第6章
加入书架 A- A+
点击下载App,搜索"A Summer in a Canyon",免费读到尾

  hopeshewillgetherefordinnerto-night;thenwecandecideonourfinery,andhavearoughrehearsal。\'

  \'Well,girls!\'shoutedJack,fromthetheatre,\'comeandhaveoneconsultation,andthenwe\'llletyouoff。Philwantstochangethelocationaltogether。\'

  \'Oh,nonsense!\'criedMadge,asthethreegirlsrantowardsthesceneofaction。\'It\'stheonlysuitableplacewithinamileofthecamp。\'

  \'Ithinkitwillbesimplyperfect,whenyouhavedonealittlemorecutting,\'saidBell。\'Justseeouradvantages:First,wehavethatrisingknolloppositethestage,whichisexactlythethingforaudienceseats;thenwehaveasemicircularbackgroundoftreesandaflatplaceforthestage,whichisperfectlyinvaluable;lastofall,justgazeuponthatmadrono-treeinthecentre,andtheoakontheleft;why,theyareworthathousanddollarsforscenery。\'

  \'Especiallyinthefirstscene——ducalinterior,orwhateveritis,\'

  saidPhil,disconsolately。

  \'Jingo!thatisalittleembarrassing,\'groanedJack。

  \'Notatall,\'saidPolly,briskly。\'Thereisplentyofroomtosettheinteriorinfrontofthosetrees。Itcanbeallfixedbeforehand,andjustwhiskedawayforgoodattheendofthefirstact。\'

  \'That\'strue,\'saidGeoff,thoughtfully。\'Butwecan\'thaveanyAdam\'scottage。Wetalkeditoverlastnight,anddecidedit\"couldn\'tbedid。\"\'

  \'Didyouindeed!\'exclaimedBell,sarcastically。\'Thenallowmetoremarkthatyouthreeboysrepresentaveryobtusetriangle。\'

  \'Thanks,mostacidRosalind!\'murmuredGeoff,meekly。\'Couldyoudeign,asspokesmanoftheveryacutetriangle,tosuggestsomething?\'

  \'Certainly。Thereistherearofthebrushkitcheninplainsight,toconveytheideaofarustichut。Tobesure,it\'sagooddistancetotheleft,butlettheaudiencescrewroundintheirseatswhentheyhearthevoices,andAdam,Oliver,andOrlandocanwalkoutcarelessly,andgothroughtheirscenerightthere。\'

  \'Admirable!\'quothGeoff。\'Webowtoyoursuperiorjudgment。\'

  \'WhataninspirationthatwastobringthoseChineselanternsfortheFourthofJuly;theyhavejustsavedusfromutterruin,\'saidMargery,whowasquietlymakingleaf-trimming。

  \'Yes,theeffectisgoingtobeperfectlygorgeous!\'exclaimedPolly,claspingherhandsinanticipation。\'Howmanyhavewe?Ten?Oh,that\'ssplendid;andhowmanycandles?\'

  \'Asmanyaswecaretouse,\'Philanswered,fromthetopoftheladderwherehewasatwork。\'Andlookatmyarrangementforholdingthemtothesetrees。Aren\'ttheyimmense?\'

  \'Bytheway,\'saidBell,\'don\'tforgetthemossybanksunderthosetrees,forstageseats;andmakemesomekindofathingontheleftside,toswoononwhenIsniffOrlando\'sgoryhandkerchief。\'

  \'Acoupleofrocks,\'suggestedJack。

  \'Notexactly,\'repliedthecriticalRosalind,withgreatdignity。\'I

  amblackandbluealreadyfrompractisingmyfaint,andIexpecttoshriekwithpainwhenIfallto-morrownight。\'

  \'St。Jacob\'sOilrelievesstiffenedjoints,smoothsthewrinklesfromthebrowofcare,sootheslaceratedfeelings,and\'ushesthe\'owlofhinfancy,\'remarkedGeoffreyserenely,ashepreparedtobuildtherequiredmossybanks。

  \'MydearcousintherearetimeswhenIamgladitisonlysecondcousin,haveyouasecretcontracttoadvertiseavulgarpatentmedicine?orwhythiseloquence?\'laughedBell。

  \'And,Jack,\'suggestedPolly,\'youdon\'tseemtobedoinganything;

  fixastumpformetositonwhileOrlandoandRosalindaremakinglove。\'

