Jessie Carlton Part 13

"No, my dear. You must go at once, lest you get cold by sitting still so long with wet feet."

Emily pouted, but knowing her aunt would firmly enforce her command, she rose, and taking her brother by the wrist, said:

"Come, Charlie, let us go up-stairs!"

"I don't want to," growled Charlie, pulling away his arm, and putting it round his plate.

"Charlie!" exclaimed Mrs. Carlton.

"I want my dinner!" was his surly reply.

Mary had now drawn near the ugly little fellow. Placing her heavy hand on his shoulder, she seized him with a grip, which made him feel like a pigmy, in the grasp of a giant. Having had a taste of Mary's anger, once or twice before, and catching a glance from the kindling eye of Uncle Morris, he yielded, and was led out of the room.

"The worst child of his age I ever knew," observed the old gentleman with a sigh, as he proceeded to carve the chickens, which were smoking on the hospitable table before him.

Jessie's face had clouded a little during this scene. The thaw of which Emily had spoken, cut off her hope of trying her new skates. Leaning towards Guy, who sat next to her at the table, she whispered:

"Is the ice _all_ gone, Guy?"

"I expect it is pretty much used up by the fog we've had all day."

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry!" said Jessie with a sigh.

Judging of her thoughts by her looks, Uncle Morris said, "Never mind, Jessie. There will be plenty of ice to skate on, in a week or two."

"Skate! How can she _skate_? She hasn't got any skates!" said Hugh.

"Yes, I have," replied Jessie, smiling. "Pa sent me a beautiful pair this morning."

This statement led to various remarks about skating, and winter weather in the country. Meanwhile, the cousins came back to the table. Jessie soon grew cheerful again, and the dinner pa.s.sed without any other occurrence worthy of notice.

After dinner, the fog having grown into a fine, drizzling rain, the children found it impossible to go out of doors in search of amus.e.m.e.nt. It was therefore agreed to invite Miss Carrie Sherwood to tea. Guy promised to go after her. To add to the pleasure of the occasion, Jessie had her mother's permission to use a sweet little tea-set of her own, and to have tea with her cousins and Carrie by themselves in the parlor.

Carrie arrived in due time, snugly wrapped in hood and shawl. Her feet were protected by rubbers. She declared that Guy was a capital _beau_. Guy laughed at her compliment, and repaid it by saying that she was a nice little _belle_, and then he ran off to school.

The afternoon pa.s.sed rapidly, because, on the whole, it was pleasantly spent. Emily, knowing it was the last day of her visit, seemed anxious to do away with the bad impression she had previously made upon the mind of her cousin and her friend. Charlie, too, was in his best mood most of the time. Once, indeed, he came very near breaking up the harmony of the party. Seeing a strap of Jessie's new skates peeping from beneath the what-not where she had hidden them, he seized it, pulled out the skates, and began to put them on.

"Please, Charlie, don't do that," said Jessie. "You can't skate on the carpet, you know; please give them to me?"

"I won't!" retorted the wilful boy.

"Please do give them to me?" implored Jessie.

"I want to skate on the carpet, first," said Charlie, still trying to buckle on the skates.

"Do ask him to give them to me?" said Jessie, addressing Emily.

"There, take your old skates!" cried the boy, throwing them violently across the room.

The fact was, he did not understand the mystery of straps and buckles in which the skates were involved. Hence his desire to try the skates was borne away upon the current of his impatience, and thereby the little party escaped a scene for the time being.

But it was only for a time. Charlie had been so used to have his own way and to oppose the wishes of others, that he seemed to find his pleasure in spoiling the delights of others. Hence, when the hour for tea arrived, and Jessie's sweet little china tea-set, with its ornaments of gold and flowers, was spread out upon a little round table, he drew near to it and taking Jessie's seat, said:

"I'm going to play lady and pour out the tea."

"Nonsense, Charlie!" said his sister. "Take the next seat and let Jessie have hers."

"I won't," muttered Charlie.

"Come, Charlie, do get out of your cousin's chair! Young gentlemen don't pour out tea for ladies, you know," said Carrie in her most coaxing tones.

"I don't care! I'm going to play lady and pour out the tea," replied the boy in his most dogged manner.

"I never did see such a boy in all my life," whispered Jessie to her friend.

"Nor I," rejoined Carrie; "my father says he's a young hornet."

"Oh dear! what shall I do?" sighed Jessie.

"Why don't you sit down?" said Charlie, as he began to handle the little teapot.

"Charlie, get up!" exclaimed his sister, as she s.n.a.t.c.hed the teapot from his hand.

"Don't touch him. I'll call my uncle; he'll make him move," said Jessie, moving towards the door.

She was too late; Emily's act had roused the fiery temper of the boy.

Placing his hands on each side of his chair, he leaned back, and lifting up his feet to the edge of the table, kicked it over and sent the tea-set crashing to the floor.

"Oh dear! Oh dear! He has broken my nice tea-set all to pieces!" cried Jessie, pausing, gazing on the wreck, and bursting into tears.

The crash of the falling tea-things was heard by Uncle Morris. He entered the room with a grave face. Charlie still sat on the chair, looking surly and wicked at the ruin he had wrought.

"See what Charlie has done, Uncle!" exclaimed Jessie, sobbing. "I wouldn't care if it wasn't poor Aunt Lucy's present that he has broken."

Aunt Lucy was dead. She had given this charming little tea-set to Jessie only a few weeks before her death.

"How did he do it?" asked Mr. Morris.

"He kicked the table over, Sir, because we wanted him to let Jessie sit in her place, and pour out the tea," said Carrie.

Just then Mrs. Carlton, and Mary the waiting-maid, both of whom had heard the noise, entered the parlor. Turning to the latter, Mr. Morris said:

"Mary, put that ugly boy to bed!"

Charlie, frightened at Mr. Morris's manner, yielded to this command without a word, and was led out of the room.

"I didn't know that so much ugliness could be got into so small a parcel before that boy came here. He goes home to-morrow morning, however, and we shall all witness his departure, I guess, with very dry eyes," said Mr.

Morris.