As he began to picture his aunt and her work, his enthusiasm carried him away, and made him eloquent.
"I tell you," he concluded, "she's a rare woman, and she has a hundred men there ready to die for her, eh, Ranald ?" "Yes," said Ranald, and his deep voice vibrated with intense feeling.
"They would just die for her, and why not?
She is a great woman and a good." His dark face was transformed, and his eyes glowed with an inner light.
In the silence that followed Kate went to the harmonium and began to play softly.

Ranald stood up as to go, but suddenly changed his mind, and went over and stood beside her.
"You sing, don't you ?" said Kate, as she played softly.
"You ought to just hear him," said Harry.
"Oh, what does he sing ?" "I only sing the psalm tunes in church," said Ranald, "and a few hymns." "Ye gods!" ejaculated the lieutenant to Maimie, "psalms and hymns; and how the fellow knocked those Frenchmen about!" "Sing something, Kate, won't you ?" said Maimie, and Kate, without a word began the beautiful air from Mendelssohn's St.Paul:-- "But the Lord is mindful of His own," singing it with a power of expression marvellous in so young a girl.
Then, without further request, she glided into the lovely aria, "O Rest in the Lord." It was all new and wonderful to Ranald.

He did not dream that such majesty and sweetness could be expressed in music.

He sat silent with eyes looking far away, and face alight with the joy that filled his soul.
"Oh, thanks, very much," murmured the lieutenant, when Kate had finished.

"Lovely thing that aria, don't you know ?" "Very nice," echoed Mr.Sims, "and so beautifully done, too." Ranald looked from one to the other in indignant surprise, and then turning away from them to Kate, said, in a tone almost of command: "Sing it again." "I'll sing something else," she said.