how to manage something else. He's
had no dinner to-day--to speak of; and if eatin' ain't the business of
life--which it ain't, I guess, with him--yet stoppin' eatin' would stop
business, he'd find; and I'm goin' to frizzle some beef for his supper,
and put an egg in. Now I'll cut the beef, and you can stir it, if you
like."

Matilda liked very much. She watched the careful shaving of the beef in
paper-like fragments; then at the housekeeper's direction she put some
butter in a pan on the fire, and when it was hot threw the beef in and
stirred it back and forward with a knife, so as not to let it burn, and
so as to bring all the shavings of beef in contact with the hot pan
bottom, and into the influence of the boiling butter. At the moment of
its being done, the housekeeper broke an egg or two into the pan; and
then in another moment bade Matilda take it from the fire and turn it
out. Meanwhile Miss Redwood had cut bread and made the tea.

"Now you can go and call the minister," she said.

Matilda thought she was having the rarest of pleasant times, as she
crossed the little dining-room and the square yard of hall that came
next, and went into the study. Fire Was burning in the wide chimney
there as usual; the room was very sweet and still; Mr Richmond sat
before the fire with a book.

"I thought you were coming to talk to me, Tilly?" he said, stretching
out his hand to draw her up to him.

"Miss Redwood was showing me how to do things, Mr. Richmond."

"Then you _do_ want to talk to me?"

"Oh yes, sir. But, Mr. Richmond, tea is ready."

"We'll eat first then, and talk afterward. What is the talk to be
about, Tilly? just to give me an idea."

"It is about--I do not know what is right about something, Mr.
Richmond. I do not know what I ought to do."

"Have you looked in the Bible to find out?"

"No, sir. I didn't know where to look, Mr. Richmond."

"Have you prayed about it?"

Matilda hesitated, but finally said again, "No."

"That is another thing you can always do. The Lord understands your
difficulties better than any one else can, and knows just what answer
to give you."

"But--an answer? will He give it always?"

"Always provided you are perfectly willing to take it, whatever it may
be; and provided you do your part."

"What is my part?"

"If I sent you to find your way along a road you did not know, where
there were guide posts set up; what would be your part to do?"

"To mind the guide pos