"Sea-beaches," said Eve,--"the minds of such people; you can trace the
line of their last high tide, that is, the year when they stopped
reading. Along the judge's line, one finds, for instance, Rogers; he
really has no idea that there have been any new poets since then."
"Dear me! We have always thought Horatio remarkably literary," protested
Cousin Sarah Cray. "That's his step now, I think."
The judge came in, little Jack on his shoulder. "I believe he has
dropped some--some portions of his clothing on the stairs," he said,
helplessly. "It's astonishing--the facility he has."
"And he has pulled off his shoes," added Eve, taking the little
reprobate and kissing him. "Naughty Jack. Tacks!"
"Esss, tacks!" repeated Jack, in high glee. "Dey gets in Jack's foots."
That was all he cared for her warning legend.
The judge sat down and wiped his forehead. "I have received a shock," he
said.
"Pity's sake!--what?" asked Cousin Sarah Cray, in alarm. Poor Cousin
Sarah dealt in interjections. But it might be added that she had lived
through times that were exclamatory.
"Our old friend, Roland Pettigru, is dead, Sarah; the news comes to us
in this--this Sheet, which, I am told, is published here." He drew a
small newspaper from his pocket. "With your permission, ladies, I will
read to you the opening sentence of an obituary notice which this--this
Sheet--has prepared for the occasion." He put on his spectacles, and,
holding the paper off at a distance, read aloud, with slow, indignant
enunciation, as follows: "'The Great Reaper has descended amongst us.
And this time he has carried back with him sadly brilliant sheaves; for
his arrows have been shot at a shining mark' (arrows for a reaper!"
commented the judge, surveying his audience squintingly, over his
glasses), "'and the aim has been only too true. Gaunt Sorrow stalks
abroad, we mourn with Pettigru Hill; we say--and we repeat--that the
death of Roland Pettigru has left a vortex among us.' Yes, vortex,
ladies;--the death of a quiet, cultivated gentleman a vortex!"
At this moment Deely, the house-maid, appeared at the door; giving her
calico skirt a twist by way of "manners," she announced, "Miss Wungfy."
Miss Leontine entered, carrying five books standing in a row upon her
left arm as though it had been a shelf. She shook hands with Cousin
Sarah Cray and Eve; then she went through the same ceremony with the
judge, but in a confused, downcast manner, and seated herself on a
slippery ottoman as near as possible to the door.
"I hope you liked the books? Pray let me take them," said Eve, for Miss
Leontine was still balancing them against her breast.
"Literature?" remarked the judge, who also seemed embarrassed. He took
up one of the volumes and opened it. "Ah, a novel."
"Yes, but one that will not hurt you," Eve answered. "For Miss Leontine
prefers those novels where the hero and heroine are married to begin
with, and then fall in love with each other afterwards; everything on
earth may happen to them during this process--poisonings and murders and
shootings; she does not mind these in the least, for it's sure in any
case to be _moral_, don't you see, because they were married in the
beginning. And marriage makes everything perfectly safe; doesn't it,
Miss Leontine?"
"I am sure I don't know," answered Miss Leontine, still a prey to
nervousness; "but--but I have always _supposed_ so. Yes. We read them
aloud," she added, turning for relief to Cousin Sarah Cray; "that is, I
read to Polly--in the evenings."
"These modern novels seem to me poor productions," commented the judge,
turning over the pages of the volume he had taken.
"Naturally," responded Eve.
"May I ask why 'naturally'?"
"Oh, men who read their Montaigne year after year without change, and
who quote Charles Lamb, never care for novels, unless, indeed, it may be
'Tom Jones.' Montaigne and Lamb, Latin quotations that are not hard, a
glass of good wine with his dinner, and a convexity of person--these
mark your non-appreciator of novels, from Warwickshire to Gary Hundred."
"Upon my word, young lady--" began the judge, laughing.
But Miss Leontine, by her rising, interrupted him. "I think I must go
now. Yes. Thank you."
"But you have only just come," said Cousin Sarah Cray.
"I stopped to leave the books. Yes; really; that was all. Thanks, you
are very kind. Yes; thank you." She fumbled ineffectually for the handle
of the door, and, when it was opened for her, with an embarrassed bow
she passed out, her long back bent forward, her step hurried.
