Susan Warner

“ Matilda waited, and when nobody carried on the talk and the silence waited for her, she went on with Isaiah's beautiful words.
"'Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?'"
"What is 'loosing the bands of wickedness'?" asked Mrs. Lloyd. ”

“ He finished his writing, and looked up.
"I think my capital is myself," he said with a smile. "I mean to make the most of myself, in every way I can think of; as well as of my money, and whatever else I have got."
"Don't sound so bad," said Elisha looking at Judy.
"Well Davy," said Norton; "what are you going to do with yourself, after you have made the most you can of it?"
"I am the servant of the King Messiah," said David with a smile again; "myself and all I have belong to him, and I want to make the most of them for Jesus and his work and his Kingdom. ”

“ Mrs. Lloyd repeated, "for all your thoughts; if you will give me them all. I want to know all the things you are feeling so glad about."
"Grandmamma, you'll do as much for me?" cried Judy. "Only, mine will take an eagle to bring them down. They fly high. You might have bought hers, I am confident, for a duck or a pigeon."
"I should like to make a bargain too, grandmother," said Norton; "if you are in that mood."
"Do you think your thoughts are worth anything?" said his grandmother;—"to anybody but yourself?"
"Whose are?" said David.
"Mine are not," said Matilda. ”

“ The best business is what yields the best interest; and you may judge yourselves, if working for other people isn't nobler than working for oneself. And as to the interest,—well, you know,—if you come to look at it," Norton went on not very lucidly—"that's better than this."
"What's better than which?" said Judy.
"Come, Judy," said her brother; "what will last, is better than what won't last; and all your diamonds cannot compare with 'shining as the stars for ever and ever;' and the King's court will be better than any little king's or queen's rule in this world." ”

“ So soon as he caught sight of Matilda in her easy chair, he came in with two bounds, knelt down before her, and taking her in his arms kissed her over and over.
"There is one person glad to see you," remarked Mrs. Laval.
Matilda's eyes were glittering with tears; she said not a word.
"Glad?" echoed Norton. "Pink, the house has been too stupid for anything without you. It's astonishing, what a difference one girl makes."
"One girl—" said Mrs Laval.
"Ah!" said Norton. "I didn't say anything about the other. It wouldn't distress me at all to have Judy shut up in her room a few days." ”

“ Bartholomew. "It would once."
"I can't imagine, mamma," said Judy, "how we are going to live together in future. David isn't our sort any more. Life looks dark to me."
"If it was anybody but David," said Mrs. Bartholomew, "I should say he would grow out of it. Any other young fool would."
"Grow out of what, mamma?" David asked.
"Grow out of the notion of being an agent of the poor societies. It's too disgusting!"
"Mamma," he said, and he said it with such an unruffled face that Matilda was comforted, "the poor society would not have done what I did last night. ”

“ But when they got out into the street and drew breaths of fresh air, David and Matilda stood still and looked at each other.
"I never knew what good air meant before," said the latter.
"And even this is not good," replied David.
"How does he live, that poor little creature, with not one breath of it?"
"He doesn't live; he is dying slowly," said David.
"Oh David, what can we do?"
"We'll think, Tilly. I'll carry him some grapes presently. I fancy he wants nothing but food and air. We will contrive something."
"I wonder if there are any other sick children in that house, Sarah?" ”

“ The greenhouse ought to be all one mass of green and bloom all round."
Matilda heaved another sigh and turned another leaf.
"I don't know anything about tuberoses," she said. "Primroses? what are they like? 'A thousand flowers often from one plant!' what are they like, Norton?"
"Like?" said Norton. "I don't know what they are like."
"I'll tell you," said Judy, who as usual was pleasing herself with a cup of strong coffee; "they are like buttercups come to town and grown polished."
"They are not in the least like buttercups!" said Norton. ”

“ So Matilda gave him her bonbons and box, if it were a box, to hold, while she went for ward again. This present was from Norton, and of itself filled her arms. Wrapped up in papers as it was, she could not know more of it than that. She came back to Norton with high-coloured cheeks and eyes very bright indeed.
"What's that?" said Judy. "What has Norton given you? it's big enough. Pshaw! I know; it's a desk."
"A desk!" exclaimed Matilda in tones of delight.
"Keep your own counsel, Judy," said Norton coolly. "You have no idea of keeping other people's." ”

