104 Darknefs and Light.

can give patience and cheerfulnefs and comfort to
thofe that do not grumble and repine.

Madeline only exacted one promife from her
hufband, namely, that he would not allow the
doétors to ufe any very fevere and violent meafures
with her little boy, and this being fettled, the
ftruggled to bear the trouble with refignation.
After the firft alternations of hopes and fears were
over, the Mother’s mind took a new turn. “It
is our chief duty now,” fhe faid, “to make our
child’s life as happy as it is poffible to be with
blindnefs, and therefore,”’ added fhe to the elder
children, “ we muft try our beft to teach him to
do all the nice things he can without feeing.”
That day fhe afked him to come and hold worfted
‘for her to wind, and he was quite delighted to find
that with fome blunders, and once or twice flip-
ping it off his fingers, he could manage it very
well. Then the children undertook to teach him
how to play at ball, and you cannot think how
clever he became. At firft certainly they had al-
ways to pick up his ball for him when it fell, and
who was not glad to do it for poor brother Rode-
rick? but by degrees he could judge by the found
in what direction it had tumbled, and he would
often fucceed in finding it before any one could
come up to it. Then there was laughing and
fcrambling without end. Reading aloud to him
was the eafieft thing of all, but the little folks
were not fatisfied with that alone. They made a
fort of pet of the blind brother, and were as proud