Rainbow Valley
Page 31
CHAPTER XXXI. CARL DOES PENANCE
"I don't see why we should be punished at all," said Faith, rathersulkily. "We didn't do anything wrong. We couldn't help beingfrightened. And it won't do father any harm. It was just an accident."
"You were cowards," said Jerry with judicial scorn, "and you gave way toyour cowardice. That is why you should be punished. Everybody will laughat you about this, and that is a disgrace to the family."
"If you knew how awful the whole thing was," said Faith with a shiver,"you would think we had been punished enough already. I wouldn't gothrough it again for anything in the whole world."
"I believe you'd have run yourself if you'd been there," muttered Carl.
"From an old woman in a cotton sheet," mocked Jerry. "Ho, ho, ho!"
"It didn't look a bit like an old woman," cried Faith. "It was just agreat, big, white thing crawling about in the grass just as Mary Vancesaid Henry Warren did. It's all very fine for you to laugh, JerryMeredith, but you'd have laughed on the other side of your mouth ifyou'd been there. And how are we to be punished? _I_ don't think it'sfair, but let's know what we have to do, Judge Meredith!"
"The way I look at it," said Jerry, frowning, "is that Carl was the mostto blame. He bolted first, as I understand it. Besides, he was a boy,so he should have stood his ground to protect you girls, whatever thedanger was. You know that, Carl, don't you?"
"I s'pose so," growled Carl shamefacedly.
"Very well. This is to be your punishment. To-night you'll sit onMr. Hezekiah Pollock's tombstone in the graveyard alone, until twelveo'clock."
Carl gave a little shudder. The graveyard was not so very far from theold Bailey garden. It would be a trying ordeal, but Carl was anxious towipe out his disgrace and prove that he was not a coward after all.
"All right," he said sturdily. "But how'll I know when it is twelve?"
"The study windows are open and you'll hear the clock striking. Andmind you that you are not to budge out of that graveyard until the laststroke. As for you girls, you've got to go without jam at supper for aweek."
Faith and Una looked rather blank. They were inclined to think that evenCarl's comparatively short though sharp agony was lighter punishmentthan this long drawn-out ordeal. A whole week of soggy bread withoutthe saving grace of jam! But no shirking was permitted in the club. Thegirls accepted their lot with such philosophy as they could summon up.
That night they all went to bed at nine, except Carl, who was alreadykeeping vigil on the tombstone. Una slipped in to bid him good night.Her tender heart was wrung with sympathy.
"Oh, Carl, are you much scared?" she whispered.
"Not a bit," said Carl airily.
"I won't sleep a wink till after twelve," said Una. "If you get lonesomejust look up at our window and remember that I'm inside, awake, andthinking about you. That will be a little company, won't it?"
"I'll be all right. Don't you worry about me," said Carl.
But in spite of his dauntless words Carl was a pretty lonely boy whenthe lights went out in the manse. He had hoped his father would be inthe study as he so often was. He would not feel alone then. But thatnight Mr. Meredith had been summoned to the fishing village at theharbour mouth to see a dying man. He would not likely be back untilafter midnight. Carl must dree his weird alone.
A Glen man went past carrying a lantern. The mysterious shadows causedby the lantern-light went hurtling madly over the graveyard like a danceof demons or witches. Then they passed and darkness fell again. One byone the lights in the Glen went out. It was a very dark night, with acloudy sky, and a raw east wind that was cold in spite of the calendar.Far away on the horizon was the low dim lustre of the Charlottetownlights. The wind wailed and sighed in the old fir-trees. Mr. Alec Davis'tall monument gleamed whitely through the gloom. The willow beside ittossed long, writhing arms spectrally. At times, the gyrations of itsboughs made it seem as if the monument were moving, too.
