A sudden darkness seemed shutting down upon
him. It was as if a great golden gleam had fallen out of heaven upon
him, warming and softening his heart, and when he turned with tears
and joy to look along its pathway heavenward, it vanished and left him
groping in confusion and dismay. He got up from off his seat, saying,
mournfully,--

"The brightness is all gone from me! I'm in doubt and fear. Oh, how
can I ever find his face?--and how can he ever smile upon me who have
rejected him?"

Hagar sighed heavily as she said, "Ye don't 'preciate de Lord, chile.
Ye talks jes' as ef he was a man, an' could feel 'vengeful towards ye!
Don't s'pose any _man_ could forgive ye, honey, but de bressed Lord
is all lub,--Hagar knows _dat_,--an' Jesus died jes' as much fur ye as
he did fur anybody. Ye's got to look to dat bressed Lord Jesus, an' ef
ye looks hard 'nough, ye'll find him. Oh, Hagar t'anks de Lord frum de
bottom ob her heart fur yer feelin' so to-night."

"But I have not found him! He is hidden from me!" said Trafford.

"But ye will ef ye looks long enough!" said Hagar, cheerfully; "he'll
come out ob de darkness to ye: bimeby. Bress ye, chile, dis ole woman
was lookin' an' seekin' an' stribin' in mis'ry till she was 'bout
ready to give up in 'spair; but I foun' him at las', an' he nebber
'sook Hagar,--nebber!"

The sea was growing calmer with every hour that passed. But it was
rough and thunderous still, and its wave-crests gleamed whitely under
the starlight. Trafford at last remembered the lateness of the hour,
and said, "Come, Hagar, this is no place for us. We will go in."

The two slowly made their way along the shore up to the dark and
deserted stone house. Hagar smothered the sigh that rose up from her
heart as the silence and loneliness smote upon it, and led the way
around to her kitchen-door.

"Poor chile! ye habn't had nuffin to eat dis day," said she, after
they were once within her little dominion and she had kindled the
fire; "go into de libr'y, honey, an' I'll hab ye sumfin' purty quick."

But Trafford shook his head, saying, "Not there!--not there, yet!" and
sat down on the bench by the fire.

Hagar moved wearily about from the cupboard to the table, saying to
herself,--

"What ye t'inkin' ob, Hagar, to tell him dat? Dar's all poor Mas'r
Noll's books an' t'ings lyin' 'bout eberywhar, an' how ken de poor
chile stan' it? De Lord's han' is heaby upon him, an', O good Lord
Jesus, j