A thoughtless seven

"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU'RE THE GENUINE ARTICLE, LI!
IT'S A SHAM AND DELUSION!"

"Your Christianity—or conversion—as you call it."

"Why do you think so?"

"Oh, because it hasn't changed you!"

"I hope it has," I said soberly.

"Well, you're just as cheeky as you always were; it hasn't lengthened your face, or choked the fun out of you."

"I hope it never will; but it has made a lot of difference to me inside. I'm not afraid of God any more. I feel I belong to Him, and am getting to love Him. I think it's a very jolly thing to be a Christian, and I wish you would be one too."

Thunder gave a short laugh. "It's well enough for girls; but if you were at a public school, as we are, you'd know a fellow couldn't be religious. There are a few who try it on, but they're in their own set, and are too slow for words!"

"Well," said I quickly, "it's their own stupidity if it makes them slow; it isn't religion!"

We were interrupted here by the breathless arrival of Doodle-doo and Taters.

"Hi! You two, come on! We're going out for a sail!"

I was on my feet instantly, and down at the water's edge the next minute, where Pat was holding a parley with the boatman, whose smart little craft lay by.

"Now, look here, my good fellow," Pat was saying, "I wasn't born yesterday, and there won't be room for you. We either have the boat to ourselves, or we chuck up the sail altogether! Take your choice!"

"I say!" I said aside to Honey. "The boys aren't going to take us out after what Fräulein said?"

"Oh, bother Fräulein," said Honey: "she's such an old fuss! Pat has managed a sailing-boat before this."

"I'M NOT COMING," I SAID, DRAWING BACK.

I was silent. It was a bright, sunny morning, and I longed to go. Yet only yesterday Fräulein had positively forbidden us girls to go in a sailing-boat without a proper boatman; and though I had not a particle of fear myself, my conscience was becoming more tender, and I felt we ought not to disobey her. Pat, meanwhile, had overruled the boatman's objections, and was marshalling us carefully into the boat.

"I'm not coming," I said, drawing back. "You know we've been forbidden; and we could go for a row just as easy; Fräulein doesn't mind that."

"Don't be a little fool!" was his quick rejoinder. "Old Fräu will have forgotten she gave such an order when she sees us back safe and sound! What has made you so unusually squeamish?"

"It's her pious fit!" cried Doodle-doo. "Let the little dear alone! She's going to be a naughty girl no more!"

"Come on; don't make an ass of yourself!" said Thunder, tugging hold of my arm as he spoke. "Weren't you saying just now that your religion wouldn't turn you into a molly-coddle?"

"Are you afraid?" laughed Taters, already taking a seat in the boat.

It was my first battle. Strangely enough, up to now nothing had happened to put my religion to the test.

"I'm not afraid," I said slowly, looking wistfully at the boat; "but you're right—my religion won't let me go. I must be left behind."

It seemed rather hard lines to me; but they were all so excited about getting off that they did not waste time in persuasion.

IN PLAYING WITH PIXIE I FORGOT MY TROUBLE.

Pat called out, "Go back to old Fräu, and tell her of the wickedness of her pupils! In Sunday-school books we should all be drowned as a punishment! You and she had better watch on the beach for our bodies to be washed ashore!"

I watched them go with tears in my eyes. Oh, it was hard sometimes to be good! Why were forbidden things so nice?

And then Pixie came running up to me, and in playing with him I forgot my trouble. We built sand castles, and destroyed them; and then, tired out, I sat down on the shingle, and Pixie threw himself upon me.

"Tell me a story, Li, 'bout one of those little ships that go away right into the sky. Pixie would like to go out in a ship with a big knife, and cut away all those dull old clouds that hide the blue sky."

It was nearly dinner-time when the sailing-boat returned. All were in high spirits, laughing at me for having missed such fun.

But when we got back to our lodgings, Fräulein was very angry, and kept Honey and Taters indoors for the rest of the afternoon.

"Oh, we're a bad lot!" said Pat, listening to Fräulein's scolding with the greatest equanimity. "But you're going to have one saint amongst your pupils now, who will comfort and cheer your heart! Old Li's wicked days are over! Don't you see the difference in her face? A kind of what-a-good-girl-am-I smirk in the corner of her mouth; a what-a-wicked-set-I-live-amongst twist one side of her nose; and a oh-how-frivolous-is-earth roll in the whites of her eyes!"

