diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md --- a/CHANGELOG.md +++ b/CHANGELOG.md @@ -1,3 +1,11 @@ +## Inflections 0.4.1.0 +* Fix `parameterize` emitting non-alphanumeric characters when the transliteration table maps an input to a string containing punctuation (e.g. `ʼn` previously produced `'n`; now produces `n`). The output is now filtered to `[a-z0-9_-]` as the docs imply. Note: this is an observable behavior change for affected inputs, hence the minor-version bump. +* Bump bounds for `text` and `containers` to support GHC 9.10 and 9.12 +* Tighten lower bound on `text` to `>= 1.2.3` to reflect actual minimum +* Widen upper bound on `exceptions` to `< 0.12` +* Add `tested-with` covering GHC 8.4 through 9.12 +* CI now tests GHC 8.4 through 9.12 + ## Inflections 0.4.0.7 * Bump bounds for `text` in order to support ghc-9.6.1 diff --git a/README.md b/README.md --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -6,6 +6,10 @@ [![Stackage LTS](http://stackage.org/package/inflections/badge/lts)](http://stackage.org/lts/package/inflections) [![Build](https://github.com/stackbuilders/inflections-hs/actions/workflows/build.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/stackbuilders/inflections-hs/actions/workflows/build.yml) + +[![All Contributors](https://img.shields.io/badge/all_contributors-18-orange.svg?style=flat-square)](#contributors-) + + This library is a partial port of the [String Inflector](http://api.rubyonrails.org/classes/ActiveSupport/Inflector.html) from Ruby on Rails. It currently implements methods such as `parameterize`, @@ -59,9 +63,57 @@ For more information, please see the the [Haddock docs for this module](http://hackage.haskell.org/package/inflections/docs/Text-Inflections.html). -## Author +## Contributors ✨ -Justin Leitgeb +Thanks goes to these wonderful people ([emoji key](https://allcontributors.org/docs/en/emoji-key)): + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Cristhian Motoche
Cristhian Motoche
💻		Mark Karpov
Mark Karpov
💻 📖		Justin S. Leitgeb
Justin S. Leitgeb
💻 📖 🤔		Juan Pedro Villa Isaza
Juan Pedro Villa Isaza
💻		Tomas Carnecky
Tomas Carnecky
💻		Dmitry Bushev
Dmitry Bushev
💻		Daniel Calle
Daniel Calle
💻 📖
Richard Cook
Richard Cook
💻 📖		Phil de Joux
Phil de Joux
💻		Diego Centeno
Diego Centeno
💻 📖		Jorge Guerra Landázuri
Jorge Guerra Landázuri
💻		Luis Fernando Alvarez
Luis Fernando Alvarez
💻		Abdelkader Boudih
Abdelkader Boudih
📖		Juan Paucar
Juan Paucar
🚇
Alexey Uimanov
Alexey Uimanov
💻		Amadeus Folego
Amadeus Folego
💻		Matt Campbell
Matt Campbell
💻		Jonathan Puglla
Jonathan Puglla
📖
+ + Add your contributions + +
+ + + + + + +This project follows the [all-contributors](https://github.com/all-contributors/all-contributors) specification. Contributions of any kind welcome! ## License diff --git a/Text/Inflections/Parameterize.hs b/Text/Inflections/Parameterize.hs --- a/Text/Inflections/Parameterize.hs +++ b/Text/Inflections/Parameterize.hs @@ -35,8 +35,12 @@ -- | Transliterate 'Text' with a custom transliteration table. parameterizeCustom :: Transliterations -> Text -> Text -parameterizeCustom m txt = (T.intercalate "-" . T.words) (T.unfoldr f ("", txt)) +parameterizeCustom m txt = + (T.intercalate "-" . T.words . T.map keepAllowed) (T.unfoldr f ("", txt)) where + keepAllowed c + | (isAscii c && isAlphaNum c) || c == '_' = c + | otherwise = ' ' f ("", t) = uncurry g <$> T.uncons t f (x:xs, t) = Just (x, (xs, t)) g x xs diff --git a/bench/little_women.txt b/bench/little_women.txt new file mode 100644 --- /dev/null +++ b/bench/little_women.txt @@ -0,0 +1,22848 @@ +The Project Gutenberg eBook of Little Women; Or, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy + +This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and +most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions +whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms +of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online +at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, +you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located +before using this eBook. + +Title: Little Women; Or, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy + + +Author: Louisa May Alcott + +Illustrator: Frank T. Merrill + +Release date: August 16, 2011 [eBook #37106] + Most recently updated: May 22, 2023 + +Language: English + +Credits: David Edwards, Ernest Schaal, Robert Homa, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team + + +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LITTLE WOMEN; OR, MEG, JO, BETH, AND AMY *** + + + + [Illustration: LITTLE WOMEN + MEG, JO, BETH, AND AMY + LOUISA M. ALCOTT] + + + + + LITTLE WOMEN. + + +[Illustration: "They all drew to the fire, mother in the big chair, with +Beth at her feet" + (See page 9) FRONTISPIECE] + + + + + LITTLE WOMEN + OR + Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy + + + BY + LOUISA M. ALCOTT + + AUTHOR OF "LITTLE MEN," "AN OLD-FASHIONED GIRL" + "SPINNING-WHEEL STORIES," ETC. + + + _With more than 200 illustrations by Frank T. Merrill + and a picture of the Home of the Little Women + by Edmund H. Garrett_ + + + BOSTON + LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY + + + + + Entered according to Act of Congress, in the years 1868 and 1869, by + LOUISA M. ALCOTT, + In the Clerk's office of the + District Court of the District of Massachusetts. + + + _Copyright, 1880_, + BY LOUISA M. ALCOTT. + + _Copyright, 1896_, + BY JOHN S. P. ALCOTT. + + + BOSTON + ALFRED MUDGE & SON INC. PRINTERS + + + + + [Illustration: Preface] + + + "_Go then, my little Book, and show to all + That entertain and bid thee welcome shall, + What thou dost keep close shut up in thy breast; + And wish what thou dost show them may be blest + To them for good, may make them choose to be + Pilgrims better, by far, than thee or me. + Tell them of Mercy; she is one + Who early hath her pilgrimage begun. + Yea, let young damsels learn of her to prize + The world which is to come, and so be wise; + For little tripping maids may follow God + Along the ways which saintly feet have trod._" + + Adapted from JOHN BUNYAN. + + + + + [Illustration: Contents] + + + Part First. + + CHAPTER + + I. PLAYING PILGRIMS + + II. A MERRY CHRISTMAS + + III. THE LAURENCE BOY + + IV. BURDENS + + V. BEING NEIGHBORLY + + VI. BETH FINDS THE PALACE BEAUTIFUL + + VII. AMY'S VALLEY OF HUMILIATION + + VIII. JO MEETS APOLLYON + + IX. MEG GOES TO VANITY FAIR + + X. THE P. C. AND P. O. + + XI. EXPERIMENTS + + XII. CAMP LAURENCE + + XIII. CASTLES IN THE AIR + + XIV. SECRETS + + XV. A TELEGRAM + + XVI. LETTERS + + XVII. LITTLE FAITHFUL + + XVIII. DARK DAYS + + XIX. AMY'S WILL + + XX. CONFIDENTIAL + + XXI. LAURIE MAKES MISCHIEF, AND JO MAKES PEACE + + XXII. PLEASANT MEADOWS + + XXIII. AUNT MARCH SETTLES THE QUESTION + + + Part Second. + + XXIV. GOSSIP + + XXV. THE FIRST WEDDING + + XXVI. ARTISTIC ATTEMPTS + + XXVII. LITERARY LESSONS + + XXVIII. DOMESTIC EXPERIENCES + + XXIX. CALLS + + XXX. CONSEQUENCES + + XXXI. OUR FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT + + XXXII. TENDER TROUBLES + + XXXIII. JO'S JOURNAL + + XXXIV. A FRIEND + + XXXV. HEARTACHE + + XXXVI. BETH'S SECRET + + XXXVII. NEW IMPRESSIONS + + XXXVIII. ON THE SHELF + + XXXIX. LAZY LAURENCE + + XL. THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW + + XLI. LEARNING TO FORGET + + XLII. ALL ALONE + + XLIII. SURPRISES + + XLIV. MY LORD AND LADY + + XLV. DAISY AND DEMI + + XLVI. UNDER THE UMBRELLA + + XLVII. HARVEST TIME + + [Illustration: Tail-piece to Contents] + + + + + [Illustration: List of illustrations.] + + + [The Illustrations, designed by FRANK T. MERRILL, drawn, engraved, + and printed under the supervision of GEORGE T. ANDREW.] + + PAGE + + They all drew to the fire, mother in the big chair, with + Beth at her feet + + Preface + + Contents + + Tail-piece to Contents + + List of Illustrations + + Tail-piece to Illustrations + + Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents + + Beth put a pair of slippers down to warm + + I used to be so frightened when it was my turn to sit in + the big chair + + Do it this way, clasp your hands so + + It was a cheerful, hopeful letter + + How you used to play Pilgrim's Progress + + No one but Beth could get much music out of the old piano + + At nine they stopped work and sung as usual + + Merry Christmas + + The procession set out + + Out came Meg with gray horse-hair hanging about her face + + A little figure in cloudy white + + The lovers kneeling to receive Don Pedro's blessing + + We talked over the fence + + Tail-piece + + Eating apples and crying over the "Heir of Redclyffe" + + Jo undertook to pinch the papered locks + + Mrs. Gardiner greeted them + + Face to face with the Laurence boy + + They sat down on the stairs + + Tell about the party + + The kitten stuck like a burr just out of reach + + Curling herself up in the big chair + + Reading that everlasting Belsham + + He took her by the ear! by the ear! + + Mr. Laurence hooked up a big fish + + Tail-piece + + Being neighborly + + Laurie opened the window + + Poll tweaked off his wig + + Putting his finger under her chin + + Please give these to your mother + + Tail-piece + + O sir, they do care very much + + Mr. Laurence often opened his study door + + She put both arms around his neck and kissed him + + The Cyclops + + Amy bore without flinching several tingling blows + + You do know her + + Girls, where are you going? + + I burnt it up + + Held Amy up by his arms and hockey + + Packing the go abroady trunk + + Meg's partner appeared + + Asked to be introduced + + I wouldn't, Meg + + Holding a hand of each, Mrs. March said, &c. + + Mr. Pickwick + + Jo threw open the door of the closet + + Jo spent the morning on the river + + Amy sat down to draw + + O Pip! O Pip! + + Miss Crocker made a wry face + + We'll work like bees + + Beth was post-mistress + + Amy capped the climax by putting a clothes-pin on her nose 151 + + Mr. Laurence waving his hat + + Now, Miss Jo, I'll settle you + + A very merry lunch it was + + He went prancing down a quiet street + + "Oh, rise," she said + + A stunning blow from the big Greek lexicon + + He sneezed + + The Portuguese walked the plank + + Will you give me a rose? + + Miss Kate put up her glass + + Ellen Tree + + Tail-piece + + Swinging to and fro in his hammock + + It was rather a pretty little picture + + Waved a brake before her face + + I see him bow and smile + + Tail-piece + + Jo was very busy + + Hurrah for Miss March + + Jo darted away + + Jo laid herself on the sofa and affected to read + + November is the most disagreeable month in the year + + One of them horrid telegraph things + + She came suddenly upon Mr. Brooke + + The man clipped + + Tail-piece + + Letters + + She rolled away + + I wind the clock + + Yours Respectful, Hannah Mullet + + Tail-piece + + It didn't stir, and I knew it was dead + + He sat down beside her + + What do you want now? + + Beth did have the fever + + Gently stroking her head as her mother used to do + + Amy's Will + + Polish up the spoons and the fat silver teapot + + On his back, with all his legs in the air + + I should choose this + + Gravely promenaded to and fro + + Amy's Will + + Tail-piece + + Mrs. March would not leave Beth's side + + Tail-piece + + Letters + + Jo and her mother were reading the note + + Get up and don't be a goose + + "Hold your tongue!" cried Jo, covering her ears + + He stood at the foot, like a lion in the path + + Beth was soon able to lie on the study sofa all day + + The Jungfrau + + Popping in her head now and then + + He sat in the big chair by Beth's sofa with the other + three close by + + Shall I tell you how? + + Bless me, what's all this? + + For Mrs. John Brooke + + Home of the Little Women + + The Dove Cote + + A small watchman's rattle + + Tail-piece + + The First Wedding + + Artistic Attempts + + Her foot held fast in a panful of plaster + + Please don't, it's mine + + Tail-piece + + Literary Lessons + + A check for one hundred dollars + + Tail-piece + + Domestic Experiences + + Both felt desperately uncomfortable + + A bargain, I assure you, ma'am + + Laurie heroically shut his eyes while something was put + into his arms + + Calls + + She took the saddle to the horse + + It might have been worse + + The call at Aunt March's + + Tail-piece + + You shall have another table + + Bought up the bouquets + + Tail-piece + + Flo and I ordered a hansom-cab + + Every one was very kind, especially the officers + + I've seen the imperial family several times + + Trying to sketch the gray-stone lion's head on the wall + + She leaned her head upon her hands + + Now, this is filling at the price + + Up with the Bonnets of Bonnie Dundee + + I amused myself by dropping gingerbread nuts over + the seat + + Thou shalt haf thy Bhaer + + He waved his hand, sock and all + + Dis is mine effalunt + + I sat down upon the floor and read and looked and ate + + Tail-piece + + In the presence of three gentlemen + + A select symposium + + He doesn't prink at his glass before coming + + Jo stuffed the whole bundle into the stove + + He put the sisters into the carriage + + He laid his head down on the mossy post + + O Jo, can't you? + + Tail-piece + + With her head in Jo's lap, while the wind blew + healthfully over her + + Tail-piece + + He hurried forward to meet her + + Here are your flowers + + Demi and Daisy + + Mornin' now + + My dear man, it's a bonnet + + Tail-piece + + Sat piping on a stone while his goats skipped + + Laurie threw himself down on the turf + + A rough sketch of Laurie taming a horse + + The Valley of the Shadow + + Tail-piece + + Sat staring up at the busts + + Turning the ring thoughtfully upon his finger + + O Laurie, Laurie, I knew you'd come + + How well we pull together + + Jo and her father + + Jo laid her head on a comfortable rag-bag and cried + + A substantial lifelike ghost leaning over her + + The tall uncle proceeded to toss and tousle the + small nephew + + O Mr. Bhaer, I am so glad to see you + + Mr. Bhaer sang heartily + + Mrs. Laurence sitting in her mother's lap + + They began to pace up and down + + Tail-piece + + Me loves evvybody + + What makes my legs go, dranpa? + + Dranpa, it's a We + + Tail-piece + + Mr. Bhaer and Jo were enjoying promenades + + Looking up she saw Mr. Bhaer + + Does this suit you, Mr. Bhaer? + + Under the umbrella + + Tail-piece + + Harvest time + + Teddy bore a charmed life + + Leaving Mrs. March and her daughters under the festival + tree + + Tail-piece + + [Illustration: Tail-piece to Illustrations] + + + + + [Illustration: Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents] + + I. + + PLAYING PILGRIMS. + + +"Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," grumbled Jo, lying +on the rug. + +"It's so dreadful to be poor!" sighed Meg, looking down at her old +dress. + +"I don't think it's fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, +and other girls nothing at all," added little Amy, with an injured +sniff. + +"We've got father and mother and each other," said Beth contentedly, +from her corner. + +The four young faces on which the firelight shone brightened at the +cheerful words, but darkened again as Jo said sadly,-- + +"We haven't got father, and shall not have him for a long time." She +didn't say "perhaps never," but each silently added it, thinking of +father far away, where the fighting was. + +Nobody spoke for a minute; then Meg said in an altered tone,-- + +"You know the reason mother proposed not having any presents this +Christmas was because it is going to be a hard winter for every one; and +she thinks we ought not to spend money for pleasure, when our men are +suffering so in the army. We can't do much, but we can make our little +sacrifices, and ought to do it gladly. But I am afraid I don't;" and Meg +shook her head, as she thought regretfully of all the pretty things she +wanted. + +"But I don't think the little we should spend would do any good. We've +each got a dollar, and the army wouldn't be much helped by our giving +that. I agree not to expect anything from mother or you, but I do want +to buy Undine and Sintram for myself; I've wanted it _so_ long," said +Jo, who was a bookworm. + +"I planned to spend mine in new music," said Beth, with a little sigh, +which no one heard but the hearth-brush and kettle-holder. + +"I shall get a nice box of Faber's drawing-pencils; I really need them," +said Amy decidedly. + +"Mother didn't say anything about our money, and she won't wish us to +give up everything. Let's each buy what we want, and have a little fun; +I'm sure we work hard enough to earn it," cried Jo, examining the heels +of her shoes in a gentlemanly manner. + +"I know _I_ do,--teaching those tiresome children nearly all day, when +I'm longing to enjoy myself at home," began Meg, in the complaining tone +again. + +"You don't have half such a hard time as I do," said Jo. "How would you +like to be shut up for hours with a nervous, fussy old lady, who keeps +you trotting, is never satisfied, and worries you till you're ready to +fly out of the window or cry?" + +"It's naughty to fret; but I do think washing dishes and keeping things +tidy is the worst work in the world. It makes me cross; and my hands get +so stiff, I can't practise well at all;" and Beth looked at her rough +hands with a sigh that any one could hear that time. + +"I don't believe any of you suffer as I do," cried Amy; "for you don't +have to go to school with impertinent girls, who plague you if you don't +know your lessons, and laugh at your dresses, and label your father if +he isn't rich, and insult you when your nose isn't nice." + +"If you mean _libel_, I'd say so, and not talk about _labels_, as if +papa was a pickle-bottle," advised Jo, laughing. + +"I know what I mean, and you needn't be _statirical_ about it. It's +proper to use good words, and improve your _vocabilary_," returned Amy, +with dignity. + +"Don't peck at one another, children. Don't you wish we had the money +papa lost when we were little, Jo? Dear me! how happy and good we'd be, +if we had no worries!" said Meg, who could remember better times. + +"You said the other day, you thought we were a deal happier than the +King children, for they were fighting and fretting all the time, in +spite of their money." + +"So I did, Beth. Well, I think we are; for, though we do have to work, +we make fun for ourselves, and are a pretty jolly set, as Jo would say." + +"Jo does use such slang words!" observed Amy, with a reproving look at +the long figure stretched on the rug. Jo immediately sat up, put her +hands in her pockets, and began to whistle. + +"Don't, Jo; it's so boyish!" + +"That's why I do it." + +"I detest rude, unlady-like girls!" + +"I hate affected, niminy-piminy chits!" + +"'Birds in their little nests agree,'" sang Beth, the peace-maker, with +such a funny face that both sharp voices softened to a laugh, and the +"pecking" ended for that time. + +"Really, girls, you are both to be blamed," said Meg, beginning to +lecture in her elder-sisterly fashion. "You are old enough to leave off +boyish tricks, and to behave better, Josephine. It didn't matter so much +when you were a little girl; but now you are so tall, and turn up your +hair, you should remember that you are a young lady." + +"I'm not! and if turning up my hair makes me one, I'll wear it in two +tails till I'm twenty," cried Jo, pulling off her net, and shaking down +a chestnut mane. "I hate to think I've got to grow up, and be Miss +March, and wear long gowns, and look as prim as a China-aster! It's bad +enough to be a girl, anyway, when I like boys' games and work and +manners! I can't get over my disappointment in not being a boy; and it's +worse than ever now, for I'm dying to go and fight with papa, and I can +only stay at home and knit, like a poky old woman!" And Jo shook the +blue army-sock till the needles rattled like castanets, and her ball +bounded across the room. + +"Poor Jo! It's too bad, but it can't be helped; so you must try to be +contented with making your name boyish, and playing brother to us +girls," said Beth, stroking the rough head at her knee with a hand that +all the dish-washing and dusting in the world could not make ungentle in +its touch. + +"As for you, Amy," continued Meg, "you are altogether too particular and +prim. Your airs are funny now; but you'll grow up an affected little +goose, if you don't take care. I like your nice manners and refined ways +of speaking, when you don't try to be elegant; but your absurd words are +as bad as Jo's slang." + +"If Jo is a tom-boy and Amy a goose, what am I, please?" asked Beth, +ready to share the lecture. + +"You're a dear, and nothing else," answered Meg warmly; and no one +contradicted her, for the "Mouse" was the pet of the family. + +As young readers like to know "how people look," we will take this +moment to give them a little sketch of the four sisters, who sat +knitting away in the twilight, while the December snow fell quietly +without, and the fire crackled cheerfully within. It was a comfortable +old room, though the carpet was faded and the furniture very plain; for +a good picture or two hung on the walls, books filled the recesses, +chrysanthemums and Christmas roses bloomed in the windows, and a +pleasant atmosphere of home-peace pervaded it. + +Margaret, the eldest of the four, was sixteen, and very pretty, being +plump and fair, with large eyes, plenty of soft, brown hair, a sweet +mouth, and white hands, of which she was rather vain. Fifteen-year-old +Jo was very tall, thin, and brown, and reminded one of a colt; for she +never seemed to know what to do with her long limbs, which were very +much in her way. She had a decided mouth, a comical nose, and sharp, +gray eyes, which appeared to see everything, and were by turns fierce, +funny, or thoughtful. Her long, thick hair was her one beauty; but it +was usually bundled into a net, to be out of her way. Round shoulders +had Jo, big hands and feet, a fly-away look to her clothes, and the +uncomfortable appearance of a girl who was rapidly shooting up into a +woman, and didn't like it. Elizabeth--or Beth, as every one called +her--was a rosy, smooth-haired, bright-eyed girl of thirteen, with a shy +manner, a timid voice, and a peaceful expression, which was seldom +disturbed. Her father called her "Little Tranquillity," and the name +suited her excellently; for she seemed to live in a happy world of her +own, only venturing out to meet the few whom she trusted and loved. Amy, +though the youngest, was a most important person,--in her own opinion at +least. A regular snow-maiden, with blue eyes, and yellow hair, curling +on her shoulders, pale and slender, and always carrying herself like a +young lady mindful of her manners. What the characters of the four +sisters were we will leave to be found out. + +The clock struck six; and, having swept up the hearth, Beth put a pair +of slippers down to warm. Somehow the sight of the old shoes had a good +effect upon the girls; for mother was coming, and every one brightened +to welcome her. Meg stopped lecturing, and lighted the lamp, Amy got out +of the easy-chair without being asked, and Jo forgot how tired she was +as she sat up to hold the slippers nearer to the blaze. + + [Illustration: Beth put a pair of slippers down to warm] + +"They are quite worn out; Marmee must have a new pair." + +"I thought I'd get her some with my dollar," said Beth. + +"No, I shall!" cried Amy. + +"I'm the oldest," began Meg, but Jo cut in with a decided-- + +"I'm the man of the family now papa is away, and _I_ shall provide the +slippers, for he told me to take special care of mother while he was +gone." + +"I'll tell you what we'll do," said Beth; "let's each get her something +for Christmas, and not get anything for ourselves." + +"That's like you, dear! What will we get?" exclaimed Jo. + +Every one thought soberly for a minute; then Meg announced, as if the +idea was suggested by the sight of her own pretty hands, "I shall give +her a nice pair of gloves." + +"Army shoes, best to be had," cried Jo. + +"Some handkerchiefs, all hemmed," said Beth. + +"I'll get a little bottle of cologne; she likes it, and it won't cost +much, so I'll have some left to buy my pencils," added Amy. + +"How will we give the things?" asked Meg. + +"Put them on the table, and bring her in and see her open the bundles. +Don't you remember how we used to do on our birthdays?" answered Jo. + + [Illustration: I used to be so frightened when it was my + turn to sit in the big chair] + +"I used to be _so_ frightened when it was my turn to sit in the big +chair with the crown on, and see you all come marching round to give the +presents, with a kiss. I liked the things and the kisses, but it was +dreadful to have you sit looking at me while I opened the bundles," said +Beth, who was toasting her face and the bread for tea, at the same time. + +"Let Marmee think we are getting things for ourselves, and then surprise +her. We must go shopping to-morrow afternoon, Meg; there is so much to +do about the play for Christmas night," said Jo, marching up and down, +with her hands behind her back and her nose in the air. + +"I don't mean to act any more after this time; I'm getting too old for +such things," observed Meg, who was as much a child as ever about +"dressing-up" frolics. + +"You won't stop, I know, as long as you can trail round in a white gown +with your hair down, and wear gold-paper jewelry. You are the best +actress we've got, and there'll be an end of everything if you quit the +boards," said Jo. "We ought to rehearse to-night. Come here, Amy, and do +the fainting scene, for you are as stiff as a poker in that." + +"I can't help it; I never saw any one faint, and I don't choose to make +myself all black and blue, tumbling flat as you do. If I can go down +easily, I'll drop; if I can't, I shall fall into a chair and be +graceful; I don't care if Hugo does come at me with a pistol," returned +Amy, who was not gifted with dramatic power, but was chosen because she +was small enough to be borne out shrieking by the villain of the piece. + + [Illustration: Do it this way, clasp your hands so] + +"Do it this way; clasp your hands so, and stagger across the room, +crying frantically, 'Roderigo! save me! save me!'" and away went Jo, +with a melodramatic scream which was truly thrilling. + +Amy followed, but she poked her hands out stiffly before her, and jerked +herself along as if she went by machinery; and her "Ow!" was more +suggestive of pins being run into her than of fear and anguish. Jo gave +a despairing groan, and Meg laughed outright, while Beth let her bread +burn as she watched the fun, with interest. + +"It's no use! Do the best you can when the time comes, and if the +audience laugh, don't blame me. Come on, Meg." + +Then things went smoothly, for Don Pedro defied the world in a speech of +two pages without a single break; Hagar, the witch, chanted an awful +incantation over her kettleful of simmering toads, with weird effect; +Roderigo rent his chains asunder manfully, and Hugo died in agonies of +remorse and arsenic, with a wild "Ha! ha!" + +"It's the best we've had yet," said Meg, as the dead villain sat up and +rubbed his elbows. + +"I don't see how you can write and act such splendid things, Jo. You're +a regular Shakespeare!" exclaimed Beth, who firmly believed that her +sisters were gifted with wonderful genius in all things. + +"Not quite," replied Jo modestly. "I do think 'The Witch's Curse, an +Operatic Tragedy,' is rather a nice thing; but I'd like to try Macbeth, +if we only had a trap-door for Banquo. I always wanted to do the killing +part. 'Is that a dagger that I see before me?'" muttered Jo, rolling her +eyes and clutching at the air, as she had seen a famous tragedian do. + +"No, it's the toasting fork, with mother's shoe on it instead of the +bread. Beth's stage-struck!" cried Meg, and the rehearsal ended in a +general burst of laughter. + +"Glad to find you so merry, my girls," said a cheery voice at the door, +and actors and audience turned to welcome a tall, motherly lady, with a +"can-I-help-you" look about her which was truly delightful. She was not +elegantly dressed, but a noble-looking woman, and the girls thought the +gray cloak and unfashionable bonnet covered the most splendid mother in +the world. + +"Well, dearies, how have you got on to-day? There was so much to do, +getting the boxes ready to go to-morrow, that I didn't come home to +dinner. Has any one called, Beth? How is your cold, Meg? Jo, you look +tired to death. Come and kiss me, baby." + +While making these maternal inquiries Mrs. March got her wet things off, +her warm slippers on, and sitting down in the easy-chair, drew Amy to +her lap, preparing to enjoy the happiest hour of her busy day. The girls +flew about, trying to make things comfortable, each in her own way. Meg +arranged the tea-table; Jo brought wood and set chairs, dropping, +overturning, and clattering everything she touched; Beth trotted to and +fro between parlor and kitchen, quiet and busy; while Amy gave +directions to every one, as she sat with her hands folded. + +As they gathered about the table, Mrs. March said, with a particularly +happy face, "I've got a treat for you after supper." + +A quick, bright smile went round like a streak of sunshine. Beth clapped +her hands, regardless of the biscuit she held, and Jo tossed up her +napkin, crying, "A letter! a letter! Three cheers for father!" + +"Yes, a nice long letter. He is well, and thinks he shall get through +the cold season better than we feared. He sends all sorts of loving +wishes for Christmas, and an especial message to you girls," said Mrs. +March, patting her pocket as if she had got a treasure there. + +"Hurry and get done! Don't stop to quirk your little finger, and simper +over your plate, Amy," cried Jo, choking in her tea, and dropping her +bread, butter side down, on the carpet, in her haste to get at the +treat. + +Beth ate no more, but crept away, to sit in her shadowy corner and brood +over the delight to come, till the others were ready. + +"I think it was so splendid in father to go as a chaplain when he was +too old to be drafted, and not strong enough for a soldier," said Meg +warmly. + +"Don't I wish I could go as a drummer, a _vivan_--what's its name? or a +nurse, so I could be near him and help him," exclaimed Jo, with a groan. + +"It must be very disagreeable to sleep in a tent, and eat all sorts of +bad-tasting things, and drink out of a tin mug," sighed Amy. + +"When will he come home, Marmee?" asked Beth, with a little quiver in +her voice. + +"Not for many months, dear, unless he is sick. He will stay and do his +work faithfully as long as he can, and we won't ask for him back a +minute sooner than he can be spared. Now come and hear the letter." + +They all drew to the fire, mother in the big chair with Beth at her +feet, Meg and Amy perched on either arm of the chair, and Jo leaning on +the back, where no one would see any sign of emotion if the letter +should happen to be touching. + +Very few letters were written in those hard times that were not +touching, especially those which fathers sent home. In this one little +was said of the hardships endured, the dangers faced, or the +homesickness conquered; it was a cheerful, hopeful letter, full of +lively descriptions of camp life, marches, and military news; and only +at the end did the writer's heart overflow with fatherly love and +longing for the little girls at home. + + [Illustration: It was a cheerful, hopeful letter] + +"Give them all my dear love and a kiss. Tell them I think of them by +day, pray for them by night, and find my best comfort in their affection +at all times. A year seems very long to wait before I see them, but +remind them that while we wait we may all work, so that these hard days +need not be wasted. I know they will remember all I said to them, that +they will be loving children to you, will do their duty faithfully, +fight their bosom enemies bravely, and conquer themselves so +beautifully, that when I come back to them I may be fonder and prouder +than ever of my little women." + +Everybody sniffed when they came to that part; Jo wasn't ashamed of the +great tear that dropped off the end of her nose, and Amy never minded +the rumpling of her curls as she hid her face on her mother's shoulder +and sobbed out, "I _am_ a selfish girl! but I'll truly try to be better, +so he mayn't be disappointed in me by and by." + +"We all will!" cried Meg. "I think too much of my looks, and hate to +work, but won't any more, if I can help it." + +"I'll try and be what he loves to call me, 'a little woman,' and not be +rough and wild; but do my duty here instead of wanting to be somewhere +else," said Jo, thinking that keeping her temper at home was a much +harder task than facing a rebel or two down South. + +Beth said nothing, but wiped away her tears with the blue army-sock, and +began to knit with all her might, losing no time in doing the duty that +lay nearest her, while she resolved in her quiet little soul to be all +that father hoped to find her when the year brought round the happy +coming home. + + [Illustration: How you used to play Pilgrim's Progress] + +Mrs. March broke the silence that followed Jo's words, by saying in her +cheery voice, "Do you remember how you used to play Pilgrim's Progress +when you were little things? Nothing delighted you more than to have me +tie my piece-bags on your backs for burdens, give you hats and sticks +and rolls of paper, and let you travel through the house from the +cellar, which was the City of Destruction, up, up, to the house-top, +where you had all the lovely things you could collect to make a +Celestial City." + +"What fun it was, especially going by the lions, fighting Apollyon, and +passing through the Valley where the hobgoblins were!" said Jo. + +"I liked the place where the bundles fell off and tumbled down stairs," +said Meg. + +"My favorite part was when we came out on the flat roof where our +flowers and arbors and pretty things were, and all stood and sung for +joy up there in the sunshine," said Beth, smiling, as if that pleasant +moment had come back to her. + +"I don't remember much about it, except that I was afraid of the cellar +and the dark entry, and always liked the cake and milk we had up at the +top. If I wasn't too old for such things, I'd rather like to play it +over again," said Amy, who began to talk of renouncing childish things +at the mature age of twelve. + +"We never are too old for this, my dear, because it is a play we are +playing all the time in one way or another. Our burdens are here, our +road is before us, and the longing for goodness and happiness is the +guide that leads us through many troubles and mistakes to the peace +which is a true Celestial City. Now, my little pilgrims, suppose you +begin again, not in play, but in earnest, and see how far on you can get +before father comes home." + +"Really, mother? Where are our bundles?" asked Amy, who was a very +literal young lady. + +"Each of you told what your burden was just now, except Beth; I rather +think she hasn't got any," said her mother. + +"Yes, I have; mine is dishes and dusters, and envying girls with nice +pianos, and being afraid of people." + +Beth's bundle was such a funny one that everybody wanted to laugh; but +nobody did, for it would have hurt her feelings very much. + +"Let us do it," said Meg thoughtfully. "It is only another name for +trying to be good, and the story may help us; for though we do want to +be good, it's hard work, and we forget, and don't do our best." + +"We were in the Slough of Despond to-night, and mother came and pulled +us out as Help did in the book. We ought to have our roll of directions, +like Christian. What shall we do about that?" asked Jo, delighted with +the fancy which lent a little romance to the very dull task of doing her +duty. + +"Look under your pillows, Christmas morning, and you will find your +guide-book," replied Mrs. March. + +They talked over the new plan while old Hannah cleared the table; then +out came the four little work-baskets, and the needles flew as the girls +made sheets for Aunt March. It was uninteresting sewing, but to-night no +one grumbled. They adopted Jo's plan of dividing the long seams into +four parts, and calling the quarters Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, +and in that way got on capitally, especially when they talked about the +different countries as they stitched their way through them. + + [Illustration: No one but Beth could get much music out of the old + piano] + +At nine they stopped work, and sung, as usual, before they went to bed. +No one but Beth could get much music out of the old piano; but she had a +way of softly touching the yellow keys, and making a pleasant +accompaniment to the simple songs they sung. Meg had a voice like a +flute, and she and her mother led the little choir. Amy chirped like a +cricket, and Jo wandered through the airs at her own sweet will, always +coming out at the wrong place with a croak or a quaver that spoilt the +most pensive tune. They had always done this from the time they could +lisp + + "Crinkle, crinkle, 'ittle 'tar," + +and it had become a household custom, for the mother was a born singer. +The first sound in the morning was her voice, as she went about the +house singing like a lark; and the last sound at night was the same +cheery sound, for the girls never grew too old for that familiar +lullaby. + + [Illustration: At nine they stopped work and sung as usual] + + + + + [Illustration: A Merry Christmas] + + II. + + A MERRY CHRISTMAS. + + +Jo was the first to wake in the gray dawn of Christmas morning. No +stockings hung at the fireplace, and for a moment she felt as much +disappointed as she did long ago, when her little sock fell down because +it was so crammed with goodies. Then she remembered her mother's +promise, and, slipping her hand under her pillow, drew out a little +crimson-covered book. She knew it very well, for it was that beautiful +old story of the best life ever lived, and Jo felt that it was a true +guide-book for any pilgrim going the long journey. She woke Meg with a +"Merry Christmas," and bade her see what was under her pillow. A +green-covered book appeared, with the same picture inside, and a few +words written by their mother, which made their one present very +precious in their eyes. Presently Beth and Amy woke, to rummage and find +their little books also,--one dove-colored, the other blue; and all sat +looking at and talking about them, while the east grew rosy with the +coming day. + +In spite of her small vanities, Margaret had a sweet and pious nature, +which unconsciously influenced her sisters, especially Jo, who loved her +very tenderly, and obeyed her because her advice was so gently given. + +"Girls," said Meg seriously, looking from the tumbled head beside her to +the two little night-capped ones in the room beyond, "mother wants us to +read and love and mind these books, and we must begin at once. We used +to be faithful about it; but since father went away, and all this war +trouble unsettled us, we have neglected many things. You can do as you +please; but _I_ shall keep my book on the table here, and read a little +every morning as soon as I wake, for I know it will do me good, and help +me through the day." + +Then she opened her new book and began to read. Jo put her arm round +her, and, leaning cheek to cheek, read also, with the quiet expression +so seldom seen on her restless face. + +"How good Meg is! Come, Amy, let's do as they do. I'll help you with the +hard words, and they'll explain things if we don't understand," +whispered Beth, very much impressed by the pretty books and her sisters' +example. + +"I'm glad mine is blue," said Amy; and then the rooms were very still +while the pages were softly turned, and the winter sunshine crept in to +touch the bright heads and serious faces with a Christmas greeting. + +"Where is mother?" asked Meg, as she and Jo ran down to thank her for +their gifts, half an hour later. + +"Goodness only knows. Some poor creeter come a-beggin', and your ma went +straight off to see what was needed. There never _was_ such a woman for +givin' away vittles and drink, clothes and firin'," replied Hannah, who +had lived with the family since Meg was born, and was considered by them +all more as a friend than a servant. + +"She will be back soon, I think; so fry your cakes, and have everything +ready," said Meg, looking over the presents which were collected in a +basket and kept under the sofa, ready to be produced at the proper time. +"Why, where is Amy's bottle of cologne?" she added, as the little flask +did not appear. + +"She took it out a minute ago, and went off with it to put a ribbon on +it, or some such notion," replied Jo, dancing about the room to take the +first stiffness off the new army-slippers. + +"How nice my handkerchiefs look, don't they? Hannah washed and ironed +them for me, and I marked them all myself," said Beth, looking proudly +at the somewhat uneven letters which had cost her such labor. + +"Bless the child! she's gone and put 'Mother' on them instead of 'M. +March.' How funny!" cried Jo, taking up one. + +"Isn't it right? I thought it was better to do it so, because Meg's +initials are 'M. M.,' and I don't want any one to use these but Marmee," +said Beth, looking troubled. + +"It's all right, dear, and a very pretty idea,--quite sensible, too, for +no one can ever mistake now. It will please her very much, I know," said +Meg, with a frown for Jo and a smile for Beth. + +"There's mother. Hide the basket, quick!" cried Jo, as a door slammed, +and steps sounded in the hall. + +Amy came in hastily, and looked rather abashed when she saw her sisters +all waiting for her. + +"Where have you been, and what are you hiding behind you?" asked Meg, +surprised to see, by her hood and cloak, that lazy Amy had been out so +early. + +"Don't laugh at me, Jo! I didn't mean any one should know till the time +came. I only meant to change the little bottle for a big one, and I gave +_all_ my money to get it, and I'm truly trying not to be selfish any +more." + +As she spoke, Amy showed the handsome flask which replaced the cheap +one; and looked so earnest and humble in her little effort to forget +herself that Meg hugged her on the spot, and Jo pronounced her "a +trump," while Beth ran to the window, and picked her finest rose to +ornament the stately bottle. + +"You see I felt ashamed of my present, after reading and talking about +being good this morning, so I ran round the corner and changed it the +minute I was up: and I'm _so_ glad, for mine is the handsomest now." + +Another bang of the street-door sent the basket under the sofa, and the +girls to the table, eager for breakfast. + +"Merry Christmas, Marmee! Many of them! Thank you for our books; we read +some, and mean to every day," they cried, in chorus. + +"Merry Christmas, little daughters! I'm glad you began at once, and hope +you will keep on. But I want to say one word before we sit down. Not far +away from here lies a poor woman with a little new-born baby. Six +children are huddled into one bed to keep from freezing, for they have +no fire. There is nothing to eat over there; and the oldest boy came to +tell me they were suffering hunger and cold. My girls, will you give +them your breakfast as a Christmas present?" + +They were all unusually hungry, having waited nearly an hour, and for a +minute no one spoke; only a minute, for Jo exclaimed impetuously,-- + +"I'm so glad you came before we began!" + +"May I go and help carry the things to the poor little children?" asked +Beth, eagerly. + +"_I_ shall take the cream and the muffins," added Amy, heroically giving +up the articles she most liked. + +Meg was already covering the buckwheats, and piling the bread into one +big plate. + +"I thought you'd do it," said Mrs. March, smiling as if satisfied. "You +shall all go and help me, and when we come back we will have bread and +milk for breakfast, and make it up at dinner-time." + +They were soon ready, and the procession set out. Fortunately it was +early, and they went through back streets, so few people saw them, and +no one laughed at the queer party. + + [Illustration: The procession set out] + +A poor, bare, miserable room it was, with broken windows, no fire, +ragged bed-clothes, a sick mother, wailing baby, and a group of pale, +hungry children cuddled under one old quilt, trying to keep warm. + +How the big eyes stared and the blue lips smiled as the girls went in! + +"Ach, mein Gott! it is good angels come to us!" said the poor woman, +crying for joy. + +"Funny angels in hoods and mittens," said Jo, and set them laughing. + +In a few minutes it really did seem as if kind spirits had been at work +there. Hannah, who had carried wood, made a fire, and stopped up the +broken panes with old hats and her own cloak. Mrs. March gave the mother +tea and gruel, and comforted her with promises of help, while she +dressed the little baby as tenderly as if it had been her own. The +girls, meantime, spread the table, set the children round the fire, and +fed them like so many hungry birds,--laughing, talking, and trying to +understand the funny broken English. + +"Das ist gut!" "Die Engel-kinder!" cried the poor things, as they ate, +and warmed their purple hands at the comfortable blaze. + +The girls had never been called angel children before, and thought it +very agreeable, especially Jo, who had been considered a "Sancho" ever +since she was born. That was a very happy breakfast, though they didn't +get any of it; and when they went away, leaving comfort behind, I think +there were not in all the city four merrier people than the hungry +little girls who gave away their breakfasts and contented themselves +with bread and milk on Christmas morning. + +"That's loving our neighbor better than ourselves, and I like it," said +Meg, as they set out their presents, while their mother was upstairs +collecting clothes for the poor Hummels. + +Not a very splendid show, but there was a great deal of love done up in +the few little bundles; and the tall vase of red roses, white +chrysanthemums, and trailing vines, which stood in the middle, gave +quite an elegant air to the table. + +"She's coming! Strike up, Beth! Open the door, Amy! Three cheers for +Marmee!" cried Jo, prancing about, while Meg went to conduct mother to +the seat of honor. + +Beth played her gayest march, Amy threw open the door, and Meg enacted +escort with great dignity. Mrs. March was both surprised and touched; +and smiled with her eyes full as she examined her presents, and read the +little notes which accompanied them. The slippers went on at once, a new +handkerchief was slipped into her pocket, well scented with Amy's +cologne, the rose was fastened in her bosom, and the nice gloves were +pronounced a "perfect fit." + +There was a good deal of laughing and kissing and explaining, in the +simple, loving fashion which makes these home-festivals so pleasant at +the time, so sweet to remember long afterward, and then all fell to +work. + +The morning charities and ceremonies took so much time that the rest of +the day was devoted to preparations for the evening festivities. Being +still too young to go often to the theatre, and not rich enough to +afford any great outlay for private performances, the girls put their +wits to work, and--necessity being the mother of invention,--made +whatever they needed. Very clever were some of their +productions,--pasteboard guitars, antique lamps made of old-fashioned +butter-boats covered with silver paper, gorgeous robes of old cotton, +glittering with tin spangles from a pickle factory, and armor covered +with the same useful diamond-shaped bits, left in sheets when the lids +of tin preserve-pots were cut out. The furniture was used to being +turned topsy-turvy, and the big chamber was the scene of many innocent +revels. + +No gentlemen were admitted; so Jo played male parts to her heart's +content, and took immense satisfaction in a pair of russet-leather boots +given her by a friend, who knew a lady who knew an actor. These boots, +an old foil, and a slashed doublet once used by an artist for some +picture, were Jo's chief treasures, and appeared on all occasions. The +smallness of the company made it necessary for the two principal actors +to take several parts apiece; and they certainly deserved some credit +for the hard work they did in learning three or four different parts, +whisking in and out of various costumes, and managing the stage besides. +It was excellent drill for their memories, a harmless amusement, and +employed many hours which otherwise would have been idle, lonely, or +spent in less profitable society. + +On Christmas night, a dozen girls piled on to the bed which was the +dress-circle, and sat before the blue and yellow chintz curtains in a +most flattering state of expectancy. There was a good deal of rustling +and whispering behind the curtain, a trifle of lamp-smoke, and an +occasional giggle from Amy, who was apt to get hysterical in the +excitement of the moment. Presently a bell sounded, the curtains flew +apart, and the Operatic Tragedy began. + +"A gloomy wood," according to the one play-bill, was represented by a +few shrubs in pots, green baize on the floor, and a cave in the +distance. This cave was made with a clothes-horse for a roof, bureaus +for walls; and in it was a small furnace in full blast, with a black pot +on it, and an old witch bending over it. The stage was dark, and the +glow of the furnace had a fine effect, especially as real steam issued +from the kettle when the witch took off the cover. A moment was allowed +for the first thrill to subside; then Hugo, the villain, stalked in with +a clanking sword at his side, a slouched hat, black beard, mysterious +cloak, and the boots. After pacing to and fro in much agitation, he +struck his forehead, and burst out in a wild strain, singing of his +hatred to Roderigo, his love for Zara, and his pleasing resolution to +kill the one and win the other. The gruff tones of Hugo's voice, with an +occasional shout when his feelings overcame him, were very impressive, +and the audience applauded the moment he paused for breath. Bowing with +the air of one accustomed to public praise, he stole to the cavern, and +ordered Hagar to come forth with a commanding "What ho, minion! I need +thee!" + +[Illustration: Out came Meg with gray horse-hair hanging about her face] + +Out came Meg, with gray horse-hair hanging about her face, a red and +black robe, a staff, and cabalistic signs upon her cloak. Hugo demanded +a potion to make Zara adore him, and one to destroy Roderigo. Hagar, in +a fine dramatic melody, promised both, and proceeded to call up the +spirit who would bring the love philter:-- + + "Hither, hither, from thy home, + Airy sprite, I bid thee come! + Born of roses, fed on dew, + Charms and potions canst thou brew? + Bring me here, with elfin speed, + The fragrant philter which I need; + Make it sweet and swift and strong, + Spirit, answer now my song!" + + [Illustration: A little figure in cloudy white] + +A soft strain of music sounded, and then at the back of the cave +appeared a little figure in cloudy white, with glittering wings, golden +hair, and a garland of roses on its head. Waving a wand, it sang,-- + + "Hither I come, + From my airy home, + Afar in the silver moon. + Take the magic spell, + And use it well, + Or its power will vanish soon!" + +And, dropping a small, gilded bottle at the witch's feet, the spirit +vanished. Another chant from Hagar produced another apparition,--not a +lovely one; for, with a bang, an ugly black imp appeared, and, having +croaked a reply, tossed a dark bottle at Hugo, and disappeared with a +mocking laugh. Having warbled his thanks and put the potions in his +boots, Hugo departed; and Hagar informed the audience that, as he had +killed a few of her friends in times past, she has cursed him, and +intends to thwart his plans, and be revenged on him. Then the curtain +fell, and the audience reposed and ate candy while discussing the merits +of the play. + +A good deal of hammering went on before the curtain rose again; but when +it became evident what a masterpiece of stage-carpentering had been got +up, no one murmured at the delay. It was truly superb! A tower rose to +the ceiling; half-way up appeared a window, with a lamp burning at it, +and behind the white curtain appeared Zara in a lovely blue and silver +dress, waiting for Roderigo. He came in gorgeous array, with plumed cap, +red cloak, chestnut love-locks, a guitar, and the boots, of course. +Kneeling at the foot of the tower, he sang a serenade in melting tones. +Zara replied, and, after a musical dialogue, consented to fly. Then came +the grand effect of the play. Roderigo produced a rope-ladder, with five +steps to it, threw up one end, and invited Zara to descend. Timidly she +crept from her lattice, put her hand on Roderigo's shoulder, and was +about to leap gracefully down, when, "Alas! alas for Zara!" she forgot +her train,--it caught in the window; the tower tottered, leaned forward, +fell with a crash, and buried the unhappy lovers in the ruins! + +A universal shriek arose as the russet boots waved wildly from the +wreck, and a golden head emerged, exclaiming, "I told you so! I told you +so!" With wonderful presence of mind, Don Pedro, the cruel sire, rushed +in, dragged out his daughter, with a hasty aside,-- + +"Don't laugh! Act as if it was all right!"--and, ordering Roderigo up, +banished him from the kingdom with wrath and scorn. Though decidedly +shaken by the fall of the tower upon him, Roderigo defied the old +gentleman, and refused to stir. This dauntless example fired Zara: she +also defied her sire, and he ordered them both to the deepest dungeons +of the castle. A stout little retainer came in with chains, and led them +away, looking very much frightened, and evidently forgetting the speech +he ought to have made. + +Act third was the castle hall; and here Hagar appeared, having come to +free the lovers and finish Hugo. She hears him coming, and hides; sees +him put the potions into two cups of wine, and bid the timid little +servant "Bear them to the captives in their cells, and tell them I shall +come anon." The servant takes Hugo aside to tell him something, and +Hagar changes the cups for two others which are harmless. Ferdinando, +the "minion," carries them away, and Hagar puts back the cup which holds +the poison meant for Roderigo. Hugo, getting thirsty after a long +warble, drinks it, loses his wits, and, after a good deal of clutching +and stamping, falls flat and dies; while Hagar informs him what she has +done in a song of exquisite power and melody. + +This was a truly thrilling scene, though some persons might have thought +that the sudden tumbling down of a quantity of long hair rather marred +the effect of the villain's death. He was called before the curtain, and +with great propriety appeared, leading Hagar, whose singing was +considered more wonderful than all the rest of the performance put +together. + +Act fourth displayed the despairing Roderigo on the point of stabbing +himself, because he has been told that Zara has deserted him. Just as +the dagger is at his heart, a lovely song is sung under his window, +informing him that Zara is true, but in danger, and he can save her, if +he will. A key is thrown in, which unlocks the door, and in a spasm of +rapture he tears off his chains, and rushes away to find and rescue his +lady-love. + +Act fifth opened with a stormy scene between Zara and Don Pedro. He +wishes her to go into a convent, but she won't hear of it; and, after a +touching appeal, is about to faint, when Roderigo dashes in and demands +her hand. Don Pedro refuses, because he is not rich. They shout and +gesticulate tremendously, but cannot agree, and Roderigo is about to +bear away the exhausted Zara, when the timid servant enters with a +letter and a bag from Hagar, who has mysteriously disappeared. The +latter informs the party that she bequeaths untold wealth to the young +pair, and an awful doom to Don Pedro, if he doesn't make them happy. The +bag is opened, and several quarts of tin money shower down upon the +stage, till it is quite glorified with the glitter. This entirely +softens the "stern sire": he consents without a murmur, all join in a +joyful chorus, and the curtain falls upon the lovers kneeling to receive +Don Pedro's blessing in attitudes of the most romantic grace. + + [Illustration: The lovers kneeling to receive Don Pedro's blessing] + +Tumultuous applause followed, but received an unexpected check; for the +cot-bed, on which the "dress-circle" was built, suddenly shut up, and +extinguished the enthusiastic audience. Roderigo and Don Pedro flew to +the rescue, and all were taken out unhurt, though many were speechless +with laughter. The excitement had hardly subsided, when Hannah appeared, +with "Mrs. March's compliments, and would the ladies walk down to +supper." + +This was a surprise, even to the actors; and, when they saw the table, +they looked at one another in rapturous amazement. It was like Marmee to +get up a little treat for them; but anything so fine as this was +unheard-of since the departed days of plenty. There was +ice-cream,--actually two dishes of it, pink and white,--and cake and +fruit and distracting French bonbons, and, in the middle of the table, +four great bouquets of hot-house flowers! + +It quite took their breath away; and they stared first at the table and +then at their mother, who looked as if she enjoyed it immensely. + +"Is it fairies?" asked Amy, + +"It's Santa Claus," said Beth. + +"Mother did it"; and Meg smiled her sweetest, in spite of her gray beard +and white eyebrows. + +"Aunt March had a good fit, and sent the supper," cried Jo, with a +sudden inspiration. + +"All wrong. Old Mr. Laurence sent it," replied Mrs. March. + +"The Laurence boy's grandfather! What in the world put such a thing into +his head? We don't know him!" exclaimed Meg. + +"Hannah told one of his servants about your breakfast party. He is an +odd old gentleman, but that pleased him. He knew my father, years ago; +and he sent me a polite note this afternoon, saying he hoped I would +allow him to express his friendly feeling toward my children by sending +them a few trifles in honor of the day. I could not refuse; and so you +have a little feast at night to make up for the bread-and-milk +breakfast." + +"That boy put it into his head, I know he did! He's a capital fellow, +and I wish we could get acquainted. He looks as if he'd like to know us; +but he's bashful, and Meg is so prim she won't let me speak to him when +we pass," said Jo, as the plates went round, and the ice began to melt +out of sight, with "Ohs!" and "Ahs!" of satisfaction. + +"You mean the people who live in the big house next door, don't you?" +asked one of the girls. "My mother knows old Mr. Laurence; but says he's +very proud, and doesn't like to mix with his neighbors. He keeps his +grandson shut up, when he isn't riding or walking with his tutor, and +makes him study very hard. We invited him to our party, but he didn't +come. Mother says he's very nice, though he never speaks to us girls." + +"Our cat ran away once, and he brought her back, and we talked over the +fence, and were getting on capitally,--all about cricket, and so +on,--when he saw Meg coming, and walked off. I mean to know him some +day; for he needs fun, I'm sure he does," said Jo decidedly. + + [Illustration: We talked over the fence] + +"I like his manners, and he looks like a little gentleman; so I've no +objection to your knowing him, if a proper opportunity comes. He brought +the flowers himself; and I should have asked him in, if I had been sure +what was going on upstairs. He looked so wistful as he went away, +hearing the frolic, and evidently having none of his own." + +"It's a mercy you didn't, mother!" laughed Jo, looking at her boots. +"But we'll have another play, some time, that he _can_ see. Perhaps +he'll help act; wouldn't that be jolly?" + +"I never had such a fine bouquet before! How pretty it is!" And Meg +examined her flowers with great interest. + +"They _are_ lovely! But Beth's roses are sweeter to me," said Mrs. +March, smelling the half-dead posy in her belt. + +Beth nestled up to her, and whispered softly, "I wish I could send my +bunch to father. I'm afraid he isn't having such a merry Christmas as we +are." + + [Illustration: Tail-piece] + + + + + [Illustration: Eating apples and crying over the "Heir of Redclyffe"] + + III. + + THE LAURENCE BOY. + + +"Jo! Jo! where are you?" cried Meg, at the foot of the garret stairs. + +"Here!" answered a husky voice from above; and, running up, Meg found +her sister eating apples and crying over the "Heir of Redclyffe," +wrapped up in a comforter on an old three-legged sofa by the sunny +window. This was Jo's favorite refuge; and here she loved to retire with +half a dozen russets and a nice book, to enjoy the quiet and the society +of a pet rat who lived near by, and didn't mind her a particle. As Meg +appeared, Scrabble whisked into his hole. Jo shook the tears off her +cheeks, and waited to hear the news. + +"Such fun! only see! a regular note of invitation from Mrs. Gardiner for +to-morrow night!" cried Meg, waving the precious paper, and then +proceeding to read it, with girlish delight. + +"'Mrs. Gardiner would be happy to see Miss March and Miss Josephine at a +little dance on New-Year's Eve.' Marmee is willing we should go; now +what _shall_ we wear?" + +"What's the use of asking that, when you know we shall wear our poplins, +because we haven't got anything else?" answered Jo, with her mouth full. + +"If I only had a silk!" sighed Meg. "Mother says I may when I'm +eighteen, perhaps; but two years is an everlasting time to wait." + +"I'm sure our pops look like silk, and they are nice enough for us. +Yours is as good as new, but I forgot the burn and the tear in mine. +Whatever shall I do? the burn shows badly, and I can't take any out." + +"You must sit still all you can, and keep your back out of sight; the +front is all right. I shall have a new ribbon for my hair, and Marmee +will lend me her little pearl pin, and my new slippers are lovely, and +my gloves will do, though they aren't as nice as I'd like." + +"Mine are spoilt with lemonade, and I can't get any new ones, so I shall +have to go without," said Jo, who never troubled herself much about +dress. + +"You _must_ have gloves, or I won't go," cried Meg decidedly. "Gloves +are more important than anything else; you can't dance without them, and +if you don't I should be _so_ mortified." + +"Then I'll stay still. I don't care much for company dancing; it's no +fun to go sailing round; I like to fly about and cut capers." + +"You can't ask mother for new ones, they are so expensive, and you are +so careless. She said, when you spoilt the others, that she shouldn't +get you any more this winter. Can't you make them do?" asked Meg +anxiously. + +"I can hold them crumpled up in my hand, so no one will know how stained +they are; that's all I can do. No! I'll tell you how we can manage--each +wear one good one and carry a bad one; don't you see?" + +"Your hands are bigger than mine, and you will stretch my glove +dreadfully," began Meg, whose gloves were a tender point with her. + +"Then I'll go without. I don't care what people say!" cried Jo, taking +up her book. + +"You may have it, you may! only don't stain it, and do behave nicely. +Don't put your hands behind you, or stare, or say 'Christopher +Columbus!' will you?" + +"Don't worry about me; I'll be as prim as I can, and not get into any +scrapes, if I can help it. Now go and answer your note, and let me +finish this splendid story." + +So Meg went away to "accept with thanks," look over her dress, and sing +blithely as she did up her one real lace frill; while Jo finished her +story, her four apples, and had a game of romps with Scrabble. + +On New-Year's Eve the parlor was deserted, for the two younger girls +played dressing-maids, and the two elder were absorbed in the +all-important business of "getting ready for the party." Simple as the +toilets were, there was a great deal of running up and down, laughing +and talking, and at one time a strong smell of burnt hair pervaded the +house. Meg wanted a few curls about her face, and Jo undertook to pinch +the papered locks with a pair of hot tongs. + + [Illustration: Jo undertook to pinch the papered locks] + +"Ought they to smoke like that?" asked Beth, from her perch on the bed. + +"It's the dampness drying," replied Jo. + +"What a queer smell! it's like burnt feathers," observed Amy, smoothing +her own pretty curls with a superior air. + +"There, now I'll take off the papers and you'll see a cloud of little +ringlets," said Jo, putting down the tongs. + +She did take off the papers, but no cloud of ringlets appeared, for the +hair came with the papers, and the horrified hair-dresser laid a row of +little scorched bundles on the bureau before her victim. + +"Oh, oh, oh! what _have_ you done? I'm spoilt! I can't go! My hair, oh, +my hair!" wailed Meg, looking with despair at the uneven frizzle on her +forehead. + +"Just my luck! you shouldn't have asked me to do it; I always spoil +everything. I'm so sorry, but the tongs were too hot, and so I've made a +mess," groaned poor Jo, regarding the black pancakes with tears of +regret. + +"It isn't spoilt; just frizzle it, and tie your ribbon so the ends come +on your forehead a bit, and it will look like the last fashion. I've +seen many girls do it so," said Amy consolingly. + +"Serves me right for trying to be fine. I wish I'd let my hair alone," +cried Meg petulantly. + +"So do I, it was so smooth and pretty. But it will soon grow out again," +said Beth, coming to kiss and comfort the shorn sheep. + +After various lesser mishaps, Meg was finished at last, and by the +united exertions of the family Jo's hair was got up and her dress on. +They looked very well in their simple suits,--Meg in silvery drab, with +a blue velvet snood, lace frills, and the pearl pin; Jo in maroon, with +a stiff, gentlemanly linen collar, and a white chrysanthemum or two for +her only ornament. Each put on one nice light glove, and carried one +soiled one, and all pronounced the effect "quite easy and fine." Meg's +high-heeled slippers were very tight, and hurt her, though she would not +own it, and Jo's nineteen hair-pins all seemed stuck straight into her +head, which was not exactly comfortable; but, dear me, let us be elegant +or die! + +"Have a good time, dearies!" said Mrs. March, as the sisters went +daintily down the walk. "Don't eat much supper, and come away at eleven, +when I send Hannah for you." As the gate clashed behind them, a voice +cried from a window,-- + +"Girls, girls! _have_ you both got nice pocket-handkerchiefs?" + +"Yes, yes, spandy nice, and Meg has cologne on hers," cried Jo, adding, +with a laugh, as they went on, "I do believe Marmee would ask that if we +were all running away from an earthquake." + +"It is one of her aristocratic tastes, and quite proper, for a real lady +is always known by neat boots, gloves, and handkerchief," replied Meg, +who had a good many little "aristocratic tastes" of her own. + +"Now don't forget to keep the bad breadth out of sight, Jo. Is my sash +right? and does my hair look _very_ bad?" said Meg, as she turned from +the glass in Mrs. Gardiner's dressing-room, after a prolonged prink. + +"I know I shall forget. If you see me doing anything wrong, just remind +me by a wink, will you?" returned Jo, giving her collar a twitch and her +head a hasty brush. + +"No, winking isn't lady-like; I'll lift my eyebrows if anything is +wrong, and nod if you are all right. Now hold your shoulders straight, +and take short steps, and don't shake hands if you are introduced to any +one: it isn't the thing." + +"How _do_ you learn all the proper ways? I never can. Isn't that music +gay?" + + [Illustration: Mrs. Gardiner greeted them] + +Down they went, feeling a trifle timid, for they seldom went to parties, +and, informal as this little gathering was, it was an event to them. +Mrs. Gardiner, a stately old lady, greeted them kindly, and handed them +over to the eldest of her six daughters. Meg knew Sallie, and was at her +ease very soon; but Jo, who didn't care much for girls or girlish +gossip, stood about, with her back carefully against the wall, and felt +as much out of place as a colt in a flower-garden. Half a dozen jovial +lads were talking about skates in another part of the room, and she +longed to go and join them, for skating was one of the joys of her life. +She telegraphed her wish to Meg, but the eyebrows went up so alarmingly +that she dared not stir. No one came to talk to her, and one by one the +group near her dwindled away, till she was left alone. She could not +roam about and amuse herself, for the burnt breadth would show, so she +stared at people rather forlornly till the dancing began. Meg was asked +at once, and the tight slippers tripped about so briskly that none would +have guessed the pain their wearer suffered smilingly. Jo saw a big +red-headed youth approaching her corner, and fearing he meant to engage +her, she slipped into a curtained recess, intending to peep and enjoy +herself in peace. Unfortunately, another bashful person had chosen the +same refuge; for, as the curtain fell behind her, she found herself face +to face with the "Laurence boy." + + [Illustration: Face to face with the Laurence boy] + +"Dear me, I didn't know any one was here!" stammered Jo, preparing to +back out as speedily as she had bounced in. + +But the boy laughed, and said pleasantly, though he looked a little +startled,-- + +"Don't mind me; stay, if you like." + +"Sha'n't I disturb you?" + +"Not a bit; I only came here because I don't know many people, and felt +rather strange at first, you know." + +"So did I. Don't go away, please, unless you'd rather." + +The boy sat down again and looked at his pumps, till Jo said, trying to +be polite and easy,-- + +"I think I've had the pleasure of seeing you before; you live near us, +don't you?" + +"Next door"; and he looked up and laughed outright, for Jo's prim manner +was rather funny when he remembered how they had chatted about cricket +when he brought the cat home. + +That put Jo at her ease; and she laughed too, as she said, in her +heartiest way,-- + +"We did have such a good time over your nice Christmas present." + +"Grandpa sent it." + +"But you put it into his head, didn't you, now?" + +"How is your cat, Miss March?" asked the boy, trying to look sober, +while his black eyes shone with fun. + +"Nicely, thank you, Mr. Laurence; but I am not Miss March, I'm only Jo," +returned the young lady. + +"I'm not Mr. Laurence, I'm only Laurie." + +"Laurie Laurence,--what an odd name!" + +"My first name is Theodore, but I don't like it, for the fellows called +me Dora, so I made them say Laurie instead." + +"I hate my name, too--so sentimental! I wish every one would say Jo, +instead of Josephine. How did you make the boys stop calling you Dora?" + +"I thrashed 'em." + +"I can't thrash Aunt March, so I suppose I shall have to bear it"; and +Jo resigned herself with a sigh. + +"Don't you like to dance, Miss Jo?" asked Laurie, looking as if he +thought the name suited her. + +"I like it well enough if there is plenty of room, and every one is +lively. In a place like this I'm sure to upset something, tread on +people's toes, or do something dreadful, so I keep out of mischief, and +let Meg sail about. Don't you dance?" + +"Sometimes; you see I've been abroad a good many years, and haven't been +into company enough yet to know how you do things here." + +"Abroad!" cried Jo. "Oh, tell me about it! I love dearly to hear people +describe their travels." + +Laurie didn't seem to know where to begin; but Jo's eager questions soon +set him going, and he told her how he had been at school in Vevay, where +the boys never wore hats, and had a fleet of boats on the lake, and for +holiday fun went walking trips about Switzerland with their teachers. + +"Don't I wish I'd been there!" cried Jo. "Did you go to Paris?" + +"We spent last winter there." + +"Can you talk French?" + +"We were not allowed to speak any thing else at Vevay." + +"Do say some! I can read it, but can't pronounce." + +"Quel nom a cette jeune demoiselle en les pantoufles jolis?" said Laurie +good-naturedly. + +"How nicely you do it! Let me see,--you said, 'Who is the young lady in +the pretty slippers,' didn't you?" + +"Oui, mademoiselle." + +"It's my sister Margaret, and you knew it was! Do you think she is +pretty?" + +"Yes; she makes me think of the German girls, she looks so fresh and +quiet, and dances like a lady." + +Jo quite glowed with pleasure at this boyish praise of her sister, and +stored it up to repeat to Meg. Both peeped and criticised and chatted, +till they felt like old acquaintances. Laurie's bashfulness soon wore +off; for Jo's gentlemanly demeanor amused and set him at his ease, and +Jo was her merry self again, because her dress was forgotten, and nobody +lifted their eyebrows at her. She liked the "Laurence boy" better than +ever, and took several good looks at him, so that she might describe him +to the girls; for they had no brothers, very few male cousins, and boys +were almost unknown creatures to them. + +"Curly black hair; brown skin; big, black eyes; handsome nose; fine +teeth; small hands and feet; taller than I am; very polite, for a boy, +and altogether jolly. Wonder how old he is?" + +It was on the tip of Jo's tongue to ask; but she checked herself in +time, and, with unusual tact, tried to find out in a roundabout way. + +"I suppose you are going to college soon? I see you pegging away at your +books,--no, I mean studying hard"; and Jo blushed at the dreadful +"pegging" which had escaped her. + +Laurie smiled, but didn't seem shocked, and answered, with a shrug,-- + +"Not for a year or two; I won't go before seventeen, anyway." + +"Aren't you but fifteen?" asked Jo, looking at the tall lad, whom she +had imagined seventeen already. + +"Sixteen, next month." + +"How I wish I was going to college! You don't look as if you liked it." + +"I hate it! Nothing but grinding or skylarking. And I don't like the way +fellows do either, in this country." + +"What do you like?" + +"To live in Italy, and to enjoy myself in my own way." + +Jo wanted very much to ask what his own way was; but his black brows +looked rather threatening as he knit them; so she changed the subject by +saying, as her foot kept time, "That's a splendid polka! Why don't you +go and try it?" + +"If you will come too," he answered, with a gallant little bow. + +"I can't; for I told Meg I wouldn't, because--" There Jo stopped, and +looked undecided whether to tell or to laugh. + +"Because what?" asked Laurie curiously. + +"You won't tell?" + +"Never!" + +"Well, I have a bad trick of standing before the fire, and so I burn my +frocks, and I scorched this one; and, though it's nicely mended, it +shows, and Meg told me to keep still, so no one would see it. You may +laugh, if you want to; it is funny, I know." + +But Laurie didn't laugh; he only looked down a minute, and the +expression of his face puzzled Jo, when he said very gently,-- + +"Never mind that; I'll tell you how we can manage: there's a long hall +out there, and we can dance grandly, and no one will see us. Please +come?" + +Jo thanked him, and gladly went, wishing she had two neat gloves, when +she saw the nice, pearl-colored ones her partner wore. The hall was +empty, and they had a grand polka; for Laurie danced well, and taught +her the German step, which delighted Jo, being full of swing and spring. +When the music stopped, they sat down on the stairs to get their breath; +and Laurie was in the midst of an account of a students' festival at +Heidelberg, when Meg appeared in search of her sister. She beckoned, and +Jo reluctantly followed her into a side-room, where she found her on a +sofa, holding her foot, and looking pale. + + [Illustration: They sat down on the stairs] + +"I've sprained my ankle. That stupid high heel turned, and gave me a sad +wrench. It aches so, I can hardly stand, and I don't know how I'm ever +going to get home," she said, rocking to and fro in pain. + +"I knew you'd hurt your feet with those silly shoes. I'm sorry. But I +don't see what you can do, except get a carriage, or stay here all +night," answered Jo, softly rubbing the poor ankle as she spoke. + +"I can't have a carriage, without its costing ever so much. I dare say I +can't get one at all; for most people come in their own, and it's a long +way to the stable, and no one to send." + +"I'll go." + +"No, indeed! It's past nine, and dark as Egypt. I can't stop here, for +the house is full. Sallie has some girls staying with her. I'll rest +till Hannah comes, and then do the best I can." + +"I'll ask Laurie; he will go," said Jo, looking relieved as the idea +occurred to her. + +"Mercy, no! Don't ask or tell any one. Get me my rubbers, and put these +slippers with our things. I can't dance any more; but as soon as supper +is over, watch for Hannah, and tell me the minute she comes." + +"They are going out to supper now. I'll stay with you; I'd rather." + +"No, dear, run along, and bring me some coffee. I'm so tired, I can't +stir!" + +So Meg reclined, with rubbers well hidden, and Jo went blundering away +to the dining-room, which she found after going into a china-closet, and +opening the door of a room where old Mr. Gardiner was taking a little +private refreshment. Making a dart at the table, she secured the coffee, +which she immediately spilt, thereby making the front of her dress as +bad as the back. + +"Oh, dear, what a blunderbuss I am!" exclaimed Jo, finishing Meg's glove +by scrubbing her gown with it. + +"Can I help you?" said a friendly voice; and there was Laurie, with a +full cup in one hand and a plate of ice in the other. + +"I was trying to get something for Meg, who is very tired, and some one +shook me; and here I am, in a nice state," answered Jo, glancing +dismally from the stained skirt to the coffee-colored glove. + +"Too bad! I was looking for some one to give this to. May I take it to +your sister?" + +"Oh, thank you! I'll show you where she is. I don't offer to take it +myself, for I should only get into another scrape if I did." + +Jo led the way; and, as if used to waiting on ladies, Laurie drew up a +little table, brought a second instalment of coffee and ice for Jo, and +was so obliging that even particular Meg pronounced him a "nice boy." +They had a merry time over the bonbons and mottoes, and were in the +midst of a quiet game of "Buzz," with two or three other young people +who had strayed in, when Hannah appeared. Meg forgot her foot, and rose +so quickly that she was forced to catch hold of Jo, with an exclamation +of pain. + +"Hush! Don't say anything," she whispered, adding aloud, "It's nothing. +I turned my foot a little, that's all"; and limped up-stairs to put her +things on. + +Hannah scolded, Meg cried, and Jo was at her wits' end, till she +decided to take things into her own hands. Slipping out, she ran down, +and, finding a servant, asked if he could get her a carriage. It +happened to be a hired waiter, who knew nothing about the neighborhood; +and Jo was looking round for help, when Laurie, who had heard what she +said, came up, and offered his grandfather's carriage, which had just +come for him, he said. + +"It's so early! You can't mean to go yet?" began Jo, looking relieved, +but hesitating to accept the offer. + +"I always go early,--I do, truly! Please let me take you home? It's all +on my way, you know, and it rains, they say." + +That settled it; and, telling him of Meg's mishap, Jo gratefully +accepted, and rushed up to bring down the rest of the party. Hannah +hated rain as much as a cat does; so she made no trouble, and they +rolled away in the luxurious close carriage, feeling very festive and +elegant. Laurie went on the box; so Meg could keep her foot up, and the +girls talked over their party in freedom. + +"I had a capital time. Did you?" asked Jo, rumpling up her hair, and +making herself comfortable. + +"Yes, till I hurt myself. Sallie's friend, Annie Moffat, took a fancy to +me, and asked me to come and spend a week with her, when Sallie does. +She is going in the spring, when the opera comes; and it will be +perfectly splendid, if mother only lets me go," answered Meg, cheering +up at the thought. + +"I saw you dancing with the red-headed man I ran away from. Was he +nice?" + +"Oh, very! His hair is auburn, not red; and he was very polite, and I +had a delicious redowa with him." + +"He looked like a grasshopper in a fit, when he did the new step. Laurie +and I couldn't help laughing. Did you hear us?" + +"No; but it was very rude. What _were_ you about all that time, hidden +away there?" + +Jo told her adventures, and, by the time she had finished, they were at +home. With many thanks, they said "Good night," and crept in, hoping to +disturb no one; but the instant their door creaked, two little +night-caps bobbed up, and two sleepy but eager voices cried out,-- + +"Tell about the party! tell about the party!" + +With what Meg called "a great want of manners," Jo had saved some +bonbons for the little girls; and they soon subsided, after hearing the +most thrilling events of the evening. + +"I declare, it really seems like being a fine young lady, to come home +from the party in a carriage, and sit in my dressing-gown, with a maid +to wait on me," said Meg, as Jo bound up her foot with arnica, and +brushed her hair. + +"I don't believe fine young ladies enjoy themselves a bit more than we +do, in spite of our burnt hair, old gowns, one glove apiece, and tight +slippers that sprain our ankles when we are silly enough to wear them." +And I think Jo was quite right. + + [Illustration: Tell about the party] + + + + + [Illustration: The kitten stuck like a burr just out of reach] + + IV. + + BURDENS. + + +"Oh dear, how hard it does seem to take up our packs and go on," sighed +Meg, the morning after the party; for, now the holidays were over, the +week of merry-making did not fit her for going on easily with the task +she never liked. + +"I wish it was Christmas or New-Year all the time; wouldn't it be fun?" +answered Jo, yawning dismally. + +"We shouldn't enjoy ourselves half so much as we do now. But it does +seem so nice to have little suppers and bouquets, and go to parties, and +drive home, and read and rest, and not work. It's like other people, +you know, and I always envy girls who do such things; I'm so fond of +luxury," said Meg, trying to decide which of two shabby gowns was the +least shabby. + +"Well, we can't have it, so don't let us grumble, but shoulder our +bundles and trudge along as cheerfully as Marmee does. I'm sure Aunt +March is a regular Old Man of the Sea to me, but I suppose when I've +learned to carry her without complaining, she will tumble off, or get so +light that I sha'n't mind her." + +This idea tickled Jo's fancy, and put her in good spirits; but Meg +didn't brighten, for her burden, consisting of four spoilt children, +seemed heavier than ever. She hadn't heart enough even to make herself +pretty, as usual, by putting on a blue neck-ribbon, and dressing her +hair in the most becoming way. + +"Where's the use of looking nice, when no one sees me but those cross +midgets, and no one cares whether I'm pretty or not?" she muttered, +shutting her drawer with a jerk. "I shall have to toil and moil all my +days, with only little bits of fun now and then, and get old and ugly +and sour, because I'm poor, and can't enjoy my life as other girls do. +It's a shame!" + +So Meg went down, wearing an injured look, and wasn't at all agreeable +at breakfast-time. Every one seemed rather out of sorts, and inclined to +croak. Beth had a headache, and lay on the sofa, trying to comfort +herself with the cat and three kittens; Amy was fretting because her +lessons were not learned, and she couldn't find her rubbers; Jo _would_ +whistle and make a great racket getting ready; Mrs. March was very busy +trying to finish a letter, which must go at once; and Hannah had the +grumps, for being up late didn't suit her. + +"There never _was_ such a cross family!" cried Jo, losing her temper +when she had upset an inkstand, broken both boot-lacings, and sat down +upon her hat. + +"You're the crossest person in it!" returned Amy, washing out the sum, +that was all wrong, with the tears that had fallen on her slate. + +"Beth, if you don't keep these horrid cats down cellar I'll have them +drowned," exclaimed Meg angrily, as she tried to get rid of the kitten, +which had scrambled up her back, and stuck like a burr just out of +reach. + +Jo laughed, Meg scolded, Beth implored, and Amy wailed, because she +couldn't remember how much nine times twelve was. + +"Girls, girls, do be quiet one minute! I _must_ get this off by the +early mail, and you drive me distracted with your worry," cried Mrs. +March, crossing out the third spoilt sentence in her letter. + +There was a momentary lull, broken by Hannah, who stalked in, laid two +hot turn-overs on the table, and stalked out again. These turn-overs +were an institution; and the girls called them "muffs," for they had no +others, and found the hot pies very comforting to their hands on cold +mornings. Hannah never forgot to make them, no matter how busy or grumpy +she might be, for the walk was long and bleak; the poor things got no +other lunch, and were seldom home before two. + +"Cuddle your cats, and get over your headache, Bethy. Good-by, Marmee; +we are a set of rascals this morning, but we'll come home regular +angels. Now then, Meg!" and Jo tramped away, feeling that the pilgrims +were not setting out as they ought to do. + +They always looked back before turning the corner, for their mother was +always at the window, to nod and smile, and wave her hand to them. +Somehow it seemed as if they couldn't have got through the day without +that; for, whatever their mood might be, the last glimpse of that +motherly face was sure to affect them like sunshine. + +"If Marmee shook her fist instead of kissing her hand to us, it would +serve us right, for more ungrateful wretches than we are were never +seen," cried Jo, taking a remorseful satisfaction in the snowy walk and +bitter wind. + +"Don't use such dreadful expressions," said Meg, from the depths of the +vail in which she had shrouded herself like a nun sick of the world. + +"I like good strong words, that mean something," replied Jo, catching +her hat as it took a leap off her head, preparatory to flying away +altogether. + +"Call yourself any names you like; but _I_ am neither a rascal nor a +wretch, and I don't choose to be called so." + +"You're a blighted being, and decidedly cross to-day because you can't +sit in the lap of luxury all the time. Poor dear, just wait till I make +my fortune, and you shall revel in carriages and ice-cream and +high-heeled slippers and posies and red-headed boys to dance with." + +"How ridiculous you are, Jo!" but Meg laughed at the nonsense, and felt +better in spite of herself. + +"Lucky for you I am; for if I put on crushed airs, and tried to be +dismal, as you do, we should be in a nice state. Thank goodness, I can +always find something funny to keep me up. Don't croak any more, but +come home jolly, there's a dear." + +Jo gave her sister an encouraging pat on the shoulder as they parted for +the day, each going a different way, each hugging her little warm +turn-over, and each trying to be cheerful in spite of wintry weather, +hard work, and the unsatisfied desires of pleasure-loving youth. + +When Mr. March lost his property in trying to help an unfortunate +friend, the two oldest girls begged to be allowed to do something toward +their own support, at least. Believing that they could not begin too +early to cultivate energy, industry, and independence, their parents +consented, and both fell to work with the hearty good-will which in +spite of all obstacles, is sure to succeed at last. Margaret found a +place as nursery governess, and felt rich with her small salary. As she +said, she _was_ "fond of luxury," and her chief trouble was poverty. She +found it harder to bear than the others, because she could remember a +time when home was beautiful, life full of ease and pleasure, and want +of any kind unknown. She tried not to be envious or discontented, but it +was very natural that the young girl should long for pretty things, gay +friends, accomplishments, and a happy life. At the Kings' she daily saw +all she wanted, for the children's older sisters were just out, and Meg +caught frequent glimpses of dainty ball-dresses and bouquets, heard +lively gossip about theatres, concerts, sleighing parties, and +merry-makings of all kinds, and saw money lavished on trifles which +would have been so precious to her. Poor Meg seldom complained, but a +sense of injustice made her feel bitter toward every one sometimes, for +she had not yet learned to know how rich she was in the blessings which +alone can make life happy. + +Jo happened to suit Aunt March, who was lame, and needed an active +person to wait upon her. The childless old lady had offered to adopt one +of the girls when the troubles came, and was much offended because her +offer was declined. Other friends told the Marches that they had lost +all chance of being remembered in the rich old lady's will; but the +unworldly Marches only said,-- + +"We can't give up our girls for a dozen fortunes. Rich or poor, we will +keep together and be happy in one another." + +The old lady wouldn't speak to them for a time, but happening to meet Jo +at a friend's, something in her comical face and blunt manners struck +the old lady's fancy, and she proposed to take her for a companion. This +did not suit Jo at all; but she accepted the place since nothing better +appeared, and, to every one's surprise, got on remarkably well with her +irascible relative. There was an occasional tempest, and once Jo had +marched home, declaring she couldn't bear it any longer; but Aunt March +always cleared up quickly, and sent for her back again with such urgency +that she could not refuse, for in her heart she rather liked the peppery +old lady. + +I suspect that the real attraction was a large library of fine books, +which was left to dust and spiders since Uncle March died. Jo remembered +the kind old gentleman, who used to let her build railroads and bridges +with his big dictionaries, tell her stories about the queer pictures in +his Latin books, and buy her cards of gingerbread whenever he met her in +the street. The dim, dusty room, with the busts staring down from the +tall book-cases, the cosy chairs, the globes, and, best of all, the +wilderness of books, in which she could wander where she liked, made the +library a region of bliss to her. The moment Aunt March took her nap, or +was busy with company, Jo hurried to this quiet place, and, curling +herself up in the easy-chair, devoured poetry, romance, history, +travels, and pictures, like a regular book-worm. But, like all +happiness, it did not last long; for as sure as she had just reached the +heart of the story, the sweetest verse of the song, or the most perilous +adventure of her traveller, a shrill voice called, "Josy-phine! +Josy-phine!" and she had to leave her paradise to wind yarn, wash the +poodle, or read Belsham's Essays by the hour together. + + [Illustration: Curling herself up in the big chair] + +Jo's ambition was to do something very splendid; what it was she had no +idea, as yet, but left it for time to tell her; and, meanwhile, found +her greatest affliction in the fact that she couldn't read, run, and +ride as much as she liked. A quick temper, sharp tongue, and restless +spirit were always getting her into scrapes, and her life was a series +of ups and downs, which were both comic and pathetic. But the training +she received at Aunt March's was just what she needed; and the thought +that she was doing something to support herself made her happy, in spite +of the perpetual "Josy-phine!" + +Beth was too bashful to go to school; it had been tried, but she +suffered so much that it was given up, and she did her lessons at home, +with her father. Even when he went away, and her mother was called to +devote her skill and energy to Soldiers' Aid Societies, Beth went +faithfully on by herself, and did the best she could. She was a +housewifely little creature, and helped Hannah keep home neat and +comfortable for the workers, never thinking of any reward but to be +loved. Long, quiet days she spent, not lonely nor idle, for her little +world was peopled with imaginary friends, and she was by nature a busy +bee. There were six dolls to be taken up and dressed every morning, for +Beth was a child still, and loved her pets as well as ever. Not one +whole or handsome one among them; all were outcasts till Beth took them +in; for, when her sisters outgrew these idols, they passed to her, +because Amy would have nothing old or ugly. Beth cherished them all the +more tenderly for that very reason, and set up a hospital for infirm +dolls. No pins were ever stuck into their cotton vitals; no harsh words +or blows were ever given them; no neglect ever saddened the heart of the +most repulsive: but all were fed and clothed, nursed and caressed, with +an affection which never failed. One forlorn fragment of _dollanity_ had +belonged to Jo; and, having led a tempestuous life, was left a wreck in +the rag-bag, from which dreary poorhouse it was rescued by Beth, and +taken to her refuge. Having no top to its head, she tied on a neat +little cap, and, as both arms and legs were gone, she hid these +deficiencies by folding it in a blanket, and devoting her best bed to +this chronic invalid. If any one had known the care lavished on that +dolly, I think it would have touched their hearts, even while they +laughed. She brought it bits of bouquets; she read to it, took it out to +breathe the air, hidden under her coat; she sung it lullabys, and never +went to bed without kissing its dirty face, and whispering tenderly, "I +hope you'll have a good night, my poor dear." + +Beth had her troubles as well as the others; and not being an angel, but +a very human little girl, she often "wept a little weep," as Jo said, +because she couldn't take music lessons and have a fine piano. She loved +music so dearly, tried so hard to learn, and practised away so patiently +at the jingling old instrument, that it did seem as if some one (not to +hint Aunt March) ought to help her. Nobody did, however, and nobody saw +Beth wipe the tears off the yellow keys, that wouldn't keep in tune, +when she was all alone. She sang like a little lark about her work, +never was too tired to play for Marmee and the girls, and day after day +said hopefully to herself, "I know I'll get my music some time, if I'm +good." + +There are many Beths in the world, shy and quiet, sitting in corners +till needed, and living for others so cheerfully that no one sees the +sacrifices till the little cricket on the hearth stops chirping, and the +sweet, sunshiny presence vanishes, leaving silence and shadow behind. + +If anybody had asked Amy what the greatest trial of her life was, she +would have answered at once, "My nose." When she was a baby, Jo had +accidentally dropped her into the coal-hod, and Amy insisted that the +fall had ruined her nose forever. It was not big, nor red, like poor +"Petrea's"; it was only rather flat, and all the pinching in the world +could not give it an aristocratic point. No one minded it but herself, +and it was doing its best to grow, but Amy felt deeply the want of a +Grecian nose, and drew whole sheets of handsome ones to console herself. + +"Little Raphael," as her sisters called her, had a decided talent for +drawing, and was never so happy as when copying flowers, designing +fairies, or illustrating stories with queer specimens of art. Her +teachers complained that, instead of doing her sums, she covered her +slate with animals; the blank pages of her atlas were used to copy maps +on; and caricatures of the most ludicrous description came fluttering +out of all her books at unlucky moments. She got through her lessons as +well as she could, and managed to escape reprimands by being a model of +deportment. She was a great favorite with her mates, being +good-tempered, and possessing the happy art of pleasing without effort. +Her little airs and graces were much admired, so were her +accomplishments; for beside her drawing, she could play twelve tunes, +crochet, and read French without mispronouncing more than two thirds of +the words. She had a plaintive way of saying, "When papa was rich we did +so-and-so," which was very touching; and her long words were considered +"perfectly elegant" by the girls. + +Amy was in a fair way to be spoilt; for every one petted her, and her +small vanities and selfishnesses were growing nicely. One thing, +however, rather quenched the vanities; she had to wear her cousin's +clothes. Now Florence's mamma hadn't a particle of taste, and Amy +suffered deeply at having to wear a red instead of a blue bonnet, +unbecoming gowns, and fussy aprons that did not fit. Everything was +good, well made, and little worn; but Amy's artistic eyes were much +afflicted, especially this winter, when her school dress was a dull +purple, with yellow dots, and no trimming. + +"My only comfort," she said to Meg, with tears in her eyes, "is, that +mother don't take tucks in my dresses whenever I'm naughty, as Maria +Parks' mother does. My dear, it's really dreadful; for sometimes she is +so bad, her frock is up to her knees, and she can't come to school. When +I think of this _deggerredation_, I feel that I can bear even my flat +nose and purple gown, with yellow sky-rockets on it." + +Meg was Amy's confidant and monitor, and, by some strange attraction of +opposites, Jo was gentle Beth's. To Jo alone did the shy child tell her +thoughts; and over her big, harum-scarum sister, Beth unconsciously +exercised more influence than any one in the family. The two older girls +were a great deal to one another, but each took one of the younger into +her keeping, and watched over her in her own way; "playing mother" they +called it, and put their sisters in the places of discarded dolls, with +the maternal instinct of little women. + +"Has anybody got anything to tell? It's been such a dismal day I'm +really dying for some amusement," said Meg, as they sat sewing together +that evening. + +"I had a queer time with aunt to-day, and, as I got the best of it, I'll +tell you about it," began Jo, who dearly loved to tell stories. "I was +reading that everlasting Belsham, and droning away as I always do, for +aunt soon drops off, and then I take out some nice book, and read like +fury till she wakes up. I actually made myself sleepy; and, before she +began to nod, I gave such a gape that she asked me what I meant by +opening my mouth wide enough to take the whole book in at once. + + [Illustration: Reading that everlasting Belsham] + +"'I wish I could, and be done with it,' said I, trying not to be saucy. + +"Then she gave me a long lecture on my sins, and told me to sit and +think them over while she just 'lost' herself for a moment. She never +finds herself very soon; so the minute her cap began to bob, like a +top-heavy dahlia, I whipped the 'Vicar of Wakefield' out of my pocket, +and read away, with one eye on him, and one on aunt. I'd just got to +where they all tumbled into the water, when I forgot, and laughed out +loud. Aunt woke up; and, being more good-natured after her nap, told me +to read a bit, and show what frivolous work I preferred to the worthy +and instructive Belsham. I did my very best, and she liked it, though +she only said,-- + +"'I don't understand what it's all about. Go back and begin it, child.' + +"Back I went, and made the Primroses as interesting as ever I could. +Once I was wicked enough to stop in a thrilling place, and say meekly, +'I'm afraid it tires you, ma'am; sha'n't I stop now?' + +"She caught up her knitting, which had dropped out of her hands, gave me +a sharp look through her specs, and said, in her short way,-- + +"'Finish the chapter, and don't be impertinent, miss.'" + +"Did she own she liked it?" asked Meg. + +"Oh, bless you, no! but she let old Belsham rest; and, when I ran back +after my gloves this afternoon, there she was, so hard at the Vicar that +she didn't hear me laugh as I danced a jig in the hall, because of the +good time coming. What a pleasant life she might have, if she only +chose. I don't envy her much, in spite of her money, for after all rich +people have about as many worries as poor ones, I think," added Jo. + +"That reminds me," said Meg, "that I've got something to tell. It isn't +funny, like Jo's story, but I thought about it a good deal as I came +home. At the Kings to-day I found everybody in a flurry, and one of the +children said that her oldest brother had done something dreadful, and +papa had sent him away. I heard Mrs. King crying and Mr. King talking +very loud, and Grace and Ellen turned away their faces when they passed +me, so I shouldn't see how red their eyes were. I didn't ask any +questions, of course; but I felt so sorry for them, and was rather glad +I hadn't any wild brothers to do wicked things and disgrace the family." + +"I think being disgraced in school is a great deal try_inger_ than +anything bad boys can do," said Amy, shaking her head, as if her +experience of life had been a deep one. "Susie Perkins came to school +to-day with a lovely red carnelian ring; I wanted it dreadfully, and +wished I was her with all my might. Well, she drew a picture of Mr. +Davis, with a monstrous nose and a hump, and the words, 'Young ladies, +my eye is upon you!' coming out of his mouth in a balloon thing. We were +laughing over it, when all of a sudden his eye _was_ on us, and he +ordered Susie to bring up her slate. She was _parry_lized with fright, +but she went, and oh, what _do_ you think he did? He took her by the +ear, the ear! just fancy how horrid!--and led her to the recitation +platform, and made her stand there half an hour, holding that slate so +every one could see." + + [Illustration: He took her by the ear! by the ear!] + +"Didn't the girls laugh at the picture?" asked Jo, who relished the +scrape. + +"Laugh? Not one! They sat as still as mice; and Susie cried quarts, I +know she did. I didn't envy her then; for I felt that millions of +carnelian rings wouldn't have made me happy, after that. I never, never +should have got over such a agonizing mortification." And Amy went on +with her work, in the proud consciousness of virtue, and the successful +utterance of two long words in a breath. + +"I saw something that I liked this morning, and I meant to tell it at +dinner, but I forgot," said Beth, putting Jo's topsy-turvy basket in +order as she talked. "When I went to get some oysters for Hannah, Mr. +Laurence was in the fish-shop; but he didn't see me, for I kept behind a +barrel, and he was busy with Mr. Cutter, the fish-man. A poor woman came +in, with a pail and a mop, and asked Mr. Cutter if he would let her do +some scrubbing for a bit of fish, because she hadn't any dinner for her +children, and had been disappointed of a day's work. Mr. Cutter was in a +hurry, and said 'No,' rather crossly; so she was going away, looking +hungry and sorry, when Mr. Laurence hooked up a big fish with the +crooked end of his cane, and held it out to her. She was so glad and +surprised, she took it right in her arms, and thanked him over and over. +He told her to 'go along and cook it,' and she hurried off, so happy! +Wasn't it good of him? Oh, she did look so funny, hugging the big, +slippery fish, and hoping Mr. Laurence's bed in heaven would be 'aisy.'" + + [Illustration: Mr. Laurence hooked up a big fish] + +When they had laughed at Beth's story, they asked their mother for one; +and, after a moment's thought, she said soberly,-- + +"As I sat cutting out blue flannel jackets to-day, at the rooms, I felt +very anxious about father, and thought how lonely and helpless we should +be, if anything happened to him. It was not a wise thing to do; but I +kept on worrying, till an old man came in, with an order for some +clothes. He sat down near me, and I began to talk to him; for he looked +poor and tired and anxious. + +"'Have you sons in the army?' I asked; for the note he brought was not +to me. + +"'Yes, ma'am. I had four, but two were killed, one is a prisoner, and +I'm going to the other, who is very sick in a Washington hospital,' he +answered quietly. + +"'You have done a great deal for your country, sir,' I said, feeling +respect now, instead of pity. + +"'Not a mite more than I ought, ma'am. I'd go myself, if I was any use; +as I ain't, I give my boys, and give 'em free.' + +"He spoke so cheerfully, looked so sincere, and seemed so glad to give +his all, that I was ashamed of myself. I'd given one man, and thought it +too much, while he gave four, without grudging them. I had all my girls +to comfort me at home; and his last son was waiting, miles away, to say +'good by' to him, perhaps! I felt so rich, so happy, thinking of my +blessings, that I made him a nice bundle, gave him some money, and +thanked him heartily for the lesson he had taught me." + +"Tell another story, mother,--one with a moral to it, like this. I like +to think about them afterwards, if they are real, and not too preachy," +said Jo, after a minute's silence. + +Mrs. March smiled, and began at once; for she had told stories to this +little audience for many years, and knew how to please them. + +"Once upon a time, there were four girls, who had enough to eat and +drink and wear, a good many comforts and pleasures, kind friends and +parents, who loved them dearly, and yet they were not contented." (Here +the listeners stole sly looks at one another, and began to sew +diligently.) "These girls were anxious to be good, and made many +excellent resolutions; but they did not keep them very well, and were +constantly saying, 'If we only had this,' or 'If we could only do that,' +quite forgetting how much they already had, and how many pleasant things +they actually could do. So they asked an old woman what spell they could +use to make them happy, and she said, 'When you feel discontented, think +over your blessings, and be grateful.'" (Here Jo looked up quickly, as +if about to speak, but changed her mind, seeing that the story was not +done yet.) + +"Being sensible girls, they decided to try her advice, and soon were +surprised to see how well off they were. One discovered that money +couldn't keep shame and sorrow out of rich people's houses; another +that, though she was poor, she was a great deal happier, with her youth, +health, and good spirits, than a certain fretful, feeble old lady, who +couldn't enjoy her comforts; a third that, disagreeable as it was to +help get dinner, it was harder still to have to go begging for it; and +the fourth, that even carnelian rings were not so valuable as good +behavior. So they agreed to stop complaining, to enjoy the blessings +already possessed, and try to deserve them, lest they should be taken +away entirely, instead of increased; and I believe they were never +disappointed, or sorry that they took the old woman's advice." + +"Now, Marmee, that is very cunning of you to turn our own stories +against us, and give us a sermon instead of a romance!" cried Meg. + +"I like that kind of sermon. It's the sort father used to tell us," said +Beth thoughtfully, putting the needles straight on Jo's cushion. + +"I don't complain near as much as the others do, and I shall be more +careful than ever now; for I've had warning from Susie's downfall," said +Amy morally. + +"We needed that lesson, and we won't forget it. If we do, you just say +to us, as old Chloe did in 'Uncle Tom,' 'Tink ob yer marcies, chillen! +tink ob yer marcies!'" added Jo, who could not, for the life of her, +help getting a morsel of fun out of the little sermon, though she took +it to heart as much as any of them. + + [Illustration: Tail-piece] + + + + + V. + + BEING NEIGHBORLY. + + + [Illustration: Being neighborly] + +"What in the world are you going to do now, Jo?" asked Meg, one snowy +afternoon, as her sister came tramping through the hall, in rubber +boots, old sack and hood, with a broom in one hand and a shovel in the +other. + +"Going out for exercise," answered Jo, with a mischievous twinkle in her +eyes. + +"I should think two long walks this morning would have been enough! It's +cold and dull out; and I advise you to stay, warm and dry, by the fire, +as I do," said Meg, with a shiver. + +"Never take advice! Can't keep still all day, and, not being a pussycat, +I don't like to doze by the fire. I like adventures, and I'm going to +find some." + +Meg went back to toast her feet and read "Ivanhoe"; and Jo began to dig +paths with great energy. The snow was light, and with her broom she soon +swept a path all round the garden, for Beth to walk in when the sun came +out; and the invalid dolls needed air. Now, the garden separated the +Marches' house from that of Mr. Laurence. Both stood in a suburb of the +city, which was still country-like, with groves and lawns, large +gardens, and quiet streets. A low hedge parted the two estates. On one +side was an old, brown house, looking rather bare and shabby, robbed of +the vines that in summer covered its walls, and the flowers which then +surrounded it. On the other side was a stately stone mansion, plainly +betokening every sort of comfort and luxury, from the big coach-house +and well-kept grounds to the conservatory and the glimpses of lovely +things one caught between the rich curtains. Yet it seemed a lonely, +lifeless sort of house; for no children frolicked on the lawn, no +motherly face ever smiled at the windows, and few people went in and +out, except the old gentleman and his grandson. + +To Jo's lively fancy, this fine house seemed a kind of enchanted palace, +full of splendors and delights, which no one enjoyed. She had long +wanted to behold these hidden glories, and to know the "Laurence boy," +who looked as if he would like to be known, if he only knew how to +begin. Since the party, she had been more eager than ever, and had +planned many ways of making friends with him; but he had not been seen +lately, and Jo began to think he had gone away, when she one day spied a +brown face at an upper window, looking wistfully down into their garden, +where Beth and Amy were snow-balling one another. + +"That boy is suffering for society and fun," she said to herself. "His +grandpa does not know what's good for him, and keeps him shut up all +alone. He needs a party of jolly boys to play with, or somebody young +and lively. I've a great mind to go over and tell the old gentleman so!" + +The idea amused Jo, who liked to do daring things, and was always +scandalizing Meg by her queer performances. The plan of "going over" was +not forgotten; and when the snowy afternoon came, Jo resolved to try +what could be done. She saw Mr. Laurence drive off, and then sallied out +to dig her way down to the hedge, where she paused, and took a survey. +All quiet,--curtains down at the lower windows; servants out of sight, +and nothing human visible but a curly black head leaning on a thin hand +at the upper window. + +"There he is," thought Jo, "poor boy! all alone and sick this dismal +day. It's a shame! I'll toss up a snow-ball, and make him look out, and +then say a kind word to him." + +Up went a handful of soft snow, and the head turned at once, showing a +face which lost its listless look in a minute, as the big eyes +brightened and the mouth began to smile. Jo nodded and laughed, and +flourished her broom as she called out,-- + +"How do you do? Are you sick?" + + [Illustration: Laurie opened the window] + +Laurie opened the window, and croaked out as hoarsely as a raven,-- + +"Better, thank you. I've had a bad cold, and been shut up a week." + +"I'm sorry. What do you amuse yourself with?" + +"Nothing; it's as dull as tombs up here." + +"Don't you read?" + +"Not much; they won't let me." + +"Can't somebody read to you?" + +"Grandpa does, sometimes; but my books don't interest him, and I hate to +ask Brooke all the time." + +"Have some one come and see you, then." + +"There isn't any one I'd like to see. Boys make such a row, and my head +is weak." + +"Isn't there some nice girl who'd read and amuse you? Girls are quiet, +and like to play nurse." + +"Don't know any." + +"You know us," began Jo, then laughed, and stopped. + +"So I do! Will you come, please?" cried Laurie. + +"I'm not quiet and nice; but I'll come, if mother will let me. I'll go +ask her. Shut that window, like a good boy, and wait till I come." + +With that, Jo shouldered her broom and marched into the house, wondering +what they would all say to her. Laurie was in a flutter of excitement at +the idea of having company, and flew about to get ready; for, as Mrs. +March said, he was "a little gentleman," and did honor to the coming +guest by brushing his curly pate, putting on a fresh collar, and trying +to tidy up the room, which, in spite of half a dozen servants, was +anything but neat. Presently there came a loud ring, then a decided +voice, asking for "Mr. Laurie," and a surprised-looking servant came +running up to announce a young lady. + +"All right, show her up, it's Miss Jo," said Laurie, going to the door +of his little parlor to meet Jo, who appeared, looking rosy and kind and +quite at her ease, with a covered dish in one hand and Beth's three +kittens in the other. + +"Here I am, bag and baggage," she said briskly. "Mother sent her love, +and was glad if I could do anything for you. Meg wanted me to bring some +of her blanc-mange; she makes it very nicely, and Beth thought her cats +would be comforting. I knew you'd laugh at them, but I couldn't refuse, +she was so anxious to do something." + +It so happened that Beth's funny loan was just the thing; for, in +laughing over the kits, Laurie forgot his bashfulness, and grew sociable +at once. + +"That looks too pretty to eat," he said, smiling with pleasure, as Jo +uncovered the dish, and showed the blanc-mange, surrounded by a garland +of green leaves, and the scarlet flowers of Amy's pet geranium. + +"It isn't anything, only they all felt kindly, and wanted to show it. +Tell the girl to put it away for your tea: it's so simple, you can eat +it; and, being soft, it will slip down without hurting your sore throat. +What a cosy room this is!" + +"It might be if it was kept nice; but the maids are lazy, and I don't +know how to make them mind. It worries me, though." + +"I'll right it up in two minutes; for it only needs to have the hearth +brushed, so,--and the things made straight on the mantel-piece so,--and +the books put here, and the bottles there, and your sofa turned from the +light, and the pillows plumped up a bit. Now, then, you're fixed." + +And so he was; for, as she laughed and talked, Jo had whisked things +into place, and given quite a different air to the room. Laurie watched +her in respectful silence; and when she beckoned him to his sofa, he sat +down with a sigh of satisfaction, saying gratefully,-- + +"How kind you are! Yes, that's what it wanted. Now please take the big +chair, and let me do something to amuse my company." + +"No; I came to amuse you. Shall I read aloud?" and Jo looked +affectionately toward some inviting books near by. + +"Thank you; I've read all those, and if you don't mind, I'd rather +talk," answered Laurie. + +"Not a bit; I'll talk all day if you'll only set me going. Beth says I +never know when to stop." + +"Is Beth the rosy one, who stays at home a good deal, and sometimes goes +out with a little basket?" asked Laurie, with interest. + +"Yes, that's Beth; she's my girl, and a regular good one she is, too." + +"The pretty one is Meg, and the curly-haired one is Amy, I believe?" + +"How did you find that out?" + +Laurie colored up, but answered frankly, "Why, you see, I often hear you +calling to one another, and when I'm alone up here, I can't help looking +over at your house, you always seem to be having such good times. I beg +your pardon for being so rude, but sometimes you forget to put down the +curtain at the window where the flowers are; and when the lamps are +lighted, it's like looking at a picture to see the fire, and you all +round the table with your mother; her face is right opposite, and it +looks so sweet behind the flowers, I can't help watching it. I haven't +got any mother, you know;" and Laurie poked the fire to hide a little +twitching of the lips that he could not control. + +The solitary, hungry look in his eyes went straight to Jo's warm heart. +She had been so simply taught that there was no nonsense in her head, +and at fifteen she was as innocent and frank as any child. Laurie was +sick and lonely; and, feeling how rich she was in home-love and +happiness, she gladly tried to share it with him. Her face was very +friendly and her sharp voice unusually gentle as she said,-- + +"We'll never draw that curtain any more, and I give you leave to look as +much as you like. I just wish, though, instead of peeping, you'd come +over and see us. Mother is so splendid, she'd do you heaps of good, and +Beth would sing to you if _I_ begged her to, and Amy would dance; Meg +and I would make you laugh over our funny stage properties, and we'd +have jolly times. Wouldn't your grandpa let you?" + +"I think he would, if your mother asked him. He's very kind, though he +does not look so; and he lets me do what I like, pretty much, only he's +afraid I might be a bother to strangers," began Laurie, brightening more +and more. + +"We are not strangers, we are neighbors, and you needn't think you'd be +a bother. We _want_ to know you, and I've been trying to do it this ever +so long. We haven't been here a great while, you know, but we have got +acquainted with all our neighbors but you." + +"You see grandpa lives among his books, and doesn't mind much what +happens outside. Mr. Brooke, my tutor, doesn't stay here, you know, and +I have no one to go about with me, so I just stop at home and get on as +I can." + +"That's bad. You ought to make an effort, and go visiting everywhere you +are asked; then you'll have plenty of friends, and pleasant places to go +to. Never mind being bashful; it won't last long if you keep going." + +Laurie turned red again, but wasn't offended at being accused of +bashfulness; for there was so much good-will in Jo, it was impossible +not to take her blunt speeches as kindly as they were meant. + +"Do you like your school?" asked the boy, changing the subject, after a +little pause, during which he stared at the fire, and Jo looked about +her, well pleased. + +"Don't go to school; I'm a business man--girl, I mean. I go to wait on +my great-aunt, and a dear, cross old soul she is, too," answered Jo. + +Laurie opened his mouth to ask another question; but remembering just in +time that it wasn't manners to make too many inquiries into people's +affairs, he shut it again, and looked uncomfortable. Jo liked his good +breeding, and didn't mind having a laugh at Aunt March, so she gave him +a lively description of the fidgety old lady, her fat poodle, the parrot +that talked Spanish, and the library where she revelled. Laurie enjoyed +that immensely; and when she told about the prim old gentleman who came +once to woo Aunt March, and, in the middle of a fine speech, how Poll +had tweaked his wig off to his great dismay, the boy lay back and +laughed till the tears ran down his cheeks, and a maid popped her head +in to see what was the matter. + + [Illustration: Poll tweaked off his wig] + +"Oh! that does me no end of good. Tell on, please," he said, taking his +face out of the sofa-cushion, red and shining with merriment. + +Much elated with her success, Jo did "tell on," all about their plays +and plans, their hopes and fears for father, and the most interesting +events of the little world in which the sisters lived. Then they got to +talking about books; and to Jo's delight, she found that Laurie loved +them as well as she did, and had read even more than herself. + +"If you like them so much, come down and see ours. Grandpa is out, so +you needn't be afraid," said Laurie, getting up. + +"I'm not afraid of anything," returned Jo, with a toss of the head. + +"I don't believe you are!" exclaimed the boy, looking at her with much +admiration, though he privately thought she would have good reason to be +a trifle afraid of the old gentleman, if she met him in some of his +moods. + +The atmosphere of the whole house being summer-like, Laurie led the way +from room to room, letting Jo stop to examine whatever struck her fancy; +and so at last they came to the library, where she clapped her hands, +and pranced, as she always did when especially delighted. It was lined +with books, and there were pictures and statues, and distracting little +cabinets full of coins and curiosities, and sleepy-hollow chairs, and +queer tables, and bronzes; and, best of all, a great open fireplace, +with quaint tiles all round it. + +"What richness!" sighed Jo, sinking into the depth of a velvet chair, +and gazing about her with an air of intense satisfaction. "Theodore +Laurence, you ought to be the happiest boy in the world," she added +impressively. + +"A fellow can't live on books," said Laurie, shaking his head, as he +perched on a table opposite. + +Before he could say more, a bell rung, and Jo flew up, exclaiming with +alarm, "Mercy me! it's your grandpa!" + +"Well, what if it is? You are not afraid of anything, you know," +returned the boy, looking wicked. + +"I think I am a little bit afraid of him, but I don't know why I should +be. Marmee said I might come, and I don't think you're any the worse for +it," said Jo, composing herself, though she kept her eyes on the door. + +"I'm a great deal better for it, and ever so much obliged. I'm only +afraid you are very tired talking to me; it was _so_ pleasant, I +couldn't bear to stop," said Laurie gratefully. + +"The doctor to see you, sir," and the maid beckoned as she spoke. + +"Would you mind if I left you for a minute? I suppose I must see him," +said Laurie. + +"Don't mind me. I'm as happy as a cricket here," answered Jo. + +Laurie went away, and his guest amused herself in her own way. She was +standing before a fine portrait of the old gentleman, when the door +opened again, and, without turning, she said decidedly, "I'm sure now +that I shouldn't be afraid of him, for he's got kind eyes, though his +mouth is grim, and he looks as if he had a tremendous will of his own. +He isn't as handsome as _my_ grandfather, but I like him." + +"Thank you, ma'am," said a gruff voice behind her; and there, to her +great dismay, stood old Mr. Laurence. + +Poor Jo blushed till she couldn't blush any redder, and her heart began +to beat uncomfortably fast as she thought what she had said. For a +minute a wild desire to run away possessed her; but that was cowardly, +and the girls would laugh at her: so she resolved to stay, and get out +of the scrape as she could. A second look showed her that the living +eyes, under the bushy gray eyebrows, were kinder even than the painted +ones; and there was a sly twinkle in them, which lessened her fear a +good deal. The gruff voice was gruffer than ever, as the old gentleman +said abruptly, after that dreadful pause, "So you're not afraid of me, +hey?" + +"Not much, sir." + +"And you don't think me as handsome as your grandfather?" + +"Not quite, sir." + +"And I've got a tremendous will, have I?" + +"I only said I thought so." + +"But you like me, in spite of it?" + +"Yes, I do, sir." + +That answer pleased the old gentleman; he gave a short laugh, shook +hands with her, and, putting his finger under her chin, turned up her +face, examined it gravely, and let it go, saying, with a nod, "You've +got your grandfather's spirit, if you haven't his face. He _was_ a fine +man, my dear; but, what is better, he was a brave and an honest one, and +I was proud to be his friend." + + [Illustration: Putting his finger under her chin] + +"Thank you, sir;" and Jo was quite comfortable after that, for it suited +her exactly. + +"What have you been doing to this boy of mine, hey?" was the next +question, sharply put. + +"Only trying to be neighborly, sir;" and Jo told how her visit came +about. + +"You think he needs cheering up a bit, do you?" + +"Yes, sir; he seems a little lonely, and young folks would do him good +perhaps. We are only girls, but we should be glad to help if we could, +for we don't forget the splendid Christmas present you sent us," said Jo +eagerly. + +"Tut, tut, tut! that was the boy's affair. How is the poor woman?" + +"Doing nicely, sir;" and off went Jo, talking very fast, as she told all +about the Hummels, in whom her mother had interested richer friends than +they were. + +"Just her father's way of doing good. I shall come and see your mother +some fine day. Tell her so. There's the tea-bell; we have it early, on +the boy's account. Come down, and go on being neighborly." + +"If you'd like to have me, sir." + +"Shouldn't ask you, if I didn't;" and Mr. Laurence offered her his arm +with old-fashioned courtesy. + +"What _would_ Meg say to this?" thought Jo, as she was marched away, +while her eyes danced with fun as she imagined herself telling the story +at home. + +"Hey! Why, what the dickens has come to the fellow?" said the old +gentleman, as Laurie came running down stairs, and brought up with a +start of surprise at the astonishing sight of Jo arm-in-arm with his +redoubtable grandfather. + +"I didn't know you'd come, sir," he began, as Jo gave him a triumphant +little glance. + +"That's evident, by the way you racket down stairs. Come to your tea, +sir, and behave like a gentleman;" and having pulled the boy's hair by +way of a caress, Mr. Laurence walked on, while Laurie went through a +series of comic evolutions behind their backs, which nearly produced an +explosion of laughter from Jo. + +The old gentleman did not say much as he drank his four cups of tea, but +he watched the young people, who soon chatted away like old friends, and +the change in his grandson did not escape him. There was color, light, +and life in the boy's face now, vivacity in his manner, and genuine +merriment in his laugh. + +"She's right; the lad _is_ lonely. I'll see what these little girls can +do for him," thought Mr. Laurence, as he looked and listened. He liked +Jo, for her odd, blunt ways suited him; and she seemed to understand the +boy almost as well as if she had been one herself. + +If the Laurences had been what Jo called "prim and poky," she would not +have got on at all, for such people always made her shy and awkward; but +finding them free and easy, she was so herself, and made a good +impression. When they rose she proposed to go, but Laurie said he had +something more to show her, and took her away to the conservatory, which +had been lighted for her benefit. It seemed quite fairylike to Jo, as +she went up and down the walks, enjoying the blooming walls on either +side, the soft light, the damp sweet air, and the wonderful vines and +trees that hung above her,--while her new friend cut the finest flowers +till his hands were full; then he tied them up, saying, with the happy +look Jo liked to see, "Please give these to your mother, and tell her I +like the medicine she sent me very much." + + [Illustration: Please give these to your mother] + +They found Mr. Laurence standing before the fire in the great +drawing-room, but Jo's attention was entirely absorbed by a grand piano, +which stood open. + +"Do you play?" she asked, turning to Laurie with a respectful +expression. + +"Sometimes," he answered modestly. + +"Please do now. I want to hear it, so I can tell Beth." + +"Won't you first?" + +"Don't know how; too stupid to learn, but I love music dearly." + +So Laurie played, and Jo listened, with her nose luxuriously buried in +heliotrope and tea-roses. Her respect and regard for the "Laurence boy" +increased very much, for he played remarkably well, and didn't put on +any airs. She wished Beth could hear him, but she did not say so; only +praised him till he was quite abashed, and his grandfather came to the +rescue. "That will do, that will do, young lady. Too many sugar-plums +are not good for him. His music isn't bad, but I hope he will do as well +in more important things. Going? Well, I'm much obliged to you, and I +hope you'll come again. My respects to your mother. Good-night, Doctor +Jo." + +He shook hands kindly, but looked as if something did not please him. +When they got into the hall, Jo asked Laurie if she had said anything +amiss. He shook his head. + +"No, it was me; he doesn't like to hear me play." + +"Why not?" + +"I'll tell you some day. John is going home with you, as I can't." + +"No need of that; I am not a young lady, and it's only a step. Take care +of yourself, won't you?" + +"Yes; but you will come again, I hope?" + +"If you promise to come and see us after you are well." + +"I will." + +"Good-night, Laurie!" + +"Good-night, Jo, good-night!" + +When all the afternoon's adventures had been told, the family felt +inclined to go visiting in a body, for each found something very +attractive in the big house on the other side of the hedge. Mrs. March +wanted to talk of her father with the old man who had not forgotten him; +Meg longed to walk in the conservatory; Beth sighed for the grand piano; +and Amy was eager to see the fine pictures and statues. + +"Mother, why didn't Mr. Laurence like to have Laurie play?" asked Jo, +who was of an inquiring disposition. + +"I am not sure, but I think it was because his son, Laurie's father, +married an Italian lady, a musician, which displeased the old man, who +is very proud. The lady was good and lovely and accomplished, but he did +not like her, and never saw his son after he married. They both died +when Laurie was a little child, and then his grandfather took him home. +I fancy the boy, who was born in Italy, is not very strong, and the old +man is afraid of losing him, which makes him so careful. Laurie comes +naturally by his love of music, for he is like his mother, and I dare +say his grandfather fears that he may want to be a musician; at any +rate, his skill reminds him of the woman he did not like, and so he +'glowered,' as Jo said." + +"Dear me, how romantic!" exclaimed Meg. + +"How silly!" said Jo. "Let him be a musician, if he wants to, and not +plague his life out sending him to college, when he hates to go." + +"That's why he has such handsome black eyes and pretty manners, I +suppose. Italians are always nice," said Meg, who was a little +sentimental. + +"What do you know about his eyes and his manners? You never spoke to +him, hardly," cried Jo, who was _not_ sentimental. + +"I saw him at the party, and what you tell shows that he knows how to +behave. That was a nice little speech about the medicine mother sent +him." + +"He meant the blanc-mange, I suppose." + +"How stupid you are, child! He meant you, of course." + +"Did he?" and Jo opened her eyes as if it had never occurred to her +before. + +"I never saw such a girl! You don't know a compliment when you get it," +said Meg, with the air of a young lady who knew all about the matter. + +"I think they are great nonsense, and I'll thank you not to be silly, +and spoil my fun. Laurie's a nice boy, and I like him, and I won't have +any sentimental stuff about compliments and such rubbish. We'll all be +good to him, because he hasn't got any mother, and he _may_ come over +and see us, mayn't he, Marmee?" + +"Yes, Jo, your little friend is very welcome, and I hope Meg will +remember that children should be children as long as they can." + +"I don't call myself a child, and I'm not in my teens yet," observed +Amy. "What do you say, Beth?" + +"I was thinking about our 'Pilgrim's Progress,'" answered Beth, who had +not heard a word. "How we got out of the Slough and through the Wicket +Gate by resolving to be good, and up the steep hill by trying; and that +maybe the house over there, full of splendid things, is going to be our +Palace Beautiful." + +"We have got to get by the lions, first," said Jo, as if she rather +liked the prospect. + + [Illustration: Tail-piece] + + + + + VI. + + BETH FINDS THE PALACE BEAUTIFUL. + + +The big house did prove a Palace Beautiful, though it took some time for +all to get in, and Beth found it very hard to pass the lions. Old Mr. +Laurence was the biggest one; but after he had called, said something +funny or kind to each one of the girls, and talked over old times with +their mother, nobody felt much afraid of him, except timid Beth. The +other lion was the fact that they were poor and Laurie rich; for this +made them shy of accepting favors which they could not return. But, +after a while, they found that he considered them the benefactors, and +could not do enough to show how grateful he was for Mrs. March's +motherly welcome, their cheerful society, and the comfort he took in +that humble home of theirs. So they soon forgot their pride, and +interchanged kindnesses without stopping to think which was the greater. + +All sorts of pleasant things happened about that time; for the new +friendship flourished like grass in spring. Every one liked Laurie, and +he privately informed his tutor that "the Marches were regularly +splendid girls." With the delightful enthusiasm of youth, they took the +solitary boy into their midst, and made much of him, and he found +something very charming in the innocent companionship of these +simple-hearted girls. Never having known mother or sisters, he was quick +to feel the influences they brought about him; and their busy, lively +ways made him ashamed of the indolent life he led. He was tired of +books, and found people so interesting now that Mr. Brooke was obliged +to make very unsatisfactory reports; for Laurie was always playing +truant, and running over to the Marches. + +"Never mind; let him take a holiday, and make it up afterwards," said +the old gentleman. "The good lady next door says he is studying too +hard, and needs young society, amusement, and exercise. I suspect she is +right, and that I've been coddling the fellow as if I'd been his +grandmother. Let him do what he likes, as long as he is happy. He can't +get into mischief in that little nunnery over there; and Mrs. March is +doing more for him than we can." + +What good times they had, to be sure! Such plays and tableaux, such +sleigh-rides and skating frolics, such pleasant evenings in the old +parlor, and now and then such gay little parties at the great house. Meg +could walk in the conservatory whenever she liked, and revel in +bouquets; Jo browsed over the new library voraciously, and convulsed the +old gentleman with her criticisms; Amy copied pictures, and enjoyed +beauty to her heart's content; and Laurie played "lord of the manor" in +the most delightful style. + +But Beth, though yearning for the grand piano, could not pluck up +courage to go to the "Mansion of Bliss," as Meg called it. She went once +with Jo; but the old gentleman, not being aware of her infirmity, stared +at her so hard from under his heavy eyebrows, and said "Hey!" so loud, +that he frightened her so much her "feet chattered on the floor," she +told her mother; and she ran away, declaring she would never go there +any more, not even for the dear piano. No persuasions or enticements +could overcome her fear, till, the fact coming to Mr. Laurence's ear in +some mysterious way, he set about mending matters. During one of the +brief calls he made, he artfully led the conversation to music, and +talked away about great singers whom he had seen, fine organs he had +heard, and told such charming anecdotes that Beth found it impossible to +stay in her distant corner, but crept nearer and nearer, as if +fascinated. At the back of his chair she stopped, and stood listening, +with her great eyes wide open, and her cheeks red with the excitement of +this unusual performance. Taking no more notice of her than if she had +been a fly, Mr. Laurence talked on about Laurie's lessons and teachers; +and presently, as if the idea had just occurred to him, he said to Mrs. +March,-- + +"The boy neglects his music now, and I'm glad of it, for he was getting +too fond of it. But the piano suffers for want of use. Wouldn't some of +your girls like to run over, and practise on it now and then, just to +keep it in tune, you know, ma'am?" + +Beth took a step forward, and pressed her hands tightly together to keep +from clapping them, for this was an irresistible temptation; and the +thought of practising on that splendid instrument quite took her breath +away. Before Mrs. March could reply, Mr. Laurence went on with an odd +little nod and smile,-- + +"They needn't see or speak to any one, but run in at any time; for I'm +shut up in my study at the other end of the house, Laurie is out a great +deal, and the servants are never near the drawing-room after nine +o'clock." + +Here he rose, as if going, and Beth made up her mind to speak, for that +last arrangement left nothing to be desired. "Please tell the young +ladies what I say; and if they don't care to come, why, never mind." +Here a little hand slipped into his, and Beth looked up at him with a +face full of gratitude, as she said, in her earnest yet timid way,-- + +"O sir, they do care, very, very much!" + + [Illustration: O sir, they do care very much] + +"Are you the musical girl?" he asked, without any startling "Hey!" as he +looked down at her very kindly. + +"I'm Beth. I love it dearly, and I'll come, if you are quite sure nobody +will hear me--and be disturbed," she added, fearing to be rude, and +trembling at her own boldness as she spoke. + +"Not a soul, my dear. The house is empty half the day; so come, and drum +away as much as you like, and I shall be obliged to you." + +"How kind you are, sir!" + +Beth blushed like a rose under the friendly look he wore; but she was +not frightened now, and gave the big hand a grateful squeeze, because +she had no words to thank him for the precious gift he had given her. +The old gentleman softly stroked the hair off her forehead, and, +stooping down, he kissed her, saying, in a tone few people ever heard,-- + +"I had a little girl once, with eyes like these. God bless you, my dear! +Good day, madam;" and away he went, in a great hurry. + +Beth had a rapture with her mother, and then rushed up to impart the +glorious news to her family of invalids, as the girls were not at home. +How blithely she sung that evening, and how they all laughed at her, +because she woke Amy in the night by playing the piano on her face in +her sleep. Next day, having seen both the old and young gentleman out of +the house, Beth, after two or three retreats, fairly got in at the +side-door, and made her way, as noiselessly as any mouse, to the +drawing-room, where her idol stood. Quite by accident, of course, some +pretty, easy music lay on the piano; and, with trembling fingers, and +frequent stops to listen and look about, Beth at last touched the great +instrument, and straightway forgot her fear, herself, and everything +else but the unspeakable delight which the music gave her, for it was +like the voice of a beloved friend. + +She stayed till Hannah came to take her home to dinner; but she had no +appetite, and could only sit and smile upon every one in a general state +of beatitude. + +After that, the little brown hood slipped through the hedge nearly every +day, and the great drawing-room was haunted by a tuneful spirit that +came and went unseen. She never knew that Mr. Laurence often opened his +study-door to hear the old-fashioned airs he liked; she never saw Laurie +mount guard in the hall to warn the servants away; she never suspected +that the exercise-books and new songs which she found in the rack were +put there for her especial benefit; and when he talked to her about +music at home, she only thought how kind he was to tell things that +helped her so much. So she enjoyed herself heartily, and found, what +isn't always the case, that her granted wish was all she had hoped. +Perhaps it was because she was so grateful for this blessing that a +greater was given her; at any rate, she deserved both. + + [Illustration: Mr. Laurence often opened his study door] + +"Mother, I'm going to work Mr. Laurence a pair of slippers. He is so +kind to me, I must thank him, and I don't know any other way. Can I do +it?" asked Beth, a few weeks after that eventful call of his. + +"Yes, dear. It will please him very much, and be a nice way of thanking +him. The girls will help you about them, and I will pay for the making +up," replied Mrs. March, who took peculiar pleasure in granting Beth's +requests, because she so seldom asked anything for herself. + +After many serious discussions with Meg and Jo, the pattern was chosen, +the materials bought, and the slippers begun. A cluster of grave yet +cheerful pansies, on a deeper purple ground, was pronounced very +appropriate and pretty; and Beth worked away early and late, with +occasional lifts over hard parts. She was a nimble little needle-woman, +and they were finished before any one got tired of them. Then she wrote +a very short, simple note, and, with Laurie's help, got them smuggled on +to the study-table one morning before the old gentleman was up. + +When this excitement was over, Beth waited to see what would happen. All +that day passed, and a part of the next, before any acknowledgment +arrived, and she was beginning to fear she had offended her crotchety +friend. On the afternoon of the second day, she went out to do an +errand, and give poor Joanna, the invalid doll, her daily exercise. As +she came up the street, on her return, she saw three, yes, four, heads +popping in and out of the parlor windows, and the moment they saw her, +several hands were waved, and several joyful voices screamed,-- + +"Here's a letter from the old gentleman! Come quick, and read it!" + +"O Beth, he's sent you--" began Amy, gesticulating with unseemly energy; +but she got no further, for Jo quenched her by slamming down the window. + +Beth hurried on in a flutter of suspense. At the door, her sisters +seized and bore her to the parlor in a triumphal procession, all +pointing, and all saying at once, "Look there! look there!" Beth did +look, and turned pale with delight and surprise; for there stood a +little cabinet-piano, with a letter lying on the glossy lid, directed, +like a sign-board, to "Miss Elizabeth March." + +"For me?" gasped Beth, holding on to Jo, and feeling as if she should +tumble down, it was such an overwhelming thing altogether. + +"Yes; all for you, my precious! Isn't it splendid of him? Don't you +think he's the dearest old man in the world? Here's the key in the +letter. We didn't open it, but we are dying to know what he says," cried +Jo, hugging her sister, and offering the note. + +"You read it! I can't, I feel so queer! Oh, it is too lovely!" and Beth +hid her face in Jo's apron, quite upset by her present. + +Jo opened the paper, and began to laugh, for the first words she saw +were,-- + + "MISS MARCH: + + "_Dear Madam_,--" + +"How nice it sounds! I wish some one would write to me so!" said Amy, +who thought the old-fashioned address very elegant. + + "'I have had many pairs of slippers in my life, but I never had + any that suited me so well as yours,'" continued Jo. + "'Heart's-ease is my favorite flower, and these will always + remind me of the gentle giver. I like to pay my debts; so I + know you will allow "the old gentleman" to send you something + which once belonged to the little granddaughter he lost. With + hearty thanks and best wishes, I remain, + + "'Your grateful friend and humble servant, + + "'JAMES LAURENCE.'" + +"There, Beth, that's an honor to be proud of, I'm sure! Laurie told me +how fond Mr. Laurence used to be of the child who died, and how he kept +all her little things carefully. Just think, he's given you her piano. +That comes of having big blue eyes and loving music," said Jo, trying to +soothe Beth, who trembled, and looked more excited than she had ever +been before. + +"See the cunning brackets to hold candles, and the nice green silk, +puckered up, with a gold rose in the middle, and the pretty rack and +stool, all complete," added Meg, opening the instrument and displaying +its beauties. + +"'Your humble servant, James Laurence'; only think of his writing that +to you. I'll tell the girls. They'll think it's splendid," said Amy, +much impressed by the note. + +"Try it, honey. Let's hear the sound of the baby-pianny," said Hannah, +who always took a share in the family joys and sorrows. + +So Beth tried it; and every one pronounced it the most remarkable piano +ever heard. It had evidently been newly tuned and put in apple-pie +order; but, perfect as it was, I think the real charm of it lay in the +happiest of all happy faces which leaned over it, as Beth lovingly +touched the beautiful black and white keys and pressed the bright +pedals. + +"You'll have to go and thank him," said Jo, by way of a joke; for the +idea of the child's really going never entered her head. + +"Yes, I mean to. I guess I'll go now, before I get frightened thinking +about it." And, to the utter amazement of the assembled family, Beth +walked deliberately down the garden, through the hedge, and in at the +Laurences' door. + +"Well, I wish I may die if it ain't the queerest thing I ever see! The +pianny has turned her head! She'd never have gone in her right mind," +cried Hannah, staring after her, while the girls were rendered quite +speechless by the miracle. + +They would have been still more amazed if they had seen what Beth did +afterward. If you will believe me, she went and knocked at the +study-door before she gave herself time to think; and when a gruff voice +called out, "Come in!" she did go in, right up to Mr. Laurence, who +looked quite taken aback, and held out her hand, saying, with only a +small quaver in her voice, "I came to thank you, sir, for--" But she +didn't finish; for he looked so friendly that she forgot her speech, +and, only remembering that he had lost the little girl he loved, she put +both arms round his neck, and kissed him. + + [Illustration: She put both arms around his neck and kissed him] + +If the roof of the house had suddenly flown off, the old gentleman +wouldn't have been more astonished; but he liked it,--oh, dear, yes, he +liked it amazingly!