The Flower Brides (92 page)

“All right, Marietta,” said Camilla, with a sinking of heart. How things were thickening. What a day! And she ought to be at home this minute looking after the moving! It seemed as if everything was all awry. She bowed her head over the telephone for a minute in despair.

“Well,” she reminded herself, “Mother always says that when things seem to be in a tangle to us it’s just that God is executing an especially intricate and marvelous pattern in our lives, and we must be pliable in His hands, so as not to hinder. Lord, have Thy way with me today!”

She lifted her head, put down the telephone, and went back to her work. She would just rest on that and go ahead.

Many people came into the office that morning, questions came up for her to decide quickly, the telephone rang almost continually, and finally Mr. Whitlock telephoned that he would not be able to get back until late in the afternoon.

Her voice was clear and steady as she answered his questions and gave him the messages that had been left for him, writing down his directions carefully. She did not tell him that Marietta was not there. That would not help matters any and would only exasperate him with Marietta. She did not tell him that there had been no time for lunch and she was going to have a cup of coffee and a sandwich sent up from the restaurant nearby as soon as she could find time to telephone for it. She did not tell him that she was moving that day and ought to be at home. She just went steadily ahead and did her best. Determined to let her Lord have His way in her for that one day at least and not get flurried about it. And she was greatly relieved and surprised to discover as the day went on that she was not as tired as usual, in spite of it all. There was something restful in remembering that the day was not her responsibility. She had but to go ahead and leave the working out of things with God.

When intervals of quiet from telephone and patrons came her fingers flew on the typewriter keys. She discovered presently that she was really making progress with the day’s work in spite of the many hindrances. Her heart was at rest, and she hadn’t time to think of dreams or disappointments. Oh, if she could just keep this heart-rest all the time, how wonderful it would be!

Marietta came in breathless about two o’clock and found Camilla working away so hard that she did not see her enter, writing and taking a bite of her sandwich now and then between pages.

“You poor thing!” said Marietta self-reproachfully. “You been here all alone all day? You didn’t have a chance to get any lunch? You go now and get a real good meal, and I’ll stay till five. They’ve taken her to the hospital. It was the appendix, and they think they’ve got to operate right off. She’s awful scared. I felt real sorry for her. I left Ted with a neighbor. Poor kid, he’s scared stiff! If I had known Whittie wasn’t here I’d have brought Ted along, but I guess Whittie wouldn’t stand for a child in the office, would he?”

“I’m afraid not,” Camilla said, smiling. “Poor child! I’m sorry he has to stay alone. I’d tell you to take him down to Mother this afternoon, but we’re moving today and there wouldn’t be any place for him yet.”

“Moving!” cried Marietta. “Then you oughtta be home yerself. You go now, and I’ll stay here. Ted’s all right for this afternoon. He’s got some picture papers to read. He likes ta read. You go, and I can do everything. I’ll be real careful.”

“Thank you, Marietta,” Camilla said, “that’s nice of you, but I couldn’t. There are some messages I have to give people and things that have to be decided when I hear what they say. Mr. Whitlock called up. He won’t be in till four forty-five, and I’d like to have the work up to the mark. If you think it’s all right for you to stay, suppose you get to work on those circulars and fold and address them. I’m staying right here till five. We mustn’t stop to talk. I hope your stepmother will get through all right, and afterward perhaps there’ll be some way I can help. Now, let’s get to work!” And Camilla’s fingers went flying on.

Mr. Whitlock came rushing in, looking tired and worn, about ten minutes to five. He cast his eyes anxiously over his desk and looked relieved when he saw the pile of letters awaiting his signature.

“You got them all done?” he said pleasantly. “Well, that’s great. Miss Pratt must be improving greatly. I was thinking I might have to ask you to stay overtime and finish them. It is most important they should go out tonight, for I find someone else is bidding for the same contract.”

“You don’t need to give me any credit,” said Marietta earnestly. “I couldn’t come till about two o’clock. My stepmother was awful sick, and I couldn’t leave her till they took her to the hospital. Camilla was here all alone most of the day, and she had a lot done before I got here.”

Mr. Whitlock raised his eyebrows at Camilla.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me when I telephoned? I’d have let the rest of the business go till next week.”

