IT was a fine evening in the beginning of April. A man was walking very quickly through one of the old-fashioned streets of a French town.
He soon reached his home and, before he had time to knock, the door was thrown open and a little boy and girl flung themselves into his arms, exclaiming as they did so, " Good evening, papa, how late you are to-night; we have been waiting for you so long, where have you been?"
Their father kissed them tenderly on both cheeks, but did not answer their questions. They went into the room where supper was prepared, and while they are sitting down we will tell you the names of them First there is Eugène, a merry little fellow, eight years of age, with curly hair and blue eyes, and his sister Louise, a quiet little fair-haired maiden of ten. Then Claude, the tall boy of fifteen who sits next to his mother; while on the other side sits Marguerite, Little Mother,' as she is often called, although she is only thirteen years old.
The family had lived in the town many years, and all the children had been born in the old house, and had grown up as happily as children could, without anything serious to disturb them. They had to learn to read and write, and the girls were taught to work very beautiful embroidery.
The father was generally out all day and the mother and children engaged in various duties, so they always looked forward to supper time as being the happiest time of the whole day; for then the whole family met together, and after they had all given account of how they had spent the day, or how the spring flowers were coming up, and two dear little birds who had built a nest in one of the trees in their Barden were getting so tame as to let them look at them, then the father would always have some new and interesting story to tell them, which, while it made the little ones laugh, had always some useful lesson hidden in it. This evening he was unusually silent.
“You Look tired, Jean," said Madame Clément to her husband.
He raised his head suddenly and then, without appearing to notice her remark, said, “My children, none of you must go out unless your mother or I am with you, not even with Jeannette."
Jeanne or Jeannette, as the children called her, was the old servant who had known and nursed them since they were babies.
“Papa, why should we have to remain all day in the house?" asked Louise in a tone of surprise.
“Ask no questions, little one," said the father, fondly stroking her hair; “you will know one day when you are older."
Just then baby Léon, who had been sleeping in his cradle, awoke, and Madame Clément got up from her seat to take him. Soon after, a bell from the church close by warned the children that bedtime was near. Old Jeanne came in, and the family then sang one of the sweet Huguenot hymns, after which M. Clément in a short prayer commended them all to the care of the great God who never slumbers nor sleeps. The two little ones then kissed their parents and elder brother and sister, and went with Jeanne to be got ready for bed.
“What could papa mean by saying we must not go out?" said Louise.
“Perhaps it was because we were naughty yesterday and ran away from Jeanne when she took us to the farm," said Eugène.
“No," replied his sister, " I am sure that is not the reason, for papa said, You will know when you are older; ' there must be some reason. We will ask papa again to-morrow, for next week is mamma's birthday, and we must get her some of those pretty flowers we saw yesterday."
They laid their heads on their pillows and were soon fast asleep, little thinking, poor children, what a week would bring forth. Had they known that that dear mother's birthday was to bring them the bitterest grief their young hearts had ever known, their rest would scarcely have been so peaceful as it was that night; but their loving heavenly Father covered them with the shadow of His wings while they enjoyed the dreamless sleep of childhood.
But I must tell you a little about the Reformation in France, and the persecutions that were connected with it, that you may better understand this strange order from the father to his children."