“Then don’t let that thought trouble you any longer” said Hesper, “but send Juliana and the boys to see me, and kiss little Tommy for me, for I shall always love you, and shall come to see you as soon as I am able.”
“That is all I ask,” said Mrs. Grimsby. “Good bye, darling. Be very careful of yourself”--and she left the room with a light step and smiling countenance.
Although Hesper was very much better, the doctor would scarce allow any one to enter the room for several days. Her mother stole in now and then, and Hesper was astonished to see how, fast she had improved under the doctor’s good, management, though she was still very weak and feeble. The poor girl thought she would like to see her father, and yet she dared not ask to, for he always appeared so cold and distant, and had so often spoken unkindly to her, that she had a secret dread of meeting him.
One evening, however, when she felt much brighter than usual, and was sitting up in bed, supported by her pillows, her mother came and told her that if she felt able, her father would like to speak with her. Hesper assented, and her heart beat violently, when, in a few moments after, she heard the sound of his approaching footsteps. With a half frightened look, she glanced up at his face as he bent over her. There were tears in his eyes, and his voice trembled as he spoke.
“God bless you, my precious child!” he said--“I cannot tell you how impatiently I have been waiting to see you, for I never knew how dear you were until I feared you would be taken from me.” He raised her gently in his arms, and drawing her close to his bosom, kissed her again and again. Hesper felt that the cup of her happiness was full. How pleasant it was to be resting in her father’s arms, while his tears mingled with her own. It seemed as if the prayer which she had so often repeated--“Let thy kingdom come”--was now fully answered, for the peace and joy of heaven was in her heart, and all her father’s past unkindness was forgotten.
“Hesper,” he said, “I have prayed night and day that God would spare you; for often, when I have observed your faith and patience, I have longed that you should love me as you did others, and I want to show how much I can love you in return.” Hesper’s pale cheek was pressed close to his--