As they neared the village, Lucy suddenly recollected their unexpected guest. "I wonder how Nelly got home! Did she stay long after we left, Alick?" she said.
"No; she said her mother would be angry if she were out late, so she set off at a run."
"Lucy," said Stella, "I wonder how you can have anything to do with such a vagabond-looking child! I"m sure she was watching to see whether she could pick up anything; and she looked just like a gipsy."
"Oh, Stella! how can you be so suspicious?" exclaimed Lucy indignantly. "I don"t believe Nelly would do any such thing! No wonder the poor child was watching us while we were at tea; didn"t you see how hungry she was?"
"Well, I know we"ve had things stolen by just such children, and papa says it"s best to keep such people down; for they"re sure to impose on those who are kind to them, and charity is quite thrown away upon them."
"A convenient belief to save trouble," Lucy was just going to say, but wisely repressed the impulse, feeling that it would not sound very respectful to Stella"s father, who, she felt, must be a very different man from her own.
"Stella," said Alick, "did it ever occur to you what you might have been if you had been left, motherless and almost fatherless, to run all day on the streets, listening to bad words and seeing all sorts of evil, without any one to say a kind word to you and teach you what is right? I wish you could have heard the poor little thing"s story as she told it to me." And in a few words he gave them an outline of Nelly"s history.
"Papa says you never can believe their stories," objected the city-hardened Stella.
"I know you can"t always," replied Alick; "but I think I"m not easily taken in, and I"m willing to stake my judgment on this being no sham.
And how would _you_ have turned out from such a bringing-up, Mademoiselle Stella?"
"And where is her father?" Lucy asked.
"Oh, her father works on a boat, and is seldom at home. They came to live here because it is cheaper, and they can have a pig and raise potatoes."
"I wonder whether she can read," said Lucy.
"I shouldn"t think so, for she never was at school in her life, nor at church either, since they left Ireland, till last Sunday."
"I wonder," said Stella, "whether she understood anything she heard."
"Possibly she might be able to give as good an account of the sermon as some other people," remarked Alick mischievously. "Come, Stella, what was the text?"
"I don"t believe you know yourself," retorted Stella, colouring; and, fortunately for her, Alick"s attention was just then directed to the care of landing his pa.s.sengers.
As they walked home, Stella and Marian in front, eagerly engrossed in a children"s party which the former was describing, Lucy remarked impatiently to Alick, "How can Stella talk in that hard, unfeeling way about poor people?"
"Poor girl!" said Alick, "it is sad to see any one so spoiled by living in a cold worldly atmosphere. As you know more of the world, Lucy, you will be more and more thankful for such a home as you have always had."
Lucy was silent. Her cousin"s words made her feel that she had been indulging in self-righteous and uncharitable feelings, and she felt humbled at the lesson which she had thus received from one who did not profess to be a Christian, in one of a Christian"s most important graces. But she accepted the rebuke, and she added to her evening prayer the pet.i.tion that she might be made more humble, and less ready to condemn; as well as that Stella"s heart might be opened to receive the love of Christ, and, through this, of her poor earthly brothers and sisters.
The little party were soon a.s.sembled at home, and after cheerful "good-nights,"--Harry remarking that "he was awful tired, but there never had been a nicer picnic,"--the wearied excursionists soon lost all sense of fatigue in peaceful slumbers and happy dreams.
VI.
_A Mission._
"And if this simple message Has now brought peace to you, Make known the old, old story, For others need it too."
Two days after the picnic was the day fixed upon for Miss Preston"s wedding, to which, as has been said, Lucy had been invited to accompany her father and aunt. Stella had not been included in the invitation, which she privately thought a great omission. It would have been such a good opportunity for showing the Ashleigh people how they dress in the city, and she felt sure that, tastefully attired in a lovely white grenadine, which would have been just the thing for the occasion, she and her dress would have added no small _eclat_ to the wedding.
Nevertheless she behaved very amiably to Lucy, who, when she pressed her to wear one of her own pretty white dresses, and offered to lend her any of her ornaments which she fancied, felt somewhat ashamed of her own condemnatory feelings toward her cousin, since it is a very natural tendency in all of us to make our own estimate of others depend to a considerable extent upon their treatment of ourselves.
However, she adhered to her original determination of wearing the simple India muslin, which had been her own dear mother"s bridal dress (its tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs having been worked by her own hands), and all Stella"s representations that it was "old-fashioned" failed to produce any effect. She would indeed have felt it treason to admit its inferiority to any of her cousin"s more stylish dresses. But, to please Stella, she accepted the loan of a sash pressed upon her by her cousin, who took a considerable amount of trouble in the arrangement of her toilet, and in weaving, with innate skill, a graceful wreath of delicate pink rosebuds and green leaves, which she fastened on Lucy"s dark hair, and p.r.o.nounced the effect "charming," while Alick complimented her on her skill. Lucy was conscious of looking better than she had ever done before. It made her think just a little too much about her appearance, and then she felt humbled at seeing in herself the germ of the very feeling she had despised in her cousin.
