CHAPTER IX.
THE DEPARTURE.
MRS. CORWIN very hastily placed every ornament on the bureau and mantel of her guest-chamber in the drawers, locked them, and took the keys, sent Nancy to the attic for a couple of spittoons, then kissing Bessie and Jamie, who were in bed, went down to her guests.
It was now dusk, and the captain sat smoking on the piazza, while Lewis lay asleep on the library lounge.
Mr. Corwin walked back and forth on the piazza, talking with his visitor of foreign parts and different kinds of trade. In the mean time, the two ladies asked questions about old friends and talked of their school days.
"Do you like travelling about from one country to another?" asked Mrs. Corwin.
"Oh, I like it amazingly! I should never be contented to settle down as you have. It must be very dull here. And, Alice, I was never so surprised as to find you married to such a man. Why, you were the handsomest girl in school, and rich into the bargain."
"Mr. Corwin is a Christian gentleman," said the wife, earnestly, "and the most affectionate husband I have ever seen."
Mrs. McIntire laughed. "I never thought of making you angry," she said. "If you like living in such a prim, prosy way, nobody can object. But I can tell you, it's the first time I've heard a prayer for years."
"I can only say I'm sorry for you," answered the lady, sighing.
"The captain thought it a good joke," Mrs. McIntire went on. "He laughed well, I assure you, while we were out walking; and he thinks as I do, that as Lewis' conduct doesn't please Mr. Corwin, we had better go back to town in the morning."
"Yes, I suppose that would be best," remarked Mrs. Corwin, with dignity. "We endeavor to make the Bible our guide during every hour of the day; and you, who are governed by different rules, would not be happy here. I am sorry, Adeline, that you do not feel the need of God's help in training your son. You may be sure, his conduct will give you a keener pang than you ever knew yet, if you do not teach him to obey while he is young."
"I don't deny he's rather wild," urged his mother, "having just come off the ship, where he's the pet and plaything of all on board; but he'll come out right. You and your husband have one way; and we have another. But we wont quarrel about it."
After a while, a lady and gentleman living in the neighborhood called, and the conversation became general. When they took their leave, Mr. Corwin said to his wife:—
"Captain McIntire tells me he has concluded to return to his ship in the morning. I shall order a hack from the stable to take them there at any time they please. I have an engagement in another direction, and shall not go to the city to-morrow."
"Say nine o'clock," said the captain. "I must be on board ship as early as I can."
"I don't know what we shall do with Lewis," said his mother, "he's so sound asleep; it's no use to undress him."
"Shall I ring for a man to carry him upstairs?" asked Mrs. Corwin.
"I wish you would."
Lewis kicked, and screamed, and tried to bite the servant when he attempted to move him; but, to the relief of all, was soon soundly sleeping in bed, with his clothes, and even his shoes on.
In the morning neither Mrs. McIntire nor her son left their room until the hack drove to the door. The captain seemed much more like a gentleman than the night before, and apologized for his boy's conduct, by saying:—
"His mother has always humored him till he's a nuisance in good society."
At family prayers, Mr. Corwin asked God to bless their friends who were about to leave, and make their only child a comfort and blessing to them.
It was evident that the captain did not think this a joke, for his voice shook when he thanked his host, and he said:—
"I've never thought much about the subject of religion. But I begin to fear I've been in the wrong."
Mrs. Corwin shook hands with Lewis, and gave him a paper bag full of oranges and cake, for his lunch.
Mr. Corwin helped the lady in, waited till the driver lashed on the trunk securely, and then asked Lewis if he wished help too.
"No, I sha'n't ride in there," said the boy, flushing with anger. "I'm going to drive and hold the whip."
Mr. Corwin opened his pocketbook, and paid the hackman. "You must take your own risk," he said to the man. "I caution you against letting that child have the reins."
"Lewis," shouted his father, "come in here this minute!"
"I wont! I'm going to drive."
"Come here, sir, or I'll thrash you within an inch of your life."
"Come, come, young man; I can't be wasting my time. In with you," said the hackman, tossing the boy inside the hack as if he had been a trunk. Then he snapped the door to, put up the steps with a crash, mounted the box, and drove off.
CHAPTER X.
THE RIDE.
UP at the nursery window, Bessie and Jamie were looking out, wondering why the visitors went away so soon.
"Now," said papa, "I'll tell you my plan. I'm going to devote the day to making you forget your trials. Bessie, Junior, would you like a ride? Come, nurse, dress baby as quick as you can. We are going to spend the day visiting."
"Mamma," said Bessie, as soon as they were seated in the carriage, "does God love boys when they say 'wont' to their papa?"
