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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Jo's Boys, by Louisa May Alcott
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Jo's Boys
+
+Author: Louisa May Alcott
+
+Posting Date: February 5, 2009 [EBook #3499]
+Release Date: October, 2002
+Last Updated: March 10, 2018
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JO'S BOYS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by The Project Gutenberg Alcott Team
+
+
+
+
+
+JO'S BOYS
+
+
+By Louisa M. Alcott
+
+
+
+
+     Chapter 1    Ten Years Later
+     Chapter 2    Parnassus
+     Chapter 3    Jo's Last Scrape
+     Chapter 4    Dan
+     Chapter 5    Vacation
+     Chapter 6    Last Words
+     Chapter 7    The Lion and the Lamb
+     Chapter 8    Josie Plays Mermaid
+     Chapter 9    The Worm Turns
+     Chapter 10   Demi Settles
+     Chapter 11   Emil's Thanksgiving
+     Chapter 12   Dan's Christmas
+     Chapter 13   Nat's New Year
+     Chapter 14   Plays at Plumfield
+     Chapter 15   Waiting
+     Chapter 16   In the Tennis-court
+     Chapter 17   Among the Maids
+     Chapter 18   Class Day
+     Chapter 19   White Roses
+     Chapter 20   Life for Life
+     Chapter 21   Aslauga's Knight
+     Chapter 22   Positively Last Appearance
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 1. TEN YEARS LATER
+
+'If anyone had told me what wonderful changes were to take place here in
+ten years, I wouldn't have believed it,' said Mrs Jo to Mrs Meg, as they
+sat on the piazza at Plumfield one summer day, looking about them with
+faces full of pride and pleasure.
+
+'This is the sort of magic that money and kind hearts can work. I am
+sure Mr Laurence could have no nobler monument than the college he so
+generously endowed; and a home like this will keep Aunt March's memory
+green as long as it lasts,' answered Mrs Meg, always glad to praise the
+absent.
+
+'We used to believe in fairies, you remember, and plan what we'd ask
+for if we could have three wishes. Doesn't it seem as if mine had been
+really granted at last? Money, fame, and plenty of the work I love,'
+said Mrs Jo, carelessly rumpling up her hair as she clasped her hands
+over her head just as she used to do when a girl.
+
+'I have had mine, and Amy is enjoying hers to her heart's content. If
+dear Marmee, John, and Beth were here, it would be quite perfect,' added
+Meg, with a tender quiver in her voice; for Marmee's place was empty
+now.
+
+Jo put her hand on her sister's, and both sat silent for a little while,
+surveying the pleasant scene before them with mingled sad and happy
+thoughts.
+
+It certainly did look as if magic had been at work, for quiet Plumfield
+was transformed into a busy little world. The house seemed more
+hospitable than ever, refreshed now with new paint, added wings,
+well-kept lawn and garden, and a prosperous air it had not worn when
+riotous boys swarmed everywhere and it was rather difficult for the
+Bhaers to make both ends meet. On the hill, where kites used to be
+flown, stood the fine college which Mr Laurence's munificent legacy had
+built. Busy students were going to and fro along the paths once trodden
+by childish feet, and many young men and women were enjoying all the
+advantages that wealth, wisdom, and benevolence could give them.
+
+Just inside the gates of Plumfield a pretty brown cottage, very like
+the Dovecote, nestled among the trees, and on the green slope westward
+Laurie's white-pillared mansion glittered in the sunshine; for when the
+rapid growth of the city shut in the old house, spoilt Meg's nest, and
+dared to put a soap-factory under Mr Laurence's indignant nose, our
+friends emigrated to Plumfield, and the great changes began.
+
+These were the pleasant ones; and the loss of the dear old people was
+sweetened by the blessings they left behind; so all prospered now in the
+little community, and Mr Bhaer as president, and Mr March as chaplain
+of the college, saw their long-cherished dream beautifully realized. The
+sisters divided the care of the young people among them, each taking
+the part that suited her best. Meg was the motherly friend of the young
+women, Jo the confidante and defender of all the youths, and Amy the
+lady Bountiful who delicately smoothed the way for needy students, and
+entertained them all so cordially that it was no wonder they named her
+lovely home Mount Parnassus, so full was it of music, beauty, and the
+culture hungry young hearts and fancies long for.
+
+The original twelve boys had of course scattered far and wide during
+these years, but all that lived still remembered old Plumfield, and came
+wandering back from the four quarters of the earth to tell their various
+experiences, laugh over the pleasures of the past, and face the duties
+of the present with fresh courage; for such home-comings keep hearts
+tender and hands helpful with the memories of young and happy days. A
+few words will tell the history of each, and then we can go on with the
+new chapter of their lives.
+
+Franz was with a merchant kinsman in Hamburg, a man of twenty-six now,
+and doing well. Emil was the jolliest tar that ever 'sailed the ocean
+blue'. His uncle sent him on a long voyage to disgust him with this
+adventurous life; but he came home so delighted with it that it was
+plain this was his profession, and the German kinsman gave him a good
+chance in his ships; so the lad was happy. Dan was a wanderer still; for
+after the geological researches in South America he tried sheep-farming
+in Australia, and was now in California looking up mines. Nat was busy
+with music at the Conservatory, preparing for a year or two in Germany
+to finish him off. Tom was studying medicine and trying to like it.
+Jack was in business with his father, bent on getting rich. Dolly was in
+college with Stuffy and Ned reading law. Poor little Dick was dead, so
+was Billy; and no one could mourn for them, since life would never be
+happy, afflicted as they were in mind and body.
+
+Rob and Teddy were called the 'Lion and the Lamb'; for the latter was
+as rampant as the king of beasts, and the former as gentle as any sheep
+that ever baaed. Mrs Jo called him 'my daughter', and found him the
+most dutiful of children, with plenty of manliness underlying the quiet
+manners and tender nature. But in Ted she seemed to see all the faults,
+whims, aspirations, and fun of her own youth in a new shape. With his
+tawny locks always in wild confusion, his long legs and arms, loud
+voice, and continual activity, Ted was a prominent figure at Plumfield.
+He had his moods of gloom, and fell into the Slough of Despond about
+once a week, to be hoisted out by patient Rob or his mother, who
+understood when to let him alone and when to shake him up. He was her
+pride and joy as well as torment, being a very bright lad for his age,
+and so full of all sorts of budding talent, that her maternal mind was
+much exercised as to what this remarkable boy would become.
+
+Demi had gone through College with honour, and Mrs Meg had set her heart
+on his being a minister--picturing in her fond fancy the first sermon
+her dignified young parson would preach, as well as the long, useful,
+and honoured life he was to lead. But John, as she called him now,
+firmly declined the divinity school, saying he had had enough of books,
+and needed to know more of men and the world, and caused the dear woman
+much disappointment by deciding to try a journalist's career. It was
+a blow; but she knew that young minds cannot be driven, and that
+experience is the best teacher; so she let him follow his own
+inclinations, still hoping to see him in the pulpit. Aunt Jo raged when
+she found that there was to be a reporter in the family, and called him
+'Jenkins' on the spot. She liked his literary tendencies, but had reason
+to detest official Paul Prys, as we shall see later. Demi knew his own
+mind, however, and tranquilly carried out his plans, unmoved by the
+tongues of the anxious mammas or the jokes of his mates. Uncle Teddy
+encouraged him, and painted a splendid career, mentioning Dickens and
+other celebrities who began as reporters and ended as famous novelists
+or newspaper men.
+
+The girls were all flourishing. Daisy, as sweet and domestic as ever,
+was her mother's comfort and companion. Josie at fourteen was a most
+original young person, full of pranks and peculiarities, the latest of
+which was a passion for the stage, which caused her quiet mother and
+sister much anxiety as well as amusement. Bess had grown into a tall,
+beautiful girl looking several years older than she was, with the same
+graceful ways and dainty tastes which the little Princess had, and a
+rich inheritance of both the father's and mother's gifts, fostered by
+every aid love and money could give. But the pride of the community
+was naughty Nan; for, like so many restless, wilful children, she
+was growing into a woman full of the energy and promise that suddenly
+blossoms when the ambitious seeker finds the work she is fitted to do
+well. Nan began to study medicine at sixteen, and at twenty was getting
+on bravely; for now, thanks to other intelligent women, colleges and
+hospitals were open to her. She had never wavered in her purpose from
+the childish days when she shocked Daisy in the old willow by saying: 'I
+don't want any family to fuss over. I shall have an office, with bottles
+and pestle things in it, and drive round and cure folks.' The future
+foretold by the little girl the young woman was rapidly bringing to
+pass, and finding so much happiness in it that nothing could win her
+from the chosen work. Several worthy young gentlemen had tried to make
+her change her mind and choose, as Daisy did, 'a nice little house and
+family to take care of'. But Nan only laughed, and routed the lovers
+by proposing to look at the tongue which spoke of adoration, or
+professionally felt the pulse in the manly hand offered for her
+acceptance. So all departed but one persistent youth, who was such a
+devoted Traddles it was impossible to quench him.
+
+This was Tom, who was as faithful to his child sweetheart as she to
+her 'pestle things', and gave a proof of fidelity that touched her very
+much. He studied medicine for her sake alone, having no taste for it,
+and a decided fancy for a mercantile life. But Nan was firm, and
+Tom stoutly kept on, devoutly hoping he might not kill many of his
+fellow-beings when he came to practise. They were excellent friends,
+however, and caused much amusement to their comrades, by the
+vicissitudes of this merry love-chase.
+
+Both were approaching Plumfield on the afternoon when Mrs Meg and Mrs
+Jo were talking on the piazza. Not together; for Nan was walking briskly
+along the pleasant road alone, thinking over a case that interested her,
+and Tom was pegging on behind to overtake her, as if by accident, when
+the suburbs of the city were past--a little way of his, which was part
+of the joke.
+
+Nan was a handsome girl, with a fresh colour, clear eye, quick smile,
+and the self-poised look young women with a purpose always have. She was
+simply and sensibly dressed, walked easily, and seemed full of vigour,
+with her broad shoulders well back, arms swinging freely, and the
+elasticity of youth and health in every motion. The few people she met
+turned to look at her, as if it was a pleasant sight to see a hearty,
+happy girl walking countryward that lovely day; and the red-faced young
+man steaming along behind, hat off and every tight curl wagging with
+impatience, evidently agreed with them.
+
+Presently a mild 'Hallo!' was borne upon the breeze, and pausing, with
+an effort to look surprised that was an utter failure, Nan said affably:
+
+'Oh, is that you, Tom?'
+
+'Looks like it. Thought you might be walking out today'; and Tom's
+jovial face beamed with pleasure.
+
+'You knew it. How is your throat?' asked Nan in her professional tone,
+which was always a quencher to undue raptures.
+
+'Throat? Oh, ah! yes, I remember. It is well. The effect of that
+prescription was wonderful. I'll never call homoeopathy a humbug again.'
+
+'You were the humbug this time, and so were the unmedicated pellets
+I gave you. If sugar or milk can cure diphtheria in this remarkable
+manner, I'll make a note of it. O Tom, Tom, will you never be done
+playing tricks?'
+
+'O Nan, Nan, will you never be done getting the better of me?' And the
+merry pair laughed at one another just as they did in the old times,
+which always came back freshly when they went to Plumfield.
+
+'Well, I knew I shouldn't see you for a week if I didn't scare up some
+excuse for a call at the office. You are so desperately busy all the
+time I never get a word,' explained Tom.
+
+'You ought to be busy too, and above such nonsense. Really, Tom, if you
+don't give your mind to your lectures, you'll never get on,' said Nan
+soberly.
+
+'I have quite enough of them as it is,' answered Tom with an air of
+disgust. 'A fellow must lark a bit after dissecting corpuses all day.
+I can't stand it long at a time, though some people seem to enjoy it
+immensely.'
+
+'Then why not leave it, and do what suits you better? I always thought
+it a foolish thing, you know,' said Nan, with a trace of anxiety in the
+keen eyes that searched for signs of illness in a face as ruddy as a
+Baldwin apple.
+
+'You know why I chose it, and why I shall stick to it if it kills me.
+I may not look delicate, but I've a deep-seated heart complaint, and it
+will carry me off sooner or later; for only one doctor in the world can
+cure it, and she won't.'
+
+There was an air of pensive resignation about Tom that was both comic
+and pathetic; for he was in earnest, and kept on giving hints of this
+sort, without the least encouragement.
+
+Nan frowned; but she was used to it, and knew how to treat him.
+
+'She is curing it in the best and only way; but a more refractory
+patient never lived. Did you go to that ball, as I directed?'
+
+'I did.'
+
+'And devote yourself to pretty Miss West?'
+
+'Danced with her the whole evening.'
+
+'No impression made on that susceptible organ of yours?'
+
+'Not the slightest. I gaped in her face once, forgot to feed her, and
+gave a sigh of relief when I handed her over to her mamma.'
+
+'Repeat the dose as often as possible, and note the symptoms. I predict
+that you'll “cry for it” by and by.'
+
+'Never! I'm sure it doesn't suit my constitution.'
+
+'We shall see. Obey orders!' sternly.
+
+'Yes, Doctor,' meekly.
+
+Silence reigned for a moment; then, as if the bone of contention was
+forgotten in the pleasant recollections called up by familiar objects,
+Nan said suddenly:
+
+'What fun we used to have in that wood! Do you remember how you tumbled
+out of the big nut-tree and nearly broke your collar-bones?'
+
+'Don't I! and how you steeped me in wormwood till I was a fine mahogany
+colour, and Aunt Jo wailed over my spoilt jacket,' laughed Tom, a boy
+again in a minute.
+
+'And how you set the house afire?'
+
+'And you ran off for your band-box?'
+
+'Do you ever say “Thunder-turtles” now?'
+
+'Do people ever call you “Giddy-gaddy”?'
+
+'Daisy does. Dear thing, I haven't seen her for a week.'
+
+'I saw Demi this morning, and he said she was keeping house for Mother
+Bhaer.'
+
+'She always does when Aunt Jo gets into a vortex. Daisy is a model
+housekeeper; and you couldn't do better than make your bow to her, if
+you can't go to work and wait till you are grown up before you begin
+lovering.'
+
+'Nat would break his fiddle over my head if I suggested such a thing.
+No, thank you. Another name is engraved upon my heart as indelibly
+as the blue anchor on my arm. “Hope” is my motto, and “No surrender”,
+yours; see who will hold out longest.'
+
+'You silly boys think we must pair off as we did when children; but we
+shall do nothing of the kind. How well Parnassus looks from here!' said
+Nan, abruptly changing the conversation again.
+
+'It is a fine house; but I love old Plum best. Wouldn't Aunt March stare
+if she could see the changes here?' answered Tom, as they both paused at
+the great gate to look at the pleasant landscape before them.
+
+A sudden whoop startled them, as a long boy with a wild yellow head came
+leaping over a hedge like a kangaroo, followed by a slender girl, who
+stuck in the hawthorn, and sat there laughing like a witch. A pretty
+little lass she was, with curly dark hair, bright eyes, and a very
+expressive face. Her hat was at her back, and her skirts a good deal the
+worse for the brooks she had crossed, the trees she had climbed, and the
+last leap, which added several fine rents.
+
+'Take me down, Nan, please. Tom, hold Ted; he's got my book, and I
+will have it,' called Josie from her perch, not at all daunted by the
+appearance of her friends.
+
+Tom promptly collared the thief, while Nan picked Josie from among the
+thorns and set her on her feet without a word of reproof; for having
+been a romp in her own girlhood, she was very indulgent to like tastes
+in others. 'What's the matter, dear?' she asked, pinning up the longest
+rip, while Josie examined the scratches on her hands. 'I was studying my
+part in the willow, and Ted came slyly up and poked the book out of my
+hands with his rod. It fell in the brook, and before I could scrabble
+down he was off. You wretch, give it back this moment or I'll box your
+ears,' cried Josie, laughing and scolding in the same breath.
+
+Escaping from Tom, Ted struck a sentimental attitude, and with tender
+glances at the wet, torn young person before him, delivered Claude
+Melnotte's famous speech in a lackadaisical way that was irresistibly
+funny, ending with 'Dost like the picture, love?' as he made an object
+of himself by tying his long legs in a knot and distorting his face
+horribly.
+
+The sound of applause from the piazza put a stop to these antics, and
+the young folks went up the avenue together very much in the old style
+when Tom drove four in hand and Nan was the best horse in the team.
+Rosy, breathless, and merry, they greeted the ladies and sat down on
+the steps to rest, Aunt Meg sewing up her daughter's rags while Mrs
+Jo smoothed the Lion's mane, and rescued the book. Daisy appeared in a
+moment to greet her friend, and all began to talk.
+
+'Muffins for tea; better stay and eat 'em; Daisy's never fail,' said Ted
+hospitably.
+
+'He's a judge; he ate nine last time. That's why he's so fat,' added
+Josie, with a withering glance at her cousin, who was as thin as a lath.
+
+'I must go and see Lucy Dove. She has a whitlow, and it's time to lance
+it. I'll tea at college,' answered Nan, feeling in her pocket to be sure
+she had not forgotten her case of instruments.
+
+'Thanks, I'm going there also. Tom Merryweather has granulated lids,
+and I promised to touch them up for him. Save a doctor's fee and be good
+practice for me. I'm clumsy with my thumbs,' said Tom, bound to be near
+his idol while he could.
+
+'Hush! Daisy doesn't like to hear you saw-bones talk of your work.
+Muffins suit us better'; and Ted grinned sweetly, with a view to future
+favours in the eating line.
+
+'Any news of the Commodore?' asked Tom.
+
+'He is on his way home, and Dan hopes to come soon. I long to see my
+boys together, and have begged the wanderers to come to Thanksgiving, if
+not before,' answered Mrs Jo, beaming at the thought.
+
+'They'll come, every man of them, if they can. Even Jack will risk
+losing a dollar for the sake of one of our jolly old dinners,' laughed
+Tom.
+
+'There's the turkey fattening for the feast. I never chase him now, but
+feed him well; and he's “swellin' wisibly”, bless his drumsticks!' said
+Ted, pointing out the doomed fowl proudly parading in a neighbouring
+field.
+
+'If Nat goes the last of the month we shall want a farewell frolic for
+him. I suppose the dear old Chirper will come home a second Ole Bull,'
+said Nan to her friend.
+
+A pretty colour came into Daisy's cheek, and the folds of muslin on her
+breast rose and fell with a quick breath; but she answered placidly:
+'Uncle Laurie says he has real talent, and after the training he will
+get abroad he can command a good living here, though he may never be
+famous.'
+
+'Young people seldom turn out as one predicts, so it is of little use
+to expect anything,' said Mrs Meg with a sigh. 'If our children are good
+and useful men and women, we should be satisfied; yet it's very natural
+to wish them to be brilliant and successful.'
+
+'They are like my chickens, mighty uncertain. Now, that fine-looking
+cockerel of mine is the stupidest one of the lot, and the ugly,
+long-legged chap is the king of the yard, he's so smart; crows loud
+enough to wake the Seven Sleepers; but the handsome one croaks, and is
+no end of a coward. I get snubbed; but you wait till I grow up, and
+then see'; and Ted looked so like his own long-legged pet that everyone
+laughed at his modest prediction.
+
+'I want to see Dan settled somewhere. “A rolling stone gathers no moss”,
+and at twenty-five he is still roaming about the world without a tie to
+hold him, except this'; and Mrs Meg nodded towards her sister.
+
+'Dan will find his place at last, and experience is his best teacher.
+He is rough still, but each time he comes home I see a change for the
+better, and never lose my faith in him. He may never do anything great,
+or get rich; but if the wild boy makes an honest man, I'm satisfied,'
+said Mrs Jo, who always defended the black sheep of her flock.
+
+'That's right, mother, stand by Dan! He's worth a dozen Jacks and Neds
+bragging about money and trying to be swells. You see if he doesn't do
+something to be proud of and take the wind out of their sails,'
+added Ted, whose love for his 'Danny' was now strengthened by a boy's
+admiration for the bold, adventurous man.
+
+'Hope so, I'm sure. He's just the fellow to do rash things and come
+to glory--climbing the Matterhorn, taking a “header” into Niagara, or
+finding a big nugget. That's his way of sowing wild oats, and perhaps
+it's better than ours,' said Tom thoughtfully; for he had gained a good
+deal of experience in that sort of agriculture since he became a medical
+student.
+
+'Much better!' said Mrs Jo emphatically. 'I'd rather send my boys off
+to see the world in that way than leave them alone in a city full of
+temptations, with nothing to do but waste time, money, and health, as
+so many are left. Dan has to work his way, and that teaches him courage,
+patience, and self-reliance. I don't worry about him as much as I do
+about George and Dolly at college, no more fit than two babies to take
+care of themselves.'
+
+'How about John? He's knocking round town as a newspaper man, reporting
+all sorts of things, from sermons to prize-fights,' asked Tom, who
+thought that sort of life would be much more to his own taste than
+medical lectures and hospital wards.
+
+'Demi has three safeguards--good principles, refined tastes, and a wise
+mother. He won't come to harm, and these experiences will be useful to
+him when he begins to write, as I'm sure he will in time,' began Mrs
+Jo in her prophetic tone; for she was anxious to have some of her geese
+turn out swans.
+
+'Speak of Jenkins, and you'll hear the rustling of his paper,' cried
+Tom, as a fresh-faced, brown-eyed young man came up the avenue, waving a
+newspaper over his head.
+
+'Here's your Evening Tattler! Latest Edition! Awful murder! Bank clerk
+absconded! Powder-mill explosion, and great strike of the Latin School
+boys!' roared Ted, going to meet his cousin with the graceful gait of a
+young giraffe.
+
+'The Commodore is in, and will cut his cable and run before the wind
+as soon as he can get off,' called Demi, with 'a nice derangement of
+nautical epitaphs', as he came up smiling over his good news.
+
+Everyone talked together for a moment, and the paper passed from hand to
+hand that each eye might rest on the pleasant fact that the Brenda, from
+Hamburg, was safe in port.
+
+'He'll come lurching out by tomorrow with his usual collection of marine
+monsters and lively yarns. I saw him, jolly and tarry and brown as a
+coffee-berry. Had a good run, and hopes to be second mate, as the other
+chap is laid up with a broken leg,' added Demi.
+
+'Wish I had the setting of it,' said Nan to herself, with a professional
+twist of her hand.
+
+'How's Franz?' asked Mrs Jo.
+
+'He's going to be married! There's news for you. The first of the
+flock, Aunty, so say good-bye to him. Her name is Ludmilla Heldegard
+Blumenthal; good family, well-off, pretty, and of course an angel. The
+dear old boy wants Uncle's consent, and then he will settle down to be a
+happy and an honest burgher. Long life to him!'
+
+'I'm glad to hear it. I do so like to settle my boys with a good wife
+and a nice little home. Now, if all is right, I shall feel as if Franz
+was off my mind,' said Mrs Jo, folding her hands contentedly; for she
+often felt like a distracted hen with a large brood of mixed chickens
+and ducks upon her hands.
+
+'So do I,' sighed Tom, with a sly glance at Nan. 'That's what a fellow
+needs to keep him steady; and it's the duty of nice girls to marry as
+soon as possible, isn't it, Demi?'
+
+'If there are enough nice fellows to go round. The female population
+exceeds the male, you know, especially in New England; which accounts
+for the high state of culture we are in, perhaps,' answered John, who
+was leaning over his mother's chair, telling his day's experiences in a
+whisper.
+
+'It is a merciful provision, my dears; for it takes three or four women
+to get each man into, through, and out of the world. You are costly
+creatures, boys; and it is well that mothers, sisters, wives, and
+daughters love their duty and do it so well, or you would perish off the
+face of the earth,' said Mrs Jo solemnly, as she took up a basket filled
+with dilapidated hose; for the good Professor was still hard on his
+socks, and his sons resembled him in that respect.
+
+'Such being the case, there is plenty for the “superfluous women” to do,
+in taking care of these helpless men and their families. I see that more
+clearly every day, and am very glad and grateful that my profession will
+make me a useful, happy, and independent spinster.'
+
+Nan's emphasis on the last word caused Tom to groan, and the rest to
+laugh.
+
+'I take great pride and solid satisfaction in you, Nan, and hope to
+see you very successful; for we do need just such helpful women in the
+world. I sometimes feel as if I've missed my vocation and ought to
+have remained single; but my duty seemed to point this way, and I don't
+regret it,' said Mrs Jo, folding a large and very ragged blue sock to
+her bosom.
+
+'Neither do I. What should I ever have done without my dearest Mum?'
+added Ted, with a filial hug which caused both to disappear behind the
+newspaper in which he had been mercifully absorbed for a few minutes.
+
+'My darling boy, if you would wash your hands semi-occasionally, fond
+caresses would be less disastrous to my collar. Never mind, my precious
+touslehead, better grass stains and dirt than no cuddlings at all'; and
+Mrs Jo emerged from that brief eclipse looking much refreshed, though
+her back hair was caught in Ted's buttons and her collar under one ear.
+
+Here Josie, who had been studying her part at the other end of the
+piazza, suddenly burst forth with a smothered shriek, and gave Juliet's
+speech in the tomb so effectively that the boys applauded, Daisy
+shivered, and Nan murmured: 'Too much cerebral excitement for one of her
+age.'
+
+'I'm afraid you'll have to make up your mind to it, Meg. That child is
+a born actress. We never did anything so well, not even the Witch's
+Curse,' said Mrs Jo, casting a bouquet of many-coloured socks at the
+feet of her flushed and panting niece, when she fell gracefully upon the
+door-mat.
+
+'It is a sort of judgement upon me for my passion for the stage when a
+girl. Now I know how dear Marmee felt when I begged to be an actress. I
+never can consent, and yet I may be obliged to give up my wishes, hopes,
+and plans again.'
+
+There was an accent of reproach in his mother's voice, which made Demi
+pick up his sister with a gentle shake, and the stern command to 'drop
+that nonsense in public'.
+
+'Drop me, Minion, or I'll give you the Maniac Bride, with my best
+Ha-ha!' cried Josie, glaring at him like an offended kitten. Being set
+on her feet, she made a splendid courtesy, and dramatically proclaiming,
+'Mrs Woffington's carriage waits,' swept down the steps and round the
+corner, trailing Daisy's scarlet shawl majestically behind her.
+
+'Isn't she great fun? I couldn't stop in this dull place if I hadn't
+that child to make it lively for me. If ever she turns prim, I'm off; so
+mind how you nip her in the bud,' said Teddy, frowning at Demi, who was
+now writing out shorthand notes on the steps.
+
+'You two are a team, and it takes a strong hand to drive you, but I
+rather like it. Josie ought to have been my child, and Rob yours, Meg.
+Then your house would have been all peace and mine all Bedlam. Now I
+must go and tell Laurie the news. Come with me, Meg, a little stroll
+will do us good'; and sticking Ted's straw hat on her head, Mrs Jo
+walked off with her sister, leaving Daisy to attend to the muffins, Ted
+to appease Josie, and Tom and Nan to give their respective patients a
+very bad quarter of an hour.
+
+
+
+Chapter 2. PARNASSUS
+
+It was well named; and the Muses seemed to be at home that day, for as
+the newcomers went up the slope appropriate sights and sounds greeted
+them. Passing an open window, they looked in upon a library presided
+over by Clio, Calliope, and Urania; Melpomene and Thalia were disporting
+themselves in the hall, where some young people were dancing and
+rehearsing a play; Erato was walking in the garden with her lover, and
+in the music-room Phoebus himself was drilling a tuneful choir.
+
+A mature Apollo was our old friend Laurie, but comely and genial as
+ever; for time had ripened the freakish boy into a noble man. Care and
+sorrow, as well as ease and happiness, had done much for him; and the
+responsibility of carrying out his grandfather's wishes had been a
+duty most faithfully performed. Prosperity suits some people, and they
+blossom best in a glow of sunshine; others need the shade, and are the
+sweeter for a touch of frost. Laurie was one of the former sort, and
+Amy was another; so life had been a kind of poem to them since they
+married--not only harmonious and happy, but earnest, useful, and rich in
+the beautiful benevolence which can do so much when wealth and wisdom go
+hand in hand with charity. Their house was full of unostentatious beauty
+and comfort, and here the art-loving host and hostess attracted and
+entertained artists of all kinds. Laurie had music enough now, and was a
+generous patron to the class he most liked to help. Amy had her proteges
+among ambitious young painters and sculptors, and found her own art
+double dear as her daughter grew old enough to share its labours and
+delights with her; for she was one of those who prove that women can be
+faithful wives and mothers without sacrificing the special gift bestowed
+upon them for their own development and the good of others.
+
+Her sisters knew where to find her, and Jo went at once to the studio,
+where mother and daughter worked together. Bess was busy with the bust
+of a little child, while her mother added the last touches to a fine
+head of her husband. Time seemed to have stood still with Amy, for
+happiness had kept her young and prosperity given her the culture she
+needed. A stately, graceful woman, who showed how elegant simplicity
+could be made by the taste with which she chose her dress and the grace
+with which she wore it. As someone said: 'I never know what Mrs Laurence
+has on, but I always receive the impression that she is the best-dressed
+lady in the room.'
+
+It was evident that she adored her daughter, and well she might; for
+the beauty she had longed for seemed, to her fond eyes at least, to
+be impersonated in this younger self. Bess inherited her mother's
+Diana-like figure, blue eyes, fair skin, and golden hair, tied up in
+the same classic knot of curls. Also--ah! never-ending source of joy to
+Amy--she had her father's handsome nose and mouth, cast in a feminine
+mould. The severe simplicity of a long linen pinafore suited her;
+and she worked away with the entire absorption of the true artist,
+unconscious of the loving eyes upon her, till Aunt Jo came in exclaiming
+eagerly:
+
+'My dear girls, stop your mud-pies and hear the news!'
+
+Both artists dropped their tools and greeted the irrepressible woman
+cordially, though genius had been burning splendidly and her coming
+spoilt a precious hour. They were in the full tide of gossip when
+Laurie, who had been summoned by Meg, arrived, and sitting down between
+the sisters, with no barricade anywhere, listened with interest to the
+news of Franz and Emil.
+
+'The epidemic has broke out, and now it will rage and ravage your flock.
+Be prepared for every sort of romance and rashness for the next ten
+years, Jo. Your boys are growing up and will plunge headlong into a sea
+of worse scrapes than any you have had yet,' said Laurie, enjoying her
+look of mingled delight and despair.
+
+'I know it, and I hope I shall be able to pull them through and land
+them safely; but it's an awful responsibility, for they will come to me
+and insist that I can make their poor little loves run smoothly. I
+like it, though, and Meg is such a mush of sentiment she revels in the
+prospect,' answered Jo, feeling pretty easy about her own boys, whose
+youth made them safe for the present.
+
+'I'm afraid she won't revel when our Nat begins to buzz too near her
+Daisy. Of course you see what all that means? As musical director I am
+also his confidante, and would like to know what advice to give,' said
+Laurie soberly. 'Hush! you forget that child,' began Jo, nodding towards
+Bess, who was at work again.
+
+'Bless you! she's in Athens, and doesn't hear a word. She ought to leave
+off, though, and go out. My darling, put the baby to sleep, and go for
+a run. Aunt Meg is in the parlour; go and show her the new pictures till
+we come,' added Laurie, looking at his tall girl as Pygmalion might have
+looked at Galatea; for he considered her the finest statue in the house.
+
+'Yes, papa; but please tell me if it is good'; and Bess obediently put
+down her tools, with a lingering glance at the bust.
+
+'My cherished daughter, truth compels me to confess that one cheek is
+plumper than the other; and the curls upon its infant brow are rather
+too much like horns for perfect grace; otherwise it rivals Raphael's
+Chanting Cherubs, and I'm proud of it.'
+
+Laurie was laughing as he spoke; for these first attempts were so like
+Amy's early ones, it was impossible to regard them as soberly as the
+enthusiastic mamma did.
+
+'You can't see beauty in anything but music,' answered Bess, shaking the
+golden head that made the one bright spot in the cool north lights of
+the great studio.
+
+'Well, I see beauty in you, dear. And if you are not art, what is? I
+wish to put a little more nature into you, and get you away from this
+cold clay and marble into the sunshine, to dance and laugh as the
+others do. I want a flesh-and-blood girl, not a sweet statue in a grey
+pinafore, who forgets everything but her work.' As he spoke, two dusty
+hands came round his neck, and Bess said earnestly, punctuating her
+words with soft touches of her lips:
+
+'I never forget you, papa; but I do want to do something beautiful that
+you may be proud of me by and by. Mamma often tells me to stop; but when
+we get in here we forget there is any world outside, we are so busy and
+so happy. Now I'll go and run and sing, and be a girl to please you.'
+And throwing away the apron, Bess vanished from the room, seeming to
+take all the light with her.
+
+'I'm glad you said that. The dear child is too much absorbed in her
+artistic dreams for one so young. It is my fault; but I sympathize so
+deeply in it all, I forget to be wise,' sighed Amy, carefully covering
+the baby with a wet towel.
+
+'I think this power of living in our children is one of the sweetest
+things in the world; but I try to remember what Marmee once said to
+Meg--that fathers should have their share in the education of both girls
+and boys; so I leave Ted to his father all I can, and Fritz lends me
+Rob, whose quiet ways are as restful and good for me as Ted's tempests
+are for his father. Now I advise you, Amy, to let Bess drop the mud-pies
+for a time, and take up music with Laurie; then she won't be one-sided,
+and he won't be jealous.'
+
+'Hear, hear! A Daniel--a very Daniel!' cried Laurie, well pleased. 'I
+thought you'd lend a hand, Jo, and say a word for me. I am a little
+jealous of Amy, and want more of a share in my girl. Come, my lady, let
+me have her this summer, and next year, when we go to Rome, I'll give
+her up to you and high art. Isn't that a fair bargain?'
