“Don’t you think, mamma, that perhaps papa may stay all night at the Gore? It is so stormy.”
“No, dear; he said he would be home. Something must have detained him longer than usual. What are you thinking about so earnestly Francis?”
“Since you went up-stairs? Oh! about lots of things. About the chapter David was reading, for one thing.”
The chapter David had read was the tenth of Numbers—one not very likely to interest young readers, except the last few verses. It was the way with the Inglises, at morning and evening worship, to read straight on through the Bible, not passing over any chapter because it might not seem very interesting or instructive. At other times they might pick and choose the chapters they read and talked about, but at worship time they read straight on, and in so doing fell on many a word of wonderful beauty, which the pickers and choosers might easily overlook. The last few verses of the chapter read that night were one of these, and quite new to one of the listeners, at least. It was Moses’ invitation to Hobab to go with the Lord’s people to the promised land.
“I wonder whether the old chap went,” said Frank, after a pause. “What are you laughing at, Jem?”
“He thinks that is not a respectful way to speak of a Bible person, I suppose,” said Violet.
“About the chapter David was reading,” said Jem, mimicking his cousin’s tone and manner. “That is for mamma. You don’t expect me to swallow that. Give mamma the result of your meditations, like a good boy.”
“I said I was thinking of the chapter, for one thing,” said Frank, not at all angry, though he reddened a little. “I was thinking, besides, whether that was a proper book for you to be reading to-night, ‘The Swiss Family,’ is it not?”
“Sold,” cried Jem, triumphantly; “it is the ‘Pilgrim’s Progress.’”
“You have read that before,” said Violet.