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The King Of Clubs And The Queen =
Of
Hearts
By
Louisa May Alcott
Five and twenty ladies, all in a row, sat on o=
ne
side of the hall, looking very much as if they felt like the little old wom=
an
who fell asleep on the king's highway and awoke with abbreviated drapery, f=
or
they were all arrayed in gray tunics and Turkish continuations, profusely
adorned with many-colored trimmings. Five and twenty gentleman, all in a ro=
w,
sat on the opposite side of the hall, looking somewhat subdued, as men are =
apt
to do when they fancy they are in danger of making fools of themselves. The=
y,
also, were en costume, for all the dark ones had grown piratical in red shi=
rts,
the light ones nautical in blue; and a few boldly appeared in white, making=
up
in starch and studs what they lost in color, while all were more or less
Byronic as to collar.
On the platform appeared a pile of dumb-bells,=
a
regiment of clubs, and a pyramid of bean-bags, and stirring nervously among
them a foreign-looking gentleman, the new leader of a class lately formed by
Dr. Thor Turner, whose mission it was to strengthen the world's spine, and
convert it to a belief in air and exercise, by setting it to balancing its
poles and spinning merrily, while enjoying the "Sun-cure" on a la=
rge
scale. His advent formed an epoch in the history of the town; for it was a
quiet old village, guiltless of bustle, fashion, or parade, where each man
stood for what he was; and, being a sagacious set, every one's true value w=
as
pretty accurately known. It was a neighborly town, with gossip enough to st=
ir
the social atmosphere with small gusts of interest or wonder, yet do no har=
m. A
sensible, free-and-easy town, for the wisest man in it wore the worst boots,
and no one thought the less of his understanding; the belle of the village =
went
shopping with a big sun-bonnet and tin pail, and no one found her beauty
lessened; oddities of all sorts ambled peacefully about on their various
hobbies, and no one suggested the expediency of a trip on the wooden horse =
upon
which the chivalrous South is always eager to mount an irrepressible
abolitionist. Restless people were soothed by the lullaby the river sang in=
its
slow journey to the sea, old people found here a pleasant place to make rea=
dy
to die in, young people to survey the world from, before taking their first
flight, and strangers looked back upon it, as a quiet nook full of ancient
legends and modern lights, which would keep its memory green when many a ga=
yer
spot was quite forgotten. Anything based upon common sense found favor with=
the
inhabitants, and Dr. Turner's theories, being eminently so, were accepted at
once and energetically carried out. A sort of heathen revival took place, f=
or
even the ministers and deacons turned Musclemen; old ladies tossed bean-bags
till their caps were awry, and winter roses blossomed on their cheeks;
school-children proved the worth of the old proverb, "An ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure," by getting their backs ready bef=
ore
the burdens came; pale girls grew blithe and strong swinging their dumb
namesakes; and jolly lads marched to and fro embracing clubs as if longevity
were corked up in those wooden bottles, and they all took "modest
quenchers" by the way.
August Bopp, the new leader of the class, was a
German possessing but a small stock of English, though a fine gynmast; and,
being also a bashful man, the appointed moment had no sooner arrived than he
found his carefully prepared sentences slipping away from his memory as the=
ice
appears to do from under unhappy souls first mounted upon skates. An awful
silence reigned; Mr. Bopp glanced nervously over his shoulder at the staring
rows, more appalling in their stillness than if they had risen up and hoote=
d at
him, then piling up the bags for the seventh time, he gave himself a mental
shake, and, with a crimson visage, was about to launch his first "Lade=
es
und gentlemen," when the door opened, and a small, merry-faced figure
appeared, looking quite at ease in the novel dress, as, with a comprehensive
nod, it marched straight across the hall to its place among the weaker vess=
els.
A general glance of approbation followed from =
the
gentlemen's side, a welcoming murmur ran along the ladies', and the fifty p=
airs
of eyes changed their focus for a moment. Taking advantage of which, Mr. Bo=
pp
righted himself, and burst out with a decided,--
"Ladees und gentlemen: the time have arri=
ved
that we shall begin. Will the gentlemen serve the ladees to a wand, each on=
e,
then spread theirselves about the hall, and follow the motions I will make =
as I
shall count."
Five minutes of chaos, then all fell into orde=
r,
and nothing was heard but the leader's voice and the stir of many bodies mo=
ving
simultaneously. An uninitiated observer would have thought himself in Bedla=
m;
for as the evening wore on, the laws of society seemed given to the winds, =
and
humanity gone mad. Bags flew in all directions, clubs hurtled through the a=
ir,
and dumb-bells played a castinet accompaniment to peals of laughter that ma=
de
better music than any band. Old and young gave themselves up to the univers=
al
merriment, and, setting dignity aside, played like happy-hearted children f=
or
an hour. Stout Dr. Quackenboss gasped twice round the hall on one toe; stat=
ely
Mrs. Primmins ran like a girl of fifteen to get her pins home before her
competitor; Tommy Inches, four feet three, trotted away with Deacon Stone on
his shoulder, while Mr. Steepleton and Miss Maypole hopped together like a =
pair
of lively young ostriches, and Ned Amandine, the village beau, blew arrows
through a pop-gun, like a modern Cupid in pegtops instead of pinions.
The sprightly young lady whose entrance had be=
en
so opportune seemed a universal favorite, and was overwhelmed with invitati=
ons
to "bag," "hop," and "blow" from the gentlemen
who hovered about her, cheerfully distorting themselves to the verge of
dislocation in order to win a glance of approbation from the merry black ey=
es
which were the tapers where all these muscular moths singed their wings. Mr.
Bopp had never seen such a little piece of earnestness before, and began to
think the young lady must be training for a boat-race or the ring. Her
dumb-bells flew about till a pair of white arms looked like the sails of a
windmill; she hit out from the shoulder with a vigor that would have done
execution had there been anything but empty air to "punish;" and =
the
"one, two, three!" of the Zouave movement went off with a snap; w=
hile
the color deepened from pink to scarlet in her cheeks, the black braids tum=
bled
down upon her shoulders, and the clasp of her belt flew asunder; but her eye
seldom left the leader's face, and she followed every motion with an agility
and precision quite inspiring. Mr. Bopp's courage rose as he watched her, a=
nd a
burning desire to excel took possession of him, till he felt as if his musc=
les
were made of India-rubber, and his nerves of iron. He went into his work he=
art
and soul, shaking a brown mane out of his eyes, issuing commands like gener=
al
at the head of his troops, and keeping both interest and fun in full blast =
till
people laughed who had not laughed heartily for years; lungs got their fill=
for
once, unsuspected muscles were suddenly developed, and, when the clock stru=
ck
ten, all were bubbling over with that innocent jollity which makes youth wo=
rth
possessing, and its memory the sunshine of old age.
The last exercise was drawing to a close, and a
large ring of respectable members of society were violently sitting down and
rising up in a manner which would have scandalized Miss Wilhelmina Carolina
Amelia S. Keggs to the last degree, when Mr. Bopp was seen to grow very pal=
e,
and drop in a manner which it was evident his pupils were not expected to
follow.
At this unexpected performance, the gentlemen =
took
advantage of their newly-acquired agility to fly over all obstacles and swa=
rm
on to the platform, while the ladies successfully lessened their unusual bl=
oom
by staring wildly at one another and suggesting awful impossibilities. The
bustle subsided, as suddenly as it arose; and Mr. Bopp, rather damp about t=
he
head and dizzy about the eye, but quite composed, appeared, saying, with the
broken English and appealing manner which caused all the ladies to pronounce
him "a dear" on the spot,--
"I hope you will excoose me for making th=
is
lesson to be more short than it should; but I have exercise nine hours this
day, and being just got well from a illness, I have not recover the strengt=
h I
have lost. Next week I shall be able to take time by the hair, so that I wi=
ll
not have so much engagements in one day. I thank you for your kindness, and=
say
good-efening."
