Whately was able to tell of the first of her scholars of
whose conversion she could feel sure. In 1878 she writes of two little
boys, pupils in her school, who read the Bible at home to their old
nurse, a slave woman, during the illness which terminated in her death.
So simply did she receive the truth, that she declined to see the Mollah
or reader of the Koran, saying, "No, no, I want no one but Him whom the
boys tell me about; the boys' Saviour is my Saviour." [1] In _Peasant
Life on the Nile_ Miss Whately gives several instances of Copts who
through her efforts refused to turn Moslems, and of others who became
Christians in deed and in truth.

[Footnote 1: _Letters from Egypt_, pp. 117, 118.]

Instances of blessing on the work of the Mission might be multiplied.
Nevertheless the difficulty of bringing a Mohammedan to an open avowal
of Christianity always remained extremely great. Converts to
Christianity always incurred the risk of secret poisoning. Yet in the
report for 1888, penned by Miss Whately only a few weeks before her
death, she says, "The seed sown in past years is evidently taking root;"
and the accounts for that year contain the significant entry, "Clothes
for poor convert on his baptism, L2." She also gratefully acknowledged
that the reading of the books of her lending-library, largely supplied
by the Religious Tract Society, had reached more Mohammedans than any
other Christian agency.

IX.

TWILIGHT.

Like the twilight in the land of her adoption, the twilight of Mary
Whately's life was very brief. Her sun went down while it was yet day.
Her last years were among her busiest. She would rise very early, often
watching from her balcony the dawn break, and then would take a ride in
the fresh morning air, or go out into her garden, for, as with her
father, gardening was her delight. After a simple breakfast she would be
usually found in the dispensary by nine o'clock, reading and talking to
the patients. When they had all been cared for, she would teach her
Scripture class in the Levantine school, and afterwards visit the other
schools, or attend to some of her domestic duties. After a short rest in
the heat of the day, the remainder of the afternoon would be occupied
with receiving or paying visits, and the short evening before retiring
early to rest, when free from various forms of mission work, with
painting or reading. When burdened with the difficulties of the work,
she would often exclai