Asifhesuspecteddiscordsomewhere,Dr。Alecproposedmusicatthiscrisis,andtheyoungpeoplefeltthatitwasahappythought。
\"Iwantyoutohearbothmybirds,fortheyhaveimprovedimmensely,andIamveryproudofthem,\"saidthedoctor,twirlingupthestoolandpullingouttheoldmusicbooks。
\"Ihadbettercomefirst,forafteryouhaveheardthenightingaleyouwon\'tcareforthecanary,\"addedRose,wishingtoputPhebeatherease,forshesatamongthemlookinglikeapicture,butrathershyandsilent,rememberingthedayswhenherplacewasinthekitchen。
\"I\'llgiveyousomeofthedearoldsongsyouusedtolikesomuch。
Thiswasafavorite,Ithink,\"andsittingdownshesangthefirstfamiliarairthatcame,andsangitwellinapleasant,butbynomeansfinished,manner。
Itchancedtobe\"TheBirksofAberfeldie,\"andvividlyrecalledthetimewhenMacwasillandshetookcareofhim。Thememorywassweettoher,andinvoluntarilyhereyewanderedinsearchofhim。Hewasnotfaraway,sittingjustasheusedtositwhenshesoothedhismostdespondentmoodsastrideofachairwithhisheaddownonhisarms,asifthesongsuggestedtheattitude。Herheartquitesoftenedtohimasshelooked,andshedecidedtoforgivehimifnooneelse,forshewassurethathehadnomercenaryplansabouthertiresomemoney。
Charliehadassumedapensiveairandfixedhisfineeyesuponherwithanexpressionoftenderadmiration,whichmadeherlaughinspiteofallhereffortstoseemunconsciousofit。Shewasbothamusedandannoyedathisveryevidentdesiretoremindherofcertainsentimentalpassagesinthelastyearoftheirgirl—andboy—hood,andtochangewhatshehadconsideredachildishjokeintoromanticearnest。Rosehadveryseriousideasofloveandhadnointentionofbeingbeguiledintoevenaflirtationwithherhandsomecousin。
SoCharlieattitudinizedunnoticedandwasgettingratheroutoftemperwhenPhebebegantosing,andheforgotallabouthimselfinadmirationofher。Ittookeveryonebysurprise,fortwoyearsofforeigntrainingaddedtoseveralathomehadworkedwonders,andthebeautifulvoicethatusedtowarblecheerilyoverpotsandkettlesnowrangoutmelodiouslyormeltedtoamellowmusicthatwokeasympatheticthrillinthosewholistened。Roseglowedwithprideassheaccompaniedherfriend,forPhebewasinherownworldnowalovelyworldwherenodepressingmemoryofpoorhouseorkitchen,ignoranceorloneliness,cametotroubleher,ahappyworldwhereshecouldbeherselfandruleothersbythemagicofhersweetgift。
Yes,Phebewasherselfnow,andshoweditinthechangethatcameoverheratthefirstnoteofmusic。Nolongershyandsilent,nolongertheimageofahandsomegirlbutabloomingwoman,aliveandfulloftheeloquenceherartgaveher,asshelaidherhandssoftlytogether,fixedhereyeonthelight,andjustpouredouthersongassimplyandjoyfullyasthelarkdoessoaringtowardthesun。
\"Myfaith,Alecthat\'sthesortofvoicethatwinsaman\'sheartoutofhisbreast！\"exclaimedUncleMac,wipinghiseyesafteroneoftheplaintiveballadsthatnevergrowold。
\"Soitwould！\"answeredDr。Alecdelightedly。
