CHAPTER 17
Judy Puts Her Foot Down
“Just as naked as the day she was born,” concluded Aunt Edith…and said no more. She felt…everybody felt…that there was no more to be said.
Mother looked horrified and ashamed. Uncles Tom and Brian looked horrified and amused. Aunt Jessie looked horrified and contemptuous. Norma and Amy looked horrified and smug. Winnie looked horrified and annoyed. Dad and Joe and Sid looked just plain horrified.
Pat stood before this family court, with Aunt Edith’s hand on her shoulder, struggling unsuccessfully to keep back her tears. Well might she cry, thought the family; but her tears were not of shame or fear, as they supposed, but of regret over something marvelously beautiful which Aunt Edith had destroyed…something which could never be replaced. This was why Pat was crying; the realization of her enormity hadn’t yet come home to her.
For a week Pat had been a lonely soul. Bets was away for a visit. Jingle and Sid were busy with hay-making; and Judy, of all things unthinkable, was away. Judy had never been away from Silver Bush in Pat’s recollection. Vacations were unknown in Judy’s calendar.
“Sure and I’d niver work if I cud find innything else to do,” she would say, “but the puzzle av it is I niver can.”
There was trouble at the Bay Shore. Cousin Danny had broken his leg and Aunt Frances was ill, so Bay Shore borrowed Judy from Silver Bush to tide over the emergency. Pat found this especially dreadful. She missed Judy at every turn. The house had never seemed so full of her as when she was away, and even the delight of having mother in the kitchen most of the time and helping her in all household doings did not quite compensate. Besides, Gentleman Tom was gone, too. He had disappeared the very day Judy had been whirled away to Bay Shore; and the back yard and kitchen without Gentleman Tom were lonesome places. And what would Judy say when she came home and found her cat was gone? Perhaps she would think Pat had forgotten to feed him.
Pat consoled herself by working feverishly over the garden, determined that Judy should be satisfied with it on her return. Evening after evening Pat carried pails of water to it. She liked drawing the water up. It was fun to watch the bucket going down. Over that oval of blue sky with her own face framed in it at the bottom of the well. And then, as the bucket struck the water, to see it all blotted out, as if a mirror had been shattered. When the last bucketful had been drawn up Pat hung over the curb and watched the water grow slowly calm again and Pat of the Well coming back, at first very shiveringly, then more clearly, then clear and distinct once more, with just an occasional quiver when a drop of water fell from a fern.
Pat loved watering the garden…giving thirsty things drink after a hot day. First of all she always watered Judy’s pets…the row of garden violets under the kitchen window which Judy called “Pink-o’-my-Johns”…such a delightful name!…and a clump of mauve and white “sops-in-wine” by the turkey house and the “pinies” by the gate. Then all the other flowers…and the roses last of all because she liked to linger over them, especially the white roses with the dream of gold in their hearts and the plot of pansies in a far corner that seemed to bloom for her alone.
On this particular evening Pat had been at loose ends. It had rained so heavily the night before that the garden did not need watering and when the “dim” came there was nothing to do and nobody to talk to. But it was a summer evening of glamor and enchantment and mystery and Pat was full of it, as she ran, with her hair streaming behind her, through the silver birches at moonrising, until she came out on the southern side in a little glade misted over with white daisies, lying amid its bracken like a cool pool of frosty moonlight.
She paused there to drink in the loveliness of the scene before her. More and more that summer of her tenth year, Pat had found herself responsive to the beauty of the world around her. It was becoming a passion with her.
The moon was rising over the Hill of the Mist…the moon that Pat had thought, when she was a tiny tot, must be a beautiful world where all was happiness. Little pools of shadow lay here and there all over the farm, among the shorn hayfields. There was one big field of hay that hadn’t been touched yet; wind waves went over it in that misty light. Beyond it a field where happy calves were in buttercups to their shoulders…the only living creatures in sight if you were sure those shadows along the edge of the silver bush were shadows and not little rabbits dancing.
