THE PALE BELL OF THE HEATH. 285 



baster of kindred purity ; it was not even the tran- 

 quil expression of its placid brow, not the soft 

 smile that gently dimpled its little budding mouth, 

 nor the assurance of its delighted mother, that so 

 sweet and calm a temper she had never traced in 

 any infant : No : it was a character spread over 

 the babe, of something so pure, so holy, so far re- 

 moved from weak and wayward mortality, that 

 while I gazed on her, my tears burst forth, partly 

 from the irresistible conviction that I was looking 

 upon a thing of heaven, and partly from the un- 

 avoidable association of those thoughts with a 

 coming scene of maternal lamentation and woe. 



Does any reader deem this a fanciful impres- 

 sion? then I will relate the simple fact, that subse- 

 quent to the realization of my forebodings, I met 

 a dear Christian friend, who told me that, having 

 about the same time seen the infant, she was so 

 deeply struck by what I am vainly trying to de- 

 scribe, that she remarked to her husband, on leav- 

 ing the house, how strong was her conviction, that 

 the stamp of heaven was upon it, and that it would 

 be very early removed to its home. In reply, he 

 expressed his surprise that her secret thoughts 

 should have so exactly corresponded with his own. 



It may be asked, if in one case, the image of 

 heavenly things be visible on an infant about to be 

 received into glory, why not in many — in all ? I 

 would reply, that among those who are taken 



