The Children's Pilgrimage

the present. Her promise lay in abeyance. Even her dead step-mother, anxious as she was to have Lovedy found, had counseled Cecile to delay her

darkness came, she was to possess a more solid happiness-a happiness that,

cile through an unexpected source-even through the mini

Cecile grew accustomed to the name and answered to it. This delusion on the part of poor old Mrs. Bell was g

n Mrs. Bell

am?-I thought you were safe away

n her slow and grave tones, "I've only

oo, often puzzles me lately, but you, Mercy, never used to. Sit down, child, and stitch at your sampler, and I'll g

ght I had gone to live with?" asked Cecile, as she pull

y, the sure guide of a poor old woman to a

e so useful by and by when she went into a foreign land to look

one of His lambs? 'Tis said of Him that He carries the lambs in

ms too, Mistress Bell, for you don't look as though

ery old and very feeble, and He don't ever l

de you to, away in France, away in the south of France, in th

heard of the Pyrenees. She sh

New Jerusalem, but I never yet heard anyone speak of it by that other ou

work, and old Mrs. Be

What a pity that, as He was so very good, He did not do more! What a pity that He could not be induced to take a little girl who was very young, and very ignorant, but who had a great care and anxiety on her mind, into France, even as far as, if necessary, to

ad Jesus lo

w white was her thin face, how ragged her shabby gown! But then, again, how t

eart, capable of taking in everybody; for Cecile's stepmother, though she was not very nice, had smiled when that little story of the poor girl on the do

father. Cecile's father, Maurice D'Albert, was a Roman Catholic by

leaker land of England, there was found to be no heart in his worship. He was an amiable, kind-hearted man, but he forgot the religious part of life. He went neither to church nor chapel, and he brought up his children like himself, pra

h her little brother were vague and unformed. But even Cecile, thinking now of he

feeble hands, and placed one on her head, and one

able Jesus be God, may H

ecile, lying on her little bed t

learn more about Him, for if He only promised to go with her into France, then her hear

out all she could about

Aunt Lydia called the little girl aside, and

ottle of fresh milk. Don't any of you three come worriting me again before night

ve in her gentle eyes, and, as they filled with love, they grew so like Mercy's eyes th

urned her back, pretending to b

would be no dinner in store for her that day. But what

nd you might leave a little bit of dinner if you're not very hungry, Maurice. There's lovely apple-pie in the basket, and there's milk, but a bit of bread will do for me. Try

take care of Maurice." And Cecile, comforted that Toby would ta

little bit more of Mercy's sampler

armchair in the sunshine, received her i

. May you sit with your grandam? What next? There, there, bring yer bit of a stool, and get the sampler

liant efforts to follow in the dead Mercy's finger marks. After a

l you be likely to see J

away. Do you want to kill your old grandam, Mercy? Why, in cour

, and that He came in and out to see you sometimes, seeing as you love H

murmured old Mrs. Bell, beginning to wander a little. "

guide when He's dea

old woman. The Lord Jesus ain't dead-no, no; He died once, but He rose-He

tears. "Whether I'm Mercy or not don't matter, but I'm a very, very careworn little girl-I'm a little girl with a deal, a great deal of care on my mind-and I want Jes

o fear, my dear life. He's sure, sure to take my Mercy,

Celestial City. 'Tis away to France, down into the south of France I've got to go. Will you ask

Bell, once more irritated and thrown off her bearings, and just at

rs, and old Mrs. Bell, rendered cro

ons as 'ud break her poor father, my son Robert's heart ef he was to hear. She's a good child, b

gazed storm

r a shake. "You go out of the house this minute, miss, and don't let me never see you slinking

rsh on my little Mercy," she began. "I like to have her al

, for, as I've told you a score of times alread

to her religion, which was most truly real and ab