Gritli's Children

by Johanna Spyri

  CHAPTER IX.

  A LAST JOURNEY AND A FIRST.

  A large travelling-carriage passed by the door of the doctor's house, inwhich sat alone, a lady clothed in black. It was Clarissa, who had cometo carry little Nora to her home by the Rhine. The doctor's fourchildren were standing in the garden, and they watched it as it passed,thinking what a sad journey its occupant must have had. Their aunt stoodat an upper window watching it also, and as it disappeared round thecorner she beckoned Fred to come up to her in his room. He came runningup the stairs.

  "See, Fred! I am clearing your room up a little. There are a great manyuseless things here; why should you keep them? See; in this box is adead creature; let's begin with this, and throw it away"; and as shespoke she carried the box towards a window.

  "What are you doing, aunty?" cried the boy. "That is my very bestchrysalis; it will turn into a beautiful moth by and by; one of thefinest of our butterflies, with wonderful marks on its wings."

  "What nonsense!" said his aunt. "This little creature is utterly dead;don't you see it is stiff and motionless."

  "Don't you know about caterpillars, aunty dear?" exclaimed the boy,holding fast to his box. "I'll tell you about it. This is a chrysalis;and it seems entirely dead, but it's only the outside that is dead.Inside, where we cannot see it, lies something that is alive; and by andby, when the time comes, this shell will be cast off, for there will beno farther use for it, and out will fly a new lovely creature withexquisite wings."

  "But, Fred, I don't understand how that can be possible! How can a poorworm, that only crawls about all its life, die, and then suddenly turninto a beautiful new creature with wings, and fly away leaving its oldbody behind? Do you understand it, Fred?"

  "No, I don't understand it, but I know it's so."

  "Well, my dear boy," said his aunt, seriously, "what if there wassomething hidden within little Nora, which was alive too, and which,leaving the poor dead shell behind, has flown on shining wings away todistant heights, where it is entering on a new and happy life!"

  Fred stood thoughtful a few moments, and then said, "I never thought ofit in that way, aunty. Now I shall have a very different idea aboutNora. How glad she must be to fly away on her new wings from the sickbody in which she was imprisoned! Are not you glad, aunty, that you knowabout the chrysalis, and isn't it wonderful?"

  "It certainly is; and it teaches us that there are many things about usthat we cannot understand, and yet which are true, though no one canexplain them. So by and by, Fred, when you are a learned man, as I hopeyou will be, when you come to something you cannot understand in nature,you must say modestly, 'This is beyond my powers of explanation; this isthe work of God'; and so stand reverently before his greatness, that isabout and above us all."

  Fred handled his chrysalis with respect as he laid it away with hisother treasures. A new thought had come to him about that and aboutother things.

  Clarissa had arrived; but her coming did not bring comfort to thesorrowing mother; on the contrary, it seemed only to renew her grief.Clarissa would have been glad to hear all about her darling's last days,and how the end came, but the mother could not bear any allusion to thesubject, and Clarissa kept silence. She consoled herself by looking atNora's peaceful face, that seemed to have a message of comfort for her.When she heard that Elsli had been alone with Nora when she died, shewas very anxious to see the girl, and sent for her to come and speakwith her. When Elsli came into the pleasant room where she had passed somany happy days, and glanced towards the empty window-seat, she wasovercome with fresh grief. Clarissa took her by the hand, and, drawingher to a seat by her side, immediately began to ask about Nora; and soonElsli was pouring out her whole heart; and she told Clarissa all thatshe and Nora had said to each other about the heavenly land, and sherepeated the hymn that Nora had taught her. Then she told how quietlyNora had left her at last, and said that she hoped to follow her sooninto her beautiful home.

  Clarissa hung upon every word that fell from Elsi's lips with gratitudeand satisfaction. It was she who had taught Nora that hymn as she satupon her knees when she was a very little child, and as she heard itrepeated now it was with the same tones, the same motions of hand andhead that the child had used who learned it from her own lips; it seemedto Clarissa as if Nora lived again in Elsli. Weeping with mingled joyand sorrow, she went in search of Mrs. Stanhope.

  "Surely," she exclaimed, "this child is the image of our darling; it isher sister, with her voice, her words, her very thought. This, too, isour child."

