Paula the Waldensian - Eva Lecomte

"Paula, be quiet," cried Rosa, fearing the terrible consequences of such
temerity.
To our great surprise, my father, in spite of his anger, remained calm.
"So you don't wish to obey me," he said, fixing Paula with a cold and
severe eye. "That's the first time I've ever heard such words from any child in
this house. Tell me, my daughter, what do you mean?"
"Oh, dear uncle," she said, drawing quite close to father, "oh, oh, uncle
mine, don't be angry, please. I do wish to obey you in everything. Oh, yes, in
everything, everything! I promised my father to be good and to show to
everyone that I am a daughter of the Lord Jesus. But, oh, uncle, I must pray,
and I must serve the Lord. My father told me so, and God Himself tells me
so, for so it is written down in the Bible itself."
"I think," said my father, "you will find written in your Bible, these
words, 'Children, obey your parents.' And according to you, you ought to
obey the Bible."
"Yes, I know that well, those words truly are in the Bible, but papa told
me that I should always obey God, cost what it may. Oh, dear uncle, surely
you wish to serve Him. The Lord died for us, and for this, of course, we love
Him. And I thought that you loved Him too. I never knew that there were
people in this world who did not love God. Oh, please let me pray, dear
uncle. I beg of you, I beg of you. Papa, my dear papa, oh, if he should know
that I could never pray anymore! I promised him I'd see him in heaven one
day, and he'll be waiting for us there, waiting there for all of us, you, and
Lisita, and Rosa, and Catalina, and everybody. Oh, please, please let me
pray!" And Paula put her head on my father's shoulder and sobbed as if her
heart would break.
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