Carolyn Wells

“ For I have come to love both girls very dearly, and would have not the slightest objection to adopting them both."
"And us two also?" asked Dotty, mischievously.
"Yes, and you two also! Bless my soul! From a lonely, somewhat misanthropic old man, you young people have turned me into a real human being! I like young voices round me, and young folks's pleasures going on in my house. Well, my dears, are you interested to know my choice?"
"ARE we?" cried Dotty, while Dolly fairly held her breath.
"I have chosen Alicia," Mr. Forbes announced, and there was a deep silence. ”

“ For some unexplained reason, Uncle Jeff laughed heartily. But he checked his merriment, and said, "No, Alicia, I fear I might intrude; I know you want to flirt with this young actor, and I'd be a spoilsport. But let me warn you to be very gentle with him. You see, he may be so overcome by this galaxy of youth and beauty that he'll be embarrassed and run away!"
"Nonsense, uncle," said Bernice, "actors are not easily embarrassed. More likely we girls will be struck dumb at his splendour and importance." ”

“ But I never know Dad's plans from one day to the next," Alicia said.
"Hello, girls," sang out a boyish voice, and in came Geordie Knapp with half a dozen comrades. "We just sorter, kinder thought we'd see a bunch of peaches here about this time o' day! Hello, everybody!"
Marly Turner was not among the group, and Dolly looked anxiously at
Geordie, as if to ask him what he knew concerning him.
"What is it, Dolly?" asked Geordie, with a blank look.
"Secret!" laughed Dolly, "come over here and whisper to me."
"Oh, how rude!" cried Alicia; "even out West we don't whisper in polite society!" ”

“ The Lascar was a tall, handsome man, whose swarthy East Indian effects were picturesque and attractive. He had a magnificent baritone voice, and the girls sat breathless when he sang his splendid numbers. All four were fond of music and even more than the gay splendour of the show they enjoyed the voices and orchestra.
"Isn't he wonderful!" exclaimed Alicia, as the curtain fell on the first act. "Oh, girls, isn't he SUPERB! I'm MADLY in love with him!"
"He has a beautiful voice," agreed Dolly, "but I couldn't be in love with him! He's too,—too ferocious!" ”

“ Take my advice, girls, for I know what I'm talking about, never write to an actor with whom you are not acquainted. It can never lead to any good result and might lead to great harm."
"Are they all bad?" asked Dolly, innocently.
"No, indeed, far from it. But many of them are thoughtless; and, too, if a girl so far forgets the conventions as to write to a stranger, an actor often thinks he is justified in meeting her half way. And nice girls don't write to men they don't know. The fact that a man is an actor, is no more reason to treat him informally than if he were a broker or a merchant. ”

“ Oh, Uncle Jeff, he is just indescribable! I wish you could SEE him."
"Must be a paragon! What did the rest of you girls think! Were you hit so hard?"
Dotty laughed. "He was splendid, Uncle Forbes," she said, "but we didn't fall so head over heels in love with him as Alicia did. He has a stunning voice and he's a fine actor."
"Oh, more than that!" raved Alicia. "He's a DARLING! a man of a
THOUSAND!"
"A young man?" asked Mr. Forbes.
"Yes," replied Bernice. "Alicia thinks he isn't twenty, but he can't be much more. He looked a mere boy." ”

“ That's my secret. And, you know, Uncle Jeff, my mother DID elope, because her father didn't want her to marry Jim Steele. And I'd heard the story of her elopement so often, and it was so dramatic, that I put it in my play. Oh, Dolly, what a little innocent you are!"
"I don't care if I am," returned Dolly, and her pretty face beamed with smiles. "I think your secret is lovely, Alicia, and I think Uncle Forbes' secret is too."
"So do I," said Dotty, "and I'm glad and proud that Dollyrinda and I are chums of two such talented and distinguished girls." ”

