Betty Leicester's Christmas

by Roy J. Snell

  IX

  It was Christmas at last; and all the three young people had beenmissing since before luncheon in a most mysterious manner. But BettyLeicester, who came in late and flushed, managed to sit next her father;and he saw at once, being well acquainted with Betty, that some greataffair was going on. She was much excited, and her eyes were verybright, and there was such a great secret that Mr. Leicester could do noless than ask to be let in, and be gayly refused and hushed, lestsomebody else should know there was a secret, too. Warford, who appeareda little later, looked preternaturally solemn, and Edith alone behavedas if nothing were going to happen. She was as grown-up as possible, andchattered away about the delights of New York with an old Londonbarrister who was Lady Mary's uncle, and Warford's guardian, and chiefadviser to the great Danesly estates. Edith was so pretty and talked sobrightly that the old gentleman looked as amused and happy as possible.

  "He may be thinking that she's coming down to dinner, but he'll look forher in vain," said Betty, who grew gayer herself.

  "Not coming to dinner?" asked papa, with surprise; at which Betty gavehim so stern a glance that he was more careful to avoid even theappearance of secrets from that time on; and they talked together softlyabout dear old Tideshead, and Aunt Barbara, and all the household, andwondered if the great Christmas box from London had arrived safely andgone up the river by the packet, just as Betty herself had done six orseven months before. It made her a little homesick, even there in thebreakfast-room at Danesly,--even with papa at her side, and Lady Marysmiling back if she looked up,--to think of the dear old house, and ofSerena and Letty, and how they would all be thinking of her at Christmastime.

  The great hall was gay with holly and Christmas greens. It was snowingoutside for the first time that year, and the huge fireplace was full oflogs blazing and snapping in a splendidly cheerful way. Dinner was to beearlier than usual. A great festivity was going on in the servants'hall; and when Warford went out with Lady Mary to cut the greatChristmas cake and have his health drunk, Betty and Edith went too; andeverybody stood up and cheered, and cried, "Merry Christmas! MerryChristmas! and God bless you!" in the most hearty fashion. It seemed asif all the holly in the Danesly woods had been brought in--as ifChristmas had never been so warm and friendly and generous in a greathouse before. Christmas eve had begun, and cast its lovely charm andenchantment over everybody's heart. Old dislikes were forgotten betweenthe guests; at Christmas time it is easy to say kind words that are hardto say all the rest of the year; at Christmas time one loves hisneighbor and thinks better of him; Christmas love and good-will comeand fill the heart whether one beckons them or no. Betty had spent somelonely Christmases in her short life, as all the rest of us have done;and perhaps for this reason the keeping of the great day at Danesly insuch happy company, in such splendor and warm-heartedness of the oldEnglish fashion, seemed a kind of royal Christmas to her young heart.Everybody was so kind and charming.

  Lady Dimdale, who had entered with great enthusiasm into the Christmasplans, caught her after luncheon and kissed her, and held her hand likean elder sister as they walked away. It would have been very hard tokeep things from Lady Mary herself; but that dear lady had many ways toturn her eyes and her thoughts, and so many secret plots of her own tokeep in hand at this season, that she did not suspect what was going onin a distant room of the old south wing (where Warford still preservedsome of his boyish collections of birds' eggs and other plunder), ofwhich he kept the only key. There was a steep staircase that led downto a door in the courtyard; and by this Mr. Macalister, theschoolmaster, had come and gone, and the young groom of the tenor voice,and five or six others, men and girls, who could either sing or play. Itwas the opposite side of the house from Lady Mary's own rooms, andnobody else would think anything strange of such comings and goings.Pagot and some friendly maids helped with the costumes. They hadpracticed their songs twice in the schoolmaster's own house atnightfall, down at the edge of the village by the church; and soeverything was ready, with the help of Lady Dimdale and of Mrs. Drum,the housekeeper, who would always do everything that Warford asked her,and be heartily pleased besides.

  So Lady Mary did not know what was meant until after her Christmasguests were seated, and the old vicar had said grace, and all the greatcandelabra were lit, high on the walls between the banners and flags,and among the staghorns and armor lower down, and there were lightseven in the old musicians' gallery, which she could see as she sat withher back to the painted leather screen that hid the fireplace. Suddenlythere was a sound of violins and a bass-viol and a flute from thegallery, and a sound of voices singing--the fresh young voices ofWarford and Betty and Edith and their helpers, who sang a beautiful oldChristmas song, so unexpected, so lovely, that the butler stoppedhalfway from the sideboard with the wine, and the footmen stoodlistening where they were, with whatever they had in hand. The guests atdinner looked up in surprise, and Lady Dimdale nodded across at Mr.Leicester because they both knew it was Betty's plan coming true in thisdelightful way. And fresh as the voices were, the look of the singerswas even better, for you could see from below that all the musicianswere in quaint costume. The old schoolmaster stood in the middle asleader, with a splendid powdered wig and gold-laced coat, and all therest wore coats and gowns of velvet and brocade from the old house'sstore of treasures. They made a charming picture against the wall withits dark tapestry, and Lady Dimdale felt proud of her own part in thework.

  There was a cry of delight from below as the first song ended. Betty inthe far corner of the gallery could see Lady Mary looking up so pleasedand happy and holding her dear white hands high as she applauded withthe rest. Nobody knew better than Lady Mary that dinners are sometimesdull, and that even a Christmas dinner is none the worse for a littlebrightening. So Betty had helped her in great as well as in littlethings, and she blessed the child from her heart. Then the dinner wenton, and so did the music; it was a pretty programme, and before anybodyhad dreamed of being tired of it the sound ceased and the gallery wasempty.

