CHAPTER SIX.
PEPPERED BROTH.
"Father! O Father! Must I forgive Uncle Edward? I don't see how Ican."
"I'm afraid you must, Christie, if you look to follow Christ."
"But how can I? To use dear Aunt Alice so cruelly!"
"How can God forgive thee and me, Christie, that have used His blessedSon far, far worser than Uncle Edward hath used Aunt Alice, or evercould use her?"
"Father, have you forgiven him?"
It was a hard question. Next after his little Christie herself, thedearest thing in the world to Roger Hall was his sister Alice. Hehesitated an instant.
"No, you haven't," said Christie, in a tone of satisfaction. "Then I'msure I don't need if _you_ haven't."
"Dost thou mean, then, to follow Roger Hall, instead of the Lord Jesus?"
Christie parried that difficult query by another.
"Father, _love_ you Uncle Edward?"
"I am trying, Christie."
"I should think you'd have to try about a hundred million years!" saidChristie. "I feel as if I should be as glad as could be, if a big bearwould just come and eat him up!--or a great lion, I would not mind whichit was, if it wouldn't leave the least bit of him."
"But if Christ died for Uncle Edward, my child?"
"I don't see how He could. I wouldn't."
"No, dear heart, I can well believe that. `Scarce will any man die fora righteous man... But God setteth out His love toward us, seeing thatwhile we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.' And He left us `anensample,' my Christie, `that we should follow His steps.'"
"I can't, Father; I can't!"
"Surely thou canst not, without the Lord make thee able. Thou canstnever follow Christ in thine own strength. But `His strength is madeperfect through weakness.' I know well, my dear heart, 'tis vastlyharder to forgive them that inflict suffering on them we love dearly--far harder than when we be the sufferers ourselves. But God can enableus to do even that, Christie."
Christie's long sigh, as she turned on her cushion, said that it wasalmost too hard for her to believe. But before she had found an answer,the door opened, and Mrs Tabitha Hall appeared behind it.
"Well, Roger Hall, how love you your good brother-in-law this morrow?"was her greeting. "I love not his action in no wise, sister."
"What mean you by that? Can you set a man's action in one basket, andhimself in another? It's a strain beyond E-la, that is." [See note.]
"We're trying to forgive Uncle Edward, Aunt," said Christie from hercouch, in a rather lugubrious tone.
"Pleasant work, isn't it?" was Aunt Tabitha's answer. "I haven'tforgiven him, nor tried neither; nor I amn't going."
"But Father says we must."
"Very good; let him set us the ensample."
Aunt Tabitha made herself comfortable in Mr Hall's big chair, which hevacated for her convenience. By her side she set down her largemarket-basket, covered with a clean cloth, from which at one endprotruded the legs of two geese, and at the other the handle of a newfrying-pan.
"I've been up to see him this morrow; I thought he'd best not come shorto' bitters. But he's off to Cranbrook with his bay horse--at the leastso saith Mall--and I shall need to tarry while he comes back. It'll nothurt: bitters never lose strength by standing. I'll have it out withhim again, come this even."
"Best not, Tabitha. It should maybe turn to more bitters for poorAlice, if you anger him yet further. And we have no right tointerfere."
"What mean you by that, Roger Hall?" demanded Mistress Tabitha, inwarlike tones. "No right, quotha! If that isn't a man, all o'er! I'vea right to tell my brother-in-law he's an infamous rascal, and I'll doit, whether I have or no! No right, marry come up! Where else is he tohear it, prithee? You talk of forgiving him, forsooth, and Alice neverstands up to him an inch, and as for that Tom o' mine, why, he canscarce look his own cat in the face. Deary weary me! where would youall be, I'd like to know, without I looked after you? You'd letyourselves be trod on and ground down into the dust, afore you'd do somuch as squeal. That's not my way o' going on, and you'd best know it."
"Thank you, Sister Tabitha; I think I knew it before," said Mr Hallquietly.
"Please, Aunt Tabitha--" Christie stopped and flushed.
"Well, child, what's ado?"
"Please, Aunt, if you wouldn't!" suggested Christie lucidly. "You see,I've got to forgive Uncle Edward, and when you talk like that, it makesme boil up, and I can't."
"Boil up, then, and boil o'er," said Aunt Tabitha, half-amused. "I'lltarry to forgive him, at any rate, till he says he's sorry."
"But Father says God didn't wait till we were sorry, before the LordJesus died for us, Aunt Tabitha."
