putting it into her hands, "contains a message to Mr. King, which you are to give him after you have started."
"I will go and give it to him now," said Phronsie, her fingers closing over the bit.
"No, no," said Mrs. Chatterton sharply, "do as I say. Remember, on no account to let any one see it till after you have started. You are a good child, Phronsie. Now, remember to do as you are bidden. And now, will you kiss me, child?"
Phronsie lifted her eyes and fixed them on the long, white face, and suddenly raising herself on her tiptoes, she put up her lips.
"Look at Phron," cried Joel in the midst of the group, "actually kissing Mrs. Chatterton!" and everybody turned and stared.
Cousin Eunice dropped her veil with a quick hand, and moved off with a stately step, but not in time to lose young Bayley"s drawl:
""Pon me word--it"s the most extraordinary thing. Phronsie, come here, and tell us what "twas like." But Phronsie stood quite still as if she had not heard.
"Yes, I hope you"ll have a nice time," Pickering Dodge was saying for the dozenth time, with eyes for no one but Polly, "now don"t stay away for a year."
Polly with her heart full of the boys, who were hanging on either side, answered at random.
"Oh, Ben! I can"t go," she was exclaiming, and she hid her head on his shoulder, so Pickering turned off.
But Joel set his teeth together. "You must," he said, for Ben was beyond speech with the effort to control himself.
"I can"t," said poor Polly, "leave you, Ben, and the boys."
And then Mrs. Whitney came up just as Polly was near breaking down.
"My dear child," she said, taking Polly"s hands, "you know it is right for you to go."
"Yes, I know," said Polly, fighting her tears.
"Then, Polly, be brave, dear, and don"t begrudge me my three new boys,"
she added playfully. "Just think how happy I"m to be, with six such splendid fellows to call my own."
Polly smiled through her tears.
"And one thing more," said Mrs. Whitney in a low voice, "when you feel badly," looking steadily at Polly and the three boys, "remember what Dr. Fisher said; that if your mother didn"t stop working, and rest, she would break down."
"I"ll remember," said Ben hoa.r.s.ely.
"So will I," said David.
"And I will," said Joel, looking everywhere but into Polly"s eyes.
"Well, I hope, Miss Polly," said young Mr. Bayley, sauntering up, "that you"ll have an uncommonly nice time, I do indeed. I may run across in September; if I do, we shall probably meet."
"Miss Mary Pepper?" suddenly asked a man with a huge basket of flowers, and pausing in front of her.
Young Mr. Bayley smiled indulgently as he could not help reading the card thrust into the flowers. "She will receive my flowers at intervals all the way over, if the steward doesn"t fail me," he reflected with satisfaction, "while this boy"s will fade in an hour."
"Miss Mary Pepper?" the florist"s messenger repeated, extending the basket to Polly.
"It"s for you, Miss Polly," said young Mr. Bayley. "Let me relieve you," taking the basket.
"Oh! are they for me?" cried Polly.
"I believe you are Miss Mary Pepper," said young Bayley. "Pretty, aren"t they?" fingering the roses, and glad to think that there were orchids among the flowers to which his card was attached, and just placed under the steward"s care.
"I suppose I am," said Polly, with a little laugh, "but it seems as if I couldn"t be anything but Polly Pepper. Oh! thank you, Pickering, for these lovely roses," catching sight of him.
"Glad you like them," said Pickering radiantly. "Say, Polly, don"t stay away a whole year, will you?"
Young Mr. Bayley set the basket in his hand and turned on his heel with a smile.
"Come, Polly, I want you," cried Alexia, trying to draw her off. "You know she"s my very best friend, Pickering, and I haven"t had a chance to say one word to her this morning. Come, Polly."
"Polly, come here," called Mrs. Fisher.
"O dear!" cried Alexia impatiently, "now that"s just the way it always is. It"s Polly here, and Polly there," as Polly deserted her and ran off with her basket of roses.
"You don"t do any of the calling, of course," said Pickering, with a laugh.
"Well, I"ll have her to myself," declared Alexia savagely, "before it"s time for us to get off the steamer, see if I don"t."
"I don"t believe it," said Pickering. "Look at her now in a maelstrom of relatives. You and I, Alexia, are left out."
And the next thing Alexia knew somebody unceremoniously helped her from the steamer with a "Beg pardon, Miss, but you must get off," and she was standing on the wharf in a crowd of people, looking in a dazed way at Polly Pepper"s fluttering handkerchief, while fast-increasing little ripples of greenish water lay between them.
And Phronsie was running up to Mr. King:
"Here, Grandpapa, Mrs. Chatterton wanted me to give you this,"
unclasping her warm little palm where the bit of white paper lay. "The d.i.c.kens she did," exclaimed the old gentleman; "so she has had a last word with you, has she? Well, she won"t get another for a long spell; so never mind. Now, let"s see what Cousin Eunice says. Something interesting, no doubt." He spread the crumpled bit straight and read, Phronsie standing quite still by his side:
COUSIN HORATIO: I have made Phronsie Pepper my sole heir. You may like it or not, as you please. The thing is done, and may G.o.d bless Phronsie.
EUNICE CHATTERTON.