CHAPTER V.

THREE-AND-SIXPENCE.

"MAMMA! What time may we bathe?" was Ada's first question the next morning when they were fairly seated at breakfast.

"I have been thinking it over," answered Mrs. Arundel, "and I know you and Arthur would generally like to bathe before breakfast."

"That we should!" said Arthur. "Bathing in the middle of the day is 'girls' time.'"

"So should I," said Ada; "but oh, mamma, what a pity we did not go this morning!"

Mrs. Arundel smiled. "I thought for the first day that you would have excitement enough, so by-and-by we will see about it."

"And may we bathe?" asked Netta; including, as she always did, her beloved companion Isabel.

"Yes, with Nellie; and I shall sit on the beach and watch you, and see what brave little girls I have."

The moment breakfast and prayers were done, there was a general rush for hats and jackets. Long before Mrs. Arundel could be ready, Arthur, Ada, Isabel, and Netta were off down the lane; and Nellie was almost as anxious as they to get off. But she waited first to help to get Tom ready, and place him in his little carriage; and then, while the nurse put on her hat, she amused the little ones and held the baby.

At last they were all ready to start. Mrs. Arundel had spoken to Mrs. Ross about the dinner, and now came out, followed by Simmons, who would push little Tom, and take it in turns with the nurse to carry the baby, while for a change, Tom often asked them to set him by his side and give him a ride too.

The nursery party went down the hill more quickly than Nellie and Mrs. Arundel cared to go, and were established on the sands when they arrived. Arthur soon spied them, for he had been on the watch, and now rushed up with a face full of eagerness.

"Here you are!" he exclaimed, opening out his mother's beach chair, and longing to see her established.

But his mother was not ready yet. She went first to little Tom's side and fixed up a sort of parasol shade over him, and then put him so that he could see as much as possible without raising his head more than was permitted.

He smiled gratefully as the shade came over his face.

"You can see pretty well now, darling?" she said, putting her face down to the level of his.

"Yes, mamma, pretty well," he said, sighing a little.

The others waited round. They knew from experience that everyone in the family had to give place to the comfort of the poor little invalid; so it was not till their mother seemed satisfied that the most had been done that could be, that they claimed her attention.

"Now, mamma, you promised us some pails and spades!"

"To be sure," said Mrs. Arundel, producing a half-crown which seemed ready; "and Arthur is the eldest, so he must lay it out to good advantage."

"Could we get anything for Tom?" whispered Ada.

"Not with that, I think; but if you see anything that would amuse him, you can let me know; or stay—suppose I give you another shilling, and you use your very best discretion to get something suitable. Suitable, mind!"

The words were hardly out of Mrs. Arundel's mouth, before the children were off, Ada dragging Dolly along as fast as her little legs could carry her towards the shops.

Mrs. Arundel looked after them, smiling, when she was startled by a slight cry from Tom. A large mastiff had come up, and was putting his cool nose right up to little Tom's face.

A young lady in deep mourning sprang forward, and said quickly: "He will not hurt you, dear, in the least!" And then, coming up to them, she apologised for her dog, and tried to make friends with Tom.

"I was only startled for a moment," said Tom, looking up, rather ashamed of his fright.

"Yes," said a clear ringing voice; "and he is so big, and came so very near! But he is as gentle as can be. Come here, Lion, and show this little boy how good you can be."

Then turning to Mrs. Arundel, and finding that her face did not rebuke her for interesting the little invalid, she showed him how her dog would fetch a stick, carry her basket, and do various little tricks.

Presently she raised her veil, and then they could see her striking face and great beauty. She was probably a few years older than Nellie, but her face was full of interest and sorrow. Nellie made up her mind that it was a sorrow carried patiently, and not fought against; though she could not have told why she thought so.

Then the stranger called her dog to lie down beside her, and Mrs. Arundel and Nellie seated themselves close to little Tom, and began to think of taking out their work.

But the work did not come to much, for before long they heard a considerable crunching of the shingle behind them, and in another moment the troop came up, breathless and excited.

"Where are your pails?" said Mrs. Arundel in amazement, seeing them all empty-handed, and making up her mind that they had lost the half-crown.

