Sarah tucked the stockings under her ap.r.o.n, Marion slipped her arm through her friend"s, and hiding the slipper between them, with beating hearts, and almost sure of detection, they walked slowly down the long entry, directly in the face and eyes of Miss Stiefbach. As they approached her she stopped, and with more than her usual mildness remarked:--
"Ah! young ladies, thinking of home, I dare say; but I trust you will have as pleasant a Thanksgiving here as there, although I am happy to say there has not been the usual influx of boxes."
The girls laughed slightly in reply, nudging each other quietly as she pa.s.sed on, restraining their desire to rush for Marion"s room, and not until the door was fairly closed behind them did their pent-up feelings find vent, when Marion, tossing the slipper till it hit the ceiling, shouted:--
"Victory! three cheers for General Brown, the Stonewall Jackson of Ma.s.sachusetts!"
"But what in the world should I have done if you hadn"t rushed in, and told me she was coming?" exclaimed Sarah. "Why, I should have run right into her!"
"Lucky for you you didn"t," remarked Grace; "she"d have given you Jessie; if you know what that is."
"Well, Marion and Sarah," said Florence, "I think you"re both perfect angels!"
"Yes, dear, "angels in disguise,"" remarked Marion. "Well, this angel will proceed to put your foot into Miss Stiffy"s delicate, little stocking; the slipper will be a perfect fit, I know; you"ll have the most stylish foot in town. There! now see if you can step on it."
"Take hold of me, please, for I know I shan"t be able to bear my whole weight on it!"
"Don"t be in a hurry; lean on my shoulder; put your well foot on the floor, and set the other down very carefully."
"O Mab, it hurts awfully! I don"t see how I can ever get down to tea in the world; but I shall have to grin and bear it, or else Miss Stiefbach will find it out."
"Suppose you go down now," suggested Sarah, "and we can help you into the dining-room before the bell rings, and if we all crowd round you Miss Stiefbach won"t notice the slipper."
"That"s a capital plan," said Marion; "now put your arm way over my shoulder, Flo. Grace, take hold of her that side, and Sallie go in front as a spy. I think this is growing interesting."
"Very--for you," remarked Florence.
"You poor child! does it hurt terribly? Don"t step on it, hobble along as well as you can, and lean all your weight on us."
With much hopping and halting, and little starts and agitated whispers, as they thought they heard Miss Stiefbach or Miss Christine behind them, they proceeded on their way, and after some little time reached the dining-room in safety, and as the tea-bell rang immediately after, and the scholars all came in together, nothing unusual was noticed; but they dreaded the moment when they should have to leave the dining-room on their way to the study, where Miss Stiefbach always read history aloud for an hour after supper. Marion had been turning it over in her own mind during the meal, and decided to make an attempt to get rid of the reading that night.
"Miss Stiefbach," she asked, as supper was almost over, "didn"t you say you hoped we should all have as pleasant a Thanksgiving as if we were at home?"
"I believe I said so, Marion. I certainly meant it."
"Well, do you know, when I"m at home, our Thanksgiving begins the night before, and we _never_ spend the evening reading history."
Miss Stiefbach could not help joining in the general laugh, only her laugh was a dignified smile, and replied, "I suppose that means that you would like to give up our history to-night."
"I don"t think we should any of us weep if that should be the case."
"No, I suppose not; and for fear you might if the reverse order of things was to take place, I will dispense with the reading to-night, and Miss Christine and myself will withdraw from the room, leaving you young ladies to chat over your supper for a while longer."
"Oh, splendid!" "Thank you, Miss Stiefbach." "Just what we wanted!"
etc., resounded from all sides, as, with a most unusually gracious bow, Miss Stiefbach left the room with Miss Christine, who nodded and smiled back at the girls, fully appreciating the pleasure they experienced at being released from all restraint.
The closing of the door was a signal for a general hubbub; every tongue was unloosed, and the spirit of mischief reigned supreme. One girl drank her tea to find it strongly flavored with salt; another raised her goblet of water to her lips just as a piece of biscuit went splash to the bottom of the gla.s.s, dashing the contents into her face; a third turned suddenly on hearing her name called from the other side of the table, only to be hit plump on the nose with a hard cracker; and so it went on, a perfect Babel of shouts and cries; for the younger girls, following the example of the older ones, went in for a regular train, and pieces of bread and broken crackers were soon flying in every direction.
Marion and Sarah took advantage of the confusion to get Florence up to her room; having succeeded in doing so, Marion produced a hammer, and getting down on her knees prepared to open that wonderful Thanksgiving box.
"I mean to see what there is in it," she said, "and then if I can manage it, I"ll get some of the girls up here, and we"ll have a jolly time."
