The short summer of North America attained its height; and, as the heat increased, so did Ludovico’s young life wane away, and his strength become daily less.  Rudolph now saw, as plainly as his afflicted wife, that their only remaining son was soon to be taken from them; and he strove to arm both himself and her with the only power that could support them under such an aggravated calamity.  He constantly led her to look only to Him who ‘gave,’ and who also ‘takes away,’ and without whom ‘not a sparrow falleth to the ground’; and to trust Him even in the depth of sorrow:  and he had the satisfaction of seeing her become more and more resigned, and more and more strong in faith to meet the coming trial.

Slowly and gently it came; but it came at last:  and though his parents and his sister had long given up all hope of retaining their loved Ludovico on earth, and had endeavored to resign him into the hands of his Heavenly Father, yet, when the blow came, they felt it sudden, and found how little they were prepared for it.  One warm summer evening the sweet child was carried by Rodolph to Edith’s bower, that he might look once more at the flowers he had helped to plant and to tend; and his soft eyes seemed to take a last farewell of every cherished object, and to follow the setting sun with a fixed gaze, that said those eyes would never see it set again.  But there was no sadness—­no regret—­in the gentle countenance; and the infantine lips still smiled, as they whispered the evening prayer that he had so often repeated with Edith.  Young as he was, Ludovico had learnt to love his Redeemer, and to feel that to ’depart, and be with Christ, was far better than to abide on earth; and the ‘valley of the shadow or death,’ which the Lord so mercifully made easy to his flesh, had no terrors for his young spirit.

Could his parents, then—­could even his broken-hearted sister—­bear to disturb his angelic calmness by any display of their own grief?  No:  they restrained it; and even tried to smile again as they replied to his touching remarks, and spoke of the happy day when they should all meet again in heaven, and dwell for ever in the presence of that gracious Savior, who was new taking him, as they believed, to join his dear brother Henrich.

As twilight came on, his father bore him back to the house, and laid him again on his little couch; and ere the glorious sun arose to lighten the earth once more, his spirit had passed away into that realm of perfect light where they ’have no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; for the glory of God does lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.’  And many tears were shed for him, when the sight of the grief of those he loved so dearly could no longer disturb his peace, or check the willing spirit in its heavenward flight.