shore, will give you peace and comfort; and you will say: .God took thee in his mercy, A lamb untasked, untried; He fought the fight for thee, And thou art sanctified.'" "And when all things here seem so dark," said Lilian, "when fears and cares press heavily upon me, I think of my boy, and of Alice, to whom no sorrow, no suspense can ever more come. I think of them in their bright glorious home, standing for ever in the presence of their Saviour, and mingling and communing with angels and archangels, and the spirits of just men made perfect; and in looking onward to the time when I-I hope it may be so-when I, too, shall join them in that world of joy; and the way seems shorter and less dreary. Yes! it is a blessed thing to have some loved ones already in heaven!" "It is," replied Miss Williams; and her thoughts wandered far away, to the last hours of some who were dearer to her than her own life; and now that the pain was past, the yearning void mercifully filled, she felt that it was indeed blessed to know that of her most precious treasures, nearly all were shining like the bright stars of heaven, around the throne of Him who loved them and gave Himself for them. And Lilian murmured half to herself, half to her musing companion : "" Do you "'Tis sweet, as year by year we lose know those lines, Miss Williams ?" "I know them well, and I feel the full force of their beauty; the whole poem is replete with strength and sweetness; the last verse is as remarkable for its vigour, as the preceding ones for their soft yet hightoned melody:— "Then cheerly to your work again, With hearts new-braced and set, "Love's blessed race!" On that course Lilian had set out; the first trembling steps were taken, and ever and anon, even already, came a transient glimpse of the bright and distant goal. She hoped, she knew, as she advanced on the rough but blessed path, that the glorious towers of her inheritance would rise higher, and show clearer and clearer through the mists of worldly cares and earth-born entanglements. There was but one thing to do; to go forwards, always forwards, doing the day's work with a cheerful heart, gathering the wayside flowers with a thankful spirit, and looking ever to Him whose love and mercy first brought her wandering feet into the heavenly road. "Yes!" she said, turning suddenly to Miss Williams; "I see it all now, I understand that the spiritual life is a conflict, not a hymn, as some French author remarks. I see that heaven is to be won, not dreamed about. He who gave us the grace, the pardon, the remission of our sins, gives us also the work He would have us to do. "I was reading yesterday the 15th chapter of 1st Corinthians, and I was struck with its conclusion. After a long argument on the resurrection of the body, the Apostle breaks out into a strain of holy triumph'O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?' But he winds up in the solemn, serene tones which are fittest for a Christian who knows that a task lies before him, to be faithfully performed at the bidding, and to the honour and glory of his Master's name- Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.' Again they were silent, and Lilian sat gazing fixedly into the glowing embers of the fire. “I am thinking of Monday," she said, at length. "What will Basil think of our new home? Oh, I am afraid, so afraid." "Do not be afraid, he may take to his altered way of life more kindly than you anticipate. He may, indeed I believe he will, come to bless the day that led him, though unwillingly, to his Welsh home." "I wish". and again Lilian stopped. "You wish what, my dear?" "I wish, I do earnestly wish I were a better companion for Basil. I think if I had been different he would not have he would have cared more about home, he would never have sought these gay companions, whom his father so dislikes. You see I had a curious kind of education. I had some talent, and I learned a little of many things, and because I had read a great many tales and could quote a great deal of poetry, I thought I possessed a cultivated mind. I found out my mistake when I went to Hopelands. Basil's sisters seemed to know about everything. I soon came to see that he loved literature, the study of languages and science as well as they did; and oh, how mortified, how angry I was, when sometimes he left me to my novels, while he and Olivia talked about plants, and sea-weeds, and mosses, and the strata of the earth! And sometimes they talked about old times and old heroes, and they would fetch great, heavy books out of the library, and search for what they wanted for hours, and all they talked about was Greek to me, though it did seem very entertaining, and if ever I put in a remark, I was sure to say something absurd, and Olivia would turn to Basil with such a smile and such a look of compassion. Oh, those times were torture to me; but I know I was not patient." "How old are you, my dear ?" "I shall soon be twenty-two." "Young enough to do a great deal in the way of mental culture. Suppose you do something in the way of self-education. There are books enough at the vicarage, and you will have sufficient time on your hands after you have attended on your domestic duties. I think study will do you good in every way; do not quite lay aside healthy fiction and poetry; but take it as a dessert to a substantial repast. I know something of botany; we will study it together in the spring; we will begin with the snowdrops. And I can help you in French and German if you choose to go into those languages. I was on the Continent for eight years; in fact, my dear, I was governess in a family who were travelling abroad." "It will be delightful," said Lilian, with something of her old impetuosity; "and I will not let Basil know what I am about till I am quite a clever woman." CHAPTER XXIV. A DARK DAY. "The day is cold, and dark, and dreary; And the day is dark and dreary."-LONGFELLOW. "Yet in her inmost soul there was a light, THE DOVE ON THE CROSS. THE Sunday passed calmly and pleasantly. It was the last day of the long, beautiful autumn. As Lilian and her friend walked home in the afternoon from the English service, they stood on the high, breezy down, watching the bright ripple on the clear green waves, and gazed lovingly and admiringly on the crystal sky, that, unstained by mist or cloud, hung like a dome of pure sapphire over mountain, sea, and shore. Then came sunset; and the mists rose, spirit-like, from the awful bosoms of the solemn mountains. A rosy flush burned on their cold, lonely brows, and lovely tints lighted up old Ocean's quivering breast, as he rolled his silvery waves roundly and smoothly on the rocky shore. "If to-morrow evening be so fair," said Lilian, earnestly, "I am sure Basil cannot fail to be delighted with his new home. Those grand hoary mountains, that wide heaving sea, yonder wild rocky dells, waterfalls, dashing streams, mists that wear the beauty of a paradisiacal vision!can there be a scene of more surpassing grandeur and loveliness?" |