The Fairchild Family

by Mrs. Sherwood

  The All-Seeing God

  At last she fell asleep]

  I must tell you of a sad temptation into which Emily fell about thistime. It is a sad story, but you shall hear it.

  There was a room in Mrs. Fairchild's house which was not often used. Inthis room was a closet, full of shelves, where Mrs. Fairchild used tokeep her sugar and tea, and sweetmeats and pickles, and many otherthings. Now, as Betty was very honest, and John, too, Mrs. Fairchildwould often leave this closet unlocked for weeks together, and nevermissed anything out of it. One day, at the time that damsons were ripe,Mrs. Fairchild and Betty boiled up a great many damsons in sugar, touse in the winter; and when they had put them in jars and tied themdown, they put them in the closet I before spoke of. Emily and Lucy sawtheir mother boil the damsons, and helped Betty to cover them and carrythem to the closet. As Emily was carrying one of the jars she perceivedthat it was tied down so loosely that she could put in her finger andget at the fruit. Accordingly, she took out one of the damsons and ateit. It was so nice that she was tempted to take another; and was goingeven to take a third, when she heard Betty coming up. She covered thejar in haste and came away. Some months after this, one evening, justabout the time it was getting dark, she was passing by the room wherethese sweetmeats were kept, and she observed that the door was open.She looked round to see if anybody was near, but there was no one. Herparents, and her brother and sister, were in the parlour, and Betty wasin the kitchen, and John was in the garden. No eye was looking at herbut the eye of God, who sees everything we do, and knows even thesecret thoughts of the heart; but at that moment the fear of God wasnot in the heart of Emily. Accordingly, she passed through the opendoor and went up to the closet. There she stood still again, and lookedround, but saw no one. She then opened the closet door, and took two orthree damsons, which she ate in great haste. She then went to her ownroom, and washed her hands and her mouth, and went down into theparlour, where Mr. and Mrs. Fairchild were just going to tea.

  "_She took two or three damsons, which she ate in greathaste._"--Page 60.]

  Although her parents never suspected what naughty thing Emily had beendoing, and behaved just as usual to her, yet Emily felt frightened anduneasy before them; and every time they spoke to her, though it wasonly to ask the commonest question, she stared and looked frightened.

  I am sorry to say that the next day, when it was beginning to get dark,Emily went again to the closet and took some more damsons; and so shedid for several days, though she knew she was doing wrong.

  On the Sunday following, it happened to be so rainy that nobody couldgo to church, in consequence of which Mr. Fairchild called all thefamily into the parlour and read the Morning Service and a sermon. Somesermons are hard and difficult for children to understand, but thiswas a very plain, easy sermon--even Henry could tell his mamma a greatdeal about it. The text was from Psalm cxxxix., 7th to 12th verses.

  The meaning of these verses was explained in the sermon. It was firstshown that the Lord is a spirit; and, secondly, that there is no placewhere He is not: that if a person could go up into heaven, he wouldfind God there; if he were to go down to hell, there also would he findGod: that God is in every part of the earth, and of the sea, and of thesky; and that, being always present in every place, He knows everythingwe do and everything we say, and even every thought of our hearts,however secret we may think it. Then the sermon went on to show howfoolish and mad it is for people to do wicked things in secret and darkplaces, trusting that God will not know it. "If I say, Surely thedarkness shall cover me, even the night shall be light about me," forno night is dark unto God.

  While Mr. Fairchild was reading, Emily felt frightened and unhappy,thinking of the wickedness she was guilty of every day; and she eventhought that she never would be guilty again of the same sin; but whenthe evening came all her good resolutions left her, for she confided inher own strength; and she went again to the room where the damsons werekept. However, when she came to the door of the closet, she thought ofthe sermon which her father had read in the morning, and stood still afew moments to consider what she should do. "There is nobody in thisroom," she said; "and nobody sees me, it is true, but God is in thisroom; He sees me; His eye is now upon me. I will not take any moredamsons. I will go back, I think. But yet, as I am come so far, and amjust got to the closet, I will just take one damson--it shall be thelast. I will never come here again without mamma's leave." So sheopened the closet door and took one damson, and then another, and thentwo more. Whilst she was taking the last, she heard the cat mew. Shedid not know that the cat had followed her into the room; and she wasso frightened that she spilled some of the red juice upon her frock,but she did not perceive it at the time. She then left the closet, andwent, as usual, to wash her hands and mouth, and went down into theparlour.

