Chapter 5--A Belt and a Box
When Rose came out of her chamber, cup in hand, next morning, the firstperson she saw was Uncle Alec standing on the threshold of the roomopposite, which he appeared to be examining with care. When he heard herstep, he turned about and began to sing,
"Where are you going, my pretty maid?"
"I'm going a-milking, sir, she said," answered Rose, waving the cup; andthen they finished the verse together in fine style.
Before either spoke, a head, in a nightcap so large and beruffled thatit looked like a cabbage, popped out of a room farther down the hall,and an astonished voice exclaimed,
"What in the world are you doing about so early?"
"Clearing our pipes for the day, ma'am. Look here, auntie, can I havethis room?" said Dr. Alec, making her a sailor's bow.
"Any room you like, except sister's."
"Thanks. And may I go rummaging round in the garrets and glory-holes tofurnish it as I like?"
"My dear boy, you may turn the house upside down if you will only stayin it."
"That's a handsome offer, I'm sure. I'll stay, ma'am; here's my littleanchor, so you will get more than you want of me this time."
"That's impossible! Put on your jacket, Rose. Don't tire her outwith antics, Alec. Yes, sister, I'm coming!" and the cabbage vanishedsuddenly.
The first milking lesson was a droll one; but after several scares andmany vain attempts, Rose at last managed to fill her cup, while Benheld Clover's tail so that it could not flap, and Dr. Alec kept herfrom turning to stare at the new milkmaid, who objected to both theseproceedings very much.
"You look chilly in spite of all this laughing. Take a smart run roundthe garden and get up a glow," said the doctor, as they left the barn.
"I'm too old for running, uncle; Miss Power said it was not lady-likefor girls in their teens," answered Rose, primly.
"I take the liberty of differing from Madame Prunes and Prisms, and, asyour physician, I order you to run. Off with you!" said Uncle Alec, witha look and a gesture that made Rose scurry away as fast as she could go.
Anxious to please him, she raced round the beds till she came back tothe porch where he stood, and, dropping down upon the steps, she satpanting, with cheeks as rosy as the rigolette on her shoulders.
"Very well done, child; I see you have not lost the use of your limbsthough you are in your teens. That belt is too tight; unfasten it, thenyou can take a long breath without panting so."
"It isn't tight, sir; I can breathe perfectly well," began Rose, tryingto compose herself.
Her uncle's only answer was to lift her up and unhook the new belt ofwhich she was so proud. The moment the clasp was open the belt flewapart several inches, for it was impossible to restrain the involuntarysigh of relief that flatly contradicted her words.
"Why, I didn't know it was tight! it didn't feel so a bit. Of course itwould open if I puff like this, but I never do, because I hardly everrun," explained Rose, rather discomfited by this discovery.
"I see you don't half fill your lungs, and so you can wear this absurdthing without feeling it. The idea of cramping a tender little waistin a stiff band of leather and steel just when it ought to be growing,"said Dr. Alec, surveying the belt with great disfavour as he put theclasp forward several holes, to Rose's secret dismay, for she was proudof her slender figure, and daily rejoiced that she wasn't as stoutas Luly Miller, a former schoolmate, who vainly tried to repress herplumpness.
"It will fall off if it is so loose," she said anxiously, as she stoodwatching him pull her precious belt about.
"Not if you keep taking long breaths to hold it on. That is what I wantyou to do, and when you have filled this out we will go on enlarging ittill your waist is more like that of Hebe, goddess of health, and lesslike that of a fashion-plate the ugliest thing imaginable."
"How it does look!" and Rose gave a glance of scorn at the loose belthanging round her trim little waist. "It will be lost, and then I shallfeel badly, for it cost ever so much, and is real steel and Russialeather. Just smell how nice."
"If it is lost I'll give you a better one. A soft silken sash is muchfitter for a pretty child like you than a plated harness like this; andI've got no end of Italian scarfs and Turkish sashes among my traps. Ah!that makes you feel better, doesn't it?" and he pinched the cheek thathad suddenly dimpled with a smile.
"It is very silly of me, but I can't help liking to know that" here shestopped and blushed and held down her head, ashamed to add, "you think Iam pretty."
Dr. Alec's eyed twinkled, but he said very soberly,
"Rose, are you vain?"
"I'm afraid I am," answered a very meek voice from behind the veil ofhair that hid the red face.
"That is a sad fault." And he sighed as if grieved at the confession.
"I know it is, and I try not to be; but people praise me, and I can'thelp liking it, for I really don't think I am repulsive."
The last word and the funny tone in which it was uttered were toomuch for Dr. Alec, and he laughed in spite of himself, to Rose's greatrelief.
"I quite agree with you; and in order that you may be still lessrepulsive, I want you to grow as fine a girl as Phebe."
"Phebe!" and Rose looked so amazed that her uncle nearly went off again.
