room off the dancing hall where the other tables were set. Brenda and
she had chosen this department, but the latter had declined any
responsibility. "I wish to be free to move anywhere; I just hate having
to stay in one spot, so ask as many others as you wish, Belle." Thus
Belle had surrounded herself with half a dozen of the younger girls, and
she was able to assume an air of authority over them that would have
been impossible with the girls of her own age.
There were three or four little round tables in this room beside the
larger one covered with boxes and baskets of bonbons. At the little
tables the girls were to serve ices to all who wished them.
"Dear me," fretted Belle as she and Brenda stood surveying the room.
"Dear me! I wish that we had a larger room. This is going to be awfully
crowded if we have many people, and there will surely be a crowd before
evening. I don't see what we shall do."
"Can't they take turns?" asked one of the younger girls, who happened to
be standing near. "We could not have more than a dozen at a time, I
should think."
"Oh, you don't know anything about it, Annie Bell," exclaimed Belle in a
tone that brought tears to the eyes of the younger girl. "Of course I
don't expect that every one who comes to the Bazaar will rush in here
the first thing, but we ought to have had a larger room. I'm almost
sorry that I said that I would take charge of this part of the Bazaar.
It's going to be a great deal more fun outside."
"Ah, well!" replied Brenda, consolingly, "you won't have to stay in here
all the time, the girls can look after things, and besides I am not
going to be away all the time."
"Oh, no," said Belle, "if I undertake a thing I always calculate to
carry it through. Some one has to be here at the money table all the
time, or else things will get dreadfully mixed up."
"Well, I'm sorry that you feel so," said Brenda. "But as long as there
is no one here now I will go off for a while and see how Nora is getting
on at the surprise table."
As Brenda went off, Belle sat down at the little table which answered
for cashier's desk. She had already taken in two dollars for bonbons,
although as yet the Bazaar had had but a few patrons. Toward noon about
forty altogether had visited the Bazaar. Among these were several
elderly ladies and gentlemen, and a number of nurses with children who
patronized chiefly the surprise table and the refreshment room, and
Belle had her hands full making change, and correcting the errors of her
young assistants with whom arithmetic was evidently not a strong point.
At about one o'clock the attendants at the Bazaar began to go down to
the dining-room where Mrs. Blair had had a luncheon spread for them.
"How's business?" asked Belle of Nora, as they sat there over their
salad and cocoa.
"Oh, fine," replied the latter, expressively, if inelegantly. "I've
taken nearly twenty dollars, and the table looks as if hardly a thing
had been touched. Julia and Ruth have done a great deal better, of
course, and I wouldn't dare say how much Edith and Frances have made.
They sold that set of chocolate cups for twenty dollars to old Mrs.
Bean."
"That was more than they were worth," interrupted Belle.
"Oh, I don't know, they _were_ LOVELY, there was ever so much work on
them."
"Well, I suppose at a Bazaar, a thing is worth what any one is willing
to pay for it, but still, even if I could afford it, I would not pay
twenty dollars for those cups. I didn't like the shape."
"You're too fussy, Belle, about little things; I've heard ever so many
other persons admiring those cups, and Mrs. Bean thought that they were
beautiful."
"Well, what else have they sold?"
"I can hardly tell, I've been so busy myself, but the table begins to
look just a little bare, at least in spots, and I know that even Frances
thinks that they have done very well. You know it's a great deal for her
to be contented with anything."
"Well, I wish I could get some one to change with me this afternoon, I'm
awfully tired of that little refreshment room. It will be more fun in
the evening, but----"
"You ought to make Brenda take charge for an hour or two."
"Who in the world could ever make Brenda do anything?"
"I know she's a kind of a will-o'-the-wisp, and she feels as if she were
managing everything and everybody here, but then that does not hurt us
and it pleases her."
Here Belle remembered that it was always her custom to stand up for
Brenda, and in the fashion which is always rather annoying to the person
who has not intended any offence, she said, "Why of course we all
understand Brenda, and for my part I think that she is exactly right. Of
course, she was the one who planned this whole thing, and except for her
no one would have tried to do a thing for the Rosas."