After a round of applause, as a last vent for
their spirits, the class dispersed, and Mr. Bopp was wrestling with a vicio=
us
pin as he put on his collar ("a sure sign he has no ma to see to his
buttons, poor lamb!" thought Mrs. Fairbairn, watching him from afar); =
when
the sprightly young lady, accompanied by a lad the masculine image of herse=
lf,
appeared upon the platform, saying, with an aspect as cordial as her words,=
--
"Good-evening, Professor. Allow me to
introduce my brother and myself, Dick and Dolly Ward, and ask you in my
mother's name, to come home with us; for the tavern is not a cosy place, and
after all this exertion you should be made comfortable. Please come, for Dr.
Turner always stayed with us, and we promised to do the honors of the town =
to
any gentleman he might send to supply his place."
"Of course we did; and mother is probably
freezing her blessed nose off watching for us; so don't disappoint her, Bop=
p.
It's all settled, the sleigh's at the door, and here's your coat; so, come
on!"
Dick was a fine sample of young America in its
best aspect, and would have said "How are you?" to Louis Napoleon=
if
he had been at hand, and have done it so heartily that the great Frenchman
would have found it hard to resist giving as frank an answer. Therefore no
wonder that Mr. Bopp surrendered at once; for the young gentleman took
possession of him bodily, and shook him into his coat with an amiable
impetuosity which developed a sudden rent in the well-worn sleeve thereof, =
and
caused an expression of dismay, to dawn upon the owner's countenance.
"Beg pardon; never mind; mother'll sew yo=
u up
in two seconds, and your overcoat will hide the damage. Where is it? I'll g=
et
it, and then we'll be off."
Mr. Bopp colored distressfully, looked up, loo=
ked
down, and then straight into the lad's face, saying simply,--
"Thank you; I haf no coat but one."<= o:p>
Dick opened his eyes, and was about opening his
mouth also, for the exit of some blunderingly good-natured reply, when a
warning poke from his sister restrained him, while Dolly, with the innocent
hypocrisy which is as natural to some women as the art of tying bows, said,=
as
she led the way out,--
"You see the worth of gymnastics, Dick, i=
n this
delightful indifference to cold. I sincerely hope we may reach a like envia=
ble
state of health, and look upon great-coats as effeminate, and mufflers a
weakness of the flesh. Do you think we shall, Mr. Bopp?"
He shook his head with a perceptible shiver as=
the
keen north wind smote him in the face, but answered, with a look half merry,
half sad,--
"It is not choice, but what you call
necessitee, with me; and I truly hope you may never haf to exercise to keep
life in you when you haf sold your coat to pay a doctor's bill, or teach the
art of laughing while your heart is heavy as one stone. You would not like
that, I think, yet it is good, too; for small things make much happiness for
me, and a kind word is often better than a rix dollar."
There was something in the young man's tone and
manner which touched and won his hearers at once. Dolly secretly resolved to
put an extra blanket on his bed, and shower kind words upon him, while Dick
tucked him up in buffalo robes where he sat helplessly beaming down upon the
red hood at his side.
A roaring fire shone out hospitably as they ca=
me,
and glorified the pleasant room, dancing on ancient furniture and pictured
walls till the jolly old portraits seemed to wink a visible welcome. A
cheery-faced little woman, like an elder Dolly, in a widow's cap, stood on =
the
threshold, with a friendly greeting for the stranger, which warmed him as no
fine could have done.
If August Bopp had been an Englishman, he would
have felt much, but said less on that account; if he had been an American, =
he
would have tried to conceal his poverty, and impress the family with his pa=
st
grandeur, present importance, or future prospects; being a German, he showed
exactly what he was, with the childlike frankness of his race. Having had n=
o dinner,
he ate heartily of what was offered him; being cold, he basked in the gener=
ous
warmth; being homesick and solitary, he enjoyed the genial influences that
surrounded him, and told his story, sure of sympathy; for even in prosaic
Yankeedom he had found it, as travellers find Alpine flowers among the snow=
.
It was a simple story of a laborious boyhood,
being early left an orphan, with a little sister dependent on him, till an
opening in America tempted him to leave her and come to try and earn a home=
for
her and for himself. Sickness, misfortune, and disappointment had been his
companions for a year; but he still worked, still hoped, and waited for the
happy hour when little Ulla should come to him across the sea. This was all;
yet as he told it, with the magical accompaniments of gesture, look, and to=
ne,
it seemed full of pathos and romance to his listeners, whose faces proved t=
heir
interest more flatteringly than their words.
Mrs. Ward mended the torn coat with motherly z=
eal,
and gave it many of those timely stitches which thrifty women love to sew. =
The
twins devoted themselves to their guest, each in a characteristic manner. D=
ick,
as host, offered every article of refreshment the house afforded, goaded the
fire to a perpetual roar, and discussed gymnastics, with bursts of boyish
admiration for the grace and skill of his new leader, whom he christened Ki=
ng
of Clubs on the spot. Dolly made the stranger one of them at once by talking
bad German, as an offset to his bad English, called him Professor in spite =
of
all denials, and unconsciously symbolized his future bondage by giving him a
tangled skein to hold for the furtherance of her mother's somewhat lengthen=
ed
job.
The Cupid of the present day was undoubtedly
"raised" in Connecticut; for the ingenuity and shrewdness of that
small personage could have sprung from no other soil. In former times his
stratagems were of the romantic order. Colin bleated forth his passion in
rhyme, and cast sheep's eyes from among his flock, while Phyllis coquetted =
with
her crook and stuck posies in his hat; royal Ferdinand and Miranda played at
chess; Ivanhoe upset his fellow-men like ninepins for love of lackadaisical
Rowena; and "sweet Moll" turned the pages while her lover, Milton,
sang. But in our day the jolly little god, though still a heathen in the se=
vere
simplicity of his attire, has become modernized in his arts, and invented
huskings, apple-bees, sleigh-rides, "drop-ins," gymnastics, and,
among his finer snares, the putting on of skates, drawing of patterns, and
holding skeins,--the last-named having superior advantages over the others,=
as
all will testify who have enjoyed one of those hand-to-hand skirmishes.
August Bopp was three and twenty, imaginative,
grateful, and heart-whole; therefore, when he found himself sitting opposit=
e a
blooming little damsel, with a head, bound by a pretty red snood, bent down
before him, and very close to his own a pair of distracting hands, every fi=
nger
of which had a hit to make, and made it, it is not to be denied that he felt
himself entering upon a new and very agreeable experience. Where could he l=
ook
but in the face opposite, sometimes so girlishly merry and sometimes so
beautifully shy? It was a winning face, full of smooth curves, fresh colors,
and sunshiny twinkles,--a face every one liked, for it was as changeful as =
an
April day, and always pleasant, whether mischievous, mournful, or demure.
Like one watching a new picture, Mr. Bopp
inspected every feature of the countenance so near his own; and, as his
admiration "grew by what it fed on," he fell into a chronic state=
of
stammer and blush; for the frank eyes were very kind, the smooth cheeks
reflected a pretty shade of his own crimson, and the smiling lips seemed
constantly suggesting, with mute eloquence, that they were made for kissing,
while the expressive hands picked at the knots till the Professor felt like=
a
very resigned fly in the web of a most enticing young spider.
If the King of Clubs saw a comely face, the Qu=
een
of Hearts saw what observing girls call a "good face;" and with a
womanly respect for strength, the manliest attribute of man, she admired the
broad shoulders and six feet one of her new master. This face was not hands=
ome,
for, true to his fatherland, the Professor had an eminent nose, a blonde be=
ard,
and a crop of "bonny brown hair" long enough to have been gathered
into a ribbon, as in the days of Schiller and Jean Paul; but Dolly liked it,
for its strength was tempered with gentleness; patience and courage gave it
dignity, and the glance that met her own was both keen and kind.
The silk was wound at last, the coat repaired.
Dick with difficulty concealed the growing stiffness of his shoulders, while
Dolly turned up the lamp, which bluntly hinted bedtime, and Mrs. Ward
successfully devoured six gapes behind her hand, but was detected in the
seventh by Mr. Bopp, who glanced at the clock, stopped in the middle of a
sentence, and, with a hurried "goot-night," made for the door wit=
hout
the least idea whither he was going. Piloted by Dick, he was installed in t=
he
"best chamber," where his waking dreams were enlivened by a great
fire, and his sleeping ones by an endless succession of skeins, each
rapturously concluded in the style of Sam Weller when folding carpets with =
the
pretty maid.
