Aunt Sophie

“ I hope you will do well, honey. When are you going?”
“We sail in the Kron Prinz on the first of June.”
“So soon! Ah me! I shall never live to see you come back, dearie.”
“Oh, yes, you will, dear Aunt Sophie. Your good and useful life will be prolonged for many years yet.”
“Oh, how selfish I am! I ought not to think about myself, but about you. Dearie, I hope the lady you are going with will not be too hard on you. You are such a child! Is she real old and ugly?” anxiously inquired Aunt Sophie. ”

“ I will teach you, as he has taught me, to love Nature, and to find pleasure in a country life. I will repeat to you the cantos of the ‘Æneïd,’ as your father has told you those of Homer.”
“But, aunt Sophie, I am not so ignorant as you [147] suppose. Papa has taught me to know and to love Nature. I will love it with you, but not with your Latins. I cannot bear them.”
During the next few days the chief thought of my great-grandmother, of aunt Constance, and aunt Anastasie, was to know what aunt Sophie had said to me, and what her room was like. Marguerite even questioned me. ”

“ There was in Portia’s voice a strange note that troubled me vaguely, yet it was nothing upon which I could put my finger, so to speak. “One thing I must ask of you, Aunt Sophie, and that is that you keep within the walls of this place after dusk. I’m not asking this for a whim, but out of my knowledge of a terrible danger that I am now persuaded lurks about us: that is crouching, ready to spring out upon us at the moment when we least suspect it.” ”

“ And that sounds so ungrateful of me, too, when the baroness is giving me the best of everything! But, honey, I ain’t used to it, and I couldn’t get used to it, and that is the solemn truth, so I hope you’ll excuse me,” said the old lady, in her soft, slow, deprecating tones.
“There is nothing in this world too good for you, dear Aunt Sophie! ”

“ Aunt Sophie? The Princess Irma Andreyevna Tchernova. Isn’t she a wonder? Won’t it wake things up to have her in the neighborhood? She and Portia ought to be great friends, don’t you think? Two such brilliant women,” he went on fatuously.
I was furious. I suppose I showed it in my voice and manner. I remarked coldly that the princess had not impressed me especially as being anything but a finished coquette. Of course I should not have said that; men are proverbially obtuse where pretty women are concerned, and Owen was no exception to the rule. ”

“ Politics still interested me a little in conversation, but when I did not talk of them, I thought no more about them.
“Men are worth nothing, nothing at all,” said aunt Anastasie one day; “I do not know a single man who has a just mind.”
“You know so many!” replied aunt Constance, with her habitual scoffing. “I never knew you to have but three masculine friends: the miller, his mill-keeper, and Roussot!”
I worked happily with aunt Sophie, who found me very desirous to learn Latin, and less occupied with explaining or contradicting everything. ”

“ Why is it that I care no longer for the sufferings of ‘misunderstood souls’”—this was one of grandmother’s sayings—“and that I care [157] a great deal more for the welfare of poor miserable wretches?”
“It is just because God is so great and so far off that you are too little to understand Him,” answered aunt Sophie. “When you are as old as I am”—she was forty-six and grandmother a little over forty-eight—“everything will find its place in your understanding, especially if the basis of what you know is built on a sure foundation. You must be able to touch with your feet the ground you walk on. ”

“ Hard for a gentleman, let alone how poor he may be.”
“We can fix it, Aunt Sophie; a letter shall go out to him this very day. And now I want you to come into my room and take off your bonnet. You will, I am sure, excuse us,” said Lilith, turning with a smile to the señor.
“I will go back to the hotel, where I have some business to attend to. I will call later to pay my respects to Madame Von Bruyin,” said Zuniga, as he arose and prepared to leave.
213“But—hadn’t I better be going, too? The baroness might think I was intruding,” said Aunt Sophie, uneasily. ”

“ Lilith left her chair and came and sat down in the good woman’s lap, dropped her head upon her bosom, and put her arms around her neck.
“That’s right, dearie. Now remember, I am your Aunt Sophie,” said Mrs. Downie, folding the young creature in a close embrace.
“I never knew a mother or a sister or an aunt. It comforts me to be allowed to call you aunt.”
“That is right, dear. Now I’m going to propose another thing; that is, for you to go to market with me every morning, when you feel like it. It will amuse you, and take your thoughts offen troubles it is unprofitable to dwell on. ”

