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Holiday Tales
Jessie had never felt less disposed to work; but when Mrs.
Cunningham made room for her, and gave her the seam she was to
do, with a kindly sympathy in tone and glance that seemed to say
she knew just what the little girl was feeling, though she wasn't
going to talk about it, all her unwillingness melted away. 'Mother is
sad too,' she thought. 'I won't do anything to vex her;' and so she
worked away as neatly and diligently as she could till nine o'clock,
which was her bed-time.
'I may go to Cecil before I go to bed, mother, mayn't I?' she
whispered as she was bidding good-night.
Mrs. Cunningham gave permission, and Jessie rushed up-stairs two
steps at a time, but controlled herself to give a very gentle tap at
Cecil's door. It must have been too gentle, for he took no notice of it;
but in answer to another, rather louder, came the question, 'Is it you,
Jessie?' And when he found it was, he opened the door, which was
locked, and let her in.
He seemed to have been unpacking, for his little portmanteau was
open on the floor, and some of his clothes and other possessions
were strewn upon the bed and the one chair, which was the only seat
that the little attic could boast; but he was flushed, and his eyes were
red, as if he had been crying, and he turned away abruptly from his
sister when he had let her in, and began to dive into the portmanteau
again.
'Can't I help you?' said she, not knowing well how to begin her task
of comfort. 'I'll fold up the clothes and put them in the drawers,
while you take out the books. Oh! perhaps you meant to leave them
in, though. You won't want them for the holidays?'
'Pretty holidays!' said Cecil passionately, more to himself than to her.
'A single week!'
'I don't understand,' she rejoined in consternation. 'You're not going
back to school in a week, surely?'
'I'm not going back to Eastwood at all, but I'm going to a horrid,
odious, beastly little day school in Fairview;' and Cecil flung out
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some books upon the floor, in a manner which did not bespeak very
exemplary submission to his father's decrees.
'JESSIE CAME OVER TO HIM AND HUGGED HIM.'
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The information itself, and Cecil's terrible adjectives, both dismayed
Jessie, and for a minute or two she did not speak. Then she said, 'But
surely there must be holidays at the day school too?'
'They're just over they began in June. Of course those sort of places
don't break up at the same time as the public schools, like we do,'
said Cecil with wrathful contempt.
'And must you begin when the school does?'
'I've got to that's all; it's to be my punishment, father says, just as
if losing the exhibition were not punishment enough!' And he buried
his face in the portmanteau to hide his tears.
Jessie came over to him and hugged him; and he didn't seem to
mind, though she could only kiss the side of his cheek and his shirt
collar, for the greater part of his face was hidden among the books.
'Did you tell him you worked nearly all the time?' she faltered in an
unsteady voice.
'I began to say something, and he asked me if I could honestly say I
had done my very best, and I couldn't quite say that, you know, and
then he wouldn't hear any more. And oh, I'm sure he thinks I did
nothing but idle my time away!'
'Did you tell him you thought there must be some mistake?'
'I said something about Lomax spiting me, but he wouldn't listen to
that.'
'Oh no,' said Jessie, who readily understood that her father would
never admit that explanation of the affair. 'Oh, Cecil, I am so sorry, so
very sorry!'
'If I had really been idle,' said Cecil, raising up his tear-wet face,
more crimson than ever from its sojourn in the box, 'then I shouldn't
care I mean, it would only be fair that I should be served out for it;
but when I haven't when I have tried all this year oh! --' and he
was nearly choked by the sobs which, in his desire to be manly, he
was struggling to repress.
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Jessie believed him entirely, and was grieved to the very heart. 'I am
so sorry,' she repeated. 'But, dear Cecil, God knows; He sees you have
been trying; He isn't angry with you.'
'Then why does He let this happen?' said Cecil fiercely.
Jessie was startled and shocked, and had no answer ready. 'I don't
know,' she said at last, through her tears; 'I can't tell why, but He is
so good oh, He is so good! perhaps it will all come right still. I
will ask Him; and you will, won't you, Cecil? Isn't there something in
the Bible about its being acceptable with God, if we do well and
suffer for it?'
'Yes; but I'm not suffering because I've done well, but because I'm
supposed to have done ill,' said Cecil gloomily. 'There's no good
talking, Jessie; you'd better go to bed.'
'Perhaps I had,' said Jessie, a sudden thought striking her as she
heard her father's voice in the passage below; 'but I can't bear to
leave you, Cecil. I am so sorry, and I do love you so!'
He half returned her tender, sorrowful hug; and then she ran away,
but not straight to her own room. She darted down one flight of
stairs, and caught hold of her father, who had come in from the
practice, and had been washing his hands before going to supper.
'Father,' she said breathlessly, 'please let me say it: Cecil has been
working he has indeed. Oh, I am sure you would believe it if you
had heard what he said to me just now!'
Mr. Cunningham did not draw himself away from the detaining
clasp, but he said gravely, 'I quite believe that Cecil does not think he
has been so very idle, but he admits that he has not done his best,
and I hope in a little while he will see all his fault, and be sorry for it.
Don't let him talk to you any more to-night.'
'But don't you think there may have been some mistake?'
'No, indeed,' he answered in a surprised tone, which showed that no
such supposition had ever entered his head.
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Then, as she still lingered, he stooped to kiss her, and said kindly,
'Don't try to comfort Cecil with such an idea as that, my child, but
see if you can encourage him to do his best for the future.'
'And father,' she said timidly, 'is he really only to have a week's
holiday?'
'Yes,' said Mr. Cunningham in his most decided tone; then more
gently he added, 'I am afraid that is punishing you as well as him,
but it can't be helped; and as he is only going to a day school, you
will not lose him entirely.'
Remembering the adjectives Cecil had heaped upon the day school,
Jessie could not feel this to be quite consolatory; but she only said
'Good-night, father,' and held up her face for another kiss, which was
given very tenderly.
Poor little girl! there was a great deal of grief and perplexity in her
heart that night; but the comfort was, that though she so pitied Cecil,
she did not distrust the goodness of either the heavenly or the
earthly father. She could not see the why and wherefore of it all; but
when she had said her prayers, she laid herself down to sleep
trustfully and patiently, while Cecil was tossing and tumbling about,
feeling as if everybody except Jessie were against him.
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CHAPTER II.
A BACHELOR'S LUNCH.
HE bells were ringing for Sunday Morning Prayer at
Wilbourne Church, and the congregation was pouring [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]