Both Jack and Bumps were on the sick-list for the next few days. Bumps
had sprained her foot, and Jack's cut on his head was a deep and painful
one.
When he recovered, he told his adventures to his sisters with much relish;
but for once Jill took Bumps' part, and told Jack he had treated her
very badly.
"You ought to have stopped when your paper came to an end, and come
back to her. How could she follow you, especially when you drove in a
cart? It wasn't fair."
"It was that old brute's fault. He nearly broke his stick over my
shoulders. I'll pay him back when I get a chance. I've got the marks
now. I can feel them. I couldn't walk home, I was so hurt. So I told
Mike to drive me into Thornton, and then I was going to our butcher,
I knew he would take me home."
"That was rather clever of you," admitted Jill, "but did you forget all
about Bumps?"
"Oh, I knew she would never come on so far. If you'd been with her it
would have been all right. And I thought you were. I told her to bring
you; so it was really all your fault."
This was turning the tables upon Jill.
"I suppose," she said slowly, "I ought to have looked after her."
But Bumps breathlessly protested:
"I wath all right. I runned ever so fatht. And I thaw the paper, and
never wath frightened of the cowth, and I would have catched him, Jill,
I really would, only I couldn't get over the palings, and my legs thtuck
where they oughtn't to, and then I tumbled on my head and--and----"
Bumps came to a stop; then she added piteously, "I'll do better next time,
Jack. I really will."
And Jack replied with a patronising air. "Oh yes, you'll do, when you
grow bigger."
"Mona is coming back, children," said Miss Webb one morning as she opened
her letters at the breakfast-table. "She does not say why she is coming
home so much sooner than she intended, but I suppose she will tell us.
She will be here this afternoon."
The children were delighted. Mona was a constant source of interest and
admiration to them. When she was in the house, there was a stir and
bustle; the very servants seemed to go asleep in her absence.
Miss Webb had tea out upon the lawn that afternoon, and when Mona arrived,
she seemed struck with the children's orderly dress and behaviour, and
the quiet peacefulness of the old garden.
"There is no place like home after all," she said as she sat in a low
wicker-chair with Bumps on her lap.
Miss Webb looked at her with keen eyes.
"You are tired and worried about something," she said. "Didn't you enjoy
your visit?"
"Very much till yesterday," and Mona gave a little shiver. Then she bent
her lips, and touched Bumps' golden head with them caressingly.
"I had a full programme," she said with a little laugh. "The Tambourne
Races to-day, the Regatta to-morrow, and Lady Donald's ball next Monday,
followed by her village theatricals and concert. There was an awfully
nice girl staying with us. Maud Crichton was her name. She used to come
into my room every night to have a chat, and I was going to bring her
back here to stay with me. She was rather seedy a few days ago, and we
thought it a heavy cold. Only last night she was sitting up with me,
and though her head was very bad, we were making wonderful plans. This
morning she was covered with a thick rash. I heard she had almost been
light-headed in the night. The doctor came and pronounced it scarlet
fever. Of course there was a general stampede. I'm terrified lest she
should have infected me. What do you think, Miss Webb?"
Miss Webb looked grave, then quietly took Bumps off Mona's lap and sent
her indoors, telling the others to follow.
"You don't think of the children," she said a little reproachfully.
"The children? Good gracious! You're taking it for granted I am going
to get it! Why, Miss Webb, it drives me frantic to think I may! What
can I do? Shall I send for a doctor for some preventive?"
Miss Webb saw the girl was thoroughly frightened and unstrung, so she
spoke very quietly.
"You are not a weak, hysterical girl, Mona. Do for pity's sake control
yourself. It is not very likely you will take it; but if you did, there
are many things worse than scarlet fever. What makes you so frightened?"
"Oh," said Mona, covering her face with her hands, "I might die. It
is so awful to think about it. And wasn't it strange, Miss Webb, we
had a sermon last Sunday with the gruesome text: 'Prepare to meet thy
God.' Now don't let us talk any more about it. Give me another cup of
tea. I call it ridiculous to send the children away."
