HILDA GRAY was not quite well. Only a slight cold, but as she was far from being strong, her mother decided it would be wise for her to remain indoors for a day or two. Wilfrid, who loved his little sister dearly, gave up most of his playtime brightly and willingly, to stay with and amuse her. A cheerful fire burnt in the playroom; a large window overlooked the garden; the bookshelves were well filled with interesting books; while toys and pictures told how much love and care had done to make home a very bright and pleasant place to Wilfrid and Hilda Gray. At the time of which I write, both children were sitting with heads bent low over Wilfrid's Text Roll. Wilfrid was the first to speak.
“We know our text now, Hilda; so we are quite ready for aunt Fanny.”
“Yes, Wilfrid, I thought it was a little difficult the first time I read it; but I can repeat it now without missing a word. And here comes aunt Fanny. I always know her step.”
Aunt Fanny entered as Hilda spoke. After hearing the text, with which my story begins, repeated by both children she said: "I cannot help noticing very often how busy Satan is in helping boys and girls, as well as older people, to cover up, instead of confessing, their sins. But perhaps a story will help you to understand my meaning.
“Olive Clark was a bright, clever girl, about eight years old. She was very fond of being what she called mother's help, but, as she liked to do things in her own way, and sometimes was disobedient, you will not be surprised to hear that she hindered quite as often as she helped her mother.
“' Please, mother, may I dust the sitting-room? Sarah has gone for her holiday, you know; so I am going to play at being your servant, and to do all the work.'
“Mrs. Clark smiled as she answered, ‘I shall be really glad of your help, Olive, if you are going to be steady and careful, and do as you are told. If you will take baby into the garden, and amuse him, whilst I am busy in the kitchen, it would be a real comfort; he is not well to-day, and rather fretful and restless, poor little fellow.'
“The bright look all died out of Olive's face in a moment, she began to frown and pout till she really looked a very unloveable little girl, then said, with a pettish shake of her shoulders, ‘Oh, mother, how tiresome. I do not want to play with baby now, I want to do some real work. Do let me dust, it will be such fun to put on Sarah's large apron, and make believe I am a real servant.'
“Mrs. Clark looked grieved, but she only said, ‘I shall not insist upon your doing as I wish, Olive, for I should not feel happy in trusting poor baby with such an unwilling nurse. You may dust the parlor, all but the sideboard; you are not to touch that, it is too high for you to reach, and I am afraid of having some of the china ornaments on it broken. Be sure you do not forget, Olive,' Mrs. Clark added, as, taking up the baby, she turned to leave the room, after telling Olive where she would find an apron and some dusters.
“Olive set about her self chosen work in anything but a right spirit. If she had really wanted to help her mother, she would have been willing to give up her own wishes; but she thought only of pleasing herself. After dusting a table and two or three chairs, she began to get tired, and twisted her duster into the shape of a rabbit. The sun shone brightly into the room, and as its beams rested on a china vase that stood in the middle of the sideboard, Olive thought she had never seen it look so pretty. ‘How I
wish mother would let me dust it,' she said half aloud; ‘I know she values that vase very much, because she says it was given to her by a very dear friend just before going to India, and they have not seen each other for a very long time. I am sure I should not break it. Mother forgets how tall I am getting. I will be very, very careful, and then she will see how useful I am.'
“And so the naughty little girl took the things one by one off the sideboard, she found that by standing on a stool she was able to reach it quite well. Now I have dusted it, I must put them back just as they were before, Olive thought. Cups, saucers, and flower glasses were safely in their places, all but the china vase. Olive took it in both her hands, as she was getting on the stool some noise made her look round, her foot slipped, and in trying to save herself from falling, she dropped the vase, breaking it into two parts. At the same moment, Olive's white cat, Floss, frightened by the noise, ran from under the sofa, and out of the room.
“Olive knew quite well what she ought to do, for she had been properly taught both at home and at school: go at once to her mother and confess her disobedience. But as she stood crying and trembling, the temptation came to cover her sin, and Olive did not even try to resist it.
“Taking up the broken vase, she placed it on the sideboard in such a way as to hide the injury it had received, then stole very quietly out of the room. She went upstairs, and sat down in her own little bedroom. She was very unhappy, what should she do? Would her mother ever find out how naughty she had been?
“She had not very long to wait and wonder. Soon she heard her mother's step crossing the sitting-room. A few moments more, and Mrs. Clark was on her way upstairs. Poor Olive, how she longed to hide herself; should she creep under the bed or into the wardrobe? How she wished she could run away! But it was too late to think of making her escape. Her mother's hand was on her shoulder, and very sad and low her voice sounded to Olive as she said ‘My china vase is broken; tell me all you know about it, Olive.’
“Would Olive confess or seek to cover her sin of disobedience? Satan whispered, ‘You need not say you did it, perhaps your mother will never find it out.' Olive listened to the voice of the tempter, and faltered out, ‘Oh mother, I do not know; I saw Floss run out of the room, indeed I did.' Mrs. Clark's face grew very sad and grave as she said, ‘Olive, you are only adding to your fault by making an attempt to deny it. If Floss had broken the vase, he could not have replaced it on the sideboard. I cannot tell you, Olive, how very sorry I am to find my little girl guilty of deception. Remember you cannot hide from the all-seeing eye of God.'
“Olive burst into tears, and sobbed out, ‘Oh mother, I broke your vase; but I did not mean to do so. Will you please forgive me, I am really very sorry.'
“After a few moments' silence, Mrs. Clark said: I can forgive the accident, Olive; but I should be doing wrong were I to overlook the disobedience that caused it. I shall not allow you to pay your long-looked-for visit to your cousin Lily next week, and, of course, I must write and tell aunt Jane my reason for keeping you at home. But I want you to understand and remember that you are punished not because you broke a vase I valued very highly; but for doing what you had been told not to do.'
“Olive was very much disappointed at finding she was not to go to her cousin's, but she knew she had brought her punishment on herself, and I am glad to be able to tell you that not very long after, she really came to Jesus, asking Him, in faith, to be her Savior, and by the Holy Spirit to make her humble, gentle, and obedient; and though she was often tempted to wish to do things in her own way, she generally remembered the broken vase, and believed her mother knew best.”
"Poor Olive, how unhappy she must have been, I really felt quite sorry for her," Hilda said, with a pitying look.
“Yes, darling; we read in the Bible that ‘the way of transgressors is hard.’(Prov. 13:1515Good understanding giveth favor: but the way of transgressors is hard. (Proverbs 13:15).) And I am sure Olive never knew what it meant to be really and truly happy till, instead of trying to hide her sin, she owned it before the Lord, believing that the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth from all sin. (1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7).)
“But, Wilfrid and Hilda," aunt Fanny continued, "our time is quite gone now, and I must go, or your mother will be waiting for me.”