Just then Miss Marston and the little ones and Nannie and Nora came up to us, so I introduced Hilliard to them, and as soon as we saw that Nora was talking to him, Jack and I dropped behind and kept there.
"Betty," said Jack, severely, as we turned away, "you are really a most provoking girl! I told that boy that you were nice, and you turned right round and acted _abominably_. What possessed you? I didn"t hear him say one thing to make you angry."
"Jack," I answered, "sometimes you"re as dense as a London fog. That boy is a conceited poke because he has no sister; and you"d be just like him if I weren"t here to train you."
"Well, I declare!" exclaimed Jack, indignantly. "Talking about conceit,--where do you put yourself?"
Two hands came suddenly between us; a pleasant voice said, "Let"s talk about the sermon, and see which of us remembers most of it;" and there was Max. He had been in church, he said, but stopping to speak to some one had detained him, and he was now going home to have dinner with us,--which meant a visit with papa after dinner, and then a nice long talk with us in the schoolroom. Max is so nice about that; he never slights us. In fact, I think he spends more and more time with us, for he and Nannie have started in to play violin and piano duets together, and he comes one week-evening to practise. He has lent her his violin,--a beauty!--and he takes the piano part. His ward--"the great Shad," as Phil and Felix call him--has not yet arrived; but Max told us this Sunday, as we walked along, that he expected him to be in the city very soon, "and then," he said, "I shall bring him round to be introduced to you young people."
When we reached our house, Hilliard said good-bye, and ran across to his own gate; but Max, Mr. Erveng,--Max has been to call on the Ervengs, and has renewed acquaintance with his college-mate,--and papa stood talking for a few minutes before they separated. As we entered our door, Nannie was right behind me, and I heard her say to Felix in a low voice, "Look at papa as he stands between those two men; don"t you think he looks _very_ old and worn?"
"Well, he"s years older than they, isn"t he?" asked Fee, turning to look. I too craned my neck for a glimpse, but barely caught sight of the top of papa"s hat over Phil"s shoulder.
"Not so many," Nannie said; "he is eight years older than Mr. Erveng, and ten years older than Max. Not enough to show such a difference."
"Why, he looks twenty years older than either of them;" then, lowering his voice,--but I heard him,--Felix added, "Poor old _pater_! He seems to enjoy talking to Mr. Erveng; but do you know, Nannie, I"m _awfully_ sorry we played that joke about the Fetich. I fancy he hasn"t been quite the same since."
"No, he hasn"t, and he"s working desperately to get the book finished; he even works in the evening, when he used to read as a recreation. I hope he won"t get ill." Then the front door closed, and there was a general rush upstairs to take off coats and hats.
I wasn"t very happy the rest of that day; Nannie"s remark about papa, and what that disagreeable boy across the way had said, kept coming back and coming back to me, so that I really got quite unhappy over it, until I told Nannie the whole thing that night, and then I began to feel better. Though Nannie always tells you right out if you"ve been wrong, she is also sure to say something to comfort you.
I was in the schoolroom the next afternoon, practising, when suddenly the door flew open, and in bounced Jack, in a state of wild excitement.
"Oh, think of it! _think_ of it, Betty!" he exclaimed joyously, "I"m going to sing--to _sing_! just think of it!"
"Why, you"ve been doing that for a long time, haven"t you?" I asked, with a lively recollection of what I had endured only yesterday.
"Oh, but this is different; it"s to be in church,--I mean in the _choir_,--and I"m to be _paid_ for it!"
"What! really?" I gasped in astonishment. "Why, Jack! _Do_ tell me all about it!"
[Ill.u.s.tration: ""WHY, YOU"VE BEEN DOING THAT FOR A LONG TIME, HAVEN"T YOU?" I ASKED."]
This he was only too delighted to do; but he was so excited that he could not sit still, and he kept walking backward and forward before me while he was speaking. "Well, it was this way," he said; "just now, while I was playing in the yard, Hannah said papa wanted to see me.