--and was so touched and pleased by that confiding +little kiss that all his crustiness vanished; and he just set her on his +knee, and laid his wrinkled cheek against her rosy one, feeling as if he +had got his own little granddaughter back again. Beth ceased to fear him +from that moment, and sat there talking to him as cosily as if she had +known him all her life; for love casts out fear, and gratitude can +conquer pride. When she went home, he walked with her to her own gate, +shook hands cordially, and touched his hat as he marched back again, +looking very stately and erect, like a handsome, soldierly old +gentleman, as he was. + +When the girls saw that performance, Jo began to dance a jig, by way of +expressing her satisfaction; Amy nearly fell out of the window in her +surprise; and Meg exclaimed, with uplifted hands, "Well, I do believe +the world is coming to an end!" + + + + + VII. + + AMY'S VALLEY OF HUMILIATION. + + + [Illustration: The Cyclops] + +"That boy is a perfect Cyclops, isn't he?" said Amy, one day, as Laurie +clattered by on horseback, with a flourish of his whip as he passed. + +"How dare you say so, when he's got both his eyes? and very handsome +ones they are, too," cried Jo, who resented any slighting remarks about +her friend. + +"I didn't say anything about his eyes, and I don't see why you need fire +up when I admire his riding." + +"Oh, my goodness! that little goose means a centaur, and she called him +a Cyclops," exclaimed Jo, with a burst of laughter. + +"You needn't be so rude; it's only a 'lapse of lingy,' as Mr. Davis +says," retorted Amy, finishing Jo with her Latin. "I just wish I had a +little of the money Laurie spends on that horse," she added, as if to +herself, yet hoping her sisters would hear. + +"Why?" asked Meg kindly, for Jo had gone off in another laugh at Amy's +second blunder. + +"I need it so much; I'm dreadfully in debt, and it won't be my turn to +have the rag-money for a month." + +"In debt, Amy? What do you mean?" and Meg looked sober. + +"Why, I owe at least a dozen pickled limes, and I can't pay them, you +know, till I have money, for Marmee forbade my having anything charged +at the shop." + +"Tell me all about it. Are limes the fashion now? It used to be pricking +bits of rubber to make balls;" and Meg tried to keep her countenance, +Amy looked so grave and important. + +"Why, you see, the girls are always buying them, and unless you want to +be thought mean, you must do it, too. It's nothing but limes now, for +every one is sucking them in their desks in school-time, and trading +them off for pencils, bead-rings, paper dolls, or something else, at +recess. If one girl likes another, she gives her a lime; if she's mad +with her, she eats one before her face, and don't offer even a suck. +They treat by turns; and I've had ever so many, but haven't returned +them; and I ought, for they are debts of honor, you know." + +"How much will pay them off, and restore your credit?" asked Meg, taking +out her purse. + +"A quarter would more than do it, and leave a few cents over for a treat +for you. Don't you like limes?" + +"Not much; you may have my share. Here's the money. Make it last as long +as you can, for it isn't very plenty, you know." + +"Oh, thank you! It must be so nice to have pocket-money! I'll have a +grand feast, for I haven't tasted a lime this week. I felt delicate +about taking any, as I couldn't return them, and I'm actually suffering +for one." + +Next day Amy was rather late at school; but could not resist the +temptation of displaying, with pardonable pride, a moist brown-paper +parcel, before she consigned it to the inmost recesses of her desk. +During the next few minutes the rumor that Amy March had got twenty-four +delicious limes (she ate one on the way), and was going to treat, +circulated through her "set," and the attentions of her friends became +quite overwhelming. Katy Brown invited her to her next party on the +spot; Mary Kingsley insisted on lending her her watch till recess; and +Jenny Snow, a satirical young lady, who had basely twitted Amy upon her +limeless state, promptly buried the hatchet, and offered to furnish +answers to certain appalling sums. But Amy had not forgotten Miss Snow's +cutting remarks about "some persons whose noses were not too flat to +smell other people's limes, and stuck-up people, who were not too proud +to ask for them;" and she instantly crushed "that Snow girl's" hopes by +the withering telegram, "You needn't be so polite all of a sudden, for +you won't get any." + +A distinguished personage happened to visit the school that morning, and +Amy's beautifully drawn maps received praise, which honor to her foe +rankled in the soul of Miss Snow, and caused Miss March to assume the +airs of a studious young peacock. But, alas, alas! pride goes before a +fall, and the revengeful Snow turned the tables with disastrous success. +No sooner had the guest paid the usual stale compliments, and bowed +himself out, than Jenny, under pretence of asking an important question, +informed Mr. Davis, the teacher, that Amy March had pickled limes in her +desk. + +Now Mr. Davis had declared limes a contraband article, and solemnly +vowed to publicly ferrule the first person who was found breaking the +law. This much-enduring man had succeeded in banishing chewing-gum after +a long and stormy war, had made a bonfire of the confiscated novels and +newspapers, had suppressed a private post-office, had forbidden +distortions of the face, nicknames, and caricatures, and done all that +one man could do to keep half a hundred rebellious girls in order. Boys +are trying enough to human patience, goodness knows! but girls are +infinitely more so, especially to nervous gentlemen, with tyrannical +tempers, and no more talent for teaching than Dr. Blimber. Mr. Davis +knew any quantity of Greek, Latin, Algebra, and ologies of all sorts, so +he was called a fine teacher; and manners, morals, feelings, and +examples were not considered of any particular importance. It was a most +unfortunate moment for denouncing Amy, and Jenny knew it. Mr. Davis had +evidently taken his coffee too strong that morning; there was an east +wind, which always affected his neuralgia; and his pupils had not done +him the credit which he felt he deserved: therefore, to use the +expressive, if not elegant, language of a school-girl, "he was as +nervous as a witch and as cross as a bear." The word "limes" was like +fire to powder; his yellow face flushed, and he rapped on his desk with +an energy which made Jenny skip to her seat with unusual rapidity. + +"Young ladies, attention, if you please!" + +At the stern order the buzz ceased, and fifty pairs of blue, black, +gray, and brown eyes were obediently fixed upon his awful countenance. + +"Miss March, come to the desk." + +Amy rose to comply with outward composure, but a secret fear oppressed +her, for the limes weighed upon her conscience. + +"Bring with you the limes you have in your desk," was the unexpected +command which arrested her before she got out of her seat. + +"Don't take all," whispered her neighbor, a young lady of great presence +of mind. + +Amy hastily shook out half a dozen, and laid the rest down before Mr. +Davis, feeling that any man possessing a human heart would relent when +that delicious perfume met his nose. Unfortunately, Mr. Davis +particularly detested the odor of the fashionable pickle, and disgust +added to his wrath. + +"Is that all?" + +"Not quite," stammered Amy. + +"Bring the rest immediately." + +With a despairing glance at her set, she obeyed. + +"You are sure there are no more?" + +"I never lie, sir." + +"So I see. Now take these disgusting things two by two, and throw them +out of the window." + +There was a simultaneous sigh, which created quite a little gust, as the +last hope fled, and the treat was ravished from their longing lips. +Scarlet with shame and anger, Amy went to and fro six dreadful times; +and as each doomed couple--looking oh! so plump and juicy--fell from her +reluctant hands, a shout from the street completed the anguish of the +girls, for it told them that their feast was being exulted over by the +little Irish children, who were their sworn foes. This--this was too +much; all flashed indignant or appealing glances at the inexorable +Davis, and one passionate lime-lover burst into tears. + +As Amy returned from her last trip, Mr. Davis gave a portentous "Hem!" +and said, in his most impressive manner,-- + +"Young ladies, you remember what I said to you a week ago. I am sorry +this has happened, but I never allow my rules to be infringed, and I +_never_ break my word. Miss March, hold out your hand." + +Amy started, and put both hands behind her, turning on him an imploring +look which pleaded for her better than the words she could not utter. +She was rather a favorite with "old Davis," as, of course, he was +called, and it's my private belief that he _would_ have broken his word +if the indignation of one irrepressible young lady had not found vent in +a hiss. That hiss, faint as it was, irritated the irascible gentleman, +and sealed the culprit's fate. + +"Your hand, Miss March!" was the only answer her mute appeal received; +and, too proud to cry or beseech, Amy set her teeth, threw back her +head defiantly, and bore without flinching several tingling blows on her +little palm. They were neither many nor heavy, but that made no +difference to her. For the first time in her life she had been struck; +and the disgrace, in her eyes, was as deep as if he had knocked her +down. + + [Illustration: Amy bore without flinching several tingling blows] + +"You will now stand on the platform till recess," said Mr. Davis, +resolved to do the thing thoroughly, since he had begun. + +That was dreadful. It would have been bad enough to go to her seat, and +see the pitying faces of her friends, or the satisfied ones of her few +enemies; but to face the whole school, with that shame fresh upon her, +seemed impossible, and for a second she felt as if she could only drop +down where she stood, and break her heart with crying. A bitter sense of +wrong, and the thought of Jenny Snow, helped her to bear it; and, taking +the ignominious place, she fixed her eyes on the stove-funnel above what +now seemed a sea of faces, and stood there, so motionless and white that +the girls found it very hard to study, with that pathetic figure before +them. + +During the fifteen minutes that followed, the proud and sensitive little +girl suffered a shame and pain which she never forgot. To others it +might seem a ludicrous or trivial affair, but to her it was a hard +experience; for during the twelve years of her life she had been +governed by love alone, and a blow of that sort had never touched her +before. The smart of her hand and the ache of her heart were forgotten +in the sting of the thought,-- + +"I shall have to tell at home, and they will be so disappointed in me!" + +The fifteen minutes seemed an hour; but they came to an end at last, and +the word "Recess!" had never seemed so welcome to her before. + +"You can go, Miss March," said Mr. Davis, looking, as he felt, +uncomfortable. + +He did not soon forget the reproachful glance Amy gave him, as she went, +without a word to any one, straight into the ante-room, snatched her +things, and left the place "forever," as she passionately declared to +herself. She was in a sad state when she got home; and when the older +girls arrived, some time later, an indignation meeting was held at +once. Mrs. March did not say much, but looked disturbed, and comforted +her afflicted little daughter in her tenderest manner. Meg bathed the +insulted hand with glycerine and tears; Beth felt that even her beloved +kittens would fail as a balm for griefs like this; Jo wrathfully +proposed that Mr. Davis be arrested without delay; and Hannah shook her +fist at the "villain," and pounded potatoes for dinner as if she had him +under her pestle. + +No notice was taken of Amy's flight, except by her mates; but the +sharp-eyed demoiselles discovered that Mr. Davis was quite benignant in +the afternoon, also unusually nervous. Just before school closed, Jo +appeared, wearing a grim expression, as she stalked up to the desk, and +delivered a letter from her mother; then collected Amy's property, and +departed, carefully scraping the mud from her boots on the door-mat, as +if she shook the dust of the place off her feet. + +"Yes, you can have a vacation from school, but I want you to study a +little every day, with Beth," said Mrs. March, that evening. "I don't +approve of corporal punishment, especially for girls. I dislike Mr. +Davis's manner of teaching, and don't think the girls you associate with +are doing you any good, so I shall ask your father's advice before I +send you anywhere else." + +"That's good! I wish all the girls would leave, and spoil his old +school. It's perfectly maddening to think of those lovely limes," sighed +Amy, with the air of a martyr. + +"I am not sorry you lost them, for you broke the rules, and deserved +some punishment for disobedience," was the severe reply, which rather +disappointed the young lady, who expected nothing but sympathy. + +"Do you mean you are glad I was disgraced before the whole school?" +cried Amy. + +"I should not have chosen that way of mending a fault," replied her +mother; "but I'm not sure that it won't do you more good than a milder +method. You are getting to be rather conceited, my dear, and it is quite +time you set about correcting it. You have a good many little gifts and +virtues, but there is no need of parading them, for conceit spoils the +finest genius. There is not much danger that real talent or goodness +will be overlooked long; even if it is, the consciousness of possessing +and using it well should satisfy one, and the great charm of all power +is modesty." + +"So it is!" cried Laurie, who was playing chess in a corner with Jo. "I +knew a girl, once, who had a really remarkable talent for music, and she +didn't know it; never guessed what sweet little things she composed when +she was alone, and wouldn't have believed it if any one had told her." + +"I wish I'd known that nice girl; maybe she would have helped me, I'm so +stupid," said Beth, who stood beside him, listening eagerly. + +"You do know her, and she helps you better than any one else could," +answered Laurie, looking at her with such mischievous meaning in his +merry black eyes, that Beth suddenly turned very red, and hid her face +in the sofa-cushion, quite overcome by such an unexpected discovery. + + [Illustration: You do know her] + +Jo let Laurie win the game, to pay for that praise of her Beth, who +could not be prevailed upon to play for them after her compliment. So +Laurie did his best, and sung delightfully, being in a particularly +lively humor, for to the Marches he seldom showed the moody side of his +character. When he was gone, Amy, who had been pensive all the evening, +said suddenly, as if busy over some new idea,-- + +"Is Laurie an accomplished boy?" + +"Yes; he has had an excellent education, and has much talent; he will +make a fine man, if not spoilt by petting," replied her mother. + +"And he isn't conceited, is he?" asked Amy. + +"Not in the least; that is why he is so charming, and we all like him so +much." + +"I see; it's nice to have accomplishments, and be elegant; but not to +show off, or get perked up," said Amy thoughtfully. + +"These things are always seen and felt in a person's manner and +conversation, if modestly used; but it is not necessary to display +them," said Mrs. March. + +"Any more than it's proper to wear all your bonnets and gowns and +ribbons at once, that folks may know you've got them," added Jo; and the +lecture ended in a laugh. + + + + + [Illustration: Girls, where are you going?] + + VIII. + + JO MEETS APOLLYON. + + +"Girls, where are you going?" asked Amy, coming into their room one +Saturday afternoon, and finding them getting ready to go out, with an +air of secrecy which excited her curiosity. + +"Never mind; little girls shouldn't ask questions," returned Jo sharply. + +Now if there _is_ anything mortifying to our feelings, when we are +young, it is to be told that; and to be bidden to "run away, dear," is +still more trying to us. Amy bridled up at this insult, and determined +to find out the secret, if she teased for an hour. Turning to Meg, who +never refused her anything very long, she said coaxingly, "Do tell me! I +should think you might let me go, too; for Beth is fussing over her +piano, and I haven't got anything to do, and am _so_ lonely." + +"I can't, dear, because you aren't invited," began Meg; but Jo broke in +impatiently, "Now, Meg, be quiet, or you will spoil it all. You can't +go, Amy; so don't be a baby, and whine about it." + +"You are going somewhere with Laurie, I know you are; you were +whispering and laughing together, on the sofa, last night, and you +stopped when I came in. Aren't you going with him?" + +"Yes, we are; now do be still, and stop bothering." + +Amy held her tongue, but used her eyes, and saw Meg slip a fan into her +pocket. + +"I know! I know! you're going to the theatre to see the 'Seven +Castles!'" she cried; adding resolutely, "and I _shall_ go, for mother +said I might see it; and I've got my rag-money, and it was mean not to +tell me in time." + +"Just listen to me a minute, and be a good child," said Meg soothingly. +"Mother doesn't wish you to go this week, because your eyes are not well +enough yet to bear the light of this fairy piece. Next week you can go +with Beth and Hannah, and have a nice time." + +"I don't like that half as well as going with you and Laurie. Please let +me; I've been sick with this cold so long, and shut up, I'm dying for +some fun. Do, Meg! I'll be ever so good," pleaded Amy, looking as +pathetic as she could. + +"Suppose we take her. I don't believe mother would mind, if we bundle +her up well," began Meg. + +"If _she_ goes _I_ sha'n't; and if I don't, Laurie won't like it; and it +will be very rude, after he invited only us, to go and drag in Amy. I +should think she'd hate to poke herself where she isn't wanted," said Jo +crossly, for she disliked the trouble of overseeing a fidgety child, +when she wanted to enjoy herself. + +Her tone and manner angered Amy, who began to put her boots on, saying, +in her most aggravating way, "I _shall_ go; Meg says I may; and if I pay +for myself, Laurie hasn't anything to do with it." + +"You can't sit with us, for our seats are reserved, and you mustn't sit +alone; so Laurie will give you his place, and that will spoil our +pleasure; or he'll get another seat for you, and that isn't proper, when +you weren't asked. You sha'n't stir a step; so you may just stay where +you are," scolded Jo, crosser than ever, having just pricked her finger +in her hurry. + +Sitting on the floor, with one boot on, Amy began to cry, and Meg to +reason with her, when Laurie called from below, and the two girls +hurried down, leaving their sister wailing; for now and then she forgot +her grown-up ways, and acted like a spoilt child. Just as the party was +setting out, Amy called over the banisters, in a threatening tone, +"You'll be sorry for this, Jo March; see if you ain't." + +"Fiddlesticks!" returned Jo, slamming the door. + +They had a charming time, for "The Seven Castles of the Diamond Lake" +were as brilliant and wonderful as heart could wish. But, in spite of +the comical red imps, sparkling elves, and gorgeous princes and +princesses, Jo's pleasure had a drop of bitterness in it; the fairy +queen's yellow curls reminded her of Amy; and between the acts she +amused herself with wondering what her sister would do to make her +"sorry for it." She and Amy had had many lively skirmishes in the course +of their lives, for both had quick tempers, and were apt to be violent +when fairly roused. Amy teased Jo, and Jo irritated Amy, and +semi-occasional explosions occurred, of which both were much ashamed +afterward. Although the oldest, Jo had the least self-control, and had +hard times trying to curb the fiery spirit which was continually getting +her into trouble; her anger never lasted long, and, having humbly +confessed her fault, she sincerely repented, and tried to do better. Her +sisters used to say that they rather liked to get Jo into a fury, +because she was such an angel afterward. Poor Jo tried desperately to be +good, but her bosom enemy was always ready to flame up and defeat her; +and it took years of patient effort to subdue it. + +When they got home, they found Amy reading in the parlor. She assumed an +injured air as they came in; never lifted her eyes from her book, or +asked a single question. Perhaps curiosity might have conquered +resentment, if Beth had not been there to inquire, and receive a glowing +description of the play. On going up to put away her best hat, Jo's +first look was toward the bureau; for, in their last quarrel, Amy had +soothed her feelings by turning Jo's top drawer upside down on the +floor. Everything was in its place, however; and after a hasty glance +into her various closets, bags, and boxes, Jo decided that Amy had +forgiven and forgotten her wrongs. + +There Jo was mistaken; for next day she made a discovery which produced +a tempest. Meg, Beth, and Amy were sitting together, late in the +afternoon, when Jo burst into the room, looking excited, and demanding +breathlessly, "Has any one taken my book?" + +Meg and Beth said "No," at once, and looked surprised; Amy poked the +fire, and said nothing. Jo saw her color rise, and was down upon her in +a minute. + +"Amy, you've got it?" + +"No, I haven't." + +"You know where it is, then?" + +"No, I don't." + +"That's a fib!" cried Jo, taking her by the shoulders, and looking +fierce enough to frighten a much braver child than Amy. + +"It isn't. I haven't got it, don't know where it is now, and don't +care." + +"You know something about it, and you'd better tell at once, or I'll +make you," and Jo gave her a slight shake. + +"Scold as much as you like, you'll never see your silly old book again," +cried Amy, getting excited in her turn. + +"Why not?" + +"I burnt it up." + + [Illustration: I burnt it up] + +"What! my little book I was so fond of, and worked over, and meant to +finish before father got home? Have you really burnt it?" said Jo, +turning very pale, while her eyes kindled and her hands clutched Amy +nervously. + +"Yes, I did! I told you I'd make you pay for being so cross yesterday, +and I have, so--" + +Amy got no farther, for Jo's hot temper mastered her, and she shook Amy +till her teeth chattered in her head; crying, in a passion of grief and +anger,-- + +"You wicked, wicked girl! I never can write it again, and I'll never +forgive you as long as I live." + +Meg flew to rescue Amy, and Beth to pacify Jo, but Jo was quite beside +herself; and, with a parting box on her sister's ear, she rushed out of +the room up to the old sofa in the garret, and finished her fight alone. + +The storm cleared up below, for Mrs. March came home, and, having heard +the story, soon brought Amy to a sense of the wrong she had done her +sister. Jo's book was the pride of her heart, and was regarded by her +family as a literary sprout of great promise. It was only half a dozen +little fairy tales, but Jo had worked over them patiently, putting her +whole heart into her work, hoping to make something good enough to +print. She had just copied them with great care, and had destroyed the +old manuscript, so that Amy's bonfire had consumed the loving work of +several years. It seemed a small loss to others, but to Jo it was a +dreadful calamity, and she felt that it never could be made up to her. +Beth mourned as for a departed kitten, and Meg refused to defend her +pet; Mrs. March looked grave and grieved, and Amy felt that no one would +love her till she had asked pardon for the act which she now regretted +more than any of them. + +When the tea-bell rung, Jo appeared, looking so grim and unapproachable +that it took all Amy's courage to say meekly,-- + +"Please forgive me, Jo; I'm very, very sorry." + +"I never shall forgive you," was Jo's stern answer; and, from that +moment, she ignored Amy entirely. + +No one spoke of the great trouble,--not even Mrs. March,--for all had +learned by experience that when Jo was in that mood words were wasted; +and the wisest course was to wait till some little accident, or her own +generous nature, softened Jo's resentment, and healed the breach. It was +not a happy evening; for, though they sewed as usual, while their mother +read aloud from Bremer, Scott, or Edgeworth, something was wanting, and +the sweet home-peace was disturbed. They felt this most when +singing-time came; for Beth could only play, Jo stood dumb as a stone, +and Amy broke down, so Meg and mother sung alone. But, in spite of their +efforts to be as cheery as larks, the flute-like voices did not seem to +chord as well as usual, and all felt out of tune. + +As Jo received her good-night kiss, Mrs. March whispered gently,-- + +"My dear, don't let the sun go down upon your anger; forgive each other, +help each other, and begin again to-morrow." + +Jo wanted to lay her head down on that motherly bosom, and cry her grief +and anger all away; but tears were an unmanly weakness, and she felt so +deeply injured that she really _couldn't_ quite forgive yet. So she +winked hard, shook her head, and said, gruffly because Amy was +listening,-- + +"It was an abominable thing, and she don't deserve to be forgiven." + +With that she marched off to bed, and there was no merry or confidential +gossip that night. + +Amy was much offended that her overtures of peace had been repulsed, and +began to wish she had not humbled herself, to feel more injured than +ever, and to plume herself on her superior virtue in a way which was +particularly exasperating. Jo still looked like a thunder-cloud, and +nothing went well all day. It was bitter cold in the morning; she +dropped her precious turn-over in the gutter, Aunt March had an attack +of fidgets, Meg was pensive, Beth _would_ look grieved and wistful when +she got home, and Amy kept making remarks about people who were always +talking about being good, and yet wouldn't try, when other people set +them a virtuous example. + +"Everybody is so hateful, I'll ask Laurie to go skating. He is always +kind and jolly, and will put me to rights, I know," said Jo to herself, +and off she went. + +Amy heard the clash of skates, and looked out with an impatient +exclamation,-- + +"There! she promised I should go next time, for this is the last ice we +shall have. But it's no use to ask such a cross-patch to take me." + +"Don't say that; you _were_ very naughty, and it _is_ hard to forgive +the loss of her precious little book; but I think she might do it now, +and I guess she will, if you try her at the right minute," said Meg. "Go +after them; don't say anything till Jo has got good-natured with Laurie, +then take a quiet minute, and just kiss her, or do some kind thing, and +I'm sure she'll be friends again, with all her heart." + +"I'll try," said Amy, for the advice suited her; and, after a flurry to +get ready, she ran after the friends, who were just disappearing over +the hill. + +It was not far to the river, but both were ready before Amy reached +them. Jo saw her coming, and turned her back; Laurie did not see, for he +was carefully skating along the shore, sounding the ice, for a warm +spell had preceded the cold snap. + +"I'll go on to the first bend, and see if it's all right, before we +begin to race," Amy heard him say, as he shot away, looking like a young +Russian, in his fur-trimmed coat and cap. + +Jo heard Amy panting after her run, stamping her feet and blowing her +fingers, as she tried to put her skates on; but Jo never turned, and +went slowly zigzagging down the river, taking a bitter, unhappy sort of +satisfaction in her sister's troubles. She had cherished her anger till +it grew strong, and took possession of her, as evil thoughts and +feelings always do, unless cast out at once. As Laurie turned the bend, +he shouted back,-- + +"Keep near the shore; it isn't safe in the middle." + +Jo heard, but Amy was just struggling to her feet, and did not catch a +word. Jo glanced over her shoulder, and the little demon she was +harboring said in her ear,-- + +"No matter whether she heard or not, let her take care of herself." + +Laurie had vanished round the bend; Jo was just at the turn, and Amy, +far behind, striking out toward the smoother ice in the middle of the +river. For a minute Jo stood still, with a strange feeling at her heart; +then she resolved to go on, but something held and turned her round, +just in time to see Amy throw up her hands and go down, with the sudden +crash of rotten ice, the splash of water, and a cry that made Jo's heart +stand still with fear. She tried to call Laurie, but her voice was gone; +she tried to rush forward, but her feet seemed to have no strength in +them; and, for a second, she could only stand motionless, staring, with +a terror-stricken face, at the little blue hood above the black water. +Something rushed swiftly by her, and Laurie's voice cried out,-- + +"Bring a rail; quick, quick!" + +How she did it, she never knew; but for the next few minutes she worked +as if possessed, blindly obeying Laurie, who was quite self-possessed, +and, lying flat, held Amy up by his arm and hockey till Jo dragged a +rail from the fence, and together they got the child out, more +frightened than hurt. + + [Illustration: Held Amy up by his arms and hockey] + +"Now then, we must walk her home as fast as we can; pile our things on +her, while I get off these confounded skates," cried Laurie, wrapping +his coat round Amy, and tugging away at the straps, which never seemed +so intricate before. + +Shivering, dripping, and crying, they got Amy home; and, after an +exciting time of it, she fell asleep, rolled in blankets, before a hot +fire. During the bustle Jo had scarcely spoken; but flown about, looking +pale and wild, with her things half off, her dress torn, and her hands +cut and bruised by ice and rails, and refractory buckles. When Amy was +comfortably asleep, the house quiet, and Mrs. March sitting by the bed, +she called Jo to her, and began to bind up the hurt hands. + +"Are you sure she is safe?" whispered Jo, looking remorsefully at the +golden head, which might have been swept away from her sight forever +under the treacherous ice. + +"Quite safe, dear; she is not hurt, and won't even take cold, I think, +you were so sensible in covering and getting her home quickly," replied +her mother cheerfully. + +"Laurie did it all; I only let her go. Mother, if she _should_ die, it +would be my fault"; and Jo dropped down beside the bed, in a passion of +penitent tears, telling all that had happened, bitterly condemning her +hardness of heart, and sobbing out her gratitude for being spared the +heavy punishment which might have come upon her. + +"It's my dreadful temper! I try to cure it; I think I have, and then it +breaks out worse than ever. O mother, what shall I do? what shall I do?" +cried poor Jo, in despair. + +"Watch and pray, dear; never get tired of trying; and never think it is +impossible to conquer your fault," said Mrs. March, drawing the blowzy +head to her shoulder, and kissing the wet cheek so tenderly that Jo +cried harder than ever. + +"You don't know, you can't guess how bad it is! It seems as if I could +do anything when I'm in a passion; I get so savage, I could hurt any +one, and enjoy it. I'm afraid I _shall_ do something dreadful some day, +and spoil my life, and make everybody hate me. O mother, help me, do +help me!" + +"I will, my child, I will. Don't cry so bitterly, but remember this day, +and resolve, with all your soul, that you will never know another like +it. Jo, dear, we all have our temptations, some far greater than yours, +and it often takes us all our lives to conquer them. You think your +temper is the worst in the world; but mine used to be just like it." + +"Yours, mother? Why, you are never angry!" and, for the moment, Jo +forgot remorse in surprise. + +"I've been trying to cure it for forty years, and have only succeeded in +controlling it. I am angry nearly every day of my life, Jo; but I have +learned not to show it; and I still hope to learn not to feel it, though +it may take me another forty years to do so." + +The patience and the humility of the face she loved so well was a better +lesson to Jo than the wisest lecture, the sharpest reproof. She felt +comforted at once by the sympathy and confidence given her; the +knowledge that her mother had a fault like hers, and tried to mend it, +made her own easier to bear and strengthened her resolution to cure it; +though forty years seemed rather a long time to watch and pray, to a +girl of fifteen. + +"Mother, are you angry when you fold your lips tight together, and go +out of the room sometimes, when Aunt March scolds, or people worry +you?" asked Jo, feeling nearer and dearer to her mother than ever +before. + +"Yes, I've learned to check the hasty words that rise to my lips; and +when I feel that they mean to break out against my will, I just go away +a minute, and give myself a little shake, for being so weak and wicked," +answered Mrs. March, with a sigh and a smile, as she smoothed and +fastened up Jo's dishevelled hair. + +"How did you learn to keep still? That is what troubles me--for the +sharp words fly out before I know what I'm about; and the more I say the +worse I get, till it's a pleasure to hurt people's feelings, and say +dreadful things. Tell me how you do it, Marmee dear." + +"My good mother used to help me--" + +"As you do us--" interrupted Jo, with a grateful kiss. + +"But I lost her when I was a little older than you are, and for years +had to struggle on alone, for I was too proud to confess my weakness to +any one else. I had a hard time, Jo, and shed a good many bitter tears +over my failures; for, in spite of my efforts, I never seemed to get on. +Then your father came, and I was so happy that I found it easy to be +good. But by and by, when I had four little daughters round me, and we +were poor, then the old trouble began again; for I am not patient by +nature, and it tried me very much to see my children wanting anything." + +"Poor mother! what helped you then?" + +"Your father, Jo. He never loses patience,--never doubts or +complains,--but always hopes, and works and waits so cheerfully, that +one is ashamed to do otherwise before him. He helped and comforted me, +and showed me that I must try to practise all the virtues I would have +my little girls possess, for I was their example. It was easier to try +for your sakes than for my own; a startled or surprised look from one of +you, when I spoke sharply, rebuked me more than any words could have +done; and the love, respect, and confidence of my children was the +sweetest reward I could receive for my efforts to be the woman I would +have them copy." + +"O mother, if I'm ever half as good as you, I shall be satisfied," cried +Jo, much touched. + +"I hope you will be a great deal better, dear; but you must keep watch +over your 'bosom enemy,' as father calls it, or it may sadden, if not +spoil your life. You have had a warning; remember it, and try with heart +and soul to master this quick temper, before it brings you greater +sorrow and regret than you have known to-day." + +"I will try, mother; I truly will. But you must help me, remind me, and +keep me from flying out. I used to see father sometimes put his finger +on his lips, and look at you with a very kind, but sober face, and you +always folded your lips tight or went away: was he reminding you then?" +asked Jo softly. + +"Yes; I asked him to help me so, and he never forgot it, but saved me +from many a sharp word by that little gesture and kind look." + +Jo saw that her mother's eyes filled and her lips trembled, as she +spoke; and, fearing that she had said too much, she whispered anxiously, +"Was it wrong to watch you, and to speak of it? I didn't mean to be +rude, but it's so comfortable to say all I think to you, and feel so +safe and happy here." + +"My Jo, you may say anything to your mother, for it is my greatest +happiness and pride to feel that my girls confide in me, and know how +much I love them." + +"I thought I'd grieved you." + +"No, dear; but speaking of father reminded me how much I miss him, how +much I owe him, and how faithfully I should watch and work to keep his +little daughters safe and good for him." + +"Yet you told him to go, mother, and didn't cry when he went, and never +complain now, or seem as if you needed any help," said Jo, wondering. + +"I gave my best to the country I love, and kept my tears till he was +gone. Why should I complain, when we both have merely done our duty and +will surely be the happier for it in the end? If I don't seem to need +help, it is because I have a better friend, even than father, to comfort +and sustain me. My child, the troubles and temptations of your life are +beginning, and may be many; but you can overcome and outlive them all if +you learn to feel the strength and tenderness of your Heavenly Father as +you do that of your earthly one. The more you love and trust Him, the +nearer you will feel to Him, and the less you will depend on human power +and wisdom. His love and care never tire or change, can never be taken +from you, but may become the source of life-long peace, happiness, and +strength. Believe this heartily, and go to God with all your little +cares, and hopes, and sins, and sorrows, as freely and confidingly as +you come to your mother." + +Jo's only answer was to hold her mother close, and, in the silence which +followed, the sincerest prayer she had ever prayed left her heart +without words; for in that sad, yet happy hour, she had learned not only +the bitterness of remorse and despair, but the sweetness of self-denial +and self-control; and, led by her mother's hand, she had drawn nearer to +the Friend who welcomes every child with a love stronger than that of +any father, tenderer than that of any mother. + +Amy stirred, and sighed in her sleep; and, as if eager to begin at once +to mend her fault, Jo looked up with an expression on her face which it +had never worn before. + +"I let the sun go down on my anger; I wouldn't forgive her, and to-day, +if it hadn't been for Laurie, it might have been too late! How could I +be so wicked?" said Jo, half aloud, as she leaned over her sister, +softly stroking the wet hair scattered on the pillow. + +As if she heard, Amy opened her eyes, and held out her arms, with a +smile that went straight to Jo's heart. Neither said a word, but they +hugged one another close, in spite of the blankets, and everything was +forgiven and forgotten in one hearty kiss. + + + + + [Illustration: Packing the go abroady trunk] + + IX. + + MEG GOES TO VANITY FAIR. + + +"I do think it was the most fortunate thing in the world that those +children should have the measles just now," said Meg, one April day, as +she stood packing the "go abroady" trunk in her room, surrounded by her +sisters. + +"And so nice of Annie Moffat not to forget her promise. A whole +fortnight of fun will be regularly splendid," replied Jo, looking like a +windmill, as she folded skirts with her long arms. + +"And such lovely weather; I'm so glad of that," added Beth, tidily +sorting neck and hair ribbons in her best box, lent for the great +occasion. + +"I wish I was going to have a fine time, and wear all these nice +things," said Amy, with her mouth full of pins, as she artistically +replenished her sister's cushion. + +"I wish you were all going; but, as you can't, I shall keep my +adventures to tell you when I come back. I'm sure it's the least I can +do, when you have been so kind, lending me things, and helping me get +ready," said Meg, glancing round the room at the very simple outfit, +which seemed nearly perfect in their eyes. + +"What did mother give you out of the treasure-box?" asked Amy, who had +not been present at the opening of a certain cedar chest, in which Mrs. +March kept a few relics of past splendor, as gifts for her girls when +the proper time came. + +"A pair of silk stockings, that pretty carved fan, and a lovely blue +sash. I wanted the violet silk; but there isn't time to make it over, so +I must be contented with my old tarlatan." + +"It will look nicely over my new muslin skirt, and the sash will set it +off beautifully. I wish I hadn't smashed my coral bracelet, for you +might have had it," said Jo, who loved to give and lend, but whose +possessions were usually too dilapidated to be of much use. + +"There is a lovely old-fashioned pearl set in the treasure-box; but +mother said real flowers were the prettiest ornament for a young girl, +and Laurie promised to send me all I want," replied Meg. "Now, let me +see; there's my new gray walking-suit--just curl up the feather in my +hat, Beth,--then my poplin, for Sunday, and the small party,--it looks +heavy for spring, doesn't it? The violet silk would be so nice; oh, +dear!" + +"Never mind; you've got the tarlatan for the big party, and you always +look like an angel in white," said Amy, brooding over the little store +of finery in which her soul delighted. + +"It isn't low-necked, and it doesn't sweep enough, but it will have to +do. My blue house-dress looks so well, turned and freshly trimmed, that +I feel as if I'd got a new one. My silk sacque isn't a bit the fashion, +and my bonnet doesn't look like Sallie's; I didn't like to say +anything, but I was sadly disappointed in my umbrella. I told mother +black, with a white handle, but she forgot, and bought a green one, with +a yellowish handle. It's strong and neat, so I ought not to complain, +but I know I shall feel ashamed of it beside Annie's silk one with a +gold top," sighed Meg, surveying the little umbrella with great +disfavor. + +"Change it," advised Jo. + +"I won't be so silly, or hurt Marmee's feelings, when she took so much +pains to get my things. It's a nonsensical notion of mine, and I'm not +going to give up to it. My silk stockings and two pairs of new gloves +are my comfort. You are a dear, to lend me yours, Jo. I feel so rich, +and sort of elegant, with two new pairs, and the old ones cleaned up for +common;" and Meg took a refreshing peep at her glove-box. + +"Annie Moffat has blue and pink bows on her night-caps; would you put +some on mine?" she asked, as Beth brought up a pile of snowy muslins, +fresh from Hannah's hands. + +"No, I wouldn't; for the smart caps won't match the plain gowns, without +any trimming on them. Poor folks shouldn't rig," said Jo decidedly. + +"I wonder if I shall _ever_ be happy enough to have real lace on my +clothes, and bows on my caps?" said Meg impatiently. + +"You said the other day that you'd be perfectly happy if you could only +go to Annie Moffat's," observed Beth, in her quiet way. + +"So I did! Well, I _am_ happy, and I _won't_ fret; but it does seem as +if the more one gets the more one wants, doesn't it? There, now, the +trays are ready, and everything in but my ball-dress, which I shall +leave for mother to pack," said Meg, cheering up, as she glanced from +the half-filled trunk to the many-times pressed and mended white +tarlatan, which she called her "ball-dress," with an important air. + +The next day was fine, and Meg departed, in style, for a fortnight of +novelty and pleasure. Mrs. March had consented to the visit rather +reluctantly, fearing that Margaret would come back more discontented +than she went. But she had begged so hard, and Sallie had promised to +take good care of her, and a little pleasure seemed so delightful after +a winter of irksome work, that the mother yielded, and the daughter went +to take her first taste of fashionable life. + +The Moffats _were_ very fashionable, and simple Meg was rather daunted, +at first, by the splendor of the house and the elegance of its +occupants. But they were kindly people, in spite of the frivolous life +they led, and soon put their guest at her ease. Perhaps Meg felt, +without understanding why, that they were not particularly cultivated or +intelligent people, and that all their gilding could not quite conceal +the ordinary material of which they were made. It certainly was +agreeable to fare sumptuously, drive in a fine carriage, wear her best +frock every day, and do nothing but enjoy herself. It suited her +exactly; and soon she began to imitate the manners and conversation of +those about her; to put on little airs and graces, use French phrases, +crimp her hair, take in her dresses, and talk about the fashions as well +as she could. The more she saw of Annie Moffat's pretty things, the more +she envied her, and sighed to be rich. Home now looked bare and dismal +as she thought of it, work grew harder than ever, and she felt that she +was a very destitute and much-injured girl, in spite of the new gloves +and silk stockings. + +She had not much time for repining, however, for the three young girls +were busily employed in "having a good time." They shopped, walked, +rode, and called all day; went to theatres and operas, or frolicked at +home in the evening; for Annie had many friends, and knew how to +entertain them. Her older sisters were very fine young ladies, and one +was engaged, which was extremely interesting and romantic, Meg thought. +Mr. Moffat was a fat, jolly old gentleman, who knew her father; and Mrs. +Moffat, a fat, jolly old lady, who took as great a fancy to Meg as her +daughter had done. Every one petted her; and "Daisy," as they called +her, was in a fair way to have her head turned. + +When the evening for the "small party" came, she found that the poplin +wouldn't do at all, for the other girls were putting on thin dresses, +and making themselves very fine indeed; so out came the tarlatan, +looking older, limper, and shabbier than ever beside Sallie's crisp new +one. Meg saw the girls glance at it and then at one another, and her +cheeks began to burn, for, with all her gentleness, she was very proud. +No one said a word about it, but Sallie offered to dress her hair, and +Annie to tie her sash, and Belle, the engaged sister, praised her white +arms; but in their kindness Meg saw only pity for her poverty, and her +heart felt very heavy as she stood by herself, while the others laughed, +chattered, and flew about like gauzy butterflies. The hard, bitter +feeling was getting pretty bad, when the maid brought in a box of +flowers. Before she could speak, Annie had the cover off, and all were +exclaiming at the lovely roses, heath, and fern within. + +"It's for Belle, of course; George always sends her some, but these are +altogether ravishing," cried Annie, with a great sniff. + +"They are for Miss March, the man said. And here's a note," put in the +maid, holding it to Meg. + +"What fun! Who are they from? Didn't know you had a lover," cried the +girls, fluttering about Meg in a high state of curiosity and surprise. + +"The note is from mother, and the flowers from Laurie," said Meg simply, +yet much gratified that he had not forgotten her. + +"Oh, indeed!" said Annie, with a funny look, as Meg slipped the note +into her pocket, as a sort of talisman against envy, vanity, and false +pride; for the few loving words had done her good, and the flowers +cheered her up by their beauty. + +Feeling almost happy again, she laid by a few ferns and roses for +herself, and quickly made up the rest in dainty bouquets for the +breasts, hair, or skirts of her friends, offering them so prettily that +Clara, the elder sister, told her she was "the sweetest little thing she +ever saw;" and they looked quite charmed with her small attention. +Somehow the kind act finished her despondency; and when all the rest +went to show themselves to Mrs. Moffat, she saw a happy, bright-eyed +face in the mirror, as she laid her ferns against her rippling hair, and +fastened the roses in the dress that didn't strike her as so _very_ +shabby now. + +She enjoyed herself very much that evening, for she danced to her +heart's content; every one was very kind, and she had three compliments. +Annie made her sing, and some one said she had a remarkably fine voice; +Major Lincoln asked who "the fresh little girl, with the beautiful +eyes," was; and Mr. Moffat insisted on dancing with her, because she +"didn't dawdle, but had some spring in her," as he gracefully expressed +it. So, altogether, she had a very nice time, till she overheard a bit +of a conversation, which disturbed her extremely. She was sitting just +inside the conservatory, waiting for her partner to bring her an ice, +when she heard a voice ask, on the other side of the flowery wall,-- + +"How old is he?" + +"Sixteen or seventeen, I should say," replied another voice. + +"It would be a grand thing for one of those girls, wouldn't it? Sallie +says they are very intimate now, and the old man quite dotes on them." + +"Mrs M. has made her plans, I dare say, and will play her cards well, +early as it is. The girl evidently doesn't think of it yet," said Mrs. +Moffat. + +"She told that fib about her mamma, as if she did know, and colored up +when the flowers came, quite prettily. Poor thing! she'd be so nice if +she was only got up in style. Do you think she'd be offended if we +offered to lend her a dress for Thursday?" asked another voice. + +"She's proud, but I don't believe she'd mind, for that dowdy tarlatan is +all she has got. She may tear it to-night, and that will be a good +excuse for offering a decent one." + +"We'll see. I shall ask young Laurence, as a compliment to her, and +we'll have fun about it afterward." + + [Illustration: Meg's partner appeared] + +Here Meg's partner appeared, to find her looking much flushed and rather +agitated. She _was_ proud, and her pride was useful just then, for it +helped her hide her mortification, anger, and disgust at what she had +just heard; for, innocent and unsuspicious as she was, she could not +help understanding the gossip of her friends. She tried to forget it, +but could not, and kept repeating to herself, "Mrs. M. has made her +plans," "that fib about her mamma," and "dowdy tarlatan," till she was +ready to cry, and rush home to tell her troubles and ask for advice. As +that was impossible, she did her best to seem gay; and, being rather +excited, she succeeded so well that no one dreamed what an effort she +was making. She was very glad when it was all over, and she was quiet in +her bed, where she could think and wonder and fume till her head ached +and her hot cheeks were cooled by a few natural tears. Those foolish, +yet well-meant words, had opened a new world to Meg, and much disturbed +the peace of the old one, in which, till now, she had lived as happily +as a child. Her innocent friendship with Laurie was spoilt by the silly +speeches she had overheard; her faith in her mother was a little shaken +by the worldly plans attributed to her by Mrs. Moffat, who judged others +by herself; and the sensible resolution to be contented with the simple +wardrobe which suited a poor man's daughter, was weakened by the +unnecessary pity of girls who thought a shabby dress one of the greatest +calamities under heaven. + +Poor Meg had a restless night, and got up heavy-eyed, unhappy, half +resentful toward her friends, and half ashamed of herself for not +speaking out frankly, and setting everything right. Everybody dawdled +that morning, and it was noon before the girls found energy enough even +to take up their worsted work. Something in the manner of her friends +struck Meg at once; they treated her with more respect, she thought; +took quite a tender interest in what she said, and looked at her with +eyes that plainly betrayed curiosity. All this surprised and flattered +her, though she did not understand it till Miss Belle looked up from her +writing, and said, with a sentimental air,-- + +"Daisy, dear, I've sent an invitation to your friend, Mr. Laurence, for +Thursday. We should like to know him, and it's only a proper compliment +to you." + +Meg colored, but a mischievous fancy to tease the girls made her reply +demurely,-- + +"You are very kind, but I'm afraid he won't come." + +"Why not, _chérie_?" asked Miss Belle. + +"He's too old." + +"My child, what do you mean? What is his age, I beg to know!" cried Miss +Clara. + +"Nearly seventy, I believe," answered Meg, counting stitches, to hide +the merriment in her eyes. + +"You sly creature! Of course we meant the young man," exclaimed Miss +Belle, laughing. + +"There isn't any; Laurie is only a little boy," and Meg laughed also at +the queer look which the sisters exchanged as she thus described her +supposed lover. + +"About your age," Nan said. + +"Nearer my sister Jo's; _I_ am seventeen in August," returned Meg, +tossing her head. + +"It's very nice of him to send you flowers, isn't it?" said Annie, +looking wise about nothing. + +"Yes, he often does, to all of us; for their house is full, and we are +so fond of them. My mother and old Mr. Laurence are friends, you know, +so it is quite natural that we children should play together;" and Meg +hoped they would say no more. + +"It's evident Daisy isn't out yet," said Miss Clara to Belle, with a +nod. + +"Quite a pastoral state of innocence all round," returned Miss Belle, +with a shrug. + +"I'm going out to get some little matters for my girls; can I do +anything for you, young ladies?" asked Mrs. Moffat, lumbering in, like +an elephant, in silk and lace. + +"No, thank you, ma'am," replied Sallie. "I've got my new pink silk for +Thursday, and don't want a thing." + +"Nor I,--" began Meg, but stopped, because it occurred to her that she +_did_ want several things, and could not have them. + +"What shall you wear?" asked Sallie. + +"My old white one again, if I can mend it fit to be seen; it got sadly +torn last night," said Meg, trying to speak quite easily, but feeling +very uncomfortable. + +"Why don't you send home for another?" said Sallie, who was not an +observing young lady. + +"I haven't got any other." It cost Meg an effort to say that, but Sallie +did not see it, and exclaimed, in amiable surprise,-- + +"Only that? How funny--" She did not finish her speech, for Belle shook +her head at her, and broke in, saying kindly,-- + +"Not at all; where is the use of having a lot of dresses when she isn't +out? There's no need of sending home, Daisy, even if you had a dozen, +for I've got a sweet blue silk laid away, which I've outgrown, and you +shall wear it, to please me, won't you, dear?" + +"You are very kind, but I don't mind my old dress, if you don't; it does +well enough for a little girl like me," said Meg. + +"Now do let me please myself by dressing you up in style. I admire to do +it, and you'd be a regular little beauty, with a touch here and there. I +sha'n't let any one see you till you are done, and then we'll burst upon +them like Cinderella and her godmother, going to the ball," said Belle, +in her persuasive tone. + +Meg couldn't refuse the offer so kindly made, for a desire to see if she +would be "a little beauty" after touching up, caused her to accept, and +forget all her former uncomfortable feelings towards the Moffats. + +On the Thursday evening, Belle shut herself up with her maid; and, +between them, they turned Meg into a fine lady. They crimped and curled +her hair, they polished her neck and arms with some fragrant powder, +touched her lips with coralline salve, to make them redder, and Hortense +would have added "a _soupçon_ of rouge," if Meg had not rebelled. They +laced her into a sky-blue dress, which was so tight she could hardly +breathe, and so low in the neck that modest Meg blushed at herself in +the mirror. A set of silver filagree was added, bracelets, necklace, +brooch, and even ear-rings, for Hortense tied them on, with a bit of +pink silk, which did not show. A cluster of tea-rosebuds at the bosom, +and a _ruche_, reconciled Meg to the display of her pretty white +shoulders, and a pair of high-heeled blue silk boots satisfied the last +wish of her heart. A laced handkerchief, a plumy fan, and a bouquet in a +silver holder finished her off; and Miss Belle surveyed her with the +satisfaction of a little girl with a newly dressed doll. + +"Mademoiselle is charmante, très jolie, is she not?" cried Hortense, +clasping her hands in an affected rapture. + +"Come and show yourself," said Miss Belle, leading the way to the room +where the others were waiting. + +As Meg went rustling after, with her long skirts trailing, her ear-rings +tinkling, her curls waving, and her heart beating, she felt as if her +"fun" had really begun at last, for the mirror had plainly told her that +she _was_ "a little beauty." Her friends repeated the pleasing phrase +enthusiastically; and, for several minutes, she stood, like the jackdaw +in the fable, enjoying her borrowed plumes, while the rest chattered +like a party of magpies. + +"While I dress, do you drill her, Nan, in the management of her skirt, +and those French heels, or she will trip herself up. Take your silver +butterfly, and catch up that long curl on the left side of her head, +Clara, and don't any of you disturb the charming work of my hands," said +Belle, as she hurried away, looking well pleased with her success. + +"I'm afraid to go down, I feel so queer and stiff and half-dressed," +said Meg to Sallie, as the bell rang, and Mrs. Moffat sent to ask the +young ladies to appear at once. + +"You don't look a bit like yourself, but you are very nice. I'm nowhere +beside you, for Belle has heaps of taste, and you're quite French, I +assure you. Let your flowers hang; don't be so careful of them, and be +sure you don't trip," returned Sallie, trying not to care that Meg was +prettier than herself. + + [Illustration: Asked to be introduced] + +Keeping that warning carefully in mind, Margaret got safely down stairs, +and sailed into the drawing-rooms, where the Moffats and a few early +guests were assembled. She very soon discovered that there is a charm +about fine clothes which attracts a certain class of people, and secures +their respect. Several young ladies, who had taken no notice of her +before, were very affectionate all of a sudden; several young gentlemen, +who had only stared at her at the other party, now not only stared, but +asked to be introduced, and said all manner of foolish but agreeable +things to her; and several old ladies, who sat on sofas, and criticised +the rest of the party, inquired who she was, with an air of interest. +She heard Mrs. Moffat reply to one of them,-- + +"Daisy March--father a colonel in the army--one of our first families, +but reverses of fortune, you know; intimate friends of the Laurences; +sweet creature, I assure you; my Ned is quite wild about her." + +"Dear me!" said the old lady, putting up her glass for another +observation of Meg, who tried to look as if she had not heard, and been +rather shocked at Mrs. Moffat's fibs. + +The "queer feeling" did not pass away, but she imagined herself acting +the new part of fine lady, and so got on pretty well, though the tight +dress gave her a side-ache, the train kept getting under her feet, and +she was in constant fear lest her ear-rings should fly off, and get lost +or broken. She was flirting her fan and laughing at the feeble jokes of +a young gentleman who tried to be witty, when she suddenly stopped +laughing and looked confused; for, just opposite, she saw Laurie. He was +staring at her with undisguised surprise, and disapproval also, she +thought; for, though he bowed and smiled, yet something in his honest +eyes made her blush, and wish she had her old dress on. To complete her +confusion, she saw Belle nudge Annie, and both glance from her to +Laurie, who, she was happy to see, looked unusually boyish and shy. + +"Silly creatures, to put such thoughts into my head! I won't care for +it, or let it change me a bit," thought Meg, and rustled across the room +to shake hands with her friend. + +"I'm glad you came, I was afraid you wouldn't," she said, with her most +grown-up air. + +"Jo wanted me to come, and tell her how you looked, so I did;" answered +Laurie, without turning his eyes upon her, though he half smiled at her +maternal tone. + +"What shall you tell her?" asked Meg, full of curiosity to know his +opinion of her, yet feeling ill at ease with him, for the first time. + +"I shall say I didn't know you; for you look so grown-up, and unlike +yourself, I'm quite afraid of you," he said, fumbling at his +glove-button. + +"How absurd of you! The girls dressed me up for fun, and I rather like +it. Wouldn't Jo stare if she saw me?" said Meg, bent on making him say +whether he thought her improved or not. + +"Yes, I think she would," returned Laurie gravely. + +"Don't you like me so?" asked Meg. + +"No, I don't," was the blunt reply. + +"Why not?" in an anxious tone. + +He glanced at her frizzled head, bare shoulders, and fantastically +trimmed dress, with an expression that abashed her more than his answer, +which had not a particle of his usual politeness about it. + +"I don't like fuss and feathers." + +That was altogether too much from a lad younger than herself; and Meg +walked away, saying petulantly,-- + +"You are the rudest boy I ever saw." + +Feeling very much ruffled, she went and stood at a quiet window, to cool +her cheeks, for the tight dress gave her an uncomfortably brilliant +color. As she stood there, Major Lincoln passed by; and, a minute after, +she heard him saying to his mother,-- + +"They are making a fool of that little girl; I wanted you to see her, +but they have spoilt her entirely; she's nothing but a doll, to-night." + +"Oh, dear!" sighed Meg; "I wish I'd been sensible, and worn my own +things; then I should not have disgusted other people, or felt so +uncomfortable and ashamed myself." + +She leaned her forehead on the cool pane, and stood half hidden by the +curtains, never minding that her favorite waltz had begun, till some one +touched her; and, turning, she saw Laurie, looking penitent, as he said, +with his very best bow, and his hand out,-- + +"Please forgive my rudeness, and come and dance with me." + +"I'm afraid it will be too disagreeable to you," said Meg, trying to +look offended, and failing entirely. + +"Not a bit of it; I'm dying to do it. Come, I'll be good; I don't like +your gown, but I do think you are--just splendid;" and he waved his +hands, as if words failed to express his admiration. + +Meg smiled and relented, and whispered, as they stood waiting to catch +the time,-- + +"Take care my skirt don't trip you up; it's the plague of my life, and I +was a goose to wear it." + +"Pin it round your neck, and then it will be useful," said Laurie, +looking down at the little blue boots, which he evidently approved of. + +Away they went, fleetly and gracefully; for, having practised at home, +they were well matched, and the blithe young couple were a pleasant +sight to see, as they twirled merrily round and round, feeling more +friendly than ever after their small tiff. + +"Laurie, I want you to do me a favor; will you?" said Meg, as he stood +fanning her, when her breath gave out, which it did very soon, though +she would not own why. + +"Won't I!" said Laurie, with alacrity. + +"Please don't tell them at home about my dress to-night. They won't +understand the joke, and it will worry mother." + +"Then why did you do it?" said Laurie's eyes, so plainly that Meg +hastily added,-- + +"I shall tell them, myself, all about it, and ''fess' to mother how +silly I've been. But I'd rather do it myself; so you'll not tell, will +you?" + +"I give you my word I won't; only what shall I say when they ask me?" + +"Just say I looked pretty well, and was having a good time." + +"I'll say the first, with all my heart; but how about the other? You +don't look as if you were having a good time; are you?" and Laurie +looked at her with an expression which made her answer, in a whisper,-- + +"No; not just now. Don't think I'm horrid; I only wanted a little fun, +but this sort doesn't pay, I find, and I'm getting tired of it." + +"Here comes Ned Moffat; what does he want?" said Laurie, knitting his +black brows, as if he did not regard his young host in the light of a +pleasant addition to the party. + +"He put his name down for three dances, and I suppose he's coming for +them. What a bore!" said Meg, assuming a languid air, which amused +Laurie immensely. + +He did not speak to her again till supper-time, when he saw her drinking +champagne with Ned and his friend Fisher, who were behaving "like a pair +of fools," as Laurie said to himself, for he felt a brotherly sort of +right to watch over the Marches, and fight their battles whenever a +defender was needed. + + [Illustration: I wouldn't, Meg] + +"You'll have a splitting headache to-morrow, if you drink much of that. +I wouldn't Meg; your mother doesn't like it, you know," he whispered, +leaning over her chair, as Ned turned to refill her glass, and Fisher +stooped to pick up her fan. + +"I'm not Meg, to-night; I'm 'a doll,' who does all sorts of crazy +things. To-morrow I shall put away my 'fuss and feathers,' and be +desperately good again," she answered, with an affected little laugh. + +"Wish to-morrow was here, then," muttered Laurie, walking off, +ill-pleased at the change he saw in her. + +Meg danced and flirted, chattered and giggled, as the other girls did; +after supper she undertook the German, and blundered through it, nearly +upsetting her partner with her long skirt, and romping in a way that +scandalized Laurie, who looked on and meditated a lecture. But he got no +chance to deliver it, for Meg kept away from him till he came to say +good-night. + +"Remember!" she said, trying to smile, for the splitting headache had +already begun. + +"Silence à la mort," replied Laurie, with a melodramatic flourish, as he +went away. + +This little bit of by-play excited Annie's curiosity; but Meg was too +tired for gossip, and went to bed, feeling as if she had been to a +masquerade, and hadn't enjoyed herself as much as she expected. She was +sick all the next day, and on Saturday went home, quite used up with her +fortnight's fun, and feeling that she had "sat in the lap of luxury" +long enough. + +"It does seem pleasant to be quiet, and not have company manners on all +the time. Home _is_ a nice place, though it isn't splendid," said Meg, +looking about her with a restful expression, as she sat with her mother +and Jo on the Sunday evening. + +"I'm glad to hear you say so, dear, for I was afraid home would seem +dull and poor to you, after your fine quarters," replied her mother, who +had given her many anxious looks that day; for motherly eyes are quick +to see any change in children's faces. + +Meg had told her adventures gayly, and said over and over what a +charming time she had had; but something still seemed to weigh upon her +spirits, and, when the younger girls were gone to bed, she sat +thoughtfully staring at the fire, saying little, and looking worried. As +the clock struck nine, and Jo proposed bed, Meg suddenly left her chair, +and, taking Beth's stool, leaned her elbows on her mother's knee, saying +bravely,-- + +"Marmee, I want to ''fess.'" + +"I thought so; what is it, dear?" + +"Shall I go away?" asked Jo discreetly. + +"Of course not; don't I always tell you everything? I was ashamed to +speak of it before the children, but I want you to know all the dreadful +things I did at the Moffat's." + +"We are prepared," said Mrs. March, smiling, but looking a little +anxious. + +"I told you they dressed me up, but I didn't tell you that they powdered +and squeezed and frizzled, and made me look like a fashion-plate. Laurie +thought I wasn't proper; I know he did, though he didn't say so, and one +man called me 'a doll.' I knew it was silly, but they flattered me, and +said I was a beauty, and quantities of nonsense, so I let them make a +fool of me." + +"Is that all?" asked Jo, as Mrs. March looked silently at the downcast +face of her pretty daughter, and could not find it in her heart to blame +her little follies. + +"No; I drank champagne and romped and tried to flirt, and was altogether +abominable," said Meg self-reproachfully. + +"There is something more, I think;" and Mrs. March smoothed the soft +cheek, which suddenly grew rosy, as Meg answered slowly,-- + +"Yes; it's very silly, but I want to tell it, because I hate to have +people say and think such things about us and Laurie." + +Then she told the various bits of gossip she had heard at the Moffats; +and, as she spoke, Jo saw her mother fold her lips tightly, as if ill +pleased that such ideas should be put into Meg's innocent mind. + +"Well, if that isn't the greatest rubbish I ever heard," cried Jo +indignantly. "Why didn't you pop out and tell them so, on the spot?" + +"I couldn't, it was so embarrassing for me. I couldn't help hearing, at +first, and then I was so angry and ashamed, I didn't remember that I +ought to go away." + +"Just wait till _I_ see Annie Moffat, and I'll show you how to settle +such ridiculous stuff. The idea of having 'plans,' and being kind to +Laurie, because he's rich, and may marry us by and by! Won't he shout, +when I tell him what those silly things say about us poor children?" and +Jo laughed, as if, on second thoughts, the thing struck her as a good +joke. + +"If you tell Laurie, I'll never forgive you! She mustn't, must she, +mother?" said Meg, looking distressed. + +"No; never repeat that foolish gossip, and forget it as soon as you +can," said Mrs. March gravely. "I was very unwise to let you go among +people of whom I know so little,--kind, I dare say, but worldly, +ill-bred, and full of these vulgar ideas about young people. I am more +sorry than I can express for the mischief this visit may have done you, +Meg." + +"Don't be sorry, I won't let it hurt me; I'll forget all the bad, and +remember only the good; for I did enjoy a great deal, and thank you very +much for letting me go. I'll not be sentimental or dissatisfied, mother; +I know I'm a silly little girl, and I'll stay with you till I'm fit to +take care of myself. But it _is_ nice to be praised and admired, and I +can't help saying I like it," said Meg, looking half ashamed of the +confession. + +"That is perfectly natural, and quite harmless, if the liking does not +become a passion, and lead one to do foolish or unmaidenly things. Learn +to know and value the praise which is worth having, and to excite the +admiration of excellent people by being modest as well as pretty, Meg." + +Margaret sat thinking a moment, while Jo stood with her hands behind +her, looking both interested and a little perplexed; for it was a new +thing to see Meg blushing and talking about admiration, lovers, and +things of that sort; and Jo felt as if, during that fortnight, her +sister had grown up amazingly, and was drifting away from her into a +world where she could not follow. + +"Mother, do you have 'plans,' as Mrs. Moffat said?" asked Meg bashfully. + +"Yes, my dear, I have a great many; all mothers do, but mine differ +somewhat from Mrs. Moffat's, I suspect. I will tell you some of them, +for the time has come when a word may set this romantic little head and +heart of yours right, on a very serious subject. You are young, Meg, but +not too young to understand me; and mothers' lips are the fittest to +speak of such things to girls like you. Jo, your turn will come in time, +perhaps, so listen to my 'plans,' and help me carry them out, if they +are good." + +Jo went and sat on one arm of the chair, looking as if she thought they +were about to join in some very solemn affair. Holding a hand of each, +and watching the two young faces wistfully, Mrs. March said, in her +serious yet cheery way,-- + + [Illustration: Holding a hand of each, Mrs. March said, &c.] + +"I want my daughters to be beautiful, accomplished, and good; to be +admired, loved, and respected; to have a happy youth, to be well and +wisely married, and to lead useful, pleasant lives, with as little care +and sorrow to try them as God sees fit to send. To be loved and chosen +by a good man is the best and sweetest thing which can happen to a +woman; and I sincerely hope my girls may know this beautiful experience. +It is natural to think of it, Meg; right to hope and wait for it, and +wise to prepare for it; so that, when the happy time comes, you may +feel ready for the duties and worthy of the joy. My dear girls, I _am_ +ambitious for you, but not to have you make a dash in the world,--marry +rich men merely because they are rich, or have splendid houses, which +are not homes because love is wanting. Money is a needful and precious +thing,--and, when well used, a noble thing,--but I never want you to +think it is the first or only prize to strive for. I'd rather see you +poor men's wives, if you were happy, beloved, contented, than queens on +thrones, without self-respect and peace." + +"Poor girls don't stand any chance, Belle says, unless they put +themselves forward," sighed Meg. + +"Then we'll be old maids," said Jo stoutly. + +"Right, Jo; better be happy old maids than unhappy wives, or unmaidenly +girls, running about to find husbands," said Mrs. March decidedly. +"Don't be troubled, Meg; poverty seldom daunts a sincere lover. Some of +the best and most honored women I know were poor girls, but so +love-worthy that they were not allowed to be old maids. Leave these +things to time; make this home happy, so that you may be fit for homes +of your own, if they are offered you, and contented here if they are +not. One thing remember, my girls: mother is always ready to be your +confidant, father to be your friend; and both of us trust and hope that +our daughters, whether married or single, will be the pride and comfort +of our lives." + +"We will, Marmee, we will!" cried both, with all their hearts, as she +bade them good-night. + + + + + X. + + THE P. C. AND P. O. + + +As spring came on, a new set of amusements became the fashion, and the +lengthening days gave long afternoons for work and play of all sorts. +The garden had to be put in order, and each sister had a quarter of the +little plot to do what she liked with. Hannah used to say, "I'd know +which each of them gardings belonged to, ef I see 'em in Chiny;" and so +she might, for the girls' tastes differed as much as their characters. +Meg's had roses and heliotrope, myrtle, and a little orange-tree in it. +Jo's bed was never alike two seasons, for she was always trying +experiments; this year it was to be a plantation of sun-flowers, the +seeds of which cheerful and aspiring plant were to feed "Aunt +Cockle-top" and her family of chicks. Beth had old-fashioned, fragrant +flowers in her garden,--sweet peas and mignonette, larkspur, pinks, +pansies, and southernwood, with chickweed for the bird, and catnip for +the pussies. Amy had a bower in hers,--rather small and earwiggy, but +very pretty to look at,--with honeysuckles and morning-glories hanging +their colored horns and bells in graceful wreaths all over it; tall, +white lilies, delicate ferns, and as many brilliant, picturesque plants +as would consent to blossom there. + +Gardening, walks, rows on the river, and flower-hunts employed the fine +days; and for rainy ones, they had house diversions,--some old, some +new,--all more or less original. One of these was the "P. C."; for, as +secret societies were the fashion, it was thought proper to have one; +and, as all of the girls admired Dickens, they called themselves the +Pickwick Club. With a few interruptions, they had kept this up for a +year, and met every Saturday evening in the big garret, on which +occasions the ceremonies were as follows: Three chairs were arranged in +a row before a table, on which was a lamp, also four white badges, with +a big "P. C." in different colors on each, and the weekly newspaper, +called "The Pickwick Portfolio," to which all contributed something; +while Jo, who revelled in pens and ink, was the editor. At seven +o'clock, the four members ascended to the club-room, tied their badges +round their heads, and took their seats with great solemnity. Meg, as +the eldest, was Samuel Pickwick; Jo, being of a literary turn, Augustus +Snodgrass; Beth, because she was round and rosy, Tracy Tupman, and Amy, +who was always trying to do what she couldn't, was Nathaniel Winkle. +Pickwick, the president, read the paper, which was filled with original +tales, poetry, local news, funny advertisements, and hints, in which +they good-naturedly reminded each other of their faults and +short-comings. + + [Illustration: Mr. Pickwick] + +On one occasion, Mr. Pickwick put on a pair of spectacles without any +glasses, rapped upon the table, hemmed, and, having stared hard at Mr. +Snodgrass, who was tilting back in his chair, till he arranged himself +properly, began to read:-- + + + The Pickwick Portfolio. + + MAY 20, 18-- + + Poet's Corner. + + ANNIVERSARY ODE. + + Again we meet to celebrate + With badge and solemn rite, + Our fifty-second anniversary, + In Pickwick Hall, to-night. + + We all are here in perfect health, + None gone from our small band; + Again we see each well-known face, + And press each friendly hand. + + Our Pickwick, always at his post, + With reverence we greet, + As, spectacles on nose, he reads + Our well-filled weekly sheet. + + Although he suffers from a cold, + We joy to hear him speak, + For words of wisdom from him fall, + In spite of croak or squeak. + + Old six-foot Snodgrass looms on high, + With elephantine grace, + And beams upon the company, + With brown and jovial face. + + Poetic fire lights up his eye, + He struggles 'gainst his lot. + Behold ambition on his brow, + And on his nose a blot! + + Next our peaceful Tupman comes, + So rosy, plump, and sweet. + Who chokes with laughter at the puns, + And tumbles off his seat. + + Prim little Winkle too is here, + With every hair in place, + A model of propriety, + Though he hates to wash his face. + + The year is gone, we still unite + To joke and laugh and read, + And tread the path of literature + That doth to glory lead. + + Long may our paper prosper well, + Our club unbroken be, + And coming years their blessings pour + On the useful, gay "P. C." + + A. SNODGRASS. + + + THE MASKED MARRIAGE. + + A TALE OF VENICE. + + Gondola after gondola swept up to the marble steps, and left its + lovely load to swell the brilliant throng that filled the + stately halls of Count de Adelon. Knights and ladies, elves and + pages, monks and flower-girls, all mingled gayly in the dance. + Sweet voices and rich melody filled the air; and so with mirth + and music the masquerade went on. + + "Has your Highness seen the Lady Viola to-night?" asked a + gallant troubadour of the fairy queen who floated down the hall + upon his arm. + + "Yes; is she not lovely, though so sad! Her dress is well + chosen, too, for in a week she weds Count Antonio, whom she + passionately hates." + + "By my faith, I envy him. Yonder he comes, arrayed like a + bridegroom, except the black mask. When that is off we shall see + how he regards the fair maid whose heart he cannot win, though + her stern father bestows her hand," returned the troubadour. + + "'Tis whispered that she loves the young English artist who + haunts her steps, and is spurned by the old count," said the + lady, as they joined the dance. + + The revel was at its height when a priest appeared, and, + withdrawing the young pair to an alcove hung with purple velvet, + he motioned them to kneel. Instant silence fell upon the gay + throng; and not a sound, but the dash of fountains or the rustle + of orange-groves sleeping in the moonlight, broke the hush, as + Count de Adelon spoke thus:-- + + "My lords and ladies, pardon the ruse by which I have gathered + you here to witness the marriage of my daughter. Father, we wait + your services." + + All eyes turned toward the bridal party, and a low murmur of + amazement went through the throng, for neither bride nor groom + removed their masks. Curiosity and wonder possessed all hearts, + but respect restrained all tongues till the holy rite was over. + Then the eager spectators gathered round the count, demanding an + explanation. + + "Gladly would I give it if I could; but I only know that it was + the whim of my timid Viola, and I yielded to it. Now, my + children, let the play end. Unmask, and receive my blessing." + + But neither bent the knee; for the young bridegroom replied, in + a tone that startled all listeners, as the mask fell, disclosing + the noble face of Ferdinand Devereux, the artist lover; and, + leaning on the breast where now flashed the star of an English + earl, was the lovely Viola, radiant with joy and beauty. + + "My lord, you scornfully bade me claim your daughter when I + could boast as high a name and vast a fortune as the Count + Antonio. I can do more; for even your ambitious soul cannot + refuse the Earl of Devereux and De Vere, when he gives his + ancient name and boundless wealth in return for the beloved hand + of this fair lady, now my wife." + + The count stood like one changed to stone; and, turning to the + bewildered crowd, Ferdinand added, with a gay smile of triumph, + "To you, my gallant friends, I can only wish that your wooing + may prosper as mine has done; and that you may all win as fair a + bride as I have, by this masked marriage." + + S. PICKWICK. + + * * * * * + + Why is the P. C. like the Tower of Babel? It is full of unruly + members. + + * * * * * + + THE HISTORY OF A SQUASH. + + Once upon a time a farmer planted a little seed in his garden, + and after a while it sprouted and became a vine, and bore many + squashes. One day in October, when they were ripe, he picked one + and took it to market. A grocer-man bought and put it in his + shop. That same morning, a little girl, in a brown hat and blue + dress, with a round face and snub nose, went and bought it for + her mother. She lugged it home, cut it up, and boiled it in the + big pot; mashed some of it, with salt and butter, for dinner; + and to the rest she added a pint of milk, two eggs, four spoons + of sugar, nutmeg, and some crackers; put it in a deep dish, and + baked it till it was brown and nice; and next day it was eaten + by a family named March. + T. TUPMAN. + + * * * * * + + MR. PICKWICK, _Sir_:-- + + I address you upon the subject of sin the sinner I mean is a man + named Winkle who makes trouble in his club by laughing and + sometimes won't write his piece in this fine paper I hope you + will pardon his badness and let him send a French fable because + he can't write out of his head as he has so many lessons to do + and no brains in future I will try to take time by the fetlock + and prepare some work which will be all _commy la fo_ that means + all right I am in haste as it is nearly school time + + Yours respectably, N. WINKLE. + + [The above is a manly and handsome acknowledgment of past + misdemeanors. If our young friend studied punctuation, it would + be well.] + + + A SAD ACCIDENT. + + On Friday last, we were startled by a violent shock in our + basement, followed by cries of distress. On rushing, in a body, + to the cellar, we discovered our beloved President prostrate + upon the floor, having tripped and fallen while getting wood for + domestic purposes. A perfect scene of ruin met our eyes; for in + his fall Mr. Pickwick had plunged his head and shoulders into a + tub of water, upset a keg of soft soap upon his manly form, and + torn his garments badly. On being removed from this perilous + situation, it was discovered that he had suffered no injury but + several bruises; and, we are happy to add, is now doing well. + ED. + + *************************************************************** + * * + * THE PUBLIC BEREAVEMENT. * + * * + * It is our painful duty to record the sudden and mysterious * + * disappearance of our cherished friend, Mrs. Snowball Pat * + * Paw. This lovely and beloved cat was the pet of a large * + * circle of warm and admiring friends; for her beauty * + * attracted all eyes, her graces and virtues endeared her to * + * all hearts, and her loss is deeply felt by the whole * + * community. * + * * + * When last seen, she was sitting at the gate, watching the * + * butcher's cart; and it is feared that some villain, tempted * + * by her charms, basely stole her. Weeks have passed, but no * + * trace of her has been discovered; and we relinquish all * + * hope, tie a black ribbon to her basket, set aside her dish, * + * and weep for her as one lost to us forever. * + * * + *************************************************************** + + * * * * * + + A sympathizing friend sends the following gem:-- + + + A LAMENT + + FOR S. B. PAT PAW. + + We mourn the loss of our little pet, + And sigh o'er her hapless fate, + For never more by the fire she'll sit, + Nor play by the old green gate. + + The little grave where her infant sleeps, + Is 'neath the chestnut tree; + But o'er _her_ grave we may not weep, + We know not where it may be. + + Her empty bed, her idle ball, + Will never see her more; + No gentle tap, no loving purr + Is heard at the parlor-door. + + Another cat comes after her mice, + A cat with a dirty face; + But she does not hunt as our darling did, + Nor play with her airy grace. + + Her stealthy paws tread the very hall + Where Snowball used to play, + But she only spits at the dogs our pet + So gallantly drove away. + + She is useful and mild, and does her best, + But she is not fair to see; + And we cannot give her your place, dear, + Nor worship her as we worship thee. + A. S. + + + ADVERTISEMENTS. + + MISS ORANTHY BLUGGAGE, the accomplished Strong-Minded Lecturer, + will deliver her famous Lecture on "WOMAN AND HER POSITION," at + Pickwick Hall, next Saturday Evening, after the usual + performances. + + A WEEKLY MEETING will be held at Kitchen Place, to teach young + ladies how to cook. Hannah Brown will preside; and all are + invited to attend. + + THE DUSTPAN SOCIETY will meet on Wednesday next, and parade in + the upper story of the Club House. All members to appear in + uniform and shoulder their brooms at nine precisely. + + MRS. BETH BOUNCER will open her new assortment of Doll's + Millinery next week. The latest Paris Fashions have arrived, and + orders are respectfully solicited. + + A NEW PLAY will appear at the Barnville Theatre, in the course + of a few weeks, which will surpass anything ever seen on the + American stage. "THE GREEK SLAVE, or Constantine the Avenger," + is the name of this thrilling drama!!! + + + HINTS. + + If S. P. didn't use so much soap on his hands, he wouldn't + always be late at breakfast. A. S. is requested not to whistle + in the street. T. T. please don't forget Amy's napkin. N. W. + must not fret because his dress has not nine tucks. + + + WEEKLY REPORT. + + Meg--Good. + Jo--Bad. + Beth--Very good. + Amy--Middling. + + +As the President finished reading the paper (which I beg leave to assure +my readers is a _bona fide_ copy of one written by _bona fide_ girls +once upon a time), a round of applause followed, and then Mr. Snodgrass +rose to make a proposition. + +"Mr. President and gentlemen," he began, assuming a parliamentary +attitude and tone, "I wish to propose the admission of a new +member,--one who highly deserves the honor, would be deeply grateful for +it, and would add immensely to the spirit of the club, the literary +value of the paper, and be no end jolly and nice. I propose Mr. Theodore +Laurence as an honorary member of the P. C. Come now, do have him." + +Jo's sudden change of tone made the girls laugh; but all looked rather +anxious, and no one said a word, as Snodgrass took his seat. + +"We'll put it to vote," said the President. "All in favor of this motion +please to manifest it by saying 'Ay.'" + +A loud response from Snodgrass, followed, to everybody's surprise, by a +timid one from Beth. + +"Contrary minded say 'No.'" + +Meg and Amy were contrary minded; and Mr. Winkle rose to say, with great +elegance, "We don't wish any boys; they only joke and bounce about. This +is a ladies' club, and we wish to be private and proper." + +"I'm afraid he'll laugh at our paper, and make fun of us afterward," +observed Pickwick, pulling the little curl on her forehead, as she +always did when doubtful. + +Up rose Snodgrass, very much in earnest. "Sir, I give you my word as a +gentleman, Laurie won't do anything of the sort. He likes to write, and +he'll give a tone to our contributions, and keep us from being +sentimental, don't you see? We can do so little for him, and he does so +much for us, I think the least we can do is to offer him a place here, +and make him welcome if he comes." + +This artful allusion to benefits conferred brought Tupman to his feet, +looking as if he had quite made up his mind. + +"Yes, we ought to do it, even if we _are_ afraid. I say he _may_ come, +and his grandpa, too, if he likes." + +This spirited burst from Beth electrified the club, and Jo left her +seat to shake hands approvingly. "Now then, vote again. Everybody +remember it's our Laurie, and say 'Ay!'" cried Snodgrass excitedly. + +"Ay! ay! ay!" replied three voices at once. + +"Good! Bless you! Now, as there's nothing like 'taking time by the +_fetlock_,' as Winkle characteristically observes, allow me to present +the new member;" and, to the dismay of the rest of the club, Jo threw +open the door of the closet, and displayed Laurie sitting on a rag-bag, +flushed and twinkling with suppressed laughter. + + [Illustration: Jo threw open the door of the closet] + +"You rogue! you traitor! Jo, how could you?" cried the three girls, as +Snodgrass led her friend triumphantly forth; and, producing both a chair +and a badge, installed him in a jiffy. + +"The coolness of you two rascals is amazing," began Mr. Pickwick, trying +to get up an awful frown, and only succeeding in producing an amiable +smile. But the new member was equal to the occasion; and, rising, with a +grateful salutation to the Chair, said, in the most engaging manner, +"Mr. President and ladies,--I beg pardon, gentlemen,--allow me to +introduce myself as Sam Weller, the very humble servant of the club." + +"Good! good!" cried Jo, pounding with the handle of the old warming-pan +on which she leaned. + +"My faithful friend and noble patron," continued Laurie, with a wave of +the hand, "who has so flatteringly presented me, is not to be blamed for +the base stratagem of to-night. I planned it, and she only gave in after +lots of teasing." + +"Come now, don't lay it all on yourself; you know I proposed the +cupboard," broke in Snodgrass, who was enjoying the joke amazingly. + +"Never you mind what she says. I'm the wretch that did it, sir," said +the new member, with a Welleresque nod to Mr. Pickwick. "But on my +honor, I never will do so again, and henceforth _dewote_ myself to the +interest of this immortal club." + +"Hear! hear!" cried Jo, clashing the lid of the warming-pan like a +cymbal. + +"Go on, go on!" added Winkle and Tupman, while the President bowed +benignly. + +"I merely wish to say, that as a slight token of my gratitude for the +honor done me, and as a means of promoting friendly relations between +adjoining nations, I have set up a post-office in the hedge in the lower +corner of the garden; a fine, spacious building, with padlocks on the +doors, and every convenience for the mails,--also the females, if I may +be allowed the expression. It's the old martin-house; but I've stopped +up the door, and made the roof open, so it will hold all sorts of +things, and save our valuable time. Letters, manuscripts, books, and +bundles can be passed in there; and, as each nation has a key, it will +be uncommonly nice, I fancy. Allow me to present the club key; and, +with many thanks for your favor, take my seat." + +Great applause as Mr. Weller deposited a little key on the table, and +subsided; the warming-pan clashed and waved wildly, and it was some time +before order could be restored. A long discussion followed, and every +one came out surprising, for every one did her best; so it was an +unusually lively meeting, and did not adjourn till a late hour, when it +broke up with three shrill cheers for the new member. + +No one ever regretted the admittance of Sam Weller, for a more devoted, +well-behaved, and jovial member no club could have. He certainly did add +"spirit" to the meetings, and "a tone" to the paper; for his orations +convulsed his hearers, and his contributions were excellent, being +patriotic, classical, comical, or dramatic, but never sentimental. Jo +regarded them as worthy of Bacon, Milton, or Shakespeare; and remodelled +her own works with good effect, she thought. + +The P. O. was a capital little institution, and flourished wonderfully, +for nearly as many queer things passed through it as through the real +office. Tragedies and cravats, poetry and pickles, garden-seeds and long +letters, music and gingerbread, rubbers, invitations, scoldings and +puppies. The old gentleman liked the fun, and amused himself by sending +odd bundles, mysterious messages, and funny telegrams; and his gardener, +who was smitten with Hannah's charms, actually sent a love-letter to +Jo's care. How they laughed when the secret came out, never dreaming how +many love-letters that little post-office would hold in the years to +come! + + + + + [Illustration: Jo spent the morning on the river] + + XI. + + EXPERIMENTS. + + +"The first of June! The Kings are off to the seashore to-morrow, and I'm +free. Three months' vacation,--how I shall enjoy it!" exclaimed Meg, +coming home one warm day to find Jo laid upon the sofa in an unusual +state of exhaustion, while Beth took off her dusty boots, and Amy made +lemonade for the refreshment of the whole party. + +"Aunt March went to-day, for which, oh, be joyful!" said Jo. "I was +mortally afraid she'd ask me to go with her; if she had, I should have +felt as if I ought to do it; but Plumfield is about as gay as a +churchyard, you know, and I'd rather be excused. We had a flurry getting +the old lady off, and I had a fright every time she spoke to me, for I +was in such a hurry to be through that I was uncommonly helpful and +sweet, and feared she'd find it impossible to part from me. I quaked +till she was fairly in the carriage, and had a final fright, for, as it +drove off, she popped out her head, saying, 'Josy-phine, won't you--?' +I didn't hear any more, for I basely turned and fled; I did actually +run, and whisked round the corner, where I felt safe." + +"Poor old Jo! she came in looking as if bears were after her," said +Beth, as she cuddled her sister's feet with a motherly air. + +"Aunt March is a regular samphire, is she not?" observed Amy, tasting +her mixture critically. + +"She means _vampire_, not sea-weed; but it doesn't matter; it's too warm +to be particular about one's parts of speech," murmured Jo. + +"What shall you do all your vacation?" asked Amy, changing the subject, +with tact. + +"I shall lie abed late, and do nothing," replied Meg, from the depths of +the rocking-chair. "I've been routed up early all winter, and had to +spend my days working for other people; so now I'm going to rest and +revel to my heart's content." + +"No," said Jo; "that dozy way wouldn't suit me. I've laid in a heap of +books, and I'm going to improve my shining hours reading on my perch in +the old apple-tree, when I'm not having l------" + +"Don't say 'larks!'" implored Amy, as a return snub for the "samphire" +correction. + +"I'll say 'nightingales,' then, with Laurie; that's proper and +appropriate, since he's a warbler." + +"Don't let us do any lessons, Beth, for a while, but play all the time, +and rest, as the girls mean to," proposed Amy. + +"Well, I will, if mother doesn't mind. I want to learn some new songs, +and my children need fitting up for the summer; they are dreadfully out +of order, and really suffering for clothes." + +"May we, mother?" asked Meg, turning to Mrs. March, who sat sewing, in +what they called "Marmee's corner." + +"You may try your experiment for a week, and see how you like it. I +think by Saturday night you will find that all play and no work is as +bad as all work and no play." + +"Oh, dear, no! it will be delicious, I'm sure," said Meg complacently. + +"I now propose a toast, as my 'friend and pardner, Sairy Gamp,' says. +Fun forever, and no grubbing!" cried Jo, rising, glass in hand, as the +lemonade went round. + +They all drank it merrily, and began the experiment by lounging for the +rest of the day. Next morning, Meg did not appear till ten o'clock; her +solitary breakfast did not taste nice, and the room seemed lonely and +untidy; for Jo had not filled the vases, Beth had not dusted, and Amy's +books lay scattered about. Nothing was neat and pleasant but "Marmee's +corner," which looked as usual; and there Meg sat, to "rest and read," +which meant yawn, and imagine what pretty summer dresses she would get +with her salary. Jo spent the morning on the river, with Laurie, and the +afternoon reading and crying over "The Wide, Wide World," up in the +apple-tree. Beth began by rummaging everything out of the big closet, +where her family resided; but, getting tired before half done, she left +her establishment topsy-turvy, and went to her music, rejoicing that she +had no dishes to wash. Amy arranged her bower, put on her best white +frock, smoothed her curls, and sat down to draw, under the honeysuckles, +hoping some one would see and inquire who the young artist was. As no +one appeared but an inquisitive daddy-long-legs, who examined her work +with interest, she went to walk, got caught in a shower, and came home +dripping. + + [Illustration: Amy sat down to draw] + +At tea-time they compared notes, and all agreed that it had been a +delightful, though unusually long day. Meg, who went shopping in the +afternoon, and got a "sweet blue muslin," had discovered, after she had +cut the breadths off, that it wouldn't wash, which mishap made her +slightly cross. Jo had burnt the skin off her nose boating, and got a +raging headache by reading too long. Beth was worried by the confusion +of her closet, and the difficulty of learning three or four songs at +once; and Amy deeply regretted the damage done her frock, for Katy +Brown's party was to be the next day; and now, like Flora McFlimsey, she +had "nothing to wear." But these were mere trifles; and they assured +their mother that the experiment was working finely. She smiled, said +nothing, and, with Hannah's help, did their neglected work, keeping home +pleasant, and the domestic machinery running smoothly. It was +astonishing what a peculiar and uncomfortable state of things was +produced by the "resting and revelling" process. The days kept getting +longer and longer; the weather was unusually variable, and so were +tempers; an unsettled feeling possessed every one, and Satan found +plenty of mischief for the idle hands to do. As the height of luxury, +Meg put out some of her sewing, and then found time hang so heavily that +she fell to snipping and spoiling her clothes, in her attempts to +furbish them up à la Moffat. Jo read till her eyes gave out, and she was +sick of books; got so fidgety that even good-natured Laurie had a +quarrel with her, and so reduced in spirits that she desperately wished +she had gone with Aunt March. Beth got on pretty well, for she was +constantly forgetting that it was to be _all play, and no work_, and +fell back into her old ways now and then; but something in the air +affected her, and, more than once, her tranquillity was much disturbed; +so much so, that, on one occasion, she actually shook poor dear Joanna, +and told her she was "a fright." Amy fared worst of all, for her +resources were small; and when her sisters left her to amuse and care +for herself, she soon found that accomplished and important little self +a great burden. She didn't like dolls, fairy-tales were childish, and +one couldn't draw all the time; tea-parties didn't amount to much, +neither did picnics, unless very well conducted. "If one could have a +fine house, full of nice girls, or go travelling, the summer would be +delightful; but to stay at home with three selfish sisters and a +grown-up boy was enough to try the patience of a Boaz," complained Miss +Malaprop, after several days devoted to pleasure, fretting, and _ennui_. + +No one would own that they were tired of the experiment; but, by Friday +night, each acknowledged to herself that she was glad the week was +nearly done. Hoping to impress the lesson more deeply, Mrs. March, who +had a good deal of humor, resolved to finish off the trial in an +appropriate manner; so she gave Hannah a holiday, and let the girls +enjoy the full effect of the play system. + +When they got up on Saturday morning, there was no fire in the kitchen, +no breakfast in the dining-room, and no mother anywhere to be seen. + +"Mercy on us! what _has_ happened?" cried Jo, staring about her in +dismay. + +Meg ran upstairs, and soon came back again, looking relieved, but rather +bewildered, and a little ashamed. + +"Mother isn't sick, only very tired, and she says she is going to stay +quietly in her room all day, and let us do the best we can. It's a very +queer thing for her to do, she doesn't act a bit like herself; but she +says it has been a hard week for her, so we mustn't grumble, but take +care of ourselves." + +"That's easy enough, and I like the idea; I'm aching for something to +do--that is, some new amusement, you know," added Jo quickly. + +In fact it _was_ an immense relief to them all to have a little work, +and they took hold with a will, but soon realized the truth of Hannah's +saying, "Housekeeping ain't no joke." There was plenty of food in the +larder, and, while Beth and Amy set the table, Meg and Jo got breakfast, +wondering, as they did so, why servants ever talked about hard work. + +"I shall take some up to mother, though she said we were not to think of +her, for she'd take care of herself," said Meg, who presided, and felt +quite matronly behind the teapot. + +So a tray was fitted out before any one began, and taken up, with the +cook's compliments. The boiled tea was very bitter, the omelette +scorched, and the biscuits speckled with saleratus; but Mrs. March +received her repast with thanks, and laughed heartily over it after Jo +was gone. + +"Poor little souls, they will have a hard time, I'm afraid; but they +won't suffer, and it will do them good," she said, producing the more +palatable viands with which she had provided herself, and disposing of +the bad breakfast, so that their feelings might not be hurt,--a motherly +little deception, for which they were grateful. + +Many were the complaints below, and great the chagrin of the head cook +at her failures. "Never mind, I'll get the dinner, and be servant; you +be mistress, keep your hands nice, see company, and give orders," said +Jo, who knew still less than Meg about culinary affairs. + +This obliging offer was gladly accepted; and Margaret retired to the +parlor, which she hastily put in order by whisking the litter under the +sofa, and shutting the blinds, to save the trouble of dusting. Jo, with +perfect faith in her own powers, and a friendly desire to make up the +quarrel, immediately put a note in the office, inviting Laurie to +dinner. + +"You'd better see what you have got before you think of having company," +said Meg, when informed of the hospitable but rash act. + +"Oh, there's corned beef and plenty of potatoes; and I shall get some +asparagus, and a lobster, 'for a relish,' as Hannah says. We'll have +lettuce, and make a salad. I don't know how, but the book tells. I'll +have blanc-mange and strawberries for dessert; and coffee, too, if you +want to be elegant." + +"Don't try too many messes, Jo, for you can't make anything but +gingerbread and molasses candy, fit to eat. I wash my hands of the +dinner-party; and, since you have asked Laurie on your own +responsibility, you may just take care of him." + +"I don't want you to do anything but be civil to him, and help to the +pudding. You'll give me your advice if I get in a muddle, won't you?" +asked Jo, rather hurt. + +"Yes; but I don't know much, except about bread, and a few trifles. You +had better ask mother's leave before you order anything," returned Meg +prudently. + +"Of course I shall; I'm not a fool," and Jo went off in a huff at the +doubts expressed of her powers. + +"Get what you like, and don't disturb me; I'm going out to dinner, and +can't worry about things at home," said Mrs. March, when Jo spoke to +her. "I never enjoyed housekeeping, and I'm going to take a vacation +to-day, and read, write, go visiting, and amuse myself." + +The unusual spectacle of her busy mother rocking comfortably, and +reading, early in the morning, made Jo feel as if some natural +phenomenon had occurred, for an eclipse, an earthquake, or a volcanic +eruption would hardly have seemed stranger. + +"Everything is out of sorts, somehow," she said to herself, going down +stairs. "There's Beth crying; that's a sure sign that something is wrong +with this family. If Amy is bothering, I'll shake her." + +Feeling very much out of sorts herself, Jo hurried into the parlor to +find Beth sobbing over Pip, the canary, who lay dead in the cage, with +his little claws pathetically extended, as if imploring the food for +want of which he had died. + +"It's all my fault--I forgot him--there isn't a seed or a drop left. O +Pip! O Pip! how could I be so cruel to you?" cried Beth, taking the poor +thing in her hands, and trying to restore him. + + [Illustration: O Pip! O Pip!] + +Jo peeped into his half-open eye, felt his little heart, and finding him +stiff and cold, shook her head, and offered her domino-box for a coffin. + +"Put him in the oven, and maybe he will get warm and revive," said Amy +hopefully. + +"He's been starved, and he sha'n't be baked, now he's dead. I'll make +him a shroud, and he shall be buried in the garden; and I'll never have +another bird, never, my Pip! for I am too bad to own one," murmured +Beth, sitting on the floor with her pet folded in her hands. + +"The funeral shall be this afternoon, and we will all go. Now, don't +cry, Bethy; it's a pity, but nothing goes right this week, and Pip has +had the worst of the experiment. Make the shroud, and lay him in my box; +and, after the dinner-party, we'll have a nice little funeral," said Jo, +beginning to feel as if she had undertaken a good deal. + +Leaving the others to console Beth, she departed to the kitchen, which +was in a most discouraging state of confusion. Putting on a big apron, +she fell to work, and got the dishes piled up ready for washing, when +she discovered that the fire was out. + +"Here's a sweet prospect!" muttered Jo, slamming the stove-door open, +and poking vigorously among the cinders. + +Having rekindled the fire, she thought she would go to market while the +water heated. The walk revived her spirits; and, flattering herself that +she had made good bargains, she trudged home again, after buying a very +young lobster, some very old asparagus, and two boxes of acid +strawberries. By the time she got cleared up, the dinner arrived, and +the stove was red-hot. Hannah had left a pan of bread to rise, Meg had +worked it up early, set it on the hearth for a second rising, and +forgotten it. Meg was entertaining Sallie Gardiner in the parlor, when +the door flew open, and a floury, crocky, flushed, and dishevelled +figure appeared, demanding tartly,-- + +"I say, isn't bread 'riz' enough when it runs over the pans?" + +Sallie began to laugh; but Meg nodded, and lifted her eyebrows as high +as they would go, which caused the apparition to vanish, and put the +sour bread into the oven without further delay. Mrs. March went out, +after peeping here and there to see how matters went, also saying a word +of comfort to Beth, who sat making a winding-sheet, while the dear +departed lay in state in the domino-box. A strange sense of helplessness +fell upon the girls as the gray bonnet vanished round the corner; and +despair seized them, when, a few minutes later, Miss Crocker appeared, +and said she'd come to dinner. Now, this lady was a thin, yellow +spinster, with a sharp nose and inquisitive eyes, who saw everything, +and gossiped about all she saw. They disliked her, but had been taught +to be kind to her, simply because she was old and poor, and had few +friends. So Meg gave her the easy-chair, and tried to entertain her, +while she asked questions, criticised everything, and told stories of +the people whom she knew. + +Language cannot describe the anxieties, experiences, and exertions which +Jo underwent that morning; and the dinner she served up became a +standing joke. Fearing to ask any more advice, she did her best alone, +and discovered that something more than energy and good-will is +necessary to make a cook. She boiled the asparagus for an hour, and was +grieved to find the heads cooked off and the stalks harder than ever. +The bread burnt black; for the salad-dressing so aggravated her, that +she let everything else go till she had convinced herself that she could +not make it fit to eat. The lobster was a scarlet mystery to her, but +she hammered and poked, till it was unshelled, and its meagre +proportions concealed in a grove of lettuce-leaves. The potatoes had to +be hurried, not to keep the asparagus waiting, and were not done at +last. The blanc-mange was lumpy, and the strawberries not as ripe as +they looked, having been skilfully "deaconed." + +"Well, they can eat beef, and bread and butter, if they are hungry; only +it's mortifying to have to spend your whole morning for nothing," +thought Jo, as she rang the bell half an hour later than usual, and +stood, hot, tired, and dispirited, surveying the feast spread for +Laurie, accustomed to all sorts of elegance, and Miss Crocker, whose +curious eyes would mark all failures, and whose tattling tongue would +report them far and wide. + +Poor Jo would gladly have gone under the table, as one thing after +another was tasted and left; while Amy giggled, Meg looked distressed, +Miss Crocker pursed up her lips, and Laurie talked and laughed with all +his might, to give a cheerful tone to the festive scene. Jo's one strong +point was the fruit, for she had sugared it well, and had a pitcher of +rich cream to eat with it. Her hot cheeks cooled a trifle, and she drew +a long breath, as the pretty glass plates went round, and every one +looked graciously at the little rosy islands floating in a sea of cream. +Miss Crocker tasted first, made a wry face, and drank some water +hastily. Jo, who had refused, thinking there might not be enough, for +they dwindled sadly after the picking over, glanced at Laurie, but he +was eating away manfully, though there was a slight pucker about his +mouth, and he kept his eye fixed on his plate. Amy, who was fond of +delicate fare, took a heaping spoonful, choked, hid her face in her +napkin, and left the table precipitately. + + [Illustration: Miss Crocker made a wry face] + +"Oh, what is it?" exclaimed Jo trembling. + +"Salt instead of sugar, and the cream is sour," replied Meg, with a +tragic gesture. + +Jo uttered a groan, and fell back in her chair; remembering that she had +given a last hasty powdering to the berries out of one of the two boxes +on the kitchen table, and had neglected to put the milk in the +refrigerator. She turned scarlet, and was on the verge of crying, when +she met Laurie's eyes, which _would_ look merry in spite of his heroic +efforts; the comical side of the affair suddenly struck her, and she +laughed till the tears ran down her cheeks. So did every one else, even +"Croaker," as the girls called the old lady; and the unfortunate dinner +ended gayly, with bread and butter, olives and fun. + +"I haven't strength of mind enough to clear up now, so we will sober +ourselves with a funeral," said Jo, as they rose; and Miss Crocker made +ready to go, being eager to tell the new story at another friend's +dinner-table. + +They did sober themselves, for Beth's sake; Laurie dug a grave under the +ferns in the grove, little Pip was laid in, with many tears, by his +tender-hearted mistress, and covered with moss, while a wreath of +violets and chickweed was hung on the stone which bore his epitaph, +composed by Jo, while she struggled with the dinner:-- + + "Here lies Pip March, + Who died the 7th of June; + Loved and lamented sore, + And not forgotten soon." + +At the conclusion of the ceremonies, Beth retired to her room, overcome +with emotion and lobster; but there was no place of repose, for the beds +were not made, and she found her grief much assuaged by beating up +pillows and putting things in order. Meg helped Jo clear away the +remains of the feast, which took half the afternoon, and left them so +tired that they agreed to be contented with tea and toast for supper. +Laurie took Amy to drive, which was a deed of charity, for the sour +cream seemed to have had a bad effect upon her temper. Mrs. March came +home to find the three older girls hard at work in the middle of the +afternoon; and a glance at the closet gave her an idea of the success of +one part of the experiment. + +Before the housewives could rest, several people called, and there was a +scramble to get ready to see them; then tea must be got, errands done; +and one or two necessary bits of sewing neglected till the last minute. +As twilight fell, dewy and still, one by one they gathered in the porch +where the June roses were budding beautifully, and each groaned or +sighed as she sat down, as if tired or troubled. + +"What a dreadful day this has been!" begun Jo, usually the first to +speak. + +"It has seemed shorter than usual, but _so_ uncomfortable," said Meg. + +"Not a bit like home," added Amy. + +"It can't seem so without Marmee and little Pip," sighed Beth, glancing, +with full eyes, at the empty cage above her head. + +"Here's mother, dear, and you shall have another bird to-morrow, if you +want it." + +As she spoke, Mrs. March came and took her place among them, looking as +if her holiday had not been much pleasanter than theirs. + +"Are you satisfied with your experiment, girls, or do you want another +week of it?" she asked, as Beth nestled up to her, and the rest turned +toward her with brightening faces, as flowers turn toward the sun. + +"I don't!" cried Jo decidedly. + +"Nor I," echoed the others. + +"You think, then, that it is better to have a few duties, and live a +little for others, do you?" + +"Lounging and larking doesn't pay," observed Jo, shaking her head. "I'm +tired of it, and mean to go to work at something right off." + +"Suppose you learn plain cooking; that's a useful accomplishment, which +no woman should be without," said Mrs. March, laughing inaudibly at the +recollection of Jo's dinner-party; for she had met Miss Crocker, and +heard her account of it. + +"Mother, did you go away and let everything be, just to see how we'd get +on?" cried Meg, who had had suspicions all day. + +"Yes; I wanted you to see how the comfort of all depends on each doing +her share faithfully. While Hannah and I did your work, you got on +pretty well, though I don't think you were very happy or amiable; so I +thought, as a little lesson, I would show you what happens when every +one thinks only of herself. Don't you feel that it is pleasanter to help +one another, to have daily duties which make leisure sweet when it +comes, and to bear and forbear, that home may be comfortable and lovely +to us all?" + +"We do, mother, we do!" cried the girls. + +"Then let me advise you to take up your little burdens again; for though +they seem heavy sometimes, they are good for us, and lighten as we learn +to carry them. Work is wholesome, and there is plenty for every one; it +keeps us from _ennui_ and mischief, is good for health and spirits, and +gives us a sense of power and independence better than money or +fashion." + +"We'll work like bees, and love it too; see if we don't!" said Jo. "I'll +learn plain cooking for my holiday task; and the next dinner-party I +have shall be a success." + +"I'll make the set of shirts for father, instead of letting you do it, +Marmee. I can and I will, though I'm not fond of sewing; that will be +better than fussing over my own things, which are plenty nice enough as +they are," said Meg. + +"I'll do my lessons every day, and not spend so much time with my music +and dolls. I am a stupid thing, and ought to be studying, not playing," +was Beth's resolution; while Amy followed their example by heroically +declaring, "I shall learn to make button-holes, and attend to my parts +of speech." + +"Very good! then I am quite satisfied with the experiment, and fancy +that we shall not have to repeat it; only don't go to the other extreme, +and delve like slaves. Have regular hours for work and play; make each +day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of +time by employing it well. Then youth will be delightful, old age will +bring few regrets, and life become a beautiful success, in spite of +poverty." + +"We'll remember, mother!" and they did. + + [Illustration: We'll work like bees] + + + + + XII. + + CAMP LAURENCE. + + + [Illustration: Beth was post-mistress] + +Beth was post-mistress, for, being most at home, she could attend to it +regularly, and dearly liked the daily task of unlocking the little door +and distributing the mail. One July day she came in with her hands full, +and went about the house leaving letters and parcels, like the penny +post. + +"Here's your posy, mother! Laurie never forgets that," she said, putting +the fresh nosegay in the vase that stood in "Marmee's corner," and was +kept supplied by the affectionate boy. + +"Miss Meg March, one letter and a glove," continued Beth, delivering the +articles to her sister, who sat near her mother, stitching wristbands. + +"Why, I left a pair over there, and here is only one," said Meg, looking +at the gray cotton glove. + +"Didn't you drop the other in the garden?" + +"No, I'm sure I didn't; for there was only one in the office." + +"I hate to have odd gloves! Never mind, the other may be found. My +letter is only a translation of the German song I wanted; I think Mr. +Brooke did it, for this isn't Laurie's writing." + +Mrs. March glanced at Meg, who was looking very pretty in her gingham +morning-gown, with the little curls blowing about her forehead, and very +womanly, as she sat sewing at her little work-table, full of tidy white +rolls; so unconscious of the thought in her mother's mind as she sewed +and sung, while her fingers flew, and her thoughts were busied with +girlish fancies as innocent and fresh as the pansies in her belt, that +Mrs. March smiled, and was satisfied. + +"Two letters for Doctor Jo, a book, and a funny old hat, which covered +the whole post-office, stuck outside," said Beth, laughing, as she went +into the study, where Jo sat writing. + +"What a sly fellow Laurie is! I said I wished bigger hats were the +fashion, because I burn my face every hot day. He said, 'Why mind the +fashion? Wear a big hat, and be comfortable!' I said I would if I had +one, and he has sent me this, to try me. I'll wear it, for fun, and show +him I _don't_ care for the fashion;" and, hanging the antique broad-brim +on a bust of Plato, Jo read her letters. + +One from her mother made her cheeks glow and her eyes fill, for it said +to her,-- + + "MY DEAR: + + "I write a little word to tell you with how much satisfaction I + watch your efforts to control your temper. You say nothing about + your trials, failures, or successes, and think, perhaps, that no + one sees them but the Friend whose help you daily ask, if I may + trust the well-worn cover of your guide-book. _I_, too, have + seen them all, and heartily believe in the sincerity of your + resolution, since it begins to bear fruit. Go on, dear, + patiently and bravely, and always believe that no one + sympathizes more tenderly with you than your loving + + "MOTHER." + +"That does me good! that's worth millions of money and pecks of praise. +O Marmee, I do try! I will keep on trying, and not get tired, since I +have you to help me." + +Laying her head on her arms, Jo wet her little romance with a few happy +tears, for she _had_ thought that no one saw and appreciated her efforts +to be good; and this assurance was doubly precious, doubly encouraging, +because unexpected, and from the person whose commendation she most +valued. Feeling stronger than ever to meet and subdue her Apollyon, she +pinned the note inside her frock, as a shield and a reminder, lest she +be taken unaware, and proceeded to open her other letter, quite ready +for either good or bad news. In a big, dashing hand, Laurie wrote,-- + + "DEAR JO, + What ho! + + Some English girls and boys are coming to see me to-morrow and + I want to have a jolly time. If it's fine, I'm going to pitch + my tent in Longmeadow, and row up the whole crew to lunch and + croquet,--have a fire, make messes, gypsy fashion, and all + sorts of larks. They are nice people, and like such things. + Brooke will go, to keep us boys steady, and Kate Vaughn will + play propriety for the girls. I want you all to come; can't let + Beth off, at any price, and nobody shall worry her. Don't + bother about rations,--I'll see to that, and everything + else,--only do come, there's a good fellow! + + "In a tearing hurry, + Yours ever, LAURIE." + +"Here's richness!" cried Jo, flying in to tell the news to Meg. + +"Of course we can go, mother? it will be such a help to Laurie, for I +can row, and Meg see to the lunch, and the children be useful in some +way." + +"I hope the Vaughns are not fine, grown-up people. Do you know anything +about them, Jo?" asked Meg. + +"Only that there are four of them. Kate is older than you, Fred and +Frank (twins) about my age, and a little girl (Grace), who is nine or +ten. Laurie knew them abroad, and liked the boys; I fancied, from the +way he primmed up his mouth in speaking of her, that he didn't admire +Kate much." + +"I'm so glad my French print is clean; it's just the thing, and so +becoming!" observed Meg complacently. "Have you anything decent, Jo?" + +"Scarlet and gray boating suit, good enough for me. I shall row and +tramp about, so I don't want any starch to think of. You'll come, +Bethy?" + +"If you won't let any of the boys talk to me." + +"Not a boy!" + +"I like to please Laurie; and I'm not afraid of Mr. Brooke, he is so +kind; but I don't want to play, or sing, or say anything. I'll work +hard, and not trouble any one; and you'll take care of me, Jo, so I'll +go." + +"That's my good girl; you do try to fight off your shyness, and I love +you for it. Fighting faults isn't easy, as I know; and a cheery word +kind of gives a lift. Thank you, mother," and Jo gave the thin cheek a +grateful kiss, more precious to Mrs. March than if it had given back the +rosy roundness of her youth. + +"I had a box of chocolate drops, and the picture I wanted to copy," said +Amy, showing her mail. + +"And I got a note from Mr. Laurence, asking me to come over and play to +him to-night, before the lamps are lighted, and I shall go," added Beth, +whose friendship with the old gentleman prospered finely. + +"Now let's fly round, and do double duty to-day, so that we can play +to-morrow with free minds," said Jo, preparing to replace her pen with a +broom. + +When the sun peeped into the girls' room early next morning, to promise +them a fine day, he saw a comical sight. Each had made such preparation +for the fête as seemed necessary and proper. Meg had an extra row of +little curl-papers across her forehead, Jo had copiously anointed her +afflicted face with cold cream, Beth had taken Joanna to bed with her to +atone for the approaching separation, and Amy had capped the climax by +putting a clothes-pin on her nose, to uplift the offending feature. It +was one of the kind artists use to hold the paper on their +drawing-boards, therefore quite appropriate and effective for the +purpose to which it was now put. This funny spectacle appeared to amuse +the sun, for he burst out with such radiance that Jo woke up, and +roused all her sisters by a hearty laugh at Amy's ornament. + + [Illustration: Amy capped the climax by putting a clothes-pin on her + nose] + +Sunshine and laughter were good omens for a pleasure party, and soon a +lively bustle began in both houses. Beth, who was ready first, kept +reporting what went on next door, and enlivened her sisters' toilets by +frequent telegrams from the window. + +"There goes the man with the tent! I see Mrs. Barker doing up the lunch +in a hamper and a great basket. Now Mr. Laurence is looking up at the +sky, and the weathercock; I wish he would go, too. There's Laurie, +looking like a sailor,--nice boy! Oh, mercy me! here's a carriage full +of people--a tall lady, a little girl, and two dreadful boys. One is +lame; poor thing, he's got a crutch. Laurie didn't tell us that. Be +quick, girls! it's getting late. Why, there is Ned Moffat, I do declare. +Look, Meg, isn't that the man who bowed to you one day, when we were +shopping?" + +"So it is. How queer that he should come. I thought he was at the +Mountains. There is Sallie; I'm glad she got back in time. Am I all +right, Jo?" cried Meg, in a flutter. + +"A regular daisy. Hold up your dress and put your hat straight; it looks +sentimental tipped that way, and will fly off at the first puff. Now, +then, come on!" + +"O Jo, you are not going to wear that awful hat? It's too absurd! You +shall _not_ make a guy of yourself," remonstrated Meg, as Jo tied down, +with a red ribbon, the broad-brimmed, old-fashioned Leghorn Laurie had +sent for a joke. + +"I just will, though, for it's capital,--so shady, light, and big. It +will make fun; and I don't mind being a guy if I'm comfortable." With +that Jo marched straight away, and the rest followed,--a bright little +band of sisters, all looking their best, in summer suits, with happy +faces under the jaunty hat-brims. + +Laurie ran to meet, and present them to his friends, in the most cordial +manner. The lawn was the reception-room, and for several minutes a +lively scene was enacted there. Meg was grateful to see that Miss Kate, +though twenty, was dressed with a simplicity which American girls would +do well to imitate; and she was much flattered by Mr. Ned's assurances +that he came especially to see her. Jo understood why Laurie "primmed up +his mouth" when speaking of Kate, for that young lady had a +stand-off-don't-touch-me air, which contrasted strongly with the free +and easy demeanor of the other girls. Beth took an observation of the +new boys, and decided that the lame one was not "dreadful," but gentle +and feeble, and she would be kind to him on that account. Amy found +Grace a well-mannered, merry little person; and after staring dumbly at +one another for a few minutes, they suddenly became very good friends. + +Tents, lunch, and croquet utensils having been sent on beforehand, the +party was soon embarked, and the two boats pushed off together, leaving +Mr. Laurence waving his hat on the shore. Laurie and Jo rowed one boat; +Mr. Brooke and Ned the other; while Fred Vaughn, the riotous twin, did +his best to upset both by paddling about in a wherry like a disturbed +water-bug. Jo's funny hat deserved a vote of thanks, for it was of +general utility; it broke the ice in the beginning, by producing a +laugh; it created quite a refreshing breeze, flapping to and fro, as she +rowed, and would make an excellent umbrella for the whole party, if a +shower came up, she said. Kate looked rather amazed at Jo's proceedings, +especially as she exclaimed "Christopher Columbus!" when she lost her +oar; and Laurie said, "My dear fellow, did I hurt you?" when he tripped +over her feet in taking his place. But after putting up her glass to +examine the queer girl several times, Miss Kate decided that she was +"odd, but rather clever," and smiled upon her from afar. + + [Illustration: Mr. Laurence waving his hat] + +Meg, in the other boat, was delightfully situated, face to face with the +rowers, who both admired the prospect, and feathered their oars with +uncommon "skill and dexterity." Mr. Brooke was a grave, silent young +man, with handsome brown eyes and a pleasant voice. Meg liked his quiet +manners, and considered him a walking encyclopædia of useful knowledge. +He never talked to her much; but he looked at her a good deal, and she +felt sure that he did not regard her with aversion. Ned, being in +college, of course put on all the airs which Freshmen think it their +bounden duty to assume; he was not very wise, but very good-natured, and +altogether an excellent person to carry on a picnic. Sallie Gardiner was +absorbed in keeping her white piqué dress clean, and chattering with the +ubiquitous Fred, who kept Beth in constant terror by his pranks. + +It was not far to Longmeadow; but the tent was pitched and the wickets +down by the time they arrived. A pleasant green field, with three +wide-spreading oaks in the middle, and a smooth strip of turf for +croquet. + +"Welcome to Camp Laurence!" said the young host, as they landed, with +exclamations of delight. + +"Brooke is commander-in-chief; I am commissary-general; the other +fellows are staff-officers; and you, ladies, are company. The tent is +for your especial benefit, and that oak is your drawing-room; this is +the mess-room, and the third is the camp-kitchen. Now, let's have a game +before it gets hot, and then we'll see about dinner." + +Frank, Beth, Amy, and Grace sat down to watch the game played by the +other eight. Mr. Brooke chose Meg, Kate, and Fred; Laurie took Sallie, +Jo, and Ned. The Englishers played well; but the Americans played +better, and contested every inch of the ground as strongly as if the +spirit of '76 inspired them. Jo and Fred had several skirmishes, and +once narrowly escaped high words. Jo was through the last wicket, and +had missed the stroke, which failure ruffled her a good deal. Fred was +close behind her, and his turn came before hers; he gave a stroke, his +ball hit the wicket, and stopped an inch on the wrong side. No one was +very near; and running up to examine, he gave it a sly nudge with his +toe, which put it just an inch on the right side. + +"I'm through! Now, Miss Jo, I'll settle you, and get in first," cried +the young gentleman, swinging his mallet for another blow. + + [Illustration: Now, Miss Jo, I'll settle you] + +"You pushed it; I saw you; it's my turn now," said Jo sharply. + +"Upon my word, I didn't move it; it rolled a bit, perhaps, but that is +allowed; so stand off, please, and let me have a go at the stake." + +"We don't cheat in America, but you can, if you choose," said Jo +angrily. + +"Yankees are a deal the most tricky, everybody knows. There you go!" +returned Fred, croqueting her ball far away. + +Jo opened her lips to say something rude, but checked herself in time, +colored up to her forehead, and stood a minute, hammering down a wicket +with all her might, while Fred hit the stake, and declared himself out +with much exultation. She went off to get her ball, and was a long time +finding it, among the bushes; but she came back, looking cool and quiet, +and waited her turn patiently. It took several strokes to regain the +place she had lost; and, when she got there, the other side had nearly +won, for Kate's ball was the last but one, and lay near the stake. + +"By George, it's all up with us! Good-by, Kate. Miss Jo owes me one, so +you are finished," cried Fred excitedly, as they all drew near to see +the finish. + +"Yankees have a trick of being generous to their enemies," said Jo, with +a look that made the lad redden, "especially when they beat them," she +added, as, leaving Kate's ball untouched, she won the game by a clever +stroke. + +Laurie threw up his hat; then remembered that it wouldn't do to exult +over the defeat of his guests, and stopped in the middle of a cheer to +whisper to his friend,-- + +"Good for you, Jo! He did cheat, I saw him; we can't tell him so, but he +won't do it again, take my word for it." + +Meg drew her aside, under pretence of pinning up a loose braid, and said +approvingly,-- + +"It was dreadfully provoking; but you kept your temper, and I'm so glad, +Jo." + +"Don't praise me, Meg, for I could box his ears this minute. I should +certainly have boiled over if I hadn't stayed among the nettles till I +got my rage under enough to hold my tongue. It's simmering now, so I +hope he'll keep out of my way," returned Jo, biting her lips, as she +glowered at Fred from under her big hat. + +"Time for lunch," said Mr. Brooke, looking at his watch. +"Commissary-general, will you make the fire and get water, while Miss +March, Miss Sallie, and I spread the table? Who can make good coffee?" + +"Jo can," said Meg, glad to recommend her sister. So Jo, feeling that +her late lessons in cookery were to do her honor, went to preside over +the coffee-pot, while the children collected dry sticks, and the boys +made a fire, and got water from a spring near by. Miss Kate sketched, +and Frank talked to Beth, who was making little mats of braided rushes +to serve as plates. + +The commander-in-chief and his aids soon spread the table-cloth with an +inviting array of eatables and drinkables, prettily decorated with green +leaves. Jo announced that the coffee was ready, and every one settled +themselves to a hearty meal; for youth is seldom dyspeptic, and exercise +develops wholesome appetites. A very merry lunch it was; for everything +seemed fresh and funny, and frequent peals of laughter startled a +venerable horse who fed near by. There was a pleasing inequality in the +table, which produced many mishaps to cups and plates; acorns dropped +into the milk, little black ants partook of the refreshments without +being invited, and fuzzy caterpillars swung down from the tree, to see +what was going on. Three white-headed children peeped over the fence, +and an objectionable dog barked at them from the other side of the river +with all his might and main. + + [Illustration: "A very merry lunch it was."