it was a hot day towards the end of july; and a fast train from london was speeding westwards, bearing among its passengers three young people going home for the holidays—namely, celia and eric wallis, and lulu tillotson. the two girls had met eric by arrangement at paddington railway station, where they had had no time for conversation; but now, settled for the journey in a comfortable compartment which was not over-crowded, they found they could exchange confidences.
"isn't it like a dream, eric?" celia said, as she sat by her brother's side, and glanced from him to lulu opposite.
the boy smiled as he looked at her. she was prettier than ever, he thought, with her cheeks flushed to a deeper hue than usual, and her face aglow with excitement.
"isn't what like a dream?" he asked, understanding perfectly all the while what she meant.
"why, you know! that we're going to the moat house again! that we shall see mother and joy, and uncle jasper in the course of a few hours, now! to me it seems like a wonderful, wonderful dream, too good to be true."
"oh, i can realize it all," eric replied, laughing from pure light-heartedness. "it seems very real to me. how did you like spending the easter holidays at school, celia, by the way?"
"not at all," she answered; "it was the most miserable time i ever spent in my life, and i was thinking of joy all the while, longing to see her, to know from hour to hour how she was. oh, i shall never forget it, never!"
"you may depend upon it i was not very happy, either," eric said, earnestly. "i used to moon about by myself all day long, wondering what news i should hear."
"and then, when you did get news, it was the best possible," lulu interposed, eagerly; "oh, it's quite marvellous to think joy can walk again!"
yes, joy could walk again. after the operation to her hip, she had spent two months in the london hospital where it had been performed, during which period her mother had occupied lodgings near; and when at last she had been pronounced well enough to be moved, she had been taken direct to the moat house, where the east wing had been rebuilt, and refurnished with mrs. wallis's own furniture from a—.
when the girl had seen the familiar articles around her, she had not needed the assurance that henceforward this was to be her home, for she had realized at once that celia's misdemeanours had been forgiven, and that sir jasper still adhered to his original intention of providing for the futures of his niece and her children. as joy had been in the hospital during easter, her sister and brother had spent their holidays at their respective schools, so the young people had not met for many months, and celia and eric were naturally much excited at being together again.
"we shall have great fun this long vacation, you'll see," lulu proceeded; "father wrote and told me that sir jasper means to invite me to the moat house to stay, and lawrence puttenham will be at the vicarage, won't he, eric?"
"yes, for a month, i believe. i wonder if the crumleigh cricket club still flourishes?"
"you may depend it does. the vicar takes such an interest in it, and so does sir jasper."
"did you see uncle jasper at easter?" eric inquired.
"yes," lulu nodded. "i spent a week-end at the moat house with father, and sir jasper was very nice to me. i think he's greatly altered. on the sunday he went to church with us, and—"
"went to church with you!" eric cried, vastly astonished. "well, i never!"
"he always used to be a regular attendant at church before his son's death, but after that he wouldn't go anywhere till—"
"till the carriage accident," celia interposed, with a flash of remembrance. "i recollect how surprised we were when he went to the vicarage to inquire for joy."
"i expect you'll find joy has put your nose out of joint altogether," lulu told celia, with her customary candour.
"i shall not mind that," celia returned, really meaning what she said.
her brother looked at her again. she was quite like the old celia, he thought; her manner was not so assured, and she seemed far less wrapped up in herself. lulu, to outward appearances, had not much altered, except that there was nothing noticeable in her dress now; she talked almost incessantly during the journey, and at the few stations at which they stopped, found great amusement in watching the busy crowds on the platforms. they had lunch in the train, and were exceedingly merry over their meal, so that the other travellers in the compartment watched them with indulgent smiles, quite realizing the situation that they were going home for the holidays.
"mother wrote and told me what good reports she had had of your work at school," celia remarked to eric; "she was pleased, and i am so very glad!"
"celia's been working hard, too," said lulu; "she's a much more promising pupil than i am."
"how's that?" eric inquired, amused at lulu's frankness.
"oh, everyone says she's better able to concentrate her thoughts than i am. i'm feather-brained, you know. my mind's 'positively erratic,' so our arithmetic teacher declares. i'm dunce at arithmetic, and that's a fact."
