one room to another and far better room of our Father’s house.  And how little all the sorrows of the way will seem to us when we get to our home above!  I suppose St. Paul, amidst the bliss of heaven, fairly laughs at the thought of what he suffered for Christ in this brief moment of time.  And as she said this, she gently waved her hand in the way of emphasis.  No one of us who saw it will soon forget that little gesture!

In one part of her remarks she cautioned us against hasty and harsh judgments.  We should cover with our charity the faults and imperfections of those about us, as nature hides with her mossy covering the unsightly stone.

She referred to the case of children:  a child often has a sweet disposition until five or six years of age and then becomes very irritable and cross, causing the parents much anxiety—­and, perhaps, much impatience.  And yet it may not be the child’s fault at all; but only the effect of ill-health, too much study and confinement, or pure mismanagement.  A large portion of the disobedience and wrong temper of children comes from improper food or loss of sleep, or something of that sort.  And it is not cross fretful children alone that need to be judged tenderly.  A consumptive friend of hers, rendered nervous and weak by long sickness, upon being asked one morning, as usual, about her health, replied:  “Don’t ask me again—­I feel as if I could throw this chair at you.” Now I do not think, said Mrs. Prentiss, that this speech was a sin in the sight of God.  He saw in it nothing but the poor invalid’s irritable nerves, God judges us according to the thoughts and intentions of the heart; and we ought, as far as possible, to judge each other in the same way.  And when we ourselves are the ones really at fault, we ought to confess it.  I never shall forget how humiliated I felt when my mother once came to me and asked my forgiveness—­but I loved her ten times as much for it.

Prayer was another point touched upon in this last Bible-reading.  She almost always had something fresh and striking to say about prayer.  It was one of her favorite topics.  I recall two or three of her remarks at this time.  “Always move the lips in prayer.  It helps to keep one’s thoughts from wandering.”  “A mother can pray with a sick child on her lap more acceptably than to leave it alone in order to go and pray by herself.”  “Accustom yourself to turn all your wants, cares and trials into prayer.  If anything troubled or annoyed my mother she went straight to the ‘spare room,’ no matter how cold the weather, and we children knew it was to pray.  I shall never forget its influence over me.”  “When a question as to duty comes up, I think we can soon settle it in this way:  ’Am I living near to Christ?  Am I seeking His guidance?  Am I renouncing self in what I undertake to do for Him?’ If we can say yes to these questions, we may safely go into any path where duty lies.”  “We never dread to hear people pray who pray truly and in the Spirit.  They may be unlearned.  They may be intellectually weak.  But if they pray habitually in the closet, they will edify out of it.”