CHAPTER XXIII.
That day of the news was a boundary day. It set sharp limit toBarbara's years of calm. From that day events came quickly, changepressed hard on change, and no day, for her, was quite like itspredecessor. A veering of the current had snatched her from hershining eddy, and swept her forth into the tide of life.
On the morning following the dinner, while still alive to a sense ofmenace in the air, Barbara received a letter from her uncle. As sheread it, her eyes sparkled, her heart bounded. Then, as she passed itto Mistress Mehitable, and Mistress Mehitable took it with cheerfulinterest, her heart sank. She felt a pang of self-reproach, becauseshe found herself willing to go away and leave her aunt uncompanionedin the solitude of Westings House. Glenowen had undertaken certainbusiness, in the way of searching records and examining titles, whichwas driving him at once to New York, and bade fair, he said, to keephim there for upwards of a year. He wanted Barbara to go with him.And Barbara's pulses bounded. There, she thought, were the lights andthe dances, the maskings and the music, the crossing of swords andwits, the gallants and the compliments and the triumphs, which she waslonging to taste. Mistress Mehitable's face grew grave as she read theletter. It grew pale as she looked up and saw by Barbara's face thehunger in her heart. Mistress Mehitable had a vision of what WestingsHouse would be, emptied of the wilful, flashing, vivid, restless spiritwhich for the past few years had been its life. But she was unselfish.She would not say a word to lessen Barbara's delight.
"It will be lovely for you, dear!" said she, with hearty sympathy."You are just at the age, too, when it will mean most to you, and be ofmost value to you. I am so glad, dear!"
But Barbara had seen the look in her face, and gave no heed to herbrave words.
"I _can't_ go, honey, and leave you here alone!" she cried,impetuously, jumping up and hugging the little lady with a vehemenceborn of the effort to convince herself that what she said was true.She felt that she could and must go; but that the joy of going would bemore than damped--drenched, indeed, with tears--at the thought of howmuch Mistress Mehitable would miss her, of how empty Westings Housewould be without her, of the scar her absence would leave in theirlittle world. With her intense individuality, her livelyself-concentration, it almost seemed to her as if their little worldcould not even attempt to go on without her, but must sleep dullythrough her absence.
"Of course you will go, Barbara dear!" said Mistress Mehitable,decidedly. "It is only natural and right you should want to go, andgo. I cannot pretend that it makes me very happy to think of doingwithout you for a whole year. No words can tell you how I shall missyou, dear child. But I should be a thousand times more unhappy if Iwere to feel myself standing in the way of your happiness. No, no,indeed, don't talk any nonsense about not going. Besides, your UncleBob has the right to have you with him for a while."
"Oh, I wish you could go, too!" sighed Barbara. "_Can't_ you? _Then_it _would_ be lovely!"
Mistress Mehitable laughed softly. "Not very well just now, child!"she answered, assuming a gaiety. "Perhaps some other time it might bemanaged. Now, we'll have to plan about getting you ready,--and youruncle has only left us a wretched little week to do it in!"
So it was settled, without any stress or argument whatever, thatBarbara should go to New York with Uncle Bob just eight days from thatday; and so was decreed, with such effort as it might take to order abreakfast, nothing less than a revolution in Barbara's life.
While the two women were discussing weighty problems of dressmaking,lingerie, and equipment various,--what should be made at SecondWestings, and what should be left to New York shops and the tried tasteof Uncle Bob,--Doctor Jim came in, less robustious and breezy than hiswont, his eyes big with momentous tidings. He kissed the ladies'hands, and sat down thoughtfully opposite, scanning their faces fromunder bushy, drawn brows. They both looked at him with expectantinquiry.
"You were most intent on whatever you were talking about!" said he,presently. "I hope I don't interrupt! May I hear all about it? Orshould I run away, eh, what?"
"You never interrupt,--or if you do, you are forgiven beforehand, Jim!"said Mistress Mehitable.
"What we were talking about will interest _you_, Doctor Jim, younaughty old thing!" cried Barbara, saucily. "It was petticoats,bodices, and silk stockings, and such like feminine frivolities! Butwhat have _you_ got to tell _us_? You are just _bursting_, you knowyou are. Tell us, and we'll tell you something!"
"John Pigeon's going away to-morrow!" said Doctor Jim, and then shuthis mouth hard.
