WITH THE BASKET.
"The flush of life may well be seen
Thrilling back over hills and valleys;
The cowslip startles in meadows green,
The buttercup catches the sun in its chalice,
And there's never a leaf or a blade too mean
To be some happy creature's palace."
"Mrs. Caxton," said Mr. Rhys the next morning, when half the breakfast
had been passed in silence, "have you such a thing as a microscope in
the house?"
"I am afraid not. Why do you ask?"
"Only, that I have suddenly discovered myself to be very ignorant, in a
department of knowledge where it would be very pleasant as well as
proper to be otherwise. I have been reading a book on some of the forms
of life which are only to be known through the help of glasses; and I
find there is a world there I know nothing about. That book has made a
boy of me."
"How?" said Mrs. Caxton smiling.
"You think I always retain more or less of that character! Well--it has
made me doubly a boy then; in my eagerness to put myself to school, on
the one hand, and my desire to see something new on the other. Miss
Powle, have you ever studied the invisible inhabitants of pools, and
ponds, and sea-weeds?"
"Not at all," said Eleanor.
"You do not know much more than the names, then, of Infusoria,
Rotifera, and Pedunculata, and such things?"
"Not so much as the names--except Infusoria. I hope they are better
than they sound."
"If the accounts are true--Mrs. Caxton, the world that we do not see,
because of the imperfection of our organs, is even far more wonderful
than the world that we do see. Perhaps it seems so, because of the
finiteness of our own powers. But I never had a single thing give me
such a view of the infinite glory of God, as one of the things detailed
in that book--one of the discoveries of the microscope."
"His glory in creation," said Mrs. Caxton.
"More than that--There is to be sure the infiniteness of wisdom and of
power, that makes your brain dizzy when you think of it; but there is
an infinite moral glory also."
"What was the thing that struck you so much?" Eleanor inquired.
"It was a little fellow that lives in the water. He is not bigger than
the diameter of the slenderest needle--and that is saying as much as I
can for his size. This fellow builds himself a house of bricks, which
he makes himself; and under his head he carries a little cup mould in
which the bricks are made."
"Mr. Rhys," said Eleanor, "I am wondering what is the slenderest needle
of your acquaintance!"
"No," said he laughing, "you are mistaken. I have seen my mother hem
thin ruffles of muslin; and you know with what sort of a needle that
should be done."
"Aunt Caxton," said Eleanor, "it is inconceivable!"
Mrs. Caxton did not make much answer, and the conversation turned.
After breakfast, and after, as Eleanor judged, they had been a good
while in the dairy, the two went out together in the car. Eleanor
supposed it was to visit Nanny; and so she found when her aunt came
home.
"I knew he would go," said Mrs. Caxton; "and then we made another call.
Nanny is hopeful, and comfortable; but the other---- Mr. Rhys came away
very much agitated. He is not fit for it. I wish I could keep him from
work for a few weeks. It's the best economy. But I will keep him here
as long as I can, at least."
"Is he going to stay here?"
"Yes; he was not comfortably situated in the village; and now I will
have him at the farm, I hope, till he goes. I shall trust you to keep
the flowers fresh in his room, Eleanor.--No, my dear; Jane will stay
with Nanny to-night."
So Mr. Rhys stayed at the farm, and certainly wanted for no comfort
that the mistress of it could secure to him. Neither did Eleanor
neglect the flowers. Mr. Rhys made his home there, and went out to his
preaching and visiting and teaching as vigorously as ever; and was
often a tired man when he came home. Nevertheless he gained ground, to
Mrs. Caxton's great satisfaction. He grew stronger; and was less often
a silent, prostrated, done-over member of their little circle. At first
he was very often that. But when he felt well he was exceedingly social
and conversational; and the Plassy farmhouse had never been so
pleasant, nor the evenings and mornings and meal times so full of
interest. In all which however Mrs. Caxton thought Eleanor took a very
quiet part.
"You do not do your share, Eleanor," she said one day; "you are become
nothing of a talker; and I can bear witness you had a tongue once. Has
religion made you silent, my dear?"
