Nobody

"Well, I guess likely," responded Mrs. Marx. "Mother, if you've done,we'll go into the other."

CHAPTER XXVI

SCRUPLES

The next day was Christmas; but in the country of Shampuashuh,Christmas, though a holiday, was not held in so high regard as itreceives in many other quarters of the earth. There was no service inthe church; and after dinner Lois came as usual to draw in Mrs.Barclay's room.

"I did not understand some of your aunt's talk last evening," Mrs.

Barclay remarked after a while.

"I am not surprised at that," said Lois.

"Did you?"

"O yes. I understand aunt Anne."

"Does she really think that all the people who like pretty things, lead useless lives?"

"She does not care so much about pretty things as I do," said Loisslightly.

"But does she think all who belong to the 'great world' are evil? givenup to wickedness?"

"Not so bad as that," Lois answered, smiling; "but naturally aunt Annedoes not understand any world but this of Shampuashuh."

"I understood her to assume that under no circumstances could you marryone of the great world she was talking of?"

"Well," said Lois, "I suppose she thinks that one of them would not bea Christian."

"You mean, an enthusiast."

"No," said Lois; "but I mean, and she means, one who is in heart a trueservant of Christ. He might, or he might not, be enthusiastic."

"And would you marry no one who was not a Christian, as you understandthe word?"

"The Bible forbids it," said Lois, her colour rising a little.

"The Bible forbids it? I have not studied the Bible like you; but Ihave heard it read from the pulpit all my life; and I never heard, either from the pulpit or out of it, such an idea, as that one who is aChristian may not marry one who is not."

"I can show you the command – in more places than one," said Lois.

"I wish you would."

Lois left her drawing and fetched a Bible.

"It is forbidden in the Old Testament and in the New," she said; "but Iwill show you a place in the New. Here it is – in the second Epistle tothe Corinthians – 'Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers;'and it goes on to give the reason."

"Unbelievers! But those, in that day, were heathen."

"Yes," said Lois simply, going on with her drawing.

"There are no heathen now, – not here."

"I suppose that makes no difference. It is the party which will notobey and serve Christ; and which is working against him. In that daythey worshipped idols of wood and stone; now they worship a differentsort. They do not worship him; and there are but two parties."

"No neutrals?"

"No. The Bible says not."

"But what is being 'yoked together'? what do you understand isforbidden by that? Marriage?"

"Any connection, I suppose," said Lois, looking up, "in which twopeople are forced to pull together. You know what a 'yoke' is?"

"And you can smile at that, you wicked girl?"

Lois laughed now. "Why not?" she said. "I have not much fancy forputting my head in a yoke at all; but a yoke where the two pulldifferent ways must be very miserable!"

"You forget; you might draw somebody else to go the right way."

"That would depend upon who was the strongest."

"True," said Mrs. Barclay. "But, my dear Lois! you do not suppose thata man cannot belong to the world and yet be what you call a Christian?That would be very uncharitable."

"I do not want to be uncharitable," said Lois. "Mrs. Barclay, it isextremely difficult to mark the foliage of different sorts of trees!"

"Yes, but you are making a very good beginning. Lois, do you know, youare fitting to be the wife of just one of that world you arecondemning-cultivated, polished, full of accomplishments and graces, and fine and refined tastes."

"Then he would be very dangerous," said Lois, "if he were not a

Christian. He might have all that, and yet be a Christian too."

"Suppose he were not; would you refuse him?"

"I hope I should," said Lois. But her questioner noticed that thisanswer was soberly given.

That evening she wrote a letter to Mr. Dillwyn.

"I am enjoying the most delightful rest," the letter said, "that I haveknown for a very long time; yet I have a doubt whether I ought toconfess it; whether I ought not to declare myself tired of Shampuashuh, and throw up my cards. I feel a little like an honest swindler, usingyour money, not on false pretences, but on a foregone case. I shouldnever get tired of the place or the people. Everyone of them, indeedalmost every one that I see, is a character; and here, where there isless varnish, the grain of the wood shows more plainly. I have had amost original carpenter here to measure for my book-shelves, onlyyesterday; for my room is running over with books. Not only everybodyis a character, but nearly everybody has a good mixture of what isadmirable in his composition; and as for these two girls – well, I ameven more in love than you are, Philip. The elder is the handsomer, perhaps; she is very handsome; but your favourite is my favourite. Loisis lovely. There is a strange, fresh, simple, undefinable charm aboutthe girl that makes one her captive. Even me, a woman. She wins upon medaily with her sweet unconscious ways. But nevertheless I am uneasywhen I remember what I am here for, and what you are expecting. I fearI am acting the part of an innocent swindler, as I said; little better.

