Five Little Peppers Abroad
XIX
MR. KING HAS A LITTLE PLAN FOR POLLY
"Oh Jasper," exclaimed Polly, clasping her hands, "do you suppose we'llever get to a piano where it's all alone, and nobody wants to play onit--"
"But just you and I," finished Jasper. "I declare I don't know. You seewe don't stay still long enough in any one place to hire a decent one;and besides, father said, when we started, that it was better for us torest and travel about without any practising this summer. You know hedid, Polly."
"I know it," said Polly; "but oh, if we could just play once in awhile," she added mournfully.
"Well, we can't," said Jasper, savagely; "you know we tried that atBrussels, when we thought everybody had gone off. And those half adozen idiots came and stared at us through the glass door."
"And then they came in," added Polly, with a little shiver at therecollection. "But that big fat man with the black beard was the worst,Jasper." She glanced around as if she expected to see him coming downthe long parlour.
"Well, he didn't hear much; there didn't any of them," said Jasper;"that's some small satisfaction, because you hopped off the piano stooland ran away."
"You ran just as fast, I'm sure, Jasper," said Polly, with a littlelaugh.
"Well, perhaps I did," confessed Jasper, bursting into a laugh. "Whowouldn't run with a lot of staring idiots flying at one?" he brought upin disgust.
"And we forgot the music," went on Polly, deep in the reminiscence,"and we wouldn't go back--don't you remember?--until the big fat manwith the dreadful black beard had gone, for he'd picked it up and beenlooking at it."
"Yes, I remember all about it," said Jasper; "dear me, what a time wehad! It's enough to make one wish that the summer was all over, andthat we were fairly settled in Dresden," he added gloomily, as he sawher face.
"Oh, no," exclaimed Polly, quickly, and quite shocked to see themischief that she had done.
"We wouldn't have the beautiful summer go a bit faster, Jasper. Why,that would be too dreadful to think of."
"But you want to get at your music, Polly."
"I'll fly at it when the time comes," cried Polly, with a wise littlenod, "never you fear, Jasper. Now come on; let's get Phronsie and goout and see the shops."
Old Mr. King in a nook behind the curtain, dropped the newspaper in hislap and thought a bit. "Best to wait till we get to Lucerne," he saidto himself, nodding his white head; "then, says I, Polly, my child, youshall have your piano."
And when their party were settling down in the hotel at Lucerne, endingthe beautiful days of travel after leaving Munich, Jasper's fathercalled him abruptly. "See here, my boy."
"What is it, father?" asked Jasper, wonderingly; "the luggage is allright; it's gone up to the rooms--all except the portmanteau, andFrancis will go down to the station and straighten that out."
"I'm not in the least troubled in regard to the luggage, Jasper,"replied his father, testily; "it's something much more important thanthe luggage question about which I wish to speak to you."
Jasper stared, well knowing his father's views in regard to the luggagequestion. "The first thing that you must unpack--the very first," oldMr. King was saying, "is your music. Don't wait a minute, Jasper, butgo and get it. And then call Polly, and--"
"Why, father," exclaimed Jasper, "there isn't a single place to playin. You don't know how people stare if we touch the piano. We can'there, father; there's such a crowd in this hotel."
"You do just as I say, Jasper," commanded his father. "And tell Pollyto get her music; and then do you two go to the little room out of thebig parlour, and play to your hearts' content." And he burst into ahearty laugh at Jasper's face, as he dangled a key at the end of astring, before him.
"Now I do believe, father, that you've got Polly a piano and a littleroom to play in," cried Jasper, joyfully, and pouncing on the key.
"You go along and do as I tell you," said Mr. King, mightily pleased atthe success of his little plan. "And don't you tell Polly Pepper oneword until she has taken her music down in the little room," as Jasperbounded off on the wings of the wind.
And in that very hotel was the big fat man with the dreadful blackbeard, resting after a long season of hard work.
But Polly and Jasper wouldn't have cared had they known it, as long asthey had their own delightful little music room to themselves--as theyplayed over and over all the dear old pieces, and Polly revelled ineverything that she was so afraid she had forgotten.
"I really haven't lost it, Jasper!" she would exclaim radiantly, afterfinishing a concerto, and dropping her hands idly on the keys. "And Iwas _so_ afraid I'd forgotten it entirely. Just think, I haven't playedthat for three months, Jasper King."
"Well, you haven't forgotten a bit of it," declared Jasper, just asglad as she was. "You didn't make any mistakes, hardly, Polly."
"Oh, yes, I made some," said Polly, honestly, whirling around on thepiano stool to look at him.
"Oh, well, only little bits of ones," said Jasper; "those don'tsignify. I wish father could have heard that concerto. What a pity hewent out just before you began it."
But somebody else, on the other side of the partition between thelittle music room and the big parlour, had heard, and he pulled hisblack beard thoughtfully with his long fingers, then pricked up hisears to hear more. And it was funny how, almost every day, whenever thefirst notes on the piano struck up in Mr. King's little music room, thebig fat man, who was so tired with his season of hard work, neverseemed to think that he could rest as well as in that particular cornerup against that partition. And no matter what book or paper he had inhis hand, he always dropped it and fell to pulling his black beard withhis long fingers, before the music was finished.
