by L. T. Meade
CHAPTER LV.
AN INVITATION FOR THE LADIES OF PENELOPE MANSION.
"There are limits to all things," said Mrs. Mortlock; "there's a time,as the blessed Bible says, to sorrow, and a time to rejoice, and whatI say too is, that there is a time when a woman's patience may beexhausted. Yes, Mrs. Dredge, you may look at me with as round eyes asyou please--I know they are round though I can't see them, but I willsay, if it's my last dying breath, that the moment for my 'continualreader' to return has arrived. Miss Slowcum, no doubt you'llcorroborate what I say, ma'am."
"It's hot weather for young bright flowers to shed their fragrance onthe London streets," replied Miss Slowcum; "it's the kind of weatherwhen flowers fade. I should imagine, Mrs. Mortlock, that your'continual reader' was doing better for herself in the country."
Mrs. Mortlock's face became very red.
"Better for herself, is she?" she said, "and is that all the thanks Iget for keeping my post vacant, and living through days the wearinessof which none may know. If Miss Primrose Mainwaring is doing betterfor herself in the country she is welcome to stay there. The post is agood one, a light and an easy one, and I can get many another lass tofill it."
"I think, ma'am," said Mrs. Dredge, whose face had grown wonderfullysmooth and pleasant of late, "that the dear girls will all be in townthis week, and most likely Miss Primrose will come to pay you a visit.Oh, they are nice girls, pretty, elegant girls, just the kind of girlsmy good man would like to have been papa to. I can't help shivering,even now when I think of that wicked man Dove, and what a state he putdear little Daisy into."
"If praises of the Mainwarings is to begin," answered Mrs. Mortlock inher tartest voice, "what I say is, let me retire. It's all very wellfor them as has right to talk well of the absent, but when one of theabsent ones is neglecting her duty the lady who has weak eyes feelsit. Miss Slowcum, ma'am, have you any objection to moving with me intothe drawing-room? I can lend you that pattern you admired so much fortatting if you read me the latest gossip from the evening papers,ma'am."
Mrs. Mortlock rose from her chair, and, accompanied by Miss Slowcum,left the room. Miss Slowcum took a ladylike interest in all kinds ofneedlework, and the desire to possess the tatting pattern overcameher great reluctance to read aloud to the very tart old lady.
Mrs. Mortlock placed herself in the most comfortable arm-chair theroom afforded, and having secured her victim, began instantly totyrannize over her.
"Now, Miss Slowcum, read up chirrupy and cheerful please. None of yourdrawling, by way of genteel voice, for me--I like my gossip crisp. Iwill say this of that dear girl Primrose Mainwaring, that she did hergossip crisp."
"You really are a very unaccountable person, Mrs. Mortlock," repliedMiss Slowcum. "You begin by abusing Primrose Mainwaring, and then youpraise her in the most absurd manner. I hope the refined reading of acultivated lady is not to be compared to the immature utterances of aschool-girl. If that is so, Mrs. Mortlock, even for the sake of thetatting pattern, I cannot consent to waste my words on you."
"Oh, my good creature," said Mrs. Mortlock, who by no means wished tobe left to solitude and herself, "you read in a very pretty style ofyour own--obsolete it may be--h'm--I suppose we must expectthat--mature it certainly is; yes, my dear, quite mature. If I praisePrimrose Mainwaring, and a good girl she was when she was withme--yes, a good, painstaking girl, thankful for her mercies--it's nodisparagement to you, Miss Slowcum. You're mellow, my dear, and youcan't help being mellow, and Primrose Mainwaring is crisp, and shecan't help being crisp. Oh, goodness gracious me! what sound is thatfalls on my ear?"
"An old friend's voice, I hope, Mrs. Mortlock," said a pleasantgirlish tone, and Primrose Mainwaring herself bent down over the oldlady and kissed her.
Notwithstanding all her grumbling Mrs. Mortlock had taken an immensefancy to Primrose. She returned her embrace warmly, and even took herhand and squeezed it.
