Yr Ynys Unyg Part 13

Amidst the prayers, tears, blessings, and good wishes of the whole party he departed, leaving the loving Mother comfortable, the christian Father resigned, the sweet anxious sisters hopeful. But the weary months flew by; the distant parents came to talk over the fate of the lost ones; the letters from America grew brief and desponding; hope died totally away in the b.r.e.a.s.t.s of some; Sir Walter again visited England, and again returned to pursue his search; H.M.S. C---- was on the eve of being ordered home; some went into deep mourning, as if their nearest and dearest were but just dead; the over-hasty heir was beginning to threaten; the letters home ceased, as if it were better not to write at all than to write disappointment.

Had years gone by since that pretty drawing room had disclosed the affectionate family mourning their lost ones on Christmas-day? Had not Christmas come and gone, and yet they were still mourning? Time will show. It takes the sick couch, the dying words, the quivering breath, the last sigh, the solemn funeral pomp, to make death seem reality, to be a.s.sured we have lost "the light of our eyes," to be certain that one from amongst us has gone, and that we shall see his face no more.

Without all this, was it possible to feel that so large a gap was made in the family circle, such a rent was torn from the flouris.h.i.+ng tree, and yet no sign was given to show how it was done?

Weep on, beloved mourners, weep on, but not for ever. Have we not a home, where no such ties can be severed, no such grief felt? This is but a pa.s.sage to a better world; why should we grieve at what occurs to us herein, when we have the home of the blessed before us, the rest of the faithful awaiting us. In such words spake the pious, humble, consistent Father to his family, and they were comforted; and as months flew by, they whispered and talked of their lost ones, as if they were already denizens of the bright world beyond the tomb, and peace was restored to the family.

CHAPTER XXIV.

It fortunately happened that we had so much to do we could not weep all day; moreover, Jenny, who was very methodical, thought if we went on crying all the evening, how was she to get the tea ready. Accordingly, with some hesitation, having shewn her face several times before, she ventured to enquire if she might take away the remains of our feast. On this we all roused up, and bestirred ourselves; the girls helped to wash up; the little ones ran out to amuse themselves; I swept the floor, while Schillie put the room tidy; Madame having gone to lay down to cure her sad headache. We then all went down to the sea to bathe and enjoy the cool breeze, and at night we went to bed sorrowful but thankful for the many mercies above, around, about us.

On the morrow, lessons were to begin seriously, and some seemed to think it almost a hanging matter, so doleful did they look. They were to have that part of the room nearest the door, as being lighter and more airy.

The maids had the rest of the room for laying the meals, while Schillie and I had to dispose of ourselves any way we could, so it was out of the way.

We had a long conversation on this particular morning, which I began by saying, "We must now begin to think of making discoveries, and storing food against the rainy weather."

_Schillie._--"Good woman, how fidgety you are. I do think you might allow me a little rest after building that horrid house and labouring so hard."

_Mother._--"But we shall look so silly if we have nothing to eat, and it is impossible to get out during the wet weather."

_Schillie._--"That's granted, I cannot abide wet weather."

_Mother._--"Then making discoveries is your princ.i.p.al delight; and you may combine amus.e.m.e.nt and use together."

_Schillie._--"A thing I abominate. I hate joining two things, and I cannot be amused when all the time I am thinking I am so useful."

_Mother._--"Then sit down here, while I go and perpetrate this horrid crime!"

_Schillie._--"Now, June, you are going too far, as if I would suffer you to stir a yard without me; you will be tumbling over some precipice, get eaten up by a huge turtle, or light on another great snake. Now, come along, what's the first discovery we are to make?"

_Mother._--"That's more than I can settle, because I am quite in the dark at present about what we require. But, if you must have a decided answer, pray discover some shoes and boots."

_Schillie._--"Now you must talk common sense if you mean me to help you.

I heard that little demure Jenny, who thinks of nothing but the children, coming to you this morning with a complaint about the number of holes in her darling's only pair of shoes."

