13 Little Women Read By Stephanie Poppins

Welcome to Sleep Stories with Steph,

Your go-to podcast that offers you a calm and relaxing transition into a great night's sleep.

It is time to relax and fully let go.

There is nothing you need to be doing now,

And nowhere you need to go.

Close your eyes and feel yourself sink into the support beneath you and let all the worries of the day drift away.

This is your time and your space.

Take a deep breath in through your nose and let it out with a long sigh.

There is nothing you need to be doing now,

And nowhere you need to go.

Happy listening.

Chapter 6 Beth finds the palace beautiful The big house did prove the palace beautiful,

Though it took some time for all to get in and Beth found it very hard to pass the lions.

Old Mr Lawrence was the biggest one,

But after he'd called,

Said something funny or kind to each one of the girls,

And talked over old times with their mother,

Nobody felt much afraid of him except timid Beth.

The other lion was the fact they were poor and Laurie was rich,

For this made them shy of accepting favours which they could not return.

But after a while they found he considered them the benefactors and could not do enough to show how grateful he was for Mrs March's motherly welcome,

Their cheerful society and the comfort he took in that humble home of theirs,

So they soon forgot their pride and interchanged kindnesses without stopping to think which was the greater.

All sorts of pleasant things happened about that time,

For the new friendship flourished like grass in the spring.

Everyone liked Laurie and he proudly informed his tutor that March's were regular splendid girls.

With a delightful enthusiasm of youth,

They took the solitary boy into their midst and made much of him.

He found something very charming in the innocent companionship of these simple-hearted girls.

Never having known mother or sisters,

Laurie was quick to feel the influences they brought about him,

And their busy,

Lively ways made him ashamed of the indolent life he led.

He was tired of books,

He said,

And he found people so interesting now that Mr Brooke was obliged to make very unsatisfactory reports,

For Laurie was always playing truant and running over to the Marches.

Never mind,

Let him take a holiday,

And make it up afterwards,

Said the old gentleman.

The good lady next door said he's studying too hard and he needs young society,

Amusement and exercise.

I suspect she's right.

I've been coddling the fellow as if I'd been this grandmother,

Let him do what he likes as long as he's happy.

He can't get into mischief in that little nunnery over there,

And Mrs March is doing more for him than we can.

What good times they had,

To be sure.

Such plays and tableaux,

Sleigh rides and skating frolics,

Pleasant evenings in the old parlour,

And now and then such gay little parties at the great house.

Meg could walk in the conservatory whenever she liked,

And revel in bouquets.

Jo browsed over the new library voraciously,

And convulsed the old gentleman with her criticisms.

Amy copied pictures and enjoyed beauty to her heart's content,

And Laurie played Lord of the Manor in the most delightful style.

But Beth,

Though yearning for the grand piano,

Could not pluck up courage to go to the Mansion of Bliss,

As Meg called it.

She once went with Jo,

But the old gentleman,

Not being aware of her infirmity,

Stared at her so hard from under his heavy eyebrows and said,

Hey!

So loud.

He frightened her so much her feet chattered on the floor,

She told her mother.

And she ran away,

Declaring she would never go there any more,

Not even for the dear piano.

No persuasions or enticements could overcome Beth's fears,

Until the fact coming to Mr Lawrence's ear in some mysterious way,

He set about mending matters.

During one of the brief calls he made,

He artfully led the conversation to music,

And talked away about great singers whom he'd seen,

Fine organs he'd heard,

And such charming anecdotes that Beth found it impossible to stay in her distant corner,

But crept nearer and nearer as if fascinated.

At the back of his chair she stopped and stood listening,

With her great eyes wide open and her cheeks red with the excitement of this unusual performance.

Taking no more notice of her than if she'd been a fly,

Mr Lawrence talked on,

All about Laurie's lessons and teachers,

And presently as if the idea had just occurred to him,

He said to Mrs March,

The boy neglects his music now,

And I'm glad of it,

For he was getting far too fond of it,

But the piano suffers for want of use.

