THE bright days of autumn had passed away, and already the cold winter winds were beginning to make themselves felt. Pleasant-looking fires were blazing in many a home; but perhaps in none did it look more cheery than in the large, airy schoolroom in which Kate was seated at her desk, busily occupied in correcting a pile of exercise books which lay before her. At another table in the same apartment was seated a tall, rather slightly made, young lady, similarly engaged.
A look at the gentle, refined face, and you would have recognized Adeline Montague. Yes; she had been Kate's assistant teacher for some time; and it was manifest that the good work commenced at Markton had been carried on in her soul, and that she was indeed a true and lowly disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. But her usually pale face is very pale to-night; and the contrast between it and the deep mourning robe she has worn since her sister's death is very striking.
My dear young mistress had noticed the anxious look upon the young girl's usually cheerful countenance, and, placing herself by her side, gently asked, "Adeline dear, what is it that causes you so much distress?” A sob was the only answer for a moment; and Kate, after a kind touch of her gentle hand upon the bowed head, continued kindly, "Did your letter of this morning contain anything that troubles you?”
"Yes, dear Miss Grahame," replied Adeline, as she drew a black-edged letter from her pocket, and striving to recover self-possession placed it in the hands of my young mistress. “I cannot tell you, but will you read it for yourself?"
And Kate, with one hand resting encouragingly upon Adeline Montague's shoulder, made herself acquainted with the contents of the letter. The writing was that of a man; but judging by the feeble, irregular, broken sentences of which the letter was composed, the hand that penned it must have been weak and failing. Indeed it was an effort to Kate to grasp the meaning of the incoherent sentences.
“My poor child," she said, as she replaced the letter in Adeline's hands, "the Lord will help you to bear this great trouble; only He can comfort you."
“Miss Grahame," said Adeline, in a tremulous voice, "if my father does not pay that debt by the appointed day, can they-will they-make him leave the house?" And Adeline's sobs broke forth afresh at the thought of her aged father in such a condition.
“I know little of these things, dear Adeline," said Kate, in a gentle, sympathizing voice; "but I fear so. What kind of man is the landlord who has threatened this?"
“Hard, selfish, unkind, I fear," was the reply.
“Then I think, Adeline, there is, humanly speaking, little hope. He will, I fear, carry out his threat. What has been the cause of your father getting behind in his payments to him?
“Illness, Miss Grahame; my two youngest brothers have always been very delicate, but they have been very ill this last summer. Expensive nourishment was ordered for them both, and my father procured it for them. And Margaret's death-"
“How are the boys now, Adeline?" inquired Kate, as the young girl paused and turned towards her.
“They can never be much better in this world, Miss Grahame," responded Adeline in a sad tone; “but I was thinking I have no right to trouble you with my sorrow."
“I wish I could help you, dear Adeline," said my young mistress kindly.
“You are too good to me, Miss Grahame," replied Adeline.
“One thing is certain, dear, and that is that the Lord will not allow anything to come upon His children unless He sees fit. Your father is one of His children, Addie, is he not?"
“Oh yes! but I cannot bear to think of him being turned out of the house in which he has lived for so many years, If it were only in my power to save him from this fresh trouble!" And Adeline's grief again overcame her powers of utterance.
“Dear Addie," said Kate, in a, low, tender voice, "I feel for you very much. You know that during these last few months some of the school accounts have been paid so irregularly that I have had a little difficulty in meeting my own expenses. People so often forget school bills. Were it not for this, I might have helped you; but let us pray about it, dear. The prayer of faith in a living, loving Lord, Addie, is a wonderful lever to lift troubles off our tried spirits. 'Casting all your care upon him,' He says. But we must get very near to Him to do it, dear; shall we ask Him now, Addie?"
“The Lord will bless you for your kindness," said Adeline Montague, as they knelt side by side in the quiet schoolroom. “Ask for help for my dear father, and also that I may be made subject to His will in all things."
Not many sentences, not continually repeated pleadings, but only a few earnest, yet simple words, telling the blessed Hearer and Answerer of prayer the trouble that lay on her young teacher's heart, and committing all the circumstances connected with it into the loving care of Him who loved her and gave Himself for her, both rose from their knees with the peace of God filling their hearts.
“There is one thing more to do, Adeline," said Kate, in a low, sweet tone, as she prepared to quit the apartment. “Do you remember what David said, ‘In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up'?"
“‘Look up,' dear Miss Grahame; has that any special meaning there?"
“Yes, dear; it seems to my mind to imply that David not only made his prayer to the Lord, but he also looked up, or in other words waited and looked for the answer. That is your part now, Addie."
Kate had retired to her bedchamber more than an hour, and doubtless all other members of the household were fast asleep, except my dear young mistress. Her mind was dwelling upon the sorrow which Adeline's letter had disclosed. After leaving the schoolroom she had taken another survey of the few coins in her purse.
But the purse had been closed firmly, yet with much inward regret, as I heard her say, “It would not be honest to take it from that. I could not pay for the things I require, and my Bible tells me to 'owe no man anything. Obedience is better than sacrifice.' The Lord can do the best thing for him without my help."
