CHAPTER XIX
THE MASTER
A bolt from the cloudless blue could not have startled the littlegathering on the lawn more than did the arrival of the distinguishedstranger at the gate of Happy House. Moreover, French Mercedes carsdid not often pass through North Hero; this was purple and cream colorand the chauffeur wore purple livery. And the man who walked up thepath had a bearing that distinctly set him apart from ordinary mortals.
Nancy, in a panic, wanted the earth to swallow her, but as the earthwas very solid, she had no choice but to drag herself forward. Shehad, only a moment before, prayed that something would happen--andsomething had!
Peter Hyde had rushed forward to greet the newcomer and this had givenNancy a moment to rally her scattered wits. She was too busywhispering an explanation to Miss Sabrina to notice how friendly hadbeen the master's greeting to Peter.
"Miss Leavitt, may I present Mr. Theodore Hoffman--and Miss AnneLeavitt."
Peter's voice was as steady as though he was introducing any JohnSmith; there was even a twinkle in his eye, as it caught Nancy'sglance, that seemed to say: "I have brought the master to you--now!"
There was a gentleness in the keen, deep-set eyes, a friendliness inthe musical voice of the master that suddenly quieted Nancy'sfluttering nerves. Time and again, at the very thought of thismeeting, she had been so frightened and now--she was not a bit afraid.She was even glad he had come when the garden looked so pretty, whenAunt Sabrina was so proudly garbed in her best silk, when Aunt Milly,all pink and white, with Nonie perched on the arm of her chair, wasleaning over explaining some intricate stitch in a bit of embroidery toLiz, to whom embroidery was not less remote than Sanskrit literature.
Mrs. Sniggs and Mrs. Todd were staring, open-mouthed, first at thestranger, then at the cream-and-purple car at the gate.
Nancy's spirits that had dropped to such depths behind the syringabushes soared again. At last her moment had come! The master wasdeclaring his delight in having chosen such a happy afternoon to cometo Happy House; he admired the garden, and the old house; he admittedto a great curiosity concerning the Islands--he had never visited thembefore.
Nancy left him with Aunt Sabrina. Aunt Sabrina would manage to tellhim a great deal--Nancy, watching, knew just when she left the Indiansand the burning of Freedom and began on Ethan Allen and the GreenMountain Boys and the coming of Benedict Arnold and his flagship to theIsland.
"He'll love her," she whispered to Peter Hyde, nodding toward where themaster leaned with deep attention over Miss Sabrina's chair. "Look mesquare in the eye, Peter! _Did_ you know he was coming to-day?"
"On my honor, I didn't. Is the play ready?"
"All ready, in a nice fat envelope. For goodness sake, look at Webb!"
Webb, returning from the house where he had hurried to tell B'lindy ofthe coming of the distinguished guest ("Don' know who he is nor whar hecome from, but he's got one of them thur autymobiles that's bigger'n asteam enjine and a fellar drivin' it thet's dressed up like a circuslady") was standing in the path wildly gesticulating with one hand toattract Nancy's attention and with the other clapped over his mouth tosuppress the laughter that was plainly shaking his entire body.
Nancy and Peter turned to see what had so convulsed him. Up the roadtoward the gate were approaching three separate groups of women, allcoming hurriedly, breathlessly, with a great deal of chatter andfussing with hats and gloves.
Mrs. Maria Slade, behind her blind had seen the purple andcream-colored car. So had Miss Merry, across the street; so had adozen others from behind their entrenchments. Simultaneously, in asmany hearts, the urge of curiosity conquered resentment.
"It'll only take me _half_ a minit to slip on my green dress," Mrs.Slade had called to Miss Merry. "Wait fer me!"
Mrs. Brown, next door, had heard her.
"I'll come along, too," she called out.
All through the street there was a stirring behind closed blinds, ahurried taking down of the Sunday-best and a feverish changing of shoesand searching for gloves.
"It's all very well for Sarah Eaton to tell us to show our pride," Mrs.Dexter had confided to Mrs. Hill, "but _I_ just said to myself nobodydone nothing to hurt me, _I_ was goin' to see for myself what SabrinyLeavitt was havin' up there! Did you see that automobile? Purple, asI live. My, ain't this sun hot! I've got to go slower or I'll have astroke."
"Every blessed woman in Freedom," cried Peter Hyde.
"Oh, how _funny_! Look at them coming. They saw the purple car.Peter, the party is a success! Aunt Sabrina will never know. Watch menow!" With a saucy tilt of her chin Nancy stepped down the path togreet the first of the late comers.
"_So_ glad you have come," she murmured prettily, clasping Mrs. Slade'swarm hand. "Do come under the trees where it is cool. I am so sorryyou hurried."
In her most gracious manner Nancy presented each one in turn to Mr.Theodore Hoffman, of New York, then carried them off to Miss Milly.
