Polly undertook to do this.
"Van--Van!" she cried, running out into the hall to lay a shaking hand on his arm, where he lay on the floor. "Joel sent me to say that he is all right."
"Polly, I"ve killed him!" Van thrust his head up suddenly and looked at her, with wild eyes. "I have--don"t speak to me, or look at me. I"ve killed Joel!"
"Take off this dreadful thing," said Polly with a shiver, and kneeling down, she seized the strings that tied the mask. "O dear! it"s all in a knot. Wait, I"ll get the scissors," and she found her feet, and ran off to her room.
"Now you are all right;" he gave a little sob as the mask tumbled off.
"Oh! how could you?" she wanted to say, but Van"s distress was too dreadful for anything but comfort.
"Don"t you see," said Polly, sitting down on the floor and cuddling up his head in her lap, "that Joel is really all right now? Suppose we hadn"t a Father Fisher who was a doctor, what should we do then?" and she even managed a faint laugh.
"O dear! but I"ve killed Joel." Van covered his face with the folds of her flannel dress and wailed on.
"Now, just see here, Van Whitney," said Polly, with the air of authority, "I tell you that Joel is all right now. Don"t you say that again--not once more, Vanny."
"But I have ki--I mean I saw Thomas shoot, and I couldn"t stop him,"
and Van writhed fearfully, ending with a scream "I"ve ki"--but Polly, clapping her hand over his mouth, kept the words back.
Meanwhile Percy had rushed out of the house.
"Oh!" cried Polly, when this new alarm sprang up, and everybody was running hither and thither to comfort him by the a.s.surance that Joel was not much hurt, "do, Uncle Mason and Jasper, let me go with you."
"No, no, you stay here, Polly," cried Jasper, throwing wide the heavy front door. "Brother Mason and I will find him. Don"t worry, Polly."
"I know I could help," said Polly, hanging over the stair-railing. "Oh!
do let me," she begged.
"No, no, child," said Mr. Whitney, quickly. "Stay where you are, and take care of the others. Now, then, Jasper, is Jencks ready with the lantern?"
"All right," said Jasper. "Come on."
Polly, longing to fly to the window to watch, at least, the lantern"s twinkling light across the lawn, hurried off to comfort Aunt Whitney, who at this new stage in the affairs, was walking her room, biting her lips to keep from screaming the terror that clutched at her heart.
"Oh, Polly!" she cried, "I"m so glad you"ve come. I should die if left alone here much longer;" her soft hair floated down the white robe, and the blue eyes were filled with tears. "Do tell me, don"t you think they will find Percy?"
"Yes, indeed!" declared Polly, cuddling up to the little woman. "Oh, Auntie! remember when d.i.c.ky"s leg was broken."
"But this is much worse," said Mrs. Whitney, sobbing, and holding close to Polly"s warm hand.
"But we thought he was dead," and Polly gave a little shiver.
"Don"t--don"t," begged Mrs. Whitney, clasping her hands; "Oh, Polly!
don"t."
"But he wasn"t, you see, Auntie," Polly hurried on, "and so now you know it will come out all right about Per--There! Oh! they"ve found him!" as a shout from the lawn rang out.
"Do you suppose it, Polly?" cried Mrs. Whitney, breathlessly. "Oh! do run to the window and see!"
So Polly ran to the window in the next room that overlooked that part of the lawn where Mr. Whitney and Jasper were searching, and strained her gaze up and down, and in every direction.
"Have they? oh! have they?" cried Mrs. Whitney. "Oh, Polly! do tell me."
"I don"t see any of them," said Polly, listening eagerly for another cry, "but I do believe they"ve found him."
"Do come back," implored Mrs. Whitney; "there, now, don"t go again, Polly," as Polly hurried to her side, "but just hold my hand."
"I will," said Polly, "just as tight as I can, Auntie."
"Oh--oh! Percy is so much worse off than Joel," wailed Mrs. Whitney.
"Oh! to do such a thing, Polly!" she groaned.
"They only meant it in fun," said Polly, swallowing hard the lump in her throat, "don"t let us talk about it, Auntie."
"And Van," cried Mrs. Whitney, running on. "Oh! my poor, poor boys.
Will your mother ever forgive me, Polly?"
"Oh, Auntie! don"t talk so," said Polly tenderly; "and we both ought to be out helping. There"s Van, Auntie; just think how he feels."
"I can"t go near him," cried Mrs. Whitney in distress, "as long as he is in Joel"s room, for I can see your mother"s eyes, Polly. It would kill me to have her look at me."
The door opened at this, and the trail of a long silken wrapper was heard on the floor.
"Mrs. Chatterton," said Mrs. Whitney, raising her head and looking at the new-comer with as much anger as her gentle face could contain, "I really cannot see you in my room to-night. Excuse me, but I am unstrung by all that has occurred. Will you please not come in"--
"I thought I might sit with you," said Mrs. Chatterton. In the brief interval since the arousing of the household, she had contrived to make a perfect breakfast toilet, and she folded her hands over her handsome gown. "Polly might then be with her mother. But if you don"t wish me to remain, I will go."
"I do not need you," said Mrs. Whitney, decidedly, and she turned to Polly again.
Mrs. Chatterton moved away, and closed the door after her.
"Auntie," said Polly, "she really wants to help you."
"Polly, you needn"t say anything about it," exclaimed Mrs. Whitney, like many other gentle creatures, when roused, becoming unreasonably prejudiced; "I cannot bear the sight of that woman. She has been here so long, and is so intensely disagreeable to us all."
Polly"s eyes became very round, and she held her breath in astonishment.
"Don"t look so, child," said Mrs. Whitney at length, "you don"t understand, my dear. But you would if you were in my place"--
"She"s sorry for it," said Polly, finding her tongue at last.
"And father is nearly worn out with her," continued Mrs. Whitney. "And now to come parading her attentions upon me, it"--
"Who--who?" d.i.c.ky, now that the excitement in Joel"s room had died down, had lost his relish for it, and he now pranced into Mrs.
Whitney"s room. "Who, mamma?"
"Mrs. Chatterton," said Mrs. Whitney unguardedly. "She has disagreeably intruded herself upon me."