menu_book Chapter 6

chapter six of mag and margaret a story for girls chapter six a crumb of comfort it was three days since the raisins had been lost sorrowful days they had been to poor mag though mrs perkins was really trying to treat her as though nothing had happened this was because mr frederick ainsworth had inquired into matters and earnestly urged that she should be so treated i suppose the poor little mouse never had a raisin in her life until she came here he said and all children are wild after sweet things mrs perkins was soothed by his hint that since she had taken her in charge the child had had raisins and admitted that without doubt her life had been a hard one until she came to them and i'm not one to grudge a child a raisin or two mr frederick she explained if she had asked me for them she would probably have got some but of course i can't have her pilfering things she never used to seem to touch anything i'll say that for her but there must always be a first time

still since it is a first time if she had confessed to me i should have said no more about it and i told her so it is the obstinacy that she is showing oh well interrupted mr frederick i understand that she was scared into saying that she didn't touch them and then she was too scared to take it back when i was a little fellow mother took me to visit at my uncle's he was a stern old man unused to children and one morning he pounced upon me so for touching his inkstand that before i knew what i was saying i declared that i didn't and i stuck to it through thick and thin though the ink was all over me my mother said it was the first falsehood she ever knew me to tell i was simply frightened into it you see by my uncle's manner i suppose nora may have done the same sort of thing with poor mag mrs perkins owned that it might be so admitted that norah had a sharp tongue at best and agreed to treat mag quite as usual for a few days and see if she would come to her senses

it is probable that she tried to act quite as usual but the little girl felt the difference as for nora she made no attempt to hide her scorn of a girl who would steal stoned raisins she seemed to consider the sin much increased by the fact that the raisins were stoned all day mag's work had been chiefly in the kitchen she had not been sent upstairs to the boarders rooms and she knew that this must be because mrs perkins would not trust her there it was a little crumb of comfort to be sent just at nightfall to replenish the grate in mr frederick's room even though mrs perkins herself had added a warning to the effect that she should not meddle with any of his things mag fed the fire until the room was in a cheerful blaze then she lighted the gas and made all things comfortable for mr frederick's appearance his was a downstairs room opening from the front hall he had himself given her permission to wait there instead of in the hall for the door-bell when she wanted to look at any of his books her duties were now done until she should be summoned for something else and there might be time before a bell called her to look into mr frederick's big dictionary for that word hypocrite which had for some reason stung her more than any other of norah's stinging words

mr frederick had himself taught her how to find the words she bent over the book a sad little face for the three days had been hard ones to her and she could see no reason why this sort of life should not go on for ever the small brown finger moved slowly down the column of many words hypochondriac hypochondriasis hypocystis how many words there were that she had never heard of ah here it was hypocrite she bent lower and read every word of the fine print with painful care one who feigns to be what he is not one who has the form of godliness without the power or who assumes an appearance of piety and virtue when he is destitute of true religion then a little lower down one who assumes a false appearance poor mag she did not know much more about it than she did before the words were some of them so large and so new to her that they did not convey any meaning

she read the first sentence again and again if she had been familiar with that word feigns she might have caught the idea as it was she was very much puzzled why should nora have called her a hypocrite was it because she thought she had told a lie yet what had that to do with the hymn nora had heard her singing so engaged was she that she did not hear the front door open nor the sound of mr frederick's footsteps until he stood almost beside her then she started violently the blood flaming into her little brown face for three days she had shunned mr frederick in every possible way her humiliation at the thought that she had been described to him as a thief and a liar was terrible she felt that she could never look fairly into his face again what is going on here he said in quite the old cheery way have you come to a word in your history that you do not understand no sir said mag timidly i was looking for the meaning of a word that norah uses norah i have a fancy that she may use some words not to be found in my dictionary did you discover it yes sir it is there

but what asked young ainsworth kindly as he sat down in the large rocking-chair that mag had drawn up ready for him and held out his hand for the dictionary show it to me will you and tell me all about it dictionary meanings are hard to understand sometimes could you make it out no sir i don't think i know the words it uses she had moved toward him and was pointing with a finger that trembled at the word in question hypocrite he said in a surprised tone then he laughed so nora has been calling some one a hypocrite has she not you i hope yes sir me mag's voice as well as eyes were full of tears you don't say so what did you do to make her use such large words i don't know it all i can't understand what it means i don't know that first word that feigns feigns let me see oh well mag it means about the same as pretends or makes believe you certainly know how to make believe things don't you

he was looking at her with an amused smile now he was thinking of the parlor visitor who sat in the yellow chair oh yes sir said mag her cheeks aflame and she bent over and read the sentence once more with this new light thrown on it one who makes believe to be what he is not did norah mean that she was making believe tell the truth yes that must be it though how did it fit her hymn singing mr frederick studied the troubled puzzled face are things getting clearer he asked suppose you tell me all about it i-i was-was singing a hymn stammered mag i mean i had been just before and she said i was a hypocrite that's very clear what was the hymn i didn't know you could sing mag what were the words do you mean all of them sir yes a verse of it i want to understand how the word hypocrite fitted it thus urged mag in low tones that despite her effort at self-control trembled a little repeated her precious words sod and chosen cleansed and polished purchased with transcendent cost kept in his own royal casket never never to be lost

