“I don’t know about that, but I know I’m going to try. I’ve probably forgotten all about how to paint, it’s been so long.”
The sound of horse hooves caught the attention of the three. Leonie rose and went to the window. “It’s Dr. Sheffield,” she said. “He’s probably come to check on his patient.”
That proved to be the truth. Ransom came through the door smiling and spoke to the two women, then examined Hugh. “Why, you’re going to be able to get out of this bed pretty soon.”
“I don’t know how to thank you, Dr. Sheffield.”
“You don’t have to do that. Why, that’s what I do.”
Ransom gave a few instructions to Lady Maria, then said, “I suppose you are about ready to go back, Leonie?”
“Unless you think I should stay.”
“You know, that might not be a bad idea.” Ransom nodded. “At least for a couple of days.”
“I really would feel better if you stayed,” Maria said quickly.
“Well, then I will,” Leonie said.
“Good. I like being waited on,” Hugh said.
“Come along, Doctor. I have your fee in the study.”
“I’ll come back the day after tomorrow, Leonie. Take good care of this fellow.”
“I will, Doctor.”
“Thanks for coming, Dr. Sheffield,” Hugh said.
After the doctor had left, Hugh said, “That’s one fine fellow.” He turned his head and studied Leonie. “He might be good material for a husband there.”
Leonie flushed. “I suppose so.”
“On the other hand, doctors may be very poor husbands. They stay busy all the time.”
Leonie didn’t answer. “I think Dr. Sheffield’s calling is going to keep him busy, but a good wife would understand that.”
Hugh studied her carefully, then smiled. “I believe she would,” he said. “How about reading to me for a while?”
The dinner was excellent, as usual, consisting of a jellied veal con-sommé, a French bean salad, and beef bordelaise. Leonie ate hungrily, for the cooking was very good. She said very little but listened carefully. Zara did most of the talking. Her eyes went, from time to time, to Leonie, and while she never specifically accused her of anything, she hinted strongly that Leonie had come simply to ingratiate herself with Lady Maria. Suddenly she said, “Aunt Maria, Julian and I have decided we want to get married.”
“I thought you decided that a long time ago,” Maria said quietly. Her eyes were fixed on Zara in an odd sort of expression. “What’s the urgency?”
“We’ve waited a long time,” Zara said. Her manner was nervous, and with her fork she pushed a grape around her plate. She had something on her mind, they could all see, and finally she said, “Julian and I have wanted to get married for a long time, but things were so—so unsettled.”
“Unsettled in what way?”
“Oh, you know,” Zara said, shrugging her shoulders.
Lowell laughed. “Yes, I suppose we do know. You mean you want to confirm how much money you are going to get and when.”
Zara was furious. “That’s unkind, Lowell.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be.”
Zara got up and swept out of the room without another word, her face livid with anger.
“You shouldn’t have said that, Lowell.”
“It’s true enough, Aunt Maria.”
“It may be true, but we shouldn’t be unkind to one another.”
“Zara has always been selfish.”
Maria Augustine straightened up. She looked at Lowell and said, “She’s not the only one, Lowell.”
Lowell flinched, and his face turned slightly pale. He could not answer but looked down at his plate.
“I think that it’s time you did something with your life.”
Lowell’s gaze went instantly to Leonie. “Leonie said the same thing,” he said.
“She’s a wise young woman,” Maria said. “I think you ought to pay attention to her.”
The tension grew in the room, and Leonie longed to say that strangers should not be included in family arguments. She excused herself and went to her room.
Later that evening, Leonie was sitting with Hugh. He had gotten out of bed, and she had fed him his supper off a tray. When she had taken the tray away, he had asked her to bring him some paper and a pencil.
“Are you sure you feel up to going to work? It’s very soon.”
“I’m just going to try a few scribbles,” he said. Leonie brought the tools he requested.
“Now,” he said, “sit right over there where the light from the lamp strikes you.”
Leonie was startled. “What for?” she asked.
“Because I’m going to sketch your picture.”
“Oh, no, I don’t—”
“Don’t argue with the patient. You’ll aggravate me, and it’ll be bad for my condition. Now sit down.”
Hugh was happy, she saw, and she went to sit down. He propped the tablet up on his lap, holding it with one hand at the right angle, and his hand moved rapidly. He did not speak, and his eyes studied her from time to time. “Tell me about yourself, Leonie,” he said.
“Tell you what?”
“Oh, about what you’ve done, what you’re going to do.”
Leonie hesitantly began to speak of her life. She did not dwell on the past but spoke mostly about her work at the clinic. He kept her sitting still for a long time, and then finally he said, “Come and see.”
Rising from her chair, she went over and stood over him and looked down. “Why, that doesn’t look like me.”
“Yes, it does, and it’ll look even more like you when I transfer the sketch to canvas and the paint goes on. I’ll start that in the morning. You know, I’m really excited about beginning to paint again.”
