CHAPTER VII.
REPLY FOR US, KATE.
Beatrice Meadowsweet and the Bertrams spent a delightful day together.The Bertrams frankly owned their inability to manage a boat. Theywelcomed her timely assistance, and thanked her for offering it, andthen the young folk laughed and joked together, the Bertrams secretlyfinding Beatrice all the more interesting and fascinating because theyknew that their mother would not quite approve of their being found inher society.
Beatrice told them about the harbor, took Kate into her boat, instructedLoftus how to manage his sail, and showed him the difference betweenrowing on a river and on the sea. Finally, she frankly accepted theirsuggestion that she should join their impromptu picnic. They landed onthe green banks of that part of the coast which contained the ruins ofan ancient Danish fort. There they kindled a fire, boiled a kettle ofwater, made tea, enjoyed bread-and-butter, cold chicken andstrawberries, and had an exceedingly festive time.
When the meal was over Bertram asked Miss Meadowsweet to show him overthe fort. She complied at once, in that easy, unconcerned manner whichgave her a certain charm, and which in itself was the perfection ofgood-breeding. Mabel was about to follow, but Kate caught hold of herskirt.
"Help me to wash up," she said.
When the girls were alone, Mabel burst into a peal of laughter.
"Oh, what a time the little mice are having!" she exclaimed. "What atime! I only wish that nice Beatrice of yours had a couple of brothersas charming as herself. Then our state would approach perfection."
"May, you oughtn't to talk in that silly fashion. No one hatesleading-strings as I do, and I'm determined that mother shall allow meto make Miss Meadowsweet my friend. But this meeting seems like takingadvantage of mother's absence; it does really, and although we could nothelp ourselves, I am sorry about it."
"Well, I'm not. We have had a delicious time, and I think, too, we oweour lives to Miss Bee. Loftie was making an awful mess of that sail, andyou know, Kate, none of us can swim. Now look at Loftie, do look at him!See how he's bending towards Miss Meadowsweet. He is quite taken withher, I can see. Oh, what a flirt he is. Doesn't she hold herself nicely,Kate? And hasn't she an independent sort of way?"
"Yes," responded Catherine. "I think even mother must own that Beatriceis in good style. I knew that the moment she spoke to me."
"They are coming back," said Mabel. "Just toss me over that towel,please, Kate. Don't you think I provided a very nice little lunch? Mrs.Masters and I managed it between us, and you none of you knew, no noneof you, how very ancient that chicken was."
"Didn't I?" replied Kate. "I had one of the drumsticks. That chickenhas woke me in a very lusty manner more than once in the morn. 'Up, Up!'cries the crowing cock. Oh, Mabel, it was cruel of you to deprive us ofhis clarion note."
"Never mind. I saw that Loftie and Miss Meadowsweet had the breast toeat. I nearly died when I saw you attacking the drumstick, but I knewyou wouldn't split. Now, do look up, Kate? Doesn't Loftus look radiant?Isn't he a handsome fellow when he is pleased? What can Miss Meadowsweetbe saying to him? How he does laugh!"
"Miss Meadowsweet has a good deal of fun in her," responded Kate. "Ithink it is a certain tone in her voice. Well, here they come. How didyou like the ruins, Loftus?"
"Very much--I mean as much as I care for any ruins. And I have had acapital guide. Miss Meadowsweet wants to propose something to yougirls."
"Yes," said Beatrice, in her bright, quick way. "It will be so nice ifyou can do it. Captain Bertram says he is fond of tennis, and we havefour very good courts at home. Will you all come and have supper thisevening? Mother will be delighted to see you--Do come, Miss Bertram."
She looked sympathetically and eagerly at Catherine. Catherine in hershabby, ill-fitting dress was not nearly such a distinguished figure asMiss Meadowsweet, whose serge costume fitted her like a glove. YetCatherine drew herself up as if the invitation half offended her.
"I?" she began. She looked at Loftus. Her color came and went.
