Hannover walked very slowly. He had just left Netherstrand's beautiful iron gate, and ahead of him the road stretched out toward town.

I really ought to make some haste! he thought as the church bells chimed in the distance. What will people say if I am late?

He had never been late for church a day in his life. It wasn't because he enjoyed sitting through the long sermons preached there. Truth be told, he found them rather dull, and he hardly paid them any heed. But he had to keep up a good appearance for the public. Everyone respected him as an honest, Christian man. And he truly believed that he was one.

But today, Hannover was dragging his feet, and he didn't want to admit why. He glanced over his shoulder almost wishfully, but no one was there.

Well, so be it, he thought at last, picking up his pace and shoving his hands into his pockets. I can't wait all day! I never knew the boy to be so tardy! Can't he even get himself ready for the day in time to walk to church? What does he do all morning on a Sunday? Sleep in? It isn't as if his work is hard! Well, good riddance! If he misses the morning service, he can walk all alone to the evening one.

Hannover stomped on, but it wasn't long before he paused again. For the last few Sundays, Timothy had always trailed behind him, filling the air with happy tunes and bothering the man with silly questions which Hannover pretended not to like. It was odd, but the man actually felt lonely without the boy. It was as if the sun had ceased to shine or the birds had stopped their singing.

Oh, bosh! What nonsense! he grumbled I have no need of his company. I daresay, I have been waiting for him solely for his own benefit and nothing else. The little fellow hasn't anyone else to keep company with. But I am not going to sacrifice my own reputation and all of my time for him!

He tried to convince himself that it had been all for Timothy's sake that he had waited. But when he heard little footsteps racing behind him, his lonely heart lightened with joy.

"Mr. Hannover, wait!" the boy called. "Oh, please wait!"

Hannover felt a smile growing over his moody face. But he did his best to banish it before he turned to look at his errand boy.

"Ah, so you decided to go to church after all, eh?" he asked, stopping to let Timothy catch up. "Well, you certainly waited long enough! Do you know, you are going to be very late? I feel it my duty, young man, to warn you against laziness! In my establishment, you will always be on time. My business cannot wait! Show a hint of tardiness again, and I will dismiss you from my service without notice."

"Yes, Mr. Hannover," Timothy answered, smiling humbly but happily. He pressed his little hand into his master's with undaunted confidence and then skipped along beside him all the way to church. Hannover didn't object. Instead, he folded his own fingers around that little hand without even thinking it strange.

He was getting very used to Timothy's presence. Without even realizing it, Timothy had become the only light in his dim, unhappy world. He would never have admitted it to himself, but he was just as dependent on that happy, little boy as Timothy was on him. When he threatened to dismiss the boy without notice, he only did it in peevish fun. He knew deep inside that he was deceiving both the child and himself. He tried to convince himself that letting go of the boy would be as easy as dropping a piece of paper into the rubbish bin. But in the depths of his heart, he knew that he couldn't and wouldn't let go of him.

The two weren't as late as Hannover had feared. They found a good seat near the front of the building, and to Timothy's delight, they chanced to sit right next to the Carlyles. Timothy found himself squished between his master's lanky frame and Mr. Carlyle's enormous one. But, tight as it was, he didn't mind. From that place, he could glance past Mr. Carlyle and see Grace's lovely face.

Hannover felt none of Timothy's joy. A daily grudge had been growing between him and the wealthy judge. He couldn't help casting Preston Carlyle an envious glance now and then. The man was so rich that it put Hannover's ordinary suit to shame. And everywhere he went, there was an air of judicious importance about him. Jealousy tore at Hannover's heart. He had to find a way to console himself. There had to be something that made him a little better than this well-to-do judge.

Look at that unbearably fake grin on his face, he thought critically. The insufferable braggart! Everywhere he goes, he is silently boasting! I hear he is a regular church goer, but by the look of him, I really doubt he's sincere! He probably only comes for the publicity of it. Well, I am glad I'm not like him! I attend church every Sunday because I...well...because I....

He took a minute to think, suddenly scrambling to find a reason. It wasn't because he exactly liked going to church. He truly would have liked staying home and building his business if he had had a choice. I come because it is surely the right thing to do. And I ALWAYS do the right thing. He decided proudly.

Hannover was so busy with his thoughts that he forgot to pay attention to the minister. Suddenly, he snapped to attention and heard the preacher reading aloud.

"You shall know them by their fruit. Do men gather thorns of grapes, or figs of thistles?"

Hannover glanced at Preston again. Thistles, that's all I see, he thought snidely. Whatever goodness he tries to show is surely plain hypocrisy. Then, his gaze fell upon Timothy. The little boy was listening to the sermon with wide, glittering eyes. He looked so earnest, so delighted, so full of light and goodness.

Suddenly, Hannover saw the child's face light up with an even greater joy. From experience, he knew just what it meant, and it filled him with alarm. Timothy recognized the verse which was being read. In just a second, the child was sure to blurt the rest of it out in a ringing shout of excitement. Hannover panicked. He couldn't let it happen. Not again.

