CHAPTER VI.
UNINVITED GUESTS
"THIS is the last day of October," announced Betty, one morning, tearinga leaf from the calendar, as was her habit as soon as she finisheddressing. "To-night will be Hallowe'en."
"Do you realize," answered Lloyd, "that we have been at school six wholeweeks without doing a single thing we had planned? We have beenpainfully good. Yestahday when I passed the music-room where ProfessahSteinwig was giving a violin lesson, I heard him say, 'Ach, you must letdown der strings when you have feenish playing. If you keep him keyed tovon high pitch alway, some day bif! He go break!' That's just the way Ifeel this morning; that I've been thinking so much about my shadow-self,and the work we've undehtaken for the mountain people, that it's kept mekeyed up to too high a pitch of goodness. I've got to let down and getinto some sort of mischief, or bif! I'll go break!"
Betty laughed. "Maybe the changes in the atmosphere affect people aswell as fiddle-strings, and it is because it's Hallowe'en, and witchesare in the air, that you feel so."
It may have been that the faculty were of Betty's opinion, and felt thespell lurking in the atmosphere. Warned by some mysterious "pricking ofthe thumbs" of coming wickedness, they sought to avert it. It wasannounced at breakfast that the usual rules would be suspended thatnight, and that from seven until eleven the resident pupils would be atliberty to observe the customs of Hallowe'en anywhere in the building,and that a spread of nuts, gingerbread, and apples would be furnished inthe gymnasium.
"Headed off again!" exclaimed one of the larger girls who sat nearLloyd. "It's good of them to grant us such privileges, but we won't havehalf the fun that we could have had if they hadn't put us on our honourthis way. I had planned to slip out and go over to Julia Ferris'sto-night. Some of the cadets from the Lyndon military school are comingup. I wouldn't have hesitated a moment if they had shut down on ourhaving some fun here, but now they've treated us so handsomely, even tofurnishing a spread, of course I can't go. Hallowe'en is stupid withjust a lot of girls--the same old set we've been going with straightalong."
"We might have a masquerade," suggested Susie Figgs. "That would make usfeel as if we were meeting strangers."
The suggestion ran along the table like wild-fire, and was soenthusiastically received that Susie felt herself a public benefactor,and beamed with importance the rest of the day.
"Oh, what shall _I_ go as?" was the despairing question immediatelyheard in every quarter, for the time was short in which to improvisecostumes. The matron was besieged by distracted borrowers with requestsfor everything, from a blanket for Pocahontas, to a sunshade andwatering-pot for "Mistress Mary, quite contrary."
Lloyd's costume cost her little trouble aside from borrowing a horn fromone of the children in the neighbourhood; for Mom Beck, coming in withthe laundry before school, volunteered her services. In an old chest inthe linen-room at Locust were many odds and ends left over from privatetheatricals and fancy-dress occasions. Mom Beck remembered an old bluevelvet skirt that she thought could be made into a suit for Little BoyBlue before night, if Aunt Cindy's daughter would help her with theknickerbockers, and hurried away to begin, carrying Lloyd's measure anda Zouave jacket belonging to one of her summer suits, for a pattern.
From that same chest came a dress and hat which Mrs. Sherman had worn ina tableau years before as a Dresden shepherdess, which transformed Bettyinto the prettiest little Bo-Peep that could be imagined.
Allison and Kitty, taking advantage of the relaxed rules, slipped up thestairs before going home after school, to look at the costumes lyingspread out on Lloyd's bed.
"I think it's a shame that day pupils can't come, too," said Allison,wrathfully. "We're left out all around, for we're not old enough to beinvited to Julia Ferris's party. We were going to have a party at ourhouse, but mother and auntie had to go to town to stay all night. AuntElise is entertaining some old army officer's wife. So we can't have anyfun."
"Don't you think that for a moment!" exclaimed Kitty. "Mrs. Mallard saidthat Katie might come and stay all night with us. Mother telephoned toher just before she started to town."
A daring thought popped into Lloyd's mind. "Why don't you come to-night?It's a masquerade. You could slip in heah to our room befoah theyunmask, and nobody would evah find out who you were. It couldn't be moahfortunately arranged. Little Elise is in town with yoah mothah, and youcould easily slip away from Barbry and the cook. You could sleep in heahwith us, and run home early in the mawning befoah anybody was up. I'llunlock the doah at the head of the outside stairs, and you can sneak inback way while we are at suppah."