Wouldn't some of your girls like to run over and practice on it now and then,

Just to keep it in tune,

You know,

Mum?

Beth took a step forward,

And pressed her hands tightly together to keep from clapping them,

For this was an irresistible temptation,

And the thought of practising on that splendid instrument quite took her breath away.

Before Mrs March could reply,

Mr Lawrence went on with an odd little nod and a smile.

They needn't see or speak to anyone,

Just run in at any time,

I'm shut up in my study at the other end of the house,

Laurie's out a great deal,

And the servants are never near the drawing room until after nine o'clock.

Then he rose as if going,

And Beth made up her mind to speak,

For that last arrangement left nothing to be desired.

Please tell the young ladies what I say,

If they don't care to come,

Never mind,

He added.

Then a little hand slipped into his,

And Beth looked up at him with a face full of gratitude.

Oh sir,

They do care,

Very,

Very much.

Are you the musical girl?

He asked.

I'm Beth.

I love it dearly,

And I'll come if you're quite sure nobody will hear me and be disturbed,

She added.

Not a soul,

My dear,

The house is empty half the day.

Come and drum away as much as you like,

And I'll be obliged to you.

Beth feared to be rude,

She was trembling at her own boldness as she spoke.

How kind you are,

Sir.

Then she blushed like a rose under the friendly look he wore.

But she was not frightened now,

And she gave his big hand a grateful squeeze,

Because she had no more words to thank him for the precious gift he'd given her.

The old gentleman softly stroked the hair of her forehead and stooping down kissed her,

Saying in a tone few people ever heard.

I had a little girl once with eyes like yours.

God bless you,

My dear.

Good day,

Madam.

And away he went in a great hurry.

Beth had a rapture with her mother,

Then rushed up to impart the glorious news to her family of invalids as the girls were not at home.

How blithely she sang that evening,

And how they all laughed at her because she woke Amy in the night by playing the piano on her face in her sleep.

The next day,

Having seen both the old and the young gentleman out of the house,

Beth,

After two or three retreats,

Barely got in at the side door and made her way as noiselessly as any mouse to the drawing room where her idols stood.

Quite by accident,

Of course,

Some pretty easy music lay on the piano,

And with trembling fingers and frequent stops to listen and look about,

Beth at last touched the great instrument and straight away she forgot her fear,

Herself,

And everything else but the music.

This was like the voice of a beloved friend.

She stayed till Hannah came to take her home to dinner,

But she had no appetite and could only sit and smile upon everyone in a general state of beatitude.

After that,

The little brown hood slipped through the hedge nearly every day.

The great drawing room was haunted by a tuneful spirit that came and went unseen.

She never knew Mr Lawrence often opened his study to hear her.

She never saw Laurie Mountguard in the hall to warn the servants away.

She never suspected the exercise books and new songs which she found in the rack were put there for her.

And when spoken to her about music at home,

She only thought how kind Mr Lawrence was to tell things that helped her so much.

Beth enjoyed herself heartily.

She found,

Which isn't always the case,

That her granted wish was all she had hoped.

Perhaps it was because she was so grateful for this blessing that a greater one was given her.

At any rate,

She did deserve both.

"'Mother,

I'm going to work Mr Lawrence a pair of slippers,

' she said.

"'He's so kind to me.

I must thank him,

And I don't know any other way.

Can I do it?

' This was a few weeks after the eventful call.

"'Yes,

Dear,

' said Mrs March.

"'It will please him very much,

And be a nice way of thanking him.

The girls will help you about,

And I'll pay for the making up.

'" Mrs March took peculiar pleasure in granting Beth's requests because she so seldom asked for anything for herself.

And after many serious discussions,

The pattern was chosen,

Material was bought,

And the slip has begun.

Beth worked very late and very early,

With occasional lifts over the hard parts.

She was a nimble little needlewoman,

And the slippers were finished before anyone got tired of them.

Then she wrote a very short,

Simple note,

And with Laurie's help,

She got them smuggled onto the study table one morning before the old gentleman was up.