\"Soithas,\"addedArchietohimself;andhewasright,forjustatthatmomenthefellinlovewithPhebe。Heactuallydid,andcouldfixthetimealmosttoasecond,forataquarterpastnine,hemerelythoughtheraverycharmingyoungperson;attwentyminutespast,heconsideredhertheloveliestwomanheeverbeheld;atfiveandtwentyminutespast,shewasanangelsinginghissoulaway;andathalfafterninehewasalostman,floatingoveradeliciousseatothattemporaryheavenonearthwhereloversusuallylandafterthefirstrapturousplunge。
Ifanyonehadmentionedthisastonishingfact,nobodywouldhavebelievedit;nevertheless,itwasquitetrue,andsober,businesslikeArchiesuddenlydiscoveredafundofromanceatthebottomofhishithertowell—conductedheartthatamazedhim。Hewasnotquiteclearwhathadhappenedtohimatfirst,andsataboutinadazedsortofway,seeing,hearing,knowingnothingbutPhebe,whiletheunconsciousidolfoundsomethingwantinginthecordialpraisesomodestlyreceivedbecauseMr。Archieneversaidaword。
Thiswasoneoftheremarkablethingswhichoccurredthatevening。AnotherwasthatMacpaidRoseacompliment,whichwassuchanunprecedentedfact,itproducedagreatsensation,thoughonlyonepersonheardit。
EverybodyhadgonebutMacandhisfather,whowasbusywiththedoctor。
AuntPlentywascountingtheteaspoonsinthediningroom,andPhebewashelpingherasofold。MacandRosewerealoneheapparentlyinabrownstudy,leaninghiselbowsonthechimneypiece,andshelyingbackinalowchairlookingthoughtfullyatthefire。Shewastired,andthequietwasgratefultoher,soshekeptsilenceandMacrespectfullyheldhistongue。Presently,however,shebecameconsciousthathewaslookingatherasintentlyaseyesandglassescoulddoit,andwithoutstirringfromhercomfortableattitude,shesaid,smilingupathim,\"HelooksaswiseasanowlIwonderwhathe\'sthinkingabout？\"
\"You,Cousin。\"
\"Somethinggood,Ihope？\"
\"IwasthinkingLeighHuntwasaboutrightwhenhesaid,\'AgirlisthesweetestthingGodevermade。\'\"
\"Why,Mac！\"andRosesatboltuprightwithanastonishedfacethiswassuchanentirelyunexpectedsortofremarkforthephilosophertomake。
Evidentlyinterestedinthenewdiscovery,Macplacidlycontinued,\"Doyouknow,itseemsasifIneverreallysawagirlbefore,orhadanyideawhatagreeablecreaturestheycouldbe。Ifancyyouarearemarkablygoodspecimen,Rose。\"
\"No,indeed！I\'monlyheartyandhappy,andbeingsafeathomeagainmaymakemelookbetterthanusualperhaps,butI\'mnobeautyexcepttoUncle。\"
\"\'Heartyandhappy\'thatmustbeit,\"echoedMac,soberlyinvestigatingtheproblem。\"Mostgirlsaresicklyorsilly,IthinkIhaveobserved,andthatisprobablywhyIamsostruckwithyou。\"
\"Ofallthequeerboysyouarethequeerest！Doyoureallymeanthatyoudon\'tlikeornoticegirls？\"askedRose,muchamusedatthisnewpeculiarityofherstudiouscousin。
\"Well,no,Iamonlyconsciousoftwosortsnoisyandquietones。
Ipreferthelatter,but,asageneralthing,Idon\'tnoticeanyofthemmuchmorethanIdoflies,unlesstheybotherme,thenI\'dliketoflapthemaway,butasthatwon\'tdo,Ihide。\"
Roseleanedbackandlaugheduntilhereyeswerefull。ItwassocomicaltohearMacsinkhisvoicetoaconfidentialwhisperatthelastwordsandseehimsmilewithsinfulsatisfactionatthememoryofthetormentorshehadeluded。