"I tell you, Dolly, it won't do, and I'm =
not
going to have it."
"Oh, indeed; and how will you help it, you
absurd boy?"
"Why, if you don't stop it, I'll just say=
to
Bopp,--'Look here, my dear fellow; this sister of mine is a capital girl, b=
ut
she will flirt and'"--
"And it's a family failing, Dick," c=
ut
in Dolly.
"Not a bit of it. I shall say, 'Take care=
of
your heart, Bopp, for she has a bad habit of playing battle-door and
shuttle-cock with these articles; and, though it may be very good fun for a
time, it makes them ache when they get a last knock and are left to lie in a
corner.'"
"What eloquence! But you'd never dare to =
try
it on Mr. Bopp; and I shouldn't like to predict what would happen to you if=
you
did."
"If you say 'dare,' I'll do it the first
minute I see him. As for consequences, I don't care that for 'em;" and
Dick snapped his fingers with an aspect of much disdain. But something in h=
is
sister's face suggested the wisdom of moderation, and moved him to say, less
like a lord of creation, and more like a brother who privately adored his
sister, but of course was not going to acknowledge such a weakness,--
"Well, but soberly, now, I wish you would=
n't
plague Bopp; for it's evident to me that he is hit; and from the way you've
gone on these two months, what else was to be expected? Now, as the head of=
the
family,--you needn't laugh, for I am,--I think I ought to interfere; and so=
I
put it to you,--do you like him, and will you have him? or are you merely
amusing yourself, as you have done ever since you were out of pinafores? If=
you
like him, all serene. I'd rather have him for a brother than any one I know,
for he's a regular trump though he is poor; but if you don't, I won't have =
the
dear old fellow floored just because you like to see it done."
It may here be remarked that Dolly quite glowe=
d to
hear her brother praise Mr. Bopp, and that she indorsed every word with men=
tal
additions of double warmth; but Dick had begun all wrong, and, manlike,
demanded her confidence before she had made up her mind to own she had any =
to bestow;
therefore nothing came of it but vexation of spirit; for it is a well-known
fact that, on some subjects, if boys will tease, girls will fib, and both
maintain that it is right. So Dolly whetted her feminine weapon, and assume=
d a
lofty superiority.
"Dear me! what a sudden spasm of virtue; =
and
why, if it is such a sin, has not the 'head of the house' taken his sister =
to
task before, instead of indulging in a like degeneracy, and causing several
interesting persons to tear their hair, and bewail his forgetfulness, when =
they
ought to have blessed their stars he was out of the way?"
Dick snowballed a dozing crow and looked nettl=
ed;
for he had attained that age when "Tom Brown at Oxford" was the b=
ook
of books, the twelfth chapter being the favorite, and five young ladies hav=
ing
already been endowed with the significant heliotrope flower; all of which f=
acts
Dolly had skilfully brought to mind, as a return-shot for his somewhat pers=
onal
remarks.
"Bah! they were only girls, and it don't
amount to anything among us young folks; but Bopp is a grown man, and you o=
ught
to respect him too much to play such pranks with him. Besides, he's a Germa=
n,
and more tender-hearted than we rough Yankees, as any one can see by the wa=
y he
acts when you snub him. He is proud, too, for all his meekness, and waits t=
ill
he's sure you like him before he says anything; and he'll need the patience=
of
a family of Jobs at the rate you're going on,--a honey-pot one day and a
pickle-jar the next. Do make up your mind, and say yes or no, right off,
Dolly."
"Would you have me meet him at the door w=
ith
a meek courtesy, and say, 'Oh, if you please, I'm ready to say Yes, thank y=
ou,
if you'll be good enough to say, Will you'?"
"Don't be a goose, child; you know I mean
nothing of the kind; only you girls never will do anything straight ahead if
you can dodge and fuss and make a mess of it. Just tell me one thing: Do yo=
u,
or don't you, like old Bopp?"
"What an elegant way to put it! Of course=
I
like him well enough as a leader; he is clever, and sort of cunning, and I
enjoy his funny ways; but what in the world should I do with a great
yellow-haired laddie who could put me in his pocket, and yet is so meek tha=
t I
should never find the heart to henpeck him? You are welcome to him; and sin=
ce
you love him so much, there's no need of my troubling myself on his account;
for with you for a friend, be can have no earthly wish ungratified."
"Don't try to be cutting, Dolly, because =
you
look homely when you do, and it's a woman's business to be pretty, always. =
All
I've got to say is, you will be in a nice state of mind if you damage Bopp;=
for
every one likes him, and will be down upon you for a heartless little wretc=
h;
and I shan't blame them, I promise you."
"I wish the town wouldn't put its fingers=
in
other people's pies, and you may tell it so, with my compliments; and all I
have to say is, that you men have more liberty than you know what to do wit=
h,
and we women haven't enough; so it's perfectly fair that we should show you=
the
worth of the thing by taking it away now and then. I shall do exactly as I
please; dance, walk, ride, and flirt, whenever and with whomever I see fit;=
and
the whole town, with Mr. Dick Ward at their head, can't stop me if I choose=
to
go on. Now, then, what next?" After which declaration of independence,
Dolly folded her arms, wheeled about and faced her brother, a spirited
statuette of Self Will, in a red hood and mittens.
Dick sternly asked,--
"Is that your firm decision, ma'am?"=
"Yes."
"And you will not give up your
nonsense?"
"No."
"You are quite sure you don't care for
Bopp?"
"I could slap him with all my heart."=
;
"Very good. I shall see that you don't ge=
t a
chance."
"I wouldn't try a skirmish, for you'll get
beaten, Dick."
"We'll prove that, ma'am."
"We will, sir."
And the belligerents loftily paced up the lawn,
with their purpose so well expressed by outward signs, that Mrs. Ward knew,=
by
the cock of Dick's hat and the decided tap of Dolly's heels, that a storm w=
as
brewing, before they entered the door.
This fraternal conversation took place some two
months from the evening of Mr. Bopp's advent, as the twins were strolling h=
ome
from school, which school must be briefly alluded to in order to explain the
foregoing remarks. It was an excellent institution in all respects; for its
presiding genius stood high in the townfolks' esteem, and might have served=
as
an example to Dr. Watts' "busy bee," in the zeal with which he
improved his "shining hours," and laid up honey against the winte=
r,
which many hoped would be long in coming. All manner of aids were provided =
for
sprouting souls and bodies, diversions innumerable, and society, some membe=
rs
of which might have polished off Alcibiades a la Socrates, or entertained P=
lato
with "æsthetic tea." But, sad to relate, in spite of all th=
ese
blessings, the students who resorted to this academy possessed an
Adam-and-Eve-like proclivity for exactly what they hadn't got and didn't ne=
ed;
and, not contented with the pleasures provided, must needs play truant with
that young scamp Eros, and turn the ancient town topsy-turvy with modern
innovations, till scandalized spinsters predicted that the very babies would
catch the fever, refuse their panada in jealous gloom, send billet-doux in
their rattles, elope in wicker-carriages, and set up housekeeping in dolls'
houses, after the latest fashion.
Certain inflammable Southerners introduced the=
new
game, and left such romantic legends of their loves behind them that their
successors were fired with an ambition to do the like, and excel in all thi=
ngs,
from cricket to captivation.
This state of things is not to be wondered at;=
for
America, being renowned as a "fast" nation, has become a sort of
hotbed, and seems to force humanity into early bloom. Therefore, past
generations must not groan over the sprightly present, but sit in the
chimney-corner and see boys and girls play the game which is too apt to end=
in
a checkmate for one of the players. To many of the lookers-on, the new orde=
r of
things was as good as a puppet-show; for, with the enthusiasm of youth, the
actors performed their parts heartily, forgetting the audience in their own
earnestness. Bless us! what revolutions went on under the round jackets, and
what love-tokens lay in the pockets thereof. What plots and counterplots
occupied the heads that wore the innocent-looking snoods, and what captives
were taken in the many-colored nets that would come off and have to be taken
care of. What romances blossomed like dandelions along the road to school, =
and
what tales the river might have told if any one could have learned its musi=
cal
speech. How certain gates were glorified by daily lingerings thereat, and w=
hat
tender memories hung about dingy desks, old pens, and books illustrated with
all manner of symbolical designs.
