Amy Le Feuvre

“ Then after a pause she said—
"Do you believe that prosperity is good or bad for one?"
"I think if we regard our wealth as a trust it will be good for us," said Miss Falkner.
Mona laughed a little bitterly.
"Of course. It is the same old story. People can't give because it's right to give. I hate being forced."
"No," said Miss Falkner gently. "It is only when we love the One to whom our wealth belongs that we love to give it back to Him."
"Then," said Mona, "I must love first, before I can give."
She rose, then looked a little wistfully at the young governess. ”

“ But Jack and Jill never gave up any cherished plan very easily.
By perseverance, and with much toil and persuasion, they got two young geese to the top. Their wings were strong and they flew most of the way. With these two birds they were forced to be content. Poor Bumps was forgotten, and the gander and his tribe were so furious at being entrapped in such a manner, that they shrieked and fought like furies. Bumps felt if she showed herself amongst them she would literally be torn to pieces, so she lay still in her chest, her little heart panting and throbbing with fright. ”

“ Captain Willoughby was busy releasing Bumps from her bonds.
"It strikes me there has been a bit of bullying going on here," he said, eyeing Jack severely. "Is this the way you generally treat your small sister?"
"She likes it," asserted Jack eagerly. "On my honour she does—don't you, Bumps?"
"Yeth, I does!" sobbed his victim.
"Nurse has no business to leave you," said Mona Baron decisively, as she gave a sharp pull to the nursery bell. "Now, Jill, pick up some of these things at once. Why can't you keep Jack quiet? I don't know which is the worse of you. ”

“ She held out her bag a little sorrowfully—
"It has only three shillings and a half-penny in it," she said; "and two shillings are from Sam, and threepence from Annie. I'm afraid our money is very, very little."
"Never mind," said Mr. Arnold cheerfully, seeing her downcast face, "God does not expect more from you at present."
Jill sighed.
"And my bag is wearing out," she said mournfully, "and Miss Falkner has no more red flannel; she thinks a bag can be made of anything, but I like my old one. It has great holes, and as fast as I mend them they tear out again." ”

“ The prospect was so exciting that even Jill had no qualms of conscience. Jack had persuaded one of the farm lads who looked after the geese to save him a dish of their food. Armed with a big dish he boldly went up to the biggest gander, who greedily put his head into it at once. It was the signal for all the others to follow suit. Then Jack, holding the dish, ran out of the farmyard; and to the children's delight, away strode the flock of geese after him, stretching out their necks and shrieking in protest. Jill and Bumps followed behind with switches to drive them along. ”

“ Miss Falkner's eyes glistened as she bent over her.
"My little Jill, I shall pray that God may never let you go back from these beginnings, as you call them. Ask Him to help you, dear. It is easier sometimes to make a beginning than go steadily on."
"Yes," said Jill sleepily; "but that's because the Golden City is such a long way off!" ”

“ Mona was looking out of the drawing-room window one fine bright frosty afternoon, when she saw Jill tearing out of the stable-yard with the large carriage-whip in her hand.
Her face was almost as red as her Tam o' Shanter, and Mona exclaimed to Miss Webb—
"I wonder what is the matter! Jill is in one of her tempers. ”

“ Miss Webb had tea out upon the lawn that afternoon, and when Mona arrived, she seemed struck with the children's orderly dress and behaviour, and the quiet peacefulness of the old garden.
"There is no place like home after all," she said as she sat in a low wicker-chair with Bumps on her lap. ”

“ Lessons and play were the daily routine now. The children kept out of scrapes wonderfully. Perhaps it was Miss Falkner's quick interference before real harm was done, or perhaps it was as she liked to hope, her pupils were getting more considerate of other people's feelings.
"It is their lively imagination, and their passion for acting out what they hear or read, that works such mischief," Miss Falkner said to Mona one day when they were talking over the children. "They are reckless of consequences. Future results are never taken into consideration." ”

“ One afternoon after their early dinner, Miss Webb retired to her room with a headache. It was a hot, sultry day in August. She left her charges playing a game of cricket on their lawn, and hoped they would stay there till tea-time.
Jill was the first one to give up cricket.
"I'm going to write a letter to Miss Falkner," she said. "You go on playing without me."
"Bumps can't bowl," complained Jack; "she throws the ball up into the sky as if she's aiming at the sun." ”

“ Jill's passionate temper was aroused at once.
"I don't pretend, and I don't talk good! And I hate you, Annie! It's you that make us wicked! Miss Falkner never does! I'll run away, and go straight home, and catch the scarlet fever! ”

