available by the ,canadian ,institute for ,historical ,microreproductions 7www4canadiana4org77 ,lucy ,raymond2 ,,or1 ,,the ,,children',s ,,watchword4 ,,by ,,the ,,author ,,of ',,katie ,,johnstone',s ,,cross4' ,,toronto3 ,,james ,,campbell ,,and ,,son4 ,,contents4 ,,chap4 ,i4 ,,miss ,,preston',s ,,last ,,sunday1 ,,ii4 ,,lucy',s ,,home1 ,,iii4 ,,more ,,home ,,scenes1 ,,iv4 ,,nelly',s ,,sunday ,,evening1 ,v4 ,,strawberrying1 ,,vi4 ,a ,,mission1 ,,vii4 ,,temptations1 ,,viii4 ,,partings1 ,,ix4 ,,introductions1 ,x4 ,,new ,,experiences1 ,,xi4 ,a ,,start ,,in ,,life1 ,,xii4 ,,ambition1 ,,xiii4 ,a ,,friendship1 ,,xiv4 ,,an ,,unexpected ,,recognition1 ,,xv4 ,,the ,,flower ,,fadeth1 ,,xvi4 ,,darkness ,,and ,,light1 ,,xvii4 ,,home ,,again1 ,,xviii4 ,a ,,farewell ,,chapter1 ,,lucy ,,raymond4 ,i4 ,miss ,preston's ,last ,sunday4 ,tell me the old1 old story ,of unseen things above-- ,of ,jesus and ,his glory1 ,of ,jesus and ,his love4 ,the light of a lovely ,sabbath afternoon in ,june lay on the rich green woodlands1 still bright with the vivid green of early summer1 and sparkled on the broad river1 tossed by the breeze into a thousand ripples1 that swept past the village of ,ashleigh4 ,it would have been oppressively warm1 but for the breeze which was swaying the long branches of the pine-trees around the little church1 which from its elevation on the higher ground looked down upon the straggling clusters of white houses nestling in their orchards and gardens that sloped away below4 ,the same breeze1 pleasantly laden with the mingled fragrance of the pines and of the newly-cut hay1 fanned the faces of the children1 who in pretty little groups--the flickering shadows of the pines falling on their light1 fluttering summer dresses--were approaching the church1 the grave demeanour of a few of the elder ones showing that their thoughts were already occupied by the pleasant exercises of the ,sunday school4 ,along a quiet1 shady path1 also leading to the church1 a lady was slowly and thoughtfully walking1 on whose countenance a slight shade of sadness1 apparently1 contended with happier thoughts4 ,it was ,mary ,preston's last ,sunday in her old home1 previous to exchanging it for the new one to which she had been looking forward so long2 and full as her heart was of thankfulness to ,god for the blessings ,he had bestowed1 she could not take farewell of the ,sunday school in which she had taught for several years1 without some regret and many misgivings4 ,where1 indeed1 is the earnest teacher1 however faithful1 who can lay down the self-imposed task without some such feelings8 ,has the heart been in the work8 ,have thought and earnestness entered into the weekly instruction8 ,has a ,christian example given force to the precepts inculcated8 ,above all1 has there been earnest1 persevering prayer to the ,lord of the harvest1 in dependence on whom alone the joyful reaping time can be expected8 ,such were some of the questions which had been passing through ,miss ,preston's mind2 and the smile with which she greeted her class as she took her place was a little shadowed by her self-condemning reflections--reflections which her fellow-teachers would have thought quite uncalled for in one who had been the most zealous and conscientious worker in that ,sunday school4 ,but ,mary ,preston little thought of comparing herself with others4 ,she knew that to whom much is given1 of him shall be much required2 and judging herself by this standard1 she felt how little she had rendered to the ,lord for ,his benefits to her4 ,as her wistful glance strayed during the opening hymn to the faces of her scholars1 she could not help wondering what influence the remembrance of what she had tried to teach them would exert on their future lives4 ,as her class had been much diminished by recent changes1 and in view of her approaching departure the blanks had not been filled up1 it consisted on this ,sunday of only three girls1 of ages varying from twelve to fourteen1 but differing much in appearance1 and still more widely in character and in the circumstances of their lives4 ,close to ,miss ,preston1 and watching every look of the teacher she loved and grieved at losing1 sat ,lucy ,raymond1 the minister's motherless daughter1 a slight1 delicate-looking girl1 with dark hair and bright grey eyes1 full of energy and thought1 but possessing a good deal of self-will and love of approbation1--dangerous elements of character unless modified and restrained by divine grace4 ,next to her sat fair1 plump1 rosy-cheeked1 curly-haired ,bessie ,ford1 from the ,mill ,bank ,farm--an amiable1 kind-hearted little damsel1 and a favourite with all her companions1 but careless and thoughtless1 with a want of steadiness and moral principle which made her teacher long to see the taking root of the good seed1 whose development might supply what was lacking4 ,very different from both seemed the third member of the class--a forlorn-looking child1 who sat shyly apart from the others1 shrinking from proximity with their neat1 tasteful summer attire1 as if she felt the contrast between her own dress and appearance and that of her school-fellows4 ,poor ,nelly ,connor's dingy straw hat and tattered cotton dress1 as well as her pale1 meagre face1 with its bright hazel eyes gleaming from under the tangled brown hair1 showed evident signs of poverty and neglect4 ,she was a stranger there1 having only recently come to ,ashleigh1 and had been found wandering about1 a ,sunday or two before1 by ,miss ,preston1 who had coaxed her into the ,sunday school1 and had kept her in her own class until she should become a little more familiar with scenes so strange and new4 ,curiosity and wonder seemed at first to absorb all her faculties1 and her senses seemed so evidently engrossed with the novelty of what she saw around her1 that her teacher could scarcely hope she took in any of the instruction which in the most simple words she tried to impress on her wandering mind4 ,and so very ignorant was she of the most elementary truths of ,christianity1 that ,miss ,preston scarcely dared to ask her the simplest question1 for fear of drawing towards her the wondering gaze of her more favoured classmates1 who1 accustomed from infancy to hear of a ,saviour's love and sacrifice for sin1 could scarcely comprehend how any child1 ,born in ,christian lands1 ,and not a heathen or a ,jew1 could have grown up to nearly their own age1 ignorant of things which were familiar to them as household words4 ,lucy and ,bessie1 in their happy ignorance and inexperience1 little dreamed how many thousands in ,christian cities full of stately churches1 whose lofty spires seem to proclaim afar the ,christianity of the inhabitants1 grow up even to manhood and womanhood with as little knowledge of the glorious redemption provided to rescue them from their sin and degradation as if they were sunk in the thickest darkness of heathenism4 ,strange that congregations of professed followers of ,christ1 whose consciences will not let them refuse to contribute some small portion of their substance to convey the glad tidings of the gospel to distant lands1 will yet1 as they seek their comfortable churches1 pass calmly by whole districts where so many of their fellow-countrymen are perishing for lack of that very gospel1 without making one personal effort to save them6 ,will they not have to give an account for these things8 ,nelly ,connor's life had for the last two or three years been spent in one of the lowest districts of the city in which her father had fixed his abode after his emigration from the old sod to the ,new ,world4 ,the horrors of that emigration she could still remember--the overcrowded steerage1 where foul air bred the dreaded ship-fever1 and where the moans of the sick and dying weighed down the hearts of those whom the disease had spared4 ,her two little sisters had died during that dreadful voyage2 and her mother1 heart-broken and worn out with fatigue and watching1 only lived to reach land and die in the nearest hospital4 ,an elder brother1 who was to have accompanied them1 had by some accident lost his passage2 and though he had1 they supposed1 followed them in the next ship that sailed1 they never discovered any further trace of him4 ,so1 when ,nelly's father had followed his wife to the grave in the poor coffin he had with difficulty provided for her1 he and his daughter were all that remained of the family which had set out from their dear ,irish home1 hoping1 in the strange land they sought1 to lay the foundation of happier fortunes4 ,they led an uncomfortable1 unsettled life for a year or two after that1 exchanging one miserable lodging for another--rarely for the better4 ,the father obtained an uncertain employment as a deck hand on a steamboat during the summer1 subsisting as best he could on odd jobs during the winter1 and too often drowning his sorrows and cares in the tempting but fatal cup4 ,poor ,nelly1 left without any care or teaching1 soon forgot all she had ever learned2 and running wild with the neglected children around her1 became1 as might have been expected1 a little street ,arab1 full of shrewd1 quick observation1 and utter aversion to restraint of any kind4 ,suddenly1 to ,nelly's consternation1 her father brought home a second wife1 a comrade's widow1 with two or three young children4 ,in the new household ,nelly was at once expected to take the place of nurse and general drudge1 a part for which her habits of unrestrained freedom and idleness had thoroughly disqualified her2 and the results were what might have been expected4 ,there was a good deal of heedlessness and neglect on ,nelly's part1 and nearly constant scolding on that of her new mother4 ,and as the latter was neither patient nor judicious1 and was1 moreover1 unreasonable in what she demanded from the child1 there was many a conflict ending in sharp blows1 the physical pain of which was nothing in comparison with the sense of injury and oppression left on the child's mind4 ,but she had no redress2 for her father being so much away from his home1 had no opportunity of opposing1 as he would probably have done1 his wife's severe method of managing his motherless child4 ,things were in this condition when ,mrs4 ,connor1 who had formerly belonged to ,ashleigh1 made up her mind to remove thither1 in the expectation both of living more cheaply1 and of being able1 among her old acquaintances1 to find more work to eke out her uncertain means of living4 ,her husband was now working on a steamboat which passed up and down the river on which ,ashleigh was situated1 so that he could not see his family as often as before4 ,they were now settled in a small1 rather dilapidated tenement1 with a potato patch and pig-sty2 and ,mrs4 ,connor1 who was an energetic woman1 had already succeeded in making her family almost independent of the earnings which ,michael ,connor too often spent in the public-house4 ,this being the case1 she had no scruples in providing for her own children1 without much consideration for ,nelly2 so that the poor child was a forlorn-looking object when ,miss ,preston had found her hovering wistfully about1 attracted by the sight of the children streaming towards the church1 and had induced her to come1 for the first time in her life1 into a ,sunday school4 ,and now1 with these three girls before her1 differing so much in circumstances and culture1 it was no wonder that ,miss ,preston should feel it a matter for earnest consideration what parting words she should say1 which1 even if unappreciated at the time1 might afterwards come back to their minds1 associated with the remembrance of a teacher they had loved1 to help them in the conflict between good and evil which must have its place in their future lives4 ,but she felt she could not possibly do better1 in bidding farewell to her young pupils1 than to direct them to ,him who would never leave nor forsake them1--who was nearer1 wiser1 tenderer1 than any earthly friend1--who1 if they would trust themselves to ,him1 would guide them into all truth1 and in ,his own way of peace4 ,she had brought them each1 as a little parting remembrancer1 a pretty gift-card1 bearing on one side the illuminated motto1 ,,looking ,,unto ,,jesus1 a text the blessed influence of which she herself had long experimentally known4 ,and in words so simple as for the most part to reach even little ,nelly's comprehension1 she spoke earnestly of the loving ,saviour to whom they were to look1--of that wonderful life which1 opening in the lowly manger of ,bethlehem1 and growing quietly to maturity in the green valleys of ,nazareth1 reached its full development in those unparalleled three years of going about doing good1 healing1 teaching1 warning1 rebuking1 comforting2 not disdaining to stop and bless the little children1 and at last dying to atone for our sins4 ,she explained to them1 that although withdrawn from our earthly sight1 ,he was as really near to them now as ,he had been to those ,jewish children eighteen hundred years ago2 that their lowest whisper could reach ,him2 that if they would but ask ,him1 ,he would be their truest ,friend1 ever at their side to help them to do right and resist temptation1 to comfort them in sorrow and sweeten their joy4 ,her earnest tone and manner1 even more than her words1 impressed the children1 and fixed even ,nelly ,connor's bright hazel eyes in a wondering gaze4 ,it was very new and strange to her to hear about the mysterious1 invisible ,friend who was so loving and kind2 the idea of a friend of any kind being novel to the lonely1 motherless child1 more accustomed to harsh1 unsparing reproof than to any other language4 ,miss ,preston1 glad to see at least that her interest was excited1 was fain to leave the germs of truth to take root and develope in her mind1 under the silent influence of the divine ,husbandman4 ,now1 my dear children1 she said in conclusion1 whenever you are tempted to be careless or unfaithful in duty1 to think that it doesn't matter because no one will know1 remember that your ,saviour knows1--that whatever the duty before you may be1 you have to do it 'as to the ,lord1 and not unto men4' ,whenever you are tempted to get tired of trying to do right and resist temptation1 or when you may feel sad for your sinfulness and unworthiness1 think of the text ,i am leaving you1 ',,looking ,,unto ,,jesus4' ,and if you really and earnestly look to ,him1 you will always find help1 and strength1 and guidance1 and comfort4 ,on the reverse side of the illuminated card she had brought for her class was printed1 in clear1 distinct characters1 the hymn1 ,i lay my sins on ,jesus1 ,the spotless ,lamb of ,god2 ,he bears them all1 and frees us ,from the accursed load4 ,i lay my wants on ,jesus1 ,all fulness dwells in ,him2 ,he heals all my diseases1 ,he doth my soul redeem4 ,as ,nelly could not read1 ,miss ,preston made her say these verses several times after her2 and as she had a quick ear and a facility for learning by heart1 she could soon repeat them4 ,that she could not understand them at present1 her teacher knew2 but she thought it something gained that the words at least should linger in her memory till their meaning should dawn upon her heart4 ,then1 telling ,nelly she must take care of her pretty card1 and try to learn to read it for herself1 she bade her class an affectionate farewell1 trusting that the ,friend of whom she had been teaching them would care for them when she could not4 ,i'll learn the hymn1 miss1 and try to learn to read it1 if anybody 'll teach me1 said ,nelly1 her bright brown eyes sparkling through tears1 for her warm ,irish heart had been touched by the kind words and tones of her teacher1 whom she expected never to see again4 ,bessy ,ford's sunshiny face also looked unusually sorrowful1 and ,lucy ,raymond's trembling lip bespoke a deeper emotion1 with difficulty repressed4 ,i shall see you again1 ,lucy1 ,miss ,preston said1 with a smile1 as she affectionately detained her a moment1 for ,lucy had been invited to be present at her teacher's marriage1 at which her father was to officiate4 ,lucy and ,bessie walked away together1 the former with her first experience of a last time weighing on her mind and spirits2 and ,nelly ,connor slowly stole away among the trees toward the spot she called her home4 ,bessie's momentary sadness quickly vanished as she engaged in a brisk conversation with another girl about her own age1 who was eager to gossip about ,miss ,preston's approaching marriage1 where she was going1 and what she was to wear4 ,lucy drew off from her companion as soon as ,nancy ,parker joined them1 partly from a real desire of thinking quietly of her teacher's parting words1 partly in proud disdain of ,bessie's frivolity4 ,how can she go on so1 she thought1 after what ,miss ,preston has been saying8 ,but she forgot that disdain is as far removed from the spirit of the loving and pitying ,saviour as even the frivolity she despised4 ,come1 ,lucy1 don't be so stiff1 said ,nancy as they approached the shady gate of the white house where ,mr4 ,raymond lived2 can't you tell us something about the wedding8 ,you're going1 aren't you8 ,nancy's pert1 familiar tones grated upon ,lucy's ear with unusual harshness1 and she replied1 rather haughtily1 that she knew scarcely anything about it4 ,oh1 no doubt you think yourself very grand1 ,nancy rejoined1 but ,i can find out all about it from my aunt1 and no thanks to you4 ,come on1 ,bessie4 ,bessie1 somewhat ashamed of her companion1 and instinctively conscious of ,lucy's disapproval1 stopped at the gate to exchange a good-bye with her friend1 who for the moment was not very cordial4 ,thus ,miss ,preston and her class had separated1 and future days alone could reveal what had become of the seed she had tried to sow4 ,,ii4 ,lucy's ,home4 ,is the heart a living power8 ,self-entwined1 its strength sinks low2 ,it can only live in loving1 ,and by serving1 love will grow4 ,as ,lucy passed in under the acacias which shaded the gate1 she was met by a pretty1 graceful-looking girl about her own age1 who1 with her golden hair floating on her shoulders and her hat swinging listlessly in her hand1 was wandering through the shrubbery4 ,why1 ,lucy1 she exclaimed1 what a time you have been away6 ,i've tried everything ,i could think of to pass the time2 looked over all your books1 and couldn't find a nice one ,i hadn't read2 teased ,alick and ,fred till they went off for peace1 and pussy till she scratched my arm4 ,just look there6 ,but ,lucy's mind had been too much absorbed to descend at once to the level of her cousin's trifling tone2 and having been vexed previously at her refusal to accompany her to ,sunday school1 she now regretted exceedingly that ,stella had not been present to hear ,miss ,preston's earnest words4 ,oh1 ,stella1 she said eagerly1 ,i do so wish you had been with me6 ,if you had only heard what ,miss ,preston said to us1 it would have done you good all your life4 ,well1 you know ,i don't worship ,miss ,preston1 replied ,stella1 always ready to tease1 she looks so demure4 ,and as for dressing1 why1 ,ada and ,sophy wouldn't be seen out in the morning in that common-looking muslin she wore to church4 ,oh1 ,stella1 how can you go on so8 exclaimed ,lucy impatiently4 ,if you only had something better to think of1 you wouldn't talk as if you thought dress the one thing needful4 ,that's a quotation from one of ,uncle ,raymond's sermons1 isn't it8 rejoined ,stella aggravatingly4 ,lucy drew her arm away from her cousin's and walked off alone to the house1 obliged to hear ,stella's closing remark3 ,well1 ,i'm glad ,i didn't go to ,sunday school if it makes people come home cross and sulky6 ,and then1 unconscious of the sting her words had implanted1 ,stella turned to meet little ,harry1 who was bounding home in his highest spirits4 ,lucy slowly found her way to her own room1 her especial sanctuary1 where she had a good deal of pleasure in keeping her various possessions neatly arranged4 ,at present it was shared by her young visitor1 whose careless1 disorderly ways were a considerable drawback to the pleasure so long anticipated of having a companion of her own age4 ,just now her eye fell at once on her ransacked bookcase all in confusion1 with the books scattered about the room4 ,it was a trifle1 but trifles are magnified when the temper is already discomposed2 and throwing down her gloves and ,bible1 she hastily proceeded to rearrange them1 feeling rather unamiably towards her cousin4 ,but as she turned back from the completed task1 her card with its motto met her eye1 like a gentle reproof to her ruffled spirit--,,looking ,,unto ,,jesus4 ,had she not forgotten that already8 ,she had come home enthusiastic--full of an ideal life she was to live1 an example and influence for good to all around her4 ,but1 mingled in her aspirations1 there was an unconscious desire for pre-eminence and an insidious self-complacency--little foxes that will spoil the best grapes4 ,she had to learn that ,god will not be served with unhallowed fire2 that the heart must be freed from pride and self-seeking before it can be fit for the service of the sanctuary4 ,already she knew she had been impatient and unconciliatory1 contemptuous to poor ill-trained ,nancy1 whose home influences were very unfavourable2 and now1 by her hastiness towards her cousin1 whom she had been so anxious to influence for good1 she had probably disgusted her with the things in which she most wanted to interest her4 ,she did not turn away1 however1 from the lights conscience brought to her4 ,nurtured in a happy ,christian home1 under the watchful eye of the loving father whose care had to a great extent supplied the want of the mother she could scarcely remember1 she could not have specified the time when she first began to look upon ,christ as her ,saviour1 and to feel herself bound to live unto ,him1 and not to herself4 ,but her teacher's words had given her a new impulse--a more definite realization of the strength by which the ,christian life was to be lived-- ,the mind to blend with outward life1 ,while keeping at ,thy side4 ,humbled by her failure1 she honestly confessed it1 and asked for more of the strength which every earnest seeker shall receive4 ,with a much lighter heart and clearer brow1 ,lucy went to rejoin ,stella1 whom she found amusing herself with ,harry and his rabbits1 having forgotten all about ,lucy's hastiness4 ,lucy seated herself on the grass beside them1 joining readily in the admiration with which ,stella1 no less than ,harry1 was caressing the soft1 white1 downy creature with pink eyes1 which was her brother's latest acquisition4 ,i want him to call it ,blanche--such a pretty name1 isn't it1 ,lucy8 said ,stella4 ,i won't1 declared the perverse ,harry1 because ,i don't like it2 and so saying1 he rushed off to join the boys1 as he called them4 ,what have you got there8 asked ,stella1 holding out her hand for ,lucy's card1 which she had brought down4 ,yes1 it's pretty1 but ,sophy does much prettier ones2 you should see some lovely ones she has done6 ,has she8 asked ,lucy with interest1--thinking ,stella's sister must care more for the ,bible than she herself did1 if she painted illuminated texts4 ,i was going to tell you this was what ,miss ,preston was speaking to us about4 ,i don't see that she could say much about that1 it's so short4 ,i don't see what it means2 ,jesus is in heaven now1 and we can't see ,him4 ,oh1 but1 exclaimed ,lucy eagerly1 overcoming her shy reluctance to speak1 ,he is always near1 though we can't see ,him1 and is ready to help us when we do right1 and grieved and displeased when we do wrong4 ,i forget that myself1 ,stella1 she added with an effort1 or ,i shouldn't have been so cross when ,i came home4 ,stella had already forgotten all about that1 and felt a little uncomfortable at her cousin's entering on subjects which she had been accustomed to consider were to be confined to the pulpit1 or at any rate were above her comprehension4 ,she believed1 of course1 in a general way1 that ,christ had died for sinners1 as she had often heard in church1 and that in some vague way she was to be saved and taken to heaven1 when she should be obliged to leave this world2 but it had never occurred to her that the salvation of which she had been told was to influence her life now1 or awaken any love from her in response to the great love which had been shown toward her4 ,not daring to reply1 she glanced listlessly over the hymn on the card1 but took up none of its meaning4 ,she had never been conscious of any heavy burden of sin to be laid on ,jesus4 ,petted and praised at home for her beauty and lively winning ways1 her faults overlooked and her good qualities exaggerated1 she had no idea of the evil that lay undeveloped in her nature1 shutting out from her heart the love of the meek and lowly ,jesus4 ,she could scarcely feel her need of strength for a warfare on which she had never entered2 and ,lucy's words1 spoken out of the realizing experience she had already had1 were to her incomprehensible4 ,she was a good deal relieved when the tea-bell rang1 and ,lucy's two brothers1 ,fred and ,harry1 with her tall cousin ,alick ,steele1 joined them as they obeyed the summons to the cool1 pleasant dining-room1 where ,alick's mother1 ,mr4 ,raymond's sister1 who had superintended his family since ,mrs4 ,raymond's death1 was already seated at the tea-table4 ,her quiet1 gentle face1 in the plain widow's cap1 greeted them with a smile1 brightening with a mother's pride and pleasure as she glanced towards her son ,alick1 just now spending a brief holiday at ,ashleigh on the completion of his medical studies4 ,he was a handsome high-spirited youth1 affectionate1 candid1 and full of energy1 though as yet his mother grieved at his carelessness as to the better part which she longed to see him choose4 ,he had always spent his vacations at ,ashleigh1 and was such a favourite that his visits were looked forward to as the pleasantest events of the year4 ,girls1 said ,alick1 ,i saw such quantities of strawberries this afternoon4 ,where8 interrupted ,harry eagerly4 ,was anybody speaking to you8 asked his cousin1 laughing4 ,but ,i'll tell you if you won't go and eat them all up4 ,over on the edge of the woods by ,mill ,bank ,farm4 ,i could soon have filled a basket if ,i had had one1 and if mother wouldn't have said it was ,sabbath-breaking6 ,alick1 my boy1 said his mother gravely1 you mustn't talk so thoughtlessly4 ,what would your uncle say8 ,he'd say it was a pity so good a mother hadn't a better son4 ,but never mind1 mother dear1 you'll see ,i'll come all right yet4 ,as for these strawberries1 ,lucy1 ,i vote we have a strawberry picnic1 and give ,stella a taste of real country life4 ,they'll give us cream at the farm1 and the ,fords would join us4 ,stella looked a little of the surprise she felt at the idea of the farmer's children being added to the party1 but she did not venture to say anything1 as ,alick was by no means sparing in bringing his powers of raillery to bear on what he called her town airs and graces4 ,well1 you needn't make all the arrangements to-night1 interposed ,mrs4 ,steele2 you know your uncle doesn't like ,sunday planning of amusements4 ,and just then ,mr4 ,raymond entered the room1 his grave1 quiet face1 solemnized by the thoughts with which he had been engrossed1 exercising an unconsciously subduing influence over the lively juniors4 ,mr4 ,raymond never frowned upon innocent joyousness1 and even the boisterous little ,harry was never afraid of his father2 yet there was about him a certain realization of the great truths he preached1 which checked any approach to levity in his presence1 and impressed even the most thoughtless2 although1 not tracing it to its real source1 they generally set it down simply to his being a clergyman4 ,his children looked up to him with devoted affection and deep reverence2 even ,stella could not help feeling that her uncle must be a very good man2 and to ,alick1 who under all his nonsense had a strong appreciation of practical religion1 he was the embodiment of ,christian excellence4 ,well1 ,stella1 said her uncle1 turning kindly to his niece1 ,i hope you had a pleasant afternoon4 ,i suppose our little ,sunday school looks very small after the great city ones4 ,we never go to ,sunday school at home1 uncle1 said ,stella1 with one of her winning smiles2 there are so many common children4 ,oh1 indeed6 exclaimed ,alick1 seizing the opportunity of putting down ,stella's airs4 ,why don't you get up a select one1 then1 attended only by young ladies of the best families8 ,stella coloured at the sarcastic tone1 but ,mr4 ,raymond only said kindly1 ,did you ever think1 my dear child1 how many of these poor common children1 as you call them1 you will have to meet in heaven8 ,it was certainly a new idea to ,stella1 and made her feel rather uncomfortable2 indeed she never cared much to think about heaven1 of which her ideas were the vaguest possible4 ,as they went to evening service1 ,alick did not omit to rally ,stella on her want of candour in leaving her uncle under the impression that she had been at ,sunday school that afternoon4 ,why1 ,alick6 she exclaimed in surprise1 ,i didn't say ,i had been at ,sunday school4 ,if ,uncle ,raymond supposed so1 it wasn't my fault4 ,only1 you answered him as if his supposition was correct4 ,i have always understood that intentionally confirming a false impression was at least the next thing to telling a story4 ,well1 ,i'm sure ,stella didn't think of that1 interposed ,lucy good-naturedly1 noticing the rising colour of vexation on ,stella's countenance4 ,how tiresome they all are here6 thought ,stella2 always finding out harm in things4 ,i'm sure it wasn't my business to tell ,uncle ,william ,i hadn't been at ,sunday school4 ,sophy and ,ada often tell the housemaid to say they are not at home when they are1 and don't think it any harm4 ,what would ,alick say to that8 ,by one of those coincidences which sometimes happen--sent1 we may be sure1 in ,god's providence--,mr4 ,raymond took for his text that evening the words1 ,looking unto ,jesus1 the author and finisher of our faith4 ,the coincidence startled ,lucy1 and made her listen with more than ordinary attention to her father's sermon1 though1 to do her justice1 she was not usually either sleepy or inattentive4 ,mr4 ,raymond began by alluding to the race set before us1 which the apostle had spoken of in the previous verse1--the race which all who will follow ,christ must know1 but only in the strength ,he will supply4 ,the young and strong might think themselves sufficient for it1 but the stern experience of life would soon teach them that it must be often run with a heavy heart and weary feet2 that even the youths shall faint and be weary1 and the young men utterly fall2 and that it is only they who wait on the ,lord1 looking unto ,jesus1 who shall mount up on wings as eagles1 who shall run and not be weary1 and shall walk and not faint4 ,then he spoke of the ,helper ever near--the dear ,jesus ever at our side1 in looking to whom in faith and prayer1 not trying to walk in our own strength1 we may get the daily strength1 ,to none who ask denied1-- the strength to overcome temptation and conquer sloth1 and do whatever work ,he gives us to do4 ,something1 too1 he said of what that work is3 ,first1 the faithful discharge of daily duty1 whatever its nature2 then the more voluntary work for ,christ and our fellow-men with which the corners of the busiest life may be filled up--the weak and weary to be helped1 the mourner to be sympathized with1 the erring brother or sister to be sought out and brought back1 the cup of cold water to be given for ,christ's sake1 which should not lose its reward4 ,he ended by speaking of the grounds on which ,jesus is the author and finisher of our faith1 the great salvation won by ,him for us on the cross1--a salvation to be entered upon now1 so that during this life we may begin that glorious eternal life which is to go on for ever4 ,then he besought his hearers1 by the greatness of that love which had prompted the infinite sacrifice1 by the endurance of that mysterious depth of suffering which the ,son of ,god bore for men1 that ,he might save them to the uttermost that come unto ,god by ,him1 to come at once to have their sins washed away in the ,redeemer's blood1 which alone could purge their consciences from dead works to serve the living ,god4 ,many and many a time during ,lucy's after-life did the words of that sermon come back to her mind1 associated with her father's earnest1 solemn tones1 with the peaceful beauty of that summer ,sabbath evening--with the old church1 its high seats and pulpit and time-stained walls1 and the old familiar faces whom all her life she had been wont to see1 ,sunday after ,sunday1 in the same familiar seats4 ,and what of the others8 ,bessie ,ford1 too1 had noticed the coincidence1 and had listened to the sermon as attentively as a somewhat volatile mind would allow her1 and had gathered from it more than she could have put into conscious thought1 though it was destined to bring forth fruit4 ,and far back1 in a dusky corner of the little gallery1 gleamed the bright brown eyes of little ,nelly1 who had ventured back to the church1 and1 hearing the familiar sound of the text1 listened intently and picked up some things which1 though only half understood1 yet awakened the chords which had been already touched to a trembling response4 ,even little ,harry in some measure abstained from indulging in his ordinary train of meditation during church-time1 consisting chiefly of planning fishing excursions and games for the holidays4 ,how many older and wiser heads are prone to the same kind of reverie1 and could not have given a better account of papa's sermon than he was usually able to do6 ,fred1 the quiet student1 listened with kindling eye and deep enthusiasm to his father's earnest exposition of the divine truth which had already penetrated his own mind and heart2 and ,alick heard it with a reverent admiration for the beautiful gospel which could prompt such noble sentiments1 and with a vague determination that some time he would think about it in earnest4 ,stella alone1 of all the young group1 carried away nothing of the precious truth which had been sounding in her ears4 ,she had gone to church merely as a matter of form1 without any expectation of receiving a blessing there2 and during the service her wandering eyes had been employed in taking a mental inventory of the various odd and old-fashioned costumes that she saw around her1 to serve for her sister's amusement when she should return home4 ,it is thus that the evil one often takes away the good seed before it has sunk into our hearts4 ,stella would have been surprised had it been suggested to her that the words of the last hymn1 which rose sweetly through the church in the soft summer twilight1 could possibly apply to her that evening3 ,if some poor wandering child of thine ,have spurned to-day the voice divine1 ,now1 ,lord1 the gracious work begin2 ,let him no more lie down in sin6 ,,iii4 ,more ,home ,scenes4 ,tell me the story often4 ,for ,i forgot so soon2 ,the early dew of morning ,has passed away at noon4 ,when ,bessie ,ford parted from ,lucy at the gate1 she had still a long walk before reaching home4 ,mill ,bank ,farm was a good mile and a half from the village if you went by the road1 but ,bessie shortened it very considerably by striking across the fields a little way beyond the village4 ,there were one or two fences to climb1 but ,bessie did not mind that any more than she minded the placid cows browsing in the pasture through which her way led4 ,the breezy meadows1 white with ox-eye daisies1 and in some places yellow with buttercups1 with the blue river flowing rapidly past on one side1 afforded a pleasant walk at any time1 and the rest of the way was still prettier4 ,just within the boundary of ,mill ,bank ,farm the ground ascended slightly1 and then descended into a narrow glen or ravine1 with steep1 rocky sides luxuriantly draped with velvet moss and waving ferns1 while along the bottom of it a little stream flowed quietly enough towards the river1 though a little higher up it came foaming and dashing down the rocks and turned a small saw-mill on the farm4 ,the sides of the ravine were shady with hemlocks1 spreading their long1 waving boughs over the rocks1 with whose dark1 solemn foliage maples and birches contrasted their fresh vivid green4 ,in spring1 what a place it was for wild flowers6--as ,lucy ,raymond and her brothers well knew1 having often brought home thence great bunches of dielytras and convallarias and orchises2 and at any time some bright blossoms were generally to be found gleaming through the shade4 ,bessie1 however1 did not linger now to look for them1 but picking her way across the stepping-stones which lay in the bed of the stream1 she quickly climbed the opposite bank by a natural pathway which wound up among the rocks--easily found by her accustomed feet--and passing through the piece of woodland that lay on the other side1 came out on the sunny expanse of meadows and corn-fields1 in the midst of which stood the neat white farmhouse1 with its little array of farm buildings1 and the fine old butternut tree1 under the shade of which ,mrs4 ,ford sat milking her sleek1 gentle cows1 little ,jenny and ,jack sitting on the ground beside her4 ,the instant that they espied their sister coming through the fields1 they dashed off at the top of their speed to see who should reach her first1 and were soon trotting along by her side1 confiding to her their afternoon's adventures1 and how ,jack had found nine eggs in an unsuspected nest in the barn1 but had broken three in carrying them in4 ,but me wouldn't have1 insisted ,jack sturdily1 if ,jenny hadn't knocked up against me4 ,oh1 ,jack6 ,now you know ,i only touched you the least little bit1 retorted the aggrieved ,jenny4 ,well1 don't jump up and down so1 or ,i will let go your hand1 said ,bessie4 ,you almost pull my arm off6 ,i wish you could see how quietly little ,mary ,thomson sits in ,sunday school1 and she is no bigger than you4 ,why can't ,i go to ,sunday school1 then8 demanded ,jenny2 ,i'd be quiet too4 ,and me too6 vociferated ,jack2 the circumstance that they were not considered old enough yet to go to ,sunday school giving it a wonderful charm in their eyes4 ,then1 as they set off again on another race toward their mother1 it occurred to ,bessie for the first time that these little ones were quite old enough to learn the things that other little children learned at ,sunday school1 and that although they were not strong enough for the long walk1 and her mother's time and thoughts were always so fully engrossed with the round of domestic duties1 she might easily find time to teach her little brother and sister as much as they could understand about the ,saviour1 who had died that they might be made good1 and who when on earth had blessed little children4 ,something ,miss ,preston had said about home duties--about helping to teach and guide the little brothers and sisters--now recurred to her mind1 and conscience told her that these duties she had hitherto failed of performing4 ,she had never herself really taken ,christ for her own ,saviour and ,guide1 although she often felt a vague wish that she were good1 and the desire of pleasing ,christ entered but little1 if at all1 into the motives and actions of her daily life4 ,but she generally knew what was right1 and occasionally1 while the impulse from some good influence was still fresh1 would try to do it4 ,i know ,miss ,preston would say ,i ought to teach ,jenny and ,jack some verses and hymns on ,sunday1 she thought4 ,i'll begin to-night1 when mother and the boys are gone to church2 for a certain shyness about seeming good made her wish to begin her teaching without witnesses4 ,here1 ,bessie1 said ,mrs4 ,ford as ,bessie approached1 do run and get the tea ready--there's a good girl4 ,i shan't be through yet for half an hour1 for ,i've the calves to see to2 and your father and the boys 'll be in from watering the horses1 and if we don't get tea soon they'll be late for church4 ,bessie went in to change her dress1 with her usually good-humoured face contracted into a dissatisfied