The questions sometimes appalled her.
If God so loved the world, why did He let the Devil loose in it?
If God could do _anything_, why didn't He lay the Devil out with one hand?
If He always rewarded the Good and punished the Bad, why was Dearest so unhappy, and drunken Poacher Iggulsby so very gay and prosperously naughty?
He knew too that his dead Father had not been "good," for he heard servant-talk, and terrible old "Grandfather" always forgot that "Little Pitchers have Long Ears".
If God always answered devout and faith-inspired prayer, why did He not 1.

Save Caiaphas the cat when earnestly prayed for--having been run over by Pattern in the dog-cart, coming out of the stables?
2.

Send the mechanical steam-boat so long and earnestly prayed for, with Faith and Belief?
3.

Help the boy to lead a higher and a better life, to eat up his crusts and fat as directed, to avoid chivvying the hens, inking his fingers, haunting the stables, stealing green apples in the orchard, tearing his clothes, and generally doing evil with fire, water, mud, stones and other tempting and injurious things?
And was it entirely decent of God to be eternally spying on a fellow, as appeared to be His confirmed habit?
As for that awful heart-rending Crucifixion, was that the sort of thing for a Father to look on at....

As bad as that brutal old Abraham with Isaac his son ...