Daisy came down to breakfast the next morning, looking so very bright
and innocent and fresh, that perhaps Mr. Randolph thought his wife and
sister were taking unnecessary trouble upon themselves. At least Mrs.
Randolph so interpreted his manner, as she saw him put his arm round
Daisy and bend down his head to hers. The gay visitors were still at
Melbourne, but they had not come down yet to breakfast that morning.
"Did you go to see your old woman yesterday?" Mr. Randolph said.
"Yes, papa."
"Did you enjoy your visit?"
"Very much, papa."
Mrs. Randolph's head made a motion of impatience, which however those
two did not see.
"How was that, Daisy? I do not comprehend in this instance the sources
of pleasure."
"Papa"--said Daisy hesitating--"I think I _gave_ pleasure."
She could not explain to him much more, but Mr. Randolph at least
understood that. He gave Daisy another kiss, which was not disapproving,
the child felt. So her breakfast was extremely happy.
She had a new plan in her head now about Molly. She wanted to get
established on the footing of a friend in that poor little house; and
she thought she had better perhaps not confine her line of advance to
the garden. After breakfast she sought the housekeeper's room, and let
Joanna know that she was in want of a nice little cake of some sort to
carry to a poor creature who could make nor buy none. Daisy was a great
favourite with Miss Underwood, especially ever since the night when she
had been summoned in her night dress to tell the child about the words
of the minister that day. Joanna never said "no" to Daisy if it was
possible to say "yes;" nor considered anything a trouble that Daisy
required. On this occasion, she promised that exactly what Daisy wanted
should be in readiness by the afternoon; and having thus secured her
arrangements Daisy went with a perfectly light heart to see what the
morning was to bring forth.
"Daisy!" shouted Preston as she was going down the piazza
steps,--"Daisy! where are you bound?"
"Out--" said Daisy, who was vaguely seeking the September sunshine.
"Well, 'out' is as good as anywhere. Wait till I get my hat. Come,
Daisy!--we have business on hand."
"What business?" said Daisy, as she was led along through the trees.
"Great business," said Preston,--"only I shall want help, Daisy--I want
a great deal of help. I cannot manage it alone. Wait till we get to a
real good place for a talk.--Here, this will do. Now sit down."
"How pretty it is to-day!" said Daisy.
For indeed the river opposite them looked a bright sheet of glass; and
the hills were blue in the morning light, and the sunshine everywhere
was delightsome. The beautiful trees of Melbourne waved overhead;
American elms hung their branches towards the ground; lindens stood in
masses of luxuriance; oaks and chestnuts spotted the rolling ground with
their round heads; and English elms stood up great towers of green. The
September sun on all this and on the well kept greensward; no wonder
Daisy said it was pretty. But Preston was too full of his business.
"Now, Daisy, we have got a great deal to do!"
"Have we?" said Daisy.
"It is this. Aunt Felicia has determined that she will give a party in
two or three weeks."
"A party! But I never have anything to do with parties--mamma's
parties--Preston."
"No. But with this one I think you have."
"How can I?" said Daisy. She was very pleasantly unconcerned as yet, and
only enjoying the morning and Preston and the trees and the sunshine.
"Why, little Daisy, I have got to furnish part of the entertainment; and
I can't do it without you."
Daisy looked now.
"Aunt Felicia wants me to get up some tableaux."
"Some what?" said Daisy.
"Tableaux. Tableaux vivants. Pictures, Daisy; made with living people."
"What do you mean, Preston?"
"Why we will choose some pictures, some of the prettiest pictures we can
find; and then we will dress up people to represent all the figures, and
place them just as the figures are grouped in the engraving; and then
they look like a most beautiful large painted picture."
"But pictures do not move?"
"No more do the people. They hold still and do not stir, any more than
if they were not real."
"I should think they would look like people though, and not like a
picture," said Daisy. "No matter how still you were to keep, I should
never fancy you were painted."
