Abu Dharr al-Ghifari - Biographies of the Companions (Sahabah)

In the Waddan valley which connects Makkah with the outside world,
lived the tribe of Ghifar. The Ghifar existed on the meagre offerings
of the trade caravans of the Quraysh which plied between Syria and
Makkah.It is likely that they also lived by raiding these caravans
when they were not given enough to satisfy their needs. Jundub ibn
Junadah, nicknamed Abu Dharr, was a member of this tribe.
He was known for his courage, his calmness and his far sightedness and
also for the repugnance he felt against the idols which his people
worshipped. He rejected the sillyreligious beliefs and the religious
corruption in which theArabs were engaged.
While he was in the Waddan desert, news reached Abu Dharr that a new
Prophet had appeared in Makkah. He really hoped that his appearance
would help to change the heartsand minds of people and lead them away
from the darkness ofsuperstition. Without wasting much time, he called
his brother, Anis, and said to him:
"Go to Makkah and get whatevernews you can of this man who claims that
he is a Prophet and that revelation comes to him from the heavens.
Listen to some of his sayings and come back and recite them to me."
Anis went to Makkah and met the Prophet, peace and blessingsof God be
on him. He listened to what he had to say and returnedto the Waddan
desert. Abu Dharrmet him and anxiously asked fornews of the Prophet.
"I have seen a man," reported Anis, 'who calls people to
noble qualities and there is no mere poetry in what he says."
"What do people say about him?" asked Abu Dharr.
"They say he is a magician, a soothsayer and a poet."
"My curiosity is not satisfied. I am not finished with this matter.
Will you look after my family while I go out and examine this
prophet's mission myself?"
"Yes. But beware of the Makkans."
On his arrival at Makkah, Abu Dharr immediately felt very apprehensive
and he decided to exercise great caution. The Quraysh were noticeably
angry over the denunciation of their gods. Abu Dharr heard of the
terrible violence they were meting out to the followers of the Prophet
but this was what he expected. He therefore refrained from asking
anyone about Muhammad not knowing whether that person might be a
follower or an enemy.
At nightfall, he lay down in the Sacred Mosque. Ali ibn Abi Talib
passed by him and, realizing that he was a stranger, asked him to come
to his house. Abu Dharr spent the night with him and in the morning
took his water pouch and his bag containing provisions and returned to
the Mosque. He had asked no questions and no questions were asked of
him.
Abu Dharr spent the following day without getting to know theProphet.
At evening he went to the Mosque to sleep and Ali again passed by him
and said:
"Isn't it time that a man knows his house?"
Abu Dharr accompanied him andstayed at his house a second night. Again
no one asked the other about anything.
On the third night, however, Ali asked him, "Aren't you going to tell
me why you came to Makkah?"
"Only if you will give me an undertaking that you will guide me to
what I seek." Ali agreed and Abu Dharr said: "I came to Makkah from a
distant place seeking a meeting with the new Prophet and to listen to
some ofwhat he has to say."
Ali's face lit up with happiness as he said, "By God, he is really the
Messenger of God," and he went on telling Abu Dharr more about the
Prophet and his teaching. Finally, he said:
"When we get up in the morning, follow me wherever I go. If I see
anything which I am afraid of for your sake, I would stop as if to
pass water. If I continue, follow me until you enter where I enter."
Abu Dharr did not sleep a wink the rest of that night because of his
intense longing to see the Prophet and listen to the words of
revelation. In the morning, hefollowed closely in Ali's footsteps
until they were in the presence of the Prophet.
As-salaamu Alayka Yaa Rasulullah, (Peace be on you, O Messenger of
God)," greeted AbuDharr.
Wa Alayka salaamullahi wa rahmatuhu wa barakaatuhu (And on you be the
peace of God,His mercy and His blessings)," replied the Prophet.
Abu Dharr was thus the first person to greet the Prophet with the
greeting of Islam. After that, the greeting spread and came into
general use.