“ They sat late and were very merry, for Aunt Plumy got up a little supper for them, and her cider was as exhilarating as champagne. When they parted for the night and Sophie kissed her aunt, Emily did the same, saying heartily,—
"It seems as if I'd known you all my life, and this is certainly the most enchanting old place that ever was."
"Glad you like it, dear. But it ain't all fun, as you'll find out to-morrow when you go to work, for Sophie says you must," answered Mrs. Basset, as her guests trooped away, rashly promising to like everything. ”

“ What a delight it would be to show her Paris! What do you think, Lilith?”
“It would indeed be most delightful! And, indeed, although it does not seem so at first view, I think it 206would be quite practicable. Aunt Sophie is such a brave, enterprising little woman. I even think she need not cross alone. I think Mr. Ancillon, my relative, may be coming over on business and may bring her.”
“Enchanting! And they can both stay here and take care of you while Gherardini and myself are on our wedding tour. Ridiculous etiquette, a wedding tour.” ”

“ She must have made herself much clearer than I can. I lived with aunt Sophie a life of dreams and a life of action at the same time. Every action [155] accomplished by me when near her, seemed to have a fuller significance. If I watered a plant I seemed to be caring for it, and delivering it from the horrible pains of thirst; if I cut clover with a sickle, I seemed to be receiving a present from the earth, and felt that I must be grateful ”

“ Aunt Madge stuffed her fingers into her ears. "They are all talking at once; they're enough to craze a body! They forget how old I am! Came all the way from the Eagle office, afoot and alone, with only four children to—"
"O, auntie, don't play any more! Talk sober! Talk honest! Did Horace have his pockets picked?"
"Yes, he did," replied Aunt Madge, speaking in her natural tones, and throwing off the pumpkin hood; "if you want the truth, he did."
"Why Aunt Madge Allen! It does not seem possible! ”

“ But tell me, did my father leave no message for us?”
“Yes, honey. He asked me to tell you that he would be here airly to-morrow morning. And I reckon as that don’t mean seven or eight o’clock, as it would with us, but more likely half-past eleven or a quarter to twelve. He said he wouldn’t interrupt you this first evening of your meeting. The ‘sinner’ is right-down considerate—for a sinner. And I must not intrude longer, neither,” said Aunt Sophie, rising to leave the small salon in which this interview had taken place. ”

“ My arm smarted, and I felt cross. As Miss Julia went out of the room she patted Fel's head, but took no notice of me, and cousin Lydia did the very same thing two minutes afterwards. It was more than I could bear.
"Ho, little borrow-girl," said I to Fel, "got a gold watch, too! 'Fore I'd wear other folks's things! I don't wear a single one thing on me but b'longs to me; you may count 'em and see!"
It seemed as if I could not let her alone; but such was the sweetness of nature in that dear little girl that she loved me through everything. ”

“ When she was sure her sister Maria had gone up stairs, she ran out to the kitchen, whispering,—
"O, mother! O, Louise!" but broke down by laughing.
"What does ail the child?" said Mrs. Parlin, laughing too.
Margaret tried again to speak, but this time burst into tears.
"There, it's of no use," she sobbed: "I'm so happy that it's really dreadful. I'm afraid somebody may die of joy."
"I'm more afraid somebody'll die of curiosity," said aunt Louise: "do speak quick."
"Well, Henry Clifford is alive," said Margaret: "that's the blessed truth! Now hush! We must be so careful how we tell Maria!" ”

“ Aunt Ann was a small lady, with a pleasant voice and sweet smile. Posy looked like her. She set the clock on the mantel; and it was a comfort to Pollio, for it gave him a chance to ask endless questions.
“What makes the long finger go faster than the little finger? What time is it now? What time will it be in five minutes? What time will it be to-morrow morning?”
Aunt Ann replied to all these foolish inquiries very kindly, and told Mrs. Pitcher she thought Pollio must be better, or he would not wish to talk.
“Yes, mamma, I’m all better,” said Pollio, his black eyes shining brightly. ”

