CHAPTER IV.
CONSEQUENCES.
Ruby really had very good reason to be sorry for this last piece ofnaughtiness. By the time her papa carried her into the house theyfound that her mamma was very ill with the anxiety about Ruby, and herpapa just let her kiss the white face once, and then he hurried heraway to bed, so that he might do all that he could for the invalid.
Ruby was very much surprised to find every one up in the house. Shehad been so sure that it was nearly morning that she could notunderstand how it was that, after all she had been doing, and the longsleep she had had out in her little cabin, it should only be a littleafter ten o'clock.
It was some time before Ruby went to sleep, and in that quiet time shehad a good opportunity to think how very naughty she had been. "I wishI had n't played Swiss Family Robinson," she said to herself. "I wishI had never, never heard anything about that old book. I should neverhave thought of it by myself, and then, of course, I would never havedone such a thing. And now, it is just perfectly dreadful. I knowpapa thinks I have been too bad to love any more, and mamma is sosick, and Ann looked as cross at me as if she would just like to bitemy head off, and I most know she will scold and scold at me to-morrow,and there, Aunt Emma had to come the first time I ever did such athing, and now, I suppose she thinks I run away every night, and Inever, never did before, and it is n't fair, so;" and Ruby criedsoftly. "Oh, dear, I do wish I had n't, and it don't make the leastspeck of difference how many times I wish I had n't now, 'cause it istoo late. I wish I always knew beforehand how sorry I would be, andthen I would n't do things that make me feel so dreadful bad. I wish Iknew how mamma is. If she was n't sick, she would come and love me,and make me feel better; she always does when I have been doing things.It is n't my fault if I do bad things. When my mamma's sick, how can Ihelp doing things. I should n't think anybody would 'spect me to mindAnn, cause she's so cross, and anyway she is n't my mamma, so she needn't pretend that she can tell me when I must n't do things. I won'tlet anybody but my mamma tell me what I must n't do, 'cept maybe mypapa. I think it will be too bad for people to scold me for going outto-night, when I never had one bit a nice time. I can tell Ruthy Iwent, though, anyway, and she will be just as 'sprised, and she willsay, 'I don't see how you ever dared, Ruby Harper.' Ruthy would n'tdare go out in the dark. She is a real little 'fraid-cat, that is whatshe is. I 'm glad I am not so 'fraid of everything."
Ruby flounced about upon her pillow. She wanted to find fault withsome one else, so as not to have to listen to what her conscience wastelling her about herself, but it was not of much use to try to findfault with gentle little Ruthy. Ruby knew that even if she had notbeen afraid of going out in the dark, she would never have doneanything that she knew would make her mamma and papa feel so badly.Ruthy did things sometimes that she ought not to do, and sometimesforgot her tasks, but it was rarely, if ever, that she deliberatelyplanned a piece of mischief; and if she was concerned in one, it wasalmost always because Ruby had coaxed her into it.
"If Ann was n't so cross, I don't believe I would do so many things,"Ruby went on, still trying to find some one else to blame. "I neverdid so many things when mamma was well. I am going to ask her to sendAnn away, 'cause it is her fault."
But Ruby know better than that. It was because she was so very surethat it had been all her fault that she had done something that she hadknown perfectly well would displease her mamma and papa if they shouldknow it, and that had worried her papa and made her mamma worse, thatshe was so anxious to lay the blame upon some one else.
She turned her pillow over and over, and thumped it at last, she grewso impatient because she could not go to sleep.
"I don't think it is very pleasant to stay awake all night, and keepthinking about things," she said. "Oh, dearie me, I do wish I wasasleep. I wonder if people think when they are asleep. They can'ttell whether they do think or not, I s'pose, 'cause they 're asleep anddon't know it. I wish I was asleep, anyway. I wish I had n't gonedown into that yard. I guess I do know I ought n't to have done it,and I am just as sorry as I can be. I could n't be any more sorry ifpapa should call me Rebecca Harper, and scold me like everything, andif mamma should scold me, too. I guess I won't say anything even ifAnn scolds me, for I know I ought not to have done such a dreadfulthing. Suppose I had been all burned up; and that is just what wouldhave happened if my papa had not come! I wonder how he happened tocome down into the yard and see the fire. I never s'posed he wouldcome. I thought I was just going to be all burned up, so I did. Wasn't it dreadful to be so close to a fire, and not be able to get away?I would have been all burned up by this time, and my house would havebeen all burned up, too, and no one would ever have known what becameof me. Mamma would always have said, 'I wonder where Ruby couldpossibly have gone, and why she never, never comes home,' and papawould worry and worry, and Ruthy would have been so lonely, and theywould never, never have known."
At the thought of such sad consequences to her mischief, Ruby cried alittle, and before her tears had dried, she was fast asleep, so she didnot know how ill her mamma was all night, nor how great had been theconsequences of her mischief.
In the morning when Ruby waked up, she found Ann by her bedside.
"Here is your breakfast," said Ann, putting down a tray with Ruby'sbowl of bread and milk upon it, on a little table. "Your papa says youare to stay here till he comes up and lets you out. Oh, Ruby, howcould you be so naughty and worry your poor mamma? You don't know howsick you made her with your cutting up."
Ann did not speak angrily, but she seemed to feel so badly about Mrs.Harper's illness that Ruby felt very subdued and did not try to defendherself as usual.
"I don't want to stay up here. I want to go down and eat my breakfastwith Aunt Emma," she said, presently, turning her head away, so Annmight not see the tears which were coming into her eyes.
"Your papa said you must stay up here," Ann repeated, and withoutsaying anything more, she went out, and Ruby heard the bolt slide, andknew that she was a prisoner.
"I don't like to be locked in. I just won't be," she said angrily; andshe thought she would jump up and go and pound at the door until someone should come to unfasten it; but then she remembered how sick Annhad said her mamma was, and she knew that a noise would disturb her;and more than that,--it would make her feel so badly to know that Rubywas in a temper.
There was something else that Ruby remembered, too. The last time herpapa had told her to stay in her own room till he should come to lether out, he had trusted her and had not fastened the door; and when hewent upstairs, he had found that Ruby had gone out, and was down in theyard playing with her kitten, just as if she was not in disgrace; so itwas no wonder that he could not trust her this time. Ruby sat down onthe side of the bed very meekly when she remembered all this, and I amglad to say, really resolved that as far as she could she would make upfor having been so naughty last night, by trying to be as good aspossible now, and not give any more trouble to her mother.
Downstairs her father and Aunt Emma were eating their breakfast, andher father was saying sadly,--
"I am sure I don't know what to do with the child. I am so busy withmy patients that I can hardly take the time to be with her mother asmuch as I should be, and Ann does not seem to be able to make her mind.I know she is always getting into mischief, and she certainly does seemto think of more extraordinary things to do than any child I ever knew.She might have been badly burned last night, if I had not seen theblaze, and even if she had escaped herself, the fire might have spreadto the boards and fence, and then there is no knowing where it wouldhave stopped. Her mother will never get well while she worries aboutRuby, and you see for yourself what harm last night worry did her. Ideclare I don't know what to do."
"I have a plan," said Aunt Emma, after a little thought. "I will takeRuby back to school with me."