Nora did not think it worth while to reply that she had not been the one
to make any criticism of Brenda. Instead she contented herself with
saying, mischievously, "Well, you know that it was I who discovered
Manuel, and if we had not had an object we should not have had a
Bazaar." Belle had nothing to say to this, and indeed there was no
chance, for two or three of the younger girls came down with a rush,
thus reminding Nora and Belle that they ought to go upstairs again to
their duties.
By the middle of the afternoon the Bazaar was a scene of the greatest
activity, every one was there, young and old, and the fancy-work table
had really begun to look bare. One of Nora's brothers had to be sent
down town for a fresh supply of novelties for the surprise table, as not
only the children but their parents found great amusement in opening
those bright-colored packages. Belle and some of the older girls
regretted that there was nothing to raffle.
"Don't you honestly think that it is much more exciting to get a thing
in that way than to buy it just as you would in a shop?" asked Edith,
who had been influenced by Belle to try to coax Mrs. Blair to change her
opinion in the matter of raffles. But Mrs. Blair was firm, and she gave
her reasons so clearly that not only her daughter, but all the others
interested in the Bazaar, except Belle, seemed convinced.
"I haven't said," she had been careful in explaining, "that raffles are
wrong, only very often they lead to things that are not exactly right.
It is hard to make the average person see why it is perfectly right to
buy shares in a handsome doll-house, and wrong to invest in a lottery
ticket."
"Oh, every one understands about lottery tickets."
"Well, that may be true, lotteries are against the law in this part of
the country, and yet a raffle at a bazaar or other charitable affair is
to my mind always objectionable. Some persons take their disappointment
very much to heart, and----"
"But, mamma, do you not call people very silly who take a little thing
like that to heart?"
"I may call them silly and yet I cannot justify myself in causing them
this discomfort, if a raffle should be held in my house. Without going
into all the principles involved, Edith, I am sure that you can see that
I have good reasons for feeling unwilling to have any raffles at the
Bazaar."
So Edith and the others had acquiesced, with only a slight feeling of
rebellion when one or two particularly handsome things were contributed
to the Bazaar, which seemed almost too expensive to sell to a single
purchaser.
A strong reason given by Mrs. Blair against raffles had been her
objection to having people urged to buy shares, and she had cautioned
the girls to be careful not to try to influence their friends when
looking at things on the tables to buy against their will. On the whole
did any action of this kind seem necessary, since almost every one who
attended the Bazaar came as a purchaser, and as there was only one
fancy-goods table, there was no rivalry among the sellers. Some of the
larger and more expensive things did not sell very readily, and Brenda
was in a twitter--at least that was what Nora called it--about the fate
of these things. There was one especially valuable thing, or valuable
from the point of view of The Four, a water color contributed by an
artist friend of Mrs. Barlow's. He was a well-known artist, and his work
was in demand, and down town the picture would have brought a large
price. The girls in making the price of articles for the sale, had been
uncertain what to do about this, and after long consultation with the
older persons interested, had decided on one hundred dollars.
The artist himself had acquiesced in this, for they had thought it
polite to refer the matter finally to him. Every one had prophesied that
the picture would sell at once, yet for some reason or other, by the
middle of the afternoon it was still unsold. By four o'clock it seemed
as if all Miss Crawdon's school had emptied itself into the pretty hall,
and about this time Brenda began to yield to a little temptation.
"What are you and Belle so mysterious about?" asked Nora, as she saw the
two busily talking in a corner, and evidently rather afraid of being
interrupted.
"Oh, nothing, only a little business," Brenda had replied, and then she
and Belle had resumed their conversation which seemed to partake of the
nature of calculation, with frequent references to a little notebook.
After this Nora could not help noticing that Brenda devoted her
attention to the older schoolgirls, and the college boys who in the
latter part of the afternoon had begun to arrive in considerable
numbers.
"What in the world are you doing?" she asked again and again, as Belle
darted by as if searching for some special person, or Brenda stalked up
and down studying her notebook.
