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Chapters (55)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. CONTENTS
  4. Foreword to The Cullen Collection
  5. Introduction to Weighed and Wanting
  6. 1. A Bad Weather Holiday
  7. 2. An Eventful Walk
  8. 3. Hester Alone
  9. 4. The Aquarium
  10. 5. Amy Amber
  11. 6. Cornelius and Vavasor
  12. 7. Hester and Amy
  13. 8. A Beginning in Hester
  14. 9. A Private Exhibition
  15. 10. Vavasor and Hester
  16. 11. The Concert Room
  17. 12. Sudden Change
  18. 13. Yrndale
  19. 14. Down the Hill
  20. 15. Out of the Frying Pan
  21. 16. Waiting a Purpose
  22. 17. Major H. G. Marvel
  23. 18. The Major and Vavasor
  24. 19. A Walk Along the River
  25. 20. An Unpleasant Interview
  26. 21. Corney’s Holiday
  27. 22. A Distinguished Guest
  28. 23. Courtship in Earnest
  29. 24. Calamity
  30. 25. In London
  31. 26. A Talk with the Major
  32. 27. A Scuffle
  33. 28. Gartley and the Major
  34. 29. Further Down
  35. 30. Differences
  36. 31. Deep Calleth Unto Deep
  37. 32. Deliverance
  38. 33. On the Way Up
  39. 34. The Attic Room
  40. 35. Amy and Corney
  41. 36. Miss Vavasor
  42. 37. Mr. Christopher
  43. 38. An Arrangement
  44. 39. Things at Yrndale
  45. 40. The Return
  46. 41. A Sad Beginning
  47. 42. Mother and Son
  48. 43. Miss Dasomma and Amy
  49. 44. The Sick Room
  50. 45. Vengeance Is Mine
  51. 46. Father and Daughter-in-law
  52. 47. The Message
  53. 48. A Family
  54. 49. A Birthday Gift
  55. ENDNOTES

Everybody felt her more lovable than before. Her mother began to feel an enchantment of peace in her presence. Her father sought her company more than ever in his walks, and talked about his own wrong feelings toward Corney and how he had been punished for them by what they wrought in him. He had begun, he told her, to learn many things he had supposed he knew—he had only thought and written and talked about them before! Father and daughter were therefore much to each other now. Even Corney perceived a change in his sister. Scarcely a shadow of what he used to feel of “superiority” remained in her. She became more and more Amy’s ideal of womanhood, and she showed her husband how few sisters would have tried to protect and deliver him as she had done, and would have so generously taken herself, a poor and uneducated girl, to a sister’s heart. So, altogether, they were growing toward becoming a true family as God intended families to be.

Along with Mr. Christopher, Hester invited Miss Dasomma to come and spend a few days to help her celebrate her birthday.

49. A Birthday Gift

—Forty-Nine —

A Birthday Gift

Hester’s birthday was the sweetest of summer days, and Hester looked a perfect summer-born woman. After breakfast all except the mother went out for a walk. Hester was little inclined to talk, and the major was in a thoughtful, brooding mood. Miss Dasomma and Mr. Raymount alone conversed. Mr. Raymount had taken them to a certain spot for the sake of the view, but Hester had fallen a little behind, and Christopher went back to meet her.

“You are thinking of your brother,” he said in a tone that made her feel grateful.

“Yes,” she answered.

“I knew by your eyes,” he returned. “Why don’t you tell me something about him?”

As they walked and talked, he drew her from her sadness with gentle words about children and death, and the look and reality of things. And so they wandered about the moor for a little while before joining the others.

Mr. Raymount was much pleased with Christopher, and even Corney found himself drawn to his side, feeling, though he did not know it, a strength in him that offered protection.