rist, to seek and
win. That surely."

"The knowledge of the Bible? Mrs. Jersey, I know the Bible pretty well."

"And Christ also?"

Dolly mused again, with a very grave face.

"I do not quite know what you mean."

"Then, there is something to be gained yet."

"But,--of course I know what the Bible says about Him."

"That is one sort of knowledge," said the housekeeper; "but it is not
the knowledge of Him."

"What then?"

"Only knowing about Him, dear."

"What more can we have?"

"Just _Himself_, Miss Copley; and till you have that, dear, you don't
rightly know what the Bible means."

"I don't think I quite understand you."

"Suppose I told you all I could about my Lady Brierley; would that make
you know her as I know her?"

"No, certainly; it would not make me really know her at all."

"That is what I was thinking."

"But for _that_ there must be sight, and intercourse, and the power of
understanding."

"All that," said Mrs. Jersey, smiling; "and the more of that power you
speak of, the more and the nearer knowledge there will be."

"But in the case you are speaking of, the knowledge of Christ, sight is
not possible."

"No, not sight with the bodily eyes. It is not; and if it were, it
mightn't do. Did all the people know the Lord that saw Him with the
bodily eyes? 'Ye have neither known My Father nor Me,' He said to the
Jews. 'Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known
Me, Philip?'"

"You are setting me a regular puzzle, Mrs. Jersey."

"I hope not, my dear. I do not mean it; and it is the last thing I
wish."

"But without sight, how is such knowledge to be gained?"

"Do you remember, Miss Copley, it is written,--'The secret of the Lord
is with them that fear Him.' And Jesus promised to him that loves Him
and keeps His commandments, 'I will manifest Myself to him.' Doubtless
we must seek the fulfilment of the promise too."

"How?"

"The same way as with other things. We must ask, and expect, and use
the means. And no doubt one must be single-eyed and true-hearted. But
dear, there is no knowledge like that, once get it; and no friend to be
had, that can equal the Lord Jesus Christ."

Dolly sat still and pondered, gazing at the two portraits.

"It is very hard to think that this world is nothing!" she said at
last. "To most people it seems everything. Just look at those two
faces! How they struggled and fought; and how little good their life
was to them, after all."