--Page 156.] + +"There's salt here, if you prefer it," said Laurie, as he handed Jo a +saucer of berries. + +"Thank you, I prefer spiders," she replied, fishing up two unwary little +ones who had gone to a creamy death. "How dare you remind me of that +horrid dinner-party, when yours is so nice in every way?" added Jo, +as they both laughed, and ate out of one plate, the china having run +short. + +"I had an uncommonly good time that day, and haven't got over it yet. +This is no credit to me, you know; I don't do anything; it's you and Meg +and Brooke who make it go, and I'm no end obliged to you. What shall we +do when we can't eat any more?" asked Laurie, feeling that his trump +card had been played when lunch was over. + +"Have games, till it's cooler. I brought 'Authors,' and I dare say Miss +Kate knows something new and nice. Go and ask her; she's company, and +you ought to stay with her more." + +"Aren't you company too? I thought she'd suit Brooke; but he keeps +talking to Meg, and Kate just stares at them through that ridiculous +glass of hers. I'm going, so you needn't try to preach propriety, for +you can't do it, Jo." + +Miss Kate did know several new games; and as the girls would not, and +the boys could not, eat any more, they all adjourned to the drawing-room +to play "Rigmarole." + +"One person begins a story, any nonsense you like, and tells as long as +he pleases, only taking care to stop short at some exciting point, when +the next takes it up and does the same. It's very funny when well done, +and makes a perfect jumble of tragical comical stuff to laugh over. +Please start it, Mr. Brooke," said Kate, with a commanding air, which +surprised Meg, who treated the tutor with as much respect as any other +gentleman. + +Lying on the grass at the feet of the two young ladies, Mr. Brooke +obediently began the story, with the handsome brown eyes steadily fixed +upon the sunshiny river. + +"Once on a time, a knight went out into the world to seek his fortune, +for he had nothing but his sword and his shield. He travelled a long +while, nearly eight-and-twenty years, and had a hard time of it, till he +came to the palace of a good old king, who had offered a reward to any +one who would tame and train a fine but unbroken colt, of which he was +very fond. The knight agreed to try, and got on slowly but surely; for +the colt was a gallant fellow, and soon learned to love his new master, +though he was freakish and wild. Every day, when he gave his lessons to +this pet of the king's, the knight rode him through the city; and, as +he rode, he looked everywhere for a certain beautiful face, which he had +seen many times in his dreams, but never found. One day, as he went +prancing down a quiet street, he saw at the window of a ruinous castle +the lovely face. He was delighted, inquired who lived in this old +castle, and was told that several captive princesses were kept there by +a spell, and spun all day to lay up money to buy their liberty. The +knight wished intensely that he could free them; but he was poor, and +could only go by each day, watching for the sweet face, and longing to +see it out in the sunshine. At last, he resolved to get into the castle +and ask how he could help them. He went and knocked; the great door flew +open, and he beheld--" + + [Illustration: He went prancing down a quiet street] + +"A ravishingly lovely lady, who exclaimed, with a cry of rapture, 'At +last! at last!'" continued Kate, who had read French novels, and admired +the style. "''Tis she!' cried Count Gustave, and fell at her feet in an +ecstasy of joy. 'Oh, rise!' she said, extending a hand of marble +fairness. 'Never! till you tell me how I may rescue you,' swore the +knight, still kneeling. 'Alas, my cruel fate condemns me to remain here +till my tyrant is destroyed.' 'Where is the villain?' 'In the mauve +salon. Go, brave heart, and save me from despair.' 'I obey, and return +victorious or dead!' With these thrilling words he rushed away, and +flinging open the door of the mauve salon, was about to enter, when he +received--" + + [Illustration: "Oh, rise," she said] + +"A stunning blow from the big Greek lexicon, which an old fellow in a +black gown fired at him," said Ned. "Instantly Sir What's-his-name +recovered himself, pitched the tyrant out of the window, and turned to +join the lady, victorious, but with a bump on his brow; found the door +locked, tore up the curtains, made a rope ladder, got half-way down when +the ladder broke, and he went head first into the moat, sixty feet +below. Could swim like a duck, paddled round the castle till he came to +a little door guarded by two stout fellows; knocked their heads together +till they cracked like a couple of nuts, then, by a trifling exertion of +his prodigious strength, he smashed in the door, went up a pair of stone +steps covered with dust a foot thick, toads as big as your fist, and +spiders that would frighten you into hysterics, Miss March. At the top +of these steps he came plump upon a sight that took his breath away and +chilled his blood--" + + [Illustration: A stunning blow from the big Greek lexicon] + +"A tall figure, all in white with a veil over its face and a lamp in its +wasted hand," went on Meg. "It beckoned, gliding noiselessly before him +down a corridor as dark and cold as any tomb. Shadowy effigies in armor +stood on either side, a dead silence reigned, the lamp burned blue, and +the ghostly figure ever and anon turned its face toward him, showing the +glitter of awful eyes through its white veil. They reached a curtained +door, behind which sounded lovely music; he sprang forward to enter, but +the spectre plucked him back, and waved threateningly before him a--" + +"Snuff-box," said Jo, in a sepulchral tone, which convulsed the +audience. "'Thankee,' said the knight politely, as he took a pinch, and +sneezed seven times so violently that his head fell off. 'Ha! ha!' +laughed the ghost; and having peeped through the key-hole at the +princesses spinning away for dear life, the evil spirit picked up her +victim and put him in a large tin box, where there were eleven other +knights packed together without their heads, like sardines, who all rose +and began to--" + + [Illustration: He sneezed] + +"Dance a hornpipe," cut in Fred, as Jo paused for breath; "and, as they +danced, the rubbishy old castle turned to a man-of-war in full sail. 'Up +with the jib, reef the tops'l halliards, helm hard a lee, and man the +guns!' roared the captain, as a Portuguese pirate hove in sight, with a +flag black as ink flying from her foremast. 'Go in and win, my +hearties!' says the captain; and a tremendous fight begun. Of course the +British beat; they always do." + +"No, they don't!" cried Jo, aside. + +"Having taken the pirate captain prisoner, sailed slap over the +schooner, whose decks were piled with dead, and whose lee-scuppers ran +blood, for the order had been 'Cutlasses, and die hard!' 'Bosen's mate, +take a bight of the flying-jib sheet, and start this villain if he don't +confess his sins double quick,' said the British captain. The Portuguese +held his tongue like a brick, and walked the plank, while the jolly tars +cheered like mad. But the sly dog dived, came up under the man-of-war, +scuttled her, and down she went, with all sail set, 'To the bottom of +the sea, sea, sea,' where--" + + [Illustration: The Portuguese walked the plank] + +"Oh, gracious! what _shall_ I say?" cried Sallie, as Fred ended his +rigmarole, in which he had jumbled together, pell-mell, nautical phrases +and facts, out of one of his favorite books. "Well they went to the +bottom, and a nice mermaid welcomed them, but was much grieved on +finding the box of headless knights, and kindly pickled them in brine, +hoping to discover the mystery about them; for, being a woman, she was +curious. By and by a diver came down, and the mermaid said, 'I'll give +you this box of pearls if you can take it up;' for she wanted to restore +the poor things to life, and couldn't raise the heavy load herself. So +the diver hoisted it up, and was much disappointed, on opening it, to +find no pearls. He left it in a great lonely field, where it was found +by a--" + +"Little goose-girl, who kept a hundred fat geese in the field," said +Amy, when Sallie's invention gave out. "The little girl was sorry for +them, and asked an old woman what she should do to help them. 'Your +geese will tell you, they know everything,' said the old woman. So she +asked what she should use for new heads, since the old ones were lost, +and all the geese opened their hundred mouths and screamed--" + +"'Cabbages!'" continued Laurie promptly. "'Just the thing,' said the +girl, and ran to get twelve fine ones from her garden. She put them on, +the knights revived at once, thanked her, and went on their way +rejoicing, never knowing the difference, for there were so many other +heads like them in the world that no one thought anything of it. The +knight in whom I'm interested went back to find the pretty face, and +learned that the princesses had spun themselves free, and all gone to be +married, but one. He was in a great state of mind at that; and mounting +the colt, who stood by him through thick and thin, rushed to the castle +to see which was left. Peeping over the hedge, he saw the queen of his +affections picking flowers in her garden. 'Will you give me a rose?' +said he. 'You must come and get it. I can't come to you; it isn't +proper,' said she, as sweet as honey. He tried to climb over the hedge, +but it seemed to grow higher and higher; then he tried to push through, +but it grew thicker and thicker, and he was in despair. So he patiently +broke twig after twig, till he had made a little hole, through which he +peeped, saying imploringly, 'Let me in! let me in!' But the pretty +princess did not seem to understand, for she picked her roses quietly, +and left him to fight his way in. Whether he did or not, Frank will tell +you." + + [Illustration: Will you give me a rose?] + +"I can't; I'm not playing, I never do," said Frank, dismayed at the +sentimental predicament out of which he was to rescue the absurd couple. +Beth had disappeared behind Jo, and Grace was asleep. + +"So the poor knight is to be left sticking in the hedge, is he?" asked +Mr. Brooke, still watching the river, and playing with the wild rose in +his button-hole. + +"I guess the princess gave him a posy, and opened the gate, after a +while," said Laurie, smiling to himself, as he threw acorns at his +tutor. + +"What a piece of nonsense we have made! With practice we might do +something quite clever. Do you know 'Truth'?" asked Sallie, after they +had laughed over their story. + +"I hope so," said Meg soberly. + +"The game, I mean?" + +"What is it?" said Fred. + +"Why, you pile up your hands, choose a number, and draw out in turn, and +the person who draws at the number has to answer truly any questions put +by the rest. It's great fun." + +"Let's try it," said Jo, who liked new experiments. + +Miss Kate and Mr. Brooke, Meg, and Ned declined, but Fred, Sallie, Jo, +and Laurie piled and drew; and the lot fell to Laurie. + +"Who are your heroes?" asked Jo. + +"Grandfather and Napoleon." + +"Which lady here do you think prettiest?" said Sallie. + +"Margaret." + +"Which do you like best?" from Fred. + +"Jo, of course." + +"What silly questions you ask!" and Jo gave a disdainful shrug as the +rest laughed at Laurie's matter-of-fact tone. + +"Try again; Truth isn't a bad game," said Fred. + +"It's a very good one for you," retorted Jo, in a low voice. + +Her turn came next. + +"What is your greatest fault?" asked Fred, by way of testing in her the +virtue he lacked himself. + +"A quick temper." + +"What do you most wish for?" said Laurie. + +"A pair of boot-lacings," returned Jo, guessing and defeating his +purpose. + +"Not a true answer; you must say what you really do want most." + +"Genius; don't you wish you could give it to me, Laurie?" and she slyly +smiled in his disappointed face. + +"What virtues do you most admire in a man?" asked Sallie. + +"Courage and honesty." + +"Now my turn," said Fred, as his hand came last. + +"Let's give it to him," whispered Laurie to Jo, who nodded, and asked at +once,-- + +"Didn't you cheat at croquet?" + +"Well, yes, a little bit." + +"Good! Didn't you take your story out of 'The Sea-Lion?'" said Laurie. + +"Rather." + +"Don't you think the English nation perfect in every respect?" asked +Sallie. + +"I should be ashamed of myself if I didn't." + +"He's a true John Bull. Now, Miss Sallie, you shall have a chance +without waiting to draw. I'll harrow up your feelings first, by asking +if you don't think you are something of a flirt," said Laurie, as Jo +nodded to Fred, as a sign that peace was declared. + +"You impertinent boy! of course I'm not," exclaimed Sallie, with an air +that proved the contrary. + +"What do you hate most?" asked Fred. + +"Spiders and rice-pudding." + +"What do you like best?" asked Jo. + +"Dancing and French gloves." + +"Well, _I_ think Truth is a very silly play; let's have a sensible game +of Authors, to refresh our minds," proposed Jo. + +Ned, Frank, and the little girls joined in this, and, while it went on, +the three elders sat apart, talking. Miss Kate took out her sketch +again, and Margaret watched her, while Mr. Brooke lay on the grass, with +a book, which he did not read. + +"How beautifully you do it! I wish I could draw," said Meg, with mingled +admiration and regret in her voice. + +"Why don't you learn? I should think you had taste and talent for it," +replied Miss Kate graciously. + +"I haven't time." + +"Your mamma prefers other accomplishments, I fancy. So did mine; but I +proved to her that I had talent, by taking a few lessons privately, and +then she was quite willing I should go on. Can't you do the same with +your governess?" + +"I have none." + +"I forgot; young ladies in America go to school more than with us. Very +fine schools they are, too, papa says. You go to a private one, I +suppose?" + +"I don't go at all; I am a governess myself." + +"Oh, indeed!" said Miss Kate; but she might as well have said, "Dear me, +how dreadful!" for her tone implied it, and something in her face made +Meg color, and wish she had not been so frank. + +Mr. Brooke looked up, and said quickly, "Young ladies in America love +independence as much as their ancestors did, and are admired and +respected for supporting themselves." + +"Oh, yes; of course it's very nice and proper in them to do so. We have +many most respectable and worthy young women, who do the same and are +employed by the nobility, because, being the daughters of gentlemen, +they are both well-bred and accomplished, you know," said Miss Kate, in +a patronizing tone, that hurt Meg's pride, and made her work seem not +only more distasteful, but degrading. + +"Did the German song suit, Miss March?" inquired Mr. Brooke, breaking an +awkward pause. + +"Oh, yes! it was very sweet, and I'm much obliged to whoever translated +it for me;" and Meg's downcast face brightened as she spoke. + +"Don't you read German?" asked Miss Kate, with a look of surprise. + +"Not very well. My father, who taught me, is away, and I don't get on +very fast alone, for I've no one to correct my pronunciation." + +"Try a little now; here is Schiller's 'Mary Stuart,' and a tutor who +loves to teach," and Mr. Brooke laid his book on her lap, with an +inviting smile. + +"It's so hard I'm afraid to try," said Meg, grateful, but bashful in the +presence of the accomplished young lady beside her. + +"I'll read a bit to encourage you;" and Miss Kate read one of the most +beautiful passages, in a perfectly correct but perfectly expressionless +manner. + +Mr. Brooke made no comment, as she returned the book to Meg, who said +innocently,-- + +"I thought it was poetry." + +"Some of it is. Try this passage." + +There was a queer smile about Mr. Brooke's mouth as he opened at poor +Mary's lament. + +Meg, obediently following the long grass-blade which her new tutor used +to point with, read slowly and timidly, unconsciously making poetry of +the hard words by the soft intonation of her musical voice. Down the +page went the green guide, and presently, forgetting her listener in the +beauty of the sad scene, Meg read as if alone, giving a little touch of +tragedy to the words of the unhappy queen. If she had seen the brown +eyes then, she would have stopped short; but she never looked up, and +the lesson was not spoiled for her. + +"Very well indeed!" said Mr. Brooke, as she paused, quite ignoring her +many mistakes, and looking as if he did, indeed, "love to teach." + +Miss Kate put up her glass, and, having taken a survey of the little +tableau before her, shut her sketch-book, saying, with condescension,-- + + [Illustration: Miss Kate put up her glass] + +"You've a nice accent, and, in time, will be a clever reader. I advise +you to learn, for German is a valuable accomplishment to teachers. I +must look after Grace, she is romping;" and Miss Kate strolled away, +adding to herself, with a shrug, "I didn't come to chaperone a +governess, though she _is_ young and pretty. What odd people these +Yankees are; I'm afraid Laurie will be quite spoilt among them." + +"I forgot that English people rather turn up their noses at governesses, +and don't treat them as we do," said Meg, looking after the retreating +figure with an annoyed expression. + +"Tutors, also, have rather a hard time of it there, as I know to my +sorrow. There's no place like America for us workers, Miss Margaret;" +and Mr. Brooke looked so contented and cheerful, that Meg was ashamed to +lament her hard lot. + +"I'm glad I live in it then. I don't like my work, but I get a good deal +of satisfaction out of it after all, so I won't complain; I only wish I +liked teaching as you do." + +"I think you would if you had Laurie for a pupil. I shall be very sorry +to lose him next year," said Mr. Brooke, busily punching holes in the +turf. + +"Going to college, I suppose?" Meg's lips asked that question, but her +eyes added, "And what becomes of you?" + +"Yes; it's high time he went, for he is ready; and as soon as he is off, +I shall turn soldier. I am needed." + +"I am glad of that!" exclaimed Meg. "I should think every young man +would want to go; though it is hard for the mothers and sisters who stay +at home," she added sorrowfully. + +"I have neither, and very few friends, to care whether I live or die," +said Mr. Brooke, rather bitterly, as he absently put the dead rose in +the hole he had made and covered it up, like a little grave. + +"Laurie and his grandfather would care a great deal, and we should all +be very sorry to have any harm happen to you," said Meg heartily. + +"Thank you; that sounds pleasant," began Mr. Brooke, looking cheerful +again; but before he could finish his speech, Ned, mounted on the old +horse, came lumbering up to display his equestrian skill before the +young ladies, and there was no more quiet that day. + +"Don't you love to ride?" asked Grace of Amy, as they stood resting, +after a race round the field with the others, led by Ned. + +"I dote upon it; my sister Meg used to ride when papa was rich, but we +don't keep any horses now, except Ellen Tree," added Amy, laughing. + +"Tell me about Ellen Tree; is it a donkey?" asked Grace curiously. + + [Illustration: Ellen Tree] + +"Why, you see, Jo is crazy about horses, and so am I, but we've only got +an old side-saddle, and no horse. Out in our garden is an apple-tree, +that has a nice low branch; so Jo put the saddle on it, fixed some reins +on the part that turns up, and we bounce away on Ellen Tree whenever we +like." + +"How funny!" laughed Grace. "I have a pony at home, and ride nearly +every day in the park, with Fred and Kate; it's very nice, for my +friends go too, and the Row is full of ladies and gentlemen." + +"Dear, how charming! I hope I shall go abroad some day; but I'd rather +go to Rome than the Row," said Amy, who had not the remotest idea what +the Row was, and wouldn't have asked for the world. + +Frank, sitting just behind the little girls, heard what they were +saying, and pushed his crutch away from him with an impatient gesture as +he watched the active lads going through all sorts of comical +gymnastics. Beth, who was collecting the scattered Author-cards, looked +up, and said, in her shy yet friendly way,-- + +"I'm afraid you are tired; can I do anything for you?" + +"Talk to me, please; it's dull, sitting by myself," answered Frank, who +had evidently been used to being made much of at home. + +If he had asked her to deliver a Latin oration, it would not have seemed +a more impossible task to bashful Beth; but there was no place to run +to, no Jo to hide behind now, and the poor boy looked so wistfully at +her, that she bravely resolved to try. + +"What do you like to talk about?" she asked, fumbling over the cards, +and dropping half as she tried to tie them up. + +"Well, I like to hear about cricket and boating and hunting," said +Frank, who had not yet learned to suit his amusements to his strength. + +"My heart! what shall I do? I don't know anything about them," thought +Beth; and, forgetting the boy's misfortune in her flurry, she said, +hoping to make him talk, "I never saw any hunting, but I suppose you +know all about it." + +"I did once; but I can never hunt again, for I got hurt leaping a +confounded five-barred gate; so there are no more horses and hounds for +me," said Frank, with a sigh that made Beth hate herself for her +innocent blunder. + +"Your deer are much prettier than our ugly buffaloes," she said, turning +to the prairies for help, and feeling glad that she had read one of the +boys' books in which Jo delighted. + +Buffaloes proved soothing and satisfactory; and, in her eagerness to +amuse another, Beth forgot herself, and was quite unconscious of her +sisters' surprise and delight at the unusual spectacle of Beth talking +away to one of the dreadful boys, against whom she had begged +protection. + +"Bless her heart! She pities him, so she is good to him," said Jo, +beaming at her from the croquet-ground. + +"I always said she was a little saint," added Meg, as if there could be +no further doubt of it. + +"I haven't heard Frank laugh so much for ever so long," said Grace to +Amy, as they sat discussing dolls, and making tea-sets out of the +acorn-cups. + +"My sister Beth is a very _fastidious_ girl, when she likes to be," said +Amy, well pleased at Beth's success. She meant "fascinating," but as +Grace didn't know the exact meaning of either word, "fastidious" sounded +well, and made a good impression. + +An impromptu circus, fox and geese, and an amicable game of croquet, +finished the afternoon. At sunset the tent was struck, hampers packed, +wickets pulled up, boats loaded, and the whole party floated down the +river, singing at the tops of their voices. Ned, getting sentimental, +warbled a serenade with the pensive refrain,-- + + "Alone, alone, ah! woe, alone," + +and at the lines-- + + "We each are young, we each have a heart, + Oh, why should we stand thus coldly apart?" + +he looked at Meg with such a lackadaisical expression that she laughed +outright and spoilt his song. + +"How can you be so cruel to me?" he whispered, under cover of a lively +chorus. "You've kept close to that starched-up Englishwoman all day, and +now you snub me." + +"I didn't mean to; but you looked so funny I really couldn't help it," +replied Meg, passing over the first part of his reproach; for it was +quite true that she _had_ shunned him, remembering the Moffat party and +the talk after it. + +Ned was offended, and turned to Sallie for consolation, saying to her +rather pettishly, "There isn't a bit of flirt in that girl, is there?" + +"Not a particle; but she's a dear," returned Sallie, defending her +friend even while confessing her short-comings. + +"She's not a stricken deer, any way," said Ned, trying to be witty, and +succeeding as well as very young gentlemen usually do. + +On the lawn, where it had gathered, the little party separated with +cordial good-nights and good-byes, for the Vaughns were going to Canada. +As the four sisters went home through the garden, Miss Kate looked after +them, saying, without the patronizing tone in her voice, "In spite of +their demonstrative manners, American girls are very nice when one knows +them." + +"I quite agree with you," said Mr. Brooke. + + [Illustration: Tail-piece] + + + + + [Illustration: Swinging to and fro in his hammock] + + XIII. + + CASTLES IN THE AIR. + + +Laurie lay luxuriously swinging to and fro in his hammock, one warm +September afternoon, wondering what his neighbors were about, but too +lazy to go and find out. He was in one of his moods; for the day had +been both unprofitable and unsatisfactory, and he was wishing he could +live it over again. The hot weather made him indolent, and he had +shirked his studies, tried Mr. Brooke's patience to the utmost, +displeased his grandfather by practising half the afternoon, frightened +the maid-servants half out of their wits, by mischievously hinting that +one of his dogs was going mad, and, after high words with the stable-man +about some fancied neglect of his horse, he had flung himself into his +hammock, to fume over the stupidity of the world in general, till the +peace of the lovely day quieted him in spite of himself. Staring up into +the green gloom of the horse-chestnut trees above him, he dreamed dreams +of all sorts, and was just imagining himself tossing on the ocean, in a +voyage round the world, when the sound of voices brought him ashore in a +flash. Peeping through the meshes of the hammock, he saw the Marches +coming out, as if bound on some expedition. + +"What in the world are those girls about now?" thought Laurie, opening +his sleepy eyes to take a good look, for there was something rather +peculiar in the appearance of his neighbors. Each wore a large, flapping +hat, a brown linen pouch slung over one shoulder, and carried a long +staff. Meg had a cushion, Jo a book, Beth a basket, and Amy a portfolio. +All walked quietly through the garden, out at the little back gate, and +began to climb the hill that lay between the house and river. + +"Well, that's cool!" said Laurie to himself, "to have a picnic and never +ask me. They can't be going in the boat, for they haven't got the key. +Perhaps they forgot it; I'll take it to them, and see what's going on." + +Though possessed of half a dozen hats, it took him some time to find +one; then there was a hunt for the key, which was at last discovered in +his pocket; so that the girls were quite out of sight when he leaped the +fence and ran after them. Taking the shortest way to the boat-house, he +waited for them to appear: but no one came, and he went up the hill to +take an observation. A grove of pines covered one part of it, and from +the heart of this green spot came a clearer sound than the soft sigh of +the pines or the drowsy chirp of the crickets. + +"Here's a landscape!" thought Laurie, peeping through the bushes, and +looking wide-awake and good-natured already. + +It _was_ rather a pretty little picture; for the sisters sat together in +the shady nook, with sun and shadow flickering over them, the aromatic +wind lifting their hair and cooling their hot cheeks, and all the little +wood-people going on with their affairs as if these were no strangers, +but old friends. Meg sat upon her cushion, sewing daintily with her +white hands, and looking as fresh and sweet as a rose, in her pink +dress, among the green. Beth was sorting the cones that lay thick under +the hemlock near by, for she made pretty things of them. Amy was +sketching a group of ferns, and Jo was knitting as she read aloud. A +shadow passed over the boy's face as he watched them, feeling that he +ought to go away, because uninvited; yet lingering, because home seemed +very lonely, and this quiet party in the woods most attractive to his +restless spirit. He stood so still that a squirrel, busy with its +harvesting, ran down a pine close beside him, saw him suddenly and +skipped back, scolding so shrilly that Beth looked up, espied the +wistful face behind the birches, and beckoned with a reassuring smile. + + [Illustration: It was rather a pretty little picture] + +"May I come in, please? or shall I be a bother?" he asked, advancing +slowly. + +Meg lifted her eyebrows, but Jo scowled at her defiantly, and said, at +once, "Of course you may. We should have asked you before, only we +thought you wouldn't care for such a girl's game as this." + +"I always liked your games; but if Meg doesn't want me, I'll go away." + +"I've no objection, if you do something; it's against the rules to be +idle here," replied Meg, gravely but graciously. + +"Much obliged; I'll do anything if you'll let me stop a bit, for it's as +dull as the Desert of Sahara down there. Shall I sew, read, cone, draw, +or do all at once? Bring on your bears; I'm ready," and Laurie sat down, +with a submissive expression delightful to behold. + +"Finish this story while I set my heel," said Jo, handing him the book. + +"Yes'm," was the meek answer, as he began, doing his best to prove his +gratitude for the favor of an admission into the "Busy Bee Society." + +The story was not a long one, and, when it was finished, he ventured to +ask a few questions as a reward of merit. + +"Please, ma'am, could I inquire if this highly instructive and charming +institution is a new one?" + +"Would you tell him?" asked Meg of her sisters. + +"He'll laugh," said Amy warningly. + +"Who cares?" said Jo. + +"I guess he'll like it," added Beth. + +"Of course I shall! I give you my word I won't laugh. Tell away, Jo, and +don't be afraid." + +"The idea of being afraid of you! Well, you see we used to play +'Pilgrim's Progress,' and we have been going on with it in earnest, all +winter and summer." + +"Yes, I know," said Laurie, nodding wisely. + +"Who told you?" demanded Jo. + +"Spirits." + +"No, I did; I wanted to amuse him one night when you were all away, and +he was rather dismal. He did like it, so don't scold, Jo," said Beth +meekly. + +"You can't keep a secret. Never mind; it saves trouble now." + +"Go on, please," said Laurie, as Jo became absorbed in her work, looking +a trifle displeased. + +"Oh, didn't she tell you about this new plan of ours? Well, we have +tried not to waste our holiday, but each has had a task, and worked at +it with a will. The vacation is nearly over, the stints are all done, +and we are ever so glad that we didn't dawdle." + +"Yes, I should think so;" and Laurie thought regretfully of his own idle +days. + +"Mother likes to have us out of doors as much as possible; so we bring +our work here, and have nice times. For the fun of it we bring our +things in these bags, wear the old hats, use poles to climb the hill, +and play pilgrims, as we used to do years ago. We call this hill the +'Delectable Mountain,' for we can look far away and see the country +where we hope to live some time." + +Jo pointed, and Laurie sat up to examine; for through an opening in the +wood one could look across the wide, blue river, the meadows on the +other side, far over the outskirts of the great city, to the green hills +that rose to meet the sky. The sun was low, and the heavens plowed with +the splendor of an autumn sunset. Gold and purple clouds lay on the +hill-tops; and rising high into the ruddy light were silvery white +peaks, that shone like the airy spires of some Celestial City. + +"How beautiful that is!" said Laurie softly, for he was quick to see and +feel beauty of any kind. + +"It's often so; and we like to watch it, for it is never the same, but +always splendid," replied Amy, wishing she could paint it. + +"Jo talks about the country where we hope to live some time,--the real +country, she means, with pigs and chickens, and haymaking. It would be +nice, but I wish the beautiful country up there was real, and we could +ever go to it," said Beth musingly. + +"There is a lovelier country even than that, where we _shall_ go, by and +by, when we are good enough," answered Meg, with her sweet voice. + +"It seems so long to wait, so hard to do; I want to fly away at once, as +those swallows fly, and go in at that splendid gate." + +"You'll get there, Beth, sooner or later; no fear of that," said Jo; +"I'm the one that will have to fight and work, and climb and wait, and +maybe never get in after all." + +"You'll have me for company, if that's any comfort. I shall have to do a +deal of travelling before I come in sight of your Celestial City. If I +arrive late, you'll say a good word for me, won't you, Beth?" + +Something in the boy's face troubled his little friend; but she said +cheerfully, with her quiet eyes on the changing clouds, "If people +really want to go, and really try all their lives, I think they will get +in; for I don't believe there are any locks on that door, or any guards +at the gate. I always imagine it is as it is in the picture, where the +shining ones stretch out their hands to welcome poor Christian as he +comes up from the river." + +"Wouldn't it be fun if all the castles in the air which we make could +come true, and we could live in them?" said Jo, after a little pause. + +"I've made such quantities it would be hard to choose which I'd have," +said Laurie, lying flat, and throwing cones at the squirrel who had +betrayed him. + +"You'd have to take your favorite one. What is it?" asked Meg. + +"If I tell mine, will you tell yours?" + +"Yes, if the girls will too." + +"We will. Now, Laurie." + +"After I'd seen as much of the world as I want to, I'd like to settle in +Germany, and have just as much music as I choose. I'm to be a famous +musician myself, and all creation is to rush to hear me; and I'm never +to be bothered about money or business, but just enjoy myself, and live +for what I like. That's my favorite castle. What's yours, Meg?" + +Margaret seemed to find it a little hard to tell hers, and waved a brake +before her face, as if to disperse imaginary gnats, while she said +slowly, "I should like a lovely house, full of all sorts of luxurious +things,--nice food, pretty clothes, handsome furniture, pleasant people, +and heaps of money. I am to be mistress of it, and manage it as I like, +with plenty of servants, so I never need work a bit. How I should enjoy +it! for I wouldn't be idle, but do good, and make every one love me +dearly." + + [Illustration: Waved a brake before her face] + +"Wouldn't you have a master for your castle in the air?" asked Laurie +slyly. + +"I said 'pleasant people,' you know;" and Meg carefully tied up her shoe +as she spoke, so that no one saw her face. + +"Why don't you say you'd have a splendid, wise, good husband, and some +angelic little children? You know your castle wouldn't be perfect +without," said blunt Jo, who had no tender fancies yet, and rather +scorned romance, except in books. + +"You'd have nothing but horses, inkstands, and novels in yours," +answered Meg petulantly. + +"Wouldn't I, though? I'd have a stable full of Arabian steeds, rooms +piled with books, and I'd write out of a magic inkstand, so that my +works should be as famous as Laurie's music. I want to do something +splendid before I go into my castle,--something heroic or wonderful, +that won't be forgotten after I'm dead. I don't know what, but I'm on +the watch for it, and mean to astonish you all, some day. I think I +shall write books, and get rich and famous: that would suit me, so that +is _my_ favorite dream." + +"Mine is to stay at home safe with father and mother, and help take care +of the family," said Beth contentedly. + +"Don't you wish for anything else?" asked Laurie. + +"Since I had my little piano, I am perfectly satisfied. I only wish we +may all keep well and be together; nothing else." + +"I have ever so many wishes; but the pet one is to be an artist, and go +to Rome, and do fine pictures, and be the best artist in the whole +world," was Amy's modest desire. + +"We're an ambitious set, aren't we? Every one of us, but Beth, wants to +be rich and famous, and gorgeous in every respect. I do wonder if any of +us will ever get our wishes," said Laurie, chewing grass, like a +meditative calf. + +"I've got the key to my castle in the air; but whether I can unlock the +door remains to be seen," observed Jo mysteriously. + +"I've got the key to mine, but I'm not allowed to try it. Hang college!" +muttered Laurie, with an impatient sigh. + +"Here's mine!" and Amy waved her pencil. + +"I haven't got any," said Meg forlornly. + +"Yes, you have," said Laurie at once. + +"Where?" + +"In your face." + +"Nonsense; that's of no use." + +"Wait and see if it doesn't bring you something worth having," replied +the boy, laughing at the thought of a charming little secret which he +fancied he knew. + +Meg colored behind the brake, but asked no questions, and looked across +the river with the same expectant expression which Mr. Brooke had worn +when he told the story of the knight. + +"If we are all alive ten years hence, let's meet, and see how many of us +have got our wishes, or how much nearer we are then than now," said Jo, +always ready with a plan. + +"Bless me! how old I shall be,--twenty-seven!" exclaimed Meg who felt +grown up already, having just reached seventeen. + +"You and I shall be twenty-six, Teddy, Beth twenty-four, and Amy +twenty-two. What a venerable party!" said Jo. + +"I hope I shall have done something to be proud of by that time; but I'm +such a lazy dog, I'm afraid I shall 'dawdle,' Jo." + +"You need a motive, mother says; and when you get it, she is sure you'll +work splendidly." + +"Is she? By Jupiter I will, if I only get the chance!" cried Laurie, +sitting up with sudden energy. "I ought to be satisfied to please +grandfather, and I do try, but it's working against the grain, you see, +and comes hard. He wants me to be an India merchant, as he was, and I'd +rather be shot. I hate tea and silk and spices, and every sort of +rubbish his old ships bring, and I don't care how soon they go to the +bottom when I own them. Going to college ought to satisfy him, for if I +give him four years he ought to let me off from the business; but he's +set, and I 've got to do just as he did, unless I break away and please +myself, as my father did. If there was any one left to stay with the old +gentleman, I'd do it to-morrow." + +Laurie spoke excitedly, and looked ready to carry his threat into +execution on the slightest provocation; for he was growing up very fast, +and, in spite of his indolent ways, had a young man's hatred of +subjection, a young man's restless longing to try the world for himself. + +"I advise you to sail away in one of your ships, and never come home +again till you have tried your own way," said Jo, whose imagination was +fired by the thought of such a daring exploit, and whose sympathy was +excited by what she called "Teddy's wrongs." + +"That's not right, Jo; you mustn't talk in that way, and Laurie mustn't +take your bad advice. You should do just what your grandfather wishes, +my dear boy," said Meg, in her most maternal tone. "Do your best at +college, and, when he sees that you try to please him, I'm sure he won't +be hard or unjust to you. As you say, there is no one else to stay with +and love him, and you'd never forgive yourself if you left him without +his permission. Don't be dismal or fret, but do your duty; and you'll +get your reward, as good Mr. Brooke has, by being respected and loved." + +"What do you know about him?" asked Laurie, grateful for the good +advice, but objecting to the lecture, and glad to turn the conversation +from himself, after his unusual outbreak. + +"Only what your grandpa told us about him,--how he took good care of his +own mother till she died, and wouldn't go abroad as tutor to some nice +person, because he wouldn't leave her; and how he provides now for an +old woman who nursed his mother; and never tells any one, but is just as +generous and patient and good as he can be." + +"So he is, dear old fellow!" said Laurie heartily, as Meg paused, +looking flushed and earnest with her story. "It's like grandpa to find +out all about him, without letting him know, and to tell all his +goodness to others, so that they might like him. Brooke couldn't +understand why your mother was so kind to him, asking him over with me, +and treating him in her beautiful friendly way. He thought she was just +perfect, and talked about it for days and days, and went on about you +all in flaming style. If ever I do get my wish, you see what I'll do for +Brooke." + +"Begin to do something now, by not plaguing his life out," said Meg +sharply. + +"How do you know I do, miss?" + +"I can always tell by his face, when he goes away. If you have been +good, he looks satisfied and walks briskly; if you have plagued him, +he's sober and walks slowly, as if he wanted to go back and do his work +better." + +"Well, I like that! So you keep an account of my good and bad marks in +Brooke's face, do you? I see him bow and smile as he passes your window, +but I didn't know you'd got up a telegraph." + + [Illustration: I see him bow and smile] + +"We haven't; don't be angry, and oh, don't tell him I said anything! It +was only to show that I cared how you get on, and what is said here is +said in confidence, you know," cried Meg, much alarmed at the thought of +what might follow from her careless speech. + +"_I_ don't tell tales," replied Laurie, with his "high and mighty" air, +as Jo called a certain expression which he occasionally wore. "Only if +Brooke is going to be a thermometer, I must mind and have fair weather +for him to report." + +"Please don't be offended. I didn't mean to preach or tell tales or be +silly; I only thought Jo was encouraging you in a feeling which you'd be +sorry for, by and by. You are so kind to us, we feel as if you were our +brother, and say just what we think. Forgive me, I meant it kindly." And +Meg offered her hand with a gesture both affectionate and timid. + +Ashamed of his momentary pique, Laurie squeezed the kind little hand, +and said frankly, "I'm the one to be forgiven; I'm cross, and have been +out of sorts all day. I like to have you tell me my faults and be +sisterly, so don't mind if I am grumpy sometimes; I thank you all the +same." + +Bent on showing that he was not offended, he made himself as agreeable +as possible,--wound cotton for Meg, recited poetry to please Jo, shook +down cones for Beth, and helped Amy with her ferns, proving himself a +fit person to belong to the "Busy Bee Society." In the midst of an +animated discussion on the domestic habits of turtles (one of those +amiable creatures having strolled up from the river), the faint sound of +a bell warned them that Hannah had put the tea "to draw," and they would +just have time to get home to supper. + +"May I come again?" asked Laurie. + +"Yes, if you are good, and love your book, as the boys in the primer are +told to do," said Meg smiling. + +"I'll try." + +"Then you may come, and I'll teach you to knit as the Scotchmen do; +there's a demand for socks just now," added Jo, waving hers, like a big +blue worsted banner, as they parted at the gate. + +That night, when Beth played to Mr. Laurence in the twilight, Laurie, +standing in the shadow of the curtain, listened to the little David, +whose simple music always quieted his moody spirit, and watched the old +man, who sat with his gray head on his hand, thinking tender thoughts of +the dead child he had loved so much. Remembering the conversation of the +afternoon, the boy said to himself, with the resolve to make the +sacrifice cheerfully, "I'll let my castle go, and stay with the dear old +gentleman while he needs me, for I am all he has." + + [Illustration: Tail-piece] + + + + + [Illustration: Jo was very busy] + + XIV. + + SECRETS. + + +Jo was very busy in the garret, for the October days began to grow +chilly, and the afternoons were short. For two or three hours the sun +lay warmly in the high window, showing Jo seated on the old sofa, +writing busily, with her papers spread out upon a trunk before her, +while Scrabble, the pet rat, promenaded the beams overhead, accompanied +by his oldest son, a fine young fellow, who was evidently very proud of +his whiskers. Quite absorbed in her work, Jo scribbled away till the +last page was filled, when she signed her name with a flourish, and +threw down her pen, exclaiming,-- + +"There, I've done my best! If this won't suit I shall have to wait till +I can do better." + +Lying back on the sofa, she read the manuscript carefully through, +making dashes here and there, and putting in many exclamation points, +which looked like little balloons; then she tied it up with a smart red +ribbon, and sat a minute looking at it with a sober, wistful expression, +which plainly showed how earnest her work had been. Jo's desk up here +was an old tin kitchen, which hung against the wall. In it she kept her +papers and a few books, safely shut away from Scrabble, who, being +likewise of a literary turn, was fond of making a circulating library of +such books as were left in his way, by eating the leaves. From this tin +receptacle Jo produced another manuscript; and, putting both in her +pocket, crept quietly down stairs, leaving her friends to nibble her +pens and taste her ink. + +She put on her hat and jacket as noiselessly as possible, and, going to +the back entry window, got out upon the roof of a low porch, swung +herself down to the grassy bank, and took a roundabout way to the road. +Once there, she composed herself, hailed a passing omnibus, and rolled +away to town, looking very merry and mysterious. + +If any one had been watching her, he would have thought her movements +decidedly peculiar; for, on alighting, she went off at a great pace till +she reached a certain number in a certain busy street; having found the +place with some difficulty, she went into the door-way, looked up the +dirty stairs, and, after standing stock still a minute, suddenly dived +into the street, and walked away as rapidly as she came. This +manœuvre she repeated several times, to the great amusement of a +black-eyed young gentleman lounging in the window of a building +opposite. On returning for the third time, Jo gave herself a shake, +pulled her hat over her eyes, and walked up the stairs, looking as if +she were going to have all her teeth out. + +There was a dentist's sign, among others, which adorned the entrance, +and, after staring a moment at the pair of artificial jaws which slowly +opened and shut to draw attention to a fine set of teeth, the young +gentleman put on his coat, took his hat, and went down to post himself +in the opposite door-way, saying, with a smile and a shiver,-- + +"It's like her to come alone, but if she has a bad time she'll need some +one to help her home." + +In ten minutes Jo came running down stairs with a very red face, and the +general appearance of a person who had just passed through a trying +ordeal of some sort. When she saw the young gentleman she looked +anything but pleased, and passed him with a nod; but he followed, asking +with an air of sympathy,-- + +"Did you have a bad time?" + +"Not very." + +"You got through quickly." + +"Yes, thank goodness!" + +"Why did you go alone?" + +"Didn't want any one to know." + +"You're the oddest fellow I ever saw. How many did you have out?" + +Jo looked at her friend as if she did not understand him; then began to +laugh, as if mightily amused at something. + +"There are two which I want to have come out, but I must wait a week." + +"What are you laughing at? You are up to some mischief, Jo," said +Laurie, looking mystified. + +"So are you. What were you doing, sir, up in that billiard saloon?" + +"Begging your pardon, ma'am, it wasn't a billiard saloon, but a +gymnasium, and I was taking a lesson in fencing." + +"I'm glad of that." + +"Why?" + +"You can teach me, and then when we play Hamlet, you can be Laertes, and +we'll make a fine thing of the fencing scene." + +Laurie burst out with a hearty boy's laugh, which made several +passers-by smile in spite of themselves. + +"I'll teach you whether we play Hamlet or not; it's grand fun, and will +straighten you up capitally. But I don't believe that was your only +reason for saying 'I'm glad,' in that decided way; was it, now?" + +"No, I was glad that you were not in the saloon, because I hope you +never go to such places. Do you?" + +"Not often." + +"I wish you wouldn't." + +"It's no harm, Jo. I have billiards at home, but it's no fun unless you +have good players; so, as I'm fond of it, I come sometimes and have a +game with Ned Moffat or some of the other fellows." + +"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, for you'll get to liking it better and better, +and will waste time and money, and grow like those dreadful boys. I did +hope you'd stay respectable, and be a satisfaction to your friends," +said Jo, shaking her head. + +"Can't a fellow take a little innocent amusement now and then without +losing his respectability?" asked Laurie, looking nettled. + +"That depends upon how and where he takes it. I don't like Ned and his +set, and wish you'd keep out of it. Mother won't let us have him at our +house, though he wants to come; and if you grow like him she won't be +willing to have us frolic together as we do now." + +"Won't she?" asked Laurie anxiously. + +"No, she can't bear fashionable young men, and she'd shut us all up in +bandboxes rather than have us associate with them." + +"Well, she needn't get out her bandboxes yet; I'm not a fashionable +party, and don't mean to be; but I do like harmless larks now and then, +don't you?" + +"Yes, nobody minds them, so lark away, but don't get wild, will you? or +there will be an end of all our good times." + +"I'll be a double-distilled saint." + +"I can't bear saints: just be a simple, honest, respectable boy, and +we'll never desert you. I don't know what I _should_ do if you acted +like Mr. King's son; he had plenty of money, but didn't know how to +spend it, and got tipsy and gambled, and ran away, and forged his +father's name, I believe, and was altogether horrid." + +"You think I'm likely to do the same? Much obliged." + +"No, I don't--oh, _dear_, no!--but I hear people talking about money +being such a temptation, and I sometimes wish you were poor; I shouldn't +worry then." + +"Do you worry about me, Jo?" + +"A little, when you look moody or discontented, as you sometimes do; for +you've got such a strong will, if you once get started wrong, I'm afraid +it would be hard to stop you." + +Laurie walked in silence a few minutes, and Jo watched him, wishing she +had held her tongue, for his eyes looked angry, though his lips still +smiled as if at her warnings. + +"Are you going to deliver lectures all the way home?" he asked +presently. + +"Of course not; why?" + +"Because if you are, I'll take a 'bus; if you are not, I'd like to walk +with you, and tell you something very interesting." + +"I won't preach any more, and I'd like to hear the news immensely." + +"Very well, then; come on. It's a secret, and if I tell you, you must +tell me yours." + +"I haven't got any," began Jo, but stopped suddenly, remembering that +she had. + +"You know you have,--you can't hide anything; so up and 'fess, or I +won't tell," cried Laurie. + +"Is your secret a nice one?" + +"Oh, isn't it! all about people you know, and such fun! You ought to +hear it, and I've been aching to tell it this long time. Come, you +begin." + +"You'll not say anything about it at home, will you?" + +"Not a word." + +"And you won't tease me in private?" + +"I never tease." + +"Yes, you do; you get everything you want out of people. I don't know +how you do it, but you are a born wheedler." + +"Thank you; fire away." + +"Well, I've left two stories with a newspaper man, and he's to give his +answer next week," whispered Jo, in her confidant's ear. + +"Hurrah for Miss March, the celebrated American authoress!" cried +Laurie, throwing up his hat and catching it again, to the great delight +of two ducks, four cats, five hens, and half a dozen Irish children; for +they were out of the city now. + + [Illustration: Hurrah for Miss March] + +"Hush! It won't come to anything, I dare say; but I couldn't rest till I +had tried, and I said nothing about it, because I didn't want any one +else to be disappointed." + +"It won't fail. Why, Jo, your stories are works of Shakespeare, +compared to half the rubbish that is published every day. Won't it be +fun to see them in print; and sha'n't we feel proud of our authoress?" + +Jo's eyes sparkled, for it is always pleasant to be believed in; and a +friend's praise is always sweeter than a dozen newspaper puffs. + +"Where's _your_ secret? Play fair, Teddy, or I'll never believe you +again," she said, trying to extinguish the brilliant hopes that blazed +up at a word of encouragement. + +"I may get into a scrape for telling; but I didn't promise not to, so I +will, for I never feel easy in my mind till I've told you any plummy bit +of news I get. I know where Meg's glove is." + +"Is that all?" said Jo, looking disappointed, as Laurie nodded and +twinkled, with a face full of mysterious intelligence. + +"It's quite enough for the present, as you'll agree when I tell you +where it is." + +"Tell, then." + +Laurie bent, and whispered three words in Jo's ear, which produced a +comical change. She stood and stared at him for a minute, looking both +surprised and displeased, then walked on, saying sharply, "How do you +know?" + +"Saw it." + +"Where?" + +"Pocket." + +"All this time?" + +"Yes; isn't that romantic?" + +"No, it's horrid." + +"Don't you like it?" + +"Of course I don't. It's ridiculous; it won't be allowed. My patience! +what would Meg say?" + +"You are not to tell any one; mind that." + +"I didn't promise." + +"That was understood, and I trusted you." + +"Well, I won't for the present, any way; but I'm disgusted, and wish you +hadn't told me." + +"I thought you'd be pleased." + +"At the idea of anybody coming to take Meg away? No, thank you." + +"You'll feel better about it when somebody comes to take you away." + +"I'd like to see any one try it," cried Jo fiercely. + +"So should I!" and Laurie chuckled at the idea. + +"I don't think secrets agree with me; I feel rumpled up in my mind since +you told me that," said Jo, rather ungratefully. + +"Race down this hill with me, and you'll be all right," suggested +Laurie. + +No one was in sight; the smooth road sloped invitingly before her; and +finding the temptation irresistible, Jo darted away, soon leaving hat +and comb behind her, and scattering hair-pins as she ran. Laurie reached +the goal first, and was quite satisfied with the success of his +treatment; for his Atalanta came panting up, with flying hair, bright +eyes, ruddy cheeks, and no signs of dissatisfaction in her face. + + [Illustration: Jo darted away] + +"I wish I was a horse; then I could run for miles in this splendid air, +and not lose my breath. It was capital; but see what a guy it's made me. +Go, pick up my things, like a cherub as you are," said Jo, dropping down +under a maple-tree, which was carpeting the bank with crimson leaves. + +Laurie leisurely departed to recover the lost property, and Jo bundled +up her braids, hoping no one would pass by till she was tidy again. But +some one did pass, and who should it be but Meg, looking particularly +ladylike in her state and festival suit, for she had been making calls. + +"What in the world are you doing here?" she asked, regarding her +dishevelled sister with well-bred surprise. + +"Getting leaves," meekly answered Jo, sorting the rosy handful she had +just swept up. + +"And hair-pins," added Laurie, throwing half a dozen into Jo's lap. +"They grow on this road, Meg; so do combs and brown straw hats." + +"You have been running, Jo; how could you? When _will_ you stop such +romping ways?" said Meg reprovingly, as she settled her cuffs, and +smoothed her hair, with which the wind had taken liberties. + +"Never till I'm stiff and old, and have to use a crutch. Don't try to +make me grow up before my time, Meg: it's hard enough to have you change +all of a sudden; let me be a little girl as long as I can." + +As she spoke, Jo bent over the leaves to hide the trembling of her lips; +for lately she had felt that Margaret was fast getting to be a woman, +and Laurie's secret made her dread the separation which must surely come +some time, and now seemed very near. He saw the trouble in her face, and +drew Meg's attention from it by asking quickly, "Where have you been +calling, all so fine?" + +"At the Gardiners', and Sallie has been telling me all about Belle +Moffat's wedding. It was very splendid, and they have gone to spend the +winter in Paris. Just think how delightful that must be!" + +"Do you envy her, Meg?" said Laurie. + +"I'm afraid I do." + +"I'm glad of it!" muttered Jo, tying on her hat with a jerk. + +"Why?" asked Meg, looking surprised. + +"Because if you care much about riches, you will never go and marry a +poor man," said Jo, frowning at Laurie, who was mutely warning her to +mind what she said. + +"I shall never '_go_ and marry' any one," observed Meg, walking on with +great dignity, while the others followed, laughing, whispering, skipping +stones, and "behaving like children," as Meg said to herself, though she +might have been tempted to join them if she had not had her best dress +on. + +For a week or two, Jo behaved so queerly that her sisters were quite +bewildered. She rushed to the door when the postman rang; was rude to +Mr. Brooke whenever they met; would sit looking at Meg with a woe-begone +face, occasionally jumping up to shake, and then to kiss her, in a very +mysterious manner; Laurie and she were always making signs to one +another, and talking about "Spread Eagles," till the girls declared they +had both lost their wits. On the second Saturday after Jo got out of the +window, Meg, as she sat sewing at her window, was scandalized by the +sight of Laurie chasing Jo all over the garden, and finally capturing +her in Amy's bower. What went on there, Meg could not see; but shrieks +of laughter were heard, followed by the murmur of voices and a great +flapping of newspapers. + +"What shall we do with that girl? She never _will_ behave like a young +lady," sighed Meg, as she watched the race with a disapproving face. + +"I hope she won't; she is so funny and dear as she is," said Beth, who +had never betrayed that she was a little hurt at Jo's having secrets +with any one but her. + +"It's very trying, but we never can make her _commy la fo_," added Amy, +who sat making some new frills for herself, with her curls tied up in a +very becoming way,--two agreeable things, which made her feel unusually +elegant and ladylike. + +In a few minutes Jo bounced in, laid herself on the sofa, and affected +to read. + + [Illustration: Jo laid herself on the sofa and affected to read] + +"Have you anything interesting there?" asked Meg, with condescension. + +"Nothing but a story; won't amount to much, I guess," returned Jo, +carefully keeping the name of the paper out of sight. + +"You'd better read it aloud; that will amuse us and keep you out of +mischief," said Amy, in her most grown-up tone. + +"What's the name?" asked Beth, wondering why Jo kept her face behind the +sheet. + +"The Rival Painters." + +"That sounds well; read it," said Meg. + +With a loud "Hem!" and a long breath, Jo began to read very fast. The +girls listened with interest, for the tale was romantic, and somewhat +pathetic, as most of the characters died in the end. + +"I like that about the splendid picture," was Amy's approving remark, as +Jo paused. + +"I prefer the lovering part. Viola and Angelo are two of our favorite +names; isn't that queer?" said Meg, wiping her eyes, for the "lovering +part" was tragical. + +"Who wrote it?" asked Beth, who had caught a glimpse of Jo's face. + +The reader suddenly sat up, cast away the paper, displaying a flushed +countenance, and, with a funny mixture of solemnity and excitement, +replied in a loud voice, "Your sister." + +"You?" cried Meg, dropping her work. + +"It's very good," said Amy critically. + +"I knew it! I knew it! O my Jo, I _am_ so proud!" and Beth ran to hug +her sister, and exult over this splendid success. + +Dear me, how delighted they all were, to be sure! how Meg wouldn't +believe it till she saw the words, "Miss Josephine March," actually +printed in the paper; how graciously Amy criticised the artistic parts +of the story, and offered hints for a sequel, which unfortunately +couldn't be carried out, as the hero and heroine were dead; how Beth got +excited, and skipped and sung with joy; how Hannah came in to exclaim +"Sakes alive, well I never!" in great astonishment at "that Jo's +doin's;" how proud Mrs. March was when she knew it; how Jo laughed, with +tears in her eyes, as she declared she might as well be a peacock and +done with it; and how the "Spread Eagle" might be said to flap his wings +triumphantly over the House of March, as the paper passed from hand to +hand. + +"Tell us all about it." "When did it come?" "How much did you get for +it?" "What _will_ father say?" "Won't Laurie laugh?" cried the family, +all in one breath, as they clustered about Jo; for these foolish, +affectionate people made a jubilee of every little household joy. + +"Stop jabbering, girls, and I'll tell you everything," said Jo, +wondering if Miss Burney felt any grander over her "Evelina" than she +did over her "Rival Painters." Having told how she disposed of her +tales, Jo added, "And when I went to get my answer, the man said he +liked them both, but didn't pay beginners, only let them print in his +paper, and noticed the stories. It was good practice, he said; and when +the beginners improved, any one would pay. So I let him have the two +stories, and to-day this was sent to me, and Laurie caught me with it, +and insisted on seeing it, so I let him; and he said it was good, and I +shall write more, and he's going to get the next paid for, and I _am_ so +happy, for in time I may be able to support myself and help the girls." + +Jo's breath gave out here; and, wrapping her head in the paper, she +bedewed her little story with a few natural tears; for to be +independent, and earn the praise of those she loved were the dearest +wishes of her heart, and this seemed to be the first step toward that +happy end. + + + + + XV. + + A TELEGRAM. + + + [Illustration: November is the most disagreeable month in the year] + +"November is the most disagreeable month in the whole year," said +Margaret, standing at the window one dull afternoon, looking out at the +frost-bitten garden. + +"That's the reason I was born in it," observed Jo pensively, quite +unconscious of the blot on her nose. + +"If something very pleasant should happen now, we should think it a +delightful month," said Beth, who took a hopeful view of everything, +even November. + +"I dare say; but nothing pleasant ever _does_ happen in this family," +said Meg, who was out of sorts. "We go grubbing along day after day, +without a bit of change, and very little fun. We might as well be in a +treadmill." + +"My patience, how blue we are!" cried Jo. "I don't much wonder, poor +dear, for you see other girls having splendid times, while you grind, +grind, year in and year out. Oh, don't I wish I could manage things for +you as I do for my heroines! You're pretty enough and good enough +already, so I'd have some rich relation leave you a fortune +unexpectedly; then you'd dash out as an heiress, scorn every one who +has slighted you, go abroad, and come home my Lady Something, in a blaze +of splendor and elegance." + +"People don't have fortunes left them in that style now-a-days; men have +to work, and women to marry for money. It's a dreadfully unjust world," +said Meg bitterly. + +"Jo and I are going to make fortunes for you all; just wait ten years, +and see if we don't," said Amy, who sat in a corner, making mud pies, as +Hannah called her little clay models of birds, fruit, and faces. + +"Can't wait, and I'm afraid I haven't much faith in ink and dirt, though +I'm grateful for your good intentions." + +Meg sighed, and turned to the frost-bitten garden again; Jo groaned, and +leaned both elbows on the table in a despondent attitude, but Amy +spatted away energetically; and Beth, who sat at the other window, said, +smiling, "Two pleasant things are going to happen right away: Marmee is +coming down the street, and Laurie is tramping through the garden as if +he had something nice to tell." + +In they both came, Mrs. March with her usual question, "Any letter from +father, girls?" and Laurie to say in his persuasive way, "Won't some of +you come for a drive? I've been working away at mathematics till my head +is in a muddle, and I'm going to freshen my wits by a brisk turn. It's a +dull day, but the air isn't bad, and I'm going to take Brooke home, so +it will be gay inside, if it isn't out. Come, Jo, you and Beth will go, +won't you?" + +"Of course we will." + +"Much obliged, but I'm busy;" and Meg whisked out her work-basket, for +she had agreed with her mother that it was best, for her at least, not +to drive often with the young gentleman. + +"We three will be ready in a minute," cried Amy, running away to wash +her hands. + +"Can I do anything for you, Madam Mother?" asked Laurie, leaning over +Mrs. March's chair, with the affectionate look and tone he always gave +her. + +"No, thank you, except call at the office, if you'll be so kind, dear. +It's our day for a letter, and the postman hasn't been. Father is as +regular as the sun, but there's some delay on the way, perhaps." + +A sharp ring interrupted her, and a minute after Hannah came in with a +letter. + +"It's one of them horrid telegraph things, mum," she said, handing it as +if she was afraid it would explode and do some damage. + + [Illustration: One of them horrid telegraph things] + +At the word "telegraph," Mrs. March snatched it, read the two lines it +contained, and dropped back into her chair as white as if the little +paper had sent a bullet to her heart. Laurie dashed down stairs for +water, while Meg and Hannah supported her, and Jo read aloud, in a +frightened voice,-- + + "MRS. MARCH: + + "Your husband is very ill. Come at once. + "S. HALE, + "Blank Hospital, Washington" + +How still the room was as they listened breathlessly, how strangely the +day darkened outside, and how suddenly the whole world seemed to change, +as the girls gathered about their mother, feeling as if all the +happiness and support of their lives was about to be taken from them. +Mrs. March was herself again directly; read the message over, and +stretched out her arms to her daughters, saying, in a tone they never +forgot, "I shall go at once, but it may be too late. O children, +children, help me to bear it!" + +For several minutes there was nothing but the sound of sobbing in the +room, mingled with broken words of comfort, tender assurances of help, +and hopeful whispers that died away in tears. Poor Hannah was the first +to recover, and with unconscious wisdom she set all the rest a good +example; for, with her, work was the panacea for most afflictions. + +"The Lord keep the dear man! I won't waste no time a cryin', but git +your things ready right away, mum," she said, heartily, as she wiped her +face on her apron, gave her mistress a warm shake of the hand with her +own hard one, and went away, to work like three women in one. + +"She's right; there's no time for tears now. Be calm, girls, and let me +think." + +They tried to be calm, poor things, as their mother sat up, looking +pale, but steady, and put away her grief to think and plan for them. + +"Where's Laurie?" she asked presently, when she had collected her +thoughts, and decided on the first duties to be done. + +"Here, ma'am. Oh, let me do something!" cried the boy, hurrying from the +next room, whither he had withdrawn, feeling that their first sorrow was +too sacred for even his friendly eyes to see. + +"Send a telegram saying I will come at once. The next train goes early +in the morning. I'll take that." + +"What else? The horses are ready; I can go anywhere, do anything," he +said, looking ready to fly to the ends of the earth. + +"Leave a note at Aunt March's. Jo, give me that pen and paper." + +Tearing off the blank side of one of her newly copied pages, Jo drew the +table before her mother, well knowing that money for the long, sad +journey must be borrowed, and feeling as if she could do anything to add +a little to the sum for her father. + +"Now go, dear; but don't kill yourself driving at a desperate pace; +there is no need of that." + +Mrs. March's warning was evidently thrown away; for five minutes later +Laurie tore by the window on his own fleet horse, riding as if for his +life. + +"Jo, run to the rooms, and tell Mrs. King that I can't come. On the way +get these things. I'll put them down; they'll be needed, and I must go +prepared for nursing. Hospital stores are not always good. Beth, go and +ask Mr. Laurence for a couple of bottles of old wine: I'm not too proud +to beg for father; he shall have the best of everything. Amy, tell +Hannah to get down the black trunk; and, Meg, come and help me find my +things, for I'm half bewildered." + +Writing, thinking, and directing, all at once, might well bewilder the +poor lady, and Meg begged her to sit quietly in her room for a little +while, and let them work. Every one scattered like leaves before a gust +of wind; and the quiet, happy household was broken up as suddenly as if +the paper had been an evil spell. + +Mr. Laurence came hurrying back with Beth, bringing every comfort the +kind old gentleman could think of for the invalid, and friendliest +promises of protection for the girls during the mother's absence, which +comforted her very much. There was nothing he didn't offer, from his own +dressing-gown to himself as escort. But that last was impossible. Mrs. +March would not hear of the old gentleman's undertaking the long +journey; yet an expression of relief was visible when he spoke of it, +for anxiety ill fits one for travelling. He saw the look, knit his heavy +eyebrows, rubbed his hands, and marched abruptly away, saying he'd be +back directly. No one had time to think of him again till, as Meg ran +through the entry, with a pair of rubbers in one hand and a cup of tea +in the other, she came suddenly upon Mr. Brooke. + + [Illustration: She came suddenly upon Mr. Brooke] + +"I'm very sorry to hear of this, Miss March," he said, in the kind, +quiet tone which sounded very pleasantly to her perturbed spirit. "I +came to offer myself as escort to your mother. Mr. Laurence has +commissions for me in Washington, and it will give me real satisfaction +to be of service to her there." + +Down dropped the rubbers, and the tea was very near following, as Meg +put out her hand, with a face so full of gratitude, that Mr. Brooke +would have felt repaid for a much greater sacrifice than the trifling +one of time and comfort which he was about to make. + +"How kind you all are! Mother will accept, I'm sure; and it will be such +a relief to know that she has some one to take care of her. Thank you +very, very much!" + +Meg spoke earnestly, and forgot herself entirely till something in the +brown eyes looking down at her made her remember the cooling tea, and +lead the way into the parlor, saying she would call her mother. + +Everything was arranged by the time Laurie returned with a note from +Aunt March, enclosing the desired sum, and a few lines repeating what +she had often said before,--that she had always told them it was absurd +for March to go into the army, always predicted that no good would come +of it, and she hoped they would take her advice next time. Mrs. March +put the note in the fire, the money in her purse, and went on with her +preparations, with her lips folded tightly, in a way which Jo would have +understood if she had been there. + +The short afternoon wore away; all the other errands were done, and Meg +and her mother busy at some necessary needle-work, while Beth and Amy +got tea, and Hannah finished her ironing with what she called a "slap +and a bang," but still Jo did not come. They began to get anxious; and +Laurie went off to find her, for no one ever knew what freak Jo might +take into her head. He missed her, however, and she came walking in with +a very queer expression of countenance, for there was a mixture of fun +and fear, satisfaction and regret, in it, which puzzled the family as +much as did the roll of bills she laid before her mother, saying, with a +little choke in her voice, "That's my contribution towards making +father comfortable and bringing him home!" + +"My dear, where did you get it? Twenty-five dollars! Jo, I hope you +haven't done anything rash? + +"No, it's mine honestly; I didn't beg, borrow, or steal it. I earned it; +and I don't think you'll blame me, for I only sold what was my own." + +As she spoke, Jo took off her bonnet, and a general outcry arose, for +all her abundant hair was cut short. + +"Your hair! Your beautiful hair!" "O Jo, how could you? Your one +beauty." "My dear girl, there was no need of this." "She doesn't look +like my Jo any more, but I love her dearly for it!" + +As every one exclaimed, and Beth hugged the cropped head tenderly, Jo +assumed an indifferent air, which did not deceive any one a particle, +and said, rumpling up the brown bush, and trying to look as if she liked +it, "It doesn't affect the fate of the nation, so don't wail, Beth. It +will be good for my vanity; I was getting too proud of my wig. It will +do my brains good to have that mop taken off; my head feels deliciously +light and cool, and the barber said I could soon have a curly crop, +which will be boyish, becoming, and easy to keep in order. I'm +satisfied; so please take the money, and let's have supper." + +"Tell me all about it, Jo. _I_ am not quite satisfied, but I can't blame +you, for I know how willingly you sacrificed your vanity, as you call +it, to your love. But, my dear, it was not necessary, and I'm afraid you +will regret it, one of these days," said Mrs. March. + +"No, I won't!" returned Jo stoutly, feeling much relieved that her prank +was not entirely condemned. + +"What made you do it?" asked Amy, who would as soon have thought of +cutting off her head as her pretty hair. + +"Well, I was wild to do something for father," replied Jo, as they +gathered about the table, for healthy young people can eat even in the +midst of trouble. "I hate to borrow as much as mother does, and I knew +Aunt March would croak; she always does, if you ask for a ninepence. Meg +gave all her quarterly salary toward the rent, and I only got some +clothes with mine, so I felt wicked, and was bound to have some money, +if I sold the nose off my face to get it." + +"You needn't feel wicked, my child: you had no winter things, and got +the simplest with your own hard earnings," said Mrs. March, with a look +that warmed Jo's heart. + +"I hadn't the least idea of selling my hair at first, but as I went +along I kept thinking what I could do, and feeling as if I'd like to +dive into some of the rich stores and help myself. In a barber's window +I saw tails of hair with the prices marked; and one black tail, not so +thick as mine, was forty dollars. It came over me all of a sudden that I +had one thing to make money out of, and without stopping to think, I +walked in, asked if they bought hair, and what they would give for +mine." + +"I don't see how you dared to do it," said Beth, in a tone of awe. + +"Oh, he was a little man who looked as if he merely lived to oil his +hair. He rather stared, at first, as if he wasn't used to having girls +bounce into his shop and ask him to buy their hair. He said he didn't +care about mine, it wasn't the fashionable color, and he never paid much +for it in the first place; the work put into it made it dear, and so on. +It was getting late, and I was afraid, if it wasn't done right away, +that I shouldn't have it done at all, and you know when I start to do a +thing, I hate to give it up; so I begged him to take it, and told him +why I was in such a hurry. It was silly, I dare say, but it changed his +mind, for I got rather excited, and told the story in my topsy-turvy +way, and his wife heard, and said so kindly,-- + +"'Take it, Thomas, and oblige the young lady; I'd do as much for our +Jimmy any day if I had a spire of hair worth selling.'" + +"Who was Jimmy?" asked Amy, who liked to have things explained as they +went along. + +"Her son, she said, who was in the army. How friendly such things make +strangers feel, don't they? She talked away all the time the man +clipped, and diverted my mind nicely." + + [Illustration: The man clipped] + +"Didn't you feel dreadfully when the first cut came?" asked Meg, with a +shiver. + +"I took a last look at my hair while the man got his things, and that +was the end of it. I never snivel over trifles like that; I will +confess, though, I felt queer when I saw the dear old hair laid out on +the table, and felt only the short, rough ends on my head. It almost +seemed as if I'd an arm or a leg off. The woman saw me look at it, and +picked out a long lock for me to keep. I'll give it to you, Marmee, just +to remember past glories by; for a crop is so comfortable I don't think +I shall ever have a mane again." + +Mrs. March folded the wavy, chestnut lock, and laid it away with a short +gray one in her desk. She only said "Thank you, deary," but something in +her face made the girls change the subject, and talk as cheerfully as +they could about Mr. Brooke's kindness, the prospect of a fine day +to-morrow, and the happy times they would have when father came home to +be nursed. + +No one wanted to go to bed, when, at ten o'clock, Mrs. March put by the +last finished job, and said, "Come, girls." Beth went to the piano and +played the father's favorite hymn; all began bravely, but broke down +one by one, till Beth was left alone, singing with all her heart, for to +her music was always a sweet consoler. + +"Go to bed and don't talk, for we must be up early, and shall need all +the sleep we can get. Good-night, my darlings," said Mrs. March, as the +hymn ended, for no one cared to try another. + +They kissed her quietly, and went to bed as silently as if the dear +invalid lay in the next room. Beth and Amy soon fell asleep in spite of +the great trouble, but Meg lay awake, thinking the most serious thoughts +she had ever known in her short life. Jo lay motionless, and her sister +fancied that she was asleep, till a stifled sob made her exclaim, as she +touched a wet cheek,-- + +"Jo, dear, what is it? Are you crying about father?" + +"No, not now." + +"What then?" + +"My--my hair!" burst out poor Jo, trying vainly to smother her emotion +in the pillow. + +It did not sound at all comical to Meg, who kissed and caressed the +afflicted heroine in the tenderest manner. + +"I'm not sorry," protested Jo, with a choke. "I'd do it again to-morrow, +if I could. It's only the vain, selfish part of me that goes and cries +in this silly way. Don't tell any one, it's all over now. I thought you +were asleep, so I just made a little private moan for my one beauty. How +came you to be awake?" + +"I can't sleep, I'm so anxious," said Meg. + +"Think about something pleasant, and you'll soon drop off." + +"I tried it, but felt wider awake than ever." + +"What did you think of?" + +"Handsome faces,--eyes particularly," answered Meg, smiling to herself, +in the dark. + +"What color do you like best?" + +"Brown--that is, sometimes; blue are lovely." + +Jo laughed, and Meg sharply ordered her not to talk, then amiably +promised to make her hair curl, and fell asleep to dream of living in +her castle in the air. + +The clocks were striking midnight, and the rooms were very still, as a +figure glided quietly from bed to bed, smoothing a coverlid here, +settling a pillow there, and pausing to look long and tenderly at each +unconscious face, to kiss each with lips that mutely blessed, and to +pray the fervent prayers which only mothers utter. As she lifted the +curtain to look out into the dreary night, the moon broke suddenly from +behind the clouds, and shone upon her like a bright, benignant face, +which seemed to whisper in the silence, "Be comforted, dear soul! There +is always light behind the clouds." + + [Illustration: Tail-piece] + + + + + [Illustration: Letters] + + XVI. + + LETTERS. + + +In the cold gray dawn the sisters lit their lamp, and read their chapter +with an earnestness never felt before; for now the shadow of a real +trouble had come, the little books were full of help and comfort; and, +as they dressed, they agreed to say good-by cheerfully and hopefully, +and send their mother on her anxious journey unsaddened by tears or +complaints from them. Everything seemed very strange when they went +down,--so dim and still outside, so full of light and bustle within. +Breakfast at that early hour seemed odd, and even Hannah's familiar face +looked unnatural as she flew about her kitchen with her night-cap on. +The big trunk stood ready in the hall, mother's cloak and bonnet lay on +the sofa, and mother herself sat trying to eat, but looking so pale and +worn with sleeplessness and anxiety that the girls found it very hard to +keep their resolution. Meg's eyes kept filling in spite of herself; Jo +was obliged to hide her face in the kitchen roller more than once; and +the little girls' wore a grave, troubled expression, as if sorrow was a +new experience to them. + +Nobody talked much, but as the time drew very near, and they sat waiting +for the carriage, Mrs. March said to the girls, who were all busied +about her, one folding her shawl, another smoothing out the strings of +her bonnet, a third putting on her overshoes, and a fourth fastening up +her travelling bag,-- + +"Children, I leave you to Hannah's care and Mr. Laurence's protection. +Hannah is faithfulness itself, and our good neighbor will guard you as +if you were his own. I have no fears for you, yet I am anxious that you +should take this trouble rightly. Don't grieve and fret when I am gone, +or think that you can comfort yourselves by being idle and trying to +forget. Go on with your work as usual, for work is a blessed solace. +Hope and keep busy; and whatever happens, remember that you never can be +fatherless." + +"Yes, mother." + +"Meg, dear, be prudent, watch over your sisters, consult Hannah, and, in +any perplexity, go to Mr. Laurence. Be patient, Jo, don't get despondent +or do rash things; write to me often, and be my brave girl, ready to +help and cheer us all. Beth, comfort yourself with your music, and be +faithful to the little home duties; and you, Amy, help all you can, be +obedient, and keep happy safe at home." + +"We will, mother! we will!" + +The rattle of an approaching carriage made them all start and listen. +That was the hard minute, but the girls stood it well: no one cried, no +one ran away or uttered a lamentation, though their hearts were very +heavy as they sent loving messages to father, remembering, as they +spoke, that it might be too late to deliver them. They kissed their +mother quietly, clung about her tenderly, and tried to wave their hands +cheerfully when she drove away. + +Laurie and his grandfather came over to see her off, and Mr. Brooke +looked so strong and sensible and kind that the girls christened him +"Mr. Greatheart" on the spot. + +"Good-by, my darlings! God bless and keep us all!" whispered Mrs. March, +as she kissed one dear little face after the other, and hurried into the +carriage. + +As she rolled away, the sun came out, and, looking back, she saw it +shining on the group at the gate, like a good omen. They saw it also, +and smiled and waved their hands; and the last thing she beheld, as she +turned the corner, was the four bright faces, and behind them, like a +body-guard, old Mr. Laurence, faithful Hannah, and devoted Laurie. + + [Illustration: She rolled away] + +"How kind every one is to us!" she said, turning to find fresh proof of +it in the respectful sympathy of the young man's face. + +"I don't see how they can help it," returned Mr. Brooke, laughing so +infectiously that Mrs. March could not help smiling; and so the long +journey began with the good omens of sunshine, smiles, and cheerful +words. + +"I feel as if there had been an earthquake," said Jo, as their neighbors +went home to breakfast, leaving them to rest and refresh themselves. + +"It seems as if half the house was gone," added Meg forlornly. + +Beth opened her lips to say something, but could only point to the pile +of nicely-mended hose which lay on mother's table, showing that even in +her last hurried moments she had thought and worked for them. It was a +little thing, but it went straight to their hearts; and, in spite of +their brave resolutions, they all broke down, and cried bitterly. + +Hannah wisely allowed them to relieve their feelings, and, when the +shower showed signs of clearing up, she came to the rescue, armed with a +coffee-pot. + +"Now, my dear young ladies, remember what your ma said, and don't fret. +Come and have a cup of coffee all round, and then let's fall to work, +and be a credit to the family." + +Coffee was a treat, and Hannah showed great tact in making it that +morning. No one could resist her persuasive nods, or the fragrant +invitation issuing from the nose of the coffee-pot. They drew up to the +table, exchanged their handkerchiefs for napkins, and in ten minutes +were all right again. + +"'Hope and keep busy;' that's the motto for us, so let's see who will +remember it best. I shall go to Aunt March, as usual. Oh, won't she +lecture though!" said Jo, as she sipped with returning spirit. + +"I shall go to my Kings, though I'd much rather stay at home and attend +to things here," said Meg, wishing she hadn't made her eyes so red. + +"No need of that; Beth and I can keep house perfectly well," put in Amy, +with an important air. + +"Hannah will tell us what to do; and we'll have everything nice when you +come home," added Beth, getting out her mop and dish-tub without delay. + +"I think anxiety is very interesting," observed Amy, eating sugar, +pensively. + +The girls couldn't help laughing, and felt better for it, though Meg +shook her head at the young lady who could find consolation in a +sugar-bowl. + +The sight of the turn-overs made Jo sober again; and when the two went +out to their daily tasks, they looked sorrowfully back at the window +where they were accustomed to see their mother's face. It was gone; but +Beth had remembered the little household ceremony, and there she was, +nodding away at them like a rosy-faced mandarin. + +"That's so like my Beth!" said Jo, waving her hat, with a grateful face. +"Good-by, Meggy; I hope the Kings won't train to-day. Don't fret about +father, dear," she added, as they parted. + +"And I hope Aunt March won't croak. Your hair _is_ becoming, and it +looks very boyish and nice," returned Meg, trying not to smile at the +curly head, which looked comically small on her tall sister's shoulders. + +"That's my only comfort;" and, touching her hat _à la_ Laurie, away went +Jo, feeling like a shorn sheep on a wintry day. + +News from their father comforted the girls very much; for, though +dangerously ill, the presence of the best and tenderest of nurses had +already done him good. Mr. Brooke sent a bulletin every day, and, as the +head of the family, Meg insisted on reading the despatches, which grew +more and more cheering as the week passed. At first, every one was eager +to write, and plump envelopes were carefully poked into the letter-box +by one or other of the sisters, who felt rather important with their +Washington correspondence. As one of these packets contained +characteristic notes from the party, we will rob an imaginary mail, and +read them:-- + + "MY DEAREST MOTHER,-- + + "It is impossible to tell you how happy your last letter made + us, for the news was so good we couldn't help laughing and + crying over it. How very kind Mr. Brooke is, and how fortunate + that Mr. Laurence's business detains him near you so long, + since he is so useful to you and father. The girls are all as + good as gold. Jo helps me with the sewing, and insists on doing + all sorts of hard jobs. I should be afraid she might overdo, if + I didn't know that her 'moral fit' wouldn't last long. Beth is + as regular about her tasks as a clock, and never forgets what + you told her. She grieves about father, and looks sober except + when she is at her little piano. Amy minds me nicely, and I + take great care of her. She does her own hair, and I am + teaching her to make button-holes and mend her stockings. She + tries very hard, and I know you will be pleased with her + improvement when you come. Mr. Laurence watches over us like a + motherly old hen, as Jo says; and Laurie is very kind and + neighborly. He and Jo keep us merry, for we get pretty blue + sometimes, and feel like orphans, with you so far away. Hannah + is a perfect saint; she does not scold at all, and always calls + me Miss 'Margaret,' which is quite proper, you know, and treats + me with respect. We are all well and busy; but we long, day + and night, to have you back. Give my dearest love to father, + and believe me, ever your own + "MEG." + +This note, prettily written on scented paper, was a great contrast to +the next, which was scribbled on a big sheet of thin foreign paper, +ornamented with blots and all manner of flourishes and curly-tailed +letters:-- + + "MY PRECIOUS MARMEE,-- + + "Three cheers for dear father! Brooke was a trump to telegraph + right off, and let us know the minute he was better. I rushed + up garret when the letter came, and tried to thank God for + being so good to us; but I could only cry, and say, 'I'm glad! + I'm glad!' Didn't that do as well as a regular prayer? for I + felt a great many in my heart. We have such funny times; and + now I can enjoy them, for every one is so desperately good, + it's like living in a nest of turtle-doves. You'd laugh to see + Meg head the table and try to be motherish. She gets prettier + every day, and I'm in love with her sometimes. The children are + regular archangels, and I--well, I'm Jo, and never shall be + anything else. Oh, I must tell you that I came near having a + quarrel with Laurie. I freed my mind about a silly little + thing, and he was offended. I was right, but didn't speak as I + ought, and he marched home, saying he wouldn't come again till + I begged pardon. I declared I wouldn't, and got mad. It lasted + all day; I felt bad, and wanted you very much. Laurie and I are + both so proud, it's hard to beg pardon; but I thought he'd come + to it, for I _was_ in the right. He didn't come; and just at + night I remembered what you said when Amy fell into the river. + I read my little book, felt better, resolved not to let the sun + set on _my_ anger, and ran over to tell Laurie I was sorry. I + met him at the gate, coming for the same thing. We both + laughed, begged each other's pardon, and felt all good and + comfortable again. + + "I made a 'pome' yesterday, when I was helping Hannah wash; and, + as father likes my silly little things, I put it in to amuse + him. Give him the lovingest hug that ever was, and kiss yourself + a dozen times for your + "TOPSY-TURVY JO." + + "A SONG FROM THE SUDS. + + "Queen of my tub, I merrily sing, + While the white foam rises high; + And sturdily wash and rinse and wring, + And fasten the clothes to dry; + Then out in the free fresh air they swing, + Under the sunny sky. + + "I wish we could wash from our hearts and souls + The stains of the week away, + And let water and air by their magic make + Ourselves as pure as they; + Then on the earth there would be indeed + A glorious washing-day! + + "Along the path of a useful life, + Will heart's-ease ever bloom; + The busy mind has no time to think + Of sorrow or care or gloom; + And anxious thoughts may be swept away, + As we bravely wield a broom. + + "I am glad a task to me is given, + To labor at day by day; + For it brings me health and strength and hope, + And I cheerfully learn to say,-- + 'Head, you may think, Heart, you may feel, + But, Hand, you shall work alway!'" + + "DEAR MOTHER,-- + + "There is only room for me to send my love, and some pressed + pansies from the root I have been keeping safe in the house for + father to see. I read every morning, try to be good all day, + and sing myself to sleep with father's tune. I can't sing 'Land + of the Leal' now; it makes me cry. Every one is very kind, and + we are as happy as we can be without you. Amy wants the rest of + the page, so I must stop. I didn't forget to cover the holders, + and I wind the clock and air the rooms every day. + + "Kiss dear father on the cheek he calls mine. Oh, do come soon + to your loving + "LITTLE BETH." + + [Illustration: I wind the clock] + + "MA CHERE MAMMA,-- + + "We are all well I do my lessons always and never corroberate + the girls--Meg says I mean contradick so I put in both words + and you can take the properest. Meg is a great comfort to me + and lets me have jelly every night at tea its so good for me Jo + says because it keeps me sweet tempered. Laurie is not as + respeckful as he ought to be now I am almost in my teens, he + calls me Chick and hurts my feelings by talking French to me + very fast when I say Merci or Bon jour as Hattie King does. The + sleeves of my blue dress were all worn out, and Meg put in new + ones, but the full front came wrong and they are more blue than + the dress. I felt bad but did not fret I bear my troubles well + but I do wish Hannah would put more starch in my aprons and + have buckwheats every day. Can't she? Didn't I make that + interrigation point nice? Meg says my punchtuation and spelling + are disgraceful and I am mortyfied but dear me I have so many + things to do, I can't stop. Adieu, I send heaps of love to + Papa. + "Your affectionate daughter, + "AMY CURTIS MARCH." + + "DEAR MIS MARCH,-- + + "I jes drop a line to say we git on fust rate. The girls is + clever and fly round right smart. Miss Meg is going to make a + proper good housekeeper; she hes the liking for it, and gits + the hang of things surprisin quick. Jo doos beat all for goin + ahead, but she don't stop to cal'k'late fust, and you never + know where she's like to bring up. She done out a tub of + clothes on Monday, but she starched 'em afore they was + wrenched, and blued a pink calico dress till I thought I should + a died a laughin. Beth is the best of little creeters, and a + sight of help to me, bein so forehanded and dependable. She + tries to learn everything, and really goes to market beyond her + years; likewise keeps accounts, with my help, quite wonderful. + We have got on very economical so fur; I don't let the girls + hev coffee only once a week, accordin to your wish, and keep em + on plain wholesome vittles. Amy does well about frettin, wearin + her best clothes and eatin sweet stuff. Mr. Laurie is as full + of didoes as usual, and turns the house upside down frequent; + but he heartens up the girls, and so I let em hev full swing. + The old gentleman sends heaps of things, and is rather wearin, + but means wal, and it aint my place to say nothin. My bread is + riz, so no more at this time. I send my duty to Mr. March, and + hope he's seen the last of his Pewmonia. + "Yours Respectful, + "HANNAH MULLET." + + [Illustration: Yours Respectful, Hannah Mullet] + + "HEAD NURSE OF WARD NO. 2,-- + + "All serene on the Rappahannock, troops in fine condition, + commissary department well conducted, the Home Guard under + Colonel Teddy always on duty, Commander-in-chief General + Laurence reviews the army daily, Quartermaster Mullett keeps + order in camp, and Major Lion does picket duty at night. A + salute of twenty-four guns was fired on receipt of good news + from Washington, and a dress parade took place at + head-quarters. Commander-in-chief sends best wishes, in which + he is heartily joined by + "COLONEL TEDDY." + + "DEAR MADAM,-- + + "The little girls are all well; Beth and my boy report daily; + Hannah is a model servant, and guards pretty Meg like a dragon. + Glad the fine weather holds; pray make Brooke useful, and draw + on me for funds if expenses exceed your estimate. Don't let + your husband want anything. Thank God he is mending. + "Your sincere friend and servant, + "JAMES LAURENCE." + + [Illustration: Tail-piece] + + + + + XVII. + + LITTLE FAITHFUL. + + +For a week the amount of virtue in the old house would have supplied the +neighborhood. It was really amazing, for every one seemed in a heavenly +frame of mind, and self-denial was all the fashion. Relieved of their +first anxiety about their father, the girls insensibly relaxed their +praiseworthy efforts a little, and began to fall back into the old ways. +They did not forget their motto, but hoping and keeping busy seemed to +grow easier; and after such tremendous exertions, they felt that +Endeavor deserved a holiday, and gave it a good many. + +Jo caught a bad cold through neglect to cover the shorn head enough, and +was ordered to stay at home till she was better, for Aunt March didn't +like to hear people read with colds in their heads. Jo liked this, and +after an energetic rummage from garret to cellar, subsided on the sofa +to nurse her cold with arsenicum and books. Amy found that housework and +art did not go well together, and returned to her mud pies. Meg went +daily to her pupils, and sewed, or thought she did, at home, but much +time was spent in writing long letters to her mother, or reading the +Washington despatches over and over. Beth kept on, with only slight +relapses into idleness or grieving. All the little duties were +faithfully done each day, and many of her sisters' also, for they were +forgetful, and the house seemed like a clock whose pendulum was gone +a-visiting. When her heart got heavy with longings for mother or fears +for father, she went away into a certain closet, hid her face in the +folds of a certain dear old gown, and made her little moan and prayed +her little prayer quietly by herself. Nobody knew what cheered her up +after a sober fit, but every one felt how sweet and helpful Beth was, +and fell into a way of going to her for comfort or advice in their small +affairs. + +All were unconscious that this experience was a test of character; and, +when the first excitement was over, felt that they had done well, and +deserved praise. So they did; but their mistake was in ceasing to do +well, and they learned this lesson through much anxiety and regret. + +"Meg, I wish you'd go and see the Hummels; you know mother told us not +to forget them," said Beth, ten days after Mrs. March's departure. + +"I'm too tired to go this afternoon," replied Meg, rocking comfortably +as she sewed. + +"Can't you, Jo?" asked Beth. + +"Too stormy for me with my cold." + +"I thought it was almost well." + +"It's well enough for me to go out with Laurie, but not well enough to +go to the Hummels'," said Jo, laughing, but looking a little ashamed of +her inconsistency. + +"Why don't you go yourself?" asked Meg. + +"I _have_ been every day, but the baby is sick, and I don't know what to +do for it. Mrs. Hummel goes away to work, and Lottchen takes care of it; +but it gets sicker and sicker, and I think you or Hannah ought to go." + +Beth spoke earnestly, and Meg promised she would go to-morrow. + +"Ask Hannah for some nice little mess, and take it round, Beth; the air +will do you good," said Jo, adding apologetically, "I'd go, but I want +to finish my writing." + +"My head aches and I'm tired, so I thought may be some of you would go," +said Beth. + +"Amy will be in presently, and she will run down for us," suggested Meg. + +"Well, I'll rest a little and wait for her." + +So Beth lay down on the sofa, the others returned to their work, and the +Hummels were forgotten. An hour passed: Amy did not come; Meg went to +her room to try on a new dress; Jo was absorbed in her story, and Hannah +was sound asleep before the kitchen fire, when Beth quietly put on her +hood, filled her basket with odds and ends for the poor children, and +went out into the chilly air, with a heavy head, and a grieved look in +her patient eyes. It was late when she came back, and no one saw her +creep upstairs and shut herself into her mother's room. Half an hour +after Jo went to "mother's closet" for something, and there found Beth +sitting on the medicine chest, looking very grave, with red eyes, and a +camphor-bottle in her hand. + +"Christopher Columbus! What's the matter?" cried Jo, as Beth put out her +hand as if to warn her off, and asked quickly,-- + +"You've had the scarlet fever, haven't you?" + +"Years ago, when Meg did. Why?" + +"Then I'll tell you. Oh, Jo, the baby's dead!" + +"What baby?" + +"Mrs. Hummel's; it died in my lap before she got home," cried Beth, with +a sob. + +"My poor dear, how dreadful for you! I ought to have gone," said Jo, +taking her sister in her arms as she sat down in her mother's big chair, +with a remorseful face. + +"It wasn't dreadful, Jo, only so sad! I saw in a minute that it was +sicker, but Lottchen said her mother had gone for a doctor, so I took +baby and let Lotty rest. It seemed asleep, but all of a sudden it gave a +little cry, and trembled, and then lay very still. I tried to warm its +feet, and Lotty gave it some milk, but it didn't stir, and I knew it was +dead." + + [Illustration: It didn't stir, and I knew it was dead] + +"Don't cry, dear! What did you do?" + +"I just sat and held it softly till Mrs. Hummel came with the doctor. He +said it was dead, and looked at Heinrich and Minna, who have got sore +throats. 'Scarlet fever, ma'am. Ought to have called me before,' he said +crossly. Mrs. Hummel told him she was poor, and had tried to cure baby +herself, but now it was too late, and she could only ask him to help the +others, and trust to charity for his pay. He smiled then, and was +kinder; but it was very sad, and I cried with them till he turned round, +all of a sudden, and told me to go home and take belladonna right away, +or I'd have the fever." + +"No, you won't!" cried Jo, hugging her close, with a frightened look. "O +Beth, if you should be sick I never could forgive myself! What _shall_ +we do?" + +"Don't be frightened, I guess I shan't have it badly. I looked in +mother's book, and saw that it begins with headache, sore throat, and +queer feelings like mine, so I did take some belladonna, and I feel +better," said Beth, laying her cold hands on her hot forehead, and +trying to look well. + +"If mother was only at home!" exclaimed Jo, seizing the book, and +feeling that Washington was an immense way off. She read a page, looked +at Beth, felt her head, peeped into her throat, and then said gravely; +"You've been over the baby every day for more than a week, and among the +others who are going to have it; so I'm afraid _you_ are going to have +it, Beth. I'll call Hannah, she knows all about sickness." + +"Don't let Amy come; she never had it, and I should hate to give it to +her. Can't you and Meg have it over again?" asked Beth, anxiously. + +"I guess not; don't care if I do; serve me right, selfish pig, to let +you go, and stay writing rubbish myself!" muttered Jo, as she went to +consult Hannah. + +The good soul was wide awake in a minute, and took the lead at once, +assuring Jo that there was no need to worry; every one had scarlet +fever, and, if rightly treated, nobody died,--all of which Jo believed, +and felt much relieved as they went up to call Meg. + +"Now I'll tell you what we'll do," said Hannah, when she had examined +and questioned Beth; "we will have Dr. Bangs, just to take a look at +you, dear, and see that we start right; then we'll send Amy off to Aunt +March's, for a spell, to keep her out of harm's way, and one of you +girls can stay at home and amuse Beth for a day or two." + +"I shall stay, of course; I'm oldest," began Meg, looking anxious and +self-reproachful. + +"_I_ shall, because it's my fault she is sick; I told mother I'd do the +errands, and I haven't," said Jo decidedly. + +"Which will you have, Beth? there ain't no need of but one," said +Hannah. + +"Jo, please;" and Beth leaned her head against her sister, with a +contented look, which effectually settled that point. + +"I'll go and tell Amy," said Meg, feeling a little hurt, yet rather +relieved, on the whole, for she did not like nursing, and Jo did. + +Amy rebelled outright, and passionately declared that she had rather +have the fever than go to Aunt March. Meg reasoned, pleaded, and +commanded: all in vain. Amy protested that she would _not_ go; and Meg +left her in despair, to ask Hannah what should be done. Before she came +back, Laurie walked into the parlor to find Amy sobbing, with her head +in the sofa-cushions. She told her story, expecting to be consoled; but +Laurie only put his hands in his pockets and walked about the room, +whistling softly, as he knit his brows in deep thought. Presently he sat +down beside her, and said, in his most wheedlesome tone, "Now be a +sensible little woman, and do as they say. No, don't cry, but hear what +a jolly plan I've got. You go to Aunt March's, and I'll come and take +you out every day, driving or walking, and we'll have capital times. +Won't that be better than moping here?" + + [Illustration: He sat down beside her] + +"I don't wish to be sent off as if I was in the way," began Amy, in an +injured voice. + +"Bless your heart, child, it's to keep you well. You don't want to be +sick, do you?" + +"No, I'm sure I don't; but I dare say I shall be, for I've been with +Beth all the time." + +"That's the very reason you ought to go away at once, so that you may +escape it. Change of air and care will keep you well, I dare say; or, if +it does not entirely, you will have the fever more lightly. I advise you +to be off as soon as you can, for scarlet fever is no joke, miss." + +"But it's dull at Aunt March's, and she is so cross," said Amy, looking +rather frightened. + +"It won't be dull with me popping in every day to tell you how Beth is, +and take you out gallivanting. The old lady likes me, and I'll be as +sweet as possible to her, so she won't peck at us, whatever we do." + +"Will you take me out in the trotting wagon with Puck?" + +"On my honor as a gentleman." + +"And come every single day?" + +"See if I don't." + +"And bring me back the minute Beth is well?" + +"The identical minute." + +"And go to the theatre, truly?" + +"A dozen theatres, if we may." + +"Well--I guess--I will," said Amy slowly. + +"Good girl! Call Meg, and tell her you'll give in," said Laurie, with an +approving pat, which annoyed Amy more than the "giving in." + +Meg and Jo came running down to behold the miracle which had been +wrought; and Amy, feeling very precious and self-sacrificing, promised +to go, if the doctor said Beth was going to be ill. + +"How is the little dear?" asked Laurie; for Beth was his especial pet, +and he felt more anxious about her than he liked to show. + +"She is lying down on mother's bed, and feels better. The baby's death +troubled her, but I dare say she has only got cold. Hannah _says_ she +thinks so; but she _looks_ worried, and that makes me fidgety," answered +Meg. + +"What a trying world it is!" said Jo, rumpling up her hair in a fretful +sort of way. "No sooner do we get out of one trouble than down comes +another. There doesn't seem to be anything to hold on to when mother's +gone; so I'm all at sea." + +"Well, don't make a porcupine of yourself, it isn't becoming. Settle +your wig, Jo, and tell me if I shall telegraph to your mother, or do +anything?" asked Laurie, who never had been reconciled to the loss of +his friend's one beauty. + +"That is what troubles me," said Meg. "I think we ought to tell her if +Beth is really ill, but Hannah says we mustn't, for mother can't leave +father, and it will only make them anxious. Beth won't be sick long, and +Hannah knows just what to do, and mother said we were to mind her, so I +suppose we must, but it doesn't seem quite right to me." + +"Hum, well, I can't say; suppose you ask grandfather after the doctor +has been." + +"We will. Jo, go and get Dr. Bangs at once," commanded Meg; "we can't +decide anything till he has been." + +"Stay where you are, Jo; I'm errand-boy to this establishment," said +Laurie, taking up his cap. + +"I'm afraid you are busy," began Meg. + +"No, I've done my lessons for the day." + +"Do you study in vacation time?" asked Jo. + +"I follow the good example my neighbors set me," was Laurie's answer, as +he swung himself out of the room. + +"I have great hopes of my boy," observed Jo, watching him fly over the +fence with an approving smile. + +"He does very well--for a boy," was Meg's somewhat ungracious answer, +for the subject did not interest her. + +Dr. Bangs came, said Beth had symptoms of the fever, but thought she +would have it lightly, though he looked sober over the Hummel story. Amy +was ordered off at once, and provided with something to ward off danger, +she departed in great state, with Jo and Laurie as escort. + +Aunt March received them with her usual hospitality. + +"What do you want now?" she asked, looking sharply over her spectacles, +while the parrot, sitting on the back of her chair, called out,-- + + [Illustration: What do you want now?] + +"Go away. No boys allowed here." + +Laurie retired to the window, and Jo told her story. + +"No more than I expected, if you are allowed to go poking about among +poor folks. Amy can stay and make herself useful if she isn't sick, +which I've no doubt she will be,--looks like it now. Don't cry, child, +it worries me to hear people sniff." + +Amy _was_ on the point of crying, but Laurie slyly pulled the parrot's +tail, which caused Polly to utter an astonished croak, and call out,-- + +"Bless my boots!" in such a funny way, that she laughed instead. + +"What do you hear from your mother?" asked the old lady gruffly. + +"Father is much better," replied Jo, trying to keep sober. + +"Oh, is he? Well, that won't last long, I fancy; March never had any +stamina," was the cheerful reply. + +"Ha, ha! never say die, take a pinch of snuff, good by, good by!" +squalled Polly, dancing on her perch, and clawing at the old lady's cap +as Laurie tweaked him in the rear. + +"Hold your tongue, you disrespectful old bird! and, Jo, you'd better go +at once; it isn't proper to be gadding about so late with a rattle-pated +boy like--" + +"Hold your tongue, you disrespectful old bird!" cried Polly, tumbling +off the chair with a bounce, and running to peck the "rattle-pated" boy, +who was shaking with laughter at the last speech. + +"I don't think I _can_ bear it, but I'll try," thought Amy, as she was +left alone with Aunt March. + +"Get along, you fright!" screamed Polly; and at that rude speech Amy +could not restrain a sniff. + + + + + XVIII. + + DARK DAYS. + + + [Illustration: Beth did have the fever] + +Beth did have the fever, and was much sicker than any one but Hannah and +the doctor suspected. The girls knew nothing about illness, and Mr. +Laurence was not allowed to see her, so Hannah had everything all her +own way, and busy Dr. Bangs did his best, but left a good deal to the +excellent nurse. Meg stayed at home, lest she should infect the Kings, +and kept house, feeling very anxious and a little guilty when she wrote +letters in which no mention was made of Beth's illness. She could not +think it right to deceive her mother, but she had been bidden to mind +Hannah, and Hannah wouldn't hear of "Mrs. March bein' told, and worried +just for sech a trifle." Jo devoted herself to Beth day and night; not a +hard task, for Beth was very patient, and bore her pain uncomplainingly +as long as she could control herself. But there came a time when during +the fever fits she began to talk in a hoarse, broken voice, to play on +the coverlet, as if on her beloved little piano, and try to sing with a +throat so swollen that there was no music left; a time when she did not +know the familiar faces round her, but addressed them by wrong names, +and called imploringly for her mother. Then Jo grew frightened, Meg +begged to be allowed to write the truth, and even Hannah said she "would +think of it, though there was no danger _yet_." A letter from Washington +added to their trouble, for Mr. March had had a relapse, and could not +think of coming home for a long while. + +How dark the days seemed now, how sad and lonely the house, and how +heavy were the hearts of the sisters as they worked and waited, while +the shadow of death hovered over the once happy home! Then it was that +Margaret, sitting alone with tears dropping often on her work, felt how +rich she had been in things more precious than any luxuries money could +buy,--in love, protection, peace, and health, the real blessings of +life. Then it was that Jo, living in the darkened room, with that +suffering little sister always before her eyes, and that pathetic voice +sounding in her ears, learned to see the beauty and the sweetness of +Beth's nature, to feel how deep and tender a place she filled in all +hearts, and to acknowledge the worth of Beth's unselfish ambition, to +live for others, and make home happy by the exercise of those simple +virtues which all may possess, and which all should love and value more +than talent, wealth, or beauty. And Amy, in her exile, longed eagerly to +be at home, that she might work for Beth, feeling now that no service +would be hard or irksome, and remembering, with regretful grief, how +many neglected tasks those willing hands had done for her. Laurie +haunted the house like a restless ghost, and Mr. Laurence locked the +grand piano, because he could not bear to be reminded of the young +neighbor who used to make the twilight pleasant for him. Every one +missed Beth. The milkman, baker, grocer, and butcher inquired how she +did; poor Mrs. Hummel came to beg pardon for her thoughtlessness, and to +get a shroud for Minna; the neighbors sent all sorts of comforts and +good wishes, and even those who knew her best were surprised to find how +many friends shy little Beth had made. + +Meanwhile she lay on her bed with old Joanna at her side, for even in +her wanderings she did not forget her forlorn _protégé_. She longed for +her cats, but would not have them brought, lest they should get sick; +and, in her quiet hours, she was full of anxiety about Jo. She sent +loving messages to Amy, bade them tell her mother that she would write +soon; and often begged for pencil and paper to try to say a word, that +father might not think she had neglected him. But soon even these +intervals of consciousness ended, and she lay hour after hour, tossing +to and fro, with incoherent words on her lips, or sank into a heavy +sleep which brought her no refreshment. Dr. Bangs came twice a day, +Hannah sat up at night, Meg kept a telegram in her desk all ready to +send off at any minute, and Jo never stirred from Beth's side. + +The first of December was a wintry day indeed to them, for a bitter wind +blew, snow fell fast, and the year seemed getting ready for its death. +When Dr. Bangs came that morning, he looked long at Beth, held the hot +hand in both his own a minute, and laid it gently down, saying, in a low +tone, to Hannah,-- + +"If Mrs. March _can_ leave her husband, she'd better be sent for." + +Hannah nodded without speaking, for her lips twitched nervously; Meg +dropped down into a chair as the strength seemed to go out of her limbs +at the sound of those words; and Jo, after standing with a pale face for +a minute, ran to the parlor, snatched up the telegram, and, throwing on +her things, rushed out into the storm. She was soon back, and, while +noiselessly taking off her cloak, Laurie came in with a letter, saying +that Mr. March was mending again. Jo read it thankfully, but the heavy +weight did not seem lifted off her heart, and her face was so full of +misery that Laurie asked quickly,-- + +"What is it? is Beth worse?" + +"I've sent for mother," said Jo, tugging at her rubber boots with a +tragical expression. + +"Good for you, Jo! Did you do it on your own responsibility?" asked +Laurie, as he seated her in the hall chair, and took off the rebellious +boots, seeing how her hands shook. + +"No, the doctor told us to." + +"O Jo, it's not so bad as that?" cried Laurie, with a startled face. + +"Yes, it is; she doesn't know us, she doesn't even talk about the +flocks of green doves, as she calls the vine-leaves on the wall; she +doesn't look like my Beth, and there's nobody to help us bear it; mother +and father both gone, and God seems so far away I can't find Him." + +As the tears streamed fast down poor Jo's cheeks, she stretched out her +hand in a helpless sort of way, as if groping in the dark, and Laurie +took it in his, whispering, as well as he could, with a lump in his +throat,-- + +"I'm here. Hold on to me, Jo, dear!" + +She could not speak, but she did "hold on," and the warm grasp of the +friendly human hand comforted her sore heart, and seemed to lead her +nearer to the Divine arm which alone could uphold her in her trouble. +Laurie longed to say something tender and comfortable, but no fitting +words came to him, so he stood silent, gently stroking her bent head as +her mother used to do. It was the best thing he could have done; far +more soothing than the most eloquent words, for Jo felt the unspoken +sympathy, and, in the silence, learned the sweet solace which affection +administers to sorrow. Soon she dried the tears which had relieved her, +and looked up with a grateful face. + + [Illustration: Gently stroking her head as her mother used to do] + +"Thank you, Teddy, I'm better now; I don't feel so forlorn, and will try +to bear it if it comes." + +"Keep hoping for the best; that will help you, Jo. Soon your mother will +be here, and then everything will be right." + +"I'm so glad father is better; now she won't feel so bad about leaving +him. Oh, me! it does seem as if all the troubles came in a heap, and I +got the heaviest part on my shoulders," sighed Jo, spreading her wet +handkerchief over her knees to dry. + +"Doesn't Meg pull fair?" asked Laurie, looking indignant. + +"Oh, yes; she tries to, but she can't love Bethy as I do; and she won't +miss her as I shall. Beth is my conscience, and I _can't_ give her up. I +can't! I can't!" + +Down went Jo's face into the wet handkerchief, and she cried +despairingly; for she had kept up bravely till now, and never shed a +tear. Laurie drew his hand across his eyes, but could not speak till he +had subdued the choky feeling in his throat and steadied his lips. It +might be unmanly, but he couldn't help it, and I am glad of it. +Presently, as Jo's sobs quieted, he said hopefully, "I don't think she +will die; she's so good, and we all love her so much, I don't believe +God will take her away yet." + +"The good and dear people always do die," groaned Jo, but she stopped +crying, for her friend's words cheered her up, in spite of her own +doubts and fears. + +"Poor girl, you're worn out. It isn't like you to be forlorn. Stop a +bit; I'll hearten you up in a jiffy." + +Laurie went off two stairs at a time, and Jo laid her wearied head down +on Beth's little brown hood, which no one had thought of moving from the +table where she left it. It must have possessed some magic, for the +submissive spirit of its gentle owner seemed to enter into Jo; and, when +Laurie came running down with a glass of wine, she took it with a smile, +and said bravely, "I drink--Health to my Beth! You are a good doctor, +Teddy, and _such_ a comfortable friend; how can I ever pay you?" she +added, as the wine refreshed her body, as the kind words had done her +troubled mind. + +"I'll send in my bill, by and by; and to-night I'll give you something +that will warm the cockles of your heart better than quarts of wine," +said Laurie, beaming at her with a face of suppressed satisfaction at +something. + +"What is it?" cried Jo, forgetting her woes for a minute, in her wonder. + +"I telegraphed to your mother yesterday, and Brooke answered she'd come +at once, and she'll be here to-night, and everything will be all right. +Aren't you glad I did it?" + +Laurie spoke very fast, and turned red and excited all in a minute, for +he had kept his plot a secret, for fear of disappointing the girls or +harming Beth. Jo grew quite white, flew out of her chair, and the moment +he stopped speaking she electrified him by throwing her arms round his +neck, and crying out, with a joyful cry, "O Laurie! O mother! I _am_ so +glad!" She did not weep again, but laughed hysterically, and trembled +and clung to her friend as if she was a little bewildered by the sudden +news. Laurie, though decidedly amazed, behaved with great presence of +mind; he patted her back soothingly, and, finding that she was +recovering, followed it up by a bashful kiss or two, which brought Jo +round at once. Holding on to the banisters, she put him gently away, +saying breathlessly, "Oh, don't! I didn't mean to; it was dreadful of +me; but you were such a dear to go and do it in spite of Hannah that I +couldn't help flying at you. Tell me all about it, and don't give me +wine again; it makes me act so." + +"I don't mind," laughed Laurie, as he settled his tie. "Why, you see I +got fidgety, and so did grandpa. We thought Hannah was overdoing the +authority business, and your mother ought to know. She'd never forgive +us if Beth--well, if anything happened, you know. So I got grandpa to +say it was high time we did something, and off I pelted to the office +yesterday, for the doctor looked sober, and Hannah most took my head off +when I proposed a telegram. I never _can_ bear to be 'lorded over;' so +that settled my mind, and I did it. Your mother will come, I know, and +the late train is in at two, A.M. I shall go for her; and you've only +got to bottle up your rapture, and keep Beth quiet, till that blessed +lady gets here." + +"Laurie, you're an angel! How shall I ever thank you?" + +"Fly at me again; I rather like it," said Laurie, looking +mischievous,--a thing he had not done for a fortnight. + +"No, thank you. I'll do it by proxy, when your grandpa comes. Don't +tease, but go home and rest, for you'll be up half the night. Bless you, +Teddy, bless you!" + +Jo had backed into a corner; and, as she finished her speech, she +vanished precipitately into the kitchen, where she sat down upon a +dresser, and told the assembled cats that she was "happy, oh, _so_ +happy!" while Laurie departed, feeling that he had made rather a neat +thing of it. + +"That's the interferingest chap I ever see; but I forgive him, and do +hope Mrs. March is coming on right away," said Hannah, with an air of +relief, when Jo told the good news. + +Meg had a quiet rapture, and then brooded over the letter, while Jo set +the sick-room in order, and Hannah "knocked up a couple of pies in case +of company unexpected." A breath of fresh air seemed to blow through the +house, and something better than sunshine brightened the quiet rooms. +Everything appeared to feel the hopeful change; Beth's bird began to +chirp again, and a half-blown rose was discovered on Amy's bush in the +window; the fires seemed to burn with unusual cheeriness; and every time +the girls met, their pale faces broke into smiles as they hugged one +another, whispering encouragingly, "Mother's coming, dear! mother's +coming!" Every one rejoiced but Beth; she lay in that heavy stupor, +alike unconscious of hope and joy, doubt and danger. It was a piteous +sight,--the once rosy face so changed and vacant, the once busy hands so +weak and wasted, the once smiling lips quite dumb, and the once pretty, +well-kept hair scattered rough and tangled on the pillow. All day she +lay so, only rousing now and then to mutter, "Water!" with lips so +parched they could hardly shape the word; all day Jo and Meg hovered +over her, watching, waiting, hoping, and trusting in God and mother; and +all day the snow fell, the bitter wind raged, and the hours dragged +slowly by. But night came at last; and every time the clock struck, the +sisters, still sitting on either side the bed, looked at each other with +brightening eyes, for each hour brought help nearer. The doctor