CHAPTER XXII.
_MINNIE'S SECRET._
And so the time slipped away. Alice and Minnie found that when once theymade up their minds to regular lessons with their sister they began totake an interest in them, and were really happier than they would havebeen to be idle.
Soon after they began one morning, aunt Phyllis's sweet face peeped inat the door.
"Any admittance, my dears?" she asked.
"Oh, do come in!" said Agnes, springing up to welcome her.
"I have thought of something which I am burning to propose to you," saidMiss Headley, coming round to kiss each in turn.
"What is it?" asked Minnie, laying down her pen and pushing back hercurls.
Aunt Phyllis did not answer till she had seated herself by the fire,then she said:
"You go out for your 'constitutional' directly after your early dinner,do you not, dears?"
"Yes," said Alice, "and I wish we didn't."
Aunt Phyllis shook her head. "It is quite right, I have not come in toalter that, little puss."
Alice pouted just a very little, and Miss Headley went on:
"You come home about three, do you not?"
"Half past," said Agnes.
"What do you do then?"
"We work, or learn lessons, or gape, or are idle," said Alice, smiling alittle.
Aunt Phyllis smiled too. "How should you like to bring your work in withme? I have an interesting book I want to read to you, and if Agnes isbusy, or tired, she can stay at home, and I'll see to your work. Eh,Alice and Minnie?"
"Lovely!" answered Minnie.
"Awfully nice!" answered Alice.
And Agnes murmured thanks with a sigh of relief, for that hour in theday had been one of her trials.
"What work have you in hand?" asked their aunt.
"Minnie is making a doll's dress, and I have just finished some horridwhite calico."
"It must be real, sensible work," said Miss Headley. "How aboutstockings?"
"Agnes mends those," answered Minnie; "it nearly made her cry to teachAlice, and she gave it up; and I haven't begun to learn."
Agnes looked rather ashamed.
"Oh, auntie," she explained, "I know I got out of patience, but I wouldten times rather do it myself than make Alice."
"I don't believe I was very nice over it," said Alice in a low tone;"but it is nasty work!"
"Very," answered aunt Phyllis, so sympathizingly that Alice looked upamazed. "But only because you do not know how to do it. We will get overthat in a little while. So both of you come in this afternoon with allthe stockings you can find, and we will begin in good earnest."
"All?" said Minnie.
"Yes; then I can take my choice. I shall not give you bad ones to dofirst, they are too difficult for beginners."
"You are too kind, auntie," said Agnes, getting up to kiss hergratefully; then adding, "Didn't I tell you I was good for nothing?Haven't even patience to help Alice mend stockings!"
"You are not going to the looking-glass again, my child?" she whispered,smiling.
Agnes smiled too, though she was crying quietly. She knelt down andpoked the fire, and got rid of her tears somehow before anyone but heraunt guessed about them, and then she turned round to the table.
"I am afraid I am hindering," said aunt Phyllis, getting up; "but I amlike a child when I have a piece of news--I must tell it."
So she went, and the girls settled down again.
"_Is_ aunt Phyllis like a child?" asked Minnie.
"I think she is," answered Agnes; "her heart always seems fresh andyoung."
"I wonder why?" said Alice.
"She reminds me of those words," answered Agnes, 'Like a tree planted bythe rivers of waters.'
"Why?"
"Her soul is always drawing nourishment from Jesus; that's how it is.Like the roots of the tree by the rivers of waters."
"Oh," said Minnie, looking up, "I never thought of that before!"
"What _are_ you doing?" exclaimed John, coming into the dining-roomafter school that morning, and bouncing down in a chair by his littlesister's side.
"I'm----, but I shan't let you see, John," exclaimed Minnie, coveringher little pink hands over her occupation.
Vainly, however; for she could not hide the large sheet of newspaperover which she leaned, nor the chips of red and blue paper which peepedout in every direction.
"_I_ see," said John, "here's an end of a matchbox, and here's a bit ofyellow paper, and here's a star of red, cutout pretty well, Miss Minnie,and here's----"
"John, you are too bad," said Minnie, laying her head down as an extraprotection. "I didn't want you to see till it's done, and I should haveput it all away by one o'clock. I wish you had not come home so early."
