CHAPTER XIV
IN A NEW WORLD
Meantime the panorama of Elizabeth's life passed on into more peacefulscenes. By means of the telephone and the maid a lot of new and beautifulgarments were provided for her, which fitted perfectly, and whichbewildered her not a little until they were explained by Marie. Elizabethhad her meals up-stairs until these things had arrived and she had putthem on. The texture of the garments was fine and soft, and they were richwith embroidery and lace. The flannels were as soft as the down in amilkweed pod, and everything was of the best. Elizabeth found herselfwishing she might share them with Lizzie,--Lizzie who adored rich andbeautiful things, and who had shared her meagre outfit with her. Shementioned this wistfully to her grandmother, and in a fit of childishgenerosity that lady said: "Certainly, get her what you wish. I'll takeyou downtown some day, and you can pick out some nice things for them all.I hate to be under obligations."
A dozen ready-made dresses had been sent out before the first afternoonwas over, and Elizabeth spent the rest of the day in trying on and walkingback and forth in front of her grandmother. At last two or three wereselected which it was thought would "do" until the dressmaker could becalled in to help, and Elizabeth was clothed and allowed to come down intothe life of the household.
It was not a large household. It consisted of the grandmother, her dog,and the servants. Elizabeth fitted into it better than she had feared. Itseemed pleasanter to her than the house on Flora Street. There was moreroom, and more air, and more quiet. With her mountain breeding she couldnot get her breath in a crowd.
She was presently taken in a luxurious carriage, drawn by two beautifulhorses, to a large department store, where she sat by the hour and watchedher grandmother choose things for her. Another girl might have gone halfwild over the delightful experience of being able to have anything in theshops. Not so Elizabeth. She watched it all apathetically, as if the goodsdisplayed about had been the leaves upon the trees set forth for heradmiration. She could wear but one dress at once, and one hat. Why were somany necessary? Her main hope lay in the words her grandmother had spokenabout sending her to school.
The third day of her stay in Rittenhouse Square, Elizabeth had remindedher of it, and the grandmother had said half impatiently: "Yes, yes,child; you shall go of course to a finishing school. That will benecessary. But first I must get you fixed up. You have scarcely anythingto put on." So Elizabeth subsided.
At last there dawned a beautiful Sabbath when, the wardrobe seeminglycomplete, Elizabeth was told to array herself for church, as they weregoing that morning. With great delight and thanksgiving she put on whatshe was told; and, when she looked into the great French plate mirrorafter Marie had put on the finishing touches, she was astonished atherself. It was all true, after all. She was a pretty girl.
She looked down at the beautiful gown of finest broadcloth, with theexquisite finish that only the best tailors can put on a garment, andwondered at herself. The very folds of dark-green cloth seemed to bring agrace into her movements. The green velvet hat with its long curlingplumes of green and cream-color seemed to be resting lovingly above thebeautiful hair that was arranged so naturally and becomingly.
Elizabeth wore her lovely ermine collar and muff without ever knowing theywere costly. They all seemed so fitting and quiet and simple, so much lessobtrusive than Lizzie's pink silk waist and cheap pink plumes. Elizabethliked it, and walked to church beside her grandmother with a happy feelingin her heart.
The church was just across the Square. Its tall brown stone spire andarched doorways attracted Elizabeth when she first came to the place. Nowshe entered with a kind of delight.
It was the first time she had ever been to a Sabbath morning regularservice in church. The Christian Endeavor had been as much as Lizzie hadbeen able to stand. She said she had to work too hard during the week towaste so much time on Sunday in church. "The Sabbath was made for man" and"for rest," she had quoted glibly. For the first time in her life sinceshe left Montana Elizabeth felt as if she had a real home and was likeother people. She looked around shyly to see whether perchance her friendof the desert might be sitting near, but no familiar face met her gaze.Then she settled back, and gave herself up to delight in the service.
The organ was playing softly, low, tender music. She learned afterwardthat the music was Handel's "Largo." She did not know that the organ wasone of the finest in the city, nor that the organist was one of the mostskilful to be had; she knew only that the music seemed to take her souland lift it up above the earth so that heaven was all around her, and thevery clouds seemed singing to her. Then came the processional, with thewonderful voices of the choir-boys sounding far off, and then nearer. Itwould be impossible for any one who had been accustomed all his life tothese things to know how it affected Elizabeth.
