Chapter X

The weeks flew by, and Aunt Barbara was able first to take a short drive, and then to be in the air hour after hour.

One Saturday Mr. Lee pushed back his chair, after dinner, and looking pleasantly round on his children, said, "What do you all say to a visit to Mr. Sparrow's peach orchard to-day?"

The young faces flushed back a glad response, and every little voice was raised in a joyous welcome to the proposal.

"Aunt Barbara must go, too," said Meg, giving the old lady a protective look, which, although it was quite absurd, sprang from real kindness.

"Yes, Aunt Barbara must go, of course," said Mr. Lee, smiling.

"And Hatty, Hatty so dood," put in Harry, as he laid his plump hand caressingly on Hatty's white arm.

"Yes, every one must go, if the carriage is as full as the shoe where the old woman lived, with that wonderfully large family."

"I hope none of us will have to be whipped and sent to bed," said Meg, laughingly.

"No, no. You shall all have peaches and bread, instead," said Mr. Lee, with a quizzical look.

The children all laughed so much at what they thought a charming witticism on their father's part, that they could hardly hear his voice when he spoke again to say they must be ready in an hour; and then away he went, to give orders about the carriage.

At the first mention of the excursion Marcus had darted away to get his fishing-tackle in order; for he knew there was a famous trouting stream on Mr. Sparrow's farm, and he meant to have sport, for which he cared more than for bushels of peaches.

The hour passed quickly away in busy preparation for the coming pleasure, and all were ready when the great family carriage Mr. Lee had borrowed from his brother, came up to the door.

The horses seemed as full of glee as the children, and Mr. Lee could not leave them to attend to the ladies. Marcus assisted Aunt Barbara very carefully down to the gate, and handed her in so dexterously that she was able to take her seat without complaining of twisting her joints with the exertion. Then Mrs. Lee was escorted with great ceremony, by Marcus, and placed at Aunt Barbara's side. Jane (with the baby in her arms) and Hatty took up the middle seat. Marcus was to sit with his father,--but what was to become of Harry and Meg. The little things looked disconsolate as they saw the places filling up; but Hatty called out, cheerily, "I will hold Meg," and Marcus said, almost in the same breath, "Harry must sit on my knee, that all the gentlemen may be together."

"All de dentlemen todedder!" said Harry, with a pompous look, as he stood ready to be lifted to the place of honor assigned him.

"Now are all packed in tight?" said Mr. Lee, as he drew up the reins in his hand.

"All right!" was the merry shout within, and away went the horses, as if they enjoyed the sport.

The swift motion through the cool air made Hatty glad to draw close round her the shawl she had thrown over her bare neck and arms; and Mrs. Lee reached forward to fold the baby's blanket closely about it.

Hatty soon found Meg rather heavy, and she might have made the whole party uncomfortable by complaining,--but she had learned that one way of doing right is, to check all complaints about trifles, and to be as cheerful as possible.

After a while Meg slipped quietly down into the bottom of the carriage, and said she had a charming seat there on the baby's strong basket. She did not say that she saw sister Hatty was weary, and wished to relieve her. Little Meg was learning something of Christian kindness; so true is it that where one child in a family is really trying to do right, all the others soon catch something of her spirit.

It was a real treat to the children to be fairly outside the town, among green fields and pleasant woods. Mrs. Lee had to keep her head bobbing this way and that way, to see a flock of turkeys that made Meg laugh; or a wild flower that pleased Hatty; or a "pretty moo cow" that Harry thought quite extraordinary.

Marcus, meanwhile, was sitting up beside his father, and trying to talk learnedly of "crops and fallow-land, good timber, and pretty fair orchards." His father listened when he spoke, and quietly corrected his mistakes, without showing him the least sign of contempt, or making him feel his youth unnecessarily.

Mr. Lee saw that Marcus was bent upon appearing like a man, and he only tried to make him a sensible, accurate little man, instead of putting him down in a way likely to provoke him.

