The Mistletoe Bough | Page 7

of Godfrey's offer
and acceptance had been communicated to Isabella, as had of course
the immediately subsequent story of their separation. But now it would
be almost impossible to avoid the subject in conversation. "Dearest
Isabella, let it be as though it had never been," she had said in one of
her letters. But sometimes it is very difficult to let things be as though
they had never been.
The first evening passed over very well. The two Coverdale girls were
there, and there had been much talking and merry laughter, rather
juvenile in its nature, but on the whole none the worse for that. Isabella
Holmes was a fine, tall, handsome girl; good- humoured, and well
disposed to be pleased; rather Frenchified in her manners, and quite
able to take care of herself. But she was not above round games, and
did not turn up her nose at the boys. Godfrey behaved himself
excellently, talking much to the Major, but by no means avoiding Miss
Garrow. Mrs. Garrow, though she had known him since he was a boy,
had taken an aversion to him since he had quarrelled with her daughter;
but there was no room on this first night for showing such aversion, and
everything went off well.
"Godfrey is very much improved," the Major said to his wife that night.
"Do you think so?"
"Indeed I do. He has filled out and become a fine man."
"In personal appearance, you mean. Yes, he is well-looking enough."
"And in his manner, too. He is doing uncommonly well in Liverpool, I
can tell you; and if he should think of Bessy--"
"There is nothing of that sort," said Mrs. Garrow.

"He did speak to me, you know,--two years ago. Bessy was too young
then, and so indeed was he. But if she likes him--"
"I don't think she does."
"Then there's an end of it." And so they went to bed.
"Frank," said the sister to her elder brother, knocking at his door when
they had all gone up stairs, "may I come in,--if you are not in bed?"
"In bed," said he, looking up with some little pride from his Greek book;
"I've one hundred and fifty lines to do before I can get to bed. It'll be
two, I suppose. I've got to mug uncommon hard these holidays. I have
only one more half, you know, and then--"
"Don't overdo it, Frank."
"No; I won't overdo it. I mean to take one day a week, and work eight
hours a day on the other five. That will be forty hours a week, and will
give me just two hundred hours for the holidays. I have got it all down
here on a table. That will be a hundred and five for Greek play, forty
for Algebra--" and so he explained to her the exact destiny of all his
long hours of proposed labour. He had as yet been home a day and a
half, and had succeeded in drawing out with red lines and blue figures
the table which he showed her. "If I can do that, it will be pretty well;
won't it?"
"But, Frank, you have come home for your holidays,--to enjoy
yourself?"
"But a fellow must work now-a-days."
"Don't overdo it, dear; that's all. But, Frank, I could not rest if I went to
bed without speaking to you. You made me unhappy to-day."
"Did I, Bessy?"
"You called me a Puritan, and then you quoted that ill-natured French
proverb at me. Do you really believe your sister thinks evil, Frank?"
and as she spoke she put her arm caressingly round his neck.
"Of course I don't."
"Then why say so? Harry is so much younger and so thoughtless that I
can bear what he says without so much suffering. But if you and I are
not friends I shall be very wretched. If you knew how I have looked
forward to your coming home!"
"I did not mean to vex you, and I won't say such things again."
"That's my own Frank. What I said to mamma, I said because I thought
it right; but you must not say that I am a Puritan. I would do anything

in my power to make your holidays bright and pleasant. I know that
boys require so much more to amuse them than girls do. Good night,
dearest; pray don't overdo yourself with work, and do take care of your
eyes."
So saying she kissed him and went her way. In twenty minutes after
that, he had gone to sleep over his book; and when he woke up to find
the candle guttering down, he resolved that he would not begin his
measured hours till Christmas-day was fairly over.
The morning of Christmas-day passed very quietly. They all