There was another milestone1; it was morethan that, it was an "event;" an eventthat made a deep impression in severalquarters and left a wake of smaller events in itstrain. This was the coming to Riverboro of theReverend Amos Burch and wife, returned missionariesfrom Syria.
The Aid Society had called its meeting for acertain Wednesday in March of the year in whichRebecca ended her Riverboro school days andbegan her studies at Wareham. It was a raw,blustering day, snow on the ground and a look inthe sky of more to follow. Both Miranda and Janehad taken cold and decided4 that they could notleave the house in such weather, and this deflectionfrom the path of duty worried Miranda, since shewas an officer of the society. After making thebreakfast table sufficiently5 uncomfortable and wishingplaintively that Jane wouldn't always insist onbeing sick at the same time she was, she decidedthat Rebecca must go to the meeting in theirstead. "You'll be better than nobody, Rebecca,"she said flatteringly; "your aunt Jane shall writean excuse from afternoon school for you; you canwear your rubber boots and come home by theway of the meetin' house. This Mr. Burch, if Iremember right, used to know your grandfatherSawyer, and stayed here once when he wascandidatin'. He'll mebbe look for us there, and youmust just go and represent the family, an' give himour respects. Be careful how you behave. Bowyour head in prayer; sing all the hymns6, but nottoo loud and bold; ask after Mis' Strout's boy;tell everybody what awful colds we've got; if yousee a good chance, take your pocket handkerchiefand wipe the dust off the melodeon before themeetin' begins, and get twenty-five cents out of thesittin' room match-box in case there should be acollection."Rebecca willingly assented8. Anything interestedher, even a village missionary9 meeting, and the ideaof representing the family was rather intoxicating10.
The service was held in the Sunday-school room,and although the Rev2. Mr. Burch was on the platformwhen Rebecca entered, there were only adozen persons present. Feeling a little shy andconsiderably too young for this assemblage, Rebeccasought the shelter of a friendly face, and seeingMrs. Robinson in one of the side seats near thefront, she walked up the aisle11 and sat beside her.
"Both my aunts had bad colds," she said softly,"and sent me to represent the family.""That's Mrs. Burch on the platform with herhusband," whispered Mrs. Robinson. "She's awfultanned up, ain't she? If you're goin' to save soulsseems like you hev' to part with your complexion12.
Eudoxy Morton ain't come yet; I hope to the landshe will, or Mis' Deacon Milliken'll pitch the tuneswhere we can't reach 'em with a ladder; can'tyou pitch, afore she gits her breath and clears herthroat?"Mrs. Burch was a slim, frail14 little woman withdark hair, a broad low forehead, and patient mouth.
She was dressed in a well-worn black silk, andlooked so tired that Rebecca's heart went out toher.
"They're poor as Job's turkey," whispered Mrs.
Robinson; "but if you give 'em anything they'dturn right round and give it to the heathen. Hiscongregation up to Parsonsfield clubbed togetherand give him that gold watch he carries; I s'posehe'd 'a' handed that over too, only heathens alwaystell time by the sun 'n' don't need watches. Eudoxyain't comin'; now for massy's sake, Rebecca, dogit ahead of Mis' Deacon Milliken and pitch reallow."The meeting began with prayer and then theRev. Mr. Burch announced, to the tune13 of Mendon:--"Church of our God I arise and shine,Bright with the beams of truth divine:
Then shall thy radiance stream afar,Wide as the heathen nations are.
"Gentiles and kings thy light shall view,And shall admire and love thee too;They come, like clouds across the sky,As doves that to their windows fly.""Is there any one present who will assist us atthe instrument?" he asked unexpectedly.
Everybody looked at everybody else, and nobodymoved; then there came a voice out of a far cornersaying informally, "Rebecca, why don't you?" Itwas Mrs. Cobb. Rebecca could have played Mendonin the dark, so she went to the melodeon anddid so without any ado, no member of her familybeing present to give her self-consciousness.
The talk that ensued was much the usual sort ofthing. Mr. Burch made impassioned appeals for thespreading of the gospel, and added his entreatiesthat all who were prevented from visiting inperson the peoples who sat in darkness shouldcontribute liberally to the support of others who could.
But he did more than this. He was a pleasant,earnest speaker, and he interwove his discourse15 withstories of life in a foreign land,--of the manners,the customs, the speech, the point of view; evengiving glimpses of the daily round, the commontask, of his own household, the work of hisdevoted helpmate and their little group of children,all born under Syrian skies.
