the Lord hath passed word to help His people in their need;
but He saith not any where that He will alway help them right as they
would have it. We be prone to think there is but one fashion of help,
and that if we be not holpen after our own manner, we be not holpen at
all. Yet, if thou take a penny from a poor beggar, and give him in the
stead thereof an angel [half-sovereign], thou hast given him alms,
though he have lost the penny. Alas, for us poor beggars! we fall to
weeping o'er our penny till our eyes be too dim with tears to see the
gold of God's alms. Dear Blanche, I would not have thee miss the gold."

"I scantly conceive your meaning, dear Mistress."

"We will come back to that anon. I will first tell thee what befel her
of whom I spake."

"Ay, I would fain hear the rest."

"Well, there were nigh four years of that fearful darkness. She
well-nigh forgat that God might have some better thing in store for her,
to the which He was leading her all the time, along this weary road.
She thought He dealt hardly with her. At times, when the darkness was
at the thickest, she fancied that all might be a delusion: that there
was no God at all, or none that had any compassion upon men. But it was
not His meaning, to leave one of His own in that black pit of despair.
He lifted one end of the dark veil. When the four years were over,--
that is, when Queen Elizabeth, that now is, happily succeeded to her
evil sister,--God gave the maiden back her father safe."

Blanche uttered a glad "Oh!"

"And He gave her more than that, Blanche. He sent her therewith a
message direct from Himself. Thou lookest on me somewhat doubtfully,
dear heart, as though thou shouldst say, Angels bring no wolds from
Heaven now o' days. Well, in very sooth, I wis not whether they do or
no. We see them not: can we speak more boldly than to say this? Yet
one thing I know, Blanche: God can send messages to His childre in their
hearts, howso they may come. And what was this word? say thine eyes.
Well, sweeting, it was the softest of all the chidings that we hear Him
to have laid on His disciples,--`O thou of little faith, wherefore didst
thou doubt?' As though He should say,--`Thou mightest have doubted of
the fulfilling of thy special hope; yet wherefore doubt _Me_? Would I
have taken pleasure in bereaving thee of aught that was not hurtful?
Could I not have given thee much more than this? Because I made thine
heart void, that I