Elsie's New Relations

by Martha Finley

  CHAPTER XIV.

  "Be sure your sin will find you out." --_Num._ 32:33.

  Gracie and Walter were in the play-room. They had been buildingblock-houses for an hour or more, when Gracie, saying, "I'm tired, Walter,I'm going in yonder to see the things Max and Lulu are making," rose andsauntered into the work-room.

  She watched the busy carvers for some minutes, then went down to Violet'sapartments in search of her.

  She found no one there but Agnes busied in putting away some cleanclothes, fresh from the iron.

  "Where's mamma?" asked the little girl.

  "In de drawin'-room, Miss Gracie. Comp'ny dar."

  "Oh, dear!" sighed Gracie, "I just wanted her to talk to me."

  "'Spect you hab to wait till de comp'ny am gone," returned Agnes, pickingup her empty clothes-basket and leaving the room.

  Gracie wandered disconsolately about the rooms, wishing that the callerswould go and mamma come up. Presently she paused before the bureau inViolet's dressing-room, and began fingering the pretty things on it.

  She was not usually a meddlesome child, but just now was tempted tomischief from the lack of something else to interest and employ her.

  She handled the articles carefully, however, and did them no damage tillshe came to a beautiful cut-glass bottle filled with a costly perfume ofwhich she was extravagantly fond.

  Violet had frequently given her a few drops on her handkerchief withoutbeing asked, and never refused a request for it.

  Gracie, seized with a desire for it, took a clean handkerchief from adrawer and helped herself, saying half aloud, by way of quieting herconscience, "Mamma would give it to me if she was here, she always does,and I'll be careful not to break the bottle."

  She was pouring from it as she spoke. Just at that instant she heard astep in the hall without, and a sound as if a hand was laid on thedoor-knob.

  It so startled her that the bottle slipped from her fingers, and strikingthe bureau as it fell, lay in fragments at her feet; its contents werespilled upon the carpet, and the air of the room was redolent of thedelicious perfume.

  Gracie, naturally a timid child, shrinking from everything like reproof orpunishment, stood aghast at the mischief she had wrought.

  "What will mamma say?" was her first thought. "Oh, I'm afraid she will beso vexed with me that she'll never love me any more!" And the tears camethick and fast, for mamma's love was very sweet to the little feeblechild, who had been so long without a mother's care and tenderness.

  Then arose the wish to hide her fault. Oh, if she could only replace thebottle! but that was quite impossible. Perhaps, though, there might be away found to conceal the fact that she was the author of the mishap; shedid not want to have any one else blamed for her fault, but she would likenot to be suspected of it herself.

  A bright thought struck her. She had seen the cat jump on that bureau afew days before and walk back and forth over it. If she (pussy) had beenleft in the room alone there that afternoon she might have done the samething again, and knocked the bottle off upon the floor.

  It would be no great harm, the little girl reasoned, trying to stifle thewarnings and reproaches of conscience, if she should let pussy take theblame.

  Mamma was kind, and wouldn't have pussy beaten, and pussy's feelingswouldn't be hurt, either, by the suspicion.

  She hurried out in search of the cat, found her in the hall, pounced onher, carried her into the dressing-room, and left her there with all thedoors shut, so that she could not escape, till some one going in wouldfind the bottle broken, and think the cat had done it.

  This accomplished, Gracie went back to the play-room and tried to forgether wrong-doing in the interesting employment of dressing her dolls.

  Lulu presently left her carving and joined her. Max had gone for a ride.

  While chasing the cat Gracie had not perceived a little woolly head thrustout of a door at the farther end of the hall, its keen black eyes closelywatching her movements.

  "He, he, he!" giggled the owner of the head, as Gracie secured pussy andhurried into the dressing-room with her, "wondah what she done dat fer!"

  "What you talkin' 'bout, you sassy niggah?" asked Agnes, coming up behindher on her way to Mrs. Raymond's apartments with another basket of cleanclothes, just as Gracie reappeared and hurried up the stairs to the storyabove."

  "Why, Miss Gracie done come pounce on ole Tab while she paradin' down dehall, and ketch her up an' tote her off into Miss Wilet's dressin'-room,an's lef her dar wid de do' shut on her. What for you s'pose she done dodat?"

