III.
_THE SILVER INKSTAND._
"Lily," said Tom, as they went down the street together, "don't you seewhat a lot of trouble your habit of putting off makes for yourself andevery one about you?"
"Yes, I should think I did," answered Lily, with energy. "I'mdreadfully sorry about your coat, Tom; I really am, dreadfully."
Apparently her remorse did not affect her spirits much, for, as shespoke, she went skipping along, swinging her brother's hand back andforth, and smiling and nodding with glee.
"I was not speaking for myself so much, or caring about my coat justthen," said Tom. "That does not matter now; but this is such a badhabit of yours, Lily, and it is growing worse and worse."
"Oh, but I'm going to begin to cure myself very soon," said Lily."Maggie and Bessie are going to make me a proverb picture, and Belle isgoing to help them; and as soon as I have it I will improve myself byit. Tom, why don't the boys in your school make proverb pictures foreach other? I should think they would. Proverb pictures are so veryinteresting, and so improving too, Tom."
"I dare say, when one is willing to be improved," said Tom; "but I donot think our boys would care much about them. They are rather toolarge for that."
"Dear me! I should think the older people are the better they'd likethem," said Lily; "'cause they can make them better when they'velearned to draw. I can't make them very fit to be seen yet; but whenI'm grown up and can draw nicely, I'll make a whole lot; and when I goto make visits, or my acquaintances come to see me, and I see they havefaults or bad habits, I'll just give them a proverb picture to helpthem to correct themselves."
"If you don't change your mind in the mean time," said Tom, merrily. "Idon't think you'll be overrun with visitors if you entertain them inthat fashion, Lily. But," becoming grave again, "I want you to listento me, and seriously, too. You see what trouble this putting off andnever being ready in time makes for yourself; and you can't help seeingalso how it provokes other people, and good reason, too. For you know,Lily, you have no _right_ to make such inconvenience for other people."
"Ho!" said Lily. "I see, Tom, you're like Maggie's old Quaker lady,cross old thing! I don't mean you're cross, not one bit; only youthink, like her, that somebody has no right to take up other people'stime by making them wait."
"What Quaker lady?" asked Tom.
Lily repeated Maggie's story, almost word for word, as she had toldit. Tom was very much amused, but he did not let Lily see that; for itwas hard to make her talk seriously on any subject, and he did not wishto have her see him laugh just now.
"Yes," he said, with all the gravity he could muster, "I am much of theopinion of that old lady. I do not think that any one has the right towaste the time of other people, by keeping them waiting, when it can beavoided; or by failing to do that which they are expected, or perhapshave promised, to do. I know a lady--"
"What's her name?" questioned Lily.
"Never mind her name. I know a lady who is never ready at the timefor which she makes an engagement, and who in this way makes herselfa nuisance to all who are obliged to have any business with her; whoalways comes into church when the service is half over; who is late atevery meal, either in her own house, or other people's--"
"Yes," said Lily; "and don't you remember, Tom, how mad papa was thattime she came to dinner at our house when Mr. Francis was there; andhe and papa had a very important engagement, and she kept the dinnerwaiting so long that they could not get to their engagement in time;and wasn't papa mad?"
"Not mad exactly," said Tom, "but he was very much vexed, and withreason; but I see you know whom I mean, Lily."
"Oh, yes, very well indeed; you mean Miss Lee. She's just too provokingfor any thing; but then I never mean to be like her. Pretty soon I'mgoing to begin to correct myself of putting off, and not being ready intime."
"But why don't you begin now, right off?" said Tom.
"Would you?" asked Lily, doubtfully. "I thought I'd wait till I had theproverb picture."
"Yes, begin to-day, this very minute," said Tom.
"There's nothing for me to put off just now," said Lily.
"I mean make up your mind; take a resolution you will begin at once,"said Tom. "You see, Lily, it is the same in every thing. You alwaysthink, 'it is time enough,' or 'another time will do;' and so the thingis left undone, or you make some trouble. You are a real generous,obliging little girl, but you could be far more helpful if you had notthis bad habit. Mamma often asks you to do some little thing for her;but if she trusts to you, ten to one--"
Lily stopped short where she stood, with a face of the blankest dismay,and interrupted her brother in a distressed voice.
