but drive as they might, mr. kimball and his assistants, they couldn't beat that storm that was brewing. it came up rather slowly, to be sure, at first, but very persistently. evidently the old stage-driver was right. it was “coming to stay.”
“ye see, ma'am, ef we hadn't started when we did, like enough we couldn't a got home to-night,” he vouchsafed over his shoulder to miss salisbury, as they rattled on.
“dear me!” she exclaimed at thought of her brood. those young things were having the best of times. it was “wildly exciting,” as clem forsythe said, to be packed in; those on the end seats huddling away from the rain as much as possible, under cover of the curtains buttoned down fast. and hilarity ran high. they sang songs; never quite finishing one, but running shrilly off to others, which were produced on several different keys maybe, according to the mood of the singers.234 and as every girl wanted to sing her favorite song, there were sometimes various compositions being produced in different quarters of the big stage, till no one particular melody could be said to have the right of way. and miss salisbury sat in the midst of the babel, and smiled as much as her anxiety would allow, at the merriment. and as it was in this stage, so the other stages were counterparts. and the gay tunes and merry laughter floated back all along the cavalcade, mingling harmoniously with the rainfall.
suddenly an awful clap of thunder reverberated in the sky. the songs ended in squeals of dismay, and the laughter died away.
“oh—oh—we're going to have a thunder storm!” screamed more than one girl, huddling up closer to her next neighbor, to clutch her frantically.
“oh, i'm so afraid of the thunder!” screamed amy garrett.
“you goose, it won't hurt you.” lucy bennett, whom amy had crouched against, gave her a little push.
“it will. it will. my uncle was struck once,” said amy, rebounding from the push to grasp lucy frantically around the neck.235
“you nearly choked me to death,” exclaimed lucy, untwisting the nervous hands; “don't get so scared. your uncle never was struck by the thunder, and we haven't had any lightning yet; so i wouldn't yell till we do.”
“well, there it is now,” cried amy, covering her eyes. and there it was now, to be sure, in a blinding flash; to be followed by deeper rolls of thunder, drowning the screams of the frightened girls, and the plunging of the horses that didn't like it much better.
mr. kimball peered out and squinted to the right and to the left through the blinding storm; then he turned his horses suddenly off from the road, into a narrow lane. “oh, why do you?” began miss salisbury. but this remonstrance wouldn't have done any good had the old stage-driver heard it. at the end of the lane, he knew in a few moments they would all arrive at a big old fashioned mansion where shelter could not be refused them under such circumstances. although,—and mr. kimball shook within himself at his temerity,—under any other conditions visitors would not be expected nor welcomed. for mr. john clemcy and his sister, miss ophelia, had never exhibited, since they settled down in236 this quiet spot after leaving their english home many years ago, any apparent desire to make friends. they were quite sufficient for themselves; and what with driving about,—which they did in a big basket phaeton, or behind their solemn pair of black horses, and the still more solemn coachman, isaac, also black,—and in the care of the large estate and the big brick mansion, they found ample occupation for their time and thoughts.
up to this big red brick mansion now plunged mr. kimball with as much assurance as if he were not quaking dreadfully. and the other stages following suit, the sudden and unusual uproar brought two faces to the windows, and then to the door.
“may we all git out and go into your barn?” roared mr. kimball, peering at them from beneath his dripping hat.
there was an awful pause. mr. kimball clutched his old leather reins desperately; and miss salisbury, to whom had come faint rumors of the chosen isolation of the brother and sister, felt her heart sink woefully.
mr. john clemcy stepped out,—slender, tall, with white hair and beard, both closely cropped.237 he had a pale, aristocratic face, and a pair of singularly stern eyes, which he now bent upon the old stage-driver.
“brother,” remonstrated his sister,—she looked as much like him as possible in face and figure,—“do not venture out in this driving storm.”
“no,” said mr. clemcy, “i cannot consent to your going into my stable. i—”
“'taint christian,” blurted out the old stage-driver, “to leave human bein's out in sech a pickle.”
