"You will be the best judge of what it is best to do about telling Mrs. Dobbs what I have written to you; perhaps it will be better to wait until you hear something more conclusive; but the suspense must be terrible for her to bear, and it may be some consolation for her to know there is some one interesting herself for her here.
"I will write just as soon as I hear from Mrs. Benson; and now, my darling, I really have not another moment to spare you.
"Your father sends his usual stock of love, and ever so many messages, which I could not remember if I tried; but they were all very affectionate and so complimentary, that perhaps it is just as well you should not hear them.
"Charlie is asleep, and Fred has not yet come in from baseball; so you must content yourself with a whole heart-full of love from your fond
"MAMMA."
"Now, Flo, was there ever such a darling mamma as mine? I do think she is just perfection,--going all over Boston, and East Boston too, and never saying she was tired, or anything of the sort. I don"t think there are many women that would do that; do you, Flo?"
"No, I don"t believe there are many like her; I think she is the loveliest woman I ever knew. But, Marion, I don"t see as you have found out much about poor Jemima after all."
"No, there is not much real, satisfactory information, that"s a fact; but I _feel_ just as if that girl was the right one, and I know mamma must feel pretty sure of it too, or she would have waited for the answer to that letter before she wrote me. I shall go up to auntie"s as soon as I can; but I"m afraid it won"t be before Sat.u.r.day, for you know to-morrow is English composition day, and next day French abstract, and I was so careless about mine last time that I really think I ought to lay myself out this week."
"Indeed you ought, Marion," exclaimed Florence; "it"s a shame that a girl who can write such compositions as you can, when you have a mind to, should hand in such a flat, silly thing as your last one was. I"m not complimentary, I know, but it"s the truth; you know yourself it was horrible."
"Yes, I know it was; and that is why I"m particularly anxious to have a good one this time; don"t you see?"
"But don"t you think you will be able to get up to Aunt Bettie"s before Sat.u.r.day?" asked Florence; "it seems hard to keep her in suspense."
"I really don"t see how I can find time, and then I"m in hopes that if I wait, by that time the answer to that woman"s letter will have come, and I shall hear something decisive from mamma."
"Well, I think after all perhaps it will be better for you to wait until then. But do you know it is after four o"clock, and the girls have all got through practising? We ought to go down and try our duet."
"Sure enough!" exclaimed Marion, springing up. "I don"t know my part at all; haven"t looked at the last two pages, and Mr. Stein comes to-morrow."
"Oh, you read music so quickly, that you"ll play your part better at sight than I shall after I"ve practised it a week. I wish I could read faster."
"Don"t wish it, Flo; it is very nice sometimes, but I don"t think people who read easily ever play readily without their notes. Now for you to know a piece once is to know it always, with or without your notes, while I have to fairly pound it into my head."
"There is more truth than poetry in that, I know," replied Florence, as the two went downstairs together, "for I have heard Aunt Sue complain of the same thing; nevertheless I wish I wasn"t so awfully slow."
But we will leave them to their music, and musical discussions, and hurry on with our story.
CHAPTER X.
MARION"S RIDE.
Marion had no other letter from her mother during the week, and she was so busy the whole time with her studies, music, etc., that it was not until Sat.u.r.day afternoon that she started on her errand.
The weather had been unusually cold, and the previous night there had been quite a heavy fall of snow, which, notwithstanding it was now only the middle of November, still remained on the ground, and the thick, gray sky gave promise that there was yet more to come; indeed before Marion was fairly ready the flakes began to make their appearance, and came lazily down, as if they did not all relish being called out so early.
But Marion did not mind wind or weather, and with her water-proof over her thick sack, the hood drawn up over her head, and her feet encased in rubbers, she set out for her long walk in the most excellent spirits.
Florence went to the door with her and urged her to take an umbrella, but Marion laughed at the idea, saying, "It was only a little flurry and would be over in a minute;" but before she had reached Aunt Bettie"s she wished she had taken Florence"s advice, for the snow came down thicker and faster, beating against her face, and almost blinding her, so that it was with great difficulty that she could see her way, and it was at least an hour before she arrived at the farm-house.
She went round to the back of the house, and without knocking lifted the latch of the door, and entered a sort of shed or unplastered room, which in summer was used as a kitchen, but which now served as a wood-shed.
"Aunt Bettie," cried Marion, "are you there?" and she stamped her feet, and shook her clothes to get rid of the snow which covered her from head to foot.
"For the goodness" sakes, who"s that?" exclaimed Aunt Bettie as she jumped up from her seat by the kitchen fire, where she had fallen asleep over her knitting, and hurried into the outer room.
"Why, it"s only me, auntie, to be sure," said Marion.
"Marion Berkley! well, did I ever! but ma.s.sy me," as she took hold of Marion"s water-proof, "you"re as wet as a drownded rat; I"d no idee it snowed so hard!"