  Mrs. Stanhope roused herself for a moment to listen to Clarissa's words,but she was not moved by them; she threw herself again on her bed andwould not be comforted. Clarissa was not disheartened by thisindifference; she was so completely impressed herself by the wonderfulresemblance between the children that she led Elsli into the room wherethe hopeless mother lay in full indulgence of her grief, and said:--

  "I bring you this little girl, Mrs. Stanhope; for I look upon her as alegacy that our Nora has left us."

  Mrs. Stanhope looked for a moment into the girl's face; then shesuddenly kissed her and said:--

  "Elsli, Nora loved you, and you loved her. You shall stay with mealways"; and they all three wept together, but there was healing in thetears.

  Like one in a dream Elsli went home that day. She understood, but notwholly, what had happened. She had believed that Nora would ask herheavenly Father to call her to heaven, and would come herself to meether; and now it seemed as if she had already come to meet her to leadher elsewhere than to heaven.

  Clarissa went to make the arrangements with Marget, about which therewas no difficulty whatever. For as soon as Marget understood that notonly was Elsli to be provided with a home for life, but that the helpwhich she might have afforded her parents as she grew older was to bemade good to them, she was overjoyed. She said that Elsli was not fitfor hard work, and that the care of the little boys was quite beyondher, especially since Hans was growing more and more troublesome. So shegladly agreed to let her go, with the understanding that she shouldreturn home at least once a year for a visit.

  In an incredibly short time the whole village was in possession of thenews that the wealthy Mrs. Stanhope had offered to take Elsli home withher, and to keep her as her own child always; and that they were tostart for the villa on the Rhine the very next day. The excitementproduced by this news was intense. Wherever two neighbors met on theroad, they stopped to talk over the good-luck that had happened toElsli. In the school, the children could not keep quiet, so great wastheir interest in the event. Even Mr. Bickel was moved to make anunheard-of effort He took his big stick in his hand, saying:--

  "Wife, we ought to go and call on Mrs. Stanhope, and apprise her of ourrelationship with that girl Elsli. If she needs any advice about thechild, I am the proper person to give it. Perhaps we shall be asked tomake our cousin a visit, when she is settled there by the Rhine; thereare great factories of all kinds there, and perhaps Mrs. Stanhope mayhave some connection with them, and that may help us in our business."

  But Mr. Bickel had to lay aside his stick again, for his wife was notready to go to make so important a visit at so short notice.

  If there was excitement elsewhere, at the doctor's house there was areal jubilee. The mother and the aunt were filled with thankfulness thatthe delicate girl had fallen into such good hands, where she would beloved and cared for, and where her natural refinement would have everychance of development. All the family were full of pleasure andanticipations of great things in the future.

  Oscar went about all day, lost in thought. He was trying to turn thisnew state of things to account; for it was a great trial to him that thebeautiful embroidered banner had had to be laid aside; and he wasdetermined, if possible, to find some use to put it to. Emma, too, wasevidently preoccupied, and Fred said to himself, as he saw her knittedbrows, "She's got some scheme working in her brain." As for Fredhimself, he sat deeply engaged in making long lists of all thecaterpillars, beetles, snails, an
d other similar creatures that he knewwere to be found in the neighborhood of the Rhine. To make assurancedoubly sure, he put the Latin name under the common name of each.

  That evening Elsli was sitting on the long bench at home, quite hiddenby the three little brothers, who had taken complete possession of her.She bore the infliction patiently, for she knew it was the last time,at least for many months. She had begun to realize her good fortune, andto rejoice in the prospect before her. Clarissa had completely won herheart; and the child could talk to her freely and without reserve, asshe had never spoken to any one before, except Nora. She did not feel somuch at ease with Mrs. Stanhope, but she loved her as Nora's mother, andMrs. Stanhope was kind to her, but not like Clarissa. Elsli puzzled hermind a good deal about the sort of life she was to lead in her new home;and as to whether she should be able to do all that was required of her,and to do it properly. But more than all, she was worried about Fani,from whom she was now so completely separated, and whom she might notsee again for long years. As she sat pondering on these problems, shewas totally unconscious that Hanseli was pulling and kicking her in theold style, when Emma suddenly came into the room.

  "Elsli," she cried, breathlessly, before she had fairly passed thethreshold, "you are going away to-morrow, and I have something veryimportant to say to you. Put the boys down, and come with me; do."

  "Hanseli will scream if I do," said Elsli, and he did scream; but Emmatook him without ceremony from his sister's arms, setting him on theground with no gentle hand; and before the frightened child hadrecovered from his surprise, she had dragged Elsli away round the cornerof the house to a secluded place behind the big apple-tree.

