Maid Sally Part 12

And now that evenings of study had stopped for awhile, Sally went again after supper to the beloved seat at Ingleside. And Lady Lucretia Grandison and Lady Rosamond Earlscourt strolled often over to the arbor and chatted gaily while their white fingers held the embroidery at which they worked continually when not reading.

Many the scarf, cape, or flowing sleeve they worked themselves with which to deck their fair necks, shoulders, and arms.

One evening, as Sally sat dreaming on the stones, she heard Rosamond Earlscourt say:

"I must furbish up my riding-suit, for cousin Lionel will want to mount Hotspur once he is home again, and I my Lady Grace."

And Lucretia answered, "Lionel liketh best to ride alone when on Hotspur's back. Do not you remember he thought it made Hotspur impatient to have another horse beside him, and raised his temper?"

"Then there are other horses he can ride," returned Rosamond. "My beautiful Lady Grace is tired of standing in the stable, but I like not to ride alone or only with a groom for company."

These words seemed to rouse something in Sally's soul, and she cried, inwardly:

"Oh, why could not I have a 'Lady Grace,' a dear horse of my own on which to fly across the country? I could ride, I know I could, and oh, oh! I feel it within me that a fine horse, fine books, fine clothes, a fine house, all, all that I see at Ingleside or Cloverlove, would fit into my soul!"

"Dear child," said her Fairy, pityingly, "it is hard not to have what the heart cries out for. Why not try to find out more about yourself?

Have you ever questioned Mistress Brace about your father, or it might be about your mother, or what she may know of the home from whence they came?"

Sally had never thought of this before. She was now twelve years old, but the three years spent at the Flats, rather a miserable place, and now nearly four at Slipside Row, were all that she plainly remembered.

Now, seeing and hearing these people who were so far above her, had wakened that spirit or Fairy within her, which set her thinking of a better kind of life.

"Perhaps Mistress Brace has things that belonged to my parents, and that ought to be given me," murmured Sally.

"Why not ask her that, too?" said the Fairy.

"It would be no use," sighed the maiden.

CHAPTER XI.

FACE TO FACE

It was but a few days later that Goodman Kellar banged l.u.s.tily on the door, asking to see Mistress Brace. He had a fine setting of duck's eggs to sell.

Sally was in the keeping-room mending, but she called Mistress Brace down from her room. Then began a long parley about the eggs and some other produce.

Then Sally had an errand to her tiny room, and as she pa.s.sed Mistress Cory Ann's door, she saw that a queer little trunk, all hair on the outside, and with rows of great bra.s.s-headed nails along the edges, was standing open by the bed.

Sally had often seen the little trunk, which was always kept under Mistress Brace's bed tightly locked. She must have made a great mistake in leaving it open, Sally thought.

She felt for a moment that it would not be quite right to take a peep inside the trunk.

"It does not seem proper," said the Fairy.

"I will take but a peep," Sally replied.

She was so afraid the good Fairy might try to stop her that she hurried over to the bed and stooped down.

Ah, what a delicate, tasteful muslin cape was folded away! And there were letters in one corner. Sally spelled them over, and thought they made a name, but if so it was a strange one. There lay a letter.

"Oh, no, no!" cried the Fairy, as Sally took it in her hands.

"I will take but a teeny-weeny peep, good Fairy," said Sally, "but I feel as though it might be as well for me to see some things that I will never be told of."

But the letter gave no light to Maid Sally. Only toward the end she read: "I have done my best, but my health is failing. Should I not live there will be something for the one I leave." Then there was that strange name again at the very end, the same as was on the cape. Sally spelled it over and over, merely because it was so curious.

Goodman Kellar was moving away, and Sally ran softly to her room.

"Such a queer jumble of letters," she said to herself, still amused over the name, that, if it really was a name, Sally could not have p.r.o.nounced. They still grouped themselves in her mind.

"Put them on paper," said her Fairy.

"I will," cried the merry maid, and with a pin she p.r.i.c.ked the letters on a piece of paper. This she put in a box where she kept a few childish treasures, not any of them worth much.

Then came another great day that Sally knew all about. She had heard it talked of at the store, and the hired men had mentioned it.

The _Belle Virgeen_ was coming up to the quay,--they called it "kee,"--and a gay company was to meet, and a fine supper to be served on the green at Ingleside, after the proud vessel arrived, bringing back her Fairy Prince.

Sally had made up her mind not to go over by the hedge when the supper should be spread. She would be near the quay as the s.h.i.+p came in, and perhaps would get a look at her Fairy Prince, but something held her back from trying to see or hear anything that night at Ingleside.

"I am twelve years old now," she said to herself.

A neatly clad child watched eagerly as the _Belle Virgeen_ came slowly sailing in. Caps flew into the air, old straw ones going high aloft, and cries and cheers went up, as strong ropes made the vessel fast to the quay.

What! was that tall young man the Fairy Prince? He was tall when he went away, but now, at seventeen, he looked almost a man as he stepped ash.o.r.e and was immediately seized upon by glad, loving hands.

Again the Lady Gabrielle was not in the throng. She would greet her boy in the retirement of home, but others from the Ingleside household were on hand to give welcome.

And after a few moments a rolling figure limped forward, and Lionel held Mammy Leezer's dark hands and looked smilingly down into her face while she told how "done lonesome" she had been without her "babby."

Maid Sally did not know how she herself had grown during the year past.

Her splendid hair had been brought into fluffy order, which was all that was really needed. Her face had filled out a little, and the dimples in her brown cheeks were deeper. Her chin was rounding to a finer curve, and the cleft grown more decided. Her eyes were like stars and her teeth perfect.

Dame Maria Kent had one day given her a little brush, telling her to take it to the spring each day and use it on her teeth. And Sally was surprised to see what a small brush and clean water would do for a maiden's teeth. And Sally forgot nothing she once learned in the way of a useful lesson.

The maid was changing in a way. She was growing more and more shy of being seen by those she felt were above her. It was just as great a joy to catch a sight of her day-dream-Prince as it had ever been, but she would run away or hide anywhere sooner than risk meeting him or having him really see her.

One sweet morning she had gone to the pines, her beloved history in her hands. Back from the other trees, and on the other side of what had become a forest path, was a queer gnarled oak, that stood a solitary tree of its kind. And not far up was a complete seat, formed by the crossing of two large boughs. But so thick was the foliage that nimble Sally could be completely hidden, while learning her history by heart.

She was repeating again, with the usual pleasure, all about the discovery of America, when voices and hoof-beats smote upon her ear. And she sat like an image as Lionel Grandison and Rosamond Earlscourt came cantering along, their eyes bright with exercise and the horses tossing their fine manes as if enjoying the merry run as much as their riders.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "WHEN VOICES AND HOOF-BEATS SMOTE UPON HER EAR."]

How grand and manly looked her Prince on his high mount; yet she saw at a glance that he did not ride Hotspur. And ah, how proud and handsome looked the young Lady Rosamond as, with curls flying under her high, peaked hat, she sat the Lady Grace with stately air and held her with a firm, yet easy rein. But her fair face was turned smilingly toward her tall cousin.