The girls sat silent for some moments, and then Elsie said suddenly:
"Alice, if you had a dear friend who kept doing wrong, and would do wrong whatever you could say to him, and if he would not mind a word you said, but only kept out of your way, what would you do?"
Alice knew well enough what Elsie meant, for Osric's faults were no secret at school, whatever they might be at home. She said nothing of him, however, but answered quietly:
"I think, Elsie, I should try to cast my burden on the Lord."
"Yes, but how?" asked Elsie. "I don't understand, Alice."
"Well, thee knows, Elsie, that we always have liberty to tell him all our troubles in our prayers, because he himself invites us, and promises us his help. If we see our friends going wrong, as thee says, and cannot help it ourselves, we must just ask the Lord to take the case in hand. We must ask him to send his Spirit to our friend, to lead him into the right way and keep him there, and then we must try to believe that he will do it."
"That seems to be the hard part of it," said Anna.
"It is hard sometimes," said Alice, sighing, "very hard indeed—but yet he will give us that grace as well as any other, if we are patient and humble in asking and in waiting for it. But, dears, it is time for the bell to ring, and we must not be late."
"Alice, won't you pray? You know what I mean," whispered Elsie, hanging back and squeezing her friend's hand. "I can't tell you about it, but you know who I mean."
"Yes, my dear," replied Alice. "Thee may be sure I will."