\"Youneedn\'tlaughit\'safact,Iassureyou。Charlielikesthecreatures,andtheyspoilhim。Stevefollowssuit,ofcourse。Archieisarespectfulslavewhenhecan\'thelphimself。Asforme,Idon\'toftengivethemachance,andwhenIgetcaughtItalkscienceanddeadlanguagestilltheyrunfortheirlives。NowandthenIfindasensibleone,andthenwegetonexcellently。\"
\"AsadprospectforPhebeandme,\"sighedRose,tryingtokeepsober。
\"Phebeisevidentlyaquietone。Iknowsheissensible,oryouwouldn\'tcareforher。Icanseethatsheispleasanttolookat,soIfancyIshalllikeher。Asforyou,Ihelpedbringyouup,thereforeIamalittleanxioustoseehowyouturnout。Iwasafraidyourforeignpolishmightspoilyou,butIthinkithasnot。Infact,Ifindyouquitesatisfactorysofar,ifyoudon\'tmindmysayingit。Idon\'tquiteknowwhatthecharmis,though。
Mustbethepowerofinwardgraces,sinceyouinsistthatyouhavenoouterones。\"
Macwaspeeringatherwithashrewdsmileonhislips,butsuchakindlylookbehindtheglassesthatshefoundbothwordsandglanceverypleasantandansweredmerrily,\"Iamgladyouapproveofme,andmuchobligedforyourcareofmyearlyyouth。Ihopetobeacredittoyouanddependonyourkeepingmestraight,forI\'mafraidIshallbespoiltamongyouall。\"
\"I\'llkeepmyeyeonyouupononecondition,\"repliedtheyouthfulmentor。
\"Nameit。\"
\"Ifyouaregoingtohavealotofloversaround,Iwashmyhandsofyou。Ifnot,I\'myourman。\"
\"Youmustbesheepdogandhelpkeepthemaway,forIdon\'twantanyyetawhileand,betweenourselves,Idon\'tbelieveIshallhaveanyifitisknownthatIamstrong—minded。Thatfactwillscaremostmenawaylikeayellowflag,\"saidRose,for,thankstoDr。Alec\'sguardianship,shehadwastedneitherheartnortimeinthefoolishflirtationssomanygirlsfritterawaytheiryouthupon。
\"Hum！Iratherdoubtthat,\"mutteredMacashesurveyedthedamselbeforehim。
Shecertainlydidnotlookunpleasantlystrong—minded,andshewasbeautifulinspiteofhermodestdenials。Beautifulwiththetruestsortofbeauty,fornobilityofcharacterlentitssubtlecharmtothebloomofyouth,thefreshnessofhealth,theinnocenceofanaturewhosesweetmaidenlinessMacfeltbutcouldnotdescribe。Gentleyetfullofspirit,andallaglowwiththeearnestnessthatsuggestslovelypossibilitiesandmakesonehopethatsuchhumanflowersmayhaveheaven\'spurestairandwarmestsunshinetoblossomin。
\"Waitandsee,\"answeredRose;then,asheruncle\'svoicewasheardinthehall,sheheldoutherhand,addingpleasantly,\"Theoldtimesaretobeginagain,socomesoonandtellmeallyourdoingsandhelpmewithminejustasyouusedtodo。\"
\"Youreallymeanit？\"AndMaclookedmuchpleased。
\"Ireallydo。Youaresolittlealtered,excepttogrowbig,thatI
don\'tfeelatallstrangewithyouandwanttobeginwhereweleftoff。\"
\"Thatwillbecapital。Goodnight,Cousin,\"andtohergreatamazement,hegaveheraheartykiss。
\"Oh,butthatisnottheoldwayatall！\"criedRose,steppingbackinmerryconfusionwhiletheaudaciousyouthassumedanairofmildsurpriseasheinnocentlyasked:\"Didn\'twealwayssaygoodnightinthatway？I
hadanimpressionthatwedidandweretobeginjustasweleftoff。\"
\"Ofcoursenot。Nopoweronearthwouldhavebribedyoutodoit,asyouknowwellenough。Idon\'tmindthefirstnight,butwearetoooldforthatsortofthingnow。\"
\"I\'llremember。Itwastheforceofhabit,Isuppose,forI\'msureI