It seemed as though the Lord Himself was leading the girl in a veryspecial way. At scarcely any other church in a fashionable quarter of thegreat city would Elizabeth have heard preaching so exactly suited to herneeds. The minister was one of those rare men who lived with God, andtalked with Him daily. He had one peculiarity which marked him from allother preachers, Elizabeth heard afterward. He would turn and talk withGod in a gentle, sweet, conversational tone right in the midst of hissermon. It made the Lord seem very real and very near.
If he had not been the great and brilliant preacher of an old establishedchurch, and revered by all denominations as well as his own, the ministerwould have been called eccentric and have been asked to resign, becausehis religion was so very personal that it became embarrassing to some.However, his rare gifts, and his remarkable consecration and independencein doing what he thought right, had produced a most unusual church for afashionable neighborhood.
Most of his church-members were in sympathy with him, and a wonderful workwas going forward right in the heart of Sodom, unhampered by fashion orform or class distinctions. It is true there were some who, like MadamBailey sat calmly in their seats, and let the minister attend to thepreaching end of the service without ever bothering their thoughts as towhat he was saying. It was all one to them whether he prayed three timesor once, so the service got done at the usual hour. But the majority werebeing led to see that there is such a thing as a close and intimate walkwith God upon this earth.
Into this church came Elizabeth, the sweet heathen, eager to learn allthat could be learned about the things of the soul. She sat beside hergrandmother, and drank in the sermon, and bowed her lovely, reverent headwhen she became aware that God was in the room and was being spoken to byHis servant. After the last echo of the recessional had died away, and thebowed hush of the congregation had grown into a quiet, well-bred commotionof the putting on of wraps and the low Sabbath greetings, Elizabeth turnedto her grandmother.
"Grandmother, may I please go and ask that man some questions? He saidjust what I have been longing and longing to know, and I must ask himmore. Nobody else ever told me these things. Who is he? How does he knowit is all true?"
The elder woman watched the eager, flushed face of the girl; and her heartthrobbed with pride that this beautiful young thing belonged to her. Shesmiled indulgently.
"The rector, you mean? Why, I'll invite him to dinner if you wish to talkwith him. It's perfectly proper that a young girl should understand aboutreligion. It has a most refining influence, and the Doctor is a charmingman. I'll invite his wife and daughter too. They move in the best circles,and I have been meaning to ask them for a long time. You might like to beconfirmed. Some do. It's a very pretty service. I was confirmed myselfwhen I was about your age. My mother thought it a good thing for a girlbefore she went into society. Now, just as you are a schoolgirl, is theproper time. I'll send for him this week. He'll be pleased to know you areinterested in these things. He has some kind of a young people's club thatmeets on Sunday. 'Christian Something' he calls it; I don't know justwhat, but he talks a great deal about it, and wants every young person tojoin. You might pay the dues, whatever they are, anyway. I suppose i
t'sfor charity. It wouldn't be necessary for you to attend the meetings, butit would please the Doctor."
"Is it Christian Endeavor?" asked Elizabeth, with her eyes sparkling.
"Something like that, I believe. Good morning, Mrs. Schuyler. Lovely day,isn't it? for December. No, I haven't been very well. No, I haven't beenout for several weeks. Charming service, wasn't it? The Doctor grows moreand more brilliant, I think. Mrs. Schuyler, this is my granddaughter,Elizabeth. She has just come from the West to live with me and completeher education. I want her to know your daughter."
Elizabeth passed through the introduction as a necessary interruption toher train of thought. As soon as they were out upon the street again shebegan.
"Grandmother, was God in that church?"
"Dear me, child! What strange questions you do ask! Why, yes, I suppose Hewas, in a way. God is everywhere, they say. Elizabeth, you had better waituntil you can talk these things over with a person whose business it is. Inever understood much about such questions. You look very nice in thatshade of green, and your hat is most becoming."
So was the question closed for the time, but not put out of the girl'sthoughts.
The Christmas time had come and passed without much notice on the part ofElizabeth, to whom it was an unfamiliar festival. Mrs. Bailey hadsuggested that she select some gifts for her "relatives on her mother'sside," as she always spoke of the Bradys; and Elizabeth had done so withalacrity, showing good sense and good taste in her choice of gifts, aswell as deference to the wishes of the one to whom they were to be given.Lizzie, it is true, was a trifle disappointed that her present was not agold watch or a diamond ring; but on the whole she was pleased.
