“Wait, dearie, here is the other question: Did your not wanting to follow his directions release you from the duty of obeying?”
“No,” said Jean again, and she laughed, a little shamefaced laugh; even in her weakness she was quick-witted; she could not help seeing just where her admission placed her.
[CHAPTER XI]
DIFFERENT ESTIMATES
“THEN,” said Aunt Elsie, pushing her advantage, “you see there is no pretence nor cowardice about it; there is just a plain common-sense decision called for, and if he shouldn’t do the rest, according to promise, why—he would be the one to blame. Now, perhaps, we have talked as long as we ought, for this time; if we keep real still I think you can drop to sleep.”
Quiet reigned in the room for several minutes, during which the watcher prayed, with all her soul, for the lamb outside the fold. Then came Jean’s voice again:
“Aunt Elsie, I want to ask one more question. Do you honestly think that people—young people, I mean, with life all before them—could have really good times in the world if they had agreed to think always first about pleasing God? I know Ray is happy, but there is no use in pointing her out to me because she is different from other people; she always was; I couldn’t be like her if I tried for a hundred years; I don’t know another girl like her anywhere. She never seems to fuss over things, and be almost cross because she is trammelled by her professions; but that is the way Lucile Watson is, and several others that I know, who seem to be trying at it, and making poor headway. I don’t believe that I—” Here Aunt Elsie interrupted:
“What about Derrick?”
“Derrick?” repeated Jean, in wonder. “Dick, do you mean? Why, does he—is Dick—what do you mean?”
“He is the happiest boy I know anything about,” said Aunt Elsie. “Just bubbling over with joy from morning till night—since you began to get well.”
“But is Dick—do you mean that he is—that he has done—what you said must be done?”