  \'Allright,countess。I\'dliketoseeyoustumpedonceinmylife。

  Shallwehavethecanvasesbroughtforstagecarpets?\'

  \'Wesayno,\'criedRosalind,firmly。\'Weshallbeathousandtimesmoreawkwardstumblingoverstiffbillowsofcarpet。Let\'ssweepthegroundascleanandsmoothaspossible,andletitgoforallthescenes。\'

  \'Yes,weshallthenbewellGROUNDEDinourparts,\'remarkedPhil,hidinghisheadbehindabunchofcandles。

  \'Takecare,youngman,\'laughedPolly,\'oryoumaybe\"runtoearth\"

  instead。\'

  \'Orberequestedbytheaudiencetogetupanddust,\'criedtheirrepressibleJack,whosewitwasveryapttobeofaslangycharacter。\'Nowletussettletheinterior,orIshallgomad。\'

  \'BellandIhaveitallsettled,\'saidGeoffrey,promptly。\'Thebackgroundistobemadeofthreesheetshungoveraline,andthetwosideswillbeformedofcanvascarpets;thewallswillhaveJapanesefans,parasols,and——\'

  \'Jupiter!\'exclaimedJack,who,asknightofthebrush,feltcompelledtobeartistic。\'Imagineaducalpalace,intheyearsomanyhundredandsomething,decoratedwithJapanesebric-a-brac!I

  blushforyou。\'

  \'Now,Jack,wemightaswelldropthewholeplayasbegintothinkofthe\'nakkeronisms,\'orwhateverthewordis。Ihavegottowearanoldwhitewrappertothewrestling-match,butIdon\'tcomplain,\'saidPolly。

  JusthereBellranbackfromthekitchen,exclaiming:

  \'IhavesecuredPanchoforCharlestheWrestler。Oh,hewasfearfullyobstinate!butwhenItoldhimhewouldonlybeonthestagetwominutes,andwouldnothavetospeakaword,butjustletGeoffthrowhim,heconsented。Isn\'tthatgood?Didyoudecideaboutthedecorations?\'

  \'Itwillhavetobejustaswesuggested,\'answeredMargery。\'Fans,parasols,flowers,andleaves,withthemadrono-woodfurniturescatteredabout,sheep-skins,etc。\'

  \'Afewvenisonrugs,Ipresumeyoumean,\'saidGeoffrey,slyly。

  \'Say,Polly,omitthecoldcreamforonce,willyou?Youdon\'twanttooutshineeverybody。\'

  \'Thankyou,\'shereplied。\'Iwillendeavourtotakecareofmyowncomplexion,ifyouwillallowme。Asforyours,youlookmorelikeOthellothanOrlando。\'

  \'Come,come,girls,\'saidindustriousMargery,\'letusgotothetentandsew。Itisnothingbutnonsensehere,andwearenotaccomplishinganything。\'

  Sotheywiselylefttheboystothemselvesfortheentireday,andtransformedtheirtentintoamammothdressmakingestablishment,withcleverAuntTruthaschiefdesigner。

  Theinterveninghourshadslippedquicklyaway,andnowthefatalmomenthadarrived,andeverythingwasreadyfortheplay。

  Thewould-beactresseswereatrifleexcitedwhentheProfessorandhiseightstudentswerebroughtupandintroducedbyJackandScottBurton;and,asifthatwerenotenough,whoshoulddriveupatthelastmomentbutthefamilyfromtheneighbouringmilkranch,andbegtobeallowedthepleasureofwitnessingtheperformance。Mr。

  SandfordwasthegentlemanwhohadsoldDr。Winshiphisland,andsotheywerecordiallyinvitedtoremain。

  Allthecushionsandshawlsbelongingtothecampwerearrangedcarefullyontheknoll,foraudienceseats;itwasabrilliantmoonlightnight,andthestageassumedaveryfestiveappearancewithitsfourpoundsofcandlesandtwelveChineselanterns。

  Meanwhiletheactorsweredressingintheirrespectivetents。Bell\'sfirstdresswasalongpinkmuslinwrapperofMrs。Burton\'s,whichhadbeenbeltedinandartisticallypastedoverwithbouquetsfromthecretonnetrunkcovers,inimitationoffloweredsatin;underthissheworeashortbluelawnskirtofherown,catchingupthepinkmuslinontheleftsidewithabouquetofwildroses,andproducingwhatshecalleda\'positivelyNeilsoneffect。\'

