“That does not frighten me at all,” said the sturdy Doctor.  “Supposing I do interpret some texts like the Arminians.  Can’t Arminians have anything right about them?  Who wouldn’t rather go with the Arminians when they are right, than with the Calvinists when they are wrong?”

“That’s it,—­you’ve hit it, Doctor,” said Simeon Brown.  “That’s what I always say.  I say, ’Don’t he prove it? and how are you going to answer him?’ That gravels ’em.”

“Well,” said Deacon Twitchel, “Brother Seth, you know Brother Seth,—­he says you deny depravity.  He’s all for imputation of Adam’s sin, you know; and I have long talks with Seth about it every time he comes to see me; and he says, that, if we did not sin in Adam, it’s givin’ up the whole ground altogether; and then he insists you’re clean wrong about the unregenerate doings.”

“Not at all,—­not in the least,” said the Doctor, promptly.

“I wish Seth could talk with you sometime, Doctor.  Along in the spring, he was down helpin’ me to lay stone fence,—­it was when we was fencin’ off the south pastur’ lot,—­and we talked pretty nigh all day; and it re’lly did seem to me that the longer we talked, the sotter Seth grew.  He’s a master-hand at readin’; and when he heard that your remarks on Dr. Mayhew had come out, Seth tackled up o’ purpose and come up to Newport to get them, and spent all his time, last winter, studyin’ on it and makin’ his remarks; and I tell you, Sir, he’s a tight fellow to argue with.  Why, that day, what with layin’ stone wall and what with arguin’ with Seth, I come home quite beat out,—­Miss Twitchel will remember.”

“That he was!” said his helpmeet.  “I ’member, when he came home, says I, ‘Father, you seem clean used up’; and I stirred ’round lively like, to get him his tea.  But he jest went into the bedroom and laid down afore supper; and I says to Cerinthy Ann, ’That’s a thing I ha’n’t seen your father do since he was took with the typhus.’  And Cerinthy Ann, she said she knew ’twa’n’t anything but them old doctrines,—­that it was always so when Uncle Seth come down.  And after tea Father was kinder chirked up a little, and he and Seth set by the fire, and was a-beginnin’ it ag’in, and I jest spoke out and said,—­’Now, Seth, these ’ere things doesn’t hurt you; but the Deacon is weakly, and if he gets his mind riled after supper, he don’t sleep none all night.  So,’ says I, ’you’d better jest let matters stop where they be; ‘cause,’ says I, ’’twon’t make no difference, for to-night, which on ye’s got the right on’t;—­reckon the Lord ’ll go on his own way without you; and we shall find out, by’m-by, what that is.’”

“Mr. Scudder used to think a great deal on these points,” said Mrs. Katy, “and the last time he was home he wrote out his views.  I haven’t ever shown them to you, Doctor; but I should be pleased to know what you think of them.”

“Mr. Scudder was a good man, with a clear head,” said the Doctor; “and I should be much pleased to see anything that he wrote.”