*CHAPTER IX*
*THE HOUSE BY THE BLUE LAGOON*
"It is enchanting, Betty. How in the world did you and Anthony make thediscovery?"
"By accident, dear. We were with some friends on a yacht sailing aboutin the bay, when afar off I spied this tiny island and asked if we mightanchor here for an hour and investigate.
"One could not see the house from the shore, but Anthony and I followedthe line of the lagoon until on an autumn afternoon we found it in itsdeserted splendor. It is a theory of mine, Polly, that each one of uspossesses a house of dreams. As soon as my eyes fell upon this, Irecognized it as mine. But don't let me tire you either with myenthusiasm, or by trying to make you see everything at once. Were Iwise I should keep a fresh attraction for each day that I might have youwith me the longer."
The two friends were walking about in an open space of lawn before ahouse built like an English manor house. The house had fallen intopartial decay; on this spring day pale green tendrils of ivy climbed theold walls, in the eaves birds were building their nests, here and therebits of the stone were crumbling away.
"We shall never have the money to rebuild the place and have the houseappear as it must have a hundred years ago, but I am not altogethersorry. When Anthony found the old place was for sale and the whole ofthe little island he told me that if we bought it I must never expectthis. We only hope to keep it from further destruction."
"You don't mean that you actually own the whole of this island, Betty,all these magnificent trees, the blue lagoon, the shore line with itsview of the sea? Let us walk down to the lagoon and rest for a fewmoments. I am more tired than I realized after last night's journey.As soon as it is warm enough I shall crawl into a small boat and anchormyself in the lagoon for days and nights, when you have grown weary ofmy society. This might be known as a place of heavenly rest. Insailing across to the island so late yesterday afternoon, I only had abrief glimpse of the lagoon, which cuts into the island from the baydoes it not, as if it were an arm reaching into the shore."
Betty Graham nodded.
"Yes, the island is nearly a complete, circle. One can start from abank of the lagoon, follow the shore line and return to the oppositebank. Originally the lagoon was to form an anchorage for boats withouthaving to depend on the tides. Once the channel was dug the water hasforced its way in until the lagoon has become surprisingly deep. Youmust promise me to be careful, Polly. I can well imagine your dreamingin your boat and being carried out into the bay and then on toward thesea."
"Well, dear, would it be a bad way of ending things? Yet I believe Iwould rather float into your blue lagoon from the sea than away from it.I wonder if the depth of the water makes it appear blue as the waters inthe Tropics? Please tell the Camp Fire girls to be careful. What amagical place to bring a lot of people together in! I was sorry not tocome to you with the Camp Fire girls, but had to give a half dozen moreperformances of 'A Tide in the Affairs', before my season ended. It wasdifficult at best, Betty, dear, to close things up while the play was inthe height of its popularity. I never could have managed save that youand Richard saw to it that in my original contract I was to be releasedfrom playing in the spring. I am supposed to put the same play on nextfall, yet I really don't wish to. I was never enthusiastic over it."
"I was not either, Polly, as I told you. Why not play something else?It was never big enough for you!"
"All very well, Betty Graham, but you know nothing of the difficulty ofdiscovering a worth-while play in accord with one's personality ortalents. The good fortune of a real play comes only once or twice in alifetime."
Mrs. Graham hesitated.
"Polly, while you are here do me a favor. In a rash moment I told AllanDrain, our young poet-playwright, to bring the manuscript of his latesteffort and that if you were in a good humor you might permit him to readit to you. There is no reason to believe his play would be any worsethan other plays one has seen. The boy is very ambitious and I thinkclever and I have invited him for several weeks, so you will have achance to rest beforehand."
Mrs. Burton stopped and frowned.
"Betty, dear, please don't ask this of me. Of course if you make it afavor to you, I have no choice but to agree. But I am so tired andshall never be rested in a few weeks. Of course this is not the realtrouble. You don't know how disagreeable it is to have youthfulgeniuses read you their efforts and then be obliged to tell them thetruth about their work, or at least the truth as one sees it. It hurtsthem horribly when you cannot admire what they have done and often theynever forgive you. Besides, I am a sympathetic person and really hatehaving to wound them. As for your young playwright, Allan Drain, towhom you have taken an unaccountable fancy, I several times allowed himto read his efforts to me during the winter when we were shut up in themountains.[*] I was not busy then and more amiable. His work was onlyfairly good; really he did not reveal exceptional ability. I am crossand tired now and it would only destroy the boy's pleasure and mine tohave to disappoint him. I cannot have him encouraged in the idea that Iwould ever consider one of his youthful effusions. You are notdisappointed, are you?"
[*] See "Camp Fire Girls at Half Moon Lake."
"A little, Polly, but the main thing is that you must not be worried, orhave anything affect the pleasure of your first visit to me in 'TheHouse by the Blue Lagoon'. I hope you won't mind the young people."
Mrs. Burton laughed.