"No, aunty," said Eleanor laughing; "but you forget--you have somebody
else to talk to now."
"I am sure, and so have you."
"No ma'am--Mr. Rhys does not talk to me generally."
"I would return good for evil, then; and not silence for silence."
"I can't, aunty. Don't you know, there are some people that have a sort
of quieting effect upon one?"
"I don't think anybody ever did upon me," said Mrs. Caxton; "and I am
sure Mr. Rhys would be shocked if he knew the effect of his presence."
One morning Mrs. Caxton asked Mr. Rhys at breakfast if he had leisure
to unpack a box for her. He said yes, with great alacrity; and Mrs.
Caxton had the box brought in.
"What is it?" said Mr. Rhys as he began his work. "Am I to take care of
china and glass--or to find gardener's plants nicely done up--or best
of all, books?"
"I hope, something better yet," said Mrs. Caxton.
"There is a good deal of it, whatever it is," said Mr. Rhys, taking out
one and another and another carefully wrapped up bit of something.
"Curiosity can go no further!"
He stopped unpacking, and took the wrapping papers off one or two
odd-looking little pieces of brass; paused,--then suddenly exclaimed,
"Mrs. Caxton!--"
"Well?" said that lady smiling.
"It is just like you! I might have known the other morning what all
that talk would end in."
Mrs. Caxton smiled in silence, and the gentleman went on with his
unpacking; with added zeal and tenderness now, it was evident. It stood
full in view at last, an exquisitely made and mounted microscope of one
of the best London makers. Now was Mr. Rhys in his element; and proved
how justly he had declared himself a _boy_. He got the microscope all
into place and arranged, and then set himself to find out its powers
and method of management.. There were some prepared objects sent with
the instrument, which gave him enough to work with; and over them he
was in an absorbed state for hours; not selfishly, however, for he
allowed Eleanor to take her full share of the pleasure of looking, when
once he had brought objects into view. At last he broke off and hurried
away to an engagement.
The next day at breakfast, Eleanor was a good deal surprised to be
asked if she would take a walk?
"Now?" said Eleanor. "You mean immediately after breakfast?"
"It is the only time I have to-day. All the time before dinner, I have;
but I supposed we should want the whole of it. I am going after objects
for the microscope--and I thought it would be selfish to go alone.
Besides, we may help one another."
"I shall be very glad to go," said Eleanor laughing; "but don't expect
any _help_ of me; unless it be in the way of finding out such places as
you want."
"I fancy I know those better than you do. Miss Powle, a small basket
would be desirable to hold phials of water."
"And phials."
"I will take care of those."
Much amused, and a little excited, Eleanor made ready for the walk, and
in the matter of the basket at least proved helpful. It was bright and
early when they set out. Among those mountains and valleys, the dew was
not off the fields yet, while the air was freshly sweet from roses and
wild thyme, and primroses lingering, and numberless other sweet things;
for hedgerow and meadow and mountain side were gay and rich with a
multitude of flowers. There was a mingling of shadow and sunshine too,
at that early time in the morning; and as the two walkers passed along
they were sometimes in one, sometimes in the other. There was little
conversation at first. Mr. Rhys went not with a lingering step, but as
if with some purpose to reach a definite locality. Eleanor was musing
to herself over the old walks taken with Julia by her present
companion; never but once Eleanor's walking companion till now. How
often Julia had gone with him; what a new and strange pleasure it was
for herself; and how oddly life changes about things; that the
impossible thing at Wiglands should be possible at Plassy.
"What sort of places are you looking for, Mr. Rhys?" Eleanor inquired
at last.
"All sorts of places," he said smiling. "All sorts at least of wet
places. But I know nothing about it, you know, except what I have read.
They say, wherever water is found, some or other species of these
minute wonders may be met with; standing pools, and rivers, and ditches
all have them; and some particularly beautiful are to be found in bog
water; so with, I am afraid you will think, a not very commendable
impatience, I am pointing my steps towards a bog that I know--in the
wish to get some of the best first."
