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Kitty's Class Da
By
Louisa May Alcott
"A
stitch in time saves nine."
"O
Pris, Pris, I'm really going! Here's the invitation--rough
paper--Chapel--spreads--Lyceum Hall--everything splendid; and Jack to take =
care
of me!"
As
Kitty burst into the room and performed a rapturous pas seul, waving the ca=
rds
over her head, sister Priscilla looked up from her work with a smile of
satisfaction on her quiet face.
"Who
invites you, dear?"
"Why,
Jack, of course,--dear old cousin Jack. Nobody else ever thinks of me, or c=
ares
whether I have a bit of pleasure now and then. Isn't he kind? Mayn't I go? =
and,
O Pris, what shall I wear?"
Kitty
paused suddenly, as if the last all-important question had a solemnizing ef=
fect
upon both mind and body.
"Why,
your white muslin, silk sacque, and new hat, of course," began Pris wi=
th
an air of surprise. But Kitty broke in impetuously,--
"I'll
never wear that old muslin again; it's full of darns, up to my knees, and a=
ll
out of fashion. So is my sacque; and as for my hat, though it does well eno=
ugh
here, it would be absurd for Class Day."
"You
don't expect an entirely new suit for this occasion,--do you?" asked P=
ris,
anxiously.
"Yes,
I do, and I'll tell you how I mean to get it. I've planned everything; for,
though I hardly dreamed of going, I amused myself by thinking how I could
manage if I did get invited."
"Let
us hear." And Pris took up her work with an air of resignation.
"First,
my dress," began Kitty, perching herself on the arm of the sofa, and
entering into the subject with enthusiasm. "I've got the ten dollars
grandpa sent me, and with eight of it I'm going to buy Lizzie King's organd=
ie
muslin. She got it in Paris; but her aunt providentially--no,
unfortunately--died; so she can't wear it, and wants to get rid of it. She =
is
bigger than I am, you know; so there is enough for a little mantle or sacqu=
e,
for it isn't made up. The skirt is cut off and gored, with a splendid
train--"
"My
dear, you don't mean you are going to wear one of those absurd, new-fashion=
ed
dresses?" exclaimed Pris, lifting hands and eyes.
"I
do! Nothing would induce me to go to Class Day without a train. It's been t=
he
desire of my heart to have one, and now I will, if I never have another gow=
n to
my back!" returned Kitty, with immense decision.
Pris
shook her head, and said, "Go on!" as if prepared for any
extravagance after that.
"We
can make it ourselves," continued Kitty, "and trim it with the sa=
me.
It's white with blue stripes and daisies in the stripes; the loveliest thing
you ever saw, and can't be got here. So simple, yet distingue, I know you'll
like it. Next, my bonnet,"--here the solemnity of Kitty's face and man=
ner
was charming to behold. "I shall make it out of one of my new illusion
undersleeves. I've never worn them; and the puffed part will be a plenty fo=
r a
little fly-away bonnet of the latest style. I've got blue ribbons to tie it
with, and have only to look up some daisies for the inside. With my extra t=
wo
dollars I shall buy my gloves, and pay my fares,--and there I am, all
complete."
She
looked so happy, so pretty, and full of girlish satisfaction, that sister P=
ris
couldn't bear to disturb the little plan, much as she disapproved of it. Th=
ey
were poor, and every penny had to be counted. There were plenty of neighbor=
s to
gossip and criticise, and plenty of friends to make disagreeable remarks on=
any
unusual extravagance. Pris saw things with the prudent eyes of thirty, but
Kitty with the romantic eyes of seventeen; and the elder sister, in the
kindness of her heart, had no wish to sadden life to those bright young eye=
s,
or deny the child a harmless pleasure. She sewed thoughtfully for a minute,
then looked up, saying, with the smile that always assured Kitty the day was
won,--
"Get
your things together, and we will see what can be done. But remember, dear,
that it is both bad taste and bad economy for poor people to try to ape the
rich."
"You're
a perfect angel, Pris; so don't moralize. I'll run and get the dress, and w=
e'll
begin at once, for there is much to do, and only two days to do it in."
And Kitty skipped away, singing "Lauriger Horatius," at the top of
her voice.
Priscilla
soon found that the girl's head was completely turned by the advice and exa=
mple
of certain fashionable young neighbors. It was in vain for Pris to remonstr=
ate
and warn.
