"And just think how good Father has been," went on Jasper, too miserable to keep still, "and all those flowers he had ordered, for of course he couldn"t let the florists suffer, and that he sent to the hospitals when it poured so."
"I know it," said Polly, swallowing hard.
"And now he has ordered another lot, and everything else--why, you know, Polly, there isn"t anything Father hasn"t done to make this fair a success, and now she has come!" Jasper flung himself into a chair and buried his face in his hands.
"Oh, Jasper," cried Polly, running over to him in the greatest distress, "don"t! Oh, dear me! What can we do?"
"Nothing," said Jasper, in the depths of gloom; "nothing will do any good so long as she has come."
"Oh, there must something be done," declared Polly quite wildly, and feeling equal to anything. If she only knew what would avail! "_Hush, here comes Grandpapa!_"
"Oh, he mustn"t see us feeling badly." Jasper sprang from his chair. "Come, Polly," and they flew out into the side hall.
"Now where are those two, Polly and Jasper?" said old Mr. King to himself, coming to the library in a great state of irritation. "I"ve searched this house for them, and n.o.body seems to have the least idea where they have gone. Polly! Jasper!" he cried loudly, and it wasn"t a very pleasant voice, either.
"Oh, dear!" Jasper seized Polly"s hands in a corner of the hall. "He"s calling us, and we"ve got to go, Polly, and how we look, you and I!
Whatever shall we do!"
"But we must go," breathed Polly. Then she looked up into Jasper"s face.
"Let"s ask him to go out and help us fix the flowers," she cried suddenly.
Jasper gave her a keen glance. "All right," he said. "Come on," and before their resolution had time to cool itself, they rushed into the library.
"Oh, Grandpapa," they both cried together, "do come out and tell us how to fix the flowers."
"Hey?" The old gentleman whirled around from the table, where he had begun to throw the papers about. "Did you know Mrs. Chatterton had come back?" He glared at them over his spectacles, which he had forgotten to remove when he had been interrupted with the unwelcome news while peacefully reading the morning paper.
"Yes--oh, yes," said Jasper.
"Oh, yes, we know it," cried Polly cheerfully, "but, Grandpapa, we want you"--tugging at his hand.
"Hey? you knew it?" The old gentleman"s tone softened, and he suffered himself to be led toward the door. "And you want me, eh?"--feeling with every step as if life, after all, might be worth living.
"Yes, we do indeed, Father," cried Jasper affectionately, possessing himself of the other hand.
"And oh, the flowers you sent are just too lovely for anything!" cried Polly, dancing away along by his side. "They"re gorgeous, Grandpapa dear."
"Are they so?" Grandpapa beamed at her, all his happiness returned. "So you want me to tell you how to arrange them, eh?" And his satisfaction in being appealed to was so intense that he held his head high. "Well, come on," and he laughed gayly.
Mrs. Chatterton, newly arrived in the handsome suite of apartments Cousin Horatio"s hospitality always allowed her, looked out of the window, and, having no one else to confide her opinions to, was not averse to chatting with her French maid.
"Isn"t it perfectly absurd, Hortense, to see that old man?--and to think how particular and aristocratic he used to be! Why, I can remember when he would hardly let Jasper speak to him in some of his moods, and now just see that beggar girl actually holding his hand, and he laughing with her."
"A beggaire, is it?" cried Hortense, dropping the gown she was brushing, to run to the window. "I see no beggaire, madame"--craning her neck.
"You needn"t drop your work," said Mrs. Chatterton, with asperity, "just because I made a simple remark. You know quite well whom I mean, Hortense.
It"s that Polly Pepper I"m speaking of."
"She is not a beggaire, madame," declared Hortense pertly, opening her black eyes very wide. "Oh!" She extended her hands and burst into a series of shrill cackles. "Why, she"s like all de oder children in dis house, and I think truly, madame, de best."
"Go back to your work, I say," commanded Mrs. Chatterton, in a fury, forgetting herself enough to stamp her foot. So Hortense picked up the gown, but she continued to cackle softly to herself, with now and then a furtive glance at her mistress.
