The sight and sound of the cars made "old Charlotte," whom Mrs. Mason was driving, p.r.i.c.k up her ears, and feet too, and in a few moments she carried her load to the village. Leaving Mrs. Mason at the store, Mary proceeded at once to Mrs. Campbell"s. She rang the door-bell a little timidly, for the last time she saw her sister, she had been treated with so much coldness, that she now felt some anxiety with regard to the reception she was likely to meet.
"Is Miss Campbell at home?" she asked of the girl who answered her ring.
"Yes, she"s at home," replied the girl, "but is busy dressing for company."
"Tell her her sister is here, if you please. I won"t detain her long," said Mary, trying hard to shake off the tremor which always came upon her, when she found herself in Mrs. Campbell"s richly furnished house.
Conducting Mary into the parlor, the girl departed with her message to Ella, who, together with the young lady whom Mr. Knight had styled a "white-eyed pucker," but whose real name was Eliza Porter, was dressing in the chamber above. The door of the room was open, and from her position, Mary could hear distinctly every word which was uttered.
"Miss Ella," said the girl, "your sister is in the parlor, and wants to see you."
"My sister," repeated Ella, "oh, forlorn! What brought her here to-day? Why didn"t you tell her I wasn"t at home?"
"I never told a lie in my life," answered the honest servant girl, while Miss Porter in unfeigned surprise said "Your sister! I didn"t know you had one. Why doesn"t she live at home?"
Concealment was no longer possible, and in a half vexed, half laughing tone, Ella replied, "Why, I thought you knew that I was an orphan whom Mrs. Campbell adopted years ago."
"You an orphan!" returned Miss Porter. "Well, if I ever! Who adopted your sister?"
"A poor woman in the country," was Ella"s answer.
Miss Porter, who was a notorious flatterer, replied, "I must see her, for if she is any thing like you, I shall love her instantly."
"Oh, she isn"t like _me_" said Ella, with a curl of her lip. "She"s smart enough, I suppose, but she hasn"t a bit of polish or refinement.
She doesn"t come here often, and when she does, I am always in a fidget, for fear some of the city girls will call, and she"ll do something _outre_."
"I guess, then, I won"t go down, at least not till I"m dressed,"
answered Miss Porter; and Ella, throwing on a dressing-gown, descended to the parlor, where she met her sister with the ends of her fingers, and a simple, "Ah, Mary, how d"ye do? Are you well?"
After several commonplace remarks, Ella at last asked, "How did you know I was at home?"
"Mr. Knight told me," said Mary.
"Mr. Knight," repeated Ella; "and pray, who is he? I don"t believe he"s on my list of acquaintances."
"Do you remember the man who carried me to the poor-house?" asked Mary.
"Hush--sh!" said Ella, glancing nervously towards the door. "There is a young lady up stairs, and it isn"t necessary for her to know you"ve been a pauper."
By this time Miss Porter was dressed. She was very fond of display, and wishing to astonish the "country girl" with her silks and satins, came rustling into the parlor.
"My sister," said Ella carelessly.
Miss Porter nodded, and then throwing herself languidly upon the sofa, looked down the street, as if expecting some one. At last, supporting herself on her elbow, she lisped out, "I don"t believe that he"th coming, for here "tis after four!"
"Tisn"t likely he"ll stay in the graveyard all night," returned Ella.
"I wish we"d asked him whose graves he was going to visit, don"t you?"
Then, by way of saying something more to Mary, she continued, "Oh, you ought to know what an adventure I had yesterday. It was a most miraculous escape, for I should certainly have been killed, if the most magnificent-looking gentleman you ever saw, hadn"t caught me just in time to keep Beauty from throwing me. You ought to see his eyes, they were perfectly splendid!"
Mary replied, that she herself thought he had rather handsome eyes.
"_You!_ where did you ever see him?" asked Ella.
"He visited my school yesterday afternoon."
"Oh, no, that can"t be the one," returned Ella, while Miss Porter, too, said, "Certainly not; our cavalier never thaw the inthide of a district school-houth, I know."
"I am quite sure he saw one yesterday," said Mary, relating the circ.u.mstance of Mr. Knight"s meeting him at the spot where Ella came so near getting a fall.
"Did he go home with you?" asked Ella, in a tone plainly indicating that a negative answer was expected.
Mary understood the drift of her sister"s questioning, and promptly replied, "Yes, he went home with me, and staid to tea."
Ella"s countenance lowered, while Miss Porter exclaimed, "I declare, we may as well give up all hope, for your sister, it seems, has the first claim."
"Pshaw!" said Ella, contemptuously, while Miss Porter, again turning to Mary, asked, "Did you learn his name? If you did, you are more fortunate than we were; and he came all the way home with us, too, leading Ella"s pony; and besides that, we met him in the street this morning."
"His name," returned Mary, "is Stuart, and he lives in Boston, I believe."
"Stuart,--Stuart,--" repeated Ella; "I never heard Lizzie Upton, or the Lincolns, mention the Stuarts, but perhaps they have recently removed to the city. Any way, this young man is somebody, I know."
Here Miss Porter, again looking down the road, exclaimed, "There, he"s coming, I do believe."
Both girls rushed to the window, but Mr. Stuart was not there; and when they were reseated, Mary very gravely remarked, that he was probably ere this in Worcester, as she saw him in the eastern train.
"Why, really," said Ella, "you seem to be well posted in his affairs.
Perhaps you can tell us whose graves he wished to find. He said he had some friends buried here, and inquired for the s.e.xton."
Mary knew nothing about it, and Ella, as if thinking aloud, continued, "It must be that he got belated, and went from the graveyard, across the fields, to the depot;--but, oh horror!" she added, "there comes Lizzie Upton and the rest of the Boston girls. Mary, I guess you"ll have to go, or rather, I guess you"ll have to excuse me, for I must run up and dress. By the way, wouldn"t you like some flowers? If you would just go into the kitchen, and ask Bridget to show you the garden."
Mary had flowers enough at home, and so, in spite of Ella"s manoeuvre, she went out at the front door, meeting "Lizzie Upton, and the rest of the Boston girls," face to face. Miss Porter, who acted the part of hostess while Ella was dressing, was quickly interrogated by Lizzie Upton, as to who the young lady was they met in the yard.
"That"s Ella Campbell"s sister," said Miss Porter. Then lowering her voice to a whisper, she continued, "Don"t you believe, Ella isn"t Mrs.
Campbell"s own daughter, but an adopted one!"
"I know that," answered Lizzie; "but this sister, where does she live?"
"Oh, in a kind of a heathenish, out-of-the-way place, and teaches school for a living."
"Well," returned Lizzie, "she is a much finer looking girl than Ella."
"How can you say so," exclaimed three or four girls in a breath, and Lizzie replied, "Perhaps she hasn"t so much of what is called beauty in her face, but she has a great deal more intellect."
Here the door-bell again rang; and Ella, having made a hasty toilet, came tripping down the stairs in time to welcome Rose Lincoln, whom she embraced as warmly as if a little eternity, instead of three days, had elapsed since they met.
"I had perfectly despaired of your coming," said she "Oh, how sweet you do look! But where"s Jenny?"
Rose"s lip curled scornfully, as she replied, "Why, she met Mary Howard in the store, and I couldn"t drag her away."