The Dolls

HAPPILY the next, day rose bright and fair. The children, impatient for twelve o'clock to come, were somewhat restless during school hours; but their intentions were good, and they really tried to do their school-work well; so Miss Jameson made allowance for their occasional fidgets, and the whispered allusions to the pleasure in prospect.

Promptly at twelve o'clock books were put away, and a very few minutes sufficed for the children to get equipped for their walk. It was not far to the town. They crossed the bridge over the Thames, and saw the river gleaming blue in the sunlight, and the foliage which skirts its green banks brilliant with the rich hues of autumn. But the children gave no thought to the beauty of the scene. They were intent upon one thing—dolls; and they hurried on as quickly as possible till the tempting shop was reached.

And now what a business the choosing of the dolls was! There was a grand assortment of dolls of every description. There were dark dolls and fair dolls, boy dolls and girl dolls, baby dolls and dolls that were quite grown up, judging by the style in which they wore their hair; dolls that could shut their eyes, and dolls that could stand alone! Amid such a variety Miss Jameson found it no easy matter to direct the choice of her pupils. But a thought of the price helped to a decision, for they could not afford to purchase costly dolls, since they wanted to make the money go as far as possible.

At last, after much deliberation, Kate decided that she would like to have a baby doll which could be dressed in long clothes, like the baby brother who had been taken to the seaside. Florrie chose a lovely flaxen-haired beauty, on whom she at once bestowed the name of Lily. Gertie was not to be diverted from her fancy for a black doll of more striking than prepossessing appearance; and when she pleaded that there might be a little black girl in the hospital who would like to have a doll of her own colour, Miss Jameson yielded, and allowed her to gratify her taste. Besides these Miss Jameson selected two dolls, one with dark curls and the other with wonderful golden curls, which she intended to dress herself; and at Harry's earnest request she added to the number a quaint little sailor doll. Then Harry's engine had to be bought, and altogether these purchases took so much time that when at last they got away from the shop it seemed, as Florrie remarked, as if they had been there half the day. And now there was the draper's to be visited, and there Miss Jameson purchased some muslin and lace for the baby doll's robe, and other necessaries.

Fortunately Mr. Carter was in the shop, and, being taken into the children's confidence, readily promised that the piece drawer should be ransacked for the benefit of the dolls. The result was a supply of most suitable pieces. Amongst the number was a piece of pale blue cashmere, which would make a most becoming gown for Miss Lily, and some yellow satin in which it was generally agreed that black Topsy would look grand. From the draper's the busy party passed on to the bookseller's, where some strongly-bound scrap-books were purchased.

Then at last the happy children turned homeward. Lily, Topsy, and Baby they carried with them, feeling it impossible to wait until they were sent from the shop.

"Oh, if only we could begin to dress them this afternoon!" said Gertie.

Then Miss Jameson, feeling sure that the children would settle to little else, promised that as soon as each had finished her practising for the day, she would cut out the doll's clothes and set them to work.

If Mrs. Bartlett could have looked into the schoolroom an hour or two later, and seen the bright faces gathered about the table, scattered with scraps of material of all shapes and colours, she would have seen that there was little fear that the children would be dull.

"How nice this is!" said Kate, as she hemmed her baby's robe; "I am so glad you thought of it, Miss Jameson: I fancied the days would seem so long and dreary whilst papa and mamma were away; but now I know that we shall be as happy as possible until they come back."

"Do you think that we shall be able to get all the dolls dressed before mamma comes home?" asked Florrie, addressing her governess.

"I don't know," said Miss Jameson; "there is a good deal of work even in such tiny garments, and you are not very expert with your needles. And I must insist upon everything being done neatly." For she hoped that this doll dressing would effect an improvement in the little girls' sewing.

"We must work as hard as possible every day, and then perhaps we shall get them done," said Kate; "I should like to have them all dressed to show mamma."

"So should I," said Gertie; "oh, Flo! have you thought of a name for that dark one?"

"What do you think of Adelaide Ruth?" asked Florrie, with an air of deliberation.

"I think the Ruth sounds rather odd," said Gertie: "must it have two names?"

"Children most always do," replied Florrie; "do you like Constance Adelaide better?"

"Oh, yes, that sounds ever so much better," decided Gertie.

"Now, Miss Jameson," said Kate, when all the cutting out was done, and every needle was in motion; "won't you please tell us a story."

