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pubOne.info thank you for your continued support and wish to present you this new edition. DORIS I do suppose she is a Papist! The French generally are, said Aunt Priscilla, drawing her brows in a delicate sort of frown, and sipping her tea with a spoon that had the London crown mark, and had been buried early in revolutionary times. Why, there were all the Huguenots who emigrated from France for the sake of worshiping God in their own way rather than that of the Pope. We Puritans did not take all the free-will, declared Betty spiritedly. You are too flippant, Betty, returned Aunt Priscilla severely. And I doubt if her father's people had much experimental religion. Then, she has been living in a very hot-bed of superstition! The cold, dreary Lincolnshire coast! I think it would take a good deal of zeal to warm me, even if it was superstition. And she was in a convent after her mother died! Yes, she is pretty sure to be a Papist. It seems rather queer that second-cousin Charles should have remembered her in his will. But Charles was his namesake and nephew, the child of his favorite sister, interposed Mrs

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Publié par	Pub One Info
Date de parution	23 octobre 2010
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9782819913245
Langue	English

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CHAPTER I
DORIS "I do suppose she is a Papist! The Frenchgenerally are," said Aunt Priscilla, drawing her brows in adelicate sort of frown, and sipping her tea with a spoon that hadthe London crown mark, and had been buried early in revolutionarytimes. "Why, there were all the Huguenots who emigrated from Francefor the sake of worshiping God in their own way rather than that ofthe Pope. We Puritans did not take all the free-will," declaredBetty spiritedly. "You are too flippant, Betty," returned AuntPriscilla severely. "And I doubt if her father's people had muchexperimental religion. Then, she has been living in a very hot-bedof superstition!" "The cold, dreary Lincolnshire coast! I think itwould take a good deal of zeal to warm me, even if it wassuperstition." "And she was in a convent after her mother died!Yes, she is pretty sure to be a Papist. It seems rather queer thatsecond-cousin Charles should have remembered her in his will." "ButCharles was his namesake and nephew, the child of his favoritesister," interposed Mrs. Leverett, glancing deprecatingly at Betty,pleading with the most beseeching eyes that she should not ruffleAunt Priscilla up the wrong way. "But what is that old ma'shlandgood for, anyway?" asked Aunt Priscilla. "Why they are filling inand building docks," said Betty the irrepressible. "Father thinksby the time she is grown it will be a handsome fortune."
Aunt Priscilla gave a queer sound that was not asniff, but had a downward tendency, as if it was formed ofinharmonious consonants. It expressed both doubt and disapproval."But think of the expense and the taxes! You can't put a bit ofimprovement on anything but the taxes eat it up. I want my halldoor painted, and the cornishes," – Aunt Priscilla always wouldpronounce it that way, – "but I mean to wait until the assessor hasbeen round. It's the best time to paint in cool weather, too. Ican't afford to pay a man for painting and then pay the city forthe privilege."
No one controverted Mrs. Perkins. She broke off herbread in bits and sipped her tea. "Why didn't they give her somekind of a Christian name?" she began suddenly. "Don't you supposeit is French for the plain, old-fashioned, sensible name ofDorothy?"
Betty laughed. "Oh, Aunt Priscilla, it's pure Greek.Doris and Phyllis and Chloe – – " "Phyllis and Chloe are regularnigger names," with the utmost disdain. "But Greek, all the same.Ask Uncle Winthrop." "Well, I shall call her Dorothy. I'm neitherGreek nor Latin nor a college professor. There's no law against mybeing sensible, fursisee" – which really meant "far as I see." "Andthe idea of appointing Winthrop Adams her guardian! I did thinksecond-cousin Charles had more sense. Winthrop thinks of nothingbut books and going back to the Creation of the World, just as ifthe Lord couldn't have made things straight in the beginningwithout his help. I dare say he will find out what language theytalked before the dispersion of Babel. People are growing so wisenowadays, turning the Bible inside out!" and she gave hercharacteristic sniff. "I'll have another cup of tea, Elizabeth. Nowthat we're through with the war, and settled solid-like with aPresident at the helm, we can look forward to something permanent,and comfort ourselves that it was worth trying for. Still, I'veoften thought of that awful waste of tea in Boston harbor. Seems asthough they might have done something else with it. Tea will keep agood long while. And all that wretched stuff we used to drink andcall it Liberty tea!" "I don't know as we regret many of thesacrifices, though it came harder on the older people. We have agood deal to be proud of," said Mrs. Leverett. "And a grandfatherwho was at Bunker Hill," appended Betty.
