GUY GIVES HIS VIEWS IN FULL.
MARTHA was fairly installed as kitchen-maid, to the great delight of
Agnes, while Ruth congratulated herself that there would be no more
dishwashing for her, a thing she detested above all others. "She appears
anxious to learn, doesn't she?" asked Agnes. "She was a good scholar and
perfectly obedient. I think you will like her, Ruth. If we gain her
affections I am sure she will do anything for us."
"But then we must be careful, Agnes, it does not answer to pay too much
attention to servants. They are sure to become consequential and to
value themselves too highly, if you notice them much."
"But she is a child, and everything is strange. Besides, when she thinks
of her father and of separation from her mother, she must be sad, and
perhaps may try your patience. I shall help all I can, but she had
better look upon you as mistress. Be patient for my sake, sister."
There was no reply to this, and Agnes was afraid she had made a mistake
in proposing such a child, instead of one more fully grown. That night
after Martha had gone to bed, she slipped up stairs to know if she had
repeated her prayers.
"O, yes, ma'am, I always say them; I should be afraid to go to sleep if
I did not."
"We have a great deal to thank God for, Martha. Every day He cares for
us, and it is the least we can do to thank Him. Do you thank Him for
what you have, or only ask to have more?"
"I guess I ask most for the things I want. I forget about thanking, only
I mean it."
"Yes, and God sees that you mean it, but He expects you to tell Him so.
Now if I were to give you a great many things every day, and you did not
thank me but were all the time thinking of other things you desired to
have, I should call you ungrateful and not give you any more. Don't you
see how it is? Now when you are praying, be sure to ask not to be
allowed to forget pleasing God, by doing every thing as if He were here
looking at you. Are you warm enough child?"
"O yes, ma'am, Miss Ruth came up and tucked me in nicely, and--"
"And what?"
"She kissed me and said 'good night.'"
Agnes's first impulse was to exclaim with surprise; but checking herself
she stooped down, saying: "And I must follow Miss Ruth's example, I
suppose. Be a good girl, Martha, and Miss Ruth and I will be your
friends."
"I need have no fears; Ruth could never be anything but kind, although
people so often misunderstand her and think her stern. She will never
let generosity carry away her sense of justice; and after all that is
the better way," thought Agnes, as she descended to the sitting room.
Guy was home that night. As Agnes entered the room he laid down his book
with the remark: "I say, Agnes, brother Snowden is considered the salt
of the earth among you church people, isn't he?"
"I suppose he is a good man; I don't know much about him. Why do you
ask?" was the reply.
"Well, only that it strikes me _that_ kind of salt would not make very
strong pickle."
"How you talk," said Ruth, "You know nothing about his Christian life."
"O, that is it, he has two lives has he? Well, I admit that I know
nothing about his _Christian_ life. But I do know about his business
life, if that is a separate and distinct thing. When a Christian comes
to me and asks me to undertake a case that is simply trickery and fraud,
then I want to know how he can separate himself from his profession of
religion. I thought religion had to run through one's life, instead of
hinging and unhinging it when one chose. I know one thing, that some of
your church members dabble in puddles so dirty that I would not touch
them with the tip of my finger, and this Snowden is one of them."
"I would not judge the many by one," replied Agnes, quietly.
"No, that is a wholesale way of speaking," said her sister, positively.
"And you may not have understood the man, Guy; and you know you are
rather hasty."
"See here, Ruth, don't you begin to take sides with that fellow. Agnes
is bound to defend him, because he is a goat of the same fold. But you
may be glad you slipped out, backslid is the word I believe, for it is
no honor to have the association of such a contemptible specimen of
mankind."
Ruth's face flushed and her eye kindled at his allusion to her
backsliding, but she did not speak, while Agnes, who was deeply pained
at his unkind speech, immediately replied: "You are wrong, Guy, Ruth is
a church member, the same as I. And while neither of us can endorse what
is done by every member of the church, we know there are good, earnest
Christians there, and it is not for us to sit in judgment upon any."
"Bravo!" he exclaimed. "This is most animating. It is a pity you were
not a man, you would make a capital advocate. But excuse me, I forget,
we have ladies in the profession. If you have no objection to reading
with me, I shall be proud to present to the bar such an able pleader."
This was just what Agnes wanted, to have the conversation turned. So
that Ruth and the church escaped, she did not care what was said of her.
For fear of Guy returning to the old subject, she inquired whether he
thought women could ever attain any eminence in the profession.
"Yes, the fact of them being women will not mentally disqualify them,"
he replied. "As a general thing they are clear sighted, and although not
always logical, have a way of carrying their point in spite of all
opposition. To office work some might be well adapted, but when it comes
to practise at the bar, to get up and harangue a crowded court-room; to
be brought in contact with low characters and take any part in criminal
proceedings, then I say a woman is out of place. When they take that
stand I shall step aside and let them glory in their shame."
