Quick as a flash, therefore, George and the dish disappeared up the back stairway followed by his four devoted friends.
Safely harbored in the large attic room, the hungry children sat and ate the delicious cakes, till but two-the very smallest and scorched ones-remained on the plate for the two ladies.
"They"ll want some with their tea," suggested Martha generously, picking a large piece of walnut from the one she determined for her mother.
"But they are not fond of sweets like we are," hinted Anne, wistfully smacking her lips.
"We"ve each had four-all but Jim; he had that broken half and three!"
declared John manfully.
"And we must not overeat cakes-there will be bread and jam with tea, you know," cautioned George.
"Set the dish outside the door and that will end the thing!" said Anne sensibly, as she picked up the plate and did as she suggested.
The door was closed and locked to insure safety to the two cakes, in case any one of the five friends felt like venturing forth and taking a look at them.
"Here"s the chest of clothes," now called Martha, lifting the lid to display the strange-fashioned garments.
"Try on the flowered silk-and the powdered wig," cried Anne eagerly, as she lifted the articles from the folds of paper.
While the girls dressed in the quaint garments, the two boys, George and Jack, arrayed themselves in clothes worn at the time of the Civil War.
John and Jim a.s.sisted enthusiastically and the laughter sounding from the attic drew the attention of old mammy the nurse, as she was pa.s.sing down the second-floor hallway. She smiled and looked up the stairway, wondering what the youngsters were doing to make such a noise.
"Ah rickon Ah"ll jes" creep up an" see ef der all right," murmured mammy, dropping her mending on a chair and going up.
Outside the room door she spied the dish with the two small cakes in it.
She picked this up with a surprised expression on her face, for she knew her daughter had baked delicious cakes for tea.
"Ah wonner! Rickon Ah"ll tek dis right down in de kitchen an" fin" out ef them cakes is all safe an" soun" befoh Ah do anudder thing."
Old mammy followed her own suggestion, and the cook was shocked.
"What! Dem fine cakes gone an" nuttin for tea-an" dat fine comp"ny heah, too!"
"Now, Ah"m tellin" yoh! Jes" fix dem rapscalions fo" onct! Tek dat ice cream yo fixed foh dinnah an" serve it fer affernoon tea "stead uv dose cakes. Tell Missus Parke why an" den leave nuff ice cream fer de grown-ups fer dinner to-night!" advised old mammy.
The cook pondered this suggestion, and as a smile gradually spread over her wide face, she clapped her hands on the table.
"Jus" what Ah"ll do. You jus" wait an" see!"
"Now, don" go an" deprive dem chilluns uv nuff to eat-Ah means some goodies," warned old mammy.
"See heah, mammy! Dis end uv de wuk am mine-an" yoh"s is takin" care uv de baby. Dem little limbs ain" goin" t" eat up all de fancy eatin"s Ah bake, an" mek de missus b"live Ah forgot t" prepare fer her comp"ny!"
So old mammy ascended the kitchen stairs again, fearing she had made a great mistake by warning her daughter in time that the cakes were gone and there was nothing for tea! As she shook her gray head over the conflicts between the cook and the children, she reached the second floor where the mending had been left.
A voice calling from the library changed her current of despondency, and she leaned over the bal.u.s.trade to reply.
"Ah hear"n dem chilluns up in de attick, Mis Parke. Shall Ah tell "em yoh wants "em?"
"Oh, please, mammy! And see if they are all dressed and ready for tea. I wish to ring for the tray," replied Mrs. Parke.
Mammy climbed the stairs once more and opened the door of the room whence sounds of merriment came. She stood in the doorway, taking in at a glance the extraordinary scene that met her eyes.
John was robed in a long black cloth draped over his shoulders. He had on a maid"s white bib and shoulder straps cut from an old ap.r.o.n. The black material was the remnant of a felt table cover, very popular a score of years before; but most of the wool embroidery had been eaten off by moths, so the gay colors could easily be hidden by the folds.
He stood by the window with the great book on "Life of George Washington" in his hands, reading aloud from it.
Right before him stood Jack Davis and Martha-one robed in old-fashioned clothes worn by Parke ancestors before the Civil War, and the other dressed in the lavender flowered Watteau silk gown of her great-great-grandmother.
George was "best man" in a black swallow-tail coat with velvet cuffs, collar and pocket lapels. The b.u.t.tons were gold-embroidered on black velvet. A high stock collar and a pot-shaped beaver hat gave him quite a Colonial appearance.
Jim took the left-overs, and to make the best of the a.s.sorted items, donned as many of them as he could keep on. The effect was very funny, and caused the princ.i.p.als in the scene to burst out in laughter every time they took notice of his raiment.
The rehearsal of the Washington wedding scene was taking place when old mammy quietly opened the door and stood watching.
"You didn"t come up right that time, Martha; try it again. And, Anne, don"t stumble over her dress when you carry the train!" ordered George, waving back the two girls to try again.
"How can I carry her train and drop flowers on the path at the same time? And if we"re to do it again, you"d better pick up the flowers,"
complained Anne.
"Here, Jim-Hercules, I mean! You"re the servant now and you must do the ch.o.r.es," ordered George, pointing to some faded artificial flowers sprinkled on the floor before the black-gowned minister.
Martha backed away, catching her satin high-heeled shoe in the very long Watteau pleats as she did so, and frantically catching at Anne to keep from falling.
"Now, then, begin again," said George, looking for Jack, the groom, to march slowly out from behind the high bookcase. As both bride and groom appeared, George played on a mouth-organ to delude the actors into a belief that it was a wedding-march.
Martha, with bowed head covered with a piece of heavy lace window-curtain, marched across the floor, and Anne followed, holding the train with one hand and scattering the stiff old hat-tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs with the other. Jim had to walk beside her and carry the basket.
Old mammy couldn"t contain herself-she chuckled at the sight, but quickly dodged out of the door the moment she realized that she would be discovered.
Sharp ears had heard the amused giggle, however, and Anne turned quickly to see who was at the door. As she did so, she stepped on Martha"s skirt, thus bringing the bride suddenly to a halt. Jim and Anne collided with Martha and the rehearsal almost ended disastrously for that day, as George was disgusted, and Jack threw himself on a near-by lounge to laugh.
But the lounge had both back legs broken off, unseen or unknown to the children, and when Jack"s weight came against the upholstered back, the whole piece toppled over backward, rolling the occupant over with it.
Jack yelled, George laughed, John dropped the heavy history book on his toe and cried, and the others stood in surprise waiting for Jack to crawl out from under the lounge and appear again, this time with cobwebs and dust covering him.
Old mammy ran in at the clamor and helped the groom to his feet. Then all stood and laughed at the outcome of the first rehearsal of the great Washington-Custis wedding.
"Yoh mama says to come t" tea! Mammy-cook baked some fine choklate cakes fer yo" all," said mammy seriously.
The wedding party exchanged looks with each other and it was seen that Jim appeared to be most uncomfortable. He looked back of him and then at his granny, then at his companions-in-disgrace, but they seemed not to feel the same dismay at a possible punishment such as Jim had reasons to antic.i.p.ate.
Old mammy helped the wedding party free itself of the many and entangling articles of dress, and then they all hurried down to tea, regardless of mammy"s pleading to wash and brush up.
In the library, both mothers were waiting and chatting when the juvenile party rushed in. They never entered a room-it was either a mad rush from the hallway or a stealthy entrance through a window.
"Why, children! Haven"t you been up in the bathroom washing and dressing after the journey, and preparing to come down to tea?" asked Mrs. Davis in surprise.