CHAPTER VIII
B'LINDY'S TRIUMPH
No great general of war ever mapped out a plan of attack more carefullythan Nancy laid hers! First she begged B'lindy to let her pick overthe raspberries for supper. While doing this in the chummiest sort ofway, it was very easy to tell B'lindy that she had eaten lots of raisedbiscuits but never any raised biscuits like she'd had at Happy House!
The last raspberry in the glass dish, Nancy in departing, whisperedwith a little laugh; "Weren't you dreadfully frightened this afternoonwhen you saw Aunt Sabrina? O! of course you weren't--Webb told me youwere the only one who could really make Aunt Sabrina do anything, but,goodness, _I_ was!" Which was balm to B'lindy's injured pride; as theafternoon wore on B'lindy had been growing more and more indignantbecause she had not "stood on her two feet and spoke up to SabrinyLeavitt" instead of "turning tail like old Jonathan!"
Throughout the supper, by eating very fast, Nancy managed to concealher nervousness and expectancy. Aunt Sabrina sat stiffly and lookedvery tired and very old and, somehow, by a twist of her lips managed tomake Nancy understand that she, Nancy, was in deep disgrace and that indue time sentence of punishment would be passed. Between B'lindy andher mistress not a word was exchanged; B'lindy's head was tossed highand there was an air of "sniffing" about her that, if it had not allbeen so tragic, would have made the entire situation funny.
"Oh, what a _place_--what _funny_ people!" cried Nancy to the stars asshe leaned that night far out of her window. "How can I _stand_ it!And why does not something happen quickly? It's just _like_ AuntSabrina not to say a word and to keep me on pins and needles! That'sthe same way she treated Aunt Milly and that poor boy--years ago!"Thereupon Nancy let her fancy wander back to the "gay-spirited,extravagant" brother and his story--Anne's grandfather. Had _he_cared, she wondered, had he died longing to see again the old Islandhome, or had it been a blessing--casting him out in the wide world. Hemust have met fortune somewhere, for Anne's father had been wealthy.Dear Anne--Nancy picked out the star that was farthest in the East andaddressed it reverently. "If you can see Anne and she can see you willyou tell her that she mustn't feel cross at the mess I've made ofthings. I tried to be careful but I'm me and, anyway, all theignorance of her blessed peasants isn't any worse than the pride andnarrowness of her own relatives! Good-night, dearest Anne, for thelast time I go to sleep in my prison walls--to-morrow I die!"
However, the June sunshine of the next morning restored much of Nancy'scourage. She made quick note of a few good signs, and best of thesewas when she surprised B'lindy vigorously tacking a cushion upon MissMilly's chair. B'lindy did not see Nancy and Nancy tip-toed away witha smile.
Then, too, the glow was back in Miss Milly's face, and when Nancy raninto her room, her hands full of roses, Miss Milly greeted her eagerly.
"I think the sun is shining to-day just for me," she laughed, wavingher hand to the windows from which the blinds had been drawn.
"And _I_ think," and Nancy cocked her head knowingly, "that B'lindywill force an attack with the enemy about mid-day!"
Nancy was right in her prediction. At dinner B'lindy, clad in hercustomary checked gingham apron, served them veal stew and deliciousfluffy dumplings, but after the shortcake she appeared without it, andwith a broad-brimmed hat pinned well down over her sharp features.
Nancy checked an exclamation; Miss Sabrina's lips twisted ever soslightly, though not a word came from them.
B'lindy assumed an added note of defiance by placing her hands on herhips. "I guess the dishes can wait 'til the cool of the afternoon,"she said, trying to make her tone casual. "I'm goin' to take MissMilly for her airin'."
One might have thought that there was nothing out of the ordinary inB'lindy's announcement, beyond perhaps, the leaving of the dinnerdishes, but a tense moment followed, when one pair of steely eyes boredinto another pair, just as hard. And Nancy, a little frightened,realized, with a sort of breathlessness, that she, was witnessing theinvisible conflict of two strong wills. One must weaken--and shedropped her eyes, for she was swept by a moment's pity.
It was Miss Sabrina's that weakened! The tenseness was broken when sherose hurriedly from her chair.
"Then it's on your own head, B'lindy Guest," she cried shrilly, "I'vedone my duty as I saw it! She's better left alone."
B'lindy, triumphant, threw after her, with a snort; "Duty's duty and_I_ know that's well as you, but I guess no one's tried theperscription of happiness for Milly Leavitt and mebbe it ain't toolate!"
Nancy was torn between a wild desire to hug B'lindy and to say a niceword to Aunt Sabrina, departing majestically from the room. But shedid neither--for both women, at that moment, looked very forbidding.Instead, as the door closed behind Miss Sabrina, she drew a longbreath. "Suspended sentence," she said, solemnly.
Then, at B'lindy's "What's that?" she laughed back: "The victor'swreath shall adorn your brow, my worthy ally. While you prepare thechariot I shall make haste to tell Aunt Milly that all's well with theworld! _Don't_ look at me like that, B'lindy Guest, I'm notcrazy--yet!"
But B'lindy "'lowed" she was, for Nancy seized her by the shoulders andkissed first one cheek and then the other, and uttered the perfectlyincomprehensible--to B'lindy--remark; "Webb was right!"