'Enclosed please find the wherewithal for Lisa's next step higher.
As she needs more it will come. I give it for sheer gratitude, as
the good folk gave their pennies to Pastor Von Bodelschwingh. Why am
I grateful? For your existence, to be sure! I had lived my life
haunted by the feeling that there was such a woman, and finally the
mysterious wind of destiny blew me to her, "as the tempest brings the
rose-tree to the pollard willow."
'Do not be troubled about me, little mother-of-many! There was once
upon a time a common mallow by the roadside, and being touched by
Mohammed's garment as he passed, it was changed at once into a
geranium; and best of all, it remained a geranium for ever after.
'YOUR SOLITARY.'
CHAPTER XVI--CLEANSING FIRES
It was the afternoon of the day before Christmas, and all the little
people had gone home, leaving the room vacant for the decking of the
Wonderful Tree. Edith, Helen, and others were perched on step-
ladders, festooning garlands and wreaths from window to window and
post to post. Mary and Rhoda were hanging burdens of joy among the
green branches of the tree.
The room began to look more and more lovely as the evergreen stars
were hung by scarlet ribbons in each of the twelve windows, and the
picture-frames were crowned with holly branches.
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