What She Could, Page 4

  CHAPTER IV.

  "What is all this hurry about?" Clarissa inquired one evening, as theywere going down-stairs in answer to the tea-bell; "why are we earlierthan usual? Anne says we are."

  "Oh, because it is prayer-meeting night--no, not prayer meeting, itisn't either, but our Band-meeting; and we have to be early for that,you know. Oh, you don't know anything about our Band; but you will,to-night. You'll join it, won't you, Clarissa?"

  "I know something about Bands," said Clarissa; "but I never belonged toone. Is it the custom here for ladies to do such things?"

  "What things? And do you know about bands? like ours?"

  "I daresay I shall find I have something to learn," said Clarissa.

  "There is a great deal to learn from Mr. Richmond, I can tell you,"said Maria. "Oh, you don't know Mr. Richmond, you haven't seen him,because Sunday was so stormy. Well, you'll see him to-night."

  "Aunt Englefield," said Clarissa, when they were seated at thetea-table,--"is your Mr. Richmond Band-master as well as clergyman?"

  "Bands are a mystery to me, Clarissa," said Mrs. Englefield; "I do notunderstand Maria when she gets upon that subject. I hope you will beable to enlighten me some time. Are you going to-night?--well, then, Ishall hope to be wiser when you return."

  Tea was hurried through, cloaks and furs and hoods and all sorts ofwrappings were put on; and the party set forth, Anne and Letitia thistime going along. It was pleasanter out than in. White streets andclear starlight, and still, cold, fine air. About the corner a few menand boys were congregated as usual; after passing them and turning intothe other street, few passengers were to be seen. Here and there one,or a group, making for the lecture-room; here and there somebodyseeking a friend's house for pleasure; nobody was out on business atShadywalk in the evening, and no waggons or sleighs got belated in thedarkness. It would have been very dark, but for the snow and the stars.There were no shop-windows illuminated, and no lamps along the streetand no gas anywhere. Past the shut-up houses and stores, in the dim,snowy street, the little cluster of girls went swiftly on.

  "You are in a great hurry," said Clarissa.

  "Oh, we want to get there before anything begins," Maria said. "Andit's cold, besides!"

  "What church is this we are passing?"

  "Oh, this is our church. You haven't seen it. It is real nice inside."

  "Not outside?" said Clarissa. "Well, I cannot see it in this light. Andis that next place the one we are going to?"

  "Yes, that's our lecture-room. That's _very_ nice."

  So it was. Pleasant light from withinside streamed warm through thehanging window-blinds of the long windows, and promised welcome beforethey got in. At the door, under the projecting hood, a lamp shonebright upon the entrance steps. People were flocking in. The openingdoor let them into a cheerful room, not large, with long rows of seatson either hand of a wide, matted aisle; the view closed by a littledesk at the farther end on a raised platform. Right and left of thedesk, two small transepts did somewhat to enlarge the accommodations ofthe place, which had a cosy, home look, comfortable and bright.

  "Where do those doors lead to?" Clarissa whispered;--"behind the desk?"

  "Oh, those open to the infant class room. Isn't it nice?" Mariaanswered.

  "It is small," said Clarissa.

  "It is large enough, though. _We_ shall not fill it to-night."

  And they did not. There was only a little company gathered, of variousages. Some quite grown people; many who were younger. They had drawntowards the upper end of the room, and clustered near the platform.

  "There is Mr. Richmond," Maria whispered presently; "do you see him? heis up there near the desk talking to Mr. Barker,--Mr. Barker is one ofour teachers, but he has got nothing to do with the Band. That is Mrs.Trembleton, isn't she pretty?--sitting down there in front; she alwayssits just there, if she can, and I have seen her ever so put out if shecouldn't when somebody else had got it, you know. And there"----

  "But, Maria," whispered Clarissa, gravely, "do you think it is quiteproper to whisper so in church?"

  "This isn't church!" Maria replied, with great readiness.

  "What then?"