It is a good thing I came prepared for just such an occasion! he thought. He reached into his pocket frantically and pulled out his secret weapon: a tin full of small, hard candies.

"Take a mint, Timothy," he offered in a quick whisper. "And for mercy's sake, eat it slowly!"

Tim looked a bit surprised, but he didn't hesitate. He cast a grateful smile at his master and then stuffed his mouth full, saying never a word.

It worked! the man sighed in relief as the preacher finished reading without Tim's help.

"Even so," the minister read on, "every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit...Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."

"What's that mean?" Timothy asked in a loud whisper.

Hannover popped another mint into the boy's mouth to silence him. But the question rang in his own mind. What did it mean?

The minister's voice went on. "I would draw your attention to something," the man began. "I want you to notice that the men in this story who cried, 'Lord, Lord', professed to know Christ. But God did not accept them. Why not? Because they were workers of iniquity."

"What's iniquit-" Another piece of candy stopped Tim's question.

The minister continued. "And notice, that the house upon the sand fell because the builder of that house made a great error; he heard Christ's words but did not act upon them. Although these men claimed to know Christ, in deeds they denied him. They were ungodly, they did not obey the commandments of God. And Jesus said, 'If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments.'

"To some, the laws of Christ's doctrine seem to be merely good suggestions for those who want to lead a moral life. But they are much more than that. They are the principles of life itself. Keep them, and you will be immovable, undaunted, strong, righteous... like a house whose foundation is set on a rock.

"When we have our affections set on things above, that is, on Heavenly things, the treasures which we seek are eternal and incorruptible. No matter what happens in this present life, we will come out as victors because our faith is in Christ and our goals are not carnal but such as pertain unto eternal life.

"But disregard and break the commandments of God, and things will go just the opposite for you. You will have no stability, no strength, no peace. Your life will show forth the fruit of unrighteousness because without submitting ourselves to Christ we are left depending on our own merits. And even our righteousness is as filthy rags in God's sight.

"In this condition, your affections are set on things of the earth. And the temporal joys of fame, wealth, and worldly success remain only for a season. They will crumble, they will fall, and great will be the fall of such things. In the end, they will leave you empty and lost. Do not build your spiritual foundation upon the sand, the wood, the hay, or the stubble of this earth. All such things will burn.

"In this life, we live in vessels of clay subject to physical wants and needs. But do not build your castle on the sand. Let your treasure be in Heaven where neither moth corrupts nor thieves break through and steal. Build your foundation upon God's word and promises by laying aside your own ambitions and striving for perfection through obedience to God's will."

Hannover listened, feeling uneasy. What was it with this new preacher and his odd sermons? They were nothing like the cozy, untroublesome messages which the last minister had given.

Abominable! he thought stormily. Is he trying to make every one of us feel like utter wayward sinners? I say he is demanding too much of us! Who on earth could be so perfect? Indeed, who would want to be? It goes against human nature itself! Why, by his doctrine, one would have to give up every worldly pleasure and goal! Surely God does not require so much of us! Does he?

He felt nervous and frustrated. Truth be told, he didn't know what God required of him. What were Christ's commandments? What had Jesus told his followers to do? Deep inside of Hannover, there was a sinking feeling which told him that he hadn't been doing whatever it was. But he didn't want to admit it.

Hannover left in a moody attitude, and it didn't help that Timothy was as joyful as ever. His sunny errand boy only made him feel gloomier now because, all the way home, the lad kept repeating the verse about the house on the sand to himself. The words kept sinking deeper into Hannover's mind.

As the man came within sight of his own pleasant mansion, he paused and took a long, adoring look at the place. It wasn't the only business he owned, but it was his favorite. He lived and worked there. He had all of his things there: his money, his clothes, his most valuable possessions. The minister had made it sound like all of those fine things were ready to crumble and vanish. Worst of all, the preacher had boldly implied that the mammon-loving miser would fall with it.

Bah! What does he know? Hannover thought angrily. I see nothing wrong with my things or my life! I'm an honest man! A good man! And I see no reason why a Christian must forfeit all worldly pleasure and success! These are my things! I worked hard for them! I want them! And I will enjoy them to their fullest!

Author's Note: Thank you for reading this week's chapter! Life has been super busy for me, and I ran into one sad tragedy: my laptop went kaputt! There went the beginning chapters of a new book I had been typing out, there went the workeable file for the front cover of my upcoming novel ( the sequel to The Treasure of Netherstrand) The Gentleman's Treasure.... You can imagine how my heart sank, haha! But it's going to be way better than I had expected. I found an earlier version of my new novel on my phone---so all is not lost! And it won't take too long to rework the cover of The Gentleman's Treasure if needed. I hope your week hasn't had any misadventures in it! And I really hope you enjoyed this chapter of The Treasure of Netherstrand! If you did, please consider giving it a vote and leaving me a comment! I really appreciate it!