"No," in the tone of one dreadfully ashamed.
"And now I'll tell you a lovely thought out of the Bible that came through dates. I did not discover it myself, of course."
"I don't see why 'of course,'" Marjorie said in a resentful tone. "You _do_ discover things."
"I discover little girls once in a while," returned Miss Prudence with a rare softening of lips and eyes.
If it had not been for a few such discoveries the lines about Miss Prudence's lips might have been hard lines.
"Of course you both remember the story of faithful old Abraham, how he longed and longed for a son and hoped against hope, and, after waiting so long, Isaac was born at last. He had the sure promise of God that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed. Do you know how many nations Abraham knew about? Did he know about France and England and America, the Empire of Russia and populous China?"
Linnet looked puzzled; Marjorie was very grave.
"Did he know that the North American Indians would be blessed in him? Did he know they would learn that the Great Spirit had a Son, Jesus Christ? And that Jesus Christ was descended from him?"
"I--don't--know," said Marjorie, doubtfully. "I get all mixed up."
"It was because all the world would be blessed that he was so anxious to have a son. And, then, after Isaac was born and married for years and years the promise did not seem to come true, for he had no child. Must the faithful, hopeful old father die with his hope deferred? We read that Abraham died in a good old age, an old man, full of years, and Isaac and Ishmael buried him, and farther on in the same chapter we find that the twin boys are born, Jacob and Esau. But their old grandfather was dead. He knew now how true God is to his promises, because he was in Heaven, but we can't help wishing he had seen those two strong boys from one of whom the Saviour of the whole world was to descend. But if we look at Abraham's age when he died, and comparing it with Isaac's when the twins were born, we find that the old man, truly, had to wait twenty years before they were born, but that he really lived to see them seventeen or eighteen years of age. He lived to tell them with his own lips about that wonderful promise of God."