A fool, a fool!--I met a fool i' the forest.
The first winter which the ladies and little Cora passed on the island,
was unusually severe, but they had expected and prepared for it; and the
winter scene was so novel to them, and fraught with so much beauty, that
they never wearied of it. Besides the constant occupation in their
housekeeping and attending to Cora, and also caring for Louisita, and
providing her with all the comforts they had in their power to take to
her, for she still insisted in living in the Vikings' tomb, which she
never permitted them to enter.
Spring came at last, and with it returned to the island the robins, the
song thrushes, the beautiful golden orioles, and the humming birds, all
of which had gone southward at the beginning of winter. The wood violets
and the trailing arbutus blossomed among the grass. The spruces and
pines put forth their young buds, and the whole island wore a garb of
beauty.
The little family of three, spent much time out of doors, and visited
the beach almost daily, for they all loved the sea, especially little
Cora; and to enhance her happiness was the first desire of both of the
ladies. They frequently wandered around Ralph's grave, and never omitted
adding a stone to the cairn, which they had raised to his memory.
Little Cora with her tiny hands, always placing her own mite to the
pile. As the child grew stronger, they took longer walks, and taught her
from the book of nature as they went along, for Nature's lessons in
geology, and botany, and natural history, lay all around them.
They had by this, brought their lives into the same degree of system and
order, as that in which they had each of them been educated in their
respective homes; the want of which during the first part of their
residence on the island they greatly missed. They now divided their
days, and had regular hours for certain occupations, and they made a
compact, that they would always be cheerful in the presence of the
child, and meet their destiny bravely, that they might not give a somber
tinge to her young life. Everything went well with them as far as might
be, excepting that Louisita, who had the control over three cows, would
never let them have a drop of milk for Cora. The child had for a long
while after their coming, constantly repeated at every meal "Dinah, bing
milk." She seemed to think her negress nurse was somewhere near her, and
was able to bring anything she wished for, as formerly.
Her demands for milk, had ceased for a week or two, when one morning she
again begged for it, and when told she could not have any, a look of
extreme repression of feeling came over her features. She did not cry,
or in any way show temper. The food was distasteful to the poor little
thing; and the look of forced endurance, one may say that forced
resignation and endurance combined, which we sometimes see in older
faces and which is utterly discordant with their reasoning faculties,
was distressing to behold in one so young. The child could not
understand why she was not to have milk; but the brave spirit of her
mother was her birthright, and like her mother, she endured
disappointment without a murmur.
"This must not be any longer, Ada," said Miss Vyvyan. "It is too much
for you to witness, and for Cora to suffer. That dear child shall have
some milk. I will learn how, and I will milk one of those cows, whether
Louisita's sword kills me or not."
"Dear Anna," said Mrs. Carleton, "I pray you do not expose yourself to
danger; do not be rash. Why what has come to you? I never heard you
speak like that before."
"I know it, Ada, but you never saw me so placed else you would have. I
detest selfishness, and you have been so kind to Louisita, and she is
aware how precious Cora is to us. You know we shall not be depriving her
of anything, because she told us she threw most of the milk away; but
she encourages the cows to come here in order to keep them tame. You
recollect that she told you the rest of the herd which stay on the other
side of the island have become wild."
"I, of course, know that we should not be depriving Louisita," said Mrs.
Carleton; "but I fear so much that she may hurt you."
"Only teach me a few words of Spanish, Ada," said Miss Vyvyan, "and I
will put that out of her power. Teach me to say I am a spirit, you
cannot harm me."
"I am afraid, Anna; for your own sake I would not have you go."
"I am not in the least afraid of her," replied Miss Vyvyan. "I have
always done my best to help her, and I certainly intend to continue to
be kind to her, because she needs help; but I never submit to injustice
being done either to my friends or to myself. I consider it unjust to
throw away the milk which Cora so much requires."
With those words Miss Vyvyan left the room. In a few minutes she
returned.
"Ada," said she, addressing Mrs. Carleton, "my good old guardian, Sir
Thomas, used to say 'All is fair in love and in war.' Now I am going to
unite both love and war, for as I love you and Cora I must in all honor
defend you both, just as some gallant knight would do if he were here.
Put your hand on my shoulder and feel what is there."
Mrs. Carleton did so.
"Why, what have you under your dress?" said she.
"A whole suit of chain armor, Ada, that's all, and a helmet of the same
under this lace scarf on my head. Louisita won't have the pleasure of
piercing my heart this time, and when she finds that she cannot, she
will think the spirits are round me, or that I am like the Indians and
have a charm. I am going now; the cows are in sight. I saw how Louisita
milked, and I think I can do it. Look down from the window, Ada, and see
the fun."
"Anna be back," said the child, looking up with a face more full of
anxious desire than inquiry.
"Yes, precious one," replied Miss Vyvyan, "Anna will come back."
No sooner had Miss Vyvyan approached the cow and was endeavoring to
imitate as well as she could Louisita's way of milking, than the latter
came striding out of the mound wearing her cavalry boots and flourishing
her sword, exclaiming, as usual:
"Hence; away, away; all here is mine. Touch not that cow. I will pierce
your heart."
Miss Vyvyan who heard it all did not take any notice of her, but went on
with apparent indifference, pursuing her lacteal occupation. Louisita
stood over her and went through all the sword exercises that she was
mistress of. Still Miss Vyvyan continued her endeavor to milk, unharmed
either by cut or thrust. Presently, turning to Louisita, she repeated
her Spanish lesson as well as she could in the midst of her laughter.
"It is the fool who is laughing," said Louisita, looking up at Mrs.
Carleton, who was leaning out of one of the tower windows. "It is the
fool, who has not sense enough to know that she is not happy. I shall
never interfere with her again; she can have all the milk she wishes
for; she has a charmed life."