A Little Pilgrim - In the Unseen by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant
page 28 of 93 (30%)
page 28 of 93 (30%)
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woman, and she had flung herself upon her face, so that it was difficult
for the little Pilgrim to see what manner of person it was, for though she felt herself strong enough to take up this new-comer in her arms and carry her away, yet she forbore, seeing the will of the stranger was not so. For some time the woman lay moaning, with now and then a great sob shaking her as she lay. The little Pilgrim had taken her by both her arms, and drawn her head to rest upon her own lap, and was still holding the hands, which the poor creature had thrown out as if to clutch the ground. Thus she lay for a little while, as the little Pilgrim remembered she herself had lain, not wishing to move, wondering what had happened to her; and then she clutched the hands which grasped her, and said, muttering-- "You are some one new. Have you come to save me? Oh, save me! Oh, save me! Don't let me die!" This was very strange to the little Pilgrim, and went to her heart. She soothed the stranger, holding her hands warm and light, and stooping over her. "Dear," she said, "you must try and not be afraid." "You say so," said the woman, "because you are well and strong. You don't know what it is to be seized in the middle of your life, and told that you've got to die. Oh, I have been a sinful creature! I am not fit to die. Can't you give me something that will cure me? What is the good of doctors and nurses if they cannot save a poor soul that is not fit to die?" At this the little Pilgrim smiled upon her, always holding her fast, and |
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