A STRANGE WOMAN
Miss Sibby opened a door in the corner near the fireplace and led her
visitors up a steep and narrow flight of stairs to a small upper chamber
in the roof, which was lighted by one dormer window, and furnished very
simply with a bedstead, a chest of drawers, a washstand, and two cane
chairs.
"Now, you see, I'm very sorry to have to fetch you up here, where there's
no fire; but that strange woman, you know, when she come, of course I had
to give up my room to her, and so you see how it is," said Miss Sibby,
apologetically.
"Oh! never mind. We shall not stay up here long enough to get chilled; but
who is the woman, anyhow?" inquired Mrs. Hedge.
"Well, she is a widdy woman, and her name is a Mrs. Wright, and she come
from Callyfoundland."
"California, do you mean?"
"Yes; I s'pose that is it. I was thinking of Newfoundland, where Roland
made his first voyage, and I got 'em mixed. It's impossible to memorize
all the places, sez I. Well, about Mrs. Wright. She was a passenger on
board the _Blue Bird_; and, naterally, Roland being third mate, got
acquainted long of her, and she was bound for Port Tobacco, where she had
business in the neighborhood concerning her late husband's affairs, and so
she come down from Baltimore long o' Roland, and he fotch her here, and
what could I do, sez I? I couldn't turn her out'n doors, could I? And she
and Roland are that thick together as I sometimes s'picions mebbe as she's
his own mother; for, you know, nobody knows who Roland's people are--a
child which was flung ashore by the sea when the _Carrier Pigeon_ was
wrecked."
"But if she was she would say so, wouldn't she?" inquired Mrs. Hedge.
"I don't know. I don't know. Sometimes I think I will ask her if she ever
had a long-lost child. But, sez I, it's a delicate question, sez I, to ask
of a strange woman, sez I. And so I think I'll wait and see how things
will turn out. Anyhow, you'll see her at tea time, and Roland, too, and
just you take notice!"
And so saying, Miss Sibby attended her guests--who had finished their
toilets--downstairs.
A neat, old, colored woman was engaged in setting the table for tea.
"Put seven plates and seven cups and saucers, Mocka. I spects young Mr.
Force will come in along of Master Roland," said Miss Sibby, as she once
more seated herself among her guests around the fire.
Presently the inner door opened and a very fine-looking woman of about
thirty-five years of age entered the room. She was a brilliant brunette,
with a great quantity of rippling black hair covering a well-shaped head.
Her features were, perhaps, rather coarse, her face and form rather too
full, and her stature too low, but her eyes were large, black and
beautiful, and shaded by long and very thick black lashes, and arched by
heavy black brows; her mouth was large but well formed, plump and red, and
her complexion was rich and beautiful beyond description. A strikingly
handsome woman she would have been called anywhere. She wore a black silk
dress, with fine lace ruffles at the throat and wrists; a pearl brooch and
a very heavy gold watch chain.
She waddled into the room, with an easy, rolling motion, and nodded
graciously to the company assembled there.
She looked doubtful, the sisters thought. She might be a lady, but--
As soon as she spoke all doubts were set at rest.
"Mrs. Wright, 'low me to introduce you to Mrs. Hedge, and to Miss
Grandiere, also to little Miss Hedge," said the hostess, rising and
formally presenting the stranger to her neighbors.
"Proud to know you, ma'am. Proud to know you, miss. Proud to know you,
little miss. It is most seasonable weather for the season," said the
stranger, bowing elaborately and smiling broadly on each of her new
acquaintances--who all returned her greetings with quiet courtesy--and
then seating herself in the armchair which had apparently been left vacant
for her.
Both the sisters saw at once that the romance of Miss Sibby was not
founded on fact, and that this woman could not have been the mother of the
sea waif, Roland Bayard.
She chattered away incessantly about her voyage from San Francisco, her
seasickness, the kindness of the young mate Bayard to her, and his great
service in bringing her on to such a friendly house, and her intention to
pay Miss Sibby very handsomely for the accommodation she had afforded
her.
This latter clause, however, aroused Miss Sibby's ire. To talk of paying
her! And in the presence of her genteel neighbors, too!
"No, ma'am!" exclaimed the old lady. "No, ma'am, you don't pay me nothing!
Not if I know it, sez I! You're welkim, ma'am, sez I, to the very best in
the house, as long as you choose to honor me with your company. But you
don't pay for it! No, ma'am! No! Sybilla Bayard is poor enough, the Lord
knows, sez I! And she has fallen far enough from her high estate, sez I!
