eyes were hidden, by the thick black veil which some thoughtful neighbour
had sent for her use.

In a few minutes a dozen or more people had filled up the vacant spaces
in the little room, and Mr. Holbrook arose from his seat at the
coffin's head.

Tip turned quickly at the first sound of his voice, and listened eagerly
while he read from the book in his hand, "And I saw the dead, small and
great, stand before God," listening until the closing sentence was read,
"And there shall be no more death; neither sorrow, nor crying, neither
shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away."

Tip had never paid such close attention to anything in his life as he did
to Mr. Holbrook's words; after that they were very simple and plain
spoken, so that a child might understand them, and were about heaven,
that beautiful city of which Tip had heard and thought more during the
last three weeks than he ever had in his life before. His heart had been
in a constant Struggle with Satan, ever since that morning in the Sabbath
school. He didn't know enough to understand that it was Satan's evil
voice which was constantly persuading him that he could not be anybody,
that-he was only a poor, miserable, ragged boy, with nobody to help him,
nobody to show him what to do; that he might as well not try to be
anything but what he was; and he didn't know either that the other voice
in his heart which struggled with the evil counsel, which said to him,
"Other boys as poor and ignorant as you are have reformed; that Robert
did about whom the teacher told you; and then, if you don't, you will
never see that river nor the fountain, nor the streets of gold," was the
dear, loving voice of his Redeemer.