t
to-morrow."
"But isn't to-morrow Sabbath?" said Nelly.
"So 'tis! I forgot; well, we can put it off till Monday."
It may be well here to remark that Mrs Gore, being a sincere Christian,
had a great reverence for the Sabbath-day, and had imbued her children
with some of her own spirit in regard to it.
During the troubles and anxieties of the period when the children were
lost in the snow and captured by the Indians, they had lost count of the
days of the week. Roy was not much troubled about this, but his
sister's tender conscience caused her much uneasiness; and when they
afterwards ran away from the Indians, and could do as they pleased, they
agreed together to fix a Sabbath-day for themselves, beginning with the
particular day on which it first occurred to them that they had not kept
a Sabbath "for a long, long time."
"We can't find out the right day now, you know," observed Nelly, in an
apologetic tone.
"Of course not," said Roy; "besides, it don't matter, because you
remember how it is in the Ten Commandments: `Six days shalt thou labour
and do all thy work, but the _seventh_ day is the Sabbath.' We will
keep _to-day_, then; work _six_ days, and then keep the _seventh_ day."
We have elsewhere observed that Roy was a bit of a philosopher. Having
reasoned the matter out thus philosophically, the children held to their
resolve; they travelled six days, and observed every seventh day as the
Sabbath.
The particular Sabbath-day about which we are writing turned out to be a
memorable one, as we shall see.
Roy and Nelly lay down that night, side by side, as was their wont, with
their separate blankets wrapped around them, and their feet pointing
towards the fire. Of course they never undressed at night on this
journey, but washed their underclothing as they found time and
opportunity.
Soon they were sound asleep, and their gentle breathing was the only
sound that broke the stillness of the night. But snow was falling
silently in thick heavy flakes, and it soon lay deep on the bosom of
Silver Lake. Towards morning the wind arose, and snow-drift began to
whirl round the hut, and block up its low doorway.
Still the brother and sister slumbered peacefully, undisturbed by the
gathering storm.
CHAPTER ELEVEN.
A CHANGE IN THE WEATHER--RABBITS AND BEARS APPEAR.
"Hi! Hallo! I say, Nelly, what's all this?" There was good cause for
the tone of surprise in which Roy uttered these words wh
|