  "Here, I want you to take this with you," she began, holding out a thickroll of paper, "and I want to tell you that you are going to passthrough Basel on your way."

  "Are you sure?" asked Elsli, with sparkling eyes.

  "Yes, yes, I am sure; and now listen. Tell Mrs. Clarissa that Fani is inBasel, and that you want to see him. I know she will take you, she is sokind. Then you give him this roll, and tell him that I sent it, and thatI hope he is well. Here is his address."

  "Oh, how glad I am!" cried Elsli. "Do you really think I ought to askMrs. Clarissa to take me to Fani?"

  "Of course you ought; only think how pleased he will be to see you.Promise, Elsli,--" but before Elsli could answer, Oscar came round thecorner; and, spying Elsli, he seized her by the hand, exclaiming:--

  "I've been hunting for you everywhere; and I've found you at last! Comewith me; I want to tell you something!"

  He drew her away to the other side of the house, and stopped by thehazelnut hedge; Emma did not follow them, for fear of vexing herbrother. She had sent to Fani, by Elsli, all the white paper and all thepencils that she could collect in the children's room at home, and shethought it but prudent to keep out of Oscar's way.

  "Now, attend to what I am going to say, Elsli," began Oscar, seriously;"it is something very important for you to know. You are going toforeign parts, where you will have no friends; I mean no acquaintancesamong people in general. But no doubt there will be some Swiss there,and you can form a society of our countrymen, that can meet every week,and talk over all the news from their own country."

  "Yes, but I shouldn't know what to say," said Elsli, very muchperplexed.

  "Never mind, the others can do the talking," said the boy, eagerly;"but now comes the really important part of it. Next summer, when youare coming home again, you must agree upon some convenient place whereall the members of the society shall meet Then crowds of people willcollect from all sides, and I will be there with my beautiful banner,and we will have a procession and a great celebration of the firstanniversary. Be sure to write me the date of the foundation, Elsli!"

  "Yes, I will certainly," assented Elsli, but her tone was less decidedthan her words, for she was anything but clear as to how the societycould be formed, or why it should be formed at all. Further questionswere, however, impossible, for at this moment Fred appeared with Rikliin his wake, and a long strip of paper in his hand. Oscar vanished.

  "Now, Elsli, read this," said Fred.

  "Here are the names of all the beautiful caterpillars, and rare beetlesand snails, that you are likely to find where you are going. I want youto hunt in all the hedges, and stir up the earth now and then in yourwalks. Then the fellows will turn up, and you can collect them, and sendme the finest specimens. You will, won't you? I'll send you somethingpretty in return. You can put them right into your pocket, you know,until you get home from your walk, and hold the pocket together _so_,--;so that they won't crawl out"; and Fred pinched up his pocket-hole sothat no kind of a crawling thing could have escaped from it. Riklishuddered all over.

  Elsli was very willing to do Fred this service, but she did not reallysee how, any more than in Oscar's case; but she said, modestly:--

  "I will do my best, Fred; but how am I to know the creatures whosenames are on your list?"

  This was a sensible question, and Fred could not help seeing theimportance of it; but he was not to be deterred by a slight obstacle. Helooked again at his lists.

  "Suppose I should draw a figure of each creature against its name!" hesaid to himself. "I will come to see you to-morrow morning, before yougo away," he said to Elsli, and was off.

  Little Rikli, whose lesson had been learned at such a severe cost, wasquite cured of her foolish screaming whenever Fred came near her withhis dear little insects; but she watched his every motion, lest his fistor his pockets should disgorge some green-eyed frog or other equallyunpleasant treasure. Her big brother had, however, a great fascinationfor the child, who followed him everywhere like his shadow. She nowcame nearer to Elsli, and said, entreatingly:--

  "Don't send the nasty things alive, will you, Elsli, dear? You'll stuffthem first, won't you?"

  Just then, who should make his appearance but Feklitus, in his very bestSunday suit, and at the same moment Marget's voice was heard from thecottage, calling in a tone loud enough to sound above Hans' screams:--

  "Elsli, where are you? It's strange that you can't stay in the house twominutes at a time to-day."

  Rikli ran away; but Feklitus seized Elsli by the arm and held her fast.