+
+'I agree; but in trying your hobby, nature, with music thrown in, don't
+forget that, though only fifteen, our Bess is older than most girls of
+that age, and cannot be treated like a child. She is so very precious
+to me, I feel as if I wanted to keep her always as pure and beautiful as
+the marble she loves so well.'
+
+Amy spoke regretfully as she looked about the lovely room where she had
+spent so many happy hours with this dear child of hers.
+
+'“Turn and turn about is fair play”, as we used to say when we all
+wanted to ride on Ellen Tree or wear the russet boots,' said Jo briskly;
+'so you must share your girl between you, and see who will do the most
+for her.'
+
+'We will,' answered the fond parents, laughing at the recollections Jo's
+proverb brought up to them.
+
+'How I did use to enjoy bouncing on the limbs of that old apple-tree!
+No real horse ever gave me half the pleasure or the exercise,' said Amy,
+looking out of the high window as if she saw the dear old orchard again
+and the little girls at play there.
+
+'And what fun I had with those blessed boots!' laughed Jo. 'I've got the
+relics now. The boys reduced them to rags; but I love them still, and
+would enjoy a good theatrical stalk in them if it were possible.'
+
+'My fondest memories twine about the warming-pan and the sausage. What
+larks we had! And how long ago it seems!' said Laurie, staring at the
+two women before him as if he found it hard to realize that they ever
+had been little Amy and riotous Jo.
+
+'Don't suggest that we are growing old, my Lord. We have only bloomed;
+and a very nice bouquet we make with our buds about us,' answered Mrs
+Amy, shaking out the folds of her rosy muslin with much the air of
+dainty satisfaction the girl used to show in a new dress.
+
+'Not to mention our thorns and dead leaves,' added Jo, with a sigh; for
+life had never been very easy to her, and even now she had her troubles
+both within and without.
+
+'Come and have a dish of tea, old dear, and see what the young folks are
+about. You are tired, and want to be “stayed with flagons and comforted
+with apples”,' said Laurie, offering an arm to each sister, and leading
+them away to afternoon tea, which flowed as freely on Parnassus as the
+nectar of old.
+
+They found Meg in the summer-parlour, an airy and delightful room, full
+now of afternoon sunshine and the rustle of trees; for the three long
+windows opened on the garden. The great music-room was at one end,
+and at the other, in a deep alcove hung with purple curtains, a little
+household shrine had been made. Three portraits hung there, two marble
+busts stood in the corners, and a couch, an oval table, with its urn
+of flowers, were the only articles of furniture the nook contained. The
+busts were John Brooke and Beth--Amy's work--both excellent likenesses,
+and both full of the placid beauty which always recalls the saying,
+that 'Clay represents life; plaster, death; marble, immortality'. On
+the right, as became the founder of the house, hung the portrait of Mr
+Laurence, with its expression of mingled pride and benevolence, as fresh
+and attractive as when he caught the girl Jo admiring it. Opposite was
+Aunt March--a legacy to Amy--in an imposing turban, immense sleeves, and
+long mittens decorously crossed on the front of her plum-coloured satin
+gown. Time had mellowed the severity of her aspect; and the fixed regard
+of the handsome old gentleman opposite seemed to account for the amiable
+simper on lips that had not uttered a sharp word for years.
+
+In the place of honour, with the sunshine warm upon it, and a green
+garland always round it, was Marmee's beloved face, painted with
+grateful skill by a great artist whom she had befriended when poor and
+unknown. So beautifully lifelike was it that it seemed to smile down
+upon her daughters, saying cheerfully:
+
+'Be happy; I am with you still.'
+
+The three sisters stood a moment looking up at the beloved picture with
+eyes full of tender reverence and the longing that never left them; for
+this noble mother had been so much to them that no one could ever fill
+her place. Only two years since she had gone away to live and love anew,
+leaving such a sweet memory behind her that it was both an inspiration
+and a comforter to all the household. They felt this as they drew closer
+to one another, and Laurie put it into words as he said earnestly:
+
+'I can ask nothing better for my child than that she may be a woman like
+our mother. Please God, she shall be, if I can do it; for I owe the best
+I have to this dear saint.'
+
+Just then a fresh voice began to sing 'Ave Maria' in the music-room, and
+Bess unconsciously echoed her father's prayer for her as she dutifully
+obeyed his wishes. The soft sound of the air Marmee used to sing led the
+listeners back into the world again from that momentary reaching after
+the loved and lost, and they sat down together near the open windows
+enjoying the music, while Laurie brought them tea, making the little
+service pleasant by the tender care he gave to it.
+
+Nat came in with Demi, soon followed by Ted and Josie, the Professor and
+his faithful Rob, all anxious to hear more about 'the boys'. The rattle
+of cups and tongues grew brisk, and the setting sun saw a cheerful
+company resting in the bright room after the varied labours of the day.
+
+Professor Bhaer was grey now, but robust and genial as ever; for he had
+the work he loved, and did it so heartily that the whole college felt
+his beautiful influence. Rob was as much like him as it was possible for
+a boy to be, and was already called the 'young Professor', he so adored
+study and closely imitated his honoured father in all ways.
+
+'Well, heart's dearest, we go to have our boys again, all two, and
+may rejoice greatly,' said Mr Bhaer, seating himself beside Jo with a
+beaming face and a handshake of congratulation.
+
+'Oh, Fritz, I'm so delighted about Emil, and if you approve about Franz
+also. Did you know Ludmilla? Is it a wise match?' asked Mrs Jo, handing
+him her cup of tea and drawing closer, as if she welcomed her refuge in
+joy as well as sorrow.
+
+'It all goes well. I saw the Madchen when I went over to place Franz.
+A child then, but most sweet and charming. Blumenthal is satisfied, I
+think, and the boy will be happy. He is too German to be content away
+from Vaterland, so we shall have him as a link between the new and the
+old, and that pleases me much.'
+
+'And Emil, he is to be second mate next voyage; isn't that fine? I'm so
+happy that both your boys have done well; you gave up so much for them
+and their mother. You make light of it, dear, but I never forget it,'
+said Jo, with her hand in his as sentimentally as if she was a girl
+again and her Fritz had come a-wooing.
+
+He laughed his cheery laugh, and whispered behind her fan: 'If I had not
+come to America for the poor lads, I never should have found my Jo.
+The hard times are very sweet now, and I bless Gott for all I seemed to
+lose, because I gained the blessing of my life.'
+
+'Spooning! spooning! Here's an awful flirtation on the sly,' cried
+Teddy, peering over the fan just at that interesting moment, much to his
+mother's confusion and his father's amusement; for the Professor never
+was ashamed of the fact that he still considered his wife the dearest
+woman in the world. Rob promptly ejected his brother from one window,
+to see him skip in at the other, while Mrs Jo shut her fan and held it
+ready to rap her unruly boy's knuckles if he came near her again.
+
+Nat approached in answer to Mr Bhaer's beckoning teaspoon, and stood
+before them with a face full of the respectful affection he felt for the
+excellent man who had done so much for him.
+
+'I have the letters ready for thee, my son. They are two old friends of
+mine in Leipzig, who will befriend thee in that new life. It is well to
+have them, for thou wilt be heartbroken with Heimweh at the first, Nat,
+and need comforting,' said the Professor, giving him several letters.
+
+'Thanks, sir. Yes, I expect to be pretty lonely till I get started, then
+my music and the hope of getting on will cheer me up,' answered Nat, who
+both longed and dreaded to leave all these friends behind him and make
+new ones.
+
+He was a man now; but the blue eyes were as honest as ever, the mouth
+still a little weak, in spite of the carefully cherished moustache
+over it, and the broad forehead more plainly than ever betrayed the
+music-loving nature of the youth. Modest, affectionate, and dutiful, Nat
+was considered a pleasant though not a brilliant success by Mrs Jo. She
+loved and trusted him, and was sure he would do his best, but did not
+expect that he would be great in any way, unless the stimulus of foreign
+training and self-dependence made him a better artist and a stronger man
+than now seemed likely.
+
+'I've marked all your things--or rather, Daisy did--and as soon as your
+books are collected, we can see about the packing,' said Mrs Jo, who was
+so used to fitting boys off for all quarters of the globe that a trip to
+the North Pole would not have been too much for her.
+
+Nat grew red at mention of that name--or was it the last glow of sunset
+on his rather pale cheek?--and his heart beat happily at the thought of
+the dear girl working Ns and Bs on his humble socks and handkerchiefs;
+for Nat adored Daisy, and the cherished dream of his life was to earn
+a place for himself as a musician and win this angel for his wife. This
+hope did more for him than the Professor's counsels, Mrs Jo's care, or
+Mr Laurie's generous help. For her sake he worked, waited, and hoped,
+finding courage and patience in the dream of that happy future when
+Daisy should make a little home for him and he fiddle a fortune into her
+lap. Mrs Jo knew this; and though he was not exactly the man she would
+have chosen for her niece, she felt that Nat would always need just the
+wise and loving care Daisy could give him, and that without it there was
+danger of his being one of the amiable and aimless men who fail for
+want of the right pilot to steer them safely through the world. Mrs Meg
+decidedly frowned upon the poor boy's love, and would not hear of giving
+her dear girl to any but the best man to be found on the face of the
+earth. She was very kind, but as firm as such gentle souls can be; and
+Nat fled for comfort to Mrs Jo, who always espoused the interests of
+her boys heartily. A new set of anxieties was beginning now that the
+aforesaid boys were growing up, and she foresaw no end of worry as well
+as amusement in the love-affairs already budding in her flock. Mrs Meg
+was usually her best ally and adviser, for she loved romances as well
+now as when a blooming girl herself. But in this case she hardened her
+heart, and would not hear a word of entreaty. 'Nat was not man enough,
+never would be, no one knew his family, a musician's life was a hard
+one; Daisy was too young, five or six years hence when time had proved
+both perhaps. Let us see what absence will do for him.' And that was the
+end of it, for when the maternal Pelican was roused she could be very
+firm, though for her precious children she would have plucked her last
+feather and given the last drop of her blood.
+
+Mrs Jo was thinking of this as she looked at Nat while he talked
+with her husband about Leipzig, and she resolved to have a clear
+understanding with him before he went; for she was used to confidences,
+and talked freely with her boys about the trials and temptations that
+beset all lives in the beginning, and so often mar them, for want of the
+right word at the right moment.
+
+This is the first duty of parents, and no false delicacy should
+keep them from the watchful care, the gentle warning, which makes
+self-knowledge and self-control the compass and pilot of the young as
+they leave the safe harbour of home.
+
+'Plato and his disciples approach,' announced irreverent Teddy, as Mr
+March came in with several young men and women about him; for the wise
+old man was universally beloved, and ministered so beautifully to his
+flock that many of them thanked him all their lives for the help given
+to both hearts and souls.
+
+Bess went to him at once; for since Marmee died, Grandpapa was her
+special care, and it was sweet to see the golden head bend over the
+silver one as she rolled out his easy-chair and waited on him with
+tender alacrity.
+
+'Aesthetic tea always on tap here, sir; will you have a flowing bowl
+or a bit of ambrosia?' asked Laurie, who was wandering about with a
+sugar-basin in one hand and a plate of cake in the other; for sweetening
+cups and feeding the hungry was work he loved.
+
+'Neither, thanks; this child has taken care of me'; and Mr March turned
+to Bess, who sat on one arm of his chair, holding a glass of fresh milk.
+
+'Long may she live to do it, sir, and I be here to see this pretty
+contradiction of the song that “youth and age cannot live together”!'
+answered Laurie, smiling at the pair. '“Crabbed age”, papa; that makes
+all the difference in the world,' said Bess quickly; for she loved
+poetry, and read the best.
+
+    'Wouldst thou see fresh roses grow
+     In a reverend bed of snow?'
+
+quoted Mr March, as Josie came and perched on the other arm, looking
+like a very thorny little rose; for she had been having a hot discussion
+with Ted, and had got the worst of it.
+
+'Grandpa, must women always obey men and say they are the wisest, just
+because they are the strongest?' she cried, looking fiercely at her
+cousin, who came stalking up with a provoking smile on the boyish face
+that was always very comical atop of that tall figure.
+
+'Well, my dear, that is the old-fashioned belief, and it will take some
+time to change it. But I think the woman's hour has struck; and it looks
+to me as if the boys must do their best, for the girls are abreast
+now, and may reach the goal first,' answered Mr March, surveying with
+paternal satisfaction the bright faces of the young women, who were
+among the best students in the college.
+
+'The poor little Atalantas are sadly distracted and delayed by the
+obstacles thrown in their way--not golden apples, by any means--but
+I think they will stand a fair chance when they have learned to run
+better,' laughed Uncle Laurie, stroking Josie's breezy hair, which stood
+up like the fur of an angry kitten.
+
+'Whole barrels of apples won't stop me when I start, and a dozen Teds
+won't trip me up, though they may try. I'll show him that a woman can
+act as well, if not better, than a man. It has been done, and will be
+again; and I'll never own that my brain isn't as good as his, though it
+may be smaller,' cried the excited young person.
+
+'If you shake your head in that violent way you'll addle what brains you
+have got; and I'd take care of 'em, if I were you,' began teasing Ted.
+
+'What started this civil war?' asked Grandpapa, with a gentle emphasis
+on the adjective, which caused the combatants to calm their ardour a
+little.
+
+'Why, we were pegging away at the Iliad and came to where Zeus tells
+Juno not to inquire into his plans or he'll whip her, and Jo was
+disgusted because Juno meekly hushed up. I said it was all right, and
+agreed with the old fellow that women didn't know much and ought to obey
+men,' explained Ted, to the great amusement of his hearers.
+
+'Goddesses may do as they like, but those Greek and Trojan women were
+poor-spirited things if they minded men who couldn't fight their own
+battles and had to be hustled off by Pallas, and Venus, and Juno, when
+they were going to get beaten. The idea of two armies stopping and
+sitting down while a pair of heroes flung stones at one another! I don't
+think much of your old Homer. Give me Napoleon or Grant for my hero.'
+
+Josie's scorn was as funny as if a humming-bird scolded at an ostrich,
+and everyone laughed as she sniffed at the immortal poet and criticized
+the gods.
+
+'Napoleon's Juno had a nice time; didn't she? That's just the way girls
+argue--first one way and then the other,' jeered Ted.
+
+'Like Johnson's young lady, who was “not categorical, but all
+wiggle-waggle”,' added Uncle Laurie, enjoying the battle immensely.
+
+'I was only speaking of them as soldiers. But if you come to the woman
+side of it, wasn't Grant a kind husband and Mrs Grant a happy woman?
+He didn't threaten to whip her if she asked a natural question; and if
+Napoleon did do wrong about Josephine, he could fight, and didn't want
+any Minerva to come fussing over him. They were a stupid set, from
+dandified Paris to Achilles sulking in his ships, and I won't change my
+opinion for all the Hectors and Agamemnons in Greece,' said Josie, still
+unconquered.
+
+'You can fight like a Trojan, that's evident; and we will be the two
+obedient armies looking on while you and Ted have it out,' began Uncle
+Laurie, assuming the attitude of a warrior leaning on his spear.
+
+'I fear we must give it up, for Pallas is about to descend and carry off
+our Hector,' said Mr March, smiling, as Jo came to remind her son that
+suppertime was near.
+
+'We will fight it out later when there are no goddesses to interfere,'
+said Teddy, as he turned away with unusual alacrity, remembering the
+treat in store.
+
+'Conquered by a muffin, by Jove!' called Josie after him, exulting in an
+opportunity to use the classical exclamation forbidden to her sex.
+
+But Ted shot a Parthian arrow as he retired in good order by replying,
+with a highly virtuous expression:
+
+'Obedience is a soldier's first duty.'
+
+Bent on her woman's privilege of having the last word, Josie ran after
+him, but never uttered the scathing speech upon her lips, for a very
+brown young man in a blue suit came leaping up the steps with a cheery
+'Ahoy! ahoy! where is everybody?'
+
+'Emil! Emil!' cried Josie, and in a moment Ted was upon him, and the
+late enemies ended their fray in a joyful welcome to the newcomer.
+
+Muffins were forgotten, and towing their cousin like two fussy little
+tugs with a fine merchantman, the children returned to the parlour,
+where Emil kissed all the women and shook hands with all the men except
+his uncle; him he embraced in the good old German style, to the great
+delight of the observers.
+
+'Didn't think I could get off today, but found I could, and steered
+straight for old Plum. Not a soul there, so I luffed and bore away for
+Parnassus, and here is every man Jack of you. Bless your hearts, how
+glad I am to see you all!' exclaimed the sailor boy, beaming at them, as
+he stood with his legs apart as if he still felt the rocking deck under
+his feet.
+
+'You ought to “shiver your timbers”, not “bless our hearts”, Emil; it's
+not nautical at all. Oh, how nice and shippy and tarry you do smell!'
+said Josie, sniffing at him with great enjoyment of the fresh sea odours
+he brought with him. This was her favourite cousin, and she was his
+pet; so she knew that the bulging pockets of the blue jacket contained
+treasures for her at least.
+
+'Avast, my hearty, and let me take soundings before you dive,' laughed
+Emil, understanding her affectionate caresses, and holding her off with
+one hand while with the other he rummaged out sundry foreign little
+boxes and parcels marked with different names, and handed them round
+with appropriate remarks, which caused much laughter; for Emil was a
+wag.
+
+'There's a hawser that will hold our little cock-boat still about five
+minutes,' he said, throwing a necklace of pretty pink coral over Josie's
+head; 'and here's something the mermaids sent to Undine,' he added,
+handing Bess a string of pearly shells on a silver chain.
+
+I thought Daisy would like a fiddle, and Nat can find her a beau,'
+continued the sailor, with a laugh, as he undid a dainty filigree brooch
+in the shape of a violin.
+
+'I know she will, and I'll take it to her,' answered Nat, as he
+vanished, glad of an errand, and sure that he could find Daisy though
+Emil had missed her.
+
+Emil chuckled, and handed out a quaintly carved bear whose head opened,
+showing a capacious ink-stand. This he presented, with a scrape, to Aunt
+Jo.
+
+'Knowing your fondness for these fine animals, I brought this one to
+your pen.'
+
+'Very good, Commodore! Try again,' said Mrs Jo, much pleased with her
+gift, which caused the Professor to prophesy 'works of Shakespeare' from
+its depths, so great would be the inspiration of the beloved bruin.
+
+'As Aunt Meg will wear caps, in spite of her youth, I got Ludmilla to
+get me some bits of lace. Hope you'll like 'em'; and out of a soft paper
+came some filmy things, one of which soon lay like a net of snowflakes
+on Mrs Meg's pretty hair.
+
+'I couldn't find anything swell enough for Aunt Amy, because she has
+everything she wants, so I brought a little picture that always makes
+me think of her when Bess was a baby'; and he handed her an oval ivory
+locket, on which was painted a goldenhaired Madonna, with a rosy child
+folded in her blue mantle.
+
+'How lovely!' cried everyone; and Aunt Amy at once hung it about her
+neck on the blue ribbon from Bess's hair, charmed with her gift; for it
+recalled the happiest year of her life.
+
+'Now, I flatter myself I've got just the thing for Nan, neat but not
+gaudy, a sort of sign you see, and very appropriate for a doctor,' said
+Emil, proudly displaying a pair of lava earrings shaped like little
+skulls.
+
+'Horrid!' And Bess, who hated ugly things, turned her eyes to her own
+pretty shells.
+
+'She won't wear earrings,' said Josie.
+
+'Well, she'll enjoy punching your ears then. She's never so happy as
+when she's overhauling her fellow creatures and going for 'em with a
+knife,' answered Emil, undisturbed. 'I've got a lot of plunder for you
+fellows in my chest, but I knew I should have no peace till my cargo for
+the girls was unloaded. Now tell me all the news.' And, seated on Amy's
+best marbletopped table, the sailor swung his legs and talked at the
+rate of ten knots an hour, till Aunt Jo carried them all off to a grand
+family tea in honour of the Commodore.
+
+
+
+Chapter 3. JO'S LAST SCRAPE
+
+The March family had enjoyed a great many surprises in the course of
+their varied career, but the greatest of all was when the Ugly Duckling
+turned out to be, not a swan, but a golden goose, whose literary eggs
+found such an unexpected market that in ten years Jo's wildest and most
+cherished dream actually came true. How or why it happened she never
+clearly understood, but all of a sudden she found herself famous in a
+small way, and, better still, with a snug little fortune in her pocket
+to clear away the obstacles of the present and assure the future of her
+boys.
+
+It began during a bad year when everything went wrong at Plumfield;
+times were hard, the school dwindled, Jo overworked herself and had a
+long illness; Laurie and Amy were abroad, and the Bhaers too proud to
+ask help even of those as near and dear as this generous pair. Confined
+to her room, Jo got desperate over the state of affairs, till she fell
+back upon the long-disused pen as the only thing she could do to help
+fill up the gaps in the income. A book for girls being wanted by a
+certain publisher, she hastily scribbled a little story describing a few
+scenes and adventures in the lives of herself and sisters, though boys
+were more in her line, and with very slight hopes of success sent it out
+to seek its fortune.
+
+Things always went by contraries with Jo. Her first book, laboured over
+for years, and launched full of the high hopes and ambitious dreams of
+youth, foundered on its voyage, though the wreck continued to float long
+afterward, to the profit of the publisher at least. The hastily written
+story, sent away with no thought beyond the few dollars it might bring,
+sailed with a fair wind and a wise pilot at the helm into public favour,
+and came home heavily laden with an unexpected cargo of gold and glory.
+
+A more astonished woman probably never existed than Josephine Bhaer when
+her little ship came into port with flags flying, cannon that had been
+silent before now booming gaily, and, better than all, many kind faces
+rejoicing with her, many friendly hands grasping hers with cordial
+congratulations. After that it was plain sailing, and she merely had
+to load her ships and send them off on prosperous trips, to bring home
+stores of comfort for all she loved and laboured for.
+
+The fame she never did quite accept; for it takes very little fire to
+make a great deal of smoke nowadays, and notoriety is not real glory.
+The fortune she could not doubt, and gratefully received; though it was
+not half so large a one as a generous world reported it to be. The tide
+having turned continued to rise, and floated the family comfortably into
+a snug harbour where the older members could rest secure from storms,
+and whence the younger ones could launch their boats for the voyage of
+life.
+
+All manner of happiness, peace, and plenty came in those years to bless
+the patient waiters, hopeful workers, and devout believers in the wisdom
+and justice of Him who sends disappointment, poverty, and sorrow to try
+the love of human hearts and make success the sweeter when it comes.
+The world saw the prosperity, and kind souls rejoiced over the improved
+fortunes of the family; but the success Jo valued most, the happiness
+that nothing could change or take away, few knew much about.
+
+It was the power of making her mother's last years happy and serene; to
+see the burden of care laid down for ever, the weary hands at rest, the
+dear face untroubled by any anxiety, and the tender heart free to pour
+itself out in the wise charity which was its delight. As a girl, Jo's
+favourite plan had been a room where Marmee could sit in peace and enjoy
+herself after her hard, heroic life. Now the dream had become a happy
+fact, and Marmee sat in her pleasant chamber with every comfort and
+luxury about her, loving daughters to wait on her as infirmities
+increased, a faithful mate to lean upon, and grand-children to brighten
+the twilight of life with their dutiful affection. A very precious time
+to all, for she rejoiced as only mothers can in the good fortunes of
+their children. She had lived to reap the harvest she sowed; had seen
+prayers answered, hopes blossom, good gifts bear fruit, peace and
+prosperity bless the home she had made; and then, like some brave,
+patient angel, whose work was done, turned her face heavenward, glad to
+rest.
+
+This was the sweet and sacred side of the change; but it had its droll
+and thorny one, as all things have in this curious world of ours. After
+the first surprise, incredulity, and joy, which came to Jo, with the
+ingratitude of human nature, she soon tired of renown, and began to
+resent her loss of liberty. For suddenly the admiring public took
+possession of her and all her affairs, past, present, and to come.
+Strangers demanded to look at her, question, advise, warn, congratulate,
+and drive her out of her wits by well-meant but very wearisome
+attentions. If she declined to open her heart to them, they reproached
+her; if she refused to endow her pet charities, relieve private wants,
+or sympathize with every ill and trial known to humanity, she was called
+hard-hearted, selfish, and haughty; if she found it impossible to answer
+the piles of letters sent her, she was neglectful of her duty to
+the admiring public; and if she preferred the privacy of home to the
+pedestal upon which she was requested to pose, 'the airs of literary
+people' were freely criticized.
+
+She did her best for the children, they being the public for whom she
+wrote, and laboured stoutly to supply the demand always in the mouths of
+voracious youth--'More stories; more right away!' Her family objected to
+this devotion at their expense, and her health suffered; but for a time
+she gratefully offered herself up on the altar of juvenile literature,
+feeling that she owed a good deal to the little friends in whose sight
+she had found favour after twenty years of effort.
+
+But a time came when her patience gave out; and wearying of being a
+lion, she became a bear in nature as in name, and returning to her den,
+growled awfully when ordered out. Her family enjoyed the fun, and had
+small sympathy with her trials, but Jo came to consider it the worse
+scrape of her life; for liberty had always been her dearest possession,
+and it seemed to be fast going from her. Living in a lantern soon loses
+its charm, and she was too old, too tired, and too busy to like it. She
+felt that she had done all that could reasonably be required of her when
+autographs, photographs, and autobiographical sketches had been sown
+broadcast over the land; when artists had taken her home in all its
+aspects, and reporters had taken her in the grim one she always
+assumed on these trying occasions; when a series of enthusiastic
+boarding-schools had ravaged her grounds for trophies, and a steady
+stream of amiable pilgrims had worn her doorsteps with their respectful
+feet; when servants left after a week's trial of the bell that rang all
+day; when her husband was forced to guard her at meals, and the boys
+to cover her retreat out of back windows on certain occasions when
+enterprising guests walked in unannounced at unfortunate moments.
+
+A sketch of one day may perhaps explain the state of things, offer some
+excuse for the unhappy woman, and give a hint to the autograph-fiend now
+rampant in the land; for it is a true tale.
+
+'There ought to be a law to protect unfortunate authors,' said Mrs Jo
+one morning soon after Emil's arrival, when the mail brought her an
+unusually large and varied assortment of letters. 'To me it is a more
+vital subject than international copyright; for time is money, peace is
+health, and I lose both with no return but less respect for my fellow
+creatures and a wild desire to fly into the wilderness, since I cannot
+shut my doors even in free America.'
+
+'Lion-hunters are awful when in search of their prey. If they could
+change places for a while it would do them good; and they'd see what
+bores they were when they “do themselves the honour of calling to
+express their admiration of our charming work”,' quoted Ted, with a bow
+to his parent, now frowning over twelve requests for autographs.
+
+'I have made up my mind on one point,' said Mrs Jo with great firmness.
+'I will not answer this kind of letter. I've sent at least six to this
+boy, and he probably sells them. This girl writes from a seminary, and
+if I send her one all the other girls will at once write for more. All
+begin by saying they know they intrude, and that I am of course annoyed
+by these requests; but they venture to ask because I like boys, or they
+like the books, or it is only one. Emerson and Whittier put these things
+in the wastepaper-basket; and though only a literary nursery-maid
+who provides moral pap for the young, I will follow their illustrious
+example; for I shall have no time to eat or sleep if I try to satisfy
+these dear unreasonable children'; and Mrs Jo swept away the entire
+batch with a sigh of relief.
+
+'I'll open the others and let you eat your breakfast in peace, liebe
+Mutter,' said Rob, who often acted as her secretary. 'Here's one from
+the South'; and breaking an imposing seal, he read:
+
+'MADAM, As it has pleased Heaven to bless your efforts with a large
+fortune, I feel no hesitation in asking you to supply funds to purchase
+a new communion-service for our church. To whatever denomination you
+belong, you will of course respond with liberality to such a request,
+
+'Respectfully yours,
+
+'MRS X.Y. ZAVIER'
+
+
+'Send a civil refusal, dear. All I have to give must go to feed and
+clothe the poor at my gates. That is my thank-offering for success. Go
+on,' answered his mother, with a grateful glance about her happy home.
+
+'A literary youth of eighteen proposes that you put your name to a novel
+he has written; and after the first edition your name is to be taken off
+and his put on. There's a cool proposal for you. I guess you won't agree
+to that, in spite of your soft-heartedness towards most of the young
+scribblers.'
+
+'Couldn't be done. Tell him so kindly, and don't let him send the
+manuscript. I have seven on hand now, and barely time to read my own,'
+said Mrs Jo, pensively fishing a small letter out of the slop-bowl and
+opening it with care, because the down-hill address suggested that a
+child wrote it.
+
+'I will answer this myself. A little sick girl wants a book, and she
+shall have it, but I can't write sequels to all the rest to please her.
+I should never come to an end if I tried to suit these voracious little
+Oliver Twists, clamouring for more. What next, Robin?'
+
+'This is short and sweet.
+
+'DEAR MRS BHAER, I am now going to give you my opinion of your works.
+I have read them all many times, and call them first-rate. Please go
+ahead.
+
+'Your admirer,
+
+'BILLY BABCOCK'
+
+
+
+'Now that is what I like. Billy is a man of sense and a critic worth
+having, since he had read my works many times before expressing his
+opinion. He asks for no answer, so send my thanks and regards.'
+
+'Here's a lady in England with seven girls, and she wishes to know your
+views upon education. Also what careers they shall follow the oldest
+being twelve. Don't wonder she's worried,' laughed Rob.
+
+'I'll try to answer it. But as I have no girls, my opinion isn't worth
+much and will probably shock her, as I shall tell her to let them run
+and play and build up good, stout bodies before she talks about careers.
+They will soon show what they want, if they are let alone, and not all
+run in the same mould.'
+
+'Here's a fellow who wants to know what sort of a girl he shall marry,
+and if you know of any like those in your stories.'
+
+'Give him Nan's address, and see what he'll get,' proposed Ted,
+privately resolving to do it himself if possible.
+
+'This is from a lady who wants you to adopt her child and lend her money
+to study art abroad for a few years. Better take it, and try your hand
+at a girl, mother.'
+
+'No, thank you, I will keep to my own line of business. What is that
+blotted one? It looks rather awful, to judge by the ink,' asked Mrs Jo,
+who beguiled her daily task by trying to guess from the outside what
+was inside her many letters. This proved to be a poem from an insane
+admirer, to judge by its incoherent style.
+
+
+
+         'TO J.M.B.
+
+    'Oh, were I a heliotrope,
+     I would play poet,
+     And blow a breeze of fragrance
+     To you; and none should know it.
+
+    'Your form like the stately elm
+     When Phoebus gilds the morning ray;
+     Your cheeks like the ocean bed
+     That blooms a rose in May.
+
+    'Your words are wise and bright,
+     I bequeath them to you a legacy given;
+     And when your spirit takes its flight,
+     May it bloom aflower in heaven.
+
+    'My tongue in flattering language spoke,
+     And sweeter silence never broke
+     in busiest street or loneliest glen.
+     I take you with the flashes of my pen.
+
+    'Consider the lilies, how they grow;
+     They toil not, yet are fair,
+     Gems and flowers and Solomon's seal.
+     The geranium of the world is J. M. Bhaer.
+
+        'JAMES'
+
+
+
+While the boys shouted over this effusion--which is a true one--their
+mother read several liberal offers from budding magazines for her to
+edit them gratis; one long letter from a young girl inconsolable because
+her favourite hero died, and 'would dear Mrs Bhaer rewrite the tale, and
+make it end good?' another from an irate boy denied an autograph, who
+darkly foretold financial ruin and loss of favour if she did not
+send him and all other fellows who asked autographs, photographs, and
+auto-biographical sketches; a minister wished to know her religion;
+and an undecided maiden asked which of her two lovers she should marry.
+These samples will suffice to show a few of the claims made on a busy
+woman's time, and make my readers pardon Mrs Jo if she did not carefully
+reply to all.
+
+'That job is done. Now I will dust a bit, and then go to my work. I'm
+all behind-hand, and serials can't wait; so deny me to everybody, Mary.
+I won't see Queen Victoria if she comes today.' And Mrs Bhaer threw down
+her napkin as if defying all creation.
+
+'I hope the day will go well with thee, my dearest,' answered her
+husband, who had been busy with his own voluminous correspondence. 'I
+will dine at college with Professor Plock, who is to visit us today. The
+Junglings can lunch on Parnassus; so thou shalt have a quiet time.' And
+smoothing the worried lines out of her forehead with his good-bye kiss,
+the excellent man marched away, both pockets full of books, an old
+umbrella in one hand, and a bag of stones for the geology class in the
+other.
+
+'If all literary women had such thoughtful angels for husbands, they
+would live longer and write more. Perhaps that wouldn't be a blessing to
+the world though, as most of us write too much now,' said Mrs Jo, waving
+her feather duster to her spouse, who responded with flourishes of the
+umbrella as he went down the avenue.
+
+Rob started for school at the same time, looking so much like him with
+his books and bag and square shoulders and steady air that his mother
+laughed as she turned away, saying heartily: 'Bless both my dear
+professors, for better creatures never lived!'
+
+Emil was already gone to his ship in the city; but Ted lingered to steal
+the address he wanted, ravage the sugar-bowl, and talk with 'Mum';
+for the two had great larks together. Mrs Jo always arranged her own
+parlour, refilled her vases, and gave the little touches that left it
+cool and neat for the day. Going to draw down the curtain, she beheld an
+artist sketching on the lawn, and groaned as she hastily retired to the
+back window to shake her duster.
+
+At that moment the bell rang and the sound of wheels was heard in the
+road.
+
+'I'll go; Mary lets 'em in'; and Ted smoothed his hair as he made for
+the hall.
