Prudy Keeping House | Page 7

Miss Fly?"
"She sawed me the whole time; she ought to sended me in," thought Fly, dancing up and down to shake off the snow. "Twasn't me was naughty; 'twas the rest the folks. They didn't pay no 'tention where I went to."
But though she pretended to herself that she had done no wrong, she did not wish to be found out, and crept very softly up stairs, even as far as the cupola, and looked out of the windows with all her might.
"Cold room up here, athout no fire," thought she, by and by, with a shiver; and just then she heard the girls calling.
"Here I is," a voice replied, far up the height; and down ran Fly in a trice.
"You haven't been 'up attic' all this time, Topknot?"
"Well, you ought to paid 'tention where I's going to," returned Fly, sharply. "Nobody knows what I'll do next--auntie said there didn't!"
Horace laughed. "Come, fix her up, girls; she's my baby."
"I thought you were the 'Man in the Moon,'" said Mother Hubbard, "and he isn't married."
"I've been a widower some time," sighed Horace, laying his hand on the left pocket of his blue swallow-tail coat.
His costume was as droll as the girls'; for Uncle Augustus, who had figured the week before in some private tableaux, had a full Brother Jonathan suit.
"The man in the Moon, if you please, Mother Hubbard, come down to inquire the way to Norridge."
"Ah! I'm afraid you've 'come down too soon.' Didn't you forget your whiskers?"
Horace rubbed his upper lip thoughtfully. "Will you inform me, ma'am, where I can get a boarding-place? I'm sort of turned round. Growing place. Last time I was down, there were only a few houses here; now it's pretty thick settled back of the meeting-house."
"I'll take you," said Mother Hubbard, putting her handkerchief to her face. "How would my dog feel if he knew I had come to this!"
"Come to what, ma'am?"
"Why, to New York, to take boarders."
"Are you in indigenous circumstances, madam? And have you seen the first society? If so, I may possibly conclude to come too," said Dotty, sweeping forward, and losing a hair-pin out of her chignon.
"O, what a fascinating creature!" said the Man in the Moon, making an eye-glass of his thumb and forefinger, and gazing at the lady boarder. "Are you a widow, ma'am?"
"Well, they don't say nuffin' 'bout fixin' me up! Guess I shan't go to the party!" exclaimed Fly, opening and closing her eyes in token of outraged dignity.
Prudy took her into auntie's room, and proceeded at once to robe her in her own night-dress, with a lace night-cap, and a cologne-mat for a bib.
"Hollis didn't say for me to be such a long baby," sniffled Fly, trying in vain to clear her feet from the trailing skirt.
"This is your slip, dear. You're only a baby--musn't try to walk."
"Then my papa must carry me down stairs," said Fly, entering into the spirit of the play. "You tell him so--I can't tell him, for I can't talk. Argoo-goo. My teeth haven't camed."
"If you please, Master Clifford," said Nathaniel, appearing at the head of the stairs. Then he stopped short with surprise, hardly knowing the children in their strange attire; but being too dignified to laugh aloud, added, with a grim smile,--
"The woman that brought Miss Fly home the other day is down in the dining-room, and says,'Can she see one of the family?'"
"A little girl with her, Nat?"
"Yes, sir; the blind girl is with her."
"And the freckled doggie!" asked "the long baby," suddenly raising her head from her father's shoulder. "I meant to told 'em to bringed that doggie."
"Let's all go down and see," said Mother Hubbard.
When they entered the dining-room, Mrs. Brooks started up in dismay. She had left her sick husband, and come a long distance through the storm, only to find Mrs. Allen gone, and a parcel of children decked out like circus-riders. It seemed like a cruel mockery.
"Beg pardon," said she. "Maria, we'll go home now."
Maria was sitting near her mother, trying to force back the tears which would find their way through her closed eyes.
"You poor dear girl," said Mother Hubbard, going up to her, and taking her hand. "My auntie was so sorry to go off to-day, just when you were coming! but she had to, for Uncle Augustus is sick. And it looks funny to you--I mean to your mother--to see us dressed up this way; but auntie said we might, just to keep us from being so lonesome. And Mrs. Brooks, she wants you to call again the day after the day after to-morrow. She thinks she'll be home then."
"Yes'm," struck in my Lady Magnifico! "She thinks she'll come then with Uncle 'Gustus. He isn't much sick. If he was going to die, we wouldn't dress up so,