CHAPTER VIII
THE CAPTAIN
Mr. Duncan offers to give Betty a third part of her father's usualearnings. The rent-collecting will occupy three long mornings in theweek at least, and an hour or two of every evening must be spent overthe books.
The sights and sounds of the district she has to collect for troubleBetty dreadfully. Some of the women look utterly weary and down-trodden;others again are always scolding and quarrelling. Then the poor, sicklychildren--and occasional glimpses of rough, drink-sodden men--haunt hermind. She has over a hundred houses to collect for, and it takes her thewhole of the three mornings to get through them all.
How many stories of want and misery she has listened to before theweek's work is over!
"My husband has taken to the drink again." "My father was knocked downby a van and carried to the hospital." "The children have all got themeasles." "Mother's taken bad with bronchitis." "My husband hasn't donea stroke of work for three weeks." Are all the stories true? Betty hasno means of knowing.
Sick at heart, she returns home and throws herself into a chair aftereach morning's work. A shabby, untidy room? Well, perhaps it is; but,Oh! how different from the homes she has just visited! How wrong she hasbeen to grumble so in the past--how wicked to be discontented!
One day she returns in a specially humble frame of mind.
"My home could be made a really beautiful one if I only knew how tomanage. But I don't. I'm very stupid, somehow. I try and try, but neverseem to know what to do for the best.
"Have I made any difference at all, since I came home from Grannie's?
"Clara is a little better, perhaps--at least, her face is a shadecleaner; and I didn't notice more than two saucepans standing about,and--Oh! yes, the kettle was boiling this morning--I mustn't forget allthat; but how rough the children are! How unreasonable Bob is at times!Two or three evenings he has stayed out quite late. Father wouldn't likethat--I wonder where he goes? Then, there's Lucy; nothing in the homeseems to interest her. I do think it very selfish of her to spend somuch time in reading, especially just now.
"When I first returned home, I thought everything was wrong; now I cansee it isn't the home so much, it's the people in it. We're all spoilingit--and I'm helping to spoil it as well.
"What grand thoughts I had about making everything right all at once,and what a little I seem likely to do!"
All day Betty goes about her work in the same humble spirit, with asense of failure strong upon her.
The excitement of father's accident is over now; they have settled downinto their old grooves again. True, Betty has much extra work to do, butall the glory of fighting grand difficulties has died out of her lifeagain.
Collecting rents is certainly a very depressing business; that is, in apoor, unthrifty neighbourhood. No, there is nothing splendid about it.
"The house is as untidy as ever," she thinks, "and the younger childrenso rude and boisterous--and mother doesn't seem to care a bit."
Lower sink Betty's spirits as the day wears on. Now, is the real time oftrial; now, indeed, she needs all her courage and resolution.
A letter from Grannie! Two letters--one to mother about father'saccident, and a long loving letter of good counsel to herself.
Betty carries her treasure away to her own room; a few sprigs of freshlavender fall from between the folded pages as she opens it. HowGrannie's rooms always smelt of lavender! Her eyes fill with tears atthe memories the delicate scent recalls to her mind!
"How lovingly Grannie's letter begins! Ah, she doesn't know what afailure I am making of everything!" thinks poor Betty.
"What is this? What does Grannie say?" Betty gazes eagerly at the page."Oh! how did she guess all this?"
"I know, dear, that this is a time of real fighting," so the letterruns; "that every day brings its hard battle--the battle of standingfirm against the worry and irritation of little things." Betty sighs."Yes, and I feel sure that every day sees a hard-won victory, too."Betty shakes her head, and one big tear steals slowly down her cheek.
"You have written very little about yourself lately, but I can see fromyour mother's letters, and from your own, too, that the Bird of Love isbeginning to speak in your voice; that my dear Betty is letting the LordJesus rule in her heart.
"You have much to learn yet, dear, and little to help you to learn it.Can you not go to The Army Meetings? I hear that Captain Janet Scott, adear young friend of mine, has just gone in charge of the Corps in DukeStreet. I have written to her about you. Do ask your mother's leave togo to the Meetings."
"O Grannie, I should so love to go," murmurs Betty; "but I amafraid--I'm quite sure--mother would never let me, even if I asked her!"
"Go on fighting bravely, dear; do not allow these little troubles towear away your courage. Trust the Lord more and more. Lean on Him; fightin His strength, and a bright day of victory will dawn for you at last.Ah, Betty, it is dawning for you now! Already the true, unselfish lovethat will make you a happy girl is beginning to shine in your heart."
"Oh! how _can_ she say that?" and the tears that sparkle in Betty's eyesnow are tears of joy. "Can that really be true?"
* * * * *
"I knew mother wouldn't let me go to The Army Meetings--I was perfectly_sure_ of it!" exclaims Betty to herself the morning after Grannie'sletter. Her eyes are heavy with trouble again, her heart sore withpainful recollections. She has asked for permission, and been refused,and the words of mother's refusal have been hard to bear.