Their governess very willingly complied with the request, and was relating the most thrilling episode of the tale, when she was interrupted by the entrance of Sarah, the children's maid.

"If you please, Miss Jameson," she said, "Mrs. Bartlett has sent to know if the young ladies and Master Harry can go there to-morrow after school to spend the rest of the day."

The Mrs. Bartlett, from whom this invitation came, was the children's grandmother, an elderly lady who resided at Twickenham. They were generally very pleased to spend a day at her house; but now there was a general clouding of faces at Sarah's words, and Kate exclaimed at once:—"Oh, Miss Jameson, must we go? I would so much rather stay at home and work at our dolls' clothes."

"And so would I! And I," echoed her sisters.

"That is out of the question," said Miss Jameson; "you must certainly go, since your Grandmamma wishes it. It is very kind of her to ask you."

"Your aunt, Mrs. Hobson, is staying there, and little Miss Edith," said Sarah.

"Oh, that makes it worse," exclaimed Florrie, with a groan, "I do hate going when Aunt Sophie is there. She is always finding fault with us, and Cousin Edith is as disagreeable as possible."

"Hush, hush, you must not speak so," said Miss Jameson; "it is not right."

"It is perfectly true," said Kate, calmly. "Even mamma says that Cousin Edith is spoilt. She pinched Winnie and made her cry the last time she was there."

"And then told a story, and said she had not done it," chimed in Gertie.

"Hush, hush, it grieves me to hear you talk so," said Miss Jameson; "for however naughty Edith may have been, you should not speak of it. You should try to hide her faults, and love her in spite of them."

"I can't love people who are so disagreeable," said Florrie, perversely.

"There, say no more about her," said Miss Jameson. "I wish you would not speak of people at all unless you can speak well of them."

"Oh, Miss Jameson, need we go to grand-mamma's," cried Gertie; "do send a message to say that we cannot come."

"I cannot do that," she replied; "your grandmother's wishes must certainly be considered before yours. Tell Mrs. Bartlett's servant, Sarah, that the children shall come to her house to-morrow as soon as their morning's work is done."

Sarah went away. There followed an outbreak of temper on the part of the children.

"That is always the way," sighed Kate; "as soon as we plan something nice, something happens to put a stop to it."

"I am sure that mamma would have let us stay at home if she had been here," said Gertie.

"Miss Jameson only makes us go because she wants to get rid of us," exclaimed Florrie, defiantly.

"Florrie, do you know that you are very rude?" said Miss Jameson; "you must beg my pardon for that speech."

Whereupon Florrie stubbornly refused to do so, till Miss Jameson was obliged to make her put away her work and go at once to bed.

The pleasure of the evening was now spoiled.

Both Kate and Gertie were cross and fretful as they continued their work. "It is all Grandmamma's fault," Kate muttered, when Miss Jameson remarked on her ill-humour.

"Now, Kate," said her governess, gently, "do you really think that your Grandmamma is to be blamed for this sad ending to our evening?"

Kate looked down, and said nothing.

"I shall be sorry that I ever proposed your dressing these dolls, if it gives rise to so much self-will and temper," said Miss Jameson.

The children bade her good-night, and went off with gloomy looks to bed. But when Miss Jameson went upstairs a little later she heard her name called eagerly as she passed the door of the room in which the three little girls slept. She opened the door and looked in. She saw each one sitting up in her little bed, and their faces told her at once that a change of mood had set in.

Florrie's bed was nearest the door, and she spoke for the rest. "Oh, Miss Jameson," she said, earnestly, "we are very sorry that we turned up so cross and nasty. Will you forgive us?"

Her governess did not reprove her for the inelegance of her language. She only went to Florrie and kissed her in a way that made her quite sure that she was forgiven. Then she passed on to the other beds, and there were some tears shed as the children told her how very, very sorry they were.

"I can't understand it," sighed Kate; "I thought we were doing a good thing, yet it all ended so badly."

"The work itself was good," said Miss Jameson; "but you gave way to bad thoughts and feelings whilst you were engaged in it. We shall do even good things in a wrong spirit unless we ask God to keep us from sin. Have you asked Him to help you to do this doll dressing in the right way that it may be an acceptable work to Him?"

"Why no, I never thought of that," said Kate.

"Then, dear, it is no wonder that things went wrong," said her governess. And with that she kissed each one again and went away.

The neat minute three little white-robed figures were kneeling on the bedroom floor. They were asking God to help them in their work for Him.