Having quite exhausted himself, he now mounted
into the cart and sat silent, only now and then uttering
energetic "Gees!" and "Haws!" which greatly excited Ellen's
wonderment. She discovered they were meant for the ears of the
oxen, but more than that she could not make out.
They plodded along very slowly, and the evening fell fast. As
they left behind the hill which Mr. Van Brunt had called "the
Nose," they could see through an opening in the mountains, a
bit of the western horizon, and some brightness still
lingering there; but it was soon hid from view, and darkness
veiled the whole country. Ellen could amuse herself no longer
with looking about; she could see nothing very clearly but the
outline of Mr. Van Brunt's broad back, just before her. But
the stars had come out! — and brilliant and clear they were
looking down upon her, with their thousand eyes. Ellen's heart
jumped when she saw them, with a mixed feeling of pleasure and
sadness. They carried her right back to the last evening, when
she was walking up the hill with Timmins; she remembered her
anger against Mrs. Dunscombe, and her kind friend's warning
not to indulge it, and all his teaching that day; and tears
came with the thought, how glad she should be to hear him
speak to her again. Still looking up at the beautiful quiet
stars, she thought of her dear far-off mother — how long it
was already since she had seen her — faster and faster the
tears dropped — and then she thought of that glorious One who
had made the stars, and was above them all, and who could and
did see her mother and her, though ever so far apart, and
could hear and bless them both.
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