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The charge of the houses remained to be thought of; the father

received the keys of them; Agnes, on consigning hers, thought

with a sigh, that there was no need of keys, the house was open,

the devil had been there, and it was doubtful if there remained

any thing to be cared for.

"Before you go," said the father, "let us pray together to the

Lord, that he may be with you in this journey, and always, and

above all, that he may give you strength to submit cheerfully to

that which he has ordained." So saying, he knelt down; all did

the same. Having prayed a few moments in silence, he pronounced

with a low but distinct voice the following words: "We pray thee

also for the wretched man who has brought us to this state. We

should be unworthy of thy mercy if we did not earnestly solicit

it for him: he has most need of it. We, in our sorrow, have the

consolation of trusting in thee; we can still offer thee our

supplications, with thankfulness. But he-he is an enemy to thee!

Oh wretched man! He dares to strive against thee: have pity on

him, O Lord! touch his heart, soften his rebellious will, and

bestow on him all the good we would desire for ourselves."