bushes are thick, and hemust pass there. But it's cold, Mary, and we can't possibly go upstairsto get your things. Artie and I have got our caps and comforters in thehall. And if we left you here Emma would find you."
"No, no," said Mary, dancing about in her eagerness, "don't leave mehere, Leigh. There's shawls in the hall. Can't you wrap me up in oneof them? I'll be _quite_ good. I won't fuss about at all."
So it was settled. The three set off as silently as they could to thehall, where they caught up the best wraps they could find. Then theymade their way through the big drawing-room, which opened into aconservatory, out by a side path to the drive.
Five minutes after they had left the study Emma came to look for them,but found the birds flown. She took no further trouble; for, to tellthe truth, she was not sorry to keep out of the children's way; her ownconscience was not at all at rest, and she had made up her mind to writeto her mother asking for her to come home at once.
Though it was two miles to the village it did not take long to drivethere, and Mr Bertram luckily caught Mr Wiseman the doctor just as hewas starting on his rounds.
Mr Wiseman was driving a young horse; he went well, but he was rathertimid, and apt to shy when anything startled him. The lodge gates wereopen; as the children's papa had told the woman that the doctor would becoming, so he drove in without stopping. But, oh dear! Scarcely had hegot a few yards up the avenue before there was a great fuss. The younghorse was dancing and shaking with fear, and if the groom had not jumpeddown and got to his head more quickly than it takes me to tell it, whoknows what might not have happened.
What had frightened him so?
Three funny-looking little figures had sprung out from among the bushes,calling out in eager but melancholy tones--
"Mr Wiseman, Mr Wiseman, please stop. Oh please stop."
These were Leigh and Artie, one with an old squashy wide-awake ofpapa's, that was much too big for him, the other with a clothdeer-stalker cap which made him look like a Laplander, for in theirhurry they had not been able to find their own things.
And Mary, funniest of all, with a shawl mamma used on the lawn, allhuddled up round her, and the fringes trailing elegantly behind. Forhalf a minute the doctor thought they were gypsy children from the vanon the common.
But then again came the cry--
"Oh, Mr Wiseman, _please_ stay," and his quick eye saw that all thelittle faces were swollen and tear-stained. Something must be verywrong.
"The baby," he thought to himself, "poor little woman. Surely nothingworse has happened to her since I saw Mr Bertram? They could neverhave sent the children to tell me--"
He jumped down, stopping an instant to pat his frightened horse. But hehad not the heart to scold the children for startling poor Paddy so.
"What _is_ the matter, my dear children?" he said kindly.
The children knew Mr Wiseman well, and were not afraid of him, still itwas not easy to get the story clearly from them. The doctor saw he mustbe patient, and as soon as he heard baby's name he felt that the mattermight be serious, and by careful questioning he at last understood thewhole. In his heart he did not feel very uneasy, for little Dolly'sfather had told him in what way she seemed ill, and it was not the kindof illness that could have come from a fall. But to the children he wasvery grave, for he thought it most wrong of them, Leigh especially ofcourse, not to have told exactly what had happened; and he thought, too,that the sooner the under-nurse was sent away the better.
"I don't think," he said, "I don't think I need to tell you how wrongyou have been. There is no fear, Leigh, of your ever trying anything ofthe kind again without leave. And even you two little ones are oldenough to know you should not have kept the accident a secret. But Imust hurry on to see poor baby as quickly as possible. Come back to thehouse now, for it is too cold for you to be standing about, and as soonas I can I will let you know how your little sister is. All you can donow is to be as good as possible, and give no trouble while she is ill,even if your mamma and nurse cannot be with you at all."
With these words he sprang up into his dogcart again and drove offquickly to the house, the children gazing after him.
Then Mary burst into a sad fit of crying again. "Oh Leigh! Oh Artie!"she said. "Does you think Baby Dolly's going to die?"
Leigh was very pale, and his eyes were still swollen and red, but he hadmade up his mind not to cry any more. He felt he was so much more toblame than the others that he wanted to try to comfort them.