"Catherine is overpowered," remarked the brother, with a smile at MissMeadowsweet, but a certain expression about his mouth which Kate toowell interpreted. "Catherine is overpowered. She and this little woman,"taking Mabel's hand, "have had very few invitations lately. Never mind,Kate, I'll support you, and if we hurry home now, you can polish up yourrusty tennis powers at Rosendale. We must make a proper court there,Miss Meadowsweet. In the meantime, we are all delighted to accept yourkind invitation."
"Be with us at seven," said Beatrice. "Mother doesn't like supper to belater than half-past-eight, but if you are with us by seven we shallhave time for a good game first. And now, I think I must go home, or mymother will wonder what has become of me."
Mabel picked up the luncheon basket. Loftus flung the rugs over hisshoulder, and the four young people went down to the boats.
Loftus and Mabel lingered a little behind. Catherine and Beatrice ledthe way.
"You don't want to come to-night," suddenly said Beatrice to hercompanion.
Catherine started and colored.
"Why do you say that? I--I am glad to come."
"Don't come if you don't want to. I shall understand."
They had reached the boats. The Bertrams seated themselves in their own.Miss Meadowsweet advised them not to put up the sail, but thought if shekept within easy distance, they might manage the oars. Loftus and Mabelrowed. Kate sat in the stern and steered. Beatrice Meadowsweetapplauded, and rowed her own boat with skill. She reached the shorebefore them, and called out in her clear voice:
"I sha'n't wait now. I shall see you all at seven this evening."
"Reply for us, Kate," whispered Loftus. "Reply for us all, quickly."
"Yes--we'll come," called Catherine across the water.
Beatrice smiled. Her smile was of the sunniest. It flashed back a lookof almost love at Catherine. Then she turned to walk up the steep stepswhich led from the quay to the little High Street.
"We ought not to go," instantly began Catherine.
Loftus stopped rowing, bent forward and put his hand across her mouth.
"Not another word," he said. "I'll undertake to conciliate the mother,and I think she can trust to my ideas of good-breeding."
Meanwhile Beatrice walked quickly home. The Meadowsweets lived at thefar end of the town in a large gray stone house. The house stood back alittle from the road, and a great elm tree threw its protecting shadeover the porch and upper windows. It was, however, an ordinary house ina street, and looked a little old-fashioned and a little gloomy untilyou stepped into the drawing-room, which was furnished certainly with nopretension to modern taste or art, but opened with French windows into aglorious, big, old-world garden.
The house was known by the name of the Gray House, and the old garden asthe Gray Garden, but the garden at least bore no resemblance to itsneutral-tinted name. It had green alleys, and sheltering trees, and agreat expanse of smoothly kept lawn. It possessed flower-beds and flowerborders innumerable. There was more than one bower composed entirely ofrose-trees, and there were very long hedges of sweet briar and Scotchroses.
The tennis-courts were kept to perfection in the Gray Garden, and allthe lasses and boys of Northbury were rejoiced when an invitation cameto them to test their skill at a tournament here. There was no girl inNorthbury more popular than Beatrice. This popularity was unsought. Itcame to her because she was gracious and affectionate, of a generousnature, above petty slanders, petty gossips, petty desires. Life hadalways been rich and plentiful for her, she possessed abundant health,excellent spirits, and a sunny temper not easily ruffled; she wassympathetic, too, and although, in mind and nature she was many stepsabove the girls with whom she associated, she was really unconscious ofthis difference and gave herself no superior airs. A companion who wouldhave been her equal, whose intellect would have sharpened hers, whosespirit would have matched her own, whose refinement would have delightedand whose affection would have been something to revel in, she had neverhitherto known.
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Unconscious of her loss she had not deplored it. It was not until sheand Catherine Bertram had flashed a look of delight and sympathy at oneanother that she first felt stirring within her breast the wings of anew desire. For the first time she felt unsatisfied and incomplete. Shescarcely knew that she thirsted for Catherine, but this was so.Catherine awakened all sorts of new emotions in her heart. She had spenta delightful day with the Bertrams, and hurried home now in the highestspirits.
