Five Little Peppers at School

by Margaret Sidney

  XV THE BROKEN VASE

  But drive as they might, Mr. Kimball and his assistants, they couldn'tbeat that storm that was brewing. It came up rather slowly, to be sure,at first, but very persistently. Evidently the old stage-driver wasright. It was "coming to stay."

  "Ye see, ma'am, ef we hadn't started when we did, like enough wecouldn't a got home to-night," he vouchsafed over his shoulder to MissSalisbury, as they rattled on.

  "Dear me!" she exclaimed at thought of her brood. Those young thingswere having the best of times. It was "wildly exciting," as ClemForsythe said, to be packed in; those on the end seats huddling awayfrom the rain as much as possible, under cover of the curtains buttoneddown fast. And hilarity ran high. They sang songs; never quite finishingone, but running shrilly off to others, which were produced on severaldifferent keys maybe, according to the mood of the singers. And asevery girl wanted to sing her favorite song, there were sometimesvarious compositions being produced in different quarters of the bigstage, till no one particular melody could be said to have the right ofway. And Miss Salisbury sat in the midst of the babel, and smiled asmuch as her anxiety would allow, at the merriment. And as it was in thisstage, so the other stages were counterparts. And the gay tunes andmerry laughter floated back all along the cavalcade, minglingharmoniously with the rainfall.

  Suddenly an awful clap of thunder reverberated in the sky. The songsended in squeals of dismay, and the laughter died away.

  "Oh--oh--we're going to have a thunder storm!" screamed more than onegirl, huddling up closer to her next neighbor, to clutch herfrantically.

  "Oh, I'm so afraid of the thunder!" screamed Amy Garrett.

  "You goose, it won't hurt you." Lucy Bennett, whom Amy had crouchedagainst, gave her a little push.

  "It will. It will. My uncle was struck once," said Amy, rebounding fromthe push to grasp Lucy frantically around the neck.

  "You nearly choked me to death," exclaimed Lucy, untwisting the nervoushands; "don't get so scared. Your uncle never was struck by the thunder,and we haven't had any lightning yet; so I wouldn't yell till we do."

  "Well, there it is now," cried Amy, covering her eyes. And there it wasnow, to be sure, in a blinding flash; to be followed by deeper rolls ofthunder, drowning the screams of the frightened girls, and the plungingof the horses that didn't like it much better.

  Mr. Kimball peered out and squinted to the right and to the left throughthe blinding storm; then he turned his horses suddenly off from theroad, into a narrow lane. "Oh, why do you?" began Miss Salisbury. Butthis remonstrance wouldn't have done any good had the old stage-driverheard it. At the end of the lane, he knew in a few moments they wouldall arrive at a big old fashioned mansion where shelter could not berefused them under such circumstances. Although,--and Mr. Kimball shookwithin himself at his temerity,--under any other conditions visitorswould not be expected nor welcomed. For Mr. John Clemcy and his sister,Miss Ophelia, had never exhibited, since they settled down in thisquiet spot after leaving their English home many years ago, any apparentdesire to make friends. They were quite sufficient for themselves; andwhat with driving about,--which they did in a big basket phaeton, orbehind their solemn pair of black horses, and the still more solemncoachman, Isaac, also black,--and in the care of the large estate andthe big brick mansion, they found ample occupation for their time andthoughts.

  Up to this big red brick mansion now plunged Mr. Kimball with as muchassurance as if he were not quaking dreadfully. And the other stagesfollowing suit, the sudden and unusual uproar brought two faces to thewindows, and then to the door.

  "May we all git out and go into your barn?" roared Mr. Kimball, peeringat them from beneath his dripping hat.

  There was an awful pause. Mr. Kimball clutched his old leather reinsdesperately; and Miss Salisbury, to whom had come faint rumors of thechosen isolation of the brother and sister, felt her heart sinkwoefully.

  Mr. John Clemcy stepped out,--slender, tall, with white hair and beard,both closely cropped. He had a pale, aristocratic face, and a pair ofsingularly stern eyes, which he now bent upon the old stage-driver.

  "Brother," remonstrated his sister,--she looked as much like him aspossible in face and figure,--"do not venture out in this drivingstorm."

  "No," said Mr. Clemcy, "I cannot consent to your going into my stable.I--"

  "'Taint Christian," blurted out the old stage-driver, "to leave humanbein's out in sech a pickle."

  "No, I am aware of that," said Mr. John Clemcy, without a change ofcountenance; "and so I invite you all to come into my house." He threwwide the door. "My sister, Miss Clemcy."