Guy spoke with great warmth. Ruth appeared to be listening attentively,
though she did not speak. Encouraged by the interest manifested by his
sisters, Guy Gorton Esq., Attorney at Law, was in the act of giving a
fuller expression of his views, and by his _logical_ reasoning,
determining woman's position for all time, when the door-bell rang and
Martha ushered in visitors.
To Ruth it was a happy relief, for though she had appeared to manifest
interest, very painful thoughts were passing through her mind. She had
made a great sacrifice for Guy in hope of doing him good, how great, no
one knew, and yet withall she had failed in her object. He looked at her
as the world always judges of Christians; not by profession but
practise. However, it may sneer and cavil at doctrine, the world is not
slow to recognize and respect the character that like pure gold carries
with it not only beauty but sterling worth.
"Bartered my Christian character," she thought, "and what have I in
exchange? Complete failure, dead loss;" and all through the evening,
though she talked and laughed, the question and answer came up before
her.
When their friends had gone and the girls went up to their room, each
sat down on her favorite seat as if for a talk. With Agnes it was the
foot of the bed, having the low post on which to lean, while Ruth took
the low rocking-chair. The thoughts of both ran in the same direction,
but neither seemed inclined to break the silence. Agnes would have
spoken, but Ruth was sensitive, and any allusion to the subject might
pain her. Suddenly she said, "What a lovely character Edith Hart was,
Ruth. Her manners are charming, and she is perfectly sincere, I am
sure. Did you notice what difference Guy paid to her opinions and how
much he seemed to admire her? I wish he would fall in love with her and
marry her, for of course he will marry some one, and she would have such
a good influence over him."
"Yes, when they were married she might, if he in the meantime had not
exerted a wrong influence over her. It must require a great deal of
grace to maintain your Christian integrity, when those you love are
worldly minded. I don't think Edith would hold out any better than the
rest of us, if she loved Guy as she should. But there is no use in
talking about that, it will be a long time before Guy can marry."
"Why, his practise is improving, isn't it? I often hear him talk of his
clients, and you know lawyers charge very high for advice. I don't know
where I heard it, but I am of the impression that they will not give
the least bit of advice under five dollars. At that rate, you know, he
will make out well."
Ruth wanted to laugh at her sister's simplicity. Do as she would, she
never could teach Agnes the value of money. And now, poor child, she
seemed to think Guy had nothing to do but open his mouth and gold
dollars would roll out, as diamonds did in the wonderful story of "Toads
and Diamonds." In one way she was glad that Agnes knew so little about
money matters; she wanted to save her from care or anxiety. But there
were times when she was so perplexed and straitened, that it made her
impatient to think any grown person could be so stupid as to live in
their house and not more fully understand their circumstances. At such
times she murmured and even rebelled, wondering why she should have all
the burden. It did not reconcile her to it, to know that others admired
and deferred to her judgment. She grew tired of thinking and planning,
and longed for a strength greater than her own, upon which she could
lean, for some one to help her bear the burdens. This was not sentiment.
If the thought of marriage came to her as it probably did, especially at
such times, she put it far from her. She would never leave Guy and
Agnes; but if they only had been constituted differently, they could
have helped her. And they in turn, little dreaming of her struggles,
looked at her with admiring eyes, giving her credit, as far as they
could follow her, and thinking what a wonderful woman their Ruth was.
"But it is slow work after all," she said, by way of reply to her
sister's remarks. "A man must possess great talent and still greater
patience and perseverance, to arrive at any distinction; and until he
reaches that, he cannot expect to make his fortune. There are so many
young lawyers, they are crowding each other out."
"But Guy must be satisfied, Ruth; he does not appear troubled or
disappointed."
"Why should he? he is like hundreds more, and that fact is consoling.
Besides, the slower and more cautious he is in the ascent, the more
assured will he be when he reaches the summit."
She rose as she said this, and Agnes thinking the talk was over, removed
her arms from the friendly bed-post. But she had only gone over to the
bureau for her Bible, that she might read a chapter as usual before
retiring. Returning to her seat she abruptly asked: "Do you think much
about the future, Agnes?"
"Do you mean about heaven?"
"No, the future of time."
"Not nearly as much as I used to. Before my heart was renewed, I kept
looking to the future for something satisfying; but it never came until
I found the Saviour."
"Yes, but I mean do you wonder what your life is to be, and what changes
will come to us all?"
"O, often such thoughts come, but they are disquieting, and I drive them
away. It is better to live by the moment, just as we breathe."
Ruth opened her book and began to read. Her eye having fallen on the
last verse of the sixth chapter of Matthew, it had called forth the
above question. Now she read it all carefully; it was just what she
needed to-night. Dissatisfied with herself, and feeling that she was not
satisfying others, she wanted to find the rest that comes from leaving
everything in a Father's hands, but she was yet to find the spirit of
trust and submission.
[Illustration: Decoration]