“ Wednesday came, and the three children sadly tried Miss Falkner's patience at lessons.
She closed books at last, and sent them out into the garden to play before their early dinner. They longed to go into Mona's portion of the grounds, but the head gardener kept them back. Tents were being erected; servants bustled about, and Mona herself, with Miss Webb and one or two gentlemen, seemed to be superintending everything herself.
At four o'clock Jill and Bumps, arrayed in their best white frocks, were down on the front lawn awaiting the arrival of guests. ”

“ I shall be grateful for my wife will be expecting me and will be anxious."
"Jill thought you were preaching," said Jack. "Wasn't she silly? As if you'd preach on a weekday!"
"I wish I had been," said Mr. Errington with a smile.
Then he turned to Miss Falkner.
"These are my parishioners," he said, "and not one of them comes to church. They're just like heathen. It looks a God-forsaken place, does it not?"
"It seems a strange place to see cottages," said Miss Falkner. "How do they earn their living?" ”

“ And at last they found the object of it, but no Bumps. Jack climbed up the tree and they shouted till they made the wood ring again, but no answer came.
"She's gone home," said Jack decisively. "We'll just enjoy ourselves without her."
"I think being truants is very dull," admitted Jill.
"I'm not enjoying myself a bit as I thought I should. We have no adventures, and nothing has happened."
"We've lost Bumps."
"Yes, so we have. But that isn't fun to us. It's only fun to the one lost. She may be having heaps and heaps of adventures!" ”

“ Bumps sat up and ruefully regarded her.
"Never mind, Jill. Annie is horrid. Oh, pleath don't cry!"
"It's no good," sobbed poor Jill. "Annie doesn't mean me to finish off being wicked. She tries to make me go on for ever. Nobody [169] understands but Miss Falkner. It's no use to try to be good again. I shall have to go on being in disgrace. I've gone miles away from my path to the Golden City to-day, and just when I'm trying to find my way back again, Annie pushes me away. I shall give it up altogether. I shall throw my red bag in the sea to-morrow, and shall give no more tenths to God. ”

“ Jill was much astonished when she heard they were the "Indian nieces."
"Why do they call you Indians?" she asked them abruptly, as Miss Falkner having left them they walked across the lawn towards the band.
"We are not Indians," one of the little girls said indignantly. "We have been living in India and came to England last month. Mother and father are still out there."
"Oh," said Jill in a relieved tone: "I was afraid you would be half black. Mona told me you were coming. What do you do in India?" ”

“ But when Bumps announced she was thirsty they looked rather dismayed.
[41]
"You must drink from the river," said Jill.
"But I might thwallow some fishes," objected Bumps, "and I've no cup."
"Then you must wait till we go home. You can't be thirsty early in the morning."
Bumps heaved a sigh, and looked at the river meditatively.
"It would be nithe to take off shoes and stockings, and go through it like the children Miss Falkner told us of."
"Oh yes, we will," cried Jack. "We'll play at going to the Golden City." ”

“ At last coming to a small artificial lake which was tenanted by some wild waterfowl and white swans, they heard a commotion, and found Jack and Bumps very busy indeed.
Bumps was sitting in a wheelbarrow to which were harnessed with yards of tape and ribbon, two of the swans. It had been a difficult task, to judge from the children's heated, dirty faces. The birds were screeching and fluttering their wings, nearly choking themselves in their efforts to free themselves. ”

“ Miss Falkner smiled.
"Wait till you have ten," she said.
"And what must you do with the tenth?" asked Jack; "put it into the plate at the church?"
"Not always. I think it is nice to keep a little bag or box. A great many people keep a missionary-box and put their tenth in that. Sometimes you can buy something for very poor people. There are such lots of ways of spending money for God. Now we must begin lessons."
The Bibles were shut up, but the seed was sown. That afternoon, when lessons were over, the children ran out into the garden to play.
Jill's face was full of earnest resolve. ”

“ Miss Falkner replied. "I feel more drawn towards them. At home here in England there are so many to teach and help the ignorant ones. Out abroad there are millions still out of reach of help and Christianity."
Jill looked grave.
"And how much money does it take exactly to make a heathen a Christian, Miss Falkner?"
Miss Falkner smiled.
"I can't tell you, Jill. There is the cost of a missionary going out; he or she are the means, with God's help, of converting a heathen. But every little helps."
"Mr. Errington says the Chilton Common people are heathen!" ”

