SCIENCE AND HEALTH
After all, the advent of a chaperon made surprisingly little difference
in the life of the parsonage family, but what change there was, was all
to the good. Their aunt assumed no active directorate over household
matters. She just slipped in, happily, unobtrusively, helpfully. She was
a gentle woman, smiling much, saying little. Indeed, her untalkativeness
soon became a matter of great merriment among the lively girls.
"A splendid deaf and dumb person was lost to the world in you, Aunt
Grace," Carol assured her warmly. "I never saw a woman who could say so
much in smiles, and be so expressive without words."
Fairy said, "She carries on a prolonged discussion, and argues and
orates, without saying a word."
The members of the Ladies' Aid, who hastened to call, said, "She is
perfectly charming--such a fine conversationalist!"
She was always attractively dressed, always self-possessed, always
friendly, always good-natured, and the girls found her presence only
pleasing. She relieved Prudence, admired Fairy, laughed at the twins,
adored Connie. Between her and Mr. Starr there was a frank camaraderie,
charming, but seldom found between brothers- and sisters-in-law.
"Of course, Aunt Grace," Prudence told her sweetly, "we aren't going to
be selfish with you. We don't expect you to bury yourself in the
parsonage. Whenever you want to trip away for a while, you must feel
free to go. We don't intend to monopolize you, however much we want to
do so. Whenever you want to go, you must go."
"I shan't want to go," said Aunt Grace quickly.
"Not right away, of course," Prudence agreed. "But you'll find our
liveliness tiring. Whenever you do want to go--"
"I don't think I shall want to go at all," she answered. "I like it
here. I--I like liveliness."
Then Prudence kissed her gratefully.
For several weeks after her initiation in the parsonage, life rolled
along sweetly and serenely. There were only the minor, unavoidable
mishaps and disciplinary measures common to the life of any family. Of
course, there were frequent, stirring verbal skirmishes between Fairy
and the twins, and between the twins and Connie. But these did not
disturb their aunt. She leaned back in her chair, or among the cushions,
listening gravely, but with eyes that always smiled.
Then came a curious lull.
For ten entire and successive days the twins had lived blameless lives.
Their voices rang out gladly and sweetly. They treated Connie with a
sisterly tenderness and gentleness quite out of accord with their usual
drastic discipline. They obeyed the word of Prudence with a cheerful
readiness that was startlingly cherubimic. The most distasteful of
orders called forth nothing stronger than a bright, "Yes, Prudence."
They no longer developed dangerous symptoms of physical disablement at
times of unpleasant duties. Their devotion to the cause of health was
beautiful. Not an ache disturbed them. Not a pain suggested a
substitute.
Prudence watched them with painful solicitude. Her years of mothering
had given her an almost supernatural intuition as to causes, and
effects.
On Wednesday morning, Mr. Starr bade his family good-by and set out on a
tour of Epworth League conventions. He was to be away from home until
the end of the following week. A prospective Presbyterian theologian had
been selected from the college to fill his pulpit on the Sabbath, and
the girls, with their aunt, faced an unusually long period of running
the parsonage to suit themselves.
At ten o'clock the train carried their father off in the direction of
Burlington, and at eleven o'clock the twins returned to the parsonage.
They had given him a daughterly send-off at the station, and then gone
to the library for books. Prudence, Fairy and Aunt Grace sat sewing on
the side porch as they cut across the parsonage lawn, their feet
crinkling pleasantly through the drift of autumn leaves the wind had
piled beneath the trees.
"We're out of potatoes, twins," said Prudence, as they drew near.
"You'll have to dig some before dinner."
For one instant their complacent features clouded. Prudence looked up
expectantly, sure of a break in their serene placidity.
One doubtful second, then--
"Certainly, Prudence," said Carol brightly.
And Lark added genially, "We'd better fill the box, I guess--so we'll
have enough for the rest of the week."
And singing a light but unharmonic snatch of song, the twins went in
search of basket and hoe.
The twins were not musical. They only sang from principle, to emphasize
their light-heartedness when it needed special impressing.
Prudence's brows knitted in anxious frowns, and she sighed a few times.
"What is the matter, Prue? You look like a rainy Christmas," said Fairy.
"It's the twins," was the mournful answer.
"The twins!" ejaculated Fairy. "Why, they've acted like angels lately."
Even Aunt Grace lifted mildly inquiring eyebrows.
"That's it!--That's just it. When the twins act like angels I get
uneasy right away. The better they act, the more suspicious I feel."