I got up and inspected myself in the mirror over the fireplace.

"I wish I could see a change," I said; "it's the one thing that doesn't look religious about me; but Miss Moffat's face isn't a religious one—that's my comfort!"

CHAPTER VI

Working

"It's a great comfort, Honey," I said one morning, as we were dressing in our bedroom, "that fresh days keep coming. How dreadful if we had one long eternal day with no break!"

"Why?" she asked.

"Because it gives one a fresh start. Now, yesterday, you know how I went on; I lost my temper with Taters, was rude to Fräulein, and ended by being sent off to bed an hour earlier for having that row with Pat, and smashing our landlady's hideous lamp in the hall! Well, to-day I'm starting again, quite fresh and jolly!"

"You're an awfully queer Christian," said Honey. "I don't believe you're a proper one."

"So you always say; but I can't be perfect all at once—Miss Moffat says I can't. Do you think I am getting on a little bit?"

I added this rather pleadingly, and Honey responded warmly, "You're a brick! The boys say so, though they do tease you so. Pat said yesterday he would never have given you credit for so much pluck and perseverance. I'm sure you're as happy as any of us, and not a bit priggish, so far."

"Then," said I, a little shyly, "I wish you'd try it too, Honey. I've been reading in my Bible to-day about the disciples following Jesus, and the one who went to the other and said, 'Come and see.' I wish you would 'come and see,' Honey!"

HONEY WAS FASTENING HER COLLAR.

Honey didn't answer. She was fastening her collar, which didn't seem to meet without a great deal of tugging, and her face grew red.

"I'll wait and see how you go on first," she said. "I've thought a lot lately, and if you can be religious, I don't see why I couldn't; but I shan't do anything yet."

I felt very pleased at this, and from that time asked God in my prayers to make Honey decide to serve Him. She was always much more gentle and thoughtful than I was; and I often told her she would find it much easier than I did.

The time at the seaside went much quicker than it did at home. We were out nearly all day long, and we explored the country for miles round. Fräulein was the only one who felt dull; she loved the town with all the shops and people; and then, too, she was always having the disagreeable duty of having to act as peacemaker between us and our landlady, who vowed she had never before had such a noisy set of lodgers. The boys and she were at daggers drawn, and I really think she would have liked to turn us out, if it had not been the empty time of year.

On Sunday morning we heard a sermon that made a great impression on me. We went to a little country church, and I liked the simple old-fashioned service there. The text we had was:

   "'As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.'"

The vicar said a lot about Christians being so lazy and careless as they were, and not working for God; and he showed us that God would have no idle stewards on His property. It made me feel very ashamed of myself, when I remembered that for nearly four weeks I had known about and received this gift from God, and yet I had never tried to pass the good news on to any one. And when I came home I determined that I would try harder than ever to get Honey to join me; and after I had got her, I would try for Thunder.

But, beyond promising to read a few verses from the Bible with me every morning, Honey still resisted my persuasion.

"There's plenty of time, Li. I don't feel my sins a burden, as you did, and I'm getting rather tired of your preaches. Leave me alone. I mean to be religious some day, but not yet."

One morning Thunder and I had been for a long ramble along the shore, when, coming back, we saw a great commotion on the beach. We found Fräulein jabbering away in excited German to several fishermen, and nurse rushing backwards and forwards looking quite demented, whilst Pat and the others were talking at the top of their voices, and all were looking anxious and scared.

We were soon told what had happened; Pixie was lost, and the general fear was that he had drifted out to sea in a boat.

Honey was the last one with him; she was lying in a boat tied up on the beach reading a book, when he came and joined her. Now, when Honey read a story-book she always got so engrossed in it that she never noticed anything going on about her. Pixie played about, talking to himself, and she remembers seeing him twisting and untwisting the rope, and saying something about wanting to sail away to the sky, but she did not take much notice of it at the time. She left him soon after, for a few minutes, whilst she went to exchange her book with one that Taters had, and when she came back no Pixie was to be seen. She was not alarmed, for she concluded nurse had come to fetch him indoors, and it was only just before we came up that they discovered that Pixie was missing.