upon my word exclaimed the audience when the timid little voice ceased i should say there were some words in that as large as those in the dictionary do you understand it oh yes sir well not all the words but the reading that came first made them plain it is a little pillow you know sir and it is about jewels god's jewels and i'm one he keeps us and never loses one and by and by he will send for me mag's voice broke entirely at that the lonely little girl had at times such a longing to be sent for as mr fred ainsworth would have found it hard to understand he remained silent for a minute or two then cleared his throat suspiciously as he said so nora thought because you sang that hymn you were a hypocrite well i don't agree with her she was probably mistaken but mag's cheeks flamed into color again mr frederick did not understand norah had reasons for thinking that she was making believe what she was not and to be true to her he must be told the whole story it was exactly what he wanted he meant to catch her with guile

i see he said nodding gravely i don't wonder that you are frightened at being spoken to in just that way but mag let me ask you wouldn't it be the wise and honest thing now for you to go quietly to mrs perkins and explain to her how nora frightened you into it and tell her you are sorry you took the raisins and don't mean to do so any more she won't be hard on you and i don't think she will let norah bother you about it after that besides that will prove to norah that you don't mean to be a hypocrite don't you see he waited eagerly for her answer he believed himself to have been very wise he had not accused the poor little ignorant thing and so frightened her into deeper sin but had just taken it for granted that she had swallowed the raisins and that there was a chance for her to be forgiven and start afresh there was no lighting up of the sorrowful little face and the great brown eyes that were raised to his were full of sadness not to say reproach i can't do that mr frederick she said simply because it wouldn't be the truth you don't think i would tell a lie do you i didn't do that before i knew that god cared about me at all and of course i couldn't after i found that out i didn't touch a raisin not a raisin

that is what makes it so hard i don't hardly see how they can believe me because the bowl was full i saw it and it wasn't more than half full when norah came back and there wasn't anybody in the room but me and yet i never so much as touched them the doorbell rang while she was getting off these earnest sentences and meg had to run frederick ainsworth looked after her with a curious tender light in his eyes and a smile on his face i believe you he said earnestly you didn't so much as touch one i'd stake my honor on it poor little mouse i wish i could prove your innocence in some way then he remembered that he had not thought to ask how the history of england was getting on and watched for her to come back but the door-bell kept ringing and ringing and presently the dinner-bell rang and he saw no more of mag that night he did not know how much his kind words and pleasant friendly manner had comforted her but if the poor little girl had known what seas of trouble were preparing to roll over her the very next day she would hardly have gone to her bed with such a thankful feeling at her heart

over the thought that mr frederick had looked as though he did truly believe what she said before ten o'clock the next morning all the comfort to be got from this thought was gone mrs perkins in her haste to have the morning work done had either forgotten that she did not mean to send meg to the boarders rooms or else she had decided that it was unnecessary to give herself any more trouble in order to teach the child a lesson the truth was that mrs perkins although she believed that meg had eaten her raisins had no more fear of her touching the belongings of the boarders than she had of doing it herself all youngsters will help themselves to things to eat she said to her oldest daughter and for that matter folks that are old enough to know better will do the same i never had a servant in my life that i didn't have to watch about such things they don't call it stealing but as for meg taking money or ribbons or anything of that kind i don't believe she would for the world i told her i wouldn't trust her in the rooms but that was to give her a good scare and teach her a lesson before meg had finished her breakfast mrs perkins came to her with orders

mag miss ordway wants her room done up while she is gone to the corner on an errand and jane is never going to get around in that time you rush right up and make the bed and dust and put things straight it doesn't need much for there was thorough work done there yesterday fly around now so as to be out of her way she wants to get at her painting early mag went with a grateful heart in spite of raisins she was to be trusted and in miss ordway's room too miss ordway was the new boarder who was said to have such lovely jewels mag had caught a glimpse of her room once since she came and had found it hung with the loveliest little paintings she had heard a boarder say that they were miss ordway's own work what if she should some day actually see her making a flower her small brown fingers worked nimbly that morning the bed was carefully made the room dusted the shades drawn to just the right height the open great fire made to glow and the perfection of neatness reigned when mrs ordway returned just as mag duster and hearth-brush in hand was ready to depart so this is the fairy who has done my room so nicely said miss ordway looking about her with a pleased air you look small and weak for such work child but you do it much better than jane did the other day

i think i shall have to ask mrs perkins to let you be my little maid jane is a clumsy creature to have among paint-brushes i see you have not meddled with those that is right do you like flowers come here and i'll show you some pansies that are almost alive she threw a light covering from an easel that stood in the corner with a placard pinned on it saying not to be touched and brought to view some of the loveliest yellow and lavender pansies that meg believed the world contained the little scream of delight quickly suppressed for fear it was not proper and the clasping of her small brown hands in silent ecstasy seemed to please miss you like them don't you she said i thought you would you shall see them grow it is great fun to sit in a room in midwinter and watch flowers grow did you know it would you like to do my room every morning then we'll ask mrs perkins to make that arrangement that was at fifteen minutes past nine while the kitchen clock was striking ten meg was summoned in mrs perkins's sharpest tone through the speaking tube to come this instant to miss ordway's room chapter six