What She Could Page 6

  CHAPTER VI.

  The light of day was darkening fast, as Matilda ran home. Even thewestern sky gave no glow, when she reached her own gate and went in.After all, she had run but a very little way, in her first hurry; therest of the walk was taken with sober steps.

  When she came down-stairs, she found the lamp lit and all the youngheads of the family clustering together to look at something. It wasAnne's purchase, she found; Anne had spent her aunt's gift in thepurchase of a new silk dress; and she was displaying it.

  "It is a lovely colour," said Maria. "I think that shade of--what doyou call it? is just the prettiest in the world. What _do_ you call it,Clarissa? and where did you get it, Anne?"

  "It is pearl gray," said Clarissa.

  "I would have got blue, while I was about it," said Letitia; "there isnothing like blue; and it becomes you, Anne. You ought to have gotblue. I would have had one dress that suited me, if I was you, if Inever had another."

  "This will suit me, I think," said Anne.

  "Aren't you going to trim it with anything? Dresses are so much trimmednow-a-days; and this colour will not be anything unless you trim it."

  Anne replied by producing the trimming. The exclamations of delight andapproval lasted for several minutes.

  "What are you going to get, Letitia?" Maria asked.

  "I have not decided."

  "I don't know, but I will have a watch," said Maria. "You can get avery good silver watch, a really good one, you know for twenty-fivedollars."

  "But a silver watch!" said Anne. "I would not wear anything but a goldwatch."

  "How am I going to get a gold watch, I should like to know?" saidMaria. "I think it would be splendid."

  "But what do you want of a watch, Maria?" her little sister asked.

  "Oh, here is Matilda coming out! Just like her! Not a word about Anne'sdress; and now she says, what do I want with a watch. Why, what otherpeople want with one; I want to see the time of day."

  "I don't think you do," said Matilda. "When do you?"

  "Why, I should like to know in school, when it is recess time; and athome, when it is time to go to school."

  "But the bell rings," said Matilda.

  "Well, I don't always hear the bell, child."

  "But when you don't hear it, I tell you."

  "Yes, and it's very tiresome to have you telling me, too. I'd ratherhave my own watch. But I don't know what I will have; sometimes I thinkI'll just buy summer dresses, and then for once I'd have a plenty; I dolike to have plenty of anything. And there's a necklace and earrings atMr. Kurtz's that I want. Such lovely earrings!"

  "Well, Matilda, what are you thinking of?" Letitia burst forth. "Such aface! One would think it was wicked to wear earrings. What is it, youqueer child?"

  But Matilda did not say what she was thinking of. The elder ladies camein, and the party adjourned to the tea-table.

  A few hours later, when the girls had gone to their room, Matildaasked--

  "When are you going to look for new scholars, Maria?"

  "_What?_" was Maria's energetic and not very graceful response.

  "When are you going to look for some new scholars to bring to theschool?"

  "The Sunday-School!" said Maria. "I thought you meant the school wherewe go every day. I don't know."

  "You promised you would try."

  "Well, so I will, when I see any I _can_ bring."

  "But don't you think you ought to go and look for them?"

  "How can I, Tilly? I don't know where to go; and I haven't got time,besides."

  "I think I know where we could go," said Matilda, "and maybe we couldget one, at any rate. Don't you know the Dows' house? on the turnpikeroad?--beyond the bridge ever so far?"

  "The Dows'!" said Maria. "Yes, I know the Dows' house; but who's there?Nothing but old folks."

  "Yes, there are two children; I have seen them; two or three; but theydon't come to school."

  "Then I don't believe they want to," said Maria; "they could come ifthey wanted to, I am sure."

  "Don't you think we might go and ask them? Perhaps they would come ifanybody asked them."

  "Yes, we might," said Maria; "but you see, Tilly, I haven't any time.It'll take me every bit of time I can get between now and Sunday tofinish putting the braid on that frock; you have no idea how much timeit takes. It curls round this way, and then twists over that way, andthen gives two curls, so and so; and it takes a great while to do it. Ialmost wish I had chosen an easier pattern; only this is so pretty."

  "But you promised, Maria."

