Happening to meet one of the girls at an hour between tea and dinner, she inquired at what time their father dined.
"We all dine at half-past seven," replied Hollyhock.
"You _all_ dine at half-past seven? How old are you, Jacqueline?"
"Nearly thirteen, Auntie Agnes," replied the girl, tossing her black mane of lovely, thick hair.
"And do you mean to tell me that little Dorothy, who cannot be more than eight or nine years old, takes her last heavy meal at half-past seven in the evening? Such folly is really past believing."
"Auntie, you must believe it, for wee Delphy always dines with the rest of us. And why shouldn"t she?"
"Now, my dear child, as to your father"s strange conduct, it is not my place to speak of it before his unhappy and ill-bred child, but I have one request to make. It is this--that you do not again in my presence call your sister by that sickening name."
"But, auntie, _we_ think it a very lovely name. We like our flower names so much. Auntie, I do wish that you"d go. We were so happy without you, auntie. Do go and leave us in peace."
"You certainly are the most impertinent little girl I ever met in my life; but times, thank the good G.o.d, are changing."
"Are they? How, may I ask?" inquired Hollyhock.
"That I am not going to tell you quite yet, but changing they are."
"And I say they are _not_," repeated Hollyhock with great zeal.
"Oh! what a bad, wicked little girl you are! What an awful trial to my poor brother-in-law!"
"And I say I "m not. I say that I "m the joy of his life, the poor dear! Auntie, you "d best not try me too far."
"May G.o.d grant me patience," muttered Miss Delacour under her breath.
She went upstairs to the room where her sister had not died, and made up her mind that as, of course, this wild family would not know anything whatsoever of dressing for dinner, she need not trouble to change her clothes. That being the case, she need not ring for the objectionable young person called Magsie. "Such a name for a maid!"
thought Miss Delacour. "I"ll just wear my old brown dress; it will save the dresses which I have to keep for proper occasions in London.
Dear, dear, what an _awful_ house this is!"
She sank into a chair, saying to herself how much, how very much, Mrs Macintyre would have to thank her for by-and-by! She looked at the watch she wore in a leather wristlet, and decided that she might rest for at least a quarter of an hour. She was really tired as well as appalled at the state of things at The Garden. Presently, however, seated in her easy-chair--and a very easy and comfortable chair it was--she observed that all her trunks had been unpacked; not only unpacked, but removed bodily from the large apartment. She felt a sense of anger. That girl, Magsie, had taken a liberty in unpacking her trunks. She should not have done so without asking permission. It is true that she herself had left the keys of the said trunks on her dressing-table, for most maids did unpack for her, but that was no excuse for such a creature as Magsie.
Just then there came a tap at her door. She was beginning to feel drowsy and comfortable, and said, in a cross voice, for she preened herself on her French, "_Entrez!_"
Magsie had never heard "_Entrez_" before, but concluded that it was the strange woman"s way of saying, "Come in." She accordingly entered, carrying a large bra.s.s can of boiling water.
"It has come to the bile, miss," remarked Magsie, as she entered the room, "but ye can cool it down wi" cold water."
"Thank you. You can leave it," said Miss Delacour.
"What dress would ye be likin" to array yerself in?" asked Magsie.
"I"m not going to dress for dinner."
"Not goin" to dress for dinner! But the master, he dresses like most people i" the evenin", and the young leddies and gentlemen and Mrs Constable, they sit down at the table--ah, weel! as them as is accustomed to respec" their station in life. I was thinkin", miss, that your purple gown, which I have put away in the big cupboard, might do for to-night. Ye "re a well-formed woman, miss--out in the back, out in the front--and I jalouse all your bones are covered. It "ll look queer your not dressin"--more particular when every one else does."
"I never heard of anything quite so ridiculous," said Miss Delacour; "but as those silly children are going to dress, I suppose I had better put on the gown which I call my thistle gown. The thistle is the emblem of Scotland. I suppose you know that, Margaret?"
"No me," said Margaret. "It"s an ugly, p.r.i.c.kly thing, is a thistle."
"Well, you have learnt something from me to-night. You ought to be very glad when I instruct you, Margaret."
"I "d rather be called Magsie," returned Margaret.
"I intend to call you just what I please."
"Very weel, miss; but may I make bold to ask which _is_ the thistle gown?"
"It is a rich, white silk, patterned over with thistles of the natural colour of the emblem of Scotland. Open the wardrobe and I shall show it to you. But you took a liberty when you unpacked my clothes without asking my permission, Margaret."
"Leeberty--did I? I thocht ye"d be pleased, bein" an auld leddy, no less; but catch me doin" it again. Ay, but this thistle gown is gran", to be sure."
"Can you dress hair?" inquired Miss Delacour.
"Naething special," was Magsie"s answer. "Is it a wig ye wear or no?
It looks gey unnatural, sae I tak" it to be a wig; but if it"s yer ain hair, I beg yer humble pardon. There"s nae harm dune in makin" the remark."
"You are a very impertinent girl; but as my dress happens to fasten behind, and the people in this house are all foolish, I suppose I had better get you to help me. No, my hair is my own. You must make it look as well as you can. Do you understand back-combing?"
"Lawk a mercy, ma"am! I never heard tell o" such a thing; and speakin"
o" my master and his family as fules is beyond a". However, Miss Jasmine, the darlin", she comes to me and she says in her coaxin" way, "Mak" the auld leddy comfy, Magsie;" and I "d risk mony a danger to please Miss Jasmine."
"There isn"t any Miss Jasmine. Her name is Lucy."
"Ah, weel, ma"am, ca" the bonnie la.s.s what ye like. Now stand up and let me at ye. That"s the gown. My word! thae thistles are fine.
Hoots! ye needna mind wearin" that gown, auld as ye be. The thistle "ll do its part."
"I do wish, girl, you"d atop talking," said Miss Delacour, and Magsie of the black hair and black eyes and glowing complexion glanced at her new mistress and thought it prudent to obey.
She did manage to arrange Miss Delacour"s hair "brawly," as she called it, for, as it proved, she had a real talent for hairdressing, and the good lady inwardly resolved to train this ignorant Margaret for the school.
She went downstairs presently in her thistle dress. The five little girls were clad very simply all in white. The five boys wore Eton jackets, and looked what they were, most gentlemanly young fellows.
Mrs Constable, in a pale shade of gray, was altogether charming; and nothing could excel the courteous manners of George Lennox.
Every one was inclined to be kind to the stranger, and as it was the stranger"s intention to make a good impression on account of her scheme, she led the conversation at dinner, ignoring the ten children, and devoting herself to her brother-in-law and Mrs Constable.
When Miss Delacour was not present there were always wild games, not to say romps, after dinner, but she seemed in some extraordinary way to put an extinguisher on the candle of their fun. So deeply was this manifest that Mrs Constable went back to The Paddock with her five boys shortly after dinner; and Mr Lennox, seeing that he must make the best of things, gave a hint to Jasmine that they had better leave him alone with their mother"s half-sister.
The boys had groaned audibly at this ending of their evening"s fun.
Hollyhock looked defiant and even wicked; but when daddy whispered to her, "The sooner she lets out her scheme, the sooner I can get rid of her," the little girls ran upstairs hand-in-hand, all of them singing at the top of their voices:
And fare thee weel, my only Luve, And fare thee weel a while!
And I will come again, my Luve, Tho" it were ten thousand mile."