"No, my dear."
"Doesn't Lewis want God to love him then?"
"I'm afraid he doesn't know much about God."
Bessie was so astonished she could scarcely speak; but presently she said, with a quivering lip:—
"I'm glad our Jamie doesn't act so. I think it's awful wicked. Nurse says he played at prayer-time."
"My little daughter," said papa, looking around to the back seat, "you must thank God that he has given you and Jamie a good mamma who has taught you to do better than Lewis. Papa feels as if he had never thanked God as he ought."
"May I say a little prayer now, papa?"
"Yes, my dear."
Bessie shut her eyes, folded her plump hands, and said, softly:—
"I thank you, dear God, for my mamma. I thank you for papa, and Jamie,
and nurse, and Nellie. I thank you for making me so good. I don't want
to act like naughty boys; but I don't thank you for Lewis, 'cause he's
awful wicked. I wish you wouldn't let him come here any more to make
my mamma cry. Dear God, I'm going to be good all the time now. When my
mamma says, Bessie come here, I hope I'll never say 'I wont.' Please,
God, forgive all the naughty things I did when I was a baby, and make
my Jamie grow into a man quick. Amen."
"Wasn't that a good prayer?" asked Bessie, when she had finished. "Wont God like to hear it, and wont he love me?"
"God is a very kind Father," answered Mr. Corwin, in a solemn tone. "He loves to hear children ask him for what they want."
"Nancy says I make real nice prayers," urged the little girl, in a self-complacent tone.
"God is very kind, Bessie, to let us pray to him at all. For whose sake does he hear us?"
Bessie shook her head, wondering what mamma meant.
"When papa prays, my dear, who does he ask to bless us?"
"Jesus Christ. I love Jesus, 'cause he was so good to little children. I showed Nellie the picture."
"Nellie can say a pretty verse about Jesus," said mamma. "Shall I repeat it to you?
"'Little child, when you're at play,
Do you know that Jesus sees you?
He it is who made the day;
Sunshine, birds, and flowers to please you.
Oh, then thank him much, and pray
To be grateful every day.
"'Little child, when you are bad,
Do you think that Jesus knows it?
Yes; and oh, it makes him glad
When you're sorry and disclose it.
Oh, then tell him quick, and pray
To grow better every day.'"
"I'm going to learn it when I'm a big girl. I'm going to learn all the verses in the Bible; and then I can teach them to Jamie. Wouldn't that be nice?"
The little fellow lay in mamma's arms, sucking away at his thumb, almost asleep.
"Isn't he a darling?" asked Bessie, giving his foot which lay in her lap a squeeze. "Mamma, shouldn't you throw him out of the carriage if he acted like Lewis, and said 'I wont'?"
"No, dear, I should ask God to make him better."
"Don't mammas ever throw their boys away then?"
"Yes, Bessie, there are some countries a great way from us, where the people never saw a Bible, and never heard of the good God. They are not kind to each other. Sometimes they leave their little babies to starve, or throw them into the water to drown."
"Oh, dear!" cried Bessie. "I'm so sorry for the dear babies. I wouldn't do so. I would get some milk, and feed them, and give them nice playthings."
"Perhaps, my darling, if God had not given us the Bible to teach us how to live, we should have been cruel like the poor heathen. We must thank him for the Bible."
"Papa," said Bessie, "may I sit with you? Then Jamie can lie down on the seat. He's asleep now."
"Yes, my dear; I should like your company in front, if you will sit very still. I wouldn't like to spill you out."
"O papa, how funny you are! I couldn't be spilled."
"Why didn't you bring nurse, Alice?" asked Mr. Corwin.
"Because there was so much to do to put the Nest in order," she answered, laughing. "I found that little alabaster image could be mended; and I told nurse when she was through her work, she might take it to town, as she had some errands there. Lewis did more damage to our furniture in one hour than Bessie has in her whole life. I left Nancy trying to get up the grease-stains from the dining-room carpet."
"Well, let Lewis go," said papa cheerfully; "I hope his parents will come to their senses before it's too late. I think the captain's faith in his wife's management is rather shaken. So their visit to us may not be lost after all."
"I wouldn't have believed Adeline could have been so altered," said Mrs. Corwin, sadly. "I remember when we roomed together that she used to plead a headache as an excuse for lying in bed on Sunday; and she never liked my sitting up to read the Bible; but otherwise she was very agreeable."
"You remind me," said the gentleman, "of a hymn I once learned which contained these lines:—
"'Twill save us from a thousand snares,
To mind religion young.'"
CHAPTER XI.
