hurlish carriages to him! Now, such carriages between man and wife
had often pained and made ashamed Mercy's maidenly heart beyond all
expression. Till she had sometimes said to herself, blushing with shame
before herself as she said it, that if ever she was a wife--may my tongue
cleave to the roof of my mouth before I say one churlish word to him who
is my husband! And thus it was that nothing that Christiana said that
morning in the uprush of her remorse moved Mercy more with pity and with
love than just what Christiana beat her breast about as concerning her
lost husband. Mercy used to say that she saw truth and life enough in
one hour that morning to sober and to solemnise and to warn her to set a
watch on the door of her lips for all her after-days.

3. Before Mrs. Timorous was well out of the door, Mercy had already
plucked off her gloves, and hung up her morning bonnet on a nail in the
wall, so much did her heart heave to help the cumbered widow and her
fatherless children. "If thou wilt, I will hire thee," said Christiana,
"and thou shalt go with me as my servant. Yet we will have all things
common betwixt thee and me; only, now thou art here, go along with me."
At this Mercy fell on Christiana's neck and kissed her mother; for after
that morning Christiana had always a daughter of her own, and Mercy a
mother. And you may be sure, with two such women working with all their
might, all things were soon ready for their happy departure.

Mr. Kerr Bain invites his readers to compare John Bunyan's Mercy at this
point with William Law's Miranda. I shall not tarry to draw out the full
comparison here, but shall content myself with simply repeating Mr.
Bain's happy reference. Only, I shall not content myself till all to
whom my voice can reach, and who are able to enjoy only a first-rate
book, have Mr. Bain's book beside their _Pilgrim's Progress_. That
morning, then, on which Mrs. Timorous, having nothing to do at home, set
out with Mercy on a round of calls--that was Mercy's last idle morning
for all her days. For her mind was, ever after that, to be always
busying of herself in doing, for when she had nothing to do for herself
she would be making of hosen and garments for others, and would bestow
them upon those that had need. I will warrant her a good housewife,
quoth Mr. Brisk to himself. So much so that at any place they stopped on
the way, even for a day and a night to rest and refresh themselves, Mer