expression4 ,she was tired2 it would have been nice to sit down and read her ,sunday-school book till tea-time4 ,but of course nothing could be said2 so she hurriedly pulled off her walking things1 grumbling a little in her own mind at the difference between her own lot and that of ,lucy ,raymond1 who1 she felt sure1 had none of these tiresome things to do4 ,she had never thought--what1 indeed1 older people often lose sight of--that ,god so arranges the work of all ,his children who will do what ,he gives them to do1 that while some may seem to have more leisure than others1 all have their appointed work1 of the kind best suited to discipline1 and fit them for the higher sphere of nobler work1 in which will probably be found much of the blessedness of eternity4 ,before ,bessie went down to her unwelcome task1 she recollected that she must put her pretty card safe out of the children's way2 so with a strong pin she fastened it up securely on the wall1 on which it formed a tasteful decoration4 ,as she did so1 the motto brought back to her memory what ,miss ,preston had said about looking unto ,jesus in every time of temptation1 great or small1 as well when inclined to be discontented or impatient1 as in greater emergencies4 ,the evil principle in her nature rose against her doing so now1 but the other power was stronger2 and perhaps for the first time in her life1 though she regularly said her prayers1 ,bessie really asked ,jesus to help her to be more like ,himself4 ,then with a new1 strange happiness in her heart1 that was at once the result of her self-conquest and the answer to her prayer1 she ran down cheerfully to do her work1 singing in a low tone the first verse of her hymn3 ,i long to be like ,jesus1 ,meek1 loving1 lowly1 mild2 ,i long to be like ,jesus1 ,the ,father's holy child4 ,jenny and ,jack came running in to help her--small assistants1 whom it required a good deal of patience to manage1 neither allowing them to hurt themselves or anything else1 nor driving them into a fit of screaming by despotically thwarting their good intentions2 and ,bessie's patience was not always equal to the ordeal4 ,but on this occasion ,mrs4 ,ford was left to pursue her dairy avocations in peace1 without being called by ,jack's screams to settle some fierce dispute between him and his sister1 whose interference was not always very judiciously applied4 ,the tea was soon ready1--not1 however1 before ,mr4 ,ford and his two eldest boys had come in1 accompanied by ,bessie's younger brother ,sam1 next in age to herself1 who ought to have been at ,sunday school1 but had managed to escape going1 as he often did4 ,his mother being on ,sundays1 as on other days1 cumbered with much serving1 and his sister generally remaining with some of her friends in the village during the interval between the morning service and ,sunday school1 it was comparatively easy for ,master ,sam to play truant1 as indeed he sometimes did from the day school1 where his chances of punishment were much greater1 ,mr4 ,ford being far more alive to the advantages of a good education than to the need of the knowledge which maketh wise unto salvation4 ,so that1 when ,bessie began her usual ,why1 ,sam1 you weren't at ,sunday school6 ,sam had some plausible excuse all ready1 the ingenuity of which would amuse his father so much as to lead him to overlook the offence4 ,well1 ,bessie1 her mother exclaimed when they were all seated1 ,i really believe you haven't forgotten anything1 for once4 ,i should not wonder if you were to turn out a decent housekeeper yet4 ,for it was ,mrs4 ,ford's great complaint of ,bessie1 that she was so heedless and needed so much minding1 though she would always add1 modifying her censure1 ,but then you can't put an old head on young shoulders1 and the child has a real good heart4 ,and being a thoroughly active and diligent housekeeper1 she generally found it less trouble to supply ,bessie's shortcomings herself1 so that ,bessie's home education was likely to suffer by her mother's very proficiency1 unless she should come to see that to do all things well was a duty she owed unto the ,lord1 and not unto men4 ,so1 ,bessie1 you're going to lose your teacher8 said her father4 ,i hear she's to be married on ,thursday4 ,yes1 father1 she bade us all good-bye to-day2 and she gave us such pretty cards1 mother1 with a text and a hymn2 and on the impulse of the moment she ran up for hers1 and brought it down for inspection4 ,it was handed round the table1 eliciting various admiring comments1 and exciting ,jack's desire to get it into his own hands1 which being thwarted1 he was with difficulty consoled by an extra supply of bread and butter4 ,and1 mother1 asked ,bessie1 somewhat doubtfully1 may ,i go to-morrow and get the things to work a book-mark for ,miss ,preston8 ,i'd like to do it for a new ,bible the teachers are going to give her4 ,i don't care1 said ,mrs4 ,ford1 if you'll only not neglect everything else while you're doing it4 ,i don't believe in girls fiddling away their time with such things1 and not knowing how to make good cheese and butter4 ,but ,i wouldn't hinder you from making a present to ,miss ,preston1 for she has been a good teacher to you4 ,bessie looked delighted1 but the expression quickly changed when her mother said1 as they rose from table1 ,bessie1 ,i guess ,i'll not go to church to-night4 ,i've had so much to do that ,i feel tired out2 and if ,i did go1 ,i'm sure ,i'd just go to sleep4 ,besides1 ,i don't like the way the dun cow is looking2 so you'd better get ready and go with father and the boys4 ,now ,bessie had expected to remain at home that evening1 as she usually did4 ,she had planned to teach the children for a while1 according to her new resolution1 and then1 when they had gone to bed1 to sit down to read her ,sunday-school book1 which seemed unusually inviting4 ,bessie's ,sunday reading was generally confined to her ,sunday-school book1 for she had not yet learned to love to read the ,bible1 and regarded it rather as a lesson-book than as the spiritual food which those who know it truly find sweeter than honey to their taste4 ,so it was not a very pleasant prospect to have to hurry off to church again1 and she felt very much inclined to make the most of the slight fatigue she felt1 and say she was too tired to go1 in which case her mother would have willingly assented to her remaining4 ,but conscience told her she was able to go1 and ought to go2 and remembering her motto and her prayer1 she cheerfully prepared to accompany her father and brothers to church1 and she had reason to be grateful for her choice4 ,the words of the sermon deepened and expanded the impressions of the afternoon1 and left an abiding influence on the current of her life4 ,when ,mrs4 ,ford had got through her evening duties1 and the little ones were hushed in sound slumber1 she sat down near the open window to rest1 her eye falling1 as she did so1 on ,bessie's card4 ,the motto upon it carried her thoughts away to the time when1 as a newly-married wife1 she had listened to a sermon on that very text1--a time when1 rejoicing in the happiness of her new life1 she had felt her heart beat with gratitude to ,him who had so freely given her all things1 and with a sincere desire to live to ,his glory4 ,how had the desire been carried out8 ,a very busy life hers had been1 and still was4 ,the innumerable cares and duties of her family and farm and dairy had filled it with never-ceasing active occupations1 as was natural and right2 but was it right that these occupations should have so crowded out the very principle that would have given a holy harmony to her life1 and been a fountain of strength to meet the cares and worries that will fret the stream of the most prosperous course8 ,sacred words1 learned in her childhood1 recurred to her mind3 ,and the cares of this world1 and the deceitfulness of riches1 and the lusts of other things1 entering in1 choke the word1 and it becometh unfruitful4 ,had not that been her own experience8 ,where were the fruits that might have been expected from the word in her8--the ,christian influence and training which might have made her household what a ,christian household ought to be8 ,had not the cares of this world been made the chief concern--the physical and material well-being of her family made far more prominent than the development of a life hid with ,christ in ,god8 ,had not the very smoothness and prosperity of her life1 and her self-complacency in her own good management1 been a snare to her8 ,her husband1 good and kind as he was1 was1 she knew1 wholly engrossed with the things of this life2 and her boys--steadier1 she often thought with pride1 than half the boys of the neighbourhood--had never yet been made to feel that they were not their own1 but bought with the price of a ,saviour's blood4 ,such higher knowledge as ,bessie had was due to ,miss ,preston1 for1 like many mothers1 she had not scrupled to devolve her own responsibilities on the ,sunday-school teachers1 and thought her duty done when she had seen her children1 neatly dressed1 set off to school on ,sunday afternoon4 ,and the little ones she had just left asleep--had she earnestly commended them to the ,lord1 and tried to teach them such simple truths about their ,saviour as their infant minds could receive8 ,all these thoughts came crowding into her mind1 as they sometimes will when the voice of the ,spirit can find an entrance into our usually closed hearts2 and she shrank from the thought of the account she should have to give of the responsibilities abused1 the trust unfulfilled4 ,happily1 she did not forget that if we confess our sins1 ,he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins2 and that quiet hour of meditation1 and confession1 and humble resolve was one of the most profitable seasons ,mrs4 ,ford had ever known4 ,for ,god1 unlike man1 can work without as well as with outward instrumentality4 ,when the others returned from church1 it was with some surprise that ,mrs4 ,ford heard from ,bessie the words of the text4 ,i heard ,mr4 ,raymond preach from that same text long ago1 just after we were married1 ,john1 she said4 ,well1 if you remember it1 it's more than ,i do4 ,but if he did preach the same sermon over again1 it is well worth hearing twice4 ,yes1 indeed1 said his wife4 ,i wish ,i had minded it better4 ,it would have been better for us all if we had4 ,bessie1 are you too tired to read a chapter as soon as the boys come in8 ,we don't any of us read the ,bible enough1 ,i'm afraid4 ,and ,bessie1 struck by something unusual in her mother's tone and manner1 cheerfully read aloud1 at ,mrs4 ,ford's request1 the thirteenth of ,matthew and the tenth of ,hebrews1 although the tempting ,sunday-school book still lay unread on the table up-stairs4 ,,iv4 ,nelly's ,sunday ,evening4 ,oh1 say not1 dream not1 heavenly notes ,to childish ears are vain1-- ,that the young mind at random floats1 ,and cannot catch the strain4 ,in the meantime let us go back to ,nelly ,connor1 and see how she spent her ,sunday afternoon4 ,when she had wistfully watched the last of the groups of children disappearing in the distance1 she walked slowly away toward her home--a dilapidated-looking cottage in a potato patch1 enclosed by a broken-down fence1 patched up by ,nelly and her new mother with old barrel-staves and branches of trees4 ,the outdoor work which fell to her lot ,nelly did not so much dislike4 ,it was the nursing of a screaming baby1 or scrubbing dingy1 broken boards--work often imposed upon her--which sorely tried her childish strength and patience4 ,nelly found the house deserted4 ,sunday being ,mrs4 ,connor's idle day1 she usually went to visit some of her friends in the village1 taking her children with her4 ,a piece of bread and a mug of sour milk on the table were all that betokened any preparation for ,nelly's supper2 but she was glad enough to miss the harsh scolding tones that were her usual welcome home4 ,nelly sat down on the doorstep to eat her crust1 watching1 as she did so1 a little bird which was bringing their evening meal to its chirping little ones in a straggling old plum-tree near the house4 ,for in animal life there is no such discord as sin introduces into human life1 marring the beauty of ,god's arrangements for ,his creatures' happiness4 ,then1 having nothing to keep her at home1 she took up her dingy1 tattered straw hat1 and strolled slowly along towards the village1 keeping to the shady lanes on its outskirts till she came out upon the fields across which ,bessie had taken her way home4 ,on her way she passed ,mr4 ,raymond's pretty shrubbery1 and stood for a while quite still by the white railings1 looking at the group within--,lucy and her cousin sitting under the trees on the green turf1 with ,harry and the rabbit close beside them4 ,nelly thought she had never seen anything so pretty as ,stella1 with her rose-leaf complexion and sunny golden hair4 ,the two might have served a painter for a contrast1 both as to externals and as to the effect of the surrounding influences which mould human life3 the one1 from her cradle so tenderly and luxuriously nurtured1 petted1 and caressed2 the other1 accustomed from her earliest years to privation and hardship1 to harsh tones and wicked words1 to all the evil influences which surround a child left to pick up its education on the city streets4 ,strange mystery of the election of circumstances6--one of the strangest in our mystery-surrounded life1 never to be cleared up till all crooked things shall be made straight4 ,only let the privileged ones1 whose lines have fallen in pleasant places1 remember that to whom much is given1 of them much shall be required4 ,a forlorn little figure ,nelly looked as she strolled along the field-paths which ,bessie had taken an hour before4 ,but she did not trouble herself much about externals1 except when in company with others whose better attire made her painfully conscious of the defects in her own2 and being of a nature open to every impression from surrounding objects1 she was at that moment far from being an unhappy child4 ,it was not often that she was completely free to wander at will2 and the fresh breezy fields1 the sweet scents of the clover and the pines1 the blue rippling river1 and the cows that looked calmly at her with their patient1 wistful eyes1 were all novelties to the town child1 whose first summer it was in the country4 ,some faint recollections she still had of the grassy slopes of her native hills1 in the days of her early childhood2 but since then all her experiences of summer had been the hot1 hard pavements and stifling dust of a large city4 ,she had never before extended her wanderings in the direction of ,mill ,bank ,farm so far as to reach the ravine through which the little stream flowed into the river2 and now1 when she came to the edge of the steep slope and looked down into the luxuriant depth of foliage and fern and ragged moss-clad rock1 she felt a sense of delight more intense than ,bessie ,ford or ,lucy ,raymond1 familiar all their lives with such scenes1 had ever experienced4 ,she stood spell-bound at first1 and then1 scrambling down among rock and fern1 reached the little stream1 and was soon wading about in its bed1 enjoying the sensation of the soft1 warm water flowing over her bare feet1 and pulling the little flowering water-plants that raised their heads among the moss-grown logs and stones which lay in the bed of the stream4 ,then she began to climb up on the other side1 stopping to examine with admiring eyes every velvety cushion of moss1 and cluster of tiny ferns1 and fairy-like baby pine or maple1 and picking with eager hands the wild roses and other blossoms which she espied among the tangled underwood4 ,at last1 tired with her wanderings1 and with hands full of her treasures1 she threw herself down on a bed of dry moss that carpeted the top of a high bank of rock which overlooked the river winding away beneath1 while overhead1 through the feathery sprays of the long1 straggling pine boughs1 the slanting sunbeams flickered on the turf below4 ,there1 in that solitary stillness--all the stiller for the confused murmur of soft sounds1 and the fresh1 sweet breath of the woods perfuming the air--unaccustomed thoughts came into the little girl's mind1--thoughts which1 in the din and bustle of the city1 where the tide of human interests sufficed to fill up her undeveloped mind1 had scarcely ever entered it4 ,but here1 where the direct works of ,god alone were around her1 her mind was irresistibly drawn towards ,him of whom ,miss ,preston had told her1 that ,he had made her and all she saw around her1 and who lived1 she supposed1 somewhere beyond that blue sky4 ,with so many pleasant things around her1 the thought of their ,maker was pleasant too4 ,but then ,miss ,preston had told her that ,god loved what was good1 but hated what was bad2 and did not her new mother constantly tell her she was a bad child8--an accusation in which her conscience told her there was much truth4 ,so ,god could not love her1 she thought4 ,but ,miss ,preston had said that ,god did love her--that ,he cared for her continually1 and wished to make her good and happy--that ,he had even1 in some strange way which she could not understand1 sent ,his ,son to die for her1 that she might be made good4 ,it was all new and strange1 but she had faith in ,miss ,preston2 and because she had told her1 she believed it must be true1 that she1 who had come to think herself--poor child--too bad for any one to care for1 had really a great1 kind ,friend near her1 though she could not see ,him1 and loving her more than the mother whose warm caress she could still remember4 ,it was an idea that might seem beyond the grasp of a poor untaught child1 were it not that ,he who reveals ,himself to babes and sucklings can speak to the heart ,he has made in ways beyond our power to trace4 ,the idea in ,nelly's mind of that wonderful love which she so sorely needed1 was more enlightened than many a philosopher's conception of divinity1 and the dark eyes filled with tears as a half-formed prayer awoke from her heart to the loving ,jesus1 who1 ,miss ,preston had told her1 would hear and answer her4 ,and who could doubt that ,he did hear and answer the desolate1 uncared-for child1 scarcely knowing as yet what good meant1 since her knowledge had been only of evil6 ,her conscience1 however1 was not dead1 though neglected2 she knew at least what wrong was1 and felt she must leave off doing it if the ,saviour was to be her friend4 ,but how should she be able to leave off her bad1 idle ways1 and become a good1 industrious girl1 such as her new mother said most of the little girls in ,ashleigh were8 ,then she remembered the words which ,miss ,preston had made her repeat1 ,looking unto ,jesus1 and ,i lay my sins on ,jesus1 and that ,miss ,preston had told her she must ask ,jesus to take away her sins and make her good4 ,but she thought the right place for speaking to ,jesus must be in the church1 as most of the people she had known in the city used to go to church to confess1 and she supposed that must have something to do with it4 ,just then she saw the ,fords passing at a little distance on their way to church1 and it occurred to her that she would go too2 and perhaps ,jesus would hear her there1 and show her how she was to be made good4 ,so she started up1 and was speedily on the other side of the ravine1 almost overtaking the ,fords before they reached the village4 ,the service was beginning when she crept stealthily into one of the farthest back seats1 half afraid lest she was doing wrong in thus trespassing where she had no right4 ,then1 crouched in a corner1 with her face bent forward and her elf-locks half covering her eyes1 she listened with intense earnestness1 trying to take in all she could of what was so new1 yet already not unfamiliar to her1 and half disposed to think that the kindly-looking gentleman who stood there and spoke in such solemn tones might be ,jesus ,himself4 ,let not the more favoured ones1 on whom from their cradles the blessed light of divine truth has steadily shone1 smile at this poor child's ignorance1 but rather try to show their gratitude for higher privileges1 by seeking to impart some of the light shed on them so abundantly to those who are still wandering in darkness4 ,on ,nelly's listening heart ,mr4 ,raymond's sermon did not fall so fruitlessly as some might have expected4 ,for ,god is1 for all1 the hearer and answerer of prayer1 and ,he never leaves unheard the weakest cry to ,him4 ,as the lonely child once more sought her comfortless home1 she felt a stirring of new hope within her1 and scarcely minded her mother's rough words when she demanded1 ,what have you been doing out so late8 ,no good1 ,i am sure6 ,mrs4 ,connor had been enlarging1 among sympathizing friends1 on the hardship of her having to support her husband's child when he did so little himself for his family4 ,my goodness6 all he gives us wouldn't half pay ,nelly's board1 she had declared2 and as her grievances were still fresh in her mind1 she greeted her step-child with even more asperity than usual4 ,but as ,nelly crept away to her hard little bed1 perhaps some angel1 sent to minister to the motherless child1 may have known that the good-for-nothing1 ignorant little girl1 oppressed with the feeling of her own sinfulness1 and full of the thought of her new-found heavenly ,friend1 was nearer the kingdom of heaven than the petted1 admired1 winning ,stella ,brooke1 who had never yet learned her need of the ,saviour1 who came not to call the righteous1 but sinners to repentance4 ,v4 ,strawberrying4 ,why should we fear youth's draught of joy1 ,if pure1 would sparkle less8 ,why should the cup the sooner cloy ,which ,god has deigned to bless8 ,the strawberry picnic proposed by ,alick ,steele had been fixed for the following ,tuesday should it prove fine4 ,alick and ,fred had been over at ,mill ,bank ,farm1 and the younger ,fords had agreed to meet them at the ravine1 with their contribution of milk and cream1 and various other things which ,mrs4 ,ford's zealous housewifery would not be prevented from sending1 though ,fred assured her that it was unnecessary4 ,i know what young folks can eat1 ,mr4 ,fred1 she replied1 and you may as well have plenty2 and ,alick laughingly assured her she was quite right4 ,alick ,steele1 or the young doctor1 as his old friends now began to call him1 had been an acceptable guest at many a picnic and merry-making1 but he had never entered into anything of the kind with more spirit and zeal than he now threw into this simple gypsying excursion with his country cousins4 ,he's no end of a fellow for a picnic1 declared ,harry enthusiastically1 and ten times as good as ,fred2 the quiet nature of the latter always shrinking from any unusual bustle1 while ,alick's unfailing flow of animal spirits found a congenial outlet in any little extra excitement1 especially when it was connected with the procuring of enjoyment for others4 ,he and ,harry were busy all ,monday in exploring the ground and selecting the most eligible place for the repast2 and ,harry averred1 when they returned home1 that they would have a splendid time next day1 if it were only fine4 ,next morning opened as fair and bright as the excursionists could desire1--not too hot1 but tempered by a pleasant breeze--just the day for the woods1 and not too rough for the water4 ,for ,stella had manifested such consternation at the idea of going through the pasture--cows always frightened her so--that1 notwithstanding the raillery and the representations of ,alick and ,harry1 it was evident that her pleasure would be spoiled if she were obliged to go by the field-path4 ,alick therefore had good-naturedly hunted up a boat1 which would save them a long dusty walk by the road1 and greatly enhance the pleasure of the excursion1 besides carrying the impedimenta1 as ,fred classically termed the baskets of provisions4 ,marion ,wood1 a playmate of ,lucy's1 was to accompany them in the boat1 while ,mrs4 ,steele and the boys walked across the fields4 ,as soon as the early dinner could be got over1 the boat's cargo was taken on board1 the passengers embarked1 and after some little screams from ,stella1 who had a habit of being nervous1 the little bark shot off1 swift and straight1 impelled by ,alick's firm1 skillful strokes4 ,the water-party reached the mouth of the ravine considerably sooner than the others2 and while awaiting their arrival1 ,alick rowed them to a little fairy islet near the shore1 where they landed to explore it1 and twine their hats with the graceful creepers and ferns growing among its rocks4 ,then re-embarking1 they floated at leisure up and down the glassy shaded water1 fringed with tall reeds1 the girls alternately trying their hands at the oars1 till a shout from ,harry and the waving of handkerchiefs announced the arrival of the rest of the party4 ,the strawberry-pickers had soon begun their search4 ,fred1 who preferred rowing to strawberry-picking1 undertook to take charge of ,harry1 who was as eager for the water as a young duck2 while ,mrs4 ,steele1 taking out her knitting1 sat down beside the baskets under a spreading oak1 on a knoll overlooking the river1 to wait until there should be a demand for tea4 ,very quickly the time sped away1 while the children pursued their busy but not laborious quest of the tempting berries1 half hidden under their spreading leaves2 and many an exclamation1 half of annoyance1 half of amusement1 was uttered as one of them made a dart at a bright spot of crimson1 fancying it a rich cluster of berries1 and finding only a leaf4 ,why in the world do strawberries have red leaves1 ,i wonder6 exclaimed ,harry1 who1 tired at last of boating1 was pretending to help them1 though they all declared he ate as many as he picked4 ,to inure you to the disappointments of life1 responded ,alick oracularly4 ,you'll find1 as you go along1 there are more red strawberry leaves than berries all through4 ,and ,alick half sighed1 as if he had already learned the lesson by experience4 ,there's one thing1 ,alick1 of which that remark doesn't hold good1 remarked ,fred to his cousin in an undertone4 ,my father says that sheet-anchor will bear us up through all the disappointments of life2 and ,i believe it4 ,well1 very likely you're right1--well for those who can feel it so4 ,but at present ,i can't say ,i belong to that happy number4 ,some time or other1 perhaps4 ,you know my head has been full of all sorts of ologies except theology for a good while back4 ,the 'more convenient season1' ,alick1 replied ,fred1 with a half smile4 ,here1 a truce to moralizing4 ,who's got the most strawberries8 ,the premium is to be the finest bunch in the collection1 shouted ,alick4 ,and after the prize had been with much ceremony and mirth adjudged to ,bessie ,ford1 it was time to think about tea4 ,come1 said ,alick1 shoulder arms1 that is1 baskets1 and march6 ,all were very ready to obey ,alick's word of command1 and the merry party were soon collected around the snowy tablecloth spread on the turf1 on which ,mrs4 ,steele had arranged the tempting repast of pies and cakes1 curds and cream1 to which a fine large dish of strawberries--a contribution from the farm--formed a tempting addition4 ,fred1 at his aunt's request1 asked a blessing1 and then the good things were welcomed by the appetites sharpened by fresh air and exercise2 and the feast was enlivened by the innocent glee and frolic which usually enliven such simple country parties1 unfettered by form1 and unsophisticated by any of the complications which creep into more elaborate picnics4 ,even ,stella1 though she felt the whole affair--especially the presence of the farmer's children--rather below her dignity as an embryo city belle1 gave herself up unrestrainedly to the enjoyment of the occasion1 and was more natural and free from what ,alick called airs than she had been at any time during her visit4 ,but the party were quite unconscious that they were watched1 through the thickly drooping boughs of a large hickory1 by a pair of bright1 dark eyes1 which were wistfully regarding them4 ,the eyes were those of ,nelly ,connor1 who1 having been unexpectedly left free that afternoon to follow her own devices1 had wandered away in the direction of the spot which had so fascinated her on ,sunday4 ,when the tea was fairly over1 and cups1 dishes1 and other paraphernalia were being packed up by ,mrs4 ,steele and the girls1 ,stella1 who1 not being inclined to assist in such a menial occupation1 was wandering aimlessly about1 made a discovery4 ,oh1 ,lucy1 she exclaimed1 coming hurriedly up to her1 there is such a ragged1 bold-looking little girl sitting over there6 ,she has been watching us the whole time4 ,well1 her watching wouldn't hurt us1 said ,lucy1 smiling at her cousin's consternation4 ,i hope she was pleased with what she saw4 ,why1 it's ,nelly ,connor6 she added as the little girl emerged from her hiding-place4 ,what can have brought her here8 ,i'll get ,aunt ,mary to give her something to eat4 ,i daresay she's hungry enough1 for ,miss ,preston told me she didn't think her new mother gave her enough to eat4 ,i think she ought to be scolded and sent away1 said ,stella decidedly4 ,you are just encouraging her impertinence in coming here to watch us4 ,but ,lucy had already run off to her aunt1 and was soon carrying a plate heaped with good things to the astonished ,nelly1 who1 frightened at being discovered1 and at ,stella's frowning looks1 was thinking how she might make good her escape4 ,stella had only spoken as she had been accustomed to hear those around her speak4 ,she had been brought up to look upon poverty and rags as something almost wicked in themselves1 and had never realized that feelings the same as her own might lie under an exterior she despised4 ,she had never been taught the meaning of ,i was a hungered1 and ye gave me meat2 ,i was thirsty1 and ye gave me drink4 ,lucy1 on the contrary1 had been taught to consider it the highest privilege and gratification to impart a share of the bounties bestowed upon herself to the poor and needy whom our ,saviour has left as a legacy to ,his followers1 and had already tasted the happiness of lightening somewhat the load of poverty and hardship which press upon some during all their lives4 ,she soon reassured ,nelly1 and had the satisfaction of seeing her enjoy the food with the zest of one to whom such delicacies were rare indeed1 and whose appetite was very seldom fully satisfied at home4 ,she explained to the rest that ,nelly was in her class at ,sunday school2 and ,stella mentally put it down as another objection to going there1 that it involved the possibility of such undesirable acquaintanceships4 ,alick was much interested in the little wanderer2 and even after the rest had set off towards the farmhouse1 which they were to visit before returning1 he remained beside her1 drawing from her1 bit by bit1 her touching history1 until she began to remember how late it was1 and started homeward1 much astonished and cheered by the kindness and sympathy she had met with4 ,alick found the rest of the party exploring the farmyard1 admiring the cows1 particularly ,mrs4 ,ford's sleek1 glossy black favourite2 while ,harry was1 to his intense delight1 cantering up and down the road to the gate1 on the stout little pony which the farmer usually rode to market4 ,as there was a full moon1 there was no hurry about returning2 and on the arrival of ,mr4 ,raymond1 who had walked over to meet them1 ,mrs4 ,ford insisted on their coming in for a while4 ,and before they took their leave she brought out her large family ,bible for evening worship1 with the request that ,mr4 ,raymond would read and pray before his departure2 for1 she said1 ,i know we don't mind these things half enough1 and we'd be all the better of a word or two from you4 ,mr4 ,raymond read the last chapter of ,ecclesiastes1 making a few brief but impressive comments on the insufficiency for true happiness of the enjoyments which this life can furnish1 fair and good gifts of ,god though such enjoyments may be4 ,the time would come1 even in this life1 he said1 when the joys of this world would be found wanting4 ,and after this life1 what would be their condition who had made this world their portion1 and had 'not remembered their ,creator in the days of their youth8' ,doubt-less the thought of his own youthful circle1 and of the strong1 ruddy young ,fords1 all so full of health and life and joyous spirits1 was strongly upon him when he dwelt so earnestly upon the words3 ,rejoice1 ,o young man1 in thy youth1 and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth1 and walk in the ways of thy heart and in the sight of thine eyes2 but know thou1 that for all these things ,god will bring thee into judgment4 ,then1 reading part of the third chapter of the ,first ,epistle of ,john1 he directed his hearers to the wonderful privileges provided for them1 so far transcending all mere temporal gifts--to the love the ,father hath bestowed1 that we should be called the sons of ,god1--showing how these privileges were to be grasped through faith in the love which laid down life for us2 and how that love1 flowing into the heart1 was to purify the life by enabling us to do the things which are pleasing in ,his sight4 ,the solemn1 earnest words--few1 but well chosen--seeming to come with peculiar power after the day of joyous excitement1 touched responsive chords in the hearts of most of the young party1 who looked earnest and thoughtful2 though who could tell whether the impression should be an abiding one1 or should pass away like the early dew8 ,lucy and ,bessie listened with real interest--the latter1 especially1 with much more than she would have felt a few days before2 and ,mrs4 ,ford silently renewed her good resolutions to seek to influence her family to choose the better part1 which could not be taken away from them4 ,lucy could not help glancing at ,stella when the verses in the chapter about want of compassion for the brother or sister in need were read2 but ,stella looked placidly unconscious1 and indeed her thoughts were far away1--considering how she should best impress ,marian ,wood1 on their way home1 with a due sense of the grandeur of her city life4 ,after many kind parting salutations1 and warm invitations from ,mrs4 ,ford to come soon and spend an afternoon at the farm1 the party took leave2 one division proceeding homeward by the winding road1 lying white in the full moonlight1 as the fields were now wet with dew1 while the others took the shortest cut to the river1 where the boat was lying4 ,very little was said during most of the way1 except some subdued exclamations of delight as they passed out from the deep shadow of the overhanging rocks into the broad river1 which glittered in the moonlight like a sheet of dazzling silver1 roughened by the slightest ripple1 and past point after point of luxuriant foliage1 looking dream-like and unreal in the light that silvered their glistening leaves4 ,as they neared the village1 ,lucy suddenly recollected their unexpected guest4 ,i wonder how ,nelly got home6 ,did she stay long after we left1 ,alick8 she said4 ,no2 she said her mother would be angry if she were out late1 so she set off at a run4 ,lucy1 said ,stella1 ,i wonder how you can have anything to do with such a vagabond-looking child6 ,i'm sure she was watching to see whether she could pick up anything2 and she looked just like a gipsy4 ,oh1 ,stella6 how can you be so suspicious8 exclaimed ,lucy indignantly4 ,i don't believe ,nelly would do any such thing6 ,no wonder the poor child was watching us while we were at tea2 didn't you see how hungry she was8 ,well1 ,i know we've had things stolen by just such children1 and papa says it's best to keep such people down2 for they're sure to impose on those who are kind to them1 and charity is quite thrown away upon them4 ,a convenient belief to save trouble1 ,lucy was just going to say1 but wisely repressed the impulse1 feeling that it would not sound very respectful to ,stella's father1 who1 she felt1 must be a very different man from her own4 ,stella1 said ,alick1 did it ever occur to you what you might have been if you had been left1 motherless and almost fatherless1 to run all day on the streets1 listening to bad words and seeing all sorts of evil1 without any one to say a kind word to you and teach you what is right8 ,i wish you could have heard the poor little thing's story as she told it to me4 ,and in a few words he gave them an outline of ,nelly's history4 ,papa says you never can believe their stories1 objected the city-hardened ,stella4 ,i know you can't always1 replied ,alick2 but ,i think ,i'm not easily taken in1 and ,i'm willing to stake my judgment on this being no sham4 ,and how would you have turned out from such a bringing-up1 ,mademoiselle ,stella8 ,and where is her father8 ,lucy asked4 ,oh1 her father works on a boat1 and is seldom at home4 ,they came to live here because it is cheaper1 and they can have a pig and raise potatoes4 ,i wonder whether she can read1 said ,lucy4 ,i shouldn't think so1 for she never was at school in her life1 nor at church either1 since they left ,ireland1 till last ,sunday4 ,i wonder1 said ,stella1 whether she understood anything she heard4 ,possibly she might be able to give as good an account of the sermon as some other people1 remarked ,alick mischievously4 ,come1 ,stella1 what was the text8 ,i don't believe you know yourself1 retorted ,stella1 colouring2 and1 fortunately for her1 ,alick's attention was just then directed to the care of landing his passengers4 ,as they walked home1 ,stella and ,marian in front1 eagerly engrossed in a children's party which the former was describing1 ,lucy remarked impatiently to ,alick1 ,how can ,stella talk in that hard1 unfeeling way about poor people8 ,poor girl6 said ,alick1 it is sad to see any one so spoiled by living in a cold worldly atmosphere4 ,as you know more of the world1 ,lucy1 you will be more and more thankful for such a home as you have always had4 ,lucy was silent4 ,her cousin's words made her feel that she had been indulging in self-righteous and uncharitable feelings1 and she felt humbled at the lesson which she had thus received from one who did not profess to be a ,christian1 in one of a ,christian's most important graces4 ,but she accepted the rebuke1 and she added to her evening prayer the petition that she might be made more humble1 and less ready to condemn2 as well as that ,stella's heart might be opened to receive the love of ,christ1 and1 through this1 of her poor earthly brothers and sisters4 ,the little party were soon assembled at home1 and after cheerful good-nights1--,harry remarking that he was awful tired1 but there never had been a nicer picnic1--the wearied excursionists soon lost all sense of fatigue in peaceful slumbers and happy dreams4 ,,vi4 ,a ,mission4 ,and if this simple message ,has now brought peace to you1 ,make known the old1 old story1 ,for others need it too4 ,two days after the picnic was the day fixed upon for ,miss ,preston's wedding1 to which1 as has been said1 ,lucy had been invited to accompany her father and aunt4 ,stella had not been included in the invitation1 which she privately thought a great omission4 ,it would have been such a good opportunity for showing the ,ashleigh people how they dress in the city1 and she felt sure that1 tastefully attired in a lovely white grenadine1 which would have been just the thing for the occasion1 she and her dress would have added no small clat to the wedding4 ,nevertheless she behaved very amiably to ,lucy1 who1 when she pressed her to wear one of her own pretty white dresses1 and offered to lend her any of her ornaments which she fancied1 felt somewhat ashamed of her own condemnatory feelings toward her cousin1 since it is a very natural tendency in all of us to make our own estimate of others depend to a considerable extent upon their treatment of ourselves4 ,however1 she adhered to her original determination of wearing the simple ,india muslin1 which had been her own dear mother's bridal dress 7its trimmings having been worked by her own hands71 and all ,stella's representations that it was old-fashioned failed to