Mona pulled herself together with an effort. After that one revelation
of her frightened soul, she did not touch upon the subject again, but
Miss Webb watched her anxiously, and would not let the children be much
with her. A week afterwards, Mona was taken ill with the disease she
so much dreaded. Her extreme nervousness about herself did not help
her. Miss Webb promptly telegraphed to Miss Falkner--"Scarlet fever in
house. Can you take children to seaside?"
And though Miss Falkner had only had a month's holiday, instead of six
weeks, she replied at once--
"Certainly, will return to-morrow."
"It's rather exciting!" said Jack to Jill as they stood at the school-room
window watching for the arrival of their governess. "I don't want Mona
to be ill, but I'm jolly glad we're going to the seaside."
"I'm glad Miss Falkner is coming with us, but I rather think I'd like to
have scarlet fever. It must be so nice to have the doctor and a nurse,
and jellies and beef-tea, and everybody fussing over you."
The arrival of the carriage stopped further discussion, and in another
moment all three children were flinging themselves upon their governess,
nearly choking her with their eager embraces.
They went the next day to a small seaside place about three miles from
Chilton Common. There was a nice sandy beach, a row of lodging-houses,
a stone pier and fishing-wharf; and the children were perfectly content
with their lot. Annie came with them, and their landlady knew them well,
for it was not the first time they had been there.
"Miss Falkner, can't we go and see Chilton Common one day?" asked Jill,
soon after they had arrived.
"Why, you funny child!" said Miss Falkner, smiling. "The only reason
you liked to go to Chilton Common was because you could see the sea
in the distance; and now you are actually at the sea, you want to go to
the Common."
"Ah!" said Jill, "but I want to find the place where our mission-room is
going to be."
"I forgot that," admitted Miss Falkner. "But it is too far for you to
walk, Jill. We must wait till we get home, I think, and then we can
drive there."
So Jill tried to be patient, and she was very fond of mounting a small
hill close to the town where she could get a fine view of the Common,
and one day Miss Falkner found her there, shaking her red bag wildly in
the air at it.
"There!" she was saying, "do you see the place you are going to build
upon! The fatter you get, the better for Chilton Common!"
They heard from Miss Webb, but her letters always smelt of carbolic, and
Miss Falkner burnt them directly she had read them. Mona was very ill,
and one morning Miss Falkner got a letter that rather startled her. It
was as usual from Miss Webb.
"DEAR MISS FALKNER,
"I remember you told me that you were not afraid of scarlet fever,
having had it a few years ago. Would you be afraid of coming
to Mona? She is crying out for you incessantly day and night,
and I do not think it is mere delirium. She says you would help her
to get well, and the poor girl seems in terror lest she should
not do so. Dr. Forbes says if her mind could be eased there
would be more chance of her recovery. Leave the children with
Annie. I am sure they will be good, when they know that Mona needs
you. And nothing seems to matter in comparison with Mona's life.
If you feel you can come, come at once."
Miss Falkner went straight to her room, and put up a few things in a
portmanteau. She called Jill to her, and told her about the letter.
"I am going to trust you, Jill, to keep the others out of mischief,
and ask God, dear, to make your sister better, if it is His will."
Jill looked rather blank at the news.
"You are always leaving us now," she said; "and Jack won't do what I tell
him. He never would. Mona has got Miss Webb, she doesn't want you too!"
This was very much Annie's opinion.
"Miss Baron doesn't ever think of anybody but herself," she confided
to Mrs. Pratt, the landlady. "If she took a fancy to see one of the
children, she'd never think of the risk to them, but she'd insist upon
them coming to her. She's a nice young lady to speak to, but she's always
had her own way, and poor Miss Falkner must go to help nurse her now!"
When Miss Falkner came softly into the sick-room, she was shocked at
the change in Mona.
She lay with crimson cheeks and parched, dry lips upon her pillows,
restlessly turning her head to and fro; her beautiful hair had all been
cut off; her eyes were dull and vacant; her voice husky and indistinct.
A gleam of recognition lit up her face as Miss Falkner stooped over her
and spoke to her.
