MRS. STEADFAST'. el’,

“He is a fine lad,’ muttered Mrs. Steadfast, as she watched him.
“I hope he will persevere. Other lads, as beautiful as he, have come
to this house, and I have sent them on their way with good cheer, and
with all the words of encouragement I could think of. I often
wonder, often, often, if they have reached the country beyond the
Mountains. The sad part of my life is this, that I never know
whether the children who come to this cottage have got to the end
of the journey in safety or not. Some day I suppose I shall learn
the truth, for I love all the children who come to me here.”

She turned as she spoke to bend over Cowslip. Cowslip had a
pretty pale face. She was a very slight child, and looked as if even
a breath of rough wind might blow her away.

“But these are the sort who often come off best in the end,”
murmured Mrs. Steadfast. “The King makes the way light to such
as these. I know I am fulfilling the wishes of the King when I
let this dear little one have her sleep out.”

 

SE, E UERMORCRENITO