All's Well

"All's Well" (continued 5)

Reading edition

“I did but my duty, Mistress,” said Roger, modestly.

“I would we all did the same, Mr Hall, so well as you have done,” added Pandora. “Christie, my sister Gertrude saith she will come and see thee.”

“Oh!” answered Christie, with an intonation of pleasure. “Please, Mistress Pandora, is she as good as you?”

Both Roger and Pandora laughed.

“How must I answer, Christie?” said the latter. “For, if I say ‘ay,’ that shall be to own myself to be good; and if ‘no,’ then were it to speak evil of my sister. She is brighter and cheerier than I, and loveth laughter and mirth. Most folks judge her to be the fairer and sweeter of the twain.”

“I shall not,” said Christie, with a shake of her head; “of that am I very certain.”

Roger privately thought he should not either.

“Well,” said Christie, “I do hope any way, now, all our troubles be over! Please, Mistress Pandora, think you not they shall be?”

“My dear little maid!” answered Pandora, laughing.

“Not without we be in Heaven, Christie,” replied her Father, “and methinks we have scarce won thither yet.”

Christabel looked extremely disappointed.

“Oh, dear!” she said, “I made sure we should have no more, now Queen Elizabeth was come in. Must we wait, then, till we get to Heaven, Father?”

“Wait till we reach Heaven, sweet heart, for the land where we shall no more say, ‘I am sick,’ either in health or heart. It were not good for us to walk ever in the plains of ease; we should be yet more apt than we be to build our nests here, and forget to stretch our wings upward toward Him who is the first cause and the last end of all hope and goodness. ’Tis only when we wake up after His likeness, to be with Him for ever, that we shall be satisfied with it.”

The End.