Prudy Keeping House | Page 7

I'll go see what's the matter with that man," thought Miss Fly.
"Guess he's got hurted."
She slid down from the bureau, and stole softly out of the room
backward; but her feet made no more sound on the carpet than the fall
of a rose-leaf, and neither of the girls looked up.
"For course I shan't go ou'doors, 'cause I solomon promised I wouldn't,"
said she, pattering down the basement stairs.
The fact was, she had no idea any one would let her go. But it so
happened that thoughtless Rachel was the one who unlocked the
basement door, and it was an easy thing to slip out behind her.
"'Cause I spect she'll send me ri' back."
But when Rachel looked around, and saw the pretty child with her fair
hair blowing wild, she only laughed and went on gossiping with the
orange boy. She saw no harm in letting Fly hop about the pavement on
one foot sucking oranges, till she herself felt chilled by the keen wind;
then she drew the little girl into the house, and shut the door against the
snow-storm, saying,--
"Why, how happened you out here, little 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