"I can't imagine what is the matter with her," said Cousin Sarah Cray,
returning.
"I am afraid, Sarah, that I can inform you," answered the judge gravely,
putting down the volume. "I met her in her own garden about an hour ago,
and we fell into conversation; I don't know what possessed me, but in
relating some anecdote of a jocular nature which happened to be in my
mind at the time, by way of finish--I can't imagine what I was thinking
of--but I up and chucked her under the chin."
"Chucked Miss Leontine!" exclaimed Cousin Sarah Cray, aghast, while Eve
gave way to irrepressible mirth. "Was she--was she deeply offended?"
"She was simply paralyzed with astonishment. I venture to say"--here the
judge sent an eye-beam towards the laughing Eve--"I venture to say that
Miss Leontine has never been chucked under the chin in all her life
before."
"Certainly not," answered Cousin Sarah Cray; "she is far too dignified."
Then, with a desire to be strictly truthful, she added, "Perhaps when
she was a baby?"
But even this seemed doubtful.
Not long after this the Misses Wingfield (it was really Miss Polly) gave
a party.
"Must we go?" said Eve.
"Why, it will be perfectly delightful!" answered Cousin Sarah Cray,
looking at her in astonishment. "Every one will be there. Let me see:
there will be ourselves, four; and Miss Polly and Miss Leontine, six;
then the Debbses, thirteen--fourteen if Mrs. Debbs comes; the Rev. Mr.
Bushey and his wife, sixteen. And perhaps there will be some one else,"
she added, hopefully; "perhaps somebody has some one staying with them."
"Thomas Scotts, the tub man, will not be invited," remarked Cicely. "He
will walk by on the outside. And look in."
"There's nothing I admire more than the way you pronounce that name
Debbs," observed Eve. "It's plain Debbs; yet you call it Dessss--holding
on to all the s's, and hardly sounding the b at all--so that you almost
make it rhyme with noblesse."
"That's because we like 'em, I reckon," responded Cousin Sarah Cray.
"They certainly are the _sweetest_ family!"
"There's a faint trace of an original theme in Matilda. The others are
all variations," said the caustic Miss Bruce.
They went to the party.
"Theme and variations all here," said Cicely, as they passed the open
door of the parlor on their way up-stairs to lay aside their wraps;
"they haven't spared us a trill."
"Well, you won't be spared either," said Cousin Sarah Cray. "_You'll_
have to sing."
She proved a true prophet; Cicely was called upon to add what she could
to the entertainments of the evening. Her voice was slender and clear;
to-night it pleased her to sing straight on, so rapidly that she made
mince-meat of the words of her song, the delicate little notes almost
seeming to come from a flute, or from a mechanical music-bird screwed to
a chandelier. Later, however, Miss Matilda Debbs supplied the missing
expression when she gave them:
"Slee--ping, I _dreamed_, love,
Dreamed, love, of thee;
O'er--ther--bright _waves_, love,
Float--ing were we."
Cicely seemed possessed by one of her wild moods. "I've been to the
window; the tar-and-turpentine man is looking over the gate," she said,
in a low voice, to Eve. "I'm going out to say to him, 'Scotts, wha hae!
Send in a tub.'"
Presently she came by Eve's chair again. "Have you seen the geranium in
Miss Leontine's hair? Let us get grandpa out on the veranda with her,
alone; she has been madly in love with him ever since he chucked her
under the chin. What's more, grandpa knows it, too, and he's awfully
frightened; he always goes through the back streets now, like a thief."
There was a peal at the door-bell. "Tar-and-turpentine man coming in,"
murmured Cicely.
Susannah appeared with a letter. "Fer Mis' Morrison," she said.
There was a general laugh. For "Mister Cotesworth," not sure that Eve
would keep his secret, and alarmed for the safety of his official
position, had taken to delivering his letters in person; clad in his
best black coat, with a silk hat, the blue goggles, and a tasselled
cane, he not only delivered them with his own hands, but he declaimed
the addresses in a loud tone at the door. Not finding Cicely at home, he
had followed her hither. "Fer Mis' Fer'nen Morrison. A _ferwerded_
letter," he said to Susannah in the hall, at the top of his voice.
The judge had gone to the dining-room with Miss Polly, to see her little
dog, which was ailing. Cicely put the letter in her pocket.