"
"That and the care of her baby," said Miss Benson, secretly
delighted at the tone of her brother's thoughts.
"Ah, Faith! that baby you so much dreaded once, is turning out a
blessing, you see," said Thurstan, with a faint, quiet smile.
"Yes! any one might be thankful, and better too, for Leonard; but
how could I tell that it would be like him?"
"But to return to Ruth and Mr. Bradshaw. What did you say?"
"Oh! with my feelings, of course, I was only too glad to accept
the proposal, and so I told Mrs. Bradshaw, then; and I afterwards
repeated it to Mr. Bradshaw, when he asked me if his wife had
mentioned their plans. They would understand that I must consult
you and Ruth, before it could be considered as finally settled."
"And have you named it to her?"
"Yes," answered Miss Benson, half afraid lest he should think she
had been too precipitate.
"And what did she say?" asked he, after a little pause of grave
silence.
"At first she seemed very glad, and fell into my mood of planning
how it should all be managed; how Sally and I should take care of
the baby the hours that she was away at Mr. Bradshaw's; but
by-and-by she became silent and thoughtful, and knelt down by me
and hid her face in my lap, and shook a little as if she was
crying; and then I heard her speak in a very low smothered voice,
for her head was still bent down--quite hanging down, indeed, so
that I could not see her face, so I stooped to listen, and I
heard her say, 'Do you think I should be good enough to teach
little girls, Miss Benson?' She said it so humbly and fearfully
that all I thought of was how to cheer her, and I answered and
asked her if she did not hope to be good enough to bring up her
own darling to be a brave Christian man? And she lifted up her
head, and I saw her eyes looking wild and wet and earnest, and
she said, 'With God's help, that will I try to make my child.
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