CHAPTER X.
LULU'S SENTENCE.
Pending Capt. Raymond's verdict in regard to Lulu, life at Ion fell intothe old grooves, for her as well as the other members of the family.
Studies were taken up again by all the children, including EvelynLeland, where they had been dropped; Mr. Dinsmore and his daughtergiving instruction, and hearing recitations, as formerly.
This interval of waiting lasted for over two months, a longer period ofsilence on the part of the husband and father than usual; but, as theylearned afterward, letters had been delayed in both going and coming.
Capt. Raymond, in his good ship, far out on the ocean, was wearying fornews from home, when his pressing want was most opportunely supplied bya passing vessel.
She had a heavy mail for the man-of-war, and a generous share of it fellto her commander.
He was soon seated in the privacy of his own cabin, with Violet's letteropen in his hand. It was sure to receive his attention before that ofany other correspondent.
With a swelling heart he read of the sore trial she had been passingthrough, in the severe illness of Gracie and the babe. Deeply heregretted not having been there to lighten her burdens with his sympathyand help in the nursing; and though, at the time of writing, she wasable to report that the little sufferers were considered out of danger,he could not repress a fear, amid his thankfulness, that there might bea relapse, or the dread disease might leave behind it, as it so oftendoes, some lasting ill effect.
He lingered over the letter, re-reading passages here and there, but atlength laid it aside, and gave his attention to others bearing the samepost-mark.
There was a short one from Max, which stirred his heart with fatherlylove and pride in his boy; that came next after Violet's: then he openedLulu's bulky packet.
He sighed deeply as he laid it down after a careful perusal, duringwhich his face had grown stern and troubled, and, rising, paced thecabin to and fro, his hands in his pockets, his head bowed on hisbreast, which again and again heaved with a deep-drawn sigh.
"What I am to do with that child, I do not know," he groaned withinhimself. "If I could make a home for her, and have her constantly withme, I might perhaps be able to train her up aright, and help her tolearn the hard lesson how to rule her own spirit.
"I could not do that, however, without resigning from the service; andthat would be giving up my only means of earning a livelihood for her aswell as the others and myself. That is not to be thought of: nor could Iforsake the service without heartfelt regret, were I a millionnaire."
The captain was a man of prayer. Some moments were spent on his knees,asking guidance and help for himself, and a change of heart for hiswayward little daughter; then, again seating himself at hiswriting-table, he opened yet another letter, one whose superscription herecognized as that of a business agent in one of our far Western States.
His face lighted up as he read, and a text flashed across his mind: "Andit shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and whilethey are yet speaking, I will hear."
That sheet of paper was the bearer of most strange, unlooked-fortidings: a tract of wild land, bought by him for a trifle years before,and long considered of little or no value, had suddenly become--by thediscovery that it contained rich mineral deposits, and the consequentopening of mines, and laying out of a town upon it--worth manythousands, perhaps millions of money.
And he--Capt. Raymond--was the undisputed owner of it all,--of wealthbeyond his wildest dreams. He could scarce believe it: it seemedimpossible. Yet it was undoubtedly true; and a bright vision of a lovelyhome, with wife and children about him, rose up before his mind's eye,and filled him with joy and gratitude to the Giver of all good.
He would send in his resignation, and realize the vision at the earliestpossible moment.
But stay! could he now, in the prime of life, forsake the service forwhich he had been educated, and to which he had already given many ofhis best years? Could he be content to bid a final farewell to theglorious old ocean so long his home, so beautiful and lovable in itsvaried moods, and settle down upon the unchanging land, quite reconciledto its sameness? Would he not find in himself an insatiable longing tobe again upon the ever restless sea, treading once more the deck of hisgallant ship, monarch of her little world, director of all hermovements?
It was not a question to be decided in a moment; it required time forthought; a careful consideration of seemingly conflicting duties; acareful balancing of inclinations and interests, and for seeking counselof his best, his almighty and all-wise, Friend.
At Ion, as the summer heats approached, the question was mooted, "Whereshall we spend the next two or three months?" After some discussion, itwas decided that all should go North to Cape May for a time: afterwardthey would break up into smaller parties, and scatter to differentpoints of interest, as they might fancy.
Lester and Elsie Leland would spend a portion of the season at CliffCottage,--Evelyn's old home,--taking her and Lulu with them.
Edward and Zoe, too, and probably some of the others, would visit there.
All necessary arrangements had been made, and they were to start thenext day, when at last letters were received from Capt. Raymond.
Lulu's heart beat very fast at sight of them. She had been full ofdelight at the prospect of her Northern trip, especially the visit to bepaid with Evelyn to her former home; the latter having in their privatetalks dwelt much upon its many attractions, and the life she had ledthere in the sweet companionship of her beloved father.