"Oh, Tom!" she said. "I did do _such_ a thing! Mamma did trust me, andI've done such a thing, and never did it."
"What is it? What have you done, and what haven't you done?" asked Tom,rather at a loss to understand her, as you may imagine he would be.
"Mamma was just going out with Mrs. Bradford, when a note came she hadto answer before she went," said Lily; "and she was in a great hurry,and so she told me to be a help to her, and put away all her writingthings very carefully. And I said I would, and she trusted me, and toldme to do it right away, and--and--oh, Tom!"
"And you did not do it," said Tom, gravely. "You did not do it at once,but put it off, and so left it undone."
"Yes," answered Lily, her eyes filling, and her voice shaking. "I neverdid it, and I should think I _was_ provoking. I should think the wholeworld might be provoked with me. Tom, I ought to go back; but yououghtn't to be kept for me any longer. You can take me to our house,and just leave me; and I'll go right in, and put away mamma's things,and stay at home for a punishment to myself, and to make me see howtroublesome putting off is."
"Mamma's things are all put away, Lily," said Tom.
"Who did it? You?" asked Lily, recovering her spirits a little.
"Yes. I did not know you had promised to do it, or I should have spokento you about it; but when I was looking round to see if that beggarwoman had been at any mischief, I saw mamma's writing things lyingabout over the table, and her desk open; so I just put every thingaway, and locked the desk. It is all right now," added Tom, believingit was as he said. "But how came you to forget mamma's orders, Lily?"
"It was all the fault of that old monkey," said Lily, as her brotherled her on. "Horrid thing! I wish he'd stayed away, and that I hadn'tlooked at him, or given him cakes or pennies or any thing. His frockwas awfully dirty too," she added, forgetting all the amusement themonkey had afforded her, and now only disposed to regard him as thecause of her neglect of her mother's wishes.
"I should not blame the poor monkey if I were you," said Tom. "How wasit? You went to look at the monkey in place of attending to mamma'sorders, and so forgot all about them?"
"Yes," said Lily. "I meant to look at him for only one minute, andthen to put away the things just as mamma told me, but he was sofunny I forgot; and then the puppies came; and that's the way I neverremembered them at all."
"Well, you see," said Tom, "you should have put away mamma's things atonce, and then gone to look at the monkey. And it was your own fault,not the monkey's, Lily. He did not ask you to come and look at him; itwas your own choice."
"Yes," answered Lily, rather meekly for her.
"Now can't you see it is better for you to begin at once?" said Tom."Don't let Procrastination hinder you here, Lil. The old fellow don'twant himself put down, and will trump up all manner of excuses to keephis hold on you. But you root him up just as quick as you can. Beginthis very day; and the next time you have any thing to do, don't listento one of his fine speeches."
"Yes, so I will, I b'lieve," said Lily. "I won't wait for the proverbpicture, but just begin to-day. I wish there would come something Iwant to put off, and I wouldn't put it off, but just do it very quickindeed."
Poor Lily! She was to learn more that day of the evils ofprocrastination in her own case.
Tom thought he had said enough to
her now; and they went on together tothe store where he wished to buy his dog-house. Here they chose one,and here also they purchased a collar for the puppy, Tom allowing Lilyto pick out a red one, although he would himself have preferred blue.Was he not a kind brother?
As they were on their way home, they met Maggie and Bessie Bradford,with their Aunt Annie.
Lily rushed forward, letting go her hold on her brother's hand; andMaggie ran to meet her, almost as eager as she was.
"Is my proverb picture nearly ready?" asked Lily.
"Yes, quite," answered Maggie; "and we want you to come to our house,so we can explain it to you. We've just been to your house to ask you,but you were out, or else you could have come to take tea with us,if your mamma had said so. I wonder if she wouldn't just as lief youshould come now. Can't Lily come with us, Tom?"
