Phoebe Deane (16 page)

Meantime Phoebe raised the great brass knocker held in the mouth of a lion. She felt as if all the lions of the earth were come to meet her at this threshold, and her heart was beating in her throat now, so that she could scarcely speak. How hollow the sound of the knocker was as it reverberated through the great hall, not at all the cheerful thing it had been when Nathaniel knocked at Mrs. Spafford's door. A plump black woman in a large yellow turban and white apron opened the door, and was even more formidable than some of the family whom she had expected to meet might have been. She managed to ask if Mr. Graham were in.

" Missis Gra'm! Dere ain't no Missis Gra'm," ejaculated the old woman, looking her over carefully and it must be admitted rather scornfully. The young ladies who came to that house to visit did not dress as Phoebe was dressed just then, in working garb. " Dere's only jes' Mis' Brist'l. Mis' Janet, we calls her."

" Mr. Graham. Mr. Nathaniel Graham," corrected Phoebe, in trepidation. She thought she felt a rebuke in the black woman's words that she should call to see a young man. "I have a message for him," she added, bravely. "I will wait here, please. No, I'd rather not come in."

" I'll call Miss Janet," said the servant briefly, and swept away, closing the door with a bang in Phoebe's face.

She waited several minutes before it was opened again, this time by Janet Bristol.

CHAPTER XII

" You wished to see me ?" questioned the tall, handsome girl in the doorway, scrutinizing Phoebe haughtily. There was nothing encouraging in her attitude.

" I wished to see Mr. Graham," said Phoebe, trying to look as if it were quite the natural thing for a young woman to call on a young man of a morning.

" I thought you had a message for him," said Janet, sharply. She was wondering what business this very pretty girl could possibly have with her cousin.

" Yes, I have a message for him, but I must give it to Mm, if you please," she said with gentle emphasis. She lifted her eyes, and Janet could not help noticing the lovely face, and the beauty of the smile.

" Well, that will not be possible, for he is not here." Janet said it stiffly and Phoebe felt the disapproval in her glance.

" Oh! " said Phoebe, growing troubled. " He is not here ? What shall I do? He ought to have it at once. When will he come? I might wait for him."

" He will not be at home until evening," said Janet, as if she were glad. " You will have to leave your message."

" I am sorry," said Phoebe, in troubled tone, " I cannot leave it. The one who sends it said it was private."

" That would not mean you could not tell it to his family," said Janet, in a superior tone. She was bristling with curiosity.

" I do not know," said Phoebe, turning to go.

" I can't understand how it is that you, a young girl, should be trusted with a message if it is so private that his own people are not to know." Her tone was vexed.

" I know," said Phoebe, " it is strange, and I am sorry that it happened so. But there is nothing wrong about it, really," and she looked up wistfully with her clear eyes so that Janet scarce could continue to think evil of her. " Perhaps Mr. Graham may be able to explain it to you. I would have no right." She turned and went down the steps. " I will come back this evening," she said, more as if she were making a resolve than as if it were a communication to Janet.

" Wait," said Janet, sharply. " Who are you ? I've seen you in church, haven't I ? "

" Oh, yes," said Phoebe, glad to have something natural said. " I sit just behind you. I'm only Phoebe Deane."

" And who sends this message to my cousin."

Phoebe's face clouded over. " I do not know," she said, slowly.

" Well, that is very strange, indeed. If I were you I would not carry messages for strange people. It doesn't look well. Girls can't be too careful what they do." Janet did not mean to be hateful, but she was deeply annoyed and curious.

Phoebe's face was pained.

" I hope Mr. Graham will be able to explain," she said, sorrowfully. " I do not like to have you think ill of me." Then she went away, while Janet stood perplexed and annoyed.

She tucked the letter safely in the bosom of her gown and held her hand over it as she hurried along, not looking up nor noticing any more than when she had come. She passed Miranda on the other side of the street and never saw her, and Miranda wondered where she was going and why she looked so troubled. If she had not been hurrying to the store for something that was needed at once for the day's dinner, she would have followed her to find out, and perhaps have asked her point blank. It would have been a good thing, for when one is tracked by a devil it is well to be followed also by an angel, even if it be only one with a freckled face.

