The Honorable Miss: A Story of an Old-Fashioned Town Read online

  CHAPTER VI.

  FOR MY PART, I AM NOT GOING TO TAKE ANY NOTICE OF THE BERTRAMS.

  But notwithstanding all worries, the world in midsummer, when the daysare longest and the birds sing their loudest, is a gay place for theyoung. Catherine Bertram stayed awake for quite an hour that night. Anhour was a long time for such young and bright eyes to remain wide open,and she fancied with a wave of self-pity how wrinkled and old she wouldlook in the morning. Not a bit of it! She arose with the complexion of aHebe, and the buoyant and gladsome spirit of a lark.

  As she dressed she sang, and when she ran downstairs she whistled aplantation melody with such precision and clearness that Loftusexclaimed, "Oh, how shocking!" and Mabel rolled up her eyes, and saidsagely, that no one ever could turn Kate into anything but a tom-boy.

  "Girls, what are we to do after breakfast?" asked the brother.

  "Have you any money at all in your pocket, Loftie?" demurely askedMabel, "for if so, if so--" her eyes danced, "I can undertake to providea pleasant day for us all."

  "Well, puss, I don't suppose an officer in her Majesty's RoyalArtillery--is quite without some petty cash. How much do you want?"

  "A few shillings will do. Let us pack up a picnic basket. Kate, youneedn't look at me. I have taken Mrs. Masters into confidence, andthere's a cold roast fowl downstairs--and--and--but I won't revealanything further. We can have a picnic--we can go away an hour afterbreakfast, and saunter to that place known as the Long Quay, and hirethe very best boat to be had for money, and we can float about on thislovely harbor, and land presently on the shore over there where theruins of the old Port are; and we can eat our dinners there and bejolly. Remember that we have never but once been on the water since wecame. Think how we have pined for this simple pleasure, Loftie, and forkout the tin."

  "My dear Mabel, I must place my interdict on slang."

  "Nonsense. When the cat's away. Oh, don't look shocked! Are we to go?"

  "Go! of course we'll go. Is there no pretty girl who'll come with us?It's rather slow to have only one's sisters."

  "Very well, Loftus. We'll pay you out presently," said Kate.

  "And there is a very pretty girl," continued Mabel, "At least Catherineconsiders her very pretty--only--" her eyes danced with mischief.

  "Only what?"

  "The mother doesn't like her. There's a dear old Rector here, and heintroduced the girl to Kitty, and mother was wild. Mother sounded theRector the next day and heard something which made her wilder still, butwe are not in the secret. Kate fell in love with the girl."

  "Did you, Kate? When a woman falls in love with another woman thephenomenon is so uncommon that a certain amount of interest must beroused. Describe the object of your adoration, Kitty."

  "Her name," responded Kate, "is Beatrice Meadowsweet. I won't say anymore about her. If ever you meet her, which isn't likely, you can judgefor yourself of her merits."

  "Kitty is rather cross about Beatrice," said Mabel; then she continued,"Loftie, what do you think? Mother has cut all the Northbury folk."

  "Mabel, you talk very wild nonsense."

  It was Kate who spoke. She rose from the breakfast-table with an annoyedexpression.

  "Wild or not--it is true," replied Mabel. "Mother has cut the Northburypeople, cut them dead. They came to see us, they came in troops. Suchfunny folk! The first lot were let in. Mother was like a poker. Sheastonished her visitors, and the whole scene was so queer anduncomfortable, although mother was freezingly _polite_, that Kateand I got out of the room. The next day more people came--and more, andmore every day, but Clara had her orders, and we weren't 'at home.'Kitty and I used to watch the poor Northburians from behind thesummer-house. One day Kitty laughed. It was awful, and I am sure theyheard.

  "Another day a dreadful little woman with rolling eyes said she wouldleave a tract on _Lying_ in the avenue--I wish she had. But Isuppose she thought better of it.

  "Then there came a bazaar, a great bazaar, and the Rector invited us,and said all the Northburians would be there. What do you think motherdid? She returned their calls on that day. She knew they'd be out, andthey were. Wasn't that a dead cut, Loftie?"