Toward four o'clock there was considerable bustle at the entrance to the
room, and Mrs. Blair's waitress, who had been standing in the hall, came
forward with a message for Julia. At least she went up to the flower
booth, and after speaking to Julia the latter hurried forward to the
door where stood an old lady leaning on the arm of a tall serving man.
"Who is it?" "Isn't she fine looking?" "Oh, no, I think her rather
queer; who ever saw a turban like that?" were a few of the remarks that
flew around the room, as Julia and the old lady with her attendant
walked over toward the group of easy-chairs which Mrs. Blair had
thoughtfully provided in one corner.
"Why, it's Madame Du Launy," cried Nora, who was really the first to
recognize the occupant of the mysterious house near the school, and soon
the news spread, until there was hardly a person in the room who had not
heard it. Every one, naturally enough, was too polite to show her
curiosity, although it must be admitted that a few of the bolder
wandered nearer to the seated group than was actually necessary in order
to get a good view of the old lady, or to overhear a part of what she
and Julia had to say to each other. At Julia's request the waitress had
found Mrs. Blair, and after making the necessary introduction, Julia had
led Madame Du Launy, accompanied by Mrs. Blair, to the flower table. No
one who had ever heard Madame Du Launy called miserly, could have
believed this true while watching her progress from table to table at
the Bazaar. Though every one knew that she had her own little
conservatory, she bought plants and cut flowers with great liberality,
and while she always asked the price of each thing, she never demurred
at the stated sum.
When Madame Du Launy and her little party approached the fancy-work
table, Frances fairly bristled with importance, and displayed her goods,
as if conferring the greatest favor. In spite of this rather forbidding
manner on the part of the young saleswoman, Madame Du Launy proved a
good patron. She bought one set of Edith's doilies, as well as several
smaller things, and then her eye fell on the water color, which, to
display it the better, had been hung on the wall back of the table.
"Is that for sale?" she asked rather abruptly.
"Why, no, or rather, yes," replied Frances with a certain hesitation.
"At least it has been for sale," she added.
"Is it sold?" asked Mrs. Blair in some surprise; "a short time ago, I
understood that you had not found a purchaser."
Frances reddened a little under Mrs. Blair's rather searching glance,
and reddened still more deeply as Mrs. Blair continued, "Has any one
bought it within the last half hour?"
"Why, no," said Frances, "not exactly, although--"
During this conversation, an expression of annoyance had come over
Madame Du Launy's face. Apparently she was accustomed to having whatever
she expressed a desire to buy, and this reluctance on the part of
Frances was far from agreeable to her. It was hardly less distasteful to
Mrs. Blair.
"I should think, Frances, that as valuable a thing as this would either
be for sale, or if sold would have had a purchaser, whom you could
mention."
"I wish that Belle were here," murmured Frances rather helplessly.
"Why I thought that you and Edith had complete charge here," remarked
Mrs. Blair.
"Well, so we had, but Edith is resting now, and----"
"It is of no consequence, Mrs. Blair, there are other pictures elsewhere
that will probably suit me as well, only I imagined that the young
ladies wished to sell this one," interposed Madame Du Launy haughtily,
and holding her head rather high, she started in the direction of the
surprise table. Now just at this moment Miss South, who had been amusing
herself with some of Nora's funny little surprise packages, turned away
from this table to meet Julia who was walking a step or two behind
Madame Du Launy and Mrs. Blair. She had removed her hat, and her wavy,
brown hair, was dressed rather low on each side of her forehead,
somewhat as we have seen it in the portraits of a generation or two ago.
She smiled brightly as her eye met Julia's, and then she looked toward
Mrs. Blair and Madame Du Launy, whom evidently she had not noticed
before. For as her eye fell on the latter she gave a start of surprise.
At the same time the latter, with a gasp, leaned heavily on the arm of
her attendant, and would have fallen had he not led her quickly to a
chair.