had been +in to say that some change, for better or worse, would probably take +place about midnight, at which time he would return. + +Hannah, quite worn out, lay down on the sofa at the bed's foot, and fell +fast asleep; Mr. Laurence marched to and fro in the parlor, feeling that +he would rather face a rebel battery than Mrs. March's anxious +countenance as she entered; Laurie lay on the rug, pretending to rest, +but staring into the fire with the thoughtful look which made his black +eyes beautifully soft and clear. + +The girls never forgot that night, for no sleep came to them as they +kept their watch, with that dreadful sense of powerlessness which comes +to us in hours like those. + +"If God spares Beth I never will complain again," whispered Meg +earnestly. + +"If God spares Beth I'll try to love and serve Him all my life," +answered Jo, with equal fervor. + +"I wish I had no heart, it aches so," sighed Meg, after a pause. + +"If life is often as hard as this, I don't see how we ever shall get +through it," added her sister despondently. + +Here the clock struck twelve, and both forgot themselves in watching +Beth, for they fancied a change passed over her wan face. The house was +still as death, and nothing but the wailing of the wind broke the deep +hush. Weary Hannah slept on, and no one but the sisters saw the pale +shadow which seemed to fall upon the little bed. An hour went by, and +nothing happened except Laurie's quiet departure for the station. +Another hour,--still no one came; and anxious fears of delay in the +storm, or accidents by the way, or, worst of all, a great grief at +Washington, haunted the poor girls. + +It was past two, when Jo, who stood at the window thinking how dreary +the world looked in its winding-sheet of snow, heard a movement by the +bed, and, turning quickly, saw Meg kneeling before their mother's +easy-chair, with her face hidden. A dreadful fear passed coldly over Jo, +as she thought, "Beth is dead, and Meg is afraid to tell me." + +She was back at her post in an instant, and to her excited eyes a great +change seemed to have taken place. The fever flush and the look of pain +were gone, and the beloved little face looked so pale and peaceful in +its utter repose, that Jo felt no desire to weep or to lament. Leaning +low over this dearest of her sisters, she kissed the damp forehead with +her heart on her lips, and softly whispered, "Good-by, my Beth; +good-by!" + +As if waked by the stir, Hannah started out of her sleep, hurried to the +bed, looked at Beth, felt her hands, listened at her lips, and then, +throwing her apron over her head, sat down to rock to and fro, +exclaiming, under her breath, "The fever's turned; she's sleepin' +nat'ral; her skin's damp, and she breathes easy. Praise be given! Oh, my +goodness me!" + +Before the girls could believe the happy truth, the doctor came to +confirm it. He was a homely man, but they thought his face quite +heavenly when he smiled, and said, with a fatherly look at them, "Yes, +my dears, I think the little girl will pull through this time. Keep the +house quiet; let her sleep, and when she wakes, give her--" + +What they were to give, neither heard; for both crept into the dark +hall, and, sitting on the stairs, held each other close, rejoicing with +hearts too full for words. When they went back to be kissed and cuddled +by faithful Hannah, they found Beth lying, as she used to do, with her +cheek pillowed on her hand, the dreadful pallor gone, and breathing +quietly, as if just fallen asleep. + +"If mother would only come now!" said Jo, as the winter night began to +wane. + +"See," said Meg, coming up with a white, half-opened rose, "I thought +this would hardly be ready to lay in Beth's hand to-morrow if she--went +away from us. But it has blossomed in the night, and now I mean to put +it in my vase here, so that when the darling wakes, the first thing she +sees will be the little rose, and mother's face." + +Never had the sun risen so beautifully, and never had the world seemed +so lovely, as it did to the heavy eyes of Meg and Jo, as they looked out +in the early morning, when their long, sad vigil was done. + +"It looks like a fairy world," said Meg, smiling to herself, as she +stood behind the curtain, watching the dazzling sight. + +"Hark!" cried Jo, starting to her feet. + +Yes, there was a sound of bells at the door below, a cry from Hannah, +and then Laurie's voice saying, in a joyful whisper, "Girls, she's come! +she's come!" + + + + + [Illustration: Amy's Will] + + XIX. + + AMY'S WILL. + + +While these things were happening at home, Amy was having hard times at +Aunt March's. She felt her exile deeply, and, for the first time in her +life, realized how much she was beloved and petted at home. Aunt March +never petted any one; she did not approve of it; but she meant to be +kind, for the well-behaved little girl pleased her very much, and Aunt +March had a soft place in her old heart for her nephew's children, +though she didn't think proper to confess it. She really did her best to +make Amy happy, but, dear me, what mistakes she made! Some old people +keep young at heart in spite of wrinkles and gray hairs, can sympathize +with children's little cares and joys, make them feel at home, and can +hide wise lessons under pleasant plays, giving and receiving friendship +in the sweetest way. But Aunt March had not this gift, and she worried +Amy very much with her rules and orders, her prim ways, and long, prosy +talks. Finding the child more docile and amiable than her sister, the +old lady felt it her duty to try and counteract, as far as possible, the +bad effects of home freedom and indulgence. So she took Amy in hand, and +taught her as she herself had been taught sixty years ago,--a process +which carried dismay to Amy's soul, and made her feel like a fly in the +web of a very strict spider. + + [Illustration: Polish up the spoons and the fat silver teapot] + +She had to wash the cups every morning, and polish up the old-fashioned +spoons, the fat silver teapot, and the glasses, till they shone. Then +she must dust the room, and what a trying job that was! Not a speck +escaped Aunt March's eye, and all the furniture had claw legs, and much +carving, which was never dusted to suit. Then Polly must be fed, the +lap-dog combed, and a dozen trips upstairs and down, to get things, or +deliver orders, for the old lady was very lame, and seldom left her big +chair. After these tiresome labors, she must do her lessons, which was a +daily trial of every virtue she possessed. Then she was allowed one hour +for exercise or play, and didn't she enjoy it? Laurie came every day, +and wheedled Aunt March, till Amy was allowed to go out with him, when +they walked and rode, and had capital times. After dinner, she had to +read aloud, and sit still while the old lady slept, which she usually +did for an hour, as she dropped off over the first page. Then patchwork +or towels appeared, and Amy sewed with outward meekness and inward +rebellion till dusk, when she was allowed to amuse herself as she liked +till tea-time. The evenings were the worst of all, for Aunt March fell +to telling long stories about her youth, which were so unutterably dull +that Amy was always ready to go to bed, intending to cry over her hard +fate, but usually going to sleep before she had squeezed out more than a +tear or two. + +If it had not been for Laurie, and old Esther, the maid, she felt that +she never could have got through that dreadful time. The parrot alone +was enough to drive her distracted, for he soon felt that she did not +admire him, and revenged himself by being as mischievous as possible. He +pulled her hair whenever she came near him, upset his bread and milk to +plague her when she had newly cleaned his cage, made Mop bark by pecking +at him while Madam dozed; called her names before company, and behaved +in all respects like a reprehensible old bird. Then she could not endure +the dog,--a fat, cross beast, who snarled and yelped at her when she +made his toilet, and who lay on his back, with all his legs in the air +and a most idiotic expression of countenance when he wanted something to +eat, which was about a dozen times a day. The cook was bad-tempered, the +old coachman deaf, and Esther the only one who ever took any notice of +the young lady. + + [Illustration: On his back, with all his legs in the air] + +Esther was a Frenchwoman, who had lived with "Madame," as she called her +mistress, for many years, and who rather tyrannized over the old lady, +who could not get along without her. Her real name was Estelle, but +Aunt March ordered her to change it, and she obeyed, on condition that +she was never asked to change her religion. She took a fancy to +Mademoiselle, and amused her very much, with odd stories of her life in +France, when Amy sat with her while she got up Madame's laces. She also +allowed her to roam about the great house, and examine the curious and +pretty things stored away in the big wardrobes and the ancient chests; +for Aunt March hoarded like a magpie. Amy's chief delight was an Indian +cabinet, full of queer drawers, little pigeon-holes, and secret places, +in which were kept all sorts of ornaments, some precious, some merely +curious, all more or less antique. To examine and arrange these things +gave Amy great satisfaction, especially the jewel-cases, in which, on +velvet cushions, reposed the ornaments which had adorned a belle forty +years ago. There was the garnet set which Aunt March wore when she came +out, the pearls her father gave her on her wedding-day, her lover's +diamonds, the jet mourning rings and pins, the queer lockets, with +portraits of dead friends, and weeping willows made of hair inside; the +baby bracelets her one little daughter had worn; Uncle March's big +watch, with the red seal so many childish hands had played with, and in +a box, all by itself, lay Aunt March's wedding-ring, too small now for +her fat finger, but put carefully away, like the most precious jewel of +them all. + + [Illustration: I should choose this] + +"Which would Mademoiselle choose if she had her will?" asked Esther, who +always sat near to watch over and lock up the valuables. + +"I like the diamonds best, but there is no necklace among them, and I'm +fond of necklaces, they are so becoming. I should choose this if I +might," replied Amy, looking with great admiration at a string of gold +and ebony beads, from which hung a heavy cross of the same. + +"I, too, covet that, but not as a necklace; ah, no! to me it is a +rosary, and as such I should use it like a good Catholic," said Esther, +eying the handsome thing wistfully. + +"Is it meant to use as you use the string of good-smelling wooden beads +hanging over your glass?" asked Amy. + +"Truly, yes, to pray with. It would be pleasing to the saints if one +used so fine a rosary as this, instead of wearing it as a vain bijou." + +"You seem to take a great deal of comfort in your prayers, Esther, and +always come down looking quiet and satisfied. I wish I could." + +"If Mademoiselle was a Catholic, she would find true comfort; but, as +that is not to be, it would be well if you went apart each day, to +meditate and pray, as did the good mistress whom I served before Madame. +She had a little chapel, and in it found solacement for much trouble." + +"Would it be right for me to do so too?" asked Amy, who, in her +loneliness, felt the need of help of some sort, and found that she was +apt to forget her little book, now that Beth was not there to remind her +of it. + +"It would be excellent and charming; and I shall gladly arrange the +little dressing-room for you if you like it. Say nothing to Madame, but +when she sleeps go you and sit alone a while to think good thoughts, and +pray the dear God to preserve your sister." + +Esther was truly pious, and quite sincere in her advice; for she had an +affectionate heart, and felt much for the sisters in their anxiety. Amy +liked the idea, and gave her leave to arrange the light closet next her +room, hoping it would do her good. + +"I wish I knew where all these pretty things would go when Aunt March +dies," she said, as she slowly replaced the shining rosary, and shut the +jewel-cases one by one. + +"To you and your sisters. I know it; Madame confides in me; I witnessed +her will, and it is to be so," whispered Esther, smiling. + +"How nice! but I wish she'd let us have them now. Pro-cras-ti-nation is +not agreeable," observed Amy, taking a last look at the diamonds. + +"It is too soon yet for the young ladies to wear these things. The first +one who is affianced will have the pearls--Madame has said it; and I +have a fancy that the little turquoise ring will be given to you when +you go, for Madame approves your good behavior and charming manners." + +"Do you think so? Oh, I'll be a lamb, if I can only have that lovely +ring! It's ever so much prettier than Kitty Bryant's. I do like Aunt +March, after all;" and Amy tried on the blue ring with a delighted face, +and a firm resolve to earn it. + +From that day she was a model of obedience, and the old lady +complacently admired the success of her training. Esther fitted up the +closet with a little table, placed a footstool before it, and over it a +picture taken from one of the shut-up rooms. She thought it was of no +great value, but, being appropriate, she borrowed it, well knowing that +Madame would never know it, nor care if she did. It was, however, a very +valuable copy of one of the famous pictures of the world, and Amy's +beauty-loving eyes were never tired of looking up at the sweet face of +the divine mother, while tender thoughts of her own were busy at her +heart. On the table she laid her little Testament and hymn-book, kept a +vase always full of the best flowers Laurie brought her, and came every +day to "sit alone, thinking good thoughts, and praying the dear God to +preserve her sister." Esther had given her a rosary of black beads, with +a silver cross, but Amy hung it up and did not use it, feeling doubtful +as to its fitness for Protestant prayers. + +The little girl was very sincere in all this, for, being left alone +outside the safe home-nest, she felt the need of some kind hand to hold +by so sorely, that she instinctively turned to the strong and tender +Friend, whose fatherly love most closely surrounds his little children. +She missed her mother's help to understand and rule herself, but having +been taught where to look, she did her best to find the way, and walk in +it confidingly. But Amy was a young pilgrim, and just now her burden +seemed very heavy. She tried to forget herself, to keep cheerful, and be +satisfied with doing right, though no one saw or praised her for it. In +her first effort at being very, very good, she decided to make her will, +as Aunt March had done; so that if she _did_ fall ill and die, her +possessions might be justly and generously divided. It cost her a pang +even to think of giving up the little treasures which in her eyes were +as precious as the old lady's jewels. + +During one of her play-hours she wrote out the important document as +well as she could, with some help from Esther as to certain legal terms, +and, when the good-natured Frenchwoman had signed her name, Amy felt +relieved, and laid it by to show Laurie, whom she wanted as a second +witness. As it was a rainy day, she went upstairs to amuse herself in +one of the large chambers, and took Polly with her for company. In this +room there was a wardrobe full of old-fashioned costumes, with which +Esther allowed her to play, and it was her favorite amusement to array +herself in the faded brocades, and parade up and down before the long +mirror, making stately courtesies, and sweeping her train about, with a +rustle which delighted her ears. So busy was she on this day that she +did not hear Laurie's ring, nor see his face peeping in at her, as she +gravely promenaded to and fro, flirting her fan and tossing her head, on +which she wore a great pink turban, contrasting oddly with her blue +brocade dress and yellow quilted petticoat. She was obliged to walk +carefully, for she had on high-heeled shoes, and, as Laurie told Jo +afterward, it was a comical sight to see her mince along in her gay +suit, with Polly sidling and bridling just behind her, imitating her as +well as he could, and occasionally stopping to laugh or exclaim, "Ain't +we fine? Get along, you fright! Hold your tongue! Kiss me, dear! Ha! +ha!" + + [Illustration: Gravely promenaded to and fro] + +Having with difficulty restrained an explosion of merriment, lest it +should offend her majesty, Laurie tapped, and was graciously received. + +"Sit down and rest while I put these things away; then I want to consult +you about a very serious matter," said Amy, when she had shown her +splendor, and driven Polly into a corner. "That bird is the trial of my +life," she continued, removing the pink mountain from her head, while +Laurie seated himself astride of a chair. "Yesterday, when aunt was +asleep, and I was trying to be as still as a mouse, Polly began to +squall and flap about in his cage; so I went to let him out, and found a +big spider there. I poked it out, and it ran under the bookcase; Polly +marched straight after it, stooped down and peeped under the bookcase, +saying, in his funny way, with a cock of his eye, 'Come out and take a +walk, my dear.' I _couldn't_ help laughing, which made Poll swear, and +aunt woke up and scolded us both." + +"Did the spider accept the old fellow's invitation?" asked Laurie, +yawning. + +"Yes; out it came, and away ran Polly, frightened to death, and +scrambled up on aunt's chair, calling out, 'Catch her! catch her! catch +her!' as I chased the spider. + +"That's a lie! Oh lor!" cried the parrot, pecking at Laurie's toes. + +"I'd wring your neck if you were mine, you old torment," cried Laurie, +shaking his fist at the bird, who put his head on one side, and gravely +croaked, "Allyluyer! bless your buttons, dear!" + +"Now I'm ready," said Amy, shutting the wardrobe, and taking a paper out +of her pocket. "I want you to read that, please, and tell me if it is +legal and right. I felt that I ought to do it, for life is uncertain and +I don't want any ill-feeling over my tomb." + + [Illustration: Amy's Will] + +Laurie bit his lips, and turning a little from the pensive speaker, read +the following document, with praiseworthy gravity, considering the +spelling:-- + + "MY LAST WILL AND TESTIMENT. + + "I, Amy Curtis March, being in my sane mind, do give and + bequeethe all my earthly property--viz. to wit:--namely + + "To my father, my best pictures, sketches, maps, and works of + art, including frames. Also my $100, to do what he likes with. + + "To my mother, all my clothes, except the blue apron with + pockets,--also my likeness, and my medal, with much love. + + "To my dear sister Margaret, I give my turkquoise ring (if I get + it), also my green box with the doves on it, also my piece of + real lace for her neck, and my sketch of her as a memorial of + her 'little girl.' + + "To Jo I leave my breast-pin, the one mended with sealing wax, + also my bronze inkstand--she lost the cover--and my most + precious plaster rabbit, because I am sorry I burnt up her + story. + + "To Beth (if she lives after me) I give my dolls and the little + bureau, my fan, my linen collars and my new slippers if she can + wear them being thin when she gets well. And I herewith also + leave her my regret that I ever made fun of old Joanna. + + "To my friend and neighbor Theodore Laurence I bequeethe my + paper marshay portfolio, my clay model of a horse though he did + say it hadn't any neck. Also in return for his great kindness in + the hour of affliction any one of my artistic works he likes, + Noter Dame is the best. + + "To our venerable benefactor Mr. Laurence I leave my purple box + with a looking glass in the cover which will be nice for his + pens and remind him of the departed girl who thanks him for his + favors to her family, specially Beth. + + "I wish my favorite playmate Kitty Bryant to have the blue silk + apron and my gold-bead ring with a kiss. + + "To Hannah I give the bandbox she wanted and all the patch work + I leave hoping she 'will remember me, when it you see.' + + "And now having disposed of my most valuable property I hope all + will be satisfied and not blame the dead. I forgive every one, + and trust we may all meet when the trump shall sound. Amen. + + "To this will and testiment I set my hand and seal on this 20th + day of Nov. Anni Domino 1861. + "AMY CURTIS MARCH. + + {ESTELLE VALNOR, + "_Witnesses_: { + {THEODORE LAURENCE." + +The last name was written in pencil, and Amy explained that he was to +rewrite it in ink, and seal it up for her properly. + +"What put it into your head? Did any one tell you about Beth's giving +away her things?" asked Laurie soberly, as Amy laid a bit of red tape, +with sealing-wax, a taper, and a standish before him. + +She explained; and then asked anxiously, "What about Beth?" + +"I'm sorry I spoke; but as I did, I'll tell you. She felt so ill one day +that she told Jo she wanted to give her piano to Meg, her cats to you, +and the poor old doll to Jo, who would love it for her sake. She was +sorry she had so little to give, and left locks of hair to the rest of +us, and her best love to grandpa. _She_ never thought of a will." + +Laurie was signing and sealing as he spoke, and did not look up till a +great tear dropped on the paper. Amy's face was full of trouble; but she +only said, "Don't people put sort of postscripts to their wills, +sometimes?" + +"Yes; 'codicils,' they call them." + +"Put one in mine then--that I wish _all_ my curls cut off, and given +round to my friends. I forgot it; but I want it done, though it will +spoil my looks." + +Laurie added it, smiling at Amy's last and greatest sacrifice. Then he +amused her for an hour, and was much interested in all her trials. But +when he came to go, Amy held him back to whisper, with trembling lips, +"Is there really any danger about Beth?" + +"I'm afraid there is; but we must hope for the best, so don't cry, +dear;" and Laurie put his arm about her with a brotherly gesture which +was very comforting. + +When he had gone, she went to her little chapel, and, sitting in the +twilight, prayed for Beth, with streaming tears and an aching heart, +feeling that a million turquoise rings would not console her for the +loss of her gentle little sister. + + [Illustration: Tail-piece] + + + + + [Illustration: Mrs. March would not leave Beth's side] + + XX. + + CONFIDENTIAL. + + +I don't think I have any words in which to tell the meeting of the +mother and daughters; such hours are beautiful to live, but very hard to +describe, so I will leave it to the imagination of my readers, merely +saying that the house was full of genuine happiness, and that Meg's +tender hope was realized; for when Beth woke from that long, healing +sleep, the first objects on which her eyes fell _were_ the little rose +and mother's face. Too weak to wonder at anything, she only smiled, and +nestled close into the loving arms about her, feeling that the hungry +longing was satisfied at last. Then she slept again, and the girls +waited upon their mother, for she would not unclasp the thin hand which +clung to hers even in sleep. Hannah had "dished up" an astonishing +breakfast for the traveller, finding it impossible to vent her +excitement in any other way; and Meg and Jo fed their mother like +dutiful young storks, while they listened to her whispered account of +father's state, Mr. Brooke's promise to stay and nurse him, the delays +which the storm occasioned on the homeward journey, and the unspeakable +comfort Laurie's hopeful face had given her when she arrived, worn out +with fatigue, anxiety, and cold. + +What a strange, yet pleasant day that was! so brilliant and gay without, +for all the world seemed abroad to welcome the first snow; so quiet and +reposeful within, for every one slept, spent with watching, and a +Sabbath stillness reigned through the house, while nodding Hannah +mounted guard at the door. With a blissful sense of burdens lifted off, +Meg and Jo closed their weary eyes, and lay at rest, like storm-beaten +boats, safe at anchor in a quiet harbor. Mrs. March would not leave +Beth's side, but rested in the big chair, waking often to look at, +touch, and brood over her child, like a miser over some recovered +treasure. + +Laurie, meanwhile, posted off to comfort Amy, and told his story so well +that Aunt March actually "sniffed" herself, and never once said, "I told +you so." Amy came out so strong on this occasion that I think the good +thoughts in the little chapel really began to bear fruit. She dried her +tears quickly, restrained her impatience to see her mother, and never +even thought of the turquoise ring, when the old lady heartily agreed in +Laurie's opinion, that she behaved "like a capital little woman." Even +Polly seemed impressed, for he called her "good girl," blessed her +buttons, and begged her to "come and take a walk, dear," in his most +affable tone. She would very gladly have gone out to enjoy the bright +wintry weather; but, discovering that Laurie was dropping with sleep in +spite of manful efforts to conceal the fact, she persuaded him to rest +on the sofa, while she wrote a note to her mother. She was a long time +about it; and, when she returned, he was stretched out, with both arms +under his head, sound asleep, while Aunt March had pulled down the +curtains, and sat doing nothing in an unusual fit of benignity. + +After a while, they began to think he was not going to wake till night, +and I'm not sure that he would, had he not been effectually roused by +Amy's cry of joy at sight of her mother. There probably were a good +many happy little girls in and about the city that day, but it is my +private opinion that Amy was the happiest of all, when she sat in her +mother's lap and told her trials, receiving consolation and compensation +in the shape of approving smiles and fond caresses. They were alone +together in the chapel, to which her mother did not object when its +purpose was explained to her. + +"On the contrary, I like it very much, dear," looking from the dusty +rosary to the well-worn little book, and the lovely picture with its +garland of evergreen. "It is an excellent plan to have some place where +we can go to be quiet, when things vex or grieve us. There are a good +many hard times in this life of ours, but we can always bear them if we +ask help in the right way. I think my little girl is learning this?" + +"Yes, mother; and when I go home I mean to have a corner in the big +closet to put my books, and the copy of that picture which I've tried to +make. The woman's face is not good,--it's too beautiful for me to +draw,--but the baby is done better, and I love it very much. I like to +think He was a little child once, for then I don't seem so far away, and +that helps me." + +As Amy pointed to the smiling Christ-child on his mother's knee, Mrs. +March saw something on the lifted hand that made her smile. She said +nothing, but Amy understood the look, and, after a minute's pause, she +added gravely,-- + +"I wanted to speak to you about this, but I forgot it. Aunt gave me the +ring to-day; she called me to her and kissed me, and put it on my +finger, and said I was a credit to her, and she'd like to keep me +always. She gave that funny guard to keep the turquoise on, as it's too +big. I'd like to wear them, mother; can I?" + +"They are very pretty, but I think you're rather too young for such +ornaments, Amy," said Mrs. March, looking at the plump little hand, with +the band of sky-blue stones on the forefinger, and the quaint guard, +formed of two tiny, golden hands clasped together. + +"I'll try not to be vain," said Amy. "I don't think I like it only +because it's so pretty; but I want to wear it as the girl in the story +wore her bracelet, to remind me of something." + +"Do you mean Aunt March?" asked her mother, laughing. + +"No, to remind me not to be selfish." Amy looked so earnest and sincere +about it, that her mother stopped laughing, and listened respectfully to +the little plan. + +"I've thought a great deal lately about my 'bundle of naughties,' and +being selfish is the largest one in it; so I'm going to try hard to cure +it, if I can. Beth isn't selfish, and that's the reason every one loves +her and feels so bad at the thoughts of losing her. People wouldn't feel +half so bad about me if I was sick, and I don't deserve to have them; +but I'd like to be loved and missed by a great many friends, so I'm +going to try and be like Beth all I can. I'm apt to forget my +resolutions; but if I had something always about me to remind me, I +guess I should do better. May I try this way?" + +"Yes; but I have more faith in the corner of the big closet. Wear your +ring, dear, and do your best; I think you will prosper, for the sincere +wish to be good is half the battle. Now I must go back to Beth. Keep up +your heart, little daughter, and we will soon have you home again." + +That evening, while Meg was writing to her father, to report the +traveller's safe arrival, Jo slipped up stairs into Beth's room, and, +finding her mother in her usual place, stood a minute twisting her +fingers in her hair, with a worried gesture and an undecided look. + +"What is it, deary?" asked Mrs. March, holding out her hand, with a face +which invited confidence. + +"I want to tell you something, mother." + +"About Meg?" + +"How quickly you guessed! Yes, it's about her, and though it's a little +thing, it fidgets me." + +"Beth is asleep; speak low, and tell me all about it. That Moffat hasn't +been here, I hope?" asked Mrs. March rather sharply. + +"No, I should have shut the door in his face if he had," said Jo, +settling herself on the floor at her mother's feet. "Last summer Meg +left a pair of gloves over at the Laurences', and only one was returned. +We forgot all about it, till Teddy told me that Mr. Brooke had it. He +kept it in his waistcoat pocket, and once it fell out, and Teddy joked +him about it, and Mr. Brooke owned that he liked Meg, but didn't dare +say so, she was so young and he so poor. Now, isn't it a _dread_ful +state of things?" + +"Do you think Meg cares for him?" asked Mrs. March, with an anxious +look. + +"Mercy me! I don't know anything about love and such nonsense!" cried +Jo, with a funny mixture of interest and contempt. "In novels, the girls +show it by starting and blushing, fainting away, growing thin, and +acting like fools. Now Meg does not do anything of the sort: she eats +and drinks and sleeps, like a sensible creature: she looks straight in +my face when I talk about that man, and only blushes a little bit when +Teddy jokes about lovers. I forbid him to do it, but he doesn't mind me +as he ought." + +"Then you fancy that Meg is _not_ interested in John?" + +"Who?" cried Jo, staring. + +"Mr. Brooke. I call him 'John' now; we fell into the way of doing so at +the hospital, and he likes it." + +"Oh, dear! I know you'll take his part: he's been good to father, and +you won't send him away, but let Meg marry him, if she wants to. Mean +thing! to go petting papa and helping you, just to wheedle you into +liking him;" and Jo pulled her hair again with a wrathful tweak. + +"My dear, don't get angry about it, and I will tell you how it happened. +John went with me at Mr. Laurence's request, and was so devoted to poor +father that we couldn't help getting fond of him. He was perfectly open +and honorable about Meg, for he told us he loved her, but would earn a +comfortable home before he asked her to marry him. He only wanted our +leave to love her and work for her, and the right to make her love him +if he could. He is a truly excellent young man, and we could not refuse +to listen to him; but I will not consent to Meg's engaging herself so +young." + +"Of course not; it would be idiotic! I knew there was mischief brewing; +I felt it; and now it's worse than I imagined. I just wish I could marry +Meg myself, and keep her safe in the family." + +This odd arrangement made Mrs. March smile; but she said gravely, "Jo, I +confide in you, and don't wish you to say anything to Meg yet. When John +comes back, and I see them together, I can judge better of her feelings +toward him." + +"She'll see his in those handsome eyes that she talks about, and then +it will be all up with her. She's got such a soft heart, it will melt +like butter in the sun if any one looks sentimentally at her. She read +the short reports he sent more than she did your letters, and pinched me +when I spoke of it, and likes brown eyes, and doesn't think John an ugly +name, and she'll go and fall in love, and there's an end of peace and +fun, and cosy times together. I see it all! they'll go lovering around +the house, and we shall have to dodge; Meg will be absorbed, and no good +to me any more; Brooke will scratch up a fortune somehow, carry her off, +and make a hole in the family; and I shall break my heart, and +everything will be abominably uncomfortable. Oh, dear me! why weren't we +all boys, then there wouldn't be any bother." + +Jo leaned her chin on her knees, in a disconsolate attitude, and shook +her fist at the reprehensible John. Mrs. March sighed, and Jo looked up +with an air of relief. + +"You don't like it, mother? I'm glad of it. Let's send him about his +business, and not tell Meg a word of it, but all be happy together as we +always have been." + +"I did wrong to sigh, Jo. It is natural and right you should all go to +homes of your own, in time; but I do want to keep my girls as long as I +can; and I am sorry that this happened so soon, for Meg is only +seventeen, and it will be some years before John can make a home for +her. Your father and I have agreed that she shall not bind herself in +any way, nor be married, before twenty. If she and John love one +another, they can wait, and test the love by doing so. She is +conscientious, and I have no fear of her treating him unkindly. My +pretty, tender-hearted girl! I hope things will go happily with her." + +"Hadn't you rather have her marry a rich man?" asked Jo, as her mother's +voice faltered a little over the last words. + +"Money is a good and useful thing, Jo; and I hope my girls will never +feel the need of it too bitterly, nor be tempted by too much. I should +like to know that John was firmly established in some good business, +which gave him an income large enough to keep free from debt and make +Meg comfortable. I'm not ambitious for a splendid fortune, a fashionable +position, or a great name for my girls. If rank and money come with +love and virtue, also, I should accept them gratefully, and enjoy your +good fortune; but I know, by experience, how much genuine happiness can +be had in a plain little house, where the daily bread is earned, and +some privations give sweetness to the few pleasures. I am content to see +Meg begin humbly, for, if I am not mistaken, she will be rich in the +possession of a good man's heart, and that is better than a fortune." + +"I understand, mother, and quite agree; but I'm disappointed about Meg, +for I'd planned to have her marry Teddy by and by, and sit in the lap of +luxury all her days. Wouldn't it be nice?" asked Jo, looking up, with a +brighter face. + +"He is younger than she, you know," began Mrs. March; but Jo broke in,-- + +"Only a little; he's old for his age, and tall; and can be quite +grown-up in his manners if he likes. Then he's rich and generous and +good, and loves us all; and _I_ say it's a pity my plan is spoilt." + +"I'm afraid Laurie is hardly grown up enough for Meg, and altogether too +much of a weathercock, just now, for any one to depend on. Don't make +plans, Jo; but let time and their own hearts mate your friends. We can't +meddle safely in such matters, and had better not get 'romantic +rubbish,' as you call it, into our heads, lest it spoil our friendship." + +"Well, I won't; but I hate to see things going all criss-cross and +getting snarled up, when a pull here and a snip there would straighten +it out. I wish wearing flat-irons on our heads would keep us from +growing up. But buds will be roses, and kittens, cats,--more's the +pity!" + +"What's that about flat-irons and cats?" asked Meg, as she crept into +the room, with the finished letter in her hand. + +"Only one of my stupid speeches. I'm going to bed; come, Peggy," said +Jo, unfolding herself, like an animated puzzle. + +"Quite right, and beautifully written. Please add that I send my love to +John," said Mrs. March, as she glanced over the letter, and gave it +back. + +"Do you call him 'John'?" asked Meg, smiling, with her innocent eyes +looking down into her mother's. + +"Yes; he has been like a son to us, and we are very fond of him," +replied Mrs. March, returning the look with a keen one. + +"I'm glad of that, he is so lonely. Good-night, mother, dear. It is so +inexpressibly comfortable to have you here," was Meg's quiet answer. + +The kiss her mother gave her was a very tender one; and, as she went +away, Mrs. March said, with a mixture of satisfaction and regret, "She +does not love John yet, but will soon learn to." + + [Illustration: Tail-piece] + + + + + [Illustration: Letters] + + XXI. + + LAURIE MAKES MISCHIEF, AND JO MAKES PEACE. + + +Jo's face was a study next day, for the secret rather weighed upon her, +and she found it hard not to look mysterious and important. Meg observed +it, but did not trouble herself to make inquiries, for she had learned +that the best way to manage Jo was by the law of contraries, so she felt +sure of being told everything if she did not ask. She was rather +surprised, therefore, when the silence remained unbroken, and Jo assumed +a patronizing air, which decidedly aggravated Meg, who in her turn +assumed an air of dignified reserve, and devoted herself to her mother. +This left Jo to her own devices; for Mrs. March had taken her place as +nurse, and bade her rest, exercise, and amuse herself after her long +confinement. Amy being gone, Laurie was her only refuge; and, much as +she enjoyed his society, she rather dreaded him just then, for he was an +incorrigible tease, and she feared he would coax her secret from her. + +She was quite right, for the mischief-loving lad no sooner suspected a +mystery than he set himself to find it out, and led Jo a trying life of +it. He wheedled, bribed, ridiculed, threatened, and scolded; affected +indifference, that he might surprise the truth from her; declared he +knew, then that he didn't care; and, at last, by dint of perseverance, +he satisfied himself that it concerned Meg and Mr. Brooke. Feeling +indignant that he was not taken into his tutor's confidence, he set his +wits to work to devise some proper retaliation for the slight. + +Meg meanwhile had apparently forgotten the matter, and was absorbed in +preparations for her father's return; but all of a sudden a change +seemed to come over her, and, for a day or two, she was quite unlike +herself. She started when spoken to, blushed when looked at, was very +quiet, and sat over her sewing, with a timid, troubled look on her face. +To her mother's inquiries she answered that she was quite well, and Jo's +she silenced by begging to be let alone. + +"She feels it in the air--love, I mean--and she's going very fast. She's +got most of the symptoms,--is twittery and cross, doesn't eat, lies +awake, and mopes in corners. I caught her singing that song he gave her, +and once she said 'John,' as you do, and then turned as red as a poppy. +Whatever shall we do?" said Jo, looking ready for any measures, however +violent. + +"Nothing but wait. Let her alone, be kind and patient, and father's +coming will settle everything," replied her mother. + +"Here's a note to you, Meg, all sealed up. How odd! Teddy never seals +mine," said Jo, next day, as she distributed the contents of the little +post-office. + +Mrs. March and Jo were deep in their own affairs, when a sound from Meg +made them look up to see her staring at her note, with a frightened +face. + +"My child, what is it?" cried her mother, running to her, while Jo tried +to take the paper which had done the mischief. + +"It's all a mistake--he didn't send it. O Jo, how could you do it?" and +Meg hid her face in her hands, crying as if her heart was quite broken. + +"Me! I've done nothing! What's she talking about?" cried Jo, bewildered. + +Meg's mild eyes kindled with anger as she pulled a crumpled note from +her pocket, and threw it at Jo, saying reproachfully,-- + +"You wrote it, and that bad boy helped you. How could you be so rude, so +mean, and cruel to us both?" + +Jo hardly heard her, for she and her mother were reading the note, which +was written in a peculiar hand. + + [Illustration: Jo and her mother were reading the note] + + "MY DEAREST MARGARET,-- + + "I can no longer restrain my passion, and must know my fate + before I return. I dare not tell your parents yet, but I think + they would consent if they knew that we adored one another. Mr. + Laurence will help me to some good place, and then, my sweet + girl, you will make me happy. I implore you to say nothing to + your family yet, but to send one word of hope through Laurie to + "Your devoted JOHN." + +"Oh, the little villain! that's the way he meant to pay me for keeping +my word to mother. I'll give him a hearty scolding, and bring him over +to beg pardon," cried Jo, burning to execute immediate justice. But her +mother held her back, saying, with a look she seldom wore,-- + +"Stop, Jo, you must clear yourself first. You have played so many +pranks, that I am afraid you have had a hand in this." + +"On my word, mother, I haven't! I never saw that note before, and don't +know anything about it, as true as I live!" said Jo, so earnestly that +they believed her. "If I _had_ taken a part in it I'd have done it +better than this, and have written a sensible note. I should think you'd +have known Mr. Brooke wouldn't write such stuff as that," she added, +scornfully tossing down the paper. + +"It's like his writing," faltered Meg, comparing it with the note in her +hand. + +"O Meg, you didn't answer it?" cried Mrs. March quickly. + +"Yes, I did!" and Meg hid her face again, overcome with shame. + +"Here's a scrape! _Do_ let me bring that wicked boy over to explain, and +be lectured. I can't rest till I get hold of him;" and Jo made for the +door again. + +"Hush! let me manage this, for it is worse than I thought. Margaret, +tell me the whole story," commanded Mrs. March, sitting down by Meg, yet +keeping hold of Jo, lest she should fly off. + +"I received the first letter from Laurie, who didn't look as if he knew +anything about it," began Meg, without looking up. "I was worried at +first, and meant to tell you; then I remembered how you liked Mr. +Brooke, so I thought you wouldn't mind if I kept my little secret for a +few days. I'm so silly that I liked to think no one knew; and, while I +was deciding what to say, I felt like the girls in books, who have such +things to do. Forgive me, mother, I'm paid for my silliness now; I never +can look him in the face again." + +"What did you say to him?" asked Mrs. March. + +"I only said I was too young to do anything about it yet; that I didn't +wish to have secrets from you, and he must speak to father. I was very +grateful for his kindness, and would be his friend, but nothing more, +for a long while." + +Mrs. March smiled, as if well pleased, and Jo clapped her hands, +exclaiming, with a laugh,-- + +"You are almost equal to Caroline Percy, who was a pattern of prudence! +Tell on, Meg. What did he say to that?" + +"He writes in a different way entirely, telling me that he never sent +any love-letter at all, and is very sorry that my roguish sister, Jo, +should take such liberties with our names. It's very kind and +respectful, but think how dreadful for me!" + +Meg leaned against her mother, looking the image of despair, and Jo +tramped about the room, calling Laurie names. All of a sudden she +stopped, caught up the two notes, and, after looking at them closely, +said decidedly, "I don't believe Brooke ever saw either of these +letters. Teddy wrote both, and keeps yours to crow over me with, because +I wouldn't tell him my secret." + +"Don't have any secrets, Jo; tell it to mother, and keep out of trouble, +as I should have done," said Meg warningly. + +"Bless you, child! Mother told me." + +"That will do, Jo. I'll comfort Meg while you go and get Laurie. I shall +sift the matter to the bottom, and put a stop to such pranks at once." + +Away ran Jo, and Mrs. March gently told Meg Mr. Brooke's real feelings. +"Now, dear, what are your own? Do you love him enough to wait till he +can make a home for you, or will you keep yourself quite free for the +present?" + +"I've been so scared and worried, I don't want to have anything to do +with lovers for a long while,--perhaps never," answered Meg petulantly. +"If John _doesn't_ know anything about this nonsense, don't tell him, +and make Jo and Laurie hold their tongues. I won't be deceived and +plagued and made a fool of,--it's a shame!" + +Seeing that Meg's usually gentle temper was roused and her pride hurt by +this mischievous joke, Mrs. March soothed her by promises of entire +silence, and great discretion for the future. The instant Laurie's step +was heard in the hall, Meg fled into the study, and Mrs. March received +the culprit alone. Jo had not told him why he was wanted, fearing he +wouldn't come; but he knew the minute he saw Mrs. March's face, and +stood twirling his hat, with a guilty air which convicted him at once. +Jo was dismissed, but chose to march up and down the hall like a +sentinel, having some fear that the prisoner might bolt. The sound of +voices in the parlor rose and fell for half an hour; but what happened +during that interview the girls never knew. + +When they were called in, Laurie was standing by their mother, with such +a penitent face that Jo forgave him on the spot, but did not think it +wise to betray the fact. Meg received his humble apology, and was much +comforted by the assurance that Brooke knew nothing of the joke. + +"I'll never tell him to my dying day,--wild horses sha'n't drag it out +of me; so you'll forgive me, Meg, and I'll do anything to show how +out-and-out sorry I am," he added, looking very much ashamed of himself. + +"I'll try; but it was a very ungentlemanly thing to do. I didn't think +you could be so sly and malicious, Laurie," replied Meg, trying to hide +her maidenly confusion under a gravely reproachful air. + +"It was altogether abominable, and I don't deserve to be spoken to for a +month; but you will, though, won't you?" and Laurie folded his hands +together with such an imploring gesture, as he spoke in his irresistibly +persuasive tone, that it was impossible to frown upon him, in spite of +his scandalous behavior. Meg pardoned him, and Mrs. March's grave face +relaxed, in spite of her efforts to keep sober, when she heard him +declare that he would atone for his sins by all sorts of penances, and +abase himself like a worm before the injured damsel. + +Jo stood aloof, meanwhile, trying to harden her heart against him, and +succeeding only in primming up her face into an expression of entire +disapprobation. Laurie looked at her once or twice, but, as she showed +no sign of relenting, he felt injured, and turned his back on her till +the others were done with him, when he made her a low bow, and walked +off without a word. + +As soon as he had gone, she wished she had been more forgiving; and when +Meg and her mother went upstairs, she felt lonely, and longed for Teddy. +After resisting for some time, she yielded to the impulse, and, armed +with a book to return, went over to the big house. + +"Is Mr. Laurence in?" asked Jo, of a housemaid, who was coming down +stairs. + +"Yes, miss; but I don't believe he's seeable just yet." + +"Why not? is he ill?" + +"La, no, miss, but he's had a scene with Mr. Laurie, who is in one of +his tantrums about something, which vexes the old gentleman, so I +dursn't go nigh him." + +"Where is Laurie?" + +"Shut up in his room, and he won't answer, though I've been a-tapping. I +don't know what's to become of the dinner, for it's ready, and there's +no one to eat it." + +"I'll go and see what the matter is. I'm not afraid of either of them." + +Up went Jo, and knocked smartly on the door of Laurie's little study. + +"Stop that, or I'll open the door and make you!" called out the young +gentleman, in a threatening tone. + +Jo immediately knocked again; the door flew open, and in she bounced, +before Laurie could recover from his surprise. Seeing that he really +_was_ out of temper, Jo, who knew how to manage him, assumed a contrite +expression, and going artistically down upon her knees, said meekly, +"Please forgive me for being so cross. I came to make it up, and can't +go away till I have." + +"It's all right. Get up, and don't be a goose, Jo," was the cavalier +reply to her petition. + + [Illustration: Get up and don't be a goose] + +"Thank you; I will. Could I ask what's the matter? You don't look +exactly easy in your mind." + +"I've been shaken, and I won't bear it!" growled Laurie indignantly. + +"Who did it?" demanded Jo. + +"Grandfather; if it had been any one else I'd have--" and the injured +youth finished his sentence by an energetic gesture of the right arm. + +"That's nothing; I often shake you, and you don't mind," said Jo +soothingly. + +"Pooh! you're a girl, and it's fun; but I'll allow no man to shake +_me_." + +"I don't think any one would care to try it, if you looked as much like +a thunder-cloud as you do now. Why were you treated so?" + +"Just because I wouldn't say what your mother wanted me for. I'd +promised not to tell, and of course I wasn't going to break my word." + +"Couldn't you satisfy your grandpa in any other way?" + +"No; he _would_ have the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the +truth. I'd have told my part of the scrape, if I could without bringing +Meg in. As I couldn't, I held my tongue, and bore the scolding till the +old gentleman collared me. Then I got angry, and bolted, for fear I +should forget myself." + +"It wasn't nice, but he's sorry, I know; so go down and make up. I'll +help you." + +"Hanged if I do! I'm not going to be lectured and pummelled by every +one, just for a bit of a frolic. I _was_ sorry about Meg, and begged +pardon like a man; but I won't do it again, when I wasn't in the wrong." + +"He didn't know that." + +"He ought to trust me, and not act as if I was a baby. It's no use, Jo; +he's got to learn that I'm able to take care of myself, and don't need +any one's apron-string to hold on by." + +"What pepper-pots you are!" sighed Jo. "How do you mean to settle this +affair?" + +"Well, he ought to beg pardon, and believe me when I say I can't tell +him what the fuss's about." + +"Bless you! he won't do that." + +"I won't go down till he does." + +"Now, Teddy, be sensible; let it pass, and I'll explain what I can. You +can't stay here, so what's the use of being melodramatic?" + +"I don't intend to stay here long, any way. I'll slip off and take a +journey somewhere, and when grandpa misses me he'll come round fast +enough." + +"I dare say; but you ought not to go and worry him." + +"Don't preach. I'll go to Washington and see Brooke; it's gay there, and +I'll enjoy myself after the troubles." + +"What fun you'd have! I wish I could run off too," said Jo, forgetting +her part of Mentor in lively visions of martial life at the capital. + +"Come on, then! Why not? You go and surprise your father, and I'll stir +up old Brooke. It would be a glorious joke; let's do it, Jo. We'll leave +a letter saying we are all right, and trot off at once. I've got money +enough; it will do you good, and be no harm, as you go to your father." + +For a moment Jo looked as if she would agree; for, wild as the plan was, +it just suited her. She was tired of care and confinement, longed for +change, and thoughts of her father blended temptingly with the novel +charms of camps and hospitals, liberty and fun. Her eyes kindled as they +turned wistfully toward the window, but they fell on the old house +opposite, and she shook her head with sorrowful decision. + +"If I was a boy, we'd run away together, and have a capital time; but as +I'm a miserable girl, I must be proper, and stop at home. Don't tempt +me, Teddy, it's a crazy plan." + +"That's the fun of it," began Laurie, who had got a wilful fit on him, +and was possessed to break out of bounds in some way. + +"Hold your tongue!" cried Jo, covering her ears. "'Prunes and prisms' +are my doom, and I may as well make up my mind to it. I came here to +moralize, not to hear about things that make me skip to think of." + + [Illustration: "Hold your tongue!" cried Jo, covering her ears] + +"I know Meg would wet-blanket such a proposal, but I thought you had +more spirit," began Laurie insinuatingly. + +"Bad boy, be quiet! Sit down and think of your own sins, don't go making +me add to mine. If I get your grandpa to apologize for the shaking, will +you give up running away?" asked Jo seriously. + +"Yes, but you won't do it," answered Laurie, who wished "to make up," +but felt that his outraged dignity must be appeased first. + +"If I can manage the young one I can the old one," muttered Jo, as she +walked away, leaving Laurie bent over a railroad map, with his head +propped up on both hands. + +"Come in!" and Mr. Laurence's gruff voice sounded gruffer than ever, as +Jo tapped at his door. + +"It's only me, sir, come to return a book," she said blandly, as she +entered. + +"Want any more?" asked the old gentleman, looking grim and vexed, but +trying not to show it. + +"Yes, please. I like old Sam so well, I think I'll try the second +volume," returned Jo, hoping to propitiate him by accepting a second +dose of Boswell's "Johnson," as he had recommended that lively work. + +The shaggy eyebrows unbent a little, as he rolled the steps toward the +shelf where the Johnsonian literature was placed. Jo skipped up, and, +sitting on the top step, affected to be searching for her book, but was +really wondering how best to introduce the dangerous object of her +visit. Mr. Laurence seemed to suspect that something was brewing in her +mind; for, after taking several brisk turns about the room, he faced +round on her, speaking so abruptly that "Rasselas" tumbled face downward +on the floor. + +"What has that boy been about? Don't try to shield him. I know he has +been in mischief by the way he acted when he came home. I can't get a +word from him; and when I threatened to shake the truth out of him he +bolted upstairs, and locked himself into his room." + +"He did do wrong, but we forgave him, and all promised not to say a word +to any one," began Jo reluctantly. + +"That won't do; he shall not shelter himself behind a promise from you +soft-hearted girls. If he's done anything amiss, he shall confess, beg +pardon, and be punished. Out with it, Jo, I won't be kept in the dark." + +Mr. Laurence looked so alarming and spoke so sharply that Jo would have +gladly run away, if she could, but she was perched aloft on the steps, +and he stood at the foot, a lion in the path, so she had to stay and +brave it out. + + [Illustration: He stood at the foot, like a lion in the path] + +"Indeed, sir, I cannot tell; mother forbade it. Laurie has confessed, +asked pardon, and been punished quite enough. We don't keep silence to +shield him, but some one else, and it will make more trouble if you +interfere. Please don't; it was partly my fault, but it's all right now; +so let's forget it, and talk about the 'Rambler,' or something +pleasant." + +"Hang the 'Rambler!' come down and give me your word that this +harum-scarum boy of mine hasn't done anything ungrateful or impertinent. +If he has, after all your kindness to him, I'll thrash him with my own +hands." + +The threat sounded awful, but did not alarm Jo, for she knew the +irascible old gentleman would never lift a finger against his grandson, +whatever he might say to the contrary. She obediently descended, and +made as light of the prank as she could without betraying Meg or +forgetting the truth. + +"Hum--ha--well, if the boy held his tongue because he promised, and not +from obstinacy, I'll forgive him. He's a stubborn fellow, and hard to +manage," said Mr. Laurence, rubbing up his hair till it looked as if he +had been out in a gale, and smoothing the frown from his brow with an +air of relief. + +"So am I; but a kind word will govern me when all the king's horses and +all the king's men couldn't," said Jo, trying to say a kind word for her +friend, who seemed to get out of one scrape only to fall into another. + +"You think I'm not kind to him, hey?" was the sharp answer. + +"Oh, dear, no, sir; you are rather too kind sometimes, and then just a +trifle hasty when he tries your patience. Don't you think you are?" + +Jo was determined to have it out now, and tried to look quite placid, +though she quaked a little after her bold speech. To her great relief +and surprise, the old gentleman only threw his spectacles on to the +table with a rattle, and exclaimed frankly,-- + +"You're right, girl, I am! I love the boy, but he tries my patience past +bearing, and I don't know how it will end, if we go on so." + +"I'll tell you, he'll run away." Jo was sorry for that speech the +minute it was made; she meant to warn him that Laurie would not bear +much restraint, and hoped he would be more forbearing with the lad. + +Mr. Laurence's ruddy face changed suddenly, and he sat down, with a +troubled glance at the picture of a handsome man, which hung over his +table. It was Laurie's father, who _had_ run away in his youth, and +married against the imperious old man's will. Jo fancied he remembered +and regretted the past, and she wished she had held her tongue. + +"He won't do it unless he is very much worried, and only threatens it +sometimes, when he gets tired of studying. I often think I should like +to, especially since my hair was cut; so, if you ever miss us, you may +advertise for two boys, and look among the ships bound for India." + +She laughed as she spoke, and Mr. Laurence looked relieved, evidently +taking the whole as a joke. + +"You hussy, how dare you talk in that way? Where's your respect for me, +and your proper bringing up? Bless the boys and girls! What torments +they are; yet we can't do without them," he said, pinching her cheeks +good-humoredly. "Go and bring that boy down to his dinner, tell him it's +all right, and advise him not to put on tragedy airs with his +grandfather. I won't bear it." + +"He won't come, sir; he feels badly because you didn't believe him when +he said he couldn't tell. I think the shaking hurt his feelings very +much." + +Jo tried to look pathetic, but must have failed, for Mr. Laurence began +to laugh, and she knew the day was won. + +"I'm sorry for that, and ought to thank him for not shaking _me_, I +suppose. What the dickens does the fellow expect?" and the old gentleman +looked a trifle ashamed of his own testiness. + +"If I were you, I'd write him an apology, sir. He says he won't come +down till he has one, and talks about Washington, and goes on in an +absurd way. A formal apology will make him see how foolish he is, and +bring him down quite amiable. Try it; he likes fun, and this way is +better than talking. I'll carry it up, and teach him his duty." + +Mr. Laurence gave her a sharp look, and put on his spectacles, saying +slowly, "You're a sly puss, but I don't mind being managed by you and +Beth. Here, give me a bit of paper, and let us have done with this +nonsense." + +The note was written in the terms which one gentleman would use to +another after offering some deep insult. Jo dropped a kiss on the top of +Mr. Laurence's bald head, and ran up to slip the apology under Laurie's +door, advising him, through the key-hole, to be submissive, decorous, +and a few other agreeable impossibilities. Finding the door locked +again, she left the note to do its work, and was going quietly away, +when the young gentleman slid down the banisters, and waited for her at +the bottom, saying, with his most virtuous expression of countenance, +"What a good fellow you are, Jo! Did you get blown up?" he added, +laughing. + +"No; he was pretty mild, on the whole." + +"Ah! I got it all round; even you cast me off over there, and I felt +just ready to go to the deuce," he began apologetically. + +"Don't talk in that way; turn over a new leaf and begin again, Teddy, my +son." + +"I keep turning over new leaves, and spoiling them, as I used to spoil +my copy-books; and I make so many beginnings there never will be an +end," he said dolefully. + +"Go and eat your dinner; you'll feel better after it. Men always croak +when they are hungry," and Jo whisked out at the front door after that. + +"That's a 'label' on my 'sect,'" answered Laurie, quoting Amy, as he +went to partake of humble-pie dutifully with his grandfather, who was +quite saintly in temper and overwhelmingly respectful in manner all the +rest of the day. + +Every one thought the matter ended and the little cloud blown over; but +the mischief was done, for, though others forgot it, Meg remembered. She +never alluded to a certain person, but she thought of him a good deal, +dreamed dreams more than ever; and once Jo, rummaging her sister's desk +for stamps, found a bit of paper scribbled over with the words, "Mrs. +John Brooke;" whereat she groaned tragically, and cast it into the fire, +feeling that Laurie's prank had hastened the evil day for her. + + + + + [Illustration: Beth was soon able to lie on the study sofa all day] + + XXII. + + PLEASANT MEADOWS. + + +Like sunshine after storm were the peaceful weeks which followed. The +invalids improved rapidly, and Mr. March began to talk of returning +early in the new year. Beth was soon able to lie on the study sofa all +day, amusing herself with the well-beloved cats, at first, and, in time, +with doll's sewing, which had fallen sadly behindhand. Her once active +limbs were so stiff and feeble that Jo took her a daily airing about the +house in her strong arms. Meg cheerfully blackened and burnt her white +hands cooking delicate messes for "the dear;" while Amy, a loyal slave +of the ring, celebrated her return by giving away as many of her +treasures as she could prevail on her sisters to accept. + +As Christmas approached, the usual mysteries began to haunt the house, +and Jo frequently convulsed the family by proposing utterly impossible +or magnificently absurd ceremonies, in honor of this unusually merry +Christmas. Laurie was equally impracticable, and would have had +bonfires, sky-rockets, and triumphal arches, if he had had his own way. +After many skirmishes and snubbings, the ambitious pair were considered +effectually quenched, and went about with forlorn faces, which were +rather belied by explosions of laughter when the two got together. + +Several days of unusually mild weather fitly ushered in a splendid +Christmas Day. Hannah "felt in her bones" that it was going to be an +unusually fine day, and she proved herself a true prophetess, for +everybody and everything seemed bound to produce a grand success. To +begin with, Mr. March wrote that he should soon be with them; then Beth +felt uncommonly well that morning, and, being dressed in her mother's +gift,--a soft crimson merino wrapper,--was borne in triumph to the +window to behold the offering of Jo and Laurie. The Unquenchables had +done their best to be worthy of the name, for, like elves, they had +worked by night, and conjured up a comical surprise. Out in the garden +stood a stately snow-maiden, crowned with holly, bearing a basket of +fruit and flowers in one hand, a great roll of new music in the other, a +perfect rainbow of an Afghan round her chilly shoulders, and a Christmas +carol issuing from her lips, on a pink paper streamer:-- + + "THE JUNGFRAU TO BETH. + + "God bless you, dear Queen Bess! + May nothing you dismay, + But health and peace and happiness + Be yours, this Christmas Day. + + "Here's fruit to feed our busy bee, + And flowers for her nose; + Here's music for her pianee, + An Afghan for her toes. + + "A portrait of Joanna, see, + By Raphael No. 2, + Who labored with great industry + To make it fair and true. + + "Accept a ribbon red, I beg, + For Madam Purrer's tail; + And ice-cream made by lovely Peg,-- + A Mont Blanc in a pail. + + "Their dearest love my makers laid + Within my breast of snow: + Accept it, and the Alpine maid, + From Laurie and from Jo." + + [Illustration: The Jungfrau] + +How Beth laughed when she saw it, how Laurie ran up and down to bring in +the gifts, and what ridiculous speeches Jo made as she presented them! + +"I'm so full of happiness, that, if father was only here, I couldn't +hold one drop more," said Beth, quite sighing with contentment as Jo +carried her off to the study to rest after the excitement, and to +refresh herself with some of the delicious grapes the "Jungfrau" had +sent her. + +"So am I," added Jo, slapping the pocket wherein reposed the +long-desired Undine and Sintram. + +"I'm sure I am," echoed Amy, poring over the engraved copy of the +Madonna and Child, which her mother had given her, in a pretty frame. + +"Of course I am!" cried Meg, smoothing the silvery folds of her first +silk dress; for Mr. Laurence had insisted on giving it. + +"How can _I_ be otherwise?" said Mrs. March gratefully, as her eyes went +from her husband's letter to Beth's smiling face, and her hand caressed +the brooch made of gray and golden, chestnut and dark brown hair, which +the girls had just fastened on her breast. + +Now and then, in this work-a-day world, things do happen in the +delightful story-book fashion, and what a comfort that is. Half an hour +after every one had said they were so happy they could only hold one +drop more, the drop came. Laurie opened the parlor door, and popped his +head in very quietly. He might just as well have turned a somersault and +uttered an Indian war-whoop; for his face was so full of suppressed +excitement and his voice so treacherously joyful, that every one jumped +up, though he only said, in a queer, breathless voice, "Here's another +Christmas present for the March family." + +Before the words were well out of his mouth, he was whisked away +somehow, and in his place appeared a tall man, muffled up to the eyes, +leaning on the arm of another tall man, who tried to say something and +couldn't. Of course there was a general stampede; and for several +minutes everybody seemed to lose their wits, for the strangest things +were done, and no one said a word. Mr. March became invisible in the +embrace of four pairs of loving arms; Jo disgraced herself by nearly +fainting away, and had to be doctored by Laurie in the china-closet; Mr. +Brooke kissed Meg entirely by mistake, as he somewhat incoherently +explained; and Amy, the dignified, tumbled over a stool, and, never +stopping to get up, hugged and cried over her father's boots in the most +touching manner. Mrs. March was the first to recover herself, and held +up her hand with a warning, "Hush! remember Beth!" + +But it was too late; the study door flew open, the little red wrapper +appeared on the threshold,--joy put strength into the feeble limbs,--and +Beth ran straight into her father's arms. Never mind what happened just +after that; for the full hearts overflowed, washing away the bitterness +of the past, and leaving only the sweetness of the present. + +It was not at all romantic, but a hearty laugh set everybody straight +again, for Hannah was discovered behind the door, sobbing over the fat +turkey, which she had forgotten to put down when she rushed up from the +kitchen. As the laugh subsided, Mrs. March began to thank Mr. Brooke for +his faithful care of her husband, at which Mr. Brooke suddenly +remembered that Mr. March needed rest, and, seizing Laurie, he +precipitately retired. Then the two invalids were ordered to repose, +which they did, by both sitting in one big chair, and talking hard. + +Mr. March told how he had longed to surprise them, and how, when the +fine weather came, he had been allowed by his doctor to take advantage +of it; how devoted Brooke had been, and how he was altogether a most +estimable and upright young man. Why Mr. March paused a minute just +there, and, after a glance at Meg, who was violently poking the fire, +looked at his wife with an inquiring lift of the eyebrows, I leave you +to imagine; also why Mrs. March gently nodded her head, and asked, +rather abruptly, if he wouldn't have something to eat. Jo saw and +understood the look; and she stalked grimly away to get wine and +beef-tea, muttering to herself, as she slammed the door, "I hate +estimable young men with brown eyes!" + +There never _was_ such a Christmas dinner as they had that day. The fat +turkey was a sight to behold, when Hannah sent him up, stuffed, browned, +and decorated; so was the plum-pudding, which quite melted in one's +mouth; likewise the jellies, in which Amy revelled like a fly in a +honey-pot. Everything turned out well, which was a mercy, Hannah said, +"For my mind was that flustered, mum, that it's a merrycle I didn't +roast the pudding, and stuff the turkey with raisins, let alone bilin' +of it in a cloth." + +Mr. Laurence and his grandson dined with them, also Mr. Brooke,--at whom +Jo glowered darkly, to Laurie's infinite amusement. Two easy-chairs +stood side by side at the head of the table, in which sat Beth and her +father, feasting modestly on chicken and a little fruit. They drank +healths, told stories, sung songs, "reminisced," as the old folks say, +and had a thoroughly good time. A sleigh-ride had been planned, but the +girls would not leave their father; so the guests departed early, and, +as twilight gathered, the happy family sat together round the fire. + +"Just a year ago we were groaning over the dismal Christmas we expected +to have. Do you remember?" asked Jo, breaking a short pause which had +followed a long conversation about many things. + +"Rather a pleasant year on the whole!" said Meg, smiling at the fire, +and congratulating herself on having treated Mr. Brooke with dignity. + +"I think it's been a pretty hard one," observed Amy, watching the light +shine on her ring, with thoughtful eyes. + +"I'm glad it's over, because we've got you back," whispered Beth, who +sat on her father's knee. + +"Rather a rough road for you to travel, my little pilgrims, especially +the latter part of it. But you have got on bravely; and I think the +burdens are in a fair way to tumble off very soon," said Mr. March, +looking with fatherly satisfaction at the four young faces gathered +round him. + +"How do you know? Did mother tell you?" asked Jo. + +"Not much; straws show which way the wind blows, and I've made several +discoveries to-day." + +"Oh, tell us what they are!" cried Meg, who sat beside him. + +"Here is one;" and taking up the hand which lay on the arm of his chair, +he pointed to the roughened forefinger, a burn on the back, and two or +three little hard spots on the palm. "I remember a time when this hand +was white and smooth, and your first care was to keep it so. It was very +pretty then, but to me it is much prettier now,--for in these seeming +blemishes I read a little history. A burnt-offering has been made of +vanity; this hardened palm has earned something better than blisters; +and I'm sure the sewing done by these pricked fingers will last a long +time, so much good-will went into the stitches. Meg, my dear, I value +the womanly skill which keeps home happy more than white hands or +fashionable accomplishments. I'm proud to shake this good, industrious +little hand, and hope I shall not soon be asked to give it away." + +If Meg had wanted a reward for hours of patient labor, she received it +in the hearty pressure of her father's hand and the approving smile he +gave her. + +"What about Jo? Please say something nice; for she has tried so hard, +and been so very, very good to me," said Beth, in her father's ear. + +He laughed, and looked across at the tall girl who sat opposite, with an +unusually mild expression in her brown face. + +"In spite of the curly crop, I don't see the 'son Jo' whom I left a year +ago," said Mr. March. "I see a young lady who pins her collar straight, +laces her boots neatly, and neither whistles, talks slang, nor lies on +the rug as she used to do. Her face is rather thin and pale, just now, +with watching and anxiety; but I like to look at it, for it has grown +gentler, and her voice is lower; she doesn't bounce, but moves quietly, +and takes care of a certain little person in a motherly way which +delights me. I rather miss my wild girl; but if I get a strong, helpful, +tender-hearted woman in her place, I shall feel quite satisfied. I don't +know whether the shearing sobered our black sheep, but I do know that in +all Washington I couldn't find anything beautiful enough to be bought +with the five-and-twenty dollars which my good girl sent me." + +Jo's keen eyes were rather dim for a minute, and her thin face grew rosy +in the firelight, as she received her father's praise, feeling that she +did deserve a portion of it. + +"Now Beth," said Amy, longing for her turn, but ready to wait. + +"There's so little of her, I'm afraid to say much, for fear she will +slip away altogether, though she is not so shy as she used to be," began +their father cheerfully; but recollecting how nearly he _had_ lost her, +he held her close, saying tenderly, with her cheek against his own, +"I've got you safe, my Beth, and I'll keep you so, please God." + +After a minute's silence, he looked down at Amy, who sat on the cricket +at his feet, and said, with a caress of the shining hair,-- + +"I observed that Amy took drumsticks at dinner, ran errands for her +mother all the afternoon, gave Meg her place to-night, and has waited +on every one with patience and good-humor. I also observe that she does +not fret much nor look in the glass, and has not even mentioned a very +pretty ring which she wears; so I conclude that she has learned to think +of other people more and of herself less, and has decided to try and +mould her character as carefully as she moulds her little clay figures. +I am glad of this; for though I should be very proud of a graceful +statue made by her, I shall be infinitely prouder of a lovable daughter, +with a talent for making life beautiful to herself and others." + +"What are you thinking of, Beth?" asked Jo, when Amy had thanked her +father and told about her ring. + +"I read in 'Pilgrim's Progress' to-day, how, after many troubles, +Christian and Hopeful came to a pleasant green meadow, where lilies +bloomed all the year round, and there they rested happily, as we do now, +before they went on to their journey's end," answered Beth; adding, as +she slipped out of her father's arms, and went slowly to the instrument, +"It's singing time now, and I want to be in my old place. I'll try to +sing the song of the shepherd-boy which the Pilgrims heard. I made the +music for father, because he likes the verses." + +So, sitting at the dear little piano, Beth softly touched the keys, and, +in the sweet voice they had never thought to hear again, sung to her own +accompaniment the quaint hymn, which was a singularly fitting song for +her:-- + + "He that is down need fear no fall, + He that is low no pride; + He that is humble ever shall + Have God to be his guide. + + "I am content with what I have, + Little be it or much; + And, Lord! contentment still I crave, + Because Thou savest such. + + "Fulness to them a burden is, + That go on pilgrimage; + Here little, and hereafter bliss, + Is best from age to age!" + + + + + XXIII. + + AUNT MARCH SETTLES THE QUESTION. + + + [Illustration: Popping in her head now and then] + +Like bees swarming after their queen, mother and daughters hovered about +Mr. March the next day, neglecting everything to look at, wait upon, and +listen to the new invalid, who was in a fair way to be killed by +kindness. As he sat propped up in a big chair by Beth's sofa, with the +other three close by, and Hannah popping in her head now and then, "to +peek at the dear man," nothing seemed needed to complete their +happiness. But something _was_ needed, and the elder ones felt it, +though none confessed the fact. Mr. and Mrs. March looked at one another +with an anxious expression, as their eyes followed Meg. Jo had sudden +fits of sobriety, and was seen to shake her fist at Mr. Brooke's +umbrella, which had been left in the hall; Meg was absent-minded, shy, +and silent, started when the bell rang, and colored when John's name was +mentioned; Amy said "Every one seemed waiting for something, and +couldn't settle down, which was queer, since father was safe at home," +and Beth innocently wondered why their neighbors didn't run over as +usual. + + [Illustration: "He sat in the big chair by Beth's sofa with the other + three close by."--Page 277.] + +Laurie went by in the afternoon, and, seeing Meg at the window, seemed +suddenly possessed with a melodramatic fit, for he fell down upon one +knee in the snow, beat his breast, tore his hair, and clasped his hands +imploringly, as if begging some boon; and when Meg told him to behave +himself and go away, he wrung imaginary tears out of his handkerchief, +and staggered round the corner as if in utter despair. + +"What does the goose mean?" said Meg, laughing, and trying to look +unconscious. + +"He's showing you how your John will go on by and by. Touching, isn't +it?" answered Jo scornfully. + +"Don't say _my John_, it isn't proper or true;" but Meg's voice lingered +over the words as if they sounded pleasant to her. "Please don't plague +me, Jo; I've told you I don't care _much_ about him, and there isn't to +be anything said, but we are all to be friendly, and go on as before." + +"We can't, for something _has_ been said, and Laurie's mischief has +spoilt you for me. I see it, and so does mother; you are not like your +old self a bit, and seem ever so far away from me. I don't mean to +plague you, and will bear it like a man, but I do wish it was all +settled. I hate to wait; so if you mean ever to do it, make haste and +have it over quickly," said Jo pettishly. + +"_I_ can't say or do anything till he speaks, and he won't, because +father said I was too young," began Meg, bending over her work, with a +queer little smile, which suggested that she did not quite agree with +her father on that point. + +"If he did speak, you wouldn't know what to say, but would cry or blush, +or let him have his own way, instead of giving a good, decided, No." + +"I'm not so silly and weak as you think. I know just what I should say, +for I've planned it all, so I needn't be taken unawares; there's no +knowing what may happen, and I wished to be prepared." + +Jo couldn't help smiling at the important air which Meg had +unconsciously assumed, and which was as becoming as the pretty color +varying in her cheeks. + +"Would you mind telling me what you'd say?" asked Jo more respectfully. + +"Not at all; you are sixteen now, quite old enough to be my confidant, +and my experience will be useful to you by and by, perhaps, in your own +affairs of this sort." + +"Don't mean to have any; it's fun to watch other people philander, but I +should feel like a fool doing it myself," said Jo, looking alarmed at +the thought. + +"I think not, if you liked any one very much, and he liked you." Meg +spoke as if to herself, and glanced out at the lane, where she had often +seen lovers walking together in the summer twilight. + +"I thought you were going to tell your speech to that man," said Jo, +rudely shortening her sister's little reverie. + +"Oh, I should merely say, quite calmly and decidedly, 'Thank you, Mr. +Brooke, you are very kind, but I agree with father that I am too young +to enter into any engagement at present; so please say no more, but let +us be friends as we were.'" + +"Hum! that's stiff and cool enough. I don't believe you'll ever say it, +and I know he won't be satisfied if you do. If he goes on like the +rejected lovers in books, you'll give in, rather than hurt his +feelings." + +"No, I won't. I shall tell him I've made up my mind, and shall walk out +of the room with dignity." + +Meg rose as she spoke, and was just going to rehearse the dignified +exit, when a step in the hall made her fly into her seat, and begin to +sew as if her life depended on finishing that particular seam in a given +time. Jo smothered a laugh at the sudden change, and, when some one gave +a modest tap, opened the door with a grim aspect, which was anything but +hospitable. + +"Good afternoon. I came to get my umbrella,--that is, to see how your +father finds himself to-day," said Mr. Brooke, getting a trifle confused +as his eye went from one tell-tale face to the other. + +"It's very well, he's in the rack, I'll get him, and tell it you are +here," and having jumbled her father and the umbrella well together in +her reply, Jo slipped out of the room to give Meg a chance to make her +speech and air her dignity. But the instant she vanished, Meg began to +sidle towards the door, murmuring,-- + +"Mother will like to see you. Pray sit down, I'll call her." + +"Don't go; are you afraid of me, Margaret?" and Mr. Brooke looked so +hurt that Meg thought she must have done something very rude. She +blushed up to the little curls on her forehead, for he had never called +her Margaret before, and she was surprised to find how natural and sweet +it seemed to hear him say it. Anxious to appear friendly and at her +ease, she put out her hand with a confiding gesture, and said +gratefully,-- + +"How can I be afraid when you have been so kind to father? I only wish I +could thank you for it." + + [Illustration: Shall I tell you how?] + +"Shall I tell you how?" asked Mr. Brooke, holding the small hand fast in +both his own, and looking down at Meg with so much love in the brown +eyes, that her heart began to flutter, and she both longed to run away +and to stop and listen. + +"Oh no, please don't--I'd rather not," she said, trying to withdraw her +hand, and looking frightened in spite of her denial. + +"I won't trouble you, I only want to know if you care for me a little, +Meg. I love you so much, dear," added Mr. Brooke tenderly. + +This was the moment for the calm, proper speech, but Meg didn't make it; +she forgot every word of it, hung her head, and answered, "I don't +know," so softly, that John had to stoop down to catch the foolish +little reply. + +He seemed to think it was worth the trouble, for he smiled to himself as +if quite satisfied, pressed the plump hand gratefully, and said, in his +most persuasive tone, "Will you try and find out? I want to know _so_ +much; for I can't go to work with any heart until I learn whether I am +to have my reward in the end or not." + +"I'm too young," faltered Meg, wondering why she was so fluttered, yet +rather enjoying it. + +"I'll wait; and in the meantime, you could be learning to like me. Would +it be a very hard lesson, dear?" + +"Not if I chose to learn it, but--" + +"Please choose to learn, Meg. I love to teach, and this is easier than +German," broke in John, getting possession of the other hand, so that +she had no way of hiding her face, as he bent to look into it. + +His tone was properly beseeching; but, stealing a shy look at him, Meg +saw that his eyes were merry as well as tender, and that he wore the +satisfied smile of one who had no doubt of his success. This nettled +her; Annie Moffat's foolish lessons in coquetry came into her mind, and +the love of power, which sleeps in the bosoms of the best of little +women, woke up all of a sudden and took possession of her. She felt +excited and strange, and, not knowing what else to do, followed a +capricious impulse, and, withdrawing her hands, said petulantly, "I +_don't_ choose. Please go away and let me be!" + +Poor Mr. Brooke looked as if his lovely castle in the air was tumbling +about his ears, for he had never seen Meg in such a mood before, and it +rather bewildered him. + +"Do you really mean that?" he asked anxiously, following her as she +walked away. + +"Yes, I do; I don't want to be worried about such things. Father says I +needn't; it's too soon and I'd rather not." + +"Mayn't I hope you'll change your mind by and by? I'll wait, and say +nothing till you have had more time. Don't play with me, Meg. I didn't +think that of you." + +"Don't think of me at all. I'd rather you wouldn't," said Meg, taking a +naughty satisfaction in trying her lover's patience and her own power. + +He was grave and pale now, and looked decidedly more like the novel +heroes whom she admired; but he neither slapped his forehead nor tramped +about the room, as they did; he just stood looking at her so wistfully, +so tenderly, that she found her heart relenting in spite of her. What +would have happened next I cannot say, if Aunt March had not come +hobbling in at this interesting minute. + +The old lady couldn't resist her longing to see her nephew; for she had +met Laurie as she took her airing, and, hearing of Mr. March's arrival, +drove straight out to see him. The family were all busy in the back part +of the house, and she had made her way quietly in, hoping to surprise +them. She did surprise two of them so much that Meg started as if she +had seen a ghost, and Mr. Brooke vanished into the study. + +"Bless me, what's all this?" cried the old lady, with a rap of her cane, +as she glanced from the pale young gentleman to the scarlet young lady. + + [Illustration: Bless me, what's all this?] + +"It's father's friend. I'm _so_ surprised to see you!" stammered Meg, +feeling that she was in for a lecture now. + +"That's evident," returned Aunt March, sitting down. "But what is +father's friend saying to make you look like a peony? There's mischief +going on, and I insist upon knowing what it is," with another rap. + +"We were merely talking. Mr. Brooke came for his umbrella," began Meg, +wishing that Mr. Brooke and the umbrella were safely out of the house. + +"Brooke? That boy's tutor? Ah! I understand now. I know all about it. Jo +blundered into a wrong message in one of your father's letters, and I +made her tell me. You haven't gone and accepted him, child?" cried Aunt +March, looking scandalized. + +"Hush! he'll hear. Sha'n't I call mother?" said Meg, much troubled. + +"Not yet. I've something to say to you, and I must free my mind at once. +Tell me, do you mean to marry this Cook? If you do, not one penny of my +money ever goes to you. Remember that, and be a sensible girl," said the +old lady impressively. + +Now Aunt March possessed in perfection the art of rousing the spirit of +opposition in the gentlest people, and enjoyed doing it. The best of us +have a spice of perversity in us, especially when we are young and in +love. If Aunt March had begged Meg to accept John Brooke, she would +probably have declared she couldn't think of it; but as she was +peremptorily ordered _not_ to like him, she immediately made up her mind +that she would. Inclination as well as perversity made the decision +easy, and, being already much excited, Meg opposed the old lady with +unusual spirit. + +"I shall marry whom I please, Aunt March, and you can leave your money +to any one you like," she said, nodding her head with a resolute air. + +"Highty tighty! Is that the way you take my advice, miss? You'll be +sorry for it, by and by, when you've tried love in a cottage, and found +it a failure." + +"It can't be a worse one than some people find in big houses," retorted +Meg. + +Aunt March put on her glasses and took a look at the girl, for she did +not know her in this new mood. Meg hardly knew herself, she felt so +brave and independent,--so glad to defend John, and assert her right to +love him, if she liked. Aunt March saw that she had begun wrong, and, +after a little pause, made a fresh start, saying, as mildly as she +could, "Now, Meg, my dear, be reasonable, and take my advice. I mean it +kindly, and don't want you to spoil your whole life by making a mistake +at the beginning. You ought to marry well, and help your family; it's +your duty to make a rich match, and it ought to be impressed upon you." + +"Father and mother don't think so; they like John, though he _is_ poor." + +"Your parents, my dear, have no more worldly wisdom than two babies." + +"I'm glad of it," cried Meg stoutly. + +Aunt March took no notice, but went on with her lecture. "This Rook is +poor, and hasn't got any rich relations, has he?" + +"No; but he has many warm friends." + +"You can't live on friends; try it, and see how cool they'll grow. He +hasn't any business, has he?" + +"Not yet; Mr. Laurence is going to help him." + +"That won't last long. James Laurence is a crotchety old fellow, and not +to be depended on. So you intend to marry a man without money, position, +or business, and go on working harder than you do now, when you might be +comfortable all your days by minding me and doing better? I thought you +had more sense, Meg." + +"I couldn't do better if I waited half my life! John is good and wise; +he's got heaps of talent; he's willing to work, and sure to get on, he's +so energetic and brave. Every one likes and respects him, and I'm proud +to think he cares for me, though I'm so poor and young and silly," said +Meg, looking prettier than ever in her earnestness. + +"He knows _you_ have got rich relations, child; that's the secret of his +liking, I suspect." + +"Aunt March, how dare you say such a thing? John is above such meanness, +and I won't listen to you a minute if you talk so," cried Meg +indignantly, forgetting everything but the injustice of the old lady's +suspicions. "My John wouldn't marry for money, anymore than I would. We +are willing to work, and we mean to wait. I'm not afraid of being poor, +for I've been happy so far, and I know I shall be with him, because he +loves me, and I--" + +Meg stopped there, remembering all of a sudden that she hadn't made up +her mind; that she had told "her John" to go away, and that he might be +overhearing her inconsistent remarks. + +Aunt March was very angry, for she had set her heart on having her +pretty niece make a fine match, and something in the girl's happy young +face made the lonely old woman feel both sad and sour. + +"Well, I wash my hands of the whole affair! You are a wilful child, and +you've lost more than you know by this piece of folly. No, I won't stop; +I'm disappointed in you, and haven't spirits to see your father now. +Don't expect anything from me when you are married; your Mr. Book's +friends must take care of you. I'm done with you forever." + +And, slamming the door in Meg's face, Aunt March drove off in high +dudgeon. She seemed to take all the girl's courage with her; for, when +left alone, Meg stood a moment, undecided whether to laugh or cry. +Before she could make up her mind, she was taken possession of by Mr. +Brooke, who said, all in one breath, "I couldn't help hearing, Meg. +Thank you for defending me, and Aunt March for proving that you _do_ +care for me a little bit." + +"I didn't know how much, till she abused you," began Meg. + +"And I needn't go away, but may stay and be happy, may I, dear?" + +Here was another fine chance to make the crushing speech and the stately +exit, but Meg never thought of doing either, and disgraced herself +forever in Jo's eyes by meekly whispering, "Yes, John," and hiding her +face on Mr. Brooke's waistcoat. + +Fifteen minutes after Aunt March's departure, Jo came softly down +stairs, paused an instant at the parlor door, and, hearing no sound +within, nodded and smiled, with a satisfied expression, saying to +herself, "She has sent him away as we planned, and that affair is +settled. I'll go and hear the fun, and have a good laugh over it." + +But poor Jo never got her laugh, for she was transfixed upon the +threshold by a spectacle which held her there, staring with her mouth +nearly as wide open as her eyes. Going in to exult over a fallen enemy, +and to praise a strong-minded sister for the banishment of an +objectionable lover, it certainly _was_ a shock to behold the aforesaid +enemy serenely sitting on the sofa, with the strong-minded sister +enthroned upon his knee, and wearing an expression of the most abject +submission. Jo gave a sort of gasp, as if a cold shower-bath had +suddenly fallen upon her,--for such an unexpected turning of the tables +actually took her breath away. At the odd sound, the lovers turned and +saw her. Meg jumped up, looking both proud and shy; but "that man," as +Jo called him, actually laughed, and said coolly, as he kissed the +astonished new-comer, "Sister Jo, congratulate us!" + +That was adding insult to injury,--it was altogether too much,--and, +making some wild demonstration with her hands, Jo vanished without a +word. Rushing upstairs, she startled the invalids by exclaiming +tragically, as she burst into the room, "Oh, _do_ somebody go down +quick; John Brooke is acting dreadfully, and Meg likes it!" + +Mr. and Mrs. March left the room with speed; and, casting herself upon +the bed, Jo cried and scolded tempestuously as she told the awful news +to Beth and Amy. The little girls, however, considered it a most +agreeable and interesting event, and Jo got little comfort from them; so +she went up to her refuge in the garret, and confided her troubles to +the rats. + +Nobody ever knew what went on in the parlor that afternoon; but a great +deal of talking was done, and quiet Mr. Brooke astonished his friends by +the eloquence and spirit with which he pleaded his suit, told his plans, +and persuaded them to arrange everything just as he wanted it. + +The tea-bell rang before he had finished describing the paradise which +he meant to earn for Meg, and he proudly took her in to supper, both +looking so happy that Jo hadn't the heart to be jealous or dismal. Amy +was very much impressed by John's devotion and Meg's dignity. Beth +beamed at them from a distance, while Mr. and Mrs. March surveyed the +young couple with such tender satisfaction that it was perfectly evident +Aunt March was right in calling them as "unworldly as a pair of babies." +No one ate much, but every one looked very happy, and the old room +seemed to brighten up amazingly when the first romance of the family +began there. + +"You can't say nothing pleasant ever happens now, can you, Meg?" said +Amy, trying to decide how she would group the lovers in the sketch she +was planning to take. + +"No, I'm sure I can't. How much has happened since I said that! It seems +a year ago," answered Meg, who was in a blissful dream, lifted far above +such common things as bread and butter. + +"The joys come close upon the sorrows this time, and I rather think the +changes have begun," said Mrs. March. "In most families there comes, now +and then, a year full of events; this has been such an one, but it ends +well, after all." + +"Hope the next will end better," muttered Jo, who found it very hard to +see Meg absorbed in a stranger before her face; for Jo loved a few +persons very dearly, and dreaded to have their affection lost or +lessened in any way. + +"I hope the third year from this _will_ end better; I mean it shall, if +I live to work out my plans," said Mr. Brooke, smiling at Meg, as if +everything had become possible to him now. + +"Doesn't it seem very long to wait?" asked Amy, who was in a hurry for +the wedding. + +"I've got so much to learn before I shall be ready, it seems a short +time to me," answered Meg, with a sweet gravity in her face, never seen +there before. + +"You have only to wait; _I_ am to do the work," said John, beginning his +labors by picking up Meg's napkin, with an expression which caused Jo to +shake her head, and then say to herself, with an air of relief, as the +front door banged, "Here comes Laurie. Now we shall have a little +sensible conversation." + +But Jo was mistaken; for Laurie came prancing in, overflowing with +spirits, bearing a great bridal-looking bouquet for "Mrs. John Brooke," +and evidently laboring under the delusion that the whole affair had been +brought about by his excellent management. + + [Illustration: For Mrs. John Brooke] + +"I knew Brooke would have it all his own way, he always does; for when +he makes up his mind to accomplish anything, it's done, though the sky +falls," said Laurie, when he had presented his offering and his +congratulations. + +"Much obliged for that recommendation. I take it as a good omen for the +future, and invite you to my wedding on the spot," answered Mr. Brooke, +who felt at peace with all mankind, even his mischievous pupil. + +"I'll come if I'm at the ends of the earth; for the sight of Jo's face +alone, on that occasion, would be worth a long journey. You don't look +festive, ma'am; what's the matter?" asked Laurie, following her into a +corner of the parlor, whither all had adjourned to greet Mr. Laurence. + +"I don't approve of the match, but I've made up my mind to bear it, and +shall not say a word against it," said Jo solemnly. "You can't know how +hard it is for me to give up Meg," she continued, with a little quiver +in her voice. + +"You don't give her up. You only go halves," said Laurie consolingly. + +"It never can be the same again. I've lost my dearest friend," sighed +Jo. + +"You've got me, anyhow. I'm not good for much, I know; but I'll stand +by you, Jo, all the days of my life; upon my word I will!" and Laurie +meant what he said. + +"I know you will, and I'm ever so much obliged; you are always a great +comfort to me, Teddy," returned Jo, gratefully shaking hands. + +"Well, now, don't be dismal, there's a good fellow. It's all right, you +see. Meg is happy; Brooke will fly round and get settled immediately; +grandpa will attend to him, and it will be very jolly to see Meg in her +own little house. We'll have capital times after she is gone, for I +shall be through college before long, and then we'll go abroad, or some +nice trip or other. Wouldn't that console you?" + +"I rather think it would; but there's no knowing what may happen in +three years," said Jo thoughtfully. + +"That's true. Don't you wish you could take a look forward, and see +where we shall all be then? I do," returned Laurie. + +"I think not, for I might see something sad; and every one looks so +happy now, I don't believe they could be much improved," and Jo's eyes +went slowly round the room, brightening as they looked, for the prospect +was a pleasant one. + +Father and mother sat together, quietly re-living the first chapter of +the romance which for them began some twenty years ago. Amy was drawing +the lovers, who sat apart in a beautiful world of their own, the light +of which touched their faces with a grace the little artist could not +copy. Beth lay on her sofa, talking cheerily with her old friend, who +held her little hand as if he felt that it possessed the power to lead +him along the peaceful way she walked. Jo lounged in her favorite low +seat, with the grave, quiet look which best became her; and Laurie, +leaning on the back of her chair, his chin on a level with her curly +head, smiled with his friendliest aspect, and nodded at her in the long +glass which reflected them both. + + * * * * * + +So grouped, the curtain falls upon Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. Whether it +ever rises again, depends upon the reception given to the first act of +the domestic drama called "LITTLE WOMEN." + + + + + [Illustration: Home of the Little Women] + + + + + The Second Part + + + + + [Illustration: The Dove Cote] + + XXIV. + + GOSSIP. + + +In order that we may start afresh, and go to Meg's wedding with free +minds, it will be well to begin with a little gossip about the Marches. +And here let me premise, that if any of the elders think there is too +much "lovering" in the story, as I fear they may (I'm not afraid the +young folks will make that objection), I can only say with Mrs. March, +"What _can_ you expect when I have four gay girls in the house, and a +dashing young neighbor over the way?" + +The three years that have passed have brought but few changes to the +quiet family. The war is over, and Mr. March safely at home, busy with +his books and the small parish which found in him a minister by nature +as by grace,--a quiet, studious man, rich in the wisdom that is better +than learning, the charity which calls all mankind "brother," the piety +that blossoms into character, making it august and lovely. + +These attributes, in spite of poverty and the strict integrity which +shut him out from the more worldly successes, attracted to him many +admirable persons, as naturally as sweet herbs draw bees, and as +naturally he gave them the honey into which fifty years of hard +experience had distilled no bitter drop. Earnest young men found the +gray-headed scholar as young at heart as they; thoughtful or troubled +women instinctively brought their doubts and sorrows to him, sure of +finding the gentlest sympathy, the wisest counsel; sinners told their +sins to the pure-hearted old man, and were both rebuked and saved; +gifted men found a companion in him; ambitious men caught glimpses of +nobler ambitions than their own; and even worldlings confessed that his +beliefs were beautiful and true, although "they wouldn't pay." + +To outsiders, the five energetic women seemed to rule the house, and so +they did in many things; but the quiet scholar, sitting among his books, +was still the head of the family, the household conscience, anchor, and +comforter; for to him the busy, anxious women always turned in troublous +times, finding him, in the truest sense of those sacred words, husband +and father. + +The girls gave their hearts into their mother's keeping, their souls +into their father's; and to both parents, who lived and labored so +faithfully for them, they gave a love that grew with their growth, and +bound them tenderly together by the sweetest tie which blesses life and +outlives death. + +Mrs. March is as brisk and cheery, though rather grayer, than when we +saw her last, and just now so absorbed in Meg's affairs that the +hospitals and homes, still full of wounded "boys" and soldiers' widows, +decidedly miss the motherly missionary's visits. + +John Brooke did his duty manfully for a year, got wounded, was sent +home, and not allowed to return. He received no stars or bars, but he +deserved them, for he cheerfully risked all he had; and life and love +are very precious when both are in full bloom. Perfectly resigned to his +discharge, he devoted himself to getting well, preparing for business, +and earning a home for Meg. With the good sense and sturdy independence +that characterized him, he refused Mr. Laurence's more generous offers, +and accepted the place of book-keeper feeling better satisfied to begin +with an honestly-earned salary, than by running any risks with borrowed +money. + +Meg had spent the time in working as well as waiting, growing womanly in +character, wise in housewifely arts, and prettier than ever; for love is +a great beautifier. She had her girlish ambitions and hopes, and felt +some disappointment at the humble way in which the new life must begin. +Ned Moffat had just married Sallie Gardiner, and Meg couldn't help +contrasting their fine house and carriage, many gifts, and splendid +outfit, with her own, and secretly wishing she could have the same. But +somehow envy and discontent soon vanished when she thought of all the +patient love and labor John had put into the little home awaiting her; +and when they sat together in the twilight, talking over their small +plans, the future always grew so beautiful and bright that she forgot +Sallie's splendor, and felt herself the richest, happiest girl in +Christendom. + +Jo never went back to Aunt March, for the old lady took such a fancy to +Amy that she bribed her with the offer of drawing lessons from one of +the best teachers going; and for the sake of this advantage, Amy would +have served a far harder mistress. So she gave her mornings to duty, her +afternoons to pleasure, and prospered finely. Jo, meantime, devoted +herself to literature and Beth, who remained delicate long after the +fever was a thing of the past. Not an invalid exactly, but never again +the rosy, healthy creature she had been; yet always hopeful, happy, and +serene, busy with the quiet duties she loved, every one's friend, and an +angel in the house, long before those who loved her most had learned to +know it. + +As long as "The Spread Eagle" paid her a dollar a column for her +"rubbish," as she called it, Jo felt herself a woman of means, and spun +her little romances diligently. But great plans fermented in her busy +brain and ambitious mind, and the old tin kitchen in the garret held a +slowly increasing pile of blotted manuscript, which was one day to place +the name of March upon the roll of fame. + +Laurie, having dutifully gone to college to please his grandfather, was +now getting through it in the easiest possible manner to please +himself. A universal favorite, thanks to money, manners, much talent, +and the kindest heart that ever got its owner into scrapes by trying to +get other people out of them, he stood in great danger of being spoilt, +and probably would have been, like many another promising boy, if he had +not possessed a talisman against evil in the memory of the kind old man +who was bound up in his success, the motherly friend who watched over +him as if he were her son, and last, but not least by any means, the +knowledge that four innocent girls loved, admired, and believed in him +with all their hearts. + +Being only "a glorious human boy," of course he frolicked and flirted, +grew dandified, aquatic, sentimental, or gymnastic, as college fashions +ordained; hazed and was hazed, talked slang, and more than once came +perilously near suspension and expulsion. But as high spirits and the +love of fun were the causes of these pranks, he always managed to save +himself by frank confession, honorable atonement, or the irresistible +power of persuasion which he possessed in perfection. In fact, he rather +prided himself on his narrow escapes, and liked to thrill the girls with +graphic accounts of his triumphs over wrathful tutors, dignified +professors, and vanquished enemies. The "men of my class" were heroes in +the eyes of the girls, who never wearied of the exploits of "our +fellows," and were frequently allowed to bask in the smiles of these +great creatures, when Laurie brought them home with him. + +Amy especially enjoyed this high honor, and became quite a belle among +them; for her ladyship early felt and learned to use the gift of +fascination with which she was endowed. Meg was too much absorbed in her +private and particular John to care for any other lords of creation, and +Beth too shy to do more than peep at them, and wonder how Amy dared to +order them about so; but Jo felt quite in her element, and found it very +difficult to refrain from imitating the gentlemanly attitudes, phrases, +and feats, which seemed more natural to her than the decorums prescribed +for young ladies. They all liked Jo immensely, but never fell in love +with her, though very few escaped without paying the tribute of a +sentimental sigh or two at Amy's shrine. And speaking of sentiment +brings us very naturally to the "Dove-cote." + +That was the name of the little brown house which Mr. Brooke had +prepared for Meg's first home. Laurie had christened it, saying it was +highly appropriate to the gentle lovers, who "went on together like a +pair of turtle-doves, with first a bill and then a coo." It was a tiny +house, with a little garden behind, and a lawn about as big as a +pocket-handkerchief in front. Here Meg meant to have a fountain, +shrubbery, and a profusion of lovely flowers; though just at present, +the fountain was represented by a weather-beaten urn, very like a +dilapidated slop-bowl; the shrubbery consisted of several young larches, +undecided whether to live or die; and the profusion of flowers was +merely hinted by regiments of sticks, to show where seeds were planted. +But inside, it was altogether charming, and the happy bride saw no fault +from garret to cellar. To be sure, the hall was so narrow, it was +fortunate that they had no piano, for one never could have been got in +whole; the dining-room was so small that six people were a tight fit; +and the kitchen stairs seemed built for the express purpose of +precipitating both servants and china pell-mell into the coal-bin. But +once get used to these slight blemishes, and nothing could be more +complete, for good sense and good taste had presided over the +furnishing, and the result was highly satisfactory. There were no +marble-topped tables, long mirrors, or lace curtains in the little +parlor, but simple furniture, plenty of books, a fine picture or two, a +stand of flowers in the bay-window, and, scattered all about, the pretty +gifts which came from friendly hands, and were the fairer for the loving +messages they brought. + +I don't think the Parian Psyche Laurie gave lost any of its beauty +because John put up the bracket it stood upon; that any upholsterer +could have draped the plain muslin curtains more gracefully than Amy's +artistic hand; or that any store-room was ever better provided with good +wishes, merry words, and happy hopes, than that in which Jo and her +mother put away Meg's few boxes, barrels, and bundles; and I am morally +certain that the spandy-new kitchen never _could_ have looked so cosey +and neat if Hannah had not arranged every pot and pan a dozen times +over, and laid the fire all ready for lighting, the minute "Mis. Brooke +came home." I also doubt if any young matron ever began life with so +rich a supply of dusters, holders, and piece-bags; for Beth made enough +to last till the silver wedding came round, and invented three +different kinds of dishcloths for the express service of the bridal +china. + +People who hire all these things done for them never know what they +lose; for the homeliest tasks get beautified if loving hands do them, +and Meg found so many proofs of this, that everything in her small nest, +from the kitchen roller to the silver vase on her parlor table, was +eloquent of home love and tender forethought. + +What happy times they had planning together, what solemn shopping +excursions; what funny mistakes they made, and what shouts of laughter +arose over Laurie's ridiculous bargains. In his love of jokes, this +young gentleman, though nearly through college, was as much of a boy as +ever. His last whim had been to bring with him, on his weekly visits, +some new, useful, and ingenious article for the young housekeeper. Now a +bag of remarkable clothes-pins; next, a wonderful nutmeg-grater, which +fell to pieces at the first trial; a knife-cleaner that spoilt all the +knives; or a sweeper that picked the nap neatly off the carpet, and left +the dirt; labor-saving soap that took the skin off one's hands; +infallible cements which stuck firmly to nothing but the fingers of the +deluded buyer; and every kind of tin-ware, from a toy savings-bank for +odd pennies, to a wonderful boiler which would wash articles in its own +steam, with every prospect of exploding in the process. + +In vain Meg begged him to stop. John laughed at him, and Jo called him +"Mr. Toodles." He was possessed with a mania for patronizing Yankee +ingenuity, and seeing his friends fitly furnished forth. So each week +beheld some fresh absurdity. + +Everything was done at last, even to Amy's arranging different colored +soaps to match the different colored rooms, and Beth's setting the table +for the first meal. + +"Are you satisfied? Does it seem like home, and do you feel as if you +should be happy here?" asked Mrs. March, as she and her daughter went +through the new kingdom, arm-in-arm; for just then they seemed to cling +together more tenderly than ever. + +"Yes, mother, perfectly satisfied, thanks to you all, and _so_ happy +that I can't talk about it," answered Meg, with a look that was better +than words. + +"If she only had a servant or two it would be all right," said Amy, +coming out of the parlor, where she had been trying to decide whether +the bronze Mercury looked best on the whatnot or the mantle-piece. + +"Mother and I have talked that over, and I have made up my mind to try +her way first. There will be so little to do, that, with Lotty to run my +errands and help me here and there, I shall only have enough work to +keep me from getting lazy or homesick," answered Meg tranquilly. + +"Sallie Moffat has four," began Amy. + +"If Meg had four the house wouldn't hold them, and master and missis +would have to camp in the garden," broke in Jo, who, enveloped in a big +blue pinafore, was giving the last polish to the door-handles. + +"Sallie isn't a poor man's wife, and many maids are in keeping with her +fine establishment. Meg and John begin humbly, but I have a feeling that +there will be quite as much happiness in the little house as in the big +one. It's a great mistake for young girls like Meg to leave themselves +nothing to do but dress, give orders, and gossip. When I was first +married, I used to long for my new clothes to wear out or get torn, so +that I might have the pleasure of mending them; for I got heartily sick +of doing fancy work and tending my pocket handkerchief." + +"Why didn't you go into the kitchen and make messes, as Sallie says she +does, to amuse herself, though they never turn out well, and the +servants laugh at her," said Meg. + +"I did, after a while; not to 'mess,' but to learn of Hannah how things +should be done, that my servants need _not_ laugh at me. It was play +then; but there came a time when I was truly grateful that I not only +possessed the will but the power to cook wholesome food for my little +girls, and help myself when I could no longer afford to hire help. You +begin at the other end, Meg, dear; but the lessons you learn now will be +of use to you by and by, when John is a richer man, for the mistress of +a house, however splendid, should know how work ought to be done, if she +wishes to be well and honestly served." + +"Yes, mother, I'm sure of that," said Meg, listening respectfully to the +little lecture; for the best of women will hold forth upon the +all-absorbing subject of housekeeping. "Do you know I like this room +most of all in my baby-house," added Meg, a minute after, as they went +upstairs, and she looked into her well-stored linen-closet. + +Beth was there, laying the snowy piles smoothly on the shelves, and +exulting over the goodly array. All three laughed as Meg spoke; for that +linen-closet was a joke. You see, having said that if Meg married "that +Brooke" she shouldn't have a cent of her money, Aunt March was rather in +a quandary, when time had appeased her wrath and made her repent her +vow. She never broke her word, and was much exercised in her mind how to +get round it, and at last devised a plan whereby she could satisfy +herself. Mrs. Carrol, Florence's mamma, was ordered to buy, have made, +and marked, a generous supply of house and table linen, and send it as +_her_ present, all of which was faithfully done; but the secret leaked +out, and was greatly enjoyed by the family; for Aunt March tried to look +utterly unconscious, and insisted that she could give nothing but the +old-fashioned pearls, long promised to the first bride. + +"That's a housewifely taste which I am glad to see. I had a young friend +who set up housekeeping with six sheets, but she had finger bowls for +company, and that satisfied her," said Mrs. March, patting the damask +table-cloths, with a truly feminine appreciation of their fineness. + +"I haven't a single finger-bowl, but this is a 'set out' that will last +me all my days, Hannah says;" and Meg looked quite contented, as well +she might. + +"Toodles is coming," cried Jo from below; and they all went down to meet +Laurie, whose weekly visit was an important event in their quiet lives. + +A tall, broad-shouldered young fellow, with a cropped head, a felt-basin +of a hat, and a fly-away coat, came tramping down the road at a great +pace, walked over the low fence without stopping to open the gate, +straight up to Mrs. March, with both hands out, and a hearty-- + +"Here I am, mother! Yes, it's all right." + +The last words were in answer to the look the elder lady gave him; a +kindly questioning look, which the handsome eyes met so frankly that the +little ceremony closed, as usual, with a motherly kiss. + +"For Mrs. John Brooke, with the maker's congratulations and compliments. +Bless you, Beth! What a refreshing spectacle you are, Jo. Amy, you are +getting altogether too handsome for a single lady." + +As Laurie spoke, he delivered a brown paper parcel to Meg, pulled Beth's +hair-ribbon, stared at Jo's big pinafore, and fell into an attitude of +mock rapture before Amy, then shook hands all round, and every one began +to talk. + +"Where is John?" asked Meg anxiously. + +"Stopped to get the license for to-morrow, ma'am." + +"Which side won the last match, Teddy?" inquired Jo, who persisted in +feeling an interest in manly sports, despite her nineteen years. + +"Ours, of course. Wish you'd been there to see." + +"How is the lovely Miss Randal?" asked Amy, with a significant smile. + +"More cruel than ever; don't you see how I'm pining away?" and Laurie +gave his broad chest a sounding slap and heaved a melodramatic sigh. + +"What's the last joke? Undo the bundle and see, Meg," said Beth, eying +the knobby parcel with curiosity. + +"It's a useful thing to have in the house in case of fire or thieves," +observed Laurie, as a watchman's rattle appeared, amid the laughter of +the girls. + + [Illustration: A small watchman's rattle] + +"Any time when John is away, and you get frightened, Mrs. Meg, just +swing that out of the front window, and it will rouse the neighborhood +in a jiffy. Nice thing, isn't it?" and Laurie gave them a sample of its +powers that made them cover up their ears. + +"There's gratitude for you! and speaking of gratitude reminds me to +mention that you may thank Hannah for saving your wedding-cake from +destruction. I saw it going into your house as I came by, and if she +hadn't defended it manfully I'd have had a pick at it, for it looked +like a remarkably plummy one." + +"I wonder if you will ever grow up, Laurie," said Meg, in a matronly +tone. + +"I'm doing my best, ma'am, but can't get much higher, I'm afraid, as six +feet is about all men can do in these degenerate days," responded the +young gentleman, whose head was about level with the little chandelier. +"I suppose it would be profanation to eat anything in this spick and +span new bower, so, as I'm tremendously hungry, I propose an +adjournment," he added presently. + +"Mother and I are going to wait for John. There are some last things to +settle," said Meg, bustling away. + +"Beth and I are going over to Kitty Bryant's to get more flowers for +to-morrow," added Amy, tying a picturesque hat over her picturesque +curls, and enjoying the effect as much as anybody. + +"Come, Jo, don't desert a fellow. I'm in such a state of exhaustion I +can't get home without help. Don't take off your apron, whatever you do; +it's peculiarly becoming," said Laurie, as Jo bestowed his especial +aversion in her capacious pocket, and offered him her arm to support his +feeble steps. + +"Now, Teddy, I want to talk seriously to you about to-morrow," began Jo, +as they strolled away together. "You _must_ promise to behave well, and +not cut up any pranks, and spoil our plans." + +"Not a prank." + +"And don't say funny things when we ought to be sober." + +"I never do; you are the one for that." + +"And I implore you not to look at me during the ceremony; I shall +certainly laugh if you do." + +"You won't see me; you'll be crying so hard that the thick fog round you +will obscure the prospect." + +"I never cry unless for some great affliction." + +"Such as fellows going to college, hey?" cut in Laurie, with a +suggestive laugh. + +"Don't be a peacock. I only moaned a trifle to keep the girls company." + +"Exactly. I say, Jo, how is grandpa this week; pretty amiable?" + +"Very; why, have you got into a scrape, and want to know how he'll take +it?" asked Jo rather sharply. + +"Now, Jo, do you think I'd look your mother in the face, and say 'All +right,' if it wasn't?" and Laurie stopped short, with an injured air. + +"No, I don't." + +"Then don't go and be suspicious; I only want some money," said Laurie, +walking on again, appeased by her hearty tone. + +"You spend a great deal, Teddy." + +"Bless you, _I_ don't spend it; it spends itself, somehow, and is gone +before I know it." + +"You are so generous and kind-hearted that you let people borrow, and +can't say 'No' to any one. We heard about Henshaw, and all you did for +him. If you always spent money in that way, no one would blame you," +said Jo warmly. + +"Oh, he made a mountain out of a mole-hill. You wouldn't have me let +that fine fellow work himself to death, just for the want of a little +help, when he is worth a dozen of us lazy chaps, would you?" + +"Of course not; but I don't see the use of your having seventeen +waistcoats, endless neckties, and a new hat every time you come home. I +thought you'd got over the dandy period; but every now and then it +breaks out in a new spot. Just now it's the fashion to be hideous,--to +make your head look like a scrubbing-brush, wear a strait-jacket, +orange gloves, and clumping, square-toed boots. If it was cheap +ugliness, I'd say nothing; but it costs as much as the other, and I +don't get any satisfaction out of it." + +Laurie threw back his head, and laughed so heartily at this attack, that +the felt-basin fell off, and Jo walked on it, which insult only afforded +him an opportunity for expatiating on the advantages of a +rough-and-ready costume, as he folded up the maltreated hat, and stuffed +it into his pocket. + +"Don't lecture any more, there's a good soul! I have enough all through +the week, and like to enjoy myself when I come home. I'll get myself up +regardless of expense, to-morrow, and be a satisfaction to my friends." + +"I'll leave you in peace if you'll _only_ let your hair grow. I'm not +aristocratic, but I do object to being seen with a person who looks like +a young prize-fighter," observed Jo severely. + +"This unassuming style promotes study; that's why we adopt it," returned +Laurie, who certainly could not be accused of vanity, having voluntarily +sacrificed a handsome curly crop to the demand for +quarter-of-an-inch-long stubble. + +"By the way, Jo, I think that little Parker is really getting desperate +about Amy. He talks of her constantly, writes poetry, and moons about in +a most suspicious manner. He'd better nip his little passion in the bud, +hadn't he?" added Laurie, in a confidential, elder-brotherly tone, after +a minute's silence. + +"Of course he had; we don't want any more marrying in this family for +years to come. Mercy on us, what _are_ the children thinking of?" and Jo +looked as much scandalized as if Amy and little Parker were not yet in +their teens. + +"It's a fast age, and I don't know what we are coming to, ma'am. You are +a mere infant, but you'll go next, Jo, and we'll be left lamenting," +said Laurie, shaking his head over the degeneracy of the times. + +"Don't be alarmed; I'm not one of the agreeable sort. Nobody will want +me, and it's a mercy, for there should always be one old maid in a +family." + +"You won't give any one a chance," said Laurie, with a sidelong glance, +and a little more color than before in his sunburnt face. "You won't +show the soft side of your character; and if a fellow gets a peep at it +by accident, and can't help showing that he likes it, you treat him as +Mrs. Gummidge did her sweetheart,--throw cold water over him,--and get +so thorny no one dares touch or look at you." + +"I don't like that sort of thing; I'm too busy to be worried with +nonsense, and I think it's dreadful to break up families so. Now don't +say any more about it; Meg's wedding has turned all our heads, and we +talk of nothing but lovers and such absurdities. I don't wish to get +cross, so let's change the subject;" and Jo looked quite ready to fling +cold water on the slightest provocation. + +Whatever his feelings might have been, Laurie found a vent for them in a +long low whistle, and the fearful prediction, as they parted at the +gate, "Mark my words, Jo, you'll go next." + + [Illustration: Tail-piece] + + + + + [Illustration: The First Wedding] + + XXV. + + THE FIRST WEDDING. + + +The June roses over the porch were awake bright and early on that +morning, rejoicing with all their hearts in the cloudless sunshine, like +friendly little neighbors, as they were. Quite flushed with excitement +were their ruddy faces, as they swung in the wind, whispering to one +another what they had seen; for some peeped in at the dining-room +windows, where the feast was spread, some climbed up to nod and smile at +the sisters as they dressed the bride, others waved a welcome to those +who came and went on various errands in garden, porch, and hall, and +all, from the rosiest full-blown flower to the palest baby-bud, offered +their tribute of beauty and fragrance to the gentle mistress who had +loved and tended them so long. + +Meg looked very like a rose herself; for all that was best and sweetest +in heart and soul seemed to bloom into her face that day, making it fair +and tender, with a charm more beautiful than beauty. Neither silk, lace, +nor orange-flowers would she have. "I don't want to look strange or +fixed up to-day," she said. "I don't want a fashionable wedding, but +only those about me whom I love, and to them I wish to look and be my +familiar self." + +So she made her wedding gown herself, sewing into it the tender hopes +and innocent romances of a girlish heart. Her sisters braided up her +pretty hair, and the only ornaments she wore were the lilies of the +valley, which "her John" liked best of all the flowers that grew. + +"You _do_ look just like our own dear Meg, only so very sweet and lovely +that I should hug you if it wouldn't crumple your dress," cried Amy, +surveying her with delight, when all was done. + +"Then I am satisfied. But please hug and kiss me, every one, and don't +mind my dress; I want a great many crumples of this sort put into it +to-day;" and Meg opened her arms to her sisters, who clung about her +with April faces for a minute, feeling that the new love had not changed +the old. + +"Now I'm going to tie John's cravat for him, and then to stay a few +minutes with father quietly in the study;" and Meg ran down to perform +these little ceremonies, and then to follow her mother wherever she +went, conscious that, in spite of the smiles on the motherly face, there +was a secret sorrow hid in the motherly heart at the flight of the first +bird from the nest. + +As the younger girls stand together, giving the last touches to their +simple toilet, it may be a good time to tell of a few changes which +three years have wrought in their appearance; for all are looking their +best just now. + +Jo's angles are much softened; she has learned to carry herself with +ease, if not grace. The curly crop has lengthened into a thick coil, +more becoming to the small head atop of the tall figure. There is a +fresh color in her brown cheeks, a soft shine in her eyes, and only +gentle words fall from her sharp tongue to-day. + +Beth has grown slender, pale, and more quiet than ever; the beautiful, +kind eyes are larger, and in them lies an expression that saddens one, +although it is not sad itself. It is the shadow of pain which touches +the young face with such pathetic patience; but Beth seldom complains, +and always speaks hopefully of "being better soon." + +Amy is with truth considered "the flower of the family;" for at sixteen +she has the air and bearing of a full-grown woman--not beautiful, but +possessed of that indescribable charm called grace. One saw it in the +lines of her figure, the make and motion of her hands, the flow of her +dress, the droop of her hair,--unconscious, yet harmonious, and as +attractive to many as beauty itself. Amy's nose still afflicted her, for +it never _would_ grow Grecian; so did her mouth, being too wide, and +having a decided chin. These offending features gave character to her +whole face, but she never could see it, and consoled herself with her +wonderfully fair complexion, keen blue eyes, and curls, more golden and +abundant than ever. + +All three wore suits of thin silver gray (their best gowns for the +summer), with blush-roses in hair and bosom; and all three looked just +what they were,--fresh-faced, happy-hearted girls, pausing a moment in +their busy lives to read with wistful eyes the sweetest chapter in the +romance of womanhood. + +There were to be no ceremonious performances, everything was to be as +natural and homelike as possible; so when Aunt March arrived, she was +scandalized to see the bride come running to welcome and lead her in, to +find the bridegroom fastening up a garland that had fallen down, and to +catch a glimpse of the paternal minister marching upstairs with a grave +countenance, and a wine-bottle under each arm. + +"Upon my word, here's a state of things!" cried the old lady, taking the +seat of honor prepared for her, and settling the folds of her lavender +_moire_ with a great rustle. "You oughtn't to be seen till the last +minute, child." + +"I'm not a show, aunty, and no one is coming to stare at me, to +criticise my dress, or count the cost of my luncheon. I'm too happy to +care what any one says or thinks, and I'm going to have my little +wedding just as I like it. John, dear, here's your hammer;" and away +went Meg to help "that man" in his highly improper employment. + +Mr. Brooke didn't even say "Thank you," but as he stooped for the +unromantic tool, he kissed his little bride behind the folding-door, +with a look that made Aunt March whisk out her pocket-handkerchief, with +a sudden dew in her sharp old eyes. + +A crash, a cry, and a laugh from Laurie, accompanied by the indecorous +exclamation, "Jupiter Ammon! Jo's upset the cake again!" caused a +momentary flurry, which was hardly over when a flock of cousins arrived, +and "the party came in," as Beth used to say when a child. + +"Don't let that young giant come near me; he worries me worse than +mosquitoes," whispered the old lady to Amy, as the rooms filled, and +Laurie's black head towered above the rest. + +"He has promised to be very good to-day, and he _can_ be perfectly +elegant if he likes," returned Amy, gliding away to warn Hercules to +beware of the dragon, which warning caused him to haunt the old lady +with a devotion that nearly distracted her. + +There was no bridal procession, but a sudden silence fell upon the room +as Mr. March and the young pair took their places under the green arch. +Mother and sisters gathered close, as if loath to give Meg up; the +fatherly voice broke more than once, which only seemed to make the +service more beautiful and solemn; the bridegroom's hand trembled +visibly, and no one heard his replies; but Meg looked straight up in her +husband's eyes, and said, "I will!" with such tender trust in her own +face and voice that her mother's heart rejoiced, and Aunt March sniffed +audibly. + +Jo did _not_ cry, though she was very near it once, and was only saved +from a demonstration by the consciousness that Laurie was staring +fixedly at her, with a comical mixture of merriment and emotion in his +wicked black eyes. Beth kept her face hidden on her mother's shoulder, +but Amy stood like a graceful statue, with a most becoming ray of +sunshine touching her white forehead and the flower in her hair. + +It wasn't at all the thing, I'm afraid, but the minute she was fairly +married, Meg cried, "The first kiss for Marmee!" and, turning, gave it +with her heart on her lips. During the next fifteen minutes she looked +more like a rose than ever, for every one availed themselves of their +privileges to the fullest extent, from Mr. Laurence to old Hannah, who, +adorned with a head-dress fearfully and wonderfully made, fell upon her +in the hall, crying, with a sob and a chuckle, "Bless you, deary, a +hundred times! The cake ain't hurt a mite, and everything looks lovely." + +Everybody cleared up after that, and said something brilliant, or tried +to, which did just as well, for laughter is ready when hearts are light. +There was no display of gifts, for they were already in the little +house, nor was there an elaborate breakfast, but a plentiful lunch of +cake and fruit, dressed with flowers. Mr. Laurence and Aunt March +shrugged and smiled at one another when water, lemonade, and coffee were +found to be the only sorts of nectar which the three Hebes carried +round. No one said anything, however, till Laurie, who insisted on +serving the bride, appeared before her, with a loaded salver in his hand +and a puzzled expression on his face. + +"Has Jo smashed all the bottles by accident?" he whispered, "or am I +merely laboring under a delusion that I saw some lying about loose this +morning?" + +"No; your grandfather kindly offered us his best, and Aunt March +actually sent some, but father put away a little for Beth, and +despatched the rest to the Soldiers' Home. You know he thinks that wine +should be used only in illness, and mother says that neither she nor her +daughters will ever offer it to any young man under her roof." + +Meg spoke seriously, and expected to see Laurie frown or laugh; but he +did neither, for after a quick look at her, he said, in his impetuous +way, "I like that! for I've seen enough harm done to wish other women +would think as you do." + +"You are not made wise by experience, I hope?" and there was an anxious +accent in Meg's voice. + +"No; I give you my word for it. Don't think too well of me, either; this +is not one of my temptations. Being brought up where wine is as common +as water, and almost as harmless, I don't care for it; but when a pretty +girl offers it, one doesn't like to refuse, you see." + +"But you will, for the sake of others, if not for your own. Come, +Laurie, promise, and give me one more reason to call this the happiest +day of my life." + +A demand so sudden and so serious made the young man hesitate a moment, +for ridicule is often harder to bear than self-denial. Meg knew that if +he gave the promise he would keep it at all costs; and, feeling her +power, used it as a woman may for her friend's good. She did not speak, +but she looked up at him with a face made very eloquent by happiness, +and a smile which said, "No one can refuse me anything to-day." Laurie +certainly could not; and, with an answering smile, he gave her his hand, +saying heartily, "I promise, Mrs. Brooke!" + +"I thank you, very, very much." + +"And I drink 'long life to your resolution,' Teddy," cried Jo, baptizing +him