  "Oh, go 'long! I don' b'lieve Miss Gracie didn't do no sich ting!"returned Agnes.

  "She did den, I seed her," asserted the little maid positively. "Mebbe sheheerd de mices runnin' 'round an want ole Tab for to ketch 'em."

  "You go 'long and 'tend to yo' wuk. Bet, you lazy niggah," respondedAgnes, pushing past her. "Miss Wilet an Miss Gracie dey'll min' dere ownconsarns widout none o' yo' help."

  The child made no reply, but stole on tiptoe after Agnes.

  Violet was coming up the front stairway, and reached the door of herdressing-room, just in advance of the girl. Opening it she exclaimed atthe powerful perfume which greeted her nostrils, then catching sight ofthe bottle lying in fragments on the floor.

  "Who can have done this?" she asked in a tone of surprise not wholly freefrom displeasure.

  "De cat, mos' likely, Miss Wilet," said Agnes, setting down her basket andglancing at puss who was stretched comfortably on the rug before the fire."I s'pect she's been running ober de bureau, like I see her do, mor'nonce 'fo' dis."

  "She looks very quiet now," remarked Violet, "and if she did the mischiefit was certainly not intentional. But don't leave her shut up here again,Agnes."

  "She didn't do it, Agnes didn't," volunteered Betty, who had stolen inafter them; "it was Miss Gracie, Miss Wilet, I seed her ketch ole Tab outin de hall dere, and put her in hyar, an' shut de do onto her, an' go offup-stairs."

  A suspicion of the truth flashed into Violet's mind; but she put itresolutely from her; she would not believe Gracie capable of slyness anddeceit.

  But she wanted the little girl, and sent Betty up with a message to thateffect, bidding her make haste, and as soon as she had attended to thaterrand, brush up the broken glass and put it in the fire.

  Betty ran nimbly up to the play-room, and putting her head in at the door,said with a grin, "Miss Gracie, yo' ma wants you down in dedressin'-room."

  "What for?" asked Gracie, with a frightened look.

  "Dunno, s'pect you fin' out when you gits dar."

  "Betty, you're a saucy thing," said Lulu.

  "S'pect mebbe I is, Miss Lu," returned the little maid with a broader grinthan before, apparently considering the remark quite complimentary, whileshe held the door open for Gracie to pass out.

  "Miss Gracie," she asked, as she followed Grace down the stairs, "what fo'you shut ole Tab up in de dressin'-room? She's done gone an' broke MissWilet's bottle what hab de stuff dat smell so nice, an' cose Miss Wiletshe don' like dat ar."

  "What makes you say I put her in there, Betty?" said Gracie.

  "Kase I seed you, he, he, he!"

  "Did you?" asked Gracie, looking still more alarmed than at the summons tothe dressing-room. "Don't tell mamma, Betty. I'll give you a penny andhelp you make a frock for your doll if you won't."

  Betty's only answer was a broad grin and a chuckle as she sprang pastGracie and opened the door for her.

  Violet, seated on the farther side of the room, looked up with her usualsweet smile. "See, Gracie dear, I am making a lace collar for you, and Iwant to try it on to see if it fits."

  "Now, Betty, get a dust-pan and brush and sweep up that glass. Don't leavethe least bit of it on the carpet, lest some one should tramp on it andcut her foot."

  "Some one has broken that cut-glass perfume bottle you have always admiredso much, Gracie. Aren't you sorry?"

  "Yes, I am, mamma. I never touch your things when
you're not here."

  The words were out almost before Grace knew she meant to speak them, andshe was terribly frightened and ashamed. She had never thought she wouldbe guilty of telling a lie. She hung her head, her cheeks aflame.

  Violet noted the child's confusion with a sorely troubled heart.

  "No, dear," she said very gently, "I did not suspect you, but if ever youshould meet with an accident, or yield to temptation to do some mischief,I hope you will come and tell me about it at once. You need not fear thatI will be severe with you, for I love you very dearly, little Gracie."

  "Perhaps it was the cat knocked it off the bureau, mamma," said the child,speaking low and hesitatingly. "I've seen her jump up there severaltimes."

  "Yes; so have I, and she must not be left alone in here any more."

