Left to Ourselves; or, John Headley's Promise.Shaw, Catharine
General
Left to Ourselves; or, John Headley's Promise.
Shaw, Catharine
Christian life -- Juvenile fiction; Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction; Siblings -- Juvenile fiction
"Don't you think it does, Jane?" said Minnie soberly. "Look there, and
there; but it's all over."
"I shouldn't wonder," said Jane.
"Then do you mean to do it?" asked Minnie.
For answer Jane went down on her knees and began to scrub, while Agnes
led the way into the box-room, the children following to see what she
was going to do.
She drew out the roll of carpet which Hugh had fixed his eyes on the day
before, and they carried it to the landing and spread it open under the
skylight.
Agnes selected what she wanted for her purpose, and told Alice to roll
the other up again. Then she produced from her pocket a skein of thread
and two large needles, and handing one to Alice, she proceeded to thread
her own.
"What am I to do?" asked Alice.
"Sew up that bit of seam that is ripped."
Alice sat down on the ground, and after some difficulty succeeded in
reducing a rent of a quarter of a yard to a pretty respectable seam.
"Well done!" said Agnes. "Now let us have another look. Oh, yes, there
is a place torn! and while I do it will you two go round again for my
frame? The room will be dry, and we can do the final touches all
together."
There could be no objection to this, and the children hastened away just
as Jane came out with her pail and brushes. "It's all done, miss," she
said.
"Then, when they return, will you come up again, Jane? I shall not want
you till then."
They all ran down, and left Agnes alone. She finished the carpet, and
then went into the box-room and looked round.
"Oh, Master John," she said, half aloud, "of course you were not going
to give me anything to do; but just look here! However," she added,
smiling to herself, "perhaps _this_ was Hugh!"
So patiently she set herself to make the best of it. She folded, and
sorted, and pinned up in bundles, and had nearly finished tidying the
great heap, when the children came hurrying back, bearing in their arms
a nice Oxford frame, through the glass of which shone out what was to be
John's life-text, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?"
"Oh, Agnes," said Minnie, "did you buy it with your very own money?"
"Don't you like it?" answered Agnes.
"I wish _I_ had one," said Alice wistfully.
"If you will paint one for yourself I'll have it framed," promised
Agnes.
Then up came Jane, and once more they set to work.
Agnes found a piece of red valance for the top of the window, and got
out two clean toilet-covers, and they laid the carpet down, hung the
frame on the wall, and Alice dusted the mantelshelf. Then they paused
and looked round.
"It is lovely!" said Minnie. "I wish it were _my_ room."
"So does everybody," said Alice. "Is it really finished, Agnes?"
"I think so. Now as we still have half-an-hour, let us go and see what
can be done for poor old Hugh. His room looks rather forlorn as it is."
"So it does," said Minnie; "and the place where John's bed stood is all
bare."
"He wants a table _dreadfully_," said Alice, "now John's is gone."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account