LITTLE FLOSSY'S TRICK.
THE clock was striking eleven when they drove up to Uncle Glenn's house. What was their surprise, when papa had taken out mamma and her babies, to see Flossy come crawling from under the seat, and ask in her dog-voice to be taken out too!
"Why, Flossy, Flossy, how came you in there?" inquired mamma.
Bessie ran into the house and told her aunt:—
"Flossy has come; and nobody gave her leave."
"Flossy! Flossy who?" asked aunty.
Bessie hesitated a minute, and then said:—
"Flossy Corwin, you know."
"Well, she's very welcome."
Flossy seemed to think she had done something smart. She jumped up and down, and barked, licking Bessie's hand, and following close at her heels. All day long she wouldn't allow both of the children out of her sight at once.
Bessie went to walk with the twins, while Jamie took his nap in his cousin's crib. The boys wanted to show Tot a little bit of a pony that was eating in a field.
Flossy watched them putting on their hats, and began to bark in an excited manner. But when they went out of the door, and she saw Mrs. Corwin and Jamie were to be left behind, she ran from one to the other as if she couldn't decide whether to go or stay. At last she jumped on the sofa close by Jamie, who was then in his mamma's lap. She looked into the lady's face as if she wanted to say:—
"I'm safe here. I know my master wont return to Corwin's Nest without you and baby."
All the while Jamie slept, she lay at the foot of the crib just as she used to lie close to Bessie. If there was any stirring in the room, her black eyes were wide open to make sure the carriage didn't go off without her and her charge.
After a very pleasant visit with their friends, they started for home about an hour before sunset, having almost forgotten the disagreeable events of the previous day.
Nurse was watching for them from the nursery window, and ran to the door to take Jamie. As soon as she had him in her arms, she exclaimed:—
"I'm afraid that naughty Lewis took Flossy off with him. We've searched everywhere for her."
"She's here," cried Bessie, eagerly. "She hid under the seat and went with us. We've had a beautiful time."
Flossy now came out from her hiding-place, and began to bark joyfully.
"O you naughty dog," said nurse, laughing. "You've made me waste ever so much time."
"You seem to be in high spirits, nurse," said her mistress when she had reached the nursery. "Is it because you've made everything so nice here?"
"We're all in good spirits, ma'am, even to John and Alick. It seems, ma'am, as if we never rightly thought upon our mercies before. Supposing we lived with Mrs. McIntire, and had that rollicking Lewis instead of our sweet little Bessie! Why, ma'am, the thought of it is enough to craze us, and cook says the same."
"Haven't you a word of praise for your master?" asked the lady, smiling.
"He doesn't need any praise, ma'am, such a Christian gentleman as he is, with the most generous heart that ever was."
"Well, nurse, it's well for all of us to think of our mercies. Surely I have reason to say, my heavenly Father has led me in a pleasant path. We certainly have a sweet home in Corwin's Nest."
At this moment Nancy came in smiling, and set a vase of flowers on the mantel.
"Every thing is in order, ma'am," she said, "just as it was before the company came. If it wasn't for John's bruised hands and the broken angel, you wouldn't guess who'd been here knocking the house upside down."
"Did you go to town, nurse?" asked her mistress.
"Yes, ma'am, though the searching for Flossy made me late. I carried the little angel, and the man said it would be ready for you in two days' time. He said you'd never know where 'twas broken."
"Will you come down to the dining-room, ma'am, and see the carpet? That patent soap took the grease all out."
"Yes, Nancy; and I want to speak to cook."
"Welcome home, missis," exclaimed cook, wiping her hand on her apron, and extending it cordially. "I expect nurse have told you, we've got our eyes open to a few things. I sha'n't feel right till I confess that I had angry thoughts in my heart last night. I'm thankful now that I held my tongue when I wanted to talk to that boy's mother. She'll have trouble enough without my adding to it."
"Yes, cook," said her mistress, kindly, "no one can disobey God's commands without punishment. He says to parents, Spare the rod, and spoil the child. Spare not a child for his crying. It is necessary to teach a child obedience in his youth; or he will not only be miserable himself, but those connected with him will suffer."
CHAPTER XII.
THE THIEVING SQUIRRELS.
NOT long after the visit of Mrs. McIntire, Mrs. Corwin walked to the village near by, to make a call upon a friend. On her return, she was slowly wending her way along the avenue in front of the house, when she heard a curious sound from the tree.
She stopped and listened. It was almost like the chattering of human voices; but after a minute, she recognized it as the chirping of squirrels.