The Prophet, peace be on him, welcomed Abu Dharr and invitedhim to
Islam. He recited some ofthe Quran for him. Before long, Abu Dharr
pronounced the Shahadah thus entering the newreligion (without even
leaving his place). He was among the first persons to accept Islam.
Let us leave Abu Dharr to continue his own story...
After that I stayed with the Prophet in Makkah and he taught me Islam
and taught me to read the Quran. Then he said to me, 'Don't tell
anyone in Makkah about your acceptance of Islam. I fear that they will
kill you."
"By Him in whose hands is my soul, I shall not leave Makkah until I go
to the Sacred Mosque and proclaim the call of Truth in the midst of
the Quraysh," vowed Abu Dharr.
The Prophet remained silent. I went to the Mosque. The Quraysh were
sitting and talking. I went in their midst and called out at the top
of my voice, "O people of Quraysh, I testify that there is no God but
Allah and that Muhammad is themessenger of Allah."
My words had an immediate effect on them. They jumped up and said,
'Get this one who has left his religion." They pounced on me and began
to beat me mercilessly. They clearly meant to kill me. But Abbas ibn
Abdulmuttalib, the uncle of the Prophet, recognized me. He bentover
and protected me from them. He told them:
"Woe to you! Would you kill a man from the Ghifar tribe and your
caravans must pass through their territory?" They then released me.
I went back to the Prophet, upon whom be peace, and whenhe saw my
condition, he said,"Didn't I tell you not to announce your acceptance
of Islam?" "O Messenger of God," I said, "It was a need I felt in my
soul and I fulfilled it." "Go to your people," he commanded,"and tell
them what you have seen and heard. Invite them to God. Maybe God will
bring them good through you and reward you through them. And when you
hear that I have come out inthe open, then come to me."
I left and went back to my people. My brother came up to me and asked,
"What have you done?" I told him that I had become a Muslim and that I
believed in the truth of Muhammad's teachings.
"I am not averse to your religion. In fact, I am also now a Muslim and
a believer," he said.
We both went to our mother then and invited her to Islam .
"I do not have any dislike from your religion. I accept Islam also," she said.
From that day this family of believers went out tirelessly inviting
the Ghifar to God and did not flinch from their purpose. Eventually a
large number became Muslims and the congregational Prayer was
instituted among them.
Abu Dharr remained in his desertabode until after the Prophet had gone
to Madinah and the battles of Badr, Uhud and Khandaq had been fought.
At Madinah at last, he asked the Prophet to be in his personal
service. The Prophet agreed and was pleased with his companionship and
service. He sometimes showed preference to Abu Dharr above others and
whenever he met him he would pat him and smile and show his happiness.
After the death of the Prophet, Abu Dharr could not bear to stayin
Madinah because of grief and the knowledge that there was to be no
more of his guiding company. So he left for the Syrian desert and
stayed there during the caliphate of Abu Bakr and Umar.
During the caliphate of Uthman, he stayed in Damascus and saw the
Muslims concern for the world and their consuming desire for luxury.
He was saddened and repelled by this. So Uthman asked him to come to
Madinah. At Madinah he was also critical of the people's pursuit of
worldly goods and pleasures and they were critical in turn of his
reviling them. Uthman therefore ordered that he should go to Rubdhah,
a small village near Madinah. There he stayed far away from people,
renouncing their preoccupation with worldly goods and holding on to
the legacy of the Prophet and his companions in seeking the
everlasting abode of the Hereafter in preference to this transitory
world.
Once a man visited him and began looking at the contents ofhis house
but found it quite bare. He asked Abu Dharr:"Where are your
possessions?""We have a house yonder (meaning the Hereafter)," said
Abu Dharr, "to which we send the best of our possessions." The man
understood what he meant and said: "But you must have some possessions
so long as you are in this abode." "The owner of this abode will not
leave us in it," replied Abu Dharr.
Abu Dharr persisted in his simpleand frugal life to the end. Once the
amir of Syria sent three hundred diners to Abu Dharr to meet his
needs. He returned the money saying, "Does not the amir of Syria find
a servant moredeserving of it than I?"