  "Rather," responded Loftus.

  He rose slowly, looked deliberately at Kate, and then closed his lips.

  "Mother is away, so we won't discuss her," said Kate. "Run and pack thepicnic basket, Mabel, and then we'll be off."

  The picturesque little town of Northbury was built on the slope of ahill. This hill gently descended to the sea. Nowhere was there to befound a more charming, landlocked harbor than at Northbury. It was afamous harbor for boating. Even at low tide people could get on thewater, and in the summer time this gay sheet of dark blue sparklingwaves had many small yachts, fishing smacks, and row-boats of all sizesand descriptions skimming about on its surface. In the spring a largefishing trade was done here, and then the steamers whistle? andshrieked, and disturbed the primitive harmony of the place. But bymidsummer the great shoals of mackerel went away, and with them the darkpicturesque hookers, and the ugly steamers, and the inhabitants wereonce more left to their sleepy, old-fashioned, but withal pleasant life.

  Rosendale Manor was situated on high ground. It was surrounded by awall, and the wide avenue was entered by ponderous iron gates. It wasabout eleven o'clock when the girls and their brother started gayly offfor their day on the water. Loftus carried a couple of rugs, so that thefact of Mabel lugging a heavy picnic basket on her sturdy left arm didnot look specially remarkable. They went down a steep and stragglinghill, passed through an old-fashioned green, with the local club at oneside, and a wall at the other which seemed to hang right over the sea.

  They soon reached the Long Quay, and made their bargain for the bestboat to be had. A man of the name of Driver kept many boats for hire,and he offered now to accompany the young party and show off thebeauties of the place.

  This, however, Mabel would not hear of. They must go alone or not atall. Loftus did not like to own to his very small nautical experience;the sea was smooth and shining, and apparently free from all danger, andthe little party embarked gayly, and put out on their first cruise inhigh spirits.

  Miss Peters and Mrs. Butler watched them with intense interest fromtheir bay window. Miss Peters had possession of the spy-glass. With thisheld steadily before her eyes, she shouted observations to her sister.

  "There they go! No, Dan Driver is _not_ going with them! Any onecan see by the way that young man handles the oar that he doesn't know agreat deal about the water. Good gracious, Martha, they're taking a sailwith them! Now I do call that tempting Providence. That young man has avery elegant figure, Martha, but mark my words he knows nothing at allabout the management of a boat. The girls know still less."

  "Put down your spy-glass for a moment, and let me speak to you, Maria,"exclaimed Mrs. Butler in an exasperated voice. "I never knew such atongue as yours for clap, clap, clapping. Did you say those two Bertramgirls were going out alone with a _man_! Well, I have known what tothink for some time! Alone on the water with a _young man_. Surely,Maria, you must have made a mistake."

  "It's just like you, Martha, you never believe in any one's eyes butyour own. Here's the glass, look for yourself. If that isn't a man, anda young man, and a stylish, handsome man, my name isn't Maria Peters."

  "You'd be very glad if your name wasn't Peters," replied the iratesister. "But I fear me there's little likelihood of your changing itnow. Ah, here's Beatrice Meadowsweet. Good-morning, Bee, my dear. How'syour dear mother? Is her poor precious cough any better?"

  "Come here, Bee," said Miss Peters. "Come over to the window thisminute, and use your young eyes. Who are those people in Dan Driver'sboat? There, you tell Martha, she wont believe me."

  "Those are the Bertrams," exclaimed Beatrice.

  She put up her hand to shade her eyes, and took a long steadfast lookover the shining water.

  "Those are the Bertrams, and of course, their brother."

  "Oh, my dear Bee, how you have reli
eved me!" exclaimed Mrs. Butler.

  She re-seated herself on a settee which stood near, and took herhandkerchief to wipe out some wrinkles of anxiety from her stout face.

  Beatrice stared in astonishment.

  "I don't quite understand," she said.

