The Fairchild Family

by Mrs. Sherwood

  The Birthday Feast

  She only seemed anxious that Lucy and Emily should lookwell]

  "Well," said Henry Fairchild, "it is just as I knew it would be; mineis the prettiest story, and it is the longest, and that is something."

  "No, no!" replied Emily; "if a story is stupid, its being long onlymakes it worse."

  "But it is not stupid," says Henry, "as it comes in at the end sonicely, and in so much bustle. I do love a story that ends in a greatbustle."

  "Well," said Emily, "my story finishes with as great a bustle as yours;and we _must_ say that Lucy has chosen two very nice books; so, Lucy,we thank you with all our hearts."

  We have been so busy over the stories which Lucy brought, that we havetaken no notice of the note and parcel which came from Miss Darwell.

  The note was to invite the Misses Fairchild and Master Fairchild tospend her birthday with her. She asked them to come very early, andthey were to come in their playing dresses, and then they could bringothers with them, because in the evening there would be company. Sheoffered to send a carriage for them; and she said that a note wouldcome to invite their parents to dinner. The little lady seemed to havethought of everything to make the day pleasant to them.

  Mrs. Fairchild's children were not so rich as Miss Darwell, but theywere as well brought up; and Mrs. Colvin had heard this, and was gladto have the opportunity of seeing these children.

  The parcel contained a few small presents, which Emily and Lucy thoughta great deal of, and put by amongst their treasures.

  The day of Miss Darwell's birthday came, after what Henry called a verylong time. Time seems very long to children; they think a month as longas old people think a year. Henry talked of a year or two past as of atime a long while ago.

  Lucy and Emily looked out the very first thing that morning to see whatweather it was; but Henry did more, he got up and went out as soon ashe heard anyone stir, and saw John cleaning the horse, that he might beready for Mr. and Mrs. Fairchild in the afternoon.

  Soon after breakfast Mrs. Fairchild got the children ready, in theirneatest morning dresses, according to Miss Darwell's desire; meaning tobring their evening things when she came. But they were hardly readywhen a little pony-carriage, driven by a careful old man, came for themfrom Miss Darwell; for this young lady never forgot the chance of doinga kindness.

  They got into the little carriage, and were driven away. Henry sat bythe servant in front, and his sisters in the seat behind.

  "My little lady," said the servant, "bade us be sure to bring you allsafely, and very soon, Master Fairchild." And then he went on to saywhat a dear, good young lady she was. "But she bade me not tell what isto be done this evening; and you are not to ask anybody about it."

  "Then I will not," said Henry; "though I want to know very much."

  "To be sure you do, master,'" said the man; "but you will knowby-and-by."

  As they came near the park, they saw several fine carriages drawingtowards the house.

  "We are going to have a world of company," said the man; "but MissDarwell has no visitors in her own rooms but you and your sisters,Master Fairchild. My lady would have had more invited, but Mrs. Colvinbegged off; and so you and the young ladies are much favoured."

  And then, giving his horse a fillip, away they went, bowling along overthe park amid high fern brakes, lofty trees, and many deer.

  "I see something white through the trees," said Henry; "look, look, allalong under the branches--see, Lucy--see, Emily!"

  "Do you, master?" answered the servant; "well, that is unaccountable;but look before you--what do you see there?"

  "Only trees," replied Henry, "and fern."

  "Look again, master," said the man.

  And Henry looked again till he had quite passed the place where thewhite things might be seen, and indeed had forgotten them.

  When they came to the house and drove to the door, a footman appeared,and was directed to lead the little ladies and gentleman to MissDarwell's rooms. The man went before them upstairs and along thegalleries to the door of that very room where they had been received bypoor Miss Augusta Noble.

  As the footman, having opened the door, mentioned their names, they sawthat everything within the room was just the same as it had been. Butthere was a nice elderly lady, dressed in black silk, who sat near theopen window. She seemed, by the book in her hand, to have been readingto a pretty fair girl, nearly of the age of Lucy, who sat on a stool ather feet.

  These were Mrs. Colvin and Miss Darwell; and when they heard the namesannounced, they both rose and came to meet their visitors. They bothsmiled so sweetly, and spoke so pleasantly, that they took all fear atonce from the children.

  Mrs. Colvin herself took off the bonnets and tippets, and laid themaside; and Miss Darwell said, "I am glad you came so soon; I toldEverard to make haste."