_Mother._--"Oh but she brought in her ap.r.o.n the whole establishment of young boots and shoes, that I might see the dilapidated condition in which they were."

_Schillie._--"And what did you say to that?"

_Mother._--"I looked at her gravely and said, 'Then Jenny, order the carriage, and tell Goode I shall go to H---- this evening to buy boots and shoes for the young ones.' I was sorry after I had indulged in this joke, for first of all she looked perplexed, then she looked sorrowful, and finally she bundled up her miserable cargo, and fled in a burst of tears."

_Schillie._--"Then she is a greater goose than I imagined. She would have been more sensible had she devised some means of repairing them, without bothering you."

_Mother._--"But they are past repair."

_Schillie._--"Then she might have tried to concoct new ones."

_Mother._--"Perhaps she does not like combining amus.e.m.e.nt and business together."

_Schillie._--"Now, June, you are too bad, and to punish you I'll not help you a bit with your boots and shoes."

_Mother._--"Suppose we take to going without any."

_Schillie._--"Yes, and get bitten to death with these horrid scorpions, or, look here, see how pleasant to put one's naked foot on these black ants."

_Mother._--"Then it seems clear we must have boots and shoes."

_Schillie._--"Of course, who doubted it?"

_Mother._--"Then let us go and discover something that will somehow do for them."

_Schillie._--"You always come round me in such a manner, that I begin to think if you told me to do so I should be creeping out of my skin some day."

_Mother._--"Pray don't disturb yourself with that idea, as I rather want to clothe you than disrobe you. For our next discovery must be something of which to make dresses."

_Schillie._--"Are you gone mad; who wants dresses, have we not enough to last us for a year at least?"

_Mother._--"Yes, that I know, but I want to make the discovery, and get expert in the business before our own clothes are quite gone. It will be so awkward to have no clothes at all."

_Schillie._--"Very much so."

_Mother._--"Now do you know I have already had a great idea that this is the palm tree, out of which they make sago. Here you see are the young ones, small p.r.i.c.kly shrubs, and here they are growing up into trees, and this one that I first pointed out is covered with a whitish dust, which I have read is an indication that the sago is ready to be taken."

_Schillie._--"You seem very learned on the subject, but are you going to make boots and shoes out of sago?"

_Mother_ (laughing).--"No, no, I don't want to confine my discoveries only to boots and shoes, I am for discovering everything, and I meant to have told you of this discovery before, for I conjectured it when you used to make me lie down to rest in this spot while you did my work."

_Schillie._--"And very lucky it is that you have some one with an ounce of sense near you to make you rest. You don't work race horses like carters, but a Suffolk Punch is made for use, and all the better for it."

_Mother._--"You don't compliment yourself, Mrs. Suffolk Punch, though I agree you do the work of the animal you liken yourself to. But I beg you won't compare me to anything so useless as a racer, who is only required for a few days hard labour, and then may die, having fulfilled the purpose of filling the owner's pockets."

_Schillie._--"You know nothing about the matter. You don't suppose that horses are bred so highly merely for running races. It is to improve the breed of horses, and you may go to the moon and never----"

_Mother._--"Look, look, what a lovely tree!"

_Schillie._--"So it is. Let us sit down, while I fish out my book, and discover what it is. Now then for characteristics. Why here is a picture of it. What a nice book this is. It's a nutmeg tree. Then it may go to the dogs, for I hate nutmegs."

_Mother._--"I don't like them either, but I have heard they are very good preserved, and, besides, some of the others may like them, so let us see if any are ripe. No! none at all, so it's lucky we are indifferent about nutmegs at present."

_Schillie._--"All this shrubby stuff about here, looking something like Jerusalem artichoke, is ginger I think."

_Mother._--"Yes, it is, so we will take some home, as it is very good for Madame. What nice large roots it has, but I don't call it a shrub.

Shrubs are bushy things."