"No," said Preston laughing; "but you do not understand. The room where
the spectators are is darkened, and the lights for the picture are all
set on one side, just as the light comes in the picture; and then it all
looks just right. And the picture is seen behind a frame too, of the
folding doors or something."
Daisy sat looking at Preston, a little curious but not at all excited.
"So I shall want your help, Daisy."
"About what?"
"First, to choose what pictures we will have. We must look over all the
books of engravings in the house, and see what would do. Shall we go at
it?"
Daisy consented. They repaired to the library and took position by a
large portfolio of engravings.
"'Fortitude'! Capital!" cried Preston as he turned over the first sheet
in the portfolio. "Capital, Daisy! That's for you. You would make an
excellent 'Fortitude.'"
"I!--" said Daisy.
"Capital--couldn't be better. This is Sir Joshua Reynolds'
'Fortitude'--and you will do for it wonderfully well. You have half the
look of it now. Only you must be a little more stern."
"Why must Fortitude look stern?" said Daisy.
"O, because she has hard work to do, I suppose."
"What is Fortitude, Preston?"
"O Daisy, Daisy! are you going through life like that? Why you'll turn
all your play into work."
"Why?--But what _is_ it?"
"Fortitude? Why it is, let me see,--it is the power of endurance."
"The power of bearing pain, Daisy," said Mr. Randolph, who was walking
through the room.
"I do not think Fortitude ought to look stern."
"The old gentleman thought so. I suppose he knew. You must,
anyhow,--like the picture."
"But Preston, how could I look like that? My dresses are not made so."
"I hope not!" said Preston laughing. "But Daisy, we'll get some of aunt
Felicia's riggings and feathers and set you out in style."
"But you can't put feathers on my head like those," said Daisy. "They
wouldn't stay on. And I don't see why Fortitude should be dressed in
feathers."
"Why it is the crest of her helmet, Daisy! Fortitude must have something
strong about her, somewhere, and I suppose her head is as good a place
as any. We'll make a helmet for you. And I will make Dolce lie down at
your feet for the lion."
"You couldn't, Preston."
"I could make him do anything." Dolce was Preston's dog; a great shaggy
St. Bernard.
"Well!--" said Daisy with a half sigh.
"I think you'll make a beautiful Fortitude. Now let us see what next.
That is for one."
"How many pictures do you want?" said Daisy.
"O a good many. Plenty, or it wouldn't be worth taking all the trouble,
and shutting the people up in a dark room. 'Alfred in the neat-herd's
cottage'--getting a scolding for his burnt cakes. How splendid that
would be if we could get Dr. Sandford to be Alfred!"
"Who would be that scolding old woman?"
"No matter, because we can't get Dr. Sandford. We are not to have grown
folks at all. It is a pity Ransom is not here. We shall have to get
Alexander Fish--or Hamilton! Hamilton will do. He's a good looking
fellow."
"You would do a great deal better," said Daisy. "And Alexander would not
do at all. He has not a bit the look of a king about him."
"I must be that old man with the bundle of sticks on his head," said
Preston, who was however immensely flattered.
"But his beard?" said Daisy.
"O I'll put that on. A false beard is easy. You won't know me, Daisy.
That will be an excellent picture. See that girl blowing the burnt cakes
and making her face into a full moon!"
"Will you have her in the picture?"
"Certainly! Most assuredly."
"But, who will you get to do that, Preston?"
"Nora Dinwiddie, I reckon."
"Will _she_ come?"
"We shall want all we can get. All Mrs. Stanfield's young ones, and Mrs.
Fish's and Linwood's and everybody. Now Daisy, here you are! This is the
very thing."
"For what?" said Daisy.
"Don't you see? For you. This is Queen Esther before Ahasuerus--you know
the story?"
"O yes!--when he stretched out the golden sceptre to her. She is
fainting, isn't she?"
"Exactly. You can do that glorious, because you have always a pair of
pale cheeks on hand."
"I?"--said Daisy again. "Do you want me to be two things?"
"A dozen things, perhaps. You must be Queen Esther at any rate. Nobody
but you."
