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Some of the most grave said to her, Christiana, come in, thou wife of that good man, come in, thou blest one, come in, with all that are with thee.
So she went in, and the rest with her. They then bade them sit down in a large room, where the chief of the house came to see them and to cheer his guests. Then he gave each of them a kiss. But as it was late, and Christiana and the rest were faint with the great fright they had had, they would fain have gone to rest.
Nay, said those of the house, take first some meat; for as Watchful had heard that they were on their way, a lamb had been slain for them When the meal had come to an end, and they had sung a psalm, Christiana said, If we may be so bold as to choose, let us be in that room which was Christian's when he was here.
So they took them there, but ere she went to sleep, Christiana said, I did not think when my poor Christian set off with his load on his back that I should do the same thing.
Mercy: -- No, nor did you think then that you should rest in the same room as he had done.
Christiana: -- And less still to see his dear face once more who was dead and gone, and to praise the Lord the King with him; and yet now I think I shall.
Mercy: -- Do you not hear a noise?
Christiana: -- Hark! as far as I can make out, the sounds we hear come from the lute, the pipe, and the horn.
Mercy: -- Sweet sounds in the house, sweet sounds in the air, sweet sounds in the heart, for joy that we are here.
Thus did Christiana and Mercy chat, and they, then slept.
Now at dawn when they woke up, Christiana said to Mercy: What was it that made you laugh in your sleep last night? Were you in a dream?
Mercy: -- Yes, and a sweet dream it was. But are you sure that I did laugh?
Christiana: -- Yes, you gave a laugh as if from your heart of hearts. Do pray, Mercy, tell it to me.
Mercy: -- I dreamt that I lay in some lone wood to weep and wail, for that my heart should be so hard a one. Now I had not been there long when I thought there were some who had come to hear me speak in my sleep; but I went on with my moans. At this they said with a laugh that I was a fool. Then I saw a Bright One with...
Christiana: -- Laugh! Yes, and so you might, to see how well off you were! For you must give me leave to tell you, that as you find the first part true, so you will find true the last.
Mercy: -- Well, I am glad of my dream, for I hope ere long to see it come to pass, so as to make me laugh once more.
Christiana: -- I think it is now high time to rise, and to know what we must do.
Mercy: -- Pray, if they should ask us to stay, let us by all means do so; for I should much like to know more of these maids. I think Prudence, Piety, and Charity have, each of them, a most choice mien.
Christiana: -- We shall see what they will do.
So they came down.
Then Prudence and Piety: If you will stay, here you shall have what the house will yield.
Charity: -- Yes, and that with a good will.
So they were there some time, much to their good.
Prudence: -- Christiana, I give you all praise, for you have brought your boys up well. With James I have had a long chat; he is a good boy, and has learnt much that will bring peace to his mind, while he lives on this earth, and in the world to come it will cause him to see the face of Him who sits on the throne. For ...
By the time that Christiana and the rest had been in this place a week, a man, Mr. Brisk by name, came to woo Mercy, with the wish to wed her. Now Mercy was fair to look on and her mind was at all times set on work and the care of those round her. She would knit hose for the poor, and give to all those things of which ...
She will make me a good house wife, thought Brisk.
Mercy one day said to those of the house: Will you tell me what you think of Mr. Brisk?
They then told her that the young man would seem to have a great sense of the love of God, but that they had fears it did not reach his soul, which they thought did cleave too much to this world.
Nay then, said Mercy, I will look no more on him, for I will not have a clog to my soul.
Prudence: -- If you go on as you have set out, and work so hard for the poor, he will soon cool.
So the next time he came, he found her at her work.
What, still at it? said he.
Mercy: -- Yes.
Mr. Brisk: -- How much can you earn in the day.
Mercy: -- I work at these things for the good of those for whom I do them; and more than this, to do the will of Him who was slain on the cross for me.
With that his face fell, and he came no more to see her.
Prudence: -- Did I not tell you that Mr. Brisk would soon flee from you? Yea, he may seem to love Mercy, but Mercy and he should not tread the same road of life side by side.
Now Matthew, the son of Christiana, fell sick, so they sent to Mr. Skill to cure him. Then said he: Tell me what he eats.
Christiana: -- Well, there is no food here but what is good.
Mr. Skill: -- This boy has in him a crude mass of food, which if I do not use the means to get rid of, he will die.
Samuel said to Christiana, What was it that you saw Matthew pick up and eat when we came from the gate which is at the head of this way?
Christiana: -- It was some of the fruit that grows there; I chid him for it.
Skill: -- I felt sure that it was some bad food; now that fruit hurts more than all, for it is the fruit from Beelzebub's grounds. Did no one warn you of it? Some fall down dead when they eat it.
Then Christiana wept and said, What shall I do for my son? Pray, Sir, try your best to cure him, let it cost what it may.
Then Skill gave strange drugs to him, which he would not take. So Christiana put one of them to the tip of her tongue. Oh, Matthew, said she, it is sweet, sweet as balm; if you love me, if you love Mercy, if you love your life, do take it!
So in time he did, and felt grief for his sin. He quite lost the pain, so that with a staff he could walk, and went from room to room to talk with Mercy, Prudence, Piety and Charity.
Christiana: -- Pray, Sir, what else are these Pills good for?
Skill: -- They are good for all those that go on their way to The Celestial City.
Christiana: -- I pray of you to make me up a large box full of them, for if I can get these, I will take none else.
Skill: -- I make no doubt that if a man will but use them as he should, he could not die. But good Christiana, these pills will be of no use if you do not give them as I have done, and that is, in a glass of grief for the sins of those who take them. So he gave some to Christiana and the rest of her boys, and to Mercy;...