Paula the Waldensian - Eva Lecomte

edside pouring out her heart in true repentance to Him who was ever her
unseen Companion. I closed the door gently behind me and stole away.
Later Paula said to me, "Oh, Lisita, I'm surely bad indeed. One thing I've
certainly hated to do, and that is to sit down and learn to sew, especially in
fine weather like this. I seem to hear a thousand voices that call me out-ofdoors.
I never could see any earthly reason why I should have to learn how to
sew, and so I never even tried to please Teresa in that way. But now she tells
me that if I go on like this I shall never be able to sew for the poor. I never
thought of that! I wonder what the Lord Jesus must think of me. He gave His
life for me, and here I am not willing to learn something that would help me
to put clothes on poor folks! Oh, I must! I must learn to sew, no matter what
it costs."
That was it--to do something for others, that was the principal thing in
all her thoughts.
In school Paula never did win prizes--nor did I. Both of us were
generally about on an equal level at the bottom of our class.
About a year after our first visit to Mademoiselle Virtud's house,
Madame Boudre had moved us up to the Third Grade. Teresa made a
magnificent apple-cake as a sign of her pleasure. My father also showed his
great satisfaction, and in fact everybody rejoiced to see that at last we were
both making progress. In spite of all, however, there was one great heavy
weight on my heart, and I cried myself to sleep that night I think Mlle.
Virtud also felt badly that we were leaving her, but she made us promise to
come and visit her. "You are no longer my pupils," she said, "but you are
still, and will be always, my dear friends."
Gabriel was so glad to see us that it was always a joy to go and play with
him on our Thursday half-holidays. Paula always told him Bible stories, for
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