CHAPTER I.

Otago Witness, Issue 918, 3 July 1869, Page 20

CHAPTER I.

" Miss Mackworth, Misd Mackworth ! Miss Maokworth', do look what weve got.?'' With a shout, a rush, and a bang, four children, loaded with packages, stormed into the school-room of a certain house in Onslow-square, London, eager to exhibit their holiday purchases to their young governess. Miss Mackworth was seated on the floor in the cheerful fire-light, and close beside her crouched three little mortals, four-year-old twin girls, and a fat toddling baby boy, all watching with wide open eyes and suspended breath, while her steady fingers built up, brick upon brick, a splendid tower nearly as high as the mantel-piece. "0 Miss Mackworth! cried Archie, a rough-headed boy of eight, "it has been so jolly. First we went to Bond Street, and then to the German Fair, and then to the Bazaar—and only look here!" Miss Mackworth, please look at our dolls/ petitioned twin girls of six. "Oh ! stuff about your stupid dolls ! What does Miss Mackworth care for such girls' trash. Mlbs Mackworfeh, here's a croBS-bow I tWon't I makethe deer at Granny's look out sharp !" "Now Archie, Archie," interposed Carrie, a demure damsel of ten, rather oppressed by the weight of her eldership, "do put the things down properly, and then Miss Mackworth can see them. Dear ! are the nursery children here T as baby made a 'sudden onslaught on the tower of bricks, and tumbled ib down with a great crash. " Yes," said Mary Mackworfch. ' ' Nurse and Harriet are busy packing, and the poor little things seemed so dreadfully m the way that I asked leave to have them down here. They have been very good. "I'm glad they have boen good/ said Carrie, patronisingly : " now Archie, don't you go cutting that string. You II be tnasing us all for string to-morrow, you know you will." "Bother to-morrow I shall be at Littlemore, and Granny 11 me heaps of string. I say ! Mi«s Mackworth " Then arose the tumult afresh, and Miss Mackworth, forbearing to hush whore hushing was vain, gave full and free atteation to every article exhibited ; admired and criticised, praised the serviceable presents chosen by Came for -the alinshouse women and servants at Littlemore, and finally promised to cut out and place some garments for endless dolls, boueht for Grandmammas Bchool-tree. The hubbub did not subside until the arrival of the nursemaid in quest of the little ones reminded the school-room party that they must make haste to prepare for tea. la three hours' time the little flock were all in bed, and Miss Maokworth sat, in sole possession of the schoolroom, busily engaged in arranging tho promised doll's clothes. Presently, Mrs Halroyd camo in : & tmrfty, faded woman, still quito young, Eutvv'ith the matronly figure and somewhat worn countenance which generally distinguish the mother of a " large small family" "How good-natured of you, Miss Mackworth," she said, glancing at the governess's work:, "you spoil those little people ! " And then, as she laid an envelope on the table, aho said nervously, colouring and hesitating, " [think you •will find that quito right : and I will let you know the day of our return—probably not before the 20th of January— my mother-in-law wishes for n loug visit this year." " Thank you very much. " You don't tro to your uncle's this txine, I think." " Oil,* no I" aud the bright dark coloring deepened, and the brown eyeß danced, but half tearfully : "I /« going homo! to Farloy-m-the-Fields. « All! yes," said Mrs Halroyd, her languid interest rousod by the young governess's evident delight. " You will like that. I think you have spotit all your holidays till now at Claphwa, have you not V* " Yes : it wan too expensive to go all the way homo." It must bo a long jouraey to Farley." " Yes : I have to start at «i K ht in the morning and I get to Brigham, our nearest town, at fivo." "Doar mo that is a long time to bo in tho tram, and tote cold weather too, eight- nmo hours ! "It is tho cheapest tr:iin : I don t mind its being slow," Mary said Bimp y : my brother will meet mo at Brigham. '' «*$ oil, Rood night," said Mrs Uroyd, rising; "'not good-bye-for I slmU soo you to. morrow. You don't leave town till the wt day, I think f "If J™y • toy." said Mary, "1 should Hko to do a littlo Sopping before I go." Certainly : I hopo ifaei ervants will take good care of you" • And Mm Halroyd dopartud, congratulotfag horaelf oa having got ovor her quarterly ponaneo of paying Mias Mackworth a •alary-o thing to which aho never could •got acouttomod. She always fancied that it must bo as painful to the governess m to hersol! ; whoroin nho wni wholly mis*akon, tor it appeared to Mary tho moat natural and deunible arrangement in. (ho

