"Your father talks of coming home," said Miss Fortune, after a
few minutes, during which Ellen had been silently weeping.
"Home! — then she must be better!" said Ellen, with new life;
"does papa say she is better?"
"No."
"But what does he mean?" said Ellen, uneasily; "I don't see
what he means; he doesn't say she is worse, and he doesn't say
she is better; what does he say?"
"He don't say much about anything."
"Does he say when they are coming home?"
Miss Fortune mumbled something about "spring," and whisked off
to the buttery; Ellen thought no more was to be got out of
her. She felt miserable. Her father and her aunt both seemed
to act strangely; and where to find comfort she scarcely knew.
She had one day been telling her doubts and sorrows to John.
He did not try to raise her hopes, but said —
"Troubles will come in this world, Ellie; the best is to trust
them and ourselves to our dear Saviour, and let trials drive
us to him. Seek to love him more, and to be patient under his
will; the good Shepherd means nothing but kindness to any lamb
in his flock — you may be sure of that, Ellie."
Ellen remembered his words, and tried to follow them now, but
she could not be "patient under his will" yet — not quite. It
was very hard to be patient in such uncertainty. With swimming
eyes she turned over her Bible in search of comfort, and found
it.
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