"Blessed are the meek."--ST. MATTHEW v. 5.
"He that humbleth himself shall be exalted." ST. LUKE xviii. 14.
"You are quite a contradiction, that you are!" was the exclamation of
Harriet Mannering to her sister. And she continued, "You are not too
proud to wear a cotton dress and coarse straw bonnet, and even to be seen
in them by the very persons who knew us when we had a carriage; and yet
you will not accept these presents from Mrs. Somerton."
"I do not accept these fine clothes, Harriet," replied her sister Mary,
"because, however kind the gift, Mrs. Somerton only provides me with
them, that I might visit at her house in a suitable manner; and I do not
think it would be my duty to leave poor papa, even for one day, in his
present helpless state. You are the elder, Harriet, and must act for
yourself, but I have decided."
Mr. Mannering had been a wealthy merchant; but from one of those sudden
reverses of which we so often hear, he had lost his whole fortune. To
add to his affliction, his eyesight had been for some time failing him,
in consequence, it was thought, of intense application to business; and
about the period of his unfortunate speculation, he became totally blind.
He had been for many years a widower, but his daughters, when these
calamities reached him, were respectively about seventeen and eighteen
years of age.
From a large and commodious house, with many servants, and every luxury,
they were obliged to retire into humble lodgings, living even thus only
upon an allowance made by a distant relative.
The circumstance of Mr. Mannering's blindness threw much of the
responsibility of management and direction upon Harriet and Mary, though
theirs was an early age at which to be so placed. For though, it is
true, they could ask his advice on every passing circumstance, they very
often refrained from doing so, because, in their changed condition, most
of these very occurrences would, if related to Mr. Mannering, have had
the effect of reminding him, very painfully, of his present poverty.
In the days of their prosperity, it would have been difficult to decide
which of the two girls was the more amiable.
Both of them were affectionate and obedient; both of them were kind to
the poor; and yet, a very keen observer might have discerned, that in
Harriet's visits, or gifts of charity, she was actuated by a
vain-glorious feeling of _pride_ and self-satisfaction at the benefits
she was conferring, which, in the sight of the All-wise Judge, must have
cancelled the merit of her good action; while, on the contrary, Mary's
heart turned in _humble_ thankfulness to God for allowing her to be the
instrument of His mercy, not unaccompanied by a prayer, to assist her
endeavours to perform her duty in that station of life to which it might
please Him to call her. We shall see, presently, how much more strongly
in adversity each characteristic of mind showed itself.
To Harriet's proud nature the loss of fortune had been a sore affliction.
It had cost her bitter tears to resign her spacious elegant home, the
many servants, and the pleasant carriages; she desired no more to be seen
by those whom she could not now rival in appearance; and yet, when she
and her family mixed with strangers, her offended pride rose in
indignation at the lower station they were obliged to take.
But, though there was sorrow in Mary's heart, there was no rebellion
there. Her father's blindness was so great an affliction, that it seemed
to swallow up every other; yet even to this she bowed with trusting
piety, remembering, in the words of Job, that "the Lord gave, and the
Lord hath taken away."
Long before the days of their adversity, Mary wrote the following
verses--I do not think they have much poetical merit, but they have
sincerity in them, and there is one line which shows, I think, that Mary,
young as she was, already watched her heart, lest that fatal pride should
invade it; that sin by which, we are told, Satan fell from his high
place, and which, on earth, is sure to lead to selfishness and impiety.