"Oh, how I'd love to!" began Allison, "but I'm sure that mother and Mrs.Mallard wouldn't like it, and--"
"Now, Allison," interrupted Kitty, "you know that nobody ever told us_not_ to come, did they? It wouldn't be disobeying unless we'd beenforbidden."
"All sorts of larks are allowed on Hallowe'en," urged Lloyd. "Not a souloutside of the Shadow Club will know who you are, and it will be suchfun to set everybody to guessing who you are and where you've gone, whenyou suddenly disappear."
"Yes, we'll come," said Kitty, seizing Allison by the waist and dancingher toward the door. "I'll take the blame if there is any. Hurry up, oldGrandma Prim, we'll have to hustle. We've barely time to run home andeat our supper and get dressed and back here before the affair begins."
Kitty's enthusiasm, like an energetic young whirlwind, swept away everyobjection her sister could offer, and a few minutes later they were ontheir way home, eagerly discussing with Katie Mallard what costumes theycould get ready in an hour.
Lloyd, who had followed them to the head of the stairs, turned back toher room with a naughty thrill of enjoyment. This escapade would add aspice of excitement to the evening, and she already tingled with theanticipation of it. There was a mischievous smile on her face as shewalked down the hall. But it disappeared as she caught the muffled soundof some one sobbing. She stood still to listen. It seemed to come fromMagnolia Budine's room, the door of which stood ajar.
Since the day that the old autograph-album had been put into her hands,Lloyd had felt a peculiar interest in the child who prayed every nightthat some day she might "grow nice enough for the Princess to like her."She had showed this interest by many little attentions which keptMagnolia in a flutter of happiness for hours afterward. Although shestill coloured with embarrassment to the roots of her flaxen hair whenthe Princess stooped to speak to her, she no longer choked andswallowed her chewing-gum. In fact, she no longer chewed, since shenoticed that the Princess disdained the habit.
It was Elise who confided this fact to Lloyd, and many other thingswhich not only flattered her vanity, but aroused a real affection forthe ardent little soul who showed her admiration by copying her in everyway possible.
"She looks up to me as I look up to Ida," thought Lloyd. "I ought to begood to the poor little thing."
As she paused an instant in the hall, wondering whether it would bekinder to go in and offer comfort or to go away showing no sign ofhaving overheard her sobs, it suddenly occurred to her what was thecause of Magnolia's grief. Probably she had no costume for themasquerade. Nothing the huge carpet-bag held could be made into one.There was no one to help her, and she felt left out of the Hallowe'enfrolic. Lloyd hesitated no longer. The next moment she was wipingMagnolia's eyes, and restoring her to her usual blushing cheerfulness.
"I'll tell you what we'll do," she said. "We'll run over to Clovercroft,and ask Miss Katherine to lend us something. I have to go, anyhow, toborrow a horn. Mrs. Marks told me that I could have one that Buddy leftthere last summah. He's one of her grandchildren. Miss Katherine is anartist. She has a great big camera in her studio, and takes bettahpictuahs than any professional photographah could, because she thinks ofall sorts of beautiful things to pose people for. She gets a medal or aprize every time she places a pictuah on exhibition, and I'm suah shecan think of something for you to be."
In such a state of rapture that she felt she must be dreami
ng, Magnoliafollowed Lloyd down-stairs to ask the principal's permission to go overto Clovercroft.
"I know a place where there are two pickets loose," said Lloyd, as theyhurried across the lawn. "If you can squeeze through the fence we'llsave time. Every minute is precious now."
Breathless and panting from their run, the children reached the sidedoor just as the coloured man opened it on his way out for an armful ofwood.
"Frazer, we want to see Miss Katherine," announced Lloyd, who was enoughat home at Clovercroft to know all the servants.
"She's in the music-room, Miss Lloyd," he answered. "You all kin walkright in."
"Is there any company there? We want to see her alone," said Lloyd,with a dignified air that made Magnolia look at her admiringly.
"No'm, jes' she an' her maw, listenin' to Miss Flora play." He held thedoor open for them to enter, and motioned toward the music-room door,which stood ajar. A bright fire blazed on the white tiled hearth. On oneside sat a gentle, sweet-faced lady in black; "Buddy's grandmother,"thought Magnolia, as she noticed her gray hair. On the other side, on alow stool, with her hands clasped over her knees, sat Miss Katherine,looking into the embers. The firelight shone on her red dress, and casta rosy glow to every part of the cheerful room. Both were listening sointently to the soft nocturne that Miss Flora was playing, that Lloyd'sknock made them start with surprise.
