"I know somebody that's tired," said Nancy. "I tell you what, Ellen, you had better take to liking pork; you can't work on potatoes. I ain't tired a bit. There's somebody coming to the door again! Do run and open it, will you? my hands are wet. I wonder why folks can't come in without giving so much trouble."
It was Thomas again, with a package for Ellen, which had just come, he said, and Miss Alice thought she would like to have it directly. Ellen thanked her, and thanked him, with a face from which all signs of weariness had fled away. The parcel was sealed up, and directed in a hand she was pretty sure she knew. Her fingers burned to break the seal; but she would not open it there, neither leave her work unfinished; she went on wiping the dishes, with trembling hands and a beating heart.
"What's that?" said Nancy; "what did Thomas Grimes want? what have you got there?"
"I don't know," said Ellen, smiling; "something good, I guess."
"Something good? is it something to eat?"
"No," said Ellen "I didn't mean anything to eat when I said something good; I don't think those are the best things."
To Ellen's delight, she saw that her grandmother had forgotten about the reading, and was quietly taking short naps, with her head against the chimney. So she put away the last dish, and then seized her package and flew up-stairs. She was sure it had come from Doncaster; she was right. It was a beautiful copy of the Pilgrim's Progress, on the first leaf written, "To my little sister Ellen Montgomery, from J. H.;" and within the cover lay a letter. This letter Ellen read in the course of the next six days, at least twice as many times; and never without crying over it.
"Alice has told me," said John, "about your new troubles. There is said to be a time 'when the clouds return after the rain.' I am sorry, my little sister, this time should come to you so early. I often think of you, and wish I could be near you. Still, dear Ellie, the good Husbandman knows what his plants want; do you believe that, and can you trust him? They would have nothing but sunshine if that was good for them. He knows it is not; so there come clouds and rains, and 'stormy wind fulfilling his will.' And what is it all for? 'Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit;' do not disappoint his purpose, Ellie. We shall have sunshine enough by-and-by but I know it is hard for so young a one as my little sister to look much forward; so do not look forward, Ellie; look up! look off unto Jesus from all your duties, troubles, and wants; he will help you in them all. The more you look up to him, the more he will look down to you; and he especially said, 'Suffer little children to come unto me;' you see you are particularly invited."
Ellen was a long time upstairs, and when she came down, it was with red eyes.
Mrs. Montgomery was now awake, and asked for the reading again; and for three-quarters of an hour Ellen and she were quietly busy with the Bible. Nancy, meanwhile, was downstairs washing the dairy things. When her grandmother released her, Ellen had to go up to wait upon her aunt; after which, she went into the buttery, and skimmed the cream, and got the pans ready for the evening milk. By this time it was five o'clock, and Nancy came in with the basket of dry clothes; at which Ellen looked with the sorrowful consciousness that they must be sprinkled and folded by-and-by, and ironed to-morrow. It happened, however, that Jane Huff came in just then, with a quantity of hot short-cake for tea; and seeing the basket, she very kindly took the business of sprinkling and folding upon herself. This gave Ellen spirits to carry out a plan she had long had, to delight the whole family with some eggs, scrambled in Margery's fashion; after the milk was strained and put away, she went about it, while Nancy set the table. A nice bed of coals was prepared; the spider set over them; the eggs broken in, peppered and salted; and she began carefully to stir them as she had seen Margery do. But instead of acting right, the eggs maliciously stuck fast to the spider and burned. Ellen was confounded.