"Is it Miss Falkner? You are good, you know how to pray. I am not ready
to die. Pray for me. It is cruel to take my life so soon, and he will
keep preaching, 'Prepare to meet thy God.' Do stop him. Of course it
is Cecil Arnold; I laughed at him, but I knew I was wrong, and he was
right. I can't prepare. I don't know how to. And why should I give up a
tenth of my money?--even little Jill is laughing at me--she and Cecil
Arnold putting their heads together, and he won't look at me, he doesn't
care for me any more. Oh, if only you will help me!"
This and much more in the same strain she poured forth.
Miss Falkner soothed her for the time, and the next day when she was
lying weak and exhausted, but fully conscious, she spoke again.
"Do you think I shall get over this, Miss Falkner!"
"I think--I hope you will," said Miss Falkner brightly. "I am praying
that you may."
"I know I have lived only for pleasure, but if, oh, if God spares my
life, I will give Him some of my money. It has worried me so. Even the
children are giving now more than I do."
"There is something God wants more than your money," said Miss Falkner
gently. "It is of more value to Him than that."
"What is it? Oh, if I get well I will give it. Life is everything to me."
"It is your soul."
The words were spoken in a soft whisper, and there was silence in the
room for some time after that.
At last Mona put her wasted hand out.
"I will give it to Him, if He spares my life."
* * * * *
"Jack, Mona is going to get well. Miss Webb has written to tell us so. Oh,
do let us do something jolly to-day."
"We'll have a donkey ride. There's a man just come along the road with
four of them. Come on!"
But, alas! When purses were produced, only eightpence could be collected,
and the donkey man shook his head.
"I wish," said Jack discontentedly, "that we needn't always be giving
to the Bag."
Jill got hot and indignant at once.
"You greedy, wicked boy, after your vow too. Remember Ananias and
Sapphira!"
"But they took the money; I haven't."
"No, but you're almost wishing to!"
"I'm not," said Jack sullenly.
"What's the matter, my boy?" asked an old lady, who was sitting on
a sheltered seat on the beach, and who had overheard a part of this
conversation.
"We want a donkey ride," said Jack bluntly; "and we haven't got enough
money."
The old lady quietly drew out a rusty black bag from her pocket.
"I used to like donkey rides when I was a little girl," she said,
"so I'll treat you to one. Where would you like to go?"
The children could hardly believe their ears. But Jill's one thought
came uppermost at once.
"To Chilton Common," she said. "Oh! we should love to go there."
The old lady spoke to the man.
"Where is your nurse?" she said. "Will she like you to go so far?"
"Oh, Annie won't mind. We always play out here till dinner-time."
So in a few minutes, four donkeys were going at a steady trot towards
Chilton Common; the man himself riding on one of them. It seemed a long
way to the children, but Jill enlivened the way by telling the man about
their tenth bag, and the room that they hoped to build on the Common.
"You might help if you like," she suggested. "You could give a tenth out
of what the lady is going to give you this morning. It's going to be
a tenth room or church, because it's going to be built out of our tenths."
"Don't believe in parsons or churches," said the man emphatically.
"Do you mean you don't like them?" questioned Jill. "Don't you go to
church yourself?"
"Never been inside a church since I were a Sunday-school brat."
"Oh! that sounds dreadful!" said Jill, eyeing him with severity.
"Fact!" said the donkey man, giving Jill's donkey a vicious whack with
his stick, and making her start off at a gallop. But Jill could stick
to her donkey and to her point at the same time.
"Well, if you don't want to go to church, other people do; and they
can't do it on Chilton Common. You wait till we get there, and then
you will see what it is like! And I'm sure you would like to give God
some of your money, wouldn't you? You must get a lot of money by your
donkeys. _Everybody_ likes to ride on donkeys!"
"I'm a poor man, an' has a hard job to get my vittles," was the
response. "Let rich folk build churches and such like. Let 'em throw
away their money on such foolery, but a hard-workin' man has better to
do with his'n."