  "I didn't promise to go and look up people, child. I only promised todo what I could. Besides, what have _you_ got to do with it? You didnot promise at all."

  "I will go with you, if you will go up to the Dows'," said Matilda.

  "Oh, well!--don't worry, and I'll see about it."

  "But will you go? Come, Maria, let us go."

  "When?"

  "Any afternoon. To-morrow."

  "What makes you want to go?" said Maria, looking at her.

  "I think you _ought_ to go," Matilda answered, demurely.

  "And I say, what have you got to do with it? I don't see whatparticular concern of mine the Dows are, anyhow."

  Matilda sat a long while thinking after this speech. She was on thefloor, pulling off her stockings and unlacing her boots; and while herfingers moved slowly, drawing out the laces, her cogitations were verybusy. What concern _were_ the Dows of hers or Maria's? They were notpleasant people to go near, she judged, from the look of their houseand dooryard as she had seen it in passing; and the uncombed, fly-awayhead of the little girl gave her a shudder as she remembered it. Theywere not people that were often seen in church; they could not be good;maybe they used bad language; certainly they could not be expected toknow how to "behave." Slowly the laces were pulled out of Matilda'sboots, and her face grew into portentous gravity.

  "Aren't you coming to bed?" said Maria. "What can you be thinking of?"

  "I am thinking of the Dows?"

  "What about them? I never thought about them three times in my life."

  "But oughtn't we to think about people, Maria?"

  "Nice people."

  "I mean, people that are not nice."

  "It will be new times when you do," said Maria. "Come! let the Dowsalone and come to bed."

  "Maria," said her little sister as she obeyed this request, "I wasthinking that Jesus thought about people that were not nice."

  "Well?" said Maria. "Do lie down! what is the use of getting into bed,if you are going to sit bolt upright like that and talk lectures? Idon't see what has got into you."

  "Maria, it seems to me, now I think of it, that those were theparticular people He did care about."

  "Don't you think He cared about good people?" said Maria, indignantly.

  "But they were not good at first. Nobody was good at first--till Hemade them good. He _said_ He didn't come to the good people; don't youremember?"

  "Well, what do you mean by all that? Are we not to care for anybody butthe people that are not good? A nice life we should have of it?"

  "Maria," said her little sister, very thoughtfully, "I wonder what sortof a life He had?"

  "Tilly!" said Maria, rising up in her turn, "what has come to you? Whatbook have you been reading? I shall tell mamma."

  "I have not been reading any book," said Matilda.

  "Then lie down and quit talking. How do you expect I am going to sleep?"

  "Let us go and see what we can do at the Dows, Maria, to-morrow, won'tyou?"

  But Maria either did not or would not hear; so the matter passed forthat night. But the next day Matilda brought it up again. Maria foundexcuses to put her off. Matilda, however, was not to be put offpermanently; she never forgot; and day after day the subject came upfor discussion, until Maria at last consented.

  "I am going because you tease me so, Tilly," she said, as they setforth from the gate. "Just for that and nothing else. I don't like it abit."
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  "But you promised."

  "I didn't."

  "To bring in new scholars?"

  "I did not promise I would bring the Dow children; and I don't believethey'll come."

  The walk before the children was not long, and yet it almost took themout of the village. They passed the corner this time without turning,keeping the road, which was indeed part of the great high road whichtook Shadywalk in its way, as it took many another village. The housesin this direction soon began to scatter further apart from each other.They were houses of more pretension, too, with grounds and gardens andfruit trees about them; and built in styles that were notable, if notaccording to any particular rule. Soon the ground began to descendsharply towards the bed of a brook, which brawled along with impetuouswaters towards a mill somewhere out of sight. It was a full, finestream, mimicking the rapids and eddies of larger streams, with alltheir life and fury given to its smaller current. The waters lookedblack and wintry in contrast with the white snow of the shores. Afoot-bridge spanned the brook, alongside of another bridge forcarriages; and just beyond, the black walls of a ruin showed whereanother fine mill had once stood. That mill had been burnt. It was anold story; the girls did not so much as think about it now. Matilda'sglance had gone the other way, where the stream rushed along from underthe bridge and hurried down a winding glen, bordered by a road thatseemed well traversed. A house could be seen down the glen, just wherethe road turned in company with the brook and was lost to view.