A warm brooding night…a night that surely belonged to the fairies. For the moment Pat could believe in them wholeheartedly again. Some strange bewitchment entered into her and crept along her veins. She remembered a Judy-story of an enchanted princess who had to dance naked in the moonlight every night of full moon in a woodland glen, and a sudden craving possessed her to dance thus in moonlight, too. Why not? There was nobody to see. It would be beautiful…beautiful.
Pat disrobed. There was not much to do…she was already bare-legged. Her pale-blue cotton frock and two small undies were cast aside and she stood among the shadows, a small, unashamed dryad, quivering with a strange, hitherto unknown ecstasy as the moon’s pale fingers touched her through the trees.
She stepped out among the daisies and began the little dance Bets had taught her. A breeze blew on her through the aisles of the shining birches. If she held up her hands to it wouldn’t it take hold of them? A faint, delicious perfume arose from the dew-wet ferns she danced on; somewhere far away laughter was drifting across the night…faint, fairy laughter which seemed to come from the Haunted Spring. She felt as light of being as if she were really made of moonlight. Oh, never had there been such a moment as this! She paused on tip-toe among the daisies and held out her arms to let the cool fire of that dear and lovely moon bathe her slim child-body.
“Pat!” said Aunt Edith, with forty exclamation points in her voice.
Pat came back to earth with a shudder. Her exquisite dream was over. The horror in Aunt Edith’s voice enrobed her like a garment of shame. She could not even find a word to say.
“Put on your clothes,” said Aunt Edith icily. Not for her to deal with the situation. That was Long Alec’s job. Pat dumbly put on her clothes and followed Aunt Edith down through the silver bush and into the Little Parlor where the rest of the Silver Bushites were entertaining the Brianites who had run down for a call. Of course, thought Pat miserably, Norma and Amy, who never misbehaved, would have to be there to see her humiliation.
“How could you, Pat?” asked mother reproachfully.
“I…I wanted to bathe in the moonlight,” sobbed Pat. “I didn’t think it was any harm. I didn’t think anyone would see me.”
“I never heard of any decent child wanting to bathe in moonlight,” said Aunt Jessie.
And then Uncle Tom laughed uproariously.
• • •
The punishment of Pat, which the Silver Bush family thought was a very light one, considering the enormity of her offence, was to Pat the most terrible thing they could have devised. She was “sent to Coventry.” For a week she was to speak to nobody at Silver Bush and nobody was to speak to her, except when it was absolutely necessary.
Pat lived…she could never tell how…through three days of it. It seemed like an eternity. To think that Sid wouldn’t speak to her! Why, Sid had been the most furious of them all. Mother and father seemed sorry for her but firm. As for Winnie…
“She looks at me as if I was a stranger,” thought poor Pat.
She was not allowed to play with Jingle who came over unsuspectingly the next evening. Jingle was very indignant and Pat snubbed him for it.
“My family have the right to correct me,” she told him haughtily.
But she cried herself to sleep every night. On the third night she went to bed sadly, after kissing all her flowers and her two little cats goodnight. Below stairs the house was full of light and laughter for Uncle Tom and dad were roaring in the kitchen and Winnie was practicing her singing lesson in the Little Pa
rlor and Joe and Sid were playing “grab” in the dining room, and Cuddles was chuckling and gurgling with mother on the front porch. Only she, Pat, had no part or lot with them. She was outcast.
Pat woke up in the darkness…and smelled ham frying! She sat up in bed. The Little Parlor clock was striking twelve. Who on earth could be frying ham at midnight in Silver Bush? Nobody but Judy…Judy must be home!
Pat slipped noiselessly out of bed, so as not to wake Winnie…Winnie who would not even ask what she was doing if she did. Sniffing that delectable odor Pat crept down through the silent house. She hoped that Judy would not send her to Coventry; and she thought her heart might stop aching for a little while if she could feel Judy’s arms around her.
Softly she opened the kitchen door. Beautiful sight! There was dear old Judy frying herself a snack of ham, her jolly old shadow flying in all directions over the kitchen walls and ceiling as she darted about.
And…was it believable?…there was Gentleman Tom, sitting inscrutably on the bench, watching her. How peaceful and home-y and comforting it all was!