  "I want to go to see the lady at Oak-ridge," he said, roughly. "I amyour cousin, and I want to tell her so, and that some time or other wemean to come and visit you down there by the Rhine; but I'm not goingalone, and you've just got to come with me."

  "Let me alone; don't you hear that I am wanted in the house!" And Elslitried to free herself from his hold.

  "You shall come," said the boy; and he grasped Elsli still more firmly,and dragged her away with him.

  Oscar, Emma, Fred, and Rikli all met with the same reception from Kathrion their return home; she stood on the front porch, and said to oneafter another as they came up, in a warning whisper:--

  "Hush, hush! don't make a noise! Mrs. Stickhop is in the parlor, come tosay good-bye."

  Poor Elsli did not sleep much that last night at home. She was excitedby all the last words and commissions and leave-takings of her friends,and oppressed by the thought of what was before her on the morrow, andit was in a half-dreamy state that early on the following morning shebegan her journey, with Mrs. Stanhope and Clarissa, in the largecarriage, along the high road, through the country that lay still in thedawning light. Suddenly a folded paper, weighted with a small stone,flew through the air into the carriage window.

  "Good-bye, Elsli. I wish I could go with you," cried a voice from theroad-side. It was Fred, who had not been able to finish his work before,and who had only painted his last snail just in season to throw his nowillustrated list after Elsli.

  This last greeting brought the tears to Elsli's eyes. She seemed nowfully to realize that she was leaving home, leaving all who had everknown and loved her. Clarissa saw it all, and, taking Elsli's hand inhers, she expressed, by the warm grasp that she gave her, a mother'ssympathy and love.

  For the next week the docto
r's family were busy talking over and overall the events of the past few weeks, from the arrival of little Nora toElsli's final departure. On the tenth day came a long letter from Elsli,which gave food for farther conversation. The mother and the aunt andthe four brothers and sisters were all equally impatient to know thecontents. The letter was addressed to Emma, who knew it from itsenvelope, opened it out, and exclaimed with delight:--

  "It is eight pages long! I will read it aloud to you"

  ROSEMOUNT ON THE RHINE, Sept. 28, 18--.

  DEAR FRIEND,--Thank you a thousand times for your good advice, for without it I should never have dared to say a word about Fani.

  But I will begin at the beginning and tell you everything as it has happened. When Fred said good-bye and I drove away from you all, I had to cry a little! But Aunt Clarissa--this is what I am to call her always--was very kind, and talked to me, and bade me tell her everything that troubled me. Mrs. Stanhope shut her eyes and lay back in the carriage, so still that I thought she was asleep, so I thought it was a good time to tell Aunt Clarissa all about Fani, as you advised. She didn't even know that there was such a person, so I had to tell her everything that had happened, and how long it was since I had seen him. She said of course I must see him in Basel, and that we should have plenty of time, as we were not going farther than that, that day. She said she would go with me to find him, and that Mrs. Stanhope would be perfectly willing. When we reached Basel we went to a big hotel. I never saw anything like it before. I could scarcely eat my dinner for joy that I was going to see Fani again. Directly after dinner Aunt Clarissa told Mrs. Stanhope that we wanted to go to see my brother, and Mrs. Stanhope said she would go with us, as she did not want to stay alone.

  We went across a long bridge, over a river, and quite a distance further. At last we came to some small houses, and we began to inquire for the painter Schulz. There we were right before his house. Mrs. Stanhope opened the door and went right into the work-shop, and we followed her. Fani sprang up with a great cry of joy, and threw his arms round Mrs. Stanhope, and his eyes were full of tears, for he was terribly homesick, and had never seen any one from home since he went away. Then he caught sight of me, and he was gladder still; and he wasn't the least shy with Mrs. Stanhope--you know he never is--but he put his arms round her again, and exclaimed:--

  "Oh, you don't know how glad I am to see some one from home!"

  You can't imagine how kind she was to him. At last she told Fani to call his master, and when the man came she went out into another room to talk with him. After a while she came back, and then, what do you think? She asked Fani if he would not like to go and live with me at her house! I can't begin to tell you how I felt. At first I could scarcely breathe for joy, and then I began to think I must have made a mistake; it couldn't be true. But Fani cried out with delight, and he seized Mrs. Stanhope's hand and looked at her so beseechingly, and he promised to work as hard as he could, and do everything to please her if he might only go. "You shall," she said; and then she told him when to meet us at the railroad next day. What a promise for Fani and me!