musthavedoneitinformertimes,itseemedsonatural。Coming,Father！\"
andMacretired,evidentlyconvincedhewasright。
\"Dearoldthing！Heisasmuchaboyasever,andthatissuchacomfort,forsomeoftheothershavegrownupveryfast,\"saidRosetoherself,recallingCharlie\'ssentimentalairsandArchie\'sbeatifiedexpressionwhilePhebesang。Chapter2。Chapter2。2OLDFRIENDSWITHNEWFACES\"Itissogoodtobehomeagain！Iwonderhowweevermadeupourmindstogoaway！\"exclaimedRoseasshewentroamingabouttheoldhousenextmorning,fullofthesatisfactiononefeelsatrevisitingfamiliarnooksandcornersandfindingthemunchanged。
\"Thatwemighthavethepleasureofcomingbackagain,\"answeredPhebe,walkingdownthehallbesideherlittlemistress,ashappyasshe。
\"Everythingseemsjustasweleftit,eventotheroseleavesweusedtotuckinhere,\"continuedtheyoungergirl,peepingintooneofthetallIndiajarsthatstoodaboutthehall。
\"Don\'tyourememberhowJamieandPokeyusedtoplayFortyThieveswiththem,andhowyoutriedtogetintothatblueoneandgotstuck,andtheotherboysfoundusbeforeIcouldpullyouout？\"askedPhebe,laughing。
\"Yes,indeed,andspeakingofangels,oneisapttoheartherustlingoftheirwings,\"addedRose,asashrillwhistlecameuptheavenueaccompaniedbytheclatterofhoofs。
\"Itisthecircus！\"criedPhebegailyastheybothrecalledtheredcartandthechargeoftheclan。
Therewasonlyoneboynow,alas,buthemadenoiseenoughforhalfadozen,andbeforeRosecouldruntothedoor,Jamiecamebouncinginwitha\"shiningmorningface,\"abatoverhisshoulder,aredandwhitejockeycaponhishead,onepocketbulgingwithabigball,theotheroverflowingwithcookies,andhismouthfulloftheapplehewasjustfinishingoffinhothaste。
\"Morning！Ijustlookedintomakesureyou\'dreallycomeandseethatyouwereallright,\"heobserved,salutingwithbatanddoffingthegaycapwithoneeffectivetwitch。
\"Goodmorning,dear。Yes,wereallyarehere,andgettingtorightsasfastaspossible。Butitseemstomeyouarerathergorgeous,Jamie。
Whatdoyoubelongtoafirecompanyorajockeyclub？\"askedRose,turninguptheoncechubbyface,whichnowwasgettingbrownandsquareaboutthechin。
\"No,ma\'am！Why,don\'tyouknow？I\'mcaptainoftheBaseBallStarClub。Lookatthat,willyou？\"And,asifthefactwereoneofnationalimportance,Jamieflungopenhisjackettodisplayuponhisproudlyswellingchestanheart—shapedredflannelshielddecoratedwithawhitecottonstarthesizeofateaplate。
\"Superb！I\'vebeenawaysolongIforgottherewassuchagame。Andyouthecaptain？\"criedRose,deeplyimpressedbythehighhonortowhichherkinsmanhadarrived。
\"Ijustam,andit\'snojokeyou\'dbetterbelieve,forweknockourteethout,blackoureyes,andsplitourfingersalmostaswellasthebigfellows。YoucomedowntotheCommonbetweenoneandtwoandseeusplayamatch,thenyou\'llunderstandwhathardworkitis。I\'llteachyoutobatnowifyou\'llcomeoutonthelawn,\"addedJamie,firedwithawishtoexhibithisprowess。
\"No,thankyou,captain。Thegrassiswet,andyou\'llbelateatschoolifyoustayforus。\"
\"I\'mnotafraid。Girlsarenotgoodformuchgenerally,butyouneverusedtomindalittlewetandplayedcricketlikeagoodone。Can\'tyoueverdothatsortofthingnow？\"askedtheboy,withapityinglookatthesehaplesscreaturesdebarredfromthejoysandperilsofmanlysports。
