"joy, i wish you'd put down that stupid book, and talk! you can't think how curious i feel! and how you can sit there reading so quietly when mother's in the next room with that strange gentleman, i can't imagine! i wonder what he's saying to her! i don't believe you're in the least curious to know!"
joy, whose real name was joyce, shut her book, and looked at the speaker—her sister celia—with thoughtful, grey eyes. her mind was still occupied with the entrancing story she had been reading; and it took her several minutes to realise that her companion was in a state of feverish impatience to ascertain the business of the visitor who had requested a private interview with their mother, and still kept her in earnest conversation in the drawing-room. joy had admitted the stranger into the house nearly half an hour before.
mrs. wallis, whose husband had been a doctor, in the town of a—, had been left a widow some years previously; and she was rearing her family on a small income which had to be portioned out most carefully to make both ends meet. the family consisted of three children—eric, a handsome lad of fifteen, who was at boarding-school; celia, aged fourteen; and joyce, two years younger.
when her husband had died, mrs. wallis had at once vacated the large, roomy house in the main street of the town for the small villa where she was living at present. she was a brave woman, and a capital manager, but she found her income very inadequate for the requirements of her family. the two girls attended a day-school where the fees were not large; but eric's school bills were heavy, and to meet them his mother was obliged to exercise the strictest economy at home.
"that's right!" celia exclaimed, when she saw she had gained her sister's attention. "tell me again what the gentleman was like."
"he was tall, and thin, and he stooped rather," was the reply. "i didn't take particular notice of him."
"oh, how silly you were! i wish i'd gone to the door instead of you. but i do hate answering the door bell," celia acknowledged, frankly.
"oh, i don't mind. jane was upstairs changing her dress, so that was why i went to the door this evening; and you know she often looks so untidy that mother doesn't like her to answer the bell. of course she has all kinds of dirty work to do," joyce proceeded excusingly, for jane, the maid-of-all-work of the establishment, was a favourite of hers; "we shouldn't be spick and span ourselves if we had to clean boots, and black-lead stoves, and scrub and clean like poor jane."
celia made no reply, but a look of decided discontent crept over her face. she was a very pretty little girl, with fair hair, blue eyes, and a delicate pink and white complexion. her sister was a pale, sallow child whose one beauty was a pair of large grey eyes, which rendered her otherwise plain countenance remarkably attractive. both girls were neatly attired in serviceable blue serge dresses, somewhat the worse for wear; but whereas joy wore no ornament whatever, the neck of celia's frock was fastened by a cheap brooch, set with imitation brilliants, which she had saved her pocket-money to purchase, and her golden locks were tied back with a bright blue ribbon. celia was the greater favourite of the sisters with people, as a rule, for she was invariably good-tempered before strangers, and eager to please; it was only at home that she ever allowed her discontent with the circumstances of her life to be apparent, and then, when her mother's face saddened at her grumblings, she would become repentant, and declare that she had not meant all she had said, that she was quite happy really, only it would be so nice to have a little more money to spend.
"how long the gentleman is staying!" joy exclaimed, glancing at the clock on the mantelpiece. "it's nearly seven."
"what did you say he was called?" celia inquired.
"tillotson. he said mother would not know his name."
"did he seem nice, joy?"
"i don't know. he was very polite; but i thought he stared rather, and when i showed him into the drawing-room, he looked around as though he was noticing everything."
"and the furniture is so shabby!" celia sighed, regretfully. "the carpet is almost threadbare in places."
"oh, what does that matter?" joy asked; laughing at her sister's serious expression.
"it matters a great deal," celia responded, impressively.
"i don't see that it does. when our friends call, they come to see us, not our furniture."
"that's what mother says. i'm sure when she's talking to visitors she never seems to remember how dowdy the house is compared to other people's; or, if she does, it never troubles her."
"why should it? mother couldn't be a greater lady if she lived in a mansion," joy declared, with a ring of proud affection in her voice.
celia agreed with her sister, but she did not say so. the two little girls had been sitting by the fireside, for the april evening was chilly; but now the daylight had nearly faded, and joy, rising, went to the door and peeped into the passage to make certain that jane had lit the gas there. satisfied on that point, she returned to her former seat by the fire, and continued the conversation.
"i wonder if we ought to send jane to the drawing-room to light the gas?" celia suggested presently. "but, no, mother would be sure to ring if she wished it. oh, the gentleman's going at last!"
there was a sound of footsteps in the passage. the front door opened and shut, and the next minute mrs. wallis joined her little daughters. she was a tall, stately woman with a pale, handsome face, and hair which was prematurely grey.
"my visitor kept me some time," she remarked, as she seated herself in an easy chair, and glanced from one to the other of the children. "i suppose you have been cogitating about him, and wondering who he could possibly be?"
"yes," celia nodded.
"his name is tillotson, and he is a lawyer. he came to me from my uncle, sir jasper amery, of whom you have often heard me speak."
