CHAPTER VIII.
AT SUNSET.
Elsli continued to go daily to the little invalid, and, from the firstvisit, she had been a dear friend and companion to the sick girl, whowould not hear of her going on errands, but kept her by her own sidefrom the moment she came, till it was time to go home. Mrs. Stanhope,whose only object in life was her little girl's happiness, was more thanpleased with this arrangement; and watched with delight as Nora grew,from day to day, more cheerful and even lively in the companionship of agirl of her own age. And Elsli, too, profited by the intercourse; shewas of a yielding nature and easily took new impressions, and now thatshe passed all her time in refined society, she insensibly grew into itslikeness; and her voice, her manners, her way of speaking, all seemedassimilated to those of a very different way of life from that to whichshe had been accustomed. Was it that this new way was really more suitedto her nature than the old?
The two girls studied together every day Elsli's lessons for the morrow,greatly to the pleasure and advantage of both. To Elsli especially, itwas a new and delightful sensation to go to her class with a perfectlyprepared lesson, and to hear the praises which the teacher dailybestowed upon her improvement; while Nora, whose invalidism had long cuther off from her books, found a fresh zest in resuming her studies withher eager friend. After lessons came supper, and then the evening withits long talks. These were generally about the beautiful country, towhich Nora hoped soon to go, and where Elsli followed her in sympatheticthought. One regret began to dim Nora's satisfaction at the prospect;the thought that they couldn't go together; and Elsli would say, sadly,"If you should go and leave me here alone, how could I bear it?"
At last September came, with its cool but sunny days. One evening, asthe children sat at the window looking across the meadows towards thesetting sun; from a dark cloud that hung in the western sky, a greatflood of shining light suddenly poured down across the valley,illuminating the trees, the grass, and the shrubs with its dazzlingradiance.
"Look! look!" cried Nora, "that is the crystal stream! there it comesrolling toward me! Oh, I wish I could go there now! It is certainly thepromised land, where we all shall be so happy. Come nearer to me,Elsli. I feel so weak I cannot sit up alone."
Elsli sat close by her, and drew the tired head to rest upon hershoulder; and so the two friends sat, silently gazing at the wonderfulsight, until at last the sun disappeared behind the woods, and slowlythe mists of evening filled the valley, and all the glory was over.
But for Nora it had only just begun. When her mother came in from thenext room, she thought her little girl was asleep on Elsli's shoulder.She was asleep, indeed; but she would never awaken on earth. Mrs.Stanhope took her in her arms, and burst into tears.
"Run, Elsli, for the doctor, as fast as you can!" cried she, and Elsliran. The doctor was not at home, but Mrs. Stein soon saw the truth, fromElsli's answers to her many questions.
"Dear little Nora!" she said sadly. "Her sufferings are over forever.She has gone to heaven to be at rest."
Elsli stood as if struck by lightning.
"Is she gone? Is Nora really gone to heaven?" she exclaimed, and thenshe burst into tears, and trembled so that she could scarcely stand.
"My dear child," said the doctor's wife tenderly, taking Elsli by thehand, "come and sit down with me a little while, till you feel better."
But Elsli could not. She covered her face with her apron, and ran out ofthe house, crying bitterly.
"Oh, how could she go and leave me behind?" she kept saying to herselfas she hurried back to Oak-ridge. She found Mrs. Stanhope still bendingover Nora, and sobbing as when she left her. Elsli seated herself onNora's footstool, and wept in silence. It was not long before thedoctor came. He bent over the child's form a moment, and then turned tothe mother.
"Mrs. Stanhope," he said, and his tones were very tender, "I can donothing. Your little girl is gone. I will send my wife to you."
Mrs. Stein came, but her words brought no comfort to the bereavedmother. She heard nothing; she saw nothing but the quiet little formthat lay lifeless before her. When Mrs. Stein was convinced that shecould be of no use to her, she went across the room to Elsli, who satweeping on the footstool by the window, and taking her by the hand, sheled her out of the room, saying gently:--
"Now it is best for you to go home, my dear. We will not forget you, andremember that our Father in heaven never forgets his children. Think howwell and happy Nora is! She will never be ill again, in that land wherethe weary are at rest."
"If she had only taken me with her," moaned poor Elsli, and when Mrs.Stein left her, as their ways parted, she could hear the sobbing childfor a long time as she slowly walked, with her apron over her eyes,along the lane that led to her home.
At home, Mrs. Stein found the children grouped about their aunt, who wastelling them about Nora. Fred had many questions to ask about death, andhow people can die and come to life again. Emma was much depressed, forshe felt, now that it was too late, that she had not done anything tomake Nora's illness more cheerful.