+
+'Can't see anyone. Give me a chance to fly upstairs,' whispered Mrs Jo,
+preparing to escape. But before she could do so, a man appeared at the
+door with a card in his hand. Ted met him with a stern air, and his
+mother dodged behind the window-curtains to bide her time for escape.
+
+'I am doing a series of articles for the Saturday Tattler, and I
+called to see Mrs Bhaer the first of all,' began the newcomer in the
+insinuating tone of his tribe, while his quick eyes were taking in all
+they could, experience having taught him to make the most of his time,
+as his visits were usually short ones.
+
+'Mrs Bhaer never sees reporters, sir.'
+
+'But a few moments will be all I ask,' said the man, edging his way
+farther in.
+
+'You can't see her, for she is out,' replied Teddy, as a backward glance
+showed him that his unhappy parent had vanished--through the window, he
+supposed, as she sometimes did when hard bestead.
+
+'Very sorry. I'll call again. Is this her study? Charming room!' And the
+intruder fell back on the parlour, bound to see something and bag a fact
+if he died in the attempt. 'It is not,' said Teddy, gently but firmly
+backing him down the hall, devoutly hoping that his mother had escaped
+round the corner of the house.
+
+'If you could tell me Mrs Bhaer's age and birthplace, date of marriage,
+and number of children, I should be much obliged,' continued the
+unabashed visitor as he tripped over the door-mat.
+
+'She is about sixty, born in Nova Zembla, married just forty years ago
+today, and has eleven daughters. Anything else, sir?' And Ted's sober
+face was such a funny contrast to his ridiculous reply that the reporter
+owned himself routed, and retired laughing just as a lady followed by
+three beaming girls came up the steps.
+
+'We are all the way from Oshkosh, and couldn't go home without seein'
+dear Aunt Jo. My girls just admire her works, and lot on gettin' a
+sight of her. I know it's early; but we are goin' to see Holmes and
+Longfeller, and the rest of the celebrities, so we ran out here fust
+thing. Mrs Erastus Kingsbury Parmalee, of Oshkosh, tell her. We don't
+mind waitin'; we can look round a spell if she ain't ready to see folks
+yet.'
+
+All this was uttered with such rapidity that Ted could only stand
+gazing at the buxom damsels, who fixed their six blue eyes upon him so
+beseechingly that his native gallantry made it impossible to deny them a
+civil reply at least.
+
+'Mrs Bhaer is not visible today--out just now, I believe; but you can
+see the house and grounds if you like,' he murmured, falling back as the
+four pressed in gazing rapturously about them.
+
+'Oh, thank you! Sweet, pretty place I'm sure! That's where she writes,
+ain't it? Do tell me if that's her picture! Looks just as I imagined
+her!'
+
+With these remarks the ladies paused before a fine engraving of the Hon.
+Mrs Norton, with a pen in her hand and a rapt expression of countenance,
+likewise a diadem and pearl necklace.
+
+Keeping his gravity with an effort, Teddy pointed to a very bad portrait
+of Mrs Jo, which hung behind the door, and afforded her much amusement,
+it was so dismal, in spite of a curious effect of light upon the end of
+the nose and cheeks as red as the chair she sat in.
+
+'This was taken for my mother; but it is not very good,' he said,
+enjoying the struggles of the girls not to look dismayed at the sad
+difference between the real and the ideal. The youngest, aged twelve,
+could not conceal her disappointment, and turned away, feeling as so
+many of us have felt when we discover that our idols are very ordinary
+men and women.
+
+'I thought she'd be about sixteen and have her hair braided in two
+tails down her back. I don't care about seeing her now,' said the honest
+child, walking off to the hall door, leaving her mother to apologize,
+and her sisters to declare that the bad portrait was 'perfectly lovely,
+so speaking and poetic, you know, 'specially about the brow'.
+
+'Come girls, we must be goin', if we want to get through today. You
+can leave your albums and have them sent when Mrs Bhaer has written a
+sentiment in 'em. We are a thousand times obliged. Give our best love
+to your ma, and tell her we are so sorry not to see her.' Just as
+Mrs. Erastus Kingsbury Parmalee uttered the words her eye fell upon a
+middle-aged woman in a large checked apron, with a handkerchief tied
+over her head, busily dusting an end room which looked like a study.
+
+'One peep at her sanctum since she is out,' cried the enthusiastic lady,
+and swept across the hall with her flock before Teddy could warn his
+mother, whose retreat had been cut off by the artist in front, the
+reporter at the back of the house--for he hadn't gone and the ladies in
+the hall.
+
+'They've got her!' thought Teddy, in comical dismay. 'No use for her to
+play housemaid since they've seen the portrait.'
+
+Mrs Jo did her best, and being a good actress, would have escaped if the
+fatal picture had not betrayed her. Mrs Parmalee paused at the desk, and
+regardless of the meerschaum that lay there, the man's slippers close
+by, and a pile of letters directed to 'Prof. F. Bhaer', she clasped her
+hands, exclaiming impressively: 'Girls, this is the spot where she wrote
+those sweet, those moral tales which have thrilled us to the soul! Could
+I--ah, could I take one morsel of paper, an old pen, a postage stamp
+even, as a memento of this gifted woman?'
+
+'Yes'm, help yourselves,' replied the maid, moving away with a glance at
+the boy, whose eyes were now full of merriment he could not suppress.
+
+The oldest girl saw it, guessed the truth, and a quick look at the
+woman in the apron confirmed her suspicion. Touching her mother, she
+whispered: 'Ma, it's Mrs Bhaer herself. I know it is.'
+
+'No? yes? it is! Well, I do declare, how nice that is!' And hastily
+pursuing the unhappy woman, who was making for the door, Mrs Parmalee
+cried eagerly:
+
+'Don't mind us! I know you're busy, but just let me take your hand and
+then we'll go.'
+
+Giving herself up for lost, Mrs Jo turned and presented her hand like
+a tea-tray, submitting to have it heartily shaken, as the matron said,
+with somewhat alarming hospitality:
+
+'If ever you come to Oshkosh, your feet won't be allowed to touch the
+pavement; for you'll be borne in the arms of the populace, we shall be
+so dreadful glad to see you.'
+
+Mentally resolving never to visit that effusive town, Jo responded
+as cordially as she could; and having written her name in the albums,
+provided each visitor with a memento, and kissed them all round, they at
+last departed, to call on 'Longfeller, Holmes, and the rest'--who were
+all out, it is devoutly to be hoped.
+
+'You villain, why didn't you give me a chance to whip away? Oh, my dear,
+what fibs you told that man! I hope we shall be forgiven our sins in
+this line, but I don't know what is to become of us if we don't dodge.
+So many against one isn't fair play.' And Mrs Jo hung up her apron in
+the hall closet, with a groan at the trials of her lot.
+
+'More people coming up the avenue! Better dodge while the coast is
+clear! I'll head them off!' cried Teddy, looking back from the steps, as
+he was departing to school.
+
+Mrs Jo flew upstairs, and having locked her door, calmly viewed a young
+ladies' seminary camp on the lawn, and being denied the house, proceed
+to enjoy themselves by picking the flowers, doing up their hair,
+eating lunch, and freely expressing their opinion of the place and its
+possessors before they went.
+
+A few hours of quiet followed, and she was just settling down to a long
+afternoon of hard work, when Rob came home to tell her that the Young
+Men's Christian Union would visit the college, and two or three of the
+fellows whom she knew wanted to pay their respects to her on the way.
+
+'It is going to rain, so they won't come, I dare say; but father thought
+you'd like to be ready, in case they do call. You always see the boys,
+you know, though you harden your heart to the poor girls,' said Rob, who
+had heard from his brother about the morning visitations.
+
+'Boys don't gush, so I can stand it. The last time I let in a party of
+girls one fell into my arms and said, “Darling, love me!” I wanted to
+shake her,' answered Mrs Jo, wiping her pen with energy.
+
+'You may be sure the fellows won't do it, but they will want autographs,
+so you'd better be prepared with a few dozen,' said Rob, laying out a
+quire of notepaper, being a hospitable youth and sympathizing with those
+who admired his mother.
+
+'They can't outdo the girls. At X College I really believe I wrote
+three hundred during the day I was there, and I left a pile of cards and
+albums on my table when I came away. It is one of the most absurd and
+tiresome manias that ever afflicted the world.'
+
+Nevertheless Mrs Jo wrote her name a dozen times, put on her black silk,
+and resigned herself to the impending call, praying for rain, however,
+as she returned to her work.
+
+The shower came, and feeling quite secure, she rumpled up her hair, took
+off her cuffs, and hurried to finish her chapter; for thirty pages a day
+was her task, and she liked to have it well done before evening. Josie
+had brought some flowers for the vases, and was just putting the last
+touches when she saw several umbrellas bobbing down the hill.
+
+'They are coming, Aunty! I see uncle hurrying across the field to
+receive them,' she called at the stair-foot.
+
+'Keep an eye on them, and let me know when they enter the avenue.
+It will take but a minute to tidy up and run down,' answered Mrs Jo,
+scribbling away for dear life, because serials wait for no man, not even
+the whole Christian Union en masse.
+
+'There are more than two or three. I see half a dozen at least,' called
+sister Ann from the hall door. 'No! a dozen, I do believe; Aunty, look
+out; they are all coming! What shall we do?' And Josie quailed at the
+idea of facing the black throng rapidly approaching.
+
+'Mercy on us, there are hundreds! Run and put a tub in the back entry
+for their umbrellas to drip into. Tell them to go down the hall and
+leave them, and pile their hats on the table; the tree won't hold them
+all. No use to get mats; my poor carpets!' And down went Mrs Jo to
+prepare for the invasion, while Josie and the maids flew about dismayed
+at the prospect of so many muddy boots.
+
+On they came, a long line of umbrellas, with splashed legs and flushed
+faces underneath; for the gentlemen had been having a good time all over
+the town, undisturbed by the rain. Professor Bhaer met them at the gate,
+and was making a little speech of welcome, when Mrs Jo, touched by their
+bedraggled state, appeared at the door, beckoning them in. Leaving
+their host to orate bareheaded in the wet, the young men hastened up the
+steps, merry, warm, and eager, clutching off their hats as they came,
+and struggling with their umbrellas, as the order was passed to march in
+and stack arms.
+
+Tramp, tramp, tramp, down the hall went seventy-five pairs of boots;
+soon seventy-five umbrellas dripped sociably in the hospitable tub,
+while their owners swarmed all over the lower part of the house; and
+seventy-five hearty hands were shaken by the hostess without a murmur,
+though some were wet, some very warm, and nearly all bore trophies of
+the day's ramble. One impetuous party flourished a small turtle as he
+made his compliments; another had a load of sticks cut from noted
+spots; and all begged for some memento of Plumfield. A pile of
+cards mysteriously appeared on the table, with a written request for
+autographs; and despite her morning vow, Mrs Jo wrote everyone, while
+her husband and boys did the honours of the house.
+
+Josie fled to the back parlour, but was discovered by exploring youths,
+and mortally insulted by one of them, who innocently inquired if she was
+Mrs Bhaer. The reception did not last long, and the end was better than
+the beginning; for the rain ceased, and a rainbow shone beautifully
+over them as the good fellows stood upon the lawn singing sweetly for a
+farewell. A happy omen, that bow of promise arched over the young heads,
+as if Heaven smiled upon their union, and showed them that above the
+muddy earth and rainy skies the blessed sun still shone for all. Three
+cheers, and then away they went, leaving a pleasant recollection of
+their visit to amuse the family as they scraped the mud off the carpets
+with shovels and emptied the tub half-full of water.
+
+'Nice, honest, hard-working fellows, and I don't begrudge my half-hour
+at all; but I must finish, so don't let anyone disturb me till
+tea-time,' said Mrs Jo, leaving Mary to shut up the house; for papa and
+the boys had gone off with the guests, and Josie had run home to tell
+her mother about the fun at Aunt Jo's.
+
+Peace reigned for an hour, then the bell rang and Mary came giggling
+up to say: 'A queer kind of a lady wants to know if she can catch a
+grasshopper in the garden.'
+
+'A what?' cried Mrs Jo, dropping her pen with a blot; for of all the odd
+requests ever made, this was the oddest.
+
+'A grasshopper, ma'am. I said you was busy, and asked what she wanted,
+and says she: “I've got grasshoppers from the grounds of several famous
+folks, and I want one from Plumfield to add to my collection.” Did you
+ever?' And Mary giggled again at the idea.
+
+'Tell her to take all there are and welcome. I shall be glad to get rid
+of them; always bouncing in my face and getting in my dress,' laughed
+Mrs Jo.
+
+Mary retired, to return in a moment nearly speechless with merriment.
+
+'She's much obliged, ma'am, and she'd like an old gown or a pair
+of stockings of yours to put in a rug she's making. Got a vest of
+Emerson's, she says, and a pair of Mr. Holmes's trousers, and a dress of
+Mrs Stowe's. She must be crazy!'
+
+'Give her that old red shawl, then I shall make a gay show among the
+great ones in that astonishing rug. Yes, they are all lunatics, these
+lion-hunters; but this seems to be a harmless maniac, for she doesn't
+take my time, and gives me a good laugh,' said Mrs Jo, returning to her
+work after a glance from the window, which showed her a tall, thin lady
+in rusty black, skipping wildly to and fro on the lawn in pursuit of the
+lively insect she wanted.
+
+No more interruptions till the light began to fade, then Mary popped her
+head in to say a gentleman wished to see Mrs Bhaer, and wouldn't take no
+for an answer.
+
+'He must. I shall not go down. This has been an awful day, and I won't
+be disturbed again,' replied the harassed authoress, pausing in the
+midst of the grand finale of her chapter.
+
+'I told him so, ma'am; but he walked right in as bold as brass. I guess
+he's another crazy one, and I declare I'm 'most afraid of him, he's
+so big and black, and cool as cucumbers, though I will say he's
+good-looking,' added Mary, with a simper; for the stranger had evidently
+found favour in her sight despite his boldness.
+
+'My day has been ruined, and I will have this last half-hour to finish.
+Tell him to go away; I won't go down,' cried Mrs Jo, fiercely.
+
+Mary went; and listening, in spite of herself, her mistress heard first
+a murmur of voices, then a cry from Mary, and remembering the ways of
+reporters, also that her maid was both pretty and timid, Mrs Bhaer flung
+down her pen and went to the rescue. Descending with her most majestic
+air she demanded in an awe-inspiring voice, as she paused to survey the
+somewhat brigandish intruder, who seemed to be storming the staircase
+which Mary was gallantly defending:
+
+'Who is this person who insists on remaining when I have declined to see
+him?'
+
+'I'm sure I don't know, ma'am. He won't give no name, and says you'll
+be sorry if you don't see him,' answered Mary, retiring flushed and
+indignant from her post.
+
+'Won't you be sorry?' asked the stranger, looking up with a pair of
+black eyes full of laughter, the flash of white teeth through a long
+beard, and both hands out as he boldly approached the irate lady.
+
+Mrs Jo gave one keen look, for the voice was familiar; then completed
+Mary's bewilderment by throwing both arms round the brigand's neck,
+exclaiming joyfully: 'My dearest boy, where did you come from?'
+
+'California, on purpose to see you, Mother Bhaer. Now won't you be sorry
+if I go away?' answered Dan, with a hearty kiss.
+
+'To think of my ordering you out of the house when I've been longing to
+see you for a year,' laughed Mrs Jo, and she went down to have a good
+talk with her returned wanderer, who enjoyed the joke immensely.
+
+
+
+Chapter 4. DAN
+
+Mrs Jo often thought that Dan had Indian blood in him, not only because
+of his love of a wild, wandering life, but his appearance; for as he
+grew up, this became more striking. At twenty-five he was very tall,
+with sinewy limbs, a keen, dark face, and the alert look of one whose
+senses were all alive; rough in manner, full of energy, quick with word
+and blow, eyes full of the old fire, always watchful as if used to keep
+guard, and a general air of vigour and freshness very charming to
+those who knew the dangers and delights of his adventurous life. He was
+looking his best as he sat talking with 'Mother Bhaer', one strong brown
+hand in hers, and a world of affection in his voice as he said:
+
+'Forget old friends! How could I forget the only home I ever knew? Why,
+I was in such a hurry to come and tell my good luck that I didn't stop
+to fix up, you see; though I knew you'd think I looked more like a wild
+buffalo than ever,' with a shake of his shaggy black head, a tug at his
+beard, and a laugh that made the room ring.
+
+'I like it; I always had a fancy for banditti--and you look just like
+one. Mary, being a newcomer, was frightened at your looks and manners.
+Josie won't know you, but Ted will recognize his Danny in spite of the
+big beard and flowing mane. They will all be here soon to welcome you;
+so before they come tell me more about yourself. Why, Dan, dear! it's
+nearly two years since you were here! Has it gone well with you?' asked
+Mrs Jo, who had been listening with maternal interest to his account of
+life in California, and the unexpected success of a small investment he
+had made.
+
+'First-rate! I don't care for the money, you know. I only want a trifle
+to pay my way--rather earn as I go, and not be bothered with the care of
+a lot. It's the fun of the thing coming to me, and my being able to give
+away, that I like. No use to lay up; I shan't live to be old and need
+it,--my sort never do,' said Dan, looking as if his little fortune
+rather oppressed him.
+
+'But if you marry and settle somewhere, as I hope you will, you must
+have something to begin with, my son. So be prudent and invest your
+money; don't give it away, for rainy days come to all of us, and
+dependence would be very hard for you to bear,' answered Mrs Jo with a
+sage air, though she liked to see that the money-making fever had not
+seized her lucky boy yet.
+
+Dan shook his head, and glanced about the room as if he already found it
+rather confined and longed for all out-of-doors again.
+
+'Who would marry a jack-o'-lantern like me? Women like a steady-going
+man; I shall never be that.'
+
+'My dear boy, when I was a girl I liked just such adventurous fellows
+as you are. Anything fresh and daring, free and romantic, is always
+attractive to us womenfolk. Don't be discouraged; you'll find an anchor
+some day, and be content to take shorter voyages and bring home a good
+cargo.'
+
+'What should you say if I brought you an Indian squaw some day?' asked
+Dan, with a glimmer of mischief in the eyes that rested on a marble bust
+of Galatea gleaming white and lovely in the corner.
+
+'Welcome her heartily, if she was a good one. Is there a prospect of
+it?' and Mrs Jo peered at him with the interest which even literary
+ladies take in love affairs.
+
+'Not at present, thank you. I'm too busy “to gallivant”, as Ted calls
+it. How is the boy?' asked Dan, skilfully turning the conversation, as
+if he had had enough of sentiment.
+
+Mrs Jo was off at once, and expatiated upon the talents and virtues
+of her sons till they came bursting in and fell upon Dan like two
+affectionate young bears, finding a vent for their joyful emotions in a
+sort of friendly wrestling-match; in which both got worsted, of course,
+for the hunter soon settled them. The Professor followed, and tongues
+went like mill-clappers while Mary lighted up and cook devoted herself
+to an unusually good supper, instinctively divining that this guest was
+a welcome one.
+
+After tea Dan was walking up and down the long rooms as he talked, with
+occasional trips into the hall for a fresher breath of air, his lungs
+seeming to need more than those of civilized people. In one of these
+trips he saw a white figure framed in the dark doorway, and paused to
+look at it. Bess paused also, not recognizing her old friend, and quite
+unconscious of the pretty picture she made standing, tall and slender,
+against the soft gloom of the summer night, with her golden hair like a
+halo round her head, and the ends of a white shawl blown out like wings
+by the cool wind sweeping through the hail. 'Is it Dan?' she asked,
+coming in with a gracious smile and outstretched hand.
+
+'Looks like it; but I didn't know you, Princess. I thought it was a
+spirit,' answered Dan, looking down at her with a curious softness and
+wonder in his face.
+
+'I've grown very much, but two years have changed you entirely'; and
+Bess looked up with girlish pleasure at the picturesque figure before
+her--for it was a decided contrast to the well-dressed people about her.
+
+Before they could say more, Josie rushed in, and, forgetfull of the
+newly acquired dignity of her teens, let Dan catch her up and kiss her
+like a child. Not till he set her down did he discover she also was
+changed, and exclaimed in comic dismay:
+
+'Hallo! Why, you are growing up too! What am I going to do, with no
+young one to play with? Here's Ted going it like a beanstalk, and Bess a
+young lady, and even you, my mustard-seed, letting down your frocks and
+putting on airs.'
+
+The girls laughed, and Josie blushed as she stared at the tall man,
+conscious that she had leaped before she looked. They made a pretty
+contrast, these two young cousins--one as fair as a lily, the other
+a little wild rose. And Dan gave a nod of satisfaction as he surveyed
+them; for he had seen many bonny girls in his travels, and was glad that
+these old friends were blooming so beautifully.
+
+'Here! we can't allow any monopoly of Dan!' called Mrs Jo. 'Bring him
+back and keep an eye on him, or he will be slipping off for another
+little run of a year or two before we have half seen him.'
+
+Led by these agreeable captors, Dan returned to the parlour to receive a
+scolding from Josie for getting ahead of all the other boys and looking
+like a man first.
+
+'Emil is older; but he's only a boy, and dances jigs and sings sailor
+songs just as he used to. You look about thirty, and as big and black
+as a villain in a play. Oh, I've got a splendid idea! You are just the
+thing for Arbaces in The Last Days of Pompeii. We want to act it; have
+the lion and the gladiators and the eruption. Tom and Ted are going to
+shower bushels of ashes down and roll barrels of stones about. We wanted
+a dark man for the Egyptian; and you will be gorgeous in red and white
+shawls. Won't he, Aunt Jo?'
+
+This deluge of words made Dan clap his hands over his ears; and before
+Mrs Bhaer could answer her impetuous niece the Laurences, with Meg and
+her family, arrived, soon followed by Tom and Nan, and all sat down to
+listen to Dan's adventures--told in brief yet effective manner, as the
+varying expressions of interest, wonder, merriment, and suspense painted
+on the circle of faces round him plainly showed. The boys all wanted to
+start at once for California and make fortunes; the girls could hardly
+wait for the curious and pretty things he had picked up for them in his
+travels; while the elders rejoiced heartily over the energy and good
+prospects of their wild boy.
+
+'Of course you will want to go back for another stroke of luck; and I
+hope you will have it. But speculation is a dangerous game, and you may
+lose all you've won,' said Mr Laurie, who had enjoyed the stirring tale
+as much as any of the boys, and would have liked to rough it with Dan as
+well as they.
+
+'I've had enough of it, for a while at least; too much like gambling.
+The excitement is all I care for, and it isn't good for me. I have a
+notion to try farming out West. It's grand on a large scale; and I feel
+as if steady work would be rather jolly after loafing round so long. I
+can make a beginning, and you can send me your black sheep to stock my
+place with. I tried sheep-farming in Australia, and know something about
+black ones, any way.'
+
+A laugh chased away the sober look in Dan's face as he ended; and those
+who knew him best guessed that he had learned a lesson there in San
+Francisco, and dared not try again.
+
+'That is a capital idea, Dan!' cried Mrs Jo, seeing great hope in this
+desire to fix himself somewhere and help others. 'We shall know where
+you are, and can go and see you, and not have half the world between us.
+I'll send my Ted for a visit. He's such a restless spirit, it would
+do him good. With you he would be safe while he worked off his surplus
+energies and learned a wholesome business.'
+
+'I'll use the “shubble and de hoe” like a good one, if I get a chance
+out there; but the Speranza mines sound rather jollier,' said Ted,
+examining the samples of ore Dan had brought for the Professor.
+
+'You go and start a new town, and when we are ready to swarm we will
+come out and settle there. You will want a newspaper very soon, and I
+like the idea of running one myself much better than grinding away as
+I do now,' observed Demi, panting to distinguish himself in the
+journalistic line.
+
+'We could easily plant a new college there. These sturdy Westerners are
+hungry for learning, and very quick to see and choose the best,' added
+ever-young Mr March, beholding with his prophetic eye many duplicates of
+their own flourishing establishment springing up in the wide West.
+
+'Go on, Dan. It is a fine plan, and we will back you up. I shouldn't
+mind investing in a few prairies and cowboys myself,' said Mr Laurie,
+always ready to help the lads to help themselves, both by his cheery
+words and ever-open purse.
+
+'A little money sort of ballasts a fellow, and investing it in land
+anchors him--for a while, at least. I'd like to see what I can do, but
+I thought I'd consult you before I decided. Have my doubts about it
+suiting me for many years; but I can cut loose when I'm tired,' answered
+Dan, both touched and pleased at the eager interest of these friends in
+his plans.
+
+'I know you won't like it. After having the whole world to roam over,
+one farm will seem dreadfully small and stupid,' said Josie, who much
+preferred the romance of the wandering life which brought her thrilling
+tales and pretty things at each return.
+
+'Is there any art out there?' asked Bess, thinking what a good study in
+black and white Dan would make as he stood talking, half turned from the
+light.
+
+'Plenty of nature, dear; and that is better. You will find splendid
+animals to model, and scenery such as you never saw in Europe to paint.
+Even prosaic pumpkins are grand out there. You can play Cinderella in
+one of them, Josie, when you open your theatre in Dansville,' said Mr
+Laurie, anxious that no cold water should be thrown on the new plan.
+
+Stage-struck Josie was caught at once, and being promised all the tragic
+parts on the yet unbuilt stage, she felt a deep interest in the project
+and begged Dan to lose no time in beginning his experiment. Bess also
+confessed that studies from nature would be good for her, and wild
+scenery improve her taste, which might grow over-nice if only the
+delicate and beautiful were set before her.
+
+'I speak for the practice of the new town,' said Nan, always eager
+for fresh enterprises. 'I shall be ready by the time you get well
+started--towns grow so fast out there.'
+
+'Dan isn't going to allow any woman under forty in his place. He doesn't
+like them, 'specially young and pretty ones,' put in Tom, who was raging
+with jealousy, because he read admiration for Nan in Dan's eyes.
+
+'That won't affect me, because doctors are exceptions to all rules.
+There won't be much sickness in Dansville, everyone will lead such
+active, wholesome lives, and only energetic young people will go there.
+But accidents will be frequent, owing to wild cattle, fast riding,
+Indian scrimmages, and the recklessness of Western life. That will just
+suit me. I long for broken bones, surgery is so interesting and I get so
+little here,' answered Nan, yearning to put out her shingle and begin.
+
+'I'll have you, Doctor, and be glad of such a good sample of what we can
+do in the East. Peg away, and I'll send for you as soon as I have a roof
+to cover you. I'll scalp a few red fellows or smash up a dozen or so of
+cowboys for your special benefit,' laughed Dan, well pleased with the
+energy and fine physique which made Nan a conspicuous figure among other
+girls.
+
+'Thanks. I'll come. Would you just let me feel your arm? Splendid
+biceps! Now, boys, see here: this is what I call muscle.' And Nan
+delivered a short lecture with Dan's sinewy arm to illustrate it. Tom
+retired to the alcove and glowered at the stars, while he swung his own
+right arm with a vigour suggestive of knocking someone down.
+
+'Make Tom sexton; he'll enjoy burying the patients Nan kills. He's
+trying to get up the glum expression proper to the business. Don't
+forget him, Dan,' said Ted, directing attention to the blighted being in
+the corner.
+
+But Tom never sulked long, and came out from his brief eclipse with the
+cheerful proposition:
+
+'Look here, we'll get the city to ship out to Dansville all the cases of
+yellow fever, smallpox, and cholera that arrive; then Nan will be happy
+and her mistakes won't matter much with emigrants and convicts.'
+
+'I should advise settling near Jacksonville, or some such city, that you
+might enjoy the society of cultivated persons. The Plato Club is there,
+and a most ardent thirst for philosophy. Everything from the East is
+welcomed hospitably, and new enterprises would flourish in such kindly
+soil,' observed Mr March, mildly offering a suggestion, as he sat among
+the elders enjoying the lively scene.
+
+The idea of Dan studying Plato was very funny; but no one except naughty
+Ted smiled, and Dan made haste to unfold another plan seething in that
+active brain of his.
+
+'I'm not sure the farming will succeed, and have a strong leaning
+towards my old friends the Montana Indians. They are a peaceful tribe,
+and need help awfully; hundreds have died of starvation because they
+don't get their share. The Sioux are fighters, thirty thousand strong,
+so Government fears 'em, and gives 'em all they want. I call that a
+damned shame!' Dan stopped short as the oath slipped out, but his eyes
+flashed, and he went on quickly: 'It is just that, and I won't beg
+pardon. If I'd had any money when I was there I'd have given every cent
+to those poor devils, cheated out of everything, and waiting patiently,
+after being driven from their own land to places where nothing will
+grow. Now, honest agents could do much, and I've a feeling that I ought
+to go and lend a hand. I know their lingo, and I like 'em. I've got a
+few thousands, and I ain't sure I have any right to spend it on myself
+and settle down to enjoy it. Hey?'
+
+Dan looked very manly and earnest as he faced his friends, flushed and
+excited by the energy of his words; and all felt that little thrill of
+sympathy which links hearts together by the tie of pity for the wronged.
+
+'Do it, do it!' cried Mrs Jo, fired at once; for misfortune was much
+more interesting to her than good luck.
+
+'Do it, do it!' echoed Ted, applauding as if at a play, 'and take me
+along to help. I'm just raging to get among those fine fellows and
+hunt.'
+
+'Let us hear more and see if it is wise,' said Mr Laurie, privately
+resolving to people his as yet unbought prairies with Montana Indians,
+and increase his donations to the society that sent missionaries to this
+much wronged people.
+
+Dan plunged at once into the history of what he saw among the Dakotas,
+and other tribes in the Northwest, telling of their wrongs, patience,
+and courage as if they were his brothers.
+
+'They called me Dan Fire Cloud, because my rifle was the best they ever
+saw. And Black Hawk was as good a friend as a fellow would want; saved
+my life more than once, and taught me just what will be useful if I go
+back. They are down on their luck, now, and I'd like to pay my debts.'
+
+By this time everyone was interested, and Dansville began to lose its
+charm. But prudent Mr Bhaer suggested that one honest agent among many
+could not do much, and noble as the effort would be, it was wiser to
+think over the matter carefully, get influence and authority from the
+right quarters, and meantime look at lands before deciding.
+
+'Well, I will. I'm going to take a run to Kansas and see how that
+promises. Met a fellow in 'Frisco who'd been there, and he spoke well
+of it. The fact is, there's so much to be done every where that I don't
+know where to catch on, and half wish I hadn't any money,' answered Dan,
+knitting his brows in the perplexity all kind souls feel when anxious to
+help at the great task of the world's charity.
+
+'I'll keep it for you till you decide. You are such an impetuous lad
+you'll give it to the first beggar that gets hold of you. I'll turn it
+over while you are prospecting, and hand it back when you are ready to
+invest, shall I?' asked Mr Laurie, who had learned wisdom since the days
+of his own extravagant youth.
+
+'Thanky, sir, I'd be glad to get rid of it. You just hold on till I say
+the word; and if anything happens to me this time, keep it to help some
+other scamp as you helped me. This is my will, and you all witness it.
+Now I feel better.' And Dan squared his shoulders as if relieved of
+a burden, after handing over the belt in which he carried his little
+fortune.
+
+No one dreamed how much was to happen before Dan came to take his money
+back, nor how nearly that act was his last will and testament; and while
+Mr Laurie was explaining how he would invest it, a cheery voice was
+heard singing:
+
+    'Oh, Peggy was a jolly lass,
+     Ye heave ho, boys, ye heave ho!
+     She never grudged her Jack a glass,
+     Ye heave ho, boys, ye heave ho!
+     And when he sailed the raging main,
+     She faithful was unto her swain,
+     Ye heave ho, boys, ye heave ho!'
+
+Emil always announced his arrival in that fashion, and in a moment he
+came hurrying in with Nat, who had been giving lessons in town all day.
+It was good to see the latter beam at his friend as he nearly shook his
+hand off; better still to see how Dan gratefully remembered all he owed
+Nat, and tried to pay the debt in his rough way; and best of all to
+hear the two travellers compare notes and reel off yarns to dazzle the
+land-lubbers and home-keepers.
+
+After this addition the house would not contain the gay youngsters, so
+they migrated to the piazza and settled on the steps, like a flock of
+night-loving birds. Mr March and the Professor retired to the study, Meg
+and Amy went to look after the little refection of fruit and cake which
+was to come, and Mrs Jo and Mr Laurie sat in the long window listening
+to the chat that went on outside.
+
+'There they are, the flower of our flock!' she said, pointing to the
+group before them. 'The others are dead or scattered, but these seven
+boys and four girls are my especial comfort and pride. Counting Alice
+Heath, my dozen is made up, and my hands are full trying to guide these
+young lives as far as human skill can do it.'
+
+'When we remember how different they are, from what some of them came,
+and the home influences about others, I think we may feel pretty well
+satisfied so far,' answered Mr Laurie soberly, as his eyes rested on
+one bright head among the black and brown ones, for the young moon shone
+alike on all.
+
+'I don't worry about the girls; Meg sees to them, and is so wise and
+patient and tender they can't help doing well; but my boys are more care
+every year, and seem to drift farther away from me each time they go,'
+sighed Mrs Jo. 'They will grow up, and I can only hold them by one
+little thread, which may snap at any time, as it has with Jack and Ned.
+Dolly and George still like to come back, and I can say my word to them;
+and dear old Franz is too true ever to forget his own. But the three
+who are soon going out into the world again I can't help worrying about.
+Emil's good heart will keep him straight, I hope, and
+
+    '“A sweet little cherub sits up aloft,
+    To look out for the life of poor Jack.”'
+
+Nat is to make his first flight, and he's weak in spite of your
+strengthening influence; and Dan is still untamed. I fear it will take
+some hard lesson to do that.'
+
+'He's a fine fellow, Jo, and I almost regret this farming project. A
+little polish would make a gentleman of him, and who knows what he might
+become here among us,' answered Mr Laurie, leaning over Mrs Bhaer's
+chair, just as he used to do years ago when they had mischievous secrets
+together.