"I'd like to see you, dear," she said, "but I'm getting blinder andblinder. Have you come back to your continual reading, dear? I hopeso, for you do the gossip in a very chirruping style."
While Mrs. Mortlock was speaking to Primrose Miss Slowcum had takenDaisy in her arms, and covered her sweet little face with kisses, forMiss Slowcum was not all sour and affected, and she had shed somebitter tears in secret over the child's unaccountable disappearance.Mrs. Dredge and Mrs. Flint had both surrounded Jasmine, who, in awhite summer frock, was looking extremely pretty, and was entertainingthem with some animated conversation.
"Yes," said Primrose to Mrs. Mortlock, "I will come to read to you asoften as ever I can. I shall know my plans better after to-morrow. Wethree girls returned to London a couple of days ago, and we received aletter from our kind friend Mrs. Ellsworthy. You don't know her,perhaps, but she is a very kind friend of ours. She is making someplans for us, but we don't quite know what they are. She has writtenus a letter, however, and it is on account of that letter that we haveall come to you to-night. She has invited us to come to her to-morrow,and she wants all the friends who were kind to us, and who helped usin every way during our year in London, to come in the evening to hearwhat the plans are. Even if you can't see, Mrs. Mortlock, it willamuse you to come, and I hope so much you will do so. I will try tostay close to you myself when you do come, so you need not feellonely."
"My dear, you are very kind," said Mrs. Mortlock, and the other ladiesalso said the Mainwarings were kind, and they sent their dutifulrespects to Mrs. Ellsworthy and were pleased to accept. Accordingly,Primrose gave them full directions with regard to the right address,and the hour at which they were to be present; and finally the girlsleft Mrs. Flint and her three lady boarders in a state of considerableexcitement and so deeply interested in what was about to occur thatthey forgot to grumble at each other.
CHAPTER LVI.
A PALACE BEAUTIFUL.
Hannah Martin had come up with her young ladies to London, and shealso was invited by Mrs. Ellsworthy to come to her house. The girlsall thought Hannah very much altered; they could not understand herqueer illusions, or her mysterious little nods, or in particular theway she used to stare at Jasmine, and say under her breath, "Yes, yes,as like as two peas. What a blind old woman I was not to see it when Iclapped eyes on him."
"I cannot make out what Hannah is always muttering," Jasmine said toher sisters. "Who is it I am so remarkably like. To judge from the wayHannah frowns and shakes her head, and then smiles, the fact of thisaccidental likeness seems to have a very disturbing effect upon her."
"I know whom you are like, Jasmine," said little Daisy. "I've seen itfor a long time. You are the very image of my dear Prince. You havegot just the same colored eyes, and just the same curly hair, andboth your foreheads are broad and white. It's perfectly natural,"continued Daisy, "for you are both geniuses, and all geniuses musthave a look of each other."
Hannah had old-fashioned ideas on many subjects. One of these was thatpeople could not remain too long in mourning. She liked very deepblack, and wished those who had lost relations to wear it for a long,long time. The girls, therefore, were quite amazed when she suggestedthat they should all go to Mrs. Ellsworthy in white. They began toconsider her quite an altered Hannah; but Jasmine took her advice, andbought many yards of soft flowing muslin, which the old servant helpedher dear young ladies to make up.
At last the day and hour arrived when, as Primrose said sorrowfully,"Our fate is to be sealed and we are to bid 'Good-bye' to dearindependence."
The girls, looking as sweet as girls could look, arrived at Mrs.Ellsworthy's at a fairly early hour in the afternoon. The good littlelady received them with marked tenderness, but said, in an almostconfused manner, and by no means with her usual self-possession that aslight change had been found necessary in the afternoon's programme,and that the meeting of friends and acquaintances to hear their futureplans was not to take place at her house after all.
"We are to go to another house not far from this," she said, "indeed,only a stone's throw away. It is so close
that we will walk it. Come,Daisy, I see a number of questions in your eyes, but they shall all beanswered presently. Take my hand now, and let us lead the way. Theother house is very pretty, but it is smaller than mine."