In the year 32 AH the self-denying Abu Dharr passed away. The Prophet,
peace be upon him, had said of him: "The earth does not carry nor the
heavens cover a man more true and faithful than Abu Dharr."

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Why will there be more women in Hell than men?

Why are there more women in hell than men?
Praise be to Allaah.
It was narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) that women will form the majority of the people of Hell. It
wasnarrated from 'Imraan ibn Husayn that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "I looked into Paradise andI
saw that the majority of its people were the poor. And I looked into
Hell and I saw that the majority of its people are women."
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3241; Muslim, 2737)
With regard to the reason for that, the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) was asked about it and he explained the reason.
It was narrated that 'Abd-Allaah ibn 'Abbaas said: The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "I was shown
Hell and I have never seen anything more terrifying than it. And I saw
that the majority of its people are women." They said, "Why, O
Messenger of Allaah?" He said, "Because of their ingratitude (kufr)."
It was said, "Are they ungrateful to Allaah?" Hesaid, "They are
ungrateful to their companions (husbands) and ungrateful for good
treatment. If you are kind to one of them for a lifetime then she sees
one (undesirable) thing in you, she will say, 'I have never had
anythinggood from you.'" (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1052)
It was narrated that Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri said:
"The Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
went out to the Musalla on the day of Eid al-Adhaor Eid al-Fitr. He
passed by the women and said, 'O women! Give charity, for I have seen
that you form the majority of the people of Hell.' They asked, 'Why is
that, O Messenger of Allaah?' Hereplied, 'You curse frequently and
are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient
in intelligence and religious commitment than you. A cautious sensible
man could be led astray by some of you.' The women asked, 'O Messenger
of Allaah, what is deficient in our intelligence and religious
commitment?' He said, 'Is not the testimony of two women equal to the
testimony of one man?' They said, 'Yes.' He said, 'This is the
deficiency in her intelligence. Is it not true that a woman can
neither pray nor fast during her menses?' The women said, 'Yes.' He
said, 'This is the deficiency in her religious commitment.'"
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 304)
It was narrated that Jaabir ibn 'Abd-Allaah said: "I attended Eid
prayers with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him). He started with the prayer before the khutbah, with no
adhaan or iqaamah. Then he stood up, leaning on Bilaal, speaking of
fear of Allaah (taqwa) and urging us to obey Him. He preached to the
people and reminded them. Then he went overto the women and preached
to them and reminded them. Then hesaid, 'Give in charity, for you are
the majority of the fuel of Hell. A womanwith dark cheeks stood up in
the midst of the women and said, 'Why isthat, O Messenger of Allaah?'
He said, 'Becauseyou complain too much and are ungrateful to your
husbands.' Then they started to give theirjewellery in charity,
throwing their earrings and rings into Bilaal's cloak."
(Narrated by Muslim, 885)
Our believing sisters who learn of this hadeeth should behave like
those Sahaabiyaat who, when they learned of this, did good deeds which
would be the means, by Allaah's leave, of keeping them far away from
being included in that majorityof the inhabitants of Hell.
So our advice to the sisters is to strive to adhere to the rituals
andobligatory duties of Islam, especially prayer, and to keep away
from that which Allaah has forbidden, especially shirk in its many
forms which are widespread among women, such as seeking one's needs
from someone other than Allaah, going to practitioners of witchcraft
and fortune-tellers, etc.
We ask Allaah to keep usand all our brothers and sisters far away
from theFire and the words and deeds that bring one close to it.

Conditions for deeds to be acceptable to Allaah

When a Muslim does an action, what conditions make it acceptable and
therefore rewarded by Allah. Is it simply that you intended to follow
the Qur'an and Sunnah, and therefore you will be rewarded even though
you may have been wrong in your action. Or is it that you must have
the intention, but you also need to follow the correct Sunnah as well.
Praise be to Allaah.