“Oh, I got along all right,” said Camilla, “and Miss Pratt is mistaken about her work. She’s been wonderful this afternoon. She did all that pile herself. And she must have been tired, too. She’s been up nearly all night with her stepmother and came down here just as soon as they took her away.”

Mr. Whitlock cast a kindly glance toward Marietta. “Well, that was great, Miss Pratt! I appreciate that. If I had known about it I would have told you not to come, even if the work had to go out to a public secretary for once.”

“Thank you,” said Marietta, blushing scarlet over the unexpected praise and kindness, “but I’m all right. I guess I can get along now. And ef you don’t mind, I’d liketa make up this lost day on Saturday afternoons.”

“Oh, that’s all right, Miss Pratt,” said the employer kindly. “You don’t need to make that up. You have a right to an emergency now and then, and you’ve been doing unusually good work the last week. I appreciate the change in your appearance, too.”

Then he turned to Camilla.

“You are moving?” he asked. “Isn’t that rather sudden, Miss Chrystie?”

“Yes,” said Camilla. “The house was sold quite suddenly, and they offered to move us if we would vacate at once, so we thought it would be to our advantage.”

“Well, I’m very sorry that you should have had to be here all day.”

“It’s quite all right,” said Camilla. “We haven’t so much to move. I did a good deal last night. The movers will do the rest.”

“Well, you must go at once!” he said, glancing at the clock and taking some papers from his pocket. “It must have been hard for you today.”

“It’s been all right,” said Camilla brightly, “and they don’t expect me till half-past five. I’ve plenty of time to finish this letter and take some dictation for tomorrow morning before I go.”

Camilla could see that this decision relieved her employer very much, though he was gracious about it. So she insisted on finishing the important matters before she left. Marietta, too, stuck faithfully by, working with her homely young face in an earnest frown and her pudgy fingers pounding away on her machine.

It was almost six o’clock when all three finally went down in the elevator together, Whitlock hurrying off to meet a man and take him to dinner.

Camilla was relieved that he did not offer to go with her and help. Somehow, though he was kind, she did not want him coming into the dilemma of their moving. On the way to the house she tried to reason it out, knowing in the back of her mind that if it had been Wainwright she would have been not only relieved but overjoyed. And yet Mr. Whitlock had been most kind and considerate and would have been the natural one to help if he had offered, which, of course, he couldn’t do with a dinner engagement on hand. She could sense that these were strenuous times in the office and that he was hard pressed, and she felt all the more obligated to be on hand early and get off those letters he had dictated just now. They should go in the nine o’clock mail, and she would see that they did, even if she had to leave a little earlier than usual to accomplish it.

She had meant to telephone home before driving there, to see if the movers had started away yet with the first load, but she didn’t want to do it in front of Mr. Whitlock and Marietta, so she drove home as fast as traffic would allow.

She found the movers just about to leave with the first load.

“Very well, then, Mother, I’ll go right along with them. Can I trust you to lie down while I’m gone? No, you’re not to go yet till there’s a place for you to go right to bed. Have you had anything to eat?”

“Oh yes,” said her mother, smiling. “I ate at five o’clock, and I’ve got the thermos bottle full of hot soup for you. Will you eat it before you go or take it with you?”

“Why, I’ll take it with me. That’s wonderful! I’ll eat it while I’m telling them where to put things. Now, can I trust you to stay right there on the couch till I get back and not lift a finger?”

“What is there left to do?” asked the mother. “But really, I don’t see why I shouldn’t go along now. I could rest on a chair until you got things fixed to your satisfaction, you know.”

“But you wouldn’t, I’m afraid.”

“Yes, I would. I’d rest much better if I was right there and the journey over.”

“All right, but isn’t there anything more here to be done?”

“Not a thing!” said Mrs. Chrystie proudly. “Mrs. Pryor is coming in after the last load is gone to sweep all the rooms. Mr. Glyndon said that was all we need to do. He said the new owner would look after all the rest.”

“Well, that’s wonderful!” said Camilla, with a troubled look around to think that all this had been accomplished without her supervision. “All right, Mother, where’s your coat and hat? It’s pretty cold out.”

