"Ah, but," said Phronsie, slowly shaking her head, "I didn"t want to give them away before; only just now, Grandpapa, and I think they will be happy. And now I"m going to take this newest one to bed, just as I used to take things to bed years ago, when I was a little girl."
And after all, there was an extension of time for the three boys"
vacation, Dr. Marks not getting up from his sudden attack of fever as quickly as was expected. But there came a day at last, when Percy, Van and David bade Joel "good-by."
"It won"t be for long," observed that individual cheerfully, "you"ll be back in three weeks."
"O dear!" groaned Percy when safe within the coach, "we"ve ruined all his chances. He certainly will be plucked now--with those three weeks to make up."
Van gathered himself up and leaned forward in his corner.
"Don"t look so, Dave," he cried desperately.
David tried to smooth the troubled lines out of his face, but only succeeded in making it look worse than before.
"And it will kill Mrs. Fisher," Percy continued gloomily, "if he does get plucked, as of course he will."
"Keep still, will you?" cried Van, his irritation getting beyond bounds. "What"s the use of talking about a thing till it"s done," which had the effect to make Percy remember his promise to Polly and close his mouth.
But Joel"s wound healed quicker than any one supposed it possibly could, and Percy and Van, who both hated to write letters, gave up much time on the playground to indite daily bulletins, so that he declared that it was almost as good as being there on the spot. And Mother Fisher and her army of servants cleaned the great stone house from top to bottom, and sorted, and packed away, and made things tidy for the new housekeeper who was to care for them in her absence, till Dr.
Fisher raised his eyebrows and hands in astonishment.
"I really must," he said one day, "put in a remonstrance, wife, or you"ll kill yourself before we start."
"Oh! I"m used to working," Mrs. Fisher would say cheerily, and then off she would fly to something so much worse that the little doctor was speechless.
And Polly set herself at all her studies, especially French, with redoubled vigor, notwithstanding that she was hampered with the faithful attentions of the schoolgirls who fought among themselves for her company, and showered her with pathetic "O--dear--me--ow--I--shall--miss--you," and with tears when they got over it. And Jasper buried himself in his den, only bursting forth at meal times, and Mrs. Whitney bemoaned all preparations for the travelers" departure, and wished a thousand times that she had not given her promise to keep the house and look after the boys. And everybody who had the slightest claim to a calling acquaintance, now dropped in upon the Kings, and Polly had her "good-by party," and it was p.r.o.nounced perfectly elegant by Alexia and her set, and the three boys came home for the long vacation--and in two days the party would sail.
"Who do you think is going abroad with us?" asked Mr. King suddenly, as they all sat in the library for a last evening talk; "guess quickly."
"Who?" cried several voices.
"Why, I thought you didn"t want any outsiders, father," exclaimed Jasper in surprise.
"Well, and I didn"t when I said so, but circ.u.mstances are changed now--come, guess quickly, some one?"
"The Cabots," said Jasper at a venture.
"No, no; guess again."
"Mr. Alstyne?"
"No; again."
"The Bayleys, the Dyces, the Herrings," shouted Mr. Whitney and Van and Joel.
"No, I know," broke in Percy, "it"s Mrs. Chatterton," with a quick glance to make sure that she was not in the room.
"NO!" thundered Mr. King. "Oh! how stupid people can be when they want to. Two persons are to meet us in New York to-morrow. I didn"t tell you till I was sure; I had no desire that you should be disappointed. Now guess again."
"Auntie, do you know?" asked Polly suddenly, leaning back, as she sat on the rug in front of the fire, to lay her head in Mrs. Whitney"s lap.
"No, I"m sure I don"t," said Mrs. Whitney, stroking lightly the brown hair, with a pang to think how long it would be before she should caress it again.
"How any one can desire to cross the ocean," remarked Mr. Whitney, folding his hands back of his head and regarding meditatively the glowing fire, "is more than I can see. That I never shall do it again unless whipped over, I"m morally certain."
"Are the persons men?" asked Ben suddenly.
"One is," replied Mr. King.
"And the other is a woman?"
"The other is a woman," said Mr. King. "Well, what are their names?
Isn"t anybody smart enough to guess them? Dear me, I"ve always said that the Peppers were remarkably bright, and the rest of you children are not behind other young people. Go on, try again. Now who are they?"
Polly took her head out of Mrs. Whitney"s lap, and rested her chin in her hands, Davie walked up and down the room, while Ben and the two Whitney boys hung over Mother Fisher"s chair.
"Dear me!" fumed Joel. "Who ever could guess. There"s such a lot or people in the world that Grandpapa knows. It might be any two of them that he had asked."
Little Dr. Fisher"s eyes roved from one to the other of the group. "I couldn"t begin to guess because I don"t know many of your friends," he said quietly.
"You know these two people very well," said Mr. King, laughing, to see the little man"s face.
"Now I think I know," said Jasper slowly, a light coming into his gray eyes, "but I don"t suppose it"s fair to guess, for I saw the address on a letter father was writing two or three weeks ago."
"You did, you young scamp, you!" cried Mr. King, turning on him. "Well, then, "tisn"t a guess for you, Jasper. Keep still, my boy, and let them work away at it. Will no one guess?"
"Mamsie," cried Polly, bounding up from the ring, nearly upsetting Phronsie, who was sitting beside her in a brown study, "can it be--do you suppose it is nice, dear Mr. and Mrs. Henderson?"
"Well, Polly," said Mr. King, beaming at her, "you"ve done what the others couldn"t. Yes, it is Mr. and Mrs. Henderson, and they are going with us to stay until the autumn."
"Good, good!" cried every one till the big room seemed full of joy.
"Oh, father!" exclaimed Mrs. Whitney, "I"m so glad you"ve done this.
They were so kind to d.i.c.ky and to me when he was hurt."
"They were kind to d.i.c.ky and to you," said her father; "and besides, Marian, Mr. Henderson is a man who doesn"t preach at you only once a week, and Mrs. Henderson is a fine woman. So it"s a pity not to ease up things for them now and then. Well, how do you like the plan?" He spoke to Dr. Fisher, but his gaze took them all in.
"Immensely," said the little doctor; which being again echoed heartily by all the rest, old Mr. King began to feel very much elated at his part in the proceedings, and in a quarter of an hour it seemed as if the expedition had been especially planned for the benefit of the Hendersons, so naturally had it all come about.
And on the morrow, the whole family, Kings, Whitneys, Fishers and Peppers, turned their backs on the gray stone mansion and went down to the city.
And Alexia Rhys persuaded her aunt to do her semi-annual shopping at this time, and to take her too; and Mr. Alstyne also had business that necessitated his going, and Mr. Cabot and Mary Taylor, and her father found they must go along too; and Hamilton Dyce was there, and Pickering Dodge, of course, went to be company for Ben on the way back.
And at the last moment who should jump on the train but Livingston Bayley.
"Had a telegram," he explained; "must be there at noon. So glad of the unexpected pleasure of meeting you all."
And Cousin Eunice Chatterton went; for, at the last minute, she had suddenly discovered that she had visited at the gray stone mansion as long as she cared to, and notified the family accordingly. And Mr. King had so far made up for his part in the late unpleasantness as to ask her to go with the party, on her way to her nephew"s in the city. So there she was with the others, bidding them good-by on the steamer.
"Phronsie," she said slowly, under cover of the babel of tongues, "you are a good child, and I"ve done well by you. This little bit of paper,"