Luke's wife

by Evelyn R. Garratt

And Luke left her, thinking to himself, "After all I don't believe she wants to do that kind of work. Anyhow, she does not seem very keen about it; we may have been right in not encouraging it before."

Rachel, as she took her place at the table at the mothers' meeting, and opened the book she was given to read, felt nervous. She was quite sure that the mothers were full of curiosity to see how she would conduct herself at this first appearance at their meeting, and she was still more convinced that in her mother-in-law she had a severe critic. She was so nervous that she found herself even wondering how to pronounce some of the words. The book was about Missionary work in India and in places of which she had not heard before. Her mistakes were never passed over but were corrected at once by Mrs. Greville. She felt like a child at school and decided that this was the last time she would ever come to the mothers' meeting so long as Mrs. Greville was present.

But she was determined not to let Luke know how her pride had suffered that afternoon. She laughingly told him that she did not read well enough to be of any good; the words were too long for her to master, and too difficult. Her education, had evidently been neglected and she believed that every one of the women present could have read better than she could. She was so merry about it that Luke took it all as a joke and told her he would have to give her reading lessons.

But when the next week came she thought of the "stepping stones" of which the Bishop had talked, and felt that the remembrance of his words might help her to grow into a noble strong woman worthy of Luke, if she mastered her pride. And after the effort was made she was glad that she had gone. Her mother-in-law was evidently pleased, and thanked her for her help, and Rachel felt inclined to sing. She noticed too that when Mrs. Greville smiled the expression of her face changed, she looked kind and motherly. Rachel felt happier than she had done for some time.

The following week the Confirmation took place. The Bishop was coming to lunch after the Confirmation. Rachel was overjoyed at the prospect.

She was busy the day before making every corner of the house look as pretty as possible, and so imbued Polly with her excitement that she forgot her manners and went singing about the rooms. Rachel was too happy to reprove her. In fact she was quite glad to have someone who seemed almost as excited as herself.

"Polly," she said, "the Bishop must have the best of everything, so our cooking won't do for him. I'm going round to Evesham's to order a veal and ham pie and other things; so if they arrive you will understand that they are all right."

"I shall give him a lunch regardless of expense," she thought, smiling as the remembrance of Mrs. Greville's injunctions to economise crossed her mind. "For once I shall not count the pennies. He shall have a lunch like he used to have at home."

On the counter in the window of the confectioners she saw the exact thing. A small veal and ham pie, the crust of which was baked to a golden brown and the edges of which were frilled. It looked dainty and good. So Rachel made up her mind she would order one to be made exactly like it, and with it were to be sent some rissoles and a jelly.

She thought that possibly she and Polly between them could provide the puddings.