CHAPTER XII
TO EAT WITH THE FAMILY
As the two girls entered the house, Miriam clapped her hands.
"What a surprise this will be for Ralph!" she exclaimed. "He hasn't theslightest idea that you are here, or that anybody is going to spend thenight with us. If Mike said anything about you and your brother,--which Idoubt, for he is awfully anxious to get in that hay,--Ralph thought, ofcourse, that you were both gone long ago."
The situation suited Dora's fancy admirably.
"Let us make it a regular surprise," she said. "I am going to help you toget supper, and to do whatever you have to do. Suppose you don't tellyour brother that I am here, and let him find it out by degrees. Don'tyou think that will be fun?"
"Indeed it will," cried the other; "and if you don't mind helping alittle about the cooking, I think that will be fun too. Perhaps you cantell me some things I don't know."
"Let us begin," exclaimed Dora, "for everything ought to be ready beforehe comes in. Can you lend me a big apron?"
"I have only one," said Miriam, "and it is not very big; I intended tomake some more, but I haven't had time. But you needn't do anything, youknow. You can just give me advice and keep me company."
"Oh, I want to do things. I want to work," cried Dora; "it would be cruelto keep me from the fun of helping you get supper. Haven't you somethingI can slip on instead of this dress? It is not very fine, but I don'twant to spatter or burn it."
"None of my clothes are long enough for you," said Miriam; "but perhaps Imight find something in the garret. There are all sorts of clothes upthere. If you choose, we can go up and look."
In the next minute the two girls were in the great garret, kneeling infront of a trunk, in which Miriam had found the silk robe, which now laytumbled up in a corner of a stall in the cow-stable. Article afterarticle of female attire was drawn out and tossed on the floor. Dora wasdelighted; she was fond of old-fashioned things, and here were clothes ofvarious eras. Some colonial, perhaps, and none that had been worn sincethese two girls had come into the world. There was a calico dress withlarge pink figures in it which caught Dora's eye; she sprang to her feet,shook it out, and held it up before her.
"This will do," she said. "The length is all right, and it does notmatter about the rest of the fit."
"Of course not," said Miriam; "and now let us go down. We need not waitto put the rest of the things back."
As Dora was about to go, her eyes fell on an old-fashioned pinksunbonnet.
"If you don't mind," she said, "I will take that, too. I shall beawfully awkward, and I don't want to get cinders or flour in my hair."
When Dora had arrayed herself in the calico dress with pink flowers, shestood for a moment before the large mirror in Miriam's room. The dresswas very short as to waist, and very perpendicular as to skirt, and thesleeves were puffy at the elbows and tight about the wrists, but pink wasa color that became her, the quaint cut of the gown was well suited toher blooming face, and altogether she was pleased with the picture in theglass. As for the sunbonnet, that was simply hideous, but it could betaken off when she chose, and the wearing of it would help her very muchin making herself known to Mr. Ralph Haverley.
For half an hour the girls worked bravely in the kitchen. Dora had someknowledge of the principles of cookery, though her practice had beensmall, and Miriam possessed an undaunted courage in culinary enterprises.However, they planned nothing difficult, and got on very well. Dora madeup some of Miriam's dough into little rolls.
"I wish I could make these as the Tolbridges' new cook makes them. Theysay that every morning she sends in a plate of breakfast rolls, each onea different shape, and some of them ever so pretty."
"I don't suppose they taste any better for that," remarked Miriam.
"Perhaps not," said the other, "but I like to see things to eat lookpretty." And she did her best to shape the little rolls into suchforms that they might please the eye of Mr. Ralph as well as satisfyhis palate.
Miriam went up to the dining-room to arrange the table. While doing thisshe saw Ralph approaching from the barn. In the kitchen, below, Dora,glancing out of the window, also saw him coming, and pulling hersunbonnet well forward, she applied herself more earnestly to her work.Ralph came in, tired and warm, and threw himself down on a longhorse-hair sofa in the hall.
"Heigh ho, Miriam," he cried; "hay-making is a jolly thing, all the worldover, but I have had enough of it for to-day. How are you getting on,little one? Don't put yourself to too much trouble about my supper. Onlygive me enough of whatever you have; that is all I ask."
"Ralph," said Miriam, standing gravely by him, "I did not have to getsupper all by myself; there is a new girl in the kitchen."