produce any effect4 ,she would indeed have felt it treason to admit its inferiority to any of her cousin's more stylish dresses4 ,but1 to please ,stella1 she accepted the loan of a sash pressed upon her by her cousin1 who took a considerable amount of trouble in the arrangement of her toilet1 and in weaving1 with innate skill1 a graceful wreath of delicate pink rosebuds and green leaves1 which she fastened on ,lucy's dark hair1 and pronounced the effect charming1 while ,alick complimented her on her skill4 ,lucy was conscious of looking better than she had ever done before4 ,it made her think just a little too much about her appearance1 and then she felt humbled at seeing in herself the germ of the very feeling she had despised in her cousin4 ,the wedding arrangements were very quiet and simple4 ,lucy1 who had never been present on so important an occasion1 enjoyed it very much1 notwithstanding her sorrow at parting with her teacher1 whom she thought the very ideal of a bride in her simple bridal dress4 ,its simplicity1 indeed1 would probably have scandalized ,stella1 but ,miss ,preston was not going to be rich1 or mingle in gay society1 and she wisely thought show and finery quite out of place4 ,but she had long made it her chief aim to possess that best ornament of a meek and quiet spirit1 which1 we are told1 in the sight of ,god is of great price4 ,before her departure she took ,lucy apart to say a few words of loving counsel4 ,i hope you will try to work for ,christ1 dear ,lucy1 she said1 as ,he gives you opportunity4 ,remember1 a ,christian who does not work is only half a ,christian4 ,now ,i think if you tried1 you might do ,nelly ,connor some good4 ,she wants a friend very much1 and is easily won by kindness4 ,i should be glad to do anything ,i could1 said ,lucy2 but what would be best to try8 ,well1 poor ,nelly can't read a word1 you know1 and ,i am afraid her stepmother would not spare her to go to school4 ,but suppose you were to get her to come to you for half an hour a day4 ,i think her mother might be induced to let her do that4 ,and a short reading-lesson every day would soon bring her on4 ,lucy was a little disappointed4 ,it seemed such common-place drudgery to drill an untaught child in the alphabet and spelling-book4 ,her vague idea of work for ,christ had been of a more exalted nature4 ,but her friend added3 ,i don't mean that you should not teach her better things also4 ,you could1 little by little1 teach her a good deal about ,christ in the course of your daily lessons4 ,but sometimes we may serve ,him best by doing ,his commonest work4 ,and think what you will do for this poor child by putting it in her power to read the ,bible for herself1 and have access at all times to our ,saviour's own words6 ,lucy willingly promised to try1 and then ,mrs4 ,harris1 as ,miss ,preston was now called1 bade her an affectionate farewell1 before going to exchange the parting words with the members of her own family4 ,lucy watched by the gate till she saw the carriage drive off1 and then1 overcome by the reaction from the excitement of the occasion1 hurried home through the quiet shady lane1 and disregarding ,stella's call1 never stopped till she reached her own room4 ,there the astonished ,stella found her lying on her bed1 crying bitterly1 and asked in alarm the cause of her distress4 ,that the parting from a ,sunday-school teacher1 a friend so much older than herself1 could have called forth such emotion1 ,stella could not comprehend2 and it was difficult for ,lucy to explain it to so unsympathetic a listener4 ,why1 ,i'm sure ,i shan't cry so when ,sophy is married and goes south1 a great deal farther away than ,miss ,preston4 ,now tell me how she was dressed4 ,oh1 ,stella6 ,i can't just now1 sobbed ,lucy1 whose crying was partly the result of nervous excitement1 as well as of her realizing for the first time ,miss ,preston's departure4 ,and ,stella1 finding her attempts to soothe her unavailing1 returned to her story-book1 until the arrival of ,mrs4 ,steele1 whom she found more communicative4 ,and where is ,lucy8 inquired her aunt1 after satisfying ,stella's curiosity4 ,she must have slipped away very quietly4 ,oh1 she's in her own room4 ,she was crying so1 it was no use to speak to her4 ,i don't know what for4 ,she is very fond of her teacher1 and ,i don't wonder at her crying on losing her4 ,she is a great loss to us all4 ,what a fuss they all do make over her6 ,i'm sure she didn't seem anything particular1 thought ,stella as she accompanied ,mrs4 ,steele up-stairs4 ,lucy had fallen asleep1 but awoke on their entrance1 and started up to arrange her disordered dress and hair before going to tea4 ,just look how you have crushed your nice dress now6 exclaimed ,stella reproachfully4 ,and the wreath too6 ,it might have been fresh all the evening4 ,you might have taken them off if you wanted to lie down4 ,i didn't think of it1 said ,lucy apologetically1 somewhat remorseful for not having treated the result of ,stella's labour with more respect4 ,but ,i shouldn't have worn it all the evening1 at any rate1 for after tea ,i am going to see ,nelly ,connor4 ,what6 that girl we saw in the wood8 ,what are you going to see her for8 exclaimed ,stella4 ,miss ,preston--,i mean ,mrs4 ,harris--wants me to try to get her to come to learn to read1 if papa and ,aunt ,mary have no objection2 and ,i'm sure they won't4 ,it was to ,stella a bewildering phenomenon1 that ,lucy should really go out of her way to invite such a girl to the house4 ,however1 partly from curiosity1 and partly from having nothing better to do1 she acceded to ,lucy's invitation to accompany her2 and after tea the girls set off1 ,mrs4 ,steele warning ,lucy to be very conciliatory to ,mrs4 ,connor1 or she would not accomplish her object4 ,they soon reached the side of the green slope on the river bank1 on which the ,connors' cottage stood1 and were following the path to the house1 when they encountered ,nelly herself1 struggling up the hill with a heavy pail of water4 ,her brown1 weather-tanned face lighted up with a glad smile when she recognised ,lucy1 and in reply to her inquiry she said she was carrying up water for the next day's washing4 ,and do you carry it all up from the river8 said ,lucy4 ,yes1 miss1 every drop1 replied ,nelly1 with a weary little sigh4 ,nelly1 would you like to learn to read8 asked ,lucy1 plunging at once into her errand4 ,i don't know1 miss1 was the rather doubtful reply4 ,why1 wouldn't you like to be able to read that nice hymn ,miss ,preston gave you1 for yourself8 ,yes1 miss1 ,i'd like to be able1 but ,i don't know if ,i'd like the learning4 ,lucy laughed1 as did ,stella also1 and ,nelly herself4 ,well1 as you can't be able to do it without learning1 don't you think you'd better try8 asked ,lucy4 ,i don't think mother would let me2 and ,i must hurry now1 or she'll be angry at me keeping her waiting1 with the baby to mind4 ,but just then a large dog1 rushing down the hill1 upset poor ,nelly's pail4 ,holy ,mary6 she exclaimed1 using the ejaculation she had been accustomed to hear from infancy1 there's all my water spilt2 and seizing her pail1 she had run down to refill it1 before ,lucy was able to begin an intended reproof4 ,the girls watched her refill her pail1 and return towards the cottage by a nearer though steeper path4 ,mrs4 ,connor1 a tall1 bony1 discontented-looking woman1 had come to the door to look for ,nelly4 ,not seeing the young ladies1 who were approaching the house from the other side1 she screamed out in a harsh voice as ,nelly approached3 ,what have you been doing all this time1 keeping me waiting with the child in my arms8 ,it was a dog1 began ,nelly1 setting down her pail4 ,but before she could finish her sentence she was roughly shaken1 and sharp blows descended about her ears4 ,i'll teach you to spend your time playing with dogs when ,i'm waiting for you4 ,there1 be off1 and mind the baby2 and ,nelly1 putting up her hands to her face1 ran crying into the house4 ,lucy stood for an instant pale with indignation1 and then1 the impulse of the moment making her forget all her aunt's warnings as to being conciliatory1 and her own prudent resolves1 she announced her presence by exclaiming1 in a voice unsteady with emotion3 ,mrs4 ,connor1 it's a shame to beat ,nelly like that1 when she hasn't been doing any harm4 ,it was my fault she was so long1 for ,i stopped her to speak to her1 and then a dog overturned her pail4 ,mrs4 ,connor was startled at finding there had been spectators of her violence2 but she did not betray any shame she might have felt1 and coolly regarding ,lucy1 she replied3 ,well1 ,i don't see what business it is of yours1 anyhow4 ,if young ladies hain't nothin' better to do than meddle with other folks' children1 they'd better let that be6 ,what an impertinent woman6 said ,stella1 quite loud enough for her to hear4 ,lucy1 can't you come away and let her alone8 ,but ,lucy1 though a good deal discomposed by her reception1 was determined not to be easily moved from her object2 and having by this time remembered her conciliatory resolve1 she said1 as quietly as she could3 ,mrs4 ,connor1 my father is ,mr4 ,raymond1 the clergyman4 ,i came to see if you would let ,nelly come to our house every day to learn to read4 ,it's a great pity she shouldn't know how4 ,i don't care who your father is1 retorted the woman in the same insolent tone4 ,i don't see what you've got to do with it1 whether it's a pity or not4 ,the child's lazy enough already1 without havin' them idees put into her head2 and better people than her do without book-learning4 ,lucy1 do come away6 ,i shan't stop to listen to her impudence1 exclaimed ,stella as she turned and walked away with a haughty air4 ,mrs4 ,connor's quick eye followed her1 and she half muttered to herself1 ,a city gal6 ,then1 taking up the pail which ,nelly had set down1 she went into the house without vouchsafing another look at ,lucy1 who1 seeing the uselessness of pressing her point1 hastened to join her cousin4 ,now you see1 ,lucy1 you only get yourself insulted trying to do any good to such people1 said ,stella triumphantly4 ,i remember one of ,sophy's friends once wanted her to go visiting poor people with her1 and papa said he wouldn't have her go on any account2 it was all nonsense running all sorts of risks to do good to people who didn't want it4 ,but it wasn't ,mrs4 ,connor1 but ,nelly1 that ,i wanted to do good to1 and she can't help what her odious stepmother does4 ,only think what it must be to live with her6 ,i'd run away6 ,but you see ,nelly herself didn't seem to care about learning to read4 ,because she didn't know the good of it1 replied ,lucy4 ,but what should you or ,i have done if we hadn't been made to learn1 whether we liked it or not8 ,that's quite different4 ,this girl will always have to work1 ,i suppose1 and would get on well enough without learning to read4 ,i know mamma was always complaining that our servants were reading trashy novels1 that filled their heads with nonsense and made them discontented4 ,but you could have given them something better to read1 suggested ,lucy4 ,stella said nothing in reply to this2 nor did she enlighten ,lucy as to the fact that in reading trashy novels the servants were only following their young mistresses' example4 ,lucy in the meantime was thinking what up-hill work doing good was1 and how hard it was to know how to do it4 ,suddenly she remembered her motto2 she had been forgetting that the difficulties of the way were to be met in a strength not her own4 ,perhaps it was because she had not first asked for that strength1 that she had met with so little success2 and she regretted having so soon departed from her resolution of looking to ,jesus in everything4 ,but ,stella soon roused from her brown study1 as she called it1 by various questions as to ,mrs4 ,harris's route of travel1 and also as to her travelling dress1 which ,lucy was very ill prepared to answer1 having cast hardly a passing glance at it1 in her sorrow for her teacher's departure4 ,on their way home they overtook ,mrs4 ,steele and ,alick1 to whom were soon related the particulars of their mission1 ,stella imitating ,mrs4 ,connor's tone and manner to the life1 as she graphically reproduced the conversation1 much to ,alick's amusement1 though he ground his teeth with indignation on hearing of the violent treatment ,nelly had received4 ,what a woman6 ,you mustn't leave the poor child to her tender mercies4 ,what can she turn out1 brought up under such a termagant8 ,suppose ,i try and bring the old lady round with a little judicious flattery8 ,i think ,i can manage the matter1 said ,mrs4 ,steele4 ,i shall make a bargain with ,mrs4 ,connor1 and promise to give her a day's work once a fortnight1 provided she will let ,nelly come here for half an hour every day4 ,but do you think the child herself will be willing to come8 ,oh1 ,i'm sure she'll be willing to come where any one is kind to her1 she has so little kindness at home1 replied ,lucy4 ,mrs4 ,steele proved right4 ,by her more judicious management and substantial inducement1 ,mrs4 ,connor was persuaded to give an ungracious assent to the plan proposed for ,nelly's benefit4 ,but1 as if to be as disagreeable as possible1 even in consenting1 she fixed upon the time which ,lucy would least have chosen for the task4 ,the only time when she could spare ,nelly1 she said1 was in the evening1 after the children were in bed4 ,it was the time when ,lucy most enjoyed being out1 watering her flowers1 or taking an evening walk1 or row with the others4 ,but the choice lay between doing the work then1 or not at all2 and when she thought how light was the task given her to do1 and how slight the sacrifice1 she felt ashamed of her inclination to murmur at it4 ,so ,nelly's education began with the alphabet2 and though it was a drudgery both for teacher and pupil1 reciprocal kindness and gratitude helped on the task1 and before many weeks had passed ,nelly was spelling words of two syllables1 and had learned some truths1 at least1 of far greater importance4 ,,vii4 ,temptations4 ,or rather help us1 ,lord1 to choose the good-- ,to pray for naught1 to seek to none but ,thee2 ,nor by our 'daily bread' mean common food2 ,nor say1 ',from this world's evil set us free4' ,the ,sunday school was again assembled on another ,sunday afternoon1 some weeks later4 ,the day was even warmer than the one on which our story opened1 and all the church windows were opened to their widest extent1 to admit every breath of air which came in through the waving pine boughs4 ,lucy had been promoted to teach a small class of her own1 in which ,nelly ,connor had willingly taken her place4 ,she was indeed advancing faster in spiritual than in secular learning2 for in the first she had the best of all teachers1 to whose teaching her simple heart was open--the ,holy ,spirit ,himself4 ,bessie ,ford had found another teacher1 and beside her sat ,stella1 who1 partly from finding her ,sunday afternoons dull1 and partly from feeling that it was her uncle's wish that she should accompany ,lucy to ,sunday school1 had overcome her objection to it so far as to go with her cousin4 ,and having found out on the first ,sunday how deficient she herself was in ,bible knowledge1 and never liking to appear inferior to others in anything1 she took some pains to prepare her lessons1 at least so far that her ignorance might not lower her in the eyes of her classmates4 ,it was a poor motive1 certainly2 still1 seeds of divine truth were gradually finding their way into her heart1 which might in time germinate and bear fruit4 ,and her stay in ,mr4 ,raymond's household1 where serving the ,lord was avowedly the ruling principle1 had already exercised a healthful influence over her impressionable nature4 ,on this particular ,sunday the interesting announcement was made1 that the annual picnic or ,sunday-school excursion was to take place on the following ,wednesday1 the place being a beautiful oak wood about a mile from the church1 in the opposite direction from ,mill ,bank ,farm4 ,as little groups clustered together on leaving the church door1 there was a general buzz of talk about the picnic4 ,lucy stopped ,nelly ,connor to ask her whether she thought her mother would let her go to the picnic4 ,poor ,nelly looked very doubtful as she replied1 ,i don't know2 ,i'm afraid not4 ,well1 ,nelly1 ,i'll see what can be done about it1 said ,lucy encouragingly4 ,but ,i haven't anything decent to wear to it1 miss1 replied ,nelly1 looking dolefully down on the tattered frock1 which her mother never took the trouble to mend1 and which she1 poor child1 could not1 except in the most bungling fashion4 ,lucy walked home thoughtfully1 and1 as the fruit of her meditation1 a print dress of her own was next morning produced1 and a consultation was held with her aunt as to the practicability of altering it to fit ,nelly4 ,i only wonder ,i didn't think of it before1 she said1 for she is always so miserably dressed4 ,will you help me to make it up1 ,stella8 ,my dear1 ,i wouldn't know how6 ,the most ,i ever sewed in my life was to hem a pocket-handkerchief4 ,mrs4 ,steele looked shocked at such deficiency in what she rightly considered a most important part of female education4 ,she had always taken care that ,lucy should spare enough time from her more congenial studies1 to learn at least to sew neatly4 ,why1 ,stella6 ,lucy exclaimed1 you're almost as bad as poor ,nelly1 who said she had never learned to sew because 'nobody had teached her4' ,i've never had time to learn4 ,i like embroidery better2 and mamma said we should never need to do plain sewing1 so she didn't see the use of our taking up our time with it4 ,no one knows what she may have to do1 remarked ,mrs4 ,steele gently4 ,it is always best to know how1 at any rate4 ,well1 ,i hope ,i shall never have to1 for ,i should hate it6 ,however1 when ,lucy was fairly at work on the little frock1 ,stella good-naturedly offered to help her a little1 though1 never having been trained to perseverance in anything1 her assistance was not very efficient4 ,bessie ,ford had gone home from ,sunday school with her head turned by hearing some foolish talk about her dress4 ,alas6 how often it is that ,sunday scholars1 on leaving the school1 instead of giving one thought to the divine truths they have been hearing1 allow their attention to be absorbed with the petty frivolities in which their thoughts run wild6 ,mother1 said ,bessie1 after she had duly announced the intended picnic1 can't ,i have a new pink sash for my white frock8 ,nancy ,parker is going to have ever so many new things4 ,no1 child1 said her mother1 you don't need a new sash4 ,your frock looks quite well enough without one4 ,but ,i've been thinking you'd be the better of a new hat1 for the one you have looks a little brown4 ,and as you've been a pretty good girl1 and a deal less forgetful of late1 ,i wouldn't mind getting you a new hat1 if you'll hurry and finish up that plain sewing you've had in hand so long4 ,it's time it was done and put away4 ,bessie looked a little disappointed4 ,the new hat was not so attractive as the sash would have been4 ,suddenly her mother's remark on the brownness of her hat suggested the image of ,nelly's tattered1 dingy one1 which she had noticed that afternoon4 ,what would you do with my old hat1 mother1 she said1 if ,i get a new one8 ,i don't know4 ,you've your sun-bonnet for wearing about the farm4 ,put it by for ,jenny1 perhaps1 suggested the thrifty ,mrs4 ,ford4 ,might ,i give it to ,nelly ,connor1 mother8 ,hers will hardly stay together4 ,mrs4 ,ford had never seen ,nelly1 but she knew something of her forlorn situation4 ,i'm sure1 she said1 ,i shouldn't mind if you did4 ,i dare say it would be charity to her1 poor thing4 ,and it occurred to her to think whether she1 a well-to-do farmer's wife1 had been as abundant in deeds of charity as she might have been4 ,bessie considered the matter settled1 and next day set to work with renewed zeal on the plain sewing1 which had been getting on very languidly2 for ,bessie was not fond of long1 straight seams1 or of sitting still for any length of time4 ,she set herself a task as she took her seat under the spreading butternut-tree2 and ,jenny and ,jack came to beg for a story4 ,bessie's story-telling powers had been largely developed of late1 to make the ,sunday lessons she had begun to give the restless little things more palatable to them4 ,only the promise of a story could fix their attention long enough to commit to memory a simple verse4 ,and her powers once found out1 she soon had demands upon her for stories to a greater extent than her patience was always equal to satisfying4 ,bessie had become1 as her mother had noticed1 much more thoughtful of late4 ,her card1 hung up in her room1 kept always before her mind her resolution to look to ,jesus for help to live to please ,him4 ,and though she still often forgot and yielded to temptation1 yet1 on the whole1 she was steadily advancing in that course in which all must be either going forward or backward4 ,her mother noticed that this decided improvement dated from the day when she had brought home the card1--a day which had not been without influence on herself1--although1 when worldly principles have been long suffered to hold undisputed sway1 it is difficult at once to overcome old habits2 and lost ground is not less hard to retrieve in spiritual than in earthly things4 ,bessie was still diligently working at her task1 when she saw ,nancy ,parker running up across the fields4 ,oh1 ,bessie1 she said breathlessly1 get ready and come right away4 ,my cousins have come to spend the day1 and we're going boating up the river1 and then home to supper4 ,the rest are all waiting in the boat down there1 and ,i ran up to get you4 ,so be quick6 ,bessie hesitated4 ,if she went with ,nancy1 a considerable portion of the work she had set herself to do would be left undone4 ,besides1 her mother had gone to ,ashleigh1 leaving her in charge2 and ,bessie was not at all sure that1 had she been at home1 she would approve of her joining the party4 ,to be sure1 she could not be absolutely certain of her mother's disapproval1 and she could easily run down for ,sam to come and stay with the children4 ,at the worst1 she did not think her mother would be much displeased2 and the thought of the pleasant row1 and the merry party1 and all the fun they would have1 offered no small temptation4 ,quick1 ,bessie6 ,nancy urged1 impatient of her delay4 ,i don't think ,i can go1 ,nancy4 ,mother's out1 and ,i've a lot of sewing to do4 ,bother the sewing6 ,your mother wouldn't mind1 ,i'm sure4 ,mine lets me do exactly as ,i like4 ,come and get ready2 and she pulled ,bessie from her seat1 and drew her1 half-resisting1 towards the house4 ,they went up-stairs together1 ,bessie feeling far from satisfied with herself for yielding where conscience told her she ought not to yield4 ,my6 said ,nancy1 whose quick eyes had been glancing round the room1 what a grand ticket you've got hanging up there6 ,where did you get it8 ,bessie's eye turned to her motto1 and she stood for a minute looking at it in silence4 ,then1 instead of replying to the question1 she said1 ,nancy1 ,i cannot go2 it wouldn't be right4 ,well1 that's a nice way to treat me6 said ,nancy angrily4 ,after my waiting so long1 too4 ,why1 don't you know your own mind8 ,come1 you can't change now2 ,i'm not going to be cheated1 after all my trouble4 ,i'm very sorry1 ,nancy2 but ,i oughtn't to have said ,i would go at all4 ,don't wait any longer4 ,but ,i'll go down to the boat with you4 ,oh1 don't trouble yourself2 ,i can do without your company4 ,and off she ran1 before ,bessie could say any more4 ,bessie felt sorry at having vexed ,nancy1 and thought a little wistfully of the afternoon's pleasure that she might have had4 ,but she felt satisfied that she had done right1 and felt thankful that she had had strength given to resist a temptation to which she now felt she would have done very wrong to yield4 ,so she went back to her shady seat with a light heart1 and stitched away diligently1 not repining although she heard the merry voices of the party1 borne to her from the river4 ,as her mother had not returned by the time her task was completed1 she went in and got tea ready2 and then calling up two of the gentlest cows1 she had milked them by the time ,mrs4 ,ford appeared1 tired and dusty from her long walk4 ,her pleased surprise at ,bessie's thoughtful industry in getting through so much of the work which she thought was still before her1 was in itself sufficient reward for the self-denial2 and ,bessie felt what a shame it would have been if her mother1 fatigued as she was1 had had everything to do on her return1 while she was away on a pleasure-party4 ,of course ,mrs4 ,ford was soon informed of ,nancy's visit and invitation4 ,oh1 my child6 she exclaimed1 ,i am so glad you refused to go4 ,mrs4 ,thompson1 in the village1 was just telling me about these cousins of ,nancy's1 and says they are the wildest set in ,burford1 and that their society wouldn't do ,nancy any good4 ,so1 if you had gone1 ,i should have been very sorry4 ,i'm so glad you didn't6 ,how glad ,bessie was that she had been enabled to resist the temptation6 ,but she felt she could not take the credit to herself2 so she said3 ,i had the greatest mind to go1 mother1 but something told me ,i shouldn't1 just as ,i was almost going4 ,well1 it's all the same to me1 as you didn't go4 ,and you were a real good girl1 ,bessie1 to stay6 ,what a safeguard is a definite duty conscientiously pursued6 ,if ,bessie had not had her task of sewing to finish1 with the feeling that it was her duty to do it1 she might have been more easily led away against her better judgment4 ,nelly ,connor had had her temptation1 too1 the same evening4 ,her mother had sent her to take home some clothes she had been washing2 and as ,nelly was carrying the basket1 she noticed a pretty pink printed frock lying on the top1 which looked as if it would exactly fit her4 ,how nice it would be1 she thought1 if she had such a frock to wear to the picnic6 ,then came one of the evil suggestions which the tempter is so ready to put into the heart3 what if she should keep it till the picnic was over1 and wear it just that once8 ,she could hide it1 and put it on somewhere out of her stepmother's sight2 and then1 perhaps1 if she were dressed so nicely1 some of the other little girls might be willing to play with her2 for the poor child felt her isolated position4 ,then conscience said1 ,would it be right8 ,had she not been learning1 ,thou shalt not steal8 ,and had not ,miss ,lucy explained to her that that meant taking anything1 even the least1 that was not her own8 ,a short time ago ,nelly would have appropriated any trifle that came in her way1 without thinking twice about it2 but some light had visited her mind now1 and she could distinguish what was darkness4 ,but then this would not be stealing1 it would only be borrowing the frock6 ,at last she was so near the house1 that she was obliged to make up her mind at once2 so1 scarcely giving herself time to think1 she wrapped up the frock in the smallest possible compass1 hid it behind a stone1 and ran on to leave her basket1 hurrying nervously back1 lest some one should inquire for the missing article4 ,she found it quite safe1 however1 and managed to convey it unseen to her little attic-room4 ,but ,nelly felt far more unhappy than she had ever been when her harsh mother had beaten her most severely4 ,she could not understand how it was that she should feel so miserable4 ,she was glad that she could not go for her lesson to-night1 for she should have been ashamed to face ,miss ,lucy4 ,one of the children just then began to cry1 and she ran down-stairs1 glad of something to do1 and took the utmost pains to do her evening work particularly well1 by way of making up for the wrong of which she was inwardly conscious4 ,but when she went to bed1 ,nelly1 for the first time in her life1 tossed about1 unable to sleep4 ,all sorts of possibilities of detection and disgrace occurred to her1 and1 above all1 the voice of conscience told her she was little better than a thief4 ,she had knelt down to say the simple prayer she had been first taught by ,miss ,preston1 ,o ,lord1 take away my sin1 and make me ,thy child1 for ,jesus ,christ's sake2 but indulged sin had come between her and the ,father to whom she prayed1 so that her prayer was only a formal one4 ,she fell asleep at last1 but only to dream uneasy dreams1 in which the pink frock was always prominent2 and when she awoke in the early morning1 it was with an uneasy sense of something wrong1 soon defined into a distinct recollection4 ,as she lay watching the early sunbeams slanting golden into her dingy attic1 her eye fell upon the card pinned up against the wall1 ,,looking ,,unto ,,jesus1 which she could now spell out herself4 ,had she not been told to look to ,jesus when unhappy or naughty1 and ,he would deliver her8 ,she knew now that she could speak to ,jesus anywhere2 so1 springing out of bed and kneeling down1 she simply but heartily asked ,him to help her to be good4 ,then1 putting on her clothes with all the haste she could1 for fear she might be tempted to change her mind1 she ran off unobserved1 carrying with her the coveted frock1 which she handed1 without a word1 to the servant who was sweeping the steps1 and who1 recognising her1 supposed her stepmother had forgotten to send it home with the rest of the washing4 ,nelly ran off with a heart so much lighter1 that she did not mind even the box on the ear which she received on her return for being out idling about1 instead of lighting the fire for the breakfast4 ,she felt she had deserved much more than that1 and she contentedly accepted it as a slight punishment for her wrongdoing4 ,that day1 when ,mrs4 ,connor was working at ,mr4 ,raymond's1 ,mrs4 ,steele1 showing her the frock which was now completed1 told her it was to be given to ,nelly on condition of her being allowed to go to the picnic4 ,mrs4 ,connor of course grumbled a good deal about the inconvenience of having to spare ,nelly for a whole afternoon1 but the frock tempted her2 and reflecting that the opportune arrival of this frock would do away with any necessity for getting ,nelly a new one for a long time to come1 she ungraciously gave her consent that she should go4 ,when ,nelly came that evening for her lesson1 ,lucy gladly informed her that she was to be allowed to go to the picnic1 and presented her with the frock which had been provided for her4 ,lucy was prepared for her look of surprise1 but not so for her covering her face with her hands and bursting into tears4 ,with some trouble she drew from her a confused account of the cause of her trouble--the sin she had been led into1 and which touched her generous nature all the more now that the frock she had been wishing for was so opportunely provided4 ,lucy was at first somewhat shocked that ,kelly had been capable of taking such a liberty with what was not her own1 not being able to realize the strength of such a temptation to a child whose possessions were so few2 and she privately resolved not to tell ,stella1 who would scarcely have thought how nobly she overcame the temptation4 ,however1 she commended and encouraged ,nelly1 and told her always to resort to the same sure ,helper in time of temptation1 and to do it in the first place4 ,and ,jesus is always ready to hear and help you1 she added4 ,an' it was ,him told you to give me the frock too1 wasn't it8 ,and ,i'm rightly thankful to ,him1 and you too1 ,miss ,lucy4 ,and ,nelly carried home her new acquisition1 with very different feelings from those with which she had taken the frock she had coveted4 ,how glad ,i am ,i thought of getting it ready for her6 thought ,lucy as she watched her depart1 her own heart full of the pleasure of doing a much-needed kindness1--the only drawback being her regret that ,nelly had not a new hat likewise4 ,the much-watched-for day on which the picnic was to be held turned out as fine as the most eager young hearts could desire1 notwithstanding one or two slight showers that fell in the early morning4 ,but these only cleared the air and laid the dust1 and made the foliage so fresh and glistening that its early summer beauty seemed for a time revived4 ,the fine old oak grove where the feast was to be held1 was1 even before the appointed hour1 astir with bright little groups of happy children4 ,the teachers and some of the elder girls were already busy at a roughly constructed table1 unpacking and arranging cups and saucers1 filling the latter with the ripe-red berries which had been brought in in great abundance1 and cutting up the piles of buns and cakes4 ,bessie ,ford was superintending the distribution of the cream which had come in large jars from the farmhouses1 and of which ,mill ,bank ,farm had contributed the richest and finest4 ,lucy of course was among the working party1 her position as ,mr4 ,raymond's daughter giving her a degree of importance far from disagreeable to her4 ,stella1 seated with her friend ,marian ,wood in the centre of a mass of flowers1 was daintily arranging them in tiny bouquets to be given to the children4 ,at last ,bessie1 who with ,nelly's new hat beside her had been watching the various arrivals1 descried the little solitary figure1 with its dark1 hanging locks1 for which she had been looking4 ,when she approached her1 she was quite surprised at the change in her appearance produced by the fresh1 pretty frock2 and when her old hat was removed1 and the new one placed upon her dark hair1 which had been smoothly combed and brushed out and put back from her eyes1 she really looked as nice as most of the children there4 ,her dark eyes danced with pleasure as ,bessie1 herself almost as happy1 took her to a group of girls about her own age and introduced her to them as a stranger1 to whom they must try to make the picnic as pleasant as possible4 ,bessie was a favourite with all the girls1 and they willingly promised what she asked2 so that ,nelly1 for the first time in many months1 had a really good game of play with children of her own age1--an intense pleasure to her social1 kindly ,irish nature1 which1 with her ready wit1 soon made her the life of the little group4 ,two or three hours passed rapidly by4 ,lucy and ,bessie went from one part of the ground to another1 encouraging the little ones to run and romp1 bringing forward shy or isolated children1 and watching that the ruder and stronger did not oppress the weaker1--or sitting down to talk with some of the elder girls1 who preferred a quiet chat4 ,stella1 in her airy muslin flounces1 a tiny hat with floating blue ribbons crowning her golden tresses1 flitted about with a winning grace1 which made her the admired of all observers4 ,she felt herself a sort of princess on the occasion2 and as she dearly loved popularity1 even among rustics1 she spared no pains to be affable and agreeable1 and felt quite rewarded when she heard such speeches as1 ,what a sweet1 pretty young lady ,miss ,lucy's cousin is6 ,isn't she1 for all the world1 just like a picture8 ,alick watched with some amusement the patronizing air which mingled with her affability1 and perhaps added to her consequence with those who could not appreciate the higher beauty of simplicity of manner4 ,lucy could not repress a slight feeling of annoyance at seeing how easily her cousin won her way1 and how far her more adventitious advantages threw into the shade her own real exertions for the pleasure of those around her4 ,not that the exertions had been prompted by a desire for praise2 but she was not yet unselfish enough to be satisfied that they had gained the desired end1 although not fully appreciated by those for whom they had been made4 ,the difference between the cousins was1 that ,lucy liked approbation1 when she did what was right for its own sake1 while ,stella's conduct was chiefly prompted by the desire of admiration4 ,lucy1 said ,stella1 coming up to her during the afternoon1 do you see that ridiculous imitation of my dress that ,nancy ,parker has on8 ,i suppose she wanted to be dressed just like me2 but ,i'm glad ,i wore a different one to-day4 ,yet1 though ,stella professed some annoyance1 she was secretly a little flattered at ,nancy's thus recognising her as a leader of fashion4 ,alick and ,harry were invaluable aids in promoting the enjoyment of the boys1 as was ,fred also in his quieter way4 ,towards the close of the afternoon ,mr4 ,raymond appeared1 and1 after a pleasant greeting interchanged with his older parishioners present1 the children assembled in the centre of the ground to listen to a few kind and earnest words from their pastor4 ,he took as his subject the remembering their ,creator in the days of their youth2 and after reminding them to whom they owed the innocent pleasures which had been provided for them1 he spoke earnestly of the ,creator and ,redeemer they were to remember1 to whom they should now bring their young hearts1 that ,he might take them and make them ,his4 ,the sunshine of ,his gracious presence would1 he said1 hallow and sweeten their joyous hours1 and be a stay and support even when the evil days should come1 and all other sources of happiness should fail them4 ,his address was not so long as to weary even the most impatient1 and when it was concluded1 the children stood up and sang a hymn1 which1 to ,nelly's great delight1 was her favourite--,i lay my sins on ,jesus4 ,then1 after ,mr4 ,raymond had briefly asked a blessing on the food of which they were about to partake1 and the intercourse they had had1 and were still to have1 the children quietly dispersed into little groups1 and sat down on the grass to enjoy the good things that were liberally provided for them4 ,the distribution kept the assistants busy1 and some care had to be exercised lest too large a share of the cakes should be appropriated by some of the more greedy1--alas that there should be such among ,sunday-school children6 ,nelly ,connor had seldom had a treat in her life1 but she would not for the world have taken one cake more than her share1 or have hidden one away in her pocket1 as she saw some better-dressed children doing4 ,at last1 when the dew was beginning to moisten the grass1 and the fast-lengthening shadows told that the long summer day was drawing to a close1 a bell sounded to collect the children1 and after singing the evening hymn1 and having been commended by ,mr4 ,raymond to the care of ,him who neither slumbers nor sleeps1 all quietly dispersed to their homes4 ,the picnic so eagerly looked forward to was over1 as all earthly pleasures must sooner or later be4 ,not a single incident had marred its harmony1 and1 to ,nelly ,connor in particular1 the day had been one of unmingled and unprecedented enjoyment4 ,how different from what it would have been had she not1 in a strength from above1 overcome the temptation to which she had so nearly yielded6 ,,viii4 ,partings4 ,only1 since our souls will shrink ,at the touch of natural grief1 ,when our earthly loved ones sink1 ,lend us1 ,lord1 ,thy sure relief1-- ,patient hearts1 their pain to see1 ,and ,thy grace1 to follow ,thee4 ,stella's visit was now drawing to a close4 ,she had very much enjoyed its novelty1 and had1 during her stay1 made some acquisitions1 though not of a kind that she yet appreciated1 or was even conscious of4 ,it was impossible for her to be so long in a household where every day was begun and closed by invoking ,god's presence and guidance1 where ,his blessing and approbation were steadily regarded as the best of all good1 where the standard of action was that laid down in ,his word1 and where ,his strengthening grace was looked upon as the most necessary equipment for daily life1 without receiving a deeper impression of the importance of these things than she had ever before felt4 ,and though the members of her uncle's family had their share of human imperfections1 yet on the whole the example she had seen around her had been sufficiently consistent to show her1 almost against her will1 the beauty of a ,christian life1 as contrasted with one based wholly on worldly principles4 ,some seeds of good1 at all events1 she carried back with her1 though she was far from having