+
+'It wouldn't be safe, Teddy. Work and the free life he loves will make a
+good man of him, and that is better than any amount of polish, with
+the dangers an easy life in a city would bring him. We can't change his
+nature--only help it to develop in the right direction. The old impulses
+are there, and must be controlled, or he will go wrong. I see that; but
+his love for us is a safeguard, and we must keep a hold on him till he
+is older or has a stronger tie to help him.'
+
+Mrs Jo spoke earnestly, for, knowing Dan better than anyone else, she
+saw that her colt was not thoroughly broken yet, and feared while she
+hoped, knowing that life would always be hard for one like him. She was
+sure that before he went away again, in some quiet moment he would give
+her a glimpse of his inner self, and then she could say the word of
+warning or encouragement that he needed. So she bided her time, studying
+him meanwhile, glad to see all that was promising, and quick to detect
+the harm the world was doing him. She was very anxious to make a success
+of her 'firebrand' because others predicted failure; but having learned
+that people cannot be moulded like clay, she contented herself with the
+hope that this neglected boy might become a good man, and asked no more.
+Even that was much to expect, so full was he of wayward impulses, strong
+passions, and the lawless nature born in him. Nothing held him but
+the one affection of his life--the memory of Plumfield, the fear
+of disappointing these faithful friends, the pride, stronger than
+principle, that made him want to keep the regard of the mates who always
+had admired and loved him in spite of all his faults.
+
+'Don't fret, old dear; Emil is one of the happy-go-lucky sort who always
+fall on their legs. I'll see to Nat, and Dan is in a good way now. Let
+him take a look at Kansas, and if the farm plan loses its charm, he
+can fall back on poor Lo, and really do good out there. He's unusually
+fitted for that peculiar task and I hope he'll decide to do it. Fighting
+oppressors, and befriending the oppressed will keep those dangerous
+energies of his busy, and the life will suit him better than sheep-folds
+and wheat-fields.'
+
+'I hope so. What is that?' and Mrs Jo leaned forward to listen, as
+exclamations from Ted and Josie caught her ear.
+
+'A mustang! a real, live one; and we can ride it. Dan, you are a
+first-class trump!' cried the boy.
+
+'A whole Indian dress for me! Now I can play Namioka, if the boys act
+Metamora,' added Josie, clapping her hands.
+
+'A buffalo's head for Bess! Good gracious, Dan, why did you bring such a
+horrid thing as that to her?' asked Nan.
+
+'Thought it would do her good to model something strong and natural.
+She'll never amount to anything if she keeps on making namby-pamby gods
+and pet kittens,' answered irreverent Dan, remembering that when he was
+last here Bess was vibrating distractedly between a head of Apollo and
+her Persian cat as models.
+
+'Thank you; I'll try it, and if I fail we can put the buffalo up in the
+hall to remind us of you,' said Bess, indignant at the insult offered
+the gods of her idolatry, but too well bred to show it except in her
+voice, which was as sweet and as cold as ice-cream.
+
+'I suppose you won't come out to see our new settlement when the rest
+do? Too rough for you?' asked Dan, trying to assume the deferential air
+all the boys used when addressing their Princess.
+
+'I am going to Rome to study for years. All the beauty and art of the
+world is there, and a lifetime isn't long enough to enjoy it,' answered
+Bess.
+
+'Rome is a mouldy old tomb compared to the “Garden of the gods” and my
+magnificent Rockies. I don't care a hang for art; nature is as much as I
+can stand, and I guess I could show you things that would knock your old
+masters higher than kites. Better come, and while Josie rides the horses
+you can model 'em. If a drove of a hundred or so of wild ones can't show
+you beauty, I'll give up,' cried Dan, waxing enthusiastic over the wild
+grace and vigour which he could enjoy but had no power to describe.
+
+'I'll come some day with papa, and see if they are better than the
+horses of St Mark and those on Capitol Hill. Please don't abuse my gods,
+and I will try to like yours,' said Bess, beginning to think the West
+might be worth seeing, though no Raphael or Angelo had yet appeared
+there.
+
+'That's a bargain! I do think people ought to see their own country
+before they go scooting off to foreign parts, as if the new world wasn't
+worth discovering,' began Dan, ready to bury the hatchet.
+
+'It has some advantages, but not all. The women of England can vote,
+and we can't. I'm ashamed of America that she isn't ahead in all good
+things,' cried Nan, who held advanced views on all reforms, and was
+anxious about her rights, having had to fight for some of them.
+
+'Oh, please don't begin on that. People always quarrel over that
+question, and call names, and never agree. Do let us be quiet and happy
+tonight,' pleaded Daisy, who hated discussion as much as Nan loved it.
+
+'You shall vote as much as you like in our new town, Nan; be mayor and
+aldermen, and run the whole concern. It's going to be as free as air,
+or I can't live in it,' said Dan, adding, with a laugh, 'I see Mrs
+Giddygaddy and Mrs Shakespeare Smith don't agree any better than they
+used to.'
+
+'If everyone agreed, we should never get on. Daisy is a dear, but
+inclined to be an old fogy; so I stir her up; and next fall she will go
+and vote with me. Demi will escort us to do the one thing we are allowed
+to do as yet.'
+
+'Will you take 'em, Deacon?' asked Dan, using the old name as if he
+liked it. 'It works capitally in Wyoming.'
+
+'I shall be proud to do it. Mother and the aunts go every year, and
+Daisy will come with me. She is my better half still; and I don't mean
+to leave her behind in anything,' said Demi, with an arm round his
+sister of whom he was fonder than ever.
+
+Dan looked at them wistfully, thinking how sweet it must be to have such
+a tie; and his lonely youth seemed sadder than ever as he recalled its
+struggles. A gusty sigh from Tom made sentiment impossible, as he said
+pensively:
+
+'I always wanted to be a twin. It's so sociable and so cosy to have
+someone glad to lean on a fellow and comfort him, if other girls are
+cruel.'
+
+As Tom's unrequited passion was the standing joke of the family, this
+allusion produced a laugh, which Nan increased by whipping out a bottle
+of Nux, saying, with her professional air:
+
+'I knew you ate too much lobster for tea. Take four pellets, and your
+dyspepsia will be all right. Tom always sighs and is silly when he's
+overeaten.'
+
+'I'll take 'em. These are the only sweet things you ever give me.' And
+Tom gloomily crunched his dose.
+
+'“Who can minister to a mind diseased, or pluck out a rooted sorrow?”
+ quoted Josie tragically from her perch on the railing.
+
+'Come with me, Tommy, and I'll make a man of you. Drop your pills and
+powders, and cavort round the world a spell, and you'll soon forget
+you've got a heart, or a stomach either,' said Dan, offering his one
+panacea for all ills.
+
+'Ship with me, Tom. A good fit of seasickness will set you up, and
+a stiff north-easter blow your blue-devils away. Come along as
+surgeon--easy berth, and no end of larks.'
+
+    '“And if your Nancy frowns, my lad,
+      And scorns a jacket blue,
+      Just hoist your sails for other ports,
+      And find a maid more true.”'
+
+added Emil, who had a fragment of song to cheer every care and sorrow,
+and freely offered them to his friends.
+
+'Perhaps I'll think of it when I've got my diploma. I'm not going to
+grind three mortal years and have nothing to show for it. Till then,--'
+
+'I'll never desert Mrs Micawber,' interrupted Teddy, with a gurgling
+sob. Tom immediately rolled him off the step into the wet grass below;
+and by the time this slight skirmish was over, the jingle of teaspoons
+suggested refreshments of a more agreeable sort. In former times the
+little girls waited on the boys, to save confusion; now the young men
+flew to serve the ladies, young and old; and that slight fact showed
+plainly how the tables were turned by time. And what a pleasant
+arrangement it was! Even Josie sat still, and let Emil bring her
+berries; enjoying her young lady-hood, till Ted stole her cake, when she
+forgot manners, and chastised him with a rap on the knuckles. As guest
+of honour, Dan was only allowed to wait on Bess, who still held the
+highest place in this small world. Tom carefully selected the best of
+everything for Nan, to be crushed by the remark:
+
+'I never eat at this hour; and you will have a nightmare if you do.'
+
+So, dutifully curbing the pangs of hunger, he gave the plate to Daisy,
+and chewed rose-leaves for his supper.
+
+When a surprising quantity of wholesome nourishment had been consumed,
+someone said, 'Let's sing!' and a tuneful hour followed. Nat fiddled,
+Demi piped, Dan strummed the old banjo, and Emil warbled a doleful
+ballad about the wreck of the Bounding Betsey; then everybody joined
+in the old songs till there was very decidedly 'music in the air'; and
+passers-by said, as they listened smiling: 'Old Plum is gay tonight!'
+
+When all had gone Dan lingered on the piazza, enjoying the balmy wind
+that blew up from the hayfields, and brought the breath of flowers from
+Parnassus; and as he leaned there romantically in the moonlight, Mrs Jo
+came to shut the door.
+
+'Dreaming dreams, Dan?' she asked, thinking the tender moment might have
+come. Imagine the shock when, instead of some interesting confidence or
+affectionate word, Dan swung round, saying bluntly:
+
+'I was wishing I could smoke.'
+
+Mrs Jo laughed at the downfall of her hopes, and answered kindly:
+
+'You may, in your room; but don't set the house afire.'
+
+Perhaps Dan saw a little disappointment in her face, or the memory of
+the sequel of that boyish frolic touched his heart; for he stooped and
+kissed her, saying in a whisper: 'Good night, mother.' And Mrs Jo was
+half satisfied.
+
+
+
+Chapter 5. VACATION
+
+Everyone was glad of a holiday next morning, and all lingered over the
+breakfast-table, till Mrs Jo suddenly exclaimed:
+
+'Why, there's a dog!' And on the threshold of the door appeared a great
+deer-hound, standing motionless, with his eyes fixed on Dan.
+
+'Hallo, old boy! Couldn't you wait till I came for you? Have you cut
+away on the sly? Own up now, and take your whipping like a man,' said
+Dan, rising to meet the dog, who reared on his hind legs to look his
+master in the face and bark as if uttering an indignant denial of any
+disobedience.
+
+'All right; Don never lies.' And Dan gave the tall beast a hug, adding
+as he glanced out of the window, where a man and horse were seen
+approaching:
+
+'I left my plunder at the hotel over night, not knowing how I should
+find you. Come out and see Octoo, my mustang; she's a beauty.' And Dan
+was off, with the family streaming after him, to welcome the newcomer.
+
+They found her preparing to go up the steps in her eagerness to reach
+her master, to the great dismay of the man, who was holding her back.
+
+'Let her come,' called Dan; 'she climbs like a cat and jumps like a
+deer. Well, my girl, do you want a gallop?' he asked, as the pretty
+creature clattered up to him and whinnied with pleasure as he rubbed her
+nose and slapped her glossy flank.
+
+'That's what I call a horse worth having,' said Ted, full of admiration
+and delight; for he was to have the care of her during Dan's absence.
+
+'What intelligent eyes! She looks as if she would speak,' said Mrs Jo.
+
+'She talks like a human in her way. Very little that she don't know.
+Hey, old Lass?' and Dan laid his cheek to hers as if the little black
+mare was very dear to him.
+
+'What does “Octoo” mean?' asked Rob.
+
+'Lightning; she deserves it, as you'll see. Black Hawk gave her to me
+for my rifle, and we've had high times together out yonder. She's saved
+my life more than once. Do you see that scar?'
+
+Dan pointed to a small one, half hidden by the long mane; and standing
+with his arm about Octoo's neck, he told the story of it.
+
+'Black Hawk and I were after buffalo one time, but didn't find 'em as
+soon as we expected; so our food gave out, and there we were a hundred
+miles from Red Deer River, where our camp was. I thought we were done
+for, but my brave pal says: “Now I'll show you how we can live till
+we find the herds.” We were unsaddling for the night by a little pond;
+there wasn't a living creature in sight anywhere, not even a bird, and
+we could see for miles over the prairies. What do you think we did?' And
+Dan looked into the faces round him.
+
+'Ate worms like the Australian fellows,' said Rob. 'Boiled grass or
+leaves,' added Mrs Jo.
+
+'Perhaps filled the stomach with clay, as we read of savages doing?'
+suggested Mr Bhaer.
+
+'Killed one of the horses,' cried Ted, eager for bloodshed of some sort.
+
+'No; but we bled one of them. See, just here; filled a tin cup, put some
+wild sage leaves in it, with water, and heated it over a fire of sticks.
+It was good, and we slept well.'
+
+'I guess Octoo didn't.' And Josie patted the animal, with a face full of
+sympathy.
+
+'Never minded it a bit. Black Hawk said we could live on the horses
+several days and still travel before they felt it. But by another
+morning we found the buffalo, and I shot the one whose head is in my
+box, ready to hang up and scare brats into fits. He's a fierce old
+fellow, you bet.'
+
+'What is this strap for?' asked Ted, who was busily examining the Indian
+saddle, the single rein and snaffle, with lariat, and round the neck the
+leather band he spoke of.
+
+'We hold on to that when we lie along the horse's flank farthest from
+the enemy, and fire under the neck as we gallop round and round. I'll
+show you.' And springing into the saddle, Dan was off down the steps,
+tearing over the lawn at a great pace, sometimes on Octoo's back,
+sometimes half hidden as he hung by stirrup and strap, and sometimes
+off altogether, running beside her as she loped along, enjoying the
+fun immensely; while Don raced after, in a canine rapture at being free
+again and with his mates.
+
+It was a fine sight--the three wild things at play, so full of vigour,
+grace, and freedom, that for the moment the smooth lawn seemed a
+prairie; and the spectators felt as if this glimpse of another life made
+their own seem rather tame and colourless.
+
+'This is better than a circus!' cried Mrs Jo, wishing she were a girl
+again, that she might take a gallop on this chained lightning of a
+horse. 'I foresee that Nan will have her hands full setting bones, for
+Ted will break every one of his trying to rival Dan.'
+
+'A few falls will not harm, and this new care and pleasure will be good
+for him in all ways. But I fear Dan will never follow a plough after
+riding a Pegasus like that,' answered Mr Bhaer, as the black mare leaped
+the gate and came flying up the avenue, to stop at a word and stand
+quivering with excitement, while Dan swung himself off and looked up for
+applause.
+
+He received plenty of it, and seemed more pleased for his pet's sake
+than for his own. Ted clamoured for a lesson at once, and was soon at
+ease in the queer saddle, finding Octoo gentle as a lamb, as he trotted
+away to show off at college. Bess came hastening down the hill, having
+seen the race from afar; and all collected on the piazza while Dan
+'yanked' the cover off the big box the express had 'dumped' before the
+door--to borrow his own words.
+
+Dan usually travelled in light marching order, and hated to have more
+luggage than he could carry in his well-worn valise. But now that he had
+a little money of his own, he had cumbered himself with a collection of
+trophies won by his bow and spear, and brought them home to bestow upon
+his friends.
+
+'We shall be devoured with moths,' thought Mrs Jo, as the shaggy head
+appeared, followed by a wolf-skin rug for her feet, a bear-skin ditto
+for the Professor's study, and Indian garments bedecked with foxes'
+tails for the boys.
+
+All nice and warm for a July day, but received with delight
+nevertheless. Ted and Josie immediately 'dressed up', learned the
+war-whoop, and proceeded to astonish their friends by a series of
+skirmishes about the house and grounds, with tomahawks and bows and
+arrows, till weariness produced a lull.
+
+Gay birds' wings, plumy pampas grass, strings of wampum, and pretty work
+in beads, bark, and feathers, pleased the girls. Minerals, arrow-heads,
+and crude sketches interested the Professor; and when the box was empty,
+Dan gave Mr Laurie, as his gift, several plaintive Indian songs written
+on birch-bark.
+
+'We only want a tent over us to be quite perfect. I feel as if I ought
+to give you parched corn and dried meat for dinner, my braves. Nobody
+will want lamb and green peas after this splendid pow-wow,' said Mrs Jo,
+surveying the picturesque confusion of the long hall, where people lay
+about on the rugs, all more or less bedecked with feathers, moccasins,
+or beads.
+
+'Moose noses, buffalo tongues, bear steaks, and roasted marrow-bones
+would be the thing, but I don't mind a change; so bring on your baa-baa
+and green meat,' answered Dan from the box, where he sat in state like a
+chief among his tribe, with the great hound at his feet.
+
+The girls began to clear up, but made little headway; for everything
+they touched had a story, and all were thrilling, comical, or wild; so
+they found it hard to settle to their work, till Dan was carried off by
+Mr Laurie.
+
+This was the beginning of the summer holiday, and it was curious to see
+what a pleasant little stir Dan's and Emil's coming made in the quiet
+life of the studious community; for they seemed to bring a fresh breeze
+with them that enlivened everyone. Many of the collegians remained
+during vacation; and Plumfield and Parnassus did their best to make
+these days pleasant for them, since most came from distant States, were
+poor, and had few opportunities but this for culture or amusement. Emil
+was hail-fellow-well-met with men and maids, and went rollicking
+about in true sailor fashion; but Dan stood rather in awe of the 'fair
+girl-graduates', and was silent when among them, eyeing them as an eagle
+might a flock of doves. He got on better with the young men, and was
+their hero at once. Their admiration for his manly accomplishments did
+him good; because he felt his educational defects keenly, and often
+wondered if he could find anything in books to satisfy him as thoroughly
+as did the lessons he was learning from Nature's splendidly illustrated
+volume. In spite of his silence, the girls found out his good qualities,
+and regarded 'the Spaniard', as they named him, with great favour;
+for his black eyes were more eloquent than his tongue, and the kind
+creatures tried to show their friendly interests in many charming ways.
+
+He saw this, and endeavoured to be worthy of it--curbing his free
+speech, toning down his rough manners, and watching the effect of all he
+said and did, anxious to make a good impression. The social atmosphere
+warmed his lonely heart, the culture excited him to do his best, and the
+changes which had taken place during his absence, both in himself and
+others, made the old home seem like a new world. After the life in
+California, it was sweet and restful to be here, with these familiar
+faces round him, helping him to forget much that he regretted, and to
+resolve to deserve more entirely the confidence of these good fellows,
+the respect of these innocent girls.
+
+So there was riding, rowing, and picnicking by day, music, dancing, and
+plays by night; and everyone said there had not been so gay a vacation
+for years. Bess kept her promise, and let the dust gather on her beloved
+clay while she went pleasuring with her mates or studied music with her
+father, who rejoiced over the fresh roses in her cheeks and the laughter
+which chased away the dreamy look she used to wear. Josie quarrelled
+less with Ted; for Dan had a way of looking at her which quelled her
+instantly, and had almost as good an effect upon her rebellious cousin.
+But Octoo did even more for the lively youth, who found that her charms
+entirely eclipsed those of the bicycle which had been his heart's
+delight before. Early and late he rode this untiring beast, and began
+to gain flesh--to the great joy of his mother, who feared that her
+beanstalk was growing too fast for health.
+
+Demi, finding business dull, solaced his leisure by photographing
+everybody he could induce to sit or stand to him, producing some
+excellent pictures among many failures; for he had a pretty taste in
+grouping, and endless patience. He might be said to view the world
+through the lens of his camera, and seemed to enjoy himself very much
+squinting at his fellow beings from under a bit of black cambric. Dan
+was a treasure to him; for he took well, and willingly posed in his
+Mexican costume, with horse and hound, and all wanted copies of these
+effective photographs. Bess, also, was a favourite sitter; and Demi
+received a prize at the Amateur Photographic Exhibition for one of his
+cousin with all her hair about her face, which rose from the cloud of
+white lace draping the shoulders. These were freely handed round by the
+proud artist; and one copy had a tender little history yet to be told.
+
+Nat was snatching every minute he could get with Daisy before the long
+parting; and Mrs Meg relented somewhat, feeling sure that absence would
+quite cure this unfortunate fancy. Daisy said little; but her gentle
+face was sad when she was alone, and a few quiet tears dropped on the
+handkerchiefs she marked so daintily with her own hair. She was sure Nat
+would not forget her; and life looked rather forlorn without the
+dear fellow who had been her friend since the days of patty-pans and
+confidences in the willow-tree. She was an old-fashioned daughter,
+dutiful and docile, with such love and reverence for her mother that her
+will was law; and if love was forbidden, friendship must suffice. So she
+kept her little sorrow to herself, smiled cheerfully at Nat, and made
+his last days of home-life very happy with every comfort and pleasure
+she could give, from sensible advice and sweet words to a well-filled
+work-bag for his bachelor establishment and a box of goodies for the
+voyage.
+
+Tom and Nan took all the time they could spare from their studies to
+enjoy high jinks at Plumfield with their old friends; for Emil's next
+voyage was to be a long one, Nat's absence was uncertain, and no one
+ever knew when Dan would turn up again. They all seemed to feel that
+life was beginning to grow serious; and even while they enjoyed those
+lovely summer days together they were conscious that they were children
+no longer, and often in the pauses of their fun talked soberly of their
+plans and hopes, as if anxious to know and help one another before they
+drifted farther apart on their different ways.
+
+A few weeks were all they had; then the Brenda was ready, Nat was to
+sail from New York, and Dan went along to see him off; for his own plans
+fermented in his head, and he was eager to be up and doing. A farewell
+dance was given on Parnassus in honour of the travellers, and all turned
+out in their best array and gayest spirits. George and Dolly came with
+the latest Harvard airs and graces, radiant to behold, in dress-suits
+and 'crushed hats', as Josie called the especial pride and joy of their
+boyish souls. Jack and Ned sent regrets and best wishes, and no one
+mourned their absence; for they were among what Mrs Jo called her
+failures. Poor Tom got into trouble, as usual, by deluging his head with
+some highly scented preparation in the vain hope of making his tight
+curls lie flat and smooth, as was the style. Unhappily, his rebellious
+crop only kinked the closer, and the odour of many barbers' shops clung
+to him in spite of his frantic efforts to banish it. Nan wouldn't allow
+him near her, and flapped her fan vigorously whenever he was in sight;
+which cut him to the heart, and made him feel like the Peri shut out
+from Paradise. Of course his mates jeered at him, and nothing but the
+unquenchable jollity of his nature kept him from despair.
+
+Emil was resplendent in his new uniform, and danced with an abandon
+which only sailors know. His pumps seemed to be everywhere, and his
+partners soon lost breath trying to keep up with him; but the girls
+all declared he steered like an angel, and in spite of his pace no
+collisions took place; so he was happy, and found no lack of damsels to
+ship with him.
+
+Having no dress-suit, Dan had been coaxed to wear his Mexican costume,
+and feeling at ease in the many-buttoned trousers, loose jacket, and gay
+sash, flung his serape over his shoulder with a flourish and looked
+his best, doing great execution with his long spurs, as he taught Josie
+strange steps or rolled his black eyes admiringly after certain blonde
+damsels whom he dared not address.
+
+The mammas sat in the alcove, supplying pins, smiles, and kindly words
+to all, especially the awkward youths new to such scenes, and the
+bashful girls conscious of faded muslins and cleaned gloves. It was
+pleasant to see stately Mrs Amy promenade on the arm of a tall country
+boy, with thick boots and a big forehead, or Mrs Jo dance like a girl
+with a shy fellow whose arms went like pump-handles, and whose face was
+scarlet with confusion and pride at the honour of treading on the toes
+of the president's wife. Mrs Meg always had room on her sofa for two
+or three girls, and Mr Laurie devoted himself to these plain, poorly
+dressed damsels with a kindly grace that won their hearts and made them
+happy. The good Professor circulated like refreshments, and his cheerful
+face shone on all alike, while Mr March discussed Greek comedy in the
+study with such serious gentlemen as never unbent their mighty minds to
+frivolous joys.
+
+The long music-room, parlour, hall, and piazza were full of white-gowned
+maidens with attendant shadows; the air was full of lively voices,
+and hearts and feet went lightly together as the home band played
+vigorously, and the friendly moon did her best to add enchantment to the
+scene.
+
+'Pin me up, Meg; that dear Dunbar boy has nearly rent me “in sunder”, as
+Mr Peggotty would say. But didn't he enjoy himself, bumping against his
+fellow men and swinging me round like a mop. On these occasions I find
+that I'm not as young as I was, nor as light of foot. In ten years more
+we shall be meal-bags, sister; so be resigned.' And Mrs Jo subsided into
+a corner, much dishevelled by her benevolent exertions.
+
+'I know I shall be stout; but you won't keep still long enough to get
+much flesh on your bones, dear; and Amy will always keep her lovely
+figure. She looks about eighteen tonight, in her white gown and roses,'
+answered Meg, busily pinning up one sister's torn frills, while her eyes
+fondly followed the other's graceful movements; for Meg still adored Amy
+in the old fashion.
+
+It was one of the family jokes that Jo was getting fat, and she kept it
+up, though as yet she had only acquired a matronly outline, which was
+very becoming. They were laughing over the impending double chins, when
+Mr Laurie came off duty for a moment.
+
+'Repairing damages as usual, Jo? You never could take a little gentle
+exercise without returning in rags. Come and have a quiet stroll with me
+and cool off before supper. I've a series of pretty tableaux to show
+you while Meg listens to the raptures of lisping Miss Carr, whom I made
+happy by giving her Demi for a partner.'
+
+As he spoke, Laurie led Jo to the music-room, nearly empty now after a
+dance which sent the young people into garden and hall. Pausing before
+the first of the four long windows that opened on a very wide piazza, he
+pointed to a group outside, saying: 'The name of this is “Jack Ashore”.'
+
+A pair of long, blue legs, ending in very neat pumps, hung from the
+veranda roof among the vines; and roses, gathered by unseen hands,
+evidently appertaining to aforesaid legs, were being dropped into the
+laps of several girls perched like a flock of white birds on the railing
+below; while a manly voice 'fell like a falling star', as it sung this
+pensive ditty to a most appreciative audience:
+
+             MARY'S DREAM
+
+    The moon had climbed the eastern hill
+    Which rises o'er the sands of Dee,
+    And from its highest summit shed
+    A silver light on tower and tree,
+    When Mary laid her down to sleep
+    (Her thoughts on Sandy far at sea);
+    When soft and low a voice was heard,
+    Saying, 'Mary, weep no more for me.'
+
+    She from her pillow gently raised
+    Her head, to see who there might be,
+    And saw young Sandy, shivering stand
+    With visage pale and hollow e'e.
+    'Oh Mary dear, cold is my clay;
+    It lies beneath the stormy sea;
+    Far, far from thee, I sleep in death.
+    Dear Mary, weep no more for me.
+
+    'Three stormy nights and stormy days
+    We tossed upon the raging main.
+    And long we strove our bark to save;
+    But all our striving was in vain.
+    E'en then, when terror chilled my blood,
+    My heart was filled with love of thee.
+    The storm is past, and I'm at rest;
+    So, Mary, weep no more for me.
+
+    'Oh maiden dear, yourself prepare;
+    We soon shall meet upon that shore
+    Where love is free from doubt and care,
+    And you and I shall part no more.'
+    Loud crew the cock, the shadow fled;
+    No more her Sandy did she see;
+    But soft the passing spirit said,
+    'Sweet Mary, weep no more for me.'
+
+'The constant jollity of that boy is worth a fortune to him. He'll never
+sink with such a buoyant spirit to keep him afloat through life,' said
+Mrs Jo, as the roses were tossed back with much applause when the song
+ended.
+
+'Not he; and it's a blessing to be grateful for, isn't it? We moody
+people know its worth. Glad you like my first tableau. Come and see
+number two. Hope it isn't spoilt; it was very pretty just now. This is
+“Othello telling his adventures to Desdemona”.'
+
+The second window framed a very picturesque group of three. Mr March in
+an arm-chair, with Bess on a cushion at his feet, was listening to Dan,
+who, leaning against a pillar, was talking with unusual animation. The
+old man was in shadow, but little Desdemona was looking up with the
+moonlight full upon her into young Othello's face, quite absorbed in the
+story he was telling so well. The gay drapery over Dan's shoulder,
+his dark colouring, and the gesture of his arm made the picture very
+striking, and both spectators enjoyed it with silent pleasure, till Mrs
+Jo said in a quick whisper:
+
+'I'm glad he's going away. He's too picturesque to have here among so
+many romantic girls. Afraid his “grand, gloomy, and peculiar” style will
+be too much for our simple maids.'
+
+'No danger; Dan is in the rough as yet, and always will be, I fancy;
+though he is improving in many ways. How well Queenie looks in that soft
+light!'
+
+'Dear little Goldilocks looks well everywhere.' And with a backward
+glance full of pride and fondness, Mrs Jo went on. But that scene
+returned to her long afterward and her own prophetic words also.
+
+Number three was a tragical tableau at first sight; and Mr Laurie
+stifled a laugh as he whispered 'The Wounded Knight', pointing to Tom
+with his head enveloped in a large handkerchief, as he knelt before Nan,
+who was extracting a thorn or splinter from the palm of his hand
+with great skill, to judge from the patient's blissful expression of
+countenance.
+
+'Do I hurt you?' she asked, turning the hand to the moonlight for a
+better view.
+
+'Not a bit; dig away; I like it,' answered Tom, regardless of his aching
+knees and the damage done to his best trousers.
+
+'I won't keep you long.'
+
+'Hours, if you please. Never so happy as here.'
+
+Quite unmoved by this tender remark, Nan put on a pair of large,
+round-eyed glasses, saying in a matter-of-fact tone: 'Now I see it. Only
+a splinter, and there it is.
+
+'My hand is bleeding; won't you bind it up?' asked Tom, wishing to
+prolong the situation.
+
+'Nonsense; suck it. Only take care of it tomorrow if you dissect. Don't
+want any more blood-poisoning.'
+
+'That was the only time you were kind to me. Wish I'd lost my arm.'
+
+'I wish you'd lost your head; it smells more like turpentine and
+kerosene than ever. Do take a run in the garden and air it.'
+
+Fearing to betray themselves by laughter, the watchers went on, leaving
+the Knight to rush away in despair, and the Lady to bury her nose in the
+cup of a tall lily for refreshment.
+
+'Poor Tom, his fate is a hard one, and he's wasting his time! Do advise
+him to quit philandering and go to work, Jo.'
+
+'I have, Teddy, often; but it will take some great shock to make that
+boy wise. I wait with interest to see what it will be. Bless me! what is
+all this?'
+
+She might well ask; for on a rustic stool stood Ted trying to pose on
+one foot, with the other extended, and both hands waving in the air.
+Josie, with several young mates, was watching his contortions with deep
+interest as they talked about 'little wings', 'gilded wire twisted', and
+a 'cunning skull-cap'.
+
+'This might be called “Mercury Trying to Fly”,' said Mr Laurie, as they
+peeped through the lace curtains.
+
+'Bless the long legs of that boy! how does he expect to manage them?
+They are planning for the Owlsdark Marbles, and a nice muddle they will
+make of my gods and goddesses with no one to show them how,' answered
+Mrs Jo, enjoying this scene immensely. 'Now, he's got it!' 'That's
+perfectly splendid!' 'See how long you can keep so!' cried the girls, as
+Ted managed to maintain his equilibrium a moment by resting one toe
+on the trellis. Unfortunately this brought all his weight on the other
+foot; the straw seat of the stool gave way, and the flying Mercury
+came down with a crash, amid shrieks of laughter from the girls. Being
+accustomed to ground and lofty tumbling, he quickly recovered himself,
+and hopped gaily about, with one leg through the stool as he improvised
+a classic jig.
+
+'Thanks for four nice little pictures. You have given me an idea, and I
+think some time we will get up regular tableaux of this sort and march
+our company round a set of dissolving views. New and striking; I'll
+propose it to our manager and give you all the glory,' said Mrs Jo, as
+they strolled towards the room whence came the clash of glass and china,
+and glimpses of agitated black coats.
+
+Let us follow the example of our old friends and stroll about among the
+young people, eavesdropping, so gathering up various little threads to
+help in the weaving of the story. George and Dolly were at supper,
+and having served the ladies in their care stood in a corner absorbing
+nourishment of all kinds with a vain attempt to conceal hearty appetites
+under an air of elegant indifference.
+
+'Good spread, this; Laurence does things in style. First-rate coffee,
+but no wine, and that's a mistake,' said Stuffy, who still deserved his
+name, and was a stout youth with a heavy eye and bilious complexion.
+
+'Bad for boys, he says. Jove! wish he could see us at some of our wines.
+Don't we just “splice the main brace” as Emil says,' answered Dolly,
+the dandy, carefully spreading a napkin over the glossy expanse of
+shirt-front whereon a diamond stud shone like a lone star. His stutter
+was nearly outgrown; but he, as well as George, spoke in the tone of
+condescension, which, with the blase airs they assumed, made a very
+funny contrast to their youthful faces and foolish remarks. Good-hearted
+little fellows both, but top-heavy with the pride of being Sophs and the
+freedom that college life gave them.
+
+'Little Jo is getting to be a deuced pretty girl, isn't she?' said
+George, with a long sigh of satisfaction as his first mouthful of ice
+went slowly down his throat.
+
+'H'm--well, fairish. The Princess is rather more to my taste. I like 'em
+blonde and queenly and elegant, don't you know.'
+
+'Yes, Jo is too lively; might as well dance with a grasshopper.
+I've tried her, and she's one too many for me. Miss Perry is a nice,
+easy-going girl. Got her for the german.'
+
+'You'll never be a dancing man. Too lazy. Now I'll undertake to steer
+any girl and dance down any fellow you please. Dancing's my forte.' And
+Dolly glanced from his trim feet to his flashing gem with the defiant
+air of a young turkey-cock on parade.
+
+'Miss Grey is looking for you. Wants more grub. Just see if Miss
+Nelson's plate is empty, there's a good fellow. Can't eat ice in a
+hurry.' And George remained in his safe corner, while Dolly struggled
+through the crowd to do his duty, coming back in a fume, with a splash
+of salad dressing on his coat-cuff.
