Page:Ballantyne--The Battery and the Boiler.djvu/251

 Robin was silent for some time, as he thought of his own mother and the talks he used to have with her on this same subject.

"Letta," he said at length, earnestly, "Jesus will be in heaven. It was His Spirit who taught you to love mamma as you do, so you are sure to meet her there with Him."

"Nobody taught me to love mamma," returned the child quietly; "I couldn't help it."

"True, little one, but it was God who made you to—'couldn't help it.

Letta was puzzled by this reply. She raised her bright eyes inquiringly into Robin's honest face, and said, "But you 've promised to take me to her, you know."

"Yes, dear little one, but you must not misunderstand me," replied the youth somewhat sadly. "I promise that, God helping me, I will do the best I can to find out where your mother is; but you must remember that I have very little to go on. I don't even know your mother's name, or the place where you were taken from. By the way, an idea has just occurred to me. Have you any clothes at the cave?"

"Of course I have," answered Letta, with a merry laugh.

"Yes; but I mean the clothes that you had on when you first came here."