“Did you sell many paintings back in the earlier days?”
“Quite a few. I could have made a good living at it, but there didn’t seem any point. I was depending on Maria. I was a parasite, I suppose, just like Lowell and Zara.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t call them that.”
“Well, that’s what we are or were. But no more for me.” He looked up and said with a teasing grin, “Leonie, how about marrying me?”
Leonie knew he was joking. She smiled and said, “I don’t think so, Hugh.”
“I know your secret.”
“What kind of a secret? I don’t have any secrets.”
“Yes, you do. You’re in love with Dr. Ransom Sheffield.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Ah, your answer was too quick, but I believe you are.”
It was the second time someone had pointed out that she was in love with Ransom. She had paid little attention to Lolean’s charge, but Hugh was a man of some observation, and Leonie suddenly realized that he was right!
“He’ll marry someone from a higher social standing than I’ve got,” she said weakly.
“You think he’s looking for a fancy bride from the social register? You know better than that, Leonie.”
Leonie was too confused. She shook her head and was glad when suddenly the door opened and Maria walked in.
“Why, sister, I’ve begun my new work. What do you think of it?”
Maria went over and looked at the paper. “Why, it’s Leonie,” she said. “What a fine sketch.”
“The painting will be even finer. I’m going back to work with a vengeance. Tomorrow the painting starts.”
“You are looking fine, Hugh. I’m so pleased.”
Hugh grinned and winked at Leonie. “I feel so good at getting a new lease on life. And I’m so grateful to you, Leonie, and to Dr. Sheffield, of course.”
For one horrible moment, Leonie was afraid that he was going to say something about her being in love with the doctor. She did not want to hear it, so she got up and said, “I’ll leave you two alone.”
As soon as she was out of the room, Maria said, “You are really fond of her aren’t you, Hugh?”
&nb
sp; “Of course. She’s a f ine young woman.”
Maria hesitated, then said, “You know, you say that knowing what went on here between her and that stable hand.”
“I never believed a word of that.”
“But we had evidence.”
“I don’t care about the evidence. I know she’s not the kind of girl who would do a thing like that, and that’s all there is to it.”
“You’re not very logical.”
“No. We artists aren’t,” Hugh said cheerfully. “Now, I want you to stop being logical and start thinking with your heart. That girl is Ives’s daughter. There’s no question in my mind.”
Maria began to tremble. “I know that she is, but she did a terrible thing. I was about to put my whole heart and trust into her when this came along, and now—”
“And now you’ve lost her. What if you’re wrong?”
Maria stared at her brother. She had no answer for that question had echoed in her own heart. “I can’t help it,” she said. “It’s hard for me to let myself love someone unconditionally.”
“That’s the only real kind of love there is, sister,” Hugh said gently. “I hope you find out about it.”
Zara had greeted Lowell with a harsh word when he had gone to her. She was still angry at him for his remarks, but he was always able to talk her out of her f its of anger. Zara finally said, “That girl is here to wind herself back into Maria’s good graces, but I’m not going to let that happen. You have to help me discredit her.”
“I won’t do it, Zara, and I think you’re behaving badly too.”
“Have you lost your mind?” Zara cried, staring at Lowell in angry disbelief. “If she comes back here, you’ll having nothing, and neither will I.”
“Nothing? Well, to tell the truth, that’s about what I’ve got now, Zara.” He looked at her and said, “I’ve been thinking what a sorry way it is to live, to sit around for years, waiting for someone to die. I’ve about had it with that kind of life.”
“What are you going to do? You’re pretty old to start in a profession.”
“I’m pretty old to be acting like a child, too,” Lowell said. His own remark seemed to surprise him, and he said, “I think I’ll have to do a little rearranging in my life, and I think you’d better do the same.”
Zara glared at him, but he only laughed and left the room. Zara shook her head, “You fool! You’ll throw everything away because that girl came back, but I won’t!”
Chapter twenty-one
Sunday morning was a beautiful day—the bright sun was shining and a cooling breeze made everything comfortable. Leonie had gotten up early and gone to Mass. When she had arrived back at the clinic, which was closed on Sundays, she encountered Ransom, who was just leaving. He was wearing a white suit and a black string tie, and he removed his hat with a sweep of his hand. “Good morning to you. Been to Mass?”
“Yes, I have.”
“Well, I’m going to church. Why don’t you go along with me?” He saw her hesitate, so he said, “I think it would be interesting for you.”
For one moment Leonie struggled with herself. She had known nothing but Mass all of her life. Then something stirred within her, and she suddenly smiled. “I think I’ll go with you then.”
“Fine. It’s a small church, but I like the preacher very much. Come along. I’ll hitch up the buggy, and we’ll get started.”
The church was on the outskirts of New Orleans, set back in a field under several huge live oak trees. Buggies and horses tied to racks announced that a crowd was beginning to gather, and as they approached, several people spoke to Ransom, addressing him formally as “Dr. Sheffield.”