profited as she might have done1 had her heart been more open to receive the influences around her4 ,it had been a new thing to ,lucy to have a companion of her own age and sex2 she had become really attached to her winsome cousin1 and all the transient irritation which ,stella had often caused her passed into oblivion now that they were really about to part4 ,alick was to escort ,stella to the residence of a friend whom she was to visit on her way home2 and the cousins parted with affectionate hopes of a visit from ,stella next summer1 and also of a winter visit which ,mr4 ,raymond had half promised that ,lucy should make to her cousin's city home4 ,the loss of ,stella's restless and vivacious presence made no small blank in the house--a blank to be still further increased by the permanent departure of ,alick soon after his return from escorting ,stella4 ,he had at last decided on the place in which he was to settle--a new and rising village in the far ,west--and had already been claiming his mother's promise1 that so soon as he should be able to provide a home for her1 she would come and preside in it4 ,mrs4 ,steele felt that it would be her duty to comply with her son's desire2 and ,mr4 ,raymond1 while very sorry to lose his sister's kind1 motherly supervision of his family1 felt that he could not dissuade her from an arrangement so right and natural1 and to which he had long looked forward as a probability4 ,however1 she was not to leave them for some months at least1 and during that time ,lucy was to learn all she could about housekeeping1 in order to be able to fill her aunt's place as well as a young beginner could do4 ,to ,lucy1 indeed1 there mingled with her regret for her aunt's expected departure1 a certain latent satisfaction at the increased importance of her own place in the household2 and her ambition was so much stimulated by the hope of fulfilling her new duties in the most exemplary manner1 that it somewhat alleviated her sorrow at the thought of losing the kind aunt who had filled a mother's place4 ,many were the regrets when the time came for ,alick's final departure from ,ashleigh to his distant sphere of duty2 and ,mr4 ,raymond1 in bidding him a kind farewell1 added in an earnest tone the not unneeded admonition3 ,alick1 my boy1 don't forget who says1 ',seek ye first the kingdom of ,god and ,his righteousness1 and all other things shall be added unto you4' ,and so the happy party1 who had enjoyed together at ,ashleigh the pleasant summer days1 were scattered1 never again to meet there under the same circumstances2 for the autumn1 bringing the cold blasts and nipping frosts that scattered the rich summer foliage and made the earth bleak and bare1 brought other changes1 far sadder than these4 ,nelly was the first to whose life came a sudden change4 ,a rumour reached the village that a deck-hand on one of the river steamers had lost his life by a fatal accident1 and that the man's name was ,michael ,connor4 ,it seldom happens that such reports turn out groundless2 and when ,mrs4 ,connor1 having heard of it1 hastened to the wharf to discover what truth there might be in it1 she met a comrade of her husband's who had come to announce to his family the sad fact4 ,mrs4 ,connor did not profess any deep regret for a husband whom she had often asserted to be a good-for-nothing scamp4 ,she looked at the matter chiefly in a pecuniary point of view1 and1 on making a rapid calculation1 came to the conclusion that any deficiency caused by the loss of the small fraction of his earnings that came into her possession would be more than made up by her being relieved of the maintenance of ,nelly1 for whom she did not consider it her duty any longer to provide4 ,but in ,nelly herself ,michael ,connor had at least one true mourner4 ,she forgot all her father's carelessness and neglect1 and remembered only that he was her father1 who used in days long past1 when her mother was alive1 to take her on his knee and call her his darlint4 ,when it broke fully on her mind that she should never see him again--that he had left her for ever1 as her mother had done--her grief for a while knew no control4 ,poor child1 she had literally no one in the world belonging to her1 so far as she knew1 and she felt utterly desolate and forlorn4 ,finding but little comfort at home1 where her new mother's cold1 unfeeling remarks only aggravated her sorrow1 she betook herself to ,lucy1 who had just heard1 with great concern1 of ,nelly's bereavement4 ,she did her best to comfort her2 and though at first the kind words only seemed to make the tears flow faster1 by degrees the child was soothed and calmed1 and able to listen to ,mr4 ,raymond when he laid his hand kindly on her head and told her that she must look to ,god as her ,father now1 and must go and tell ,jesus all her troubles4 ,then he made her repeat after him the verse1 ,when my father and my mother forsake me1 then the ,lord will take me up4 ,but1 ,miss ,lucy1 said ,nelly1 as she was going away1 where is it ,i'm going to live now8 ,why1 is your mother going away8 ,niver a bit1 miss2 but she says she's kept me long enough now1 and she won't keep me any longer4 ,lucy could scarcely believe that this could be more than one of ,mrs4 ,connor's meaningless threats1 and tried to reassure ,nelly that it would be all right4 ,but ,mrs4 ,steele1 knowing ,mrs4 ,connor's hard1 selfish nature1 was by no means so sure that there might not be something in it1 and was not surprised when she appeared next day to say that she thought ,nelly's grand friends might do something for her now her poor father was gone1 and she had no one to look to her4 ,but she has you1 of course1 ,mrs4 ,steele replied4 ,we shall be very glad to help you as far as possible1 but you have shown yourself well able to support your family4 ,she ain't one of my family1 replied ,mrs4 ,connor1 and ,i've kept her long enough for all the good ,i've ever got out of her2 so ,i don't see that it's any of my business to take the bit out of my children's mouths and put it into hers4 ,mrs4 ,connor would probably not have come to this decision had she not been less dependent than formerly on ,nelly's assistance4 ,but as her youngest child was now able to run alone1 and the eldest could1 on an emergency1 take care of the rest1 and as she now took in most of her washing1 she had less need for an additional worker1 involving an additional mouth to be fed4 ,besides1 ,nelly was a growing girl1 she reflected1 and would be always costing her more for food and clothing1 so that to be rid of her maintenance would be so much clear gain4 ,she was therefore inexorable in her determination that ,nelly should not remain with her1 unless1 indeed1 the ladies would pay for her board--a proposition which ,mrs4 ,steele declined to entertain4 ,it was taken seriously into consideration by ,lucy and her aunt what could be done to provide ,nelly with a home4 ,lucy was eager that she should be at once taken into their own household1 to be trained for domestic service2 but this ,mrs4 ,steele thought impracticable at present1 as she knew that their own busy1 capable handmaid would strongly object to have her time taken up in teaching a girl who would give her so much additional trouble4 ,but there are other people1 she said1 who would be very glad of a child like ,nelly1 who would cost nothing for wages1 to train and make useful4 ,i am going to ,mill ,bank ,farm this afternoon to see about some butter1 and ,i'll see if ,mrs4 ,ford knows of any one who would take her4 ,lucy assented rather reluctantly4 ,it would have been so nice1 she thought1 to have her protege immediately under her own charge1 to teach and train into a model servant4 ,she had not yet learned the distrust in her own powers which experience gives1 and she saw only the bright side of the plan1 not the difficulties in its execution4 ,mrs4 ,ford's motherly heart was at once roused to pity for the little orphan's forlorn condition1 and to indignation at ,mrs4 ,connor's heartless conduct4 ,after all the work she's got out of her1 too6 she said2 making that poor child drudge away morning1 noon1 and night4 ,i'm sure she's been worth a deal more to her than the little bit of meat and drink she's given her--with a grudge1 as ,i hear from the neighbours4 ,well1 well1 it's a queer world4 ,mrs4 ,ford promised to try to find out a good place for ,nelly1 and early next morning she made her appearance1 having taken the long walk on one of her busiest days1 in order to talk over ,nelly's business1 as she said4 ,she proposed to take the orphan into her own family1 for a time at least1 until some more permanent situation should turn up4 ,we'll never miss the little she'll want1 she said2 and if we did1 ,i've been often thinking of late that we've been too much taken up with doing the most we could for this world1 and been caring too little for the poor that our ,saviour says are to be always with us4 ,so my mind would be easier if ,i were doing this much1 at any rate1 and the poor thing'll be more likely to get a good steady place if ,i take her in hand and teach her a bit myself4 ,so it was settled1 and ,nelly1 to her surprise and delight1 found herself an inmate1 for a time at least1 of ,mill ,bank ,farm1 though she was made to understand that the arrangement was not a permanent one4 ,the present comfort and happiness were enough for her1 however1 for she was not given to spoiling the enjoyments of to-day by thoughts about the morrow2 and she certainly had never1 so far as her recollection went1 been half so happy as she now was under ,mrs4 ,ford's motherly care1 with ,bessie for a half-companion1 half-teacher1 and removed from the sound of the harsh words and tones which had so long been the constant accompaniments of her life4 ,one of ,mrs4 ,ford's first cares was to provide her with some needed clothing from ,bessie's outgrown garments1 which otherwise would have been stowed thriftily away for little ,jenny4 ,lucy added her contribution for the same object1 and it was considered a good opportunity for teaching her what she so much needed to learn--plain sewing4 ,mrs4 ,ford1 who was a capital seamstress as well as housewife1 undertook to make ,nelly a good needlewoman1 if she would be diligent in trying to learn2 and she was too grateful1 and too anxious to please1 not to try her best1 though the long1 tedious seams often tried her restless1 active spirit4 ,when she found herself getting so impatient that she felt as if she could not sit still any longer1 or1 at any rate1 could not force herself to do the work with patience and care1 she would remember the injunction to tell ,jesus her troubles and difficulties1 and the restless spirit would become quiet1 and the strength to fulfil her good resolutions would come back4 ,as it was too far for her to go to ,lucy now for her daily lessons1 ,lucy resigned her to ,bessie's tuition1 though somewhat unwillingly1 for her teaching had become a source of real pleasure to her1 and she felt that in it she was doing some definite work for her ,saviour4 ,she had not yet got into the habit of looking upon everything she was called in duty to do as work done for ,christ1 just in proportion as it was done in a spirit of cheerful faith and dependence1 looking unto ,jesus both as the master and the friend4 ,but dark days were at hand for ,lucy too1--days when she would need all the support her faith could give4 ,mr4 ,raymond's never robust constitution had been for some time gradually failing1 though ,lucy1 seeing him daily1 and accustomed to consider her father not very strong1 had not observed it4 ,late in ,november1 a long1 cold drive in sleet and rain to visit a dying parishioner brought on symptoms of fever1 which rapidly increased1 till the doctor1 who had been summoned to attend him1 looked very anxious1 and pronounced his patient in a most critical condition4 ,lucy had been so long accustomed to his occasional illnesses1 that she was slow to admit the idea of danger to her father1 the possibility of losing whom had scarcely ever occurred to her mind4 ,therefore1 though she could not help seeing her aunt's extreme anxiety1 she resolutely turned her thoughts to the happier prospect of her father's recovery1 when he would again occupy his wonted place1 and the house would be like itself again4 ,even when ,mr4 ,raymond's extreme weakness forced the others to give up hope1 ,lucy still hoped and prayed1 by the sick-bed and in her own chamber1 as she had never prayed before4 ,surely1 she thought1 if she prayed humbly and earnestly1 her prayer would not be denied by ,him who has said1 ,ask1 and ye shall receive2 and her father would be restored to her4 ,she did not consider that as regards earthly things the promise must be limited1 or the conditions of human life would have to be altered4 ,if our prayers that our dear ones should be spared to us were always to be granted1 when would they ever attain that blessed rest in the ,father's house--the haven they have been looking for through all the cares and troubles of their mortal pilgrimage8 ,mr4 ,raymond had often longed for the time when his earthly work should be done1 and he should be called to the presence of his ,saviour--to reunion with his early-lost wife4 ,and now1 though in the unconsciousness of his exhausted powers he knew it not1 that time had come4 ,his falling asleep was as peaceful as the sinking of a child into its nightly slumber2 and ,lucy did not realize that it was death1 till1 in the dark ,december morning1 she stood by the cold white couch on which lay the inanimate form to which1 from her earliest days1 she had always looked as her protector and guide4 ,it was hard to persuade herself that that cold form was not her father1 but that all that had made the living1 sentient being had passed to another state of existence beyond her power to follow--beyond her power to conceive4 ,in the strange awe that came upon her1 she lost for a time the sense of the desolation of her bereavement--lost all thought for herself1 in trying to pierce the darkness which hung between her and the undiscovered lands in which both her parents now were4 ,with ,fred it was much the same1--an awestruck solemnity at first repressing in both the natural feeling of personal loss4 ,harry was the only one whose bitter1 childish grief broke forth uncontrolled4 ,but there was time in the blank1 desolate days that followed to realize the full bitterness of the bereavement4 ,once out of the still1 solemn chamber1 which seemed to hush all violent emotion1 there were associations at every step1 in every room1 of him whose place should know him no more1 to call forth the uncontrollable agony of tears that had for a time been repressed4 ,and when the still form had been carried to its last resting-place1 and the heavy consciousness made itself felt that he was gone1 never in any possible event to return to them1 it seemed to ,lucy as if it would have been too terrible to bear but for the ,saviour1 to whom she carried her grief1 and found that1 though ,he does not always at our asking restore our sick to this mortal life1 yet that1 when ,he takes them away1 ,he can and will be a very present help in time of trouble4 ,but there was already another grief looming darkly in the distance1 which ,lucy almost shrank from facing4 ,the home that had been hers from her birth must be broken up4 ,the external surroundings in which her life had been always set were to be torn from it2 and any other phase of life seemed as if it must be a dreary blank4 ,she could not then realize the possibility of ever forming new associations1 or taking root in any other home4 ,and indeed it is doubtful whether one ever does take root again in the same sense as in the home of childhood1 which is linked with the earliest associations of opening thought1 and with all the hallowed ties that cluster around a child's happy home4 ,other houses are but places of abode1 made home by association3 that seemed absolutely and in itself home4 ,alick had come to ,ashleigh as soon as possible after his uncle's death1 and was anxious to take his mother at once to the new home he had been preparing for her4 ,as to ,lucy1 there seemed to be but one course advisable4 ,as ,mr4 ,raymond could leave only a very slender provision for his family1 he had always been anxious that ,lucy should have an education sufficiently thorough to put her in a position to gain her own livelihood by teaching1 and a way seemed opened for her to carry out his wishes in this respect4 ,mr4 ,brooke1 urged thereto by his daughter ,stella1 had written to ,mrs4 ,steele1 offering to receive ,lucy into his own family for the next two or three years1 in order to give her the advantage of a first-class education1 which was1 he remarked1 the best he could do for her1 as it would give her the ability to do for herself4 ,lucy shrank from the prospect of so long a residence in a home so unlike the one she was leaving1 as from ,stella's remarks she felt sure it must be4 ,but to go with ,harry to live with ,mrs4 ,steele and ,alick1 as they kindly invited her to do1 in case she could not make up her mind to go to ,mr4 ,brooke's1 would1 she felt1 be imposing far too great a burden on ,alick's kindness1 though it seemed just the right home for ,harry4 ,fred1 who had been summoned from college to his father's deathbed1 must return to resume his theological studies1 for they all insisted that he should not think of giving up the career which had been his father's desire for him as well as his own4 ,the more ,lucy thought about the matter1 the more distinctly she saw that there was no other way rightly open to her1 especially as1 even could she think it right to accompany ,mrs4 ,steele and ,alick1 she could not1 in the new village in the ,west1 expect any educational advantages4 ,but it was with much reluctance1 and after many prayers to be strengthened to meet the new experiences before her1 that she gave her decision to go to live for the present in her ,cousin ,stella's home4 ,fred1 to whom she confided her extreme shrinking from venturing into an atmosphere which her fancy pictured as so cold and uncongenial1 endeavoured to reassure her1 by reminding her of what she knew1 indeed1 but found it difficult to realize1 that her ,saviour could be as near her in the crowded city as in her quiet country home1 since ,his love is ,a flower that cannot die ,for lack of leafy screen2 and that it was a sickly ,christianity which must necessarily fade and droop when removed from the atmosphere in which it had been originally nurtured4 ,well1 she said at last disconsolately1 it doesn't matter so very much4 ,i can never be very happy again1 now papa is gone2 and the best thing is to think most about the home he has gone to1 and try to follow him there4 ,something of this kind she wrote to her old friend and teacher1 ,mrs4 ,harris1 who had sent her a letter of loving sympathy4 ,she smiled half sadly when she read ,lucy's disconsolate reply4 ,mrs4 ,harris had seen enough of life to know that a young heart is not permanently depressed by a first grief2 and she feared for ,lucy1 if she should trust to the influence of sorrow alone to keep her unspotted from the world4 ,my dear ,lucy1 she wrote1 while it is well that you should always cherish your dear father's memory1 and keep his counsels and his example always with you as a protecting influence1 beware of trusting too much to this4 ,he himself would have told you that it is not him you are to follow1 but ,him whom he followed1 ',jesus ,christ1 the same yesterday1 to-day1 and for ever4' ,this alone can be our strength4 ,time is strong against our deepest sorrow1 and no influence can permanently hold1 except the constraining love of ,christ4 ,never lose the habit of looking steadily to ,him1 and to ,him alone1 for daily and hourly strength4 ,it was wise counsel1 and ,lucy in time came to find out how true it was4 ,it is needless to dwell upon the pain of the breaking up1--the packing up and stowing away treasured possessions1 so closely associated with the times now passed away2 the sorrowful leave-takings of old friends1 who felt as if they were losing the last link with their beloved minister in the departure of his family2 the sad farewell looks at all the well-known home objects1 the flower-beds1 the gravel walks1 the shrubs and trees1 every twig of which had such a familiar look4 ,many a time it seemed as if it must be only a sad dream1 that all these things were about to pass from her daily life into a vision of memory4 ,happily it was winter4 ,had it been in the fair flush of summer1 when her home looked its loveliest1 the parting would have been far harder4 ,as it was1 it was hard enough2 but she tried to conceal her sorrow from those to whose pain it would have added1 though many a tear was secretly shed over even the old grey cat and the gentle petted cow1 which were almost home friends4 ,at last all the preparations were completed4 ,the house1 stripped of most of its familiar furnishings1 wore already a strange1 uncomfortable aspect1 full of packing-cases and confusion4 ,fred had already been obliged to return to college1 and ,lucy was to be the next to go4 ,alick was to escort her to the next railway station1 and see her on the train which was to take her to the city4 ,it was the first time she had ever travelled alone1 and she rather dreaded it2 but she knew that it would be very inconvenient for ,alick to accompany her the whole way1 and she would not admit that she thought the solitary journey at all a formidable one4 ,poor ,nelly1 who grieved as much for her friend's departure as she had done for her father's death1 came on the last morning to say good-bye1 although ,lucy had already taken leave of her and ,bessie at ,mill ,bank ,farm1 and had made the latter promise to write to her sometimes4 ,and it's sorry ,i am1 ,miss ,lucy1 you're going1 and you so good to me1 sobbed ,nelly1 when she felt the parting moment was really come4 ,well1 ,nelly1 we must both try to remember our ,friend in heaven1 who has been so good to us both4 ,you love ,him1 ,i hope1 ,nelly1 and pray to ,him always8 ,indeed ,i do1 and ,i always pray ,god to bless you1 ,miss ,lucy4 ,well1 ,i won't forget to pray for you1 ,nelly1 and we know ,he will hear our prayers1 replied ,lucy kindly4 ,acts of ,christian kindness often bring their reward even in this life3 the cup of cold water we give sometimes returns to refresh our own parched lips4 ,it was some comfort to ,lucy1 even in this time of sorrow1 to feel that she had been enabled to help ,nelly to know the ,saviour1 whom the poor1 friendless child seemed to have received into her heart with a true and simple faith4 ,,ix4 ,introductions4 ,my ,god1 my ,father1 while ,i stray ,far from my home in life's rough way1 ,oh teach me from my heart to say1 ',thy will be done4' ,the short ,january afternoon was closing in when ,lucy's train drew near its destination4 ,gradually thickening clusters of houses1 a momentary glimpse of distant steeples1 a general commotion and hunting-up of tickets1 packages1 and bandboxes1 betokened1 even to ,lucy's inexperienced eyes1 that the city was nearly reached4 ,she had made no acquaintances on the way2 but a polite elderly gentleman1 who had been sitting beside her1 and had occasionally exchanged a kind word with her1 seeing that she was alone1 stopped to hand her out with great courtesy4 ,any one to meet you8 he asked1 seeing that she seemed at a loss what to do next4 ,yes--that is--,i expect--faltered ,lucy1 looking round to see if ,stella was not to be seen among the hurrying crowd4 ,but no familiar face was to be seen2 and the gentleman1 who had caught only the first word of her answer1 hurried off with a friend he met1 forgetting all about ,lucy4 ,it seemed to her a long time that she stood there1 wistfully watching the people who were meeting their friends1 or hurrying away alone2 and her spirits1 temporarily excited by the journey1 began to sink fast4 ,it seemed so strange that no one should be there to meet her1 as her uncle had promised2 and if no one should appear1 what was she to do8 ,at last1 after about five minutes had elapsed1 a slight1 delicate-looking young man1 very fashionably dressed1 with an eyeglass at one eye and a cigar in his mouth1 sauntered along1 lightly swinging his cane and looking leisurely around him4 ,presently he came up to ,lucy1 and1 after a scrutinizing glance1 he said1 touching his hat3 ,my cousin ,lucy ,raymond1 ,i presume8 and seeing he was right1 he added1 with a nonchalant air1 ,glad to see you2 been waiting long8 ,about a quarter of an hour1 ,lucy replied1 thinking she was speaking the exact truth4 ,hardly that1 he replied4 ,i expected to have been here in time1 but these trains are never to be depended on4 ,then he motioned to a cabman1 who advanced and asked for the checks for the luggage4 ,lucy had forgotten all about them1 and her cousin mentally set her down as green1 while she nervously searched for them4 ,take your time1 he said good-humouredly4 ,they were found at last1 and everything being collected1 ,lucy and her cousin were soon driving away from the station4 ,you are cousin ,edwin1 ,i suppose8 ,lucy ventured to say timidly4 ,the same1 at your service4 ,i suppose ,stella posted you up about us all8 ,you've never been in a place as big as this1 have you8 he said1 observing her eager1 watching look4 ,no1 never2 ,ashleigh is hardly more than a village4 ,how is ,stella8 ,stella6 ,oh1 she's quite well2 she was out walking when ,i left4 ,lucy's heart sank at the apparent coldness of her reception4 ,had ,stella been coming to visit her1 she would have been watching for the steamboat for an hour before its arrival6 ,left all well at home8 inquired ,edwin4 ,oh1 ,i forgot2 ,i suppose you're all broken up there now8 he added1 glancing at her black dress and crape veil4 ,fred's gone to college again1 ,i suppose8 ,yes1 replied ,lucy4 ,she could not have added a word more4 ,it was all she could do to keep back the tears that started to her eyes1 as the sad realization that she had no longer a home came back to her4 ,edwin1 however1 had happily exhausted his stock of conversation for the present1 and ,lucy did not try to renew it4 ,after driving1 as it seemed to her1 an interminably long way1 they stopped opposite a tall stone house1 one of a row all just alike1 and looking very monotonous and sombre to ,lucy's eyes1 accustomed to the variety of the ,ashleigh houses4 ,light gleamed already through the hall-door1 which was speedily opened2 and the next moment ,stella1 looking as pretty as ever1 rushed down the wide staircase1 and met her cousin with an affectionate embrace4 ,mamma1 here's ,lucy1 she said as she led the way up the staircase4 ,at its head stood a lady1 who reminded ,lucy strongly of the pictures of her dear mother1 except that there was the difference of expression between a worldly and an unworldly character4 ,mrs4 ,brooke never had had--perhaps now never could have--the pure spiritual beauty which had been ,mrs4 ,raymond's chief charm2 but she was a graceful1 stylish-looking woman1 rather languid and unenergetic in appearance1 as she was in character4 ,her kiss was affectionate1 as she told ,lucy that she was very glad to see her1 and that she reminded her a little of her poor mother2 though you're much more like your papa1 she added4 ,and here are ,ada and ,sophy1 just in time1 exclaimed ,stella1 as two young ladies1 very fashionably attired in walking dress1 ascended the stairs and were duly introduced4 ,ada1 who was the smaller of the two1 resembled her mother and ,stella1 with all their softness and winning grace of manner4 ,sophy was a tall1 handsome girl1 with a somewhat haughty air1 and her greeting was colder and more dignified4 ,she suggested that ,stella should take her cousin at once to her room1 saying she should think ,lucy would wish to rest for awhile before dinner1--a proposal to which she was only too glad to accede1 feeling somewhat uncomfortable in the heavy travelling attire1 which was such a contrast to her cousins' elegant dresses4 ,stella led the way to a room much larger and more handsomely furnished than ,lucy's old one at home1 though it all looked so strange and unfamiliar1 that she wondered whether it would ever seem home to her4 ,stella showed her all its conveniences and arrangements for her comfort1 and then observed1 ,but you're not to have it all to yourself2 which ,lucy heard with some disappointment1 for she had been always accustomed at home to have a room to herself1 and hoped to have one still4 ,amy's to sleep with you1 and ,i think you'll like her4 ,she's a good little thing1 though she's not a bit pretty2 and she's named after your mamma1 you know1 who was my ,aunt ,amy4 ,it sounds odd1 doesn't it8 ,ada and ,i sleep together1 because we get on best2 and ,sophy can't be troubled with a child sleeping with her1 especially as ,amy is delicate1 and sometimes restless at night4 ,do you think you'll mind having her8 ,oh no6 said ,lucy1 somewhat relieved4 ,i always used to think ,i should like to have a little sister of my own4 ,here she is1 to speak for herself1 said ,stella1 as the door opened1 and a fragile-looking little girl of about seven timidly peeped in4 ,come in1 ,amy1 and be introduced4 ,the child stole quietly in1 encouraged by ,lucy's smile1 and held out to her a hand so thin and tiny1 that she thought she had never felt anything like it before4 ,amy had fair hair and a colourless complexion2 but when the soft grey eyes looked up wistfully at ,lucy1 and a sweet smile lighted up the pale face1 her cousin thought ,stella hardly justified in calling her not a bit pretty4 ,so you're my little cousin ,amy8 said ,lucy1 kissing her4 ,and you're going to sleep with me and be my little sister1 are you not8 ,amy nodded4 ,she evidently had not ,stella's flow of language4 ,shall ,i help you to unpack1 ,lucy8 interposed her loquacious cousin1 or would you rather lie down and rest awhile8 ,lucy preferred the latter4 ,she wanted to be alone2 and as she was very tired with the fatigue and excitement of the journey and arrival1 it is scarcely to be wondered at that1 when she was left alone1 she found relief in a hearty fit of crying4 ,however1 she soon remembered she could do something better than that1 so she knelt to thank her heavenly ,father for ,his protecting care during her journey4 ,she asked1 too1 that as she was far away from all dear home friends and familiar surroundings1 she might be helped to love those around her now1 and to do her duty in her new circumstances4 ,her heart was much lighter and calmer now1 and she was nearly ready to go down to dinner1 when ,stella came in to help her1 and to insist on arranging her hair in a new fashion she had lately learned1 before escorting her down to the dining-room4 ,lucy had dreaded a good deal her introduction to her uncle1 of whom she had not a very pleasant impression4 ,he was a brisk1 shrewd-looking man1 a great contrast to his listless-looking son2 and his manner1 though patronizing1 was not ungenial1 as ,lucy had feared it would be1 from his harsh opinions1 quoted by ,stella1 in regard to the poor4 ,all the rest of the family she had already seen1 ,edwin being the only son who had survived1 and on that account1 probably1 a good deal spoilt4 ,lucy could not help noticing the very slight mourning worn by the family1 if indeed it could be called mourning at all4 ,but even this slight mark of respect would hardly have been accorded to ,mr4 ,raymond's memory1 but for ,lucy's coming among them in her deep mourning4 ,people would notice1 and it wouldn't look well1 ,sophy had said2 and this decided the question1 though the girls grumbled a good deal at the inconvenience of it1 especially at a time of the year when they were usually so gay1 and wanted to wear colours4 ,stella was the only one who did not object4 ,she had imbibed a strong respect for her uncle1 and wore her black dress with a certain satisfaction1 in the feeling that she was doing honour to his memory4 ,there was a good deal of lively talk during dinner1 almost unintelligible1 however1 to ,lucy1 from her ignorance of the persons and things talked about4 ,the tone of conversation1 however1 was as uncongenial as were the subjects4 ,edwin had a cynical air1 partly real1 partly affected2 and the girls' remarks were characterized by the same sort of flippancy which had often jarred upon her in ,stella4 ,after dinner ,edwin disappeared1 ,mr4 ,brooke became absorbed in his newspapers1 ,sophy was soon engrossed with a novel1 and ,ada and her mother employed themselves in some very pretty worsted embroidery4 ,lucy1 of course1 had no work as yet1 and ,stella resorted to her old fashion of lounging about doing nothing in particular1 except talking4 ,she expatiated largely1 for ,lucy's benefit1 upon the classes and masters in the fashionable school to which her cousin was to accompany her1 giving her various scraps of information respecting her future classmates1 with a list of their foibles and peculiarities amusingly described1 but rather wearisome to a stranger4 ,mrs4 ,brooke questioned ,lucy about her previous studies1 looking doubtful when she heard of ,latin and mathematics1 and saying she was afraid she had been made a little of a blue4 ,at her aunt's request1 she sat down at the handsome piano1 and rather nervously got through a simple air1 the only one she knew by heart4 ,she felt she had not done herself justice1 and ,stella said apologetically1 ,you know she never had any teacher but ,mrs4 ,steele1 and she has no style4 ,lucy's cheek flushed at the disparaging remark1 but ,mrs4 ,brooke only said1 ,i hope you will play better than that1 my dear1 when you have had ,signor ,goldoni for awhile4 ,do you sing8 ,only hymns1 aunt4 ,we often sing them on ,sundays at home4 ,well1 if you have anything of a voice1 you will soon do better than that4 ,any one can sing hymns4 ,lucy made no reply1 but she privately thought that very few could sing them like her ,aunt ,mary4 ,then1 recollecting that ,stella had told her how well ,sophy played and sang1 she turned rather timidly to her with the request1 ,won't you sing1 ,cousin ,sophy8 ,do1 ,sophy1 added her mother and ,stella1 both at once4 ,but ,sophy1 reclining in a luxurious easy-chair near the fire1 and absorbed in a sensational novel1 was too comfortable to think of moving4 ,i really can't just now1 she said rather coldly4 ,i'm tired1 and ,i'm just at the most interesting place in this book4 ,sophy never will sing to please any one but herself and--some people1 said ,stella mischievously4 ,and then1 sometimes1 if she takes the notion1 there's no stopping her4 ,now1 if a certain person ,i know were here-- ,ada laughed4 ,sophy just said haughtily1 ,i'll be much obliged to you1 ,stella1 not to disturb me2 at which ,stella1 with mock gravity1 put her finger on her lip4 ,well1 ,i am tired1 ,mrs4 ,brooke at last said1 rising2 and ,i am sure ,lucy must be so too4 ,lucy1 ,i advise you to go to bed at once2 and1 ,stella1 don't stay in your cousin's room talking1 and don't wake ,amy1 if she is asleep4 ,it seemed very strange to ,lucy that the family circle should break up for the night without the united acknowledgment of the protecting kindness which had carried them in safety through the day--without invoking the same protecting care through the watches of the night--without the acknowledgment of the sins of the day1 and the prayer for forgiveness1 and the petitions for dear absent ones--to which she had always been accustomed4 ,it was plain that no custom of the kind existed in ,mr4 ,brooke's family4 ,notwithstanding her mother's prohibition1 ,stella did linger long in ,lucy's room1 chattering about one thing after another1 ,amy's wide-open eyes watching them from her pillow4 ,i'm going just in a minute1 she would say1 when ,lucy reminded her of what her mother had said1 and then she would rush into some new subject4 ,lucy was tired1 and was longing to have a little quiet time to herself2 but ,stella1 who was undressing beside her1 and would be in bed and asleep as soon as she should go back to her own room1 did not consider that4 ,there's ,stella chattering away yet1 said ,ada1 as she and ,sophy came up-stairs4 ,stella1 how naughty of you to stay here so long1 keeping ,lucy up6 ,i was just talking about two or three things1 said ,stella4 ,i have no doubt of that1 ,sophy remarked2 but ,i'm sure ,lucy would prefer to have the conversation postponed till to-morrow4 ,ada was examining the various little possessions of ,lucy's1 which were already on the dressing-table4 ,well1 if she hasn't got her ,bible out already6 she exclaimed4 ,what a good child it is6 ,does it read it every night8 ,i thought every one did1 said ,lucy simply1 though her cheek flushed at the tone of the remark4 ,ada laughed1 and ,sophy smiled satirically1 though she did not speak4 ,well1 you are a simple little thing1 said ,ada4 ,when you've lived in town for awhile you'll know better4 ,oh1 they're all such good people in ,ashleigh6 ,i never knew ,i did so many wicked things till ,i was there1 said ,stella4 ,lucy looked pained1 and ,sophy interposed4 ,well1 you've shocked ,lucy enough for one night1 and it's high time she and you too were in bed4 ,so come at once1 ,stella4 ,ada and ,stella kissed ,lucy affectionately1 as they followed ,sophy out of the room1 and ,lucy was left alone1 to think with surprise and distress of the total want of religious feeling which her cousins' remarks betrayed4 ,when she had once more thanked ,god for ,his goodness1 and implored ,his supporting help1 and had read a few comforting verses out of her ,bible1 she did not forget to pray that her cousins1 who so little appreciated its treasures of divine counsel and consolation1 might yet be led to know them for themselves4 ,but the fatigue and excitement of the day had thoroughly tired her out1 and almost as soon as her head sank on the pillow she was fast asleep1 dreaming of the happy times past1 and the dear friends now so far away4 ,x4 ,new ,experiences4 ,i need ,thy presence every passing hour2 ,who but ,thyself can foil the tempter's power8 ,when other helpers fail1 and comforts flee1 ,help of the helpless1 ,lord1 abide with me6 ,lucy could hardly understand where she was when she awoke the next morning4 ,she had scarcely ever been absent from home in her life2 and the strange and unfamiliar aspect of everything around her quite bewildered her1 till little ,amy's gentle touch recalled the events of the preceding day4 ,her home-sickness returned for a time2 but the strength came for which she prayed1 and she was able to go down to breakfast with a cheerful face4 ,sophy and her father were the only ones who appeared at the nominal breakfast hour4 ,stella had always been late for breakfast at ,ashleigh in summer1 so it was not surprising that in winter she should be one of the last to appear4 ,but it did not apparently matter much1 for the different members of the family seemed to come to the breakfast table just as it suited them1 and the meal could scarcely be called a social one4 ,neither ,sophy nor her father talked much1 he having his newspaper open before him4 ,lucy was too shy as yet to talk without encouragement1 which ,sophy did not give2 and she felt it a relief when ,stella1 with her unfailing loquacity1 made her appearance4 ,you see it's ,saturday morning1 so one can have a little more sleep1 she said1 yawning as if she had not had enough yet4 ,then why don't you go to bed sooner at night1 my dear1 if you want more sleep8 asked her father4 ,but ,stella quickly turned the conversation to another subject1 and kept up a full stream of talk till ,mrs4 ,brooke and ,ada appeared1 and soon afterwards ,edwin sauntered in4 ,lucy1 said her aunt1 as she left the breakfast table1 you must let me see your dresses this morning2 ,i am sure you'll want some new things1 and you must get them at once4 ,aunt ,mary thought ,i had all ,i should want for the winter1 said ,lucy1 colouring1 for it was a point on which she was sensitive1 not wishing herself to spend any more on her dress than was absolutely necessary1 and desiring1 if possible1 not to increase her uncle's expenditure on her account4 ,well1 we shall see1 said ,mrs4 ,brooke4 ,but you know you cannot dress here exactly