Without a thought for anything but her perplexities Phoebe made her way through the village arid out on the country road, and in a very short time arrived in the kitchen of her home, where Emmeline had just finished the breakfast dishes.

"Well," she said, grimly, looking up as Phoebe entered, and noticing her empty hands, " where's the thread ? Didn't they have any ? "

" Oh! " said Phoebe, blankly. Her hands flew to her heart in dismay as she took in her situation. " I forgot it! " She murmured, humbly; " I'll go right back! " and without waiting for a word from the amazed Emmeline she turned and sped down the road again towards the village.

" Of all things!" ejaculated Emmeline, as she went to close the door that had blown open; " she needs a nurse! I didn't suppose going out to tea and a little money in the bank could make a girl lose her head like that! She has turned into a regular scatterbrain. The idea of her forgetting to get that thread when she hadn't another earthly thing to do! I'd like to know who 'twas brung her home last night. I don't know how I could hev missed him till he was way out in the road. It didn't look 'egzactly like David Spafford, an' yet who could it 'a' ben ef 't wasn't? She must 'a' went to Mis' Spaffords again this mornin' stead o' goin' to the store, er she never would 'a' forgot. I'll have to find out when she gits back. It's my duty! "

Emmeline snapped her lips together over the words as if she anticipated the duty would be a pleasant one.

Phoebe in her hasty flight down the road almost ran into Hiram Green, who was sulkily plodding back from his fruitless errand to his belated chores.

" Gosh!" he said, as she started back with a hasty, " Excuse me, Mr. Green. I'm in such a hurry I didn't see you." She was gone on before her sentence was quite finished, and the breeze wafted it back to him from her flying figure.

" Gosh!" he said again, looking after her, " I wonder what's up now!" Then he turned doggedly and followed her again. If this kept up, detective business was going to be lively work. He was tired already and his morning's work not half done. Two trips to the village on foot in one morning were wearisome. Yet he was determined to know what all this meant.

Phoebe did her errand swiftly this time, and was so quick in returning with her purchase that she met Hiram face to face outside the store before he had had time to conceal himself.

He was thrown off his guard, but he rallied and tried to play the gallant.

" Thought I'd come 'long and see if I couldn't carry yer bundle fer yeh."

" Oh, thank you, Mr. Green," said Phoebe, in new dismay at this unwonted display of courtesy on his part. " But I can't wait, for Emmeline is in a great hurry for this. I shall have to run most of the way home. Besides it's very light. I couldn't think of troubling you." She had backed off as she spoke, and with the closing words she turned and flew up the street on feet as light as a thistle-down.

" Gosh!" said Hiram, under his breath, almost dazed at the rebuff. " Gosh! but she's a slippery one! But I'll catch her yet where she can't squirm out so easy. See if I don't! " And with scowling brows he started slowly after her again. He did not intend any move on her part should go unwatched. He hated her for disliking him.

Miranda, from her watch-tower in the Spafford kitchen window, saw Phoebe's flying figure, and wondered. She did not know what it meant, but it meant something she was sure. She felt " stirrings " in her soul that usually called for some action on her part. Her alert soul was ready when the time should arrive and she felt it " arriving" fast, and sniffed the air like a trained war-horse. To be sure she sniffed nothing more dangerous than the fragrance of mince pies just out of the great brick oven, standing in a row on the shelf to cool.

The remainder of the morning was not pleasant for Phoebe. Her mind was too busy with her perplexity about how to get the letter to Nathaniel for her to spend much time in planning how to excuse her forgetfulness. She merely said: " I was thinking of something else, Emmeline, and so came back without going to the store at all." Emmeline scolded, and sniffed, and scoffed to no purpose. Phoebe silently worked on, her brow thoughtful, her eyes far away, her whole manner showing she was paying little heed to what her sister-in-law said. This made Emmeline still more angry, so that she exhausted the vials of her wrath in fruitless words upon the girl. But Phoebe's lips were sealed. She answered questions when it was necessary and quietly worked on. The tasks disappeared from under her hand as if by a sort of magic. When everything else was done she seated herself at the quilt and began to set tiny stitches in a brilliant corner.