A new world opened before the feet of Elizabeth. School was filled withwonder and delight. She absorbed knowledge like a sponge in the water, andrushed eagerly from one study to another, showing marvellous aptitude, andbringing to every task the enthusiasm of a pleasure-seeker.
Her growing intimacy with Jesus Christ through the influence of the pastorwho knew Him so well caused her joy in life to blossom into loveliness.
The Bible she studied with the zest of a novel-reader, for it was a novelto her; and daily, as she took her rides in the park on Robin, now groomedinto self-respecting sleekness, and wearing a saddle of the latestapproved style, she marvelled over God's wonderful goodness to her, just amaid of the wilderness.
So passed three beautiful years in peace and quietness. Every monthElizabeth went to see her Grandmother Brady, and to take some charminglittle gifts; and every summer she and her Grandmother Bailey spent atsome of the fashionable watering-places or in the Catskills, the girlalways dressed in most exquisite taste, and as sweetly indifferent to herclothes as a bird of the air or a flower of the field.
The first pocket-money she had been given she saved up, and before longhad enough to send the forty dollars to the address the man in thewilderness had given her. But with it she sent no word. It was like her tothink she had no right.
She went out more and more with her grandmother among the fashionable oldfamilies in Philadelphia society, though as yet she was not supposed to be"out," being still in school; but in all her goings she neither saw norheard of George Trescott Benedict.
Often she looked about upon the beautiful women that came to hergrandmother's house, who smiled and talked to her, and wondered which ofthem might be the lady to whom his heart was bound. She fancied she mustbe most sweet and lovely in every way, else such as he could not care forher; so she would pick out this one and that one; and then, as somedisagreeableness or glaring fault would appear, she would drop that onefor another. There were only a few, after all, that she felt were goodenough for the man who had become her ideal.
But sometimes in her dreams he would come and talk with her, and smile ashe used to do when they rode together; and he would lay his hand on themane of her horse--there were always the horses in her dreams. She likedto think of it when she rode in the park, and to think how pleasant itwould be if he could be riding there beside her, and they might talk of agreat many things that had happened since he left her alone. She felt shewould like to tell him of how she had found a friend in Jesus Christ. Hewould be glad to know about it, she was sure. He seemed to be one who wasinterested in such things, not like other people who were all engaged inthe world.
Sometimes she felt afraid something had happened to him. He might havebeen thrown from that terrible train and killed, perhaps; and no one knowanything about it. But as her experience grew wider, and she travelled onthe trains herself, of course this fear grew less. She came to understandthat the world was wide, and many things might have taken him away fromhis home.
Perhaps the money she had sent reached him safely, but she had put in noaddress. It had not seemed right that she should. It would seem to drawhis attention to her, and she felt "the lady" would not like that. Perhapsthey were married by this time, and had gone far away to some charmed landto live. Perhaps--a great many things. Only this fact remained; he nevercame any more into the horizon of her life; and therefore she must try toforget him, and be glad that God had given her a friend in him for hertime of need. Some day in the eternal home perhaps she would meet him andthank him for his kindness to her, and then they might tell each other allabout the journey through the great wilderness of earth after they hadparted. The links in Elizabeth's theology had been well supplied by thistime, and her belief in the hereafter was strong and simple like achild's.
She had one great longing, however, that he, her friend, who had in a waybeen the first to help her toward higher things, and to save her from thewilderness, might know Jesus Christ as he had not known Him when they weretogether. And so in her daily prayer she often talked with her heavenlyFather about him, until she came to have an abiding faith that some day,somehow, he would learn the truth about his Christ.
During the third season of Elizabeth's life in Philadelphia hergrandmother decided that it was high time to bring out this bud ofpromise, who was by this time developing into a more beautiful girl thaneven her fondest hopes had pictured.
So Elizabeth "came out," and Grandmother Brady read her doings and sayingsin the society columns with her morning coffee and an air of deepsatisfaction. Aunt Nan listened with her nose in the air. She could neverunderstand why Elizabeth should have privileges beyond her Lizzie. It wasthe Bailey in her, of course, and mother ought not to think well of it.But Grandmother Brady felt that, while Elizabeth's success was doubtlessdue in large part to the Bailey in her, still, she was a Brady, and theBrady had not hindered her. It was a step upward for the Bradys.
Lizzie listened, and with pride retailed at the ten-cent store the doingsof "my cousin, Elizabeth Bailey," and the other girls listened with awe.
And so it came on to be the springtime of the third year that Elizabethhad spent in Philadelphia.