Aunt Mary

by Sophie May

  CHAPTER IX.

  THE JUVENILE PARTY.

  The morning after the visit to the Gardens was temptingly fine; and atbreakfast-time, Harry Maitland proposed a trip to the Kew Gardens,where, he said, there would be no fear of monkey tricks, and they wouldhave the satisfaction of seeing specimens of the famous blue gum tree.

  'But you have forgotten, I think,' said his cousin Dora, 'that we areexpecting two of your school-fellows and their two sisters; Mabel andJulia Ellis, and the vicar's son and daughter, Robert and EdithNewland.'

  'Oh yes, I had quite forgotten the party,' replied Harry; 'I begeverybody's pardon for being so careless. I will do as you suggest,aunt, and help Dora and Annie to prepare for the guests.'

  'Thank you, my dear,' said Mrs. Maitland; 'I shall be glad to availmyself of your services, especially as I hear your cousins wish to havetea on the lawn, where there will be plenty of room for you to displayyour taste. I am only sorry that our good neighbour Miss Livesay, andher niece Clara, have not yet come home; so that we shall not have thepleasure of their company.'

  'O, we are all very sorry on that account,' said Dora, 'for there is noone like Aunt Mary, as we call her, for making everybody feel happy andjoyful. We call her the _sunbeam_,' added Dora; 'and Clara Beaumont wecall the _evening star_, she is so gentle and quiet, though she isquicker at her lessons than we are, a great deal.'

  'I remember Clara,' said Harry Maitland; 'poor girl, I think she was inmourning for her father when I was here in the winter. I thought she wasa very nice girl, and I too am sorry that she won't be here thisafternoon.'

  'I believe Miss Livesay is expected home to-morrow,' said Mrs. Maitland,'so you will have an opportunity of meeting with both her and her niece,Harry; but now, young people, you must set yourself to work, for I havemany things to arrange in household matters, and can have nothing to dowith decoration. Fruits and flowers, festoons and garlands, I leaveentirely in your hands; I have the fullest confidence in your taste,'added the lady, laughing, and bidding them good-morning, and wishingthem all success in their delightful occupation.

  The Laurels, or Laurel Villa, as it was sometimes called, was a mostdesirable residence. Exactly like Oak Villa, its next-door neighbour,in size and appearance, so far as the house was concerned; but thegardens differed very materially, Mr. Maitland's being so well stocked,or so over-stocked with laurels, that they had actually given a name tothe pleasant abode.

  We won't complain of them, for they formed a delightful shade to many arustic seat in the large back garden, and kept quite secluded the frontof the house. The breakfast-room, which was at the back part of thehouse, opened on to the lawn with large folding glass doors; over whichthe balcony of the drawing-room formed a pleasant and very convenientshade in the summer season, at which time it rejoiced in a profusion ofsweet-scented clematis, whose delicate tendrils hung luxuriantly overthe balustrade, and in some places even swept the gravel walk.

  The balcony itself was filled with choice flowers, and was attended towith great care, by the lady of the villa herself. The wall surroundingthe garden was almost hidden by the profusion of laurels, and half adozen rather tall trees at the bottom of the garden formed a picturesquebackground to the whole. The smooth-shaven lawn must not be unmentioned;it made a delightful promenade; it had been the scene of many a joyousparty, and it was to be the arena on which the young invited guests ofto-day were to bear witness to the artistic taste, as well as to dojustice to the profusion of good things provided by their kindentertainers.

  'I hope Maurice Firman won't play any of his foolish pranks to-day,'said Harry. 'He is always getting into trouble at school, yet the boyslike him because he is so good-natured, and so ready to help them withtheir lessons; he seems as if he could not keep out of mischief. Edwardis quite a different fellow, and his sisters, Ella and Lucy, are verynice girls; but they always seem afraid of Maurice, he is so fond ofpractical jokes.'

  'I hope he won't play any while he is here,' said Dora. 'I was going toask mamma to let us have her gold and purple cups and saucers, but ifMaurice Firman is so mischievous, they might be broken.'

  'Oh, as to that,' said Harry, 'I don't suppose he would attack the teaequipage, though he is a very good hand at clearing bread-and-butterplates,' he added, laughing; 'and I expect if that Miss Mabel Elliscomes, that we shall have a scene, for he is sure to turn her intoridicule.'

  'Oh, I hope he wouldn't be so rude,' said Annie Maitland; 'surely heknows better how to behave himself when he is in company, and wherethere are young ladies?'

  'I am not at all sure of him, Cousin Annie,' said Harry; 'but I do hopethat silly conceited girl will not be here, to put Maurice to thetest.'

  'I really don't think that she will come,' said Dora; 'her papa appearedto be so angry about her going with us yesterday, that she told me thathe perhaps would not give his consent to her being of our party to-day.'

