CHAPTER IX.

THE CHRISTMAS SERVICE.

EVER since the departure of the Laurence family, Edah had been in the habit of going over to Spring Bank now and then upon Saturday afternoons, to get such books as she wanted out of the library, and to practice upon Annie's piano. Mrs. Millar, the housekeeper, knew when to expect her, and always had a comfortable fire in the parlor, and Edah greatly enjoyed these solitary afternoons. It happened once in the beginning of winter, that three weeks passed without her being able to ride over as usual. Susan was not very well, Mrs. Champlin was more infirm and fretful than usual, and Edah remained at home all the time that she was out of school to assist in taking care of Eddy.

One Saturday afternoon, about a week before Christmas, Mr. Bell came in, with his greatcoat on, apparently prepared for a drive.

"Come, Miss Champlin," said he, "wrap yourself up, and ride over to Spring Bank with me. 'Miss' Bell will come in, and sit with your ma."

"Do," said Susan; "the ride will do you good, and you can get us some new books."

Edah was doubtful about it, but finally yielded to Susan's urging, and went out with Mr. Bell, who left her at the gate, and went on his way to Raeburn, promising to call for her about six o'clock. She went into Mrs. Millar's room, which she found empty, though there was a good fire. The library key was not in its usual place, and Edah supposed that Mrs. Millar was engaged in dusting the books; and as soon as she had laid aside her cloak and bonnet, and warmed her feet, she went in search of her.

She was not in the library, however, though the room was open and warmed, nor in the parlor, where there was also a good fire; and Edah, presuming that she was engaged in some other part of the house, selected what books she wanted, and then going into the parlor, she sat down to the piano. She had been playing some time, when in turning round for a music-hook, she caught a glimpse of some one in the adjoining apartment, the folding-doors of which were half-open.

"Is that you, Mrs. Millar?" she called. "You see I have taken possession of the premises."

There was no answer, and on looking around again, she was surprised and somewhat startled to see a young gentleman standing in the door, and regarding her with a look of some amazement. She rose at once from the music-stool, and the stranger, advancing at the same time, said very politely—

"Permit me to introduce myself. I am Richard Laurence, the brother of Annie and Louisa, and you, I presume, are Miss Champlin, of whom I have heard so much."

The instant he spoke, Edah had guessed who he was, and though a little confused by the unexpected meeting, she responded with civility to the address of the stranger.

"You must have been rather astonished to find that a stranger had taken such unceremonious possession of your sister's instrument," said she. "You see I have been foraging in the library also."

"Not altogether surprised," replied the stranger. "I had heard of you from Annie and Louisa before I came, and from Mrs. Millar since. Moreover, I missed a favorite edition of Bishop Hall from its place, and on applying to the library list, found it credited to Miss Champlin, with other books equally solid in their character. I think you must be fond of grave reading, to judge from your selections."

"I am so," replied Edah smiling; "I have always had a partiality for big books and old books ever since I can remember; and moreover I have been reading history with my brother this winter. But when did you arrive, and when have you heard from Annie?"

"I came yesterday, and I heard from Annie the day before. They have arrived at their destination, and find themselves very comfortably situated. Louisa seems, on the whole, to be improving, and my mother and father are well, but Annie, poor child, is desperately homesick. She regrets her leisure, her studies, and above all her little Sunday School. I hear that you are making a successful experiment of the same kind at Brooksville."

"I have done very well thus far," replied Edah, "though we are sadly in want of books."

"You must be supplied in some way," said Mr. Laurence; "I will try to procure a library for you when I return to New York. Do you have any preaching?"

"There has been none since I came," replied Edah. "Mr. Willson is unable to take any more duty on his hands than he has at present, and there is no one else. I wish you would stay and preach for us."

Mr. Laurence smiled.

"I have thought of it myself," said he. "I am entirely at leisure just now, and can as well as not remain here till after New Year's. I think I will place myself at Mr. Willson's orders for a few weeks to come."

"I wish we could have a Christmas Service," exclaimed Edah. "Why could we not? Or if not upon Christmas-day, at least the day after. It falls upon Saturday, this year, you know; why could you not preach for us the next Sunday? I will have the school-house trimmed properly—the children will enjoy that; and it will be like living in a Christian land again."

"I see no objection to it," replied Mr. Laurence, after a moment's consideration; "but I must first consult Mr. Willson. Do you think we could get a congregation together?"

"Oh, there is no doubt of it, I think. The children would all be interested, I know, and they would bring their parents. I will talk to my good friend Mr. Bell about it, and see what he says."

Mrs. Millar was delighted that Miss Champlin should have chanced to come over while Mr. Richard was there. She insisted on getting tea for her before she left, and produced her richest cake and choicest sweetmeats upon the occasion.

