The Gold of Chickaree Part 49

'I have left all happy in the Hollow. Every house has a Christmas dinner; and your sugarplums are making life sweet to the souls of young and old. Charteris men and all; every house has comfort in it to-night. I wish you could have seen a few of the faces that came to thank me. You know, I sent off the parcels to the several houses; so for a while I worked on free enough; but when the thing began to get wind, men, women and children came collecting about me, looking on with great eyes of wonder, and some eyes of tears, and muttered words?I can tell you, I wished them all away!'

There was a suspicious sympathetic softness in Rollo's own eyes, which complemented his words.

'Then the Charteris men at last set up pet.i.tioning. Wouldn't I have mercy on them?'?And Dane broke off short, and turned to the table where lay a jewel case.

'Here is a sugarplum for you, Hazel,' he said presently, with his voice clear again. 'You do not want sugarplums?but I want you to have this.?'

What he took out was an old-fas.h.i.+oned, rather ma.s.sive, gold chatelaine; heavy and rich and quaint, with various trinkets fastened and hanging to it.

'This makes you my castle-keeper,' said Dane, proceeding to attach it properly to Wych Hazel's belt. 'My mother used to wear it.

This,'?taking up a little gold key,?'you will observe, is the key of your money-box. These seals you will study at your leisure.

Here is a wee gold compa.s.s, Hazel; this is symbolical. It means, "Know where you are, and take care which way you go." Your vinaigrette you will never get again. I shall have to find you another.'

The jewel hung richly at Wych Hazel's side, giving a curious touch of stateliness to the little lady. Indeed little she was not, in matter of stature; it was the extreme daintiness of every detail that gave occasion to the epithet. Dane's eyes took the effect. Hazel stood looking down, possibly taking the effect too. Then she turned short about.

'I have nothing to give you,' she said,?'except?You will think all my gifts are in one line.'

She was gone out of the room in a moment, but in another moment or two was back again, and holding in her hand a little gold locket.

'I found it one day among the old things, and I thought, perhaps, you might like?'

She touched the spring and laid the open locket in his hand. It was an exquisite miniature of herself as a child; the Wych Hazel of six years old, in a white frock. A few hurried words finished the sentence.?'Might like to see what they gave you, so long ago.'

In all true manliness there is a large element of tenderness; and something stirred the tenderness in this man more than he cared to shew. Wych Hazel's mood needed no exciting. He was very still for a few minutes, looking at the locket, with eyelids dropped too low for her to see his eyes; then he turned to kiss her.

'I do not take this from your hand, Hazel, but from your mother's.

You cannot give me anything to-day but the original. I hope she will know how I hold both.'

It was time to rejoin the people in the drawing-room, but it suited Hazel to let Dane go in by himself and to follow afterwards alone.

She did not so escape Mrs. Coles.

'I thought,' remarked that lady with a significant smile, 'that your housekeeper was too skilled in her business to need consultation with anybody.'

'Prudentia,' said Dane, 'you are not looking well.'

'That is very impolite?from a gentleman to a lady.'

'Not from a brother to a sister, though.'

A flush rose into Mrs. Coles' cheeks, which were pale enough, and a strange confusion of expressions for a moment reigned there. She was plainly surprised, evidently gratified, as evidently very much puzzled. Withal, so much moved, from whatever cause, that her features were not quite under command and her answer was scarce intelligible.

'She's been a little weakish, or so,' said her father, 'She don't complain much.'

'What's good for you?' said Dane.

'It is good for her to be out,' said Prim. 'But you know we can't much in this weather. Arthur drives her out sometimes; but Prue don't like his driving so fast. Do all doctors drive fast? Why can't they go like other people?'

'Policy. If we drove slowly, people would say we had small practice.'

Dr. Arthur found it unusually hard to get his hands warm to-night, and still stood up by the fire taking notice. Among other things?

there was not a flower in all the rooms. Nor a wreath, nor anything that even looked like decoration. The doctor's quick eyes went from the unadorned rooms to Wych Hazel's dress, and her face, and Dane's face. After which, Dr. Arthur professed himself comfortable, and sat down. But a little silence had fallen upon the people; and the wind moaned in the chimney again.

'It is a sweet time, this Christian time,' said Primrose. 'I always enjoy it. It _feels_ like Christmas, somehow, here to-night. Listen to that wind. I dare say it is going to snow again. But it sounds like Christmas.'

'Why?' said Dane.

'I can't tell the why of things,' said Primrose. 'I suppose I have been thinking of your doings in the Hollow, Duke. Wasn't it good?'

'It was very good, Prim. It is good now to think of. Yes, it does feel like Christmas, as you say. All Mill Hollow is happy to-night. No!

I'm too hasty. The Charteris men cannot be happy; for they don't know what is to become of them when their Christmas beef is gone!'

'What _will_ become of them, Dane?' said Primrose, looking very anxious.

'There is no hope for them, except in the mills going on with work.'

'And is there any hope of that?' said Mrs. Coles.

'Not unless somebody buys them off Charteris's hands.'

'Perhaps you'll do that.'

'I should hardly think that would be prudent,' said Dr. Maryland.

'Dane's responsibilities are large as it is.'

'Miss Kennedy, perhaps?' suggested Mrs. Coles. 'Hasn't Dane touched your heart for the mill people, Miss Kennedy?'

She turned for a better look into Hazel's face; but Rollo interfered again.

'You forget she is under guardians, Prudentia. What would Mr.

Falkirk say?'

'How comes it Mr. Falkirk is not here??to-night of all nights!'

said Dr. Arthur suddenly. He was sitting by Wych Hazel, and she answered pretty steadily, though certain intuitions were waking up concerning _his_ face.

'Mr. Falkirk wrote that he could not come back for Christmas,?

nor perhaps until spring.'

'He does not take the same pleasure in it that Prim does,' Rollo remarked.

The dinner bugle, and the opened door, cut short all further comment upon Mr. Falkirk. Wych Hazel went in upon Dr.

Maryland's arm, with a strange feeling of its being the last time,?

the last of _her_ entertainments, which had been so pretty and popular. So she felt when in her place at the head of the table, with Dr. Maryland on her right and Dr. Arthur on her left. There were flowers enough here, the table was in a glow. Not stiff baskets and made-up bouquets, but cut flowers in every sort of dish and arrangement for which there was room; from the low narrow border of violets and rosebuds which fenced off the plates, to parian sh.e.l.ls and fairy gla.s.ses and a bewildering pyramid in the centre. The very candlesticks were wreathed. No gardener's work; those who had seen such before knew the touch of Wych Hazel's own fingers. She hardly knew it herself; and eyes that watched her might catch now and then a dreamy look at the flowers,?

wondering if she had arranged them!?if she should ever arrange any more.

Besides this the table was bountiful of course with the old Chickaree silver and china and gla.s.s; and by each plate, on the rich damask, lay a separate, individual knot of flowers, with a scroll around it, naming the guest. These were culled flowers; but Dr.

Arthur took notice that Wych Hazel did not even handle her own, but left it where it lay.

Then, s.h.i.+elded under each napkin, was some pretty token of Christmas. A weighty book, for which Dr. Maryland had been longing; and for Dr. Arthur a fine field gla.s.s. Mrs. Coles rejoiced in the prettiest ring she had ever possessed; while by Prim lay a heap of little articles,?a fruit knife, a gold thimble, a superb cutting-out scissors a foot long.