156 PEARLS AND PEBBLES. 



although I had not then known the pang of a bereaved 

 mother's heart. God gave me that trial in after years. 

 I could only mingle my tears with hers, and even that 

 human sympathy was something to the grieving heart. 

 Once she looked down upon her arm and cried, " It used 

 to lie here, and I shall never feel it here sae near to my 

 ain heart again." 



Jessie never forgot that babe ; it lay very near to her 

 warm motherly heart long after it had been forgotten 

 by everyone but her. 



The next day was the Sabbath, and the child's funeral 

 was to take place at noon. The door being open I 

 entered the darkened room without knocking. I shall 

 never forget the feeling of solemn awe that came over 

 me as I crossed the threshold from the bright noonday 

 sunshine into the hushed gloom of the house of 

 mourning. 



There was no funeral pomp or display, no outward 

 demonstration. A table in the centre of the room was 

 covered with a damask cloth of snowy whiteness ; beside 

 it sat the child's father, a grave respectable Scotchman, 

 in black, his hat craped and tied with the white ribbon 

 symbol of the youth and innocence of the dead babe- 

 A large Bible lay before him. He just raised his head 

 from the book as my shadow fell upon the page, and 

 bowed reverently and in silence as I passed over to 

 where the mother bent above the little coffin. 



I see her now in her black dress, her fair hair, like a 