Edah enjoyed very much her conversation with Mr. Laurence, and she could hardly believe it when Mr. Bell told her that he had been detained in the village an hour later than he expected, and that it was after seven o'clock.

Mr. Bell cordially approved of the idea of having service in the school-house, though he expressed a fear that there would not be many responses. He undertook to have the notice published properly, and promised that Jack and Robert should have the horse and wagon to go after the evergreens necessary for the Christmas decorations, upon which Edah had set her heart.

"I really think I will make an effort to go to church, if Mr. Laurence comes to preach," said Susan, when they were talking the matter over. "Perhaps I shall find him more enlivening than Mr. Willson, who always puts me to sleep."

"I should like to hear him too," remarked Ruby-Anne, who was in the room. "My folks will expect me home to stay over Christmas, and I'll get pa to hitch up, and fetch us over. I should like to hear what sort of a sermon Dick Laurence would write."

"I presume he will write a very good one," said Edah: "he appears very intelligent;" and thereupon she fell into a reverie, which lasted for some little time.

The next afternoon Edah announced to the children that there would be preaching in the school-house the following Sunday morning. She said she hoped all who understood the service would be prepared to unite audibly in the responses, and as for those who did not, if they would apply to her, or to Martha Cowles, they would be glad to afford all the explanations necessary.

The result was, that a great many old Prayer-Books were hunted up during the week. Martha enjoyed giving the necessary instructions about finding places, and so forth, in which she was greatly assisted by Sam, and by Selina and Jane Bostwick, who had been used to attending church regularly; and thus before Sunday came a pretty fair proportion of the congregation were prepared to unite understandingly in the services.

Early on Friday morning the evergreens were drawn, no objection being made to dismissing the school for that day, as Edah professed her willingness to make it up at the end of the quarter. Boys and girls united their efforts, and worked with such hearty good-will that before dark the trimmings were all put up, the litter cleared away, the floor washed, and Edah, as she looked around, felt very well satisfied with the result of her labors. The children, of course, were in fine spirits, and thought nothing had ever looked so pretty before, and they were all delighted with the idea of going to church on Sunday.

On Saturday morning—Christmas morning—the same old horse which had brought the evergreens was again put in requisition to convey Edah and Sum to Raeburn to church. The morning was so fine and mild, and the sleighing so good, that Edah thought she should run no risk in taking Pauline; and the little girl was seated, warmly wrapped up, on a stool at her sister's feet, delighted with the ride and the prospect of going to church.

She behaved as well as possible, joining her little voice in the Lord's Prayer and the Creed, as well as in the psalms, for she had now learned to read perfectly well, and she was also greatly interested in the Communion Service, which Edah had explained to her beforehand.

Mr. Laurence was in the chancel, and Edah was well pleased when he ascended the pulpit. His manner was pleasant, and his delivery much finer than Mr. Willson's, and, better than all, his sermon was just such as Edah desired to hear. She only hoped he would preach the same one at Brooksville the next day. There were almost twice as many communicants as usual, and some who had never been at the Table before: among them our friend Long John, whose appearance excited almost as much wonder as if one of the bears for which the valley was formerly celebrated had taken his place with the congregation.

This was the first Christmas Communion which Edah had ever attended, and she enjoyed it very much. As she contrasted her feelings of to-day with those of a year before, and thought how she had been occupied at that time with dress and other worldly and foolish trifles, she could hardly believe that she was the same person, and she felt for the first time the force of the Apostle's declaration, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

"Shall you be with us all day to-morrow, Mr. Laurence?" asked Edah, as they met in the porch after service.

"If you wish it," replied Mr. Laurence. "I have a great desire to see your school in operation."

"Then will you please give notice in the morning that the school will meet as usual at two o'clock?"

"Certainly," said Mr. Laurence; "but will you not be present yourself?"

"I think not in the morning. Sister Susan will wish to go, and some one must stay with mother. I shall be at Sunday School, however, and shall be very glad to resign into your hands my office of superintendent."

"That is more than I bargained for," said Mr. Laurence, smiling, "but I suppose I must not refuse."

Susan was at first rather unwilling to accede to the proposition that Edah should stay at home and take care of Eddy while she went to church; but she yielded at last, and took Pauline with her, to whom Edah had given some special charges about behaving well. Edah enjoyed her morning at home very much. Eddy was good and quiet, her mother was absorbed in a new book, and she was able to read, as well as to study the noon's lesson, as she always made a point of doing. Being fully occupied, the morning passed quickly away, and she was rather surprised when the family returned.

"How do you like Mr. Laurence, Susy?" she asked.

"Oh, very well," replied Susan. "He reads beautifully, and his sermon was very well written, indeed—different from any thing we have had before. On the whole, I was very glad I went."

