CHAPTER XIII
DORA'S NEW MIND
When Ralph Haverley made up his mind to agree to anything, he did it withhis whole soul, and if he had had any previous prejudices against it, hedismissed them; so as he sat at supper with the doctor and his sister hewas very much amused at being waited upon by a woman in a pink sunbonnet.That she should wear such a head-covering in the house was funny enoughin itself, but the rest of her dress was also extremely odd, and she keptthe front of her dark projecting bonnet turned downward or away, as ifshe had never served gentlemen before, and was very much overpowered bybashfulness. But for all that she waited very well, and with a lightquickness of movement unusual in a servant.
"I am afraid, doctor," said Miriam, when the pink figure had gonedownstairs to replenish the plate of rolls, "that you will miss yourdinner. I have heard that you have a most wonderful cook."
"She is indeed a mistress of her art," replied the doctor; "but you dovery well here, I am sure. That new cook of yours beats Phoebe utterly. Iknow Phoebe's cooking."
"But you must not give her all the credit," exclaimed Miriam; "I madethat bread, although she shaped it into rolls. And I helped with thebeefsteak, the potatoes, and the coffee."
"Which latter," said Ralph, "is as strong as if six or seven women hadmade it, although it is very good."
The meal went on until the two hungry men were satisfied, Miriam being soabsorbed in Dora's skilful management of herself that she scarcelythought about eating. There was a place for the woman in pink, if shechose to take it, but she evidently did not wish to sit down. Whenevershe was not occupied in waiting upon those at the table, she bethoughtherself of some errand in the kitchen.
"Well," said Ralph, "those rolls are made up so prettily, and look sotempting, that I wish I had not finished my supper."
"You are right," said the doctor, "they are aesthetic enough for LaFleur," and then pushing back his chair a little, he looked steadfastly,with a slight smile on his face, at the figure, with bowed sunbonnet,which was standing on the other side of the table.
"Well, young woman," he said, "how is your mind by this time?"
For a moment there was silence, and then from out of the sunbonnet therecame, clearly and distinctly, the words:--
"That is very well. How is your kitten?"
At this interchange of remarks, Ralph sat up straight in his chair,amazement in his countenance, while Miriam, ready to burst into a roar oflaughter, waited convulsively to see what would happen next. Turningsuddenly toward Ralph, Dora tore off her sunbonnet and dashed it to thefloor. Standing there with her dishevelled hair, her flushed cheeks, hersparkling eyes and her quaint gown, Ralph thought her the most beautifulcreature he had ever gazed upon.
"How do you do, Mr. Haverley?" said Dora, advancing and extending herhand; "I know you are not willing to eat with cooks, but I do not believeyou will object to shaking hands with one, now and then."
Ralph arose, and took her hand, but she gave him no opportunity tosay anything.
"Your sister and I got up this little bit of deception for you, Mr.Haverley," she continued, "and we intended to carry it on a good dealfurther, but that gentleman has spoiled it all, and I want you to knowthat I stopped here to see your sister, and finding she had not a soul tohelp her, I would not leave her in such a plight, and we had a royal goodtime, getting the supper, and were going to do ever so many morethings--I should like to know, doctor, how you knew me. I am sure I didnot look a bit like myself."
"You did not look like yourself, but you walked like yourself," repliedDr. Tolbridge. "I watched you when you first tried to toddle alone, and Ihave seen you nearly every day since, and I know your way of steppingabout as well as I know anything. But I must really apologize for havingspoiled the fun. I discovered you, Dora, before we had half finishedsupper, but I thought the trick was being played on me alone. I had noidea that Mr. Haverley thought you were the new cook."
"I certainly did think so," cried Ralph, "and what is more, I intended todischarge you to-morrow morning."
There was a lively time for a few minutes, after which Dora explainedwhat had been said about her mind and a kitten.