Let those laugh who will; older and wiser men =
and
women might have taken lessons of these budding heroes and heroines; for he=
re
all was honest, sincere, and fresh; the old world had not taught them
falsehood, self-interest, or mean ambitions. When they lost or won, they
frankly grieved or rejoiced, and wore no masks except in play, and then got
them off as soon as possible. If blue-eyed Lizzie frowned, or went home with
Joe, Ned, with a wisdom older lovers would do well to imitate, went in for
another game of foot-ball, gave the rejected apple to little Sally, and
whistled "Glory Hallelujah," instead of "Annie Laurie,"
which was better than blowing a rival's brains out, or glowering at woman-k=
ind
forever after. Or, when Tom put on Clara's skates three successive days, and
danced with her three successive evenings, leaving Kitty to freeze her feet=
in
the one instance and fold her hands in the other, she just had a "good
cry," gave her mother an extra kiss, and waited till the recreant Tom
returned to his allegiance, finding his little friend a sweetheart in natur=
e as
in name.
Dick and Dolly were foremost in the ranks, and
expert in all the new amusements. Dick worshipped at many shrines, but most
faithfully at that of a meek divinity, who returned charming answers to the
ardent epistles which he left in her father's garden wall, where, Pyramus a=
nd
Thisbe-like, they often chatted through a chink; and Dolly was seldom seen
without a staff of aids who would have "fought, bled, and died" f=
or
her as cheerfully as the Little Corporal's Old Guard, though she paid them =
only
in words; for her Waterloo had not yet come.
With the charming, perversity of her sex in su=
ch
matters, no sooner had Dolly declared that she didn't like Mr. Bopp, than s=
he
began to discover that she did; and so far from desiring "to slap
him," a tendency to regard him with peculiar good-will and tenderness
developed itself, much to her own surprise; for with all her coquetry and
seeming coldness, Dolly had a right womanly heart of her own, though she had
never acknowledged the fact till August Bopp looked at her with so much love
and longing in his honest eyes. Then she found a little fear mingling with =
her
regard, felt a strong desire to be respected by him, discovered a certain
something which she called conscience, restraining a reckless use of her po=
wer,
and, soon after her lofty denial to Dick, was forced to own that Mr. Bopp h=
ad
become her master in the finer species of gymnastics that came in with Adam=
and
Eve, and have kept all creation turning somersets ever since. Of course the=
se
discoveries were unconfessed, even to that best bosom friend which any of us
can have; yet her mother suspected them, and, with much anxiety, saw all, y=
et
held her peace, knowing that her little daughter would, sooner or later, gi=
ve
her a fuller confidence than could be demanded; and remembering the happiest
moments of her own happy past, when an older Dick wooed another Dolly, she =
left
that flower, which never can be forced, to open at its own sweet will.
Meanwhile, Mr. Bopp, though carrying his heart
upon his sleeve, believed his secret buried in the deepest gloom, and enjoy=
ed
all the delightful miseries lovers insist upon making for themselves. When
Dolly was quiet and absent, he became pensive, the lesson dragged, and peop=
le
fancied they were getting tired of the humbug; when Dolly was blithe and bl=
and,
he grew radiant, exercised within an inch of his life as a vent for his
emotions, and people went home declaring gymnastics to be the crowning triu=
mph
of the age; and when Dolly was capricious, Mr. Bopp, became a bewildered
weathercock, changing as the wind changed, and dire was the confusion
occasioned thereby.
Like the sage fowl in the story, Dick said
nothing, but "kept up a terrible thinking," and, not having had
experience enough to know that when a woman says No she is very apt to mean
Yes, he took Dolly at her word. Believing it to be his duty to warn "O=
ld
Bopp," he resolved to do it like a Roman brother, regardless of his own
feelings or his sister's wrath, quite unconscious that the motive power in =
the
affair was a boyish love of ruling the young person who ruled every one els=
e.
Matters stood thus, when the town was electrif=
ied
by a general invitation to the annual jubilee at Jollyboys Hall, which this
spring flowered into a masquerade, and filled the souls of old and young wi=
th
visions of splendor, frolic, and fun. Being an amiable old town, it gave it=
self
up, like a kind grandma, to the wishes of its children, let them put its
knitting away, disturb its naps, keep its hands busy with vanities of the
flesh, and its mind in a state of chaos for three mortal weeks. Young ladies
were obscured by tarletan fogs, behind which they concocted angels' wings,
newspaper gowns, Minnehaha's wampum, and Cinderella's slippers. Inspired but
incapable boys undertook designs that would have daunted a costumer of the
first water, fell into sloughs of despond, and, emerging, settled down from
peers and paladins into jovial tars, friar waterproofs, and officers in
miscellaneous uniforms. Fathers laughed or grumbled at the whole thing and
advanced pecuniary loans with good or ill grace, as the case might be; but =
the
mothers, whose interest in their children's pleasure is a sort of evergreen
that no snows of time can kill, sewed spangles by the bushel, made wilderne=
sses
of tissue-paper blossom as the rose, kept tempers sweet, stomachs full, and
domestic machinery working smoothly through it all, by that maternal magic
which makes them the human providences of this naughty world.
"What shall I go as?" was the univer=
sal
cry. Garrets were taken by storm, cherished relics were teased out of old
ladies' lavendered chests (happy she who saw them again!), hats were made i=
nto
boots, gowns into doublets, cloaks into hose, Sunday bonnets despoiled of t=
heir
plumage, silken cauliflowers sown broadcast over the land, and cocked-up ca=
ps
erected in every style of architecture, while "Tag, Rag, and Bobtail&q=
uot;
drove a smashing business, and everybody knew what everybody else was going=
to
be, and solemnly vowed they didn't--which transparent falsehood was the best
joke of the whole.
Dolly allowed her mates to believe she was to =
be
the Queen of Hearts, but privately laid hold of certain brocades worn by a =
trim
grandmother half a century ago, and one evening burst upon her brother in a
charming "Little Bo-Peep" costume, which, for the benefit of futu=
re
distressed damsels, may be described as a "white silk skirt, scarlet
overdress neatly bundled up behind," as ancient ladies expressed it, b=
lue
hose with red clocks, high-heeled shoes with silver buckles, a nosegay in t=
he
tucker, and a fly-way hat perched in this case on the top of black curls, w=
hich
gave additional archness to Dolly's face as she entered, singing that famous
ditty.
Dick surveyed her with approval, turning her a=
bout
like a lay figure, and expressing his fraternal opinion that she was "=
the
sauciest little turn-out he ever saw," and then wet-blanketed the rema=
rks
by adding, "Of course you don't call it a disguise, do you? and don't
flatter yourself that you won't be known; for Dolly Ward is as plainly writ=
ten
in every curl, bow, and gimcrack, as if you wore a label on your back."=
;
"Then I shan't wear it;" and off went
the hat at one fell blow, as Dolly threw her crook in one corner, her posy =
in
another, and sat down an image of despair.
"Now don't be a goose, and rip everything=
to
bits; just wear a domino over all, as Fan is going to, and then, when you've
had fun enough, take it off and do the pretty. It will make two rigs, you s=
ee,
and bother the boys to your heart's content."
"Dick, I insist upon kissing you for that
brilliant suggestion; and then you may run and get me eight yards of cambri=
c,
just the color of Fan's; but if you tell any one, I'll keep her from dancing
with you the whole evening;" with which bribe and threat Dolly embraced
her brother, and shut the door in his face, while he, putting himself in go=
od
humor by imagining she was somebody else, departed on his muddy mission.