"What? Going away?" cried both women at once, scarce crediting theirears.
"Going away to Hartford, to-morrow, to take a hand in organising someof their rebellious militia!" continued Doctor Jim. "I'm ashamed totell you. But he was ashamed to tell you himself, thinking you wouldnot like it, so he sent me ahead to make his peace for him. It doesn'tmean anything, you know. Just a sort of bragging counterblast to thosefour regiments of ours at Boston. I wouldn't be down on John for it,eh, what, Mehitable?"
"When will he return?" asked Mehitable, feeling that her world wasbeing emptied.
"Down on him!" exclaimed Barbara. "Why, it's _noble_ of him. Thinkhow it will encourage all the patriots of our township!" Since she wasgoing away herself, Doctor John's going was easy enough to bear.
"I wasn't talking to you, you saucy rebel!" retorted Doctor Jim."We'll have that crazy little black head of yours chopped off for hightreason, one of these days, if you don't mend your naughty manners.'Patriots,' indeed! Addle-pated bumpkins! But"--and he turned toMistress Mehitable, "you asked me, dear lady, when John Pigeon wouldreturn. Within a month, I think. He will tell you more precisely forhimself!"
"Jim," said Mistress Mehitable, gravely, "we are going to be lonely forawhile, you and I."
"Lonely!" exclaimed Doctor Jim. "That's not what bothers me. It's thepestilent, low, vulgar business that's taking him!"
"Yes, of course," assented Mistress Mehitable, "but 'tis not DoctorJohn only that purposes to forsake us, Jim. Barbara is going to NewYork, to stay a year."
Doctor Jim's face fell. He glared at Barbara for half a minute, hisshaggy eyebrows working.
"Nonsense, child!" he cried, wilfully incredulous. "What cock-and-bullstory's this? I won't have my feelings worked upon!"
"It's true, Doctor Jim. I'm to go with Uncle Bob, next week!" saidBarbara, very soberly.
"But you sha'n't go! We can't spare our bad little girl. You're tooyoung, Barby, for that wicked city down there. We _need_ you here, tokeep us from getting too _good_. You sha'n't go, that's all! You seewhat John Pigeon'll have to say about it, eh, what?"
"I must, Doctor Jim!" answered Barbara. "Aunt Hitty and Uncle Bob haveboth decided on that. I feel homesick, sort of, already, at thethought of it. And I know I shall miss you all just horribly. But,oh, I do want to go, after all. It's all so gay and mysterious to me,and I know I'll have such fun. And it will be so lovely, when I'mtired of it, to come back and tell you all about it! Won't it?"
"Well! Well! I suppose we'll have to let her go," sighed Doctor Jim."Thank Heaven, _you're_ not going, Mehitable, dear lady!"
"I'm glad _you're_ not going, Jim,--either to New York or to Hartford!"said Mistress Mehitable, with a little laugh. Then she held out herhand to him, flushing softly.
"It would be hard indeed for me to go anywhere, Mehitable, were you tobid me stay!" said Doctor Jim, kissing very reverently the hand she hadheld out. Then, without waiting for an answer to this, he hastilyturned again to Barbara, saying:
"By the way, sweetheart, Bobby Gault is in New York, is he not,--eh,what? He will be glad to see you again, perhaps! It is possible hemay help make things pleasant for you, eh, you baggage?"
But Barbara was not in a mood to repay his raillery in kind.
"I don't know that I'll make things pleasant for Robert," she answered,thoughtfully, "if he still clings to his ridiculous views about kingsand things!"
r /> "Tell that to the marines, you sly hussy!" exclaimed Doctor Jim,regaining mysteriously his wonted large good humour. "Don't tell methis isn't all made up between you and Robert!"
Barbara looked at him soberly for a moment. Then the old audaciouslight laughed over her face, her eyes danced perilously,--and MistressMehitable felt a tremor of apprehension. She always felt nervous whenDoctor Jim had the hardihood to draw Barbara's fire.
"Do you know, Doctor Jim, I don't feel quite so badly as I did aboutleaving you and Aunt Hitty! I think, you know, you will be quite acomfort to each other, won't you, even if Doctor John should have tostay longer than he expects in Hartford!"
At this moment Doctor John himself came in, to Mistress Mehitable'sinfinite relief.