  Betty had finished her work and was sent away. Agnes, too, had left theroom, so that Violet and Gracie were quite alone.

  "Come, dear, I am quite ready to try this on." Violet said, holding up thecollar. "There, it fits very nicely," as she put it on the child andgently smoothed it down over her shoulders. "But what is the matter, mydarling?" for tears were trembling on the long silken lashes that sweptGracie's flushed cheeks.

  At the question they began to fall in streams, while the little bosomheaved with sobs. She pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket to wipeher eyes, and a strong whiff of perfume greeted Violet's nostrils, tellinga tale that sent a pang to her heart.

  Gracie was instantly conscious of it, as she, too, smelled the tell-taleperfume, and stole a glance at her young stepmother's face.

  "O mamma!" she sobbed, covering her face with her hands, "I did pour alittle on my handkerchief 'cause I knew you always let me have it, but Ididn't mean to break the bottle; it just slipped out o' my hands and felland broke."

  Violet clasped her in her arms and wept bitterly over her.

  "Mamma, don't cry," sobbed the child, "I'll save up all my money till Ican buy you another bottle, just like that."

  "O Gracie, Gracie, it is not that!" Violet said, when emotion would lether speak. "I valued the bottle as the gift of my dear dead father, but Iwould rather have lost it a hundred times over than have my darling tell alie. It is so wicked, so wicked! God hates lying. He says, 'All liarsshall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone.''He that speaketh lies shall not escape.' He says that Satan is the fatherof lies, and that those who are guilty of lying are the children of thatwicked one.

  "Have you forgotten how God punished Gehazi for lying by making him aleper, and struck Ananias and Sapphira dead for the same sin? O mydarling, my darling, it breaks my heart to think you have both acted andspoken a falsehood!" she cried, clasping the child still closer to herbosom and weeping over her afresh.

  Gracie, too, cried bitterly. "Mamma, mamma," she said, "will God neverforgive me? will He send me to that dreadful place?"

  "He will forgive you if you are truly sorry for your sin because it isdishonoring and displeasing to Him, and if you ask Him to pardon you forJesus' sake; and He will take away the evil nature that leads you tocommit sin, giving you a new and good heart, and take you to heaven whenyou die.

  "But no one can go to heaven who is not first made holy. The Bible bids usfollow 'holiness without which no man shall see the Lord.' And Jesus is aSaviour from sin. 'Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save Hispeople from their sins.' Shall we kneel down now and ask Him to save youfrom yours?"

  "Yes, mamma," sobbed the child.

  Violet's prayer was short and to the point. Then she held Gracie for sometime in her arms, while they mingled their tears together.

  At length, "Gracie dear," she said, "I believe God has heard our prayerand forgiven you. I am sure He has if you are truly sorry in your heartand asked with it, and not only with your lips, for forgiveness; but Iwant you to stay here alone for an hour and think it all over quietly, Imean about your wrongdoing and God's willingness to forgive for Jesus'sake, and that we could not have been forgiven and saved from sin and hellif the dear Saviour had not died for us the cruel death of the cross.

  "Oh, think what a dreadful thing sin must be that it could not be blottedout except by Jesus suffering and dying in our stead! And think how greatwas His love for us, when He was willing to lay down His own life that wemight live!"

  Then with a kiss of tender motherly love, she went out and left the childalone.

  Gracie was sincerely penitent. She had always been taught that lying was adreadful sin, and had never before told a direct falsehood; but while inher former home, Mrs. Scrimp's faulty management, joined to her ownnatural timidity, had tempted her to occasional slyness and deceit, andfrom these the descent to positive untruth was easy.

  Violet's faithful dealing, and even more her evident deep distress becauseof the sin against God of which her darling had been guilty, had soconvinced the child of the heinousness of her conduct that she was sorelydistressed because of it, and on being left alone, knelt down again andpleaded for pardon with many bitter tears and sobs.

  She had risen from her knees and was lying on a couch, still weeping, whenLulu came into the room.

  "Why, Gracie, what is the matter?" she asked, running to the couch andbending over her little sister in tender concern.

  "Don't ask me, Lulu, I don't want to tell you," sobbed Gracie, turningaway her blushing, tear-stained face.

