Friarswood Post-Office

possible to think of moving him, even if the waiting upon him in such suffering had not made Mrs. King feel that she could not dismiss him to careless hands. His patience, gratitude, and surprise

s half-conscious state, he implored again and again not to be sent away, and talked about not going back, but only being left in a corner to die; and Mrs. King, without knowing what she was about, soothed him by telling him to lie still, for he was not going to that place again. At day-break she sent Harold, on his way to the post, for an order from the relieving officer for medical attendance; and, after some long and wear

he said, to 'ferment the boy's limbs.' Foment was what he meant; and Mrs. King thought, as it was kindly intended, and could do no harm, she would try if it would do any good; but she could not find that it made much difference whether she used that or common warm water. However, the good will made Paul smile, and helped to change his notion about its being very few that had any compassion for a stranger.

ut the doctor to a chance-comer such as Paul. If he needed more

er to send a person in such a state four miles on a November day, but she was caring

e have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me;' and thereupon she took heart, and made up her mind that it was right to

Jane's withdrawal of favour; and thinking her ungrateful, which, to say the truth,

re the chief change and amusement she ever had. So while Mrs. King was busy between the shop, her work, and Paul, Ellen sat by her brother, making the housekeeper's winter dress, and imagining all sorts of dreadful things that might come of

s supply of milk and butter, Mrs. Shepherd launched out into such a torrent of abuse against her and her mother, that she came home trembling from head to foot; and Mrs. King declared s

ame to the text, 'Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house,' he brought in some of the like passages, the threats to those that 'grind the faces of the poor,' that 'oppress the hireling in his wages,' and that

d that he could testify that the sermon had been written five years ago, and that his brother had preached it without knowing that the Shepherds were in existence, for he had only come late the n

rebuked, so they made an excuse by pretending to take offence, and except when they now and then went to the next parish to a meeting-house, cut themselves off fro

ofit rather than mercy, is i

gust getting her large person over the stiles across the path fields. A call from her was almost a greater event than one from my Lady herself. Why! Mother had be

and soft-hearted, saying at last that my Lady was quite in a way about it. She was sure that Harold would catch his death of cold, putting him to sleep in the

and get into debt, and she should advise her god-daughter, Matilda, not to help them with a farthing of her wages, and as to going without their full meals, that was what none of them were fit to do. With which

aul from the draught, and had seen Alfred, and been shocked to find how much wasted he was since she last had seen him, she said, 'One thing you know-my Lady says she can't have Miss Selby coming down here to se

t help herself; and Mrs. King caught the brother and sister making such grumbling speeches to each other about the old lady's crossness, that her faithful, grateful spirit was quite grieved, and she spoke strongly

to be ready with it, though it does go to one's heart that the f

n't seem to have nothing to look to if Miss Jane

o the little picture on the wall, she said in a whisper in his ear, 'Didn't He bear His Cross for the sake of other people?' Alfred d

such a story to tell. Some of their friends, especially the uncle who gave the watch, had sent small sums of money for the lad who had behaved so well, and these altogether came to a fair amount, which the boys were highly pleased to give over into Mrs. King's hands. She, like Harold, never made the smallest question that it was all for Paul's benefit, and t

solution against undertaking any share of the expense, lest she should seem to encourage Mary King, as she said, in such weak good nature-cramming up her house with a strange boy like that, when she had quite enough to do with her own son. So they had to fight on as they could; and the first week, when Paul'

ain that Ellen did n

me one had whispered to him that if there were a trouble about rent, or about Mr. Blunt's bill, Peggy would be sold, he bore i

a good way towards it, but not the whole; and there was a bad debt of John Farden's for bread, contracted last wint

send them the clothes which her mistresses allowed her to have when they left them off

cking, looking at the many odd things that were sure to come out, on the ha

aws, for Harold. And what rolls besides! Worn flimsy dresses, once pretty, but now only fit for the old-clothes man, yet whose trimmings Ellen pulled out and studied; bonnets that looked as if they had been sat upon; rolls of soft ragged cambric handkerchiefs, on which Mrs. King seized as the most valuable part of the cargo, so useful would they be to poor Alfred;

was not warm enough for winter without a shawl under it. That grey looked as if it was made for her, it suited her shoulders and her shape so well! She

things to Betsey on the next market-day, and if we

mother; 'I'm sure I should be very

. King

ng to smile at her. She remembered how her unkind words had brought trouble on him, and how her

rty shillings, and ten shillings' worth of soap for the shop, where that article was running low; but she did not bring home the cloak,

tful and so good; he says he's quite ashamed to find how patient Paul is under so much sharper pain than he ever had, and he's ready to send anything to Paul that he fancies will do him good-quite carried out of himself, you