"Oh, mamma!" Ada whispered eagerly. "We haven't brought them with us; but they are all right, and we are going back for them. But, mamma, there was nothing suitable for Tom under three-and-sixpence—but oh, do let us spend that! We will give the extra out of our own money."

"But, my dear, three-and-sixpence is a great deal. Whatever toy could cost that, that he could play with?"

"Oh, mamma, he'll hear!" said Ada. "But do trust us; it isn't a toy, and it isn't waste, and do trust us to buy it!"

Mrs. Arundel would have hesitated still; but the eager faces, and the necessity for secrecy, overcame her prudent objections, so she took another half-crown from her purse, and they were off again instantly.

The young lady, who had been near enough to Mrs. Arundel to gather the meaning of it all, smiled pleasantly when they were again out of sight, and said in a low tone, "They seem very fond of your little boy."

"Oh, yes! He is our first care." Then with a glance, which the young lady understood, towards the little couch, Mrs. Arundel turned the conversation to other subjects.

In about half an hour the shopping party came back, and advanced with their hands behind them, looking eagerly happy. Arthur came first, and going up to little Tom, placed in his hand a small parcel, saying, "That's your share of the spades and pails!"

They all gathered round to see, even Simmons and Mary getting up to peep over the little shoulders; and very much surprised were they to see Tom's thin fingers take out of the paper a nice little telescope!

"How kind!" he said, flushing up. "Do you think I shall be able to see through it lying so?"

"Oh, yes," said his mother, looking delighted. "It will be the very thing, Tom. How nice it was of them all to think of it."

"And here are our spades," said the little ones, bursting out with their news, now the grand presentation was over. "See, mamma, such beauties, and the pails only fourpence each!"

"Splendid!" said Nellie. "And such nice spades. Well, you will be happy!"

"Don't you want a spade?" said Dolly, looking up in Nellie's face.

"No, dear; though I am a sea-side baby, I will confess," she said laughingly, turning to the stranger, who seemed quite interested by the family party.

The young lady smiled. "Ah, I am too old for that!" she said, shaking her head. "But I expect you could dig for a whole morning with pleasure."

"Yes," said Nellie; "I believe I could. Come along, Dolly, and let us begin."

The tide had been going down for some hours, and a nice flat strip of sand was left dry. Simmons volunteered to push Tom a little way along this, and Mary joined her with the baby.

Left thus together, as it were, Mrs. Arundel turned to the young lady, as if to finish the sentence which had been interrupted. "We never talk of him before him," she said, following the perambulator with her eyes. "He is very quick, and thinks too much about himself already; I mean his thoughts are too much centred on his affliction."

"It must be a great trial," said the young lady sympathisingly.

"Yes," said his mother, still looking after him, "yes; but we do know from whom it comes."

"Ah! That is the only comfort."

"You know that comfort too, then?"

"Yes," she answered in her turn. But it was a very reserved word, and Mrs. Arundel could not ask any more just then.

"Was it an accident?" asked the young lady presently.

"Yes; when he was nearly two years old; such a darling! The nurse—not this one—put him on the table against my often-repeated injunctions, and as she turned round to reach his hat, the child leant after her and fell. He has never sat up since."

"How sad!"

"Very, very sad! But one day my boy will, I trust, know what it is to be all right again, and have no aches and weariness. Here they come back, and I think he looks as if he were tired. Simmons, we will return home, and leave the others to their digging. How happy they all look!"

She turned to the stranger to say good morning. "Do you stay long?" she asked.

"I live here at present."

"Then we shall meet again, I doubt not."

"My name is Christina Arbuthnot."

"And mine is Mrs. Arundel."

"Thank you so much; it will be very pleasant to meet."

With a word to Nellie and the nurse, who both seemed inclined to finish the morning on the beach, Mrs. Arundel turned homewards, her little son's anxious face giving her such a heart-sinking that she felt as if she could hardly walk along. But by-and-by, she lifted her eyes to the blue sky and took courage. She remembered in whose hand she was, and that nothing could happen to her boy but by His permission.

"He knows, He cares," she said to herself; and if the eyes that still looked up were dimmed with tears, they were tears of submissive faith, that trusted when she could not see.

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