Another evening they spent before Sinai, Cousin Bill J. reading the verses in a severe and loud tone when the voice of the Lord was sounding.  Duly impressed was the little boy with the terrors of the divine presence, a thing so awful that the people must not go up into the mount nor even touch its border—­lest “the Lord break forth upon them:  There shall not a hand touch it but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether it be beast or man it shall not live.”  Clytie said the goodness of God was shown herein.  An evil God would not have warned them, and many worthy but ignorant people would have been blasted.

Then He came down in thunder and smoke and lightning and earthquakes—­which Cousin Bill J. read in tones that enabled Bernal to feel every possible joy of terror; came to tell them that He was a very jealous God and that they must not worship any of the other gods.  He commanded that “thou shalt not revile the Gods,” also that they should “make no mention of the names of other Gods,” which Cousin Bill J. said was as fair as you could ask.

When they reached the directions for sacrificing, the little boy was doubly alert—­in the event that he should ever determine to be washed in the blood of the lamb and have to do his own killing.

“Then,” read Cousin Bill J., in a voice meant to convey the augustness of Deity, “thou shalt kill the ram and take of his blood and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot.”  So you didn’t have to wash all over in the blood.  He agreed with Clytie, who remarked that no one could ever have found out how to do it right unless God had told.  The God-given directions that ensued for making the water of separation from “the ashes of a red heifer” he did not find edifying; but some verses after that seemed more practicable.  “And thou shalt take of the ram,” continued the reader in majestic cadence, “the fat and the rump and the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is upon them—­”

Here was detail with a satisfying minuteness; and all this was for “a wave-offering” to be waved before the Lord—­which was indeed an interesting thought.

“If God was so careful of His children in these small matters,” said Clytie; “no wonder they believed He would care for them in graver matters, and no wonder they looked forward so eagerly to the coming of His Son, whom He promised should be sent to save them from His wrath.”