“By moonlight!” Evelyn said; “that will be very nice.  Auntie, you and uncle are very good to me.”

“Indeed, child,” returned Elsie, smiling, “you may well believe it is no hardship for us to go to Ion on any errand; or with none save the desire to see mamma and the rest.”

Evelyn and Lulu passed the greater part of the day alone together, every one else seemingly lacking either leisure or inclination to join them, and the friendship grew rapidly, as is usually the case when two little girls are thus thrown together.

Each gave a detailed history of her past life and found the other deeply interested in it.  Then they talked of the present and of the near future.

“Are you to go to school?” asked Lulu.

“No,” Evelyn said with a contented smile, “I am to study at home and come here to recite with you.”

“Oh, how nice!” cried Lulu, her eyes sparkling with pleasure.

“Yes, I think it very kind in Aunt Elsie’s mother and grandfather to offer to let me do so,” said Evelyn.  “I shall try very hard to be studious and well-behaved and give them no trouble.”

Lulu’s cheek flushed at that remark, and for a moment she sat silent and with downcast eyes; then she burst out in her impetuous way, “I wish I were like you, Eva—­so good and grateful.  I’m afraid you wouldn’t care for me at all if you knew what a bad, ungrateful thing I am.  I’ve given ever so much trouble to Grandpa Dinsmore and Grandma Elsie, though they have done more for me—­for Max and Gracie too—­than they are going to do for you.”

“I don’t believe you’re half so bad as you make yourself out to be,” returned Eva, in a surprised tone.  “And I’m sure you are sorry and will be ever so good and grateful in the future.”

“I want to, but—­there does seem to be no use in my trying to be sweet-tempered and all that,” said Lulu, dejectedly; “I’ve got such a dreadful temper.”

“Papa used to tell me God, our heavenly Father, would help me to conquer my faults, if I asked Him with all my heart,” said Evelyn, softly; “that, in His great love and condescension, He noticed even a little child and its efforts to please Him and do His will.”

“Yes, I know; my papa has told me the same thing ever so often; but most always the temptation comes so suddenly I don’t seem to have time to ask for help, and”—­hesitatingly—­“sometimes I don’t want it.”

CHAPTER XI.

“O blessed, happy child, to find
The God of heaven so near and kind!”

It was Sabbath afternoon.  In the large dining-room at Ion a Bible-reading was being held, Mr. Dinsmore leading, every member of the household, down to the servants, who occupied the lower end of the apartment, bearing a share in the exercises; as also Lester, Elsie, and Evelyn from Fairview, and representatives from the other three families belonging to the connection, and the Keith cousins, who had arrived at Ion a few days before.