A Soldier's Son Part 5

Withers was still waiting without.

"Take Mr. Higgs to the housekeeper's room, Withers, and ask her to give him a substantial tea. Then send word to the stables--when he is ready--I wish Parker to drive him to his home in my basket chaise. It is only a step from the ground. You will easily get in and out. I am deeply indebted to you for coming this afternoon, Mr. Higgs. My dear boy needed sleep so much. It was vitally necessary for him. He was so sure he would sleep, if I could read Science and Health to him, and I did not know how to procure a copy of the book."

"May I leave this with you, ma'am?"

"If you will be so kind for a day or two."

"Isn't Love beautiful!" the old man said to himself, repeating Carol's words, as he followed the maid to the housekeeper's room.

CHAPTER XV.

--LETTERS AND TELEGRAMS REACH COUSIN ALICIA.

Carol's sleep lasted two hours. Then he awoke, with something of his old bright smile. Mrs. Mandeville was still watching beside him.

"Auntie, I have been asleep."

"Yes, darling, I know. I have been watching you. It was a beautiful sleep. I thought as I sat beside you of the words, 'He giveth His beloved sleep.' I am sure you are better for it."

"Yes, Auntie, it was lovely, and my back doesn't hurt me quite so much. But I cannot move my legs yet."

"Do not try, dear."

"Did I dream it, Auntie, or were you reading Science and Health to me?"

"It was not a dream, dear. Mr. Higgs came and brought the book, and he has left it with me."

"I remember now, Auntie. Was it not nice of him to come? Has any message come yet from Cousin Alicia?"

"No, love; I cannot understand why the letters and telegrams are not forwarded to her."

"There is some reason, I know, Auntie. We shall understand by and by." She gave him some soda and milk, which was all the doctor would let him have.

"I should like to see Rosebud, Auntie. Couldn't she come for a little while?"

Mrs. Mandeville had already admitted one visitor against orders. Dare she act on her own responsibility a second time? She began to realize how much the doctor's fears of developments, which might or might not follow, were influencing her, though, happily, she was not able to influence Carol. He had no fear.

"I think it must be almost Rosebud's bedtime, dear; but she shall come for a few minutes."

After sending a message to the nursery for Rosebud, her eye fell on the medicine bottle. "Oh, Carol, I didn't give you your medicine this afternoon. It was just time for it when Mr. Higgs came, and afterwards you were asleep. It is time again for it now. I see it must be fresh medicine; it is a different color."

"Auntie, Mr. Higgs was my doctor, this afternoon. The medicine he brought sent me to sleep, and I do not ache quite so much. Must I take this drug medicine as well?"

Mrs. Mandeville had poured out a dose, and now held the gla.s.s in her hand.

"You are right, Carol. I can see a decided improvement. I will not ask you to drink this."

She emptied the contents of the gla.s.s away. A few minutes afterwards Rosebud's sweet voice was piping at the door: "Me's 'tome to see Tarol."

Mrs. Mandeville lifted her up to kiss Carol, very carefully guarding her from touching him anywhere.

"You must only kiss Carol, darling." The little arms were about to twine themselves around him. "Me does 'ove 'ou, Tarol, so welly much."

The boy would have liked to hold her closely to him, but he could not raise an arm.

"It does make me so happy to see Rosebud again, Auntie. Perhaps to-morrow I shall be able to see all my cousins."

Mrs. Mandeville did not say, but she thought it would be many "to-morrows" before he would be strong enough to receive them all in his room.

"Now run back to the nursery, darling," she said to the wee girlie.

"Take a good-night kiss to Sylvia and Estelle, will you Rosebud?" Carol said. Then she had to be lifted up again to receive a kiss for "eberybody."

Mrs. Mandeville sat silent by the bedside for some time after Rosebud left the room. Then she said in a very low, soft voice, "Do you remember, Carol, coming to my room one day when I lay prostrate with one of my bad headaches?"

"Yes, Auntie; I remember quite well."

"I was very ungrateful, Carol, I would not let myself acknowledge it was your little prayer that took it away. Yet I knew it was, for I had never lost a headache like that before."

"Yes, Auntie, I knew Christian Science had helped you. But I thought you did not understand."

She kissed him very tenderly. "I am not ungrateful any longer, dear. I acknowledge the debt. Now I must not let you talk any more or Dr. Burton will insist upon having a trained nurse. He has suggested it several times."

"He couldn't keep you away from me, could he, Auntie?"

"I think he would find it a trifle difficult, dear."

"But I want you to go downstairs to dinner to-night, Auntie. Uncle will like to have you, and Nurse will stay with me."

"Perhaps I will go then, for an hour, dear."

