SOON they began to prepare dinner. Ben jumped on the stool, and felt for the herrings. What was his disappointment to find only one, though the tea and sugar were quite safe.
"Father's been and took an 'erring," he said, with a doleful face, but seeing that Kit looked ready to cry at the news, added quickly, "Never mind, there'll be enough for us;" and he began to light up the remains of the fire of the day before with the wood that was left, while Kit busied herself with placing two cracked plates, the tin mug, and only cup and saucer, with a battered tea-pot, upon the table.
The herring was held on a fork before the fire till it was considered sufficiently cooked and smoked, whilst the potato was hung in front of the bars by a piece of string, then some tea was put in the tea-pot, and water was heated-not boiled-and poured upon it, and the children were perfectly happy. They had never remembered such a meal before, at least such a variety.
Mrs. Rogers generally took her meals away from home, leaving the little boy and girl sufficient bread to keep them from starving. Sometimes she left a few scraps on her plate, most likely because she had as much as she could eat, and these were eagerly devoured by the hungry pair.
To-day Kit was in her glory, putting the plates first in one place, then in another, squeezing her own very close to Ben's whenever she moved them; opening the lid of the tea-pot and peeping in to see what color the tea looked, and chattering to Ben all the while; every now and then putting up her face to be kissed, and asking leave, to wet the tip of her little finger and dip it in the sugar. Then when all was ready, and the last piece of bread was cut into two good sized portions, they had a little talk about who should have the stool and who should go without a plate. It was settled that as Tommy was a visitor, he should have a plate and the cup and saucer, while Ben should go without a plate.
"I shall be too busy helping Kit, to care," said he, "and we will share the tin mug together," but he very much wanted her to have the stool.
"She would look so nice with her new frock on, sitting at the table, and helping me to pour out tea," he thought; but at last it was arranged that Tummy should have the stool, and that the table was to be drawn up to a single shelf fastened to the wall, upon which the little girl should be perched.
Tommy came down, and the dinner passed off well. Kit sugared the tea as Ben poured it out, and though served to two of the party in a slightly rusty tin mug, it gave great satisfaction. To be sure the herring was salt, but hunger was their sauce; and Tommy brought with him three small slices of bread and butter and three potatoes, which were a great addition to the feast. Ben could easily have eaten his slice of bread, but as he raised it to his lips, a thought seemed to strike him, and he put it on the top shelf.
"Now we have something grand to tell you, Tommy," said he, and in an eager manner the children related what they had seen and heard through the morning.
"Is'nt it good to have some One to take care of us, now mother is gone," said Ben; "some One who loves us like I love Kit; who'll take us to a jolly place when we die. We are going to say that little verse every night before we go to sleep. Have you ever heard of Jesus, and would you like us to teach it to you?”
"Mother tells us to say ‘Now I lay me down to sleep' at night," he answered, "and after it we say 'for Jesus' sake, Amen.' Once I asked her what it meant, but she said she did'nt know, only we ought to say it every night, and if we did'nt God would punish us.”
"The teacher said Jesus is God's Son, and that God loves us too, and let Jesus come and die. But I'll listen well this afternoon, and tell you some more if you like. I expect it will soon be time to go.”
"Tommy, come wif us," said Kit.
"You always think on everything, Mousie," said Ben proudly; "let's go and ask his mother.”
But Mrs. Perrin said she dare not trust him far away; he might not go that day, but some time when she was not busy she would bring him round.
So again the children set forth hand in hand, anxious to hear more of what made them so happy.
Miss Randolph told them a little story that afternoon which deeply interested them; it was the first they had ever heard, and this was it:- "One afternoon a gentleman was walking over a large field, and he saw a great bird flying in the air. Presently a little sparrow flew straight towards him, and hid itself under his coat, next his heart. The gentleman took it gently in his hand; its heart was beating, poor little thing, and it was trembling all over. Just above his head hovered the large bird, which he now saw was a hawk.
"A hawk pounces upon small birds and eats them; and this one had been following the sparrow, and was going to seize it, when the little thing flew right under the gentleman's coat. Did he throw it to the hawk? No; he held the little thing safely in his hand till danger was past, and then took it to his own garden and let it fly.
“Little children, "said Miss Randolph," you are very much in the same state as the sparrow. Some one is pursuing you; some one is trying to devour you. He watches you, and hopes sometime to get you to a dreadful place where he must live forever. What are you going to do? Will you fly to some One I can tell you of who loves you, and will take you in His arms, and keep you from that dreadful enemy who wants to get you? Satan is the name of that cruel one. Jesus is the One who wants to shelter you, and take you forever to His happy land, where the devil cannot harm you. Fly to Him at once; do not wait a moment, or it may be too late. Just as the little sparrow flew to the gentleman, so do you come to Jesus. He will not drive you away, He will fold you in His arms of love, as our little hymn says. The Lord Jesus is quite close to you, and if you breathe a little prayer to Him He will bear you, and if you give yourself to Him, believing that He loves you, and died for you, and is willing to wash away your sins, then you are His little child; you do not belong to Satan, and he can never harm you.”
They learned the first verse of their hymn perfectly, and after their teacher had spoken to them a little about prayer, telling them to remember and pray to the Lord Jesus before they went to bed and in the early morning, and to thank Him for whatever they received, the children went away.