Catharine Shaw

“ Dr. Arundel was obliged to wish them good-bye at the station. They were in two adjoining carriages, in one of which Nellie, Arthur, and the little girls were established, with Simmons, the housemaid; and in the other Tom's little couch had been laid, and by him sat his mother, while at the further window Ada and the nurse and baby were making themselves as comfortable as possible.
Dr. Arundel looked at all the happy faces, and as he clasped his wife's hand, he whispered, "We have much to be thankful for, my love; may God bless you all, and strengthen little Tom." ”

“ The uncommon occurrence of Ada's being unselfish, and of something in herself being noticeable, set Nellie thinking very deeply as she walked down alone to the station.
"Am I adorning the doctrine of God my Saviour?" she asked herself. "Why am I so cast down? Mamma said God loves him better than I do. Oh, I must try! How very unprepared I have been for such a trial. I thought I had only to guard myself from impatience with the children, or getting tired of endless little duties; but I never thought such a temptation as this could overtake me. It is harder than anything else could be. ”

“ Arundel, when she came down stairs and found Nellie cutting the bread and butter.
"Yes; it is indeed, mamma. How I wish papa were here with us."
"Come, Arthur; come, Ada," called Mrs. Arundel from the door, "I am sure you must be hungry."
"That we are, and I never did see such a jolly place, mamma! That orchard, when the dew is off, will be as cool and as shady as possible; and when we are tired of the beach—"
"Which we shall not be," interrupted Ada.
"Oh, yes, we shall; one cannot be everlastingly on the beach! It is the very thing to complete our enjoyment." ”

“ Arundel, "and I know you and Arthur would generally like to bathe before breakfast."
"That we should!" said Arthur. "Bathing in the middle of the day is 'girls' time.'"
"So should I," said Ada; "but oh, mamma, what a pity we did not go this morning!"
Mrs. Arundel smiled. "I thought for the first day that you would have excitement enough, so by-and-by we will see about it."
"And may we bathe?" asked Netta; including, as she always did, her beloved companion Isabel.
"Yes, with Nellie; and I shall sit on the beach and watch you, and see what brave little girls I have." ”

“ Their mother nodded, smiling; whereupon there were shouts and a great hubbub, and then the little ones found that Nellie and Arthur had come up to share in the rejoicings, and were looking as radiant as could be.
"Oh, it is too delightful!" said Ada, rapturously kissing her mamma over and over, till Nellie came behind and said gently,—
"Do you not think we had better all go down and leave the little ones to their tea?"
"Yes," said their mother. "They will all be glad to get to bed."
And so, with one kiss for her fat baby, she left the room, followed by Arthur, and Nellie, and Ada. ”

“ Remember that whatever work we do outside our homes is as nothing compared to the work inside. If we were to be ever so busy at work, but be cross, or fretful, or disobedient at home, it could not be accepted by Him who says it is the heart He wants: 'I dwell with him who is of humble and contrite heart, and who trembleth at my word.'"
"But you do not think, Walter, it has made us cross," said Ada, looking up.
"No, dear, indeed; but there is a tendency in all of us to neglect our own souls, especially when we are busy in work for God. ”

“ Come along, Dolly, and let us begin."
The tide had been going down for some hours, and a nice flat strip of sand was left dry. Simmons volunteered to push Tom a little way along this, and Mary joined her with the baby.
Left thus together, as it were, Mrs. Arundel turned to the young lady, as if to finish the sentence which had been interrupted. "We never talk of him before him," she said, following the perambulator with her eyes. "He is very quick, and thinks too much about himself already; I mean his thoughts are too much centred on his affliction." ”

“ Now I want to go down; they will be talking all the nice things while I am away, and arranging everything, and my temper will have lost it all. I don't know how to get over my temper, I'm sure. It always overcomes me, and always will."
Then, as she lay still, somehow the thought came over her of that evening before they came to South Bay, and of Nellie's words as she sat so quietly reading her Bible:
"'I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me.'"
Ada's eyes filled again with softer tears. ”

“ There are a good many sick ones round us, and I cannot leave them. No; we must be patient. Perhaps further on in the autumn, I may get away; and I hope even now to come down and look in on you once or twice during your stay."
The children sighed; it was a great disappointment to them; and they felt almost guilty to be so delighted when their dear father could not share it.
The final packing up was more like Arthur's advice to Ada than the elders would have chosen. Certainly the servants, as well as Nellie and Ada, had not been idle during the two days of Mrs. Arundel's absence. ”