as you did at ,ashleigh1 and ,i want you to look as well as your cousins4 ,lucy felt rather dismayed at the idea of being expected to wear such stylish attire2 and she could have cried1 as one after another of the articles on which she and ,mrs4 ,steele had bestowed so much pains was pronounced by ,mrs4 ,brooke and ,ada quite out of date and not fit to be seen4 ,mrs4 ,brooke1 apart from her really kind intentions towards her sister's orphan daughter1 was determined that ,lucy1 who was to be ,stella's constant companion1 should not1 by shabby or old-fashioned dress1 disgrace the family in the eyes of her critical fashionable associates2 so it was determined1 without reference to ,lucy1 that ,ada and ,sophy should take her out forthwith on a shopping excursion1 to provide her with what ,mrs4 ,brooke considered essential for her creditable appearance as a member of her family4 ,after her first uncomfortable feeling had worn off1 ,lucy really enjoyed her expedition1 everything--the busy streets1 the crowded buildings1 the rattling carts and carriages2 above all1 the gaily-decorated shop windows--having so much of the charm of novelty for a country girl4 ,the windows of the print-shops and book-stores in particular she thought so attractive1 that she wondered how the hurrying passers-by could go on their way without even a glance at their treasures4 ,the shopping was easily accomplished under ,ada's experienced superintendence1 and might have been accomplished much more quickly1 ,lucy thought1 had it not been that her cousins would spend so much time in looking over articles which they had no intention of buying1 thereby1 she thought1 putting the obliging shopmen to an immense deal of trouble1 and sadly wasting their own morning4 ,but neither of her companions had much sense of the value of time1 having no higher aim in living than that of passing it as pleasantly as possible4 ,at last the important business was concluded1 just in time for them to get home for lunch4 ,lucy felt very tired after her unwonted expedition over the hard city streets1 with their bewildering noise and confusion1 and was glad to get away as soon as possible to rest4 ,she soon fell asleep1 and when she awoke she found ,amy sitting quietly beside her1 playing with her doll4 ,won't you look at my doll1 ,cousin ,lucy8 she said4 ,i got her on my birthday4 ,her name is ,lucy1 after you4 ,after me8 said ,lucy1 surprised4 ,did you call her after me before ,i came8 ,yes1 replied ,amy timidly2 for ,stella said you were nice1 and ,i should love you4 ,i hope you will1 dear1 said ,lucy1 touched and gratified1 and she kissed her little cousin affectionately1 looking pityingly at the pale1 delicate face and fragile form4 ,she had always wished to have a little sister of her own1 and her heart was quite disposed to take the little girl into a sister's place4 ,she drew her closer1 and after talking a little about the doll1 she said3 ,does ,amy love the good1 kind ,saviour1 who came to die for her8 ,the child looked up with a puzzled expression4 ,jesus1 you know1 added ,lucy1 thinking that name might be more familiar4 ,that is ,jesus that my hymn is about4 ,nurse taught me1 ',gentle ,jesus1 meek and mild4' ,yes4 ,well1 don't you love ,him1 ,amy8 ,he loves you very much4 ,does ,he love me8 asked ,amy4 ,how do you know8 ,because ,he says so4 ,but ,he is up in heaven4 ,nurse said my little brother is up there with ,him4 ,it was always nurse4 ,amy did not seem to owe much knowledge of that kind to any one else4 ,lucy tried to explain as simply as possible that1 although the ,saviour is in heaven1 ,he is as really near us as when ,he was on earth2 and that we have still in the ,bible the very words that ,he spoke while yet among men4 ,are they in there8 asked ,amy1 looking at ,lucy's ,bible4 ,yes1 dear4 ,you can't read yet1 ,i suppose8 ,oh no6 ,the doctor says ,i mustn't learn for a long while4 ,then ,i will read to you some of the things that ,jesus said4 ,would you like that8 ,oh yes6 said ,amy2 and ,lucy read the account of our ,saviour blessing the little children4 ,she was pleased and surprised at the quiet attention and deep interest with which ,amy listened1 and mentally resolved to try to lead her to know more of that blessed ,saviour1 of whom as yet she knew so little4 ,here was some work provided for her already1 she thought1 and the feeling made her happier than she had been since she left home4 ,the evening passed away much as the former one had gone1 except that it was varied by the presence of visitors1 among whom was a gentleman who1 ,stella privately informed her cousin1 was an admirer of ,sophy's4 ,but it's no use1 if he knew it1 for you know she's engaged already to ,mr4 ,langton4 ,he's such a handsome1 nice fellow1 and has a large plantation in the ,south1 where he lives4 ,i know she's as fond of him as she can be1 though she doesn't like people to think so4 ,look1 now1 how she sings for ,mr4 ,austin6 ,i'm afraid he'll think she likes him4 ,sophy was by no means indifferent to any admiration1 though she was1 as ,stella had said1 very much attached to her betrothed2 and it did not quite coincide with ,lucy's ideas of love and lovers1 founded1 it must be confessed1 chiefly on books1 to observe the seeming pleasure and animation with which ,sophy received the attentions and compliments of this young man1 whose partiality for her was so plain4 ,surely it's very wrong in her if she deceives him1 and let's him go on liking her1 thought ,lucy1 who1 having never before seen an instance of coquetry1 did not know how venial many girls who might know better consider the sin of trifling with an affection which must1 if encouraged1 end in bitter disappointment4 ,next day was ,sunday1 the day always associated in ,lucy's mind with the happiest and holiest feelings of the week4 ,in ,mr4 ,raymond's household1 even the most careless sojourner could see that the day seemed pervaded by an atmosphere of holy and peaceful rest from the secular cares and occupations unavoidable on other days4 ,all thoughts about these were1 as far as possible1 laid aside4 ,no arbitrary rules were enforced1 but it was plainly ,mr4 ,raymond's earnest desire that the day should be devoted especially to growing in the knowledge of the ,lord1 and should be considered as sacred to ,him who had set it apart4 ,and by providing pleasant and varied occupation suitable for the day1 and cultivating a spirit of ,christian cheerfulness1 he succeeded in making his family feel it no hardship to carry out his wishes4 ,fred and ,lucy1 indeed1 had learned to love the ,lord's day1 and to appreciate the privileges it brings with it4 ,but in ,mr4 ,brooke's family it was decidedly a dull day1--a day which must be respectably observed1 and therefore not available for ordinary purposes1 but a day to be got through as easily as possible1 shortened at both ends by late rising and unusually early retiring1 as well as by naps indulged in during the day1 when even the so-called ,sunday reading proved somnolent in its tendency4 ,the necessary abstinence from ordinary occupations was partly made up by the freedom with which the conversation was permitted to run loose in secular matters1 amusements1 gossip1 criticisms on dress and conduct1 most prejudicial to any good influence that might have been derived from the public exercises of the day1 as well as deteriorating to the whole tone of the mind at any time4 ,no wonder1 then1 that divine truth1 heard at church1 fell on inattentive ears1 and failed to penetrate hearts filled up with the lusts of other things6 ,through a medium so unyielding1 how could the soft dew of holy1 spiritual influence descend upon the heart1 to nourish and fertilize it8 ,lucy was down at the usual breakfast-time1 but had to wait more than an hour before any one appeared1 except ,amy1 who sat contentedly on her knee1 and listened to more reading out of ,lucy's ,testament1 and had even learned two verses of a hymn1 before ,stella at last appeared4 ,how foolish you were to get up so early6 she said1 when ,amy had told her how long they had been down4 ,i think it is so nice to lie as long as you like1 ,sunday mornings6 ,i used to think it so hard at ,ashleigh that you would always have breakfast as early as other days6 ,we never saw any reason for being later on ,sunday4 ,indeed1 papa always liked to have us earlier4 ,he said it was the most precious day of the week1 and that1 though he could excuse a hard-worked labouring man for taking an extra sleep on ,sunday1 we had no such excuse2 and to try to shorten the day was dishonouring to ,him who gave it4 ,what in the world would he have said of ,edwin then1 said ,stella1 who often sleeps till it is too late to go to church1 and then he stays at home and sleeps more8 ,lucy could not help smiling2 but as ,sophy came in just then1 she did not need to make any reply4 ,amy was eager to repeat to her sister the hymn she had just been learning1 but ,sophy did not seem to care about it1 and said to ,lucy1 ,you had better not teach her any more hymns4 ,the doctor says she should not be allowed to study anything till her constitution is stronger4 ,besides1 ,i don't believe in filling children's heads with things that make them think about death too soon4 ,lucy felt a little vexed and a good deal surprised at what was to her so new an experience4 ,she had not dreamed that any one could object to teaching a child those blessed gospel truths which will shed either on life or on death the truest light4 ,but while she felt a strong interest in and attraction towards her cousin ,sophy1 she instinctively felt that on such subjects she would be quite unapproachable4 ,mrs4 ,brooke surprised ,lucy with the unexpected decision that her deficiencies in dress must keep her at home that day4 ,she felt as if it was almost wrong to submit1--her dear father would have so much disapproved of any one's staying away from the house of ,god for such a reason4 ,but then she remembered that while under her aunt's charge it was her duty to yield a deference to her wishes1 unless she absolutely violated her conscience in so doing1 and that her father would also have said1 ,ye younger1 be subject to the elder1 and would have told her that1 though prevented from going up to an earthly sanctuary1 she could worship ,god at home in the sanctuary of her heart4 ,but she did not find this so easy1 as ,stella1 glad of the excuse1 insisted on staying at home to keep ,lucy company1 though ,lucy tried to make her understand that she was not desirous of having any company while the rest were at church4 ,in vain she tried to fix her attention on her open ,bible4 ,stella would continually break in with some remark which1 when answered1 was sure to lead to another2 and though ,lucy's remonstrances at length became somewhat impatient in their tone1 it was evidently hopeless to try to reduce her to silence4 ,she1 however1 at last succeeded in persuading her to listen while she read to ,amy1 first one or two ,bible stories1 such as she thought would interest her most1 and then a simple story out of one of her own ,sunday books which she had brought with her4 ,the earnestness with which ,amy drank in every word was a great contrast to ,stella's desultory way of listening2 but even she seemed a little interested in ,lucy's reading1 and the morning did not seem altogether thrown away4 ,but in the afternoon ,lucy found that trying to read in the drawing-room was quite out of the question1 her attention being perpetually distracted by the frivolous conversation almost continually going on there4 ,first one topic was started1 and then another2 and in spite of her efforts to the contrary1 she would find herself listening to the gossiping talk going on around her4 ,at last she took refuge in her own room to read there in quiet1 though she was before long followed thither by ,stella4 ,don't you think1 ,stella1 ,i might go to church this evening8 ,i don't like staying at home all day1 and no one would notice what ,i had on1 ,i'm sure1 she asked her cousin4 ,stella opened her eyes4 ,do you mean to say you really want to go8 she asked4 ,i thought people only went to church because it was a duty4 ,i used to go for that reason1 ,lucy replied1 but ,i should be sorry if ,i only went on that account now4 ,but why8 ,what pleasure can you find in it8 ,the service always seems to me so long1 and the sermon so dry1 that it makes me yawn so1--,i can't help it4 ,lucy hesitated a little before answering4 ,it was not easy to explain4 ,there are many things that make it pleasant4 ,one always hears something to do one good1--often the very thing one needs at the very time4 ,it always makes troubles seem lighter1 and another world more real and near4 ,i always feel so much nearer papa when ,i am in church1 she added in a lower tone4 ,oh6 that is because you always used to hear him preach1 ,i suppose6 said ,stella1 not able to comprehend any other reason4 ,well1 since you like it so much1 ,i'll ask mamma if you can't go2 but ,i don't know whether any of the rest are going4 ,mrs4 ,brooke1 though as much surprised as ,stella at ,lucy's strong wish1 felt that it ought to be respected4 ,she suggested that1 instead of going to the large fashionable church which the family usually attended1 they should go to a small one in the neighbourhood1 their usual resort on stormy days4 ,edwin having got tired of the novel he had been yawning over1 good-naturedly offered to be her guide and escort2 and ,stella made no objection when her mother told her she had better go too1 as she had not been out in the morning4 ,the stars were twinkling brilliantly through the clear frosty atmosphere1 and the long vistas of gas-lamps1 seen on all sides1 were a novelty to ,lucy's country eyes4 ,the streets were full of people1 encountering each other as they wended their way to church in opposite directions4 ,there were others1 too1 not going to church1 but to very different places of resort2 but of these ,lucy happily knew nothing4 ,the first hymn was already being sung when they entered the church1 a small1 plain building4 ,lucy was at once interested by the thoughtful1 earnest face of the clergyman1 who reminded her a little of her father4 ,the first prayer1 so simple1 yet so full of petitions for the things she most needed1 carried her heart with it1 till she forgot she was not at home still4 ,the text read was1 ,a very present help in trouble1 and the sermon was what might have been expected from the tone of the preceding prayer4 ,it was so full of ,christ1 pointing to ,his constant presence1--to ,him as the only true comforter and sustainer either in sorrow and temptation1--that1 simple as was the language and unpretentious the style1 it touched the deepest springs in ,lucy's heart1 and she leaned back in her seat to hide the soothing1 happy tears4 ,edwin1 however1 from his end of the pew could see that she was crying1 and began1 out of curiosity1 to listen to the sermon1 to find out what it was that affected her so much4 ,at first he thought it very odd that she should have been so moved by it2 but gradually1 as he listened to the earnest words in which the preacher1 speaking evidently from his own heart1 dwelt upon all that ,christ might be to the weary soul which had tried earthly pleasures and found them wanting1 earthly cisterns and found them broken1--a fountain of refreshing1 giving strength and energy for the journey of life1 the shadow of a great rock in a weary land1 giving to the weary wayfarer rest and shelter from the burden and heat of the day1--he began to feel1 in spite of his indifference1 that there might be a nobler1 happier ideal of life than that of seeking to fill the hours as they passed with every variety of pleasure within reach4 ,but it was only a passing thought4 ,old habits of thinking1 so long indulged1 came back to fill up his mind as soon as the voice of the speaker had ceased4 ,his plan of life was not likely to be altered yet4 ,lucy walked very silently home1 watching the starlight trembling through the crystal air1 and wondering in what remote1 inconceivable sphere are passed those beloved existences which are lost to us here4 ,and then came the happy thought that1 though they seem so remote and inaccessible1 the ,saviour is near at once to them and to those who are left below1 and that in communion with ,him there may be a point of contact1 intangible1 it is true1 but none the less real4 ,edwin1 as he languidly wondered what his quiet cousin was thinking about1 did not know that there was a distance immeasurable between his thoughts and hers4 ,next day ,lucy accompanied her cousin to school1 that she might be at once introduced to her new classes and studies4 ,when her acquirements had been duly tested1 she found that1 while in some superficial accomplishments she was considerably behind ,stella1 yet in other studies1 more solid in their nature1 and requiring greater accuracy and deeper thought1 she was far in advance of her cousin4 ,this might have considerably increased the tendency she already had to a sense of her own superiority1 had it not been that the things in which she was deficient were precisely those which were of most consequence at ,mrs4 ,wilmot's establishment1 being more showy1 and therefore more easily appreciated4 ,her love of approbation made her very anxious to excel in what was valued by those around her2 and in her desire to make up lost ground1 she happily escaped an undue sense of superiority in what was most valuable1--a proficiency which was the result chiefly of her father's care4 ,fond of study for its own sake1 she entered on her classwork with all the zest of one who had never known school-life before1 and who was determined to make the most of her opportunities2 and her enjoyment of her studies and the stimulus of contest to a great extent counteracted the uncongeniality of her new home1 as well as the homesick feeling which came over her when a letter from ,mrs4 ,steele or ,fred revived old and happy associations4 ,,xi4 ,a ,start in ,life4 ,his path in life was lowly1 ,he was a working man2 ,who knows the poor man's trials ,so well as ,jesus can8 ,at ,mill ,bank ,farm things were going on much as when ,nelly ,connor had become an inmate there4 ,under the influence of her watchword1 ,bessie was making good headway against her faults of idleness and carelessness1 and her mother declared she was growing a real comfort to her4 ,under her teaching ,nelly's reading had progressed so well1 that she could spell out very creditably a chapter in the ,new ,testament4 ,jenny and ,jack had also been taught their letters2 and though they were not to go to ,sunday school till the spring1 they had already learned from ,bessie a good deal of ,bible knowledge4 ,sam was not nearly so often a truant now1 that he knew his mother's watchful eye was ready to discover any omission in attending ,sunday school2 and the boys were gradually growing in respect for things on which they could see their mother now placed so much importance4 ,nelly had never before known so much of comfort and happiness4 ,she was treated as one of the family1 and the easy tasks which fell to her lot were labours of love and gratitude4 ,even the irksome sewing1 by dint of patiently struggling with her constitutional restlessness1 was growing almost a pleasure1 from her being able to do it so much better4 ,in the letters which ,bessie occasionally received from ,lucy1 there was always a kind message for ,nelly1 which would act as a wonderful stimulus for days after it came4 ,as the winter wore on1 however1 it was evident she was not greatly needed by her kind friends4 ,bessie was growing stronger every day1 and more able to assist her mother1 and ,nelly could not help feeling that she was kept only because she needed a home4 ,one day1 therefore1 she asked ,mrs4 ,ford if she thought she was not now fit to take a place4 ,well1 you've got to be a good little worker1 that's a fact2 but there's no hurry about your going4 ,you're welcome to stay here as long as you like4 ,it's very kind of you1 ma'am2 but perhaps if you'd be looking out you might hear of some one that would take me1 and give me whatever ,i was worth1 said ,nelly1 in whom the instinct of independence was strong4 ,a few days after this ,mrs4 ,ford was asked by her friend ,mrs4 ,thompson what she was going to do with her little ,irish girl4 ,she is big enough for a place1 she said1 and there is no good in having a girl like that learning idle ways4 ,i think ,i know of a place that would suit her very well4 ,what place is that8 asked ,mrs4 ,ford4 ,mrs4 ,thompson replied that a friend of hers in the city had written to inquire for a country girl about ,nelly's age4 ,she would have no hard work1 and would get such clothing as she required1 instead of wages in money4 ,you see servants are very hard to obtain in those large places1 remarked ,mrs4 ,thompson1 and they always want the highest wages2 and this person isn't very well off1 and keeps boarders to support herself1 so she can't afford a great deal4 ,but would she be good to ,nelly8 inquired ,mrs4 ,ford4 ,mrs4 ,thompson promised to inquire of the friend who had written to her1 in regard to this point4 ,her correspondent's reply was tolerably satisfactory4 ,mrs4 ,williams1 the person who wanted ,nelly1 was likely to do whatever was right by any girl who might be sent her1 as she was a very respectable person1 and a church member4 ,this last statement weighed considerably with ,mrs4 ,ford1 and decided her to mention the place to ,nelly4 ,nelly could not help feeling a throb of regret at hearing that there really was a place open to her1 for she dreaded exceedingly the prospect of leaving her kind friends2 but of this she said nothing1 and tried to seem pleased with the idea of trying the place4 ,one great inducement it certainly had1 that it was in the city in which ,lucy now resided4 ,she hoped to see ,miss ,lucy sometimes1 and she would help her to be good and do well1 she thought4 ,mrs4 ,ford also thought this circumstance a favourable one1 as ,lucy could see for herself whether ,nelly was comfortably situated1 and if not1 could help her to find a better place4 ,so1 after much consideration and some misgivings1 it was reluctantly settled that she should go4 ,mrs4 ,thompson's brother was going to the city soon1 and ,nelly could accompany him4 ,she did not need a great deal of time for preparation1 though ,mrs4 ,ford kindly provided her with all that was necessary for her respectable appearance in her new place1 so that she went back to the city which had been her former abode a very different-looking girl from the barefooted1 gipsy-like child1 who had wandered1 uncared for1 about its streets4 ,i know the place well1 ma'am1 she said to ,mrs4 ,ford2 it isn't as if ,i had never been there4 ,i won't feel a bit strange4 ,and though the spring was approaching1 and she was for many reasons very sorry to leave ,ashleigh1 she did not dread the thought of going to the great city1 alone and friendless1 as much as a thoroughly country-bred girl would have done4 ,when her travelling companion bade her good-bye at the railway station1 ,nelly1 not in the least frightened by the hurrying crowds and the noisy streets1 so familiar to her of old1 took up her little bundle1 containing all the worldly goods she possessed1 and set off briskly to look for the address inscribed on the card she held in her hand4 ,she did not need to ask her way more than once1 though it was a half-hour's walk before she reached the street1 and then she walked slowly along1 studying the numbers of the doors till she arrived at the right one1 bearing on a brass plate the words1 ,mrs4 ,williams' ,boarding ,house4 ,it was one of the most bare and uninviting of a dull row1 and not even the bright sunshine of the early spring could enliven it much4 ,other houses had flowers or birds in the windows1 or at least pleasant glimpses of white curtains1 but this one1 with its half-closed blinds1 had almost a funereal aspect4 ,nelly had a keen susceptibility of externals1 and her heart sank a little2 but she rang the bell1 determined to make the best of it4 ,the door was opened by an elderly woman in rusty black1 with a hard1 careworn face1 which did not relax into the slightest perceptible smile1 as she regarded ,nelly scrutinizingly1 saying at last1 ,oh1 you're the girl ,mrs4 ,thompson was to send1 ,i suppose8 ,yes1 ma'am1 replied ,nelly1 who had not yet been invited to enter4 ,well1 you're not as big as ,i thought you'd be1 and you don't look very strong4 ,come in2 and she led the way into a dull1 bare dining-room1 where she went on with her work of setting the table1 while she put ,nelly through an examination as to her qualifications4 ,she either was1 or appeared to be1 dissatisfied1 and after dryly expressing a hope that she would suit1 she told her to follow her down to the kitchen4 ,it was a dark1 cellar-like place1 with an equally cellar-like room of very small dimensions opening off it1 where ,nelly was to sleep4 ,many houses seem built on the principle--not the ,christian one of loving our neighbours as ourselves--that anything is good enough for servants1 as if light1 and air1 and pleasant things to look out upon1 were not just as much needed by them as by their employers6 ,kitchens and servants' rooms need not be luxurious4 ,it would be doing servants an injury to accustom them to luxuries of which they would some time feel the privation2 but many of them have been accustomed to pure1 free air1 and a pleasant outlook1 and feel the reverse far more than is imagined by those who condemn them to live in underground cells4 ,nelly felt her abode very dismal after the light1 airy farmhouse4 ,even from her old attic-window she had a pleasant view of the river1 and could always see the moon and stars at night2 while from this the utmost she could see from the windows was a little bit of street pavement4 ,but when she unpacked her bundle1 and came upon her watchword card1 as ,lucy had called it1 her courage rose as she remembered that her heavenly ,friend was as near her here as in the free1 fresh country1 and that where ,he was ,he could make it home4 ,she could not have put this feeling into words1 but it was there1 in her heart1 where doubtless ,he ,himself had put it4 ,it was some time before ,mrs4 ,williams thought of inquiring whether she had had any dinner4 ,on her replying in the negative--she was beginning to feel quite tired and faint--,mrs4 ,williams1 with a half-reluctant air1 brought out of a locked cupboard some very dry-looking bread and cold meat1 which she set before ,nelly4 ,she was very hungry1 so that even this was very acceptable1 and she did justice to the meal4 ,before she had finished1 a voice called from an upper story1 ,mother1 tell the new girl to bring up some water4 ,nelly was accordingly directed to fill the water-can and take it up to the top of the house4 ,after carrying it up three flights of stairs1 she saw a door open1 and a girl of nineteen or twenty1 apparently engaged in performing an elaborate toilet1 looked out from it4 ,how old are you8 she said1 as she took the water from ,nelly4 ,i'll soon be fourteen1 miss4 ,well1 you don't look it4 ,you'll have to look sharp here if you want to suit us4 ,now1 take these boots down to brush4 ,she spoke in a quick1 sharp way1 a good deal like her mother's2 and her face1 though tolerably comely1 was sharp too4 ,miss ,williams meant to get on in the world if she could1 and her face and manner showed it4 ,nelly found various things to do before she got back to her unfinished dinner1 and then ,mrs4 ,williams hurried her through1 that she might get the kitchen made tidy4 ,in the meantime ,miss ,williams departed1 in all the glories of a fashionable toilet1 for her afternoon promenade1 her mother regarding her with much pride and complacency4 ,it seemed the one object of her hard-working1 careworn life that her daughter should look like a lady1 and a large proportion of her earnings and savings went to effect this object4 ,nelly's services were at once called into requisition to assist in the preparation of the dinner for the boarders--four gentlemen--who1 her mistress informed her1 were very particular1 and liked everything nice4 ,she received a confusing multiplicity of directions as to waiting at table1 for ,mrs4 ,williams rather prided herself on the stylishness of her establishment4 ,she got through her task tolerably well1 though somewhat bewildered between ,mrs4 ,williams' quick1 sharp reminders and the chaffing of one or two of the gentlemen1 who thought it good fun to puzzle the new hand with ironical remarks1 some of them being aimed at their landlady through her servant4 ,after the waiting at dinner1 followed the preparation of tea for ,mrs4 ,williams and her daughter1 who had come in1 and was in the midst of one of the evening performances on the piano1 which were the dread of the boarders2 and then there were all the dishes used at dinner to wash and put away4 ,it was pretty late by the time all this had been done1 and ,nelly was feeling very sleepy1 and wondering how soon she might go to bed1 when her mistress came down with half-a-dozen pairs of boots1 to be cleaned either that evening or next morning4 ,now the next day was ,sunday1 and at the farm ,mrs4 ,ford had of late insisted on the excellent rule of getting all done that could be done on ,saturday night1 so as to leave the ,lord's day as free as possible from secular duties2 so ,nelly1 sleepy as she was1 took up her blacking brushes1 and proceeded to rub and polish with all her might4 ,but fatigue was too strong for her1 and before she had got through the third pair1 her head sank down and she lost all consciousness1 till she suddenly started up1 thinking ,mrs4 ,ford was calling her to drive the cows to pasture4 ,it was impossible to rouse herself again to her work2 she just managed to put out her light1 and1 hastily undressing1 she threw herself on the bed with only a half-conscious attempt at her usual evening prayer1 which1 however1 ,he who knows the weakness of our frame would surely accept4 ,next morning1 she started up instantly at ,mrs4 ,williams' impatient call4 ,she could hardly get ready quick enough to satisfy her mistress1 and had no time to kneel down and ask her heavenly ,father's help for the duties of the day4 ,mrs4 ,williams had not thought of this need for herself1 and still less for her little handmaid4 ,she found there was plenty of work before her1 independently of the boots that remained to be cleaned4 ,by the time she had got through1 the bells were ringing for church1 and it was time to think of getting the dinner ready1 the boarders dining early on ,sunday4 ,mrs4 ,williams was not going to church herself4 ,the gentlemen always expected the dinner to be especially good on that day1 without much consideration what the cook's ,sunday might be2 and it was much too important a matter to be left to ,nelly's inexperienced hands4 ,but during the time when her mistress was occupied in helping her daughter to dress her hair elaborately for church1 ,nelly found a little quiet time to read part of a chapter1 and learn a verse1 and ask ,god's help to do right during the day1 and to remember that it was ,his day1 the best of all the week4 ,so prepared1 she found the difficult task of performing unaccustomed duties to her mistress's satisfaction easier than it might otherwise have been4 ,for why should we consider anything too small to seek ,his aid1 by whom the hairs of our head are all numbered8 ,and the very attitude of trust and reliance on ,him calms and clears the mind1 and strengthens the heart4 ,there was no time for ,nelly to go to church on that ,sunday1 at any rate4 ,she could not get through her work with her comparatively unpractised hands1 and it was with a very weary body and mind that she read her evening verse1 and repeated her favourite hymn1 ,i lay my sins on ,jesus1 as a sort of substitute for her usual ,sunday school lessons1 and then lay down to think of the kind friends she had left1 and to wonder when she should see ,miss ,lucy1 till she fell asleep to dream that she was at the farm again1 and churning butter that would not come4 ,bessie had written to ,lucy1 telling her of ,nelly's departure1 but had forgotten to give her mistress's address1 so that ,lucy could not find her out till she should go to see her at ,mr4 ,brooke's2 and for many days this was impracticable4 ,day after day passed1 filled with the same unceasing routine of drudgery2 and though her growing skill enabled her to get through her work more quickly1 this did not add to her leisure1 since1 as her capabilities increased1 her duties increased also4 ,miss ,williams1 too1 who objected to do anything for herself when another could be got to do it1 found ,nelly very convenient for all sorts of personal services4 ,nelly went through it all without grumbling1 though she often went to bed quite tired out4 ,but youth and health came to her aid1 and she would wake in the morning to go singing about her work4 ,she had an uncommonly sweet voice1 and the boarders used often to remark to each other that there was more music in her untaught snatches of song than in all ,miss ,williams' attempts at the piano4 ,but1 as weeks went on1 the perpetual1 unceasing strain began to wear upon her1 and her songs grew less and less frequent4 ,though she was almost too busy to indulge in many longings for ,ashleigh and its pleasant fields1 it was a little hard to know that the beautiful budding spring was passing into summer1 and that she could taste none of the country pleasures she had so much enjoyed last year2 that the only sign by which she knew the advancement of the season was the increasing heat1 enervating her frame and undermining her strength1--its effect in this respect being greatly heightened by the close1 heavy atmosphere in which she chiefly lived4 ,nature is stronger than man1 after all2 and when the upper classes selfishly neglect the comfort of their poorer brethren1 they will find that inexorable ,nature will avenge the infringement of her laws1 and will touch their own interests in so doing4 ,i can't think what has come over ,nelly6 ,mrs4 ,williams would say to her daughter4 ,she's not the same girl she was when she came here1 and she seems to grow lazier every day4 ,well1 it's the way with them all4 ,a new broom sweeps clean4 ,but ,mrs4 ,williams might easily have found a truer explanation of ,nelly's failing energies than this convenient proverb1 in the unwholesome atmosphere she was breathing by night and day1 as well as in the quantity and quality of the food provided for her4 ,mrs4 ,williams would have indignantly repelled the charge of starving ,nelly1 but she forgot the requirements of a fast-growing girl4 ,everything eatable was kept rigidly locked up1--that was a fundamental principle of ,mrs4 ,williams' housekeeping1--and ,nelly's allowance was sometimes so scanty1 and at other times composed of such an uninviting collection of scraps1 that she often had not sufficient nourishment to repair the waste of strength which she was continually undergoing4 ,and as she would rather suffer than ask more1 her constitution was really giving way for want of sufficient sustenance4 ,so two or three months passed1 and she had not yet seen ,lucy4 ,she had only1 indeed1 been two or three times at church1 for ,mrs4 ,williams never seemed to remember that her little servant had an immortal soul to be nourished1 though it must be admitted that she was not much more mindful of her own spiritual welfare4 ,as for getting out on week-days1 except on her mistress's errands1 ,mrs4 ,williams seemed to consider that quite out of the question2 and1 indeed1 ,nelly could not easily have found leisure for half-an-hour's absence4 ,one evening1 at last1 when most of the boarders were dining out1 ,mrs4 ,williams graciously acceded to ,nelly's request to be allowed to go out for an hour2 but don't stay a minute longer1 she added4 ,nelly had carefully kept ,lucy's address1 and gladly set off1 as fast as she could walk1 towards the quarter of the city in which she knew it to be4 ,she steered her course pretty straight1 but had walked for fully half-an-hour before she reached the door1 on the brass plate of which she read ,b4 ,brooke4 ,it was with a beating heart that she put the question1 ,is ,miss ,lucy ,raymond at home8 to be answered in the negative by the servant1 who inwardly wondered what a girl so poorly dressed could want with ,miss ,lucy4 ,waiting was out of the question1--she would be late enough in getting back as it was1--so she sorrowfully turned away1 without leaving any message4 ,it was a great disappointment1 and1 tired and dispirited1 she made her way back4 ,there was another reason1 besides want of time1 to prevent her making a second attempt4 ,the clothes with which she had been provided on leaving ,mill ,bank ,farm were almost worn out with the hard work she had to do1 and ,mrs4 ,williams had as yet done nothing towards fulfilling her promise of giving her necessary clothing1 although ,nelly's tattered frock was worn beyond all possibility of repairing4 ,nelly was conscious of the doubtful look with which she was regarded when she asked for ,lucy1 and she shrank from again encountering it1 and perhaps bringing discredit on ,miss ,lucy in the eyes of her city friends by her own disreputable appearance4 ,one afternoon in ,june--,mrs4 ,williams and her daughter being out--,nelly1 having a few minutes to spare1 was standing at the open door1 listening to the plaintive strains of an organ-grinder who was playing close by4 ,his dark ,italian face looked sad and careworn1 and the little girl beside him1 evidently his daughter from the resemblance between them1 looked so pale and feeble1 that it seemed as if her little thin hands could scarcely support the tambourine she was ringing in accompaniment to a little plaintive song4 ,nelly enjoyed the performance exceedingly1 but her admiration did not appear to be shared by those whose applause was of more consequence1 for not a single penny found its way into the poor man's hat1 either from the inmates of the house or from the juvenile bystanders4 ,his discouraged air1 and the sad1 wistful eyes of the little girl1 touched ,nelly's warm ,irish heart1 as he leaned on ,mrs4 ,williams' doorsteps to rest himself while he set down his organ1 experience having taught him that it was a useless waste of strength to play before that door4 ,nelly1 seeing how hot and tired he looked1 impulsively asked the poor man whether he would walk in and sit down1 never stopping to think whether she had a right to do so4 ,he looked up1 surprised at the invitation1 but thankfully accepted it1 and ,nelly brought two chairs into the hall for him and the little girl4 ,then1 as the only entertainment she was able to supply1 she filled two glasses with the coldest water she could find1 and shyly offered them to her guests4 ,ah1 it is good1 said the organ-grinder1 when he had drained his glass4 ,many thanks1 he added1 in his foreign accent2 and the little girl looked up into ,nelly's face with the sweetest1 most expressive1 grateful smile4 ,now1 said the ,italian1 after having rested a little1 you love music--is it not true8--or you would not be so kind to us4 ,i will play for you4 ,and1 taking up his instrument1 he played an air sweeter than any ,nelly had yet heard from him1 and the little girl sang1 in her liquid voice1 a little song1 the words of which she could not understand1 for they were ,italian4 ,now we must go1 said the man4 ,good-bye1 my good girl2 if ,i were home in my country1 ,i would do as much for you4 ,and the father and daughter pursued their weary way1 ,nelly's eyes following wistfully the forms of those whom she regarded as friends already1 for were they not1 like herself1 poor1 lonely strangers in a strange land8 ,then she began to wonder whether she had done wrong in asking them to come in4 ,she knew instinctively that she could not have done it had ,mrs4 ,williams been at home4 ,but yet she could not feel such a simple1 common act of kindness to have been wrong4 ,no harm had been done to anything belonging to her mistress2 and the cup of cold water1 had she not a right to offer it to those who needed it so much8 ,after that the