CHAPTER XVIII.
CONCLUSION.
"Where no shadow shall bewilder,
Where life's vain parade is o'er,
Where the sleep of sin is broken,
And the dreamer dreams no more;
Where no bond is ever sundered;
Partings, claspings, sob, and moan,
Midnight waking, twilight weeping,
Heavy noontide—all are done;
Where the child has found its mother,
Where the mother finds the child,
Where dear families are gathered
That were scattered on the wild,
Brother, we shall meet and rest,
'Mid the holy and the blest."—Bonar.
Very little remains to be told, either of Grace Darling or her family. The grief of the latter was of the most poignant kind, when their famous and beloved daughter had really left them. Death creates great desolation for those who are left behind; and the more excellent the deceased has been, the greater is the loss which is felt. But when this world has but been exchanged for a better, there are consolations for the mourners, who feel that the parting is for a little while only, and who look forward to a joyful re-union.
"A few more years shall roll,
A few more seasons come;
And we shall be with those that rest
Asleep within the tomb.
"Then, O my Lord, prepare
My soul for that great day;
O wash me in thy precious blood,
And take my sins away.
"A few more suns shall set
O'er these dark hills of time;
And we shall be where suns are not,
A far serener clime.
"A few more storms shall beat
On this wild rocky shore;
And we shall be where tempests cease,
And surges swell no more.
"A few more struggles here,
A few more partings o'er,
A few more toils, a few more tears,
And we shall weep no more.
"A few more Sabbaths here
Shall cheer us on our way;
And we shall reach the endless rest,
The eternal Sabbath day."