"Not to-day," said Agnes. "I want to be quiet, and think. But, Letty, if you will do one thing for me,—stop somewhere down-town and send me up a Bible or Testament. I am ashamed to say I do not know where to put my hand upon one. Let it be in large print; for my eyes are very weak. God bless you for coming to see me! Joseph will not be at home till the last of next week, and I shall be quite alone. Do come again."
"I will come, to be sure," said Letty. "But, Agnes, don't depend upon me. Go to God! Oh, I feel as if so much depended on the present hour! Pray don't put this subject away till you have settled it once for all. Oh, Agnes, don't forget that there is such a thing as being too late!"
"I will not, Letty. I feel myself as though this were the turning-point. I have tried hard to make myself an unbeliever; but the old Sunday-school and Bible-class lessons would stick to me in spite of myself. After my child died, however, I did not try any longer. I could not bear to think that he had ceased to exist,—that there was no longer any Herbert. I liked to think of him as happy in heaven, even though I should never see him there."
"But you will see him there," said Letty. "You may make that sure this hour,—this moment,—if you will. You have only to accept of God's mercy in Jesus Christ, give yourself to him, and believe, on the authority of his word, that he accepts you, and all will be well. Why should you delay? It is not as if you wanted to be convinced of the truth of these things: you believe them already. Why not make them yours?"
"Mr. Caswell is waiting, ma'am," said Prince, opening the door.
"I forgot to ask you about Mary," said Letty.
"She is at Dr. Woodman's," replied Agnes. "She went with Madge; and I understand they make her very useful. Poor Madge! She is another monument of my insane folly. Do you remember how I blamed you for her misfortune?"
"That is another of the by-gones. And now I must be a by-gone myself, and not try the patience of my much-enduring husband one moment longer."
[CHAPTER XVI.]
MRS. VAN HORN AGAIN.