Nobody

"It don't work so, aunt Anne," said Lois.

"It will work so. What use can all these krinkum-krankums be to you?Shampuashuh ain't the place for 'em. You'll be like the girl that got anew bonnet, and had to sit with her head out o' window to wear it."

Madge's cheeks grew red. Lois laughed.

"Daughter," said Mrs. Armadale, "'seems to me you are making a storm ina teapot."

Mrs. Marx laughed at that; then became quite serious again.

"I ain't doin' that," she said. "I never do. And I've no enmity againstall manner of fiddle-faddling, if folks have got nothin' better to do.But 'tain't so with our girls. They work for their livin', and they'vegot to work; and what I say is, they're in a way to get to hate work,if they don't despise it, and in my judgment that's a poor business.It's going the wrong way to be happy. Mother, they ought to marryfarmers; and they won't look at a farmer in all Shampuashuh, if you let'em go on."

Lois remarked merrily that she did not want to look at a man anywhere.

"Then you ought. It's time. I'd like to see you married to a good, solid man, who would learn you to talk of shorthorns and Berkshires.Life's life, chickens; and it ain't the tinkle of a piano. All wellenough for your neighbour in the other room; but you're a differentsort."

Privately, Lois did not want to be of a different sort. The refinement, the information, the accomplishments, the grace of manner, which in ahigh degree belonged to Mrs. Barclay, seemed to her very desirablepossessions and endowments; and the mental life of a person so enrichedand gifted, appeared to her far to be preferred over a horizon boundedby cheese and bed-quilts. Mrs. Marx was not herself a narrow-mindedwoman, or one wanting in appreciation of knowledge and culture; but shewas also a shrewd business woman, and what she had seen at the Isles ofShoals had possibly given her a key wherewith to find her way throughcertain problems. She was not sure but Lois had been a little touchedby the attentions of that very handsome, fair-haired and elegantgentleman who had done Mrs. Marx the honour to take her into hisconfidence; she was jealous lest all this study of things unneeded inShampuashuh life might have a dim purpose of growing fitness for someother. There she did Lois wrong, for no distant image of Mr. Carutherswas connected in her niece's mind with the delight of the newacquirements she was making; although Tom Caruthers had done his part,I do not doubt, towards Lois's keen perception of the beauty andadvantage of such acquirements. She was not thinking of Tom, when shemade her copies and studied her verbs; though if she had never knownthe society in which she met Tom and of which he was a member, shemight not have taken hold of them so eagerly.

"Mother," she said when Mrs. Marx was gone, "are you afraid these newthings will make me forget my duties, or make me unfit for them?"

Mrs. Armadale's mind was a shade more liberal than her daughter's, andshe had not been at the Isles of Shoals. She answered somewhathesitatingly,

"No, child – I don't know as I am. I don't see as they do. I don't seewhat use they will be to you; but maybe they'll be some."

"They are pleasure," said Lois.

"We don't live for pleasing ourselves, child."

"No, mother; but don't you think, if duties are not neglected, that weought to educate ourselves all we can, and get all of every sort ofgood that we can, when we have the opportunity?"

"To be sure," said Mrs. Armadale; "if it ain't a temptation, it's aprovidence. Maybe you'll find a use for it you don't think. Only takecare it ain't a temptation, Lois."

From that time Lois's studies were carried on with more systematicorder. She would not neglect her duties, and the short winter days lefther little spare time of daylight; therefore she rose long beforedaylight came. If anybody had been there to look, Lois might have beenseen at four o'clock in the family room, which this winter rather lostits character of kitchen, seated at the table with her lamp and herbooks; the room warm and quiet, no noise but the snapping of the fireand breathing of the flames, and now and then the fall of a brand. AndLois sitting absorbed and intent, motionless, except when theabove-mentioned falling brands obliged her to get up and put them intheir places. Her drawing she left for another time of day; she coulddo that in company; in these hours she read and wrote French, and readpages and pages of history. Sometimes Madge was there too; but Loisalways, from a very early hour until the dawn was advanced far enoughfor her to see to put Mrs. Barclay's room in order. Then with a sigh ofpleasure Lois would turn down her lamp, and with another breath of hopeand expectation betake herself to the next room to put all things inreadiness for its owner's occupancy and use, which occupancy and useinvolved most delightful hours of reading and talking and instructionby and by. Making the fire, sweeping, brushing, dusting, regulatingchairs and tables and books and trifles, drawing back the curtains andopening the shutters; which last, to be sure, she began with. And thenLois went to do the same offices for the family room, and to set thetable for breakfast; unless Madge had already done it.

