Page images
PDF
EPUB

ility of keeping two fires lighted when through the crowded streets, where she had brought up the last scuttle- from the shop-windows, resplendent ful of coals; but she answered cheer- with all their Christmas decorations, fully, "I have been busy, and did not floods of light poured down upon the want a fire. No, indeed, I can't let passers-by, all of whom the young wife you cut the bread-and-butter; you are thought looked so eager, so happy, as much too lavish with the butter." if the gladness of the morrow had "Why, what a little screw you are already thrown its halo around them; growing!" laughed John; and then he and a group of noisy children standing added, more seriously, "you are right to around a toyshop window, discussing be careful, darling; but there can be the various attractions it contained, no harm in being happy on Christmas recalled bitterly to her mind her inEve. I am so thankful to have my ability to buy any of the little presents health again, and I feel so much better that had always been spread out by her now (almost as well as I have ever bedside on Christmas morning; whilst been), that I shall be quite glad to a feeling of bitter repugnance to the begin work again. I can't think what execution of her errand, made her has made you such a tyrant as to keep pause irresolutely at the pawnbroker's me upstairs all this time." door. When, however, at last, she "Because you would have been in had summoned up her courage, and my way," she replied; "there, now, entered the shop, she could have sir, you know my reason. Amy, I am snatched the mug from the man's going to leave you to wait on papa, for hands when he roughly removed the there are some things I want to buy." paper in which it was wrapped, turned "I thought you had done all that it round and round, and finally held it this morning," said John, "so that we up to the light, so that Amy's initials, might have spent this evening together; it seemed to Hester, stood out as and I don't like the idea of your roam- plainly as though they had been written ing about the streets, alone, after dark." in fire. But there was too much "Indeed I don't, John," said Hester, business doing that night to allow much smiling, "and I shall not be long, dear. time to be wasted, and so poor Amy's Amy will take care of papa till I come mug was soon consigned to a place back; won't you, darling?” amongst many another relic of better and happier days.

Before John had recovered from his temporary disappointment, Hester had On leaving the shop Hester's face kissed him and the child, had put on grew crimson, for she noticed a man her bonnet and cloak, and with the who stood, as if waiting for her, beside silver mug in her little black bag, had the door, and who, as a sudden gust of gone out, taking with her a remem- wind blew aside her veil, she saw to be brance of the home scene she had just Mr. Dyson. That momentary glance rit, that for a time made the present sufficed to convince her that he had seen seem less dreary, the future less uncer- and recognized her; but as much tain; but the memory of her troubles ashamed as though she had been came back as she hurried along detected in the commission of some

14

"Shut the door, my come here," said her want to speak to you."

[January,

darling, and "Oh no, mamma, I never use it," mother. "I said Amy, "you may have it to keep."

mother, "I hope you will have it back “God bless you, darling," said her before long. Pray God you may never know such agony as it has been to ask

own.

Amy obeyed, rather awed by the tone in which the words were spoken. "I am in sad trouble," continued Hester, "and my little daughter is the you this, Amy; I would not have done only one who can help me. You know it had there been anything left of my to-morrow is Christmas Day, Amy, the day on which, above all others, we dear little pet, and tell him tea will And now go back to papa, my should try to make every one happy soon be ready; but, remember, that and you and I would like to make poor you must not say anything to him of papa happy, should we not, dear ?” little time, must be a secret between what I have told you. That, for a you and me. Papa is to be happy to

"But isn't he happy, mamma?" she asked.

left her, Hester sat huddled up in the For a few moments after Amy had corner of the couch, weeping hot, bitter tears, that would be shed, however she might struggle to keep them back by telling herself that she ought to be very thankful that John was spared to her

"He will not be when he knows some-morrow, is he not?" thing I have to tell him, darling," replied her mother; "but that need not be till to-morrow, if you will help me. Listen to me, Amy. I am talking to you as if you were much older than you are; and you will understand me better by and by. My trouble is that I have no money, not, enough to buy and not sit crying there on Christmas our dinner for to-morrow; and I have, Eve. However, at last she scolded not even anything for which I could herself into calmness, and then, drying get money. There is something of yours, darling, if you would lend it to me; you shall have it back as soon as ever I can get it. Oh, Amy, my little one, forgive me!"

her eyes, she began the preparations (such poor little preparations as they had gradually grown to be) for tea; and, her task completed, she carried the "Oh, mamma," said the child, in was tray upstairs. Up there everything great distress; "please don't cry, bright fire, and John, seated by it in warm and cosy; there was a mamma. I will give you everything his easy chair, with Amy standing, I have only only not Peepy, with her kitten in her arms, beside please," she added, looking half in- him, looked up with a clined to cry at the thought of her Hester entered. glad smile as little black kitten being given in exchange for anything, even a plumpudding.

