CHAPTER X
A QUARREL
"It has been much easier than I thought," says Betty to herself, a weekor two after her first back-yard meeting. The fourth has just been held,and the girls have taken to it wonderfully.
"Jennie and Pollie are improving steadily. How blind I have been! Theywere naughty and rough just for want of some interest in life--for theneed of something to do. Jennie has hemmed two little pinafores already,and Pollie one; and the other girls have all done well--especiallyMinnie White. Ah, Minnie is a darling, a true Junior Soldier! Herexample is just splendid for my sisters, and I am glad to see they aregetting quite fond of her. This was a good idea of mine. I must tellCaptain Scott about it. How pleased she will be! I really am managingmuch better. I really am beginning to make home happy and nice. What'sthat? Seven o'clock, and the accounts not touched yet! Mr. Duncan doeswork me hard. Oh, how glad I shall be when dear father comes home again!His leg is really getting stronger now, that's one comfort. What a grandday it will be when he leaves the hospital!"
Betty opens the account-books, and sighs as she looks down the longcolumns of figures.
"I only wish Bob would help me as he did at first. Where does he spendhis evenings? I must say I do think it selfish of him to be from home somuch, considering everything. Why, I believe that's his knock now!Perhaps he means to help me this evening, after all."
And she runs to open the door.
"O Bob, do come and look over the accounts!" she begins; then, catchingsight of a long black case in his hand, "Why, Bob, what have you there?"
"Violin," says Bob, briefly, but with an air of great importance.
"A violin! Dear me, what use can that be to you?"
"I can learn to play like other people, I suppose?" answers Bob, tartly."There, I haven't time to stand chattering! I am to try this violinto-night, and let the fellow it belongs to know if it suits me."
"Let what fellow know? O Bob, you surely haven't promised to _buy_ thatold fiddle?"
"Old fiddle, indeed! Mind your own business, miss, and leave me to mindmine!"
"I've enough to do, that's certain; and I suppose now you don't mean tohelp me with the accounts one bit?"
Bob only replies to this with a kind of grunt, and turns into the littlefront parlour, where the family generally sit now that the weather hasgrown so much hotter.
Betty follows, and sits down wearily to the account-books. Bob isevidently in an unreasonable frame of mind. Where did he get thatviolin? Has he promised to pay for it? If so, how will he obtain themoney?
Meantime, Bob unrolls a sheet of music, marked, "Exercises for theViolin," props it upright on the table with the help of a few books,draws the violin and bow from the case, and places the instrument inposition under his chin with what he considers quite a professional air.Then he takes up the bow and draws it lightly across the strings.
A horrible squeak is the result. Bob looks rather blank; Betty shudders.She has a keen ear for music, and such a discord gives her real pain.
"Out of tune," mutters Bob, and he screws up one of the little pegs totighten the string; then he tries again. Another squeak, louder and moreutterly jarring than before.
He repeats this process several times. Betty is tired and worried; sheendures in silence for awhile, but suddenly her patience gives wayaltogether.
"Bob, what _are_ you trying to do?" she cries sharply.
"I am tuning the violin; can't you hear?"
"Tuning! Why, you make a more abominable noise every time you touch it.What could have induced you to bring that wretched thing into thehouse?"
"That's it, abuse a thing you don't understand! It's a very good violin,only the strings are a bit worn. Of course, if I decide to have it, Ishall get new ones."
"Worn--I should think they are! Look here, Bob, you don't mean to tellme that you're really going to buy that old thing?"
"I told you before, that is none of your business. If I choose to buyit, I shall, so don't give advice when it isn't wanted."
"But it _is_ my business!" cries Betty, now thoroughly roused. "Who isto pay for it, I should like to know? Haven't I to work for the money tolive on?--am I not trying to work for it now? And instead of helping me,as you ought, you make my head whirl round with that horrid old fiddle!"
Bob jumps up in a fury, and flings the violin into its case. "So this isthe way a fellow is treated when he comes home to practise! It'll belong enough before I trouble you again, my lady, I can tell you! I'veplenty of friends who understand music rather better than you do, andthey tell me that I ought to learn, and would soon play very well. Youused to say you wanted me to learn yourself. Now I see just how muchyour words are worth!"
And he closes the case with a loud snap, and flings out of the room.
In a moment Betty realises what she has done. She flies after him.
"Bob--Bob--stay one minute--I----"
The street door closes with a bang. Bob has gone.
Betty stands there, her head in a whirl. How did the miserable quarrelarise? Just after she had been feeling so happy about her success withthe girls, too. Oh, what a wretched, wretched ending to the day!
Tired though she is, Betty cannot go to bed until Bob comes home. Atlast she hears his step, and flies to the door.
