The Carbonels Part 13

"Oh yes; no fear of that, if you let the flour alone, as Mrs Carbonel tells you," said the captain.

"Oh, oh! if it wasn't for you--" the mother began.

But Edmund wanted to get his wife away before there was a scene, and cut it short with, "There, there! We'll come again. Only let her alone, and don't meddle with the flour."

Tirzah did what no native of Uphill would have thought of. She clasped Mrs Carbonel's hand, threw herself on her knees, and kissed it.

"Thank G.o.d, not me," said Mary, much moved. "But you will give her to G.o.d now, and let her be baptised. I think she will live, but it ought to be as G.o.d's child."

When the curate came in a little later, to hear how the child was, Tirzah allowed him to baptize her privately. It might partly have been the dread of missing the Burial Service, but far more because in this present mood she was ready to do anything for madam.

Even when the neighbours thronged in, and Mrs Spurrell wanted to take the child up, pull off the flour, and anoint her with oil and spirit, she would not hear of it.

"They as saved her shall have their will of her," said she.

"Saved her! She'll sleep herself off to death! What's the good of simple stuff like that, with no sting nor bite in it?" said Nanny Barton.

"Ay," said Mrs Spurrell, "this ile as my great-aunt gave me, as they said was a white witch, with all her charrums, is right sovereign! Why, I did Jenny Truman's Sally with it when her arm was burnt."

"Ay, and you could hear her holler all over the place," said Tirzah; "and she've no use of her arm, poor maid! No, you shan't touch my child no how."

Tirzah kept her word, and Mrs Carbonel came every day and doctored the child, and Sophy brought her a doll, which kept her peaceful for hours.

The lurcher never barked at them, but seemed to understand their mission. And a wonderful old gipsy grandmother of Tirzah's, with eyes like needles and cheeks like brown leather, came and muttered charms over the child, and believed her cure was owing to them; but she left a most beautiful basket, white and purple, for a present to the lady.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

AN OFFER REJECTED.

"Oft in Life's stillest shade reclining In desolation unrepining, Without a hope on earth to find A mirror in an answering mind, Meek souls there are who little deem Their daily strife an angel's theme."

_Keble_.

In the spring Dora was invited to spend a few weeks with an old family friend in London, where there were daughters who had always been her holiday friends, and with whom she exchanged letters, on big square pages of paper, filled to the very utmost with small delicate handwriting, crossed over so that they looked like chequer-work, and going into all the flaps and round the seal. They did not come above once in a month or six weeks, and contained descriptions of what the damsels had seen, thought, heard, read, or felt; so that they were often really worth the eightpence that had to be paid on their reception.

Edmund, who had business in London, took his sister-in-law there, driving old Major to the crossroads, where they met the stage-coach. He went outside, on the box-seat, and she in the dull and close-packed interior, where four persons and one small child had to make the best of their quarters for the six hours that the journey lasted. Tired, headachy, and dusty with March dust, at last Dora emerged, and was very glad to rattle through the London streets in a hackney coach to Mr Elwood's tall house, where there was a warm welcome ready for her.

But we need not hear of the pictures she saw, nor the music she heard, nor the plays she enjoyed, nor the parties she went to during that thorough holiday--though perhaps some would not call it a holiday, since the morning was spent in lessons in music, drawing, and Italian, in practising these same lessons, and in reading history aloud--the reading of some lighter book being an evening pleasure when the family were alone. Dora would not have enjoyed it half so much if it had not been for the times of real solid thought and interest. Her friends, too, had some poems still in ma.n.u.script lent to them, which made an immense impression on the young souls, and which they all learnt and discussed on Sundays, trying to enter into their meaning, and insensibly getting moulded by them. They were the poems that Dora knew a few years later as the "Christian Year." They made her home-work still dearer to her, and she had never let her interest fade among all her pleasures, but she was acc.u.mulating little gifts for the children, for Betty Pucklechurch, Widow Mole, Judith Grey, and the rest.

One day, when some intimate friends of the Elwoods were spending the day with them, something was said about Dora's home; and one of the visitors exclaimed, "Uphill--Uphill, near Poppleby,--is that the place?"

"Yes."

"Then I wonder whether you can tell me anything about our dear old nursery maid, Judith Grey."

"Judith Grey! Oh yes! She is the very nicest person in all Uphill,"

cried Dora. "Is it your father that gives her a pension?"

