Family life -- Juvenile fiction; Voyages and travels -- Juvenile fiction
The strong desire that He would come again and do something wonderful,
as He had done the day before, had been with her for many dreary hours;
and when this hope disappeared, the last drop in her cup of trouble was
full, and poor, brave, tired little pilgrim that she was, she cried
long and bitterly. The pale woman by her side was long ago fast asleep.
Indeed silence, broken only by loud snores, was already brooding over
the noisy room. Cecile was just beginning to feel her own eyes
drooping, when she was conscious of a little movement. There was a gas
jet turned down low in the room, and by its light she could see that
unpleasant red-faced girl sitting up in bed. She was not only sitting
up, but presently she was standing up, and then the little girl felt a
cold chill of fear coming over her. She came up to the bedside.
Cecile almost thought she must scream, when suddenly the pale woman,
who had appeared so sound asleep, said quietly:
"Go back to yer bed at once, Peggie Jones. I know what you're up to."
The girl, discomfited, slunk away; and for ten minutes there was
absolute silence. Then the woman, laying her hand on Cecile's shoulder,
said very softly:
"My dear, you have a little money about you?"
"Yes," answered the child.
"I feared so. You must come away from here at once. I can protect you
from Peggie. But she has accomplices who'll come presently. You'd not
have a penny in the morning. Get up, child, you and the little boy.
Why, 'twas the blessed Jesus guided you to me to save. Come, poor
innocent lambs!"
There was one thing the woman had said which caused Cecile to think it
no hardship to turn out once more into the cold street. She rose quite
quietly, her heart still and calm, and took Maurice's hand, and
followed the woman down the stairs, and out once again.
"Now, as you ha' a bit of money, I'll get you a better lodging than
that," said the kind woman; and she was as good as her word, and took
the children to a cousin of her own, who gave them not only a tiny
little room, and a bed which seemed most luxurious by contrast, but
also a good supper, and all for the sum of sevenpence.
So Cecile slept very sweetly, for she was feeling quite sure again that
Jesus, who had even come into that dreadful lodging to prevent her
being robbed, and to take care of her, was going to be her Guide after
all.
CHAPTER III.
IN THE CORNER BEHIND THE ORGAN.
The next morning the children got up early. The woman of the house, who
had taken a fancy to them, gave them a good breakfast for fourpence
apiece, and Toby, who had always hitherto had share and share alike,
was now treated to such a pan of bones, and all for nothing, that he
could not touch the coffee the children offered him.
"Now," said Mrs. Hodge, "that ere dawg has got food enough and plenty
for the whole day. When a dawg as isn't accustomed to it gets his fill
o' bones 'tis wonderful how sustaining they is."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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