Ellen thought it did not _sound_ at all interesting. She had never been more mistaken in her life, and that she found almost as soon as he begun. Her attention was nailed; the listless, careless mood in which she sat down was changed for one of rapt delight; she devoured every word that fell from the reader's lips; indeed they were given their fullest effect by a very fine voice and singularly fine reading. Whenever anything might not be quite clear to Ellen, John stopped to make it so; and with his help, and without it, many a lesson went home. Next day she looked a long time for the book; it could not be found; she was forced to wait until evening. Then, to her great joy, it was brought out again, and John asked her if she wished to hear some more of it. After that, every evening while he was at home, they spent an hour with the "Pilgrim." Alice would leave her work and come to the sofa, too; and with her head on her brother's shoulder, her hand in his, and Ellen's face leaning against his other arm, that was the common way they placed themselves to see and hear. No words can tell Ellen's enjoyment of those readings. They made her sometimes laugh and sometimes cry; they had much to do in carrying on the cure which John's wisdom and kindness had begun. They came to the place where Christian loses his burden at the cross; and as he stood looking and weeping, three shining ones came to him. "The first said to him, 'Thy sins be forgiven thee;' the second stripped him of his rags, and clothed him with a change of raiment; the third also set a mark on his forehead." John explained what was meant by the rags and the change of raiment. "And the mark in his forehead?" said Ellen. "That is the mark of God's children — the change wrought in them by the Holy Spirit — the change that makes them different from others, and different from their old selves." "Do all Christians have it?" "Certainly. None can be a Christian without it." "But how can one tell whether one has it or no?" said Ellen, very gravely. "Carry your heart and life to the Bible, and see how they agree. The Bible gives a great many signs and descriptions, by which Christians may know themselves — know both what they are and what they ought to be. If you find your own feelings and manner of life at one with these Bible words, you may hope that the Holy Spirit has changed you, and set his mark upon you." "I wish you would tell me of one of those places," said Ellen. "The Bible is full of them. 'To them that believe _Christ is precious_,' — there is one. 'If ye love me, _keep my commandments;_' — 'He that saith he abideth in him, ought himself also _so to walk even as he walked_' — 'O how _love I thy law!_' The Bible is full of them, Ellie; but you have need to ask for great help when you go to try yourself by them; the heart is deceitful." Ellen looked sober all the rest of the evening, and the next day she pondered the matter a good deal.