Whitney_We_Girls.txt topic ['13', '324', '378', '393']
that, the children had been safe asleep in their nursery beds.
. , like any other burnt-out woman, had gone to the home
that offered to her,--her sister-in-law's; and were
going to the ; the children were at . 's; the things
that, in their rich and beautiful arrangement, had made _home_, as
well as enshrined the family in their sacredness of
elegance, were only miscellaneous "loads" now, transported and
discharged in haste, or heaped up confusedly to await removal. the
sleek servants, to whom, doubtless, it had seemed that their
could never fall, were suddenly, as much as any common and
, "out of a place."
that there would be any permanent difference; it was only the
story and attitude of a night. power was still behind; the
"" would sew things over again directly. .
would be comparatively composed and in order, at . 's,
in a few days,--receiving her friends, who would hurry to make
"fire-calls," as they would to make party or engagement or other
special occasion visits; the cordons would be stretched again; not one
of the crowd of people who went freely in and out of her burning rooms
that night, and worked hardest, saving her library and her pictures
and her carpets, would come up in cool blood and ring her door-bell
now; the sanctity and the dignity would be as unprofanable as ever.
was about four in the morning--the fire still burning--when .
went round upon the out-skirts of the groups of lookers-on,
to find and gather together her own flock. and stood in
a safe corner with the . was ?
against the close trunks of a cluster of linden-trees had been
thrown cushions and carpets and some bundles of heavy curtains, and
the like. up behind, . saw, sitting upon this heap,
two persons. knew 's hat, with its white gull's breast; but
somebody had wrapped her up in a great crimson table-cover, with a
bullion fringe. was , sitting there beside
her; , with only her head visible, was behaving, out here in
this unconventional place and time, with a tranquillity and composure
which of late had been apparently impossible to her in parlors.
[]
" will . do with . after this, wonder?"
. heard say.
"'ll give her a sort of brevet," replied . " gallant and
meritorious services. will be, ' friend . ; a near
neighbor of ours; she was with us all that terrible night of the fire,
you know.' will be a great honor; but it won't be a full
commission."
laughed.
" things happen when you are with us," said . ",
there was the whirlwind, last year,--and now the fire."
" the whirlwind and the fire--" said .
" wasn't thinking of the ," interrupted .
" a still, small voice," persisted . " 'm wicked, ,
can't help it. put it into my head."
" don't see any wickedness," answered , quickly. " was the
voice of the . suppose it is always coming."
", --"
. walked away again.
next day--_that_ day, after our eleven o'clock breakfast--
came back, and was at all day long.
got up into mother's room at evening, alone with her.
brought a cricket, and came and sat down beside her, and put her cheek
upon her knee.
"," she said, softly, " don't see but you'll have to get me
ready, and let me go."
" dear child! ? do you mean?"
" off. is under orders, you know. they may hardly
ever be so nice again. --if we _are_ going through the world
together--mightn't we as well begin to go?"
", , you take my breath away! then you always do!
is it?"
"'s the , fitting out at to join the
squadron. is a great friend of 's; his wife
and daughter are in , going out, by steamer, when
the frigate leaves, to meet him there. would take me, he says;
and--that's what wants, mother. 'll be a little while
first,--as much, perhaps, as we should ever have."
", my darling! you've nothing ready!"
", suppose not. never do have. is an emergency with
me; but always emerge! can get things in ," she added.
" does."
end of it was that . had to catch her breath again, as
mothers do; and that is getting ready to be married just as
she does everything else.
has some nice things--laid away, new; she always has; and mother
has unsuspected treasures; and we all had new silk dresses for
's wedding, and had a bright idea about that.
