Part 30 (2/2)
”And Letty dear, while we are on the subject, may I speak about something else regarding you and me? What do you want to call me, child?
Have you thought about it at all? You know you can't go on calling me Mrs. Hartwell-Jones,” she added with a little laugh, to aid Letty's embarra.s.sment. ”How would 'Aunt Mary' do?”
Letty looked up shyly.
”I think that would be perfectly beautiful!” she e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed with a happy sigh. ”If it is what you would like?” she added hastily.
Mrs. Hartwell-Jones would have liked a sweeter, more intimate t.i.tle, but she guessed that Letty would find it too hard to confer the beloved name of mother upon any one else; so she accepted the other and they were both satisfied and contented.
”'Aunt Mary,'” whispered Letty again and again. ”It is a beautiful name and just like yourself, Mrs. Hart-I mean Aunt Mary,” she added tremulously.
CHAPTER XXI
CONCLUSION
The twins greeted Letty's return tumultuously. They had been very indignant over her journey and had considered it most unnecessary and thoughtless of Mrs. Hartwell-Jones to take Letty away at such a critical time, thus threatening to upset all their plans. But two days were not so very long.
”You almost spoiled everything, but only almost, so it's all right,”
said Jane magnanimously.
”We did a lot of practicing,” added Christopher with his mouth full of chocolate, ”and this is fine candy, thank you.”
”We've kept the secret splendidly and not a soul knows anything except those who are in it,” went on Jane importantly.
In fact, the children were planning an immense surprise for the celebration of the last evening at Sunnycrest. The great scheme was Christopher's idea, and he found some difficulty at first in persuading Letty to take her part in it. She consented at length, partly for the fun of it, partly because she was so happy that she wanted to do whatever any one asked her to do.
A great mystery pervaded the place-a mystery which the grown-ups had to be very careful at times not to see through, for the children found it hard, in their joy and excitement, not to betray secrets. Billy Carpenter was included in the affair, and he and Christopher spent hours every day in the hayloft, rehearsing some private performance which resulted in a good deal of thumping and an occasional hard b.u.mp. They also did a great deal of hammering and sawing, which employment demanded frequent calls upon Jo Perkins's time and even upon Joshua's valuable moments.
Letty and Jane were busy, too, in Jane's room, snipping and sewing away at costumes. They made an unexplained trip into the village one morning in the pony carriage. Jane had her allowance and Letty was enjoying the unexpected, undreamed-of thrill of possessing her own spending money. On their return they smuggled their packages up to Jane's room and confided their purchases to no one but Christopher.
It was evening of the last day of the delightful Sunnycrest house-party.
By general request supper was an hour earlier than usual and none of the children-not even Christopher and Billy Carpenter-ate very much. They were in a constant fidget to have the meal come to an end. Indeed, the two boys excused themselves before it was over and rushed out to help Jo Perkins complete the final arrangements.
When the grown-ups went out to sit on the veranda as usual, they found a transformation. The front lawn had been turned into a circus ring by means of a low, rather wobbly circular railing. An inner railing was staked out with string so as to form a track. Although the autumn daylight still lingered, thanks to Huldah's promptness with the early supper, Joshua had stationed four large stable lanterns at intervals around the ring and Jo Perkins had strung festoons of gay j.a.panese lanterns, left over from the Fourth of July, along the edge of the railing. The veranda chairs had been placed in a row on the driveway, facing this ring.
As the party seated themselves, Christopher's head could be seen every few seconds, bobbing around the corner of the house. Huldah and the two housemaids came out and stood on the veranda and Joshua joined them.
When every one had a.s.sembled Christopher, in rather an extraordinary costume composed of a long mackintosh, boots much too big for him and a silk hat of his grandfather's-with a false band inside to make it fit-strutted into the ring. The long whip he carried proclaimed his character as ringmaster. He mounted on an inverted keg, evidently put there for the purpose.
”Ladies and gentlemen,” he began in a loud voice, which he tried to make deep and impressive, ”we hope you will all enjoy our circus, for we have worked very hard to get it ready.” Great applause from the audience, which rather disconcerted the youthful manager. ”We have decided not to have a procession,” he went on in a more natural voice, ”because that would show all our-our acts, and we want to keep the different things we are going to do a secret until you see them. We hope you will enjoy it as-oh, I said that before. Ah-oh-thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your attention. We'll be ready in a minute,” and with an abrupt little bow Christopher jumped off the box and clumped away in his big boots at an awkward run.
After a very short interval of waiting he appeared again, this time airily attired in a striped bathing suit, in lieu of tights, followed by Billy Carpenter in like costume.
”Oh, I hope they won't take cold. Fortunately it's a warm night,”
murmured Christopher's mother.
The two boys capered into the ring and proceeded to show off the results of their week of practicing and labor. They turned handsprings and stood on their heads; Billy walked a short distance on his hands and Christopher turned a back somersault landing, a little to every one's surprise, including his own, on his feet. Then they jumped and tumbled together, performing fantastic feats at leap-frog. They were very quick and agile and really rather clever.
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