CHAPTER VIII
IN HARBOR
As Cap'n Lem's team drew deliberately up the hill to the house, hisdaughter-in-law and grandchild came out on the doorstep. "Hello, Lucil;hello, Minty," he cried.
Twelve-year-old Araminta, dressed in a red plaid frock, long of legsand arms, round of eyes, and with her braid beribboned in pink in honorof the unknown, looked her disappointment. "They never come!" sheexclaimed. "We might jest as well as not rode to town, ma."
"Well, we couldn't 'a' known it, and no use cryin' over spilt milk,"returned her mother. Mrs. Lemuel Foster had raised her pompadourexceptionally high this morning, and the knot at the back of her headhad the psyche-like protuberance reserved for state occasions.
"Whoa, Jim. Hi thar, Pete," said Cap'n Lem, for his steeds began toexhibit spirit at the proximity of the barn. "Oh, yes, they come allright."
"Then who is it?" cried the two on the doorstep, in perfect unison.Thinkright's message had not specified the nature of his guest.
"The missin' link," replied Cap'n Lem. "Haw, haw, haw!"
The pent-up roar burst forth at last.
"Father, he _hain't_ brought home a monkey!" Mrs. Lem's consciousnessof the trail on her black brilliantine suddenly failed to support hercompany manner. "Do tell me you're foolin'!" she added acutely.
"Why, I think 't would be splendid!" cried Minty eagerly, watching hergrandfather's heaving shoulders. "Where'd ye leave 'em, grandpa?"
"Daown t' the Basin."
Minty clapped her hands, and her round eyes shone. "To let it have adrink and run through the woods. Oh, what fun! I'll let it sleep withme."
Her mother gave her a sounding slap. "Hold your tongue, Minty Foster,and let the cap'n speak. Why did Thinkright ask me to get the best roomready, then? If a monkey comes into this house I go out of it, and I_stay_ out."
"'Tain't a monkey, no, 'tain't," returned Cap'n Lem tearfully butpacifically; "but I made the best joke, Lucil, if I do say it. I'mlaughin' yit. Ye couldn't 'preciate it till ye see her, then I'll tellye, an if yew don't bust your sides"--
"Her? Is she young or old?" demanded Mrs. Lem, recovering a sense ofthe lustre on her brilliantine.
"Oh, pretty so-so," returned her father-in-law aggravatingly.
"Then they'll be up here in a few minutes," said Mrs. Lem, her blackeyes snapping. "Get in out o' the wind, Minty, or you won't have noBoston left." She smoothed the limp roll into which Minty's front hairhad been coaxed, and pushed her inside the open door, where the childlingered.
"You might tell who she is, grandpa," she called.
"Why, then,--come now, I will. It's mean to tease ye. It's Miss Lacey."
"Oh--!" A long-drawn sound of disappointment escaped from both hishearers. "Why couldn't Thinkright have said so!" exclaimed Mrs. Lem."Miss Lacey'd jest as lieves have seen us in our every-day things."
"I don't care," said Minty, hopeful still. "Miss Lacey nearly alwaysbrings me somethin'."
"Take that pink ribbon right off your braid," commanded her mother,reentering the house.
"Oh, no, ma, it goes so good with this dress," pleaded Minty, lookingdown affectionately at the red plaid.
"Let her keep 'em on," said Cap'n Lem. "They ain't no time to change.They're a-comin' right up. Thinkright asked me to tell ye they'd behere for supper. They hain't had nothin' but trash on the road, Iguess. Miss Lacey looks kind o' peak-ed;" and so saying, the old mandrove on to the barn, his eyes closed tight as he slapped his knee inenjoyment of this second witticism, possibly even better than thefirst.
Minty skipped around helping her mother with the tea things, but herround eyes were first to discern the pair who came in sight on thehillside.
"There they be," she exclaimed, running to the window; "and ma," indeep excitement, "they're hookin' arms!"
"What are you talkin' about?" exclaimed her mother, whose pompadourfairly heaved in the jerk with which its wearer rose from the oven atthis significant information.