world that she anould work ;h'ard^aSd be .paidior*dding-so#e- ■ Her- first act was*to draw i out the three s crisp,^rustling -fivepound notes-r-her quarter's salaryf-and actually waltz. round once or twice in a burst of childish happiness. . Then she went to her desk,- and drew out two more five-pound . notes, saved from the last quarter afc the cost of who knows what weary hours of ceaseless stitchery ; what private washings, and starchings of sleeves arid laces ; what vigorous self-denial in the matter of ribbons and dresses, things which no one appreciated more thoroughly than did Mary Mackworth. " How much," she deliberated, "may I fairly spend in presents ? How much must I keep for those terrible Christmas bills at home % The journey will cost—let me ace I w iU go third class instead of second— that will save something. And one thing I may let myself get— a wintfir shawl for the dear mother— that is useful —that she really wants. Harry must take the stockings I have knitted him for a present— and anything will please the little boys. But oh ! I should like to get papa that book about the Jewish church that he said would be so useful in his lectures on the Old, Testament, and I must keep a little money to buy some trifle for Cilia : something dainty and* protty, like her dear bonny self ! " Next morning the whole Halroyd family were off to spend Christmas with Colonel Halroyd's mother, at her place in Surrey. As soon as the two cabs and the carriage had disappeared, and Miss Mackworth could cease smiling and kissing .her hand to the little nodding, grinning faces at the window, she turned back into the house and raced nimbly upstairs, rejoicing that she might run up two steps at a time without Betting a bad example, put on her cloak and bonnet, looped up her dresa, provided herself with a thick cotton umbrella, and set forth on her round of shopping. She had settled with her conscience the exact sum which sho might allow herself to spend in presents : and as is usually the case, that sum did not go as far as she had expected. As she went to distant shops, and performed all her errands on foot, it took a long time, and the short daylight was almost gone, when, havinsr bought a serviceable shawl for her mother, some toys for the children, and a few cheap prettinesaes for her sister, she looked with dismay at the money in her purse, now considerably dwindled. "Oh dear ! shall 1 ever be able to get that Jewish book for papa ?" she thought : and then, wrapping herself in her cloak, for.the afternoon was very bleak and raw, with a biting wind, she betook herself to a bookseller's in Oxford Street. The man supplied all Mrs Halroyd's school-books, and knew Miss Mackworth well. He saw and pitied her look of blank " disappointment when the work proved to be quite beyond her means, and good-naturedly made a suggestion. " I'll toll you where you might possibly get it for your price, ma'am. They often sell off their surplus copies st Grueby's, and you might possibly have a chance there." " Oh ! thank you," said Miss Mackworth, heartily ; and, quite undismayed at the increasing cold and thickening darkness, she hailed a passing omnibus, and soon found herself at her new destination. Rather timidly, for the place was new to her, she approached the counter, and, to her great joy, found what she wanted at a more modorute price than she had dared to hope. She could not repress an exclamation of pleasure, and then coloured, feeling that her earnest " Oh ! that ia nice !" low-toned though it was, had attracted the attention of a gentleman who wns standing by, waiting for a box of books. Tho box made its appearance just ns Mary had laid down her money, and taken possession of her book, and ho politely held open the door for her. A small, dirty snow was foiling thickly : the pavements wero already wet, for it thawed as it fell ; and the darkness seemed to have oome on suddenly, perhaps from contrast with the bright gaslight inside. Mary stood still for a moment bowildered ; thon tried, in tho failing light, to hail an omnibus ; but tho man took no notice of her signal, and she perceived that his vohiolo was overloaded already. It was disagroeablo to \ find herself bolatod so far from homo, 1 oßpeoially as she wan very tirod and ladon with small parcels which wore iroubloaome to carry ; but Mary was always more disposed to mako light of misadventures than to turn them into hoavy griovanccs, so she prepared to walk. As sho put up her umbrella, a voico close to hor said, " I bee your pardon. Have you no carriage hore? no cab?" "No," sho answered frankly, looking straight up into tho speaker's faoo, as hor etistom was. Sho then porcoived that tha speakor wns tho gontloman sho had seen before, and moreover that his face wfcs yonng and pleasant,— " but it doesn't mattor— l am a good walker." "But it is coming on to snow harder. I havo a cab waiting hero. Will you allow mo to put you into it.' " Ohi no ! you are very kind, but indeed % would rath«r walk ; 1 think it is going to clow." Horowith, oi if to contradict