"You learn your gram'mer to suck eggs!" was the reply. "Well, if you'reboth in that mind, I'd best be off; I shall do no good with you." AndAunt Tabitha swung the heavy market-basket on her strong arm as lightlyas if it were only a feather's weight. "Good-morrow; I trust you'llhear reason, Roger Hall, next time I see you. Did you sup your herbs,Christie, that I steeped for you?"
"Yes, Aunt, I thank you," said Christabel meekly, a vivid recollectionof the unsavoury flavour of the dose coming over her, and creating afervent hope that Aunt Tabitha would be satisfied without repeating it.
"Wormwood, and betony, and dandelion, and comfrey," said Aunt Tabitha."Maybe, now, you'd best have a change; I'll lay some camomile and gingerto steep for you, with a pinch of balm--that'll be pleasant enough tosup."
Christabel devoutly hoped it would be better than the last, but shewisely refrained from saying so.
"As for Edward Benden, I'll mix him some wormwood and rue," resumed AuntTabitha grimly: "and I'll not put honey in it neither. Good-morrow.You've got to forgive him, you know: much good may it do you! It'll notdo him much, without I mistake."
And Aunt Tabitha and her basket marched away. Looking from the window,Mr Hall descried Mr Benden coming up a side road on the bay horse,which he had evidently not succeeded in selling. He laughed to himselfas he saw that Tabitha perceived the enemy approaching, and evidentlyprepared for combat. Mr Benden, apparently, did not see her till hewas nearly close to her, when he at once spurred forward to get away,pursued by the vindictive Tabitha, whose shrill voice was audible as sheran, though the words could not be heard. They were not, however,difficult to imagine. Of course the horse soon distanced the woman.Aunt Tabitha, with a shake of her head and another of her clenched fistat the retreating culprit, turned back for her basket, which she had setdown on the bank to be rid of its weight in the pursuit.
Mr Benden's reflections were not so pleasant as they might have been,and they were no pleasanter for having received curt and cold welcomethat morning from several of his acquaintances in Cranbrook. Peoplemanifestly disapproved of his recent action. There were many whosympathised but little with Alice Benden's opinions, and would even havebeen gratified by the detection and punishment of a heretic, who werenotwithstanding disgusted and annoyed that a quiet, gentle, andgenerally respected gentlewoman should be denounced to the authoritiesby her own husband. He, of all men, should have shielded and screenedher. Even Justice Roberts had nearly as much as told him so. MrBenden felt himself a semi-martyr. The world was hard on disinterestedvirtue, and had no sympathy with self-denial. It is true, the world didnot know his sufferings at the hands of Mary, who could not send up adecent hash--and who was privately of opinion that an improper hash, orno hash at all, was quite good enough for the man who had accused herdear mistress to the authorities. Mr Benden was growing tired ofdisinterested virtue, which was its own reward, and a very poor one.
"I can't stand this much longer; I must have Alice back!" was hisreflection as he alighted from the bay horse.
But Nemesis had no intention of letting him off thus easily. MistressTabitha Hall had carried home her geese and frying-pan, and afterroasting and eating the former with chestnut sauce, churning the week'ssupply of butter, setting the bread to rise, and indicatin
g to Friswithand Joan, her elder daughters, what would be likely to happen to them ifthe last-named article were either over or under-baked, she changed hergown from a working woollen to an afternoon camlet, and took her way toBriton's Mead. Mr Benden had supped as best he might on a very toughchicken pie, with a crust not much softer than crockery, and neither hisdigestion nor his temper was in a happy condition, when Mary rapped atthe door, and much to her own satisfaction informed her master thatMistress Hall would fain have speech of him. Mr Benden groaned almostaudibly. Could he by an act of will have transported Tabitha to thefurther side of the Mountains of the Moon, nobody in Staplehurst wouldhave seen much more of her that year. But, alas! he had to run thegauntlet of her comments on himself and his proceedings, which he wellknew would not be complimentary. For a full hour they were closetedtogether. Mary, in the kitchen, could faintly hear their voices, andrejoiced to gather from the sound that, to use her own expression, "themaster was supping his broth right well peppered." At last MistressTabitha marched forth, casting a Parthian dart behind her.
"See you do, Edward Benden, without you want another basin o' hot water;and I'll set the kettle on to boil this time, I promise you!"
"Good even, Mary," she added, as she came through the kitchen. "He(without any antecedent) has promised he'll do all he can to fetch herforth; and if he doesn't, and metely soon too, he'll wish he had, that'sall!"
So saying, Mistress Tabitha marched home to inspect her bread, and ifneed were, to "set the kettle on" there also.
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Note: _E-la_ is the highest note in the musical system of Guidod'Aretino, which was popular in the sixteenth century. "A strain beyondE-la," therefore, signified something impossible or unreasonable.