CHAPTER III.
"Nous aurons aussi la fete dans notre rue."--RUSSIAN PROVERB.
Next day, when our drill in the long corridor was over, Lady Elizabethtold Joseph to bring his fortress, guns, and soldiers into thelibrary, and to play at the Thirty Years' War in the bay-window from alarge book with pictures of sieges and battles, which she lent him.
To me my godmother turned very kindly and said, "I have invited yourlittle friend Maud to come and stay here for a week. I hope she willarrive to-day, so you had better prepare your dolls and your shops forcompany."
Maud Mary coming! I danced for joy, and kissed my godmother, andexpressed my delight again and again. I should have liked to talkabout it to Joseph, but he had plunged into the Thirty Years' War, andhad no attention to give me.
It was a custom in the neighbourhood where my mother lived to callpeople by double Christian names, John Thomas, William Edward, and soforth; but my godmother never called Maud Mary anything but Maud.
It was possible that my darling friend might arrive by the twelveo'clock train, and the carriage was sent to meet her, whilst I dancedup and down the big hall with impatience. When it came back withouther my disappointment knew no bounds. I felt sure that the Ibbetsons'coachman had been unpunctual, or dear Maud Mary's nurse had beencross, as usual, and had not tried to get her things packed. I rushedinto the library full of my forebodings, but my godmother only said,"No grumbling, my dear!" and Joseph called out, "Oh, I say, Selina, Iwish you wouldn't swing the doors so: you've knocked down Wallenstein,and he's fallen on the top of Gustavus Adolphus;" and I had to composemyself as best I could till the five o'clock train.
Then she came. Darling Maud Mary!
Perhaps it was because I crushed her new feather in kissing her (andMaud Mary was very particular about her clothes); perhaps it wasbecause she was tired with travelling, which I forgot; or perhaps itwas because she would rather have had tea first, that Maud Mary wasnot quite so nice about the Dutch fair as I should have liked her tobe.
She said she rather wondered that Lady Elizabeth had not given me abig dolls' house like hers instead; that she had come away in such ahurry that she forgot to lock hers up, and she should not be the leastsurprised if the kitten got into it and broke something, but "it didseem rather odd" to be invited in such a very hurried way; that justwhen she _was_ going to a big house to pay a grand visit, of coursethe dressmaker "disappointed" Mrs. Ibbetson, but "that was the waythings always did happen;" that the last time Mr. Ibbetson was inParis he offered to bring her a dolls' railway train, with realfirst-class carriages really stuffed, but she said she would ratherhave a locket, and that was the very one which was hanging round herneck, and which was much handsomer than Lucy Jane Smith's, which costfive pounds in London.
Maud Mary's inattention to the fair and the dolls was so obvious thatI followed my godmother's advice, and "made the best of it" by saying,"I'm afraid you're very much tired, darling?"
Maud Mary tossed her chin and frowned.
It was "enough to tire anybody," she said, to travel on thatparticular line. The railway of which her papa was a director was verydifferently managed.
I think my godmother's courtesy to us, and her thoughtful kindness,had fixed her repeated hints about self-control and good mannersrather firmly in my head. I distinctly remember making an effort toforget my toys and think of Maud Mary's comfort.
I said, "Will you come and take off your things, darling?" and shesaid, "Yes, darling;" and then we had tea.
But next day, when she was quite rested, and had really nothing tocomplain of, I did think she might have praised the Dutch fair.
She said it "seemed such a funny thing" to have to play in an oldgarret; but she need not have wanted to alter the arrangement of allthe shops, and have everything her own way, as she always had at home,because, if her dolls' house was hers, my Dutch fair was mine. I didthink, for a moment, of getting my godmother to speak to her, but Iknew it would be of no use to complain unless I had something to askfor. When I came to think of it, I found that what I wanted was thatMaud Mary should let me manage my own toys and direct the game, and Iresolved to ask her myself.
"Look here, darling," said I, "when I come and play with you, I alwaysplay dolls as you like, because the dolls' house is yours; I wish youwould play my game to-day, as the Dutch fair is mine."
Maud Mary flounced to her feet, and bridled with her wavy head, andsaid she was sure she did not want to play if I didn't like her way ofplaying; and as to my Dutch fair, her papa could buy her one any dayfor her very own.
I was nettled, for Maud Mary was a little apt to flourish Mr.Ibbetson's money in my face; but if her father was rich, my godmotherwas a lady of rank, and I said that "my godmother, Lady Elizabeth,said it was very vulgar to flounce and toss one's head if one was putout."
Maud Mary crimsoned, and, exclaiming that she did not care what LadyElizabeth or Lady Anybody Else said, she whisked over three shops withthe ends of her sash, and kicked the wax off Josephine Esmeralda'snose with the heel of her Balmoral boot.
I don't like confessing it, but I did push Maud Mary, and Maud Maryslapped me.
And when we both looked up, my godmother was standing before us, withher gold spectacles on her nose.
* * * * *
Lady Elizabeth was very kind, and even then I knew that she was veryright.
When she said, "I have asked your friend for a week, and for thatweek, my dear, she is your guest, and you must try to please, and_make the best of it_," I not only did not dispute it; I felt a spiritof self-suppression and hospitable pride awake within me to do as shehad said.
I think the hardest part of it was that, whatever I did and whatever Igave up, Maud Mary recognized no effort on my part. What she got shetook as her due, and what she did not get she grumbled about.
I sometimes think that it was partly because, in all that long week,she never ceased grumbling, that I did; I hope for life.
Only once I said, "O godmamma! how glad I shall be when I am alonewith Joseph again!" And with sudden remorse, I added, "But I beg yourpardon, that's grumbling; and you _have_ been so kind!"
Lady Elizabeth took off her eye-glasses, and held out her hands formine.
"Is it grumbling, little woman?" she said. "Well, I'm not sure."
"_I'm_ not sure," I said, smiling; "for you know I only said I shouldbe so _glad_ to be alone with Joseph, and to try to be good to him;for he is a very kind boy, and if he is a little awkward with thedolls, I mean to make the best of it. _One can't have everything_," Iadded, laughing.
Lady Elizabeth drew my head towards her, and stroked and kissed it.
"GOD bless you, child," she said. "You _have_ inherited yourfather's smile."
* * * * *
"But, I say, Selina," whispered Joseph, when I went to look at hisfortress in the bay-window. "Do you suppose it's because he's deadthat she cried behind her spectacles when she said you had got hissmile?"
Melchior's Dream and Other Tales Page 14