That evening Mrs. Stein and her sister were full of anxious thought.They felt keen sympathy with the sorrowing mother at Oak-ridge, and theytalked a great deal about the blow that had fallen upon poor littleElsli. She had not only lost a friend whose companionship had broughther new life, but she must now go back to the hard and uncongenial laborfrom which she had had a brief and blessed respite. Fani too, the onlybright spot in her dark lot, was away now, and who could tell when shewould have him again? Indeed, Fani's fate was also a source of anxiety,especially on account of Emma's share in his disappearance. Would allturn out right for the boy? Would he get a suitable education, and whatsort of a future lay before him? The information they had obtained fromBasel had not proved perfectly satisfactory. The scene-painter had, tobe sure, taken Fani into his service, but the boy had nothing to do withthe painting but to clean up the brushes and palettes, and grind thecolors; and, although he had his board and lodging from his master, hemust pay for his clothes himself. It was not a very promising outlookfor Fani. His parents were willing to have him stay away from home, butthey expected him at least to support himself, if not to send them somemoney occasionally. Mrs. Stein could not decide what ought to be done,and all this new care would have been a very heavy burden to bear, ifher sister had not lightened it by her sympathy and encouragement.Aunty's cheerful spirit always inspired hope and confidence.
* * * * *
The next morning, Emma, with a downcast air, asked leave to take someflowers over to lay upon the bed by Nora. Her mother was glad to let hergo, and glad too that Fred offered to accompany his sister. The childrenwere admitted to the house, and shown into the room where Nora lay upona snow-white bed; herself as white and cold as marble.
Mrs. Stanhope was kneeling by the bedside, her face buried in thecoverlet. Emma laid her flowers upon the bed, and, with fast flowingtears, looked upon the peaceful face, and remembered sadly that she hadnot done a friendly act for the little invalid, nor helped to wile awayher lonely hours. She left the room sorry and ashamed, regretting herselfishness, when it was too late to do any good.
A little while after, Mrs, Stein came softly into the quiet room. Mrs.Stanhope raised her head, and, as she returned the kindly greeting, hergrief broke out, and she exclaimed with sobs:--
"Oh, if you knew how miserable I am! Why--ah, why! does God take from memy only child? Fortune and lands, everything else he might have taken,if he would only have left me my child! This is the very hardest fatethat could have befallen me! Why must I suffer more than any one else inthe world?"
"Dear Mrs. Stanhope," said the doctor's wife, as she took the poorlady's hand and pressed it tenderly in her own; "I feel for your sorrow,but I beg you to think of what your child has gained. God has taken herto himself, and she is free from pain and weariness forevermore, in hissheltering arms. You do not know what poverty means! Think of the manymothers who only see their children grow up to ha
rd labor, and sufferfor want of food and clothing. Take the sorrow that God has sent you; donot try to measure it with that of others; the sorrow that comes to eachseems the heaviest for each to bear. But our Father knows why he hasgiven each row, and the road he leads us is the one best for us tofollow."
Mrs. Stanhope became more tranquil as these words fell on her ear, buther face still wore an expression of inconsolable grief. She was silenta few moments, and then she told Mrs. Stein that she meant to take Norahome and lay her beside the little boy in the garden by the Rhine, andthat she should send to her true friend and house-keeper Clarissa tocome at once to Oak-ridge to make the preparations for their return, andaccompany her on her painful journey. This arrangement was a greatrelief to Mrs. Stein, who returned home with an easier mind, andhastened to impart this bit of good news to her sister. But aunty wasnowhere to be found, and Emma, who was sitting alone in an unusuallysubdued mood, told her mother that she was probably with Fred, who hadbeen looking for her, "to show her a beetle or some such thing," shesupposed! So Mrs. Stein sat down with her little girl, who wanted to askher questions about Nora. Emma longed to hear that Nora had not sufferedfrom her neglect, and had been contented and happy without her; for shehad been feeling more and more how selfish she had been in neverrepeating her first visit, merely because she had not herself enjoyedit, never thinking what she might have done for poor sick Nora.
Fred had sought his aunt for a long time, and when he found her hecarried her off to a remote part of the garden, where stood a lonelysummer-house. There he drew her down beside him on a bench, and said hehad something to say to her alone.
"Do you know, aunty, I saw Nora to-day, and she is dead; and I cannotsee how she can come to life again, and go to heaven."
"You cannot understand that, Fred? Neither can I. But the good God doesmany things which we cannot understand, and yet we know they are. And aswe are told by One whom we can trust that we shall live again after ourbody dies, we must believe it. I believe it, Fred, with all my heart."
"But," argued Fred, "I have always thought that life is the same in menas in animals, and when an animal dies, it can never be made aliveagain. I have noticed that myself."
At this moment, the conversation was interrupted, for they saw thedoctor in the garden, and aunty hastened to join him, as she hadpromised to visit his cauliflowers with him this evening.
Fred sat still lost in thought; he did not care for cauliflowers.