  Herbrighthairwastossedupintoafluffyknotonthetopofherhead;andwithaflatcoronetofwildrosesandanothergreatbunchatherbelt,onemighthavegonefarandnothavefoundaprettierRosalind。

  \'Ideclare,youarejusttoolovely——isn\'tshe,Laura?\'askedMargery。

  \'Yes,shelooksquitewell,\'answeredLaura,abstractedly,beingmuchoccupiedinmakingherselfabsurdlybeautifulasAudrey。\'Ofcoursethedressfitshorridly,butperhapsitwon\'tshowinthedimlight。\'

  \'Oh,isitverybad?\'sighedBell,plaintively;\'Ican\'tseeitinthisglass。Well,thenextonefitsbetter,andIhavetowearthatthelongest。ShallIdoyourhair,Laura?\'

  \'No——thanks;Margeryhassuchacapitalknackathair-dressing,andshedoesn\'tcomeonyet。\'

  DuringthisconversationPollywasstrugglingwithAuntTruth\'strainedwhitewrapper。Itwasratherdifficulttomakeitlooklikeacourtdress;butshelookedasfreshandradiantasaroseinit,forthecandle-lightobliteratedeveryfreckle,andonecouldseenothingbutapairofdancingeyes,thepinkestofcheeks,andaheadrunningoverwithcurlsofruddygold。

  \'Now,Bell,criticiseme!\'shecried,takingapositioninthemiddleofthetent,andturningroundlikeawaxfigure。\'Ihavetornoutmyhairbytherootstogiveita\"doneup\"look,andhaveI

  succeeded?andshallIwearanyflowerswiththislacesurplice?andwhatonearthshallIdowithmyhands?they\'resoblacktheywillcastagloomoverthestage。PerhapsIcanwrapmyhandkerchiefcarelesslyroundone,andI\'llkeeptheotherroundyourwaist,considerable,tuckedunderyourWatteaupleat。WillIdo?\'

  \'Do?Ishouldthinkso!\'andBelleyedherwithmanifestapproval。

  \'Yourhairisverynice,andyournecklookslovelywiththatlacehandkerchief。Asforflowers,whydon\'tyouwearagreatmassofyellowandwhitedaisies?You\'llbeasgorgeousas——\'

  \'AsasunsetbyTurner,\'saidLaura,withaglanceatPolly\'sauburnlocks。\'Seemstomethisisamutualadmirationsociety,isn\'tit?\'

  andshesanklanguidlyintoachairtohaveherhairdressed。

  \'Yes,itis,\'criedPolly,boldly;\'andit\'sgoingto\"continner。\"

  Meg,you\'readarlinginthatblueprintandprettyhat。I\'llfillmyfern-basketwithflowers,andyoucantakeit,astohavesomethinginyourhandtoplaywith。YoulooknicerthananyPhoebeIeversaw,that\'safact。Andnow,hurrah!we\'reallready,andthere\'stheboys\'bell,soletusassembleoutinthekitchen。Ohdear!IbelieveI\'mfrightened,inspiteofeverypromisetothecontrary。\'

  Whentheyoungpeoplesaweachotherforthefirsttimeintheirstagecostumestherewasagooddealofmerrimentandsomehonestadmiration。Geofflookedveryoddwithouthiseyeglassesandwiththeyellowwigthatwastheonepropertybelongingtothisstardramaticorganisation。

  Thegirlshadnotsucceededinproducingagreateffectwiththemasculinecostumes,becauseofinsufficientmaterial。Buttheboyshaddeterminednottoweartheirordinaryclothes,nomatterwhathappened;soJackhaddonnedoneofHopYet\'sblueblousesforhisSylviusdress,andhadreadyaplaidshawltothrowgracefullyoveroneshoulderwheneverhechangedtotheBanishedDuke。

  HisSylviusattirewasopentocriticism,butnoonecouldfailtoadmirehisappearanceastheDuke,onaccountofamagnificentducalhead-gear,fromwhichsoaredabunchoftallpeacockfeathers。

  \'Oh,Jack,whatahead-dressforaDuke!\'laughedMargery;\'nowondertheybanishedyou。Didyouoffendthecourthatter?\'