  When Emily got into the parlour, she immediately saw the red stain onher frock. She did not stay till it was observed, but ran out againinstantly, and went upstairs and washed her frock. As the stain had notdried in, it came out with very little trouble; but not till Emily hadwetted all the bosom of her frock and sleeves, and that so much thatall her inner clothes were thoroughly wet, even to the skin; to hidethis, she put her pinafore on to go down to tea. When she came down,"Where have you been, Emily?" said Mrs. Fairchild; "we have almost donetea."

  "I have been playing with the cat upstairs, mamma," said Emily. Butwhen she told this sad untruth she felt very unhappy, and hercomplexion changed once or twice from red to pale.

  It was a cold evening, and Emily kept as much away from the fire andcandle as she could, lest any spots should be left in her frock, andher mother should see them. She had no opportunity, therefore, ofdrying or warming herself, and she soon began to feel quite chilled andtrembling. Soon after a burning heat came into the palms of her hands,and a soreness about her throat; however, she did not dare to complain,but sat till bedtime, getting every minute more and more uncomfortable.

  It was some time after she was in bed, and even after her parents cameto bed, before she could sleep; at last she fell asleep, but her sleepwas disturbed by dreadful dreams, such as she had never experiencedbefore. It was her troubled conscience, together with an uneasy body,which gave her these dreadful dreams; and so horrible were they, thatat length she awoke, screaming violently. Her parents heard her cry,and came running in to her, bringing a light; but she was in such aterror that at first she did not know them.

  "Oh, my dear," said Mrs. Fairchild, "this child is in a burning fever!Only feel her hands!"

  It was true, indeed; and when Mr. Fairchild felt her, he was so muchfrightened that he resolved to watch by her all night, and in themorning, as soon as it was light, to send John for the doctor. But whatdo you suppose Emily felt all this time, knowing, as she did, how shehad brought on this illness, and how she had deceived for many daysthis dear father and mother, who now gave up their own rest to attendher?

  Emily continued to get worse during the night: neither was the doctorable, when he came, to stop the fever which followed the severe chillshe had taken, though he did his uttermost. It would have grieved youto have seen poor Lucy and Henry. They could neither read nor play,they missed their dear sister so much. They continually said to eachother, "Oh, Emily! dear Emily! there is no pleasure without our dearEmily!"

  The next day, when the doctor came, Emily was so very ill that hethought it right that Lucy and Henry should be sent out of the house.Accordingly, John got the horse ready, and took them to Mrs.Goodriche's. Poor Lucy and Henry! How bitterly they cried when theywent out of the gate, thinking that perhaps they might never see theirdear Emily any more! It was a terrible trial to poor Mr. and Mrs.Fairchild. They had no comfort but in praying and watching by poorEmily's bed. And all this grief Emily brought upon her friends by herown naughtiness.

  Emily was exceedingly ill for nine days, and everyone feared that ifthe fever continued a few days longer she must die; when, by the mercyof God, it suddenly left her, and she fell asleep and continuedsleepi
ng for many hours.

  When she awoke, she was very weak, but her fever was gone. She kissedher parents, and wanted to tell them of the naughty things she haddone, which had been the cause of the illness, but they would not allowher to speak.

  From that day she got better, and at the end of another week was sowell that she was able to sit up and tell Mrs. Fairchild all thehistory of her stealing the damsons, and of the sad way in which shehad got the fever.

  "Oh, mamma," said Emily, "what a naughty girl have I been! What troublehave I given to you, and to papa, and to the doctor, and to Betty! Ithought that God would take no notice of my sin. I thought He did notsee when I was stealing in the dark. But I was much mistaken. His eyewas upon me all the time. And yet how good, how very good, He has beento me! When I was ill, I might have died. And oh, mamma! mamma! howunhappy you would have been then!"