And then Lois brought her Bible and read to Mrs. Armadale, who by thistime was in her chair by the fireside, and busy with her knitting. Theknitting was laid down then, however; and Mrs. Armadale loved to takethe book in her hands, upon her lap, while her granddaughter, leaningover it, read to her. They two had it alone; no other meddled withthem. Charity was always in the kitchen at this time, and Madge oftenin her dairy, and neither of them inclined to share in the servicewhich Lois always loved dearly to render. They two, the old and theyoung, would sit wholly engrossed with their reading and their talk, unconscious of what was going on around them; even while Charity andMadge were bustling in and out with the preparations for breakfast.Nothing of the bustle reached Mrs. Armadale or Lois, whose faces atsuch times had a high and sweet and withdrawn look, very lovely tobehold. The hard features and wrinkled lines of the one face made morenoticeable the soft bloom and delicate moulding of the other, while thecontrast enhanced the evident oneness of spirit and interest whichfilled them both. When they were called to breakfast and moved to thetable, then there was a difference. Both, indeed, showed a subduedsweet gravity; but Mrs. Armadale was wont also to be very silent andwithdrawn into herself, or busied with inner communings; while Lois wasready with speech or action for everybody's occasions, and full ofgentle ministry. Mrs. Barclay used to study them both, and bewonderingly busy with the contemplation.

CHAPTER XXIII

A BREAKFAST TABLE

It was Christmas eve. Lois had done her morning work by the lamplight, and was putting the dining-room, or sitting-room rather, in order; whenMadge joined her and began to help.

"Is the other room ready?"

"All ready," said Lois.

"Are you doing that elm tree?"

"Yes."

"How do you get along?"

"I cannot manage it yet, to my satisfaction; but I will. O Madge, isn'tit too delicious?"

"What? the drawing? Isn't it!!"

"I don't mean the drawing only. Everything. I am getting hold ofFrench, and it's delightful. But the books! O Madge, the books! I feelas if I had been a chicken in his shell until now, and as if I werejust getting my eyes open to see what the world is like."

"What is it like?" asked Madge, laughing. "My eyes are shut yet, Isuppose, for I haven't found out. You can tell me."

"Eyes that are open cannot help eyes that are shut. Besides, mine areonly getting open."

"What do they see? Come, Lois, tell."

Lois stood still, resting on her broom handle.

"The world seems to me an immense battle-place, where wrong and righthave been struggling; always struggling. And sometimes the wrong seemsto cover the whole earth, like a flood, and there is nothing butconfusion and horror; and then sometimes the floods part and one sees alittle bit of firm ground, where grass and flowers might grow, if theyhad a chance. And in those spots there is generally some great, grandman, who has fought back the flood of wrong and made a clearing."

"Well, I do not understand all that one bit!" said Madge.

"I do not wonder," said Lois, laughing, "I do not understand it veryclearly myself. I cannot blame you. But it is very curious, Madge, thatthe ancient Persians had just that idea of the world being abattle-place, and that wrong and right were fighting; or rather, thatthe Spirit of good and the Spirit of evil were struggling. Ormuzd wastheir name for the good Spirit, and Ahriman the other. It is verystrange, for that is just the truth."

"Then why is it strange?" said downright Madge.

"Because they were heathen; they did not know the Bible."

"Is that what the Bible says? I didn't know it."

"Why, Madge, yes, you did. You know who is called the 'Prince of thisworld'; and you know Jesus 'was manifested that he might destroy theworks of the devil'; and you know 'he shall reign till he has put allenemies under his feet.' But how should those old Persians know somuch, with out knowing more? I'll tell you, Madge! You know, Enochknew?" —

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do! Enoch knew. And of course they all knew when they cameout of the ark" —

"Who – the Persians?"

Lois broke out into a laugh, and began to move her broom again.

"What have you been reading, to put all this into your head?"

The broom stopped.

"Ancient history, and modern; parts here and there, in different books.

Mrs. Barclay showed me where; and then we have talked" —

Lois began now to sweep vigorously.

"Lois, is she like the people you used to see in New York? I mean, were they all like her?"