John’s Troubles. 43

 

How could Johnnie look so bright after all
that trouble? Stephen wondered, as the three
went off very quietly to church together. He
felt unhappy for his brother and for himself;
he could not forget what he had suffered that
morning.

But people who cannot get over their
troubles quickly perhaps learn the more from
them ; so Stephen had some advantage over
his brother.

It was a lovely evening when they came
out of church; the sun had set, but had left
a great deal of light behind him in the sky—
a soft, low light that made everything look
beautiful.

It had not been a very happy day, Stephen
thought ; but the evening seemed so pleasant
and still, as if it would make up for all that
had gone wrong. He would have felt almost
happy again, as the three walked along to-
gether, but for the thought of to-morrow.

Had not his aunt said that he must begin
going to day-school to-morrow? And how
dreadful that would be, if the Sunday-school
had been so bad!

Stephen’s dreams that night were disturbed
with visions of troubles in school ; sometimes
the boys were teasing, sometimes the rector