CHAPTER VII
FAREWELL TO THE CITY
A day or two later, Phil, wrapped in shawls, was carried by Joe to acarriage, and the carriage rolled away to a wharf where puffed numeroussteamboats; and here he was taken on board one of the river-steamers,and safely placed in the midst of a heap of pillows on deck, where hecould see all the busy life about him--see the newspaper boys and theorange women, and the hurrying hacks and the great teams, and all thestir and tumult of the city's busiest hours. Miss Schuyler, in her coolgray suit, was on one side of him, and Lisa, looking tranquil andthoroughly glad and grateful, on the other, and Joe, just the happiestdarkey in the world, sat at his feet, ready to take charge of all andeverything.
They sailed and they sailed, away from the city and its many roofs, fromthe factory chimneys and the steeples, from the cloud of smoke whichhung between the sky and house-tops, until they came to the hills anddales of pasture-lands and villages. Then they landed, and were whirledaway in the cars, and Phil enjoyed it all, even the fatigue which madehim sleep; and Joe carried him about as if he were a baby.
It was quite dark when, after a drive over a rather rough road, theyreached the lake-side cottage which was Miss Schuyler's summer home, andPhil was glad to be put in bed, for the old pain had begun again.
When he opened his eyes the next morning, it was with a strange feelingof wonder at his new surroundings. Birds were twittering out-of-doors,and there was a soft lapping of water on the shore. The green boughs ofa cherry tree almost brushed against the window-panes. He was no longerin his old garret room, but in a pretty apartment, with bunches ofrosebuds on the walls, and scent-bottles on the toilet-table, and muslincurtains, and a bright carpet, and pretty book-shelves, and brackets,and lovely child-faces in the engravings; and on a broad table was alittle easel, and a paint-box, and drawing-paper; and here too was hisold box with the violin strings.
"Oh," said Phil, softly, "I wonder if heaven is any better than this!"
He had closed his eyes as he said it, and went over his usual morningprayer of thankfulness; and when he opened his eyes, there was Lisa withhis breakfast-tray--poached eggs and toast, and a goblet of milk.
"Lisa, Lisa, is not this too nice for anything?" asked Phil.
"Yes, indeed, dear, it is nice. Miss Schuyler says you must hurry andget strong, so that you can make the acquaintance of the hens that laidthese eggs for you, and the cow whose milk is to do you so much good."
"What is the cow's name, Lisa?"
"I don't know," said Lisa.
"It is Daisy," said Miss Schuyler, coming in to say good-morning."She's a lovely little Alderney, and her milk is like cream. Oh, youwill soon be strong enough to row my boat for me."
"A boat! Have you a boat?"
"Yes, and you are going out on the lake in her this very morning."
"It is just too much happiness, Miss Schuyler."
"Well, we will not overpower you. For a day or two you must rest, and donothing but breathe the sweet air. I have to be busy getting things inorder and looking after my garden. Lisa will take her work on thepiazza, and you can lie in one of the easy-chairs. Joe is to wait onyou, and do a little weeding, and keep the paths in order, and bail outthe boat; and the old man seems to be very much at home already. So thatis the order of the day. Now good-bye, and don't do too much thinking."
"One moment, Miss Schuyler; do you believe in fairies?"
"Just a little," said Miss Schuyler, with a quizzical smile.
"Well, I believe in them," said Phil, "and I think you are one of thebest of them."
"Oh no, I am very human, dear Phil, as you will find out. And now I mustgo look after my strawberry-beds. Good-bye."
"Good-bye," said Phil, waving her a kiss. "Only think, Lisa, we willactually see strawberries growing! It is quite fairy-land for me."
After that he was carried down to the easy-chair on the piazza, where hecould see the lawn sloping down to the lake, and watch the birdslighting on the rim of a vase full of daisies and running vines. Hecould see that the cottage was low and broad, and painted in two shadesof brown; and that there were arbors covered with grape-vines on oneside, and on the other he knew there were flower-beds and fruit-trees,for every once in a while Miss Rachel was to be seen emerging from therein a broad straw hat and with buck-skin gloves, trailing long bits ofstring or boughs of green stuff, with scissors and trowel andwatering-can.
Lisa had her work-basket, and with deft fingers and a little undertoneof psalmody was fashioning a pretty summer garment. Then Miss Rachelcame and tossed a basketful of early roses and syringa down beside Phil,and put a little table beside him, with some slender glass vases and apitcher of water, and asked him to arrange the flowers for her. This hewas glad to do, and made the bunches up as prettily as his nice tastesuggested. But he was really wearied with great happiness. It was all sonew, so charming, every sense was so satisfied, that at last he closedhis eyes and slept.
It seemed to him only a little while, but when he opened his eyes againLisa was beside him with his dinner; and after dinner he slept again,and when he awakened the lawn was in shadow, and the sun low in the sky,and the birds were twittering and seeking their nests, and Miss Rachelwas telling Joe to put cushions in the boat, the _Flyaway_; andpresently Phil found himself floating gently on the lovely water of thelake, and the cottage and lawn and arbors were looking like a pretty bitof landscape he had seen in books.
He dipped his fingers in the clear water, and looked down at the pebblybottom, and listened to the even dip of the oars, as old Joe rowedfarther out from shore.
"It must be fairy-land," thought Phil, but he said nothing; he was toohappy to talk. And so the day ended--the first day in the country.