The Birthday Walk
Good children]
"It is Lucy's birthday," said Mr. Fairchild, as he came into theparlour one fine morning in May; "we will go to see John Trueman, andtake some cake to his little children, and afterwards we will go on tovisit Nurse, and carry her some tea and sugar."
Nurse was a pious old woman, who had taken care of Lucy when she was ababy, and now lived with her son and his wife Joan in a little cottagenot far distant, called Brookside Cottage, because a clear stream ofwater ran just before the door.
"And shall we stay at Nurse's all day, papa?" said the children.
"Ask your mamma, my dears," said Mr. Fairchild.
"With all my heart," said Mrs. Fairchild; "and we will take Betty withus to carry our dinner."
So when the children had breakfasted, and Betty was ready, they all setout. And first they went down the lane towards John Trueman's cottage.There is not a pleasanter lane near any village in England; the hedgeon each side is of hawthorn, which was then in blossom, and the grasswas soft under the feet as a velvet cushion; on the bank, under thehedge, were all manner of sweet flowers, violets, and primroses, andthe blue vervain.
Lucy and Emily and Henry ran gaily along before Mr. and Mrs. Fairchild,and Betty came after with the basket. Before they came up to the gateof John Trueman's cottage, the children stopped to take the cake out ofBetty's basket, and to cut shares of it for John's little ones. Whilstthey were doing this, their father and mother had reached the cottage,and were sitting down at the door when they came up.
John Trueman's cottage was a neat little place, standing in a garden,adorned with pinks and rosemary and southernwood. John himself was goneout to his daily work when Mr. and Mrs. Fairchild came to his house;but his wife Mary was at home, and was just giving a crust of bread anda bit of cheese to a very poor woman who had stopped at the gate with ababy in her arms.
"Why, Mary," said Mr. Fairchild, "I hope it is a sign that you aregetting rich, as you have bread and cheese to spare."
"Sir," she answered, "this poor woman is in want, and my children willnever miss what I have given her."
"You are very right," answered Mrs. Fairchild; and at the same time sheslipped a shilling into the poor woman's hand.
John and Mary Trueman had six children: the eldest, Thomas, was workingin the garden; and little Billy, his youngest brother, who was butthree years old, was carrying out the weeds as his brother plucked themup; Mary, the eldest daughter, was taking care of the baby; and Kitty,the second, sat sewing: whilst her brother Charles, a little boy ofseven years of age, read the Bible aloud to her. They were all neat andclean, though dressed in very coarse clothes.
When Lucy and Emily and Henry divided the cake amongst the poorchildren, they looked very much pleased; but they said that they wouldnot eat any of it till their father came in at night.
"If that is the case," said Mrs. Fairchild, "you shall have a littletea and sugar to give your father with your cake;" so she gave themsome out of the basket.
As Mr. and Mrs. Fairchild and their children passed through the villagethey stopped at the schools, and found everything as they couldwish--the children all clean, neat, cheerful, and busy, and the masterand mistress very attentive. They were much pleased to see everythingin such good order in the schools, and having passed this part of thevillage, they turned aside into a large meadow, through which was thepath to Nurse's cottage. Many sheep with their lambs were feeding inthis meadow, and here also were abundance of primroses, cowslips,daisies, and buttercups, and the songs of the birds which were in thehedgerows were exceedingly delightful.
"_They ran on before._"--Page 7.]
As soon as the children came in sight of Nurse's little cottage theyran on before to kiss Nurse, and to tell her that they were come tospend the day with her. The poor woman was very glad, because she lovedMr. Fairchild's children very dearly; she therefore kissed them, andtook them to see her little grandson Tommy, who was asleep in thecradle. By this time Mr. and Mrs. Fairchild and Betty were come up, andwhilst Betty prepared the dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Fairchild sat talkingwith Nurse at the door of the cottage.
Betty and Joan laid the cloth upon the fresh grass before thecottage-door, and when Joan had boiled some potatoes, Mr. and Mrs.Fairchild sat down to dinner with the children, after which thechildren went to play in the meadow by the brookside till it was timefor them to be going home.
"What a happy day we have had!" said Lucy as she walked home betweenher father and mother. "Everything has gone well with us since we setout, and everyone we have seen has been kind and good to us; and theweather has been so fine, and everything looks so pretty all aroundus!"
"_Here were abundance of flowers._"--Page 7.]