Phoebe, Junior Part 18

"The old gentlemen is all as pleased as Punch," said Joe. "We was a feared as it might be somebody foreign--not a Carlingford gentleman; and some parsons is queer, saving your presence, Mr. May; but we knows where you comes from, and all about you, as one of the old gentlemen was just a-saying to me. Furnished, Miss? Lord bless you, yes! they're furnished.

It's all furnished, is College. You'll think as the things look a bit queer; they wasn't made not this year, nor yet last year, I can tell you; and they ain't in the fashion. But if so be as you don't stand by fashion, there they is," said Joe, throwing open the door.

The young people went in softly, their excitement subdued into a kind of awe. An empty house, furnished, is more desolate, more overwhelming to the imagination, than a house which is bare. For whom was it waiting, all ready there, swept and garnished? Or were there already unseen inhabitants about, writing ghostly letters on the tables, seated on the chairs? Even Janey was hushed.

"I'd rather stay at home, after all," she whispered in Ursula's ear under her breath.

But after awhile they became familiar with the silent place, and awoke the echoes in it with their voices and new life. Nothing so young had been in the College for years. The last chaplain had been an old man and an old bachelor; and the pensioners were all solitary, living a sort of monastic life, each in his room, like workers in their cells. When Janey, surprised by some unexpected joke, burst into one of her peals of laughter, the old building echoed all through it, and more than one window was put up and head projected to know the cause of this profanation.

"Joe!" cried one portentous voice; "what's happened? what's the meaning of this?"

"It's only them a-laughing, sir," said Joe, delighting in the vagueness of his rejoinder. "They ain't used to it, that's the truth; but laugh away, Miss, it'll do you good," he added benignly. Joe was of a cheerful spirit, notwithstanding his infirmities, and he foresaw lightsome days.

Somewhat taken aback, however, by the commotion produced by Janey's laugh, the young party left the College, Ursula carrying with her sundry memoranda and measurements for curtains and carpets. "You must have curtains," she said, "and I think a carpet for the study. The other room will do; but the study is cold, it has not the sunshine. I wonder if we might go and look at some, all at once."

Here the three paused in the road, and looked at each other somewhat overcome by the grandeur of the idea. Even Reginald, notwithstanding his Oxford experience, held his breath a little at the thought of going right off without further consideration, and buying carpets and curtains. As for Janey, she laughed again in pure excitement and delight.

"Fancy going into Holden's, walking right in, as if we had the Bank in our pockets, and ordering whatever we like," she cried.

"I suppose we must have them!" said Reginald, yielding slowly to the pleasure of acquisition. Ursula was transformed by the instinct of business and management into the leader of the party.

"Of course you must have them," she said, with the air of a woman who had ordered curtains all her life, "otherwise you will catch cold, and that is not desirable," and she marched calmly towards Holden's, while Janey dropped behind to smother the laughter which expressed her amazed delight in this new situation. It is doubtful whether Holden would have given them so good a reception had the Miss Mays gone to hint to order curtains for the Parsonage--for the Carlingford tradesmen were very well aware of the difficulties, in point of payment, which attended Mr. May's purchases. But Holden was all smiles at the idea of fitting up the rooms in the College.

"Carpets? I have a Turkey carpet that would just suit one of those old rooms--old-fashioned rooms are so much thought of at present," said the man of furniture.

"Yes--I suppose that would do," said Reginald, with a side look at his sister, to know if he was right. Ursula slew him with a glance of her brown eyes. She was almost grand in superior knowledge and righteous indignation.

"Turkey! are you out of your senses? Do you think we have the Bank in our pockets," she whispered to him angrily, "as Janey says?"

"How was I to know? He said so," said the alarmed chaplain, cowed, notwithstanding his income.