If the ghosts of the first settlers had taken
their walks abroad on the eventful Friday night, they would have held up th=
eir
shadowy hands at the scenes going on under their venerable noses; for stran=
ge
figures flitted through the quiet streets, and instead of decorous slumber,
there was decidedly,--"A sound of revelry by night"
Spurs clanked and swords rattled over the fros=
ty
ground, as if the British were about to make another flying call; hooded mo=
nks
and nuns paced along, on carnal thoughts intent; ancient ladies and bewigged
gentlemen seemed hurrying to enjoy a social cup of tea, and groan over the =
tax;
barrels staggered and stuck through narrow ways, as if temperance were still
among the lost arts, while bears, apes, imps, and elves pattered or sparkled
by, as if a second Walpurgis Night had come, and all were bound for Blocksb=
erg.
"Hooray for the Rooster!" shouted yo= ung Ireland, encamped on the sidewalk to see the show, as Mephistopheles' red cock's feather skimmed up the stairs, and he left a pink domino at the ladi= es' dressing-room door, with the brief warning, "Now cut your own capers a= nd leave me to mine," adding, as he paused a moment at the great door,--<= o:p>
"By Jove! isn't it a jolly sight,
though?"
And so it was; for a mammoth boot stood sentin=
el
at the entrance; a Bedouin Arab leaned on his spear in one corner, looking =
as
if ready to say,--
"Fly to the desert, fly with me,"
to the pretty Jewess on his arm; a stately Ham=
let,
with irreproachable legs, settled his plumage in another, still undecided to
which Ophelia he would first address "The honey of his music vows.&quo=
t;
Bluff King Hal's representative was waltzing i=
n a
way that would have filled that stout potentate with respectful admiration,
while Queen Katherine flirted with a Fire Zouave. Alcipades whisked Mother
Goose about the room till the old lady's conical hat tottered on her head, =
and
the Union held fast to a very little Mac. Flocks of friars, black, white, a=
nd
gray, pervaded the hall, with flocks of ballet girls, intended to represent
peasants, but failing for lack of drapery; morning and evening stars rose or
set, as partners willed; lively red demons harassed meek nuns, and knights =
of
the Leopard, the Lion or Griffin, flashed by, looking heroically uncomforta=
ble,
in their gilded cages; court ladies promenaded with Jack tars, and dukes da=
nced
with dairy-maids, while Brother Jonathan whittled, Aunt Dinah jabbered, Ing=
omar
flourished his club, and every one felt warmly enthusiastic and vigorously
jolly.
"Ach himmel! Das ist wunder schon!"
murmured a tall, gray monk, looking in, and quite unconscious that he spoke
aloud.
"Hullo, Bopp! I thought you weren't
coming," cried Mephistopheles in an emphatic whisper.
"Ah, I guess you! yes, you are well done.=
I
should like to be a Faust for you, but I haf no time, no purse for a dress,=
so
I throw this on, and run up for a hour or two. Where is--who is all these
people? Do you know them?"
The one with the Pope, Fra Diavolo; the telegr=
aph,
and two knights asking her to dance, is Dolly, if that's what you want to k=
now.
Go in and keep it up, Bopp, while you can; I am off for Fan;" and Meph=
istopheles
departed over the banisters with a weird agility that delighted the beholde=
rs;
while the gray friar stole into a corner and watched the pink domino for ha=
lf
an hour, at the end of which time his regards were somewhat confused by
discovering that there were two pink damsels so like that he could not tell
which was the one pointed out by Dick and which the new-comer.
"She thinks I will not know her, but I sh=
all
go now and find out for myself;" and, starting into sudden activity, t=
he
gray brother strode up to the nearest pink lady, bowed, and offered his arm.
With a haughty little gesture of denial to several others, she accepted it,=
and
they joined the circle of many-colored promenaders that eddied round the ha=
ll.
As they went, Mr. Bopp scrutinized his companion, but saw only a slender fi=
gure
shrouded from head to foot, and the tip of a white glove resting on his arm=
.
"I will speak; then her voice will betray
her," he thought, forgetting that his own was undisguisable.
"Madame, permit me that I fan you, it is =
so
greatly warm."
A fan was surrendered with a bow, and the mask=
ed
face turned fully toward his own, while the hood trembled as if its wearer
laughed silently.
"Ah, it is you,--I know the eyes, the ste=
p,
the laugh. Miss Dolly, did you think you could hide from me?"
"I did not wish to," was the whisper=
ed
answer.
"Did you think I would come?"
"I hoped so."
"Then you are not displease with me?"=
;
"No; I am very glad; I wanted you."<= o:p>
The pink head drooped a little nearer, and ano=
ther
white glove went to meet its mate upon his arm with a pretty, confiding
gesture. Mr. Bopp instantly fell into a state of bliss,--the lights, music,=
gay
surroundings, and, more than all, this unwonted demonstration, put the crow=
ning
glory to the moment; and, fired with the hopeful omen, he allowed his love =
to
silence his prudence, and lead him to do, then and there, the very thing he=
had
often resolved never to do at all.
"Ah, Miss Dolly, if you knew how much, how
very much you haf enlarged my happiness, and made this efening shine for me,
you would more often be a little friendly, for this winter has been all sum=
mer
to me, since I knew you and your kind home, and now I haf no sorrow but that
after the next lesson I come no more unless you gif me leaf. See now I must=
say
this even here, when so much people are about us, because I cannot stop it;=
and
you will forgif me that I cannot wait any longer."
"Mr. Bopp, please don't, please stop!&quo=
t;
began the pink domino in a hurried whisper. But Mr. Bopp was not to be stop=
ped.
He had dammed up the stream so long, that now it rushed on fast, full, and
uncontrollable; for, leading her into one of the curtained recesses near by=
, he
sat down beside her, and, still plying the fan, went on impetuously,--
"I feel to say that I lofe you, and tho' I
try to kill it, my love will not die, because it is more strong than my wil=
l,
more dear than my pride, for I haf much, and I do not ask you to be meine F=
rau
till I can gif you more than my heart and my poor name. But hear now; I will
work, and save, and wait a many years if at the end you will take all I haf=
and
say, 'August, I lofe you.' Do not laugh at me because I say this in such po=
or
words; you are my heart's dearest, and I must tell it or never come again.
Speak to me one kind yes, and I will thank Gott in himmel for so much
joy."
The pink domino had listened to this rapid spe=
ech
with averted head, and, when it ended, started up, saying eagerly, "You
are mistaken, sir, I am not Dolly;" but as she spoke her words were
belied, for the hasty movement displaced her mask, and Mr. Bopp saw Dolly's
eyes, a lock of dark hair, and a pair of burning cheeks, before the screen =
was
readjusted. With redoubled earnestness he held her back, whispering,--
"Do not go mitout the little word, Yes, or
No; it is not much to say."
"Well then, No!"
"You mean it? Dolly! truly mean it?"=
"Yes, let me go at once, sir."
Mr. Bopp stood up, saying slowly,--"Yes, =
go
now; they told me you had no heart; I beliefe it, and thank you for that
No;" then bowed, and walked straight out of the hall, while the pink
domino broke into a fit of laughter, saying to herself,--
"I've done it! I've done it! but what a p=
iece
of work there'll be to-morrow."
"Dick, who was that tall creature Fan was
parading with last night? No one knew, and he vanished before the masks were
taken off," asked Dolly, as she and her brother lounged in opposite
corners of the sofa the morning after the masquerade, "talking it
over."
"That was old Bopp, Mrs. Peep."
"Gracious me! why, he said he wasn't comi=
ng."
"People sometimes say what they don't mea=
n,
as you may have discovered."
"But why didn't he come and speak to a bo=
dy,
Dick?"
"Better employed, I suppose."
"Now don't be cross, dear, but tell me all
about it, for I don't understand how you allowed him to monopolize Fan
so."
"Oh, don't bother, I'm sleepy."
"No you're not; you look wicked; I know
you've been in mischief, and I insist upon hearing all about it, so come and
'fess' this instant."
Dolly proceeded to enforce her command by pull=
ing
away his pillow and dragging her brother into a sitting posture in spite of=
his
laughing resistance and evident desire to exhaust her patience; for Dick
excelled in teasing, and kept his sister in a fidget from morning till nigh=
t,
with occasional fits of penitence and petting which lasted till next time.
Therefore, though dying to 'fess,' he was undecided as to the best method of
executing that task in the manner most aggravating to his listener and most
agreeable to himself, and sat regarding her with twinkling eyes, and his cu=
rly
pate in a high state of rumple, trying to appear innocently meek, but faili=
ng
signally.
