by Oliver Optic
XXV
THE BAZAAR
The sun, after all, did shine on Wednesday morning, and The Four andtheir assistants arrived bright and early at Mrs. Blair's.
By ten o'clock everything was in order for patrons, and really thearrangement of the tables reflected great credit on the young girls. Thetable of fancy handiwork was loaded with beautiful articles. There wasNora's afghan with its rich, warm stripes, there was Belle's fineembroidery,--centre piece, doilies, and other dainty bits chiefly forthe dining-room. I cannot truly say that Brenda, though givingliberally, had contributed very much that was made by her own hands, andI have an idea that if the bottom drawer of her bureau had beenexamined, it would have been found to contain the majority of theunfinished things over which at one time or another she had been soenthusiastic. Not even her zeal for the Bazaar had enabled her todisentangle that confusion of odds and ends.
Some of the older girls at school had contributed beautiful things. Onehad copied an old French miniature and had had it framed in gilt.Another had painted a set of tiny chocolate cups. There were someexquisite picture frames covered in old brocade brought over from Europeby another girl, and still a third had sent some wood carvings done in apeculiar style which she had learned at Venice. An uncle of Edith's whowas a publisher, had sent a number of finely bound books. Then therewere many smaller and less expensive things, so that it seemed as ifevery taste must be suited.
"Oh, how lovely," exclaimed Ruth as she stood for a moment beside theflower table which Edith, Julia and Ruth had spent an hour or more indecorating.
"Where did you get those beautiful orchids?" asked Edith.
"Why Edith Blair," answered Julia, "I should think that you ought torecognize your own possessions. Your mother sent these in from yourgreenhouse in Brookline."
Edith laughed good-humoredly. "I thought that they had a kind offamiliar look, but then other people have orchids, too."
"Well other people _have_ been generous, as well as your mother. I havequantities of violets besides these on the tables, and the mostbeautiful roses, and see this dozen of maiden hair fern in little pots.Almost every plant has been engaged by some of the girls at the tables.They are to be left with me until evening."
"What will you do with things that are left over?"
"Oh, I have been told to do with them as I like, and probably they willbe sent to the Children's Hospital. Shouldn't you think that a goodidea, Edith?"
"Oh, yes, the very best in the world; it would be fun to go up on thesame day and see what the children say to them."
"Yes, provided we really do have anything left over. Of course it wouldbe better if we could sell everything in the room."
"Yes, of course, when you can leave do come over to my table for aminute; I want to ask your opinion about arranging something. It'sawfully hard to combine the colors, and in some way Frances and I neveragree exactly about things, though I try to see things as she does," andEdith walked off, sighing a little over her weight of responsibility,for she had complete charge of the fancy-work table with Frances Pounderas chief assistant. Other girls from their group of friends were torelieve them at intervals during the day, but the responsibility ofseeing that there were always two attendants at the table fell entirelyon Edith.
Belle had complete charge of the refreshment room, which was a smallroom off the dancing hall where the other tables were set. Brenda andshe had chosen this department, but the latter had declined anyresponsibility. "I wish to be free to move anywhere; I just hate havingto stay in one spot, so ask as many others as you wish, Belle." ThusBelle had surrounded herself with half a dozen of the younger girls, andshe was able to assume an air of authority over them that would havebeen impossible with the girls of her own age.
There were three or four little round tables in this room beside thelarger one covered with boxes and baskets of bonbons. At the littletables the girls were to serve ices to all who wished them.
"Dear me," fretted Belle as she and Brenda stood surveying the room."Dear me! I wish that we had a larger room. This is going to be awfullycrowded if we have many people, and there will surely be a crowd beforeevening. I don't see what we shall do."
"Can't they take turns?" asked one of the younger girls, who happened tobe standing near. "We could not have more than a dozen at a time, Ishould think."
"Oh, you don't know anything about it, Annie Bell," exclaimed Belle in atone that brought tears to the eyes of the younger girl. "Of course Idon't expect that every one who comes to the Bazaar will rush in herethe first thing, but we ought to have had a larger room. I'm almostsorry that I said that I would take charge of this part of the Bazaar.It's going to be a great deal more fun outside."
"Ah, well!" replied Brenda, consolingly, "you won't have to stay in hereall the time, the girls can look after things, and besides I am notgoing to be away all the time."
"Oh, no," said Belle, "if I undertake a thing I always calculate tocarry it through. Some one has to be here at the money table all thetime, or else things will get dreadfully mixed up."
"Well, I'm sorry that you feel so," said Brenda. "But as long as thereis no one here now I will go off for a while and see how Nora is gettingon at the surprise table."
As Brenda went off, Belle sat down at the little table which answeredfor cashier's desk. She had already taken in two dollars for bonbons,although as yet the Bazaar had had but a few patrons. Toward noon aboutforty altogether had visited the Bazaar. Among these were severalelderly ladies and gentlemen, and a number of nurses with children whopatronized chiefly the surprise table and the refreshment room, andBelle had her hands full making change, and correcting the errors of heryoung assistants with whom arithmetic was evidently not a strong point.