Tom had now come up to the little girls, and so had Miss Annie Stantonand Bessie; and, after taking off his hat to the young lady, heanswered,--
"I think not to-night, Maggie. At least I do not like to take it uponmyself to give her leave; for she had a bad sore throat yesterday, andI do not think mamma would like to have her out in the evening air."
Lily looked as if she were about to cry, and Maggie and Bessie alsolooked disappointed.
"Never mind," said Bessie, cheering up in one moment; "it will be justas good if you come to-morrow and spend the day. Mamma said we couldask you to do that if you could not come this afternoon; and we willhave you a longer time, Lily."
"That's putting off, though," said Lily, with a pout, "and I've justmade up my mind not to do it."
Tom laughed, and so did Miss Annie, both somewhat amused at Lily'shaste to practise the new virtue as soon as it fell in with her ownwishes; but Maggie and Bessie thought this a very sensible view of thematter.
"But one may put off a thing when it comes in the way of a duty, or ofanother thing which should be attended to first," said Annie Stanton."When mamma's wishes and your pleasure come in the way of one another,which should you put first?"
"Why, what mamma wishes, Miss Annie. I should think I would do whatmamma wants first. Anyway I _ought_ to _would_" added Lily, thinking ofher shortcomings of that very day.
"Then you see you may put off coming to Maggie and Bessie tillto-morrow, since your mamma does not wish you to be out at night,"said Miss Stanton; and with this agreement, the little friends parted.
"I see," said Lily, demurely, but with a gleam of mischief in hereye,--"I see people don't think it is as much harm to put off thingsyou want to do as it is to put off what you don't want to do."
"Well," said Tom, smiling, "you see that is where it is, Lil. We areso apt to think it will do to put off what we do not care to do verymuch,--any little duty or task; but if it is some pleasure, we aregenerally ready enough to do it at once."
"Maggie thinks I put off pleasures too," said Lily. "She was realprovoked with me 'cause I kept them waiting to go to the party theother day."
"Do you like other people to keep you waiting, Lily?"
"No, indeed, I don't," said Lily.
"Then ought you not to be careful how you do it to others?"
"Yes, I know, Tom, and I don't _mean_ to do it; but somehow I do. Butnow you see if I do not improve myself a good deal of this habit," saidLily, confidently, yet carelessly; for it was plainly to be seen thatshe thought this vexatious fault of but little consequence.
Lily had meant to confess to her mother how neglectful she had been ofher wishes; but when she and Tom reached home, they found with Mrs.Norris a lady who had been invited to dinner. So Lily thought she wouldpostpone her confession until by and by, and not draw upon herself hermother's grave and reproachful look in the presence of company.
I do not know that she was to blame for this. Few little girls butwould have done the same, I think; and Lily had no idea that anymischief or loss had come from her procrastination.
Dinner was over, Tom gone upstairs to prepare his lessons forto-morrow, and Lily, in her favorite evening seat,--that is, perchedupon the arm of her father's chair while he read his paper,--washappily playing with some paper dolls, while mamma and her friendsat opposite, talking, when a person came with a message requiring animmediate answer.
Mrs. Norris went to her secretary and wrote the note, using for thepurpose an ordinary inkstand which belonged there; and then saidapprovingly to Lily,--
"My pet, how nicely you put away mamma's writing things; all the papersin their proper places and order. Pretty well done for such a littlegirl."
"Mamma," said Lily, wishing that she need not speak before MissHamilton, but too honest to take credit which was not her justdue,--"Mamma, I did not put them away; it was Tom. I--I--forgot, mamma.I waited to look at a monkey before I put them away, and then the puppycame, and Tom took me out; and I forgot all about your things, and howI had promised, and never remembered till we were out in the street;and then Tom told me he had put them away, but he didn't know you hadtold me to do it."
It was all out now; and Lily, as she glanced at Miss Hamilton, feltas if she could not be thankful enough to that lady for seeming soabsorbed in the photograph album she was turning over.
