The Heart's Kingdom

"The communion service from Gorham's has been packed away unopened in my

office a week," Hampton added in an aggrieved voice. "They hurried it

for us and it has to be sent back, piece at a time, to be marked."

"The baptismal font is perfectly beautiful and I want the Suckling

sprinkled from it first. If you don't hurry she will get old enough to

misbehave herself. I know I promised, but I have decided that I can

never have the others baptized now, they are too bad," said Nell, as she

paused and listened for some sort of explosion from above as she did

every minute or two.

"I'll rope Charlotte and drag her to the altar for you, and Mark can sit

on her feet while the parson sprinkles," offered Billy, and they all

laughed at the picture that he conjured, which seemed to be in keeping

with many scenes we had witnessed in the life of small Charlotte.

"That won't be necessary. She will stand before me with folded hands

when her time comes," answered Mr. Goodloe, after he had laughed as

heartily as anybody else at Billy's threat. "The greatest difficulty

will be in persuading her to allow me to conduct my own services."

"But what did you put off the dedication date for?" demanded Letitia,

with the hurry over the altar cloth still rankling.

"I put off the dedication of the chapel until all of the people for whom

I cared deeply, whose cooperation with me is positively necessary,

should be ready to come and help me in the services. When that time

comes I will have the dedication. It may be a year and it may be

a--day," the parson answered with cool directness.

"If you mean Charlotte, the offer I made for young Charlotte holds

good," said Billy with positive glee. "If you want her I'll rope her and

drag her in and the rest of you can bid for who holds her down while

being branded."

"And my answer to your generous offer, Billy Harvey, is--" Mr. Goodloe

paused and looked at me, and Jessie giggled with nervousness--"the same

that I made to your offer about the constraining of young Charlotte."

"Still it would be great sport to see both the Charlottes--" Billy was

saying, when a servant brought a note on his tray and handed it to Mr.

Goodloe, who glanced at it and then hurriedly opened and read it.

"I am sorry, Mrs. Morgan, but will you let me answer this summons?" he

asked, and there was the regret in his rich voice of a great boy at

being snatched from a feast. "I am so hungry," he added with a laugh.

"Come back later. I'll save some of everything for you," said Nell

pleadingly.