  As soon as they were ready, Miss Darwell began to talk of what theywere to play at. Mrs. Colvin gave them leave to go out for a time toplay in the shade of what they called the cedar-grove, a place near thehouse, but they all begged her to go with them.

  "Not to play, my dears," she said; "I can't run."

  "No, ma'am," said Lucy; "but you can have a book and sit down and read,as then you can see us at play."

  "Well, then," said Mrs. Colvin, smiling, "I will come." And away theyall went to the cedar-grove.

  As they were going Henry said:

  "I am not to ask what is to be done this evening."

  "No," replied Miss Darwell; "you ought not even to say, 'I am not toask.'"

  When they had got into the grove, and Mrs. Colvin was seated, theybegan to consult about what they should play at. As Miss Darwell hadnot often any children to play with, she did not know of half the gamesthat others did.

  "Let us play at Little Edwy and the Echo," said Lucy.

  "But we have no echo here," said Miss Darwell.

  "Then Henry shall be Edwy, and I will be the echo: and it is me youshall try to catch," replied Lucy; "and you shall have to run for it.Henry, you must call, and I will answer, but they shall not find me."

  Lucy could run almost as quick as a greyhound, and she managed the gameso well, that it took up the whole time Mrs. Colvin allowed them tostay out of doors. It was getting hot, and they went back into thehouse, and to their room.

  "Now," said Mrs. Colvin, "you shall take your visitors into yourplay-room, Miss Darwell, and leave the door open, my dear, that I mayhear you and see you; I know you like to have me near you."

  "Yes, I do, dear Mrs. Colvin," said Miss Darwell; and she put her armsround the excellent governess's neck and kissed her; and then, runningand opening a door, led her visitors into a large room which they hadnot seen before. It was furnished with shelves, on which many books andtoys were ranged in order--for it was one of Mrs. Colvin's wishes tomake her pupil neat.

  Mr. Fairchild's children quite cried out at the sight of these things;there were enough to furnish a toy-shop, besides the books.

  Miss Darwell said, "Which would you like?"

  Henry fixed upon a large Noah's ark, and when it was reached down, heplaced himself on the floor, and made a procession of its inmates. Heplaced Noah himself in front, with his little painted wife, and Shem,Ham, and Japhet, and their wives after him. Then came the beasts, andthen the birds, and then the insects and creeping things. Lucy chose adissected map of England and Wales, and another which formed a picture;and Emily, a box of bricks and doorways, and pillars and chimneys,and other things for building houses.

  Mrs. Colvin had told the children that they were to keep themselvesquiet till dinner-time; so Miss Darwell took her doll, and for a longtime they were all very still with their toys: they were to dine athalf-past one, and Henry had not done with his ark when a femaleservant came into the outer room to lay the cloth.

  "_For a long time they all very still with their toys._"--Page 389.]

  "It is time to put up now," said Mrs. Colvin, calling from the nextroom.

  Lucy and
Emily and Henry began immediately to put the things they hadbeen playing with into the cases, and Lucy was putting her dissectedmap into the place from which she had taken it, when Miss Darwell said:

  "Don't put it away, Miss Fairchild; it shall be tied up ready to gowith the carriage."

  Lucy did not understand her.

  "Did you not choose it, Miss Lucy?" said Miss Darwell; "if you pleaseto accept it, I will send it in the carriage to-night with the bricksand the ark."

  "Thank you, dear Miss Darwell," Lucy answered; "but we must not takeanything, unless your mamma and my mamma give leave."

  At that instant Mrs. Colvin called Lucy.

  "I called you, my dear, to tell you that you are quite right: you oughtnever to receive a present without your mamma's leave, and ought neverto desire to receive one. But I have no doubt that Miss Darwell willremember to ask Mrs. Fairchild this evening if you may have them."

  "I will," said Miss Darwell; "I hope I shall not forget it in thebustle."

  "Shall I tell you of it?" said Henry.

  Lucy and Emily got as red as scarlet when Henry said these words; butMrs. Colvin whispered:

  "Let him alone, he is very young, and he will get wiser as he getsolder."

  "I shall be obliged to you to remind me of it, Henry," said MissDarwell; "and I will speak the moment I see Mrs. Fairchild."

  How happily did the four children and the good governess dine togetherthat day before the open window, where they could smell the sweetflowers in the garden below, and see a large pool which was beyond thetrees, and still beyond that the green heights of the park.