“ As Mrs. Berry had foretold, fine clothes were the order of the day at the Brown house. Everything was as formal as a grown-up affair. The girls were ushered to a dressing-room to take off their wraps, and then at the drawing-room door, their names were announced by an imposing-looking personage in livery, and they were swept along into the room, by the crush of others behind them.
Mrs. Brown and her daughter were receiving, and they greeted each arrival with gay banter and smiles.
"Ah, my dears, how do you do?" said Mrs. Brown to our girls. "I am so glad to welcome Mr. Forbes' young people. ”

“ But I didn't think Coriell Bayne, or whatever his name is, was old enough to be Uncle Forbes' chum."
"He isn't exactly," said Dolly; "that is, he said his father and Mr.
Forbes were friends. I suppose the son carried on the friendship."
"He looks as old as my father,—off the stage," said Bernice; "but on it, he might be my father's son!"
"You can't tell a thing about actors!" declared Alicia. "If ever I think another one is handsome and fascinating, I'll remember James Bayne, and know he's nothing but an old fogy!"
"Oh, I don't call Mr. Brown an old fogy," defended Dotty. ”

“ CHAPTER III THE ARRIVAL The girls were put on the train at Berwick and as Mrs. Berry was to meet them at the station in New York, they were allowed to make the trip alone.
"I think this train ride the best part of the whole thing," said Dolly, as she took off her coat and hung it up beside her chair. "I do love to ride in a parlour car; I wish we were to travel in it for a week."
"I like it, too," agreed Bernice. "Oh, girls, what fun we're going to have! You won't like Uncle Jeff at first, he's awful queer; but there's one thing sure, he'll let us do just as we like. He's very good-natured." ”

“ It was, and though the girls felt a little chagrined at being taken in, they were generous enough to appreciate Dolly's cleverness and be glad of it.
A case of antique jewellery proved interesting to all. The queer ornaments worn by the ancients were admired and studied by the girls, and Mr. Forbes enjoyed telling of their histories.
"This earring," he said, "is perhaps the gem of the whole collection. It is Byzantine, and is of wonderfully delicate workmanship." The filigree gold ornament, was a long and slender pendant, of intricate gold work and studded with tiny jewels. ”

“ And then, as Perkins unpacked Alicia's trunks and Foster came in to help, the room really seemed incapable of holding all.
"We'd better get out, Doll," said Dotty, laughing, as Alicia deposited an armful of petticoats and dressing jackets in her lap.
"Oh, don't go! I want you to hold things till I find a place for them.
And, say, are your own wardrobes full?"
"No!" cried Dolly. "Just the thing! Put your overflow in our room, we've less than a dozen dresses between us." ”

“ Why, the girls can go to the museums and art galleries and see all sorts of things."
"Of course we can," said Bernice, "and my uncle has a beautiful house and motor cars and everything!"
"That's another point," said Mr. Fayre, gravely. "You must realise, Mr. Forbes, that my little girl is not accustomed to grandeur and wealth. I don't want her to enjoy it so much that she will come back discontented with her own plain home."
"Oh, nonsense, my dear sir! A glimpse of city life and a taste of frivolity will do your girl good. Dolly is too sensible a sort to be a prey to envy or discontent. ”

“ It is a lovely day, and the ride will do you good and make you feel a heap better. Then on your return, stop at a pretty tearoom, and have some cakes and chocolate, or ices; and while you're gone, I'll have a little talk with Mr. Forbes, and, who knows, maybe we might find the earring!"
"You're going to search our boxes!" cried Alicia. "Well, I won't submit to such an insult! I shall lock mine before I go out."
"So shall I," declared Dolly. "I think we all ought to. Really, Mrs.
Berry, it's awful for you to do a thing like that!"
"Mercy me! girls, how you do jump at conclusions! ”

