THE afternoon passed wearily to little Kit and her mother, for Ben did not return. They went to the gate many times to look for him, and walked some way up the road, but Ben was not to be seen. Tea-time came, and Harry Gray returned. He was very vexed and disappointed.
"I hoped that we should be able to keep him and train him up well, for he gave good promise in many ways; it will be a pity if he goes back to the old place.”
"Ben said he would come back, and him speaks true. Him's the truest boy, father," urged Kit. "Jesus can see him, and will make him come back.'
"Your faith is strong, darling, I shall go out after tea, and try to find him.”
But there was no need to go out after tea to look for him, for the next moment Kit was down from the table and had her arms around Ben's knees.
He had just lifted the latch of the kitchen door very gently and walked in. His face was quite calm, with a smile 'twixt hope and fear on it. Before Mr. and Mrs. Gray could speak he walked straight up to the mother.
"I'm awfully sorry I fought Jim this morning, and if you'll give me another chance I'll try and do better, though he mocks and laughs at me, and calls me 'Baby, in the low class,' I won't heed it. I want to be-to be what the lady said, 'A brave soldier for Jesus.' He never struck any one.”
"That's right, Ben dear. It's all forgiven and forgotten-you won't do it again. We're glad to have you home," said the mother, with fast filling eyes.
And, holding out his hands to him, the father added, "Aye, we need to remember that He was mocked, and scourged, and crucified, and yet He never even threatened them, but prayed God the Father to forgive.”
"I'll try hard, and do like Him," said Ben.
"Remember, boy, that when they laugh at you, if you take it in fun they'll soon stop. Suppose they call you a 'Baby in the low class,' if you could just turn round and say, 'I know I'm in the baby class, but it isn't my fault, and I don't mean to stay there; it would be better and more kind if you helped me with my lessons.' If you said that, Ben, they would soon stop it.”
"There's some sense in that," said Ben, shrewdly.
"I'll try it tomorrow, though it will be very hard."
"I am afraid it will. When we do wrong, we must suffer; but I'll try and help you through it, lad."
"You are kind," replied the little fellow.
"He's the kindest father," echoed Kit, for which she was well kissed, and they all laughed.
"She was quite sure you would come back, Ben!”
"It was a good thing I promised her, for I never told her a lie; and when I got into the old barn, up the road far away, I thought I couldn't face any of you again, for I knew you would not approve of fighting ways; but I remembered what the lady, our teacher, said about being a brave little soldier for Jesus, and I thought: 'If they will try me again, I'll go back, because I could never leave my little Kit.' See, I nearly forgot what I had brought you, Kit.”
"Oh-h! oh-h! the beau-fullist little bird," she cried, as Ben drew a little dead nestling from his breast pocket.
"But it's dead!-dead!" she added.
"It was up at the stream yonder. I went to give my face a wash after all the-the-you know what- and the crying-so I was having a good plunge when this little bird flapped along the ground, and was frightened at all my splashin' I suppose, for it fell in the water, and then it scrambled out, and flew right into a hole in the wall. I took off my stockings, and wading across lifted it out; but the little thing was nearly dead, and its heart was thumping at such a rate, and its beak kept opening and shutting till it died.”
Kittie's eyes opened very wide while Ben was telling this, and her cheeks flushed crimson. She held the dead little thing so tenderly in her hands, while its tiny head fell over her fingers.
"I will keep it like this, the darling birdie," said the little girl; and all evening long she would not give it up.
"We must bury it tomorrow, Kit, in your little garden. I'll make a little box for its coffin, and dig the hole.”
But she stroked the pretty little yellow and brown feathers, and did not wish to think of tomorrow.