"That is being very impatient," said Eleanor laughing. "I should be
satisfied with almost anything, for the first."
"So you will very probably have to be. I am by no means sure of
accomplishing my design. Am I walking too fast for you, in the
meanwhile?"
"Not at all. I am thinking, Mr. Rhys, how we are to bring home the bog
water when we have found it."
In answer to which, he put his hand in his pocket and brought out
thence and deposited in his basket one after another of half a dozen or
more little phials, all duly corked. Eleanor was very much amused.
"And what is this stick to do, that you wanted me to bring?"
"You will see."
The bog was reached in due time, after a walk over a most delicious
country, for the most part new to Eleanor. Water was found, though not
exactly with the conditions Mr. Rhys desired; however a phial of it was
dipped up, corked and marked. Then they retraced their steps partially,
diverging right and left. Just the right sort of pool was found at
last; covered with duck-weed. Here Mr. Rhys stopped and tied one of the
phials to the end of the stick. With this he dipped water from the
surface, then he dipped from the bottom; he took from one side and from
another side, where there was sunshine and where there was shade;
pouring each dipping into a fresh phial, while Eleanor in a great state
of amusement corked and labelled each as it was filled. At last it was
done. Mr. Rhys filled his last phial, looked at Eleanor's face, and
smiled.
"You do not think much is going to come of all this?" he said.
"Yes I do," said Eleanor. "At least I hope so."
"I know it. Look through that."
He put a pocket lens into her hand and bade her survey one of the
phials with it. Eleanor's scepticism fled. That _something_ was there,
in pretty active life, was evident. Somethings. The kinds were plural.
"It was like Mrs. Caxton, to order this lens with the microscope," Mr.
Rhys went on. "I suppose she made her order general--to include
everything that would be necessary for a naturalist in making his
observations. I not being a naturalist. Did you ever see the 'Bundle'
of Helig?"
"I do not know what it is."
"'Bundle' or 'Bandel'--I do not know how it got the name, I am sure;
but I suppose it is a corruption of something. Would you like to go a
little out of your way to see it?"
"You can judge better than I, Mr. Rhys!" Eleanor said with her full,
rich smile, which that gentleman had not often seen before. He answered
it with his own very peculiar one, sober and sweet.
"I will take so much responsibility. You ought not to come so near and
miss it."
Turning from the course of their return way, they followed a wild woody
dell for a little distance; then making a sudden angle with that, a few
steps brought them in sight of a waterfall. It poured over a rocky
barrier of considerable height, the face of which was corrugated, as it
were, with great projecting ridges of rock. Separated of necessity by
these, the waters left the top of the precipice in four or five
distinct bands or ribbands of bright wave and foam, soon dashed into
whiteness; and towards the bottom of the fall at last found their way
all together; which they celebrated with a rush and a dance and a
sparkle and a roar that filled all the rocky abyss into which they
plunged. The life, the brightness, the peculiar form, the wild
surroundings, of this cataract made it a noted beauty. In front of it
the rocks closed in so nearly that spectators could only look at it
through a wild narrow gap. Above, beyond the top of the fall, the
waving branches could be seen of the trees and bushes that stood on the
borders of the water; to reach which was a mere impossibility, unless
by taking a very long way round. At the foot, the waters turned off
suddenly and sought their course where the eye could not follow them.
It was out of the question to talk in the presence of the shout of
those glad waters. Mr. Rhys leaned against the rock, and looked at
them, so motionless that more than once the eye of Eleanor went from
them to him with a little note-taking. When at last he turned away and
they got back into the stillness of the glen, he asked her, "how
looking at such a thing made her feel?"
"Nothing but surprise and pleasure, I think," said Eleanor; "but a
great deal of both those." Then as he still remained silent, she went
on,--"To tell the truth, Mr. Rhys, I think my mental eye is only
beginning to get educated. I used always to enjoy natural beauty, but I
think it was in a superficial kind of way. Since I have been at
Plassy--and especially since a few weeks back,--all nature is much more
to me than it was."