\"IcanrunstillandI\'llgettothegatebeforeyou,seeifIdon\'t。\"
And,yieldingtotheimpulseofthemoment,RosedarteddownthestepsbeforeastonishedJamiecouldmountandfollow。
Hewasoffinamoment,butRosehadthestart,andthougholdSheltiedidhisbest,shereachedthegoaljustahead,andstoodtherelaughingandpanting,allrosywithfreshOctoberair,aprettypictureforseveralgentlemenwhoweredrivingby。
\"Goodforyou,Rose！\"saidArchie,jumpingouttoshakehandswhileWillandGeordiesalutedandUncleMaclaughedatJamie,wholookedasifgirlshadrisenslightlyinhisopinion。
\"I\'mgladitisyou,becauseyouwon\'tbeshocked。ButI\'msohappytobebackIforgotIwasnotlittleRosestill,\"saidAtalanta,smoothingdownherflyinghair。
\"Youlookverylikeher,withthecurlsonyourshouldersintheoldway。Imissedthemlastnightandwonderedwhatitwas。HowareUncleandPhebe？\"askedArchie,whoseeyeshadbeenlookingoverRose\'sheadwhilehespoketowardthepiazza,whereafemalefigurewasvisibleamongthereddeningwoodbines。
\"Allwell,thanks。Won\'tyoucomeupandseeforyourselves？\"
\"Can\'t,mydear,can\'tpossibly。Business,youknow,business。Thisfellowismyright—handman,andIcan\'tsparehimaminute。Come,Arch,wemustbeoff,ortheseboyswillmisstheirtrain,\"answeredUncleMac,pullingouthiswatch。
Withalastlookfromthelight—hairedfigureatthegatetothedark—hairedoneamongthevines,ArchiedroveawayandJamiecanteredafter,consolinghimselfforhisdefeatwithapplenumbertwo。
Roselingeredamoment,feelingmuchinclinedtocontinueherrunandpopinuponalltheauntsinsuccession,but,rememberingheruncoveredhead,wasabouttoturnbackwhenacheerful\"Ahoy！ahoy！\"madeherlookuptoseeMacapproachingatagreatpace,wavinghishatashecame。
\"TheCampbellsarecoming,thickandfastthismorning,andthemorethemerrier,\"shesaid,runningtomeethim。\"Youlooklikeagoodboygoingtoschool,andvirtuouslyconningyourlessonbytheway,\"sheadded,smilingtoseehimtakehisfingeroutofthebookhehadevidentlybeenreading,andtuckitunderhisarm,justasheusedtodoyearsago。
\"Iamaschoolboy,goingtotheschoolIlikebest,\"heanswered,wavingaplumysprayofastersasifpointingoutthelovelyautumnworldaboutthem,fullofgayhues,freshairs,andmellowsunshine。
\"ThatremindsmethatIdidn\'tgetachancetohearmuchaboutyourplanslastnighttheotherboysalltalkedatonce,andyouonlygotawordnowandthen。Whathaveyoudecidedtobe,Mac？\"askedRoseastheywentuptheavenuesidebyside。
\"Amanfirst,andagoodoneifpossible。Afterthat,whatGodpleases。\"
Somethinginthetone,aswellasthewords,madeRoselookupquicklyintoMac\'sfacetoseeanewexpressionthere。Itwasindescribable,butshefeltasshehadoftendonewhenwatchingthemistspartsuddenly,givingglimpsesofsomemountaintop,shiningsereneandhighagainsttheblue。
\"Ithinkyouwillbesomethingsplendid,foryoureallylookquiteglorified,walkingunderthisarchofyellowleaveswiththesunshineonyourface,\"sheexclaimed,consciousofasuddenadmirationneverfeltbefore,forMacwastheplainestofallthecousins。
