Part 25 (1/2)

”I'll go for the doctor. I think the end has come.”

Dr. Prescott said the same thing, adding with a slow turn of the head, ”She will not last long.”

What should he do with Cynthia? He remembered how careful her father had been to s.h.i.+eld her. She must not see Elizabeth, she must not confront death in this awesome fas.h.i.+on.

When they came to breakfast he said:

”Cynthia, wouldn't you like to go in to Boston with me this morning?”

”Oh, it would be splendid!” She clapped her hands in delight.

”Well, Rachel must get you ready. We will take the stage. It goes early now.”

Of course, she was full of excitement. It had been planned as one of the month's outings, but to take it as the first! Cousin Chilian was always thinking up such nice things.

”Oh,” she cried, tying the big Leghorn hat down, making a great bow under her chin, ”I must get my flowers for Cousin Elizabeth.”

When she came in she would have flown upstairs, but Rachel stopped her.

”Miss Elizabeth is asleep. She had a bad spell in the night and the doctor doesn't want her disturbed. I'll take them.”

”Oh!” She looked disappointed. ”Tell her good-bye and that I was sorry not to come in and say it. And give her the flowers. I hope she will be better to-night.”

What a great thing it was to go off in the stage! It was a fine morning with an easterly breeze. To be sure, the roads were dusty, but travellers were not so dainty in those days. Cynthia had a dust cloak of some thin material that s.h.i.+elded her white frock. There were three men and two women. They sat on the middle seat, two of the men on front with the driver, the other back with the ladies. Presently the driver blew a long toot on his horn and they came to a little town with a tavern, as they were called then, at its very entrance.

Two of the pa.s.sengers left, one came in. The horses had a drink and on they went over hill and dale, through great farms, where there were not more than two or three houses in sight. The stage stopped for a man who gave a loud halloo, and he climbed in. Then the horn gave another loud signal.

So it went on. Some places were very pretty, great fields of corn waving in the suns.h.i.+ne, potatoes, stubble where grain had been cut, stretches of woodland, high, rather rough hills, then towns again. The sun went under a cloud, which made it pleasanter. The pa.s.sengers changed now and then. One woman told her next neighbor ”she was goin' in to Boston to shop, because things were cheaper now. She always went after the rush was over. There were cambrics, she heard, for one and ninepence, and cotton cloth home-made was so much cheaper than the imported, but you had to bleach it. And little traps that you couldn't get at a country store.”

Cynthia was tired and sleepy when they reached their journey's end, which was Marlborough Street, where Cousin Giles had an office.

”Well! well! well!” he e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed in surprise. ”Why, Miss Cynthia Leverett, I'm glad to see you. Have you come to town to shop?”

Chilian made a little sign. ”She has a whole month's vacation and we are going to fill it up with journeys, taking Boston first.”

”That's right. We shall have lots to show her. You'll hardly want to go back to Salem. It was a long warm ride, wasn't it? Chilian, take off her hat. Don't you want a drink?”

”I am thirsty,” she admitted.

He fixed a gla.s.s of lemonade, and lemons were dear at that period--scarce, too. While she was sipping it, being refreshed in every pulse, the two men went down to the end of the room for a talk.

”She's dreadfully disfigured,” Chilian said in a low tone. ”And Elizabeth wasn't a bad-looking woman. The doctor thinks she can't live but a few days, her body is growing cold rapidly. I'd like to have the child out of it all. Death is a great shock and very mysterious to a child.”

”Oh, I'll be glad to keep her, if she will stay content. I wish you could have brought that woman with you. Poor Elizabeth! How Eunice will miss her. Chilian, you've been like a son to those women. Women ought to marry and have children of their own, but children are not always kind.

Yes. After you're rested we'll go home. I'm going to change my office, get nearer to the business centre, only this is so pleasant with a nice outlook.”

”You ought to retire.”

”Oh, what would I do? Like that Roman fellow, buy a farm? I don't know a bit about farming and don't want to. There's so much going on here.”