For acts of worship to beacceptable to Allaah and for a person to be
rewarded for them, there are two conditionswhich must be met:
The first condition: it should be devoted to Allaah Alone. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And they were commanded not, but that they should worshipAllaah, and
worship none but Him Alone (abstaining from ascribing partners to
Him)"
[al-Bayyinah 98:5]
The meaning of worshipping Allaah alone is that the person should
intend in all his words and deeds, both inward and outward, to seek
the Face of Allaah (i.e., His pleasure). Allaahsays (interpretation of
the meaning):
"And who has (in mind) no favour from anyone to be paid back,
Except to seek the Countenance of his Lord,the Most High"
[al-Layl 92:19]
"(Saying): "We feed you seeking Allaah's Countenance only. We wish for
no reward, nor thanks from you"
[al-Insaan 76:9]
"Whosoever desires (by his deeds) the reward of the Hereafter, We give
him increase in his reward, and whosoever desires the reward of this
world (by his deeds),We give him thereof (what is decreed for him),
and he has no portion in the Hereafter"
[al-Shoora 42:20]
"Whosoever desires the life of the world and its glitter, to them We
shall pay in full (the wages of)their deeds therein, and they will
have no diminution therein.
They are those for whomthere is nothing in the Hereafter but Fire, and
vain are the deeds they did therein. And of no effect is that which
they used to do"
[Hood 11:15-16]
It was narrated that 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with
him) said: "I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) say:
'The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will
get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated
for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for
what he emigrated for.'"
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, Bad' al-Wahy, 1).
It was narrated by Muslim from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah, may
He be blessed and exalted, says: 'I am so self-sufficient that I am in
no need of having an associate. Thus he who does an action for someone
else's sake as well as Mine will have that action renounced by Me to
him whom he associated with Me.'" (Narrated by Muslim, al-Zuhd
wa'l-Raqaa'iq, 5300)
The second condition is that the action should bein accordance with
the only way which Allaah has prescribed for worship, which is by
following the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in
the laws that he has brought. It was narratedthat the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever does any action
that is not in accordance with this matter of ours (i.e., Islam), will
have it rejected." (Narrated by Muslim, al-Aqdiyyah, 3243).
Ibn Rajab (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:"This hadeeth forms one
of the most important principles of Islam. It is like a scale for
weighing up deeds according to their outward appearance, just as the
hadeeth 'The reward of deeds depends upon theintentions' is the means
of weighing up the inner nature of deeds. Just as every action which
is not intended for the sake of Allaah brings no reward to the one who
does it, so too every deed which is not in accordance with the command
of Allaah and His Messenger will also be rejected and thrown back at
the one who does it. Everyone who innovates in Islam something for
which Allaah and His Messengerhave not granted permission, that thing
is nothing to do with Islam.
(Jaami' al-'Uloom wa'l-Hukam, part 1, p. 176)
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined
following his Sunnah and teachings, and made them binding. He (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "You have to followmy
Sunnah (way) and the way of my rightly-guided successors (al-khulafa'
al-raashidoon); bite ontoit with your eyeteeth (i.e., cling firmly to
it)." And he warned against bid'ah (innovation), as he said: "Beware
of newly-invented matters, for every newly-invented matter is a going
astray." (narrated by al-Tirmidhi, al-'Ilm, 2600; classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, no. 2157)
Ibn al-Qayyim said: "Allaah has made devotion of worship to Him alone
and followingthe Sunnah the means ofdeeds being accepted; if these
conditions are not met, then deeds are unaccaptable."
(al-Rooh, 1/135)
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Who has created death and life that He may test you which of you is
best in deed"
[al-Mulk 67:2]
al-Fudayl said: "'best in deed' means, most devoted to Allaah alone
and most in accordance with the Sunnah.
And Allaah is the Source of strength.

