CHAPTER XXI.
There was a decided downpour of rain the next morning, but no one mindedthat very much, as the necessity for staying within doors gave time andopportunity for further arrangements in regard to Christmas and thegifts to be presented.
The captain kindly devoted an hour or more to helping his little girlsto decide upon theirs and make out a list; Mr. Embury, and Molly andIsadore, who were intending to accompany him to the city, having kindlyoffered to make any purchases desired by the Viamede relatives.
At the same time the others, older and younger, were similarly engaged,and there were many little private chats as they gathered in twos andthrees here and there about the veranda or in the rooms.
In the afternoon Violet invited the whole party to inspect theschoolroom, where some of the servants had been busy, under herdirection, all the morning, giving it a thorough cleaning, draping thewindows with fresh lace curtains, looped back with blue ribbons, andplacing a desk for each expected pupil, and a neat table for theteacher.
Every one pronounced it a model schoolroom, some of the older peopleadding that it made them almost wish themselves young enough to again bebusy with lessons and recitations.
"Where's your ferule, Brother Levis?" asked Rosie, facetiously, after aclose scrutiny of the table, not omitting its drawer.
"I think you have not made a thorough examination of the closet yet,"was his noncommittal reply.
"Oh, that's where you keep it? I say girls----" in a loud whisper,perfectly audible to everyone in the room, "let's carry it off before hehas a chance to use it."
"Hardly worth while, since it would be no difficult matter to replaceit," remarked the captain, with assumed gravity and sternness.
"Ah, then I suppose one may as well be resigned to circumstances,"sighed Rosie, following the others from the room.
"Papa, can I help you?" asked Lulu, seeing him seat himself at the tablein the library, take out writing materials from its drawer, and dip apen into the ink.
"No, thank you, daughter," he replied. "I am going to write to Max."
"Please tell him we are all ever so sorry he can't be here to spendChristmas and New Year's with us."
"I will."
"And he can't have the pleasure of giving any gifts I suppose, as theyallow him so little pocket money!"
"Dear boy! he shall not miss that pleasure entirely," said the captain."I am going now to write to him that I will set apart a certain sum forhis use in the purchase of gifts for others. That is, he may tell mewhat he would like to give, and I will see that the articles are boughtand distributed as he wishes."
"Oh, what a nice plan, papa! I am sure Maxie will be very glad."
"Yes, I do it with the hope of giving pleasure to my dear boy. Andbesides that I shall tell him that he may again choose some benevolentobject to which I will give, in his name, a thousand dollars. You too,and Gracie, shall have the same privilege."
"Just as we all had last year. Oh, papa, it is so good and kind in you!"
"That is the opinion of my very partial little daughter," he returned,with a smile. "But, daughter, as I have often told you, the money is theLord's, and I am only his steward."
"Yes, sir," she said, and walked thoughtfully away.
By the middle of the afternoon the rain seemed to be over and a row onthe bayou was enjoyed by the most of the party; all who cared to go.
Music and conversation made the evening pass quickly and pleasantly, andall retired to their rooms at an early hour that they might riserefreshed for the duties and privileges of the Lord's day.
It was spent, as former ones had been, attending church and the pastor'sBible class in the morning, and holding a similar service on the lawn atViamede in the afternoon.
In addressing that little congregation the captain tried to make the wayof salvation very clear and plain.
"It is just to come to Jesus as you are," he said; "not waiting to makeyourself any better, for you never can; he alone can do that work; it ishis blood that cleanses from all sin; his righteousness that is perfect,and therefore acceptable to God; while all our righteousnesses are asfilthy rags, stained and defiled with sin.
"Concerning him--the only begotten and well beloved Son of God--theBible tells us, 'He is able to save them unto the uttermost that comeunto God by him.'
"'The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.'
"And he says, 'Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.'
"'This is the will of him that sent me, that every one who seeth theSon, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life; and I will raisehim up at the last day.'
"Just go to Jesus each one of you, give yourself to him and believe hisword--that he will not cast you out; he will receive you and make youhis own; giving you of his spirit, changing you from the poor sinner youare, by nature, into his image, his likeness."
