CHAPTER XIV
JANNET AND "OLD P'LINA"
Mr. Van Meter had advised silence on the matter of the pearls, but toldJannet to report to him if she suspected anyone in particular. "YourCousin Di is above suspicion, and as for Andy and me, I can assure youthat we have not acquired any pearls of late. As to Paulina, I couldscarcely imagine such a thing. Drop into the kitchen and get acquaintedwith the cook, Jannet, and the maids, in a natural way."
Jannet remembered this, but it was not natural for Jannet to drop intoa kitchen, no matter how much she wanted to do it. Such things atschool had been expressly forbidden, and at the Marcys' the members ofthe family were the cooks. However, she braced herself for the effortand pleased the black cook beyond expression by appearing at theoutside door after a canter and saying, "Seems to me I smell somethingawfully good, Daphne. Don't tell me that you are baking a cake!"
"Come in, come in, Miss Jannet. How come you ain't been here befo'?"The shining chocolate-colored face beamed and white teeth shone, as fatDaphne, so inappropriately named, hastened from the stove to pull up achair for Jannet. "Jes' you wait, honey," and Daphne's fat figure shookas she hurried back to the oven door and opened it with the dish towelin her hand.
"Yum, yum," said Jannet, as a big pan of ginger cookies, the big, softkind, was drawn out and the savory odors were wafted her way.
"Has Ah got cake foh suppuh? Sho Ah has! But sumpin' mus' atol' me tomek cookies." Deftly Daphne took the hot cookies from the pan with apancake turner and set the brown crock, into which she put them, beforeJannet on the table.
This was fine. Jannet daintily took hold of one hot cooky and droppedit immediately, which amused Daphne very much. But that lady waspulling a second pan from the oven and hurrying to put other cookies,rolled and cut and laid in similar pans, into the hot oven. "Git asauceh f'om the pantry, chile. Them cookies will be cool in a minute."
The big kitchen of the new part was not very hot, though the day waswarm. A pleasant breeze from a window near Jannet ruffled her fair hairand cooled her. She watched Daphne, as the last of the dough was rolledout upon the board and the cookies cut in different shapes with thecutters. There were plenty, and she would eat all she wanted in such ahospitable atmosphere.
Daphne only wanted a listener and began to tell Jannet how she wasdescended from the slaves that the Dutch settlers had in the old days."Yaas'm, Ah is practicably a membeh of de fambly. Ma fatheh, he donegot lonesome, foh ain' many colohed folks around heah. So he went toGawgia, whah a cousin lived, and he ma'ied ma motheh an' Ah lived inGawgia. But Ah come back. Yaas," chuckled Daphne, "Ah wanted to seewhah ma fatheh come f'om, an' yo uncle Pieteh, he put me right in denew kitchen."
Daphne dropped her voice, looked around and rolled her eyesmysteriously. "His secon' wife, she was fussin' about havin' things theway she wanted 'em, an' Paulina, she ain' none so easy to git alongwith, but ma motheh, _she_ was cook in a _big place_ in Gawgia, so theyseed Ah could _cook_, an' they lef' me _do_ it. Has you seen datslick-headed gal Paulina takes around to help her clean?"
"Oh, yes, of course, Daphne. There are only the two maids."
"She went away when yo' uncle's second wife lef', but back she come inabout a month an' Paulina got yo' uncle to take her in again. She'sallays talkin'--don't like country, don' like country, but she stays,an' Hepsy says that Paulina lets her keep a box in the ghos's attic!"
Again Daphne's eyes rolled and she made deprecatory gestures with hercapable hands and the towel, as once more she bent to the oven.
Jannet, her mouth full of delectable, warm cooky, thought that this wasgrowing more interesting. "She helps clean Jan's den sometimes, doesn'tshe?"
"Yaas'm, but Ah doesn't think Paulina likes huh. Sometimes Ah thinksshe's got sumpin' on Paulina. Anyhow Ah hea'd yo' cousin Jan askPaulina that once. Ah didn' know what he meant at fus'."
