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Page 18
"You may take a turn round my field on Lita any day. She would like it,
and Thorny's saddle will be here next week," said Miss Celia, pleased
to see that the boy appreciated the fine pictures, and felt such hearty
sympathy with the noble animals whom she dearly loved herself.
"Needn't wait for that. I'd rather ride bare-back. Oh, I say, is this
the book you told about where the horses talked?" asked Ben, suddenly
recollecting the speech he had puzzled over ever since he heard it.
"No, I brought the book, but in the hurry of my tea-party forgot to
unpack it. I'll hunt it up to-night. Remind me, Thorny."
"There, now, I've forgotten something too! Squire sent you a letter,
and I'm having such a jolly time I never thought of it."
Ben rummaged out the note with remorseful haste, protesting that he was
in no hurry for Mr. Gulliver, and very glad to save him for another
day.
Leaving the young folks busy with their games, Miss Celia sat in the
porch to read her letters, for there were two, and as she read her face
grew so sober, then so sad, that if any one had been looking he would
have wondered what bad news had chased away the sunshine so suddenly.
No one did look, no one saw how pitifully her eyes rested on Ben's
happy face when the letters were put away, and no one minded the new
gentleness in her manner as she came back to the table. But Ben thought
there never was so sweet a lady as the one who leaned over him to show
him how the dissected map went together, and never smiled at his
mistakes.
So kind, so very kind was she to them all that when, after an hour of
merry play, she took her brother in to bed, the three who remained fell
to praising her enthusiastically as they put things to rights before
taking leave.
"She's like the good fairies in the books, and has all sorts of nice,
pretty things in her house," said Betty, enjoying a last hug of the
fascinating doll whose lids would shut so that it was a pleasure to
sing "Bye, sweet baby, bye," with no staring eyes to spoil the
illusion.
"What heaps she knows! More than Teacher, I do believe, and she doesn't
mind how many questions we ask. I like folks that will tell me things,"
added Bab, whose inquisitive mind was always hungry.
"I like that boy first-rate, and I guess he likes me, though I didn't
know where Nantucket ought to go. He wants me to teach him to ride when
he's on his pins again, and Miss Celia says I may. _She_ knows how to
make folks feel good, don't she?" and Ben gratefully surveyed the Arab
chief, now his own, though the best of all the collection.
"Wont we have splendid times? She says we may come over every night and
play with her and Thorny."
"And she's going to have the seats in the porch lift up so we can put
our things in there all dry, and have 'em handy."
"And I'm going to be her boy, and stay here all the time; I guess the
letter I brought was a recommend from the Squire."
"Yes, Ben: and if I had not already made up my mind to keep you before,
I certainly would now, my boy."
Something in Miss Celia's voice, as she said the last two words with
her hand on Ben's shoulder, made him look up quickly and turn red with
pleasure, wondering what the Squire had written about him.
"Mother must have some of the 'party,' so you shall take her these,
Bab, and Betty may carry baby home for the night. She is so nicely
asleep, it is a pity to wake her. Good-bye till to-morrow, little
neighbors," continued Miss Celia, and dismissed the girls with a kiss.
"Isn't Ben coming, too?" asked Bab, as Betty trotted off in a silent
rapture with the big darling bobbing over her shoulder.
"Not yet; I've several things to settle with my new man. Tell mother he
will come by and by."
Off rushed Bab with the plateful of goodies; and, drawing Ben down
beside her on the wide step, Miss Celia took out the letters, with a
shadow creeping over her face as softly as the twilight was stealing
over the world, while the dew fell and everything grew still and dim.
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