ises and loving counsel for the lowly and
oppressed. She had reached the thirty-fifth verse, and read onward with
a passionate earnestness and understanding that made every word have a
new revelation to Rachel:

"Let your loins be girded up, and your lights burning;

"And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord when he
will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh they
may open unto him immediately.

"Blessed are those servants whom the Lord when he cometh shall find
watching; verily I say unto you that he shall gird himself and make
them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

"And if ye shall come in the second watch, or come in the third
watch, and shall find them so, blessed are those servants.

"And this now that if the good man of the house had known what the
hour the thief would come he would have watched, and not suffered
his house to be broken through.

"Be ye therefore ready also, for the Son of Man cometh at an hour
when ye think not."

Rachel stirred a little, and Aunt Debby looked up and closed the book.

"I'm afeared I've roused ye up too soon," she said, coming toward the
bed with a look of real concern upon her sad, sweet face. "I raylly
didn't intend ter. I jest opened the book ter read teh promise 'bout
our Father heedin' even a sparrer's fall, an' forgot 'bout our Father
heedin' even a sparrer's fall, an' forgot, an' read on; an' when I read,
I must read out loud, ter git the good of hit. Some folks pretend they
kin understand jest ez well when they read ter themselves. Mebbe they
kin."

"O, no," replied Rachel cheerfully, "you didn't disturb me in the least.
It was time that I got up, and I was glad to hear you read. I'm only
troubled with the fear that I've overslept myself, and missed the duty
that I was intended for."

"Make yourself easy on that 'ere score. Ye'll not be needed to-day, nor
likely to-morrow. Some things hev come up ter change Jim's plans."

"I am very sorry," said Rachel, sitting up in the bed and tossing back
her long, silken mane with a single quick, masterful motion. "I wished
to go immediately about what I am expected to do. I can do anything
better than wait."

Aunt Debby came impulsively to the bedside, threw an arm around Rachel's
neck, and kissed her on the forehead. "I love ye, honey," she said with
admiring tenderness. "Ye' 're sich ez all women orter be. Ye 'll make
heroes of y