Chapter XVII: News for Mrs. Brown

"OH, mother, I do wish Fanny could have had her holiday next Monday? It would be so nice for us, and for you too, wouldn't it?" And Eliza kissed her mother in a sort of rapture at the anticipation.

The Vicarage party had returned from the seaside the day before, but Eliza could not be spared to come home until this afternoon, and now she could only stay for an hour; but she had come to say she was to have a whole long day with her mother the following Monday, so she wanted her to send for Fanny that they might spend this wonderful holiday together.

Mrs. Brown was not thinking so much of the holiday as of Eliza, and the change that had been wrought in her by this lengthened stay at the seaside.

"You have grown taller and stouter too, my dear, I am quite sure," said her mother, as though she had not said it half a dozen times before, as she looked at the girl. She was rosy and happy, and there was a quickness and alertness about her that told of increased health and strength, such as she had never before enjoyed.

"Don't you think Fanny will be surprised when she sees how I have grown," said Eliza, who was anxious to stand beside her elder sister and thus prove that she was taller than when she went away.

Mrs. Brown was by no means sure what Fanny might think or say; but she was anxious to please Eliza, and so she proposed that she should write a letter the next day, and ask Fanny if she could come out to tea on Monday if her mistress could not spare her for the whole day.

"Your daddy will want to see you, too, when he comes home on Saturday, and so it would be better, if Mrs. Parsons would allow it, for you to have two half-days instead of one whole day on Monday. Do you think you could ask her this, my girl?" said Mrs. Brown.

"I will, when I go back. Nurse likes me to ask her things," added Eliza.

"And you think she will arrange the nursery work so that you can come and see daddy on Saturday or Sunday?"

"I dare say it will be to-morrow," answered Eliza, "because the Vicar likes us to stay at home on Sunday, I know; but if I cannot come then, you may be sure daddy can have his day on Sunday."

Mrs. Brown took Eliza to see Jessie Collins, and the girl was not a little surprised to see the change in Jessie during the time she had been away. Her foot was better now, although she still limped, and was glad to lean on the table or back of a chair as she got about the room. Still, she managed to sweep and dust, and keep the hearth clean and neat, with her father's armchair ready by the side of the fire whenever he should come in.

By degrees the old chair was beginning to do its work, too, for Collins often spent an evening at home now by his own fireside, instead of going off to the public-house as he had done for some months past.

"If ever I do get father back into his old ways, it will be through your help, Mrs. Brown," said Jessie, as she told her that for the last three nights her father had sat in his chair smoking and reading, as he used to do before he took to going out.

"I don't know what we should have done without your mother in our trouble," said Jessie, turning to Eliza. "My mother would have been buried by the parish, and Polly and I could not have had a bit of mourning for her. Father often talks about that. He thinks more of what you did to save my mother from a parish funeral than anything else you have done, though he likes to see us in our black frocks and hats, looking like decent girls, he says."

Eliza nestled up to her mother's side, looking up at her with affectionate pride.

"Yes, I know what a dear mother she is," she said.

"You and Fanny ought to be proud of her," said Jessie.

"Oh, we are! we are!" said Eliza, warmly; but still she was very glad that somebody else should learn to appreciate her mother; and she talked to Jessie about her visit to the seaside, and explained how it was she and Master Eustace were shut up in the cave. The two girls had a very pleasant hour together, until it was time to go and meet Minnie and Selina coming out of school, and to see her teacher once more.

Mrs. Brown intended to write her letter to Fanny so that she might have it some time during the next day, but the business of getting tea ready, and thinking how well Eliza was looking, put it out of her mind, and she did not think of it again until she went to bed. It was too late then, and so it was not until Saturday's work was nearly done that the letter was written, and Selina sent to post it, as she went to meet her father coming from the railway station.

Just as her father reached home, Eliza came from the Vicarage to spend an hour or two with him.

"This is your day, daddy, and Monday is to be Fanny's day," said the girl. "I am going to have another holiday on Monday, so that I may see everybody, and Fanny is to come on Monday."

"My bonnie lassie! Why, you look almost as well as Fanny herself," exclaimed Brown, holding his girl at arm's length to admire her.

"I shall know whether I have really grown, as people say I have, when Fanny comes, and I can stand at the side of her. I know just where my head used to reach when she was at home," said Eliza, with flashing eyes.

"Why, I declare you are growing like Fanny, my girl," said her father.

"I hope not," said Jack, quickly; "one Fanny is enough in the family. Have you seen anything of her this week, mother?" he asked.

Mrs. Brown shook her head. "I have been waiting for Eliza to come home, that I might have something to write about," she said.

"You have written now, haven't you, mother?" said Brown.

"Yes; but I am afraid she won't get the letter until Monday morning. Selina was rather late in posting it."

