Susan Warner

“ You know we couldn't, Matilda; and what's more, I know we won't."
"Yes, mamma wishes it. We must; and so we can, Maria."
"I can't," said Maria, taking down her school cloak.
"But, Maria! we must. Mamma will be more sick if we do not; you heard what Aunt Candy said at breakfast, that she is fearfully nervous; and if she hears that there is a hired girl in the house, it will worry her dreadfully."
"It will be Aunt Candy's fault then," said Maria, fastening her cloak. "I never heard of anybody so mean in all my life!—never." ”

“ Richmond had talked to them about, "is the righteousness of saints;" and she quieted herself with the assurance that the real attire of fitness is inward and not outward. And when the candidates for baptism were called to come forward, she quietly left her bunch of lilies with her hat on the cushion of the pew.
"Is that Matilda!" whispered Clarissa to her mother.
"I never heard a word of it!" said Mrs. Candy.
"You cannot stop her now."
"No; if I could I would," answered Mrs. Candy. "This ought not to be. Such a child!—does not know what she is doing. What a way!" ”

“ Richmond likes red flowers?"
"He has nothing to do with my bonnet," said Letitia. "And no more have you. You need not raise the question. I shall wear what becomes me."
"What is the difference whether one wears red or blue, Maria?" said her mother. "Do you think one colour is more religious than another?—or more wicked? What do you mean?"
"Nothing, ma'am," Maria answered, a little abashed. "I was only thinking."
"I think Mr. Richmond likes flowers everywhere," said Matilda; "and all colours."
"People that are very religious do not wear flowers in their bonnets though, do they?" ”

“ Matilda looked grave, not to say gloomy.
"I can tell you what will make it easy," said Mr. Richmond. "Do it for the sake of the Lord Jesus. He set us an example of obedience to all lawful authorities; He has commanded us to live in peace with everybody as far as we possibly can; and to submit ourselves to one another in the fear of God. Besides that, I must think, Tilly, the command to obey our parents means also that we should obey whoever happens to stand in our parents' place to us. Will it not make it easy to obey your aunt, if you think that you are doing it to please God?" ”

“ Candy, coming in. "Who is that? Matilda? How did you come here, Tilly?"
"I have been taking care of my mother."
"Have you? How is she? Well, you run down-stairs; I'll take care of her now. It is better for you not to be here. Don't come in again, unless I give you leave. Now you may go."
"I wonder, must I mind her?" said Matilda to herself. "I do not see why. She is not mother; and if mother is sick, that does not give everybody else a right to say what I shall do. I think it is very queer of Aunt Candy to take that way with me." ”

“ When she came down-stairs, she found the lamp lit and all the young heads of the family clustering together to look at something. It was Anne's purchase, she found; Anne had spent her aunt's gift in the purchase of a new silk dress; and she was displaying it.
"It is a lovely colour," said Maria. "I think that shade of—what do you call it? is just the prettiest in the world. What do you call it, Clarissa? and where did you get it, Anne?"
"It is pearl gray," said Clarissa.
"I would have got blue, while I was about it," said Letitia; "there is nothing like blue; and it becomes you, Anne. ”

“ So what did you think?"
"I thought there were people who were the servants of Christ, and yet did not join any church," Matilda said softly.
"By not doing it, they as good as say to the world that they are not His servants. And the world judges accordingly. I have known people under such a delusion; but when they were honest, I have always known them to come out of it. If you give all you have to the Lord Jesus, you must certainly give your influence."
"But, I thought I might wait," Tilly said again. ”

“ Sometimes I get mad; and then sometimes it takes the strength all out of me."
"But if we have the right sort of strength," said Matilda, "people can't take it from us, Ailie."
"Well, mine seems to go," said Ailie. "And then I feel bad."
"We know what we want," said Mary, "if we are children."
"We know our own minds," said Matilda. "We know we do. It is no matter what people say." ”

“ I like to be as good as anybody, for my part."
"Mamma," said Matilda, "do you know there is a great hole in the door mat?"
"It is worn out a great deal too soon," said Mrs. Englefield; "I shall tell Mr. Hard that his goods do not last; to be sure, you children do kick it to pieces with the snow."
"But, mamma, I should think you might get another, and let that one go to the kitchen."
"And then, wouldn't you like me to buy a new hall cloth? there is very nearly a hole in that."
"Oh yes, mamma!"
"I cannot do it, children. I am not as rich as your Aunt Candy. ”

“ They were not people that were often seen in church; they could not be good; maybe they used bad language; certainly they could not be expected to know how to "behave." Slowly the laces were pulled out of Matilda's boots, and her face grew into portentous gravity.
"Aren't you coming to bed?" said Maria. "What can you be thinking of?"
"I am thinking of the Dows?"
"What about them? I never thought about them three times in my life."
"But oughtn't we to think about people, Maria?"
"Nice people."
"I mean, people that are not nice."
"It will be new times when you do," said Maria. ”

“ She went back to her washing-tub, and Maria and Matilda looked to see three depressed specimens of young human life appear at that inner door; but first tumbled down and burst in a sturdy, rugged young rascal of some eight or nine years; and after him a girl a little older, with the blackest of black eyes and hair, the latter hanging straight over her face and ears. The eyes of both fastened upon their strange visitors, and seemed as if they would move no more.
"Them girls is come to get you to their Sunday-School," said the mother. "Don't you want for to go?" ”