"That's modern slang, Daphne," laughed Jannet. "Jan's a great boy.Where are the girls, anyway? I haven't seen them around."
"Takin' they aftehnoon off."
"I see. Well, I do thank you Daphne for letting me have the _grand_cookies and not minding my bothering you. I'll run along now."
"Yo' ain' no botheh no way. Come in any time. Oh, say, Ah'll befrostin' mah big cake in about an houah. Don' yo' want to tas' thefrostin' out o' the pan?"
"Yes, I do, Daphne. I'll be back to lick the pan all right!"
Laughing, Jannet ran out of the back door again and around to the backof the old house. Already she had a point or two. The girl Vittoria, aharmless-looking, slim young woman, with small black eyes and a smoothblack bob, revealed when her cap was off, was frequently about thehalls of the old building, dusting, or doing some other legitimatework. She had been here, perhaps, that summer when the telegram,--no,she must be getting crazy. That was too long ago. Vittoria was tooyoung,--but _was_ she so very young? How long ago did this separationbetween her uncle and his wife occur? Cousin Di could tell her. Shewould overcome her hesitation to ask these questions, since it was notcuriosity that prompted her.
But it was Daphne that told her, when she went back to the kitchen forthe frosting, just in the "nick o' time," Daphne told her, handing herthe pan with a generous leaving of the soft white mixture. Daphne hadbeen thinking, too, and wanted to ask Miss Jannet about the ghost inthe old house and if she had seen it. No, she had not seen it, exactly,Jannet told her, but she had heard what Paulina _said_ was a ghost.
"Ah nebbah hea'd it but once," impressively said Daphne, raising hertwo black hands, "an' once wuz enough! Befo' they tuk the wings off'nthe ol' house, Ah slep there one time; an' in the night,--whoo! sich ascreechin' as Ah hea'd! Ah puts mah haid undeh mah kivehs--an' Ahstuffs mah fingehs in mah eahs, an' Ah _nevah knowed nuthin' mo' ontilmawnin'_. But Ah nevah let on Ah was skeered outside de fambly! Ano-count hand oveh at Clyde's sez to me, 'Ah hea'd yo' wuz skeered byyo-alls' ghos' odder night, Daphne,'--an Ah sez to him, 'Huh,' Ah sez,'ain' nuffin to skeeah a pusson 'bout _ouah fambly ghos'_,' and Ah putsmah haid high an' walks off!"
"I'm glad that you are loyal to our family, Daphne," said Jannet. "Howlong is it since my uncle's second wife went away?"
"'Bout two yeahs. Yo' uncle, he put up with it foh a long, long time.She'd have what Paulina called 'hysterics,' but I calls plain tempeh.They wuz maghty still about it and Paulina, she would git the camphirean' things an' go an' tek keeah o' Mis' Van Meteh. Sich goin's on! An'Vittoria sez that a ghos' sobs an' ca'ries on jis lak her now."
"Why, is she dead, too?"
"Yaas'm, Ah s'pose so. Yaas'm, she mus' a passed away."
It was a sad subject, but it was all that Jannet could do to keep herface straight at Daphne's mournful shaking of the head that accompaniedher last remark.
"It's all too bad, Daphne. I feel sorry for Uncle Pieter."
"Yo' uncle, he is a ve'y high-handed man, but ev'body in his house gitswell paid."
Here was one tribute to Uncle Pieter, at least. Jannet ran off to herroom carrying a large piece of cake which Daphne had insisted oncutting for her, saying, too, that the cake would be cut before beingserved anyhow. The first adventure had been a pleasant one; but howwould she fare with Paulina, whom she intended to "beard" in her roomthat evening? Unless she were shut out and the door locked upon her,she would have a talk with Paulina about the ghost and anything elsethat seemed important. Perhaps Paulina could recall that time whenUncle Pieter was away and the telegram came. There was no use inhesitating, or in waiting. She might be asking questions of the very"villainess" who would take advantage of her to conceal the truth, butone had to risk something.