"And who will be Ahasuerus?"
"I don't know. Hamilton Rush, I reckon; he's a nice fellow."
"O Preston, why don't you be Ahasuerus?"
"I am manager, you know, Daisy; it won't do for the manager to take the
best pieces for himself. Ahasuerus is one of the best. See how handsome
the dress is--and the attitude, and everything."
"I don't see where you will find the dresses," said Daisy. "All those
are robes of silk and velvet and fur; and then the jewels, Preston!"
"Nonsense, Daisy. Aunt Felicia will let us take all her stores of satins
and velvets and feathers and jewellery too. It won't hurt them to be
looked at."
"I think," said Daisy slowly,--"I think I will not be Queen Esther."
"Why not? don't you like her looks?"
"O yes. _That's_ no matter; but I would rather somebody else would be
it."
"Why, little Daisy? You are the one; nobody can be Esther but you."
"I think I will not," said Daisy thoughtfully.
"What's the matter, Daisy? You _must_. I want you for Esther and nobody
else. What is the objection?"
"I would rather not," said Daisy. "I don't know Hamilton Rush much."
This was said with extreme demureness, and Preston bit his lips almost
till the blood came to prevent the smile which would have startled
Daisy.
"You won't know him at all when he is dressed and with his crown on.
It's all a play. You can imagine he is the real old Persian king, who
looked so fiercely on the beautiful Jewess when she ventured unsummoned
into his presence."
"I could not stand like that," said Daisy.
"Yes, you could. That's easy. You are fainting in the arms of your
attendants."
"Who will the attendants be?"
"I don't know. Who do you think?"
"I think I would rather not be in this picture,--" said Daisy.
"Yes, you will. I want you. It is too good to be given to somebody else.
It is one of the prettiest pictures we shall have, I reckon."
"Then you must be the king."
"Well--we will see," said Preston. "What comes next? 'Canute and his
courtiers.' That won't do, because we could not have the sea in."
"Nor the horse," said Daisy.
"Not very well.--What a stupid collection of portraits! Nothing but
portraits."--
"There are fortune tellers."
"That won't do--not interest enough. There! here's one. 'Little Red
Riding-hood.' That will be beautiful for you, Daisy."
"But Preston, I mustn't be everything."
"Plenty more things coming. You don't like Red Riding-hood? Then we will
give it to Nora or Ella."
"O like it," said Daisy. "I like it much better than Esther--unless you
will play Ahasuerus."
"Well I will put you down for both of 'em."
"But who's to be anything else?"
"Lots. Here.--Splendid! 'Marie Antoinette' going from the revolutionary
tribunal--that will be capital."
"Who will take that?" said Daisy.
"Let me see. I think--I think, Daisy, it must be Theresa Stanfield. She
is a clever girl, and it must be a clever girl to do this."
"But she will not look as old as she ought."
"Yes she will, when she is dressed. I know who will be our dresser, too;
Mrs. Sandford."
"Will she?" said Daisy.
"Yes. She knows how, I know. You and I must go and give invitations,
Daisy."
"Mamma will send the invitations."
"Yes, of course, to the party; but we have got to beat up recruits and
get contributions for the tableaux. You and I must do that. I engaged to
take all the trouble of the thing from aunt Felicia."
"Contributions, Preston?"
"Of people, Daisy. People for the tableaux. We must have all we can
muster."
"I can't see how you will make Theresa Stanfield look like that."
"_I_ cannot," said Preston laughing,--"but Mrs. Sandford will do part
and Theresa herself will do the other part. She will bring her face
round, you will see. The thing is, who will be that ugly old woman who
is looking at the queen with such eyes of coarse fury--I think I shall
have to be that old woman."
"You, Preston!" And Daisy went off into a fit of amusement. "Can you
make your eyes look with coarse fury?"
"You shall see. That's a good part. I should not like to trust it to
anybody else. Alexander and Hamilton Rush will have to be the Queen's
guards--how we want Ransom. Charley Linwood is too small. There's
George, though."