"It is sure to be so," he said. "Nature without and nature within are
made for each other; and till the two are set to the same key, you
cannot have a good tune.--There is a fellow who is in pretty good
order! Do you hear that blackbird?"
"Sweet!" said Eleanor. "And what is that other note--'chee chee, chee,'
so many times?"
"That is a green wren."
"You are _something_ of a naturalist, Mr. Rhys," said Eleanor.
"Not at all! no more than my acquaintance with you and Mrs. Caxton
makes me a philosopher."
Eleanor wanted to ask what looking at the cataract made _him_ think of;
but as she had told her aunt, Mr. Rhys exercised a sort of quieting
influence over her. No natural audacity, of which she had an innocent
share, remained to her in his company. She walked along in demure
silence. And to say the truth, the sun was now growing warm, and the
two had walked not a few good miles that morning; which also has a
quieting influence. Eleanor queried with herself whether all the bright
part of the walk were over.
"I think it is time we varied our attention," said Mr. Rhys breaking
silence. "We have been upon one class of subjects a good
while;--suppose we try another. Don't you want to rest?"
"I am not tired,--but I have no objection."
"You are not easily tired?"
"Not about anything I like."
"You have struck a great secret of power and usefulness," he said
gravely. "What do you think of this bank?--it is dry, and it is
pleasant."
It would have been hardly possible to find a spot in all their way that
would not have been pleasant; and from this bank they looked over a
wide rich valley bordered with hills. It was not the valley where the
farmhouse of Plassy stood, with its meadows and river; this was
different in its features, and moreover some miles distant. Eleanor and
Mr. Rhys sat down on the moss at the foot of the trees, which gave both
shade and rest. It was the edge of a piece of woods, and a blackbird
was again heard saluting them.
"Now if you want refreshment," said Mr. Rhys, "I can give it to you;
but only of one kind."
"I don't know--I should say of several kinds," said Eleanor looking
into the basket--"but the quality doubtful."
"Did you think I meant _that?_"
Eleanor laughed at the earnest gravity of this speech. "Mr. Rhys, I saw
no other refreshment you had to offer me; but indeed I do not want
any--more than I am taking."
"I was going to offer it to you of another kind, but there is no kind
like it. What is your way of reading the Bible?"
"I have no particular 'way,'" said Eleanor in some surprise. "I read
several chapters a day--or at least always a chapter at morning and
another at evening. What 'way' do you mean?"
"There are a great many ways; and it is good to use them all at
different times. But what way would be good for a half hour's
refreshment, at such a time as this?"
"I am sure, I don't know," said Eleanor. "I have no way but the one."
"Yes, but we should not have seen the 'Bandel' of Helig, if we had not
turned aside to look at it; and you would not have heard the blackbird
and the wren perhaps, unless you had stopped to listen to them. I
suppose we have missed a million of other things, for want of looking."
"Yes, but we could not look at everything all along these miles of our
way," said Eleanor, her smile breaking forth again.
"Very true. On the other hand, if we go but a very little way, we can
examine all around us. Have you a Bible with you?"
"No. I never carry one."
"I am better off than you. Let us try a little of this--the first
chapter of Romans. Will you read the first verse, and consider it."
He handed her his Bible and Eleanor read.
"'Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated
unto the gospel of God'--"
"What do you find there?" said her companion.
"Not much. This verse seems to be a sort of opening, or introduction to
the rest. Paul tells who he is, or what he is."
"And what does he say he is?"
"A servant of Jesus Christ."
"You think that is 'not much?'"
"Certainly it is much, in itself; but here I took it for a mere
statement of fact."
"But what a fact. _A servant of Jesus Christ_. Only that! Do you know
what a fact that is? What is it, to be a servant of Jesus Christ?"