"If you mean my Camp Fire girls, Betty, I regard the speech as tooimpossible to answer. As for the youths whom you have asked toentertain them, or be entertained by them, I've an idea that no one ofthem will have any attention or time to spare for me. Who is here? Notcoming down to dinner last evening I am not sure of all the names thegirls poured into my ears."
"Oh, only the girls' special friends, Dan Webster, David Hale, AllanDrain of course, Philip Stead, Alice's and Sally's cousin, and RobertBurton. Bettina surprised me by suggesting that I ask the young fellowwhom she met by accident in New York when she was searching for you. Iwonder if she has seen a great deal of him in the past winter? Has shespoken of him to you? He seems a pleasant chap and admires SallyAshton. Do you know, Polly, I have half an idea that David Hale is inlove with Bettina, and although she is absurdly young, now and then Ifeel that I would rather she return his affection and lead a woman'snatural existence than pursue this idea of social service that thewinter's experience, which I hoped in a way might cure her, seems tohave deepened. Anthony says David Hale has a brilliant future ahead ofhim."
The two friends sat down on a low stone bench a few feet from thelagoon. In the April sky small white clouds played at hide and seekupon the field of blue, reflected in the deeper blue of the water.
"And you would like Bettina, Betty dear, to repeat your own life, marrya famous man and be happy ever after? Most parents seem to want theirchildren to repeat their lives, if they have been at all happy andsuccessful. Yet how few of them ever do! Don't set your heart on thisidea of Bettina and David. She does not care for him."
"Nonsense, Polly, how do you know! I believe she likes him extremely.She used to write me of him from France."
"Very well, I won't argue the question. There is one person you haveleft out of your house party, I am afraid purposely, and for my sake Iwant you to relent. You did not tell me that I might bring JulietTemple with me, and I need her. Do you dislike her? I never haveunderstood the situation; not one of my Camp Fire girls has ever made afriend of her, Aunt Patricia is violently prejudiced against her, onlyRichard and I are fond of her. I can scarcely tell you how much shedoes for us both. She is extremely clever and of late not only has kepthouse for me, but attends to small business matters that are soannoying. She writes out all the checks for the tradespeople and merelybrings them to me to sign, and oh, I scarcely know what she does notattend to! Richard is always congratulating himself at havingdiscovered and brought her to me at Half Moon Lake. The child
does notmind doing what a maid would do when I am very tired or very busy,although of course I do not feel I should allow this. I have no rightto ask you a favor, have I, Betty, having just refused the one you askedme?"
Betty Graham put her arm about her companion whose frailty always gaveher a pang when the met again after any length of parting.
"Oh, have your Juliet Temple if you wish and are so dependent upon her.You know you can do anything you like so far as I am concerned. Yet Ithink you are making a mistake to trust the girl to such an extent andcertainly you should not have her look after your business affairs. Shemight be careless, and as you are extremely careless yourself, Polly,and Richard not much better, there might be unnecessary temptations. Ireally believe you both do need Aunt Patricia."
Mrs. Burton shrugged her shoulders.
"You did _not_ succeed in inducing Aunt Patricia to make you the visitwhile I am here, did you? I am sorry, although not surprised. Richardwent to see her not long ago and she seemed rather pathetically pleased,made him stay in the house with her and would hardly allow him out ofher sight. She refused, however, to forgive me for whatever imaginarywrong I have committed. She says now that she had grown so old anddifficult that I returned to the stage largely in order to be rid of herand that she refuses to be any further burden upon me. And this in viewof the fact that Aunt Patricia has taken care of me as if I were achild, has lavished her wealth and time and strength upon me and neverallowed me to do anything of any kind to repay her. Well, I am throughwith making repeated efforts to have her forgive me, for what I am notsure. Alice Ashton and Vera Lagerloff seem to have taken my place and Itrust she may find them more satisfying than she ever did me. At notime do I remember Aunt Patricia's approving of anything I ever thoughtor did."
"Don't talk as if you were a spoiled child, Polly; at any moment youneed Aunt Patricia she will come to you at once."
Mrs. Burton shook her head.
"No, I shall never allow it, or accept any favor from her again. I toldRichard this when he returned and said Aunt Patricia still declined tohave anything to do with me. I asked him to write this to her, that Ishould not trouble her at any time in the future. But about JulietTemple! The child is alone in my New York apartment; Richard is out oftown on business for a few days, and I am afraid she is lonely. She hasno friends and no relatives except a brother, whom I am afraid, fromwhat she has told me, is not of much account. She seems fond of him,however, and they come from this part of the country I believe; I am notsure just where. As for trusting Juliet to attend to my businessaffairs, there is an especial reason why I wish her to appreciate that Ihave entire faith in her. She gave me her confidence upon an occasionwhen there was no necessity for it and I have always believed in her.As far as money goes, Betty, I am not rich enough to be a temptation toanyone. You know that Richard and I made some unfortunate investmentsafter our return from France and lost the small estate we had savedbetween us. You did not know that other people were also involved andbecause Richard was one of the officers of the company, we both feelthat we want to pay back to them at least a portion of what they lost.I made a good deal of money last winter, but have kept only what we needfor our personal expenses until fall, when I start to work."