" Don't trouble yourself," said Emmeline, coldly. " You might forget to fasten yer thread, er tie a knot in it. I wouldn't be s'prised." But Phoebe worked mechanically on and soon had got a whole block ahead of Emmeline. Her mind was busy with the problem of the evening. How should she get that letter to Nathaniel without being discovered and questioned at home?

At dinner she was unusually silent, excusing herself to go back to the quilt as soon as she had eaten a few mouth- fuls. Emmeline looked scrutinizingly at her, and became silent. It seemed to her there was something strange about Phoebe. She would have given a good deal to know all about her afternoon at the Spaffords', but Phoebe's monosyllabic answers brought forth little in the way of information.

Albert looked at her in a troubled way, then glanced at Emmeline's forbidding face, and forbore to say anything.

The afternoon wore away in silence. Several times Emmeline opened her lips to ask a question, and snapped them shut again. She made up her mind that Phoebe must be thinking about Hiram Green, and if that was so she would better keep still and let her think. Nevertheless there was something serene and lofty about Phoebe's look that was hardly in keeping with a thought of Hiram Green, and there was something sphinx-like in her manner that made Emmeline feel it was useless to ask questions, though of course Emmeline had never heard of the sphinx.

Phoebe acted like one who was making up for lost time. The dishes seemed to marshal themselves into cleanly array on the shelves, and before the darkness came on she had caused a number of suns on the sunrise bedquilt to set forever behind a goodly roll of fine stitches set in most intricate patterns.

She arose like one who was wound up at five o'clock and without a word got the supper. Then, eating little or nothing herself, she cleared it rapidly away and went up to her room. Albert took his newspaper, and Emmeline went grimly at her basket of stockings. She was wondering whether the girl intended coming down to help her with them. After all it was rather profitable to have Phoebe work like that, things got done so quickly.

" Is Phoebe sick ?" asked Albert, suddenly looking up from his paper.

Emmeline started and pricked her fingers with the needle.

" I should like to know what makes you think that," she snapped, frowning at the prick. " You seem to think she's made of some kind of perishable stuff that needs more'n ordinary care. You never seem to think I'm sick as I've noticed."

" Now, Emmeline! " he began pleasantly, " you know you aren't ever sick, and this is your home, and you like to stay in it, and you've got your own folks and all. But Phoebe’s kind of different. She doesn't seem to quite belong, and I wouldn't want her to miss anything out of her life because she's living with us."

" Bosh! " said Emmeline. " Phoebe's made of no better stuff 'n I am. She ken do more work when the fit's on her than a yoke of oxen. The fit's ben on her to-day. She's got her spunk up. That's all the matter. She's tryin' to make up fer losin' yesterday afternoon, jes' to spite me fer what I said about her goin' out. I know her. She's done a hull lot on that there quilt this afternoon. At this rate we'll hev it off the frames before the week's out. She ain't et much 'cause she's mad, but she'll come out of it all right. You make me sick the way you fret about her doldrums."

Albert subsided and the darning-needle had it all its own way clicking in and out. They could hear Phoebe moving about her chamber quietly, though it was not directly over the sitting-room, and presently the sounds ceased altogether, and they thought she had gone to bed. A few minutes more and Hiram with his customary shuffle opened the sitting- room door and walked in.

" Where's Phoebe ? " he asked, looking at the silent group around the candle; " she ain't out to another tea-party is she?"

" She's gone to bed," said Emmeline, shortly. " Is it cold out?"

Phoebe, upstairs by her open window, arrayed in her plain brown delaine, brown shirred bonnet, and brown cape, with the letter safely pinned inside her cape, waited until the accustomed sounds downstairs told her Hiram had come and was seated. Then she softly, cautiously climbed out of her window to the roof of a shed a few feet below her window, crept out to the back edge of this and dropped like a cat to the ground. She had performed this feat many times as a child, but never since she wore long dresses. She was glad the moon was not up yet, and she hurried around the back of the house and across the side yard to the fence, which she climbed. Her feet had scarcely left the last rail ere she heard the door-latch click, and a broad beam of light was flung out across the path not far from her. To her horror she saw Hiram Green's tall form coming out and then the door slammed shut and she knew he was out in the night with her.