At the conclusion of that service Lulu and Grace recited their Bibleverses and catechism to their father.
The evening was spent in conversation and music suited to the sacrednessof the day, and all retired to rest.
Nine o'clock of the next morning found the girls and Walter seated inthe schoolroom. Lulu and Grace busied with their tasks, the others readyand waiting to have theirs appointed by the captain.
School that day was a decided success, and Rosie pretended that herfears of the new teacher were greatly allayed.
Between that and Christmas-time everything moved along smoothly; studieswere well attended to, sports and pastimes greatly enjoyed.
The celebration of the holidays--Christmas and New Year's--also proved agreat success. There were many and beautiful gifts; a handsome broochfrom the captain delighted each little girl, and there were other lovelygifts too numerous to mention.
The distribution was on Christmas Eve. The next day there was a granddinner at Viamede, all the relatives present, and everybody in gayestspirits.
The day was bright and beautiful, seeming but little like Christmas tothose accustomed to frost and snow at that season.
New Year's day was not less lovely, nor were its festivities lessenjoyable, though the gifts were fewer.
The holidays past, the young folks went back with zest to their studies,Rosie saying she was now convinced that Captain Raymond was an excellentteacher, and not at all inclined to tyrannize over a well-behaved pupil;for which complimentary expression of opinion he gravely thanked her.
"You are very welcome, sir," she said, "and may depend upon arecommendation from me whenever it is wanted."
"O Rosie, how ridiculous you are!" exclaimed Walter.
But Rosie was already out of the room, the other girls following. Theywent out on the lawn, ran about for a while, then settled themselvesunder a tree and began cracking and eating nuts.
Lulu, who was very fond of them, presently put one between her teeth andcracked it there.
"O Lu!" exclaimed Grace, "you forget that papa forbade you to crack nutswith your teeth, for fear you might break them."
"Well, I wanted to break the nut," returned Lulu, laughing, and blushingbecause her conscience reproached her.
"I meant break your teeth," said Grace. "I'm sure you wouldn't have doneit--cracked the nut with them, I mean--if you hadn't forgotten that papaforbade you to do it."
"No, Gracie, I'm not so good as you think; I did not forget; I just didit because I wanted to," Lulu said with an evident effort, and blushingagain.
Then she sprang up and ran toward her father, who was seen at somelittle distance, coming from the orange orchard toward the house.
"I do believe she's going to tell on herself!" exclaimed Rosie, inastonishment.
"Oh, dear, I wonder what papa will do to her!" exclaimed Grace, justready to burst into tears.
"It is very noble in her to go and confess at once, when he needn't haveever known anything about it," cried Eva admiringly.
They were all three watching Lulu and her father with intense interest,though too far away to hear
anything that either one might say.
Lulu drew near him, hanging her head shamefacedly. "Papa," she said, ina low, remorseful tone, "I have just been disobeying you."
"Ah! I am sorry, very sorry, to hear it, daughter," he returned a littlesadly; then, taking her hand, led her away further from the house andseated her and himself on a bench beneath a group of trees that entirelyhid them from view.
"Tell me the whole story, my child," he said, not unkindly, and stillkeeping her hand in his.
"I cracked a nut with my teeth, papa," she replied, with her eyes uponthe ground, her cheek hot with blushes.
"You forgot that I had forbidden it?"
"No, papa, I haven't even that poor excuse. I remembered all the timethat you had forbidden me, but just did it because I wanted to."
"Though I had given you my reason for the prohibition--that you wouldrisk serious damage to your teeth, and probably suffer both pain and theloss of those useful members in consequence. It gives me pain to findthat my dear eldest daughter cares so little for her father's wishes orcommands."
At that Lulu burst into tears and sobs. "Oh, I hope you'll punish mewell for it, papa!" she said. "I deserve it, and I think it would do megood."
"I must indeed punish you for conduct so decidedly rebellious," hereplied. "I will either forbid nuts for a week, or refrain from givingyou a caress for the same length of time. Which shall it be?"
"O papa, I'd rather do without nuts for the rest of the winter than awhole week without a caress from you!" she exclaimed.
"Very well, then," he said, bending down and touching his lips to hercheek. "I forbid the nuts, and I think I can trust my daughter to obeyme by not touching one till she has her father's permission."