"Just
this once let me do as others do, and thoroughly enjoy myself." pleaded
Kitty; and Pris yielded, saying to herself, "She shall have her wish, =
and
if she learns a lesson, neither time nor money will be lost."
So
they snipped and sewed, and planned and pieced, going through all the
alternations of despair and triumph, worry and satisfaction, which women
undergo when a new suit is under way. Company kept coming, for news of Kitt=
y's
expedition had flown abroad, and her young friends must just run in to hear
about it, and ask what she was going to wear; while Kitty was so glad and p=
roud
to tell, and show, and enjoy her little triumph that many half hours were w=
asted,
and the second day found much still to do.
The
lovely muslin didn't hold out, and Kitty sacrificed the waist to the train,=
for
a train she must have or the whole thing would be an utter failure. A little
sacque was eked out, however, and when the frills were on, it was
"ravishing," as Kitty said, with a sigh of mingled delight and
fatigue. The gored skirt was a fearful job, as any one who has ever plunged
into the mysteries will testify; and before the facing, even experienced Pr=
is
quailed.
The
bonnet also was a trial, for when the lace was on, it was discovered that t=
he
ribbons didn't match the dress. Here was a catastrophe! Kitty frantically
rummaged the house, the shops, the stores of her friends, and rummaged in v=
ain.
There was no time to send to the city, and despair was about to fall on Kit=
ty,
when Pris rescued her by quietly making one of the small sacrifices which w=
ere
easy to her because her life was spent for others. Some one suggested a str=
ip
of blue illusion,--and that could be got; but, alas! Kitty had no money, for
the gloves were already bought. Pris heard the lamentations, and giving up
fresh ribbons for herself, pulled her sister out of a slough of despond with
two yards of "heavenly tulle."
"Now
the daisies; and oh, dear me, not one can I find in this poverty-stricken
town," sighed Kitty, prinking at the glass, and fervently hoping that
nothing would happen to her complexion over night.
"I
see plenty just like those on your dress," answered Pris, nodding towa=
rd
the meadow full of young whiteweed.
"Pris,
you're a treasure! I'll wear real ones; they keep well, I know, and are so
common I can refresh my bonnet anywhere. It's a splendid idea."
Away
rushed Kitty to return with an apron full of American daisies. A pretty clu=
ster
was soon fastened just over the left-hand frizzle of bright hair, and the
little bonnet was complete.
"Now,
Pris, tell me how I look," cried Kitty, as she swept into the room late
that afternoon in full gala costume.
It
would have been impossible for the primmest, the sourest, or the most sensi=
ble
creature in the world to say that it wasn't a pretty sight. The long train,=
the
big chignon, the apology for a bonnet, were all ridiculous,--no one could d=
eny
that,--but youth, beauty, and a happy heart made even those absurdities
charming. The erect young figure gave an air to the crisp folds of the deli=
cate
dress; the bright eyes and fresh cheeks under the lace rosette made one for=
get
its size; and the rippling brown hair won admiration in spite of the ugly b=
unch
which disfigured the girl's head. The little jacket set "divinely,&quo=
t;
the new gloves were as immaculate as white kids could be, and to crown all,
Lizzie King, in a burst of generosity, lent Kitty the blue and white Paris
sunshade which she couldn't use herself.
"Now
I could die content; I'm perfect in all respects, and I know Jack won't be
ashamed of me. I really owe it to him to look my best, you know, and that's=
why
I'm so particular," said Kitty, in an apologetic tone, as she began to=
lay
away her finery.
"I
hope you will enjoy every minute of the time, deary. Don't forget to finish
running up the facing; I've basted it carefully, and would do it if my head
didn't ache so, I really can't hold it up any longer," answered Pris, =
who
had worked like a disinterested bee, while Kitty had flown about like a
distracted butterfly.
"Go
and lie down, you dear, kind soul, and don't think of my nonsense again,&qu=
ot;
said Kitty, feeling remorseful, till Pris was comfortably asleep, when she =
went
to her room and revelled in her finery till bedtime. So absorbed was she in
learning to manage her train gracefully, that she forgot the facing till ve=
ry
late. Then, being worn out with work and worry, she did, what girls are too=
apt
to do, stuck a pin here and there, and, trusting to Priscilla's careful
bastings, left it as it was, retiring to dream of a certain Horace Fletcher,
whose aristocratic elegance had made a deep impression upon her during the =
few
evenings she had seen him.
