Of no account

by Ruth Lamb

He would not need to look and long and turn away with a sigh of regret from such objects now. Margaret would have enough and to spare, thank God! Here was another desire of his heart granted. A worldly wish in one sense, but a very natural desire, and neither selfish nor wrong.

So the man smiled, while his heart was full or thankfulness, and he told Margaret that she would be so smart there would be no walking beside her, and he should have to take the other side of the street.

"As if I could be content to dress myself up and leave you with only your old things! Nay, Adam, I hope I'm not o' that sort. You must have a new suit, and we shall be able to have a walk out on a Sunday without being ashamed of a neighbour seeing what we've got on."

"Eh, my lass, I was only joking. Don't I know that you would ha' no pleasure in your things if the rest of us were not as well off? And we can go to church too, can't we, Margaret?"

This was the thin edge of the wedge in Adam's hand, and he felt a little doubtful of introducing it. But Margaret was in too good a temper to be easily put out. Moreover, she reflected that when, as a girl, she got a new thing, she made a point of going to church in it, as a favourable place for its immediate display to a goodly number of people.

So she answered, "I daresay we may, sometimes. I should like Mrs. Mitchell to see that we can all go out nice and neat, when our things are ready. Beside, in church one is always sure of a good hour and a half's quiet, and that would be something. I'm mostly too tired to take as long walks as we did when I was young, and we were first married.

"Adam," she continued, returning to a list of her new treasures, "there is the beautifullest Bible you ever saw, with gold on the back and covers, and such lots of pictures. I remember mother taking it in, a part every month, and getting it bound when it had all come. It cost pounds, and when we were at home we used often to quarrel about who was to have it at last. Ann always made sure of that, but mother left it among the special things to me. I know you like books, so I kept what there was; but they're heavy carrying, so they will come with the other things I told you about, by goods train."

The mention of books gave Adam another opportunity. "I've been reading a good deal out of the big Bible since you've been away, Margaret. It was very lonely without you, for Sarah went to bed mostly when Maggie did, and I was by myself, maybe for an hour. I've got quite in the way of reading a chapter last thing, and, Margaret, I went to the Mission Room in Aqueduct Street, where the men invited us to go, and Mr. Drummond too. You'll remember the men calling, don't you?"

Margaret assented, but in an absent sort of way. Indeed, she was hardly taking in the sense of Adam's words, though she caught the sound of them, for her thoughts were pre-occupied. Her mind was at that moment full of the question, "What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my goods?" The last word being substituted for the fruits, the very abundance of which embarrassed the rich fool of the parable.

Margaret's abundance was much less difficult to dispose of, but the cottage was small, and even the handful of things that were coming would require very judicious arrangement, so as not to be in the way of every movement. And so it was little wonder that, instead of answering her husband, she said, after a moment's thought, "I think we will put the new table where that little one stands, and it may go upstairs. The corner cupboard will be very handy, and take up hardly any room. I've always thought I should like one, but we had nothing much to show through the glass doors. Now there'll be mother's best china tea-set, all complete, and her teapot, as bright as silver itself. I hope none of 'em will get broken on the road, for there wasn't a crack in one when I packed them. We can do with the chest of drawers upstairs, and fill them, too, with the clothes and bed linen."