“ There were days when everything went wrong, when Jill, as well as Jack and Bumps, was seized with the spirit of mischief and naughtiness. She was very repentant when the day was over, but Annie did not understand her moods, and was not so long-suffering as Miss Falkner.
"It's no good leading me such a life all day, and then thinking you make it all right by saying you're sorry," she said with great severity. "You're all talk, Miss Jill! pretending to be [168] so good with your bag of money, and making Miss Bumps as wicked as yourself when you choose! ”

“ She had a beautiful voice, and she would play hymns for me to sing with her."
"Ah," said Jill, with a long-drawn breath and a wistful look in her eyes; "but then, you see, we haven't got a mother."
"But you have a nice kind sister," said Miss Webb, pity filling her heart for the children who had never realised a mother's love.
"Yes," said Jack; "Mona is very good, but [10] she's always out, and she doesn't make Sunday nice to us."
"May we thing hymns in the drawing-room?" asked Bumps eagerly. ”

“ Just before the children went to bed, Miss Falkner picked up an old copy-book an the floor of Jill's bedroom. She did not often look at her scribblings, but the first words startled her:
"Dear Miss Grant,"—
She read on, with an anxious face, yet with a keen sense of humour—
"We've been having tea with Mr. Arnold. We think you had better be his wife. He has not anybody to do things like Mrs. Errington did, and we told him we would find a wife for him. We said we would send her to-morrow. He wants a wife, and so he will expect you. ”

“ This hope of "playing truant" did much to comfort them in the dread of possible lessons and punishments. Jill's programme for "truant day" grew more glorious as time went on, and when her imagination sometimes failed before Bumps' eager and original questions, Jack came to her rescue and threw himself gallantly into the breach.
"What shall we do if there are no blackberries or nuts in the woods to eat, and a mad bull has eaten all our food, and the sun has dried up all the ponds and rivers so that we can get no water? ”

“ Sam and his father both tried then to give Jill a dissertation on tithes. She hardly grasped it, but child-like returned pertinaciously to her business in hand.
"I want Sam to join us. I'm sure he has a lot of money. I hear it jingle in his pocket. And won't you too, Mr. Stone? If you will, you can come to our 'Bethel' and do it quite properly."
"I tell missy we be hard-workin' people, that be scarcely able to feed ourselves," said Sam.
"But a tenth isn't much," argued Jill. "Out of forty pennies you only have to give four. How much do you get from Mona, Sam?" ”

“ Miss Falkner smiled, and her smile emboldened Jack still further.
"Everybody is out," he informed her; "Mona and Miss Webb have gone to a party. We've had our tea, and nurse has gone down-stairs to have hers. She's going to-morrow, because you've come, and I'm jolly glad too! And if you make haste and have your tea, you can come back and be the old queen who has lost the princess. It's a jolly game. Jill and I made it up ourselves."
"I think I should like some tea very much," said Miss Falkner, following William up-stairs. ”

“ The next day the children were walking out in the village with Miss Falkner when they met the vicar.
He beamed when he saw them.
"Have you heard the good news?" he said. "Miss Baron did not bind me to secrecy. Perhaps she has told you herself?"
"I think I know," said Jill, nodding wisely.
"I have written to a builder, an old friend of mine, and asked him to come over at once and talk it out with me. Now the money is forthcoming we shall soon have the mission-room."
"What!" cried Jill. "Have you got enough money to build it?" ”

“ You and Bumps look like the china figures on the school-room mantelpiece."
"Yes," said Jill; "it is very dull. Where shall we go?"
"Let us see how Bethel is getting on."
So the three made their way to the fir plantation, but met with several interruptions on the way. Jack chased a fowl which had escaped from the poultry-yard. Bumps would insist on stopping to watch the peregrinations of two frogs in some long grass, and Jill had a talk with Sam, who was cutting down a young tree. As they trod softly on the brown pine-needles underfoot Jack startled his sisters by a shrill whisper. ”

“ Miss Webb said to Mona when she [171] told her, 'You are a child beside her, Mona.' Now, what did she mean by that?"
Jill pondered.
"Miss Falkner looks older. And I expect being good makes you old. Miss Falkner is very good. I'm sure when I try to be very good, and make you and Bumps good too, I feel—I feel a hundred years old!"
"I don't think children are meant to be very good," said Jack. "People always talk of us as if we're wicked. P'raps we ought to be good on Sundays."
"If we're walking to the Golden City, we ought to be good every day," said Jill decidedly. ”