Eleanora H. Stooke

“ They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.'"
"Oh, Aunt Mary, I know; but I would so much rather be poor!"
"What, Stella! Rather be without the great gift God has given you to use for Him! Do you shrink from the responsibility of wealth? God has said, 'I will instruct thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye.' You cannot tell what blessings He may mean to work by your weak hands!" ”

“ They discovered that she was afraid of animals, doubtless because she had never been accustomed to them as pets. Hector, the big black retriever, made her shriek with alarm when he came prancing towards her, on the first day she had gone for a walk with her cousins, and she had fled to Miss Clarke's side in dire distress, whilst the twins had stood by in fits of laughter, heedless of their governess's reproving looks. It was long before Stella grew accustomed to Hector, or was brought to understand that he was only playful and not savage. ”

“ I don't believe those roses could ever have grown in London!"
"But she's so gentle and quiet," Dora interposed, "and she has such bright, dark eyes and sleek brown hair."
"Just like a mouse, I suppose you mean," the doctor conducted, laughing; and they all joined in the merriment.
So Stella was happy and contented with her cousins, and grew up with them, sharing their interests, loved by all, and returning their affection with the warmth of a naturally loving and grateful heart. ”

“ Another knowledge was coming to Stella—the knowledge of the real worth of the money that she had been early tutored to think of first importance. She began to see that riches alone could not bring happiness, and to understand that there is a greater blessing in life than money and the power it brings. "The blessing of the Lord it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it." ”

“ Is she not a pretty child, Anna?"
"Handsome is as handsome does, sir. If Miss Stella is as good as she is pretty, why then she'll be very good indeed." And having given her opinion with the freedom of an old and valued servant, Anna left the doctor and his wife to themselves again.
Meanwhile downstairs matters were progressing happily enough. Stella sat at Miss Clarke's right hand sipping her tea, but eating little. She was too excited to have much appetite; and was fully occupied in watching her cousins, whom she considered good-looking but dowdily dressed children. ”

“ It is my hope and prayer, Stella, that with God's help your money may be a good gift to you. The world will perhaps honour you because you possess wealth, but you know, my little adopted daughter, the world's standard is not yours. ”

“ The rest of the day passed uneventfully, and at eight o'clock as usual Stella went to bed. She lay awake thinking of her mother, wondering if she would get better, and remembering how she had told her she must be a good girl and obey her uncle.
"I believe she must be going to die," thought Stella, a feeling of awe creeping over her, and she was quite relieved when she heard footsteps pause outside her bedroom door.
"Who is there?" she called.
It was Sarah, the plain-faced girl of eighteen who did the sewing for the family. She came into the room bearing a lighted candle in her hand. ”

“ Do, do!"
"Dear little Stella!" Dr. Knight answered, "I shall not require money. The great London doctor, as you call him, will not wish to be paid. He will come because he is a great friend of mine, and I know he will not take any money."
"It seems to me no one wants my money," Stella said regretfully, "and I do so want it to do some good."
Dr. Knight was silent for a few minutes, then he drew Stella down on his knee and kissed her affectionately.
"You dear little mouse!" he exclaimed.
"Oh!" she cried, pouting. "A mouse is such a silly useless thing!" ”

“ Where is Stella? I am anxious to see the little town mouse."
"I have delivered her over to the tender mercies of Miss Clarke and the children. They will see to her, and after she has had some tea she shall come upstairs and make your acquaintance."
"Yes, I daresay after the long journey she will want her tea at once. But are you sure, John, that she will not be shy or nervous with strangers?"
"My dear Mary, when you have seen the child you will understand that it is not in her nature to be shy or nervous in the way you mean. Nothing discomposes her. ”

“ Father—well, he drank, and she had everything on her shoulders, poor dear!"
"But, Sarah, supposing your mother hadn't been always kind to you— supposing she had not cared for you much?" Then, as the maid was silent, "I think in some ways it must be nicer to be poor. When people are rich I don't think they have time to love each other!"
"Oh, Miss Stella, that's a mistake! Rich or poor it's the same if one's heart is in the right place. ”

