had been few pleasures scattered over Janet's rough path to
womanhood. Not more than two or three mornings since she could
remember had she risen to other than a life of labour. Even during the
bright brief years of her married-life, she had known little respite from
toil, for her husband had been a poor man, and he had died suddenly,
before her son was born. With few words spoken, and few tears shed,
save what fell in secret, she had given her infant to her mother's care,
and gone back again to a servant's place in the minister's household.
There she had been for ten years the stay and right hand of her beloved
friend and mistress, "working the work of two," as they told her, who
would have made her discontented in her lot, with no thought from
year's end to year's end, but how she might best do her duty in the
situation in which God had placed her.
But far-away into the future--it might be years and years hence--she
looked to the time when in a house of her own, she might devote
herself entirely to the comfort of her mother and her son. In this hope
she was content to strive and toil through the best years of her life,
living poorly and saving every penny, to all appearance equally
indifferent to the good word of those who honoured her for her
faithfulness and patient labour, and to the bad word of those who did
not scruple to call her most striking characteristics by less honourable
names. She had never, during all these years, spoken, even to her
mother, of her plans, but their fulfilment was none the less settled in
her own mind, and none the less dear to her because of that. Could she
give this up? Could she go away from her home, her friends, the land of
her birth, and be content to see no respite from her labour till the end?
Yes, she could. The love that had all these years been growing for the
children she had tended with almost a mother's care, would make the
sacrifice possible-- even easy to her. But her mother? How could she
find courage to tell her that she must leave her alone in her old age?
The thought of parting from her son, her "bonny Sandy," loved with all
the deeper fervour that the love was seldom spoken--even this gave her
no such pang as did the thought of turning her back upon her mother.
He was young, and had his life before him, and in the many changes
time might bring, she could at least hope to see him again. But her
mother, already verging on the three-score, she could never hope to see
more, when once the broad Atlantic rolled between them.
And so, no wonder if in the misery of her indecision, Janet's words
grew fewer and sharper as the days wore on. With strange
inconsistency she blamed the minister for his determination to go away,
but suffered no one else to blame him, or indeed to hint that he could
do otherwise than what was wisest and best for all. It was a sore subject,
this anticipated departure of the minister, to many a one in Clayton
besides her, and much was it discussed by all. But it was a subject on
which Janet would not be approached. She gave short answers to those
who offered their services in the way of advice. She preserved a
scornful silence in the presence of those who seemed to think she could
forsake her master and his children in their time of need, nor was she
better pleased with those who thought her mother might be left for their
sakes. And so she thought, and wished, and planned, and doubted, till
she dazed herself with her vain efforts to get light, and could think and
plan no more.
"I'll leave it to my mother herself to decide," she said, at last; "though,
poor body, what can she say, but that I maun do what I think is my duty,
and please myself. The Lord above kens I hae little thought o' pleasin'
myself in this matter." And in her perplexity Janet was ready to think
her case an exception to the general rule, and that contrary to all
experience and observation, duty pointed two ways at once.
CHAPTER THREE.
The time came when the decision could no longer be delayed. The
minister was away from home, and before his return it would be made
known formally to his people that he was to leave them, and after that
the sooner his departure took place it would be the better for all
concerned, and so Janet must brace herself for the task.
So out
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