Yes, He could; but in the days of His manifestation in flesh, did not the Lord Jesus ever delight to make His disciples sharers of His joy in distributing His bounties? And Kate's thoughts reverted to this fact, as she lay musing and wakeful far into the still, quiet hours of the night. Was there nothing she could give up which might help the aged Christian in his extremity?
Jewelery she had none; no rings, brooches, earrings, or bracelets formed any part of her simple toilet. For Kate had learned to love that inner adornment of the “meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." But as she had extinguished the lamp by her side, her eye fell upon me, and as it did so, a sudden thought had been awakened in her mind by my presence. Clasping me in her hands very tightly, she laid her head upon her pillow, and the firm, yet gentle, pressure with which her fingers retained their hold, proved that her thoughts were still concerning me.
After a few minutes' deep, earnest thought, she was heard to say, “Precious Lord Jesus, this watch is but a small thing, but I joyfully give it for Thy sake. Hast Thou not said, ' Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me'? To-morrow morning Adeline shall send it to her father."
And with sweet thoughts of what Mr. Montague might be saved from, Kate slept at last. But her hand did not loosen its hold on me till the morning sun, streaming in through her chamber window, awakened her to a consciousness that another day's duties were before her. An hour later I gazed for the last time upon the peaceful countenance of my dear young mistress, my much-loved Kate, as she placed me in Adeline Montague's hand, with a small wooden box containing a quantity of pink wadding, saying:
There, Addle dear; there is the answer to what we asked last night. How sufficient He is for all things. Nothing is too hard for the Lord."
I will not attempt to describe the wonder and surprise of Mr. Montague, as the postman introduced me into his house two days after I bade a last farewell to my dear young mistress. I found I had, through the medium of the post-office letter-bag, traveled safely to a small town in the north of Scotland. It was with great difficulty even after I had been carefully unpacked, and examined over and over again, that the poor old gentleman could comprehend that I was indeed his lawful possession.
“Read dear Addie's letter again, wife," he said, as he looked in wondering astonishment at the two sickly youths seated at the breakfast table.
“I said help would come if we asked for it, father," said the elder of the two lads, whose deep, hollow cough was sufficient proof that his earthly days were numbered.
“You’re often right, Gordon," rejoined his brother in an undertone, "about those sort of things, I mean."
“We can't go far wrong, Sandy, when we think what we are to Him. Don't you remember directly the children of Israel were under the shelter of the blood in the land of Egypt, how God began to say, ‘this is mine,' and ‘that is mine'? Those words comforted me when I feared Mr. McLean would come and carry off father's things. Said I to myself, ‘If father belongs to the Lord, He won't let anybody take his things away without his leave.'”
“I was almost too fearful to think of that," said the old man slowly; "but I can see it now. And more than that, the money will be all paid yet. This will satisfy him till I can take him a little cash. Let us bless the Lord for all His mercies; and you, wife, while I go and take the watch up the glen, you write a bit of a note to thank the lady for her goodness to us. She will get a blessing for it presently, somehow or other."
Very gladly would I have lingered a little longer in that interesting family; but evidently Mr. Montague was not willing that I should do so.
"Then you won't sell the watch as Addie says, and take the money?” asked his wife, as he took me in his hand, and prepared to depart.
"No, wife; I think this'll please him best. He's mighty fond of his daughter Sarah; and though it looks much too good for a thoughtless girl as she is, it may likely enough please him to give it to her." Mr. Montague was right in his surmise. Mr. McLean, with all his harshness and unkindness, had nevertheless one vulnerable point, and that was, as Mr. Montague had intimated, his love for his daughter Sarah. Only a few moments after my new friend's departure, and I was placed round the neck of Sarah McLean. And in her possession I remain to the present day.
And now in taking my leave of you, dear readers, I render you my dying thanks for the interest you have taken in my simple story. That you should have been so tolerant to the words and crotchets of an old watch, is indeed a proof of your kind consideration towards me, which demands my gratitude.
But what good will it do if you do not take to heart the lessons which I have tried to teach? Can you not gather some crumbs of truth and wisdom from my unadorned narration?
And as I take my last, lingering glances at the characters I have brought before you, I can only trust that my simple story will not have been in vain. Depend upon it that the Herberts, the Adelines, the Kates are nearer to you than you imagine. But there is another and a sweeter thought also, that there is a loving, tender heart waiting to receive you, a pitying, compassionate Savior, beneath the shelter of whose wings you may pass through this world without a fear, without a care, without a wave to ruffle the peace which He bestoweth, and which is but the sweet earnest of that ocean of love and delight into which He Himself will usher all who rest in His love for eternity.
But I am tired and weary; surely the wheel must be breaking at the cistern-the golden bowl be breaking at the fountain. Yes; I see that the doors are being shut in the streets, that the sound of the grinding is low. The daughters of music are brought low; but for me there is no fear of that which is high.
Courtesy of BibleTruthPublishers.com. Most likely this text has not been proofread. Any suggestions for spelling or punctuation corrections would be warmly received. Please email them to: BTPmail@bibletruthpublishers.com.