"
If we talk of heaven on earth, surely they talk of earth in heaven;
and if the angels are glad when a sinner repents, they must also feel
joy in the joy and justification of the righteous. And though Martha
and Ben's friends and neighbors were rough and illiterate, they sang
the songs of Zion, and spoke the language of the redeemed, and they
gathered round the happy son and mother with the unselfish sympathy
of the sons and daughters of God. Truly, as the rector said, when
speaking of the meeting, "There is something very humanizing in
Methodism."
"And something varry civilizing, too, parson," answered the squire;
"if they hedn't been in t' Methodist chapel, singing and praising God,
they 'ud hev been in t' ale-house, drinking and dancing, and varry
like quarreling. There's no need to send t' constable to a Methodist
rejoicing. I reckon Mary Clough'll hev to marry Ben Craven in t' long
run, now."
"I think so. Ben is to open the mill again, and to have charge of it
for Mary. It seems a likely match."
"Yes. I'm varry glad. Things looked black for Ben at one time."
"Only we don't know what is bad and what good."
"It's a great pity we don't. It 'ud be a varry comfortable thing when
affairs seemed a' wrong if some angel would give us a call, and tell
us we were a bit mistaken.
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