  After a while, when dessert was soon coming in, and the Christmaspudding with its flaming fire might be expected at any moment, there wasa pause and a longer delay than usual in the serving. People weretalking busily about the long table, and hardly noticed this until withloud knocking and sound of music, old Bond, the butler, made hisappearance, with an assistant on either hand, bearing the plum puddingaloft in solemn majesty, the flames rising merrily from the hugeplatter. Behind him came a splendid retinue of the musicians, singingand playing; every one carried some picturesque horn or trumpet orstringed instrument from Lady Mary's collection, and those who sang alsomade believe to play in the interludes. Behind these were all the men inlivery, two and two; and so they went round and round the table until atlast Warford slipped into his seat, and the pudding was put before himwith great state, while the procession waited. The tall shy boy forgothimself and his shyness, and was full of the gayety of his pleasure. Thecostumes were all somewhat fine for Christmas choristers, and the youngheir wore a magnificent combination of garments that had belonged tonoble peers his ancestors, and was pretty nearly too splendid to bewell seen without smoked glass. For the first time in his life he felt abrave happiness in belonging to Danesly, and in the thought that Daneslywould really belong to him; he looked down the long room at Lady Mary,and loved her as he never had before, and understood things all in aflash, and made a vow to be a good fellow and to stand by her so thatshe should never, never feel alone or overburdened again.

  Betty and Edith and the good schoolmaster (who was splendid in his whitewig, and a great addition to the already brilliant company) took theirown places, which were quickly made, and dessert went on; the rest ofthe musicians had been summoned away by Mrs. Drum, the housekeeper,--allthese things having been planned beforehand. And then it was soon timefor the ladies to go to the drawing-room, and Betty, feeling a littletired and out of breath with so much excitement, slipped away by herselfand to her own thoughts; of Lady Mary, who would be busy w
ith herguests, but still more of papa, who must be waited for until he came tojoin the ladies, when she could have a talk with him before they saidgood-night. It was perfectly delightful that everything had gone off sowell. Lady Dimdale had known just what to do about everything, andEdith, who had grown nicer every day, had sung as well as Mary Beck (shehad Becky's voice as well as her look, and had told Betty it was thebest time she ever had in her life); and Warford had been so nice andhad looked so handsome, and Lady Mary was so pleased because he was notshy and had not tried to hide or be grumpy, as he usually did. Bettyliked Warford better than any boy she had ever seen, except Harry Fosterin Tideshead. They would be sure to like each other, and perhaps theymight meet some day. Harry's life of care and difficulty made him seemolder than Warford, upon whom everybody had always showered all the goodthings he could be persuaded to take.

  X

  Betty was all by herself, walking up and down in the long picturegallery. There were lights here and there in the huge, shadowy room, butthe snow had ceased falling out of doors, and the moon was out and shonebrightly in at the big windows with their leaded panes. She felt veryhappy. It was so pleasant to see how everybody cared about papa, andthought him so delightful. She had never seen him in his place with sucha company of people, or known so many of his friends together before. Itwas so good of Lady Mary to have let her come with papa. They would haveso many things to talk over together when they got back to town.

  The old pictures on the wall were watching Miss Betty Leicester ofTideshead as she walked past them through the squares of moonlight, andinto the dim candle-light and out to the moonlight again. It was coolerin the gallery than in the great hall, but not too cold, and it wasquiet and still. She was dressed in an ancient pink brocade, with fineold lace, that had come out of a camphor-wood chest in one of thestorerooms, and she still held a little old-fashioned lute carefullyunder her arm. Suddenly one of the doors opened, and Lady Mary came inand crossed the moonlight square toward her.

  "So here you are, darling," she said. "I missed you, and every one iswondering where you are. I asked Lady Dimdale, and she remembered thatshe saw you come this way."

  Lady Mary was holding Betty, lace and lute and all, in her arms, andthen she kissed her in a way that meant a great deal. "Let us come overhere and look out at the snow," she said at last, and they stoodtogether in the deep window recess and looked out. The new snow wassparkling under the moon; the park stretched away, dark woodland andopen country, as far as one could see; off on the horizon were thetwinkling lights of a large town. Lady Mary did not say anything more,but her arm was round Betty still, and presently Betty's head found itsway to Lady Mary's shoulder as if it belonged there. The top of heryoung head was warm under Lady Mary's cheek.

  "Everybody is lonely sometimes, darling," said Lady Mary at last; "andas for me, I am very lonely indeed, even with all my friends, and all mycares and pleasures. The only thing that really helps any of us is beingloved, and doing things for love's sake; it isn't the things themselves,but the love that is in them. That's what makes Christmas so much to allthe world, dear child. But everybody misses somebody at Christmas time;and there's nothing like finding a gift of new love and unlooked-forpleasure."

  "Lady Dimdale helped us splendidly. It wouldn't have been half so niceif it hadn't been for her," said Betty softly,--for her Christmasproject had come to so much more than she had dreamed at first.

  There was a stir in the drawing-room, and a louder sound of voices. Thegentlemen were coming in. Lady Mary must go back; but when she kissedBetty again, there was a tear on her cheek, and so they stood waiting aminute longer, and loving to be together, and suddenly the sweet oldbells in Danesly church, down the hill, rang out the Christmas chimes.

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