CHAPTER III.
A VISIT TO MARYVALE.
When the gong sounded for luncheon, Mary, ready for her visit to heraunt, ran down to the dining-room. Her father and uncle were alreadythere. Standing before them, she turned slowly around.
"Do you think I will do? Liza says she has never had any practice indressing little girls to go visiting. Mother always tells Aunt Mandywhat I am to wear; but we had so many other things to talk about thismorning that neither of us thought of it. So Liza and I had to decide."
"I think you have both shown very good taste," said Mr. Selwyn, smiling.He wondered whether either of the babies would ever make a prettierpicture than this sweet little daughter, who looked like some daintyflower in her simple white dress of dotted mull with pale blue ribbonsrun through the neck, sleeves, and around the waist.
"We couldn't quite decide about my hat. Liza thinks I ought to wear mystraw one to keep the sun off, because my parasol is not very big, youknow; but I like my new linen one best, because Mother made it. Anythingshe makes is _so_ much nicer than what she buys in the stores.Seven-year-old things are too large, and sixes are too small; but shealways makes things just exactly right; and she doesn't say, 'You don'tmean to tell me _that_ child is seven years old!' Mother put a big bluebow on my white parasol to match the one on the hat, and I would so liketo show both of them to Aunt Mary. Sometimes, I am almost certain thatshe is laughing to herself when I tell her that Mother made this orthat; and I am sure I can't see why."
"You could, pet, if your memory would carry you back to the days ofMother's first attempts at sewing," laughed the Doctor. "She marriedyoung--just after she had finished school. Our parents died when she andI were quite small. Aunt Mary was our big sister, and looked after usand things in general. She thought that Mother had enough to do with herstudies and music, so did not try to teach her sewing and other veryuseful things. Mother should have saved the first little frocks shemade for you; and you would see that Aunt Mary has good reason to laugh,not at the pretty things Mother makes now, but at those which theyremind her of. So by all means, wear the linen hat. It will be coolerand lighter on your head; and as Aunt Mary will send the wagonette tothe station, you will not be exposed to the sun. Liza will take a largeparasol to shade both of you while you are driving to the ferry."
Mary was glad when the warm, dusty ride on the train came to an end.
"There is the wagonette, Liza, and Aunt Mary has let all the girls whoare staying at the convent for vacation come to meet us. Oh, I don't seehow they can stay away from their fathers and mothers like that!"
"I reckon dey has to, honey. 'Tain't ebery li'l gal has a home lak yo'has. Dey cud be in a lots wuss place dan May-reevale, whar dey has deSistahs tekin' keer ob dem an' plenty ob room fo' to play outdoahs an'all sech lak."
The little girl was warmly greeted by her friends.
"Guess the grand s'prise I had this morning," she said as she and Lizatook their places in the wagonette.
"Why, your beautiful new doll, of course," cried the children, gazingwith longing eyes at Annette, whom Mary had brought with her.
"Oh, no, not Annette. Uncle brought her to me yesterday. Would you liketo hold her, Effie? The s'prise I mean is a million times grander."
"A--a pony!" ventured one little girl, thinking wistfully of her own petin distant Texas.
"A big box of candy!" cried five-year-old Effie.
"Give us a little hint, Mary. Every time you come out here you have justhad some grand surprise, so I should think there could not be much leftto surprise you with," declared Dora, one of the older children, who satbeside our little girl.
"Yes, Dora, I think we are a very s'prising family. Father and Uncle arealways doing something to s'prise Mother and me, and then we think upsomething for them. But this one--well, I know you can never, neverguess it, so I shall tell you. I have the two dearest, darlingest, babysisters in the whole world!"
"Twins! Oh, what are their names?" was the eager chorus.
"Roberta after Father, and Elizabeth after Mother; but we shall callthem Berta and Beth until they grow up. Oh, I'm _so_ happy!"
"You _are_!" said a pouty-looking little girl. "Dear, me! I should thinkyou would _ever_ so much rather be an only child."
Mary looked puzzled.
"Rather be an only child!" she echoed. "Why, Lucille, are you an onlychild?"
"Indeed I am not! I have three brothers and two sisters."
"How lovely! I have two little brothers in heaven, and I have been solonely without them. But now, I shall never be lonely again. Anyone whoknows how it feels to be an only child, would never like to be one."
"I would be willing to take the risk. I'm sick and tired of having toshare everything I get with the whole family. Oh, you needn't look likethat, Mary! You always have everything you wish for--whole carloads ofit,--and I must say you are generous with your things. Before I wouldlet a baby like Effie hold such a beautiful doll! But you can afford tobe generous when you know that your father or mother or that grand uncleof yours will give you something better."
"But--but, Lucille," the look of wonder on Mary's face deepened, "youdon't really mean that you would rather have all the toys and candy andeverything all by yourself than have brothers and sisters to share themwith? Oh, I am sure you can't mean _that_!"
"You will know what I mean well enough three or four years from now whenthose little sisters of yours cry for everything nice you have. But, no,you won't know! As I say, for everything you give away, you will getsomething better."