Nothing
could have been lovelier than the morning, and few hearts happier than Kitt=
y's,
as she arrayed herself with the utmost care, and waited in solemn state for=
the
carriage; for muslin trains and dewy roads were incompatible, and one luxury
brought another.
"My
goodness, where did she get that stylish suit?" whispered Miss Smith to
Miss Jones, as Kitty floated into the station with all sail set, finding it
impossible to resist the temptation to astonish certain young ladies who had
snubbed her in times past, which snubs had rankled, and were now avenged.
"I
looked everywhere for a muslin for to-day and couldn't find any I liked, so=
I
was forced to wear my mauve silk," observed Miss Smith, complacently
settling the silvery folds of her dress.
"It's
very pretty, but one ruins a silk at Class Day, you know. I thought this
organdie would be more comfortable and appropriate this warm day. A friend
brought it from Paris, and it's like one the Princess of Wales wore at the
great flower-show this year," returned Kitty, with the air of a young =
lady
who had all her dresses from Paris, and was intimately acquainted with the
royal family.
"Those
girls" were entirely extinguished by this stroke, and hadn't a word to=
say
for themselves, while Kitty casually mentioned Horace Fletcher, Lyceum Hall,
and Cousin Jack, for they had only a little Freshman brother to boast of, a=
nd
were not going to Lyceum Hall.
As she
stepped out of the cars at Cambridge, Jack opened his honest blue eyes and
indulged in a low whistle of astonishment: for if there was anything he
especially hated, it was the trains, chignons and tiny bonnets then in fash=
ion.
He was very fond of Kitty, and prided himself on being able to show his fri=
ends
a girl who was charming, and yet not over-dressed.
"She
has made a regular guy of herself; I won't tell her so, and the dear little
soul shall have a jolly time in spite of her fuss and feathers. But I do wi=
sh
she had let her hair alone and worn that pretty hat of hers."
As this thought passed through Jack's mind he smiled and bowed and made his way among the crowd, whispering as he drew his cousin's arm through his own,--<= o:p>
"Why,
Kitty, you're got up regardless of expense, aren't you? I'm so glad you cam=
e,
we'll have a rousing good time, and you shall see all the fun."
"Oh,
thank you, Jack! Do I look nice, really? I tried to be a credit to you and
Pris, and I did have such a job of it. I'll make you laugh over it some tim=
e. A
carriage for me? Bless us, how fine we are!" and Kitty stepped in, fee=
ling
that only one thing more was needed to make her cup overflow. That one thing
was speedily vouchsafed, for before her skirts were smoothly settled, Jack
called out, in his hearty way,--
"How
are you, Fletcher? If you are bound for Chapel I'll take you up."
"Thanks;
good-morning, Miss Heath."
It was
all done in an instant, and the next thing Kitty knew she was rolling away =
with
the elegant Horace sitting opposite. How little it takes to make a young gi=
rl
happy! A pretty dress, sunshine, and somebody opposite, and they are blest.
Kitty's face glowed and dimpled with pleasure as she glanced about her,
especially when she, sitting in state with two gentlemen all to herself, pa=
ssed
"those girls" walking in the dust with a beardless boy; she felt =
that
she could forgive past slights, and did so with a magnanimous smile and bow=
.
Both
Jack and Fletcher had graduated the year before, but still took an interest=
in
their old haunts, and patronized the fellows who were not yet through the m=
ill,
at least the Seniors and Juniors; of Sophs and Freshs they were sublimely
unconscious. Greeted by frequent slaps on the shoulder, and hearty "How
are you, old fellows," they piloted Kitty to a seat in the chapel. An
excellent place, but the girl's satisfaction was marred by Fletcher's
desertion, and she could not see anything attractive about the dashing young
lady in the pink bonnet to whom he devoted himself, "because she was a
stranger," Kitty said.
Everybody
knows what goes on in the Chapel, after the fight and scramble are over. The
rustle and buzz, the music, the oratory and the poem, during which the men
cheer and the girls simper; the professors yawn, and the poet's friends
pronounce him a second Longfellow. Then the closing flourishes, the grand
crush, and general scattering.