  "I wonder who lives down there?" said Matilda.

  "I don't know. Yes, I do, too; but I have forgotten."

  "I wonder if they come to church."

  "I don't know _that;_ and I shall not go to ask them. Why, Matilda, younever cared before whether people went to church."

  "Don't you care now?" was Matilda's rejoinder.

  "No! I don't care. I don't know those people. They may go to fiftychurches, for aught I can tell."

  "But, Maria,"--said her little sister.

  "What?"

  "I do not understand you."

  "Very likely. _That_ isn't strange."

  "But, Maria,--you promised the other night--O Maria, what things youpromised!"

  "What then?" said Maria. "What do you mean? What did I promise?"

  "You promised you would be a servant of Christ," Matilda said,anxiously.

  "Well, what if I did?" said Maria. "Of course I did; what then. Am I tofind out whether everybody in Shadywalk goes to church, because Ipromised that? It is not my business."

  "Whose business is it?"

  "It is Mr. Richmond's business and Mr. Everett's business; and Mr.Schoenflocker's business. I don't see what makes it mine."

  "Then you ought not to have said that you would bring new scholars tothe school, I think, if you did not mean to do it; and whom do you meanto carry the message to, Maria? You said you would carry the message."

  "I don't know what carrying the message means," said Maria.

  Matilda let the question drop, and they went on their way in silence;rising now by another steep ascent on the other side of the brook,having crossed the bridge. The hill was steep enough to give theirlungs play without talking. At the top of the hill the road forked; onebranch turned off southwards; the high road turned east; the sistersfollowed this. A little way further, and both slackened their stepsinvoluntarily as the house they were going to came full in view.

  It was like a great many others; brown with the weather, and having acertain forlorn look that a house gets when there are no loving eyeswithin it to care how it looks. The doors did not hang straight; thewindows had broken panes; a tub here and a broken pitcher there stoodin sight of every passer-by. A thin wreath of smoke curled up from thechimney, so it was certain that people lived there; but nothing elselooked like it. The girls went in through the rickety gate. Over thehouse the bare branches of a cherry tree gave no promise of summerybloom; and some tufts of brown stems standing up from the snow hardlysuggested the gay hollyhocks of the last season. The two girlsslackened their steps yet more, and seemed not to know very well how togo on.

  "I don't like it, Tilly," Maria said. "I have a mind to give it up."

  "Oh, I wouldn't, Maria," the little one replied; but she looked puzzledand doubtful.

  "Well, suppose they don't want to see us in here? it don't look as ifthey did."

  "We can try, Maria; it will do no harm to try."

  "I don't know that," said Maria. "I'll never come such an errand again,Matilda; never! I give you notice of that. What shall I do? Knock?"

  "I suppose so."

  Maria knocked. The next minute the upper half of the door was opened,and an oldish woman looked out. A dirty woman, with her hair all infly-away order, and her dress very slatternly as well as soiled.

  "What do you want?"

  "Are there some children here?" Maria began.

  "Children? yes, there's children here. There's my children."

  "Do they go to school?"

  "Has somebody been stealin' something, and you want to know if it's mychildren have done it?" said the woman. "'Cos they don't go to noschool that _you_ ever see."

  "I did not mean any such thing," said Maria, quite taken aback.

  "Well, what _did_ you mean?" the woman asked sharply.

  "We want to see the children," Matilda put in. "May we come in and getwarm, if you please?"

  The woman still held the door in her hand, and looked at the lastspeaker from head to foot; then half reluctantly opened the door.

  "I don't know as it'll hurt you to come in," she said; "but it won't doyou much good; the place is all in a clutter, and it always is. Comealong in, if you want to! and shut the door; 'tain't so warm hereyou'll need the wind in to help you. Want the children, did you say?what do you want of 'em?"