"In one way there is no disappointment to be looked for. These girlsare both gifted with a great capacity and aptitude for mental growth.Lois especially, for she cares more to go into the depths of things; but both of them grow fast, and I can see the change almost from day today. Tastes are waking up, and eager for gratification; there is nolimit to the intellectual hunger or the power of assimilation; thewinter is one of very great enjoyment to them (as to me!), and thereis, and that has been from the first, a refinement of manner whichsurprised me, but that too is growing. And yet, with all this, whichpromises so much, there is another element which threatens discomfitureto our hopes. I must not conceal it from you. These people are regularPuritans. They think now, in this age of the world, to regulate theirbehaviour entirely by the Bible. You are of a different type; and I ampersuaded that the whole family would regard an alliance with a manlike you as an unlawful thing; ay, though he were a prince or aRothschild, it would make no difference in their view of the thing. Forhere is independence, pure and absolute. The family is very poor; theyare glad of the money I pay them; but they would not bend their headsbefore the prestige of wealth, or do what they think wrong to gain anyhuman favour or any earthly advantage. And Lois is like the rest; quiteas firm; in fact, some of these gentlewomen have a power of saying 'no'which is only a little less than fearful. I cannot tell what love woulddo; but I do not believe it would break down her principle. We had atalk lately on this very subject; she was very firm.

"I think I ought not to conceal from you that I have doubts on anotherquestion. We were at a family supper party last night at an aunt'shouse. She is a character too; a kind of a grenadier of a woman, innature, not looks. The house and the entertainment were veryinteresting to me; the mingling of things was very striking, that onedoes not expect to find in connection. For instance, the appointmentsof the table were, as of course they would be, of no pretension tostyle or elegance; clumsily comfortable, was all you could say. And thecooking was delicately fine. Then, manners and language were somewhatlacking in polish, to put it mildly; and the tone of thought and thequalities of mind and character exhibited were very far above what Ihave heard often in circles of great pretension. Once the conversationgot upon the contrasting ways of life in this society and in what iscalled the world; the latter, I confess to you, met with some hardtreatment; and the idea was rejected with scorn that one of the girlsshould ever be tempted out of her own sphere into the other. All thisis of no consequence; but what struck me was a hint or two that Loishad been tempted; and a pretty plain assertion that this aunt, who itseems was at Appledore last summer nursing Mrs. Wishart, had receivedsome sort of overture or advance on Lois's behalf, and had rejected it.This was evidently news to Lois; and she showed so much startleddispleasure – in her face, for she said almost nothing – that thesuspicion was forced upon me, there might have been more in the matterthan the aunt knew. Who was at Appledore? a friend of yours, was itnot? and are you sure he did not gain some sort of lien upon thisheart which you are so keen to win? I owe it to you to set you uponthis inquiry; for if I know anything of the girl, she is as true and asunbending as steel. What she holds she will hold; what she loves shewill love, I believe, to the end. So, before we go any further, let usfind whether we have ground to go on. No, I would not have you comehere at present. Not in any case; and certainly not in thisuncertain'ty. You are too wise to wish it."

Whether Philip were too wise to wish it, he was too wise to give therein to his wishes. He stayed in New York all winter, contentinghimself with sending to Shampuashuh every imaginable thing that couldmake Mrs. Barclay's life there pleasant, or help her to make it usefulto her two young friends. A fine Chickering piano arrived betweenChristmas and New Year's day, and was set up in the space left for itbetween the bookshelves. Books continued to flow in; books of allsorts – science and art, history and biography, poetry and generalliterature. And Lois would have developed into a bookworm, had not thepiano exercised an almost equal charm upon her. Listening to Mrs.Barclay's music at first was an absorbing pleasure; then Mrs. Barclayasked casually one day "Shall I teach you?"

"O, you could not!" was Lois's answer, given with a breath and a flushof excitement.

"Let us try," said Mrs. Barclay, smiling. "You might learn at leastenough to accompany yourself. I have never heard your voice. Have you avoice?"