"But, Mother," said Isabella, a little more deferentially as well as reverently, "the Holy Ghost is always given in baptism?"
"I was taught so, my dear. But I am come to feel unsure that God's Word saith the Holy Ghost is always given in baptism. And, Bell, I am not sure that He was so given to all my children."
"You mean me, I suppose, Mother?" asked Isabella, returning to her former tone.
"I fear so, my child," responded Madam Passmore, so sadly and so tenderly that Isabella could make no scornful answer. "I have feared, indeed, for months past that I have taught you all wrong. God amend it! Indeed, I hope He is Himself teaching some of you. But I did not mean thee only, Bell. I have as much fear for all of you, except Celia, and, perhaps, Harry. Have we feared God, child, as a family? Hath there not been mere form and habit even in our devotions? Have we not shown much unevenness, and walked unequally? Have we cared to serve or please Him at all? Ah, my children! these are grave questions, and I take bitter shame to myself to have lived as many years as I have, and never thought of them. God forgive you—and me!"
"Aye, to be sure, my dear!" said old Cicely upstairs, afterwards. "To be sure, Madam, she's a-coming home to the Lord. I see her reading the Book at odd times like, making a bit of a secret of it, very soon after you went; and by and bye, a little afore you came back, she came to make no secret of it; and since then I've seen many a little thing as showed me plain where she was a-going. And Master Harry, my dear, he reads the Book too—he does, for sure! Can't say nothing about Master, worse luck! Then Miss Lucy and Master Charley, you see, they're young things as hasn't got no thought of nothing. But as for Mrs. Bell"—
Celia quite understood, without another word. "O Cicely!" she said, many thoughts crowding on her mind, "surely I shall never distrust God again!"
"But you will, Madam," said Patient, looking up from her work. "Aye, many and many a time! 'Tis a lesson, trust me, that neither you nor I have learned yet. We are such poor scholars, for ever forgetting that though this very lesson be God's a-b ab, for us, we need many a rod to our backs ere we can spell it over. Aye, Madam, you'll not be out of school for a while yet."
"Celia," asked Madam Passmore that evening, "when do you expect your brother, my dear?"
"I don't know, indeed, Mother," replied Celia. "I expected him ere now. I know not what is keeping him. Surely he will be here before summer!"
Edward Ingram was not at Ashcliffe before summer.