"But," argued Jill, who from her long discussion with Sam was quite
prepared for these sentiments, "you aren't as poor as we are. If no
one gives me a present I get threepence a week, but it doesn't matter
how little you have, the first ten pennies you get, you put one aside
for God. Now do, won't you? You really ought to, for God gives you your
donkeys and your money. Supposing if your donkeys broke their legs,
or you broke yours! Then you wouldn't be able to get any money. And if
God takes care of you and your donkeys every day, I expect He's very
disappointed that you don't give Him a little money!"
This and much more Jill eagerly poured forth, and at last her driver
took refuge in silent chuckles and shakes of his head. He would not
be drawn out any more. They arrived in due time on the Common. It was
a lovely day, and a few women came out on their doorsteps to watch the
little cavalcade.
The children dismounted, and began earnestly disputing about the best
site for the mission-room. Jill took into her confidence one of the
women who seemed greatly interested.
"You see," she said, "Mr. Errington and us are going to build a church
here when we can get enough money. Where would you like it put?"
"We bain't church-goers," said the woman laughing.
"No, but you will be when you get a church."
"Now," said the donkey man, getting bolder when he saw he would be
supported by a majority; "will 'ee tell us, little miss, what good a
church does 'ee?"
He raised his voice, and several lads and women drew near to listen.
Jill climbed back on her donkey. She did not like the look of the rough
boys, but she bravely held her ground.
"It's a place where you can hear about Jesus," she said reverently,
"and where you can ask Him what you want. Miss Falkner says He is always
there to meet you."
"And what good do He do?" asked a lad with a mocking laugh.
"He helps you to set out, and keep on going to the Golden City,"
said Jill, looking at him with shocked disapproval. "You wait till
you get your church, and Mr. Errington comes out to tell you all about
it. You'll wish when you hear about it, that you'd been told _hundreds_
of years ago!"
There was loud laughter, but one of the women came forward and looked
at Jill somewhat wistfully.
"Your Golden City reminds me of a hymn I used to sing in Sunday school,"
she said. "It began, 'Jeroos'lem the golden'!"
"Yes, I know it," said Jill, nodding; "and when you get your church I'll
ask Mr. Errington to let you have that hymn every Sunday if you like."
"Shall we have hymn singin'?" questioned a boy, with a white face and
dark shock of hair. "Who'll do the moosic?"
"Mr. Errington will do it _all_," said Jill with proud emphasis. "And when
the church is open, I shall come over, and Jack, and Bumps, and Miss
Falkner. And we'll be in our Sunday clothes, and you will be in yours,
and the church will be _crammed_! And there'll be lots of music and
singing, and we shall all enjoy it awfully! And after it's over"--here
her imagination ran away with her--"we'll all shake hands, and say how
glad we are, and then we'll have flags waving and bells ringing, and a
lovely tea which we'll sit down to all together, with cakes and buns,
and tea in urns, like a schoolfeast!"
Jack, who had been listening in silence, broke in now with enthusiasm.
"And then we'll have three cheers for the King, and three cheers for
Mr. Errington, and three cheers for our red bag that got the money,
and we'll finish up with a bonfire and fireworks!"
Jill pulled out her red bag which she had stuffed into her pocket,
and wildly waved it in the air.
"Hurray for Chilton Common Church!" she cried, and the children and rough
lads round joined in her cheer with a hearty good-will.
"Now," she said, relapsing from enthusiasm to business, "where would
you like us to build it?"
There was a little silence. Some of the women went indoors. The group
thinned. Jack looked round wisely.
"I think we'll let Mr. Errington choose the place," he said. "I'm sure
it's time to go back."
"Well," said Jill, turning to the blacksmith, who had left his forge and
had come out to know what the cheers were about, "I've told you what
is going to happen, and if you like to give a tenth of your money and
give it to God, I will take it and put it in my red bag and give it to
Mr. Errington."
The blacksmith put his hand in his pocket and brought out sixpence.
"There be my mite towards it," he said. "I always did say a parson up
here would be the thing!"
Jill thanked him profusely, dropped the sixpence in her bag, and the
children rode away, followed for a short distance by a screaming crowd
of small boys and girls.
[Illustration: "THERE'S MY MITE TOWARDS IT."]