"Yes. You know it was while carrying little Selina downstairs, that she put her foot into the string of James's humming-top, and tumbled down all the stone stairs. She managed to save Selina--dear old Judy!--but she hurt her back most dreadfully, and she can't ever be well again, so papa gives her an allowance. She writes cheerfully, but we should like to hear more about her. We all were so fond of her."

"Indeed, I don't wonder. She is so good and patient. Such a dear thing! Mary and I call her the bright spot in our parish."

"She lives with a sister, I think. Is she nice?"

Dora had her opportunity, and she painted Dan Hewlett and his household in no flattering colours. Molly was a slattern, and Dan was a thief, and the children ate up Judith's dainties, and they all preyed upon her.

It was a perfectly horrid life for a good, well-trained, high-principled person to lead. In fact, she poured out all the indignant accusations that she and Mary had been wont to make between themselves or to Edmund; and she sent Caroline and Anne Barnard home greatly shocked at what she had told them of their dear Judy's surroundings.

Mrs Barnard came the next day, and begged to hear Miss Carbonel's account. Dora was a little more moderate than she had been to the young ladies; but, any way, it was sad enough, and Mrs Barnard gave hopes that something should be done. All the family sent little presents of books or articles of dress, and Dora promised to write and let her know of their reception.

It was one of the great pleasures of the return to spread them out before Judith, and to tell of her sight of the dear young ladies and their mother, and how tall, and what a fine girl little Miss Selina had become. But she did not seem quite so happy when she perceived that Dora had disclosed a good deal of her circ.u.mstances; and observed that her sister was always a good sister to her. Which Dora took leave to doubt, especially when she recognised Miss Barnard's pretty gift of a blue turnover, all on one side, upon young Polly's dirty shoulders.

Judith waited, and hoped, and gave up hope, and found fault with the Barnards before she heard anything; but at last she did. The Barnards'

old housekeeper, with whom Judith had lived, had married their head gardener. He had died, and she was settled in a cottage in the park, where she would be very happy to receive Judith, and make her comfortable. The place was only thirty miles off, and if she consented, Mrs Barnard would pay a visit she had been asked to make to the d.u.c.h.ess, and take Judith back in the easy carriage, so as to spare her all fatigue.

Dora and Sophy were in a state of transport, and wanted to rush off at once with the good news, but Mary withheld them. She thought it might be too much for so frail an invalid, and insisted on going with them and telling Judith herself. Nor would she go till after Sophy's morning studies were over, and they had had luncheons which, by-the-by, was not an early dinner, but a slender meal of cold meat, cake, or bread and cheese, of which Edmund never partook at all. She devised this delay on purpose to wear down the excitement, and Dora had begun to say how they should miss Judith, only it was all for her good.

Molly was out, as the sisters hoped, tossing the meadow hay, and Judith sat alone by the fire. Mary told her very gently of the scheme, and she kept on saying, "Thank you, ma'am," while the tears came into her eyes.

Mrs Carbonel gave her Mrs Barnard's letter to read, but the tears came so thick and fast that she could not see it at first, nor indeed fully grasp the meaning, while two pairs of eyes were devouring her countenance as she read. Mrs Carbonel guessed how it was, and saw that the transports which Dora and Sophy expected were not by any means near, so she gently said, "We will leave you to read the letter, and come again to-morrow to hear what you think."

"Thank you, ma'am; thank you," said poor Judith, as well as she could among her tears.

"How stupid she is!" cried Sophy, as they emerged into the road.

"I don't believe she could read Mrs Barnard's letter," said Dora.

"No, not for tears," said Mary.

"Do you think she could have understood you?" added Sophy.

"Oh, yes; she understood well enough."

"But how could she be so dull as not to be delighted?" said Sophy.

"So ungrateful, too!" added Dora.

"My dear Dora! It was the embarra.s.sment of her grat.i.tude that touched me so much," exclaimed Mary.

"Do you really think she will not be enchanted to get away from that dismal hole, and live with honest people?" asked Sophy.

"My dears, I think you have quite forgotten that Mrs Dan Hewlett is her sister."

"n.o.body would think so," said Dora.

"If she could only take Johnnie and Judy away with her," said Sophy, "before their father has spoiled them."

"You can't think she would refuse such an offer!" added Dora. "To be with a good, nice woman, and at peace among her friends. It really would be quite wicked in her to refuse."

Nevertheless, Mary withstood all the entreaties of her sisters to go with her to hear Judith's decision. Edmund heard them persuading her, and in his peremptory manner desired them to desist. So they hovered about the garden and home-field waiting for news.

But the news was not what they expected. Mrs Carbonel found Judith very tearful, but resolute.