CHAPTER II.
_A PACKET._
"Mother, here is a nice little square packet come for you by post!" saidMinnie as Mrs. Headley entered the dining-room the next morning.
"Yes; Minnie has been turning it, and twisting it, and weighing it, andsmelling it--doing everything except open it," said John, laughing.
"I do wish to know what it is though!" said Minnie shyly, "and I believeJohn wants to see just as much as I do."
"I will open it presently," answered their mother, smiling, while sheseated herself at the head of the table.
"Minnie is always rather curious," observed Hugh, looking up from alesson he had been conning over.
"This is something which will rouse your curiosity, and I will see whocan tell me the meaning of it," answered Mrs. Headley.
"Then you know what it is, mother?" asked Minnie.
Her mother assented; and when they had finished breakfast, and theirfather had gone off to his business, Mrs. Headley took up the littlepackage and began untying the knots.
"Cut it," said Alice.
"Catch mother cutting a knot if she can undo it," laughed Hugh,gathering his books together.
"It's a good thing it is Saturday," said John, "or we couldn't wait,however curious we might be."
"There, it is undone!" said Minnie, pressing nearer. As she spoke thepaper fell open, and two dozen little square books came tumbling out.
The children were going to seize upon them, when Mrs. Headley placed herhand over them, taking up one at the same moment, saying. "What is this,now?"
"A little book," said John.
"Has it reading in it?"
She opened the first page, and to their astonishment there was nothingbut a page of black to be seen.
"What a strange book!" said Hugh. "It would not be much trouble to learna page of _that_!"
"It is a great trouble to learn that black page, though," said hismother.
Hugh peeped closer. "Let me read the outside, mother; perhaps itexplains."
"Perhaps it does," said his mother, still showing only the black page.
"Well, what next? as we can't make that out," said Alice, who waslooking on with her arms twined round her sister Agnes.
Mrs. Headley opened the next leaf, and they found it deep red.
"How strange," said Hugh; "is this difficult to learn, mother?"
Mrs. Headley smiled thoughtfully, and answered. "Not so hard as theother; oh, not half so hard--for us!"
"And the next?" said Agnes, with a tender light in her gentle eyes.
"Pure white!" exclaimed Alice; "and I believe Agnes guesses."
"What next, mother?" asked Hugh; "for I suppose you do not mean to tellus the meaning yet?"
"Gold!" exclaimed Minnie. "How lovely it looks! Is _this_ difficult tolearn, mother?"
"Ah no!" said Mrs. Headley, "that is the easiest page of all--nothingbut glory."
"_Glory?_" asked Hugh, "you have told us the meaning of the last first.Now, what is it, mother?"
"What does the black remind you of, dears?" she asked, in answer totheir eager look.
"Night," "discomfort," "blindness," "being lost," suggested several ofthem.
"Yes," said Mrs. Headley; "but anything else?"
"Is it sin, mother?" asked Agnes, in a low tone.
"Yes, my dear children, it is sin. The black is sin; 'hopeless night,''discomfort,' 'blindness,' 'being lost'--all you have said summed up inthat one dark page--sin."
"Now I guess," exclaimed John hastily, "the red is Blood. Oh, I guessnow!"
"The Blood of Jesus, the Son of God. Nothing else can take the black sinaway. But that _can_; yes, the blood is easier to read than the sin,isn't it, dears?"
"I don't see why," said Hugh, looking puzzled.
"Do you not think it is hard to feel that we are utterly black andsinful, no good in us at all?"
"Oh, mother!"
"But turn over the page, and the Blood shuts out all remembrance of thesin. The Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world."
"How beautiful!" said Agnes.
Their mother turned to the next page, and went on.
"Then, when the Blood has cleansed us, what are we?"
"Whiter than snow," said Minnie reverently.
"That is right, little Minnie; and I think the white reminds us of twoor three things. Can you suggest them, children?"
"How pure we ought to be?" asked Agnes.
"Yes, and how pure He is," answered her mother.
"'These are they that have washed their robes, and made them white inthe blood of the Lamb,'" said Alice. "That was our text last Sunday."
"So it was, and the end of it introduces us to our final page, and thatlasts for ever."
"Gold," said Minnie.
"Glory," said Hugh.
"Everlasting glory, all joy and light for evermore. All purchased for usby that one page which cost Him His life's blood. Now, dear children,repeat over to me the lessons of this little book, that we may allremember them together--
Black--Red--White--Gold.
The children repeated the words as their mother turned the pages, andthen she added:
Sin--Blood--Righteousness--Glory.
Mrs. Headley then passed a book to each of them, saying in a low tone,with an earnestness which impressed her young hearers, "May all of youfly from the first, take refuge in the second, be covered by the third,and share the last."
When their mother had left them Minnie stood looking long and lovinglyat her little treasure, as if she would read its wordless leaves if shecould.
"I think this book has a whole story on each page," said Agnesthoughtfully.
"I wish you could tell us one," answered Minnie, looking up wistfully.
"Perhaps I will next Sunday," replied Agnes.