with a splash of lemonade, as she waved her glass, and beamed +approvingly upon him. + +So the toast was drunk, the pledge made, and loyally kept, in spite of +many temptations; for, with instinctive wisdom, the girls had seized a +happy moment to do their friend a service, for which he thanked them all +his life. + +After lunch, people strolled about, by twos and threes, through house +and garden, enjoying the sunshine without and within. Meg and John +happened to be standing together in the middle of the grass-plot, when +Laurie was seized with an inspiration which put the finishing touch to +this unfashionable wedding. + +"All the married people take hands and dance round the new-made husband +and wife, as the Germans do, while we bachelors and spinsters prance in +couples outside!" cried Laurie, promenading down the path with Amy, with +such infectious spirit and skill that every one else followed their +example without a murmur. Mr. and Mrs. March, Aunt and Uncle Carrol, +began it; others rapidly joined in; even Sallie Moffat, after a moment's +hesitation, threw her train over her arm, and whisked Ned into the ring. +But the crowning joke was Mr. Laurence and Aunt March; for when the +stately old gentleman _chasséed_ solemnly up to the old lady, she just +tucked her cane under her arm, and hopped briskly away to join hands +with the rest, and dance about the bridal pair, while the young folks +pervaded the garden, like butterflies on a midsummer day. + +Want of breath brought the impromptu ball to a close, and then people +began to go. + +"I wish you well, my dear, I heartily wish you well; but I think you'll +be sorry for it," said Aunt March to Meg, adding to the bridegroom, as +he led her to the carriage, "You've got a treasure, young man, see that +you deserve it." + +"That is the prettiest wedding I've been to for an age, Ned, and I don't +see why, for there wasn't a bit of style about it," observed Mrs. Moffat +to her husband, as they drove away. + +"Laurie, my lad, if you ever want to indulge in this sort of thing, get +one of those little girls to help you, and I shall be perfectly +satisfied," said Mr. Laurence, settling himself in his easy-chair to +rest, after the excitement of the morning. + +"I'll do my best to gratify you, sir," was Laurie's unusually dutiful +reply, as he carefully unpinned the posy Jo had put in his button-hole. + +The little house was not far away, and the only bridal journey Meg had +was the quiet walk with John, from the old home to the new. When she +came down, looking like a pretty Quakeress in her dove-colored suit and +straw bonnet tied with white, they all gathered about her to say +"good-by," as tenderly as if she had been going to make the grand tour. + +"Don't feel that I am separated from you, Marmee dear, or that I love +you any the less for loving John so much," she said, clinging to her +mother, with full eyes, for a moment. "I shall come every day, father, +and expect to keep my old place in all your hearts, though I _am_ +married. Beth is going to be with me a great deal, and the other girls +will drop in now and then to laugh at my housekeeping struggles. Thank +you all for my happy wedding-day. Good-by, good-by!" + +They stood watching her, with faces full of love and hope and tender +pride, as she walked away, leaning on her husband's arm, with her hands +full of flowers, and the June sunshine brightening her happy face,--and +so Meg's married life began. + + + + + [Illustration: Artistic Attempts] + + XXVI. + + ARTISTIC ATTEMPTS. + + +It takes people a long time to learn the difference between talent and +genius, especially ambitious young men and women. Amy was learning this +distinction through much tribulation; for, mistaking enthusiasm for +inspiration, she attempted every branch of art with youthful audacity. +For a long time there was a lull in the "mud-pie" business, and she +devoted herself to the finest pen-and-ink drawing, in which she showed +such taste and skill that her graceful handiwork proved both pleasant +and profitable. But overstrained eyes soon caused pen and ink to be laid +aside for a bold attempt at poker-sketching. While this attack lasted, +the family lived in constant fear of a conflagration; for the odor of +burning wood pervaded the house at all hours; smoke issued from attic +and shed with alarming frequency, red-hot pokers lay about +promiscuously, and Hannah never went to bed without a pail of water and +the dinner-bell at her door, in case of fire. Raphael's face was found +boldly executed on the under side of the moulding-board, and Bacchus on +the head of a beer-barrel; a chanting cherub adorned the cover of the +sugar-bucket, and attempts to portray Romeo and Juliet supplied +kindlings for some time. + +From fire to oil was a natural transition for burnt fingers, and Amy +fell to painting with undiminished ardor. An artist friend fitted her +out with his cast-off palettes, brushes, and colors; and she daubed +away, producing pastoral and marine views such as were never seen on +land or sea. Her monstrosities in the way of cattle would have taken +prizes at an agricultural fair; and the perilous pitching of her vessels +would have produced sea-sickness in the most nautical observer, if the +utter disregard to all known rules of shipbuilding and rigging had not +convulsed him with laughter at the first glance. Swarthy boys and +dark-eyed Madonnas, staring at you from one corner of the studio, +suggested Murillo; oily-brown shadows of faces, with a lurid streak in +the wrong place, meant Rembrandt; buxom ladies and dropsical infants, +Rubens; and Turner appeared in tempests of blue thunder, orange +lightning, brown rain, and purple clouds, with a tomato-colored splash +in the middle, which might be the sun or a buoy, a sailor's shirt or a +king's robe, as the spectator pleased. + +Charcoal portraits came next; and the entire family hung in a row, +looking as wild and crocky as if just evoked from a coal-bin. Softened +into crayon sketches, they did better; for the likenesses were good, and +Amy's hair, Jo's nose, Meg's mouth, and Laurie's eyes were pronounced +"wonderfully fine." A return to clay and plaster followed, and ghostly +casts of her acquaintances haunted corners of the house, or tumbled off +closet-shelves on to people's heads. Children were enticed in as models, +till their incoherent accounts of her mysterious doings caused Miss Amy +to be regarded in the light of a young ogress. Her efforts in this line, +however, were brought to an abrupt close by an untoward accident, which +quenched her ardor. Other models failing her for a time, she undertook +to cast her own pretty foot, and the family were one day alarmed by an +unearthly bumping and screaming, and running to the rescue, found the +young enthusiast hopping wildly about the shed, with her foot held fast +in a pan-full of plaster, which had hardened with unexpected rapidity. +With much difficulty and some danger she was dug out; for Jo was so +overcome with laughter while she excavated, that her knife went too far, +cut the poor foot, and left a lasting memorial of one artistic attempt, +at least. + + [Illustration: Her foot held fast in a panful of plaster] + +After this Amy subsided, till a mania for sketching from nature set her +to haunting river, field, and wood, for picturesque studies, and sighing +for ruins to copy. She caught endless colds sitting on damp grass to +book "a delicious bit," composed of a stone, a stump, one mushroom, and +a broken mullein-stalk, or "a heavenly mass of clouds," that looked like +a choice display of feather-beds when done. She sacrificed her +complexion floating on the river in the midsummer sun, to study light +and shade, and got a wrinkle over her nose, trying after "points of +sight," or whatever the squint-and-string performance is called. + +If "genius is eternal patience," as Michael Angelo affirms, Amy +certainly had some claim to the divine attribute, for she persevered in +spite of all obstacles, failures, and discouragements, firmly believing +that in time she should do something worthy to be called "high art." + +She was learning, doing, and enjoying other things, meanwhile, for she +had resolved to be an attractive and accomplished woman, even if she +never became a great artist. Here she succeeded better; for she was one +of those happily created beings who please without effort, make friends +everywhere, and take life so gracefully and easily that less fortunate +souls are tempted to believe that such are born under a lucky star. +Everybody liked her, for among her good gifts was tact. She had an +instinctive sense of what was pleasing and proper, always said the right +thing to the right person, did just what suited the time and place, and +was so self-possessed that her sisters used to say, "If Amy went to +court without any rehearsal beforehand, she'd know exactly what to do." + +One of her weaknesses was a desire to move in "our best society," +without being quite sure what the _best_ really was. Money, position, +fashionable accomplishments, and elegant manners were most desirable +things in her eyes, and she liked to associate with those who possessed +them, often mistaking the false for the true, and admiring what was not +admirable. Never forgetting that by birth she was a gentlewoman, she +cultivated her aristocratic tastes and feelings, so that when the +opportunity came she might be ready to take the place from which poverty +now excluded her. + +"My lady," as her friends called her, sincerely desired to be a genuine +lady, and was so at heart, but had yet to learn that money cannot buy +refinement of nature, that rank does not always confer nobility, and +that true breeding makes itself felt in spite of external drawbacks. + +"I want to ask a favor of you, mamma," Amy said, coming in, with an +important air, one day. + +"Well, little girl, what is it?" replied her mother, in whose eyes the +stately young lady still remained "the baby." + +"Our drawing class breaks up next week, and before the girls separate +for the summer, I want to ask them out here for a day. They are wild to +see the river, sketch the broken bridge, and copy some of the things +they admire in my book. They have been very kind to me in many ways, and +I am grateful, for they are all rich, and know I am poor, yet they never +made any difference." + +"Why should they?" and Mrs. March put the question with what the girls +called her "Maria Theresa air." + +"You know as well as I that it _does_ make a difference with nearly +every one, so don't ruffle up, like a dear, motherly hen, when your +chickens get pecked by smarter birds; the ugly duckling turned out a +swan, you know;" and Amy smiled without bitterness, for she possessed a +happy temper and hopeful spirit. + +Mrs. March laughed, and smoothed down her maternal pride as she asked,-- + +"Well, my swan, what is your plan?" + +"I should like to ask the girls out to lunch next week, to take them a +drive to the places they want to see, a row on the river, perhaps, and +make a little artistic _fête_ for them." + +"That looks feasible. What do you want for lunch? Cake, sandwiches, +fruit, and coffee will be all that is necessary, I suppose?" + +"Oh dear, no! we must have cold tongue and chicken, French chocolate and +ice-cream, besides. The girls are used to such things, and I want my +lunch to be proper and elegant, though I _do_ work for my living." + +"How many young ladies are there?" asked her mother, beginning to look +sober. + +"Twelve or fourteen in the class, but I dare say they won't all come." + +"Bless me, child, you will have to charter an omnibus to carry them +about." + +"Why, mother, how _can_ you think of such a thing? Not more than six or +eight will probably come, so I shall hire a beach-wagon, and borrow Mr. +Laurence's cherry-bounce." (Hannah's pronunciation of _char-à-banc_.) + +"All this will be expensive, Amy." + +"Not very; I've calculated the cost, and I'll pay for it myself." + +"Don't you think, dear, that as these girls are used to such things, and +the best we can do will be nothing new, that some simpler plan would be +pleasanter to them, as a change, if nothing more, and much better for us +than buying or borrowing what we don't need, and attempting a style not +in keeping with our circumstances?" + +"If I can't have it as I like, I don't care to have it at all. I know +that I can carry it out perfectly well, if you and the girls will help +a little; and I don't see why I can't if I'm willing to pay for it," +said Amy, with the decision which opposition was apt to change into +obstinacy. + +Mrs. March knew that experience was an excellent teacher, and when it +was possible she left her children to learn alone the lessons which she +would gladly have made easier, if they had not objected to taking advice +as much as they did salts and senna. + +"Very well, Amy; if your heart is set upon it, and you see your way +through without too great an outlay of money, time, and temper, I'll say +no more. Talk it over with the girls, and whichever way you decide, I'll +do my best to help you." + +"Thanks, mother; you are always _so_ kind;" and away went Amy to lay her +plan before her sisters. + +Meg agreed at once, and promised her aid, gladly offering anything she +possessed, from her little house itself to her very best salt-spoons. +But Jo frowned upon the whole project, and would have nothing to do with +it at first. + +"Why in the world should you spend your money, worry your family, and +turn the house upside down for a parcel of girls who don't care a +sixpence for you? I thought you had too much pride and sense to truckle +to any mortal woman just because she wears French boots and rides in a +_coupé_," said Jo, who, being called from the tragical climax of her +novel, was not in the best mood for social enterprises. + +"I _don't_ truckle, and I hate being patronized as much as you do!" +returned Amy indignantly, for the two still jangled when such questions +arose. "The girls do care for me, and I for them, and there's a great +deal of kindness and sense and talent among them, in spite of what you +call fashionable nonsense. You don't care to make people like you, to go +into good society, and cultivate your manners and tastes. I do, and I +mean to make the most of every chance that comes. _You_ can go through +the world with your elbows out and your nose in the air, and call it +independence, if you like. That's not my way." + +When Amy whetted her tongue and freed her mind she usually got the best +of it, for she seldom failed to have common sense on her side, while Jo +carried her love of liberty and hate of conventionalities to such an +unlimited extent that she naturally found herself worsted in an +argument. Amy's definition of Jo's idea of independence was such a good +hit that both burst out laughing, and the discussion took a more amiable +turn. Much against her will, Jo at length consented to sacrifice a day +to Mrs. Grundy, and help her sister through what she regarded as "a +nonsensical business." + +The invitations were sent, nearly all accepted, and the following Monday +was set apart for the grand event. Hannah was out of humor because her +week's work was deranged, and prophesied that "ef the washin' and +ironin' warn't done reg'lar nothin' would go well anywheres." This hitch +in the mainspring of the domestic machinery had a bad effect upon the +whole concern; but Amy's motto was "Nil desperandum," and having made up +her mind what to do, she proceeded to do it in spite of all obstacles. +To begin with, Hannah's cooking didn't turn out well: the chicken was +tough, the tongue too salt, and the chocolate wouldn't froth properly. +Then the cake and ice cost more than Amy expected, so did the wagon; and +various other expenses, which seemed trifling at the outset, counted up +rather alarmingly afterward. Beth got cold and took to her bed, Meg had +an unusual number of callers to keep her at home, and Jo was in such a +divided state of mind that her breakages, accidents, and mistakes were +uncommonly numerous, serious, and trying. + +"If it hadn't been for mother I never should have got through," as Amy +declared afterward, and gratefully remembered when "the best joke of the +season" was entirely forgotten by everybody else. + +If it was not fair on Monday, the young ladies were to come on +Tuesday,--an arrangement which aggravated Jo and Hannah to the last +degree. On Monday morning the weather was in that undecided state which +is more exasperating than a steady pour. It drizzled a little, shone a +little, blew a little, and didn't make up its mind till it was too late +for any one else to make up theirs. Amy was up at dawn, hustling people +out of their beds and through their breakfasts, that the house might be +got in order. The parlor struck her as looking uncommonly shabby; but +without stopping to sigh for what she had not, she skilfully made the +best of what she had, arranging chairs over the worn places in the +carpet, covering stains on the walls with pictures framed in ivy, and +filling up empty corners with home-made statuary, which gave an artistic +air to the room, as did the lovely vases of flowers Jo scattered about. + +The lunch looked charmingly; and as she surveyed it, she sincerely hoped +it would taste well, and that the borrowed glass, china, and silver +would get safely home again. The carriages were promised, Meg and mother +were all ready to do the honors, Beth was able to help Hannah behind the +scenes, Jo had engaged to be as lively and amiable as an absent mind, an +aching head, and a very decided disapproval of everybody and everything +would allow, and, as she wearily dressed, Amy cheered herself with +anticipations of the happy moment, when, lunch safely over, she should +drive away with her friends for an afternoon of artistic delights; for +the "cherry-bounce" and the broken bridge were her strong points. + +Then came two hours of suspense, during which she vibrated from parlor +to porch, while public opinion varied like the weathercock. A smart +shower at eleven had evidently quenched the enthusiasm of the young +ladies who were to arrive at twelve, for nobody came; and at two the +exhausted family sat down in a blaze of sunshine to consume the +perishable portions of the feast, that nothing might be lost. + +"No doubt about the weather to-day; they will certainly come, so we must +fly round and be ready for them," said Amy, as the sun woke her next +morning. She spoke briskly, but in her secret soul she wished she had +said nothing about Tuesday, for her interest, like her cake, was getting +a little stale. + +"I can't get any lobsters, so you will have to do without salad to-day," +said Mr. March, coming in half an hour later, with an expression of +placid despair. + +"Use the chicken, then; the toughness won't matter in a salad," advised +his wife. + +"Hannah left it on the kitchen-table a minute, and the kittens got at +it. I'm very sorry, Amy," added Beth, who was still a patroness of cats. + +"Then I _must_ have a lobster, for tongue alone won't do," said Amy +decidedly. + +"Shall I rush into town and demand one?" asked Jo, with the magnanimity +of a martyr. + +"You'd come bringing it home under your arm, without any paper, just to +try me. I'll go myself," answered Amy, whose temper was beginning to +fail. + +Shrouded in a thick veil and armed with a genteel travelling-basket, she +departed, feeling that a cool drive would soothe her ruffled spirit, and +fit her for the labors of the day. After some delay, the object of her +desire was procured, likewise a bottle of dressing, to prevent further +loss of time at home, and off she drove again, well pleased with her own +forethought. + +As the omnibus contained only one other passenger, a sleepy old lady, +Amy pocketed her veil, and beguiled the tedium of the way by trying to +find out where all her money had gone to. So busy was she with her card +full of refractory figures that she did not observe a new-comer, who +entered without stopping the vehicle, till a masculine voice said, +"Good-morning, Miss March," and, looking up, she beheld one of Laurie's +most elegant college friends. Fervently hoping that he would get out +before she did, Amy utterly ignored the basket at her feet, and, +congratulating herself that she had on her new travelling dress, +returned the young man's greeting with her usual suavity and spirit. + +They got on excellently; for Amy's chief care was soon set at rest by +learning that the gentleman would leave first, and she was chatting away +in a peculiarly lofty strain, when the old lady got out. In stumbling to +the door, she upset the basket, and--oh, horror!--the lobster, in all +its vulgar size and brilliancy, was revealed to the highborn eyes of a +Tudor. + +"By Jove, she's forgotten her dinner!" cried the unconscious youth, +poking the scarlet monster into its place with his cane, and preparing +to hand out the basket after the old lady. + +"Please don't--it's--it's mine," murmured Amy, with a face nearly as red +as her fish. + + [Illustration: Please don't, it's mine] + +"Oh, really, I beg pardon; it's an uncommonly fine one, isn't it?" said +Tudor, with great presence of mind, and an air of sober interest that +did credit to his breeding. + +Amy recovered herself in a breath, set her basket boldly on the seat, +and said, laughing,-- + +"Don't you wish you were to have some of the salad he's to make, and to +see the charming young ladies who are to eat it?" + +Now that was tact, for two of the ruling foibles of the masculine mind +were touched: the lobster was instantly surrounded by a halo of pleasing +reminiscences, and curiosity about "the charming young ladies" diverted +his mind from the comical mishap. + +"I suppose he'll laugh and joke over it with Laurie, but I sha'n't see +them; that's a comfort," thought Amy, as Tudor bowed and departed. + +She did not mention this meeting at home (though she discovered that, +thanks to the upset, her new dress was much damaged by the rivulets of +dressing that meandered down the skirt), but went through with the +preparations which now seemed more irksome than before; and at twelve +o'clock all was ready again. Feeling that the neighbors were interested +in her movements, she wished to efface the memory of yesterday's +failure by a grand success to-day; so she ordered the "cherry-bounce," +and drove away in state to meet and escort her guests to the banquet. + +"There's the rumble, they're coming! I'll go into the porch to meet +them; it looks hospitable, and I want the poor child to have a good time +after all her trouble," said Mrs. March, suiting the action to the word. +But after one glance, she retired, with an indescribable expression, +for, looking quite lost in the big carriage, sat Amy and one young lady. + +"Run, Beth, and help Hannah clear half the things off the table; it will +be too absurd to put a luncheon for twelve before a single girl," cried +Jo, hurrying away to the lower regions, too excited to stop even for a +laugh. + +In came Amy, quite calm, and delightfully cordial to the one guest who +had kept her promise; the rest of the family, being of a dramatic turn, +played their parts equally well, and Miss Eliott found them a most +hilarious set; for it was impossible to entirely control the merriment +which possessed them. The remodelled lunch being gayly partaken of, the +studio and garden visited, and art discussed with enthusiasm, Amy +ordered a buggy (alas for the elegant cherry-bounce!) and drove her +friend quietly about the neighborhood till sunset, when "the party went +out." + +As she came walking in, looking very tired, but as composed as ever, she +observed that every vestige of the unfortunate _fête_ had disappeared, +except a suspicious pucker about the corners of Jo's mouth. + +"You've had a lovely afternoon for your drive, dear," said her mother, +as respectfully as if the whole twelve had come. + +"Miss Eliott is a very sweet girl, and seemed to enjoy herself, I +thought," observed Beth, with unusual warmth. + +"Could you spare me some of your cake? I really need some, I have so +much company, and I can't make such delicious stuff as yours," asked Meg +soberly. + +"Take it all; I'm the only one here who likes sweet things, and it will +mould before I can dispose of it," answered Amy, thinking with a sigh of +the generous store she had laid in for such an end as this. + +"It's a pity Laurie isn't here to help us," began Jo, as they sat down +to ice-cream and salad for the second time in two days. + +A warning look from her mother checked any further remarks, and the +whole family ate in heroic silence, till Mr. March mildly observed, +"Salad was one of the favorite dishes of the ancients, and Evelyn"--here +a general explosion of laughter cut short the "history of sallets," to +the great surprise of the learned gentleman. + +"Bundle everything into a basket and send it to the Hummels: Germans +like messes. I'm sick of the sight of this; and there's no reason you +should all die of a surfeit because I've been a fool," cried Amy, wiping +her eyes. + +"I thought I _should_ have died when I saw you two girls rattling about +in the what-you-call-it, like two little kernels in a very big nutshell, +and mother waiting in state to receive the throng," sighed Jo, quite +spent with laughter. + +"I'm very sorry you were disappointed, dear, but we all did our best to +satisfy you," said Mrs. March, in a tone full of motherly regret. + +"I _am_ satisfied; I've done what I undertook, and it's not my fault +that it failed; I comfort myself with that," said Amy, with a little +quiver in her voice. "I thank you all very much for helping me, and I'll +thank you still more if you won't allude to it for a month, at least." + +No one did for several months; but the word "_fête_" always produced a +general smile, and Laurie's birthday gift to Amy was a tiny coral +lobster in the shape of a charm for her watch-guard. + + [Illustration: Tail-piece] + + + + + [Illustration: Literary Lessons] + + XXVII. + + LITERARY LESSONS. + + +Fortune suddenly smiled upon Jo, and dropped a good-luck penny in her +path. Not a golden penny, exactly, but I doubt if half a million would +have given more real happiness than did the little sum that came to her +in this wise. + +Every few weeks she would shut herself up in her room, put on her +scribbling suit, and "fall into a vortex," as she expressed it, writing +away at her novel with all her heart and soul, for till that was +finished she could find no peace. Her "scribbling suit" consisted of a +black woollen pinafore on which she could wipe her pen at will, and a +cap of the same material, adorned with a cheerful red bow, into which +she bundled her hair when the decks were cleared for action. This cap +was a beacon to the inquiring eyes of her family, who during these +periods kept their distance, merely popping in their heads +semi-occasionally, to ask, with interest, "Does genius burn, Jo?" They +did not always venture even to ask this question, but took an +observation of the cap, and judged accordingly. If this expressive +article of dress was drawn low upon the forehead, it was a sign that +hard work was going on; in exciting moments it was pushed rakishly +askew; and when despair seized the author it was plucked wholly off, and +cast upon the floor. At such times the intruder silently withdrew; and +not until the red bow was seen gayly erect upon the gifted brow, did any +one dare address Jo. + +She did not think herself a genius by any means; but when the writing +fit came on, she gave herself up to it with entire abandon, and led a +blissful life, unconscious of want, care, or bad weather, while she sat +safe and happy in an imaginary world, full of friends almost as real and +dear to her as any in the flesh. Sleep forsook her eyes, meals stood +untasted, day and night were all too short to enjoy the happiness which +blessed her only at such times, and made these hours worth living, even +if they bore no other fruit. The divine afflatus usually lasted a week +or two, and then she emerged from her "vortex," hungry, sleepy, cross, +or despondent. + +She was just recovering from one of these attacks when she was prevailed +upon to escort Miss Crocker to a lecture, and in return for her virtue +was rewarded with a new idea. It was a People's Course, the lecture on +the Pyramids, and Jo rather wondered at the choice of such a subject for +such an audience, but took it for granted that some great social evil +would be remedied or some great want supplied by unfolding the glories +of the Pharaohs to an audience whose thoughts were busy with the price +of coal and flour, and whose lives were spent in trying to solve harder +riddles than that of the Sphinx. + +They were early; and while Miss Crocker set the heel of her stocking, Jo +amused herself by examining the faces of the people who occupied the +seat with them. On her left were two matrons, with massive foreheads, +and bonnets to match, discussing Woman's Rights and making tatting. +Beyond sat a pair of humble lovers, artlessly holding each other by the +hand, a sombre spinster eating peppermints out of a paper bag, and an +old gentleman taking his preparatory nap behind a yellow bandanna. On +her right, her only neighbor was a studious-looking lad absorbed in a +newspaper. + +It was a pictorial sheet, and Jo examined the work of art nearest her, +idly wondering what unfortuitous concatenation of circumstances needed +the melodramatic illustration of an Indian in full war costume, tumbling +over a precipice with a wolf at his throat, while two infuriated young +gentlemen, with unnaturally small feet and big eyes, were stabbing each +other close by, and a dishevelled female was flying away in the +background with her mouth wide open. Pausing to turn a page, the lad saw +her looking, and, with boyish good-nature, offered half his paper, +saying bluntly, "Want to read it? That's a first-rate story." + +Jo accepted it with a smile, for she had never outgrown her liking for +lads, and soon found herself involved in the usual labyrinth of love, +mystery, and murder, for the story belonged to that class of light +literature in which the passions have a holiday, and when the author's +invention fails, a grand catastrophe clears the stage of one half the +_dramatis personæ_, leaving the other half to exult over their downfall. + +"Prime, isn't it?" asked the boy, as her eye went down the last +paragraph of her portion. + +"I think you and I could do as well as that if we tried," returned Jo, +amused at his admiration of the trash. + +"I should think I was a pretty lucky chap if I could. She makes a good +living out of such stories, they say;" and he pointed to the name of +Mrs. S. L. A. N. G. Northbury, under the title of the tale. + +"Do you know her?" asked Jo, with sudden interest. + +"No; but I read all her pieces, and I know a fellow who works in the +office where this paper is printed." + +"Do you say she makes a good living out of stories like this?" and Jo +looked more respectfully at the agitated group and thickly-sprinkled +exclamation-points that adorned the page. + +"Guess she does! She knows just what folks like, and gets paid well for +writing it." + +Here the lecture began, but Jo heard very little of it, for while Prof. +Sands was prosing away about Belzoni, Cheops, scarabei, and +hieroglyphics, she was covertly taking down the address of the paper, +and boldly resolving to try for the hundred-dollar prize offered in its +columns for a sensational story. By the time the lecture ended and the +audience awoke, she had built up a splendid fortune for herself (not the +first founded upon paper), and was already deep in the concoction of her +story, being unable to decide whether the duel should come before the +elopement or after the murder. + +She said nothing of her plan at home, but fell to work next day, much to +the disquiet of her mother, who always looked a little anxious when +"genius took to burning." Jo had never tried this style before, +contenting herself with very mild romances for the "Spread Eagle." Her +theatrical experience and miscellaneous reading were of service now, for +they gave her some idea of dramatic effect, and supplied plot, language, +and costumes. Her story was as full of desperation and despair as her +limited acquaintance with those uncomfortable emotions enabled her to +make it, and, having located it in Lisbon, she wound up with an +earthquake, as a striking and appropriate _dénouement_. The manuscript +was privately despatched, accompanied by a note, modestly saying that if +the tale didn't get the prize, which the writer hardly dared expect, she +would be very glad to receive any sum it might be considered worth. + +Six weeks is a long time to wait, and a still longer time for a girl to +keep a secret; but Jo did both, and was just beginning to give up all +hope of ever seeing her manuscript again, when a letter arrived which +almost took her breath away; for on opening it, a check for a hundred +dollars fell into her lap. For a minute she stared at it as if it had +been a snake, then she read her letter and began to cry. If the amiable +gentleman who wrote that kindly note could have known what intense +happiness he was giving a fellow-creature, I think he would devote his +leisure hours, if he has any, to that amusement; for Jo valued the +letter more than the money, because it was encouraging; and after years +of effort it was _so_ pleasant to find that she had learned to do +something, though it was only to write a sensation story. + + [Illustration: A check for one hundred dollars] + +A prouder young woman was seldom seen than she, when, having composed +herself, she electrified the family by appearing before them with the +letter in one hand, the check in the other, announcing that she had won +the prize. Of course there was a great jubilee, and when the story came +every one read and praised it; though after her father had told her that +the language was good, the romance fresh and hearty, and the tragedy +quite thrilling, he shook his head, and said in his unworldly way,-- + +"You can do better than this, Jo. Aim at the highest, and never mind the +money." + +"_I_ think the money is the best part of it. What _will_ you do with +such a fortune?" asked Amy, regarding the magic slip of paper with a +reverential eye. + +"Send Beth and mother to the seaside for a month or two," answered Jo +promptly. + +"Oh, how splendid! No, I can't do it, dear, it would be so selfish," +cried Beth, who had clapped her thin hands, and taken a long breath, as +if pining for fresh ocean-breezes; then stopped herself, and motioned +away the check which her sister waved before her. + +"Ah, but you shall go, I've set my heart on it; that's what I tried for, +and that's why I succeeded. I never get on when I think of myself alone, +so it will help me to work for you, don't you see? Besides, Marmee needs +the change, and she won't leave you, so you _must_ go. Won't it be fun +to see you come home plump and rosy again? Hurrah for Dr. Jo, who always +cures her patients!" + +To the sea side they went, after much discussion; and though Beth didn't +come home as plump and rosy as could be desired, she was much better, +while Mrs. March declared she felt ten years younger; so Jo was +satisfied with the investment of her prize money, and fell to work with +a cheery spirit, bent on earning more of those delightful checks. She +did earn several that year, and began to feel herself a power in the +house; for by the magic of a pen, her "rubbish" turned into comforts for +them all. "The Duke's Daughter" paid the butcher's bill, "A Phantom +Hand" put down a new carpet, and the "Curse of the Coventrys" proved the +blessing of the Marches in the way of groceries and gowns. + +Wealth is certainly a most desirable thing, but poverty has its sunny +side, and one of the sweet uses of adversity is the genuine satisfaction +which comes from hearty work of head or hand; and to the inspiration of +necessity, we owe half the wise, beautiful, and useful blessings of the +world. Jo enjoyed a taste of this satisfaction, and ceased to envy +richer girls, taking great comfort in the knowledge that she could +supply her own wants, and need ask no one for a penny. + +Little notice was taken of her stories, but they found a market; and, +encouraged by this fact, she resolved to make a bold stroke for fame and +fortune. Having copied her novel for the fourth time, read it to all her +confidential friends, and submitted it with fear and trembling to three +publishers, she at last disposed of it, on condition that she would cut +it down one third, and omit all the parts which she particularly +admired. + +"Now I must either bundle it back into my tin-kitchen to mould, pay for +printing it myself, or chop it up to suit purchasers, and get what I can +for it. Fame is a very good thing to have in the house, but cash is more +convenient; so I wish to take the sense of the meeting on this important +subject," said Jo, calling a family council. + +"Don't spoil your book, my girl, for there is more in it than you know, +and the idea is well worked out. Let it wait and ripen," was her +father's advice; and he practised as he preached, having waited +patiently thirty years for fruit of his own to ripen, and being in no +haste to gather it, even now, when it was sweet and mellow. + +"It seems to me that Jo will profit more by making the trial than by +waiting," said Mrs. March. "Criticism is the best test of such work, for +it will show her both unsuspected merits and faults, and help her to do +better next time. We are too partial; but the praise and blame of +outsiders will prove useful, even if she gets but little money." + +"Yes," said Jo, knitting her brows, "that's just it; I've been fussing +over the thing so long, I really don't know whether it's good, bad, or +indifferent. It will be a great help to have cool, impartial persons +take a look at it, and tell me what they think of it." + +"I wouldn't leave out a word of it; you'll spoil it if you do, for the +interest of the story is more in the minds than in the actions of the +people, and it will be all a muddle if you don't explain as you go on," +said Meg, who firmly believed that this book was the most remarkable +novel ever written. + +"But Mr. Allen says, 'Leave out the explanations, make it brief and +dramatic, and let the characters tell the story,'" interrupted Jo, +turning to the publisher's note. + +"Do as he tells you; he knows what will sell, and we don't. Make a good, +popular book, and get as much money as you can. By and by, when, you've +got a name, you can afford to digress, and have philosophical and +metaphysical people in your novels," said Amy, who took a strictly +practical view of the subject. + +"Well," said Jo, laughing, "if my people _are_ 'philosophical and +metaphysical,' it isn't my fault, for I know nothing about such things, +except what I hear father say, sometimes. If I've got some of his wise +ideas jumbled up with my romance, so much the better for me. Now, Beth, +what do you say?" + +"I should so like to see it printed _soon_," was all Beth said, and +smiled in saying it; but there was an unconscious emphasis on the last +word, and a wistful look in the eyes that never lost their childlike +candor, which chilled Jo's heart, for a minute, with a foreboding fear, +and decided her to make her little venture "soon." + +So, with Spartan firmness, the young authoress laid her first-born on +her table, and chopped it up as ruthlessly as any ogre. In the hope of +pleasing every one, she took every one's advice; and, like the old man +and his donkey in the fable, suited nobody. + +Her father liked the metaphysical streak which had unconsciously got +into it; so that was allowed to remain, though she had her doubts about +it. Her mother thought that there _was_ a trifle too much description; +out, therefore, it nearly all came, and with it many necessary links in +the story. Meg admired the tragedy; so Jo piled up the agony to suit +her, while Amy objected to the fun, and, with the best intentions in +life, Jo quenched the sprightly scenes which relieved the sombre +character of the story. Then, to complete the ruin, she cut it down one +third, and confidingly sent the poor little romance, like a picked +robin, out into the big, busy world, to try its fate. + +Well, it was printed, and she got three hundred dollars for it; likewise +plenty of praise and blame, both so much greater than she expected that +she was thrown into a state of bewilderment, from which it took her some +time to recover. + +"You said, mother, that criticism would help me; but how can it, when +it's so contradictory that I don't know whether I've written a promising +book or broken all the ten commandments?" cried poor Jo, turning over a +heap of notices, the perusal of which filled her with pride and joy one +minute, wrath and dire dismay the next. "This man says 'An exquisite +book, full of truth, beauty, and earnestness; all is sweet, pure, and +healthy,'" continued the perplexed authoress. "The next, 'The theory of +the book is bad, full of morbid fancies, spiritualistic ideas, and +unnatural characters.' Now, as I had no theory of any kind, don't +believe in Spiritualism, and copied my characters from life, I don't see +how this critic _can_ be right. Another says, 'It's one of the best +American novels which has appeared for years' (I know better than that); +and the next asserts that 'though it is original, and written with great +force and feeling, it is a dangerous book.' 'Tisn't! Some make fun of +it, some over-praise, and nearly all insist that I had a deep theory to +expound, when I only wrote it for the pleasure and the money. I wish I'd +printed it whole or not at all, for I do hate to be so misjudged." + +Her family and friends administered comfort and commendation liberally; +yet it was a hard time for sensitive, high-spirited Jo, who meant so +well, and had apparently done so ill. But it did her good, for those +whose opinion had real value gave her the criticism which is an author's +best education; and when the first soreness was over, she could laugh at +her poor little book, yet believe in it still, and feel herself the +wiser and stronger for the buffeting she had received. + +"Not being a genius, like Keats, it won't kill me," she said stoutly; +"and I've got the joke on my side, after all; for the parts that were +taken straight out of real life are denounced as impossible and absurd, +and the scenes that I made up out of my own silly head are pronounced +'charmingly natural, tender, and true.' So I'll comfort myself with +that; and when I'm ready, I'll up again and take another." + + [Illustration: Tail-piece] + + + + + [Illustration: Domestic Experiences] + + XXVIII. + + DOMESTIC EXPERIENCES. + + +Like most other young matrons, Meg began her married life with the +determination to be a model housekeeper. John should find home a +paradise; he should always see a smiling face, should fare sumptuously +every day, and never know the loss of a button. She brought so much +love, energy, and cheerfulness to the work that she could not but +succeed, in spite of some obstacles. Her paradise was not a tranquil +one; for the little woman fussed, was over-anxious to please, and +bustled about like a true Martha, cumbered with many cares. She was too +tired, sometimes, even to smile; John grew dyspeptic after a course of +dainty dishes, and ungratefully demanded plain fare. As for buttons, she +soon learned to wonder where they went, to shake her head over the +carelessness of men, and to threaten to make him sew them on himself, +and then see if _his_ work would stand impatient tugs and clumsy fingers +any better than hers. + +They were very happy, even after they discovered that they couldn't live +on love alone. John did not find Meg's beauty diminished, though she +beamed at him from behind the familiar coffee-pot; nor did Meg miss any +of the romance from the daily parting, when her husband followed up his +kiss with the tender inquiry, "Shall I send home veal or mutton for +dinner, darling?" The little house ceased to be a glorified bower, but +it became a home, and the young couple soon felt that it was a change +for the better. At first they played keep-house, and frolicked over it +like children; then John took steadily to business, feeling the cares of +the head of a family upon his shoulders; and Meg laid by her cambric +wrappers, put on a big apron, and fell to work, as before said, with +more energy than discretion. + +While the cooking mania lasted she went through Mrs. Cornelius's Receipt +Book as if it were a mathematical exercise, working out the problems +with patience and care. Sometimes her family were invited in to help eat +up a too bounteous feast of successes, or Lotty would be privately +despatched with a batch of failures, which were to be concealed from all +eyes in the convenient stomachs of the little Hummels. An evening with +John over the account-books usually produced a temporary lull in the +culinary enthusiasm, and a frugal fit would ensue, during which the poor +man was put through a course of bread-pudding, hash, and warmed-over +coffee, which tried his soul, although he bore it with praiseworthy +fortitude. Before the golden mean was found, however, Meg added to her +domestic possessions what young couples seldom get on long without,--a +family jar. + +Fired with a housewifely wish to see her store-room stocked with +home-made preserves, she undertook to put up her own currant jelly. John +was requested to order home a dozen or so of little pots, and an extra +quantity of sugar, for their own currants were ripe, and were to be +attended to at once. As John firmly believed that "my wife" was equal to +anything, and took a natural pride in her skill, he resolved that she +should be gratified, and their only crop of fruit laid by in a most +pleasing form for winter use. Home came four dozen delightful little +pots, half a barrel of sugar, and a small boy to pick the currants for +her. With her pretty hair tucked into a little cap, arms bared to the +elbow, and a checked apron which had a coquettish look in spite of the +bib, the young housewife fell to work, feeling no doubts about her +success; for hadn't she seen Hannah do it hundreds of times? The array +of pots rather amazed her at first, but John was so fond of jelly, and +the nice little jars would look so well on the top shelf, that Meg +resolved to fill them all, and spent a long day picking, boiling, +straining, and fussing over her jelly. She did her best; she asked +advice of Mrs. Cornelius; she racked her brain to remember what Hannah +did that she had left undone; she reboiled, resugared, and restrained, +but that dreadful stuff wouldn't "_jell_." + +She longed to run home, bib and all, and ask mother to lend a hand, but +John and she had agreed that they would never annoy any one with their +private worries, experiments, or quarrels. They had laughed over that +last word as if the idea it suggested was a most preposterous one; but +they had held to their resolve, and whenever they could get on without +help they did so, and no one interfered, for Mrs. March had advised the +plan. So Meg wrestled alone with the refractory sweetmeats all that hot +summer day, and at five o'clock sat down in her topsy-turvy kitchen, +wrung her bedaubed hands, lifted up her voice and wept. + +Now, in the first flush of the new life, she had often said,-- + +"My husband shall always feel free to bring a friend home whenever he +likes. I shall always be prepared; there shall be no flurry, no +scolding, no discomfort, but a neat house, a cheerful wife, and a good +dinner. John, dear, never stop to ask my leave, invite whom you please, +and be sure of a welcome from me." + +How charming that was, to be sure! John quite glowed with pride to hear +her say it, and felt what a blessed thing it was to have a superior +wife. But, although they had had company from time to time, it never +happened to be unexpected, and Meg had never had an opportunity to +distinguish herself till now. It always happens so in this vale of +tears; there is an inevitability about such things which we can only +wonder at, deplore, and bear as we best can. + +If John had not forgotten all about the jelly, it really would have been +unpardonable in him to choose that day, of all the days in the year, to +bring a friend home to dinner unexpectedly. Congratulating himself that +a handsome repast had been ordered that morning, feeling sure that it +would be ready to the minute, and indulging in pleasant anticipations of +the charming effect it would produce, when his pretty wife came running +out to meet him, he escorted his friend to his mansion, with the +irrepressible satisfaction of a young host and husband. + +It is a world of disappointments, as John discovered when he reached the +Dove-cote. The front door usually stood hospitably open; now it was not +only shut, but locked, and yesterday's mud still adorned the steps. The +parlor-windows were closed and curtained, no picture of the pretty wife +sewing on the piazza, in white, with a distracting little bow in her +hair, or a bright-eyed hostess, smiling a shy welcome as she greeted her +guest. Nothing of the sort, for not a soul appeared, but a +sanguinary-looking boy asleep under the currant-bushes. + +"I'm afraid something has happened. Step into the garden, Scott, while I +look up Mrs. Brooke," said John, alarmed at the silence and solitude. + +Round the house he hurried, led by a pungent smell of burnt sugar, and +Mr. Scott strolled after him, with a queer look on his face. He paused +discreetly at a distance when Brooke disappeared; but he could both see +and hear, and, being a bachelor, enjoyed the prospect mightily. + +In the kitchen reigned confusion and despair; one edition of jelly was +trickled from pot to pot, another lay upon the floor, and a third was +burning gayly on the stove. Lotty, with Teutonic phlegm, was calmly +eating bread and currant wine, for the jelly was still in a hopelessly +liquid state, while Mrs. Brooke, with her apron over her head, sat +sobbing dismally. + +"My dearest girl, what is the matter?" cried John, rushing in, with +awful visions of scalded hands, sudden news of affliction, and secret +consternation at the thought of the guest in the garden. + +"O John, I _am_ so tired and hot and cross and worried! I've been at it +till I'm all worn out. Do come and help me or I _shall_ die!" and the +exhausted housewife cast herself upon his breast, giving him a sweet +welcome in every sense of the word, for her pinafore had been baptized +at the same time as the floor. + +"What worries you, dear? Has anything dreadful happened?" asked the +anxious John, tenderly kissing the crown of the little cap, which was +all askew. + +"Yes," sobbed Meg despairingly. + +"Tell me quick, then. Don't cry, I can bear anything better than that. +Out with it, love." + +"The--the jelly won't jell and I don't know what to do!" + +John Brooke laughed then as he never dared to laugh afterward; and the +derisive Scott smiled involuntarily as he heard the hearty peal, which +put the finishing stroke to poor Meg's woe. + +"Is that all? Fling it out of window, and don't bother any more about +it. I'll buy you quarts if you want it; but for heaven's sake don't have +hysterics, for I've brought Jack Scott home to dinner, and--" + +John got no further, for Meg cast him off, and clasped her hands with a +tragic gesture as she fell into a chair, exclaiming in a tone of mingled +indignation, reproach, and dismay,-- + +"A man to dinner, and everything in a mess! John Brooke, how _could_ you +do such a thing?" + +"Hush, he's in the garden! I forgot the confounded jelly, but it can't +be helped now," said John, surveying the prospect with an anxious eye. + +"You ought to have sent word, or told me this morning, and you ought to +have remembered how busy I was," continued Meg petulantly; for even +turtle-doves will peck when ruffled. + +"I didn't know it this morning, and there was no time to send word, for +I met him on the way out. I never thought of asking leave, when you have +always told me to do as I liked. I never tried it before, and hang me if +I ever do again!" added John, with an aggrieved air. + +"I should hope not! Take him away at once; I can't see him, and there +isn't any dinner." + +"Well, I like that! Where's the beef and vegetables I sent home, and the +pudding you promised?" cried John, rushing to the larder. + +"I hadn't time to cook anything; I meant to dine at mother's. I'm sorry, +but I was _so_ busy;" and Meg's tears began again. + +John was a mild man, but he was human; and after a long day's work, to +come home tired, hungry, and hopeful, to find a chaotic house, an empty +table, and a cross wife was not exactly conducive to repose of mind or +manner. He restrained himself, however, and the little squall would have +blown over, but for one unlucky word. + +"It's a scrape, I acknowledge; but if you will lend a hand, we'll pull +through, and have a good time yet. Don't cry, dear, but just exert +yourself a bit, and knock us up something to eat. We're both as hungry +as hunters, so we sha'n't mind what it is. Give us the cold meat, and +bread and cheese; we won't ask for jelly." + +He meant it for a good-natured joke; but that one word sealed his fate. +Meg thought it was _too_ cruel to hint about her sad failure, and the +last atom of patience vanished as he spoke. + +"You must get yourself out of the scrape as you can; I'm too used up to +'exert' myself for any one. It's like a man to propose a bone and vulgar +bread and cheese for company. I won't have anything of the sort in my +house. Take that Scott up to mother's, and tell him I'm away, sick, +dead,--anything. I won't see him, and you two can laugh at me and my +jelly as much as you like: you won't have anything else here;" and +having delivered her defiance all in one breath, Meg cast away her +pinafore, and precipitately left the field to bemoan herself in her own +room. + +What those two creatures did in her absence, she never knew; but Mr. +Scott was not taken "up to mother's," and when Meg descended, after they +had strolled away together, she found traces of a promiscuous lunch +which filled her with horror. Lotty reported that they had eaten "a +much, and greatly laughed, and the master bid her throw away all the +sweet stuff, and hide the pots." + +Meg longed to go and tell mother; but a sense of shame at her own +short-comings, of loyalty to John, "who might be cruel, but nobody +should know it," restrained her; and after a summary clearing up, she +dressed herself prettily, and sat down to wait for John to come and be +forgiven. + +Unfortunately, John didn't come, not seeing the matter in that light. He +had carried it off as a good joke with Scott, excused his little wife as +well as he could, and played the host so hospitably that his friend +enjoyed the impromptu dinner, and promised to come again. But John was +angry, though he did not show it; he felt that Meg had got him into a +scrape, and then deserted him in his hour of need. "It wasn't fair to +tell a man to bring folks home any time, with perfect freedom, and when +he took you at your word, to flame up and blame him, and leave him in +the lurch, to be laughed at or pitied. No, by George, it wasn't! and Meg +must know it." He had fumed inwardly during the feast, but when the +flurry was over, and he strolled home, after seeing Scott off, a milder +mood came over him. "Poor little thing! it was hard upon her when she +tried so heartily to please me. She was wrong, of course, but then she +was young. I must be patient and teach her." He hoped she had not gone +home--he hated gossip and interference. For a minute he was ruffled +again at the mere thought of it; and then the fear that Meg would cry +herself sick softened his heart, and sent him on at a quicker pace, +resolving to be calm and kind, but firm, quite firm, and show her where +she had failed in her duty to her spouse. + +Meg likewise resolved to be "calm and kind, but firm," and show _him_ +his duty. She longed to run to meet him, and beg pardon, and be kissed +and comforted, as she was sure of being; but, of course, she did nothing +of the sort, and when she saw John coming, began to hum quite naturally, +as she rocked and sewed, like a lady of leisure in her best parlor. + +John was a little disappointed not to find a tender Niobe; but, feeling +that his dignity demanded the first apology, he made none, only came +leisurely in, and laid himself upon the sofa, with the singularly +relevant remark,-- + +"We are going to have a new moon, my dear." + +"I've no objection," was Meg's equally soothing remark. + +A few other topics of general interest were introduced by Mr. Brooke, +and wet-blanketed by Mrs. Brooke, and conversation languished. John went +to one window, unfolded his paper, and wrapped himself in it, +figuratively speaking. Meg went to the other window, and sewed as if new +rosettes for her slippers were among the necessaries of life. Neither +spoke; both looked quite "calm and firm," and both felt desperately +uncomfortable. + + [Illustration: Both felt desperately uncomfortable] + +"Oh dear," thought Meg, "married life is very trying, and does need +infinite patience, as well as love, as mother says." The word "mother" +suggested other maternal counsels, given long ago, and received with +unbelieving protests. + +"John is a good man, but he has his faults, and you must learn to see +and bear with them, remembering your own. He is very decided, but never +will be obstinate, if you reason kindly, not oppose impatiently. He is +very accurate, and particular about the truth--a good trait, though you +call him 'fussy.' Never deceive him by look or word, Meg, and he will +give you the confidence you deserve, the support you need. He has a +temper, not like ours,--one flash, and then all over,--but the white, +still anger, that is seldom stirred, but once kindled, is hard to +quench. Be careful, very careful, not to wake this anger against +yourself, for peace and happiness depend on keeping his respect. Watch +yourself, be the first to ask pardon if you both err, and guard against +the little piques, misunderstandings, and hasty words that often pave +the way for bitter sorrow and regret." + +These words came back to Meg, as she sat sewing in the sunset, +especially the last. This was the first serious disagreement; her own +hasty speeches sounded both silly and unkind, as she recalled them, her +own anger looked childish now, and thoughts of poor John coming home to +such a scene quite melted her heart. She glanced at him with tears in +her eyes, but he did not see them; she put down her work and got up, +thinking, "I _will_ be the first to say, 'Forgive me,'" but he did not +seem to hear her; she went very slowly across the room, for pride was +hard to swallow, and stood by him, but he did not turn his head. For a +minute she felt as if she really couldn't do it; then came the thought, +"This is the beginning, I'll do my part, and have nothing to reproach +myself with," and stooping down, she softly kissed her husband on the +forehead. Of course that settled it; the penitent kiss was better than a +world of words, and John had her on his knee in a minute, saying +tenderly,-- + +"It was too bad to laugh at the poor little jelly-pots. Forgive me, +dear, I never will again!" + +But he did, oh bless you, yes, hundreds of times, and so did Meg, both +declaring that it was the sweetest jelly they ever made; for family +peace was preserved in that little family jar. + +After this, Meg had Mr. Scott to dinner by special invitation, and +served him up a pleasant feast without a cooked wife for the first +course; on which occasion she was so gay and gracious, and made +everything go off so charmingly, that Mr. Scott told John he was a happy +fellow, and shook his head over the hardships of bachelorhood all the +way home. + +In the autumn, new trials and experiences came to Meg. Sallie Moffat +renewed her friendship, was always running out for a dish of gossip at +the little house, or inviting "that poor dear" to come in and spend the +day at the big house. It was pleasant, for in dull weather Meg often +felt lonely; all were busy at home, John absent till night, and nothing +to do but sew, or read, or potter about. So it naturally fell out that +Meg got into the way of gadding and gossiping with her friend. Seeing +Sallie's pretty things made her long for such, and pity herself because +she had not got them. Sallie was very kind, and often offered her the +coveted trifles; but Meg declined them, knowing that John wouldn't like +it; and then this foolish little woman went and did what John disliked +infinitely worse. + +She knew her husband's income, and she loved to feel that he trusted +her, not only with his happiness, but what some men seem to value +more,--his money. She knew where it was, was free to take what she +liked, and all he asked was that she should keep account of every penny, +pay bills once a month, and remember that she was a poor man's wife. +Till now, she had done well, been prudent and exact, kept her little +account-books neatly, and showed them to him monthly without fear. But +that autumn the serpent got into Meg's paradise, and tempted her, like +many a modern Eve, not with apples, but with dress. Meg didn't like to +be pitied and made to feel poor; it irritated her, but she was ashamed +to confess it, and now and then she tried to console herself by buying +something pretty, so that Sallie needn't think she had to economize. She +always felt wicked after it, for the pretty things were seldom +necessaries; but then they cost so little, it wasn't worth worrying +about; so the trifles increased unconsciously, and in the shopping +excursions she was no longer a passive looker-on. + +But the trifles cost more than one would imagine; and when she cast up +her accounts at the end of the month, the sum total rather scared her. +John was busy that month, and left the bills to her; the next month he +was absent; but the third he had a grand quarterly settling up, and Meg +never forgot it. A few days before she had done a dreadful thing, and it +weighed upon her conscience. Sallie had been buying silks, and Meg +longed for a new one,--just a handsome light one for parties, her black +silk was so common, and thin things for evening wear were only proper +for girls. Aunt March usually gave the sisters a present of twenty-five +dollars apiece at New Year; that was only a month to wait, and here was +a lovely violet silk going at a bargain, and she had the money, if she +only dared to take it. John always said what was his was hers; but would +he think it right to spend not only the prospective five-and-twenty, but +another five-and-twenty out of the household fund? That was the +question. Sallie had urged her to do it, had offered to loan the money, +and with the best intentions in life, had tempted Meg beyond her +strength. In an evil moment the shopman held up the lovely, shimmering +folds, and said, "A bargain, I assure you, ma'am." She answered, "I'll +take it;" and it was cut off and paid for, and Sallie had exulted, and +she had laughed as if it were a thing of no consequence, and driven +away, feeling as if she had stolen something, and the police were after +her. + + [Illustration: A bargain, I assure you, ma'am] + +When she got home, she tried to assuage the pangs of remorse by +spreading forth the lovely silk; but it looked less silvery now, didn't +become her, after all, and the words "fifty dollars" seemed stamped like +a pattern down each breadth. She put it away; but it haunted her, not +delightfully, as a new dress should, but dreadfully, like the ghost of a +folly that was not easily laid. When John got out his books that night, +Meg's heart sank, and for the first time in her married life, she was +afraid of her husband. The kind, brown eyes looked as if they could be +stern; and though he was unusually merry, she fancied he had found her +out, but didn't mean to let her know it. The house-bills were all paid, +the books all in order. John had praised her, and was undoing the old +pocket-book which they called the "bank," when Meg, knowing that it was +quite empty, stopped his hand, saying nervously,-- + +"You haven't seen my private expense book yet." + +John never asked to see it; but she always insisted on his doing so, and +used to enjoy his masculine amazement at the queer things women wanted, +and made him guess what "piping" was, demand fiercely the meaning of a +"hug-me-tight," or wonder how a little thing composed of three rosebuds, +a bit of velvet, and a pair of strings, could possibly be a bonnet, and +cost five or six dollars. That night he looked as if he would like the +fun of quizzing her figures and pretending to be horrified at her +extravagance, as he often did, being particularly proud of his prudent +wife. + +The little book was brought slowly out, and laid down before him. Meg +got behind his chair under pretence of smoothing the wrinkles out of his +tired forehead, and standing there, she said, with her panic increasing +with every word,-- + +"John, dear, I'm ashamed to show you my book, for I've really been +dreadfully extravagant lately. I go about so much I must have things, +you know, and Sallie advised my getting it, so I did; and my New-Year's +money will partly pay for it: but I was sorry after I'd done it, for I +knew you'd think it wrong in me." + +John laughed, and drew her round beside him, saying good-humoredly, +"Don't go and hide. I won't beat you if you _have_ got a pair of killing +boots; I'm rather proud of my wife's feet, and don't mind if she does +pay eight or nine dollars for her boots, if they are good ones." + +That had been one of her last "trifles," and John's eye had fallen on it +as he spoke. "Oh, what _will_ he say when he comes to that awful fifty +dollars!" thought Meg, with a shiver. + +"It's worse than boots, it's a silk dress," she said, with the calmness +of desperation, for she wanted the worst over. + +"Well, dear, what is the 'dem'd total,' as Mr. Mantalini says?" + +That didn't sound like John, and she knew he was looking up at her with +the straightforward look that she had always been ready to meet and +answer with one as frank till now. She turned the page and her head at +the same time, pointing to the sum which would have been bad enough +without the fifty, but which was appalling to her with that added. For a +minute the room was very still; then John said slowly,--but she could +feel it cost him an effort to express no displeasure,-- + +"Well, I don't know that fifty is much for a dress, with all the +furbelows and notions you have to have to finish it off these days." + +"It isn't made or trimmed," sighed Meg faintly, for a sudden +recollection of the cost still to be incurred quite overwhelmed her. + +"Twenty-five yards of silk seems a good deal to cover one small woman, +but I've no doubt my wife will look as fine as Ned Moffat's when she +gets it on," said John dryly. + +"I know you are angry, John, but I can't help it. I don't mean to waste +your money, and I didn't think those little things would count up so. I +can't resist them when I see Sallie buying all she wants, and pitying me +because I don't. I try to be contented, but it is hard, and I'm tired of +being poor." + +The last words were spoken so low she thought he did not hear them, but +he did, and they wounded him deeply, for he had denied himself many +pleasures for Meg's sake. She could have bitten her tongue out the +minute she had said it, for John pushed the books away, and got up, +saying, with a little quiver in his voice, "I was afraid of this; I do +my best, Meg." If he had scolded her, or even shaken her, it would not +have broken her heart like those few words. She ran to him and held him +close, crying, with repentant tears, "O John, my dear, kind, +hard-working boy, I didn't mean it! It was so wicked, so untrue and +ungrateful, how could I say it! Oh, how could I say it!" + +He was very kind, forgave her readily, and did not utter one reproach; +but Meg knew that she had done and said a thing which would not be +forgotten soon, although he might never allude to it again. She had +promised to love him for better for worse; and then she, his wife, had +reproached him with his poverty, after spending his earnings recklessly. +It was dreadful; and the worst of it was John went on so quietly +afterward, just as if nothing had happened, except that he stayed in +town later, and worked at night when she had gone to cry herself to +sleep. A week of remorse nearly made Meg sick; and the discovery that +John had countermanded the order for his new great-coat reduced her to a +state of despair which was pathetic to behold. He had simply said, in +answer to her surprised inquiries as to the change, "I can't afford it, +my dear." + +Meg said no more, but a few minutes after he found her in the hall, with +her face buried in the old great-coat, crying as if her heart would +break. + +They had a long talk that night, and Meg learned to love her husband +better for his poverty, because it seemed to have made a man of him, +given him the strength and courage to fight his own way, and taught him +a tender patience with which to bear and comfort the natural longings +and failures of those he loved. + +Next day she put her pride in her pocket, went to Sallie, told the +truth, and asked her to buy the silk as a favor. The good-natured Mrs. +Moffat willingly did so, and had the delicacy not to make her a present +of it immediately afterward. Then Meg ordered home the great-coat, and, +when John arrived, she put it on, and asked him how he liked her new +silk gown. One can imagine what answer he made, how he received his +present, and what a blissful state of things ensued. John came home +early, Meg gadded no more; and that great-coat was put on in the morning +by a very happy husband, and taken off at night by a most devoted little +wife. So the year rolled round, and at midsummer there came to Meg a new +experience,--the deepest and tenderest of a woman's life. + +Laurie came sneaking into the kitchen of the Dove-cote, one Saturday, +with an excited face, and was received with the clash of cymbals; for +Hannah clapped her hands with a saucepan in one and the cover in the +other. + +"How's the little mamma? Where is everybody? Why didn't you tell me +before I came home?" began Laurie, in a loud whisper. + +"Happy as a queen, the dear! Every soul of 'em is upstairs a worshipin'; +we didn't want no hurrycanes round. Now you go into the parlor, and I'll +send 'em down to you," with which somewhat involved reply Hannah +vanished, chuckling ecstatically. + +Presently Jo appeared, proudly bearing a flannel bundle laid forth upon +a large pillow. Jo's face was very sober, but her eyes twinkled, and +there was an odd sound in her voice of repressed emotion of some sort. + +"Shut your eyes and hold out your arms," she said invitingly. + +Laurie backed precipitately into a corner, and put his hands behind him +with an imploring gesture: "No, thank you, I'd rather not. I shall drop +it or smash it, as sure as fate." + +"Then you sha'n't see your nevvy," said Jo decidedly, turning as if to +go. + +"I will, I will! only you must be responsible for damages;" and, obeying +orders, Laurie heroically shut his eyes while something was put into his +arms. A peal of laughter from Jo, Amy, Mrs. March, Hannah, and John +caused him to open them the next minute, to find himself invested with +two babies instead of one. + +[Illustration: Laurie heroically shut his eyes while something was put + into his arms] + +No wonder they laughed, for the expression of his face was droll enough +to convulse a Quaker, as he stood and stared wildly from the unconscious +innocents to the hilarious spectators, with such dismay that Jo sat down +on the floor and screamed. + +"Twins, by Jupiter!" was all he said for a minute; then, turning to the +women with an appealing look that was comically piteous, he added, "Take +'em quick, somebody! I'm going to laugh, and I shall drop 'em." + +John rescued his babies, and marched up and down, with one on each arm, +as if already initiated into the mysteries of baby-tending, while Laurie +laughed till the tears ran down his cheeks. + +"It's the best joke of the season, isn't it? I wouldn't have you told, +for I set my heart on surprising you, and I flatter myself I've done +it," said Jo, when she got her breath. + +"I never was more staggered in my life. Isn't it fun? Are they boys? +What are you going to name them? Let's have another look. Hold me up, +Jo; for upon my life it's one too many for me," returned Laurie, +regarding the infants with the air of a big, benevolent Newfoundland +looking at a pair of infantile kittens. + +"Boy and girl. Aren't they beauties?" said the proud papa, beaming upon +the little, red squirmers as if they were unfledged angels. + +"Most remarkable children I ever saw. Which is which?" and Laurie bent +like a well-sweep to examine the prodigies. + +"Amy put a blue ribbon on the boy and a pink on the girl, French +fashion, so you can always tell. Besides, one has blue eyes and one +brown. Kiss them, Uncle Teddy," said wicked Jo. + +"I'm afraid they mightn't like it," began Laurie, with unusual timidity +in such matters. + +"Of course they will; they are used to it now. Do it this minute, sir!" +commanded Jo, fearing he might propose a proxy. + +Laurie screwed up his face, and obeyed with a gingerly peck at each +little cheek that produced another laugh, and made the babies squeal. + +"There, I knew they didn't like it! That's the boy; see him kick; he +hits out with his fists like a good one. Now then, young Brooke, pitch +into a man of your own size, will you?" cried Laurie, delighted with a +poke in the face from a tiny fist, flapping aimlessly about. + +"He's to be named John Laurence, and the girl Margaret, after mother and +grandmother. We shall call her Daisy, so as not to have two Megs, and I +suppose the mannie will be Jack, unless we find a better name," said +Amy, with aunt-like interest. + +"Name him Demijohn, and call him 'Demi' for short," said Laurie. + +"Daisy and Demi,--just the thing! I _knew_ Teddy would do it," cried Jo, +clapping her hands. + +Teddy certainly had done it that time, for the babies were "Daisy" and +"Demi" to the end of the chapter. + + + + + XXIX. + + CALLS. + + + [Illustration: Calls] + +"Come, Jo, it's time." + +"For what?" + +"You don't mean to say you have forgotten that you promised to make half +a dozen calls with me to-day?" + +"I've done a good many rash and foolish things in my life, but I don't +think I ever was mad enough to say I'd make six calls in one day, when a +single one upsets me for a week." + +"Yes, you did; it was a bargain between us. I was to finish the crayon +of Beth for you, and you were to go properly with me, and return our +neighbors' visits." + +"If it was fair--that was in the bond; and I stand to the letter of my +bond, Shylock. There is a pile of clouds in the east; it's _not_ fair, +and I don't go." + +"Now, that's shirking. It's a lovely day, no prospect of rain, and you +pride yourself on keeping promises; so be honorable; come and do your +duty, and then be at peace for another six months." + +At that minute Jo was particularly absorbed in dressmaking; for she was +mantua-maker general to the family, and took especial credit to herself +because she could use a needle as well as a pen. It was very provoking +to be arrested in the act of a first trying-on, and ordered out to make +calls in her best array, on a warm July day. She hated calls of the +formal sort, and never made any till Amy compelled her with a bargain, +bribe, or promise. In the present instance, there was no escape; and +having clashed her scissors rebelliously, while protesting that she +smelt thunder, she gave in, put away her work, and taking up her hat and +gloves with an air of resignation, told Amy the victim was ready. + +"Jo March, you are perverse enough to provoke a saint! You don't intend +to make calls in that state, I hope," cried Amy, surveying her with +amazement. + +"Why not? I'm neat and cool and comfortable; quite proper for a dusty +walk on a warm day. If people care more for my clothes than they do for +me, I don't wish to see them. You can dress for both, and be as elegant +as you please: it pays for you to be fine; it doesn't for me, and +furbelows only worry me." + +"Oh dear!" sighed Amy; "now she's in a contrary fit, and will drive me +distracted before I can get her properly ready. I'm sure it's no +pleasure to me to go to-day, but it's a debt we owe society, and there's +no one to pay it but you and me. I'll do anything for you, Jo, if you'll +only dress yourself nicely, and come and help me do the civil. You can +talk so well, look so aristocratic in your best things, and behave so +beautifully, if you try, that I'm proud of you. I'm afraid to go alone; +do come and take care of me." + +"You're an artful little puss to flatter and wheedle your cross old +sister in that way. The idea of my being aristocratic and well-bred, and +your being afraid to go anywhere alone! I don't know which is the most +absurd. Well, I'll go if I must, and do my best. You shall be commander +of the expedition, and I'll obey blindly; will that satisfy you?" said +Jo, with a sudden change from perversity to lamb-like submission. + +"You're a perfect cherub! Now put on all your best things, and I'll tell +you how to behave at each place, so that you will make a good +impression. I want people to like you, and they would if you'd only try +to be a little more agreeable. Do your hair the pretty way, and put the +pink rose in your bonnet; it's becoming, and you look too sober in your +plain suit. Take your light gloves and the embroidered handkerchief. +We'll stop at Meg's, and borrow her white sunshade, and then you can +have my dove-colored one." + +While Amy dressed, she issued her orders, and Jo obeyed them; not +without entering her protest, however, for she sighed as she rustled +into her new organdie, frowned darkly at herself as she tied her bonnet +strings in an irreproachable bow, wrestled viciously with pins as she +put on her collar, wrinkled up her features generally as she shook out +the handkerchief, whose embroidery was as irritating to her nose as the +present mission was to her feelings; and when she had squeezed her hands +into tight gloves with three buttons and a tassel, as the last touch of +elegance, she turned to Amy with an imbecile expression of countenance, +saying meekly,-- + +"I'm perfectly miserable; but if you consider me presentable, I die +happy." + +"You are highly satisfactory; turn slowly round, and let me get a +careful view." Jo revolved, and Amy gave a touch here and there, then +fell back, with her head on one side, observing graciously, "Yes, you'll +do; your head is all I could ask, for that white bonnet _with_ the rose +is quite ravishing. Hold back your shoulders, and carry your hands +easily, no matter if your gloves do pinch. There's one thing you can do +well, Jo, that is, wear a shawl--I can't; but it's very nice to see you, +and I'm so glad Aunt March gave you that lovely one; it's simple, but +handsome, and those folds over the arm are really artistic. Is the point +of my mantle in the middle, and have I looped my dress evenly? I like to +show my boots, for my feet _are_ pretty, though my nose isn't." + +"You are a thing of beauty and a joy forever," said Jo, looking through +her hand with the air of a connoisseur at the blue feather against the +gold hair. "Am I to drag my best dress through the dust, or loop it up, +please, ma'am?" + +"Hold it up when you walk, but drop it in the house; the sweeping style +suits you best, and you must learn to trail your skirts gracefully. You +haven't half buttoned one cuff; do it at once. You'll never look +finished if you are not careful about the little details, for they make +up the pleasing whole." + +Jo sighed, and proceeded to burst the buttons off her glove, in doing up +her cuff; but at last both were ready, and sailed away, looking as +"pretty as picters," Hannah said, as she hung out of the upper window to +watch them. + +"Now, Jo dear, the Chesters consider themselves very elegant people, so +I want you to put on your best deportment. Don't make any of your abrupt +remarks, or do anything odd, will you? Just be calm, cool, and +quiet,--that's safe and ladylike; and you can easily do it for fifteen +minutes," said Amy, as they approached the first place, having borrowed +the white parasol and been inspected by Meg, with a baby on each arm. + +"Let me see. 'Calm, cool, and quiet,'--yes, I think I can promise that. +I've played the part of a prim young lady on the stage, and I'll try it +off. My powers are great, as you shall see; so be easy in your mind, my +child." + +Amy looked relieved, but naughty Jo took her at her word; for, during +the first call, she sat with every limb gracefully composed, every fold +correctly draped, calm as a summer sea, cool as a snow-bank, and as +silent as a sphinx. In vain Mrs. Chester alluded to her "charming +novel," and the Misses Chester introduced parties, picnics, the opera, +and the fashions; each and all were answered by a smile, a bow, and a +demure "Yes" or "No," with the chill on. In vain Amy telegraphed the +word "Talk," tried to draw her out, and administered covert pokes with +her foot. Jo sat as if blandly unconscious of it all, with deportment +like Maud's face, "icily regular, splendidly null." + +"What a haughty, uninteresting creature that oldest Miss March is!" was +the unfortunately audible remark of one of the ladies, as the door +closed upon their guests. Jo laughed noiselessly all through the hall, +but Amy looked disgusted at the failure of her instructions, and very +naturally laid the blame upon Jo. + +"How could you mistake me so? I merely meant you to be properly +dignified and composed, and you made yourself a perfect stock and +stone. Try to be sociable at the Lambs', gossip as other girls do, and +be interested in dress and flirtations and whatever nonsense comes up. +They move in the best society, are valuable persons for us to know, and +I wouldn't fail to make a good impression there for anything." + +"I'll be agreeable; I'll gossip and giggle, and have horrors and +raptures over any trifle you like. I rather enjoy this, and now I'll +imitate what is called 'a charming girl;' I can do it, for I have May +Chester as a model, and I'll improve upon her. See if the Lambs don't +say, 'What a lively, nice creature that Jo March is!'" + +Amy felt anxious, as well she might, for when Jo turned freakish there +was no knowing where she would stop. Amy's face was a study when she saw +her sister skim into the next drawing-room, kiss all the young ladies +with effusion, beam graciously upon the young gentlemen, and join in the +chat with a spirit which amazed the beholder. Amy was taken possession +of by Mrs. Lamb, with whom she was a favorite, and forced to hear a long +account of Lucretia's last attack, while three delightful young +gentlemen hovered near, waiting for a pause when they might rush in and +rescue her. So situated, she was powerless to check Jo, who seemed +possessed by a spirit of mischief, and talked away as volubly as the old +lady. A knot of heads gathered about her, and Amy strained her ears to +hear what was going on; for broken sentences filled her with alarm, +round eyes and uplifted hands tormented her with curiosity, and frequent +peals of laughter made her wild to share the fun. One may imagine her +suffering on overhearing fragments of this sort of conversation:-- + +"She rides splendidly,--who taught her?" + +"No one; she used to practise mounting, holding the reins, and sitting +straight on an old saddle in a tree. Now she rides anything, for she +doesn't know what fear is, and the stable-man lets her have horses +cheap, because she trains them to carry ladies so well. She has such a +passion for it, I often tell her if everything else fails she can be a +horse-breaker, and get her living so." + +At this awful speech Amy contained herself with difficulty, for the +impression was being given that she was rather a fast young lady, which +was her especial aversion. But what could she do? for the old lady was +in the middle of her story, and long before it was done Jo was off +again, making more droll revelations, and committing still more fearful +blunders. + +"Yes, Amy was in despair that day, for all the good beasts were gone, +and of three left, one was lame, one blind, and the other so balky that +you had to put dirt in his mouth before he would start. Nice animal for +a pleasure party, wasn't it?" + +"Which did she choose?" asked one of the laughing gentlemen, who enjoyed +the subject. + +"None of them; she heard of a young horse at the farmhouse over the +river, and, though a lady had never ridden him, she resolved to try, +because he was handsome and spirited. Her struggles were really +pathetic; there was no one to bring the horse to the saddle, so she took +the saddle to the horse. My dear creature, she actually rowed it over +the river, put it on her head, and marched up to the barn to the utter +amazement of the old man!" + + [Illustration: She took the saddle to the horse] + +"Did she ride the horse?" + +"Of course she did, and had a capital time. I expected to see her +brought home in fragments, but she managed him perfectly, and was the +life of the party." + +"Well, I call that plucky!" and young Mr. Lamb turned an approving +glance upon Amy, wondering what his mother could be saying to make the +girl look so red and uncomfortable. + +She was still redder and more uncomfortable a moment after, when a +sudden turn in the conversation introduced the subject of dress. One of +the young ladies asked Jo where she got the pretty drab hat she wore to +the picnic; and stupid Jo, instead of mentioning the place where it was +bought two years ago, must needs answer, with unnecessary frankness, +"Oh, Amy painted it; you can't buy those soft shades, so we paint ours +any color we like. It's a great comfort to have an artistic sister." + +"Isn't that an original idea?" cried Miss Lamb, who found Jo great fun. + +"That's nothing compared to some of her brilliant performances. There's +nothing the child can't do. Why, she wanted a pair of blue boots for +Sallie's party, so she just painted her soiled white ones the loveliest +shade of sky-blue you ever saw, and they looked exactly like satin," +added Jo, with an air of pride in her sister's accomplishments that +exasperated Amy till she felt that it would be a relief to throw her +card-case at her. + +"We read a story of yours the other day, and enjoyed it very much," +observed the elder Miss Lamb, wishing to compliment the literary lady, +who did not look the character just then, it must be confessed. + +Any mention of her "works" always had a bad effect upon Jo, who either +grew rigid and looked offended, or changed the subject with a _brusque_ +remark, as now. "Sorry you could find nothing better to read. I write +that rubbish because it sells, and ordinary people like it. Are you +going to New York this winter?" + +As Miss Lamb had "enjoyed" the story, this speech was not exactly +grateful or complimentary. The minute it was made Jo saw her mistake; +but, fearing to make the matter worse, suddenly remembered that it was +for her to make the first move toward departure, and did so with an +abruptness that left three people with half-finished sentences in their +mouths. + +"Amy, we _must_ go. _Good_-by, dear; _do_ come and see us; we are +_pining_ for a visit. I don't dare to ask _you_, Mr. Lamb; but if you +_should_ come, I don't think I shall have the heart to send you away." + +Jo said this with such a droll imitation of May Chester's gushing style +that Amy got out of the room as rapidly as possible, feeling a strong +desire to laugh and cry at the same time. + +"Didn't I do that well?" asked Jo, with a satisfied air, as they walked +away. + +"Nothing could have been worse," was Amy's crushing reply. "What +possessed you to tell those stories about my saddle, and the hats and +boots, and all the rest of it?" + +"Why, it's funny, and amuses people. They know we are poor, so it's no +use pretending that we have grooms, buy three or four hats a season, and +have things as easy and fine as they do." + +"You needn't go and tell them all our little shifts, and expose our +poverty in that perfectly unnecessary way. You haven't a bit of proper +pride, and never will learn when to hold your tongue and when to speak," +said Amy despairingly. + +Poor Jo looked abashed, and silently chafed the end of her nose with the +stiff handkerchief, as if performing a penance for her misdemeanors. + +"How shall I behave here?" she asked, as they approached the third +mansion. + +"Just as you please; I wash my hands of you," was Amy's short answer. + +"Then I'll enjoy myself. The boys are at home, and we'll have a +comfortable time. Goodness knows I need a little change, for elegance +has a bad effect upon my constitution," returned Jo gruffly, being +disturbed by her failures to suit. + +An enthusiastic welcome from three big boys and several pretty children +speedily soothed her ruffled feelings; and, leaving Amy to entertain the +hostess and Mr. Tudor, who happened to be calling likewise, Jo devoted +herself to the young folks, and found the change refreshing. She +listened to college stories with deep interest, caressed pointers and +poodles without a murmur, agreed heartily that "Tom Brown was a brick," +regardless of the improper form of praise; and when one lad proposed a +visit to his turtle-tank, she went with an alacrity which caused mamma +to smile upon her, as that motherly lady settled the cap which was left +in a ruinous condition by filial hugs, bear-like but affectionate, and +dearer to her than the most faultless _coiffure_ from the hands of an +inspired Frenchwoman. + +Leaving her sister to her own devices, Amy proceeded to enjoy herself to +her heart's content. Mr. Tudor's uncle had married an English lady who +was third cousin to a living lord, and Amy regarded the whole family +with great respect; for, in spite of her American birth and breeding, +she possessed that reverence for titles which haunts the best of +us,--that unacknowledged loyalty to the early faith in kings which set +the most democratic nation under the sun in a ferment at the coming of a +royal yellow-haired laddie, some years ago, and which still has +something to do with the love the young country bears the old, like that +of a big son for an imperious little mother, who held him while she +could, and let him go with a farewell scolding when he rebelled. But +even the satisfaction of talking with a distant connection of the +British nobility did not render Amy forgetful of time; and when the +proper number of minutes had passed, she reluctantly tore herself from +this aristocratic society, and looked about for Jo, fervently hoping +that her incorrigible sister would not be found in any position which +should bring disgrace upon the name of March. + + [Illustration: It might have been worse] + +It might have been worse, but Amy considered it bad; for Jo sat on the +grass, with an encampment of boys about her, and a dirty-footed dog +reposing on the skirt of her state and festival dress, as she related +one of Laurie's pranks to her admiring audience. One small child was +poking turtles with Amy's cherished parasol, a second was eating +gingerbread over Jo's best bonnet, and a third playing ball with her +gloves. But all were enjoying themselves; and when Jo collected her +damaged property to go, her escort accompanied her, begging her to come +again, "it was such fun to hear about Laurie's larks." + +"Capital boys, aren't they? I feel quite young and brisk again after +that," said Jo, strolling along with her hands behind her, partly from +habit, partly to conceal the bespattered parasol. + +"Why do you always avoid Mr. Tudor?" asked Amy, wisely refraining from +any comment upon Jo's dilapidated appearance. + +"Don't like him; he puts on airs, snubs his sisters, worries his father, +and doesn't speak respectfully of his mother. Laurie says he is fast, +and _I_ don't consider him a desirable acquaintance; so I let him +alone." + +"You might treat him civilly, at least. You gave him a cool nod; and +just now you bowed and smiled in the politest way to Tommy Chamberlain, +whose father keeps a grocery store. If you had just reversed the nod and +the bow, it would have been right," said Amy reprovingly. + +"No, it wouldn't," returned perverse Jo; "I neither like, respect, nor +admire Tudor, though his grandfather's uncle's nephew's niece _was_ +third cousin to a lord. Tommy is poor and bashful and good and very +clever; I think well of him, and like to show that I do, for he _is_ a +gentleman in spite of the brown-paper parcels." + +"It's no use trying to argue with you," began Amy. + +"Not the least, my dear," interrupted Jo; "so let us look amiable, and +drop a card here, as the Kings are evidently out, for which I'm deeply +grateful." + +The family card-case having done its duty, the girls walked on, and Jo +uttered another thanksgiving on reaching the fifth house, and being told +that the young ladies were engaged. + +"Now let us go home, and never mind Aunt March to-day. We can run down +there any time, and it's really a pity to trail through the dust in our +best bibs and tuckers, when we are tired and cross." + +"Speak for yourself, if you please. Aunt likes to have us pay her the +compliment of coming in style, and making a formal call; it's a little +thing to do, but it gives her pleasure, and I don't believe it will hurt +your things half so much as letting dirty dogs and clumping boys spoil +them. Stoop down, and let me take the crumbs off of your bonnet." + +"What a good girl you are, Amy!" said Jo, with a repentant glance from +her own damaged costume to that of her sister, which was fresh and +spotless still. "I wish it was as easy for me to do little things to +please people as it is for you. I think of them, but it takes too much +time to do them; so I wait for a chance to confer a great favor, and let +the small ones slip; but they tell best in the end, I fancy." + +Amy smiled, and was mollified at once, saying with a maternal air,-- + +"Women should learn to be agreeable, particularly poor ones; for they +have no other way of repaying the kindnesses they receive. If you'd +remember that, and practise it, you'd be better liked than I am, because +there is more of you." + +"I'm a crotchety old thing, and always shall be, but I'm willing to own +that you are right; only it's easier for me to risk my life for a person +than to be pleasant to him when I don't feel like it. It's a great +misfortune to have such strong likes and dislikes, isn't it?" + +"It's a greater not to be able to hide them. I don't mind saying that I +don't approve of Tudor any more than you do; but I'm not called upon to +tell him so; neither are you, and there is no use in making yourself +disagreeable because he is." + +"But I think girls ought to show when they disapprove of young men; and +how can they do it except by their manners? Preaching does not do any +good, as I know to my sorrow, since I've had Teddy to manage; but there +are many little ways in which I can influence him without a word, and I +say we _ought_ to do it to others if we can." + +"Teddy is a remarkable boy, and can't be taken as a sample of other +boys," said Amy, in a tone of solemn conviction, which would have +convulsed the "remarkable boy," if he had heard it. "If we were belles, +or women of wealth and position, we might do something, perhaps; but for +us to frown at one set of young gentlemen because we don't approve of +them, and smile upon another set because we do, wouldn't have a particle +of effect, and we should only be considered odd and puritanical." + +"So we are to countenance things and people which we detest, merely +because we are not belles and millionaires, are we? That's a nice sort +of morality." + +"I can't argue about it, I only know that it's the way of the world; and +people who set themselves against it only get laughed at for their +pains. I don't like reformers, and I hope you will never try to be one." + +"I do like them, and I shall be one if I can; for in spite of the +laughing, the world would never get on without them. We can't agree +about that, for you belong to the old set, and I to the new: you will +get on the best, but I shall have the liveliest time of it. I should +rather enjoy the brickbats and hooting, I think." + +"Well, compose yourself now, and don't worry aunt with your new ideas." + +"I'll try not to, but I'm always possessed to burst out with some +particularly blunt speech or revolutionary sentiment before her; it's my +doom, and I can't help it." + +They found Aunt Carrol with the old lady, both absorbed in some very +interesting subject; but they dropped it as the girls came in, with a +conscious look which betrayed that they had been talking about their +nieces. Jo was not in a good humor, and the perverse fit returned; but +Amy, who had virtuously done her duty, kept her temper, and pleased +everybody, was in a most angelic frame of mind. This amiable spirit was +felt at once, and both the aunts "my deared" her affectionately, looking +what they afterwards said emphatically,--"That child improves every +day." + +"Are you going to help about the fair, dear?" asked Mrs. Carrol, as Amy +sat down beside her with the confiding air elderly people like so well +in the young. + +"Yes, aunt. Mrs. Chester asked me if I would, and I offered to tend a +table, as I have nothing but my time to give." + +"I'm not," put in Jo decidedly. "I hate to be patronized, and the +Chesters think it's a great favor to allow us to help with their highly +connected fair. I wonder you consented, Amy: they only want you to +work." + +"I am willing to work: it's for the freedmen as well as the Chesters, +and I think it very kind of them to let me share the labor and the fun. +Patronage does not trouble me when it is well meant." + +"Quite right and proper. I like your grateful spirit, my dear; it's a +pleasure to help people who appreciate our efforts: some do not, and +that is trying," observed Aunt March, looking over her spectacles at Jo, +who sat apart, rocking herself, with a somewhat morose expression. + + [Illustration: The call at Aunt March's] + +If Jo had only known what a great happiness was wavering in the balance +for one of them, she would have turned dovelike in a minute; but, +unfortunately, we don't have windows in our breasts, and cannot see what +goes on in the minds of our friends; better for us that we cannot as a +general thing, but now and then it would be such a comfort, such a +saving of time and temper. By her next speech, Jo deprived herself of +several years of pleasure, and received a timely lesson in the art of +holding her tongue. + +"I don't like favors; they oppress and make me feel like a slave. I'd +rather do everything for myself, and be perfectly independent." + +"Ahem!" coughed Aunt Carrol softly, with a look at Aunt March. + +"I told you so," said Aunt March, with a decided nod to Aunt Carrol. + +Mercifully unconscious of what she had done, Jo sat with her nose in the +air, and a revolutionary aspect which was anything but inviting. + +"Do you speak French, dear?" asked Mrs. Carrol, laying her hand on +Amy's. + +"Pretty well, thanks to Aunt March, who lets Esther talk to me as often +as I like," replied Amy, with a grateful look, which caused the old lady +to smile affably. + +"How are you about languages?" asked Mrs. Carrol of Jo. + +"Don't know a word; I'm very stupid about studying anything; can't bear +French, it's such a slippery, silly sort of language," was the _brusque_ +reply. + +Another look passed between the ladies, and Aunt March said to Amy, "You +are quite strong and well, now, dear, I believe? Eyes don't trouble you +any more, do they?" + +"Not at all, thank you, ma'am. I'm very well, and mean to do great +things next winter, so that I may be ready for Rome, whenever that +joyful time arrives." + +"Good girl! You deserve to go, and I'm sure you will some day," said +Aunt March, with an approving pat on the head, as Amy picked up her ball +for her. + + "Cross-patch, draw the latch, + Sit by the fire and spin," + +squalled Polly, bending down from his perch on the back of her chair to +peep into Jo's face, with such a comical air of impertinent inquiry that +it was impossible to help laughing. + +"Most observing bird," said the old lady. + +"Come and take a walk, my dear?" cried Polly, hopping toward the +china-closet, with a look suggestive of lump-sugar. + +"Thank you, I will. Come, Amy;" and Jo brought the visit to an end, +feeling more strongly than ever that calls did have a bad effect upon +her constitution. She shook hands in a gentlemanly manner, but Amy +kissed both the aunts, and the girls departed, leaving behind them the +impression of shadow and sunshine; which impression caused Aunt March to +say, as they vanished,-- + +"You'd better do it, Mary; I'll supply the money," and Aunt Carrol to +reply decidedly, "I certainly will, if her father and mother consent." + + [Illustration: Tail-piece] + + + + + [Illustration: You shall have another table] + + XXX. + + CONSEQUENCES. + + +Mrs. Chester's fair was so very elegant and select that it was +considered a great honor by the young ladies of the neighborhood to be +invited to take a table, and every one was much interested in the +matter. Amy was asked, but Jo was not, which was fortunate for all +parties, as her elbows were decidedly akimbo at this period of her life, +and it took a good many hard knocks to teach her how to get on easily. +The "haughty, uninteresting creature" was let severely alone; but Amy's +talent and taste were duly complimented by the offer of the art-table, +and she exerted herself to prepare and secure appropriate and valuable +contributions to it. + +Everything went on smoothly till the day before the fair opened; then +there occurred one of the little skirmishes which it is almost +impossible to avoid, when some five and twenty women, old and young, +with all their private piques and prejudices, try to work together. + +May Chester was rather jealous of Amy because the latter was a greater +favorite than herself, and, just at this time, several trifling +circumstances occurred to increase the feeling. Amy's dainty pen-and-ink +work entirely eclipsed May's painted vases,--that was one thorn; then +the all-conquering Tudor had danced four times with Amy, at a late +party, and only once with May,--that was thorn number two; but the chief +grievance that rankled in her soul, and gave her an excuse for her +unfriendly conduct, was a rumor which some obliging gossip had whispered +to her, that the March girls had made fun of her at the Lambs'. All the +blame of this should have fallen upon Jo, for her naughty imitation had +been too lifelike to escape detection, and the frolicsome Lambs had +permitted the joke to escape. No hint of this had reached the culprits, +however, and Amy's dismay can be imagined, when, the very evening before +the fair, as she was putting the last touches to her pretty table, Mrs. +Chester, who, of course, resented the supposed ridicule of her daughter, +said, in a bland tone, but with a cold look,-- + +"I find, dear, that there is some feeling among the young ladies about +my giving this table to any one but my girls. As this is the most +prominent, and some say the most attractive table of all, and they are +the chief getters-up of the fair, it is thought best for them to take +this place. I'm sorry, but I know you are too sincerely interested in +the cause to mind a little personal disappointment, and you shall have +another table if you like." + +Mrs. Chester had fancied beforehand that it would be easy to deliver +this little speech; but when the time came, she found it rather +difficult to utter it naturally, with Amy's unsuspicious eyes looking +straight at her, full of surprise and trouble. + +Amy felt that there was something behind this, but could not guess what, +and said quietly, feeling hurt, and showing that she did,-- + +"Perhaps you had rather I took no table at all?" + +"Now, my dear, don't have any ill feeling, I beg; it's merely a matter +of expediency, you see; my girls will naturally take the lead, and this +table is considered their proper place. _I_ think it very appropriate +to you, and feel very grateful for your efforts to make it so pretty; +but we must give up our private wishes, of course, and I will see that +you have a good place elsewhere. Wouldn't you like the flower-table? The +little girls undertook it, but they are discouraged. You could make a +charming thing of it, and the flower-table is always attractive, you +know." + +"Especially to gentlemen," added May, with a look which enlightened Amy +as to one cause of her sudden fall from favor. She colored angrily, but +took no other notice of that girlish sarcasm, and answered, with +unexpected amiability,-- + +"It shall be as you please, Mrs. Chester. I'll give up my place here at +once, and attend to the flowers, if you like." + +"You can put your own things on your own table, if you prefer," began +May, feeling a little conscience-stricken, as she looked at the pretty +racks, the painted shells, and quaint illuminations Amy had so carefully +made and so gracefully arranged. She meant it kindly, but Amy mistook +her meaning, and said quickly,-- + +"Oh, certainly, if they are in your way;" and sweeping her contributions +into her apron, pell-mell, she walked off, feeling that herself and her +works of art had been insulted past forgiveness. + +"Now she's mad. Oh, dear, I wish I hadn't asked you to speak, mamma," +said May, looking disconsolately at the empty spaces on her table. + +"Girls' quarrels are soon over," returned her mother, feeling a trifle +ashamed of her own part in this one, as well she might. + +The little girls hailed Amy and her treasures with delight, which +cordial reception somewhat soothed her perturbed spirit, and she fell to +work, determined to succeed florally, if she could not artistically. But +everything seemed against her: it was late, and she was tired; every one +was too busy with their own affairs to help her; and the little girls +were only hindrances, for the dears fussed and chattered like so many +magpies, making a great deal of confusion in their artless efforts to +preserve the most perfect order. The evergreen arch wouldn't stay firm +after she got it up, but wiggled and threatened to tumble down on her +head when the hanging baskets were filled; her best tile got a splash of +water, which left a sepia tear on the Cupid's cheek; she bruised her +hands with hammering, and got cold working in a draught, which last +affliction filled her with apprehensions for the morrow. Any girl-reader +who has suffered like afflictions will sympathize with poor Amy, and +wish her well through with her task. + +There was great indignation at home when she told her story that +evening. Her mother said it was a shame, but told her she had done +right; Beth declared she wouldn't go to the fair at all; and Jo demanded +why she didn't take all her pretty things and leave those mean people to +get on without her. + +"Because they are mean is no reason why I should be. I hate such things, +and though I think I've a right to be hurt, I don't intend to show it. +They will feel that more than angry speeches or huffy actions, won't +they, Marmee?" + +"That's the right spirit, my dear; a kiss for a blow is always best, +though it's not very easy to give it sometimes," said her mother, with +the air of one who had learned the difference between preaching and +practising. + +In spite of various very natural temptations to resent and retaliate, +Amy adhered to her resolution all the next day, bent on conquering her +enemy by kindness. She began well, thanks to a silent reminder that came +to her unexpectedly, but most opportunely. As she arranged her table +that morning, while the little girls were in an ante-room filling the +baskets, she took up her pet production,--a little book, the antique +cover of which her father had found among his treasures, and in which, +on leaves of vellum, she had beautifully illuminated different texts. As +she turned the pages, rich in dainty devices, with very pardonable +pride, her eye fell upon one verse that made her stop and think. Framed +in a brilliant scroll-work of scarlet, blue, and gold, with little +spirits of good-will helping one another up and down among the thorns +and flowers, were the words, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." + +"I ought, but I don't," thought Amy, as her eye went from the bright +page to May's discontented face behind the big vases, that could not +hide the vacancies her pretty work had once filled. Amy stood a minute, +turning the leaves in her hand, reading on each some sweet rebuke for +all heart-burnings and uncharitableness of spirit. Many wise and true +sermons are preached us every day by unconscious ministers in street, +school, office, or home; even a fair-table may become a pulpit, if it +can offer the good and helpful words which are never out of season. +Amy's conscience preached her a little sermon from that text, then and +there; and she did what many of us do not always do,--took the sermon to +heart, and straightway put it in practice. + +A group of girls were standing about May's table, admiring the pretty +things, and talking over the change of saleswomen. They dropped their +voices, but Amy knew they were speaking of her, hearing one side of the +story, and judging accordingly. It was not pleasant, but a better spirit +had come over her, and presently a chance offered for proving it. She +heard May say sorrowfully,-- + +"It's too bad, for there is no time to make other things, and I don't +want to fill up with odds and ends. The table was just complete then: +now it's spoilt." + +"I dare say she'd put them back if you asked her," suggested some one. + +"How could I after all the fuss?" began May, but she did not finish, for +Amy's voice came across the hall, saying pleasantly,-- + +"You may have them, and welcome, without asking, if you want them. I was +just thinking I'd offer to put them back, for they belong to your table +rather than mine. Here they are; please take them, and forgive me if I +was hasty in carrying them away last night." + +As she spoke, Amy returned her contribution, with a nod and a smile, and +hurried away again, feeling that it was easier to do a friendly thing +than it was to stay and be thanked for it. + +"Now, I call that lovely of her, don't you?" cried one girl. + +May's answer was inaudible; but another young lady, whose temper was +evidently a little soured by making lemonade, added, with a disagreeable +laugh, "Very lovely; for she knew she wouldn't sell them at her own +table." + +Now, that was hard; when we make little sacrifices we like to have them +appreciated, at least; and for a minute Amy was sorry she had done it, +feeling that virtue was not always its own reward. But it is,--as she +presently discovered; for her spirits began to rise, and her table to +blossom under her skilful hands; the girls were very kind, and that one +little act seemed to have cleared the atmosphere amazingly. + +It was a very long day, and a hard one to Amy, as she sat behind her +table, often quite alone, for the little girls deserted very soon: few +cared to buy flowers in summer, and her bouquets began to droop long +before night. + +The art-table _was_ the most attractive in the room; there was a crowd +about it all day long, and the tenders were constantly flying to and fro +with important faces and rattling money-boxes. Amy often looked +wistfully across, longing to be there, where she felt at home and happy, +instead of in a corner with nothing to do. It might seem no hardship to +some of us; but to a pretty, blithe young girl, it was not only tedious, +but very trying; and the thought of being found there in the evening by +her family, and Laurie and his friends, made it a real martyrdom. + +She did not go home till night, and then she looked so pale and quiet +that they knew the day had been a hard one, though she made no +complaint, and did not even tell what she had done. Her mother gave her +an extra cordial cup of tea, Beth helped her dress, and made a charming +little wreath for her hair, while Jo astonished her family by getting +herself up with unusual care, and hinting darkly that the tables were +about to be turned. + +"Don't do anything rude, pray, Jo. I won't have any fuss made, so let it +all pass, and behave yourself," begged Amy, as she departed early, +hoping to find a reinforcement of flowers to refresh her poor little +table. + +"I merely intend to make myself entrancingly agreeable to every one I +know, and to keep them in your corner as long as possible. Teddy and his +boys will lend a hand, and we'll have a good time yet," returned Jo, +leaning over the gate to watch for Laurie. Presently the familiar tramp +was heard in the dusk, and she ran out to meet him. + +"Is that my boy?" + +"As sure as this is my girl!" and Laurie tucked her hand under his arm, +with the air of a man whose every wish was gratified. + +"O Teddy, such doings!" and Jo told Amy's wrongs with sisterly zeal. + +"A flock of our fellows are going to drive over by and by, and I'll be +hanged if I don't make them buy every flower she's got, and camp down +before her table afterward," said Laurie, espousing her cause with +warmth. + +"The flowers are not at all nice, Amy says, and the fresh ones may not +arrive in time. I don't wish to be unjust or suspicious, but I shouldn't +wonder if they never came at all. When people do one mean thing they are +very likely to do another," observed Jo, in a disgusted tone. + +"Didn't Hayes give you the best out of our gardens? I told him to." + +"I didn't know that; he forgot, I suppose; and, as your grandpa was +poorly, I didn't like to worry him by asking, though I did want some." + +"Now, Jo, how could you think there was any need of asking! They are +just as much yours as mine. Don't we always go halves in everything?" +began Laurie, in the tone that always made Jo turn thorny. + +"Gracious, I hope not! half of some of your things wouldn't suit me at +all. But we mustn't stand philandering here; I've got to help Amy, so +you go and make yourself splendid; and if you'll be so very kind as to +let Hayes take a few nice flowers up to the Hall, I'll bless you +forever." + +"Couldn't you do it now?" asked Laurie, so suggestively that Jo shut the +gate in his face with inhospitable haste, and called through the bars, +"Go away, Teddy; I'm busy." + +Thanks to the conspirators, the tables _were_ turned that night; for +Hayes sent up a wilderness of flowers, with a lovely basket, arranged in +his best manner, for a centre-piece; then the March family turned out +_en masse_, and Jo exerted herself to some purpose, for people not only +came, but stayed, laughing at her nonsense, admiring Amy's taste, and +apparently enjoying themselves very much. Laurie and his friends +gallantly threw themselves into the breach, bought up the bouquets, +encamped before the table, and made that corner the liveliest spot in +the room. Amy was in her element now, and, out of gratitude, if nothing +more, was as sprightly and gracious as possible,--coming to the +conclusion, about that time, that virtue _was_ its own reward, after +all. + + [Illustration: Bought up the bouquets] + +Jo behaved herself with exemplary propriety; and when Amy was happily +surrounded by her guard of honor, Jo circulated about the hall, picking +up various bits of gossip, which enlightened her upon the subject of the +Chester change of base. She reproached herself for her share of the +ill-feeling, and resolved to exonerate Amy as soon as possible; she also +discovered what Amy had done about the things in the morning, and +considered her a model of magnanimity. As she passed the art-table, she +glanced over it for her sister's things, but saw no signs of them. +"Tucked away out of sight, I dare say," thought Jo, who could forgive +her own wrongs, but hotly resented any insult offered to her family. + +"Good evening, Miss Jo. How does Amy get on?" asked May, with a +conciliatory air, for she wanted to show that she also could be +generous. + +"She has sold everything she had that was worth selling, and now she is +enjoying herself. The flower-table is always attractive, you know, +'especially to gentlemen.'" + +Jo _couldn't_ resist giving that little slap, but May took it so meekly +she regretted it a minute after, and fell to praising the great vases, +which still remained unsold. + +"Is Amy's illumination anywhere about? I took a fancy to buy that for +father," said Jo, very anxious to learn the fate of her sister's work. + +"Everything of Amy's sold long ago; I took care that the right people +saw them, and they made a nice little sum of money for us," returned +May, who had overcome sundry small temptations, as well as Amy, that +day. + +Much gratified, Jo rushed back to tell the good news; and Amy looked +both touched and surprised by the report of May's words and manner. + +"Now, gentlemen, I want you to go and do your duty by the other tables +as generously as you have by mine--especially the art-table," she said, +ordering out "Teddy's Own," as the girls called the college friends. + +"'Charge, Chester, charge!' is the motto for that table; but do your +duty like men, and you'll get your money's worth of _art_ in every sense +of the word," said the irrepressible Jo, as the devoted phalanx prepared +to take the field. + +"To hear is to obey, but March is fairer far than May," said little +Parker, making a frantic effort to be both witty and tender, and getting +promptly quenched by Laurie, who said, "Very well, my son, for a small +boy!" and walked him off, with a paternal pat on the head. + +"Buy the vases," whispered Amy to Laurie, as a final heaping of coals of +fire on her enemy's head. + +To May's great delight, Mr. Laurence not only bought the vases, but +pervaded the hall with one under each arm. The other gentlemen +speculated with equal rashness in all sorts of frail trifles, and +wandered helplessly about afterward, burdened with wax flowers, painted +fans, filigree portfolios, and other useful and appropriate purchases. + +Aunt Carrol was there, heard the story, looked pleased, and said +something to Mrs. March in a corner, which made the latter lady beam +with satisfaction, and watch Amy with a face full of mingled pride and +anxiety, though she did not betray the cause of her pleasure till +several days later. + +The fair was pronounced a success; and when May bade Amy good night, she +did not "gush" as usual, but gave her an affectionate kiss, and a look +which said, "Forgive and forget." That satisfied Amy; and when she got +home she found the vases paraded on the parlor chimney-piece, with a +great bouquet in each. "The reward of merit for a magnanimous March," as +Laurie announced with a flourish. + +"You've a deal more principle and generosity and nobleness of character +than I ever gave you credit for, Amy. You've behaved sweetly, and I +respect you with all my heart," said Jo warmly, as they brushed their +hair together late that night. + +"Yes, we all do, and love her for being so ready to forgive. It must +have been dreadfully hard, after working so long, and setting your heart +on selling your own pretty things. I don't believe I could have done it +as kindly as you did," added Beth from her pillow. + +"Why, girls, you needn't praise me so; I only did as I'd be done by. You +laugh at me when I say I want to be a lady, but I mean a true +gentlewoman in mind and manners, and I try to do it as far as I know +how. I can't explain exactly, but I want to be above the little +meannesses and follies and faults that spoil so many women. I'm far from +it now, but I do my best, and hope in time to be what mother is." + +Amy spoke earnestly, and Jo said, with a cordial hug,-- + +"I understand now what you mean, and I'll never laugh at you again. You +are getting on faster than you think, and I'll take lessons of you in +true politeness, for you've learned the secret, I believe. Try away, +deary; you'll get your reward some day, and no one will be more +delighted than I shall." + +A week later Amy did get her reward, and poor Jo found it hard to be +delighted. A letter came from Aunt Carrol, and Mrs. March's face was +illuminated to such a degree, when she read it, that Jo and Beth, who +were with her, demanded what the glad tidings were. + +"Aunt Carrol is going abroad next month, and wants--" + +"Me to go with her!" burst in Jo, flying out of her chair in an +uncontrollable rapture. + +"No, dear, not you; it's Amy." + +"O mother! she's too young; it's my turn first. I've wanted it so +long--it would do me so much good, and be so altogether splendid--I +_must_ go." + +"I'm afraid it's impossible, Jo. Aunt says Amy, decidedly, and it is not +for us to dictate when she offers such a favor." + +"It's always so. Amy has all the fun and I have all the work. It isn't +fair, oh, it isn't fair!" cried Jo passionately. + +"I'm afraid it is partly your own fault, dear. When Aunt spoke to me the +other day, she regretted your blunt manners and too independent spirit; +and here she writes, as if quoting something you had said,--'I planned +at first to ask Jo; but as "favors burden her," and she "hates French," +I think I won't venture to invite her. Amy is more docile, will make a +good companion for Flo, and receive gratefully any help the trip may +give her.'" + +"Oh, my tongue, my abominable tongue! why can't I learn to keep it +quiet?" groaned Jo, remembering words which had been her undoing. When +she had heard the explanation of the quoted phrases, Mrs. March said +sorrowfully,-- + +"I wish you could have gone, but there is no hope of it this time; so +try to bear it cheerfully, and don't sadden Amy's pleasure by reproaches +or regrets." + +"I'll try," said Jo, winking hard, as she knelt down to pick up the +basket she had joyfully upset. "I'll take a leaf out of her book, and +try not only to seem glad, but to be so, and not grudge her one minute +of happiness; but it won't be easy, for it is a dreadful +disappointment;" and poor Jo bedewed the little fat pincushion she held +with several very bitter tears. + +"Jo, dear, I'm very selfish, but I couldn't spare you, and I'm glad you +are not going quite yet," whispered Beth, embracing her, basket and all, +with such a clinging touch and loving face, that Jo felt comforted in +spite of the sharp regret that made her want to box her own ears, and +humbly beg Aunt Carrol to burden her with this favor, and see how +gratefully she would bear it. + +By the time Amy came in, Jo was able to take her part in the family +jubilation; not quite as heartily as usual, perhaps, but without +repinings at Amy's good fortune. The young lady herself received the +news as tidings of great joy, went about in a solemn sort of rapture, +and began to sort her colors and pack her pencils that evening, leaving +such trifles as clothes, money, and passports to those less absorbed in +visions of art than herself. + +"It isn't a mere pleasure trip to me, girls," she said impressively, as +she scraped her best palette. "It will decide my career; for if I have +any genius, I shall find it out in Rome, and will do something to prove +it." + +"Suppose you haven't?" said Jo, sewing away, with red eyes, at the new +collars which were to be handed over to Amy. + +"Then I shall come home and teach drawing for my living," replied the +aspirant for fame, with philosophic composure; but she made a wry face +at the prospect, and scratched away at her palette as if bent on +vigorous measures before she gave up her hopes. + +"No, you won't; you hate hard work, and you'll marry some rich man, and +come home to sit in the lap of luxury all your days," said Jo. + +"Your predictions sometimes come to pass, but I don't believe that one +will. I'm sure I wish it would, for if I can't be an artist myself, I +should like to be able to help those who are," said Amy, smiling, as if +the part of Lady Bountiful would suit her better than that of a poor +drawing-teacher. + +"Hum!" said Jo, with a sigh; "if you wish it you'll have it, for your +wishes are always granted--mine never." + +"Would you like to go?" asked Amy, thoughtfully patting her nose with +her knife. + +"Rather!" + +"Well, in a year or two I'll send for you, and we'll dig in the Forum +for relics, and carry out all the plans we've made so many times." + +"Thank you; I'll remind you of your promise when that joyful day comes, +if it ever does," returned Jo, accepting the vague but magnificent offer +as gratefully as she could. + +There was not much time for preparation, and the house was in a ferment +till Amy was off. Jo bore up very well till the last flutter of blue +ribbon vanished, when she retired to her refuge, the garret, and cried +till she couldn't cry any more. Amy likewise bore up stoutly till the +steamer sailed; then, just as the gangway was about to be withdrawn, it +suddenly came over her that a whole ocean was soon to roll between her +and those who loved her best, and she clung to Laurie, the last +lingerer, saying with a sob,-- + +"Oh, take care of them for me; and if anything should happen--" + +"I will, dear, I will; and if anything happens, I'll come and comfort +you," whispered Laurie, little dreaming that he would be called upon to +keep his word. + +So Amy sailed away to find the old world, which is always new and +beautiful to young eyes, while her father and friend watched her from +the shore, fervently hoping that none but gentle fortunes would befall +the happy-hearted girl, who waved her hand to them till they could see +nothing but the summer sunshine dazzling on the sea. + + [Illustration: Tail-piece] + + + + + [Illustration: Flo and I ordered a hansom-cab] + + XXXI. + + OUR FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT. + + + "LONDON. + "DEAREST PEOPLE,-- + + "Here I really sit at a front window of the Bath Hotel, + Piccadilly. It's not a fashionable place, but uncle stopped here + years ago, and won't go anywhere else; however, we don't mean to + stay long, so it's no great matter. Oh, I can't begin to tell + you how I enjoy it all! I never can, so I'll only give you bits + out of my note-book, for I've done nothing but sketch and + scribble since I started. + + "I sent a line from Halifax, when I felt pretty miserable, but + after that I got on delightfully, seldom ill, on deck all day, + with plenty of pleasant people to amuse me. Every one was very + kind to me, especially the officers. Don't laugh, Jo; gentlemen + really are very necessary aboard ship, to hold on to, or to wait + upon one; and as they have nothing to do, it's a mercy to make + them useful, otherwise they would smoke themselves to death, I'm + afraid. + + [Illustration: "Every one was very kind, especially the + officers."--Page 378.] + + "Aunt and Flo were poorly all the way, and liked to be let + alone, so when I had done what I could for them, I went and + enjoyed myself. Such walks on deck, such sunsets, such splendid + air and waves! It was almost as exciting as riding a fast + horse, when we went rushing on so grandly. I wish Beth could + have come, it would have done her so much good; as for Jo, she + would have gone up and sat on the main-top jib, or whatever the + high thing is called, made friends with the engineers, and + tooted on the captain's speaking-trumpet, she'd have been in + such a state of rapture. + + "It was all heavenly, but I was glad to see the Irish coast, and + found it very lovely, so green and sunny, with brown cabins here + and there, ruins on some of the hills, and gentlemen's + country-seats in the valleys, with deer feeding in the parks. It + was early in the morning, but I didn't regret getting up to see + it, for the bay was full of little boats, the shore _so_ + picturesque, and a rosy sky overhead. I never shall forget it. + + "At Queenstown one of my new acquaintances left us,--Mr. + Lennox,--and when I said something about the Lakes of Killarney, + he sighed and sung, with a look at me,-- + + 'Oh, have you e'er heard of Kate Kearney? + She lives on the banks of Killarney; + From the glance of her eye, + Shun danger and fly, + For fatal's the glance of Kate Kearney.' + + Wasn't that nonsensical? + + "We only stopped at Liverpool a few hours. It's a dirty, noisy + place, and I was glad to leave it. Uncle rushed out and bought a + pair of dog-skin gloves, some ugly, thick shoes, and an + umbrella, and got shaved _à la_ mutton-chop, the first thing. + Then he flattered himself that he looked like a true Briton; but + the first time he had the mud cleaned off his shoes, the little + bootblack knew that an American stood in them, and said, with a + grin, 'There yer har, sir. I've give 'em the latest Yankee + shine.' It amused uncle immensely. Oh, I _must_ tell you what + that absurd Lennox did! He got his friend Ward, who came on with + us, to order a bouquet for me, and the first thing I saw in my + room was a lovely one, with 'Robert Lennox's compliments,' on + the card. Wasn't that fun, girls? I like travelling. + + "I never _shall_ get to London if I don't hurry. The trip was + like riding through a long picture-gallery, full of lovely + landscapes. The farmhouses were my delight; with thatched roofs, + ivy up to the eaves, latticed windows, and stout women with rosy + children at the doors. The very cattle looked more tranquil than + ours, as they stood knee-deep in clover, and the hens had a + contented cluck, as if they never got nervous, like Yankee + biddies. Such perfect color I never saw,--the grass so green, + sky so blue, grain so yellow, woods so dark,--I was in a rapture + all the way. So was Flo; and we kept bouncing from one side to + the other, trying to see everything while we were whisking along + at the rate of sixty miles an hour. Aunt was tired and went to + sleep, but uncle read his guide-book, and wouldn't be astonished + at anything. This is the way we went on: Amy, flying up,--'Oh, + that must be Kenilworth, that gray place among the trees!' Flo, + darting to my window,--'How sweet! We must go there some time, + won't we, papa?' Uncle, calmly admiring his boots,--'No, my + dear, not unless you want beer; that's a brewery.' + + "A pause,--then Flo cried out, 'Bless me, there's a gallows and + a man going up.' 'Where, where?' shrieks Amy, staring out at two + tall posts with a cross-beam and some dangling chains. 'A + colliery,' remarks uncle, with a twinkle of the eye. 'Here's a + lovely flock of lambs all lying down,' says Amy. 'See, papa, + aren't they pretty!' added Flo sentimentally. 