\"Idon\'tknowaboutthat,butIhavemydreamsandaspirations,andsomeofthemareprettyhighones。Aimatthebest,youknow,andkeepclimbingifyouwanttogeton,\"hesaid,lookingattheasterswithaninwardsortofsmile,asifheandtheyhadsomesweetsecretbetweenthem。
\"Youarequeererthanever。ButIlikeyourambition,andhopeyouwillgeton。Onlymustn\'tyoubeginatsomethingsoon？IfanciedyouwouldstudymedicinewithUnclethatusedtobeourplan,youknow。\"
\"Ishall,forthepresentatleast,becauseIquiteagreewithyouthatitisnecessarytohaveananchorsomewhereandnotgofloatingoffintotheworldofimaginationwithoutballastoftherightsort。UncleandI
hadsometalkaboutitlastnightandI\'mgoingtobeginassoonaspossible,forI\'vemoonedlongenough,\"andgivinghimselfashake,Macthrewdowntheprettyspray,addinghalfaloud:\"Chidemenot,laboriousband,FortheidleflowersIbrought:
EveryasterinmyhandGoeshomeladenwithathought。\"Rosecaughtthewordsandsmiled,thinkingtoherself,\"Oh,that\'sitheisgettingintothesentimentalageandAuntJanehasbeenlecturinghim。
Dearme,howwearegrowingup！\"
\"Youlookasifyoudidn\'tliketheprospectverywell,\"shesaidaloud,forMachadrammedthevolumeofShelleyintohispocketandtheglorifiedexpressionwassoentirelygone,Rosefanciedshehadbeenmistakenaboutthemountaintopbehindthemists。
\"Yes,wellenoughIalwaysthoughttheprofessionagrandone,andwherecouldIfindabetterteacherthanUncle？I\'vegotintolazywayslately,anditishightimeIwentatsomethinguseful,sohereIgo,\"
andMacabruptlyvanishedintothestudywhileRosejoinedPhebeinAuntPlenty\'sroom。
Thedearoldladyhadjustdecided,afterlongandearnestdiscussion,whichofsixfavoritepuddingsshouldbeservedfordinner,andthushadafewmomentstodevotetosentiment,sowhenRosecameinsheheldoutherarms,sayingfondly:\"IshallnotfeelasifI\'dgotmychildbackagainuntilIhaveherinmylapaminute。No,you\'renotabittooheavy,myrheumatismdoesn\'tbeginmuchbeforeNovember,sosithere,darling,andputyourtwoarmsroundmyneck。\"
Roseobeyed,andneitherspokeforamomentastheoldwomanheldtheyoungonecloseandappeasedthetwoyears\'longingofamotherlyheartbythecaresseswomengivethecreaturesdearesttothem。Rightinthemiddleofakiss,however,shestoppedsuddenlyand,holdingoutonearm,caughtPhebe,whowastryingtostealawayunobserved。
\"Don\'tgothere\'sroomforbothinmylove,thoughthereisn\'tinmylap。I\'msogratefultogetmydeargirlssafelyhomeagainthatIhardlyknowwhatI\'mabout,\"saidAuntPlenty,embracingPhebesoheartilythatshecouldnotfeelleftoutinthecoldandstoodtherewithherblackeyesshiningthroughthehappiesttears。
\"There,nowI\'vehadagoodhug,andfeelasifIwasallrightagain。
Iwishyou\'dsetthatcapinorder,RoseIwenttobedinsuchahurry,Ipulledthestringsoffitandleftitallinaheap。Phebe,dear,youshalldustroundamite,justasyouusedto,forIhaven\'thadanyonetodoitasIlikesinceyou\'vebeengone,anditwilldomegoodtoseeallmyknickknacksstraightenedoutinyourtidyway,\"saidtheelderlady,gettingupwitharefreshedexpressiononherrosyoldface。
\"ShallIdustinheretoo？\"askedPhebe,glancingtowardaninnerroomwhichusedtobehercare。