Carl curled himself up on the tombstone with his legs tucked under him.It wasn't precisely pleasant to hang them over the edge of the stone.Just suppose--just suppose--bony hands should reach up out of Mr.Pollock's grave under it and clutch him by the ankles. That had been oneof Mary Vance's cheerful speculations one time when they had all beensitting there. It returned to haunt Carl now. He didn't believe thosethings; he didn't even really believe in Henry Warren's ghost. As forMr. Pollock, he had been dead sixty years, so it wasn't likely he caredwho sat on his tombstone now. But there is something very strange andterrible in being awake when all the rest of the world is asleep. Youare alone then with nothing but your own feeble personality to pitagainst the mighty principalities and powers of darkness. Carl was onlyten and the dead were all around him--and he wished, oh, he wished thatthe clock would strike twelve. Would it NEVER strike twelve? Surely AuntMartha must have forgotten to wind it.
And then it struck eleven--only eleven! He must stay yet another hour inthat grim place. If only there were a few friendly stars to be seen! Thedarkness was so thick it seemed to press against his face. There wasa sound as of stealthy passing footsteps all over the graveyard. Carlshivered, partly with prickling terror, partly with real cold.
Then it began to rain--a chill, penetrating drizzle. Carl's thin littlecotton blouse and shirt were soon wet through. He felt chilled to thebone. He forgot mental terrors in his physical discomfort. But he muststay there till twelve--he was punishing himself and he was on hishonour. Nothing had been said about rain--but it did not make anydifference. When the study clock finally struck twelve a drenched littlefigure crept stiffly down off Mr. Pollock's tombstone, made its way intothe manse and upstairs to bed. Carl's teeth were chattering. He thoughthe would never get warm again.
He was warm enough when morning came. Jerry gave one startled look athis crimson face and then rushed to call his father. Mr. Meredith camehurriedly, his own face ivory white from the pallor of his long nightvigil by a death bed. He had not got home until daylight. He bent overhis little lad anxiously.
"Carl, are you sick?" he said.
"That--tombstone--over here," said Carl, "it's--moving--about--it'scoming--at--me--keep it--away--please."
Mr. Meredith rushed to the telephone. In ten minutes Dr. Blythe wasat the manse. Half an hour later a wire was sent to town for a trainednurse, and all the Glen knew that Carl Meredith was very ill withpneumonia and that Dr. Blythe had been seen to shake his head.
Gilbert shook his head more than once in the fortnight that followed.Carl developed double pneumonia. There was one night when Mr. Meredithpaced his study floor, and Faith and Una huddled in their bedroom andcried, and Jerry, wild with remorse, refused to budge from the floor ofthe hall outside Carl's door. Dr. Blythe and the nurse never left thebedside. They fought death gallantly until the red dawn and they wonthe victory. Carl rallied and passed the crisis in safety. The news wasphoned about the waiting Glen and people found out how much they reallyloved their minister and his children.
"I haven't had one decent night's sleep since I heard the child wassick," Miss Cornelia told Anne, "and Mary Vance has cried until thosequeer eyes of hers looked like burnt holes in a blanket. Is it true thatCarl got pneumonia from straying out in the graveyard that wet night fora dare?"
"No. He was staying there to punish himself for cowardice in that affairof the Warren ghost. It seems they have a club for bringing themselvesup, and they punish themselves when they do wrong. Jerry told Mr.Meredith all about it."
"The poor little souls," said Miss Cornelia.
Carl got better rapidly, for the congregation took enough nourishingthings to the manse to furnish forth a hospital. Norman Douglas droveup every evening with a dozen fresh eggs and a jar of Jersey cream.Sometimes he stayed an hour and bellowed arguments on predestinationwith Mr. Meredith in the study; oftener he drove on up to the hill thatoverlooked the Glen.
When Carl was able to go again to Rainbow Valley they had a specialfeast in his honour and the doctor came down and helped them with thefirework
s. Mary Vance was there, too, but she did not tell any ghoststories. Miss Cornelia had given her a talking on that subject whichMary would not forget in a hurry.