WORKADAY MOLLY.
The days passed; week after week went down the hill--or, is it not
rather, up the hill?--and out of sight; the moon kept on changelessly
changing; and at length Walter was well, though rather thin and white.
Molly saw that he was beginning to brood. She saw also, as clearly as if
he had opened his mind to her, what troubled him: it needed no witch to
divine that! he must work: what was his work to be?
Whatever he do, if he be not called to it, a man but takes it up “at his
own hand, as the devil did sinning.”
Molly was one of the wise women of the world--and thus: thoughts grew
for her first out of things, and not things out of thoughts. God’s
things come out of His thoughts; our realities are God’s thoughts made
manifest in things; and out of them our thoughts must come; then the
things that come out of our thoughts will be real. Neither our own
fancies, nor the judgments of the world, must be the ground of our
theories or behavior. This, at least, was Molly’s working theory of
life. She saw plainly that her business, every day, hour, moment, was to
order her way as He who had sent her into being would have her order her
way; doing God’s things, God’s thoughts would come to her; God’s things
were better than man’s thoughts; man’s best thoughts the discovery of
the thoughts hidden in God’s things? Obeying him, perhaps a day would
come in which God would think directly into the mind of His child,
without the intervention of things! [Footnote: It may interest some of
my readers to be told that I had got thus far in preparation for this
volume, when I took a book from the floor, shaken with hundreds beside
from my shelves by an earthquake the same morning, and opening it--it
was a life of Lavater which I had not known I possessed--found these
words written by him on a card, for a friend to read after his death:
“Act according to thy faith in Christ, and thy faith will soon become
sight.”]
For Molly had made the one rational, one practical discovery, that life
is to be lived, not by helpless assent or aimless drifting, but by
active co-operation with the Life that has said “Live.” To her
everything was part of a whole, which, with its parts, she was learning
to know, was finding out, by obedience to what she already knew. There
is nothing for developing even the common intellect like obedience, that
is, duty done. Those who obey are soon wiser than all their lessons;
while from those who do not, will be taken away even what knowledge they
started with.
Molly was not prepared to attempt convincing Walter, who was so much
more learned and clever than she, that the things that rose in men’s
minds even in their best moods were not necessarily a valuable
commodity, but that their character depended on the soil whence they
sprung. She believed, however, that she had it in her power to make him
doubt his judgment in regard to the work of other people, and that might
lead him to doubt his judgment of himself, and the thoughts he made so
much of.
One lovely evening in July, they were sitting together in the twilight,
after a burial of the sun that had left great heaps of golden rubbish on
the sides of his grave, in which little cherubs were busy dyeing their
wings.
“Walter,” said Molly, “do you remember the little story--quite a little
story, and not very clever--that I read when you were ill, called
‘Bootless Betty’?”
“I should think I do! I thought it one of the prettiest stories I had
ever read, or heard read. Its fearless directness, without the least
affectation of boldness, enchanted me. How one--clearly a woman--whose
grammar was nowise to be depended upon, should yet get so swiftly and
unerringly at what she wanted to say, has remained ever since a
worshipful wonder to me. But I have seen something like it before,
probably by the same writer!”
“You may have seen the same review of it I saw; it was in your own
paper.”
“You don’t mean you take in ‘The Field Battery’?”
“We did. Your father went for it himself, every week regularly. But we
could not _always_ be sure which things you had written!”
Walter gave a sigh of distaste, but said nothing. The idea of that paper
representing his mind to his father and Molly was painful to him.
“I have it here: may I read it to you?”
“Well--I don’t know!--if you like. I can’t say I care about reviews.”
“Of course not! Nobody should. They are only thoughts about thoughts
about things. But I want you to hear this!” pleaded Molly, drawing the
paper from her pocket.
The review was of the shortest--long enough, however, to express much
humorous comment for the kind of thing of which it said this was a
specimen. It showed no suspicion of the presence in it of the things
Walter had just said he saw there. But as Molly read, he stopped her.
“There is nothing like that in the story! The statement is false!” he
exclaimed.
“Not a doubt of it!” responded Molly, and went on. But arrested by a
certain phrase, Walter presently stopped her again.
“Molly,” he said, seizing her hand, “is it any wonder I can not bear
the thought of touching that kind of work again? Have pity upon me,
Molly! It was I, I myself, who wrote that review! I had forgotten all
about it! I did not mean to lie, but I was not careful enough not to
lie! I have been very unjust to some one!”
“You could learn her name, and how to find her, from the publisher of
the little book!” suggested Molly.
“I will find her, and make a humble apology. The evil, alas! is done;
but I could--and will write another notice quite different.”
Molly burst into the merriest laugh.
“The apology is made, Walter, and the writer forgives you heartily! Oh,
what fun! The story is mine! You needn’t stare so--as if you thought I
couldn’t do it! Think of the bad grammar! It was not a strong point at
Miss Talebury’s! Yes, Walter,” she continued, talking like a child to
her doll, “it was little Molly’s first! and her big brother cut it all
up into weeny weeny pieces for her! Poor Molly! But then it was a great
honor, you know--greater than ever she could have hoped for!”
Walter stared bewildered, hardly trusting his ears. Molly an
authoress!--in a small way, it might be, but did God ever with anything
begin it big? Here was he, home again defeated!--to find the little bird
he had left in the nest beautifully successful!
The lords of creation have a curious way of patronizing the beings they
profess to worship. Man was made a little lower than the angels; he
calls woman an angel, and then looks down upon her! Certainly, however,
he has done his best to make her worthy of his condescension! But Walter
had begun to learn humility, and no longer sought the chief place at the
feast.
“Molly!” he said, in a low, wondering voice.
“Yes?” answered Molly.
“Forgive me, Molly. I am unworthy.”
“I forgive you with all my heart, and love you for thinking it worth
while to ask me.”
“I am full of admiration of your story!”
“Why? It was not difficult.”
Walter took her little hand and kissed it as if she had been a princess.
Molly blushed, but did not take her hand from him. Walter might do what
he liked with her ugly little hand! It was only to herself she called it
ugly, however, not to Walter! Anyhow she was wrong; her hand was a very
pretty one. It was indeed a little spoiled with work, but it was gloved
with honor! It were good for many a heart that its hands were so
spoiled! Human feet get a little broadened with walking; human hands get
a little roughened with labor; but what matter! There are others, after
like pattern but better finished, making, and to be ready by the time
these are worn out, for all who have not shirked work.
Walter rose and went up the stairs to his own room, a chamber in the
roof, crowded with memories. There he sat down to think, and thinking
led to something else. Molly sat still and cried; for though it made her
very glad to see him take it so humbly, it made her sad to give him
pain. But not once did she wish she had not told him.