This was for Ellen; but the next words were not for her; what
made her write them?


"I will be a God to thee, and to thy seed after thee."


They were written almost unconsciously; and as, if bowed by an
unseen force, Mrs. Montgomery's head sank upon the open page,
and her whole soul went up with her petition: —


"Let these words be my memorial that I have trusted in thee.
And oh! when these miserable lips are silent for ever,
remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast
caused me to hope; and be unto my little one all thou hast
been to me! Unto thee I lift up mine eyes, O thou that
dwellest in the heavens!"


She raised her face from the book, closed it, and gave it
silently to Ellen. Ellen had noticed her action, but had no
suspicion of the cause; she supposed that one of her mother's
frequent feelings of weakness or sickness had made her lean
her head upon the Bible, and she thought no more about it.
However, Ellen felt that she wanted no more of her boxes that
day. She took her old place by the side of her mother's sofa,
with her head upon her mother's hand, and an expression of
quiet sorrow in her face that it had not worn for several
days.