'Geese, young + ladies,' returns uncle, in a tone that keeps us quiet till Flo + settles down to enjoy 'The Flirtations of Capt. Cavendish,' and + I have the scenery all to myself. + + "Of course it rained when we got to London, and there was + nothing to be seen but fog and umbrellas. We rested, unpacked, + and shopped a little between the showers. Aunt Mary got me some + new things, for I came off in such a hurry I wasn't half ready. + A white hat and blue feather, a muslin dress to match, and the + loveliest mantle you ever saw. Shopping in Regent Street is + perfectly splendid; things seem so cheap--nice ribbons only + sixpence a yard. I laid in a stock, but shall get my gloves in + Paris. Doesn't that sound sort of elegant and rich? + + "Flo and I, for the fun of it, ordered a hansom cab, while aunt + and uncle were out, and went for a drive, though we learned + afterward that it wasn't the thing for young ladies to ride in + them alone. It was so droll! for when we were shut in by the + wooden apron, the man drove so fast that Flo was frightened, and + told me to stop him. But he was up outside behind somewhere, and + I couldn't get at him. He didn't hear me call, nor see me flap + my parasol in front, and there we were, quite helpless, rattling + away, and whirling around corners at a break-neck pace. At last, + in my despair, I saw a little door in the roof, and on poking it + open, a red eye appeared, and a beery voice said,-- + + "'Now then, mum?' + + "I gave my order as soberly as I could, and slamming down the + door, with an 'Aye, aye, mum,' the man made his horse walk, as + if going to a funeral. I poked again, and said, 'A little + faster;' then off he went, helter-skelter, as before, and we + resigned ourselves to our fate. + + "To-day was fair and we went to Hyde Park, close by, for we are + more aristocratic than we look. The Duke of Devonshire lives + near. I often see his footmen lounging at the back gate; and the + Duke of Wellington's house is not far off. Such sights as I saw, + my dear! It was as good as Punch, for there were fat dowagers + rolling about in their red and yellow coaches, with gorgeous + Jeameses in silk stockings and velvet coats, up behind, and + powdered coachmen in front. Smart maids, with the rosiest + children I ever saw; handsome girls, looking half asleep; + dandies, in queer English hats and lavender kids, lounging + about, and tall soldiers, in short red jackets and muffin caps + stuck on one side, looking so funny I longed to sketch them. + + "Rotten Row means '_Route de Roi_,' or the king's way; but now + it's more like a riding-school than anything else. The horses + are splendid, and the men, especially the grooms, ride well; but + the women are stiff, and bounce, which isn't according to our + rules. I longed to show them a tearing American gallop, for they + trotted solemnly up and down, in their scant habits and high + hats, looking like the women in a toy Noah's Ark. Every one + rides,--old men, stout ladies, little children,--and the young + folks do a deal of flirting here; I saw a pair exchange + rosebuds, for it's the thing to wear one in the button-hole, and + I thought it rather a nice little idea. + + "In the P.M. to Westminster Abbey; but don't expect me to + describe it, that's impossible--so I'll only say it was sublime! + This evening we are going to see Fechter, which will be an + appropriate end to the happiest day of my life. + + "MIDNIGHT. + + "It's very late, but I can't let my letter go in the morning + without telling you what happened last evening. Who do you think + came in, as we were at tea? Laurie's English friends, Fred and + Frank Vaughn! I was _so_ surprised, for I shouldn't have known + them but for the cards. Both are tall fellows, with whiskers; + Fred handsome in the English style, and Frank much better, for + he only limps slightly, and uses no crutches. They had heard + from Laurie where we were to be, and came to ask us to their + house; but uncle won't go, so we shall return the call, and see + them as we can. They went to the theatre with us, and we did + have _such_ a good time, for Frank devoted himself to Flo, and + Fred and I talked over past, present, and future fun as if we + had known each other all our days. Tell Beth Frank asked for + her, and was sorry to hear of her ill health. Fred laughed when + I spoke of Jo, and sent his 'respectful compliments to the big + hat.' Neither of them had forgotten Camp Laurence, or the fun we + had there. What ages ago it seems, doesn't it? + + "Aunt is tapping on the wall for the third time, so I _must_ + stop. I really feel like a dissipated London fine lady, writing + here so late, with my room full of pretty things, and my head a + jumble of parks, theatres, new gowns, and gallant creatures who + say 'Ah!' and twirl their blond mustaches with the true English + lordliness. I long to see you all, and in spite of my nonsense + am, as ever, your loving + AMY." + + + "DEAR GIRLS,-- "PARIS. + + "In my last I told you about our London visit,--how kind the + Vaughns were, and what pleasant parties they made for us. I + enjoyed the trips to Hampton Court and the Kensington Museum + more than anything else,--for at Hampton I saw Raphael's + cartoons, and, at the Museum, rooms full of pictures by Turner, + Lawrence, Reynolds, Hogarth, and the other great creatures. The + day in Richmond Park was charming, for we had a regular English + picnic, and I had more splendid oaks and groups of deer than I + could copy; also heard a nightingale, and saw larks go up. We + 'did' London to our hearts' content, thanks to Fred and Frank, + and were sorry to go away; for, though English people are slow + to take you in, when they once make up their minds to do it they + cannot be outdone in hospitality, _I_ think. The Vaughns hope to + meet us in Rome next winter, and I shall be dreadfully + disappointed if they don't, for Grace and I are great friends, + and the boys very nice fellows,--especially Fred. + + "Well, we were hardly settled here, when he turned up again, + saying he had come for a holiday, and was going to Switzerland. + Aunt looked sober at first, but he was so cool about it she + couldn't say a word; and now we get on nicely, and are very glad + he came, for he speaks French like a native, and I don't know + what we should do without him. Uncle doesn't know ten words, and + insists on talking English very loud, as if that would make + people understand him. Aunt's pronunciation is old-fashioned, + and Flo and I, though we flattered ourselves that we knew a good + deal, find we don't, and are very grateful to have Fred do the + '_parley vooing_,' as uncle calls it. + + "Such delightful times as we are having! sight-seeing from + morning till night, stopping for nice lunches in the gay + _cafés_, and meeting with all sorts of droll adventures. Rainy + days I spend in the Louvre, revelling in pictures. Jo would turn + up her naughty nose at some of the finest, because she has no + soul for art; but _I_ have, and I'm cultivating eye and taste as + fast as I can. She would like the relics of great people better, + for I've seen her Napoleon's cocked hat and gray coat, his + baby's cradle and his old toothbrush; also Marie Antoinette's + little shoe, the ring of Saint Denis, Charlemagne's sword, and + many other interesting things. I'll talk for hours about them + when I come, but haven't time to write. + + "The Palais Royale is a heavenly place,--so full of _bijouterie_ + and lovely things that I'm nearly distracted because I can't buy + them. Fred wanted to get me some, but of course I didn't allow + it. Then the Bois and the Champs Elysées are _très magnifique_. + I've seen the imperial family several times,--the emperor an + ugly, hard-looking man, the empress pale and pretty, but dressed + in bad taste, _I_ thought,--purple dress, green hat, and yellow + gloves. Little Nap. is a handsome boy, who sits chatting to his + tutor, and kisses his hand to the people as he passes in his + four-horse barouche, with postilions in red satin jackets, and a + mounted guard before and behind. + + [Illustration: I've seen the imperial family several times] + + "We often walk in the Tuileries Gardens, for they are lovely, + though the antique Luxembourg Gardens suit me better. Père la + Chaise is very curious, for many of the tombs are like small + rooms, and, looking in, one sees a table, with images or + pictures of the dead, and chairs for the mourners to sit in + when they come to lament. That is so Frenchy. + + "Our rooms are on the Rue de Rivoli, and, sitting in the + balcony, we look up and down the long, brilliant street. It is + so pleasant that we spend our evenings talking there, when too + tired with our day's work to go out. Fred is very entertaining, + and is altogether the most agreeable young man I ever + knew,--except Laurie, whose manners are more charming. I wish + Fred was dark, for I don't fancy light men; however, the Vaughns + are very rich, and come of an excellent family, so I won't find + fault with their yellow hair, as my own is yellower. + + "Next week we are off to Germany and Switzerland; and, as we + shall travel fast, I shall only be able to give you hasty + letters. I keep my diary, and try to 'remember correctly and + describe clearly all that I see and admire,' as father advised. + It is good practice for me, and, with my sketch-book, will give + you a better idea of my tour than these scribbles. + + "Adieu; I embrace you tenderly. VOTRE AMIE." + + + "MY DEAR MAMMA,-- "HEIDELBERG. + + "Having a quiet hour before we leave for Berne, I'll try to tell + you what has happened, for some of it is very important, as you + will see. + + "The sail up the Rhine was perfect, and I just sat and enjoyed + it with all my might. Get father's old guide-books, and read + about it; I haven't words beautiful enough to describe it. At + Coblentz we had a lovely time, for some students from Bonn, with + whom Fred got acquainted on the boat, gave us a serenade. It was + a moonlight night, and, about one o'clock, Flo and I were waked + by the most delicious music under our windows. We flew up, and + hid behind the curtains; but sly peeps showed us Fred and the + students singing away down below. It was the most romantic thing + I ever saw,--the river, the bridge of boats, the great fortress + opposite, moonlight everywhere, and music fit to melt a heart of + stone. + + "When they were done we threw down some flowers, and saw them + scramble for them, kiss their hands to the invisible ladies, and + go laughing away,--to smoke and drink beer, I suppose. Next + morning Fred showed me one of the crumpled flowers in his + vest-pocket, and looked very sentimental. I laughed at him, and + said I didn't throw it, but Flo, which seemed to disgust him, + for he tossed it out of the window, and turned sensible again. + I'm afraid I'm going to have trouble with that boy, it begins to + look like it. + + "The baths at Nassau were very gay, so was Baden-Baden, where + Fred lost some money, and I scolded him. He needs some one to + look after him when Frank is not with him. Kate said once she + hoped he'd marry soon, and I quite agree with her that it would + be well for him. Frankfort was delightful; I saw Goethe's house, + Schiller's statue, and Dannecker's famous 'Ariadne.' It was very + lovely, but I should have enjoyed it more if I had known the + story better. I didn't like to ask, as every one knew it, or + pretended they did. I wish Jo would tell me all about it; I + ought to have read more, for I find I don't know anything, and + it mortifies me. + + "Now comes the serious part,--for it happened here, and Fred is + just gone. He has been so kind and jolly that we all got quite + fond of him; I never thought of anything but a travelling + friendship, till the serenade night. Since then I've begun to + feel that the moonlight walks, balcony talks, and daily + adventures were something more to him than fun. I haven't + flirted, mother, truly, but remembered what you said to me, and + have done my very best. I can't help it if people like me; I + don't try to make them, and it worries me if I don't care for + them, though Jo says I haven't got any heart. Now I know mother + will shake her head, and the girls say, 'Oh, the mercenary + little wretch!' but I've made up my mind, and, if Fred asks me, + I shall accept him, though I'm not madly in love. I like him, + and we get on comfortably together. He is handsome, young, + clever enough, and very rich,--ever so much richer than the + Laurences. I don't think his family would object, and I should + be very happy, for they are all kind, well-bred, generous + people, and they like me. Fred, as the eldest twin, will have + the estate, I suppose, and such a splendid one as it is! A city + house in a fashionable street, not so showy as our big houses, + but twice as comfortable, and full of solid luxury, such as + English people believe in. I like it, for it's genuine. I've + seen the plate, the family jewels, the old servants, and + pictures of the country place, with its park, great house, + lovely grounds, and fine horses. Oh, it would be all I should + ask! and I'd rather have it than any title such as girls snap up + so readily, and find nothing behind. I may be mercenary, but I + hate poverty, and don't mean to bear it a minute longer than I + can help. One of us _must_ marry well; Meg didn't, Jo won't, + Beth can't yet, so I shall, and make everything cosey all round. + I wouldn't marry a man I hated or despised. You may be sure of + that; and, though Fred is not my model hero, he does very well, + and, in time, I should get fond enough of him if he was very + fond of me, and let me do just as I liked. So I've been turning + the matter over in my mind the last week, for it was impossible + to help seeing that Fred liked me. He said nothing, but little + things showed it; he never goes with Flo, always gets on my side + of the carriage, table, or promenade, looks sentimental when we + are alone, and frowns at any one else who ventures to speak to + me. Yesterday, at dinner, when an Austrian officer stared at us, + and then said something to his friend,--a rakish-looking + baron,--about '_ein wonderschönes Blöndchen_,' Fred looked as + fierce as a lion, and cut his meat so savagely, it nearly flew + off his plate. He isn't one of the cool, stiff Englishmen, but + is rather peppery, for he has Scotch blood in him, as one might + guess from his bonnie blue eyes. + + "Well, last evening we went up to the castle about sunset,--at + least all of us but Fred, who was to meet us there, after going + to the Post Restante for letters. We had a charming time poking + about the ruins, the vaults where the monster tun is, and the + beautiful gardens made by the elector, long ago, for his English + wife. I liked the great terrace best, for the view was divine; + so, while the rest went to see the rooms inside, I sat there + trying to sketch the gray stone lion's head on the wall, with + scarlet woodbine sprays hanging round it. I felt as if I'd got + into a romance, sitting there, watching the Neckar rolling + through the valley, listening to the music of the Austrian band + below, and waiting for my lover, like a real story-book girl. I + had a feeling that something was going to happen, and I was + ready for it. I didn't feel blushy or quakey, but quite cool, + and only a little excited. + +[Illustration: Trying to sketch the gray-stone lion's head on the wall] + + "By and by I heard Fred's voice, and then he came hurrying + through the great arch to find me. He looked so troubled that I + forgot all about myself, and asked what the matter was. He said + he'd just got a letter begging him to come home, for Frank was + very ill; so he was going at once, in the night train, and only + had time to say good-by. I was very sorry for him, and + disappointed for myself, but only for a minute, because he + said, as he shook hands,--and said it in a way that I could not + mistake,--'I shall soon come back; you won't forget me, Amy?' + + "I didn't promise, but I looked at him, and he seemed satisfied, + and there was no time for anything but messages and good-byes, + for he was off in an hour, and we all miss him very much. I know + he wanted to speak, but I think, from something he once hinted, + that he had promised his father not to do anything of the sort + yet awhile, for he is a rash boy, and the old gentleman dreads a + foreign daughter-in-law. We shall soon meet in Rome; and then, + if I don't change my mind, I'll say 'Yes, thank you,' when he + says 'Will you, please?' + + "Of course this is all _very private_, but I wished you to know + what was going on. Don't be anxious about me; remember I am your + 'prudent Amy,' and be sure I will do nothing rashly. Send me as + much advice as you like; I'll use it if I can. I wish I could + see you for a good talk, Marmee. Love and trust me. + + "Ever your AMY." + + + + + XXXII. + + TENDER TROUBLES. + + +"Jo, I'm anxious about Beth." + +"Why, mother, she has seemed unusually well since the babies came." + +"It's not her health that troubles me now; it's her spirits. I'm sure +there is something on her mind, and I want you to discover what it is." + +"What makes you think so, mother?" + +"She sits alone a good deal, and doesn't talk to her father as much as +she used. I found her crying over the babies the other day. When she +sings, the songs are always sad ones, and now and then I see a look in +her face that I don't understand. This isn't like Beth, and it worries +me." + +"Have you asked her about it?" + +"I have tried once or twice; but she either evaded my questions, or +looked so distressed that I stopped. I never force my children's +confidence, and I seldom have to wait for it long." + +Mrs. March glanced at Jo as she spoke, but the face opposite seemed +quite unconscious of any secret disquietude but Beth's; and, after +sewing thoughtfully for a minute, Jo said,-- + +"I think she is growing up, and so begins to dream dreams, and have +hopes and fears and fidgets, without knowing why, or being able to +explain them. Why, mother, Beth's eighteen, but we don't realize it, and +treat her like a child, forgetting she's a woman." + +"So she is. Dear heart, how fast you do grow up," returned her mother, +with a sigh and a smile. + +"Can't be helped, Marmee, so you must resign yourself to all sorts of +worries, and let your birds hop out of the nest, one by one. I promise +never to hop very far, if that is any comfort to you." + +"It is a great comfort, Jo; I always feel strong when you are at home, +now Meg is gone. Beth is too feeble and Amy too young to depend upon; +but when the tug comes, you are always ready." + +"Why, you know I don't mind hard jobs much, and there must always be one +scrub in a family. Amy is splendid in fine works, and I'm not; but I +feel in my element when all the carpets are to be taken up, or half the +family fall sick at once. Amy is distinguishing herself abroad; but if +anything is amiss at home, I'm your man." + +"I leave Beth to your hands, then, for she will open her tender little +heart to her Jo sooner than to any one else. Be very kind, and don't let +her think any one watches or talks about her. If she only would get +quite strong and cheerful again, I shouldn't have a wish in the world." + +"Happy woman! I've got heaps." + +"My dear, what are they?" + +"I'll settle Bethy's troubles, and then I'll tell you mine. They are not +very wearing, so they'll keep;" and Jo stitched away, with a wise nod +which set her mother's heart at rest about her, for the present at +least. + +While apparently absorbed in her own affairs, Jo watched Beth; and, +after many conflicting conjectures, finally settled upon one which +seemed to explain the change in her. A slight incident gave Jo the clue +to the mystery, she thought, and lively fancy, loving heart did the +rest. She was affecting to write busily one Saturday afternoon, when she +and Beth were alone together; yet as she scribbled, she kept her eye on +her sister, who seemed unusually quiet. Sitting at the window, Beth's +work often dropped into her lap, and she leaned her head upon her hand, +in a dejected attitude, while her eyes rested on the dull, autumnal +landscape. Suddenly some one passed below, whistling like an operatic +blackbird, and a voice called out,-- + + [Illustration: She leaned her head upon her hands] + +"All serene! Coming in to-night." + +Beth started, leaned forward, smiled and nodded, watched the passer-by +till his quick tramp died away, then said softly, as if to herself,-- + +"How strong and well and happy that dear boy looks." + +"Hum!" said Jo, still intent upon her sister's face; for the bright +color faded as quickly as it came, the smile vanished, and presently a +tear lay shining on the window-ledge. Beth whisked it off, and glanced +apprehensively at Jo; but she was scratching away at a tremendous rate, +apparently engrossed in "Olympia's Oath." The instant Beth turned, Jo +began her watch again, saw Beth's hand go quietly to her eyes more than +once, and, in her half-averted face, read a tender sorrow that made her +own eyes fill. Fearing to betray herself, she slipped away, murmuring +something about needing more paper. + +"Mercy on me, Beth loves Laurie!" she said, sitting down in her own +room, pale with the shock of the discovery which she believed she had +just made. "I never dreamt of such a thing. What _will_ mother say? I +wonder if he--" there Jo stopped, and turned scarlet with a sudden +thought. "If he shouldn't love back again, how dreadful it would be. He +must; I'll make him!" and she shook her head threateningly at the +picture of the mischievous-looking boy laughing at her from the wall. +"Oh dear, we _are_ growing up with a vengeance. Here's Meg married and a +mamma, Amy flourishing away at Paris, and Beth in love. I'm the only one +that has sense enough to keep out of mischief." Jo thought intently for +a minute, with her eyes fixed on the picture; then she smoothed out her +wrinkled forehead, and said, with a decided nod at the face opposite, +"No, thank you, sir; you're very charming, but you've no more stability +than a weathercock; so you needn't write touching notes, and smile in +that insinuating way, for it won't do a bit of good, and I won't have +it." + +Then she sighed, and fell into a reverie, from which she did not wake +till the early twilight sent her down to take new observations, which +only confirmed her suspicion. Though Laurie flirted with Amy and joked +with Jo, his manner to Beth had always been peculiarly kind and gentle, +but so was everybody's; therefore, no one thought of imagining that he +cared more for her than for the others. Indeed, a general impression had +prevailed in the family, of late, that "our boy" was getting fonder than +ever of Jo, who, however, wouldn't hear a word upon the subject, and +scolded violently if any one dared to suggest it. If they had known the +various tender passages of the past year, or rather attempts at tender +passages which had been nipped in the bud, they would have had the +immense satisfaction of saying, "I told you so." But Jo hated +"philandering," and wouldn't allow it, always having a joke or a smile +ready at the least sign of impending danger. + +When Laurie first went to college, he fell in love about once a month; +but these small flames were as brief as ardent, did no damage, and much +amused Jo, who took great interest in the alternations of hope, despair, +and resignation, which were confided to her in their weekly +conferences. But there came a time when Laurie ceased to worship at many +shrines, hinted darkly at one all-absorbing passion, and indulged +occasionally in Byronic fits of gloom. Then he avoided the tender +subject altogether, wrote philosophical notes to Jo, turned studious, +and gave out that he was going to "dig," intending to graduate in a +blaze of glory. This suited the young lady better than twilight +confidences, tender pressures of the hand, and eloquent glances of the +eye; for with Jo, brain developed earlier than heart, and she preferred +imaginary heroes to real ones, because, when tired of them, the former +could be shut up in the tin-kitchen till called for, and the latter were +less manageable. + +Things were in this state when the grand discovery was made, and Jo +watched Laurie that night as she had never done before. If she had not +got the new idea into her head, she would have seen nothing unusual in +the fact that Beth was very quiet, and Laurie very kind to her. But +having given the rein to her lively fancy, it galloped away with her at +a great pace; and common sense, being rather weakened by a long course +of romance writing, did not come to the rescue. As usual, Beth lay on +the sofa, and Laurie sat in a low chair close by, amusing her with all +sorts of gossip; for she depended on her weekly "spin," and he never +disappointed her. But that evening, Jo fancied that Beth's eyes rested +on the lively, dark face beside her with peculiar pleasure, and that she +listened with intense interest to an account of some exciting +cricket-match, though the phrases, "caught off a tice," "stumped off his +ground," and "the leg hit for three," were as intelligible to her as +Sanscrit. She also fancied, having set her heart upon seeing it, that +she saw a certain increase of gentleness in Laurie's manner, that he +dropped his voice now and then, laughed less than usual, was a little +absent-minded, and settled the afghan over Beth's feet with an assiduity +that was really almost tender. + +"Who knows? stranger things have happened," thought Jo, as she fussed +about the room. "She will make quite an angel of him, and he will make +life delightfully easy and pleasant for the dear, if they only love each +other. I don't see how he can help it; and I do believe he would if the +rest of us were out of the way." + +As every one _was_ out of the way but herself, Jo began to feel that +she ought to dispose of herself with all speed. But where should she go? +and burning to lay herself upon the shrine of sisterly devotion, she sat +down to settle that point. + +Now, the old sofa was a regular patriarch of a sofa,--long, broad, +well-cushioned, and low; a trifle shabby, as well it might be, for the +girls had slept and sprawled on it as babies, fished over the back, rode +on the arms, and had menageries under it as children, and rested tired +heads, dreamed dreams, and listened to tender talk on it as young women. +They all loved it, for it was a family refuge, and one corner had always +been Jo's favorite lounging-place. Among the many pillows that adorned +the venerable couch was one, hard, round, covered with prickly +horsehair, and furnished with a knobby button at each end; this +repulsive pillow was her especial property, being used as a weapon of +defence, a barricade, or a stern preventive of too much slumber. + +Laurie knew this pillow well, and had cause to regard it with deep +aversion, having been unmercifully pummelled with it in former days, +when romping was allowed, and now frequently debarred by it from taking +the seat he most coveted, next to Jo in the sofa corner. If "the +sausage" as they called it, stood on end, it was a sign that he might +approach and repose; but if it lay flat across the sofa, woe to the man, +woman, or child who dared disturb it! That evening Jo forgot to +barricade her corner, and had not been in her seat five minutes, before +a massive form appeared beside her, and, with both arms spread over the +sofa-back, both long legs stretched out before him, Laurie exclaimed, +with a sigh of satisfaction,-- + +"Now, _this_ is filling at the price." + + [Illustration: Now, this is filling at the price] + +"No slang," snapped Jo, slamming down the pillow. But it was too late, +there was no room for it; and, coasting on to the floor, it disappeared +in a most mysterious manner. + +"Come, Jo, don't be thorny. After studying himself to a skeleton all the +week, a fellow deserves petting, and ought to get it." + +"Beth will pet you; I'm busy." + +"No, she's not to be bothered with me; but you like that sort of thing, +unless you've suddenly lost your taste for it. Have you? Do you hate +your boy, and want to fire pillows at him?" + +Anything more wheedlesome than that touching appeal was seldom heard, +but Jo quenched "her boy" by turning on him with the stern query,-- + +"How many bouquets have you sent Miss Randal this week?" + +"Not one, upon my word. She's engaged. Now then." + +"I'm glad of it; that's one of your foolish extravagances,--sending +flowers and things to girls for whom you don't care two pins," continued +Jo reprovingly. + +"Sensible girls, for whom I do care whole papers of pins, won't let me +send them 'flowers and things,' so what can I do? My feelings must have +a _went_." + +"Mother doesn't approve of flirting, even in fun; and you do flirt +desperately, Teddy." + +"I'd give anything if I could answer, 'So do you.' As I can't, I'll +merely say that I don't see any harm in that pleasant little game, if +all parties understand that it's only play." + +"Well, it does look pleasant, but I can't learn how it's done. I've +tried, because one feels awkward in company, not to do as everybody else +is doing; but I don't seem to get on," said Jo, forgetting to play +Mentor. + +"Take lessons of Amy; she has a regular talent for it." + +"Yes, she does it very prettily, and never seems to go too far. I +suppose it's natural to some people to please without trying, and others +to always say and do the wrong thing in the wrong place." + +"I'm glad you can't flirt; it's really refreshing to see a sensible, +straightforward girl, who can be jolly and kind without making a fool of +herself. Between ourselves, Jo, some of the girls I know really do go on +at such a rate I'm ashamed of them. They don't mean any harm, I'm sure; +but if they knew how we fellows talked about them afterward, they'd mend +their ways, I fancy." + +"They do the same; and, as their tongues are the sharpest, you fellows +get the worst of it, for you are as silly as they, every bit. If you +behaved properly, they would; but, knowing you like their nonsense, they +keep it up, and then you blame them." + +"Much you know about it, ma'am," said Laurie, in a superior tone. "We +don't like romps and flirts, though we may act as if we did sometimes. +The pretty, modest girls are never talked about, except respectfully, +among gentlemen. Bless your innocent soul! If you could be in my place +for a month you'd see things that would astonish you a trifle. Upon my +word, when I see one of those harum-scarum girls, I always want to say +with our friend Cock Robin,-- + + "'Out upon you, fie upon you, + Bold-faced jig!'" + +It was impossible to help laughing at the funny conflict between +Laurie's chivalrous reluctance to speak ill of womankind, and his very +natural dislike of the unfeminine folly of which fashionable society +showed him many samples. Jo knew that "young Laurence" was regarded as a +most eligible _parti_ by worldly mammas, was much smiled upon by their +daughters, and flattered enough by ladies of all ages to make a coxcomb +of him; so she watched him rather jealously, fearing he would be spoilt, +and rejoiced more than she confessed to find that he still believed in +modest girls. Returning suddenly to her admonitory tone, she said, +dropping her voice, "If you _must_ have a 'went,' Teddy, go and devote +yourself to one of the 'pretty, modest girls' whom you do respect, and +not waste your time with the silly ones." + +"You really advise it?" and Laurie looked at her with an odd mixture of +anxiety and merriment in his face. + +"Yes, I do; but you'd better wait till you are through college, on the +whole, and be fitting yourself for the place meantime. You're not half +good enough for--well, whoever the modest girl maybe," and Jo looked a +little queer likewise, for a name had almost escaped her. + +"That I'm not!" acquiesced Laurie, with an expression of humility quite +new to him, as he dropped his eyes, and absently wound Jo's apron-tassel +round his finger. + +"Mercy on us, this will never do," thought Jo; adding aloud, "Go and +sing to me. I'm dying for some music, and always like yours." + +"I'd rather stay here, thank you." + +"Well, you can't; there isn't room. Go and make yourself useful, since +you are too big to be ornamental. I thought you hated to be tied to a +woman's apron-string?" retorted Jo, quoting certain rebellious words of +his own. + +"Ah, that depends on who wears the apron!" and Laurie gave an audacious +tweak at the tassel. + +"Are you going?" demanded Jo, diving for the pillow. + +He fled at once, and the minute it was well "Up with the bonnets of +bonnie Dundee," she slipped away, to return no more till the young +gentleman had departed in high dudgeon. + + [Illustration: Up with the Bonnets of Bonnie Dundee] + +Jo lay long awake that night, and was just dropping off when the sound +of a stifled sob made her fly to Beth's bedside, with the anxious +inquiry, "What is it, dear?" + +"I thought you were asleep," sobbed Beth. + +"Is it the old pain, my precious?" + +"No; it's a new one; but I can bear it," and Beth tried to check her +tears. + +"Tell me all about it, and let me cure it as I often did the other." + +"You can't; there is no cure." There Beth's voice gave way, and, +clinging to her sister, she cried so despairingly that Jo was +frightened. + +"Where is it? Shall I call mother?" + +Beth did not answer the first question; but in the dark one hand went +involuntarily to her heart, as if the pain were there; with the other +she held Jo fast, whispering eagerly, "No, no, don't call her, don't +tell her. I shall be better soon. Lie down here and 'poor' my head. I'll +be quiet, and go to sleep; indeed I will." + +Jo obeyed; but as her hand went softly to and fro across Beth's hot +forehead and wet eyelids, her heart was very full, and she longed to +speak. But young as she was, Jo had learned that hearts, like flowers, +cannot be rudely handled, but must open naturally; so, though she +believed she knew the cause of Beth's new pain, she only said, in her +tenderest tone, "Does anything trouble you, deary?" + +"Yes, Jo," after a long pause. + +"Wouldn't it comfort you to tell me what it is?" + +"Not now, not yet." + +"Then I won't ask; but remember, Bethy, that mother and Jo are always +glad to hear and help you, if they can." + +"I know it. I'll tell you by and by." + +"Is the pain better now?" + +"Oh, yes, much better; you are so comfortable, Jo!" + +"Go to sleep, dear; I'll stay with you." + +So cheek to cheek they fell asleep, and on the morrow Beth seemed quite +herself again; for at eighteen, neither heads nor hearts ache long, and +a loving word can medicine most ills. + +But Jo had made up her mind, and, after pondering over a project for +some days, she confided it to her mother. + +"You asked me the other day what my wishes were. I'll tell you one of +them, Marmee," she began, as they sat alone together. "I want to go away +somewhere this winter for a change." + +"Why, Jo?" and her mother looked up quickly, as if the words suggested a +double meaning. + +With her eyes on her work, Jo answered soberly, "I want something new; I +feel restless, and anxious to be seeing, doing, and learning more than I +am. I brood too much over my own small affairs, and need stirring up, +so, as I can be spared this winter, I'd like to hop a little way, and +try my wings." + +"Where will you hop?" + +"To New York. I had a bright idea yesterday, and this is it. You know +Mrs. Kirke wrote to you for some respectable young person to teach her +children and sew. It's rather hard to find just the thing, but I think I +should suit if I tried." + +"My dear, go out to service in that great boarding-house!" and Mrs. +March looked surprised, but not displeased. + +"It's not exactly going out to service; for Mrs. Kirke is your +friend,--the kindest soul that ever lived,--and would make things +pleasant for me, I know. Her family is separate from the rest, and no +one knows me there. Don't care if they do; it's honest work, and I'm not +ashamed of it." + +"Nor I; but your writing?" + +"All the better for the change. I shall see and hear new things, get new +ideas, and, even if I haven't much time there, I shall bring home +quantities of material for my rubbish." + +"I have no doubt of it; but are these your only reasons for this sudden +fancy?" + +"No, mother." + +"May I know the others?" + +Jo looked up and Jo looked down, then said slowly, with sudden color in +her cheeks, "It may be vain and wrong to say it, but--I'm afraid--Laurie +is getting too fond of me." + +"Then you don't care for him in the way it is evident he begins to care +for you?" and Mrs. March looked anxious as she put the question. + +"Mercy, no! I love the dear boy, as I always have, and am immensely +proud of him; but as for anything more, it's out of the question." + +"I'm glad of that, Jo." + +"Why, please?" + +"Because, dear, I don't think you suited to one another. As friends you +are very happy, and your frequent quarrels soon blow over; but I fear +you would both rebel if you were mated for life. You are too much alike +and too fond of freedom, not to mention hot tempers and strong wills, to +get on happily together, in a relation which needs infinite patience and +forbearance, as well as love." + +"That's just the feeling I had, though I couldn't express it. I'm glad +you think he is only beginning to care for me. It would trouble me sadly +to make him unhappy; for I couldn't fall in love with the dear old +fellow merely out of gratitude, could I?" + +"You are sure of his feeling for you?" + +The color deepened in Jo's cheeks, as she answered, with the look of +mingled pleasure, pride, and pain which young girls wear when speaking +of first lovers,-- + +"I'm afraid it is so, mother; he hasn't said anything, but he looks a +great deal. I think I had better go away before it comes to anything." + +"I agree with you, and if it can be managed you shall go." + +Jo looked relieved, and, after a pause, said, smiling, "How Mrs. Moffat +would wonder at your want of management, if she knew; and how she will +rejoice that Annie still may hope." + +"Ah, Jo, mothers may differ in their management, but the hope is the +same in all,--the desire to see their children happy. Meg is so, and I +am content with her success. You I leave to enjoy your liberty till you +tire of it; for only then will you find that there is something sweeter. +Amy is my chief care now, but her good sense will help her. For Beth, I +indulge no hopes except that she may be well. By the way, she seems +brighter this last day or two. Have you spoken to her?" + +"Yes; she owned she had a trouble, and promised to tell me by and by. I +said no more, for I think I know it;" and Jo told her little story. + +Mrs. March shook her head, and did not take so romantic a view of the +case, but looked grave, and repeated her opinion that, for Laurie's +sake, Jo should go away for a time. + +"Let us say nothing about it to him till the plan is settled; then I'll +run away before he can collect his wits and be tragical. Beth must think +I'm going to please myself, as I am, for I can't talk about Laurie to +her; but she can pet and comfort him after I'm gone, and so cure him of +this romantic notion. He's been through so many little trials of the +sort, he's used to it, and will soon get over his love-lornity." + +Jo spoke hopefully, but could not rid herself of the foreboding fear +that this "little trial" would be harder than the others, and that +Laurie would not get over his "love-lornity" as easily as heretofore. + +The plan was talked over in a family council, and agreed upon; for Mrs. +Kirke gladly accepted Jo, and promised to make a pleasant home for her. +The teaching would render her independent; and such leisure as she got +might be made profitable by writing, while the new scenes and society +would be both useful and agreeable. Jo liked the prospect and was eager +to be gone, for the home-nest was growing too narrow for her restless +nature and adventurous spirit. When all was settled, with fear and +trembling she told Laurie; but to her surprise he took it very quietly. +He had been graver than usual of late, but very pleasant; and, when +jokingly accused of turning over a new leaf, he answered soberly, "So I +am; and I mean this one shall stay turned." + +Jo was very much relieved that one of his virtuous fits should come on +just then, and made her preparations with a lightened heart,--for Beth +seemed more cheerful,--and hoped she was doing the best for all. + +"One thing I leave to your especial care," she said, the night before +she left. + +"You mean your papers?" asked Beth. + +"No, my boy. Be very good to him, won't you?" + +"Of course I will; but I can't fill your place, and he'll miss you +sadly." + +"It won't hurt him; so remember, I leave him in your charge, to plague, +pet, and keep in order." + +"I'll do my best, for your sake," promised Beth, wondering why Jo looked +at her so queerly. + +When Laurie said "Good-by," he whispered significantly, "It won't do a +bit of good, Jo. My eye is on you; so mind what you do, or I'll come and +bring you home." + + + + + [Illustration: I amused myself by dropping gingerbread nuts over the + seat] + + XXXIII. + + JO'S JOURNAL. + + + "NEW YORK, November. + + "DEAR MARMEE AND BETH,-- + + "I'm going to write you a regular volume, for I've got heaps to + tell, though I'm not a fine young lady travelling on the + continent. When I lost sight of father's dear old face, I felt a + trifle blue, and might have shed a briny drop or two, if an + Irish lady with four small children, all crying more or less, + hadn't diverted my mind; for I amused myself by dropping + gingerbread nuts over the seat every time they opened their + mouths to roar. + + "Soon the sun came out, and taking it as a good omen, I cleared + up likewise, and enjoyed my journey with all my heart. + + "Mrs. Kirke welcomed me so kindly I felt at home at once, even + in that big house full of strangers. She gave me a funny little + sky-parlor--all she had; but there is a stove in it, and a nice + table in a sunny window, so I can sit here and write whenever I + like. A fine view and a church-tower opposite atone for the many + stairs, and I took a fancy to my den on the spot. The nursery, + where I am to teach and sew, is a pleasant room next Mrs. + Kirke's private parlor, and the two little girls are pretty + children,--rather spoilt, I fancy, but they took to me after + telling them 'The Seven Bad Pigs;' and I've no doubt I shall + make a model governess. + + "I am to have my meals with the children, if I prefer it to the + great table, and for the present I do, for I _am_ bashful, + though no one will believe it. + + "'Now, my dear, make yourself at home,' said Mrs. K. in her + motherly way; 'I'm on the drive from morning to night, as you + may suppose with such a family; but a great anxiety will be off + my mind if I know the children are safe with you. My rooms are + always open to you, and your own shall be as comfortable as I + can make it. There are some pleasant people in the house if you + feel sociable, and your evenings are always free. Come to me if + anything goes wrong, and be as happy as you can. There's the + tea-bell; I must run and change my cap;' and off she bustled, + leaving me to settle myself in my new nest. + + "As I went downstairs, soon after, I saw something I liked. The + flights are very long in this tall house, and as I stood waiting + at the head of the third one for a little servant girl to lumber + up, I saw a gentleman come along behind her, take the heavy hod + of coal out of her hand, carry it all the way up, put it down at + a door near by, and walk away, saying, with a kind nod and a + foreign accent,-- + + "'It goes better so. The little back is too young to haf such + heaviness.' + + "Wasn't it good of him? I like such things, for, as father says, + trifles show character. When I mentioned it to Mrs. K., that + evening, she laughed, and said,-- + + "'That must have been Professor Bhaer; he's always doing things + of that sort.' + + "Mrs. K. told me he was from Berlin; very learned and good, but + poor as a church-mouse, and gives lessons to support himself and + two little orphan nephews whom he is educating here, according + to the wishes of his sister, who married an American. Not a very + romantic story, but it interested me; and I was glad to hear + that Mrs. K. lends him her parlor for some of his scholars. + There is a glass door between it and the nursery, and I mean to + peep at him, and then I'll tell you how he looks. He's almost + forty, so it's no harm, Marmee. + + "After tea and a go-to-bed romp with the little girls, I + attacked the big work-basket, and had a quiet evening chatting + with my new friend. I shall keep a journal-letter, and send it + once a week; so good-night, and more to-morrow." + + "_Tuesday Eve._ + + "Had a lively time in my seminary, this morning, for the + children acted like Sancho; and at one time I really thought I + should shake them all round. Some good angel inspired me to try + gymnastics, and I kept it up till they were glad to sit down and + keep still. After luncheon, the girl took them out for a walk, + and I went to my needle-work, like little Mabel, 'with a willing + mind.' I was thanking my stars that I'd learned to make nice + button-holes, when the parlor-door opened and shut, and some one + began to hum,-- + + 'Kennst du das land,' + + like a big bumble-bee. It was dreadfully improper, I know, but I + couldn't resist the temptation; and lifting one end of the + curtain before the glass door, I peeped in. Professor Bhaer was + there; and while he arranged his books, I took a good look at + him. A regular German,--rather stout, with brown hair tumbled + all over his head, a bushy beard, good nose, the kindest eyes I + ever saw, and a splendid big voice that does one's ears good, + after our sharp or slipshod American gabble. His clothes were + rusty, his hands were large, and he hadn't a really handsome + feature in his face, except his beautiful teeth; yet I liked + him, for he had a fine head; his linen was very nice, and he + looked like a gentleman, though two buttons were off his coat, + and there was a patch on one shoe. He looked sober in spite of + his humming, till he went to the window to turn the hyacinth + bulbs toward the sun, and stroke the cat, who received him like + an old friend. Then he smiled; and when a tap came at the door, + called out in a loud, brisk tone,-- + + "'Herein!' + + "I was just going to run, when I caught sight of a morsel of a + child carrying a big book, and stopped to see what was going on. + + "'Me wants my Bhaer,' said the mite, slamming down her book, and + running to meet him. + + "'Thou shalt haf thy Bhaer; come, then, and take a goot hug from + him, my Tina,' said the Professor, catching her up, with a + laugh, and holding her so high over his head that she had to + stoop her little face to kiss him. + + [Illustration: Thou shalt haf thy Bhaer] + + "'Now me mus tuddy my lessin,' went on the funny little thing; + so he put her up at the table, opened the great dictionary she + had brought, and gave her a paper and pencil, and she scribbled + away, turning a leaf now and then, and passing her little fat + finger down the page, as if finding a word, so soberly that I + nearly betrayed myself by a laugh, while Mr. Bhaer stood + stroking her pretty hair, with a fatherly look, that made me + think she must be his own, though she looked more French than + German. + + "Another knock and the appearance of two young ladies sent me + back to my work, and there I virtuously remained through all the + noise and gabbling that went on next door. One of the girls kept + laughing affectedly, and saying 'Now Professor,' in a + coquettish tone, and the other pronounced her German with an + accent that must have made it hard for him to keep sober. + + "Both seemed to try his patience sorely; for more than once I + heard him say emphatically, 'No, no, it is _not_ so; you haf not + attend to what I say;' and once there was a loud rap, as if he + struck the table with his book, followed by the despairing + exclamation, 'Prut! it all goes bad this day.' + + "Poor man, I pitied him; and when the girls were gone, took just + one more peep, to see if he survived it. He seemed to have + thrown himself back in his chair, tired out, and sat there with + his eyes shut till the clock struck two, when he jumped up, put + his books in his pocket, as if ready for another lesson, and, + taking little Tina, who had fallen asleep on the sofa, in his + arms, he carried her quietly away. I fancy he has a hard life of + it. + + "Mrs. Kirke asked me if I wouldn't go down to the five o'clock + dinner; and, feeling a little bit homesick, I thought I would, + just to see what sort of people are under the same roof with me. + So I made myself respectable, and tried to slip in behind Mrs. + Kirke; but as she is short, and I'm tall, my efforts at + concealment were rather a failure. She gave me a seat by her, + and after my face cooled off, I plucked up courage, and looked + about me. The long table was full, and every one intent on + getting their dinner,--the gentlemen especially, who seemed to + be eating on time, for they _bolted_ in every sense of the word, + vanishing as soon as they were done. There was the usual + assortment of young men absorbed in themselves; young couples + absorbed in each other; married ladies in their babies, and old + gentlemen in politics. I don't think I shall care to have much + to do with any of them, except one sweet-faced maiden lady, who + looks as if she had something in her. + + "Cast away at the very bottom of the table was the Professor, + shouting answers to the questions of a very inquisitive, deaf + old gentleman on one side, and talking philosophy with a + Frenchman on the other. If Amy had been here, she'd have turned + her back on him forever, because, sad to relate, he had a great + appetite, and shovelled in his dinner in a manner which would + have horrified 'her ladyship.' I didn't mind, for I like 'to see + folks eat with a relish,' as Hannah says, and the poor man must + have needed a deal of food after teaching idiots all day. + + "As I went upstairs after dinner, two of the young men were + settling their hats before the hall-mirror, and I heard one say + low to the other, 'Who's the new party?' + + "'Governess, or something of that sort.' + + "'What the deuce is she at our table for?' + + "'Friend of the old lady's.' + + "'Handsome head, but no style.' + + "'Not a bit of it. Give us a light and come on.' + + "I felt angry at first, and then I didn't care, for a governess + is as good as a clerk, and I've got sense, if I haven't style, + which is more than some people have, judging from the remarks of + the elegant beings who clattered away, smoking like bad + chimneys. I hate ordinary people!" + + "_Thursday._ + + "Yesterday was a quiet day, spent in teaching, sewing, and + writing in my little room, which is very cosey, with a light and + fire. I picked up a few bits of news, and was introduced to the + Professor. It seems that Tina is the child of the Frenchwoman + who does the fine ironing in the laundry here. The little thing + has lost her heart to Mr. Bhaer, and follows him about the house + like a dog whenever he is at home, which delights him, as he is + very fond of children, though a 'bacheldore.' Kitty and Minnie + Kirke likewise regard him with affection, and tell all sorts of + stories about the plays he invents, the presents he brings, and + the splendid tales he tells. The young men quiz him, it seems, + call him Old Fritz, Lager Beer, Ursa Major, and make all manner + of jokes on his name. But he enjoys it like a boy, Mrs. K. says, + and takes it so good-naturedly that they all like him, in spite + of his foreign ways. + + "The maiden lady is a Miss Norton,--rich, cultivated, and kind. + She spoke to me at dinner to-day (for I went to table again, + it's such fun to watch people), and asked me to come and see her + at her room. She has fine books and pictures, knows interesting + persons, and seems friendly; so I shall make myself agreeable, + for I _do_ want to get into good society, only it isn't the same + sort that Amy likes. + + "I was in our parlor last evening, when Mr. Bhaer came in with + some newspapers for Mrs. Kirke. She wasn't there, but Minnie, + who is a little old woman, introduced me very prettily: 'This is + mamma's friend, Miss March.' + + "'Yes; and she's jolly and we like her lots,' added Kitty, who + is an _enfant terrible_. + + "We both bowed, and then we laughed, for the prim introduction + and the blunt addition were rather a comical contrast. + + "'Ah, yes, I hear these naughty ones go to vex you, Mees Marsch. + If so again, call at me and I come,' he said, with a threatening + frown that delighted the little wretches. + + "I promised I would, and he departed; but it seems as if I was + doomed to see a good deal of him, for to-day, as I passed his + door on my way out, by accident I knocked against it with my + umbrella. It flew open, and there he stood in his dressing gown, + with a big blue sock on one hand, and a darning-needle in the + other; he didn't seem at all ashamed of it, for when I explained + and hurried on, he waved his hand, sock and all, saying in his + loud, cheerful way,-- + + [Illustration: He waved his hand, sock and all] + + "'You haf a fine day to make your walk. _Bon voyage, + mademoiselle._' + + "I laughed all the way downstairs; but it was a little pathetic, + also, to think of the poor man having to mend his own clothes. + The German gentlemen embroider, I know; but darning hose is + another thing, and not so pretty." + + "_Saturday._ + + "Nothing has happened to write about, except a call on Miss + Norton, who has a room full of lovely things, and who was very + charming, for she showed me all her treasures, and asked me if I + would sometimes go with her to lectures and concerts, as her + escort,--if I enjoyed them. She put it as a favor, but I'm sure + Mrs. Kirke has told her about us, and she does it out of + kindness to me. I'm as proud as Lucifer, but such favors from + such people don't burden me, and I accepted gratefully. + + "When I got back to the nursery there was such an uproar in the + parlor that I looked in; and there was Mr. Bhaer down on his + hands and knees, with Tina on his back, Kitty leading him with a + jump-rope, and Minnie feeding two small boys with seed-cakes, as + they roared and ramped in cages built of chairs. + + "'We are playing _nargerie_,' explained Kitty. + + "'Dis is mine effalunt!' added Tina, holding on by the + Professor's hair. + + [Illustration: Dis is mine effalunt] + + "'Mamma always allows us to do what we like Saturday afternoon, + when Franz and Emil come, doesn't she, Mr. Bhaer?' said + Minnie. + + "The 'effalunt' sat up, looking as much in earnest as any of + them, and said soberly to me,-- + + "'I gif you my wort it is so. If we make too large a noise you + shall say "Hush!" to us, and we go more softly.' + + "I promised to do so, but left the door open, and enjoyed the + fun as much as they did,--for a more glorious frolic I never + witnessed. They played tag and soldiers, danced and sung, and + when it began to grow dark they all piled on to the sofa about + the Professor, while he told charming fairy stories of the + storks on the chimney-tops, and the little 'kobolds,' who ride + the snow-flakes as they fall. I wish Americans were as simple + and natural as Germans, don't you? + + "I'm so fond of writing, I should go spinning on forever if + motives of economy didn't stop me, for though I've used thin + paper and written fine, I tremble to think of the stamps this + long letter will need. Pray forward Amy's as soon as you can + spare them. My small news will sound very flat after her + splendors, but you will like them, I know. Is Teddy studying so + hard that he can't find time to write to his friends? Take good + care of him for me, Beth, and tell me all about the babies, and + give heaps of love to every one. + + "From your faithful JO. + + "P. S. On reading over my letter it strikes me as rather Bhaery; + but I am always interested in odd people, and I really had + nothing else to write about. Bless you!" + + "DECEMBER. + + "MY PRECIOUS BETSEY,-- + + "As this is to be a scribble-scrabble letter, I direct it to + you, for it may amuse you, and give you some idea of my goings + on; for, though quiet, they are rather amusing, for which, oh, + be joyful! After what Amy would call Herculaneum efforts, in the + way of mental and moral agriculture, my young ideas begin to + shoot and my little twigs to bend as I could wish. They are not + so interesting to me as Tina and the boys, but I do my duty by + them, and they are fond of me. Franz and Emil are jolly little + lads, quite after my own heart; for the mixture of German and + American spirit in them produces a constant state of + effervescence. Saturday afternoons are riotous times, whether + spent in the house or out; for on pleasant days they all go to + walk, like a seminary, with the Professor and myself to keep + order; and then such fun! + + "We are very good friends now, and I've begun to take lessons. I + really couldn't help it, and it all came about in such a droll + way that I must tell you. To begin at the beginning, Mrs. Kirke + called to me, one day, as I passed Mr. Bhaer's room, where she + was rummaging. + + "'Did you ever see such a den, my dear? Just come and help me + put these books to rights, for I've turned everything upside + down, trying to discover what he has done with the six new + handkerchiefs I gave him not long ago.' + + "I went in, and while we worked I looked about me, for it was 'a + den,' to be sure. Books and papers everywhere; a broken + meerschaum, and an old flute over the mantel-piece as if done + with; a ragged bird, without any tail, chirped on one + window-seat, and a box of white mice adorned the other; + half-finished boats and bits of string lay among the + manuscripts; dirty little boots stood drying before the fire; + and traces of the dearly beloved boys, for whom he makes a slave + of himself, were to be seen all over the room. After a grand + rummage three of the missing articles were found,--one over the + bird-cage, one covered with ink, and a third burnt brown, having + been used as a holder. + + "'Such a man!' laughed good-natured Mrs. K., as she put the + relics in the rag-bag. 'I suppose the others are torn up to rig + ships, bandage cut fingers, or make kite-tails. It's dreadful, + but I can't scold him: he's so absent-minded and good-natured, + he lets those boys ride over him rough-shod. I agreed to do his + washing and mending, but he forgets to give out his things and I + forget to look them over, so he comes to a sad pass sometimes.' + + "'Let me mend them,' said I. 'I don't mind it, and he needn't + know. I'd like to,--he's so kind to me about bringing my letters + and lending books.' + + "So I have got his things in order, and knit heels into two + pairs of the socks,--for they were boggled out of shape with his + queer darns. Nothing was said, and I hoped he wouldn't find it + out, but one day last week he caught me at it. Hearing the + lessons he gives to others has interested and amused me so much + that I took a fancy to learn; for Tina runs in and out, leaving + the door open, and I can hear. I had been sitting near this + door, finishing off the last sock, and trying to understand what + he said to a new scholar, who is as stupid as I am. The girl had + gone, and I thought he had also, it was so still, and I was + busily gabbling over a verb, and rocking to and fro in a most + absurd way, when a little crow made me look up, and there was + Mr. Bhaer looking and laughing quietly, while he made signs to + Tina not to betray him. + + "'So!' he said, as I stopped and stared like a goose, 'you peep + at me, I peep at you, and that is not bad; but see, I am not + pleasanting when I say, haf you a wish for German?' + + "'Yes; but you are too busy. I am too stupid to learn,' I + blundered out, as red as a peony. + + "'Prut! we will make the time, and we fail not to find the + sense. At efening I shall gif a little lesson with much + gladness; for, look you, Mees Marsch, I haf this debt to pay,' + and he pointed to my work. 'Yes, they say to one another, these + so kind ladies, "he is a stupid old fellow; he will see not what + we do; he will never opserve that his sock-heels go not in holes + any more, he will think his buttons grow out new when they fall, + and believe that strings make theirselves." Ah! but I haf an + eye, and I see much. I haf a heart, and I feel the thanks for + this. Come, a little lesson then and now, or no more good fairy + works for me and mine.' + + "Of course I couldn't say anything after that, and as it really + is a splendid opportunity, I made the bargain, and we began. I + took four lessons, and then I stuck fast in a grammatical bog. + The Professor was very patient with me, but it must have been + torment to him, and now and then he'd look at me with such an + expression of mild despair that it was a toss-up with me whether + to laugh or cry. I tried both ways; and when it came to a sniff + of utter mortification and woe, he just threw the grammar on to + the floor, and marched out of the room. I felt myself disgraced + and deserted forever, but didn't blame him a particle, and was + scrambling my papers together, meaning to rush upstairs and + shake myself hard, when in he came, as brisk and beaming as if + I'd covered myself with glory. + + "'Now we shall try a new way. You and I will read these pleasant + little Märchen together, and dig no more in that dry book, that + goes in the corner for making us trouble.' + + "He spoke so kindly, and opened Hans Andersen's fairy tales so + invitingly before me, that I was more ashamed than ever, and + went at my lesson in a neck-or-nothing style that seemed to + amuse him immensely. I forgot my bashfulness, and pegged away + (no other word will express it) with all my might, tumbling over + long words, pronouncing according to the inspiration of the + minute, and doing my very best. When I finished reading my first + page, and stopped for breath, he clapped his hands and cried + out, in his hearty way, 'Das ist gute! Now we go well! My turn. + I do him in German; gif me your ear.' And away he went, rumbling + out the words with his strong voice, and a relish which was good + to see as well as hear. Fortunately the story was the 'Constant + Tin Soldier,' which is droll, you know, so I could laugh,--and I + did,--though I didn't understand half he read, for I couldn't + help it, he was so earnest, I so excited, and the whole thing so + comical. + + "After that we got on better, and now I read my lessons pretty + well; for this way of studying suits me, and I can see that the + grammar gets tucked into the tales and poetry as one gives pills + in jelly. I like it very much, and he doesn't seem tired of it + yet,--which is very good of him, isn't it? I mean to give him + something on Christmas, for I dare not offer money. Tell me + something nice, Marmee. + + "I'm glad Laurie seems so happy and busy, that he has given up + smoking, and lets his hair grow. You see Beth manages him better + than I did. I'm not jealous, dear; do your best, only don't make + a saint of him. I'm afraid I couldn't like him without a spice + of human naughtiness. Read him bits of my letters. I haven't + time to write much, and that will do just as well. Thank Heaven + Beth continues so comfortable." + + + "JANUARY. + + "A Happy New Year to you all, my dearest family, which of course + includes Mr. L. and a young man by the name of Teddy. I can't + tell you how much I enjoyed your Christmas bundle, for I didn't + get it till night, and had given up hoping. Your letter came in + the morning, but you said nothing about a parcel, meaning it + for a surprise; so I was disappointed, for I'd had a 'kind of a + feeling' that you wouldn't forget me. I felt a little low in my + mind, as I sat up in my room, after tea; and when the big, + muddy, battered-looking bundle was brought to me, I just hugged + it, and pranced. It was so _homey_ and refreshing, that I sat + down on the floor and read and looked and ate and laughed and + cried, in my usual absurd way. The things were just what I + wanted, and all the better for being made instead of bought. + Beth's new 'ink-bib' was capital; and Hannah's box of hard + gingerbread will be a treasure. I'll be sure and wear the nice + flannels you sent, Marmee, and read carefully the books father + has marked. Thank you all, heaps and heaps! + + [Illustration: I sat down upon the floor and read and looked and ate] + + "Speaking of books reminds me that I'm getting rich in that + line for, on New Year's Day, Mr. Bhaer gave me a fine + Shakespeare. It is one he values much, and I've often admired + it, set up in the place of honor, with his German Bible, Plato, + Homer, and Milton; so you may imagine how I felt when he + brought it down, without its cover, and showed me my name in + it, 'from my friend Friedrich Bhaer.' + + "'You say often you wish a library: here I gif you one; for + between these lids (he meant covers) is many books in one. Read + him well, and he will help you much; for the study of character + in this book will help you to read it in the world and paint it + with your pen.' + + "I thanked him as well as I could, and talk now about 'my + library,' as if I had a hundred books. I never knew how much + there was in Shakespeare before; but then I never had a Bhaer to + explain it to me. Now _don't_ laugh at his horrid name; it isn't + pronounced either Bear or Beer, as people _will_ say it, but + something between the two, as only Germans can give it. I'm glad + you both like what I tell you about him, and hope you will know + him some day. Mother would admire his warm heart, father his + wise head. I admire both, and feel rich in my new 'friend + Friedrich Bhaer.' + + "Not having much money, or knowing what he'd like, I got several + little things, and put them about the room, where he would find + them unexpectedly. They were useful, pretty, or funny,--a new + standish on his table, a little vase for his flower,--he always + has one, or a bit of green in a glass, to keep him fresh, he + says,--and a holder for his blower, so that he needn't burn up + what Amy calls 'mouchoirs.' I made it like those Beth + invented,--a big butterfly with a fat body, and black and yellow + wings, worsted feelers, and bead eyes. It took his fancy + immensely, and he put it on his mantel-piece as an article of + _vertu_; so it was rather a failure after all. Poor as he is, he + didn't forget a servant or a child in the house; and not a soul + here, from the French laundry-woman to Miss Norton, forgot him. + I was so glad of that. + + "They got up a masquerade, and had a gay time New Year's Eve. I + didn't mean to go down, having no dress; but at the last minute, + Mrs. Kirke remembered some old brocades, and Miss Norton lent me + lace and feathers; so I dressed up as Mrs. Malaprop, and sailed + in with a mask on. No one knew me, for I disguised my voice, and + no one dreamed of the silent, haughty Miss March (for they think + I am very stiff and cool, most of them; and so I am to + whipper-snappers) could dance and dress, and burst out into a + 'nice derangement of epitaphs, like an allegory on the banks of + the Nile.' I enjoyed it very much; and when we unmasked, it was + fun to see them stare at me. I heard one of the young men tell + another that he knew I'd been an actress; in fact, he thought he + remembered seeing me at one of the minor theatres. Meg will + relish that joke. Mr. Bhaer was Nick Bottom, and Tina was + Titania,--a perfect little fairy in his arms. To see them dance + was 'quite a landscape,' to use a Teddyism. + + "I had a very happy New Year, after all; and when I thought it + over in my room, I felt as if I was getting on a little in spite + of my many failures; for I'm cheerful all the time now, work + with a will, and take more interest in other people than I used + to, which is satisfactory. Bless you all! Ever your loving + + JO." + + [Illustration: Tail-piece] + + + + + [Illustration: In the presence of three gentlemen] + + XXXIV. + + A FRIEND. + + +Though very happy in the social atmosphere about her, and very busy with +the daily work that earned her bread, and made it sweeter for the +effort, Jo still found time for literary labors. The purpose which now +took possession of her was a natural one to a poor and ambitious girl; +but the means she took to gain her end were not the best. She saw that +money conferred power: money and power, therefore, she resolved to have; +not to be used for herself alone, but for those whom she loved more than +self. + +The dream of filling home with comforts, giving Beth everything she +wanted, from strawberries in winter to an organ in her bedroom; going +abroad herself, and always having _more_ than enough, so that she might +indulge in the luxury of charity, had been for years Jo's most cherished +castle in the air. + +The prize-story experience had seemed to open a way which might, after +long travelling and much up-hill work lead to this delightful _château +en Espagne_. But the novel disaster quenched her courage for a time, for +public opinion is a giant which has frightened stouter-hearted Jacks on +bigger bean-stalks than hers. Like that immortal hero, she reposed +awhile after the first attempt, which resulted in a tumble, and the +least lovely of the giant's treasures, if I remember rightly. But the +"up again and take another" spirit was as strong in Jo as in Jack; so +she scrambled up, on the shady side this time, and got more booty, but +nearly left behind her what was far more precious than the money-bags. + +She took to writing sensation stories; for in those dark ages, even +all-perfect America read rubbish. She told no one, but concocted a +"thrilling tale," and boldly carried it herself to Mr. Dashwood, editor +of the "Weekly Volcano." She had never read "Sartor Resartus," but she +had a womanly instinct that clothes possess an influence more powerful +over many than the worth of character or the magic of manners. So she +dressed herself in her best, and, trying to persuade herself that she +was neither excited nor nervous, bravely climbed two pairs of dark and +dirty stairs to find herself in a disorderly room, a cloud of +cigar-smoke, and the presence of three gentlemen, sitting with their +heels rather higher than their hats, which articles of dress none of +them took the trouble to remove on her appearance. Somewhat daunted by +this reception, Jo hesitated on the threshold, murmuring in much +embarrassment,-- + +"Excuse me, I was looking for the 'Weekly Volcano' office; I wished to +see Mr. Dashwood." + +Down went the highest pair of heels, up rose the smokiest gentleman, +and, carefully cherishing his cigar between his fingers, he advanced, +with a nod, and a countenance expressive of nothing but sleep. Feeling +that she must get through the matter somehow, Jo produced her +manuscript, and, blushing redder and redder with each sentence, +blundered out fragments of the little speech carefully prepared for the +occasion. + +"A friend of mine desired me to offer--a story--just as an +experiment--would like your opinion--be glad to write more if this +suits." + +While she blushed and blundered, Mr. Dashwood had taken the manuscript, +and was turning over the leaves with a pair of rather dirty fingers, and +casting critical glances up and down the neat pages. + +"Not a first attempt, I take it?" observing that the pages were +numbered, covered only on one side, and not tied up with a ribbon,--sure +sign of a novice. + +"No, sir; she has had some experience, and got a prize for a tale in the +'Blarneystone Banner.'" + +"Oh, did she?" and Mr. Dashwood gave Jo a quick look, which seemed to +take note of everything she had on, from the bow in her bonnet to the +buttons on her boots. "Well, you can leave it, if you like. We've more +of this sort of thing on hand than we know what to do with at present; +but I'll run my eye over it, and give you an answer next week." + +Now, Jo did _not_ like to leave it, for Mr. Dashwood didn't suit her at +all; but, under the circumstances, there was nothing for her to do but +bow and walk away, looking particularly tall and dignified, as she was +apt to do when nettled or abashed. Just then she was both; for it was +perfectly evident, from the knowing glances exchanged among the +gentlemen, that her little fiction of "my friend" was considered a good +joke; and a laugh, produced by some inaudible remark of the editor, as +he closed the door, completed her discomfiture. Half resolving never to +return, she went home, and worked off her irritation by stitching +pinafores vigorously; and in an hour or two was cool enough to laugh +over the scene, and long for next week. + +When she went again, Mr. Dashwood was alone, whereat she rejoiced; Mr. +Dashwood was much wider awake than before, which was agreeable; and Mr. +Dashwood was not too deeply absorbed in a cigar to remember his manners: +so the second interview was much more comfortable than the first. + +"We'll take this" (editors never say I), "if you don't object to a few +alterations. It's too long, but omitting the passages I've marked will +make it just the right length," he said, in a business-like tone. + +Jo hardly knew her own MS. again, so crumpled and underscored were its +pages and paragraphs; but, feeling as a tender parent might on being +asked to cut off her baby's legs in order that it might fit into a new +cradle, she looked at the marked passages, and was surprised to find +that all the moral reflections--which she had carefully put in as +ballast for much romance--had been stricken out. + +"But, sir, I thought every story should have some sort of a moral, so I +took care to have a few of my sinners repent." + +Mr. Dashwood's editorial gravity relaxed into a smile, for Jo had +forgotten her "friend," and spoken as only an author could. + +"People want to be amused, not preached at, you know. Morals don't sell +nowadays;" which was not quite a correct statement, by the way. + +"You think it would do with these alterations, then?" + +"Yes; it's a new plot, and pretty well worked up--language good, and so +on," was Mr. Dashwood's affable reply. + +"What do you--that is, what compensation--" began Jo, not exactly +knowing how to express herself. + +"Oh, yes, well, we give from twenty-five to thirty for things of this +sort. Pay when it comes out," returned Mr. Dashwood, as if that point +had escaped him; such trifles often do escape the editorial mind, it is +said. + +"Very well; you can have it," said Jo, handing back the story, with a +satisfied air; for, after the dollar-a-column work, even twenty-five +seemed good pay. + +"Shall I tell my friend you will take another if she has one better than +this?" asked Jo, unconscious of her little slip of the tongue, and +emboldened by her success. + +"Well, we'll look at it; can't promise to take it. Tell her to make it +short and spicy, and never mind the moral. What name would your friend +like to put to it?" in a careless tone. + +"None at all, if you please; she doesn't wish her name to appear, and +has no _nom de plume_," said Jo, blushing in spite of herself. + +"Just as she likes, of course. The tale will be out next week; will you +call for the money, or shall I send it?" asked Mr. Dashwood, who felt a +natural desire to know who his new contributor might be. + +"I'll call. Good morning, sir." + +As she departed, Mr. Dashwood put up his feet, with the graceful remark, +"Poor and proud, as usual, but she'll do." + +Following Mr. Dashwood's directions, and making Mrs. Northbury her +model, Jo rashly took a plunge into the frothy sea of sensational +literature; but, thanks to the life-preserver thrown her by a friend, +she came up again, not much the worse for her ducking. + +Like most young scribblers, she went abroad for her characters and +scenery; and banditti, counts, gypsies, nuns, and duchesses appeared +upon her stage, and played their parts with as much accuracy and spirit +as could be expected. Her readers were not particular about such trifles +as grammar, punctuation, and probability, and Mr. Dashwood graciously +permitted her to fill his columns at the lowest prices, not thinking it +necessary to tell her that the real cause of his hospitality was the +fact that one of his hacks, on being offered higher wages, had basely +left him in the lurch. + +She soon became interested in her work, for her emaciated purse grew +stout, and the little hoard she was making to take Beth to the mountains +next summer grew slowly but surely as the weeks passed. One thing +disturbed her satisfaction, and that was that she did not tell them at +home. She had a feeling that father and mother would not approve, and +preferred to have her own way first, and beg pardon afterward. It was +easy to keep her secret, for no name appeared with her stories; Mr. +Dashwood had, of course, found it out very soon, but promised to be +dumb; and, for a wonder, kept his word. + +She thought it would do her no harm, for she sincerely meant to write +nothing of which she should be ashamed, and quieted all pricks of +conscience by anticipations of the happy minute when she should show her +earnings and laugh over her well-kept secret. + +But Mr. Dashwood rejected any but thrilling tales; and, as thrills could +not be produced except by harrowing up the souls of the readers, history +and romance, land and sea, science and art, police records and lunatic +asylums, had to be ransacked for the purpose. Jo soon found that her +innocent experience had given her but few glimpses of the tragic world +which underlies society; so, regarding it in a business light, she set +about supplying her deficiencies with characteristic energy. Eager to +find material for stories, and bent on making them original in plot, if +not masterly in execution, she searched newspapers for accidents, +incidents, and crimes; she excited the suspicions of public librarians +by asking for works on poisons; she studied faces in the street, and +characters, good, bad, and indifferent, all about her; she delved in the +dust of ancient times for facts or fictions so old that they were as +good as new, and introduced herself to folly, sin, and misery, as well +as her limited opportunities allowed. She thought she was prospering +finely; but, unconsciously, she was beginning to desecrate some of the +womanliest attributes of a woman's character. She was living in bad +society; and, imaginary though it was, its influence affected her, for +she was feeding heart and fancy on dangerous and unsubstantial food, and +was fast brushing the innocent bloom from her nature by a premature +acquaintance with the darker side of life, which comes soon enough to +all of us. + +She was beginning to feel rather than see this, for much describing of +other people's passions and feelings set her to studying and speculating +about her own,--a morbid amusement, in which healthy young minds do not +voluntarily indulge. Wrong-doing always brings its own punishment; and, +when Jo most needed hers, she got it. + +I don't know whether the study of Shakespeare helped her to read +character, or the natural instinct of a woman for what was honest, +brave, and strong; but while endowing her imaginary heroes with every +perfection under the sun, Jo was discovering a live hero, who interested +her in spite of many human imperfections. Mr. Bhaer, in one of their +conversations, had advised her to study simple, true, and lovely +characters, wherever she found them, as good training for a writer. Jo +took him at his word, for she coolly turned round and studied him,--a +proceeding which would have much surprised him, had he known it, for the +worthy Professor was very humble in his own conceit. + +Why everybody liked him was what puzzled Jo, at first. He was neither +rich nor great, young nor handsome; in no respect what is called +fascinating, imposing, or brilliant; and yet he was as attractive as a +genial fire, and people seemed to gather about him as naturally as about +a warm hearth. He was poor, yet always appeared to be giving something +away; a stranger, yet every one was his friend; no longer young, but as +happy-hearted as a boy; plain and peculiar, yet his face looked +beautiful to many, and his oddities were freely forgiven for his sake. +Jo often watched him, trying to discover the charm, and, at last, +decided that it was benevolence which worked the miracle. If he had any +sorrow, "it sat with its head under its wing," and he turned only his +sunny side to the world. There were lines upon his forehead, but Time +seemed to have touched him gently, remembering how kind he was to +others. The pleasant curves about his mouth were the memorials of many +friendly words and cheery laughs; his eyes were never cold or hard, and +his big hand had a warm, strong grasp that was more expressive than +words. + +His very clothes seemed to partake of the hospitable nature of the +wearer. They looked as if they were at ease, and liked to make him +comfortable; his capacious waistcoat was suggestive of a large heart +underneath; his rusty coat had a social air, and the baggy pockets +plainly proved that little hands often went in empty and came out full; +his very boots were benevolent, and his collars never stiff and raspy +like other people's. + +"That's it!" said Jo to herself, when she at length discovered that +genuine good-will towards one's fellow-men could beautify and dignify +even a stout German teacher, who shovelled in his dinner, darned his own +socks, and was burdened with the name of Bhaer. + +Jo valued goodness highly, but she also possessed a most feminine +respect for intellect, and a little discovery which she made about the +Professor added much to her regard for him. He never spoke of himself, +and no one ever knew that in his native city he had been a man much +honored and esteemed for learning and integrity, till a countryman came +to see him, and, in a conversation with Miss Norton, divulged the +pleasing fact. From her Jo learned it, and liked it all the better +because Mr. Bhaer had never told it. She felt proud to know that he was +an honored Professor in Berlin, though only a poor language-master in +America; and his homely, hard-working life was much beautified by the +spice of romance which this discovery gave it. + +Another and a better gift than intellect was shown her in a most +unexpected manner. Miss Norton had the _entrée_ into literary society, +which Jo would have had no chance of seeing but for her. The solitary +woman felt an interest in the ambitious girl, and kindly conferred many +favors of this sort both on Jo and the Professor. She took them with +her, one night, to a select symposium, held in honor of several +celebrities. + + [Illustration: A select symposium] + +Jo went prepared to bow down and adore the mighty ones whom she had +worshipped with youthful enthusiasm afar off. But her reverence for +genius received a severe shock that night, and it took her some time to +recover from the discovery that the great creatures were only men and +women after all. Imagine her dismay, on stealing a glance of timid +admiration at the poet whose lines suggested an ethereal being fed on +"spirit, fire, and dew," to behold him devouring his supper with an +ardor which flushed his intellectual countenance. Turning as from a +fallen idol, she made other discoveries which rapidly dispelled her +romantic illusions. The great novelist vibrated between two decanters +with the regularity of a pendulum; the famous divine flirted openly with +one of the Madame de Staëls of the age, who looked daggers at another +Corinne, who was amiably satirizing her, after out-manœuvring her in +efforts to absorb the profound philosopher, who imbibed tea Johnsonianly +and appeared to slumber, the loquacity of the lady rendering speech +impossible. The scientific celebrities, forgetting their mollusks and +glacial periods, gossiped about art, while devoting themselves to +oysters and ices with characteristic energy; the young musician, who was +charming the city like a second Orpheus, talked horses; and the specimen +of the British nobility present happened to be the most ordinary man of +the party. + +Before the evening was half over, Jo felt so completely _désillusionée_, +that she sat down in a corner to recover herself. Mr. Bhaer soon joined +her, looking rather out of his element, and presently several of the +philosophers, each mounted on his hobby, came ambling up to hold an +intellectual tournament in the recess. The conversation was miles beyond +Jo's comprehension, but she enjoyed it, though Kant and Hegel were +unknown gods, the Subjective and Objective unintelligible terms; and the +only thing "evolved from her inner consciousness," was a bad headache +after it was all over. It dawned upon her gradually that the world was +being picked to pieces, and put together on new, and, according to the +talkers, on infinitely better principles than before; that religion was +in a fair way to be reasoned into nothingness, and intellect was to be +the only God. Jo knew nothing about philosophy or metaphysics of any +sort, but a curious excitement, half pleasurable, half painful, came +over her, as she listened with a sense of being turned adrift into time +and space, like a young balloon out on a holiday. + +She looked round to see how the Professor liked it, and found him +looking at her with the grimmest expression she had ever seen him wear. +He shook his head, and beckoned her to come away; but she was +fascinated, just then, by the freedom of Speculative Philosophy, and +kept her seat, trying to find out what the wise gentlemen intended to +rely upon after they had annihilated all the old beliefs. + +Now, Mr. Bhaer was a diffident man, and slow to offer his own opinions, +not because they were unsettled, but too sincere and earnest to be +lightly spoken. As he glanced from Jo to several other young people, +attracted by the brilliancy of the philosophic pyrotechnics, he knit his +brows, and longed to speak, fearing that some inflammable young soul +would be led astray by the rockets, to find, when the display was over, +that they had only an empty stick or a scorched hand. + +He bore it as long as he could; but when he was appealed to for an +opinion, he blazed up with honest indignation, and defended religion +with all the eloquence of truth,--an eloquence which made his broken +English musical, and his plain face beautiful. He had a hard fight, for +the wise men argued well; but he didn't know when he was beaten, and +stood to his colors like a man. Somehow, as he talked, the world got +right again to Jo; the old beliefs, that had lasted so long, seemed +better than the new; God was not a blind force, and immortality was not +a pretty fable, but a blessed fact. She felt as if she had solid ground +under her feet again; and when Mr. Bhaer paused, out-talked, but not one +whit convinced, Jo wanted to clap her hands and thank him. + +She did neither; but she remembered this scene, and gave the Professor +her heartiest respect, for she knew it cost him an effort to speak out +then and there, because his conscience would not let him be silent. She +began to see that character is a better possession than money, rank, +intellect, or beauty; and to feel that if greatness is what a wise man +has defined it to be, "truth, reverence, and good-will," then her friend +Friedrich Bhaer was not only good, but great. + +This belief strengthened daily. She valued his esteem, she coveted his +respect, she wanted to be worthy of his friendship; and, just when the +wish was sincerest, she came near losing everything. It all grew out of +a cocked hat; for one evening the Professor came in to give Jo her +lesson, with a paper soldier-cap on his head, which Tina had put there, +and he had forgotten to take off. + +"It's evident he doesn't look in his glass before coming down," thought +Jo, with a smile, as he said "Goot efening," and sat soberly down, quite +unconscious of the ludicrous contrast between his subject and his +head-gear, for he was going to read her the "Death of Wallenstein." + + [Illustration: He doesn't prink at his glass before coming] + +She said nothing at first, for she liked to hear him laugh out his big, +hearty laugh, when anything funny happened, so she left him to discover +it for himself, and presently forgot all about it; for to hear a German +read Schiller is rather an absorbing occupation. After the reading came +the lesson, which was a lively one, for Jo was in a gay mood that night, +and the cocked-hat kept her eyes dancing with merriment. The Professor +didn't know what to make of her, and stopped at last, to ask, with an +air of mild surprise that was irresistible,-- + +"Mees Marsch, for what do you laugh in your master's face? Haf you no +respect for me, that you go on so bad?" + +"How can I be respectful, sir, when you forget to take your hat off?" +said Jo. + +Lifting his hand to his head, the absent-minded Professor gravely felt +and removed the little cocked-hat, looked at it a minute, and then threw +back his head, and laughed like a merry bass-viol. + +"Ah! I see him now; it is that imp Tina who makes me a fool with my cap. +Well, it is nothing; but see you, if this lesson goes not well, you too +shall wear him." + +But the lesson did not go at all for a few minutes, because Mr. Bhaer +caught sight of a picture on the hat, and, unfolding it, said, with an +air of great disgust,-- + +"I wish these papers did not come in the house; they are not for +children to see, nor young people to read. It is not well, and I haf no +patience with those who make this harm." + +Jo glanced at the sheet, and saw a pleasing illustration composed of a +lunatic, a corpse, a villain, and a viper. She did not like it; but the +impulse that made her turn it over was not one of displeasure, but fear, +because, for a minute, she fancied the paper was the "Volcano." It was +not, however, and her panic subsided as she remembered that, even if it +had been, and one of her own tales in it, there would have been no name +to betray her. She had betrayed herself, however, by a look and a blush; +for, though an absent man, the Professor saw a good deal more than +people fancied. He knew that Jo wrote, and had met her down among the +newspaper offices more than once; but as she never spoke of it, he asked +no questions, in spite of a strong desire to see her work. Now it +occurred to him that she was doing what she was ashamed to own, and it +troubled him. He did not say to himself, "It is none of my business; +I've no right to say anything," as many people would have done; he only +remembered that she was young and poor, a girl far away from mother's +love and father's care; and he was moved to help her with an impulse as +quick and natural as that which would prompt him to put out his hand to +save a baby from a puddle. All this flashed through his mind in a +minute, but not a trace of it appeared in his face; and by the time the +paper was turned, and Jo's needle threaded, he was ready to say quite +naturally, but very gravely,-- + +"Yes, you are right to put it from you. I do not like to think that good +young girls should see such things. They are made pleasant to some, but +I would more rather give my boys gunpowder to play with than this bad +trash." + +"All may not be bad, only silly, you know; and if there is a demand for +it, I don't see any harm in supplying it. Many very respectable people +make an honest living out of what are called sensation stories," said +Jo, scratching gathers so energetically that a row of little slits +followed her pin. + +"There is a demand for whiskey, but I think you and I do not care to +sell it. If the respectable people knew what harm they did, they would +not feel that the living _was_ honest. They haf no right to put poison +in the sugar-plum, and let the small ones eat it. No; they should think +a little, and sweep mud in the street before they do this thing." + +Mr. Bhaer spoke warmly, and walked to the fire, crumpling the paper in +his hands. Jo sat still, looking as if the fire had come to her; for her +cheeks burned long after the cocked hat had turned to smoke, and gone +harmlessly up the chimney. + +"I should like much to send all the rest after him," muttered the +Professor, coming back with a relieved air. + +Jo thought what a blaze her pile of papers upstairs would make, and her +hard-earned money lay rather heavily on her conscience at that minute. +Then she thought consolingly to herself, "Mine are not like that; they +are only silly, never bad, so I won't be worried;" and taking up her +book, she said, with a studious face,-- + +"Shall we go on, sir? I'll be very good and proper now." + +"I shall hope so," was all he said, but he meant more than she imagined; +and the grave, kind look he gave her made her feel as if the words +"Weekly Volcano" were printed in large type on her forehead. + +As soon as she went to her room, she got out her papers, and carefully +re-read every one of her stories. Being a little short-sighted, Mr. +Bhaer sometimes used eye-glasses, and Jo had tried them once, smiling to +see how they magnified the fine print of her book; now she seemed to +have got on the Professor's mental or moral spectacles also; for the +faults of these poor stories glared at her dreadfully, and filled her +with dismay. + +"They _are_ trash, and will soon be worse than trash if I go on; for +each is more sensational than the last. I've gone blindly on, hurting +myself and other people, for the sake of money; I know it's so, for I +can't read this stuff in sober earnest without being horribly ashamed of +it; and what _should_ I do if they were seen at home, or Mr. Bhaer got +hold of them?" + +Jo turned hot at the bare idea, and stuffed the whole bundle into her +stove, nearly setting the chimney afire with the blaze. + + [Illustration: Jo stuffed the whole bundle into the stove] + +"Yes, that's the best place for such inflammable nonsense; I'd better +burn the house down, I suppose, than let other people blow themselves up +with my gunpowder," she thought, as she watched the "Demon of the Jura" +whisk away, a little black cinder with fiery eyes. + +But when nothing remained of all her three months' work except a heap of +ashes, and the money in her lap, Jo looked sober, as she sat on the +floor, wondering what she ought to do about her wages. + +"I think I haven't done much harm _yet_, and may keep this to pay for my +time," she said, after a long meditation, adding impatiently, "I almost +wish I hadn't any conscience, it's so inconvenient. If I didn't care +about doing right, and didn't feel uncomfortable when doing wrong, I +should get on capitally. I can't help wishing sometimes, that father and +mother hadn't been so particular about such things." + +Ah, Jo, instead of wishing that, thank God that "father and mother +_were_ particular," and pity from your heart those who have no such +guardians to hedge them round with principles which may seem like +prison-walls to impatient youth, but which will prove sure foundations +to build character upon in womanhood. + +Jo wrote no more sensational stories, deciding that the money did not +pay for her share of the sensation; but, going to the other extreme, as +is the way with people of her stamp, she took a course of Mrs. Sherwood, +Miss Edgeworth, and Hannah More; and then produced a tale which might +have been more properly called an essay or a sermon, so intensely moral +was it. She had her doubts about it from the beginning; for her lively +fancy and girlish romance felt as ill at ease in the new style as she +would have done masquerading in the stiff and cumbrous costume of the +last century. She sent this didactic gem to several markets, but it +found no purchaser; and she was inclined to agree with Mr. Dashwood, +that morals didn't sell. + +Then she tried a child's story, which she could easily have disposed of +if she had not been mercenary enough to demand filthy lucre for it. The +only person who offered enough to make it worth her while to try +juvenile literature was a worthy gentleman who felt it his mission to +convert all the world to his particular belief. But much as she liked to +write for children, Jo could not consent to depict all her naughty boys +as being eaten by bears or tossed by mad bulls, because they did not go +to a particular Sabbath-school, nor all the good infants, who did go, as +rewarded by every kind of bliss, from gilded gingerbread to escorts of +angels, when they departed this life with psalms or sermons on their +lisping tongues. So nothing came of these trials; and Jo corked up her +inkstand, and said, in a fit of very wholesome humility,-- + +"I don't know anything; I'll wait till I do before I try again, and, +meantime, 'sweep mud in the street,' if I can't do better; that's +honest, at least;" which decision proved that her second tumble down the +bean-stalk had done her some good. + +While these internal revolutions were going on, her external life had +been as busy and uneventful as usual; and if she sometimes looked +serious or a little sad no one observed it but Professor Bhaer. He did +it so quietly that Jo never knew he was watching to see if she would +accept and profit by his reproof; but she stood the test, and he was +satisfied; for, though no words passed between them, he knew that she +had given up writing. Not only did he guess it by the fact that the +second finger of her right hand was no longer inky, but she spent her +evenings downstairs now, was met no more among newspaper offices, and +studied with a dogged patience, which assured him that she was bent on +occupying her mind with something useful, if not pleasant. + +He helped her in many ways, proving himself a true friend, and Jo was +happy; for, while her pen lay idle, she was learning other lessons +beside German, and laying a foundation for the sensation story of her +own life. + +It was a pleasant winter and a long one, for she did not leave Mrs. +Kirke till June. Every one seemed sorry when the time came; the children +were inconsolable, and Mr. Bhaer's hair stuck straight up all over his +head, for he always rumpled it wildly when disturbed in mind. + +"Going home? Ah, you are happy that you haf a home to go in," he said, +when she told him, and sat silently pulling his beard, in the corner, +while she held a little levee on that last evening. + +She was going early, so she bade them all good-by over night; and when +his turn came, she said warmly,-- + +"Now, sir, you won't forget to come and see us, if you ever travel our +way, will you? I'll never forgive you if you do, for I want them all to +know my friend." + +"Do you? Shall I come?" he asked, looking down at her with an eager +expression which she did not see. + +"Yes, come next month; Laurie graduates then, and you'd enjoy +Commencement as something new." + +"That is your best friend, of whom you speak?" he said, in an altered +tone. + +"Yes, my boy Teddy; I'm very proud of him, and should like you to see +him." + +Jo looked up then, quite unconscious of anything but her own pleasure in +the prospect of showing them to one another. Something in Mr. Bhaer's +face suddenly recalled the fact that she might find Laurie more than a +"best friend," and, simply because she particularly wished not to look +as if anything was the matter, she involuntarily began to blush; and the +more she tried not to, the redder she grew. If it had not been for Tina +on her knee, she didn't know what would have become of her. Fortunately, +the child was moved to hug her; so she managed to hide her face an +instant, hoping the Professor did not see it. But he did, and his own +changed again from that momentary anxiety to its usual expression, as he +said cordially,-- + +"I fear I shall not make the time for that, but I wish the friend much +success, and you all happiness. Gott bless you!" and with that, he shook +hands warmly, shouldered Tina, and went away. + +But after the boys were abed, he sat long before his fire, with the +tired look on his face, and the "_heimweh_," or homesickness, lying +heavy at his heart. Once, when he remembered Jo, as she sat with the +little child in her lap and that new softness in her face, he leaned his +head on his hands a minute, and then roamed about the room, as if in +search of something that he could not find. + +"It is not for me; I must not hope it now," he said to himself, with a +sigh that was almost a groan; then, as if reproaching himself for the +longing that he could not repress, he went and kissed the two towzled +heads upon the pillow, took down his seldom-used meerschaum, and opened +his Plato. + +He did his best, and did it manfully; but I don't think he found that a +pair of rampant boys, a pipe, or even the divine Plato, were very +satisfactory substitutes for wife and child and home. + +Early as it was, he was at the station, next morning, to see Jo off; +and, thanks to him, she began her solitary journey with the pleasant +memory of a familiar face smiling its farewell, a bunch of violets to +keep her company, and, best of all, the happy thought,-- + +"Well, the winter's gone, and I've written no books, earned no fortune; +but I've made a friend worth having, and I'll try to keep him all my +life." + + + + + [Illustration: He put the sisters into the carriage] + + XXXV. + + HEARTACHE. + + +Whatever his motive might have been, Laurie studied to some purpose that +year, for he graduated with honor, and gave the Latin oration with the +grace of a Phillips and the eloquence of a Demosthenes, so his friends +said. They were all there, his grandfather,--oh, so proud!--Mr. and Mrs. +March, John and Meg, Jo and Beth, and all exulted over him with the +sincere admiration which boys make light of at the time, but fail to win +from the world by any after-triumphs. + +"I've got to stay for this confounded supper, but I shall be home early +to-morrow; you'll come and meet me as usual, girls?" Laurie said, as he +put the sisters into the carriage after the joys of the day were over. +He said "girls," but he meant Jo, for she was the only one who kept up +the old custom; she had not the heart to refuse her splendid, successful +boy anything, and answered warmly,-- + +"I'll come, Teddy, rain or shine, and march before you, playing '_Hail +the conquering hero comes_,' on a jews-harp." + +Laurie thanked her with a look that made her think, in a sudden panic, +"Oh, deary me! I know he'll say something, and then what shall I do?" + +Evening meditation and morning work somewhat allayed her fears, and +having decided that she wouldn't be vain enough to think people were +going to propose when she had given them every reason to know what her +answer would be, she set forth at the appointed time, hoping Teddy +wouldn't do anything to make her hurt his poor little feelings. A call +at Meg's, and a refreshing sniff and sip at the Daisy and Demijohn, +still further fortified her for the _tête-à-tête_, but when she saw a +stalwart figure looming in the distance, she had a strong desire to turn +about and run away. + +"Where's the jews-harp, Jo?" cried Laurie, as soon as he was within +speaking distance. + +"I forgot it;" and Jo took heart again, for that salutation could not be +called lover-like. + +She always used to take his arm on these occasions; now she did not, and +he made no complaint, which was a bad sign, but talked on rapidly about +all sorts of far-away subjects, till they turned from the road into the +little path that led homeward through the grove. Then he walked more +slowly, suddenly lost his fine flow of language, and, now and then, a +dreadful pause occurred. To rescue the conversation from one of the +wells of silence into which it kept falling, Jo said hastily,-- + +"Now you must have a good long holiday!" + +"I intend to." + +Something in his resolute tone made Jo look up quickly to find him +looking down at her with an expression that assured her the dreaded +moment had come, and made her put out her hand with an imploring,-- + +"No, Teddy, please don't!" + +"I will, and you _must_ hear me. It's no use, Jo; we've got to have it +out, and the sooner the better for both of us," he answered, getting +flushed and excited all at once. + +"Say what you like, then; I'll listen," said Jo, with a desperate sort +of patience. + +Laurie was a young lover, but he was in earnest, and meant to "have it +out," if he died in the attempt; so he plunged into the subject with +characteristic impetuosity, saying in a voice that _would_ get choky now +and then, in spite of manful efforts to keep it steady,-- + +"I've loved you ever since I've known you, Jo; couldn't help it, you've +been so good to me. I've tried to show it, but you wouldn't let me; now +I'm going to make you hear, and give me an answer, for I _can't_ go on +so any longer." + +"I wanted to save you this; I thought you'd understand--" began Jo, +finding it a great deal harder than she expected. + +"I know you did; but girls are so queer you never know what they mean. +They say No when they mean Yes, and drive a man out of his wits just for +the fun of it," returned Laurie, entrenching himself behind an +undeniable fact. + +"_I_ don't. I never wanted to make you care for me so, and I went away +to keep you from it if I could." + +"I thought so; it was like you, but it was no use. I only loved you all +the more, and I worked hard to please you, and I gave up billiards and +everything you didn't like, and waited and never complained, for I hoped +you'd love me, though I'm not half good enough--" here there was a choke +that couldn't be controlled, so he decapitated buttercups while he +cleared his "confounded throat." + +"Yes, you are; you're a great deal too good for me, and I'm so grateful +to you, and so proud and fond of you, I don't see why I can't love you +as you want me to. I've tried, but I can't change the feeling, and it +would be a lie to say I do when I don't." + +"Really, truly, Jo?" + +He stopped short, and caught both her hands as he put his question with +a look that she did not soon forget. + +"Really, truly, dear." + +They were in the grove now, close by the stile; and when the last words +fell reluctantly from Jo's lips, Laurie dropped her hands and turned as +if to go on, but for once in his life that fence was too much for him; +so he just laid his head down on the mossy post, and stood so still that +Jo was frightened. + + [Illustration: He laid his head down on the mossy post] + +"O Teddy, I'm so sorry, so desperately sorry, I could kill myself if it +would do any good! I wish you wouldn't take it so hard. I can't help it; +you know it's impossible for people to make themselves love other people +if they don't," cried Jo inelegantly but remorsefully, as she softly +patted his shoulder, remembering the time when he had comforted her so +long ago. + +"They do sometimes," said a muffled voice from the post. + +"I don't believe it's the right sort of love, and I'd rather not try +it," was the decided answer. + +There was a long pause, while a blackbird sung blithely on the willow by +the river, and the tall grass rustled in the wind. Presently Jo said +very soberly, as she sat down on the step of the stile,-- + +"Laurie, I want to tell you something." + +He started as if he had been shot, threw up his head, and cried out, in +a fierce tone-- + +"_Don't_ tell me that, Jo; I can't bear it now!" + +"Tell what?" she asked, wondering at his violence. + +"That you love that old man." + +"What old man?" demanded Jo, thinking he must mean his grandfather. + +"That devilish Professor you were always writing about. If you say you +love him, I know I shall do something desperate;" and he looked as if he +would keep his word, as he clenched his hands, with a wrathful spark in +his eyes. + +Jo wanted to laugh, but restrained herself, and said warmly, for she, +too, was getting excited with all this,-- + +"Don't swear, Teddy! He isn't old, nor anything bad, but good and kind, +and the best friend I've got, next to you. Pray, don't fly into a +passion; I want to be kind, but I know I shall get angry if you abuse my +Professor. I haven't the least idea of loving him or anybody else." + +"But you will after a while, and then what will become of me?" + +"You'll love some one else too, like a sensible boy, and forget all this +trouble." + +"I _can't_ love any one else; and I'll never forget you, Jo, never! +never!" with a stamp to emphasize his passionate words. + +"What _shall_ I do with him?" sighed Jo, finding that emotions were more +unmanageable than she expected. "You haven't heard what I wanted to tell +you. Sit down and listen; for indeed I want to do right and make you +happy," she said, hoping to soothe him with a little reason, which +proved that she knew nothing about love. + +Seeing a ray of hope in that last speech, Laurie threw himself down on +the grass at her feet, leaned his arm on the lower step of the stile, +and looked up at her with an expectant face. Now that arrangement was +not conducive to calm speech or clear thought on Jo's part; for how +_could_ she say hard things to her boy while he watched her with eyes +full of love and longing, and lashes still wet with the bitter drop or +two her hardness of heart had wrung from him? She gently turned his head +away, saying, as she stroked the wavy hair which had been allowed to +grow for her sake,--how touching that was, to be sure!-- + +"I agree with mother that you and I are not suited to each other, +because our quick tempers and strong wills would probably make us very +miserable, if we were so foolish as to--" Jo paused a little over the +last word, but Laurie uttered it with a rapturous expression,-- + +"Marry,--no, we shouldn't! If you loved me, Jo, I should be a perfect +saint, for you could make me anything you like." + +"No, I can't. I've tried it and failed, and I won't risk our happiness +by such a serious experiment. We don't agree and we never shall; so +we'll be good friends all our lives, but we won't go and do anything +rash." + +"Yes, we will if we get the chance," muttered Laurie rebelliously. + +"Now do be reasonable, and take a sensible view of the case," implored +Jo, almost at her wit's end. + +"I won't be reasonable; I don't want to take what you call 'a sensible +view;' it won't help me, and it only makes you harder. I don't believe +you've got any heart." + +"I wish I hadn't!" + +There was a little quiver in Jo's voice, and, thinking it a good omen, +Laurie turned round, bringing all his persuasive powers to bear as he +said, in the wheedlesome tone that had never been so dangerously +wheedlesome before,-- + +"Don't disappoint us, dear! Every one expects it. Grandpa has set his +heart upon it, your people like it, and I can't get on without you. Say +you will, and let's be happy. Do, do!" + +Not until months afterward did Jo understand how she had the strength of +mind to hold fast to the resolution she had made when she decided that +she did not love her boy, and never could. It was very hard to do, but +she did it, knowing that delay was both useless and cruel. + +"I can't say 'Yes' truly, so I won't say it at all. You'll see that I'm +right, by and by, and thank me for it"--she began solemnly. + +"I'll be hanged if I do!" and Laurie bounced up off the grass, burning +with indignation at the bare idea. + +"Yes, you will!" persisted Jo; "you'll get over this after a while, and +find some lovely, accomplished girl, who will adore you, and make a fine +mistress for your fine house. I shouldn't. I'm homely and awkward and +odd and old, and you'd be ashamed of me, and we should quarrel,--we +can't help it even now, you see,--and I shouldn't like elegant society +and you would, and you'd hate my scribbling, and I couldn't get on +without it, and we should be unhappy, and wish we hadn't done it, and +everything would be horrid!" + +"Anything more?" asked Laurie, finding it hard to listen patiently to +this prophetic burst. + +"Nothing more, except that I don't believe I shall ever marry. I'm happy +as I am, and love my liberty too well to be in any hurry to give it up +for any mortal man." + +"I know better!" broke in Laurie. "You think so now; but there'll come a +time when you _will_ care for somebody, and you'll love him +tremendously, and live and die for him. I know you will, it's your way, +and I shall have to stand by and see it;" and the despairing lover cast +his hat upon the ground with a gesture that would have seemed comical, +if his face had not been so tragical. + +"Yes, I _will_ live and die for him, if he ever comes and makes me love +him in spite of myself, and you must do the best you can!" cried Jo, +losing patience with poor Teddy. "I've done my best, but you _won't_ be +reasonable, and it's selfish of you to keep teasing for what I can't +give. I shall always be fond of you, very fond indeed, as a friend, but +I'll never marry you; and the sooner you believe it, the better for both +of us,--so now!" + +That speech was like fire to gunpowder. Laurie looked at her a minute as +if he did not quite know what to do with himself, then turned sharply +away, saying, in a desperate sort of tone,-- + +"You'll be sorry some day, Jo." + +"Oh, where are you going?" she cried, for his face frightened her. + +"To the devil!" was the consoling answer. + +For a minute Jo's heart stood still, as he swung himself down the bank, +toward the river; but it takes much folly, sin, or misery to send a +young man to a violent death, and Laurie was not one of the weak sort +who are conquered by a single failure. He had no thought of a +melodramatic plunge, but some blind instinct led him to fling hat and +coat into his boat, and row away with all his might, making better time +up the river than he had done in many a race. Jo drew a long breath and +unclasped her hands as she watched the poor fellow trying to outstrip +the trouble which he carried in his heart. + +"That will do him good, and he'll come home in such a tender, penitent +state of mind, that I sha'n't dare to see him," she said; adding, as she +went slowly home, feeling as if she had murdered some innocent thing, +and buried it under the leaves,-- + +"Now I must go and prepare Mr. Laurence to be very kind to my poor boy. +I wish he'd love Beth; perhaps he may, in time, but I begin to think I +was mistaken about her. Oh dear! how can girls like to have lovers and +refuse them. I think it's dreadful." + +Being sure that no one could do it so well as herself, she went straight +to Mr. Laurence, told the hard story bravely through, and then broke +down, crying so dismally over her own insensibility that the kind old +gentleman, though sorely disappointed, did not utter a reproach. He +found it difficult to understand how any girl could help loving Laurie, +and hoped she would change her mind, but he knew even better than Jo +that love cannot be forced, so he shook his head sadly, and resolved to +carry his boy out of harm's way; for Young Impetuosity's parting words +to Jo disturbed him more than he would confess. + +When Laurie came home, dead tired, but quite composed, his grandfather +met him as if he knew nothing, and kept up the delusion very +successfully for an hour or two. But when they sat together in the +twilight, the time they used to enjoy so much, it was hard work for the +old man to ramble on as usual, and harder still for the young one to +listen to praises of the last year's success, which to him now seemed +love's labor lost. He bore it as long as he could, then went to his +piano, and began to play. The windows were open; and Jo, walking in the +garden with Beth, for once understood music better than her sister, for +he played the "Sonata Pathétique," and played it as he never did before. + +"That's very fine, I dare say, but it's sad enough to make one cry; give +us something gayer, lad," said Mr. Laurence, whose kind old heart was +full of sympathy, which he longed to show, but knew not how. + +Laurie dashed into a livelier strain, played stormily for several +minutes, and would have got through bravely, if, in a momentary lull, +Mrs. March's voice had not been heard calling,-- + +"Jo, dear, come in; I want you." + +Just what Laurie longed to say, with a different meaning! As he +listened, he lost his place; the music ended with a broken chord, and +the musician sat silent in the dark. + +"I can't stand this," muttered the old gentleman. Up he got, groped his +way to the piano, laid a kind hand on either of the broad shoulders, and +said, as gently as a woman,-- + +"I know, my boy, I know." + +No answer for an instant; then Laurie asked sharply,-- + +"Who told you?" + +"Jo herself." + +"Then there's an end of it!" and he shook off his grandfather's hands +with an impatient motion; for, though grateful for the sympathy, his +man's pride could not bear a man's pity. + +"Not quite; I want to say one thing, and then there shall be an end of +it," returned Mr. Laurence, with unusual mildness. "You won't care to +stay at home just now, perhaps?" + +"I don't intend to run away from a girl. Jo can't prevent my seeing her, +and I shall stay and do it as long as I like," interrupted Laurie, in a +defiant tone. + +"Not if you are the gentleman I think you. I'm disappointed, but the +girl can't help it; and the only thing left for you to do is to go away +for a time. Where will you go?" + +"Anywhere. I don't care what becomes of me;" and Laurie got up, with a +reckless laugh, that grated on his grandfather's ear. + +"Take it like a man, and don't do anything rash, for God's sake. Why not +go abroad, as you planned, and forget it?" + +"I can't." + +"But you've been wild to go, and I promised you should when you got +through college." + +"Ah, but I didn't mean to go alone!" and Laurie walked fast through the +room, with an expression which it was well his grandfather did not see. + +"I don't ask you to go alone; there's some one ready and glad to go with +you, anywhere in the world." + +"Who, sir?" stopping to listen. + +"Myself." + +Laurie came back as quickly as he went, and put out his hand, saying +huskily,-- + +"I'm a selfish brute; but--you know--grandfather--" + +"Lord help me, yes, I do know, for I've been through it all before, once +in my own young days, and then with your father. Now, my dear boy, just +sit quietly down, and hear my plan. It's all settled, and can be carried +out at once," said Mr. Laurence, keeping hold of the young man, as if +fearful that he would break away, as his father had done before him. + +"Well, sir, what is it?" and Laurie sat down, without a sign of interest +in face or voice. + +"There is business in London that needs looking after; I meant you +should attend to it; but I can do it better myself, and things here will +get on very well with Brooke to manage them. My partners do almost +everything; I'm merely holding on till you take my place, and can be off +at any time." + +"But you hate travelling, sir; I can't ask it of you at your age," began +Laurie, who was grateful for the sacrifice, but much preferred to go +alone, if he went at all. + +The old gentleman knew that perfectly well, and particularly desired to +prevent it; for the mood in which he found his grandson assured him that +it would not be wise to leave him to his own devices. So, stifling a +natural regret at the thought of the home comforts he would leave behind +him, he said stoutly,-- + +"Bless your soul, I'm not superannuated yet. I quite enjoy the idea; it +will do me good, and my old bones won't suffer, for travelling nowadays +is almost as easy as sitting in a chair." + +A restless movement from Laurie suggested that _his_ chair was not easy, +or that he did not like the plan, and made the old man add hastily,-- + +"I don't mean to be a marplot or a burden; I go because I think you'd +feel happier than if I was left behind. I don't intend to gad about with +you, but leave you free to go where you like, while I amuse myself in my +own way. I've friends in London and Paris, and should like to visit +them; meantime you can go to Italy, Germany, Switzerland, where you +will, and enjoy pictures, music, scenery, and adventures to your heart's +content." + +Now, Laurie felt just then that his heart was entirely broken, and the +world a howling wilderness; but at the sound of certain words which the +old gentleman artfully introduced into his closing sentence, the broken +heart gave an unexpected leap, and a green oasis or two suddenly +appeared in the howling wilderness. He sighed, and then said, in a +spiritless tone,-- + +"Just as you like, sir; it doesn't matter where I go or what I do." + +"It does to me, remember that, my lad; I give you entire liberty, but I +trust you to make an honest use of it. Promise me that, Laurie." + +"Anything you like, sir." + +"Good," thought the old gentleman. "You don't care now, but there'll +come a time when that promise will keep you out of mischief, or I'm much +mistaken." + +Being an energetic individual, Mr. Laurence struck while the iron was +hot; and before the blighted being recovered spirit enough to rebel, +they were off. During the time necessary for preparation, Laurie bore +himself as young gentlemen usually do in such cases. He was moody, +irritable, and pensive by turns; lost his appetite, neglected his dress, +and devoted much time to playing tempestuously on his piano; avoided Jo, +but consoled himself by staring at her from his window, with a tragical +face that haunted her dreams by night, and oppressed her with a heavy +sense of guilt by day. Unlike some sufferers, he never spoke of his +unrequited passion, and would allow no one, not even Mrs. March, to +attempt consolation or offer sympathy. On some accounts, this was a +relief to his friends; but the weeks before his departure were very +uncomfortable, and every one rejoiced that the "poor, dear fellow was +going away to forget his trouble, and come home happy." Of course, he +smiled darkly at their delusion, but passed it by, with the sad +superiority of one who knew that his fidelity, like his love, was +unalterable. + +When the parting came he affected high spirits, to conceal certain +inconvenient emotions which seemed inclined to assert themselves. This +gayety did not impose upon anybody, but they tried to look as if it did, +for his sake, and he got on very well till Mrs. March kissed him, with +a whisper full of motherly solicitude; then, feeling that he was going +very fast, he hastily embraced them all round, not forgetting the +afflicted Hannah, and ran downstairs as if for his life. Jo followed a +minute after to wave her hand to him if he looked round. He did look +round, came back, put his arms about her, as she stood on the step above +him, and looked up at her with a face that made his short appeal both +eloquent and pathetic. + +"O Jo, can't you?" + + [Illustration: O Jo, can't you?] + +"Teddy, dear, I wish I could!" + +That was all, except a little pause; then Laurie straightened himself +up, said "It's all right, never mind," and went away without another +word. Ah, but it wasn't all right, and Jo _did_ mind; for while the +curly head lay on her arm a minute after her hard answer, she felt as if +she had stabbed her dearest friend; and when he left her without a look +behind him, she knew that the boy Laurie never would come again. + + [Illustration: Tail-piece] + + + + + XXXVI. + + BETH'S SECRET. + + +When Jo came home that spring, she had been struck with the change in +Beth. No one spoke of it or seemed aware of it, for it had come too +gradually to startle those who saw her daily; but to eyes sharpened by +absence, it was very plain; and a heavy weight fell on Jo's heart as she +saw her sister's face. It was no paler and but little thinner than in +the autumn; yet there was a strange, transparent look about it, as if +the mortal was being slowly refined away, and the immortal shining +through the frail flesh with an indescribably pathetic beauty. Jo saw +and felt it, but said nothing at the time, and soon the first impression +lost much of its power; for Beth seemed happy, no one appeared to doubt +that she was better; and, presently, in other cares, Jo for a time +forgot her fear. + +But when Laurie was gone, and peace prevailed again, the vague anxiety +returned and haunted her. She had confessed her sins and been forgiven; +but when she showed her savings and proposed the mountain trip, Beth had +thanked her heartily, but begged not to go so far away from home. +Another little visit to the seashore would suit her better, and, as +grandma could not be prevailed upon to leave the babies, Jo took Beth +down to the quiet place, where she could live much in the open air, and +let the fresh sea-breezes blow a little color into her pale cheeks. + +It was not a fashionable place, but, even among the pleasant people +there, the girls made few friends, preferring to live for one another. +Beth was too shy to enjoy society, and Jo too wrapped up in her to care +for any one else; so they were all in all to each other, and came and +went, quite unconscious of the interest they excited in those about +them, who watched with sympathetic eyes the strong sister and the feeble +one, always together, as if they felt instinctively that a long +separation was not far away. + +They did feel it, yet neither spoke of it; for often between ourselves +and those nearest and dearest to us there exists a reserve which it is +very hard to overcome. Jo felt as if a veil had fallen between her heart +and Beth's; but when she put out her hand to lift it up, there seemed +something sacred in the silence, and she waited for Beth to speak. She +wondered, and was thankful also, that her parents did not seem to see +what she saw; and, during the quiet weeks, when the shadow grew so plain +to her, she said nothing of it to those at home, believing that it would +tell itself when Beth came back no better. She wondered still more if +her sister really guessed the hard truth, and what thoughts were passing +through her mind during the long hours when she lay on the warm rocks, +with her head in Jo's lap, while the winds blew healthfully over her, +and the sea made music at her feet. + + [Illustration: With her head in Jo's lap, while the wind blew + healthfully over her] + +One day Beth told her. Jo thought she was asleep, she lay so still; and, +putting down her book, sat looking at her with wistful eyes, trying to +see signs of hope in the faint color on Beth's cheeks. But she could not +find enough to satisfy her, for the cheeks were very thin, and the hands +seemed too feeble to hold even the rosy little shells they had been +gathering. It came to her then more bitterly than ever that Beth was +slowly drifting away from her, and her arms instinctively tightened +their hold upon the dearest treasure she possessed. For a minute her +eyes were too dim for seeing, and, when they cleared, Beth was looking +up at her so tenderly that there was hardly any need for her to say,-- + +"Jo, dear, I'm glad you know it. I've tried to tell you, but I +couldn't." + +There was no answer except her sister's cheek against her own, not even +tears; for when most deeply moved, Jo did not cry. She was the weaker, +then, and Beth tried to comfort and sustain her, with her arms about +her, and the soothing words she whispered in her ear. + +"I've known it for a good while, dear, and, now I'm used to it, it isn't +hard to think of or to bear. Try to see it so, and don't be troubled +about me, because it's best; indeed it is." + +"Is this what made you so unhappy in the autumn, Beth? You did not feel +it then, and keep it to yourself so long, did you?" asked Jo, refusing +to see or say that it _was_ best, but glad to know that Laurie had no +part in Beth's trouble. + +"Yes, I gave up hoping then, but I didn't like to own it. I tried to +think it was a sick fancy, and would not let it trouble any one. But +when I saw you all so well and strong, and full of happy plans, it was +hard to feel that I could never be like you, and then I was miserable, +Jo." + +"O Beth, and you didn't tell me, didn't let me comfort and help you! How +could you shut me out, and bear it all alone?" + +Jo's voice was full of tender reproach, and her heart ached to think of +the solitary struggle that must have gone on while Beth learned to say +good-by to health, love, and life, and take up her cross so cheerfully. + +"Perhaps it was wrong, but I tried to do right; I wasn't sure, no one +said anything, and I hoped I was mistaken. It would have been selfish to +frighten you all when Marmee was so anxious about Meg, and Amy away, and +you so happy with Laurie,--at least, I thought so then." + +"And I thought that you loved him, Beth, and I went away because I +couldn't," cried Jo, glad to say all the truth. + +Beth looked so amazed at the idea that Jo smiled in spite of her pain, +and added softly,-- + +"Then you didn't, deary? I was afraid it was so, and imagined your poor +little heart full of love-lornity all that while." + +"Why, Jo, how could I, when he was so fond of you?" asked Beth, as +innocently as a child. "I do love him dearly; he is so good to me, how +can I help it? But he never could be anything to me but my brother. I +hope he truly will be, sometime." + +"Not through me," said Jo decidedly. "Amy is left for him, and they +would suit excellently; but I have no heart for such things, now. I +don't care what becomes of anybody but you, Beth. You _must_ get well." + +"I want to, oh, so much! I try, but every day I lose a little, and feel +more sure that I shall never gain it back. It's like the tide, Jo, when +it turns, it goes slowly, but it can't be stopped." + +"It _shall_ be stopped, your tide must not turn so soon, nineteen is too +young. Beth, I can't let you go. I'll work and pray and fight against +it. I'll keep you in spite of everything; there must be ways, it can't +be too late. God won't be so cruel as to take you from me," cried poor +Jo rebelliously, for her spirit was far less piously submissive than +Beth's. + +Simple, sincere people seldom speak much of their piety; it shows itself +in acts, rather than in words, and has more influence than homilies or +protestations. Beth could not reason upon or explain the faith that gave +her courage and patience to give up life, and cheerfully wait for death. +Like a confiding child, she asked no questions, but left everything to +God and nature, Father and mother of us all, feeling sure that they, and +they only, could teach and strengthen heart and spirit for this life and +the life to come. She did not rebuke Jo with saintly speeches, only +loved her better for her passionate affection, and clung more closely to +the dear human love, from which our Father never means us to be weaned, +but through which He draws us closer to Himself. She could not say, "I'm +glad to go," for life was very sweet to her; she could only sob out, "I +try to be willing," while she held fast to Jo, as the first bitter wave +of this great sorrow broke over them together. + +By and by Beth said, with recovered serenity,-- + +"You'll tell them this when we go home?" + +"I think they will see it without words," sighed Jo; for now it seemed +to her that Beth changed every day. + +"Perhaps not; I've heard that the people who love best are often +blindest to such things. If they don't see it, you will tell them for +me. I don't want any secrets, and it's kinder to prepare them. Meg has +John and the babies to comfort her, but you must stand by father and +mother, won't you, Jo?" + +"If I can; but, Beth, I don't give up yet; I'm going to believe that it +_is_ a sick fancy, and not let you think it's true," said Jo, trying to +speak cheerfully. + +Beth lay a minute thinking, and then said in her quiet way,-- + +"I don't know how to express myself, and shouldn't try, to any one but +you, because I can't speak out, except to my Jo. I only mean to say +that I have a feeling that it never was intended I should live long. I'm +not like the rest of you; I never made any plans about what I'd do when +I grew up; I never thought of being married, as you all did. I couldn't +seem to imagine myself anything but stupid little Beth, trotting about +at home, of no use anywhere but there. I never wanted to go away, and +the hard part now is the leaving you all. I'm not afraid, but it seems +as if I should be homesick for you even in heaven." + +Jo could not speak; and for several minutes there was no sound but the +sigh of the wind and the lapping of the tide. A white-winged gull flew +by, with the flash of sunshine on its silvery breast; Beth watched it +till it vanished, and her eyes were full of sadness. A little +gray-coated sand-bird came tripping over the beach, "peeping" softly to +itself, as if enjoying the sun and sea; it came quite close to Beth, +looked at her with a friendly eye, and sat upon a warm stone, dressing +its wet feathers, quite at home. Beth smiled, and felt comforted, for +the tiny thing seemed to offer its small friendship, and remind her that +a pleasant world was still to be enjoyed. + +"Dear little bird! See, Jo, how tame it is. I like peeps better than the +gulls: they are not so wild and handsome, but they seem happy, confiding +little things. I used to call them my birds, last summer; and mother +said they reminded her of me,--busy, quaker-colored creatures, always +near the shore, and always chirping that contented little song of +theirs. You are the gull, Jo, strong and wild, fond of the storm and the +wind, flying far out to sea, and happy all alone. Meg is the +turtle-dove, and Amy is like the lark she writes about, trying to get up +among the clouds, but always dropping down into its nest again. Dear +little girl! she's so ambitious, but her heart is good and tender; and +no matter how high she flies, she never will forget home. I hope I shall +see her again, but she seems _so_ far away." + +"She is coming in the spring, and I mean that you shall be all ready to +see and enjoy her. I'm going to have you well and rosy by that time," +began Jo, feeling that of all the changes in Beth, the talking change +was the greatest, for it seemed to cost no effort now, and she thought +aloud in a way quite unlike bashful Beth. + +"Jo, dear, don't hope any more; it won't do any good, I'm sure of that. +We won't be miserable, but enjoy being together while we wait. We'll +have happy times, for I don't suffer much, and I think the tide will go +out easily, if you help me." + +Jo leaned down to kiss the tranquil face; and with that silent kiss, she +dedicated herself soul and body to Beth. + +She was right: there was no need of any words when they got home, for +father and mother saw plainly, now, what they had prayed to be saved +from seeing. Tired with her short journey, Beth went at once to bed, +saying how glad she was to be at home; and when Jo went down, she found +that she would be spared the hard task of telling Beth's secret. Her +father stood leaning his head on the mantel-piece, and did not turn as +she came in; but her mother stretched out her arms as if for help, and +Jo went to comfort her without a word. + + [Illustration: Tail-piece] + + + + + [Illustration: He hurried forward to meet her] + + XXXVII. + + NEW IMPRESSIONS. + + +At three o'clock in the afternoon, all the fashionable world at Nice may +be seen on the Promenade des Anglais,--a charming place; for the wide +walk, bordered with palms, flowers, and tropical shrubs, is bounded on +one side by the sea, on the other by the grand drive, lined with hotels +and villas, while beyond lie orange-orchards and the hills. Many nations +are represented, many languages spoken, many costumes worn; and, on a +sunny day, the spectacle is as gay and brilliant as a carnival. Haughty +English, lively French, sober Germans, handsome Spaniards, ugly +Russians, meek Jews, free-and-easy Americans, all drive, sit, or saunter +here, chatting over the news, and criticising the latest celebrity who +has arrived,--Ristori or Dickens, Victor Emmanuel or the Queen of the +Sandwich Islands. The equipages are as varied as the company, and +attract as much attention, especially the low basket-barouches in which +ladies drive themselves, with a pair of dashing ponies, gay nets to keep +their voluminous flounces from overflowing the diminutive vehicles, and +little grooms on the perch behind. + +Along this walk, on Christmas Day, a tall young man walked slowly, with +his hands behind him, and a somewhat absent expression of countenance. +He looked like an Italian, was dressed like an Englishman, and had the +independent air of an American,--a combination which caused sundry pairs +of feminine eyes to look approvingly after him, and sundry dandies in +black velvet suits, with rose-colored neckties, buff gloves, and +orange-flowers in their button-holes, to shrug their shoulders, and then +envy him his inches. There were plenty of pretty faces to admire, but +the young man took little notice of them, except to glance, now and +then, at some blonde girl, or lady in blue. Presently he strolled out of +the promenade, and stood a moment at the crossing, as if undecided +whether to go and listen to the band in the Jardin Publique, or to +wander along the beach toward Castle Hill. The quick trot of ponies' +feet made him look up, as one of the little carriages, containing a +single lady, came rapidly down the street. The lady was young, blonde, +and dressed in blue. He stared a minute, then his whole face woke up, +and, waving his hat like a boy, he hurried forward to meet her. + +"O Laurie, is it really you? I thought you'd never come!" cried Amy, +dropping the reins, and holding out both hands, to the great +scandalization of a French mamma, who hastened her daughter's steps, +lest she should be demoralized by beholding the free manners of these +"mad English." + +"I was detained by the way, but I promised to spend Christmas with you, +and here I am." + +"How is your grandfather? When did you come? Where are you staying?" + +"Very well--last night--at the Chauvain. I called at your hotel, but you +were all out." + +"I have so much to say, I don't know where to begin! Get in, and we can +talk at our ease; I was going for a drive, and longing for company. +Flo's saving up for to-night." + +"What happens then, a ball?" + +"A Christmas party at our hotel. There are many Americans there, and +they give it in honor of the