Again "Yes, sir"--came modestly from several lips.
"Do you find any ill come from it?"
"Yes, sir, a little," said a girl who might have been two or three years older than Matilda. "You get made game of, and scolded, sometimes. And they say you are lofty, or mean. Sometimes they say one to me, and sometimes the other."
"And they plague a feller," said a boy; "the worst kind."
"Is it hard to bear?"
"I think it _is_," said the girl; and one or two of the boys said again, "Yes, sir."
"Reckon you"d think so, if you tried, teacher," another put in. "They rolled Sam in the mud, the other day. There was six of "em, you see, and he hadn"t no chance."
"Sam, how did it feel? And how did you feel?"
"Teacher, "twarn"t easy to feel right."
"Could you manage it?"
"I guess not, at first. But afterwards I remembered."
"What did you remember?"
"I remembered they didn"t know no better, sir."
"I think you are mistaken. They knew they were doing wrong; _how_ wrong, I suppose they did not know. Well, Sam--"if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify G.o.d on this behalf." Were you ashamed?"
"No, sir."
"G.o.d says, "Them that honour me, I will honour;" and,--"Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." The honour that he gives will be real honour. It is worth while waiting for it.
Now our time will be up in two minutes--Peter, what lesson do you get from all this? for yourself?"
"To be more careful, sir."
"Of what, my boy?"
"Careful not to have anything to do with bad ways."
"Can"t be too careful; the temptation comes strong. Ellen, what is _your_ lesson?"
"I never saw before how much a good example is."
"Ay. G.o.d often is pleased to make it very much. Well, d.i.c.k."
"Teacher, I don"t think New York is like that "ere place."
"Don"t you? Why not?"
"Folks can"t get along that way in _our_ streets."
"How do you find it, Sam? and what is your conclusion from the lesson."
"I wish I was more like Dan"l, teacher."
"So I wish. You and I are agreed, Sam. And Daniel"s G.o.d is ours, remember. Heath?"
"They was rum fellers, teacher, them "ere."
"That is your conclusion. Well! so some people thought then. But Daniel and his fellows came to glory. What have you to say, Joanna?"
"I think I hain"t been keerful enough, teacher."
"Robert?"
"I think it is best to let go everything else and trust G.o.d."
"You"ll make no mistake so, my boy. Sarah, what is the lesson to you?"
The girl, a very poorly dressed one, hesitated, and then said a little falteringly,--
"It"s nice to be clean inside, teacher."
The teacher paused a moment also before his eye came to Matilda, and then it was very soft.
"What does my new scholar say?"
Matilda struggled with herself, looked down and looked up, and met the kind eyes again.
"One must be willing to be unlike the world," she said.
"Is it easy?"
"I think it is very hard, sir."
"Do you find it so, my friend?" he asked, his eye going on to Norton.
But the bell rang just then; and in the bustle of rising and finding the hymn Norton contrived to escape the answering and yet without being rude.
As they were turning away, after the services were ended, Matilda felt a light touch on her shoulder and her teacher said quietly, "Wait." She stood still, while he went up to speak to somebody. All the other children pa.s.sed out, and she was quite alone when Mr. Wharncliffe came back to her.
"Which way are you going?"
"Down the avenue, sir."
"What avenue?"
"Blessington avenue. But only to 40th street."
"Let us go together."