"Yes, mother, I think so."
"You have asked the forgiveness of your Father in Heaven, through the merits and intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ?"
"Yes, mother, over and over again."
"And what about the future. Do you wish, or intend that it shall be like the past?"
"Oh no, indeed!" replied Delia, shuddering. "I do hope to live a Christian life after this. But I don't know—I have no faith in myself."
"Nor is it necessary or desirable that you should have faith in yourself. Faith in God is much better. But since you are truly repentant, and have sought God's forgiveness in the way of His own appointment, is it not rather more presumptuous to indulge a doubt of receiving it, than it is to believe in his plainly expressed promises?"
"Perhaps so!" replied Delia, sighing, as if with a feeling of relief. "I had never looked at it in that way. I am sure I shall be only too glad to believe it."
"We will not say much now," said Mrs. Mason, observing that Delia seemed very tired. "You are evidently over excited, and need rest and quiet. We will talk over these matters another time."
"Yes, yes," said Mr. Mason. "Talk it over with your mother. She understands such things. She has taught me a great deal that I never knew before. But I want to see you well, now. Poor dear, how much you must have suffered. I only hope you have had enough of secrets to last you all the rest of your life. They are wretched things. Why, dear me, it makes me miserable to have any thing on my mind that I can't talk about."
Delia could not help smiling.