The winter and spring pa.s.sed very quietly at Ion. At Roselands there was more gayety, the girls going out frequently, and receiving a good deal of company at home.
Virginia was seldom at Ion, but Isadore spent an hour there almost every day pursuing the investigation proposed by her Cousin Elsie.
She was an honest and earnest inquirer after truth, and at length acknowledged herself entirely convinced of the errors into which she had been led, entirely restored to the evangelical faith; and more than that, she became a sincere and devoted Christian; much to the disgust and chagrin of her worldly-minded mother and Aunt Delaford, who would have been far better pleased to see her a mere b.u.t.terfly of fashion, as were her sister and most of her younger friends.
But to her brother Arthur, and at both the Oaks and Ion, the change in Isa was a source of deep joy and thankfulness.
Also it was the means of leading Calhoun, who had long been halting between two opinions, to come out decidedly upon the Lord"s side.
Old Mr. Dinsmore had become quite infirm, and Cal now took entire charge of the plantation. Arthur was busy in his profession, and Walter was at West Point preparing to enter the army.
Herbert and Meta Carrington were at the North; the one attending college, the other at boarding-school. Old Mrs. Carrington was still living; making her home at Ashlands; and through her, the Rosses were frequently heard from.
They were still enjoying a large measure of worldly prosperity, Mr. Ross being a very successful merchant. He had taken his son Philip into partnership a year ago, and Lucy"s letter spoke much of the lad as delighting his father and herself, by his business ability and shrewdness.
They had their city residence, as well as their country seat. Gertrude had made her debut into fashionable society in the fall, and spent a very gay winter, and the occasional letters she wrote to the younger Elsie, were filled with descriptions of the b.a.l.l.s, parties, operas and theatricals she attended, the splendors of her own attire, and the elegant dresses worn by others.
It may be that at another time Elsie, so unaccustomed to worldly pleasures, would have found these subjects interesting from their very novelty; but now while the parting from Lily was so recent, when her happy death had brought the glories of heaven so near, how frivolous they seemed.
They had more attraction for excitable, excitement-loving Violet; yet even she, interested for the moment, presently forgot them again, as something reminded her of the dear little sister, who was not lost but gone before to the better land.
Vi had a warm, loving heart; no one could be fonder of home, parents, brothers and sisters than she, but as spring drew on, she began to have a restless longing for change of scene and employment. She had been growing fast, and felt weak and languid.
Both she and Elsie had attained their full height, Vi being a trifle the taller of the two; they grew daily in beauty and grace, and were not more lovely in person than in character and mind.
They were as open as the day with their gentle, tender mother, and their fond, proud father--proud of his lovely wife, and his sons and daughters, whose equals he truly believed were not to be found anywhere throughout the whole length and breadth of the land. So Vi was not slow in telling of her desire for change.
It was on a lovely evening in May, when the whole family were gathered in the veranda, serenely happy in each other"s society, the babe in his mother"s arms, Rosie on her father"s knee, the others grouped about them, doing nothing but enjoy the rest and quiet after a busy day with books and work.
Molly in her wheeled chair, was there in their midst, feeling herself quite one of them and looking as contented and even blithesome as any of the rest. She was feeling very glad over her success in a second literary venture, thinking of d.i.c.k too, and how delightful it would be if she could only talk it all over with him.
He had told her in his last letter that she was making him proud of her, and what a thrill of delight the words had given her.
"Papa and mamma!" exclaimed Violet, breaking a pause in the conversation, "home is very dear and sweet, and yet--I"m afraid I ought to be ashamed to say it, but I do want to go away somewhere for awhile, to the seash.o.r.e I think; that is if we can all go and be together."
"I see no objection if all would like it," her father said, with an indulgent smile. "What do you say to the plan, little wife?"
"I echo my husband"s sentiments as a good wife should," she answered with something of the sportiveness of other days.
"And we echo yours, mother," said Edward. "Do we not?" appealing to the others.
"Oh yes, yes!" they cried, "a summer at the seash.o.r.e, by all means."
"In a cottage home of our own; shall it not be, papa?" added Elsie.
"Your mamma decides all such questions," was his smiling rejoinder.
"I approve the suggestion. It is far preferable to hotel life," she said.
"Molly, my child, you are the only one who has not spoken."
Molly"s bright face had clouded a little. "I want you all to go and enjoy yourselves," she said, "though I shall miss you sadly."
"Miss us! do you then intend to decline going along?"
Molly colored and hesitated; "I"m such a troublesome piece of furniture to move," she said half jestingly, bravely trying to cover up the real pain that came with the thought.
"That is nothing," said Mr. Travilla, so gently and tenderly that happy, grateful tears sprang to her eyes; "you go, of course, with the rest of us; unless there is some more insuperable objection--such as a disinclination on your part, and even that should, perhaps, be overruled; for the change would do you good."
"O Molly you will not think of staying behind?"
"We should miss you sadly," said Elsie and Vi.
"And if you go you"ll see d.i.c.k," suggested Eddie.
Molly"s heart bounded at the thought. "Oh," she said, her eyes sparkling, "how delightful that would be! and since you are all so kind, I"ll be glad, very glad to go."
"Here comes grandpa"s carriage. I"m so glad!" exclaimed Herbert, the first to spy it as it turned in at the avenue gate. "Now I hope they"ll say they"ll all go too."
He had his wish; the carriage contained Mr. and Mrs. Dinsmore, their son and daughter, and it soon appeared that they had come to propose the very thing Herbert desired, viz., that adjacent cottages at the seash.o.r.e should be engaged for the two families, and all spend the summer there together.
It was finally arranged that the Dinsmores should precede the others by two or three weeks, then Mr. Dinsmore return for his daughter and her family, and Mr. Travilla follow a little later in the season.
Also that the second party should make their journey by water; it would be easier for Molly, and newer to all than the land route which they had taken much oftener in going North.
"Dear me, how I wish we were rich!" exclaimed Virginia Conly when she heard of it the next morning at breakfast, from Cal, who had spent the evening at Ion. "I"d like nothing better than to go North for the summer; not to a dull, prosy life in a cottage though, but to some of the grand hotels where people dress splendidly and have hops and all sorts of gay times. If I had the means I"d go to the seash.o.r.e for a few weeks, and then off to Saratoga for the rest of the season, Mamma, couldn"t we manage it somehow? You ought to give Isa and me every advantage possible, if you want us to make good matches."
"I shouldn"t need persuasion to gratify you, if I had the money, Virginia," she answered dryly, and with a significant glance at her father and sons.
There was no response from them; for none of them felt able to supply the coveted funds.
"I think it very likely Cousin Elsie will invite you to visit them,"
remarked Arthur at length, breaking the silence which had followed his mother"s remark.
"I shall certainly accept if she does," said Isa; "for I should dearly like to spend the summer with her there."
"Making garments for the poor, reading good books and singing psalms and hymns," remarked Virginia with a contemptuous sniff.
"Very good employments, all of them," returned Arthur quietly, "though I feel safe in predicting that a good deal more time will be spent by the Travillas in bathing, riding, driving, boating and fishing. They are no ascetics, but the most cheerful, happy family I have ever come across."
"Yes, it"s quite astonishing how easily they"ve taken the death of that child," said Mrs. Conly, ill-naturedly.
"Mother, how can you!" exclaimed Arthur, indignant at the insinuation.
"O mamma, no one could think for a moment it was from want of affection!"
cried Isadore.
"I have not said so; but you didn"t tell me, I suppose, how Molly a.s.sured you her cousin had no need of consolation?"