WE FOUND FRÄULEIN JABBERING AWAY IN EXCITED GERMAN
TO SEVERAL FISHERMEN.

"And not only is he gone," said Honey tearfully, turning to me, "but the boat is missing! He must have undone the rope, and the tide has come in, and he must have drifted out to sea!"

I looked anxiously out on the ocean. It was a calm day, and a few fishing-smacks were going out to sea, but there was no sign of a boat anywhere.

"We must do something," said Pat, with energy, "and the sooner we set to work the better. We shall not be likely to find him after dark. If he has drifted out to sea, we must follow."

And in an incredibly short time, he and Doodle-doo, Thunder and a stalwart boatman, were rowing out in the direction they thought the boat might have gone.

CHAPTER VII

Praying

I DON'T think I ever remember a more miserable day than it was after Pixie was missing. Honey was inconsolable; the boys returned late at night, tired out, and thoroughly disheartened at their unsuccessful search; Fräulein and nurse were dissolved in tears, and both seemed perfectly helpless to make any suggestions.

"He may have been picked up by some steamer or fishing-smack," I said, trying to speak hopefully.

"I know he is drowned!" wailed Honey.

"And it will be your doing!" said Pat severely. "You left a baby in an open boat, with the tide coming in around him; and when you found he had disappeared you never troubled yourself, or told any one for a full hour after!"

Honey was too miserable to defend herself. Pixie was the darling of us all, and the boys were too alarmed to show any mercy. I tried to cheer her up, and then was assailed with—

"Oh, do shut up with your 'hopes' and 'perhaps,' Li! Your grins are as bad as Honey's snivels. I suppose you think a saint ought to show a stony front at a time like this!"

"HERE I IS, AND A BIG FISH."

"I'm not going to imagine the worst, to please you," I said stoutly; "for I've been praying for Pixie ever since he was missing, and I believe God will send him back to us again."

"Cant!" muttered Doodle-doo; but Honey whispered—

"If God answers your prayer, Li, I'll become a Christian, like you."

And then, about half-past ten, when Fräulein was urging us to go to bed, and Pat had just returned from visiting the coastguard station on the cliff, we heard a knock at the door, and a rush of small feet along the passage.

"Hear I is, and a big fish for my supper! And Pixie saw a lot of fish caught in a net!" He marched in amongst us, his hat on the back of his head, hugging a slippery fish in his arms, which he deposited in triumph on Fräulein's lap. A fisherman followed him in, and explained that he had found him in the boat drifting out to sea, as we had feared, and had taken him on board his smack.

"The coolest little chap I h'ever set eyes on! Said he was going to touch the sky, and warn't half pleased at havin' to come back without a-doin' it."

Pixie could not understand the reason for such hugs and embraces as he received, and no one had the heart to scold him, until nurse said—

"And don't you think it was very naughty to go off in a boat like that, and give us all such a fright?"

Pixie looked round on us serenely.

"The boat ran away hisself. Pixie only sat quite still and bumped up and down."

"Weren't you frightened when you got out to sea?" asked Taters.

He shook his curly head. "O' course I wasn't. When the boat jumped up and down very high, I asked Jesus to come in and sit by me; and I fink he did. And I asked Jesus to take me frough the sky into heaven; but this man broughted me back before I got there. And Pixie is very tired, and he'll go to bed, and have the fish for his breakfus!"

Nurse carried him off, and we all followed his example; but before we got into bed, I said to Honey—

"Don't you feel very thankful Pixie is safe?"

"I should think I did! It's like a mountain's weight off me!"

"Well, then, aren't you going to do what you said!"

Honey looked doubtfully at me. "Yes, I really will, but not to-night; I'm too tired."

I lost patience with her. "You put off and off; and you'll never do it! I hate such shilly-shallying! Why can't you make up your mind one way or the other? Say downright you don't mean to change, instead of pretending you want to, and never doing it! I'm sick of your saying that 'by-and-by' you'll do it! If you don't take care, you'll put it off till too late, and then where will you be? You're as weak as water!"