"What does that woman look at the queen so for?"
"Wants to see her head come down--which it did soon after."
"Her head come down?"--
"It had come down pretty well then, when the proud, beautiful queen was
exposed to the looks and insults of the rabble. But they wanted to see
it come down on the scaffold."
"What had she been doing, to make them hate her?"
"She had been a queen;--and they had made up their minds that nobody
ought to be queen, or anything else but rabble; so her head must come
off. A great many other heads came off; for the same reason."
"Preston, I don't think the poor would hate that kind of thing so, if
the rich people behaved right."
"How do you think rich people ought to behave?" said Preston gravely,
turning over the engravings.
Daisy's old puzzle came back on her; she was silent.
"Common people always hate the uncommon, Daisy. Now what next?--Ah! here
is what will do. This is beautiful."
"What is it?"
"Portia and Bassanio. He has just got that letter, you know."
"What letter?"
"Why, Antonio's letter. O don't you know the story? Bassanio was
Antonio's friend, and--O dear, it is a long story, Daisy. You must read
it."
"But what is the picture about?"
"This. Bassanio has just this minute been married to Portia,--the
loveliest lady in all the world; that he knew of; and now comes a
letter, just that minute, telling him that his dear friend Antonio is in
great danger of being cut to pieces through the wickedness of a fellow
that he had borrowed money from. And the money had been borrowed for
Bassanio, to set him up for his courtship--so no wonder he feels rather
bad."
"Does she know?"
"No; she is just asking what is the matter. That will be a capital
picture."
"But you couldn't stand and look like that," said Daisy.
"I shall not," said Preston, "but Hamilton Rush will. I shall give it to
him. And--let me see--for Portia--that Fish girl cannot do it, she is
not clever enough. It will have to be Theresa Stanfield."
"I should like to see anybody look like _that_," said Daisy.
"Well, you will. We shall have to go to another book of
engravings.--Hollo! here you are again, Daisy. This will do for you
exactly. Exactly!"
"What is it?"
"Why Daisy, these are two old Puritans; young ones, I mean, of course;
and they are very fond of each other, you know, but somehow they don't
know it. Or one of them don't, and he has been goose enough to come to
ask Priscilla if she will be his friend's wife. Of course she is
astonished at him."
"She does not look astonished."
"No, that is because she is a Puritan. She takes it all quietly, only
she says she has an objection to be this other man's wife. And then John
finds what a fool he is. That's capital. You shall be Priscilla; you
will do it and look it beautifully."
"I do not think I want to be Priscilla,"--said Daisy slowly.
"Yes, you do. You will. It will make such a beautiful picture. I reckon
Alexander Fish will make a good John Alden--he has nice curly hair."
"So have you," said Daisy; "and longer than Alexander's, and more like
the picture."
"I am manager, Daisy. That wouldn't do."
"I shall not be in that picture if Alexander is the other one," said
Daisy.
"Well--we will see. But Daisy, it is only playing pictures, you know. It
will not be Daisy and Alexander Fish--not at all--it will be Priscilla
and John Alden."
"_I_ should think it was Alexander Fish," said Daisy.
Preston laughed.
"But Preston, what is that word you said just now?--what is a Puritan?"
"I don't know. I think you are one. I do not know another."
"You said these were Puritans?"
"Yes, so they were. They were very good people, Daisy, that liked
wearing plain dresses. We shall have to have a stuff dress made for
you--I reckon you have not one of anything like a Puritan cut."
"Then how am I a Puritan, Preston?"
"Sure enough. I mean that you would be one, if you got a chance. How
many pictures have we chosen out?--Six? That is not half enough."
The search went on, through other books and portfolios. There was good
store of them in Mr. Randolph's library, and Daisy and Preston were very
busy the whole morning till luncheon time. After Daisy's dinner,
however, her mind took up its former subject of interest. She went to
Joanna, and was furnished with a nice little sponge cake and a basket
of sickle pears for Molly Skelton. Daisy forgot all about tableaux. This
was something better. She ordered the pony chaise and got ready for
driving.
