Mrs. Frampton lived in a tiny cottage on the outskirts of the village. She was a hard-working widow who managed to support herself and her young daughter Ethel, and to keep the little home together by taking in washing. But it was often a very hard struggle to make ends meet, and it meant working early and late.
Ethel, now she was getting older, could help a little by getting and carrying home parcels. Today Mrs. Frampton called her,
“There, Ethel, that’s finished,” surveying with just pride the piles of snowy embroideries and lace upon which she had been working since early morning. “Now I want my little girl to take the parcel up to the Castle; I promised Babette, the maid, that she should have these things by 11 o’clock, the young ladies are going to town by the midday express, and she said she would keep the boxes open until the very last so as to pop these blouses and other things on top. The parcel will be large, and you must not crush it.”
Presently Ethel set off, her mother watching her from the door,
“You won’t loiter, dear, will you? It’s very important they should have them, Lady G. is my best customer, and I would not disappoint her for anything.”
“All right, mother dear,” said Ethel, walking briskly away. The Castle was about a twenty minutes’ walk. All went well, until about half way, when Ethel espied a familiar figure coming along in the opposite direction. Why, surely, it was Gracie Bond, and Ethel hadn’t seen her for months.
The two friends greeted each other warmly—and after a few minutes chat: Ethel said, “I’m sorry, I must go now, Gracie, I promised mother to deliver this parcel quickly, and it must be nearly 11 o’clock now.” Gracie pouted,
“Why, we’ve only just met, and after I’ve been away all these months I do think it is horrid of you to rush off. There’s no hurry—it will only take you a few minutes to get to the Castle. Stay a mite, I have so much to tell you.”
Ethel demurred, but Gracie began chattering, and Ethel had a weakness for loitering, as her mother knew when she spoke her parting words, and soon she was so, engrossed in all that Gracie was telling her, that she forgot such things as time and errands.
Presently hoot! toot! the sound of that distinctive horn roused Ethel. Why?— but surely it could not be—Yes, it was—the Castle car on its way to the station with the young ladies inside. It flashed by.
“O Gracie,” panted poor Ethel, now thoroughly alarmed and repentant, “What shall I d o? What will mother say? She told me not to be late on any account.”
Gracie, herself taken aback, could say little. Sadly Ethel trudged along the road with her parcel—hurrying was of no use now.
When she reached the Castle, and delivered the parcel, the maid said,
“I think, Mrs. Freeman, the housekeeper wants to see you, step this way please.”
How frightened Ethel was. Soon Mrs. Freeman came in, and said, “Please tell Mrs. F. that in future Lady G. will not require her services. This has caused much inconvenience to the young ladies, as Babette, their maid, was depending on the things being sent, Mrs. F. so faithfully promised the parcel. Her ladyship cannot be treated in this way.”
Ethel stammered that it was entirely her fault, but Mrs. Freeman only remarked that her mother ought to see parcels were delivered properly herself, or, send someone trustworthy.
How sorrowfully Ethel wended her way home. How could she tell her dear patient, hard-working mother, that a great part of her livelihood was gone, through her fault?
Poor Mrs. F.! It meant a very hard struggle during the coming days ere new patrons rallied round her; but Ethel never forgot her lesson.
Months afterward when a Mission was being held in the village, and Ethel attended the meetings, the evangelist urged on his listeners the importance of coming to Christ at once, without any delay. To Ethel, with the memory of what bitterness her putting off had brought to herself and others, the message came home with great force, and she came to the Lord Jesus.
In after years, when she became nurse to several little children she was never tired of telling them about Him, “the old, old story of Jesus and His love,” and bidding them come while they were yet young, and not to put it off until too late, and that is the lesson we all need to learn.
ML 10/29/1939