When I concluded aunt placed a cushion on the ground by her side, and
called to Lotty to place herself on it, which she did, laying her face in
aunty's lap in an indolent sort of manner. Her expression was one of
thorough consciousness of having done wrong, but without that feeling of
repentance which would have filled my eyes with blinding tears and my
cheeks with blushes. At this point I arose and went into an adjoining
room, thinking my presence might distress Lotty; yet, the door being open,
I heard aunty speaking earnestly on this old subject of truthfulness,
pointing out the labyrinths to which so many resorted instead of following
the straight road of honesty. She pressed upon her the danger of allowing
small beginnings of sin to go on unchecked, seeing that even Lotty's short
experience had often shown her how fatally great its endings sometimes
became; and in no way, she added, was the point in question more forcibly
illustrated than by the works of nature. "You have often noticed, and so,
I know, has Mechie, a certain little cloud, peculiar, I believe, to the
Cape, just making its appearance, creeping stealthily, occasionally quite
hid, then emerging into view, then doubling round a projection, and
turning and twisting, and so on, and over the top of the Table Mountain.
You know how very small it generally is in the beginning, seldom larger
than a man's hand, and is white and picturesque, and tangible-looking, and
seems to select any tiny aperture or division on the mountain brow to
glide through. One might really fancy its object is to avoid observation,
or why not advance at once and openly over the broad unobstructed space?
However, it seems unreasonable to suspect harm of so little and innocent a
looking thing, for harmless indeed it then is, although in truth its
undeveloped character is fraught with danger, violence and mischief. Well,
it advances, and advances, gaining breath and magnitude every yard of the
way, till finally the whole mountain side is enveloped in its folds. And
now, no longer inoffensive in its proceedings, its real nature breaks out.
Down pours a tornado of wind, sweeping over land and water, driving the
ill-secured vessels from their moorings, bearing clouds of noxious sands
into our habitations, and but that long experience has suggested to us
efficient means of securing our property from destruction, much ruin would
constantly result from the visit of that little, apparently simple mist.
My dear child, when in future you are tempted to exaggerate in the
slightest degree remember the 'cloud-hand.' I have been more especially
induced to speak in this way on the present occasion because this morning,
Lotty, I had a few minutes' conversation with Susan concerning your late
rising, which has been frequent during the last fortnight, and your
reasons and excuses for the same—many and various." Mrs. Rossiter
abstained from any allusion to that evening's deception on Lotty's part. I
knew her reason, and was grateful for it. She feared creating bitter
feelings in my sister's heart toward me, and yet I was sure that Lotty's
account to uncle of our misadventure, given in her own cautious style and
coming so immediately after the offence of the morning, had excited aunty
into thus speaking without farther delay and in the impressive manner she
had done.
But now, softly quitting the room, I put on my hat and joined uncle on the
balcony.