AUNT MARY'S RETURN.
On the evening of the day after the juvenile party, a cab drove up to
the garden gate of Oak Villa, and Dora and Annie Maitland, who had been
on the look-out for some time at the window of an upper room, had the
satisfaction of seeing their kind preceptress, and her niece Clara
Beaumont, alight from it, receiving and giving at the same time the
welcome nod and smile of recognition. But here is the trusty Bridget,
with her merry face beaming with gladness, and her voice almost
tremulous with joy, for she has had rather a dull time of it while her
mistress and Clara have been away; though Jane Somers, a young girl
living not far off from Oak Villa, came regularly to sleep at the house.
'Well, Bridget, and how have you been all this time? not idle, I can see
at the first glance,' said Aunt Mary, looking round at the
brightly-polished furniture and fire-irons.
'Oh no, ma'am, I don't think anybody can be idle at your house,' replied
Bridget; 'and I have had plenty to do, for I have cleaned the house from
top to bottom, and have taken care of the cat and the fowls. And oh,
Miss Clara, the old hen has brought out such a beautiful set of chickens
as you never seed afore; but I dare say you be too tired to come and
look at them now,' added Bridget.
'Yes, we are too tired now,' said Miss Livesay, answering for her niece;
'we want to take off our wraps, and have some tea. Besides, you forget,
my good woman,' added her mistress, 'that the chickens are now all
hidden under their mother's wing, and she wouldn't suffer us to disturb
them.'
'Dear me, I quite forgot that,' said Bridget, as she busied herself in
assisting in the removal of cloaks and shawls, and carrying off trunks
and band-boxes; one of the latter of which her kind mistress told her
was for her, and contained a new cap and bonnet.
'Oh, ma'am, you are so kind,' said the pleased domestic; 'you never
forget anyone.' And she hurried away with her load, with a glad tear
glistening in her eye.
It was quite true what Bridget had said about Aunt Mary--she was indeed
kind-hearted and open-handed: but with all this she was not foolishly
indulgent. Her judgment was correct, and having made up her mind as to
what was the right course to pursue, she took pains to see her plans
carried out. Often and often had she remonstrated with her sister, Mrs.
Ellis, on her laxity of discipline, both with her children and servants;
and sometimes she had ventured, though that perhaps was not very wise,
to set their mutual friend Mrs. Maitland before her as a pattern for
mothers and mistresses. This, however, invariably produced some angry
retort, or at least a flood of tears, and ended with a secret
determination on the part of the elder sister to say no more on the
subject, but permit things to take their course; though she had made up
her mind on coming home to do as Mr. Ellis had once suggested to her,
that was, to receive Mabel as one of her pupils.
This was entirely with the idea of relieving her sister, and effecting a
reformation, if possible, in the character of her niece; though she
almost dreaded the introduction of such an element of discord into their
peaceful and happy household. Mabel, we have seen, had a great dislike
to her gentle cousin Clara, perhaps because she had heard her praises
often sounded; and she disliked her Aunt Mary quite as much, though it
would have been difficult for her to have given a 'reason why,' if it
had been asked for.
'I shall hate them both, I know I shall,' said Mabel to her sister
Julia, on the morning of the day on which Miss Livesay was expected to
come to Camden Terrace. 'There will be lessons and work, lessons and
work, all the day long. I shall be miserable, I know I shall; and I'll
tell mamma so, and beg of her not to let me go.'
'No, don't do that, Mabel; you will only make poor mamma unhappy, and
papa angry,' said the wise younger sister; and she added, 'I wish I
could go to Oak Villa. I like Cousin Clara very much, and Dora and Annie
Maitland too; I am sure you will find them very nice companions, all of
them.'
'Oh yes, it's all very fine what you are saying,' said Mabel; 'but I
know very well that you only want to get rid of me, and so does papa,
for I heard him say so; and I think it's unkind and cruel of you both,'
exclaimed the angry girl.
'Well, at any rate, you are not going very far away from us,' said
Julia; 'it is only a nice walk from Oak Villa to our house, so I and
Freddy can come and see you often, and you can come to see us.'
Just then a cab was heard to stop at the door, and the dreaded lady and
her niece Clara alighted, each with parcels in their hands; presents, no
doubt, to the small fry who had climbed up to the window to see who was
coming.