  "I see people," said Henry, whose eyes were everywhere, "going up thepark by that pretty white building which looks like a temple with aporch--there they go--I see women and children--and there are mencarrying baskets. What are they doing, ma'am?" he added, looking atMrs. Colvin.

  "Taking a pleasant walk this fine afternoon," she answered; "and wewill walk too by-and-by, but upon one condition, as it is so very warm,that after dinner you will each of you take a book and sit quite still,until I speak the word for all to move."

  "Might I play with Noah's ark, ma'am, instead?" said Henry; "I will notmove."

  "Very well," said Mrs. Colvin; and when they had dined, she directedLucy and Emily to choose their books and sit down in any place theychose.

  Miss Darwell also took a book, as did Mrs. Colvin; and so still waseveryone, that it might have been thought that there was not a creaturein the room but the Seven Sleepers, unless it might be two or threebees which came buzzing in and out.

  "How pleasant," thought Mrs. Colvin, "it is to have to do withwell-behaved children! I should not mind having these littleFairchilds always with me, at least till Henry is fit only to bemanaged by men."

  Lucy and Emily wished much to know what was going to be done in thepark, but they did not find the time long. Lucy had chosen the _Historyof Mrs. Teachum_, and Emily the _Adventures of Robin, Dicksy, Flapsy,and Pecksy_, quite a new book, which she had never seen before. Thegreat people in the parlour were to dine at four o'clock, that theyalso might go into the park afterwards; and a little before four thewaiting-maid came up with the best things for Master and the MissesFairchild, packed in a bandbox, the pretty presents of Miss Crosbie nothaving been forgotten.

  When Mrs. Colvin saw the box she called the children to her; they allcame running but Henry.

  "Now, my dears," she said, "you have been very quiet, and it is time todress;" and she offered the maid's help to dress Lucy and Emily.

  "No, thank you, ma'am," said Lucy; "we have no one to wait upon us athome; we always dress each other."

  "I wish," said Miss Darwell, "that I had a little sister whom I mightdress; but Mrs. Colvin always dresses me," she added in a whisper toLucy, "because she loves me, and I love her."

  "But where is Henry?" said Mrs. Colvin.

  They went to look, and there was he, sound asleep on the floor in theplay-room, with Shem, Ham, and Japhet in his hands, and all the birdsand beasts about him.

  "Well," said Mrs. Colvin, "I did think he was the quietest boy that Ihad ever known, but he has lost a little credit with me now; most boysare quiet when they are asleep."

  Emily stooped down and kissed him, which caused him to wake; but whenhe was aroused he looked about him in such a surprised way that allthe little girls laughed heartily, and he looked as if he felt ashamed.

  Mrs. Colvin set him to pack up his ark, whilst she showed Emily andLucy into a room to dress, saying:

  "When you are ready, come to me, that I may see that all is right."

  When they were dressed they called Henry, who was yet to be dressed,and then sought Mrs. Colvin; she, too, was ready, and Miss Darwell wasstanding by her.

  The little lady, according to the taste of her mother, was set off withlace on her sleeves and feathers in her hat, and coloured shoes, andeverything which could make a child fine; but her manner was not theleast changed; she only seemed anxious that Lucy and Emily should lookwell. Mrs. Colvin turned them about, examining them, and made someamendment in the tying and pinning.

  "Well," she said, "you look very nice; little girls should alwaysattend to neatness; it is a compliment due to those who care for them;and now each of you give me a kiss, and we will be off, as I see Henryis now ready, and Everard is waiting." They all then went down, andfound Everard at the hall-door with the pony-carriage. A boy washolding a small horse by the carriage. "Now," said Mrs. Colvin, "how isit to be managed, Miss Darwell? Suppose I walk?"

  "No, no!" cried Miss Darwell; "Henry is to ride; I know he will likeit, and Joseph shall walk by him, and you shall sit in front withEverard, and we little ones will go behind. There is quite room, and itis a very little way, and it will be so pleasant;" and thus it wassettled, to the immense joy of Henry.

  Away they went through one gate and another gate, till they came uponthe green smooth drive which went quite round the park.