\"No,dear,I\'dratherdothatmyself。Goinifyoulike,nothingischanged。Imustgoandseetomypudding。\"AndAuntPlentytrottedabruptlyawaywithaquiverofemotioninhervoicewhichmadeevenherlastwordspathetic。
Pausingonthethresholdasifitwasasacredplace,thegirlslookedinwitheyessoondimmedbytendertears,foritseemedasifthegentleoccupantwasstillthere。Sunshineshoneontheoldgeraniumsbythewindow;
thecushionedchairstoodinitsaccustomedplace,withthewhitewrapperhungacrossitandthefadedslipperslyingready。Booksandbasket,knittingandspectacles,werealljustasshehadleftthem,andthebeautifultranquilitythatalwaysfilledtheroomseemedsonatural,bothlookersturnedinvoluntarilytowardthebed,whereAuntPeaceusedtogreetthemwithasmile。Therewasnosweetoldfaceuponthepillownow,yetthetearsthatwetthebloomingcheekswerenotforherwhohadgone,butforherwhowasleft,becausetheysawsomethingwhichspokeeloquentlyofthelovewhichoutlivesdeathandmakesthehumblestthingsbeautifulandsacred。
Awell—wornfootstoolstoodbesidethebed,andinthehigh—piledwhitenessoftheemptycouchtherewasalittlehollowwhereagrayheadnightlyrestedwhileAuntPlentysaidtheprayershermothertaughtherseventyyearsago。
Withoutaword,thegirlssoftlyshutthedoor。AndwhilePhebeputtheroominthemostexquisiteorder,Roseretrimmedtheplainwhitecap,wherepinkandyellowribbonsneverrustlednow,bothfeelinghonoredbytheirtasksandbetterfortheirknowledgeofthefaithfulloveandpietywhichsanctifiedagoodoldwoman\'slife。
\"Youdarlingcreature,I\'msogladtogetyouback！Iknowit\'sshamefullyearly,butIreallycouldn\'tkeepawayanotherminute。LetmehelpyouI\'mdyingtoseeallyoursplendidthings。IsawthetrunkspassandIknowyou\'vequantitiesoftreasures,\"criedAnnabelBlissallinonebreathassheembracedRoseanhourlaterandglancedabouttheroombestrewnwithavarietyofagreeableobjects。
\"Howwellyouarelooking！SitdownandI\'llshowyoumylovelyphotographs。
Unclechoseallthebestforme,andit\'satreattoseethem,\"answeredRose,puttingarollonthetableandlookingaboutformore。
\"Oh,thanks！Ihaven\'ttimenowoneneedshourstostudysuchthings。
ShowmeyourParisdresses,there\'sadearI\'mperfectlyachingtoseethelaststyles,\"andAnnabelcastahungryeyetowardcertainlargeboxesdelightfullysuggestiveofFrenchfinery。
\"Ihaven\'tgotany,\"saidRose,fondlysurveyingthefinephotographsasshelaidthemaway。
\"RoseCampbell！Youdon\'tmeantosaythatyoudidn\'tgetoneParisdressatleast？\"criedAnnabel,scandalizedatthebareideaofsuchneglect。
\"Notoneformyself。AuntClaraorderedseveral,andwillbecharmedtoshowthemwhenherboxcomes。\"
\"Suchachance！Rightthereandplentyofmoney！Howcouldyouloveyouruncleaftersuchcruelty？\"sighedAnnabel,withafacefullofsympathy。
Roselookedpuzzledforaminute,thenseemedtounderstand,andassumedasuperiorairwhichbecameherverywellasshesaid,good—naturedlyopeningaboxoflaces,\"Uncledidnotforbidmydoingit,andIhadmoneyenough,butIchosenottospenditonthingsofthatsort。\"
\"Couldanddidn\'t！Ican\'tbelieveit！\"AndAnnabelsankintoachair,asifthethoughtwastoomuchforher。