“ Matilda said with another sigh;—"we can do it all for Christ."
"What?" said Maria, starting.
"It is work He has given us to do, you know, Maria; and we have promised to do everything we can to please Him. So we can do this to please Him."
"I don't see how," said Maria. "This isn't Band work;—do you think it is?"
"It isn't Sunday-School work; but, Maria, you know, 'we are the servants of Christ.' Now He has given us this work to do."
"That's just talking nonsense," said Maria. "There is no religion in pots and kettles." ”

“ Matilda went in and climbed the stairs to the room she and Maria shared together.
"What were you talking to Mr. Richmond so long about?" said Maria.
"I wasn't talking to Mr. Richmond. He was talking to me."
"What's the difference? But I wish he would talk to Ailie Swan; she wants it, I know. That girl is too much!"
"What has she done?"
"Oh, you don't know; she isn't in your set. I know. She's just disagreeable. I think people ought to be civil, if they are ever so good."
"I thought good people were civil always." ”

“ The fire is the first thing."
Then the little feet went with a light tread down the stairs, that she might disturb nobody, and paused in the hall. The light struggling in through the fanlights over the door; the air close; a smell of kerosene in the parlour; chairs and table in a state of disarrangement; the litter of Clarissa's work on the carpet; the parlour stove cold. Little Matilda wished to herself that some other hands were there, not hers, to do all that must be done. But clearly Maria would never get through with it. ”

“ Candy.
"What has Mr. Richmond been talking about?" asked Mrs. Englefield.
"Why, mamma," said Letitia, "we are all to spend our lives in feeding sick people, and clothing lazy people, and running after the society of wicked people, as far as I can make out; and our money of course goes on the same plan. I advise you to look after Maria and Matilda, for they are just wise enough to think it's all right; and they will be carrying it into practice before you know where you are."
"It is not so at all!" began Maria, indignantly. "It is nothing like that, mamma. You know Mr. Richmond better." ”

“ Maria in despair at last took Mrs. Candy into her confidence, and besought her to comfort Matilda, which Mrs. Candy tried her best to do. She represented that Matilda had always been a good child; had loved and honoured her mother, and constantly enjoyed her favour. Matilda heard, but answered with sobs.
"I am sure, my dear," her aunt said, "you have nothing to reproach yourself with. We are none of us perfect." ”

“ Englefield.
"Oh but you know what I mean, mamma."
"I am not clear that I do."
"And I, Maria,—am I not somebody?" her aunt asked.
"Well, we're all somebody, of course, in one sense. Of course we're not nobody."
"I am not so sure what you think about it," said Mrs. Candy. "I think that in your language, who isn't somebody is nobody."
"Oh, well, we're somebody," said Maria. "But if you could see the splendid bunch of jewels that hung at Mrs. Laval's breast, you would know I say the truth."
"Now we are getting at Maria's meaning," observed Clarissa. ”

“ So, many thought, were the utterances inside the church. Just beyond, Matilda could see the lecture-room, with its transepts, and its pretty hood over the door, for all which and sundry other particulars concerning it she had a private favour; but Matilda did not go so far this afternoon. Short of the lecture-room, a gate in the fence of the church grounds stood open; a large gate, through which waggons and carriages sometimes passed; Matilda turned in there, and picked her way over the ridgy snow down the lane that led to the parsonage. ”

“ So at the corner they parted; and Matilda went home, thinking that in this instance at least the welcoming of strangers had paid well. For this was a pleasant new acquaintance, she was sure. She mounted the stairs with happy feet to her room; and there found Maria in a flood of tears. Maria had stayed at home from Sunday-School to-day.
"What is the matter, Maria?" her little sister inquired. "How's mamma?"
"I don't know! Oh, nothing will ever be well again. O Tilly, what will become of us!" ”

“ In a dream of pleasure she hurried along, feeling that Norton Laval was a great gain to her, and that croquet was the most delightful of amusements, and that all the weariness of the day's work was taken out of her heart. She only regretted, as she went, that those poor people in Lilac Lane had heard no reading; but she resolved she would go to them to-morrow.
There is one time, however, for doing everything that ought to be done; and if that time is lost, no human calculation can make sure a second opportunity. Matilda was to find this in the case of Lilac Lane. ”

“ Why don't she do her own potatoes, and as brown as she likes, Tilly?"
"Mamma wants us to take care of things, Miss Redwood."
"Won't let your aunt learn you, nother?" said Miss Redwood, sticking one end of her knitting-needle behind her ear, and slowly scratching with it, while she looked at Matilda.
"Aunt Candy does not like to do anything in the kitchen; and I would rather you would teach me, Miss Redwood—if you would." ”

“ The opening door let them into a cheerful room, not large, with long rows of seats on either hand of a wide, matted aisle; the view closed by a little desk at the farther end on a raised platform. Right and left of the desk, two small transepts did somewhat to enlarge the accommodations of the place, which had a cosy, home look, comfortable and bright.
"Where do those doors lead to?" Clarissa whispered;—"behind the desk?"
"Oh, those open to the infant class room. Isn't it nice?" Maria answered.
"It is small," said Clarissa.
"It is large enough, though. We shall not fill it to-night." ”

“ Richmond. "Those who do not know the Lord Jesus. They are out of the way to heaven; they have never trusted in His blood for forgiveness; they are not good, for they have not got His help to make them good; and if they do not swear and do other dreadful things, it is only because the temptation is wanting. They are the lost. Now, does not every one of you know some friend or acquaintance who is a lost one? some brother or sister perhaps; or mother or father, or cousin or neighbour, who does not love Jesus the Lord? Those are the very first people for us to seek. ”