"Well, well! It's the Little Colonel!" exclaimed the lady in black,holding out her hand to welcome her. "Come up to the fire, my dear. Bothof you." She smiled reassuringly at Magnolia, who leaned against a chairby the door, staring around her with big blue eyes, like a frightenedkitten.
Lloyd plunged into her story at once, for the time was too short tostand on ceremony. At the mention of costumes Miss Katherine was allattention, and turned to Magnolia with critical interest.
"Suppose you take her hair out of those tight little tails," shesuggested "and let me see how long it is."
Lloyd obeyed instantly, and the soft, light hair, released from itsplaits, stood out in a short, frizzy crop, reaching only a little belowher collar. It was very becoming. Lloyd was amazed at the change it madein the child's appearance.
"The very thing I want for my Knave of Hearts!" cried Miss Katherine,clasping her hands enthusiastically, and turning toward her mother. "Iam illustrating that old jingle about the Queen of Hearts who made sometarts upon a summer day. I've a lovely picture for the queen, but Ihaven't been able to find a suitable boy for the knave 'who spied thosetarts and stole them all away.' But there she stands. Her hair isexactly the right length, and she's so fat and cute that if I can justget her to roll those round blue eyes the way I want them, it will makea perfect love of a picture."
"But the costume," suggested Mrs. Marks. "It is so elaborate, and thetime is short."
Miss Katherine looked at the clock. "One can do wonders in an hour," shesaid, and burying her face in her hands a moment, she thought intently.
"Genius burns," she announced in a moment, looking up at her sister."Where's that little white duck suit that Lucien outgrew and left hereone summer? I saved it for just such an emergency. I'm sure it will fither."
"Packed away in the tower-room," answered Miss Flora. "I know just whereto put my hand on it, though. Is there anything else you want while I amup there?"
"Yes, some scraps of red velvet if there are any left in the piece-bag.I have everything else we'll need, in the studio. That red cantonflannel I sometimes use for draping backgrounds, will make a longflowing cape to hang from the back of his neck and sweep the groundbehind him."
Magnolia felt as if she were a big doll as she was handed around fromone to another in the trying on process, when Miss Flora came back withthe suit. It did fit her passably well, and she and Lloyd were set towork at once, cutting out dozens of red velvet hearts.
"Makes me think of the time that I was the Queen of Hearts at Gingah'svalentine pah'ty, and the old bear that the boys tied to the bedpostfrightened us neahly to death," said Lloyd.
Snip, snip went both pair of scissors, and as fast as the hearts werecut, Miss Katherine and Miss Flora sewed them on to the little whiteduck blouse and knickerbockers. Even Mrs. Marks helped, fastening frillsof black ribbon and great gilt buckles on some old red house-slippers ofBuddy's. It grew dark while they worked. Frazer lighted the lamps andpiled more wood on the fire, and Lloyd began to think uneasily that thesupper-bell would be ringing at the seminary soon.
But in shorter time than seemed possible, everything was done. WhenMagnolia was led to the long hall mirror to look at herself, she wasunable to believe that what she saw was her own reflection. It lookedlike some bright-coloured illustration taken from a lovely picture-book.
Red hearts dotted the white duck suit, and white hearts the long redcape which trailed gracefully from her shoulders. A funny little crowncopied in red and white pasteboard from the one they found on the Jackof Hearts in a deck of cards, rested on the short, light hair, curlingup around her ears. There were lace ruffles at her wrists, and a tinsword at her side, and in her outstretched hands a little pie-tin,borrowed from the cook.
"Turn your head to one side, as if you were looking over your shoulder,"commanded Miss Katherine, "and hold the tart up high in front. Now liftyour feet and sway back as if you were cake-walking. There, mamma, isn'tthat a perfect reproduction of the picture in our old Mother Goose? I'mcharmed!"
The dropping of the tight-waisted, old-fashioned blue dress for thisstory-book attire changed the child's appearance so completely that shelooked into the mirror half-frightened, feeling that her old self hadrun away from her. But there were Mrs. Marks and Miss Flora exclaiming"How pretty!" and the Princess clapping her hands and fluttering aroundher, calling out that she was perfectly lovely, and made the darlingestlittle Knave of Hearts that ever was seen, and Miss Katherine sayingthat if she would come over the next day at noon she would take herphotograph.
No one had even called her pretty before, and she had never had herpicture taken. Her eyes sparkled and her face lighted up as she turnedagain to the mirror.
