VIII.
_THE COTTAGE ON THE CLIFF._
"Well, my dearie," said grandmamma, "uncle and I have just taken such apretty little cottage for you all, high up on the cliff, looking rightover the blue sea. And you are to go off and try if the fresh wind upthere will put a little more colour into those cheeks of yours!"
My dear little friends, I had just nestled down snugly enough ongrandmamma's silk dress and black lace shawl, never having the leastidea of the dear, kind purpose of that long sixteen miles' drive, so youwon't be surprised to hear that the news gave me such a start that Ivery nearly jumped out of the carriage. And Alick--well, I don't knowwhether he was really half a boy or three quarters, but his shoutcertainly made you fancy him quite a _whole_ boy at that minute!
Oh, the bright, bright pictures that came tumbling one over another inone's mind, at the idea of the cottage on the cliff, crabs and shrimpsand shells and sea-weed, and merry, merry waves in one happy muddle! Anddo you know, nothing could induce the horses to trot fast enough up thelong drive; they never seemed to consider one bit how much we had totell, nor, indeed, how much we had _to do_, in preparation forto-morrow. What if they had done a good thirty miles since breakfast,they could stay at home next day and eat hay from morning to night andleave it to Fairy and Whitefoot to do the hot work for us.
I really cannot tell you how much sleep we got that night. I have adistinct remembrance of kicking all the bed-clothes off ever so manytimes, and of calling out to Lottie in the next room, without thesmallest respect to rules. And there was Jane as busy as could be, withSusette, packing up little frocks, and pinafores, and nightgowns. Everynow and then she would stop to say, "Really, Miss Sissy, you _must_ bequiet, and go to sleep!" But, you know, that was just one of thoseremarks which it is of no use listening to.
It's funny how sometimes sleep seems to run away and won't be caughtanyhow! Next night it was just the same. Only it was quite different,too. You know what I mean. That funny bedroom, with its white curtainscovered with pink rose-buds, and the venetian blinds, and the moonshining through, mixed up somehow with the sound of the waves; and tohave Lottie in the same large bed with me--oh, it was all so odd! Andthe narrow passages with two stairs at every turn, and the rooms openingright in each other's faces, so to say! It felt queer, too, to know thatwe were alone in the house with only Susette and Jane to take care ofus, the woman of the house to do hard work, and Gus to run errands forus.
By some means or other we did go to sleep at last, and afterwards wokeup in the morning to wonder where we were. And then came all the wondersof the new place to be discovered. Harry had persuaded grandmamma tosend over the steady old pony with us, and no sooner was breakfast overthan he appeared at the door led by Gus, for Master Harry to go, as hecalled it, on a voyage of discovery. I am not sure that our nurses werenot rather glad to be rid of this "Turk of a boy," as they called him;for Harry, good-natured as he was, could not lose a chance of teasingthe little ones, and sometimes, a little hurting their tempers.
I'M COMING!]
There was a great hollow place in the cliff close to our house, downwhich was the way to the beach, which we took with the least possibledelay. Then came the first delights of bathing, and when that was over,the digging in the sand and hunting for shells, while baby took hismorning sleep on Susette's lap. By and by we went home to dinner, andafter that, to hemming and sewing and reading with the nurses. Andwhen early tea was over, it was cool enough for a fresh walk over thehills, or away to the rocks farther off.
This was the way we spent four pleasant weeks, getting as rosy andstrong as any one could wish. Three or four times we were surprised inour morning play on the beach by the welcome sight of Uncle Hugh. For,every now and then, he would ride over to give grandmamma some news ofthe children. This was a great delight, for it was sure to mean, firstof all, that there were letters from home for us all,--those foreignsheets that Lottie loved to see, and the long crossed letters full ofmamma's love to me. And to us four elder ones, Harry and Lottie andAlick and me, uncle's visit always meant a glorious afternoon in a boatfar out at sea. I hardly know whether Harry or Gus delighted most in theprospect of these visits. The pleasure simply of holding the"Capitaine's" horse was enough to make the French boy's eyes glisten andhis teeth shine with the broadest smile. And to Harry the delight ofhandling an oar or managing a sail was beyond anything delicious.
