CHAPTER XVIII.
A bright little party gathered round the breakfast table Monday morning.
"Now, Uncle Eden," cried Maggie, "where shall we go to-day? It is Mondaynow."
"What is proposed?"
Several plans were ready.
"Down in the cove of the bay," said Fenton, "where the lower brook comesin--then I can fish off Old Woman's rock till lunch is ready."
"I propose the Indian falls," said Esther. "Flora and Meredith havenever seen them."
"_I_ say, Fort Montgomery," said Maggie.
"Fort Montgomery!" There was a general exclamation.
"Where is that?" Meredith asked.
"Seven miles down the river. Oh it is just lovely!" Maggie explained."We go down with the tide and come back with the tide, and spend the daydown on the hill there, opposite Anthony's Nose. I showed you from thefront door which Anthony's Nose is, Ditto."
"That would be delightful. The day is going to be perfectly quiet andwarm and sunny--just the thing."
"Seven miles," Fenton grunted. "Who's going to do the rowing?"
"I," said Meredith.
"And I," said Mr. Murray.
"And we can take Fairbairn," said Maggie; "and we had better, for therewill be the baskets to carry."
"Nonsense--I can carry baskets," said Meredith; "and get wood, and allthat."
"I think we can do without Fairbairn," said Mr. Murray. "I like theplan. It is just the day for it. If it only turn out to be just the timeof tide also!"--
"We'll soon see about that," cried the boys. There was a rush and awhoop and a race to the boat-house, and then a more leisurely return.
"It's all right," said Meredith. "Couldn't be better. It is half-pasteight now, and the tide just beginning to turn. It will be running downtill two o'clock--and just give us a nice current home."
"And a good pull, too," said Ponton.
"_That's_ all right, old boy. Come! don't you pull backwards. Now, howsoon can we be ready?"
"Just as soon as we can get our lunch ready, and the things," saidMaggie. "You might pack the things, Ditto, and get them into the boat,while we see about lunch."
"What are 'things'?"
"Why, cups and saucers, and tea-kettle, and matches and plates, andpaper to light the fire, and everything, you know."
"Go off," said Mr. Murray, "and see about victualling the ship. I canmanage the cups and saucers."
So Maggie and Esther ran to consult Betsey, who now held a nondescriptposition of usefulness in the family, and was acting cook while Mrs.Candlish was away--cook proper being absent on leave.
"O Betsey! we are going out, to be gone all day; and now, what can wehave for lunch?"
"Lunch, Miss Maggie!"--
"Yes, and you know we want a good deal. There are six of us."
"You know, it's Monday."
"Well, what of it?"
"There h'aint so much as if t'was any other day. You see, yesterday itwas Sunday."
"Oh well! what have we got, Betsey? I know you have got something."
"There's bread, Miss h'Esther."
"We want more than bread. And butter, and tea and coffee and all that.We must have something more, Betsey. What _have_ you got?"
"The chickens is nothing left of 'em; and that 'am bone h'aint got muchon it. I do think, Miss Maggie, ye consume a great deal in the woods!"
"Of course we do. And we want a good, hearty lunch to-day, because theboys and Uncle Eden will have a long way to row. Come, Betsey, makehaste."
"There h'aint a living thing in the 'ouse, but h'oysters, and h'eggs,and potatoes. That is, nothing cooked. And ye want dressed meat."
"Oysters?" said Maggie doubtfully.
"Capital," said Esther. "And sweet potatoes. We can bake them in theashes. And eggs are good. Meredith will make us another friar's omelet."
"There's nothing else for ye," said Betsey, summing up.
So Fairbairn carried a great bag of oysters down to the boat, and abasket with the potatoes and eggs, and the kettle, and a pail to fetchwater in. And into other baskets went everything else that everybodycould think of as possibly wanting from the house. Affghan and worsted,finally, and the merry party themselves.
Ten o'clock, and a soft, fair, mild day as could ever have been wishedfor. Not much haze to-day, yet a tempered sunlight, such as Octoberrejoices in. No wind, and a blue sky far more tender in hue and lessintense than that of summer. Little racks of cloud scattered along thehorizon were, like everything else in nature, quiet and at rest; nohurry, no driving; no storms, no ripening sun-heat; earth's harvestsgathered in and done for that year, and nature at rest and at play. Andwith slow, leisurely strokes of the oar, the little boat fell down withthe tide; she was at play too. Sunshades were not opened; shawls werenot unfolded; in the perfection of atmosphere and temperature there wasnothing to do but to breathe and enjoy. At first even talking waschecked by the calm beauty, the grand hush, of earth and sky. The boatcrossed over to Gee's Point, and from there coasted down under theshore. There the colours of the woods showed plainly in their variety;dark red oaks, olive green cedars, dusky chestnut oaks and purple ashes;with now and then a hickory in clear gold, or a maple flaunting in redand yellow. They all succeeded one another in turn, with ever freshcombinations; on the opposite shore the same thing softened by distance;overhead that clear, pale blue of October.
