She felt a double grief, as if his death and
his words together were twice depriving her of parents. Yielding
to her feelings, the poor girl went aside and wept.
The very opposite emotions of the two girls kept both silent for
a long time. Judith gave water to the sufferer frequently, but
she forbore to urge him with questions, in some measure out of
consideration for his condition, but, if truth must be said, quite
as much lest something he should add in the way of explanation
might disturb her pleasing belief that she was not Thomas Hutter's
child. At length Hetty dried her tears, and came and seated herself
on a stool by the side of the dying man, who had been placed at
his length on the floor, with his head supported by some coarse
vestments that had been left in the house.
"Father," she said "you will let me call you father, though you say
you are not one - Father, shall I read the Bible to you - mother
always said the Bible was good for people in trouble. She was
often in trouble herself, and then she made me read the Bible to
her - for Judith wasn't as fond of the Bible as I am - and it always
did her good. Many is the time I've known mother begin to listen
with the tears streaming from her eyes, and end with smiles and
gladness.
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