“ You do my share of the clearing up, won't you, Dot?"
"'Course I will," and Dolly ran off to the other room while the three cleared away the party and set the tray out in the hall.
"Is Dolly always so goody-goody?" asked Alicia.
Dotty took the question seriously. "I shouldn't call her that," she said; "but she isn't very mischievous, and she's as honest as the day is long. She positively abhors deceit. And, somehow, Alicia, all the things that you think are fun, are the sort of things she doesn't stand for. That's all. Doll isn't a prig,—is she, Bernice?"
"No; she's as fond of fun as anybody. ”

“ I declare, Dolly, it's hard to realise you're fifteen years old! You act about twelve,—and look ten!"
"Oh, not so bad as that!" and Dolly laughed gaily. "I s'pose I do seem younger than I am, because I've always lived in a small town. We don't do things like city girls."
"'Deed we don't!" exclaimed Dotty. "I used to live in the city, and when I went to Berwick it was like a different world. But I've come to like it now."
"I like it," said Bernice, decidedly. "I think we have a lot more fun in Berwick than we could in New York. To live, I mean. ”

“ Uncle Jeff has two cars, and the chauffeur will take us wherever we want to go."
"But I've never been in a taxicab,—without older people, I mean, and
I'd love to try it."
"Well, I expect you can," returned Bernice, carelessly. "I dare say you can do pretty much anything you want to."
"But do behave yourself, Dot," cautioned Dolly; "you're so daring and venturesome, I don't know what mischief you'll get into!"
"Oh, we won't get into mischief," laughed Bernice. "There'll be enough fun, without doing anything we oughtn't to."
"Of course, I won't do anything wrong," declared Dotty, indignantly. ”

“ Forbes bade them good-night and went off upstairs.
"It is all the queerest performance," said Bernice. "What in the world does Uncle Jeff want of us,—I can't make out. The outlook seems to be that we can have all the fun we want daytimes, and pay for it by these ghastly evening sessions."
"There's something back of it all," said Alicia, astutely. "This revered uncle of ours, Bernie, has something up his sleeve."
"I think so, too," said Dotty. "He scrutinises us all so closely, when he thinks we're not looking. ”

“ Mr. Forbes is a kind man, but a very just one. If you give it back at once, and explain, he will forgive you, fully and freely. But if you delay too long he will lose patience. And, too, you must know he wants to—"
"Wants to what, Mrs. Berry?" asked Dotty, for the lady had stopped speaking very suddenly.
"Never mind. I forgot myself. But Mr. Forbes has a very strong reason for wishing to sift this matter to the bottom. Don't, girls,—oh, DON'T deceive him!"
"What makes you think we're deceiving him?" cried Dotty. "That's the way old Fenn talks! Isn't he a disagreeable man, Mrs. Berry?" ”

“ Dolly defended herself, "because sometime I'm going to be an opera singer. I did mean to sing in Grand Opera, and maybe I will, but if I can't do that, I'll sing in light opera, and I like to have this picture to remind me how sweet Miss Desmond looks in this play."
"Pooh," said Alicia, "that's all very well. But I want these pictures of Bayne Coriell because he's such a glorious man! Why, he's as handsome as Apollo. And, girls, I don't believe he's hardly any older than we are."
"Oh, he must be," returned Dotty. "Why, he's twenty-two or more, I'm sure." ”

“ And, girls, won't we have the great times having
Alicia come to Berwick to see us all?"
"Yes, and having you all come here to visit me!" returned Alicia.
"We'll always be chums," said Dotty. "These days together have made us inseparable friends."
"The Forbes quartette," said Dolly. "Only Bernice is named Forbes, but
I mean Uncle Forbes' quartette."
"Yes," said Jefferson Forbes, "my four friends, my Rosebud Garland of
Girls." ”

“ Rose.
"I am," returned Dotty. "When I see Dolly grubbing over her history, I can't understand how she can be so long over it."
"But she's better in mathematics than you are."
"Yes, she is. She helps me a lot with the old puzzlers. She thinks we'll study in New York. But somehow, I don't believe we will."
"Of course, you won't," laughed Mr. Rose. "Why, you'd be foolish to do that. A fine opportunity has come to you girls, and I advise you to make the most of it. See all the sights you can; go to all the pleasant places you can; and have all the fun you can cram into your days. ”

