“That’s true,” returned Linnet emphatically.  “When Will came Saturday, I didn’t rejoice and say ‘It is the Lord’s will,’ but Sunday morning I thought it was, because it was so hard!  All the lovely things that happen to us are his will of course.”

“Suppose we study up every time where the Lord speaks of his father’s will, and learn what that will is.  Shall we, Marjorie?” proposed Hollis.

“Oh, yes; it will be delightful!” she assented.

“And when I come back from my fishing excursion we will compare notes, and give each other our thoughts.  I must give that topic in our prayer-meeting and take it in my Bible class.”

“We know the will of God is our sanctification,” said Marjorie slowly.  “I don’t want to sigh, ‘Thy will be done,’ about that.”

“Hollis, I mean to hold on to that—­every happy thing is God’s will as well as the hard ones,” said Linnet.

“And here come the mothers for some music,” exclaimed Marjorie.  “They cannot go to sleep without it.”

And Marjorie’s mother did not go to sleep with it.  Hollis had invited himself to remain all night, saying that he was responsible for Linnet and could not go home unless she went home.

XXVI.

MARJORIE’S MOTHER.

“Leave to Heaven the measure and the choice.”—­Johnson.

Marjorie fell asleep as happy as she wanted to be; but her mother did not close her eyes in sleep all that night.  She closed them in prayer, however, and told Miss Prudence afterward that she “did not catch one wink of sleep.”  All night long she was asking the Lord if she might intermeddle between Marjorie and Hollis.  As we look at them there was nothing to intermeddle with.  Marjorie herself did not know of anything.  Perhaps, more than anything, she laid before the Lord what she wanted him to do.  She told him how Marjorie looked, and how depressed she had been, and her own fear that it was disappointment that was breaking her heart.  The prayer was characteristic.

“Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest the hearts of both, and what is in thy will for both; but thou dost choose means, thou hast chosen means since the world began; and if thou hast chosen me, make me ready to speak.  Soften the heart of the young man; show him how ill he has done; and knit their hearts to each other as thou didst the hearts of David and Jonathan.  Make her willing as thou didst make Rebekah willing to go with the servant of Abraham.  Give her favor in his eyes, as thou gavest favor to Abigail in the eyes of David.  Bring her into favor and tender love, as thou broughtest Daniel.  Let it not be beneath thy notice; the sparrows are not, and she is more than many sparrows to thee.  Give me words to speak, and prepare his heart to listen.  The king’s heart is in thine hand, and so is his heart.  If we acknowledge thee in all our ways, thou wilt direct our steps.  I do acknowledge thee.  Oh, direct my steps and my words.”