It was quite eight o'clock when Andrews, the man-servant who had been
with Miss Augusta for so many years, came into the library and lighted
the tall candlesticks on the bookcases; stirred the fire and made the
table ready for the large tray that, laden with cake and sandwiches,
followed immediately. Miss Honora poured the tea, and the girls passed
the refreshments.
It was all delightfully cosy, and the Boston relatives enjoyed the
girls' breezy chatter; and the schoolgirl experiences, which were highly
entertaining.
"And have you initiated the Spanish costume at Miss North's yet, Blue
Bonnet?" Cousin Tracy asked.
The faintest pink crept into Blue Bonnet's cheeks as she remembered
Cousin Tracy's introduction to the costume. She laughed gaily as she
answered:
"I haven't worn it myself; but some of the girls have. It makes a fine
fancy dress costume. I believe Carita had it last at a Freshman party.
She was a picture in it, too."
Ten o'clock came before any one realized it. The girls had been
interested in Cousin Tracy's specimens and stories; and Grandmother and
Aunt Lucinda had enjoyed a visit with the relatives whom they saw too
infrequently.
"Girls, it's almost over," Kitty exclaimed disconsolately, as she put
her things in her bag that night at the hotel. "I wish it were just
beginning."
She looked about the pretty suite which she and Amanda had occupied
jointly.
"I don't know how I'm going to give up all this elegance and come down
to earth, and Woodford again. Oh, dear--a little touch of high life is
awfully unsettling!"
"I don't feel that way at all," Amanda declared. "It will give me
something to think about for weeks to come. Kitty, how are we ever going
to pay Mr. Ashe and Blue Bonnet for all they have done?"
"They don't want any pay," Blue Bonnet said, entering the room at that
moment. "Uncle Cliff says he has had a beautiful time, and--well, I
reckon you all know how I've enjoyed it. Could I help you pack? My trunk
went from the school yesterday and my bag's all ready."
"No, I think not, thank you--unless you would be good enough to fold
this dress and party coat, Blue Bonnet. I want to keep them as fresh as
possible until Mother sees them. They _are_ such loves!"
Kitty produced the box in which they had been sent home, and in another
moment they were skillfully laid away between tissue paper.
"My, but you do that cleverly," Kitty said, as she watched Blue Bonnet's
nimble fingers. "It almost makes one wish for an Aunt Lucinda. She
taught you a great deal about neatness, didn't she?"
"She certainly did! I've learned a lot at school, too. Our bureau
drawers are inspected regularly. If any one thinks boarding-school is
all fun, they're mistaken. You're trained from the ground up!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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