“Not both? Who were they?” asked Madeline, her interest beginning to be excited.
“The one that stood near the babe,” said Miss Harper, “had the form of a beautiful woman just passed upward from sweet young girlhood. Her countenance was lovelier, and purer in expression, than that of any face ever seen by you in a picture. She bent over the babe with clasped hands, gazing down upon it with looks of wondering love; and when it smiled her face grew suddenly radiant. The other,” (Miss Harper’s voice fell lower, and took on a graver tone,) “stood in a distant corner of the room, almost crouching down, as if held there by some superior power. Very different was she from the pure being who bent over the child. Her face wore a frowning, malignant expression, instead of curling golden hair gracefully falling around her neck and upon her shoulders, dark, tangled locks stood out from her head, or crept down over her face, like serpents.”
“Who were they?” asked Madeline, now thoroughly interested.
“One was the baby’s guardian angel; the other, an evil spirit.”
Madeline raised her eyes to the face of Miss Harper with looks of deeper wonder.
“The angel’s presence,” resumed Florence, “was alone sufficient to hold that evil spirit, who wished to hurt the tender babe, at a distance; just as good affections in our hearts have power to hold the bad and selfish ones so far away that they can do us no possible harm. Day by day that infant grew larger, and brighter, and happier; but never for a moment did the angel remove, nor for a moment cease to spread around the babe a sphere of tender love, of innocent and holy calmness. And the mother, and all who drew near to look upon the babe or to hold it like a precious thing in their arms, felt this angelic sphere as something tender, pure, and loving.”
“But what of the bad spirit?” asked Madeline, with increasing interest.
“The bad spirit,” answered Florence, “remained also, and its evil eyes were always upon the babe. But the presence of that celestial being kept her ever at the same distance, and seemed to hold her there, as if by a powerful arm. She could not draw near to the babe, nor even make it aware of her presence.
“Day by day the child continued to grow and to become more beautiful, until four months of its sweet life had passed. Still the angel and the bad spirit kept unweariedly their guard over and watch upon the babe. Occasionally a slight shade would now cross the angel’s face, and always at the same instant a gleam of pleasure would lighten the dark countenance of the watchful fiend.”
“A fiend, Miss Harper?” There was a slight pallor on the face of Madeline, and the interest it expressed was verging on to the painful.