CHAPTER XV
AUNT POLLY TAKES ALARM
Pollyanna had been at home about a week when the letter from DellaWetherby came to Mrs. Chilton.
"I wish I could make you see what your little niece has done for mysister," wrote Miss Wetherby; "but I'm afraid I can't. You would haveto know what she was before. You did see her, to be sure, and perhapsyou saw something of the hush and gloom in which she has shroudedherself for so many years. But you can have no conception of herbitterness of heart, her lack of aim and interest, her insistence uponeternal mourning.
"Then came Pollyanna. Probably I didn't tell you, but my sisterregretted her promise to take the child, almost the minute it wasgiven; and she made the stern stipulation that the moment Pollyannabegan to preach, back she should come to me. Well, she hasn'tpreached--at least, my sister says she hasn't; and my sister ought toknow. And yet--well, just let me tell you what I found when I went tosee her yesterday. Perhaps nothing else could give you a better ideaof what that wonderful little Pollyanna of yours has accomplished.
"To begin with, as I approached the house, I saw that nearly all theshades were up: they used to be down--'way down to the sill. Theminute I stepped into the hall I heard music--Parsifal. Thedrawing-rooms were open, and the air was sweet with roses.
"'Mrs. Carew and Master Jamie are in the music-room,' said the maid.And there I found them--my sister, and the youth she has taken intoher home, listening to one of those modern contrivances that can holdan entire opera company, including the orchestra.
"The boy was in a wheel chair. He was pale, but plainly beatificallyhappy. My sister looked ten years younger. Her usually colorlesscheeks showed a faint pink, and her eyes glowed and sparkled. A littlelater, after I had talked a few minutes with the boy, my sister and Iwent up-stairs to her own rooms; and there she talked to me--of Jamie.Not of the old Jamie, as she used to, with tear-wet eyes and hopelesssighs, but of the new Jamie--and there were no sighs nor tears now.There was, instead, the eagerness of enthusiastic interest.
"'Della, he's wonderful,' she began. 'Everything that is best inmusic, art, and literature seems to appeal to him in a perfectlymarvelous fashion, only, of course, he needs development and training.That's what I'm going to see that he gets. A tutor is comingto-morrow. Of course his language is something awful; at the sametime, he has read so many good books that his vocabulary is quiteamazing--and you should hear the stories he can reel off! Of course ingeneral education he is very deficient; but he's eager to learn, sothat will soon be remedied. He loves music, and I shall give him whattraining in that he wishes. I have already put in a stock of carefullyselected records. I wish you could have seen his face when he firstheard that Holy Grail music. He knows all about King Arthur and hisRound Table, and he prattles of knights and lords and ladies as youand I do of the members of our own family--only sometimes I don't knowwhether his Sir Lancelot means the ancient knight or a squirrel in thePublic Garden. And, Della, I believe he can be made to walk. I'm goingto have Dr. Ames see him, anyway, and--'
"And so on and on she talked, while I sat amazed and tongue-tied, but,oh, so happy! I tell you all this, dear Mrs. Chilton, so you can seefor yourself how interested she is, how eagerly she is going to watchthis boy's growth and development, and how, in spite of herself, it isall going to change her attitude toward life. She CAN'T do what she isdoing for this boy, Jamie, and not do for herself at the same time.Never again, I believe, will she be the soured, morose woman she wasbefore. And it's all because of Pollyanna.
"Pollyanna! Dear child--and the best part of it is, she is sounconscious of the whole thing. I don't believe even my sister yetquite realizes what is taking place within her own heart and life, andcertainly Pollyanna doesn't--least of all does she realize the partshe played in the change.
"And now, dear Mrs. Chilton, how can I thank you? I know I can't; soI'm not even going to try. Yet in your heart I believe you know howgrateful I am to both you and Pollyanna.
"DELLA WETHERBY."
"Well, it seems to have worked a cure, all right," smiled Dr. Chilton,when his wife had finished reading the letter to him.
To his surprise she lifted a quick, remonstrative hand.
"Thomas, don't, please!" she begged.
"Why, Polly, what's the matter? Aren't you glad that--that themedicine worked?"
Mrs. Chilton dropped despairingly back in her chair.
"There you go again, Thomas," she sighed. "Of COURSE I'm glad thatthis misguided woman has forsaken the error of her ways and found thatshe can be of use to some one. And of course I'm glad that Pollyannadid it. But I am not glad to have that child continually spoken of asif she were a--a bottle of medicine, or a 'cure.' Don't you see?"
"Nonsense! After all, where's the harm? I've called Pollyanna a tonicever since I knew her."
"Harm! Thomas Chilton, that child is growing older every day. Do youwant to spoil her? Thus far she has been utterly unconscious of herextraordinary power. And therein lies the secret of her success. Theminute she CONSCIOUSLY sets herself to reform somebody, you know aswell as I do that she will be simply impossible. Consequently, Heavenforbid that she ever gets it into her head that she's anything like acure-all for poor, sick, suffering humanity."
"Nonsense! I wouldn't worry," laughed the doctor.
"But I do worry, Thomas."
"But, Polly, think of what she's done," argued the doctor. "Think ofMrs. Snow and John Pendleton, and quantities of others--why, they'renot the same people at all that they used to be, any more than Mrs.Carew is. And Pollyanna did do it--bless her heart!"
"I know she did," nodded Mrs. Polly Chilton, emphatically. "But Idon't want Pollyanna to know she did it! Oh, of course she knows it,in a way. She knows she taught them to play the glad game with her,and that they are lots happier in consequence. And that's all right.It's a game--HER game, and they're playing it together. To you I willadmit that Pollyanna has preached to us one of the most powerfulsermons I ever heard; but the minute SHE knows it--well, I don't wanther to. That's all. And right now let me tell you that I've decidedthat I will go to Germany with you this fall. At first I thought Iwouldn't. I didn't want to leave Pollyanna--and I'm not going to leaveher now. I'm going to take her with me."
"Take her with us? Good! Why not?"
"I've got to. That's all. Furthermore, I should be glad to plan tostay a few years, just as you said you'd like to. I want to getPollyanna away, quite away from Beldingsville for a while. I'd like tokeep her sweet and unspoiled, if I can. And she shall not get sillynotions into her head if I can help myself. Why, Thomas Chilton, do wewant that child made an insufferable little prig?"
"We certainly don't," laughed the doctor. "But, for that matter, Idon't believe anything or anybody could make her so. However, thisGermany idea suits me to a T. You know I didn't want to come away whenI did--if it hadn't been for Pollyanna. So the sooner we get backthere the better I'm satisfied. And I'd like to stay--for a littlepractice, as well as study."
"Then that's settled." And Aunt Polly gave a satisfied sigh.