by L. T. Meade
_what_ Selfish?"
"Miss Mule Selfish. Oh, I never will again--I declare I am a greaterbeast than ever."
"Well, girls, what _I_ want you to do for me is this--In return for thetrouble--for I have taken trouble, and Horace has spent money on yourrooms as well--I want you to learn self-repression. I want you to puton neat and pretty dresses, and shoes that won't make any sound, andthen you may, one by one, come in and see mother. She is longing foryou, longing for her own children; for much as she cares for me, Icannot take your place, so you needn't imagine it for one moment."
As Marcia said the last words she left the room. The girls stood andstared at each other.
"She's a brick!" said Molly. "I shouldn't be one scrap ashamed ofshowing this room to Clay, and I never could bear the thought of hercoming up to it in the old days."
"I say, what a jolly bed," said Ethel. "Shouldn't I just like to tumbleinto it and sleep and sleep."
"And my darling little room all alone, too. Don't you envy me, you two?Won't you be always afraid that I'm eavesdropping and listening to yourprecious secrets?" cried the irrepressible Nesta.
"Oh, it is good," said Molly, "but I feel quite a big ache at my heart.It's Marcia, and we've been so horrid to her, and she has been so goodto us."
"Well, let's try hard to show her that we're really pleased," saidEthel.
The girls washed their hands and combed out their luxurious hair andmade themselves as smart as possible, and then, an anxious trio, theywent out and stood on the landing. Here it was Nesta who began totremble.
"It's that old patch in the carpet," she said. "It upsets me more thananything. I remember how I tried to skip over it that night when I wentto listen at mother's door. Oh dear, and the carpet is split here too.Marcia might have got new carpets for the stairs instead of titivatingour rooms."
"Marcia only thinks of what will please others," said Ethel.
"For goodness' sake, don't praise her too much," said Molly, "or I shallturn round. I always do when people are overpraised."
A door was opened. It led into their mother's room. Marcia stoodoutside.
"Molly, darling," she said, "you come first."
She took Molly's hand; she led her round the screen and brought her upto her mother. Just for a moment the girl shut her eyes. There flashedbefore her mental vision the remembrance of that mother as she had lainpale and panting and struggling for life when she had left her,pretending that she was only sleeping. But now Mrs Aldworth wassitting bolt upright on her sofa, and the room was sweet and fresh andin perfect order, and a nice-looking young woman in nurse's uniformstood up when the girls entered the room.
"I will leave you, Mrs Aldworth, and go and get my tea," she said."You will be glad to welcome your young ladies. But remember not toomuch talking, please."
Mrs Aldworth raised her faded eyes; she looked full at Molly.
"My little girl!"
"Mothery; oh, mothery!"
The girl dropped on her knees.
"Gently, Molly. Sit down there. Tell mother what a right good time youhave had while you have been away," said Marcia.
"I am ever so much better," said Mrs Aldworth, in a cheerful tone. "Iam very glad you were with the Carters. You like them so much."
"Yes, mother," said Molly, and then she added, and there was real truthand real sincerity in her tone--"I like best of all to be at home; Ilike best of all to be with you."
The words were spoken with an effort, but they were true. Molly didfeel just like that at the moment.
Mrs Aldworth smiled, and a very pretty colour came into her cheeks.
"I have been quite ill," she said. "I have been ill and weak for anextraordinarily long time. At least so Marcia says; and Nurse Davenantis quite a tyrant in her way, and Dr Anstruther too; but to tell thetruth, darling, I have never had an ache or pain, and I can't imaginewhy people make such a fuss. But there, darling, I am glad to see youand to have you back again. You'll come and sit with your old mothersometimes, won't you, and you won't think it a dreadful trial?"
"Never again," said Molly.
"Go, Molly dear, for the present," said Marcia, "and send Ethel in."
Molly went almost on tiptoe across the room. She got behind the screenand opened the door.
"Go in," she said in a whisper; "she's looking wonderful."
"Don't whisper, girls," said Marcia. "Come right in, Ethel."
Ethel came in and also kissed her mother, and told her that she lookedwonderfully well, and that she too was glad to be back, but she was moreself-restrained than her sister, and more self-assured, putting a curbupon herself.
It was Nesta, after all, the youngest, the darling, who made her motherperfectly comfortable, for whatever her faults Nesta could not for asingle moment be anything but natural. She came in soberly enough; butwhen she saw her parent she forgot everything, but just that this wasMothery, and once she had been a terrible beast to that same mother, andshe made a little run across the room and dropped on her knees and tookher mother's hand and kissed it, and kissed it, and kissed it.
"Oh, you darling, you darling! You sweet! You sweet! There never wasany one like you, mothery, never, never, never! Do let me press mycheek against yours. Oh, you sweet! You pet!"
Mrs Aldworth gave one glance of loving triumph at Marcia. Was she notright? Did not her children adore her? Marcia must see it now forherself.
Marcia sat down on a chair and breathed a sigh of relief. Little Nestawas right enough. Little Nesta was better in her conduct than either ofher sisters.
"You will come in, of course, and say good-night to me, darling," saidMrs Aldworth when Nurse Davenant made her appearance with the invalid'stea most temptingly prepared.
"Oh yes, if we may."
"You may all come in and out as much as you please, and as often asmother wants you," said Marcia.
"There is no restraint; no limit of time. You do just as you like."
"Then I expect my own dear sweet pet mothery will be getting a littletired of me," was Nesta's response, "for I'll be wanting to be alwaysand always with her, see if I don't!" and Nesta kissed her mother's handagain rapturously.
"Oh, what tempting toast," she said, "and how nice that tea looks."
Mrs Aldworth smiled.
"They are dear girls," she said to Marcia when the door closed on Nesta."I am glad they're home, and how terribly the sweet pets have missedme."
CHAPTER THIRTEEN.
A SURPRISE VISIT.
The girls soon settled down into the old routine of home life. They gotaccustomed to their pretty room, which truth to tell they kept inanything but perfect order. They were accustomed to the fact that MrsAldworth was a greater invalid than before, but was also well lookedafter, and was so guarded by Marcia and Nurse Davenant that nobody daredto neglect her. The shadow of that awful night receded farther endfarther into the back recesses of their brains; they still had theCarters to love and worship; and Nesta still adored her friend FlossieGriffiths.
A week went by--a fortnight. The weather was intensely hot. Had itbeen possible, the doctor would have ordered Mrs Aldworth to theseaside; but although her strength returned up to a certain point, shedid not seem to go beyond it.
It was one day during the first week in August, one of those extremelyhot days when it is an effort even to move, that Mrs Aldworth laypanting on her balcony. The trees in the garden were already assuming abrown tint; the flowers were drooping under the sultry heat of the sun;there was a hot quiver in the air when one looked right in front of one.The bees flew in and out of the window; butterflies chased each otherover the garden. There was a stillness and yet a heaviness in the airwhich seemed to betoken a storm not far off.
It was just then that there came a ring at the front door, and Nesta ina great state of excitement entered her mother's room.
"Marcia," she said, "may I speak to you for a minute?"
Marcia, who was doing some light needlework in the neighbourhood of t
heinvalid's sofa, said:
"Come in, Nesta, and tell me what it is all about."
"But I want to see you by yourself," said Nesta.
"My darling," said Mrs Aldworth, "why these constant secrets? Whyshouldn't your mothery know?"
"Oh, it's Clara Carter--she's downstairs. She wants to talk to you.Oh, and here's a telegram for you." Nesta thrust a little yellowenvelope into her sister's hand. Marcia opened it.
"It's from Angela," she said. "She's coming to see me in a few minutes.What does