Of course I thought right away that something must be wrong, and I didn"t feel very happy over it, I can tell you; but when I got to the study, there was papa with a big piece of news for me. Mr. Hawkins from our church had come to see him to ask if he would let me sing in the choir, and was waiting in the drawing-room for my answer! Why, I"d have been glad to sing there for nothing, you know; but when papa went on, and said I would get fifty cents for each Sunday that I sang, I was so delighted, Betty, that I really couldn"t say a word. But I guess papa knew by my face how overjoyed I was, for he patted my shoulder and said, "Well, then, you can go in the drawing-room and tell Mr. Hawkins that you will accept his offer, and be at rehearsal on Friday evening;" and then he spoke about what an honour it was to be chosen to sing G.o.d"s praises in His own house. I tell you what, Betty, I"m going to try to be a very, _very_ good boy; now aren"t you glad for me?"
Indeed I _was_ glad, and I told him so; and then what do you think he said? Why, he came close to me, with his clasped hands behind his back, and rocked himself to and fro on his heels and toes; his eyes were shining with delight. "Betty," he said, "I"m to get fifty cents a week at first, and more, Mr. Hawkins says, just as soon as I can read music readily. Now I"m not going to spend one cent of it,--not a single penny. I"m going to save it up until I get a lot, and then,--what d"you think? I"m going to _send Felix to college_! Isn"t that a splendid scheme? now isn"t it? You see," he went on eagerly, "I"ve been praying for a way for Fee to go,--you have, too, haven"t you? and Nannie,--and I think G.o.d has just answered our prayers by letting me get this."
"Yes; but won"t it take an awfully long time at that rate to save enough to send Fee?" I asked.
"Oh, not so _very_ long," Jack replied cheerfully. In the exuberance of his joy he took hold of the schoolroom table and threw his heels in the air; he looked so funny that I could have roared with laughter,--Jack is as clumsy as a cow! Then all at once he remembered something, and coming over to me said, very impressively, "Now, remember, Betty, you"re not to say one word about this to Fee,--not a word; I sha"n"t mention it to any one beside you, but Nannie, and she wouldn"t tell; and then, when we"ve got enough, we"ll give it to Fee, and tell him what it"s for. Hoopla!"
And again he embraced the table and threw his heels in the air.
VIII.
A RESOLUTION.
TOLD BY BETTY.
Two or three days after this--after school hours--Nannie came flying into the schoolroom, where we all were, and announced that some of us had been invited to take tea with the Ervengs that afternoon. While we sat in surprised silence, she went rapidly on to explain: "Such a nice little note to papa, written by Mrs. Erveng: this is one of her "good days," and she would like so much to make our acquaintance; would four of us come over and take tea, etc. Hilliard brought the note just now, and papa told him that some of us would be happy to accept." She paused and looked mischievous as a groan broke from us. "I know you are all dying to hear who are to go," she said, "so I"ll put you out of your suspense at once; Phil--"
"No, you don"t! I haven"t any "bunnit,"" broke in Phil. "You don"t catch me going over there again in a hurry, I can tell you."
"But you ought to go, Phil, really you ought," Nannie said. "You and Betty ought to go over and apologise to Mr. and Mrs. Erveng for the way in which you two Goths invaded their house. Fee, papa says you are to go, too," she added to her twin.
"Oh, but this is too bad of the _pater_!" exclaimed Felix, colouring up; "he knows how I hate to go among strange people. I declare, I _won"t_ go!"
"Go tell the governor so--go _now_, while you"re in the humour for it,"
urged Phil, with suspicious eagerness; "and--um--while you"re about it, you know, just mention incidentally that those are my sentiments, too, will you?"
"Nonie, you"re to lend grace to the entertainment," went on Nannie, with twinkling eyes.
"Who, me? I?" exclaimed Nora, quickly. "Oh!" Then, recovering herself the next minute, she said coolly, "Well, I"m perfectly willing to go; for that matter" (with that superior air that does so provoke us), "some of us ought to have gone long ago, and called on the Ervengs,--Miss Marston says so, too,--to apologise for and explain the, to say the least very peculiar, conduct of some other members of our family."
And here she looked at me,--just as if Phil were not more to blame than I in that horrid affair of the Fetich!
I made a face, and Phil said: "Oh, come, now, Nora, we"ve heard that before; so do spare us the rest. Who else is to be a victim, Nancy?"
"Betty fills up the sum of the "some,"" answered Nannie; "papa thinks she certainly ought--"
"I _won"t_ go, I won"t, I will not," I interrupted. "That boy is too conceited for anything, and I"m not going over there to be criticised,--so now! I don"t want any of their old tea, and I"d just like to be ill or to hide away or something, so"s not to go."
