None of the family had mentioned the affair in their letters, even Rosie feeling that she had no warrant to do so; and the story was both new and interesting to Zoe.
Lulu had not yet submitted when Betty wrote, so the story as told in her letter left the little girl still in banishment at Oakdale Academy.
Zoe read the letter aloud to Edward.
"Lulu is certainly the most ungovernable child I have ever seen or heard of," he remarked, at its conclusion. "I often wonder at the patience and forbearance grandpa and mamma have shown toward her. In their place, I should have had her banished to a boarding-school long ago, one at a distance, too, so that she could not trouble me, even during holidays."
"So should I," said Zoe: "she hasn"t the least shadow of a claim upon them."
"No: the captain feels that, and is duly grateful. It is evident, too, that Lulu"s lack of grat.i.tude, and her bad behavior, are extremely mortifying to him."
"But don"t you think, Ned, it was rather hard to insist on her going back to that ill-tempered, abusive old music-teacher?"
"Yes," he acknowledged with some hesitation. "I rather wonder at grandpa."
"I wonder how it is going to end," said Zoe: "they are both so very determined, I should not like to stand in Lulu"s shoes, nor yet in his."
A second letter from Betty, received a fort-night later, told how it had ended: though Betty, not being in Lulu"s confidence as Evelyn was, knew nothing of Capt. Raymond"s letter to his daughter, or of Lulu"s confession in reply to it; so her story ended with the statement that Lulu had at last submitted, been restored to favor, and was at Magnolia Hall with Evelyn as a companion, all the children who were in health having been banished from Viamede to save them from the danger of catching the dreaded fever.
But to go back to the morning when the first instalment of her story was received.
"It must be a very anxious time for them,--the family at Viamede, I mean," remarked Edward musingly. "And poor, dear Vi is so young to have such burdens to bear. What a blessing that she has mamma with her!"
"Yes," said Zoe. "And, oh! I hope the children will get well, they are such darlings, both Gracie and the baby. I feel very sorry they are so ill, and yet I can"t help rejoicing that my dear husband is able to sit up again.
"Is that quite heartless in me?" she asked, laying her hand on one of his, which rested on the arm of his easy-chair; for she was seated in a low rocker, close at his side.
"I think not," he answered, smiling down into her eyes. "It will do them no good for us to make ourselves unhappy. We will sympathize with, and pray for, them, but at the same time be thankful and joyful because of all G.o.d"s goodness to us and them. "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice." "Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation.""
"You have certainly obeyed that last injunction," remarked Zoe, looking at him with affectionate admiration; "so patient and cheerful as you have been ever since your injury! Many a man would have grumbled and growled from morning to night; while you have been so pleasant, it was a privilege to wait on you."
"Thank you," he said, laughing: "it is uncommonly good in you to say that, but I"m afraid you are rather uncharitable in your judgment of "many men."
"Mamma has not yet heard of my accident," he remarked presently, "and wonders over my long silence. I"ll write to her now, if you will be so kind as to bring me my writing-desk."
"I"m doubtful about allowing such exertion," she said: "you are left under my orders, you remember, and I"m to be held responsible for your continued improvement."
"Nonsense! that wouldn"t hurt me," he returned, with an amused smile; "and if you won"t get the desk, I"ll go after it myself."
"No, you mustn"t: I sha"n"t allow it," she said, knitting her brows, and trying to look stern.
"Then get it for me."
"Well," she said reflectively, "I suppose there"ll have to be a compromise. I"ll get the desk, if you"ll let me act as your amanuensis."
"We"ll consider that arrangement after you have brought it."
"No: you must agree to my proposition first."
"Why, what a little tyrant you are!" he laughed. "Well, I consent. Now will you please to bring the desk?"
"Yes," she said, jumping up, and crossing the room to where it stood; "and if you are very good, you may write a postscript with your own hand."
"I"ll do it all with my own hand," he said as she returned to his side.
"Why, Ned!" she exclaimed in surprise, "I thought you were a man of your word!"
"And so I am, I trust," he said, smiling at her astonished look, then catching her right hand in his. "Is not this mine?" he asked: "did you not give it to me?--Let me see--nearly two years ago?"
"Yes, I did," she answered, laughing and blushing with pleasure and happiness: "you are right; it is yours. So you have every right to use it, and must do so."
"Ah!" he said, ""a wilful woman will have her way," I see: there never was a truer saying. No, that won"t do," as she seated herself with the desk on her lap: "put it on the table. I can"t have you bending over to write on your lap, and so growing round-shouldered, especially in my service."
"Any thing to please you," she returned gayly, doing as he directed. "I suppose my right hand is not all of me that you lay claim to?"
"No, indeed! I claim you altogether, as my better and dearer half," he said, his tone changing from jest to earnest, and the light of love shining in his eyes.
She ran to him at that, put her arms round his neck, and laid her cheek to his. "No, Ned, I can"t have you say that," she murmured, "you who are so good and wise, while I am such a silly and faulty thing, not at all worthy to be your wife. Whatever made you marry me?"
"Love," he answered, drawing her closer, and fondly caressing her hair and cheek,--"love that grows stronger and deeper with every day we live together, dearest."
"Dear Ned, my own dear husband!" she said, hugging him tighter. "Words could never tell how much I love you, or how I rejoice in your love for me: you are truly my other, my best, half, and I don"t know how I could live without you."
"Our mutual love is a cause for great grat.i.tude to G.o.d," he said reverently. "There are so many miserably unhappy couples, I feel that I can never be thankful enough for the little wife who suits me so entirely."
"You are my very greatest earthly blessing," she replied, lifting her head, and gazing into his face with eyes shining with joy and love; "and your words make me very, very happy. Now," releasing herself from his embrace, "it"s time to attend to business, isn"t it? I am ready to write if you will dictate." And she seated herself before the desk, and took up her pen.
It was not a lengthened epistle. He began with an acknowledgment of the receipt of his mother"s letter, expressed his sympathy in the sorrow and suffering at Viamede, gave a brief account of his accident, consequent illness, and partial recovery, highly eulogizing Zoe as the best of wives and nurses.
When he began that, her pen ceased its movement, and was held suspended over the paper, while, blushing deeply, she turned to him with a remonstrance.
"Don"t ask me to write that: I am ashamed to have mamma see it in my handwriting."
"Go on," he said: "she will know they are my words, and not yours."
"Well, I obey orders," she replied with a smile; "but I don"t half like to do it."
"Then let me," he said. "If you will hold the desk on the arm of my chair for five minutes, and give me the pen, I can finish up the thing easily, and without the least danger of hurting my precious self."
She did as directed. "There, now lie back in your chair, and rest," she said, when he had finished his note, and signed his name. "You do look a little tired," she added, with an anxious glance at him as she returned the desk to the table.
"Nonsense! tired with that slight exertion!" he responded gayly. "You may read that over, and see if it wants any correction."
She did so, then, turning toward him with an arch smile, asked, "May I criticise?"
"I should be happy to have the benefit of your criticism," he said, laughing; "but don"t make it too severe, please."
"Oh, no! I was only thinking that mamma, judging of her by myself, would not be half satisfied with such a bare statement of facts, and that I had better write a supplement, giving her more of the particulars."