"How can she be so unjust, so unreasonable?" thinks Betty, angrily, asshe enters the crowded district where Mr. Duncan's property lies, forshe is rent-collecting again.
Grannie's letter had cheered her for awhile, but the talk with motherthis morning has plunged her again into the depths of gloom. Just noweverything seems dark and sad indeed.
"Oh, dear, I've the same dreary round of calls to make, I suppose, thesame unhappiness to see everywhere.
"What a dreadful amount of trouble there is in this world, and theredoesn't seem to be any way of making things better. No. 41. Oh, yes; thewoman here has a tiny, tiny baby, and she's very weak and wretched, andthere's a whole troop of dirty, rough-haired little children, with noone to look after them. I can't bear to knock--how can she pay anything?Well, I suppose I must."
"Come in--the door is unbolted!" cries a cheery voice, in answer to herknock--a very different voice from that she had expected to hear.
Betty steps reluctantly into the passage.
"What is it you want, please?" says the voice again, from a room at theback. Betty explains her business wonderingly; the voice is so unlikethe dull, hopeless tones with which she is usually greeted.
"Oh, it's all right, Captain," says a second voice, far more feebly,"it's the young lady for the rent."
"Do come in please, and excuse me just a moment, as I can't leave thechild like this," cries the cheery voice.
Whereat Betty steps to the door and peeps in.
Round a big empty packing-case, placed in the centre of the room, thetenant's three children are gathered.
The little boy, his face shining with cleanliness, and his usuallytousled head smooth and glossy, is looking on, whilst a sweet-facedwoman, in a blue serge dress and big apron, is washing one of hissisters in a large basin, with a plentiful supply of soap and water.
On the floor sits a third child awaiting her turn; and on the bed in thecorner lies the sick woman, her baby on her arm, and such a hopefulexpression on her face that Betty scarcely recognises her.
"Come in, miss," she says, "I've got a bit of rent for you this week,thanks to Captain helping my husband to some work. Here it is," and shepulls a few shillings, wrapped in a scrap of paper, from under herpillow.
"Thank you, Mrs. Smith," says Betty. "That is the Captain, I suppose?"she adds, glancing towards the washing operations going on in the middleof the room.
A plentiful supply of soap and water.]
"Bless her! yes," answers
Mrs. Smith, in a low voice. "And an angel fromthe Lord she's been to me, miss. Washed the children regular, tidied up,made my bit of gruel, given the children their dinners, and, what'sbetter than all, she put fresh heart in me, miss, with her beautifulprayers and pleadings. Last week I felt that I wanted to give up anddie. Oh, the Lord is good to send me such a friend!"
"Come, come, Mrs. Smith, the Lord is always good to those who trustHim," interposes the Captain, who has overheard the last remark.
Is this Captain Janet Scott--Grannie's friend? Betty must know, andstands waiting until the washing is finished, and the Captain puts onher bonnet to go.
They pass out of the house together, but a sudden shyness has come overBetty, and she quite stammers as she says:--
"Please, are you Captain Janet Scott?"
The Captain gives her a bright look. "Yes; and who are you--one of mySoldiers? I hoped so directly I saw you."
"I am--that is, I'd like to be--only I'm afraid I mustn't," stammersBetty.
"Mustn't be a Soldier? How's that, my child?"
"I'm Betty Langdale. You know my Grannie--she lives near Moordale. She'sa Salvationist, but mother won't let me be one. I've tried to persuadeher only this morning to say yes, but it's no use."
"Betty Langdale--of course! I'm so glad to see you, dear, and you can bea Soldier, even if the way is not yet open for you to be sworn-in. Youcan be the Lord's true Soldier, fighting His battles in His strength."
"But mother says she will never let me go to the Meetings."
"I am sorry, dear; but keep believing, and remember that Meetings alonedo not make good Soldiers. God will help you to fight your battles athome. Fight against wrong wherever you see it. Keep very close to Jesus.Do all you can for those at home, and you can be a true Salvationist,although at present you may not join The Army."
"But mother ought _not_ to stop me from attending the Meetings, oughtshe, Captain?"
"My dear, it is not your place to judge your mother. Your whole thoughtshould be to win her gently, to _prove_ to her your sincerity by yourlife.
"It is only by keeping things in their places, you know, that we have atidy house. It is only through giving each member of our family his orher true place that we can have a happy home. Keep true and patient,and God Himself will one day open the door for you.
"Trust Him, commit your life into His hands, and He will undertake foryou and make the crooked places smooth.
"I have to call here, my child; but we shall meet again soon, andmeantime God bless and help you every day."
And with a bright smile and warm handshake, Captain Janet Scott goes onher way, leaving Betty with a heart filled with joy. It was surely GodHimself who planned that she should meet the Captain in this unexpectedway, God who had sent His own sweet messenger to Betty to give her thismuch-needed counsel and advice!