  Miss Ophelia stepped forward and received them as if she had speciallyprepared for their visit, and with such an air of distinction that itcompletely overwhelmed Miss Salisbury, so that her own manners, alwaysconsidered quite perfect by parents and friends of her pupils, paledconsiderably in contrast. It was quite like entering an old baronialhall, as the courtly, aristocratic host ushered them in; and the girls,not easily overawed by any change of circumstance, who had tumbled outlaughingly from the stages despite Miss Salisbury's nervous endeavors toquiet them, were now instantly subdued.

  "Isn't it solemn!" whispered Alexia, hanging to Polly Pepper, her paleeyes roving over the armor, and old family portraits almost completelycovering the walls of the wide hall.

  "Hush," whispered Polly back again.

  "But I can't breathe; oh, look at that old horror in the ruff.Polly--look!" she pinched the arm she grasped.

  Meantime, although there were so many girls, the big red brick mansionseemed quite able to contain them hospitably, as Mr. and Miss Clemcyopened door after door into apartments that appeared to stretch out intogreater space beyond. When at last the company had been distributed,Miss Salisbury found her voice. "I am pained to think of all the troublewe are giving you, Miss Clemcy."

  "Do not mention it." Miss Ophelia put up a slender arm, from which felloff a deep flounce of rare old lace. The hand that thus came into viewwas perfect; and Miss Salisbury, who could recognize qualities ofdistinction, fell deeply in love with the evidences before her.

  "Do you suppose she dresses up like that every day, Silvia?" whisperedLucy Bennett, in an awe-struck voice.

  Silvia, in matters of dress never being willing to show surprise,preserved her composure. "That's nothing," she managed to sayindifferently: "it can't be real, such a lot of it, and around her necktoo."

  Down into the old colonial kitchen, with its corner fireplace, wide androomy, and bricked to the ceiling, Mr. Clemcy led the way. It was a bigroom, and not used for its original purpose; being filled with cabinets,and shelves on which reposed some of the most beautiful specimens ofchina and various relics and curiosities and mementos of travel, MissSalisbury thought she had ever seen. And she had been about the world agood bit; having utilized many of her vacations, and once or twicetaking a year off from her school work, for that purpose. And beingsingularly receptive to information, she was the best of listeners, inan intelligent way, as Mr. Clemcy moved about from object to objectexplaining his collection. He seemed perfectly absorbed in it, and, asthe girls began to notice, in his listener as well.

  Lucy Bennett was frightfully romantic, and jumped to conclusions atonce. "Oh, do you suppose he will marry her?" she cried under her breathto Silvia, as the two kept together.

  "Who? What are you talking about?" demanded Silvia, who was verymatter-of-fact.

  "Why, that old man--Mr. Whatever his name is," whispered Lucy.

  "Mr. Clemcy? do get names into your head, Lu," said Silvia crossly, whowanted to look at things and not be interrupted every minute.

  "I can't ever remember names, if I do hear them," said Lucy, "so what isthe use of my bothering to hear them, Sil?"

  "Well, do keep still," said Silvia, trying to twist away her arm, butLucy clung to it.

  "Well, I can't keep still either, for I'm mortally afraid he is--thatold man, whatever you call him--going to marry her."

  "Who?" demanded Silv
ia sharply.

  "Our Miss Salisbury, and--"

  "Lu Bennett!" Silvia sat down in the first chair she could find. It wasvery fortunate that the other groups were so absorbed that nobodynoticed them.

  "Oh, you do say such perfectly silly things!" declared Silvia,smothering the peal of laughter that nearly escaped her.

  "Well, it isn't silly," cried Lucy in an angry whisper, "and it's goingto happen, I know, and she'll give up our school to Miss Anstice, andcome and live here. Oh my!" She looked ready to cry on the spot. "Lookat them!"

  Now, Silvia had called Lucy Bennett "silly" hundreds of times, but nowas she looked at Mr. Clemcy and Miss Salisbury, she began to have anuneasy feeling at her heart. "I won't go to school to Miss Anstice," shedeclared passionately. Then she began to plan immediately. "I'll getmother to let me go to boarding school."

  "And I'll go with you," exclaimed Lucy radiantly. All this was in stagewhispers, such a buzz going on around them that no one else couldpossibly catch a word. And so in just about two minutes, they had theirimmediate future all planned.

  "Well, you better get up out of that chair," said Lucy presently, andpicking at Silvia's sleeve.

  "I guess I'm not hurting the chair," said Silvia, squinting sideways atthe high, carved back. "They asked us in here,--at least _he_ did."