And then, "Oh, Polly, come child, you have played long enough," fromMother Fisher on the other side of the partition; or old Mr. King wouldsay, "No more practising to-day, Miss Polly;" or Phronsie would pipeout, "Polly, Grandpapa is going to take us out on the lake; do come,Polly." And then it was funnier yet to see how suddenly the big fat manwith the dreadful black beard seemed to find that particular corner bythat partition a very tiresome place. And as the piano clicked down itscover, he would yawn, and get up and say something in very rapid Germanto himself, and off he would go, forgetting all about his book ornewspaper, which, very likely, would tumble to the floor, and flap awayby itself till somebody came and picked it up and set it on the sofa.
One morning old Mr. King, hurrying along with his batch of English mailto enjoy opening it in the little music room where Jasper and Pollywere playing a duet, ran up suddenly against a fat heavy body comingaround an opposite angle.
"Oh, I beg your pardon, sir," exclaimed Mr. King in great distress, themore so as he saw that the stranger's glasses were knocked off his noseby the collision. "I do trust they are not broken," he added, in aconcerned tone, endeavouring to pick them up.
But the big man was before him. "Not a beet, not a beet," he declared,adjusting them on his nose again. Then he suddenly grasped old Mr.King's hand. "And I be very glad, sir, _very_ glad indeed, dat I hafroon into you."
"Indeed!" exclaimed Mr. King, releasing his hand instantly, and all theconcern dropping out of his face.
"_Very_ glad indeed!" repeated the big man, heartily; then he pulledhis black beard, and stood quite still a moment.
"If you have nothing more to remark, sir," said Mr. King, haughtily,"perhaps you will be kind enough to stand out of my way, and allow meto pass. And it would be as well for you to observe more care in thefuture, sir, both in regard to your feet, and your tongue, sir."
"Yes, I am _very_ glad," began the big man again, who hadn't even heardMr. King's tirade, "for now--" and he gave his black beard a finaltwitch, and his eyes suddenly lightened with a smile that ran all overhis face, "I can speak to you of dis ting dat is in my mind. Your--"
"I want to hear nothing of what is on your mind," declared old Mr.King, now thoroughly angry. "Stand aside, fellow, and let me pass," hecommanded, in a towering passion.
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The big man stared in astonishment into the angry face, the smiledropping out of his own. "I beg to _ex_cuse myself," he said, with adeep bow, and a wave of his long fingers. "Will you pass?" and he movedup as tightly as possible to the wall.
Old Mr. King went into the little music room in a furious rage, andhalf an hour afterward Polly and Jasper, pausing to look around, sawhim tossing and tumbling his letters and newspapers about on the table,fuming to himself all the while.
"Father has had bad news!" exclaimed Jasper, turning pale; "somethingabout his agents, probably."
"O dear me! and here we have been playing," cried Polly in remorse,every vestige of colour flying from her cheek.
"Well, we didn't know," said Jasper, quickly. "But what can we do now,Polly?" he turned to her appealingly.
"I don't know," she was just going to say helplessly, but Jasper's facemade her see that something must be done. "Let's go and tell him we aresorry," she said; "that's what Mamsie always liked best if she feltbadly."
So the two crept up behind old Mr. King's chair: "Father, I'm _so_sorry," and "Dear Grandpapa, I'm _so_ sorry," and Polly put both armsaround his neck suddenly.
"Eh--what?" cried Mr. King, sitting bolt upright in astonishment. "Oh,bless me, children, I thought you were playing on the piano."
"We were," said Polly, hurrying around to the side of the table, herface quite rosy now, "but we didn't know--" and she stopped short,unable to find another word.
"--that you felt badly," finished Jasper. "Oh, father, we didn't knowthat you'd got bad news." He laid his hand as he spoke on the pile oftumbled-up letters.
"Bad news!" ejaculated old Mr. King, in perplexity, and looking fromone to the other.
"No, we didn't," repeated Polly, clasping her hands. "Dear Grandpapa,we truly didn't, or we wouldn't have kept on playing all this time."
Mr. King put back his head and laughed long and loud, as he hadn't donefor many a day, his ill humour dropping off in the midst of it. "Theletters are all right," he said, wiping his eyes, "never had betternews. It was an impertinent fellow I met out there, that's all."
"Father, who has dared--" began Jasper, with flashing eyes.
"Don't you worry, my boy; it's all right, the fellow got his quietus;besides, he wasn't worth minding," said Mr. King, carelessly. "Why,here is your mother," turning to Polly. "Now then, Mrs. Fisher, what isit; for I see by your eye some plan is on the carpet."
"Yes, there is," said Mrs. Fisher, coming in with a smile, "the doctoris going to take a day off."
"Is that really so?" cried Mr. King, with a little laugh. "What! noteven going to visit one of his beloved hospitals?" while Pollyexclaimed, radiantly, "Oh, how perfectly elegant! Now we'll havePapa-Doctor for a whole long day!"
Phronsie, who had been close to her mother's gown during the deliveryof this important news, clasped her hands in a quiet rapture, whilePolly exclaimed, "Now, Grandpapa, can it be the Rigi?" Jasper echoingthe cry heartily.
