somewhatmisty recollection of one of the verses his mother had read to him,running in his head; "but he's quite as fierce, and it says `A littlechild shall lead them.'"
"O Charlie!" exclaimed Lily, when she drew near, "Tom is so good. Ihave been riding on his back up and down the lane ever so long, and dolook what a nice, pretty clean face he has got!"
But Charlie felt so eager to explain to Lily what he knew to be thecause of this extraordinary transformation, that he could not wait tospeak to Tom.
"Come along the lane with me Lily," he said, "I have wonderful things totell you."
So the two trotted off together, Tom smiling after them. A little upthe lane the music of the birds and insects, and flowers, which Charliehad been hearing all the morning, sounded clearer and fuller than ever;and somehow Lily seemed to know of herself, without his telling her, allabout the Millennium having come, even though she was such a littlegirl, only five years old.
"Isn't the music beautiful, Lily? Don't you think it is `Jerusalem theGolden?'"
"_I_ have been thinking all the morning that it was `There is a happyland,'" replied she, "but look, Charlie, at that great white thingcoming along the road." Just where they had got to, the lane ran intothe highway, and looking where Lily pointed, Charlie saw the great whitething she spoke of, moving towards them. As it came nearer they sawthat it was a crowd of children, of all ages and sizes, dressed alike inpure white, which shone in the sun as they marched along. They sang asthey walked, and Charlie thought he heard the words--
"For ever and for ever, Are clad in robes of white."
One little boy, somewhat in advance of the others, as soon as he caughtsight of Charlie and Lily, ran forward to meet them, and Charlie sawthat it was his friend, little Frank Grey, the miller's son.
"O Charlie!" he exclaimed, "are you there already? We were coming tofetch you and Lily. You must come with us."
"Where are you going to?" said Charlie.
"Don't you know?" said Frank. "We are all going to meet the Prince, whois coming this morning to live among us."
"The Prince of Wales, do you mean?" asked Charlie.
"O no!" replied his friend, "a greater Prince than he is. The Prince ofthe Golden City."
"Is that the same as `Jerusalem the Golden,' do you think?"
"I daresay it is," said Frank, "but the Prince has a great many names,each more beautiful than the other. Some call him the `Prince ofPeace.'"
"I know that name," said little Lily, softly, "it is _very_ pretty."
"But," said Charlie, "you are all so beautifully dressed. Lily and Imust run home for our best frocks first."
"O no!" said Frank, "you are just as nicely dressed as we are." AndCharlie looked down at his own clothes and Lily's, and saw to hissurprise that both their dresses were of pure shining white, like thoseof the other children. It puzzled him a good deal, for he felt sure heremembered his nurse putting on his little plaid stuff coat and brownholland pinafore that morning. But a new thought struck him. "Don'tyou think, Frank, I had better run home and tell mother, for fear sheshould not like me to go?"
"O no!" again answered Frank; "she is _sure_ to let you go, for _all_the boys and girls in the country are coming, and we have several moreto call for still; besides the fathers and mothers themselves will soonbe coming after us in another procession, so you will see your motherdirectly."
Quite happy now, Charlie and Lily joined the children, marching all intwos and twos, keeping time to the music they were singing, whichCharlie felt sure was "Jerusalem the Golden," though Lily _would_ sing"Happy Land," for all he could say to her. However, it did not matter,for it seemed to do just as well, and all their voices suitedbeautifully. They went on as happily as could be, not feeling the leasttired, though it was a good way. Charlie was turning to ask Frank somemore questions about the Prince they were going to meet, when he wasstartled by some one calling him from behind, "Charlie! Charlie!" thevoice sounding rather sharply, and seeming to jar against the sweetsinging. He looked round, and there, hastening after him was nurse,with, alas! her _old_ face on, not the pretty new one. She came onquickly, and soon reached him, catching him rather roughly by the arm.Charlie gave a cry of distress, and--woke! to find himself, poor littleboy, in his crib on a dull gloomy winter morning, and nurse shaking hima little, to wake him, and speaking very crossly. It was too much. Sixyears could not bear the terrible contrast, and little Charlie sat up inbed and burst into tears.
"Oh, it's not true, it's not true," he cried, and nurse looked crosserthan before.
"The child's going out of his mind!" exclaimed she, vainly endeavouringto stop his tears. His little heart bursting with sorrow, poor Charliegot slowly out of bed, and sitting down on the floor, shaking with sobsand cold, began to try to put on his socks. But just then a tap came tothe door, and a voice said, "Is that my Charlie crying, first thing on aMonday morning?" And Charlie jumped up and ran, all shaking andshivering, to his nice warm mother, who took him in her arms and carriedhim off just as he was, to dress him in her own room, where there was abeautiful fire; and there poor Charlie told his story. He could nothelp crying again when he came to the end and tried to describe hisbitter disappointment. His mother did not speak, and he began to fearshe was displeased; but when he looked up in her face, and saw tears inher pretty kind eyes, he knew she was not vexed with him.
"My poor dear little boy," she said, and then she comforted him sosweetly that the tears went away. And after breakfast she talked toCharlie again about the Millennium, and explained about it a littlemore, to him. She said he must not be unhappy because his dream was nottrue, for she thought it was a beautiful dream, and there was one way inwhich he might make it true. Little boy though he was, there need be nodelay in his welcoming the Prince of Peace into the country of his ownheart, and year by year devoting himself more and more earnestly to thatblessed service, till in God's own good time he should be one of thehappy dwellers in the "Golden City" above.
So that, after all, Charlie's wonderful dream did not remain the sourceof sorrow and disappointment to him. And I think it was one of thethings that helped him to grow up a good man, for he never forgot it.One special good result it had, I know. It roused an interest in BlackTom, whom every one had feared and hated, and no one had ever tried tolove, which never rested till gradually, and by slow degrees, the poorsmith became a very different being from the fierce man who had been theterror of Charlie's childhood.
Tell Me a Story Page 19
