"Children! The sheep hear; and He knows them, each one; and they follow; and He gives. There is a world of meaning in every one of those short sentences. Many children and grown-up people, too, hear, and follow, and forget the clause that comes between. Do you remember what that is?" "'I know them,'" said Rose, gently. She had been learning the whole verse, and could repeat it perfectly. "Yes—and what do you think they miss by forgetting that clause?" The children did not know, so they looked up earnestly. "They miss assurance. The first clause and the third belong to themselves, 'they hear, they follow'; but the second clause is all Christ's, 'I know them.' Here is safety and peace." "Once there was a revival in a large school that I knew of, and one of the naughtiest girls was brought to Christ. Most of the mistresses thought it impossible that Lizzie could be really converted, and laughed much at a younger teacher, who believed that there really was a change in the girl. This young teacher at last was driven into a corner in defending Lizzie's conversion, and said, in desperation, 'Well—Christ knows.' Very soon after the holidays came, and the young mistress left the school." "But at the end of a year, she paid her friends there a visit; and when she was hearing all the news, one of them said, 'You remember Lizzie, who was such a naughty girl? Well, she is totally changed. Instead of being the most tiresome, she is the brightest of all the little Christians!" "Then the mistress took heart, and remembered how she had said, 'Christ knows'?" "Yes, dears, He knows His sheep, and they follow Him. And in proportion to our realising that He knows, so shall we be strong to follow Him closely!" "That's very nice," said Tom. "Thank you, Auntie." "Another day we will have 'following,' for I think it will help us." They looked up gratefully. They did want to learn more of Christ, and this dear Aunt Ruth had learned in His School, and could help them because she had been close to Him herself. CHAPTER III. FOLLOWING. "WHAT are you looking at, Auntie?" The children crowded out of the French window, and stood on the verandah by her side, the stars and the deep twilight sky sending a sort of thrill to their hearts. "I was watching that old woman and her grandson on their way home. What do you think I heard the boy say as he passed the hedge?" "What?" asked Rose, curiously. Auntie always had something pleasant to say. "'I can't see the way, grannie, it's so dark!' he complained; and then a gentle voice came out of the gloom, and I heard these words: 'If you keep close behind, and follow me, we shall soon get into the light!'" "And I thought, children, that here was our promised twilight talk about 'following' all ready to our hand!" "Now it seems to me that little Ted Jones is a picture of us."