[Illustration "'John, you are too bad,' said Minnie, laying her headdown as an extra protection." _p. 180._]
Minnie spoke in a grumbling little tone, which made John inclined totease her more than ever.
So he laid hold of one of the long golden curls which fell over thetreasures, and went on while he twisted it round his fingers--
"And here's a pair of scissors, and here's the inside of the matchbox,and here's--why, here are at least a dozen babies!"
What with her hair being touched, which she particularly disliked, andwhat with her secret being found out, as she thought, Minnie burst intotears.
"Hey-day!" said John. "Why, Minnie, you goose, I wasn't really meaningto tease you. Look here, I'll sit still here for as long as you like,and shut my eyes up as close as a mole (if they do), while you put allthat precious rubbish away; and what's more, I won't tell a soul aboutit; no, not if I--suffer for it."
Minnie looked up through her tears to see if John were in earnest, andfound him sitting, as he said, with his eyes shut and his hands foldedin front of him in a comical manner.
She gave a little laugh, and raised her head; but added, with theremains of a sob, "You're a _dreadful_ tease, John, and I did wantnobody to know."
"Nobody to know," echoed John, in a mock tone; "is that a pun?"
"You know it isn't; I don't try to make puns."
"Have you put away yet, Miss Dignity?"
"Nearly. Now, John, _have_ you guessed----?"
"Know everything," answered John, "just as well as I knew when I enteredthe room."
"How much is that?" asked Minnie.
"Everything," answered the boy. "Come, Minnie, my eyes ache with keepingshut so tight."
Minnie found it would be better to hurry her preparations than to answerthe brother, who was for ever getting the best of her; so in a minuteall was away, and John, with a sigh of profound relief, looked up.
Minnie left the room, and John walked to the comfortable fire andwhistled.
It was not long, however, before a little step was heard on the stairs,and Minnie appeared again.
She was walking more slowly than usual, and her head was bent down,while her curls failed to hide the deep flush on her cheeks.
"John," she said slowly, "I am sorry I was cross about those boxes; I'lltell you all about it."
"I don't care to know, Minnie," said John, looking down on her; "it wasonly to tease you a little bit, but I didn't think you would reallymind."
Minnie leaned her head against her brother's arm caressingly, andanswered softly:
"I oughtn't to have minded; especially----"
"Especially what?" asked John kindly, guessing by his little sister'smanner that she was very much in earnest.
"I was trying to do something for Him, you know, John, and it seemed sohorrid of me to be vexed and cross over that."
"I understand," said John.
"I was making--but I will show you all about it."
Minnie went to the cupboard, and drew out the odds and ends which hadattracted John's attention.
"See here," she said, spreading them out on the table, "I have beencollecting all the matchboxes for months, and now I have bought thesetwo dozen little china dolls, and Agnes gave me
some white wadding; andI am going to cover the boxes with this paper, and put little ornamentsat the bottom and top--so; and then--but here is one quite finished."
Minnie opened a bright little box, and there inside, on a bed ofwhitest, softest wool, a little china doll reposed, clothed in a wrapperof pink silk; under her head a little roll of wadding served as apillow.
"Doesn't she look cosy?" asked Minnie, patting her complacently.
"And what's it for? How can it be for the Lord Jesus?"
"Why, don't you remember how we mended those toys before Christmas, andsent them to the children's ward of the hospital?"
John nodded.
"So that's just what I'm going to do now; here will be two dozen littlepresents, and it will make two dozen little children happy for a wholeday, I shouldn't wonder."
"It is a very good thought," said John.
"And that's why I was sorry I'd been cross over _that_."
"Yes," answered John thoughtfully; "but I believe, Minnie, if we weremore anxious to please Him, we should be far more careful than we areabout _everything_. All that we do is really working for Him, and I dobelieve--I'm saying it to myself, and not to you, Minnie--that if wewatched more, and realized His loving presence more, we should live verydifferently from what we do."
Minnie slowly shut up her boxes, and when John had finished speaking shesaid softly, "We must try more than ever."
"And get Him to help us more than ever," added John.