"I am afraid that doesn't follow," replied Percy, "I really do not know what is meant by 'the kingdom.' I wish you would explain it to me, Beryl."
"I can't explain it properly," said Beryl; "but it is the kingdom of God, and when any one is good and kind, and tries to do what is right, that is the coming of the kingdom."
"What a queer explanation!" laughed Percy.
But, queer though it was, he understood it, and did not soon forget it. Often in after days, as he listened to the familiar words of the Lord's Prayer, Beryl's childish explanation gave them a fuller meaning, and he remembered how she had said—"When any one is good and kind, and tries to do what is right, that is the coming of the kingdom."
[CHAPTER XXII]
MORE WORK FOR THE KINGDOM
HAVING consented to Miss Burton's plan for establishing a Sunday school, Mr. Hollys interested himself heartily in the necessary arrangements. No time was lost in setting about the work; but the Egloshayle carpenters were not the most expeditious of workmen, and a fortnight passed before the room was ready for use. Coral and Beryl watched the progress of the work with the greatest interest, and it was a glad day for them when at last they saw the barn in perfect order for the reception of their scholars.
It was a barn no longer, but a large and comfortable room, furnished with a table and chairs, wooden benches for the scholars, and some bookshelves; bright pictures adorned the walls, and sweet, flowering plants, standing on the window-sill, gave a cheerful, homely look to the room.
The children were delighted beyond measure with the new schoolroom. It was a disappointment to Beryl that Percy did not see its completion. He went back to London a few days before it was finished. His foot was not yet well, but he could manage to limp along with the aid of a stick, and his mother was so anxious for his return home, that he would not delay his journey after he had the doctor's permission to travel.
He and Beryl parted the best of friends. The child was not glad now at the thought of losing Percy's company. She regretted his departure keenly. Her face broke into a smile, however, when Percy, as he said good-bye, whispered to her that he would get his mother to insist upon Mr. Hollys bringing her with him, when he came to London in the spring. That was a charming idea to her, for Beryl had no longer the least fear that Percy's teasing ways would spoil the enjoyment of her holiday.