XXVI
GREAT EXCITEMENT
For several moments all was confusion. While trying not to show an
inconsiderate curiosity, the girls behind the tables could not help
leaving their places, though they stood at a fair distance from the spot
where Julia and Miss South and two or three older women were trying to
do what they could to revive Madame Du Launy. Although she had not
actually fainted, she was certainly not herself, and for several minutes
she leaned back in her chair with her eyes half-closed. Yet although she
looked pale and almost pitiful with the lines of age clearly showing in
her face, she would not accept help from any one, not even the glass of
water which they offered her. At last, after a time that seemed longer
than it really was to those who stood by, she opened her eyes, and
without a word to those standing near, motioned to her man.
"My carriage, at once," was all she said, then motioning to him again
she took his arm, as she rose from her seat. Turning for a moment toward
Julia who had extended her hand, "Good-bye, dear," she murmured as she
started to walk with stately step across the room.
The whole thing had been so strange--Madame Du Launy's fainting-spell,
and her peculiar manner on coming to herself, that those who stood near
instead of making any comments only gazed after the old lady in
surprise. In the midst of the excitement Miss South, too, had slipped
away, and on making enquiries about her Julia was told that she had gone
home.
Yet although at the very moment of this strange occurrence no one had
had much to say, when the girls gathered in little groups aside, their
tongues swung back and forward with great energy.
"What in the world could have caused it?" was asked on every hand, and
many were the guesses and speculations as to what had caused the little
scene.
"Oh, old ladies ought not to try to go to festive places like this,"
said one of the girls glancing around the long room with its walls
paneled with mirrors, its decorations of vines, and plants, and bright
streamers.
"Especially old ladies who have hardly set foot in the house of any one
else for fifty years, more or less," added another.
"Well, even then I don't see what made her faint," said Nora, who
happened to have heard the last remark. "There wasn't anything
particularly exciting going on here."
"Oh," replied Belle, "it had something to do with Miss South. I stood
where I could see Madame Du Launy's face, and when she fainted she had
just met Miss South's eye, and didn't you notice, Miss South looked as
if she would like to faint herself!"
"How ridiculous!" said a girl who had newly joined the group, "you
always see more than any one else does, Belle."
"What if I do? I am just as often right, and you can see for yourself
that Miss South is not here now. I noticed that she hurried away as soon
as she could."
"What if she did?" cried Nora; "I do think, Belle, that you are
sometimes perfectly ridiculous. Any number of people are not here now,
who were in the room half an hour ago."
"Oh, you know what I mean, Nora; mark my words there is something queer
about the whole thing."
"How in the world, I wonder, did Madame Du Launy happen to know about
the Bazaar?" asked Frances Pounder.
"Why, Frances Pounder, where have you been?" cried Nora.
"Why, yes, Frances Pounder, where have you been?" echoed Belle. "Haven't
you heard of the tremendous intimacy that has sprung up between Julia
and Madame Du Launy since she rescued her little Fidessa from the park
police? It really is a wonderful story, and we all expect Julia to be
the old lady's heir."
"Come, come," interrupted Nora, "we can't afford to waste our time
gossiping; we should be thankful that Madame Du Launy ventured to come
here at all, for she bought any number of things, and paid good prices,
and now if we do not return to our tables, we may lose all the patronage
of the other old ladies who are wandering about."
So two by two the little crowd dispersed. Some of the girls went behind
the tables, while others hovered about, picking and choosing what they
should buy according to their purses or their taste.
But to tell all the happenings of that afternoon and evening would take
a longer time than can be spared to it now. In the evening not only the
fathers and uncles of many of the girls came upon the scene, but Philip
and his friends appeared to form a small army of purchasers. The latter
were not on the whole inclined to buy very expensive things, though they
patronized the refreshment table so steadily that Belle had to beg one
of the New York boys to become assistant cashier. They also almost swept
the flower booth clean of cut flowers and plants, to the loss of the
little patients in the children's hospital, who might otherwise have
been benefited, had any flowers been left over. Yet although I say that
they did not buy a great deal I must not be misunderstood. They did
carry off all kinds of little things that they thought would raise a
laugh in their college rooms. Philip, for example, bought a work-basket,
lined with pink and white silk, grumbling as he did so that this was the
nearest approach he could find to crimson. Besides that he paid a good
price for the doll which he had admired, and which Nora had
mischievously reserved for him by pinning to it a card bearing his name.
