Philip shook his head.

"I do not know. I fear not, Davie. What am I saying? I know He is not. I have never done a stroke of work for Him, or for any one at His bidding, or for His sake, and that is the whole truth, Davie."

"But that is not to be the end! His soldier and servant! There is nothing in all the world to be compared with that! Have you offered yourself to Him? Will you not offer yourself to Him? Oh, Philip! there is nothing else."

"Davie," said Philip, hoa.r.s.ely, "you don't begin to know what a bad fellow I have been."

"No; nor do you. But He knows, and the worse you are the more you need to come to Him. Have you never asked Him to forgive you and take you for His own? It is for Him to do it. Ask Him now!"

David threw his arms round the neck of his friend. It was a sudden act, boyish and impulsive--not at all like David. Philip was much moved.

"Ask Him, Davie," said he, huskily.

Kneeling beside him on the stone, David did ask Him, using simple words and few--such words as Philip never forgot--words that he uttered in his own heart many a time afterwards, and not in vain.

They lingered a good while, but there was not much said between them after that, and when David went into the house, where his mother and Violet were waiting for him, he told them that Philip had gone home. By and by he said:

"The story Jem heard was true, mamma. Mr Caldwell wants Philip to become his partner in a new business. It seems he has saved something, and he is willing to put his capital against Philip's youth and energy and business talents. It will be very good for Philip and for Mr Caldwell too."

"It shows great confidence on Mr Caldwell's part," said Mrs Inglis.

"Yes; but, mamma, you said it as if you were surprised, as if his confidence might be misplaced."

"I am surprised, dear, but the other idea I did not mean to convey. My surprise was because of Mr Caldwell's well-known deliberation and caution."

"Yes; the offer, even if it go no further, is a feather in Phil's cap,"

said Jem. "But Mr Caldwell is a shrewd old gentleman, though he be a little slow. He knows what he is about."

"You look as though you expected to be contradicted, Jem," said Violet, laughing.

"Is Philip pleased with the prospect? Will the thing go on?" asked Mrs Inglis.

"I think so. I hope so. It will be decided when Mr Oswald returns.

Philip would have liked me to go with them--into their service, I mean, with the prospect of something better by and by."

"And what did you say to him?" asked his mother.

"Of course you refused?" said Violet.

"I don't know about that," said Jem. "Davie had better think twice before he refuses such an offer. But Davie never did appreciate Philip."

David laughed at Jem, and answered his mother.

"I told him all about it, mamma. He was disappointed, but he understood, I think."

There was no more said that night. Jem would gladly have entered into a discussion of the subject, but David did not stay to listen, and Violet would not respond, and what he had to say would not have been the best thing to say to his mother, so he kept his opinion for the hearing of Philip against the time he should see him again.

When Philip came, which was not for a day or two, the first words he said to Mrs Inglis were--

"I think you ought to be a very happy woman, Aunt Mary."

"I think so too. But what has given you new light on the subject?"

asked Mrs Inglis, smiling.

"And you ought all to be very happy children," said Philip, lifting little Mary, who was not so very little now, to his knee.

"And so we are," said Violet.

"And you ought to be very good, too."

"And so we are," said Jem.

"Well, then, no more need be said on the subject at present, except that I wish that I were one of you."

"Tell us about the new partnership," said Jem.

"It is not to be spoken of yet. It is a secret."

"Davie told us," said Violet.

"Oh, I don't mean it is to be a secret here! But it is not to be decided till my father comes home. Though I suppose he will let me do as I like."

"If you are quite sure that you know what you would like."

"I am quite sure I know what _I_ would like, but I am not to have _that_, it seems."

"Is it Davie?" said Violet. "But you don't mean that you would like him to change his mind and his plans, I hope?"

"It would be selfish, wouldn't it, and wrong? No, upon the whole I wouldn't like Davie to be different, or to do differently. But I should like to be more like him."

"But you are pretty good now, aren't you," said Mary. "Davie is very fond of you and mamma and all of us. I suppose you are not quite so good as our Davie."

They all laughed.

"I will try to be good, indeed I will, Polly," said Philip.

"Well that is right," said Mary. "You should speak to mamma. She would help you."

"Yes, I think she would. I mean to speak to her."

And so they chatted on till David came in. Philip had made good a place among them. It was quite clear that they all liked him, as little Polly had said. They had always liked him from the very first, but he was more worthy of their liking now.

Mr Oswald and Frank came home in due time. There was nothing in Mr Oswald's plans for his son to prevent the carrying out of the plan for the new partnership, as proposed by Mr Caldwell. He was greatly pleased with the compliment to his son, which Mr Caldwell's proposal implied, and entered into the discussion of preliminaries with great, interest. As for himself he had returned home with no design of engaging immediately in business, except the business of an Insurance Company of which he had been made the agent. He was to wait for a year or two at least.

Frank, whose health and eyesight were quite restored, was offered the place in the new business, which Philip would so gladly have given to David. Of course he was as yet not so well qualified to perform the duties of the position as David would have been, but he possessed some qualities likely to insure success that David did not have, and he had that which was the source and secret of David's goodness, so firmly believed in by little Mary and them all. He was learning to live, not to himself, but to his Master--to do His will and make known His name, and in all things to honour Him in the eyes of the world, and so he had also David's secret of peace. But for a time he had little to do, as the new firm was not publicly announced till later in the year, and in the meantime he accepted Mrs Inglis's invitation, and made himself one of the children of the bridge house, to his great pleasure and theirs.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.