The Richest Heart

Chapter 4

A chatter of excited voices shattered the silence of the countryside. Footsteps, farewells, and the rattling of wheels sang through the chilly air. Church had just ended, and now everyone was heading homeward.

"Good bye, Reverend!" Emiline said as she passed the preacher.

"You have a good day, Emiline," the old man returned. He opened the front door for her and let her outside with a courteous smile. Emma blushed with gratitude.

Reverend Holland is quite a gentleman, she said to herself. He's always so polite and kind.

Everyone liked Mr. Holland. He was a pleasant old man. His eyes were full of Christian love, and his wrinkled face seemed to have aged with a permanent smile. He had been the preacher in that town for many, many years—longer than Emiline could even remember. He had been one of the first men to settle in that valley, and he knew everyone in town.

Outside, Emma peered through the crowd of people and spotted her mother in the middle of it. She walked forward slowly, trying to see who Jane was talking to. Soon, she could make out the person's gray bun, her plump face, and her vivid green dress.

Oh no! Emiline groaned inside. It's Mrs. Bufford! I can't stand to hear that old gossip talk. Maybe I can slip past her and get to the buggy. She started edging her way around the big gathering of people. She would hide until her mother and father were ready to leave. But how long would that be? René Bufford could easily talk for hours.

Suddenly, a loud, musical voice stopped Emma in her tracks. "Oh!" Mrs. Bufford cried cheerfully, "I think I see someone I know! Is that you, Emiline?"

Emma cringed and looked up at Mrs. Bufford. The woman's inquisitive eyes had spotted her. "Good morning, ma'am," the girl said, forcing a fake smile.

"My goodness, you've grown by leaps and bounds, Emma!" the woman laughed garishly. She barged her way past several people and grabbed Emiline's hand without permission. Burning with embarrassment, the girl stumbled behind Mrs. Bufford as she was dragged to her mother's side.

"Just look at that!" Rene exclaimed, measuring Emma's height against Mrs. Elmwood's shoulder. "She's almost as tall as you are, Jane!"

Emiline pulled her hand away from René's pudgy one and rolled her eyes when the woman wasn't looking.

"She is getting tall," Mother agreed with a proud smile.

"I am too!" Lizzy's shrill voice exclaimed. Emiline looked down at her sister with a half-smile. The little girl bounced up and down with excitement and stood on her tiptoes so she could look even taller.

After a small chuckle, Mrs. Bufford focused her attention on Jane once again. "Now, what was I telling you before I got distracted?" she asked thoughtfully. "Oh yes, I remember!" she said excitedly. Then, lowering her voice to a whisper, she added, "It was about the new family in town." She pointed a fat finger toward a buggy that was driving away from the church. "Mr. Ebenezer Gray," she said with a smile.

"Oh, yes," Jane replied. "I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Gray and his family. They seem like nice people."

Mrs. Bufford glanced around with a skeptical look. "Yes... they seem to be," she said in a peculiar tone of voice. "They seem to be a lot of things. But if you ask me, most of it seems pretty fake."

Emma bit her lip. It was so annoying to hear the lady build rumors. It wouldn't be long before she had half the town feeling suspicious of Ebenezer and his family. Emma looked up at her mother. Jane disliked gossip. But if she felt irritated by Mrs. Bufford, she was keeping her emotions carefully hidden. She smiled sweetly as she heard her neighbor's suspicious words.