"--and Miss Hopworth! But of course you know Miss Hopworth. Doesn'tNonie look darling to-day?" she would say to each one, with wickedintent.
Then a sudden inspiration seized her. "Nonie should play one of herpretend games for the master and their guests," she whispered excitedlyto Aunt Milly and Nonie and Peter Hyde.
"Wheel Aunt Milly's chair back toward those bushes--that'll be thestage. Now, Nonie, play your best! Perhaps--perhaps the fairygodmother is here."
After a few moments of excited consultation Peter Hyde announced in aloud tone that, for the entertainment of the guests, a fairy fantasy,"The Visit of the Moon-Queen," would be presented by Miss NonieHopworth.
"Well, I swun, with folks here from N'York, encouragin' that girl toact her nonsense," murmured Mrs. Sniggs to a neighbor.
But the man-from-New York's face brightened expectantly when Nancywaved her hand out over their heads as though to touch them all with afairy wand. "Let my magic give you fairy eyes so that you may see thatthis is _not_ the garden of Happy House but a woodland, peopled byfairy creatures! If you will listen very hard, you will hear themstirring. It is the Flowers. They come to the Woodland to make itready for the Moon-Queen who will visit them this night!"
Down through the trees danced Nonie, bare-footed, arms outflung, asthough she was, indeed, joyously preparing for the triumphal coming ofa Queen. In turn she characterized the Daisy, the Hollyhock, theButtercup and the Rose--then became the good old Dandelion.
"Lily, you are _so_ lazy," the Dandelion sternly admonished her fairsister. "Don't you know the Queen likes tidy gardens when she comeshere? And see the muss Buttercup has left around. Oh, dearie me,children will be children and I'll be so glad when Buttercup andDaffy-down-dilly grow up! Daisy, it isn't lady-like to complain thatyour dress is so plain! I am sure the Queen will think you look verywell, if your petals are clean. It's what you _do_, anyway, and _not_what you wear!"
Nancy saw Peter Hyde's laughing face drop suddenly between his arms.
With quaint, childish phrasing and with dancing steps Nonie interpretedher story to her audience. When each flower had done its part towardpreparing the Garden for the coming of the Queen, Nonie, as the oldDandelion, admonished them to sit very still, "so as not to muss theirdresses," and then disappeared only to appear again as the statelyQueen. Like a peacock, holding an imaginary train in one hand, Noniestrutted across the grass, now nodding graciously to right and left,now haughtily chiding imaginary moonbeams who accompanied her.Then--the Queen supposedly in state upon her throne--Nonie was againthe Dandelion, leading forward her sister flowers to pay court to theirQueen.
Suddenly (from the direction of Aunt Milly's chair) came a slow,sorrowful voice that the Flowers (or at least Dandelion) lamentedloudly as Trouble. The Flowers were sadly dismayed that Trouble shouldhave intruded upon this festive gathering in honor of the Moon-Queen!But the Moon-Queen implored them "not to worry a bit."
"I know all about Trouble and the harm she does! I see everything as Iride thr
ough the sky. But, never fear, we will find a way to get ridof her!" The Queen threw out her hand with an imperial gesture."Summon Youth!"
Nancy, as Youth, trying very hard not to giggle, answered the summons.In her pink dress, a flush dying her tanned cheeks, her eyes alightwith life, she was so much the embodiment of joyous, appealing youththat Peter Hyde, absorbedly watching, felt a catch at his heart.
Gravely the Moon-Queen touched Youth with her magic wand.
"Go out into the world and drive Trouble away! I will give you fairypresents to help you in your fight. This," holding out a flower, "is amagic flower. If you wear it all the time you'll remember that there'salways flowers and birds and nice things to make people happy. Andhere's a fairy leaf. If you wave that in people's faces they'll all bekind and never be cross to little children or animals or old people.And here is a fairy ring," placing a twisted dandelion stem in Youth'shand, "that'll make you love everybody and everybody love you. Andhere is a magic coat," putting Aunt Milly's shawl over Youth's arm,"when you wear it you'll always do beautiful things and you'll alwaysseem beautiful and never grow old or ugly!"
Then the Flowers, at the Queen's bidding, danced wildly about Youth toshow their joy at her coming--at least Nonie danced wildly, with utterabandon. Forgetting her audience, she had thrown herself heart andsoul into the "game."
Again the Queen, she bade the pretty Rose step forward and take Youthby the hand and "walk along with her so that she'll see everythingthrough your spectacles. I bid all _adieu_!"
After one sweeping bow Nonie had to unceremoniously leave the poorMoon-Queen in order to become the joyous Rose to whom had been allottedthe pleasant task of accompanying Youth through her life's journey.She caught Youth by the hand and together, amid loud applause, ledmainly by Webb and Peter Hyde, they danced away through the trees andshrubbery to the kitchen garden beyond.
