CHAPTER VII. WE VISIT COUSIN MATTIE'S
One Saturday in March we walked over to Baywater, for a long-talked-ofvisit to Cousin Mattie Dilke. By the road, Baywater was six miles away,but there was a short cut across hills and fields and woods which wasscantly three. We did not look forward to our visit with any particulardelight, for there was nobody at Cousin Mattie's except grown-ups whohad been grown up so long that it was rather hard for them to rememberthey had ever been children. But, as Felicity told us, it was necessaryto visit Cousin Mattie at least once a year, or else she would be"huffed," so we concluded we might as well go and have it over.
"Anyhow, we'll get a splendiferous dinner," said Dan. "Cousin Mattie's agreat cook and there's nothing stingy about her."
"You are always thinking of your stomach," said Felicity pleasantly.
"Well, you know I couldn't get along very well without it, darling,"responded Dan who, since New Year's, had adopted a new method of dealingwith Felicity--whether by way of keeping his resolution or because hehad discovered that it annoyed Felicity far more than angry retorts,deponent sayeth not. He invariably met her criticisms with agood-natured grin and a flippant remark with some tender epithet taggedon to it. Poor Felicity used to get hopelessly furious over it.
Uncle Alec was dubious about our going that day. He looked abroad onthe general dourness of gray earth and gray air and gray sky, and saida storm was brewing. But Cousin Mattie had been sent word that wewere coming, and she did not like to be disappointed, so he let us go,warning us to stay with Cousin Mattie all night if the storm came onwhile we were there.
We enjoyed our walk--even Felix enjoyed it, although he had beenappointed to write up the visit for Our Magazine and was rather weigheddown by the responsibility of it. What mattered it though the world weregray and wintry? We walked the golden road and carried spring time inour hearts, and we beguiled our way with laughter and jest, and thetales the Story Girl told us--myths and legends of elder time.
The walking was good, for there had lately been a thaw and everythingwas frozen. We went over fields, crossed by spidery trails of grayfences, where the withered grasses stuck forlornly up through thesnow; we lingered for a time in a group of hill pines, great, majestictree-creatures, friends of evening stars; and finally struck into thebelt of fir and maple which intervened between Carlisle and Baywater.It was in this locality that Peg Bowen lived, and our way lay near herhouse though not directly in sight of it. We hoped we would not meether, for since the affair of the bewitchment of Paddy we did not knowquite what to think of Peg; the boldest of us held his breath as wepassed her haunts, and drew it again with a sigh of relief when theywere safely left behind.
The woods were full of the brooding stillness that often precedes astorm, and the wind crept along their white, cone-sprinkled floors witha low, wailing cry. Around us were solitudes of snow, arcades picked outin pearl and silver, long avenues of untrodden marble whence sprang thecathedral columns of the firs. We were all sorry when we were throughthe woods and found ourselves looking down into the snug, commonplace,farmstead-dotted settlement of Baywater.
"There's Cousin Mattie's house--that big white one at the turn of theroad," said the Story Girl. "I hope she has that dinner ready, Dan. I'mhungry as a wolf after our walk."
"I wish Cousin Mattie's husband was still alive," said Dan. "He was anawful nice old man. He always had his pockets full of nuts and apples.I used to like going there better when he was alive. Too many old womendon't suit me."
"Oh, Dan, Cousin Mattie and her sisters-in-law are just as nice and kindas they can be," reproached Cecily.
"Oh, they're kind enough, but they never seem to see that a fellow getsover being five years old if he only lives long enough," retorted Dan.
"I know a story about Cousin Mattie's husband," said the Story Girl."His name was Ebenezer, you know--"
"Is it any wonder he was thin and stunted looking?" said Dan.
"Ebenezer is just as nice a name as Daniel," said Felicity.
"Do you REALLY think so, my angel?" inquired Dan, in honey-sweet tones.
"Go on. Remember your second resolution," I whispered to the Story Girl,who was stalking along with an outraged expression.
The Story Girl swallowed something and went on.
"Cousin Ebenezer had a horror of borrowing. He thought it was simplya dreadful disgrace to borrow ANYTHING. Well, you know he and CousinMattie used to live in Carlisle, where the Rays now live. This was whenGrandfather King was alive. One day Cousin Ebenezer came up the hill andinto the kitchen where all the family were. Uncle Roger said he lookedas if he had been stealing sheep. He sat for a whole hour in the kitchenand hardly spoke a word, but just looked miserable. At last he got upand said in a desperate sort of way, 'Uncle Abraham, can I speak withyou in private for a minute?' 'Oh, certainly,' said grandfather, andtook him into the parlour. Cousin Ebenezer shut the door, lookedall around him and then said imploringly, 'MORE PRIVATE STILL.' Sograndfather took him into the spare room and shut that door. He wasgetting frightened. He thought something terrible must have happenedCousin Ebenezer. Cousin Ebenezer came right up to grandfather, tookhold of the lapel of his coat, and said in a whisper, 'Uncle Abraham,CAN--YOU--LEND--ME--AN--AXE?'"
"He needn't have made such a mystery about it," said Cecily, who hadmissed the point entirely, and couldn't see why the rest of us werelaughing. But Cecily was such a darling that we did not mind her lack ofa sense of humour.
"It's kind of mean to tell stories like that about people who are dead,"said Felicity.
"Sometimes it's safer than when they're alive though, sweetheart,"commented Dan.
We had our expected good dinner at Cousin Mattie's--may it be countedunto her for righteousness. She and her sisters-in-law, Miss LouisaJane and Miss Caroline, were very kind to us. We had quite a nice time,although I understood why Dan objected to them when they patted usall on the head and told us whom we resembled and gave us peppermintlozenges.