“It shall do thee no hurt to be feared of thyself, only lose not thine hold on God. ‘Hold Thou me up, and I shall be safe.’ But that should not be, buying life, Bessy, but selling it.”
“I know it should be bartering the life eternal, for the sake of a few years, at most, of this lower life. Yet life is main sweet, Bessy, and we are young. ‘All that a man hath will he give for his life.’”
“Think not on the life, Rose, nor on what thou givest, but alone on Him for whom thou givest it. Is He not worth the pain and the loss? Couldst thou bear to lose Him?—Him, who endured the bitter rood (Cross) rather than lose thee. That must never be, dear heart.”
“I do trust not, verily; yet—”
“What, not abed yet?” cried the cheery voice of Mrs Wade. “I came up but to see if you had all you lacked. Doll’s on her way up. I reckon she shall be here by morning. A good maid, surely, but main slow. What! the little ones be asleep? That’s well. But, deary me, what long faces have you two! Are you taking thought for your funeral, or what discourse have you, that you both look like judges?”
“Something like it, Hostess,” said Elizabeth, with her grave smile. “Truly, we were considering that which may come, and marvelling if we should hold fast.”
The landlady set her arms akimbo, and looked from one of the girls to the other.
“Why, what’s a-coming?” said she.
“Nay, we know not what, but—”
“Dear heart, then I’d wait till I did! I’ll tell you what it is—I hate to have things wasted, even an old shoe-latchet; why, I pity to cast it aside, lest it should come in for something some day. Now, my good maids, don’t waste your courage and resolution. Just you keep them till they’re wanted, and then they’ll be bright and ready for use. You’re not going to be burned to-night; you’re going to bed. And screwing up your courage to be burned is an ill preparation for going to bed, I can tell you. You don’t know, and I don’t, that any one of us will be called to glorify the Lord in the fires. If we are, depend upon it He’ll show us how to do it. Now, then, say your prayers, and go to sleep.”