"The Lord has heard me," he declared, doggedly. "He has not turned away. The woman must--she _shall_--be saved!"
"Ay, but," Aunt Esther expostulated; "she"ve been sort o" wantin" t"
tell--"
The parson"s green eyes were all at once bent in a penetrating way upon Aunt Esther; and she backed away, biting at her nails--daring no further protest.
"Judith, my child," said the parson, "do you go to the kitchen."
"No, no!" Judith wailed. "I"m wantin" t" stay."
Elizabeth stretched out her arms.
"It distracts your mother"s attention, you see," said the parson, kindly. "Do you go, my dear."
"I _will_ not go!"
"Judith!" Elizabeth called.
The parson caught the child"s arm.
"You leave me be!" Judith flashed, her white little teeth all bare.
"Do you go," said the parson, coldly, "to the kitchen."
"He"d better mind what he"s about!" Aunt Esther complained.
Elizabeth was now on her elbow, staring in alarm. Her breast was significantly heaving, and the great vein of her throat had begun to beat. "Don"t send she away, parson!" she pleaded. "She"s wantin" her mother. Leave she be!"
The parson led Judith away.
"For G.o.d"s sake, parson," Elizabeth gasped, "leave she come! What you goin" t" do with she?" She made as though to throw off the coverlet and follow; but she was unable, and fell back in exhaustion. "Judith!"
she called. "Judith!"
The kitchen door was closed upon Judith; the obstacle had been removed.
"Don"t hurt she, parson," Elizabeth entreated, seeming, now, to be possessed of a delusion concerning the parson"s purpose. "She"ve done no harm, sir. She"ve been a good child all her life."
"Elizabeth," said the parson, firmly, "repent!"
"What you done with my Judith?"
"Repent!"
Elizabeth"s heart began to work beyond its strength. "For G.o.d"s sake, parson!" she gasped; "you"ll not hurt she, will you?"
"Repent, I say!"
"I"ll repent, parson. What you goin" t" do with Judy? Don"t hurt she, parson. I"ll repent. Oh, bring she back, parson! I"ll repent. For G.o.d"s sake, parson!" It may be that despair gave her cunning--I do not know. The deception was not beyond her: she had been converted twice--she was used to the forms as practised in those days at Twist Tickle. She wanted her child, poor woman! and her mind was clouded with fear: she is not to be called evil for the trick. Nor is Parson Lute to be blamed for following earnestly all that she said--praying, all the while, that the issue might be her salvation. She had a calculating eye on the face of Parson Lute. "I believe!" she cried, watching him closely for some sign of relenting. "Help thou my unbelief." The parson"s face softened. "Save me!" she whispered, exhausted. "Save my soul! I repent. Save my soul!" She seemed now to summon all her strength, for the parson had not yet called back the child. "Praise G.o.d!" she screamed, seeking now beyond doubt to persuade him of her salvation. "I repent! I"m saved! I"m saved!"
"Praise G.o.d!" Parson Lute shouted.
Elizabeth swayed--threw up her hands--fell back dead.
"I tol" you so," said Aunt Esther, grimly.
XIV
THE TWENTY-THIRD PSALM
Faith, but "twas a bitter night! Men were drowning on our coast--going to death in the wreck of schooners. The sea broke in unmasked a.s.sault upon the great rocks of Whisper Cove; the gale worried the cottage on the cliff. But "twas warm in the kitchen: the women had kept the fire for the cup o" tea to follow the event; "twas warm, and the lamp made light and shadow, and the kettle bubbled and puffed, the wood crackled, the fire snored and glowed, all serenely, in disregard of death, as though no mystery had come to appal the souls of us.
My uncle had Judith on his knee.
"I"m not able," she sobbed.
"An" ye"ll not try?" he besought. "Ye"ll not even try?"
We were alone: the women were employed in the other room; the parson paced the floor, unheeding, his yellow teeth fretting his finger-nails, his lean lips moving in some thankful communication with the G.o.d he served.
"Ah, but!" says my uncle, "ye"ll _surely_ come t" live along o" me!"
"No, no! I"ll be livin" where I"ve always lived--with mother."
"Ye cannot live alone."
"Ay; but I"m able t" live alone--an" fish alone--like mother done."
""Twas not her wish, child," says my uncle. "She"d have ye live along o" me. "Why, Judy," she"d have ye know, "do ye live along o" he. Do ye trust, little maid," she"d have ye t" know, "that there ol" Nick Top.
He"ve a powerful bad look t" the eye in his head," she"d say, "an"
he"ve the name o" the devil; but Lord love ye!" she"d say, "he"ve a heart with room t" contain ye, an" a warm welcome t" dwell within.
He"ve took good care o" little ol" Dannie," she"d say, "an" he"ll take good care o" _you_. He"ll never see ye hurt or wronged or misguided so long as he lives. Not," she"d say, "that there d.a.m.ned ol" rascal!" An"
if ye come, Judy, dear," my uncle entreated, "I won"t see ye wronged--I won"t!" My uncle"s little eyes were overrunning now--the little eyes he would not look into. The parson still paced the floor, still unheeding, still muttering fervent prayer of some strange sort; but my uncle, aged in sinful ways, was frankly crying. "Ye"ll come, Judy, will ye not?" he begged. "Along o" ol" Nick Top, who would not see ye wronged? Ah, little girl!" he implored--and then her head fell against him--"ye"ll surely never doubt Nick Top. An" ye"ll come t" he, an" ye"ll sort o" look after un, will ye not?--that poor ol" feller!"
Judith was sobbing on his breast.
"That poor, poor ol" feller!"
She wept the more bitterly.
"Poor little girl!" he crooned, patting her shoulder. "Ah, the poor little girl!"
"I"ll go!" cried Judith, in a pa.s.sion of woe and grat.i.tude. "I"ll go--an" trust an" love an" care for you!"
My uncle clasped her close. ""_The Lard is my shepherd,_"" says he, looking up, G.o.d knows to what! his eyes streaming, ""_I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters._"" By the wind, by the breaking of the troubled sea, the old man"s voice was obscured. ""_Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me: thy rod and thy staff they comfort me._"" Judith still sobbed, uncomforted; my uncle stroked her hair--and again she broke into pa.s.sionate weeping. ""_Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over._"" Returned, again, in a lull of the gale, my fancy that I caught the lamentation of a mult.i.tude. ""_Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever._""