  Philsaidthatatalleventsnobodycouldmistakehimforanythingbutafool,inhis\'Touchstone\'costume,andsohewasjest-ergoingtobecontented。

  ScottBurtonwasarrangingPancho\'stoiletteforthewrestling-match,andmeanwhiletryingtoraisehisdroopingspirits;andRosalindwasvainlyendeavouringtomakeAdam\'sbeardofgreymossstayon。

  Whiletheseanticsweregoingonbehindthescenes,theaudiencewasseatedontheknoll,makingmerryoverthewrittenprogrammes,whichhadbeenasurpriseofGeoff\'s,andreadasfollows:-

  THEPRINCESS\'THEATRE。

  July10th,188。

  APPEARANCETHEGREATESTDRAMATICCOMPANYONEARTHFACT。

  THECOOLESTTHEATREINTHEWORLD。

  ARoyalGalaxyandBoyaxyofArtistsintheplayofASYOULIKEIT,ByWilliamShakespeare,orLordBacon。

  CAST。

  \'Alas!unmindfuloftheirdoom,thelittlevictimsplay;

  Nosensehavetheyofillstocome,orcaresbeyondto-day。\'

  ROSALINDTheLadyBell-Pepper。

  Hergreatestcreation。

  CELIATheCountessPaulina。

  PHOEBETheDuchessofSweetMarjoram。

  AUDREYAtalentedIncognitaoftheCourt。

  ORLANDOHenneryIrvingSalviniStrong。

  LatefromtheBlankTheatre,OilCity。

  ADAMDr。PaulWinship。

  Bykindpermissionofhismanager,Mrs。T。W。

  BANISHEDDUKE}

  SYLVIUS}LordJohnHoward}LightningTOUCHSTONE}}ChangeArtists。

  JACQUE}DukeofNoble}

  N。B——TheDukeofNoblehasplayedthe\'fool\'fivemilliontimes。

  OLIVERMr。ScottBurton。

  Speciallyengaged。

  CHARLESTHEWRESTLERPanchoMuldoonSullivan。

  Hisfirstappearance。

  TheCombOrchestrawillplaytheMusicoftheFuture。

  TheUsherwillpasspop-cornbetweentheActs。Bedsmaybeorderedat10。30。

  ThescenebetweenAdamandOrlandowentoffwithgoodeffect;andwhenCeliaandRosalindcamethroughthetreesinanaffectionateattitude,andCelia\'sblithevoicebrokethestillnesswith,\'Ipraythee,Rosalind,sweetmycoz,bemerry,\'therewasaheartyburstofapplausewhichalmostfrightenedthemintosilence。

  Attheendofthefirstacteverybodywasdelighted;thestage-

  manager,carpenter,scene-shifter,costumier,andallthestarswerecalledsuccessivelybeforethecurtain。

  HopYetdeclareditwas\'allthesamegoodasChinatheatre\';andeveryoneagreedtothatcriticismwithoutadissentingvoice。

  Tobesure,therewasanutterabsenceofstage-management,andallthe\'traditions\'wereremarkablefortheirabsence;butIfancythatthespiritsofSiddonsandKemble,MacreadyandGarrick,lookeddownwithkindapprovalupontheseearnestyoungactorsastheyrecitedthematchlessoldwords,movingtoandfrointhequaintsettingoftreesandmoonlight,withanorchestraofcooingdovesandmurmuringzephyrs。

  Theforestsceneswereintendedtobethefeaturesoftheevening,andinthesetheyoungpeoplefairlysurpassedthemselves。AnyonewhohadseenNeilsoninherdoubletandhoseofsilver-grey,Modjeskainhershadesofblue,andAdaCavendishinherlovelysuitofgreen,mighthavethoughtBell\'spatched-updressasorrymixture;yetthesethreebrilliantstarsinthetheatricalfirmamentmighthaveenviedthislittleRosalindthedewyyouthandfreshnessthatsotriumphedoveralldeficienciesofcostume。

