The Merryweathers Read online

  CHAPTER I.

  THE ARRIVAL

  "OH, Peggy, I am afraid!"

  "Why, Margaret!"

  "Yes, I am. I feel very shy and queer, going among strangers. You see, Ihave never really been away in my life; never in this way, I mean. I wasalways with father; and then--afterward--I went to Fernley; and thoughso many people have come into my life, dear, delightful people, I havenever somehow gone into theirs. And now, to go into a whole great bigfamily, only two of whom--I mean which--oh, dear me! I don't know what Imean, but I have only seen two of them, you know, and it is formidable,you will admit, Peggy."

  "Well, I feel just a scrap queer myself," said Peggy; "but I neverthought you would. And anyhow, we needn't; we both know the boys sowell, and though you have not actually seen the Snowy, you really knowher very well. Darling thing! Oh, I cannot wait till we get there! Doyou think we ever _shall_ get there, Margaret? This is the longestjourney I ever made in my life."

  "How about the journey from Ohio?"

  "Oh, that is different. I know all the places along the road, and theyslip by before one can think. Besides, a long journey always seemsshorter, because you know it is long. Well, you needn't laugh, you knowperfectly well what I mean. Oh, Margaret, I saw a glimpse of blue behindthe trees. Do you suppose that is the lake? do you think we are nearlythere? Oh! I am so excited! Is my hat on straight?"

  Margaret Montfort, by way of reply, straightened her cousin's hat, andthen proceeded to administer sundry coaxing pats to her hair and herribbons.

  "You are a trifle flyaway, dear!" she said. "There! now, when you havetaken the black smut off your nose, you will be as trim as possible. AmI all right?"

  "You!" said Peggy, with a despairing look, as she rubbed away at hernose; "as if you ever had a pin or an eyelash out of place! Margaret,how _do_ you do it? Why does dust avoid you, and cling to me as if Iwere its last refuge? How do you make your collar stay like that? Idon't see why I was born a Misfit Puzzle. Oh--ee! there _is_ the lake!just look, how blue it is! Oh! Margaret, I _must_ scream!"

  "You must _not_ scream!" said Margaret with quiet decision, pullingPeggy down into the seat beside her. "You must be good, and sit still.See! that old gentleman is watching us, Peggy. He will be scandalizedif you carry on so."

  "He doesn't look a bit scandalized; he looks awfully jolly."

  "Peggy!"

  "Well, he does, Margaret. Do you suppose Mr. Merryweather is anythinglike that? _Margaret!_"

  "What is it, Peggy? _please_ don't speak so loud!"

  "Perhaps it _is_ Mr. Merryweather. I think--I am almost perfectly sureit must be. Why, he is positively staring at us. It _must_ be Mr.Merryweather!"

  "Is Mr. Merryweather specially addicted to staring? I should not supposeso. This gentleman is not in the least my idea of Mr. Merryweather; andif he does stare,--there! he is looking away now,--it is because he seesa great big girl dancing and jumping in her seat as if she were PollyPeppercorn."

  "Next station Merryweather!" chanted the brakeman.

  "There! Margaret, he is getting his things together. It is! it _is_, Itell you. Oh! I _shall_ scream!"

  Peggy's threat was uttered in so loud a stage whisper, that Margaretlooked up in alarm, fearing that the gentleman must have heard. She meta glance so kind, so twinkling with sympathetic merriment, that shesmiled in spite of herself.

  The gentleman lifted his hat, instantly, and stepped forward. He was nottall, but broad and muscular, with keen, dark eyes that sparkled undershaggy white eyebrows; a most vigorous, positive-looking old gentleman.

  "A thousand pardons!" he said, in a deep, gruff voice which was the veryessence of heartiness. "You also are getting off at Merryweather, youngladies? I beg the privilege of assisting you with your parcels; Iinsist upon it! Permit me, madam!" and he took possession of Margaret'stravelling-bag, Margaret blushing and protesting, while Peggy's blueeyes grew to absolute circles, and her little mouth opened to another.