  Matilda thought privately that the wind would have been a goodcompanion after all; no sooner was the door shut, than all remembranceof fresh air faded away. An inexpressible atmosphere filled the house,in which frying fat, smoke, soapsuds, and the odour of old garments,mingled and combined in proportions known to none but suchdwelling-places. Yet it was not as bad as it might have been, by manydegrees; the house was a little frame house, open at the joints; and itstood in the midst of heaven's free air; all the winds that came fromthe mountains and the river swept over and around it, came down thechimney sometimes, and breathed blessed breaths through every openingdoor and shackling window-frame. But to Matilda it seemed as bad ascould be. So it seemed to her eyes too. Nothing clean; nothingcomfortable; nothing in order; scraps of dinner on the floor; scraps ofwork under the table; a dirty cat in the corner by the stove; a washtub occupying the other corner. The woman had her sleeves rolled up,and now plunged her arms into the tub again.

  "You can put in a stick of wood, if you want to," she said; "I guessthe fire's got down. What did you come here for, hey? I hain't heardthat yet, and I'm in a takin' to find out."

  "We thought maybe your children might like to go to Sunday-School,"said Maria, with a great deal of trepidation; "and we just came to askthem. That's all."

  "How did ye know but they went already?" the woman asked, looking atMaria from the corner of her eye.

  "I didn't know. I just came to ask them."

  "Well, I just advise you not to mix yourself with people's affairs tillyou _do_ know a little about 'em. What business is it o' yourn, eh,whether my children goes to Sunday-School? Sunday-School! what a pokeit is!"

  "They did not come to _our_ Sunday-School," said Matilda, for hersister was nonplussed; "and we would like to have them come; unlessthey were going somewhere else."

  "They may speak for themselves," said Mrs. Dow; and she opened an innerdoor, and called in a shrillvoice--"Araminty!--Jemimy!--Alexander!--come right along down, and ifye don't I'll whip ye."

  She went back to her washing-tub, and Maria and Matilda looked to seethree depressed specimens of young human life appear at that innerdoor; but first tumbled down and burst in a sturdy, rugged young rascalof some
eight or nine years; and after him a girl a little older, withthe blackest of black eyes and hair, the latter hanging straight overher face and ears. The eyes of both fastened upon their strangevisitors, and seemed as if they would move no more.

  "Them girls is come to get you to their Sunday-School," said themother. "Don't you want for to go?"

  No answer, and no move of the black eyes. Matilda certainly thoughtthey looked as if they feared the lifting of no mortal hand, theirmother's or any other.

  "Would you like to go to Sunday-School?" inquired Maria politely,driven to speak by the necessities of the silence. But she might aswell have asked Mrs. Dow's wash-tub. The mother laughed a little toherself.

  "Guess you might as well go along back the road ye come!" she said."You won't get my Araminty Jemimy into no Sunday-School o' yourn thistime. Maybe when she's growed older and wiser-like, she'll come and seeyou. She don' know what a Sunday-School's like. She thinks it's somesort of a trap."

  "I ain't afraid!" spoke out black eyes.

  "I didn't say you was," said her mother. "I might ha' said you wascunnin' enough to keep your foot out of it."

  "It is not a trap," said Matilda, boldly. "It is a pleasant place,where we sing, and learn nice things."

  "My children don't want to learn none o' your nice things," said thewoman. "I can teach 'em to home."

  "But you don't!" said black eyes. "You don't _never_ learn us_nothing!_"

  There was not the slightest sweet desire of learning evidenced in thisspeech. It breathed nothing but defiance.

  "Alexander, won't _you_ come?" said Matilda, timidly, as her sistermoved to the door. For Maria's courage gave out. But at that questionthe young urchin addressed set up a roar of hoarse laughter, throwinghimself down and rolling over on the floor. His mother shoved him outof her way with a push that was very like a kick, and his sister,seizing a wringing wet piece of clothes from the wash-tub, dropped itspitefully on his head. There was promise of a fight; and Matilda andMaria hurried out. They hastened their steps through the garden, andeven out in the high road they ran a little to get away from Mrs. Dow'sneighbourhood.

  "Well!" said Maria, "what do you think now, Tilly? I hope you have gotenough for once of this kind of thing. I promise you I have."

  "Hush!" said Matilda. "Some one is calling."

  They stopped and turned. A shout was certainly sent after them from thegate they had quitted--"Girls, hollo!--Sunday-School girls, hollo!"

