Chapter Fifth.
"If hearty sorrowBe a sufficient ransom for offence,I tender it here; I do as truly suffer,As e'er I did commit."--SHAKESPEARE.
"O Eddie, dear, do get up and come into the house!" entreated hissister. "I must leave you if you don't, for Prilla said mamma had sentfor us; and you know we must obey."
"Oh I can't, I can't go in! I can't see mamma! she will never, neverlove me any more!"
"Yes, she will, Eddie; nothing will ever make her stop loving us; and ifyou're really sorry for having disobeyed poor, dear papa, you'll not goon and disobey her now."
"But oh I've been such a wicked, wicked boy. O Elsie, what shall I do?Jesus won't love me now, nor mamma nor anybody."
"O Eddie," sobbed his sister, "don't talk so. Jesus does love you andwill forgive you, if you ask him; and so will mamma and papa; for theyboth love you and I love you dearly, dearly."
The two were alone, Archie having gone home with his father.
A step drew near, and Mr. Dinsmore's voice spoke close at hand in tonessterner and more peremptory than he really meant them to be.
"Edward, get up from that damp grass and come into the houseimmediately. Do you intend to add to your poor mother's troubles byyour disobedience, and by making yourself sick?"
The child arose instantly. He was accustomed to yield to hisgrandfather's authority quite as readily as to that of his parents.
"O grandpa, please don't be hard to him! His heart's almost broken, andhe wouldn't have hurt papa on purpose for all the world," pleaded littleElsie, hastening to Mr. Dinsmore's side, taking his hand in both hers,and lifting her tear-dimmed eyes beseechingly to his face.
"Yes, grandpa ought," sobbed Eddie, "I've been such a wicked, wickedboy, I deserve the dreadfulest whipping that ever was. And papa can't doit now!" he cried with a fresh burst of grief and remorse, "and mammawon't like to. Grandpa, it'll have to be you. Please do it quick, 'causeI want it over."
"And has all this distress been for fear of punishment?" asked Mr.Dinsmore, taking the child's hand, and bending down to look searchinglyinto his face.
"Oh no, no, no, grandpa! I'd rather be whipped any day than to knowI've hurt my dear papa so. Grandpa, won't you do it quick?"
"No, my son, I am not fond of such business and shall not punish youunless requested to do so by your father or mother. The doctor hopesyour father will be about again in a week or two, and he can then attendto your case himself."
"Oh then he won't die! he won't die, our dear, dear papa!" cried bothchildren in a breath.
"No; God has been very good to us all in causing the ball to strikewhere it could do but little injury. And Edward, I hope this will besuch a lesson to you all your life as will keep you from ever disobeyingagain."
They were passing up the avenue, Eddie moving submissively along by hisgrandfather's side, but with tottering steps; for the dreadfulexcitement of the last hour had exhausted him greatly. Perceiving thisMr. Dinsmore presently took him in his arms and carried him to thehouse.
Low pitiful sobs and sighs were the only sounds the little fellow madetill set down in the veranda; but then clinging to his grandfather'shand, he burst out afresh, "O grandpa, I can't go in! I can't, I can'tsee mamma, for she can't love me any more."
The mother heard and came quickly out. The tears were coursing down hercheeks, her mother heart yearned over her guilty, miserable child:stooping down and stretching out her arms, "Eddie, my little son," shesaid in tender tremulous accents, "come to mother. If my boy is trulysorry for his sin, mamma has no reproaches for him: nothing butforgiveness and love."
He threw himself upon her bosom, "Mamma, mamma, I am sorry, oh, _so_sorry! I will never, never disobey papa or you again."
"God helping you, my son; if you trust in your own strength you will besure to fall."
"Yes mamma; oh, mamma, I've been the wickedest boy! I disobeyed myfather and shooted him; and oughtn't I to have a dreadful whipping?Shall grandpa do it?"
Mrs. Travilla lifted her full eyes inquiringly to her father's face.
"It is all his own idea," said Mr. Dinsmore with emotion, "I think hehas already had a worse punishment by far in his grief and remorse."
Elsie heaved a sigh of relief. "I think his father would say so too; itshall be decided by him when he is able. Eddie, my son, papa is too illnow to say what shall be done with you. I think he does not even know ofyour disobedience. You will have to wait some days. The suspense will behard to bear, I know, but my little boy must try to be patient,remembering that he has brought all this suffering on himself. And inthe meantime he has mamma's forgiveness and love," she added folding himto her heart with a tender caress.
Sorely the children missed their precious half hour with mamma thatnight, and every night and morning of their papa's illness; she couldleave him only long enough each time to give them a few loving words anda kiss all round, and they scarcely saw her through the day--were notadmitted to their father's room at all.
But they were very good; lessons went on nearly as usual, little Elsiekeeping order in the school-room, even wilful Eddie quietly submittingto her gentle sway, and grandpa kindly attending to the recitations. Herode out with them too, and he, Aunt Rosie or their mammies, took themfor a pleasant walk every fine day.
Friends and neighbors were very kind and attentive, none more so thanthe Lelands. Archie told his father how, and by whom, poor Eddie hadbeen teased, provoked and dared into firing the pistol; Mr. Leland toldMr. Dinsmore the story, and he repeated it to his father and sisters.
