in the eyes of her
mistress; but the Lord has graciously opened her mistress's eyes at
last, and that cloud is passed away for ever. I only mention this just
to bring in this little book. The butler, to vex poor Jane, had taken
away her Bible from her before he took away her character; but what
happened? Why, when she had left the place, he goes to his drawer and
takes out the Bible when he were looking for summat else; for he'd quite
forgot as he'd hid it there. He sees the red lines, and reads the
verses over them, and they make him think, and he's brought to
repentance.

"The little book's beginning to do great things. He wants to restore
the book, and make amends to Jane, does the butler; but he's been such a
rogue, he's obliged to take himself away into foreign parts somewhere.
But I don't doubt but what he'll come right in the end; the Word'll not
let him alone till it's brought him to the foot of the cross. As he's
on his way abroad, he leaves the Bible at the station here to be taken
to our house; but it manages to get lost on the way, and turns up at
last in the tap-room of a public-house. Now, just mark this. If the
Bible had come straight to our house, it would have helped to clear
Jane's character with her mistress, and no more; but there were other
work for it to do. The publican's daughter gets hold of it, and sees
the red lines. She sees the verses above 'em, and they pricks her
conscience. She don't like this, and she resolves to get rid of the
book. Yes, yes; but the little book has taken good aim at her heart,
and shot two or three arrows into it, and she can't get 'em out; it's
been doing its work, or rather the Lord's work. So she takes it with
her in the dark, and drops it into William Foster's house, of all places
in Crossbourne.

"Just fancy any one leaving a Bible in that house ten months ago. But
it came at the very nick of time. William's wife were in great trouble,
and she'd tried a great many sticks to lean upon, but they'd all snapped
like glass when she leaned her weight on 'em--she found nothing as'd
ease the burden of an aching heart. It were just at the right time,
then, as the little Bible fell into her room. She took it up, noticed
the red lines, and some precious promises they was scored under, and by
degrees she found peace.--Eh, but William must know nothing of this; how
he would scoff if he found his wife reading the Bible!--But what's this?
William finds his mis