Rebecca sat entranced, having been given thekey of another world. Riverboro had faded; theSunday-school room, with Mrs. Robinson's red plaidshawl, and Deacon Milliken's wig16, on crooked17, thebare benches and torn hymn7-books, the hangingtexts and maps, were no longer visible, and shesaw blue skies and burning stars, white turbansand gay colors; Mr. Burch had not said so, butperhaps there were mosques18 and temples and minaretsand date-palms. What stories they must know,those children born under Syrian skies! Thenshe was called upon to play "Jesus shall reignwhere'er the sun."The contribution box was passed and Mr. Burchprayed. As he opened his eyes and gave out thelast hymn he looked at the handful of people, at thescattered pennies and dimes19 in the contribution box,and reflected that his mission was not only to gatherfunds for the building of his church, but to keepalive, in all these remote and lonely neighborhoods,that love for the cause which was its only hope inthe years to come.
"If any of the sisters will provide entertainment,"he said, "Mrs. Burch and I will remain among youto-night and to-morrow. In that event we couldhold a parlor20 meeting. My wife and one of mychildren would wear the native costume, we woulddisplay some specimens21 of Syrian handiwork, andgive an account of our educational methods with thechildren. These informal parlor meetings, admittingof questions or conversation, are often the meansof interesting those not commonly found at churchservices so I repeat, if any member of the congregationdesires it and offers her hospitality, we willgladly stay and tell you more of the Lord's work."A pall22 of silence settled over the little assembly.
There was some cogent23 reason why every "sister"there was disinclined for company. Some had nospare room, some had a larder24 less well stocked thanusual, some had sickness in the family, some were"unequally yoked25 together with unbelievers" whodisliked strange ministers. Mrs. Burch's thin handsfingered her black silk nervously26. "Would no onespeak!" thought Rebecca, her heart fluttering withsympathy. Mrs. Robinson leaned over and whisperedsignificantly, "The missionaries3 always usedto be entertained at the brick house; your grand-father never would let 'em sleep anywheres elsewhen he was alive." She meant this for a stab atMiss Miranda's parsimony27, remembering the fourspare chambers28, closed from January to December;but Rebecca thought it was intended as a suggestion.
If it had been a former custom, perhaps heraunts would want her to do the right thing; forwhat else was she representing the family? So,delighted that duty lay in so pleasant a direction,she rose from her seat and said in the pretty voiceand with the quaint29 manner that so separated herfrom all the other young people in the village, "Myaunts, Miss Miranda and Miss Jane Sawyer, wouldbe very happy to have you visit them at the brickhouse, as the ministers always used to do when theirfather was alive. They sent their respects by me."The "respects" might have been the freedom ofthe city, or an equestrian30 statue, when presented inthis way, and the aunts would have shuddered31 couldthey have foreseen the manner of delivery; but itwas vastly impressive to the audience, who concludedthat Mirandy Sawyer must be making herway uncommonly32 fast to mansions33 in the skies, elsewhat meant this abrupt34 change of heart?
Mr. Burch bowed courteously35, accepted theinvitation "in the same spirit in which it was offered,"and asked Brother Milliken to lead in prayer.
If the Eternal Ear could ever tire it would haveceased long ere this to listen to Deacon Milliken,who had wafted36 to the throne of grace the sameprayer, with very slight variations, for forty years.
Mrs. Perkins followed; she had several petitionsat her command, good sincere ones too, but a littlecut and dried, made of scripture37 texts laboriouslywoven together. Rebecca wondered why she alwaysended, at the most peaceful seasons, with the form,"Do Thou be with us, God of Battles, while westrive onward38 like Christian39 soldiers marching asto war;" but everything sounded real to her to-day,she was in a devout40 mood, and many things Mr.
Burch had said had moved her strangely. As shelifted her head the minister looked directly at herand said, "Will our young sister close the serviceby leading us in prayer?"Every drop of blood in Rebecca's body seemed tostand still, and her heart almost stopped beating.
Mrs. Cobb's excited breathing could be heard distinctlyin the silence. There was nothing extraordinaryin Mr. Burch's request. In his journeyingsamong country congregations he was constantlyin the habit of meeting young members who had"experienced religion" and joined the church whennine or ten years old. Rebecca was now thirteen;she had played the melodeon, led the singing,delivered her aunts' invitation with an air of greatworldly wisdom, and he, concluding that she mustbe a youthful pillar of the church, called upon herwith the utmost simplicity41.
Rebecca's plight42 was pathetic. How could sherefuse; how could she explain she was not a"member;" how could she pray before all those elderlywomen! John Rogers at the stake hardly sufferedmore than this poor child for the moment as sherose to her feet, forgetting that ladies prayedsitting, while deacons stood in prayer. Her mind wasa maze43 of pictures that the Rev. Mr. Burch hadflung on the screen. She knew the conventionalphraseology, of course; what New England child,accustomed to Wednesday evening meetings, doesnot? But her own secret prayers were different.
