Women -- Fiction; World War, 1914-1918 -- England -- Fiction
’To-morrow’s Monday, Mrs Stout
Says she must put the washing out.
Why can’t she save my scanty tin
And try and keep the washing in?
The next day’s Tuesday, what a pest.
Why can’t the devil let me rest?’
’That will do,’ said Aunt Amelia, and rang the bell for her maid. ’Take
the child away, and perhaps you could teach her a hymn, Keziah.’
’Yes, my lady,’ said Keziah.
Then I tried to tell my aunt a little about my journey. ’I was so ill,’
I said, ’the sea was simply awful.’
’Don’t say "awful," Margaret, there’s nothing awful but being in hell.’
I felt the conversation languishing. I asked if there was any news. It
seemed safer to let my Aunt do all the talking, besides ’my prickles’
were _all_ out.
’I suppose,’ she said, ’you’ve heard about your cousin, Eustace?’
’No,’ I replied. ’Aunt Constance said she was in trouble, but she
couldn’t tell me why just then. What is it?’
’I expect she’s ashamed,’ said Aunt Amelia acidly. It’s all her fault.
Your Uncle Jasper knows the truth, at least he ought to,’ but as I could
not hear a word against those two beloveds, I said again,—
’Tell me about Eustace.’
’Monastery,’ she said. ’Monks got hold of him and he has finally
decided. I’m sorry for your uncle; there’ll be no heir now, but it
serves him right. He knows the truth and hasn’t followed it. I look
upon it as a judgment on him. Your aunt’s persuaded him to let the new
vicar—"priest," she calls him—put flowers in your father’s old church.
Candles will come next, of course; it’s only the thin end of the wedge.
And then your Aunt Constance talks about "union," but does she think
that I would ever unite with people who have flowers and candles?’
’But,’ I put in, ’father always said you needn’t unite about the flowers
and candles, but just in your mutual love of God.’
’Your father was always too charitable, but he’s "one of the right
sort," and I don’t know what he’ll say when he gets my last letter.’
I thought to myself he’ll say, ’What a pearl you are, Amelia,’ or else
he’ll lose his temper. Darling daddy! He’d die for the faith that is
in him, but he regards his Lord’s ’Judge not’ as a command, consequently
it is really rather pleasant to live with him.
’I think,’ I remarked, getting up, ’I must go now,’ so she rang for the
Gidger.
’Well, and have you learned a hymn, child?’
’She’s learnt four lines, m’lady,’ said Keziah. ’She isn’t very quick.
Say them, miss.’
So the Gidger folded two small hands, shut her eyes in accordance with
instructions in a way that set my teeth on edge, and chanted,—
’Go bury thy sorrow,
The world hath its share.
Go bury it deeply,
Go hide it with care.’
But anything less like a person with a sorrow that needed burial was the
radiant Gidger when she opened her eyes.
’Very nice,’ said Aunt Amelia, ’very suitable to these solemn times.’
’Yes, m’lady,’ said Keziah.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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