CHAPTER X.
A FATHER'S LAST WORDS.
The winter had now set in with threatenings of severity. Already themountain and valley round about the farm were covered with deep snow.The weakness which old James had been feeling for some time nowculminated in a severe illness. Obtaining her father's consent, Maryasked a physician from a neighbouring village to visit him. The doctorcame to see James and prescribed for him. Full of foreboding, Maryfollowed him to the door to ask him if he had any hope of her father'srecovery. To this the physician replied that the old man was in noimmediate danger, but that he suffered from a disease which would makehis recovery as an old man very improbable. It was with difficulty thatMary bore up under the news, and, after the physician had gone, she hada fit of passionate sobbing. For the sake of her father, however, shewiped away her tears, and endeavoured to appear calm before she went tohim.
During the succeeding days Mary attended her father with the utmostdevotion and loving care. Rarely had he to make his requests known, forhis daughter could read in his eyes all that he wanted. Mary spentwhole nights by his bedside. If at any time she consented to berelieved for a little rest, it was but rarely that she could close hereyes. If her father coughed, she trembled with apprehension; if he madethe least stir, she immediately approached him softly and on tiptoe toknow how he was. She prepared and brought to him in the most delicateforms the food which best suited his condition. She arranged hispillows from time to time, read to him, and prayed for him continually.Even when he dozed for a little she would stand by his bed with herhands clasped and her tearful eyes raised to heaven.
Mary had a little money which she had saved from her hard-won earnings.To scrape together this small sum she had often spent half the night insewing and knitting articles for sale. Now, in her father's illness,she made use of this little store to procure for him everything whichshe thought would be of any service. Good old James, althoughoccasionally he felt himself a little stronger, was never deceivedabout his condition, but felt only too sure that he was on hisdeathbed. The thought had no power to disturb him, and he spoke to hisdaughter of his approaching death with the greatest serenity.
"Oh," said Mary, crying bitterly, "do not speak thus, my dear father. Icannot bear the thought. What will become of me? Alas, your poor Marywill no longer have any one upon the earth!"
"Do not cry, my dear child," said her father affectionately, holdingout his hand to her. "You have a kind Father in heaven who will neverforsake you, although your earthly father be taken away from you. I donot feel anxious about the manner in which you will gain a livelihoodwhen I am dead, for the birds easily find their food, and you will findenough to nourish you. God provides for the smallest sparrow; will Henot also provide for you? The thought that distresses me," hecontinued, "is that you will be left alone. Alas, my dear child, youhave little idea of the wickedness that is in the world! There will bemoments perhaps when you will feel inclined to do evil; moments whenyou will perhaps yourself be persuaded that sin is not so very wrong.Listen to the advice which I now give you, and let the last words ofyour dying father be for ever deeply impressed on your heart. Forbidevery action, every speech, every thought for which you would have toblush if your father knew. Soon my eyes will be for ever closed, Ishall not longer be here to watch over you, but remember you have inheaven a Father whose eye sees everything and reads the secrets of yourheart."
After a little while, when he had recovered breath, he continued: "Youwould not wish by an act of disobedience to hurt the father whom youhave on earth; how much more then should you fear to offend your Fatherwhich is in heaven? Look at me once more, Mary. Oh, if you ever feelthe least inclination to do wrong, think of my pale face and of thetears which wet these sunken cheeks. Come to me, put your hand intomine which will soon fall into dust. Promise me never to forget mywords. In the hour of temptation, imagine that you feel this cold handwhich you now hold on the border of the grave. My poor child, youcannot see without weeping, my pale and hollow cheeks. But know thateverything passes away in this world. There was a time when I had thebloom of health and the fresh colour which you now have. The time willcome when you too will be stretched on the bed of death, pale andemaciated, as you now see me, if God does not sooner take you toHimself. The friends of my youth have disappeared like the flowerswhich have passed away with the spring, and for whose places you seekin vain, like the dew which sparkles for a moment on the flowers and isgone."
The next day James, feeling that his end was near, felt it his duty anddelight, though weak in body, to continue his advice to his daughter.
