as soon as mr. and mrs. fairfax returned sister julia went back to her work at the great hospital. mrs. fairfax begged her to stay through the holidays, and the children coaxed and coaxed, but to no avail, for she knew that “little lame madeline,” as every one called her, was longing for her to come. madeline had been in the hospital once before, and for almost a year, but now she had come back to stay. the doctors said she would never be able to leave it again, nor would she be there very long. the best of care and kindest of nursing must soon fail to cage the little spirit in any house that human hands had made.
“i can understand how you feel that you must go,” mrs. fairfax had said to sister julia at the close of a long talk they had been having about it; “but it does seem too bad that you should take up your hospital work again without having had a vacation.”
“vacation!” laughed sister julia. “why, i have just come home from the happiest vacation of my life!”
“but you were at work all the time caring for reginald, teaching the children, and, hardest of all, tending those poor wrecked sailors.''
“yes, but it was all a pleasure. every day i was breathing that strong salt air, and taking long strolls on the beach. to have chosen your life work, and to feel yourself hour by hour gaining strength and health that enables you to keep cheerily and steadily at it, why, there is no happiness for me, mrs. fairfax, that at all compares with that; and while that state of things continues, no idle vacation, if you please. i should be half miserable all the time.”
mrs. fairfax knew that sister julia was right in the matter, and bade her good-bye and god-speed with tears in her eyes, but they were tears of loving appreciation, and not because she did not expect to see sister julia soon again. indeed, it had been arranged that she should come down from the hospital the very next sunday, and go with the children to the afternoon service at mr. vale's church.
sunday came—a clear, cold sunday, and little nan woke and gave a sigh as she looked about the little room that had been hers for a week. it was a beautiful room. she was lying in the shiniest of little brass bedsteads, and there were lovely pictures on the walls, and pretty things of one sort or another on every side.
“dear me!” she thought, a little regretfully; “only one more night, and we must go home,” but at the same time that one word home sent a glad little thrill through her heart. she felt sure that, after all, she would not exchange her own little room, with its wide-reaching view skyward, and landward, and seaward, for the finest room in the city, overlooking only a narrow street, and dreary stone walls and pavements; besides, though everyone had been so kind, and she loved them all dearly, it would be nice to curl up in her own mother's arms again, for even an eight-year-old little woman sometimes clings tenderly to certain comforts and luxuries of babyhood.
sister julia came at a quarter of four, and found the children eagerly waiting for her. as they walked down fifth avenue people looked with considerable interest at the sweet-faced woman, whose dress betrayed her a member of a sisterhood, and at the three children, who kept up a constant exchange of the place of honour, which consisted in being close to sister julia, on one side or the other, where they could have the privilege of clasping whichever hand was in best condition to forego the comfort of her muff.
there was nothing connected with this visit to which nan and harry had looked forward with more pleasure than to seeing mr. vale's church, and hearing him preach; and with beaming faces they followed rex to the pew which they were to have quite to themselves, for mr. and mrs. fairfax had gone to spend the afternoon with grandma fairfax, in brooklyn.
“i think the church is beautiful,” whispered nan to sister julia.
“i knew you would like it,” sister julia whispered back.
“the stained-glass windows are lovely, with the light coming through them.”
“yes,” answered sister julia, for she did not fancy prolonged conversations in church.
“must have cost a lot,” harry remarked to regie, after staring all about him, and turning his body from side to side, in a take-everything-in sort of fashion.
“yes, it did,” regie replied; “mr. vale thought the rich men ought to make it as beautiful as their homes.”
“who do you have to blow your organ, a man or a boy?”
“it's run by water-power, you goosie.”
“what do you mean by that?” harry asked, with knitted eyebrows.
“i would rather you would not talk any more now,” sister julia interrupted, for she could see that the children's stage whispers were audible several pews away.
they were quite willing to be silent, however, for mr. vale had come into the chancel, and they felt themselves on their good behaviour; beside, they were too much interested in his every gesture to have eyes or ears for aught else. indeed, nan was by nature a most devout little worshipper. she loved everything connected with the service. long before she knew one letter from another she had her own little prayerbook in the chapel at moorlow, and would turn from page to page, as though perfectly familiar with the order, and during the responses she would emit certain audible little sounds, which greatly amused other children near her, and yet, to her little ladyship, were perfectly satisfactory. but she entered even more heartily into this afternoon's service than ever before.
mr. vale's earnest spirit seemed always to pervade the whole congregation worshipping in the old tower church. they knew he never preached a word which he did not faithfully strive to practise, and even little folk feel the power of a consistent life, before ever they can tell what the power is or why they feel it. there was much in this afternoon's sermon that the children could understand, and only once was nan's attention distracted; that was when a restless little five-year-old, who sat before them, having disappeared for several seconds in the bottom of the pew, suddenly popped up again, dangling her button-boots and stockings over the back of the seat.
harry and rex clapped their hands over their mouths to keep from laughing outright. nan smiled, and touched sister julia, who leaned forward and succeeded in inducing her to quietly put them on again. that was the first the little witch's father knew of the transaction, for he had been listening intently to the sermon; but he looked gratefully at sister julia when he saw what she had done, and shook his head, as much as to say, “she is a most unruly little maiden.”
after this performance the child leaned her head against the back of the pew, and became absorbed in a study of the stained-glass window over the chancel. no wonder it attracted her childish gaze. at the beginning of the service the light had fallen upon it from without, but now the wintry twilight was gathering fast, and the rims of brass in which the discs of glass were set were brilliantly flashing from the glow of the gas-jets. ere long the service is over, and people are leaving the church. reluctant to go, the children linger a moment in the pew, and fortunately too, for ole, the old norwegian sexton, is elbowing his way toward them, with a message from mr. vale. quite out of breath he reaches them, explaining that “mr. vale would like to have the children come up to the study, and that he said he would see them safely home if sister julia must hurry back to the hospital.”
harry and nan give sister julia a good-bye hug, “real hard,” for they will not see her again before going home to moorlow to-morrow; and then with happy hearts they follow ole up the winding stairs that lead to the study.
