CHAPTER THIRTEENTH.
"Affliction is the wholesome soil of virtue; Where patience, honor, sweet humanity, Calm fortitude, take root, and strongly flourish." --MALLET AND THOMSON'S ALFRED.
A bath, a nap, and a dainty supper had refreshed Molly somewhat before thechildren were admitted to her room, but they found her looking pale andthin, and oh, so sorrowful! so different from the bright, merry, happy"Cousin Molly" of six months ago.
Their little hearts swelled with sympathetic grief, and tears filled theireyes as one after another they took her hand and kissed her lovingly.
"Poor child, I so solly for oo!" said Herbert, and Molly laughedhysterically, then put her hands over her face, and sobbed as though herheart would break. First, it was the oddity of being called "child" bysuch a mere baby, then the thought that she had become an object of pityto such an one.
"Don' ky," he said, pulling away her hand to kiss her cheek. "Herbiedidn't mean to make oo ky."
"Come, Herbie dear, let us go now; we mustn't tease poor sick cousin,"whispered his sister Elsie, drawing him gently away.
"No, no! let him stay; let him love me," sobbed Molly. "He is a dearlittle fellow," she added, returning his caresses, and wiping away hertears.
"Herbie will love oo, poor old sing," he said, stroking her face, "andmamma and papa, and all de folks will be ever so dood to oo."
Molly's laugh was more natural this time, and under its inspiringinfluence, the little ones grew quite merry, really amusing her with theirprattle, till their mammy came to take them to bed.
Elsie was beginning to say good-night too, thinking there was danger ofwearying the invalid, but Molly said, "I don't wonder you want to leaveme; mother says nobody could like to stay with such a----" she broke offsuddenly, again hid her face in her hands and wept bitterly.
"Oh, no, no! I was only afraid of tiring you," Elsie said, leaning overher and stroking her hair with soft, gentle touch. "I should like to stayand talk if you wish; to tell you all about our visit to the Crags, andmamma's old governess, and----"
"Oh, yes, do; anything to help me to forget, even for a few minutes. Oh, Iwish I was dead! I wish I was dead! I can't bear to live and be acripple!"
"Dear Molly, don't cry, don't feel so dreadfully about it!" Elsie said,weeping with her. "Jesus will help you to bear it; he loves you, and issorrier for you than anybody else is; and he won't let you be sick or inpain in heaven."
"No, he doesn't love me! I'm not good enough; and if he did, he wouldn'thave let me get such a dreadful fall."
Little Elsie was perplexed for the moment, and knew not what to answer.
"Couldn't he have kept me from falling?" demanded Molly, almost fiercely.
"Yes, he can do everything."
"Then I hate him for letting me fall!"
Elsie was inexpressibly shocked. "Oh, Molly!" in an awed, frightened tone,was all that she could say.
"I'm awfully wicked, I know I am; but I can't help it. Why did he let mefall? I couldn't bear to let a dog be so dreadfully hurt, if I could helpit!"
"Molly, the Bible says 'God is love.' And in another place, 'God so lovedthe world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth inhim should not perish, but have everlasting life.' 'God commendeth hislove toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.' Hemust have loved you, Molly, when he died that dreadful death to save you."
"Not me."
"Yes, if you will believe. 'Whosoever believeth.'"
"It was just for everybody in a lump," said Molly, sighing wearily. "Notfor you or me, or anybody in particular; at least not anybody that'sliving now; because we weren't made then; so how could he?"
"But mamma says he knew he was going to make us, just the same as he doesnow; and that he thought of each one, and loved and died for each one justas much as if there was only one."
"Well, it's queer if he loved me so well as that, and yet would let mefall and be so awfully injured. What's this? You didn't have it before youcame North," taking hold of the gold chain about Elsie's neck.
Out came the little watch and Elsie told about the aching tooth and thetrip to New York to have it extracted.
"Seems to me," was Molly's comment, "you have all the good things: such anice mother and everything else. Such a good father too, and mine waskilled when I was a little bit of a thing; and mother's so cross.
"But Dick's good to me; dear old Dick," she added, looking up at him withglistening eyes as he came in and going up to her couch, asked how shewas.
"You'd better go to sleep now," he said. "You've been talking quiteawhile, haven't you?"
At that Elsie slipped quietly away and went in search of her mother.
She found her alone on the veranda looking out meditatively upon therestless moonlit waters of the sea.
"Mamma," said the child softly, "I should like a stroll on the beach withyou. Can we go alone? I want to talk with you about something."
"Come then, daughter," and hand in hand they sought the beach, only a fewyards distant.
It was a clear still night, the moon nearly at the full, and the cool saltbreeze from the silver-tipped waves was exceedingly refreshing after theheat of the day; which had been one of the hottest of the season.
For a while they paced to and fro in silence; then little Elsie gave hermother the substance of her conversation with Molly in which the latterexpressed her disbelief in God's love for her because he had not preventedher fall. "Mamma," she said in conclusion, "how I wished you were there tomake her understand."
"Poor child!" said the mother, in low, moved tones, "only he who permittedthis sore trial can convince her that it was sent in love."
"But you will talk to her, mamma?"
"Yes, when a suitable opportunity offers; but prayer can do more for herthan any words of ours, addressed to her."
The presence of Molly and her mother proved a serious drawback to theenjoyment of our party during the remainder of their sojourn at theseashore. The burden fell heaviest upon Elsie and her children, as theprincipal entertainers, and the mother had often to counsel patience andforbearance, and to remind her darlings of their promise to be ready to doall they could for the comfort and happiness of the sufferer.
All made praiseworthy efforts to fulfil their engagement, and Elsie andVi, particularly the former, as nearest to Molly in age, and thereforemost desired by her as a companion, gave up many a pleasure excursion forher sake, staying at home to talk with and amuse her when all the restwere out driving or boating.