But the visit which we had all most cause to remember was the last whichUncle Hugh paid us. He was going away to London on business--businesswhich would soon end in another long voyage, the news of which brought aflush of pleasure to Gus's cheeks, soon changed to intensedisappointment at the news that he must this time be left in England.
That afternoon we were longer than usual on the sea, only returning justin time for a late tea and bed. Uncle Hugh started about seven o'clock,and Harry as usual mounted his pony in great haste to go with him partof the way. I remember that uncle was in a hurry, and did not wait forhim, for as I stood undressing near the window I saw Harry waving hishat and calling after him, with the two dogs at his side.
THROUGH THICK AND THIN.]
The long summer evening faded away; from my pillow I saw the stars comeout one by one, and then kissing my hand to them, I let my sleepy eyesgo shut, and was soon in the midst of pleasant dreamland. I don't knowhow long after this it was, that I was aroused by a sound of whispers atthe door, and then by a little timid question from Lottie, "Susette,isn't Harry come home?" "But no, Miss Lottie," was the answer in atroubled voice, and Jane broke in: "Hush, hush! you'll wake Miss Sissy!Go to sleep, there's a darling. He'll be home directly now--no need tobe frightened!"
"No need to be frightened!" said Susette, in her foreign accent. "But,yes----"
Jane had pulled her out of the room, and Lottie and I, now wide awake,were left to wonder, and talk in low, frightened tones. Lottie had heardthe whining of one of the dogs under the window--both dogs had gone offwith Harry--and she had heard Susette call Jane gently, and then theyhad whispered outside the door something about Gus and the dog; andafter that she had heard Gus run off under the window, the dog barkingjoyfully and going, too. How we lay and trembled! By and by I got out ofbed, and peeped through the Venetians, in spite of Lottie's entreaties.
"Oh, Sissy, please don't! Susette will be so angry! Please, Sissy, comeback!"
I protested that Susette was not _my_ nurse, yet I knew she could scoldin such a bewildering torrent of French as did sometimes frighten me;and as I could see nothing but the calm, beautiful starlit sky over thesleeping sea, I dropped the blind, and sprang back into bed. It made anoise as I dropped it, and for some time the fear of being heard, andthe anxiety to appear asleep if any one came, made us forget our alarmabout Harry. In fact, I think we were getting sleepy again--I was, atleast--but we started up at the sound of the hall-door softly opened,and then men's footsteps on the stairs. There was a low moan as thesteps passed our door. Oh, how breathlessly we waited! Once, even, I hadthe door ajar, and was peeping out, when a hurried hand outside suddenlyshut it again, making me start back. By and by there was a sound offootsteps going downstairs, and in a moment Lottie and I were both inthe passage entreating Jane to tell us what had happened.
"Master Harry has been tumbled over the pony's head, Miss Lottie," shesaid, "and he's been lying in a ditch nobody knows how long; but thedog's saved his life--him and Gus together--and the doctor hopes hewon't be very bad, no bones being broken, only bruises and knocks of thehead. He don't quite know himself, you see, yet, poor young gentleman!and we have to keep him quiet, so you must go and be as still as mice.The doctor'll be here in the morning, and the missis, too, may be!"
All this while she was tucking us into bed again, and when she drew thecurtains and left us we were afraid to whisper even, for fear of beingheard in the next room and hurting Harry.
At breakfast the next morning we were told that Gus was "nigh about atBeecham by this time," and before evening the carriage had come just insight, an
d stopped, and grandmamma was walking up to the house.
Then followed a very quiet week, during which we never spoke aloudwithout getting a sharp "hush!" Indeed, we were not allowed to be in thehouse a minute longer than necessary, being down on the beach wheneverwe were not eating, drinking, or sleeping. By the end of the week, Harrywas to be seen at these rare intervals looking very pale, and quiet, andunlike himself on the sofa. I distinctly remember feeling ratherpleased as I looked from him to Alick, and thought how much more of aboy Alick looked with his brown, rosy face, than the pale, languid,almost girlish elder brother, speaking in a weak, tired voice from hispillow. It was about another ten days before the close carriage camefrom Beecham, and with plenty of soft cushions, Harry was laid in it,and driven away back to the Park.
When we saw him there on our return, he was almost himself again, merryand bright, but a little pale and easily tired.