"O Bob, I didn't mean----" she begins eagerly, directly she sees him.But he pushes past her without a word, and, running upstairs, shutshimself in his own room.
Betty goes to her own room, too; but not to sleep. What can she do tomake Bob understand how sorry she is for her hasty words, how much shewants to help him, how dearly she longs to win his confidence?
She goes over the brief scene between them, sentence by sentence, asnearly as she can remember it.
"Bob was certainly overbearing and unreasonable," she thinks, her angerreviving a little as she recalls his words. "Oh, but it was my place tohelp him to be better. I have promised to be the Lord's Soldier. Ishould have been wiser and stronger than he--and I wasn't, not one bit!I lost my temper. I made no effort to check myself."
These are sad thoughts for poor Betty; but it is often through just sucha sense of failure and shortcoming, through just such self-reproaches ashers to-night, that the Lord renews our strength. No spiritual blessingis so full of power as that which follows a time of humiliation. Indistrusting ourselves we learn to put a more perfect trust in Him.
Bob still wears an air of deep injury at breakfast next morning. Heanswers all Betty's rather timid remarks with "Yes" or "No," and seemseven to take trouble to show that all confidence between them is at anend.
Sick at heart, Betty starts out on her weary round of rent-collecting.Her sorrow is heavy upon her, and she walks with drooping head andunheeding eyes.
"Bob is wrong to bear malice like this," she thinks. "If he won't listento anything I have to say, how can I ever make things right between usagain? Would it be right for me to go and ask his pardon? It is plainthat unless I do something he means to have a grievance against me. Oh,dear, I just feel no heart for my work or anything while things are likethis! Lord, do lift the burden, do show me what to do! Do help me toput a stop to the mischief my foolish words have caused."
"The Captain!"
Suddenly turning a corner, Betty's eyes fall upon a little groupgathered round a doorstep not twenty yards away.
Three or four shabby little children and Captain Janet Scott. TheCaptain talking to them, with all that tenderness and loving sympathythat they have never had from their own mothers, poor mites, and forwhich their baby hearts are craving; the children looking up into herface with eager eyes.
The Captain! Just an accidental meeting in a dull and dirty street; butto Betty it is as though the Lord had sent one of His own brightangel-messengers straight from Heaven to help her!
She runs towards her eagerly; the Captain looks up, and turns to greether young friend with a welcoming smile.
"Betty Langdale! My dear, I have been hoping every day to meet you."
"O Cap
tain, I am so miserable! I've been so foolish, so wicked; I'vemade a dreadful mistake, and I don't know how to put it right. Do, _do_tell me what I ought to do!"
Captain Scott takes the girl's trembling hand, and looks attentively ather pale face and the dark rings under her eyes. Then she kisses theshabby little children all round, promising to come again soon, and,turning again to Betty, slips her hand through the girl's arm, andbegins to walk slowly up the street.
"Tell me your trouble, dear. Perhaps it is not so bad as you suppose,"she says, gently.
"Oh, but it is!" and Betty pours out the sad little story of her quarreland its consequences. She does not spare herself; as nearly as she canrecollect she repeats her exact words.
"You have been to the Lord about this, Betty?" asks the Captain,gravely.
"Oh, yes, I've prayed and prayed, and sometimes it seems as though Iought to beg Bob's pardon; but then, you know, he should _not_ buy aviolin just now, no matter how cheap it is--we can't afford _anything_,and he was wrong to worry me when I was doing the accounts, wasn't he?"
"Certainly he seems to have acted rather selfishly and unreasonably.But, Betty, you must remember that he does not know this. If you reallymean to help your brother, you will have to teach him to understandmany things that are dark to him now. Then, too, dear, you must learn toput yourself in his place. He had evidently been dwelling a good deal onthe thought that you would think it very clever of him to learn theviolin. Boy-like, he had most likely forgotten the family troubles forthe moment, and was trying to 'show off' before you. You had once saidyou wished him to learn, and no doubt he now thinks you very unkind andchangeable because you discourage him."
"But, Captain, just think--father in the hospital, all the accounts andrent-collecting to do, no money scarcely----"
"Yes, yes, but Bob has not thought of all that. He has never heard theLord's voice calling him. He lives in a world of his own. You must learnto get into his world, to read his thoughts, to make him feel that inyou he has a real friend. Step by step, dear, you must lead him to hisSaviour."
"But he won't listen. He'll hardly answer when I speak!"
"My dear, it is that very barrier between you which you must find a wayto break down."
"Oh, Captain! how? How _can_ I make Bob understand that I want to helphim?" asks Betty almost despairingly.
"Perhaps you could show some interest in his music. Do you play at allyourself?"
