So favorable an opinion from such an authority greatly relieved the
apprehensions of the family; all but the incensed father, who would neither
talk nor allow others to talk to him about the absent one for several
weeks.

All these were not only precious weeks to Elizabeth, but lengthened out a
most valuable epoch of her life. At length the wily parson succeeded
in getting to the stormy heart of this enraged and unhappy father, and
portrayed in glowing colors the clearness of Miss Elizabeth's "effectual
call" and "blessed hope," and managed to bridge over "that awful slough of
Methodism" by descanting gravely upon some of the "mysterious leadings of
sovereign grace." "And now, if our dear lamb of the Saviour can be rescued
from those deluded people and carefully instructed in 'the doctrines of
grace,' what an ornament she would be to our church with such a brilliant
experience, and such 'a burning and shining light!'"

Whether the hard heart of that father relented, or whether, weary of
brooding over his disappointed hopes of a worldly sort, his pride saw
prospect of indulgence in another direction, we leave it for subsequent
events to determine. The kind parson was successful, and Elizabeth was soon
ordered to return home.




CHAPTER IV.


ORDER OBEYED.