CHAPTER XXV THE LOVING CUP
"Hurry, hurry!" cried Tavia, hugging Dorothy. "You awful girl! I've beendoing everything under the skies to help Aunt Winnie get through thedinner, but I absolutely refuse to carry along the dance! How could youplace us all in such a predicament, you angel of mercy! And to leave meto manage those boys in their evening dress! They're too funny for words!Nat positively looks weird in his; he insists on pulling down the tails,he's afraid they don't hang gracefully! And Ned is as stiff and awkwardas a small boy at his first party!"
"And Bob?" asked Dorothy, as she arranged a band of gold around her hair.
"Well," said Tavia meditatively, "there might be a moreuncomfortable-looking person than Bob is at this moment, but I never hopeto see one. Dorothy, I simply can't look his way! He's pathetic, he's allhands, and he's trying to hide the fact, and you never saw anyone havingso much trouble! In short, I've been scrupulously evading those very muchdressed-up youths. They've been depending entirely on me to push themforward; just at present, with other awkward youths, they are holding upthe fireplace in the little side room, casting fugitive glances towardthe drawing room, where we're having the dance!" Tavia laughed andpranced about as she talked.
"Why will our boys always act so silly in the evening? I really believeif dances were given in the morning, directly after breakfast, the girlswould be dull and listless and the men enchanting," said Dorothy with alaugh, as she stood forth, resplendent in her evening gown of pale blue,ready to make a tardy appearance.
The late arrival of the girl whom all these guests were invited to meet,caused a stir of merriment, which Dorothy met with a certain charm andgrace, that was her direct inheritance from Aunt Winnie.
The boys emerged from the side room and looked around the dancing room,sheepishly. Now, in North Birchland and in Dalton, Ned and Nat enjoyed adance, or a party, even if they did show a decided tendency to hidebehind Dorothy and Aunt Winnie. But here in New York they were notgallant enough to hide their misery, and the comfortable back of AuntWinnie was not at all at their disposal, and Tavia's back they had givenup some hours since as hopeless, which left Dorothy as the last thinstraw! And Dorothy was too much of a wisp of straw to hide such broadshoulders as Bob's and Ned's and entirely too short to hide tall Nat! Sothey clung together in a corner until Tavia separated them, giving eachyoung man a charming girl to pilot over the slippery floor through themaze of a two-step.
Tavia was bubbling over with mirth. All this was as much to herliking--the lovely gowns and the laughter, the easy wit and lightchatter.
"Did you notice that big suit-case in the hall?" whispered Tavia,mysteriously to Dorothy.
"Yes, indeed," replied Dorothy. "Are some of these people staying overthe week-end?"
"Sh-h-h!" warned Tavia, leading Dorothy to a secluded corner behind atall palm, "I'm really afraid to say it out loud!"
"This isn't a dark mystery, I hope. Tavia, I'm weary of suddensurprises--tell me at once," demanded Dorothy, laughing at Tavia's verydramatic manner of being securely hidden from view.
With one slender finger, Tavia pointed between the leaves of the palm tothe dancing floor.
"Do you see that very picturesque creature in green?" she whispered.
"Yes," said Dorothy breathlessly.
"Well," said Tavia relaxing, "that's her suit-case."
"Who is she?" asked Dorothy, "and why bring her bag here?"
"She's a society girl," replied Tavia, peering out between the palmleaves, "and she arrived at four o'clock this afternoon with a maid and asuit-case."
"Auntie said nothing about week-end guests," said Dorothy.
"Of course she didn't, and this isn't a week-end guest, this is a societygirl! She couldn't play cards at four, and have dinner at seven, and adance at eight-thirty, without a suit-case and a maid; could she? Howunreasonable you are, Dorothy," exclaimed Tavia, with scorn.
"Did she wear something different for each occasion?" whispered Dorothy.
"Yes," replied Tavia. "Dorothy, doesn't it make you dizzy to think ofkeeping up an appearance in that way--packing one's suit-case everymorning to attend an evening function!"
"And she doesn't seem to be having an awfully good time either,"commented Dorothy.
"Everyone is afraid of her--she's too wonderful!" laughed Tavia.
"How perfectly ridiculous!" murmured Dorothy, thinking at that moment ofTommy's mother, dressed in a faded, worn wrapper every hour of each daythroughout all the months of the year.
"And that isn't all," declared Tavia. "See that perfectly honest-lookingperson in purple?"
"Very broad and stout and homely?" asked Dorothy.
"Yes. Well, she appropriated one of our cups!"
"You're just making these things up!" declared Dorothy, rising to leavethe secluded corner.
"Really I'm not," said Tavia earnestly, "the purple person took a cup!"
"But why should she do so?" Dorothy asked, not quite believing such athing possible.
"That's what we don't know, but Aunt Winnie says it's possibly just afad, or a hobby, and not to notice it--but, I'm going to find out."