There had been anything but a peaceful scene in the kitchen two hours before when Judy had arrived home and demanded if all was well with the children. When she was told Pat was in disgrace and why Judy, as she expressed it, tore up the turf. Such a “ruckus” had never been known at Silver Bush. Everybody caught it.
“Suppose she had been seen, Judy?” protested mother.
“Oh, oh, but they didn’t see her, did they?” demanded Judy scornfully.
“Nobody but Aunt Edith…”
“Oh, oh, it is Aunt Edith?” sniffed Judy. “And it was me fine Edith that dragged her in and blew it all afore Brian and his fine lady wife, ye’re telling me? Sure it was like her. It’s a pity a liddle thing like that cudn’t av been hushed up in the fam’ly. And to punish the tinder-hearted cratur so cruel! Ye ralely ain’ wise, Long Alec. A bit av a tongue-lashing might av been all right but to kape on torturing the poor jewel for a wake and her that fond av ye all! It’s telling ye to yer face, I am, Long Alec, ye don’t deserve such a daughter.”
“Well, well,” said Long Alec, quite cowed, “I don’t think it’s done her much harm. We’ll let her off the rest of the week.”
“I don’t know what possessed the child to do such a thing,” said mother.
“Oh, oh, it’s a bit av that ould Frinch leddy coming out in her, I warrant ye,” suggested Judy.
“Certainly it didn’t come from the Quaker side,” chuckled Uncle Tom.
“Judy!”
Pat was in Judy’s arms, laughing, crying. It was a glorious five minutes. Even Gentleman Tom betrayed a trifle of sympathy.
Finally Judy held Pat off and pretended to look stern.
“I don’t want to be hard on ye, Patsy, but what monkey-didoes have ye been cutting up? It’s a fine yarn yer dad has been spinning me av ye dancing in the bush widout inny clothes on.”
“Oh, Judy, I never saw such a moon…and I was pretending I was a bewitched princess…and Uncle Tom laughed at me. That spoiled it worst of all, Judy…and it was so beautiful before Aunt Edith came.”
There was some wild strain of poetry in Judy that made her understand. She hugged Pat with a fierce tenderness.
“Oh, oh, I’ve rid the riot act to thim, I’m telling ye. Whin I get me dander up I’m a terror to snakes. There’ll be no more visiting in Coventry for ye, me jewel. But ye’d better not be doing any more quare things for awhile.”
“The trouble is, I don’t think the things I do are queer,” said Pat gravely. “They seem quite reasonable to me. And Aunt Edith was just…ridiculous.”
“Ye niver spoke a truer word. Oh, oh, what a shock it must av been to the poor sowl. She’s forgotten she has inny legs, that one. But ye’d better be a bit careful, Patsy, and if ye fale inny more hankering for such bathing just ye tell me and I’ll get a pitcherful av moonlight and pour it over ye. And now just sit down and have a liddle bite av ham wid me and tell me all that’s happened. Sure and it’s good to be home agin.”
“Oh, Judy, where did Gentleman Tom come from? He’s never been seen here since you went away.”
“Are ye telling me? Sure and he was sitting on the durestep when I got out av the Bay Shore rig, looking as if he wasn’t knowing where his nixt mouse was coming from. I’m not asking him where he’s been. I mightn’t be liking the answer. Innyway, here he is and here I am…and there’s a beautiful pink dress av eyelet embroidery in me grip that yer Aunt Honor sint ye. It’ll be one in the eye for Norma whin she sees ye in it.”
“I’m going to sleep the rest of the night with you, Judy,” said Pat resolutely.