"_He_ said so! that is just like you boys, taking whatever everyone tells you. Why, a Turkey carpet costs a fortune. Mr. Holden, I think, if you please, Brussels will do; or some of those new kinds, a jumble of colours without any decided pattern. Not too expensive," said Ursula solemnly, the colour mounting to her face. They were all rather brought down from their first delight and grandeur when this was said--for stipulating about expense made a difference all at once. The delightful sensation of marching into Holden's as if the world belonged to them was over; but Janey was touched to see that Holden still remained civil, and did not express, in his countenance, the contempt he must have felt.

When this was over, and Mr. Holden had kindly suggested the idea of sending various stuffs to the College, "that they might judge of the effect," the party went home, slightly subdued. The air was heavy and yellow, and prophesied snow; but a very red wintry sun had managed to make an opening temporarily in the clouds, and threw a ruddy ray down Grange Lane, bringing out the few pa.s.sengers who were coming and going under the old garden walls. Ursula clasped her hands together, and came to a stop suddenly, when she turned her eyes that way.

"Oh!" she said, "here she is--she is coming! all by herself, and we can't help meeting her--the young lady in black!"

"Shall we speak to her?" said Janey with a little awe.

"Who is the young lady in black?" said Reginald, "this girl who is coming up? I never saw her before in Carlingford. Is she some one you have met with the Dorsets? She don't look much like Grange Lane."

"Oh, hush! here she is," said Ursula, losing all that importance of aspect which her position as leader of the expedition had given her. A pretty blush of expectation came over her face--her dimples revealed themselves as if by magic. You will think it strange, perhaps, that the sight of one girl should produce this effect upon another. But then Phoebe represented to Ursula the only glimpse she had ever had into a world which looked gay and splendid to the country girl--a world in which Phoebe had appeared to her as a princess reigning in glory and delight. Ursula forgot both her companions and her recent occupation.

Would the young lady in black notice her; stop, perhaps, and talk to her--remember her? Her eyes began to glow and dance with excitement. She stumbled as she went on in her anxiety, fixing her eyes upon the approaching figure. Phoebe, for her part, was taking a const.i.tutional walk up and down Grange Lane, and she too was a little moved, recognizing the girl, and wondering what it would be wisest to do--whether to speak to her, and break her lonely promenade with a little society, or remember her "place," and save herself from further mortification by pa.s.sing the clergyman's daughter, who was a cousin of the Dorsets, with a bow.

"The Dorsets wouldn't recognise me, nor Miss May either," Phoebe said to herself, "_if they knew_--"

But Ursula looked so wistful as they approached each other that she had not the courage to keep to this wise resolution. Though she was only the granddaughter of Tozer, the b.u.t.terman, she was much more a woman of the world than this pretty blushing girl who courted her notice. She put out her hand instinctively when they met. "It can't harm anybody but myself, after all," she thought.

"Oh, I am so glad you remember me," cried Ursula. "I knew you in a moment. Have you come to stay here? This is my brother, Reginald, and my little sister, Janey," (how Janey scowled at that _little!_ and with reason, for she was by half an inch the taller of the two). "Are you taking a walk? I do hope you like Carlingford. I do hope you are going to stay. That is our house down at the end of the lane, close to St.

Roque's. Papa is the clergyman there. It will be so delightful," said Ursula, repeating herself in her excitement, "if you are going to stay."

"I am going to stay for some time," said Phoebe graciously, "I don't quite know how long. I came here shortly after I saw you in town. My grandfather lives here. Grange Lane is very nice for a walk. Grandmamma is an invalid, so that I don't leave her very often. It was great luck finding you just as I had come out; for it is not cheerful walking alone."

Phoebe felt perfectly sure that through each of the three heads turned towards her a hurried inquiry was going on as to which of those enclosed houses contained the grandmother who was an invalid; but no sort of enlightenment followed the inquiry, and as for Ursula it terminated abruptly in her mind with a rush of cordiality. She was not at an age when friendship pauses to make any inquiry into grandmothers.

