AN ANGEL’S WORK
The nest day Palma had a final and decisive talk with Mrs. Pole.
In such high esteem was this good woman held by the young Stuarts that
they regarded her almost as a mother.
When the question of going to England that summer was first mooted, the
alternative was placed before Mrs. Pole, and the choice given, her to
accompany the young pair on their voyage and foreign tour or to remain
at Wolfscliff in charge of the house.
And the woman, on her part, had entreated Mr. and Mrs. Stuart to tell
her which they would prefer to have her do.
To which they replied that they wished her to do just as she pleased.
This morning Palma came into the nursery, where Mrs. Pole sat beside the
cradle, watching the sleeping babies, while she sewed on some plain
needlework.
How for the last fortnight Mrs. Pole had been halting between two
opinions, divided between the affections for Cleve and Palma and their
children, that drew to go with them, and her dread of the long voyage
and love of quiet that bound her to her home. Therefore, she wished them
to make the decision for her that she was incapable of making for
herself. And they would not.
But within a day or two it had been “borne in” upon the mind of Poley
that, although Mr. and Mrs. Stuart really wished her to do as she
pleased in this matter of going or staying, yet that they would be
better satisfied that she should please to stay at Wolfscliff to take
care of the house than to go to Europe with them. Mrs. Pole and her
young friends were really secretly of one mind in this matter.
So when Palma sat down beside her she was prepared to meet the question.
Palma said:
“Poley, dear, it is really time now that you should make up your mind as
to what you are going to do about going to Europe with us or staying
here. Because, if you should decide to go with us, Poley, dear, we must
begin at once to look out for some good and reliable woman to come and
take care of the house while we are away.”
“Oh, my dear child, you needn’t trouble yourself to look out for nobody.
If it is all the same to you, I will my own self stay here and look
after the place while you are gone. Will that suit you, ma’am?”
“Perfectly, Poley, dear. We would rather leave you in charge of our home
than any one else, if you are satisfied to stay.”
“Yes, I am, dearie. I’m over elderly to be sailing on the high seas, and
nothing but my love for you all would ever a-made me think of such a
thing. And now, as I find I can serve you better by staying here than
going ’long o’ you, why, ’deed, I’d heap liefer stay here.”
“Then it is all right, Poley. And now tell me, when did you hear from
your niece?”
“Jane Morgan, you mean, ma’am?”
“Of course, Jane Morgan. I did not know you had any other niece.”
“No more I hadn’t, ma’am. Well, I heard from her ’bout two weeks ago. He
have been out of work near all the latter part o’ the winter, and
they’ve been a-having of a very hard time, ma’am, and that is a fact,
with all the mouves they’ve got to feed, too.”
“How many children have they, Poley?”
“Six, ma’am. The oldest nine years old, and the youngest nine months.
And he out of work so long, poor fellow!”
“You should have told me, Poley.”
“What for, ma’am? You couldn’t have helped it. I sent ’em a good part of
my wages, and that kept ’em a-going.”
“Poley, do you remember that I told you your niece should come here and
bring all her babies this summer to see you and to get the benefit of
this pure mountain air?”
“Oh, yes, ma’am, indeed I do remember!” exclaimed Mrs. Pole, brightening
up.
“And have you written to your niece about it?”
“Oh, no, ma’am. As you never mentioned the subject again after that
first time, I didn’t know but what you had forgotten it or changed your
mind.”
“Oh, Poley! How could you? Well, now, look here. Write to your niece and
tell her to come and bring all her children down here to spend the
summer with you while we are gone to Europe. And I hope they will come,
Poley. It would do the little children so much good. And, oh! is Mr.
Morgan out of work now, Poley?”
“He was two weeks ago, ma’am, with no prospect of getting any.”
“What is his trade?”
“He is a carpenter and builder, ma’am?”
“Oh, then I do think we shall be able to do a good thing for him. Such a
good thing for him!” exclaimed Palma.
Mrs. Pole looked up in mute surprise and inquiry.
“Why, this is it. You know there is ever so much carpenter’s work
wanting to be done on the place. I have heard Cleve talking about it.
The barn is to be almost rebuilt, and the house here wants repairs.
Cleve thought of getting a carpenter down from Staunton. But now, you
see, I shall just ask him to send for Mr. Morgan. And then they can all
come down here—husband, wife and children! Won’t that be glorious,
Poley? And he will not lose his time, and they will not be under
expenses!” cried Palma in delight.