“ And Arthur came striding across the forlorn room, and perched himself on the footboard of her bedstead.
"Well, Ada, so this is packing is it? I told you it was too soon to begin, and now you've proved it. The way to pack is, wait till the last moment, then seize a carpet bag, rush to your drawers, take out one of each sort of thing, stuff them in as quick as lightning, squeeze them in somehow, lock it up, rush down stairs, jump into a cab, and hope you've left nothing behind." ”

“ All were very glad of their tea, and the chat was very merry. Tom was propped up as high as possible, and pushed close up to the table, and for once felt himself one of the party. His eyes shone with pleasure, and his mother thought the sea air must be doing him good. He even stretched out one of his little thin hands to help pass the cups to his mamma, and all looked delighted at the success with which he managed it.
When they were nearly through tea, Walter said, with a meaning look, "Well, now I want to know what you are all doing."
"Doing!" echoed Ada. "Why enjoying ourselves." ”

“ A grand romp was the first excitement in the hay-loft, and the enraptured children climbed up the hay, first up, one following another in clambering, and then sliding down the steepest place they could find—one after another, one after another, some feet first, some head first, some rolling and tumbling in wild frolic. Dolly soon got into the wars, and had to be comforted by Ada before they could go on playing ”

“ And what does she do here?"
"Why she's a visitor," answered Ada; "she came here with her mother, who was ill; and now she has lost both her parents, and she has an aunt living with her, an old maid."
"A what?" said her father gravely.
"An old—a maiden lady. I forgot, papa," said Ada, colouring. "However, she and mamma and Nellie are quite getting friends; and mamma thought she would like to come to tea and walk to church with us to-night. We shall come back by moonlight." ”

“ But I cannot think what we shall do for clothes."
"Mamma sent a message about that," said Walter, "and a parcel."
"Just like her," answered Christina; "and what was the message?"
"That she would lend you whatever you wanted more than these, till you had time to get some made. Nellie has already begun to cut out several little garments; and Netta and Isabel had on their thimbles when I came away."
"What dear little girls they are," said Christina; "we shall all have to be busy. Did you hear its name, Walter?" ”

“ Plenty of voices answered, "Oh, I do!"
"Who has heard of Melton Castle, three miles from here?"
"I think we all have," said mamma.
"Who likes rolled tongue and pickled salmon?"
"What nonsense!" exclaimed Ada. "You are only trying to take us in. Though there are donkeys and Melton Castle, there are certainly no rolled tongue and pickled salmon."
"Are there not? So much you know, Miss Ada."
"But, Walter, you should not tell them your bill of fare so early in the day," said Nellie, laughing. ”

“ Arundel. "For the heat will be very great, and you will all be a little excited; and perhaps, dear children," he said gravely, "just a little cross and inclined to quarrel in consequence; so you must be watchful. We shall not be home to-night, Nellie; but I hope by tea-time to-morrow to see you all again in peace." ”

“ When the little tender form rested on her knees, and she looked into its white, half-starved face, and thought of all the love that young mother had lavished on it, but that now it could never know such a love again, she bent her head over it, and burst into tears.
"Don't cry, ma'am," said the nurse kindly; "you will be like a mother to it, poor lamb; it will never know the difference, and the poor creature that's gone to glory trusted it to you and her Saviour."
Christina wiped the tears away which had fallen on the baby's face and shawl, and stooped and kissed it tenderly. "Poor wee thing. ”

“ At last Nellie's soft tones could be heard, and she spoke a little entreatingly. "Netta dear, and Isabel, I am so sorry to disappoint you; but mamma told me particularly she wished everything to go on as usual. She wished you little ones to go for your early walk, and then to have lessons."
"Lessons!" said Netta dolefully.
"Lessons! When we are going to the sea-side," added Isabel rather crossly.
"Mamma said so," said Nellie; "and the time will pass all the more quickly if we are industrious," she added cheerfully.
Ada stood frowning at the table. ”