  'Well done, Mr. Ellis!' said Harry. 'Keep the young lady at home; we cando much better without than with her.'

  'But Julia, I am sure, will not like to come without her sister,' saidAnnie. 'I don't think she would enjoy herself, if Mabel were not here.'

  'Ah, you judge other people's feelings by your own, my kind cousin,'said the patronising Harry; 'you mustn't always do that, though Ibelieve there is some truth in what you say about Julia Ellis.'

  A silvery laugh ringing from the balcony just then made the young partylook up, when they saw Mrs. Maitland, who was busy watering andrearranging her flowers, and who had been amused at her nephew'ssententious speech.

  'Doesn't Harry lay down the law well, mamma?' inquired Dora. 'I think,'she added, 'he will make a good barrister; he is beginning to practiseso early.'

  'I hope he will _practise_, as well as preach,' replied his aunt,laughing; 'example, you know, my dear boy, is better than precept,' sheadded, addressing herself to Harry.

  'But we boys and girls require both, aunt; and I and my cousins ought tobe very good, for I am sure we have both,' said the polite younggentleman, with a bow.

  'At present you are all that I could wish you, my dears,' replied Mrs.Maitland; 'and I can only say now, "Go on and prosper."'

  'Mamma, mamma dear, don't go just this minute,' cried Dora, as Mrs.Maitland was retreating through the drawing-room window; 'Harry has afavour to ask of you.'

  'Well, what is it, Mr. Special Pleader?' inquired the lady, resuming herplace on the balcony.

  'Now, aunt,' said Harry, laughing, 'I don't think it is quite fair of mycousins to _engage_ me in such a trifling matter, especially as I am notlikely to get anything for my _brief_, except perhaps a rebuke fromyou.'

  'Well, go on, my good sir,' said his aunt; 'I have some curiosity tolearn what you have to do in the Court of Request to-day.'

  'It is simply this,' replied Harry; 'my instructions are to plead forthe loan of the purple and gold tea equipage, in order to make amagnificent display before the astonished eyes of a parcel of schoolgirls and boys. That's my case, madam,' added the juvenile pleader, witha bow. 'I beg to say,' he added, after a moment's pause, 'that _I_ amno advocate in this cause; I leave it entirely in the judge's hands.'

  'Yes, we leave it in your hands, mamma,' said both the girls; 'we thinkwe have confided our case to a very one-sided lawyer, and that one sideis certainly against his clients.'

  'I am sorry to say "no" to any petition you make, my dears,' said thekind lady; 'but prudence forbids my granting your request to-day, asmisfortunes will happen, and are very likely to happen, where such ayoung gentleman as you describe Master Maurice Firman to be is of theparty. Besides, I really think myself,' added prudent mamma, 'that thewhite and green tea service, though not so gorgeous as purple and gold,will be much more suitable for your present entertainment.'

  'All right, aunt,' 'All right, dear mamma,' was the response to thisdecision.

  Fortunately, in Mrs. Maitland's family, what mamma said was always rightwith her daughters, and this saved a world of trouble.

  The happy trio
went on with their preparations, and when the table wasbrought out on to the lawn, and had received not only the pure white andgreen tea-service, but the very elegant floral decorations invented bythe cousins, it really had a most imposing appearance, and waspronounced by the highest authority to be perfect.

  'Well, now we have prepared the feast, or at least adorned it,' saidHarry, 'I think we had better look after our own adornment, for we don'tappear to be in a very fit state to receive visitors--at least I cananswer for myself that I am not;' and he held up his hands in proof ofthis affirmation, though it was evident that Dora and Annie needed nosuch proof, as they were pretty much in the same condition.

  The young people had performed their ablutions, and were together againon the grass plot admiring their own handiwork, or rearranging here andthere leaf or fern-wreath, when a ringing at the bell sounded anarrival, and Harry and his cousins met and saluted their young friends,the Firmans, in the hall: two very nice-looking girls and their twobrothers, Maurice and Edward, of whom my readers have heard before.

  'You will take the young gentlemen into the garden with you, dearHarry,' said Mrs. Maitland, who had come out of the dining-room tosalute the guests, 'and Dora and Annie will go with the young ladies tothe bedroom.'

  'Mamma thinks, Mrs. Maitland,' said the eldest Miss Firman, whose namewas Lucy, 'that we are too large a party to come of one family; she isafraid of giving you trouble.'

  'Not in the least, my dear Lucy,' replied the kind lady. 'I wonder,'she added, 'what your mamma would say if she knew that we turned youout of doors as soon as you came.'

  Lucy looked up inquiringly, and Dora explained laughingly:

  'Mamma means, Lucy, that we are all going to drink tea out of doors.'