  "You are very kind!" said Margaret. "Indeed, I can carry itperfectly--thank you so very much! Yes, we are going to Mr.Merryweather's camp. Do you know--"

  "Harry Monmouth!" exclaimed the old gentleman. "Astonishing! Going theremyself. Permit me to introduce myself--Colonel Ferrers, at yourservice."

  He lifted his hat again, and bowed low.

  "Our name is Montfort," said Margaret timidly, attracted and yet alarmedby his explosive utterance, so different from the quiet speech of theMontfort men.

  "Not John's daughters!" cried the Colonel. "I'll be shot if you areJohn's daughters!"

  "Oh! no," cried Margaret, her eyes lightening. "Not his daughters, buthis nieces. Do you know Uncle John, Colonel Ferrers?"

  "Know John Montfort? know the nose on my face? not that there is anyresemblance; fine-looking man. I have known John Montfort, my dear youngladies, ever since he was in petticoats. John, Dick, Jim, Roger--finelads! used to stay at Roseholme--my place in Dutchess County--fortyyears ago. School-boys when I was in college. All over the place,climbing, hunting, fishing, falling off the roofs--great boys! haven'theard of them for twenty years. Where are they now? all living, I--eh,what?"

  "My father, Roger Montfort, is dead," said Margaret, softly; "so isUncle Richard. Uncle John and Uncle James are living, Colonel Ferrers;this is Uncle James's daughter. Peggy dear, Colonel Ferrers! and I livewith Uncle John at Fernley House. Oh! how delightful to meet some onewho knows Uncle John!"

  "Pleasure is mine, I assure you!" said the Colonel, gallantly. "HarryMonmouth! takes me back forty years. Knew Roger, your father, well, MissMontfort. Great scholar; fine fellow! nose in his books all day long,just like my brother Raymond; great chums, Roger and Raymond. I rememberonce--ha! here we are!"

  "Merryweather!" shouted the brakeman. The train drew up beside a littlewayside station. On one side of the track, a platform and a shed, with afew barrels and boxes lying about; on the other, a long stretch of darkblue water, ruffling into brown where the wind swept it.

  The three travellers, emerging, found three persons awaiting them on theplatform. Gerald Merryweather was first, his hand on the rail, his facealight with joy and eagerness; close beside him was another person, atall girl in gray, at sight of whom Peggy, who had been apparentlystricken dumb by the aspect of Colonel Ferrers, shouted aloud andtumbled off the car-step, to the imminent peril of life and limb.

  "Snowy! Snowy! is it really you?"

  "You dear Peggy!" cried Gertrude Merryweather, taking her in her arms,and giving her a hearty kiss. "I am _so_ glad! and this is Margaret--oh!welcome, most welcome, to Merryweather! Dear Colonel Ferrers, how do youdo? it was so good of you to come! But where is Hugh? haven't youbrought him?"

  Colonel Ferrers drew her a step aside.

  "My dear Gertrude," he said, in a confidential tone, "there is no needof my telling _you_ that Hugh is one of the most astonishing--I will say_the_ most astonishing boy I ever saw in my life. Expected to come;looking forward to it for weeks, greatest pleasure of the summer.Yesterday morning, Elizabeth Beadle had an attack of lumbago; painfulthing; confined to her bed; excellent woman, none better in the world.Never could understand why good people should have lumbago; excellentcomplaint for scoundrels; excellent! well, the boy--his great-aunt, youunderstand!--refuses to leave her. Says she likes to have him read toher! Preposterous! I insisted, Elizabeth Beadle insisted, with tears inher eyes; tears, sir! I mean my dear! Boy immovable; Gibraltarvacillating beside him; tottering, sir, on its foundations. I had tocome away and leave him, perfectly happy, reading Tennyson to ElizabethBeadle. Ask somebody else to coerce a boy like that; Thomas Ferrers isnot the man for it. Where's my Cochin China Chittagong?"

