CHAPTER XIX. FAIRY CARRIE DEPARTS.
Neither William Sebastian, the Quaker landlord, nor his wife,returning with the damson preserves in her hand--not even GrandmaPadgett and her family, looked at Fairy Carrie more anxiously thanthe lawyer.
"Is this your mother, Sissy?" inquired Grandma Padgett.
"No," replied the child; A blank, stupid expression replacing herexcitement. "Yes. Mamma?"
The woman sat down and took Carrie upon her lap, twisting her curlsand caressing her.
"Where have you been, frightening us all to death!" she exclaimed."The child is sick; she must have some drugs to quiet her."
"She's just come out of a spasm," said Grandma Padgett distantly."Seems as if a young man scared her."
"Yes; that was Jarvey," said the woman. "'E found her here. Carriewas always afraid of Jarvey after he-tried to teach her wire-walking,and let her fall. Jarvey would've fetched her right away with him,But 'e knows I don't like to 'ave 'im meddle with her now."
"She says her name's Rose," observed the wife of William Sebastian,taking no care to veil her suspicion.
"'Tis Rose," replied the woman indifferently, passing her hand inrepeated strokes down the child's face as it was pressed to hershoulder. "The h'other's professional--Fairy Carrie. We started'igher. I never expected to come down with my child to such amiserable little combination. But we've 'ad misfortunes. Her fatherdied coming over. We're English. We 'ad good engagements in theProvinces, and sometimes played in London. The manager as fetched usover, failed to keep his promises, and I had no friends 'ere. I hadto do what I could."
An actual resemblance to Carrie appeared in the woman's face. Shewiped tears from, the dark rings under her eyes.
William Sebastian's wife rested her knuckles on the table, stillregarding Carrie's mother with perplexed distrust.
While returning none of the caresses she received, the child layquite docile and submissive.
"Well," said Grandma Padgett, still distantly "folks bring up theirchildren different. There's gypsies always live in tents, and Isuppose show-people always expect to travel with shows. I don't knowanything about it. But I do know when that child came to me she'dbeen dosed nearly to death with laudanum, or some sleepin' drug, anddidn't really come to her senses till after her spasm."
The woman cast a piteous expression at her judge.
"She's so nervous, poor pet! Perhaps I'm in the 'abit of giving hertoo much. But she lives in terror of the company we 'ave to associatewith, and I can't see her nerves be racked."
"Thee ought to stop such wrong doings," pronounced WilliamSebastian, laying his palm decidedly on the table. "Set theeself tosome honest work and put the child to school. Her face is a rebuke tous that likes to feel at peace."
The woman glanced resentfully at him.
"The child is gifted," she maintained. "I'm going to make a hartistof her."
She smoothed Carrie's wan hands, and, as if noticing her borrowedclothing for the first time, looked about the room for the tinsel andgauze.
THE CHILD LAY QUITE DOCILE AND SUBMISSIVE.]
"The things she had on her when she come to us," said GrandmaPadgett, "were literally gone to nothing. The children had run so farand rubbed over fences and sat in the grass. I didn't even think itwas worth while to save the pieces; and I put my least one's clotheson her for some kind of a covering.
"It was her concert dress," said the woman, regarding aunt Corinne'spantalets with some contempt. "I suppose I hought to thank you, butsince she was hinticed away, I can't. When one 'as her feelings'arrowed up for nearly a week as mine have been 'arrowed, one can'tfeel thankful. I will send these 'ere things back by Jarvey. Well,ladies and gentlemen, let me bid you good evening. The performance'as already begun and we professionals cannot shirk business."
"You give an exhibition in Greenfield to-night, do you?" inquiredthe lawyer.
"Yes, sir," replied the woman, standing with Carrie in arms. She hadsome difficulty in getting at her pocket, but threw him a handbill.
Then passing out through the hall, she shut the front door behind her.
There were two other front doors to the house, though only thecentral one was in constant use, being left open in the summerweather, excepting on occasions such as the present, when WilliamSebastian's wife thought it should be locked. One of the other frontdoors opened into the sitting-room, but was barred with a tallbureau. The third let into a square room devoted to the lumberaccumulations of the house. A bar and shelves for decanters remainedthere, but these William Sebastian had never permitted to be usedsince his name was painted on the sign.
Mrs. Sebastian felt a desire to confuse the outgoing woman by thethree doors and imprison her in the old store room.
"I don't think the child's hers," exclaimed Mrs. Sebastian.
"Thee isn't Solomon," observed the Quaker, twinkling at his wife."Thee cannot judge who the true mother may be."
"She shouldn't got in here if I'd had the keeping of the door,"continued Mrs. Sebastian. "I may not be Solomon, but I think I couldkeep the varmints out of my own chicken house."
Grandma Padgett set her glasses in a perplexed stare at the door.
"She didn't let us say good-by to Fairy Carrie," exclaimed auntCorinne indignantly, "and kept her face hid away all the time so shecouldn't look at us. I'd hate to have such a ma!"
"She'll whip the poor little thing for running off with us, when shegets her away," said Robert Day, listening for doleful sounds.
"Well, what does thee think of this business?" inquired WilliamSebastian of the lawyer who was busying himself drawing squares onthe tablecloth with a steel fork. "It ought to come in thy line. Theedeals with criminals and knows the deceitfulness of our human hearts.What does thee say to the woman?"
The lawyer smiled as he laid down his fork, and barely mentioned theconflicting facts:
"She took considerable pains to tell something about herself: morethan was necessary. But if they kidnapped the child, they aredangerously bold and confident in exhibiting and claiming her."