CHAPTER XIV

FAITH'S GIFTS

IT was only a few days after Faith's birthday that the Great War came to an end, and an armistice was signed by Germany. There were great rejoicings in the village. The church bells rang out all day, flags were erected; the school had a holiday, and there was a bonfire and fireworks at night.

The little girls were very excited, and walked about the village all day talking to everybody. Nobody could keep indoors. They were all shaking each other's hands, and talking about the "wicked Kayser!" A great many wives were rejoicing that their husbands would soon be returning to them.

Faith was only allowed out for a few hours in the middle of the day, but it was wonderful how many came up and shook hands with her, and said how glad they were to see her about again.

"I rather wish I had tumbled out of the tree instead of you," said Hope that afternoon, when they were having tea: "it makes you so important to be ill, and I like being important."

"But it makes you feel so tired," said Faith, plaintively. "I don't feel as if I could run at all, not even from a mad bull."

Hope looked at her reflectively.

"I shouldn't like that," she said. Then with a sudden change of subject, she went on—

"Do you know, Faith, what you could do with your money? It's a lovely idea. And Charlie and I thought of it."

"What? I keep thinking of so many things. I have made a long list already."

"Why, you could buy a beautiful gipsy van, and we could go about the country in it. A caravan. Wouldn't it be lovely?"

"Then we should have to buy a horse, too—a big one—and Aunt Alice would say she couldn't keep him or feed him."

"Oh, Topsy would pull it, or you could buy a horse and feed him. You have enough money to do anything!"

Faith gave a little sigh. She began to feel the responsibility of money weigh heavily on her shoulders. And the very fact of her still being weak and frail made the least thing a burden to her.

That night when she went to bed, Granny came up with her. She and Faith had a little prayer together of thanks for the peace which had come to the world.

And then Faith lying back on her pillows said wistfully:

"Granny, I wish Mr. Cardwell had left me five shillings instead of a hundred pounds. I don't really know how to spend it."

"Yes, I wish he had," said Granny, looking at Faith's white cheeks with great pity; "but, my darling, he would not like to think that it would be a burden to you."

"You see," Faith went on, "Charity and Hope expect me to do something very big with it, and so does Charlie, and it is the big things that are so difficult."

"Now look here," said Granny, cheerfully. "Christmas will soon be here. I know you don't want to spend it all on yourself. Take some of it and buy presents for your friends. Not big presents—just buy nice gifts for them, then put the rest of the money in the bank; and by-and-bye you may think of a nice way to spend it. There is no hurry—you can spend it gradually. There is no need for getting rid of it at once."

"Oh, Granny, thank you so much. If I can do that, I shall be very glad. And do you think I could buy Timothy a very warm thick overcoat? He gets so cold when he goes out at night to see any sick sheep."

"I think that would be a lovely idea."

Granny kissed her, and left her quite happy.

The next morning, she told Charity and Hope of Granny's advice; and though they were at first rather disappointed, they were soon most interested in the list of presents that Faith began to write down.

These were some of them.

Timothy: A very thick overcoat. Granny: A big fur cloak. Aunt Alice: A muff and boa. Miss Vale: A very nice writing case. Mrs. Horn: A warm bed quilt. Mrs. Vale: A pair of gold spectacles. Charlie: A bicycle. Mrs. Cox: A big shawl. Mrs. Budd, who kept the village shop: A china tea-set. Sir George: A pocket-book. Lady Melville: A purse.

There were various children and old women in the village whom the little girls knew. Faith said she would like to give Christmas cakes to them all.

And then came the serious question of what Charity and Hope would like.

Charity said they would like to choose themselves.

"If you don't think it will cost too much money," she said, "I would like a glass book-case, because I'm collecting a library, and by the time I grow up, I shall have a splendid lot of books. And it would stand at one end of our schoolroom. There would just be room for it."

"Oh, what fun it will be buying!" said Faith, clapping her hands. "Of course you can have the book-case. And now Hope?"

Hope walked round the room considering.

"Of course I would really like a big dog," she said; "but Aunt Alice wouldn't hear of that. Why, Faith, I know what we want. That is a proper saddle for Topsy. If you could give me that, we could all ride him."