“That will be very fine indeed, ma’am, if so be it can be managed,”
replied Mrs. Pole.
And then she began to compute how much it would cost to bring Joseph and
Jane Morgan and their family from New York to West Virginia, and to
count up her own savings from her wages.
“I can do it,” she said to herself. “I can do it! And they can pay me
afterward as they get on, and if they don’t they needn’t bother about
it.”
Palma went straight to Cleve and unfolded her views.
“You see, dear,” she said, after she had duly introduced the subject, “I
did give Poley leave to ask her niece and the children to come down here
and stay with her while we should be away in Europe; for, oh! only think
how much good it will do those poor little children! And now since the
husband and father is a carpenter and a skilled workman, as Poley says
he is, what could happen better for all parties? You can engage him to
do the work here that is so much wanted. And it will be such a good
thing for him and his family as well as for us.”
“My dear quixotic Palma, your benevolence carries you into wild
extravagance, I fear,” said Stuart, with a smile.
“I was only thinking of the poor man—a skilled mechanic, too, out of
employment—and of his poor, overtasked wife and their poor little
children. I know it is an unusual thing to do to bring down a whole
family when one only wants a carpenter. But then, you see, the
circumstances are also unusual, and——”
“And the little woman who plans the arrangements is not only unusual,
but—phenomenal!” Stuart said, interrupting her, with a smile.
“Oh, Cleve, listen to me, dear, and be serious, for I am. I said the
circumstances were unusual, and so they are. We are going to Europe, and
this old house among the hills would be nearly empty while we are gone,
and Mrs. Pole would be alone except for the negro servants on the place
unless we should let her have some one to stay with her. Now these
people are her nearest relations. I promised her that they should come
and visit her. They are in bitter want of all that the change would
bring them—and, oh, dear me, Cleve!” she suddenly broke off, “we are not
living in this world all for ourselves! And don’t you think it would be
a sin, and we should be worse than the dog in the manger to leave this
big old house among the hills almost empty when we go away instead of
opening it to that poor, half-starved and half-stifled tenement family
whose children would here have fresh air, pure water and good food, and
who would get health and strength and delight in this beautiful place?”
“Why, Palma, dear, you talk to me as if I had to be argued into
consenting to this arrangement. It is enough, love, that you wish to
have it made,” said Stuart.
“That is very kind of you, Cleve; but I wished to convince, not to coax
you.”
“A distinction without a difference in this case, dear. Well, I will see
to this.”
The only hesitation Stuart felt was as to the character of the man
Morgan, of whom neither Palma nor himself knew anything. But Mrs. Pole
did know, and Stuart resolved to have a talk with the woman, in whose
honesty and judgment he had equal and entire confidence.
Later in the day he questioned Mrs. Pole, and when she assured Mr.
Stuart that “he”—she always referred to her nephew-in-law by the pronoun
instead of his name—“he” was honest, temperate and industrious as a man
could be, and his only fault was carelessness about saving money when he
had it, though he never wasted it on himself, but on the young ones,
even to the extravagance of an excursion sometimes. But for that, “he”
was as good and trusty a man as ever wore shoe leather.
Upon this information Stuart acted, and wrote a letter to Mr. Morgan
offering him work for the summer, with good wages and his expenses paid
to West Virginia if he should accept the terms. This business letter
inclosed two others, one from Palma to Mrs. Morgan, explaining
circumstances and asking her as a favor to come with Mr. Morgan and
bring all their children and stay at Wolfscliff with Mrs. Pole for the
whole summer and part of the autumn, while Mr. Stuart and she (the
writer) should be in Europe. The last letter was from Mrs. Pole to her
niece, imploring her not to be “backward” in accepting the lady’s
invitation, which was made in good faith and in the earnest desire to do
them service.
These letters, inclosed in one envelope, were sent off by that day’s
mail.
Within seven days the answer came. One from Morgan to Mr. Stuart,
gratefully accepting the liberal terms offered him; one from Jane Morgan
to Mrs. Stuart, overflowing with delight and thankfulness, and telling
the lady, what Palma appreciated best of all, that her children were
“fairly standing on their heads in delight at the thought of their going
into the country,” and one from the niece to her aunt, breathing of
gratitude to the Giver of all good gifts for this blessing.
Stuart sent on his check to Morgan.
Mrs. Pole began active preparations for the reception of her niece and
the children.
