talents; and the
sins of our fellow-creatures against us are no more than a hundred
pence. It is our crucified Lord that says it. Ah! thou knowest it well.
'O thou wicked servant, said the lord in the parable,'I forgave thee all
that debt because thou desiredst me; shouldest not thou also have had
compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his
lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay
all that was due unto him. So likewise shall My Heavenly Father do also
unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother his
trespasses.' It's an awful thing when the Heavenly Father delivers a
soul to the tormentors! May God in His infinite mercy deliver thee; only
take heed that thou drive not away His Holy Spirit from thee!"

Aunt Priscilla said no more, but went away upstairs, leaving the kitchen
in utter darkness. Joan trembled from head to foot as she listened to
her heavy tread in the room above. When old Nathan struck a light, her
white, scared little face was the first thing he saw. He sat down on the
settle beside her, and took her tenderly into his arms.

"It's a sad day for thee, too, my little lamb," he said; "thou 's lost
thy playfellow, and there's hard times before thee."

"Where's Rhoda?" asked Joan, trembling.

"She's been tempted away from us," he said sorrowfully, "by one as
pretends he loves her more than us. But thou must go to bed, my little
lass. See! I'll carry thee upstairs. I'm a poor, rough nurse for thee,
but my room's next to thine, on the other side o' the wall, and thee can
cry to me i' th' night if thou 's frightened. And to-morrow I'll knock a
hole through the wall, so as thou can hear me speak to thee. But there's
no wall between thee and the Lord; He's close beside thee, and thou need
never be affrighted."

But little Joan was frightened, both that night and many another dark
hour, when she felt herself alone in the solitary little room. The
child's life became very hard and desolate. Aunt Priscilla took no
notice of her beyond providing her with food to eat and clothes to wear.
She did not talk to her, and she never took her on her lap or kissed
her. Sometimes Joan would creep timidly to her side and look up into her
face, but Aunt Priscilla never seemed to see her.

There was nothing for the little girl to do but to wander solitarily
about the fields or sit up in her lonely room with no one to speak to
her for hours together.