"But that wouldn't be for you then," Faith objected. "I can give myself that. It can be got for us all, besides the Christmas presents."

And then Hope thought she would like a complete set of garden tools. So Faith put that down.

When once her list of Christmas presents was finished she felt happier. And daily she became stronger, until very soon she was able to take part in lessons again, and in the walks that her sisters took every day.

Time sped away. Aunt Alice wrote to the Pirate about the cheque, and promptly received another back in place of it. December came, a bright, cold December, and they had their first fall of snow. It was too cold to play in the orchard, and they were content to run along briskly out of doors.

At last, a fortnight before Christmas, Aunt Alice said they could all come shopping with her. They were to go to the town early in the morning, have their lunch in a shop, and stay till quite late in the afternoon.

It was a day to be remembered. Never had they so much money to spend. For Charity and Hope felt that they shared with Faith the excitement of choosing and buying all the presents. Aunt Alice was very good in helping them. It was only her own present that was kept secret. And she was as pleased as Faith herself when they chose together a lovely grey cloth cloak lined with white fur, for dear Granny.

Charity got her book-case, and Hope her garden tools. The saddle was chosen and paid for, and then Faith was asked what she was going to get for herself. She could not make up her mind for a long time. At last she saw a picture in a shop which greatly took her fancy. It was a little child being led up a steep hill by a shining angel. Her Aunt smiled when she was told she would like to buy it.

"I might have known something of that sort would have attracted you," she said.

Perhaps the most interesting bit of shopping was ordering the cakes in the pastry-cook's. Faith found that she wanted fifteen, and they had to be made on purpose for her.

Aunt Alice laughed at the woman's astonished face when she took the order.

"It's a good thing you have some currants and raisins at last," she said, "for otherwise it would be no good ordering plumcakes from you."

The little girls asked their Aunt to let them go into one shop by themselves, and Aunt Alice turned her head again, and pretended she did not see where they went.

Faith was very anxious over the set of furs they asked to see. At first the attendant who waited upon them looked rather suspiciously at them.

"These are very expensive," she said. "How much do you want to give?"

Charity looked up with red cheeks.

"We have a hundred pounds to spend, we don't care how much it is."

The attendant smiled. She consulted the head of the fur department. But when she saw that Faith had a little bag stuffed with notes, she became very civil. And the children at last chose a big black fox stole and muff, which cost about sixteen pounds. Faith was rather frightened at the amount, but she paid it, and she went out of the shop wondering if Aunt Alice would be angry if she knew how fast her money was melting away.

It was quite late when all the shopping was finished, and the children were very tired when they reached home.

Granny asked how they had enjoyed themselves.

"It has been just like a fairy story," said Charity, "and I suppose rich people can spend money like Faith has to-day whenever they like. Oh, I do hope I shall be rich one day!"

Granny shook her head at her.

"I wish you better than that," she said; "money is a great care."

"It is indeed," said Faith in an old-fashioned way, "and I never knew it would go so fast, Granny; will you add up for me and tell me how much I have left?"

When bed-time came, Aunt Alice was able to tell her. And Faith was horrified to find that she had only about forty pounds left.

She looked so troubled that Granny came to her. "What is it, darling?"

"Oh, Granny, I wanted to give something out of it to God. I thought you would tell me how."

"But I think many of your presents to the poor old people in the village are offerings to God, dear."

"But I thought in church—I thought Mr. Webster would like to have some."

"To give away to the poor, do you mean? Well, you can talk it over with him, but don't spend it all this Christmas. I advise you to keep some in the bank and take it out when you really need it."

"Yes," assented Faith, "and I won't think about spending it any more, but just enjoy myself."

When Christmas Eve came, the little girls were up early. They took the presents round to the villagers in the morning, and had great fun packing all the cakes into Granny's carriage.

[Illustration: THE CAKES WERE RECEIVED WITH GREAT DELIGHT.]

Charlie's bicycle was going to be wheeled along to him after dark. Aunt Alice said she would see to that. Charity's book-case had arrived the day before, but it was not going to be unpacked till after tea, when Faith said she would like to give her presents to the family. The cakes were received with great delight. Mrs. Budd and Mrs. Horn were quite overcome with their presents. Hope said that she and Charity felt the money was theirs, as they helped to give away the gifts, and had the pleasure of seeing the joy they gave.