"I do not realise that I am living in the common world!" said Flora atlast. "I seem to be floating somewhere in fairy-land."
"It's October--that is all," said Mr. Murray.
"Then I never saw October before."
"Aren't you glad to make his acquaintance?" said her brother.
"But how can one come down to November after it?"
"Oh, November is _lovely_!" cried Maggie. "It is lovely here."
"At Mosswood? Well, I can believe it. But at Leeds November comes with ascowl and a bluster and takes one by the shoulders and gives one ashake--to put one in order for winter, I suppose."
"I don't think shaking puts anything in order," remarked Esther.
"No. Now _this_--" said Flora, wistfully looking around her--"this comesas near making me feel good, as anything can."
"Take a lesson--" said Mr. Murray.
"But after all, the months must be according to their nature," saidFlora.
"Certainly. The difference is, that _you_ may choose what manner ofnature you will be of. It all depends, you know," Mr. Murray went onsmiling, "on how much of the sun the months get. And on how much of thesun you get."
"How can I choose?" said Flora.
"How? Why, you may be in the full sunshine all the time if you like."
Again the boat dropped down the stream silently. The way was long;seven miles is a good deal in a row-boat; so they took it leisurely andenjoyed to the full the consciousness that it _was_ a long way, and theyshould have a great deal of it. By and by they came to a little rockyisland or promontory, connected with the mainland by marsh meadows atleast if by nothing more, to get round which they had to make quite awide sweep. When they had passed it and drew into the shore again, theywere already nearing the southern hills which from Mosswood looked sodistant and seemed to lock into one another. They had the same seemingstill, though standing out now in brighter tints and new and detailedbeauty. On and on the little boat went, coasting along. No further breakin the line of shore for a good while; only they were nearing andnearing that nest of hills. At last they came abreast of one or twohouses, where a well-defined road came down to the river.
"Do we land here?" asked Flora.
"Not yet. Round on the other side of that bluff we shall come to acreek, with a mill; that is the place. Are you in a hurry?"
"I should like to sail so all day!"
They floated down with the tide and a little movement of the oars; therewas absolutely no wind. The sloops and schooners in the river drifted orswung at anchor. Hardly a leaf moved on a stem. The tide ran fast,however, and the little boat slipped easily past the
gay banks, withtheir kaleidoscope changes of colour. This piece of the way neverthelessseemed long, just because the inexperienced were constantly expecting itto come to an end; but on and on the boat glided, and there was never acreek or a mill to be seen.
"Uncle Eden," said Maggie, "there _used_ to be a creek here somewhere."
"Certainly."
"There is none here now," said Flora.
"That you see."
"I can look along the shore for a good way, Mr. Murray. Are we goingquite down to those mountains?"
"No. You will see the creek presently."
"The banks seem without the least break in them."
"It will not do to trust to appearances. Have you not found that outyet?"
"I tell you what, I'm getting hungry," said Fenton, who was taking histurn at the oars.
"Eleven o'clock. You will have to control your impatience for some timeyet," said Meredith.
"I can tell you, this boat is awfully heavy," said Fenton. He had meantto use a stronger word, but changed it. "Can't we get lunch by twelve?"
"Oh no! we shall have some reading first, I guess," said Maggie. "Lunchat twelve? Why, you never have it till one, Fenton."
"Makes a difference whether you are pulling a dozen people and fortybaskets along," rejoined her brother. "It's an awful bore, to have to dothings."
There was a general merry burst at that.
"What sort of things, Fenton? Do you want to live like a South SeaIsland savage?" his uncle asked.
"Uncommonly jolly, _I_ should think," responded Fenton. "Dive into thesurf and get a lobster, climb into a tree and fetch down acocoanut--there's your dinner."
"A very queer dinner," remarked Maggie, amid renewed merriment.
"I never heard that lobsters were fished out of breakers, either," saidFlora.
"You seem to think it is no work to fight the breakers and climb thecocoanut trees," remarked Mr. Murray. "However, I grant you, it wouldnot occupy a great deal of time. Is your idea of life, that it is usefulonly for eating purposes?"
