Seite:Marsh Hallig 1856.djvu/79

79

THE GREAT WORLD.

all pressed round her to express their admiration of her
enchanting song and artistic playing.
  "Then rose to my mind that garden of God which
was lying all around them, and I said to myself.
'They are condemned already.'
  "Suddenly we heard a voice, outside the window, say-
ing, "Sing something to us,' and all eyes were now
directed toward the street : I looked with the rest.
  There stood the child of the wayside. She had list-
ened to the song, and was about to steal away when
she saw herself noticed. But some one offered her a
silver coin, and told her to sing, while a gentleman,
whom I recognized as the rider who had passed me
with the carriage, said, with knit brows and a threat-
ening voice, 'Begone, girl !'
  “'No, she must sing,' exclaimed the rest. The
gentleman then threw a dollar into the street before
the child, and called out again, 'Away with you !'
  "The rest of the company ordered a servant to stop
her, and would not be deprived of the fine sport of hav-
ing the doggerel verses of a street song from the re-
luctant lips of an innocent child.
  "'I can't sing,' stammered the poor girl in distress.
  "'Then tell us some song that you know ; otherwise
you can't put a finger on the dollar.'
  "The child looked toward the money that lay at her
feet, then toward the gentleman who had thrown it,
but who had now retired in bad humor from the win-
dow, and began at length with a trembling voice :
        "'He who is willing that God should reign,
            Who sees by faith — '