_AN ALARM._
NOR did she feel lighter-hearted in the morning, especially when Nellie
began to lament the too plain fact that there must be a good many mice
in the house, and that they seemed to have come so suddenly. First
discovered but two days ago in the store-room, and never seen or heard
before since the family had occupied this house, they now appeared to
be running wild, all over. It was very singular, certainly.
So thought Nellie, adding that mamma would now "have no peace of her
life," so long as the mice were free, and she should ask papa to buy a
lot of mouse-traps and set them in every room.
Carrie knew only too well how this had come about; but now that mamma
did know that there were mice in the house, she did not feel as if she
could confess that it was through her fault that they had been brought
upstairs. It seemed so horribly unkind, such a dreadful thing to have
done to mamma now.
So, although she was not cross and fretful as she had been last night,
she went about listlessly, and with a subdued and melancholy manner
that was worthy of Daisy herself when she was at the very lowest depths
of despondency, but with far better reason than Daisy usually had.
Even when Ruth, who felt a little grudge against her for her naughty
conduct of the last few days, snubbed her and pulled her about rather
more than was necessary when she was dressing her, Carrie bore it
meekly, not having spirit to answer back, and so softening the nurse by
her silent submission that she gave her a kindly pat on the shoulder,
saying that she saw she was "tired of being naughty and was going to be
good to-day." Which small encouragement Carrie received as she left the
nursery with as great a want of interest or animation as she had shown
for every thing that morning; and Ruth, shaking her head, privately
confided to baby her opinion that that child was "going to be sick, or
she never in the world would be so good."
When Mr. Ransom came down to breakfast, he said that Mamma would not
be down right away; but sent word that Nellie might "pour out" for her
this morning. She had had a restless, wakeful night, having been made
nervous and uncomfortable by the knowledge that a mouse was around, and
could not compose herself to sleep after the little excitement in the
children's room.
Were Carrie's troubles never coming to an end?
"Pouring out" was not new to Nellie, for she had made tea and coffee
for her father and brothers many a morning before when mamma was not
well enough to come downstairs; but still it was an important business,
and one to which she felt obliged to bend every energy, till all
were served according to their liking. Then she felt at leisure for
conversation, and for observing what was going on about the table.
"Are you not going to eat your breakfast, Carrie?" she asked, seeing
that her sister sat idly playing with her spoon, as if she had no
appetite.
"I'm not hungry," answered Carrie, not altogether pleased at having
notice drawn upon her.
"Did the mouse frighten your appetite away, Carrie?" asked Mr. Ransom,
looking at her.
"No, papa,--I--I think not. I'm not afraid of mice," said Carrie.
"But he frightened us very much before we knew what it was," said
Nellie; "and afterwards we thought he was in the bed, papa."
"What was it? Tell us all about it," said Johnny. "A mouse! Won't mamma
be in a taking, though?"
"Poor mamma!" said Nellie; and then she related the whole story,
seeming to think her own experience and Carrie's rather a good joke,
though she was sadly troubled about mamma's nervousness over the matter.
"That's worse than white mice," said Daisy, who had listened with wide
open eyes, in such intense interest that she quite forgot to eat her
breakfast.
"But that's awful for mamma," said Bob. "What will she do?"
"It is a great pity," said Mr. Ransom. "I had hoped mamma would not be
troubled in that way."
"They seem to be appearing all over the house at once," said Nellie,
"and only since day before yesterday when I found the first in the
store-room."
"Did you find one in the store-room too?" asked Johnny.
"Ever so many in a box; but Catherine killed them," said Nellie, never
doubting, of course, that she was stating the truth.
Carrie raised her downcast eyes in terror; but, to her relief, the
servant in waiting had left the breakfast-room for one moment, and
there was no contradiction of Nellie's words.
"Why, Cad?" said Johnny, "what ails you? you seem to take the mouse
almost as hard as mamma would. You needn't be afraid for your bird, if
that's it; for he was only after the seed."
Mr. Ransom looked at Carrie again.
"Don't be troubled, little daughter," he said. "Johnny is right: the
mice will not hurt your birds. But you are quite upset with being so
disturbed last night, are you not? Come here to papa."
Dreading questions which she would not care to answer, and wishing that
she could creep under the table, run out of the room, or hide herself
anywhere, Carrie was about to obey; but, before she could rise from her
chair, there was heard a commotion overhead, a smothered scream in
Mrs. Ransom's voice, a running and scuffling, and then Ruth calling to
her master to "come quick."
Mr. Ransom sprang from his chair, and rushed upstairs, followed by
every one of his boys and girls, fearing they knew not what, save that
something dreadful had happened.
Something dreadful, indeed, all the children thought, when, running
into mamma's room, she was seen, pale, with closed eyes and quite
senseless, lying back in the arms of Ruth; while the baby, resenting
being placed suddenly face downwards upon the bed, was shrieking with
all its little might.
The younger children, not unnaturally, thought that she was dead, and
were terrified half out of their senses; but Nellie had seen mamma in
a fainting fit before, and, though frightened, knew that she would
be better by and by. So she gave the best help she could by taking
up the screaming baby and hushing its cries, and encouraging her
sisters--although her own lips were trembling and eyes filling with
tears--with hopeful words.
"What happened? What caused this?" asked Mr. Ransom, when he had laid
his wife upon the couch, and was engaged with the assistance of the
servant women in restoring her.
"Indeed, sir, and it was just a mouse, nasty thing!" said Ruth. "I came
in with the baby to ask Mrs. Ransom for some ribbon for its sleeves,
and she went to the bureau drawer for them, and as she opened it what
did a mouse do but jump right out on her. 'Twas enough to scare a body
that wasn't afraid of mice; but, for her, it's no wonder it's half
killed her, poor dear! We're just getting overrun with mice. There!
she's coming to now. That's all right, dear lady!"
Carrie heard, saw mamma's eyes slowly unclosing and looking up at papa;
but oh! how white and very ill she looked still. She heard and ran,
anxious to shut out sight and hearing,--ran out of the room upstairs
to the garret, and, squeezing herself behind the old furniture in the
place where she had hidden the mice, sobbed and cried as if her heart
would break.
What if mamma was not dead, as she had thought at first: she might be
dying still, must be very ill to look like that, and she had done it.
It was all her fault.
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