"Author! Author!" came from Peter Hyde's corner and brought Nancy andNonie, flushed by their play, back to the gathering under the trees.
"I'm blessed if _I_ could make head'nor tail out of any of it, but didyou see, Mary Sniggs, the way thet N'York man watched the two of themgalivantin'?"
Mrs. Sniggs discreetly snorted into her handkerchief. "That kind o'play-actin' may be very well for Sabriny Leavitt's niece, but I don'believe it'll do any girl any good that's gotta earn her livin'!"
Nancy, still breathless, found Peter Hyde at her side. There was anearnestness in the gaze he kept fixed upon her that brought an addedcolor to her cheeks.
"Was it _dreadfully_ silly, Peter? I couldn't resist it. Could you_see_ their faces when they watched Nonie?"
"I could only see you! I feel as though fairies _had_ been here!"
"Peter--_you're_ silly," rebuked Nancy. "Shall I give you one of myfairy gifts? The flower--or the leaf----"
"I want the ring," he answered with provoking gravity.
"There--you shall have it! Now you will love everybody and everybodywill love you," Nancy laughed, placing the dandelion stem in hisoutstretched hand.
She was tremendously glad that at that moment Theodore Hoffman joinedthem--Peter Hyde had so seriously patted the pocket into which he hadplaced the ring--as though he really believed it could work its magic!She turned eagerly to the master but he spoke first.
"Tell me--I am haunted by a thousand memories--who in the world is thisstrange little creature?"
Nancy told the master of Nonie, of that first night in the orchard, ofher strange gift of imagination, of her "pretend" games by which shehad persistently gilded over the very rough spots of a sordid, lonelylife.
"She is always reaching out for the spirit of the things about her andtrying to make each her own!"
"She is like a flower that has grown up among weeds," muttered thegreat man, his thoughts far away, a frown wrinkling his brow."Sometimes, it is in such places that we find the greatest gifts. Iwonder," he gave a little start, as though bringing himself, with aneffort, back to the garden. "It's always been a hobby of mine, huntingaround in queer places for something I can give to my Art. Perhaps youdon't understand me, but, wherever I am, I am watching, watching allthe time, for a promise of talent that, if properly cultivated andtrained, will give something to the greatest of the Arts--dramaticexpression."
Thrilled, Nancy sat tongue-tied, afraid to speak. He went on: "I saidI was haunted--years ago I ran across another child, not unlike thisone. She gave rare promise of genius. I put her in my school. I hadher there several years. I looked for a great deal from her. But--shefailed me."
"Did she--die?"
The master laughed. "No, she loved a man more than she did her art. Iwas jealous--unreasonable. I let her go away--heard nothing more ofher. I suppose she married. She's probably fat now, with a half-dozensqualling babies. Yes, I was jealous--I wanted to give her to my art,soul and body--as a fanatic would make his offering to his gods. Andthis child has made me think of her again. It has been a mostinteresting hour, Miss Leavitt. You say the child's head is full ofthis sort of thing? H-mm."
Now the garden was filled with a babble of voices intermingled with theclinking of spoons and dishes. Someone had overheard the great man'spraise of Nonie's "play-actin'," and the word spread quickly. Mrs.Brown allowed it was "just spooky the way that child could make youthink she was what she wasn't" and Mrs. Slade's sister's sister-in-lawhad seen Maude Adams in a play where she'd "pretended something all thetime--something 'bout Cinderella, and like as not it might have been'bout fairies, too." Under the stimulation of iced tea and cakes andcaramel ice cream, served from delicate china, praise for Nonie grewand the fairy leaf that Youth carried, so that "people would be kind,"began to work its magic in the garden.
It was well toward sunset when the last guest departed. Nancy,standing in the doorway with the empty house behind her, and before herthe deserted garden, with its chairs and tables in crazy disarray, senta wild little prayer down the road after the purple automobile that hadwhirled away carrying the great master and her poor little play.
"_Please_ think it's good! I worked so hard."
As her eye caught the gleam of gabled housetops through the trees Nancysuddenly pictured how, at that very moment, every home in Freedom wasechoing with the story of the party.
It had been a success! All Freedom--through the women's eyes--had beenthere to see precious Aunt Milly; now they knew that Happy House was ahappy house. And, wonder of wonders, she had heard Mrs. Sniggs, in amost friendly way, ask Liz Hopworth to drop in and show her how shemade her "plum jell."
Suddenly Nancy seemed to hear Peter Hyde saying: "I didn't see anythingbut you!" How silly he'd been--putting that absurd dandelion stem intohis pocket, as though it really _had_ some magic! Then, with quiteunaccountable haste, as though to run away from her own meditations,Nancy rushed to the kitchen and begged B'lindy to let her help "clearup."