"There is so much that is not real, perhaps her royal purple velvet gownis no clue to her wealth," said Dorothy.
"No, I don't think her dress is. I've decided that she needs the cup forbreakfast to-morrow morning. Anyhow, her maid is in the small bedroom,that we're using for the wraps, and we must question her," declaredTavia.
"It's too perfectly horrid to even think such a thing of one of ourguests. We must forget the matter," Dorothy said rather sternly.
"And you who are so anxious to help the poor and needy, forget your ownhome!" said Tavia reproachfully. "Suppose that poor lady has no cup forher coffee? Won't it be an act of human kindness to ascertain that?"
"Well, I don't understand why it should happen," said Dorothy, perplexed,"but I feel, Tavia, that you are not in earnest."
Coming out from behind the palm, the girls were just in time to catch aglimpse of Nat, bowing and sliding gracefully away from his partner. Nedhad successfully gotten over the slippery floor and stood aimlesslystaring into space; and his aimless stare touched Dorothy more than histears would have done. Bob met Tavia in the slipperiest part of the floorand Tavia, for once in her acquaintance with Bob, did not feel disdainfulof his masterly physical strength, for Bob couldn't manage to cross awaxed floor with as much dexterity as could Tavia and actually touchedher elbow for assistance in guiding him wall-ward.
"How much longer does this gaiety continue?" asked Bob.
"I fear you're a sad failure, Bob," cried Tavia, as she led him throughthe hall to the small room at the end of the hall. "You can't dance, andyou won't sing, and you're perfectly miserable dressed in civilized,evening clothes. You're just hopeless, I'm afraid," Tavia sighed.
Their sudden entrance into the cloakroom surprised the various maids whowere yawning and sleepy-eyed. The French maid was the only one who seemedalert, and she was bending attentively over something, with her backtoward the others. Tavia whispered to Bob:
"Saunter carelessly past that maid, and tell me what she's doing," Taviameanwhile diligently looking through a pile of furs and wraps.
"She seems to be fingering a cup," reported Bob, as he looked at Tavia,questioningly.
"Walk past her again and find out more," commanded Tavia. To herself shemurmured: "Men are so slow, I'd know in an instant what she's doing withthat cup, were it possible for me to peer about; which it isn't."
"Haven't an idea what she's doing," reported Bob again, "she's justholding the cup in her hand."
"Nonsense," declared Tavia, "she must be doing something. Go rightstraight back and stand around until you find out. I can't pull thesefurs and wraps about much longer, they're too heavy!"
When Bob returned again he whispered to Tavia, and Tavia's straighteyebrows flew up toward her hair with a decidedly "Ah! I told you!"expression.
She rushed t
o Aunt Winnie and informed her.
"You know," explained Aunt Winnie, "the cup is the one Miss Mingle'ssister painted and sent to Dorothy the other day. It was such an odd,exquisite pattern I valued it above all my antiques and my pottery!"
"Well, that's just what's she doing," declared Tavia, "she's copying thepattern or borrowing it."
"It must indeed be unique when one of our guests is driven to suchextremes to get a copy of it," said Aunt Winnie.
The dancers were becoming weary, even the lights and decorations began toshow signs of wishing to go out, and most of the guests had bidden thehostesses adieu when the stout person in royal purple calmly approachedAunt Winnie and Dorothy, holding a cup in her hand:
"You'll pardon the impudence of my maid, I know, she has a mania forpeculiar patterns on china, and she copied one on this cup. You don'tmind at all?" she asked sweetly.
"It was painted for my niece by a very feeble lady," explained Mrs.White. "We value it highly."
"You should value it highly," purred the stout person. "So far as I knowthere are only three cups of that pattern in the world to-day. One is inan English museum, and the other two have been lost. Those two cups wouldbe worth a fortune to the holder, the collectors would pay almost anyprice for them." She was plainly an enthusiast on the subject of oldchina. "But your cup is not original, it is merely a copy, but we knew itinstantly. You'll forgive me, won't you?" she asked, sweetly.
"Miss Mingle's sister is the owner of the other two cups, Auntie," gaspedDorothy, as the stout person in purple departed. "Mrs. Bergham's husbandwas an artist and collector, and he left Mrs. Bergham all his picturesand art treasures. I just raved with delight over those two cups, the daywe called, and she very amiably sent me an exact duplicate."
"Then there may be a fortune awaiting little Miss Mingle," exclaimedTavia. "I thought her home was terribly crowded with artistic-lookingobjects and unusual adornments for folk in moderate circumstances."
"Doubtlessly, the sentimental nature of Mrs. Bergham would not entertainsuch an idea as disposing of her treasures for mere lucre," said Mrs.White, laughingly.
"Perhaps they do not know their value," reasoned Dorothy, as the guestsprepared to leave.
"We'll find out more from the stout person, and bring an art collector tocall upon Mrs. Bergham, and thus give those two struggling women somechance to enjoy a little comfort," said Major Dale.