"Yes, Phebe; for she has what you need health. If you dear little girlswould only learn what real beauty is, and not pinch and starve andbleach yourselves out so, you'd save an immense deal of time and moneyand pain. A happy soul in a healthy body makes the best sort of beautyfor man or woman. Do you understand that, my dear?"
"Yes, sir," answered Rose, much taken down by this comparison with thegirl from the poor-house. It nettled her sadly, and she showed that itdid by saying quickly,
"I suppose you would like to have me sweep and scrub, and wear an oldbrown dress, and go round with my sleeves rolled up, as Phebe does?"
"I should very much, if you could work as well as she does, and show asstrong a pair of arms as she can. I haven't seen a prettier picture forsome time than she made of herself this morning, up to the elbows insuds, singing like a blackbird whilst she scrubbed on the back stoop."
"Well, I do think you are the queerest man that ever lived!" was allRose could find to say after this display of bad taste.
"I haven't begun to show you my oddities yet, so you must make up yourmind to worse shocks than this," he said, with such a whimsical lookthat she was glad the sound of a bell prevented her showing more plainlywhat a blow her little vanities had already received.
"You will find your box all open up in auntie's parlor, and there youcan amuse her and yourself by rummaging to your heart's content; I'vegot to be cruising round all the morning getting my room to rights,"said Dr. Alec, as they rose from breakfast.
"Can't I help you, uncle?" asked Rose, quite burning to be useful.
"No, thank you, I'm going to borrow Phebe for a while, if Aunt Plentycan spare her."
"Anybody anything, Alec. You will want me, I know, so I'll give ordersabout dinner and be all ready to lend a hand"; and the old lady bustledaway full of interest and good-will.
"Uncle will find that I can do some things that Phebe can't, so now!"thought Rose, with a toss of the head as she flew to Aunt Peace and thelong-desired box.
Every little girl can easily imagine what an extra good time she haddiving into a sea of treasures and fishing up one pretty thing afteranother, till the air was full of the mingled odours of musk andsandalwood, the room gay with bright colours, and Rose in a rapture ofdelight. She began to forgive Dr. Alec for the oatmeal diet when she sawa lovely ivory workbox; became resigned to the state of her belt whenshe found a pile of rainbow-coloured sashes; and when she came to somedistractingly pretty bottles of attar of rose, she felt that they almostatoned for the great sin of thinking Phebe the finer girl of the two.
Dr. Alec meanwhile had apparently taken Aunt Plenty at her word, and wasturning the house upside down. A general revolution was evidently goingon in the
green-room, for the dark damask curtains were seen bundlingaway in Phebe's arms; the air-tight stove retiring to the cellar onBen's shoulder; and the great bedstead going up garret in a fragmentarystate, escorted by three bearers. Aunt Plenty was constantly on the trotamong her store-rooms, camphor-chests, and linen-closets, looking as ifthe new order of things both amazed and amused her.
Half the peculiar performances of Dr. Alec cannot be revealed; but asRose glanced up from her box now and then she caught glimpses of himstriding by, bearing a bamboo chair, a pair of ancient andirons, a queerJapanese screen, a rug or two, and finally a large bathing-pan upon hishead.
"What a curious room it will be," she said, as she sat resting andrefreshing herself with "Lumps of Delight," all the way from Cairo.
"I fancy you will like it, deary," answered Aunt Peace, looking up witha smile from some pretty trifle she was making with blue silk and whitemuslin.
Rose did not see the smile, for just at that moment her uncle pausedat the door, and she sprang up to dance before him, saying, with a facefull of childish happiness,
"Look at me! look at me! I'm splendid I don't know myself. I haven't putthese things on right, I dare say, but I do like them so much!"
"You look as gay as a parrot in your fez and cabaja, and it does myheart good to see the little black shadow turned into a rainbow,"said Uncle Alec, surveying the bright figure before him with greatapprobation.
He did not say it, but he thought she made a much prettier picture thanPhebe at the wash-tub, for she had stuck a purple fez on her blondehead, tied several brilliant scarfs about her waist, and put on a trulygorgeous scarlet jacket with a golden sun embroidered on the back, asilver moon on the front, and stars of all sizes on the sleeves. A pairof Turkish slippers adorned her feet, and necklaces of amber, coral, andfiligree hung about her neck, while one hand held a smelling-bottle, andthe other the spicy box of oriental sweetmeats.
"I feel like a girl in the 'Arabian Nights,' and expect to find a magiccarpet or a wonderful talisman somewhere. Only I don't see how I evercan thank you for all these lovely things," she said, stopping herdance, as if suddenly oppressed with gratitude.
"I'll tell you how by leaving off the black clothes, that never shouldhave been kept so long on such a child, and wearing the gay ones I'vebrought. It will do your spirits good, and cheer up this sober oldhouse. Won't it, auntie?"