  As we were going back to the hotel, Mrs. Stanhope said to Aunt Clarissa, "Did you notice the resemblance? Doesn't he look at you out of his big brown eyes just as my Philo did?" Aunt Clarissa saw the likeness too, and said that was the reason that she took a fancy to Fani the moment she saw him. You see, Philo was Nora's little brother. In the evening, Mrs. Stanhope spoke several times about the likeness, and it was the first time that she had talked with us at all. All that night I kept thinking it was too good to be true; it must be a dream; but the next morning, when we got to the railroad station, there was Fani, and he had been waiting three hours, ever since six o'clock. Mrs. Stanhope laughed a little at his impatience--it was the first time she had laughed at all.

  All day long we travelled in the railway carriage, and Fani was as happy as he could be. When we stopped at a station, and Aunt Clarissa was going to get out and fetch us something to eat, Mrs. Stanhope stopped her and said: "No, no; we have an escort now, he must wait upon us." Then she explained to Fani what he was to do, and you ought to have seen how he ran about and did it all so handily, and he kept looking at Mrs. Stanhope to see if she was pleased; and she was pleased, that was plain enough. In the evening we stopped at Mainz on the Rhine, and Mrs. Stanhope said we should see the river in the morning. And the next day, what do you think? we went on a splendid steamboat; no one can possibly understand it without seeing it. Fani was like a crazy creature all day, he was so wild with delight; and Mrs. Stanhope let him run about all over the boat and look at everything. Sometimes I didn't see him for an hour at a time! By and by he came and took your present, and said he was going to draw everything that he had seen, and just how the whole boat was arranged, so that he should never forget it. And he wants me to thank you a great deal for the beautiful present. I forgot to say that before.

  In the evening, when we left the boat, we found a carriage and a wagon waiting for us. We drove for half an hour or more, and then we came to Mrs. Stanhope's house. It is a large house, standing in the middle of a garden, and with large trees about it. When we got out of the carriage, Fani whispered to me, "Do you suppose I shall work in the stables or in the garden?" Of course I couldn't tell him; I did not even know what I was to do myself. But nothing has turned out as we thought it would. At first Mrs. Stanhope was so sad that we did not see her at all for three days. Aunt Clarissa was just as kind as she could be. She took us all about the garden and showed us the place where Philo was buried; a white cross stands there with his name on it. And Nora was buried by his side, under a big linden.

  On the fourth day Mrs. Stanhope came to table with us, and after dinner she talked very kindly with us, and said that now it was time for us to begin to work. Oh, how surprised Fani and I were when we found out what we were to do! What kind of hard work do you guess it is? No work at all! You won't believe it, but it is true. We just sit all the morning in the school-room and study! The teacher comes at nine o'clock and stays till one, and Fani and I are the only scholars! Of course Fani is much cleverer than I am; but the teacher is very kind, and when I cannot do my lessons he only says: "Come, be brave, and you'll soon do as well as your brother!" I get along very well, and I am not so ashamed as I was when all the children in school were ahead of me. It is one o'clock before we know it, and we are glad when school-time comes the next day. After dinner we all go into the garden; and Mrs. Stanhope takes Fani with her, and he talks with her about his lessons and his ideas about all sorts of things; and it is easy to see that she likes him very much, better of course than she does me; you know how frank he is. He tells her just how he feels and how glad he is to be here with her, and he thanks her over and over again for all her kindness, and he holds her hand tight; and, when he looks up at her so beaming with happiness, she strokes his hair, and seems more fond of him than I have ever seen her of any one except Nora. But I can never do as Fani does; though I have just the same feelings, I cannot speak them out; and I'm afraid she does not think that I am so grateful, and I can quite understand that she cannot care as much for me as for Fani. But Aunt Clarissa is very good to me, and, when we come in out of the garden, I go into a room with her and she teaches me to sew and to embroider as you do. Tell Oscar that, even if I don't succeed in finding people to form a society, I will at any rate work him a beautiful banner,--Aunt Clarissa says that I may,--so he must be sure to write me what he wants for a motto. While I am working, Fani has a lesson in drawing; a teacher comes for two hours. Mrs. Stanhope almost alw
ays sits with him during this lesson, for she is delighted that Fani learns so quickly, and draws such beautiful things already.

