"Dr. Dennis, we shall be talking at cross purposes if we do not make some explanation of our object in calling this evening. We feel that we do not belong in the society where you are cla.s.sing us; in fact, we do not belong anywhere. Our views and feelings have greatly changed within a short time. We want to make a corresponding change in our a.s.sociations; at least, so far as is desirable. Our special object in calling just now is, that we know it will soon be time for the communion in your church, and we have thought that perhaps we ought to make a public profession of our changed views."
Was ever a man more bent on misunderstanding plain English than was Dr.
Dennis this evening? He looked at his callers in an astonished and embarra.s.sed way for a moment, as if uncertain whether to consider them lunatics or not; and then said, addressing himself to Eurie:
"My dear young lady, I fear you are laboring under a mistake as to the object in uniting with the Church of Christ, and the preparation necessary. You know, as a church, we hold that something more than a desire to change one"s social relations should actuate the person to take such a step; that, indeed, there should be a radical change of heart."
Poor Eurie! She thought she had been _so_ plain in her explanation. She flushed, and commenced a stammering sentence; then paused, and looked appealingly at Ruth and Marion.
Finally she did what, for Eurie Mitch.e.l.l to do, was unprecedented, lost all self-control, and broke into a sudden and pa.s.sionate gust of tears.
"Eurie, don"t!" Marion said; to her it was actual pain to see tears. As for Dr. Dennis, he was very much at his wits" end, and Ruth"s embarra.s.sment grew upon her every moment. Flossy came to the rescue.
"Dr. Dennis," she said, and he noticed even then that her voice was strangely sweet and winning, "Eurie means that we love Jesus, and we believe he has forgiven us and called us by name. We mean we want to be his, and to serve him forever; and we want to acknowledge him publicly, because we think he has so directed."
How simple and sweet the story was, after all, when one just gave up attempting to be proper, and gave the quiet truth. Ruth was struck with the simplicity and the directness of the words; she began to have not only an admiration, but an unfeigned respect for Flossy Shipley. But you should have seen Dr. Dennis" face. It is a pity Eurie could not have seen it at that moment; if she had not had hers buried in the sofa pillow she would have caught the quick glad look of surprise and joy and heartfelt thankfulness that spoke in his eyes. He arose suddenly, and, holding out his hand to Flossy, said:
"Let me greet you, and thank you, and ask you to forgive me, in the same breath. I have been very slow to understand, and strangely stupid and unsympathetic. I feel very much as I fancy poor doubting Thomas must have done. Forgive me; I am so astonished, and so glad that I don"t know how to express the feeling. Do you speak for all your friends here, Miss Flossy? And may I ask something about the wonderful experience that has drawn you all into the ark?"
But Flossy"s courage had forsaken her; it was born of sympathy with Eurie"s tears. She looked down now, tearful herself, and trembling like a leaf. Ruth found voice to answer for her.
"Our experience, Dr. Dennis, can be summed up in one word--Chautauqua."
Dr. Dennis gave a little start; another astonishment.
"Do you mean that you were converted during that meeting?"
Marion smiled.
"We do not know enough about terms, to really be sure that that is the right one to use," she said; "at least, I do not. But we do know this, that we met the Lord Jesus there, and that, as Flossy says, we love him, and have given our lives into his keeping."
"You cannot say more than that after a hundred years of experience," he said, quickly.
"Well, dear friends, I cannot, as I said, express to you my grat.i.tude and joy. And you are coming into the church, and are ready to take up work for the Master, and live for him? Thank the Lord."
Little need had our girls to talk of Dr. Dennis" coldness and dignity after that. How entirely his heart had melted! What a blessed talk they had! So many questions about Chautauqua, so much to tell that delighted him. They had not the least idea that it was possible to feel so much at ease with a minister as they grew to feel with him.
The bell rang and was answered, and yet no one intruded on their quiet, and the talk went on, until Marion, with a sudden recollection of Nellis Mitch.e.l.l, and their appointment with him, stole a glance at her watch, and was astonished into the announcement:
"Girls, we have been here an hour and a quarter!"
"Is it possible!" Ruth said, rising at once. "Father will be alarmed, I am afraid."
Dr. Dennis rose also.
"I did not know I was keeping you so," he said. "Our theme was a fascinating one. Will you wait a moment, and let me make ready to see you safely home?"
