When I had finished--it was soon finished--she
said:--
"Oh, that sounded so good; it made such good sense," and sighed, very
wistfully.
"Do you want me to read it again?" I exclaimed, in despair.
_Would_ I read it again? she asked.
I read it again.
After that she was silent and thoughtful for some time. Then she said,
looking gravely into my face:--
"Do you love Jesus?"
"No, my dear," said I, surprised into much gentleness.
The faded blue eyes filled with tears. She had no notion of harassing me
on the subject, but spoke quietly and at length of her own religious
convictions.
The east wind crept in through the window, and once my little companion
shivered. I noticed that she was rather thinly clad. I unstrapped my
shawl and wrapped it around her. She let her head fall at my side, and
went to sleep. Slowly, I was constrained to draw her up closer and put
my arm around her as support. In so doing, I received from some source
an unaccountable strength and calm of spirit.
At Braintree, which the child had told me was her home, I woke her up,
and she got off.
I was to stop at West Wallen, the railway station least remote from
Kedarville, and expected there to meet Mrs.
Pages:
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32