"I have seen the world," said he, "as well as other people, in the daywhen I accompanied the young Count on his travels. If there wasanything in the large cities superb or magnificent, I went there. Ispent whole weeks in pleasure. If there was a brilliant assembly or alively conversation, I saw and heard as well as my young master. Ishared in the most exquisite meals, and of the scarcest wines, andalways had more than I wished for. But all these worldly pleasures leftme with an empty heart. I assure you solemnly, my dear Mary, that a fewmoments of peaceful thought and fervent prayer in our arbour inEichbourg, or under this roof that covers us now, gave me more real joythan all the vain pleasures of the world. Seek then your happiness in alife of service of our blessed Saviour. You will find Him and He willbless you.
"Too well you know, my child, that I have not been without misfortunein this life. When I lost your dear mother my heart was for a long timelike a dry and barren garden, whose soil, burned by the sun, cracksopen, and seems to sigh for rain. In this way I languished, thirstingfor consolation, and at last I found it in the Lord. Oh, my deardaughter, there will be days in your life when your heart also will belike dry and barren ground; but let it not dishearten you. As thethirsty ground calls not for rain in vain, but God sends the refreshingshowers, so if you seek your consolation from God, He will refresh yourheart as the sweet rain refreshes the thirsty parched earth. Let yourconfidence in your heavenly Father be unshaken. Firmly believe thatthere is nothing He will not do for those He loves. Sometimes He maylead us by paths of grief, but be sure that these paths lead tounmingled happiness. Do you recollect, my good Mary, all the grief youfelt when, after our painful walk, I fell down with fatigue in themiddle of the road? Now you can see that this accident was the meanswhich God made use of to procure for us the comforts which we haveenjoyed for three years with the good people of this house. Had I nottaken ill that day then we should not have come before their door, ortheir hearts would not have been touched with compassion for us. Allthe pleasures which we have enjoyed here, all the good which we mayhave been enabled to do, are so many benefits which sprang from thesickness which at first so sorely distressed you.
"But you will always find, my dear Mary, that in the troubles of lifethere are proofs of the Divine goodness, to those who will look forthem. If the liberal hand of the Lord has scattered with flowers themountains and valleys, forests and river-banks, and even the muddymarshes, to give us everywhere the opportunity of admiring thetenderness and beauty of nature, He has also imprinted on all theevents of our life the evident traces of His great wisdom, and all Hispassionate love to man in order that the attentive man may learn bythem to love and adore Him.
"In all our life, we have never had to suffer more than when you wereaccused of a theft, when you were chained and likely to be doomed todeath. We were weeping together in prison and lamenting our affliction.Well, even this trial has been a source of great good to us. Lookingback upon it we can see that, when the young Countess favoured youabove other young girls, honoured you by admitting you to her company,made you a present of a beautiful gown, and expressed a wish that youshould always be near her, there was a danger that these greatadvantages of life would render you vain and trifling, fond of thethings of this world, and apt to forget God. Doubtless the Lordconsulted our highest interests when He changed our condition, andbanished us from happiness into despair. In the misery of our state, inprison and in pover
ty of circumstances, we have been enabled to livenearer to Him. He has brought us far from the corrupt influences oflarge towns into this lonely country where He has prepared for us abetter home. Here you are like a flower flourishing in solitude, where,if it has not the admiration of man, it has nothing to fear from hishand.
"The good and faithful God who has done all these things for us willgive a still more happy turn to your life. For I firmly believe that Hehas answered my prayer, that He will one day show to the world yourinnocence. When that time shall come I shall be no more, but I can diein peace without seeing it, for I am convinced of your innocence. Yes,my daughter, the pain which you have suffered will yet be the means ofleading you to much happiness on earth, though this kind of happinessis the least, and you will see that God's great design in afflicting uswas to sanctify our hearts, and to prepare us for that home to which wecan arrive only through tribulation and suffering.
"Believing this, let not your heart be troubled that you are inmisfortune. Believe firmly that God's tenderness watches over you, thatHis care will be sufficient for you in whatever place He chooses totake you. In whatever painful situation you may be placed, say, 'It isthe best place for me. Notwithstanding all that, I am safe, for He hasbrought me here.'"
Blumenkörbchen. English Page 10