"Now, then, up and tell," commanded
Dolly.
"Well, if you won't take my head off till=
I'm
done, I'll tell you the best joke of the season. Are you sure the pink domi=
no
with Bopp wasn't yourself,--for she looked and acted very like you?"
"Of course I am. I didn't even know he was
there, and think it very rude and ungentlemanly in him not to come and spea=
k to
me. You know it was Fan, so do go on."
"But it wasn't, for she changed her mind =
and
wore a black domino; I saw her put it on myself. Her Cousin Jack came
unexpectedly, and she thought if she altered her dress and went with him, y=
ou
wouldn't know her."
"Who could it have been, Dick?"
"That's the mystery, for, do you know, Bo=
pp
proposed to her."
"He didn't!" and Dolly flew up with a
startled look that, to adopt a phrase from his own vocabulary, was
"nuts" to her brother.
"Yes he did; I heard him."
"When, where, and how?"
"In one of these flirtation boxes; they
dropped the curtain, but I heard him do it, on my honor I did."
"Persons of honor don't listen at curtains
and key-holes. What did they say?"
"Oh, if it wasn't honorable to listen, it
isn't to hear; so I won't tell, though I could not help knowing it."
"Mercy! don't stop now, or I shall die wi=
th
curiosity. I dare say I should have done the same; no one minds at such a
place, you know. But I don't see the joke yet," said Dolly dismally.
"I do," and Dick went off into a sho=
ut.
"You idiotic boy, take that pillow out of
your mouth, and tell me the whole thing,--what he said, what she said, and =
what
they both did. It was all fun of course, but I'd like to hear about it.&quo=
t;
"It may have been fun on her part, but it=
was
solemn earnest on his, for he went it strong I assure you. I'd no idea the =
old
fellow was so sly, for he appeared smashed with you, you know, and there he=
was
finishing up with this unknown lady. I wish you could have heard him go on,
with tears in his eyes"--
"How do you know if you didn't see him?&q=
uot;
"Oh, well, that's only a figure of speech=
; I
thought so from his voice. He was ever so tender, and took to Dutch when
English was too cool for him. It was really touching, for I never heard a
fellow do it before; and, upon my word, I should think it was rather a tough
job to say that sort of thing to a pretty woman, mask or no mask."
"What did she say?" asked Dolly, with her hands pressed tight together, and a curious little quiver of the lips.<= o:p>
"She said, No, as short as pie-crust; and
when he rushed out with his heart broken all to bits apparently, she just b=
urst
out laughing, and went and polked at a two-forty pace for half an hour.&quo=
t;
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. unclasped
her hands, took a long breath, and cried out,--
"She was a wicked, heartless hussy! and i=
f I
know her, I'll never speak to her again; for if he was really in earnest, s=
he
ought to be killed for laughing at him."
"So ought you, then, for making fun of po=
or
Fisher when he went down on his knees behind the huckleberry bushes last
summer. He was earnest enough, for he looked as black-and-blue as his berri=
es
when he got home. Your theory is all right, ma'am, but your practice is all
bosh."
"Hold your tongue about that silly thing.
Boys in college think they know everything, can do everything, have everyth=
ing,
and only need beckon, and all womankind will come and adore. It made a man =
of
him, and he'll thank me for taking the sentimental nonsense and conceit out=
of
him. You will need just such a lesson at the rate you go on, and I hope Fan
will give it to you."
"When the lecture is over, I'll go on with
the joke, if you want to know it."
"Isn't this enough?"
"Oh, bless you, no! the cream of it is to
come. What would you give to know who the lady was?"
"Five dollars, down, this minute."
"Very good, hand 'em over, and I'll tell
you."
"Truly, Dick?"
"Yes, and prove it."
Dolly produced her purse, and, bill in hand, s=
at
waiting for the disclosure. Dick rose with a melo-dramatic bow,--
"Lo, it was I."
"That's a great fib, for I saw you flying
about the whole evening."
"You saw my dress, but I was not in it.&q=
uot;
"Oh! oh! who did I keep going to, then? a=
nd
what did I do to make a fool of myself, I wonder?"
Purse and bill dropped out of Dolly's hand, an=
d she
looked at her brother with a distracted expression of countenance. Dick rub=
bed
his hands and chuckled.
"Here's a jolly state of things. Now I'll
tell you the whole story. I never thought of doing it till I saw Bopp and t=
old
him who you were; but on my way for Fan I wondered if he'd get puzzled betw=
een
you two; and then a grand idea popped into my head to puzzle him myself, fo=
r I
can take you off to the life. Fan didn't want me to, but I made her, so she
lent me hoops and gown and the pink domino, and if ever I thanked my stars I
wasn't tall, I did then, for the things fitted capitally as to length, tho'=
I
kept splitting something down the back, and scattering hooks and eyes in all
directions. I wish you could have heard Jack roar while they rigged me. He =
had
no dress, so I lent him mine, till just before the masks were taken off, wh=
en
we cut home and changed. He told me how you kept running to him to tie up y=
our
slippers, find your fan, and tell him funny things, thinking it was me. I n=
ever
enjoyed anything so much in my life."
"Go on," said Dolly in a breathless =
sort
of voice, and the deluded boy obeyed.
"I knew Bopp, and hovered near till he ca=
me
to find out who I was. I took you off in style, and it deceived him, for I'm
only an inch or two taller than you, and kept my head down in the lackadais=
ical
way you girls do; I whispered, so my voice didn't betray me; and was very
clinging, and sweet, and fluttery, and that blessed old goose was sure it w=
as
you. I thought it was all over once, for when he came the heavy in the rece=
ss,
I got a bit flustered, he was so serious about it, my mask slipped, but I
caught it, so he only saw my eyes and forehead, which are just like yours, =
and
that finished him, for I've no doubt I looked as red and silly as you would=
have
done in a like fix."
"Why did you say No?" and Dolly look=
ed
as stern as fate.
"What else should I say? You told me you
wouldn't have him, and I thought it would save you the bother of saying it,=
and
him the pain of asking twice. I told him some time ago that you were a born
flirt; he said he knew it; so I was surprised to hear him go on at such a r=
ate,
but supposed that I was too amiable, and that misled him. Poor old Bopp, I =
kept
thinking of him all night, as he looked when he said, 'They told me you had=
no
heart, now I believe it, and I thank you for that No.' It was rather a hard
joke for him, but it's over now, and he won't have to do it again. You said=
I
wouldn't dare tell him about you; didn't I? and haven't I won the"--
The rest of the sentence went spinning dizzily
through Dick's head, as a sudden tingling sensation pervaded his left ear,
followed by a similar smart in the right; and, for a moment, chaos seemed to
have come again. Whatever Dolly did was thoroughly done: when she danced, t=
he
soles of her shoes attested the fact; when she flirted, it was warm work wh=
ile
it lasted; and when she was angry, it thundered, lightened, and blew great =
guns
till the shower came, and the whole affair ended in a rainbow. Therefore, b=
eing
outwitted, disappointed, mortified, and hurt, her first impulse was to find=
a
vent for these conflicting emotions, and possessing skillful hands, she left
them to avenge the wrong done her heart, which they did so faithfully, that=
if
ever a young gentleman's ears were vigorously and completely boxed, Dick was
that young individual. As the thunder-clap ceased, the gale began and blew
steadily for several minutes.
"You think it a joke, do you? I tell you,
it's a wicked, cruel thing; you've told a lie; you've broken August's heart,
and made me so angry that I'll never forgive you as long as I live. What do=
you
know about my feelings? and how dare you take it upon yourself to answer for
me? You think because we are the same age that I am no older than you, but
you're mistaken, for a boy of eighteen is a boy, a girl is often a woman, w=
ith
a woman's hopes and plans; you don't understand this any more than you do
August's love for me, which you listened to and laughed at. I said I didn't
like him, and I didn't find out till afterward that I did; then I was afrai=
d to
tell you lest you'd twit me with it. But now I care for no one, and I say I=
do
like him,--yes, I love him with all my heart and soul and might and I'd die
this minute if I could undo the harm you've done, and see him happy. I know
I've been selfish, vain, and thoughtless, but I am not now; I hoped he'd lo=
ve
me, hoped he'd see I cared for him, that I'd done trifling, and didn't mind=
if
he was poor, for I'd enough for both; that I longed to make his life pleasa=
nt
after all his troubles; that I'd send for the little sister he loves so wel=
l,
and never let him suffer any more; for he is so good, so patient, so genero=
us,
and dear to me, I cannot do enough for him. Now it's all spoilt; now I can
never tell him this, never comfort him in any way, never be happy again all=
my
life, and you have done it."