"You and Betty come over to-morrow, too," said Miss Katherine to Lloyd,as she buttoned up the blue dress again, so that Magnolia could go backto supper. "I'd like to add Boy Blue and Bo-Peep to my Mother Goosegallery."
It was dark when Lloyd and Magnolia squeezed through the fence again andran up the stairs to the room. As Lloyd passed the portiere at the endof the hall she pushed it aside and drew back the bolt, as she hadpromised Kitty to do. They had barely time to lay their bundles onMagnolia's bed when the supper-bell rang, and they ran down to thedining-room. Lloyd was all aglow with excitement and pleasure over thesuccess of the last hour's work, but Magnolia had shrunk back into thesame timid little creature she was before her transformation. She hadput her hair back into the tight little tails again before leavingClovercroft, so that her disguise would be the more complete when sheunloosed it and appeared as the little knave.
Meantime, Allison and Kitty, hurrying home with their guest, haddelighted Norah by a demand for early supper. She and Barbry wereexpecting some friends from Rollington, a little Irish village near theValley, and would be glad to be through with their work an hour earlierthan usual.
"And you needn't light up for us down-stairs, except in thedining-room," said Allison, "for we're going straight to our rooms aftersupper, and we don't want to be disturbed till to-morrow morning."
"Very well, miss," answered Barbry, who, a middle-aged woman, was themost trustworthy of well-trained maids. Mrs. Walton never felt anyhesitancy in leaving the children in her care.
"And--oh, Barbry," said Allison, as she turned to leave the room."To-night is Hallowe'en, and they say the witches are out and ghostsrise out of their graves. What is that tale they tell about a ghost thatused to be seen about the seminary grounds?"
"Sure, an' your mother would be afther gettin' angry if I filled yourheads with such nonsense. Who said there was ever a ghost at all in theValley?"
But after much
teasing Barbry allowed herself to be persuaded intotelling a tale that had been afloat for years, of the little woman ingray who had once owned the land on which the seminary was built. Shelived all alone, and was an odd character. Her peculiar mode of living,and the mystery surrounding her death, gave rise to the rumour that herspirit still haunted the seminary grounds. It was said that the littlewoman never appeared in public without a gray veil, and her wraith wasrecognized by the long gauzy covering floating loosely back from itsface, not gray but white, as more becoming a spirit.
No sooner had Barbry finished her tale than Allison beckoned the girlsto follow, and led the way up-stairs to the sewing-room. "I thought atfirst I'd just put a pillow-case over my head and wrap up in a sheet,but I'm going to make the girls think I'm the real article. How willthis do?"
Taking a roll of cotton from one of the shelves, she pinned it over herhair to make a short white wig, powdered her face till it was as whiteas the cotton, and over it all threw a long piece of tulle, which shebrought from a bureau drawer in her room. "Aunt Elise gave it to me lasttime I was in town," she said. "She had yards and yards of it that hadbeen used some way in decorating with lilies for a luncheon. Wait till Iwrap a sheet around me. Now how do I look?"
"Perfectly awful!" exclaimed Kitty, gazing at her in fascinated wonderthat flesh and blood could look so truly ghost-like. Katie hid her eyeswith a little scream.
"Don't look at me that way," she begged. "If you are this terrifying indaylight to people who know who you are, what will you be at night?"
Well satisfied with the effect she had produced, Allison folded up theveil, carefully removed the wig, and washed the powder from her face,while Kitty and Katie rummaged in the drawers for some old,long-sleeved gingham aprons that had been discarded long ago. They haddecided to go as rag dolls, as that would be the most complete disguisethey could think of. Even their hair would be covered, and they wouldnot need to speak.
"It will be terribly hot with all that cotton stuffed about our headsand necks," said Katie. "But we'll look _so_ funny. And we must holdourselves limp and lean up against things or flop over, just as real ragdolls do."
"Here are the aprons," cried Kitty, at last. "See? They'll fit up closearound the neck and hide the place where the muslin that covers our headis tied on."
"I'll paint the faces on you the last thing before we start," saidAllison.
"Mercy me! Allison!" exclaimed Katie. "We can't walk down past the depotand the store rigged up that way, even if it is dark. Somebody mightthink we were escaped freaks, and chase us. We ought to wait till we getto the seminary before we dress."