So, later on, to everyone's surprise Mrs. Mandeville appeared at the dinner table, and was so bright they all knew, without asking, that Carol was improving, though he had not been p.r.o.nounced out of danger.

Nurse was quietly making all the needful little preparations for the night when Carol asked her to place the clock where he could see it as he lay in bed.

"The nights seem so long when I cannot sleep, Nurse. I like to watch the fingers of the clock, then I know how long it will be before the light can peep through the curtains."

Nurse found a position where he could see it quite well, even though he could not raise his head from the pillows. Then, standing over him, she said: "Dearie, you are in pain. Couldn't I ease your position just a little?"

"No, Nurse, please don't touch me, the bruises seem so real. I ought to be able to deny them, and I cannot."

"And would it make them better to deny them, Master Carol?"

"Oh, yes, Nurse. You are thinking the bruises are very sore and painful, are you not?"

Yes, Nurse was decidedly dwelling in thought upon the pain the boy must be suffering from such a bruised condition.

"If you could think, Nurse, that there is no sensation in matter, that the pain is all in mind: in my mind and your mind, and Auntie's and the doctor's. You are all thinking how I must be suffering. If only someone would help me to deny it!"

"I wish I could, Master Carol."

But it was double Dutch to Nurse to try to understand that the pain was in mind, and not in the poor bruised body.

It was half-past nine when she moved the time-piece so that Carol could see it, and he at once began to count how many hours it would be till morning. At ten o'clock Mrs. Mandeville returned to the room, followed by Dr. Burton. Nurse held up a warning finger as they entered: the boy was asleep.

"This is splendid! How long has he slept?" the doctor asked.

"It was just after half-past nine, sir. He seemed in great pain, I thought there was no hope of sleep for him, and all at once he just dropped off without a word."

It was such a beautiful sleep, calm, peaceful, untroubled by fret or moan. Mrs. Mandeville and the doctor watched beside him an hour; then the doctor left, and Mrs. Mandeville was persuaded to go to her own room for a night's rest, leaving Nurse in charge. They did not know, nor could they have understood had they known, how, far away, a woman, 'clad in the whole armour of G.o.d,' was fighting for him: fighting error with 'the sword of the Spirit.'

Letters and telegrams had at last reached Cousin Alicia.

CHAPTER XVI.

--"IT IS A MIRACLE."

The next morning about eight o'clock, Nurse came to Mrs. Mandeville's room, an expression of amazement, almost of consternation, on her face.

"What is it, Nurse? Is Master Carol worse?" Mrs. Mandeville asked in alarm.

"No, ma'am; I cannot say he is worse. He says he is well, and wants to get up for breakfast. He slept all through the night, just as you left him, and never wakened till half-past seven this morning. He is certainly not feverish or delirious, but he talks so strangely. He says error has all gone, and he is free. I had quite a difficulty to prevent him from getting out of bed to come to you. I have sent a messenger for Dr. Burton."

"That is right, Nurse. Go back to him. I will come at once." Mrs. Mandeville was not long slipping into a morning wrap, and following Nurse to Carol's room.

As soon as she reached the bedside, he sprang up, and held her in a close embrace, both arms round her neck. "Auntie, Auntie, isn't it beautiful? I am free! Error has quite gone. I know Cousin Alicia has had the telegrams now. You can rub your hand down my back. It does not hurt me now, nor the bruises."

"Carol, dear, I cannot understand it. It seems so wonderful. I am afraid you ought not to be sitting up like this."

"Oh, Auntie, there is nothing to be afraid about. Error cast out cannot come back again. I am so hungry. I do want to get up to breakfast."

"Darling, you must lie still until Dr. Burton has seen you. I could not consent for you to get up yet. It does indeed seem beautiful for you to be so much better, I cannot realize it, and I cannot understand, Carol, why Miss Desmond's prayers for you should be so quickly answered, when I am sure I love you just as dearly. I prayed for you, and Uncle Raymond prayed, yet--yet I cannot feel that our prayers helped you."

She had tenderly laid him back upon the pillow. She could not get rid of the fear that it was not good for him to be using his back.

He was silent a few minutes, the old thoughtful expression on his face which she knew so well. Then he said: "Auntie, the sun was shining this morning long before Nurse drew aside the curtains, and let the light into my room. Suppose while the curtain was drawn I had kept saying, 'Please, dear sun, do shine into my room, and send the darkness away.' It would have had no effect. It would have been foolish, wouldn't it? Well, Auntie, the light of Truth, like the sunlight is everywhere, but we can shut it out of our consciousness by a curtain of false beliefs. Cousin Alicia has not asked G.o.d to make me better. She has just known that G.o.d's child is always perfect. As Nurse drew aside the curtain to let in the sunlight, she has drawn aside the curtain of false beliefs that were around me, and then Truth came and healed me. Jesus said 'the Truth shall make you free.' It is just as true, Auntie, as if he had said, 'When light appears, darkness disappears.' Wherever Truth appears, error shall flee away, because it is not from G.o.d. It is the opposite of G.o.d's law. I love that beautiful verse of the hymn more than I have ever loved it, because I can say again: 'The healing of the seamless dress Is by our beds of pain.'