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Story :- Ayala's Angel

CHAPTER 1 THE TWO SISTERS
When Egbert Dormer died he left his two daughters utterly penniless
upon the world, and it must be said of Egbert Dormer that nothing else
could have been expected of him. The two girls were both pretty, but
Lucy, who was twenty-one, was supposed to be simple and comparatively
unattractive, whereas Ayala was credited -- as her somewhat romantic
name might show -- withpoetic charm and a taste for romance. Ayala
whenher father died was nineteen. We must beginyet a little earlier
and saythat there had been -- and had died many yearsbefore the death
of Egbert Dormer -- a clerk in the Admiralty, by name Reginald Dosett,
who, and whose wife, had been conspicuous for personal beauty. Their
charms were gone,but the records of them had been left in various
grandchildren. There had been a son born to Mr Dosett, who was also a
Reginald and a clerk in the Admiralty, and who also, in his turn, had
been a handsome man. With him, in his decadence, the reader will
become acquainted. There were also two daughters, whose reputation for
perfect feminine beauty had never been contested. The elder had
married a city man of wealth -- of wealth when he marriedher, but who
had become enormously wealthy by the time of our story. He had when he
married been simply Mister, but was now Sir Thomas Tringle,
Baronet,and was senior partner in the great firm of Travers and
Treason. Of Traverses and Treasons there were none left in these days,
and Mr Tringle was supposed to manipulate all the millions with which
the great firm in Lombard Street was concerned. Hehad married old Mr
Dosett's eldest daughter, Emmeline, who was nowLady Tringle, with a
house at the top of Queen's Gate, rented at L#1,500 a year, with a
palatial moor in Scotland, with a seat in Sussex, and as many
carriages and horses as would suit an archduchess. Lady Tringle had
everything in the world; a son, two daughters, and an open-handed
stout husband, who was said to have told her that money was a matter
of no consideration.
The second Miss Dosett, Adelaide Dosett, who had been considerably
younger than her sister, had insisted upon givingherself to Egbert
Dormer the artist, whose death we commemorated in our first line. But
she haddied before her husband. They who remembered the two Miss
Dosetts as girls werewont to declare that, though Lady Tringle might,
perhaps, have had the advantage in perfection of feature and in
unequalled symmetry, Adelaide had been the more attractivefrom
expression and brilliancy. To her Lord Sizes had offered his hand and
coronet, promising to abandon for her sake all the haunts of his
matured life. To her Mr Tringle had knelt before he had taken the
elder sister. For her Mr Progrum, the popular preacher of the day, for
a time so totally lost himself that he was nearly minded to go over to
Rome. She was said to have had offers from a widowed Lord Chancellor
and from a Russian prince. Her triumphs would have quite obliterated
that of her sister had she not insisted on marrying Egbert Dormer.
Then there had been, and still was, Reginald Dosett, the son of old
Dosett, and the eldest of the family. He too had married, and was now
living with his wife; but to them had no children been born, luckily,
as he was a poor man. Alas, to a beautiful son it is not often that
beauty can be a fortune as to a daughter. Young Reginald Dosett -- he
is anything now but young-- had done but little for himself with his
beauty, having simply married the estimable daughter of a brother
clerk. Now, at the age of fifty, he had his L#900 a year from his
office, and might have lived in fair comfort had he not allowed a
small millstoneof debt to hang round his neck from his earlier years.
But still he lived creditably in a small but very genteel house at
Notting Hill, and would have undergone any want rather than have
declared himself to be a poor man to his rich relations the Tringles.
Such were now the remaining two children of old Mr Dosett -- Lady
Tringle, namely, and Reginald Dosett, the clerk in the Admiralty.
Adelaide, the beauty in chief of the family, was gone; and now also
her husband, the improvident artist, had followed his wife. Dormer had
been by no means a failing artist. He had achieved great honour -- had
at an earlyage been accepted into the Royal Academy -- hadsold
pictures to illustrious princes and more illustrious dealers, had been
engraved and had lived to see his own works resold at five times their
original prices. Egbert Dormer might also have been a rich man. But he
had a taste for other beautiful things besides a wife. The sweetest
little phaeton that was to cost nothing, the most perfect bijou of a
little house at South Kensington -- he had boasted that it might have
been packed without trouble in his brother-in-law Tringle's
dining-room -- the simplest little gem for hiswife, just a blue set of
china for his dinner table, just a painted cornice for his studio,
just satin hangings for his drawing-room -- and a few simple ornaments
for his little girls; these with a few rings for himself, and velvet
suits of clothing in which to do his painting; these, with a few
little dinner parties to show off his blue china, were the firstand
last of his extravagances. But whenhe went, and when his pretty things
were sold, there was not enough tocover his debts. There was, however,
a sweet savour about his name. When he died it was saidof him that his
wife's death had killed him. He had dropped his palette, refused to
finish the ordered portrait of a princess, and had simply turned
himself round and died.