"It comes to that, pretty much," said the boy. "What do people work for,if it isn't to live! I don't care how they work."
"Some people's aim is to get where they will do nothing," said Mr.Murray. "Do you see a bit of a break yonder in the lines of the shore,Miss Flora?"
"Is it?--yes, it is the creek!" cried Maggie joyously. "It is the creek.Now you can see it, Flora."
It opened fast upon them now as they came near, quite a wide-mouthedlittle creek, setting in among wooded banks which soon narrowed upon it.Just before they narrowed, an old mill stood by the side of the water,and there were some steps by which one could land. There the boat wasmade fast, and the little party disembarked, glad after all to feeltheir feet again; and baskets one after another were handed out.
"What is all this cargo?" said Fenton, grumbling; "and who's going tocarry it to the top of the hill? Suppose we stay down here?"
"And lose all the view?" said Maggie.
"And the walk? and the fun?" said Esther.
"Fun!" echoed Fenton. "Just take that sack along with you, if you wantfun. What ever have you got in it? cannon balls?"
"Oysters."
"Oysters! In the shell! Why didn't you have them taken out? What's inthis basket? this is as bad."
"Cups and saucers, and spoons and plates, and such things."
"We could have done without them."
"How?"
"Eat with our fingers."
"You had better go to the South Sea Islands, and done with it," saidEsther. "Come--you take hold of one side of the basket and I of theother."
"No, Essie," said her uncle; "that would be very unchivalrous. Do notask Fenton such a thing. In the South Sea Islands men may make women dothe work for them; but not here. Come, my boy, here are three of us andonly a basket apiece; take up your burden and be thankful, and bebrave."
I am afraid Fenton was neither; but he shouldered his basket; and beingan athletic fellow, managed to reach the top of the hill without moremuscular distress than the others showed. Of the state of his mind Isay nothing further; but the truth is, the way was rather long. Nobodyknew the shortest cut to the place they desired to reach; so they woundabout among thickets of low cedar, sprinkled here and there with tallerpines, going up and down and round about for some time. At last theyfound their way to the top of the ridge, and wandering along in searchof a suitable place for their rest and pleasure, came out upon an openbit of turf and moss on the highest ground, over which a group of whitepines stretched their sheltering branches. The view was clear over avery long stretch of the river with its eastern shore; indeed they couldlook up quite to the turn of the river at Gee's point; Gee's Pointitself hid Mosswood from them.
With acclamations the party deposited their baskets and threw themselvesdown on the bank. The gentle warmth of the sun was not shorn of itseffect by the least stir of wind; the moss and grass were perfectly dry;and the lookout over river and shores was lovely. Sugarloaf showed nowtrue to its name, an elegant little cone. The sails of the two or threevessels the party had passed in coming down the river were so still thatthey served to emphasise the general stillness; they hung lazily waitingfor a breeze and could not carry their hulls fast or far.
For a while the pleasure party could do nothing but rest and look. Butafter a while Meredith roused himself to further action. He beganwandering about; what he was searching for did not appear, until he cameback with an armful of green, soft, pine branches.
"Now if you will just get up for a few minutes," said he, "I will giveyou a couch to rest upon." And he went on to lay the branches thicktogether, so as to form a very yielding comfortable layer of cushions,on which the party stretched themselves with new pleasure and strongappreciation. Meredith had to bring a good many armfuls of pine branchesto accommodate them all; at last he had done, and flung himself downlike the rest.
"When do you want your fire made?" said he.
"Somebody else is hungry, I am afraid," said Flora.
"I cannot deny it. But I can wait as long as you can!"
"I am _very_ hungry," said Flora.
"I believe I shall be," said Mr. Murray, "by the time our luncheon canbe ready. Here's for a fire!"
They all went about it. To find a place and to arrange stones for thekettle, and to collect fuel, and to build and kindle the fire. Stonesfor the chimney-place were not at hand in manageable size; so Mr. Murrayplanted three strong sticks on the ground with their bases a couple offeet or so apart and their heads tied together; and slung the kettle tothem, over the fire. This was very pretty, and drew forth greatexpressions of admiration. Then while waiting for the kettle to boil,they all threw themselves on their pine branches again and called for astory; only Fenton sat by the fire to keep it up. Meredith took his bookfrom his pocket and laid it on the pine branches, open before him.
"You could not attend to anything very deep till you have had somethingto eat," he said. "I will give you something easy."
"Most of your stories are so profound," added Flora.
"Never mind; listen."