"No, there won't be time then, and everybody will know it's only aHallowe'en frolic. If Kitty wears her golf-cape and you wear mine, andpull the hoods away over your faces, nobody will notice. I'll not dresstill afterward, for I'm not going to appear till the middle of theevening. I'm not going to go up to the gymnasium at all, but just glidearound on the outskirts and lay a cold finger on some one now and then.I'll get a lump of ice out of the cooler if I can manage to slip intothe dining-room. Now if you'll bring me the scissors I'll cut the muslinand fit it over your heads."
Mrs. Walton, sorry that her absence would deprive the girls of theiranticipated Hallowe'en party, compensated for their disappointment asfar as possible by ordering an unusually delicious little supper forthem and their guest.
"Isn't it too tantalizing!" exclaimed Kitty, when Barbry had left theroom for some hot biscuits. "Here's everything I like best, and I'm insuch a hurry and so excited that I can hardly choke down a mouthful."
"Don't talk, then," commanded Allison. "Just _eat_!"
The meal proceeded in silence for a few moments, but the silence itselfgrew funny as they thought of the ludicrous figures they would soonpresent, and they began to giggle.
The giggles grew into shrieks of laughter a little later, when they hadgone up-stairs, and the two rag dolls, all stuffed, painted, anddressed, leaned limply against the wall and leered at each other. Eventheir hands looked comical, covered in white woollen gloves, each fingerheld stiffly out from the other. After one glance Allison rolled on thebed, holding her sides, laughing and gasping in turn.
"Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" she exclaimed, finally, sitting up and wiping hereyes and then going off into a fresh paroxysm of laughter as she lookedat them again. "I never saw anything so funny in my life. The girls willsimply shriek when they see you."
Norah and Barbry, sitting over their own supper, heard the laughing fardown in the kitchen. They looked at each other and smiled, and then, asthe contagious sound continued, laughed themselves. The merriment wasirresistible. But a little later, busy with their preparations for theircoming friends, they did not notice that the house grew strangely still,and that not another sound came from the rooms above all that evening.
Kitty's room adjoined Allison's. Bolting the door which opened into hermother's, on the inside, she passed through Allison's with Katie, andout into the hall. Then Allison locked her door on the outside and hidthe key under the hall rug. Creeping down the stairs, they stole out atthe side door, locked it after them, and hid the key inside a largeflower-pot on the porch.
"That's safer than carrying it," said Allison. "We'd be sure to lose it,and then we would be in a pretty pickle."
The moon, overcast by shifting clouds, was just beginning to throw afaint, ghostly glimmer over the Valley as the girls hurried out.
"Let's go back way until we are past grandmother's gate," said Kitty.Edgewood, Mrs. MacIntyre's place, was just across from The Beeches, andsome one was strolling up the avenue toward it. "Uncle Harry," whisperedAllison, crouching down in the shadow of a tree until he had gone in.
Rustling along in the dry leaves, they passed the rear of the cottagenext door, the manse, and the little stone church. That brought them outinto the wide, open space below the ridge, where the lights gleamed fromevery window in the Soldiers' Home. The girls drew their hoods closerover their faces as they hurried across the churchyard, out through theiron gate into the road.
"It makes me think of the night we had a Hallowe'en party at the hauntedhouse of Hartwell Hollow," said Katie, looking up at the bare branchesoverhead, which were beginning to toss in the rising wind. Then sheclapped a white-gloved hand over her rag mouth to choke back a giggle.Kitty had begun holding her arms in the aimless fashion peculiar to ragdolls, and was walking along as if she had no bones.
"For goodness' sake, behave yourself," begged Allison. "Don't get us tolaughing out here on the road!"
Kitty straightened up as they passed the deserted post-office, and theyquickened their pace until they were safely beyond the store and thedepot. A moment later they had passed through the woodland gate ofClovercroft, raced along the path below the ice-house, and weresqueezing through the gap in the picket fence to the seminary grounds.
"They must be almost through supper," whispered Katie, peeping in at oneof the dining-room windows, over which the blind had not been entirelydrawn. "With all that laughing and talking they'll never hear us go upthe stairs. We can make as much noise as we please."
A dim light burned in the upper hall, but no lamp was lighted in Bettyand Lloyd's room.
"Let's not make any," suggested Allison. "They'll think we haven'tcome. Let's hide and see what they do when they suddenly discover us."
As she spoke there was a sound of many feet in the lower hall, then onthe stairs, and an unusual buzz of voices. The girls were scattering totheir rooms to dress for the masquerade.
"Hurry!" gasped Allison, stooping down behind a tall rocking-chair.Kitty rolled under one bed and Katie under the other, and there they laywaiting, trying to stifle the giggles which nearly choked them.