The days of excitement and distress, so full of moment to Daph, were succeeded by a time of comparative quiet and peace.

Every morning the kind voice of Rose Stuyvesant, broke in upon the solitude of Daph and the little ones. Louise learned to look as eagerly for the face of Rose as a flower for the sunlight, and to turn as fondly towards it. There seemed to be for the little girl an irresistible charm in the refinement[Pg 177] and guilelessness of her new friend; and the sweet words of holy teaching, that ever dropped from the lips of Rose, had waked to music, a chord in the child’s heart, that had long slumbered in silence. The sensitive conscience and peculiar interest in spiritual things, that had marked her when under her mother’s influence, became again evident. As from a weary dream, she woke to the beauty and reality of religious truth.

Rose was no sentimental teacher, contented with exciting mere feeling, that worked to no good end.

The unselfish devotion and respectful deference of poor Daph, had fostered a slight imperiousness in the little[Pg 178] Louise; and she had learned to seek her own comfort, with but too little regard for the feelings and wishes of others.

Rose soon saw that her little pet was in danger of becoming quietly selfish, and unconsciously proud and dictatorial.

Tenderly, but faithfully, the young teacher pointed out to Louise the germs of those hateful faults, growing and strengthening in the bad soil of an evil heart; and the conscience of the child, made her deeply feel the necessity of the warning thus affectionately given.

Bad habits, long indulged, are not easily overcome, even when the highest[Pg 179] and best motives govern the conduct.

“Put on my stockings, this minute, Daph! You are so slow!” said Louise, one morning, putting out her white foot imperatively towards the kneeling negro.

“Yes, yes, Miss Lou,” said Daph, humbly, “Daph do be radder slow; but somehow she isn’t so spry as she used to be.”

This was not the only complaint that Louise had to make that morning; every thing seemed to go wrong with her, and Charlie declared, “Sister Lou” was so cross that he had rather go and play in the garden alone, than stay anywhere near her.

[Pg 180]Daph gave a sorrowful look at her young mistress, and then went to the kitchen to prepare some of the tempting cakes which were now in such demand, and Louise was left quite alone.

She took up a piece of sewing on which Rose had been patiently trying to teach her to hem; but the thread “went in knots,” the needle pricked her finger, and she threw the work down in despair, and began to cry with all her might.

The door softly opened and a gentle hand was laid upon her shoulder. “What grieves you, darling?” said the sweet voice of Rose Stuyvesant.

“Oh, oh!” exclaimed the little girl,[Pg 181] not looking up, “I have been so cross and naughty all this morning, I do not believe I am one of the Lord Jesus’ little lambs, at all, and I am very, very unhappy!”

Rose sat down beside her little friend, and throwing her arm tenderly around her, she said, “You must not be discouraged, my darling, listen now to me. Suppose that you were so very sick, that if you did not soon get better, you would surely die. Now, suppose a kind physician should come to you and offer you some medicine that would check your fever, and save you from the death that was so near. How you would love him, and how willingly you would do all that[Pg 182] he said was necessary for you. It might be many, many weeks before you were quite well; but how patiently you would take the medicines he ordered, and how cheerfully you would follow his advice, until you were again full of health and strength. And when you could walk about once more and breathe the sweet, fresh air, then you would be most warmly grateful to the kind physician who had come to your sick bed, and saved you from expected death. Dear Louise, Christ has shed his blood to save you from everlasting death, which is very near to all who are not the true children of God. Whenever you put your trust in the dear Saviour, you are safe from[Pg 183] that death; but it may be long, long before your heart will be clean from sin, and your bad habits will be wholly cured. What says the kind physician to you? ‘Watch and pray. Strive to enter in at the strait gate.’ You must be willing to struggle, patiently, again............