where he was wrong! Or she might find things such that her uncle must see the necessity of turning him away; as the place belonged to her, he would never go dead against her! She did not see that that was just the thing to fetter the action of a delicate-minded girl.
Continually haunted, however, with the feeling that she ought to do something, lady Arctura felt as if she dared not absent herself from the lesson, however disagreeable it might prove: that much she could do! Upon the next occasion, therefore, she appeared in the schoolroom at the hour appointed, and with a cold bow took the chair Donal placed for her.
"Now, Davie," said Donal, "what have you done since our last lesson ?" Davie stared.
"You didn't tell me to do anything, Mr.Grant!" "No; but what then did I give you the lesson for?
Where is the good of such a lesson if it makes no difference to you! What was it I told you ?" Davie, who had never thought about it since, the lesson having been broken off before Donal could bring it to its natural fruit, considered, and said, "That Jesus Christ rose from the dead." "Well--where is the good of knowing that ?" Davie was silent; he knew no good of knowing it, neither could imagine any.

The Catechism, of which he had learned about half, suggested nothing.
"Come, Davie, I will help you: is Jesus dead, or is he alive ?" Davie considered.
"Alive," he answered.
"What does he do ?" Davie did not know.
"What did he die for ?" Here Davie had an answer--a cut and dried one: "To take away our sins," he said.
"Then what does he live for ?" Davie was once more silent.
"Do you think if a man died for a thing, he would be likely to forget it the minute he rose again ?" "No, sir." "Do you not think he would just go on doing the same thing as before ?" "I do, sir." "Then, as he died to take away our sins, he lives to take them away!" "Yes, sir." "What are sins, Davie ?" "Bad things, sir." "Yes; the bad things we think, and the bad things we feel, and the bad things we do.

Have you any sins, Davie ?" "Yes; I am very wicked." "Oh! are you?
How do you know it ?" "Arkie told me." "What is being wicked ?" "Doing bad things." "What bad things do you do ?" "I don't know, sir." "Then you don't know that you are wicked; you only know that Arkie told you so!" Lady Arctura drew herself up; but Donal was too intent to perceive the offence he had given.
"I will tell you," Donal went on, "something you did wicked to-day." Davie grew rosy red.

"When we find out one wicked thing we do, it is a beginning to finding out all the wicked things we do.

Some people would rather not find them out, but have them hidden from themselves and from God too.