  "Why, it is only our Sunday-Schoolroom; and this is a Band meeting."

  "It looks very like church to me," said Clarissa. "Hush! don't whisperany more."

  For the minister now took his stand at the little desk beforementioned; and even Maria was quiet enough during the prayer with whichhe began the proceedings. But then Mr. Richmond came in front of thedesk, and began to speak seriously indeed, but with an easy simplicitywhich Clarissa thought was "not like church."

  "It may not be known to everybody present," Mr. Richmond began,"exactly what was done at our last meeting here Thursday night. I wishit to be very well understood, that every one may join with us in theaction we took, intelligently;--or keep away from it, intelligently. Iwish it to be thoroughly understood. We simply pledged ourselves, someof us who were here Thursday night, to live and work for Christ to thebest and the utmost of our ability, as He would give us grace to do. Wepledged ourselves to each other and to our Master; to the end that wemight the better help each other, being so pledged; and that we mightenter into some system and plan of work by which we might accomplishmuch more than we could hope to do without plan or system. I have alist in my hand of various kinds of work which it may be well for us toattempt; some kinds will suit some people, and other kinds will suitother people; but before we go into a consideration of these, I willread something else to you. We must do this thing--we must enter intothis pledge to God and each other, those of us who enter intoit,--knowing exactly what we do, and if possible, why we do it. I havedrawn up in a few words what we mean, or what we ought to mean, ingiving this pledge; and now I am going to read it to you; and after Ihave read it I shall ask all of you who have heard it and agreed to it,to rise up, without any regard to the question whether you were amongthose who rose last Thursday or not. I wish no one to stand who doesnot fully and intelligently agree to every word of this covenant;--butI hope that will be the case with every one of you all. The childrencan understand it as well as the grown people. This is the covenant:--

  "'We are the servants of Christ.

  "'And as He died for all, that they which live should not live untothemselves but unto Him; so we do not count ourselves to belong toourselves. We are the Lord's.

  "'We want to do all we can do, that would please Him and honour Him,whether it be in our own hearts or in the world.

  "'So we stand ready to do His will; in telling the good news to others;in showing how precious we hold it; in carrying help of every sort toour neighbour, upon every opportunity; walking as children of theLight; if by any means we may advance our Lord's kingdom and glory.

  "'And all this we will try to do, by His help,--trusting in His graceand resting in His promises, whose word cannot fail.'

  "Now," said Mr. Richmond, when he had read this, which he read veryslowly and deliberately, as if he wished that every one should weighevery word, "I am going to ask you to rise and so declare youragreement with this covenant--all of you who have heard and understoodit, and who are ready to pledge yourselves to its responsibilities.Every one whose own mind and wish this covenant expresses will pleaserise."

  The little stir which this request occasioned through the room, leftfew of the assembly in their seats. Maria, as soon as she was upon herfeet, looked to see how it was with her companions. To her greatsatisfaction, Clarissa was standing beside her; but Anne and Letitiawere sitting in their places, and so was Matilda in hers beyond them.Maria frowned and nodded at her, but Mr. Richmond had desired thepeople to sit down again before these signs could take any effect.

  "It is as I hoped," Mr. Richmond said in a satisfied voice. "I have noalteration to make in my lists, beyond the addition of one or two newnames; and that sort of alteration I shall be glad to make wheneverpeople will let me. I will receive new names at any time, of those whowish to join our Band--our Working Band
. I do not know what we shallcall ourselves; but one thing is certain, we mean to be a workingpeople. Now, suppose we see what kinds of work we are prepared toundertake--each one of us in particular. Of course, we are _all_ to do_all_ we can, and of _all_ kinds; but there are some kinds of work thateach one can do better than he can do others; and to those particularlines of effort each one will pledge himself to give special attention.

  "The first thing on my list is--

  "'_Bringing new scholars to the school_. Who will take this as hisspecial work? Observe, it is not meant that you should ask any childrento come to our school who are already members of some other school. Wedo not wish that. But who will undertake to look out and bring in someof the children that go nowhere? All who want to do this, raise yourhands."