+
+'Confound these country chaps! they go blundering round like so many
+dor-bugs, and make a deuce of a mess. Better stick to books and not try
+to be society men. Can't do it. Beastly stain. Give it a rub, and let me
+bolt a mouthful, I'm starved. Never saw girls eat such a lot. It proves
+that they ought not to study so much. Never liked co-ed,' growled Dolly,
+much ruffled in spirit.
+
+'So they do. 'Tisn't ladylike. Ought to be satisfied with an ice and
+a bit of cake, and eat it prettily. Don't like to see a girl feed. We
+hard-working men need it, and, by Jove, I mean to get some more of that
+meringue if it's not all gone. Here, waiter! bring along that dish over
+there, and be lively,' commanded Stuffy, poking a young man in a rather
+shabby dress-suit, who was passing with a tray of glasses.
+
+His order was obeyed promptly; but George's appetite was taken away
+the next moment by Dolly's exclaiming, as he looked up from his damaged
+coat, with a scandalized face:
+
+'You've put your foot in it now, old boy! that's Morton, Mr Bhaer's
+crack man. Knows everything, no end of a “dig”, and bound to carry off
+all the honours. You won't hear the last of it in a hurry.' And Dolly
+laughed so heartily that a spoonful of ice flew upon the head of a lady
+sitting below him, and got him into a scrape also.
+
+Leaving them to their despair, let us listen to the whispered chat of
+two girls comfortably seated in a recess waiting till their escorts were
+fed.
+
+'I do think the Laurences give lovely parties. Don't you enjoy them?'
+asked the younger, looking about her with the eager air of one unused to
+this sort of pleasure.
+
+'Very much, only I never feel as if I was dressed right. My things
+seemed elegant at home, and I thought I'd be over over-dressed if
+anything; but I look countrified and dowdy here. No time or money to
+change now, even if I knew how to do it,' answered the other, glancing
+anxiously at her bright pink silk grown, trimmed with cheap lace.
+
+'You must get Mrs Brooke to tell you how to fix your things. She was
+very kind to me. I had a green silk, and it looked so cheap and horrid
+by the side of the nice dresses here I felt regularly unhappy about it,
+and asked her how much a dress like one Mrs Laurence had would cost.
+That looked so simple and elegant I thought it wouldn't be costly; but
+it was India mull and Valenciennes lace, so, of course, I couldn't have
+it. Then Mrs Brooke said: “Get some muslin to cover the green silk, and
+wear hops or some white flowers, instead of pink, in your hair, and you
+will have a pretty suit.” Isn't it lovely and becoming?' And Miss Burton
+surveyed herself with girlish satisfaction; for a little taste had
+softened the harsh green, and hop-bells became her red hair better than
+roses.
+
+'It's sweet: I've been admiring it. I'll do mine so and ask about my
+purple one. Mrs Brooke has helped me to get rid of my headaches, and
+Mary Clay's dyspepsia is all gone since she gave up coffee and hot
+bread.'
+
+'Mrs Laurence advised me to walk and run and use the gymnasium to cure
+my round shoulders and open my chest, and I'm a much better figure than
+I was.'
+
+'Did you know that Mr Laurence pays all Amelia Merrill's bills? Her
+father failed, and she was heartbroken at having to leave college; but
+that splendid man just stepped in and made it all right.' 'Yes, and
+Professor Bhaer has several of the boys down at his house evenings to
+help them along so they can keep up with the rest; and Mrs Bhaer took
+care of Charles Mackey herself when he had a fever last year. I do think
+they are the best and kindest people in the world.'
+
+'So do I, and my time here will be the happiest and most useful years of
+my life.'
+
+And both girls forgot their gowns and their suppers for a moment to look
+with grateful, affectionate eyes at the friends who tried to care for
+bodies and for souls as well as minds.
+
+Now come to a lively party supping on the stairs, girls like foam at
+the top, and a substratum of youths below, where the heaviest particles
+always settle. Emil, who never sat if he could climb or perch, adorned
+the newel-post; Tom, Nat, Demi, and Dan were camped on the steps, eating
+busily, as their ladies were well served and they had earned a moment's
+rest, which they enjoyed with their eyes fixed on the pleasing prospect
+above them.
+
+'I'm so sorry the boys are going. It will be dreadfully dull without
+them. Now they have stopped teasing and are polite, I really enjoy
+them,' said Nan, who felt unusually gracious tonight as Tom's mishap
+kept him from annoying her.
+
+'So do I; and Bess was mourning about it today, though as a general
+thing she doesn't like boys unless they are models of elegance. She has
+been doing Dan's head, and it is not quite finished. I never saw her so
+interested in any work, and it's very well done. He is so striking and
+big he always makes me think of the Dying Gladiator or some of those
+antique creatures. There's Bess now. Dear child, how sweet she looks
+tonight!' answered Daisy, waving her hand as the Princess went by with
+Grandpa on her arm.
+
+'I never thought he would turn out so well. Don't you remember how we
+used to call him “the bad boy” and be sure he would become a pirate or
+something awful because he glared at us and swore sometimes? Now he is
+the handsomest of all the boys, and very entertaining with his stories
+and plans. I like him very much; he's so big and strong and independent.
+I'm tired of mollycoddles and book-worms,' said Nan in her decided way.
+
+'Not handsomer that Nat!' cried loyal Daisy, contrasting two faces
+below, one unusually gay, the other sentimentally sober even in the
+act of munching cake. 'I like Dan, and am glad he is doing well; but
+he tires me, and I'm still a little afraid of him. Quiet people suit me
+best.'
+
+'Life is a fight, and I like a good soldier. Boys take things too
+easily, don't see how serious it all is and go to work in earnest. Look
+at that absurd Tom, wasting his time and making an object of himself
+just because he can't have what he wants, like a baby crying for the
+moon. I've no patience with such nonsense,' scolded Nan, looking down at
+the jovial Thomas, who was playfully putting macaroons in Emil's shoes,
+and trying to beguile his exile as best he could.
+
+'Most girls would be touched by such fidelity. I think it's beautiful,'
+said Daisy behind her fan; for other girls sat just below.
+
+'You are a sentimental goose and not a judge. Nat will be twice the man
+when he comes back after his trip. I wish Tom was going with him. My
+idea is that if we girls have any influence we should use it for the
+good of these boys, and not pamper them up, making slaves of ourselves
+and tyrants of them. Let them prove what they can do and be before they
+ask anything of us, and give us a chance to do the same. Then we know
+where we are, and shall not make mistakes to mourn over all our lives.'
+
+'Hear, hear!' cried Alice Heath, who was a girl after Nan's own heart,
+and had chosen a career, like a brave and sensible young woman. 'Only
+give us a chance, and have patience till we can do our best. Now we are
+expected to be as wise as men who have had generations of all the help
+there is, and we scarcely anything. Let us have equal opportunities, and
+in a few generations we will see what the judgement is. I like justice,
+and we get very little of it.'
+
+'Still shouting the battle-cry of freedom?' asked Demi, peering through
+the banisters at this moment. 'Up with your flag! I'll stand by and lend
+a hand if you want it. With you and Nan to lead the van, I think you
+won't need much help.'
+
+'You are a great comfort, Demi, and I'll call on you in all emergencies;
+for you are an honest boy, and don't forget that you owe much to your
+mother and your sisters and your aunts,' continued Nan. 'I do like men
+who come out frankly and own that they are not gods. How can we think
+them so when such awful mistakes are being made all the time by these
+great creatures? See them sick, as I do, then you know them.'
+
+'Don't hit us when we are down; be merciful, and set us up to bless and
+believe in you evermore,' pleaded Demi from behind the bars.
+
+'We'll be kind to you if you will be just to us. I don't say generous,
+only just. I went to a suffrage debate in the Legislature last winter;
+and of all the feeble, vulgar twaddle I ever heard, that was the worst;
+and those men were our representatives. I blushed for them, and the
+wives and mothers. I want an intelligent man to represent me, if I can't
+do it myself, not a fool.'
+
+'Nan is on the stump. Now we shall catch it,' cried Tom, putting up
+an umbrella to shield his unhappy head; for Nan's earnest voice was
+audible, and her indignant eye happened to rest on him as she spoke.
+
+'Go on, go on! I'll take notes, and put in “great applause” liberally,'
+added Demi, producing his ball-book and pencil, with his Jenkins air.
+
+Daisy pinched his nose through the bars, and the meeting was rather
+tumultuous for a moment, for Emil called: 'Avast, avast, here's a squall
+to wind'ard'; Tom applauded wildly; Dan looked up as if the prospect of
+a fight, even with words, pleased him, and Nat went to support Demi,
+as his position seemed to be a good one. At this crisis, when everyone
+laughed and talked at once, Bess came floating through the upper hall
+and looked down like an angel of peace upon the noisy group below, as
+she asked, with wondering eyes and smiling lips:
+
+'What is it?'
+
+'An indignation meeting. Nan and Alice are on the rampage, and we are at
+the bar to be tried for our lives. Will Your Highness preside and judge
+between us?' answered Demi, as a lull at once took place; for no one
+rioted in the presence of the Princess.
+
+'I'm not wise enough. I'll sit here and listen. Please go on.' And Bess
+took her place above them all as cool and calm as a little statue of
+Justice, with fan and nosegay in place of sword and scales.
+
+'Now, ladies, free your minds, only spare us till morning; for we've
+got a german to dance as soon as everyone is fed, and Parnassus expects
+every man to do his duty. Mrs President Giddy-gaddy has the floor,'
+said Demi, who liked this sort of fun better than the very mild sort of
+flirtation which was allowed at Plumfield, for the simple reason that it
+could not be entirely banished, and is a part of all education, co- or
+otherwise.
+
+'I have only one thing to say, and it is this,' began Nan soberly,
+though her eyes sparkled with a mixture of fun and earnestness. 'I want
+to ask every boy of you what you really think on this subject. Dan and
+Emil have seen the world and ought to know their own minds. Tom and Nat
+have had five examples before them for years. Demi is ours and we are
+proud of him. So is Rob. Ted is a weathercock, and Dolly and George,
+of course, are fogies in spite of the Annex, and girls at Girton going
+ahead of the men. Commodore, are you ready for the question?'
+
+'Ay, ay, skipper.'
+
+'Do you believe in Woman's Suffrage?'
+
+'Bless your pretty figger head! I do, and I'll ship a crew of girls any
+time you say so. Aren't they worse than a press-gang to carry a fellow
+out of his moorings? Don't we all need one as pilot to steer us safe to
+port? and why shouldn't they share our mess afloat and ashore since we
+are sure to be wrecked without 'em?'
+
+'Good for you, Emil! Nan will take you for first mate after that
+handsome speech,' said Demi, as the girls applauded, and Tom glowered.
+'Now, Dan, you love liberty so well yourself, are you willing we should
+have it?'
+
+'All you can get, and I'll fight any man who's mean enough to say you
+don't deserve it.'
+
+This brief and forcible reply delighted the energetic President, and she
+beamed upon the member from California, as she said briskly:
+
+'Nat wouldn't dare to say he was on the other side even if he were, but
+I hope he has made up his mind to pipe for us, at least when we take the
+field, and not be one of those who wait till the battle is won, and then
+beat the drums and share the glory.'
+
+Mrs Giddy-gaddy's doubts were most effectually removed, and her sharp
+speech regretted, as Nat looked up blushing, but with a new sort of
+manliness in face and manner, saying, in a tone that touched them all:
+
+'I should be the most ungrateful fellow alive if I did not love,
+honour, and serve women with all my heart and might, for to them I owe
+everything I am or ever shall be.'
+
+Daisy clapped her hands, and Bess threw her bouquet into Nat's lap,
+while the other girls waved their fans, well pleased; for real feeling
+made his little speech eloquent.
+
+'Thomas B. Bangs, come into court, and tell the truth, the whole truth,
+and nothing but the truth, if you can,' commanded Nan, with a rap to
+call the meeting to order.
+
+Tom shut the umbrella, and standing up raised his hand, saying solemnly:
+
+'I believe in suffrage of all kinds. I adore all women, and will die for
+them at any moment if it will help the cause.'
+
+'Living and working for it is harder, and therefore more honourable. Men
+are always ready to die for us, but not to make our lives worth having.
+Cheap sentiment and bad logic. You will pass, Tom, only don't twaddle.
+Now, having taken the sense of the meeting we will adjourn, as the hour
+for festive gymnastics has arrived. I am glad to see that old Plum
+has given six true men to the world, and hope they will continue to be
+staunch to her and the principles she has taught them, wherever they may
+go. Now, girls, don't sit in draughts, and, boys, beware of ice-water
+when you are warm.'
+
+With this characteristic close Nan retired from office, and the girls
+went to enjoy one of the few rights allowed them.
+
+
+
+Chapter 6. LAST WORDS
+
+The next day was Sunday, and a goodly troop of young and old set forth
+to church.--some driving, some walking, all enjoying the lovely weather
+and the happy quietude which comes to refresh us when the work and worry
+of the week are over. Daisy had a headache; and Aunt Jo remained at home
+to keep her company, knowing very well that the worst ache was in the
+tender heart struggling dutifully against the love that grew stronger as
+the parting drew nearer.
+
+'Daisy knows my wishes, and I trust her. You must keep an eye on Nat,
+and let him clearly understand that there is to be no “lovering”, or
+I shall forbid the letter-writing. I hate to seem cruel, but it is too
+soon for my dear girl to bind herself in any way,' said Mrs Meg, as she
+rustled about in her best grey silk, while waiting for Demi, who always
+escorted his pious mother to church as a peace-offering for crossing her
+wishes in other things.
+
+'I will, dear; I'm lying in wait for all three boys today, like an old
+spider; and I will have a good talk with each. They know I understand
+them, and they always open their hearts sooner or later. You look like a
+nice, plump little Quakeress, Meg; and no one will believe that big
+boy is your son,' added Mrs Jo, as Demi came in shining with Sunday
+neatness, from his well-blacked boots to his smooth brown head.
+
+'You flatter me, to soften my heart toward your boy. I know your ways,
+Jo, and I don't give in. Be firm, and spare me a scene by and by. As for
+John, as long as he is satisfied with his old mother, I don't care what
+people think,' answered Mrs Meg, accepting with a smile the little posy
+of sweet peas and mignonette Demi brought her.
+
+Then, having buttoned her dove-coloured gloves with care, she took her
+son's arm and went proudly away to the carriage, where Amy and Bess
+waited, while Jo called after them, just as Marmee used to do:
+
+'Girls, have you got nice pocket-handkerchiefs?' They all smiled at
+the familiar words, and three white banners waved as they drove away,
+leaving the spider to watch for her first fly. She did not wait long.
+Daisy was lying down with a wet cheek on the little hymnbook out of
+which she and Nat used to sing together; so Mrs Jo strolled about
+the lawn, looking very like a wandering mushroom with her large buff
+umbrella.
+
+Dan had gone for a ten-mile stroll; and Nat was supposed to have
+accompanied him, but presently came sneaking back, unable to tear
+himself away from the Dovecote or lose a moment of nearness to his idol
+that last day. Mrs Jo saw him at once, and beckoned him to a rustic seat
+under the old elm, where they could have their confidences undisturbed,
+and both keep an eye on a certain white-curtained window, half hidden in
+vines.
+
+'Nice and cool here. I'm not up to one of Dan's tramps today--it's so
+warm, and he goes so like a steam-engine. He headed for the swamp where
+his pet snakes used to live, and I begged to be excused,' said Nat,
+fanning himself with his straw hat, though the day was not oppressive.
+
+'I'm glad you did. Sit and rest with me, and have one of our good old
+talks. We've both been so busy lately, I feel as if I didn't half know
+your plans; and I want to,' answered Mrs Jo, feeling sure that though
+they might start with Leipzig they would bring up at Plumfield.
+
+'You are very kind, and there's nothing I'd like better. I don't realize
+I'm going so far--suppose I shan't till I get afloat. It's a splendid
+start, and I don't know how I can ever thank Mr Laurie for all he's
+done, or you either,' added Nat, with a break in his voice; for he was a
+tender-hearted fellow, and never forgot a kindness.
+
+'You can thank us beautifully by being and doing all we hope and expect
+of you, my dear. In the new life you are going to there will be a
+thousand trials and temptations, and only your own wit and wisdom to
+rely on. That will be the time to test the principles we have tried
+to give you, and see how firm they are. Of course, you will make
+mistakes--we all do; but don't let go of your conscience and drift along
+blindly. Watch and pray, dear Nat; and while your hand gains skill, let
+your head grow wiser, and keep your heart as innocent and warm as it is
+now.'
+
+'I'll try, Mother Bhaer, my very best to be a credit to you. I know I
+shall improve in my music--can't help it there; but I never shall be
+very wise, I'm afraid. As for my heart, you know, I leave it behind me
+in good keeping.'
+
+As he spoke, Nat's eyes were fixed on the window with a look of love and
+longing that made his quiet face both manly and sad--plainly showing how
+strong a hold this boyish affection had upon him.
+
+'I want to speak of that; and I know you will forgive what seems hard,
+because I do most heartily sympathize with you,' said Mrs Jo, glad to
+have her say.
+
+'Yes, do talk about Daisy! I think of nothing but leaving and losing
+her. I have no hope--I suppose it is too much to ask; only I can't help
+loving her, wherever I am!' cried Nat, with a mixture of defiance and
+despair in his face that rather startled Mrs Jo.
+
+'Listen to me and I'll try to give you both comfort and good advice. We
+all know that Daisy is fond of you, but her mother objects, and being a
+good girl she tries to obey. Young people think they never can change,
+but they do in the most wonderful manner, and very few die of broken
+hearts.' Mrs Jo smiled as she remembered another boy whom she had once
+tried to comfort, and then went soberly on while Nat listened as if his
+fate hung upon her lips.
+
+'One of two things will happen. You will find someone else to love,
+or, better still, be so busy and happy in your music that you will be
+willing to wait for time to settle the matter for you both. Daisy will
+perhaps forget when you are gone, and be glad you are only friends. At
+any rate it is much wiser to have no promises made; then both are free,
+and in a year or two may meet to laugh over the little romance nipped in
+the bud.'
+
+'Do you honestly think that?' asked Nat, looking at her so keenly that
+the truth had to come; for all his heart was in those frank blue eyes of
+his.
+
+'No, I don't!' answered Mrs Jo. 'Then if you were in my place, what
+would you do?' he added, with a tone of command never heard in his
+gentle voice before.
+
+'Bless me! the boy is in dead earnest, and I shall forget prudence
+in sympathy I'm afraid,' thought Mrs Jo, surprised and pleased by the
+unexpected manliness Nat showed.
+
+'I'll tell you what I should do. I'd say to myself:
+
+“I'll prove that my love is strong and faithful, and make Daisy's
+mother proud to give her to me by being not only a good musician but an
+excellent man, and so command respect and confidence. This I will try
+for; and if I fail, I shall be the better for the effort, and find
+comfort in the thought that I did my best for her sake.”'
+
+'That is what I meant to do. But I wanted a word of hope to give me
+courage,' cried Nat, firing up as if the smouldering spark was set
+ablaze by a breath of encouragement. 'Other fellows, poorer and stupider
+than I, have done great things and come to honour. Why may not I, though
+I'm nothing now? I know Mrs Brooke remembers what I came from, but my
+father was honest though everything went wrong; and I have nothing to
+be ashamed of though I was a charity boy. I never will be ashamed of my
+people or myself, and I'll make other folks respect me if I can.'
+
+'Good! that's the right spirit, Nat. Hold to it and make yourself a man.
+No one will be quicker to see and admire the brave work than my sister
+Meg. She does not despise your poverty or your past; but mothers are
+very tender over their daughters, and we Marches, though we have been
+poor, are, I confess, a little proud of our good family. We don't care
+for money; but a long line of virtuous ancestors is something to desire
+and to be proud of.'
+
+'Well, the Blakes are a good lot. I looked 'em up, and not one was
+ever in prison, hanged, or disgraced in any way. We used to be rich and
+honoured years ago, but we've died out and got poor, and father was a
+street musician rather than beg; and I'll be one again before I'll do
+the mean things some men do and pass muster.'
+
+Nat was so excited that Mrs Jo indulged in a laugh to calm him, and both
+went on more quietly.
+
+'I told my sister all that and it pleased her. I am sure if you do well
+these next few years that she will relent and all be happily settled,
+unless that wonderful change, which you don't believe possible, should
+occur. Now, cheer up; don't be lackadaisical and blue. Say good-bye
+cheerfully and bravely, show a manly front, and leave a pleasant memory
+behind you. We all wish you well and hope much for you. Write to me
+every week and I'll send a good, gossipy answer. Be careful what you
+write to Daisy; don't gush or wail, for sister Meg will see the letters;
+and you can help your cause very much by sending sensible, cheery
+accounts of your life to us all.'
+
+'I will; I will; it looks brighter and better already, and I won't lose
+my one comfort by any fault of my own. Thank you so much, Mother Bhaer,
+for taking my side. I felt so ungrateful and mean and crushed when I
+thought you all considered me a sneak who had no business to love such
+a precious girl as Daisy. No one said anything, but I knew how you felt,
+and that Mr Laurie sent me off partly to get me out of the way. Oh dear,
+life is pretty tough sometimes, isn't it?' And Nat took his head in both
+hands as if it ached with the confusion of hopes and fears, passions and
+plans that proved boyhood was past and manhood had begun.
+
+'Very tough, but it is that very struggle with obstacles which does us
+good. Things have been made easy for you in many ways, but no one can do
+everything. You must paddle your own canoe now, and learn to avoid the
+rapids and steer straight to the port you want to reach. I don't know
+just what your temptations will be for you have no bad habits and seem
+to love music so well, nothing can lure you from it. I only hope you
+won't work too hard.'
+
+'I feel as if I could work like a horse, I'm so eager to get on; but
+I'll take care. Can't waste time being sick, and you've given me doses
+enough to keep me all right, I guess.' Nat laughed as he remembered
+the book of directions Mrs Jo had written for him to consult on all
+occasions.
+
+She immediately added some verbal ones on the subject of foreign messes,
+and having mounted one of her pet hobbies, was in full gallop when Emil
+was seen strolling about on the roof of the old house, that being his
+favourite promenade; for there he could fancy himself walking the deck,
+with only blue sky and fresh air about him.
+
+'I want a word with the Commodore, and up there we shall be nice and
+quiet. Go and play to Daisy: it will put her to sleep and do you both
+good. Sit in the porch, so I can keep an eye on you as I promised'; and
+with a motherly pat on the shoulder Mrs Jo left Nat to his delightful
+task and briskly ascended to the house-top, not up the trellis as of old
+but by means of the stairs inside.
+
+Emerging on the platform she found Emil cutting his initials afresh in
+the wood-work and singing 'Pull for the Shore', like the tuneful mariner
+he was.
+
+'Come aboard and make yourself at home, Aunty,' he said, with a playful
+salute. 'I'm just leaving a P.P.C. in the old place, so when you fly up
+here for refuge you'll remember me.'
+
+'Ah, my dear, I'm not likely to forget you. It doesn't need E. B. H. cut
+on all the trees and railings to remind me of my sailor boy'; and Mrs Jo
+took the seat nearest the blue figure astride the balustrade, not quite
+sure how to begin the little sermon she wanted to preach.
+
+'Well, you don't pipe your eye and look squally when I sheer off as you
+used to, and that's a comfort. I like to leave port in fair weather and
+have a jolly send-off all round. Specially this time, for it will be a
+year or more before we drop anchor here again,' answered Emil, pushing
+his cap back, and glancing about him as if he loved old Plum and would
+be sorry never to see it any more.
+
+'You have salt water enough without my adding to it. I'm going to be
+quite a Spartan mother, and send my sons to battle with no wailing, only
+the command:
+
+“With your shield or on it”,' said Mrs Jo cheerfully, adding after a
+pause: 'I often wish I could go too, and some day I will, when you are
+captain and have a ship of your own--as I've no doubt you will before
+long, with Uncle Herman to push you on.'
+
+'When I do I'll christen her the Jolly Jo and take you as first mate.
+It would be regular larks to have you aboard, and I'd be a proud man to
+carry you round the world you've wanted to see so long and never could,'
+answered Emil, caught at once by this splendid vision.
+
+'I'll make my first voyage with you and enjoy myself immensely in spite
+of seasickness and all the stormy winds that blow. I've always thought
+I'd like to see a wreck, a nice safe one with all saved after great
+danger and heroic deeds, while we clung like Mr Pillicoddy to main-top
+jibs and lee scuppers.'
+
+'No wrecks yet, ma'am, but we'll try to accommodate customers. Captain
+says I'm a lucky dog and bring fair weather, so we'll save the dirty
+weather for you if you want it,' laughed Emil, digging at the ship in
+full sail which he was adding to his design.
+
+'Thanks, I hope you will. This long voyage will give you new
+experiences, and being an officer, you will have new duties and
+responsibilities. Are you ready for them? You take everything so gaily,
+I've been wondering if you realized that now you will have not only to
+obey but to command also, and power is a dangerous thing. Be careful
+that you don't abuse it or let it make a tyrant of you.'
+
+'Right you are, ma'am. I've seen plenty of that, and have got my
+bearings pretty well, I guess. I shan't have very wide swing with Peters
+over me, but I'll see that the boys don't get abused when he's bowsed up
+his jib. No right to speak before, but now I won't stand it.'
+
+'That sounds mysteriously awful; could I ask what nautical torture
+“bowsing jibs” is?' asked Mrs Jo, in a tone of deep interest.
+
+'Getting drunk. Peters can hold more grog than any man I ever saw; he
+keeps right side up, but is as savage as a norther, and makes things
+lively all round. I've seen him knock a fellow down with a belaying pin,
+and couldn't lend a hand. Better luck now, I hope.' And Emil frowned as
+if he already trod the quarter-deck, lord of all he surveyed.
+
+'Don't get into trouble, for even Uncle Herman's favour won't cover
+insubordination, you know. You have proved yourself a good sailor; now
+be a good officer, which is a harder thing, I fancy. It takes a fine
+character to rule justly and kindly; you will have to put by your boyish
+ways and remember your dignity. That will be excellent training for you,
+Emil, and sober you down a bit. No more skylarking except here, so mind
+your ways, and do honour to your buttons,' said Mrs Jo, tapping one
+of the very bright brass ones that ornamented the new suit Emil was so
+proud of.
+
+'I'll do my best. I know my time for skirmshander (chaff) is over, and
+I must steer a straighter course; but don't you fear, Jack ashore is a
+very different craft from what he is with blue water under his keel. I
+had a long talk with Uncle last night and got my orders; I won't forget
+'em nor all I owe him. As for you, I'll name my first ship as I say, and
+have your bust for the figurehead, see if I don't,' and Emil gave his
+aunt a hearty kiss to seal the vow, which proceeding much amused Nat,
+playing softly in the porch of the Dovecote.
+
+'You do me proud, Captain. But, dear, I want to say one thing and then
+I'm done; for you don't need much advice of mine after my good man has
+spoken. I read somewhere that every inch of rope used in the British
+Navy has a strand of red in it, so that wherever a bit of it is found
+it is known. That is the text of my little sermon to you. Virtue, which
+means honour, honesty, courage, and all that makes character, is the
+red thread that marks a good man wherever he is. Keep that always and
+everywhere, so that even if wrecked by misfortune, that sign shall still
+be found and recognized. Yours is a rough life, and your mates not all
+we could wish, but you can be a gentleman in the true sense of the word;
+and no matter what happens to your body, keep your soul clean, your
+heart true to those who love you, and do your duty to the end.'
+
+As she spoke Emil had risen and stood listening with his cap off and a
+grave, bright look as if taking orders from a superior officer; when she
+ended, he answered briefly, but heartily:
+
+'Please God, I will!'
+
+'That's all; I have little fear for you, but one never knows when or how
+the weak moment may come, and sometimes a chance word helps us, as so
+many my dear mother spoke come back to me now for my own comfort and the
+guidance of my boys,' said Mrs Jo, rising; for the words had been said
+and no more were needed.
+
+'I've stored 'em up and know where to find 'em when wanted. Often and
+often in my watch I've seen old Plum, and heard you and Uncle talking
+so plainly, I'd have sworn I was here. It is a rough life, Aunty, but
+a wholesome one if a fellow loves it as I do, and has an anchor to
+windward as I have. Don't worry about me, and I'll come home next year
+with a chest of tea that will cheer your heart and give you ideas enough
+for a dozen novels. Going below? All right, steady in the gangway! I'll
+be along by the time you've got out the cake-box. Last chance for a good
+old lunch ashore.'
+
+Mrs Jo descended laughing, and Emil finished his ship whistling
+cheerfully, neither dreaming when and where this little chat on the
+house-top would return to the memory of one of them.
+
+Dan was harder to catch, and not until evening did a quiet moment come
+in that busy family; when, while the rest were roaming about, Mrs Jo sat
+down to read in the study, and presently Dan looked in at the window.
+
+'Come and rest after your long tramp; you must be tired,' she called,
+with an inviting nod towards the big sofa where so many boys had
+reposed--as much as that active animal ever does.
+
+'Afraid I shall disturb you'; but Dan looked as if he wanted to stay his
+restless feet somewhere.
+
+'Not a bit; I'm always ready to talk, shouldn't be a woman if I were
+not,' laughed Mrs Jo, as Dan swung himself in and sat down with an air
+of contentment very pleasant to see.
+
+'Last day is over, yet somehow I don't seem to hanker to be off.
+Generally, I'm rather anxious to cut loose after a short stop. Odd,
+ain't it?' asked Dan, gravely picking grass and leaves out of his hair
+and beard; for he had been lying on the grass, thinking many thoughts in
+the quiet summer night.
+
+'Not at all; you are beginning to get civilized. It's a good sign, and
+I'm glad to see it,' answered Mrs Jo promptly. 'You've had your swing,
+and want a change. Hope the farming will give it to you, though helping
+the Indians pleases me more: it is so much better to work for others
+than for one's self alone.'
+
+'So 'tis,' assented Dan heartily. 'I seem to want to root somewhere
+and have folks of my own to take care of. Tired of my own company, I
+suppose, now I've seen so much better. I'm a rough, ignorant lot, and
+I've been thinking maybe I've missed it loafing round creation, instead
+of going in for education as the other chaps did. Hey?'
+
+He looked anxiously at Mrs Jo; and she tried to hide the surprise this
+new outburst caused her; for till now Dan had scorned books and gloried
+in his freedom.
+
+'No; I don't think so in your case. So far I'm sure the free life was
+best. Now that you are a man you can control that lawless nature better;
+but as a boy only great activity and much adventure could keep you out
+of mischief. Time is taming my colt, you see, and I shall yet be proud
+of him, whether he makes a pack-horse of himself to carry help to the
+starving or goes to ploughing as Pegasus did.'
+
+Dan liked the comparison, and smiled as he lounged in the sofa-corner,
+with the new thoughtfulness in his eyes.
+
+'Glad you think so. The fact is it's going to take a heap of taming to
+make me go well in harness anywhere. I want to, and I try now and then,
+but always kick over the traces and run away. No lives lost yet; but I
+shouldn't wonder if there was some time, and a general smash-up.'
+
+'Why, Dan, did you have any dangerous adventures during this last
+absence? I fancied so, but didn't ask before, knowing you'd tell me if I
+could help in any way. Can I?' And Mrs Jo looked anxiously at him; for a
+sudden lowering expression had come into his face, and he leaned forward
+as if to hide it.
+
+'Nothing very bad; but 'Frisco isn't just a heaven on earth, you know,
+and it's harder to be a saint there than here,' he answered slowly;
+then, as if he had made up his mind to ''fess', as the children used to
+say, he sat up, and added rapidly, in a half-defiant, half-shamefaced
+way, 'I tried gambling, and it wasn't good for me.'
+
+'Was that how you made your money?'
+
+'Not a penny of it! That's all honest, if speculation isn't a bigger
+sort of gambling. I won a lot; but I lost or gave it away, and cut the
+whole concern before it got the better of me.'
+
+'Thank heaven for that! Don't try it again; it may have the terrible
+fascination for you it has for so many. Keep to your mountains and
+prairies, and shun cities, if these things tempt you, Dan. Better lose
+your life than your soul, and one such passion leads to worse sins, as
+you know better than I.'
+
+Dan nodded, and seeing how troubled she was, said, in a lighter tone,
+though still the shadow of that past experience remained:
+
+'Don't be scared; I'm all right now; and a burnt dog dreads the fire. I
+don't drink, or do the things you dread; don't care for 'em; but I
+get excited, and then this devilish temper of mine is more than I can
+manage. Fighting a moose or a buffalo is all right; but when you pitch
+into a man, no matter how great a scamp he is, you've got to look out.
+I shall kill someone some day; that's all I'm afraid of. I do hate a
+sneak!' And Dan brought his fist down on the table with a blow that made
+the lamp totter and the books skip.
+
+'That always was your trial, Dan, and I can sympathize with you; for
+I've been trying to govern my own temper all my life, and haven't learnt
+yet,' said Mrs Jo, with a sigh. 'For heaven's sake, guard your demon
+well, and don't let a moment's fury ruin all your life. As I said to
+Nat, watch and pray, my dear boy. There is no other help or hope for
+human weakness but God's love and patience.'
+
+Tears were in Mrs Jo's eyes as she spoke; for she felt this deeply, and
+knew how hard a task it is to rule these bosom sins of ours. Dan looked
+touched, also uncomfortable, as he always did when religion of any sort
+was mentioned, though he had a simple creed of his own, and tried to
+live up to it in his blind way.