"I hope God will make her better," he said in a very low voice. "Pleasetry not to cry, Mary dear. It makes me so very miserable. Let us gohome now and wait quietly in the study till Mr Wiseman comes to tell ushow baby is."
Mary slipped her hand into Leigh's, and choked down her tears.
"I'll try not to cry," she said. "But I can't help thinking about if wehave to be all alone with Emma, and she'll be so c'oss. Do you think,p'raps, we won't see mamma for a lot of days, Leigh?"
Leigh could only say he did not know, but he squeezed Mary's hand tight.
"I'll not let Emma be cross to you, Mary dear," he said. "I'll try tobe very good to you, for it's all my fault."
Artie took Mary's other hand, and they all three went back to the house.The study was just as they had left it--there was no sign of Emma,which they were very glad of. They felt chilly and tired, though theyhad walked such a little way, and they were glad all to creep round thefire again, and sit there waiting--oh so very, very anxiously, till theyheard Mr Wiseman coming. For Leigh had told him they would be in thestudy.
It seemed a long time.
"I wonder if he's _never_ coming," said Mary, more than once.
At last there came the sound of footsteps, quick and firm, runningdownstairs.
"There he is," said Leigh, and he ran to the door which he opened andstood there listening. But strange to say the footsteps crossed thehall towards the front door, instead of turning down the passage to thestudy. Leigh could scarcely believe his ears--surely it _could_ not bethe doctor?
Yes it was--he heard his voice speaking to the butler in the hall. Andthen--before Leigh had time to run out and call to him, there came thesound of Mr Wiseman's dogcart driving away as fast as it had come.
Leigh felt faint with disappointment. He came back into the room again,looking so white that Mary and Artie started up.
"He's gone," said Leigh, "gone without coming in to tell us."
"Can it be that Dolly's so ill he doesn't like to tell us?" said Artie.
"P'raps he's gone to get another doctor," said Mary. "Peoples has twodoctors when they're very ill, nurse said. Oh Leigh, dear Leigh, I'mafraid I'm going to cry."
Leigh did not speak. If he had, he would have burst out crying himself,I'm afraid. But just then--just when they were feeling as if they_could not_ bear it any more, there came again the sound of some onehastening downstairs, a lighter tread than Mr Wiseman's this time. Andthe footsteps did not cross the hall. They came quick and eager, oneafter the other, down the passages to the study. Then the door opened--and--some one stood there, looking in.
"My poor dears," said a loving voice with a little tremble in it. Andin another second somebody's arms were round them all--it is wonderfulhow many children can creep into one pair of arms sometimes!--and theyall seemed to be kissing mamma, for of course it was mamma--and eachother at once. And somehow--Mary could not remember how mamma told itthem--they knew that there were good news. Baby Dolly was not going tobe very ill!
It had nothing to do with the fall--but, till the doctor came, it wasthought the little sister had got scarlet fever or measles, and that waswhy the children had been kept out of the nursery all the morning andnot allowed to see the baby, or mamma or nurse who had been with her.For those illnesses are very easily caught.
But it was nothing so bad. It was only a little feverish attack, whichwould soon pass away if she was kept quiet and warm.
"You shall see her this afternoon, just for a mi
nute or two," saidmamma. "I told the doctor I would come down myself to tell you the goodnews. And I am going to take you out a walk, so as to leave the nurseryquite quiet."
"Not with Emma?" said Mary. She was not sorry, but she was rathersurprised.
"No, dear, not with Emma. You will not be with Emma any more, for Icannot trust her." Leigh grew very red at this.
"Mamma," he said, "then you can't trust _me_."
"Yes," she replied. "I do trust you, for I know you have had a lessonyou will never forget. Will you, my boy?"
"No, mamma, never," said Leigh in a very low voice.
The walk was to the Lavender
Mary: A Nursery Story for Very Little Children Page 21
