“It was from the Psalms: ‘Blessed be God which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.’ ”
“And what answer did you find?” Leila inquired.
“My answer was also from the Psalms: ‘I sought the Lord and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.’ ”
“And it was an excellent answer,” Leila observed, “and very comforting. I am so glad, Selina, you have told me of this plan. I know a great many texts, for you know in the island I had no other book to read but the Bible, but I never thought of this plan; I wish I had.”
Tears stood in Matilda’s eyes: “I do not know the Bible by heart as Leila does,” she said; “but you, Selina, will find out a text to suit me, and I will learn it,” and she rose and left the room.
“I must go to her,” Selina said; “she is a dear, kind sister to me, and always so sorry when she does wrong.”
Leila was left alone. “Such a happy home preparing for me, and so many to love,” she whispered to herself; and clasping her hands together, she looked up for a moment, then left the room to seek her father.
CHAPTER V.
NEARLY a month had passed rapidly away: Mr. Howard had been much in London during the mornings, selecting furniture for Woodlands, and giving many necessary orders for their future comfort; and Mrs. Stanley had been well pleased to find that the joint example of Selina and Leila appeared to have a beneficial effect on Matilda; the daily lessons went on smoothly and well. Matilda now learned her texts regularly, and after the first few days, had always selected them for herself; and these texts generally evinced, not only a knowledge of her own faults, but a sincere desire to get the better of them: the text for that morning had been, “Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me, for thy goodness’ sake, O Lord.”
And the answer she had selected was, “I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions, and as a cloud thy sins: return unto me, for I have redeemed thee.”