The wedding arrangements were very quiet and simple. Lucy, who had never been present on so important an occasion, enjoyed it very much, notwithstanding her sorrow at parting with her teacher, whom she thought the very ideal of a bride in her simple bridal dress. Its simplicity, indeed, would probably have scandalized Stella, but Miss Preston was not going to be rich, or mingle in gay society, and she wisely thought show and finery quite out of place. But she had long made it her chief aim to possess that best ornament of "a meek and quiet spirit," which, we are told, "in the sight of G.o.d is of great price."
Before her departure she took Lucy apart to say a few words of loving counsel.
"I hope you will try to work for Christ, dear Lucy," she said, "as He gives you opportunity. Remember, a Christian who does not work is only half a Christian. Now I think if you tried, you might do Nelly Connor some good. She wants a friend very much, and is easily won by kindness."
"I should be glad to do anything I could," said Lucy; "but what would be best to try?"
"Well, poor Nelly can"t read a word, you know, and I am afraid her stepmother would not spare her to go to school. But suppose you were to get her to come to you for half an hour a day. I think her mother might be induced to let her do that. And a short reading-lesson every day would soon bring her on."
Lucy was a little disappointed. It seemed such common-place drudgery to drill an untaught child in the alphabet and spelling-book. Her vague idea of "work for Christ" had been of a more exalted nature. But her friend added: "I don"t mean that you should not teach her better things also. You could, little by little, teach her a good deal about Christ in the course of your daily lessons. But sometimes we may serve Him best by doing His commonest work. And think what you will do for this poor child by putting it in her power to read the Bible for herself, and have access at all times to our Saviour"s own words!"
Lucy willingly promised to try, and then Mrs. Harris, as Miss Preston was now called, bade her an affectionate farewell, before going to exchange the parting words with the members of her own family. Lucy watched by the gate till she saw the carriage drive off, and then, overcome by the reaction from the excitement of the occasion, hurried home through the quiet shady lane, and disregarding Stella"s call, never stopped till she reached her own room.
There the astonished Stella found her lying on her bed, crying bitterly, and asked in alarm the cause of her distress. That the parting from a Sunday-school teacher, a friend so much older than herself, could have called forth such emotion, Stella could not comprehend; and it was difficult for Lucy to explain it to so unsympathetic a listener.
"Why, I"m sure I shan"t cry so when Sophy is married and goes south, a great deal farther away than Miss Preston. Now tell me how she was dressed."
"Oh, Stella! I can"t just now," sobbed Lucy, whose crying was partly the result of nervous excitement, as well as of her realizing for the first time Miss Preston"s departure. And Stella, finding her attempts to soothe her unavailing, returned to her story-book, until the arrival of Mrs. Steele, whom she found more communicative.
"And where is Lucy?" inquired her aunt, after satisfying Stella"s curiosity. "She must have slipped away very quietly."
"Oh, she"s in her own room. She was crying so, it was no use to speak to her. I don"t know what for."
"She is very fond of her teacher, and I don"t wonder at her crying on losing her. She is a great loss to us all."
"What a fuss they all _do_ make over her! I"m sure she didn"t seem anything particular," thought Stella as she accompanied Mrs. Steele up-stairs. Lucy had fallen asleep, but awoke on their entrance, and started up to arrange her disordered dress and hair before going to tea.
"Just look how you have crushed your nice dress now!" exclaimed Stella reproachfully. "And the wreath too! It might have been fresh all the evening. You might have taken them off if you wanted to lie down."
"I didn"t think of it," said Lucy apologetically, somewhat remorseful for not having treated the result of Stella"s labour with more respect. "But I shouldn"t have worn it all the evening, at any rate, for after tea I am going to see Nelly Connor."
"What! that girl we saw in the wood? What are you going to see her for?" exclaimed Stella.
"Miss Preston--I mean Mrs. Harris--wants me to try to get her to come to learn to read, if papa and Aunt Mary have no objection; and I"m sure they won"t."
It was to Stella a bewildering phenomenon, that Lucy should really go out of her way to invite such a girl to the house. However, partly from curiosity, and partly from having nothing better to do, she acceded to Lucy"s invitation to accompany her; and after tea the girls set off, Mrs. Steele warning Lucy to be very conciliatory to Mrs.
Connor, or she would not accomplish her object.
They soon reached the side of the green slope on the river bank, on which the Connors" cottage stood, and were following the path to the house, when they encountered Nelly herself, struggling up the hill with a heavy pail of water. Her brown, weather-tanned face lighted up with a glad smile when she recognised Lucy, and in reply to her inquiry she said she was carrying up water for the next day"s washing.
"And do you carry it all up from the river?" said Lucy.