Yr Ynys Unyg Part 6

"And, does that make the matter any better? Can't you employ your fingers any better than making holes in your handkerchiefs?"

"It's a way larks have," said I.

Schillie rose up in a huff.

"Come," said I, "let us all go and have a dip in the sea."

We all agreed to this, and we also agreed we would make an extensive bathing place, where we could learn to swim, and yet be out of harm from the sharks. In this matter every one helped. We rolled stones down to the water, and then, placed them so as to form a wall or pier into the sea, at twenty yards distance; from that we made another, and we sloped them so as to make their ends nearly meet. "Thus," as Oscar said, "leaving only room for a baby shark to get in."

"And we shall not mind that," said Zoe, "for it would not have cut its teeth."

It took us two or three days to do this, but that evening at tea, being heartily fatigued, we agreed to sit still and talk over all we should do.

"Oscar and I intend to fish all day," said Felix, "and you may be very much obliged to us, because it's very--"

"Very what, Felix," said his sister, who loved to tease him, "very tiresome, I suppose you mean."

"No; not tiresome exactly, but very fatiguing."

"Oh very fatiguing indeed, I dare say, and you know you would cry like a baby if any one prevented you fis.h.i.+ng."

"Lilly, you are so aggravating, I wish Winny was my sister, that I do, for she is so kind, and it's hard the only sister I have should tease me in this manner."

The faithful Jenny was at hand to take the part of each, and please both, while she put an end to the dispute.

"But, Mama," said Lilly, "if the boys do nothing but fish all day, may we little girls pick up sh.e.l.ls; ah you cannot think what lovely sh.e.l.ls there are; I am going to make a collection, and I should like to cla.s.s them all, and, by the time La Luna comes back, I want to have hundreds and hundreds, and I will take them to ornament my garden, or they will look lovely arranged all round the big hall; or, Mama, dear, we might make a grotto, think how lovely it would be! So let us little girls do nothing but pick up sh.e.l.ls. Do, dear Mama, do let us?"

"What a little tongue you have, child. Do you think Zoe and Winny would like to do nothing but pick up sh.e.l.ls?"

"I am sure I should not," said Zoe. "I must say I rather think, but I am not quite sure, that I shall not like it all day either," said Winny.

"We'll settle that important question soon, but at present I wish to propound to the company at large whether you think Hargrave and Jenny can wait on us all, without a little help?"

"Oh yes, Ma'am," said the smiling Jenny, "we can do well enough if Master Felix does not wet his feet too often, and the little ladies will do their own hair."

"I shall be happy to a.s.sist Jane, Ma'am, in any way I can after I have waited on you," said Hargrave.

"I thank you, Hargrave," said I, "but I must do without the waiting on, we must wait on each other."

"I hope not, Ma'am, I have always endeavoured to give you satisfaction, and should not like seeing any one wait on you but myself."

"Yes, yes, all that I understand, but--"

"I beg your pardon, Ma'am, but I cannot think of stopping with you, Ma'am, if any one else, Ma'am, is to be put above me, or take my place."

Hargrave was proceeding, in increased agitation and heat, when Gatty interrupted the business by repeated peals of laughter.

"Pray, pray, Gertrude, refrain, how very unladylike; you laugh like a great cow-boy," said Madame.

"I like Gatty's laughs, they are so merry," said Oscar, "but what are you laughing at?"

"Why at Hargrave to be sure, giving warning here, on this desert island."

"Who will you go to, Hargrave, if you leave your present mistress? The d.u.c.h.ess of Puddleduck? Lady Ape? or Baroness Shark? Ha! ha! my dear girls, did you ever hear anything so absurd?"

"Indeed, Miss Gertrude, I wonder at your manners to a poor servant like me, but I am not going to be put upon any how."

"And who was going to put upon you, my good woman? I meant nothing but that we must all help each other, and that there was no occasion for you to wait upon me as heretofore, while we are in this island."

Slightly mollified, she grumbled out "That it was certainly no use plaiting one's hair in such a place."

"Now, Schillie, what charge will you take?"

"Take! You mean do as I bid you."

"Then, if that's the case, you shall be caterer."

"No, no, that I protest against. Under no circ.u.mstances can I undertake dinner, though I fancy one has no great variety here. I'll look after your pet boys, and see that neither of them drown themselves fis.h.i.+ng, and I'll take charge of the guns, powder, and shot, and any little odd things requiring to be done I am ready to be called on to help."

"Very good. And you, Madame?" I gave her a warning glance not to say anything about lessons, so, after a pause, she said, "I will undertake to prepare the table for meals, and collect fruit and flowers, with the help of my three little ones."

"Thank you very much, that will be very kind, and now you elder girls!"

"Oh! we'll do as we are bid, except lessons," said Gatty.

"Then, Gatty and Serena, you must always bring the water from the brook morning and evening, and you, Sybil, must see that the children are tidy and that the things all put away in the tent, and you must, all three, help Jenny to wash up the things, and put them in their places tidy. And now then we will all disperse, until eleven o'clock, when Jenny must give us dinner as usual, and then we will all take siesta, and in the evening we shall be ready for no end of fun and mischief. Our dinner may seem somewhat early, but then we were obliged to be up very early to enjoy the cool part of the day." But I will begin my next chapter with a description of our doings.

CHAPTER XIV.

