Jenifer's Prayer, Part II [pp. 183-197]

J1nifer'ss Prayer.
Brewer. And Father Daniels, saying "Yes," walked on through the
hall, and up the great stair-case to
his own room and the chapel, which
were side by side. In five minutes
the chapel bell was rung by the
priest. Mrs. Brewer looked toward
her daughter. "Mary must do as
she likes;" said Mr: Brewer, in his
open honest way driving his wife
before him out of the room. There
stood Horace Erskine. It was as if
all in a moment the time for the
great choice had come. They were
at the door-the girl stood still.
They were gone, they were crossing
the hall; she could hear Mr. Brewer's
shoes on the carpet-not too late for
her to follow. Her light sep will
catch theirs-they may go a little
further still before the very last
moment comes. Her mother or
Horace? How dearly she loved her
mother, how her child's heart went
after her, all trust and love-and
Horace, did she love him?-love
him well enough to stay there-there
and then, at a nioment that would
weigh so very heavily in the scale of
good and evil, right or wrong,? If
he had not been there she might
have stayed, if she stayed now that
he was there, should she not stay
with him-more, leave her mother
and stay with him? Thought is
quick. She stood by the table; she
looked toward the door, she listened
-Horace held out his hand-" With
me, Mary- with me!" And she
was gone. Gone even while he
spoke, across the hall, up the stairs
and at that chapel door just as the
last of the servants, without knowing,
closed it on her. Then Mary went
to her own room just at the head of
the great stair-case, and opened the
door softly, and knelt down, keeping
it open, letting the stair-case lamp
stray into the darkness just enough
to show her where she was. There
she knelt till the night prayers were
over, and when Mr. Brewer passed
her door, she came out, a little glad
to show them that she had not been
staying down stairs with Horace.
He smiled, and put his hand inside
her arm and stopped her from going
down. "My dear child," he said,
"I have had the great blessing of
my life given to me in the conversion
of your mother. If God's great
grace, for the sake of his own blessed
mother, should fall on you, you will
not quench it, my darling. Meanwhile, I shall never have a better
time than this time to say, that I
feel more than ever a father to you.
That if you will go on treating me with
the childlike candor and trust that
I have loved to see in you, you will
make me happier than you can ever
guess at, dear child." And then he
kissed her, and Minnie eased her
heart by a few sobs and tears, and her
head rested on his shoulder, and she
thanked him for his love. Then Father Daniels came out of the chapel,
and advanced to where they stood.
Mary had long known the holy man.
He saw how it was in an instant.
"Welcome home, Mary; you see I
come soon. And now-when I am
saying mass to-morrow, stay quietly
in your own room, and pray to be
taught to love God. Give yourself
to him. Don't trouble about questions. His you are. Rest on the
thought-and we will wait on what
may come of it. I shall remember
you at mass to-morrow. Good-nighlt.
God bless you."
"I can't come down again. My
eyes are red," said Mary, to Mr.
Brewer, when they were again alone.
And he laughed at her. "I'll send
mamma up," he said. And,Mary
went into her room. But she had
taken no part against her mother;
so her heart said, and congratulated
itself. She had not left her, and
stayed with Horace. She had had
those few words with her step.father.
That was over, and very happily too.
She had seen Father Daniels again.
It was getting speedily like the old
things, and the old times, before
the long visit to Scotland, where
Horace Erskine was the sun of her
194