organ-grinder and his child passed frequently through that street1 and whenever she could1 ,nelly would exchange a few kind words with them1 and the man would play for her1 knowing well that she had no pennies to offer in return2 but at such times she used to wish so much that she had a little money of her own4 ,the ,italian would sometimes look at her tattered dress1 and her face1 gradually growing thinner and paler1 as if he thought her quite as forlorn as himself2 and once1 when he heard her mistress call her in1 and scold her for talking to such characters in the street1 he shook his head1 and muttered something in his native tongue4 ,and so it came to pass that the poor ,italian and his daughter became ,nelly's only friends in that great1 busy city4 ,,xii4 ,ambition4 ,tell me the same old story1 ,when you have cause to fear ,that this world's empty glory ,is costing me too dear4 ,lucy's interest in her studies1 and the zeal with which she pursued them1 had had a wonderful effect in reconciling her to her new circumstances4 ,she could sometimes hardly believe that only a few short months lay between her and her old life1 now seeming so far back in the distance4 ,her progress in study had been very rapid1 as her abilities were above the average1 and her love of study was much greater than was usual among her companions1 most of whom looked upon their school education chiefly as a matter of form1 which it was expected of them to go through before entering on the real object of life1 the entrance into society1 with its pleasures and excitements4 ,that it was intended to be a means of disciplining their minds for better doing their future duties1 enlarging their range of thought1 and opening to them new sources of interest and delight1 had never entered into their heads4 ,lucy indeed pursued her studies more for the sake of the pleasure they afforded her at the time than with any ulterior views1 though she did feel the advantages placed in her way to be a sacred trust1 and1 like all other privileges1 to be accounted for to ,him who had bestowed them4 ,with her teachers1 who found her a pupil after their own heart1 she was a much greater favourite than she was with some of her classmates1 who were so uncongenial1 that she could not well enter into1 or even understand1 the things which interested them4 ,nor could she always refrain from showing her impatience of their frivolities1 or her contempt for the follies which so engrossed their minds2 and this did not1 of course1 tend to make her popular4 ,this circumstance ,lucy did not care for so much even as she ought2 for1 though fond of approbation1 she cared only for the approbation of those she esteemed1 unlike her cousin ,stella1 who liked admiration from any source4 ,when the bright1 balmy days of spring came1 bringing with them thoughts of green fields and budding trees1 there sometimes came over her longings almost irresistible for her old home1 so full of rural sights and sounds1 in such contrast to the stiff1 straight city streets and houses1 the dust and noise1 and the squares planted with trees1 which to her eyes seemed like caged birds1 as the only reminders that there were such things in the world4 ,these longings usually came to her most strongly in the long spring evenings1 in whose lengthening light she used to rejoice at ,ashleigh1 as enabling her to prolong her pleasant country rambles4 ,now she must either walk up and down the hard pavements between never-ending rows of houses1 or sit at the window1 wistfully watching the sunset light falling golden on the opposite walls4 ,now and then she accompanied the others in a long drive2 but the distance which they had to traverse before they reached anything like the country seemed to her interminable2 and when they did catch a glimpse of fields and woods1 it seemed hard to have so soon to turn back and lose sight of them again4 ,on her return from one of these drives1 which had been protracted till dusk1 she was told that she had been inquired for by a girl very poorly dressed1 almost like a beggar4 ,she was puzzled at first1 but almost immediately it flashed across her that it must be ,nelly ,connor4 ,she had often thought of her since she had come to the city1 but could not find her1 owing to ,bessie's omission to give her mistress's address1--an omission which ,bessie1 not being a good correspondent1 and naturally supposing that ,nelly would soon find her way to ,lucy1 had not yet remedied4 ,oh1 ,i wish ,i had seen her6 exclaimed ,lucy1 much to the surprise both of the servants and her cousins1 who could not understand how a girl of that description should come to be so interesting to her as to cause so much disappointment at having missed her1 and at having no clue to her place of abode4 ,i hope she will soon come again1 was the reflection with which ,lucy consoled herself2 and ,stella explained to ,sophy and ,edwin3 ,it's a little ,irish protege of hers that she was crazy about at ,ashleigh1 and she used to lecture me because ,i didn't think as much of her as she did4 ,lucy laughed and tried to explain1 but stopped1 seeing that her cousins took very little interest in the matter4 ,lucy did not come much in contact with her uncle and aunt4 ,the former was much absorbed in business1 and though a kind and indulgent parent1 especially to his favourite ,stella1 he interfered but little in home matters4 ,mrs4 ,brooke1 who had always been a rather negative character1 had long given up to her elder daughters any sway she had ever held1 and was almost entirely guided by their judgment1 of which they naturally took advantage to indulge to the utmost their own love of gaiety4 ,balls and parties in winter1 and in summer gay picnics and driving parties without end1 engrossed their time and thoughts1 to the exclusion of higher objects of interest4 ,ada was fond of embroidery1 and would betake herself to it when nothing better was going on2 and ,sophy was sometimes persuaded to paint for a fancy sale one of the illuminations1 in doing which she evinced great talent4 ,they were generally quotations from the poets which she selected2 and as ,lucy watched the taste with which ,sophy blended and contrasted the rich colouring1 she would long for the same skilful hand1 in order to clothe in such glowing colours some of the favourite texts which shone for her like beams of light from heaven4 ,but she had no talent for drawing2 and though by diligent practice she improved very much in playing and singing1 she knew she should never be able to do either like her cousin ,sophy4 ,how useful1 she thought1 might she not be1 if her heart were but actuated by love to ,christ6 ,she felt she dared not speak to her on this subject1 but she often prayed to ,him who can command the hearts of all1 that ,he would touch and renew that of her cousin ,sophy4 ,between ,stella and ,lucy1 dissimilar as they were1 there existed a strong cousinly affection4 ,stella1 with all her bantering ways1 would never now go so far as seriously to annoy her1 generally taking her side when she thought the others were too much for her4 ,but though ,lucy tried earnestly to draw her cousin towards the knowledge of her ,saviour1 all such attempts seemed to glance off her1 like raindrops from an oiled surface4 ,she was quite satisfied with herself as she was1 and had not yet found out the insufficiency of the earthly pleasures which at present satisfied her4 ,she believed1 of course1 in another world1 and the need of a preparation for it1 but she thought there was plenty of time for that2 and it had never entered within the range of her comprehension that the change of heart1 which is the necessary preparation for a future life1 is as necessary to living either well or happily in the present4 ,so that ,lucy was constantly feeling that1 in the most important matters of all1 there could be no genuine sympathy between them4 ,nor among her schoolmates was her longing for sympathy between them more fully gratified4 ,they were all actuated by the spirit of this world which passeth away1 and avoided everything that could bring the thought of another to their minds2 so that she had not found one with whom she could speak on the subjects most dear to her1 or hold an intercourse mutually helpful4 ,there was1 indeed1 one of her schoolmates1 a ,miss ,eastwood1 a boarder at ,mrs4 ,wilmot's1 in whom1 from her sweet1 serious manner and appearance1 and from some other tokens1 she thought she might have found a congenial friend4 ,but ,miss ,eastwood was a little older than herself1 and ,lucy's natural shyness was increased by the impression that she rather avoided her and ,stella1 probably from knowing that ,mr4 ,brooke's was a thoroughly worldly family1 and supposing that ,lucy must be like her cousins in this respect4 ,miss ,eastwood in this was acting conscientiously2 yet such a determined avoidance of those who appear to be worldly in their principles of action1 though founded on the desire of keeping out of temptation1 sometimes leads to great mistakes4 ,real ,christian sympathy may sometimes be found where from circumstances there may seem to be least appearance of it2 and even where it does not exist1 influence for good might be exerted over those whom distrust must necessarily repel4 ,he who sat with publicans and sinners1 while ,he enjoins ,his followers to be not of the world1 even as ,he was not of the world1 cannot surely desire them to avoid all opportunities1 naturally occurring1 of coming in contact with those who may not be like-minded2 and if ,christians would always show their true colours uncompromisingly1 while coming near to others1 as ,god's providence opens opportunity1 they would both do more good and find sympathy and fellowship oftener than they expect4 ,of all the inmates of her uncle's house1 little ,amy was the one in whom ,lucy found the greatest congeniality4 ,her readings to her1 and her teaching about ,jesus1 seemed to have satisfied a craving of the child's little heart1 and she drank in the truths which ,lucy tried to explain to her1 with the eagerness of one who had been thirsting for the living water4 ,indeed she needed very little explanation2 it seemed as if the ,spirit of ,god was her teacher1 instructing her in things that might have seemed too deep for so young a child to grasp1--though indeed there may be less difference than we often imagine between the mind of a child and that of the wisest man1 as regards their power of comprehending truths that are too infinitely profound for the greatest human intellect to fathom4 ,amy had from her infancy been so delicate1 that she had been in a great measure confined to the nursery all her life2 and not being nearly so winning and attractive as ,stella1 she had never been so great a favourite with her brothers and sisters1 who1 never having taken the trouble of drawing her out1 considered her rather uninteresting4 ,the death of a fine little boy1 a little older than ,amy1 had strangely had the effect upon her mother of making her turn away1 almost with a feeling of impatience1 from the unattractive1 ailing child that had been spared1 while her noble little boy1 so full of beauty and promise1 had been taken4 ,amy had been left almost entirely to her nurse1 who had taught her some of the simple prayers and hymns that she herself had learned at ,sunday school1 though she had not spoken to her of ,jesus1 as ,lucy had done4 ,the story of ,his love fell upon a heart that was unconsciously yearning for a fuller measure of affection than it had ever received from human sources2 and the love which it excited in return1 for ,him whom the child seemed at once to recognise as an ever near and present friend1 became the most powerful influence of her life4 ,she never wearied of hearing about ,him1 of asking questions about ,him1 particularly about ,his childhood1 which often threw light1 in her young teacher's mind1 upon things which she had not considered before4 ,the child's intense interest1 too1 and the simplicity of her childish faith1 were no small help to ,lucy1 in the midst of much that might have drawn her heart and mind away from her first love4 ,for there were many temptations in her way1--temptations which sometimes overcame her4 ,even her zeal in her studies often unduly absorbed her mind1 tempting her to leave the fag-end of time and strength for prayer and the reading of ,god's word1 and her natural ambition often led her into unchristian feelings and tempers4 ,then1 when humbled and discouraged1 and doubtful whether she really was a child of ,god at all1 some simple1 loving remark of ,amy's would drive away the clouds1 and she would come again1 in penitence and faith1 to drink of the living water which alone can quench human thirst4 ,sometimes the spiritual beauty of her little cousin's expression1 and her growing ripeness for a better country1 would awaken a feeling of regret that ,amy was not more like other children1 lest indeed she might be ripening for an early removal4 ,yet the thought would recur3 ,amy is not fit for the roughness of the world2 why should ,i wish her stay upon it1 instead of going home to rest in her ,saviour's bosom8 ,fred had paid a short visit to his sister as soon as his college vacation commenced1 but he had made an engagement for the summer as a tutor1 and he was obliged to hasten away to his duties before ,lucy had said half of what she wished to say1 or asked his advice on half the subjects on which she had been longing for it4 ,however1 short as his visit was1 it was very useful as well as very pleasant1 reviving old thoughts and habits of feeling which were in danger of falling into the background1 and stimulating her to follow the example of a brother who was so stedfastly bent on following his ,lord4 ,as the time for the summer examinations at ,mrs4 ,wilmot's drew near1 ,lucy1 bent on carrying off two or three of the prizes1 redoubled her application to her studies2 but she allowed her desire to accomplish her object to carry her too far4 ,all her thoughts1 all her time1 were so engrossed by it1 that she had none to spare for anything else4 ,she would not join her cousins in any of their innocent recreations1 and became impatient and irritable when she met with claims upon her time that could not be set aside4 ,even the ,lord's day at last began to seem an interruption to the work in which she was so eager4 ,her too intense application began to affect her health3 she was growing so nervous1 that ,stella would sometimes declare that she was changing her identity1 and could not be the same ,lucy ,raymond as of old4 ,lucy could indeed feel the change in herself1 and this only increased the irritation1 instead of leading her to remove the cause1 by moderating the ambition which was leading her to a blameable excess in what would otherwise have been praiseworthy diligence4 ,but just at that time the coveted prizes seemed to throw everything else into the shade1 and she had no watchful1 judicious friend1 to point out1 in timely warning1 the snare into which she was falling4 ,even little ,amy1 for the first time1 occasionally found herself impatiently put aside1 and her requests to be read to met with1 ,not now1 ,amy2 ,i haven't time4 ,don't tease me now1 like a good child2 and would steal away1 with a surprised look in her soft eyes1 wondering how it could be that ,cousin ,lucy should not have time to read to her about ,jesus4 ,one of the prizes on which ,lucy had most set her heart was that to be given for ,history1 one of her favourite studies4 ,in ancient and classical history she had been very thoroughly grounded by her father1 and had nothing to fear1 most of the principal events being familiar to her as household words4 ,but her knowledge of modern history was not so extensive1 and she had a great deal of hard study before she could feel at all at ease in competing with her classmates1 some of whom were considerably older than herself1 and had given most of their attention to modern history1 the division in which the greater number of questions were asked4 ,lucy had studied with so much diligence1 and her daily recitations were always so good1 that she had great hopes of taking the first prize2 and her master1 with whom she was a great favourite1 did not conceal his expectation of her success4 ,just the day before the examination1 when looking over the list of subjects for revision1 she found1 to her dismay1 that she had unaccountably overlooked one of those prescribed4 ,it was quite too late to hope to repair the omission satisfactorily1 but she hastily procured the proper book1 and set to work at once1 to try to gain such a general knowledge of the subject as would enable her to reply to the questions that were certain to be asked upon it4 ,but her overtasked mind refused to grasp the words that swam before her eyes2 and a headache1 which had been annoying her for days1 became so severe1 that she was obliged to shut the book and throw herself on the bed1 her oppressed mind relieving itself in a burst of tears4 ,while she was still crying1 ,amy came in1 and1 going up to her1 stroked her cheek with her loving little hands4 ,are you hurt1 ,cousin ,lucy8 she asked wonderingly2 and as her cousin shook her head1 she asked in a lower tone1 ,were you naughty1 ,cousin ,lucy8--these being to her the only conceivable causes for sorrow4 ,yes1 ,amy1 ,i've been naughty6 exclaimed ,lucy impetuously4 ,she saw now how wrong she had been in allowing herself to be so led away by her ambition1 as to have sacrificed to it all else1 even her habit of watching in faith for ,the service that ,thy love appoints4 ,numerous instances rushed upon her mind1 in which she had turned aside from opportunities of usefulness1 of showing kindness and forbearance to others2 she had been letting her oil run out1 and her lamp burnt faint and dim1 and all that she might gain this petty prize1 which she was likely to lose after all6 ,had she not1 in yielding to her peculiar temptation1 allowed herself to become as worldly as those whom in her heart she had been condemning8 ,amy's gentle voice came to awaken more soothing thoughts4 ,but why do you cry so1 ,lucy8 she said4 ,won't ,jesus forgive you1 and make you good8 ,lucy's bread upon the waters had come back to her in spiritual comfort1 just when she most needed it4 ,she put her arms round her little monitor1 and1 as she kissed her1 her thoughts formed an earnest prayer that her ,lord would indeed forgive her1 and help her to begin again1 wiser for her experience1 and strong in looking to ,him for strength4 ,the quiet hours which her headache enforced were of great service to her1 in giving her time for thought and resolution4 ,when at last she rose1 and arranged her hair to go down-stairs1 her heart had grown so much lighter and calmer1 that she felt more like herself than she had done for months1 and she could now leave the matter of the prizes1 without undue anxiety1 with ,him who knew what was best for her1 and who1 she was sure1 would not refuse her any good thing4 ,the examination in history was the first to come off4 ,when ,lucy looked at the list of questions1 she found that several of them were on the part of the subject she had overlooked1 and that these she could not answer at all4 ,she felt that all chance of the prize was over2 but she did not allow her mind to dwell on this circumstance1 but wrote her replies to the other questions1 with a calmness and clearness which would have been quite beyond her power1 had she allowed herself to remain in a condition of feverish suspense4 ,when the examiners' decision was made known1 it was found that the first prize had been awarded to ,miss ,eastwood1 who was quite taken by surprise at receiving it2 but that1 as ,miss ,raymond's paper had been so good in all except a very few points1 the second prize1 awarded to her1 was considered almost equal to the first4 ,this was much better than ,lucy had expected2 and as she received two first prizes in subjects where she had felt by no means sure of success1 she was on the whole very well satisfied1 as was ,fred also1 when her joyful letter informed him of the result4 ,stella announced ,lucy's success at home with almost as much pleasure as if the success had been her own4 ,edwin congratulated her with rather more animation than he was in the habit of showing1 and ,ada declared that ,it must be nice to be so smart4 ,yes2 but ,lucy has been injuring her health by her close study1 remarked the more observant ,sophy4 ,look at her now1 how pale and thin she is1 compared with what she was when she came6 ,oh1 the holidays will set me all right again1 ,lucy declared1 laughing2 but ,mrs4 ,brooke decided that ,lucy needed immediate change of air4 ,she had been hoping to be able to spend her holidays at ,ashleigh1 among her old friends2 and as the ,brookes were all going to a fashionable seaside resort1 it seemed likely that nothing would occur to prevent the hoped-for visit4 ,but ,amy's cough1 as well as other symptoms of delicacy of the lungs1 had increased so much1 that the doctor declared the sea-air too keen for her1 and that she had better be sent1 during the warm season1 to a quiet inland place in the neighbourhood1 the air of which he thought particularly suited to her constitution4 ,but of course ,amy could not be sent there alone1 and none of the rest would have been willing to give up their proposed visit to the seaside1 except ,mrs4 ,brooke1 who could not be spared from her duties to her other daughters4 ,lucy therefore seemed the one who should accompany ,amy1 and she herself felt that it was an occasion on which she might make some return for the kindness she had met with in her uncle's family4 ,so her visit to ,ashleigh was given up1 and ,amy's delight at finding that she was to accompany her to ,oakvale1 was enough to make her forget any disappointment which her decision had involved4 ,they were to be received into the family of a friend of the doctor's1 a widow lady1 who frequently received invalids as boarders1 with whom little ,amy would receive all the care and comfort she needed4 ,a few days before their departure1 ,lucy at last received1 through ,bessie ,ford1 the address of ,nelly ,connor's mistress4 ,stella1 who1 notwithstanding her raillery at ,lucy's protege1 had a sort of latent interest in ,nelly1 from her association with her pleasant visit to ,ashleigh1 accompanied her cousin in her long walk to look for the house4 ,on reaching it at last1 tired and hot1 the door was opened1 not by ,nelly1 as ,lucy had hoped1 but by an unprepossessing-looking woman1 whose hard face grew more rigid when informed what was the object of her visit4 ,you needn't come here to look for her1 she replied grimly2 she's left this some time since1 and ,i don't never want to set eyes on her again4 ,is she not here1 then8 ,where is she gone8 ,i don't know1 was the reply1 and ,i don't want to know4 ,a girl that could behave as she done to one who took such pains with her1 and kept her so long1 ain't a girl to my taste4 ,i wash my hands of her4 ,but perhaps you could tell us what place she went to from you8 persisted ,lucy4 ,i am a friend of hers1 and would like to find her out4 ,well1 she is no credit to her friends1 said the woman1 rather pleased at being able to give her a bad character where it might be of some consequence4 ,and as for the vagrant character she went off with1 ,i'd be very sorry to have any acquaintance with him4 ,finding the uselessness of prosecuting her inquiries there1 ,lucy bade ,mrs4 ,williams good-day1 feeling sure that ,nelly's conduct had been misrepresented1--an opinion shared by ,stella1 who had taken a strong dislike to the woman's grim demeanour and spiteful tone1--and very sorry for having lost the only clue to her protege once more4 ,,xiii4 ,a ,friendship4 ,we had been girlish friends1 ,with hearts that1 like the summer's half-oped buds1 ,grew close1 and hived their sweetness for each other4 ,lucy and ,amy were soon settled in ,mrs4 ,browne's pleasant little cottage at ,oakvale1 a pretty sheltered village surrounded by hills1 clothed principally with noble oaks1 whence it derived its name4 ,mrs4 ,browne's house lay a little way out of the village1 amid green fields and lanes1 which1 after the hot1 dusty city streets1 were inexpressibly refreshing to ,lucy1 recalling old times at ,ashleigh4 ,mrs4 ,browne was a kind1 motherly person1 a doctor's widow1 herself possessing a good deal of medical skill1 which rendered her house especially eligible for invalids1 and she established a careful watch over little ,amy1 whose very precarious condition her practised eye saw at a glance4 ,whenever the child1 feeling better than usual1 would have overtasked her failing strength in the quiet country rambles1 which were such a delightful novelty to one who had scarcely ever been really in the country before1 and when ,lucy's inexperience might have allowed her to injure herself without knowing it1 ,mrs4 ,browne would interpose a gentle warning1 which was always cheerfully obeyed4 ,it was with some surprise1 indeed1 that she noticed with what perfect submission the little girl bore all the deprivations of innocent pleasure which her weak state compelled1 as well as the feverish languor which often oppressed her in the hot ,august days4 ,this submission arose from the implicit belief which1 child as she was1 she had1 that everything that befell her was ordered by the kind ,saviour1 who would send nothing that was not for her real good4 ,such a belief1 fully realized1 would soon relieve most of us from the fretting cares and corroding anxieties that arise from our taking thought about things we cannot control4 ,i never saw a child like her1 ,mrs4 ,browne would say2 indeed1 she's more like an angel than a child1 and it's my belief she'll soon be one in reality4 ,and ,i'm sure heaven's more the place for her than this rough world4 ,however1 ,amy seemed to improve under the healthful influences of ,oakvale1 living almost wholly in the fresh open air1 perfumed with mignonette and other sweet summer flowers1 sitting with ,lucy under the trees before ,mrs4 ,browne's house1 or in her shady verandah1 where1 even on the warmest day1 there was a breeze to cool the sultry air4 ,lucy would read to her1 sometimes some of ,longfellow's simpler poems1 out of one of her prize-books1 and sometimes out of more juvenile story-books brought down for ,amy's benefit1 who was never tired of hearing her favourites read over and over again1 to which she would listen with an abstracted1 thoughtful expression1 as if she were interpreting the story in a spiritual fashion of her own4 ,heaven is about us in our infancy1 says the poet2 and it is nearer to some children1 by the grace of ,god1 than older people often imagine4 ,when ,lucy wanted to read to herself1 ,amy would amuse herself quietly for hours1 dressing her dolls1 and looking over the illustrations in her story-books1 supplying the story from memory4 ,lucy conscientiously kept up her practising on ,mrs4 ,browne's piano1 and always ended by playing and singing some hymns for ,amy1 who was passionately fond of music1 and loved to try to sing too1 with her sweet1 feeble voice4 ,as ,mrs4 ,browne1 having but one servant1 had a great deal to do herself1 ,lucy volunteered to assist her a little4 ,she had always been accustomed to perform some household tasks at home1 and it was quite an amusement to her and ,amy1 bringing back old days of her childhood1 to vary their mornings by shelling the peas for dinner1 or1 when it was not too warm1 picking the fruit for ,mrs4 ,browne's preserves4 ,so pleasant did ,lucy find it1 that she thought her city cousins really missed a good deal of enjoyment1 in never1 by any chance1 employing themselves in anything of the kind1 even when the busy servants were really over-worked4 ,indeed it is somewhat surprising that domestics go on as contentedly as they do in their constant treadmill of labour1 often too much for their strength1 when so many healthy members of the families for whose benefit they toil spend so large a portion of their time in luxurious idleness1 or in mere pleasure-seeking4 ,in the fresh1 cool morning1 after their early breakfast1 and in the evening1 when the heat of the day was over1 ,lucy and ,amy always went for a short ramble1 climbing a little way up one of the hill-paths1 or wandering by the side of the stream1 which1 fringed with elm and birch1 wound through the village that lay on both sides of it1 the river being crossed in two or three places by rustic bridges4 ,from the point on the hillside which generally formed the limit of their walk1 and where they used to sit on a mossy stone to rest1 they had an extensive view over the surrounding country1 diversified with corn-fields1 orchards1 and deep green woods1 and dotted with farmhouses1 while close at their feet lay the white cluster of village-houses1 with a few of higher pretensions scattered here and there on the green slopes by the river-side1 among their shrubberies and embowering trees4 ,the fields were beginning to wear the deeper and richer hues of approaching autumn1 and it was a perpetual pleasure to watch the rippling motion of the golden grain waving in the breeze1 or the rapid changes of light and shade on the fields and woods1 as the clouds passed swiftly over the sky4 ,to watch these were their morning pleasures2 but better still1 perhaps1 they loved the quiet sunset hours1 when the glowing tints of the sky seemed to clothe the landscape in an unearthly glory1 and then gradually each bright hue would fade out from the sky and from the land below1 leaving the scene to the solemn repose of the shadowy evening1 broken only by the flitting fireflies1 or to the flood of silver light shed by the rising moon4 ,but ,amy was never to be allowed to be out in the night air1 so that their rambles had to be over before the damp night dews4 ,they generally found ,mrs4 ,browne standing at the gate1 awaiting their return1 anxious lest her charge should have ventured to remain out too long4 ,more than a week of their stay had passed rapidly by1 when1 one evening that ,lucy and ,amy were spending in wandering by the river1 the former suddenly recognised approaching them the familiar form of her classmate1 ,miss ,eastwood1 the winner of the first history prize4 ,the recognition was of course mutual1 and in the surprise of meeting so unexpectedly1 and in explanations of how it had come about1 the two girls exchanged more words than they had ever done when in the same classes at ,mrs4 ,wilmot's4 ,and you did not know ,oakvale was my home8 said ,mary ,eastwood1 when ,lucy had told how she and her cousin came to be there4 ,lucy had never heard where ,miss ,eastwood's home was1 and it had not occurred to her to connect the ,dr4 ,eastwood1 of whom ,mrs4 ,browne often spoke1 with the name of her classmate4 ,mary showed them her father's house1 beautifully situated on the opposite sloping bank of the river1 which1 with its shady trees and white gate1 reminded her a good deal of her own old home1 though the house was larger and handsomer4 ,dr4 ,eastwood1 who was with his daughter1 looked at little ,amy with a good deal of interest1 asking a number of questions1 while he held her delicate hand in his1 and watched her fair1 pale face with his keen eye4 ,he and ,mary walked back with them to ,mrs4 ,browne's cottage1 promising to come and see them soon1 and inviting them to visit ,mary4 ,this unexpected rencontre greatly added to ,lucy's enjoyment of her stay at ,oakvale4 ,the cousins very soon had the pleasure of spending an afternoon in ,dr4 ,eastwood's family1--a ,christian household after ,lucy's own heart4 ,now that the first stiffness of their school-relations had been brushed off by the surprise of their meeting1 the two girls found each other delightful companions1 and soon became fast friends4 ,it was the first time ,lucy had ever found a congenial companion of her own sex1 and their friendship afforded a new and ever-increasing delight4 ,they saw each other every day1 and often spent the long summer mornings1 alike pleasantly and profitably1 in reading aloud by turns1 from some interesting and improving book out of ,dr4 ,eastwood's excellent library4 ,mrs4 ,eastwood often sat by1 also enjoying the reading1 and1 by her judicious remarks1 directing the minds of her young companions to profitable thought4 ,the book selected was often a religious one1 such as some people would have considered only fit for ,sundays2 but it was not the less interesting to them on that account1 and gave rise to some of their happiest discussions1 when each perceived1 with delight1 how thoroughly the other could appreciate and reciprocate her own deepest feelings4 ,little ,amy would listen attentively at such times1 showing by her interest that she comprehended more of what was said than could have been expected4 ,but whenever ,mrs4 ,eastwood thought the conversation beyond her depth1 or her mind too much excited1 she would send her away to play with her own younger children1 who were always glad to place all their toys at her disposal1 and do all in their power for her amusement4 ,at ,dr4 ,eastwood's the readings generally went on under a spreading walnut-tree on the lawn1 and ,amy would roam at large with the children1 or come and rest within hearing1 just as she liked4 ,sometimes she would lie still for hours on the cushions which ,mrs4 ,eastwood had laid on the grass for her benefit1 gazing through the flickering green leaves into the blue depths of the sky1 her earnest eyes looking as if they penetrated beyond things visible1 and held communion with thoughts not suggested by any mortal voice4 ,often in the afternoons1 while ,amy was safe and happy with her little friends1 ,mary and ,lucy would take a walk of some miles1 carrying perhaps some message or comfort for some of ,dr4 ,eastwood's poor patients1 or driving with him on some of his distant rounds1 or rowing in a boat on the river with one of ,mary's brothers1 to gather water-lilies1 and bring home their snowy or golden flowers in their waxlike beauty to delight little ,amy1 who was sensitively alive to all natural loveliness4 ,during these expeditions the two girls discussed almost every conceivable topic of mutual interest1 and gave each other the history of their previous lives1 though ,mary's had flowed on almost as uneventfully as ,lucy's had done previous to her father's death4 ,they compared notes as to their favourite books1 poetry1 and theories1 their tastes being sufficiently different to give rise to many a pleasant1 good-humoured controversy4 ,sometimes1 when deeper chords were touched1 they confided to each other some of their spiritual history1--what influences had first brought them to know a ,saviour's love1 and then led their hearts to ,him who had given ,himself for them4 ,mary1 who had a little class of her own at ,oakvale1 listened with much interest to the account of ,miss ,preston's parting words to her class1 and the influence they had had on her scholars4 ,about her dear departed father1 too1 and the beloved home-circle1 ,lucy had much to tell4 ,she said much less about the ,brooke family2 and ,mary1 who could understand how little congenial was the atmosphere of her uncle's house1 respected her reticence4 ,lucy felt that she had no right to communicate any unfavourable impression of those from whom she had received so much kindness1 and whose hospitality and kindness she had enjoyed so long4 ,i always felt as if ,i wanted to know you better1 ,mary1 when we were at ,mrs4 ,wilmot's1 said ,lucy one evening1 as they were returning home from a woodland walk1 laden with wild-flowers and ferns4 ,mary coloured a little1 and hesitated4 ,i'm afraid ,i was very stiff and selfish1 ,lucy dear1 she replied2 but mamma used to give me so many cautions about mingling with worldly people1 that ,i thought it was best to keep apart from them altogether4 ,and ,i was told ,mr4 ,brooke's family were so gay and worldly1 that ,i supposed you must be so too2 and so ,i thought ,i ought not to get into any intimacy that might lead me into temptation4 ,i suppose it is right to try to keep out of temptation1 said ,lucy thoughtfully4 ,yes2 but now ,i can see that ,i wasn't right in being so distrustful as to be afraid of what came naturally in my way4 ,mamma says that to be afraid of what may involve temptation1 when ,god's providence1 rightfully construed1 leads us into it1 is something like the dread which keeps people from doing their duty in cases of infection2 whereas they should trust that1 so long as they do not expose themselves to it wilfully and needlessly1 ,god will care for them in the path by which ,he leads them1 as well as in circumstances which look more secure4 ,yes1 ,i'm sure that's true1 said ,lucy1 thinking of what ,fred had said to her when she had felt afraid to venture into the temptations of her uncle's house4 ,but then1 whenever we get over our fear and feel secure1 we are sure to fall into some snare4 ,yes1 replied her friend1 because we forget our own dependence on ,christ for strength1 and begin to walk in our own1 instead of looking to ,him continually for help4 ,do you know1 said ,lucy1 one of my greatest temptations was studying for the history prize6 ,i was so determined to have it--so set upon it--that ,i let it come before everything else1 and forgot to ask to be kept from temptation in it1 till1 just before the examination1 ,i found ,i had forgotten part of what was to be studied2 and then1 in my disappointment1 ,i found out how wrong ,i had been4 ,oh1 exclaimed ,mary1 ,i was almost sorry ,i got the first prize1 which ,i hadn't been expecting at all1 for ,i was sure you would be dreadfully disappointed4 ,you had worked so hard for it--harder than ,i did4 ,no1 ,i wasn't disappointed then2 ,i was sure ,i shouldn't get it1 and didn't expect even the second prize2 and ,i felt quite satisfied that it should be so1 for ,i had been working in so wrong a spirit1 that ,i could not have felt happy in getting the prize that had led me astray4 ,well1 it's a relief to my mind to hear you say so1 replied ,mary1 laughing1 for ,i felt quite guilty whenever ,i looked at that book1 feeling as if ,i had by some incomprehensible accident taken it from the one who really deserved it4 ,mary had as yet known but few temptations4 ,her life had been so calm and sheltered1 that she had had no experience of contrary winds1 and her natural disposition was so equable1 that she had very little consciously to struggle against4 ,perhaps her chief temptation lay in a tendency to placid contemplative ,christianity1 without sufficient active interest in others2 and ,lucy's opposite qualities acted as a counteracting stimulus1 while ,mary's peaceful spirit of trusting faith calmed and soothed ,lucy's rather impatient disposition4 ,thus in all true loving ,christian companionship we may help each other on1 making up what is lacking in one another by mutual edification4 ,one warm ,sunday evening1 after a very sultry day1 ,lucy and ,amy were sitting together in ,mrs4 ,browne's verandah4 ,mary had just left them1 having walked home with ,lucy from the evening service1 and they had been discussing the sermon1 which had been chiefly on sin and its hatefulness in the sight of ,god1 as well as upon the fountain opened to remove it4 ,after she was gone1 they had sat for some time in silence1 watching the fireflies glancing in and out of the dark trees4 ,suddenly ,amy said1 ,lucy1 do you expect to go to heaven when you die1 for sure8 ,i am quite sure there is nothing to prevent my going there1 said ,lucy1 for ,i know ,jesus is able and willing to take me there4 ,shall ,i go there when ,i die1 ,lucy8 she asked1 with a solemn earnestness that went to her cousin's heart4 ,why should you not1 dear ,amy1 when ,jesus died that you might8 ,but ',god will not look upon sin1' the ,bible says1 and ,i have a sinful heart2 ,i feel it1 replied the child4 ,well1 why should ,jesus have died for you if you had not8 ,it was just to take away sin that ,jesus came to suffer4 ,but it isn't taken away2 ,i know it's there1 persisted ,amy1 who had evidently been distressing herself with the question how a heart1 sinful on earth1 could be fit for the pure atmosphere of heaven4 ,lucy explained1 to the best of her knowledge and ability1 