"They are," repeated Minty, secure in her tremendous discovery; "comeand look. Do you s'pose," in a hushed tone, "do you spose they'rebeaux, ma?"
"Hold your tongue, Minty Foster; you're too young to say such things,"returned her mother; but the pompadour continued in a state of violentunrest as Mrs. Lem gazed at the new-comers and rapidly reviewed thesituation and its possibilities. "I can't say it wouldn't be fittin',"she murmured, as she stood behind her daughter.
The approaching pair seemed absorbed in close conversation as theysauntered slowly, the lady's face downcast and her companion's eyesupon her.
"I'll never stay here with her, though, never in this world,"--went onMrs. Lem, "and probably she wouldn't want me to."
"Oh, ma, then we'll have to go back to Hawk Island. I don't want to,"wailed Minty.
"Hush!" commanded her mother, giving the child's shoulder a nervousshake. "Don't you dare to cry, Minty Foster. I guess you lived at HawkIsland a good while, and you can do it again."
"Yes, but then pa wasn't drownded; and here we've got"--
"As comfortable as I've made Thinkright, too. I'd call it downrightungrateful if 't was anybody but him," went on Mrs. Lem, paying nofurther attention to her offspring than to give the small shoulderanother warning shake. "I s'pose he thinks age is goin' to steal on himbefore long, and he'd better be provided with some sure caretaker, andI can't deny 't would be a fine thing for Miss Marthy. I can just seethem sharp eyes o' hers lookin' around here and takin' 'count o' stock.I always thought she was terrible curious about how things went onhere."
"P'raps they're married a'ready," hazarded Minty dismally.
The pompadour wavered almost to its fall in the start Mrs. Lem gave.
"Araminty Foster, how could you have such a thought at your age!"However, the housekeeper's fast-beating heart suddenly accepted theprobability of the suggestion.
"Leggo my shoulder, ma." Minty wriggled out of the excited clutch. "Idon't care, they walk jest the way Jim an' Kitty did when they come outo' church."
"What do you s'pose she's all in black for? Miss Marthy never hadanybody to lose that ever I heard of. You don't suppose she'd go inblack for one o' the Derwents, do you? It makes her look awful slim,and she walks so slow. Maybe she's been sick."
The couple were drawing very near. Thinkright evidently called hiscompanion's attention to something in the top of the tall pine thatgrew near the house. Sylvia lifted her head, the chiffon veil floatedbackward, and she gazed long up into the tree while the watchers at thewindow stared.
"Why,--wha--" gasped Minty.
"Never mind!" ejaculated Mrs. Lem, in an altered tone. "Tell me, doesmy Boston look all right?" One trembling hand patted the imposingerection of shining black hair, while with the other the speaker pulledthe open-mouthed Minty away from the window. "Now don't you never tellwhat we thought, Minty Foster, not if wild horses was to drag you._Remember!_"
"All--all right," gasped the child, "but"--
"They ain't no but. The cap'n 's been playin' smart again an' fooledus. Don't you let on, Minty--never, _never_."
The series of jerks which accompanied the rapid flow of words was tooenergetic for Minty to retain sufficient breath to let on anything. Hermother trailed the brilliantine across the room with a self-command andreturn of composure truly remarkable, and throwing open the door, metthe grave gaze of the guest with unsmiling majesty.
"How do you do, Mrs. Lem?" said Thinkright. "This is my young cousin,Sylvia Lacey, who is going to make us a visit. And this little girl isMinty Foster, Sylvia."
"Glad to see you, I'm sure, Miss Lacey," returned Mrs. Lem, giving theoffered hand a loose shake. "Won't you step in?"
Minty said no word, but stared at the new-comer fixedly. The house dooropened directly into the kitchen.
"We don't use front doors much in this part of the world," observedThinkright, as he ushered in the guest.
"Will you step into the front room, Miss Lacey?" asked Mrs. Lem, with agrand air, "or would you prefer to go directly upstairs t
o yourchamber?"