"What have they been doing?"
"Nothing! Not a thing! That's why I'm worried. It must be something
terrible!"
Fairy laughed and returned to her embroidery. Aunt Grace smiled and
began plying her needles once more. But Prudence still looked troubled,
and sighed often.
There was no apparent ground for her alarm. The twins came back with the
potatoes, peeled some for luncheon, and set the table, their faces still
bright and smiling. Prudence's eyes, often fastened upon their angelic
countenances, grew more and more troubled.
In the afternoon, they joined the little circle on the porch, but not to
sew. They took a book, and lay down on a rug with the book before them,
reading together. Evidently they were all absorbed. An hour passed, two
hours, three. At times Carol pointed to a line, and said in a low voice,
"That's good, isn't it?" And Lark would answer, "Dandy!--Have you read
this?"
Prudence, in spite of her devotion to the embroidering of large S's on
assorted pieces of linen, never forgot the twins for a moment.
"What are you reading?" she asked at last aimlessly, her only desire to
be reassured by the sound of their voices.
There was an almost imperceptible pause. Then Carol answered,--her chin
was in her palms which may have accounted for the mumbling of the words.
"_Scianceanelth._"
"What?"
Another pause, a little more perceptible this time. "_Science and
Health_," Carol said at last, quite distinctly.
"_Science and Health_," Prudence repeated, in a puzzled tone. "Is it a
doctor book?"
"Why--something of the sort,--yes," said Carol dubiously.
"_Science and Health_? _Science and Health_," mused Fairy. "You don't
mean that Christian Science book, do you? You know what I mean,
Prudence--Mary Baker Eddy's book--_Science and Health_,--that's the name
of it. That's not what you twins are devouring so ravenously, is it?"
Carol answered with manifest reluctance, glancing nervously at
Prudence, "Y-yes,--that's what it is."
Ominous silence greeted this admission. A slow red flush mantled the
twins' cheeks. Aunt Grace's eyes twinkled a little, although her face
was grave. Fairy looked surprised. Prudence looked dumfounded. When she
spoke, her words gave no sign of the cataclysmic struggle through which
she had passed.
"What are you reading that for?"
"Why--it's very interesting," explained Lark, coming to Carol's rescue.
Carol was very good at meeting investigation, but when it came to
prolonged explanation, Lark stood preeminent. "Of course, we don't
believe it--yet. But there are some good things in it. Part of it is
very beautiful. We don't just understand it,--it's very deep. But some
of the ideas are very fine, and--er--uplifting, you know."
Prudence looked most miserable. "But--twins, do you think--minister's
daughters ought to read--things like that?"
"Why, Prudence, I think minister's daughters ought to be well-informed
on every subject," declared Lark conscientiously. "How can we be an
influence if we don't know anything about things?--And I tell you what
it is, Prue, I don't think it's right for all of us church people to
stand back and knock Christian Science when we don't know anything about
it. It's narrow-minded, that's what it is. It's downright un-Christian.
When you get into the book you will find it just full of fine inspiring
thoughts--something like the Bible,--only--er--and very good, you know."
Prudence looked at Fairy and her aunt in helpless dismay. This was
something entirely new in her experience of rearing a family.
"I--I don't think you ought to read it," she said slowly. "But at the
same time--"
"Of course, if you command us not to read it, we won't," said Carol
generously.
"Yes. We've already learned quite a lot about it," amended Lark, with
something of warning in her tone.
"What do you think about it, Aunt Grace?"
"Why,--I don't know, Prudence. You know more about rearing twins than I
do."
Prudence at that moment felt that she knew very little about it,
indeed. She turned to Fairy. There was a strange intentness in Fairy's
fine eyes as she studied the twins on the floor at her feet.
"You aren't thinking of turning Christian Scientists, yourselves, are
you?" asked Prudence rather humbly.
"Oh, of course, we aren't Scientists, Prudence," was the quick denial.
"We don't know anything about it yet, really. But there are lots of very
helpful things in it, and--people talk about it so much, and--they have
made such wonderful cures, you know, and--we'd thought we'd just study
up a little."
"You take the book and read it yourself, Prue," urged Carol hospitably.
"You'll see what we mean."
Prudence drew back quickly as though the book would sear her fingers.
She looked very forlorn. She realized that it would be bad policy to
forbid the twins to read it. On the other hand, she realized equally
strongly that it was certainly unwise to allow its doctrines to take
root in the minds of parsonage daughters. If only her father were at
home,--ten days between herself and the lifting of responsibility!
