be a fur day an night o there s a glory o the moon an a glory o the stars but the glory o the angels shines beyond our prison bars he sang this verse in a rich sweet digging the while and patting the sides of the grave smooth as he worked sat down on one of the grassy and stared at him thoughtfully how can you believe all that nonsense he asked with solemnity � such a big man as you are too the grave stopped abruptly in his toil and turning round surveyed the little lad with astonishment how can i believe all that nonsense he repeated at last slowly � nonsense is a like you a o the blessed sure an certain hope o heaven as nonsense god ha mercy on ye ye poor little thing who has had the of ye up anyway flushed deeply and his eyes with repressed tears he was very lonely and he to talk to this cheery looking man who had such a soft musical voice and such a kindly smile but now he feared he had offended him i my name is � he said in low rather tremulous tones � i am the only son of mr who has taken the big house over there for the summer � that one � you can just see the chimneys through the trees � and he indicated the direction by a little wave of his hand � and i have always had very clever men for ever since i was six years old � i shall be eleven next birthday � and they have taught me lots of things and why i said the next world was nonsense was because i have always been told so one would be very glad of course if it were true but then it isn t true it is only an idea � a sort of legend my father says nobody with any sense nowadays believes it scientific books prove to you you know that when you go into a grave like that and he pointed to the hole in which the stood listening and inwardly � you are quite dead for ever � you never see the sun any more or hear the birds sing and you never find out why you were made at all which i think is very curious and very cruel � and you are eaten up by the worms now it surely is nonsense isn t it to think you can come to life again after you are eaten by the worms � and that is what i meant when i asked how you could believe such a thing i hope you will excuse me � i didn t wish to offend you the grave still stood silent his fine resolute features expressed various emotions � wonder pain pity and something of indignation � then all at once these flitting shadows of thought melted into a sunny smile of tenderness offend me no indeed � ye couldn t do that my little if ye tried � ye re too much of a an so ye re mr s son eh � well i m the o th church here an an road an carpenter an anything else my hand finds to do i does it with my might it nobody an me a now ye see these arms o mine � and he raised one of the brown muscular limbs alluded to � they ha served me well � they ha earned bread an clothing an wife an child an please god they ll serve me yet many a long day an i m grateful to have em for use an hard labour � but i know the time come when they be laid down in a grave like this ere an stiff an away to the bone a soil fur vi lets an to grow over me but what o that i ll not be a of cm then � no more than i m a now the long clothes i wore when our me at t old yonder i who am at present owner o these arms will be else � an an please the lord too for work s divine an wholesome � i ll better limbs an stronger � but body i get into ye may depend on t little it ii be as right an for the ways o the next world as the body i ve got now is right an fur this one an my soul will be the same as keeps me up at this moment bad or good � i pray it may get a bit wiser an better an not go down like he raised his clear blue eyes to the bright expanse above him and murmured half � him that he take heed lest he fall � and seemed for a moment lost in meditation please mr � mr what do you mean by your soul asked gravely brought his gaze down from the shining sky to the quaint and solemn little figure before him what do i mean my dear he echoed with a note of compassion in his rich voice � � i mean the part o me � the vital spark o heavenly flame in all of us that our dear lord died to save that s what i mean � an that s what you ll mean too ye poor pale little chap when ye se up and begins to all the o god s goodness to us ungrateful to think o the blessed sunshine should be enough fur the o thanks � but lord pity us � we re sore forgetful of all our daily and � your friend � mother � hinted almost � had she what you call a soul aye that she had � an a great one an a true one an an angel one � fur all 