"Is it--can it be--the doll?" they all cried, and their hearts nearly stopped beating with excitement.
"Now," Jinny exclaimed.
They all pressed forward. All six pairs of eyes were fixed on Jinny"s lap, but not a sound was heard. A blank look of disappointment fell over every face. Red-Head, poor Red-Head had done his best, but oh, what a mistake! He had bought a _dressed_ doll, and as ten and sixpence, which was all he had got for the mug, will not go very far in such articles, it can be imagined that dolly herself, notwithstanding the gorgeousness of her attire, fell short, lamentably short, of the poor princesses"
expectations.
"She"s only china, and her hair"s a put-on wig," said Agatha, with tears in her eyes.
"Her clothes don"t even take off and on, and they"re not a bit like a little girl"s clothes," said Elspeth.
Ginevra said not a word; her face told of nothing less than despair.
"And poor darling Jinny has sold her mug to buy it with--all to please us. I found it out, but it was too late to stop it," said Helen. "Jinny darling, we must like her, we _will_--any way she"ll be better than nothing. We"ll make her new clothes, and then perhaps she won"t look so vulgar," whereupon, Helen setting the example, all the five princesses fell upon Jinny"s neck and hugged and kissed her and each other amidst their tears.
"And we mustn"t tell Red-Head," said Jinny; "he"d be _so_ disappointed.
He did his best. I never thought of saying she wasn"t to be dressed.
He"s going away to-morrow, and of course they wouldn"t change the doll after he comes back. Besides, she _is_ better than nothing, surely?"
Christmas Eve--the six princesses sat on the window-sill looking out on the fast-falling snow. Dolly--partially denuded of her gorgeous attire, but looking rather woe-begone, if less self-satisfied and vulgar, for new clothes "to take on and off," and of irreproachable good taste, are not to be fashioned by little fingers in a day--was reposing in b.u.t.ter-ball"s fat arms. They "took turns" of her, as was the fairest arrangement under the circ.u.mstances of six little girls and only one doll; and, true to the sound philosophy of her being "better than nothing," a certain half-contemptuous affection for her had taken the place of the first dislike.
Suddenly--rat-tat-tat at the front knocker.
"The postman," said Helen. "_Possibly_ there may be a Christmas card for us."
It was for "us," but it was not a card. No; a letter, addressed outside to Helen as the eldest, but inside beginning "My six dear little nieces."
"From Aunt Ginevra," Helen exclaimed; "and oh, she is coming home at last. And oh, oh, just fancy, we are all to go to live with her.
And--and----"
"Read it aloud," said Jinny quickly. But Helen was all trembling with excitement. Jinny seized it and read.
Delightful news truly for the six imprisoned princesses!
"She _must_ be nice," said Jinny; "she writes so sweetly. And what can the presents be that she says she is sending us for Christmas?"
Agatha looked over her shoulder.
"I have chosen what I think would have pleased me most when I was a little girl. The box is sent off by express from Paris, where your uncle and I are resting for a few days, so that you may have it by Christmas.
And before the new year begins, my darlings, I hope to be at last with you."
Rat-tat-tat again. The railway van this time. Such a big box comes up to the nursery. Dear, dear, what a business to get it opened. How the six pairs of eyes shine, how the six pairs of hands tremble with eagerness as each undoes her own specially marked parcel. And oh, the cries of delight at last! What could be lovelier, what more perfect, than the six exquisite dolls, each more beautiful than her sisters!
"Real wax, real hair, real everysing," cries Princess Baby.
"One suit of clothes ready, taking off and on ones, and lots of stuff to make more," adds b.u.t.ter-ball.
"Oh, how sweet Auntie must be, how happy we are going to be!" cry all.
But Jinny"s face is sad.
"My poor, ugly dolly," she murmurs. "And oh, what shall I say if Auntie asks for my jug?"
"We"ll tell her--all of us together. It was all for our sakes you did it, and so she can"t be angry," say the other five.
"And, Jinny, I do think the old doll would make a beautiful maid for the others; she really couldn"t look vulgar in a neat print frock and white ap.r.o.n."
Ginevra brightens up at this.
"All the same," she said, "I wish now we had waited a little and believed that Auntie would come as soon as she could. I see that it would have been better. And oh, I do so hope she won"t be vexed."
She was not vexed; only very, _very_ sorry. More deeply sorry than the princesses themselves could understand.
"I had no idea of it all," said poor Auntie. "Yet I could not have come to you sooner, my darlings. Still--if I had known---- But it is all over now, and you are going to be as happy as ever your Auntie can make you."
"And it"s _almost_ the same as having a mamma, isn"t it?" said Baby, satisfied that in this possession she had an undoubted share.
The mug was reclaimed. And the dealer, who had paid far too little for it, was well frightened by no less a person than Uncle himself.
Poor Red-Head never knew how he had failed. But Auntie, who got to know his father and mother, was able, without hurting his feelings, to make him understand that little boys do well to keep out of such transactions even when inspired by the kindest of motives.
BASIL"S VIOLIN
"THANK you so much for telling me about it. I am pleased, for it is just what I wanted to hear of."
"And I am so glad for Herr Wildermann"s sake. It rarely happens in this world that one hears of a want and a supply at the same time;" and the speaker, laughing as she said the last words, shook hands once again with her hostess and left her.
Lady Iltyd went to the window,--a low one, leading on to the garden, and looked out. Then she opened it and called out clearly, though not very loudly--
"Basil, Basi--i--il, are you there, my boy?"
"Yes, mother; I"m coming." And from among the bushes, at a very short distance, there emerged a rather comical little figure. A boy of eight or nine, with a bright rosy face and short dark hair. Over his sailor suit he had a brown holland blouse, which once, doubtless, had been clean, but was certainly so no longer. It stuck out rather bunchily behind, owing to the large collar and handkerchief worn beneath, and as the child was of a st.u.r.dy make to begin with, and was extra flushed with his exertions, it was no wonder that his mother stopped in what she was going to say to laugh heartily at her little boy.
"You look like a gnome, Basil," she said. "What have you been doing to make yourself so hot and dirty?"
"Transplanting, mother. It"s nearly done. I"ve taken a lot of the little wood plants that I have in my garden and put them down here among the big shrubs, where it"s cool and damp. It was too dry and sunny for them in my garden, Andrew says. They"re used to the nice, shady, damp sort of places in the wood, you see, mother."
"But it isn"t the time for transplanting, Basil. It is too late."
"It won"t matter, Andrew says, mother. I"ve put them in such a beautiful wet corner. But I"m awfully hot, and I"m rather dirty."
"Rather," said his mother. "And, Basil, your lessons for to-morrow? It"s four o"clock, and you know what your father said about having them done before you come down to dessert."
Basil shook himself impatiently.
"Oh bother!" he said; "whenever I"m a little happy somebody begins about something horrid. I"ve such a lot of lessons to-day. And it"s a half-holiday. I think it is the greatest shame to call it a half-holiday, and then give more lessons to do than any other day."