  "Mamma Vi has been scolding or punishing you for some little naughtiness,I suppose," said Lulu, frowning.

  "No, she hasn't!" cried Gracie indignantly; then hastily correctingherself, "except that she said she wanted me to stay here alone for awhile. So you must go and leave me."

  "I won't till you tell me what it was all about. What did you do? or wasit something you didn't do?"

  "I don't want to tell you, 'cause you wouldn't ever do such a wickedthing, and you--you'd despise me if you knew I'd done it," sobbed Gracie.

  "No, I wouldn't. You are better than I am. Papa said I was worse than youand Max both put together. So you needn't mind my knowing."

  "I meddled and broke mamma's pretty bottle that her dead father gave her;but she didn't scold me for that; not a bit; but--but 'cause I tried toput the blame on puss, and--and said I--I never touched her things whenshe wasn't here."

  "O Gracie, that _was_ wicked! to say what wasn't true! I think papa wouldhave whipped you, for I've heard him say if there was anything he wouldpunish severely in one of his children, it was falsehood. But don't cryso. I'm sure you're sorry and won't ever do it again."

  "No, no! never, never! Mamma hugged me up in her arms and cried hard'cause I'd been so wicked. And she asked Jesus to forgive me and make megood, so I shouldn't have to go to that dreadful place. Now go away, Lu,'cause she said I must stay alone."

  "Yes, I will; but stop crying or you'll be sick," Lulu said, kissingGracie, then left the room and went to her own to make herself neat beforegoing down to join the family at tea.

  Her thoughts were busy with Gracie and her trouble while she brushed herhair, washed her hands, and changed her dress. "Poor, little weak thing,she was frightened into it, of course, for it's the very first time sheever told an untruth. I suppose Mamma Vi must have looked very cross aboutthe broken bottle; and she needn't, I'm sure, for she has plenty of moneyto buy more. Such a shame! but I just knew she wouldn't always be kind tous."

  Thus Lulu worked herself up into a passion, quite forgetting, in herunreasonable anger, how very mild was the punishment Violet had decreed toGracie (if indeed it was meant as such at all); so much less severe thanthe one she herself had said their father would have been likely toadminister.

  Max was riding without companion or attendant. He had taken the directionof the village, but not with any thought of going there until, as hereached its outskirts, it occurred to him that he was nearly out of woodfor carving, and that this would be a good opportunity for laying in asupply.

  The only difficulty was that he had not asked leave before starting, andit was well understoo
d that he was not at liberty to goanywhere--visiting or shopping--without permission.

  "How provoking!" he exclaimed half aloud. "I haven't time to go back andask leave, and a long storm may set in before to-morrow, and so my work bestopped for two or three days. I'll just go on, for what's the difference,anyhow? I'm almost there, and I know I'd have got leave if I'd onlythought of asking."

  So on he went, made his purchase, and set off home with it.

  He was rather late: a storm seemed brewing, and as he rode up the avenueViolet was at the window looking out a little anxiously for him.

  Mr. Dinsmore, hearing her relieved exclamation, "Ah, there he is!" came toher side as Max was in the act of dismounting.

  "The boy has evidently been into the town making a purchase," he said."Had he permission from you or any one, Violet?"

  "Not from me, grandpa," she answered with reluctance.

  "Did you give him leave, Elsie?" he asked, turning to his daughter. "Oryou, wife?"

  Both answered in the negative, and with a very stern countenance Mr.Dinsmore went out to the hall to meet the delinquent.

  "Where have you been, Max?" he asked, in no honeyed accents.

  "For a ride, sir," returned the lad respectfully.

  "Not merely for a ride," Mr. Dinsmore said, pointing to the package in theboy's hand; "you did not pick that up by the roadside. Where have youbeen?"

  "I stopped at Turner's just long enough to buy this wood that I shall needfor carving to-morrow. I should have asked leave, but forgot to do so."

  "Then you should have come home and left the errand for another day. Youwere well aware that in going without permission you were breaking rules.You will go immediately to your room and stay there until this timeto-morrow."

  "I think you're very hard on a fellow," muttered Max, flushing withmortification and anger as he turned to obey.