There was an atmosphere of the world about Sylvia which Mrs. Lemrecognized at once from long experience with summer people; and securein her pompadour, the psyche knot, and the shine of her best gown, shewished to show this young girl that her sophistication was shared evenin a rural district. To be sure, the extraordinary telegram fromThinkright had left the family free to believe that it was a personagewhom he was bringing home with him--probably some important friend ofJudge Trent; and to have their varied guesses met by the fact of awhite-faced girl in mourning was disappointing. Nevertheless, to Mrs.Lem's suspicious eyes Sylvia had a cold, proud air, which caused thehousekeeper to glory in her toilet and be grateful for her knowledge ofthe world. It should be Greek meeting Greek.
"Oh, she'll go to her room," said Thinkright. "Cap'n Lem and I willbring her trunk and satchel right up. Supper's nearly ready, I suppose,Mrs. Lem?"
"Whenever you are," returned that lady elegantly. "I will accompanyyou, Miss Lacey."
Minty, though she said no word, prepared to follow, apparently not ableto remove her round gaze from the visitor.
"You may make the toast, Minty," said her mother warningly, and thechild took a reluctant step backward.
Sylvia followed the brilliantine up a narrow staircase.
"You're from Boston, I presume, Miss Lacey?"
"Yes, just now," returned Sylvia.
"Not your home, then?"
"No."
"There. Walk in. This is your chamber."
Mrs. Lem threw open the door of a blue-papered room whose ceilingsloped at one side, while on the other were two windows curtained indimity.
"I didn't expect to see a room of this size," said Sylvia.
"Oh, it's quite a copious house," returned Mrs. Lem leniently, "for acountry place. It took me some while to get used to these slopin' kindo' rooms. I ain't from these parts. I lived to Clarksville before I wasmarried. There, you can loop them curtains back more if you want to."
"They're very pretty," commented the girl.
"Yes. Of course they ain't point de spray, but they do well enough forhere."
"Looped back. Oh, I should think so," said Sylvia, pushing the foldsaside and looking down the western decline of the hill, where a widereach of Casco Bay came in view. Small snowy sails were flying out tosea, like a flock of white butterflies.
"I guess the fishermen think handsome weather's set in. Them are themackerel boats," explained Mrs. Lem. "They ain't had a good chance fora fortnight. It's ben so cold and homely 'twa'n't plausible for 'em togo out." Mrs. Lem patted her pompadour.
"I can see a thousand Christmas trees from this window," said Sylvia.
"Yes, it's real sightly. Judge Trent has just the same view from hisroom. It's his favorite."
Sylvia's face fell. "When does he come?" she asked.
"Oh, he comes and goes all summer. He don't make no long stay except inAugust."
Here the two men with Sylvia's trunk and bag came noisily up the narrowstairs. It was a very moderate-sized trunk as those of summer peoplego, and the visitor lost some social prestige in Mrs. Lem's eyes as thelatter observed it. Moreover, Boston was not the girl's home.Nevertheless, there was that unmistakable air of the world. Possiblyshe was from wicked, fashionable, reckless New York, and being inmourning had come here with but few possessions to recuperate.
"Wall, how are ye likin'?" asked Cap'n Lem, when they had deposited thetrunk.
He set his arms akimbo and smiled toothlessly upon the visitor. "I said'twas Miss Lacey, didn't I?" he added to Mrs. Lem, with a delightedwink.
"Yes, and you said somethin' else, too," retorted Mrs. Lem. "You say alot o' things beside your prayers."
Upon this Cap'n Lem's cackling laugh burst forth. "She don't look it,does she?" he responded. "So ye're likin' all right, air ye, MissSylvy?"
"I could sit by these windows twenty-four hours," returned the girl.
"Might git a little hungry, mebbe?"
"Yes, Mrs. Lem," put in Thinkright. "Sylvia and I have had onlysandwiches and sponge cake since this morning. We're all ready as soonas she has washed her face."
Mrs. Lem bowed affably, and the three went out and closed the door.
Sylvia moved to the dimity-draped dresser and took off her hat. Shesmiled at the memory of her recent interview. "Cousin Thinkright saysshe can cook, though," she reflected. "I hope he's a judge."