CHRISTMAS
STILL unreconciled, Anthony and Betty went together to spend their
Christmas with Mrs. Ashton in Woodford in the old Ashton homestead. They
took with them both Bettina and Tony and the nurse and Faith Barton.
However, Faith was of course to stay with her foster parents, Doctor and
Mrs. Barton.
Only Angel refused to accompany the little party. She claimed not to be
feeling well, to have some business that she must attend to, and indeed
made so many excuses that Betty, seeing that she really did wish to be
left behind, gave up arguing the matter with her. Moreover, Meg promised
to look after Angel and see that she had her Christmas dinner with them,
so that she would not be particularly lonely.
It was in Angel's mind that perhaps during the family's absence
something might occur which would relieve her from all suspicion in the
Governor's sight. Yet if she thought that this would come about through
Kenneth Helm she was mistaken, for Kenneth departed for Woodford on
Christmas eve to spend the following day with Faith and her parents.
Besides seeing her mother and giving her children the pleasure of a
country Christmas Betty was chiefly looking forward to being with Polly.
Somehow she felt that Polly would be sure to cheer her up and make her
feel young again. They could take long walks through the woods and
discover whether little Sunrise Cabin was still habitable. Billy and
Mollie had always looked after it, carefully attending to whatever
repairs were necessary, so doubtless it was as good as new.
Nevertheless it was extremely difficult after her arrival for Betty and
Polly to find time for the intimate hours that they both longed to have
together, for there were so many other people about--old friends and
relatives.
Nan Graham came from Syracuse, where she had charge of the department of
domestic science in the High School, in order to be with her brother
Anthony, whom she had not seen since his election.
Edith Norton with her husband and four children still lived in Woodford
and claimed the intimacy of their Camp Fire days. Then, of course, there
was Herr Krippen and Mrs. Krippen and Betty's small stepbrother to be
considered, besides Mr. and Mrs. Wharton, Eleanor and Frank.
But perhaps the most important and unexpected member of the Christmas
gathering was the distinguished and eccentric Doctor Sylvia Wharton.
Certainly it was Sylvia who kept Betty and Polly from being alone with
each other during her own brief visit.
The morning of the day before Christmas Mollie got a letter from Sylvia,
who had charge of a hospital in Philadelphia, saying that much as she
regretted it she would be unable to spend Christmas with them.
During the late afternoon Polly, who had escaped from the noise and
confusion going on inside Mollie's big house, was taking a walk up and
down the bare wind-swept orchard to the left of the house. The ground
was covered with hard white snow and the air stung with a kind of
delicious cold freshness.
It was a part of Polly's regular duty to stay out of doors for a certain
number of hours each day, so she now stopped her walk for a moment and
glanced ahead at some almost blue-black pine trees silhouetted against
the twilight sky.
Suddenly she became conscious of what sounded like a masculine step
behind her, and before she could turn around felt her two arms firmly
grasped by a pair of capable hands and herself swung slowly about.
She faced a figure not so tall as her own, but broader, stronger and far
more sturdy. The blue eyes looked at her through a pair of spectacles,
the flaxen hair was parted in the middle and without the least sign of a
crinkle drawn straight back on either side. The mouth was firm, but
curiously kind. And just now it actually showed signs of trembling.
"Why, Sylvia Wharton!" Polly said and straightway hid her face in the
fur of her stepsister's long coat. Immediately she had a feeling of
dependence on Sylvia's judgment and affection just as she had for so
long a time, although she was several years the older.
"Don't try to hide your face from me, Polly O'Neill. I want to see how
you are looking before you get back into the house and do your best to
deceive me. I can feel already that you are thin as a rail," Dr. Sylvia
murmured severely. "You see if I don't straighten you out before you go
back to that wretched work again!"
"It was good of you to come, Sylvia; I was so disappointed over your
letter this morning. Only I am not your patient, dear; I am quite all
right. It is 'Bobbin,' my poor little girl, I want you to look after and
find somebody to help," Polly returned with unaccustomed meekness.
"Really she is interesting and unusual. Both Mollie and Billy Webster
think so; it isn't only my foolishness. I suppose you thought my
bringing her east with me was rather mad, didn't you, Sylvia?"
Sylvia smiled the slow smile that had always beautified her plain face.
"No, not mad, only Polly!" she answered dryly. "But of course I'll look
the little girl over for you, and then I'll find the best person to see
her and you can send her to me in Philadelphia. Only don't think you are
going to escape by that method yourself."
On Christmas Eve all the grown-up members of the Christmas party dined
with Mrs. Ashton and Betty in the town of Woodford, since Mollie was to
have the tree and Christmas dinner for them and the children on the farm
the next day.