"I wish Mr. Laurence would stay and preach all the time," remarked Pauline.

"Maybe he will," said Sam. "I heard Mr. Bell and Mr. Bostwick talking to him about it, and he said he would take it into consideration."

"What in the world should he come here for?" asked Susan. "They could not pay him any salary, at least not what he would consider any thing, and there will be places enough where he will be wanted. I don't see why he should stay here."

"Perhaps to do good," remarked Edah.

"Pshaw! Do you think a young man of such talents and prospects is going to bury himself in such a place as this for the sake of doing good? I presume he will want to be paid for all he does."

"Any one who heard you talk without knowing you, Sue, would think you the most selfish of mortals," said Sam, smiling. "Happily we all know better."

"Thank you," returned Susan; "you are in a complimentary humor, Master Sam. I am sure I, for one, would be very glad to have Mr. Laurence stay, and if he wants to go on a mission to the heathen, he could not find a better field than Brooksville. You would have been delighted, Edah, to hear the way in which the responses were made. Sam and Bob took the lead, and the rest, followed very well. I think they did better than they do at Raeburn."

When Edah entered the school-room, a little before the appointed time, she was surprised to find the room full. The children occupied their usual places, every one of her day-scholars being present, from the oldest to the youngest, while a number of the elders were seated near the door, upon chairs provided by those who lived near the school-house. In a few minutes Mr. Laurence made his appearance, with Mr. Bell and Mr. Bostwick. He made some brief remark, the children sung as usual, and then joined audibly in the Confession and the Lord's Prayer. This over, the business of the school commenced, and the room was filled with the hum of voices reciting collects, hymns, and Scripture verses.

Mr. Laurence walked from class to class, conversed both with children and grown persons, asked questions, and interested himself in all that was going on. When the lessons were over, and the books distributed as far as they would go, he again took his place in the desk, and made some remarks on the lesson that had just been recited, asking a number of questions, which were readily answered by the children.

Before dismissing the school, he announced that he should preach again the next Sunday, and in the mean time he should be glad to meet any who desired an opportunity for personal religious conversation at Mr. Bell's house, on Wednesday and Friday.

"Does he mean any of us scholars, Miss Champlin, or only the grown-up people?" asked one of the boys, in a whisper.

"Children or grown persons either," replied Mr. Laurence, overhearing the question; "any one desirous of personal religious instruction. Shook I decide to remain here for any length of time, I intend to form a Bible Class for older persons in connection with Miss Champlin's school, and shall be glad to receive into it as many as wish to join."

He then dismissed the school with prayer.

The villagers were all delighted with the services of the day, and the prospect of their continuance, and the proposition to form a Bible Class met with universal favor, though Mrs. Downing and one or two others hinted that it was a great piece of presumption in Mr. Laurence to pretend to be capable of instructing older Christians than himself. Mrs. Downing thought it would be a great shame if the Sunday School was to be taken out of Miss Champlin's hands, after she had got it up and done so much for it, forgetting that she had thought Miss Champlin very much out of her place in presuming to superintend a Sunday School at all.

But the dissenting voices were few in number. Most of the influential men in the little village were rejoiced at the prospect of having a church among them at last—some from a genuine love to the cause of Christ, some because it offered a way of getting rid of the time which often hung heavily on Sundays, and still others because it would add to the desirableness of the place as a residence, and thus raise the price of property.

Miss Champlin herself was not distressed at being deprived of her sceptre. I will not say that she had not felt some slight emotion resembling jealousy at finding herself reduced to play a subordinate part where she had so long been first, but the feeling passed away almost without being recognized, and she was thankful from her heart that the little seed planted by her hands in doubt and weakness was likely to become a flourishing tree.

The next Sunday the school-house was again filled. And Ruby-Anne offering to remain at home to take care of Eddy, Edah and Susan both went to church. The sermon was an excellent one, having an especial reference to the New Year. Every one was pleased; and when Mr. Laurence announced that he had decided to accept the invitation tendered to him by a committee of citizens and remain with them for a year, there was a general interchange of glances of congratulations. Notice was given of the formation of the Bible Class, and when the time came, Mr. Laurence found a goodly number assembled to meet him. The Sunday School, too, was so full that it was decided, after some consultation, to employ mere teachers, and accordingly three new classes were formed, and committed to the care of Mr. Bell, Mr. Bostwick, and Mrs. Stevens.

The want of books was a serious evil, but it was hoped that it would in time be remedied. Some of the men were already talking of a subscription for the purpose, and Mr. Laurence promised, if they would raise a certain sum, to see what he could do for them in New York. It would have been quite as easy to procure all that was necessary, but he well knew that what costs nothing is worth nothing. He knew that a library paid for by themselves would be worth twice as much as one bestowed gratuitously.