  'Oh, that _will_ be delightful!' exclaimed both Lucy and Ella, as theyfollowed their young friends upstairs to remove their hats and jackets;Harry having done as his aunt had suggested, taken Maurice and Edwarddown the steps into the garden in the meantime. The young gentleman waswell aware that he had rather a rough customer to deal with in MasterMaurice, as he had more than once been the object of his school-fellow'spractical jokes; so he thought proper to give him a caution.

  'Now, I say, Maurice,' began Harry Maitland, 'don't let's have any ofyour school-boy tricks here, that's a good fellow; you know we haveyoung ladies to deal with this afternoon, and we must try to pleasethem.'

  'Oh, I'm not going to do anything foolish; don't be afraid, old fellow,'said his companion. 'Why, Harry, you look as solemn as though youexpected me to fly away with the tea-table and all the good things uponit,' he remarked, as he glanced with a well-satisfied and complacentlook at the said tea-table; and added, 'I assure you that I don't meanto do anything so shocking, but shall content myself with a moderateshare of the excellent provisions with which it is stocked.'

  This speech was delivered with mock gravity, and our friend Harry wasfain to be satisfied with the promise, as the young ladies just thenmade their appearance, and there was a very general exclamation ofpleasure and admiration at the really pretty and tasteful surroundings.

  Another ring at the bell announced more visitors, and the good vicar'schildren, Robert and Edith Newlove, made their appearance on the top ofthe steps, and soon joined the rest in their admiration of what had beeneffected by the artistic efforts of their young friends. Harry cordiallygreeted his school companion and especial favourite, Robert Newlove,while Dora and Annie welcomed with a kiss his gentle sister Edith; andsoon the happy party were seated round the table, where Dora was topreside, though she had much wished that her mamma should take thatimportant office upon herself.

  'I thought you told me that Mabel and Julia Ellis were to be here,Dora,' said Edith Newlove, who was seated near her friend. 'Are they notcoming?' she inquired.

  'I really don't know how it will be,' replied Dora, quietly, for she didnot wish to attract notice. 'Julia I hope will be here soon, but I fearMabel will not be permitted to come; her papa is very much displeasedwith her.'

  Another ring at the bell made the young party suspend operations for afew minutes, and Julia Ellis received a cordial welcome, and soon founda seat near Harry Maitland, who had risen to receive her.

  Maurice Firman, not wishing to be less courteous than his friend Harry,had also risen from his seat, but very unfortunately--or shall I sayclumsily?--in doing so, the contents of his cup went over on to histrousers, and he was too much engaged in keeping off the hot beveragefrom touching his skin, to deal in matters of courtesy.

  'What a clumsy fellow you are, Maurice,' said his brother Edward;'always getting into hot water.'

  'Oh, don't bother!' exclaimed Maurice, petulantly, and still shaking histrousers. 'I'd rather get into hot water than have the hot water pouredupon me;' and having said, as he thought, a witty thing, and made thewhole party laugh (which I must confess they had all been very muchinclined to do before at his expense), he seated himself again at thetable, cooling down as the hot beverage had done, and trying to makehimself agreeable to his young friends by his very lively remarks, ofwhich he had a good store.

  'Why is your sister Mabel not with you, Julia?' inquired Lucy Firman.'I hope she is not unwell?' she added, seeing the colour rise on thecheeks of the poor girl.

  'Mrs. Ellis is not very well,' replied Dora Maitland, answering for herfriend; while Harry, in order to check further inquiries, asked MauriceFirman if he had ever been to the Zoological Gardens.

  'I should just think I had,' replied Maurice, with a very significantshake of the head; 'but you won't catch me there again in a hurry. Why,I tumbled over into the bear's den, or cage, or whatever you call it;and if Master Bruin had been at the bottom of the pole, instead of thetop, I can't tell you where my poll would have been now. Fortunately,the keeper was there, and I was got out somehow or other, I can't tellyou how, for I was insensible when they picked me up; and that was nowonder, for I think I could not have been very _sensible_ when I tumbledover. When I came round I found myself lying on my own bed, and mamma,and the doctor, and the girls all crying: no, the doctor wasn'tcrying--doctors never do cry, I suppose, it is beneath their dignity;but the others made fuss enough, and it was nearly a month before I wasable to go out again. And depend upon it, when I did go out, I didn'twalk to the Zoological Gardens, for I can't bear the name of theplace.' Maurice doubtless thought that he had made a good hit, but alas!it only fell on one pair of ears.

  Fortunately the tea passed over without any other mishap than theupsetting of the cup. Maurice Firman was certainly the chief spokesmanof the party; and though I am compelled to admit that he displayed greatattachment for plates of cake and bread and butter, I am also bound injustice to say that he was not at all wanting in courtesy to the youngladies, by whom he was surrounded. Everything, indeed, was pleasant, andas it should be, and the now antiquated game of croquet was proposed, assoon as the table with its adjuncts could be removed.

