Book-bot.com - read famous books online for free

In the Fire of the Forge — Volume 08 by Georg Ebers
page 7 of 72 (09%)
to turn the sick man, she paid special heed to every aching spot in his
tortured body, and invented contrivances which she arranged with patient
care to save him pain.

Her own bed had been placed in the widow's chamber next to Biberli's, and
from the night that her Aunt Christine had permitted her to remain in the
Beguine house, she, who formerly had loved sleep and slumbered soundly,
had been beside the sick woman at the least sign. On the third day she
rendered her, with her own hands, every service for which she had
formerly needed a Beguine's aid. She had possessed the gift of uttering
words of cheer and comfort even to her invalid mother better than any one
else, and often gave new courage to the suffering man when almost driven
to despair by the anguish of pain assailing him in ten places at once.
How kindly she taught him what comfort the sufferer finds who not only
moves his lips and turns his rosary in prayer, as he had hitherto done,
but commends himself and his pain to Him who endured still worse agonies
on the cross! What a smile of content rested on the lips of the man who,
in the ravings of fever, had so often repeated the words "steadfast and
true," when she told him that he had done honour most marvellously to his
favourite virtue, represented by the T and St, and might expect his
master's praise and gratitude!

All these things fell from her lips more warmly the more vividly she
conjured up the image of the man for whose sake the gallant fellow had
endured this martyrdom, the happier it made her to help Heinz, though
without his knowledge, to pay the great debt of gratitude which he owed
the faithful servitor. She was not aware of it, but the strongest of all
educational powers--sorrow and love--were transforming the unsocial,
capricious "little saint" into a noble, self-sacrificing woman. She was
training herself to be what she desired to become to her lover, and the
DigitalOcean Referral Badge