\"Ididratherwanttoatfirst,justforthefunofthething。Infact,Iwentandlookedatsomeamazinggowns。Buttheywereveryexpensive,verymuchtrimmed,andnotmystyleatall,soIgavethemupandkeptwhatIvaluedmorethanallthegownsWortheverymade。\"
\"Whatintheworldwasit？\"criedAnnabel,hopingshewouldsaydiamonds。
\"Uncle\'sgoodopinion,\"answeredRose,lookingthoughtfullyintothedepthsofapackingcase,wherelaythelovelypicturethatwouldalwaysremindherofthelittletriumphovergirlishvanity,whichnotonlykeptbutincreased\"Uncle\'sgoodopinion。\"
\"Oh,indeed！\"saidAnnabelblankly,andfelltoexaminingAuntPlenty\'slacewhileRosewentonwithahappysmileinhereyesasshedivedintoanothertrunk。
\"Unclethinksonehasnorighttowastemoneyonsuchthings,butheisverygenerousandlovestogiveuseful,beautiful,orcuriousgifts。
See,alltheseprettyornamentsareforpresents,andyoushallchoosefirstwhateveryoulike。\"
\"He\'saperfectdear！\"criedAnnabel,revelinginthecrystal,filigree,coral,andmosaictrinketsspreadbeforeherwhileRosecompletedherrapturebyaddingsundrytastefultriflesfreshfromParis。
\"Nowtellme,whendoyoumeantohaveyourcoming—outparty？IaskbecauseI\'venothingreadyandwantplentyoftime,forIsupposeitwillbetheeventoftheseason,\"askedAnnabelafewminuteslaterasshewaveredbetweenapinkcoralandabluelavaset。
\"IcameoutwhenIwenttoEurope,butIsupposeAuntyPlenwillwanttohavesomesortofmerry—makingtocelebrateourreturn。IshallbeginasImeantogoon,andhaveasimple,sociablesortofpartyandinviteeveryonewhomIlike,nomatterinwhat\'set\'theyhappentobelong。NooneshalleversayIamaristocraticandexclusivesoprepareyourselftobeshocked,foroldfriendsandyoung,richandpoor,willbeaskedtoallmyparties。\"
\"Oh,myheart！Youaregoingtobeodd,justasMamapredicted！\"
sighedAnnabel,claspingherhandsindespairandstudyingtheeffectofthreebraceletsonherchubbyarminthemidstofherwoe。
\"InmyownhouseI\'mgoingtodoasIthinkbest,andifpeoplecallmeodd,Ican\'thelpit。Ishallendeavornottodoanythingverydreadful,butIseemtoinheritUncle\'sloveforexperimentsandmeantotrysome。
IdaresaytheywillfailandIshallgetlaughedat。Iintendtodoitnevertheless,soyouhadbetterdropmenowbeforeIbegin,\"saidRosewithanairofresolutionthatwasratheralarming。
\"Whatshallyouwearatthisnewsortofpartyofyours？\"askedAnnabel,wiselyturningadeafeartoalldelicateordangeroustopicsandkeepingtomatterssheunderstood。
\"Thatwhitethingoverthere。Itisfreshandpretty,andPhebehasonelikeit。Ineverwanttodressmorethanshedoes,andgownsofthatsortarealwaysmostbecomingandappropriatetogirlsofourage。\"
\"Phebe！Youdon\'tmeantosayyouaregoingtomakealadyofher！\"gaspedAnnabel,upsettinghertreasuresasshefellbackwithagesturethatmadethelittlechaircreakagain,forMissBlisswasasplumpasapartridge。
\"Sheisonealready,andanybodywhoslightsherslightsme,forsheisthebestgirlIknowandthedearest,\"criedRosewarmly。
\"Yes,ofcourseIwasonlysurprisedyouarequiteright,forshemayturnouttobesomebody,andthenhowgladyou\'llfeelthatyouweresogoodtoher！\"saidAnnabel,veeringaroundatonce,seeingwhichwaythewindblew。