In the High Street she met three girls, whose names were Matty, Alice,and Sophy Bell. Their father was a retired coal merchant. There wasscarcely any active trade down in Northbury, almost all the inhabitantshaving retired to live there on their fortunes. The Bells were small,rather thickly-made girls, with round faces and round eyes. They alwaysdressed alike, and one was never seen without the other two. Theygenerally walked through the streets with their arms linked, and eachone echoed the sentiments of the other, so that the effect produced wasa sense of medley and multiplicity.
To such an extent was this felt that the three girls were spoken of bythe wits of the town as the "four-and-twenty Miss Bells." They adoredBeatrice, and bore down upon her now in a neat phalanx.
"Delighted to see you, Bee!" exclaimed Matty.
"Delighted!" echoed Alice.
"Lighted!" exclaimed Sophy.
"Where have you been?" began Matty, again.
Beatrice told. While she spoke, three pairs of lips were raised for asalute.
People kissed in the streets or anywhere at Northbury.
"You were with those Bertrams! Those _rude_ Bertrams! Oh, fascinating--"
"Fascinating--"
"Nating," burst from the three.
"Tell us about them, darling!" exclaimed one.
"Tell us!" said the other.
"--Us"--gasped the third.
Beatrice narrated her morning adventure with some spirit, praised hernew friends, defended them from any score of rudeness, and altogetherconjured up an interesting picture of them.
The Bells turned to walk with her. Matty hung on one arm, Alice onanother, Sophy hopped backwards in front. Before she quite knew that shemeant to do so, Beatrice had asked the Bells to join the tennis partythat evening. They accepted the invitation rapturously.
"Might Polly and Daisy Jenkins come too, and might Polly's brother come,and if they met Mr. Jones, the curate--Mr. Jones did so lovetennis--might _he_ come?"
"Is the brother an officer in the real army?" inquired Matty.
"Real army--"
"Army--" echoed the others
Beatrice was able to assure them that Captain Bertram had nothingspurious about him.
"I'll see you at seven," she added, nodding to her companions. "Yes, youcan bring the Jenkinses and the boys, and Mr. Jones. I really must hurryhome now."
She reached the Gray House, found her mother nodding, as usual, in hergreat easy-chair, and told her what she had done.
"I met the Bertrams on the water, and had lunch with them, and they arecoming to tennis to-night, and to supper afterwards, mother," she said.
Mrs. Meadowsweet always approved of her daughter's doings. She approvednow, nodding her kind old head, and raising her face with a smile.
"Quite right, Trixie," she said. "How many Bertrams are there? Is Mrs.Bertram coming? If so, I had better put on my cap with the Honitonlace."
"Mrs. Bertram is not coming, mother, but you must put on your best capall the same. Mrs. Bertram is from home. It was the girls I met thismorning--the girls, and their brother, Captain Bertram."
"Oh, well, child, if they are all young folk the cap with Maltese lacewill do. I don't wear Honiton, except for those who know."
"Mother, I thought we might have supper in the garden. The weather is solovely now, and it is quite light at half-past eight. Shall I give theorder, and take all the trouble off you?"
Mrs. Meadowsweet rose with a slight effort to her feet.
"Do you think I am going to let you be worried, child?" she said. "No,no, what good is the old mother if she can't manage a thing of thatsort? Of course you shall have supper in the garden, and a good supper,too. I am glad you have asked your friends, Bee. How well and bright youlook. I am very glad you have made nice friends at last, child."
"All my friends are nice, mother, at least I think so. By the way, I metthe little Bells, and they were dying to come, so I asked them, and theysaid perhaps they would bring the Jenkinses, and Mr. Jones, and ofcourse, the boys will drop in."
"My word, child, but that's quite a party! I had better send out at oncefor a salmon, and two or three lobsters and some crabs. There's creamenough in the house, and eggs, and plenty of stuff in the garden forsalads. Oh, I'll manage, I'll manage fine. I got in a couple of chickensand a pair of ducks this morning; I'll warrant that your grand friendshave enough to eat, Trixie. But now I must go and have a talk withJane."