"Thank you!" said Honey placidly, though I could tell by her face she was angry. "And you're a hypocrite if your temper can flare up over nothing so!"

I dashed into bed, and worked off my indignation under the bedclothes.

A quarter of an hour later, thoroughly ashamed of myself, I sprang up and went over to Honey's bed.

"I'm awfully sorry," I said penitently; "do forgive me! But you don't know how I long for you to be as happy as I am; and I'm so afraid you will never do it unless you make a start now. God has been so good in preserving Pixie's life."

Honey was not demonstrative—none of us were—but she gave my arm a squeeze.

"All right, Li! I don't really think you a hypocrite, but don't give me up yet. I really will start soon, but not to-night; and I have thanked God for sending Pixie back—I really have."

I crept back into bed a little comforted, and then I determined that I would pray three or four times every day that Honey and Thunder might become true Christians. "If God can answer one prayer, He will another," I argued; "and I expect He would much rather have them Christians than save Pixie from drowning; for I should think He would be glad to have such a darling in heaven!"

And so I prayed, and waited, and wondered why God did not answer my prayer sooner; for both Honey and Thunder seemed, in my eyes, to be as far off as ever.

"A letter from your mother!" said Fräulein one morning. "And we home shall go at once. The workmen have papered and washed the house, and your father and mother are also returning quickly."

I seized hold of Doodle-doo and spun him round and round the table in delight—

"Hurray! We've been here long enough. When shall we go? To-day?"

"I'll tell old Skim-milk, and see her face when she hears the news!"

And Doodle-doo rushed from the room to break the tidings to our landlady, whom we had nicknamed "Skim-milk" from the poverty of that article when brought to our table.

"THE HOUSE OF THE FATTEST OLD FURY THAT EVER LIVED
ON THE BEST TITBITS OF HER LODGERS!"

He returned chuckling.

"What did she say?" we demanded.

"She tossed up the tip of her nose. 'A blessed thing for me, afore my carpets get wored to rags, and my paint scratched off, and my house gets the name in the Terrace of containin' the vulgarest, noisiest, impertinentest set of children, big enough to know better!'"

"And what did you say?"

"I was very solemn. 'Do you know what name your house has got? The house of the fattest old fury that ever lived on the best titbits of her lodgers, and pried into their pockets and drawers for odd halfpence!' Then she looked round for a broomstick, and I walked off!"

CHAPTER VIII

Reaping

WE were glad to get home. I think we were getting tired of our long holidays, and were not sorry when the day was fixed for the boys to go back to school after the Easter holidays.

And we all enjoyed having father and mother back again. Mother was a great invalid, but she was always ready to help and listen to any of us, if we went to her with our troubles; and father spoilt us all—so Fräulein and nurse said. He was always ready to take us sightseeing about London, and we were never tired of accompanying him.

The evening before the boys went back to school we were having a small farewell gathering. We always had them every quarter, and cook used to make us a huge iced cake with "farewell" in pink letters all round it, which we much appreciated.

Miss Moffat was with us, and so was Uncle Bob, and we spent the evening in games and merriment. It was during some dumb charades, with which we were winding up, that Thunder and I were alone for a few minutes. I had been longing to say something to him before he went back to school, and now this seemed the opportunity.

"You'll write to me, won't you, Thun?"

"Don't I always?"

"And, Thun, will you try what I have tried?"

Thunder looked at me for a moment without speaking, then he said gruffly—

"I have."

"Oh, when? How splendid!"

"A week or two ago."

"And have you really started? Oh, Thunder, you might have told me!"

"I meant to; but you know how hard it is to talk. I've been watching you, and I felt I was all wrong. I think I'm on the right track now, only it's the life at school I dread. You might, you know, pray for me, Li, when I'm gone."

No more would he say, and I was so overcome that tears crowded to my eyes. It seemed too good to be true, and yet it was only the answer to my prayers. I knew Thunder was too thoughtful and thorough to be anything but real. He always had held on doggedly to anything that he had taken up, and, as Miss Moffat would say, he would have unseen power to help him along; so I had not much fear for his future.