"Oh, Polly, you are so quixotic and so unpractical! Suppose you shouldfall ill again? But there, forgive me, I should not have spoken of sucha possibility. When we are both old and you have grown tired of beingfamous and admired, will you come here and live with me at my 'House bythe Blue Lagoon'?"
Mrs. Burton laughed.
"Yes, Betty dear, I'll hide somewhere in one of your secret passages,while you entertain house parties of distinguished persons fromWashington, or elsewhere--Senators, Ambassadors, even Congressmen. Withall my love for my work, it is you who are admired and who care forsociety. Small wonder Bettina was never able to keep up with you! Herecomes Bettina with her shadows, Elce and the little girl she broughtfrom the settlement. 'Ardelia in Arcady'! Do you recall the old storyof the child who came from the city to the country and was expected tocare for it and did not? It was very amusing. Bettina's latest protegeis a pathetic little figure, with her crutch and her city pallor, butshe feels dreadfully lost on your desert island amid all this beauty andromance. She is a little daughter of the tenement! I believe I canunderstand her better than you or Bettina."
"Princess, what are our visitors doing? Polly and I ran away for anhour's quiet talk. She is to learn to love our place nearly as much asI do," Mrs. Graham exclaimed.
Bettina Graham came nearer. She looked grave and sweet, although alittle smile showed at the corners of her lips.
"Oh, they are perfectly well entertained without us, dear, and I thoughtMaida and Elce needed my society for a little while.
"We have small hope of seeing much of you and Tante for a few days untilyou have grown accustomed to the wholly new experience of being witheach other. You are worse than lovers.
"Actually, mother, your house party has accepted your suggestion and hasset to work to make you a garden, a new garden where the old one hasbeen this hundred or more years. It is a charming idea! We are toleave such shrubs and roses as will bloom. David Hale and Dan Websterhave taken charge and say we are to work two hours every morning, beforewe are allowed to do anything else--boat, or bathe, or fish, or sail.It is to be a memory or a friendship garden, although we intend to finda prettier and more original title. Anyhow, the garden is tocommemorate our first Camp Fire house party by the blue lagoon. Isn'tthe place exquisite, Tante? Sitting here by the lagoon can one imaginethe poverty and sorrow I see every day in my settlement work, or such anexperience as Maida's, whose father is responsible for her lameness?Forgive me, mother, I promised myself not to speak of these things, oreven to think of them while I am on your enchanted island."
"This is not my kingdom, Princess, but yours when you will come home toit, yours and Polly's. It is only you people who work for others whodeserve enchanted islands. I am delighted to hear about my new gardenand my gardeners. We must send for all the flowers we can think of, asApril is the perfect month for planting. Do you know I always havewanted a blue garden, I suppose because I have loved blue more than anycolor all my life and wondered why there were so few blue flowers.Suppose we plant only blue flowers here by the blue lagoon.
"You stay here, dear, I must go and see about luncheon. Bring Pollyback with you. I don't want her to go off alone to explore our islandand am afraid she has it in mind. One always has the feeling that shewill slip away from one somehow."
"No such good fortune, Betty! Bettina, while I think of it, mother hasagreed to let me have Juliet Temple here with me, although I am afraidyou girls do not want her. I wish you would not be so prejudiced andunfair. She will not be troublesome or intrude on you I am sure, butyou will try and see that she has an agreeable time."
"Naturally, Tante, I am not apt to be rude to a guest and will do what Ican. Your Camp Fire girls hoped you would be willing to allow us to bewith you and do whatever you wished to have done for the little time youare here. If you cannot get on without Juliet Temple, we shall ofcourse be friendly to her. She has been unfriendly, we never have."
"You are cross already, Bettina. Will you speak to Sally? ObviouslySally does not like Juliet, and Sally has a habit of frankness. Tellher I shall be hurt and displeased if she is not especially kind. Nowlet us talk of something else. Ask Elce and your little lame girl tocome and sit by us.
"Elce, if you will sing for me some day all alone here by the bluelagoon, I'll recite a poem to you about these old trees:
"When by the spring's enchanting blue, You trace your slender leaves and few, Then do I wish myself re-born To lands of hope, to lands of morn.
"And when your wear your rich attire, Your autumn garments touched with fire, I want again that ardent soul That dared the race and dreamed the goal.
"But, oh, when leafless dark and high, You rise against this
winter's sky, I hear God's word: "Stand still and see How fair is mine austerity.
"Come, let us go back to the house, it must be nearly lunch time."
The Camp Fire Girls by the Blue Lagoon Page 9