  After that Fani and I go into the garden by ourselves and play about as much as we like. We run into every corner of it, for all about are stone seats to rest on, and white marble statues, and the garden is large and beautiful and stretches way down to the river; and there stand the great lindens, and it is all the most splendid and beautiful place in the world. Please tell Fred that I am looking all the time after beetles and such things, but I haven't been able to catch any; he mustn't be vexed with me, perhaps I shall succeed better by and by.

  After supper Aunt Clarissa sits down at the piano, and we sing Nora's favorite song and several others that she has taught me. Generally Fani sits in the other room and draws by himself; but when he sings with us it sounds much better, and it's only when he sings, too, that Mrs. Stanhope comes in to listen. After this, we get our lessons ready for the next day. But time passes much too quickly here; and Fani and I are always sorry when the day is over and we have to go to bed. I am almost never tired now; and, oh, it is so lovely to live here and to be with Fani. When we go in to our meals, Aunt Clarissa always says, "Thank God that we have children again with us at table!" And yesterday Mrs. Stanhope answered: "I think you would like to have the house full of children." And Aunt Clarissa replied, "I should never have too many of them." Then Mrs. Stanhope said: "Next year we must invite our friends from Switzerland to visit us; all four of the doctor's children; and you can take little Rikli under your special charge." At these words Fani shouted for joy; but I couldn't utter a sound; I could scarcely swallow, I was so delighted. Aunt Clarissa clapped her hands and said, "Elsli must write directly and invite them, so that we may make sure of them"; and, afterwards, she said to me again, "What a splendid plan that is of Mrs. Stanhope's!" In the evening Fani and I went all round the garden to pick out all the places that we particularly want to show you. Fred will be able to catch his own insects. Fani is going to write you a long letter, and then one to Oscar; but first he wants to draw a picture of the linden trees and the little spot under them, to send you for a present. We send our love to you all a thousand times, and beg you to give it to our father and mother and the little boys.

  Fani sends his special love to you.

  Your true friend,

  ELSLI.

  When the letter was finished, there came a burst of shouting andhand-clapping that seemed as if it would never stop. Such good news forthe children! What a prospect of delights! The mother and auntsympathized in their pleasure; but they took the greatest satisfactionin the thought that their anxiety for Fani was forever relieved, andthat God had led the two children whose welfare lay so near theirhearts, by such unlooked-for ways, into a happy and hopeful life.

  Which of the four children was most pleased with the prospect of thevisit to the villa on the Rhine, it would be impossible to say. Theycould talk of nothing else, and think of nothing else. Oscar saw inimagination whole armies of Swiss collected there, and united in onefraternal society by his efforts, with Fani's help. He began at once toemploy every spare moment in searching for a motto for the promisedbanner. Emma was in a condition of almost feverish joy. Fani was reallyon the road to become a painter, and her long-cherished wish was beingaccomplished. Now that Mrs. Stanhope was evidently so fond of him,surely everything would be done for his improvement. But she couldhardly wait for the time to come for their visit, for every day she hadsome new idea for his future that she longed to tell him. Fred had hishands full of preparations. He looked forward to making such an increaseof his collections that he was afraid he should not have room to containthem all. He induced his aunt to promise him all the useless boxes inthe house, and all winter long he stored them away in his room inreadiness for the expected occupants.

  Little Rikli enjoyed the anticipation of the summer with pure delight.She was never so happy as when with Fred, yet her pleasure in being withhim had been always mixed with fright; but she was sure that under theprotection of good Aunt Clarissa there would be no danger that frogs orbeetles should be allowed to annoy her, or that any unpleasant creatureswould crawl out upon her under the shady lindens by the river.

  Fani and Elsli grew better and happier every day; they had but oneunsatisfied wish--that the summer would come; so that they might welcometheir dear old friends to their new home, and show them its beauties andshare its blessings with them.

  Aunt Clarissa took great pains that the two children committed to hercare should not forget the good Father in heaven who had provided sucha home for them. She led them often to the spot where Philo and Nora layburied, and reminded them how quickly and unexpectedly sorrow may bechanged into joy, as they had themselves experienced; then she told themthat just so quickly joy may be changed to sorrow, and that into thebrightest sunshine the shadow of death may fall; so that only those canlive happy and secure who have full trust in God, who holds all life inhis hand, and who makes both joy and sorrow work together for good tothose who love him.

  DINO AND CORNELLI HAD UNDERTAKEN A GREAT WORK; THEY WERELAYING OUT MARTHA'S GARDEN]