XI.
_A NIGHT OF IT._
SCARCELY was she there when she repented that she had come, until shefound out what became of the mouse; but she was too much offended withRuth to go back, and with some difficulty succeeded in taking off therest of her clothes without help, tears slowly dropping from her eyesthe while.
Poor Carrie! how miserable she did feel; and to her troubled littlemind there was no way out of her difficulties.
She would have confessed all, if there had seemed to be any one toconfess to; but, remembering Nellie's charge to Daisy and herself thatmorning, it did not seem wise or right to tell mamma that there weremice in the house when she might possibly escape the knowledge; shewas afraid to tell her father, for all Mr. Ransom's children stood agood deal in awe of him; and she did not feel as if there would be muchsatisfaction or relief in telling Nellie. Nellie could not know how toadvise her or tell her what to do. And yet--perhaps she could. Nelliewas such a wise, thoughtful, well-judging little girl.
Perhaps Carrie would not have put her thoughts into just such words;but this was the feeling in her heart at this moment, and it was nomore than justice to Nellie. She knew she could depend on Nellie'ssympathy, however much shocked her sister might be at her naughtiness,and she half believed that she could help her. How she wished now thatshe had not been so pettish and disagreeable to her!
"Nellie wasn't cross at all, it was old me that was cross and hatefuland horrid; and I have been ever since I took the mice," she said toherself, the tears rolling over her cheeks. "I wish she'd come up, andI'd tell her I'm sorry; and if she asks me what's the matter, I b'lieveI've a good mind to tell her. Oh dear! I wish I'd never seen thosemice. S'pose that one should run out of the nursery into mamma's room.I wish the door was shut between her room and the nursery."
Then when she knelt down to say her prayers, and came to the words ofour Lord's Prayer, "Lead us not into temptation," she remembered howDaisy had asked her what she would do if she "had a temptation;" andshe buried her face in the bed-clothes as if she wished to shut out theremorseful recollection of how she had acted yesterday in that momentof temptation; and more and more bitter became her self-reproaches asshe thought how sweetly Daisy had acted in the matter of the whitemice. Yes: Daisy had shown true love and tenderness for her mother; buthow far had she been from doing the same?
Perhaps never in all her little life had Carrie sent heavenward as trueand sincere a prayer as that she added to-night to her usual petitions:"And lead me out of this temptation, and show me what to do, O God!"
Then when she was, with considerable trouble to herself, all ready forbed, she lay down, but not without another anxious glance at the doorbetween her mother's room and the nursery. If she could but have thatdoor closed!
Having soothed the baby to sleep once more, Ruth brought her into hermother's room, and put her into the cradle. This done, she passed oninto Carrie's room to see that all was right there, and the littlegirl safely in bed. She did not speak,--perhaps she thought Carrie wasalready asleep,--but moved quietly around, picking up the articles ofdress which her little charge had left strewn about, arranging thewindows and doors properly, and turning down the light.
Then she went away.
And now to have the door closed between her mother's room and thecloset which led into the nursery became the great desire of Carrie'smind as she lay in her little bed,--closed so that the mouse should notfind its way through.
She did not dream that mousie had done that already, and hoped to beable to close the door this way without attracting Ruth's attention.Slipping from her bed, she went softly, so that Ruth might not hearher, over her own floor, and through her mother's room to the closetdoor, and stretching out her hand was about to push it to, when Ruthcaught sight of her through the closet door.
"What's the matter, child? What do you want?" she asked in muchsurprise, coming forward.
"I want this door shut, and I'm going to have it, too," said Carrie,preparing for battle at once, for she saw that Ruth would object.
"Well, what whim has taken you now?" said Ruth, pushing back the door."Indeed, and you can't have it shut till your mother comes up. Howwould I hear the baby if it cries?"
Carrie persisted in her purpose. Ruth would have been firm, but findingthe child would not yield, and fearing to wake the baby once more if anuproar were raised, she let her take her way, and immediately went downwith a complaint to Mrs. Ransom.
Papa heard as well as mamma, and took the matter into his own hands;and scarcely had Carrie climbed into bed again, glorying, partly inhaving attained her purpose, partly in the supposed victory over Ruth,when papa appeared, and, with a few stern words to the wilful littlegirl, set it open again, forbidding her to touch it, and leaving her ina more unhappy state of mind than ever.
She lay there and cried till Nellie came up; Johnny accompanying her,and each carrying a bird. No hooks were in readiness for hanging thecages; and it was decided that, for to-night, they should be placedupon chairs, Nellie's bird by her side of the bed, Carrie's by hers.
