Bessie at the Sea-Side

by Joanna H. Mathews

  XIII.

  _BESSIE'S REPENTANCE._

  Mrs. Stanton would have come sooner, but her visitors were just leavingwhen Maggie came in, and she did not quite understand at first how itwas. Miss Ellery, a young lady who had been standing by, rushed intoMrs. Stanton's room after she carried Bessie in, and told her how thelittle girl had been treated. Mrs. Stanton was very much displeased,but just now she could think of nothing but the child's distress. Sheshook all over, and the sobs and tears came faster and faster tillgrandmamma was afraid she would be ill. She soothed and comforted andpetted in vain. Bessie still cried as if her heart would break. All shecould say was, "Oh, mamma, mamma! I want my own mamma!"

  At last Mrs. Stanton said kindly but firmly, "Bessie, my child, you_must_ be quiet. You will surely be sick. Grandmamma is very sorry foryou, but your head cannot hurt you so very much now."

  "Oh, no!" sobbed the little girl, clinging about her grandmother'sneck, "it isn't that, grandmamma; I don't care much if she did pull myhair; but oh, I was so wicked! I was in a passion again, and I was _so_bad! I struck that man, I know I did. Jesus will be sorry, and he willbe angry with me too. He will think that I don't want to be his littlechild any more, 'cause I was so very, very naughty. Oh! what shall Ido?"

  "Tell Jesus that you are sorry, and ask him to forgive you, Bessie,"said grandmamma, gently.

  "Oh! I am 'fraid he can't," sobbed Bessie; "he must be so very angry.I didn't think about him, and I didn't try one bit, grandmamma. I justthought about what Miss Adams and that man did to me, and I was in sucha dreadful passion; I never was so bad before. Oh, I wish I could tellmy own mamma about it!"

  All this was said with many sobs and tears and catchings of her breath,and grandmamma wished that Miss Adams could see the distress she hadcaused.

  "Bessie," she said, "why did Jesus come down from heaven and die on thecross?"

  "So our Father in heaven could forgive us," answered the child morequietly.

  "And do you not think that his precious blood is enough to wash awayour great sins as well as those which we may think are smaller?"

  "Yes, grandmamma."

  "Now, no sin is small in the eyes of a just and holy God, Bessie; butwhen he made such a great sacrifice for us, it was that he might beable to forgive _every one_ of our sins against him, if we are trulysorry for them. And he will surely do so, my darling, and help and loveus still, if we ask him for the sake of that dear Son."

  "And will he listen to me _now_, grandmamma, just when I was so verynaughty?"

  "Yes, he is always ready to hear us. No matter how much we have grievedhim, he will not turn away when we call upon him."

  Bessie was silent for some minutes with her face hidden on hergrandmother's neck, and her sobs became less violent. At last shewhispered, "Grandmamma, do you think Jesus can love me just as much ashe did before?"

  "Just as much, my precious one," said grandmamma, drawing her armsclose about Bessie, and pressing her lips on the little curly head.Then Bessie raised her face and turned around in her grandmamma's lap.A very pale little face it was, and very weak and tired she looked;but she lay quite quiet now except for a long sob which still camenow and then. Maggie wondered why grandmamma bit her lip, and why hereyebrows drew together in a frown, as if she were angry. She could notbe displeased with Bessie now, she thought.

  Presently grandmamma began to sing in a low voice,--

  "Just as I am, without one plea, Save that thy blood was shed for me, And that thou bid'st me come to thee, O Lamb of God! I come.

  "Just as I am, and waiting not To rid my soul of one dark blot, To thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God! I come.

  "Just as I am thou wilt receive, Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve, Because thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God! I come.

  "Just as I am,--thy love unknown Has broken every barrier down; Now to be thine, yea, thine alone O Lamb of God! I come."

  When she had sung one verse, Maggie joined in, and Bessie laylistening. When they were through, Mrs. Stanton put Bessie down in acorner of the lounge, and said the children must have some lunch. Firstshe rang the bell, and then went to a little cupboard at the side ofthe fireplace and brought out two small white plates, which Maggie andBessie knew quite well. Presently the waiter came to the door to knowwhat Mrs. Stanton wanted. This was James, the head waiter. He knewMaggie and Bessie, and they were great favorites with him. His wifewashed for some of the ladies in the hotel, and once when she camethere with some clothes, she brought her little girl with her, and lefther in the hall with her father, who was busy there. She was a _very_little girl, and could just walk alone, and while she was toddlingabout after her father, she fell down and knocked her head against thecorner of a door. She cried very hard, and James tried to quiet her,lest she should disturb some of the boarders. But she had a great bumpon her head, and she did not see any reason why she should be stillwhen it hurt her so. She was still crying when Maggie and Bessie camethrough the hall. Each had a stick of candy, which some one had justgiven them. When they heard the little one crying, they stopped to askwhat ailed her.

  "I'll give her my candy," said Maggie.

  "Yes, do," said Bessie, "and I'll give you half of mine."