The other house was quite close to Mrs. Ellsworthy's luxuriousmansion. It was built more in the cottage shape, was much smaller, andhad a charming little garden and grounds round it. The hall dooropened into a porch, which was covered with roses, so that though thehouse was really in London, the effect was quite that of the country.Standing in the porch, and looking extremely pretty in its flickeringlight and shade, stood Poppy Jenkins, in the neatest of handmaiden'sattire, and as the girls all came into the shade of the cool porch,Noel himself, looking somewhat pale, and with a curious agitation inhis manner, came out to meet them.
"This is my house," he said, "and Poppy is engaged as one of theservants. I thought we might all meet here to discuss the new plans.Poppy, will you take the young ladies to their room? I've had a roomprepared," he continued, blushing slightly, "for I thought Daisy mightlike to rest a little."
Poppy instantly tripped forward, and in quite a demure manner tookthe girls up some broad stairs, and into a long, rather low-ceilingedroom on the first floor. There were three little white beds in theroom, and three toilet tables, and, in short, three sets ofeverything. It was the prettiest, the brightest, the most lovely roomthe girls had ever seen. It contained luxury, and neatness, andcomfort, and refinement, for beautiful pictures were placed on thewalls, and flowers peeped in at the windows, and the furniture was ofthat sort which can best accommodate girls' pretty dresses andknick-knacks.
"What a room!" said Jasmine. "Why, it's just like a girls' room! Anyone would suppose Mr. Noel had sisters."
Daisy began to skip about, and to poke her little fingers amongst thecuriosities and treasures which were scattered broadcast. Primrosebecame silent, and walked over to one of the windows, and Poppy,suddenly dropping her demure air, said in a voice of ecstasy--
"He's a lovely young man, and I'm engaged here permanent, and it's nomore Sarah Ann, nor Sarah Jane, but Poppy I'm to be from this time andfor ever. Oh, Miss Primrose, don't it make you real happy even to takeoff your bonnet in a room like this?"
"I do feel happy," said Primrose, in that slow voice of hers. "I feelhappy, and I can't tell why. I am just going to give up myindependence, and I ought to be miserable, but at the present moment Ihave a peculiar sense of rejoicing."
"And so have I," said Jasmine, "I could skip all day long; and as toEyebright, she looks fit to dance this very moment."
"I'm happy because I'm with the Prince," said Daisy; "that's alwaysquite enough for me."
Then the three sisters linked their arms round one another, and wentdownstairs.
In Noel's very lovely drawing-room many friends were assembled. Mr.and Mrs. Ellsworthy, of course, were present; also Mr. Danesfield,Miss Martineau, and Miss Egerton. Old Hannah stood in the backgroundand when the three pretty sisters came into the room they weresurrounded by eager and loving faces, and were most warmly welcomed.Mrs. Ellsworthy, it is true, still appeared much agitated; she had anintense longing to take Jasmine in her arms and cry over her, but shehad, of course, too much sense to do anything so unsuitable and silly.The girls were asked to sit down, and Mr. Ellsworthy, who had beenelected spokesman, stood up, cleared his throat, and looked at hiswife. Twice he made an attempt at utterance; finally he said in avoice which trembled--"My dear, I can't manage it--you had better doit yourself."
"I presume you are addressing me, Joseph," said Mrs. Ellsworthy."I--I--this is unexpected; but anything to get it over. My dear girls,you have come here to-day to hear what we have arranged for you. Wefelt you could not go on as you have been doing."
"Impossible," here interrupted Mr. Danesfield. "They were the victimsof thieves and rogues. The thing could not have gone on a day longer."
"So we made plans--very nice plans," continued Mrs. Ellsworthy. "Itnever occurred to us that they would be knocked on the head, crushed,obliterated. Oh, I am very happy, of course, but I could cry at havingmy plans spoiled a second time."
"I don't think they are really spoiled," said Primrose who had grownvery white, and now rose to her feet. "I know I was proud aboutaccepting help. I had such a longing to be independent. Perhaps I feelsore about accepting help still, but I have made up my mind; for allour sakes it is best. I submit--I give in--I am very grateful."