"I feel sure I will, papa," she said; "but if I should be so very bad asto disobey you again in this, I will come to you, confess it, and takemy punishment without a word of objection."
"I have no doubt of it, daughter," he returned, taking her hand againand leading her back to the house.
The other girls were awaiting with intense interest the reappearance ofthe captain and Lulu.
"Here they come!" exclaimed Rosie, "and I don't believe he has punishedher; there has hardly been time, and though she looks very sober--he,too--she doesn't look at all frightened; nor does he look angry, and heholds her hand in what strikes me as a very affectionate way."
"Yes," said Evelyn, "I think the captain is as good and kind a father asanyone could desire; and I'm sure Lulu's opinion of him is the same."
"Yes, indeed," assented Grace heartily, as she wiped the tears from hereyes, "there couldn't be a better, kinder father than ours, Lulu and Iboth think; but though he doesn't like to punish us, sometimes he feelsthat it's his duty to do it to make us good."
"I don't believe you get, or need, punishment very often, Gracie,"remarked Rosie; "you are as good as gold; at least so it seems to me."
"I'm not perfect, Rosie; oh, no, indeed!" Gracie answered earnestly;"but papa almost never does anything more than talk in a grave, kind wayto me about my faults."
By this time the captain and Lulu had drawn near the house, and, lettinggo her hand, "You may go back to your mates now, daughter," he said in akindly tone. "I have some matters to attend to, and if you have anythingmore to say to me I will hear it at another time."
"Yes, sir," replied Lulu, and went slowly toward the little group underthe tree, while her father passed round to the other side of the house.
"He was not very much vexed with you, Lu, was he?" queried Rosie, in akindly inquiring tone, as Lulu joined them, looking grave and a triflesad, while traces of tears could be discerned on her cheeks and abouther eyes.
"Papa only seemed sorry that--that I could be so disobedient," falteredthe little girl, tears starting to her eyes again; "but he alwayspunishes disobedience,--which is just what he ought to do, I amsure,--and he has forbidden me to eat any more nuts for a week. I chosethat rather than doing without a caress from him for the same length oftime. So you see he was not very severe; not half so severe as Ideserved that he should be."
The others agreed with her that it was but a light punishment; then theybegan talking of something else.
Nuts were a part of the dessert that day, and Lulu, sitting near herfather, asked in a low aside, "Papa, mayn't I pick out some kernels foryou?"
"If you wish, daughter," he answered; and she performed the littleservice with evident pleasure.
"Thank you, dear child," he said, with a loving look and smile as shehanded them to him. Speaking of it to Violet that night in the privacyof their own room, "I found it hard to take and eat them without sharingwith her, the dear, affectionate child!" he said, with feeling, "but Iknew it gave her pleasure to do her father that little service. Ah, itis so much pleasanter to fondle and indulge one's children than toreprove or punish them! yet I am sure it is the truest kindness totrain them to obedience, as the Bible directs."
"Yes," returned Violet, "and I have often noticed that those parents whodo follow that Bible teaching are more loved and respected by theirchildren than the foolishly indulgent ones. And, by the way, howdevotedly fond of her father Lulu is! It delights me to see it."
"Me also, my dear," he returned, with a pleased little laugh. "I doubtif any man ever had better, dearer children--speaking of the whole fivetogether--than mine. Nor can I believe that ever a father esteemed hisgreater treasures than I do mine."
The rest of the winter passed quietly and peacefully to our friends atViamede, the young folks making good progress with their studies, theolder ones finding employment in various ways--the ladies in reading,writing letters, overseeing house and servants, and making and receivingvisits; Mr. Dinsmore in much the same manner, except that he gavehimself no concern about domestic affairs; while the captain found fullemployment in instructing his pupils and superintending work on theplantation; but with time enough to spare for participation in thediversions and recreations of the others.
Grandma Elsie had entirely recovered her health, and as spring openedthey began to talk of returning to their more northern homes, yetcontinued to tarry, looking for a visit to Viamede from the dear ones ofIon and Fairview.
And here at beautiful Viamede we will leave them for the present.
THE END