"but i daresay if you're a dunce at arithmetic you're sharp at other things," eric suggested, politely.
"lulu doesn't do herself justice," celia declared with a smile at her friend; "she knows more about english history than any other girl in the school."
as they neared the end of their journey, celia grew more and more nervous. mingled with the intense joy with which she was looking forward to be with her mother and sister once more, was the dread with which she thought of meeting sir jasper. seeing his confidence in her had been so entirely destroyed, how could she hope that he could ever look on her with anything but suspicion again? celia knew that her aspirations and views of life had so completely changed during the past ten months that it would be impossible for her to act this year as she had done last; but would sir jasper understand this, would he realize that she was no longer the deceitful girl who had not scrupled even to appropriate what had not belonged to her, in order to gratify her vanity and love of show?
perhaps lulu guessed some of the thoughts that were crowding her friend's mind, for she glanced at her sympathetically every now and again; and found an opportunity of whispering to eric, who was wondering why his sister was growing more and more silent as they neared their destination; "celia is dreading the meeting with sir jasper. that's what's making her so silent. i wouldn't notice it, if i were you."
at last the long, hot journey was at an end, and the train slowed into t— railway station. the minute it stopped, lulu was out of the compartment, and in her father's arms; and celia and eric following, found their mother close by, waiting to welcome them. her face was full of happiness as she kissed them in turn; then mr. tillotson saw to their luggage, accompanied them to the waiting carriage, and with lulu hanging to his arm, watched them drive off.
mrs. wallis and eric did most of the talking on the way to the moat house, for celia, in spite of her reunion with her mother, was nervous and ill at ease. there was a mist before her eyes as the carriage drew up before the front door, and it was through blinding tears that she saw sir jasper with joy at his side.
"joy!" she cried, with a world of longing affection in her voice; and the next minute she and her sister were in each other's arms. joy was no less moved than celia, but she was far more composed outwardly.
"i say, celia, let me have a word with joy before she is drowned altogether," eric said, pretending to speak aggrievedly; and then celia withdrew herself from her sister's arms, and ventured a glance at sir jasper.
the old man regarded her searchingly, and held out his hand, which she took with evident timidity. he drew her towards him, and kissed her gravely, tenderly. "welcome home, my dear," he said, in the kindest tones possible.
"oh, uncle jasper, have you indeed forgiven me?" she cried, involuntarily.
"yes, celia," he replied, with ready understanding of all that was in her mind. "i forgave you at the time. i saw how sincere was your repentance. i never meant to shut the doors of my house against you altogether. i always intended you to come back. do not let us speak of the past again. now, go into the house with the others; mrs. mallock is waiting to speak to you, and jane—"
"jane!" echoed celia, in surprise. "i did not know she was here?"
"yes, she is," joy answered; "she came to wait upon me, like she did at a—, but i don't need her services any longer, i'm glad to say, so she's stopping on as a housemaid. oh, celia, it's good to see you again!"
celia smiled. she thought it was good to see joy, too, though it was a shock to her when she noticed that, though her sister had discarded the crutch she had been obliged to use when she had first begun to move about after the operation, she was still somewhat lame. but joy did not seem to mind that in the least; indeed, as she told celia, it was a wonder that she could walk at all, and she was full of praises of the famous surgeon, who, under god's guidance, had done so much for her.
how the young people talked at the tea-table that evening! indeed the conversation was mostly between them, for mrs. wallis and sir jasper were content to sit quietly listening. joy had so much to tell concerning her experiences in the hospital, of her subsequent removal to the moat house, and of the great kindness everyone had shown to her.
"miss pring used to come and sit with me before i could get about much," she said, "and miss mary—mrs. cole, i mean—has been here nearly every day. oh, eric, the village boys are so looking forward to see you and putty again! do you know they are practising for a match against an eleven from t—? it's to be played on the crumleigh ground, so we must all go and look on, mustn't we, uncle jasper."
"certainly," sir jasper agreed, with astonishing readiness. "how does lulu like it at boarding-school?" he inquired of celia.
