“Come, Herbie dear, let us go now; we mustn’t tease poor sick cousin,” whispered his sister Elsie, drawing him gently away.

“No, no! let him stay; let him love me,” sobbed Molly.  “He is a dear little fellow,” she added, returning his caresses, and wiping away her tears.

“Herbie will love oo, poor old sing,” he said, stroking her face, “and mamma and papa, and all de folks will be ever so dood to oo.”

Molly’s laugh was more natural this time, and under its inspiring influence, the little ones grew quite merry, really amusing her with their prattle, till their mammy came to take them to bed.

Elsie was beginning to say good-night too, thinking there was danger of wearying the invalid, but Molly said, “I don’t wonder you want to leave me; mother says nobody could like to stay with such a——­” she broke off suddenly, again hid her face in her hands and wept bitterly.

“Oh, no, no!  I was only afraid of tiring you,” Elsie said, leaning over her and stroking her hair with soft, gentle touch.  “I should like to stay and talk if you wish; to tell you all about our visit to the Crags, and mamma’s old governess, and——­”

“Oh, yes, do; anything to help me to forget, even for a few minutes.  Oh, I wish I was dead!  I wish I was dead!  I can’t bear to live and be a cripple!”

“Dear Molly, don’t cry, don’t feel so dreadfully about it!” Elsie said, weeping with her.  “Jesus will help you to bear it; he loves you, and is sorrier for you than anybody else is; and he won’t let you be sick or in pain in heaven.”

“No, he doesn’t love me!  I’m not good enough; and if he did, he wouldn’t have let me get such a dreadful fall.”

Little Elsie was perplexed for the moment, and knew not what to answer.

“Couldn’t he have kept me from falling?” demanded Molly, almost fiercely.

“Yes, he can do everything.”

“Then I hate him for letting me fall!”

Elsie was inexpressibly shocked.  “Oh, Molly!” in an awed, frightened tone, was all that she could say.

“I’m awfully wicked, I know I am; but I can’t help it.  Why did he let me fall?  I couldn’t bear to let a dog be so dreadfully hurt, if I could help it!”

“Molly, the Bible says ‘God is love.’  And in another place, ’God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’  ’God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’  He must have loved you, Molly, when he died that dreadful death to save you.”

“Not me.”

“Yes, if you will believe.  ‘Whosoever believeth.’”

“It was just for everybody in a lump,” said Molly, sighing wearily.  “Not for you or me, or anybody in particular; at least not anybody that’s living now; because we weren’t made then; so how could he?”

“But mamma says he knew he was going to make us, just the same as he does now; and that he thought of each one, and loved and died for each one just as much as if there was only one.”