The child"s eyes danced with delight. "Oh, shall I? Aunt Beulah never would get me the pretty things I wanted, to look like other girls, you know, or let my dresses be trimmed with ruffles and lace like theirs. I used to think it would be dreadful to have a step-mother, but now I"m sure it isn"t always."
Violet smiled. "I hope we shall love each other very much, and be very happy together, Lulu," she said. "Now tell me which dress you want to wear this evening."
"This white muslin," said the little girl, lifting it and shaking out the folds. "I believe it"s the best I have, but you see it has only two ruffles and not a bit of lace. And this sash she bought for me to wear with it is narrow and not at all thick and handsome."
"No, it is not fit for Capt. Raymond"s daughter to wear!" Vi exclaimed a little indignantly, taking the ribbon between her thumb and finger. "But I can provide you with a better, and you may cut this up for your doll."
"Oh, thank you!" cried Lulu, her eyes sparkling. "Step-mothers are nice after all."
"But Lulu, dear," Elsie said, standing beside the little girl, and caressing her hair with her soft white hand, "that is not a pretty or pleasant name to my ear; especially when applied to so young and dear a lady as this daughter of mine," looking tenderly into Vi"s fair face. "Try to think of her as one who dearly loves and is dearly loved by your father, and ready to love his children for his sake."
"Yes, and for their own too," Violet added, "just as I love my darling little sister Rosie. Now, Lulu, I think you have no more than time to make your toilet. She will find everything needful in that room, will she, mamma?"
"Yes; water, soap and towels. Can you do everything for yourself, my child?"
"Yes, ma"am, except fastening my dress and sash."
"Then run in here or call to me when you are ready to have that done,"
said Violet.
Lulu was greatly pleased with her room. It had a set of cottage furniture, many pretty ornaments, an inviting-looking bed draped in white, and lace curtains to the windows; one of which gave her a fine view of the sea.
She made haste to wash and dress, thinking the while that their father"s marriage had brought a most delightful change to herself, brother and sister.
"What soft, sweet voices they all have in talking," she mused. "Grandma Rose, Grandma Elsie, and Mamma Vi. I"ll call her that, if she"ll let me, it"s a pretty name. I like it, and I believe I have given her a little place in my heart already."
Just then Agnes knocked at the door to ask if she wanted anything.
"Yes," Lulu said, admitting her, "I"m ready to put on my dress and would like you to b.u.t.ton it for me."
"An" put dese on fo" you too, Miss?" and Agnes held up to the child"s astonished and delighted eyes a set of pink coral, necklace, bracelets and pin, and a sash of broad, rich ribbon just matching in color.
"Oh," cried Lulu half breathlessly, "where did they come from?"
"Miss Wilet sent "em," returned Agnes, beginning her work; "an" she tole me to ax you to come in dar when I"se done fixin" ob you, an" let her see if eberyting"s right. Humph! "twon"t be, kase you oughter hab ribbon for yo" hair to match wid de sash."
CHAPTER XX.
GRANDMA ELSIE AND MAMMA VI.
Violet"s toilet was finished. She wore a white silk trimmed with a great deal of very rich lace, white flowers in her hair and at her throat, and looked very bridelike and beautiful.
So Lulu thought as she came dancing in, full of joyous excitement over her own unusual adornment. Catching sight of Violet standing in front of her toilet-table turning over a box of ribbons, "Oh, how beautiful you are!"
she cried, "and how very kind to let me wear these," glancing down at the ornaments on her own person.
"Let you wear them, dear child! I have given them to you for your own, and am looking now for ribbon for your hair to match the sash. I had forgotten it. Ah, here is just the thing!"
"Given me these lovely, lovely bracelets and necklace! and this handsome sash too!" cried Lulu in wide-eyed astonishment. "Oh, you are just too, too good to me! May I kiss you? and may I call you Mamma Vi now?"
"Yes, indeed, if you can give me a little place in your heart," Violet answered, taking the little girl in her arms.
"Oh, a great big place!" cried Lulu, returning Vi"s caresses with ardor.
"Mamma Vi! it"s a very pretty name, and you are my own sweet, pretty new mamma! A great deal nicer than if you were old enough to be my real mother."
"Ah, Lulu, it makes me very happy to hear all that!" said her father"s voice behind her, and she felt his hand laid affectionately upon her head.
She turned round quickly. "Ah, papa! how nice you look too! How is Gracie?"
"I left her sleeping comfortably a half hour ago, and have been making my toilet in another room. Ah, my love!" gazing at Violet with proud, fondly-admiring eyes, "how very lovely you are!"
"In my husband"s partial eyes," she returned, looking up at him with a bright, sweet smile.
"In Lulu"s, too, judging from what I heard her say just now," he said, turning his eyes upon his daughter again. "Ah, how you have improved her appearance!"
"Yes, papa, only see these lovely things she--Mamma Vi has given me!"
cried Lulu, displaying her ornaments.
"A most generous gift," he said, examining the jewelry. "These coral ornaments are costly, Lulu, and you must be careful of them. Mamma Vi! Is that the name you have chosen for yourself, my love?" he asked, again turning to his bride.
"Yes, if you approve, Levis?"
"I like it!" he returned emphatically.
"And the other ladies," remarked Lulu, "say I am to call them Grandma Rose and Grandma Elsie. And the gentleman told me and Max to call him grandpa."
"May I come in?" asked Max at the door, which stood wide open.
"Yes," his father and Violet both answered.
"Oh!" he cried, gazing at Violet in undisguised admiration, "how lovely, how splendid you look! What shall I call you?--you said, you know, and of course anybody can see it, that you"re not old enough to be my mother."
"No," she said, with a look of amus.e.m.e.nt and pleasure, "so you may use the name Lulu and Gracie will call me--Mamma Vi."
"Miss Wilet," said Agnes, appearing at the door, "dey says dey"s waitin"
suppah fo" you and de captain."
"Ah, then we must not linger here! Lulu dear, let Agnes tie this ribbon on your hair. She can do it more tastefully than I. Max, I see you are dressed for the evening."
"Yes, Mamma Vi, your brother Herbert showed me my room--a very nice one in the story over this--and had my trunk carried up. Am I all right?"
"You"ll do very well," his father said laughingly, but with a gleam of fatherly pride in his eye. "Give your arm to your sister and we will go down--if you are ready, little wife."
The last words were spoken in a fond whisper, close to Violet"s ear, as he drew her hand within his arm, and were answered by a bright, sweet smile as she lifted her azure eyes to his.
The two cottages stood but a few feet apart, with no fence or wall of separation between, and were connected by a covered way; so that it was very much as if they were but one house.