sunday afternoon passed away very rapidly to lucy. she spent the time while her brother and sister were at church in reading a little book which rosa had lent her.
as the children sat together in the twilight, after tea, rosa said to lucy, "we used to call you baby and pet at first: do you know when we began to call you lucy?"
"not till i was two months old, i've heard father say."
"yes; i well remember the morning that you took your new name," continued rosa. "it was a bright day in june. dear mamma was so kind and cheerful then. i can see her now as she came in to breakfast, so slender and pale, and yet with such a calm, happy look on her face.
"'you must call the baby lucy after to-day,' she said to me, as i kissed her that morning.
"'and why, dear mother?' i asked.
"'because she is to be baptized to-day, and take lucy for her christian name,' answered our mother.
"'but why is the baby to be baptized?' i childishly asked. she took no notice of my question then; but after breakfast was over, she called me to her side, and said, 'shall i tell my little girl a story?'
"'oh, do!' i answered, and she began.
"'there was once a little child who lived in a very small cottage, with a scanty grass plat before it. this child had a pet lamb, of which she was very fond. she loved it so dearly that she often sat on the door-step and anxiously thought how she should ever be able to keep it from harm as it grew older, and would be tempted to run away from the cottage, around which there was not even a light paling. then winter must come, and how would the poor little lamb be protected from the storm?
"'these thoughts were one day in the child's mind, when an old traveller came to the cottage door, and said to her, "i have a message to you, dear child, from the shepherd who feeds his flock on yonder green hill. he has noticed you and your little lamb, and he wants to be a friend to you. he knows that you will never be able to keep your pet from harm, although you love it so tenderly; and he bade me say to you, that he is willing to take your lamb to be one of his flock, to feed in that green pasture and drink from the clear stream that is ever flowing there. it shall be safely gathered to his fold when the storms of winter beat, and shall be guarded from all cruel beasts. you can see it every day, and caress it, though you must never try to lead it away from him. shall we go together and lead the little lamb to the kind shepherd?"
"'"yes!" shouted the child, joyfully; and she took the old traveller's hand, and gently led the lamb away by the blue ribbon that was about its neck.
"'it was but a short distance they had to go, yet the traveller found time to tell the child, as they walked together, that if her lamb learned to know the shepherd's voice, and follow him, he would take it some day to a beautiful land, where it could hunger and thirst no more; where there would be no more storms, nor cruel beasts, and where she might meet it and dwell for ever with the kind shepherd and his blessed flock.
"'the child did not see the kind shepherd; but the peaceful sheep, feeding on the delicate food, or lying beside the clear water, were there, and she did not fear to leave her pet among them. day by day she saw her lamb grow stronger and happier, and more pure and gentle, and she rejoiced that she had placed it among the favoured flock.
"'one day the little child grew dizzy and faint: all things around her seemed fading from her sight, and her dim eyes could only see a strange figure which seemed beckoning her away.
"'then at her side she heard the voice of the old traveller who had visited her before: "fear not," said he; "you are going to the beautiful land where the kind shepherd dwells." then a pang shot through the heart of the child, for she thought of the lamb that she must leave behind her. the traveller guessed her thoughts, and answered, "your little lamb is in the care of the kind shepherd!" then the eyes of the child were bright, and she said, "i don't fear for my little lamb: i am happy that i placed him where he will be so tenderly cared for, when i did not know that i so soon must leave him. may he learn to know the kind shepherd's voice, and follow him, that we may meet again in the beautiful land."
"'the cottage was soon all silence: the child no longer went singing from room to room, but she was happy, far away in the blessed land which the kind shepherd prepared for his faithful flock.'"
"'did the little lamb go to meet her there?' i asked, as dear mamma stopped as if she had finished the story.
"'i cannot tell you, rosa,' she answered, and fast the tears fell from her eyes. 'by the lamb i mean your little sister, and the kind shepherd is the saviour, to whom i am to give her to-day. god only knows whether our little lucy will reach the blessed land.'