"Hollo, Daisy!" said Preston as she came out upon the piazza;--"what
now?"
"I am going out."
"With me."
"No, I have business, Preston."
"So have I; a business that cannot wait, either. We must go and drum up
our people for the tableaux, Daisy. We haven't much time to prepare, and
lots of things to do."
"What?"
"First, arrange about the parts everybody is to take; and then the
dresses, and then practising."
"Practising what, Preston?"
"Why, the pictures! We cannot do them at a dash, all right; we must
drill, until every one knows exactly how to stand and how to look, and
can do it well."
"And must the people come here to practise?"
"Of course. Where the pictures and the dresses are, you know. Aunt
Felicia is to give us her sewing woman for as much time as we want her;
and Mrs. Sandford must be here to see about all that; and we must know
immediately whom we can have, and get them to come. We must go this
afternoon, Daisy."
"Must I?"
"Certainly. You know--or you would know if you were not a Puritan,
little Daisy, that I cannot do the business alone. You are Miss
Randolph."
"Did the Puritans not know much?" inquired Daisy.
"Nothing--about the ways of the world."
Daisy looked at the pony chaise, at the blue hills, at her basket of
pears; and yielding to what seemed necessity, gave up Molly for that
day. She went with Preston, he on horseback, she in her pony chaise, and
a very long afternoon's work they made of it. And they did not get
through the work, either. But by dint of hearing the thing talked over,
and seeing the great interest excited among the young folks, Daisy's
mind grew pretty full of the pictures before the day was ended. It was
so incomprehensible, how Theresa Stanfield could ever bring her merry,
arch face into the grave proud endurance of the deposed French queen; it
was so puzzling to imagine Hamilton Rush, a fine, good-humoured fellow,
something older than Preston, transformed into the grand and awful
figure of Ahasuerus; and Nora was so eager to know what part _she_ could
take; and Mrs. Sandford entered into the scheme with such utter good
nature and evident competence to manage it. Ella Stanfield's eyes grew
very wide open; and Mrs. Fish was full of curiosity, and the Linwoods
were tumultuous.
"We shall have to tame those fellows down," Preston remarked as he and
Daisy rode away from this last place,--"or they will upset everything.
Why cannot people teach people to take things quietly!"
"How much that little one wanted to be Red Riding-hood," said Daisy.
"Yes. Little Malapert!"
"You will let her, won't you?"
"I reckon I won't. You are to be Red Riding-hood--unless,--I don't know;
perhaps that would be a good one to give Nora Dinwiddie. I shall see."
That day was gone. The next day there was a great overhauling, by
Preston and his mother and Daisy, of the stores of finery which Mrs.
Randolph put at their disposal. Mrs. Randolph herself would have nothing
to do with the arrangements; she held aloof from the bustle attending
them; but facilities and materials she gave with unsparing hand. Daisy
was very much amused. Mrs. Gary and Preston had a good deal of
consultation over the finery, having at the same time the engravings
spread out before them. Such stores of satin and lace robes, and velvet
mantles, and fur wrappings and garnishings, and silken scarfs, and
varieties of adornment old and new, were gathered into one room and
displayed, that it almost tired Daisy to look at them. Nevertheless she
was amused. And she was amused still more, when later in the day, after
luncheon, Mrs. Sandford arrived and was taken up into the tiring room,
as Preston called it. Here she examined the pictures and made a careful
survey of the articles with which she must work to produce the desired
effects. Some of the work was easy. There was an old cardinal, of
beautiful red cloth, which doubtless would make up Red Riding-hood with
very little trouble. There were beautiful plumes for Fortitude's head;
and Daisy began to wonder how she would look with their stately grace
waving over her. Mrs. Sandford tried it. She arranged the plume on
Daisy's head; and with a turn or two of a dark cashmere scarf imitated
beautifully the classic folds of the drapery in the picture. Then she
put Daisy in the attitude of the figure; and by that time Daisy felt so
strange that her face was stern and grave enough to need no admonishing.