  "Jack?" said Gertrude, laughing. "He is behind the shed, with thehorses. The old horse doesn't like the train, and will not stand tying.As soon as Jerry gets the trunks--"

  "Checks?" cried the Colonel, in answer to Gerald's request. "Two ofthem, sir. Sole-leather trunk, green carpet-bag. Anything for me byexpress? box, hamper, basket, that sort of thing, eh, what?"
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  "I should think there was, sir!" said Gerald. "A basket of peaches asbig as the camp, or very near it; and a hamper that says 'salmon!' asplainly as if it could speak. You're awfully good, sir!"

  "Nothing of the sort!" retorted the Colonel. "Pity if I can't have alittle gratification once in a way. Ah! there is my Cochin China--howare you, sir, how are you? prancing, as usual, like an Egyptianwar-horse. Come here, and be introduced to the Miss Montforts! We are inluck, sir! Miss Montfort, Miss--eh? thank you! Miss Peggy Montfort, mynephew, John Ferrers. Here sir! take the bags, will you? Which way,Gerald? eh? what?"

  While the colonel was explaining (and exploding) to Gerald and Gertrude,and Margaret looking and listening in quiet amusement, Peggy had beenhanging back, overcome in her turn by the shyness which her companionhad conquered. But now Gertrude took her by the hand, and while thetrunks were being hoisted on the wagon by Gerald and Jack, aided by atall and powerful lad in blue overalls, the two walked up and down thelittle platform in earnest talk. Fragments of it reached Margaret whereshe stood, as they passed and repassed.

  "Yes, last week. She is very well, she says, and fluffier than ever, onaccount of the heat. She has enjoyed her school very much. She wantedGrace to join her, and I think she might have, if all this had not comeabout. Oh, Peggy, I was so glad!"

  "Blissful, my dear, is no word for it! they have no eyes for any oneelse. He can't remember that there is any one else, and she--"

  "Well, I always said that if Grace did care for any one--"

  "Yes, in October. The wedding is to be at Fernley, and--"

  "Anybody coming with me?" inquired Gerald, wistfully. "Margaret, willyou risk life and limb with me and the old horse?"

  "With pleasure!" said Margaret. "Is he very wild? He doesn't look so."

  "Only by comparison with the young horse!" said Gerald. "Jacob, don'tstrain your back lifting that carpet-bag!"

  Jacob, the youth in blue overalls, smiled calmly, and swung a largetrunk over his shoulder as if it were a hand-satchel.

  "It's you I'm scared about, Gerald," he said slowly; "fear you'll doyourself a hurt pulling on the reins. Frank hasn't been out sinceyesterday."

  "I'll risk him!" said Gerald. "Now, Margaret." He held out his hand, andMargaret stepped lightly up to the seat of the Concord wagon.

  "Now," said Gerald, "Jack, if you'll drive the beach-wagon--is that allright, Toots?"

  "Certainly!" said Gertrude. "Peggy, you and I will sit together behind;that is, if you do not mind the front seat, Colonel Ferrers? So! allright now, Jack! we'd better let the old horse go first, for he doesn'tlike to stay behind the new one. Oh! Jacob! how are you going home? wemust make room for you somewhere."

  "I'll go across lots," said the blue youth, "and be there to take thehorses when you get there. You better hurry them up the least mite, so'sI sha'n't have to wait too long!"

  With a benign smile he vaulted over a five-barred gate, and went with along, leisurely stride across the fields.

  "He'll run when he gets round the corner!" said Gerald. "I know that'sthe way he does it. Get up, Frank! do _play_ you are alive, just foronce. Oh, Margaret, I am so glad to see you. I thought September wouldnever come. It has been the longest summer I ever knew. Haven't youfound it so?"

  "Why, no!" said truthful Margaret. "It has seemed very short to me."

  "Oh, well, of course it has been short too, summers always are; like thedachshund!"

  "The dachshund!" repeated Margaret. "What can a dachshund have to dowith summer, Gerald?"

  "A description I once heard," said Gerald. "I was walking with Beppo, mydachs, and a little boy stopped to look at him. 'Ain't he long?' hesaid. 'My! ain't he short?' Even so summer. Oh, I _am_ glad to see you.Get up, Frank!"