by L. T. Meade
mother's life as happy asyou can."
"But you will do that, darling," said Nesta, coming close up to hersister and putting her arms round her neck.
Nesta had a very pretty and confiding way, and at another time Marciawould have done what the little girl expected, clasped her to her heartand said that she would do all, and leave her dear little young sisterto her gay pleasures. But Marcia on this occasion said nothing of thesort.
"I wish to be absolutely candid," she said. "I will look after motherevery second morning, and every second afternoon. There are four of usaltogether, and I will have every day either my morning or my afternoonto myself. I will take her one day from after breakfast until afterearly dinner, and afterwards on the day that I do that, I shall be quiteat liberty to pursue my own way until the following morning. Onalternate days, I will go to her after early dinner, and stay with heruntil she is settled for the night. More I will not do; for I will goout--I will have time to write letters, and to study, and to pursue someof those things which mean the whole of life to me. If you don'tapprove of this arrangement, girls, I will go back to Frankfort."
Marcia's determined speech, the firm stand she took, the resolute lookon her face, absolutely frightened the girls.
"You will go back to Frankfort?" said Nesta, tears trembling in hereyes.
Just at that instant Mr Aldworth and Horace came into the room.
"My dear girls, how nice to see you all four together," said the father.
"Marcia, I trust you are rested," said Horace.
"Oh, Horace," said Nesta, "she has been saying such cruel things."
"Not at all," said Marcia. "I am very glad you have come in, father,and I am glad you have come in, Horace. You must listen to me, all ofyou. I am twenty, and I am my own mistress. My stepmother does notstand in quite the same relation to me as my own mother would have done.She is not as near to me as she is to Ethel, and Molly, and Nesta; butI love her, and am willing, abundantly willing, to take more than myshare of nursing her."
"That's right, Marcia," said her father.
"Listen, father. I haven't said all I mean to say. I will not give thegirls absolute liberty at the expense of deserting their mother. Irefuse to do so; I have told them that I will look after my stepmotherfor half of every day, sometimes in the morning, and sometimes in theafternoon; but I will not do more, so Molly or Ethel or Nesta, who is nobaby, must share the looking after her with me. You can take thisproposal of mine, girls, or leave it. If you take it, well and good; ifyou leave it I return to Frankfort to-morrow."
Had a bombshell burst in the midst of that eager, animated group, itcould not have caused greater consternation. Marcia, the eldest sister,who had always been somewhat downtrodden, who had always worked very,very hard, who always spared others and toiled herself, had suddenlyturned round and dared them to take all her liberty from her.
But even as she spoke her heart sank. It was one thing to resolve andto tell her family so; but quite another thing to get that family tocarry out her wishes. Nesta flung herself into her father's arms andsobbed. Molly and Ethel frowned, and tears rolled down Ethel's cheeks.But Horace went up to Marcia, and put his hand on her shoulder.
"I do think you are right," he said. "It is fair enough. The onlything is that you must train them a bit, Marcia, just a bit, for theyhave not your orderly or sweet and gracious ways."
"Then you take her part, do you?" cried the younger sisters in tones ofdifferent degrees of emotion.
"Yes, I do, and, father, you ought to."
"It doesn't matter," said Marcia, who somehow seemed not even to feelHorace's approval of much moment just then. "I do what I said; I stayhere for a month if you accede to my proposal. At the end of a month,if you have broken my wishes, and not taken your proper share of thenursing of your mother, I go back to Frankfort. Mrs Silchester haspromised to keep my situation open for me for that time. Now I thinkyou understand."
Marcia went out of the room: she had obtained at least a moral victory,but how battered, how tired, how worn out she felt.
CHAPTER THREE.
TAKING MOTHER.
"Now, my dear," said Mrs Aldworth, when Marcia entered her room, "Ireally expect to have some comfort. You have such a nice understandingway, Marcia. Oh, my dear, don't let so much light into the room. Howstupid. Do you see how that ray of sunlight will creep up my bed in afew moments and fall on my face. I assure you, Marcia, my nerves are sosensitive that if the sun were even to touch my cheek for an instant, Ishould have a sort of sunstroke. I endured agonies from Nesta'scarelessness in that way a few days ago."
"Well, it will be all right now, mother," said Marcia in a cheerfultone.
She was brave enough; she would take up her burden, what burden shethought it right to carry, with all the strength of her sweet, graciouswomanhood.
Mrs Aldworth required a great deal of looking after, and Marcia spent avery busy morning. First of all there was the untidy room to putstraight; then there was the invalid to wash and comfort and coddle.Presently she induced Mrs Aldworth to rise from her bed and lie on thesofa.
"It is a great exertion, and I shall suffer terribly afterwards," saidthe good woman. "But you always were masterful, Marcia."
"Well, you see," said Marcia gently, "if I nurse you at all, I must doit according to my own lights. You are not feverish. The day islovely, and there is no earthly reason why you should stay in bed."
"But the exertion, with my weak heart."
"Oh, mother, let me feel your pulse. Your heart is beating quitesteadily."
"Marcia, I do hope you are not learning to be unfeeling."
"No," replied the girl, "I am learning to be sensible."
"You look so nice. Do sit opposite to me where I can watch your face,and tell me about your school, exactly what you did, what the girls werelike; what the head mistress was like, and what the town of Frankfort islike."
[Four pages missing here.]
"I am sorry, dear."
"How could we go? Whoever is with mother this afternoon will be toofagged to go. We simply couldn't go. And to think that this is to goon for ever. It's more than we can stand."
"I am waiting to know, not what you can stand, or what you cannot, butwhich of you will look after mother this afternoon? You won't have avery hard time; her room is in perfect order, and her meals for theentire day are arranged. You have but to sit with her and chat, andamuse her."
"We're none of us fit to go near her, you know that perfectly well,"said Molly.
"Very well," replied Marcia in a resolute tone. "You all know my firmresolve. You have got to face this thing, girls, and the morecheerfully you do it the better."
In the end it was Molly who was induced to undertake the unwelcome task.She shrugged her shoulders and prepared to leave the room, her headdrooping.
"Come, Molly," said Marcia, following her. "You mustn't go to mother inthat spirit."
She took Molly's hand when they got into the hall.
"Can you not remember, dear, that she is your mother?"
"Oh, don't I remember it. Isn't it dinned into me morning, noon, andnight? I often wish--"
"Don't say the dreadful words, Molly, even if you have the thought.Don't utter the words, for she is your mother. She tended you when youcould not help yourself. She brought you into the world in pain andsorrow. She is your mother. No one else could ever take her place."
"If you would only take her to-day, Marcia, we would try to behaveto-morrow. If you would only take her this one day; it is such a blowto us all, you know," said Molly.
Marcia almost longed to yield; but no, it would not do. If the girlssaw any trace of weakness about her now, she would never be able touphold her position in the future.
"I tell you what I will do," she said, "I will go with you into mother'sroom, and see you comfortably settled, and perhaps--I am not promising--but perhaps I'll have tea with you in mother's room presently; but youmust do the work, Molly; until
mother is in bed to-night she is in yourcharge. Now, come along."
Marcia took her sister to her own room.
"Let me brush your hair," she said.
"But you'll disarrange it."
"Now, Molly, did not I always improve your style of hair dressing? Yourhair looks a show now, and I could make it look quite pretty."
In another moment Molly found herself under Marcia's controllingfingers. Her soft, abundant hair was arranged in a new style whichsuited her, so that she was quite delighted, and began to laugh and showher pretty white teeth.
"Here is some blue ribbon which I have brought you