"Yes," assented Melina. "Agnes Brown has one of her own—her mother gave it to her as soon as she had learnt to read. The Bible is God's word, you know, and it is full of beautiful stories—true stories; and it tells all about Jesus, too—"
"Yes, yes," interposed Mrs. Berryman, "everyone knows that."
She took her keys from her pocket as she spoke, and unlocked an old box, covered with wall-paper, which stood in a niche near the fireplace. Then she lifted the lid of the box, which, Melina saw, held a lot of faded old garments and several books. One of the books, a small, thick, leather-covered volume, Mrs. Berryman selected from the rest and handed to her granddaughter, remarking as she did so:
"There's no need for you to think of buying a Bible; you can have this one. It's yours by right, for it belonged to your mother."
"To my mother!" Melina took the sacred volume eagerly, and, opening it, read on the fly-leaf, in a plain, round handwriting, "Melina Mead, her book." She glanced at her grandmother inquiringly.
"Mead was your mother's maiden name," Mrs. Berryman explained. "Your father gave me the Bible to keep for you; I'd nigh forgotten it till just now. That's your mother's writing on the fly-leaf, I believe. There's her name, isn't there, and a text?—her favourite text, I mind your father said it was."
"'Him that cometh to Me I will in nowise cast out,'" Melina read aloud. "Oh," she exclaimed, "she must have been a Christian, my mother! See how her Bible has been used! Some of the pages are quite worn! Yes, she must have been a Christian, I feel sure of it!"
"I don't know about that," Mrs. Berryman said; "I never saw your mother. Your father married her when he was living in London, and she died a year later when you were born—you've heard me say so before."
"But didn't father ever tell you what she was like?" Melina questioned wistfully.
"He told me that she was as good as she was pretty," Mrs. Berryman answered, rather impatiently; "but there, child, don't bother me with any more questions. Take your book and go."