However, she began slowly and tremulously:--"Our Father who art in Heaven, . . . Thou artGod in Syria just the same as in Maine; . . . overthere to-day are blue skies and yellow stars andburning suns . . . the great trees are waving in thewarm air, while here the snow lies thick under ourfeet, . . . but no distance is too far for God to traveland so He is with us here as He is with themthere, . . . and our thoughts rise to Him `as dovesthat to their windows fly.'. . .
"We cannot all be missionaries, teaching peopleto be good, . . . some of us have not learned yethow to be good ourselves, but if thy kingdom isto come and thy will is to be done on earth as itis in heaven, everybody must try and everybodymust help, . . . those who are old and tired andthose who are young and strong. . . . The littlechildren of whom we have heard, those born underSyrian skies, have strange and interesting work todo for Thee, and some of us would like to travelin far lands and do wonderful brave things for theheathen and gently take away their idols44 of woodand stone. But perhaps we have to stay at homeand do what is given us to do . . . sometimes eventhings we dislike, . . . but that must be what itmeans in the hymn we sang, when it talked aboutthe sweet perfume that rises with every morningsacrifice. . . . This is the way that God teaches usto be meek45 and patient, and the thought that Hehas willed it so should rob us of our fears and helpus bear the years. Amen."Poor little ignorant, fantastic child! Her petitionwas simply a succession of lines from the varioushymns, and images the minister had used in hissermon, but she had her own way of recombiningand applying these things, even of using them in anew connection, so that they had a curious effectof belonging to her. The words of some peoplemight generally be written with a minus sign afterthem, the minus meaning that the personality ofthe speaker subtracted from, rather than added to,their weight; but Rebecca's words might alwayshave borne the plus sign.
The "Amen" said, she sat down, or presumedshe sat down, on what she believed to be a bench,and there was a benediction46. In a moment or two,when the room ceased spinning, she went up toMrs. Burch, who kissed her affectionately and said,"My dear, how glad I am that we are going to staywith you. Will half past five be too late for us tocome? It is three now, and we have to go to thestation for our valise and for our children. We leftthem there, being uncertain whether we should goback or stop here."Rebecca said that half past five was their supperhour, and then accepted an invitation to drive homewith Mrs. Cobb. Her face was flushed and her lipquivered in a way that aunt Sarah had learned toknow, so the homeward drive was taken almost insilence. The bleak47 wind and aunt Sarah's quietingpresence brought her back to herself, however, andshe entered the brick house cheerily. Being toofull of news to wait in the side entry to take off herrubber boots, she carefully lifted a braided rug intothe sitting-room48 and stood on that while she openedher budget.
"There are your shoes warming by the fire,"said aunt Jane. "Slip them right on while you talk."
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milestone
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| n.里程碑；划时代的事件 | |
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rev
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| v.发动机旋转，加快速度 | |
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missionaries
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| n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 ) | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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hymns
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌( hymn的名词复数 ) | |
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hymn
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌 | |
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assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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intoxicating
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| a. 醉人的,使人兴奋的 | |
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aisle
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| n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道 | |
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complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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discourse
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| n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述 | |
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wig
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| n.假发 | |
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crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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mosques
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| 清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 ) | |
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dimes
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| n.（美国、加拿大的）10分铸币( dime的名词复数 ) | |
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parlor
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| n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅 | |
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specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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pall
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| v.覆盖，使平淡无味；n.柩衣，棺罩；棺材；帷幕 | |
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cogent
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| adj.强有力的，有说服力的 | |
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larder
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| n.食物贮藏室，食品橱 | |
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yoked
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| 结合（yoke的过去式形式） | |
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nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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parsimony
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| n.过度节俭，吝啬 | |
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chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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equestrian
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| adj.骑马的；n.马术 | |
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shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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uncommonly
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| adv. 稀罕(极，非常) | |
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mansions
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| n.宅第，公馆，大厦( mansion的名词复数 ) | |
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abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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courteously
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| adv.有礼貌地，亲切地 | |
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wafted
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| v.吹送，飘送，（使）浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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scripture
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| n.经文，圣书，手稿；Scripture:(常用复数)《圣经》，《圣经》中的一段 | |
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onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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devout
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| adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness) | |
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simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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maze
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| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
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idols
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| 偶像( idol的名词复数 )； 受崇拜的人或物； 受到热爱和崇拜的人或物； 神像 | |
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meek
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| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
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benediction
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| n.祝福；恩赐 | |
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bleak
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| adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的 | |
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sitting-room
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| n.（BrE）客厅，起居室 | |
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