"what! that funny old uncle you used to visit when you were a little girl?" joy exclaimed.
"the same, my dear. he used to be very kind to me; but we have never met since my marriage. he had an only son—edward—of whom he was exceedingly fond and proud; but now, mr. tillotson tells me, poor edward is dead, and that uncle jasper is quite alone in the world. he sent mr. tillotson to me with a strange request, or so i consider it—a request which i do know if i shall be right in complying with or not."
mrs. wallis paused and gazed meditatively the fire. the two young girls waited anxiously for her to proceed, and at last celia inquired:
"what is the request, mother?"
"that i will shut up my house here for a year, and spend that time beneath his roof, so that he may make the acquaintance of you children. he suggests that you should have a governess to undertake your education, and that eric should remain at boarding-school, and spend his holidays at the moat house."
"oh, mother, how delightful!" celia exclaimed, excitedly.
"is the moat house where sir jasper lives?" joy asked.
"yes, my dear. it is situated in one of the most beautiful parts of devonshire, about two miles from the market town of t—."
"oh, mother, you will go, will you not?" celia cried, imploringly.
"i cannot say yet, celia. i must think the matter over. i cannot make up my mind hurriedly, for more may depend upon my decision than we can foresee. i must ask god to guide me, and show me how to act."
mrs. wallis's tone was so solemn that the little girls were silenced. they knew sir jasper amery was a rich man, and thought how nice it would be to live in affluence, if only for a year. celia, especially, was elated at the idea; and as she looked around the shabby sitting-room which, nevertheless, was very homely and comfortable, her lip curled scornfully, and a bright, expectant light flashed into her eyes. surely her mother would not refuse sir jasper's request!
meanwhile mrs. wallis was wrapt in somewhat uneasy thought. had her uncle offered her and her family a permanent home beneath his roof, she would have at once gladly fallen in with the idea; but, she asked herself if she had any right to allow her children to live in luxury for a year, and then, perhaps, be thrown back upon her own resources once more. it was a strange proposal sir jasper had made; but his lawyer had desired her to consider it well before making her decision, hinting that it was her uncle's intention to provide for her children's future if the young people met with his approval.
"tell us what the moat house is like, mother," joy said, coaxingly, at length.
"it's a house after your own heart, joy," mrs. wallis replied, smiling, "an old building with thick stone walls covered in ivy, and low ceilinged rooms with mullioned windows. the moat which once surrounded the house had been drained and filled in, and is now cultivated. the neighbourhood all around is beautifully wooded, and as the house stands on a slight eminence, the views from it are remarkably fine. uncle jasper was always very proud of his home, and nothing used to delight him more than to hear it admired."
"he is very rich, mother, isn't he?" celia inquired, her blue eyes shining with excitement.
"rich as far as money is concerned," mrs. answered gravely, "but poor in other ways. he never made many friends, and as i told you just now, god has taken from him his only son—the being he loved above all the world. he is in indifferent health, too, mr. tillotson tells me. poor uncle jasper!"
"perhaps he wants to give us some of his money," celia suggested, shrewdly. "oh, mother dear, do say you'll go to the moat house!"
"are you so eager to leave your own home, celia?" mrs. wallis asked, a little sadly.
"this is such a pokey little place, that i should not mind if we never came back again," celia confessed; "and we've been so poor here!" she added, sighing.
"we have had all the necessaries of life," mrs. wallis reminded her, "and that is a great deal to be thankful for."
"oh, yes, mother, i know! but, oh, i do dislike having to live in a shabby house, and wear dowdy clothes! why, when eric was home at christmas he said joy and i were such old-fashioned looking girls!" and celia's face flushed with annoyance. "joy doesn't mind," she continued; "as long as she has story books to read, she doesn't care for anything else."
"oh, yes, indeed i do!" joy interposed, quickly. "but what's the good of wishing for what one can't get?"
"i am sorry you are so discontented with your lot, celia," mrs. wallis said, gravely, "but i question if you possessed all the luxuries wealth can provide, whether you would be satisfied even then."
"oh, mother!" celia cried, unbelievingly.
"i doubt it, my dear, for i am afraid you are very far from knowing the secret of contentment, which is trust in god, and the belief that he knows what is best for you. riches would not make you happy."
celia looked incredulous. she thought if she was rich she would be perfectly happy. she longed to wear fine clothes, and have plenty of pocket-money; and she could not understand why her mother hesitated to accept sir jasper amery's invitation.
that night the two young girls, who occupied the same bedroom, remained awake talking for a long while. joy was nearly as excited as celia at the prospect of visiting the unknown uncle at the moat house, and acknowledged she would be not a little disappointed if their mother did not accede to sir jasper's request; but at the same time she felt regretful at the thought of leaving her present home, and her school friends. in the next room mrs. wallis lay awake till dawn, thinking how best to act for the ultimate welfare of her family, and praying for guidance from above.