“ I mean to do every single thing grandma wants me to."
"I wish you could go with us, aunt Madge," said Grace, almost pouting; "we don't have half so good times with aunt Louise." [114]
"No, we don't," cried Prudy; "she wants us to 'take care' all the time. She don't love little girls when she has 'the nervous.'"
Almost while they were talking, their aunt Louise came into the room, looking prettier than ever in her new pink dress. She was a very young lady, hardly fifteen years old.
"Come, Prudy," said she, smiling, "please run up stairs and get my parasol—there's a darling." ”

“ You see if something awful doesn't happen before we get back."
"O, I hope not," replied sister Madge, laughing. "I think there is nothing so very wicked about our little nieces."
"Here is your parasol, auntie," said Prudy, coming back. "I know who I love best of any body in this house, and it ain't the one that's got her bonnet on—it's a-r-n-t, aunt, M-i-g, Madge."
"Well, you ought to love your aunt Mig, all of you," said aunt Louise, laughing, "for I do believe she thinks you children are as lovely as little white rose-buds. [116] —Come, are you all ready? ”

“ Work to home till they marry, and don't go gaddin' 'round gettin' their heads full of foolish notions, and forgettin' all the useful things their mothers taught 'em."
Aunt Plumy glanced at Ruth as she spoke, and a sudden color in the girl's cheeks proved that the words hit certain ambitious fancies of this pretty daughter of the house of Basset.
"They shall do their parts and not be a trouble; I'll see to that, for you certainly are the dearest aunt in the world to let me take possession of you and yours in this way," cried Sophie, embracing the old lady with warmth. ”

“ I'm all the time making some kind of trouble. Sometimes I wish there wasn't any such girl as me!"
Tears came into aunt Madge's kind gray eyes, and she made up her mind that the [127] poor child should be comforted. So she quietly put away the silk dress she was so anxious to finish, and after dinner took the fresh, tidy, happy little Susy across the fields to aunt Martha's again, where the unlucky day was finished very happily after all.
"The truth is, Louise," said aunt Madge that night, after their return, "Lonnie spilled that ink, and Susy was not at all to blame. ”

“ Dotty was learning to pay heed to these little pricks of conscience. Slowly and sadly she walked back to her Aunt Maria, who was standing on the piazza training the clematis.
"I s'pose, auntie, you thought I took care of the baby; but I didn't. I let her swim. Miss Polly said she had the 'blues,' and so did I."
Aunt Maria smiled. "Very well," said she; "then keep the doll as a recompense for the suffering you have endured. I hope [175] you will not see two such gloomy days again during the summer." ”

“ For it seemed to the child that she grew sadder and sadder all the time. There was nobody she could talk to about him, for her mamma's eyes filled with tears at any chance allusion to him. Aunt Betsy nearly snapped her head off when she asked her a question, and Uncle Squire, chatty as he was upon every other subject, would squint his eyes in a knowing way, puff out his cheeks, and answer, "Lay o'ers ter ketch meddlers." Yes, there was one person she was sure she could coax into telling her why her papa never came home to see them all, and that was dear, good Mam' Sarah, the weaver. ”

“ Mademoiselle Sophie followed me close, and as I fixed the little gold key into the lock she laid her hand very gently upon my arm.
"I beg you not to unlock that box," she said; "if you do you will bring upon me a great humiliation and upon yourself much remorse. There is nothing there which concerns you. There are just my little secrets. A girl may have secrets, monsieur, which are sacred to her."
She was standing quite close to me, and her back was towards the French officer and her aunt. ”

“ Fifth Ave. and —— Street."
"It is no matter about advertising Prudy's purse, it was so shabby," said Aunt Madge; and on their way back to the ferry-house she bought her another.
"O, thank you, auntie, darling," said Prudy; "and thank you, too, Horace, for losing my old one; it wasn't fit to be seen. And here is a whole dollar inside! O, Aunt Madge, are you an angel?"
"Prue, you deserve your good luck; you don't come down on a fellow, hammer and tongs, because he happens to meet with an accident."
"Horace," said Dotty, meekly, "are you willing to carry my gloves?" ”