  The child stopped crying when she had the nice stick of candy. Jameswas very much pleased, and after that he was always glad to wait uponour little girls. He had just now heard the story of Bessie's trouble,for Miss Ellery had taken pains to spread it through the house, sovexed was she at Miss Adams, and James had been by when she was tellingsome of the ladies. He felt very sorry for Bessie, and wished that hecould do something for her. When he came to answer Mrs. Stanton's ring,she asked him to bring some bread and butter.

  "Is it for the little ladies, ma'am?" asked James. Mrs. Stanton said,"Yes," and James asked if they would not like toast better. Two orthree times when Maggie and Bessie had taken tea with their grandmamma,he had noticed that Bessie always asked for toast. Mrs. Stantonthanked him and said yes, for she thought perhaps Bessie would eattoast when she would not eat bread.

  "But can I have it at this time of the day?" she said.

  "No fear, ma'am," said James. "You shall have it, if I make it myself;"and with a nod to the children, he went away.

  Bessie sat quiet in a corner of the sofa, still looking very grave.

  "Don't you feel happy now, Bessie?" said Maggie, creeping close to her,and putting her arm around her. "I am sure Jesus will forgive you."

  "Yes, I think he will," said Bessie; "but I can't help being sorry'cause I was so naughty."

  "You was not half so bad as Miss Adams, if you did get into a passion,"said Maggie, "and I don't believe he'll forgive her."

  "Oh, Maggie!" said Bessie.

  "Well, I don't believe she'll ask him."

  "Then I'll ask him," said Bessie.

  "Now, Bessie, don't you do it!"

  "But I ought to ask him, if I want him to forgive me," said Bessie."When we say 'Our Father in heaven,' we say 'Forgive us our sins as weforgive those that sin against us.' I think Miss Adams sinned againstme a little bit; don't you, Maggie?"

  "No, I don't," said Maggie. "No little bit about it. _I_ think shesinned against you a great bit,--as much as the whole ocean."

  "Then if I want Jesus to forgive me, I ought to forgive her, and toask him to forgive her too. I think I ought. I'm going to ask mammato-night."

  "_I_ sha'n't do it, I know," said Maggie. "I wish I was as tall as sheis; no,--as tall as papa or Colonel Rush, and oh! wouldn't she get itthen!"

  "What would you do?" asked Bessie.

  "I don't know,--something. Oh, yes! don't you know the pictures ofBluebeard's wives, where they're all hanging up by their hair? I'djust hang her up that way, and then _her_ hair would be nicely pulled.And I'd get the boys to come and poke her with sticks." Maggie saidthis, shaking her head with a very determined look.

  The idea of Miss Adams hanging up by her hair
made Bessie laugh; butin a moment she looked grave again. "I don't believe that's yight,Maggie," she said.

  "I don't care," said Maggie. "I'm going to say it."

  Just then James came back, and they forgot Miss Adams for a while. Hebrought a nice plate of toast and some butter. Grandmamma spread twopieces of toast and laid them on the little plates, and then went backagain to the famous cupboard and brought out--oh, delicious!--a box ofguava jelly. She put a spoonful on each plate, and gave them to thechildren. "Now, remember," she said, "the jelly goes with the toast."

  Bessie looked rather doubtfully at her toast. "Grandmamma, I don't feelvery hungry."

  "But you must eat something, Bessie; it is long after your luncheontime, and it will not do for you to go until dinner without eating.Mamma will think I did not take good care of you."

  But the toast tasted so good with the guava jelly that Bessie eat thewhole of hers and even asked for more, to grandma's great pleasure.When she brought it to her with some more jelly, she saw that Bessiehad still some of the sweetmeats left on her plate. "Don't you likeyour jelly, dear?" she asked.

  "Yes, ma'am," said Bessie, "but I didn't know if I could eat all thetoast, and I thought perhaps you only wanted me to eat just so muchshare of the guava as I eat a share of the toast; so I eat that firstto be sure."

  Grandma smiled, but she did not praise her honest little granddaughter,for she did not think it best.

  When Aunt Annie heard Miss Ellery tell how Bessie had been treated, shewas very angry, and said some things about Miss Adams and Mr. Lovattwhich her mother did not wish to have her say before the children. Shetold her so, speaking in French; so Annie said no more just then; butas soon as Bessie ceased crying, she ran out to tell Miss Adams whatshe thought of her conduct. But happily Miss Adams was not to be found,and before Annie saw her again, her mother had persuaded her that itwas better to say nothing about it.

  But now when she could not find Miss Adams, she went off to Mrs.Rush's room and told her and the colonel the whole story. The colonelwas angry enough to please even Annie. He said so much, and grew soexcited, that Mrs. Rush was sorry Annie had told him. He was far moredispleased than he would have been with any insult to himself, andwhen, soon after, he met Mr. Lovatt in the hall, he spoke so severelyand angrily to him that Mr. Lovatt was much offended. Very high wordspassed between the two gentlemen, and the quarrel might have becomeserious, if Mr. Howard had not interfered.

  Miss Adams heard all this, and when she found how much trouble andconfusion she had caused by her cruel thoughtlessness, she felt ratherashamed, and wished she had not tormented the little child who hadnever done her any harm. But this was not the last of it, for MissAdams was to be punished a little by the last person who meant to doit.