“make a lady of,” looking so like one that Annabel opened her
china-blue eyes and smiled involuntarily as Phebe dropped a little
curtsey in playful imitation of her old manner and said quietly:
“How do you do, Miss Bliss??
“Glad to see you back, Miss Moore,” answered Annabel, shaking
hands in a way that settled the question of Phebe’s place in her
mind forever, for the stout damsel had a kind heart in spite of a
weak head and was really fond of Rose. It was evidently “Love me,
love my Phebe,” so she made up her mind on the spot that Phebe
was somebody, and that gave an air of romance even to the
poorhouse.
She could not help staring a little as she watched the two friends
work together and listened to their happy talk over each new
treasure as it came to light, for every look and word plainly
showed that years of close companionship had made them very
dear to one another. It was pretty to see Rose try to do the hardest
part of any little job herself still prettier to see Phebe circumvent
her and untie the hard knots, fold the stiff papers, or lift the heavy
trays with her own strong hands, and prettiest of all to hear her say
in a motherly tone, as she put Rose into an easy chair: “Now, my
deary, sit and rest, for you will have to see company all day, and I
can’t let you get tired out so early.?
“That is no reason why I should let you either. Call Jane to help or
I’ll bob up again directly,” answered Rose, with a very bad
assumption of authority.
“Jane may take my place downstairs, but no one shall wait on you
here except me, as long as I’m with you,” said stately Phebe,
stooping to put a hassock under the feet of her little mistress.
“It is very nice and pretty to see, but I don’t know what people will
say when she goes into society with the rest of us. I do hope Rose
won’t be very odd,” said Annabel to herself as she went away to
circulate the depressing news that there was to be no grand ball
and, saddest disappointment of all, that Rose had not a single Paris
costume with which to refresh the eyes and rouse the envy of her
amiable friends.
“Now I’ve seen or heard from all the boys but Charlie, and I
suppose he is too busy. I wonder what he is about,” thought Rose,
turning from the hall door, whither she had courteously
accompanied her guest.
The wish was granted a moment after, for, going into the parlor to
decide where some of her pictures should hang, she saw a pair of
brown boots at one end of the sofa, a tawny-brown head at the
other, and discovered that Charlie was busily occupied in doing
nothing.
“The voice of the Bliss was heard in the land, so I dodged till she
went upstairs, and then took a brief siesta while waiting to pay my
respects to the distinguished traveler, Lady Hester Stanhope,” he
said, leaping up to make his best bow.
“The voice of the sluggard would be a more appropriate quotation,
I think. Does Annabel still pine for you?” asked Rose, recalling
certain youthful jokes upon the subject of unrequited affections.
“Not a bit of it. Fun has cut me out, and the fair Annabella will be
Mrs. Tokio before the winter is over if I’m not much mistaken.?
“What, little Fun See? How droll it seems to think of him grown up
and married to Annabel of all people! She never said a word about
him, but this accounts for her admiring my pretty Chinese things
and being so interested in Canton.?
“Little Fun is a great swell now, and much enamored of our fat
friend, who will take to chopsticks whenever he says the word. I
needn’t ask how you do, Cousin, for you beat that Aurora all
hollow in the way of color. I should have been up before, but I
thought you’d like a good rest after your voyage.?
“I was running a race with Jamie before nine o’clock. What were