Then
the fun really begins, as far as the young folks are concerned. They don't =
mind
swarming up and down stairs in a solid phalanx; they can enjoy half a dozen
courses of salad, ice and strawberries, with stout gentlemen crushing their
feet, anxious mammas sticking sharp elbows into their sides, and absent-min=
ded tutors
walking over them. They can flirt vigorously in a torrid atmosphere of dinn=
er,
dust, and din; can smile with hot coffee running down their backs, small
avalanches of ice-cream descending upon their best bonnets, and sandwiches,
butter-side down, reposing on their delicate silks. They know that it is a
costly rapture, but they carefully refrain from thinking of the morrow, and
energetically illustrate the Yankee maxim which bids us enjoy ourselves in =
our
early bloom.
Kitty
did have "a rousing good time;" for Jack was devoted, taking her
everywhere, showing her everything, feeding and fanning her, and festooning=
her
train with untiring patience. How many forcible expressions he mentally
indulged in as he walked on that unlucky train we will not record; he smiled
and skipped and talked of treading on flowers in a way that would have char=
med
Kitty, if some one else had not been hovering about "The Daisy," =
as
Fletcher called her.
After
he returned, she neglected Jack, who took it coolly, and was never in the w=
ay
unless she wanted him. For the first time in her life, Kitty deliberately
flirted. The little coquetries, which are as natural to a gay young girl as=
her
laughter, were all in full play, and had she gone no further no harm would =
have
been done. But, excited by the example of those about her, Kitty tried to e=
nact
the fashionable young lady, and, like most novices, she overdid the part. Q=
uite
forgetting her cousin, she tossed her head, twirled her fan, gave affected
little shrieks at college jokes, and talked college slang in a way that
convulsed Fletcher, who enjoyed the fun immensely.
Jack
saw it all, shook his head and said nothing; but his face grew rather sober=
as
he watched Kitty, flushed, dishevelled, and breathless, whirling round Lyce=
um
Hall, on the arm of Fletcher, who danced divinely, as all the girls agreed.
Jack had proposed going, but Kitty had frowned, so he fell back, leaving he=
r to
listen and laugh, blush and shrink a little at her partner's flowery
compliments and admiring glances.
"If
she stands that long she's not the girl I took her for," thought Jack,
beginning to lose patience. "She doesn't look like my little Kitty, and
somehow I don't feel half so fond and proud of her as usual. I know one thi=
ng,
my daughters shall never be seen knocking about in that style."
As if
the thought suggested the act, Jack suddenly assumed an air of paternal
authority, and, arresting his cousin as she was about to begin again, he sa=
id,
in a tone she had never heard before,--
"I
promised Pris to take care of you, so I shall carry you off to rest, and put
yourself to rights after this game of romps. I advise you to do the same,
Fletcher, or give your friend in the pink bonnet a turn."
Kitty
took Jack's arm pettishly, but glanced over her shoulder with such an invit=
ing
smile that Fletcher followed, feeling very much like a top, in danger of
tumbling down the instant he stopped spinning. As she came out Kitty's face
cleared, and, assuming her sprightliest air, she spread her plumage and
prepared to descend with effect, for a party of uninvited peris stood at the
gate of this Paradise casting longing glances at the forbidden splendors
within. Slowly, that all might see her, Kitty sailed down, with Horace, the
debonair, in her wake, and was just thinking to herself, "Those girls
won't get over this very soon, I fancy," when all in one moment she he=
ard
Fletcher exclaim, wrathfully, "Hang the flounces!" she saw a very
glossy black hat come skipping down the steps, felt a violent twitch backwa=
rd,
and, to save herself from a fall, sat down on the lower step with most
undignified haste.
It was
impossible for the bystanders to help laughing, for there was Fletcher hopp=
ing
wildly about, with one foot nicely caught in a muslin loop, and there sat K=
itty
longing to run away and hide herself, yet perfectly helpless, while every o=
ne
tittered. Miss Jones and Miss Smith laughed shrilly, and the despised little
Freshman completed her mortification, by a feeble joke about Kitty Heath's =
new
man-trap. It was only an instant, but it seemed an hour before Fletcher fre=
ed
her, and snatching up the dusty beaver, left her with a flushed countenance=
and
an abrupt bow.