All the day passed,

And a part of the next,

Before any acknowledgement arrived.

She was beginning to fear she'd offended her crotchety friend.

But on the afternoon of the second day,

When she went out to do an errand,

She came up the street,

And on her return saw three,

Yes four,

Heads popping in and out of the parlour windows,

And a scream,

"'Here's a letter from the old gentleman!

Come quick and read it!

' came out.

Beth hurried on in a flutter of suspense,

And at the door,

Her sisters seized and bore her to the parlour in a triumphal procession,

Pointing and saying at once,

"'Look there!

' It was a letter lying on the glossy lid of a little cabinet piano,

And upon it was written Miss Elizabeth March.

"'Miss March,

' it read,

"'Dear Madam,

I have had many pairs of slippers in my life,

But I never had any that suited me so well as yours.

Heart's ease is my favourite flower,

And these will always remind me of the gentle giver.

I like to pay my debts,

So I know you will allow the old gentleman to send you something which once belonged to the little granddaughter he lost.

With hearty thanks and best wishes,

I remain your grateful friend and humble servant,

James Lawrence.

'" "'There,

Beth,

That's an honour to be proud of,

I'm sure,

' said Jo.

"'Laurie told me how fond Mr.

Lawrence used to be of the child who died,

And how he kept all her little things carefully.

Just think,

He's given you her piano!

That comes of having big blue eyes and loving music.

'" Beth was trembling,

But looking more excited than she'd ever been before.

"'See,

Those little cunning brackets to hold candles,

And the nice green silk puckered up with a gold rose in the middle,

And the pretty rack and stall all complete,

' added Meg,

Opening the instrument and displaying its beauties.

"'Your humble servant,

James Lawrence,

Only think of his writing that to you,

' said Amy,

Much impressed by the note.

"'Try it,

Honey.

Let's hear the sound of the baby piano,

' said Hannah,

Who always took a share in the family joys and sorrows.

So Beth tried it,

And everyone pronounced it the most remarkable piano ever heard.

It had evidently been newly tuned and put in apple-pie order.

But perfect as it was,

I think the real charm of it lay in the happiest of all happy faces which leaned over it,

As Beth lovingly touched the beautiful black and white keys and pressed the bright pedals.

"'You'll have to go over and thank him,

' said Joe by way of a joke,

But the idea of the child's really going never entered her head.

"'Yes,

I mean to,

' said Beth.

"'I guess I'll go now before I get frightened.

' And to the utter amazement of the assembled family,

Beth walked deliberately down the garden,

Through the hedge,

And in at the Lawrence's door.

"'Well,

I wish I might die if that ain't the queerest thing I ever see!

' cried Hannah,

Staring after her.

The pianist turned her head.

She'd never have gone in her right mind.

' They would have been still more amazed if they'd seen what Beth did afterwards.

She went and knocked at the study door before she gave herself time to think,

And when a gruff voice called out,

"'Come in!

' she did go in,

Right up to Mr Lawrence,

Who looked quite taken aback,

And held out her hand,

Saying,

With only a small quaver in her voice,

"'I came to thank you,

Sir,

For…' But she didn't finish,

For he looked so friendly she forgot her speech,

And she only remembered that he'd lost his little girl.

So she put both arms round his neck and kissed him.

If the roof of the house had suddenly flown off,

The old gentleman wouldn't have been more astonished.

But he liked it.

Oh yes,

He liked it amazingly,

And he was so touched and pleased that all his crustiness vanished.

He set her on his knee and laid his wrinkled cheek against her rosy one,

Feeling as though he had got his own little granddaughter back again.

When at last Beth went home,

He walked with her to her own gate,

Shook hands cordially,

And touched his hat as he marched back again,

Looking very stately and erect,

Like a handsome soldierly old gentleman that he was.

When the girls saw that performance,

Jo began to dance a jig by way of expressing her satisfaction.

Amy nearly fell out of the window in surprise,

And Meg exclaimed with uplifted hands,

Well,

I do believe the world is coming to an end.