  There was a show of hands.

  "We must have a secretary," said Mr. Richmond. "Mr. Van Dyke, here ispaper and ink; will you kindly come and write for us? We want to putdown all the names that enlist in this department of work. This isNumber One. Put down, opposite to Number One, Mattie Van Dyke, WillieEdwards, Mary Edwards, Maria Englefield."

  Mr. Richmond went on giving the names until some eight or ten wereregistered. The children looked delighted. It was great doings.

  The next thing on Mr. Richmond's list was the "_School-singing_." Heexplained that he wished the special attention of those who could giveit to this matter; that they should always stand ready to help thesinging in the Sunday-School, and make it just as good as it could be,and keep it good; that they should not wait for others, if there was noone to lead, but start the hymn themselves and carry it through withspirit.

  There were not so many that pledged themselves to this work; but, asbefore, Maria was one.

  The third thing, was "_Welcoming strangers and new scholars_" in thechurch and in the school. Here a breeze sprung up. Mr. Richmond hadremarked upon the great importance of this duty and the common neglectof it; nevertheless there seemed to be some prospect that the neglectwould continue. Mrs. Trembleton asked, "How were such strangers to bewelcomed?"

  "What would you like yourself, Mrs. Trembleton? Suppose you were to goto a strange church, where you knew nobody. Would it be pleasant tohave some one come up and take your hand and say you were welcome? andgive you a greeting when you met in the street?--perhaps come to seeyou?"

  "I think," said Mrs. Trembleton, after a pause, "it would depend a gooddeal on who it was did it!"

  "Whether it would be pleasant?" said Mr. Richmond, smiling. "But you donot doubt that it would be pleasant to any stranger to have _you_ comeup and speak and shake hands, and do such offices of kindness?"

  "It might be pleasant to them," said Mrs. Trembleton. "I don't think Ishould like to do it to everybody."

  "What do you say, Miss Benyon?" Mr. Richmond asked.

  "Oh, I couldn't, Mr. Richmond!" the young lady answered, shrinking.

  "I'll do it," spoke out one of the boys.

  "George Lockwood will welcome strangers, Mr. Van Dyke," said theminister. "And Willie Edwards holds up his hand,--and Ben Barth. Butshall we have none but the boys to do the welcoming? The new scholarswill not be all boys. Ah! there is Miss Peach; Ellen Peach, Mr. VanDyke;--and Maria Englefield,--and Sarah Bent."

  "Won't it make confusion in the school?" Mr. Van Dyke suggested.

  "Will not what make confusion?"

  "Why, if half-a-dozen scholars are jumping up and leaving theirclasses, to receive somebody who is coming in?"

  "I did not say that they should choose lesson time--or school time atall--for their kind civilities. After school is over--or when meetingin the street--or going into church. Opportunities will presentthemselves. It is rather the will that seems to be wanting than theway."

  "It seems to me," spoke out another lady, "this welcoming of strangersis everybody's business."

  "Proverbially nobody's business, Miss Fitch," Mr. Richmond answeredwith a smile. "You will leave it for me to do; and I shall concludethat Mrs. Trembleton will attend to it; Mrs. Trembleton does not likethe charge;--and there we are. Esther, what do you say?"

  "Oh, I should not like to do it, Mr. Richmond!"

  Nobody seemed to like to do it. Some were shy; some were humble, orthought they were; some fancied themselves of too little consequence;some of too much! Mr. Richmond went on to the next thing, which was"_Temperance Work_." Here there was no want of volunteers. Boys andgirls and young ladies, and even men, were ready to pledge themselvesto this cause. The names were many. It took some time to get them alldown.

  Then came what Mr. Richmond's list called "_Aid and Comfort;_" andwhich he explained to mean, the giving of all sorts of material andsocial aid that the cases of sick and poor and distressed might callfor. Anybody who would visit such cases, and provide or procure whatthey needed, or anybody unable to visit who would furnish the necessarysupplies if called upon, might be enrolled on this committee. Plenty ofpeople were ready for this.