rcy was blessed to all the little household, nor that

to their patients. And Paul's illness, though so much less dangerous, frightened and subdued Harold much more than the quiet gradual pining away of Alfred, to which he was used. The severe pain, the raging fever, and the ramblings in talk, were much more fearful things to witness than the low cough, the wearing sore, and the helpless languor, though there was much hope for t

lesford, the young gentlemen had found out that Mrs. King's bottles contained what they called 'the real article and no mistake,' much better than what the old woman at the turnpike sold; and so they were, for Mrs. King made them herself, and, like an honest woman, without a morsel of sham in them. She was n

nquiry for Paul. He knew one little boy from another, and felt friendly with them all, and he really was quite grieved when the holidays came, and they wished him good-bye. The coach that had been hired to take them to Elbury seemed something to watch for now, and some thoughtful boy stopped all the whooping and hurraing as they came near the house on the bridge. Some other stopped the coach, and they all came dropping off it like a swarm of black flies, and tumbling into the shop, where Mrs. King and her daughter had need to have had a dozen pair of hands

ame for them; the second pig turned out well; a lodger at the butcher's took a fancy to her buns; and on the whole, winter, when her receipts were generally at the lowest, was now quite a prosperous time with her. The great pressure and

an honest fellow as he was, he got himself out of debt at once. This quite settled all Mrs. King's fea

ered the other more precious comfort that the stranger had brought into the widow's house, but she knew that the days of miracles and cures pa

nt. He had laid hold of the blessed hope of Everlasting Life, and was learning to believe that the Cross laid on him here was in mercy to make him fit for Heaven, first making h

y 'one with Christ' in the partaking of His Cup of Life. It used to be his treat, when no one was looking, to read over that Service in his Prayer-book, and to think of the time. It was like a kind of step; he could fix his mind on that, and the sense of forgiveness he hoped for ther

sed and playful, cared for all that Ellen and Harold did, and was inclined to make the most of his time with his bro

, and the two on their opposite sides of the wall made many pleasant schemes for the talk and

long, for the Kings were very tall, and he was small and stunted in growth-and a great wrapping-gown that Mr. C

hairs, and the cushions Alfred used to have when he could leave his bed; the

arying him still more. There was a sort of shyness, too, which hindered the two from even letting their eyes meet, often as they had heard each other's voices, and had greeted one another through the thin partition. As Paul lay with his eyes shut, Alfred raised himself to take a good survey of the sharp pinched features, the hollow cheeks, deep-sunk pits for the eyes,-and yellow ghastly skin of the wo

learning a verse o

rill whose w

d Ellen had been hovering round his bed for nearly a month past; but still the fair skin, pink colour, dark eye-lashes, glossy hair, and white hands, were like a dream to him, as if they belonged to the pure land whither Alfred was going, and

Harold's talk, made the two acquainted and like boys together; but

Paul was sadly crippled still, and every frost filled his bones with acute pain, and bent him like an old man, so that he was still a long way from getting down-stair

urate not being a priest, the Feast had not been celebrated since Michaelmas; but a clergyman had co

e been. Thought had not come to him yet, and his head was full of the dinner with the servants at the Grange. It was sad that he an

full five minutes, because both felt so odd. Then Alfred said some

d well. Alfred listened to those Psalms and Lessons as if they had quite a new meaning in them, for the right s

aul. 'I didn't know much about "

will from them, neither,' said

?' exclaimed Paul. 'Why, I used to think

t?' aske

rtable like to read about it; and when I watched to your mother and all of you, I saw how it was about one's neighbour; and the

er cared about it much-not since I was a l

he Grange, and the snap-dragon over the pudding, till he grew so eager and animated that he

er, but they gave it to me where it was raw, and I couldn't eat it.

l!' sighe

ugh,' said Paul, 'even if I was i

uld like if I was you. You know our Blessed Saviour had no house

ny answer; and Alfr

aul, would you mind reading me what they will say after t

lt as if he must stan

d Ellen are there. They'll remember us, you k

, adding, 'It will be the Ember-week in

aid Paul fervently; 'but

will get you work; and I want you to be Mother's good

sh I'd never got better! I wish I could change with you, Alfr

ed slowly, and sighing. 'But then you'

I could be good and go on well, I would not mind so much. I say, Alfred, when people round go on being-like Tom Bol

he Psalms and Lessons tell you those things. Well, and you can go to the Holy Sacrament-I say,

said Paul, not far from crying. 'Ha!' he

I'd got to take it up for our Saviour's sake. Well, and then mayn't yours be being plagued and bullied, without any friends? I'm

striding up three steps at a time, sending his voice before him. 'Well, old chaps, have you quarrelled yet? Have you been jolly together? I say, Mrs. Crabbe told Ellen that the pudding was p

nging boys down, that they might hear the carols outside the window. Paul, much tired, was in his