[ocr errors]

"It's not Peepy, darling," said her mother. "Do you think you would mind lending me your silver mug, Amy, till papa is quite well and busy again?"

"Why, little wife," he cried, "how pale and pinched you look!—and you are as cold as ice! have you been doing? Is there no fire What in the world down stairs? Is that why you brought the kettle up here?"

Hester thought sadly of the impossi

"Why, what a little screw you are growing!" laughed John; and then he added, more seriously, "you are right to be careful, darling; but there can be no harm in being happy on Christmas Eve. I am so thankful to have my health again, and I feel so much better now (almost as well as I have ever been), that I shall be quite glad to begin work again. I can't think what has made you such a tyrant as to keep me upstairs all this time."

ility of keeping two fires lighted when through the crowded streets, where he had brought up the last scuttle- from the shop-windows, resplendent al of coals; but she answered cheer- with all their Christmas decorations, ully, "I have been busy, and did not floods of light poured down upon the #ant a fire. No, indeed, I can't let passers-by, all of whom the young wife' you cut the bread-and-butter; you are thought looked so eager, so happy, as much too lavish with the butter." if the gladness of the morrow had already thrown its halo around them; and a group of noisy children standing around a toyshop window, discussing the various attractions it contained, recalled bitterly to her mind her inability to buy any of the little presents that had always been spread out by her bedside on Christmas morning; whilst a feeling of bitter repugnance to the execution of her errand, made her pause irresolutely at the pawnbroker's door. When, however, at last, she "Because you would have been in had summoned up her courage, and my way," "she replied; "there, now, entered the shop, she could have sir, you know my reason. Amy, I am snatched the mug from the man's going to leave you to wait on papa, for hands when he roughly removed the there are some things I want to buy." paper in which it was wrapped, turned "I thought you had done all that it round and round, and finally held it this morning," said John, "so that we up to the light, so that Amy's initials, might have spent this evening together; it seemed to Hester, stood out as and I don't like the idea of your roam- plainly as though they had been written ing about the streets, alone, after dark." in fire. But there was too much "Indeed I don't, John," said Hester, smiling, “and I shall not be long, dear. Amy will take care of papa till I come back; won't you, darling?"

business doing that night to allow much time to be wasted, and so poor Amy's mug was soon consigned to a place amongst many another relic of better and happier days.

Before John had recovered from his temporary disappointment, Hester had On leaving the shop Hester's face. kissed him and the child, had put on grew crimson, for she noticed a man her bonnet and cloak, and with the who stood, as if waiting for her, beside silver mug in her little black bag, had the door, and who, as a sudden gust of gone out, taking with her a remem- wind blew aside her veil, she saw to be brance of the home scene she had just Mr. Dyson. That momentary glance. left, that for a time made the present sufficed to convince her that he had seen seem less dreary, the future less uncer- and recognized her; but as much tain; but the memory of her troubles ashamed as though she had been came back as she hurried along detected in the commission of some

crime, she hurried past him without | saw me last night, Mr. Dyson. I do speaking to him, feeling thankful when not want him to know it to-day.”

her purchases were made, and she had fairly reached her home.

Then, somewhat reassured by his kind nod, she continued, "And if John As she decorated the sitting-room should speak to you about the music I with the holly and other evergreens on brought you, it would be such a great which that morning she had been happiness to me if you would in some unable to resist the temptation of ex-way keep him from knowing that you pending a few cents, Hester tried hard declined it! The fact is, he was just to banish, for that night at least, all recovering at the time, and I was so thought of gloom or despondency, and afraid that any fresh anxiety would she succeeded so well, that when, half throw him back that I told him you an hour later, she entered her hus- had bought the pieces." band's room, John inwardly blessed the bright, loving presence that was in spirit and in truth the sunshine of his home.

