CHAPTER XIV
TEA AT FARMER MILES'S
"It's all right, girls!" said Betty in her most joyful tone.
"What is all right, Betty and Bess?" asked Sylvia saucily.
"Oh, kiss me, girls," said Betty, "and let's have a real frolic!To-morrow is Saturday--a half-holiday, of course--and we're going to theMileses' to have tea."
"The Mileses'!"
"Yes, you silly children; those dear farmer-folk who keep the dogs."
"Dan and Beersheba?" cried Hetty.
"Yes, Dan and Beersheba; and we're going to have a real jolly time, andwe're going to forget dull care. It'll be quite the most delightfulsport we've had since we came to Haddo Court. What I should love mostwould be to vault over the fence and go all by our lonesome selves. Butwe must have a maid--a horrid, stupid maid; only, of course, she'll walkbehind, and she'll leave us alone when we get to the farm. She'll fetchus again by-and-by--that'll be another nuisance. Still, somehow, I don'tknow what there is about school, but I'm not game enough to go withoutleave."
"You are changed a good bit," said Hetty. "I think myself it's since youwere made a Speciality."
"Perhaps so," said Betty thoughtfully.
Sylvia nestled close to her sister; while Hetty knelt down beside her,laid her elbows on Betty's knee, and looked up into her face.
"I wonder," said Sylvia, "if you like being a Special, or whatever theycall themselves, Betty mine?"
Betty did not speak.
"Do you like it?" said Hester, giving her sister a poke in the side asshe uttered the words.
"I can't quite tell you, girls; it's all new to me at present.Everything is new and strange. Oh girls, England is a cold, coldcountry!"
"But it is declared by all the geography-books to be warmer thanScotland," said Sylvia, speaking in a thoughtful voice.
"I don't mean physical cold," said Betty, half-laughing as she spoke.
"I begin to like school," said Hetty. "Lessons aren't really a bithard."
"I think school is very stimulating," said Sylvia. "The teachers are allso kind, and we are making friends by degrees. The only thing that Hettyand I don't like is this, Bet, that we see so very little of you."
"Although I see little of you I never forget you," was Betty's answer.
"And then," continued Sylvia, "we sleep in the same room, which is agreat blessing. That is something to be thankful for."
"And perhaps," said Betty, "we'll see more of each other in the future."
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, nothing--nothing."
"Betty, you are growing very mysterious."
"I hope not," replied Betty. "I should just hate to be mysterious."
"Well, you are growing it, all the same," said Hester. "But, oh Bet,you're becoming the most wonderful favorite in the school! I can't tellyou what the other girls say about you, for I really think it would makeyou conceited. It does us a lot of good to have a sister like you; forwhenever we are spoken to or introduced to a new girl--I mean a girl wehaven't spoken to before--the remark invariably is, 'Oh, are you relatedto Betty Vivian, the Speciality?' And then--and then everything is allright, and the girls look as if they would do anything for us. We arethe moon and stars, you are the sun; and it's very nice to have a sisterlike you."
"Well, listen, girls. We're going to have a real good time to-morrow,and we'll forget all about school and the lessons and the chapel."
"Oh, but I do like the chapel!" said Sylvia in a thoughtful voice. "Ilove to hear Mr. Fairfax when he reads the lessons; and I think if Iwere in trouble about anything I could tell him, somehow."
"Could you?" said Betty. She started slightly, and stared very hard ather sister. "Perhaps one could," she said after a moment's pause. "Mr.Fairfax is very wonderful."
"Oh yes, isn't he?" said Hester.
"But we won't think of him to-night or to-morrow," continued Betty,rising to her feet as she spoke. "We must imagine ourselves back inScotland again. Oh, it will be splendid to have that time at theMileses' farm!"
The rest of the evening passed without anything remarkable occurring.Betty, as usual, was surrounded by her friends. The younger Vivian girlschatted gaily with others. Every one was quite kind and pleasant toBetty, and Fanny Crawford left her alone. As this was quite the verybest thing Fanny could do, Betty thanked her in her heart. But thatevening, just before prayer-time, Betty crossed the hall, where she hadbeen sitting surrounded by a group of animated schoolfellows, and wentup to Miss Symes. "Have I your permission, Miss Symes," she said, "notto attend prayers in chapel to-night?"
