CHAPTER III.
To Ethel and Blanche the memories of the next few days seemed, throughthe rest of their lives, ever like a dreadful dream. Then they weretaken on board an ocean steamer bound for the city of Philadelphia inthe United States of America, where two brothers of their father hadsettled years before. They were merchants doing a large wholesale andretail business, and were known to be abundantly able to provide for theorphan children of their deceased brother.
The address of the parents of Mrs. Eldon was not known to those who madethe arrangements, so that they were not even advised of their daughter'sdeath.
There were no relatives to take charge of the forlorn little ones ontheir voyage, but they were given into the care of the wife of a soldierwho was going out to join her husband in Canada, a Mrs. McDougal, awarm-hearted earnest Christian, childless herself, but with a heart fullof love and tenderest sympathy for the sadly bereaved little onescommitted to her care. She petted, soothed, comforted them, attendedfaithfully to all their physical needs, and spent many an hour amusingthem with quaint stories of Scottish life and manners, of brownies,elves, and fairies; tales that would interest and amuse, yet teach noharmful lesson.
Before the good and gallant vessel had reached her destination themutual love between the kind caretaker and her young charges had grownvery strong, and it was with a heavy heart that Mrs. McDougal lookedforward to the coming separation.
The announcement of the deaths of their brother and his wife, and thatthe children would be sent directly to them, had reached the firm of theEldon Brothers only a few hours before the arrival of the vesselbringing them.
It was a great and not altogether welcome surprise, yet their heartswere moved with pity for the forlorn little ones, and together theyrepaired at once to the dock and boarded the newly arrived vessel insearch of them.
They found them on the deck with their kind caretaker, Nannette on herlap, the others grouped about her.
"Ah, here they are! I'd know that little lad anywhere as poor Harry'sboy!" exclaimed Mr. Albert Eldon, the younger of the two, with emotion,and laying a hand tenderly upon the child's head, as he spoke.
"That's my name, sir; and it was my papa's name too. Mamma called himthat, but most folks said captain when they talked to him," volunteeredthe little fellow in return.
"Ah? then I'm your uncle Albert; and this gentleman," indicating hisbrother, "is your uncle George."
"Oh I thought so for you resemble papa; at least as he was before he wastaken so ill," Ethel said, lifting tearful eyes to the face of Mr.George Eldon.
"Do I, my dear? I believe there is said to be a strong familyresemblance among us all," he returned. "At all events we are yourfather's brothers, and therefore own uncles to all of you little ones,"he added, stooping to caress them in turn, as his brother was doing.
Then the gentlemen held a conversation with Mrs. McDougal inwhich--perceiving how loth the children were to be separated from her,clinging to her with tears and entreaties that she would not leavethem--they proposed that she should remain in charge of them for a fewdays or weeks while they were becoming familiar with their newsurroundings.
She replied that she could do so for only a day or two, as she mustembrace the first opportunity to rejoin her husband.
"I am sorry to hear that," returned Mr. Albert Eldon, "but do us thefavor to stay while you can; and let it be at my house; for we will nottry separating these little folks while you are with them, whateverarrangement we may decide upon later. Will not that be the better plan,brother?"
"For the present--till we have time to talk the matter over with ourwives? Yes, I think so."
A carriage was waiting on the wharf, in which Mrs. McDougal and thechildren were presently bestowed, Mr. Albert Eldon following, after amoment's low-toned chat with his brother and an order to the driver. Heseated himself and took Harry on his knee.
"Where are we doin' now?" asked Nannette, peering out of the window asthe vehicle moved on.
"To my house--Uncle Albert's house, little one," replied Mr. Eldon inpleasant tones. "You will find some little cousins, a girl and a boy,and I hope have nice times playing with them."
"What's the boy's name, Uncle Albert?" queried Harry.
"Charles Augustus; the little girl is Leonora; but they are usuallycalled Gus and Lena, or Nora, for short."
"Are they all the children you have, uncle?" asked Ethel with shy lookand tone.
"Oh, no," he replied; "there are Albert and Arabella, nearly grown up,and Olive and Minnie; Minnie is twelve and Olive fourteen."
"Has dey dot a papa and mamma?" asked Nannette.
"Yes; your Aunt Augusta is their mamma and I am their papa."
"And we haven't any; our papa and mamma both went away to heaven,"sighed Blanche.
"Where they are very, very happy, dear child," returned her uncle,laying a hand tenderly on her head as she sat by his side.
Then he called their attention to something passing in the street, andexerted himself to amuse them in various ways till the carriage drew upin front of a spacious dwelling.
"Ah, here we are," he said, throwing open the door, alighting andhanding them out one after the other.
"Why, who in the world can they be? And what is papa bringing them herefor?" exclaimed a little girl, leaning out from an upper window andscanning with eager curiosity the new arrivals whom her father wasmarshalling up the front door steps, and at once admitted to the hallwith his dead-latch key.
"What's that? More company coming, Min?" queried another voice, andOlive's head appeared beside that of her sister, just as the hack inwhich the little party had arrived turned and drove away. "Pooh! nobodyof any consequence; they came in a hired hack."
"But they were children--except one woman--their nurse, I suppose; andpapa with them! There, I hear them coming up the stairs now, and I meanto find out all about it," and with the words Minnie threw down herbooks and ran from the room, Olive following close at her heels.