The large bedroom on the ground floor which had once been the private
apartment of old Mr. Cleve, and two smaller rooms in the rear of that
were fitted up for the family.
“Because,” said Palma, “these rooms all open upon the back porch and the
end porch, and will be so convenient for the little children to run in
and out without danger of falling from any height or hurting
themselves.”
Mrs. Pole was ready to cry with the feeling of the young woman’s tender,
thoughtful kindness.
Palma was busy also with her own preparations. It was no very easy
matter to pack trunks for her husband, her children and herself for a
voyage to Europe. It would have been a much harder task but that Cleve
continually reminded her that she really needed to take no more than
they might require on their voyage.
“To carry clothes to Europe is to ‘carry coals to Newcastle,’” he said,
quoting an old proverb.
Hatty, to her great delight, was selected from all the other servants to
go with them as lady’s maid and children’s nurse.
The last week of their stay at Wolfscliff came. And the program for that
week was all laid out.
On Sunday they all went to church together.
On Monday Mr. and Mrs. Cleve Stuart gave a dinner party at Wolfscliff in
honor of their guest, The O’Melaghlin, and for which the invitations had
been given out several days previous. This was a great success. All the
family connections of the Stuarts and the Cleves were on hand, and The
O’Melaghlin was in great force, notwithstanding, or perhaps just
because, he had taken a great deal more wine than was good for him. But
in this respect he was kept well in countenance by the elders of that
dinner table; for up to this time the total abstinence movement had not
reached that neighborhood, where the heads of old families kept up the
convivial habits of their forefathers.
On Tuesday, by appointment, Mr. Stuart sent the large carryall and also
the ox cart to Wolfswalk to meet the Morgans, who were expected to
arrive that afternoon.
After their dispatch the whole household of Wolfscliff was in a state of
expectancy much more delightful at the anticipation of meeting the poor
workman’s family of small children who would be in such ecstasies at
their visit than they would have been in looking forward to the arrival
of the most distinguished party this country could afford.
But it was quite late at night when the two lumbering vehicles drew up
before the door.
The O’Melaghlin had retired to rest.
Stuart had remained in the drawing-room under silent protest, until
Palma entreated, exhorted and commanded, using all the forms of the
potential mood in order to make him go to bed. Then he laughed and
yielded, and Palma and Mrs. Pole “stayed up” to receive the travelers.
They had a nice supper, also, ready for them.
So when they heard the wheels grate on the pebbles before the house both
rushed out of the room just in time to see old ’Sias, who alone of all
the servants shared their watch, unbolt and unbar the great double front
door.
Then the door was opened and the large party filed in.
Palma withdrew to the background to let Mrs. Pole offer the first
greetings to her relatives. First came Joe, with one child fast asleep
on his shoulder, and another, half asleep, holding his hand by his side.
Then came Jane, with the baby in her arms and two little girls clinging
to her skirts, and the eldest boy close behind her.
Mrs. Pole received them one by one, kissing them in tears of joy, and
with disconnected, inarticulate words of welcome.
In the midst of this little hubbub the carryall and ox cart were heard
to start again and roll away in the direction of the barnyard.
Mrs. Pole presented them all, one by one, to Palma, who received each
with great kindness, and took the baby to hold in her arms, while its
mother, father and all the other children followed Mrs. Pole into the
bedrooms to take off their wraps and wash for supper.
Then came the comfortable supper and the chat that accompanied it.
Palma felt fully compensated for her “quixotism.”
When they all bade her good-night and went to their rooms on the ground
floor Palma felt too joyful to retire; so she stayed up talking to Mrs.
Pole until midnight, and then—even then—when she retired to bed, she was
too happy to sleep—too happy in the thought of the happiness she
witnessed.
The next morning must have reconciled a more hard-headed man that Cleve
Stuart to the quixotism of his wife.
The lawn resounded with the shouts and laughter of the little children,
who might have thought, if young children ever think, that they had died
in their tenement house and waked up in heaven.
Stuart was as much pleased with the frank, honest face and manner of
Joseph Morgan as Palma was with the true, tender, motherly countenance
and conversation of Jane Morgan.
On Thursday morning the Stuarts, with The O’Melaghlin and their
servants, started for New York, en route for England.
They reached the city on Friday morning.
They spent the day in making calls on the Wallings and other friends.
On Saturday the whole party sailed for Liverpool.