"Now look out again, Ellie, and listen. I know that a day is to come, when those heavens shall be wrapped together as a scroll they shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment and it, and all the works that are therein, shall be burned up."
As he spoke, Ellen's fancy tried to follow to picture the ruin and desolation of all that stood so fair, and seemed to stand so firm before her; but the sun shone on, the branches waved gently in the wind, the shadows lay still on the snow, and the blue heaven was fair and cloudless. Fancy was baffled. She turned from the window.
"Do you believe it?" said John.
"Yes," said Ellen "I know it; but I think it is very disagreeable to think about it."
"It would be, Ellie," said he, bringing her again to his side "very disagreeable very miserable indeed, if we knew no more than that. But we know more read here."
Ellen took his little Bible and read at the open place.
" 'Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered, neither come into mind.' "
"Why won't they be remembered?" said Ellen "shall we forget all about them?"
"No, I do not think that is meant. The new heavens and the new earth will be so much more lovely and pleasant that we shall not want to think of these."
Ellen's eyes sought the window again.