Francis, who was sitting before the house, under the pretty green verandah, saw him pa.s.s behind the garden hedge, and was already thinking of going to meet him at the end of an hour, when to his great surprise he saw his Grandpapa pa.s.s again behind the hedge, and then enter the garden through the little gate, walking apparently with much difficulty.
"What is the matter, dear Grandpapa?" cried Francis, springing towards the garden.--"Oh! how you are covered with mud! It must be that rude Driver who wanted to fawn upon you. He has always such dirty paws."
"You must not scold Driver, but _me_," mildly replied his Grandpapa, "for I incautiously, and most imprudently, walked upon that part of the path which has been inundated by the water from the fountain."
"Grandpapa, did you fall?" asked Francis, quite alarmed.
"Yes my boy, your Grandfather fell like a heedless man.... But thanks to our gracious G.o.d, who ever takes care of us! it was nothing; I was only a little frightened. You see, Francis, you must not forget that we only stand, because G.o.d supports us."
So saying, his Grandfather entered the house, and with the same serenity related his accident to his wife, who bestowed every attention upon him.
Whilst his Grandfather was resting himself, and Francis had ascertained that he had not suffered much, he hastened to look at the spot where his kind Grandpapa had slipped and fallen. It was a little bit of the path, perhaps about three paces long, covered with the water which was issuing from the fountain, and which being of clay, had become very slippery.
The trench round the fountain had been already deepened more than once, in order to turn its course from that part of the orchard, but as the ground was rather low, the water always returned.
Francis examined all this, and tried to find out what could be done to remedy the evil, in a more durable manner.
"_I know!_" he cried at last. "I must make a pavement here, a little higher than the path is at present!"
"Come! cheer up! "Where there"s a will," says Grandpapa, "with G.o.d"s help there"s a way." To work, to work! "For he who does nothing makes little progress," says also, my dear Grandpapa."
It may be here well asked, how a little child, eight years of age, could even conceive such a project, and much more how he could have had sufficient strength to accomplish it.
But Francis was not a thoughtless or inattentive child; on the contrary he observed on his way _to_, and _from_ School, and when he walked out with his Papa, everything that workmen did.
It was thus that he had often noticed how the Paviors first laid down the stones, and then pressed them together, and as we shall soon see, he found no difficulty in what he was going to attempt.
"First and foremost," said he, "the tools!" and immediately he ran off to look for a little wheel-barrow which his Grandpapa had made for him; with the spade, the trowel, and the iron rake, which were at his disposal.
When the tools were collected, Francis, having taken off his jacket, traced out the portion to be paved.
"Now," said he, "I must take away two or three inches of earth, that the stones may fit in."
He then took away the earth, and piled it up on the upper side of the path, in order to compel the water to pa.s.s by the drain.
"Now," he said, "I must find some sand; where is there any? Oh!
behind the hen-house; the masons, who plastered the walls of the yard over again, have left a large heap of it there"--and then he quickly ran with his wheelbarrow, once, twice, and even three times, and soon had as much as was necessary. He spread it out, and arranged it, and then p.r.o.nounced the great word of all his work, "_Stones!_ No stones, no pavement! I must have at least fifty of them!" He ran about, searched and gathered, near the fountain, round the house, and along the wall of the yard, and soon brought back four wheelbarrows full of nice stones, well shaped, and not too large.
But there were not enough, for he was obliged to put five or six abreast. Where are there any more to be found?
"In the brook," cried he! "It is rather far off, but I shall soon be there!" And indeed in about a quarter of an hour, he had collected all the proper materials.
Then should he have been seen at work! The trowel in his right hand, a stone in his left; the sand which he placed between each stone, and the blows which forced it down, these things succeeded each other rapidly, and were often repeated; till at length, at the end of the third hour, the slippery bit of foot-path was no longer in existence, but in its stead was to be seen a pavement slightly raised, which could never be wetted by the overflowing of the fountain.
"That will not do well," said Francis, when he had finished, and was walking over the pavement; "it is uneven, Grandpapa will hurt his feet upon it." And so saying, he ran to the woodhouse in the yard, and returned, bending under the weight of the mallet, with which Thomas used to strike the axe and wedges, when he split the large pieces of oak.