"I suppose it is to be the Rigi," assented old Mr. King, leaning backin his chair to survey them all, "that is, if Mrs. Fisher approves.We'll let you pick out the jaunting place," turning to her, "seeingthat it is the doctor's holiday."
"I know that Dr. Fisher wants very much to go up the Rigi," said hiswife, in great satisfaction at the turn the plans were taking.
"And we'll stay over night, father," cried Jasper, "won't we?"
"Stay over night?" repeated his father, "I should say so. Why, whatwould be the good of our going up at all, pray tell, if we didn'tdevote that much time to it and have a try for a sunrise?"
"We're to go up the Rigi!" exclaimed Polly, giving a little whirl, andbeginning to dance around the room, repeating, "We're to go up theRigi," exactly as if nobody knew it, and she was telling perfectlyfresh news.
"Here--that dance looks awfully good--wait for me," cried Jasper. Andseizing her hands, they spun round and round, Phronsie scuttling afterthem, crying, "Take me, too. I want to dance, Polly."
"So you shall," cried Polly and Jasper together; so they made a littlering of three, and away they went, Polly this time crying, "Just think,we're going to have the most beautiful sunrise in all this world."
And on the other side of the partition, in his accustomed nook in thebig parlour, the big fat man with the black beard sat. He pulled thissame black beard thoughtfully a bit, when Mr. King was telling aboutthe impertinent fellow. Then he smiled and jabbered away to himselfvery hard in German; and it wasn't till the King party hurried off toget ready for the Rigi trip, that he got up and sauntered off.
And almost the first person that old Mr. King saw on getting his partyinto a car on the funicular railway, was the "impertinent fellow," alsobound for the top of the Rigi.
"Oh, Grandpapa!" Polly got out of her seat and hurried to him withcheeks aflame, when midway up.
"I know--isn't it wonderful!" cried Grandpapa, happy in her pleasure,and finding it all just as marvellous as if he hadn't made the ascentseveral times.
"Yes, yes!" cried Polly. "It is all perfectly splendid, Grandpapa; butoh, I mean, _did_ you hear what that lady said?" and she dropped hervoice, and put her mouth close to Grandpapa's ear.
"I'm sure I didn't," said old Mr. King, carelessly, "and I'm free toconfess I'm honestly glad of it. For if there is one thing I detestmore than another, Polly, my girl, it is to hear people, especiallywomen, rave and gush over the scenery."
"Oh, she didn't rave and gush," cried Polly, in a whisper, afraid thatthe lady heard. "She said, Grandpapa, that Herr Bauricke is at Lucerne;just think, Grandpapa, the great Herr Bauricke!"
She took her mouth away from the old gentleman's ear in order to lookin his face.
"Polly, Polly," called Jasper from his seat on the farther end, "youare losing all this," as the train rounded a curve. "Do come back."
"Now, I'm glad of that," exclaimed Grandpapa, in a tone of the greatestsatisfaction, "for I can ask him about the music masters in Dresden andget his advice, and be all prepared before we go there for the winterto secure the very best."
"And I can see him, and perhaps hear him play," breathed Polly, in anawestruck tone, quite lost to scenery and everything else. Jasperleaned forward and stared at her in amazement. Then he slipped out ofhis seat, and made his way up to them to find out what it was all about.
"How did she know?" he asked, as Polly told all she knew; "I'm justgoing to ask her." But the lady, who had caught snatches of theconversation, though she hadn't heard Mr. King's part of it, veryobligingly leaned forward in her seat and told all she knew.
And by the time this was done, they all knew that the information wasin the American paper printed in Paris, and circulated all over theContinent, and that the lady had read it that very morning just beforesetting out.
"The only time I missed reading that paper," observed old Mr. King,regretfully.
"And he is staying at our very hotel," finished the lady, "for I haveseen you, sir, with your party there."
"Another stroke of good luck," thought old Mr. King, "and quite easy toobtain the information I want as to a master for Polly and Jasper."
"Now then, children," he said to the two hanging on the conversation,"run back to your seats and enjoy the view. This news of ours willkeep."
So Polly and Jasper ran back obediently, but every step of the toilsomeascent by which the car pushed its way to the wonderful heights above,Polly saw everything with the words, "Herr Bauricke is at _our_ hotel,"ringing through her ears; and she sat as in a maze. Jasper was nearlyas bad.
And then everybody was pouring out of the cars and rushing for thehotel on the summit; all but Mr. King's party and a few others, who hadtheir rooms engaged by telegraphing up. When they reached the bigcentral hall there was a knot of Germans all talking together, and onthe outside fringe of this knot, people were standing around andstaring at the central figure. Suddenly some one darted away from thisouter circle and dashed up to them. It was the lady from their hotel.
"I knew you'd want to kn
ow," she exclaimed breathlessly; "that's HerrBauricke himself--he came up on our train--just think of it!--the bigman in the middle with the black beard." She pointed an excited fingerat the knot of Germans.
Old Mr. King followed the course of the finger, and saw his"impertinent fellow who wasn't worth minding."