If it
hadn't been for Jack, Kitty would have burst into tears then and there, so
terrible was the sense of humiliation which oppressed her. For his sake she
controlled herself, and, bundling up her torn train, set her teeth, stared
straight before her, and let him lead her in dead silence to a friend's room
near by. There he locked the door, and began to comfort her by making light=
of
the little mishap. But Kitty cried so tragically, that he was at his wit's =
end,
till the ludicrous side of the affair struck her, and she began to laugh
hysterically. With a vague idea that vigorous treatment was best for that
feminine ailment, Jack was about to empty the contents of an ice-pitcher ov=
er
her, when she arrested him, by exclaiming, incoherently,--
"Oh,
don't!--it was so funny!--how can you laugh, you cruel boy?--I'm disgraced,
forever--take me home to Pris, oh, take me home to Pris!"
"I
will, my dear, I will; but first let me right you up a bit; you look as if =
you
had been hazed, upon my life you do;" and Jack laughed in spite of him=
self
at the wretched little object before him, for dust, dancing, and the downfa=
ll
produced a ruinous spectacle.
That
broke Kitty's heart; and, spreading her hands before her face, she was abou=
t to
cry again, when the sad sight which met her eyes dispelled the gathering te=
ars.
The new gloves were both split up the middle and very dirty with clutching =
at
the steps as she went down.
"Never
mind, you can wash them," said Jack, soothingly.
"I
paid a dollar and a half for them, and they can't be washed," groaned
Kitty.
"Oh,
hang the gloves! I meant your hands," cried Jack, trying to keep sober=
.
"No
matter for my hands, I mourn my gloves. But I won't cry any more, for my he=
ad
aches now so I can hardly see." And Kitty threw off her bonnet, as if =
even
that airy trifle hurt her.
Seeing
how pale she looked, Jack tenderly suggested a rest on the old sofa, and a =
wet
handkerchief on her hot forehead, while he got the good landlady to send he=
r up
a cup of tea. As Kitty rose to comply she glanced at her dress, and, claspi=
ng
her hands, exclaimed, tragically,--"The facing, the fatal facing! That
made all the mischief, for if I'd sewed it last night it wouldn't have ripp=
ed
to-day; if it hadn't ripped Fletcher wouldn't have got his foot in it, I
shouldn't have made an object of myself, he wouldn't have gone off in a rag=
e,
and--who knows what might have happened?"
"Bless
the what's-its-name if it has settled him," cried Jack. "He is a
contemptible fellow not to stay and help you out of the scrape he got you i=
nto.
Follow his lead and don't trouble yourself about him."
"Well,
he was rather absurd to-day, I allow; but he has got handsome eyes and hand=
s,
and he does dance like an angel," sighed Kitty, as she pinned up the
treacherous loop which had brought destruction to her little castle in the =
air.
"Handsome
eyes, white hands, and angelic feet don't make a man. Wait till you can do
better, Kit."
With
an odd, grave look, that rather startled Kitty, Jack vanished, to return
presently with a comfortable cup of tea and a motherly old lady to help rep=
air
damages and soothe her by the foolish little purrings and pattings so grate=
ful
to female nerves after a flurry.
"I'll
come back and take you out to see the dance round the tree when you've had a
bit of a rest," said Jack, vibrating between door and sofa as if it wa=
sn't
easy to get away.
"Oh,
I couldn't," cried Kitty, with a shudder at the bare idea of meeting a=
ny
one. "I can't be seen again to-night; let me stay here till my train
goes."
"I
thought it had gone, already," said Jack, with an irrepressible twinkl=
e of
the eye that glanced at the draggled dress sweeping the floor.
"How
can you joke about it!" and the girl's reproachful eyes filled with te=
ars
of shame. "I know I've been very silly, Jack, but I've had my punishme=
nt,
and I don't need any more. To feel that you despise me is worse than all the
rest."
She
ended with a little sob, and turned her face away to hide the trembling of =
her
lips. At that, Jack flushed up, his eyes shone, and he stooped suddenly as =
if
to make some impetuous reply. But, remembering the old lady (who, by the by,
was discreetly looking out of the window), he put his hands in his pockets =
and
strolled out of the room.
"I've
lost them both by this day's folly," thought Kitty, as Mrs. Brown depa=
rted
with the teacup. "I don't care for Fletcher, for I dare say he didn't =
mean
half he said, and I was only flattered because he is rich and handsome and =
the
girls glorify him. But I shall miss Jack, for I've known and loved him all =
my
life. How good he's been to me to-day! so patient, careful, and kind, thoug=
h he
must have been ashamed of me. I know he didn't like my dress; but he never =
said
a word and stood by me through everything. Oh, I wish I'd minded Pris! then=
he
would have respected me, at least; I wonder if he ever will, again?"
