LADYBIRD
Dinner at Primrose Hall was rather an elaborate meal, and was always
served promptly at six o'clock. Old Josiah Flint had been very particular
about his household appointments and habits, and since his death his
daughters had made no changes.
After dinner the ladies always went to the library and read the village
newspaper, or dozed over their knitting-work until bedtime.
But one evening in early June this routine was interfered with, by the
arrival of a letter bearing a foreign postmark. It was addressed in what
was evidently a man's hand, and the two good ladies were greatly excited.
Miss Dorinda felt a pleasant flutter of anticipation, but Miss Priscilla
felt a foreboding that something disagreeable was in the letter, and she
hesitated before she opened it.
"It's postmarked 'London,'" she said. "Do we know any one in London?
Maria Peters went there once, but she came back, and anyway, she's dead."
"Open it, sister," implored Miss Dorinda. And after scrutinizing it
thoroughly once more, Miss Priscilla did open it.
"It is signed 'Thomas J. Bond,'" she exclaimed, looking at the signature.
"Now, can it be Tom Bond who was old Jonathan Bond's son? His mother was
a Coriell."
"Read it, sister," said Miss Dorinda.
So Miss Priscilla read the letter aloud, and this is what it said:
Miss Priscilla Flint,
Dear Madam:
During a recent visit to India I learned that a friend of mine, Jack
Lovell, was living at Bombay, and I went there to see him. But it was my
sad experience to reach his home the day after he had died from a sudden
attack of fever. He left a little child, who told me that her mother had
been dead many years, and, indeed, the poor child seemed utterly alone in
the world. I tried to find out from Lovell's papers something about his
effects, but as he was of a roving and careless disposition, everything
was left at sixes and sevens, and I am afraid there is no provision for
the child. Therefore, since Jack's wife was your sister, I think the
right thing to do is to send the little girl to you at once. And if I can
find any money or property belonging to her I will advise you later.
My wife and I brought her from India to London with us, and I will send
her to you on the next steamer.
Trusting that this letter will insure her a kindly reception, I am
Yours very respectfully,
Thomas J. Bond.
To say that after reading this remarkable letter Miss Priscilla appeared
surprised, amazed, astounded, excited, irritated, angry, umbrageous,
furious, or even to say that she was in a state of high dudgeon, would
give but an inadequate idea of the indignation shown in her face and
manner.
But she only said, "She cannot come!" and snapped her teeth shut in the
way she always did when very decided.
"But she'll have to come, sister," said Miss Dorinda; "how will you
prevent her?"
"Well, then, she cannot stay," said Miss Priscilla, with another snap; "I
will send her back just as I did Ann Haskell. Why, think of it, Dorinda!
Think of a child living in this house! She'd very likely leave doors
open, and she'd be sure to chatter when we wished to be quiet, and she'd
fairly worry us into our graves."
"Yes," said Miss Dorinda, "I suppose she would. But I don't see how you
_can_ send her away."
"I don't care whether I can or not, I'm going to do it. This Lawrence J.
Bond, or whoever he is, discovered her without our consent; now he can
attend to the rest; I shall simply get her a ticket back to his address
in London and pack her off."
"Of course that is the only thing to do--we _can't_ have her here. And
yet--Priscilla--she is Lavinia's daughter."
"What of it? Lavinia didn't consider our feelings when she deserted and
disgraced us, so why should we concern ourselves about her child?"
"True enough; and yet I shall be glad to see the little girl. How old is
she, Priscilla?"
"I suppose she must be about fourteen. Yes; it was fourteen years ago
that Jack Lovell wrote, saying his wife had died, leaving a tiny baby. He
said the little one had blue eyes and golden curls, so I daresay she has
grown up to look like her mother. Lavinia _was_ pretty."
"Oh, she was. And how sweet she used to look dancing round the house in
her bright, pretty frocks."
