The Long VacationYonge, Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary)
History
The Long Vacation
Yonge, Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary)
Upper class -- England -- History -- 19th century -- Fiction; Vacations -- Fiction
Adrian had three prizes too, filling Anna with infinite delight. He was
not to go home immediately on the break-up of the school, but was to
wait for his sisters, who were coming in a few days more with Lady
Travis Underwood to the bazaar and masque, so that he would go home with
them.
Neither the prospect nor the company of little Fely greatly reconciled
him to the delay, but his mother could not believe that her darling
could travel alone, and his only satisfaction was in helping Fergus to
arrange his spare specimens for sale.
CHAPTER XVII. -- EXCLUDED
But I needn’t tell you what to do, only do it out of hand,
And charge whatever you like to charge, my lady won’t make a stand.
--T. HOOD.
The ladies’ committee could not but meet over and over again, wandering
about the gardens, which were now trimmed into order, to place the
stalls and decide on what should and should not be.
There was to be an art stall, over which Mrs. Henderson was to preside.
Here were to be the very graceful and beautiful articles of sculpture
and Italian bijouterie that the Whites had sent home, and that were
spared from the marble works; also Mrs. Grinstead’s drawings, Captain
Henderson’s, those of others, screens and scrap-books and photographs.
Jasper and a coadjutor or two undertook to photograph any one who wished
it; and there too were displayed the Mouse-traps. Mrs. Henderson, sure
to look beautiful, quite Madonna-like in her costume, would have the
charge of the stall, with Gillian and two other girls, in Italian
peasant-dresses, sent home by Aunt Ada.
Gillian was resolved on standing by her. “Kalliope wants some one
to give her courage,” she said. “Besides, I am the mother of the
Mouse-trap, and I must see how it goes off.”
Lady Flight and a bevy of young ladies of her selection were to
preside over the flowers; Mrs. Yarley undertook the refreshments; Lady
Merrifield the more ordinary bazaar stall. Her name was prized, and
Anna was glad to shelter herself under her wing. The care of Valetta and
Primrose, to say nothing of Dolores, was enough inducement to overcome
any reluctance, and she was glad to be on the committee when vexed
questions came on, such as Miss Pettifer’s offer of a skirt-dance, which
could not be so summarily dismissed as it had been at Beechcroft, for
Lady Flight and Mrs. Varley wished for it, and even Mrs. Harper was
ready to endure anything to raise the much-needed money, and almost
thought Lady Merrifield too particular when she discontinued the
dancing-class for Valetta and Primrose.
“That speaks for itself,” said Mrs. Grinstead.
“I can fancy seeing no harm in it for little girls,” said Lady
Merrifield, “but I don’t like giving them a talent the use of which
seems to be to enable them to show off.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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