"Oh, mother! I hope it won't be too late for her to come out on Monday," said Eliza. "You see, I am to begin the regular nursery work next week, and I shall not have a holiday for a month, so that it will be a pity if she comes another day, when I can't see her."

"Yes, it would; and I think I must send another letter to her mistress, asking her to spare Eliza for Monday afternoon, if she cannot come out for the day."

"Oh yes, mother, do!" said Eliza, clapping her hands, and making almost as much noise as Selina herself.

No one had seen Eliza so noisy and merry before, and mother and father could only look at each other and smile, with satisfied pleasure as they looked at the girl.

Again her father remarked how much she was growing like Fanny, to which Mrs. Brown could only answer by a sigh; for to her it would be bitter indeed if Eliza should show the same wilful, selfish tendency of character that Fanny did.

But at present, every action was like those to which they had been accustomed in the old days, when she was ready to do a kindness to any one who needed her help, and to think of Eliza as anything but the kind, helpful sister seemed impossible.

Now it was Jack and Minnie and Selina who were consulted, and for each she had brought a little present from the seaside; although it had cost every penny she possessed to bring something for each of the dear ones at home.

They were but trifles, perhaps. A shell box for Jack, a similar one for Minnie, some shells she had picked up on the beach for Selina, and a shell pincushion for her mother. Still this trifle was worth its weight in gold to her mother's heart, for it was an assurance to her that, at least for the present, Eliza was unchanged; and all the kind things that had been said to her, and of her, had not spoiled her yet. For her father she had brought a wooden tobacco-pipe; and it seemed to Mrs. Brown that her husband did not value it as he ought.

Fanny had never given him even such a trifle as this, which was, perhaps, why her father did not set such store by it as he might have done, if the gift had come from his darling Fanny.

However, neither said a word to the other as to what they thought of their gifts.

A very happy evening was spent, and then mother and father walked back to the Vicarage with Eliza, who still had another happy day to anticipate, when she should meet her elder sister on Monday.

Husband and wife did not say much beyond the improvement in Eliza's health, and how it had affected her spirits and behaviour. Brown had written a letter to Fanny's mistress, Mrs. Lloyd, asking her to let Fanny come home for at least part of the day on Monday; and he took care to post this before he went home again, that he might be sure it would reach its destination by Monday morning.

Then Mrs. Brown took her basket, and went for her marketing, Polly Collins going with her this time, that Mrs. Brown might make the purchases, and Polly carry them home in her own basket. Jessie hoped to be able to do this for herself soon; but at present she was thankful that her father could give her the money for Polly to go and fetch what they wanted. She did not grudge her little sister this small pleasure, much as she would have liked to go herself.

The Sunday passed in pleasant anticipation of another visit from Eliza on the Monday, and talking over with Jack what he would do for the future, for he could not quite make up his mind that his new work would be worth all the book-knowledge he would have to acquire if he wished to go on learning this branch of electrical engineering.

"Careful, thorough work is wanted everywhere," argued Jack, "and I am not like father. A little hard work, more or less, is nothing to me; but, of course, with father it is different, and he isn't fit for hard work now. But somebody must do it."

"Yes; that is true enough," said his father.

"And the question has to be looked at all round. Hard work there must be for everybody, and the choice you have to make now is whether it shall be hands and muscles that shall be set to work, or brains. If you feel the brains are not ready to take up the task, then let it be hands and muscles. And you can be just as proud of a bit of thoroughly honest work in which the strength of arms has been used as the man who has done a clever bit of work by the nimbleness of his brain."

Mrs. Brown still wished Jack would apply himself to his books, and try to overcome his dislike to study; but she was wise enough to leave her husband to argue it out with him. For the present it would make no difference to him, and they went off to work the next morning, Brown's last words being—

"Now, I hope you will have a very happy day with your two girls, mother; and you must write and tell me all about it afterwards."

His wife nodded and smiled. "Look-out for a long letter on Tuesday," she said. And when they were gone she began at once the work of the day.

The girls went to school at the usual time; but about ten o'clock she saw Minnie running in by the back way. She went at once to open the door, for a feeling of anxiety had seized her, and she was afraid something had happened to Selina.

"What is it, Minnie? What is the matter?" she asked.

"I hardly know, mother; but a lady is coming to see you. It is Fanny's mistress, I think. Teacher sent me with her to show her the way, and I asked her to let me run on and tell you she was coming."

"There! That is her knock, I am sure!" said Minnie; and she ran to the front-door to admit Mrs. Lloyd, and show her into the almost bare sitting-room.

Her mother followed almost immediately, and she guessed at once that the trouble, whatever it might be, concerned Fanny. She had seen Mrs. Lloyd once before, and she said, as she entered the room—

"You have come about my daughter, ma'am? Is she ill? How long has she been ill?"