'her, came a gustfof win&arfd sleet which nearly khocked-her"'over: wilOl 'Tllß' iV ßtr!&;nfer ) l laughed.-- ; Mary could) not heljJ idllowitg: .his.examplef and' next moment if oundtiiat he washandirigher into a Hansom cab. She made 6ne ! more horrified "protest., "Oh ! noj I can'tthinkof it. - ; What will you do ! With that box of bopkri ispo—" " I will wait here, and send for another cab ; it is no inconvenience to me, I assure you. Where shall I tell him to. drive ?" , A rapid calculation , passed, through Mary's mind. " How far ccarln r l go for a shilling ?" "To the further end of Piccadilly, if you please," she said, and it struck her that there was a little nook of vexation, of disappointment even, on the face of her kind friend, as he bowed and raised hia hat, as respectfully as if the little parcel-laden woman in her, old .plaid cloak had been a royal princess. "Oh ! dear, I know he'll catch cold, and then it'll be all my fault!" was Mary's, first reflection ; " one thing is, I shall never know it if he does. If only I could have dared to ask him to get in too ! When I first came from home I really think- 1 should have done so— but I know better now. Well ! this is comfortable, certainly ; much better than that stuffy omnibus. And how delightful to have* got my book !" Aud she went off into a vision of the pleasure which her gift would bring to the hard-working, underpaid curate, whose cultivated mind and scholarly tastes were always suffering a famine, as his daughter well knew. In a very short time she had reached the house, and was seated by the snug fire in the school-room, wrapped in a warm shawl while her dress was drying, and thoroughly enjoying the mutton chops and tea brought to her by Susan, the little schoolroom maid, who regarded. her as the first of human beings.. " You must not forget all your learning, Susan, while I am away," sho said ; " I have set you ever so many copies, and I think now you can mannge to write to me by yourself, can't you ? And ah ! Susan, my canary bird, and my poor geraniums — I" trust them all to you.'" Susan promised the utmost attention, whilo she stowed away package after package in Miaa Mackworth's trunk with more zeal than dexterity, as Mary soon perceived. " Oh, take care !" she cried, apringing up to the defence of Cilia's prettiness : then checking herself, as Susan looked blank and vaguely selfreproachful, " thark yoii, that is very nice, but I can finish packing myself now, if you will hand me the things." There were a few moments of busy silence. " Now, Susan, I want something small and soft, just to fill up this corner. Is there anything that will do ?" " Yes, misa," responded Susan ; " here's a brown-paper parcel as will just fit in," and she handed to Mary a small parcel carefully tied with pack-thread and further secured with sealing-wax. "What can this be ?" exclaimed Mary ; " how carefully the shop-people have done it up. Are you sure it is one of my things, Susan ?" " 'Twas here 'on the ebfy, miss, along with the rest." " Oh ! then, it must be all right ; Cilia's gloves, I suppooe," she said, fingering it, and finding its contents soft and yielding ; " anyhow, it will just do to fill up my corner. Now Susan, pleaao come and help me with tho cover of my box. It looks as i£ it didn't mean to shut. That's it! Beautifully shut ! And now for tho direction."

With a thrill of satisfaction which made it hard to keep her pen steady, she wrote in her bold clear hand the well-known and dearly loved address, of Farley-in-the-Fields, Brigham.