“no, i am aware of that,” said mr. john clemcy, without a change of countenance; “and so i invite you all to come into my house.” he threw wide the door. “my sister, miss clemcy.”
miss ophelia stepped forward and received them as if she had specially prepared for their visit, and with such an air of distinction that it completely overwhelmed miss salisbury, so that her own manners, always considered quite perfect by parents and friends of her pupils, paled considerably in contrast. it was quite like entering an old baronial hall, as the courtly, aristocratic host ushered them in; and the girls, not easily overawed by any change of circumstance,238 who had tumbled out laughingly from the stages despite miss salisbury's nervous endeavors to quiet them, were now instantly subdued.
“isn't it solemn!” whispered alexia, hanging to polly pepper, her pale eyes roving over the armor, and old family portraits almost completely covering the walls of the wide hall.
“hush,” whispered polly back again.
“but i can't breathe; oh, look at that old horror in the ruff. polly—look!” she pinched the arm she grasped.
meantime, although there were so many girls, the big red brick mansion seemed quite able to contain them hospitably, as mr. and miss clemcy opened door after door into apartments that appeared to stretch out into greater space beyond. when at last the company had been distributed, miss salisbury found her voice. “i am pained to think of all the trouble we are giving you, miss clemcy.”
“do not mention it.” miss ophelia put up a slender arm, from which fell off a deep flounce of rare old lace. the hand that thus came into view was perfect; and miss salisbury, who could recognize qualities of distinction, fell deeply in love with the evidences before her.239
“do you suppose she dresses up like that every day, silvia?” whispered lucy bennett, in an awe-struck voice.
silvia, in matters of dress never being willing to show surprise, preserved her composure. “that's nothing,” she managed to say indifferently: “it can't be real, such a lot of it, and around her neck too.”
down into the old colonial kitchen, with its corner fireplace, wide and roomy, and bricked to the ceiling, mr. clemcy led the way. it was a big room, and not used for its original purpose; being filled with cabinets, and shelves on which reposed some of the most beautiful specimens of china and various relics and curiosities and mementos of travel, miss salisbury thought she had ever seen. and she had been about the world a good bit; having utilized many of her vacations, and once or twice taking a year off from her school work, for that purpose. and being singularly receptive to information, she was the best of listeners, in an intelligent way, as mr. clemcy moved about from object to object explaining his collection. he seemed perfectly absorbed in it, and, as the girls began to notice, in his listener as well.240
lucy bennett was frightfully romantic, and jumped to conclusions at once. “oh, do you suppose he will marry her?” she cried under her breath to silvia, as the two kept together.
“who? what are you talking about?” demanded silvia, who was very matter-of-fact.
“why, that old man—mr. whatever his name is,” whispered lucy.
“mr. clemcy? do get names into your head, lu,” said silvia crossly, who wanted to look at things and not be interrupted every minute.
“i can't ever remember names, if i do hear them,” said lucy, “so what is the use of my bothering to hear them, sil?”
“well, do keep still,” said silvia, trying to twist away her arm, but lucy clung to it.
“well, i can't keep still either, for i'm mortally afraid he is—that old man, whatever you call him—going to marry her.”
“who?” demanded silvia sharply.
“our miss salisbury, and—”
“lu bennett!” silvia sat down in the first chair she could find. it was very fortunate that the other groups were so absorbed that nobody noticed them.
“oh, you do say such perfectly silly things!”241 declared silvia, smothering the peal of laughter that nearly escaped her.
“well, it isn't silly,” cried lucy in an angry whisper, “and it's going to happen, i know, and she'll give up our school to miss anstice, and come and live here. oh my!” she looked ready to cry on the spot. “look at them!”
now, silvia had called lucy bennett “silly” hundreds of times, but now as she looked at mr. clemcy and miss salisbury, she began to have an uneasy feeling at her heart. “i won't go to school to miss anstice,” she declared passionately. then she began to plan immediately. “i'll get mother to let me go to boarding school.”
“and i'll go with you,” exclaimed lucy radiantly. all this was in stage whispers, such a buzz going on around them that no one else could possibly catch a word. and so in just about two minutes, they had their immediate future all planned.
“well, you better get up out of that chair,” said lucy presently, and picking at silvia's sleeve.
“i guess i'm not hurting the chair,” said silvia, squinting sideways at the high, carved back. “they asked us in here,—at least he did.”242
“well, he didn't ask us to sit down,” said lucy triumphantly.