With much hammering, pulling, and chattering, the cover of the box was at last removed, and Marion proceeded to display its contents to the eager eyes of her companions.
"First of all, here"s a note from mamma; now curb your impatience while I skim it over."
Marion seated herself on the floor and having glanced down the page commenced reading it aloud:--
"BOSTON, Nov. 21st.
"DEAR MARION:--I have only a moment to spare, for I have been so busy getting the box ready, that I have not had time to-day to write you a long letter, and only scratch off this bit of a note to let you know we are all well, and almost dreading to-morrow, because you will not be with us.
"I hope you will enjoy the contents of your box. I think it would be an excellent plan for you to hand over some of the most substantial articles to Miss Stiefbach for the use of the community; but mind, I only make the suggestion, you can do as you please about following it; only don"t go too far with your frolic, for I am perfectly sure you will have one.
"Papa has made an addition to the bill of fare, which I submitted to him for inspection, of which I am supposed to be entirely ignorant; for, as he said, he was not entirely sure I would approve if I knew the contents of the brown-paper box, which you will find surrounded by your other goodies. As papa superintended the packing of it himself, and seemed particularly anxious lest it should not be sufficiently wrapped up, I cannot help suspecting that it has breakable qualities; whatever it is, my dear daughter, be judicious in your use of it.
"My note has stretched into quite a letter. I am expecting the express-man any moment, so must close now with a thousand loving good-bys,
"From your fond
"MAMMA."
"I wonder what it can be that papa has sent; something nice, I know! He doesn"t think there is anything in the world too good for me,--an idea which I don"t hesitate to encourage him in. Now, Sarah, just clear off that table, please, and pull it out into the middle of the room, so I can have a place to put all these things; toss the books and table-cover on to the bed there, beside of Florence.
"First and foremost here are two loaves of cake, and such cake! Flo, do look at this one! That is some of Biddy"s doings, I know; frosted elegantly, and "Marion" in the centre all in quirlyqus; that"s just like Bid! she"s about as ridiculous over me as father is. What is the reason, girls,"--and Marion stopped short with the cake in both hands, and a change in her bright, joyous manner, "--that they all think so much of me at home, and hardly any one likes me here?"
"Because you don"t--"
"There, Sarah Brown, that will do; I don"t want to hear the rest,"
exclaimed Marion, putting up her hand with an impatient gesture. "I asked a question hastily, without thinking of the consequences. I"ll take your answer for granted, and I know just as well what it would be as if you"d spoken; so you"ll oblige me by keeping quiet."
"Of course when "Her Royal Highness" commands, her loyal subjects can have no choice but to obey," replied Sarah, with an air of mock humility and submission.
"Well, see that you do," laughed Marion, "and put this great turkey on the table. I guess it will be policy for me to follow mamma"s advice, and that gobbler will be handed over to Miss Stiffy. But see here, as true as you live, mamma has sent me a pair of cold ducks, and here"s a gla.s.s of currant jelly; she knows I must have jell with my ducks. Here is a bundle of something, I"m sure I don"t know what--oh, nuts! ever so many kinds, all cracked; that"s splendid! And here is another of raisins, and a bundle of candy; take some, girls; hand it to Flo, Sarah, she can open it. Take some of these cookies, do; they"re delicious, and lots of "em, put in all round everywhere to fill up the cracks. I wish I could get out papa"s box, but all these things are wedged in round it; besides, I must be careful not to break it, whatever _it_ is. Here"s the last thing,--a bundle of prunes and dates, and from Fred; he knows I"ve a weakness for dates. And _now_ for papa"s box; help me lift it out, Sarah, and take it over to the bed. Oh! oh! it"s champagne! it"s champagne, as sure as I"m a sinner; who would have believed it? Here"s a card: "Miss Marion Berkley, with the compliments of her totally depraved father." That is papa right over! We always have a great joke about champagne, because I never drink it, except a gla.s.s with him Thanksgiving and Christmas day; you know I"ve always been home before, and he didn"t mean I should be cheated out of it this year. Here it is, two bottles and a half-a-dozen gla.s.ses; we"ll have a party to-night, a regular goose party, and drink the health of the dear, old darling."
"What _would_ Miss Stiefbach say," exclaimed Florence, "if she knew you were going to have a regular Thanksgiving supper?"
"Hold up her hands in holy horror; and of course it"s a dreadful thing.
I haven"t the least doubt but what mamma thought it was cider."
"Whom are you going to invite?" asked Sarah.
"Only three besides ourselves; that will be six--a good number. Whom shall I ask, Flo?"
"That"s for you to say, I should think."
"Well, you know it doesn"t make much difference to me. I"ll ask Grace, of course; she helped get the box up here."