Nobody

"I believe you are right. Come – let us begin our French lessons."

With shy delight, Lois came near and followed with most eager attentionthe instructions of her friend. Mrs. Barclay fetched a volume ofFlorian's "Easy Writing"; and to the end of her life Lois will neverforget the opening sentences in which she made her first essay atFrench pronunciation, and received her first knowledge of what Frenchwords mean. "Non loin de la ville de Cures, dans le pays des Sabins, aumilieu d'une antique forêt, s'élève un temple consacré à Cérès." So itbegan; and the words had a truly witching interest for Lois.. But whileshe delightedly forgot all she had been talking about, Mrs. Barclay, not delightedly, recalled and went over it. Philip, Philip! your caseis dark! she was saying. And what am I about, trying to help you!

CHAPTER XXII

LEARNING

There came a charming new life into the house of the Lothrops. Madgeand Lois were learning to draw, and Lois was prosecuting her Frenchstudies with a zeal which promised to carry all before it. Every minuteof her time was used; every opportunity was grasped; "Numa Pompilius"and the dictionary were in her hands whenever her hands were free; orLois was bending over her drawing with an intent eye and eager fingers.Madge kept her company in these new pursuits, perhaps with lessengrossing interest; nevertheless with steady purpose and steadyprogress. Then Mrs. Barclay received from New York a consignment ofbeautiful drawings and engravings from the best old masters, and someof the best of the new; and she found her hands becoming very full. Tolook at these engravings was almost a passion with the two girls; butnot in the common way of picture-seeing. Lois wanted to understandeverything; and it was necessary, therefore, to go into wide fields ofknowledge, where the paths branched many ways, and to follow thesevarious tracks out, one after another. This could not be done all intalking; and Lois plunged into a very sea of reading. Mrs. Barclay wasnot obliged to restrain her, for the girl was thorough and methodicalin her ways of study, as of doing other things; however, she wouldcarry on two or three lines of reading at once. Mrs. Barclay wrote toher unknown correspondent, "Send me 'Sismondi';" "send me Hallam's'Middle Ages';" "send me 'Walks about Kome';" "send me 'Plutarch'sLives';" "send me D'Aubigné's 'Réformation';" at last she wrote, "Sendme Ruskin's 'Modern Painters'." "I have the most enormous intellectualappetite to feed that ever I had to do with in my life. And yet nodanger of an indigestion. Positively, Philip, my task is growing fromday to day delightful; it is only when I think of the end and aim of itall that I get feverish and uneasy. At present we are going with 'afull sail and a flowing sea'; a regular sweeping into knowledge, with asmooth, easy, swift occupying and taking possession, which gives thelooker-on a stir of wondering admiration. Those engravings were a greatsuccess; they opened for me, and at once, doors before which I mighthave waited some time; and now, eyes are exploring eagerly the vastrealms those doors unclose, and hesitating only in which first to setfoot. You may send the 'Stones of Venice' too; I foresee that it willbe useful; and the 'Seven Lamps of Architecture.' I am catching mybreath, with the swiftness of the way we go on. It is astonishing, whatall clustered round a view of Milan Cathedral yesterday. By the way,Philip, – no hurry, – but by and by a stereoscope would be a good thinghere. Let it be a little hand-glass, not a great instrument ofunvarying routine and magnificent sameness."

Books came by packages and packages. Such books! The eyes of the twogirls gloated over them, as they helped Mrs. Barclay unpack; the roomgrew full, with delightful disorder of riches; but none too much, forthey began to feel their minds so empty that no amount of provisioncould be too generous.

"The room is getting to be running-over full. What will you do, Mrs.

Barclay?"

"It is terrible when you have to sweep the carpet, isn't it? I mustsend for some book cases."

"You might let Mr. Midgin put up some – shelves I could stain them, andmake them look very nice."

"Who is Mr. Midgin?"

"The carpenter."

"Oh! Well. – I think we had better send for him, Lois."

The door stood open into the kitchen, or dining-room rather, on accountof the packing-cases which the girls were just moving out; thenappeared the figure of Mrs. Marx in the opening.

"Lois, Charity ain't at home – How much beef are you goin' to want?"

"Beef?" said Lois, smiling at the transition in her thoughts. – "Forsalting, you mean?"

"For salting, and for smoking, and for mince-meat, and for pickling.

What is the girl thinking of?"

"She is thinking of books just now, Mrs. Marx," suggested Mrs. Barclay.

"Books!" The lady stepped nearer and looked in. "Well, I declare! Ishould think you had some. What in all the world can you do with somany?"

"Just what we were considering. I think we must have the carpenterhere, to put up some shelves."

"Well I should say that was plain. But when you have got 'em on theshelves, what next? What will you do with 'em then?"

"Take 'em down and read them, aunt Anne."

"Your life ain't as busy as mine, then, if you have time for all that.

What's the good o' readin' so much?"

"There's so much to know, that we don't know!"

"I should like to know what," – said Mrs. Marx, going round and pickingup one book after another. "You've been to school, haven't you?"

Lois changed her tone.

"I'll talk to Charity about the beef, and let you know, aunt Anne."

"Well, come out to the other room and let me talk to you! Goodafternoon, ma'am – I hope you don't let these girls make you too muchworry. – Now, Lois" (after the door was shut between them and Mrs.Barclay), "I just want you to tell me what you and Madge are about?"

Lois told her, and Mrs. Marx listened with a judicial air; thenobserved gravely,

"'Seems to me, there ain't much sense in all that, Lois."

"O, yes, aunt Anne! there is."

"What's the use? What do you want to know more tongues than your ownfor, to begin with? you can't talk but in one at once. And spendingyour time in making marks on paper! I believe in girls goin' to school, and gettin' all they can there; but when school is done, then they havesomething else to see to. I'd rather have you raakin' quilts andgettin' ready to be married; dom' women's work."

"I do my work," said Lois gaily.

"Child, your head's gettin' turned. Mother, do you know the way Madgeand Lois are goin' on?"

"I don't understand it," said Mrs. Armadale.

"I understand it. And I'll tell you. I like learning, – nobody better; but I want things kept in their places. And I tell you, if this is letto go on, it'll be like Jack's bean vine, and not stop at the top ofthe house; and they'll be like Jack, and go after to see, and nevercome back to common ground any more."

Mrs. Armadale sat looking unenlightened. Madge, who had come in midwayof this speech, stood indignant.

"Aunt Anne, that's not like you! You read as much yourself as ever youcan; and never can get books enough."

"I stick to English."

"English or French, what's the odds?"

"What was good enough for your fathers and mothers ought to be goodenough for you."

"That won't do, aunt Anne," retorted Madge. "You were wanting a

Berkshire pig a while ago, and I heard you talking of 'shorthorns.'"

"That's it. I'd like to hear you talking of shorthorns."

"If it is necessary, I could," said Lois; "but there are pleasanterthings to talk about."

"There you are! But pictures won't help Madge make butter; and Frenchis no use in a garden. It's all very well for some people, I suppose; but, mother, if these girls go on, they'll be all spoiled for theirplace in life. This lodger of yours is trying to make 'em like herself."

"I wish she could!" said Madge.

"That's it, mother; that's what I say. But she's one thing, and they'reanother; she lives in her world, which ain't Shampuashuh by a longjump, and they live in Shampuashuh, and have got to live there. Ain'tit a pity to get their heads so filled with the other things thatthey'll be for ever out o' conceit o' their own?"