Jewel: A Chapter in Her Life Part 12

Jewel looked wistfully at the driver. In spite of his stiff and elegant appearance he had been surprisingly affable. "I have a checked silk dress," she added modestly.

"You don't say so!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Zeke, wholly won by the smile bent upon him. "Well, now, if that trunk don't show up by noon, I'll have to do something about it."

"Oh, thank you!" exclaimed the child.

They now sped through the gates of the park and by the porter's lodge, and began the ascent of a winding road. Handsome residences were set among the fine trees, and at sight of each one Jewel looked expectant and eager.

"I expect mother'll be kind of looking out for us," continued Zeke.

"Poor kid!" he added mentally.

"Grandpa said something about your mother."

"His housekeeper, Mrs. Forbes."

"Oh yes, of course I know about Mrs. Forbes," returned Jewel hastily and politely. "He told me your name too," she added suggestively.

"Yes, I'm Zeke. And you just remember," emphatically, "that I come when I'm called. Will you?"

"Yes," replied the child, laughing a little. "Do you know my name?"

"It's Julia, isn't it?"

"Yes, but if you called me by it perhaps I shouldn't come, for I'm used to the name of Jewel."

"Pretty name, all right," returned Zeke sententiously. "Now you can see your grandpa's house. The one with the long porch."

Jewel jumped up and down a little in the seat and held Anna Belle to get a good view. The brown horse trotted with a will, and in a minute more they had pa.s.sed up the driveway and paused beneath the _porte-cochere_.

Mrs. Forbes threw open the door and stood unsmiling.

"Where is Mr. Evringham?" she asked, addressing her son.

"Stayed in town."

The housekeeper stepped forward and helped down the little girl, who had risen and was looking brightly expectant.

"How do you do, Julia," she said. "Did you come out alone on the cars?"

"No. Dr. Ballard came with me."

"Oh, that was the way of it. Zeke, hitch up the brougham. The ladies are going out to lunch."

"Why didn't they let me know?" grumbled Zeke. "Could have hitched up the brougham just as well in the first place."

"Don't ask _me_," returned his mother acidly. "Where is your bag, Julia?

I hope you haven't left it in the train?"

"No, I didn't have any. I used mother's. She knew I'd have my trunk to-night."

"Then come in and I'll show you where your room is."

The child looked eagerly and admiringly from side to side as she followed Mrs. Forbes up two flights of broad shallow stairs and into an apartment which to her eyes seemed luxurious.

"Was this ever my father's room?" she asked.

"Why yes, I believe it was," returned Mrs. Forbes, to whom that circ.u.mstance had not before occurred.

"How kind of grandpa to let me have it!" said Jewel, highly pleased.

"He wasn't in it much, your father wasn't. Away at school or some other place mostly. Where's your trunk?"

"It's coming. Zeke said he'd attend to it." Jewel looked up happily. "I have a"--she was intending to communicate to Mrs. Forbes the exciting detail of her wardrobe when the housekeeper interrupted her.

"My son's name is Ezekiel," she said impressively.

"Oh," returned Jewel abashed. "He told me Zeke." She still stood in the middle of the large white room, Anna Belle in her arms, and with the surprised look in her serious face drew upon herself an unflattering mental comment.

"The image of Harry," thought Mrs. Forbes.

"Can I see aunt Madge and cousin Eloise?" asked the child, beginning to feel some awe of the large woman regarding her.

"They're getting ready to go out to lunch. They can't be disturbed now.

You can sit here, or walk around until lunch time. You'll know when that is ready, because the gong will sound in the hall. Now when you go downstairs be careful not to touch the tall clock on the landing. That is a very valuable chiming clock, and you mustn't open its doors, for fear you would break something. Then if you go into the parlor you must never play on the piano unless you ask somebody, for fear Mr. Evringham might be trying to take a nap just at that time; then you mustn't go into the barn without permission, for it's dangerous where the horses are, and you might get kicked. If you're tired from your journey you can lie down now till lunch time; but whenever you do lie down, be sure to turn off this white spread, for fear you might soil it. Now I'm very busy, and I shan't see you again till lunch."

Mrs. Forbes departed and Jewel stood for half a minute motionless, feeling rather dazed by a novel sensation of resentment.

"As if we were babies!" she whispered to her doll. "She's the most afraid woman I ever saw, and she looks so _sorry_! She isn't our relation, so no matter, dearie, what she says. This is father's room, and we can think how he used to run around here when he was a little boy."

Tiptoeing to the door, Jewel closed it and began to inspect her new apartment.

The sweet smelling soap on the marble stand, the silver mountings of the faucets, the large fine towels, the empty closet and drawers, all looked inviting. Throughout her examination the little girl kept pausing to listen.

Surely aunt Madge and cousin Eloise would look in before they went out to their engagement. Mother had so often said how nice it was that they were there. Surely they didn't know that she had arrived. That was it, of course; and Mrs. Forbes was so sorry and anxious she would probably forget to tell them.

Some altercation was just then going on in the apartments of those ladies.

"We ought to speak to her before we go," said Mrs. Evringham persuasively. "Father would probably resent it if we didn't."

"I have told you already," returned Eloise, "that I do not intend doing one thing henceforward that grandfather could interpret as being done to please him."

"But that is carrying it ridiculously far, not to greet your cousin, who has come from a journey and is your guest."

"My guest!" returned the girl derisively. "We are hers more likely. I will not go to her. The sooner grandfather sends us away the better."

Mrs. Evringham looked worried.

"This is mania, Eloise!" she returned coaxingly. "Very well, I shall go and speak to the child. She shan't be able to tell her grandfather of any rudeness."