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!\'