that while sin still clings to our mortal natures1 ,jesus has broken its power for ever1 and taken away its condemnation1 so that when we receive ,him into our hearts by faith1 ,god no longer looks upon us as sinful and rebellious children1 but as reconciled through the blood of ,christ4 ,and the same blood will also purify our hearts2 and when soul and body are for ever separated1 the last stain of sin will be taken away from the ransomed spirit4 ,amy listened1 and seemed satisfied1--at least she never recurred to the subject2 and1 so far as ,lucy knew1 it was the last time that any perplexing doubts clouded the sunshine of her happy1 childlike faith4 ,pleasant as were the days of their stay at ,oakvale1 they came at last1 like all earthly things1 to an end4 ,the warm ,august weather had passed away1 and the ,september breezes blew cool and fresh1 permitting them to ramble about with comfort even during the hours which they had before been obliged to spend entirely in the shade4 ,the seaside party had already been settled at home for a week or two1 before it was thought advisable that ,amy should be brought back to the city4 ,at last1 however1 the summons came1 and ,lucy spent the last two or three days in revisiting for the last time all the favourite haunts where she had spent so many happy hours4 ,she and her friend did not1 however1 permit themselves to repine at the ending of what had been to them both such a very delightful resting-place in their life-journey2 since ,not enjoyment and not sorrow ,is our destined end or way2 ,but to live1 that each to-morrow ,finds us farther than to-day4 ,mary1 who had delayed her own return to school on her friend's account1 was to accompany them to town1 to begin her last year at ,mrs4 ,wilmot's4 ,amy had seemed so well during their stay at ,oakvale1 that ,lucy had become hopeful of her complete recovery4 ,but ,dr4 ,eastwood warned her that the improvement might be merely temporary1 and that in any case it was1 in his judgment1 impossible that ,amy could ever be quite strong and well4 ,and ,i don't know1 he said kindly to ,lucy1 who felt a sharp pang at the thought of losing her dear little cousin1 that it is well to set your heart on the prolongation of a life which can scarcely be anything but one of weakness and suffering4 ,so with many mingled feelings of hope1 and fear1 and regret1 and many kind farewells from all their ,oakvale friends1 the young party took their departure1 and found themselves soon again among city sights and sounds4 ,,xiv4 ,an ,unexpected ,recognition4 ,for love's a flower that will not die ,for lack of leafy screen2 ,and ,christian hope can cheer the eye ,that ne'er saw vernal green4 ,then be ye sure that love can bless ,even in this crowded loneliness1 ,where ever-moving myriads seem to say1 ,go6 thou art naught to us1 nor we to thee2 away6 ,mr4 ,brooke met the young travellers at the station1 anxious about his youngest daughter1 whose improved appearance he was much pleased to note2 and ,stella met them at the door with every demonstration of delight4 ,it has been so dull here without you6 she exclaimed2 the house seems so quiet1 after all the fun we have been having at the seaside4 ,i've been teasing papa to let me go for you1 and ,i would have gone if you hadn't come soon6 ,she was looking prettier than ever1 ,lucy thought2 so blooming1 and gay1 and graceful1 after her seaside sojourn4 ,her cousin could not wonder that she won her way to most people's hearts1 and was forced to admit the contrast between her and her fragile little sister1 whose faint bloom even now did not remove the appearance of ill-health4 ,but there was on her pale face a spiritual beauty1 a repose and peace1 which ,stella1 in all the loveliness of a pure rose-tinted complexion1 lustrous eyes1 and gleaming golden hair1 did not possess4 ,it was the reflection1 outwardly1 of the peace of ,god which passeth understanding4 ,stella talked all the evening without ceasing1 and at night accompanied ,lucy to her room1 there to go on talking still1 enlarging1 in a lively1 amusing strain1 on the adventures of their seaside life2 the fun1 the splendid bathing1 the people who were there1 their dress1 manners1 and conversation2 all the flirtations she had observed1 with the quick eye of a girl who as yet has no personal interest in such matters4 ,when at last ,stella paused in her own narration to ask questions about ,oakvale1 ,lucy gladly took advantage of the break to insist on postponing all further conversation until the morrow1 especially as1 she urged1 they were keeping ,amy from the sleep she needed so much after her long journey1 and accustomed as she had lately been to early hours4 ,lucy indeed felt determined that the same thing must not happen again on any account1 as the consequences to ,amy of having her mind and nervous system excited so late at night1 when she was always too much disposed to wakefulness1 might be exceedingly injurious4 ,oh1 how ,i wish ,stella were more like dear ,mary6 thought ,lucy1 as she laid her head on her pillow1 and compared ,mary's kind thoughtfulness with ,stella's impulsive1 flighty giddiness4 ,as to externals1 ,stella had very much the advantage1 for ,mary ,eastwood could not be called pretty1 and was rather reserved in manner with those whom she did not know well2 but ,lucy could not help feeling ,mary's great superiority as a companion1 when she compared the state of mind in which ,stella's stream of gossip had left her1 with the elevating1 stimulating tendency of her conversations with ,mary on subjects more worthy of immortal beings4 ,they seemed mutually to draw each other on to a sphere far above the petty frivolities on which so many fritter away powers given for higher ends4 ,even when they did not touch on topics directly religious1 they seemed to be far nearer the ,light that is inaccessible and full of glory1 when discussing the working of ,god's laws and providence in nature and history1 than if their minds had been lowered and discoloured by dwelling on the faults1 follies1 and petty concerns of their neighbours4 ,sophy1 who had been a little fagged and worn out by her incessant round of gaiety1 previous to her going to the seaside1 was now looking more brilliantly handsome1 ,lucy thought1 than she had ever seen her4 ,stella had informed her that ,sophy's betrothed had been at the seaside with them4 ,and oh1 he's so delightful1 you can't think6 ,so handsome1 and good-natured1 and obliging6 ,i can tell you1 ,sophy looked proud of him there6 ,he gave her the loveliest emerald set2 you'll see her wear them4 ,and ,i'm pretty sure they're to be married next spring1 though she won't tell me2 but ,i'll coax it out of ,ada4 ,lucy thought ,sophy must be very happy2 yet she could not help thinking if both she and her lover were really ,christians1 how much happier they would be6 ,nothing ,stella had said led her to suppose that he was2 and if he were1 what an alloy of anxiety and separation in the most important points would mar the perfection of love6 ,it was with increased zest1 and a fuller appreciation of the interest and value of her studies1 that ,lucy entered upon them once more4 ,the happy weeks at ,oakvale had been of permanent benefit to her1 in opening new channels of thought and enlarging her sphere of mental vision1 both through the books she had been reading1 and the comments of ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,eastwood1 both of whom had thoughtful1 cultivated minds4 ,she now studied with very little reference to prizes1 or even the approbation of masters1 but from a deep interest in the studies themselves1 and a feeling of their beneficial effect in leading her to higher ranges of thought4 ,every new attainment was but a step to a fresh starting-point in the never-ending pursuit of knowledge2 and ,longfellow's beautiful lines often recurred to her mind1-- ,the lofty pyramids of stone1 ,that1 wedge-like1 cleave the desert airs1 ,when nearer seen and better known1 ,are but gigantic flights of stairs4 ,then the feeling grew to be more and more strong with her1 that every new acquisition--every step in mental discipline which ,god had given her the opportunity of making--was a talent to be held in trust and used in ,his service4 ,mrs4 ,eastwood had explained that1 though we may often have to study during the years of school life without seeing what special use we may be called to make of our acquisitions1 still ,god will undoubtedly find some use for whatever power we have gained while following the leading of ,his providence4 ,therefore1 she would say1 the doubt whether such and such a thing will ever be of any use to us is no excuse for sloth in acquiring it1 when it is clearly our duty to do so4 ,her studies were rendered doubly interesting by the companionship of ,mary ,eastwood1 who was animated by the same spirit1 and in whose friendship she found her greatest pleasure during the winter4 ,stella was rather surprised at the affectionate greeting between her cousin and ,miss ,eastwood the first day they met at school1 for she had scarcely given ,lucy an opportunity of telling her more than that they had met often at ,oakvale4 ,well1 to think of your having all at once struck up such a violent friendship with that stiff1 quiet ,miss ,eastwood6 exclaimed ,stella1 who thought her cousin's choice of a friend rather unaccountable4 ,lucy's efforts to draw together her cousin and her friend were unsuccessful1 and perhaps this was quite as much ,mary's fault as ,stella's1 arising from her strong feeling against cultivating intimacy with any one who was of the world4 ,it was almost the only practical point on which she and ,lucy disagreed1 for ,lucy tried to persuade her that she might do real good if she would come more in contact with her irreligious schoolmates4 ,but ,mary replied that this might do for some1 but she did not feel strong enough1--she might herself be led away4 ,she was not yet fully persuaded in her own mind4 ,so ,lucy gave up the point1 and had a somewhat difficult position to maintain between her cousin and her friend1--not that ,mary was ever jealous1 but ,stella did not at all like the affection her friends to be diverted towards any one else2 indeed1 it was the only thing that ever seemed really to a put her out4 ,she was conscious to some extent that a much deeper sympathy existed between ,lucy and ,miss ,eastwood than between ,lucy and her1 and she feared that if it increased1 her cousin's regard for her must necessarily diminish4 ,one bright1 sunny ,october day1 when the air was clear and bracing1 and the wind was tossing the red leaves that fell from the trees in the squares1 ,lucy and ,stella were on their way home from school1 when they heard at a slight distance the plaintive strains of a hand-organ1 carried by a meagre1 careworn ,italian1 who seemed to be working his instrument mechanically1 while his eye had a fixed1 sad1 stedfast gaze1 unconscious1 seemingly1 of anything around him4 ,lucy was looking compassionately at the dark1 sorrowful face1 and wondering what his previous history might have been1 when her eye was suddenly caught by the familiar form and face of the girl who stood by with her tambourine1 singing a simple ditty1 which somehow brought old days at ,ashleigh back to her mind4 ,the figure she saw1 though arrayed in tattered garments1 and the face1 though sunburnt to a deep brown1 were not so much altered as to prevent almost instant recognition4 ,lucy grasped ,stella's arm1 and exclaimed1 ,why1 it's ,nelly6 and before the astonished ,stella comprehended her meaning1 she hastily stepped forward towards the tambourine-girl1 who almost at the same moment stopped singing and sprang forward1 exclaiming1 ,oh1 it's ,miss ,lucy1 her own self6 ,both were quite unconscious1 in their surprise1 of the bystanders around them2 but ,stella was by no means so insensible to the situation1 and was somewhat scandalized at being connected with such a scene in the street4 ,she begged ,lucy to ask ,nelly to follow them home1 which was not far off1 and then they could have any number of explanations at leisure4 ,lucy at once assented1 and asked ,nelly if she could be spared for a little while4 ,with a happy face1 flushed with her surprise and delight1 ,nelly went up to the organ-grinder and said a few words1 at which he smiled and nodded4 ,she then followed her friends home at a respectful distance1 while the man went on his way from house to house4 ,nelly's explanation of her present odd circumstances was very simple1 and1 on the whole1 satisfactory4 ,in the hot ,july weather1 when she felt her overtasked strength failing1 and could scarcely manage to drag herself about to perform her daily round of duty1 often scolded for doing it inefficiently1 the poor organ-grinder came one day with a face more sorrowful than ever1 and told ,nelly1 weeping1 that his daughter--his povera picciola--had been carried off by one of those sudden attacks that so soon run their course and snap the thread of weakly lives4 ,he was so lonely now1 he said1 he could not bear it6 ,would ,nelly come and be his daughter1 and take poor ,teresa's forsaken tambourine8 ,she had a voice sweet as ,teresa's own1 and he would teach her to sing when he played4 ,she should have no hard work1 and no scolding1 and they would take care of each other4 ,it was a tempting offer to poor ,nelly1 pining under continual chilling indifference and fault-finding4 ,while she was hesitating1 her mistress1 hearing a strange voice in the kitchen1 came down in wrath to dismiss the intruder1 who rose instantly at the sound of her harsh voice4 ,i go1 signora1 he said in his foreign ,english1 and this girl goes with me4 ,you give her too hard work and hard words4 ,i will take care for her1 and she shall be to me as the povera who is dead6 ,come1 picciola6 ,mrs4 ,williams had by this time so far recovered from her amazement as to find voice enough to demand of ,nelly whether she was really going to be so ungrateful as to leave a place where she had been so kindly treated1 and ruin herself for life1 by going off with a wandering character like that4 ,but ,nelly's reply was ready4 ,you said1 ma'am1 you'd have to send me away because ,i couldn't do your work properly4 ,so ,i think ,i'd better go4 ,and hurriedly collecting her few possessions1 she was ready in two minutes to accompany her newly-found protector4 ,mrs4 ,williams endeavoured to detain her1 threatening to take the law of her4 ,but ,nelly was determined4 ,anything was better than remaining there2 and ,mrs4 ,williams1 who was somewhat overawed by the ,italian's determined eye1 gave up what she saw was a vain attempt4 ,she shut the door after them with expressive force1 and then went up-stairs to discourse to her daughter on the incredible ingratitude and heartlessness of such creatures4 ,nelly had faithfully served ,mrs4 ,williams to the utmost of her strength and ability for five months1 and her mistress had in return given her food of the poorest quality1 and one old print dress of her own1 worn almost to tatters4 ,yet ,mrs4 ,williams1 having herself a pretty hard struggle to make both ends meet1 was at least more excusable than those who1 themselves abounding in wealth and luxury1 grind down1 so far as they can1 the poor hirelings who may be in their power4 ,since then ,nelly had faithfully followed the poor ,italian1 whom1 at his own desire1 she called padre4 ,it did not to her mean the same as father1 nor would she have given to any one else the name sacred to her own unforgotten father4 ,but she was to the poor man as a daughter2 and her brown face1 though still thin1 had lost the pining1 wistful look which had been previously habitual to it4 ,lucy observed the glow of pleasure that lighted up her face when she heard again the familiar sound of the organ in the distance4 ,the padre was very good to her1 she said1 and though they often had long weary rounds1 with a scant allowance of pennies1 they always had enough to eat2 and hitherto it had been very pleasant1 and she had no hard scrubbing or washing to do4 ,i'd have died soon1 ,miss ,lucy1 if ,i'd stayed at ,mrs4 ,williams'4 ,was it wrong to come away8 ,lucy could not say it was1 in spite of the irregularity of the precedent4 ,but the padre won't be able to go about in the winter time1 ,miss ,lucy1 for he has such a cough and pain in his breast whenever he gets wet or cold2 and some days he's hardly able to play his organ1 and then ,i don't know what he'll do4 ,what could ,i do1 ,miss ,lucy1 to help him8 ,lucy promised to consider the matter4 ,she had obtained leave to give the organ-grinder and ,nelly a good substantial meal in the kitchen1 which was greatly relished by both4 ,she took down the name of the street in which they lived1 and got a minute description of the house1 promising soon to visit them4 ,the man was evidently far from strong1 and his bright1 hollow eye and haggard face1 sometimes unnaturally flushed1 betokened too surely incipient disease4 ,and why did you never come to see me1 ,nelly8 ,you knew where ,i was1 said ,lucy1 as they were going away4 ,oh1 ,miss ,lucy1 exclaimed ,nelly eagerly1 but ,i did1 three times1 but you weren't in2 ,i was ashamed to come any more4 ,the last times they said you were away in the country4 ,but why didn't you leave word where you were living1 and ,i would have found you out8 ,oh1 ,miss ,lucy1 ,i couldn't think you'd be at the trouble of coming to see me6 ,well1 ,i will come1 though1 now ,i know where you live1 said ,lucy as she bade them good-bye4 ,little ,amy had been very much interested in the history of ,nelly1 as ,lucy had told it to her1 and had come down to see her4 ,she stood by1 putting her thin hand on hers1 and looking up wonderingly in her face1 exciting ,nelly's compassion and interest by her sweet1 delicate look4 ,she's more like an angel than ,miss ,stella1 though ,i used to think her like one1 thought ,nelly4 ,amy asked many questions about ,nelly and the poor man1 and begged ,lucy to take her when she went to see them4 ,but so long a walk was out of the question for ,amy1 nor would her mother have consented to let either her or ,stella go to such a quarter of the city4 ,even ,lucy's going was a matter for some consideration1 but she begged hard to be allowed to fulfil her promise4 ,at last ,edwin good-naturedly said he didn't mind going with ,lucy1 to see that she wasn't carried off for her clothes1 like the little girl in the story-books2 and they made the expedition together1 her cousin waiting outside while ,lucy paid her most welcome visit4 ,they found the place a very quiet one1 and the street1 though poor1 not at all disreputable4 ,edwin gave the best account of it he could1 that ,lucy might be able in future1 without his escort1 to visit ,nelly1 as she occasionally did1 accompanied by her friend ,mary ,eastwood1 who sometimes spent the ,saturday afternoon with her at ,mr4 ,brooke's4 ,their visits and little gifts of money were very timely1 for the poor organ-grinder was growing less and less able to persevere in his uncertain calling2 and though ,nelly was practising plain sewing1 that she might be able to earn something herself1 it was not likely that her exertions could bring in much4 ,in these visits to ,nelly the two friends soon found out other poor people in the same locality1 even more urgently needing a kind word and a helping hand4 ,in work of this kind1 as in most other things1 it is only the first step which costs4 ,one has only to make a beginning1 and straightway one case leads to another1 and that interest grows with the work1 until to some happy and highly-privileged people it really becomes their meat and drink thus to do their ,father's business4 ,this new kind of work was a great interest to ,lucy1 and in planning how best to aid the poor in whom she was interested1 and in diligent and happy study1 the autumn months passed rapidly away4 ,,xv4 ,the ,flower ,fadeth4 ,and yet ,his words mean more than they1 ,and yet ,he owns their praise2 ,why should we think ,he turns away ,from infants' simple lays8 ,as the autumn deepened into winter1 bringing cold1 damp days1 and chilling1 keen winds1 little ,amy's strength seemed steadily to decrease1 notwithstanding all the care taken to reinforce it by the most nourishing diet that money could command4 ,every delicacy that could tempt her appetite1 every kind of nourishment that could strengthen her system1 was tried1 without success4 ,dr4 ,eastwood had been right in his augury1 that her seeming improvement had been only temporary1 and that the delicately-organized constitution was not meant for the wear and tear of long life4 ,so evident at last did the decline become1 that a consultation was held as to whether it would not be advisable to remove her for the winter to a warmer climate2 but the more experienced physicians were decidedly of opinion that taking her away from her home and family would be a needless cruelty1 and that1 since no human skill could now arrest the disease1 it was better to leave the little patient to live1 as long as she might1 surrounded by the comforts and the kind nursing at home4 ,this opinion was not fully communicated to her parents1 but they instinctively felt1 what was really the case1 that their child was only left in their home because she must ere long be removed from it for ever4 ,lucy had long taught herself to think of such an issue as at least a probability2 but her cousins by no means realized the advanced state of ,amy's disease4 ,they persuaded themselves that1 with care1 she would get over her delicacy1 and they would not even think of the possibility of a fatal termination of it4 ,one cause of this was probably the circumstance that the winter gaieties had commenced1 and that invitations1 parties1 and dress were now uppermost in their minds4 ,had they been convinced that their little sister was dying1 they could hardly have had the heart to join in their usual round of gaiety2 but they easily persuaded themselves of the contrary1 and felt no scruples about going on as usual4 ,stella1 who had shot up almost to womanly height within the last year1 had assumed the dress and appearance of a young lady1 as distinguished from a little girl4 ,the foretaste of gay life she had had at the seaside had made her impatient to plunge into it at once1 and she besieged her parents with entreaties that she might be allowed to come out that winter4 ,she succeeded so far with her father1 who could seldom deny her anything1 as to obtain leave to go to as many private parties as she could1 without interfering with her studies4 ,but of course1 with a limit so indefinite1 the bounds were often overstepped4 ,her love of gaiety only grew with the indulgence of the taste1 and she felt really unhappy when she had to see her sisters go to a party without her4 ,but late hours and excitement very soon affected a constitution which had never before been so severely tried2 and as she would conceal any indisposition when she thought it might keep her at home1 the consequences sometimes became serious4 ,at last1 her rashness in going out1 thinly dressed1 one cold winter evening1 when she was already suffering from a slight cold1 brought on a severe attack of inflammation of the lungs1 by which she was prostrated for several weeks1 and which left behind a slight cough4 ,this1 the doctor warned her1 would require the utmost care1 to prevent its growing into what might prove very serious indeed4 ,lucy1 of course1 owing to her deep mourning1 and the school-work which engrossed her mind and time1 had had no temptation to mingle in any of her cousins' amusements1 though1 had it been otherwise1 she could not conscientiously have frequented scenes of amusement which she had been taught by her father to consider unworthy of those who have made up their minds to leave all and follow ,christ4 ,for the same reason1 she had refused ,stella's urgent solicitations to accompany her in occasional visits to the opera and theatre1 places of which her father had often told her the spiritual atmosphere was entirely foreign to that in which ,christians should seek ever to dwell4 ,though ,stella's glowing descriptions sometimes excited the longing to see the magic sights and hear the magnificent music of which they told1 she felt that she could not sincerely pray1 ,lead us not into temptation1 if she wilfully went into it2 nor could she from the heart have asked her ,saviour's blessing on the evening's amusement4 ,during the general engrossment of the household with ,stella's alarming attack1 ,amy's rapid sinking of strength was not for some time much noticed1 except by ,lucy1 who felt1 in spite of her hopes1 that the end was drawing near4 ,lucy had been forbidden to speak to her little cousin about death1 as if the avoidance of the thought could have anything to do with delaying the event2 but happily there was no need for doing so1 since her little heart was evidently resting on her ,saviour1 and she was thus prepared for whatever ,he should send her4 ,her childlike faith1 and her vivid realization of heavenly things1 seemed to grow stronger as her bodily strength failed2 and though she never specially referred to death1 the approach of which a child is not able to realize1 her mind was evidently full of thoughts about heaven1 about its glories and occupations1 about ,him who is the resurrection and the life4 ,she was always asking questions about the childhood of ,jesus1--questions which ,lucy often found it impossible to answer1--and was never tired of hearing the few passages in the ,new ,testament which referred to it4 ,some instances of childish sin seemed to weigh upon her conscience2 but ,lucy reminded her that the ,lamb of ,god had washed away her sins with ,his own blood1 and that the moment we come to ,him by faith1 we are sure of the forgiveness of past sin1 as well as of deliverance from its present power4 ,this perfectly satisfied her1 and nothing else seemed to trouble her4 ,the little girl was intensely interested in the poor ,italian1 who was sinking almost as fast as she was4 ,he seldom now stirred from his chair in the warmest corner of the room1 and his cough had become terribly harassing1 especially at night4 ,his breathing1 too1 was much oppressed2 and poor ,nelly had often a heavy heart1 as the conviction forced itself upon her that she was about to lose the kind friend and protector around whom her warm heart had closely entwined itself4 ,she tried hard to earn a little for his support and her own1 by the sewing which she occasionally got1 often from people nearly as poor as herself2 but her utmost exertions in this way would not have sufficed to keep them from starvation1 had it not been for the timely aid brought by ,lucy and by ,mary ,eastwood1 whose well-supplied purse was always ready to furnish what was needed for their comfort4 ,lucy had very little to give of her own1 but ,mrs4 ,brooke was sufficiently interested in her account of the case to be very willing to help1 for she was not at all indisposed to benevolent actions1 if she had had the energy to discover the way4 ,amy1 too1 always insisted that a portion of the delicacies prepared for her should be kept for the poor organ-grinder2 and one of her greatest pleasures was in hearing from ,lucy how the invalid liked what had been sent him1 and how gratefully he sent his thanks to the little signorina4 ,she asked ,lucy whether the poor man loved ,jesus1 and would go to heaven when he died1 and seemed much grieved at hearing of his praying to the ,virgin1 the mother of ,jesus4 ,what a pity6 she would say1 for she can't hear him1 nor save him1 can she8 ,and so his prayers will be of no use6 ,she lay still for a short time1 considering the matter1 and then said1 as if a ray of comfort had come to her1 ,but ,jesus can hear him1 and perhaps ,he will give him what he needs1 though he didn't ask ,him4 ,lucy would hope so too1 and agree with her that when he got to heaven he would know better2 for she had reason to believe1 notwithstanding ,antonio's prayers to the ,virgin1--the remnant of the superstitious faith he had held from childhood1--that he was nevertheless gradually coming to the knowledge of the ,saviour as the only mediator and sacrifice for sin4 ,nelly's treasured card was fastened up conspicuously in their little room1 and the rich colours in which the text ,looking unto ,jesus was printed1 pleased the ,italian's southern love of colour1 and led his eye often to rest upon it1 as he spent the long hours sitting wearily in his chair4 ,and gradually he came to attach some real meaning to the words1 which at first he had regarded merely as a pleasant thing to look at4 ,nelly would sometimes tell him some of the things ,miss ,preston said to her about it1 which clung tenaciously to her memory2 and how the thought that ,jesus was her ,friend and ,saviour1 to whom she must always look in her need1 had been her one comfort when left friendless and alone4 ,she often read to him a chapter out of the little ,bible which was ,lucy's parting gift when she left ,ashleigh1 and had ever since been ,nelly's dearest treasure4 ,and he would always listen with deep interest to the history of the wonderful life which has come home to the hearts of thousands in all the centuries which have elapsed since it was lived among the hills and valleys of ,palestine4 ,he loved to hear ,nelly sing1 in her rich1 sweet voice1 her favourite hymn1 ,i lay my sins on ,jesus1 and would sometimes try to join in the strains himself as well as his feebleness would let him4 ,he showed his appreciation of the motto1 in his own way1 by placing his crucifix above the card1 and he would sit for hours gazing silently at both4 ,lucy1 in her frequent visits1 often read to him the passages which bear most directly on the love of ,christ1 and the full and free forgiveness of sin through ,him2 and she sometimes added simple comments of her own1 preferring1 however1 in general1 to leave ,god's words to work their own way into his heart4 ,his church prejudices she never ventured to touch1 feeling that to do so might arouse them against the reception of the simple gospel1 and do him harm1 by exciting his mind injuriously and bewildering him with conflicting opinions4 ,she avoided all collision with ideas which had been so long closely intertwined with the only ideas of religion he had1 feeling sure that the light of gospel truth1 once introduced into the heart1 would sooner or later disperse the darkness of error by its own power4 ,except for the one dark foreboding1 that became1 month by month1 and week by week1 more distinct1 these would have been very happy days for ,nelly4 ,her warm ,irish heart found scope for its action1 in continually ministering to the comfort of one to whom she was bound by ties of love and gratitude1 and no harsh or unkind word now fell upon her ear4 ,the poor ,italian1 always of a gentle nature1 except when influenced by passion1 had ever treated her with indulgent kindness1 and she had given him her warm affection in return4 ,her assiduous attentions were labours of love1 and so was the needlework at which she stitched away with diligent though unpractised hands4 ,coarse1 hard sewing it was2 but ,nelly did not mind that1 in the feeling that she was earning something1 however small4 ,while she sat plying her needle through the short days and long evenings of the winter1 the invalid's thoughts would wander back to long past1 but unforgotten days1 and he would amuse ,nelly with little bits of his past history4 ,he would describe1 over and over again1 his childhood's home in the lovely ,riviera1 where the intense azure of the sky1 and the pure sapphire of the ,mediterranean1 contrasted sharply with the white glitter of the rocks as they emerged in bold relief from their drapery of rich1 deep-hued vegetation4 ,he would tell her about the white ,italian village1 nestling among the vine-clad terraces and sloping hill-sides clad with olive and myrtle1 and about the trellised house where he was born1 and his father's little vineyard1 where the rich purple and amber clusters1 such as little ,amy now sent him as costly luxuries1 hung down in rich masses which any hand could pick4 ,such descriptions were intensely fascinating to ,nelly's quick ,celtic imagination1 and she would speak in her turn of the breezy slopes by the sea where she had so often played in days she could still vividly remember2 of the aromatic scent of the burning heaps of sea-weed1 whose smouldering fires she used to fan2 of the fresh1 bracing sea-air1 and dancing blue waves with their snowy crests of foam1 and the distant white sails winging their way to some unknown haven4 ,their talk always took a sadder tone when the ,italian spoke of his later life1 and told how he left his quiet village1 hoping to make his fortune in the great world as a musician2 how his hopes had been gradually crushed down1 and he wandered from place to place till he emigrated to ,america1 where the deadly cholera carried off his wife and her infant boy1 leaving him only his little daughter2 how1 since then1 dispirited and weary1 he had managed to pick up a living as best he could1 gradually forsaking more ambitious instruments for his barrel-organ1 till the tide of life1 gradually running low1 was reduced to its lowest ebb by the shock of his daughter's death1 superadded to the decline which had long been insidiously undermining his system4 ,but it will soon be over now1 my child1 he said1--all the trouble and the nursing4 ,you have been very good to the poor forestiere since the povera went to the blessed saints4 ,i shall soon see her again1 and ,anita1 and the little ,giulio1 in the better country that the signorina was reading about1--better1 she says1 than the patria itself1 with its olives and vines4 ,ah6 ,i think ,i see it again1 when ,i dream4 ,such a speech as this always melted poor ,nelly into tears2 and1 seeing the pain it gave her1 he did not often refer to his approaching death4 ,to ,lucy1 however1 he sometimes spoke of his concern for the future lot of his adopted daughter1 who was again to be left desolate4 ,lucy herself had been thinking a good deal about it1 and wondering whether she could induce her aunt to take ,nelly4 ,amy1 however1 arranged the matter unexpectedly4 ,she had been asking ,lucy1 with great earnestness1 what poor ,nelly would do when the organ-grinder should die2 and when ,mrs4 ,brooke next came into the room1 she surprised her with the question1 ,mamma1 may ,nelly come and live here when the organ-grinder dies8 ,mrs4 ,brooke looked bewildered1 until ,lucy explained the matter4 ,she hesitated1 and would have put ,amy off with the promise that she would see about it4 ,but ,amy was so anxious to have the point settled1 that her mother at last gave the absolute promise she asked2 and ,lucy had the satisfaction of announcing to poor ,antonio1 the next time she visited him1 to his great relief and satisfaction1 that ,nelly's future home1 so long as she desired it1 should be with ,mrs4 ,brooke4 ,,xvi4 ,darkness and ,light4 ,tell me the old1 old story1 ,if you would really be ,in any time of trouble ,a comforter to me4 ,fred came to town for a few days in his ,christmas vacation1 just as ,stella was beginning to recover from the severe attack which had prostrated her4 ,mr4 ,brooke's house being so full of sickness1 ,lucy1 though very unwilling to leave ,amy1 thought it best1 on ,fred's account1 to accept an urgent invitation from the ,eastwoods that they should both spend a week at ,oakvale4 ,he would thus have a pleasanter vacation than under the circumstances he could have at his uncle's1 where he felt himself in the way1 and where ,lucy had so many demands upon her time that she could see but little of a brother whose visits were so rare4 ,the change of scene was very much needed by her1 for the confinement and fatigue of her sick-room attendance had had a depressing influence on her health and spirits4 ,it was certainly1 in spite of all her anxiety about ,amy1 a very enjoyable change to the bright1 cheerful1 ,christian atmosphere of ,dr4 ,eastwood's house1 and the bracing influence of the outdoor exercise in which the others made her participate4 ,she felt as if it were wrong to enjoy it so much1 when ,amy1 she knew1 was dying1 and ,stella as yet in so precarious a condition4 ,but ,god sometimes gives1 in very trying circumstances1 a buoyancy and cheerfulness of feeling quite independent of the circumstances1 which seem specially sent to communicate a strength that will be greatly needed in approaching days of trial1--a pleasant land of ,beulah1 before the watchers stand quite on the shore of the dark river4 ,and it can never be right sullenly to close the heart in determined sadness against the cheering influences of ,god's light1 and air1 and bright sunshine2 nor can we usually1 if we would1 act so foolishly and ungratefully4 ,that happy week at ,oakvale often seemed to ,lucy a sort of oasis of sunshine1 as compared with the depressing weeks that preceded and followed it4 ,oakvale looked scarcely less beautiful now that the surrounding hills wore their white mantle of snow1 contrasting with the intense blue of the winter sky and the dark green of the pines1 while the little river lay1 a strip of glittering ice1 under the trees1 leafless now1 which overshadowed its ceaseless ripple in the warm summer days4 ,the young party had pleasant sleigh-rides to see old favourite spots in their winter aspect1 and ,fred joined the younger children in their skating and snowballing1 though he enjoyed much more the walks in which he accompanied his sister and her friend4 ,mary and he got on as well as ,lucy had expected1 although she was disappointed that1 after their visit was over1 she could not draw from him any enthusiastic praise of ,miss ,eastwood2 at which she would have been a little vexed1 but for the reflection that ,fred1 unlike most people1 never said the half of what he thought4 ,he did not1 however1 leave ,oakvale without a promise to renew his visit during the summer vacation4 ,lucy1 on her return home1 found her little cousin evidently sinking fast4 ,her strength was almost exhausted1 and she suffered a good deal from pain and restlessness2 but scarcely a complaint ever escaped her lips4 ,she often talked now about going to ,jesus1 the thought on which her mind seemed most to dwell4 ,mrs4 ,brooke1 seeing this1 at last sent for the minister whose church the family usually attended on ,sundays1 that being the extent of their connection with it4 ,but he was a stranger to ,amy1--for his ministerial visits had never been desired or encouraged1--and though she was grateful to him for coming to see her and praying beside her bed1 she could not speak to him1 as she could to ,lucy1 about her willingness to go to the happy home which her ,saviour was preparing for her4 ,still her visitor could see enough of the change ,god had wrought in her heart1 to make him marvel1 as he took his leave1 at the wonderful way in which ,god sometimes raises up to ,himself a witness in the most worldly homes1 and perfects praise out of the mouth of babes and sucklings4 ,the little invalid was sometimes slightly delirious when the hectic fever was at its height1 but her wandering fancies were always of gentle and pleasant things4 ,she would ask if they did not hear the sweet singing in her room2 and when ,lucy would ask what was sung1 would say1 ,jerusalem1 meaning ,jerusalem the ,golden1 her favourite hymn next to the one she loved best of all1 ,i lay my sins on ,jesus4 ,one night1 when she had been asleep for some time1 with ,lucy only watching beside her1 she suddenly awoke1 a flash of joy lighting up her face4 ,lucy1 she murmured faintly2 but when ,lucy bent over her1 she could catch but one word--,jesus4 ,lucy saw a change come over her countenance1 which she had seen once before1 and ere the others1 hastily summoned1 could be with her1 the little form lay lifeless1 its immortal tenant having escaped to the heavenly home1 whither she had been longing to go4 ,no one could help being thankful that the sufferings of the patient little invalid were over4 ,indeed1 with the exception of ,mrs4 ,brooke1 ,lucy1 and ,stella1 no one showed any profound grief for the death of a child who had always been very much secluded1 