"Good," cried Ralph; "I am very glad to hear that. When did she come?"
"This afternoon," said Miriam, "and she is cooking supper now. But,Ralph," she continued, "there is hardly any wood in the kitchen. Wehave--she has used up nearly all that was brought in this morning."
"Well," said Ralph, "there is plenty of it cut, in the woodhouse."
"But, Ralph," said Miriam, "I don't like to ask her to go after the wood,herself, and some is needed now."
"Mike is just as busy as he can be down at the barn," said her brother,"and I cannot call him now. If you show her the woodhouse, she can getwhat she wants with very little trouble, and Mike will bring in a lot ofit to-night."
"But, Ralph," persisted his sister, "I don't want to ask her to stop hercooking and go out and get wood. It does not look like good management,for one thing, and for other reasons I do not want to do it. Don't youthink you could bring her some wood? Just a little basketful of shortsticks will do."
Ralph sat up and knitted his brows. "Miriam," said he, "if your new cookis the right sort of a woman, she ought to be able to help herself inemergencies of this kind, with the woodhouse not a dozen yards from thekitchen. But as she is a stranger to the place, and I don't want todiscourage anybody who comes to help you, I will get some wood for her,but I must say that it does not look very well for the lord of the manorto be carrying fuel to the cook."
"It isn't the lord of the manor," cried Miriam; "it is the headhay-maker, and when you dress yourself for supper, she will never thinkof you as the man who brought in the wood."
Dora, from the kitchen window, saw Ralph go out to the woodhouse, and shesaw him returning with an arm-load of small sticks. Then she turned herback to the kitchen door, and bent her head over a beefsteak she waspreparing for the gridiron.
Ralph came in with the wood, and put it down by the side of the greatstove. As he glanced at the slight form in the pink gown, it struck himthat this woman would not be equal to the hard work which would besometimes necessary here.
"I suppose this wood will be as much as you will want for the present,"he said, as he turned toward the door, "and the man will fill this boxto-night, but if you need any more before he does so, there is thewoodhouse just across the yard, where you can easily get a few sticks."
Dora half turned herself in the direction of the woodhouse, and murmured,"Yes, sir."
"Miriam," said Ralph, as he went into the dining-room, where his sisterwas putting the knives and forks upon the supper table, "do you thinkthat woman is strong enough to wash, iron, and do all the things thatPhoebe used to do when she was here? How old is she?"
"I don't know, exactly," answered Miriam, going to a cupboard for someglasses; "and as to rough work, I can't tell what she can do, untilshe tries."
When Ralph had made his toilet and come downstairs, attired in a verybecoming summer suit, his sister complimented him.
"Hay-making makes you ever so much handsomer," she said; "you look as ifyou had been on a yachting cruise. There is one thing I forgot to say toyou, but I do not suppose it will make any difference, as we are realcountry people now: our new cook is accustomed to eating at the tablewith the family."
Ralph's face flushed. "Upon my word!" he exclaimed, staring at hissister. "Well," he continued, "I
don't care what she is accustomed to,but she cannot eat at our table. I may carry wood for cooks, but I donot eat with them."
"But, Ralph," said Miriam, "you ought to consider the circumstances. Sheis not a common Irishwoman, or German. She is an American, and has alwaystaken her meals with the family in which she lived. I could not ask herto eat in the kitchen. You know, Mike takes his meals there since Phoebehas gone. Indeed, Ralph, I cannot expect her to do a thing that she hasnever done in her life, before. Do you really think you would mind it?You work with Mike in the field, and you don't mind that, and this girlis very respectable, I assure you."
Ralph stood silent. He had supposed his sister, young as she was, knewmore of the world than to make an arrangement with a servant which wouldput her, in many respects, on an equality with themselves. He was verymuch annoyed, but he would not be angry with Miriam, if he could help it,nor would he put her in the embarrassing position of revoking theagreement with this American woman, probably a farmer's daughter, and, inher own opinion, as good as anybody. But, although he might yield atpresent, he determined to take the important matter of engaging domesticservants into his own hands. His sister had not yet the necessaryjudgment for that sort of thing.
"Miriam," said he, "for how long have you engaged this woman?"
"Nothing at all has been said about time," she answered.
