“Little Eunice looked wistfully at her mother, but neither of them spoke.
“At length Mrs. Allen came softly to Clary, and laying her hand on the bowed head, she said,
“‘Jesus is the Friend of sinners—but then they must strive to sin no more. Wilt thou do it? wilt thou love and obey the Saviour who has done so much for thee?’
“A sunbeam shot across the girl’s face as she looked up for one moment, and then bursting into tears, she said,
“‘Ask him and he will teach thee. Pray to Jesus whenever thou art in trouble—when thy sins are too strong for thee, and thy love to him too faint,—when thou art tired or sick or discouraged. Ask him to love thee and make thee his child—ask him to prepare a place for thee in heaven. For he hath said, ‘_If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it._’”
“Little Eunice had gone softly out of the room while her mother spoke, and now returned with a little book in her hand, which was quietly placed in Clary’s, after a look of assent from her mother.
“‘That’s a Bible,’—said Eunice, with a face of great pleasure. ‘And you may have it and keep it always. I wish I had a hymn book for you too, but I’ve only got this one, and my Sunday school teacher gave it to me last Sunday. But the Bible is the word of God, and it will tell you all about Jesus; and every bit of it is perfectly true. O you will love it so much!—everybody does who loves Jesus. And won’t you come and read in my hymn book sometimes?’
“‘Yes—come very often,’ said Mrs. Allen, ‘and we will talk of these things.’
“And with a heart too full to speak, Clary left the house.
‘How happy are they Who the Saviour obey—’
“She could understand that now, for with the simple faith of a child she believed what had been told her, and with her whole heart received the Friend of sinners to be her friend. Her earnest prayer that night, her one desire, was to be his child and servant,—to obey him then became sweet work; and thenceforth through all Clary’s life, if any one had called her poor, she would have answered out of the little hymn book that Eunice gave her for a Christmas present,—
‘Who made my heaven secure, Will here all good provide: While Christ is rich, can I be poor? What can I want beside?’”