“Then I want second to go to boarding-school.”
“That’s good,” exclaimed Lottie relieved, “now, shut your eyes and open the Bible and put your finger down, and if it touches: ‘And it came to pass,’ it will come to pass.”
“How queer,” said Judith delighted, “what an easy way to find out things. I wish I had known it before.”
“So do I, for then I might have known that I couldn’t have had a navy blue silk for Christmas; and I hoped for it until the very day.”
Without any misgiving, Judith closed her eyes and opened the Bible; her heart beat fast, her fingers trembled; she dared not open her eyes and see.
“No, you haven’t your wish,” said Lottie’s disappointed voice; “it reads: ‘And a cubit on one side, and a cubit on the other side’—that’s dreadful and horrid; I’m so sorry, Ju.”
So was Judith; sorry and frightened.
“Now, I’ll try. I wish for a gold chain like Grace Marvin’s,” she said, bravely. Judith looked frightened; but what was there to be afraid of? It was not like fortune-telling; it was the Bible.
Judith watched her nervously; she was disappointed if it said in the Bible that she could never go to boarding-school; but, oh, how glad she was that she had not asked the Bible if her mother would ever be strong enough to go to Bensalem. She could not have borne nothing but a cubit about that. She would hate a “cubit” after this.
“There!” cried Lottie jubilantly, “I have it. See.”