"
"In reason, yes," replied Hester.
"You may think," said the major, "that God takes special care of you
because you are about his business--and far be it from me to say you are
not about his business or that he does not take care of you; but what is
to become of me and the like of me if we take the small-pox from you?"
Hester had it on her lips to say that if he was meant to die of the
small-pox, he might as well take it of her as of another; but she said
instead that she was sure God took care of her, but not sure she should
not die of the small-pox.
"How can you say God takes care of you if he lets you die of the
small-pox!"
"No doubt people would die if God forgot them, but do you think people
die because God forgets them?"
"My dear cousin Hester, if there is one thing I have a _penchant_
for, it is common sense! A paradox I detest with my whole soul!"
"One word, dear major Marvel: Did God take care of Jesus?"
"Of course! of course! But he wasn't like other men, you know."
"I don't want to fare better, that is, I don't want to have more of
God's care than he had."
"I don't understand you. I should think if we were sure God took as good
care of us as of him--"
But there he stopped, for he began to have a glimmer of where she was
leading him.
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