Читать книгу For John's Sake, and Other Stories - Annie Frances Perram - Страница 6

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SAY, John."

"Well, Ruthie."

"Master's just rung, and he says he wants you and me to come upstairs together."

"What for, I wonder! Don't look so troubled, little woman;" and John, the well-built, broad-shouldered gardener, looked up with an unmistakable glance of affection at the somewhat clouded face of Ruth, the trim, neat parlour-maid, who had come into the conservatory to bring him the message from the dining-room. "I'll just wash my hands and be ready in a minute," he continued, following her into the kitchen. With much inward trepidation, Ruth, accompanied by John, entered the dining-room a few minutes later.

Mr. and Mrs. Groombridge, their eldest son, who was a medical student; three daughters, and one or two younger boys were seated at the nearly finished dessert.

"Well, John, I dare say you wonder why we sent for you and Ruth; but the fact is, your mistress heard from cook this morning a piece of news which you have been sly enough to keep from us," said Mr. Groombridge. Ruth blushed violently, and withdrew a little behind John's burly figure.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Ruth; indeed, you've every reason to be proud and happy," added Mr. Groombridge, with a kind look and kinder tone. There was no mistaking the assent that was visible in Ruth's shy uplifted eyes. She was proud and happy, and she involuntarily moved a step nearer to John.

"We thought you would like to know, John," continued his master, "how really glad we are that you and Ruth have settled this little affair between you. You have both been good, faithful servants, and deserve to be 'happy ever after,' as the story-books say. Now we want to drink to your health and future happiness, and you must drink with us."

Mr. Groombridge poured out two glasses of wine, and handed them to John and Ruth.

"Your health and happiness, John and Ruth," he said, draining his own glass.

"Your health and happiness, John and Ruth," repeated his wife and children, with their glasses to their lips.

"And when I go in for matrimony, John, may my choice be as wise as yours," added the eldest son, whose partiality for Ruth was no secret.

"No doubt you would like to choose some one who would be as ready as Ruth to fly at your beck and call, and think nothing too great a trouble to do for you, Master Harry," saucily remarked his younger sister Kate, in an aside.

"Hush, my dear; little girls of sixteen know nothing about such serious things," gravely responded Harry. Kate tossed her head, and was about to reply, when John spoke:

"I'm sure, sir," he began, "that Ruth and me owe our best thanks to you and mistress for your kindness in wishing us well, and if I may be bold enough to say so, sir, we find it our pleasure as well as our duty, to try and please so good and kind a master and mistress, and here's to your health and happiness for many a long day, and the young ladies', and Mr. Harry's too." And having performed a duty for himself and Ruth, John tossed off his wine in much the same fashion as his master.

"Come, Ruth, drink your wine," said Mrs. Groombridge, perceiving that the girl's glass remained untouched.

"Drink it, Ruth," said John in an undertone.

"Come, don't be bashful, Ruth, we are all your friends," said Harry encouragingly. But Ruth advanced to the table, and with trembling hands put her full glass down. The rich colour that had dyed her cheeks a few minutes before had gone, and she was white to the lips, but her voice was firm as she answered:

"Please, ma'am, I can't drink it."

"Not drink it! Why not, Ruth?"

"Because, ma'am, as soon as I was engaged to John, I signed the pledge, and determined I would never touch any intoxicating drink again."

Mr. Groombridge raised his eyebrows, and Harry gave a low whistle of astonishment.

"What a queer fancy! Perhaps you won't have any objection to giving your reason for taking such a step," said Mrs. Groombridge, with a slight hauteur of manner.

"Because—because,"—said Ruth hesitating, and then desperately proceeding; "because, ma'am, I want to do the best for John that I can, and I mean him to have a happy home, and never any reason to be ashamed of me." Ruth stopped suddenly.

"Well, well, that is very good and creditable, of course, but what has it all to do with not touching intoxicants?" impatiently asked Mr. Groombridge.

"Oh, sir, it has everything to do with it. If you knew what I do about the misery and want that has come to happy hearts and homes, just because the wife had got into the habit of taking too much drink, you would think so too. You know, sir, I was brought up in the town, and couldn't help seeing the curse that drink is. Sometimes the husband was the drinker, and sometimes both of them; and there was scarce a home about us that hadn't been ruined by drink; and so I made up my mind that if ever I had a home of my own, I would do my part towards keeping it free from such a curse, and for John's sake, I have signed the pledge, and for John's sake I must keep it, sir. I hope you and mistress will forgive me for refusing your wine."