CHAPTER 18
Under a Cloud
When in mid-September Long Alec suddenly announced to his family that, harvest being over, he meant to take a trip out west to visit a brother who had settled there years ago Pat took it more calmly than they had feared. It was rather dreadful, of course, to think of dad being away for a whole month, but, as he said himself, if he didn’t go away he couldn’t come back again. There would be his homecoming to expect and plan for, and meanwhile life was very pleasant at Silver Bush. She liked the fall nights because the fires were lighted. Jingle was building an elegant bird-house for her to be put up in the maple by the well when finished; and Mr. Wilcox was going to take Bets and her to the Exhibition in Charlottetown. Pat had never been to one yet. To the small denizens of North Glen a visit to the Exhibition loomed up with as much of excitement and delight as a trip to Europe or “the coast” might to older folks. Socially you were not in the swim unless you had been to the Exhibition. There were the weeks of delightful anticipation…the Exhibition itself…then weeks of just as delightful reminiscence. All things considered, Pat was quite cheerful about dad’s absence. It was Judy who seemed to view it most gloomily…Pat couldn’t understand why. For the week preceding Long Alec’s departure Judy had done an extra deal of talking to and arguing with herself. Disjointed sentences reached Pat’s ears every now and again. “I’m not knowing what gets into the min be times. It do be saming as if they had to have a crazy spell once in so long”…“a bit av Wild Dick coming out in him I’m telling ye”…“’tis the curse av the wandering foot”…“oh, oh, it’s too aisy to get about now. Sure and that’s what’s the matter wid the world.”
But when Pat asked what the trouble was Judy’s only reply was a curt
“Ax me no questions and I’ll be telling ye no lies.”
Dad went away one windy, cloudy September morning. Uncle Tom and the aunts came along the Whispering Lane to say good-bye. Everybody was a little sober. The “west” was a long way off…the good-byes a bit tremulous.
“May the Good Man Above give us all good health,” muttered Judy, as she dashed back into the kitchen and began to rattle the stove lids fiercely. Pat hopped into the car and went as far as the road with dad. She stood and watched the car out of sight and then turned towards home with a choking sensation. At that moment the sun broke through a black cloud and poured a flood of radiance over Silver Bush. Pat realized afresh how beautiful home was, nestling under its misty blue hill with its background of golden trees.
“Oh, how lovely you are!” she cried, holding out her arms to it. The tears that filled her eyes were not caused by dad’s going. She was pierced by the swift exquisite pang which beauty always gave her…always would give her. It was almost anguish while it lasted…but the pain was heavenly.
It was well that Pat had her trip to the Exhibition over before she heard the terrible thing. She did have it…two glorious days with Bets…and, as the gods themselves cannot recall their gifts, she always had it, although for a time it seemed as if she had nothing…would have nothing for evermore…but pain and fear.
Again it was May Binnie who told her…that dad meant to buy a farm out west and settle there!
A strange icy ripple, such as she had neve
r felt before, ran over Pat.
“That isn’t true,” she cried.
May laughed.
“It is. Everybody knows it. Winnie knows it. I s’pose they were afraid to tell you for fear you’d make a scene.”
Pat looked passionately into May’s bold black eyes.
“I wouldn’t have hated you for telling me this, May Binnie, if you hadn’t liked telling it. But I am going to tell God about you tonight.”
May laughed again…a little uncomfortably. What she called Pat Gardiner’s “rages” always made her uncomfortable. And who knew what Pat might tell God about her?
Pat went home sick and cold with agony to the very depth of her being.
“Mother, it isn’t true…it isn’t…say it isn’t!”
Mother looked compassionately into Pat’s tortured young eyes. They had tried to keep this from Pat, hoping she might never have to be told. Dad might not like the west. But if he did, go they must. When easy-going Long Alec did make up his mind there was no budging it, as everybody at Silver Bush knew.
“We don’t know, dear. Father is thinking of it. He had a hankering to go when Allan went, years ago, but he couldn’t leave his parents then. Now…I don’t know. Be brave, Pat, dear. We’ll all be together…the west is a splendid country…more chances for the boys perhaps…”
She stopped. Better not say more just now.
“So ye’ve heard?” was all Judy said, when Pat came, white-faced, into the kitchen.
“Judy, it can’t happen…it just can’t. Judy, God wouldn’t let such a thing happen.”
Judy shook her head.
“Long Alec will settle that, laving God out av the question, Patsy, me jewel. Oh, oh, it’s a man’s world, so it is, and we women must just be putting up wid it.”