'Your Aunt Marion brought the frock up to the nursery last night, and said that you were to put it on. So I looked out a fresh tie and gloves for Master Roland, so that he might not be left out. And if it keeps fine, you can go down to the lodge to-day.'

'But we shall go to church, shan't we?'

'Oh no, your aunt said she couldn't hear of it. But if you're good children, I'll take you down that way this afternoon, and you can peep in and see the pretty flowers. James says it is lovely, and he has sent a lot of flowers himself.'

Roland and Olive went downstairs to greet their aunts in great excitement. They were to have breakfast in the dining-room for a treat, and when they caught sight of the glittering gla.s.s and silver, with great bowls and vases of golden daffodils in the centre of the table, Olive exclaimed,--

'It's going to be a lovely day, Roland, from the very beginning! I wish our breakfast table in the nursery was like this!'

[Ill.u.s.tration]

'Olive looks very well in that little serge frock,' remarked Miss Amabel presently, looking across at her little niece with approval in her eyes; 'she is getting quite a pink colour in her cheeks, and has lost that pinched, peaky look. I really think the measles did them both good!'

'And does Roland look nice too?' asked Olive quietly, being quite accustomed to personal remarks from her aunts, 'because he has got a new tie on. It's a pretty blue one.'

'Does everybody wear something new on Easter Sunday?' Roland asked quickly.

'It's an old superst.i.tion, dear; no, everybody does not.'

'Why ought we to wear new things?' demanded Olive.

'Why, Olive, of course it's because it's the proper time,' answered Roland. 'Easter is when people get their new bodies, and the flowers are all new.'

Olive was quite satisfied with this explanation.

Miss Sibyl, who did not seem quite as bright as usual, looked at them with wistful eyes. After breakfast was over she took Olive into the garden with her. The child begged to be told the 'Easter story,' and Miss Sibyl tried to oblige her, saying as she did so, 'But you know it much better than I do.'

When she had finished her rather halting narrative, Olive looked up and added,--

'So everybody dried their tears and were very happy, because they knew Jesus would never die again.'

Then after a pause she asked, 'Why didn't Jesus always stay down in the world, Aunt Sibyl? Why did He go back to heaven so soon?'

'I think He told us He had finished His work, my dear.'

'What work?'

'Well--dying on the cross for us. He came down from heaven to do that.

When He had died for our sins, He went back to heaven.'

'But He came out of His grave first!' said the child triumphantly.

Their conversation was interrupted by Roland, who came flying out of the house.

'Aunt Marion has changed her mind; she says we can go to church, Olive.

Come along and tell nurse!'

Olive scampered into the house, and Miss Sibyl walked along, thinking deeply. For some weeks past she had been anxious and ill at ease. She realized how fruitless and empty her life had been, but could not see how to remedy it. Her own words to Olive came back to her,--

'He had finished His work. When He had died for our sins He went back to heaven.'

'Has He indeed died for mine?' she murmured. 'Can I trust Him like these innocent little ones to "wash me and make me whiter than snow"?

Oh, I wish I could, I wish I could!'

She was very silent on the way to church; not even the glee of the children could distract her thoughts.

Roland and Olive thoroughly enjoyed themselves; the sweet spring flowers in the church, the joyous Easter hymns, and the familiar story read once again by the rector, satisfied their little souls. They sat with radiant faces in the family pew, and when they caught sight of Bob singing away with tearful eyes and a happy smile in the village choir, they nodded across at him with great satisfaction.

Miss Sibyl came into church with a burden upon her soul; but when the Easter anthem fell upon her ear, she listened with more interest than she had ever felt in it before. 'Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin: but alive unto G.o.d through Jesus Christ our Lord.' What did it mean? And then with a burst of triumph the words came to her: 'For as in Adam all die: even so in Christ shall all be made alive.'

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Like a flash of light Miss Sibyl saw it all, and then and there her poor dead soul reached hold of its Saviour, and life--that 'life more abundant,'--flooded the empty corners of her anxious heart.

The service over, the children begged their aunt's permission to speak to Bob.

Seizing hold of his hands, they led him to his graves.

'Let's come and see them, Mr. Bob, first, and then we'll see your lilies. Do tell us. Have they come out? We have been ill such a long time, and they wouldn't let us come and see you before. Isn't it a lovely day? And hasn't it all come true about the flowers? We never thought England could have such pretty ones. Oh, I hope the winter will never come again!'

'Eh, my dears, how you run on! Old Bob has missed you sure enough, and as for his lilies, well, you shall see them, for 'tis my custom to do the same every year.'

He paused as they came in sight of those gra.s.sy mounds, and the children pressed forward with eagerness. There on each mound stood one of the 'ugly flower pots,' but the pot itself was sunk in a bed of moss, and a lovely pure white lily raised its glorious head in the sunshine. Five lilies stood on the five graves, and old Bob, gazing at them through a mist of tears, said in a solemn tone, '"And white robes were given unto every one of them, and it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little season." Life out of death, my dears. That is the lesson of those lilies. The good Lord has never failed to teach me from them every Easter.'

The children stood awed and silent, then Roland said timidly,--

'But this Easter hasn't brought the dead people to life, only the flowers.'

'It has brought a dead soul to life, which is even better.'

The old man and the children turned at the murmured voice; but Miss Sibyl pa.s.sed them quickly by, and tears were dropping as she went.

Finis.