"I think you are right, Alec, and it is fortunate that we have notbegun on her spring clothes yet, for Myra thought she ought not to wearanything brighter than violet, and she is too pale for that."
"You just let me direct Miss Hemming how to make some of these things.You will be surprised to see how much I know about piping hems andgathering arm-holes and shirring biases," began Dr. Alec, patting a pileof muslin, cloth and silk with a knowing air.
Aunt Peace and Rose laughed so that he could not display his knowledgeany farther, till they stopped, when he said good-naturedly,
"That will go a great way toward filling out the belt, so laugh away,Morgiana, and I'll go back to my work, or I never shall be done."
"I couldn't help it, 'shirred biases' were so very funny!" Rose said,as she turned to her box after the splendid laugh. "But really, auntie,"she added soberly, "I feel as if I ought not to have so many nicethings. I suppose it wouldn't do to give Phebe some of them? Uncle mightnot like it."
"He would not mind; but they are not suitable for Phebe. Some of thedresses you are done with would be more useful, if they can be made overto fit her," answered Aunt Peace in the prudent, moderate tone which isso trying to our feelings when we indulge in little fits of charitableenthusiasm.
"I'd rather give her new ones, for I think she is a little bit proudand might not like old things. If she was my sister it would do, becausesisters don't mind, but she isn't, and that makes it bad, you see. Iknow how I can manage beautifully; I'll adopt her!" and Rose lookedquite radiant with this new idea.
"I'm afraid you could not do it legally till you are older, but youmight see if she likes the plan, and at any rate you can be very kind toher, for in one sense we are all sisters, and should help one another."
The sweet old face looked at her so kindly that Rose was fired with adesire to settle the matter at once, and rushed away to the kitchen,just as she was. Phebe was there, polishing up the antique andirons sobusily that she started when a voice cried out: "Smell that, taste this,and look at me!"
Phebe sniffed attar of rose, crunched the "Lump of Delight" tucked intoher mouth, and stared with all her eyes at little Morgiana prancingabout the room like a brilliant paroquet.
"My stars, ain't you splendid!" was all she could say, holding up twodusty hands.
"I've got heaps of lovely things upstairs, and I'll show them all toyou, and I'd go halves, only auntie thinks they wouldn't be useful, soI shall give you something else; and you won't mind, will you? because Iwant to adopt you as Arabella was in the story. Won't that be nice?"
"Why, Miss Rose, have you lost your wits?"
No wonder Phebe asked, for Rose talked very fast, and looked so odd inher new costume, and was so eager she could not stop to explain. SeeingPhebe's bewilderment, she quieted down and said, with a pretty air ofearnestness,
"It isn't fair that I should have so much and you so little, and I wantto be as good to you as if you were my sister, for Aunt Peace says weare all sisters really. I thought if I adopted you as much as I can now,it would be nicer. Will you let me, please?"
To Rose's great surprise, Phebe sat down on the floor and hid her facein her apron for a minute without answering a word.
"Oh, dear, now she's offended, and I don't know what to do," thoughtRose, much discouraged by this reception of her offer.
"Please, forgive me; I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, and hope youwon't think--" she faltered presently, feeling that she must undo themischief, if possible.
But Phebe gave her another surprise, by dropping the apron and showinga face all smiles, in spite of tears in the eyes, as she put both armsround Rose and said, with a laugh and sob,
"I think you are the dearest girl in the world, and I'll let you doanything you like with me."
"Then you do like the plan? You didn't cry because I seemed to be kindof patronising? I truly didn't mean to be," cried Rose, delighted.
"I guess I do like it! and cried because no one was ever so good to mebefore, and I couldn't help it. As for patronising, you may walk on meif you want to, and I won't mind," said Phebe, in a burst of gratitude,for the words, "we are sisters" went straight to her lonely heart andnestled there.
"Well, now, we can play I'm a good sprite out of the box, or, what isbetter, a fairy godmother come down the chimney, and you are Cinderella,and must say what you want," said Rose, trying to put the questiondelicately.
Phebe understood that, for she had a good deal of natural refinement,though she did come from the poor-house.
"I don't feel as if I wanted anything now, Miss Rose, but to find someway of thanking you for all you've done," she said, rubbing off a tearthat went rolling down the bridge of her nose in the most unromanticway.
"Why, I haven't done anything but given you a bit of candy! Here, havesome more, and eat 'em while you work, and think what I can do. I mustgo and clear up, so good-bye, and don't forget I've adopted you."
"You've given me sweeter things than candy, and I'm not likely to forgetit." And carefully wiping off the brick-dust, Phebe pressed the littlehand Rose offered warmly in both her hard ones, while the black eyesfollowed the departing visitor with a grateful look that made them verysoft and bright.
Eight Cousins Page 5