"Perhaps, Primrose," said Mrs. Ellsworthy, whose bright eyes were nowfull of tears, "I may convince you yet that you have no cause to feelsore, and that proud heart of yours will not be pained. I believe thehelp you need is coming to you three sisters in such a guise that youcannot fail but to accept it gladly, and as your natural right."
"It cannot quite be our natural right," said Primrose. "There are nopossible circumstances under which it can be quite natural for girlsto take money help from even the kindest friends who are not relatedto them."
"In this case there may even possibly be a relationship," proceededMrs. Ellsworthy. "Primrose, suppose that little brother who was lostlong ago--little Arthur your mother called him--suppose he came hereto-day, and said, 'I am grown up, and rich--I am the right person tohelp my sisters,' you would feel no soreness of heart at acceptinghelp from your own brother, Primrose?"
"My own brother," repeated Primrose in a wistful and longing voice;"it is cruel to remind me of my brother. He was lost many, many yearsago; he has probably long been dead."
"I should be the happiest girl in all the world if I could find mybrother," here interrupted Jasmine; "I often dream of him at night; hemust have been a darling little boy."
"But if he were to come here twenty times," said Daisy, "I could neverlove him better than I love the Prince."
There was quite a little buzz of admiration through the room whenDaisy made this innocent little speech, and all eyes were turned onArthur Noel. Then there was a pause. Mr. Ellsworthy was again heardto clear his throat, and no one seemed quite to know what to do next.Suddenly Hannah Martin broke the spell--
"Goodness gracious me!" she said, "how long are the darling youngladies to be kept in suspense? Miss Primrose, why, you have got abrother, and there he stands. Mr. Arthur, come and kiss your sisters,my dear. Oh, my darling, darling girls, it's perfectly, perfectlytrue; he's the boy your mother broke her heart about long ago."
The confusion and agitation which followed can scarcely bedescribed--the joy of the sisters can scarcely be painted. Daisy tookthis wonderful and important discovery more coolly and calmly than theothers.
"It doesn't make a bit of difference in my love to him," she said,"for I always loved him as if he were my brother."
"And now, Primrose," said Arthur, "you are mistress of this house, andplease remember that visitors are coming here presently, and that youare to entertain them."
"Are we always to live with you, Arthur?" asked Jasmine. "It seemsbetter than a dream. Oh, Arthur," she continued, not waiting for herbrother's reply, "don't you remember how we made friends the veryfirst moment we met? we must have always known, deep down in ourhearts, that we were brother and sister."
"And this is to be our new Palace Beautiful," said Daisy, "and Poppyis to live here too. Oh, Primrose, do you not feel almost too happy?"
"I've given up my independence," said Primrose, "and yet I never feltmore happy or more thankful."
The party that evening was a success. The astonishment of the goodladies from Penelope Mansion when they heard the wonderful news passedall bounds. Mrs. Dredge sat plump down on a chair, placed her fathands on her lap, and fairly cried.
"Oh, if only my poor dear husband had lived to see this beautifulday," she said. "Young man, I have liked you from the first; you'rethe kind of young man whom my good husband would have rejoiced to bepapa to."
Miss Slowcum sighed most deeply when she heard the news. "It's atouching romance," she said, "quite worthy of the olden times. I couldimagine Mr. Noel--Mr. Mainwaring, I suppose we must call him now--asbelongi
ng to the old knights of chivalry. Yes, I am a person ofdiscernment, and I long ago saw that the dear girls belonged to theupper ten."
"It's an ill wind that blows nobody good," said Mrs. Mortlock. "Inthis case, ladies and gentlemen, I beg to reverse the familiar words,for amid all your joy I have lost my 'continual reader.' She had herfaults--no, I'm not going to deny that being young she had herfaults--but she was ever good-natured, and she did her gossipchirrupy."
Of course the girls' future was now assured, for Arthur was a veryrich man. Miss Egerton, at his earnest request, came to live withthem, and they are now known to possess one of the happiest andbrightest homes in London--in short, they live in a "PalaceBeautiful."