This was a new thought to Tip, and made him silent. Mr. Holbrook held out his hand for the little red Bible.
"Let me show you what this lamp of yours says about the matter."
And Tip's eyes presently read where the minister's finger pointed: "If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
"Trespasses mean sins," explained Mr. Holbrook; then he turned away.
All this time Kitty had been standing waiting,—not for Tip, she didn't expect his company,—but for the stylish little girls to get fairly started on their way to church, so she could go home without having any of them look at or make fun of her.
Kitty had not been having a very good time: she had the misfortune to fall into the hands of a teacher who thought if she asked the questions in the question-book, and if one scholar could not answer, passed on to the next, she had done her duty. So the singing was pretty nearly all Kitty had cared for. God was leaving most of the work for Tip to do, after all. He went over to her now, and walked down the road with her. The boys had all gone, as well as the girls, so there was nothing to hinder their walking on quietly together.
"How did you like it, Kitty?" he asked.
"Oh, I didn't think much of it. I sat by the ugliest girl in town, and she made fun of my bonnet and my shoes. I hate her."
Tip had a faint notion in his heart that Kitty also needed the verse which had just been given him; but he had other thoughts about her. God's Spirit was at work. Having taken her to Sabbath school, having begun a good work, he wanted it to go on. It was very hard to speak to Kitty; he didn't know what to say; but all the way down the hill there seemed to ring in his ears the message, "Freely ye have received, freely give."
"Kitty," he said at last, "don't you want to be a Christian?"