“Oh, I thought you’d say that, so I got out my old fur coat before the trunks left, and I’ve filled a hot water bottle and wrapped it in a blanket. I thought I might as well fuss over myself as to have you and Miss York do it.”

“Well, you have been good,” commended Camilla, laughing. “Have you got galoshes on? The pavements are icy, you know.”

“Oh yes, I saved them out, too. Now let’s get going. Those men want to get done.”

So, for the first time since her illness, Mrs. Chrystie went out into the winter world again.

“It’s going to snow,” she announced as she stepped into the car and sat down. “No, don’t worry about me, I’m quite all right. I lay down three times today, and I haven’t done a thing the last hour but tell the men which things to take in the first load.”

Camilla wrapped her mother warmly, put the hot water bag at her feet, and started on, the big van coming close behind.

“Now,” said Camilla, “this is the first time you’ve been out and you mustn’t talk in the cold air. Just rest back and relax.”

“All right,” said her mother, but her bright eyes were watching the streets as they went along, and once when Camilla looked at her anxiously her mother smiled at her happily, almost like a child.

“Having a nice ride, Millie, darling!” she said.

“You dear!” said Camilla, with a throb of thankfulness at her heart, “I believe you’re enjoying this.”

“Why surely,” said her mother. “Who wouldn’t, after all these weeks in the house?”

“Well, I hope you like the house,” said the daughter.

“Why, of course I’ll like it! Whatever it is, I’ll like it. Didn’t it bring you money enough to get that debt off your mind, and didn’t our Father send it in time for our need? Why shouldn’t I like it? I’d like it just because He sends it, even if I
didn
’
t
like it!”

Camilla laughed outright with a child’s sudden delight. “Mother! That’s lovely! Do you know, I believe when we get settled I’m just going to take a day off sometime and be thankful for the kind of mother I have. I don’t believe I ever before realized what a wonderful inheritance I have, having a mother who can take hard things that way. I wish I had such a wonderful trust as you have. I believe that’s what has kept you so young-looking in spite of all that you have been through.”

“Yes,” said her mother thoughtfully, “I guess that has helped me through. Trusting. I couldn’t have got through in my own strength, I know that. Why, Camilla, you’re stopping. This can’t be the house, is it? It’s all lit up. Do you have to ask the way or something?”

“No,” said Camilla, “I don’t have to ask the way, and this is the house, but I don’t understand its being lit up, unless Jinny is still there.”

“But, Daughter, this is a very pretty little house!”

“Oh, I’m glad it seems nice to you. Now, you sit still, Mother, till I get a chair or something taken in for you to sit on.”

“No,” said Mrs. Chrystie, “I want to go in with you now. I can sit on the stairs for a while till a chair comes. Or aren’t there any stairs? A box, then. For pity’s sake, don’t baby me now. Can’t you see I’m running over with curiosity?”

Camilla laughed and let her have her way, taking her arm and carefully leading her where the walk was icy. But when they went up the steps, the front door suddenly swung open and a wide path of light poured out, and Miss York, with a big white apron over her uniform and a towel pinned over her hair, appeared in the doorway.

“Welcome home!” she cried, bowing low before them, ushering them inside and shutting the door. “Why, it’s warm as toast!” said Mrs. Chrystie, looking around admiringly, “and you say there’s no furnace to bother with. That will be wonderful!”

Camilla and her mother walked through the rooms with Miss York bringing up the rear. It seemed so wonderful that this was their new home.

In just no time at all they had Mrs. Chrystie established in a big chair in the living room, and the movers were putting up the beds and spreading down the rugs under Camilla’s direction. It didn’t take long. And Miss York, with uncanny accuracy, found the sheets and blankets and was making up the bed, while Camilla ate her soup and gave directions to the movers. Incredibly, the house began to be like home with each piece of furniture that came in.

Miss York stayed with Mrs. Chrystie when Camilla went back with the movers to get the last load and close up the house, and soon her former patient was tucked snugly into bed with the light turned out.

“Now, you’re to go to sleep at once!” she ordered, “or we shan’t let you get up at all tomorrow, and I’ll have to give up my job and come and nurse you.”