“I feel so odd,” Leonie whispered.
“I stopped paying attention to the signs on the outside of church buildings,” Ransom said easily.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean it doesn’t matter whether a church is Baptist or Catholic or Presbyterian. What matters to me is one thing: the Spirit of the Lord in the service.”
“I never thought of it like that.”
“Well, it’s natural you wouldn’t, since you grew up in a convent. Let’s go while there’s still a seat.”
They entered the small church, and Leonie looked around curiously. It was a small church with plain wooden benches and at one end, a raised platform with a pulpit right in the center. Behind the pulpit were two rows of benches where a group of plainly dressed people had already assembled. She assumed that was the choir.
“I see two seats up close to the front,” Ransom said.
Leonie felt that everyone in the church was looking at her as she walked down to the front. She would have preferred a less-prominent place, but every bench seemed to be filled. When they got to the row, people had to stand to let them in. When they sat down, Leonie saw that she was seated directly in front of the pulpit.
“Best seats in the house,” Ransom said with a smile. He saw she was nervous and reached over and touched her shoulder. “Don’t worry. The Spirit of the Lord will be here. You will enjoy it.”
While they waited for the service to begin, Leonie looked around. It was a poor group of people for the most part, many of the men wearing overalls and some plain denim trousers, but nearly all of them wore a white shirt with a tie. The women wore their best dresses. All of them wore hats, it seemed, and they all seemed happy and pleased to be there.
Leonie thought about how different the atmosphere at the church was from Mass. People were whispering to their neighbors, some, perhaps, a little too loudly, but it was nothing at all like the Catholic church that she was accustomed to attending.
A tall man with a string tie and his black hair slicked back stood and said in a high tenor voice, “Well, folks, it’s time to begin. We’ll start by singing the doxology.”
The crowd rose to its feet, and an organist hit a note. The congregation sang loudly and enthusiastically:
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
The tall man bowed his head and prayed fervently that the Spirit of God would be present at the service. Then he said, “Now we’re going to praise God with all of our hearts. You will remember that the psalm says, ‘Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD.’” A smile split his wide lips, and he shook his head. “I sure would admire to see everything in creation praising God like that. Well, maybe the forests and fields won’t sing, but we can—with all of our might. We’ll sing a good old song written by Charles Wesley himself: ‘O for a Thousand Tongues.’”
The organ boomed forth, and the congregation lifted its voice. Leonie did not know the song, had never heard it, but she listened carefully to the words:
O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise
The glories of my God and King
The triumphs of His grace.
My gracious Master and my
God Assist me to proclaim
To spread through all the earth abroad
The honors of Thy name.
Leonie had never heard such singing! It was not that the worshipers were skilled or that their voices were excellent. Indeed, it was nothing like the trained choir she was accustomed to, but excitement and sincerity marked not only the voices, but the faces she glimpsed around her. They sang one song that touched her heart particularly:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty!
God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity!
As Leonie began to follow in the hymnal and sing, feelings swept over her in a way she could not define. The hymns all exalted the holiness of God or the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. She longed to know the words by heart, so she might join more freely in the worship of these simple people. Finally they sang a song that she had
never heard before but whose words seemed to ring her heart.
Alas! and did my Savior bleed?
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?
Was it for crimes that I have done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! Grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!
Well might the sun in darkness hide
And shut His glories in
When Christ, the mighty Maker, died
For man the creature’s sin.
But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe
Here, Lord, I give myself to Thee
’Tis all that I can do.
As the last verse echoed through the small chapel, Leonie suddenly felt that Jesus Christ had entered into the building. She saw Him in her mind’s eye on the cross, and she thought of her own sins, and tears rolled down her cheeks. Taking out her handkerchief, she tried to wipe them away without being seen, but she knew that Ransom, standing beside her, had noticed.
After the song service, a short, muscular man got up. He was wearing a black suit and a white shirt, and he was bald except for a fringe of hair around his head. He wore a winning smile, however, and he preached a sermon such as Leonie had never heard. It exalted the name of Jesus and held him up as the Lamb of God. A hundred times, it seemed, he said during the sermon, “Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.” At other times he said with excitement lighting his face, “Blessed be the Lord God and the Lamb forever.”
At the end of the service, the minister gave an invitation, and several went down to kneel at the front and pray. Leonie did not understand any of this, but she knew that God had touched her. When the service was over, the minister said, “We have eight candidates to be baptized. We invite you all to the river.”
“Would you like to go to the baptism, Leonie?” Ransom asked.
“I think I would.”
“It’s not far. I always enjoy baptism. There’s something especially holy about it.”
“I was baptized when I was an infant. I don’t even remember it.”
Ransom smiled and squeezed her arm. “I think you’d remember it if you ever got baptized like this. Come along.”
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