"I am so glad! for if you are not going anywhere in particular, we may all walk together. Janey knows you quite well. I have talked of you so often," (here Phoebe gave a gracious bow and smile to Janey, who was not quite sure that she liked to be thus patronized), "and so does my brother," said Ursula, more doubtfully. "Do you like Carlingford? Have you seen many people? Oh! I do hope you will stay."

"I have not seen anybody," said Phoebe. "My people are not much in society. When one is old and sick, I don't suppose one cares--"

"There is no society to speak of in Carlingford," said Reginald. "It is like most other country towns. If you like it we shall be sure your liking is quite disinterested, for it has no social charms--"

When had Reginald said so many words at a time to a young lady before?

The girls exchanged glances. "I think it is pretty," said Phoebe, closing the subject. "It is going to snow, don't you think? I suppose you skate like all the young ladies now. It seems the first thing any one thinks of when the winter begins."

"Do you skate?" said Ursula, her eyes brighter and opener than ever.

"Oh, a little--as everybody does! Perhaps if there is no society," said Phoebe, turning to Reginald for the first time, "people are free here from the necessity of doing as everybody does. I don't think there is any such bondage in the world--dressing, living, working, amusing yourself--you have to do everything as other people do it. So I skate--I can't help myself; and a hundred foolish things beside."

"But I should think it _delightful_," cried Ursula, "I have always envied the boys. They look so warm when we are all shivering. Reginald, if it freezes will you teach us? I think I should like it better than anything in the world."

"Yes," said Reginald, "if Miss--if we can make up a party--if you," he added with a perfectly new inflection in his voice, "will come too."

"I see you don't know my name," said Phoebe, with a soft little laugh.

"It is Beecham. One never catches names at a party. I remembered yours because of a family in a novel that I used to admire very much in my girlish days--"

"Oh! I know," cried Janey, "the Daisy Chain. We are not a set of prigs like those people. We are not goody, whatever we are; we--"

"I don't suppose Miss Beecham cares for your opinion of the family character," said Reginald in a tone that made Janey furious. Thus discoursing they reached the gates of the Parsonage, where Ursula was most eager that her friend should come in. And here Mr. May joined them, who was impressed, like everybody else, by Phoebe's appearance, and made himself so agreeable that Reginald felt eclipsed and driven into the background. Ursula had never been so satisfied with her father in her life; though there was a cloud on Mr. May's soul, it suited him to show a high good-humour with everybody in recompense for his son's satisfactory decision, and he was, indeed, in a state of high complacence with himself for having managed matters so cleverly that the very thing which should have secured Reginald's final abandonment of the chaplaincy determined him, on the contrary, to accept it. And he admired Phoebe, and was dazzled by her self-possession and knowledge of the world. He supported Ursula's invitation warmly; but the stranger freed herself with graceful excuses. She had her patient to attend to.

"That is a very lady-like young woman," said Mr. May, when they had gone in, after watching regretfully their new acquaintance's progress through Grange Lane. "You met her in town, did you? A friend of the Dorsets? Where is she living, I wonder; and whom does she belong to? One does not often see that style of thing here."

"I never saw any one like her before," said Ursula fervently; and they were still all uniting in admiration of Phoebe--when--

But such an interruption demands another page.

CHAPTER XX.

THAT TOZER GIRL!

"Well, who is she?" cried Mrs. Sam Hurst, too curious to think of the ordinary decorums. She had no bonnet on, but a light "cloud" of white wool over her cap, and her whole aspect was full of eagerness and excitement. "Why didn't you tell me you knew her? Who is she? I am dying to know."

"Who is--who?" said Ursula, rather glad of the opportunity of being politely rude to Mrs. Sam Hurst before papa. "How is any one to find out from the way you speak? She? who is she?"

"That is just what I want you to tell me," said Mrs. Sam Hurst, with imperturbable good-humour. "You, Mr. May, you are always good to me, though Ursula has her little tempers--the girl you were talking to at the door. I stood and watched from the window, and I scarcely could contain myself sufficiently not to bounce out in the middle of the talk.

Now do tell, as the Americans say. Who is that Tozer girl?"