Within a yard of the place where she stood, there was an old tree with a great hole in the trunk, and now peeping out of the hole was a cunning little squirrel, whose mother perhaps had been giving him some private instructions on his conduct; or who was starting out in search of his dinner.
"Pretty creature!" said the lady, quietly extending her hand.
Bobby didn't understand her friendly action, but quick as thought, darted up the great trunk, ran out on a long bough, hopped to the branch of another tree, then up and on straight to the roof of the house. There he stood a minute perched on the end of the gutter and throwing his tail over his head seemed to say:—
"I'm out of your reach now, my lady."
Then, while she stood laughing and wondering, Bobby darted under the eaves, and ran into the house.
"Oh!" exclaimed Mrs. Corwin. "Is that the way you get in?"
She walked up the steps, opened the door, and went straight to the kitchen to tell cook what she had seen.
The woman laughed heartily, but presently said:—
"It's no joke indeed, ma'am; for if the wicked thieves are left alone, we'll come to famine. It's true indeed, missis; they're a cruel set, though I never thought it. John unheaded a barrel of apples only yesterday; and they were sunken' down a third. It was a great mystery that not all of us could solve, until we found a heap of parings all cut and wasted, lying in a corner. It was the seeds they were after, and they had eaten a hole right through the bottom of the barrel, the deceitful creatures!"
"O cook, what a pity!" murmured the lady. "If they would only eat the apples, it wouldn't be so bad; but it's dreadful to have those golden russets wasted. John must bring the barrels upstairs, and put them in the store-room."
"That's what he did, ma'am. Nurse moved those old beehives, and made a place for them after John had picked and sorted them."
Bessie was very much amused when mamma told her about the squirrel running up from his hole in the tree, but when she heard about his stealing the apples, she looked very sober.
The lady laid aside her bonnet and sat down to her sewing, while Jamie played with a box of buttons nurse had given him.
"Mamma," began Bessie, looking up from her play, "does God love squirrels that steal?"
"Squirrels don't know any better, darling."
"Don't God want them to keep the commandments?"
Bessie's large eyes were fixed earnestly on her mother's as she asked these questions; and the lady saw she was really troubled for poor ignorant Bobby.
"Don't you remember, dear," she asked, "that I told you Flossy isn't naughty when she sleeps at prayers, or when she plays on Sunday? She has no soul; and when she dies, her body will be buried, and that will be an end of her.
"It is just so with the squirrels. Little Bobby doesn't know that it is wrong for him to gnaw a hole in our nice barrel, and cut the apples all to pieces for the sake of a few little seeds.
"He doesn't imagine that he is cruel to creep along to the robin's nest, and eat her pretty eggs. Oh, no! He thinks of nothing but his hunger, and his instinct teaches him to eat whatever he can get."
Bessie seemed only half satisfied. She took up Miss Prim, who had fallen over on to her nose; but she did not laugh. She looked flushed and anxious.
"Don't you understand it, my daughter?" asked mamma, drawing the child to her side.
"I was thinking, mamma."
"Thinking what, Bessie?"
"Is it nice to have a soul? Did God love us better than he did Flossy; and so he let us learn the commandments; and go to heaven when we die?"
"Yes, my darling child. 'God created man in his own image. And God breathed into him the breath of life, and man became a living soul.' This is what the Bible tells us about it. To animals, like horses, and cows, and dogs, he has given instinct which teaches them to take care of themselves; but they have no reason nor conscience."
"Does papa thank God, when he prays, that we have souls?"
"Yes, dear. Only yesterday, he thanked God that we were not like the beasts that perish."
"I don't think cook ought to call squirrels wicked, then, if they only do what God lets them."
Mrs. Corwin laughed at Bessie's excited tone.
"I think," she said, "that I've heard a little girl say to her dog, 'O Flossy! What a very, very naughty dog you are, not to keep still in school. You make all my scholars tumble over.'"
"Was cook only playing scold then? I'm so glad! I'm going to tell her that squirrels haven't any souls, and so it isn't wicked for them to take our apples."
"But it is very inconvenient, my dear; and somehow we must contrive a way to stop it."
"But how can we, mamma? Squirrels must have something to eat."
"I heard your papa say, he should have to shoot them, if they were so troublesome another year."
"O mamma! He wouldn't do that. I couldn't bear to see one killed."
"Would you prefer to give up all our pretty birds? Think how the robins wake us in the morning with their melodious songs. Think of the blue-birds that fly about so gayly. If the squirrels increase as they have done, every egg will be eaten up."
Bessie looked very serious, and did not speak for some minutes. Then she said, "Mamma, I'm going to tell God all about it; and then he will do what is best."