"Bravo, Ruth! you're a brick," cried Harry.

"Be quiet, my son," said his father, adding: "Well, Ruth, I honour your motive, but there are one or two points that I can't see at all. Surely, if you are moderate in your use of stimulant, it would be a blessing, and not a curse, for it is only the excessive use of intoxicants which render them so harmful."

"I can't argue about it, sir. I only know that every man and woman who is going down to a drunkard's grave was once moderate in the use of stimulants, and never had a thought of taking too much. I know that there are many who are never anything but moderate drinkers; but there's danger somewhere, and because I can't rightly say where it comes in, and perhaps shouldn't know when it did, I've put myself out of the way of it altogether."

"That's woman's logic all the world over; but I would like to know why you cannot just for once take a glass of wine. You know it's good, and quite unlike the wretched stuff that ruins so many."

"I've promised not to take any kind of intoxicating drink, and I dare not break my promise, sir," said Ruth firmly.

Mr. Groombridge shrugged his shoulders and rose from the table.

"Wait a minute, John," he said, "we haven't heard what you think of this fancy of Ruth's."

"To tell the truth, I don't approve of it, sir. It's as good as saying that she hasn't any faith in herself, and expected to go to the bad, if she wasn't bound by a promise she'd put her name to," answered John in a tone of dissatisfaction.

"My views, exactly, John; besides, it's setting her judgment against yours, which I wouldn't think of allowing, even at this early juncture," said Mr. Groombridge, with a serio-comic expression.

"Oh, father, you wouldn't think of allowing, indeed, when only a few minutes ago, you declared that mother's judgment was ever so much better than yours, and that ever since you had known her, you had trusted to it more than to your own," cried Kate.

"My dear, your remark is quite irrelevant," and Mr. Groombridge dismissed the inconvenient topic with John and Ruth.

"Don't be angry with me, John; I couldn't do anything else," timidly said Ruth, as she followed John back to the conservatory.

"I'm not pleased with you, Ruth, I must say. I should like the woman I have chosen to have so much self respect that she would feel it impossible to stoop to degrade herself, as you seem to think you could easily do."

"Oh, John, I thought you would understand me better than that, for you know so much more than I could tell master and mistress. Why, John, don't you know how the curse of drink blighted my own home, and made my early years a misery? Can I ever forget the nightly horror when my mother staggered home to rouse the neighbourhood with her drunken shouts and blasphemies? Can I forget the dear little ones I nursed while they pined away to sink into untimely graves? Can I forget my father's life-long bitterness and premature end? And if I could forget these things, how could I forget the dying despair, the loathing of her sin, and yet the unconquerable craving of disease that held my poor mother captive through her last hours!"

"Dear Ruthie, hush; don't recall those memories. A brighter life is before you, and all I blame you for is because you imagine that without binding yourself you might follow in your mother's footsteps."

"That is where you are wrong, John," said Ruth, looking up at him with sorrowful eyes: "At my age my mother was no more a slave to drink than I am. She only took it in moderation, and if any one had suggested to her that she was in danger of becoming an habitual drinker, she would have been indignant. It was only because she found that a little stimulant revived her, when she was weak and ailing, that she began to take it frequently, till by and bye the habit became so strong, that though she tried hard to break it she could not, and why should I be stronger than my own mother?"

"Well, darling, have it your own way. I shall not alter my opinion of you; but I won't argue the point. Now, dry your eyes, and be happy;" and being an obedient woman, Ruth dismissed her tears, and smiled up at John.

"Ruth," said John presently; "how is it that you are afraid for yourself, and yet not afraid for me?"

"Oh, John, I couldn't be; I trust you entirely, and though you know how much I would like you to become an abstainer too, not a thought of danger crosses my mind when you refuse."

"I should be sorry and hurt if you felt otherwise, my dear, and you may continue to trust me. I could never disgrace myself and bring more sorrow to you," and John took Ruth's hand, and held his head up proudly, and looked every inch of him a man worthy of a woman's trust and devotion.