CHAPTER XVIII.--HAPPY THOUGHTS.
After Mrs. Burton left Carol, Edith came and had tea with him, and aftertea all his cousins were allowed to visit him for a little time. Theycould not understand how the sadness and gloom in the house had beendispelled. It was like the sun shining through clouds on a rainy day.He was so bright and happy, just their own dear Carol again. There wasone subject of which he never spoke to his cousins; so they could notknow why, the day before, the house was hushed, and he could not be seenbecause he was so ill, and to-day there seemed nothing at all the matterwith him.
When Mrs. Mandeville went the round of the children's rooms afterdinner, she found Carol waiting for her in the old way, just as if therehad been no break, no agony of sorrow and suspense.
"I hoped to find you asleep, darling," she said. "Has it been too muchexcitement having so many in your room?"
"Oh, no, Auntie. I loved to see them all again. I have had such happythoughts. Isn't it nice to be kept awake by happy thoughts? Happythoughts are good thoughts, and good thoughts come from God. Shall Itell you, Auntie, dear, what I have been thinking about?"
"Wouldn't it be better to tell me in the morning, dearie? It is ratherlate for a little boy who was an invalid only yesterday to be kept awakeeven by happy thoughts."
"I would rather tell you to-night, Auntie. You do not quite understand,do you, that when error is cast out, it is done with, and we do not needto remember anything about it."
"Then tell me, love, what you have been thinking about."
"I began first of all, Auntie, thinking about Peter."
Mrs. Mandeville's thoughts at once went to the stables, where one of thehorses was named Peter.
"Peter, dear?" Just a note of surprise in her voice.
"Yes, Auntie, when Jesus called Peter to come to him on the water, atfirst he was not afraid, and he got out of the boat to go to him. Thenhe began to be afraid, and as soon as fear crept in, he began to sink.Auntie, I was just like that. At first I was not afraid of the bull. Iknew God had given me dominion, and I was trying to realize it. Thenthe moment I began to be afraid, the bull tossed me. As I was thinkingof this perhaps I fell asleep, and it was a dream. But it was so real.I seemed to see Peter standing by the bed, but he didn't look like thepicture in the stained-glass window, and he spoke so kindly and gently.'Little brother,' he said, 'you have not learned to trust the Masteryet.' It was just as if he remembered there was a time when his faithhad failed. I wanted to ask him something, but he was not there, and Iwas quite wide awake. May it perhaps be, Auntie, that as Christ 'walkslife's troubled angry sea,' they are with him, those disciples who werealways with Jesus, especially Peter, and James, and John; and they areworking now, doing his bidding, as they did it in Galilee, watching overand helping those who are still fighting?"
"It may be, Carol, we cannot tell. It seems that events which happenedtwo thousand years ago are to you but as yesterday."
"Why, yes, Auntie; time in God's kingdom is not measured by years andweeks and months. I shall just love now to think about Peter, and knowthat my faith will grow stronger, as his did. There are many people whowould not have been afraid of the bull. Cousin Alicia told me of a ladyin India who, one day, came quite close to a cobra. But she was notafraid, and as she stood quite still and looked at it, the cobra coileditself into a heap and went to sleep. Then she told me of a gentlemanwho was shooting game in Africa, and once he was in a position when hecould not fire, and a leopard was only a few yards from him, but theanimal did not attack him, it ran away into the desert. The lady andthe gentleman knew and realized that they had dominion; I hope I shallunderstand it better some day, and not be afraid of anything."
"You have been taught some strange things, Carol, still they arebeautiful; it seems almost too beautiful to be true."
"Oh, Auntie, nothing can be too beautiful to be true, because only good,and good is always beautiful, is real; evil, and evil is always ugly, isunreal."
"Carol, darling, I wish I could believe that. You are leading me instrange paths. I must not let you talk any more to-night. I am quitesure that it is time a little boy, who has lost so much sleep lately,tried to make up for it."
But as she bent over him to kiss him, he clung both arms around herneck, keeping her a willing captive for some minutes longer.
"Auntie, I am so longing for Cousin Alicia's letter," were his lastwords as she left the room.