CHAPTER VIII.
A LONG GOOD-BY
August flew by with its sultry air, and the grand house lay warm andquiet until supper time, no one venturing out until the heat of the daywas past.
A disappointment it was to Sally that so little time was spent by theyoung people in the arbor, for it was not easy for her to see or hearthem anywhere else.
Then came there a day in September when all the place was stirred as bysome great and important event. Captain Rothwell was at the dock or onthe deck giving swift orders, the sailors were hurrying to and fro, andthe brave _Belle Virgeen_ stood ready winged for sailing.
Sally a little while before had begged of Mistress Brace a piece of grayand white print, out of which, being exceeding deft with her needle,she had made for herself a neat gown.
Then the hired men had each agreed to pay her a few pence if every weekshe would darn their stockings. And the darns were indeed of surprisingneatness for a little maid of but eleven years of age.
Sally could buy no stockings as yet with her earnings, but a cheap pairof shoes she already had bought, and on the sweet September day, awaywith the rest she went to see the _Belle Virgeen_ set sail.
Very hard she strained her eyes to get a glimpse of her Fairy Prince,and her poor little heart was aching at thought of his crossing thegreat lonely ocean to remain nearly a year away.
"Oh, a year doth seem such a very long while," she murmured, "andalthough I should be ready to die of shame did any one know it, yetgreat comfort and company hath it been for me to dream and imagine aboutthe Fairy Prince."
So much was there going on, and so great the bustle, that not muchthought could fill her mind, and soon there came an extra stir, acarriage drove along the road, a lithe young form sprang out, and midsta cheer from the "hands" that crowded the landing, Lionel Grandison wentup the gangplank.
Then came the signal from Captain Rothwell to draw in the hawsers, andlet the trim vessel glide.
Yes, there were Sir Percival Grandison, young Mistress Lucretia, andMistress Rosamond Earlscourt, all waving their kerchiefs, and smilingbravely at the young student, who held his sea-cap high above his head,waving it constantly.
Lady Gabrielle had not come to see him sail away. Like unto othermothers at such times, she had not wished to see the lad depart.
On the edge of the crowd stood Sally. Still farther back she went, andnot much notice did she take that she was standing near a great wagonthat had brought some luggage to the dock, until all at once, fromaround the other side, she heard a musical voice half sobbing out aprayer:
"O Lorr Gord, do keep de chile f'om all de dangers ob de mighty deep!Doan't let de waves nor de billows be swallerin' ob him up. Keep mybabby safe f'om all de mis'ries ob a forr'n land. Dese yere armshas held him troo all kiner sickernesses. Deah Lorr, keep my chilesafe--Yah! yah! yah!"
It was Mammy Leezer, who, without stopping to end her prayer in propershape, had suddenly joined the cheer that went up as the vessel droppedslowly down the stream.
Very still it grew again as the _Belle Virgeen_ drifted off and away,until in the distance the staunch ship grew small, and the figure of aboy standing straight and tall looked like a mere point against the sky.
Sallie's breast heaved and tears filled her eyes.
"Farewell, O Fairy Prince," she sighed, "farewell! I hate to see theego. I hope to see thee back some day, my Fairy Prince, and ah, what joywould it be, if, without shame, I might sometime meet thee face toface."
"Then away and prepare," cried her Fairy, and without stopping to lookback, or even to say a word to Mammy Leezer, Sally went swiftly to thepine woods and began talking to herself again.
"Now one thing am I bound to do. It will be hard to see the way, but--Iam going to a dame school!
"Mistress Maria Kent has long had pupils, and a likely teacher she mustbe. School goes in this day week. I mean to be there! But how? I knownot, yet some way will I find to learn."
That night Sally lay long awake. How busy was her mind! How many waysshe tried to plan! At length she exclaimed:
"I have it! I have it! That will I do. If Mistress Cory Ann makes anoise about it,--and I greatly fear me she will,--then must I put onbravery and tell her, with seemly respect, but with a good show of will,that learning I want and that learning I must have."
The next afternoon, as soon as she was through her supper, Sally madeherself both neat and pretty in appearance. Her hair was now all thetime made to look almost smooth, the gray and white print with a redrose for a breastpin was well brightened up. The decent shoes were onher feet.
She slipped away without being seen by the sharp eyes of Mistress CoryAnn, for she felt that her looks would not be pleasing to her. More thanonce had Mistress Brace spoken smartly of her smoother hair, and she hadnot liked the buying of the shoes.
Now, should she see Sally gliding away, the new dress on, a rose forornament, and with shoes on, she would demand being told at once whithershe was bound.
* * * * *
Mistress Maria Kent was sitting on the porch at her pretty little home,the picture of an old-time schoolmistress. Her hair was parted with aprecision that could not have been increased, and it was broughtsmoothly down on either side, where it was rounded just in front of herears, a little hard quirl being carried over her ears and pinned closelyto her back hair.