Out of the confusion in Jannet's mind, facts about the family weretaking shape. For her uncle's sake she would like to find out who hadprevented him from receiving the message from his sister, though shebelieved what he had told her. But nothing could make any differencenow to her mother, and since Uncle Pieter had found her at last, shewould try to make up to him for the old misunderstanding, as
he hadpromised to make up to her for the years without a family.
Then there was the very important matter of finding out who had takenthe pearls, or, at least of recovering them, if possible. To stop thenonsense about a ghost and to prevent the repetition of such annoyingdisturbances made another of Jannet's purposes. She, too, suspectedJan, yet Paulina might have had a hand in it, and how about the maid,Vittoria? If she had a box in the old attic,--well, _that_ was to beconsidered. And all other things aside, how _thrilling_ it would be todiscover some secret passage and perhaps find out why it had been made.Jannet could scarcely wait for Nell's company to go away. She made anoccasional trip to the attic, but did nothing except peep into one ormore of the trunks.
Evening came. As Cousin Andy had once said, when the Van Meters hadanything to do they did it, and in that spirit, Jannet brought herselfto knock upon Paulina's door.
Paulina opened it a crack and looked out with the expression of "whowants me now?"
"May I come in, Paulina?" softly asked Jannet. "I just want to see youa minute."
Paulina hesitated, but was taken by surprise and had no good excuseready. "Well, come in, then," she said, rather ungraciously, openingthe door widely enough for Jannet to enter.
"I'll not stay but a few minutes, Paulina, if you are busy. I suspectthat you are glad to get to yourself after a day of looking after otherpeople." Jannet helped herself to a chair, a straight one asuncompromising as Paulina looked. But Jannet's introduction impliedsome appreciation of Paulina's work, and Paulina's face relaxed alittle from its stoniness.
Jannet kept right on, not looking around Paulina's bedroom, though shecould see how clean and plain it was, just like Paulina. "I haven't hadany chance to talk with you, Paulina, about things; and as I am goingto make my home here, there are some things that are important, youknow, like whether my dear room is safe or not and everything likethat. You know that I didn't enjoy that last queer time a bit. Therewas some one in my room, Paulina. Ghosts don't pull comforters off frombeds."
"That is just what our ghost does."
"Honest, Paulina?"
"Your own mother told me that once, but I never knew of its being doneto any one since I have been working for the family and that is many along year. Your mother knew something about the history."
Paulina was sitting back in her one rocking chair, her arms folded, herface almost expressing enjoyment. Good. Jannet felt that she had struckthe right vein,--to come _asking_ about ghosts rather than announcingdisbelief too decidedly.
"What did mother tell you, Paulina?"
"It is too long ago for me to remember, but she told me the old storyabout the Van Meter ghost that clanked a sword and pulled the comforterfrom a bed and scared the Tory soldiers in the days of the Revolution."
"Why, I feel flattered to have the ghost come back to me after so long.Does Jan know the story?"
"Yes. I told him."
"H'm. But I can't understand about the _blue comforter_," meditatedJannet. Paulina did not follow her thought, naturally, and waited. "Butyou have talked about 'Her,' Paulina. Who was she?"
"One, the one I mean, was mourning, after her husband was killed in thewar, and pined away. The dog howled and the wind blew and there wasqueer music in the air the night he was killed and she got up from herbed and walked all over crying. The other I don't know, but it soundsthe way your uncle's wife carried on. Somebody has told you about her,I suppose."
"Yes," said Jannet, glad that Daphne had told her. "Did you see thelight in the wall, Paulina, that night?"
Paulina surprised Jannet by leaning forward with a startled look. "Wasthere a light in the wall, too? That was in your mother's story aboutthe Revolutionary times."
"I'm not sure just where the light was, Paulina, whether it was in thewall or on the wall, but part of the time it looked as if it shonethrough something. All I could think of was a secret passageway betweenmy room and somewhere, but I can't find it. Say, Paulina, who goes intothe attic besides you and me?"