They heard their father's voice coming from the nursery, and rushed inthere, asking breathlessly:
"Papa, whom have you got here? And what did you bring them for?"
"These children are your little cousins," he answered pleasantly. "Comeand speak to them, all of you. They are the children of your UncleHenry, of whom you have often heard me speak. Ethel, here, CharlesAugustus, is just about your age, and Blanche might be Lena's twin;Harry is two years younger, and Nannette, a baby girl, the youngest ofall."
The greetings over:
"But, papa, where are Uncle Harry and--and their mother?" asked Minnie,more than half regretting her query as she saw the tears gathering inEthel's eyes.
"In heaven, I trust," her father replied in low and not unmoved tones."There, my dears, do what you can to make your cousins comfortable andhappy, I must go and speak to your mamma." So saying he left the room.
Mrs. Eldon, lying on the sofa in her dressing room, looked up in mildsurprise as her husband entered.
"Why, Albert," she said, closing her book with a yawn, "what fortunatecircumstance brings you home at this unusual hour?" Then as he drewnearer: "What is it, my dear? Why, actually, there are tears in youreyes. Oh," half starting up, "is there anything wrong with Albert or----"
"No," he said huskily, "but bad news from England reached us thismorning. My brother Henry is no more; he and his wife died within a fewminutes of each other. She had heart disease, we are told, was stronglyattached to him, worn out with long and arduous nursing, and the shockof his decease was more than her enfeebled frame could bear."
"How very sad! I am really sorry for you, my dear. And they left somechildren, did they not?"
"Yes, four little ones--a boy and three girls, the eldest only abouteight years of age. They have grandparents, probably very well to do,somewhere in the West Indies, but no one knows their name or address. Sothe little orphans have been sent to us. The steamship came in thismorning, only a few hours after the letter was received telling us allthis, and which wa
s forwarded by a vessel bound to a Canadian port butdelayed somewhat in her voyage, so that, starting some days before theother, she reached port only a day or two ahead of her."
"And you are going down to the vessel to get the children?"
"No; we went down--George and I--at once on learning that she was in,found the little folks there all right, and I have just brought themhome with me."
"But surely we are not to be expected to keep the whole four? SurelyGeorge and his wife will take two, as they have the same right as we tobe at the expense and trouble."
"I think so, eventually; but just at present, while the poor littlethings feel themselves strangers in a strange place, it would be hardfor them to be separated; so I have engaged to keep the whole for a fewdays," he replied; then seeing that she looked ill-pleased with thearrangement:
"But, I do not intend they shall be any trouble to you, my dear," headded hastily. "The woman who had charge of them on the voyage willremain with them for a few days, and except when they are taken out forair and exercise, they can be kept in the nursery and adjoining rooms."
"Well," she sighed, returning to her book, "I suppose I may as wellresign myself to the inevitable."
"Do you think it more than their nearest relatives should do for ourchildren, were they so sorely bereaved?" he asked.
"No, I suppose not; but I have given my consent and what more would youask?"
"Nothing more, Augusta, except that you will encourage our children tobe kind and considerate toward their orphan cousins."
"Really I know of no one but their father who would expect them to beanything else," she returned in a not particularly pleasant tone.
"I do not expect it," he said; "yet think it might be as well to calltheir attention to the fact that the little orphans are entitled totheir kindly sympathy. But I am needed at my place of business and mustreturn at once. Good-by till dinner time, my dear;" and with the lastword he left the room.
"Dear me! as if we hadn't children enough of our own!" exclaimed Mrs.Eldon in a petulant tone, and impatiently tossing aside her book as thesound of her husband's footsteps died away in the distance. "Albertneedn't talk as if they were to be no trouble to me. Who else is to dothe shopping for their clothes, decide how they are to be made and findsomebody to do the work? for of course if they don't look all right,people will talk and say we don't treat them as well as we do our own."
At that moment the patter of little feet was heard in the hall without,the door opened and her youngest two came rushing in.
"Oh, mamma," they exclaimed half breathlessly, "papa has brought us somecousins, nice little things, and we like 'em and want you to see themtoo. Mayn't we bring 'em in here?"
"Oh, yes, if you will only be quiet. Will you never learn not to be sonoisy?"
"Maybe some day when we're growed up like you and papa," said Nora."Come, Gus, let's go and bring 'em," and away they ran, to return in afew moments leading Blanche and Harry and followed by the nurse carryingNannette; Ethel keeping close at her side.
They were pretty, winsome looking children, and Mrs. Eldon was roused tosomething like interest. She sat up and took Nannette on her lap for afew minutes, spoke kindly to the others, and asked some questions inregard to their former homes and the voyage across the ocean.
Most of the replies came from Ethel, and her timid, retiring, yetladylike manner found favor with her interrogator.
"You are a nice little girl," she said at length, smoothing her haircaressingly and giving her a kiss, "and so are your sisters. I ampleased with Harry, also, for he seems a manly little fellow, and I hopeyou and my little folks will get along happily together while you stay.There, run back to the nursery now, all of you, for it is time for me todress."
They all started to obey, but as they reached the door, "Oh, mamma,"cried Charles Augustus, turning toward her again, "mayn't we go down tothe yard? 'cause I want to show cousins the pups and rabbits."
"Yes, yes! anything if you will go and leave me in peace," she repliedwith some impatience.
"Come along then, Ethel and the rest of you," cried Charlie, leading theway.