Aunt Kitty's Tales

by Madame Guizot

  CHAPTER II.

  THE VISIT.

  Mrs. Arnott was younger than I, yet not so much younger but that we hadbeen playmates in childhood. As we grew older we continued warmfriends. When she married, I rejoiced in her happy prospects, and foundbut one thing in Mr. Arnott I would have desired to change--he livedthirty miles from me, and this was felt as a wide separation betweenfriends who had been accustomed to meet every day. I soon found that theseparation was to be much greater. Mr. Arnott liked travelling, had alarge fortune, and little to do. He took his wife to England; and aftertravelling in England, Scotland, and Wales, they passed over to thecontinent of Europe, and having seen whatever was of most interest inFrance, Switzerland, and Germany, went into Italy, and spent more than ayear in the city of Florence. Here their little girl was born, andreceived her name in remembrance of a home which they had found veryagreeable. When Florence was about two years old, her father and motherreturned to America. They came in the autumn, and joyfully as I welcomedback my friend, I soon began to fear that she would not be able to spendmany winters with us. Her constitution had always been delicate, and herlong abode in the soft, warm climate of Italy, seemed to have unfittedher completely for the endurance of our rough and cold northern winters.The first winter she went out very seldom, the second not at all, andthe third she showed symptoms of serious illness so early, that herphysician advised Mr. Arnott to take her at once to a more southernclimate. They went to Florida, and their delightful country place wasagain let for several years, while they spent their winters at the southand their summers in travelling through the middle and northern states.

  In this way, Mrs. Arnott seemed gradually to acquire more vigoroushealth, yet it was not till Florence was more than ten years old, thatthey returned to their own home with some hope of being able to remainat it during the whole year. As soon as they began to feel themselvessettled, Mrs. Arnott wrote to ask a visit from me, requesting that Iwould bring my nieces, Harriet Armand and Mary Mackay, with me. She wasvery urgent in this last request, saying, that she hoped to benefit herlittle Florence by the society of children of nearly her own age, whohad been as carefully educated as she knew Harriet and Mary had been. Iwill copy for you a part of my friend's letter, from which I gainedsome knowledge of the disposition of Florence, even before I made thisvisit.

  "You will soon see," wrote Mrs. Arnott, "that my little girl's educationhas been sadly neglected. By her education, I do not mean what isordinarily taught in schools. Wherever we have made our home, even for afew months, we have procured for her the best teachers we could find,and as she is a child of quick mind, she is quite as well informed asmost children of her age. But to the education of her _heart_, which Iknow you will think with me of far more importance, no attention hasbeen paid. Her father's extreme indulgence to this only child, my feeblehealth, and our roving life, have left her so unrestrained, that I beginto fear she is becoming very self-willed. Yet her temper is naturally soamiable, and her feelings so affectionate, she is so anxious to pleasethose she loves, and so grieved at the least appearance of blame fromthem, that I hope it will not be difficult to correct her faults."

  As I felt much interested in this little girl, and thought, with hermother, that the association with other and more carefully taughtchildren might be serviceable to her, I determined at once to accept theinvitation for Harriet and myself, and if my brother and Mrs. Mackaywould consent, for Mary too. Indeed, I hoped more advantage for Florencefrom the companionship of Mary than of Harriet. Harriet was so gentle,and would yield to her young friend so quietly, that Florence wouldseldom discover from her how much she was yielding, and how unreasonableher own exactions were. But Mary had a strong will, and though she hadbeen taught that she must on many occasions submit to the will ofothers, it was always done with a very great effort. I was quite sure,therefore, that Florence would know whenever Mary yielded a point toher, and moreover, that she would be very plainly informed if Marythought her demands unreasonable.

  Mr. and Mrs. Mackay readily consented that Mary should go with me, andMary was always pleased with the prospect of a visit, especially if thevisit could be made with Harriet and Aunt Kitty. Of my designs for theimprovement of Florence, I did not, of course, say any thing to eitherof my nieces.

  Our visit was made in June, when it was too warm to travel in midday,so, rising very early, we were five miles from home before the sun rose;and before it became uncomfortably warm, had gone seventeen miles, to alittle village where we were to dine, rest our horses, and remain quiettill the afternoon became cool, when fourteen miles more of travellingwould bring us to Mr. Arnott's. We arrived there just about sunset.Florence was playing on the green before the door with a little dog,which ran jumping and barking beside her, when the carriage swept rounda turn of the road, which brought us in sight of the house.

  Florence had travelled too much, and been, therefore, too muchaccustomed to new faces, to run away from us, even had we beenstrangers, and we were not strangers, for she had seen us all in thepreceding summer, when her mother had made a visit of a few days in ourneighborhood; so, instead of running away, she called out, on seeing us,"Papa, mamma, here they come!" and opening the gate, stood ready toreceive us, with a face full of smiles.

  Bed-time soon follows sunset in summer, at least for children. Yet itcame not too soon this evening for Harriet and Mary, who were tired bytheir thirty miles travelling. But Florence thought it very unkind inthem to leave her so soon "this first evening." Her entreaties were sourgent that they would stay a little while longer, that her youngcompanions would have found some difficulty in getting away without aidfrom me. Taking Florence's hand, as she was endeavoring to hold Harrietand Mary back from following the servant, who was going to show themtheir bed, I said, "Did you hear me tell those little girls that theymust go to bed?"

  "Yes," she replied; "but they have been here such a little time, and itis so early yet; I only want them to stay a little longer."

  "I do not doubt they would try to oblige you, though they are tired andsleepy, but they are accustomed to do just as I wish them; and I wishthem to go to bed at once. You will have a long summer's day for talkand play to-morrow, and only a short summer's night for sleep. So nowbid them good-night; and I think you had better go too, for I shall callyou up very early in the morning, as I expect you to show me the gardenand the dairy before breakfast."

  "And the fish-pond, too," said Florence, "the fish-pond, too."

  "Is there a fish-pond, too? Well, all these will require us to riseearly,--shall I bid you good-night, too?"

  "Yes; I may as well go," said she, looking around and seeing thatHarriet and Mary were already gone.

  So closed the first evening of our visit.