  Lulu, coming down the stairs, had heard and seen it all. She stood stillfor a moment at the foot of the stairway, giving Mr. Dinsmore a look that,had it been a dagger, would have stabbed him to the heart, but which hedid not see; then, just as the tea-bell rang, turned and began the ascentagain.

  "Why are you going back, Lulu? did you not hear the supper bell?" askedMr. Dinsmore.

  "Yes, sir," she answered, facing him again with flashing eyes, "but if mybrother is not to go to the table neither will I."

  "Oh, very well," he said; "you certainly do not deserve a seat there aftersuch a speech as that. Go to your own room and stay there until you findyourself in a more amiable and respectful mood."

  It was exactly what she had intended to do, but because he ordered it, itinstantly became the thing she did not want to do.

  However, she went into her room, and closing the door after her, not toogently, said aloud with a stamp of her foot, "Hateful old tyrant!" thenwalked on into Violet's dressing-room, where her sister still was.

  Gracie had lain down upon a sofa and wept herself to sleep, but the supperbell had waked her, and she was crying again. Catching sight of Lulu'sflushed, angry face, she asked what was the matter.

  "I wish we could go away from these people and never, never come backagain!" cried Lulu in her vehement way.

  "I don't," said Gracie. "I love mamma and Grandma Elsie, and Grandma Rose,and Grandpa Dinsmore, too, and----"

  "I hate him! I'd like to beat him! the old tyrant!" interrupted Lulu, in aburst of passion.

  "O Lu! I'm sure he's been kind to us; they're all kind to us when we'regood," expostulated Grace. "But what has happened to make you so angry,and why aren't you eating your supper with the rest?"

  "Do you think I'd go and sit at the table with them when they won't haveyou and Max there, too?"

  "What about Max? did he do something wrong, too?"

  "No; it wasn't anything wicked; he just bought some wood for his carvingwith some of his own money."

  "But maybe he went without leave?" Gracie said, half inquiringly.

  "Yes, that was it; he forgot to ask. A very little thing to punish himfor, I'm sure; but Mr. Dinsmore (I sha'n't call him grandpa) says he muststay in his own room till this time to-morrow."

  "Why," said Gracie, "that's worse than mamma's punishment to me for--fordoing such a wicked, wicked thing!"

  "Yes, she's not such a cruel tyrant. He'd have beaten you black and blue.I hope she won't tell him about it."

  A terrified look came into Gracie's eyes, and she burst out crying again.

  "O Gracie, don't!" Lulu entreated, kneeling down beside the sofa andclasping her arms about her. "I didn't mean to frighten you so. Ofcourse, Mamma Vi won't; if she meant to she'd have done it before now, andyou'd have heard from him, too."

  A step came along the hall, the door opened, and Agnes appeared bearing alarge silver waiter.

  "Ise brung yo' suppah, chillens," she said, setting it down on a table.

  Then lifting a stand and placing it near Gracie's couch, she presently hadit covered with a snowy cloth and a dainty little meal arranged upon it:broiled chicken, stewed oysters, delicate rolls, hot buttered muffins andwaffles, canned peaches with sugar and rich cream, sponge cake, nice andfresh, and abundance of rich sweet milk.

  The little girls viewed these dainties with great satisfaction, andsuddenly discovered that they were very hungry.

  Agnes set up a chair for each, saw them begin their meal, then left theroom, saying she would be back again directly with more hot cakes.

  "There, Gracie, you needn't be the least bit afraid you're to be punishedany more," remarked Lulu. "They'd never have sent us such a supper as thisif they wanted to punish us."

  "Do you want to run away from them now?" asked Gracie. "Do you thinkGrandpa Dinsmore is so very, very cross to us?"

  "He's too hard on Max," returned Lulu, "though not so hard as he used tobe on Grandma Elsie when she was his own little girl; and perhaps papawould be just as hard as he is with Max."

  "But 'tisn't 'cause they like to make us sorry, except for being naughty,so that we'll grow up good, you know," said Grace. "I'm sure our dear papaloves us, every one, and wouldn't ever make us sorry except just to makeus good. And you know we can't be happy here, or go to heaven when we die,if we're not good."

  "Yes, I know," said Lulu; "I'm not a bit happy when I'm angry andstubborn, but for all that I can't help it."