CHAPTER VII
LYON "Y" AND A COUNTESS
The door stood a little ajar and Lucia, having difficulty instifling her sobs, suddenly rose and ran toward it, to close it, asBetty guessed. Lucia had merely pushed it to before they had cuddleddown in the cushions. But as she grasped the ornate bronze handle,the first notes of something beautiful sounded upon the piano below.Lucia stopped, caught her breath as one does after crying, moppedher eyes again and stood still to listen. After a sparkling prelude,a voice began to sing.
Betty sat up at once. "Oh, that lovely voice, Lucia. Who is it?"Betty had in mind the ladies who were around that dinner table. Thiswas a clear soprano voice, haunting and full of feeling as the songwent on.
Lucia turned and softly said, "My Mother." She waited a few momentsand then ran into her bathroom to bathe her tear-stained face. ButBetty went over to the door to listen till the song was over. It wasnothing that she knew--some Italian song, but Betty felt an ache ather heart. Who was this that could sing like that? Betty had seenthe countess in several different moods or phases--that of thecapable traveler, the efficient mother when Lucia came home afterher slight injury upon the hike, the pleasant, well-poised, gracioushostess--now here was something else.
The song was finished. When Betty heard the voices in conversationagain, she closed the door and went back to where her books were,looking over her lesson till Lucia came back. Lucia was smiling andsaid that it was "all over."
"I'm not going to be silly and cry again, Betty, but I shallprobably want to talk to you about this some more. Here are some ofmy father's letters. I keep them in my desk, you see. See how fatthey are? He tells me about the hunts and the going through thatqueer country and everything that he thinks would interest me andhelp me to learn about it. Sometimes he puts in little things that Iknow he thinks my mother may read."
Betty took in her hands a letter that Lucia handed her. It was, ofcourse, written in Italian and very "fat," as Lucia said. "I don'tthink that you were silly to cry, Lucia. I don't see how you canhelp feeling as you do. Your father must be a very interesting manand your mother is certainly a gifted woman."
"Mother was studying music in Milan when she met my father, youknow."
Some slight progress had been made in lessons, but the girls retiredearlier than Betty had supposed they would, for when the maid camein after rapping, upon some little errand of Lucia's clothing, Luciatold her that she was tired and would go to bed very soon. Betty wasonly too glad to do the same thing and the girls soon saidgoodnight. In a comfortable bed, under white blankets and a silkencomforter, as Betty noticed, she soon fell to sleep. It _was_ niceto have a maid fussing around to do things for you, to open yourwindow just the right amount, arranging a little screen of somesort, to see that your clothing was placed properly. But maidsweren't mothers!
Breakfast the girls had alone, as they rose earlier than either thecountess or Mr. Murchison. Lucia told Betty that it was unusuallyearly for her on a Saturday morning, but if they did "Christmasshopping," they were wise to have a good start, as the stores wouldbe full of people. Moreover, the countess herself would want thechauffeur to drive her down later in the day.
"Mother will sleep till noon, I suppose," said Lucia, "because Ithink everybody stayed late last night. Uncle will drive his coupedown town, and we can have Horace and the big car all morning."
The plans for shopping were made. Betty informed Lucia that for apresident of Lyon "Y" she knew little about the usual plans forChristmas, but that the committee had asked her to buy certainthings. Both girls had also personal shopping to do and it was likeshopping with a fairy godmother to go with Lucia. She insisted onpaying from her own purse for the materials Betty had been asked tobuy. She bought half a dozen more dolls because she thought them"cute." These were dressed. Betty still felt dubious about what thecommittee would think, but after all wouldn't some "kiddie" lovethem!
It was a rather delirious morning for Betty. If she had not had alist, she would have been too excited to think properly, she said.When she told Lucia that the Lyon "Y" had adopted a family andrelated the story of the Thanksgiving baskets, Lucia began to buytoys "regardless," Betty told her.
"Oh, let's make them think old Santa just had a spill of toys fromhis old sleigh!" said Lucia, as happy as Betty, looking into thegayly decked windows, or descending into the store basements wherethe toys were displayed.
Betty had "always" intended to go back to see what was the resultwith the "Sevillas," but there was so much to do at school withlessons and tests and other duties and at home in preparation forthe holidays that she had not "had a minute" to spare, it seemed.Her father was unusually busy, too; and when she spoke to him aboutthe coincidence of the names and referred to the odd parenthesis inRamon Balinsky's letter, he had only said that it "might be well tolook into it."
The crimson car was pretty well filled with packages when Lucia hadfinished her shopping, for why should they wait to have thingsdelivered when they wanted to see them right away? And Lucia sentthe car home, telling Betty that her mother might want it and thatthere was no use in keeping Horace waiting around while they hadlunch down town.