"OH, WHEN? HOW SPLENDID!"

"Why, Mary, you're sunshine itself!" said Miss Moffat to me later that evening. "What makes you so radiant?"

I gave her a good squeeze. "Thunder," I said.

She understood, for she raised her eyebrows, and then nodded and smiled.

Just before she left us, when I was putting on her cloak in the hall, I whispered—

"Isn't it lovely? But I wish it was Honey."

Miss Moffat smiled. "Pray and work for her, dear child."

The boys went. We girls settled down to a very quiet routine of lessons with Fräulein, and felt dull after our long time of idleness and dissipation. And so the spring wore on and summer came, and still Honey wavered and said "By-and-by" when I talked to her.

One lovely summer's afternoon we were gathering round the schoolroom table with black looks. It had been a trying day; Fräulein had a headache, and was unusually fidgety and cross, and the heat and confinement had made us careless and idle. After dinner Fräulein went to rest in her room, leaving us each so many French exercises to write out as impositions, and forbidding us to leave the schoolroom till we had finished them.

"It's a beastly shame!" cried Taters, stamping her foot in anger when Fräulein had departed. "And I'm not going to do mine. Look!"

And taking up her exercise-book, naughty Taters deliberately tore it to pieces and scattered the fragments out of the open window.

We were rather aghast at this proceeding, for Fräulein was not a person to be trifled with.

"You're a little silly," Honey said; "it will only be worse for you in the end."

"It's too bad of Fräulein," I grumbled. "If I was a governess with a headache, I would give fewer lessons to my pupils, not more."

"Even a saint can grumble!" said Taters, mockingly, and then she ran out of the room.

We heard her whistling on the staircase, and then suddenly there was an awful crash, a piercing shriek, and dead silence.

Honey and I rushed to the door, and I shall never forget the moment when, looking over the balusters, we saw Taters—a confused heap in the hall below. She had been sliding on the rails, a forbidden pastime, and in some way or other had overbalanced herself.

Mother rushed from her room, and was the first to lift her up; the servants and Fräulein crowded round, and then nurse came up and drew us into the nursery.

Honey was as white as death, and shaking like a leaf. "She isn't dead, nurse! Oh, she can't be dead!"

"Pray God she mayn't be!" responded nurse. And she left us with Pixie, while she went to give her help.

Our doctor came almost immediately, and there were hushed voices and footsteps all the evening. We were told when we went to bed that Taters was alive, but she had broken an arm, and concussion of the brain was feared.

For weeks she lay between life and death. Honey and I were too miserable for words. And I kept praying in my heart, "O God, heal her; let her live—save her!"

But at last she began to recover, and the first day that we heard the good news from nurse, "The doctor says she'll do nicely now," Honey turned to me with earnest resolve in her face—

"Li, I've been fighting against God and holding back all this time. Now I will give myself up to Him. I want to be a Christian like you. I have been miserable about myself ever since you altered so. Tell me what to do."

I tried to tell her, but somehow it was not very easy until I got hold of my Bible, and then that made it clear. I made her look at "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out."

And then she said, "That will do, Li," and left the room.

I did not go near her, but put up a tiny prayer to God that He would take her as I felt He had taken me, and again I thanked Him for answered prayer.

It was some days before Honey felt sure of herself, but at last she seemed to get the peace of mind she was wanting.

"It is so good of God to have been so patient with me," she said. "I believe if Taters had not been nearly killed, I should never have made up my mind; but I never felt before how quickly we could die. Oh, Li, suppose Taters had been killed on the spot!"

I shuddered. "God has saved her," I said, "and now we must pray for her. I should like her to start too. Wouldn't it be splendid if we three were all of the same mind before the boys came back from their holidays?"

Taters was much impressed during her illness, but she disappointed us when she was well again, for she seemed more thoughtless than ever.

Miss Moffat comforted me when I talked it over with her, by saying, "God has been good in letting you reap two of your family, my child. Go on praying and working, and remember, with you young people, that the life tells more than the words."

"And I suppose it teaches us to be patient and persevering in prayer!"

Miss Moffat nodded and smiled. "'Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.'"

THE END

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