These were almost the only words Lucy could hear for the sobs of the
poor child. Hence she could only guess at the cause of her grief, and
her advice must be general.
"If you have done wrong to Poppie, or any one, you must go and tell her
so, and try to make up for it."
"Yes, I will, for I can't bear it," answered Mattie, beginning to
recover herself. "Think of doing the very same as the one I was so
angry with when mother read the story! I couldn't bear to see Poppie
in my place in mother's shop, and I was angry, and wouldn't go in. But
I'll go now, as soon as I get my poor eyes dried."
Lucy was not able to say much to her, and Mattie was so taken up with
her own repentance that she did not see that Lucy was in trouble, too.
In a few minutes the child announced her intention of going to Mr.
Spelt at once, and left Lucy to her own thoughts. I will first tell how
Mattie finished her repentance, and then return to Lucy.
She walked right under Mr. Spelt's door, and called aloud, but with a
wavering voice:
"Mother, take me up directly. I'm very sorry."
Over the threshold came a pair of arms, and Mattie was hoisted into the
heaven of her repentant desire. As soon as she was in it she crawled
on her hands and knees--even she could scarcely have stood in the
place--toward Poppie.
"How do you do, prodigal?" she said, putting her arms round the
bewildered Poppie, who had no more idea of what she meant than a child
born in heaven would have had. "I'm very glad to see you home again.
Put on this ring, and we'll both be good children to mother there."
So saying, she took a penny ring, with a bit of red and two bits of
green glass in it, from her finger, and put it upon Poppie's, who
submitted speechless, but was pleased with the glitter of the toy. She
did not kiss in return, though: Poppie liked to be kissed, but she had
not learned to kiss yet.
"Mother," Mattie went on, "I was behaving like--like--like--a wicked
Pharisee and Sadducee. I beg your pardon, mother. I will be good. May I
sit in the corner by the door?" "I think," answered the little tailor,
greatly moved, and believing in the wind that bloweth where it listeth
more than ever he had believed before--"I think if I were to move a
little, you could sit in the corner by the window, and then you would
see into the court better. Only," he said, as he drew his work about
his new position, "you must not lean much against the sash, for it is
not very sound, and you might tumble in the court, you know."
So Mattie and Poppie sat side by side, and the heart of the tailor had
a foretaste of heaven.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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