"'but you are not going away, mamma, as the child did,' i said, my eyes, too, filling with tears, for i too well understood her meaning.
"'perhaps not very soon,' she answered, and smiled away her tears."
lucy was still silent, and rosa went on, for both harty and lucy were earnestly listening.
"when you were carried up the aisle, dear lucy, all in your white clothing, you seemed to me like the little lamb of which mother had spoken, and i felt that you were being received into the flock of the kind shepherd. you smiled when the water was sprinkled on your forehead, and i was so glad, for that made you seem willing to be placed in his care."
lucy listened to the story of the child and the lamb; and when she heard its explanation her heart was full, and she inwardly resolved that she would try so to follow the saviour here, that she might join her mother at last in his blessed land. as rosa recalled the circumstances of her baptism, she for the first time realized that it had really happened, that her name had been really given by her "sponsors in baptism."
"was i there too?" asked harty, beginning to be restless, as there was a short pause.
"yes, indeed! and so eager to see the ceremony that you climbed on to the seat, and leaned forward to look until you fell with a loud noise, just as the baby was being carried out of church. you always were a noisy fellow," said rosa, as she laid her hand affectionately on her brother's clustered curls.
"did i cry?" asked harty.
"no; you thought yourself too much of a man for that, even then; and how fondly, proudly, mamma looked at you, as you closed your little lips and stood up without a sound, though there was a bright red mark on your forehead where you had struck it."
it seemed strange to harty that he was willing to sit still and listen to a girl; yet he found a pleasure in being with rosa different from any he had ever felt. he had always been quite indifferent as to what lucy thought of him, but that rosa should not be pleased with him was a very unpleasant idea. as a child he had tenderly loved his mother; and when she was taken from him, a blank had been left in his heart which had never been filled. now half the charm of rosa's society consisted in her being able to speak of that mother, and revive his now fading remembrance of her.
"come," said rosa, "let us say our catechism together: i will ask the questions, and we will all repeat the answers."
lucy was delighted at the idea, and readily joined her voice with rosa's. she found it difficult to keep with her sister in reciting, as rosa repeated her answers slowly, as if she really meant what she was saying. as she pronounced the words, "a member of christ, a child of god," she looked meaningly at lucy; and then it flashed through the little girl's mind, that she was indeed the child of god, as her sister had said; his child, not only because he had made her, but because she had been made his by baptism; and again she resolved to be his "loving, obedient child."
at first harty did not join in saying the catechism; he had for some time given up the practice as a thing only for such children as lucy; but when he saw that rosa did not think it beneath her, as they came to the apostles' creed his voice mingled with the others. rosa took no notice of it save that she placed her hand in his, and they went on. in some of the long answers lucy faltered, and harty halted entirely; but rosa smoothly continued until they could again join her. as harty repeated the once familiar words, he recalled the time when he had learned them from that mother who was now a saint in paradise. with those familiar words returned the precious lessons of love and holiness which she had spoken, but which he had forgotten amid the sport and recklessness of boyhood.
when they had finished, he was quite softened, and his voice was very gentle as he replied to rosa's proposal to sing, "yes, if i know anything you do."
lucy was fond of music, but she could not sing: she laid her head on her sister's lap, and listened to the simple hymns with a feeling of peace and happiness. another and another hymn was sung, until, at last, the clock struck nine.
"nine o'clock," said harty, "and lucy not in bed! what would mrs. maxwell say to that?"
lucy had been fast asleep, and was not a little frightened when she heard it was so late. she took a candle immediately, kissed her sister and wished her good night. oh! what pleasure it gave her when harty said, "me, too, if you please," and really looked fondly in her face.
that night she forgot to look for robbers; she was too happy to think of them; but she did not forget the many blessings of the day when she repeated her usual thanksgiving. the same prayers she had often said she used that evening; but they went up from her heart, and were received in heaven for the redeemer's sake.