At about one o'clock the attendants at the Bazaar began to go down tothe dining-room where Mrs. Blair had had a luncheon spread for them.
"How's business?" asked Belle of Nora, as they sat there over theirsalad and cocoa.
"Oh, fine," replied the latter, expressively, if inelegantly. "I'vetaken nearly twenty dollars, and the table looks as if hardly a thinghad been touched. Julia and Ruth have done a great deal better, ofcourse, and I wouldn't dare say how much Edith and Frances have made.They sold that set of chocolate cups for twenty dollars to old Mrs.Bean."
"That was more than they were worth," interrupted Belle.
"Oh, I don't know, they _were_ LOVELY, there was ever so much work onthem."
"Well, I suppose at a Bazaar, a thing is worth what any one is willingto pay for it, but still, even if I could afford it, I would not paytwenty dollars for those cups. I didn't like the shape."
"You're too fussy, Belle, about little things; I've heard ever so manyother persons admiring those cups, and Mrs. Bean thought that they werebeautiful."
"Well, what else have they sold?"
"I can hardly tell, I've been so busy myself, but the table begins tolook just a little bare, at least in spots, and I know that even Francesthinks that they have done very well. You know it's a great deal for herto be contented with anything."
"Well, I wish I could get some one to change with me this afternoon, I'mawfully tired of that little refreshment room. It will be more fun inthe evening, but----"
"You ought to make Brenda take charge for an hour or two."
"Who in the world could ever make Brenda do anything?"
"I know she's a kind of a will-o'-the-wisp, and she feels as if she weremanaging everything and everybody here, but then that does not hurt usand it pleases her."
Here Belle remembered that it was always her custom to stand up forBrenda, and in the fashion which is always rather annoying to the personwho has not intended any offence, she said, "Why of course we allunderstand Brenda, and for my part I think that she is exactly right. Ofcourse, she was the one who planned this whole thing, and except for herno one would have tried to do a thing for the Rosas."
Nora did not think it worth while to reply that she had not been the oneto make any criticism of B
renda. Instead she contented herself withsaying, mischievously, "Well, you know that it was I who discoveredManuel, and if we had not had an object we should not have had aBazaar." Belle had nothing to say to this, and indeed there was nochance, for two or three of the younger girls came down with a rush,thus reminding Nora and Belle that they ought to go upstairs again totheir duties.
By the middle of the afternoon the Bazaar was a scene of the greatestactivity, every one was there, young and old, and the fancy-work tablehad really begun to look bare. One of Nora's brothers had to be sentdown town for a fresh supply of novelties for the surprise table, as notonly the children but their parents found great amusement in openingthose bright-colored packages. Belle and some of the older girlsregretted that there was nothing to raffle.
"Don't you honestly think that it is much more exciting to get a thingin that way than to buy it just as you would in a shop?" asked Edith,who had been influenced by Belle to try to coax Mrs. Blair to change heropinion in the matter of raffles. But Mrs. Blair was firm, and she gaveher reasons so clearly that not only her daughter, but all the othersinterested in the Bazaar, except Belle, seemed convinced.
"I haven't said," she had been careful in explaining, "that raffles arewrong, only very often they lead to things that are not exactly right.It is hard to make the average person see why it is perfectly right tobuy shares in a handsome doll-house, and wrong to invest in a lotteryticket."
"Oh, every one understands about lottery tickets."
"Well, that may be true, lotteries are against the law in this part ofthe country, and yet a raffle at a bazaar or other charitable affair isto my mind always objectionable. Some persons take their disappointmentvery much to heart, and----"
"But, mamma, do you not call people very silly who take a little thinglike that to heart?"
"I may call them silly and yet I cannot justify myself in causing themthis discomfort, if a raffle should be held in my house. Without goinginto all the principles involved, Edith, I am sure that you can see thatI have good reasons for feeling unwilling to have any raffles at theBazaar."
So Edith and the others had acquiesced, with only a slight feeling ofrebellion when one or two particularly handsome things were contributedto the Bazaar, which seemed almost too expensive to sell to a singlepurchaser.
A strong reason given by Mrs. Blair against raffles had been herobjection to having people urged to buy shares, and she had cautionedthe girls to be careful not to try to influence their friends whenlooking at things on the tables to buy against their will. On the wholedid any action of this kind seem necessary, since almost every one whoattended the Bazaar came as a purchaser, and as there was only onefancy-goods table, there was no rivalry among the sellers. Some of thelarger and more expensive things did not sell very readily, and Brendawas in a twitter--at least that was what Nora called it--about the fateof these things. There was one especially valuable thing, or valuablefrom the point of view of The Four, a water color contributed by anartist friend of Mrs. Barlow's. He was a well-known artist, and his workwas in demand, and down town the picture would have brought a largeprice. The girls in making the price of articles for the sale, had beenuncertain what to do about this, and after long consultation with theolder persons interested, had decided on one hundred dollars.