Aunt Priscilla never quite knew where she belonged.She had come over with the Puritans, at least her ancestors had,but then there had been a title in the English branch; and thoughshe scoffed a little, she had great respect for royalty, andsecretly regretted they had not called the head of the governmentby a more dignified appellation than President. Her mother had beena Church of England member, but rather austere Mr. Adams believedthat wives were to submit themselves to their husbands in mattersof belief as well as aught else. Then Priscilla Adams, at the ageof nineteen, had wedded the man of her father's choice, HatfieldPerkins, who was a stanch upholder of the Puritan faith. Priscillawould have enjoyed a little foolish love-making, and she had acarnal hankering for fine gowns; and, oh, how she did long to dancein her youth, when she was slim and light-footed!
In spite of all, she had been a true Puritanoutwardly, and had a little misgiving that the prayers of theChurch were vain repetitions, the organ wickedly frivolous, and theringing of bells suggestive of popery. There had been no children,and a bad fall had lamed her husband so that volunteering for asoldier was out of the question, but he had assisted with hismeans; and some twelve years before this left his widow incomfortable circumstances for the times.
She kept to her plain dress, although it was rich;and her housemaid was an elderly black woman who had been a slavein her childhood. She devoted a good deal of thought as to whoshould inherit her property when she was done with it. For thoseshe held in the highest esteem were elderly like herself, and theyoung people were flighty and extravagant and despised the good oldways of prudence and thrift.
They were having early tea at Mrs. Leverett's. AuntPriscilla's mother had been half-sister to Mrs. Leverett's mother.In the old days of large families nearly everyone came to berelated. It was always very cozy in Sudbury Street, and FosterLeverett was in the ship chandlery trade. Aunt Priscilla did love a good cup of tea. Whether the quality was finer, or there wassome peculiar art in brewing it, she could never quite decide; orwhether the social cream of gentle Elizabeth Leverett, and thespice of Betty, added to the taste and heightened the flavor beyondher solitary cup.
Early October had already brought chilling airs whenevening set in. A century or so ago autumn had the sharpness ofcoming winter in the early morning and after sundown. There was acheerful wood fire on the hearth, and its blaze lighted the roomsufficiently, as the red light of the sunset poured through a largedouble window.
The house had a wide hall through the center thatwas really the keeping-room. The chimney stood about halfway down,a great stone affair built out in the room, tiled about withScriptural scenes, with two tiers of shelves above, whereon wereranged the family heirlooms – so high, indeed, that a stool had tobe used to stand on when they were dusted. Just below this began awinding staircase with carved spindles and a mahogany rail andnewel, considered quite an extravagance in that day.
This lower end was the living part. In one of thecorners was built the buffet, while a door opposite led into thewide kitchen. Across the back was a porch where shutters were hungin the winter to keep out the cold.
The great dining table was pushed up against thewall. The round tea table was set out and the three ladies werehaving their tea, quite a common custom when there was a visitor,as the men folk were late coming in and a little uncertain.
On one side the hall opened in two large,well-appointed rooms. On the other were the kitchen and "mother'sroom," where, when the children were little, there had been acradle and a trundle bed. But one son and two daughters weremarried; one son was in his father's warehouse, and was now abouttwenty; the next baby boy had died; and Betty, the youngest, wassixteen, pretty, and a little spoiled, of course. Yet AuntPriscilla had a curious fondness for her, which she insisted toherself was very reprehensible, since Betty was such afeather-brained girl. "It is to be hoped the ship did get into-day," Aunt Priscilla began presently. "If there's anything Ihate, it's being on tenterhooks." "She was spoken this morning.There's always more or less delay with pilots and tides and whatnot," replied Mrs. Leverett. "The idea of sending a child like thatalone! The weather has been fine, but we don't know how it was onthe ocean." "Captain Grier is a friend of Uncle Win's, you know,"appended Betty. "Betty, do try and call your relatives by theirproper names. An elderly man, too! It does sound so disrespectful!Young folks of to-day seem to have no regard for what is due otherpeople. Oh – – "
There was a kind of stamping and shuffling on theporch, and the door was flung open, letting in a gust of autumnalair full of spicy odors from the trees and vines outside. Bettysprang up, while her mother followed more slowly. There were herfather and her brother Warren, and the latter had by the hand thelittle girl who had crossed the ocean to come to the famous city ofthe New World, Boston. Almost two hundred years before an ancestorhad crossed from old Boston, in the ship Arabella , andsettled here, taking his share of pilgrim hardships. Doris' father,when a boy, had been sent back to England to be adopted as the heirof a long line. But the old relative married and had two sons ofhis own, though he did well by the boy, who went to France andmarried a pretty French girl. After seven years of unbrokenhappiness the sweet young wife had died. Then little Doris, sixyears of age, had spent two years in a convent. From there herfather had taken her to Lincolnshire and placed her with twoelderly relatives, while he was planning and arranging his affairsto come back to America with his little daughter. But one night,being out with a sailing party, a sudden storm had caught them andswept them out of life in an instant.
Second-cousin Charles Adams had been incorrespondence with him, and advised him to return. Being in feeblehealth, he had included him and his heirs in his will, appointinghis nephew Winthrop Adams executor, and died before the news of thedeath o