'in the midst of wrath he remembers mercy,' and I trust
he has purposes of mercy in this event towards you and your family; but
beware, James, for the Bible expressly says, 'My son, despise not the
chastening of the Lord;' and again, 'whom the Lord loveth, he
chasteneth.' But eat your supper; I will step up stairs and see if your
wife is still sleeping, and if she is, I will come down and chat a
little with you."

As she went softly up stairs my eyes followed her, and I said to myself,
This is one of your religious ones, is it, that I have so often joined
in jeering at? Surely I ate my supper with a thankful heart, and was
much strengthened by it. Mrs. Mason soon returned, and stepping into the
back room, where Jane lay, and her little brother, brought out three or
four billets of wood, and a cheerful fire was soon made; so that with my
warm, nourishing supper, the cheerful fire, and Mrs. Mason's mild and
cheerful countenance and manner, I regained my spirits, and a
considerable portion of my strength. After a little pause, she said,

"James, when Mary recovers, if it should please God to order it so,
great care will be required lest she should relapse. You would not wish
to lose her, James; she has, I believe, been a kind and affectionate
wife to you, and a tender mother to your children. When you were first
married every thing went well with you, and it was a remark I often made
of you as a neighbor, that you wanted nothing but the true fear of God
in your heart, and faith in our blessed Saviour, to make you a pattern
to all around you. I used often to say a few words to Mary, and she
always received them meekly, but I seldom saw you, and your manner never
gave me any encouragement to talk to you on religious subjects. James,
experience has enabled me to make one remark, that _absence from divine
worship_, as a regular or customary thing, is an almost unerring sign of
the absence of religion from the heart; and it is indeed seldom that I
have seen you in your place on the Sabbath-day. The Sabbath is a blessed
day when it is spent aright." So leaving me, she again went up stairs,
remarking that Mr. Wright had been home to her house, to explain the
cause of her absence, (and as I tolerably well guessed, this partly
explained the mystery of fire and candle, and tea and sugar, and bread,)
adding, "Mrs. Wright will come in at daylight, and will stay with Mary,
and that will allow me to attend to my morning's business: you