In this awful moment,
recall the lessons of youth. Surely, surely, the God that bestowed thee in
mercy, though he hath led thee on a wonderful and inscrutable path, will
not desert thee at the end! Think of thy early instruction, child of my
love; feeble of spirit as thou art, the seed may yet quicken, though it
hath been cast where the glory of the promise hath so long been hid."
"Mother!" said a low struggling voice in reply The word reached every ear,
and it caused a general and breathless attention. The sound was soft and
low, perhaps infantile, but it was uttered without accent, and clearly.
"Mother--why are we in the forest?" continued the speaker. "Have any
robbed us of our home, that we dwell beneath the trees?"
Ruth raised a hand imploringly, for none to interrupt the illusion.
"Nature hath revived the recollections of her youth," she whispered. "Let
the spirit-depart, if such be his holy will, in the blessedness of infant
innocence!"
"Why do Mark and Martha stay?" continued the other. "It is not safe, thou
knowest, mother, to wander far in the woods; the heathen may be out of
their towns, and one cannot say what evil chance might happen to the
indiscreet.
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