  Margery\'scamping-dressofgrey,shortenedtotheknee,servedforitsbasis。Roundtheskirtandbeltandsleeveswerebroadbandsoflaurel-leaftrimming。SheworeapairofMargery\'slonggreystockingsandLaura\'sdaintybronzeNewportties。AsoftgreychuddashawlofAuntTruth\'swasfoldedintoamantletoswingfromtheshoulder,itsfringesbeingcaughtupoutofsight,andalaurel-leaftrimmingadded。Onherbrightwavyhairwasperchedacunningflatcapofleaves,and,assheenteredwithPolly,leaningonhermanzanitastaff,andsighing,\'OhJupiter,howwearyaremyspirits!\'

  onecouldnotwishalovelierstagepicture。

  Andsotheplaywenton,withvaryingfortunes。Margerywasfrightenedtodeath,andpersistedintakingTouchstone\'sspeechesrightoutofhismouth,muchtohisdiscomfiture。Adam\'sbeardrefusedtostayon;sodidthemoustacheoftheBanishedDuke,andtheclothesofSylvius。Butnothingcoulddampthedramaticfireoftheplayers,nordestroytheenthusiasmofthesympatheticaudience。

  Dickysatinthedress-circle,wrappedinblankets,andlaughedhimselfnearlyintoconvulsionsoverTouchstone\'sjokes,andthestagebusinessoftheBanishedDuke;foritisunnecessarytostatethatJackwasnotstrictlyShakespeareaninhistreatmentofthepart。

  AsforPolly,sheenjoyedbeingCeliawithallhermight,anddeclaredherintentionofgoingimmediatelyonthe\'regular\'stage;

  butJacksomewhatdestroyedherhopesbyaffirmingthathernoseandhairwouldn\'tbejustthethingonthemetropolitanboards,althoughtheymightpassmusterinabackwoodstheatre。

  \'Hello!What\'sthis?\'exclaimedPhilip,onemorning。\'Avisitor?

  Yes——no!Why,it\'sSenorDonManuelFelipeHilarioNoriegacomingupthecanyon!He\'sgotaloadedteam,too!IwonderifUncleDocisexpectinganything。\'

  Theswarthygentlemanwiththelongnameemergedfromonecloudofdustanddisappearedinanother,untilhenearedthegatewherePhilipandPollywerestanding。

  Philipopenedthegate,andreceivedabowofthankswhichwouldhavemadeManuel\'sreputationataSpanishcourt。

  \'Goinguptocamp?\'

  \'Si,senor。\'

  \'Thosethingsforus?\'

  \'Si,senor。\'

  \'Whatarethey?\'

  \'Si,senor。\'

  \'Exactly!Well,arethereanyletters?\'

  \'Si,senor。\'Whereuponhedrewonefromhisgorgeously-decoratedleatherbelt。

  Philipreachedforit,andPollyleanedoverhisshoulder,devouredwithcuriosity。

  \'It\'sforAuntTruth,\'shesaid;\'and——yes,IamsureitisMrs。

  Howard\'swriting;andifitis——\'

  Hereupon,asManuelspokenoEnglish,andneitherPhilipnorPollycouldmakeinquiriesinSpanish,Pollydartedtothecartinherusualmeteoricstyle,putonefootonthehubofawheelandclimbedtothetoplikeasquirrel,snatchedoffacornerofthecanvascover,andcriedtriumphantly,\'Iknewit!Elsieiscoming!Here\'satent,andsomemattressesandpillows。Hurry!Helpmedown,quick!Oh,slow-coach!KeepoutofthewayandI\'lljump!Givemetheletter。Icanrunfasterthanyoucan。\'AndbeforethevestigeofanideahadpenetratedPhilip\'shead,nothingcouldbeseenofPollybutapairoftwinklingheelsandthegleamofacurlyheadthatcaughteveryrayofthesunandturneditintoruddiergold。

  Itwasadusty,rockypath,andup-hillatthat;butPolly,whowasnothingifnotardent,neverslackenedherpace,butdashedalonguntilshecameinsightofthecamp,wheresheexpendedherlastbreathinoneshrillshriekforAuntTruth。

  Itwasrespondedtopromptly。Indeed,itwasthesortofshriekthatalwayscommandsinstantaneousattention;andAuntTruthcameoutofhertentpreparedtoreceivetragicnews。Bellfollowed;andtheentirefamilywouldhavedonethesamehadtheybeenincamp。

  PollythrusttheletterintoMrs。Winship\'shand,andsankdownexhausted,exclaiming,breathlessly,\'There\'samattress——andatent——

  comingupthecanyon。It\'sElsie\'s,Iknow。Philipisdownatthegate——withthecart——butIcameahead。Phew!butit\'swarm!\'

