Ready



549



bright fire burned in the well-ventilated though small
room, the bed was snowy white, the apartment alto-
gether thoroughly comfortable. But-Jenkins I
  Fully occupied with his work for Mr. Galloway, it
was several days since Arthur had called on Jenkins,
and the change he now saw in his face struck him
sharply. The skin was glazed and drawn, the eyes
were unnaturally bright, the cheeks had fallen in;
certainly there could not be very many hours of life
left to Jenkins. A smile sat on his parched lips, and
his eyelashes became moist as he looked up to Arthur,
and held out his feeble hand.
  " I knew you would be cleared, sir! I knew that
God would surely bring the right to light! I have
been humbly thanking Him for you, sir, all day."
  Arthur's eyes glistened also as he bent over him.
"You have heard it, then, Jenkins I thought you
would. "
  " Yes, sir, I heard it this morning, when it was
getting towards mid-day. I had a visit, sir, from his
lordship the bishop. I had, indeed ! He came up as
he has done before-as kindly, and with as little
ceremony, as if he had been a poor body like myself.
It was he who first told me, Mr. Arthur."
  " I am glad he came to see you, Jenkins."
  " He talked so pleasantly, sir. ' It is a journey
that we must all take, Jenkins,' he said; ' and for
my part, I think it matters little whether we take it
sooner or later, so that God vouchsafes to us the grace
to prepare for it.' For affability, sir, it was just as
if it had been a brother talking to me; but he said
things different from what any poor brother of mine
could have said, and they gave me comfort. Then he
asked me if I had taken the Sacrament lately; and I
thanked him, and said I had taken it on Sunday last;
our clergyman came round to me after service. Mr.
Arthur "-and poor Jenkins's eyes wore an eager look
of gratitude-" I feel sure that his lordship would
have administered it to me with his own hands. I
wonder whether all the bishops are like him !"
  Arthur did not answer. Jenkins resumed, quitting
the immediate topic for another.
  " And I hear, sir, that Mr. Channing has come home