As he rose from his knees, he saw that the minister had turned his face to the wall, and lay perfectly still.  Rightly judging that he was renewing the vain effort to rouse, by force of the will, feelings which had been stunned by the strange shock, he ventured to try a more authoritative mode of address.

“And now, Mr. Drake, you have got to spend this money,” he said, “and the sooner you set about it the better.  Whatever may be your ideas about the principal, you are bound to spend at least every penny of the income.”

The sad-hearted man stared at the curate.

“How is a man to do any thing whom God has forsaken?” he said.

“If He had forsaken you, for as dreary work as it would be, you would have to try to do your duty notwithstanding.  But He has not forsaken you.  He has given you a very sharp lesson, I grant, and as such you must take it, but that is the very opposite of forsaking you.  He has let you know what it is not to trust in Him, and what it would be to have money that did not come from His hand.  You did not conquer in the fight with Mammon when you were poor, and God has given you another chance:  He expects you to get the better of him now you are rich.  If God had forsaken you, I should have found you strutting about and glorying over imagined enemies.”

“Do you really think that is the mind of God toward me?” cried the poor man, starting half up in bed. “Do you think so?” he repeated, staring at the curate almost as wildly as at first, but with a different expression.

“I do,” said Wingfold; “and it will be a bad job indeed if you fail in both trials.  But that I am sure you will not.  It is your business now to get this money into your hands as soon as possible, and proceed to spend it.”

“Would there be any harm in ordering a few things from the tradespeople?” asked Dorothy.

“How should there be?” returned Wingfold.

“Because, you see,” answered Dorothy, “we can’t be sure of a bird in the bush.”

“Can you be sure of it in your hands?  It may spread its wings when you least expect it.  But Helen will be delighted to take the risk—­up to a few hundreds,” he added laughing.

“Somebody may dispute the will:  they do sometimes,” said Dorothy.

“They do very often,” answered Wingfold.  “It does not look likely in the present case; but our trust must be neither in the will nor in the fortune, but in the living God.  You have to get all the good out of this money you can.  If you will walk over to the rectory with me now, while your father gets up, we will carry the good news to my wife, and she will lend you what money you like, so that you need order nothing without paying for it.”

“Please ask her not to tell any body,” said Mr. Drake.  “I shouldn’t like it talked about before I understand it myself.”

“You are quite right.  If I were you I would tell nobody yet but Mr. Drew.  He is a right man, and will help you to bear your good fortune.  I have always found good fortune harder to bear than bad.”