day. You'll go with us, of course? Aunt +will be charmed." + +"Thank you. Where now?" asked Laurie, leaning back and folding his arms, +a proceeding which suited Amy, who preferred to drive; for her +parasol-whip and blue reins over the white ponies' backs, afforded her +infinite satisfaction. + +"I'm going to the banker's first, for letters, and then to Castle Hill; +the view is so lovely, and I like to feed the peacocks. Have you ever +been there?" + +"Often, years ago; but I don't mind having a look at it." + +"Now tell me all about yourself. The last I heard of you, your +grandfather wrote that he expected you from Berlin." + +"Yes, I spent a month there, and then joined him in Paris, where he has +settled for the winter. He has friends there, and finds plenty to amuse +him; so I go and come, and we get on capitally." + +"That's a sociable arrangement," said Amy, missing something in Laurie's +manner, though she couldn't tell what. + +"Why, you see he hates to travel, and I hate to keep still; so we each +suit ourselves, and there is no trouble. I am often with him, and he +enjoys my adventures, while I like to feel that some one is glad to see +me when I get back from my wanderings. Dirty old hole, isn't it?" he +added, with a look of disgust, as they drove along the boulevard to the +Place Napoleon, in the old city. + +"The dirt is picturesque, so I don't mind. The river and the hills are +delicious, and these glimpses of the narrow cross-streets are my +delight. Now we shall have to wait for that procession to pass; it's +going to the Church of St. John." + +While Laurie listlessly watched the procession of priests under their +canopies, white-veiled nuns bearing lighted tapers, and some brotherhood +in blue, chanting as they walked, Amy watched him, and felt a new sort +of shyness steal over her; for he was changed, and she could not find +the merry-faced boy she left in the moody-looking man beside her. He was +handsomer than ever, and greatly improved, she thought; but now that the +flush of pleasure at meeting her was over, he looked tired and +spiritless,--not sick, nor exactly unhappy, but older and graver than a +year or two of prosperous life should have made him. She couldn't +understand it, and did not venture to ask questions; so she shook her +head, and touched up her ponies, as the procession wound away across the +arches of the Paglioni bridge, and vanished in the church. + +"_Que pensez vous_?" she said, airing her French, which had improved in +quantity, if not in quality, since she came abroad. + +"That mademoiselle has made good use of her time, and the result is +charming," replied Laurie, bowing, with his hand on his heart, and an +admiring look. + +She blushed with pleasure, but somehow the compliment did not satisfy +her like the blunt praises he used to give her at home, when he +promenaded round her on festival occasions, and told her she was +"altogether jolly," with a hearty smile and an approving pat on the +head. She didn't like the new tone; for, though not _blasé_, it sounded +indifferent in spite of the look. + +"If that's the way he's going to grow up, I wish he'd stay a boy," she +thought, with a curious sense of disappointment and discomfort, trying +meantime to seem quite easy and gay. + +At Avigdor's she found the precious home-letters, and, giving the reins +to Laurie, read them luxuriously as they wound up the shady road between +green hedges, where tea-roses bloomed as freshly as in June. + +"Beth is very poorly, mother says. I often think I ought to go home, but +they all say 'stay;' so I do, for I shall never have another chance like +this," said Amy, looking sober over one page. + +"I think you are right, there; you could do nothing at home, and it is a +great comfort to them to know that you are well and happy, and enjoying +so much, my dear." + +He drew a little nearer, and looked more like his old self, as he said +that; and the fear that sometimes weighed on Amy's heart was lightened, +for the look, the act, the brotherly "my dear," seemed to assure her +that if any trouble did come, she would not be alone in a strange land. +Presently she laughed, and showed him a small sketch of Jo in her +scribbling-suit, with the bow rampantly erect upon her cap, and issuing +from her mouth the words, "Genius burns!" + +Laurie smiled, took it, put it in his vest-pocket, "to keep it from +blowing away," and listened with interest to the lively letter Amy read +him. + +"This will be a regularly merry Christmas to me, with presents in the +morning, you and letters in the afternoon, and a party at night," said +Amy, as they alighted among the ruins of the old fort, and a flock of +splendid peacocks came trooping about them, tamely waiting to be fed. +While Amy stood laughing on the bank above him as she scattered crumbs +to the brilliant birds, Laurie looked at her as she had looked at him, +with a natural curiosity to see what changes time and absence had +wrought. He found nothing to perplex or disappoint, much to admire and +approve; for, overlooking a few little affectations of speech and +manner, she was as sprightly and graceful as ever, with the addition of +that indescribable something in dress and bearing which we call +elegance. Always mature for her age, she had gained a certain _aplomb_ +in both carriage and conversation, which made her seem more of a woman +of the world than she was; but her old petulance now and then showed +itself, her strong will still held its own, and her native frankness was +unspoiled by foreign polish. + +Laurie did not read all this while he watched her feed the peacocks, but +he saw enough to satisfy and interest him, and carried away a pretty +little picture of a bright-faced girl standing in the sunshine, which +brought out the soft hue of her dress, the fresh color of her cheeks, +the golden gloss of her hair, and made her a prominent figure in the +pleasant scene. + +As they came up on to the stone plateau that crowns the hill, Amy waved +her hand as if welcoming him to her favorite haunt, and said, pointing +here and there,-- + +"Do you remember the Cathedral and the Corso, the fishermen dragging +their nets in the bay, and the lovely road to Villa Franca, Schubert's +Tower, just below, and, best of all, that speck far out to sea which +they say is Corsica?" + +"I remember; it's not much changed," he answered, without enthusiasm. + +"What Jo would give for a sight of that famous speck!" said Amy, feeling +in good spirits, and anxious to see him so also. + +"Yes," was all he said, but he turned and strained his eyes to see the +island which a greater usurper than even Napoleon now made interesting +in his sight. + +"Take a good look at it for her sake, and then come and tell me what you +have been doing with yourself all this while," said Amy, seating +herself, ready for a good talk. + +But she did not get it; for, though he joined her, and answered all her +questions freely, she could only learn that he had roved about the +continent and been to Greece. So, after idling away an hour, they drove +home again; and, having paid his respects to Mrs. Carrol, Laurie left +them, promising to return in the evening. + +It must be recorded of Amy that she deliberately "prinked" that night. +Time and absence had done its work on both the young people; she had +seen her old friend in a new light, not as "our boy," but as a handsome +and agreeable man, and she was conscious of a very natural desire to +find favor in his sight. Amy knew her good points, and made the most of +them, with the taste and skill which is a fortune to a poor and pretty +woman. + +Tarlatan and tulle were cheap at Nice, so she enveloped herself in them +on such occasions, and, following the sensible English fashion of simple +dress for young girls, got up charming little toilettes with fresh +flowers, a few trinkets, and all manner of dainty devices, which were +both inexpensive and effective. It must be confessed that the artist +sometimes got possession of the woman, and indulged in antique +_coiffures_, statuesque attitudes, and classic draperies. But, dear +heart, we all have our little weaknesses, and find it easy to pardon +such in the young, who satisfy our eyes with their comeliness, and keep +our hearts merry with their artless vanities. + +"I do want him to think I look well, and tell them so at home," said Amy +to herself, as she put on Flo's old white silk ball-dress, and covered +it with a cloud of fresh illusion, out of which her white shoulders and +golden head emerged with a most artistic effect. Her hair she had the +sense to let alone, after gathering up the thick waves and curls into a +Hebe-like knot at the back of her head. + +"It's not the fashion, but it's becoming, and I can't afford to make a +fright of myself," she used to say, when advised to frizzle, puff, or +braid, as the latest style commanded. + +Having no ornaments fine enough for this important occasion, Amy looped +her fleecy skirts with rosy clusters of azalea, and framed the white +shoulders in delicate green vines. Remembering the painted boots, she +surveyed her white satin slippers with girlish satisfaction, and +_chasséed_ down the room, admiring her aristocratic feet all by herself. + +"My new fan just matches my flowers, my gloves fit to a charm, and the +real lace on aunt's _mouchoir_ gives an air to my whole dress. If I only +had a classical nose and mouth I should be perfectly happy," she said, +surveying herself with a critical eye, and a candle in each hand. + +In spite of this affliction, she looked unusually gay and graceful as +she glided away; she seldom ran,--it did not suit her style, she +thought, for, being tall, the stately and Junoesque was more appropriate +than the sportive or piquante. She walked up and down the long saloon +while waiting for Laurie, and once arranged herself under the +chandelier, which had a good effect upon her hair; then she thought +better of it, and went away to the other end of the room, as if ashamed +of the girlish desire to have the first view a propitious one. It so +happened that she could not have done a better thing, for Laurie came in +so quietly she did not hear him; and, as she stood at the distant +window, with her head half turned, and one hand gathering up her dress, +the slender, white figure against the red curtains was as effective as a +well-placed statue. + +"Good evening, Diana!" said Laurie, with the look of satisfaction she +liked to see in his eyes when they rested on her. + +"Good evening, Apollo!" she answered, smiling back at him, for he, too, +looked unusually _debonnaire_, and the thought of entering the ball-room +on the arm of such a personable man caused Amy to pity the four plain +Misses Davis from the bottom of her heart. + +"Here are your flowers; I arranged them myself, remembering that you +didn't like what Hannah calls a 'sot-bookay,'" said Laurie, handing her +a delicate nosegay, in a holder that she had long coveted as she daily +passed it in Cardiglia's window. + + [Illustration: Here are your flowers] + +"How kind you are!" she exclaimed gratefully. "If I'd known you were +coming I'd have had something ready for you to-day, though not as pretty +as this, I'm afraid." + +"Thank you; it isn't what it should be, but you have improved it," he +added, as she snapped the silver bracelet on her wrist. + +"Please don't." + +"I thought you liked that sort of thing?" + +"Not from you; it doesn't sound natural, and I like your old bluntness +better." + +"I'm glad of it," he answered, with a look of relief; then buttoned her +gloves for her, and asked if his tie was straight, just as he used to do +when they went to parties together, at home. + +The company assembled in the long _salle à manger_, that evening, was +such as one sees nowhere but on the Continent. The hospitable Americans +had invited every acquaintance they had in Nice, and, having no +prejudice against titles, secured a few to add lustre to their Christmas +ball. + +A Russian prince condescended to sit in a corner for an hour, and talk +with a massive lady, dressed like Hamlet's mother, in black velvet, with +a pearl bridle under her chin. A Polish count, aged eighteen, devoted +himself to the ladies, who pronounced him "a fascinating dear," and a +German Serene Something, having come for the supper alone, roamed +vaguely about, seeking what he might devour. Baron Rothschild's private +secretary, a large-nosed Jew, in tight boots, affably beamed upon the +world, as if his master's name crowned him with a golden halo; a stout +Frenchman, who knew the Emperor, came to indulge his mania for dancing, +and Lady de Jones, a British matron, adorned the scene with her little +family of eight. Of course, there were many light-footed, shrill-voiced +American girls, handsome, lifeless-looking English ditto, and a few +plain but piquante French demoiselles; likewise the usual set of +travelling young gentlemen, who disported themselves gayly, while mammas +of all nations lined the walls, and smiled upon them benignly when they +danced with their daughters. + +Any young girl can imagine Amy's state of mind when she "took the stage" +that night, leaning on Laurie's arm. She knew she looked well, she loved +to dance, she felt that her foot was on her native heath in a ball-room, +and enjoyed the delightful sense of power which comes when young girls +first discover the new and lovely kingdom they are born to rule by +virtue of beauty, youth, and womanhood. She did pity the Davis girls, +who were awkward, plain, and destitute of escort, except a grim papa and +three grimmer maiden aunts, and she bowed to them in her friendliest +manner as she passed; which was good of her, as it permitted them to see +her dress, and burn with curiosity to know who her distinguished-looking +friend might be. With the first burst of the band, Amy's color rose, her +eyes began to sparkle, and her feet to tap the floor impatiently; for +she danced well, and wanted Laurie to know it: therefore the shock she +received can better be imagined than described, when he said, in a +perfectly tranquil tone,-- + +"Do you care to dance?" + +"One usually does at a ball." + +Her amazed look and quick answer caused Laurie to repair his error as +fast as possible. + +"I meant the first dance. May I have the honor?" + +"I can give you one if I put off the Count. He dances divinely; but he +will excuse me, as you are an old friend," said Amy, hoping that the +name would have a good effect, and show Laurie that she was not to be +trifled with. + +"Nice little boy, but rather a short Pole to support + + "'A daughter of the gods, + Divinely tall, and most divinely fair,'" + +was all the satisfaction she got, however. + +The set in which they found themselves was composed of English, and Amy +was compelled to walk decorously through a cotillon, feeling all the +while as if she could dance the Tarantula with a relish. Laurie resigned +her to the "nice little boy," and went to do his duty to Flo, without +securing Amy for the joys to come, which reprehensible want of +forethought was properly punished, for she immediately engaged herself +till supper, meaning to relent if he then gave any signs of penitence. +She showed him her ball-book with demure satisfaction when he strolled, +instead of rushing, up to claim her for the next, a glorious +polka-redowa; but his polite regrets didn't impose upon her, and when +she gallopaded away with the Count, she saw Laurie sit down by her aunt +with an actual expression of relief. + +That was unpardonable; and Amy took no more notice of him for a long +while, except a word now and then, when she came to her chaperon, +between the dances, for a necessary pin or a moment's rest. Her anger +had a good effect, however, for she hid it under a smiling face, and +seemed unusually blithe and brilliant. Laurie's eyes followed her with +pleasure, for she neither romped nor sauntered, but danced with spirit +and grace, making the delightsome pastime what it should be. He very +naturally fell to studying her from this new point of view; and, before +the evening was half over, had decided that "little Amy was going to +make a very charming woman." + +It was a lively scene, for soon the spirit of the social season took +possession of every one, and Christmas merriment made all faces shine, +hearts happy, and heels light. The musicians fiddled, tooted, and banged +as if they enjoyed it; everybody danced who could, and those who +couldn't admired their neighbors with uncommon warmth. The air was dark +with Davises, and many Joneses gambolled like a flock of young giraffes. +The golden secretary darted through the room like a meteor, with a +dashing Frenchwoman, who carpeted the floor with her pink satin train. +The Serene Teuton found the supper-table, and was happy, eating steadily +through the bill of fare, and dismayed the _garçons_ by the ravages he +committed. But the Emperor's friend covered himself with glory, for he +danced everything, whether he knew it or not, and introduced impromptu +pirouettes when the figures bewildered him. The boyish abandon of that +stout man was charming to behold; for, though he "carried weight," he +danced like an india-rubber ball. He ran, he flew, he pranced; his face +glowed, his bald head shone; his coat-tails waved wildly, his pumps +actually twinkled in the air, and when the music stopped, he wiped the +drops from his brow, and beamed upon his fellow-men like a French +Pickwick without glasses. + +Amy and her Pole distinguished themselves by equal enthusiasm, but more +graceful agility; and Laurie found himself involuntarily keeping time to +the rhythmic rise and fall of the white slippers as they flew by as +indefatigably as if winged. When little Vladimir finally relinquished +her, with assurances that he was "desolated to leave so early," she was +ready to rest, and see how her recreant knight had borne his punishment. + +It had been successful; for, at three-and-twenty, blighted affections +find a balm in friendly society, and young nerves will thrill, young +blood dance, and healthy young spirits rise, when subjected to the +enchantment of beauty, light, music, and motion. Laurie had a waked-up +look as he rose to give her his seat; and when he hurried away to bring +her some supper, she said to herself, with a satisfied smile,-- + +"Ah, I thought that would do him good!" + +"You look like Balzac's 'Femme peinte par elle-même,'" he said, as he +fanned her with one hand, and held her coffee-cup in the other. + +"My rouge won't come off;" and Amy rubbed her brilliant cheek, and +showed him her white glove with a sober simplicity that made him laugh +outright. + +"What do you call this stuff?" he asked, touching a fold of her dress +that had blown over his knee. + +"Illusion." + +"Good name for it; it's very pretty--new thing, isn't it?" + +"It's as old as the hills; you have seen it on dozens of girls, and you +never found out that it was pretty till now--_stupide_!" + +"I never saw it on you before, which accounts for the mistake, you see." + +"None of that, it is forbidden; I'd rather take coffee than compliments +just now. No, don't lounge, it makes me nervous." + +Laurie sat bolt upright, and meekly took her empty plate, feeling an odd +sort of pleasure in having "little Amy" order him about; for she had +lost her shyness now, and felt an irresistible desire to trample on him, +as girls have a delightful way of doing when lords of creation show any +signs of subjection. + +"Where did you learn all this sort of thing?" he asked, with a quizzical +look. + +"As 'this sort of thing' is rather a vague expression, would you kindly +explain?" returned Amy, knowing perfectly well what he meant, but +wickedly leaving him to describe what is indescribable. + +"Well--the general air, the style, the self-possession, +the--the--illusion--you know," laughed Laurie, breaking down, and +helping himself out of his quandary with the new word. + +Amy was gratified, but, of course, didn't show it, and demurely +answered, "Foreign life polishes one in spite of one's self; I study as +well as play; and as for this"--with a little gesture toward her +dress--"why, tulle is cheap, posies to be had for nothing, and I am used +to making the most of my poor little things." + +Amy rather regretted that last sentence, fearing it wasn't in good +taste; but Laurie liked her the better for it, and found himself both +admiring and respecting the brave patience that made the most of +opportunity, and the cheerful spirit that covered poverty with flowers. +Amy did not know why he looked at her so kindly, nor why he filled up +her book with his own name, and devoted himself to her for the rest of +the evening, in the most delightful manner; but the impulse that wrought +this agreeable change was the result of one of the new impressions which +both of them were unconsciously giving and receiving. + + + + + [Illustration: Demi and Daisy] + + XXXVIII. + + ON THE SHELF. + + +In France the young girls have a dull time of it till they are married, +when "_Vive la liberté_" becomes their motto. In America, as every one +knows, girls early sign the declaration of independence, and enjoy their +freedom with republican zest; but the young matrons usually abdicate +with the first heir to the throne, and go into a seclusion almost as +close as a French nunnery, though by no means as quiet. Whether they +like it or not, they are virtually put upon the shelf as soon as the +wedding excitement is over, and most of them might exclaim, as did a +very pretty woman the other day, "I'm as handsome as ever, but no one +takes any notice of me because I'm married." + +Not being a belle or even a fashionable lady, Meg did not experience +this affliction till her babies were a year old, for in her little world +primitive customs prevailed, and she found herself more admired and +beloved than ever. + +As she was a womanly little woman, the maternal instinct was very +strong, and she was entirely absorbed in her children, to the utter +exclusion of everything and everybody else. Day and night she brooded +over them with tireless devotion and anxiety, leaving John to the tender +mercies of the help, for an Irish lady now presided over the kitchen +department. Being a domestic man, John decidedly missed the wifely +attentions he had been accustomed to receive; but, as he adored his +babies, he cheerfully relinquished his comfort for a time, supposing, +with masculine ignorance, that peace would soon be restored. But three +months passed, and there was no return of repose; Meg looked worn and +nervous, the babies absorbed every minute of her time, the house was +neglected, and Kitty, the cook, who took life "aisy," kept him on short +commons. When he went out in the morning he was bewildered by small +commissions for the captive mamma; if he came gayly in at night, eager +to embrace his family, he was quenched by a "Hush! they are just asleep +after worrying all day." If he proposed a little amusement at home, "No, +it would disturb the babies." If he hinted at a lecture or concert, he +was answered with a reproachful look, and a decided "Leave my children +for pleasure, never!" His sleep was broken by infant wails and visions +of a phantom figure pacing noiselessly to and fro in the watches of the +night; his meals were interrupted by the frequent flight of the +presiding genius, who deserted him, half-helped, if a muffled chirp +sounded from the nest above; and when he read his paper of an evening, +Demi's colic got into the shipping-list, and Daisy's fall affected the +price of stocks, for Mrs. Brooke was only interested in domestic news. + +The poor man was very uncomfortable, for the children had bereft him of +his wife; home was merely a nursery, and the perpetual "hushing" made +him feel like a brutal intruder whenever he entered the sacred precincts +of Babyland. He bore it very patiently for six months, and, when no +signs of amendment appeared, he did what other paternal exiles +do,--tried to get a little comfort elsewhere. Scott had married and gone +to housekeeping not far off, and John fell into the way of running over +for an hour or two of an evening, when his own parlor was empty, and his +own wife singing lullabies that seemed to have no end. Mrs. Scott was a +lively, pretty girl, with nothing to do but be agreeable, and she +performed her mission most successfully. The parlor was always bright +and attractive, the chess-board ready, the piano in tune, plenty of gay +gossip, and a nice little supper set forth in tempting style. + +John would have preferred his own fireside if it had not been so lonely; +but as it was, he gratefully took the next best thing, and enjoyed his +neighbor's society. + +Meg rather approved of the new arrangement at first, and found it a +relief to know that John was having a good time instead of dozing in the +parlor, or tramping about the house and waking the children. But by and +by, when the teething worry was over, and the idols went to sleep at +proper hours, leaving mamma time to rest, she began to miss John, and +find her work-basket dull company, when he was not sitting opposite in +his old dressing-gown, comfortably scorching his slippers on the fender. +She would not ask him to stay at home, but felt injured because he did +not know that she wanted him without being told, entirely forgetting the +many evenings he had waited for her in vain. She was nervous and worn +out with watching and worry, and in that unreasonable frame of mind +which the best of mothers occasionally experience when domestic cares +oppress them. Want of exercise robs them of cheerfulness, and too much +devotion to that idol of American women, the teapot, makes them feel as +if they were all nerve and no muscle. + +"Yes," she would say, looking in the glass, "I'm getting old and ugly; +John doesn't find me interesting any longer, so he leaves his faded wife +and goes to see his pretty neighbor, who has no incumbrances. Well, the +babies love me; they don't care if I am thin and pale, and haven't time +to crimp my hair; they are my comfort, and some day John will see what +I've gladly sacrificed for them, won't he, my precious?" + +To which pathetic appeal Daisy would answer with a coo, or Demi with a +crow, and Meg would put by her lamentations for a maternal revel, which +soothed her solitude for the time being. But the pain increased as +politics absorbed John, who was always running over to discuss +interesting points with Scott, quite unconscious that Meg missed him. +Not a word did she say, however, till her mother found her in tears one +day, and insisted on knowing what the matter was, for Meg's drooping +spirits had not escaped her observation. + +"I wouldn't tell any one except you, mother; but I really do need +advice, for, if John goes on so much longer I might as well be widowed," +replied Mrs. Brooke, drying her tears on Daisy's bib, with an injured +air. + +"Goes on how, my dear?" asked her mother anxiously. + +"He's away all day, and at night, when I want to see him, he is +continually going over to the Scotts'. It isn't fair that I should have +the hardest work, and never any amusement. Men are very selfish, even +the best of them." + +"So are women; don't blame John till you see where you are wrong +yourself." + +"But it can't be right for him to neglect me." + +"Don't you neglect him?" + +"Why, mother, I thought you'd take my part!" + +"So I do, as far as sympathizing goes; but I think the fault is yours, +Meg." + +"I don't see how." + +"Let me show you. Did John ever neglect you, as you call it, while you +made it a point to give him your society of an evening, his only leisure +time?" + +"No; but I can't do it now, with two babies to tend." + +"I think you could, dear; and I think you ought. May I speak quite +freely, and will you remember that it's mother who blames as well as +mother who sympathizes?" + +"Indeed I will! Speak to me as if I were little Meg again. I often feel +as if I needed teaching more than ever since these babies look to me for +everything." + +Meg drew her low chair beside her mother's, and, with a little +interruption in either lap, the two women rocked and talked lovingly +together, feeling that the tie of motherhood made them more one than +ever. + +"You have only made the mistake that most young wives make,--forgotten +your duty to your husband in your love for your children. A very natural +and forgivable mistake, Meg, but one that had better be remedied before +you take to different ways; for children should draw you nearer than +ever, not separate you, as if they were all yours, and John had nothing +to do but support them. I've seen it for some weeks, but have not +spoken, feeling sure it would come right in time." + +"I'm afraid it won't. If I ask him to stay, he'll think I'm jealous; and +I wouldn't insult him by such an idea. He doesn't see that I want him, +and I don't know how to tell him without words." + +"Make it so pleasant he won't want to go away. My dear, he's longing for +his little home; but it isn't home without you, and you are always in +the nursery." + +"Oughtn't I to be there?" + +"Not all the time; too much confinement makes you nervous, and then you +are unfitted for everything. Besides, you owe something to John as well +as to the babies; don't neglect husband for children, don't shut him out +of the nursery, but teach him how to help in it. His place is there as +well as yours, and the children need him; let him feel that he has his +part to do, and he will do it gladly and faithfully, and it will be +better for you all." + +"You really think so, mother?" + +"I know it, Meg, for I've tried it; and I seldom give advice unless I've +proved its practicability. When you and Jo were little, I went on just +as you are, feeling as if I didn't do my duty unless I devoted myself +wholly to you. Poor father took to his books, after I had refused all +offers of help, and left me to try my experiment alone. I struggled +along as well as I could, but Jo was too much for me. I nearly spoilt +her by indulgence. You were poorly, and I worried about you till I fell +sick myself. Then father came to the rescue, quietly managed everything, +and made himself so helpful that I saw my mistake, and never have been +able to get on without him since. That is the secret of our home +happiness: he does not let business wean him from the little cares and +duties that affect us all, and I try not to let domestic worries destroy +my interest in his pursuits. Each do our part alone in many things, but +at home we work together, always." + +"It is so, mother; and my great wish is to be to my husband and children +what you have been to yours. Show me how; I'll do anything you say." + +"You always were my docile daughter. Well, dear, if I were you, I'd let +John have more to do with the management of Demi, for the boy needs +training, and it's none too soon to begin. Then I'd do what I have often +proposed, let Hannah come and help you; she is a capital nurse, and you +may trust the precious babies to her while you do more housework. You +need the exercise, Hannah would enjoy the rest, and John would find his +wife again. Go out more; keep cheerful as well as busy, for you are the +sunshine-maker of the family, and if you get dismal there is no fair +weather. Then I'd try to take an interest in whatever John likes,--talk +with him, let him read to you, exchange ideas, and help each other in +that way. Don't shut yourself up in a bandbox because you are a woman, +but understand what is going on, and educate yourself to take your part +in the world's work, for it all affects you and yours." + +"John is so sensible, I'm afraid he will think I'm stupid if I ask +questions about politics and things." + +"I don't believe he would; love covers a multitude of sins, and of whom +could you ask more freely than of him? Try it, and see if he doesn't +find your society far more agreeable than Mrs. Scott's suppers." + +"I will. Poor John! I'm afraid I _have_ neglected him sadly, but I +thought I was right, and he never said anything." + +"He tried not to be selfish, but he _has_ felt rather forlorn, I fancy. +This is just the time, Meg, when young married people are apt to grow +apart, and the very time when they ought to be most together; for the +first tenderness soon wears off, unless care is taken to preserve it; +and no time is so beautiful and precious to parents as the first years +of the little lives given them to train. Don't let John be a stranger to +the babies, for they will do more to keep him safe and happy in this +world of trial and temptation than anything else, and through them you +will learn to know and love one another as you should. Now, dear, +good-by; think over mother's preachment, act upon it if it seems good, +and God bless you all!" + +Meg did think it over, found it good, and acted upon it, though the +first attempt was not made exactly as she planned to have it. Of course +the children tyrannized over her, and ruled the house as soon as they +found out that kicking and squalling brought them whatever they wanted. +Mamma was an abject slave to their caprices, but papa was not so easily +subjugated, and occasionally afflicted his tender spouse by an attempt +at paternal discipline with his obstreperous son. For Demi inherited a +trifle of his sire's firmness of character,--we won't call it +obstinacy,--and when he made up his little mind to have or to do +anything, all the king's horses and all the king's men could not change +that pertinacious little mind. Mamma thought the dear too young to be +taught to conquer his prejudices, but papa believed that it never was +too soon to learn obedience; so Master Demi early discovered that when +he undertook to "wrastle" with "parpar," he always got the worst of it; +yet, like the Englishman, Baby respected the man who conquered him, and +loved the father whose grave "No, no," was more impressive than all +mamma's love-pats. + +A few days after the talk with her mother, Meg resolved to try a social +evening with John; so she ordered a nice supper, set the parlor in +order, dressed herself prettily, and put the children to bed early, that +nothing should interfere with her experiment. But, unfortunately, Demi's +most unconquerable prejudice was against going to bed, and that night he +decided to go on a rampage; so poor Meg sung and rocked, told stories +and tried every sleep-provoking wile she could devise, but all in vain, +the big eyes wouldn't shut; and long after Daisy had gone to byelow, +like the chubby little bunch of good-nature she was, naughty Demi lay +staring at the light, with the most discouragingly wide-awake expression +of countenance. + +"Will Demi lie still like a good boy, while mamma runs down and gives +poor papa his tea?" asked Meg, as the hall-door softly closed, and the +well-known step went tiptoeing into the dining-room. + +"Me has tea!" said Demi, preparing to join in the revel. + +"No; but I'll save you some little cakies for breakfast, if you'll go +bye-by like Daisy. Will you, lovey?" + +"Iss!" and Demi shut his eyes tight, as if to catch sleep and hurry the +desired day. + +Taking advantage of the propitious moment, Meg slipped away, and ran +down to greet her husband with a smiling face, and the little blue bow +in her hair which was his especial admiration. He saw it at once, and +said, with pleased surprise,-- + +"Why, little mother, how gay we are to-night. Do you expect company?" + +"Only you, dear." + +"Is it a birthday, anniversary, or anything?" + +"No; I'm tired of being a dowdy, so I dressed up as a change. You always +make yourself nice for table, no matter how tired you are; so why +shouldn't I when I have the time?" + +"I do it out of respect to you, my dear," said old-fashioned John. + +"Ditto, ditto, Mr. Brooke," laughed Meg, looking young and pretty again, +as she nodded to him over the teapot. + +"Well, it's altogether delightful, and like old times. This tastes +right. I drink your health, dear." And John sipped his tea with an air +of reposeful rapture, which was of very short duration, however; for, as +he put down his cup, the door-handle rattled mysteriously, and a little +voice was heard, saying impatiently,-- + +"Opy doy; me's tummin!" + +"It's that naughty boy. I told him to go to sleep alone, and here he is, +downstairs, getting his death a-cold pattering over that canvas," said +Meg, answering the call. + + [Illustration: Mornin' now] + +"Mornin' now," announced Demi, in a joyful tone, as he entered, with his +long night-gown gracefully festooned over his arm, and every curl +bobbing gayly as he pranced about the table, eying the "cakies" with +loving glances. + +"No, it isn't morning yet. You must go to bed, and not trouble poor +mamma; then you can have the little cake with sugar on it." + +"Me loves parpar," said the artful one, preparing to climb the paternal +knee, and revel in forbidden joys. But John shook his head, and said to +Meg,-- + +"If you told him to stay up there, and go to sleep alone, make him do +it, or he will never learn to mind you." + +"Yes, of course. Come, Demi;" and Meg led her son away, feeling a +strong desire to spank the little marplot who hopped beside her, +laboring under the delusion that the bribe was to be administered as +soon as they reached the nursery. + +Nor was he disappointed; for that short-sighted woman actually gave him +a lump of sugar, tucked him into his bed, and forbade any more +promenades till morning. + +"Iss!" said Demi the perjured, blissfully sucking his sugar, and +regarding his first attempt as eminently successful. + +Meg returned to her place, and supper was progressing pleasantly, when +the little ghost walked again, and exposed the maternal delinquencies by +boldly demanding,-- + +"More sudar, marmar." + +"Now this won't do," said John, hardening his heart against the engaging +little sinner. "We shall never know any peace till that child learns to +go to bed properly. You have made a slave of yourself long enough; give +him one lesson, and then there will be an end of it. Put him in his bed +and leave him, Meg." + +"He won't stay there; he never does, unless I sit by him." + +"I'll manage him. Demi, go upstairs, and get into your bed, as mamma +bids you." + +"S'ant!" replied the young rebel, helping himself to the coveted +"cakie," and beginning to eat the same with calm audacity. + +"You must never say that to papa; I shall carry you if you don't go +yourself." + +"Go 'way; me don't love parpar;" and Demi retired to his mother's skirts +for protection. + +But even that refuge proved unavailing, for he was delivered over to the +enemy, with a "Be gentle with him, John," which struck the culprit with +dismay; for when mamma deserted him, then the judgment-day was at hand. +Bereft of his cake, defrauded of his frolic, and borne away by a strong +hand to that detested bed, poor Demi could not restrain his wrath, but +openly defied papa, and kicked and screamed lustily all the way +upstairs. The minute he was put into bed on one side, he rolled out on +the other, and made for the door, only to be ignominiously caught up by +the tail of his little toga, and put back again, which lively +performance was kept up till the young man's strength gave out, when he +devoted himself to roaring at the top of his voice. This vocal exercise +usually conquered Meg; but John sat as unmoved as the post which is +popularly believed to be deaf. No coaxing, no sugar, no lullaby, no +story; even the light was put out, and only the red glow of the fire +enlivened the "big dark" which Demi regarded with curiosity rather than +fear. This new order of things disgusted him, and he howled dismally for +"marmar," as his angry passions subsided, and recollections of his +tender bondwoman returned to the captive autocrat. The plaintive wail +which succeeded the passionate roar went to Meg's heart, and she ran up +to say beseechingly,-- + +"Let me stay with him; he'll be good, now, John." + +"No, my dear, I've told him he must go to sleep, as you bid him; and he +must, if I stay here all night." + +"But he'll cry himself sick," pleaded Meg, reproaching herself for +deserting her boy. + +"No, he won't, he's so tired he will soon drop off, and then the matter +is settled; for he will understand that he has got to mind. Don't +interfere; I'll manage him." + +"He's my child, and I can't have his spirit broken by harshness." + +"He's my child, and I won't have his temper spoilt by indulgence. Go +down, my dear, and leave the boy to me." + +When John spoke in that masterful tone, Meg always obeyed, and never +regretted her docility. + +"Please let me kiss him once, John?" + +"Certainly. Demi, say 'good-night' to mamma, and let her go and rest, +for she is very tired with taking care of you all day." + +Meg always insisted upon it that the kiss won the victory; for after it +was given, Demi sobbed more quietly, and lay quite still at the bottom +of the bed, whither he had wriggled in his anguish of mind. + +"Poor little man, he's worn out with sleep and crying. I'll cover him +up, and then go and set Meg's heart at rest," thought John, creeping to +the bedside, hoping to find his rebellious heir asleep. + +But he wasn't; for the moment his father peeped at him, Demi's eyes +opened, his little chin began to quiver, and he put up his arms, saying, +with a penitent hiccough, "Me's dood, now." + +Sitting on the stairs, outside, Meg wondered at the long silence which +followed the uproar; and, after imagining all sorts of impossible +accidents, she slipped into the room, to set her fears at rest. Demi lay +fast asleep; not in his usual spread-eagle attitude, but in a subdued +bunch, cuddled close in the circle of his father's arm and holding his +father's finger, as if he felt that justice was tempered with mercy, and +had gone to sleep a sadder and a wiser baby. So held, John had waited +with womanly patience till the little hand relaxed its hold; and, while +waiting, had fallen asleep, more tired by that tussle with his son than +with his whole day's work. + +As Meg stood watching the two faces on the pillow, she smiled to +herself, and then slipped away again, saying, in a satisfied tone,-- + +"I never need fear that John will be too harsh with my babies: he _does_ +know how to manage them, and will be a great help, for Demi _is_ getting +too much for me." + +When John came down at last, expecting to find a pensive or reproachful +wife, he was agreeably surprised to find Meg placidly trimming a bonnet, +and to be greeted with the request to read something about the election, +if he was not too tired. John saw in a minute that a revolution of some +kind was going on, but wisely asked no questions, knowing that Meg was +such a transparent little person, she couldn't keep a secret to save her +life, and therefore the clew would soon appear. He read a long debate +with the most amiable readiness, and then explained it in his most lucid +manner, while Meg tried to look deeply interested, to ask intelligent +questions, and keep her thoughts from wandering from the state of the +nation to the state of her bonnet. In her secret soul, however, she +decided that politics were as bad as mathematics, and that the mission +of politicians seemed to be calling each other names; but she kept these +feminine ideas to herself, and when John paused, shook her head, and +said with what she thought diplomatic ambiguity,-- + +"Well, I really don't see what we are coming to." + +John laughed, and watched her for a minute, as she poised a pretty +little preparation of lace and flowers on her hand, and regarded it with +the genuine interest which his harangue had failed to waken. + +"She is trying to like politics for my sake, so I'll try and like +millinery for hers, that's only fair," thought John the Just, adding +aloud,-- + +"That's very pretty; is it what you call a breakfast-cap?" + + [Illustration: My dear man, it's a bonnet] + +"My dear man, it's a bonnet! My very best go-to-concert-and-theatre +bonnet." + +"I beg your pardon; it was so small, I naturally mistook it for one of +the fly-away things you sometimes wear. How do you keep it on?" + +"These bits of lace are fastened under the chin with a rosebud, so;" and +Meg illustrated by putting on the bonnet, and regarding him with an air +of calm satisfaction that was irresistible. + +"It's a love of a bonnet, but I prefer the face inside, for it looks +young and happy again," and John kissed the smiling face, to the great +detriment of the rosebud under the chin. + +"I'm glad you like it, for I want you to take me to one of the new +concerts some night; I really need some music to put me in tune. Will +you, please?" + +"Of course I will, with all my heart, or anywhere else you like. You +have been shut up so long, it will do you no end of good, and I shall +enjoy it, of all things. What put it into your head, little mother?" + +"Well, I had a talk with Marmee the other day, and told her how nervous +and cross and out of sorts I felt, and she said I needed change and less +care; so Hannah is to help me with the children, and I'm to see to +things about the house more, and now and then have a little fun, just to +keep me from getting to be a fidgety, broken-down old woman before my +time. It's only an experiment, John, and I want to try it for your sake +as much as for mine, because I've neglected you shamefully lately, and +I'm going to make home what it used to be, if I can. You don't object, I +hope?" + +Never mind what John said, or what a very narrow escape the little +bonnet had from utter ruin; all that we have any business to know, is +that John did _not_ appear to object, judging from the changes which +gradually took place in the house and its inmates. It was not all +Paradise by any means, but every one was better for the division of +labor system; the children throve under the paternal rule, for accurate, +steadfast John brought order and obedience into Babydom, while Meg +recovered her spirits and composed her nerves by plenty of wholesome +exercise, a little pleasure, and much confidential conversation with her +sensible husband. Home grew home-like again, and John had no wish to +leave it, unless he took Meg with him. The Scotts came to the Brookes' +now, and every one found the little house a cheerful place, full of +happiness, content, and family love. Even gay Sallie Moffatt liked to go +there. "It is always so quiet and pleasant here; it does me good, Meg," +she used to say, looking about her with wistful eyes, as if trying to +discover the charm, that she might use it in her great house, full of +splendid loneliness; for there were no riotous, sunny-faced babies +there, and Ned lived in a world of his own, where there was no place for +her. + +This household happiness did not come all at once, but John and Meg had +found the key to it, and each year of married life taught them how to +use it, unlocking the treasuries of real home-love and mutual +helpfulness, which the poorest may possess, and the richest cannot buy. +This is the sort of shelf on which young wives and mothers may consent +to be laid, safe from the restless fret and fever of the world, finding +loyal lovers in the little sons and daughters who cling to them, +undaunted by sorrow, poverty, or age; walking side by side, through fair +and stormy weather, with a faithful friend, who is, in the true sense of +the good old Saxon word, the "house-band," and learning, as Meg learned, +that a woman's happiest kingdom is home, her highest honor the art of +ruling it, not as a queen, but a wise wife and mother. + + [Illustration: Tail-piece] + + + + + [Illustration: Sat piping on a stone while his goats skipped] + + XXXIX. + + LAZY LAURENCE. + + +Laurie went to Nice intending to stay a week, and remained a month. He +was tired of wandering about alone, and Amy's familiar presence seemed +to give a home-like charm to the foreign scenes in which she bore a +part. He rather missed the "petting" he used to receive, and enjoyed a +taste of it again; for no attentions, however flattering, from +strangers, were half so pleasant as the sisterly adoration of the girls +at home. Amy never would pet him like the others, but she was very glad +to see him now, and quite clung to him, feeling that he was the +representative of the dear family for whom she longed more than she +would confess. They naturally took comfort in each other's society, and +were much together, riding, walking, dancing, or dawdling, for, at Nice, +no one can be very industrious during the gay season. But, while +apparently amusing themselves in the most careless fashion, they were +half-consciously making discoveries and forming opinions about each +other. Amy rose daily in the estimation of her friend, but he sunk in +hers, and each felt the truth before a word was spoken. Amy tried to +please, and succeeded, for she was grateful for the many pleasures he +gave her, and repaid him with the little services to which womanly women +know how to lend an indescribable charm. Laurie made no effort of any +kind, but just let himself drift along as comfortably as possible, +trying to forget, and feeling that all women owed him a kind word +because one had been cold to him. It cost him no effort to be generous, +and he would have given Amy all the trinkets in Nice if she would have +taken them; but, at the same time, he felt that he could not change the +opinion she was forming of him, and he rather dreaded the keen blue eyes +that seemed to watch him with such half-sorrowful, half-scornful +surprise. + +"All the rest have gone to Monaco for the day; I preferred to stay at +home and write letters. They are done now, and I am going to Valrosa to +sketch; will you come?" said Amy, as she joined Laurie one lovely day +when he lounged in as usual, about noon. + +"Well, yes; but isn't it rather warm for such a long walk?" he answered +slowly, for the shaded _salon_ looked inviting, after the glare without. + +"I'm going to have the little carriage, and Baptiste can drive, so +you'll have nothing to do but hold your umbrella and keep your gloves +nice," returned Amy, with a sarcastic glance at the immaculate kids, +which were a weak point with Laurie. + +"Then I'll go with pleasure;" and he put out his hand for her +sketch-book. But she tucked it under her arm with a sharp-- + +"Don't trouble yourself; it's no exertion to me, but _you_ don't look +equal to it." + +Laurie lifted his eyebrows, and followed at a leisurely pace as she ran +downstairs; but when they got into the carriage he took the reins +himself, and left little Baptiste nothing to do but fold his arms and +fall asleep on his perch. + +The two never quarrelled,--Amy was too well-bred, and just now Laurie +was too lazy; so, in a minute he peeped under her hat-brim with an +inquiring air; she answered with a smile, and they went on together in +the most amicable manner. + +It was a lovely drive, along winding roads rich in the picturesque +scenes that delight beauty-loving eyes. Here an ancient monastery, +whence the solemn chanting of the monks came down to them. There a +bare-legged shepherd, in wooden shoes, pointed hat, and rough jacket +over one shoulder, sat piping on a stone, while his goats skipped among +the rocks or lay at his feet. Meek, mouse-colored donkeys, laden with +panniers of freshly-cut grass, passed by, with a pretty girl in a +_capaline_ sitting between the green piles, or an old woman spinning +with a distaff as she went. Brown, soft-eyed children ran out from the +quaint stone hovels to offer nosegays, or bunches of oranges still on +the bough. Gnarled olive-trees covered the hills with their dusky +foliage, fruit hung golden in the orchard, and great scarlet anemones +fringed the roadside; while beyond green slopes and craggy heights, the +Maritime Alps rose sharp and white against the blue Italian sky. + +Valrosa well deserved its name, for, in that climate of perpetual +summer, roses blossomed everywhere. They overhung the archway, thrust +themselves between the bars of the great gate with a sweet welcome to +passers-by, and lined the avenue, winding through lemon-trees and +feathery palms up to the villa on the hill. Every shadowy nook, where +seats invited one to stop and rest, was a mass of bloom; every cool +grotto had its marble nymph smiling from a veil of flowers, and every +fountain reflected crimson, white, or pale pink roses, leaning down to +smile at their own beauty. Roses covered the walls of the house, draped +the cornices, climbed the pillars, and ran riot over the balustrade of +the wide terrace, whence one looked down on the sunny Mediterranean, and +the white-walled city on its shore. + +"This is a regular honeymoon Paradise, isn't it? Did you ever see such +roses?" asked Amy, pausing on the terrace to enjoy the view, and a +luxurious whiff of perfume that came wandering by. + +"No, nor felt such thorns," returned Laurie, with his thumb in his +mouth, after a vain attempt to capture a solitary scarlet flower that +grew just beyond his reach. + +"Try lower down, and pick those that have no thorns," said Amy, +gathering three of the tiny cream-colored ones that starred the wall +behind her. She put them in his button-hole, as a peace-offering, and he +stood a minute looking down at them with a curious expression, for in +the Italian part of his nature there was a touch of superstition, and +he was just then in that state of half-sweet, half-bitter melancholy, +when imaginative young men find significance in trifles, and food for +romance everywhere. He had thought of Jo in reaching after the thorny +red rose, for vivid flowers became her, and she had often worn ones like +that from the greenhouse at home. The pale roses Amy gave him were the +sort that the Italians lay in dead hands, never in bridal wreaths, and, +for a moment, he wondered if the omen was for Jo or for himself; but the +next instant his American common-sense got the better of sentimentality, +and he laughed a heartier laugh than Amy had heard since he came. + +"It's good advice; you'd better take it and save your fingers," she +said, thinking her speech amused him. + +"Thank you, I will," he answered in jest, and a few months later he did +it in earnest. + +"Laurie, when are you going to your grandfather?" she asked presently, +as she settled herself on a rustic seat. + +"Very soon." + +"You have said that a dozen times within the last three weeks." + +"I dare say; short answers save trouble." + +"He expects you, and you really ought to go." + +"Hospitable creature! I know it." + +"Then why don't you do it?" + +"Natural depravity, I suppose." + +"Natural indolence, you mean. It's really dreadful!" and Amy looked +severe. + +"Not so bad as it seems, for I should only plague him if I went, so I +might as well stay, and plague you a little longer, you can bear it +better; in fact, I think it agrees with you excellently;" and Laurie +composed himself for a lounge on the broad ledge of the balustrade. + +Amy shook her head, and opened her sketch-book with an air of +resignation; but she had made up her mind to lecture "that boy," and in +a minute she began again. + +"What are you doing just now?" + +"Watching lizards." + +"No, no; I mean what do you intend and wish to do?" + +"Smoke a cigarette, if you'll allow me." + +"How provoking you are! I don't approve of cigars, and I will only allow +it on condition that you let me put you into my sketch; I need a +figure." + +"With all the pleasure in life. How will you have me,--full-length or +three-quarters, on my head or my heels? I should respectfully suggest a +recumbent posture, then put yourself in also, and call it '_Dolce far +niente._'" + +"Stay as you are, and go to sleep if you like. _I_ intend to work hard," +said Amy, in her most energetic tone. + +"What delightful enthusiasm!" and he leaned against a tall urn with an +air of entire satisfaction. + +"What would Jo say if she saw you now?" asked Amy impatiently, hoping to +stir him up by the mention of her still more energetic sister's name. + +"As usual, 'Go away, Teddy, I'm busy!'" He laughed as he spoke, but the +laugh was not natural, and a shade passed over his face, for the +utterance of the familiar name touched the wound that was not healed +yet. Both tone and shadow struck Amy, for she had seen and heard them +before, and now she looked up in time to catch a new expression on +Laurie's face,--a hard, bitter look, full of pain, dissatisfaction, and +regret. It was gone before she could study it, and the listless +expression back again. She watched him for a moment with artistic +pleasure, thinking how like an Italian he looked, as he lay basking in +the sun with uncovered head, and eyes full of southern dreaminess; for +he seemed to have forgotten her, and fallen into a reverie. + +"You look like the effigy of a young knight asleep on his tomb," she +said, carefully tracing the well-cut profile defined against the dark +stone. + +"Wish I was!" + +"That's a foolish wish, unless you have spoilt your life. You are so +changed, I sometimes think--" there Amy stopped, with a half-timid, +half-wistful look, more significant than her unfinished speech. + +Laurie saw and understood the affectionate anxiety which she hesitated +to express, and looking straight into her eyes, said, just as he used to +say it to her mother,-- + +"It's all right, ma'am." + +That satisfied her and set at rest the doubts that had begun to worry +her lately. It also touched her, and she showed that it did, by the +cordial tone in which she said,-- + +"I'm glad of that! I didn't think you'd been a very bad boy, but I +fancied you might have wasted money at that wicked Baden-Baden, lost +your heart to some charming Frenchwoman with a husband, or got into some +of the scrapes that young men seem to consider a necessary part of a +foreign tour. Don't stay out there in the sun; come and lie on the grass +here, and 'let us be friendly,' as Jo used to say when we got in the +sofa-corner and told secrets." + + [Illustration: Laurie threw himself down on the turf] + +Laurie obediently threw himself down on the turf, and began to amuse +himself by sticking daisies into the ribbons of Amy's hat, that lay +there. + +"I'm all ready for the secrets;" and he glanced up with a decided +expression of interest in his eyes. + +"I've none to tell; you may begin." + +"Haven't one to bless myself with. I thought perhaps you'd had some news +from home." + +"You have heard all that has come lately. Don't you hear often? I +fancied Jo would send you volumes." + +"She's very busy; I'm roving about so, it's impossible to be regular, +you know. When do you begin your great work of art, Raphaella?" he +asked, changing the subject abruptly after another pause, in which he +had been wondering if Amy knew his secret, and wanted to talk about it. + +"Never," she answered, with a despondent but decided air. "Rome took all +the vanity out of me; for after seeing the wonders there, I felt too +insignificant to live, and gave up all my foolish hopes in despair." + +"Why should you, with so much energy and talent?" + +"That's just why,--because talent isn't genius, and no amount of energy +can make it so. I want to be great, or nothing. I won't be a +common-place dauber, so I don't intend to try any more." + +"And what are you going to do with yourself now, if I may ask?" + +"Polish up my other talents, and be an ornament to society, if I get the +chance." + +It was a characteristic speech, and sounded daring; but audacity becomes +young people, and Amy's ambition had a good foundation. Laurie smiled, +but he liked the spirit with which she took up a new purpose when a +long-cherished one died, and spent no time lamenting. + +"Good! and here is where Fred Vaughn comes in, I fancy." + +Amy preserved a discreet silence, but there was a conscious look in her +downcast face, that made Laurie sit up and say gravely,-- + +"Now I'm going to play brother, and ask questions. May I?" + +"I don't promise to answer." + +"Your face will, if your tongue won't. You aren't woman of the world +enough yet to hide your feelings, my dear. I heard rumors about Fred and +you last year, and it's my private opinion that, if he had not been +called home so suddenly and detained so long, something would have come +of it--hey?" + +"That's not for me to say," was Amy's prim reply; but her lips would +smile, and there was a traitorous sparkle of the eye, which betrayed +that she knew her power and enjoyed the knowledge. + +"You are not engaged, I hope?" and Laurie looked very elder-brotherly +and grave all of a sudden. + +"No." + +"But you will be, if he comes back and goes properly down upon his +knees, won't you?" + +"Very likely." + +"Then you are fond of old Fred?" + +"I could be, if I tried." + +"But you don't intend to try till the proper moment? Bless my soul, what +unearthly prudence! He's a good fellow, Amy, but not the man I fancied +you'd like." + +"He is rich, a gentleman, and has delightful manners," began Amy, trying +to be quite cool and dignified, but feeling a little ashamed of herself, +in spite of the sincerity of her intentions. + +"I understand; queens of society can't get on without money, so you mean +to make a good match, and start in that way? Quite right and proper, as +the world goes, but it sounds odd from the lips of one of your mother's +girls." + +"True, nevertheless." + +A short speech, but the quiet decision with which it was uttered +contrasted curiously with the young speaker. Laurie felt this +instinctively, and laid himself down again, with a sense of +disappointment which he could not explain. His look and silence, as well +as a certain inward self-disapproval, ruffled Amy, and made her resolve +to deliver her lecture without delay. + +"I wish you'd do me the favor to rouse yourself a little," she said +sharply. + +"Do it for me, there's a dear girl." + +"I could, if I tried;" and she looked as if she would like doing it in +the most summary style. + +"Try, then; I give you leave," returned Laurie, who enjoyed having some +one to tease, after his long abstinence from his favorite pastime. + +"You'd be angry in five minutes." + +"I'm never angry with you. It takes two flints to make a fire: you are +as cool and soft as snow." + +"You don't know what I can do; snow produces a glow and a tingle, if +applied rightly. Your indifference is half affectation, and a good +stirring up would prove it." + +"Stir away; it won't hurt me and it may amuse you, as the big man said +when his little wife beat him. Regard me in the light of a husband or a +carpet, and beat till you are tired, if that sort of exercise agrees +with you." + +Being decidedly nettled herself, and longing to see him shake off the +apathy that so altered him, Amy sharpened both tongue and pencil, and +began:-- + +"Flo and I have got a new name for you; it's 'Lazy Laurence.' How do you +like it?" + +She thought it would annoy him; but he only folded his arms under his +head, with an imperturbable "That's not bad. Thank you, ladies." + +"Do you want to know what I honestly think of you?" + +"Pining to be told." + +"Well, I despise you." + +If she had even said "I hate you," in a petulant or coquettish tone, he +would have laughed, and rather liked it; but the grave, almost sad, +accent of her voice made him open his eyes, and ask quickly,-- + +"Why, if you please?" + +"Because, with every chance for being good, useful, and happy, you are +faulty, lazy, and miserable." + +"Strong language, mademoiselle." + +"If you like it, I'll go on." + +"Pray, do; it's quite interesting." + +"I thought you'd find it so; selfish people always like to talk about +themselves." + +"Am _I_ selfish?" The question slipped out involuntarily and in a tone +of surprise, for the one virtue on which he prided himself was +generosity. + +"Yes, very selfish," continued Amy, in a calm, cool voice, twice as +effective, just then, as an angry one. "I'll show you how, for I've +studied you while we have been frolicking, and I'm not at all satisfied +with you. Here you have been abroad nearly six months, and done nothing +but waste time and money and disappoint your friends." + +"Isn't a fellow to have any pleasure after a four-years grind?" + +"You don't look as if you'd had much; at any rate, you are none the +better for it, as far as I can see. I said, when we first met, that you +had improved. Now I take it all back, for I don't think you half so nice +as when I left you at home. You have grown abominably lazy; you like +gossip, and waste time on frivolous things; you are contented to be +petted and admired by silly people, instead of being loved and respected +by wise ones. With money, talent, position, health, and beauty,--ah, you +like that, Old Vanity! but it's the truth, so I can't help saying +it,--with all these splendid things to use and enjoy, you can find +nothing to do but dawdle; and, instead of being the man you might and +ought to be, you are only--" There she stopped, with a look that had +both pain and pity in it. + +"Saint Laurence on a gridiron," added Laurie, blandly finishing the +sentence. But the lecture began to take effect, for there was a +wide-awake sparkle in his eyes now, and a half-angry, half-injured +expression replaced the former indifference. + +"I supposed you'd take it so. You men tell us we are angels, and say we +can make you what we will; but the instant we honestly try to do you +good, you laugh at us, and won't listen, which proves how much your +flattery is worth." Amy spoke bitterly, and turned her back on the +exasperating martyr at her feet. + +In a minute a hand came down over the page, so that she could not draw, +and Laurie's voice said, with a droll imitation of a penitent child,-- + +"I will be good, oh, I will be good!" + +But Amy did not laugh, for she was in earnest; and, tapping on the +outspread hand with her pencil, said soberly,-- + +"Aren't you ashamed of a hand like that? It's as soft and white as a +woman's, and looks as if it never did anything but wear Jouvin's best +gloves, and pick flowers for ladies. You are not a dandy, thank Heaven! +so I'm glad to see there are no diamonds or big seal-rings on it, only +the little old one Jo gave you so long ago. Dear soul, I wish she was +here to help me!" + +"So do I!" + +The hand vanished as suddenly as it came, and there was energy enough in +the echo of her wish to suit even Amy. She glanced down at him with a +new thought in her mind; but he was lying with his hat half over his +face, as if for shade, and his mustache hid his mouth. She only saw his +chest rise and fall, with a long breath that might have been a sigh, and +the hand that wore the ring nestled down into the grass, as if to hide +something too precious or too tender to be spoken of. All in a minute +various hints and trifles assumed shape and significance in Amy's mind, +and told her what her sister never had confided to her. She remembered +that Laurie never spoke voluntarily of Jo; she recalled the shadow on +his face just now, the change in his character, and the wearing of the +little old ring, which was no ornament to a handsome hand. Girls are +quick to read such signs and feel their eloquence. Amy had fancied that +perhaps a love trouble was at the bottom of the alteration, and now she +was sure of it. Her keen eyes filled, and, when she spoke again, it was +in a voice that could be beautifully soft and kind when she chose to +make it so. + +"I know I have no right to talk so to you, Laurie; and if you weren't +the sweetest-tempered fellow in the world, you'd be very angry with me. +But we are all so fond and proud of you, I couldn't bear to think they +should be disappointed in you at home as I have been, though, perhaps, +they would understand the change better than I do." + +"I think they would," came from under the hat, in a grim tone, quite as +touching as a broken one. + +"They ought to have told me, and not let me go blundering and scolding, +when I should have been more kind and patient than ever. I never did +like that Miss Randal, and now I hate her!" said artful Amy, wishing to +be sure of her facts this time. + +"Hang Miss Randal!" and Laurie knocked the hat off his face with a look +that left no doubt of his sentiments toward that young lady. + +"I beg pardon; I thought--" and there she paused diplomatically. + +"No, you didn't; you knew perfectly well I never cared for any one but +Jo." Laurie said that in his old, impetuous tone, and turned his face +away as he spoke. + +"I did think so; but as they never said anything about it, and you came +away, I supposed I was mistaken. And Jo wouldn't be kind to you? Why, I +was sure she loved you dearly." + +"She _was_ kind, but not in the right way; and it's lucky for her she +didn't love me, if I'm the good-for-nothing fellow you think me. It's +her fault, though, and you may tell her so." + +The hard, bitter look came back again as he said that, and it troubled +Amy, for she did not know what balm to apply. + +"I was wrong, I didn't know. I'm very sorry I was so cross, but I can't +help wishing you'd bear it better, Teddy, dear." + +"Don't, that's her name for me!" and Laurie put up his hand with a quick +gesture to stop the words spoken in Jo's half-kind, half-reproachful +tone. "Wait till you've tried it yourself," he added, in a low voice, as +he pulled up the grass by the handful. + +"I'd take it manfully, and be respected if I couldn't be loved," said +Amy, with the decision of one who knew nothing about it. + +Now, Laurie flattered himself that he _had_ borne it remarkably well, +making no moan, asking no sympathy, and taking his trouble away to live +it down alone. Amy's lecture put the matter in a new light, and for the +first time it did look weak and selfish to lose heart at the first +failure, and shut himself up in moody indifference. He felt as if +suddenly shaken out of a pensive dream, and found it impossible to go to +sleep again. Presently he sat up, and asked slowly,-- + +"Do you think Jo would despise me as you do?" + +"Yes, if she saw you now. She hates lazy people. Why don't you do +something splendid, and _make_ her love you?" + +"I did my best, but it was no use." + +"Graduating well, you mean? That was no more than you ought to have +done, for your grandfather's sake. It would have been shameful to fail +after spending so much time and money, when every one knew you _could_ +do well." + +"I did fail, say what you will, for Jo wouldn't love me," began Laurie, +leaning his head on his hand in a despondent attitude. + +"No, you didn't, and you'll say so in the end, for it did you good, and +proved that you could do something if you tried. If you'd only set about +another task of some sort, you'd soon be your hearty, happy self again, +and forget your trouble." + +"That's impossible." + +"Try it and see. You needn't shrug your shoulders, and think, 'Much she +knows about such things.' I don't pretend to be wise, but I _am_ +observing, and I see a great deal more than you'd imagine. I'm +interested in other people's experiences and inconsistencies; and, +though I can't explain, I remember and use them for my own benefit. Love +Jo all your days, if you choose, but don't let it spoil you, for it's +wicked to throw away so many good gifts because you can't have the one +you want. There, I won't lecture any more, for I know you'll wake up and +be a man in spite of that hardhearted girl." + +Neither spoke for several minutes. Laurie sat turning the little ring on +his finger, and Amy put the last touches to the hasty sketch she had +been working at while she talked. Presently she put it on his knee, +merely saying,-- + +"How do you like that?" + +He looked and then he smiled, as he could not well help doing, for it +was capitally done,--the long, lazy figure on the grass, with listless +face, half-shut eyes, and one hand holding a cigar, from which came the +little wreath of smoke that encircled the dreamer's head. + +"How well you draw!" he said, with genuine surprise and pleasure at her +skill, adding, with a half-laugh,-- + +"Yes, that's me." + +"As you are: this is as you were;" and Amy laid another sketch beside +the one he held. + +It was not nearly so well done, but there was a life and spirit in it +which atoned for many faults, and it recalled the past so vividly that a +sudden change swept over the young man's face as he looked. Only a rough +sketch of Laurie taming a horse; hat and coat were off, and every line +of the active figure, resolute face, and commanding attitude, was full +of energy and meaning. The handsome brute, just subdued, stood arching +his neck under the tightly drawn rein, with one foot impatiently pawing +the ground, and ears pricked up as if listening for the voice that had +mastered him. In the ruffled mane, the rider's breezy hair and erect +attitude, there was a suggestion of suddenly arrested motion, of +strength, courage, and youthful buoyancy, that contrasted sharply with +the supine grace of the "_Dolce far niente_" sketch. Laurie said +nothing; but, as his eye went from one to the other, Amy saw him flush +up and fold his lips together as if he read and accepted the little +lesson she had given him. That satisfied her; and, without waiting for +him to speak, she said, in her sprightly way,-- + + [Illustration: A rough sketch of Laurie taming a horse] + +"Don't you remember the day you played Rarey with Puck, and we all +looked on? Meg and Beth were frightened, but Jo clapped and pranced, and +I sat on the fence and drew you. I found that sketch in my portfolio the +other day, touched it up, and kept it to show you." + +"Much obliged. You've improved immensely since then, and I congratulate +you. May I venture to suggest in 'a honeymoon Paradise' that five +o'clock is the dinner-hour at your hotel?" + +Laurie rose as he spoke, returned the pictures with a smile and a bow, +and looked at his watch, as if to remind her that even moral lectures +should have an end. He tried to resume his former easy, indifferent air, +but it _was_ an affectation now, for the rousing had been more +efficacious than he would confess. Amy felt the shade of coldness in his +manner, and said to herself,-- + +"Now I've offended him. Well, if it does him good, I'm glad; if it makes +him hate me, I'm sorry; but it's true, and I can't take back a word of +it." + +They laughed and chatted all the way home; and little Baptiste, up +behind, thought that monsieur and mademoiselle were in charming spirits. +But both felt ill at ease; the friendly frankness was disturbed, the +sunshine had a shadow over it, and despite their apparent gayety, there +was a secret discontent in the heart of each. + +"Shall we see you this evening, _mon frère_?" asked Amy as they parted +at her aunt's door. + +"Unfortunately I have an engagement. _Au revoir, mademoiselle_," and +Laurie bent as if to kiss her hand, in the foreign fashion, which became +him better than many men. Something in his face made Amy say quickly and +warmly,-- + +"No; be yourself with me, Laurie, and part in the good old way. I'd +rather have a hearty English hand-shake than all the sentimental +salutations in France." + +"Good-by, dear," and with these words, uttered in the tone she liked, +Laurie left her, after a hand-shake almost painful in its heartiness. + +Next morning, instead of the usual call, Amy received a note which made +her smile at the beginning and sigh at the end:-- + + "MY DEAR MENTOR,-- + + "Please make my adieux to your aunt, and exult within yourself, + for 'Lazy Laurence' has gone to his grandpa, like the best of + boys. A pleasant winter to you, and may the gods grant you a + blissful honeymoon at Valrosa! I think Fred would be benefited + by a rouser. Tell him so, with my congratulations. + + "Yours gratefully, TELEMACHUS." + +"Good boy! I'm glad he's gone," said Amy, with an approving smile; the +next minute her face fell as she glanced about the empty room, adding, +with an involuntary sigh,-- + +"Yes, I _am_ glad, but how I shall miss him!" + + + + + [Illustration: The Valley of the Shadow] + + XL. + + THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW. + + +When the first bitterness was over, the family accepted the inevitable, +and tried to bear it cheerfully, helping one another by the increased +affection which comes to bind households tenderly together in times of +trouble. They put away their grief, and each did his or her part toward +making that last year a happy one. + +The pleasantest room in the house was set apart for Beth, and in it was +gathered everything that she most loved,--flowers, pictures, her piano, +the little work-table, and the beloved pussies. Father's best books +found their way there, mother's easy-chair, Jo's desk, Amy's finest +sketches; and every day Meg brought her babies on a loving pilgrimage, +to make sunshine for Aunty Beth. John quietly set apart a little sum, +that he might enjoy the pleasure of keeping the invalid supplied with +the fruit she loved and longed for; old Hannah never wearied of +concocting dainty dishes to tempt a capricious appetite, dropping tears +as she worked; and from across the sea came little gifts and cheerful +letters, seeming to bring breaths of warmth and fragrance from lands +that know no winter. + +Here, cherished like a household saint in its shrine, sat Beth, tranquil +and busy as ever; for nothing could change the sweet, unselfish nature, +and even while preparing to leave life, she tried to make it happier for +those who should remain behind. The feeble fingers were never idle, and +one of her pleasures was to make little things for the school-children +daily passing to and fro,--to drop a pair of mittens from her window for +a pair of purple hands, a needle-book for some small mother of many +dolls, pen-wipers for young penmen toiling through forests of pot-hooks, +scrap-books for picture-loving eyes, and all manner of pleasant devices, +till the reluctant climbers up the ladder of learning found their way +strewn with flowers, as it were, and came to regard the gentle giver as +a sort of fairy godmother, who sat above there, and showered down gifts +miraculously suited to their tastes and needs. If Beth had wanted any +reward, she found it in the bright little faces always turned up to her +window, with nods and smiles, and the droll little letters which came to +her, full of blots and gratitude. + +The first few months were very happy ones, and Beth often used to look +round, and say "How beautiful this is!" as they all sat together in her +sunny room, the babies kicking and crowing on the floor, mother and +sisters working near, and father reading, in his pleasant voice, from +the wise old books which seemed rich in good and comfortable words, as +applicable now as when written centuries ago; a little chapel, where a +paternal priest taught his flock the hard lessons all must learn, trying +to show them that hope can comfort love, and faith make resignation +possible. Simple sermons, that went straight to the souls of those who +listened; for the father's heart was in the minister's religion, and the +frequent falter in the voice gave a double eloquence to the words he +spoke or read. + +It was well for all that this peaceful time was given them as +preparation for the sad hours to come; for, by and by, Beth said the +needle was "so heavy," and put it down forever; talking wearied her, +faces troubled her, pain claimed her for its own, and her tranquil +spirit was sorrowfully perturbed by the ills that vexed her feeble +flesh. Ah me! such heavy days, such long, long nights, such aching +hearts and imploring prayers, when those who loved her best were forced +to see the thin hands stretched out to them beseechingly, to hear the +bitter cry, "Help me, help me!" and to feel that there was no help. A +sad eclipse of the serene soul, a sharp struggle of the young life with +death; but both were mercifully brief, and then, the natural rebellion +over, the old peace returned more beautiful than ever. With the wreck of +her frail body, Beth's soul grew strong; and, though she said little, +those about her felt that she was ready, saw that the first pilgrim +called was likewise the fittest, and waited with her on the shore, +trying to see the Shining Ones coming to receive her when she crossed +the river. + +Jo never left her for an hour since Beth had said, "I feel stronger when +you are here." She slept on a couch in the room, waking often to renew +the fire, to feed, lift, or wait upon the patient creature who seldom +asked for anything, and "tried not to be a trouble." All day she haunted +the room, jealous of any other nurse, and prouder of being chosen then +than of any honor her life ever brought her. Precious and helpful hours +to Jo, for now her heart received the teaching that it needed; lessons +in patience were so sweetly taught her that she could not fail to learn +them; charity for all, the lovely spirit that can forgive and truly +forget unkindness, the loyalty to duty that makes the hardest easy, and +the sincere faith that fears nothing, but trusts undoubtingly. + +Often, when she woke, Jo found Beth reading in her well-worn little +book, heard her singing softly, to beguile the sleepless night, or saw +her lean her face upon her hands, while slow tears dropped through the +transparent fingers; and Jo would lie watching her, with thoughts too +deep for tears, feeling that Beth, in her simple, unselfish way, was +trying to wean herself from the dear old life, and fit herself for the +life to come, by sacred words of comfort, quiet prayers, and the music +she loved so well. + +Seeing this did more for Jo than the wisest sermons, the saintliest +hymns, the most fervent prayers that any voice could utter; for, with +eyes made clear by many tears, and a heart softened by the tenderest +sorrow, she recognized the beauty of her sister's life,--uneventful, +unambitious, yet full of the genuine virtues which "smell sweet, and +blossom in the dust," the self-forgetfulness that makes the humblest on +earth remembered soonest in heaven, the true success which is possible +to all. + +One night, when Beth looked among the books upon her table, to find +something to make her forget the mortal weariness that was almost as +hard to bear as pain, as she turned the leaves of her old favorite +Pilgrim's Progress, she found a little paper, scribbled over in Jo's +hand. The name caught her eye, and the blurred look of the lines made +her sure that tears had fallen on it. + +"Poor Jo! she's fast asleep, so I won't wake her to ask leave; she shows +me all her things, and I don't think she'll mind if I look at this," +thought Beth, with a glance at her sister, who lay on the rug, with the +tongs beside her, ready to wake up the minute the log fell apart. + + + "MY BETH. + + "Sitting patient in the shadow + Till the blessed light shall come, + A serene and saintly presence + Sanctifies our troubled home. + Earthly joys and hopes and sorrows + Break like ripples on the strand + Of the deep and solemn river + Where her willing feet now stand. + + "O my sister, passing from me, + Out of human care and strife, + Leave me, as a gift, those virtues + Which have beautified your life. + Dear, bequeath me that great patience + Which has power to sustain + A cheerful, uncomplaining spirit + In its prison-house of pain. + + "Give me, for I need it sorely, + Of that courage, wise and sweet, + Which has made the path of duty + Green beneath your willing feet. + Give me that unselfish nature, + That with charity divine + Can pardon wrong for love's dear sake-- + Meek heart, forgive me mine! + + "Thus our parting daily loseth + Something of its bitter pain, + And while learning this hard lesson, + My great loss becomes my gain. + For the touch of grief will render + My wild nature more serene, + Give to life new aspirations, + A new trust in the unseen. + + "Henceforth, safe across the river, + I shall see forevermore + A beloved, household spirit + Waiting for me on the shore. + Hope and faith, born of my sorrow, + Guardian angels shall become, + And the sister gone before me + By their hands shall lead me home." + +Blurred and blotted, faulty and feeble, as the lines were, they brought +a look of inexpressible comfort to Beth's face, for her one regret had +been that she had done so little; and this seemed to assure her that her +life had not been useless, that her death would not bring the despair +she feared. As she sat with the paper folded between her hands, the +charred log fell asunder. Jo started up, revived the blaze, and crept to +the bedside, hoping Beth slept. + +"Not asleep, but so happy, dear. See, I found this and read it; I knew +you wouldn't care. Have I been all that to you, Jo?" she asked, with +wistful, humble earnestness. + +"O Beth, so much, so much!" and Jo's head went down upon the pillow, +beside her sister's. + +"Then I don't feel as if I'd wasted my life. I'm not so good as you make +me, but I _have_ tried to do right; and now, when it's too late to +begin even to do better, it's such a comfort to know that some one loves +me so much, and feels as if I'd helped them." + +"More than any one in the world, Beth. I used to think I couldn't let +you go; but I'm learning to feel that I don't lose you; that you'll be +more to me than ever, and death can't part us, though it seems to." + +"I know it cannot, and I don't fear it any longer, for I'm sure I shall +be your Beth still, to love and help you more than ever. You must take +my place, Jo, and be everything to father and mother when I'm gone. They +will turn to you, don't fail them; and if it's hard to work alone, +remember that I don't forget you, and that you'll be happier in doing +that than writing splendid books or seeing all the world; for love is +the only thing that we can carry with us when we go, and it makes the +end so easy." + +"I'll try, Beth;" and then and there Jo renounced her old ambition, +pledged herself to a new and better one, acknowledging the poverty of +other desires, and feeling the blessed solace of a belief in the +immortality of love. + +So the spring days came and went, the sky grew clearer, the earth +greener, the flowers were up fair and early, and the birds came back in +time to say good-by to Beth, who, like a tired but trustful child, clung +to the hands that had led her all her life, as father and mother guided +her tenderly through the Valley of the Shadow, and gave her up to God. + +Seldom, except in books, do the dying utter memorable words, see +visions, or depart with beatified countenances; and those who have sped +many parting souls know that to most the end comes as naturally and +simply as sleep. As Beth had hoped, the "tide went out easily;" and in +the dark hour before the dawn, on the bosom where she had drawn her +first breath, she quietly drew her last, with no farewell but one loving +look, one little sigh. + +With tears and prayers and tender hands, mother and sisters made her +ready for the long sleep that pain would never mar again, seeing with +grateful eyes the beautiful serenity that soon replaced the pathetic +patience that had wrung their hearts so long, and feeling, with reverent +joy, that to their darling death was a benignant angel, not a phantom +full of dread. + +When morning came, for the first time in many months the fire was out, +Jo's place was empty, and the room was very still. But a bird sang +blithely on a budding bough, close by, the snow-drops blossomed freshly +at the window, and the spring sunshine streamed in like a benediction +over the placid face upon the pillow,--a face so full of painless peace +that those who loved it best smiled through their tears, and thanked God +that Beth was well at last. + + [Illustration: Tail-piece] + + + + + [Illustration: Sat staring up at the busts] + + XLI. + + LEARNING TO FORGET. + + +Amy's lecture did Laurie good, though, of course, he did not own it till +long afterward; men seldom do, for when women are the advisers, the +lords of creation don't take the advice till they have persuaded +themselves that it is just what they intended to do; then they act upon +it, and, if it succeeds, they give the weaker vessel half the credit of +it; if it fails, they generously give her the whole. Laurie went back to +his grandfather, and was so dutifully devoted for several weeks that the +old gentleman declared the climate of Nice had improved him wonderfully, +and he had better try it again. There was nothing the young gentleman +would have liked better, but elephants could not have dragged him back +after the scolding he had received; pride forbid, and whenever the +longing grew very strong, he fortified his resolution by repeating the +words that had made the deepest impression, "I despise you;" "Go and do +something splendid that will _make_ her love you." + +Laurie turned the matter over in his mind so often that he soon brought +himself to confess that he _had_ been selfish and lazy; but then when a +man has a great sorrow, he should be indulged in all sorts of vagaries +till he has lived it down. He felt that his blighted affections were +quite dead now; and, though he should never cease to be a faithful +mourner, there was no occasion to wear his weeds ostentatiously. Jo +_wouldn't_ love him, but he might _make_ her respect and admire him by +doing something which should prove that a girl's "No" had not spoilt his +life. He had always meant to do something, and Amy's advice was quite +unnecessary. He had only been waiting till the aforesaid blighted +affections were decently interred; that being done, he felt that he was +ready to "hide his stricken heart, and still toil on." + +As Goethe, when he had a joy or a grief, put it into a song, so Laurie +resolved to embalm his love-sorrow in music, and compose a Requiem which +should harrow up Jo's soul and melt the heart of every hearer. Therefore +the next time the old gentleman found him getting restless and moody, +and ordered him off, he went to Vienna, where he had musical friends, +and fell to work with the firm determination to distinguish himself. +But, whether the sorrow was too vast to be embodied in music, or music +too ethereal to uplift a mortal woe, he soon discovered that the Requiem +was beyond him, just at present. It was evident that his mind was not in +working order yet, and his ideas needed clarifying; for often in the +middle of a plaintive strain, he would find himself humming a dancing +tune that vividly recalled the Christmas ball at Nice, especially the +stout Frenchman, and put an effectual stop to tragic composition for the +time being. + +Then he tried an Opera, for nothing seemed impossible in the beginning; +but here, again, unforeseen difficulties beset him. He wanted Jo for his +heroine, and called upon his memory to supply him with tender +recollections and romantic visions of his love. But memory turned +traitor; and, as if possessed by the perverse spirit of the girl, would +only recall Jo's oddities, faults, and freaks, would only show her in +the most unsentimental aspects,--beating mats with her head tied up in +a bandanna, barricading herself with the sofa-pillow, or throwing cold +water over his passion _à la_ Gummidge,--and an irresistible laugh +spoilt the pensive picture he was endeavoring to paint. Jo wouldn't be +put into the Opera at any price, and he had to give her up with a "Bless +that girl, what a torment she is!" and a clutch at his hair, as became a +distracted composer. + +When he looked about him for another and a less intractable damsel to +immortalize in melody, memory produced one with the most obliging +readiness. This phantom wore many faces, but it always had golden hair, +was enveloped in a diaphanous cloud, and floated airily before his +mind's eye in a pleasing chaos of roses, peacocks, white ponies, and +blue ribbons. He did not give the complacent wraith any name, but he +took her for his heroine, and grew quite fond of her, as well he might; +for he gifted her with every gift and grace under the sun, and escorted +her, unscathed, through trials which would have annihilated any mortal +woman. + +Thanks to this inspiration, he got on swimmingly for a time, but +gradually the work lost its charm, and he forgot to compose, while he +sat musing, pen in hand, or roamed about the gay city to get new ideas +and refresh his mind, which seemed to be in a somewhat unsettled state +that winter. He did not do much, but he thought a great deal and was +conscious of a change of some sort going on in spite of himself. "It's +genius simmering, perhaps. I'll let it simmer, and see what comes of +it," he said, with a secret suspicion, all the while, that it wasn't +genius, but something far more common. Whatever it was, it simmered to +some purpose, for he grew more and more discontented with his desultory +life, began to long for some real and earnest work to go at, soul and +body, and finally came to the wise conclusion that every one who loved +music was not a composer. Returning from one of Mozart's grand operas, +splendidly performed at the Royal Theatre, he looked over his own, +played a few of the best parts, sat staring up at the busts of +Mendelssohn, Beethoven, and Bach, who stared benignly back again; then +suddenly he tore up his music-sheets, one by one, and, as the last +fluttered out of his hand, he said soberly to himself,-- + +"She is right! Talent isn't genius, and you can't make it so. That +music has taken the vanity out of me as Rome took it out of her, and I +won't be a humbug any longer. Now what shall I do?" + +That seemed a hard question to answer, and Laurie began to wish he had +to work for his daily bread. Now, if ever, occurred an eligible +opportunity for "going to the devil," as he once forcibly expressed it, +for he had plenty of money and nothing to do, and Satan is proverbially +fond of providing employment for full and idle hands. The poor fellow +had temptations enough from without and from within, but he withstood +them pretty well; for, much as he valued liberty, he valued good faith +and confidence more, so his promise to his grandfather, and his desire +to be able to look honestly into the eyes of the women who loved him, +and say "All's well," kept him safe and steady. + +Very likely some Mrs. Grundy will observe, "I don't believe it; boys +will be boys, young men must sow their wild oats, and women must not +expect miracles." I dare say _you_ don't, Mrs. Grundy, but it's true +nevertheless. Women work a good many miracles, and I have a persuasion +that they may perform even that of raising the standard of manhood by +refusing to echo such sayings. Let the boys be boys, the longer the +better, and let the young men sow their wild oats if they must; but +mothers, sisters, and friends may help to make the crop a small one, and +keep many tares from spoiling the harvest, by believing, and showing +that they believe, in the possibility of loyalty to the virtues which +make men manliest in good women's eyes. If it _is_ a feminine delusion, +leave us to enjoy it while we may, for without it half the beauty and +the romance of life is lost, and sorrowful forebodings would embitter +all our hopes of the brave, tender-hearted little lads, who still love +their mothers better than themselves, and are not ashamed to own it. + +Laurie thought that the task of forgetting his love for Jo would absorb +all his powers for years; but, to his great surprise, he discovered it +grew easier every day. He refused to believe it at first, got angry with +himself, and couldn't understand it; but these hearts of ours are +curious and contrary things, and time and nature work their will in +spite of us. Laurie's heart _wouldn't_ ache; the wound persisted in +healing with a rapidity that astonished him, and, instead of trying to +forget, he found himself trying to remember. He had not foreseen this +turn of affairs, and was not prepared for it. He was disgusted with +himself, surprised at his own fickleness, and full of a queer mixture of +disappointment and relief that he could recover from such a tremendous +blow so soon. He carefully stirred up the embers of his lost love, but +they refused to burst into a blaze: there was only a comfortable glow +that warmed and did him good without putting him into a fever, and he +was reluctantly obliged to confess that the boyish passion was slowly +subsiding into a more tranquil sentiment, very tender, a little sad and +resentful still, but that was sure to pass away in time, leaving a +brotherly affection which would last unbroken to the end. + +As the word "brotherly" passed through his mind in one of these +reveries, he smiled, and glanced up at the picture of Mozart that was +before him:-- + +"Well, he was a great man; and when he couldn't have one sister he took +the other, and was happy." + +Laurie did not utter the words, but he thought them; and the next +instant kissed the little old ring, saying to himself,-- + +"No, I won't! I haven't forgotten, I never can. I'll try again, and if +that fails, why, then--" + +Leaving his sentence unfinished, he seized pen and paper and wrote to +Jo, telling her that he could not settle to anything while there was the +least hope of her changing her mind. Couldn't she, wouldn't she, and let +him come home and be happy? While waiting for an answer he did nothing, +but he did it energetically, for he was in a fever of impatience. It +came at last, and settled his mind effectually on one point, for Jo +decidedly couldn't and wouldn't. She was wrapped up in Beth, and never +wished to hear the word "love" again. Then she begged him to be happy +with somebody else, but always to keep a little corner of his heart for +his loving sister Jo. In a postscript she desired him not to tell Amy +that Beth was worse; she was coming home in the spring, and there was no +need of saddening the remainder of her stay. That would be time enough, +please God, but Laurie must write to her often, and not let her feel +lonely, homesick, or anxious. + +"So I will, at once. Poor little girl; it will be a sad going home for +her, I'm afraid;" and Laurie opened his desk, as if writing to Amy had +been the proper conclusion of the sentence left unfinished some weeks +before. + +But he did not write the letter that day; for, as he rummaged out his +best paper, he came across something which changed his purpose. Tumbling +about in one part of the desk, among bills, passports, and business +documents of various kinds, were several of Jo's letters, and in another +compartment were three notes from Amy, carefully tied up with one of her +blue ribbons, and sweetly suggestive of the little dead roses put away +inside. With a half-repentant, half-amused expression, Laurie gathered +up all Jo's letters, smoothed, folded, and put them neatly into a small +drawer of the desk, stood a minute turning the ring thoughtfully on his +finger, then slowly drew it off, laid it with the letters, locked the +drawer, and went out to hear High Mass at Saint Stefan's, feeling as if +there had been a funeral; and, though not overwhelmed with affliction, +this seemed a more proper way to spend the rest of the day than in +writing letters to charming young ladies. + + [Illustration: Turning the ring thoughtfully upon his finger] + +The letter went very soon, however, and was promptly answered, for Amy +_was_ homesick, and confessed it in the most delightfully confiding +manner. The correspondence flourished famously, and letters flew to and +fro, with unfailing regularity, all through the early spring. Laurie +sold his busts, made allumettes of his opera, and went back to Paris, +hoping somebody would arrive before long. He wanted desperately to go to +Nice, but would not till he was asked; and Amy would not ask him, for +just then she was having little experiences of her own, which made her +rather wish to avoid the quizzical eyes of "our boy." + +Fred Vaughn had returned, and put the question to which she had once +decided to answer "Yes, thank you;" but now she said, "No, thank you," +kindly but steadily; for, when the time came, her courage failed her, +and she found that something more than money and position was needed to +satisfy the new longing that filled her heart so full of tender hopes +and fears. The words, "Fred is a good fellow, but not at all the man I +fancied you would ever like," and Laurie's face when he uttered them, +kept returning to her as pertinaciously as her own did when she said in +look, if not in words, "I shall marry for money." It troubled her to +remember that now, she wished she could take it back, it sounded so +unwomanly. She didn't want Laurie to think her a heartless, worldly +creature; she didn't care to be a queen of society now half so much as +she did to be a lovable woman; she was so glad he didn't hate her for +the dreadful things she said, but took them so beautifully, and was +kinder than ever. His letters were such a comfort, for the home letters +were very irregular, and were not half so satisfactory as his when they +did come. It was not only a pleasure, but a duty to answer them, for the +poor fellow was forlorn, and needed petting, since Jo persisted in being +stony-hearted. She ought to have made an effort, and tried to love him; +it couldn't be very hard, many people would be proud and glad to have +such a dear boy care for them; but Jo never would act like other girls, +so there was nothing to do but be very kind, and treat him like a +brother. + +If all brothers were treated as well as Laurie was at this period, they +would be a much happier race of beings than they are. Amy never lectured +now; she asked his opinion on all subjects; she was interested in +everything he did, made charming little presents for him, and sent him +two letters a week, full of lively gossip, sisterly confidences, and +captivating sketches of the lovely scenes about her. As few brothers are +complimented by having their letters carried about in their sisters' +pockets, read and reread diligently, cried over when short, kissed when +long, and treasured carefully, we will not hint that Amy did any of +these fond and foolish things. But she certainly did grow a little pale +and pensive that spring, lost much of her relish for society, and went +out sketching alone a good deal. She never had much to show when she +came home, but was studying nature, I dare say, while she sat for hours, +with her hands folded, on the terrace at Valrosa, or absently sketched +any fancy that occurred to her,--a stalwart knight carved on a tomb, a +young man asleep in the grass, with his hat over his eyes, or a +curly-haired girl in gorgeous array, promenading down a ball-room on the +arm of a tall gentleman, both faces being left a blur according to the +last fashion in art, which was safe, but not altogether satisfactory. + +Her aunt thought that she regretted her answer to Fred; and, finding +denials useless and explanations impossible, Amy left her to think what +she liked, taking care that Laurie should know that Fred had gone to +Egypt. That was all, but he understood it, and looked relieved, as he +said to himself, with a venerable air,-- + +"I was sure she would think better of it. Poor old fellow! I've been +through it all, and I can sympathize." + +With that he heaved a great sigh, and then, as if he had discharged his +duty to the past, put his feet up on the sofa, and enjoyed Amy's letter +luxuriously. + +While these changes were going on abroad, trouble had come at home; but +the letter telling that Beth was failing never reached Amy, and when the +next found her, the grass was green above her sister. The sad news met +her at Vevay, for the heat had driven them from Nice in May, and they +had travelled slowly to Switzerland, by way of Genoa and the Italian +lakes. She bore it very well, and quietly submitted to the family decree +that she should not shorten her visit, for, since it was too late to say +good-by to Beth, she had better stay, and let absence soften her sorrow. +But her heart was very heavy; she longed to be at home, and every day +looked wistfully across the lake, waiting for Laurie to come and comfort +her. + +He did come very soon; for the same mail brought letters to them both, +but he was in Germany, and it took some days to reach him. The moment he +read it, he packed his knapsack, bade adieu to his fellow-pedestrians, +and was off to keep his promise, with a heart full of joy and sorrow, +hope and suspense. + +He knew Vevay well; and as soon as the boat touched the little quay, he +hurried along the shore to La Tour, where the Carrols were living _en +pension_. The _garçon_ was in despair that the whole family had gone to +take a promenade on the lake; but no, the blond mademoiselle might be in +the chateau garden. If monsieur would give himself the pain of sitting +down, a flash of time should present her. But monsieur could not wait +even "a flash of time," and, in the middle of the speech, departed to +find mademoiselle himself. + +A pleasant old garden on the borders of the lovely lake, with chestnuts +rustling overhead, ivy climbing everywhere, and the black shadow of the +tower falling far across the sunny water. At one corner of the wide, low +wall was a seat, and here Amy often came to read or work, or console +herself with the beauty all about her. She was sitting here that day, +leaning her head on her hand, with a homesick heart and heavy eyes, +thinking of Beth, and wondering why Laurie did not come. She did not +hear him cross the court-yard beyond, nor see him pause in the archway +that led from the subterranean path into the garden. He stood a minute, +looking at her with new eyes, seeing what no one had ever seen +before,--the tender side of Amy's character. Everything about her mutely +suggested love and sorrow,--the blotted letters in her lap, the black +ribbon that tied up her hair, the womanly pain and patience in her face; +even the little ebony cross at her throat seemed pathetic to Laurie, for +he had given it to her, and she wore it as her only ornament. If he had +any doubts about the reception she would give him, they were set at +rest the minute she looked up and saw him; for, dropping everything, she +ran to him, exclaiming, in a tone of unmistakable love and longing,-- + +"O Laurie, Laurie, I knew you'd come to me!" + + [Illustration: O Laurie, Laurie, I knew you'd come] + +I think everything was said and settled then; for, as they stood +together quite silent for a moment, with the dark head bent down +protectingly over the light one, Amy felt that no one could comfort and +sustain her so well as Laurie, and Laurie decided that Amy was the only +woman in the world who could fill Jo's place, and make him happy. He did +not tell her so; but she was not disappointed, for both felt the truth, +were satisfied, and gladly left the rest to silence. + +In a minute Amy went back to her place; and, while she dried her tears, +Laurie gathered up the scattered papers, finding in the sight of sundry +well-worn letters and suggestive sketches good omens for the future. As +he sat down beside her, Amy felt shy again, and turned rosy red at the +recollection of her impulsive greeting. + +"I couldn't help it; I felt so lonely and sad, and was so very glad to +see you. It was such a surprise to look up and find you, just as I was +beginning to fear you wouldn't come," she said, trying in vain to speak +quite naturally. + +"I came the minute I heard. I wish I could say something to comfort you +for the loss of dear little Beth; but I can only feel, and--" He could +not get any further, for he, too, turned bashful all of a sudden, and +did not quite know what to say. He longed to lay Amy's head down on his +shoulder, and tell her to have a good cry, but he did not dare; so took +her hand instead, and gave it a sympathetic squeeze that was better than +words. + +"You needn't say anything; this comforts me," she said softly. "Beth is +well and happy, and I mustn't wish her back; but I dread the going home, +much as I long to see them all. We won't talk about it now, for it makes +me cry, and I want to enjoy you while you stay. You needn't go right +back, need you?" + +"Not if you want me, dear." + +"I do, so much. Aunt and Flo are very kind; but you seem like one of the +family, and it would be so comfortable to have you for a little while." + +Amy spoke and looked so like a homesick child, whose heart was full, +that Laurie forgot his bashfulness all at once, and gave her just what +she wanted,--the petting she was used to and the cheerful conversation +she needed. + +"Poor little soul, you look as if you'd grieved yourself half-sick! I'm +going to take care of you, so don't cry any more, but come and walk +about with me; the wind is too chilly for you to sit still," he said, in +the half-caressing, half-commanding way that Amy liked, as he tied on +her hat, drew her arm through his, and began to pace up and down the +sunny walk, under the new-leaved chestnuts. He felt more at ease upon +his legs; and Amy found it very pleasant to have a strong arm to lean +upon, a familiar face to smile at her, and a kind voice to talk +delightfully for her alone. + +The quaint old garden had sheltered many pairs of lovers, and seemed +expressly made for them, so sunny and secluded was it, with nothing but +the tower to overlook them, and the wide lake to carry away the echo of +their words, as it rippled by below. For an hour this new pair walked +and talked, or rested on the wall, enjoying the sweet influences which +gave such a charm to time and place; and when an unromantic dinner-bell +warned them away, Amy felt as if she left her burden of loneliness and +sorrow behind her in the chateau garden. + +The moment Mrs. Carrol saw the girl's altered face, she was illuminated +with a new idea, and exclaimed to herself, "Now I understand it +all,--the child has been pining for young Laurence. Bless my heart, I +never thought of such a thing!" + +With praiseworthy discretion, the good lady said nothing, and betrayed +no sign of enlightenment; but cordially urged Laurie to stay, and begged +Amy to enjoy his society, for it would do her more good than so much +solitude. Amy was a model of docility; and, as her aunt was a good deal +occupied with Flo, she was left to entertain her friend, and did it with +more than her usual success. + +At Nice, Laurie had lounged and Amy had scolded; at Vevay, Laurie was +never idle, but always walking, riding, boating, or studying, in the +most energetic manner, while Amy admired everything he did, and followed +his example as far and as fast as she could. He said the change was +owing to the climate, and she did not contradict him, being glad of a +like excuse for her own recovered health and spirits. + +The invigorating air did them both good, and much exercise worked +wholesome changes in minds as well as bodies. They seemed to get clearer +views of life and duty up there among the everlasting hills; the fresh +winds blew away desponding doubts, delusive fancies, and moody mists; +the warm spring sunshine brought out all sorts of aspiring ideas, tender +hopes, and happy thoughts; the lake seemed to wash away the troubles of +the past, and the grand old mountains to look benignly down upon them, +saying, "Little children, love one another." + +In spite of the new sorrow, it was a very happy time, so happy that +Laurie could not bear to disturb it by a word. It took him a little +while to recover from his surprise at the rapid cure of his first, and, +as he had firmly believed, his last and only love. He consoled himself +for the seeming disloyalty by the thought that Jo's sister was almost +the same as Jo's self, and the conviction that it would have been +impossible to love any other woman but Amy so soon and so well. His +first wooing had been of the tempestuous order, and he looked back upon +it as if through a long vista of years, with a feeling of compassion +blended with regret. He was not ashamed of it, but put it away as one of +the bitter-sweet experiences of his life, for which he could be grateful +when the pain was over. His second wooing he resolved should be as calm +and simple as possible; there was no need of having a scene, hardly any +need of telling Amy that he loved her; she knew it without words, and +had given him his answer long ago. It all came about so naturally that +no one could complain, and he knew that everybody would be pleased, even +Jo. But when our first little passion has been crushed, we are apt to be +wary and slow in making a second trial; so Laurie let the days pass, +enjoying every hour, and leaving to chance the utterance of the word +that would put an end to the first and sweetest part of his new romance. + +He had rather imagined that the _dénouement_ would take place in the +chateau garden by moonlight, and in the most graceful and decorous +manner; but it turned out exactly the reverse, for the matter was +settled on the lake, at noonday, in a few blunt words. They had been +floating about all the morning, from gloomy St. Gingolf to sunny +Montreux, with the Alps of Savoy on one side, Mont St. Bernard and the +Dent du Midi on the other, pretty Vevay in the valley, and Lausanne upon +the hill beyond, a cloudless blue sky overhead, and the bluer lake +below, dotted with the picturesque boats that look like white-winged +gulls. + +They had been talking of Bonnivard, as they glided past Chillon, and of +Rousseau, as they looked up at Clarens, where he wrote his "Héloise." +Neither had read it, but they knew it was a love-story, and each +privately wondered if it was half as interesting as their own. Amy had +been dabbling her hand in the water during the little pause that fell +between them, and, when she looked up, Laurie was leaning on his oars, +with an expression in his eyes that made her say hastily, merely for the +sake of saying something,-- + +"You must be tired; rest a little, and let me row; it will do me good; +for, since you came, I have been altogether lazy and luxurious." + +"I'm not tired; but you may take an oar, if you like. There's room +enough, though I have to sit nearly in the middle, else the boat won't +trim," returned Laurie, as if he rather liked the arrangement. + +Feeling that she had not mended matters much, Amy took the offered third +of a seat, shook her hair over her face, and accepted an oar. She rowed +as well as she did many other things; and, though she used both hands, +and Laurie but one, the oars kept time, and the boat went smoothly +through the water. + + [Illustration: How well we pull together] + +"How well we pull together, don't we?" said Amy, who objected to silence +just then. + +"So well that I wish we might always pull in the same boat. Will you, +Amy?" very tenderly. + +"Yes, Laurie," very low. + +Then they both stopped rowing, and unconsciously added a pretty little +_tableau_ of human love and happiness to the dissolving views reflected +in the lake. + + + + + XLII. + + ALL ALONE. + + +It was easy to promise self-abnegation when self was wrapped up in +another, and heart and soul were purified by a sweet example; but when +the helpful voice was silent, the daily lesson over, the beloved +presence gone, and nothing remained but loneliness and grief, then Jo +found her promise very hard to keep. How could she "comfort father and +mother," when her own heart ached with a ceaseless longing for her +sister; how could she "make the house cheerful," when all its light and +warmth and beauty seemed to have deserted it when Beth left the old home +for the new; and where in all the world could she "find some useful, +happy work to do," that would take the place of the loving service which +had been its own reward? She tried in a blind, hopeless way to do her +duty, secretly rebelling against it all the while, for it seemed unjust +that her few joys should be lessened, her burdens made heavier, and life +get harder and harder as she toiled along. Some people seemed to get all +sunshine, and some all shadow; it was not fair, for she tried more than +Amy to be good, but never got any reward, only disappointment, trouble, +and hard work. + +Poor Jo, these were dark days to her, for something like despair came +over her when she thought of spending all her life in that quiet house, +devoted to humdrum cares, a few small pleasures, and the duty that never +seemed to grow any easier. "I can't do it. I wasn't meant for a life +like this, and I know I shall break away and do something desperate if +somebody don't come and help me," she said to herself, when her first +efforts failed, and she fell into the moody, miserable state of mind +which often comes when strong wills have to yield to the inevitable. + +But some one did come and help her, though Jo did not recognize her good +angels at once, because they wore familiar shapes, and used the simple +spells best fitted to poor humanity. Often she started up at night, +thinking Beth called her; and when the sight of the little empty bed +made her cry with the bitter cry of an unsubmissive sorrow, "O Beth, +come back! come back!" she did not stretch out her yearning arms in +vain; for, as quick to hear her sobbing as she had been to hear her +sister's faintest whisper, her mother came to comfort her, not with +words only, but the patient tenderness that soothes by a touch, tears +that were mute reminders of a greater grief than Jo's, and broken +whispers, more eloquent than prayers, because hopeful resignation went +hand-in-hand with natural sorrow. Sacred moments, when heart talked to +heart in the silence of the night, turning affliction to a blessing, +which chastened grief and strengthened love. Feeling this, Jo's burden +seemed easier to bear, duty grew sweeter, and life looked more +endurable, seen from the safe shelter of her mother's arms. + +When aching heart was a little comforted, troubled mind likewise found +help; for one day she went to the study, and, leaning over the good gray +head lifted to welcome her with a tranquil smile, she said, very +humbly,-- + +"Father, talk to me as you did to Beth. I need it more than she did, for +I'm all wrong." + +"My dear, nothing can comfort me like this," he answered, with a falter +in his voice, and both arms round her, as if he, too, needed help, and +did not fear to ask it. + + [Illustration: Jo and her father] + +Then, sitting in Beth's little chair close beside him, Jo told her +troubles,--the resentful sorrow for her loss, the fruitless efforts that +discouraged her, the want of faith that made life look so dark, and all +the sad bewilderment which we call despair. She gave him entire +confidence, he gave her the help she needed, and both found consolation +in the act; for the time had come when they could talk together not only +as father and daughter, but as man and woman, able and glad to serve +each other with mutual sympathy as well as mutual love. Happy, +thoughtful times there in the old study which Jo called "the church of +one member," and from which she came with fresh courage, recovered +cheerfulness, and a more submissive spirit; for the parents who had +taught one child to meet death without fear, were trying now to teach +another to accept life without despondency or distrust, and to use its +beautiful opportunities with gratitude and power. + +Other helps had Jo,--humble, wholesome duties and delights that would +not be denied their part in serving her, and which she slowly learned to +see and value. Brooms and dishcloths never could be as distasteful as +they once had been, for Beth had presided over both; and something of +her housewifely spirit seemed to linger round the little mop and the old +brush, that was never thrown away. As she used them, Jo found herself +humming the songs Beth used to hum, imitating Beth's orderly ways, and +giving the little touches here and there that kept everything fresh and +cosey, which was the first step toward making home happy, though she +didn't know it, till Hannah said with an approving squeeze of the +hand,-- + +"You thoughtful creter, you're determined we sha'n't miss that dear lamb +ef you can help it. We don't say much, but we see it, and the Lord will +bless you for't, see ef He don't." + +As they sat sewing together, Jo discovered how much improved her sister +Meg was; how well she could talk, how much she knew about good, womanly +impulses, thoughts, and feelings, how happy she was in husband and +children, and how much they were all doing for each other. + +"Marriage is an excellent thing, after all. I wonder if I should blossom +out half as well as you have, if I tried it?" said Jo, as she +constructed a kite for Demi, in the topsy-turvy nursery. + +"It's just what you need to bring out the tender, womanly half of your +nature, Jo. You are like a chestnut-burr, prickly outside, but +silky-soft within, and a sweet kernel, if one can only get at it. Love +will make you show your heart some day, and then the rough burr will +fall off." + +"Frost opens chestnut-burrs, ma'am, and it takes a good shake to bring +them down. Boys go nutting, and I don't care to be bagged by them," +returned Jo, pasting away at the kite which no wind that blows would +ever carry up, for Daisy had tied herself on as a bob. + +Meg laughed, for she was glad to see a glimmer of Jo's old spirit, but +she felt it her duty to enforce her opinion by every argument in her +power; and the sisterly chats were not wasted, especially as two of +Meg's most effective arguments were the babies, whom Jo loved tenderly. +Grief is the best opener for some hearts, and Jo's was nearly ready for +the bag: a little more sunshine to ripen the nut, then, not a boy's +impatient shake, but a man's hand reached up to pick it gently from the +burr, and find the kernel sound and sweet. If she had suspected this, +she would have shut up tight, and been more prickly than ever; +fortunately she wasn't thinking about herself, so, when the time came, +down she dropped. + +Now, if she had been the heroine of a moral story-book, she ought at +this period of her life to have become quite saintly, renounced the +world, and gone about doing good in a mortified bonnet, with tracts in +her pocket. But, you see, Jo wasn't a heroine; she was only a struggling +human girl, like hundreds of others, and she just acted out her nature, +being sad, cross, listless, or energetic, as the mood suggested. It's +highly virtuous to say we'll be good, but we can't do it all at once, +and it takes a long pull, a strong pull, and a pull all together, +before some of us even get our feet set in the right way. Jo had got so +far, she was learning to do her duty, and to feel unhappy if she did +not; but to do it cheerfully--ah, that was another thing! She had often +said she wanted to do something splendid, no matter how hard; and now +she had her wish, for what could be more beautiful than to devote her +life to father and mother, trying to make home as happy to them as they +had to her? And, if difficulties were necessary to increase the splendor +of the effort, what could be harder for a restless, ambitious girl than +to give up her own hopes, plans, and desires, and cheerfully live for +others? + +Providence had taken her at her word; here was the task, not what she +had expected, but better, because self had no part in it: now, could she +do it? She decided that she would try; and, in her first attempt, she +found the helps I have suggested. Still another was given her, and she +took it, not as a reward, but as a comfort, as Christian took the +refreshment afforded by the little arbor where he rested, as he climbed +the hill called Difficulty. + +"Why don't you write? That always used to make you happy," said her +mother, once, when the desponding fit overshadowed Jo. + +"I've no heart to write, and if I had, nobody cares for my things." + +"We do; write something for us, and never mind the rest of the world. +Try it, dear; I'm sure it would do you good, and please us very much." + +"Don't believe I can;" but Jo got out her desk, and began to overhaul +her half-finished manuscripts. + +An hour afterward her mother peeped in, and there she was, scratching +away, with her black pinafore on, and an absorbed expression, which +caused Mrs. March to smile, and slip away, well pleased with the success +of her suggestion. Jo never knew how it happened, but something got into +that story that went straight to the hearts of those who read it; for, +when her family had laughed and cried over it, her father sent it, much +against her will, to one of the popular magazines, and, to her utter +surprise, it was not only paid for, but others requested. Letters from +several persons, whose praise was honor, followed the appearance of the +little story, newspapers copied it, and strangers as well as friends +admired it. For a small thing it was a great success; and Jo was more +astonished than when her novel was commended and condemned all at once. + +"I don't understand it. What _can_ there be in a simple little story +like that, to make people praise it so?" she said, quite bewildered. + +"There is truth in it, Jo, that's the secret; humor and pathos make it +alive, and you have found your style at last. You wrote with no thought +of fame or money, and put your heart into it, my daughter; you have had +the bitter, now comes the sweet. Do your best, and grow as happy as we +are in your success." + +"If there _is_ anything good or true in what I write, it isn't mine; I +owe it all to you and mother and to Beth," said Jo, more touched by her +father's words than by any amount of praise from the world. + +So, taught by love and sorrow, Jo wrote her little stories, and sent +them away to make friends for themselves and her, finding it a very +charitable world to such humble wanderers; for they were kindly +welcomed, and sent home comfortable tokens to their mother, like dutiful +children whom good fortune overtakes. + +When Amy and Laurie wrote of their engagement, Mrs. March feared that Jo +would find it difficult to rejoice over it, but her fears were soon set +at rest; for, though Jo looked grave at first, she took it very quietly, +and was full of hopes and plans for "the children" before she read the +letter twice. It was a sort of written duet, wherein each glorified the +other in lover-like fashion, very pleasant to read and satisfactory to +think of, for no one had any objection to make. + +"You like it, mother?" said Jo, as they laid down the closely written +sheets, and looked at one another. + +"Yes, I hoped it would be so, ever since Amy wrote that she had refused +Fred. I felt sure then that something better than what you call the +'mercenary spirit' had come over her, and a hint here and there in her +letters made me suspect that love and Laurie would win the day." + +"How sharp you are, Marmee, and how silent! You never said a word to +me." + +"Mothers have need of sharp eyes and discreet tongues when they have +girls to manage. I was half afraid to put the idea into your head, lest +you should write and congratulate them before the thing was settled." + +"I'm not the scatter-brain I was; you may trust me, I'm sober and +sensible enough for any one's _confidante_ now." + +"So you are, dear, and I should have made you mine, only I fancied it +might pain you to learn that your Teddy loved any one else." + +"Now, mother, did you really think I could be so silly and selfish, +after I'd refused his love, when it was freshest, if not best?" + +"I knew you were sincere then, Jo, but lately I have thought that if he +came back, and asked again, you might, perhaps, feel like giving another +answer. Forgive me, dear, I can't help seeing that you are very lonely, +and sometimes there is a hungry look in your eyes that goes to my heart; +so I fancied that your boy might fill the empty place if he tried now." + +"No, mother, it is better as it is, and I'm glad Amy has learned to love +him. But you are right in one thing: I _am_ lonely, and perhaps if Teddy +had tried again, I might have said 'Yes,' not because I love him any +more, but because I care more to be loved than when he went away." + +"I'm glad of that, Jo, for it shows that you are getting on. There are +plenty to love you, so try to be satisfied with father and mother, +sisters and brothers, friends and babies, till the best lover of all +comes to give you your reward." + +"Mothers are the _best_ lovers in the world; but I don't mind whispering +to Marmee that I'd like to try all kinds. It's very curious, but the +more I try to satisfy myself with all sorts of natural affections, the +more I seem to want. I'd no idea hearts could take in so many; mine is +so elastic, it never seems full now, and I used to be quite contented +with my family. I don't understand it." + +"I do;" and Mrs. March smiled her wise smile, as Jo turned back the +leaves to read what Amy said of Laurie. + +"It is so beautiful to be loved as Laurie loves me; he isn't +sentimental, doesn't say much about it, but I see and feel it in all he +says and does, and it makes me so happy and so humble that I don't seem +to be the same girl I was. I never knew how good and generous and tender +he was till now, for he lets me read his heart, and I find it full of +noble impulses and hopes and purposes, and am so proud to know it's +mine. He says he feels as if he 'could make a prosperous voyage now +with me aboard as mate, and lots of love for ballast.' I pray he may, +and try to be all he believes me, for I love my gallant captain with all +my heart and soul and might, and never will desert him, while God lets +us be together. O mother, I never knew how much like heaven this world +could be, when two people love and live for one another!" + +"And that's our cool, reserved, and worldly Amy! Truly, love does work +miracles. How very, very happy they must be!" And Jo laid the rustling +sheets together with a careful hand, as one might shut the covers of a +lovely romance, which holds the reader fast till the end comes, and he +finds himself alone in the work-a-day world again. + +By and by Jo roamed away upstairs, for it was rainy, and she could not +walk. A restless spirit possessed her, and the old feeling came again, +not bitter as it once was, but a sorrowfully patient wonder why one +sister should have all she asked, the other nothing. It was not true; +she knew that, and tried to put it away, but the natural craving for +affection was strong, and Amy's happiness woke the hungry longing for +some one to "love with heart and soul, and cling to while God let them +be together." + +Up in the garret, where Jo's unquiet wanderings ended, stood four little +wooden chests in a row, each marked with its owner's name, and each +filled with relics of the childhood and girlhood ended now for all. Jo +glanced into them, and when she came to her own, leaned her chin on the +edge, and stared absently at the chaotic collection, till a bundle of +old exercise-books caught her eye. She drew them out, turned them over, +and re-lived that pleasant winter at kind Mrs. Kirke's. She had smiled +at first, then she looked thoughtful, next sad, and when she came to a +little message written in the Professor's hand, her lips began to +tremble, the books slid out of her lap, and she sat looking at the +friendly words, as if they took a new meaning, and touched a tender spot +in her heart. + +"Wait for me, my friend. I may be a little late, but I shall surely +come." + +"Oh, if he only would! So kind, so good, so patient with me always; my +dear old Fritz, I didn't value him half enough when I had him, but now +how I should love to see him, for every one seems going away from me, +and I'm all alone." + +And holding the little paper fast, as if it were a promise yet to be +fulfilled, Jo laid her head down on a comfortable rag-bag, and cried, as +if in opposition to the rain pattering on the roof. + + [Illustration: Jo laid her head on a comfortable rag-bag and cried] + +Was it all self-pity, loneliness, or low spirits? or was it the waking +up of a sentiment which had bided its time as patiently as its inspirer? +Who shall say? + + + + + [Illustration: A substantial lifelike ghost leaning over her] + + XLIII. + + SURPRISES. + + +Jo was alone in the twilight, lying on the old sofa, looking at the +fire, and thinking. It was her favorite way of spending the hour of +dusk; no one disturbed her, and she used to lie there on Beth's little +red pillow, planning stories, dreaming dreams, or thinking tender +thoughts of the sister who never seemed far away. Her face looked tired, +grave, and rather sad; for to-morrow was her birthday, and she was +thinking how fast the years went by, how old she was getting, and how +little she seemed to have accomplished. Almost twenty-five, and nothing +to show for it. Jo was mistaken in that; there was a good deal to show, +and by and by she saw, and was grateful for it. + +"An old maid, that's what I'm to be. A literary spinster, with a pen for +a spouse, a family of stories for children, and twenty years hence a +morsel of fame, perhaps; when, like poor Johnson, I'm old, and can't +enjoy it, solitary, and can't share it, independent, and don't need it. +Well, I needn't be a sour saint nor a selfish sinner; and, I dare say, +old maids are very comfortable when they get used to it; but--" and +there Jo sighed, as if the prospect was not inviting. + +It seldom is, at first, and thirty seems the end of all things to +five-and-twenty; but it's not so bad as it looks, and one can get on +quite happily if one has something in one's self to fall back upon. At +twenty-five, girls begin to talk about being old maids, but secretly +resolve that they never will be; at thirty they say nothing about it, +but quietly accept the fact, and, if sensible, console themselves by +remembering that they have twenty more useful, happy years, in which +they may be learning to grow old gracefully. Don't laugh at the +spinsters, dear girls, for often very tender, tragical romances are +hidden away in the hearts that beat so quietly under the sober gowns, +and many silent sacrifices of youth, health, ambition, love itself, make +the faded faces beautiful in God's sight. Even the sad, sour sisters +should be kindly dealt with, because they have missed the sweetest part +of life, if for no other reason; and, looking at them with compassion, +not contempt, girls in their bloom should remember that they too may +miss the blossom time; that rosy cheeks don't last forever, that silver +threads will come in the bonnie brown hair, and that, by and by, +kindness and respect will be as sweet as love and admiration now. + +Gentlemen, which means boys, be courteous to the old maids, no matter +how poor and plain and prim, for the only chivalry worth having is that +which is the readiest to pay deference to the old, protect the feeble, +and serve womankind, regardless of rank, age, or color. Just recollect +the good aunts who have not only lectured and fussed, but nursed and +petted, too often without thanks; the scrapes they have helped you out +of, the "tips" they have given you from their small store, the stitches +the patient old fingers have set for you, the steps the willing old feet +have taken, and gratefully pay the