Outside, with all the sunny influence of the summer morning upon him, old Mr. King, and Polly, and Jasper went about, superintending the placing of the flowers. For there seemed to be a great many in the pots, with ferns and palms, to distribute where they would best show off and be persuaded to swell the poor children"s fund.
"Oh, Grandpapa dear! what richness!" sighed Polly, clasping her hands in ecstasy. "I do think I never saw so many, and such beauties. Only look, Jasper, at that azalea!"
"I know it," said Jasper, his eyes sparkling, "and those orchids, Polly!"
"Oh, I know--I know," said Polly, spinning about to take it all in. Old Mr.
King put back his head and laughed to see her.
"I"m so glad you like it, Polly, my girl," he said, heartily pleased.
"Like it, Grandpapa!" repeated Polly, standing quite still. "Oh, it"s just too beautiful!" and she clasped her hands tightly together.
"Well, I think we"d best get to work," said Jasper, bursting into a laugh.
"Come on, Polly, let"s set about it."
"I think so, too," said Polly, coming out of her rapture. Thereupon ensued such a busy time!--especially as old Turner and two of his under-gardeners came up for directions, and Mr. King went off with them. So for the next hour Polly seemed to be on wings, here, there, and everywhere, and breathing only the sweet fragrance of the flowers.
"How Phronsie would enjoy it--the fixing and all!" she mourned, in the midst of it, as the transforming of the flower-tables into veritable bowers of beauty went on.
"But you know she had to take a long nap, else she would be all tired out.
And the afternoon is going to be a long one, Polly."
"Oh, I know," said Polly, flying on with her work faster than ever, "and Mamsie was right to make her go to sleep."
"Mrs. Fisher is always right," said Jasper decidedly, "ever and always."
"Isn"t she!" cried Polly, in a glow. "Well, Jasper, do you think that smilax ought to be trained up there?" She twisted her head to view the effect, and looked up at him anxiously.
"Yes--no," said Jasper critically; "I don"t believe I"d put it there. It looks too much, Polly; there are so many vines about."
"So it does," said Polly, in great relief. "Heigh-ho! when one is working over any thing it looks so different, doesn"t it?"
"I should say so," cried Jasper. "Oh, Polly, it can"t ever in all this world be twelve o"clock."
"It can"t!" exclaimed Polly, in dismay. But there was one of the white-capped maids coming across the lawn, with the summons to go in to luncheon, which was to be served at an earlier hour than usual.
And after that, no one had more than a moment in which to think, for at three o"clock the garden party was to open, and the fair to be in full progress.
Long before that time, the avenues and streets leading out to the Horatio King estate were thronged with children of all ages and sizes; most of them with their nurse-maids, all bound to the scene of the garden party, their small purses dangling by chains from their arms, or carried carefully in their hands. For wasn"t this to help poor children who didn"t have any pleasant homes, but lived in stuffy tenement houses, to go out into the broad, beautiful country, where they could race in the fields and play with the chickens, and pick all the flowers they wanted to? And so, ever since the announcement had been made that such a fund was to be raised, there had been much h.o.a.rding of pennies, and no slight self-denial on the part of the younger element, who would naturally be drawn into the plan.
All the society people were to drive up later; and until the early evening hours it was to be the function of the town, which every one was anxious to attend. But everybody in Mr. King"s household was to be ready to receive, exactly at three o"clock.
Phronsie was in the highest of spirits, having Grandpapa"s hand to cling to, trying to welcome all the guests, and keeping one eye out to see that Rachel was enjoying herself, attired in a pretty, pink cambric gown, her black hair--which now seemed, oh, so soft and pretty!--tied back with little pink bows. And Rachel"s eyes--well, there! no one would ever have suspected that they had only been accustomed to the squalor of Gran"s apartment, and Gran herself, but one short week ago. They now looked on the world in general, and this fair scene in particular, with all the nonchalance of one born and brought up in the midst of such conditions as could bring about a state of affairs like the present that surrounded her.
And many asked, "Who is that child?" for it was clearly seen that she wasn"t of the set that was thronging the grounds.