  'Now I'll toss this ball, and catch it ten times running, with one hand,while you are waiting for your game,' cried the impatient Maurice; andthough there was a general exclamation of 'No, no, not until the tableis cleared!' away went the ball into the air, and returned safely intothe hand that sent it.

  The next descent, however, was a disastrous one, for the ball fellexactly in the middle of the table, smashing more than one of thebread-and-butter plates, to the great distress and consternation of thewhole party.

  'Oh, how fortunate it is that we had not the best china tea-things,'said Dora; 'they are very expensive ones. It does not matter much aboutthese; we can easily get them matched.'

  'Well, I am _very very_ sorry,' said the author of the mischief; 'butI'll save up all my pocket-money, and buy some more plates,' he added.

  'No, no, you won't,' said a kind voice from the balcony; and on Mauricelooking up, he saw Mrs. Maitland, who had come out of the drawing-roomto ascertain the cause of the commotion. 'Don't let this triflingaccident spoil your sport, dear Maurice,' said the lady, smiling on theimpetuous yet generous-he
arted boy; 'only take care that you do not hurtyour young friends, the ladies, by too rough play.' Having given thisnecessary caution, Mrs. Maitland left them to their sports, and as theunfortunate breakage had been the means of checking somewhat of theexuberant spirits of the youthful offender, everything went on verysatisfactorily, and game succeeded game, with great amiability, until anunfortunate cat, belonging to Aunt Mary, which had accustomed itself totake an evening's promenade along the garden wall, made her usualappearance, and attracted the attention of the mischief-loving Maurice.

  'Oh, I must have a fling at that cat,' cried that young gentleman,taking up a rather thick piece of stick from the bushes. 'Now see if Idon't hit her right down from the wall,' he added; and he was justgoing to suit the action to the word, when he felt his arms pinionedfrom behind, and tried in vain to make his escape.

  The cat, however, was more fortunate, for seeing that she had attractedattention, and very likely having had some acquaintance with school-boytricks, she very prudently contented herself with a short walk thisevening, and quietly slipped down into her own domain before thepinioned arms were set at liberty.

  'There, now you may go, old fellow,' said Harry Maitland, releasing thearms, which he had held so tightly that Maurice was fain to rub themviolently to restore the circulation, while the whole party laughedheartily at his expense.

  'I wish Harry was at home with you sometimes,' said Edward Firman, whodid not seem at all to relish his boisterous ways.

  'I wish he was,' replied Maurice, who looked rather red and angry athaving been so ignominiously made captive. 'But you don't think,' headded, 'that I would let him master me so easily as he has done now,Ned; I was taken unawares, and that's not fair.'

  'But that was the only way to save the poor cat,' said Dora Maitland:'she might have been killed if you had struck her with that large pieceof wood; and I think Cousin Harry did quite right in holding yourarms.'

  'Such a fuss about a cat!' cried Maurice, still smarting under thesupposed affront. 'You should see how I served one the other day, whenshe came prowling about the house to steal anything she could lay holdof.'

  'Don't let him tell--don't let him tell it, 'cried both Lucy and EthelFirman; 'it is a great shame of you, Maurice, to boast of your own baddeeds,' said both his sisters; and as the servants were just then againsetting out the table with refreshments, the young party were saved theinfliction of hearing an exploit boasted of, which would certainly havelowered Maurice Firman considerably in the eyes of all present.

  'I did not intend to hurt you, Maurice,' said Harry Maitland, as heclapped his friend on the back, and held out his hand in token of amity.

  'Oh, I know that,' replied the boy; 'I shouldn't play tricks with catswhere there are girls.'

  'Nor at all, I think,' responded his friend; 'it is a cowardly thing tohurt a dumb creature that cannot speak or fight for itself.'

  'Can't they, though!' cried Maurice; 'I know, if they don't speak, theycan make a horrible outcry. And as to fighting, just look here, my boy,what do you think of that for a scratch, which a wretch of a cat gave mebecause I took up her kitten and made it squall? Why, she flew at melike mad, and before I could put the kitten down, she gave me thiswound;' and Maurice uncovered his wrist, and showed a very red andangry-looking scratch.

  'It's your own fault; you should let the cats alone,' said his sisters.'Mamma is always scolding you for teasing them.'

  'Well, I think we have had enough of cats,' said Robert Newlove; 'Idon't like them myself, but I should be very sorry to hurt them;' and inthis charitable declaration he was seconded by the whole party, Mauriceexcepted.

  We must now bid good-night to our young friends, as they will soon do toeach other. Aunt Mary and Clara are expected home to-morrow, and thatcareful domestic of hers, Bridget Morley, who has lived so many years atOak Villa, has got everything in apple-pie order for her much-esteemedmistress, and a lovely brood of chickens, which have been hatched sincethey went away, to present to the young lady who has the charge of allthe poultry.