"The piano--just a little."
"And, evidently, you have a good ear. Couldn't you offer to show him howto get his violin in tune?"
Betty shakes her head. "I'm afraid he's much too vexed to let me try.Oh, wait! I've thought of something. Couldn't I buy him a newviolin-string? I believe one snapped just before we had that wretchedquarrel. It would only cost a few pence, I should think."
"Well, my child, I must leave all that to you. Do what you can to makeup for your share in the dispute; only be sure to show Bob that he mustnot act selfishly; that he certainly ought to deny himself anyamusement, however good in itself it may be, that would take money whichis needed at home.
"Speak quietly to him, dear. Remember the Lord's words: '_If thy brothershall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee andhim alone; if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother._'
"Ah! Betty, this is your first real attempt to lead some one you love tothink of higher things. God grant you may become a real soul-winner oneday!
"Be very prayerful, very loving, very wise. Use all the faculties theLord has given you, give your whole self to His service, and trust Him!God bless you! I shall pray for you and for your brother too," andCaptain Janet clasps Betty's hand warmly and leaves her.
What a change the Captain's words have wrought in Betty's thoughts! Sheis no longer conscious of a heavy burden, for all her heart is filledwith courage and eager hopefulness.
A soul-winner! Does Captain really think she may be that one day? Oh,how beautiful--how wonderful! A flood of joy, pure and sweet, rushesover her heart at the thought. Never, even with dear Grannie, even amongthe breezy moors, and blue hills, and clear skies of Grannie's home, hasshe felt a delight so intense. It is, indeed, as though she had caught aglimpse of Heaven.
Ah! what does it matter though she does live in a dull, city street;though her days must be spent in common-place work? It is the Lordalone who can give true happiness, and to none who serve Him in spiritand in truth does He deny His gift.
"Bob, is this the right kind of string? You wanted a new one, I know.The woman at the shop said it would most likely be the E string thatrequired renewing."
Bob, taken completely off his guard, looks up eagerly from his tea andbread and butter. "Yes, that's it; that's just what I----" He stopsshort, suddenly remembering his determination never to speak of hisviolin to Betty again.
"It _is_ right? Now I call that fortunate," goes on Betty, quietly. "Iexpect you know how to put it in, don't you, Bob?"
Bob melts still further at this. "Oh, yes; Mr. Wright, one of theteachers at my school, showed me how to put strings in. It's easyenough."
"Ah! but I've heard father say that it's very difficult to get a violinin tune after fitting in a new string."
Bob's face clouds over again; but Betty hastens to add, "Couldn't I helpyou a bit with the tuning? Couldn't I sound the notes on the piano whileyou screwed up the string--surely, that is the way people generally dotune violins?"
"Yes; but----"
"But what, Bob, dear?"
"You've got those accounts to do, or something."
"Oh, I've done for to-day. Come, I shall enjoy it, not the music, justyet, perhaps, but I should enjoy helping you, Bob."
Bob makes no answer to this; but directly tea is finished he runsupstairs for the violin-case, and the brother and sister are soon seatedtogether before the shabby little piano.
For the next half-hour there is little heard between them, save--"Toosharp, Bob." "A little lower still." "I say, Betty, give us the octaveof that note," and so on. At last the instrument is really in tune, andthen the pair try an exercise together, with fairly good results. Bob isdelighted.
"Why, Betty, this is first-class! Mr. Wright said I ought to get someone to play with me."
"I should just love to do it, Bob."
There is a long pause. Betty feels she ought to say something more, butdoesn't know how to begin.
"A little lower still."]
"I say, Betty"--Bob is speaking in quite a different tone of voicenow--"I say, you didn't really think I meant to _buy_ the violin, didyou?"
"Why, Bob, didn't you say so?"
"No; I said I'd take it if it suited me. Charlie Wright--my teacher'sboy, you know--wanted to change it away for my old camera."
"O Bob, I'm so glad--so very, very glad. Oh, why didn't you tell mebefore?"
"I meant to; but you took a fellow up so."
"Ah! I see just how it all happened. You must remember that I feel soanxious about every penny while father is away, and, Bob, I do want usall to think for one another, and--and"--Betty makes a greateffort--"and try to live just as the Lord would have us live, Bob."
Dead silence. Betty's heart beats rapidly. Then come the most unexpectedwords she has ever heard in her life.
"You _do_ try."
"Bob! O Bob, don't say that. I don't deserve it!"
"Yes, you do, Betty. Do you think I haven't seen you trying? Come, come,old girl, don't cry."
"No--no, Bob; only I'm so happy. I----" Betty cannot trust her voicejust now to pronounce another word.