"Let"s you and I run away," suggested Phil, in a stage whisper behind his hand; then, striking an att.i.tude, he extended his long arms: "Come, fair damsel, come, we"ll fly to other climes,--the attic or the cellar, _anywhere_, so it be not to the Ervengs"." He made a sudden s.n.a.t.c.h at me, but I was prepared,--I know him of old!--and, dodging under his arm, darted round the table and soon put a wide distance between us.
"Then n.o.body"s going," a.s.serted Jack; he sat on the edge of the schoolroom table, grinning and hugging his knees, which were drawn up to his chin.
"Not a one!" "No, _sir_!" "No, _indeed_!" answered Phil, Felix, and I, in one breath.
"I do think you are all the rudest, most unmannerly creatures!"
exclaimed Nora, indignantly. "These people have been polite enough to invite us to their house, have taken the trouble to prepare for us, when really the attention should have come from us to them, and here you all act as if they had insulted us. Positively, you are a most uncouth set.
_I_ am very much pleased with Mrs. Erveng"s invitation, and I am going, if no one else does. Rude things!"
She started for the door; but Phil got before her, and salaamed to the floor. "What _would_ we do without you, O most n.o.ble and elegant Eleanora!" he cried, as he bobbed up and down; and limping over, Fee stared at her through and under and over his gla.s.ses. "Friends," he exclaimed, turning to us and putting on an expression of intense astonishment, "allow me to call your attention to this remarkably healthy variety of a well-known plant, Miss"--with a wave of his hand toward Nora--"Miss Prim Rose."
"You think that"s very smart, don"t you?" Nora said, getting red, and tossing her head. Jack flew down from the table, and over to Nora"s side, calling out, "Now you just stop teasing her, Felix!" and Phil threw an arm round her, and pulled her down on his lap, saying, "Don"t ruffle yourself over such trifles, old lady; keep cool!"
I laughed, and Nannie put in quickly, "Nora is quite right: it _was_ our place, as old residents, to call first on the Ervengs,--particularly under the Fetich circ.u.mstances; and when they are kind enough to overlook our remissness, and invite us to visit them, we ought at least to appreciate the attention, not rail at it. Anyway, it was papa who decided which of us should go. I would certainly have been included in the number had I not something to do for him this afternoon and evening; I would have liked to go. So do behave yourselves!"
"Nancy Lee on etiquette," said Felix, with a grimace, while Nora struggled away from Phil"s encircling arm with a sharp, "Of _course_ I am right!" and stalked out of the room, her nose in the air.
Now perhaps you think because we said all this that we didn"t go to the Ervengs"; well, we did, the whole four of us, and that very afternoon.
Though we fret and fume over things beforehand, we generally end by doing just as papa says about them. One reason for this is that, when it comes to the point, none of us are willing to tell him that we won"t obey. Papa"s very gentle, but he expects us to do as he says, and dear mamma always made us mind; so, as I said, it generally ends by our following orders. Still, sometimes it is a great satisfaction to "s.p.u.n.k up" beforehand, as Phil calls it, and just speak out our minds in the bosom of our family. And after that,--it"s the funniest thing! but do you know, we"ll almost always turn right round and do just what we said we wouldn"t do, as meek as lambs. I don"t know if all large families are like this, but it"s our way.
Well, to go back to the tea. Nora was very glum on the way over,--she usually is when she"s on her high horse,--but the boys seemed to be in great spirits, for they just giggled to the Ervengs" very door, and barely had a straight face when b.u.t.tons appeared. I fancied that he looked curiously at me, and I wondered uncomfortably if he knew that Phil and I were the two fat old black-robed ladies he had admitted the other day.
Mr. Erveng was out, for which Phil and I weren"t sorry; but Hilliard met us in the hall and took us upstairs to his mother"s sitting-room, where she was lying in an invalid"s chair with a white shawl round her shoulders. She"s very pretty,--Hilliard isn"t a bit like her,--but she looks very delicate and fragile; why, her hands are like _mites_, and she"s very, _very_ gentle, and speaks in a low voice. She welcomed us very cordially, and said she thought it was so kind of us to come,--here I thought of our remarks at home, and didn"t dare look at Phil and Fee,--and she and Nora seemed to get on nicely.