"I let Vittoria keep a box there. It is the one with a padlock. She issaving up her money and you must not say a word about it, because sheis afraid it will be stolen."
"Why doesn't she take it to a bank?"
"She will some time. Now do you know everything you came to ask?"
"Yes, Paulina, and I beg your pardon if you do not like it. But I had atalk with Uncle Pieter this morning and,--oh, yes, I forgot one thing.I found out that a letter and a telegram came for Uncle Pieter from mymother long ago, after he had gone to Europe, after my grandmother'sdeath. Do you remember anything about it? He did not know about them,of course, at the time. Who was here, then?"
"All the rest of us; Andy, though, was on a visit. He never stayed withhis stepmother if he could help it. Vittoria was here. Mrs. Van Meterhad her since she was fifteen or sixteen. Vittoria isn't as young asshe looks." Paulina thought a moment, her stolid face looking moreintelligent than usual. "I can't remember any letter, but I do rememberanswering a telegram for Mrs. Van Meter when she was beginning one ofher conniption fits over nothing that I could see. Vittoria brought herthe telegram and she read it. Her face got all red and she stamped herfoot. 'The idea! The idea!' She said, 'what do we care? Oh, I'm goingto faint, Vittoria. Help me to the davenport, Paulina!'
"I told her that I guessed she could get there by herself, withVittoria there, and I ran for the stuff we used when she went intohysterics. When I came back, Vittoria took it from me and told me toattend to the man that brought the telegram out from the village.Something was wrong with the telephone. He was impatient and prettysoon I went to the door to ask Vittoria if Mrs. Van Meter wanted tosend a reply back.
"But Mrs. Van Meter sat up, then, all wild, and still mad. Then shetold me to write an answer. 'Say "No use," Paulina, "No use," and signit "Van Meter"!' Then she went off into her hysterics again. I sent theanswer, of course; and when the man asked where to, I told him I didn'tknow, but to fill it out to wherever the telegram came from, and hesaid he would. He told me how much it would be and I paid him."
Paulina stopped and Jannet sat quite still for a moment. Then she rose."Thank you, Paulina, so much, for all that you have told me. I havetold Uncle Pieter that I will make my home with him and not go back toschool next winter, so I hope that you will like me at least as much asyou do Jan. I'll try to be as good as possible myself, but I have a lotto learn, I suppose. Did you like my mother, Paulina?"
"Yes," bluntly replied Paulina, looking uncomfortable.
Jannet was only too thankful to have escaped anything unpleasant. Shedid not mind Paulina's lack of sentiment, though she rather felt thatshe had shown a little too much. She really was _not_ silly, she toldherself, as she walked away from Paulina's door.
Paulina's surprise and interest could not have been feigned. She didnot know about the lights, then. _She_ had not staged the performance.And now she had the answer that had been sent, she felt, to sometelegram which had preceded the one which her uncle had found. ButJannet scarcely knew how she would tell him this story, about his wife.Perhaps she could write it to him,--no, that would not do at all!Perhaps he would ask Paulina, then, at her suggestion. That was it.
A telephone call to Nell elicited the information that the company hadgone and that Nell could spend the afternoon any time that Jannetwanted her. When Mrs. Holt was later consulted, she suggested thatJannet ask Nell to come to spend the day and night with her. "Youruncle, Andy and I are invited to a grown-up affair to-morrow night,Jannet, and we'll be home very late, it is likely. I don't want Andy tomiss it, for it will do him good to get out as much as possible,instead of thinking too much. I am going to get his sweetheart herethis summer, Jannet, and now that he is so much better perhaps he willbe reasonable, especially when he finds that she still cares for him.
"Paulina will get supper for you and Nell and herself and we'll letDaphne and the maids look after themselves. Daphne will be glad to getoff."
So it was arranged, very quickly, that Nell was to stay wi
th Jannetagain.