Part 14 (1/2)
”Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and--”
And he looked up, as his ear caught a little rustle of a woman's clothes, and his eyes beheld a strange woman--a beautiful, neatly-dressed young woman, with laughing, bright eyes and rosy cheeks, and such a saucy little straw hat, so tastily trimmed--Mrs. Morgan did that--and altogether such a lady-like girl, that he did not recognise her, and he turned his eyes again to the book and repeated:
”Thine eyes shall behold strange women--”
”Father!”
The book dropped from his knees to the floor, as he sprang towards her.
”Am I so strange, father, that you did not know me?”
”Indeed, my daughter, I was afraid to speak; I did not know but a strange woman had been sent to punish me, to 'sting me like an adder.'
Oh, Maggie, you don't know how I feel that I deserve it. And yet you are so good. You are a strange woman. It is strange, pa.s.sing strange, to think that my daughter, my little neglected, dirty, ragged, mischievous--”
”Wild Maggie, father.”
”Yes, she had run wild; should be the lovely--you do look lovely, Maggie--girl now in my arms. Oh, Maggie! Maggie! this is all your work.”
”No, no, father; you must give the good Missionary his share of the credit; and the good people all over the country who have sent him money and clothes to feed and clothe the naked, and reform the drunkard. What should we have been to-day, if he had not come to live in the Five Points, father?”
”I should have been in my grave; a poor, miserable drunkard's grave; it is awful to think where else I should have been.”
”Well, well, father, you are happy now,”
”Yes, I am, and so is mother, and we shall be more so when we get a home of our own, and all live together. Why, Maggie, why, who did dress you up so neat?”
”Oh, my new friend I wrote you about, Mrs. Morgan--you got my letter--yes--well, I do wish you could see her, she is such a good woman.”
So they talked on, and then the old lady came up, and then Maggie told how they had arranged it all. On Monday, father was to see if he could find a couple of nice rooms, and Maggie was going to see Mrs. Morgan, for Mrs. Morgan's old uncle had told Maggie, that whenever she wanted to go to keeping house, to come to him, she did not know what for, but she was sure it was something good, for he was a good man, but he never let anybody know what he did for poor folks, he did love to do things in his own way. And Mrs. Morgan was going to write up to the people where she lived, and if father and mother wanted her, they would let her come before her time was up.
”Your father will want you.”
”Will you, too? Do not you want me, mother?”
”I do not know, Maggie, I can hardly tell. Who can tell what a day may bring forth. I am glad to see you; I have been praying all day, that the good Spirit would direct your steps. .h.i.ther to-day.”
”Did you pray that last night?”
”Yes.”
”And this morning?”
”Yes.”
”I thought so--I felt it, all night, all the morning, just as though a little stream of fire was running through me, all over; now in my head, now, in my heart, now in my very fingers' ends; now I started at a whisper in my ear, that sounded just like mother, saying, 'Oh, Maggie!
Oh, that she would come! Oh, that I could see her once more!' and then I felt as though I must come. I was afraid something was going to happen.
But now I find you all well, I see what a foolish girl I have been.”
”No, Maggie, not foolish, not foolish; something tells me that you have only obeyed the dictates of a good heart, guided by an invisible power.
But we will not talk about it any more now. I have arranged a place for you to sleep to-night, for the house is very full, and we can scarcely find beds for those we have, and there are applications for more poor children every day. Do you remember that pretty little Italian beggar girl, Madalina, that you used to go out with sometimes? She is going to sleep in that little room, and you may sleep with her.”