THE following day, dressed in decent mourning, Kit was led in a triumphant manner to the Sunday-school, and they were told about Jesus feeding the five thousand. It was a wonderful story to them, and from that time they never ceased to put their entire trust in One who could do such wonders. If they were hungry, they prayed for bread to the Lord Jesus, and would not have been much surprised at its being sent in any remarkable way. For instance, Kit was one day very hungry, and was standing at the window telling Jesus about it, when a child from an upper story threw down or dropped a crust of bread into the yard. The child joyfully picked it up, and firmly believed it had fallen from the sky. It was a pretty story to tell Ben when he came back from the streets, where he had been wandering in search of something to eat.
They received their little books with delight from Miss Randolph, who recognized the children, and was pleased with the perfect manner in which they repeated their texts and verse. They showed these to Mr. Perrin in the evening, and he read stories aloud from them to the little group. One was about the storm at sea, and the other about the raising of the widow's son from the dead. Ben and Kit felt that the Lord Jesus, whom Mr. Perrin read about, belonged to them, for the little girl said, as soon as he finished reading, "That's our blessed Jesus, Mr. Peddin. He loves Ben and me; we often talk to Him. He can make b'ed out of nuffin for lots of little boys and girls, and He can stop the wind from blowing." At this point however, she was overcome with shyness, at seeing them all look at her, and sank down into Ben's lap.
"Do you love Him, Mr. Perrin?" said Ben.
The man was looking thoughtful. "It's a long while since I heard this kind of thing," said he. "No, I don't suppose I do as I ought; but times have been bad, and I have had other things to think of.”
"I don't think you know what I mean," said Ben; "the lady says, Jesus walked about with poor people when He was On earth. He made them well when they were sick, and helped them in their trouble. She told us little children to go to Him, because we were naughty and unhappy, and He would put all our sins away, and make us ever so happy; and she said He was cold, and tired, and hungry when He was on earth, so that He might know how we feel. I listened so hard that I might tell blind Tommy all about it, as I promised, and it seems written on my mind, like as if I couldn't forget it.”
"I like to hear you talk very much," said the man; "I went to the Sunday-school when I was a boy, and it all comes back to me again, though it seems as if a great heap of rubbish had been 'cumulating on the top ever since. Go on, boy.”
"Our teacher says that the devil is watching us, and wants to get us to his miserable place forever; but that Jesus loves us, and if we only ask Him to take care of us and bless us, and if we love Him, He won't let Satan have us, but will take us to a bright beautiful home, up, up higher than the stars, where we shall never be unhappy. I hope you and Mrs. Perrin will go, and take Tommy and the baby; then we could all be such a happy party.”
When Ben looked up, he saw tears in Mrs. Perrin's eyes, and Mr. Perrin was making himself very busy with his boot. They asked the children to sing their hymn before they left, and Mrs. Perrin kissed them both, and stuffed a lump of sugar into their mouths, while she invited them to come again.
Little Kit sat patiently under the arch way for several days. She preferred it to staying at home alone, though she often became very tired; but Ben would come running up to her every now and then, sometimes to tell her a thing that made her laugh, and sometimes to show her the pennies he had gained.
At last there came a very stormy and rainy day, when Ben shook his head, and said she must stay at home-there was no help for it; but he said he would ask if Tommy Perrin might come down a little while to keep her company. Mrs. Perrin gave leave, and the two little ones amused one another for some time, but at last Tommy grew tired and left her, and Kit stayed down stairs alone. She played at setting out tea with the plates and odd things they had on the shelf, but at six o'clock it began to grow dusk-for very little light came into that dull room on a cloudy day-and by seven it was dark, and Ben had not come. What was the matter?
The little boy had had a bad day, and had not been able to sell more than eight boxes of lights by six o'clock; and though he generally started for home before that time, he knew that if they were to have both supper and breakfast, he must stay and sell out; so he waited till seven o'clock, when he sold his last box, and hastened home, thinking that Kit was sure to be in Mrs. Perrin's room. On his way he met Jim Stephens.
"If you want to know a short cut to your place, I can show you one," said he; "you'll be home ten minutes earlier than usual.”
Ben did want to get home quickly, so they agreed to walk together. After a few minutes, Jim said, "This is my place. If you go straight on, and take your first turning to the right, and your second to the left, you'll come out by Shoreditch station, then you can find your way. Good night.”
Ben ran on, but either he took the wrong turning, or Jim did not tell him right, for he was quite at a loss. It was raining heavily, and the streets were pretty clear. He asked his way but people would not stop on such a night to tell him, and one or two little shops he passed were full of people; so he wandered on, vainly hoping that he should find himself in a familiar street.
At about eight o'clock, a kind-hearted woman showed him the way, for she was going to the station herself, and at last, tired, anxious, wet, and hungry, he arrived at Peter's Street. He rushed up to Mrs. Perrin's room. "No, she had not seen Kit; she quite thought she had heard Ben come in three hours before.”
He ran off before she had finished speaking, and tried the door of his room. It was bolted; he could not get in. He knocked gently at first, but no answer came; then he called to her, "Kit, dear little Kit, open to me-it is Ben come home to you," but she did not reply. He ran into the yard, and tried to open the window; it was unbarred, and he pushed it open and jumped in.
The room was quite dark. Poor little fellow, he was dreadfully frightened. He groped his way to the bed, and felt about, calling on her as well as his trembling lips would let him. At last he felt a little cold hand. He almost screamed; he thought, "Perhaps she is dead!" but he lifted her off the bed on to his lap, and struck a light, and lighted a bit of tallow candle.
Then he saw that she was not dead; she partly opened her eyes, though she did not seem to see or move. He threw some water on her face, when she started, and he cried, "Kit, darling, what is the matter? Are you ill? Tell me; speak to me!”
But she did not seem as if she could speak, so he took a morsel of bread and dipped it in the milk he had brought, and gave it to her.
Her face was ashy white, and her little hands and feet were cold. He turned off his wet coat, and knelt and rubbed them with might and main, but very little warmth would come, so he carried her up to Mrs. Perrin.
"Bless her little heart, she has been fainting," said the good woman; "give her to me." And she took her in her arms, and sat down by the fire with her. "Give me that milk, Ben;" and after warming it for a minute, she poured some down her throat; then the little one began to revive, and stretched out her arms to Ben.
"Take me, take me I" she cried; "I fort I was in Jesus' happy place. I was so fitened 'fore that. Don't let 'em get me.”
By degrees, after she had eaten a little bread and butter, she told them, in broken words, that she sat in the dark till she got frightened; then she said her little hymn, and tried to think she was not alone-that Jesus was in the room with her, and she asked Him to let Ben come, and to take care of her. Soon she heard a loud noise outside, and bolted the door, lest any one should come in; and she was so hungry, and then she fell on the bed, and "fort she was in Jesus' happy place," with lots of stars and bright things, but she couldn't find Ben there.
She was snugged and petted by Mr. and Mrs. Perrin and Ben to her heart's content, and stroked by blind Tommy, and crowed at by the baby, but the long fasting and the fright did her no good, and for some days she looked paler and thinner, and grew more tired than before; but she would not stay at home, so Ben carried her backwards and forwards to the city.