"Aren't you well, Betty dear?" asked Miss Symes a little anxiously.
Betty remained silent for a minute. Then she said, "Physically I amquite well; mentally I am not."
"Dear Betty!"
"I can't explain it," said Betty. "I would just rather not attendprayers to-night. Do you mind?"
"No, dear. You haven't perhaps yet been acquainted with the fact thatthe Specialities are never coerced to attend prayers. They are expectedto attend; but if for any reason they prefer not, questions are notasked."
"Oh, thank you!" said Betty. She turned and went slowly and thoughtfullyupstairs. When she got to her own room she sat quite still, evidentlythinking very hard. But when her sisters joined her (and they all wentto bed earlier than usual), Betty was the first to drop asleep.
As has already been stated, Betty's pretty little bed was placed betweenSylvia's and Hetty's; and now, as she slept, the two younger girls bentacross, clasped hands, and looked down at her small white face. Theycould just get a glimmer of that face in the moonlight, which happenedto be shining brilliantly through the three big windows.
All of a sudden, Sylvia crept very softly out of bed, and, running roundto Hester's side, whispered to her, "What is the matter?"
"I don't know," replied Hester.
"But something is," remarked Sylvia.
"Yes, something is," said Hester. "Best not worry her."
Sylvia nodded and returned to her own bed.
On the following morning, however, all Betty's apparent low spirits hadvanished. She was in that wild state of hilarity when she seemed tocarry all before her. Her sisters could not help laughing every timeBetty opened her lips, and it was the same during recess. When manygirls clustered round her with their gay jokes, they became convulsedwith laughter at her comic replies.
It was arranged by Mrs. Haddo that Betty and her two sisters were tostart for the Mileses' farm at three o'clock exactly. It would not takethem more than half an hour to walk there. Mrs. Miles was requested togive them tea not later than four o'clock, and they were to be calledfor at half-past four. Thus they would be back at Haddo Court aboutfive.
"Only two hours!" thought Betty to herself. "But one can get a greatdeal of pleasure into two hours."
Betty felt highly excited. Her sisters' delight at being able to gofailed to interest her. As a rule, with all her fun and nonsense andhilarity, Betty possessed an abundance of self-control. But to-day sheseemed to have lost it.
The very staid-looking maid, Harris by name, who accompanied them, couldscarcely keep pace with the Vivian girls. They ran, they shouted, theylaughed. When they were about half-way to the Mileses' farm they came toa piece of common which had not yet been inclosed. The day was dry andcomparatively warm, and the grass on the common was green, owing to therecent rains.
"Harris," said Betty, turning to the maid, "would you like to see someCatharine wheels?"
Harris stared in some amazement at the young lady.
"Come along, girls, do!" said Betty. "Harris must have fun as well asthe rest of us. You like fun, don't you Harris?"
"Love it, miss!" said Harris.
"Well, then, here goes!" said Betty. "Harris, please hold our hats."
The next instant the three were turning somersaults on the green grassof the common, to the unbounded amazement of the maid, who felt quiteshocked, and shouted to the young ladies to come back and behavethemselves. Betty st
opped at once when she heard the pleading note inHarris's voice.
"You hadn't ought to have done it," said Harris; "and if my missis wasto know! Oh, what shows you all three do look! Now, let me put your hatson tidy-like. There, that's better!"
"I feel much happier in my mind now, Harris--and that's a good thing,isn't it?" said Betty.
"Yes, miss, it's a very good thing. But I shouldn't say, to look at you,that you knew the meaning of the least bit of unhappiness."
"Of course I don't," said Betty; "nor does my sister Sylvia, nor does mysister Hester."
"We did up in Scotland for a time," said Hester, who could notunderstand Betty at all, and felt more and more puzzled at her queerbehavior.
"Well, now, we'll walk sober and steady," said Harris. "You may reckonon one thing, missies--that I won't tell what you done on the common,for if I did you'd be punished pretty sharp."
"You may tell if you like, Harris," said Betty. "I shouldn't dream ofasking you to keep a secret."
"I won't, all the same," said Harris.
The walk continued without any more exciting occurrences; and when thegirls reached the farm they were greeted by Mrs. Miles, her two bigboys, and the farmer himself. Here Harris dropped a curtsy anddisappeared.
