It seemed a long time to the children before Mona returned, and their
first sight of her was a distinct shock to them.
She came back with a closely-cropped head, and a white face, looking
so fragile that Bumps confided to Jack that she thought "Mona must be
nearly dying."
But her voice and laugh reassured them.
They wondered when they saw her kiss Miss Falkner.
"Do you like her very much?" asked Jack.
"_Very_ much," said Mona promptly. "She came to me when I wanted her,
and it was through her that I got well again!"
"But hadn't you any doctors?"
"Miss Falkner was my doctor."
This sounded puzzling, but Mona astonished them still more by things
she said and did. She came into the school-room while the Bible-reading
was going on and asked Miss Falkner questions about it, as if she were
one of her pupils. She started having family prayers; and then one
afternoon Jill found her trespassing again in the vicinity of "Bethel."
"I think I must join your Tenth Society, Jill. Tell me what you do."
Jill's face flushed crimson with delight.
"Will you? Do you mean it really? And will you put your tenth into the
red bag?"
Mona appeared to be considering.
"My tenth will be a big affair by the side of yours, Jill. What does
the red bag do with your money?"
"I take it to Mr. Errington every fortnight. He keeps the money. It's
for Chilton Common, you know. They do want a church there dreadfully."
"I think I must have a little talk with Mr. Errington about it."
"But you will help us to fill our bag, won't you?"
"I dare say I shall."
Mona was looking away through the pines rather dreamily as she spoke. Jill
brought her back to the subject in hand.
"And will you join us now? Properly? You will, won't you? And say the vow
by our stones like Jacob? Let me just go and tell Jack and Bumps. They
would love to hear you."
But Mona caught hold of her as she was flying off.
"No, Jill. Grown-up people have different ways to children. It isn't
a game to me, and it means a great deal more than you could imagine.
But I like your quaint idea of raising a little Bethel under the pines
here, and if you leave me quite alone, I will take the vow in the same
place that you did. More you cannot expect from me."
"But somebody ought to hear you," objected Jill. "I am sure it's more
proper to have people looking on."
"God will hear me. Did Jacob have people near him?"
Jill was speechless. Then obediently she walked away, and waited for
her sister at the entrance to the wood. When Mona joined her there was
a soft radiancy about her face that made her look very beautiful.
"Oh, Jill," she said, "a tenth seems such a miserable portion to offer
back. How shall I ever pay the debt of all the past wasted years?"
"And when will you divide your money?" asked Jill. "Do let me see you do
it. And if it's too difficult, Miss Falkner is very good at sums. She'll
do it for you."
"I shall go and see Mr. Errington this afternoon. You must be patient,
Jill. All in good time."
The next day the children were walking out in the village with Miss
Falkner when they met the vicar.
He beamed when he saw them.
"Have you heard the good news?" he said. "Miss Baron did not bind me to
secrecy. Perhaps she has told you herself?"
"I think I know," said Jill, nodding wisely.
"I have written to a builder, an old friend of mine, and asked him to
come over at once and talk it out with me. Now the money is forthcoming
we shall soon have the mission-room."
"What!" cried Jill. "Have you got enough money to build it?"
"Indeed I have. And we'll have it up in no time."
"I wonder how the people will like it," said Miss Falkner meditatively.
Mr. Errington looked quickly at her.
"A month ago I should have had heart-sinkings on that point. But I assure
you it is their chief topic at present when I go over to them. I fancy
sometimes they expect it to bring to them more temporal than spiritual
food; but it is owing to a visit from these small people that their
antagonism has vanished."
"But who--how have you got the money, Mr. Errington?" inquired Jack.
"Ask your sister. She may enlighten you."
"It is Mona's tenth!" exclaimed Jill, capering up and down in delight.
"How soon will it be built, Mr. Errington, next week?"
Mr. Errington laughed as he went his way.
"Oh, you young people! So hot and impatient, so quick to resolve and
carry out. I wish I could instill some of your spirits into the sluggish
natures that I have to deal with!"
The children could do little else but talk of Chilton Common all that day.
"And now," said Jack, "if all the money is got for the church, where is
our tenth money to go to?"
"I think it will be some time before everything will be bought," said
Miss Falkner. "You must remember there will be lots of things wanted
inside the mission-room; seats--hassocks, perhaps--lamps, and all kinds
of other articles. Mr. Errington will like to get your money for some
time to come, I am sure."
"And there are always the heathen to send it to," said Jill. "They never
come to an end, do they, Miss Falkner? You send your money to them always,
don't you?"
"Yes," Miss Falkner replied. "I feel more drawn towards them. At home here
in England there are so many to teach and help the ignorant ones. Out
abroad there are millions still out of reach of help and Christianity."
Jill looked grave.
"And how much money does it take exactly to make a heathen a Christian,
Miss Falkner?"
Miss Falkner smiled.
"I can't tell you, Jill. There is the cost of a missionary going out;
he or she are the means, with God's help, of converting a heathen. But
every little helps."
"Mr. Errington says the Chilton Common people are heathen!"
"Yes, dear, he means they are living without any thought of God."
"But we did that before you came to us. Really and truly, Miss Falkner,
we never thought about God at all. And I'm afraid I didn't want to. You
see no one had told us about the Golden City. And I didn't know that
Jesus loved us so, and would help us, and keep on forgiving us."
Jill's face was earnest and sweet. Her governess stooped and kissed her.
"But you know about it now, dear, and you must try to help others who
are still ignorant."
Jill nodded, then ran away to play.
Autumn came, and then winter. Mr. Errington's energy never flagged;
and it was a happy day for the children when the foundation-stone was
laid for the mission-room on Chilton Common.
Mona was asked to lay it, but for some time she hesitated, and suggested
that Jill should do it instead. Jill flatly refused, and Miss Falkner
encouraged her in her refusal.
"I do not hold with children being placed in prominent positions," she
said to Mona when they were talking the matter over. "Jill is a clever
child, and wants to be repressed rather than pushed forward. I am glad
to see she has the good sense to be shy of such a ceremony."
"But I am such a beginner," said Mona humbly. "I have never gone in
for good works, and lots of my friends--even Miss Webb--think that my
illness has left my brain a little weak and queer."
"Your friends could not think laying a foundation-stone queer conduct. And
if they do, what does it matter?"
The children were having their talk about it round the school-room fire.
"I shouldn't like to lay a foundation-stone," said Jack. "Fancy, if you
put it a little crooked, then the whole place would tumble down! Sam
told me so."
"I should love to build it all," said Jill. "Sticking bricks and stones
into clay or wet stuff is lovely! But I couldn't do it with a lot of
people and clergymen looking on. I hate people staring!"
"Is it the very bottomest thtone of all?" questioned Bumps with big eyes.
"Of course, stupid!" said Jack. "Do you think it would be the top one?"
"I asked Mr. Errington what it was going to be called," said Jill. "He
says he doesn't want exactly a church there, because he wants to give
them tea and magic lanterns in the winter, so it's a mission-room,
and do you know what he says we can call it? The Bethel Mission-room."
Jack and Bumps set up a cheer at once.
"It's called after our stones," went on Jill proudly. "Mr. Errington
said it had been built by tenths. And he told me the meaning of Bethel,
which I didn't know before."
"What does it mean?"
"The house of God."