“and if he's going to marry her,” said silvia, in a convincing whisper, “i guess i can sit in all the chairs if i want to.”
“hush!” warned lucy, “here comes miss anstice.”
miss anstice, with her front breadth all stained with jelly cake and marmalade, was wandering around, quite subdued. it was pitiful to see how she always got into the thickest of the groups to hide her gown, trying to be sociable with the girls. but the girls not reciprocating, she was at last taken in tow by miss ophelia, who set about showing her some rare old china, as a special attention.
now, miss anstice cared nothing for rare old china, or indeed, for relics or curiosities of any sort; but she was very meek on this occasion, and so she allowed herself to be led about from shelf to shelf; and though she said nothing, miss ophelia was so enchanted by her own words and memories, as she described in a fluent and loving manner their various claims to admiration, that she thought the younger miss salisbury quite a remarkable person.243
“show her the lowestoft collection, sister,” called mr. john clemcy, from across the apartment, and breaking off from his animated discussion over an old egyptian vase, in which miss salisbury had carried herself brilliantly.
“i will, brother john,” assented miss clemcy, with great affability. “now here,” and she opened the door to its cabinet, “is what will interest you greatly, i think.”
suddenly, a crash as of breaking porcelain struck upon the ear. every one in the old room jumped, save the persons who might be supposed to be the most interested—mr. clemcy and his sister. their faces did not change.
miss salisbury deserted the egyptian vase. “who,” she demanded, hurrying to the centre of the apartment, a red spot on either cheek, “has done this?”
mr. john clemcy followed her. “do not, i beg,” he said quietly, “notice it.”
“notice it! after your extreme hospitality—oh! which one of my scholars can have forgotten herself enough to touch a thing?”
the groups parted a little, just enough to disclose a shrinking figure. it was lily, whose curious fingers were clasped in distress.244
“she is very young,” said miss clemcy softly, as miss salisbury detached her from the group, and passed into another room, crying as if her heart would break.
mr. john clemcy then came up to his sister and her visitor. “your sister must not take it so to heart,” he said.
miss anstice was worn out by this time, what with her gown, and now by this terrible thing that would bring such discredit upon their school; and besides, it might take ever so much from their savings to replace, for lily was poor, and was a connection, so they perhaps would have to help her out. she therefore could find no words at her command, except, “oh dear me!” and raised her poor eyes.
mr. john clemcy searched her face intently, and actually smiled to reassure her. she thought he was looking at her gown; so she mumbled faintly, to draw off his attention, “i am afraid it was very valuable.”
he didn't tell her it was one of the oldest bits in his collection; but while miss clemcy slipped off, and quietly picked up every piece of the broken treasure, he turned the conversation, and talked rapidly and charmingly upon something,—for245 the life of her, miss anstice never could tell what.
and he was still talking when miss salisbury brought back lily by the hand, red-eyed and still sniffling, to stumble over her pleas for pardon. and then, the storm having abated, there were instant preparations for departure set in motion. and mr. kimball and his associates helped them into their vehicles, miss clemcy's beautiful old lace showing off finely on the great porch as she bade them good-bye.
“it is real, i guess,” declared silvia, looking closely from her seat next to lucy. “and, oh dear me, isn't this too horrible, what lily cushing has done?”
mr. john clemcy helped the ladies in, miss anstice putting forth all her powers to enable her to ascend the steep steps without disclosing the front breadth of her gown. despite her best endeavors, she felt quite sure that the keen eyes of both brother and sister had discovered every blemish.
miss salisbury sank back in her seat, as the barge rolled off, quite in despair; for she knew quite well that the broken vase was one of the gems of the collection.246
“oh, see the lovely rainbow!” the girls' spirits rose, now that they were once more on the move. what was one broken vase, after all? and they began to laugh and talk once more.
“oh dear!” polly pepper glanced back. “alexia, this will just about kill our dear miss salisbury!” she exclaimed.
“well, i'm clear beat,” mr. kimball was saying to himself, as nobody paid attention. “you might knock me over with a feather! to think o' that old reecluse that won't know nobody, him nor his sister, an' is so hifalutin' smart, a-bustin' out so polite all of a suddint.”