Betty assured Lucia that any arrangement was satisfactory to her, asthey entered a pretty tea room and lingered over their lunch,ordered by Lucia after consultation with Betty. Chicken salad andtoothsome desserts figured largely in the order and Betty was surethat she would want nothing that afternoon; yet Lucia was servingsuch a "complete" afternoon tea! But a few hours make a greatdifference in young appetites.
Clothes bothered Betty a little. She hoped that her frock was properfor an "afternoon dress;" but she felt sure that many of the girlswould not dress elaborately, in spite of their coming to a housepresided over by a countess. Some of the girls could not, she knew.
When Miss Street and Miss Hogarth arrived in pretty but quietfrocks, Betty felt that everybody would be "all right" for clothes.Lucia herself must have had ideas on the subject; for she wore adress that she had worn to school. Mathilde and a few of the latejoiners, who had been largely influenced by Lucia's membership, weremore or less elaborately dressed; but clothes ceased to have muchpart in Betty's thoughts, as she consulted with Miss Street and MissHogarth and the committee about the meeting. The countess came in towelcome the girls and their leaders most cordially. She well knewthat the girls would have felt defrauded if they had not had aglimpse of her, as Betty gleaned from some little remark she made toLucia. Two sewing machines were in the rear drawing room andGiovanna and Lina, in pretty caps and aprons were ready for work.
This arrangement was a surprise to Miss Street and Miss Hogarth, whothanked the countess warmly and remarked that they might haveplanned to have something beside clothes for dolls sewed thatafternoon if they had realized what an opportunity it was. To thisCountess Coletti replied that she would be glad to furnish machinesand maids and house room some other time if the girls were sewingfor the poor. She left the room with pleasant regrets and presentlyBetty heard the car starting to take her to some engagement or ashopping tour.
It was a petty scene, with the girls, their bright expressions andyoung figures, their thimbles and sewing bags or boxes, the littleheaps of bright materials or filmy white or laces, wide or narrow,and dolls of all sorts, either in the girls' laps or upon thetables. On the walls above them were several fine reproductions offamous paintings and an etching or two. Objects of art had largelybeen removed from this room to make place for chairs and foldingtables and the machines. It seemed a pity to drop any threads orscraps upon that "gorgeous" oriental rug.
Betty clapped her hands for order. "While you get ready to beginsewing girls, Miss Street and Miss Hogarth will tell you what theplans are. The committee, too, may have some information to giveyou, and I'll call on the chairman now to speak of them. I am toonew as president to know much about what the 'Y. W.' does atChristmas time, except a few of the results. I will ask LilianNorris to explain."
"I've been talking to Miss Street and Miss Hogarth, girls, and thisis what we are to do. You know we decided to adopt a family; and asthe Woods family is such a nice one and needs everything so badly,our leader thinks we might as well take them. Please put it to vote,Betty, and then I'll tell the rest."
Betty, widely smiling at Lilian's business-like methods, put thequestion, with a unanimous "Aye" as the result.
"That is good," said Lilian. "We filled two baskets as it happened,at Thanksgiving, and we were told that both of them 'went to thespot.' Miss Hogarth called afterwards, but the Sevillas, who werethe other people, very proud and not asking for any help, had moved;and the Woods lady did not know where they had gone."
At this Betty had a pang. Suppose they _were_ connected withRamon--and she had neither gone to ask them nor written to him! Thatwas the way a body perhaps missed a big opportunity.
But Lilian was still speaking. "I think, girls, that we should bevery careful, too, about what we say about our family. They are likeus in wanting to be independent and because they haven't the goodluck we have, there is no need of rubbing it in by telling everybodyabout them or what we do. Let's have a little sympathy and delicacy!
"And now I'll tell about the dolls. As you know, we bought some justalike and passed them around to be dressed, each girl paying,however, for her own doll. But then we had the membership drive anda lot of new members and we decided, that is, the committee did,that everybody could select her own doll. And _these_ are not to besent out with baskets, girls. They are to be for the Toy Shop thatwe are going to have at the 'Y,' and sold. There is to be a prizegiven for the best-dressed and the prettiest doll in the show--Iforgot to say that we're going to have big Christmas doings at the'Y' down town--and I do hope that our group gets the prize for theprettiest doll and the foxiest booth! The prize is just somedecoration or something in the way of an honor, you know. I thinkthat is all, Madam President."