  "My dear! I feared something improper was going on. A young man, not arelation, out alone on the water with two girls! That's the kind ofthing we don't allow, in Northbury, Bee. Now, what's the matter?"

  "Look," said Beatrice, "look! They are putting up the sail, and they arenot doing it right. They oughtn't all three to stand up in the boattogether. It will capsize! Oh, I must fly to them. Good-bye, Mrs.Butler. Mother would like to see you at tea, to-night. Good-bye, MissPeters."

  She rushed away, and the next moment was down on the quay. Three momentslater she was speeding with swift long strokes across the harbor in herown beautifully appointed row-boat.

  Her dress was of dark blue serge, with white collar and cuffs. Her hatwas a simple sailor one. The exercise brought the color into her cheeks,and her big somewhat pathetic gray eyes were bright.

  "There she goes!" exclaimed Miss Peters. "Never saw such a girl. Doesn'tshe handle her oars with a touch? Oh, of course she is off to the rescueof those poor bunglers. And I daresay they don't think her good enoughto speak to."

  "Good enough!" exclaimed Mrs. Butler. "She's twice too good for any oneof them. Didn't her dress fit neat, Maria? Well, I hope she won't getlet in by their fine ways. For my part, I'm not going to take any noticeof the Bertrams. The way they behaved was past enduring. Not at homingwhen I called, and then leaving their cards on the day when I was at thebazaar. Highty-tighty, says I, who's Mrs. Bertram that she should lookdown on us in this fashion? Isn't the widow of a good honest buttermerchant who paid his way, and left a comfortable fortune behind him,fit to associate with any lady of the land? Mrs. Bertram, indeed! A niceway she has treated us all. It isn't every newcomer we Northbury folkswould take up. We hold ourselves high, that we do. Now, what's thematter, Maria?"

  "We didn't hold ourselves high about Mrs. Bertram," replied Miss Peters."It isn't fair to say that we did. We all rushed up to call before shehad the carpets well down. I did say, Martha, and you may remember toothat I said it, for you were helping me to the tail of the salmon at thetime, and I remarked that there was little or nothing to eat on it,you'll remember that I said to you: 'let them put their carpets straightat least.' But you wouldn't--you were all agog to be off, when you sawthat Mrs. Gorman Stanley had gone up there in her new bonnet, with thered and yellow poppies--the bonnet you know that she said she got fromLondon."

  "Which she didn't," snapped Mrs. Butler; "for I saw those identicalpoppies in Perry's shop on the quay. Well, well, Maria, I may have beena bit hasty in rushing after those who didn't want me, but the resultwould have been all the same. Maria, there's only one solution of theway we have been treated by that proud, stuck-up, conceited body. Maria,she doesn't pay her way."

  Miss Peters rolled her eyes with a quick dart at her sister.

  "They do say she's very close in the kitchen," she remarked; "and thebutcher told Susan that they only go in for New Zealand."

  Mrs. Butler rose from her seat, to express more markedly her disgust forcolonial viands.

  "Ugh!" she said. "Catch me putting a morsel of that poisonous stuffinside my mouth. Well, well, you'll see I'm right, Maria. She don't payher way, so she's ashamed, and well she may be, to look honest folk inthe face."

  "Beatrice has got up to the other boat," interrupted Miss Peters. Giveme the glass, quickly, Martha. My word, the two boats are touching.And--would you believe it?--one of the young ladies is getting intoBee's boat, Martha. She's towing Driver's boat after her own! Well,well, that will be nuts to Mrs. Bertram. I declare, Martha, I shouldn'tbe one bit surprised if that young jackanapes of a brother fell in lovewith our Bee."

  "He won't get her for his pains," retorted Mrs. Butler. "Those who don'tpay their way won't touch Beatrice Meadowsweet's fortune. But, there,I'm sick of the subject. Let's talk of something else. Isn't that Mrs.Gorman Stanley coming down the street? Open the window and call out toher, Maria. Ask her if she wants me to send her round one pound ofbutter, or two from the farm?"