Chapter I

"IT'S so fearfully cold to-day, Mary! I do not seem to be able to get a bit of warmth!"

Mary looked at the fire, warm still, but dying down on the hearth. How fast the wood did die down, she thought, with a sigh. How many little things there were to do even to keep moderate comfort round her mother.

"I'll get some more wood, mother," she said patiently.

"Yes, do," said the invalid, not thinking much of the tired legs of her little nurse, nor noticing the pale cheeks which lately had grown so thin.

Mary put away the cups she had been washing, and took off her apron.

"Is there any wood outside?" asked her mother.

"Only a stick or two," said Mary. "It does burn away so fast!"

"I wish there were, I'm that cold, Mary! Be quick, child, and get some, will you?"

She cowered over the red embers, and Mary, thus urged, put on her hat and went out into the November mist.

She would not have disliked this if her legs had not ached so much, and if she had not felt so faint and hungry. She had been cleaning up all the morning; and then she had cooked mother's gruel. But the invalid had never asked her if she had had anything to eat.

Poor little Mary!

She took a piece of cord in her hand and slowly left the cottage door. She knew she would have a good way to go, for she and her mother, before she became ill, had picked up every scrap of wood that they could find near the house.

"I wish mother would get into bed; she would not feel the cold there," she thought, and then she ran back to suggest this.

"Oh, no, any dear; I'd a deal rather sit by the fire," said the invalid. "Only you be quick with the wood."

Thus bidden, Mary started once more. She walked and ran, walked and ran, till she had reached a spot in the forest where the wood began to lie about, and there she halted out of breath.

The autumn grass was strewn with leaves and bits of the branches blown off by the wind; and instead of gathering them up eagerly and returning, the little burdened girl sat down on the damp leaves and hid her face in her hands.

It was so hard—so hard! And she was so tired, and mother only thought of how bad she felt herself, and never guessed how tired and dispirited little Mary was.

Was there no help? Had she only to wipe away her tears and get up and go on again?

Mary sobbed hopelessly for a few minutes, and then a thought came over her, which, to her surprise, brought a sense of relief and comfort. How could it be? She was as hungry, as tired, as hopeless as before, and yet—

The words were, "Jesus wept."

She had a tiny text-book given her when for a few months she had lived in the town and had gone to Sunday-school, which contained a selection of the shortest texts in the Bible. Mary had promised her teacher she would read it, and occasionally she glanced in it to keep her word.

To-day, her eyes had lighted upon those two short words, and she had wondered, and closed the book.

Now they came over her with a sense of sweetness.

"Jesus wept"? That meant then that when He was on earth, He had been sorrowful like her! Was He? That was a nice thought, because then He would know something of how sad and lonely she felt.

"Jesus wept"! Then He felt for her, she was sure He did; for she remembered her teacher had told her that the Saviour knew all that was passing on this earth, even though He is in heaven.

Mary sat very still, while she thought of all this; and as she thought of it, she felt, without knowing how, that she had had an interview with the King of Glory, and that earth was a changed place.

Then her eyes fell upon the scattered wood, and she quickly gathered a large bundle, tied it together, and set off homewards.

She had not taken many steps before she heard a voice, and turned to find a neighbour calling to her to stop.

"Mary, I'll help you along with that bundle. Why, see, child, it's all coming undone! Lucky for you I overtook you. Why, child, what a pale face you have! I guess you've thought a goodish bit more of your mother than you have of yourself by the looks of you! I'll help you home with that wood."

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