“Where is your hope?”
She lifted up her finger, pointed to heaven, and then directed the same downward to her own heart, saying successively as she did so, “Christ there, and Christ here.”
These words, accompanied by the action, spoke her meaning more solemnly than can easily be conceived.
A momentary spasm took place. Looking towards her weeping mother, she said, “I am very cold—but it is no matter—it will soon be over—”
She closed her eyes for about a minute, and, on opening them again, said, “I wish, sir, when I am gone, you would tell the other children of the parish how good the Lord has been to me, a poor sinner—tell them, that they who seek him early will find him—tell them, that the ways of sin and ignorance are the ways to ruin and hell—and pray tell them, sir, from me, that Christ is indeed the Way, the Truth, and the Life—he will in no wise cast out any that come. Tell them that I, a poor girl—”
She was quite exhausted, and sunk for a while into a torpid state, from which, however, she recovered gradually, uttering these expressions: “Where am I?—I thought I was going—Lord, save me!”
“My dear child, you will soon be for ever in His arms who is now guiding you by his rod and staff through the valley of the shadow of death.”
“I believe so, indeed I do,” said she; “I long to be with him!—Oh, how good, how great, how merciful!—Jesus, save me, help me through this last trial!”
She then gave one hand to her father, the other to her
mother, and said, “God bless you, God bless you—seek the Lord—think of me when I am gone—it may be for your good—remember your souls—oh, for Christ’s sake remember your souls—then all may be well—you cannot know what I have felt for both of you—Lord, pardon and save my dear father and mother!”