In the afternoon, Charity and Hope were to leave Faith's presents at the Hall, and she herself staggered up to Timothy's cottage with her big brown paper parcel.

She would allow nobody to carry the coat but herself. It was a bright, frosty afternoon; the woods looked black and silent. In the distance, Faith heard the church bells pealing out. Aunt Alice had gone to help in the decorations at the church. When Faith reached the cottage she found Timothy had just come in. He was hanging up his old coat on a nail behind the door, and turned round with a pleased smile when he saw who it was.

"Come right in, Missie. Eh! 'Tis good to see ye lookin' up agin! Sit ye down now. There be Sandy waitin' to shake hands wi' ye!"

Faith breathlessly held out her big parcel.

"For you, Timothy, with my love and a happy Christmas. I bought it for you myself with some of the money I told you about. Do try it on and see how it fits!"

Timothy slowly undid the parcel. When he unfolded the thick coat, he looked at her with his slow, sweet smile:

"Well, I never did! This beats me altogether. 'Tis fit for the king hisself. However am I to thank you big enough, Missie?"

"Put it on! Put it on!" cried Faith, dancing up and down in her excitement. "I'll help you, Timothy."

So between them, they got Timothy into the coat, and he pronounced it a "perfect fit."

"My last new coat was twelve years agone!" he said.

"Why, that was before I was born," said Faith in awed tones.

"Well, I'm wonderful grateful, Missie! To think that you should give me such a big gift as this! My old bones will ache no more with cold this winter! Dearie me, I shall not know myself!"

He turned himself round and round and Faith admired him amazingly. Then after she had told him the whole history of the purchase they settled down to talk of other things.

"Isn't Christmas a lovely time, Timothy?"

"Ay, Missie, surely it be; and never will there be such a Christmas as this with 'Peace on earth' again. 'Tis like a horrible dream, these four years of killin' and burnin' and drownin'! I always have been fond of Christmas. To us shepherds, when we go round at night, the Message seems to sound out in a partic'lar way, just as it did to them Eastern shepherds. I pray God He will send the Message afresh to the aching hearts in the world to-day to tell them of the joy to be found in the Saviour."

"But it's the Comforter Who speaks to aching hearts," said Faith.

"So 'tis, Missie, and He'll be tellin' them of the One Who loved 'em, and gave Himself for 'em! There'll be those this Christmas who'll be wantin' all the love and comfort they can get. For there be no such sad a time for those who have lost their dear ones, as a real merry-making time all round 'em. It just stabs 'em cruel all the time!"

Faith sat very still on her little stool. She hardly understood Timothy's words, for she was feeling supremely happy herself. Sandy had his nose in her lap, and she was stroking his head.

"I hope there'll be nobody unhappy in our village this Christmas, Timothy. Do you think there will be?"

"We'll hope not, though there is a few with mourning hearts who stiffen their backs, an' will not listen to the Comforter."

"And I suppose if everybody listened, there wouldn't be an unhappy person in the world?" said Faith.

"That there would not," said Timothy earnestly.

When Faith came away from him it was getting dark. He walked over the fields with her and saw her safely into the lane; and she then ran home as fast as she could.

The little cottage was quite gay that night. It was trimmed up with holly and evergreen; there was a beautiful cake for tea made by Aunt Alice. And after tea was cleared away, the presents were produced. Granny was speechless when she saw her cloak, and Aunt Alice was almost distressed when she was given her furs.

"My dear Faith, you ought not to have spent so much money on me!"

But she put them on, and said she felt a duchess in them. The little girls all had Christmas presents from Granny and Aunt Alice. Warm gloves, books, and boxes of chocolates.

When at last the children retired to bed, they were almost worn out with excitement, but very happy. As Granny said when Aunt Alice remarked on Faith's white cheeks:

"Well, Christmas only comes once a year, and this is a year that will be remembered all our lives. We have been pretending for the last four years to feel happy at Christmastime, now we really are."