As Dolly stood before her brother, pouring out=
her
words with glittering eyes, impetuous voice, and face pale with passionate
emotion, he was scared; for as his scattered wits returned to him, he felt =
that
he had been playing with edge tools, and had cut and slashed in rather a
promiscuous manner. Dazed and dizzy, he sat staring at the excited figure
before him, forgetting the indignity he had received, the mistake he had ma=
de,
the damage he had done, in simple wonder at the revolutions going on under =
his
astonished eyes. When Dolly stopped for breath, he muttered with a contrite
look,--
"I'm very sorry,--it was only fun; and I
thought it would help you both, for how the deuce should I know you liked t=
he
man when you said you hated him?"
"I never said that, and if I'd wanted adv=
ice
I should have gone to mother. You men go blundering off with half an idea in
your heads, and never see your stupidity till you have made a mess that can=
't
be mended; we women don't work so, but save people's feelings, and are call=
ed
hypocrites for our pains. I never meant to tell you, but I will now, to show
you how I've been serving you, while you've been harming me: every one of t=
hose
notes from Fan which you admire so much, answer so carefully, and wear out =
in
your pocket, though copied by her, were written by me."
"The devil they were!" Up flew Dick,=
and
clapping his hand on the left breast-pocket, out came a dozen pink notes ti=
ed
up with a blue ribbon, and much the worse for wear. He hastily turned them =
over
as Dolly went on.
"Yes, I did it, for she didn't know how to
answer your notes, and came to me. I didn't laugh at them, or make fun of h=
er,
but helped her silly little wits, and made you a happy boy for three months,
though you teased me day and night, for I loved you, and hadn't the heart to
spoil your pleasure."
"You've done it now with a vengeance, and
you're a pair of deceitful minxes. I've paid you off. I'll give Fan one more
note that will keep her eyes red for a month; and I'll never love or trust a
girl again as long as I live,--never! never!"
Red with wrath, Dick flung the treasured packet
into the fire, punched it well down among the coals, flung away the poker, =
and
turned about with a look and gesture which would have been comically tragic=
if
they had not been decidedly pathetic, for, in spite of his years, a very te=
nder
heart beat under the blue jacket, and it was grievously wounded at the perf=
idy
of the gentle little divinity whom he worshipped with daily increasing ardo=
r.
His eyes filled, but he winked resolutely; his lips trembled, but he bit th=
em
hard; his hands doubled themselves up, but he remembered his adversary was a
woman; and, as a last effort to preserve his masculine dignity, he began to
whistle.
As if the inconsistencies of womankind were to=
be
shown him as rapidly as possible, at this moment the shower came on, for,
taking him tenderly about the neck, Dolly fell to weeping so infectiously,
that, after standing rigidly erect till a great tear dropped off the end of=
his
nose, ignominiously announcing that it was no go, Dick gave in, and laying =
his
head on Dolly's shoulder, the twins quenched their anger, washed away their
malice, and soothed their sorrow by one of those natural processes, so kind=
ly
provided for poor humanity, and so often despised as a weakness when it mig=
ht
prove a better strength than any pride.
Dick cleared up first, with no sign of the tem=
pest
but a slight mist through which his native sunshine glimmered pensively.
"Don't dear, don't cry so; it will make y=
ou
sick, and won't do any good, for things will come right, or I'll make 'em, =
and
we'll be comfortable all round."
"No, we never can be as we were, and it's=
all
my fault. I've betrayed Fan's confidence, I've spoiled your little romance,
I've been a thoughtless, wicked girl, I've lost August; and, oh, dear me, I
wish I was dead!" with which funereal climax Dolly cried so despairing=
ly
that, like the youngest Miss Pecksniff, she was indeed "a gushing
creature."
"Oh, come now, don't be dismal, and blame
yourself for every trouble under the sun. Sit down and talk it over, and see
what can be done. Poor old girl, I forgave you the notes, and say I was wro=
ng
to meddle with Bopp. I got you into the scrape, and I'll get you out if the=
sky
don't fall, or Bopp blow his brains out, like a second Werther, before
to-morrow."
Dick drew the animated fountain to the wide ch=
air,
where they had sat together since they were born, wiped her eyes, laid her =
wet
cheek against his own, and patted her back, with an idea that it was soothi=
ng
to babies, and why not to girls?
"I wish mother was at home," sighed
Dolly, longing for that port which was always a haven of refuge in domestic
squalls like this.
"Write, and tell her not to stay till
Saturday."
"No; it would spoil her visit, and you kn=
ow
she deferred it to help us through this dreadful masquerade. But I don't kn=
ow
what to do."
"Why, bless your heart, it's simple enoug=
h.
I'll tell Bopp, beg his pardon, say 'Dolly's willing,' and there you are all
taut and ship-shape again."
"I wouldn't for the world, Dick. It would=
be
very hard for you, very awkward for me, and do no good in the end; for Augu=
st
is so proud he'd never forgive you for such a trick, would never believe th=
at I
'had a heart' after all you've said and I've done; and I should only hear w=
ith
my own ears that he thanked me for that No. Oh, why can't people know when =
they
are in love, and not go heels over head before they are ready!"
"Well, if that don't suit, I'll let it al=
one,
for that is all I can suggest; and if you like your woman's way better, try=
it,
only you'll have to fly round, because to-morrow is the last night, you
know."
"I shan't go, Dick."
"Why not? we are going to give him the
rose-wood set of things, have speeches, cheers for the King of Clubs, and no
end of fun."
"I can't help it; there would be no fun f=
or
me, and I couldn't look him in the face after all this."
"Oh, pooh! yes, you could, or it will be =
the
first time you dared not do damage with those wicked eyes of yours."
"It is the first time I ever loved any
one." Dolly's voice was so low, and her head drooped so much, that this
brief confession was apparently put away in Dick's pocket, and being an
exceedingly novel one, filled that inflammable youth with a desire to depos=
it a
similar one in the other pocket, which, being emptied of its accustomed
contents, left a somewhat aching void in itself and the heart underneath. A=
fter
a moment's silence, he said,--
"Well, if you won't go, you can settle it
when he comes here, though I think we should all do better to confess coming
home in the dark."
"He won't come here again, Dick."
"Won't he! that shows you don't know Bopp=
as
well as I. He'll come to say good-by, to thank mother for her kindness, and=
you
and me for the little things we've done for him (I wish I'd left the last
undone!), and go away like a gentleman, as he is,--see if he don't."
"Do you think so? Then I must see him.&qu=
ot;
"I'm sure he will, for we men don't bear
malice and sulk and bawl when we come to grief this way, but stand up and t=
ake
it without winking, like the young Spartan brick when the fox was digging i=
nto
him, you know."
"Then, of course, you'll forgive Fan.&quo=
t;
"I'll be hanged if I do," growled Di=
ck.
"Ah ha! your theory is very good, sir, but
your practice is bosh," quoted Dolly, with a gleam of the old mischief=
in
her face.
Dick took a sudden turn through the room, burst
out laughing, and came back, saying heartily,--
"I'll own up; it is mean to feel so, and =
I'll
think about forgiving you both; but she may stop up the hole in the wall, f=
or
she won't get any more letters just yet; and you may devote your epistolary
powers to A. Bopp in future. Well, what is it? free your mind, and have done
with it; but don't make your nose red, or take the starch out of my collar =
with
any more salt water, if you please."