'Now don't look so cross, Mabel; don't let Aunt Mary see that you don't
like to go to Oak Villa,' entreated Julia.
'But I shall let her see!' replied the perverse girl; 'and I _shall_
tell her so, too--see if I don't,' she added, nodding her head; though,
when she came into the presence of that good lady, she had not a word to
say for herself, such a charm is there in the manner of some people to
overawe presumption.
Mabel and Julia made their appearance in the dining-room, just after the
first kindly greetings and affectionate salutations of the sisters had
been exchanged, and the same process had to be gone over with cousins
and aunt, the latter showing no difference whatever in the warm embrace
of Mabel and Julia, though we well know the great difference there was
in her estimate of the character of the two girls.
'Well, my dear Mabel,' said Miss Livesay, after a little conference had
been held, 'so it appears your papa and mamma wish that we should become
better acquainted with each other. Shall you like to pay me a visit at
Oak Villa?'
Here was a grand opportunity for Mabel to display her boasted courage,
and to speak her mind; instead of which, she only looked very sad, hung
down her head, and, rudely enough, made no reply; while her aunt said,
with a smile:
'That is well; silence gives consent. So you had better go, my dear, and
get ready, for I do not wish to keep the cabman waiting; and I have just
a few words to say to your mamma. Clara and Julia will therefore go
upstairs with you.'
All this was said kindly, but very decidedly: it was evident that there
was no appeal to be made, no authority to be questioned; and with hardly
suppressed passion and tears, the vanquished girl quitted the room with
her sister and cousin.
'And now, my dear Ada,' said Miss Livesay to her sister, 'see what are
the fruits of your over-indulgence, or want of firmness! They are not
very lovely, are they? Will you not take your good husband's advice, and
strive against this constitutional weakness, which is so detrimental to
your happiness, to your husband's comfort, and to your children's
welfare?'
'I can't be always scolding the children, Mary,' replied Mrs. Ellis,
peevishly. 'It isn't my fault, surely, that Mabel is so ill-tempered and
disobedient, and yet you and Arthur just talk to me as if it were.'
'And in a great measure, I think, it is your fault, my sister,' said the
kind monitor. 'Children should be watched from infancy; tenderly cared
for in mind as well as body. Good seed must be sown then, and the little
weeds which we are apt to disregard, or what is worse, cherish, in our
folly, must be rooted out while the soil is moist, and the root is not
deep in the ground. Never laugh at childish exhibitions of temper, nor
for the sake of _peace_ give way to the doctrine of _expediency_,
injurious alike to nations and to families.'
Here poor Mrs. Ellis interposed; she could never sit out a long sermon,
especially one that she really could not understand. So she interrupted
Aunt Mary's profitable discourse by promising to try, when Mabel had
gone away, to be more careful for the future, though she candidly
admitted that she did not know how to begin to make any change, as Mabel
was the only one of the children who gave her any trouble. And yet the
weeds were growing up thick and strong in Master Freddy, who just then
put his head in at the door, the little ones being behind him, and all
running to salute their aunt, and receiving from her a loving embrace,
as well as the very pretty playthings which were spread out on the table
for their acceptance and admiration. Nor had Mabel and Julia been
forgotten by their aunt; both a workbox and a writing-case were laid
aside for the latter: those intended for her sister Miss Livesay had not
brought, thinking it unnecessary, as Mabel was to return with her to Oak
Villa.
'Well, my dear Mabel,' said Aunt Mary, as the two girls entered the
room; 'so you are equipped and ready for a start, I see. I do hope you
will like your new mode of life, and your young companion's society.
Clara, I know, will be delighted to have a companion in her visits to
our poor people: and you, I trust, will soon learn to take an interest
in them.'
There was no response to this kind speech from the unamiable girl; and
with the somewhat painful feeling on the part of Miss Livesay that she
was going to introduce into her hitherto peaceful household the apple of
discord, she rose to take leave, with the promise, however, of renewing
her visit in the next week if all things went on well.
Mabel was quick enough to notice this speech: she would have known that
it had reference to herself, even if it had not been accompanied by a
smile and a nod from her aunt; and the naughty pride in her heart made
her resent it, though she felt obliged to submit.
There were loving adieus from all but Master Freddy, who said to his
sister, as she shook hands with him:
'Good-bye, Mabel; I'm glad you're going, you are always so cross with
us.'