must take pains to do all
He desired them." I thought this pretty well for a beginning.
Ambat always repeats what Limo says, so I do not know how much
is her own: she is Limo's sister. Ango and Llan, the other two
girls, have been taught by Miss Rocke, who has given them to
me; they know but little, but are gentle children. The school
had a feast at five o'clock, beef curry (papa had an ox
killed), salt pork, rice, and a huge plum-pudding. They had
newly white-washed their dining-room the week before, and
decked it with boughs, so that it looked very nice with six
lanterns hanging from the roof. They played there while we were
at dinner, and the Christian Chinese feasted at Sing Song's
house. Julia had her little party in her school-room, and
dinner from our table: some of the grown-up schoolboys and
Polly. We had Mr. and Mrs. Koch, Mr. and Mrs. Owen, Mr.
Zehnder, and Mrs. Crookshank at our table. Papa counted that
ninety-seven people were fed on the mission premises on
Christmas Day. After dinner we had a bonfire in the hollow
below our hill, between the house and the church. Quantities of
dry bamboo had been collected there, which threw up columns of
sparks, and lit up all the under leaves of the trees, making
the dark sky and the young moon look so far far away. Then the
boys began with crackers and rockets. Baby Agnes was not
frightened, but poor Mildred could not sleep for terror. Every
rocket made her call out "Bumah," and hide her face on my
shoulder; however, she got used to it at last. Christmas is the
time of year which belongs especially to children, because our
Lord Jesus Christ then deigned to become a little child. We
forget what happened to us when we were very young--even a
mother does not know all the feelings, little troubles, ardent
wishes and desires of her little ones--but it is impossible
that our Saviour can ever forget. He knows exactly all that
belongs to the daily life of a child, not only because He is
God and knows everything, but because He was once a child
Himself, and remembers all the joys and sorrows of His
child-life in the cottage at Nazareth; and so children are very
dear to Him--He listens to their prayers, accepts their
praises, and watches over them always. Remember, my darling,
that He is your