Five Little Peppers Abroad
XVI
"LET US FLY AT THOSE BOOKS"
"Now, Polly, in Antwerp," said Jasper, "we can see Rubens toperfection. Won't we just revel in his paintings, though!"
"Won't we!" ejaculated Polly. "I'm so glad Grandpapa came here to thishotel." She leaned out of the window as she spoke.
"Under the very eaves of the Cathedral, almost, isn't it?" said Jasper,in satisfaction.
The chimes just then pealed out. Indeed, it seemed as if they didnothing but ring, so short were the intervals. But to Polly and Jasperthey brought only echoes of delight.
"There are forty of those bells, aren't there?" asked Polly, restingher elbows on the window-sill.
"I believe so," answered Jasper, absently. Polly looked at himcuriously.
"Polly," he said abruptly, "do you know what I mean to do?"
"No," said Polly; "tell me, do, Jasper."
"Well, I mean to sit right down and finish my book. I'm ashamed toconfess that it's not up to date."
"Neither is mine," confessed Polly.
"Well, now, that won't do," said Jasper, decidedly. "You see if we oncelet those books get behindhand, we're lost. We never can catch up, inall this world."
"We've had so much to do and to see," began Polly.
"That won't be any excuse that will amount to anything," said Jasper,shaking his head. "Let's fly at them and tackle them now, Polly."
"I say so, too," she cried, and deserting the window, they surroundedthe centre-table, and soon had the big journals, photographs, andpictures, of every sort and size, the ink bottle, and library paste,scissors, and all the rest of the paraphernalia, spread out on it.
"It's good that Grandpapa is lying down and doesn't wish to go out,"remarked Polly, snipping away at a fearful rate, and pausing only towrite down the dates and other bits of information around each picture,as she pasted it in. "Now we'll have all this morning to finish thesebooks up to to-day."
"And none too much for the job," said Jasper, sagely. "I declare Ishall feel like enjoying myself twice as well, when once they're up todate. They've been hanging round my conscience every day since Islackened work on them."
"And I am so glad you made me come away from that window, and set towork," said Polly, "or I never would have commenced on mine to-day."
"Oh, yes, you would, I think, Polly," said Jasper. "Well, we are at itnow, and that's enough. Now says I, I'm on book No. 2!" And he flappeddown the cover of the completed one. "That's done, thank fortune!"
"Oh, Jasper, have you the green one done?" asked Polly. "Why, I havethree more pages of mine to do."
"Well, you'll catch up on the red one, I dare say," said Jasper,opening No. 2. "We are getting on famously, aren't we, Polly?" glancingover at her work.
"Yes, and I'm so glad you proposed this way to keep a journal," saidPolly, "to have them labelled 'My Notes on My European Journey,' and tohave No. 1 green, and No. 2 red, and so on all through the rest of thecolours."
"That will help us to find them in a hurry," said Jasper, "and keepthem distinct; but I didn't propose it, Polly, about the books. It wasyour plan as much as mine."
"No." Polly was guilty of contradicting. "I never should have thoughtof having the books of different colours and labelling them in thatway, Jasper."
"Well, you first thought of cutting out pictures and all sorts ofitems, and then writing the dates and whatever else we wanted to aroundthe pictures," said Jasper. "I'm sure that's more important than thetitle of the book, Polly."
"Well, won't the boys love to see them," asked Polly, suddenly, with alight in her eyes, ignoring the question as to her claim to the idea,"when we get home, Jasper?"
"Won't they, though!" he responded, falling to work with a will.
And so Antwerp was entered with clear consciences as to journals, and astrict determination not to fall behind again on them.
But Polly slipped in so many of the beautiful photographs of the"Descent from the Cross," and the other two famous pictures by Rubens,that her red book was closed the third day of their stay in the oldtown of Antwerp; and the photographs had even overflowed into theyellow book, No. 3.
They had a habit, most of their party, of dropping into the Cathedralonce a day at least, usually in the morning, and sometimes beforeservice. And then when it was quiet, and before the ordinary throng ofsight-seers trailed through, Jasper would hire some chairs of one ofthe old women who always seem to be part and parcel of Europeancathedrals; and they would sit down before the painting, its wingsspread over the dingy green background, and study what has made so manycountless travellers take long and oftentimes wearisome journeys to see.
And Polly always wanted to go after that to see the "Assumption," whichis the altar-piece, and then the "Elevation of the Cross," both byRubens. "And I am sure, Grandpapa," she would always say, "I like themas well as I do the famous painting."
"And so do I, Polly, in a way," Grandpapa would invariably reply. "Theyare all marvellous, and that is all we can say, for no expressionscould give the truth about them."
After the Cathedral, which they loved all the more,--"for being perchedunder its eaves" (as Polly always said when speaking of the hotel thatwas for the time being their home),--Polly and Jasper set next in theirregard the Musee Plantin-Moretus. They were never tired of running downthere to the Marche du Vendredi, until it became a regular questionevery day at dinner, "Well, what more have you discovered at the MuseePlantin?"
And old Mr. King would often answer, for he was as interested as theyoung people, "Marvellous things." And then he would expatiate on theantique furniture, the paintings, engravings, and tapestries, till thelittle doctor, fresh from his hospital visitations, would remark thatit was just as good as if he had time to visit the place, to hearGrandpapa tell it all. And Adela would bring out her little sketches,which now she was not averse to showing, since everybody was so kindand sympathising, and there would be some little nook or corner ofcorridor or court that Polly would fall upon and pronounce, "Justperfect, and how did you get it?"