"Would there be any thing in papa's letter to prevent the carrying outof the cherished plans?" Lulu asked herself as, in fear and trembling,she watched Violet opening with eager fingers the packet handed her atthe breakfast-table.
Max and Gracie, too, looked on with interest quite equal to Lulu's; butin their case there was only joyous expectancy unmingled with dread.
"There is something for each of us, as usual," Violet said presently,with a smiling glance from one to another,--"Max, Lulu, Gracie, andmyself."
Lulu received hers,--only a folded slip of paper,--and, asking to beexcused, stole away to the privacy of her own room to read it.
"MY DEAR LITTLE DAUGHTER [it ran],--The story of your misconducthas given a very sad heart to the father who loves you so dearly. Iforgive you, my child, but can no longer let you remain at Ion tobe a trouble and torment to our kind friends there. I shall removeyou elsewhere as soon as I can settle upon a suitable place. In themean time, if you are truly sorry for the past, you will, I amsure, earnestly strive to be patient, submissive and obedient tothose who have you in charge.
"Your loving father,
"L. RAYMOND."
The paper fell from Lulu's hand, and fluttered to the floor, as shefolded her arms upon the sill of the window beside which she had seatedherself, and rested her head upon them.
"And that's all; just that I am to go away, nobody knows where; to beseparated from Max and Gracie and every one else that I care for: andwhen papa comes home, maybe he won't visit me at all; or, if he does, itwill be for only a little bit, because, of course, he will want to spendmost of his leave where the others are. Oh, dear! oh, dear! I wish I'dbeen good! I wish I'd been born sweet-tempered and patient, like Gracie.I wonder if papa will ever, _ever_ let me come back!
"But perhaps grandpa Dinsmore and grandma Elsie will never invite meagain. I wouldn't in their place, I'm sure."
The captain's letter to his wife made the same announcement of hisintentions in regard to Lulu; adding, that, for the present he wouldhave her disposed of as should seem best to them--Mr. Dinsmore, hisdaughter, and Violet herself--upon consultation together; he had entireconfidence, he said, in their wisdom and their kind feeling toward hiswayward, troublesome, yet still beloved child; so that he could trusther to their tender mercies without hesitation.
He went on to say (and, ah, with what a smile of exultation and delightthose words were penned!), that "there was a possibility that he mightbe with
them again in the fall, long enough to find a suitable home forLulu; and, in the mean time, would they kindly seize any opportunitythat presented itself, to make inquiries in regard to such a place?"
Violet read that portion of his letter aloud to her mother andgrandfather, then asked if they saw in it any thing necessitating achange in their plans for the summer.
They did not, and were glad for Lulu's sake that it was so.
Lulu, in the solitude of her room, was anxiously considering the samequestion, and presently went with it to her mamma, taking her father'snote in her hand.
Finding Violet alone in her dressing-room, giving the captain's missiveanother perusal, "Mamma Vi," she said, "what--what does papa tell youabout me?" She spoke hesitatingly, her head drooping, her cheeks hotwith blushes. "I mean, what does he say is to be done with me?"
Violet pitied the child from the bottom of her heart. "I wish, dear,"she said, "that I could tell you he consented to mamma's request to letus try you here a little longer; but--doesn't he say something about itin his note to you?"
"Yes, mamma Vi," Lulu answered chokingly: "he says he can't let me stayhere any longer, to be such a trouble and torment to you all, and willput me somewhere else as soon as he can find a suitable place; but hedoesn't say what is to be done with me just now."
"No, dear: he leaves that to us,--grandpa, mamma, and me,--and we havedecided that no change in the arrangements for the summer need be made."
"O mamma Vi! how good and kind you all are!" cried Lulu, in a burst ofirrestrainable gratitude; and her tears began to fall.
Violet was quite moved by the child's emotion. "You have been a deargood girl of late, and we feel glad to take you with us," she said,drawing her to her side, and giving her an affectionate kiss. "Yourfather says there is a possibility that he may be at home with us againfor a while, in the fall; he expects to settle you somewhere then: butif you continue to be so good, perhaps he may relent, and allow youstill to have a home with us. I am quite sure that such a child as youhave been for the last two or three months, would be heartily welcome tous all."
"It's ever so good in you to say that, mamma Vi," returned the littlegirl, furtively wiping her eyes; "and I'm determined to try with all mymight. I'd want to do it to please papa, even if I knew there wasn't onebit of hope of his letting me stay. I don't think there is much,because, if he decides a thing positively, he's very apt to stick toit."
"Yes, I know; but he will doubtless take into account that circumstancesalter cases," Violet answered lightly, and with a pleasant smile. "Andat all events, you may be quite sure that whatever small influence I maypossess will be exerted in your behalf."