"Very well, then," said he, "she can come to the table to-night andto-morrow morning, for, I suppose, if I object, she will go off and leaveyou again without anybody, but to-morrow she must be told that she cannoteat with us; and if she does not like that, she must leave, and I will goto the city and get you a proper servant. The hay is in now, and there isno more important work to which I could give a day. Now do not be angry,little one, because I object to your domestic arrangements. We all haveto make mistakes, you know, when we begin."
"Thank you, Ralph," said Miriam. "I really am ever so much obliged toyou," and going up to her brother, she lifted her face to his. Ralphstooped to kiss her, but suddenly stopped.
"Who, in the name of common sense, is that!" he exclaimed. The sound ofwheels was plainly heard upon the driveway, and turning, they saw a buggystop at the door.
"It is Dr. Tolbridge!" cried Miriam.
Through the open front door Ralph saw that it was the doctor, preparingto alight.
"Miriam," said he, quickly, "we must ask the doctor to stay to supper,and if he does, that cook must not come to the table. It will not do atall, as you can see for yourself. We cannot ask our friends and neighborsto sit down with servants."
"I will see," said Miriam. "I think that can be made all right," and theyboth went to the door to meet their visitor.
The doctor shook hands with them most cordially.
"Glad to see you both so ruddy; Cobhurst air must agree with you. Andnow, before we say anything else, let me ask you a question: Have you hadyour supper?"
"No," answered Ralph, "and I hope you have not."
"Your hopes are realized. I have not, and if you do not mind letting mesup with you, I will do it."
The brother and sister, who both liked the hearty doctor, assured himthat they would be delighted to have him stay.
"The reason of my extending an invitation to myself is this: I have beenmaking a visit in the country, where I was detained much longer than Iexpected, and as I drove homeward, I said to myself, 'Good sir, you arehungry, and where are you going to get your evening meal? You cannotreach home until long after the dinner hour, and moreover you have apatient beyond Cobhurst, whom you ought to see this evening. It would bea great pity to drive all the way to Thorbury, and then back again,to-night. Now there are those young Cobhurst people, who, you know, havesupper at the end of the day, instead of dinner, like the regular farmersthat they are, and as you want to see them, anyway, and find out how theyare getting on, it will be well to stop there, and ten to one, you willfind that they have not yet sat down to the table.'"
"A most excellent conclusion," said Ralph, "and I will call Mike, andhave him take your horse."
Having left the doctor in the charge of her brother, Miriam hurrieddownstairs to apprise Dora of the state of affairs.
"I am sorry," she said, "but we will have to give up the trick we weregoing to play on Ralph, for Dr. Tolbridge has come, and will stay tosupper, and so, while you go upstairs and put on your own dress, I willfinish getting these things ready. I will see Ralph before we sit down,and tell him all about it."
Dora made no movement toward the stairs.
"I knew it was the doctor," she said, "for I went out and looked aroundthe corner of the house, and saw his horse. But I do not see why weshould give up our trick. Let us play it on the doctor as well as onyour brother."
Miriam stood silent a few moments.
"I do not know how that would do," she said. "That is a very differentthing. And besides, I do not believe Ralph would let you come to thetable. You ought to have seen how angry he was when I told him the newcook must eat with us."
"Oh, that was splendid!" cried Dora. "I will not come to the table. Thatwill make it all the funnier when we tell him. I can eat my supperanywhere, and I will go upstairs and wait on you, which will be bettersport than sitting down at the table with you."
"But I do not like that," said Miriam. "I will not have you go withoutyour supper until we have finished."
"My dear Miriam!" exclaimed Dora, "what is a supper in comparison withsuch a jolly bit of fun as this? Let me go on as the new cook. And nowwe must hurry and get these things on the table. It will make things agreat deal easier for me, if they can eat before it is time to lightthe lamps."
When Miriam went to call the gentlemen to supper, the doctor said toher:--
"Your brother has told me that you have a new servant, and that she is sopreposterous as to wish to take her meals with you, but that he does notintend to allow it. Now, I say to you, as I said to him, that if sheexpected to sit at the table before I came, she must do it now. I am usedto that sort of thing, and do not mind it a bit. In the families of thefarmers about here, with whom I often take a meal, it is the custom forthe daughter of the family to cook, to wait on the table, and then sitdown with whomever may be there, kings or cobblers. I beg that you willnot let my coming make trouble in your household."
Miriam looked at her brother.
"All right," said Ralph, with a smile, "if the doctor does not mind, Ishall not. And now, do let us have something to eat."