The artist himself had acquiesced in this, for they had thought itpolite to refer the matter finally to him. Every one had prophesied thatthe picture would sell at once, yet for some reason or other, by themiddle of the afternoon it was still unsold. By four o'clock it seemedas if all Miss Crawdon's school had emptied itself into the pretty hall,and about this time Brenda began to yield to a little temptation.
"What are you and Belle so mysterious about?" asked Nora, as she saw thetwo busily talking in a corner, and evidently rather afraid of beinginterrupted.
"Oh, nothing, only a little business," Brenda had replied, and then sheand Belle had resumed their conversation which seemed to partake of thenature of calculation, with frequent references to a little notebook.After this Nora could not help noticing that Brenda devoted herattention to the older schoolgirls, and the college boys who in thelatter part of the afternoon had begun to arrive in considerablenumbers.
"What in the world are you doing?" she asked again and again, as Belledarted by as if searching for some special person, or Brenda stalked upand down studying her notebook.
Toward four o'clock there was considerable bustle at the entrance to theroom, and Mrs. Blair's waitress, who had been standing in the hall, cameforward with a message for Julia. At least she went up to the flowerbooth, and after speaking to Julia the latter hurried forward to thedoor where stood an old lady leaning on the arm of a tall serving man."Who is it?" "Isn't she fine looking?" "Oh, no, I think her ratherqueer; who ever saw a turban like that?" were a few of the remarks thatflew around the room, as Julia and the old lady with her attendantwalked over toward the group of easy-chairs which Mrs. Blair hadthoughtfully provided in one corner.
"Why, it's Madame Du Launy," cried Nora, who was really the first torecognize the occupant of the mysterious house near the school, and soonthe news spread, until there was hardly a person in the room who had notheard it. Every one, naturally enough, was too polite to show hercuriosity, although it must be admitted that a few of the bolderwandered nearer to the seated group than was actually necessary in orderto get a good view of the old lady, or to overhear a part of what sheand Julia had to say to each other. At Julia's request the waitress hadfound Mrs. Blair, and after making the necessary introduction, Julia hadled Madame Du Launy, accompanied by Mrs. Blair, to the flower table. Noone who had ever heard Madame Du Launy called miserly, could havebelieved this true while watching her progress from table to table atthe Bazaar. Though every one knew that she had her own littleconservatory, she bought plants and cut flowers with great liberality,and while she always asked the price of each thing, she never demurredat the stated sum.
When Madame Du Launy and her little party approached the fancy-worktable, Frances fairly bristled with importance, and displayed her goods,as if conferring the greatest favor. In spite of this rather forbiddingmanner on the part of the young saleswoman, Madame Du Launy proved agood patron. She bought one set of Edith's doilies, as well as severalsmaller things, and then her eye fell on the water color, which, todisplay it the better, had been hung on the wall back of the table.
"Is that for sale?" she asked rather abruptly.
"Why, no, or rather, yes," replied Frances with a certain hesitation.
"At least it has been for sale," she added.
"Is it sold?" asked Mrs. Blair in some surprise; "a short time ago, Iunderstood that you had not found a purchaser."
Frances reddened a little under Mrs. Blair's rather searching glance,and reddened still more deeply as Mrs. Blair continued, "Has any onebought it within the last half hour?"
"Why, no," said Frances, "not exactly, although--"
During this conversation, an expression of annoyance had come overMadame Du Launy's face. Apparently she was accustomed to having whatevershe expressed a desire to buy, and this reluctance on the part ofFrances was far from agreeable to her. It was hardly less distasteful toMrs. Blair.
"I should think, Frances, that as valuable a thing as this would eitherbe for sale, or if sold would have had a purchaser, whom you couldmention."
"I wish that Belle were here," murmured Frances rather helplessly.
"Why I thought that you and Edith had complete charge here," remarkedMrs. Blair.
"Well, so we had, but Edith is resting now, and----"
"It is of no consequence, Mrs. Blair, there are other pictures elsewherethat will probably suit me as well, only I imagined that the youngladies wished to sell this one," interposed Madame Du Launy haughtily,and holding her head rather high, she started in the direction of thesurprise table. Now just at this moment Miss South, who had been amusingherself with some of Nora's funny little surprise packages, turned awayfrom this table to meet Julia who was wal
king a step or two behindMadame Du Launy and Mrs. Blair. She had removed her hat, and her wavy,brown hair, was dressed rather low on each side of her forehead,somewhat as we have seen it in the portraits of a generation or two ago.She smiled brightly as her eye met Julia's, and then she looked towardMrs. Blair and Madame Du Launy, whom evidently she had not noticedbefore. For as her eye fell on the latter she gave a start of surprise.At the same time the latter, with a gasp, leaned heavily on the arm ofher attendant, and would have fallen had he not led her quickly to achair.