“ Say you have left us and gone over to the Christians."
"Judy! are you not ashamed!" cried Mrs. Bartholomew. "What do you think of your mother?"
"Nothing," said Judy. "I'm not talking of you, mamma. You are neither one thing nor the other. You are nothing. Have you gone over, David?"
"You know what I said," her brother answered. "I believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah."
"The Christians' Messiah," said Judy scornfully.
"Theirs and ours," said David sorrowfully. "Messiah ben David, the King of Israel." ”

“ David and Judy have been to be catechized."
"Catechized?" Matilda repeated. "Do they learn the catechism?"
"Not yours, I promise you," said Norton. "No, not exactly. But they have been to a Jewish catechizing; to be examined in the Jews' Scriptures, you know, and all that. They ought to have been catechized, it seems, when they were younger; but David and Judy have been travelling about and there has been no chance. Now they've got it! And O how Davy has been studying his Bible."
"His Bible is just like ours, isn't it?—all but the New Testament?" ”

“ Matilda wondered what he was thinking about; she could not ask him as she would Norton.
"It isn't right!" he broke out.
"What, David?"
"It isn't right that there should be such a difference in people; we here, and they there."
"Mr. Wharncliffe says there must be a difference. Some people are clever and industrious, and others are idle and lazy; and that makes differences."
"That ought," said David; "but then the people that are not idle or lazy, but sick or unfortunate, like these people; they ought not to be left in hunger and cold and rags." ”

“ When she went next to Sunday school, however, and saw Sarah's meek, patient face, Matilda was very much astonished at herself, and not a little ashamed. She sat next Sarah in the class, and could see without seeming to see, how thin her dress was and how limp it was, as if she had not enough petticoats under it to keep her warm. There was a patch too in one place. And Sarah's shawl was a very poor wrap alongside of the well covered shoulders under Matilda's thick coat. "No gloves!" said Matilda to herself, as her eye glanced from her own very handsome and warm ones; "how can she bear it? ”

“ I thought perhaps I could help you."
"Do you wear dresses like that into the kitchen?" the housekeeper asked, with a sidelong glance at the beautiful merino Matilda had on.
"I don't go into the kitchen now-a-days."
"Thought not. Nor you don't never put on a frock fit to make gingerbread in, now do you?"
"I don't think I do."
"Well, what are your gowns good for, then?"
"Good for?" said Matilda; "why, they are good for other things, Miss Redwood."
"I don't think a gown is worth much that is too good to work in; it is just a bag to pack so many hours of your life in, and lose 'em." ”

“ You would think so, if you saw them."
"I don't want to see anybody worse off than myself," said Letitia. "Why, what is that the child has got in her bosom, hanging to that ribband. What is it?—a watch, I declare! Gold? is it a gold watch really? Think of it, Anne!"
"It was one of my Christmas presents," said poor Matilda, hardly knowing what to say. ”

“ You turned soft suddenly?"
"Do no harm, that I see," replied David composedly.
"These people aren't your people," said Norton.
"They are your people," said David.
"They are not! I have nothing to do with them, and it is no use—Davie Bartholomew, you know it's no use—to try to help them. Pink is so tender-hearted, she wants to help the whole world; and it's all very well for her to want it; but she can't; and I can't; and you can't."
"But we can help Sarah Staples," Matilda ventured. ”

“ Matilda hesitated, and could not find what to say.
"Pink has her own ways of being happy you see," Norton remarked.
"She is not the only one, I hope," said David.
"The only one, what?" said Judy sharply. "You are as bad as she is, David, to-night, for talking thick."
"Have we got through, my dear?" inquired Mrs. Lloyd kindly.
"Through all the things that were making me feel glad?" said Matilda. "No, ma'am—not quite." And she stopped and flushed.
"Let us have it," said Mrs. Lloyd. "A bargain is a bargain."
"Yes, ma'am," said Matilda. ”

“ Matilda was at the back of the crowd, but even there she could see the blaze of light beyond as soon as this was done; and the whole company pressed forward and peeped in. Such a beautiful sight then, her eyes had never beheld. The tree was a generous, large, tall young fir, set in a huge green tub; but whereas in the wood where it grew it had green branches, with fringy, stiff, prickly leaves, now its branches were of every colour and as it were fringed with light. ”