"Oh, I must kiss you, Mrs. Miles!" said Betty. "And, please, this is mysister Sylvia, and this is Hester. They are twins; but, having two setsyourself, you said you did not mind seeing them and giving them tea,even though they are twins."
"'Tain't no disgrace, missie, as I've heerd tell on," said the farmer.
"Oh Farmer Miles, I am glad to see you!" said Betty. "Fancy dear, kindMrs. Haddo giving us leave to come and have tea with you!--I do hope,Mrs. Miles, you've got a very nice tea, for I can tell you I am hungry.I've given myself an appetite on purpose; for I would hardly touch anybreakfast, and at dinner I took the very teeniest bit."
"And so did I," said Sylvia in a low tone.
"And I also," remarked Hester.
"Well, missies, I ha' got the best tea I could think of, and right gladwe are to see you. You haven't spoken to poor Ben yet, missie."
Here Mrs. Miles indicated her eldest son, an uncouth-looking lad ofabout twelve years of age.
"Nor Sammy neither," said the farmer, laying his hand on Sammy's broadshoulder, and bringing the red-haired and freckled boy forward.
"I am just delighted to see you, Ben; and to see you, Sammy. And theseare my sisters. And, please, Mrs. Miles, where are the twins?"
"The twinses are upstairs, sound asleep; but they'll be down bytea-time," said Mrs. Miles.
"And, above all things, where are the dogs?" said Betty.
"Now, missie," said the farmer, "them dogs has been very rampageouslately, and, try as we would, we couldn't tame 'em; so we have 'emfastened up in their kennels, and only lets 'em out at night. You shallcome and see 'em in their kennels, missie."
"Oh, but they must be let out!" said Betty, tears brimming to her eyes."My sisters love dogs just as much as I do. They must see the dogs. Oh,we must have a game with them!"
"I wouldn't take it upon me, I wouldn't really," said the farmer, "tolet them dogs free to-day. They're that remarkable rampageous."
"Well, take me to them anyhow," said Betty.
The farmer, his wife, Ben and Sammy, and the three Vivian girls trampedacross the yard, and presently arrived opposite the kennels where Danand Beersheba were straining at the end of their chains. When they heardfootsteps they began to bark vociferously, but the moment they saw Bettytheir barking ceased; they whined and strained harder than ever in theirwild rapture. Betty instantly flung herself on her knees by Dan's sideand kissed him on the forehead. The dog licked her little hand, and wasalmost beside himself with delight. As to poor Beersheba, he very nearlywent mad with jealousy over the attention paid to Dan.
"You see for yourself," said Betty, looking into the farmer's face, "thedogs will be all right with me. You must let them loose while I amhere."
"It do seem quite wonderful," said the farmer. "Now, don't it, wife?"
"A'most uncanny, I call it," said Mrs. Miles.
"But before you let them loose I must introduce my sisters to them,"said Betty. "Sylvia, come here. Sylvia, kneel by me."
The girl did so. The dogs were not quite so much excited over Sylvia asthey were over Betty, but they also licked their hands and wagged theirtails in great delight. Hester went through the same form ofintroduction; and then, somewhat against his will, the farmer gave thedogs their liberty. Betty said, in a commanding tone, "To heel, goodboys, at once!" and the wild and savage dogs obeyed her.
She paced up and down the yard in a state of rapture at her conquestover these fierce animals. Then she whispered something to Sylvia, whoin her turn whispered to Mrs. Miles, who in her turn whispered to Ben;the result of which was that three wicker chairs were brought from thehouse, Betty and her sisters seated themselves, and the dogs sprawled inecstasy at their side.
"Oh, we are happy!" said Betty. "Mrs. Miles, was your heart ever verystarvingly empty?"
"Times, maybe," said Mrs. Miles, who had gone, like most of her sex,through a chequered career.
"And weren't you glad when it got filled up to the brim again?"
"That I was," said Mrs. Miles.
"My heart was a bit starved this morning," said Betty; "but it feelsfull to the brim now. Please, dear, good Mrs. Miles, leave us five alonetogether. Go all of you away, and let us stay alone together."
"Meanin' by that you three ladies and them dogs?"
"Yes, that is what I mean."