"When father comes home--" she began. And then suddenly Fairy spoke.
"I think the twins are right," she said emphatically, and the twins
looked at her with a surprised anxiety that mated Prudence's own. "It
would be very narrow-minded of us to refuse to look into a subject as
important as this. Let them go on and study it; we can decide things
later."
Prudence looked very doubtful, but a warning movement of Fairy's left
eyelash--the side removed from the twins--comforted her.
"Well--" she said.
"Of course, Prudence, we know it would nearly break father's heart for
us to go back on our own church,--but don't you think if folks become
truly convinced that Christian Science is the true and good religion,
they ought to stand by it and suffer,--just like the martyrs of old?"
suggested Lark,--and the suggestion brought the doubt-clouds thick about
Prudence's head once more.
"We may not be convinced, of course," added Carol, "but there is
something rather--assuring--about it."
"Oh, twins," Prudence cried earnestly, but stopped as she caught again
the slight suggestive movement of Fairy's left eyelash.
"Well, let it go for this afternoon," she said, her eyes intent on
Fairy's face. "I must think it over."
The twins, with apparent relish, returned to their perusal of the book.
Fairy rose almost immediately and went into the house, coming back a
moment later with her hat and gloves.
"I'm going for a stroll, Prue," she said. "I'll be back in time for
supper."
Prudence gazed yearningly after her departing back. She felt a great
need of help in this crisis, and Fairy's nonchalance was sometimes very
soothing. Aunt Grace was a darling, of course, but she had long ago
disclaimed all responsibility for the rearing of the twins.
It was two hours later when Fairy came back. Prudence was alone on the
porch.
"Where are the twins?" asked Fairy softly.
"Up-stairs," was the whispered reply. "Well?"
Then Fairy spoke more loudly, confident that the twins, in their
up-stairs room, could hear every word she said. "Come up-stairs, Prue. I
want to talk this over with you alone." And then she whispered, "Now,
you just take your cue from me, and do as I say. The little sinners!
We'll teach them to be so funny!"
In their own room she carefully closed the door and smiled, as she noted
a creaking of the closet door on the twins' side of the wall.
Eavesdropping was not included among the cardinal sins in the twins'
private decalogue, when the conversation concerned themselves.
"Now, Prudence," Fairy began, speaking with an appearance of softness,
though she took great pains to turn her face toward the twins' room, and
enunciated very clearly indeed. "I know this will hurt you, as it does
me, but we've got to face it fairly. If the twins are convinced that
Christian Science is the right kind of religion, we can't stand in their
way. It might turn them from all religion and make them infidels or
atheists, or something worse. Any religion is better than none. I've
been reading up a little myself this afternoon, and there are some good
points in Christian Science. Of course, for our sakes and father's, the
twins will be generous and deny that they are Scientists. But at heart,
they are. I saw it this afternoon. And you and I, Prudence, must stand
together and back them up. They'll have to leave the Methodist church.
It may break our hearts, and father's, too, but we can't wrong our
little sisters just for our personal pride and pleasure in them. I think
we'll have them go before the official board next Sunday while father is
gone--then he will be spared the pain of it. I'll speak to Mr. Lauren
about it to-morrow. We must make it as easy for them as we can. They'll
probably dismiss them--I don't suppose they'll give them letters. But it
must be all over before papa comes back."
Then she hissed in Prudence's ear, "Now cry."
Prudence obediently began sniffing and gulping, and Fairy rushed to her
and threw her arms about her, sobbing in heart-broken accents, "There,
there, Prue, I know--I felt just the same about it. But we can't stand
between the twins and what they think is right. We daren't have that on
our consciences."
The two wept together, encouraged by the death-like stillness in the
closet on the other side of the wall.
Then Fairy said, more calmly, though still sobbing occasionally, "For
our sakes, they'll try to deny it. But we can't let the little darlings
sacrifice themselves. They've got to have a chance to try their new
belief. We'll just be firm and insist that they stand on their rights.
We won't mention it to them for a day or two--we'll fix it up with the
official board first. And we must surely get it over by Sunday. Poor old
father--and how he loves--" Fairy indulged in a clever and especially
artistic bit of weeping. Then she regained control of her feelings by an
audible effort. "But it has its good points, Prue. Haven't you noticed
how sweet and sunny and dear the twins have been lately? It was Science
and Health working in them. Oh, Prudence dear, don't cry so."