Then there were the twodaughters, Lucy and Ayala. It should be
explained that though a proper family intercourse had always been
maintained between the three families, the Tringles, theDormers, and
the Dosetts, there had never been cordiality between the first and the
two latter. The wealth of the Tringles had seemed to convey with it a
fetid odour. Egbert Dormer, with every luxury around him which money
could purchase, had affected to despise the heavy magnificence of the
Tringles. It may be that he affected a fashion higher than that which
the Tringles really attained. Reginald Dosett, who was neither
brilliant nor fashionable,was in truth independent, and, perhaps, a
little thin-skinned. He would submit to no touch of arrogance from Sir
Thomas; and Sir Thomas seemed to carry arrogance in his brow and in
his paunch. It wasthere rather, perhaps, than in his heart; but there
are men to whom a knack of fumbling their money in their pockets and
of looking out from under penthouse brows over an expanse of
waistcoat, gives an air of overweening pride which their true
idiosyncracies may not justify. To Dosett had, perhaps, been spoken a
word or two which on some occasion he had inwardly resented, and from
thenceforward he had ever been ready to league with Dormer against the
"bullionaire",as they agreed to call Sir Thomas. Lady Tringle had even
said a word to her sister, Mrs Dormer, asto expenses, and that had
never been forgivenby the artist. So things were when Mrs Dormer died
first; and so they remained when her husband followed her.
Then there arose a sudden necessity for action, which, for a while,
brought Reginald Dosett into connexion with Sir Thomas and Lady
Tringle. Something must be done for the poor girls. That the something
should come out of the pocket of Sir Thomas would have seemed to be
natural. Money with him was no object -- not at all. Another girl or
two would be nothing to him-- as regarded simple expenditure. But the
care of a human being is an important matter, and so Sir Thomas knew.
Dosett had not a child at all, and would be the better for such a
windfall. Dosett he supposed to be -- in his, Dosett's way -- fairly
welloff. So he made this proposition. He would take one girl and let
Dosett take the other. To this Lady Tringle added her proviso, that
she should have the choice. To her nerves affairs of taste were of
such paramount importance! To this Dosett yielded. The matter was
decided in Lady Tringle's back drawing-room. Mrs Dosett was not even
consulted in that matter of choice, having alreadyacknowledged the
duty of mothering a motherless child. Dosett had thought that the
bullionaire should have said a word as to some future provision for
the penniless girl, for whom he would be able to do so little. But Sir
Thomas had said no such word, and Dosett, himself, lacked both the
courage and the coarseness to allude to the matter. Then Lady Tringle
declared that she must have Ayala, and so the matter was settled.