  \'What!\'criedBell,joyfully。\'Elsieatthegate!Itcan\'tbetrue!\'Andshedartedlikeanarrowthroughthetrees。

  \'Comeback!comeback!\'screamedPolly。

  \'Elsieisnotatthegate。DonS。D。M。F。H。N。istherewithateamloadeddownwiththings。Isn\'titfromMrs。Howard,AuntTruth?\'

  \'Yes,itis。WrittenthismorningfromTacitasRancho。Why,howisthis?Letmesee!\'

  TACITASRANCHO,Mondaymorning。

  DearTruth,——Youwillbesurprisedtoreceivealetterfromme,writtenfromTacitas。Buthereweare,ElsieandI;and,whatisbetter,weareonourwaytoyou。

  \'Iknewit!\'exclaimedthegirls。

  Elsiehasbeengrowingsteadilybetterforthreeweeks。Thefeverseemstohavedisappearedentirely,andthetroublesomecoughissomuchlessenedthatshesleepsallnightwithoutwaking。Thedoctorsaysthatthecamp-lifewillbetheverybestthingforhernow,andwillprobablycompleteherrecovery。

  \'Oh,joy,joy!\'criedthegirls。

  Ineednotsayhowgladlywefollowedthisspecialprescriptionofourkinddoctor\'s,noraddthatwestartedatonce。

  \'Oh,AuntTruth,thereisnobodywithinamileofthecamp;can\'tI,PLEASEcan\'tIturnonelittlehand-spring,justonelittlelady-likeone?\'pleadedPolly,dancingononefootandchewinghersun-bonnetstring。

  \'No,dear,youcan\'t!Keepquietandletmeread。\'

  Elsiewouldnotletmetellyouourplansanysooner,lesttheoldstoryofasuddenillturnwouldkeepusathome;andIthinkverylikelythatshelongedtogivethedearboysandgirlsasurprise。

  WearrivedattheBurtons\'yesterday。Elsieborethejourneyexceedinglywell,butIwouldnottakeanyrisks,andsoweshallnotdriveoveruntildayafterto-morrowmorning。

  \'Youneedn\'thavehurriedquitesofast,Pollydear。\'

  Iventuretosendthetentanditsbelongingsaheadto-day,sothatJackmaygeteverythingtorightsbeforewearrive。

  Themattressisjustthesizethegirlsordered;andofcourseI\'vetoldElsienothingabouttheproposedfurnishingofhertent。

  IambringingmylittleChinaboywithme,forIhappentothinkthat,withtheBurtons,weshallbefourteenattable。Ginisnotquiteasuccessasacook,buthecanatleastwashdishes,waitattable,andhelpHopYetinvariousways;whileIshallbeonlytoogladtoshareallyourhousekeepingcares,ifyouhavenotescapedthemeveninthewilderness。

  Ishallbesogladtoseeyouagain;andoh,Truth,Iamsohappy,sohappy,that,pleaseGod,Icankeepmychildafterall!Thewearyburdenofdreadisliftedoffmyheart,andIfeelyoungagain。Justthinkofit!MyElsiewillbewellandstrongoncemore!Itseemstoogoodtobetrue。

  Alwaysyourattachedfriend,JANETHOWARD。

  Mrs。Winship\'svoicequiveredasshereadthelastfewwords,andPollyandBellthrewthemselvesintoeachother\'sarmsandcriedforsheergladness。

  \'Come,come,dears!Isupposeyouwillmakegrandpreparations,andthereisnotimetolose。OneofyoumustfindsomebodytohelpPhilipunloadtheteam。Papaandtheboyshavegonefishing,andLauraandMargerywentwiththem,Ithink。\'AndMrs。Winshipbustledabout,literallyonhospitablethoughtsin-tent。

  Pollytiedonhersun-bonnetwithdetermination,turneduphersleevesasifwashingwerethethingtobedone,andplacedherarmsakimbo。

  \'Firstandforemost,\'saidshe,hereyessparklingwithexcitement,\'firstandforemost,Iamgoingtoblowthehorn。\'

  \'Certainlynot,\'saidAuntTruth。\'Areyoucrazy,Polly?Itisscarcelyteno\'clock,andeverybodywouldthinkitwasdinnertime,andcomehomeatonce。\'

  \'No,they\'dthinksomethinghadhappenedtoDicky,\'saidBell,\'andthatwouldbringtheminstillsooner。\'

  \'Ofcourse!Iforgot。Butcan\'tIblowitearlierthanusual?