“ Knight listened in silence, but when Stella had finished her tale she drew the child towards her, and kissed her affectionately.
"How kind of you!" she exclaimed. "But, my dear little girl, you must not give any of your money to Dora. Indeed, my husband would not allow it; you must put such a thought out of your mind altogether. Your uncle is your guardian and the guardian of your money; only a certain amount will be spent for you every year, and the rest will accumulate till you are of age. When you are twenty-one you will be able to do as you like." ”

“ Stella said; "you know I used to go to a day-school in London. There were a lot of girls, and a few of them used to be friendly with me, but most of them were too big to notice me at all—except one, and she used to borrow all my money, and never return it!"
"Oh, Stella!" Dora exclaimed in horror. "How dishonest of her!"
"It was very dishonest," Mrs. Knight said gravely; "I don't like the idea of one child borrowing from another. I should be very angry if either of the twins did such a thing! If children want money they should go to their parents, not to strangers ”

“ Gray purchased a share of a practice in London, and the children learnt, to their great astonishment, that their governess was shortly to be married to their father's assistant.
"But what shall we do without Miss Clarke?" Nellie asked her mother in bewilderment.
"Your father thinks of sending you all to school," Mrs. Knight answered, smiling at the little girl's rueful face.
"To school! Not to boarding-school?" cried the children in chorus.
"No, no, certainly not. He never thought of such a thing, I'm sure."
"I shall not mind going to school every day if I come home to sleep," Nellie remarked. ”

“ And your poor sister-in-law herself?"
"I will tell you about her another time, dear Mary. She had a splendid woman for a nurse, a true Christian, who was, I have no doubt, a great help to her. And I do not think she faced Death alone, for the last articulate words she uttered were, 'Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me!'"
There was a silence, broken only by the entrance of Anna with a tray.
"Anna is going to allow me to have tea up here with you to-night, Mary, as a treat," the doctor said, smiling. "How is the little stranger getting on downstairs, Anna?" ”

“ Anyway, mother takes her part, and is very fond of her; and father says we are not to tease her. Isn't it nonsense? It does girls lots of good to tease them. Dora never minds; but then it's no fun teasing her!"
A short silence; then George glanced doubtfully at his brother, and said hesitatingly, "I say David, wouldn't it be fun to play a joke on Stella, eh?"
"A joke! What sort of a joke?" cautiously.
"Why, I might dress up as a guy and give her a bit of a fright; or, better still, do you remember Dora told us that Stella used to be afraid of ghosts?" ”

“ David continued. "To be sure, she did not say much, but did you notice how her eyes flashed? I thought she was going to box your ears!"
"Not likely, she wouldn't attempt that! She's too big a coward. Oh, what a coward she is!"
"Rather! She hasn't an ounce of pluck! How she shrieked when the cat let the mouse go in the dining-room! One would have thought the house was on fire. A town mouse ought not to be afraid of a country mouse."
"And how white she went! Dora's not so easily frightened."
"No, nor Nellie either, and she's only six, and Stella's ten!" ”

“ Miss Clarke had come upon the scene, and had carried Stella into her room, and laid her on her bed. The governess was bathing the poor child's face and hands with cold water, whilst the children stood around crying, excepting George, who seemed perfectly dazed at the result of his joke.
"What has happened?" Mr. Gray asked as he bent over Stella, and looked into her wide-open, horror-stricken eyes. Miss Clarke briefly explained, and the assistant listened in silence. Then he turned the children out of the room, bidding them go into the school-room and wait there. ”