All Marcus' _mannish_ ways went off, suddenly, when the carriage drew up at Mr. Sparrow's door. He leaped from his seat, and without waiting to hand out the ladies and children, he gave a merry shout, and started off for the brook at a pace that most men find neither easy nor comfortable.

Good farmer Sparrow was away in the orchard; but stout Mrs. Sparrow helped Aunt Barbara out as well as if she had been a man; and by that time Mr. Lee had tied the horses, and was ready to lift down the children; Meg came out with a flying skip, and Hatty bounded down cheerfully; but Harry was so sleepy, that his father had to lift him as if he were a bag of meal.

The sight of the peach orchard was enough to fill the children with astonishment,--the rich fruit looked so beautifully, hanging on the bending boughs. Aunt Barbara was placed on a comfortable chair by the window; Mrs. Lee took the baby,--and then Jane and the children went out into the peach orchard, with Mrs. Sparrow.

The farmer's wife knew exactly to what trees to take them; and she reached up and picked two of the largest peaches Hatty had ever seen, and placed one in the little girls' hands. Away went Hatty back to the house with her treasures, and when she had given them to Aunt Barbara and her mother, she was ready for her own pleasure.

Hatty was learning to think of others first, even in trifles.

Mrs. Lee had told the children just how many peaches they must eat; and after they had come up to the number she named, they enjoyed going about with Mrs. Sparrow, and watching her while she filled the large basket that had been placed in the carriage, in front of Mr. Lee, for the purpose. Hatty could not help thinking, as she looked at the trees loaded with the beautiful fruit, how kind it was in our Heavenly Father to make so much that is "pleasant to the eye and good for food," that we may take without breaking any of his commandments. She pitied poor Eve, if the forbidden fruit looked anything like those tempting peaches, and was glad that there was no "serpent" at farmer Sparrow's that pleasant day.

Hatty forgot that there is temptation every where, if not quite in the form that was tried upon Eve.

After the children had enjoyed the orchard to their hearts' content, little Harry grew tired, and Jane took him to rest. Mrs. Sparrow and her strong maid carried in the heavy basket of peaches, and Hatty and Meg had permission to wander about to look at the chickens, the bee-hives, or anything else that might interest them.

Meg was full of glee, and would gladly have chased the chickens, handled the young ducks, and teazed the turkey-gobbler till he was quite in a passion. Hatty checked her as gently as she could, and managed to keep her for some time from doing any actual mischief.

Meg was charmed when she got to the bee-hives. She had lately heard Marcus discoursing, in his most learned manner, as to the habits and peculiarities of bees, and she was curious to see these wise little insects in their own home.

Hatty was glad to find her at last so absorbed as to be willing to be quiet a moment, and, a little relieved from her anxiety, she turned away to look at a curious plant that was growing in a small swampy place, into which the surplus water from the large back-yard was made to flow.

The plant was, indeed, worth looking at; it was the pitcher plant, or side-saddle-flower,--every leaf of which is so formed as to hold water. She walked round and round it, looking into each pitcher-like leaf, and thinking of the wonderful variety which God has chosen to make even in the forms of the leaves, not to speak of the many-hued flowers.

Turning accidentally towards Meg, Hatty saw her slender brown arms pushing with all their might against one of the hives, and it was evident from Meg's determined air that she had made up her mind to do something--some mischief, Hatty concluded, of course, and hurried to the spot.

She only reached it in time to see the hive tumbling over, while a swarm of angry bees came forth to avenge themselves for this overthrow of their home.

The very impulsiveness of character, which made Hatty open to temptation from a hasty temper, now made her think and act quickly.

She saw at once the danger that Meg was in, from the angry insects. It was but the work of a second for Hatty to throw her light shawl completely over Meg--the child's straw hat--holding it at such a distance from her face and arms that the stings of the insects could not reach her.

Then, with one hand, Hatty held her white sun-bonnet close together in front, while she extended the other, to lead Meg.

Over Hatty's bare neck and arms the bees now settled, and began to vent their anger in sharp stings that made her scream with pain.

The cries of the children quickly brought Mr. Lee and Farmer Sparrow, who had been taking a survey of the place, together.