“ Dolly put in her diary, declaring she should write a full account of each day's happenings.
"Then that'll do for me," said Dotty. "I hate to keep a diary, and what would be the use? It would be exactly like yours, Doll, and I can borrow yours to read to my people after you've read it to your family."
"All right," agreed Dolly, good-naturedly, for what pleased one girl usually suited the other.
They didn't take their schoolbooks, for it made a heavy load, and too, all agreed that it would spoil the pleasant vacation. ”

“ CHAPTER XV DOLLY'S RIDE It was Tuesday morning that Lewis Fenn came to Dolly and asked her to give him a few moments' chat.
A little bewildered, Dolly followed Fenn into the reception room, and they sat down, Fenn closing the door after them.
"It's this way, Miss Fayre," he began. "I know you took the gold earring. It's useless for you to deny it. It speaks for itself. You are the only one of you girls especially interested in antiques, and moreover, you are the one who handled the jewel last. ”

“ She began to cut the chocolate, and Dotty helped her.
Alicia made the chafing-dish ready, and Bernice set out a table for them.
"This is splendid fudge," Alicia remarked, as at last they sat enjoying the feast. "You must give me your recipe."
"Probably just like yours," smiled Dolly; "but it always tastes better if somebody else makes it."
"Not always! It depends on WHO makes it. This is fine!"
"Even if we are not doing it on the sly? I declare, Alicia, I can't understand that feeling of yours. I s'pose you don't care so much about Mr. Coriell, since Mrs. Berry is willing." ”

“ Berry took the girls at once to their rooms, and sent the car for Alicia.
"I'll give the front room to Dotty and Dolly," she said to Bernice; "and you can have the other. It's quite as nice, only it looks out on the side street, not on the Avenue."
"That's right, Mrs. Berry. Dot and Dolly are more company than Alicia and I are. We're really members of the family. I was so surprised at Uncle Jeff's inviting us. Why did he do it, anyway?"
"Why, indeed!" said Mrs. Berry, but her expression was quizzical. "No one can tell why Mr. Forbes does things! He is a law unto himself. ”

“ Fayre," observed Bernice, "we couldn't be all the time sightseeing. I think it would be fine for all us girls to study every day, and keep up our lessons that way."
"It sounds well, my dear child," and Mrs. Fayre looked doubtfully at Bernice, "and I daresay you mean to do it, but I can't think you could keep it up. The very spirit of your life there would be all against study."
"I agree with that," said Mr. Forbes, decidedly. "I vote for the girls having an entire holiday. Lessons each day would spoil all their fun."
"They couldn't do it," Trudy said. ”

“ Berry to see Fenn about it."
"Oh," sighed the outspoken Dotty, "it is just like Fairyland! Tell
Fenn! Just as if Fenn were a magician!"
"He is," said Mr. Forbes, smiling at her enthusiasm. "I couldn't keep house without Fenn. He's my right hand man for everything. You girls mustn't claim too much of his time and attention, for I keep him on the jump most of the time myself."
"Does your collection keep you so busy?" asked Dolly, whose secret longing was to see that same collection, which greatly interested her.
"Yes, indeed. There's always work to be done in connection with it. ”

“ By way of entertainment, I mean."
"Oh, Uncle Jeff," said Bernice, "it's enough entertainment just to be here in New York for a week. Why, we will have all we can do to see the shops and the sights—I suppose we can go around sight-seeing?"
"Bless my soul, yes. Of course you can. Go where you like. Order the motors whenever you choose. Mrs. Berry will do all you want her to; just tell her your plans. All I ask is that I shan't be troubled with you during the day."
"Why, uncle," cried Alicia, "won't we see you at all in the daytime?"
"No. I am a very busy man. ”