"I am sure you have a great deal, mamma Vi; and I thank you very muchfor that promise," Lulu said, turning to go.
But at that instant a quick, boyish step sounded in the hall without;and Max's voice at the door asked, "Mamma Vi, may I come in?"
"Yes," she said; and in he rushed, with a face full of excitement. "Lu,I've been looking everywhere for you!" he cried. "What do you think?just see that!" and he held up a bit of paper, waving it triumphantly inthe air, while he capered round the room in an ecstasy of delight.
"What is it?" asked Lulu. "Nothing but a strip of paper, as far as I cansee."
"That's because you haven't had a chance to examine it," he said,laughing with pleasure. "It's a check with papa's name to it, and it'sgood for fifty dollars. Now, do you wonder I'm delighted?"
"No, not if it's yours. Did he give it to you?"
"Half of it; the other half's to be divided between you and Gracie; andit's just for pocket-money for this summer."
"Oh, that is nice!" exclaimed Violet. "I am very glad for you all."
Lulu looked astounded for an instant; then the tears welled up into hereyes as she said falteringly, "I--don't deserve it; and--I thought papawas so vexed with me, I should never have expected he'd give me a singlecent."
"He's just a splendid father, that's what he is!" cried Max, withanother bound of exultant delight. "He says that if we go to themountains, and grandpa thinks I can be trusted with a gun, I'm to haveone of the best that can be bought; and, if I'm a splendid boy all thetime, when he comes home I shall have a fine pony of my own."
Then sobering down, "I'm afraid, though, that he can't afford all that;and I shall tell him so, and that I don't want him to spend too much ofhis hard-earned pay on his only son."
"Good boy!" Violet said with an approving smile; "but I know it givesyour father far more pleasure to lay out money for his children than tospend it on himself."
Still, she wondered within herself, for a moment, if her husband had insome way become a little richer than he was when last he described hiscircumstances to her. Had he had a legacy from some lately deceasedrelative or friend? (surely no one could be more deserving of suchremembrance) or an increase of pay? But no, he would surely have toldher if either of those things had happened; and with that thought, thesubject was dismissed from her mind.
He had not told her of his good fortune--the sudden, unexpected changein his circumstances: he wanted to keep it secret till he could see theshining of her eyes, the lighting up of her face, as she learned thattheir long separations were a thing of the past; that in future theywould have a home of their own, and be as constantly together as Lesterand Elsie, Edward and Zoe.
But his mind was full of plans for making her and his children happy bymeans of his newly acquired wealth, and he had not been able to refrainfrom some attempt to do so at once.
"I don't want papa to waste his money on me, either," Lulu said. "I'drather never have any pocket-money than have him do without a singlething to give it to me."
"Dear child, I know you would," Violet said. "But take what he hassent, and be happy with it; that is what he desires you to do; and Ithink you need have no fear that he will want for any thing because ofhaving sent it to you."
"Let me see that, won't you, Maxie?" Lulu asked, following her brotherfrom the room.
He handed her the check, and she examined it curiously.
"It has your name on it," she remarked.
"Yes: it is drawn payable to me," returned Max, assuming an air ofimportance.
"But," said Lulu, still examining it critically, "how can you turn itinto money?"
"Oh! I know all about that," laughed Max. "Papa explained it to me thelast time he was at home: I just write my name on the back of that, andtake it to a bank, and they'll give me the fifty dollars."
"And then you'll keep half, and divide the other half between Gracie andme. That will be twelve dollars and fifty cents for each of us, won'tit?"
"No, it isn't to be divided equally: papa says you are to have fifteendollars, and Gracie ten,--because you are older than she is, you know."
"But she's better, and deserves more than I," said Lulu. "Anyway, sheshall have half, if she wants it."
"No, she doesn't," said Max. "I told her about it; and she thinks tendollars, to do just what she pleases with, is a great fortune."
"When will you get it, Max?"
"What,--the money? Not till after we go North. Grandpa Dinsmore says itwill be best to wait till then, as we won't care to spend any of ithere. O Lu!--you are going along, I suppose?--what does papa sayabout--about what you told him in your last letter?"
"You may read for yourself, Max," replied Lulu, putting the note intohis hand.
She watched his face while he read, and knew by its expression that hewas sorry for her, even before he said so, as he handed it back.
"But perhaps papa may change his mind, if you keep on being as good asyou have been ever since you left that school," he added. "But youhaven't told me yet whether you are still to go North with us, or not."
"Yes: mamma Vi says I am. She says papa says in his letter to her, thatthey may do what they think best with me for the present: and they willtake me along. It's good in them, isn't it?"
To that Max gave a hearty assent. "They are the kindest people in theworld," he said.
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Elsie's Kith and Kin Page 10