Christ is Truth, and Truth is the Christ. I was asleep when he came to me. But just as Jesus spoke to the angry waves the Christ has commanded error, 'Peace, be still.' Oh, Auntie! cannot you believe I am quite well? 'I am the Father's perfect child. I have the gift from G.o.d, dominion over all.'"

She was longing to realize that it was as the boy said, and she had nothing to fear. Yet it was difficult.

Dr. Burton was out when the messenger from the Manor went for him. He had not returned from a night case to which he had been summoned. Mrs. Burton promised that he would go immediately on his return. Shortly after ten o'clock Dr. Burton arrived, expecting to find from the urgent message that had reached him a change for the worse in his patient. He was considerably taken aback as he entered the room to hear a ripple of laughter, and the boy with a radiant face, sitting upright in bed, who, the day before, had not been able to raise his head from the pillow.

"What does this mean?" Dr. Burton asked in a tone of voice in which surprise became almost consternation.

"I cannot tell you anything, Doctor, except that Carol slept all night and woke this morning feeling quite well and hungry. He has had a fairly substantial breakfast," Mrs. Mandeville said. The doctor then thoroughly examined him, felt his pulse, took his temperature, and when he looked on the places where the terrible bruises had been, and saw only a faint discoloration, he said: "It is a miracle!"

"No, Doctor," said Carol, quietly, "it is Christian Science."

"Then what is Christian Science?" the doctor asked.

But the boy was silent. He could talk to his aunt on the subject, but not to the doctor.

At that moment a maid brought a telegram to Mrs. Mandeville. It was from Miss Desmond. She read it, and pa.s.sed it on to Dr. Burton. It was brief: "Letters and telegrams reached me 9.30 last evening. Regret unavoidable delay. Kindly wire if all is well. Letter to Carol follows." The doctor and Mrs. Mandeville simply looked at each other in speechless wonderment, one thought engrossing them. It was shortly after 9.30 the night before that Carol fell into the sleep from which he had awakened well.

"It is at last a message from Cousin Alicia," Mrs. Mandeville then said to Carol. "Our letters and telegrams did not reach her till 9.30 last evening."

"Yes, Auntie, I knew it, and I know she has worked for me all night."

Both Mrs. Mandeville and the doctor would have liked to understand what the boy meant by that one word "worked." But neither questioned him then.

"I can get up now, Doctor, cannot I?" Carol asked.

"Yes, there is no reason that I can see for keeping you in bed. All the same," turning to Mrs. Mandeville, "I should say he may as well be kept fairly quiet for a day or two--not commence running races, or any other juvenile sports."

"You can trust me, Doctor," Mrs. Mandeville remarked, smiling.

"It seems to me you should consult the lady who has worked for him all night with such marvellous success. I can scarcely consider him my patient now."

"Doctor, I thank you very much for all you tried to do for me. You were very kind and gentle to me."

"Tut-tut, boy! Why, that's of course."

All the same the doctor was pleased with the boy's simple recognition of his services. He would indeed have done more, had he been able. He walked home slowly and thoughtfully, pondering that question, which he had asked the boy, thinking of a lecture which he had given a few weeks before in a crowded parish room; how he himself had answered the question--What is Christian Science?--to the convulsive amus.e.m.e.nt of his audience. He had dipped into a book--the text-book of Christian Science--made copious extracts and so satisfied himself that he understood the subject sufficiently to be able to warn people against the teachings of Christian Science.

Mrs. Burton was watching for his return. She was anxious for news of the boy, fearing the early message which had been sent for the doctor must mean that he was worse. By her side, in the garden, seated in a little wheel-chair, was her only child, a girl of ten, who after a fall downstairs when she was five years old, causing an injury to her spine, had lost the use of her legs. There seemed no hope of her ever being able to walk again, since all the doctors who had seen her had not been able to do anything for her.

"How is the boy?" asked Mrs. Burton, as the doctor entered the garden in front of the house.

"He is well," was the brief reply.

"You don't mean?--" Mrs. Burton began in an alarmed tone.

"I mean exactly what I say--the boy is well."

"But, dear, how can that be, when he was so ill yesterday?"