Mrs. Lloyd looked surprised at the question. "Surely you have heard that your daughter left my service three weeks ago?" she said.

"Fanny left her place!" uttered Mrs. Brown, in amazement.

"I am sorry to say she did. She left me with only a fortnight's notice, that she might 'better herself,' as so many girls do. Before she went, I sent her home to tell you all about it, and where she was going."

"She never came," murmured Mrs. Brown, through her pale lips, for she felt the worst had not been told yet.

"Yes, mother, Fanny came one afternoon. Don't you remember she said they were busy, and she could not have a proper holiday that day?"

"That would be the time," said the lady. "It was about a month ago; and she left me the following week, so that you may be sure I was surprised to receive a letter from your husband this morning asking leave for her to come for a holiday to-day. I was coming to see Miss Martin this morning, for last night one of Fanny's friends called to tell me that she was ill, and had been taken to the fever hospital."

"My Fanny! Oh, ma'am, why didn't you send for me? I would have had her brought home and nursed her myself."

"Poor thing!" said Mrs. Lloyd under her breath, as she saw how greatly the poor woman was upset. "You must not fret," she said. "There is no doubt Fanny will be taken good care of; and very likely they would not have let her come home to be nursed, even if you had known she was ill, and could have sent for her. Certainly the hospital people could move her with more care and less danger to her than you could have had it done yourself," she added.

Mrs. Brown dried her eyes. "I suppose I can go and see my poor girl," she said, feeling that she must do something for Fanny.

"I should think you could," said Mrs. Lloyd, "although I know nothing about the rules of the hospital myself. I dare say Fanny's last mistress would be able to tell you all about it, though. For of course, when they took her away, the messengers would leave word when friends could see and hear about the sick person."

"Do you know where Fanny's new mistress lives?" asked Mrs. Brown.

"Yes. I have not seen her, for she did not trouble to come to me for Fanny's character, and from all I have heard, I should think she is rather a careless woman, but nothing worse, so that you may rest assured that Fanny was taken care of when she was ill. The address is Mrs. Lewis, 16, Mortimer Street—not far from where I live myself," added Mrs. Lloyd, now rising to leave.

Mrs. Brown thanked her for her kindness in calling to give her all the particulars concerning Fanny. When Mrs. Lloyd had gone, she said—

"You had better go back to school, Minnie, and I will go to the Vicarage and see Eliza, and ask if she can put off coming home until we hear more about Fanny. I may be able to see the Vicar, too; and I dare say he can tell me what I want to know about this fever hospital, and when I could go to see her."

Minnie received directions about her own and Selina's dinner, while her mother put on her bonnet; for, as she told Minnie, she did not know when she should get home again.

Her visit to the Vicarage did not take long, and rather depressed the poor woman, for the Vicar told her that, as it was a fever hospital to which Fanny had been taken, he did not think that friends would be allowed to visit the patients, for fear of catching the disease themselves or carrying the infection to other people.

"Oh, sir, but I must see my child," said Mrs. Brown, with tears in her eyes. "If Fanny is dangerously ill, I am sure she will want to see me, for she did not tell me she was going to leave the comfortable place Miss Martin got for her, and I know she will feel better when she has told me all about it."

"Very well. I hope the rules will allow you to see her, Mrs. Brown, for I can understand how anxious you must feel about poor Fanny. But do not forget that, although you may not be able to go to her, God is with her, to direct and comfort her, as He was with the other little woman when she was shut in the cave."

"Oh, sir, but Eliza was doing her duty when she got on those steps she told me about; but I am afraid Fanny has been naughty and wilful;" and there Mrs. Brown stopped.

"But God cares for His wilful children as well as those who try to serve Him in the way of duty. I do not say that they are alike in being happy in His service. The wilful ones may doubt whether God cares for them any longer, and may think themselves forgotten by God, but this does not make any difference in His love and care. You say Fanny has been naughty and wilful, but you are going to look for her the more carefully because you think she needs you the more on account of her wilfulness. Now, try to think that your mother-love is only a shadow of the greater love God has for us, and trust Him to take care of Fanny, although you can do very little for her yourself just now."

Mrs. Brown tried to thank the Vicar for his kindly advice; and having been assured that Eliza should come home some other day for the promised holiday, she hurried away, for she had a long walk before her, and as yet there were no tramcars running between this distant suburb and the neighbourhood of Mortimer Street.

Fortunately for Mrs. Brown, she had little difficulty in finding the address she wanted, and Mrs. Lewis was at home and saw her with very little delay. She also could give the poor woman some little comfort, for she spoke very highly of Fanny as a hard-working girl, and said she hoped she would come back to her when she was able to leave the hospital. But she could give her no information about the rules of the hospital, or whether she would be able to see Fanny if she went there.