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Show 102 UNCLE TOM'S CABIN : OR, that I ought to do; and you are so unwilling to have me speak a. word on this subject. But it must come; there 's no putting it off. Do be willing I should speak now! " "My child, I am willing!" said St. Clare, covering his eyes with one hand, and holding up Eva's hand with the other. "Then, I want to sec all our people together. I have some things I 1nust sa.y to them," said Eva. " WeU," said St. Clare, in a. tone of dry endurance. Miss Ophelia despatched a messenger, and soon the whole of the servants were convened in the room. Eva lay back on her pillows; her hair hanging loosely about her face, her crimson checks contrasting painfully with the intense whiteness of her complexion and the thin contour of her limbs and features, aml her large, soul-like eyes fixed earnestly on every one. The servants were struck with a sudden emotion. Tho spiritual face, the long Jocks of hair cut off and lying by her, her father's averted face, and ~farie's sobs, struck at once upon the feelings of a sensitive and impressible race; and, as they came in, they looked one on another, sighed, and shook their heads. There was a deep silence, like that of a funeral. Eva raised herself, and looked long and earnestly Tound at every one. All looked sad and apprehensive. Many of the women hid their faces in their aprons. " I sent for you all, my dear friends/' said Eva., ''because I love you. I love you all; and I have something to say to you, which I want you always to remember ...... I am going to leave you. In a few more weeks, you will see me no more-'' 103 Here the child was interrupted by bursts of groans, sobs, and lamentations, which broke from all present, and in which her slender voice was lost entirely. She waited a. moment, and then, speaking in a tone that checked the sobs of all, she sa1d, " If you love me, you must not interrupt me so. Listen to what I say. I want to speak to you about your souls. · . . . . ~Ian y of you, I am afraid, nrc very careless. You arc thinking only about this world. I want you to remember that there is a beautiful world, where Jesus is. I am going there, and you can go there. It is for you, as much as me. But, if you want to go there, you must not live idle, careless, thoughtless lives. You must be Christians. You must remember that each one of you can become angels, and be angels· forever . . ... If you want to be Christians, Jesus will help you. You must pray to him; you must read-" 'l'he child checked herself, looked piteously at them, and said, sorrowfully, "0, dear ! you can't read,-poor souls !" and she hid her face in tho pillow and sobbed, while many a smothered sob from those she was addressing, who were kneeling on the floor, aroused her. " Never mind," she saill, raising her face and smiling brightly through her tears, "I have prayed for you; and I know Jesus will help you, even if you can't read. Try all to do tho best you can; pray every day; ask Him to help you, and get tho Bible read to you whenever you can; and I think I shall sec you all in heaven." "Amen," was the murmured response from the lips of Tom and Mammy, and some of the elder ones, who belonged to the Methodist church. Tho younger and more thoughtless ones, |
