Working in the Shade / Lowly Sowing brings Glorious Reaping - Theodore P. Wilson

“And then, dear friends, he told me how he blessed God for bringing himself to the knowledge of his truth, and me for having been the instrument—an unworthy one indeed I was—of leading him to that knowledge. Of course, I told him what a privilege I felt it to have been permitted to guide him to his Saviour; and I added that I would gladly do anything I could to show my gratitude to him for having sacrificed himself to save my life.

“‘You have done more than enough already,’ was his reply; ‘and yet I will take you at your word. Horace knows nothing yet of his real name and prospects; I had made up my mind lately that I would wait till he came of age to tell him. And now I would ask you, dear friend, to take Horace with you to England and see him settled in his property when I am gone, which will be, I know, before very long. I have ample means in the bank here to meet all expenses, and will give you full power to act for me. You will understand now why I did not wish Horace to be a minister. I think godly laymen are as much needed as godly clergymen; and, as he in God’s providence inherits an important property, I have a strong impression that he will be more free to do his duty to his tenantry and his estate as a Christian country squire, than he would be if he had taken upon himself the charge of a special sphere or parish at home or abroad. And my earnest wish and prayer is that he may soon, by his conduct as a Christian landlord, blot out altogether the memory of his unworthy father.’

“I stopped him here and told him that he was nobly redeeming the past, so far as it was possible for man to do so, and that I would gladly carry out what he desired. This seemed to make him quite happy; and his one great wish now was to see his son once more, and this was granted to him. Horace returned to comfort him in his dying hours, and to receive his blessing, with his expressed wish that he should accompany me to England, whither I was going on his account to settle some matters of business for him. He said nothing further to his son, having already expressed his wish to me that I should first set the Riverton estate in thorough order, according to my own views of what was right—with one special injunction, that I should do everything that might be in my power to recompense John Price and his family for the loss they had suffered on his account.

“So, after my poor friend’s departure to his better inheritance, we have come over here to carry out his wishes and instructions; and you have seen, and can now see, the results. My dear nephew has been kept in ignorance of his real name and prospects till yesterday, when I laid the whole matter before him; and it is by his father’s earnest dying request that I have given you this full and minute history. To-day Horace Walters is of full age, and to-day I surrender up all to him.

“I would just add a word or two more. I have gone so fully into my story, not only because Mr Walters urged me to do so, but still more for two special reasons: first, because I know that rumour and fancy would be sure to put their heads together and circulate all sorts of foolish stories about your late squire, and about his dear son, your present squire, and some of these stories probably to the discredit of one or both. Now I have given you the true account of all, so that you can safely put down all slanderers’ gossip and tittle-tattle on the subject. And further, I have gone thus particularly into my story, because it will show you what rare jewels there were in your late squire’s character, and how brightly those shone out when the black crust of evil habits had fallen away from them. And, lastly, I have wished to show you how graciously God has been ordering things for the good of you all, and has brought blessings and peace out of a strange tangle of circumstances which he has unravelled for your happiness.

“And now, dear friends, having accomplished the work for which I came back to the old country, I am returning to the land of my adoption for a time. I think it will be only for a time; for my dear nephew here has got such a hold upon my heart, that I think I shall have to come back and settle near him, if I am spared. However, I have the satisfaction of knowing that I am leaving behind me two earnest, like-minded servants of the great Master to preside over the good work at Riverton and Bridgepath. I shall not leave the country till I have seen them made one; and then I shall feel assured that in Horace Walters and her who will, I trust, soon become his wife, I shall leave you those who, having long been working for God separately in the shade, will work together as devotedly, hand in hand, and heart in heart, in the light.”

The End.