+
+'I don't do much praying; don't seem to come handy to me; but I can
+watch like a redskin, only it's easier to mount guard over a lurking
+grizzly than my own cursed temper. It's that I'm afraid of, if I settle
+down. I can get on with wild beasts first-rate; but men rile me awfully,
+and I can't take it out in a free fight, as I can with a bear or a
+wolf. Guess I'd better head for the Rockies, and stay there a spell
+longer--till I'm tame enough for decent folks, if I ever am.' And Dan
+leaned his rough head on his hands in a despondent attitude.
+
+'Try my sort of help, and don't give up. Read more, study a little, and
+try to meet a better class of people, who won't “rile”, but soothe and
+strengthen you. We don't make you savage, I'm sure; for you have been as
+meek as a lamb, and made us very happy.'
+
+'Glad of it; but I've felt like a hawk in a hen-house all the same,
+and wanted to pounce and tear more than once. Not so much as I used,
+though,' added Dan, after a short laugh at Mrs Jo's surprised face.
+'I'll try your plan, and keep good company this bout if I can; but a man
+can't pick and choose, knocking about as I do.'
+
+'Yes, you can this time; for you are going on a peaceful errand and can
+keep clear of temptation if you try. Take some books and read; that's
+an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right
+sort. Let me pick out some for you.' And Mrs Jo made a bee-line to the
+well-laden shelves, which were the joy of her heart and the comfort of
+her life.
+
+'Give me travels and stories, please; don't want any pious works, can't
+seem to relish 'em, and won't pretend I do,' said Dan, following to look
+over her head with small favour at the long lines of well-worn volumes.
+
+Mrs Jo turned short round, and putting a hand on either broad shoulder,
+looked him in the eye, saying soberly:
+
+'Now, Dan, see here; never sneer at good things or pretend to be worse
+than you are. Don't let false shame make you neglect the religion
+without which no man can live. You needn't talk about it if you don't
+like, but don't shut your heart to it in whatever shape it comes. Nature
+is your God now; she has done much for you; let her do more, and lead
+you to know and love a wiser and more tender teacher, friend, and
+comforter than she can ever be. That is your only hope; don't throw it
+away, and waste time; for sooner or later you will feel the need of Him,
+and He will come to you and hold you up when all other help fails.'
+
+Dan stood motionless, and let her read in his softened eyes the dumb
+desire that lived in his heart, though he had no words to tell it,
+and only permitted her to catch a glimpse of the divine spark which
+smoulders or burns clearly in every human soul. He did not speak; and
+glad to be spared some answer which should belie his real feelings, Mrs
+Jo hastened to say, with her most motherly smile:
+
+'I saw in your room the little Bible I gave you long ago; it was well
+worn outside, but fresh within, as if not much read. Will you promise me
+to read a little once a week, dear, for my sake? Sunday is a quiet day
+everywhere, and this book is never old nor out of place. Begin with the
+stories you used to love when I told them to you boys. David was your
+favourite, you remember? Read him again; he'll suit you even better now,
+and you'll find his sins and repentance useful reading till you come to
+the life and work of a diviner example than he. You will do it, for
+love of mother Bhaer, who always loved her “firebrand” and hoped to save
+him?'
+
+'I will,' answered Dan, with a sudden brightening of face that was like
+a sunburst through a cloud, full of promise though so short-lived and
+rare.
+
+Mrs Jo turned at once to the books and began to talk of them, knowing
+well that Dan would not hear any more just then. He seemed relieved; for
+it was always hard for him to show his inner self, and he took pride in
+hiding it as an Indian does in concealing pain or fear.
+
+'Hallo, here's old Sintram! I remember him; used to like him and his
+tantrums, and read about 'em to Ted. There he is riding ahead with Death
+and the Devil alongside.'
+
+As Dan looked at the little picture of the young man with horse and
+hound going bravely up the rocky defile, accompanied by the companions
+who ride beside most men through this world, a curious impulse made Mrs
+Jo say quickly:
+
+'That's you, Dan, just you at this time! Danger and sin are near you in
+the life you lead; moods and passions torment you; the bad father left
+you to fight alone, and the wild spirit drives you to wander up and down
+the world looking for peace and self-control. Even the horse and hound
+are there, your Octoo and Don, faithful friends, unscared by the strange
+mates that go with you. You have not got the armour yet, but I'm trying
+to show you where to find it. Remember the mother Sintram loved and
+longed to find, and did find when his battle was bravely fought, his
+reward well earned? You can recollect your mother; and I have always
+felt that all the good qualities you possess come from her. Act out the
+beautiful old story in this as in the other parts, and try to give her
+back a son to be proud of.'
+
+Quite carried away by the likeness of the quaint tale to Dan's life and
+needs, Mrs Jo went on pointing to the various pictures which illustrated
+it, and when she looked up was surprised to see how struck and
+interested he seemed to be. Like all people of his temperament he was
+very impressionable, and his life among hunters and Indians had made him
+superstitious; he believed in dreams, liked weird tales, and whatever
+appealed to the eye or mind, vividly impressed him more than the wisest
+words. The story of poor, tormented Sintram came back clearly as he
+looked and listened, symbolizing his secret trials even more truly than
+Mrs Jo knew; and just at that moment this had an effect upon him that
+never was forgotten. But all he said was:
+
+'Small chance of that. I don't take much stock in the idea of meeting
+folks in heaven. Guess mother won't remember the poor little brat she
+left so long ago; why should she?'
+
+'Because true mothers never forget their children; and I know she was
+one, from the fact that she ran away from the cruel husband, to save
+her little son from bad influences. Had she lived, life would have been
+happier for you, with this tender friend to help and comfort you. Never
+forget that she risked everything for your sake, and don't let it be in
+vain.'
+
+Mrs Jo spoke very earnestly, knowing that this was the one sweet memory
+of Dan's early life, and glad to have recalled it at this moment; for
+suddenly a great tear splashed down on the page where Sintram kneels
+at his mother's feet, wounded, but victorious over sin and death. She
+looked up, well pleased to have touched Dan to the heart's core, as that
+drop proved; but a sweep of the arm brushed away the tell-tale, and his
+beard hid the mate to it, as he shut the book, saying with a suppressed
+quiver in his strong voice:
+
+'I'll keep this, if nobody wants it. I'll read it over, and maybe it
+will do me good. I'd like to meet her anywhere, but don't believe I ever
+shall.'
+
+'Keep it and welcome. My mother gave it to me; and when you read it try
+to believe that neither of your mothers will ever forget you.'
+
+Mrs Jo gave the book with a caress; and simply saying: 'Thanks; good
+night,' Dan thrust it into his pocket, and walked straight away to the
+river to recover from this unwonted mood of tenderness and confidence.
+
+Next day the travellers were off. All were in good spirits, and a cloud
+of handkerchiefs whitened the air as they drove away in the old bus,
+waving their hats to everyone and kissing their hands, especially to
+mother Bhaer, who said in her prophetic tone as she wiped her eyes, when
+the familiar rumble died away:
+
+'I have a feeling that something is going to happen to some of them, and
+they will never come back to me, or come back changed. Well, I can only
+say, God be with my boys!'
+
+And He was.
+
+
+
+Chapter 7. THE LION AND THE LAMB
+
+When the boys were gone a lull fell upon Plumfield, and the family
+scattered to various places for brief outings, as August had come and
+all felt the need of change. The Professor took Mrs Jo to the mountains.
+The Laurences were at the seashore, and there Meg's family and the Bhaer
+boys took turns to visit, as someone must always be at home to keep
+things in order.
+
+Mrs Meg, with Daisy, was in office when the events occurred which we are
+about to relate. Rob and Ted were just up from Rocky Nook, and Nan
+was passing a week with her friend as the only relaxation she allowed
+herself. Demi was off on a run with Tom, so Rob was man of the house,
+with old Silas as general overseer. The sea air seemed to have gone to
+Ted's head, for he was unusually freakish, and led his gentle aunt and
+poor Rob a life of it with his pranks. Octoo was worn out with the wild
+rides he took, and Don openly rebelled when ordered to leap and show
+off his accomplishments; while the girls at college were both amused and
+worried by the ghosts who haunted the grounds at night, the unearthly
+melodies that disturbed their studious hours, and the hairbreadth
+escapes of this restless boy by flood and field and fire. Something
+happened at length which effectually sobered Ted and made a lasting
+impression on both the boys; for sudden danger and a haunting fear
+turned the Lion into a lamb and the Lamb into a lion, as far as courage
+went.
+
+On the first of September--the boys never forgot the date--after a
+pleasant tramp and good luck with their fishing, the brothers were
+lounging in the barn; for Daisy had company, and the lads kept out of
+the way.
+
+'I tell you what it is, Bobby, that dog is sick. He won't play, nor eat,
+nor drink, and acts queerly. Dan will kill us if anything happens to
+him,' said Ted, looking at Don, who lay near his kennel resting a moment
+after one of the restless wanderings which kept him vibrating between
+the door of Dan's room and the shady corner of the yard, where his
+master had settled him with an old cap to guard till he came back.
+
+'It's the hot weather, perhaps. But I sometimes think he's pining for
+Dan. Dogs do, you know, and the poor fellow has been low in his mind
+ever since the boys went. Maybe something has happened to Dan. Don
+howled last night and can't rest. I've heard of such things,' answered
+Rob thoughtfully.
+
+'Pooh! he can't know. He's cross. I'll stir him up and take him for a
+run. Always makes me feel better. Hi, boy! wake up and be jolly'; and
+Ted snapped his fingers at the dog, who only looked at him with grim
+indifference.
+
+'Better let him alone. If he isn't right tomorrow, we'll take him to Dr
+Watkins and see what he says.' And Rob went on watching the swallows as
+he lay in the hay polishing up some Latin verses he had made.
+
+The spirit of perversity entered into Ted, and merely because he was
+told not to tease Don he went on doing it, pretending that it was for
+the dog's good. Don took no heed of his pats, commands, reproaches, or
+insults, till Ted's patience gave out; and seeing a convenient switch
+near by he could not resist the temptation to conquer the great hound
+by force, since gentleness failed to win obedience. He had the wisdom to
+chain Don up first; for a blow from any hand but his master's made him
+savage, and Ted had more than once tried the experiment, as the dog
+remembered. This indignity roused Don and he sat up with a growl. Rob
+heard it, and seeing Ted raise the switch, ran to interfere, exclaiming:
+
+'Don't touch him! Dan forbade it! Leave the poor thing in peace; I won't
+allow it.'
+
+Rob seldom commanded, but when he did Master Ted had to give in. His
+temper was up, and Rob's masterful tone made it impossible to resist one
+cut at the rebellious dog before he submitted. Only a single blow, but
+it was a costly one; for as it fell, the dog sprang at Ted with a snarl,
+and Rob, rushing between the two, felt the sharp teeth pierce his leg.
+A word made Don let go and drop remorsefully at Rob's feet, for he loved
+him and was evidently sorry to have hurt his friend by mistake. With a
+forgiving pat Rob left him, to limp to the barn followed by Ted, whose
+wrath was changed to shame and sorrow when he saw the red drops on Rob's
+sock and the little wounds in his leg.
+
+'I'm awfully sorry. Why did you get in the way? Here, wash it up, and
+I'll get a rag to tie on it,' he said quickly filling a sponge with
+water and pulling out a very demoralized handkerchief. Rob usually made
+light of his own mishaps and was over ready to forgive if others were to
+blame; but now he sat quite still, looking at the purple marks with such
+a strange expression on his white face that Ted was troubled, though he
+added with a laugh: 'Why, you're not afraid of a little dig like that,
+are you, Bobby?'
+
+'I am afraid of hydrophobia. But if Don is mad I'd rather be the one to
+have it,' answered Rob, with a smile and a shiver.
+
+At that dreadful word Ted turned whiter than his brother, and,
+dropping sponge and handkerchief, stared at him with a frightened face,
+whispering in a tone of despair:
+
+'Oh, Rob, don't say it! What shall we do, what shall we do?'
+
+'Call Nan; she will know. Don't scare Aunty, or tell a soul but Nan;
+she's on the back piazza; get her out here as quick as you can. I'll
+wash it till she comes. Maybe it's nothing; don't look so staggered,
+Ted. I only thought it might be, as Don is queer.'
+
+Rob tried to speak bravely; but Ted's long legs felt strangely weak as
+he hurried away, and it was lucky he met no one, for his face would have
+betrayed him. Nan was swinging luxuriously in a hammock, amusing herself
+with a lively treatise on croup, when an agitated boy suddenly clutched
+her, whispering, as he nearly pulled her overboard:
+
+'Come to Rob in the barn! Don's mad and he's bitten him, and we don't
+know what to do; it's all my fault; no one must know. Oh, do be quick!'
+
+Nan was on her feet at once, startled, but with her wits about her, and
+both were off without more words as they dodged round the house where
+unconscious Daisy chatted with her friends in the parlour and Aunt Meg
+peacefully took her afternoon nap upstairs.
+
+Rob was braced up, and was as calm and steady as ever when they found
+him in the harness-room, whither he had wisely retired, to escape
+observation. The story was soon told, and after a look at Don, now in
+his kennel, sad and surly, Nan said slowly, with her eye on the full
+water-pan:
+
+'Rob, there is one thing to do for the sake of safety, and it must
+be done at once. We can't wait to see if Don is--sick--or to go for a
+doctor. I can do it, and I will; but it is very painful, and I hate to
+hurt you, dear.'
+
+A most unprofessional quiver got into Nan's voice as she spoke, and her
+keen eyes dimmed as she looked at the two anxious young faces turned so
+confidingly to her for help.
+
+'I know, burn it; well, do it, please; I can bear it. But Ted better
+go away,' said Rob, with a firm setting of his lips, and a nod at his
+afflicted brother.
+
+'I won't stir; I can stand it if he can, only it ought to be me!' cried
+Ted, with a desperate effort not to cry, so full of grief and fear and
+shame was he that it seemed as if he couldn't bear it like a man.
+
+'He'd better stay and help; do him good,' answered Nan sternly, because,
+her heart was faint within her, knowing as she did all that might be in
+store for both poor boys. 'Keep quiet; I'll be back in a minute,' she
+added, going towards the house, while her quick mind hastily planned
+what was best to be done.
+
+It was ironing day, and a hot fire still burned in the empty kitchen,
+for the maids were upstairs resting. Nan put a slender poker to heat,
+and as she sat waiting for it, covered her face with her hands, asking
+help in this sudden need for strength, courage, and wisdom; for there
+was no one else to call upon, and young as she was, she knew what was to
+be done if she only had the nerve to do it. Any other patient would have
+been calmly interesting, but dear, good Robin, his father's pride, his
+mother's comfort, everyone's favourite and friend, that he should be
+in danger was very terrible; and a few hot tears dropped on the
+well-scoured table as Nan tried to calm her trouble by remembering how
+very likely it was to be all a mistake, a natural but vain alarm.
+
+'I must make light of it, or the boys will break down, and then there
+will be a panic. Why afflict and frighten everyone when all is in doubt?
+I won't. I'll take Rob to Dr Morrison at once, and have the dog man see
+Don. Then, having done all we can, we will either laugh at our scare--if
+it is one--or be ready for whatever comes. Now for my poor boy.'
+
+Armed with the red-hot poker, a pitcher of ice-water, and several
+handkerchiefs from the clotheshorse, Nan went back to the barn ready to
+do her best in this her most serious 'emergency case'. The boys sat like
+statues, one of despair, the other of resignation; and it took all Nan's
+boasted nerve to do her work quickly and well.
+
+'Now, Rob, only a minute, then we are safe. Stand by, Ted; he may be a
+bit faintish.'
+
+Rob shut his eyes, clinched his hands, and sat like a hero. Ted knelt
+beside him, white as a sheet, and as weak as a girl; for the pangs of
+remorse were rending him, and his heart failed at the thought of all
+this pain because of his wilfulness. It was all over in a moment, with
+only one little groan; but when Nan looked to her assistant to hand the
+water, poor Ted needed it the most, for he had fainted away, and lay on
+the floor in a pathetic heap of arms and legs.
+
+Rob laughed, and, cheered by that unexpected sound, Nan bound up the
+wound with hands that never trembled, though great drops stood on her
+forehead; and she shared the water with patient number one before she
+turned to patient number two. Ted was much ashamed, and quite broken
+in spirit, when he found how he had failed at the critical moment, and
+begged them not to tell, as he really could not help it; then by way of
+finishing his utter humiliation, a burst of hysterical tears disgraced
+his manly soul, and did him a world of good.
+
+'Never mind, never mind, we are all right now, and no one need be the
+wiser,' said Nan briskly, as poor Ted hiccoughed on Rob's shoulder,
+laughing and crying in the most tempestuous manner, while his brother
+soothed him, and the young doctor fanned both with Silas's old straw
+hat.
+
+'Now, boys, listen to me and remember what I say. We won't alarm anyone
+yet, for I've made up my mind our scare is all nonsense. Don was out
+lapping the water as I came by, and I don't believe he's mad any more
+than I am. Still, to ease our minds and compose our spirits, and get our
+guilty faces out of sight for a while, I think we had better drive into
+town to my old friend Dr Morrison, and let him just take a look at
+my work, and give us some quieting little dose; for we are all rather
+shaken by this flurry. Sit still, Rob; and Ted, you harness up while I
+run and get my hat and tell Aunty to excuse me to Daisy. I don't know
+those Penniman girls, and she will be glad of our room at tea, and we'll
+have a cosy bite at my house, and come home as gay as larks.'
+
+Nan talked on as a vent for the hidden emotions which professional pride
+would not allow her to show, and the boys approved her plan at once; for
+action is always easier than quiet waiting. Ted went staggering away to
+wash his face at the pump, and rub some colour into his cheeks before
+he harnessed the horse. Rob lay tranquilly on the hay, looking up at the
+swallows again as he lived through some very memorable moments. Boy as
+he was, the thought of death coming suddenly to him, and in this way,
+might well make him sober; for it is a very solemn thing to be arrested
+in the midst of busy life by the possibility of the great change. There
+were no sins to be repented of, few faults, and many happy, dutiful
+years to remember with infinite comfort. So Rob had no fears to daunt
+him, no regrets to sadden, and best of all, a very strong and simple
+piety to sustain and cheer him.
+
+'Mein Vater,' was his first thought; for Rob was very near the
+Professor's heart, and the loss of his eldest would have been a bitter
+blow. These words, whispered with a tremble of the lips that had been so
+firm when the hot iron burned, recalled that other Father who is always
+near, always tender and helpful; and, folding his hands, Rob said the
+heartiest little prayer he ever prayed, there on the hay, to the soft
+twitter of the brooding birds. It did him good; and wisely laying all
+his fear and doubt and trouble in God's hand, the boy felt ready for
+whatever was to come, and from that hour kept steadily before him the
+one duty that was plain--to be brave and cheerful, keep silent, and hope
+for the best.
+
+Nan stole her hat, and left a note on Daisy's pincushion, saying she had
+taken the boys to drive, and all would be out of the way till after tea.
+Then she hurried back and found her patients much better, the one for
+work, the other for rest. In they got, and, putting Rob on the back seat
+with his leg up drove away, looking as gay and care-free as if nothing
+had happened.
+
+Dr Morrison made light of the affair, but told Nan she had done right;
+and as the much-relieved lads went downstairs, he added in a whisper:
+'Send the dog off for a while, and keep your eye on the boy. Don't let
+him know it, and report to me if anything seems wrong. One never knows
+in these cases. No harm to be careful.'
+
+Nan nodded, and feeling much relieved now that the responsibility was
+off her shoulders, took the lads to Dr Watkins, who promised to come out
+later and examine Don. A merry tea at Nan's house, which was kept open
+for her all summer, did them good, and by the time they got home in the
+cool of the evening no sign of the panic remained but Ted's heavy eyes,
+and a slight limp when Rob walked. As the guests were still chattering
+on the front piazza they retired to the back, and Ted soothed his
+remorseful soul by swinging Rob in the hammock, while Nan told stories
+till the dog man arrived.
+
+He said Don was a little under the weather, but no more mad than the
+grey kitten that purred round his legs while the examination went on.
+
+'He wants his master, and feels the heat. Fed too well, perhaps. I'll
+keep him a few weeks and send him home all right,' said Dr Watkins, as
+Don laid his great head in his hand, and kept his intelligent eyes on
+his face, evidently feeling that this man understood his trials, and
+knew what to do for him.
+
+So Don departed without a murmur, and our three conspirators took
+counsel together how to spare the family all anxiety, and give Rob the
+rest his leg demanded. Fortunately, he always spent many hours in his
+little study, so he could lie on the sofa with a book in his hand
+as long as he liked, without exciting any remark. Being of a quiet
+temperament, he did not worry himself or Nan with useless fears, but
+believed what was told him, and dismissing all dark possibilities, went
+cheerfully on his way, soon recovering from the shock of what he called
+'our scare'.
+
+But excitable Ted was harder to manage, and it took all Nan's wit and
+wisdom to keep him from betraying the secret; for it was best to say
+nothing and spare all discussion of the subject for Rob's sake. Ted's
+remorse preyed upon him, and having no 'Mum' to confide in, he was very
+miserable. By day he devoted himself to Rob, waiting on him, talking to
+him, gazing anxiously at him, and worrying the good fellow very much;
+though he wouldn't own it, since Ted found comfort in it. But at night,
+when all was quiet, Ted's lively imagination and heavy heart got the
+better of him, and kept him awake, or set him walking in his sleep. Nan
+had her eye on him, and more than once administered a little dose to
+give him a rest, read to him, scolded him, and when she caught him
+haunting the house in the watches of the night, threatened to lock him
+up if he did not stay in his bed. This wore off after a while; but a
+change came over the freakish boy, and everyone observed it, even before
+his mother returned to ask what they had done to quench the Lion's
+spirits. He was gay, but not so heedless; and often when the old
+wilfulness beset him, he would check it sharply, look at Rob, and give
+up, or stalk away to have his sulk out alone. He no longer made fun of
+his brother's old-fashioned ways and bookish tastes, but treated him
+with a new and very marked respect, which touched and pleased modest
+Rob, and much amazed all observers. It seemed as if he felt that he owed
+him reparation for the foolish act that might have cost him his life;
+and love being stronger than will, Ted forgot his pride, and paid his
+debt like an honest boy.
+
+'I don't understand it,' said Mrs Jo, after a week of home life, much
+impressed by the good behaviour of her younger son. 'Ted is such a
+saint, I'm afraid we are going to lose him. Is it Meg's sweet influence,
+or Daisy's fine cooking, or the pellets I catch Nan giving him on
+the sly? Some witchcraft has been at work during my absence, and this
+will-o'-the-wisp is so amiable, quiet, and obedient, I don't know him.'
+
+'He is growing up, heart's-dearest, and being a precocious plant, he
+begins to bloom early. I also see a change in my Robchen. He is more
+manly and serious than ever, and is seldom far from me, as if his
+love for the old papa was growing with his growth. Our boys will often
+surprise us in this way, Jo, and we can only rejoice over them and leave
+them to become what Gott pleases.'
+
+As the Professor spoke, his eyes rested proudly on the brothers, who
+came walking up the steps together, Ted's arm over Rob's shoulder as
+he listened attentively to some geological remarks Rob was making on a
+stone he held. Usually, Ted made fun of such tastes, and loved to lay
+boulders in the student's path, put brickbats under his pillow, gravel
+in his shoes, or send parcels of dirt by express to 'Prof. R. M. Bhaer'.
+Lately, he had treated Rob's hobbies respectfully, and had begun to
+appreciate the good qualities of this quiet brother whom he had always
+loved but rather undervalued, till his courage under fire won Ted's
+admiration, and made it impossible to forget a fault, the consequences
+of which might have been so terrible. The leg was still lame, though
+doing well, and Ted was always offering an arm as support, gazing
+anxiously at his brother, and trying to guess his wants; for regret was
+still keen in Ted's soul, and Rob's forgiveness only made it deeper. A
+fortunate slip on the stairs gave Rob an excuse for limping, and no one
+but Nan and Ted saw the wound; so the secret was safe up to this time.
+
+'We are talking about you, my lads. Come in and tell us what good fairy
+has been at work while we were gone. Or is it because absence sharpens
+our eyes, that we find such pleasant changes when we come back?' said
+Mrs Jo, patting the sofa on either side, while the Professor forgot his
+piles of letters to admire the pleasing prospect of his wife in a bower
+of arms, as the boys sat down beside her, smiling affectionately, but
+feeling a little guilty; for till now 'Mum' and 'Vater' knew every event
+in their boyish lives.
+
+'Oh, it's only because Bobby and I have been alone so much; we are sort
+of twins. I stir him up a bit, and he steadies me a great deal. You and
+father do the same, you know. Nice plan. I like it'; and Ted felt that
+he had settled the matter capitally.
+
+'Mother won't thank you for comparing yourself to her, Ted. I'm
+flattered at being like father in any way. I try to be,' answered Rob,
+as they laughed at Ted's compliment.
+
+'I do thank him, for it's true; and if you, Robin, do half as much for
+your brother as Papa has for me, your life won't be a failure,' said
+Mrs Jo heartily. 'I'm very glad to see you helping one another. It's the
+right way, and we can't begin too soon to try to understand the needs,
+virtues, and failings of those nearest us. Love should not make us blind
+to faults, nor familiarity make us too ready to blame the shortcomings
+we see. So work away, my sonnies, and give us more surprises of this
+sort as often as you like.'
+
+'The liebe Mutter has said all. I too am well pleased at the friendly
+brother-warmth I find. It is good for everyone; long may it last!' and
+Professor Bhaer nodded at the boys, who looked gratified, but rather at
+a loss how to respond to these flattering remarks.
+
+Rob wisely kept silent, fearing to say too much; but Ted burst out,
+finding it impossible to help telling something:
+
+'The fact is I've been finding out what a brave good chap Bobby is, and
+I'm trying to make up for all the bother I've been to him. I knew he
+was awfully wise, but I thought him rather soft, because he liked books
+better than larks, and was always fussing about his conscience. But I
+begin to see that it isn't the fellows who talk the loudest and show
+off best that are the manliest. No, sir! quiet old Bob is a hero and a
+trump, and I'm proud of him; so would you be if you knew all about it.'
+
+Here a look from Rob brought Ted up with a round turn; he stopped short,
+grew red, and clapped his hand on his mouth in dismay.
+
+'Well, are we not to “know all about it”?' asked Mrs Jo quickly; for her
+sharp eye saw signs of danger and her maternal heart felt that something
+had come between her and her sons. 'Boys,' she went on solemnly, 'I
+suspect that the change we talk about is not altogether the effect of
+growing up, as we say. It strikes me that Ted has been in mischief and
+Rob has got him out of some scrape; hence the lovely mood of my bad boy
+and the sober one of my conscientious son, who never hides anything from
+his mother.'
+
+Rob was as red as Ted now, but after a moment's hesitation he looked up
+and answered with an air of relief:
+
+'Yes, mother, that's it; but it's all over and no harm done, and I think
+we'd better let it be, for a while at least. I did feel guilty to keep
+anything from you, but now you know so much I shall not worry and you
+needn't either. Ted's sorry, I don't mind, and it has done us both
+good.'
+
+Mrs Jo looked at Ted, who winked hard but bore the look like a man;
+then she turned to Rob, who smiled at her so cheerfully that she felt
+reassured; but something in his face struck her, and she saw what it was
+that made him seem older, graver, yet more lovable than ever. It was the
+look pain of mind, as well as body, brings, and the patience of a sweet
+submission to some inevitable trial. Like a flash she guessed that some
+danger had been near her boy, and the glances she had caught between the
+two lads and Nan confirmed her fears.
+
+'Rob, dear, you have been ill, hurt, or seriously troubled by Ted? Tell
+me at once; I will not have any secrets now. Boys sometimes suffer all
+their lives from neglected accidents or carelessness. Fritz, make them
+speak out!'
+
+Mr Bhaer put down his papers and came to stand before them, saying in a
+tone that quieted Mrs Jo, and gave the boys courage:
+
+'My sons, give us the truth. We can bear it; do not hold it back to
+spare us. Ted knows we forgive much because we love him, so be frank,
+all two.'
+
+Ted instantly dived among the sofa pillows and kept there, with only a
+pair of scarlet ears visible, while Rob in a few words told the little
+story, truthfully, but as gently as he could, hastening to add the
+comfortable assurance that Don was not mad, the wound nearly well, and
+no danger would ever come of it.
+
+But Mrs Jo grew so pale he had to put his arms about her, and his father
+turned and walked away, exclaiming: 'Ach Himmel!' in a tone of such
+mingled pain, relief, and gratitude, that Ted pulled an extra pillow
+over his head to smother the sound. They were all right in a minute;
+but such news is always a shock, even if the peril is past, and Mrs Jo
+hugged her boy close till his father came and took him away, saying with
+a strong shake of both hands and a quiver in his voice:
+
+'To be in danger of one's life tries a man's mettle, and you bear it
+well; but I cannot spare my good boy yet; thank Gott, we keep him safe!'
+
+A smothered sound, between a choke and a groan, came from under the
+pillows, and the writhing of Ted's long legs so plainly expressed
+despair that his mother relented towards him, and burrowing till she
+found a tousled yellow head, pulled it out and smoothed it, exclaiming
+with an irrepressible laugh, though her cheeks were wet with tears:
+
+'Come and be forgiven, poor sinner! I know you have suffered enough, and
+I won't say a word; only if harm had come to Rob you would have made
+me more miserable than yourself. Oh, Teddy, Teddy, do try to cure that
+wilful spirit of yours before it is too late!'
+
+'Oh, Mum, I do try! I never can forget this--I hope it's cured me; if it
+hasn't, I am afraid I ain't worth saving,' answered Ted, pulling his own
+hair as the only way of expressing his deep remorse.
+
+'Yes, you are, my dear; I felt just so at fifteen when Amy was nearly
+drowned, and Marmee helped me as I'll help you. Come to me, Teddy, when
+the evil one gets hold of you, and together we'll rout him. Ah, me! I've
+had many a tussle with that old Apollyon, and often got worsted, but not
+always. Come under my shield, and we'll fight till we win.'
+
+No one spoke for a minute as Ted and his mother laughed and cried in
+one handkerchief, and Rob stood with his father's arm round him so happy
+that all was told and forgiven, though never to be forgotten; for
+such experiences do one good, and knit hearts that love more closely
+together.
+
+Presently Ted rose straight up and going to his father, said bravely and
+humbly:
+
+'I ought to be punished. Please do it; but first say you forgive me, as
+Rob does.'
+
+'Always that, mein Sohn, seventy time seven, if needs be, else I am
+not worthy the name you give me. The punishment has come; I can give no
+greater. Let it not be in vain. It will not with the help of the mother
+and the All Father. Room here for both, always!'
+
+The good Professor opened his arms and embraced his boys like a true
+German, not ashamed to express by gesture or by word the fatherly
+emotions an American would have compressed into a slap on the shoulder
+and a brief 'All right'.
+
+Mrs Jo sat and enjoyed the prospect like a romantic soul as she was, and
+then they had a quiet talk together, saying freely all that was in their
+hearts, and finding much comfort in the confidence which comes when love
+casts out fear. It was agreed that nothing be said except to Nan,
+who was to be thanked and rewarded for her courage, discretion, and
+fidelity.
+
+'I always knew that girl had the making of a fine woman in her, and this
+proves it. No panics and shrieks and faintings and fuss, but calm
+sense and energetic skill. Dear child, what can I give or do to show my
+gratitude?' said Mrs Jo enthusiastically.
+
+'Make Tom clear out and leave her in peace,' suggested Ted, almost
+himself again, though a pensive haze still partially obscured his native
+gaiety.
+
+'Yes, do! he frets her like a mosquito. She forbade him to come out here
+while she stayed, and packed him off with Demi. I like old Tom, but he
+is a regular noodle about Nan,' added Rob, as he went away to help his
+father with the accumulated letters.
+
+'I'll do it!' said Mrs Jo decidedly. 'That girl's career shall not be
+hampered by a foolish boy's fancy. In a moment of weariness she may give
+in, and then it's all over. Wiser women have done so and regretted it
+all their lives. Nan shall earn her place first, and prove that she can
+fill it; then she may marry if she likes, and can find a man worthy of
+her.'
+
+But Mrs Jo's help was not needed; for love and gratitude can work
+miracles, and when youth, beauty, accident, and photography are added,
+success is sure; as was proved in the case of the unsuspecting but too
+susceptible Thomas.
+
+
+
+Chapter 8. JOSIE PLAYS MERMAID
+
+While the young Bhaers were having serious experiences at home, Josie
+was enjoying herself immensely at Rocky Nook; for the Laurences knew how
+to make summer idleness both charming and wholesome. Bess was very fond
+of her little cousin; Mrs Amy felt that whether her niece was an actress
+or not she must be a gentlewoman, and gave her the social training
+which marks the well-bred woman everywhere; while Uncle Laurie was never
+happier than when rowing, riding, playing, or lounging with two gay
+girls beside him. Josie bloomed like a wild flower in this free life,
+Bess grew rosy, brisk, and merry, and both were great favourites with
+the neighbours, whose villas were by the shore or perched on the cliffs
+along the pretty bay.
+
+One crumpled rose-leaf disturbed Josie's peace, one baffled wish filled
+her with a longing which became a mania, and kept her as restless and
+watchful as a detective with a case to 'work up'. Miss Cameron, the
+great actress, had hired one of the villas and retired thither to rest
+and 'create' a new part for next season. She saw no one but a friend
+or two, had a private beach, and was invisible except during her daily
+drive, or when the opera-glasses of curious gazers were fixed on a
+blue figure disporting itself in the sea. The Laurences knew her, but
+respected her privacy, and after a call left her in peace till she
+expressed a wish for society--a courtesy which she remembered and repaid
+later, as we shall see.
