The sorrows of the Maitlands—­thus renewed and aggravated—­excited the warmest sympathy throughout the colony; for they were universally respected and beloved, and their calm and pious resignation drew forth the admiration of the whole community of Puritans, who deemed any strong expressions of grief to be altogether unsuitable to Christians.  But Rodolph and Helen did not the less feel their chastisement, because they forbore to express their feelings to any other than to God, and to their revered friend and minister, Brewster.  On Edith, this second blow fell even more heavily than the first; for, since Henrich’s loss, she had devoted herself to her younger brother, and felt for him almost a mother’s love:  and now her pupil, her playfellow—­the sunshine of her life—­was taken away from her!  Truly, the Lord was preparing her in the furnace of affliction for the future lot to which He had appointed her; and sorrow did net visit her in vain.  Her character was strengthened and matured, and her mind was taught to find resources in itself that proved hereafter of inestimable value to her, and to those most nearly connected with her.

The thoughts and attention of her parents—­and indeed of the whole colony—­were at this time diverted greatly from their own private cares and interests, by an event of much importance to the settlement.  This was the arrival of a vessel, called the Fortune, from the mother-country, bringing out to the colony a new and more comprehensive charter, obtained for them by the Society of Plymouth, and also twenty-five fresh settlers, who were chiefly friends and relatives of those already established in New England.  How welcome these familiar countenances, that recalled days of happiness long passed but not forgotten, were to the hearts and memories of their brethren, none but exiles can tell!  The new comers were indeed joyfully received, and hospitably entertained by the Pilgrim Fathers; who invited them to take up their quarters in their rude but comfortable dwellings, and to share their scanty stores.  Unfortunately, the new settlers were unable to contribute any thing to these stores; for all their own provisions were already consumed on the voyage.  This accession to their numbers, therefore, added greatly to the inconvenience of the colony, and occasioned such a scarcity of food, that the Governor was obliged to put the whole community upon a daily allowance; an arrangement to which they all submitted without a murmur.  And not only did the original settlers thus consent to endure privation for the sake of their newly-arrived friends and relatives, but they also contributed more liberally than their narrow means could well afford, to provision the Fortune for her voyage home.  This was the occasion of the first mercantile adventure of the Pilgrims, who took the opportunity of the return of the ship to England, to send to the Society with which they were connected a quantity of furs and timber to the value of five hundred pounds.  But success did not attend their speculation; for the vessel fell into the hands of the French, and all their hopes of profit were, for the present, blasted.