“ Then I grew too big for a nurse, and mother sent me to a day-school, and Sarah came to do the sewing. I remember Sarah finding me crying in bed one night, and asking me what was amiss. I told her, and then she said if I trusted in Jesus He would not let any harm come to me. Ever afterwards when I was very frightened I used to repeat a verse out of the Bible that Sarah told me, and then I used to feel that Jesus was with me."
"What was the verse?" Dora asked.
"'I will trust and not be afraid.'"
"Stella," said her cousin in an awed whisper, "didn't your mother teach you about Jesus?" ”

“ As the time drew near for the arrival of the travellers, the doctor's children stationed themselves inside the window of their mother's room, which commanded a view of the road, and talked expectantly of their cousin.
"She is ten years old," Dora remarked. "I am only eight. I expect she will be ever so tall."
"She's sure to bully you," George assured his sister; "she'll look down on you as a kid, see if she doesn't!"
"My dear George," his mother interposed, "what nonsense you talk! I have no doubt Stella will be a shy, timid little girl ”

“ Mother will be angry if I do not look nice."
"No! no! Come at once! She will not notice! She is too ill!"
Impressed by the woman's manner, Stella followed her obediently, and in another moment entered her mother's room.
The autumn day was waning now. There was no light in the apartment save from the flames in the grate that flickered fitfully. Mrs. Knight lay breathing quietly, her eyes closed. Her brother-in-law stood on one side of the bed, whilst Sister Ellen, who was at the foot went forward and taking Stella by the hand led her to her mother's side. ”

“ Only, no sneaking, you know!" and George bounded angrily out of the school-room, slamming the door after him.
David sat down by the fire irresolutely, not knowing what to do. If he told Miss Clarke, and thus prevented George from carrying out his plan, he knew his brother would be revenged on him later on.
It was almost five o'clock, and the dull November day was drawing to a close. David, looking nervously around, saw it was nearly dark. He heard the clear merry voices of the little girls upstairs, and presently a door opened, and he knew they had come out on the landing. ”

“ In that quiet household we will leave her to pass from childhood to womanhood, in the fear of the Lord and in the wisdom that cometh from above, in readiness for the future, with its responsibilities of wealth, to be employed, by the help of God, for good. ”

“ She will not be alive in twenty-four hours. Poor woman!"
The house-keeper busied herself with the tea-things, and whilst the nurse sipped the refreshing beverage they discussed the patient in low tones.
All her life Mrs. Knight had lived for herself alone. Neither husband nor child had been so dear to her as herself. She was one of those whose portion, as the psalmist says, was in this life, and it could not be expected that she would be much regretted by her acquaintances, much less by her servants, whom she had never considered in the least. ”

“ Sister Ellen, who had nursed all sorts and conditions of sick people, acknowledged to herself that she had never had to do with one so utterly selfish as the woman who lay dying upstairs.
SHE BEGAN TURNING OVER THE CONTENTS WITH EVIDENT ENJOYMENT.
"I liked Dr. Knight's face," Mrs. Mudford remarked; "he is like the photographs I've seen of his brother."
"Is he? Yes, I like his face too. I wonder if he will be the child's guardian."
"Very likely. Why, Miss Stella will be an heiress, for her mother is very rich, as every one knows." ”

“ She had recovered, that is to say, her life had been spared, but to the end of her days she would in all probability be an invalid, unable to walk, unable even to dress herself, dependent upon the services of others. ”

“ It would be nothing short of cruelty to raise a hope that may not be realized."
After the children had gone to bed that night one little black-gowned figure stole noiselessly downstairs again in search of the doctor. It was Stella. She found her uncle reading the newspaper, which he laid aside as she entered the room. ”

“ They named the baby Stella. Why, Mary, if anything happens to the mother the child will be quite a little heiress; you know my sister-in-law inherited a lot of money from a distant relation. Well, I must really be off!"
One long kiss, a tender embrace, and Mrs. Knight was listening to her husband's footsteps descending the stairs.
CHAPTER II STELLA'S LONDON HOME
IN a handsomely furnished bedroom in a large house in a London square, her face pressed disconsolately against the window-pane, stood a little girl of about ten years old. ”