Prudence caught her cue again and began weeping afresh. They soothed and
caressed and comforted each other for a while, and then went down-stairs
to finish getting supper.
In the meantime, the shocked and horrified twins in the closet of their
own room, were clutching each other with passionate intensity. Little
nervous chills set them aquiver, their hands were cold, their faces
throbbing hot. When their sisters had gone down-stairs, they stared at
each other in agony.
"They--they wo-won't p-p-put us out of the ch-ch-church," gasped Carol.
"They will," stammered Lark. "You know what Prudence is! She'd put the
whole church out if she thought it would do us any good."
"Pa-p-pa'll--papa'll--" began Carol, her teeth chattering.
"They'll do it before he gets back." Then with sudden reproach she
cried, "Oh, Carol, I told you it was wicked to joke about religion."
This unexpected reproach on the part of her twin brought Carol back to
earth. "Christian Science isn't religion," she declared. "It's not even
good sense, as far's I can make out. I didn't read a word of it, did
you?--I--I just thought it would be such a good joke on Prudence--with
father out of town."
The good joke was anything but funny now.
"They can't make us be Scientists if we don't want to," protested Lark.
"They can't. Why, I wouldn't be anything but a Methodist for anything
on earth. I'd die first."
"You can't die if you're a Scientist--anyhow, you oughtn't to. Millie
Mains told me--"
"It's a punishment on us for even looking at the book--good Methodists
like we are. I'll burn it. That's what I'll do."
"You'll have to pay for it at the library if you do," cautioned frugal
Carol.
"Well, we'll just go and tell Prudence it was a joke,--Prudence is
always reasonable. She won't--"
"She'll punish us, and--it'll be such a joke on us, Larkie. Even
Connie'll laugh."
They squirmed together, wretchedly, at that.
"We'll tell them we have decided it is false."
"They said we'd probably do that for their sakes."
"It--it was a good joke while it lasted," said Carol, with a very faint
shadow of a smile. "Don't you remember how Prudence gasped? She kept her
mouth open for five minutes!"
"It's still a joke," added Lark gloomily, "but it's on us."
"They can't put us out of the church!"
"I don't know. You know we Methodists are pretty set! Like as not
they'll say we'd be a bad influence among the members."
"Twins!"
The call outside their door sounded like the trump of doom to the
conscience-smitten twins, and they clutched each other, startled, crying
out. Then, sheepishly, they stepped out of the closet to find Fairy
regarding them quizzically from the doorway. She repressed a smile with
difficulty, as she said quietly:
"I was just talking to Mrs. Mains over the phone. She's going to a
Christian Science lecture to-night, and she said she wished I wasn't a
minister's daughter and she'd ask me to go along. I told her I didn't
care to, but said you twins would enjoy it. She'll be here in the car
for you at seven forty-five."
"I won't go," cried Carol. "I won't go near their old church."
"You won't go." Fairy was astonished. "Why--I told her you would be glad
to go."
"I won't," repeated Carol, with nervous passion. "I will not. You can't
make me."
Lark shook her head in corroborative denial.
"Well, that's queer." Fairy frowned, then she smiled.
Suddenly, to the tempest-tossed and troubled twins, the tall splendid
Fairy seemed a haven of refuge. Her eyes were very kind. Her smile was
sweet. And with a cry of relief, and shame, and fear, the twins plunged
upon her and told their little tale.
"You punish us this time, Fairy," begged Carol. "We--we don't want the
rest of the family to know. We'll take any kind of punishment, but keep
it dark, won't you? Prudence will soon forget, she's so awfully full of
Jerry these days."
"I'll talk it over with Prudence," said Fairy. "But--I think we'll have
to tell the family."
Lark moved her feet restlessly. "Well, you needn't tell Connie," she
said. "Having the laugh come back on us is the very meanest kind of a
punishment."
Fairy looked at them a moment, wondering if, indeed, their punishment
had been sufficient.
"Well, little twins," she said, "I guess I will take charge of this
myself. Here is your punishment." She stood up again, and looked down
at them with sparkling eyes as they gazed at her expectantly.
"We caught on that it was a joke. We knew you were listening in the
closet. And Prudence and I acted our little parts to give you one good
scare. Who's the laugh on now? Are we square? Supper's ready." And Fairy
ran down-stairs, laughing, followed by two entirely abashed and humbled
twins.