bmission she thought she was ready
for; unconditional obedience was a stumbling-block before
which she stopped short. She _knew_ there would come up
occasions when her own will would take its way -- she could not
promise for it that it would not; and she was afraid to give
up her freedom utterly and engage to serve God in _everything_.
An enormous engagement, she felt! How was she to meet with ten
thousand the enemy that came against her with twenty thousand?
-- Ay, how? But if he were not met -- if she were to be the
servant of _sin_ for ever -- all was lost then! And she was not
going to be lost; therefore she _was_ going to be the
unconditional servant of God. When? --

The tears came, but they did not flow; they could not, for the
fever of doubt and questioning. She dashed them away as
impertinent asides. What were they to the matter in hand.
Elizabeth was in distress. But at the same time it was
distress that she was resolved to get out of. She did not know
just what to do; but neither would she go into the house till
something was done.

"If Mr. Landholm were here! --"

"What could he do?" answered conscience; "there is the
question before you, for you to deal with. You must deal with
it. It's a plain question."

"I cannot" -- and "Who will undertake for me?" -- were
Elizabeth's answering cry.

Her heart involuntarily turned to the great helper, but what
could or would he do for her? -- it was his will she was
thwarting. Nevertheless, "_to whom should she go?_" -- the shaken
needle of her mind's compass turned more and more steadily to
its great centre. There was light in no other quarter but on
that 'wicket-gate' towards which Bunyan's Pilgrim first long
ago set off to run. With some such sorrowful blind looking,
she opened to her chapter of Matthew again, and carelessly and
sadly turned over a leaf or two; till she saw a word which
though printed in the ordinary type of the rest, stood out to
her eyes like the lettering on a signboard. "ASK." --

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you."

The tears came then with a gush.

"Ask what? -- it doesn't say, --but it must be whatever my
difficulty needs -- there is no restriction. 'Knock'! -- I will
-- till it is opened to me -- as it will be! --"

The difficulty was not gone -- the mountain had not suddenly
sunk to a level; but she had got a clue to get over the one,
and daylight had broken t