The next morning Hester was up betimes, bustling about, like the household fairy that she was, in order to have breakfast over in good time; and when at last it was cleared away, she was so busy and interested in her preparations for John's "coming down" that a double knock at the door had to be repeated before she noticed it, and then, wondering who their unexpected visitor could be, she ran down stairs, and opening the door, started back as she let in a gust of cold wind and-Mr. Dyson.

"Good morning, Mrs. Carroll," he said.

"Of course your husband is at home; can I see him?"

Venturing to look up to see in what way her confession was received, Hester was surprised to find herself patted on the head and called "Poor child," just as if she had been Amy; and she caught herself wondering whether the grave music publisher had taken leave of his senses, or whether Christmas generally had such a softening effect on him.

John looked surprised when he heard his visitor's name; and when he entered the sitting-room he was scarcely prepared for the warmth with which Mr. Dyson greeted him.

"Ah, Carroll !" he exclaimed, "I am very glad to see you again. You've had a long bout of it; but perhaps the lesson will be useful, and you'll take better care of yourself. You young men are terribly careless."

"I shall not want another lesson like it in a hurry," returned John, smiling. "I don't believe I should have got over it had it not been for my wife's good nursing."

Dreading that her secret should be told before the time for its discovery had arrived, Hester felt half inclined to refuse the request; but a moment's thought showed her the folly of doing so, for John would be sure to have "No, I don't expect you would,” noticed the knock and inquire who had was the grave reply. "But I am been calling, so she answered in the come here to tell you a story, John affirmative, and then said, hesitatingly, Carroll. Are you in a patient mood "You will not tell my husband that you this morning? Ask your wife to

[ocr errors]

of what was coming, was leave the room; and thus in her attempt, she was

And

stay," he added, as Hester, doubtful and much poorer man. Still he had about to never felt for a moment the slightest detected tinge of resentment toward her or her obliged husband; on the contrary, his true to take the chair Mr. Dyson placed heart honored her for her love, that in for her. And then, John saying he its integrity was akin to his own. so from his dying lips I learned that from the time of her marriage he had watched over her, eagerly gleaning from friends and acquaintances every particular relating to her home life, and feeling his own loneliness cheered by the knowledge that she was happy and safe in

was good for any amount of listening, their visitor commenced.

"My parents had only two children," he said, "myself and a brother a year or two my junior; and whether it was because our tastes were alike, or because we were in a great measure dependent upon each other for amuse- the keeping of a man who knew how ment and companionship, I know that to prize the treasure given into his from our earliest childhood we were hands, almost as well as he himself more united than brothers generally would have done. I have watched are; and when we lost our parents the and waited,' he said, almost with his tie between us grew stronger. last breath, but no need for helping them has yet arisen, no shade has yet appeared to darken the sunshine of their lives, no trial to test the strength

of their love. To you, my brother, I must leave the fulfilment of the task I

"You will think all this very uninteresting, but I am coming to the part that concerns you almost directly. Well, in course of time, we grew up, and as no one ever heard a suspicion of our falling in love, or even thinking had imposed upon myself; for sooner of such a thing as marriage, we came or later sorrow will come upon them, to be looked upon as confirmed old and, somewhere in the future, the danbachelors; and so, though I had no gers that beset every human life must right to entertain such feelings, I was lie in wait for them. So watch for this, both astonished and angry when my and when the hour has come, help them brother told me one day he intended as I had meant some day to do, with making an offer to a young lady whom kindly heart and open hand; and perhe had met a few months before. As it haps, in after-years, if no nearer or turned out, I might have saved myself dearer ties are around you, there may and him the pain of such an exhibition be a place reserved for the lonely, of selfishness, for he was refused; but childless old man in the happy home that was his first and last love, and he her presence makes bright.' never forgot it, though until he was on his death-bed, four years ago to-day, he never, even to me, mentioned it in any way. Then he told me the whole story-how the girl he had loved so truly had refused him, gently, but As Mr. Dyson paused, John put his firmly, in order to marry a younger hand on his wife's shoulder, and she VOL. X.-2.

"This, John Carroll, is the first part of the story I come to tell you—you, who were my brother's favored rival, whose wife was the girl of whom he spoke."

« PreviousContinue »