The farmer bent and whispered something to his wife, the result of whichwas that a minute later Betty and her sisters were alone with theanimals. They did not know, however, that the farmer had hidden himselfin the big barn ready to spring out should "them fierce uns," as hetermed the animals, become refractory. Then began an extraordinaryscene. Betty whispered in the dogs' ears, and they grovelled at herfeet. Then she sang a low song to them; and they stood upright,quivering with rapture. The two girls kept behind Betty, who wasevidently the first in the hearts of these extraordinary dogs.
"I could teach them no end of tricks. They could be almost as livelyand delightful as Andrew and Fritz," said Betty, turning to her sisters.
"Oh yes," they replied. Then Sylvia burst out crying.
"Silly Sylvia! What is the matter?" said Betty.
"It's only that I didn't know my heart was hungry until--until this veryminute," said Sylvia. "Oh, it is awful to live in a house without dogs!"
"I have felt that all along," said Betty. "But I suppose, after afashion, we've got to endure. Oh do stop crying, Sylvia! Let's make themost of a happy time."
The culmination of that happy time was when Mrs. Miles appeared on thescene, accompanied by four little children--two very pretty littlegirls, dressed in white, their short sleeves tied up with blue ribbonsfor the occasion; and two little boys a year or two older.
"These be the twinses," said Mrs. Miles. "These two be Moses andEphraim, and these two be Deborah and Anna. The elder of the twinses areMoses and Ephraim, and the younger Deborah and Anna. Now, then children,you jest drop your curtsies to the young ladies, and say you are glad tosee them."
"But, indeed, they shall do nothing of the kind," said Betty. "Oh,aren't they the sweetest darlings! Deborah, I must kiss you. Anna, putyour sweet little arms round my neck."
The children were in wild delight, for all children took immediately toBetty. But, lo and behold! one of the dogs gave an ominous growl. Wasnot his idol devoting herself to some one else? In one instant the brutemight have sprung upon poor little Deborah had not Betty turned and laidher hand on his forehead. Instantly he gave a sound between a groan anda moan, and crouched at her feet.
"There! I never!" said Mrs. Miles. "You be a reg'lar out-and-outlion-tamer, miss."
"I'm getting more and more hungry every minute," said Betty. "Will--willtea be ready soon, Mrs. Miles?"
"I was coming out to fetch you in, my loves."
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The whole party then migrated to the kitchen, which was ornamentedespecially for the occasion. The long center-table was covered with asnowy cloth, and on it were spread all sorts of appetizing viands--greatslabs of honey in the comb, cakes of every description, hotgriddle-cakes, scones, muffins, cold chicken, cold ham, and the mostdelicious jams of every variety. Added to these good things was a greatbowl full of Devonshire cream, which Mrs. Miles had made herself from awell-known Devonshire recipe that morning.
"Oh, but doesn't this look good!" said Betty. She sat down with a twingirl at each side of her, and with a dog resting his head on the lap ofeach of the twins, and their beseeching eyes fixed on Betty's face.
"I ha' got a treat for 'em afterwards, missie," said Mrs. Miles; "twostrong beef-bones. They shall eat 'em, and they'll never forget youarter that."
Betty became so lively now that at a whispered word from Sylvia shebegan to tell stories--by no means the sort of stories she had told atthe Specialities' entertainment, but funny tales, sparkling with wit andhumor--tales quite within the comprehension of her intelligent butunlearned audience. Even the farmer roared with laughter, and said overand over to his wife, as he wiped the tears of enjoyment from his eyes,"Well, that do cap all!"
Meanwhile the important ceremony of eating the many good things providedwent steadily on, until at last even Betty had to own that she wassatisfied.
All rose from their seats, and as they did so Mrs. Miles put a prettylittle basket into each girl's hand. "A few new-laid eggs, dearies," shesaid, "and a comb of honey for each of you. You must ask Mrs. Haddo'sleave afore you eats 'em, but I know she won't mind. And there's somevery late roses, the last of the season, that I've put into the top ofyour basket, Miss Betty."
Alack and alas, how good it all was! How pleasant was the air, howgenial the simple life! How Betty and Sylvia and Hester rejoiced in it,and how quickly it was over!
Harris appeared, and at this signal the girls knew they must go. Bettypresented her canine darlings with a beef-bone each; and then, with ahug to Mrs. Miles, a hearty hand-clasp to the farmer and the boys, andfurther hugs to both sets of twins, the girls returned to Haddo Court.