“ Arthur passed Christina another piece, and she took the other end of Ada's pink ribbon.
"How close ought the stitches to be?" asked Ada.
"About a quarter of an inch; do not backstitch it, they will look better on both sides if you do not."
"Here's a piece for you, Nell," said Arthur, cutting off another, "and one for mamma."
"But there are Netta and Isabel," said Nellie.
"Can they do it well enough?" asked Ada.
"Yes; I am going to help them," said their mother. "Come, dears, and sit close to me."
"Will these be for us?" asked Netta.
"Yes; will you have pink or blue?" ”

“ Suddenly Netta laid her head on her father's arm, "But you won't be there, papa. What shall we do without you? And how dull you will be! I am so very, very sorry."
All the faces were turned full of feeling towards him. "We all are," said Ada, "only it is of no use keeping on saying so." ”

“ How nice it was of them all to think of it."
"And here are our spades," said the little ones, bursting out with their news, now the grand presentation was over. "See, mamma, such beauties, and the pails only fourpence each!"
"Splendid!" said Nellie. "And such nice spades. Well, you will be happy!"
"Don't you want a spade?" said Dolly, looking up in Nellie's face.
"No, dear; though I am a sea-side baby, I will confess," she said laughingly, turning to the stranger, who seemed quite interested by the family party. ”

“ We are on a sinking ship! The waves of our sins are washing over us! Do any of you doubt it? Have you ever felt a sin? Have you ever done a thing that you would not like your mamma to see? I know that each of you at this moment is confessing to yourself with a prick at your heart, 'I should not like her to have seen that!' Well, then, if so, the waves of your sins will sink you.
"Oh, children, we all need the Life-boat! Here it is:
"'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.'
"The Life-boat is come close to every one of you to-day. ”

“ But the work did not come to much, for before long they heard a considerable crunching of the shingle behind them, and in another moment the troop came up, breathless and excited.
"Where are your pails?" said Mrs. Arundel in amazement, seeing them all empty-handed, and making up her mind that they had lost the half-crown.
"Oh, mamma!" Ada whispered eagerly. "We haven't brought them with us; but they are all right, and we are going back for them. But, mamma, there was nothing suitable for Tom under three-and-sixpence—but oh, do let us spend that! We will give the extra out of our own money." ”

“ After which they heard him shouting— "Dranny, me dood! Me want my sudar!"
"When you are established," said Arthur condescendingly, "I will come and visit you, and inspect your arrangements."
"Thank you," answered Christina, making a little bow to him; "I shall be very happy to see you."
"But now, seriously, Christina," said Mrs. Arundel, "supposing you have your little ones ill, shall you want to give it up directly?"
"I do not think so; I shall have to bear it, and nurse them. One cannot expect to go through life without illness and trouble." ”

“ No remark was made as to the disordered state of her drawers, though she knew how much forbearance it must need to avoid condemning.
"Now, Ada," said Nellie at last, "you can come and fold all this heap off this chair one by one, and lay them on the bed so, and when we have done all the large things we will look at the ribbon drawer."
Ada groaned at the thought, but she did manage to do her share pretty well; and then Nellie proceeded to sort out the "ribbon drawer."
"There is never so long a task but it gets finished, if we go at it patiently," she said, smiling. ”

“ Christina had a very rich voice, and sang with wonderful taste and training; but she had said that evening to Nellie, "I wish I could sing as you do."
"As I do?" said Nellie, astonished. "Why my voice is nothing compared to yours." ”

“ After dinner, Mrs. Arundel told them to bring their books to the orchard, and little Tom was wheeled under the shade of one of the largest trees, and they established themselves in various comfortable attitudes round him. The baby rolled on the grass at their feet, Dolly was absorbed in a Sunday picture book at Nellie's knee, and the rest were sitting, with Sunday faces calm and bright, waiting to hear a story which their mother was going to read aloud. The two servants, with the maid from the farm, soon passed, going to afternoon service in South Bay. ”

“ Arundel, "we are all ready."
And before she had time to finish the sentence, Tom gave a whistle, which woke the echoes and brought the hungry party trooping back.
"You can do something, you see," said Nellie, smiling.
"Well, I declare," said Arthur, walking round the table-cloth, and surveying the viands. "Here's a spread! Well done, mother!"
"It is 'well done, Walter,'" said Mrs. Arundel; "more than half this came from London!"
"Pickled salmon, tongue, chickens, tarts, salad, rolls, blanc-mange, cakes, lemonade, and a lot more! Well done, Walter!" ”