THE lantern came nearer, and we saw that a man was carrying it. He was running very fast, and several more people were running after him.
As soon as they came up to the house, the man began to collect all the buckets and cans that he could find, and he, and a great many more men and women, ran off to bring water from a stream about a quarter of a mile away, to put the fire out.
But one of the people who had come with the lantern stopped behind. It was a lady in a long cloak. We watched her peeping about all round the house, as if she were looking for something, and then we saw her speaking to Emma, who was just going away for water. Emma pointed to the hedge where we were sitting, and we saw the lady coming towards as.
‘Olive,’ said Melville to me, ‘I think it must be the Primrose Lady!’
Yes, it was the Primrose Lady, and she was looking for us.
‘You poor little wet things!’ she said when she came up to us. You must come home with me. Where is your mother ?’
We told her that mother was helping to put out the fire, so she went to look for her, and then she brought mother back with her, and we all set off together for the Primrose Lady’s house. Mother carried the baby, and the lady took Freddy and Walter and Melville, and Charlie and I ran after them.
It was a very long way to the house, and we were all so tired when we got there. We had to go up a steep hill, and then we came to the Primrose Lady’s house. It was too dark for us to see what the house was like outside, but when we got inside, the lamps were lighted, and we could see that it was a very large house indeed, much bigger than Uncle John’s.
The lady took us into a beautiful room, where there was a large, blazing fire, and a kind servant came and helped to take off our wet clothes. Then we were dressed up in long nightgowns that were much too big for us, and we sat round the fire, wrapped in shawls, and had some warm bread and milk.
But when Freddy was eating his bread and milk he fell fast asleep, so mother carried him to bed. There were beds for all of us, made quite ready, and we were so glad to be tucked up in them and go to sleep.
Melville was to sleep in a little dressing room which opened out of my room.
‘I am sure the Primrose Lady is the kindest lady in all the world!’ I heard him say to mother as she was tucking him up.
And mother said, ‘Yes, I am sure God will bless her for all she has done for us tonight!’
Then mother had some tea, and went to bed too, and we all slept quite soundly till the middle of the next day.
When I awoke, I could not think at first where I was. It was such a pretty room. There were white curtains with pink roses on them hung before the windows, and pretty pictures in frames on the walls. Little Walter was in bed beside me, fast asleep still.
I jumped up, and looked out of the window. Then I remembered all about the night before. It seemed like a bad dream that I had almost forgotten. But it could not be a dream, for here I was in. the Primrose Lady’s house. The door into Melville’s room was open, so I called to him to come and look out of the window.
Oh, it is such a lovely place! There is a beautiful park in front of the house, and the park goes on as far as the sea.
‘Isn’t it kind of the Primrose Lady to bring us here?’ said Melville.
‘Yes,’ I said; ‘but what shall we call her ? It won’t do to say “Primrose Lady,” will it?’
‘No,’ said Melville; ‘we must ask her.’
After a little time, the lady came into the room, for she heard us moving about, and then I asked her what her name was, and she told us she was Miss Howard. She laughed very much when she heard that Melville and I always called her ‘the Primrose Lady.’
Then we got dressed, and went downstairs. It is such a large house, such long passages, and each a large hall, and such great, high rooms.
‘It must be quite as big as the Queen’s palace,’ Melville whispered to me, as we went into dining room.
Mother had just come downstairs. She was very tired, but very thankful. She said she felt as if she could not thank God enough, for taking such care of us last night. Mother says she is sure it was God that made her wake just in time for us to get out of the house. She was sleeping so soundly, and she so seldom wakes in the night, but last night she awoke quite suddenly, and then she saw the light. At first she thought it was only moonlight, and she turned over to go to sleep again. But then she felt that she must get up and see what it was. Mother is sure it was God that made her do that.
It is very wonderful, to think that God is so near us, watching all we do, and taking care of us, by night and day. He must love us very much, to think of us so often.
Whilst we were having our breakfast, everybody talked about the fire. There were a great many ladies and gentlemen staying in the house, and they all wanted to hear about it.
But there was one thing which had happened of which mother did not like to talk, and that was about old Colin; for poor old Colin had been burnt to death, and his body had been found, all charred and burnt amongst the ruins. He slept in the room over the stable, and the roof had fallen in before mother woke.
We all felt very solemn when we heard this, for we might all have been burnt to death, just like old Colin.
When we were alone with mother after breakfast, she began to talk about it, and she said she wondered so very much where old Colin’s soul was.
And then mother said, ‘Oh, Melville and Olive, if I had not waked last night, I wonder so very much whether you would have been with Jesus now. Do you think you would ?’
We did not say anything, so mother told us to sit down beside her, as she wanted to have a little talk with us. And then she told us how anxious she was about us. She said knew we loved her, and that we were good children, and very obedient and loving, but that was not enough. Mother thought we were quite old enough now to come to the Lord Jesus for ourselves, and to take Jesus for our own Saviour, and she could not rest till she knew we had done this.
‘Oh, darling children,’ she exclaimed, ‘it is hard enough to leave you in England and be parted for several years, but how dreadful it would be if we were parted for ever!’
Mother said a great deal more than this, but I cannot remember more just now. Melville and I sat still for a minute or two after mother had gone, thinking about it.
‘I believe mother thinks,’ said Melville, ‘that if we had died last night we should not have gone to heaven. I never thought about that before.’
I began to wonder very much how I could come to Jesus. I felt as if I would do anything to know that I had come to Him. I thought I would ask mother about it, the very next time that she and I were alone together.