It was an amusing change from the past to find that Anthony Graham and
Sylvia Wharton were really the lions of the evening. How different it
had been in the old days when Anthony was only an awkward, shabby,
obscure boy and Sylvia the plainest and most unprepossessing of the
Sunrise Hill Camp Fire girls!
Polly and Betty too, in spite of her wounded feelings, were both
immensely pleased and amused by it.
Of course Sylvia would rather have died than have mentioned the fact,
but quite by accident Anthony had read the previous day of Sylvia's
election as President of the American Medical Society, the highest honor
that had ever been paid a woman in the medical profession in the United
States.
Hearing the story at the dinner table, Sylvia was of course confused by
the admiration and applause it excited, for she was still as shy and
reserved about her own accomplishments as she had ever been as a young
girl.
Moreover, it was Polly who recalled having once predicted that Sylvia
Wharton would become the most distinguished of the Camp Fire girls and
who made a little speech in her honor, much to the confusion and disgust
of Sylvia.
Then Billy Webster offered their congratulations to Anthony, who was
almost equally modest about his own attainments and insisted that his
election as Governor was due to a happy accident and not to any possible
ability of his own.
The Christmas day following was even more crowded with people and
excitement. Actually Mollie and Billy were to have thirty guests to dine
at the farm at two o'clock and the Christmas tree for the children was
to be given immediately after.
Notwithstanding, Sylvia arranged to spend an hour alone with Polly and
Bobbin in a room at the top of the house where there could be no
interruption.
She appeared to be deeply interested in Bobbin. She made Polly talk and
then saw how easily Bobbin seemed to be able to understand. Then she
asked questions herself which now and then the little girl was able to
comprehend.
Polly explained that perchance Bobbin understood her better than other
people, because of her training as an actress, which of course required
her to enunciate more distinctly. However, Dr. Wharton made no reply and
after a time Bobbin was sent away to watch the children at play.
Then Polly sat quietly in a big armchair, while Sylvia strode up and
down the room with her hands clasped behind her. They were both silent
for quite five minutes.
Afterwards Sylvia spoke first.
"I am by no means sure your little girl is entirely deaf, Polly," she
remarked abruptly. "But I am not an expert in the matter and I don't
want to trust my own judgment. I believe she hears indistinctly perhaps
and so has never learned to talk. Yet it would not surprise me if a
sudden shock of some kind might make her hear, and after that she would
learn to talk easily enough. But I'll discuss her case and we can see
about it later. Now you are to let me look you over."
Of course Polly shrugged her shoulders and objected, insisting that she
was entirely well and that it was absurd to waste Sylvia's time.
Nevertheless, as usual, Dr. Wharton had her way and at the end of a half
hour's examination Polly appeared pale and exhausted, while Sylvia
looked more satisfied.
"You are not to go back on the stage again this winter, Miss O'Neill,"
she announced decisively. "But you really are in better health than I
expected to find you. If you only would behave with a little more
sense!"
Polly sighed, waving her accuser away.
"Do go and let me rest now, please," she commanded. "You know I have
promised to recite for the children for an hour or so after dinner. And
I do wish my friends and family would stop asking me to behave with
better sense. How can I if I haven't got it? Everybody ought to be sorry
for me."
Smiling, Sylvia departed. It was like old times to hear Polly talking in
her old aggrieved fashion when she knew herself to be really in the
wrong. But then Sylvia decided that she would probably always love Polly
more than any one else in the world, even if they saw each other so
seldom. For she never expected to marry herself and doubted now whether
Polly ever would. There had been a scare years before about a Richard
Hunt, but as Polly never mentioned his name now she must by this time
have forgotten him.
The Christmas dinner and tree were a great success. After Polly had made
the children shriek with pleasure by playing a dozen characters from
Mother Goose, and the older people cry by reciting several exquisite
Christmas poems by Whitcomb Riley and Eugene Field, the guests then sang
Camp Fire songs until darkness descended.
It was a pity, however, that Esther and Dick and their children were in
Boston and unable to come home for the holidays, for Esther's beautiful
voice was sadly needed in the music.
But at six o'clock Sylvia was forced to leave for Philadelphia, and so
the other guests decided that it was time that the weary children should
be taken home.
However, for one minute Polly and Betty did manage to slip over into a
corner and in that moment made an engagement to spend the whole of the
next afternoon together. Moreover, in order to get away from every one
else they planned to take a long walk to Sunrise Cabin.
Nevertheless that same night each of the two friends lay awake for
several hours, firmly resolving not to tell the other the trouble that
lay nearest their hearts. For they both decided that they should have
gotten beyond their old girlhood confidences and that there were certain
things women should keep to themselves.