  "Well, he didn't ask us to sit down," said Lucy triumphantly.

  "And if he's going to marry her," said Silvia, in a convincing whisper,"I guess I can sit in all the chairs if I want to."

  "Hush!" warned Lucy, "here comes Miss Anstice."

  Miss Anstice, with her front breadth all stained with jelly cake andmarmalade, was wandering around, quite subdued. It was pitiful to seehow she always got into the thickest of the groups to hide her gown,trying to be sociable with the girls. But the girls not reciprocating,she was at last taken in tow by Miss Ophelia, who set about showing hersome rare old china, as a special attention.

  Now, Miss Anstice cared nothing for rare old china, or indeed, forrelics or curiosities of any sort; but she was very meek on thisoccasion, and so she allowed herself to be led about from shelf toshelf; and though she said nothing, Miss Ophelia was so enchanted by herown words and memories, as she described in a fluent and loving mannertheir various claims to admiration, that she thought the younger MissSalisbury quite a remarkable person.

  "Show her the Lowestoft collection, sister," called Mr. John Clemcy,from across the apartment, and breaking off from his animated discussionover an old Egyptian vase, in which Miss Salisbury had carried herselfbrilliantly.

  "I will, Brother John," assented Miss Clemcy, with great affability."Now here," and she opened the door to its cabinet, "is what willinterest you greatly, I think."

  Suddenly, a crash as of breaking porcelain struck upon the ear. Everyone in the old room jumped, save the persons who might be supposed to bethe most interested--Mr. Clemcy and his sister. Their faces did notchange.

  Miss Salisbury deserted the Egyptian vase. "Who," she demanded, hurryingto the centre of the apartment, a red spot on either cheek, "has donethis?"

  Mr. John Clemcy followed her. "Do not, I beg," he said quietly, "noticeit."

  "Notice it! after your extreme hospitality--oh! which one of my scholarscan have forgotten herself enough to touch a thing?"

  The groups parted a little, just enough to disclose a shrinking figure.It was Lily, whose curious fingers were clasped in distress.

  "She is very young," said Miss Clemcy softly, as Miss Salisbury detachedher from the group, and passed into another room, crying as if her heartwould break.

  Mr. John Clemcy then came up to his sister and her visitor. "Your sistermust not take it so to heart," he said.

  Miss Anstice was worn out by this time, what with her gown, and now bythis terrible thing that would bring such discredit upon their school;and besides, it might take ever so much from their savings to replace,for Lily was poor, and was a connection, so they perhaps would have tohelp her out. She therefore could find no words at her command, except,"Oh dear me!" and raised her poor eyes.

  Mr. John Clemcy searched her face intently, and actually smiled toreassure her. She thought he was looking at her gown; so she mumbledfaintly, to draw off his attention, "I am afraid it was very valuable."

  He didn't tell her it was one of the oldest bits in his collection; butwhile Miss Clemcy slipped off, and quietly picked up every piece of thebroken treasure, he turned the conversation, and talked rapidly andcharmingly upon something,--for the life of her, Miss Anstice nevercould tell what.

  And he was still talking when Miss Salisbury brought back Lily by thehand, red-eyed and still sniffling, to stumble over her pleas forpardon. And then, the storm having abated, there were instantpreparations for departure set in motion. And Mr. Kimball and hisassociates helped them into their vehicles, Miss Clemcy's beautiful oldlace showing off finely on the great porch as she bade them good-bye.

  "It is real, I guess," declared Silvia, looking closely from her seatnext to Lucy. "And, oh dear me, isn't this too horrible, what LilyCushing has done?"

  Mr. John Clemcy helped the ladies in, Miss Anstice putting forth all herpowers to enable her to ascend the steep steps without disclosing thefront breadth of her gown. Despite her best endeavors, she felt quitesure that the keen eyes of both brother and sister had discovered everyblemish.

  Miss Salisbury sank back in her seat, as the barge rolled off, quite indespair; for she knew quite well that the broken vase was one of thegems of the collection.

  "Oh, see the lovely rainbow!" The girls' spirits rose, now that theywere once more on the move. What was one broken vase, after all? Andthey began to laugh and talk once more.

  "Oh dear!" Polly Pepper glanced back. "Alexia, this will just about killour dear Miss Salisbury!" she exclaimed.

  "Well, I'm clear beat," Mr. Kimball was saying to himself, as nobodypaid attention. "You might knock me over with a feather! To think o'that old _ree_cluse that won't know nobody, him nor his sister, an' isso hifalutin' smart, a-bustin' out so _po_lite all of a suddint."