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"Matt shall go some day," she answered, soothingly.

"Matt wants to go now," he replied.

His friend took him out on to the sands, and sat down with him. She tried to explain that some day God would certainly send for him; for she could only convey to him the notion of change of place, not of death. When Matt was once convinced that he should be sent for some day, he was very urgent to know what day; and when, after a great deal of trouble, his friend made him understand that she did not know what day, but that it might be any day, he sat long silent on the sand, as if pondering, and then got up and began to move towards the cottage.

"What does Matt want?" asked his friend.

The boy looked at his hands, and replied, with calm and touching simplicity, "Matt must have his hands washed." Why? -- the lady wondered why; but she said nothing, she only rose and followed him. He had found the woman of the house when she entered, the mother of little Becca, and was explaining to her that his hands must be washed, -- that God would send for Matt some day, perhaps it would be that day, and that Matt must be ready.

The woman no sooner understood what he meant than she sat down, threw her apron over her head, and began to cry bitterly; but little Becca was willing to indulge the boy's fancy. She accordingly, fetched some water and some soap, and carefully washed his hands. But that done, he yet stood still, as if expecting something more, till she asked him what he wanted; then he answered, with a kind of glad but solemn expectancy, "Matt must have his new cap on; Matt wants his fur cap."

"No, Matt must not have his best cap," answered the child, "except on Sundays, to go to church in." But Matt entreated in his piteous way, and the tears rolled down his cheeks, till at last the lady begged that his new cap might be fetched; and when it appeared he was contented, and went gently out of the door, and looked up between the clouds, softly repeating that God would send for Matt some day; perhaps it would be to-day, and Matt must be ready, -- Matt must always be ready.

"His poor aunt should have managed better," said Becca's mother, who had followed them out of doors. "She might have known, if she said God had sent for his grandfather, that Matt would take her exactly at her word. Howsoever, it's of no use trying to explain it to him ; and least of all trying to make out that it was not that, but something different. The boy must not be contradicted, -- that would only confuse him more; but," she added, "it does seem a gloomy thing that he should always be expecting his death, and always keeping himself ready for it."

"Does it seem a gloomy thing?" asked the lady.

"Why, yes, ma'am; I'm sure it would quite mope me to be so frequently thinking about death."

"Not if you felt that you were ready and were always desirous to keep yourself ready."

"But why should one, ma'am," answered the woman, thoughtlessly, "so long before the time?"

"Ah, Mrs. Letts, we cannot tell that it is long before the time. Are we not told, 'Be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh?'"

"Yes, ma'am; and Mr. Green a very little time ago preached a discourse on that text. A very beautiful discourse it was; but I never thought people had to get ready for death just as they get ready for paying their rent, or, as one may say, to lay up wood to be ready for the winter."

"Why not? Must we not all die as surely as we must pay our rent? Is not death as certain to come as winter?"

"Yes, sure, ma'am."

"Then the only difference in our preparing should be, that death being more important than those other things which you mention, we should prepare for it much more earnestly, seriously, and constantly."

"Yes, ma'am, that's what I meant. We should prepare at proper, solemn times, -- on Sundays when we have time to think of these solemn things, and not be mixing it up with our work, every day."

"Mrs. Letts, if you had earned no money as yet to pay your rent, and knew it must be paid on a certain day, should you say to yourself, 'This is a very serious matter; I must not think of it now that I am busy with my work, -- I must wait till I have a quiet hour; for it is a very important thing, and not to be thought of excepting at particular times?'"

"Why, no, ma'am; of course I should think of it early and late! Well, ma'am, perhaps you are right, -- in short, I am sure you are; but it is not very easy for poor folks to think about religion and death as much as those who have nothing to do. However, poor Matt has few enough things to think about, and if it pleases him to think of being fetched to a better world, why, let him do it."

"Oh yes, let him do it," replied Matt's friend; "I believe he is ready whenever it may please the Almighty to summon him; and the time may not be so long that he will become impatient."

"I'm sure a long life is not to be desired for him," observed the woman; "for he suffers a great deal in the cold weather." So saying, she brought the boy into her cottage, and the lady took her leave.