Helen would not hear of it till
the day of, or after the sale. Well has it been said, that God tempers
the wind to the shorn lamb; and so did she find it; for on applying,
through Mr. Montgomery, to a neighbouring auctioneer, he,
gratuitously, attended, and did all in his power to dispose of the
things to advantage. Mr. Willoughby had taken the house on coming into
possession of the property and furnished it throughout, so that being
in good order, most of the furniture fetched a fair price. The day
after Mrs. Willoughby died Mr. Montgomery had written to a sister of
his, who lived twenty miles off, to enquire for a small house, should
there be such in her neighbourhood. She sent word there was a cottage
in the suburbs, which she thought would just suit, and, therefore, had
taken it for one year certain, it being a very moderate rent. Although
greater part of the things sold, had obtained a fair price, there were
several useful articles that would have gone for little, and but for
the good clergyman, have been completely sacrificed, these he bought
in; among them was a large carpet and the piano; he thought they
might, if the money were needed, be privately and more advantageously
disposed of. The funeral expenses were, comparatively, small; for
although Helen desired to pay every respect to her mother's memory,
Mr. Montgomery convinced her it was an imperative duty on her, to
avoid unnecessary expenditure, as she knew not what calls might yet be
made on her resources. It next became a consideration how the things
reserved from the sale, could be got, with the least expense, to their
new place of residence; but Nancy who was present said there was a
distant relative of hers, a farmer, who volunteered to take them in
his large waggon, which he said, by starting at midnight, could be
accomplished in one day, and as it was anything but a busy time, he
could do it with little loss; added to which, he expressed himself
right glad to be able to serve a young lady, who, with her mother, had
been so uncommonly kind to his only parent, during a long illness.
When did a good action ever lose its reward? Helen thankfully accepted
Mr. Montgomery's kind offer of taking the young ones to stay with him
till she was settled in their new abode, but Henry would not hear of
it; he insisted on remaining with his sister and doing all he could to
help her. So that not liking to leave Fanny alone, it was agreed they
both should accompany her.