Her long-waisted dress of blue cambric was of a Puritan plainness, whilethe deeply wrought collar lying flat around her neck was fastened with around breastpin that had hair curiously plaited in the centre,surrounded by black and white enamel, and all framed in gold.
She lifted her eyes from the book she was reading to see a spare littlefigure coming up the garden walk.
"Good evening, little maid," she said pleasantly, "was there somethingyou wished to say to me?"
"'GOOD EVENING, LITTLE MAID,' SHE SAID, PLEASANTLY."]
Sally swallowed hard, and scarcely lifting her eyes, she replied, in afrightened voice:
"Yes, Mistress Kent, I want to get learning."
"That is praiseworthy," said Mistress Maria, "and have any arrangementsbeen made by which you can enter upon the duties and privileges of ayouthful scholar?"
Sally had told herself on the way that she must be brave, and so,scarcely understanding or even knowing what Mistress Kent had said, shebegan with a good show of courage for so timid and untaught a child:
"There is no one to help me, Mistress, I must help myself, but I can dothings if I try. I have set my heart on getting learning, which I shall!I have no money but about fourpence-ha'penny a week for darningstockings, but I have skill with the needle somewhat. If I could clean,or weed, or sew, my work should be well done. Could I sew for you oryour mother, Mistress Kent, or do any kind of work that would pay forlearning to read and write and spell? For learn I shall!"
Sally was on the point of crying out loud as she finished her speech, sovery hard had it been for her to make it, yet glad and half surprisedshe was, that, without stopping, the whole story had been told.
Mistress Kent was silent for a time after Sally had spoken. She wasthinking to herself:
"This is something new. Here is a little maid ten or eleven years ofage, who, all by herself, has come to my door, saying that learning shewants and must have, and will gladly pay for it what she can with herown small hands."
But the Mistress had to be wise and prudent. The children who came toher school were well taught and well reared, came of proud parents whopaid well for their schooling, and would never let their little peopleassociate with children of the poorer classes.
They were all well dressed, carefully washed and combed, wore finestockings and tasteful shoes, and had high notions already in their ownproud little heads.
So Mistress Kent, who had a good, kind heart under her stiff waist, wasquiet so long a time that Sally raised her eyes and saw a look oftrouble on the face of the schoolmistress. She was looking far off onthe distant fields, and was surely
trying to think something out. Atlength she said, slowly and distinctly:
"It would not be best, little maiden, for you to enter the classes withother young persons of your age, for they would be too far beyond you intheir studies. Nor can I feel it would do to enter you with A, B, Cscholars, for they would be much younger, and smaller in stature thanyourself.
"But I like not to send away either lad or maid who desires greatly tolearn. Twice a week, I go a few miles to pay a short visit to a sisterwho is lame; if then you will come promptly of a Wednesday and Saturdayafternoon, when school does not keep, and look gently after my agedmother, and also do a little plain sewing,--for I like not that thehands should be idle,--I will on other evenings of the week lend youbooks and faithfully teach you to read well, write, and spell."
Sally almost forgot her fear and cried out, "Oh, thank you, thank you,good Mistress Kent! I will indeed take good care of the aged mother,and do the sewing with a careful eye."
And then, as if unable to help it, she ran forward and put a kiss on theteacher's thin neck.
The spinster flushed rosy red and said, in a voice that trembled:
"There, there, child, that will do, be not overmuch thankful for what itpleaseth me to do, but come on Wednesday of next week, and we willproceed to help each other."
Sally wandered toward home as if in a dream. For, lo! so easily had shealready found a way to learn. And perfectly happy she would have been,had not a voice said grimly within her:
"But you have not yet reckoned with Mistress Cory Ann Brace!"
It was then Thursday, and nearly a week would Sally have in which tosettle matters. And the next Saturday, after cleaning kitchen, steps,and shed with much care, she said to Mistress Cory Ann that twice a weekshe had the chance to go to Mistress Kent of the dame school in theafternoon to do her some service, and that evenings she was to be taughtby the schoolmistress.
Then it was that Mistress Cory Ann blazed forth, and poor Sally felt herhopes dying down under her wrath. Indeed! had she not seen the slickingup, the rigging and the putting about to make herself fine? Not a stepshould she go to Mistress Kent to be taught book-learning!
"Have I not clothed and fed you, ungrateful girl," she cried, "but offyou must go making a smart lady of yourself, and getting notions thatwill fit you neither to do one thing nor another? Was it seeing thatyoung macaroni of a boy start off in all his glory to cram his head withbook stuff that set you up to wanting the same thing yourself? Get thenotion out again, then, quick! Not a word more of this nonsense aboutMistress Kent and her teachings. If you disobey, off you go to the TownHouse, and there stay until you are eighteen."
Oh, dreadful! Sally said not another word; she only moped about as ifheart-broken. She did not go over to Ingleside after supper, but wentacross to the pines, and throwing herself face downward on the moss, asshe had done once before when her ignorance first appeared before her,she cried and cried until again she fell asleep.