Without waiting for the answer, which was not ready, Mr. Rhys rose up
from his seat and began an abstracted exploration of the bit of
woodland at the edge of which they had been sitting; wandering in and
out among the trees, and stooping now and then to pluck a flower or a
fern or to examine one; apparently too full of his thoughts to be
quiet. Eleanor heard him sometimes and watched him when she could; he
was very busy; she wished he I would give some of his thoughts to her.
"I thought you wanted rest, Mr. Rhys," she said boldly, when she got a
chance. "Please sit down here and take it, along with your other
refreshment."
He smiled and came immediately with a bunch of Myosotis in his hand,
which he threw into Eleanor's lap; and turning to her he repeated very
seriously his question.
"What is it, to be a servant of Jesus Christ?"
"I know very little," said Eleanor timidly. "I am only just beginning
to learn."
"You know the words bring for our refreshment only the meaning that we
attach to them--except so far as the Holy Spirit answering our prayers
and endeavours shews us new meaning and depth that we had not known
before."
"Of course--but I suppose I know very little. These words convey only
the mere fact to me."
"Let us weight the words. A servant is a follower. Christ said, 'If a
man serve me, let him _follow me_.'"
"Yes,--I know."
"A follower must know where his Master goes. How did Christ walk?"
"He went about doing good."
"He did; but mark, there are different ways of doing that. Get to the
root of the matter. The young man who kept all the commandments from
his youth, was not following Christ; and when it came to the pinch he
turned his back upon him."
"How then, Mr. Rhys? You mean heart-following?"
"That is what the Lord means. Look here--Paul says in the ninth
verse,--'Whom I serve _with my spirit_ in the gospel'--Following cannot
have a different end in view from that of the person followed. And what
was Christ's?--'My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to
finish his work.' Are we servants of Christ after that rule, Miss
Powle?"
The question had a singular intonation, as if the questioner were
charging it home upon himself. Yet Eleanor knew he could answer it in
the affirmative and that she could not; she sat silent without looking
up. The old contrast of character recurred to her, in spite of the fact
that her own had changed so much. She hung over the book, while her
companion half abstractedly repeated,
"'My meat is to do the will of him that sent me.'--That makes a way of
life of great simplicity."
"Is it always easy to find?" ventured Eleanor.
"Very!--if his will is all that we desire."
"But that is a very searching, deep question."
"Let it search, then. 'My meat is to do the will of him--' No matter
what that may be, Miss Powle; our choice lies in this--that it is his
will. And as soon as we set our hearts upon one or the other particular
sort of work, or labour in any particular place, or even upon any given
measure of success attending our efforts, so that we are not willing to
have him reverse our arrangements,--we are getting to have too much
will about it."
Eleanor looked up with some effort.
"You are making it a great matter, to be a true servant of Christ, Mr.
Rhys."
"Would you have it a little matter?" he said with a smile of great
sweetness and brightness. "Let the Lord have all! He was among us 'as
one that serveth'--amid discouragements and disappointments, and abuse;
and he has warned us that the servant is not greater than his Lord. It
is not a little thing, to be the minister of Jesus Christ!"
"Now you are getting out of the general into the particular."
"No--I am not; a 'minister' is but a servant; what we call a minister,
is but in a more emphatic degree the servant of all. The rules of
service are the same for him and for others. Let us look at another
one. Here it is--in John--"
And the fingers that Eleanor had watched the other morning, and with
which she had a curious association, came turning over the leaves.
"'Ye call me Master, and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then,
your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one
another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I
have done to you.'--One thing is plain from that, Miss Eleanor--we are
not to consider ourselves too good for anything."
"No--" said Eleanor;--"but I suppose that does not forbid a just
judgment of ourselves or of others, in respect of their adaptations and
qualifications."
"Yes it does," he said quickly. "The only question is, Has the Lord put
that work in your hands? If he has, never ask whether your hands are
the right ones. He knows. What our Lord stooped to do, well may we!"
Eleanor dared not say any more; she knew of what he was thinking;
whether he had a like intuition with respect to her thoughts she did
not know, and would not risk them any nearer discovery.