+
+But Josie was like a thirsty fly buzzing about a sealed honey-pot, for
+this nearness to her idol was both delightful and maddening. She pined
+to see, hear, talk with, and study this great and happy woman who could
+thrill thousands by her art, and win friends by her virtue, benevolence,
+and beauty. This was the sort of actress the girl meant to be, and few
+could object if the gift was really hers; for the stage needs just such
+women to purify and elevate the profession which should teach as well as
+amuse. If kindly Miss Cameron had known what passionate love and longing
+burned in the bosom of the little girl whom she idly observed skipping
+over the rocks, splashing about the beach, or galloping past her gate on
+a Shetland pony, she would have made her happy by a look or a word. But
+being tired with her winter's work and busy with her new part, the lady
+took no more notice of this young neighbour than of the sea-gulls in the
+bay or the daisies dancing in the fields. Nosegays left on her doorstep,
+serenades under her garden-wall, and the fixed stare of admiring eyes
+were such familiar things that she scarcely minded them; and Josie grew
+desperate when all her little attempts failed.
+
+'I might climb that pine-tree and tumble off on her piazza roof, or get
+Sheltie to throw me just at her gate and be taken in fainting. It's no
+use to try to drown myself when she is bathing. I can't sink, and she'd
+only send a man to pull me out. What can I do? I will see her and tell
+her my hopes and make her say I can act some day. Mamma would believe
+her; and if--oh, if she only would let me study with her, what perfect
+joy that would be!'
+
+Josie made these remarks one afternoon as she and Bess prepared for a
+swim, a fishing party having prevented their morning bathe.
+
+'You must bide your time, dear, and not be so impatient. Papa promised
+to give you a chance before the season is over, and he always manages
+things nicely. That will be better than any queer prank of yours,'
+answered Bess, tying her pretty hair in a white net to match her suit,
+while Josie made a little lobster of herself in scarlet.
+
+'I hate to wait; but I suppose I must. Hope she will bathe this
+afternoon, though it is low tide. She told Uncle she should have to go
+in then because in the morning people stared so and went on her beach.
+Come and have a good dive from the big rock. No one round but nurses and
+babies, so we can romp and splash as much as we like.'
+
+Away they went to have a fine time; for the little bay was free from
+other bathers, and the babies greatly admired their aquatic gymnastics,
+both being expert swimmers.
+
+As they sat dripping on the big rock Josie suddenly gave a clutch that
+nearly sent Bess overboard, as she cried excitedly:
+
+'There she is! Look! coming to bathe. How splendid! Oh, if she only
+would drown a little and let me save her! or even get her toe nipped by
+a crab; anything so I could go and speak!'
+
+'Don't seem to look; she comes to be quiet and enjoy herself. Pretend
+we don't see her, that's only civil,' answered Bess, affecting to be
+absorbed in a white-winged yacht going by.
+
+'Let's carelessly float that way as if going for seaweed on the rocks.
+She can't mind if we are flat on our backs, with only our noses out.
+Then when we can't help seeing her, we'll swim back as if anxious to
+retire. That will impress her, and she may call to thank the very polite
+young ladies who respect her wishes,' proposed Josie, whose lively fancy
+was always planning dramatic situations.
+
+Just as they were going to slip from their rock, as if Fate relented at
+last, Miss Cameron was seen to beckon wildly as she stood waist-deep in
+the water, looking down. She called to her maid, who seemed searching
+along the beach for something, and not finding what she sought, waved a
+towel towards the girls as if summoning them to help her.
+
+'Run, fly! she wants us, she wants us!' cried Josie, tumbling into the
+water like a very energetic turtle, and swimming away in her best style
+towards this long desired haven of joy. Bess followed more slowly, and
+both came panting and smiling up to Miss Cameron, who never lifted her
+eyes, but said in that wonderful voice of hers:
+
+'I've dropped a bracelet. I see it, but can't get it. Will the little
+boy find me a long stick? I'll keep my eye on it, so the water shall not
+wash it away.'
+
+'I'll dive for it with pleasure; but I'm not a boy,' answered Josie,
+laughing as she shook the curly head which at a distance had deceived
+the lady.
+
+'I beg your pardon. Dive away, child; the sand is covering it fast. I
+value it very much. Never forgot to take it off before.'
+
+'I'll get it!' and down went Josie, to come up with a handful of
+pebbles, but no bracelet.
+
+'It's gone; never mind--my fault,' said Miss Cameron, disappointed, but
+amused at the girl's dismay as she shook the water out of her eyes and
+gasped bravely:
+
+'No, it isn't. I'll have it, if I stay down all night!' and with one
+long breath Josie dived again, leaving nothing but a pair of agitated
+feet to be seen.
+
+'I'm afraid she will hurt herself,' said Miss Cameron, looking at Bess,
+whom she recognized by her likeness to her mother.
+
+'Oh, no; Josie is a little fish. She likes it'; and Bess smiled happily
+at this wonderful granting of her cousin's desire.
+
+'You are Mr Laurence's daughter, I think? How d'ye do, dear? Tell papa
+I'm coming to see him soon. Too tired before. Quite savage. Better now.
+Ah! here's our pearl of divers. What luck?' she asked, as the heels went
+down and a dripping head came up.
+
+Josie could only choke and splutter at first, being half strangled;
+but though her hands had failed again, her courage had not; and with a
+resolute shake of her wet hair, a bright look at the tall lady, and a
+series of puffs to fill her lungs, she said calmly:
+
+'“Never give up” is my motto. I'm going to get it, if I go to Liverpool
+for it! Now, then!' and down went the mermaid quite out of sight this
+time, groping like a real lobster at the bottom of the sea.
+
+'Plucky little girl! I like that. Who is she?' asked the lady, sitting
+down on a half-covered stone to watch her diver, since the bracelet was
+lost sight of.
+
+Bess told her, adding, with the persuasive smile of her father: 'Josie
+longs to be an actress, and has waited for a month to see you. This is a
+great happiness for her.'
+
+'Bless the child! why didn't she come and call? I'd have let her in;
+though usually I avoid stage-struck girls as I do reporters,' laughed
+Miss Cameron.
+
+There was no time for more; a brown hand, grasping the bracelet, rose
+out of the sea, followed by a purple face as Josie came up so blind and
+dizzy she could only cling to Bess, half drowned but triumphant.
+
+Miss Cameron drew her to the rock where she sat, and pushing the hair
+out of her eyes, revived her with a hearty 'Bravo! bravo!' which assured
+the girl that her first act was a hit. Josie had often imagined her
+meeting with the great actress--the dignity and grace with which she
+would enter and tell her ambitious hopes, the effective dress she would
+wear, the witty things she would say, the deep impression her budding
+genius would make. But never in her wildest moments had she imagined
+an interview like this; scarlet, sandy, streaming, and speechless she
+leaned against the illustrious shoulder, looking like a beautiful seal
+as she blinked and wheezed till she could smile joyfully and exclaim
+proudly:
+
+'I did get it! I'm so glad!'
+
+'Now get your breath, my dear; then I shall be glad also. It was very
+nice of you to take all that trouble for me. How shall I thank you?'
+asked the lady, looking at her with the beautiful eyes that could say so
+many things without words.
+
+Josie clasped her hands with a wet spat which rather destroyed the
+effect of the gesture, and answered in a beseeching tone that would have
+softened a far harder heart than Miss Cameron's:
+
+'Let me come and see you once--only once! I want you to tell me if I
+can act; you will know. I'll abide by what you say; and if you think
+I can--by and by, when I've studied very hard--I shall be the happiest
+girl in the world. May I?'
+
+'Yes; come tomorrow at eleven. We'll have a good talk; you shall show me
+what you can do, and I'll give you my opinion. But you won't like it.'
+
+'I will, no matter if you tell me I'm a fool. I want it settled; so
+does mamma. I'll take it bravely if you say no; and if you say yes, I'll
+never give up till I've done my best--as you did.'
+
+'Ah, my child, it's a weary road, and there are plenty of thorns among
+the roses when you've won them. I think you have the courage, and this
+proves that you have perseverance. Perhaps you'll do. Come, and we'll
+see.'
+
+Miss Cameron touched the bracelet as she spoke, and smiled so kindly
+that impetuous Josie wanted to kiss her; but wisely refrained, though
+her eyes were wet with softer water than any in the sea as she thanked
+her.
+
+'We are keeping Miss Cameron from her bath, and the tide is going out.
+Come, Josie,' said thoughtful Bess, fearing to outstay their welcome.
+
+'Run over the beach and get warm. Thank you very much, little mermaid.
+Tell papa to bring his daughter to see me any time. Good-bye'; and with
+a wave of her hand the tragedy queen dismissed her court, but remained
+on her weedy throne watching the two lithe figures race over the sand
+with twinkling feet till they were out of sight. Then, as she calmly
+bobbed up and down in the water, she said to herself: 'The child has a
+good stage face, vivid, mobile; fine eyes, abandon, pluck, will. Perhaps
+she'll do. Good stock--talent in the family. We shall see.'
+
+Of course Josie never slept a wink, and was in a fever of joyful
+excitement next day. Uncle Laurie enjoyed the episode very much,
+and Aunt Amy looked out her most becoming white dress for the grand
+occasion; Bess lent her most artistic hat, and Josie ranged the wood
+and marsh for a bouquet of wild roses, sweet white azalea, ferns, and
+graceful grasses, as the offering of a very grateful heart.
+
+At ten she solemnly arrayed herself, and then sat looking at her neat
+gloves and buckled shoes till it was time to go, growing pale and sober
+with the thought that her fate was soon to be decided; for, like all
+young people she was sure that her whole life could be settled by one
+human creature, quite forgetting how wonderfully Providence trains us
+by disappointment, surprises us with unexpected success, and turns our
+seeming trials into blessings.
+
+'I will go alone: we shall be freer so. Oh, Bess, pray that she may tell
+me rightly! So much depends on that! Don't laugh, uncle! It is a very
+serious moment for me. Miss Cameron knows that, and will tell you so.
+Kiss me, Aunt Amy, since mamma isn't here. If you say I look nice, I'm
+quite satisfied. Good-bye.' And with a wave of the hand as much like her
+model's as she could make it, Josie departed, looking very pretty and
+feeling very tragical.
+
+Sure now of admittance, she boldly rang at the door which excluded so
+many, and being ushered into a shady parlour, feasted her eyes upon
+several fine portraits of great actors while she waited. She had read
+about most of them, and knew their trials and triumphs so well that she
+soon forgot herself, and tried to imitate Mrs Siddons as Lady Macbeth,
+looking up at the engraving as she held her nosegay like the candle in
+the sleep-walking scene, and knit her youthful brows distressfully while
+murmuring the speech of the haunted queen. So busy was she that Miss
+Cameron watched her for several minutes unseen, then startled her by
+suddenly sweeping in with the words upon her lips, the look upon her
+face, which made that one of her greatest scenes.
+
+'I never can do it like that; but I'll keep trying, if you say I may,'
+cried Josie, forgetting her manners in the intense interest of the
+moment.
+
+'Show me what you can do,' answered the actress, wisely plunging into
+the middle of things at once, well knowing that no common chat would
+satisfy this very earnest little person.
+
+'First let me give you these. I thought you'd like wild things better
+than hot-house flowers; and I loved to bring them, as I'd no other way
+to thank you for your great kindness to me,' said Josie, offering her
+nosegay with a simple warmth that was very sweet.
+
+'I do love them best, and keep my room full of the posies some good
+fairy hangs on my gate. Upon my word, I think I've found the fairy
+out--these are so like,' she added quickly, as her eye went from the
+flowers in her hand to others that stood near by, arranged with the same
+taste.
+
+Josie's blush and smile betrayed her before she said, with a look full
+of girlish adoration and humility: 'I couldn't help it; I admire you so
+much. I know it was a liberty; but as I couldn't get in myself, I loved
+to think my posies pleased you.'
+
+Something about the child and her little offering touched the woman,
+and, drawing Josie to her, she said, with no trace of actress in face or
+voice:
+
+'They did please me, dear, and so do you. I'm tired of praise; and love
+is very sweet, when it is simple and sincere like this.'
+
+Josie remembered to have heard, among many other stories, that Miss
+Cameron lost her lover years ago, and since had lived only for art.
+Now she felt that this might have been true; and pity for the splendid,
+lonely life made her face very eloquent, as well as grateful. Then, as
+if anxious to forget the past, her new friend said, in the commanding
+way that seemed natural to her:
+
+'Let me see what you can do. Juliet, of course. All begin with that.
+Poor soul, how she is murdered!'
+
+Now, Josie had intended to begin with Romeo's much-enduring sweetheart,
+and follow her up with Bianca, Pauline, and several of the favourite
+idols of stage-struck girls; but being a shrewd little person, she
+suddenly saw the wisdom of Uncle Laurie's advice, and resolved to
+follow it. So instead of the rant Miss Cameron expected, Josie gave poor
+Ophelia's mad scene, and gave it very well, having been trained by
+the college professor of elocution and done it many times. She was too
+young, of course, but the white gown, the loose hair, the real flowers
+she scattered over the imaginary grave, added to the illusion; and she
+sung the songs sweetly, dropped her pathetic curtsies, and vanished
+behind the curtain that divided the rooms with a backward look that
+surprised her critical auditor into a quick gesture of applause. Cheered
+by that welcome sound, Josie ran back as a little hoyden in one of the
+farces she had often acted, telling a story full of fun and naughtiness
+at first, but ending with a sob of repentance and an earnest prayer for
+pardon.
+
+'Very good! Try again. Better than I expected,' called the voice of the
+oracle.
+
+Josie tried Portia's speech, and recited very well, giving due emphasis
+to each fine sentence. Then, unable to refrain from what she considered
+her greatest effort, she burst into Juliet's balcony scene, ending with
+the poison and the tomb. She felt sure that she surpassed herself, and
+waited for applause. A ringing laugh made her tingle with indignation
+and disappointment, as she went to stand before Miss Cameron, saying in
+a tone of polite surprise:
+
+'I have been told that I did it very well. I'm sorry you don't think
+so.'
+
+'My dear, it's very bad. How can it help being so? What can a child like
+you know of love and fear and death? Don't try it yet. Leave tragedy
+alone till you are ready for it.'
+
+'But you clapped Ophelia.'
+
+'Yes, that was very pretty. Any clever girl can do it effectively. But
+the real meaning of Shakespeare is far above you yet, child. The comedy
+bit was best. There you showed real talent. It was both comic and
+pathetic. That's art. Don't lose it. The Portia was good declamation.
+Go on with that sort of thing; it trains the voice--teaches shades of
+expression. You've a good voice and natural grace--great helps both,
+hard to acquire.'
+
+'Well, I'm glad I've got something,' sighed Josie, sitting meekly on a
+stool, much crestfallen, but not daunted yet, and bound to have her say
+out.
+
+'My dear little girl, I told you that you would not like what I should
+say to you; yet I must be honest if I would really help you. I've had to
+do it for many like you; and most of them have never forgiven me, though
+my words have proved true, and they are what I advised them to be--good
+wives and happy mothers in quiet homes. A few have kept on, and done
+fairly well. One you will hear of soon, I think; for she has talent,
+indomitable patience, and mind as well as beauty. You are too young
+to show to which class you belong. Geniuses are very rare, and even at
+fifteen seldom give much promise of future power.'
+
+'Oh, I don't think I'm a genius!' cried Josie, growing calm and sober as
+she listened to the melodious voice and looked into the expressive face
+that filled her with confidence, so strong, sincere, and kindly was it.
+'I only want to find out if I have talent enough to go on, and after
+years of study to be able to act well in any of the good plays people
+never tire of seeing. I don't expect to be a Mrs Siddons or a Miss
+Cameron, much as I long to be; but it does seem as if I had something
+in me which can't come out in any way but this. When I act I'm perfectly
+happy. I seem to live, to be in my own world, and each new part is a new
+friend. I love Shakespeare, and am never tired of his splendid people.
+Of course, I don't understand it all; but it's like being alone at night
+with the mountains and the stars, solemn and grand, and I try to imagine
+how it will look when the sun comes up, and all is glorious and clear to
+me. I can't see, but I feel the beauty, and long to express it.'
+
+As she spoke with the most perfect self-forgetfulness Josie was pale
+with excitement, her eyes shone, her lips trembled, and all her little
+soul seemed trying to put into words the emotions that filled it to
+overflowing. Miss Cameron understood, felt that this was something
+more than a girlish whim; and when she answered there was a new tone
+of sympathy in her voice, a new interest in her face, though she wisely
+refrained from saying all she thought, well knowing what splendid dreams
+young people build upon a word, and how bitter is the pain when the
+bright bubbles burst.
+
+'If you feel this, I can give you no better advice than to go on loving
+and studying our great master,' she said slowly; but Josie caught the
+changed tone, and felt, with a thrill of joy, that her new friend was
+speaking to her now as to a comrade. 'It is an education in itself, and
+a lifetime is not long enough to teach you all his secret. But there is
+much to do before you can hope to echo his words. Have you the patience,
+courage, strength, to begin at the beginning, and slowly, painfully, lay
+the foundation for future work? Fame is a pearl many dive for and only
+a few bring up. Even when they do, it is not perfect, and they sigh for
+more, and lose better things in struggling for them.'
+
+The last words seemed spoken more to herself than to her hearer, but
+Josie answered quickly, with a smile and an expressive gesture:
+
+'I got the bracelet in spite of all the bitter water in my eyes.'
+
+'You did! I don't forget it. A good omen. We will accept it.'
+
+Miss Cameron answered the smile with one that was like sunshine to the
+girl, and stretched her white hands as if taking some invisible gift.
+Then added in a different tone, watching the effect of her words on the
+expressive face before her:
+
+'Now you will be disappointed, for instead of telling you to come and
+study with me, or go and act in some second-rate theatre at once, I
+advise you to go back to school and finish your education. That is the
+first step, for all accomplishments are needed, and a single talent
+makes a very imperfect character. Cultivate mind and body, heart and
+soul, and make yourself an intelligent, graceful, beautiful, and healthy
+girl. Then, at eighteen or twenty, go into training and try your powers.
+Better start for the battle with your arms in order, and save the hard
+lesson which comes when we rush on too soon. Now and then genius carries
+all before it, but not often. We have to climb slowly, with many slips
+and falls. Can you wait as well as work?'
+
+'I will!'
+
+'We shall see. It would be pleasant to me to know that when I quit the
+stage I leave behind me a well-trained, faithful, gifted comrade to
+more than fill my place, and carry on what I have much at heart--the
+purification of the stage. Perhaps you are she; but remember, mere
+beauty and rich costumes do not make an actress, nor are the efforts of
+a clever little girl to play great characters real art. It is all dazzle
+and sham, and a disgrace and disappointment now. Why will the public be
+satisfied with opera bouffe, or the trash called society plays when
+a world of truth and beauty, poetry and pathos lies waiting to be
+interpreted and enjoyed?'
+
+Miss Cameron had forgotten to whom she spoke, and walked to and fro,
+full of the noble regret all cultivated people feel at the low state of
+the stage nowadays.
+
+'That's what Uncle Laurie says; and he and Aunt Jo try to plan plays
+about true and lovely things--simple domestic scenes that touch people's
+hearts, and make them laugh and cry and feel better. Uncle says that
+sort is my style, and I must not think of tragedy. But it's so much
+nicer to sweep about in crowns and velvet trains than to wear everyday
+clothes, and just be myself, though it is so easy.'
+
+'Yet that is high art, child, and what we need for a time till we are
+ready for the masters. Cultivate that talent of yours. It is a special
+gift, this power to bring tears and smiles, and a sweeter task to touch
+the heart than to freeze the blood or fire the imagination. Tell your
+uncle he is right, and ask your aunt to try a play for you. I'll come
+and see it when you are ready.'
+
+'Will you? Oh! will you? We are going to have some at Christmas, with a
+nice part for me. A simple little thing, but I can do it, and should be
+so proud, so happy to have you there.'
+
+Josie rose as she spoke, for a glance at the clock showed her that her
+call was a long one; and hard as it was to end this momentous interview,
+she felt that she must go. Catching up her hat she went to Miss Cameron,
+who stood looking at her so keenly that she felt as transparent as a
+pane of glass, and coloured prettily as she looked up, saying, with a
+grateful little tremor in her voice:
+
+'I can never thank you for this hour and all you have told me. I shall
+do just what you advise, and mamma will be very glad to see me settled
+at my books again. I can study now with all my heart, because it is to
+help me on; and I won't hope too much, but work and wait, and try to
+please you, as the only way to pay my debt.'
+
+'That reminds me that I have not paid mine. Little friend, wear this
+for my sake. It is fit for a mermaid, and will remind you of your first
+dive. May the next bring up a better jewel, and leave no bitter water on
+your lips!'
+
+As she spoke, Miss Cameron took from the lace at her throat a pretty
+pin of aquamarine, and fastened it like an order on Josie's proud bosom;
+then lifting the happy little face, she kissed it very tenderly, and
+watched it go smiling away with eyes that seemed to see into a future
+full of the trials and the triumphs which she knew so well.
+
+Bess expected to see Josie come flying in, all raptures and excitement,
+or drowned in tears of disappointment, but was surprised at the
+expression of calm content and resolution which she wore. Pride and
+satisfaction, and a new feeling of responsibility both sobered and
+sustained her, and she felt that any amount of dry study and long
+waiting would be bearable, if in the glorious future she could be
+an honour to her profession and a comrade to the new friend whom she
+already adored with girlish ardour.
+
+She told her little story to a deeply interested audience, and all
+felt that Miss Cameron's advice was good. Mrs Amy was relieved at the
+prospect of delay; for she did not want her niece to be an actress and
+hoped the fancy would die out.
+
+Uncle Laurie was full of charming plans and prophecies and wrote one
+of his most delightful notes to thank their neighbour for her kindness;
+while Bess, who loved art of all kinds, fully sympathized with her
+cousin's ambitious hopes, only wondering why she preferred to act out
+her visions rather than embody them in marble.
+
+That first interview was not the last; for Miss Cameron was really
+interested, and had several memorable conversations with the Laurences,
+while the girls sat by, drinking in every word with the delight all
+artists feel in their own beautiful world, and learning to see how
+sacred good gifts are, how powerful, and how faithfully they should be
+used for high ends, each in its own place helping to educate, refine,
+and refresh.
+
+Josie wrote reams to her mother; and when the visit ended rejoiced her
+heart by bringing her a somewhat changed little daughter, who fell to
+work at the once-detested books with a patient energy which surprised
+and pleased everyone. The right string had been touched, and even French
+exercises and piano practice became endurable, since accomplishments
+would be useful by and by; dress, manners, and habits were all
+interesting now, because 'mind and body, heart and soul, must be
+cultivated', and while training to become an 'intelligent, graceful,
+healthy girl', little Josie was unconsciously fitting herself to play
+her part well on whatever stage the great Manager might prepare for her.
+
+
+
+Chapter 9. THE WORM TURNS
+
+Two very superior bicycles went twinkling up the road to Plumfield
+one September afternoon, bearing two brown and dusty riders evidently
+returning from a successful run, for though their legs might be a trifle
+weary, their faces beamed as they surveyed the world from their lofty
+perches with the air of calm content all wheelmen wear after they have
+learned to ride; before that happy period anguish of mind and body is
+the chief expression of the manly countenance.
+
+'Go ahead and report, Tom; I'm due here. See you later,' said Demi,
+swinging himself down at the door of the Dovecote.
+
+'Don't peach, there's a good fellow. Let me have it out with Mother
+Bhaer first,' returned Tom, wheeling in at the gate with a heavy sigh.
+
+Demi laughed, and his comrade went slowly up the avenue, devoutly hoping
+that the coast was clear; for he was the bearer of tidings which would,
+he thought, convulse the entire family with astonishment and dismay.
+
+To his great joy Mrs Jo was discovered alone in a grove of proof-sheets,
+which she dropped, to greet the returning wanderer cordially. But after
+the first glance she saw that something was the matter, recent events
+having made her unusually sharp-eyed and suspicious.
+
+'What is it now, Tom?' she asked, as he subsided into an easy-chair with
+a curious expression of mingled fear, shame, amusement, and distress in
+his brick-red countenance.
+
+'I'm in an awful scrape, ma'am.'
+
+'Of course; I'm always prepared for scrapes when you appear. What is
+it? Run over some old lady who is going to law about it?' asked Mrs Jo
+cheerfully.
+
+'Worse than that,' groaned Tom.
+
+'Not poisoned some trusting soul who asked you to prescribe, I hope?'
+
+'Worse than that.'
+
+'You haven't let Demi catch any horrid thing and left him behind, have
+you?'
+
+'Worse even than that.'
+
+'I give it up. Tell me quick; I hate to wait for bad news.'
+
+Having got his listener sufficiently excited, Tom launched his
+thunderbolt in one brief sentence, and fell back to watch the effect.
+
+'I'm engaged!'
+
+Mrs Jo's proof-sheets flew wildly about as she clasped her hands,
+exclaiming in dismay:
+
+'If Nan has yielded, I'll never forgive her!'
+
+'She hasn't; it's another girl.'
+
+Tom's face was so funny as he said the words, that it was impossible
+to help laughing; for he looked both sheepish and pleased, besides very
+much perplexed and worried.
+
+'I'm glad, very glad indeed! Don't care who it is; and I hope you'll
+be married soon. Now tell me all about it,' commanded Mrs Jo, so much
+relieved that she felt ready for anything.
+
+'What will Nan say?' demanded Tom, rather taken aback at this view of
+his predicament.
+
+'She will be rejoiced to get rid of the mosquito who has plagued her so
+long. Don't worry about Nan. Who is this “other girl”?'
+
+'Demi hasn't written about her?'
+
+'Only something about your upsetting a Miss West down at Quitno; I
+thought that was scrape enough.'
+
+'That was only the beginning of a series of scrapes. Just my luck! Of
+course after sousing the poor girl I had to be attentive to her, hadn't
+I? Everyone seemed to think so, and I couldn't get away, and so I was
+lost before I knew it. It's all Demi's fault, he would stay there and
+fuss with his old photos, because the views were good and all the girls
+wanted to be taken. Look at these, will you, ma'am? That's the way we
+spent our time when we weren't playing tennis'; and Tom pulled a
+handful of pictures from his pocket, displaying several in which he was
+conspicuous, either holding a sun-umbrella over a very pretty young lady
+on the rocks, reposing at her feet in the grass, or perched on a piazza
+railing with other couples in seaside costumes and effective attitudes.
+
+'This is she of course?' asked Mrs Jo, pointing to the much-ruffled
+damsel with the jaunty hat, coquettish shoes, and racquet in her hand.
+
+'That's Dora. Isn't she lovely?' cried Tom, forgetting his tribulations
+for a moment and speaking with lover-like ardour.
+
+'Very nice little person to look at. Hope she is not a Dickens Dora?
+That curly crop looks like it.'
+
+'Not a bit; she's very smart; can keep house, and sew, and do lots
+of things, I assure you, ma'am. All the girls like her, and she's
+sweet-tempered and jolly, and sings like a bird, and dances beautifully,
+and loves books. Thinks yours are splendid, and made me talk about you
+no end.'
+
+'That last sentence is to flatter me and win my help to get you out of
+the scrape. Tell me first how you got in'; and Mrs Jo settled herself to
+listen with interest, never tired of boys' affairs.
+
+Tom gave his head a rousing rub all over to clear his wits, and plunged
+into his story with a will.
+
+'Well, we've met her before, but I didn't know she was there. Demi
+wanted to see a fellow, so we went, and finding it nice and cool rested
+over Sunday. Found some pleasant people and went out rowing; I had Dora,
+and came to grief on a confounded rock. She could swim, no harm done,
+only the scare and the spoilt gown. She took it well, and we got
+friendly at once--couldn't help it, scrambling into that beast of a boat
+while the rest laughed at us. Of course we had to stay another day to
+see that Dora was all right. Demi wanted to. Alice Heath is down there
+and two other girls from our college, so we sort of lingered along,
+and Demi kept taking pictures, and we danced, and got into a tennis
+tournament; and that was as good exercise as wheeling, we thought. Fact
+is, tennis is a dangerous game, ma'am. A great deal of courting goes
+on in those courts, and we fellows find that sort of “serving” mighty
+agreeable, don't you know?'
+
+'Not much tennis in my day, but I understand perfectly,' said Mrs Jo,
+enjoying it all as much as Tom did.
+
+'Upon my word, I hadn't the least idea of being serious,' he continued
+slowly, as if this part of his tale was hard to tell; 'but everyone else
+spooned, so I did. Dora seemed to like it and expect it, and of course
+I was glad to be agreeable. She thought I amounted to something, though
+Nan does not, and it was pleasant to be appreciated after years of
+snubbing. Yes, it was right down jolly to have a sweet girl smile at you
+all day, and blush prettily when you said a neat thing to her, and look
+glad when you came, sorry when you left, and admire all you did, and
+make you feel like a man and act your best. That's the sort of treatment
+a fellow enjoys and ought to get if he behaves himself; not frowns and
+cold shoulders year in and year out, and made to look like a fool when
+he means well, and is faithful, and has loved a girl ever since he was a
+boy. No, by Jove, it's not fair, and I won't stand it!'
+
+Tom waxed warm and eloquent as he thought over his wrongs, and bounced
+up to march about the room, wagging his head and trying to feel
+aggrieved as usual, but surprised to find that his heart did not ache a
+bit.
+
+'I wouldn't. Drop the old fancy, for it was nothing more, and take up
+the new one, if it is genuine. But how came you to propose, Tom, as you
+must have done to be engaged?' asked Mrs Jo, impatient for the crisis of
+the tale.
+
+'Oh, that was an accident. I didn't mean it at all; the donkey did it,
+and I couldn't get out of the scrape without hurting Dora's feelings,
+you see,' began Tom, seeing that the fatal moment had come.
+
+'So there were two donkeys in it, were there?' said Mrs Jo, foreseeing
+fun of some sort.
+
+'Don't laugh! It sounds funny, I know; but it might have been awful,'
+answered Tom darkly, though a twinkle of the eye showed that his love
+trials did not quite blind him to the comic side of the adventure.
+
+'The girls admired our new wheels, and of course we liked to show off.
+Took 'em to ride, and had larks generally. Well, one day, Dora was
+on behind, and we were going nicely along a good bit of road, when a
+ridiculous old donkey got right across the way. I thought he'd move, but
+he didn't, so I gave him a kick; he kicked back, and over we went in a
+heap, donkey and all. Such a mess! I thought only of Dora, and she had
+hysterics; at least, she laughed till she cried, and that beast brayed,
+and I lost my head. Any fellow would, with a poor girl gasping in the
+road, and he wiping her tears and begging pardon, not knowing whether
+her bones were broken or not. I called her my darling, and went on like
+a fool in my flurry, till she grew calmer, and said, with such a look:
+“I forgive you, Tom. Pick me up, and let us go on again.”
+
+'Wasn't that sweet now, after I'd upset her for the second time? It
+touched me to the heart; and I said I'd like to go on for ever with such
+an angel to steer for, and--well I don't know what I did say; but you
+might have knocked me down with a feather when she put her arm round my
+neck and whispered: “Tom, dear, with you I'm not afraid of any lions in
+the path.” She might have said donkeys; but she was in earnest, and she
+spared my feelings. Very nice of the dear girl; but there I am with two
+sweethearts on my hands, and in a deuce of a scrape.'
+
+Finding it impossible to contain herself another moment, Mrs Jo laughed
+till the tears ran down her cheeks at this characteristic episode; and
+after one reproachful look, which only added to her merriment, Tom burst
+into a jolly roar that made the room ring.
+
+'Tommy Bangs! Tommy Bangs! who but you could ever get into such a
+catastrophe?' said Mrs Jo, when she recovered her breath.
+
+'Isn't it a muddle all round, and won't everyone chaff me to death about
+it? I shall have to quit old Plum for a while,' answered Tom, as he
+mopped his face, trying to realize the full danger of his position.
+
+'No, indeed; I'll stand by you, for I think it the best joke of the
+season. But tell me how things ended. Is it really serious, or only a
+summer flirtation? I don't approve of them, but boys and girls will play
+with edged tools and cut their fingers.'
+
+'Well, Dora considers herself engaged, and wrote to her people at once.
+I couldn't say a word when she took it all in solemn earnest and seemed
+so happy. She's only seventeen, never liked anyone before, and is sure
+all will be all right; as her father knows mine, and we are both well
+off. I was so staggered that I said:
+
+'“Why, you can't love me really when we know so little of one another?”
+ But she answered right out of her tender little heart: “Yes, I do,
+dearly, Tom; you are so gay and kind and honest, I couldn't help it.”
+ Now, after that what could I do but go ahead and make her happy while I
+stayed, and trust to luck to straighten the snarl out afterwards?'
+
+'A truly Tomian way of taking things easy. I hope you told your father
+at once.'
+
+'Oh yes, I wrote off and broke it to him in three lines. I said: “Dear
+Father, I'm engaged to Dora West, and I hope she will suit the family.
+She suits me tip-top. Yours ever, Tom.” He was all right, never liked
+Nan, you know; but Dora will suit him down to the ground.' And Tom
+looked entirely satisfied with his own tact and taste.
+
+'What did Demi say to this rapid and funny lovemaking? Wasn't he
+scandalized?' asked Mrs Jo, trying not to laugh again as she thought of
+the unromantic spectacle of donkey, bicycle, boy, and girl all in the
+dust together.
+
+'Not a bit. He was immensely interested and very kind; talked to me like
+a father; said it was a good thing to steady a fellow, only I must be
+honest with her and myself and not trifle a moment. Demi is a regular
+Solomon, especially when he is in the same boat,' answered Tom, looking
+wise.
+
+'You don't mean--?' gasped Mrs Jo, in sudden alarm at the bare idea of
+more love-affairs just yet.