She who was descended from the great Duke of England; but she don't sell
her hospitality, sez I! Not the descendant from the Duke of England don't,
sez I!"
Poor Miss Sibby! Poor, simple old body! She was very much laughed at on
account of her boasted ancestor, the "Duke of England." Yet her mistake
was not so great as it seemed, for it was only the slight mistake of using
the definite article "the" for the indefinite article "a," nor were her
claims quite so ridiculous as they appeared to be, as will soon be
proved.
"I beg your pardon, ma'am, I'm sure. I didn't mean no offense whatever!
But--are you--descended from the Duke of England?" inquired the strange
guest, opening her eyes wide with astonishment.
"I am," replied Miss Sibby, with great dignity. "And I'll prove it. My
father was a Bayard, and his mother was a Barbar, and her
great-great-grandfather was Henry Howard, third son of Thomas, Duke of
England. These two ladies can testify to that, I reckon."
The stranger turned wondering eyes upon the two sisters.
Miss Grandiere answered by saying:
"Miss Bayard means a duke of England, and, as a mere matter of detail, the
fourth Duke of Norfolk, one of whose younger sons came over in 1634 with
the Calverts."
"Duke of Norfolk be hanged! Why, Norfolk is in this country, over yonder
in Virginny somewhere, and we haven't got any dukes here! no, ma'am. My
grandmother's great-grandfather was the son of the Duke of England!"
persisted the old descendant of the Howards.
"But, my dear Miss Sibby, England is not a duchy!"
"Who said it was Dutchy! I know the Dutch come from Holland. I know
something, if I am a poor, ignorant old 'oman, fallen from my high estate.
And I know as I am descended from the Duke of England, and nobody shall
take that prop from underneath of me! It has supported me in many a hard
trial of life!"
"No, no one shall take it from you," said Miss Grandiere, yielding the
point.
At this moment the door opened, admitting a fine, tall, dark-eyed and
dark-haired young man, with a bright, merry, mischievous countenance.
He bowed to the ladies, threw his sailor hat upon the floor, and went and
kissed his Aunt Sibby, and then lifted Rosemary in his arms and kissed
her. Finally he shook hands again all around.
"Glad to see you back, Roland!" said Miss Grandiere.
"Welcome home, my boy!" said Mrs. Hedge.
"Did you get me a card to the wedding?" inquired the Widow Wright.
"Yes--that is, Le Force got it for me. I could not have got it, you know.
Here are three--one for you, one for auntie, and one for myself," said the
young sailor, displaying the elegant cards of silver letters on white
satin tablets.
"Then you are all going to the wedding?" said Mrs. Hedge.
"Yes, I reckon so now; though dear knows I didn't expect no invitation.
But I reckon it was a kind thought of that young Le to send me one," said
Miss Sibby.
"I think it very strange that the young man should be able to take the
least interest in that wedding. I should think he would keep as far from
the house and as far from the church as possible!" said Mrs. Hedge.
"Why, he is going to be groomsman!" put in young Bayard, laughing.
"No!" exclaimed in one breath all the women except Miss Grandiere, who
quietly remarked:
"It is, probably, as I suspected. That childish engagement amounted to
nothing. The childish affection faded from both hearts, and the young man
was as well pleased to be off it as the young lady was."
"Yes, mebbe so, indeed. But where is Le this afternoon? I thought as he
was coming home with you," inquired Miss Sibby.
"No; he couldn't. He had something else to do," replied Roland.
While they talked the one servant woman of Miss Sibby was coming and going
between kitchen and parlor, bringing in dishes of fried chicken and fried
ham, plates of hot biscuits and India cakes, plates of pickles, preserves,
butter, cheese and all that goes to make up the edibles of a rustic tea
table for company.
When the teapot was brought in, last of all, Miss Sibby went to the head
of the board, and heartily invited the guests to be seated.
They accepted without delay. And were soon too busily engaged with their
teacups to carry on the conversation about the wedding. Each one of the
company present could have testified that not one of their number slighted
the delicacies set before them by Miss Sibby.
When tea was over and it was growing dark, Mrs. Hedge and Miss Grandiere
arose to take leave.
Mr. Roland Bayard insisted on seeing them safely through the woods of
Oldfield.
So, when well wrapped up in their warm outer garments, they took leave of
Miss Sibby and her guest, and set out for Oldfield, young Bayard gallantly
escorting the two sisters on their walk, and the negro boy, Dan, leading
the horse on which Rosemary rode.
They reached Oldfield in good time.
Young Bayard declined their invitation to enter, but promised to call
soon, and so bade them good-night at the door.