Following
a sudden impulse, Kitty sprang up, locked the door, and then proceeded to
destroy all her little vanities as far as possible. She smoothed out her cr=
imps
with a wet and ruthless hand; fastened up her pretty hair in the simple way
Jack liked; gave her once cherished bonnet a spiteful shake, as she put it =
on,
and utterly extinguished it with a big blue veil. She looped up her dress,
leaving no vestige of the now hateful train, and did herself up
uncompromisingly in the Quakerish gray shawl Pris had insisted on her taking
for the evening. Then she surveyed herself with pensive satisfaction, sayin=
g,
in the tone of one bent on resolutely mortifying the flesh,--
"Neat
but not gaudy; I'm a fright, but I deserve it, and it's better than being a
peacock."
Kitty
had time to feel a little friendless and forlorn, sitting there alone as
twilight fell, and amused herself by wondering if Fletcher would come to
inquire about her, or show any further interest in her; yet when the sound =
of a
manly tramp approached, she trembled lest it should be the victim of the fa=
tal
facing. The door opened, and with a sigh of relief she saw Jack come in,
bearing a pair of new gloves in one hand and a great bouquet of June roses =
in
the other.
"How
good of you to bring me these! They are more refreshing than oceans of tea.=
You
know what I like, Jack; thank you very much" cried Kitty, sniffing at =
her
roses with grateful rapture.
"And
you know what I like," returned Jack, with an approving glance at the
altered figure before him.
"I'll
never do so any more," murmured Kitty, wondering why she felt bashful =
all
of a sudden, when it was only cousin Jack.
"Now
put on your gloves, dear, and come out and hear the music: your train doesn=
't
go for two hours yet, and you mustn't mope here all that time," said J=
ack,
offering his second gift.
"How
did you know my size?" asked Kitty, putting on the gloves in a hurry; =
for
though Jack had called her "dear" for years, the little word had a
new sound to-night.
"I
guessed,--no, I didn't, I had the old ones with me; they are no good now, a=
re
they?" and too honest to lie, Jack tried to speak carelessly, though he
turned red in the dusk, well knowing that the dirty little gloves were fold=
ed
away in his left breast-pocket at that identical moment.
"Oh,
dear, no! these fit nicely. I'm ready, if you don't mind going with such a
fright," said Kitty, forgetting her dread of seeing people in her desi=
re
to get away from that room, because for the first time in her life she wasn=
't
at ease with Jack.
"I
think I like the little gray moth better than the fine butterfly,"
returned Jack, who, in spite of his invitation, seemed to find
"moping" rather pleasant.
"You
are a rainy-day friend, and he isn't," said Kitty, softly, as she drew=
him
away.
Jack's
only answer was to lay his hand on the little white glove resting so
confidingly on his arm, and, keeping it there, they roamed away into the su=
mmer
twilight.
Something
had happened to the evening and the place, for both seemed suddenly endowed
with uncommon beauty and interest. The dingy old houses might have been fai=
ry
palaces, for anything they saw to the contrary; the dusty walks, the trampl=
ed
grass, were regular Elysian fields to them, and the music was the music of =
the
spheres, though they found themselves "Right in the middle of the boom,
jing, jing." For both had made a little discovery,--no, not a little o=
ne,
the greatest and sweetest man and woman can make. In the sharp twinge of
jealousy which the sight of Kitty's flirtation with Fletcher gave him, and =
the
delight he found in her after conduct, Jack discovered how much he loved he=
r.
In the shame, gratitude, and half sweet, half bitter emotion that filled her
heart, Kitty felt that to her Jack would never be "only cousin Jack&qu=
ot;
any more. All the vanity, coquetry, selfishness, and ill-temper of the day
seemed magnified to heinous sins, for now her only thought was, "seeing
these faults, he can't care for me. Oh, I wish I was a better girl!"