But it appeared, on opening the door, that Nellis Mitch.e.l.l occupied an easy-chair in the parlor, just across the hall.
"I"m a patient young man, and at your service," he said, coming toward them as they emerged. "Please give me credit for promptness. I was here at the half hour."
As they walked home, Nellis with his sister on one arm, and Flossy Shipley on the other, he said:
"Now, what am I to understand by this sudden and violent intimacy at the parsonage? Miss Flossy, my sister has. .h.i.therto made yearly calls of two seconds" duration on the doctor"s sister when she is not home to receive them."
"A great many things are to be different from what they have hitherto been," Flossy said, with a soft little laugh.
"So I begin to perceive."
"Nell," said Eurie, turning back when she was half way up the stairs, having said good-night, "are you going to help them with those tableaux?"
"Not much," said Nellis.
And Eurie, as she went on, said:
"I shouldn"t be surprised if Nell felt differently about some things from what he used to. Oh, I wonder if I can"t coax him in?"
[Ill.u.s.tration]
[Ill.u.s.tration]
CHAPTER IX.
A WHITE SUNDAY.
AMONG other topics that were discussed with great interest during that call at Dr. Dennis" was the Sunday-school, and the place that our girls were to take in it, Flossy was not likely to forget that matter. Her heart was too full of plans concerning "those boys."
Early in the talk she overwhelmed and embarra.s.sed Dr. Dennis with the request that she might be allowed to try that cla.s.s. Now if it had been Ruth or Marion who had made the same request, it would have been unhesitatingly granted. The doctor had a high opinion of the intellectual abilities of both these young ladies, and now that they had appeared to consecrate those abilities, he was willing to receive them.
But this little summer b.u.t.terfly, with her small sweet ways and winning smile! He had no more idea that she could teach than that a humming-bird could; and of all cla.s.ses in the school, to expect to do anything with those large wild boys! It was preposterous.
"My dear friend," he said, and he could hardly keep from smiling, even though he was embarra.s.sed, "you have no idea what you are asking! That is altogether the most difficult cla.s.s in the school. Some of our best teachers have failed there. The fact is, those boys don"t _want_ to be instructed; they are in search of fun. They are a hard set, I am really afraid. I wouldn"t have you tried and discouraged by them. We are at a loss what to do with them, I will admit; for no one who can do it seems willing to try them. In fact, I am not sure that we have anyone who _can_. I understand your motive, Miss Flossy, and appreciate your zeal; but you must not crush yourself in that way. Since you have been out of the Sunday-school for so many years, and, I presume, have not made the Bible a study--unhappily, it is not used as a text book in many of our schools--would it not be well for you to join some excellent Bible-cla.s.s for awhile? I think you would like it better, and grow faster, and we really have some superior teachers among the Bible-cla.s.ses."
And while he said this, the wise doctor hoped in his heart that she would not be offended with his plain speaking, and that some good angel would suggest to Marion Wilbur the propriety of trying that cla.s.s of boys.
Flossy was not offended, though Marion Wilbur, spoken to in the same way, would have been certain to have felt it. Little Flossy, though sorely disappointed, so much so that she could hardly keep the tears from rising, admitted that she did not know how to teach, and that, of course, she ought to study the Bible, and would like ever so much to do so.
It so happened that the other girls were more than willing to be enrolled as pupils; indeed, had not an idea of taking any other position. So, after a little more talk, it was decided that they all join Dr. Dennis" cla.s.s, every one of them expressing a prompt preference for that cla.s.s above the others. In his heart Dr. Dennis entirely approved of this arrangement, for he wanted the training of Flossy and Eurie, and he meant to make teachers of the other two as soon as possible.
Now it came to pa.s.s that an unlooked-for element came into all this planning--none other than the boys themselves. They had ideas of their own, and they belonged to that part of the world which is hard to govern. They would have Miss Flossy Shipley to be their teacher, and they would have no one else; she suited them exactly, and no one else did.
"But, my dear boys," Dr. Dennis said, "Miss Shipley is new to the work of teaching; she is but a learner herself; she feels that her place is in the Bible-cla.s.s, so that she may acquire the best ways of presenting lessons."
"Did she say she wouldn"t teach us?" queried Rich. Johnson, with his keen eyes fixed on the doctor"s face.