"Ah! I could not get it by heart. It was too difficult, and very long. But it was something like this: that in a Christian man there are two hearts, of which the one, which is from God, does not sin at all; and the other, which is the evil heart born in us, is always committing sin."
"But, Margot, which of thy two hearts is thyself?"
"Ha! I cannot answer such questions. The good God will know."
"But art thou sure those are not wicked people?"
"Certainly, no. Monseigneur Saint Paul said 'I' and 'me' all through."
"Oh, but, Margot!--he could not have meant himself."
"If he had not meant what he said, I should think he would have mentioned it," said Marguerite in her dry, quaint style.
"Well, a holy Apostle is different, of course," said I. "But it looks very odd to me, that anybody living now should fancy he never does wrong."
"Ah, the poor soul!" said Marguerite. "The good God knows better, if he do not."
The best way to see Divine light is to put out your own candle.
This morning the Lady Princess of Antioch visited the Lady Queen, and remained for the day, taking her departure only just before the gates were closed, for she preferred to camp out at night. She is quite young, and is a niece of the Lady Queen. After she was gone, we were talking about her in the bower, and from her we came to speak of the late Princess, her lord's mother.
"Pray do not talk of her!" said Lady Isabel. "She made herself a bye-word by her shameless behaviour."
"Only thoughtless," remonstrated Lady Sybil gently. "I never thought she deserved what was said of her."
"Oh no!--you never think anybody does," sneered her sister. "I could not have associated with such a woman. She must have known what was said of her. I wonder that she was brazen enough to show herself in public at all."
"But think, Isabel! I do not believe she did know. You know she was not at all clever."
"She was half-witted, or not much better," was the answer. "Oh yes, I know that. But she must have known."
"I do not think she did!" said Lady Sybil earnestly.
"Then she ought to have known!" sharply replied Lady Isabel. "I wonder they did not shut her up. She was a pest to society."
"O Isabel!" deprecated her sister. "She was very good-natured."