With what a sense of relief had she often sat and chatted with Col.
Baker at the close of what had been to her an irksome day, and felt that at last the sense of propriety would not be shocked if they laughed and bantered each other as usual.
Things were different now. But poor Flossy"s face flushed, and her heart beat hard over the trial of _not_ asking Col. Baker to come in. Silly child! Ruth would have said, and her calm, clear voice would not have hesitated over the words; "Col. Baker, I can not ask you in this evening, because I have determined to receive no more calls, even from intimate friends, on the Sabbath. On any other evening I shall be happy to see you."
As for Marion, she would have decidedly enjoyed saying it. But Flossy, she could never have explained it to him. Her voice would have trembled too much, and her heart beat too hard. The very most that she could do was to keep her lips closed. No invitation from her should pa.s.s them, and this in itself was five times more of a cross than it would have been for either of the others to have spoken.
However, it did no good. Col. Baker"s friendship was on too a.s.sured a footing to wait for ceremony. He had received too many invitations of that nature to even notice the omission now. Though Flossy paused and turned toward him he did not notice it, but himself opened the door for her and pa.s.sed in at her side, talking still about some matter connected with his plans for the evening, that had been overthrown by her strange propensity for church.
She did not hear him at all; she was both grieved and annoyed. If only she dared go directly to her room! If she had been Ruth Erskine it would have been done in a moment.
They sat down in the back parlor, and it was made evident to Flossy that the entertainment of Col. Baker would be considered her special duty.
The library door was closed, and the sound of subdued voices there told that Kitty Shipley and her suitor were having a confidential talk. Kitty wouldn"t help, then. Mrs. Shipley had retired, and Mr. Shipley sat at the drop light reading the journal. He glanced up at their entrance, gave Col. Baker the courteous and yet familiar greeting that welcomed him as a special friend of the house, and then went on with his reading.
As for her brother Charlie, he had not come in, and probably would not for hours to come.
What was there for Flossy to do but to take a seat and talk to Col.
Baker? Yet how she shrank from it! She wanted to be alone, to go over in her heart all the sweet and blessed experiences of the day, for this day had helped her much. She wanted to think about those boys in the school, and form plans for their future, and try to decide whether it could be that they would really like her for a teacher, and whether Dr. Dennis would let her undertake the cla.s.s. Why would not Col. Baker go home?
"What is the matter with you?" he asked, studying her face curiously, and with a doubtful sound in his voice. "I don"t believe that strange freak of yours did you any good."
"It did me more good than anything that ever happened to me in my life,"
Flossy said, positively.
If she could only have explained to him just what the nature of that good was! Possibly she might have tried, only there sat her father. Who could tell when his interest in the _Times_ would cease, and he give attention to her? Flossy could not understand why she should be so afraid of her father in this matter; but she was very much afraid.
The talk they had was of that kind known as "small." To Flossy it seemed exceedingly small, and she did not know how to make it otherwise. She began to wonder if she and Col. Baker really had any ideas in common; yet Col. Baker could talk with gentlemen, and talk well. It was simply the habit of being frippery with the ladies that made his words seem so foolish to Flossy.
Contrary to her expectation, her brother Charlie suddenly appeared on the scene; and for a time she was privileged to slip into the background. Charlie had been to hear the choral, and Col. Baker was very anxious to know as to its success. You would have supposed them to be talking about a prima donna concert. At last Charlie turned to Flossy with the trying question:
"Sis, why didn"t you go to the choral? I thought you were coming for her, Baker. Didn"t you tell me so?"
"I came, but was too late. Miss Flossy had already betaken herself to the First Church."
"So _you_ missed the choral?"
"Well, only part of it. I went for an hour; then I left, and went in search of your sister, to discover if I could what special attractions First Church had for her to-night."
Now this fashion of going to one service until he was tired, and then quietly slipping out in search of something more attractive, was peculiar to Col. Baker. Flossy had known of his doing it on several different occasions. The very most that she had thought about it had been, that it was making one"s self very conspicuous. She didn"t believe she would like to do it, even if she were a man. But to-night the action had taken an irreverent shade that it never had before. She discovered that she utterly disapproved of it. There seemed to be many things in Col. Baker that met with her disapproval. Meantime the talk went on.
"Did you find the attraction?" Charlie asked.
Col. Baker shrugged his handsome shoulders.
"I confess I couldn"t find it in the sermon. It was one of the Doctor"s sharpest and bluest efforts. That poor man has the dyspepsia, I feel certain. Seems to me he develops an increased ability for making people miserable."
Now, Col. Baker fully expected to draw forth by this remark one of Flossy"s silvery laughs, which, to tell the truth, were becoming sweeter to his ears than any choral.
