had just finished, and Sophy was beginning a very animated description of a child's party she had attended a short time before, when Elsie, who had been anxiously watching her father for the last five minutes, saw him take out his watch and look at her.
"There, Sophy," she said, rising, "I know papa means it is time for me to go to bed."
"Oh, just wait one minute!"
But Elsie was already half way across the room.
"It is your bedtime, daughter," said Mr. Dinsmore, smiling affectionately on her.
"Yes, papa; good-night," and she held up her face for the accustomed kiss.
"Good-night, daughter," he replied, bestowing the caress. Then laying his hand gently on her head, he said softly, "God bless and keep my little one."
Rose, who was seated on the sofa beside him, drew Elsie to her, saying, "I must have a kiss, too, darling."
"Now go, daughter," said Mr. Dinsmore, as Rose released her from her embrace, "go to bed as soon as you can, and don't lie awake talking."
"Mayn't I talk at all, after I go to bed, papa?"
"No, not at all."
Seeing that Elsie was really going, Sophy had put away her book, and was now ready to accompany her. She was quite a talker, and rattled on very fast until she saw Elsie take out her Bible; but then became perfectly quiet until Elsie was through with her devotions, and Chloe had come to prepare her for bed. Then she began chatting again in her lively way, Elsie answering very pleasantly until she was just ready to step into bed, when she said gently, "Sophy, papa said, before I came up, that I must not talk at all after I got into bed, so please don't be vexed if I don't answer you, because you know I must obey my father."
"Pshaw! how provoking. I thought we were going to have such a good time, and I've got ever so much to say to you."
"I'm just as sorry as you are, Sophy, but I can't disobey papa."
"He'd never know it," suggested Sophy in a voice scarcely above a whisper.
Elsie started with astonishment to hear Miss Rose's sister speaking thus.
"Oh, Sophy! you can't mean to advise me to deceive and disobey my father?" she said. "God would know it, and papa would soon know it, too, for I could never look him in the face again until I had confessed it."
Sophy blushed deeply. "I didn't think about its being deceitful. But would your papa punish you for such a little thing?"
"Papa says disobedience is never a little thing, and he always punishes me when I disobey him; but I wouldn't care so much for that, as for knowing that I had grieved him so; because I love my papa very dearly. But I must not talk any more; so good-night;" and she climbed into bed, laid her head on the pillow, and in a very few moments was fast asleep.
Chapter XVI
"Hail, Holy Day! the blessing from above
Brightens thy presence like a smile of love,
Smoothing, like oil upon a stormy sea,
The roughest waves of human destiny—
Cheering the good, and to the poor oppresse'd
Bearing the promise of their heavenly rest."
MRS. HALE'S PRIME OF LIFE.
When Chloe came in to dress her young charge the next morning, she found her already up and sitting with her Bible in her hand.
"Don't make a noise, mammy," she whispered; "Sophy is still asleep."
Chloe nodded acquiescence, and moving softly about, got through the business of washing and dressing her nursling, and brushing her curls, without disturbing the sleeper. Then they both quietly left the room, and Elsie, with her Bible in her hand, rapped gently at her father's door.
He opened it, and giving her a kiss and a "Good-morning, darling," led her across the room to where he had been sitting by a window looking into the garden. Then taking her on his knee, and stroking her hair fondly, he said with a smile, "My little girl looks very bright this morning, and as if she had had a good night's rest. I think she obeyed me, and did not lie awake talking."
"No, papa, I did not, though I wanted to very much," she answered with a slight blush.
"We did not have our chapter together last night," he said, opening the Bible, "but I hope we will not miss it very often."
Their plan was to read verse about, Elsie asking questions about anything she did not understand, and her father explaining and making remarks, he having read it first in the original, and generally consulted a commentator also. Then Elsie usually had one or two texts to recite, which she had learned while Chloe was dressing her; after that they knelt down and Mr. Dinsmore prayed. They never read more than a few verses, and his prayer was always short, so that there was no room for weariness, and Elsie always enjoyed it very much. They had still a little time to talk together before the breakfast-bell rang, of which Elsie was very glad, for she had a great deal to say to her father.
"It is such a sweet, sweet Sabbath-day, papa," she said, "is it not? and this is such a nice place, almost as pretty as our own dear home; and are they not pleasant people? I think they seem so kind to one another, and to everybody."
"Which must mean you and me, I suppose; there is no one else here," he answered smilingly.
"Oh! the servants, you know, papa, and the people at the hotel: but don't you think they are kind?"
"Yes, dear, they certainly seem to be, and I have no doubt they are."
"And the baby, papa! isn't it pretty, and oh, papa, don't you like Miss Rose?"
"I hardly know her yet, daughter, but I think she is very sweet looking, and seems to be gentle and amiable."
"I am glad you like her, papa; and I knew you would," Elsie said in a tone of great satisfaction.
The church the Allisons attended was within easy walking distance of Elmgrove, and service was held in it twice a day; the whole family, with the exception of the very little children and one servant, who stayed at home to take care of them, went both morning and afternoon, and Mr. Dinsmore and Elsie accompanied them.
The interval between dinner and afternoon service Elsie spent in her father's room, sitting on a stool at his feet quietly reading. When they had returned from church Miss Allison gathered all the little ones in the nursery and showed them pictures, and told them Bible stories, until the tea-bell rang; after which the whole family, including children and servants, were called together into the sitting-room to be catechized by Mr. Allison; that was succeeded by family worship, and then they sang hymns until it was time for the children to go to bed.
As Elsie laid her head on her pillow that night, she said to herself that it had been a very pleasant day, and she could be quite willing to live at Elmgrove, were it not for the thought of her own dear home in the "sunny South."
The next morning her father told her they would be there for several weeks, and that he would expect her to practise an hour every morning—Miss Rose having kindly offered the use of her piano—and every afternoon to read for an hour with him; but all the rest of the day she might have to herself, to spend just as she pleased; only, of course, she must manage to take sufficient exercise, and not get into any mischief.
Elsie was delighted with the arrangement, and ran off at once to tell Sophy the good news.
"Oh! I am ever so glad you are going to stay!" exclaimed Sophy joyfully. "But why need your papa make you say lessons at all? I think he might just as well let you play all the time."
"No," replied Elsie, "papa says I will enjoy my play a great deal better for doing a little work first, and I know it is so. Indeed, I always find papa knows best."
"Oh,