He also bought a small hammock of twisted ribbons, in which he said he
intended to suspend the doll in a conspicuous place over his
mantelpiece.
Tom Hurst had to buy two or three tobacco pouches, and in addition he
chose a rattle, the covering of which Nora had knitted and decorated
with bells.
"Pleased with a rattle, tickled with a straw,"
quoted Nora, as he carried away his purchase, at the same time
presenting him with a wisp of straws from a broom, which she had tied
together with a piece of crimson ribbon. "To be forever cherished,"
responded Tom, as he walked off with his trophies, in a tone that made
the usually unsentimental Nora blush.
As to Will Hardon, he lost no time in going to the table over which
Frances and Edith presided to enquire for a sofa pillow which had been
reserved for him.
"Reserved!" cried Edith in a tone of surprise, for Ruth had taken her
into the secret. "I thought it was understood that nothing could be
reserved here----"
Will's face fell, for he was very much in earnest.
"Oh, now Miss Blair," he said, "you surely were not in earnest last
evening; you know that I had made up my mind to that pillow."
"Wouldn't something else do just as well?" she asked, "this centrepiece
for example, _I_ worked this," with an emphasis on the pronoun.
"Why, it's very pretty," said poor Will, "only I shouldn't know what to
do with it, but I'd like it very much, really I would," he hastened to
add, as Edith looked a little serious.
"Well, I'm sorry," she responded, "that you fix your affection on such
impossible things; now this centrepiece is also disposed of. Mrs. Barlow
has bought it, and will take it home this evening."
"Also," exclaimed Will, "you said 'also,' do you mean that the sofa
pillow is really gone?"
Edith could not help smiling at his expression of disappointment.
"Here comes Ruth," she said, "ask her;" and Ruth, with her hands full of
flowers which she was carrying across the room to Mrs. Pounder, paused
for a moment.
"Why, you look as if you were quarreling," she said to Edith, "you
and--Mr. Hardon; can't I be umpire?"
"Why, yes," replied Will, "that was just what we wish, for you are the
only one who really understands the merits of the case. You remember
that cushion?"
Ruth looked sufficiently conscious to make further reply unnecessary.
"Of course you _do_ remember it," continued Will, "and you know that you
more than half promised to save it for me. Now nobody here at this table
seems able to tell me about it, at least Miss Blair isn't, and she ought
to, if any one could, tell me just where it is."
"I am not sure," responded Edith, "that you have really put the question
to me. At any rate I am positive that I have not made any statement
about it."
"But you told me to refer to Miss Roberts, and I thought that that meant
that you knew nothing about it."
"Well, honestly, I can't tell you about the cushion," said Ruth; "if any
one offered more than one hundred dollars, which I think was your limit,
I suppose that it has been sold."
"You think that I did not mean what I said," cried Will.
"Oh, no, indeed, but if any one offered more----"
All this time Edith had been standing with one hand behind her back, and
at the last minute she raised her arm, and disclosed the cushion, which
a minute before she had brought from its hiding-place beneath the table.
"There, that is mine," exclaimed the young man, "let me have it."
"Well, I declare!" cried Edith, as in surprise, "this card really does
bear your name, and so I suppose that I must give you the cushion."
Will leaned forward eagerly. "Yes, it is mine, but," as he glanced at
the card, "the price is not right. It is only one-tenth what I expected
to pay."
"Why! would you really have paid one hundred dollars for it?" asked
Ruth.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Oh, it is so much more than it is worth," she replied. "Even for the
Rosas we could not have permitted it."
"Well," he answered, as he handed out the crisp ten dollar bill, which
paid the price marked on the pillow, "well, I must make it up to the
Rosas in some other way." Then turning toward Edith, "thank you, Miss
Blair, for waiting on me, although you did give me a bad quarter of a
minute, when you made me believe that I might have missed the purchase
which I came expressly to make." So with a pleasant smile, carrying the
pretty cushion on one arm, he walked across the room with Ruth.