"Here is _my_ rammer," said Francis, laughing, as he thought of those used by the paviors; and holding the mallet perpendicularly, he struck with the b.u.t.t-end, first one stone, and then another, until at length the pavement was completed! It was solid, even and clean, and Francis, repeating in truth, "Where there"s a will, with G.o.d"s help, there"s a way," gave thanks in his heart to that good heavenly Father, who gave him both the idea and the will to do this act of filial love, and enabled him to accomplish it.
Some sand and a few stones remained; Francis took them up and carried them back near to the house. Then he cleared away the rubbish, and having put on his coat again, returned joyfully to replace his tools in the green-house.
All this was done after dinner, between the hours of three and six.
The evening pa.s.sed quietly away. Grandpapa had not received any bruises, and he could not sufficiently thank the Good shepherd, the Lord Jesus, who had, as it were, "carried him in his arms," and "kept all his bones."
Grandmamma joined in his praises and thanksgivings, and these two faithful servants blessed the Lord together, whose mercies are over all his works.
"To-morrow, please G.o.d," said Grandpapa to Francis, "I shall go and see old George. He must have expected me to-day! But be a.s.sured, my dear Francis, that your Grandpapa will walk no more like a giddy child; and if the path is still slippery, I shall place my foot prudently upon it."
Francis said he hoped the path would be better; and however that might be, that the Lord would preserve him thenceforth from slipping, and above all, from falling.
Grandpapa made Francis read the Bible as usual to the whole household. He spoke piously of G.o.d"s paternal care for our bodies as well as for our souls, and in his prayer he gave abundant thanks to the Saviour who had so graciously preserved him.
The morrow came. Grandpapa had quite recovered his accident of the preceding day, and after reading in the summer-house, he got up to go and see old George.
Francis, who was observing him from beneath the verandah, no sooner saw him come near the little gate, than he ran round the house to hide himself behind a hazel bush, a short distance from the pavement, in order to see what his Grandpapa would do.
Grandpapa walked on towards the orchard, and as soon as he set his foot on the path, he prepared to proceed very carefully. He took three or four steps, and then suddenly stopped, and raising his hands, exclaimed, a "pavement! a pavement here already! How does this happen? Who could have done this? It must be my faithful Thomas!"--he continued--"I must thank him for it;" and he called out loudly, "Thomas! Thomas!" Thomas, who was in the cow-house, heard his voice, and ran to him in alarm.
"Have you tumbled again, sir," he asked anxiously?
"On the contrary," said Grandpapa, "thanks to _you_, Thomas, for having made this good substantial pavement so quickly and so well; it is really excellent," said he, stamping upon it with his foot, and walking over it in every direction. "It is solid, and even, and slopes on either side! I am very much obliged to you, Thomas."
"Alas! sir," said the man, "it is not I who did it--how vexed I am that I did not think of it what stupidity!"...
"Who is it then?" asked Grandpapa, "for this has been done since yesterday, and surely these stones are not mushrooms! Who could have thought of this?"
"I think I know who it is, sir," answered Thomas, "for yesterday in the afternoon I saw master Francis going down to the brook with his wheelbarrow. I could not think what it was for, but now I understand."
"Francis! did you say," exclaimed Grandpapa; "how could that child have done it even if he had wished? Are these stones only nuts, that _that_ dear boy"s little hands could have been able to knock them into the ground?"
"Do you wish, sir, that I should look for him and bring him here?"
asked Thomas.
Francis could no longer remain concealed. He ran from behind the bush, and threw himself into his Grandpapa"s arms; saying, "Dear Grandpapa, how happy I am to have been able to succeed."
"It is _you_ then, indeed, my son!" cried Grandpapa, as he shed tears of joy. "G.o.d bless your filial piety towards me! May He return you two-fold all the good you have done my heart. But how did you manage?"
"You have often told me, dear Grandpapa, that "Where there"s a will, with the help of G.o.d, there"s a way," and I prayed to G.o.d, and was able to do it."
"Well then, dear Francis," said Grandpapa, solemnly, "I promise you, that every day of my life, as long as I shall walk here below, when I pa.s.s over this pavement, which your affection has made for me, I will say to G.o.d "O Lord, prevent Francis from falling in his way! May thy goodness _pave_ for him the path of life, whenever it becomes slippery.""
Francis understood, and respectfully received this blessing; and whilst his Grand father paid his visit, the little pavior went and told his Grandmamma, what he had been able to do, and how G.o.d had already blessed him for it.
II.