"And if none should return in my time?" asked Steadfast.
"Have I not told thee never to despair of God's care for His Church?
Yet His time is not as our time, and it may be--that young as thou
art--the days of renewal may not be when thou shalt see them. Should
it thus be, my son, leave the secret with one whom thou canst
securely trust. Better the sacred vessels should lie hidden than
that thou shouldst show thy faith wanting by surrendering them to
any, save according to the terms of thy vow. See, Steadfast, among
these books is a lighter one, a romance of King Arthur, that I loved
well in my boyhood, and which may not only serve thee as fair pastime
in the winter nights, but will mind thee of thine high and holy
charge, for it goeth deeper than the mere outside."
His voice was growing weak. Mrs. Lightfoot gave him a cordial, and
Stead knelt by his bedside, felt his hand on his head, and heard his
blessing for the last time. The next market day, when he called at
the good bakester's stall, she told him in floods of tears that the
guest who had brought a blessing on her house, was gone to his rest.
Pages:
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221