The old gentleman was sufficiently incensed against the two culprits toadminister a severe castigation to each, while Elsie was thankful tolearn that her son had not yielded readily to the temptation todisobedience. She pitied him deeply, as she noted how weary to him werethese days of waiting, how his gay spirits had forsaken him, how anxioushe was for his father's recovery; how he longed for the time when heshould be permitted to go to him with his confession and petition forpardon.
At length that time came. Mr. Travilla was so much better that Dr.Burton said it would do him no harm to see his children, and to hear allthe details of his accident.
The others were brought in first and allowed to spend a few minutes ingiving and receiving caresses, their little tongues running very fast intheir exuberant joy over their restored father.
"Elsie, Vi, Harold, baby--but where is Eddie?" he asked, looking alittle anxiously at his wife; "not sick, I hope?"
"No, my dear, he will be in presently," she answered, the tears startingto her eyes, "no one of them all has found it harder to be kept awayfrom you than he. But there is something he has begged me to tell youbefore he comes."
"Ah!" he said with a troubled look in his eyes, a suspicion of the truthdawning upon him. "Well, darlings, you may go now, and mamma will letyou come in again before your bedtime."
They withdrew and Elsie told her story, dwelling more particularly uponthe strength of the temptation and the child's agony of grief andremorse.
"Bring him here, wife," Mr. Travilla said, his eyes full, his voicehusky with emotion.
There was a sound of sobs in the hall without as she opened the door."Come, son," she said, taking his hand in hers, "papa knows it all now."
Half eagerly, half tremblingly he suffered her to lead him in.
"Papa," he burst out sobbingly, scarcely daring to lift his eyes fromthe floor, "I've been a very wicked, bad boy; I disobeyed youand--and--"
"Come here to me, my little son." How gentle and tender were the tones.
Eddie lifted his head and with one joyous bound was in his fathers arms,clinging about his neck and sobbing out upon his breast his grief, hisjoy, his penitence. "Papa, papa, can you forgive such a naughtydisobedient boy? I'm so sorry I did it! I'm so glad you didn't die,dear, dear papa! so glad you love me yet."
"Love you, son? I think if you knew how much, you would never want todisobey again."
"I don't, papa, oh, I don't! I ask God earnestly every day to give m
ea new heart, and help me always to be good. But mustn't I be punished?mamma said it was for you to say, and grandpa didn't whip me and hewon't 'less you ask him."
"And I shall not ask him, my son. I fully and freely forgive you,because I am sure you are very sorry and do not mean to disobey again."
How happy the child was that at last his father knew and had forgivenall.
Mr. Travilla improved the occasion for a short but very serious talkwith him on the sin and danger of disobedience, and his words, sotenderly spoken, made a deep and lasting impression.
But Eddie was not yet done with the pain and mortification consequentupon his wrong doing. That afternoon the Ashland ladies called bringingwith them the elder children of both families. While their mammasconversed in the drawing-room the little people gathered in the veranda.
All was harmony and good-will among them till Philip Ross, fixing hiseyes on Eddie, said with a sneer, "So, Master Ed, though you told me oneday you'd never talk to your mamma as I did to mine, you've done a gooddeal worse. I don't set up for a pattern good boy, but I'd die beforeI'd shoot my father."
Eddie's eyes sought the floor while his lips trembled and two greattears rolled down his burning cheeks.
"Phil Ross," cried Gertrude, "I'm ashamed of you! of course he didn't doit a-purpose."
"May be not; he didn't disobey on purpose? hadn't his father--"
But catching a reproachful, entreating look from Elsie's soft, browneyes, he stopped short and turning away, began to whistle carelessly,while Vi, putting her small arms about Eddie's neck, said, "Phil Ross,you shouldn't 'sult my brother so, 'cause he wouldn't 'tend to hurtpapa; no, not for all the world;" Harold chiming in, "'Course my Eddiewouldn't!" and Bruno, whom he was petting and stroking with his chubbyhands, giving a short, sharp bark, as if he too had a word to say indefence of his young master.
"Is that your welcome to visitors, Bruno?" queried a young man ofeighteen or twenty, alighting from his horse and coming up the stepsinto the veranda.
"You must please excuse him for being so ill-mannered, Cousin Cal,"little Elsie said, coming forward and offering her hand with a gracefulcourtesy very like her mamma's. "Will you walk into the drawing-room?our mammas are all there."
"Presently, thank you," he said, bending down to snatch a kiss from thesweet lips.
She shrank from the caress almost with aversion.
"What's the use of being so shy with a cousin?" he asked, laughing, "whyMolly Percival likes to kiss me."
"I think Molly would not be pleased if she knew you said that," remarkedthe little girl, in a quiet tone, and moving farther from him as shespoke.
"Holding a levee, eh?" he said, glancing about upon the group. "Howd'ye, young ladies and gentlemen? Holloa, Ed! so you're the brave fellowthat shot his father? Hope your grandfather dealt out justice to you inthe same fashion that Wal and Dick's did to them."
Eddie could bear no more, but burst into an agony of tears and sobs.
"Calhoun Conly, do you think it very manly for a big fellow like you totorment such a little one as our Eddie?" queried Elsie, with risingindignation.
"No, I don't," he said frankly. "Never mind, Eddie, I take it all back,and own that the other two deserve the lion's share of the blame, andpunishment too. Come, shake hands and let's make up."
Eddie gave his hand, saying in broken tones, "I was a naughty boy, butpapa has forgiven me, and I don't mean ever to disobey him any more."