Mrs. Norris uttered no word of reproach; but, as she looked within thewell-ordered secretary, she said,--
"Where did Tom put the silver inkstand? I do not see it."
"I don't know, mamma," answered Lily. "Is it not there? Tom said hecame in here and saw your things lying on the table, and he thought youmust have forgotten them, so he put them all away. Shall I go and askhim what he did with the inkstand?"
"No," said her mother, "I do not wish to disturb him at his lessons. Iwill look further."
But further search proved vain, though Mrs. Norris looked, not onlythrough each nook and partition of the secretary, but also all over theroom. Still she was not at all disturbed at the non-appearance of theinkstand.
"Send up and ask Tom, my dear," said Mr. Norris.
"Oh, it is not necessary," said his wife. "He may have put it in someunusual place. If he took care of it, it is quite safe. He will be downpresently, and I do not care to interrupt him."
"See what it is to have a good character, Lily," said her father,passing his arm about the little figure on the arm of his chair, andsmiling into the rosy mischievous face before him. "How long beforemamma will be able to put such trust in you, do you think?"
"Oh, very soon, papa; you'll see," said Lily, confident in the strengthof her newly formed resolution.
It was not long before Tom made good his mother's words by appearing,his lessons all ready for the next day, for it happened that he had nothad much to do that evening; and Mrs. Norris immediately asked him,--
"What did you do with my silver inkstand, my boy?"
"I did not have it, mamma," was the answer.
"But you put it away this afternoon, did you not?"
"No," answered Tom, wonderingly, but positively.
"Why, yes, Tom," said Lily, "you told me you had put away all mamma'sthings that she left on the table."
"But there was no inkstand there," said Tom. "I remember noticing that,because I said to myself, 'Mamma has taken time to put by her ink;' andI supposed you had feared it would be spilled, mamma. There was noinkstand upon the table, I am sure."
"Did you move the inkstand at all, Lily?" asked Mrs. Norris.
"No, mamma, I never touched it. I did not put away one single thing."
Tom helped his mother in a fresh search for the missing inkstand; butall in vain.
Then the servant man was called, and questioned.
"I saw Miss Lily with her hand on the inkstand when I called her tosee the little dogs this afternoon, ma'am," he said, in reply to Mrs.Norris's inquiries. "Do you remember, if you please, Miss Lily?"
"Oh, yes," said Lily. "I remember now, mamma. I did take it up to putit away, but I set it down again when I ran after Robert to see thepuppies. I meant to come right back, but I never thought of it again."
"Master To
m," said Robert, "you were asking me had I seen abeggar-woman about the door this afternoon. Could she have been inhere, and caught up the inkstand? If she'd just opened the librarydoor, and peeped in, it would have been the first thing she'd see, forit stood right here, where Miss Lily left it."
Tom looked dismayed, and Lily still more so; for, if the inkstand wereindeed stolen, was it not all her fault? Owing to her procrastination,to the putting off of the small service her mother had asked of her?And so it proved; for nothing could be found of the inkstand, and itwas never heard of again. Its loss could be accounted for in no otherway than by supposing that the woman, finding the door left open, andlearning from Lily's imprudent words that there was no one about tointerfere with her, had walked in, opened the library door, and seeingthe inkstand, had snatched it up, and made off with it.
Lily's shame and grief were very great, all the more so because sheknew that this inkstand was dearly loved and valued by her mamma,because it had been the gift of a dead sister. And seeing this, hermother could not bear to reproach her, for it was very unusual forLily to take her own wrong-doing much to heart. But this was, as shesaid herself, "the worst consequence I ever did in all my long life;"and she probably felt it all the more deeply for her kind mother'sforbearance.
That she was sufficiently punished by her own remorse was plainly to beseen; and long after she was in bed and fast asleep, her mother heardlong sobs heaving her little breast, and found her pillow all wet withtears.
"My poor little one! I hope it may be a lasting lesson to her,"said the mother, as she pushed back the hair from the flushed andtear-stained face. "If it should be, I shall think it cheaply purchasedeven by the loss of my much valued inkstand."