ame up before her! That day and time
when so many new threads were introduced into her life, which were now
shewing their colours and working out their various patterns. It was
only a spring there and back again, however, that her thoughts took; or
rather the vision was a sort of background to Reuben's delineations,
and her eye was upon these; with what kind of sympathy she did not care
to let him see. Her cheek was bent down to the sick child's head and
Faith's face was half hidden. Until a moment later, when the door
opened and Johnny's father came in to see what was become of him; and
then Mr. Fax had no clue to the lustrous softness of the eyes that
looked up at him. He could make nothing of it.

"What!" said he. "Why who's Johnny got to look after him now?"

"I am his teacher, sir."

"His teacher, be you? Seems to me he's a lot of 'em. One teacher stayed
with him last night. How many has he got, among you?"

"Only two--" said Faith, rejoicing that she was _one_. "I am his Sunday
school teacher."

"Well what's your name, now?"

"Faith Derrick."

"_That's_ who you be!" said Mr. Fax in surprise. "Don't say! Well
Johnny's got into good hands, aint he? How's he gettin' along?"

Faith's eye went down to the little boy, and her hand passed slowly and
tenderly over his hair; she was at a loss how to answer, and Reuben
spoke for her.

"He's been sleeping a good deal this morning."

The father stooped towards the child, but his look went from him to
Faith, with a mixture of curiosity and uneasiness as he spoke.

"Sleepin', is he?--Then I guess he's gettin' along first-rate--aint he?"

Again Faith's look astonished the man, both because of its intent soft
beauty and the trembling set of her lip. But how to answer him she did
not know. Her head sunk over the child's brow as she exclaimed,

"His dear Master knows what to do with him!"

Jonathan Fax stood up straight and looked at Reuben.

"What does she mean!"

"She means that he is in God's hands, and that we don't know yet what
He will do," Reuben answered with clear simplicity.

Yet it was a strange view of the subject to Mr. Fax; and he stood stiff
and angular and square, looking down at Faith and her charge, feeling
startled and strange. Her face was bent so that he could not see that
quiver of her lip now; but he did see one or two drops fall from the
lowered eyelids on Johnny's hair. Perhaps he would have asked more
questions, but he did not; somethi