"I wish He'd wash me, Christie, boy," he said. "So He will, Master Treffy," said Christie; "He never sends anybody away." "Ay, but I'm an old man, Christie, and I've been a sinner all my life, and I've done some such bad things, Christie. I never knew it till this last week, but I know it now. It's not likely He'll ever wash my sins; they're ever such big ones, Christie." "Oh! but He will," said Christie, eagerly; "that's just what the clergyman said; there's a word in the text for you, Master Treffy: 'The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from _all_ sin.' All sin, all sin, Master Treffy; won't that do?" "All sin," murmured old Treffy; "all sin! yes, Christie, I think that _will_ do." There was a pause after this. Christie sat still, looking into the fire. Then he said suddenly,-- "Master Treffy, let's go right away now and ask Him." "Ask who?" said old Treffy, "the clergyman?" "No," said Christie, "the Lord Jesus. He's in the room,--the minister said He was. Let's ask Him to wash you and me, just now, Master Treffy." "Ay!" said old Treffy, "let's ask Him, Christie." So the old man and the boy knelt down, and, with a strong realization of the Lord's near presence, little Christie prayed:-- "O Lord Jesus, we come to Thee, me and Master Treffy: we've got lots of sins to be washed, but the minister said you wouldn't send us away, and the text says _all_ sin. We think it means us, Lord Jesus, me and Master Treffy. Please wash us white; we want to go to 'Home, sweet Home:' please wash us in the blood to-night. Amen." Then old Treffy took up the words, and in a trembling voice added,-- "Amen, Lord; wash us both, me and Christie, wash us white. Please do. Amen." And then they got up from their knees, and Christie said,-- "We may go to bed now, Master Treffy, for I'm sure He's done it for us." Thus the man at the gate had received both the trembling old man and the little child, and as they had entered in they had heard a gracious voice very deep down in their hearts, saying to each of them again and again, "Be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee." CHAPTER VII. LITTLE MABEL'S SNOWDROPS. The next morning Christie woke with a happy heart, for he remembered his last night's prayer, and in his simple faith he had taken the Lord at His word, and had believed that the blood of Jesus Christ had cleansed him from all sin. But old Treffy's doubts and fears came back again. He began to look within, and the remembrance of his sin returned upon him. What if, after all, there was sin on his soul? What if the gates were still closed against him? "Christie, boy, I don't feel it's all right with me yet," he said anxiously. "Why not, Master Treffy?" asked Christie. "Why, I've been so bad, Christie; it doesn't seem likely He'd do it for me so soon as that; there's such a deal of sin on my soul." "But you asked Him to wash you, Master Treffy; didn't you?" "Ay, I asked Him, Christie," said Treffy, in a despairing tone.