  "_Visiting absent scholars_" found quite a number willing to engage init. The cause of "_Missionary Collections_" and "_Sunday-Schoolprayer-meetings_" found but few; evidently those were not popularobjects. "_Promoting attendance upon church_" did not meet with muchfavour. The tenth department of work was "_Carrying the Message_". ThisMr. Richmond explained to mean, the telling the good news of Christ toall who have not heard or who do not accept it; to everybody we canreach, at home and abroad, wherever we may. There were not a few whowere ready to pledge themselves to this; as also to "_Bible Reading_"in houses where sickness or poverty or ignorance made such workdesirable. But "_Tract Distributing_," which one would have thought avery kindred effort with the two last, was much more cautiouslyundertaken. Some boys were ready for it; a few girls; very few grown uppeople of either sex.

  The young people of Mrs. Englefield's family walked home more silentlythan they had come. To be sure, there was a little throng of personsgoing their way; they could not speak in private. So under the still,bright stars, they went home without telling any of their thoughts toeach other. But perhaps the air was chilly after coming out of theheated lecture-room; for they all poured into the parlour to get warm,before going up-stairs to take off their things.

  "Well, you are late," Mrs. Englefield said.

  "Yes; but we had, oh, such a nice meeting!" Maria answered.

  "What was it all about? Now, I hope, we shall get at some light on thesubject."

  But the light was not in a hurry to come. Anne and Letitia loosenedtheir bonnet strings, and sat down; Maria and Matilda threw off theircloaks and hoods and sought the fire; nobody volunteered to bespokesman for the party.

  "What was done, Clarissa?" her mother asked.

  "I can hardly tell, mamma. A sort of association formed, for doingparish work."

  "I do not think much of associations," Mrs. Candy said. "People canwork just as well in private, if they would only be content. Did _you_join this association?"

  "What is _parish work_, Clarissa?" Matilda asked.

  "Why, work in the parish, of course," Mrs. Englefield answered.

  "I don't know what the parish is, mamma?"

  "Don't you? Well,--all the people that Mr. Richmond has the care of, Isuppose; isn't it, sister?"

  "But who has he the care of?" Matilda persisted, looking up at hermother earnestly.

  "Well, child," said Mrs. Englefield, half laughing, "in a sort, he hasthe care of all the people he preaches to."

  "Does he?" said Matilda. But at that the laugh became general.

  "Why not, Tilly?" said Mrs. Candy.

  "Who gave him the care of us?" said Matilda, thoughtfully.

  "A minister always has the care of a church when he has a church," saidMrs. Candy. "Is this Tilly's way of going into things in general,Marianne?"

  "_But_," said Matilda,--"can anybody take a church and take care ofpeople, if he has a mind?"

  "No; only a man who has been properly educated and appointed."

  "Then how comes he to have the _care_ of us?"

  "Come
here, Tilly," said Clarissa. And she began a whisperedexplanation, to which the little girl listened intently.

  "I do not hear yet what was the business done to-night?" Mrs.Englefield went on.

  "Why, there were committees formed," said Letitia, "for doing everysort of business under heaven."

  "Committees!" said the two ladies who had stayed at home.

  "Maria can tell you," said Anne. "Maria, on how many committees areyou?"

  Maria hugged the fire and did not answer.

  "On how many, Maria?"

  "I don't know. I didn't count."

  "I lost count, too," her sister said. "Let me see. Mamma, Maria hasundertaken to find and bring in new scholars for the school."

  "I hope she will be punctual in going herself, then," said Mrs.Englefield. "She _hasn't_ been, this six months past, to my knowledge."

  "Oh, but I am now, mamma," said Maria.

  "She has undertaken to practise for the school singing."

  "I didn't," said Maria. "I only said I would help in it."

