Indeed, I question whether it is ever much harder for anyone to give up
father and mother for Christ's sake than it was for Ernest. The
relations between the parties will have almost always been severely
strained before it comes to this. I doubt whether anyone was ever yet
required to give up those to whom he was tenderly attached for a mere
matter of conscience: he will have ceased to be tenderly attached to them
long before he is called upon to break with them; for differences of
opinion concerning any matter of vital importance spring from differences
of constitution, and these will already have led to so much other
disagreement that the "giving up" when it comes, is like giving up an
aching but very loose and hollow tooth. It is the loss of those whom we
are not required to give up for Christ's sake which is really painful to
us. Then there is a wrench in earnest. Happily, no matter how light the
task that is demanded from us, it is enough if we do it; we reap our
reward, much as though it were a Herculean labour.
But to return, the conclusion Ernest came to was that he would be a
tailor. He talked the matter over with the chaplain, who told him there
was no reason why he should not be able to earn his six or seven
shillings a day by the time he came out of prison, if he chose to learn
the trade during the remainder of his term--not quite three months; the
doctor said he was strong enough for this, and that it was about the only
thing he was as yet fit for; so he left the infirmary sooner than he
would otherwise have done and entered the tailor's shop, overjoyed at the
thoughts of seeing his way again, and confident of rising some day if he
could only get a firm foothold to start from.
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