"'m as tall as either of you, now," she said; "and we girls are all
of a size, as near as can be, mother and all; and we'll just wear the
dresses once more, you see, and then put them right into 's
trunk. 'll be all the bonnier and luckier for her, know. can
get others any time."
laughed at her at first; but we came round afterward to think that
it was a good plan. 's silk was a lovely violet, and 's
was blue; 's own was pearly gray; we were glad, now, that no
two of us had dressed alike. violet and the gray had been chosen
because of our having worn quiet black-and-white all summer for
grandfather. had never worn crape; or what is called "deep"
mourning. " shall never do that," said mother, "till the deep
mourning comes. you will choose for yourselves."
have had more time than we expected. has been some beautiful
delay or other about machinery,--the 's, that is; and
has been ever so kind. has been back and
forth to two or three times. he took with him;
stayed at 's; but he was down at the yard, and on
board ships, and got acquainted with some midshipmen; and he has quite
made up his mind to try to get in at the as soon as he
is old enough, and to be a navy officer himself.
are comfortable at home; not hurried after all. are determined
not to be; last days are too precious,
"'t let's be all taken up with 'things,'" says . " can
_buy_ 'things' any time. now,-- want you!"
's present helped wonderfully. was magnanimous of her;
it was coals of fire. should have believed she was inspired,--or
possessed,--but that went down to with her.
came home, in a box, two days after, from and 's,
the loveliest "suit," all made and finished, of brown poplin. think
of 's getting anything _made_, at an "establishment"!
says she put her principles into her unpickable pocket, and just
took her porte-monnaie in her hand.
and pocket-handkerchiefs have come from ; all the
"girls" here in have given presents of ornaments, or little
things to wear; they know there is no housekeeping to provide for.
says her trousseau "flies together"; she just has to sit and
look at it.
has begged that old garnet and white silk, though, at last, from
mother. saw her fold it up and put it, the very first thing, into
the bottom of her new trunk. patted it down gently, and gave it a
little stroke, just as she pats and strokes mother herself sometimes.
"__ new things are only dreary," she says. " must have some of the
old."
" should just like to know one thing,--if might," said ,
deferentially, after we had begun to go to bed one evening. was
sitting in her white night-dress, on the box-sofa, with her shoe
in her hand. " should just like to know what made you behave so
beforehand, ?"
" was in a buzz," said . " it _was_ beforehand. suppose
knew it was coming,--like a thunderstorm."
" came pretty near securing that it _shouldn't_ come," said
, "after all."
" couldn't help that; it wasn't my part of the affair."
" might have just kept quiet, as you were before," said .
" and see," said , concisely. " shouldn't come
bringing things in their hands. 's just like going down stairs to
get these presents. very minute see a corner of one of those
white paper parcels, don't begin to look every way, and say all
sorts of things in a hurry? 't like to turn my back and run
off if could? don't they put them under the sofa, or behind the
door, wonder?"
" all--" began , still with the questioning inflection.
" all--" said , "there was the fire. , luckily, was
something else!"
" there always have to be a fire?" asked , laughing.
" and see," repeated . " you'll have an earthquake."
have time for talks. take up every little chink of time to have
each other in. want each other in all sorts of ways; we never
wanted each other so, or _had_ each other so, before.
is here, and there is some needful stitching going on; but
the minutes are alongside the stitches, they are not eaten up; there
are minutes everywhere. have got a great deal of life into a little
while; and--we have finished up our , to the very present
instant.
* * * * *
finishes it? tells it?
,--"the kettle began it." . --pretty much--finished
it. is, the story began itself, then discovered that it was
beginning, and began, first, to put it down. grew busy, and
she wouldn't always have told quite enough of the part; and .
got hold of it, as she gets hold of everything, and she would
not let it suffer a "solution of continuity." , partly, she
observed; and partly we told tales, and recollected and reminded; and
partly, here and there, we rushed in,--especially , ,--and did
little bits ourselves; and so it came to be a " o' ," and
at least four were "singing in the pie."
you think it is--sarcastically--a "pretty dish to set before the
king"? we shown up our friends and neighbors too plainly?
is one comfort; nobody knows exactly where "----" is; and there are
friends and neighbors everywhere.
am sure nobody can complain, if don't. last part--the
part--is a continual breach of confidence. have a great
mind, now, not to respect anything myself; not even that cadet button,
made into a pin, which wears so shyly. be sure, .
has one too; she and are the only two girls whom
considers _worth_ a button; but is an old, old friend; older
than in years, so that it could never have been like with
her; and she never was a bit shy about it either. --
, you cannot have any more than there is. story is told as far
as we--or anybody--has gone. must let the world go round the sun
again, a time or two; everything has not come to pass yet--even with
" ."