  Can\'tIblowitathalf-pasteleveninsteadoftwelve?Wecan\'tdoathingwithouttheboys,andtheymaynotcomehomeuntilmidnightunlesswedosomethingdesperate。Oh,delight!There\'sDonS。D。M。

  F。H。N。,andPhilhasfoundPanchotohelpunload。\'

  \'Isn\'titluckythatwedecidedontheplaceforElsie\'stent,andsaveditincasesheshouldevercome?\'saidBell。\'NowPhilipandPanchocansetitupwhenevertheychoose。Andisn\'titfortunatethatwethreestayedathometo-day,andrefusedtofish?nowwecanplaneverything,andthenallworktogetherwhentheycomeback。\'

  MeanwhilePollywastuggingatanimmensebundle,literallytoothandnail,asshealternatedtremblingclutchesofthefingerswithfranticbitesattheoffendingknot。

  Likemanyofherperformances,thephysicalstrengthexpendedwasoutofallproportiontotheresultproduced,andonestrokeofPhilip\'sknifeaccomplishedmorethanallherill-directedeffort。Atlengththebundleofawningclothstoodrevealed。\'Oh,isn\'titbeautiful?\'

  shecried,\'itwillbetheveryprettiesttentincamp;can\'tIblowthehorn?\'

  \'Look,mamma,\'exclaimedBell,\'itisgreenandgrey,inthoseprettybrokenstripes,andtheedgeiscutinlovelyscollopsandboundwithgreenbraid。Won\'titlookprettyamongthetrees?\'

  AuntTruthcameouttojointheadmiringgroup。

  \'O-o-o-h!\'screamedPolly。\'Therecomesapieceofthefloor。

  They\'vesentitallmade,inthreepieces。Whatfun!We\'llhaveitallupandreadytosleepinbeforeweblowthehorn!\'

  \'Andhere\'sarollofstrawmatting,\'saidPhil,depositingahugebundleonthegroundnearthegirls。\'I\'llcuttheropetosaveyourteeth!\'

  \'Greenandwhiteplaid!\'exclaimedBell。\'Well!Mrs。Howarddidhaveherwitsabouther!\'

  \'Oh,doletmeblowthehorn!\'teasedtheirrepressiblePolly。

  \'Herearealooking-glassandatowel-rackandaShakerrocking-

  chair,\'calledPhilip;\'guessthey\'regoingtostaytherestofthesummer。\'

  \'Yes,ofcoursetheywouldn\'twantalooking-glassiftheywereonlygoingtostayamonthortwo,\'laughedBell。

  \'DearAuntTruth,ifyouwon\'tletmeturnasingledecorouslittlehand-spring,orblowthehorn,ordoanythingnice,willyouletususeallthatnewwhitemosquito-netting?Bellsaysthatithasbeeninthestorehousefortwoyears,anditwouldbejustthethingfordecoratingElsie\'stent。\'

  \'Why,ofcourseyoumayhaveit,Polly,andanythingelsethatyoucanfind。There!IhearDicky\'svoiceinthedistance;perhapsthegirlsarecoming。\'

  BellandPollydartedthroughtheswarmoftents,andlookedupthenarrowpaththatledtothebrook。

  Sureenough,MargeryandLaurawerestrollingtowardshomewithlittleAnneandDickdanglingbehind,afterthemannerofchildren。

  Margerycarriedasmallstringoftrout,andDicktheinevitabletinpailinwhichhealwayskeptanunfortunatefrogortwo。Thegirlshaddiscoveredthathewasinthehabitofcrowdingthecovertightlyoverthepailandkeepinghisvictimsshutupfortwenty-fourhours,afterwhich,hesaid,theywereniceandtame——soverytame,asittranspired,thattheygenerallygaveuptheghostinafewhoursaftertheirrelease。Margeryhadwithdifficultypersuadedhimofhiscruelty,andthecoverhadbeenpiercedwithacertainnumberofair-holes。

  \'Guesstheloveliestthingthatcouldpossiblyhappen!\'calledBellatthetopofhervoice。

  \'Elsiehascome,\'answeredMargeryinasecond,nobodyknewwhy;\'letmehugherthisminute!\'

点击下载App,搜索"A Summer in a Canyon",免费读到尾