"Oh, I just drew a bit now and then when you were looking at things,"said Adela, carelessly.
"Everything just dances off your pencil," said Polly, wishing she coulddraw, and wondering if it was any use for her to try to learn.
And every afternoon they would go to drive as usual, very often aroundthe docks, which gave them all a good idea of this wonderful port. Theywere never tired of watching the hydraulic cranes, of inspecting thedry docks; the intertwining railways by which all the docks, large andsmall, are connected, and the two basins, Le Petit and Le Grand Bassin.
"Dear me!" exclaimed Jasper, on one of these occasions, "I thoughtAmsterdam docks were huge affairs, but Antwerp!" And he left hissentence in mid-air, which was more impressive after all.
But Parson Henderson liked the church of St. Jacques best of all thingsin Antwerp, and he used to steal away mornings to go there again andagain. And he asked Polly and Jasper to go there with him one day, andPolly begged to have Adela go too, and they all came home asenthusiastic as he was.
And then suddenly Mr. King would wrench them all off from thisdelightful study and put his foot down peremptorily. "No morecathedrals for a time," he would declare; "my old head cannot carry anymore just yet." And he would propose a little in-letting of fun. Andthen off they would go a-shopping, or to the Zoological Gardens; andthey always had concerts, of course, wherever they were, for Polly andJasper's sakes, if for no other reason. And by and by somebodyannounced, one fine morning, that they had been in Antwerp a fortnight.
And then one day Mother Fisher looked into Polly's brown eyes, andfinding them tired, she calmly tucked Polly quietly in bed. "Why,Mamsie," declared Polly, "I'm not sick."
"No, and I'm not going to have you be," observed Mrs. Fisher, sensibly."This running about sight-seeing is more tiresome, child, than youthink for, and dreadfully unsettling unless you stop to rest a bit. No,Jasper," as he knocked at the door, "Polly can't go out to-day, atleast not this morning. I'
ve put her to bed."
"Is Polly sick, Mrs. Fisher?" called Jasper, in great concern.
"No, not a bit," answered Mrs. Fisher, cheerily, "but she's tired. I'veseen it coming on for two or three days back, so I'm going to take itin time."
"And can't she come out, to-day?" asked Jasper, dreadfullydisappointed, with a mind full of the host of fine things they hadplanned to do.
"No, Jasper," said Mother Fisher, firmly, "not to jaunt about." SoJasper took himself off, feeling sure, despite his disappointment, thatPolly's mother was right.
And there was another person who wholly agreed with Mother Fisher, andthat was old Mr. King. "If you can stop those young folks from killingthemselves running about to see everything, you'll do more than I can,Mrs. Fisher," he observed. "It makes no difference how long I plan tostay in a town, so as to do it restfully, if they won't rest."
"That is a fact," said Mother Fisher. "Well, that's my part to see thatthey do rest."
"I don't envy you the job," said the old gentleman, drily.
Polly fidgeted and turned on her pillow, knowing Mamsie was right, butunable to keep from thinking of the many beautiful plans that Jasperand she had formed for that very morning, till her head spun round andround. "I can't get to sleep," she said at last.
"Don't try to," said her mother, dropping the heavy wool curtains tillthe room was quite dark; "that's the worst thing in the world to do, ifyou want to rest. Just lie still and don't try to think of anything."
"But I can't help thinking," said poor Polly, feeling sure that Jasperwas dreadfully disappointed at the upsetting of all the plans.
"Never say you can't help anything, Polly," said her mother, comingover to the bedside to lay a cool hand on Polly's hot forehead, andthen to drop a kiss there; and somehow the kiss did what all Polly'strying had failed to accomplish.
"That's good, Mamsie," she said gratefully, and drew a long, restfulbreath.
Mother Fisher went out and closed the door softly.
It was just three o'clock that afternoon when Polly woke up.
"Oh, I'm dreadfully ashamed!" she exclaimed when she found it out."I've slept almost this whole day!"
Mother Fisher smiled, "And it's the best day's work you've done in onelong while, Polly," she said.
"And here's my girl, Polly," cried Grandpapa, when she ran down to him,and holding her at arm's length, he gazed into her bright eyes and onher rosy cheeks. "Well, well, your mother's a clever woman, and nomistake."
So Polly knew if she didn't take care and not get tired again, shewould be tucked into bed another fine day.
It was a long summer morning, and they were sailing up the Rhine, withthe delights of Brussels and Cologne behind them, and in between thecovers of the purple book, No. 4, Polly had been looking at ruinedcastles and fortresses, at vine-clad terraces, and chalets, until sheturned to Grandpapa with a sigh.
"Tired, Polly, little woman?" he said, cuddling her up against him.
"No, not tired, Grandpapa," said Polly, "but, oh, there's so very muchof it over here in Europe."
"If you've found that out, you've learned the lesson early," said oldMr. King, with a laugh. "As many times as I've been over here, there'snothing that surprises me so much as the presumption with which wetravellers all rush about, expecting to compass all there is."
"But we ought to see everything," said Polly, "oughtn't we, Grandpapa,when we've come so far to see it?" and she looked troubled.
"There's just where you are wrong, Polly, child," said old Mr. King."And this 'ought to see,' why, it's an old dragon, Polly, lying in waitto destroy. Don't you let it get hold of you, but take my advice andsee only what you can make your own and remember. Then you've got it."