"But I am," said Ellen "whether you will believe it or not. Nobody is good, Mr. Van Brunt. But Jesus Christ has died for us, and if we ask him, he will forgive us, and wash away our sins, and teach us to love him, and make us good, and take us to be with him in heaven. Oh! I wish you would ask him!" she repeated, with an earnestness that went to his heart. "I don't believe any one can be very happy that doesn't love him."
"Is that what makes you happy?" said he.
"I have a great many things to make me happy," said Ellen, soberly "but that is the greatest of all. It always makes me happy to think of him, and it makes everything else a thousand times pleasanter. I wish you knew how it is, Mr. Van Brunt!"
He was silent for a little, and disturbed, Ellen thought.
"Well!" said he at length " 'taint the folks that thinks themselves the best that is the best always if you ain't good, I should like to know what goodness is. There's somebody that thinks you be," said he, a minute or two afterwards, as the horses were heard coming to the gate,
"No, she knows me better than that," said Ellen.
"It isn't any she that I mean," said Mr. Van Brunt. "There's somebody else out there, ain't there?"
"Who?" said Ellen "Mr. John? Oh no, indeed he don't. It was only this morning he was telling me of something I did that was wrong." Her eyes watered as she spoke.
"He must have mighty sharp eyes, then," said Mr. Van Brunt "for it beats all my powers of seeing things."
"And so he has," said Ellen, putting on her bonnet; "he always knows what I am thinking of just as well as if I told him. Good-bye!"