Poor Leonard! he lay stretched on the sofa, white and tearless,
beyond the power of any such comfort, however kindly offered; but
this was only one of the many homely, simple attentions, which
all came round him to offer, from Mr. Grey, the rector, down to
the nameless poor who called at the back door to inquire how it
fared with her child.
Mr. Benson was anxious, according to Dissenting custom, to preach
an appropriate funeral sermon. It was the last office he could
render to her; it should be done well and carefully. Moreover, it
was possible that the circumstances of her life, which were known
to all, might be made effective in this manner to work conviction
of many truths. Accordingly, he made great preparation of thought
and paper; he laboured hard, destroying sheet after sheet--his
eyes filling with tears between-whiles, as he remembered some
fresh proof of the humility and sweetness of her life. Oh that he
could do her justice! but words seemed hard and inflexible, and
refused to fit themselves to his ideas. He sat late on Saturday,
writing; he watched through the night till Sunday morning was far
advanced. He had never taken such pains with any sermon, and he
was only half satisfied with it after all.
Mrs. Farquhar had comforted the bitterness of Sally's grief by
giving her very handsome mourning. At any rate, she felt oddly
proud and exulting when she thought of her new black gown; but,
when she remembered why she wore it, she scolded herself pretty
sharply for her satisfaction, and took to crying afresh with
redoubled vigour.
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