Part 8 (1/2)
A big sponging-bath full of fresh water stood ready in the room to which Imogen was conducted; the white bed was invitingly ”turned down;”
there were fresh flowers on the dressing-table, and a heap of soft cus.h.i.+ons on a roomy divan which filled the deep recess of a range of low windows. The gay-flowered paper on the walls ran up to the peak of the ceiling, giving a tent-like effect. Most of the furnis.h.i.+ngs were home-made. The divan was nothing more or less than a big packing-box nicely stuffed and upholstered; the dressing-table, a construction of pine boards covered and frilled with cretonne. Clover had plaited the chintz round the looking-gla.s.s and on the edges of the book-shelves, while the picture-frames, the corner-brackets, and the impromptu washstand owed their existence to Geoff's cleverness with tools. But the whole effect was pretty and tasteful, and Imogen, as she went on with her dressing, looked about her with a somewhat reluctant admiration, which was slightly tinctured with dismay.
”I suppose they got all these things out from the East,” she reflected.
”I couldn't undertake them in our little cabin, I'm sure. It's very nice, and really in very good taste, but it must have cost a great deal.
The Americans don't think of _that_, however; and I've always heard they have a great knack at doing up their houses and making a good show.”
”Go straight to bed if you feel like it. Don't think of coming down. We will send you up some dinner,” Clover had urged; but Imogen, tired as she was, elected to go down.
”I really mustn't give in to a little fatigue,” she thought. ”I have the honor of England to sustain over here.” So she heroically put on her heavy tweed travelling-dress again, and descended the stairs, to find a bright little fire of pine-wood and cones snapping and blazing on the hearth, and the whole party gathered about it, waiting for her and dinner.
”What an extraordinary climate!” she exclaimed in a tone of astonishment. ”Melting with heat at three, and here at a quarter past seven you are sitting round a fire! It really feels comfortable, too!”
”The changes _are_ very sharp,” said Geoff, rising to give her his chair. ”Such a daily drop in temperature would make a sensation in our good old Devons.h.i.+re, would it not? You see it comes from the high elevation. We are nearly eight thousand feet above the sea-level here; that is about twice as high as the top of the highest mountain in the United Kingdom.”
”Fancy! I had no idea of it. Lionel did say something about the elevation, but I didn't clearly attend.” She glanced about the room, which was looking its best, with the pink light of the shaded candles falling on the white-spread table, and the flickering fire making golden glows and gleams on the ceiling. ”How _did_ you get all these pretty things out here?” she suddenly demanded.
”Some came in wagons, and some just 'growed,'” explained Clover, merrily. ”We will let you into our secrets gradually. Ah, here comes dinner at last, and I am sure we shall all be glad of it.”
Choo Loo now entered with the soup-tureen, a startling vision to Imogen, who had never seen a Chinaman before in her life.
”How very extraordinary!” she murmured in an aside to Lionel. ”He looks like an absolute heathen. Are such things usual here?”
”Very usual, I should say. Lots of them about. That fellow has a Joss in his cabin, and very likely a prayer-wheel; but he's a capital cook. I wish we could have the luck to happen on his brother or nephew for ourselves.”
”I don't, then,” replied his scandalized sister. ”I can't feel that it is right to employ such people in a Christian country. The Americans have such lax notions!”
”Hold up a bit! What do you know about their notions? Nothing at all.”
”Come to dinner,” said Clover's pleasant voice. ”Geoff, Miss Young will sit next to you. Put a cus.h.i.+on behind her back, Clarence.”
Dinner over, Imogen concluded that she had upheld the honor of England quite as long as was desirable, or in fact possible, and gladly accepted permission to go at once to bed. She was fairly tired out.
She woke wonderfully restored by nine hours' solid sleep in that elastic and life-giving atmosphere, and went downstairs to find every one scattered to their different tasks and avocations, except Elsie, who was waiting to pour her coffee. Clover and Lionel were gone to the new house, she explained, and they were to follow them as soon as Imogen had breakfasted.
Elsie's manner lacked its usual warmth and ease. She had taken no fancy at all to the stiff, awkward little English woman, in whom her quick wits detected the lurking tendency to cavil and criticise, and was discouraging accordingly. Oddly enough, Imogen liked this offish manner of Elsie's. She set it down to a proper sense of decorum and _retenue_.
”So different from the usual American gush and making believe to be at ease always with everybody,” she thought; and she made herself as agreeable as possible to Elsie, whom she considered much prettier than Clover, and in every way more desirable. These impressions were doubtless tinctured by the underlying jealousy from which she had so long suffered, and which still influenced her, though Isabel Templestowe was now far away, and there was no one at hand to be jealous about.
The two rode amicably up the valley together.
”There, that's your new home,” said Elsie, when they came in sight of the just finished cabin. ”Didn't Lionel choose a pretty site for it? And you have a most beautiful view.”
”Well, Moggy,” cried her brother, hurrying out to help her dismount, ”here you are at last. Mrs. Templestowe and I have made you a fire and done all sorts of things. How do you like the look of it? It's a decent little place, isn't it? We must get Mrs. Templestowe to put us up to some of her nice little dodges about furniture and so on, such as they have at the other house. She and Mrs. Page have made it all tidy for us, and put up lots of nice little curtains and things. They must have worked awfully hard, too. Wasn't it good of them?”
”Very,” said Imogen, rather stiffly. ”I'm sure we're much obliged to you, Mrs. Templestowe. I fear you have given yourself a great deal of trouble.”
The words were polite enough, but the tone was distinctly repellent.
”Oh, no,” said Clover, lightly. ”It was only fun to come up and arrange a little beforehand. We were very glad to do it. Now, Elsie, you and I will ride down, and leave these new housekeepers to discuss their plans in peace. Dinner at six to-night, Lionel; and please send old Jose down if you need anything. Don't stay too long or get too tired, Miss Young.
We shall have lunch about one; but if you are doing anything and don't want to leave so early, you'll find some sardines and jam and a tin of biscuits in that cupboard by the fire.”