He was surprised and annoyed at the steady look of thoughtful, not to say distressed gravity that she gave him out of those soft blue eyes of hers. He did not know what to make of this Flossy; he was feeling the change in her more decidedly than anyone else had done. He waited for Flossy"s answer, and she gave it at last, in a grave, rebuking tone of voice:
"I liked the sermon very much."
"Did you, indeed? I confess I am astonished. I gave you the credit of possessing a more tender heart. Frankly, then, I didn"t. I must say I don"t like to go to church to be made uncomfortable."
"Did you find that sentence in the paper?" Flossy asked, a little gleam of mischief in her eyes. "Because, if you did, I should have thought you would have considered it answered very well by the comments."
"As a rule, I am not obliged to resort to the papers to find remarks to quote," Col. Baker said, with an attempt at gayety, which but half concealed the evident annoyance that he felt. "But I judge the paper found some one suffering in the same way. Pray, what was the answer?"
"Why, the writer said that he supposed no one liked to be uncomfortable; but whether it was the sermon that should change, or the life, in order to remove the discomfort, was a question for each to decide for himself."
"Sharp!" said Charlie, laughing; "you"ve got hit, Baker."
"Oh, no," he said, "not at all. Don"t you see, the author kindly accorded permission for each person to decide the question for himself?
Now I have it decided so far as I am concerned. I prefer a change in the sermon. Oh, Dr. Dennis is a good man; no one doubts it; but he is too severe a sermonizer. His own church officers admit that. He is really driving the young people away from the church. I should not be greatly surprised if there had to be a change in that locality very soon. The spirit of the times demands more liberality, and a larger measure of Christian charity."
Col. Baker was really too well educated a man to have allowed himself to use these terms parrot-like, without knowledge or thought as to their meaning; but the truth was, he cared so little about church and Christian charity, and all those phrases, as to have very little idea of what he meant himself when he used them.
But pretty little Flossy had never argued with him, never been known to argue with anybody. Why should he not occasionally awe her with his high sounding words? It is a pity that Ruth or Marion had not been there to take up the theme; and yet it is doubtful if arguments would have had any weight with him. The truth was, he did not need to be convinced.
Probably Flossy"s perfect gravity, and dignity, and silence, did more to answer him than any keen words could have done.
[Ill.u.s.tration]
[Ill.u.s.tration]
CHAPTER V.
NEW MUSIC.
CHARLIE arose suddenly and went toward the piano. Things were becoming uncomfortably grave.
"Sis," he said, "can"t you give us some new music? Try this new piece; Baker hasn"t heard you sing it. I don"t think it is remarkable, but it is better than none. We seem to have a very small list of music that will pa.s.s the orthodox line for Sunday use."
Both he and Flossy had sighed over the dearth of pretty things that were suited to Sunday. The one in question was one of the worst of its kind--one of that cla.s.s which Satan seems to have been at work getting up, for the purpose of lulling to rest weak consciences. Sickly, sentimental ideas, expressed in words that are on the very verge of silly; and yet, with just enough solemn sounding phrases in them, thrown in here and there, to allow them to be caught up by a certain cla.s.s, and p.r.o.nounced "sacred song." Flossy had herself selected this one, and before her departure for Chautauqua had p.r.o.nounced it very good. She had not looked at it since she came home. Charlie spread it open for her on the piano, then returned to the sofa to enjoy the music. Flossy"s voice was sweet and tender; no power in it, and little change of feeling, but pleasant to listen to, and capable of being tender and pathetic. She looked over the sacred song with a feeling of aversion almost amounting to disgust. The pitiful attempts at religion sounded to her recently impressed heart almost like a caricature. On the piano beside her lay a copy of "Gospel Songs;" open, so it happened (?), at the blessed and solemn hymn, "How much owest thou?" Now a coincidence that seemed remarkable, and at once startled and impressed Flossy, was that Dr.
Dennis" text for the evening had been the words, "How much owest thou unto my Lord?" She hesitated just a moment, then she resolutely pushed aside the sheet music, drew the book toward her, and without giving herself time for a prelude, gave herself to the beautiful and well-remembered words:
"How much owest thou?
For years of tender, watchful care, A father"s faith, a mother"s prayer-- How much owest thou?
"How much owest thou?
For calls, and warnings loud and plain, For songs and sermons heard in vain-- How much owest thou?
"How much owest thou?
Thy day of grace is almost o"er, The judgment time is just before-- How much owest thou?
"How much owest thou?
Oh, child of G.o.d, and heir of heaven, Thy soul redeemed, thy sins forgiven-- How much owest thou?"