But old Treffy"s doubts and fears came back again. He began to look within, and the remembrance of his sin returned upon him. What if, after all, there was sin on his soul? What if the gates were still closed against him?
"Christie, boy, I don"t feel it"s all right with me yet," he said anxiously.
"Why not, Master Treffy?" asked Christie.
"Why, I"ve been so bad, Christie; it doesn"t seem likely He"d do it for me so soon as that; there"s such a deal of sin on my soul."
"But you asked Him to wash you, Master Treffy; didn"t you?"
"Ay, I asked Him, Christie," said Treffy, in a despairing tone.
"And He said He would if you asked Him, Master Treffy; didn"t He?"
"Ay, Christie, I believe He did," said Treffy.
"Then of course He _has_ done it," said Christie.
"I don"t know, Christie, boy; I can"t feel it," said old Treffy pitifully. "I don"t seem to see it as I ought."
So, whilst Christie was walking in the sunshine, Old Treffy was still groping on in the shadow, sometimes hoping, sometimes fearing, but never trusting.
Christie paid another visit to the suburban road that week. Little Mabel and her mother were coming out of the house when Christie reached the gate. The little girl ran eagerly forward when she caught sight of the organ and begged her mamma to stay whilst she turned the handle just six times!
The lady spoke very kindly to Christie; she asked him several questions, and he told her about old Treffy, how ill he was, and how he had not another month to live. The tears were in the lady"s eyes, and she asked Christie where he lived, and wrote it down on a white tablet which she carried in her pocket.
"Mamma," said little Mabel, "I want to whisper something to you."
The lady bent down her head to listen, and then said kindly,--
"Yes, if you like."
Mabel darted into the house, and returned with a large bunch of single white snowdrops, prettily arranged with sprigs of dark myrtle leaves.
Very white, and pure, and lovely they looked.
"Here, organ-boy," said Mabel, as she put them into his hands, "these are my own dear snowdrops; Aunt Helen gave me them, and you must take them to Master Treffy, he"ll like them, won"t he?" she said.
"Ay! that he will, missie," said Christie, warmly.
"Mabel," said her mother, "you must teach Christie the little prayer I told you always to say when you looked at the snowdrops."
"Yes," said Mabel, "I will. This is it, Christie: "Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.""
Christie looked up brightly.
"Will you say that prayer, Christie?" asked the lady, kindly.
"Yes, ma"am," said Christie; "it"s just like what me and Master Treffy said last night:--
"Cleanse me and save me, Cleanse me and save me, Wash all my sins away.""
The lady smiled when Christie said this, and seemed very pleased.
"I am so glad you know of the only way to be washed white," said the lady. "These snowdrops always make me think of the souls washed white in the blood of Jesus."
Then the lady and little Mabel pa.s.sed on, and Christie looked down very tenderly on the flowers. How he _would_ love them now! He turned his steps homewards at once, for he did not want the snowdrops to fade before they reached old Treffy. How fair, and clean, and pure they looked! So different to the smoke and dirt of the noisy court. Christie was almost afraid lest the thick air might soil them as he carried them through it. Some of the children ran after him and begged for a flower, but he guarded his treasures very carefully till he reached the attic.
And when Christie opened the door, who should be there but the clergyman, sitting beside old Treffy, and talking to him very earnestly!
He stopped to give Christie a kind word, and then he went on with what he was saying. He was telling Treffy about the death of Jesus, and how it is that the blood of Jesus can wash away all sin.
"I can"t see that it"s all right with me," said Treffy, in a trembling voice; "it seems dark and dim to me yet. I don"t feel that I"ve got it; I can"t feel happy."
"Treffy," said the clergyman, suddenly, "do you think I would tell you a lie?"
"No, sir," said old Treffy; "I"m sure you wouldn"t; I could see it in your face, sir, if nowhere else. No, sir, I"d trust you anywhere."
"Now, Treffy," said the clergyman, taking a half-crown from his pocket, "I"ve brought this for you. You cannot work now, and you need many things you cannot get; I will give you this money to buy them with."
"Thank you, sir," said old Treffy, the tears running down his cheeks; "I can never thank you enough. We are very badly off just now, Christie and me."
"Stop, Treffy," said the clergyman, "it isn"t yours yet, you must take it."
Treffy put out his trembling old hand, and took the half-crown, with another murmur of thanks.
"Do you feel that you"ve got it, Treffy?" said the clergyman.
"Yes, sir, it"s here," said old Treffy.
"Are you sure you"ve got it, Treffy?" said the clergyman again.
"Yes, sir," said Treffy, in a bewildered voice, "I know I have; I don"t know what you mean, sir."
"I will tell you what I mean," said the clergyman. "The dear Lord Jesus has come into this room just as I have, Treffy. He has brought a gift for you, just as I did. His gift has cost Him far more than mine cost me; it has cost Him His life. He has come close to you, as I came, and He says to you, as I said: "Old Treffy, can you trust Me? do you think I would tell you a lie?" And then He holds out His gift, as I did, Treffy, and He says, "Take it; it is for you." Now, Treffy, what have you to do with this gift? Just exactly what you did with mine. You have not to work for it, or wait for it. You have just to put out your hand and take it. Do you know what the gift is?"
Treffy did not answer, so the clergyman went on:--
"It is the forgiveness of your sin, Treffy; it is the clean heart, for which you are longing; it is the right to enter into "Home, sweet Home,"
for which you have been praying, Treffy; will you take the gift?"
"I want to take it," said old Treffy, "but I don"t know how."
"Did you stop to think _how_ you were to take _my_ gift, Treffy?"
"No," said the old man, "I just took it."
"Yes," said the clergyman, "exactly; and that is what you must do with the Lord"s gift; you must just take it."
[Ill.u.s.tration: Christie and Master Treffy.]
"Would it have pleased me, Treffy," said the clergyman, "if you had pulled your hand back and said, "Oh, no, sir! I don"t deserve it; I don"t believe you would ever give it to me; I can"t take it yet?""