dear old ladies the little attentions +that women love to receive as long as they live. The bright-eyed girls +are quick to see such traits, and will like you all the better for them; +and if death, almost the only power that can part mother and son, +should rob you of yours, you will be sure to find a tender welcome and +maternal cherishing from some Aunt Priscilla, who has kept the warmest +corner of her lonely old heart for the "the best nevvy in the world." + +Jo must have fallen asleep (as I dare say my reader has during this +little homily), for suddenly Laurie's ghost seemed to stand before +her,--a substantial, lifelike ghost,--leaning over her, with the very +look he used to wear when he felt a good deal and didn't like to show +it. But, like Jenny in the ballad,-- + + "She could not think it he," + +and lay staring up at him in startled silence, till he stooped and +kissed her. Then she knew him, and flew up, crying joyfully,-- + +"O my Teddy! O my Teddy!" + +"Dear Jo, you are glad to see me, then?" + +"Glad! My blessed boy, words can't express my gladness. Where's Amy?" + +"Your mother has got her down at Meg's. We stopped there by the way, and +there was no getting my wife out of their clutches." + +"Your what?" cried Jo, for Laurie uttered those two words with an +unconscious pride and satisfaction which betrayed him. + +"Oh, the dickens! now I've done it;" and he looked so guilty that Jo was +down upon him like a flash. + +"You've gone and got married!" + +"Yes, please, but I never will again;" and he went down upon his knees, +with a penitent clasping of hands, and a face full of mischief, mirth, +and triumph. + +"Actually married?" + +"Very much so, thank you." + +"Mercy on us! What dreadful thing will you do next?" and Jo fell into +her seat, with a gasp. + +"A characteristic, but not exactly complimentary, congratulation," +returned Laurie, still in an abject attitude, but beaming with +satisfaction. + +"What can you expect, when you take one's breath away, creeping in like +a burglar, and letting cats out of bags like that? Get up, you +ridiculous boy, and tell me all about it." + +"Not a word, unless you let me come in my old place, and promise not to +barricade." + +Jo laughed at that as she had not done for many a long day, and patted +the sofa invitingly, as she said, in a cordial tone,-- + +"The old pillow is up garret, and we don't need it now; so, come and +'fess, Teddy." + +"How good it sounds to hear you say 'Teddy'! No one ever calls me that +but you;" and Laurie sat down, with an air of great content. + +"What does Amy call you?" + +"My lord." + +"That's like her. Well, you look it;" and Jo's eyes plainly betrayed +that she found her boy comelier than ever. + +The pillow was gone, but there _was_ a barricade, nevertheless,--a +natural one, raised by time, absence, and change of heart. Both felt it, +and for a minute looked at one another as if that invisible barrier cast +a little shadow over them. It was gone directly, however, for Laurie +said, with a vain attempt at dignity,-- + +"Don't I look like a married man and the head of a family?" + +"Not a bit, and you never will. You've grown bigger and bonnier, but you +are the same scapegrace as ever." + +"Now, really, Jo, you ought to treat me with more respect," began +Laurie, who enjoyed it all immensely. + +"How can I, when the mere idea of you, married and settled, is so +irresistibly funny that I can't keep sober!" answered Jo, smiling all +over her face, so infectiously that they had another laugh, and then +settled down for a good talk, quite in the pleasant old fashion. + +"It's no use your going out in the cold to get Amy, for they are all +coming up presently. I couldn't wait; I wanted to be the one to tell you +the grand surprise, and have 'first skim,' as we used to say when we +squabbled about the cream." + +"Of course you did, and spoilt your story by beginning at the wrong end. +Now, start right, and tell me how it all happened; I'm pining to know." + +"Well, I did it to please Amy," began Laurie, with a twinkle that made +Jo exclaim,-- + +"Fib number one; Amy did it to please you. Go on, and tell the truth, if +you can, sir." + +"Now she's beginning to marm it; isn't it jolly to hear her?" said +Laurie to the fire, and the fire glowed and sparkled as if it quite +agreed. "It's all the same, you know, she and I being one. We planned to +come home with the Carrols, a month or more ago, but they suddenly +changed their minds, and decided to pass another winter in Paris. But +grandpa wanted to come home; he went to please me, and I couldn't let +him go alone, neither could I leave Amy; and Mrs. Carrol had got English +notions about chaperons and such nonsense, and wouldn't let Amy come +with us. So I just settled the difficulty by saying, 'Let's be married, +and then we can do as we like.'" + +"Of course you did; you always have things to suit you." + +"Not always;" and something in Laurie's voice made Jo say hastily,-- + +"How did you ever get aunt to agree?" + +"It was hard work; but, between us, we talked her over, for we had heaps +of good reasons on our side. There wasn't time to write and ask leave, +but you all liked it, had consented to it by and by, and it was only +'taking Time by the fetlock,' as my wife says." + +"Aren't we proud of those two words, and don't we like to say them?" +interrupted Jo, addressing the fire in her turn, and watching with +delight the happy light it seemed to kindle in the eyes that had been so +tragically gloomy when she saw them last. + +"A trifle, perhaps; she's such a captivating little woman I can't help +being proud of her. Well, then, uncle and aunt were there to play +propriety; we were so absorbed in one another we were of no mortal use +apart, and that charming arrangement would make everything easy all +round; so we did it." + +"When, where, how?" asked Jo, in a fever of feminine interest and +curiosity, for she could not realize it a particle. + +"Six weeks ago, at the American consul's, in Paris; a very quiet +wedding, of course, for even in our happiness we didn't forget dear +little Beth." + +Jo put her hand in his as he said that, and Laurie gently smoothed the +little red pillow, which he remembered well. + +"Why didn't you let us know afterward?" asked Jo, in a quieter tone, +when they had sat quite still a minute. + +"We wanted to surprise you; we thought we were coming directly home, at +first; but the dear old gentleman, as soon as we were married, found he +couldn't be ready under a month, at least, and sent us off to spend our +honeymoon wherever we liked. Amy had once called Valrosa a regular +honeymoon home, so we went there, and were as happy as people are but +once in their lives. My faith! wasn't it love among the roses!" + +Laurie seemed to forget Jo for a minute, and Jo was glad of it; for the +fact that he told her these things so freely and naturally assured her +that he had quite forgiven and forgotten. She tried to draw away her +hand; but, as if he guessed the thought that prompted the +half-involuntary impulse, Laurie held it fast, and said, with a manly +gravity she had never seen in him before,-- + +"Jo, dear, I want to say one thing, and then we'll put it by forever. As +I told you in my letter, when I wrote that Amy had been so kind to me, I +never shall stop loving you; but the love is altered, and I have learned +to see that it is better as it is. Amy and you change places in my +heart, that's all. I think it was meant to be so, and would have come +about naturally, if I had waited, as you tried to make me; but I never +could be patient, and so I got a heartache. I was a boy then, headstrong +and violent; and it took a hard lesson to show me my mistake. For it +_was_ one, Jo, as you said, and I found it out, after making a fool of +myself. Upon my word, I was so tumbled up in my mind, at one time, that +I didn't know which I loved best, you or Amy, and tried to love both +alike; but I couldn't, and when I saw her in Switzerland, everything +seemed to clear up all at once. You both got into your right places, and +I felt sure that it was well off with the old love before it was on with +the new; that I could honestly share my heart between sister Jo and wife +Amy, and love them both dearly. Will you believe it, and go back to the +happy old times when we first knew one another?" + +"I'll believe it, with all my heart; but, Teddy, we never can be boy and +girl again: the happy old times can't come back, and we mustn't expect +it. We are man and woman now, with sober work to do, for playtime is +over, and we must give up frolicking. I'm sure you feel this; I see the +change in you, and you'll find it in me. I shall miss my boy, but I +shall love the man as much, and admire him more, because he means to be +what I hoped he would. We can't be little playmates any longer, but we +will be brother and sister, to love and help one another all our lives, +won't we, Laurie?" + +He did not say a word, but took the hand she offered him, and laid his +face down on it for a minute, feeling that out of the grave of a boyish +passion, there had risen a beautiful, strong friendship to bless them +both. Presently Jo said cheerfully, for she didn't want the coming home +to be a sad one,-- + +"I can't make it true that you children are really married, and going to +set up housekeeping. Why, it seems only yesterday that I was buttoning +Amy's pinafore, and pulling your hair when you teased. Mercy me, how +time does fly!" + +"As one of the children is older than yourself, you needn't talk so like +a grandma. I flatter myself I'm a 'gentleman growed,' as Peggotty said +of David; and when you see Amy, you'll find her rather a precocious +infant," said Laurie, looking amused at her maternal air. + +"You may be a little older in years, but I'm ever so much older in +feeling, Teddy. Women always are; and this last year has been such a +hard one that I feel forty." + +"Poor Jo! we left you to bear it alone, while we went pleasuring. You +_are_ older; here's a line, and there's another; unless you smile, your +eyes look sad, and when I touched the cushion, just now, I found a tear +on it. You've had a great deal to bear, and had to bear it all alone. +What a selfish beast I've been!" and Laurie pulled his own hair, with a +remorseful look. + +But Jo only turned over the traitorous pillow, and answered, in a tone +which she tried to make quite cheerful,-- + +"No, I had father and mother to help me, the dear babies to comfort me, +and the thought that you and Amy were safe and happy, to make the +troubles here easier to bear. I _am_ lonely, sometimes, but I dare say +it's good for me, and--" + +"You never shall be again," broke in Laurie, putting his arm about her, +as if to fence out every human ill. "Amy and I can't get on without +you, so you must come and teach 'the children' to keep house, and go +halves in everything, just as we used to do, and let us pet you, and all +be blissfully happy and friendly together." + +"If I shouldn't be in the way, it would be very pleasant. I begin to +feel quite young already; for, somehow, all my troubles seemed to fly +away when you came. You always were a comfort, Teddy;" and Jo leaned her +head on his shoulder, just as she did years ago, when Beth lay ill, and +Laurie told her to hold on to him. + +He looked down at her, wondering if she remembered the time, but Jo was +smiling to herself, as if, in truth, her troubles _had_ all vanished at +his coming. + +"You are the same Jo still, dropping tears about one minute, and +laughing the next. You look a little wicked now; what is it, grandma?" + +"I was wondering how you and Amy get on together." + +"Like angels!" + +"Yes, of course, at first; but which rules?" + +"I don't mind telling you that she does, now; at least I let her think +so,--it pleases her, you know. By and by we shall take turns, for +marriage, they say, halves one's rights and doubles one's duties." + +"You'll go on as you begin, and Amy will rule you all the days of your +life." + +"Well, she does it so imperceptibly that I don't think I shall mind +much. She is the sort of woman who knows how to rule well; in fact, I +rather like it, for she winds one round her finger as softly and +prettily as a skein of silk, and makes you feel as if she was doing you +a favor all the while." + +"That ever I should live to see you a henpecked husband and enjoying +it!" cried Jo, with uplifted hands. + +It was good to see Laurie square his shoulders, and smile with masculine +scorn at that insinuation, as he replied, with his "high and mighty" +air,-- + +"Amy is too well-bred for that, and I am not the sort of man to submit +to it. My wife and I respect ourselves and one another too much ever to +tyrannize or quarrel." + +Jo liked that, and thought the new dignity very becoming, but the boy +seemed changing very fast into the man, and regret mingled with her +pleasure. + +"I am sure of that; Amy and you never did quarrel as we used to. She is +the sun and I the wind, in the fable, and the sun managed the man best, +you remember." + +"She can blow him up as well as shine on him," laughed Laurie. "Such a +lecture as I got at Nice! I give you my word it was a deal worse than +any of your scoldings,--a regular rouser. I'll tell you all about it +sometime,--_she_ never will, because, after telling me that she despised +and was ashamed of me, she lost her heart to the despicable party and +married the good-for-nothing." + +"What baseness! Well, if she abuses you, come to me, and I'll defend +you." + +"I look as if I needed it, don't I?" said Laurie, getting up and +striking an attitude which suddenly changed from the imposing to the +rapturous, as Amy's voice was heard calling,-- + +"Where is she? Where's my dear old Jo?" + +In trooped the whole family, and every one was hugged and kissed all +over again, and, after several vain attempts, the three wanderers were +set down to be looked at and exulted over. Mr. Laurence, hale and hearty +as ever, was quite as much improved as the others by his foreign tour, +for the crustiness seemed to be nearly gone, and the old-fashioned +courtliness had received a polish which made it kindlier than ever. It +was good to see him beam at "my children," as he called the young pair; +it was better still to see Amy pay him the daughterly duty and affection +which completely won his old heart; and best of all, to watch Laurie +revolve about the two, as if never tired of enjoying the pretty picture +they made. + +The minute she put her eyes upon Amy, Meg became conscious that her own +dress hadn't a Parisian air, that young Mrs. Moffat would be entirely +eclipsed by young Mrs. Laurence, and that "her ladyship" was altogether +a most elegant and graceful woman. Jo thought, as she watched the pair, +"How well they look together! I was right, and Laurie has found the +beautiful, accomplished girl who will become his home better than clumsy +old Jo, and be a pride, not a torment to him." Mrs. March and her +husband smiled and nodded at each other with happy faces, for they saw +that their youngest had done well, not only in worldly things, but the +better wealth of love, confidence, and happiness. + +For Amy's face was full of the soft brightness which betokens a peaceful +heart, her voice had a new tenderness in it, and the cool, prim carriage +was changed to a gentle dignity, both womanly and winning. No little +affectations marred it, and the cordial sweetness of her manner was more +charming than the new beauty or the old grace, for it stamped her at +once with the unmistakable sign of the true gentlewoman she had hoped to +become. + +"Love has done much for our little girl," said her mother softly. + +"She has had a good example before her all her life, my dear," Mr. March +whispered back, with a loving look at the worn face and gray head beside +him. + +Daisy found it impossible to keep her eyes off her "pitty aunty," but +attached herself like a lap-dog to the wonderful châtelaine full of +delightful charms. Demi paused to consider the new relationship before +he compromised himself by the rash acceptance of a bribe, which took the +tempting form of a family of wooden bears from Berne. A flank movement +produced an unconditional surrender, however, for Laurie knew where to +have him. + +"Young man, when I first had the honor of making your acquaintance you +hit me in the face: now I demand the satisfaction of a gentleman;" and +with that the tall uncle proceeded to toss and tousle the small nephew +in a way that damaged his philosophical dignity as much as it delighted +his boyish soul. + + [Illustration: The tall uncle proceeded to toss and tousle the small + nephew] + +"Blest if she ain't in silk from head to foot? Ain't it a relishin' +sight to see her settin' there as fine as a fiddle, and hear folks +calling little Amy, Mis. Laurence?" muttered old Hannah, who could not +resist frequent "peeks" through the slide as she set the table in a most +decidedly promiscuous manner. + +Mercy on us, how they did talk! first one, then the other, then all +burst out together, trying to tell the history of three years in half an +hour. It was fortunate that tea was at hand, to produce a lull and +provide refreshment, for they would have been hoarse and faint if they +had gone on much longer. Such a happy procession as filed away into the +little dining-room! Mr. March proudly escorted "Mrs. Laurence;" Mrs. +March as proudly leaned on the arm of "my son;" the old gentleman took +Jo, with a whispered "You must be my girl now," and a glance at the +empty corner by the fire, that made Jo whisper back, with trembling +lips, "I'll try to fill her place, sir." + +The twins pranced behind, feeling that the millennium was at hand, for +every one was so busy with the new-comers that they were left to revel +at their own sweet will, and you may be sure they made the most of the +opportunity. Didn't they steal sips of tea, stuff gingerbread _ab +libitum_, get a hot biscuit apiece, and, as a crowning trespass, didn't +they each whisk a captivating little tart into their tiny pockets, there +to stick and crumble treacherously, teaching them that both human nature +and pastry are frail? Burdened with the guilty consciousness of the +sequestered tarts, and fearing that Dodo's sharp eyes would pierce the +thin disguise of cambric and merino which hid their booty, the little +sinners attached themselves to "Dranpa," who hadn't his spectacles on. +Amy, who was handed about like refreshments, returned to the parlor on +Father Laurence's arm; the others paired off as before, and this +arrangement left Jo companionless. She did not mind it at the minute, +for she lingered to answer Hannah's eager inquiry,-- + +"Will Miss Amy ride in her coop (_coupé_), and use all them lovely +silver dishes that's stored away over yander?" + +"Shouldn't wonder if she drove six white horses, ate off gold plate, and +wore diamonds and point-lace every day. Teddy thinks nothing too good +for her," returned Jo with infinite satisfaction. + +"No more there is! Will you have hash or fish-balls for breakfast?" +asked Hannah, who wisely mingled poetry and prose. + +"I don't care;" and Jo shut the door, feeling that food was an +uncongenial topic just then. She stood a minute looking at the party +vanishing above, and, as Demi's short plaid legs toiled up the last +stair, a sudden sense of loneliness came over her so strongly that she +looked about her with dim eyes, as if to find something to lean upon, +for even Teddy had deserted her. If she had known what birthday gift was +coming every minute nearer and nearer, she would not have said to +herself, "I'll weep a little weep when I go to bed; it won't do to be +dismal now." Then she drew her hand over her eyes,--for one of her +boyish habits was never to know where her handkerchief was,--and had +just managed to call up a smile when there came a knock at the +porch-door. + +She opened it with hospitable haste, and started as if another ghost had +come to surprise her; for there stood a tall, bearded gentleman, beaming +on her from the darkness like a midnight sun. + +"O Mr. Bhaer, I _am_ so glad to see you!" cried Jo, with a clutch, as if +she feared the night would swallow him up before she could get him in. + + [Illustration: O Mr. Bhaer, I am so glad to see you] + +"And I to see Miss Marsch,--but no, you haf a party--" and the Professor +paused as the sound of voices and the tap of dancing feet came down to +them. + +"No, we haven't, only the family. My sister and friends have just come +home, and we are all very happy. Come in, and make one of us." + +Though a very social man, I think Mr. Bhaer would have gone decorously +away, and come again another day; but how could he, when Jo shut the +door behind him, and bereft him of his hat? Perhaps her face had +something to do with it, for she forgot to hide her joy at seeing him, +and showed it with a frankness that proved irresistible to the solitary +man, whose welcome far exceeded his boldest hopes. + +"If I shall not be Monsieur de Trop, I will so gladly see them all. You +haf been ill, my friend?" + +He put the question abruptly, for, as Jo hung up his coat, the light +fell on her face, and he saw a change in it. + +"Not ill, but tired and sorrowful. We have had trouble since I saw you +last." + +"Ah, yes, I know. My heart was sore for you when I heard that;" and he +shook hands again, with such a sympathetic face that Jo felt as if no +comfort could equal the look of the kind eyes, the grasp of the big, +warm hand. + +"Father, mother, this is my friend, Professor Bhaer," she said, with a +face and tone of such irrepressible pride and pleasure that she might as +well have blown a trumpet and opened the door with a flourish. + +If the stranger had had any doubts about his reception, they were set at +rest in a minute by the cordial welcome he received. Every one greeted +him kindly, for Jo's sake at first, but very soon they liked him for his +own. They could not help it, for he carried the talisman that opens all +hearts, and these simple people warmed to him at once, feeling even the +more friendly because he was poor; for poverty enriches those who live +above it, and is a sure passport to truly hospitable spirits. Mr. Bhaer +sat looking about him with the air of a traveller who knocks at a +strange door, and, when it opens, finds himself at home. The children +went to him like bees to a honey-pot; and, establishing themselves on +each knee, proceeded to captivate him by rifling his pockets, pulling +his beard, and investigating his watch, with juvenile audacity. The +women telegraphed their approval to one another, and Mr. March, feeling +that he had got a kindred spirit, opened his choicest stores for his +guest's benefit, while silent John listened and enjoyed the talk, but +said not a word, and Mr. Laurence found it impossible to go to sleep. + +If Jo had not been otherwise engaged, Laurie's behavior would have +amused her; for a faint twinge, not of jealousy, but something like +suspicion, caused that gentleman to stand aloof at first, and observe +the new-comer with brotherly circumspection. But it did not last long. +He got interested in spite of himself, and, before he knew it, was drawn +into the circle; for Mr. Bhaer talked well in this genial atmosphere, +and did himself justice. He seldom spoke to Laurie, but he looked at him +often, and a shadow would pass across his face, as if regretting his own +lost youth, as he watched the young man in his prime. Then his eye would +turn to Jo so wistfully that she would have surely answered the mute +inquiry if she had seen it; but Jo had her own eyes to take care of, +and, feeling that they could not be trusted, she prudently kept them on +the little sock she was knitting, like a model maiden aunt. + +A stealthy glance now and then refreshed her like sips of fresh water +after a dusty walk, for the sidelong peeps showed her several propitious +omens. Mr. Bhaer's face had lost the absent-minded expression, and +looked all alive with interest in the present moment, actually young and +handsome, she thought, forgetting to compare him with Laurie, as she +usually did strange men, to their great detriment. Then he seemed quite +inspired, though the burial customs of the ancients, to which the +conversation had strayed, might not be considered an exhilarating topic. +Jo quite glowed with triumph when Teddy got quenched in an argument, and +thought to herself, as she watched her father's absorbed face, "How he +would enjoy having such a man as my Professor to talk with every day!" +Lastly, Mr. Bhaer was dressed in a new suit of black, which made him +look more like a gentleman than ever. His bushy hair had been cut and +smoothly brushed, but didn't stay in order long, for, in exciting +moments, he rumpled it up in the droll way he used to do; and Jo liked +it rampantly erect better than flat, because she thought it gave his +fine forehead a Jove-like aspect. Poor Jo, how she did glorify that +plain man, as she sat knitting away so quietly, yet letting nothing +escape her, not even the fact that Mr. Bhaer actually had gold +sleeve-buttons in his immaculate wristbands! + +"Dear old fellow! He couldn't have got himself up with more care if he'd +been going a-wooing," said Jo to herself; and then a sudden thought, +born of the words, made her blush so dreadfully that she had to drop her +ball, and go down after it to hide her face. + +The manœuvre did not succeed as well as she expected, however; for, +though just in the act of setting fire to a funeral-pile, the Professor +dropped his torch, metaphorically speaking, and made a dive after the +little blue ball. Of course they bumped their heads smartly together, +saw stars, and both came up flushed and laughing, without the ball, to +resume their seats, wishing they had not left them. + +Nobody knew where the evening went to; for Hannah skilfully abstracted +the babies at an early hour, nodding like two rosy poppies, and Mr. +Laurence went home to rest. The others sat round the fire, talking +away, utterly regardless of the lapse of time, till Meg, whose maternal +mind was impressed with a firm conviction that Daisy had tumbled out of +bed, and Demi set his night-gown afire studying the structure of +matches, made a move to go. + +"We must have our sing, in the good old way, for we are all together +again once more," said Jo, feeling that a good shout would be a safe and +pleasant vent for the jubilant emotions of her soul. + +They were not _all_ there. But no one found the words thoughtless or +untrue; for Beth still seemed among them, a peaceful presence, +invisible, but dearer than ever, since death could not break the +household league that love made indissoluble. The little chair stood in +its old place; the tidy basket, with the bit of work she left unfinished +when the needle grew "so heavy," was still on its accustomed shelf; the +beloved instrument, seldom touched now, had not been moved; and above it +Beth's face, serene and smiling, as in the early days, looked down upon +them, seeming to say, "Be happy. I am here." + +"Play something, Amy. Let them hear how much you have improved," said +Laurie, with pardonable pride in his promising pupil. + +But Amy whispered, with full eyes, as she twirled the faded stool,-- + +"Not to-night, dear. I can't show off to-night." + +But she did show something better than brilliancy or skill; for she sung +Beth's songs with a tender music in her voice which the best master +could not have taught, and touched the listeners' hearts with a sweeter +power than any other inspiration could have given her. The room was very +still, when the clear voice failed suddenly at the last line of Beth's +favorite hymn. It was hard to say,-- + + "Earth hath no sorrow that heaven cannot heal;" + +and Amy leaned against her husband, who stood behind her, feeling that +her welcome home was not quite perfect without Beth's kiss. + +"Now, we must finish with Mignon's song; for Mr. Bhaer sings that," said +Jo, before the pause grew painful. And Mr. Bhaer cleared his throat with +a gratified "Hem!" as he stepped into the corner where Jo stood, +saying,-- + +"You will sing with me? We go excellently well together." + +A pleasing fiction, by the way; for Jo had no more idea of music than a +grasshopper. But she would have consented if he had proposed to sing a +whole opera, and warbled away, blissfully regardless of time and tune. +It didn't much matter; for Mr. Bhaer sang like a true German, heartily +and well; and Jo soon subsided into a subdued hum, that she might listen +to the mellow voice that seemed to sing for her alone. + + [Illustration: Mr. Bhaer sang heartily] + + "Know'st thou the land where the citron blooms," + +used to be the Professor's favorite line, for "das land" meant Germany +to him; but now he seemed to dwell, with peculiar warmth and melody, +upon the words,-- + + "There, oh there, might I with thee, + O my beloved, go!" + +and one listener was so thrilled by the tender invitation that she +longed to say she did know the land, and would joyfully depart thither +whenever he liked. + +The song was considered a great success, and the singer retired covered +with laurels. But a few minutes afterward, he forgot his manners +entirely, and stared at Amy putting on her bonnet; for she had been +introduced simply as "my sister," and no one had called her by her new +name since he came. He forgot himself still further when Laurie said, in +his most gracious manner, at parting,-- + +"My wife and I are very glad to meet you, sir. Please remember that +there is always a welcome waiting for you over the way." + +Then the Professor thanked him so heartily, and looked so suddenly +illuminated with satisfaction, that Laurie thought him the most +delightfully demonstrative old fellow he ever met. + +"I too shall go; but I shall gladly come again, if you will gif me +leave, dear madame, for a little business in the city will keep me here +some days." + +He spoke to Mrs. March, but he looked at Jo; and the mother's voice gave +as cordial an assent as did the daughter's eyes; for Mrs. March was not +so blind to her children's interest as Mrs. Moffat supposed. + +"I suspect that is a wise man," remarked Mr. March, with placid +satisfaction, from the hearth-rug, after the last guest had gone. + +"I know he is a good one," added Mrs. March, with decided approval, as +she wound up the clock. + +"I thought you'd like him," was all Jo said, as she slipped away to her +bed. + +She wondered what the business was that brought Mr. Bhaer to the city, +and finally decided that he had been appointed to some great honor, +somewhere, but had been too modest to mention the fact. If she had seen +his face when, safe in his own room, he looked at the picture of a +severe and rigid young lady, with a good deal of hair, who appeared to +be gazing darkly into futurity, it might have thrown some light upon the +subject, especially when he turned off the gas, and kissed the picture +in the dark. + + + + + [Illustration: Mrs. Laurence sitting in her mother's lap] + + XLIV. + + MY LORD AND LADY. + + +"Please, Madam Mother, could you lend me my wife for half an hour? The +luggage has come, and I've been making hay of Amy's Paris finery, trying +to find some things I want," said Laurie, coming in the next day to find +Mrs. Laurence sitting in her mother's lap, as if being made "the baby" +again. + +"Certainly. Go, dear; I forget that you have any home but this," and +Mrs. March pressed the white hand that wore the wedding-ring, as if +asking pardon for her maternal covetousness. + +"I shouldn't have come over if I could have helped it; but I can't get +on without my little woman any more than a--" + +"Weathercock can without wind," suggested Jo, as he paused for a simile; +Jo had grown quite her own saucy self again since Teddy came home. + +"Exactly; for Amy keeps me pointing due west most of the time, with only +an occasional whiffle round to the south, and I haven't had an easterly +spell since I was married; don't know anything about the north, but am +altogether salubrious and balmy, hey, my lady?" + +"Lovely weather so far; I don't know how long it will last, but I'm not +afraid of storms, for I'm learning how to sail my ship. Come home, dear, +and I'll find your bootjack; I suppose that's what you are rummaging +after among my things. Men are _so_ helpless, mother," said Amy, with a +matronly air, which delighted her husband. + +"What are you going to do with yourselves after you get settled?" asked +Jo, buttoning Amy's cloak as she used to button her pinafores. + +"We have our plans; we don't mean to say much about them yet, because we +are such very new brooms, but we don't intend to be idle. I'm going into +business with a devotion that shall delight grandfather, and prove to +him that I'm not spoilt. I need something of the sort to keep me steady. +I'm tired of dawdling, and mean to work like a man." + +"And Amy, what is she going to do?" asked Mrs. March, well pleased at +Laurie's decision, and the energy with which he spoke. + +"After doing the civil all round, and airing our best bonnet, we shall +astonish you by the elegant hospitalities of our mansion, the brilliant +society we shall draw about us, and the beneficial influence we shall +exert over the world at large. That's about it, isn't it, Madame +Récamier?" asked Laurie, with a quizzical look at Amy. + +"Time will show. Come away, Impertinence, and don't shock my family by +calling me names before their faces," answered Amy, resolving that there +should be a home with a good wife in it before she set up a _salon_ as a +queen of society. + +"How happy those children seem together!" observed Mr. March, finding it +difficult to become absorbed in his Aristotle after the young couple had +gone. + +"Yes, and I think it will last," added Mrs. March, with the restful +expression of a pilot who has brought a ship safely into port. + +"I know it will. Happy Amy!" and Jo sighed, then smiled brightly as +Professor Bhaer opened the gate with an impatient push. + +Later in the evening, when his mind had been set at rest about the +bootjack, Laurie said suddenly to his wife, who was flitting about, +arranging her new art treasures,-- + +"Mrs. Laurence." + +"My lord!" + +"That man intends to marry our Jo!" + +"I hope so; don't you, dear?" + +"Well, my love, I consider him a trump, in the fullest sense of that +expressive word, but I do wish he was a little younger and a good deal +richer." + +"Now, Laurie, don't be too fastidious and worldly-minded. If they love +one another it doesn't matter a particle how old they are nor how poor. +Women _never_ should marry for money--" Amy caught herself up short as +the words escaped her, and looked at her husband, who replied, with +malicious gravity,-- + +"Certainly not, though you do hear charming girls say that they intend +to do it sometimes. If my memory serves me, you once thought it your +duty to make a rich match; that accounts, perhaps, for your marrying a +good-for-nothing like me." + +"O my dearest boy, don't, don't say that! I forgot you were rich when I +said 'Yes.' I'd have married you if you hadn't a penny, and I sometimes +wish you _were_ poor that I might show how much I love you;" and Amy, +who was very dignified in public and very fond in private, gave +convincing proofs of the truth of her words. + +"You don't really think I am such a mercenary creature as I tried to be +once, do you? It would break my heart if you didn't believe that I'd +gladly pull in the same boat with you, even if you had to get your +living by rowing on the lake." + +"Am I an idiot and a brute? How could I think so, when you refused a +richer man for me, and won't let me give you half I want to now, when I +have the right? Girls do it every day, poor things, and are taught to +think it is their only salvation; but you had better lessons, and, +though I trembled for you at one time, I was not disappointed, for the +daughter was true to the mother's teaching. I told mamma so yesterday, +and she looked as glad and grateful as if I'd given her a check for a +million, to be spent in charity. You are not listening to my moral +remarks, Mrs. Laurence;" and Laurie paused, for Amy's eyes had an absent +look, though fixed upon his face. + +"Yes, I am, and admiring the dimple in your chin at the same time. I +don't wish to make you vain, but I must confess that I'm prouder of my +handsome husband than of all his money. Don't laugh, but your nose is +_such_ a comfort to me;" and Amy softly caressed the well-cut feature +with artistic satisfaction. + +Laurie had received many compliments in his life, but never one that +suited him better, as he plainly showed, though he did laugh at his +wife's peculiar taste, while she said slowly,-- + +"May I ask you a question, dear?" + +"Of course you may." + +"Shall you care if Jo does marry Mr. Bhaer?" + +"Oh, that's the trouble, is it? I thought there was something in the +dimple that didn't suit you. Not being a dog in the manger, but the +happiest fellow alive, I assure you I can dance at Jo's wedding with a +heart as light as my heels. Do you doubt it, my darling?" + +Amy looked up at him, and was satisfied; her last little jealous fear +vanished forever, and she thanked him, with a face full of love and +confidence. + +"I wish we could do something for that capital old Professor. Couldn't +we invent a rich relation, who shall obligingly die out there in +Germany, and leave him a tidy little fortune?" said Laurie, when they +began to pace up and down the long drawing-room, arm-in-arm, as they +were fond of doing, in memory of the chateau garden. + + [Illustration: They began to pace up and down] + +"Jo would find us out, and spoil it all; she is very proud of him, just +as he is, and said yesterday that she thought poverty was a beautiful +thing." + +"Bless her dear heart! she won't think so when she has a literary +husband, and a dozen little professors and professorins to support. We +won't interfere now, but watch our chance, and do them a good turn in +spite of themselves. I owe Jo for a part of my education, and she +believes in people's paying their honest debts, so I'll get round her in +that way." + +"How delightful it is to be able to help others, isn't it? That was +always one of my dreams, to have the power of giving freely; and, thanks +to you, the dream has come true." + +"Ah! we'll do quantities of good, won't we? There's one sort of poverty +that I particularly like to help. Out-and-out beggars get taken care of, +but poor gentlefolks fare badly, because they won't ask, and people +don't dare to offer charity; yet there are a thousand ways of helping +them, if one only knows how to do it so delicately that it does not +offend. I must say, I like to serve a decayed gentleman better than a +blarneying beggar; I suppose it's wrong, but I do, though it is +harder." + +"Because it takes a gentleman to do it," added the other member of the +domestic admiration society. + +"Thank you, I'm afraid I don't deserve that pretty compliment. But I was +going to say that while I was dawdling about abroad, I saw a good many +talented young fellows making all sorts of sacrifices, and enduring real +hardships, that they might realize their dreams. Splendid fellows, some +of them, working like heroes, poor and friendless, but so full of +courage, patience, and ambition, that I was ashamed of myself, and +longed to give them a right good lift. Those are people whom it's a +satisfaction to help, for if they've got genius, it's an honor to be +allowed to serve them, and not let it be lost or delayed for want of +fuel to keep the pot boiling; if they haven't, it's a pleasure to +comfort the poor souls, and keep them from despair when they find it +out." + +"Yes, indeed; and there's another class who can't ask, and who suffer in +silence. I know something of it, for I belonged to it before you made a +princess of me, as the king does the beggar-maid in the old story. +Ambitious girls have a hard time, Laurie, and often have to see youth, +health, and precious opportunities go by, just for want of a little help +at the right minute. People have been very kind to me; and whenever I +see girls struggling along, as we used to do, I want to put out my hand +and help them, as I was helped." + +"And so you shall, like an angel as you are!" cried Laurie, resolving, +with a glow of philanthropic zeal, to found and endow an institution for +the express benefit of young women with artistic tendencies. "Rich +people have no right to sit down and enjoy themselves, or let their +money accumulate for others to waste. It's not half so sensible to leave +legacies when one dies as it is to use the money wisely while alive, and +enjoy making one's fellow-creatures happy with it. We'll have a good +time ourselves, and add an extra relish to our own pleasure by giving +other people a generous taste. Will you be a little Dorcas, going about +emptying a big basket of comforts, and filling it up with good deeds?" + +"With all my heart, if you will be a brave St. Martin, stopping, as you +ride gallantly through the world, to share your cloak with the beggar." + +"It's a bargain, and we shall get the best of it!" + +So the young pair shook hands upon it, and then paced happily on again, +feeling that their pleasant home was more home-like because they hoped +to brighten other homes, believing that their own feet would walk more +uprightly along the flowery path before them, if they smoothed rough +ways for other feet, and feeling that their hearts were more closely +knit together by a love which could tenderly remember those less blest +than they. + + [Illustration: Tail-piece] + + + + + XLV. + + DAISY AND DEMI. + + +I cannot feel that I have done my duty as humble historian of the March +family, without devoting at least one chapter to the two most precious +and important members of it. Daisy and Demi had now arrived at years of +discretion; for in this fast age babies of three or four assert their +rights, and get them, too, which is more than many of their elders do. +If there ever were a pair of twins in danger of being utterly spoilt by +adoration, it was these prattling Brookes. Of course they were the most +remarkable children ever born, as will be shown when I mention that they +walked at eight months, talked fluently at twelve months, and at two +years they took their places at table, and behaved with a propriety +which charmed all beholders. At three, Daisy demanded a "needler," and +actually made a bag with four stitches in it; she likewise set up +housekeeping in the sideboard, and managed a microscopic cooking-stove +with a skill that brought tears of pride to Hannah's eyes, while Demi +learned his letters with his grandfather, who invented a new mode of +teaching the alphabet by forming the letters with his arms and legs, +thus uniting gymnastics for head and heels. The boy early developed a +mechanical genius which delighted his father and distracted his mother, +for he tried to imitate every machine he saw, and kept the nursery in a +chaotic condition, with his "sewin-sheen,"--a mysterious structure of +string, chairs, clothes-pins, and spools, for wheels to go "wound and +wound;" also a basket hung over the back of a big chair, in which he +vainly tried to hoist his too confiding sister, who, with feminine +devotion, allowed her little head to be bumped till rescued, when the +young inventor indignantly remarked, "Why, marmar, dat's my lellywaiter, +and me's trying to pull her up." + +Though utterly unlike in character, the twins got on remarkably well +together, and seldom quarrelled more than thrice a day. Of course, Demi +tyrannized over Daisy, and gallantly defended her from every other +aggressor; while Daisy made a galley-slave of herself, and adored her +brother as the one perfect being in the world. A rosy, chubby, sunshiny +little soul was Daisy, who found her way to everybody's heart, and +nestled there. One of the captivating children, who seem made to be +kissed and cuddled, adorned and adored like little goddesses, and +produced for general approval on all festive occasions. Her small +virtues were so sweet that she would have been quite angelic if a few +small naughtinesses had not kept her delightfully human. It was all fair +weather in her world, and every morning she scrambled up to the window +in her little night-gown to look out, and say, no matter whether it +rained or shone, "Oh, pitty day, oh, pitty day!" Every one was a friend, +and she offered kisses to a stranger so confidingly that the most +inveterate bachelor relented, and baby-lovers became faithful +worshippers. + + [Illustration: Me loves evvybody] + +"Me loves evvybody," she once said, opening her arms, with her spoon in +one hand, and her mug in the other, as if eager to embrace and nourish +the whole world. + +As she grew, her mother began to feel that the Dove-cote would be blest +by the presence of an inmate as serene and loving as that which had +helped to make the old house home, and to pray that she might be spared +a loss like that which had lately taught them how long they had +entertained an angel unawares. Her grandfather often called her "Beth," +and her grandmother watched over her with untiring devotion, as if +trying to atone for some past mistake, which no eye but her own could +see. + +Demi, like a true Yankee, was of an inquiring turn, wanting to know +everything, and often getting much disturbed because he could not get +satisfactory answers to his perpetual "What for?" + +He also possessed a philosophic bent, to the great delight of his +grandfather, who used to hold Socratic conversations with him, in which +the precocious pupil occasionally posed his teacher, to the undisguised +satisfaction of the womenfolk. + + [Illustration: What makes my legs go, dranpa?] + +"What makes my legs go, dranpa?" asked the young philosopher, surveying +those active portions of his frame with a meditative air, while resting +after a go-to-bed frolic one night. + +"It's your little mind, Demi," replied the sage, stroking the yellow +head respectfully. + +"What is a little mine?" + +"It is something which makes your body move, as the spring made the +wheels go in my watch when I showed it to you." + +"Open me; I want to see it go wound." + +"I can't do that any more than you could open the watch. God winds you +up, and you go till He stops you." + +"Does I?" and Demi's brown eyes grew big and bright as he took in the +new thought. "Is I wounded up like the watch?" + +"Yes; but I can't show you how; for it is done when we don't see." + +Demi felt of his back, as if expecting to find it like that of the +watch, and then gravely remarked,-- + +"I dess Dod does it when I's asleep." + +A careful explanation followed, to which he listened so attentively that +his anxious grandmother said,-- + +"My dear, do you think it wise to talk about such things to that baby? +He's getting great bumps over his eyes, and learning to ask the most +unanswerable questions." + +"If he is old enough to ask the questions he is old enough to receive +true answers. I am not putting the thoughts into his head, but helping +him unfold those already there. These children are wiser than we are, +and I have no doubt the boy understands every word I have said to him. +Now, Demi, tell me where you keep your mind?" + +If the boy had replied like Alcibiades, "By the gods, Socrates, I cannot +tell," his grandfather would not have been surprised; but when, after +standing a moment on one leg, like a meditative young stork, he +answered, in a tone of calm conviction, "In my little belly," the old +gentleman could only join in grandma's laugh, and dismiss the class in +metaphysics. + +There might have been cause for maternal anxiety, if Demi had not given +convincing proofs that he was a true boy, as well as a budding +philosopher; for, often, after a discussion which caused Hannah to +prophesy, with ominous nods, "That child ain't long for this world," he +would turn about and set her fears at rest by some of the pranks with +which dear, dirty, naughty little rascals distract and delight their +parents' souls. + +Meg made many moral rules, and tried to keep them; but what mother was +ever proof against the winning wiles, the ingenious evasions, or the +tranquil audacity of the miniature men and women who so early show +themselves accomplished Artful Dodgers? + +"No more raisins, Demi, they'll make you sick," says mamma to the young +person who offers his services in the kitchen with unfailing regularity +on plum-pudding day. + +"Me likes to be sick." + +"I don't want to have you, so run away and help Daisy make patty-cakes." + +He reluctantly departs, but his wrongs weigh upon his spirit; and, by +and by, when an opportunity comes to redress them, he outwits mamma by a +shrewd bargain. + +"Now you have been good children, and I'll play anything you like," says +Meg, as she leads her assistant cooks upstairs, when the pudding is +safely bouncing in the pot. + +"Truly, marmar?" asks Demi, with a brilliant idea in his well-powdered +head. + +"Yes, truly; anything you say," replies the short-sighted parent, +preparing herself to sing "The Three Little Kittens" half a dozen times +over, or to take her family to "Buy a penny bun," regardless of wind or +limb. But Demi corners her by the cool reply,-- + +"Then we'll go and eat up all the raisins." + +Aunt Dodo was chief playmate and _confidante_ of both children, and the +trio turned the little house topsy-turvy. Aunt Amy was as yet only a +name to them, Aunt Beth soon faded into a pleasantly vague memory, but +Aunt Dodo was a living reality, and they made the most of her, for which +compliment she was deeply grateful. But when Mr. Bhaer came, Jo +neglected her playfellows, and dismay and desolation fell upon their +little souls. Daisy, who was fond of going about peddling kisses, lost +her best customer and became bankrupt; Demi, with infantile penetration, +soon discovered that Dodo liked to play with "the bear-man" better than +she did with him; but, though hurt, he concealed his anguish, for he +hadn't the heart to insult a rival who kept a mine of chocolate-drops in +his waistcoat-pocket, and a watch that could be taken out of its case +and freely shaken by ardent admirers. + +Some persons might have considered these pleasing liberties as bribes; +but Demi didn't see it in that light, and continued to patronize the +"bear-man" with pensive affability, while Daisy bestowed her small +affections upon him at the third call, and considered his shoulder her +throne, his arm her refuge, his gifts treasures of surpassing worth. + +Gentlemen are sometimes seized with sudden fits of admiration for the +young relatives of ladies whom they honor with their regard; but this +counterfeit philoprogenitiveness sits uneasily upon them, and does not +deceive anybody a particle. Mr. Bhaer's devotion was sincere, however +likewise effective,--for honesty is the best policy in love as in law; +he was one of the men who are at home with children, and looked +particularly well when little faces made a pleasant contrast with his +manly one. His business, whatever it was, detained him from day to day, +but evening seldom failed to bring him out to see--well, he always asked +for Mr. March, so I suppose _he_ was the attraction. The excellent papa +labored under the delusion that he was, and revelled in long discussions +with the kindred spirit, till a chance remark of his more observing +grandson suddenly enlightened him. + +Mr. Bhaer came in one evening to pause on the threshold of the study, +astonished by the spectacle that met his eye. Prone upon the floor lay +Mr. March, with his respectable legs in the air, and beside him, +likewise prone, was Demi, trying to imitate the attitude with his own +short, scarlet-stockinged legs, both grovellers so seriously absorbed +that they were unconscious of spectators, till Mr. Bhaer laughed his +sonorous laugh, and Jo cried out, with a scandalized face,-- + +"Father, father, here's the Professor!" + +Down went the black legs and up came the gray head, as the preceptor +said, with undisturbed dignity,-- + +"Good evening, Mr. Bhaer. Excuse me for a moment; we are just finishing +our lesson. Now, Demi, make the letter and tell its name." + +"I knows him!" and, after a few convulsive efforts, the red legs took +the shape of a pair of compasses, and the intelligent pupil triumphantly +shouted, "It's a We, dranpa, it's a We!" + + [Illustration: Dranpa, it's a We] + +"He's a born Weller," laughed Jo, as her parent gathered himself up, and +her nephew tried to stand on his head, as the only mode of expressing +his satisfaction that school was over. + +"What have you been at to-day, bübchen?" asked Mr. Bhaer, picking up the +gymnast. + +"Me went to see little Mary." + +"And what did you there?" + +"I kissed her," began Demi, with artless frankness. + +"Prut! thou beginnest early. What did the little Mary say to that?" +asked Mr. Bhaer, continuing to confess the young sinner, who stood upon +his knee, exploring the waistcoat-pocket. + +"Oh, she liked it, and she kissed me, and I liked it. _Don't_ little +boys like little girls?" added Demi, with his mouth full, and an air of +bland satisfaction. + +"You precocious chick! Who put that into your head?" said Jo, enjoying +the innocent revelations as much as the Professor. + +"'Tisn't in mine head; it's in mine mouf," answered literal Demi, +putting out his tongue, with a chocolate-drop on it, thinking she +alluded to confectionery, not ideas. + +"Thou shouldst save some for the little friend: sweets to the sweet, +mannling;" and Mr. Bhaer offered Jo some, with a look that made her +wonder if chocolate was not the nectar drunk by the gods. Demi also saw +the smile, was impressed by it, and artlessly inquired,-- + +"Do great boys like great girls, too, 'Fessor?" + +Like young Washington, Mr. Bhaer "couldn't tell a lie;" so he gave the +somewhat vague reply that he believed they did sometimes, in a tone that +made Mr. March put down his clothes-brush, glance at Jo's retiring face, +and then sink into his chair, looking as if the "precocious chick" had +put an idea into _his_ head that was both sweet and sour. + +Why Dodo, when she caught him in the china-closet half an hour +afterward, nearly squeezed the breath out of his little body with a +tender embrace, instead of shaking him for being there, and why she +followed up this novel performance by the unexpected gift of a big slice +of bread and jelly, remained one of the problems over which Demi puzzled +his small wits, and was forced to leave unsolved forever. + + [Illustration: Tail-piece] + + + + + [Illustration: Mr. Bhaer and Jo were enjoying promenades] + + XLVI. + + UNDER THE UMBRELLA. + + +While Laurie and Amy were taking conjugal strolls over velvet carpets, +as they set their house in order, and planned a blissful future, Mr. +Bhaer and Jo were enjoying promenades of a different sort, along muddy +roads and sodden fields. + +"I always do take a walk toward evening, and I don't know why I should +give it up, just because I often happen to meet the Professor on his way +out," said Jo to herself, after two or three encounters; for, though +there were two paths to Meg's, whichever one she took she was sure to +meet him, either going or returning. He was always walking rapidly, and +never seemed to see her till quite close, when he would look as if his +short-sighted eyes had failed to recognize the approaching lady till +that moment. Then, if she was going to Meg's, he always had something +for the babies; if her face was turned homeward, he had merely strolled +down to see the river, and was just about returning, unless they were +tired of his frequent calls. + +Under the circumstances, what could Jo do but greet him civilly, and +invite him in? If she _was_ tired of his visits, she concealed her +weariness with perfect skill, and took care that there should be coffee +for supper, "as Friedrich--I mean Mr. Bhaer--doesn't like tea." + +By the second week, every one knew perfectly well what was going on, yet +every one tried to look as if they were stone-blind to the changes in +Jo's face. They never asked why she sang about her work, did up her hair +three times a day, and got so blooming with her evening exercise; and no +one seemed to have the slightest suspicion that Professor Bhaer, while +talking philosophy with the father, was giving the daughter lessons in +love. + +Jo couldn't even lose her heart in a decorous manner, but sternly tried +to quench her feelings; and, failing to do so, led a somewhat agitated +life. She was mortally afraid of being laughed at for surrendering, +after her many and vehement declarations of independence. Laurie was her +especial dread; but, thanks to the new manager, he behaved with +praiseworthy propriety, never called Mr. Bhaer "a capital old fellow" in +public, never alluded, in the remotest manner, to Jo's improved +appearance, or expressed the least surprise at seeing the Professor's +hat on the Marches' hall-table nearly every evening. But he exulted in +private and longed for the time to come when he could give Jo a piece of +plate, with a bear and a ragged staff on it as an appropriate +coat-of-arms. + +For a fortnight, the Professor came and went with lover-like regularity; +then he stayed away for three whole days, and made no sign,--a +proceeding which caused everybody to look sober, and Jo to become +pensive, at first, and then--alas for romance!--very cross. + +"Disgusted, I dare say, and gone home as suddenly as he came. It's +nothing to me, of course; but I _should_ think he would have come and +bid us good-by, like a gentleman," she said to herself, with a +despairing look at the gate, as she put on her things for the customary +walk, one dull afternoon. + +"You'd better take the little umbrella, dear; it looks like rain," said +her mother, observing that she had on her new bonnet, but not alluding +to the fact. + +"Yes, Marmee; do you want anything in town? I've got to run in and get +some paper," returned Jo, pulling out the bow under her chin before the +glass as an excuse for not looking at her mother. + +"Yes; I want some twilled silesia, a paper of number nine needles, and +two yards of narrow lavender ribbon. Have you got your thick boots on, +and something warm under your cloak?" + +"I believe so," answered Jo absently. + +"If you happen to meet Mr. Bhaer, bring him home to tea. I quite long to +see the dear man," added Mrs. March. + +Jo heard _that_, but made no answer, except to kiss her mother, and walk +rapidly away, thinking with a glow of gratitude, in spite of her +heartache,-- + +"How good she is to me! What _do_ girls do who haven't any mothers to +help them through their troubles?" + +The dry-goods stores were not down among the counting-houses, banks, and +wholesale warerooms, where gentlemen most do congregate; but Jo found +herself in that part of the city before she did a single errand, +loitering along as if waiting for some one, examining engineering +instruments in one window and samples of wool in another with most +unfeminine interest; tumbling over barrels, being half-smothered by +descending bales, and hustled unceremoniously by busy men who looked as +if they wondered "how the deuce she got there." A drop of rain on her +cheek recalled her thoughts from baffled hopes to ruined ribbons; for +the drops continued to fall, and, being a woman as well as a lover, she +felt that, though it was too late to save her heart, she might her +bonnet. Now she remembered the little umbrella, which she had forgotten +to take in her hurry to be off; but regret was unavailing, and nothing +could be done but borrow one or submit to a drenching. She looked up at +the lowering sky, down at the crimson bow already flecked with black, +forward along the muddy street, then one long, lingering look behind, at +a certain grimy warehouse, with "Hoffmann, Swartz, & Co." over the door, +and said to herself, with a sternly reproachful air,-- + +"It serves me right! What business had I to put on all my best things +and come philandering down here, hoping to see the Professor? Jo, I'm +ashamed of you! No, you shall _not_ go there to borrow an umbrella, or +find out where he is, from his friends. You shall trudge away, and do +your errands in the rain; and if you catch your death and ruin your +bonnet, it's no more than you deserve. Now then!" + +With that she rushed across the street so impetuously that she narrowly +escaped annihilation from a passing truck, and precipitated herself into +the arms of a stately old gentleman, who said, "I beg pardon, ma'am," +and looked mortally offended. Somewhat daunted, Jo righted herself, +spread her handkerchief over the devoted ribbons, and, putting +temptation behind her, hurried on, with increasing dampness about the +ankles, and much clashing of umbrellas overhead. The fact that a +somewhat dilapidated blue one remained stationary above the unprotected +bonnet, attracted her attention; and, looking up, she saw Mr. Bhaer +looking down. + + [Illustration: Looking up she saw Mr. Bhaer] + +"I feel to know the strong-minded lady who goes so bravely under many +horse-noses, and so fast through much mud. What do you down here, my +friend?" + +"I'm shopping." + +Mr. Bhaer smiled, as he glanced from the pickle-factory on one side, to +the wholesale hide and leather concern on the other; but he only said +politely,-- + +"You haf no umbrella. May I go also, and take for you the bundles?" + +"Yes, thank you." + +Jo's cheeks were as red as her ribbon, and she wondered what he thought +of her; but she didn't care, for in a minute she found herself walking +away arm-in-arm with her Professor, feeling as if the sun had suddenly +burst out with uncommon brilliancy, that the world was all right again, +and that one thoroughly happy woman was paddling through the wet that +day. + +"We thought you had gone," said Jo hastily, for she knew he was looking +at her. Her bonnet wasn't big enough to hide her face, and she feared he +might think the joy it betrayed unmaidenly. + +"Did you believe that I should go with no farewell to those who haf been +so heavenly kind to me?" he asked so reproachfully that she felt as if +she had insulted him by the suggestion, and answered heartily,-- + +"No, _I_ didn't; I knew you were busy about your own affairs, but we +rather missed you,--father and mother especially." + +"And you?" + +"I'm always glad to see you, sir." + +In her anxiety to keep her voice quite calm, Jo made it rather cool, and +the frosty little monosyllable at the end seemed to chill the Professor, +for his smile vanished, as he said gravely,-- + +"I thank you, and come one time more before I go." + +"You _are_ going, then?" + +"I haf no longer any business here; it is done." + +"Successfully, I hope?" said Jo, for the bitterness of disappointment +was in that short reply of his. + +"I ought to think so, for I haf a way opened to me by which I can make +my bread and gif my Jünglings much help." + +"Tell me, please! I like to know all about the--the boys," said Jo +eagerly. + +"That is so kind, I gladly tell you. My friends find for me a place in +a college, where I teach as at home, and earn enough to make the way +smooth for Franz and Emil. For this I should be grateful, should I not?" + +"Indeed you should. How splendid it will be to have you doing what you +like, and be able to see you often, and the boys!" cried Jo, clinging to +the lads as an excuse for the satisfaction she could not help betraying. + +"Ah! but we shall not meet often, I fear; this place is at the West." + +"So far away!" and Jo left her skirts to their fate, as if it didn't +matter now what became of her clothes or herself. + +Mr. Bhaer could read several languages, but he had not learned to read +women yet. He flattered himself that he knew Jo pretty well, and was, +therefore, much amazed by the contradictions of voice, face, and manner, +which she showed him in rapid succession that day, for she was in half a +dozen different moods in the course of half an hour. When she met him +she looked surprised, though it was impossible to help suspecting that +she had come for that express purpose. When he offered her his arm, she +took it with a look that filled him with delight; but when he asked if +she missed him, she gave such a chilly, formal reply that despair fell +upon him. On learning his good fortune she almost clapped her hands: was +the joy all for the boys? Then, on hearing his destination, she said, +"So far away!" in a tone of despair that lifted him on to a pinnacle of +hope; but the next minute she tumbled him down again by observing, like +one entirely absorbed in the matter,-- + +"Here's the place for my errands; will you come in? It won't take long." + +Jo rather prided herself upon her shopping capabilities, and +particularly wished to impress her escort with the neatness and despatch +with which she would accomplish the business. But, owing to the flutter +she was in, everything went amiss; she upset the tray of needles, forgot +the silesia was to be "twilled" till it was cut off, gave the wrong +change, and covered herself with confusion by asking for lavender ribbon +at the calico counter. Mr. Bhaer stood by, watching her blush and +blunder; and, as he watched, his own bewilderment seemed to subside, +for he was beginning to see that on some occasions women, like dreams, +go by contraries. + +When they came out, he put the parcel under his arm with a more cheerful +aspect, and splashed through the puddles as if he rather enjoyed it, on +the whole. + +"Should we not do a little what you call shopping for the babies, and +haf a farewell feast to-night if I go for my last call at your so +pleasant home?" he asked, stopping before a window full of fruit and +flowers. + +"What will we buy?" said Jo, ignoring the latter part of his speech, and +sniffing the mingled odors with an affectation of delight as they went +in. + +"May they haf oranges and figs?" asked Mr. Bhaer, with a paternal air. + +"They eat them when they can get them." + +"Do you care for nuts?" + +"Like a squirrel." + +"Hamburg grapes; yes, we shall surely drink to the Fatherland in those?" + +Jo frowned upon that piece of extravagance, and asked why he didn't buy +a frail of dates, a cask of raisins, and a bag of almonds, and done with +it? Whereat Mr. Bhaer confiscated her purse, produced his own, and +finished the marketing by buying several pounds of grapes, a pot of rosy +daisies, and a pretty jar of honey, to be regarded in the light of a +demijohn. Then, distorting his pockets with the knobby bundles, and +giving her the flowers to hold, he put up the old umbrella, and they +travelled on again. + +"Miss Marsch, I haf a great favor to ask of you," began the Professor, +after a moist promenade of half a block. + +"Yes, sir;" and Jo's heart began to beat so hard she was afraid he would +hear it. + +"I am bold to say it in spite of the rain, because so short a time +remains to me." + +"Yes, sir;" and Jo nearly crushed the small flower-pot with the sudden +squeeze she gave it. + +"I wish to get a little dress for my Tina, and I am too stupid to go +alone. Will you kindly gif me a word of taste and help?" + +"Yes, sir;" and Jo felt as calm and cool, all of a sudden, as if she had +stepped into a refrigerator. + +"Perhaps also a shawl for Tina's mother, she is so poor and sick, and +the husband is such a care. Yes, yes, a thick, warm shawl would be a +friendly thing to take the little mother." + +"I'll do it with pleasure, Mr. Bhaer. I'm going very fast and he's +getting dearer every minute," added Jo to herself; then, with a mental +shake, she entered into the business with an energy which was pleasant +to behold. + +Mr. Bhaer left it all to her, so she chose a pretty gown for Tina, and +then ordered out the shawls. The clerk, being a married man, +condescended to take an interest in the couple, who appeared to be +shopping for their family. + +"Your lady may prefer this; it's a superior article, a most desirable +color, quite chaste and genteel," he said, shaking out a comfortable +gray shawl, and throwing it over Jo's shoulders. + + [Illustration: Does this suit you, Mr. Bhaer?] + +"Does this suit you, Mr. Bhaer?" she asked, turning her back to him, +and feeling deeply grateful for the chance of hiding her face. + +"Excellently well; we will haf it," answered the Professor, smiling to +himself as he paid for it, while Jo continued to rummage the counters +like a confirmed bargain-hunter. + +"Now shall we go home?" he asked, as if the words were very pleasant to +him. + +"Yes; it's late, and I'm _so_ tired." Jo's voice was more pathetic than +she knew; for now the sun seemed to have gone in as suddenly as it came +out, the world grew muddy and miserable again, and for the first time +she discovered that her feet were cold, her head ached, and that her +heart was colder than the former, fuller of pain than the latter. Mr. +Bhaer was going away; he only cared for her as a friend; it was all a +mistake, and the sooner it was over the better. With this idea in her +head, she hailed an approaching omnibus with such a hasty gesture that +the daisies flew out of the pot and were badly damaged. + +"This is not our omniboos," said the Professor, waving the loaded +vehicle away, and stopping to pick up the poor little flowers. + +"I beg your pardon, I didn't see the name distinctly. Never mind, I can +walk. I'm used to plodding in the mud," returned Jo, winking hard, +because she would have died rather than openly wipe her eyes. + +Mr. Bhaer saw the drops on her cheeks, though she turned her head away; +the sight seemed to touch him very much, for, suddenly stooping down, he +asked in a tone that meant a great deal,-- + +"Heart's dearest, why do you cry?" + +Now, if Jo had not been new to this sort of thing she would have said +she wasn't crying, had a cold in her head, or told any other feminine +fib proper to the occasion; instead of which that undignified creature +answered, with an irrepressible sob,-- + +"Because you are going away." + +"Ach, mein Gott, that is _so_ good!" cried Mr. Bhaer, managing to clasp +his hands in spite of the umbrella and the bundles. "Jo, I haf nothing +but much love to gif you; I came to see if you could care for it, and I +waited to be sure that I was something more than a friend. Am I? Can +you make a little place in your heart for old Fritz?" he added, all in +one breath. + +"Oh, yes!" said Jo; and he was quite satisfied, for she folded both +hands over his arm, and looked up at him with an expression that plainly +showed how happy she would be to walk through life beside him, even +though she had no better shelter than the old umbrella, if he carried +it. + +It was certainly proposing under difficulties, for, even if he had +desired to do so, Mr. Bhaer could not go down upon his knees, on account +of the mud; neither could he offer Jo his hand, except figuratively, for +both were full; much less could he indulge in tender demonstrations in +the open street, though he was near it: so the only way in which he +could express his rapture was to look at her, with an expression which +glorified his face to such a degree that there actually seemed to be +little rainbows in the drops that sparkled on his beard. If he had not +loved Jo very much, I don't think he could have done it _then_, for she +looked far from lovely, with her skirts in a deplorable state, her +rubber boots splashed to the ankle, and her bonnet a ruin. Fortunately, +Mr. Bhaer considered her the most beautiful woman living, and she found +him more "Jove-like" than ever, though his hat-brim was quite limp with +the little rills trickling thence upon his shoulders (for he held the +umbrella all over Jo), and every finger of his gloves needed mending. + +Passers-by probably thought them a pair of harmless lunatics, for they +entirely forgot to hail a 'bus, and strolled leisurely along, oblivious +of deepening dusk and fog. Little they cared what anybody thought, for +they were enjoying the happy hour that seldom comes but once in any +life, the magical moment which bestows youth on the old, beauty on the +plain, wealth on the poor, and gives human hearts a foretaste of heaven. +The Professor looked as if he had conquered a kingdom, and the world had +nothing more to offer him in the way of bliss; while Jo trudged beside +him, feeling as if her place had always been there, and wondering how +she ever could have chosen any other lot. Of course, she was the first +to speak--intelligibly, I mean, for the emotional remarks which followed +her impetuous "Oh, yes!" were not of a coherent or reportable +character. + +"Friedrich, why didn't you--" + +"Ah, heaven, she gifs me the name that no one speaks since Minna died!" +cried the Professor, pausing in a puddle to regard her with grateful +delight. + +"I always call you so to myself--I forgot; but I won't, unless you like +it." + +"Like it? it is more sweet to me than I can tell. Say 'thou,' also, and +I shall say your language is almost as beautiful as mine." + +"Isn't 'thou' a little sentimental?" asked Jo, privately thinking it a +lovely monosyllable. + +"Sentimental? Yes. Thank Gott, we Germans believe in sentiment, and keep +ourselves young mit it. Your English 'you' is so cold, say 'thou,' +heart's dearest, it means so much to me," pleaded Mr. Bhaer, more like a +romantic student than a grave professor. + +"Well, then, why didn't thou tell me all this sooner?" asked Jo +bashfully. + +"Now I shall haf to show thee all my heart, and I so gladly will, +because thou must take care of it hereafter. See, then, my Jo,--ah, the +dear, funny little name!--I had a wish to tell something the day I said +good-by, in New York; but I thought the handsome friend was betrothed to +thee, and so I spoke not. Wouldst thou have said 'Yes,' then, if I _had_ +spoken?" + +"I don't know; I'm afraid not, for I didn't have any heart just then." + +"Prut! that I do not believe. It was asleep till the fairy prince came +through the wood, and waked it up. Ah, well, 'Die erste Liebe ist die +beste;' but that I should not expect." + +"Yes, the first love _is_ the best; so be contented, for I never had +another. Teddy was only a boy, and soon got over his little fancy," said +Jo, anxious to correct the Professor's mistake. + +"Good! then I shall rest happy, and be sure that thou givest me all. I +haf waited so long, I am grown selfish, as thou wilt find, Professorin." + +"I like that," cried Jo, delighted with her new name. "Now tell me what +brought you, at last, just when I most wanted you?" + +"This;" and Mr. Bhaer took a little worn paper out of his +waistcoat-pocket. + +Jo unfolded it, and looked much abashed, for it was one of her own +contributions to a paper that paid for poetry, which accounted for her +sending it an occasional attempt. + +"How could that bring you?" she asked, wondering what he meant. + +"I found it by chance; I knew it by the names and the initials, and in +it there was one little verse that seemed to call me. Read and find him; +I will see that you go not in the wet." + +Jo obeyed, and hastily skimmed through the lines which she had +christened-- + + "IN THE GARRET. + + "Four little chests all in a row, + Dim with dust, and worn by time, + All fashioned and filled, long ago, + By children now in their prime. + Four little keys hung side by side, + With faded ribbons, brave and gay + When fastened there, with childish pride, + Long ago, on a rainy day. + Four little names, one on each lid, + Carved out by a boyish hand, + And underneath there lieth hid + Histories of the happy band + Once playing here, and pausing oft + To hear the sweet refrain, + That came and went on the roof aloft, + In the falling summer rain. + + "'Meg' on the first lid, smooth and fair. + I look in with loving eyes, + For folded here, with well-known care, + A goodly gathering lies, + The record of a peaceful life,-- + Gifts to gentle child and girl, + A bridal gown, lines to a wife, + A tiny shoe, a baby curl. + No toys in this first chest remain, + For all are carried away, + In their old age, to join again + In another small Meg's play. + Ah, happy mother! well I know + You hear, like a sweet refrain, + Lullabies ever soft and low + In the falling summer rain. + + "'Jo' on the next lid, scratched and worn, + And within a motley store + Of headless dolls, of school-books torn, + Birds and beasts that speak no more; + Spoils brought home from the fairy ground + Only trod by youthful feet, + Dreams of a future never found, + Memories of a past still sweet; + Half-writ poems, stories wild, + April letters, warm and cold, + Diaries of a wilful child, + Hints of a woman early old; + A woman in a lonely home, + Hearing, like a sad refrain,-- + 'Be worthy love, and love will come,' + In the falling summer rain. + + "My Beth! the dust is always swept + From the lid that bears your name, + As if by loving eyes that wept, + By careful hands that often came. + Death canonized for us one saint, + Ever less human than divine, + And still we lay, with tender plaint, + Relics in this household shrine.-- + The silver bell, so seldom rung, + The little cap which last she wore, + The fair, dead Catherine that hung + By angels borne above her door; + The songs she sang, without lament, + In her prison-house of pain, + Forever are they sweetly blent + With the falling summer rain. + + "Upon the last lid's polished field-- + Legend now both fair and true-- + A gallant knight bears on his shield, + 'Amy,' in letters gold and blue. + Within lie snoods that bound her hair, + Slippers that have danced their last, + Faded flowers laid by with care, + Fans whose airy toils are past; + Gay valentines, all ardent flames, + Trifles that have borne their part + In girlish hopes and fears and shames,-- + The record of a maiden heart + Now learning fairer, truer spells, + Hearing, like a blithe refrain, + The silver sound of bridal bells + In the falling summer rain. + + "Four little chests all in a row, + Dim with dust, and worn by time, + Four women, taught by weal and woe + To love and labor in their prime. + Four sisters, parted for an hour, + None lost, one only gone before, + Made by love's immortal power, + Nearest and dearest evermore. + Oh, when these hidden stores of ours + Lie open to the Father's sight, + May they be rich in golden hours, + Deeds that show fairer for the light, + Lives whose brave music long shall ring, + Like a spirit-stirring strain, + Souls that shall gladly soar and sing + In the long sunshine after rain. + + "J. M." + +"It's very bad poetry, but I felt it when I wrote it, one day when I was +very lonely, and had a good cry on a rag-bag. I never thought it would +go where it could tell tales," said Jo, tearing up the verses the +Professor had treasured so long. + +"Let it go, it has done its duty, and I will haf a fresh one when I read +all the brown book in which she keeps her little secrets," said Mr. +Bhaer, with a smile, as he watched the fragments fly away on the wind. +"Yes," he added earnestly, "I read that, and I think to myself, 'She has +a sorrow, she is lonely, she would find comfort in true love. I haf a +heart full, full for her; shall I not go and say, 'If this is not too +poor a thing to gif for what I shall hope to receive, take it in Gott's +name?'" + +"And so you came to find that it was not too poor, but the one precious +thing I needed," whispered Jo. + +"I had no courage to think that at first, heavenly kind as was your +welcome to me. But soon I began to hope, and then I said, 'I will haf +her if I die for it,' and so I will!" cried Mr. Bhaer, with a defiant +nod, as if the walls of mist closing round them were barriers which he +was to surmount or valiantly knock down. + +Jo thought that was splendid, and resolved to be worthy of her knight, +though he did not come prancing on a charger in gorgeous array. + +"What made you stay away so long?" she asked presently, finding it so +pleasant to ask confidential questions and get delightful answers that +she could not keep silent. + +"It was not easy, but I could not find the heart to take you from that +so happy home until I could haf a prospect of one to give you, after +much time, perhaps, and hard work. How could I ask you to gif up so much +for a poor old fellow, who has no fortune but a little learning?" + +"I'm glad you _are_ poor; I couldn't bear a rich husband," said Jo +decidedly, adding, in a softer tone, "Don't fear poverty; I've known it +long enough to lose my dread, and be happy working for those I love; and +don't call yourself old,--forty is the prime of life. I couldn't help +loving you if you were seventy!" + +The Professor found that so touching that he would have been glad of his +handkerchief, if he could have got at it; as he couldn't, Jo wiped his +eyes for him, and said, laughing, as she took away a bundle or two,-- + +"I may be strong-minded, but no one can say I'm out of my sphere now, +for woman's special mission is supposed to be drying tears and bearing +burdens. I'm to carry my share, Friedrich, and help to earn the home. +Make up your mind to that, or I'll never go," she added resolutely, as +he tried to reclaim his load. + +"We shall see. Haf you patience to wait a long time, Jo? I must go away +and do my work alone. I must help my boys first, because, even for you, +I may not break my word to Minna. Can you forgif that, and be happy +while we hope and wait?" + +"Yes, I know I can; for we love one another, and that makes all the rest +easy to bear. I have my duty, also, and my work. I couldn't enjoy myself +if I neglected them even for you, so there's no need of hurry or +impatience. You can do your part out West, I can do mine here, and both +be happy hoping for the best, and leaving the future to be as God +wills." + +"Ah! thou gifest me such hope and courage, and I haf nothing to gif back +but a full heart and these empty hands," cried the Professor, quite +overcome. + + [Illustration: Under the umbrella] + +Jo never, never would learn to be proper; for when he said that as they +stood upon the steps, she just put both hands into his, whispering +tenderly, "Not empty now;" and, stooping down, kissed her Friedrich +under the umbrella. It was dreadful, but she would have done it if the +flock of draggle-tailed sparrows on the hedge had been human beings, for +she was very far gone indeed, and quite regardless of everything but her +own happiness. Though it came in such a very simple guise, that was the +crowning moment of both their lives, when, turning from the night and +storm and loneliness to the household light and warmth and peace waiting +to receive them, with a glad "Welcome home!" Jo led her lover in, and +shut the door. + + [Illustration: Tail-piece] + + + + + [Illustration: Harvest time] + + XLVII. + + HARVEST TIME. + + +For a year Jo and her Professor worked and waited, hoped and loved, met +occasionally, and wrote such voluminous letters that the rise in the +price of paper was accounted for, Laurie said. The second year began +rather soberly, for their prospects did not brighten, and Aunt March +died suddenly. But when their first sorrow was over,--for they loved the +old lady in spite of her sharp tongue,--they found they had cause for +rejoicing, for she had left Plumfield to Jo, which made all sorts of +joyful things possible. + +"It's a fine old place, and will bring a handsome sum; for of course you +intend to sell it," said Laurie, as they were all talking the matter +over, some weeks later. + +"No, I don't," was Jo's decided answer, as she petted the fat poodle, +whom she had adopted, out of respect to his former mistress. + +"You don't mean to live there?" + +"Yes, I do." + +"But, my dear girl, it's an immense house, and will take a power of +money to keep it in order. The garden and orchard alone need two or +three men, and farming isn't in Bhaer's line, I take it." + +"He'll try his hand at it there, if I propose it." + +"And you expect to live on the produce of the place? Well, that sounds +paradisiacal, but you'll find it desperate hard work." + +"The crop we are going to raise is a profitable one;" and Jo laughed. + +"Of what is this fine crop to consist, ma'am?" + +"Boys. I want to open a school for little lads,--a good, happy, homelike +school, with me to take care of them, and Fritz to teach them." + +"There's a truly Joian plan for you! Isn't that just like her?" cried +Laurie, appealing to the family, who looked as much surprised as he. + +"I like it," said Mrs. March decidedly. + +"So do I," added her husband, who welcomed the thought of a chance for +trying the Socratic method of education on modern youth. + +"It will be an immense care for Jo," said Meg, stroking the head of her +one all-absorbing son. + +"Jo can do it, and be happy in it. It's a splendid idea. Tell us all +about it," cried Mr. Laurence, who had been longing to lend the lovers a +hand, but knew that they would refuse his help. + +"I knew you'd stand by me, sir. Amy does too--I see it in her eyes, +though she prudently waits to turn it over in her mind before she +speaks. Now, my dear people," continued Jo earnestly, "just understand +that this isn't a new idea of mine, but a long-cherished plan. Before my +Fritz came, I used to think how, when I'd made my fortune, and no one +needed me at home, I'd hire a big house, and pick up some poor, forlorn +little lads, who hadn't any mothers, and take care of them, and make +life jolly for them before it was too late. I see so many going to ruin, +for want of help at the right minute; I love so to do anything for them; +I seem to feel their wants, and sympathize with their troubles, and, oh, +I should _so_ like to be a mother to them!" + +Mrs. March held out her hand to Jo, who took it, smiling, with tears in +her eyes, and went on in the old enthusiastic way, which they had not +seen for a long while. + +"I told my plan to Fritz once, and he said it was just what he would +like, and agreed to try it when we got rich. Bless his dear heart, he's +been doing it all his life,--helping poor boys, I mean, not getting +rich; that he'll never be; money doesn't stay in his pocket long enough +to lay up any. But now, thanks to my good old aunt, who loved me better +than I ever deserved, _I'm_ rich, at least I feel so, and we can live at +Plumfield perfectly well, if we have a flourishing school. It's just the +place for boys, the house is big, and the furniture strong and plain. +There's plenty of room for dozens inside, and splendid grounds outside. +They could help in the garden and orchard: such work is healthy, isn't +it, sir? Then Fritz can train and teach in his own way, and father will +help him. I can feed and nurse and pet and scold them; and mother will +be my stand-by. I've always longed for lots of boys, and never had +enough; now I can fill the house full, and revel in the little dears to +my heart's content. Think what luxury,--Plumfield my own, and a +wilderness of boys to enjoy it with me!" + +As Jo waved her hands, and gave a sigh of rapture, the family went off +into a gale of merriment, and Mr. Laurence laughed till they thought +he'd have an apoplectic fit. + +"I don't see anything funny," she said gravely, when she could be heard. +"Nothing could be more natural or proper than for my Professor to open a +school, and for me to prefer to reside on my own estate." + +"She is putting on airs already," said Laurie, who regarded the idea in +the light of a capital joke. "But may I inquire how you intend to +support the establishment? If all the pupils are little ragamuffins, I'm +afraid your crop won't be profitable in a worldly sense, Mrs. Bhaer." + +"Now don't be a wet-blanket, Teddy. Of course I shall have rich pupils, +also,--perhaps begin with such altogether; then, when I've got a start, +I can take a ragamuffin or two, just for a relish. Rich people's +children often need care and comfort, as well as poor. I've seen +unfortunate little creatures left to servants, or backward ones pushed +forward, when it's real cruelty. Some are naughty through mismanagement +or neglect, and some lose their mothers. Besides, the best have to get +through the hobbledehoy age, and that's the very time they need most +patience and kindness. People laugh at them, and hustle them about, try +to keep them out of sight, and expect them to turn, all at once, from +pretty children into fine young men. They don't complain much,--plucky +little souls,--but they feel it. I've been through something of it, and +I know all about it. I've a special interest in such young bears, and +like to show them that I see the warm, honest, well-meaning boys' +hearts, in spite of the clumsy arms and legs and the topsy-turvy heads. +I've had experience, too, for haven't I brought up one boy to be a pride +and honor to his family?" + +"I'll testify that you tried to do it," said Laurie, with a grateful +look. + +"And I've succeeded beyond my hopes; for here you are, a steady, +sensible business man, doing heaps of good with your money, and laying +up the blessings of the poor, instead of dollars. But you are not merely +a business man: you love good and beautiful things, enjoy them yourself, +and let others go halves, as you always did in the old times. I _am_ +proud of you, Teddy, for you get better every year, and every one feels +it, though you won't let them say so. Yes, and when I have my flock, +I'll just point to you, and say, 'There's your model, my lads.'" + +Poor Laurie didn't know where to look; for, man though he was, something +of the old bashfulness came over him as this burst of praise made all +faces turn approvingly upon him. + +"I say, Jo, that's rather too much," he began, just in his old boyish +way. "You have all done more for me than I can ever thank you for, +except by doing my best not to disappoint you. You have rather cast me +off lately, Jo, but I've had the best of help, nevertheless; so, if I've +got on at all, you may thank these two for it;" and he laid one hand +gently on his grandfather's white head, the other on Amy's golden one, +for the three were never far apart. + +"I do think that families are the most beautiful things in all the +world!" burst out Jo, who was in an unusually uplifted frame of mind +just then. "When I have one of my own, I hope it will be as happy as the +three I know and love the best. If John and my Fritz were only here, it +would be quite a little heaven on earth," she added more quietly. And +that night, when she went to her room, after a blissful evening of +family counsels, hopes, and plans, her heart was so full of happiness +that she could only calm it by kneeling beside the empty bed always near +her own, and thinking tender thoughts of Beth. + +It was a very astonishing year altogether, for things seemed to happen +in an unusually rapid and delightful manner. Almost before she knew +where she was, Jo found herself married and settled at Plumfield. Then a +family of six or seven boys sprung up like mushrooms, and flourished +surprisingly, poor boys as well as rich; for Mr. Laurence was +continually finding some touching case of destitution, and begging the +Bhaers to take pity on the child, and he would gladly pay a trifle for +its support. In this way the sly old gentleman got round proud Jo, and +furnished her with the style of boy in which she most delighted. + +Of course it was up-hill work at first, and Jo made queer mistakes; but +the wise Professor steered her safely into calmer waters, and the most +rampant ragamuffin was conquered in the end. How Jo did enjoy her +"wilderness of boys," and how poor, dear Aunt March would have lamented +had she been there to see the sacred precincts of prim, well-ordered +Plumfield overrun with Toms, Dicks, and Harrys! There was a sort of +poetic justice about it, after all, for the old lady had been the terror +of the boys for miles round; and now the exiles feasted freely on +forbidden plums, kicked up the gravel with profane boots unreproved, and +played cricket in the big field where the irritable "cow with a crumpled +horn" used to invite rash youths to come and be tossed. It became a sort +of boys' paradise, and Laurie suggested that it should be called the +"Bhaer-garten," as a compliment to its master and appropriate to its +inhabitants. + +It never was a fashionable school, and the Professor did not lay up a +fortune; but it _was_ just what Jo intended it to be,--"a happy, +homelike place for boys, who needed teaching, care, and kindness." +Every room in the big house was soon full; every little plot in the +garden soon had its owner; a regular menagerie appeared in barn and +shed, for pet animals were allowed; and, three times a day, Jo smiled at +her Fritz from the head of a long table lined on either side with rows +of happy young faces, which all turned to her with affectionate eyes, +confiding words, and grateful hearts, full of love for "Mother Bhaer." +She had boys enough now, and did not tire of them, though they were not +angels, by any means, and some of them caused both Professor and +Professorin much trouble and anxiety. But her faith in the good spot +which exists in the heart of the naughtiest, sauciest, most tantalizing +little ragamuffin gave her patience, skill, and, in time, success; for +no mortal boy could hold out long with Father Bhaer shining on him as +benevolently as the sun, and Mother Bhaer forgiving him seventy times +seven. Very precious to Jo was the friendship of the lads; their +penitent sniffs and whispers after wrong-doing; their droll or touching +little confidences; their pleasant enthusiasms, hopes, and plans; even +their misfortunes, for they only endeared them to her all the more. +There were slow boys and bashful boys; feeble boys and riotous boys; +boys that lisped and boys that stuttered; one or two lame ones; and a +merry little quadroon, who could not be taken in elsewhere, but who was +welcome to the "Bhaer-garten," though some people predicted that his +admission would ruin the school. + +Yes; Jo was a very happy woman there, in spite of hard work, much +anxiety, and a perpetual racket. She enjoyed it heartily, and found the +applause of her boys more satisfying than any praise of the world; for +now she told no stories except to her flock of enthusiastic believers +and admirers. As the years went on, two little lads of her own came to +increase her happiness,--Rob, named for grandpa, and Teddy, a +happy-go-lucky baby, who seemed to have inherited his papa's sunshiny +temper as well as his mother's lively spirit. How they ever grew up +alive in that whirlpool of boys was a mystery to their grandma and +aunts; but they flourished like dandelions in spring, and their rough +nurses loved and served them well. + +There were a great many holidays at Plumfield, and one of the most +delightful was the yearly apple-picking; for then the Marches, +Laurences, Brookes, and Bhaers turned out in full force, and made a day +of it. Five years after Jo's wedding, one of these fruitful festivals +occurred,--a mellow October day, when the air was full of an +exhilarating freshness which made the spirits rise, and the blood dance +healthily in the veins. The old orchard wore its holiday attire; +golden-rod and asters fringed the mossy walls; grasshoppers skipped +briskly in the sere grass, and crickets chirped like fairy pipers at a +feast; squirrels were busy with their small harvesting; birds twittered +their adieux from the alders in the lane; and every tree stood ready to +send down its shower of red or yellow apples at the first shake. +Everybody was there; everybody laughed and sang, climbed up and tumbled +down; everybody declared that there never had been such a perfect day or +such a jolly set to enjoy it; and every one gave themselves up to the +simple pleasures of the hour as freely as if there were no such things +as care or sorrow in the world. + +Mr. March strolled placidly about, quoting Tusser, Cowley, and Columella +to Mr. Laurence, while enjoying-- + + "The gentle apple's winey juice." + +The Professor charged up and down the green aisles like a stout Teutonic +knight, with a pole for a lance, leading on the boys, who made a hook +and ladder company of themselves, and performed wonders in the way of +ground and lofty tumbling. Laurie devoted himself to the little ones, +rode his small daughter in a bushel-basket, took Daisy up among the +birds' nests, and kept adventurous Rob from breaking his neck. Mrs. +March and Meg sat among the apple piles like a pair of Pomonas, sorting +the contributions that kept pouring in; while Amy, with a beautiful +motherly expression in her face, sketched the various groups, and +watched over one pale lad, who sat adoring her with his little crutch +beside him. + +Jo was in her element that day, and rushed about, with her gown pinned +up, her hat anywhere but on her head, and her baby tucked under her arm, +ready for any lively adventure which might turn up. Little Teddy bore a +charmed life, for nothing ever happened to him, and Jo never felt any +anxiety when he was whisked up into a tree by one lad, galloped off on +the back of another, or supplied with sour russets by his indulgent +papa, who labored under the Germanic delusion that babies could digest +anything, from pickled cabbage to buttons, nails, and their own small +shoes. She knew that little Ted would turn up again in time, safe and +rosy, dirty and serene, and she always received him back with a hearty +welcome, for Jo loved her babies tenderly. + + [Illustration: Teddy bore a charmed life] + +At four o'clock a lull took place, and baskets remained empty, while the +apple-pickers rested, and compared rents and bruises. Then Jo and Meg, +with a detachment of the bigger boys, set forth the supper on the grass, +for an out-of-door tea was always the crowning joy of the day. The land +literally flowed with milk and honey on such occasions, for the lads +were not required to sit at table, but allowed to partake of refreshment +as they liked,--freedom being the sauce best beloved by the boyish soul. +They availed themselves of the rare privilege to the fullest extent, for +some tried the pleasing experiment of drinking milk while standing on +their heads, others lent a charm to leap-frog by eating pie in the +pauses of the game, cookies were sown broadcast over the field, and +apple-turnovers roosted in the trees like a new style of bird. The +little girls had a private tea-party, and Ted roved among the edibles at +his own sweet will. + +When no one could eat any more, the Professor proposed the first regular +toast, which was always drunk at such times,--"Aunt March, God bless +her!" A toast heartily given by the good man, who never forgot how much +he owed her, and quietly drunk by the boys, who had been taught to +keep her memory green. + +"Now, grandma's sixtieth birthday! Long life to her, with three times +three!" + +That was given with a will, as you may well believe; and the cheering +once begun, it was hard to stop it. Everybody's health was proposed, +from Mr. Laurence, who was considered their special patron, to the +astonished guinea-pig, who had strayed from its proper sphere in search +of its young master. Demi, as the oldest grandchild, then presented the +queen of the day with various gifts, so numerous that they were +transported to the festive scene in a wheelbarrow. Funny presents, some +of them, but what would have been defects to other eyes were ornaments +to grandma's,--for the children's gifts were all their own. Every stitch +Daisy's patient little fingers had put into the handkerchiefs she hemmed +was better than embroidery to Mrs. March; Demi's shoe-box was a miracle +of mechanical skill, though the cover wouldn't shut; Rob's footstool had +a wiggle in its uneven legs, that she declared was very soothing; and no +page of the costly book Amy's child gave her was so fair as that on +which appeared, in tipsy capitals, the words,--"To dear Grandma, from +her little Beth." + +During this ceremony the boys had mysteriously disappeared; and, when +Mrs. March had tried to thank her children, and broken down, while Teddy +wiped her eyes on his pinafore, the Professor suddenly began to sing. +Then, from above him, voice after voice took up the words, and from tree +to tree echoed the music of the unseen choir, as the boys sung, with all +their hearts, the little song Jo had written, Laurie set to music, and +the Professor trained his lads to give with the best effect. This was +something altogether new, and it proved a grand success; for Mrs. March +couldn't get over her surprise, and insisted on shaking hands with every +one of the featherless birds, from tall Franz and Emil to the little +quadroon, who had the sweetest voice of all. + +After this, the boys dispersed for a final lark, leaving Mrs. March and +her daughters under the festival tree. + +[Illustration: "Leaving Mrs. March and her daughters under the festival + tree."--Page 583] + +"I don't think I ever ought to call myself 'Unlucky Jo' again, when my +greatest wish has been so beautifully gratified," said Mrs. Bhaer, +taking Teddy's little fist out of the milk-pitcher, in which he was +rapturously churning. + +"And yet your life is very different from the one you pictured so long +ago. Do you remember our castles in the air?" asked Amy, smiling as she +watched Laurie and John playing cricket with the boys. + +"Dear fellows! It does my heart good to see them forget business, and +frolic for a day," answered Jo, who now spoke in a maternal way of all +mankind. "Yes, I remember; but the life I wanted then seems selfish, +lonely, and cold to me now. I haven't given up the hope that I may write +a good book yet, but I can wait, and I'm sure it will be all the better +for such experiences and illustrations as these;" and Jo pointed from +the lively lads in the distance to her father, leaning on the +Professor's arm, as they walked to and fro in the sunshine, deep in one +of the conversations which both enjoyed so much, and then to her mother, +sitting enthroned among her daughters, with their children in her lap +and at her feet, as if all found help and happiness in the face which +never could grow old to them. + +"My castle was the most nearly realized of all. I asked for splendid +things, to be sure, but in my heart I knew I should be satisfied, if I +had a little home, and John, and some dear children like these. I've got +them all, thank God, and am the happiest woman in the world;" and Meg +laid her hand on her tall boy's head, with a face full of tender and +devout content. + +"My castle is very different from what I planned, but I would not alter +it, though, like Jo, I don't relinquish all my artistic hopes, or +confine myself to helping others fulfil their dreams of beauty. I've +begun to model a figure of baby, and Laurie says it is the best thing +I've ever done. I think so myself, and mean to do it in marble, so that, +whatever happens, I may at least keep the image of my little angel." + +As Amy spoke, a great tear dropped on the golden hair of the sleeping +child in her arms; for her one well-beloved daughter was a frail little +creature and the dread of losing her was the shadow over Amy's sunshine. +This cross was doing much for both father and mother, for one love and +sorrow bound them closely together. Amy's nature was growing sweeter, +deeper, and more tender; Laurie was growing more serious, strong, and +firm; and both were learning that beauty, youth, good fortune, even love +itself, cannot keep care and pain, loss and sorrow, from the most blest; +for-- + + "Into each life some rain must fall, + Some days must be dark and sad and dreary." + +"She is growing better, I am sure of it, my dear. Don't despond, but +hope and keep happy," said Mrs. March, as tender-hearted Daisy stooped +from her knee, to lay her rosy cheek against her little cousin's pale +one. + +"I never ought to, while I have you to cheer me up, Marmee, and Laurie +to take more than half of every burden," replied Amy warmly. "He never +lets me see his anxiety, but is so sweet and patient with me, so devoted +to Beth, and such a stay and comfort to me always, that I can't love him +enough. So, in spite of my one cross, I can say with Meg, 'Thank God, +I'm a happy woman.'" + +"There's no need for me to say it, for every one can see that I'm far +happier than I deserve," added Jo, glancing from her good husband to her +chubby children, tumbling on the grass beside her. "Fritz is getting +gray and stout; I'm growing as thin as a shadow, and am thirty; we never +shall be rich, and Plumfield may burn up any night, for that +incorrigible Tommy Bangs _will_ smoke sweet-fern cigars under the +bed-clothes, though he's set himself afire three times already. But in +spite of these unromantic facts, I have nothing to complain of, and +never was so jolly in my life. Excuse the remark, but living among boys, +I can't help using their expressions now and then." + +"Yes, Jo, I think your harvest will be a good one," began Mrs. March, +frightening away a big black cricket that was staring Teddy out of +countenance. + +"Not half so good as yours, mother. Here it is, and we never can thank +you enough for the patient sowing and reaping you have done," cried Jo, +with the loving impetuosity which she never could outgrow. + +"I hope there will be more wheat and fewer tares every year," said Amy +softly. + +"A large sheaf, but I know there's room in your heart for it, Marmee +dear," added Meg's tender voice. + +Touched to the heart, Mrs. March could only stretch out her arms, as if +to gather children and grandchildren to herself, and say, with face and +voice full of motherly love, gratitude, and humility,-- + +"O, my girls, however long you may live, I never can wish you a greater +happiness than this!" + + [Illustration: Tail-piece] + + [Illustration] + + + + + Louisa M. Alcott's Writings + + +THE LITTLE WOMEN SERIES. + + =Little Women=; or Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. Illustrated. 16mo. + $1.50. + + =Little Men.= Life at Plumfield with Jo's Boys. Illustrated. + 16mo. $1.50. + + =Jo's Boys and How They Turned Out.= A Sequel to "Little Men." + Portrait of Author. 16mo. $1.50. + + =An Old-Fashioned Girl.= Illustrated. 16mo. $1.50. + + =Eight Cousins=; or, The Aunt-Hill. Illustrated. 16mo. $1.50. + + =Rose in Bloom.= A Sequel to "Eight Cousins." Illustrated. 16mo. + $1.50. + + =Under the Lilacs.= Illustrated. 16mo. $1.50. + + =Jack and Jill.= A Village Story. Illustrated. 16mo. $1.50. + +The above eight volumes, uniformly bound in cloth, gilt, in box, $12.00. + + +THE LITTLE WOMEN SERIES. _New Illustrated Edition._ + Printed from new plates with new cover designs, and illustrated with + 84 full-page plates from drawings especially made for this edition + by Reginald B. Birch, Alice Barber Stephens, Jessie Willcox Smith, + and Harriet Roosevelt Richards. 8 vols. Crown 8vo. Decorated cloth, + gilt, in box. $16.00. Separately, $2.00. + + +THE SPINNING-WHEEL SERIES + + =Spinning-Wheel Stories.= + =Silver Pitchers.= + =Proverb Stories.= + =A Garland for Girls.= + +4 vols. 16mo. Each, $1.25. In box, $5.00. + + + THE SPINNING-WHEEL SERIES. _New Illustrated Edition._ Uniform in + size with the Illustrated Edition of the Little Women Series. + With 36 full-page plates by well-known artists. 4 vols. Crown + 8vo. Decorated cloth. In box, $6.00. Separately, $1.50. + + +AUNT JO'S SCRAP-BAG + + =My Boys.= + =Shawl-Straps.= + =Cupid and Chow-Chow.= + =My Girls.= + =Jimmy's Cruise in the Pinafore.= + =An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving.= + +6 vols. 16mo. Illustrated. Each, $1.00. In box, $6.00. + + +LULU'S LIBRARY + =Volume 1= + =Volume 2= + =Volume 3= + +3 vols. Each, $1.00. The set uniformly bound in cloth, gilt, in box, +$3.00. + + +NOVELS, ETC. + + =Hospital Sketches.= + =Work.= + =Comic Tragedies.= + =Moods.= + =A Modern Mephistopheles.= + =Life of Louisa May Alcott.= + +6 vols. 16mo. Each, $1.50. + + +LITTLE, BROWN, & COMPANY + +_Publishers_, 254 WASHINGTON STREET, BOSTON, MASS. + + + + + The Little Women Series + + By LOUISA M. ALCOTT + + +1. LITTLE WOMEN; or Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy + +Illustrated. 16mo. $1.50. + + A simple story of the home life of four girls. A portrayal of + child life, natural, wholesome, and inspiring. One of the best + and most popular children's books ever written. + +2. LITTLE MEN: Life at Plumfield with Jo's Boys + +Illustrated. 16mo. $1.50. + + Gives delightful pictures of boy life at old Plumfield, and is + brimful of activity, merriment, health, and happiness. + +3. JO'S BOYS, and How They Turned Out + +Illustrated. 16mo. $1.50. + + This sequel to "Little Men" takes up the story and carries Jo's + boys through the home struggles and adventures in the outside + world until they are fairly launched on the sea of manhood. + +4. AN OLD-FASHIONED GIRL + +Illustrated. 16mo. $1.50. + + The heroine of this book is shown as a possible improvement upon + the girl of the period, who seems sadly ignorant or ashamed of + the good old fashions which made women truly beautiful and + honored. + +5. EIGHT COUSINS; or, the Aunt-Hill + +Illustrated. 16mo. $1.50. + + The story of a pretty-faced and sunny-tempered little girl, + obliged by the death of her parents to live with her uncle and + her aunts, thereby coming in contact with seven cousins--all + boys. + +6. ROSE IN BLOOM + +Illustrated. 16mo. $1.50. + + This sequel to "Eight Cousins" carries on the story of Rose and + the cousins, and is full of vivacity, fresh and stirring + incident, and brilliant character painting. + +7. UNDER THE LILACS + +Illustrated. 16mo. $1.50. + + Ben and his dog Sancho run away from a circus and find a home + with Bob and Betty in the old house under the lilacs. Told in + Miss Alcott's best style. + +8. JACK AND JILL + +Illustrated. 16mo. $1.50. + + A vivid yet natural portrayal of home and school life in a New + England village, full of the sympathetic quality which lends + such a charm to Miss Alcott's writings. It is a lively and jolly + narrative. + +THE ABOVE EIGHT VOLUMES, UNIFORMLY BOUND, IN BOX, $12.00 + + _Uniform with "The Little Women Series."_ + +COMIC TRAGEDIES + + Written by "Jo" and "Meg," and acted by the "Little Women," with + a Foreword by "Meg." Portraits, etc. 16mo. $1.50. + +LOUISA MAY ALCOTT + + Her Life, Letters, and Journals. Edited by Ednah D. Cheney. With + photogravure portraits, etc. 16mo. $1.50. + + + + + Other Stories by LOUISA M. ALCOTT + + +SPINNING-WHEEL STORIES + + Four volumes of healthy and hearty short stories so told as to + fascinate the young people, while inculcating sturdy courage and + kindness to the weak in the boys, and in the girls those virtues + which fit them for filling a woman's place in the home. + + 1. SPINNING-WHEEL STORIES + With twelve initial illustrations. 16mo. $1.25. + + 2. SILVER PITCHERS: and Independence + 16mo. $1.25. + + 3. PROVERB STORIES + 16mo. $1.25. + + 4. A GARLAND FOR GIRLS + With illustrations. 16mo. $1.25. + The above four volumes, uniformly bound in cloth, gilt, in box, + $5.00. + + +AUNT JO'S SCRAP BAG + + Six books of jolly, readable stories told in Miss Alcott's best + style and sure to please young people. + + 1. MY BOYS + Illustrated. 16mo. $1.00. + + 2. SHAWL-STRAPS + Illustrated. Story of a voyage abroad. 16mo. $1.00 + + 3. CUPID AND CHOW-CHOW + Illustrated. 16mo. $1.00. + + 4. MY GIRLS + Illustrated. 16mo. $1.00. + + 5. JIMMY'S CRUISE IN THE PINAFORE, ETC. + Illustrated. 16mo. $1.00. + + 6. AN OLD-FASHIONED THANKSGIVING + Illustrated. 16mo. $1.00. + +The above six volumes, uniformly bound in cloth, gilt, in box, $6.00. + + +LULU'S LIBRARY + + Delightful short stories, many of them founded on incidents from + Miss Alcott's life. Told so as to attract children, and all + showing the spirit of cheerful accomplishment in the face of + discouragements. + + Three volumes. Each, $1.00. The set, uniformly bound in cloth, + gilt, in box, $3.00. + + +MISS ALCOTT'S NOVELS + + HOSPITAL SKETCHES + and Camp and Fireside Stories. With illustrations. 16mo. $1.50. + + WORK + A Story of Experience. Illustrated by Sol Eytinge. 16mo. $1.50. + + MOODS + A Novel. 16mo. $1.50. + + A MODERN MEPHISTOPHELES + and a Whisper in the Dark. 16mo. $1.50. + + + + + Other Stories by LOUISA M. ALCOTT + + +A HOLE IN THE WALL. Illustrated. 12mo. 50 cents. + + An account of a poor boy's admiration for a beautiful garden to + which he is invited by a little girl friend. ("How They Camped + Out" in same volume.) + +MARJORIE'S THREE GIFTS. Illustrated. 12mo. 50 cents. + + A fairy tale told Marjorie comes true, and there enter into her + life three good fairies: Industry, Cheerfulness, and Love. + ("Roses and Forget-me-nots" in same volume.) + +MAY FLOWERS. Illustrated. 12mo. 50 cents. + + The experiences of six earnest young girls who try to make the + sad lives about them happier. Full of sensible hints as to + wisest methods of charity. + +A CHRISTMAS DREAM. Illustrated. 12mo. 50 cents. + + A rather spoiled child gets her first real enjoyment of + Christmas by making others happy. ("Baa! Baa!" in same volume.) + +THE CANDY COUNTRY. Illustrated. 12mo. 50 cents. + + A quaint little fable in which the young heroine visits + Candy-land and is finally contented to return to Bread-land. + ("How They Ran Away" in same volume.) + +LITTLE BUTTON ROSE. Illustrated. 12mo. 50 cents. + + A bright, vivacious child visits her maiden aunts. Her + influence on the somewhat narrow characters about her is + delightfully described. + +POPPIES AND WHEAT. Illustrated. 12mo. 50 cents. + + Two girls travel through Europe. The frivolous Ethel learns the + advantages of culture and simple dignity from her companion. + +MOUNTAIN-LAUREL AND MAIDENHAIR. Illustrated. 12mo. 50 cents. + + The story of a New Hampshire farmer's daughter who is fond of + writing verses. + +PANSIES AND WATER-LILIES. Illustrated. 12mo. 50 cents. + + "Pansies" is a story of a girls' discussion of books; + "Water-Lilies" is a romance by the sea-shore. + +THE DOLLS' JOURNEY. Illustrated. 12mo. 50 cents. + + A droll account of the travels of two dolls. ("Shadow-Children" + and "The Moss People" in same volume.) + +MORNING GLORIES AND QUEEN ASTOR. Illustrated. 12mo. 50 cents. + + Aunt Wee changes Daisy from a petulant to a cheerful girl by + interesting her in the wonderful world of nature which Daisy has + never before learned to appreciate justly. + +THE LITTLE MEN PLAY. +THE LITTLE WOMEN PLAY. + + Adapted from Miss Alcott's famous stories, "Little Men" and + "Little Women," by Elizabeth L. Gould. Illustrated. 12mo. Price + 50 cents each. + + Two forty-five minute plays of two acts each, for eight or ten + little people. They will prove a source of limitless delight. + + +LITTLE, BROWN, & COMPANY, Publishers + +254 Washington St., Boston, Mass. + + + + + Transcriber's Notes: + + +Project Gutenberg has two versions of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. + Original Edition + Illustrated Edition + +Welcome to the Project Gutenberg Illustrated Edition of Little Women by +Louisa May Alcott, published by Little, Brown, and Company. Some +versions of the book, such as this one, use the full title of the book +from the title page, _Little Women; Or Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy_. + +We used the version of the book from Little, Brown, and Company: +copyright 1896, for this transcription. A scanned copy of this book is +available through the internet archive, courtesy of the New York Public +Library. + +A copy of the first version of the novel, published in 1869, was +consulted for emendations, the proper rendering of words hyphenated and +split between two lines for spacing, and other issues in transcribing +the novel. We are not trying to change this version of the novel back to +the 1869 novel, but correct the errors that were made in re-transcribing +and updating the text. + +Passages in italics were indicated by _underscores_. + +Passages in bold were indicated by =equal signs=. + +Small caps were replaced with ALL CAPS. + +Throughout the dialogues, there were words used to mimic accents of +the speakers. Those words were retained as-is. + +Errors in punctuations and hyphenation were not corrected unless +otherwise noted below. + +A note about spacing of illustrations: If there are four lines above the +illustration, then the illustration was at the top of a new chapter. If +there are four lines below the illustration, then the illustration was +at the end of a chapter. If there is two lines between a chapter heading +and the illustration, then the illustration was an inline illustration +(usually a drop-cap illustration). + +On page vii, in the Table of Contents, change page 7 to 1 for the +beginning of Chapter One. + +In the List of Illustrations, for the illustration on page 147, +"postmistress" was replaced with "post-mistress". + +In the List of Illustrations, for the illustration on page 235, +"tea-pot" was replaced with "teapot". + +On page 30, the punctuation after 'stained they are' may be a colon, but +on page 41 of the 1869 book, it is a semicolon. We used the semi-colon. + +On page 34, transcribe red-headed with the hyphen. See page 44 of the +1869 novel. + +On page 40, a period was added after "room where old Mr". See page 50 of +the 1869 novel. + +On page 41, the semicolon after "Laurie went on the box" was replaced +with a comma. See page 52 of the 1869 novel. + +On page 62, mantel-piece was transcribed with the hyphen. See Page 75 of +the 1869 novel. + +On page 63, checked the clause "and I've been trying to do it this ever +so long." It is written the same way on page 77 of the 1869 book. No +change was made. + +On page 64, add period after "red and shining with merriment." See page +79 of the 1869 book. + +On page 68, changed weet to sweet in 'the damp weet air.' See page 84 of +the 1869 novel. + +On page 79, add comma after I remain in the letter. See page 95 of the +1869 novel. + +On page 84, ferrule was an adjustment from the 1869 book, which only +used one r in spelling the word (see page 101). Webster's dictionary +spells ferrule with two rs. + +On page 109, a period was added after "and the old man quite dotes on +them". See page 130 of the 1869 novel. + +On page 109, a period was added after "asked another voice". See page +131 of the 1869 novel. + +On page 112, change colon to semicolon after "if you don't;"--see page +134 of the 1869 novel. + +On page 113, transcribe ear-rings with the hyphen. See page 135 of the +1869 novel. + +On Page 123, "One thing remember, my girls:" is written as it appears in +the 1896 novel. A comma instead of a colon was used after my girls in +the 1869 novel (see page 146). "One thing =to= remember," may work +better today, or even "Remember one thing," but we left this as Ms. +Alcott wrote it. + +On Page 124, the P. C. is the Pickwick Club from a novel by Charles +Dickens. Samuel Pickwick, Tracy Tupman, Augustus Snodgrass, and +Nathaniel Winkle were introdued by Charles Dickens in the first chapter +of The Pickwick Papers. Samuel Weller makes his first appearance in +Chapter Ten of that novel. + +On page 128, in the Pickwick Portfolio, there is no period after "it is +nearly school time" in N. Winkle's letter. This period was also missing +on page 151 of the 1869 novel. The missing period was intentional. + +On page 135, the ambiguous punctuation after "Oh, dear, no!" is an +exclamation point. See page 160 of the 1869 novel. + +On page 146, change buttonholes to button-holes. On page 173 of the 1869 +novel, this word was hyphenated and split between two lines for spacing. +There were seven other occurrences of button-hole or button-holes in the +novel. We therefore used the hyphen. + +On page 150, "Betty" was replaced with "Bethy". This error was also made +in the 1869 novel--see page 177. The character addressed is Beth. + +On page 158, a period was added after "still kneeling". See page 187 of +the 1869 novel. + +On page 160, "hard a lee" is spelled the same way in the 1869 novel (see +page 189) and this novel. We left this as is. + +On page 166, a comma was added after "Meg" in "Meg obediently +following". See page 195 of the 1869 book. + +On page 185, "receptable" was replaced with "receptacle". See page 217 +of the 1869 novel. + +On page 185, transcribe door-way with the hyphen. See page 217 of the +1869 novel. Also, change doorway to door-way a few lines down the same +page. See page 218 of the 1869 novel. + +On page 189, the comma after "published every day" was replaced with a +period. See page 225 of 1869 book. + +On page 198, the clause: "Beth, go and ask Mr. Laurence for a couple of +bottles of old wine:" was written as it appeared in the 1896 novel. The +clause ended in with a semi-colon in the 1869 book (see page 234). + +On page 200, change needlework to needle-work. See page 236 of the 1869 +novel. + +On page 209, "turnovers" was replaced with "turn-overs". See page 246 of +the 1869 novel. + +On page 214, the single quotation mark before "Head Nurse of Ward" was +replaced with a double quotation mark. See page 252 of the 1869 novel. + +On page 218, "Year's ago" was replaced with "Years ago". See page 257 of +the 1869 novel. + +On page 219, "ask him so help" was replaced with "ask him to help". See +page 257 of the 1869 novel. + +On page 219, add period after "give it to her." See page 258 of the 1869 +novel. + +On page 230, "two, A.M." is spelled the same way, with the comma, in +this book and in the 1869 novel (on page 272). The comma was retained. + +On page 244, "postscrips" was replaced with "postscripts". See page 287 +of the 1869 novel. + +On page 279, place exclamation point after won't in 'No, I won't!' See +page 329 in the 1869 novel. + +On page 286, "actingly" was replaced with "acting". See page 337 of the +1869 novel. + +On page 288, add comma after mankind in the clause "who felt at peace +with all mankind even his mischievous pupil." See page 339 of the 1869 +novel. + +On page 294, transcribe gray-headed with the hyphen. See page 5 of the +1869 novel. + +On page 295, add a comma after salary in the phrase "with an +honestly-earned salary." See page 7 of the 1869 book. + +Checked the clause "But once get used to these slight blemishes" on page +297. The sentence appears the same way on page 10 of the 1869 novel. + +Checked the clause "People who hire all these things done for them never +know what they lose" on page 298. The sentence has a comma after them, +but is otherwise written the same way on page 11 of the 1869 novel. + +On page 299, transcribe door-handles with the hyphen. See page 13 of the +1869 novel. + +On page 339, "shortcomings" was replaced with "short-comings". See page +62 of the 1869 novel. + +On page 345, "furbelows and notions" was written "furbelows and +quinny-dingles" in the 1869 novel. See page 59 of the 1869 novel. We +made no change, and only point this out because quinny-dingles is such a +memorable word that those intimate with the novel may notice the change. + +On page 353, change snowbank to snow-bank. See page 79 of the 1869 +novel. + +On page 363, a double quotation mark was added before "Cross-patch, draw +the latch". See page 91 of the 1869 book. + +On page 379, change period after Jo to a comma in the clause "as for Jo. +she would have gone up". See page 109 of the 1869 book. + +On page 380, a comma was added after "all lying down". See page 111 of +the 1869 book. + +On page 393, the punctuation after 'but so was everybody's' is difficult +to read. It could be a colon or semicolon. In the 1869 novel, the mark +is a semi-colon (see page 126). We used the semi-colon. + +On page 396, the second line of the verse beginning with "'Out upon +you," is indented. In the 1869 version, the capital B of "Bold-faced +jig!'" is lined-up under Out. We aligned the verse as the 1869 version +of the novel--see page 131. + +On page 404, add period after heaviness. See page 140 of the 1869 novel. + +On page 405, transcribe needle-work with the hyphen. See page 141 of the +1869 book. + +On Page 411, a letter is curiously addressed to Betsey, both here and on +page 148 of the 1869 book. + +On Page 413, removed double quotes around Yes in "Yes," they say to one +another, these so kind ladies. Instead, place a single quote in front of +Yes, because Bhaer is resuming his quote. The resumed quote concludes +with a single quote after me and mine. See page 151 of the 1869 novel. +The double quote before 'he is a stupid old fellow' is actually a +triple-nested quote, ending in make themselves. + +On page 417, transcribe Teddy-ism as Teddyism. See page 155 of the 1869 +novel. + +On page 451, a period was added after "I can't let you go". See page 196 +of the 1869 novel. + +On page 463, "Tarantula" was used as the name of a dance, but the author +might have meant "Tarantella," which is the name of an Italian dance +about tarantulas. + +On page 468, transcribe chess-board with the hyphen. See page 218 of the +1869 novel. + +On page 512, a period was added after "she said softly". If you see page +272 of the 1869 novel, you will also notice a comma in 'she said, +softly.' We added the period but not the comma. + +On page 514, the 1869 novel did not have a comma after oar in the +sentence: "I'm not tired; but you may take an oar, if you like. See page +525 of the 1869 novel. We did not remove the comma. + +On page 527, "the 'the best nevvy" was replaced with "the best nevvy". + +On page 527, change he to the in 'like Jenny and he ballad'. See page +291 of the 1869 novel. + +On page 531, David and Peggotty refer to two characters from the novel +"David Copperfield" by Charles Dickens. + +On page 534, change of to off in the clause: Daisy found it impossible +to keep her eyes of her "pitty aunty," ... see page 300 of the 1869 +novel. + +On page 541, "know'st thou the land where the citron blooms," was broken +into two stanzas in the book for spacing. We transcribed this as one +line. See page 308 in 1869 novel. + +On page 551, transcribe Dove-cote with the hyphen. See page 319 of the +1869 novel. + +On the first page of ads, a period was added after "THE LITTLE WOMEN +SERIES. New Illustrated Edition". + +On the second page of ads, in the blurb for the book Comic Tragedies, a +period as placed after "Portraits, etc". + +After the novel is a list of The Works of Louisa May Alcott. The list is +not complete: for example, there are no listings for her work as Flora +Fairfield or A. M. Barnard. Nevertheless, the pages are a fine +structured outline of Ms. Alcott's best work. + +Most of the novels and stories in these four pages are published by +Project Gutenberg. We included links to these titles for the reader's +convenience. A change had to be made for one item: We had to list each +of the three volumes of Lulu's Library to provide the links to that +book. These links will only work in the HTML document. + +The final page is a listing of eleven stories originally published in +other volumes, such as Jo's Scrap-Bag, Lulu's Library, and A Garland for +Girls. These works were subsequently published separately in small +volumes, generally less than 100 pages, in The Children's Friend Series. + + + + + + + *** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LITTLE WOMEN; OR, MEG, JO, BETH, AND AMY *** + + + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will +be renamed. + +Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright +law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, +so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United +States without permission and without paying copyright +royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part +of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project +Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ +concept and trademark. 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toUnderscore) + + +main :: IO () +main = do + text <- readFile "bench/little_women.txt" + mainWith $ do + let !t1 = take 100 text + !t2 = take 10000 text + !t3 = take 1000000 text + + somewords txt = catMaybes $ mkSomeWords $ words txt + + mkSomeWords (f:s:rest) = (SomeWord <$> mkWord f) : (SomeWord <$> mkAcronym s) : mkSomeWords rest + mkSomeWords (f:rest) = (SomeWord <$> mkWord f) : mkSomeWords rest + mkSomeWords [] = [] + + func "toUnderscore text-len-100" toUnderscore t1 + func "toUnderscore text-len-10000" toUnderscore t2 + func "toUnderscore text-len-1000000" toUnderscore t3 + func "toUnderscore all text" toUnderscore text + + func "toDashed text-len-100" toDashed t1 + func "toDashed text-len-10000" toDashed t2 + func "toDashed text-len-1000000" toDashed t3 + func "toDashed all text" toDashed text + + func "toCamelCased False text-len-100" (toCamelCased False) t1 + func "toCamelCased False text-len-10000" (toCamelCased False) t2 + func "toCamelCased False text-len-1000000" (toCamelCased False) t3 + func "toCamelCased False all text" (toCamelCased False) text + + func "toHumanized False text-len-100" (toHumanized False) t1 + func "toHumanized False text-len-10000" (toHumanized False) t2 + func "toHumanized False text-len-1000000" (toHumanized False) t3 + func "toHumanized False all text" (toHumanized False) text + + func "parameterize text-len-100" parameterize t1 + func "parameterize text-len-10000" parameterize t2 + func "parameterize text-len-1000000" parameterize t3 + func "parameterize all text" parameterize text + + func "titleize text-len-100" titleize (somewords t1) + func "titleize text-len-10000" titleize (somewords t2) + func "titleize text-len-1000000" titleize (somewords t3) + func "titleize all text" titleize (somewords text) + + func "ordinal 1" ordinal 1 + func "ordinal 3" ordinal 13 + func "ordinal 13" ordinal 13 + func "ordinal 137" ordinal 137 diff --git a/bench/speed/Main.hs b/bench/speed/Main.hs new file mode 100644 --- /dev/null +++ b/bench/speed/Main.hs @@ -0,0 +1,58 @@ +{-# LANGUAGE BangPatterns #-} +{-# LANGUAGE OverloadedStrings #-} + +module Main (main) where + +import Criterion.Main + +import Prelude hiding (readFile, take, words) + +import Data.Maybe (catMaybes) + +import Data.Text (Text, pack, take, words) +import Data.Text.IO (readFile) + +import Text.Inflections (SomeWord(..), mkWord, mkAcronym, ordinal, parameterize, + titleize, toCamelCased, toDashed, toHumanized, toUnderscore) + + +main :: IO () +main = do + text <- readFile "bench/little_women.txt" + let !t1 = take 100 text + !t2 = take 10000 text + !t3 = take 1000000 text + + somewords txt = catMaybes $ mkSomeWords $ words txt + + mkSomeWords (f:s:rest) = (SomeWord <$> mkWord f) : (SomeWord <$> mkAcronym s) : mkSomeWords rest + mkSomeWords (f:rest) = (SomeWord <$> mkWord f) : mkSomeWords rest + mkSomeWords [] = [] + + benchTextToText name func = + bgroup name + [ bench "text-len-100" $ nf func t1 + , bench "text-len-10000" $ nf func t2 + , bench "text-len-1000000" $ nf func t3 + , bench "all text" $ nf func text + ] + + defaultMain + [ benchTextToText "toUnderscore" toUnderscore + , benchTextToText "toDashed" toDashed + , benchTextToText "toCamelCased False" (toCamelCased False) + , benchTextToText "toHumanized False" (toHumanized False) + , benchTextToText "parameterize" parameterize + , bgroup "titleize" + [ bench "text-len-100" $ nf titleize (somewords t1) + , bench "text-len-10000" $ nf titleize (somewords t2) + , bench "text-len-1000000" $ nf titleize (somewords t3) + , bench "all text" $ nf titleize (somewords text) + ] + , bgroup "ordinal" + [ bench "1" $ nf ordinal 1 + , bench "3" $ nf ordinal 13 + , bench "13" $ nf ordinal 13 + , bench "137" $ nf ordinal 137 + ] + ] diff --git a/inflections.cabal b/inflections.cabal --- a/inflections.cabal +++ b/inflections.cabal @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ cabal-version: 2.0 name: inflections -version: 0.4.0.7 +version: 0.4.1.0 synopsis: Inflections library for Haskell description: Inflections provides methods for singularization, pluralization, @@ -9,18 +9,28 @@ license: MIT license-file: LICENSE author: Justin Leitgeb -homepage: https://github.com/stackbuilders/inflections-hs -bug-reports: https://github.com/stackbuilders/inflections-hs/issues -maintainer: Justin Leitgeb +homepage: https://github.com/mpscholten/inflections-hs +bug-reports: https://github.com/mpscholten/inflections-hs/issues +maintainer: Marc Scholten copyright: 2014–2016 Justin Leitgeb category: Text build-type: Simple +tested-with: GHC == 8.4.3 + , GHC == 8.10 + , GHC == 9.0 + , GHC == 9.2 + , GHC == 9.4 + , GHC == 9.6 + , GHC == 9.8 + , GHC == 9.10 + , GHC == 9.12 extra-source-files: CHANGELOG.md , README.md + , bench/little_women.txt source-repository head type: git - location: https://github.com/stackbuilders/inflections-hs.git + location: https://github.com/mpscholten/inflections-hs.git flag dev description: Turn on development settings. @@ -48,9 +58,9 @@ else ghc-options: -O2 -Wall build-depends: base >= 4.11 && < 5.0 - , exceptions >= 0.6 && < 0.11 + , exceptions >= 0.6 && < 0.12 , megaparsec >= 7.0.1 && < 10.0 - , text >= 0.2 && < 2.1 + , text >= 1.2.3 && < 2.2 , unordered-containers >= 0.2.7 && < 0.3 if !impl(ghc >= 7.10) build-depends: void == 0.7.* @@ -65,11 +75,11 @@ build-depends: inflections , QuickCheck >= 2.7.6 && < 3.0 , base >= 4.11 && < 5.0 - , containers >= 0.5 && < 0.7 + , containers >= 0.5 && < 0.8 , hspec >= 2.0 && < 3.0 , hspec-megaparsec >= 2.0 && < 3.0 , megaparsec - , text >= 0.2 && < 2.1 + , text >= 1.2.3 && < 2.2 if !impl(ghc >= 7.10) build-depends: void == 0.7.* @@ -92,3 +102,23 @@ , Text.Inflections.TypesSpec , Text.Inflections.UnderscoreSpec , Text.InflectionsSpec + +benchmark bench-speed + main-is: Main.hs + hs-source-dirs: bench/speed + type: exitcode-stdio-1.0 + build-depends: base + , inflections + , text + , criterion >= 1.1 && < 1.7 + default-language: Haskell2010 + +benchmark bench-memory + main-is: Main.hs + hs-source-dirs: bench/memory + type: exitcode-stdio-1.0 + build-depends: base + , inflections + , text + , weigh >= 0.0.3 && < 0.1.0 + default-language: Haskell2010 diff --git a/test/Text/Inflections/ParametrizeSpec.hs b/test/Text/Inflections/ParametrizeSpec.hs --- a/test/Text/Inflections/ParametrizeSpec.hs +++ b/test/Text/Inflections/ParametrizeSpec.hs @@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ module Text.Inflections.ParametrizeSpec (spec) where -import Data.Char (toLower) +import Data.Char (isAscii, toLower) import Data.List (group) import Test.Hspec import Test.QuickCheck @@ -20,11 +20,11 @@ it "never returns a string ending with a separator" $ property $ \s -> let parameterized = parameterize (T.pack s) in (not . T.null) parameterized ==> T.last parameterized /= '-' - it "returns every alphanumeric character from the input" $ property $ \s -> + it "returns every ASCII alphanumeric character from the input" $ property $ \s -> let parameterized = parameterize (T.pack s) in all (\c -> c `notElem` alphaNumerics || c `elem` (alphaNumerics ++ "-") && - c `elem` T.unpack parameterized) $ map toLower s + c `elem` T.unpack parameterized) $ map toLower (filter isAscii s) it "never returns a string with a sequence of dashes" $ property $ \s -> let parameterized = parameterize (T.pack s) in longestSequenceOf '-' (T.unpack parameterized) <= 1