Betty, who was very glad of this explanation, which corrected herown ideas about the dolls, called on the two leaders to ask if theyhad anything to tell the girls. Both of them confirmed Lilian'sstatements and urged the girls to make this the most beautifulChristmas they had ever had, for themselves and for others, withtheir thoughts on higher motives than merely what material thingsthey could get for themselves. Miss Hogarth asked for the names ofthose who were willing to take part in the carols and those whocould furnish machines. Lucia's hand went up to both questions andBetty felt a little warmth about her heart to see how sweet Lucia'sface had grown as she listened to Miss Hogarth's brief references tothe higher ideals. Perhaps trouble was not so bad for Lucia afterall. And it all _must_ turn out right for her!
The rest of the afternoon was a jumble of visiting and sewing. Thepresence of the maids and the machines called for more efficiencythan probably would have been shown in an ordinary meeting. Fingersflew. The committee and Miss Street measured and cut out littlegarments from the "dearest" little doll patterns, bought thatmorning by Lucia and Betty, who risked sizes and thought thatGiovanna, at least, could reduce or enlarge when necessary. Themachines hummed away and the two maids seemed to have as much fun asanybody, particularly as Lucia treated them "just like family,"according to Mathilde, who was properly shocked. Mathilde, while"sweet as sugar" to Lucia, according to Dotty Bradshaw, could saysome very funny things about her. "_I_ wouldn't care for such afriend," said Dotty.
Betty had dropped down by Dotty, who wanted to know whether shethought a certain scrap of pretty lace would make a good finish forthe neck of the doll dress she was making, or whether a littleembroidered collar would be more suitable to the pattern. Betty gaveher opinion on this weighty question and then Dotty informed herthat Mathilde was "going to ask her if Lucia's father and motherwere going to get a divorce."
"I thought I'd better warn you, Betty," said Dotty, "I thoughtMathilde chose a funny place to talk about it--Lucia's own house."
Betty smiled. Could Dotty be curious, too? "Thanks, Dotty. Yes, itisn't usually done, talking about your hostess--or talking aboutpeople who have just been entertaining you. If I _knew_, I shouldscarcely give any information to Mathilde or anybody else. I'mhaving such a lovely visit and I'm sure the more we know Lucia thebetter we'll like her. And isn't it great of Countess Coletti totake such an interest in 'good works?' Oh, yes, Selma, I'll bringyou that pattern in just a minute. I think Peggy Pollard is using itnow."
Betty did not try to do any sewing herself. She would finish herdoll at home. But Lucia, whose doll had not been brought downstairs,came to ask her if she should display it.
"I'm afraid the girls will think I'm trying to show off if I do, butseveral of them have asked me where my doll is and I had to tellthem I had one. I shouldn't have gotten such an--elaborate one, Isuppose; but I did not think and I always choose what I think is theprettiest. What do you think, Betty?"
"I think that you must decide for yourself, Lucia. It does seem aperfect shame that they should not see that pretty thing!"
Lucia looked thoughtful and disappeared from the room for a shorttime. But Betty noted on her return that she was not carrying thedoll; and at her first opportunity Lucia explained. "I did thinkthat perhaps I would bring it down. Giovanna is going to dress itfor me--or was. But just as I had it out of its box Bessie camerunning down from upstairs and said that Grandmother Ferris hadasked about it. She had 'Willie' but where did 'Josie' go? Josie wasanother of her children that died. Isn't it _pitiful_? So I justsent Bessie back with the other doll and I hope that they are havinga quiet time putting baby clothes on it. I'll send Lina up as soonas we serve. I think it would be nice to have some of the girlsserve and do it myself, don't you?"
"Yes, I do, Lucia," emphatically answered Betty. "How is thegrandmother today?"
"Just as quiet and happy as can be most of the time, Bessie says,only awfully bewildered. Help me choose the girls, Betty."
Betty shook her head in the negative, and with a smile advised Luciato choose the girls that would care most about it.
Lucia gave Betty a bright glance and laughed. Mathilde and two ofher friends were among the first asked, Betty saw. She was notneeded herself and helped to gather up the precious materials andscraps, distributing them to one and another of the girls. Thimbleswere put away and sewing bags laid upon the tables while theconversation did not wane. The girls selected by Lucia to help herwere chiefly for ornament; for Mathilde sat at the decorated tablein the dining room, to pour chocolate from a silver urn, and theother girls passed the first plates and then sat down, with the restabout the room, to enjoy their own. The careful butler and severalmaids appeared to do the rest of it, though Lucia and the othergirls passed cakes from pretty containers on the table, for a secondtime. It was all most delightful and from Lucia's standpoint veryinformal.
The countess came home early and was again gracious enough to appearand speed the parting guests, standing by Lucia as the girls thankedher for their good time as well as for her help to the group. "Weare certainly delighted, Lucia," said Lilian Norris, "that you havecome into Lyon 'Y' and hope you'll not regret it. We'll not ask toomuch of you. This has been wonderful."
"It does not hurt any of us, my dear," said Countess Coletti, "totry to help a little."
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