"I was a-"pretendin"," miss," she answered a little sheepishly; "I was tryin" to see it like you do. I almost did," with a hopeful grin. "But it takes a lot o" stren"th."
"Perhaps it does if you are not used to it," said Sara, with friendly sympathy; "but you don"t know how easy it is when you"ve done it often.
I wouldn"t try so hard just at first. It will come to you after a while.
I"ll just tell you what things are. Look at these."
She held an old summer hat in her hand which she had fished out of the bottom of the trunk. There was a wreath of flowers on it. She pulled the wreath off.
"These are garlands for the feast," she said grandly. "They fill all the air with perfume. There"s a mug on the wash-stand, Becky. Oh--and bring the soap-dish for a centrepiece."
Becky handed them to her reverently.
"What are they now, miss?" she inquired. "You"d think they was made of crockery,--but I know they ain"t."
"This is a carven flagon," said Sara, arranging tendrils of the wreath about the mug. "And this"--bending tenderly over the soap-dish and heaping it with roses--"is purest alabaster encrusted with gems."
She touched the things gently, a happy smile hovering about her lips which made her look as if she were a creature in a dream.
"My, ain"t it lovely!" whispered Becky.
"If we just had something for bonbon-dishes," Sara murmured.
"There!"--darting to the trunk again. "I remember I saw something this minute."
It was only a bundle of wool wrapped in red and white tissue-paper, but the tissue-paper was soon twisted into the form of little dishes, and was combined with the remaining flowers to ornament the candlestick which was to light the feast. Only the Magic could have made it more than an old table covered with a red shawl and set with rubbish from a long-unopened trunk. But Sara drew back and gazed at it, seeing wonders; and Becky, after staring in delight, spoke with bated breath.
"This "ere," she suggested, with a glance round the attic--"is it the Bastille now--or has it turned into somethin" different?"
"Oh, yes, yes!" said Sara; "quite different. It is a banquet-hall!"
"My eye, miss!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Becky. "A blanket-"all!" and she turned to view the splendors about her with awed bewilderment.
"A banquet-hall," said Sara. "A vast chamber where feasts are given. It has a vaulted roof, and a minstrels" gallery, and a huge chimney filled with blazing oaken logs, and it is brilliant with waxen tapers twinkling on every side."
"My eye, Miss Sara!" gasped Becky again.
Then the door opened, and Ermengarde came in, rather staggering under the weight of her hamper. She started back with an exclamation of joy.
To enter from the chill darkness outside, and find one"s self confronted by a totally unantic.i.p.ated festal board, draped with red, adorned with white napery, and wreathed with flowers, was to feel that the preparations were brilliant indeed.
"Oh, Sara!" she cried out. "You are the cleverest girl I ever saw!"
"Isn"t it nice?" said Sara. "They are things out of my old trunk. I asked my Magic, and it told me to go and look."
"But oh, miss," cried Becky, "wait till she"s told you what they are!
They ain"t just--oh, miss, please tell her," appealing to Sara.
So Sara told her, and because her Magic helped her she made her _almost_ see it all: the golden platters--the vaulted s.p.a.ces--the blazing logs--the twinkling waxen tapers. As the things were taken out of the hamper--the frosted cakes--the fruits--the bonbons and the wine--the feast became a splendid thing.
"It"s like a real party!" cried Ermengarde.
"It"s like a queen"s table," sighed Becky.
Then Ermengarde had a sudden brilliant thought.
"I"ll tell you what, Sara," she said. "Pretend you are a princess now and this is a royal feast."
"But it"s your feast," said Sara; "you must be the princess, and we will be your maids of honor."
"Oh, I can"t," said Ermengarde. "I"m too fat, and I don"t know how.
_You_ be her."
"Well, if you want me to," said Sara.
But suddenly she thought of something else and ran to the rusty grate.
"There is a lot of paper and rubbish stuffed in here!" she exclaimed.
"If we light it, there will be a bright blaze for a few minutes, and we shall feel as if it was a real fire." She struck a match and lighted it up with a great specious glow which illuminated the room.
"By the time it stops blazing," Sara said, "we shall forget about its not being real."
She stood in the dancing glow and smiled.
"Doesn"t it _look_ real?" she said. "Now we will begin the party."
She led the way to the table. She waved her hand graciously to Ermengarde and Becky. She was in the midst of her dream.
"Advance, fair damsels," she said in her happy dream-voice, "and be seated at the banquet-table. My n.o.ble father, the king, who is absent on a long journey, has commanded me to feast you." She turned her head slightly toward the corner of the room. "What, ho! there, minstrels!
Strike up with your viols and ba.s.soons. Princesses," she explained rapidly to Ermengarde and Becky, "always had minstrels to play at their feasts. Pretend there is a minstrel gallery up there in the corner. Now we will begin."
They had barely had time to take their pieces of cake into their hands--not one of them had time to do more, when--they all three sprang to their feet and turned pale faces toward the door--listening--listening.
Some one was coming up the stairs. There was no mistake about it. Each of them recognized the angry, mounting tread and knew that the end of all things had come.
"It"s--the missus!" choked Becky, and dropped her piece of cake upon the floor.
"Yes," said Sara, her eyes growing shocked and large in her small white face. "Miss Minchin has found us out."
Miss Minchin struck the door open with a blow of her hand. She was pale herself, but it was with rage. She looked from the frightened faces to the banquet-table, and from the banquet-table to the last flicker of the burnt paper in the grate.
"I have been suspecting something of this sort," she exclaimed; "but I did not dream of such audacity. Lavinia was telling the truth."
So they knew that it was Lavinia who had somehow guessed their secret and had betrayed them. Miss Minchin strode over to Becky and boxed her ears for a second time.
"You impudent creature!" she said. "You leave the house in the morning!"
Sara stood quite still, her eyes growing larger, her face paler.
Ermengarde burst into tears.
"Oh, don"t send her away," she sobbed. "My aunt sent me the hamper.
We"re--only--having a party."