"oh, very well, now," was the response. "she did not care for it at all at first, nor did i; we found the discipline so irksome, but we soon grew accustomed to that. lulu is a great favourite with everyone, for she's really very kind-hearted." celia paused a moment in hesitation, then proceeded with a glance at her mother's interested face. "the girls used to laugh at her for being so fond of dress, they nicknamed her 'the duchess,' and, oh, she was so angry! it very rude of them, of course, but girls at school are like that, you know, they don't consider each other's feelings much. well, that was last term. after easter, lulu came back dressed as plainly as anyone in the school."
"bravo!" cried sir jasper, laughingly, whilst eric remarked, with approval in his tone:
"i noticed she was without her usual fal-lals to-day."
after tea they all adjourned to the terrace, where they were joined by wag, now grown a handsome dog.
"poor fellow, he was so disappointed when he found he could not induce me to run about and play with him," joy said, as she fondled the spaniel's soft, silky ears. "i believe he thought all the fun had gone out me. but never was there a greater mistake! you'll have to take him in hand, eric, and give him some long walks, like you did last year."
"i suppose he has grown out of all his mischievous puppy tricks, hasn't he?" celia inquired; then she flushed crimson, remembering the trick he had served her in the rock garden, and was covered with confusion and shame.
"he has sobered down considerably," joy replied.
memory was busy with her, too, and for a minute a shadow crossed her face; but it was gone again almost directly, and she met celia's wistful gaze with her brightest smile.
by-and-bye, sir jasper, mindful of his rheumatism, and fearful on that account of the evening air, went into the house, and eric and his mother strolled away to the rock garden, leaving the sisters alone.
"isn't mother looking well!" joy questioned, and receiving an answer in the affirmative, she continued, "she had a worrying time whilst i was in the hospital, but i think she is very happy now. celia, do you know that uncle jasper means eric to be his heir? yes," as celia gave a violent start of surprise, "he does indeed! he told mother so some time ago; he says eric is a manly, honest lad, and he is very proud of him. and he's going to provide for our futures too. dr. forbes believes i shall be quite strong enough to take up my music again by-and-bye; but just at present he won't allow me to practice much, though i sometimes play a little to uncle jasper—'the last rose of summer,' and the old tunes he loves. oh, celia, why are you looking so sad? are you unhappy?"
"no, no! i am happier than i ever thought i should be again—happier far than i deserve to be. oh, joy, i am thinking of last year, and how i was always trying to curry favour with uncle jasper, and pretending to better in every way than i actually was, all the time i was so discontented really; and then, when i thought i had lost all i had valued most—money, and comfort, and luxuries, i found out that it was none of those things that would make me happy, and i did not mind their loss. and then—"
"yes?" said joy, interrogatively, as her sister paused.
"and then, after the fire," celia continued, "when mother talked to me, and pointed out to me all the mischief i had caused, i was wild with remorse. and when we feared you would never walk again, i thought my heart would break, and i was as wretched as i possibly could be. afterwards, when you were in hospital, before i heard the operation was successful, i felt—oh, dreadful!" she shuddered; then added: "joy, i think i have learnt the secret of happiness now. it is not riches that make one contented, but faith in god."
thus were the sisters one in heart and mind; and long before mrs. wallis and eric finished their stroll in the rock garden they had come to a perfect understanding with each other.
a happy time followed, which the young people spent mostly out-of-doors, enjoying unclouded sunshine of the august days. lulu came to the moat house as had been promised; and lawrence puttenham paid his visit to the vicarage, and, with eric, spent many a pleasant evening in the cricket field. the members of the crumleigh cricket club had become proficient players by this time, and actually won the match against the eleven from t—, when, true to his word, sir jasper amery was present to witness their success.
no one ever made any reference to celia's deceptions of the previous year; and she was intensely relieved and grateful on that account. the consideration and kindness of her relations and friends touched her deeply, and as the sunny days of the long vacation slipped away, she grew happier, and more at her ease with sir jasper, who now appeared to divide his affection more equally between his niece's children, so that it would have been difficult to have said which was his favourite—the outspoken school boy, with his high spirits and somewhat boisterous ways; the pretty, golden-haired girl who flushed with real pleasure if called upon to do him a service; or the little, pale-faced maiden, who, though lame, accepted her affliction with resignation, and possessed one of the happiest faces in the world.
the end.