The first person that awoke in the morning generally rose and opened the tent letting in the fresh sea breeze. This might be between two and three in the morning, and always the most refres.h.i.+ng part of the whole day. The first bathing party then went down to the sea, consisting of Schillie, the three girls, Madame, and myself. Before we were well out of the water, and finis.h.i.+ng our toilettes under the tent, the boys used to come rus.h.i.+ng down with Jenny in attendance, who was always fearing her heedless Master Felix would get into danger. Finally the three little girls, with both the maids, habited in readiness to dip the unwilling ones, finished the morning ablutions.

Afterwards we all proceeded to the great chestnut tree, where we had prayers, the morning psalms, and lessons, and sung a hymn, which sounded in that lone but lovely spot so soft and beautiful that it used to bring tears to my eyes. So many young voices, gave a peculiar flute-like sound to the music, and as each cadence rose swelling through the branches of the great tree above us, so did the birds rise in clouds above us, returning nearer and nearer, as the soft voices died away, at the end of each verse. And to look at each young face uplifted with fresh sweet feelings of piety and love to me seemed a picture of what we might see hereafter in that other and brighter world, "which eye hath not seen, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive." The fair blooming face of Sybil contrasted well with the brilliant dark eyes and fine countenance of Gertrude, while the slight statue-like form of the graceful Serena, with her small head and beautiful throat bent over her book, completed their picture. And a smaller group stood beside them equally pretty to look at, equally wrapt up in the solemn duty they were performing. The taller Zoe in the middle, her black hair drawn from her fair and lovely profile, one little hand resting, on the pretty sparkling Winifred whose arch look was sobered into childish gravity, a pretty demureness hiding the merry blue eyes, and leaving long curling dark eyelashes to veil her cheeks; while on the other side, hanging or leaning, or both, stood Lilly, her long black curls swept in every direction, and falling in rich ma.s.ses over all three as the wind listed to blow them, the prettiest face in the world, peeping from between the dishevelled locks, with rosy mouth parted, and violet eyes upraised to heaven, as she sang with bird-like clearness above the rest.

The bright sun, the glowing sky, the brilliant flowers, the rich shade of the dark chestnut tree, all cast their lights and shadows on these two pretty groups as they stood before us, adding beauty to both.

The last verse being sung, all dispersed to their different duties, and the birds were now startled by the bursts of merry laughter that came from each group. Madame, with Sybil and her three little maidens, prepared the breakfast. Gatty and Serena ran for water, the maids put the tents to rights, the boys lighted the fire. Schillie and I sat looking on, acting company. I with admiring eyes, on the lovely scenery and pretty figures, she with inquisitive looks, scanning each unknown plant, moss, bird, or stone, and conjecturing their names and qualities.

A little clamouring below, as to who was to blow a great sh.e.l.l that Benjie had taught them how to use, prepared us two idle ones for the summons to breakfast, of which we all partook with great hilarity and content, the grumblings for want of milk, having ceased partly because they were not attended to, and partly because all the grumbling in the world obtained none. After breakfast, I settled with Jenny the difficult question of dinner, which generally consisted of fish, potatoes, and pudding, sometimes a little salt meat, sometimes a little fresh meat, out of the tin cases we had brought. But invariably we had a magnificent dessert, so that the children could eat nothing for thinking of what was coming. That important matter done, I joined the rest. Madame betook herself to her green parasol and terrace, with a dignified but compa.s.sionate air, as if the young ones did not know what they were losing, in preferring play to lessons. The three little girls in high delight went to collect that indispensable quant.i.ty of sh.e.l.ls, that was deemed necessary to ornament all they wished at home. The two good boys prepared with the gravity necessary for so important a business, to fish for our dinner, speculating upon what bait the fish would take that particular morning, and what they would not. To which we listened in solemn propriety, though well aware all the time they jumped at a bit of red worsted, as much as any other thing.

But the three elder ones did not care for picking up sh.e.l.ls, and could not abide fis.h.i.+ng. It was too hot to work, too sunny to read. They wanted to sit all day long in the pockets of the two Mothers, the elder one telling them stories, and the younger one making quaint remarks thereon, thereby spoiling many a sentimental speech, and upsetting many a romantic idea, but causing plenty of fun and merriment. But that could not last all day. Though we dined at eleven, it still wanted two good hours thereto. The big Mother was tired of telling tales; the little Mother was weary with doing nothing. All this time the green parasol meandered up and down, now and then sitting down to rest, and bending towards the girls with an unmistakeable look, that seemed to say, "come to your lessons, pray come to your lessons." But, the green parasol nodded in vain. At last after a fit of yawning, we all went botanizing, but that was very provoking work, for we could not tell the names of the lovely flowers and trees we found. Sybil suggested giving them our own names. Serena nearly broke her neck, climbing an almost inaccessible crag, and Gatty tore her frock every five minutes.

By this time the conch-sh.e.l.l sounded for dinner, in doing which Jenny blew her cheeks into the colour of a peony, we were all hot and tired and not in a very good humour.

The more we shewed this, the more gracious and cheerful Madame became, the little girls had been quite happy, the boys had wonders to relate as to the strange creatures that came peeping up at them from the deep as they were fis.h.i.+ng. Lilly hopes they were not mermaids, for she had heard they were very cruel, and enticed men down into the dark sea weed caverns, from whence they never more appeared.