GENUINE SYMPATHY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 89, 16 April 1910, Page 10

GENUINE SYMPATHY.

"We needn't all rush in together," said the lmdcr of th« parly, "might be too much for her, situated as she is. 'I here's many can do tho right thing, but they can't do it in the right way." The others seemed inclined to look on this remark in the light of a personal imputation ; she went en hurriedly : "Now, if you don't mind me making a siggestion, and you know a lot better how to act in a case like this than I do " They signified modesty. "Why, what I recoatmend is thfs." 'Fwo chitdavn stopped and ahowed a desire to inform themselves on the subioct tliat engaged the attention of the Indies ; they received orders to go away, and complied hetitatingly. "I'll go in ftrst," she announced, smoothing her^rioves; "I'll knock at the door and ask whether she happens to be at home— which I kaww ahe is^—aud af • j ter I've boen there, say, five minutes, in you come, ono by one. "Four minutev" •'Two ought to be ample," suggested another. "Supposo we aay-OfM," recommended tho third. "Very well," ahe replied gracioualy, "we'll make it fire at near as I can judge. Great thing to do, of course, is to imagine ourselves in her place, and to think how glad we should be for people to look in and see how we were taking it. It'a the greatest comfort"— she found a pockot-handkerclnef— "at such a time to be able to feel you've got proper iriendt." "Tried, «nd teitud, and true," they murmured in chorus. "Be careful not to say too much," she added, on going. "Let her talk ; that's the great thing. The more the talks the sconer she'll get ovv-r it." The little daughter of the house said mother was in, but engaged for the moment; would the visitor kindly step to the kitchen? The child had begun to discuss the question of black and its ability to wear well with some views in regard to the action of rain-spots, when t'lo front-door opened and closed ; the >iiitor was at once conducted with ceremony to the front room. Conversation rtartcd in a pained, hushed voice; the lady of the house had to beg the visitor to. speak up, and speak distinctly. "Couldn't get you out of my mind," the caller declared, now at nee ease. "My husband taid to me twice at breakfast this morning : 'Whatever are you groaning and oighing about?' Ana I said, 'Poor Mrs. Godden is in my ho»d, and I can't get her out of it !' So this afternoon I decided to leave my ironing where it was, pop on a few things, ana come straight round here, and «cc how you were. It must be a terrible blow ; no uw disguising the fact, is there now? A smack like this doesn't come often in a lifetime, and I'm sun that's just as well, for if it was an every-day occurrence I don't know how. in the world we women would put up with it all. So hard, 1 always think, on those that are left behind. I say that when it comes to my turn, I should like to take every one with me, so there shouldn't be anybody to mourn my lose, as you might nay. Is that another caller? A moment like this, Mrs. Godden, find* out your real chums. Me and you, for instance, haven't seen much of each other in the past, and there's been little upsets when we have met, hut, as I say, this isn't the time to think about that s6rt of thing." The second caller was greatly surprised to see the first ; both detecting the sporting tendencies of fate, but their astonishment was nothing compared with that felt by the remaining two who entered together, with the announcement that they had encountered each other at the very door. They xpoke of the amazing summer, and oue lady, who hod been away to Weslgate, tried to convey a picture of her complexion as it was on the days immediately following her return, and looked about the room to find an illustration, but discovered nothing in the wall-paper, or the sorgo curtains, or the flowered carpet to serve. The vixitors liked the etirpet ; asked how many years it had been m use, and, without waiting for an answer, commended tho careful habit of placing a strip of brown holland as a kind of gravelled pathway vhere footsteps most often came. "Things like that fetch next to nothing, though," mentioned one, legretfully. "I've seen it happen so often. You go out : nto Seven Sisters-road, and you buy, little by little and bit by bit, and you think to yourself, 'Now all this represents a good deal of money in tho lump !' You eit and reckon up in your mind what everything in the house has cost, and you make the total come to so much." "But you," another took the tale, "you just mcci with a misfortune, and find yourself in a corner and want some ready cash, nnd' then what happens? What happens then!" "Why, what happens then," *ald a third, interrupting tho second speaker, who intended to answer her own question, "is simply this. You send for a man and yon ask him, to look through and givo you au idea of what it will fetch. Presently ho mentions a sum that nearly takes your breath away. You tell him he's joking, and he says he wu never more serious in his life. You feel as though you'd like to brain him on the very spot/ ''On the other hand," interposed the leader, asserting herself, "suppose you send everything to an auction room. So far, so good. But go there on the evening, and you'll see the chest of drawers knocked down for a few shillings, the Midcboard for next to nothing, the set of brass fireirons for one-and-eisht, the hatstand — that you paid goodness knows how much for out in tho Holloway-road ■—given away. I'm tho last person in the world," she appealed to the others for confirmation, the very last person to give advice where it isn't wanted, and over and over again people have come to me and asked me for it. and I've told them to do what they think best. I don't believe in offering advice. I never make a practice of going round instruct ing people what they ought to do. If they don't know, no one can't tell them. But this I will say ; if I was in Mrs. Godden's place, and if I was in her position, and if I was in her present circumstances, what I should do would bo this : I should aim ply mention around to one or two friends that 1 wanted to pet rid of certain articles of furniture. I should let it be known that what I wanted was reasonable offers." The others nodded. "Reasonable offers, und no one bound to huy, and Mrs. Godden herself " The little girl announced that mother was wanted just for one second in the passage ; the ladies accorded temporary leave of absence. They rose from their chairs as she went and furtively examined article* in the room, lifting the table-cloth, looking closely at decorations of the mantelpiece ; one opened the lid of the pianoforte and seemed tempted to strike a note or two, but apparently lacked confidence in her muaicai powers. They resumed scats hastily. "We mustn't detain you," naid the leader, her voice again in the right key of sympathy. "You*ve got a good deal to think about, and we only tolled to nay how sorry we were to hear the news. Hut you must bear up, you know ; Everything* ordered for the best in this world." ''There* always a -ilver lining." agreed the nosteic. "The gentleman's iutt c»U«d back to say that, it being a kind of an accident, I shall set a couple of baadtrd pounds. Thanks for calling !"

Tlm* Jadit* walked wkntly up the road and found in tho main fctreet a notice which mentioned that Cars Stopped tb«wo if Required. "All I can say is," they declared, upcakinu together bitterly andipeakiiig with emphasis, "that I only hope the jolly well thinks tthe deserve* It !"— W. Pett Hidge, in the Westminster Gazette.