Preston clapped his hands.
"If you will only look like that, Daisy, in the tableau!"
"Look how?" said Daisy.
"Mrs. Sandford, did you ever see anything so perfect?"
"It is excellent," said that lady.
"If they will all do as well, we shall be encored. But there is no dress
here for Bassanio, Mrs. Sandford."
"You would hardly expect your mother's or your aunt's wardrobe to
furnish that."
"Hardly. But I am sure uncle Randolph's wardrobe would not do any
better. It will have to be made."
"I think I have something at home that will do--something that was used
once for a kindred purpose. I think I can dress Bassanio--as far as the
slashings are concerned. The cap and plume we can manage here--and I
dare say your uncle has some of those old-fashioned long silk hose."
"Did papa ever wear such things?" said Daisy.
"Portia will be easy," said Preston, looking round the room.
"Who is to be Portia?"
"Theresa Stanfield, I believe."
"That will do very well, I should think. She is fair--suppose we dress
her in this purple brocade."
"Was Portia married in purple?" said Preston.
Mrs. Sandford laughed a good deal. "Well"--she said--"white if you like;
but Theresa will look most like Portia if she wears this brocade. I do
not believe white is _de rigueur_ in her case. You know, she went from
the casket scene to the altar. If she was like me, she did not venture
to anticipate good fortune by putting on a bridal dress till she knew
she would want it."
"Perhaps that is correct," said Preston.
"How come you to know so much about the dresses?" said the lady. "That
is commonly supposed to be woman's function."
"I am general manager, Mrs. Sandford, and obliged to act out of
character."
"You seem to understand yourself very well. Priscilla!--we have no dress
for her."
"It will have to be made."
"Yes. Who is there to make it?"
The seamstress was now summoned, and the orders were given for
Priscilla's dress, to be made to fit Daisy. It was very amusing, the
strait-cut brown gown, the plain broad vandyke of white muslin, and
etceteras that Mrs. Sandford insisted on.
"She will look the part extremely well. But are you going to give her
nothing but Fortitude and Prudence, Preston? is Daisy to do nothing
gayer?"
"Yes ma'am--she is to be the queen of the Persian king here--what is his
name? Ahasuerus! She is Esther."
Daisy opened her lips to say no, but Preston got her into his arms and
softly put his hand upon her mouth before she could speak the word. The
action was so coaxing and affectionate, that Daisy stood still, silent,
with his arms round her.
"Queen Esther!" said Mrs. Sandford. "That will tax the utmost of our
resources. Mrs. Randolph will lend us some jewels, I hope, or we cannot
represent that old Eastern court."
"Mrs. Randolph will lend us anything--and everything," said Preston.
"Then we can make a beautiful tableau. I think Esther must be in white."
"Yes ma'am--it will lend to the fainting effect."
"And we must make her brilliant with jewels; and dress her attendants in
colours, so as to set her off; but Esther must be a spot of brilliancy.
Ahasuerus rich and heavy. This will be your finest tableau, if it is
done well."
"Alfred will not be bad," said Preston.
"In another line. Your part will be easy, Daisy--you must have a pair of
strong-armed handmaidens. What do you want Nora for, Preston?"
"Could she be one of them, Mrs. Sandford?"
"Yes,--if she can be impressed with the seriousness of the occasion; but
the maids of the queen ought to be wholly in distress for their
mistress, you know. She could be one of the princes in the tower, very
nicely."
"Yes, capitally," said Preston. "And--Mrs. Sandford--wouldn't she make a
good John Alden?"
"Daisy for Priscilla! Excellent!" said Mrs. Sandford. "If the two could
keep their gravity, which I very much doubt."
"Daisy can keep anything," said Preston. "I will tutor Nora."
"Well, I will help you as much as I can," said the lady, "But, my boy,
this business takes time! I had no notion I had been here so long. I
must run."