“ A third wonder to Matilda that evening was the style and amount of eating that went on. The ices were in beautiful fruit forms; and she thought when she had demolished one of them she had done enough, especially as caramel, and candied fruits, and other confections were awaiting her attention. But the circulation of these little ices went on at a rate that proved Matilda's moderation to be shared by few, and she heard one little lady say to another, herself with a plateful, "Is that your third or your fourth?" Slowly munching candied grapes, Matilda looked on and marvelled. ”

“ What do you suppose Anne and I had?"
"Hush, Letty," said Anne. "Whatever we had, it was our own. We were beholden to nobody for it."
"Have you seen Maria since I have?" Matilda asked, trying to make a diversion.
"No. How should we see Maria? We cannot go jaunting about. We have our work to do."
"But it is nice work. I should think you would be very glad to have it," Matilda ventured.
"Yes, we are, of course," said Anne expressively. "People must live. How much did your watch cost?"
Very unwillingly Matilda named the sum, which Norton had told her. ”

“ So also it tried her greatly, to see for the rest of the evening Norton and Judy in high confabulation over the catalogues and the greenhouse. She felt shut out from it, and a little from Norton himself. It was hard to bear; and once and again she could not help the tears rising to her eyes. She got rid of them, she thought, cleverly, without any one being the wiser; but David Bartholomew had marked it all. He had not said a word, however; and Matilda went early up to bed; marvelling anew that it should be so difficult to do right. Why must this greenhouse business come up just at this moment? ”

“ And Judy and you were getting on nicely with the flowers, I thought."
"Nicely!" repeated Norton. "She doesn't care any more for the flowers than if they were grown to make door mats of. Greenhouse! why, it's as much as I can do to prevent her pulling all the buds off; and when she's got them, as I said, she don't care the least for them. No; the one thing Judy Bartholomew cares for is mischief; and the second is her own way."
"Gently, Norton!" said his mother. "I know somebody else that likes his own way."
"Yes, ma'am, and can't get it—worse luck!"
"O Norton!" said Matilda. ”

“ Leave it with me and go."
"Hallo, David!" exclaimed Norton as he came out into the hall; "the people are all gone; the last one just had the door shut behind him."
"It's time," said David.
"Takes more than a party to shake you out of your gravity," said Norton. "Time? why yes, it's past twelve."
"Sunday!" exclaimed Matilda.
The other three, they were together in the hall, all burst out laughing.
"It's Sunday; and Christmas is over, and the Christmas tree," said Norton. "But the fruits keep. Extraordinary tree! Well, Pink; we have got to go and sleep now. ”

“ Matilda had to tell, though she had a feeling it would not be to the gratification of her sisters. They listened and looked, said little, but by degrees drew out from her all the history of the evening's entertainment.
"That's the way she lives," said Letitia to Anne. "That's the way she is going on; while you and I are making people's dresses."
"But aren't you getting on well?" asked their little sister, sorely bestead to make the conversation pleasant to them.
"We get work, and we do it," said Letitia. "And so make out to have some bread and butter with our tea." ”

“ David inquired again carefully about the sickness, to be sure that he might take Matilda there; and then they went. Sarah volunteered to guide them. But how shall I tell what they found. It was not far off, a few blocks only; in one of a tall row of tenement houses, grim and dismal, confronted by a like row on the other side of the street. Every one like every other. But inside, Matilda only remembered how unlike it was to all she had ever seen in her life before. Even Lilac lane was pleasantness and comfort comparatively. ”

“ Lloyd watched the group. Matilda was earnestly searching in the pages of the Concordance; David sat waiting, with a little curiosity; Norton with impatient defiance. Matilda was busy for some minutes with one page and another; then, "Here it is!" she said; and looked up. She saw that Mrs. Lloyd's attention was fixed, and that Mrs. Laval also was listening. She glanced at Norton, then met David's eyes; and then bent her head over her book and read.
"'Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. ”

“ At least by the elders; the young people did not so easily let it drop. No sooner were they by themselves than Judy held forth in a long tirade, about "presumption" and "artfulness" and "underhand ways;" waxing warm as she went on; till Norton was provoked to answer, and the debate between them grew hot. Matilda said never a word, nor did David; she kept outwardly very quiet; but an hour after, if anybody could have seen her he would have seen a little figure cuddled down in a corner of her own room and weeping abundant tears. So ended the Christmas Sunday and the Christmas festival. ”