  "Do you hear?" said Matilda.

  "Sunday-School girls!--come back!"

  "What can they want?" said Maria.

  "We must go see," said Matilda.

  So they went towards the gate again. By the gate they could soon seethe shock head of Alexander; he had got rid of the wash-tub and hismother and his sister--all three; and he was waiting there to speak tothem. The girls hurried up again till they confronted his grinning faceon the other side of the gate.

  "What do you want?" said Maria. "What do you call us back for?"

  "I didn't call you," said the boy.

  "Yes, you did; you called us back; and we have come back all this way.What do you want to say?"

  Alexander's face was dull, even in his triumph. No sparkle or gleam ofmischief prepared the girls for his next speech.

  "I say--ain't you green!"

  But another shout of rude laughter followed it; and another roll andtumble, though these last were on the snow. Maria and her sister turnedand walked away till out of hearing.

  "I never heard of such horrible people!" said Maria; "never! And thisis what you get, Matilda, by your dreadful going after Sunday-scholarsand such things. I do hope you have got enough of it."

  But Matilda only drew deep sighs, one after another, at intervals, andmade no reply.

  "Don't you see what a goose you are?" persisted Maria. "Don't you see?"

  "No," said Matilda. "I don't see that."

  "Well, you might. Just look at what a time we have had, only becauseyou fancied there were two children at that house."

  "Well, there _are_ two children."

  "Such children!" said Maria,

  "I wish Mr. Richmond would go to see them," said Matilda.

  "It would be no use for Mr. Richmond or anybody to go and see them,"said Maria. "They are too wicked."

  "But you cannot tell beforehand," said Matilda.

  "And so I say, Tilly, the only way is to keep out of such places. Ihope you'll be content now."

  Matilda was hardly content; for the sighs kept coming every now andthen. So they went down the hill again, and over the bridge, past theglen and the burnt mill, and began to go up on the other side. Nowacross the way, at the top of the bank that overhung the dell, therestood a house of more than common size and elegance, in the midst ofgrounds that seemed to be carefully planted. A fine brick wall enclosedthese grounds on the roadside, and at the top of the hill an iron gategave entrance to them.

  "O Tilly," exclaimed Maria, "the Lardners' gate is open. Look! Supposewe go in."

  "I should not like to go in," said the little one.

  "Why not? There's nobody at home; they haven't come yet; and it's sucha good chance. You know, Clarissa says that people have leave to gointo people's great places and see them, in England, where she hasbeen."

  "But this is not a great place, and we have not leave," urged Matilda.

  "Oh well, I'm going in. Come! we'll just go in for a minute. It's noharm. Come just for a minute."

  Matilda, however, stopped at the gate, and stood there waiting for hersister; while Maria stepped in cautiously and made her way as far asthe front of the house. Here she turned and beckoned to Matilda to joinher; but the little one stood fast.

  "What does she want of you?" a voice asked at her elbow. Matildastarted. Two ladies were there.

  "She beckoned for me to go in where she is," said Matilda.

  "Well, why don't you go in?"

  The voice was kindly; the face of the lady was bending towards hergraciously; but who it was Matilda did not know.

  "We have no leave to go in," she said. "I do not like to be there."

  "I dare say the people would let you come in, if they knew you wishedit."

  "They do not know," said Matilda.

  "What a charming child!" said the lady apart to her companion. "Mydear," she went on to Matilda, "will you come in on my invitation? Thisis my house, and you are welcome. I shall be as glad to see you as youto see the place. Come!"

  And she took Matilda's hand and led her in.

  Just at the crown of the bank the house stood, and from here the viewwas very lovely, even now in winter. Over the wide river, which layfull in view with its ice covering, to the opposite shores and themagnificent range of mountains, which, from Matilda's window at home,she could just see in a little bit. The full range lay here before theeye, white with snow, coloured and brightened by the sinking sun, whichthrew wonderful lights across them, and revealed beautiful depths andshadows. Still, cold, high, far-off; their calm majesty held Matilda'seye.