  "Is not this pleasant?" said Miss Darwell, taking the hand of Lucy andEmily on each side; "but please first to call Henry, and tell him thatI have settled about the things. I sent a note to Mrs. Fairchild whilstyou were dressing, with a pencil to write yes or no, and she wrote theright word; so Henry will not have to remind me. Mrs. Colvin alwaystells me not to put things off. But now you shall know what we aregoing to do. Mamma lets me have a pleasure on my birthday, so I askedto have all the children in the parish invited to have tea in the park;and mamma has had tents put up, and we have got music, and the childrenare to play, and the old people are to come with the children. I wasonly afraid it would not be fine, but it is fine," she added, clappingher hands in her great delight; "but I would not tell you, that youmight have something to guess about."

  They first went up a rising ground, then they came to a grove; thenthey passed under the white building which Henry called a temple. Thenthey saw a lovely sparkling waterfall; then they came to an open place,green and smooth; then they came to another grove, and there they foundthat they were getting amongst the people, some of whom Henry had seengoing to that place three or four hours before. When country peoplehave a holiday, they like to make the most of it; and very soon theysaw the tents through the trees.

  Henry was first, and he looked back to his sisters as if he would havesaid, "These are the white things I saw this morning." There were fourtents; they had pointed tops, but were open on the sides; tables werespread in each of them, and also under the trees in various placesround about; and there sat several musicians on a bank. The people allabout, men and women and children, were like bees swarming about thetents. There were parties of young people and children who had beenplaying and amusing themselves, but they all stood still when they sawthe carriage coming, and the music struck up a fine merry tune towelcome the little lady.

  There were none of the grand people from the house yet come; those thatwere there were chiefly the cottagers, but they had all their very bestdresses on, and all the poor children were dressed exactly alike. Theywore dark bl
ue cotton frocks with white tippets, and aprons, and caps.There were a few persons present, seated in one of the tents, who werenot among the poor. Henry immediately saw Mrs. Burke and her daughters,for Mrs. Burke smiled kindly at him; the boys were somewhere among thepeople.

  But though there were so many, there was no fear that the feast wouldrun short, for the tables were heaped up with bread and butter andcakes, and fruit, and tea and sugar, and there were pails of milkstanding under the trees, and more bread, and more fruit, and more ofeverything. It was settled that when Miss Darwell came, the feast wasto begin.

  "Oh!" cried Lucy, "how pleasant everything looks!"

  There was not time for any more to be said, for the carriage wasgetting close to the tents; it stopped, and Mrs. Colvin and the youngpeople alighted.

  Miss Darwell was received by many smiling faces; every child looked ather with innocent delight, and the women murmured, "Bless her sweetface!" And then orders were given that the feast was to begin, and thepeople settled themselves on the grass in small parties.

  Mrs. Colvin having given Miss Darwell a hint, she went to speak to Mrs.Burke, and invited her and her daughters to come and assist in servingthe people, and seeing that everyone had as much as they wished.

  Kind Mrs. Burke was the very person to like to be asked to do such athing, and the Misses Burke could not be offended when they saw MissDarwell as busily engaged as she possibly could be.

  "Now," said she to Lucy, and Emily, and Henry, "now you are to comewith me; look at that little party under that oak; there is a very oldwoman and two children. There are more people near, but I don't wantyou to look at them--come close to them." And they all four walkedtowards them.

  "Do not stir, do not speak," said Miss Darwell, to the two children andthe old woman; "let Master and the Misses Fairchild see if theyrecognise you again."

  The little ones under the tree entered into the joke, and sat quitestill. The boy, indeed, laughed and chuckled; but the little girl kepther countenance. The old woman did not know Mr. Fairchild's children,so she had no trouble to keep herself from smiling.

  All these three were neatly dressed, and their clothes looked quitenew. The boy had a suit of what is called hodden-gray, with a cleanshirt as white as the snow.

  "I do not know them," said Lucy.

  "But I do," cried Henry.

  "And so do I," said Emily; "they are Edward and Jane."

  "Yes, Miss," said the two little ones, jumping up.

  "And it is all through you," added Edward, "that the good little ladyhas done everything for us: and the house is new thatched, and thewalls made as white as paper; and more money given to grandmother; andme cowboy at Squire Burke's; and Jane in the school--don't Jane lookwell in them clothes, sir? Oh, that was a good day when we lighted onyou, Master and Miss!" And the poor boy pulled the front lock of hishair and bowed I know not how many times.

  When every person had as much as was good for them, and a few persons,perhaps, a little more, orders were given that what remained should beset in order in the tents for supper; and then the music struck up. Andwhilst the elder people were amusing themselves in other places, MissDarwell called all the little girls to follow her into a pretty greenglade among the trees, and hidden from the rest of the company.