Farmer Sparrow bade Mr. Lee keep at a distance, as soon as he saw, from the over-turned hive, and from the moving black spots on Hatty's fair neck and arms, what was the matter.

Mr. Lee found it hard to keep away from his children when they were in such trouble, but he knew it was best to obey.

With a dexterous turn of the shawl, Farmer Sparrow shut the bees up in it, while he bade Meg run for her life. She needed no second command, and was soon sobbing in her father's arms.

The few bees who had escaped from the shawl settled upon Farmer Sparrow, but he minded them no more than if they were so many flies, for the sagacious insects knew him too well to sting him.

"Stand quite still, child!" said Farmer Sparrow to Hatty, in a tone of command. It would have been hard for Hatty to obey, covered as she was with the tormenting bees, but for the belief that the prayer for help that she had sent up to God in her distress was about to be answered. One by one Farmer Sparrow picked off the bees with his hands, and slipped them into the shawl, which he held like a bag. They seemed to own him as a master, and not one offered him a disrespectful sting.

When Hatty was freed from her tormentors she was in a piteous plight, her neck and arms being spotted over with the painful stings. Hatty struggled hard to bear them patiently, and Farmer Sparrow declared she was a perfect soldier.

Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Sparrow were now on the spot. The latter hastened to bind indigo on the wounded parts, and poor Hatty soon presented an odd appearance, her white face peering out from her blue wrappings.

Farmer Sparrow excused himself from any further attendance upon the party, as he must secure his beloved bees ere they were lost to him.

The sun was now sinking in the west, and Marcus, laden with the results of his successful trouting, came whistling up to the farmhouse. He heard, in silence, the story of Hatty's misfortune; but when his mother came quite to the end, Marcus walked up to his sister, and kissing her fondly, said: "You are a splendid girl, Hatty. You ought to have been a boy!" Then, turning to Meg, his indignation burst upon her, and he could not find words strong enough to express his anger at her mischief, and his conviction of the severity of the punishment she deserved.

Meg could only reply in sobs.

"Poor Meg is punished sufficiently by seeing her sister suffer. I think she will not soon forget this lesson!" said Mrs. Lee, kindly.

"Meg did not know the harm she was doing!" added Hatty, pleadingly.

"I only wanted to look inside," said poor Meg, in the midst of her sobs. "I thought the wise little bees knew too much to hurt us!"

"I hope my little Meg will remember, hereafter, 'to touch not, taste not, handle not' what is not her own," said Mrs. Lee, soberly.

"Indeed, I will try," answered Meg, earnestly. "Do kiss me, Hatty," and the child turned her swollen face towards her generous sister.

Hatty kissed her, and assured her the pain of the stings was almost gone, and that she should soon be quite well.

Mr. Lee was now ready with the horses, and the little party set out for home.

As Hatty rode along in the carriage, and all seemed so tenderly interested for her, the little girl went back in memory to the time before she started on that all important visit to her grandmother.

She recalled the frequent reproofs she then received from her mother, the stern displeasure of her father, her constant quarrels with Marcus, her impatience with Meg, and the saucy replies of the child. It seemed strange to her to remember that even Harry did not then like to be with her, and that she thought it quite a trial to be left with Aunt Barbara even for a few moments. Were all changed, or was the change in herself? When she thought all around her severe, cross, or quarrelsome, must not the fault have been in a great measure her own?

Hatty could not bear to think of her old naughty self, and she turned with pleasure to the happy present. God had given her the wish to do right, and granted his blessing on her sincere efforts. How near and dear now seemed that Heavenly Father to his little one; she realized that He was at her side; she needed not to wait until she reached home to thank Him for his mercies. Into her heart she knew He was then looking, and beholding her gratitude there.

Little Hatty felt very happy as she glanced round on the kind faces, beaming lovingly on her. Surrounded by such affection, she could bear almost anything. Yes, Hatty Lee, who once so dreaded pain, knew now that wrong, angry feelings, in herself, or the disapproval of her earthly parents, or the smile of her mother withdrawn, were far greater trials than the slight sufferings her body had been called to endure.