  "Your help will not be worth much without practising. She has promisedto undertake temperance work, too. _How_ she will manage it, I do notknow; unless she is going to begin upon us here at home. We are allsuch hard drinkers."

  "Almost all the Sunday-School are engaged to help in temperance work,"said Maria, standing on her defence.

  "How are _you_ going to do anything?" her mother asked. "You haveneither brothers, nor father, nor cousins, in danger, that you can goto work upon them. What are you going to do, Maria?"

  "That is but the beginning, mamma," Anne went on. "Maria is alsoengaged to visit the sick and afflicted, and make soup and givemedicine for them."

  "Why, I did not, Anne!" Maria exclaimed again.

  "What did you mean, then, by joining the 'Aid and Comfort' committee?"

  "I did not say I would make soup, or give medicine. Everybody does notmake soup."

  "No; and so I thought that is just what the 'Aid and Comfort' committeeagreed to do."

  "And the doctors give the medicine," said Matilda. "Clarissa is on thatcommittee too."

  "We can go together," said Maria; "and we can find something to do."

  "Something for somebody else to do," said Anne. "You can find who wouldlike some soup, can't you?"

  "There are next to no poor people in Shadywalk," said Mrs. Englefield."I don't believe there is anybody in the village who would like somesoup better than I should."

  "There are several doctors," said Anne; "so I am afraid there are sickpeople occasionally. Else the doctors will soon be in want of soup.But, mamma, _that_ is not the whole of Maria's engagements. She haspledged herself to 'carry the message,' read the Bible, and distributetracts."

  "Don't you read the Bible now, Maria?" her mother asked.

  "Oh yes, mamma," said Matilda. "This means reading the Bible tosomebody who is blind, you know, or sick and can't read, or who doesn'tknow how."

  "There are no such people in Shadywalk," said Mrs. Englefield, promptly.

  "Shadywalk is a happy village then," said her sister.

  "When do you expect to find time for all these things, Maria?" hermother continued. "Do you know what a state your bureau drawers are in,at this minute? You told me you had been too busy to attend to them.And the frock that you spilt ink on, the week before last, at school,you have not mended; and you need it--and you said you could not get aminute."

  "I have been busy about something else, mamma," Maria said.

  "That braiding. Yes. But there is always 'something else.' There areother things that ought to begin at home besides charity. Do _you_belong to this association, Matilda?"

  "No, mamma," came in a low voice from the child.

  "Why not?"

  The answer was not ready.

  "Have you joined it, Clarissa?" her mother asked.

  "Yes, mamma."

  "And what have you pledged yourself to do?"

  "I think nothing, mamma, that I was not properly pledged to before."

  "Such as what?"

  "I gave my name for the visiting and helping sick and poor people; forthe singing in the school;--I believe that is all, mamma."

  "I shall not let you go where there is sickness," said Mrs Candy. "Whendid you pledge yourself to that ever?"

  "When I took the vows of the Church, mamma," Clarissa said, with alittle hesitation, "I suppose I engaged to do some of these things."

  "Some of them; I have no objection to your singing as much as you like;but as to your going where there are fevers and bad air, and all thatsort of thing, I should not be willing at all."

  "There will not be much occasion for it in Shadywalk," said Mrs.Englefield. "We have few poor people; there are not many who have notfriends of their own to take care of them."

  "Anne and Letitia, you have nothing to do with all this?" their auntasked.

  "I have enough to do as it is, Aunt Candy," said Anne.

  "And I don't like the new sorts of work, Aunt Erminia," said Letitia.

  "I know you wanted to stand up with us this evening, though," saidMaria. "You felt bad because you didn't."

  This remark threatened to disturb the harmony of the party; so Mrs.Englefield broke it up, and sent everybody to bed.

  "How do you like our Mr. Richmond, Clarissa?" she asked, as they wereseparating.

  "I don't know, Aunt Marianne; it struck me he was something of anenthusiast."

  "That is just what I think," said Mrs. Englefield.

  "Those people are dangerous, Marianne," said Mrs. Candy.