the hour-hand of the watch that hung at sister julia's belt had just reached three as she put the last touch to the table; that last touch consisted in placing, at each seat, a card bearing the name of the person who was to occupy it. sister julia had herself prepared the cards in the little leisure she could spare from hospital duties. on each she had painted some little emblem of the sea—a shell, or a spray of seaweed—introducing the name in odd-shaped letters.
then on the reverse side she had enrolled the entire party in the order of their seats at the table, knowing that some of their number would cherish those little cards as precious souvenirs for many a long year to come.
the soup was on the table, and mrs. murray having instructed the woman who had been helping her just how to bring the dishes to the table, laid aside her great gingham apron, and gave the signal to sit down.
“why, there's one seat too many!” remarked harry, when all had found their places.
“dear me, why so there is!” exclaimed sister julia. “how did that ever happen?”
“why, it happened just this way,” answered a familiar voice; no one could tell just where the voice came from, but all knew whose it was. “it happened just this way. i telegraphed sister julia yesterday that if she would put off the dinner till three o'clock i could get through my sermon in time to come, and so here i am, you see,” and mr. vale appeared in the door-way, having waited a moment in the vestibule to hang up his coat.
the presence of mr. vale was just the one thing needed to complete that thanksgiving dinner in everyone's estimation.
even the men, whose knowledge of english was limited to the parrot-learned “thank you,” brightened when they saw him. there are faces which bear so plainly the imprint of love and sympathy, one does not need to speak a common language to comprehend them.
“you have come at the right moment,” said sister julia, and mr. vale, knowing what she meant, bowed his head and asked a blessing. it was a prayer as well as a blessing—a prayer for the future of these sailors, who were so soon again to give their lives to the keeping of the sea; and a prayer for the future of the children, that the whole volume of their life might remain as pure and unsullied as the pages of their childhood—nor did he forget the captain lying on his cot in the little vestry room. his voice seemed to gather additional earnestness as he prayed that he might be restored to perfect health, and take up his life again with a divine trust and courage which should be able to grapple victoriously with misfortune and despair, should he again be called to meet them.
at the close of the blessing sister julia thought she heard a low fervent “amen” from the recesses of the little vestry room.
no doubt it was but natural that everyone at that long table should realise that it was no ordinary occasion. never did a stranger company sit down to a thanksgiving dinner under stranger circumstances, but they enjoyed it heartily, notwithstanding the strangeness.
somehow or other, mr. vale knew just the way to draw everybody out, and thanks to him the party, that otherwise might easily have found itself a little stiff and embarrassed, became a very merry one.
captain murray enlivened the table with two or three old sea yarns, and while they were waiting for the dessert to be brought in mr. vale induced the sailors to give them two or to be going on, on every side.
when at last mrs. murray lifted an all-on-fire plum pudding to the table, one of the younger sailors, who was little more than a boy, clapped his hands from sheer delight, and, fired by his enthusiasm, all at the table followed his example. the colour came into mrs. murray's round face; she considered the demonstration as a compliment to herself, as was quite right she should, three spanish songs which they were accustomed to sing together at sea. meanwhile, nan had travelled into the vestry with the captain's dinner, of clam broth and dainty little crackers; delicious broth, which sister julia had herself prepared, and crackers which nan's own little hands had toasted to a most inviting brownness. it did nan's heart good to see how the captain enjoyed eating them, and it did the captain's heart good to see how much she enjoyed seeing him eat them; and so it was that all through that thanksgiving day a constant process of doing hearts good seemed for no little raisin-stoning and washing of currants had gone toward the concoction of that great brown pudding, about which the blue flames were now curling so beautifully.
at last the supreme moment for “all hands” arrived, when, at a signal from sister julia, regie, as chairman of the finance committee, produced the budget of envelopes, and handed them to one and another as fast as he could make out the names written on the backs of them.
meanwhile, mr. vale stood up, and explained that each envelope contained a gift of money, and though by no means a large amount, the giver hoped it might stand them in good stead, and that each would kindly accept it with her best wishes.
at the words “her best wishes,” the eyes of the crew, as by common consent, turned toward sister julia, so that she had right away to deny having had any part in the transaction.
“no, indeed,” she said, “you must not thank me for this; mr. vale's sister is the good friend to whom you are indebted.”
in the absence of their captain the men looked to their first mate to express their gratitude. mr. vale would have given a great deal if his sister could have heard the few earnest words which the first mate spoke from a full heart, and could have seen the sturdy fellow as he spoke them.
and so the dinner was ended. it had grown quite dark in the chapel, for the early november twilight had deepened landward and seaward.
“before we separate,” said mr. vale, “i wish regie would sing the german evening hymn from the children's hymnal.”
regie needed no urging, and took his stand beside sister julia at the organ, while the others still kept their places. he loved to sing, throwing his whole soul into it, and in that lay half his power to please.
clear and sweet rang out the words of the simple hymn, and at its close more than one sleeve was brushed across misty eyes, and tears stole from under the captain's eyelids as he lay in the little vestry—lying there alone, why need he strive to hide them?—besides, what was there to be ashamed of in such tears as those?
these had been days of new and strange experiences to those spanish sailors, and they had learned some of life's best lessons for the first time.
“your faces are kinder than when you came,” nan had frankly said to the crew one day.
“senorita, that is because our hearts are kinder,” one of the men had answered.