"There is another thing about being a servant of Christ," he presently
went on;--"it ensures some kind and degree of persecution."
"Do you think so?" said Eleanor; "in these days? Why, it is thought
praiseworthy and honourable, is it not, through all the land, to be
good? to be a member of the Church, and to fulfil the requirements of
religion? Does anybody lose respect or liking from such a cause?"
"No. But he suffers persecution. My dear friend, what are the
'requirements of religion?' We are just considering them. Can you
remember a servant of Christ, such as we have seen the name means, in
your knowledge, whom the world allowed to live in peace?"
Eleanor was silent.
"'Remember the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater
than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute
you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.'"
"But in _these_ days, Mr. Rhys?" said Eleanor doubtfully.
"I can only say, that if you are of the world, the world will love his
own. I know no other way of securing that result. 'Because ye are not
of the world,' Jesus said, 'but I have chosen you out of the world,
therefore the world hateth you.' And it is declared, elsewhere, that
all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Can
you remember any instance to the contrary?"
Eleanor looked up and gave Mr. Rhys a good view of her honest eyes;
they looked very intent now and somewhat sorrowful.
"Mr. Rhys, except in Plassy, I do not know such a person as you ask me
about."
"Is it possible!" he said.
"Mr. Rhys, I was thinking the servants of Christ have good need of that
'helmet of salvation' I used to wish for."
"Well, they have it!" he said brightly. "'If any man serve me, let him
follow me; _and where I am, there shall also my servant be_.' That is
the end of all. But there is another point of service that occurs to
me. We have seen that we must not lease ourselves; I recollect that in
another place Paul says that if he pleased men, he would not be the
servant of Christ. There is a point where he and the world would come
in contact of opposition."
"But I thought we ought to please everybody as much as we could?"
He smiled, put his hand over and turned two or three leaves of the
Bible which she kept open at the first of Romans, and pointed to a word
in the fifteenth chapter. "Let every one of us please his neighbour for
his good, to edification."
"There is your limit," said he. "So far thou mayest go, but no further.
And to do that you will find requires quite sufficiently that you
should not please yourself. And now how shall we do all this?--how
shall we be all this?"
"You are asking the very question!" said Eleanor gravely.
"We must come to the root and spring of all this service and
following--it is our love of the Lord himself. That will do it, and
nothing else will. 'What things were gain to me, those I counted loss
for Christ.'"
"But suppose," said Eleanor, with some difficulty commanding her
voice,--"suppose one is deficient in that very thing? suppose one wants
that love?"
"Ay!" he said, looking into her face with his eyes of light,--"suppose
one does; what then?"
Eleanor could not bear them; her own eyes fell. "What is one to
do?"--Mr. Rhys had risen up before he answered, in his deliberate
accents,
"'Seek him, that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the
shadow of night into morning.'"
He paced slowly up and down before Eleanor; then went off upon a
rambling search through the wood again; seeming to be busy with little
things in his way. Eleanor sat still. After a little he came and stood
before her with a bunch of ferns and Melic grass and lilies of the
valley, which he was ordering in his hands as he spoke.
"The effect of our following Christ in this way, Miss Powle, will be,
that we shall bear testimony to the world that He is our King, and what
sort of a king he is. We shall proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord, to
the glory of God the Father. We shall have the invisible army of angels
for our fellow-servants and co-workers; and we shall be passing on with
the whole redeemed world to the day of full triumph and final
restoration; when Christ will come to be glorified in his saints and to
be admired in them that believe--because our testimony among you was
believed. But now our business is to give the testimony."
He walked up and down, up and down, before Eleanor for some minutes, in
a thoughtful, abstracted way. Eleanor felt his manner as much as his
words; the subject had clearly gone home to himself. She felt both so
much that she did not like to interrupt the silence, nor to look up. At
last he stopped again before her and said in quite a different tone,
"What are the next words, Miss Powle?"
"'Called to be an apostle.'"
"We shall not get home to dinner, if we go into that," he said smiling.