Carrie, whose heart and conscience were so uneasy, was very wakeful;and, long after Nellie was asleep, she lay tossing restlessly from sideto side. Even after mamma came up to her room, she could not go tosleep for a long while.
In the night, far into the night it seemed to her that it must be, shewas wakened by a sound at her side,--a rustling, scratching sound.
What could it be? Carrie was not so foolish as to be afraid of thedark, indeed she was rather a brave child; but now she felt as if shewould have given any thing to have had a light in the room, to see whatmade that strange sound.
She bore it as long as she could, then woke Nellie.
"What can it be, Nellie?" she whispered, as Nellie listened.
"I don't know: I'm afraid there's somebody here," said Nellie, in thesame tone, but very much alarmed.
"What shall we do?" said Carrie, clinging to her sister.
"'Thou shalt not steal,' 'Thou God seest me,' 'The way of transgressorsis hard,' if you are a robber," said Nellie, raising her voice as sheaddressed the supposed intruder with all the Scripture texts she couldmuster for the occasion, and which might be imagined to influence him.
No answer, but the rustling ceased for a moment, then began again; andit was more than the children could bear.
"Papa! papa!" shrieked Nellie, "there's some one in our room! Pleasecome, do come, papa!" And Carrie joined her cries to her sister's.
Papa heard, and came; and so did mamma, very much startled.
"There's a noise, a robber, here, by my bed!" exclaimed Carrie all in aflutter, though the noise had again ceased. Papa struck a light, therewas a faint rustle, a sound of some small body jumping or falling froma height, and Mr. Ransom exclaimed,--
"A mouse! Nothing but a mouse in the bird's cage!"
If there had been a veritable robber there, doubtless Mrs. Ransom wouldhave stayed to confront him, and defend her children; but at the soundof "a mouse," a harmless little mouse, she turned about, and ran backto her own room, closing the door in no small haste. If the childrenhad not felt too much sympathy for her, they could have laughed to seehow she rushed away.
But Carrie did not feel like laughing, you may be sure, relieved thoughshe might have been to find that it was nothing worse than a mouse thathad caused her own and Nellie's alarm. I do not know but that she wouldalmost have preferred the "robber," or some wild monster, now that papawas there to defend them, to the pretty, innocent little creature whichhad been the real cause of the disturbance.
Mr. Ransom hunted about for the mouse, but all in vain: he had hiddenhimself somewhere quite safely and was not to be found. The bird-cageswere put upon the mantel-piece where he could not reach them again,for mousie had found the bird-seed an excellent supper, and Mr. Ransomthought he might return to his repast.
Return he did in search of it, as soon as papa had gone and the roomwas quiet once more; but this time the children knew what it was, andaltho
ugh, when he found his supper placed beyond his reach, he madeconsiderable disturbance, they were not frightened. But they found itimpossible to sleep, such a noise did he make, tearing about over thestraw matting which covered the floor, nibbling now at this, now atthat, and altogether making himself as much of a nuisance as only amouse in one's bed-room at night can do.
At last he was quiet, and the two weary children were just sinking offto sleep, when Nellie started up with,--
"Carrie! I do believe that mouse is in the bed!"
This was too much, not to be borne by any one, however much they mightlike mice; and both Nellie and Carrie were speedily out of bed, theformer hastily turning up the light which papa had left burning fortheir comfort.
Carrie was about to run to the door and call papa to come, but Nelliestopped her.
"Don't, Carrie," she said: "it will just frighten mamma again. Let'ssee if we can't find him. I'm not afraid of him, are you? Only, I don'tlike to have him in the bed."
Rather enjoying the fun, Nellie pulled off the covers and pillows, andeven, exerting all her little strength, contrived to turn up one end ofthe mattress; but this, even with Carrie's help, she found hard work,and, nothing being discovered of the little nuisance, they were contentto believe that Nellie had been mistaken, to put on the bed-clothes aswell as they could, and lie down again.
But Carrie did not enjoy all this, if Nellie did. At another timeshe, too, might have thought that it was "fun" to have such a goodand sufficient excuse for being up and busy when the clock wasstriking--could it be?--yes, it was twelve o'clock, midnight! and sheand Nellie frisking there about the room, as wide awake as if it werenoon.
But there was a weight on Carrie's mind, she felt too guilty to enjoythe novelty, and she was almost vexed at Nellie's glee over it. Ohdear! how she did wish that she had never seen the mice, that "suchthings as mice had never been made."
And when at last she fell into a troubled slumber, for they heardnothing more of mousie, it was not the calm, peaceful sleep of hersister who lay beside her, but filled with uncomfortable dreams, andmany a start and moan.