Ayalathe romantic; Ayala the poetic! It was a matter ofcourse that
Ayala should be chosen. Ayala had already been made intimate with the
magnificent saloons of the Tringles, and had been felt by Lady Tringle
to be an attraction. Her long dark black locks, which had never
hitherto been tucked up,which were never curled, which were never so
long as to be awkward, were already known as being the loveliest locks
in London.She sang as though Nature had intended herto be a
singing-bird -- requiring no education, no labour. She had been once
for three months inParis, and French had come naturally to her. Her
father had taught her something of his art, and flatterers had already
begun to say that she was born to be the one great female artist of
the world. Her hands, her feet, her figure were perfect. Though she
was as yet but nineteen, London had already begun to talk about Ayala
Dormer. Of course Lady Tringle chose Ayala, not remembering at the
moment that her own daughters might probably be superseded by their
cousin. And, therefore, as Lady Tringle said herself to Lucy with her
sweetest smile -- Mrs Dosett had chosen Lucy. The two girls were old
enough to know something of the meaning of such a choice. Ayala, the
younger, was to be adopted into immense wealth, and Lucy was to be
given up to comparative poverty. She knew nothing of heruncle Dosett's
circumstances, but the genteel house at NottingHill -- No. 3,
Kingsbury Crescent -- was known toher, and was but a poor affair as
compared even with the bijou in which she had hitherto lived. Her aunt
Dosett never rose to any vehicle beyond a four-wheeler, and was
careful even in thinking of that accommodation. Ayala would be whirled
about the park by a wire-wig and a pair of brown horses which they had
heard it said were not tobe matched in London. Ayala would be carried
with her aunt and her cousin to the show-roomof Madame Tonsonville,
the great French milliner of Bond Street, whereas she, Lucy, might too
probably be called on to make her own gowns. Allthe fashion of Queen's
Gate, something, perhaps, of the fashion of Eaton Square, would be
open to Ayala. Lucy understood enough to know that Ayala's own charms
might probably cause still more august gates to be opened to her,
whereas Aunt Dosettentered no gates. It was quite natural that Ayala
should be chosen. Lucy acknowledged as much to herself. But they were
sisters, and had been so near! By what a chasm would they be
dissevered, now so far asunder!
Lucy herself was a lovely girl, and knew her own loveliness. She was
fairerthan Ayala, somewhat taller, and much more quiet in her
demeanour. She was also clever, but her cleverness did not show itself
so quickly. She was a musician, whereas her sister could only sing.
She could really draw, whereas hersister would rush away into effects
in which the drawing was not always very excellent. Lucy was doing the
best she could for herself, knowing something of French andGerman,
though as yet not very fluent with her tongue. The two girls were, in
truth, both greatly gifted; but Ayala had the gift of showing her
talent without thought of showing it. Lucy saw it all, and knewthat
she was outshone; but how great had been the price of the outshining!
The artist's house had been badly ordered, and the two girls were of
better disposition and better conduct than might have been expected
from such fitfultraining. Ayala had been the father's pet and Lucy the
mother's. Parents do ill in making pets, and here they had done ill.
Ayala had been taught tothink herself the favourite, because the
artist, himself, had been more prominent before the world than his
wife. But the evil had not beenlasting enough to have made bad feeling
between the sisters. Lucyknew that her sister had been preferred to
her, but she had been self-denying enough to be aware that some
suchpreference was due to Ayala. She, too, admired Ayala, and loved
her with her whole heart. And Ayala was always good to her -- had
tried to divide everything -- had assumed no preference as a right.
The two were true sisters. But when it was decided that Lucy was to go
to Kingsbury Crescent the difference was very great. The two girls, on
their father's death, had been taken to the great red brick house in
Queen's Gate, and from hence, three or four daysafter the funeral,
Lucy was to be transferred to her Aunt Dosett. Hitherto there had been
little between them but weeping for their father.Now had come the hour
of parting.
The tidings had been communicated to Lucy, and to Lucy alone, by Aunt
Tringle -- "As you are the eldest, dear, we think that you will be
best able to be a comfortto your aunt," said Lady Tringle.
"I will do the best I can, Aunt Emmeline," said Lucy, declaring to
herselfthat, in giving such a reason, her aunt was lying basely.
"I am sure you will. Poor dear Ayala is younger than her cousins, and
will be more subject to them." So in truth was Lucy younger than her
cousins, but of that she said nothing. "I am sure you will agree with
me that it is best that we should have the youngest." "Perhaps it
is,Aunt Emmeline."
"Sir Thomas would not have had it any other way," said Lady Tringle,
with a little severity, feeling that Lucy's accordhad hardly been as
generous as it should be.But she recovered herself quickly,
remembering how muchit was that Ayala was to get, how much that Lucy
was to lose. "But, my dear, we shall see you very often, you know. It
is not so far across the park; and when we do have a few parties again
-- "
"Oh, aunt, I am not thinking of that."