"Well, what if she did? Lavinia's daughter is not Lavinia, and I wash my
hands of the little nuisance. If you choose to--"
"Oh, no, no! I wouldn't do anything that you would disapprove of. But I
only thought--perhaps--if she is a sweet, docile child she might be a
comfort to us."
"Are you losing your mind, Dorinda? What comfort could come of a
responsibility like that? Think of the worrying over her clothes and
education and accomplishments. And then, after a while, probably she
would treat us as her mother did, and run away with a good-for-nothing
scamp."
"Yes, yes, sister, you are quite right. What is the child's name, do you
know?"
"Lavinia; don't you remember her father said so in that letter--the only
letter he ever wrote us? If he had acted more kindly toward us, I might
feel different toward the child; but as it is, I've no use for her."
"Do you remember sister Lavinia at fourteen? She was a lovely child,
chubby and rosy-cheeked, with eyes like the sky, and beautiful, soft
golden curls. She didn't look much like us, Priscilla."
"No," admitted the older sister; "but beauty is a doubtful good. I'd
rather be plain and do my duty, than to be handsome and break the hearts
of those who love me."
"Well," said Miss Dorinda, placidly, "we'd better not talk any more about
it, or we'll get so excited we won't be able to sleep. Let's go to bed,
sister, and to-morrow morning, after breakfast, we'll read the letter
again and decide what we can do."
So, taking their bedroom candles, the two old ladies went up-stairs. But
as Miss Dorinda had feared, they could not get to sleep, and they lay
awake thinking about their sister and their sister's child.
And so it happened that they were both awake when at about eleven o'clock
the great brass knocker on the front door sent clattering clangs all
through the house. Such a thing had never before been known at Primrose
Hall, and the sisters, terror-stricken, jumped from their beds and met at
the door of their connecting rooms, where they faced each other with
pale, startled faces.
"What can it be?" whispered Miss Dorinda.
"The house must be on fire," said Miss Priscilla, decidedly; "let us get
our fire-gowns."
These were commodious robes of thick, dark flannel which hung on the
sisters' bed-posts, to be hurried on in case of fire. For years they had
been hung there every night and put away every morning, but it seemed
that at last their time had come.
While the sisters were tremblingly trying to get into them, Martha
appeared in her fire-gown and asked what she should do.
"Answer the door," said Miss Priscilla. "But stay: it may not be the
firemen; I don't smell any smoke. In that case it must be burglars. Let
us call Matthew."
By this time the great knocker sounded again, and Bridget and Matthew
both appeared in the hall. Each wore a fire-gown, and as all of the party
had on night-caps, they were an imposing-looking crowd. The Flint ladies
wore great be-ruffled caps, tied with wide white strings, suspiciously
fresh and smooth; and, indeed, these caps had been for years awaiting
this very occasion; for if the Misses Flint were to be heroically rescued
from fiery flames, they wanted to look decent at the time.
Bridget and Martha wore neat, narrow-ruffled caps, as befitted their
station; and Matthew was crowned with a queer-looking thing of knitted
yarn with a long tassel hanging down behind.
With an old musket in his hands, Matthew led the procession to the front
door.
Bridget and Martha followed, holding candles, and Miss Priscilla and Miss
Dorinda, arm in arm, encouraged each other, and nerved themselves for
whatever might be about to happen.
Then Matthew flung the great front door wide open, and there was no
fire-engine outside, no burglars--only a tiny mite of a girl who fairly
jumped into the hall as the door opened, and stood looking at the strange
beings who surrounded her. Her face was small and very white, with large,
dark eyes that seemed to be dancing with mirth. Her straight black hair
hung round her ears like elf-locks, and she wore a long red cloak and a
wide-brimmed red hat.
She looked inquiringly from one to the other, as if uncertain which to
address, and then, with a smiling glance that seemed to include them all,
she flung off her hat and cloak, and said, in a sweet, childish voice,
"I'm Ladybird, and I've come to stay."