"No, I won't; and I only want to say that=
, as
you owe the explanation to us both, perhaps it would be best for you to tell
August your part of the thing as you come home to-morrow, and then leave the
rest to fate. I can't let him go away thinking me such a heartless creature,
and once gone it will be too late to mend the matter. Can you do this witho=
ut
getting me into another scrape, do you think?"
"I haven't a doubt of it, and I call that
sensible. I'll fix it capitally,--go down on my knees in the mud, if it is
necessary; treat you like eggs for fear of another smash-up; and bring him =
home
in such a tip-top state, you'll only have to nod and find yourself Mrs. B. =
any
day you like. Now let's kiss and be friends, and then go pitch into that pie
for luncheon."
So they did, and an hour afterward were riotin=
g in
the garret under pretence of putting grandma's things away; for at eighteen=
, in
spite of love and mischief, boys and girls have a spell to exorcise blue
devils, and a happy faculty of forgetting that "the world is hollow, a=
nd
their dolls stuffed with saw-dust."
Dick was right, for on the following evening,
after the lesson, Mr. Bopp did go home with him, "to say good-by, like=
a
gentleman as he was." Dolly got over the first greeting in the dusky h=
all,
and as her guest passed on to the parlor, she popped her head out to ask
anxiously,--
"Did you say anything, Dick?"
"I couldn't; something has happened to hi=
m;
he'll tell you about it. I'm going to see to the horse, so take your time, =
and
do what you like," with which vague information Dick vanished, and Dol=
ly
wished herself anywhere but where she was.
Mr. Bopp sat before the fire, looking so hagga=
rd
and worn out that the girl's conscience pricked her sorely for her part in =
the
change, but plucking up her courage, she stirred briskly among the tea-cups,
asking,--
"What shall I give you, sir?"
"Thank you, I haf no care to eat."
Something in his spiritless mien and sorrowful
voice made Dolly's eyes fill; but knowing she must depend upon herself now,=
and
make the best of her position, she said kindly, yet nervously,--
"You look tired; let me do something for =
you
if I can; shall I sing for you a little? you once said music rested you.&qu=
ot;
"You are kind; I could like that I think.
Excoose me if I am dull, I haf--yes, a little air if you please."
More and more disturbed by his absent, troubled
manner, Dolly began a German song he had taught her, but before the first l=
ine
was sung he stopped her with an imploring--
"For Gott sake not that! I cannot hear it
this night; it was the last I sung her in the Vaterland."
"Mr. Bopp, what is it? Dick says you have=
a
trouble; tell me, and let us help you if we can. Are you ill, in want, or h=
as
any one wronged or injured you in any way? Oh, let me help you!"
Tears had been streaming down Mr. Bopp's cheek=
s,
but as she spoke he checked them, and tried to answer steadily,--
"No, I am not ill; I haf no wants now, an=
d no
one has hurt me but in kindness; yet I haf so great a grief, I could not be=
ar
it all alone, and so I came to ask a little sympathy from your good Mutter,=
who
has been kind to me as if I was a son. She is not here, and I thought I wou=
ld
stop back my grief; but that moosic was too much; you pity me, and so I tell
you. See, now! when I find things go bright with me, and haf a hope of much
work, I take the little store I saved, I send it to my friend Carl Hoffman,=
who
is coming from my home, and say, 'Bring Ulla to me now, for I can make life=
go
well to her, and I am hungry till I haf her in my arms again.' I tell no on=
e,
for I am bold to think that one day I come here with her in my hand, to let=
her
thank you in her so sweet way for all you haf done for me. Well, I watch the
wind, I count the days, I haf no rest for joy; and when Carl comes, I fly to
him. He gifs me back my store, he falls upon my neck and does not speak, th=
en I
know my little Kind will never come, for she has gone to Himmel before I co=
uld
make a home for her on earth. Oh, my Ulla! it is hard to bear;" and, w=
ith
a rain of bitter tears, poor Mr. Bopp covered up his face and laid it down =
on
his empty plate, as if he never cared to lift it up again.
Then Dolly forgot herself in her great sympath=
y,
and, going to him, she touched the bent head with a soothing hand; let her
tears flow to comfort his; and whispered in her tenderest voice,--
"Dear Mr. Bopp, I wish I could heal this
sorrow, but as I cannot, let me bear it with you; let me tell you how we lo=
ved
the little child, and longed to see her; how we should have rejoiced to know
you had so dear a friend to make your life happy in this strange land; how =
we
shall grieve for your great loss, and long to prove our respect and love for
you. I cannot say this as I ought, but, oh, be comforted, for you will see =
the
child again, and, remembering that she waits for you, you will be glad to go
when God calls you to meet your Ulla in that other Fatherland."
"Ah, I will go now! I haf no wish to stay,
for all my life is black to me. If I had found that other little friend to =
fill
her place, I should not grieve so much, because she is weller there above t=
han
I could make her here; but no; I wait for that other one; I save all my hea=
rt
for her; I send it, but it comes back to me; then I know my hope is dead, a=
nd I
am all alone in the strange land."
There was neither bitterness nor reproach in t=
hese
broken words, only a patient sorrow, a regretful pain, as if he saw the two
lost loves before him and uttered over them an irrepressible lament. It was=
too
much for Dolly and with sudden resolution she spoke out fast and low,--
"Mr. Bopp, that was a mistake. It was not=
I
you saw at the masque; it was Dick. He played a cruel trick; he insulted you
and wronged me by that deceit, and I find it very hard to pardon him."=
"What! what is that!" and Mr. Bopp
looked up with tears still shining in his beard, and intense surprise in ev=
ery
feature of his face.
Dolly turned scarlet, and her heart beat fast =
as
she repeated with an unsteady voice,--
"It was Dick, not I."
A cloud swept over Mr. Bopp's face, and he knit
his brows a moment as if Dolly had not been far from right when she said
"he never would forgive the joke." Presently, he spoke in a tone =
she
had never heard before,--cold and quiet,--and in his eye she thought she re=
ad
contempt for her brother and herself,--
"I see now, and I say no more but this; it
was not kind when I so trusted you. Yet it is well, for you and Richart are=
so
one, I haf no doubt he spoke your wish."
Here was a desperate state of things. Dolly had
done her best, yet he did not, or would not, understand, and, before she co=
uld
restrain them, the words slipped over her tongue,--
"No! Dick and I never agree."
Mr. Bopp started, swept three spoons and a tea=
-cup
off the table as he turned, for something in the hasty whisper reassured hi=
m.
The color sprang up to his cheek, the old warmth to his eye, the old erectn=
ess
to his figure, and the eager accent to his voice. He rose, drew Dolly neare=
r,
took her face between his hands, and bending, fixed on her a look tender yet
masterful, as he said with an earnestness that stirred her as words had nev=
er
done before,--
"Dollee, he said No! do you say, Yes?&quo=
t;
She could not speak, but her heart stood up in=
her
eyes and answered him so eloquently that he was satisfied.
"Thank the Lord, it's all right!"
thought Dick, as, peeping in at the window ten minutes later, be saw Dolly
enthroned upon Mr. Bopp's knee, both her hands in his, and an expression in=
her
April countenance which proved that she found it natural and pleasant to be
sitting there, with her head on the kind heart that loved her; to hear hers=
elf
called "meine;" to know that she alone could comfort him for litt=
le
Ulla's loss, and fill her empty place.
"They make a very pretty landscape, but t=
oo
much honey isn't good for 'em, so I'll go in, and we'll eat, drink, and be
merry, in honor of the night."
He rattled the latch and tramped on the mat to
warn them of his approach, and appeared just as Dolly was skimming into a
chair, and Mr. Bopp picking up the spoons, which he dropped again to meet D=
ick,
with a face "clear shining after rain;" and kissing him on both
cheeks after the fashion of his country, he said, pointing to Dolly,--
"See, it is all fine again. I forgif you,=
and
leave all blame to that bad spirit, Mephistopheles, who has much pranks like
that, but never pays one for their pain, as you haf me. Heart's dearest, co=
me
and say a friendly word to Richart, then we will haf a little health,--Long
life and happiness to the King of Clubs and the Queen of Hearts."
"Yes, August, and as he's to be a farmer,
we'll add another,--'Wiser wits and better manners to the Knave of
Spades.'"