and but little appreciated4 ,but ,mrs4 ,brooke's sorrow was mingled with some self-reproach that she had not been to her departed child all that a mother should have been1 and she suffered now for the wilfulness which1 when deprived of one blessing1 had turned petulantly from another4 ,lucy constantly missed her little favourite1 and her sorrow for the loss of her father1 never quite removed1 seemed revived anew by her cousin's death4 ,but she could feel that ,amy was infinitely happier in her heavenly home than she could ever have been on earth2 and she felt not only that she should join her there1 but also that there might be an intercourse and communion of spirit in ,christ1 incomprehensible to those who look only to things seen and temporal4 ,it was ,lucy's greatest solace to visit poor ,antonio1 and speak to him of ,amy's concern for him1 and her desire that he should find rest and peace in the love of that ,saviour in whom she had so fully trusted4 ,he was deeply touched on hearing some of the things she had said1 and the tears came to his eyes when he spoke of her kindness in sending so many things for his comfort4 ,but1 he said with deep feeling1 it was very different for a blessed1 innocent child like her1 and a sinful man like me4 ,lucy explained that all are under the condemnation of sin1 since none are without it2 and that no sins are too great to be taken away by the ,lamb of ,god once offered as a sacrifice for the sin of the world4 ,he listened silently1 while an expression of hope stole over his haggard countenance2 and ,nelly told ,miss ,lucy1 with much pleasure1 that after that he prayed much less to the ,virgin1 and his prayers were more generally spontaneous ejaculations1 expressing the deeply-felt need of a ,redeemer4 ,stella's grief for her little sister1 partly owing1 perhaps1 to her physical weakness1 had seemed more violent than that of any one else4 ,the paroxysms of hysterical crying which frequently came on1 and an aversion to take necessary nourishment1 very much retarded her recovery1 and prevented her regaining strength4 ,as the acuteness of her sorrow gradually wore itself out1 the unaccustomed feelings of weakness and depression brought on fits of fretfulness1 in which all ,lucy's forbearance was called for2 but she remembered how good-naturedly her cousin had borne with her own fit of nervous irritability1 and she generally managed to soothe and pacify her1 even when she was most unreasonable1 and tired out the patience of both ,sophy and ,ada4 ,after the first few weeks had passed1 the shadowy hush and solemnity brought by death gradually passed away1 and except for the deep black crape of the dresses1 and the abstinence from all gaieties1 the family life seemed to have returned to its former tone4 ,so far as external signs went1 there was no more realizing sense of that invisible world to which one of their number had gone--no more looking unto ,him who had been her support in the dark valley--than there had been before4 ,and when a bereavement does not draw the heart nearer to ,god1 there is every reason to fear that it drives it farther from ,him4 ,but another heavy sorrow1 to one at least of the number1 soon followed4 ,one wild1 stormy morning in ,march1 when the letters were1 as usual1 brought in at breakfast-time1 ,sophy quickly looked up for the welcome letter1 with its firm1 manly superscription1 which regularly appeared twice or thrice a-week4 ,there was one with the usual postmark1 but in a different handwriting1 and addressed not to her1 but to ,mr4 ,brooke4 ,sophy's misgivings were awakened at once1 and on seeing her father's expression as he hurriedly glanced through the letter1 she forgot her usual self-control1 and exclaimed in agitated tones1 ,o papa1 what is it8 ,but his only reply was to lead her from the room1 signing to his wife to follow4 ,sophy did not appear again that day1 and the atmosphere of gloom seemed again to descend over the house4 ,lucy waited long alone1 not liking to intrude upon the family distress1 till ,stella at last returned1 still hysterically sobbing4 ,they say 'troubles never come singly1' she said1 and ,i'm sure it's true4 ,poor ,sophy6 ,mr4 ,langton has been killed by the upsetting of his carriage4 ,the horse ran away1 and he fell on his head1 and never spoke again4 ,poor ,sophy is almost insensible4 ,i don't believe she understands yet what has happened4 ,oh1 what will she do8 ,lucy's heart was repeating the same question4 ,all her sympathies were called forth by so crushing a sorrow1 and as she could do nothing else for her cousin1 she prayed earnestly that ,he who could1 would bind up the broken heart4 ,sophy remained for two days in her own room1 and then came down again to join the family circle1 evidently trying her best to avoid any outward demonstration of sorrow1 though her deadly paleness1 and eyes which looked as if they never closed1 told how acutely she was suffering4 ,she was not of a nature to encourage or even bear sympathy1 and almost resented any instance of special consideration which seemed to spring from pity for her great sorrow4 ,it was only when shut up in her own room that she gave way to the bursts of agonized feeling which1 to some extent1 relieved the constant pressure upon her heart4 ,when in the family1 she seemed to seek constant employment1 not in the light reading in which she had been accustomed to indulge1 but in books requiring much more thought1 and even some effort to master them4 ,lucy's class-books were called into requisition1 and her drawing was resumed1 though she now shrank from touching the disused piano4 ,she had a good deal of artistic talent2 and had art ever been placed before her as an ennobling pursuit1 she might have attained very considerable excellence in some of its departments4 ,but hitherto she had confined herself to the execution of a few graceful trifles1 since her drawing-lessons had been given up on leaving school4 ,now1 however1 she seemed to have taken a fresh start1 and copied studies and practised touches indefatigably1 without speaking or moving for hours4 ,she would sit1 too1 for half the morning apparently absorbed in a book2 but ,lucy noticed that1 while thus seemingly occupied1 she would gaze abstractedly at a page for long intervals without seeming to turn a leaf or get a line farther on4 ,lucy longed to be able to direct the mourner to the balm in ,gilead1 whose efficacy she knew by experience1--to the kind ,physician who can bind up so tenderly the wounds that other healers cannot touch without aggravating4 ,but she dared not utter a word of the sympathies of which her heart was full1 and could only pray that a ,higher ,hand might deal with the sufferer4 ,one wet ,sunday evening in ,april1 ,lucy came down in her waterproof cloak and rubbers1 ready to set out for the neighbouring church1 the one to which she had gone on the first ,sunday of her arrival1 and which she frequently attended when the weather was unfavourable1 or when she had to go alone4 ,she was not sorry when circumstances made this desirable1 for she enjoyed the service and the sermon more than she did at the church the family usually attended4 ,the words of the preacher seemed to come with more power and tenderness1--perhaps because he had himself been brought through much tribulation to know the ,god of all consolation1 and had thus been made able to comfort others by the comfort wherewith he himself was comforted of ,god4 ,at all events1 it was certain that of the consolation abounding in ,christ he was an earnest and able expounder4 ,what6 are you going out when it is so very wet8 asked ,stella1 as her cousin entered the room4 ,sophy1 who had been gazing moodily into the fire over the book she was holding1 started up1 saying1 ,i think ,i'll go with you1 ,lucy4 ,wait a few minutes for me4 ,her mother remonstrated a little2 but ,sophy's restless longing for change and action of some kind was often uncontrollable1 and the two girls set out through the wind and rain1 clinging closely together to support each other on the wet and slippery pavement4 ,how earnestly ,lucy prayed in silence1 as they traversed the short distance1 that the preacher they were going to hear might have a special message to the troubled1 heavy heart beside her1 and how intensely did she listen to the prayers the minister offered up1 to catch any petitions that might seem suited to her cousin's need6 ,she was slightly disappointed when he announced his text1 ,o ,israel1 thou hast destroyed thyself1 but in me is thy help found1 for she had hoped that it would be one of the many beautiful1 comforting passages in which the ,new ,testament abounds4 ,but her disappointment wore off as he proceeded with his discourse4 ,he first briefly sketched the history of the rebellion of ,israel in departing from the ,god of her help1 and in transferring to the idols of the heathen the allegiance which was due to the living ,god4 ,he vividly described the destruction which must be the natural result of such a departure from the source of her highest life4 ,then he spoke of the means by which ,god sought to bring her back1--of the purifying judgments which ,he sent1 in love and mercy1 to restore her to spiritual health1 and of the inexhaustible supply of help1 of tender compassion and restoring power1 with which ,he was ready to meet her on her return4 ,having finished this part of his subject1 he drew a striking parallel between the ancient ,israel and the multitudes of human beings in every age1 who1 instead of loving and serving the living ,god with all their soul1 are continually setting up for themselves earthly idols of every variety1 which fill up ,his place in their hearts1 and exclude ,him from their thoughts4 ,wealth1 splendour1 position1 power1 fame1 pleasure1--even man's highest earthly blessing1 human love itself1--were set up and worshipped1 as if they contained for their worshipper the highest end and happiness of his soul4 ,what was the cause of all the broken hearts and blighted lives from which is continually ascending such a wailing symphony of sorrow without hope8 ,what but the perverse determination of the heart to find repose elsewhere than in its true resting-place1--to set up the very blessings which flow from the hand of its ,god in the place of the ,giver8 ,then1 in a few touching1 earnest words1 he showed how ,god must often1 in mercy to the soul1 send severe judgments and afflictions to bring the wanderers back to their ,help2 and of the depths of compassion1 of love1 of tenderness1 of healing1 of purest happiness1 which were to be found in that divine ,helper1 who hath said1 ,come unto me1 all ye that labour and are heavy laden1 and ,i will give you rest4 ,never had ,lucy heard the speaker more impressive1 and she thanked ,god in her heart her cousin should have been brought to listen to truths which she had probably never before heard with any real understanding of them4 ,sophy sat back in a corner of the seat1 her head resting on her hand1 and her face hidden in her thick black veil4 ,she remained almost motionless until the sermon was concluded1 and then they silently left the church1 ,lucy not daring to speak to her4 ,before they reached home1 however1 ,sophy suddenly broke the silence by saying1 in a low1 agitated voice3 ,lucy1 you seem to be what people call a ,christian4 ,can you say1 from your own heart and experience1 that you believe all that is true about ,christ giving such peace and comfort in trouble8 ,lucy replied1 earnestly and sincerely1 that she could1--that she had felt that peace and comfort when sorrow had been sent her4 ,and how does it come8 how do you get it8 ,sophy asked4 ,i don't know any other way1 ,sophy dear1 than by going to ,him and believing ,his own words4 ,they often seem to come straight from ,him1 as a message of comfort4 ,nothing more was said1 but from that time ,sophy's ,bible was often in her hands4 ,its study1 indeed1 took the place of her other self-chosen labours1 and she read it with an attention and interest it had never awakened before4 ,that she did not study it in vain1 seemed evident in her softened1 gentler manner1 in the more peaceful expression of her countenance1 and in the quiet thoughtfulness which she began to show for others4 ,she would sometimes ask ,lucy what she thought about a passage of ,scripture in which she was interested1 and the few words she said about it would give her cousin a clue to the working of her mind4 ,but her habitual reserve had not yet worn off1 and ,lucy did not venture to trespass upon it4 ,she expressed a desire to accompany ,lucy in some of her visits to the poor ,italian1 who was perceptibly sinking fast with the advancing spring4 ,he had1 however1 grown much in trust in his ,saviour1 and in spiritual knowledge1 especially since ,lucy had procured for him an ,italian ,bible1 which he could read with much more ease and profit than an ,english one4 ,he seemed now to have a deep sense of the evil of his past careless life1 when even the external forms of religion had been given up1 and he had been1 like the prodigal1 wandering in a far country4 ,and how good is the ,father in heaven1 that ,he has a welcome home and a fatted calf for ,his wanderer6 he would say earnestly1 the tears rising to the dark lustrous eyes1 that sparkled so brightly in the pale1 sunken face4 ,sophy listened1 half wonderingly1 half wistfully1 to the few and broken1 but earnest words in which he told of the pardon and peace he had found in ,looking unto ,jesus4 ,i see the blessed words there all the day1 he said1 pointing to the wall1 and they make me glad4 ,lucy1 you have a card like that1 said ,sophy1 as they left the house4 ,i wish you would give it to me to keep in my room1 to remind me of that poor man's words4 ,lucy gladly complied with the request1 though she missed her card a good deal1 and hoped that its motto might be of use to its new owner4 ,sophy1 however1 painted the motto in much more elaborate and beautiful workmanship1 had it framed and glazed1 and hung it up in her cousin's room one day while she was out1 with a little slip of paper attached1 bearing the inscription1 ,with ,sophy's love and hearty thanks4 ,one lovely day in ,may1 when all nature seemed rejoicing in the gladness of the approaching summer1 ,lucy went as usual to visit ,antonio1 carrying some of the delicacies which ,mrs4 ,brooke still continued to send him1 chiefly for ,amy's sake4 ,how often might the rich greatly alleviate the sufferings of sickness in poverty1 by timely gifts of luxuries1 which at such a time are almost necessaries1 yet which the poor cannot buy6 ,lucy found the patient unable now to rise1 and struggling with the suffocating sensation of oppressed breathing4 ,he could scarcely speak1 but he listened with pleasure to the few words she read to him2 and as she left him1 he pressed her hand convulsively1 saying in a low1 expressive tone1 ,good-bye4 ,lucy felt she should not see him again in life1 and was not surprised when ,nelly came next day1 crying bitterly1 to tell her that her adopted father's weary pilgrimage was ended4 ,the poor girl remained in the now desolate home only until the simple funeral was over1 and then entered ,mrs4 ,brooke's family1 where her warm1 grateful heart found comfort in doing everything she could for ,miss ,lucy1 whose presence made her new place seem again a home4 ,,xvii4 ,home ,again4 ,and this was once my home2 ,the leaves1 light rustling1 o'er me whisper clear1 ,the sun but shines on thee where thou dost roam1 ,it smiled upon thee here6 ,stella had been losing instead of gaining strength since the warm weather came on1 and her parents were now really alarmed about her1 and were considering what would be the best and most bracing place to send her to during the heat of the summer4 ,but ,stella1 with an invalid's capricious fancy1 had formed a plan of her own1 and she insisted1 with all her old wilfulness1 on its being carried out4 ,it was1 that ,lucy and she should go together to ,ashleigh1 to stay at ,mill ,bank ,farm1 if ,mrs4 ,ford would consent to receive them as boarders4 ,her former visit was connected in her mind with pure1 healthful1 and happy associations1 and she thought that the fresh country air1 which she so well remembered1 and the delicious milk from ,mrs4 ,ford's sleek cows1 would do her more good than anything else4 ,it need not be said that the project was a delightful one for ,lucy2 and as ,ashleigh was certainly a healthy place1 it was decided that they should go thither under the escort of ,fred1 who also wished to pay a short visit to his old home4 ,bessie wrote that her mother would be delighted to receive them2 and ,stella1 with more of her old light-heartedness than she had shown for a long time1 hurried the preparations for her journey4 ,nelly was to remain in the house with a kind1 trustworthy woman during the absence of the rest of the family at the seaside4 ,although she was sorry to lose her dear ,miss ,lucy1 she was much interested in the circumstance that she was going to ,ashleigh1 and sent many grateful messages to ,mrs4 ,ford and ,bessie4 ,to the latter she sent a present of a little silk necktie1 bought1 with great satisfaction1 out of her first wages4 ,any one who has ever revisited a dearly loved home can easily imagine ,lucy's delight1 when from the deck of the steamboat her straining eyes caught the first glimpse of the white houses of ,ashleigh and the grey church on the hill2 can imagine her delight at recognising the well-known faces1 and the familiar objects which1 after her long absence1 seemed so strangely natural6 ,but the happiness of being once more among scenes so associated with early and happy recollections was not untinged with sadness2 for the vividness with which the old life was recalled made the changes seem as vivid also1 and stirred up in all its acuteness the sense of loss1 which had of late been partially deadened by the exciting changes of her present life4 ,every step called up her father's image with intense force in scenes so interwoven with her memories of him4 ,it was strange to see the house which had been her home from infancy tenanted by strangers1 and to miss all the familiar faces of the home circle1 whom she had almost expected to find there still4 ,it gave her a dreary sense of loneliness1 even in the midst of the many kind friends who were eager to welcome back1 both for her father's sake and her own1 the daughter of their beloved pastor4 ,stella's highest spirits seemed to return when she found herself driving rapidly along the road to the farm in the conveyance which ,bessie and her eldest brother--whom ,lucy would scarcely have recognised--had brought to meet them4 ,bessie was not much changed4 ,her good-humoured face had more sweetness and earnestness of expression than it had once worn1 and her manner at home had the considerate1 half-maternal air of an eldest daughter4 ,mrs4 ,ford1 too1 was less bustling1 with a quiet repose about her hospitable kindliness that gave a feeling of rest and comfort1 and was the result of being less cumbered about much serving1 and more disposed to let her heart dwell on the better part1 on which she now set a truer value4 ,a more perceptible regard for it1 indeed1 pervaded1 the whole family1 and ,bessie and her brother were1 both of them1 ,sunday-school teachers now4 ,mrs4 ,ford and ,bessie were much shocked at the change in ,stella1 whose blooming appearance they well remembered4 ,lucy1 had become so accustomed to her cousin's altered looks1 that she thought her looking rather better than usual1 under the influence of the change and excitement4 ,but ,mrs4 ,ford shook her head mournfully over her in private4 ,she looks to me in a decline1 she said to her husband4 ,i'm afraid she hasn't many years before her in this world6 ,but another change besides the external one had come over her1 so gradually that ,lucy had not observed it till now1 when the place brought back so vividly the recollection of the gay1 flippant ,stella of old4 ,she had certainly grown more thoughtful1 more quiet1 even more serious2 and ,lucy observed that her former levity had quite departed1 and that a flippant remark never now fell from her lips4 ,her old wilfulness of manner continued to characterize her1 but it was owing chiefly to the caprice of disease4 ,she was shy of joining in religious conversation1 but seemed to listen with great interest whenever ,lucy and ,bessie spoke to each other of things connected with the life hidden with ,christ in ,god4 ,at such times she would look as if she were trying to gain a clue to a mystery which puzzled1 and yet intensely interested her4 ,it was with mingled pleasure and sadness that ,lucy once more took her seat in her father's church1 and listened to the voice of another from his old pulpit4 ,his successor1 ,mr4 ,edwards1 though a man of a different stamp1 resembled him a good deal in the earnestness of his spirit and the simplicity of his gospel preaching4 ,the message was the same1 though the mode of delivering it was slightly different4 ,he received with kindness and courtesy the daughter of his predecessor1 and invited her during her stay to take a share in the teaching of the ,sunday school1--an invitation which she willingly accepted1 and had the pleasure of finding in her new class a few of her old scholars4 ,as ,stella had a fancy for seeing the ,sunday school1 ,lucy accepted the invitation1 given to them both by ,mr4 ,edwards1 to spend with his family the interval between the morning and evening service4 ,stella's zeal for seeing the ,sunday school1 however1 died out with the first ,sunday2 and after that she always remained with ,mrs4 ,edwards1 who1 being very delicate1 and having a young infant1 had been obliged to resign her own class1 the one now taken by ,lucy4 ,mrs4 ,edwards was a sweet1 gentle woman1 overflowing with ,christian love and kindness2 and as ,stella at once took a great fancy to her1 she exercised a very beneficial influence over one who was much more easily swayed by kindness than by any other power4 ,the celebration of the ,lord's ,supper was approaching1 and as ,bessie was looking forward to participating for the first time in the holy ordinance1 ,lucy gladly embraced the opportunity of making a formal confession of her faith in ,christ1 and claiming the blessing attached to the ordinance by ,him who instituted it4 ,it was pleasant1 too1 to do so in the very place in which ,he had first1 by the cords of love1 drawn her heart to ,himself4 ,solemn as she knew the step to be1 she had lived too long on the principle of looking unto ,jesus not to feel that she had only to look to ,him still to give her the fitting preparation of heart for receiving the tokens of ,his broken body and shed blood2 and in this happy confidence she came forward to obey ,his dying command4 ,stella had seemed much interested about the approaching communion1 and had asked a good many questions respecting it1 and as to the nature of the qualification for worthily partaking in it4 ,at last1 much to ,lucy's surprise1 she asked her1 with a timidity altogether new to her1 whether she thought she might come forward also4 ,it was with difficulty that ,lucy could restrain the expression of her surprise at the unexpected question1 but she did repress it1 and replied3 ,it all depends on whether you have made up your mind to take ,jesus for your ,lord and ,saviour1 and to follow ,him1 dear ,stella6 ,i should like to1 if ,i knew how1 she said4 ,i have been speaking to ,mrs4 ,edwards about it1 and she thinks ,i might come4 ,i know ,i'm not what ,i ought to be1 and that ,i've been very careless and wicked2 but ,mrs4 ,edwards says if ,i'm really in earnest1 and ,i think ,i am1 ,i may come to the communion1 and that ,i shall be made fit1 if ,i ask to be4 ,lucy had not lost her faith in the ,hearer and ,answerer of prayer1 but she had been so long accustomed to regard ,stella as one who cared for none of these things1 that she could scarcely believe in the reality of so sudden a change4 ,but it was not so very sudden1 and ,lucy's own earnestness and simple faith had been one means of bringing it about4 ,her daily intercourse with her cousin had1 in spite of herself1 impressed ,stella gradually with a conviction of the importance of what she felt to be all-important4 ,and ,stella's illness and subsequent weakness1 with perhaps a sense of her precarious tenure of life1 had combined to make her realize its importance to herself personally1 more than she had ever done before4 ,amy's happy death had made her feel how blessed a thing was that trust in ,jesus which could remove all fear of the mysterious change1 so awful to those who have their hope only in the visible world4 ,indeed1 she told ,lucy that one of her chief reasons for wishing to come to ,ashleigh was the vague feeling1 derived from her recollections of her former visit1 that it would be easier for her to be a ,christian in a place so closely associated with her first impressions of living ,christianity4 ,and ,he who never turns away from any who seek ,him1 had answered her expectations1 and sent her a true helper in ,mrs4 ,edwards1 whose simple words seemed to come to her with peculiar power2 for1 from some hidden sympathy of feeling1 one person often seems more specially adapted to help us on than another1 and ,mrs4 ,edwards had been a special helper to ,stella4 ,lucy1 when she found her cousin so much in earnest1 did not dare to advise her on her own responsibility4 ,stella felt rather afraid of a conversation with ,mr4 ,edwards1 but her cousin told her that he was the best person to give her counsel in the matter4 ,her fear of him soon vanished when the conversation was really entered upon1 and she found that she could speak to him much more freely than she had previously thought4 ,he talked with her long and kindly1 and finding that she had really a deep sense of sin1 and that she desired to come to ,christ in humble penitence to have her sins forgiven and her darkness enlightened1 he felt that he had no right to discourage her from the ordinance which is specially designed to enlighten and strengthen4 ,at the same time1 he took care to explain to her most fully the nature of the solemn vows in which she would take upon herself the responsibilities and obligations of a follower of ,christ4 ,it was with a quiet1 serious humility1 very different from the former mien of the once careless ,stella1 that she1 with ,lucy and ,bessie1 reverently approached the ,lord's table1 where ,he graciously meets ,his people1 and gives the blessings suited to their special needs4 ,as they left the church at the close of the service1 and ,lucy glanced at her cousin1 whose delicacy was made more perceptible by the deep black of her dress1 she thought that1 notwithstanding the loss of bloom and brightness1 the expression of serene happiness that now rested on her face gave it a nobler beauty than she had ever seen it wear before4 ,before the stay of the cousins at ,ashleigh came to an end1 ,lucy and ,bessie had the great pleasure of meeting once more their old teacher1 ,mrs4 ,harris1 who had come to pay a short visit to her former home4 ,what a pleasant meeting it was1 and with what grateful gladness ,mrs4 ,harris found out how well her old scholars had followed out their watchword1 may easily be imagined2 as well as the interest with which the story of poor ,nelly's changeful life and steady faith in the ,saviour1 of whom ,miss ,preston had first told her1 was narrated and heard4 ,lucy did not forget to visit ,nelly's stepmother1 whose circumstances remained much the same as in former times4 ,she did not seem much gratified by ,lucy's praises of ,nelly's good conduct4 ,she had always predicted that ,nelly would come to no good1 and she did not like to have her opinions in such matters proved fallacious4 ,lucy1 however1 rather enjoyed dilating upon ,nelly's industry and usefulness1 that ,mrs4 ,connor might feel the mistake she had made1 even in a worldly point of view1 by her heartless conduct4 ,when the heat of the summer was subsiding into the coolness of ,september1 ,lucy and ,stella prepared to return home1--not1 however1 without having revisited all the spots which had been the scenes of former excursions1 and1 in particular1 the scene of the strawberry picnic1 where every little event of the happy summer afternoon1 now so long past1 was eagerly recalled4 ,and do you remember1 ,lucy1 asked ,stella1 how hateful ,i was about poor ,nelly1 when we discovered her here8 ,oh1 how wicked and heartless ,i used to be in those days6 ,and ,i don't believe ,i should ever have been any better if you hadn't come to live with us6 ,her physical health had been very much benefited by her sojourn in the country1 under the kind1 motherly care of ,mrs4 ,ford1 who had fed her with cream and new milk till she declared she had grown quite fat4 ,that1 however1 was only a relative expression4 ,she was still very far from being the plump1 blooming ,stella of former times4 ,but the chief benefit she had gained was not to be discerned by the outward eye4 ,it lay deep in her heart--the pearl of great price1 which her wandering spirit had at last sought and found4 ,,xviii4 ,a ,farewell ,chapter4 ,come near and bless us when we wake4 ,ere through the world our way we take1 ,till in the ocean of ,thy love ,we lose ourselves in heaven above4 ,though ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,brooke marked with much delight the improved appearance of their darling ,stella1 her medical attendant was far from considering the improvement a radical one1 and strongly advised that she should be removed to a warmer climate for the winter4 ,on her account1 therefore1 as well as on that of ,sophy1 who very much needed change of scene1 it was decided that the family should spend the winter months in the south4 ,stella was anxious that her cousin should accompany them2 but just at this time ,lucy received a summons--by no means unwelcome--in another direction1 in a letter from ,mrs4 ,steele4 ,her aunt had been feeling her strength fail very much during the past year1 and expressed a very strong desire that her niece should come to her again1 for a time at least4 ,lucy owed her aunt almost a daughter's affection2 and as she had not seen her brother ,harry for nearly two years1 and as her lessons at school must necessarily be discontinued1 it seemed the best arrangement that she should accede to ,mrs4 ,steele's request1 and go to the ,west under the escort which had been proposed for her1--that of a friend of ,alick who had come eastward for his wife1 and was soon to return to his prairie home4 ,there was some doubt as to what should be done with ,nelly during the long absence of all her friends1 but an unexpected event which happened previous to ,lucy's departure settled that question most satisfactorily4 ,a young market-gardener1 who had lately started in business for himself1 came to ,mr4 ,brooke's to be paid for vegetables1 furnished during the summer4 ,lucy was sent down to pay him1 and was surprised to find ,nelly1 who had happened to pass through the hall where he was waiting1 staring at him in an unaccountable manner1 with an excited look in her dark eyes4 ,miss ,lucy1 she said in a trembling undertone1 seizing ,lucy's dress in her eagerness1 won't you please ask him his name8 ,lucy1 considerably bewildered1 did as she desired1 and was startled by the answer4 ,richard ,connor1 and equally so by the joyful exclamation with which ,nelly rushed forward3 ,oh1 it's my own brother ,dick6 ,it turned out to be really ,nelly's long-lost brother4 ,he had followed the rest of his family out to ,america by the next vessel in which he could procure a passage1 but had never been able to discover any trace of them4 ,getting work for a time as he best could1 he had at last entered the service of a market-gardener1 where he had done so well as to be able in time to begin business on his own account4 ,he could not have recognised his little sister ,nelly in the tall1 good-looking girl before him2 but time had not changed him so materially as to prevent ,nelly's loving heart from recognising her only relative1 and the moment her eye fell upon him1 a thrill of almost certain recognition chained her to the spot4 ,it is unnecessary to dwell upon the delight of both brother and sister at their unexpected reunion1 and the torrent of inquiries and replies that followed4 ,dick had for so long a time given up all hope of finding his kindred1 that the joy of recovering ,nelly overpowered his sorrow at finding that she was the only one who survived to him2 and as the young gardener had been intending to live in a small cottage of his own1 he was only too glad to claim ,nelly as his housekeeper4 ,and before ,lucy went away1 she had the pleasure of seeing ,nelly comfortably installed in a home which she could consider as really her own4 ,it was no small trial to ,lucy1 when the time came1 to say a long farewell to her aunt and cousins1 especially to ,sophy1 between whom and herself there was now a strong bond of attachment2 and to ,stella1 as to whom she felt a strong foreboding that she should never see her again4 ,her only comfort was that she could leave the matter in the hands of ,him who knew best1 and that ,stella could safely be trusted to that protecting love which will never leave nor forsake any who humbly seek its true blessing4 ,with ,mary ,eastwood1 too1 it was another hard parting4 ,she spent a day or two at ,oakvale before her departure1 and both long looked back to that short visit as to a time tinged indeed with sadness1 but charged with many sweet and blessed memories4 ,at last the preparations for the long journey were all made1 the packing completed1 even to the stowing away of the little gifts from each1 and of the large packet of bonbons and cream-candy which ,edwin brought in at the last moment for his cousin's regalement during her long journey4 ,then the cab was at the door before half had been said that they wanted to say1 and the long-dreaded good-bye was crowded into such a brief space of time1 that when ,lucy found herself on the way to the station1 she could scarcely believe that the formidable separation was really over1 and that she had finally left her home of nearly two years4 ,she well remembered the winter afternoon of her arrival1 and thought with gratitude how many blessings had met her there1 and with what different feelings she left it from those with which she arrived there4 ,the sadness of her departure soon wore off amid the pleasant excitement of the long and interesting journey1 made doubly pleasant by the lively and genial companionship of her new friends1 who won her heart at once by their warm praises of ,alick and ,harry2 and she began already to look forward to the happiness of their complete reunion as a family1--for ,fred was to follow her to the ,west at the close of his theological studies1 in the ensuing spring4 ,when at last the somewhat fatiguing but very pleasant journey was at an end1 ,lucy found ,mrs4 ,steele ready to receive her with a warm maternal welcome1 and ,harry wild with delight1 as much grown and improved as they all declared she was4 ,alick had grown considerably older and graver-looking under the responsibilities of life and his profession1 though he still retained much of his old flow of spirits2 and ,lucy had the very great pleasure of finding that he had become an earnest ,christian man1 using his profession to the utmost of his power as a means not only of doing temporal good1 but of advancing his ,master's cause4 ,lucy soon saw that her household aid was so much needed by her aunt1 whose health had become very feeble1 that she relinquished the plan she had formed of endeavouring to get employment in teaching during the winter2 and between her housekeeping avocations and the claims of ,alick's poor patients1 whom she often visited on errands of charity1 and the carrying on of her own studies1 which she was anxious to continue1 the winter flew past with incredible rapidity4 ,when the season of budding leaves and opening blossoms returned1 there came tidings--sad indeed1 yet by no means unexpected--from the sandy plains of ,florida4 ,stella was dead1 but she had died looking unto ,jesus1 and in the feeling of her perfect safety and happiness with her ,saviour4 ,lucy could acquiesce in the earthly separation from her4 ,she had seemed to be one over whom things seen and temporal held so much power1 that perhaps only the pressure of physical disease1 and the realization of the possible approach of death1 could have brought her to the invisible but ever-present ,saviour4 ,her temporal loss had thus been her great gain2 yet still more blessed are they who without such pressure have believed4 ,our young friends have now arrived at an age when their history is scarcely so well adapted for the youthful readers of these pages4 ,but as we all like to hear tidings of our friends after years have elapsed1 it may be pleasant to catch at least a glimpse of their later life4 ,lucy never returned to her uncle's house3 she became too valuable a member of her cousin's household to be spared from it1 and she is now its mistress in a legal and permanent sense1 aiding her husband most efficiently in his labours of love4 ,fred has long since finished his studies and been settled as the minister of a village church near his sister's home4 ,thither he has lately brought ,mary ,eastwood as the minister's wife1 and has found that she admirably fills that important post4 ,the two old friends1 united now by closer ties than ever1 still delight to maintain their ,christian companionship1 and to revive1 in the frequent visits interchanged1 the happy memories of former days4 ,nelly still keeps house for her brother1 who would not know how to dispense with her multifarious services in weeding his beds1 gathering his fruit for market1 and tying up his flowers4 ,but as some of his friends are equally sensible of her good qualities1 he has made up his mind that1 sooner or later1 he will have to let her go4 ,ada ,brooke has been married for several years1 and is much1 the same1 in her present luxurious home1 as when we first made her acquaintance1 with no more aspiration beyond the transient pleasures of the world4 ,sophy1 who has remained faithful to the memory of her betrothed1 is a very angel of mercy1 ministering continually to the poor and sick and disconsolate1 and finding therein a higher happiness than she ever knew1 even in the days when she was most admired and envied4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,brooke1 since the death of their darling ,stella1 have thought more of that unseen world into which she has entered1 and less of the present one1 which formerly so completely engrossed them4 ,and ,edwin1 finding all earthly sources of pleasure to be but broken cisterns1 has at last turned to drink of the living water1 of which if a man drink he shall never thirst again4 ,bessie ,ford is still the wise1 motherly eldest daughter at ,mill ,bank ,farm4 ,if1 from the uneventful character of her quiet country life1 she has not filled so prominent a place in these pages as her classmates1 it is not that the watchword ,looking unto ,jesus has had less influence on her life than on theirs2 and though its fruits may have been more obscure1 they have been as real1 in the thorough ,christian kindness and faithfulness1 patience and industry1 which make her a much-prized blessing to her family and her friends4 ,and now1 my young reader1 that you have seen the effect of taking ,looking unto ,jesus for the watchword of life to some extent illustrated1 will you not1 henceforward1 take it as your own8 ,if only you come by faith to that ,saviour who is waiting to receive you and to renew your sinful heart1 and go on living by that faith in ,him1 you will find1 ever flowing from ,him1 a life-giving power1 which will furnish you with the strength that you need more than you now know1 for the battle of life before you4 ,and though you may never be called upon to do things which the world calls great and noble1 you will do common things in a noble spirit1 which is the same thing to ,him who looks upon the heart1 and ,so make life1 death1 and the vast for ever1 ,one grand1 sweet song4 99 99 99 99 99