"You have preached a sermon to me, Mr. Rhys."
"I do that very often to myself," he answered.
"To yourself?" said Eleanor.
"Yes. Nobody needs it more."
"But when you have so much real preaching to do--I should think it
would be the last thing you would wish to do in private,--at other
times."
"For that very reason. I need to have a sermon always ready, and to be
always ready myself. Now, let us get home and look at our
'rotifera'--if we have any."
However, there was to be no microscopical examination that morning.
"The best laid schemes o' mice and men Gang aft agley."
They had gone but half a mile further homeward when their course was
again stopped. They came up with a man and a horse; the horse standing
still, the man lying on the ground beside him. At first sight they
thought it was a case of drunkenness, for the face of the man was very
red and he was unable to give any account of himself; but they were
soon convinced it was sudden illness, not intoxication, which was the
matter. He had fallen from his horse evidently, and now was not
unconscious but in great pain; the red in his face alternating with
sudden changes of colour. Apparently his condition was that of a small
farmer or upper farm servant, who had been overtaken on some business
errand by this attack of severe sickness. His horse stood quietly
beside him.
"This is no case for a lancet," said Mr. Rhys after making a slight
examination. "It calls for greater skill than mine. How will you do? I
must take the horse and ride for it. But the first thing is to find
where I ought to go--if I can--"
For this information he sought in the man's pockets; and found
presently a pocket-book with one or two bills, which gave the name he
wanted. It was a name not unknown to Mr. Rhys; and let him know also
the direction in which he must ride; not towards the valley of Plassy.
"What will you do, Miss Powle?--will you be afraid to find your way
home alone?"
"I will stay here till you come back."
"Will you? But I may be gone some time--and I must tell you," he said
gravely, "the man is very ill."
"There is the more reason then, I am sure. I will stay and do anything
for him I can, Mr. Rhys. You go--I will stay here."
Mr. Rhys said nothing more, though Eleanor felt sure from his face that
he did not disapprove of her conclusion. He mounted the horse
immediately.
"I will send help from the way if I can, though I doubt it. The way is
lonely, till I get almost there."
He rode off at a sharp pace, and Eleanor was left quite alone. Her
attention came back to the sick person at her feet. So near the
light-hearted pleasure of ten minutes ago had been to pain and death!
And Mr. Rhys's sermon was nearer still. The first thing to consider,
was what she could do for the man.
He had fallen and lay on the grass in the broad sunshine. The sun had
mounted high now; its beams fell hot and full on the sufferer's face.
At a little distance was a grove of oaks and beeches, and good shelter;
but Eleanor's strength could not move the man thither; he was a great,
thickset, burly fellow. Yet it was miserable to see the sun beating
upon his face where the sweat of pain already stood. Eleanor went to
the wood, and with much trouble and searching managed to find or break
off two or three sticks of a few feet in length. She planted these for
a frame near the sick man's head and spread her light summer shawl over
them to make a screen. It was a light screen; nevertheless much better
than nothing. Then Eleanor kneeled down by the man to see what more she
could do. Red and pale changed fast and fearfully upon his face; big
drops stood on the brow and cheeks. Eleanor doubted whether he were
conscious, he lay so still. She took her pocket-handkerchief to wipe
the wet brow. A groan answered her at that. It startled her, for it was
the first sound she had heard the sick person utter. Putting down her
face to receive if possible some intimation of a wish, she thought he
said or tried to say something about "drink." Eleanor rose up and
sought to recollect where last and nearest she had seen water. It was
some distance behind; a little spring that had crossed their foot-way
with its own bright track. Then what could she bring some in? The
phials! Quick the precious pond water and bog water was poured out,
with one thought of the nameless treasures for Mr. Rhys's microscope
that she was spilling upon the ground; and Eleanor took the basket
again and set off on the backward way. She was in a hurry, the sun was
warm, the distance was a good quarter of a mile; by the time she had
found the stream and filled her phial and retraced again her steps to
where the sick man lay, she was heated and weary; for every step was
hurried with the thought of that suffering which the water might
alleviate. This was pure, sparkling, good water with which the phials
were now filled. But when Eleanor got back to him, the man could not
open his lips to take it. She feared he would die, and suddenly.