  Mrs. Colvin went with her, for she was never willing that her goodgoverness should lose sight of her; and Lucy and Emily were equallyanxious for her presence. Henry was the only boy allowed to come.

  "Now, Lucy," said Miss Darwell, for she was getting quite fond of her,"now there is to be some play, but I do not know many games; so you andEmily must lead. What shall we have?"

  "Lucy knows a thousand thousand games!" cried Henry.

  After some talking, "Hunt the Hare" was chosen; and Lucy, who was aparticularly quick runner, was chosen for the hare, and everyone was tofollow Lucy in and out wherever she went.

  All the children were to stand with joined hands in a circle; Lucy wasto be in the middle. They began with dancing round her, and when theystopped she was to begin to run, and after ten had been counted, oneother was let loose to follow her, and then the whole pack, as Henrycalled them, at a signal given.

  Miss Darwell got between Henry and Emily in the circle; Lucy was putinto the midst; and they danced round her, singing, "My leader, myleader, I will follow my leader wherever she goes!" Then they stoodstill, and Lucy began to run out under one pair of hands and in underanother, and back again, and about and about like a needle in a pieceof cloth; and when ten had been counted, Henry was let loose, and thenthe sport really began. They expected he would have caught herimmediately; he was as quick as ever his little legs would allow, andas true to all her windings as the thread is to those of the needle.But when he was following Lucy the last time through the middle of thecircle, he gave the signal for the whole party to loose hands andfollow him, and away they all went. But they could not get on forlaughing, for Lucy had as many pranks as Harlequin himself, so thatseveral of the children, and amongst these Miss Darwell herself, fairlystood still to laugh.

  This game lasted for some time. Then came "Puss in the Corner"; andthen, as Mrs. Colvin thought there had been strong exercise enough, theevening being very hot, she made all the children sit down, and askedwho could tell a story.

  "Lucy can," said Emily; and Lucy then, without hesitation, told thestory of "Edwy and the Echo," by the particular desire of Miss Darwell.

  Lucy had one particularly pleasing quality, which arose in some degreefrom the habit of quick obedience in which she had been brought up;this was, that when, in company, desired by a proper person to doanything she could to make herself agreeable, she immediately tried;and when Mrs. Colvin had said, "If you can tell the story, Miss Lucy,do favour us with it," she took her place, and did it as easily as ifEmily and Henry only had been by. Emily had the same wish to makeherself pleasant as Lucy had, but she was naturally more shy. Everybodywas so pleased with Lucy's story that she told another, and that wasthe story of "Margot and the Golden Fish," which delighted everyone,and was a useful story to the poor children.

  But now the sun was beginning to dip its golden disc below the hills,and the sound was heard of carriages. Mr. and Mrs. Darwell, and thosewho had dined with them, were come up into the park.

  Mrs. Colvin called on all the village children to put themselves in theneatest order, and to take their places two and two, she herselfarranging Lucy and Emily and Miss Darwell in their bonnets and tippets;and then walked with her train to join the company.

  A great number of fine ladies and gentlemen were in the midst andwithin the tents, and there were Mr. and Mrs. Fairchild.

  Mrs. Darwell spoke civilly, but very coldly, to Lucy and Emily. Mr.Darwell spoke kindly. The ladies and gentlemen had a great deal to sayto Miss Darwell, but she was become very reserved among so manystrangers, and seemed to cling close to Mrs. Colvin.

  The village people were then offered more refreshments, and as theycould not take much, everything that was left was ordered to be givenamongst them; but none of them had gone, when all who had come from thehouse returned to it.

  "I am very sorry you are going, dear Lucy and Emily and Henry," saidMiss Darwell; "I have had the happiest day I ever had in my life. Ithought I should like you, but I did not know how very much it wouldbe."

  The little girls then kissed each other, and Mrs. Colvin gave them anote for their mother.

  "This," she said, "is to tell Mrs. Fairchild, that I care not how oftenyou and Miss Darwell meet. I can add no more to that."

  The children were to go home with their father and mother; and if theyloved Miss Darwell much already, they loved her more for her kindnesswhen they saw three large brown paper parcels under the seat of thelittle carriage.

  They had a sweet drive home, though they had not time to tell all thathad happened to their mother till the next day; but their parents knew,from Mrs. Colvin's note, as soon as they got home, that their childrenhad behaved very well.

  "_In their neatest mornin
g dresses._"--Page 383.]