Matilda was a little inclined to shrink from it, fearing lest she might
come upon some other passage that would give her trouble. She thought,
for this morning, she would turn to a familiar chapter, which she had
read many a time, and where she had never found anything to confuse
her. She began the fifth of Matthew. But she had read only fifteen
verses, and she came to this.

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

If a ray of the very sunshine, pointed and tipped with fire like a
spear, so that it could prick her, had come in through the frosting on
the window pane and smote upon Matilda's face, she would not more
keenly have felt the touch. It had never touched her before, that
verse, with anything but rose leaf softness; now it pricked. Why? The
little girl was troubled; and leaning her elbows on the table and her
head in her hands, she began to think. And then she began to pray. "Let
your light shine." The light must burn if it was to shine; that was one
thing; and she must let no screen come between the light and those who
should see it. Fear must not come there, nor shame, to hide or cover
the light. And the light itself must be bright. Nobody would see a dim
shining. By and by, as she pondered and prayed, with her head in her
hands, this word and last night's word joined themselves together; and
she began to see, that "minding earthly things" would act to hide the
light first, and then to put it out. So far she got; but the battle was
only set in array; it was not fought nor gained, when she was called
down to breakfast.

The rest of the family were all seated at the table before the two boys
came in.

"Pink," Norton burst forth, as soon as he had said good morning, "we
must get there at feeding time!"

"Here you are!"--said David waggishly; and Matilda looking up, saw
Judith's black eyes all on fire and a flash of the same fun in her
brother's face. Those proud eyes could sparkle, then. Her look passed
to Norton. But he was as cool as usual.

"Mamma," he said, "I am going to take Pink this morning to the
Menagerie."

"You had better wait till she has something to wear, Norton."

"When will that be, ma'am? It won't take long will it?"

"I do not know."

"Mamma, Pink does not care, and I do not care. She has never seen a
live lion in her life; and it will not make any difference with the
lions. I guess she will keep warm. I