She was aroused from her reverie by Miss Dawson, who asked her to sing a carol to them, and she willingly complied, singing the same she had sung at the village concert at W— nearly a year before. Afterwards, she gave them an account of the concert, and expressed the hope that she would be a great singer some day.
"Why, Mavis, I never knew such an idea had entered your head!" exclaimed her mother, greatly surprised.
"It never did, mother, until Mr. Moseley told me I had a great gift, and that God expected me to use it for the benefit of others," the little girl replied, seriously.
"Surely he was right!" said Miss Dawson.
And with that Mrs. Grey agreed.
Later in the evening, when Mavis went to the window and peeped out to see what the weather was like, she felt an arm steal around her shoulders, and Miss Dawson asked—
"What of the night? Are we going to have a fine Christmas?"
"I believe we are," Mavis answered. "The sky is clear and the stars are very bright. Look!"
Miss Dawson did so, pressing her face close to the window-pane. Then she suddenly kissed Mavis, and whispered—
"God bless you, dear, for all you've done for me. I carried the remembrance of your sweet voice singing, 'The Lord is only my support,' to Australia and back again, and it cheered and strengthened me more than you will ever know. I wish you a happy Christmas, little song-bird, and many, many more in the years to come."