"He was just twitting me with having once changed my mind--every onedoes that," she said; "and then I gave him a kitten. That is all. Andnow, before I change my dress, I will go and get some wood for thekitchen fire. I think you said, Mr. Haverley, that the woodhouse was notfar away."
"Wood!" cried Ralph; "don't you think of it!"
Miriam burst into a laugh.
"Oh, you ought to have heard the lord of the manor declare that he wouldnot carry fuel for the cook," she cried.
Ralph joined in the laugh that rose against him, but insisted that Dorashould not change her dress.
"You could not wear anything more becoming," he said, "and you do notknow how much I want to treat the new cook as one of the family."
"I will wear whatever the lord of the manor chooses," said Dora,demurely, and was about to make reference to his concluding remark, butchecked herself.
When the two girls joined the gentlemen on the porch, which they did withmuch promptness, having delegated the greater part of their householdduties to Mike, who could take a hand at almost any kind of work, Dr.Tolbridge announced that he must proceed to visit his patient.
"Are you coming back this way, doctor?" asked Dora. "Because if you are,would it be too much trouble for you to look for our buggy on the side ofthe road, and to bring back the cushions and the whip with you? Herbertmay think that in this part of the country the people are so honest thatthey would not steal anything out of a deserted buggy, but I do notbelieve it is safe to put too much trust in people."
"A fine, practicable mind," said the doctor; "cuts clean and sharp. Iwill bring the cushions and the whip, if they have not been stolen beforeI reach them. And now I will go to the barn and get my horse. We neednot disturb the industrious Mike."
"If you are going to the barn, doctor," cried Miriam, seizing her hat, "Iwill go with you and put the mosquito net over my calf, which I entirelyforgot to do. Perhaps, if it is light enough, you will look at its eye."
The doctor laughed, and the two went off together, leaving Dora and Ralphon the piazza.
Dora could not help thinking of herself as a very lucky girl. When shehad started that afternoon to make a little visit at Cobhurst, she hadhad no imaginable reason to suppose that in the course of a very fewhours she would be sitting alone with Mr. Haverley in the earlymoonlight, without even his sister with them. She had expected to seeRalph and to have a chat with him, but she had counted on Miriam'spresence as a matter of course; so this tete-a-tete in the quiet beautyof the night was as delightful as it was unanticipated. More than that,it was an opportunity that ought not to be disregarded.
The new mind of Miss Dora Bannister was clear and quick in itsperceptions, and prompt and independent in action. It not only showedwhat she wanted, but indicated pretty clearly how she might get it. Sinceshe had been making use of this fresh intellect, she had been impressedvery strongly by the belief that in the matter of matrimonial alliance, agirl should not neglect her interest by depending too much upon theoption of other people. Her own right of option she looked upon as asacred right, and one that it was her duty to herself to exercise, andthat promptly. She had just come from the seaside, where she had met someearnest young men, one or two of whom she expected to see shortly atThorbury. Also Mr. Ames, their young rector, was a very perseveringperson, and a great friend of her brother.
Of course it behooved her to act with tact, but for all that she must beprompt. It was easy to see that Ralph Haverley could not be expected togo very soon into the society of Thorbury, to visit ladies there, and asshe wanted him to learn to know her as rapidly as possible, she resolvedto give him every opportunity.
Miriam was gone a long time, because when she reached the barn, the calfwas not to be found where she had left it, and she had been obliged to gofor Mike and a lantern. After anxious search the l
ittle fellow had beenfound reclining under an apple tree, having gained sufficient strengthfrom the ministrations of its fair attendants to go through the openstable door and to find out what sort of a world it had been born into.It required time to get the truant back, secure it in its stall, and makeall the arrangements for its comfort which Miriam thought necessary.Therefore, before she returned to the piazza, Miss Bannister and Ralphhad had a long conversation, in which the latter had learned a great dealabout the disposition and tastes of his fair companion, and had been muchinterested in what he learned.
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