  "Are you looking at the mountains?" said the lady. "Yes, now come inand you shall look at my flowers. Your sister may come too," she added,nodding kindly to Maria; but she kept Matilda's hand, and so led herfirst upon the piazza, which was a single step above the ground, theninto the hall. An octagon hall, paved with marble, and with large whitestatues holding post around its walls, and a vase of flowers on thebalustrade at the foot of the staircase. But those were not the flowersthe lady had meant; she passed on to one of the inner rooms, and fromthat to another, and finally into a pretty greenhouse, with glasswindows looking out to the mountains and the river, filled on this sideof the windows with tropical bloom. While the girls gazed in wonder,the lady stepped back into the room they had left, and threw off herwrappings. When she came again to the girls in the greenhouse, theyhardly knew which to look at, her or the flowers; her dress and wholeappearance were so unlike anything they had ever seen.

  "Which do you like best?" she said. "The roses,
you know, of course;these are camellias,--and these--and these red ones too; all camellias.These are myrtle; these are heath; these are geraniums--all those aregeraniums. This is Eupatorium--those, yes, those are azaleas, andthose,--and all those. Yes, all azaleas. You like them? This isbigonia. What do you like best?"

  It was a long while before Matilda could divide and define heradmiration enough to tell what she liked best. Carnations and heathwere found at last to have her best favour. The lady cut a bouquet forher with plenty of carnations and heath, but a variety of other beautytoo; then led the girls into the other room and offered them some richcake and a glass of what Matilda supposed to be wine. She took the cakeand refused the cordial.

  "It is very sweet," said the lady. "You will not dislike it; and itwill warm you, this cold afternoon."

  "I may not drink wine, ma'am, thank you," Matilda answered.

  "It is not wine. Does it make you sick, my dear? Are you afraid to tryit? Your sister is not afraid. I think it will do you good."

  Being thus reassured, Matilda put the glass to her lips, butimmediately set it down again.

  "You do not like it?" said the lady.

  "I like it; but--it is strong?" said Matilda, inquiringly.

  "Why, yes, it would not be good for anything if it were not strong.Never mind that--if you like it. The glass does not hold but athimbleful, and a thimbleful will not hurt you. Why, why not, my dear?"

  Matilda looked up, and coloured and hesitated.

  "I have promised not," she said.

  "So solemnly?" said the lady, laughing. "Is it your mother you havepromised?"

  "No, ma'am."

  "Not your mother? You have a mother?"

  "Oh yes, ma'am."

  "Would she have any objection?"

  "No, ma'am--I believe not."

  "Then whom have you made your promise to? Is it a religious scruplethat some one has taught you?"

  "I have promised to do all I could for helping temperance work,"Matilda said at last.

  She was answered with a little ringing laugh, not unkindly but amused;and then her friend said gravely--

  "Your taking a glass of cordial in this house would not affect anythingor anybody, little one. It would do _me_ no harm. I drink a glass ofwine every day with my dinner. I shall go on doing it just the same. Itwill not make a bit of difference to me, whether you take your cordialor not."

  But Matilda looked at the lady, and did not look at her glass.

  "Do you think it will?" said the lady, laughing.

  "No, ma'am."

  "Then your promise to help temperance work does not touch the cordial."

  "No ma'am, but----"

  "But?--what 'but'?"

  "It touches me."

  "Does it?" said the lady. "That is odd. You think a promise is apromise. Here is your sister taking her cordial; she has not made thesame promise, I suppose?"

  Maria and Matilda glanced at each other.

  "She has?" cried the lady. "Yet you see she does not think as you doabout it."

  The sisters did not look into each other's eyes again. Their friendwatched them both.

  "I should like to know whom you have made such a promise to," she saidcoaxingly to Matilda. "Somebody that you love well enough to make youkeep it. Won't you tell me? It is not your mother, you said. To whomdid you make that promise, dear?"

  Matilda hesitated and looked up into the lady's face again.

  "I promised--the Lord Jesus," she said.

  "Good patience! she's religious!" the lady exclaimed, with a changecoming over her face; Matilda could not tell what it was, only it didnot look like displeasure. But she was graver than before, and shepressed the cordial no more; and at parting she told Matilda she mustcertainly come and see her again, and she should always have a bunch offlowers to pay her. So the girls went home, saying nothing at all toeach other by the way.