Part 2 (2/2)
”O, yes,” returned Minnie. ”And I shall speak to papa to-night. I'll just whisper to you whether it's all right or not, when I see you to-morrow.”
”And I suppose that after that it will be a free subject, and liable to be discussed at any time?” queried Mabel, smiling.
”Certainly,” a.s.sented Minnie, a little puzzled.
”O, Minnie, you can't think how amused I was at your efforts to keep from speaking about it yesterday and the day before! You would open your lips to say something every five minutes, and then suddenly recollecting yourself, you would close them again with a determined snap, but it was hard work to keep them closed, I could see that plainly enough.”
Minnie laughed.
”I know it was,” she confessed, ”but I must say I did not dream that my efforts would be appreciated as thoroughly as they seem to have been.”
”Well, be thankful it _is_ so,” advised Mabel. ”And now I'm off.
Good-bye.”
That evening Minnie, seizing a favourable moment when the boys were all out, and she and her father alone, unfolded to him her scheme for the reformation of Hollowmell. He was, of course, greatly surprised, and at first very reluctant to allow his daughter to go among these people, even for the purpose she had at heart.
”You don't know what sort of people these miners are, my dear,” he said when Minnie had made known to him in as few words as possible what she wished to do. ”And as for reforming them, I don't think that possible, I don't indeed. You had better leave that to the missionary, I think, or to some one who knows the sort of folks they are, and how to deal with them.”
”But they have proved that they don't know how to deal with them, they have all failed, so I mean to try a different plan from any of the common methods, besides I shall only have to do with the children at first; I want to try to influence the older people through them. Come, papa, _do_ let me have the cottage and make a trial, and I promise if the result does not please you to give it up at the end of a month.”
Mr. Kimberly shook his head a good deal, and grumbled a little that she might find something better to occupy her time than amusing a lot of dirty ragam.u.f.fins who would never thank her for her trouble, but finally gave in, to the unbounded delight of Minnie, who, it may be remarked, had never entertained a doubt as to the final issue of the debate, knowing well that her father would refuse her nothing on which she had so strenuously set her heart.
”And how about the jacket?” he inquired, when she laid before him her financial scheme, in a business-like manner which greatly amused and delighted him.
”O, you know, I can do without that quite well. You don't imagine, surely, that it is because a sealskin is warmer or for any reason of that description that I want it. It is only because it looks finer, and it is so great a satisfaction to have such a thing that I wanted it--in fact, only to gratify my vanity, which is gratified too much already by a certain old gentleman who evidently thinks there never _was_ such another girl as his daughter.”
”Come, now, young lady, don't abuse your old father in that insinuating manner, for he won't stand it, and as for your vanity, you don't overstate it a bit; but we'll see whether the inhabitants of Hollowmell won't contrive to rid you of some of that.”
”Just one thing, papa,” said Minnie, as she kissed and thanked him again, before retiring for the night. ”Please keep it a secret from the boys. You know how they would tease me about it if they knew.”
”Very well, it is not likely it would have occurred to me to mention it to them, but it is just as well to be on guard. When do you begin operations?”
”As soon as we can have everything in working order.”
”Well, here's some money to start with, and see you make a good use of it. We'll arrange about your own money when I have more time.”
Minnie ran off with her prize--a bright, golden sovereign--and found herself scarcely able to sleep that night for dreaming of the wonders which were to be affected through her agency in Hollowmell.
Next day she only saw Mabel for a few minutes as they came out of church, but even that short time was sufficient for the communication of a whispered account of her success, the narration of which afforded Mabel quite as much delight as its accomplishment had afforded Minnie.
It is just possible, indeed, that the consideration of their project occupied rather more of their attention on that day, at least, than the sermon did. Mabel had to take herself to task severely several times during the afternoon service, and Minnie, without thinking very much about it, found herself mixing up the Epistle to the Galatians with a homily to be delivered to the inhabitants of Hollowmell upon some important occasion, the exact nature of which she had not yet clearly settled in her mind.
Next day there was more than one ”phiz” between Minnie and Mona, owing to the fact that Minnie's mind was so entirely occupied by her new undertaking, that she could not manage to give more than a small part of her attention to her lessons. This was a matter of no small gratification to Mona, who was rather more profuse, in consequence, with her sharp remarks, which Minnie was in no mood to brook patiently.
Some of Minnie's books were lost as usual, when at last she was free to go, for although she had tried, and been pretty successful too, in keeping her books together since her promise to do so, they sometimes reverted to their old habit of getting lost again, and to-day she had almost fallen back to her former careless state.
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