Say and Seal Volume I Part 77

"Yes. He is called,

'The archangel Uriel, one of the seven Who in G.o.d's presence, nearest to his throne, Stand ready at his command, and are his eyes.

That run through all the heavens, or down to the earth, Bear his swift errands over moist and dry, O'er sea and land.'"

Faith listened, evidently with a pleased ear.

"But I suppose the angel could come as well without the sunbeam as with it?"

"I suppose so!" he said smiling. "In my belief, angels go where the sunbeams do not. But Milton chose to name Uriel as the special regent of the sun, and so pa.s.sing to and fro on its rays."

"What do you mean by 'regent,' Mr. Linden?"

"A regent is one appointed to rule in place of the king."

"But that don't seem to me true, Mr. Linden," said Faith after a little meditation.

"What, and why?"

Faith blushed at finding herself 'in for it,' but went on.

"I don't suppose the sun wants anybody to rule it or to take care of it, under its Maker?"

"Yet it may please him to have guardian spirits there as well as here,--about that we know not. In the Revelation, you know, an angel is spoken of as 'standing in the sun,' and from that Milton took his idea.

Part of the description is very beautiful, at least;--

'So spake the false dissembler unperceived; For neither man nor angel can discern Hypocrisy, the only evil that walks Invisible, except to G.o.d alone, By his permissive will, through heaven and earth.

And oft though wisdom wake, suspicion sleeps At wisdom's gate, and to simplicity Resigns her charge, while goodness thinks no ill, Where no ill seems: which now for once beguiled Uriel, though regent of the sun, and held The sharpest sighted spirit of all in heaven.'"

"Who is the person spoken of in the first line, Mr. Linden?"

"Satan--applying to Uriel for guidance to the new created earth and its inhabitants, on the same plea that Herod presented to the wise men."

"But that's a story?" said Faith.

"Yes. The Bible only tells the work done by him after he got here."

"Mr. Linden, will you read that over once more for me."

She listened with a face of absorbed intentness while it was read; then looked away from the book with an unconscious but very audible sigh.

"Well?" Mr. Linden said, smiling as he looked at her.

"I like it very much!" was Faith's answer.

"Is that what made you sigh?"

"Sigh!" she said starting a little and colouring. "No,--I didn't mean to sigh."

"The fact is more than the intention. Whence came that?"

"It was only--Please don't ask me, Mr. Linden. I can't tell you."

He made no answer to that, but turning over the leaves read to her here and there without much comment,--then asked her if she was tired of hearing about angels.

"I think I should never be tired!" said Faith. "But you must be, Mr.

Linden. Please," she said putting her hand gently on the book,--"don't read for me any more. Is all the book like that?"

"Not quite all--I have given you some bits that I particularly like, but there is much more. You need not be uneasy about my being tired,"

he said smiling; "if I were, by your own shewing I can have rest.

However, Miss Faith--lessons being the order of the day--will you read French to me?"

In her reading, Faith came to the description of the philosopher's perplexity in finding that the birds would not pick up the crumbs he threw to them on the roof as usual. He concluded the feathered things were not more reason able than mankind, and had taken fright for nothing.

"J'allais fermer ma fenetre sur cette reflexion, quand j'apercois tout a coup, dans l'es.p.a.ce lumineux qui s'etend a droite, l'ombre de deux oreilles qui se dressent, puis une griffe qui s'avance, puis la tete d'un chat tigre qui se montre a l'angle de la gouttiere. Le drole etait la en embuscade, esperant que les aniettes lui ameneraient du gibier.

"Et moi qui accusais la couardise de mes hotes! J'etais sur qu'aucun danger ne les menacait! je croyais avoir bien regarde partout! je n'avais...o...b..ie que le coin derriere moi!

"Dans la vie comme sur les toits, que de malheurs arrivent pour avoir oublie un seul coin!"

Faith closed the book then, very much amused with the philosopher's "chat tigre."

"But often one can't see round the corner," she remarked.

A little gesture of lips and brow, half a.s.serted that if one could not, _one_ could: but Mr. Linden only said,

"Most true! Miss Faith. Nevertheless, the knowledge that there _are_ corners is not to be despised."

"I don't know. I shouldn't like to live always in fear of seeing the shadow of a cat's ears come in."

"Have you quite outgrown the love of cats?" said Mr. Linden smiling.

"No, but I was talking of the fear of corners," she said with an answering smile. "I don't think I want to remember the corners, Mr.

Linden."

"I don't think I want you should. Philosophers and birds, you know, go through the world on different principles."

She laughed a little at that, gave the hearth a parting brush, and went off to dinner.

Business claimed its place after dinner, business of a less pleasant kind, quite up to the time when Faith must put on her bonnet to walk with Dr. Harrison.

Faith had no great mind to the walk, but she couldn't help finding it pleasant. The open air was very sweet and bracing; the exercise was inspiriting, and the threatened talk went well with both. There was nothing whatever formidable about it; the words and thoughts seemed to play, like the sunlight, on anything that came in their way. Dr.

Harrison knew how to make a walk or a talk pleasant, even to Faith, it seemed. Whatever she had at any time seen in him that she did not like, was out of sight; pleasant, gentle, intelligent, grave, he was constantly supplying ear and mind with words and things that were worth the having. Probably he had discovered her eager thirst for knowledge; for he furnished her daintily with bits of many a kind, from his own stores which were large. She did not know there was any design in this; she knew only that the steps were taken very easily in that walk. So pleasant it was that Faith was in no haste to turn, in no mood to quicken her pace. But something else was on her mind,--and must come out.