"As if Mary thinks of such a thing!" said Dora, hotly, putting her armabout the little girl. "You wouldn't be happy unless you were dividingup with someone; would you, Mary?"
Mary flashed her a grateful smile.
"I think that is why I have been so lonely sometimes, Dora. There is notmuch fun playing with dolls all by myself; for no matter how hard Ipretend that they hear what I say, I know all the time that they don't.But my little sisters will hear me, and pretty soon they will be ableto talk and play with me."
Then the wagonette turned in at the convent gates and rolled up the widedriveway to the front steps.
"Now, Miss May-ree, yo' go 'long in an' see yo' Aunt May-ree an' deSistahs, an' I'se gwine obah yondah undah dat big tree an' wait fo'yo'."
"But won't you come in, too, Liza? Aunt Mary and the Sisters will beglad to see you, I know."
"I'll see dem byme-by, honey."
Mary ran up the broad, high steps and in at the open doorway, intendingto surprise her aunt; but Sister Madeline had heard the wagonetteapproaching, and was waiting to greet the little girl.
"What a pretty hat! Has Uncle Frank been making you a present?"
"He brought me this lovely doll yesterday, Aunt Mary, but not the hat.Mother made that," and though the child looked closely at her aunt, shecould see no twinkle in the dark eyes.
Had that little bird of which Aunt Mandy had so often spoken, beenhopping about on the window sill at luncheon time, and could it bepossible that it had flown out to Maryvale to chirp a warning note closeto Sister Madeline's ear?
"Let me take your hat and parasol. You have your hands full with thatbeautiful dollie. We shall go to the east parlor, for it is the coolestspot in the house on a warm day."
"I just brought Annette with me to show her to you before I pack heraway. I don't care so much about dolls now that I have some really,truly, live babies to play with. O Aunt Mary! I do wish that we couldhave brought them, too. They are just too sweet for anything!" Marylooked around to be sure that no one was near, then whispered, "They are_not_ very pretty,--Annette, this doll, is _ever_ so much prettier,--butthey are darling, anyway. Aunt Mandy thinks they are beautiful babies,but--but they squeeze their faces all up and cry. Uncle says that theywill improve with age; but I don't want them to grow old--I want them tostay little even if they are ug--not very pretty."
"But don't you intend to play with your dollies any more? You spoke ofputting them away."
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bsp; "Dolls! Indeed, no, Aunt Mary! Not when I have two little sisters toplay with. I am going to wash and iron all my doll clothes, and dressevery doll in her best things, and put them all away in my toy box.Then, I shall close the big doors of my doll house; and the very minutethat Berta and Beth are big enough to play, everything will be ready forthem. The only things that worry me are Snowball and Snowdrop andSnowflake."
"Dear, dear! What lovely cool names for warm weather! But why should youworry about your kitten and rabbits? Are you afraid that they may bejealous of the babies?"
"No, Aunt Mary; but they will grow bigger and bigger and be too largefor the babies to hold; or maybe they might die just as my little blackkitten did. Liza said I killed it with kindness; but I can't see howthat could be."
"If anything happens to your pets, Uncle will find some new ones foryou, never fear. I would not be at all surprised to hear that he hadmade you a present of a little white elephant. Now, I am sure that youwill enjoy telling the Sisters whom you know best all about those dearlittle sisters----"
"Why, you don't mean to say that you haven't told them _yet_, AuntMary!"
"Not a word. I thought you would like to surprise them. But if you hadnot come out to see us this afternoon, I must confess that I could nothave kept the secret over night."
Presently Sister Austin, Sister Dominic, and several others whom Maryknew very well came in to see her, and heard all about Berta and Beth.Then, while Sister Madeline had a little visit with Liza, Sister Austinwent with Mary to the garden. The little girl's love of flowers made hera great favorite with Mr. Daniel, as she insisted on calling thegardener; and the old man always stopped his work to give her a ridearound the garden in his wheelbarrow, which he first lined with a cleannewspaper. But to-day, Mary felt that she could not delay long enoughfor her ride, and carefully explained to Dan the reason why she musthurry home.
"Aunt Mandy promised to let me sing them to sleep to-night; and I mustsing all the songs first to Mother, so she can tell me which one will bebest. I like _Sleep Little Baby of Mine_ and _Sweet and Low_; but mylittle sisters may prefer something else, and Mother will surely know."
So she waited only long enough for Dan to cut the flowers which heinsisted on sending to Mrs. Selwyn. As the beautiful roses fell beneathhis shears, Mary caught up a tiny red rosebud.
"This will be for Berta; and do you think, Mr. Daniel, that you have alittle blue flower for Beth? Oh, I know just the thing! A _white_rosebud!"
On the way back to the playground for a promised romp with the girls,she spied some chickens, hatched only a few days before.
"Baby things are so dear--baby flowers, baby chickens, baby everything;but baby sisters are the dearest of all, Sister."