Frederica and her Guardians; Or, The Perils of OrphanhoodRobertson, Margaret M. (Margaret Murray)
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Frederica and her Guardians; Or, The Perils of Orphanhood
Robertson, Margaret M. (Margaret Murray)
Orphans -- Fiction
"A bonny bit wilful creature she was," said Mistress Campbell, "very
wilful whiles. But it was just a pleasure to see her for all that.
Many a good advice I had occasion to give her at one time and another,
but she did me more good than ever I did to her, I think. She is one of
His little lambs, as you are yourself doubtless, and none shall pluck
you out of His hand. You are ay safe with Him, but still it is a grand
thing to have a brother and sister like those you have found to trust
to, and to be obedient to. You'll ay mind that, Miss Frederica, my
dear, when you are far away."
"I shall never be wilful or disobedient any more, Mistress Campbell,"
said Fred gravely, quite believing it.
Mistress Campbell nodded her head a good many times.
"You are in God's keeping, my bairn. That's ay a comfort. But walk
softly, my lammie, when your light heart comes back again. And mind the
rest will ay look to you for an example, and so on." Mistress Campbell
had "many an advice" to give still, and Frederica received them more
meekly than she used sometimes to do in the old times.
"And though I never see you more on earth, we'll meet in a better place,
my bonny bairns, and God go with you wherever you go," said the old
woman, kissing them when they were ready to go away. "And there is
nothing to grieve about, though it is the last time."
Nothing to grieve about. It could not be long that the kind old woman
would have to stay in her garret, and there were no partings where she
was going to dwell.
After that they spent a day with their sister Caroline and her little
children, and this was the saddest parting of all. But even this was
not so very sad, for they were coming back again by-and-by to their home
and their friends, and the graves of their father and mother, and there
was no bitterness in the tears they shed when the day of departure came.
The summer was quite over by that time. The sun of a bright still
autumn day was near its setting as they stood on the deck of the steamer
to take their last look of the city, and of the mountain which makes so
grand a background to the view. Grand indeed it was that night, for the
frost spirit had breathed on the unfallen leaves, and changed their
summer green to colours wonderful for glory and beauty, and few words
were spoken for a good while as they gazed.
"Tell me about it," said Selina softly.
So one told her about the bright clouds in the west, and the mountain
growing dim already in the distance, and another told of the gleaming
city roofs and spires; and the great cathedral towers looking down upon
them all, and little Hubert told her of the long shaft of light that the
sun sent over the water, and of the white sails that were passing out of
sight.
"Which of us all is so happy as she?" said Cecilia softly, as she
watched the smile of sweet content on the blind girl's listening face.
"But please God, when she comes home again, she shall see it all," said
her brother. And so she did.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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