She
did not say "for his sake," but in the new humility, the ardent w=
ish
to be all that a woman should be, little Kitty proved how true her love was,
and might have said with Portia,--
"For myself alone, I would no=
t be
Ambitious in my wish; but, for you=
,
I would be trebled twenty times my=
self;
A thousand times more fair,
Ten thousand times more rich."=
;All
about them other pairs were wandering under the patriarchal elms, enjoying
music, starlight, balmy winds, and all the luxuries of the season. If the b=
and
had played
"Oh, there's nothing half so =
sweet
in life
As love's young dream--"it is=
my
private opinion that it would have suited the audience to a T. Being
principally composed of elderly gentlemen with large families, they had not
that fine sense of the fitness of things so charming to see, and tooted and
banged away with waltzes and marches, quite regardless of the flocks of Rom=
eos
and Juliets philandering all about them.
Under
cover of a popular medley, Kitty overheard Fletcher quizzing her for the
amusement of Miss Pinkbonnet, who was evidently making up for lost time. It=
was
feeble wit, but it put the finishing stroke to Kitty's vanity, and she drop=
ped
a tear in her blue tissue retreat, and clung to Jack, feeling that she had
never valued him half enough. She hoped he didn't hear the gossip going on =
at
the other side of the tree near which they stood; but he did, for his hand =
involuntarily
doubled itself up into a very dangerous-looking fist, and he darted such fi=
ery
glances at the speaker, that, if the thing had been possible. Fletcher's
ambrosial curls would have been scorched off his head.
"Never
mind, and don't get angry, Jack. They are right about one thing,--the daisi=
es
in my bonnet were real, and I couldn't afford any others. I don't care much,
only Pris worked so hard to get me ready I hate to have my things made fun
of."
"He
isn't worth a thrashing, so we'll let it pass this time," said Jack,
irefully, yet privately resolving to have it out with Fletcher by and by.
"Why,
Kitty, I thought the real daisies the prettiest things about your dress. Do=
n't
throw them away. I'll wear them just to show that noodle that I prefer natu=
re
to art;" and Jack gallantly stuck the faded posy in his button-hole, w=
hile
Kitty treasured up the hint so kindly given for future use.
If a
clock with great want of tact hadn't insisted on telling them that it was
getting late, Kitty never would have got home, for both the young people fe=
lt
inclined to loiter about arm in arm through the sweet summer night forever.=
Jack
had meant to say something before she went, and was immensely surprised to =
find
the chance lost for the present. He wanted to go home with her and free his
mind; but a neighborly old gentleman having been engaged as escort, there w=
ould
have been very little satisfaction in a travelling trio; so he gave it up. =
He
was very silent as they walked to the station with Dr. Dodd trudging behind
them. Kitty thought he was tired, perhaps glad to be rid of her, and meekly
accepted her fate. But as the train approached, she gave his hand an impuls=
ive
squeeze, and said very gratefully,--
"Jack,
I can't thank you enough for your kindness to your silly little cousin; but=
I
never shall forget it, and if I ever can return it in any way, I will with =
all
my heart."
Jack
looked down at the young face almost pathetic now with weariness, humility,=
and
pain, yet very sweet, with that new shyness in the loving eyes, and, stoopi=
ng
suddenly, he kissed it, whispering in a tone that made the girl's heart
flutter,--
"I'll
tell you how you may return it 'with all your heart,' by and by. Good-night=
, my
Kitty."
"Have
you had a good time, dear?" asked Pris, as her sister appeared an hour
later.
"Don't
I look as if I had?" and, throwing off her wraps, Kitty revolved slowly
before her that she might behold every portion of the wreck. "My gown =
is
all dust, crumple, and rags, my bonnet perfectly limp and flat, and my glov=
es
are ruined; I've broken Lizzie's parasol, made a spectacle of myself, and
wasted money, time, and temper; yet my Class Day isn't a failure, for Jack =
is
the dearest boy in the world, and I'm very, very happy!"
Pris
looked at her a minute, then opened her arms without a word, and Kitty forg=
ot
all her little troubles in one great joy.
When
Miss Smith and Miss Jones called a few days after to tell her that Mr. Flet=
cher
was going abroad, the amiable creatures were entirely routed by finding Jack
there in a most unmistakable situation. He blandly wished Horace "bon
voyage," and regretted that he wouldn't be there to the wedding in
October. Kitty devoted herself to blushing beautifully, and darning many re=
nts
in a short daisy muslin skirt, "which I intend to wear a great deal,
because Jack likes it, and so do I," she said, with a demure look at h=
er
lover, who laughed as if that was the best joke of the season.