"Of course not. We can none of us think of it justnow. But when the
time does come of course we shall always have you, just as if you were
one ofus." Then her aunt gave her a roll of bank-notes, a little
present of twenty-five pounds, to begin the world with, and told her
that the carriage should take her to Kingsbury Crescent on the
following morning. On the whole Lucy behaved well and left a pleasant
impression on her aunt's mind. The difference between Queen's Gate and
Kingsbury Crescent -- between Queen's Gate and Kingsbury Crescent for
life -- was indeed great!
"I wish it were you, with all my heart," said Ayala, clinging to her sister.
"It could not have been me."
"Why not!"
"Because you are so pretty and you are so clever."
"No!"
"Yes! If we were to be separated of course it would be so. Do not
suppose, dear, that I am disappointed."
"I am."
"If I can only like Aunt Margaret,"
Aunt Margaret was Mrs Dosett, with whom neither of the girls had
hitherto become intimate, and who was known to be quiet, domestic, and
economical, but who had also been spoken of as having a will of her
own -- "I shall do better with her than you would, Ayala."
"I don't see why."
"Because I can remain quiet longer than you. It will be very quiet. I
wonder how we shall see each other! I cannot walk across the park
alone."
"Uncle Reg will bring you."
"Not often, I fear. Uncle Reg has enough to do with his office. "You
can come in a cab."
"Cabs cost money, Ayey dear."
"But Uncle Thomas
"
"We had better understand one or two things, Ayala. Uncle Thomas will
pay everything for you, and as he is very rich things will come as
they are wanted. There will be cabs, and if not cabs, carriages. Uncle
Reg must pay for me, and he is very very kind to do so. But as he is
not rich, there will be no carriages, and not a great many cabs. It is
best to understand it all.""But they will send for you."
"That's as they please. I don't think they will veryoften. I would not
for the world put you against Uncle Thomas, but I have a feeling that
Ishall never get on with him. But you will never separate yourself
from me, Ayala!"
"Separate myself!"
"You will not
not be my sister because you will be one of these rich ones?"
"Oh, I wish
I wish that I were to be the poor one. I'm sure I should like it best.
I never cared about being rich. Oh, Lucy, can't we make them change?"
"No, Ayey, my own, we can't make them change.And if we could, we
wouldn't. It is altogether best that you should be arich Tringle and
that I should be a poor Dosett."
"I will always be a Dormer," said Ayala, proudly.
"And I will always be so too, my pet. But you should be a bright
Dormer among the Tringles, and I will be a dull Dormer among the
Dosetts. I shall begrudge nothing, if only we can see each other."
So the two girls were parted, the elder being taken away to
KingsburyCrescent and the latter remaining with her rich relations at
Queen's Gate.Ayala had not probably realized the great difference of
their futurepositions. To her the attractions of wealth andthe
privations of comparative poverty hadnot made themselves as yet
palpably plain. They do not become so manifest to those to whom the
wealth falls -- at any rate, not in early life -- as to the opposite
party. If the other lot hadfallen to Ayala she might have felt it more
keenly.
Lucy felt it keenly enough. Without any longing after the magnificence
of the Tringle mansion she knew how great was thefall from her
father's well-assorted luxuries and prettinesses down to the plain
walls, tables, and chairs of her Uncle Dosett's house. Her aunt did
not subscribe to Mudie's. The old piano had not been tuned for the
last ten years. The parlour-maid was a crossold woman. Her aunt always
sat in the dining-room through the greater part of the day, and of all
rooms the dining-room in Kingsbury Crescent was the dingiest. Lucy
understood very well to what she was going. Her father and mother were
gone. Her sister was divided from her. Her lifeoffered for the future
nothing to her. But with it all she carried a good courage. There was
present to her an idea ofgreat misfortune; but present to her at the
same time an idea also that she would do her duty.

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