It was a wild uncultivated place they were in. No signs of human
habitation were to be seen, except far up away on a hillside in the
distance, where smoke went up from a farmhouse or some sort of a house;
towards which Eleanor looked with earnest longings that the human help
which was there could be brought within available distance. It was
greatly too far for that. How soon would Mr. Rhys be back? Impossible
to say; she could not tell what length of road he might have to travel.
And the man seemed dying. Eleanor knelt down again, and with the
precious contents of one of the phial bathed the brow and the lips that
she thought would never return to their natural colour again. She did
it perseveringly; it was all she could do. Perhaps it gave comfort. But
Eleanor grew tired, and felt increasingly lonely and desirous that some
one should come. No one did come by that way, nor was likely to come,
until the return of Mr. Rhys; the place was not near a highway; only on
a wild mountain track. It struck Eleanor then that the sufferer's head
lay too low, upon the ground. She could not move him to a better
position; and finally placing herself on the grass beside him, she
contrived with great exertion to lift his head upon her lap. He could
not thank her; she did not know if he were aware of what she did; but
then Eleanor had done all. She schooled herself to sit patiently and
wipe the brow that lay upon her knee, and wait; knowing that death
might come to take her charge before any other arrival relieved her of
it. Eleanor had a great many thoughts meanwhile; and as she sat there
revolved Mr. Rhys's 'sermon' in her mind over and over, and from one
end to the other and back again.
So at last Mr. Rhys found her. He came as he had gone, full speed;
jumped off his horse, and took a very grave survey of the group on the
ground. It was not early. Mr. Rhys had been a long time away; it seemed
half a day's length to Eleanor.
"Have you been there all this time?" was his question.
"O no."
"I will take your place," said he kneeling down and lifting the
unconscious head from Eleanor's lap. "There is a waggon coming. It will
be here directly."
Eleanor got up, trembling and stiff from her long constrained position.
The waggon presently came in sight; a huge covered wain which had need
to move slowly. Mr. Rhys had stayed by it to guide it, and only spurred
forward when near enough to the place. Into it they now lifted the sick
man, and the horses' heads were turned again. Mr. Rhys had not been
able to bring a doctor.
"Why here is Powis!" exclaimed Eleanor, as on the waggon coming round
she discovered her pony hitched to the back of it. Mr. Rhys unhitched
him. Powis was saddled.
"I thought you would have done enough for to-day," said he; "and I went
round by the farm to bring him. Now you will ride home as fast as you
please."
"But I thought the farm was out of your way?"
"I had time to gallop over there and meet the waggon again; it went so
slowly."
"O thank you! But I do not need Powis--I can walk perfectly well. I am
sure you need him more than I do, Mr. Rhys. I do not need him at all."
"Come, mount!" said he. "I cannot ride on a side saddle, child."
Eleanor mounted in silence, a little surprised to find that Mr. Rhys
helped her not awkwardly; and not knowing exactly whence came a curious
warm glow that filled her heart like a golden reflection. But it kept
her silent too; and it did not go away even when Mr. Rhys said in his
usual manner,
"I beg your pardon, Miss Powle--I live among the hills till I grow
unceremonious."
Eleanor did not make any answer, and if she rode home as fast as she
pleased, it was her pleasure to ride slowly; for Mr. Rhys walked beside
her all the way. But she was too tired perhaps to talk much; and he was
in one of his silent moods.
"What have you done with the phials?" said he looking into the basket
as they neared home.
"I am very sorry, Mr. Rhys! I had to empty them to get water for that
poor man. I wasn't quite sure, but I thought he asked for it."
"Oh!--And where did you go to find water?"
"Back--don't you remember?--some distance back of where we found him,
we had passed a little brook of running clear water. I had to go there."
"Yes--I know. Well, we shall have to make another expedition."