"Oh, it"s only wet on the outside; _I"m_ not wet a bit;" and Marion took off her water-proof and hung it over a chair to dry, pulling off her rubbers and placing them on the floor beside it; "but why don"t you ask me what I came for, auntie?"
"Wall, child, to tell the truth, I was so s"prised to see yer that I didn"t think anything "bout what yer come for, and I aint going to ask nuther, "till you jist seat yourself in front o" that fire and toast them feet o" yourn. I never see sich a child! To think o" your startin"
out sich weather"s this to come and see me!"
"It didn"t snow much when I left school, and I hadn"t the least idea it would be such a storm; it"s so early, you know. Florence wanted me to bring an umbrella, but I wouldn"t; I never will carry one if I can help it."
"Wall, it is a reg"lar out-and-outer," exclaimed Aunt Bettie, as she stood peering through the window at the storm; "winter"s sot in airly this time, an" no mistake. I tell you what," as she came back to the fire and seated herself beside Marion, "if you"ve come for anything pertickler, I guess you better tell it right away, fur it won"t do fur you to stop long, it gathers so."
"Well, I did come for something particular, auntie, but you must not expect too much;" and Marion, who saw that Aunt Bettie was unusually excited, notwithstanding she tried to appear composed, laid her hand on her arm in a soothing, caressing way. "It is only a little bit of comfort for you, not any real hope, except that you will perhaps feel encouraged to know that you have friends in the city looking for your daughter, and although I do not know anything certain about her, I think mamma has got hold of some clue. But I"ll read you what she says; you know I promised to write her, and I did, and this is her answer."
Aunt Bettie signed for Marion to go on; she was too much moved to speak, although her emotion was caused quite as much by grat.i.tude as anxiety, for she had waited so long, and up to this time in such perfect silence, that hope had almost died out within her, and she really did not expect any joyful tidings.
At the conclusion of the letter Marion looked up, almost dreading to meet Aunt Bettie"s glance, feeling sure that it must be one of disappointment; but, contrary to her expectations, the good woman"s face was positively beaming through her tears, as she exclaimed in an almost joyful tone:--
"The Lord bless you, Miss Marion, and your mother too, for you"re a pair of Christians if there ever was one! I"m jist sure that that Arabella Dobbs is my Jemimy; an" I"ll tell yer why I think so. Yer see the gal that set my darter up to goin" to Boston used to visit some o" her kinfolk down in the village, an" that"s how she and Jemimy got acquainted; she put it into my gal"s head that _Jemimy_ was an awful country kind of a name,--her own was Belindy,--and she always called her Arabella, an" jist as like as not Jemimy was fool enough to go an"
give _that_ as her name. I declare she orter been ashamed of herself!"
and Mrs. Dobbs" indignation so far got the better of her grief, that if Miss Jemimy had been there in the flesh it is quite probable she would have received at least a good scolding.
"Why, auntie, if that is so," replied Marion, "I"ve no doubt it"s the same girl; but how do you suppose she happened to go to East Boston instead of Boston?"
"Oh, like"s not that Belindy Beers lived in East Boston, and jist said Boston "cause she thought "twas smarter. I never could bear that gal anyhow, an" if it hadn"t been for her my darter"d been here now."
"Well, you know I haven"t really found her yet," said Marion, who was afraid that Aunt Bettie"s ire had caused her to lose sight of that fact; "we only have some _probability_ of finding out where she is."
"I know, dear, I know all that, but I do feel better; it does seem as if there couldn"t be two sich good creeturs as you an" your mother doin"
your best to help me, and no good to come of it. "T any rate I aint goin" to despond any more; it"s like flyin" in the face o" Providence, and until I hear wus news I shall jist hope for the best."
"Aunt Bettie, I"m glad enough to hear you say so; I _can"t_ help feeling very hopeful myself, and I"m glad you can feel the same."
"Well, child, I think it"s the right way arter all; "taint my nater usually to be very despondent, but somehow I got entirely discouraged; but _I should_ be an ungrateful woman enough if I didn"t thank you over and over again. I can"t speak it all, but I feel it jist the same."
"Indeed, auntie, it is not me, but mamma, that you must thank. I have done nothing but write to her, and she has done all the work."
"Yes, and how would she have known it, if it hadn"t been for you? I thank her, the Lord knows I do, from the bottom of my heart, but it"s all owin" to you, child, nevertheless. If you hadn"t had quick eyes to see into my troubles, and a warm heart to put you up to helpin" me, what would she a" known about it? No, no, dear, you"re the fust one I owe my thanks to, and whether I ever find Jemimy again or not, I shall always love you, and bless you for what you"ve done for me so long"s I live."
And Marion knew that Aunt Bettie meant every word she said, and she did not again try to alter her opinion. It was pleasant indeed to know that there was any one who could have such a high regard for her; and with a warmth about her heart which it was pleasant to feel, and a light in her eyes which it would certainly have done any one good to see, she sat talking with Mrs. Dobbs, both of them oblivious to the fact that time was fast slipping away, until, upon looking up, Marion was astonished to see that it was long after four o"clock.