Mrs. Douglass wept as she talked, and Marion, desirous of soothing her, said,—
"Mrs. Cheriton's love for Eugene is a great preservative."
"Yes, that is true," sighing. "Poor boy! He needs a father's restraining hand."
"We have asked our heavenly Father to preserve them both from all evil, and I believe He will," rejoined the visitor, hopefully.
God did answer the prayers so earnestly offered, but in a way entirely unlooked for.
[CHAPTER III.]
WITHOUT CHRIST.
MRS. CHERITON did not return from her walk for an hour after Marion left. She came in looking so brilliantly beautiful that it made her mother's heart ache. Her eyes always shone like stars, and the rich color crimsoned her cheeks when she was excited either by joy or anger. Eugene, too, seemed overflowing with spirits. His hands were full of toys and sweetmeats, given him, he said, by the nice gentleman. When he threw off his cap, his grandmother noticed that his hair was wet with perspiration, and told her daughter he ought not to sit in the draught; but she retorted with some indifferent reply. Finding she could not induce the child to move, nor to give up the colored candies he was eagerly devouring, with a sigh the grandmother left the room.
During the rest of the day, the young mother went about with a smile on her lips, quite absorbed in thoughts of a pleasant nature. Toward night her boy coughed two or three times; but she, usually so ready to take alarm, laughed at her mother's suggestion that he must have taken cold.
At an early hour Mr. Alford called to accompany her to the theatre, and poured out such a torrent of flattery at her beauty as quite turned her head.