+
+'Yes, I do, please, ma'am; it's a regular sell all the way through, and
+I owe Demi one for taking me into temptation blindfold. He said he went
+to Quitno to see Fred Wallace, but he never saw the fellow. How could
+he, when Wallace was off in his yacht all the time we were there? Alice
+was the real attraction, and I was left to my fate, while they were
+maundering round with that old camera. There were three donkeys in
+this affair, and I'm not the worst one, though I shall have to bear the
+laugh. Demi will look innocent and sober, and no one will say a word to
+him.'
+
+'The midsummer madness has broken out, and no one knows who will be
+stricken next. Well, leave Demi to his mother, and let us see what you
+are going to do, Tom.'
+
+'I don't know exactly; it's awkward to be in love with two girls at
+once. What do you advise?'
+
+'A common-sense view of the case, by all means. Dora loves you and
+thinks you love her. Nan does not care for you, and you only care for
+her as a friend, though you have tried to do more. It is my opinion,
+Tom, that you love Dora, or are on the way to it; for in all these
+years I've never seen you look or speak about Nan as you do about Dora.
+Opposition has made you obstinately cling to her till accident has shown
+you a more attractive girl. Now, I think you had better take the old
+love for a friend, the new one for a sweetheart, and in due time, if the
+sentiment is genuine, marry her.'
+
+If Mrs Jo had any doubts about the matter, Tom's face would have proved
+the truth of her opinion; for his eyes shone, his lips smiled, and in
+spite of dust and sunburn a new expression of happiness quite glorified
+him as he stood silent for a moment, trying to understand the beautiful
+miracle which real love works when it comes to a young man's heart.
+
+'The fact is I meant to make Nan jealous, for she knows Dora, and I was
+sure would hear of our doings. I was tired of being walked on, and I
+thought I'd try to break away and not be a bore and a laughing-stock any
+more,' he said slowly, as if it relieved him to pour out his doubts and
+woes and hopes and joys to his old friend. 'I was regularly astonished
+to find it so easy and so pleasant. I didn't mean to do any harm,
+but drifted along beautifully, and told Demi to mention things in his
+letters to Daisy, so Nan might know. Then I forgot Nan altogether, and
+saw, heard, felt, cared for no one but Dora, till the donkey--bless his
+old heart!--pitched her into my arms and I found she loved me. Upon my
+soul, I don't see why she should! I'm not half good enough.'
+
+'Every honest man feels that when an innocent girl puts her hand in his.
+Make yourself worthy of her, for she isn't an angel, but a woman with
+faults of her own for you to bear, and forgive, and you must help one
+another,' said Mrs Jo, trying to realize that this sober youth was her
+scapegrace Tommy.
+
+'What troubles me is that I didn't mean it when I began, and was going
+to use the dear girl as an instrument of torture for Nan. It wasn't
+right, and I don't deserve to be so happy. If all my scrapes ended as
+well as this, what a state of bliss I should be in!' and Tom beamed
+again at the rapturous prospect.
+
+'My dear boy, it is not a scrape, but a very sweet experience suddenly
+dawning upon you,' answered Mrs Jo, speaking very soberly; for she saw
+he was in earnest. 'Enjoy it wisely and be worthy of it, for it is a
+serious thing to accept a girl's love and trust, and let her look up to
+you for tenderness and truth in return. Don't let little Dora look in
+vain, but be a man in all things for her sake, and make this affection a
+blessing to you both.'
+
+'I'll try. Yes, I do love her, only I can't believe it just yet. Wish
+you knew her. Dear little soul, I long to see her already! She cried
+when we parted last night and I hated to go.' Tom's hand went to his
+cheek as if he still felt the rosy little seal Dora had set upon his
+promise not to forget her, and for the first time in his happy-go-lucky
+life Tommy Bangs understood the difference between sentiment and
+sentimentality. The feeling recalled Nan, for he had never known that
+tender thrill when thinking of her, and the old friendship seemed rather
+a prosaic affair beside this delightful mingling of romance, surprise,
+love, and fun. 'I declare, I feel as if a weight was off me, but
+what the dickens will Nan say when she knows it!' he exclaimed with a
+chuckle.
+
+'Knows what?' asked a clear voice that made both start and turn, for
+there was Nan calmly surveying them from the doorway.
+
+Anxious to put Tom out of suspense and see how Nan would take the news,
+Mrs Jo answered quickly:
+
+'Tom's engagement to Dora West.'
+
+'Really?' and Nan looked so surprised that Mrs Jo was afraid she might
+be fonder of her old playmate than she knew; but her next words set the
+fear at rest, and made everything comfortable and merry at once.
+
+'I knew my prescription would work wonders if he only took it long
+enough. Dear old Tom, I'm so glad. Bless you! bless you!' And she shook
+both his hands with hearty affection.
+
+'It was an accident, Nan. I didn't mean to, but I'm always getting into
+messes, and I couldn't seem to get out of this any other way. Mother
+Bhaer will tell you all about it. I must go and make myself tidy. Going
+to tea with Demi. See you later.'
+
+Stammering, blushing, and looking both sheepish and gratified, Tom
+suddenly bolted, leaving the elder lady to enlighten the younger at
+length, and have another laugh over this new sort of courtship, which
+might well be called accidental. Nan was deeply interested, for she knew
+Dora, thought her a nice little thing, and predicted that in time she
+would make Tom an excellent wife, since she admired and 'appreciated'
+him so much.
+
+'I shall miss him of course, but it will be a relief to me and better
+for him; dangling is so bad for a boy. Now he will go into business
+with his father and do well, and everyone be happy. I shall give Dora an
+elegant family medicine-chest for a wedding-present, and teach her how
+to use it. Tom can't be trusted, and is no more fit for the profession
+than Silas.'
+
+The latter part of this speech relieved Mrs Jo's mind, for Nan had
+looked about her as if she had lost something valuable when she began;
+but the medicine-chest seemed to cheer her, and the thought of Tom in a
+safe profession was evidently a great comfort.
+
+'The worm has turned at last, Nan, and your bond-man is free. Let him
+go, and give your whole mind to your work; for you are fitted for
+the profession, and will be an honour to it by and by,' she said
+approvingly.
+
+'I hope so. That reminds me--measles are in the village, and you had
+better tell the girls not to call where there are children. It would
+be bad to have a run of them just as term begins. Now I'm off to Daisy.
+Wonder what she will say to Tom. Isn't he great fun?' And Nan departed,
+laughing over the joke with such genuine satisfaction that it was
+evident no sentimental regrets disturbed her 'maiden meditation,
+fancy-free'.
+
+'I shall have my eye on Demi, but won't say a word. Meg likes to manage
+her children in her own way, and a very good way it is. But the dear
+Pelican will be somewhat ruffled if her boy has caught the epidemic
+which seems to have broken out among us this summer.'
+
+Mrs Jo did not mean the measles, but that more serious malady called
+love, which is apt to ravage communities, spring and autumn, when winter
+gaiety and summer idleness produce whole bouquets of engagements, and
+set young people to pairing off like the birds. Franz began it, Nat was
+a chronic and Tom a sudden case; Demi seemed to have the symptoms; and
+worst of all, her own Ted had only the day before calmly said to her:
+'Mum, I think I should be happier if I had a sweetheart, like the other
+boys.' If her cherished son had asked her for dynamite to play with, she
+would hardly have been more startled, or have more decidedly refused the
+absurd request.
+
+'Well, Barry Morgan said I ought to have one and offered to pick me out
+a nice one among our set. I asked Josie first, and she hooted at the
+idea, so I thought I'd let Barry look round. You say it steadies a
+fellow, and I want to be steady,' explained Ted in a serious tone, which
+would have convulsed his parent at any other time.
+
+'Good lack! What are we coming to in this fast age when babes and boys
+make such demands and want to play with one of the most sacred things in
+life?' exclaimed Mrs Jo, and having in a few words set the matter in its
+true light, sent her son away to wholesome baseball and Octoo for a safe
+sweetheart.
+
+Now, here was Tom's bomb-shell to explode in their midst, carrying
+widespread destruction, perhaps; for though one swallow does not make a
+summer, one engagement is apt to make several, and her boys were, most
+of them, at the inflammable age when a spark ignites the flame, which
+soon flickers and dies out, or burns warm and clear for life. Nothing
+could be done about it but to help them make wise choices, and be worthy
+of good mates. But of all the lessons Mrs Jo had tried to teach her
+boys, this great one was the hardest; for love is apt to make lunatics
+of even saints and sages, so young people cannot be expected to escape
+the delusions, disappointments, and mistakes, as well as the delights,
+of this sweet madness.
+
+'I suppose it is inevitable, since we live in America, so I won't borrow
+trouble, but hope that some of the new ideas of education will produce a
+few hearty, happy, capable, and intelligent girls for my lads. Lucky for
+me that I haven't the whole twelve on my hands, I should lose my wits if
+I had, for I foresee complications and troubles ahead worse than Tom's
+boats, bicycles, donkeys, and Doras,' meditated Mrs Jo, as she went back
+to her neglected proof-sheets.
+
+Tom was quite satisfied with the tremendous effect his engagement
+produced in the little community at Plumfield.
+
+'It was paralysing,' as Demi said; and astonishment left most of Tom's
+mates little breath for chaff. That he, the faithful one, should turn
+from the idol to strange goddesses, was a shock to the romantic and a
+warning to the susceptible. It was comical to see the airs our Thomas
+put on; for the most ludicrous parts of the affair were kindly buried in
+oblivion by the few who knew them, and Tom burst forth as a full-blown
+hero who had rescued the maiden from a watery grave, and won her
+gratitude and love by his daring deed. Dora kept the secret, and enjoyed
+the fun when she came to see Mother Bhaer and pay her respects to the
+family generally. Everyone liked her at once, for she was a gay and
+winning little soul; fresh, frank, and so happy, it was beautiful to see
+her innocent pride in Tom, who was a new boy, or man rather; for with
+this change in his life a great change took place in him. Jolly he would
+always be, and impulsive, but he tried to become all that Dora believed
+him, and his best side came uppermost for everyday wear. It was
+surprising to see how many good traits Tom had; and his efforts to
+preserve the manly dignity belonging to his proud position as an engaged
+man was very comical. So was the entire change from his former abasement
+and devotion to Nan to a somewhat lordly air with his little betrothed;
+for Dora made an idol of him, and resented the idea of a fault or a flaw
+in her Tom. This new state of things suited both, and the once blighted
+being bloomed finely in the warm atmosphere of appreciation, love, and
+confidence. He was very fond of the dear girl, but meant to be a slave
+no longer, and enjoyed his freedom immensely, quite unconscious that the
+great tyrant of the world had got hold of him for life.
+
+To his father's satisfaction he gave up his medical studies, and
+prepared to go into business with the old gentleman, who was a
+flourishing merchant, ready now to make the way smooth and smile upon
+his marriage with Mr West's well-endowed daughter. The only thorn in
+Tom's bed of roses was Nan's placid interest in his affairs, and evident
+relief at his disloyalty. He did not want her to suffer, but a decent
+amount of regret at the loss of such a lover would have gratified him;
+a slight melancholy, a word of reproach, a glance of envy as he passed
+with adoring Dora on his arm, seemed but the fitting tribute to such
+years of faithful service and sincere affection. But Nan regarded him
+with a maternal sort of air that nettled him very much, and patted
+Dora's curly head with a worldlywise air worthy of the withered
+spinster, Julia Mills, in David Copperfield.
+
+It took some time to get the old and the new emotions comfortably
+adjusted, but Mrs Jo helped him, and Mr Laurie gave him some wise advice
+upon the astonishing gymnastic feats the human heart can perform, and
+be all the better for it if it only held fast to the balancing-pole
+of truth and common sense. At last our Tommy got his bearings, and as
+autumn came on Plumfield saw but little of him; for his new lode star
+was in the city, and business kept him hard at work. He was evidently
+in his right place now, and soon throve finely, to his father's great
+contentment; for his jovial presence pervaded the once quiet office like
+a gale of fresh wind, and his lively wits found managing men and
+affairs much more congenial employment than studying disease, or playing
+unseemly pranks with skeletons.
+
+Here we will leave him for a time and turn to the more serious
+adventures of his mates, though this engagement, so merrily made, was
+the anchor which kept our mercurial Tom happy, and made a man of him.
+
+
+
+Chapter 10. DEMI SETTLES
+
+'Mother, can I have a little serious conversation with you?' asked Demi
+one evening, as they sat together enjoying the first fire of the season,
+while Daisy wrote letters upstairs and Josie was studying in the little
+library close by.
+
+'Certainly, dear. No bad news, I hope?' and Mrs Meg looked up from her
+sewing with a mixture of pleasure and anxiety on her motherly face; for
+she dearly loved a good talk with her son, and knew that he always had
+something worth telling.
+
+'It will be good news for you, I think,' answered Demi, smiling as he
+threw away his paper and went to sit beside her on the little sofa which
+just held two.
+
+'Let me hear it, then, at once.'
+
+'I know you don't like the reporting, and will be glad to hear that I
+have given it up.'
+
+'I am very glad! It is too uncertain a business, and there is no
+prospect of getting on for a long time. I want you settled in some good
+place where you can stay, and in time make money. I wish you liked a
+profession; but as you don't, any clean, well-established business will
+do.'
+
+'What do you say to a railroad office?'
+
+'I don't like it. A noisy, hurried kind of place, I know, with all sorts
+of rough men about. I hope it isn't that, dear?'
+
+'I could have it; but does book-keeping in a wholesale leather business
+please you better?'
+
+'No; you'll get round-shouldered writing at a tall desk; and they say,
+once a book-keeper always a book-keeper.'
+
+'How does a travelling agent suit your views?'
+
+'Not at all; with all those dreadful accidents, and the exposure and bad
+food as you go from place to place, you are sure to get killed or lose
+your health.'
+
+'I could be private secretary to a literary man; but the salary is
+small, and may end any time.'
+
+'That would be better, and more what I want. It isn't that I object to
+honest work of any kind; but I don't want my son to spend his best years
+grubbing for a little money in a dark office, or be knocked about in a
+rough-and-tumble scramble to get on. I want to see you in some business
+where your tastes and talents can be developed and made useful; where
+you can go on rising, and in time put in your little fortune and be a
+partner; so that your years of apprenticeship will not be wasted, but
+fit you to take your place among the honourable men who make their
+lives and work useful and respected. I talked it all over with your dear
+father when you were a child; and if he had lived he would have shown
+you what I mean, and helped you to be what he was.'
+
+Mrs Meg wiped away a quiet tear as she spoke; for the memory of her
+husband was a very tender one, and the education of his children had
+been a sacred task to which she gave all her heart and life, and so
+far she had done wonderfully well--as her good son and loving daughters
+tried to prove. Demi's arm was round her now, as he said, in a voice so
+like his father's that it was the sweetest music to her ear:
+
+'Mother dear, I think I have got just what you want for me; and it shall
+not be my fault if I don't become the man you hope to see me. Let me
+tell you all about it. I didn't say anything till it was sure because it
+would only worry you; but Aunt Jo and I have been on the look-out for it
+some time, and now it has come. You know her publisher, Mr Tiber, is one
+of the most successful men in the business; also generous, kind, and
+the soul of honour--as his treatment of Aunty proves. Well, I've rather
+hankered for that place; for I love books, and as I can't make them I'd
+like to publish them. That needs some literary taste and judgement, it
+brings you in contact with fine people, and is an education in itself.
+Whenever I go into that large, handsome room to see Mr Tiber for Aunt
+Jo, I always want to stay; for it's lined with books and pictures,
+famous men and women come and go, and Mr Tiber sits at his desk like
+a sort of king, receiving his subjects; for the greatest authors are
+humble to him, and wait his Yes or No with anxiety. Of course I've
+nothing to do with all that, and may never have; but I like to see it,
+and the atmosphere is so different from the dark offices and hurly-burly
+of many other trades, where nothing but money is talked about, that it
+seems another world, and I feel at home in it. Yes, I'd rather beat the
+door-mats and make fires there than be head clerk in the great hide and
+leather store at a big salary.' Here Demi paused for breath; and Mrs
+Meg, whose face had been growing brighter and brighter, exclaimed
+eagerly:
+
+'Just what I should like! Have you got it? Oh, my dear boy! your fortune
+is made if you go to that well-established and flourishing place, with
+those good men to help you along!'
+
+'I think I have, but we mustn't be too sure of anything yet. I may not
+suit; I'm only on trial, and must begin at the beginning and work my way
+up faithfully. Mr Tiber was very kind, and will push me on as fast as
+is fair to the other fellows, and as I prove myself fit to go up. I'm to
+begin the first of next month in the book-room, filling orders; and I
+go round and get orders, and do various other things of the sort. I like
+it. I am ready to do anything about books, if it's only to dust them,'
+laughed Demi, well pleased with his prospects, for, after trying various
+things, he seemed at last to have found the sort of work he liked, and a
+prospect that was very inviting to him.
+
+'You inherit that love of books from grandpa; he can't live without
+them. I'm glad of it. Tastes of that kind show a refined nature, and are
+both a comfort and a help all one's life. I am truly glad and grateful,
+John, that at last you want to settle, and have got such an entirely
+satisfactory place. Most boys begin much earlier; but I don't believe
+in sending them out to face the world so young, just when body and soul
+need home care and watchfulness. Now you are a man, and must begin your
+life for yourself. Do your best, and be as honest, useful, and happy as
+your father, and I won't care about making a fortune.'
+
+'I'll try, mother. Couldn't have a better chance; for Tiber & Co. treat
+their people like gentlemen, and pay generously for faithful work.
+Things are done in a businesslike way there, and that suits me. I hate
+promises that are not kept, and shiftless or tyrannical ways anywhere.
+Mr Tiber said: “This is only to teach you the ropes, Brooke; I shall
+have other work for you by and by.” Aunty told him I had done book
+notices, and had rather a fancy for literature; so though I can't
+produce any “works of Shakespeare”, as she says, I may get up some
+little things later. If I don't, I think it a very honourable and noble
+profession to select and give good books to the world; and I'm satisfied
+to be a humble helper in the work.'
+
+'I'm glad you feel so. It adds so much to one's happiness to love the
+task one does. I used to hate teaching; but housekeeping for my own
+family was always sweet, though much harder in many ways. Isn't Aunt Jo
+pleased about all this?' asked Mrs Meg, already seeing in her mind's
+eye a splendid sign with 'Tiber, Brooke & Co.' over the door of a famous
+publishing house.
+
+'So pleased that I could hardly keep her from letting the cat out of the
+bag too soon. I've had so many plans, and disappointed you so often, I
+wanted to be very sure this time. I had to bribe Rob and Ted to keep her
+at home tonight till I'd told my news, she was eager to rush down and
+tell you herself. The castles that dear woman has built for me would
+fill all Spain, and have kept us jolly while we waited to know our fate.
+Mr Tiber doesn't do things in a hurry; but when he makes up his mind,
+you are all right; and I feel that I am fairly launched.'
+
+'Bless you, dear, I hope so! It is a happy day for me, because I've been
+so anxious lest, with all my care, I have been too easy and indulgent,
+and my boy, with his many good gifts, might fritter his time away in
+harmless but unsatisfactory things. Now I am at ease about you. If
+only Daisy can be happy, and Josie give up her dream, I shall be quite
+contented.'
+
+Demi let his mother enjoy herself for a few minutes, while he smiled
+over a certain little dream of his own, not ready yet for the telling;
+then he said, in the paternal tone which he unconsciously used when
+speaking of his sisters:
+
+'I'll see to the girls; but I begin to think grandpa is right in
+saying we must each be what God and nature makes us. We can't change it
+much--only help to develop the good and control the bad elements in us.
+I have fumbled my way into my right place at last, I hope. Let Daisy be
+happy in her way, since it is a good and womanly one. If Nat comes home
+all right, I'd say: “Bless you, my children,” and give them a nest of
+their own. Then you and I will help little Jo to find out if it is to be
+“All the world's a stage” or “Home, sweet home”, for her.'
+
+'I suppose we must, John; but I can't help making plans, and hoping they
+will come to pass. I see that Daisy is bound up in Nat; and if he is
+worthy of her I shall let them be happy in their own way, as my parents
+let me. But Josie will be a trial, I foresee; and much as I love the
+stage, and always did, I don't see how I can ever let my little girl be
+an actress, though she certainly has great talent for it.'
+
+'Whose fault is that?' asked Demi, smiling, as he remembered his
+mother's early triumphs and unquenchable interest in the dramatic
+efforts of the young people round her.
+
+'Mine, I know. How could it be otherwise when I acted Babes in the Wood
+with you and Daisy before you could speak, and taught Josie to declaim
+Mother Goose in her cradle. Ah, me! the tastes of the mother come out in
+her children, and she must atone for them by letting them have their own
+way, I suppose.' And Mrs Meg laughed, even while she shook her head over
+the undeniable fact that the Marches were a theatrical family.
+
+'Why not have a great actress of our name, as well as an authoress, a
+minister, and an eminent publisher? We don't choose our talents, but we
+needn't hide them in a napkin because they are not just what we want. I
+say, let Jo have her way, and do what she can. Here am I to take care of
+her; and you can't deny you'd enjoy fixing her furbelows, and seeing her
+shine before the footlights, where you used to long to be. Come, mother,
+better face the music and march gaily, since your wilful children will
+“gang their ain gait”.'
+
+'I don't see but I must, and “leave the consequences to the Lord”, as
+Marmee used to say when she had to decide, and only saw a step of the
+road. I should enjoy it immensely, if I could only feel that the life
+would not hurt my girl, and leave her unsatisfied when it was too late
+to change; for nothing is harder to give up than the excitements of that
+profession. I know something of it; and if your blessed father had not
+come along, I'm afraid I should have been an actress in spite of Aunt
+March and all our honoured ancestors.'
+
+'Let Josie add new honour to the name, and work out the family talent
+in its proper place. I'll play dragon to her, and you play nurse, and
+no harm can come to our little Juliet, no matter how many Romeos spoon
+under her balcony. Really, ma'am, opposition comes badly from an old
+lady who is going to wring the hearts of our audience in the heroine's
+part in Aunty's play next Christmas. It's the most pathetic thing I
+ever saw, mother; and I'm sorry you didn't become an actress, though we
+should be nowhere if you had.'
+
+Demi was on his legs now, with his back to the fire, in the lordly
+attitude men like to assume when things go well with them, or they want
+to lay down the law on any subject.
+
+Mrs Meg actually blushed at her son's hearty praise, and could not
+deny that the sound of applause was as sweet now as when she played the
+Witch's Curse and The Moorish Maiden's Vow long years ago.
+
+'It's perfectly absurd for me to do it, but I couldn't resist when Jo
+and Laurie made the part for me, and you children were to act in it. The
+minute I get on the old mother's dress I forget myself and feel the same
+thrill at the sound of the bell that I used to feel when we got up plays
+in the garret. If Daisy would only take the daughter's part it would
+be so complete; for with you and Josie I am hardly acting, it is all so
+real.'
+
+'Especially the hospital scene, where you find the wounded son. Why,
+mother, do you know when we did that at last rehearsal my face was wet
+with real tears as you cried over me. It will bring down the house; but
+don't forget to wipe 'em off, or I shall sneeze,' said Demi, laughing at
+the recollection of his mother's hit.
+
+'I won't; but it almost broke my heart to see you so pale and dreadful.
+I hope there will never be another war in my time, for I should have to
+let you go; and I never want to live through the same experience we had
+with father.'
+
+'Don't you think Alice does the part better than Daisy would? Daisy
+hasn't a bit of the actress in her, and Alice puts life into the dullest
+words she speaks. I think the Marquise is just perfect in our piece,'
+said Demi, strolling about the room as if the warmth of the fire sent a
+sudden colour to his face.
+
+'So do I. She is a dear girl, and I'm proud and fond of her. Where is
+she tonight?'
+
+'Pegging away at her Greek, I suppose. She usually is in the evening.
+More's the pity,' added Demi, in a low tone, as he stared intently at
+the book-case, though he couldn't read a title.
+
+'Now, there is a girl after my own heart. Pretty, well-bred,
+well-educated, and yet domestic, a real companion as well as help-meet
+for some good and intelligent man. I hope she will find one.'
+
+'So do I,' muttered Demi.
+
+Mrs Meg had taken up her work again, and was surveying a half-finished
+buttonhole with so much interest that her son's face escaped her eye. He
+shed a beaming smile upon the rows of poets, as if even in their glass
+prison they could sympathize and rejoice with him at the first rosy dawn
+of the great passion which they knew so well. But Demi was a wise youth,
+and never leaped before looking carefully. He hardly knew his own heart
+yet, and was contented to wait till the sentiment, the fluttering of
+those folded wings he began to feel, should escape from the chrysalis
+and be ready to soar away in the sunshine to seek and claim its lovely
+mate. He had said nothing; but the brown eyes were eloquent, and there
+was an unconscious underplot to all the little plays he and Alice Heath
+acted so well together. She was busy with her books, bound to graduate
+with high honours, and he was trying to do the same in that larger
+college open to all, and where each man has his own prize to win or
+lose. Demi had nothing but himself to offer and, being a modest youth,
+considered that a poor gift till he had proved his power to earn his
+living, and the right to take a woman's happiness into his keeping.
+
+No one guessed that he had caught the fever except sharp-eyed Josie, and
+she, having a wholesome fear of her brother--who could be rather awful
+when she went too far--wisely contented herself with watching him like a
+little cat, ready to pounce on the first visible sign of weakness. Demi
+had taken to playing pensively upon his flute after he was in his
+room for the night, making this melodious friend his confidante, and
+breathing into it all the tender hopes and fears that filled his heart.
+Mrs Meg, absorbed in domestic affairs, and Daisy, who cared for no music
+but Nat's violin, paid no heed to these chamber concerts, but Josie
+always murmured to herself, with a naughty chuckle, 'Dick Swiveller is
+thinking of his Sophy Wackles,' and bided her time to revenge certain
+wrongs inflicted upon her by Demi, who always took Daisy's side when she
+tried to curb the spirits of her unruly little sister.
+
+This evening she got her chance, and made the most of it. Mrs Meg was
+just rounding off her buttonhole, and Demi still strolling restlessly
+about the room, when a book was heard to slam in the study, followed by
+an audible yawn and the appearance of the student looking as if sleep
+and a desire for mischief were struggling which should be master.
+
+'I heard my name; have you been saying anything bad about me?' she
+demanded, perching on the arm of an easychair.
+
+Her mother told the good news, over which Josie duly rejoiced, and Demi
+received her congratulations with a benignant air which made her feel
+that too much satisfaction was not good for him, and incited her to put
+a thorn into his bed of roses at once.
+
+'I caught something about the play just now, and I want to tell you that
+I'm going to introduce a song into my part to liven it up a bit. How
+would this do?' and seating herself at the piano she began to sing to
+these words the air of 'Kathleen Mavourneen':
+
+    'Sweetest of maidens, oh, how can I tell
+     The love that transfigures the whole earth to me?
+     The longing that causes my bosom to swell,
+     When I dream of a life all devoted to thee?'
+
+She got no further, for Demi, red with wrath, made a rush at her, and
+the next moment a very agile young person was seen dodging round tables
+and chairs with the future partner of Tiber & Co. in hot pursuit. 'You
+monkey, how dare you meddle with my papers?' cried the irate poet,
+making futile grabs at the saucy girl, who skipped to and fro, waving a
+bit of paper tantalizingly before him.
+
+'Didn't; found it in the big “Dic”. Serves you right if you leave your
+rubbish about. Don't you like my song? It's very pretty.'
+
+'I'll teach you one that you won't like if you don't give me my
+property.'
+
+'Come and get it if you can'; and Josie vanished into the study to have
+out her squabble in peace, for Mrs Meg was already saying:
+
+'Children, children! don't quarrel.'
+
+The paper was in the fire by the time Demi arrived and he at once calmed
+down, seeing that the bone of contention was out of the way.
+
+'I'm glad it's burnt; I don't care for it, only some verse I was trying
+to set to music for one of the girls. But I'll trouble you to let my
+papers alone, or I shall take back the advice I gave mother tonight
+about allowing you to act as much as you like.'
+
+Josie was sobered at once by this dire threat, and in her most wheedling
+tone begged to know what he had said. By way of heaping coals of fire
+on her head he told her, and this diplomatic performance secured him an
+ally on the spot.
+
+'You dear old boy! I'll never tease you again though you moon and spoon
+both day and night. If you stand by me, I'll stand by you and never say
+a word. See here! I've got a note for you from Alice. Won't that be a
+peace-offering and soothe your little feelings?'
+
+Demi's eyes sparkled as Josie held up a paper cocked hat, but as he
+knew what was probably in it, he took the wind out of Josie's sails, and
+filled her with blank astonishment by saying carelessly:
+
+'That's nothing; it's only to say whether she will go to the concert
+with us tomorrow night. You can read it if you like.'
+
+With the natural perversity of her sex Josie ceased to be curious the
+moment she was told to read it, and meekly handed it over; but she
+watched Demi as he calmly read the two lines it contained and then threw
+it into the fire. 'Why, Jack, I thought you'd treasure every scrap the
+“sweetest maid” touched. Don't you care for her?'
+
+'Very much; we all do; but “mooning and spooning”, as you elegantly
+express it, is not in my line. My dear little girl, your plays make you
+romantic, and because Alice and I act lovers sometimes you take it into
+your silly head that we are really so. Don't waste time hunting mares
+nests, but attend to your own affairs and leave me to mine. I forgive
+you, but don't do it again; it's bad taste, and tragedy queens don't
+romp.'
+
+The last cut finished Josie; she humbly begged pardon and went off to
+bed, while Demi soon followed, feeling that he had not only settled
+himself but his too inquisitive little sister also. But if he had seen
+her face as she listened to the soft wailing of his flute he would not
+have been so sure, for she looked as cunning as a magpie as she said,
+with a scornful sniff: 'Pooh, you can't deceive me; I know Dick is
+serenading Sophy Wackles.'
+
+
+
+Chapter 11. EMIL'S THANKSGIVING
+
+The Brenda was scudding along with all sail set to catch the rising
+wind, and everyone on board was rejoicing, for the long voyage was
+drawing towards an end.
+
+'Four weeks more, Mrs Hardy, and we'll give you a cup of tea such as you
+never had before,' said second mate Hoffmann, as he paused beside two
+ladies sitting in a sheltered corner of the deck.
+
+'I shall be glad to get it, and still gladder to put my feet on solid
+ground,' answered the elder lady, smiling; for our friend Emil was
+a favourite, as well he might be, since he devoted himself to the
+captain's wife and daughter, who were the only passengers on board.
+
+'So shall I, even if I have to wear a pair of shoes like Chinese junks.
+I've tramped up and down the deck so much, I shall be barefooted if
+we don't arrive soon,' laughed Mary, the daughter, showing two shabby
+little boots as she glanced up at the companion of these tramps,
+remembering gratefully how pleasant he had made them.
+
+'Don't think there are any small enough in China,' answered Emil, with a
+sailor's ready gallantry, privately resolving to hunt up the handsomest
+shoes he could find the moment he landed.
+
+'I don't know what you would have done for exercise, dear, if Mr
+Hoffmann had not made you walk every day. This lazy life is bad for
+young people, though it suits an old body like me well enough in calm
+weather. Is this likely to be a gale, think ye?' added Mrs Hardy, with
+an anxious glance at the west, where the sun was setting redly.
+
+'Only a capful of wind, ma'am, just enough to send us along lively,'
+answered Emil, with a comprehensive glance aloft and alow.
+
+'Please sing, Mr Hoffmann, it's so pleasant to have music at this
+time. We shall miss it very much when we get ashore,' said Mary, in
+a persuasive tone which would have won melody from a shark, if such a
+thing were possible.
+
+Emil had often blessed his one accomplishment during these months, for
+it cheered the long days, and made the twilight hour his happiest
+time, wind and weather permitting. So now he gladly tuned his pipe, and
+leaning on the taffrail near the girl, watched the brown locks blowing
+in the wind as he sang her favourite song:
+
+    'Give me freshening breeze, my boys,
+     A white and swelling sail,
+     A ship that cuts the dashing waves,
+     And weathers every gale.
+     What life is like a sailor's life,
+     So free, so bold, so brave?
+     His home the ocean's wide expanse,
+     A coral bed his grave.'
+
+Just as the last notes of the clear, strong voice died away, Mrs Hardy
+suddenly exclaimed: 'What's that?' Emil's quick eye saw at once the
+little puff of smoke coming up a hatchway where no smoke should be, and
+his heart seemed to stand still for an instant as the dread word 'Fire!'
+flashed through his mind. Then he was quite steady, and strolled away
+saying quietly:
+
+'Smoking not allowed there, I'll go and stop it.' But the instant he
+was out of sight his face changed, and he leaped down the hatchway,
+thinking, with a queer smile on his lips: 'If we are afire, shouldn't
+wonder if I did make a coral bed my grave!'
+
+He was gone a few minutes, and when he came up, half stifled with smoke,
+he was as white as a very brown man could be, but calm and cool as he
+went to report to the captain.
+
+'Fire in the hold, sir.'
+
+'Don't frighten the women,' was Captain Hardy's first order; then both
+be stirred themselves to discover how strong the treacherous enemy was,
+and to rout it if possible.
+
+The Brenda's cargo was a very combustible one, and in spite of the
+streams of water poured into the hold it was soon evident that the ship
+was doomed. Smoke began to ooze up between the planks everywhere, and
+the rising gale soon fanned the smouldering fire to flames that began
+to break out here and there, telling the dreadful truth too plainly for
+anyone to hide. Mrs Hardy and Mary bore the shock bravely when told to
+be ready to quit the ship at a minute's notice; the boats were hastily
+prepared, and the men worked with a will to batten down every loophole
+whence the fire might escape. Soon the poor Brenda was a floating
+furnace, and the order to 'Take to the boats!' came for all. The women
+first, of course, and it was fortunate that, being a merchantman, there
+were no more passengers on board, so there was no panic, and one after
+the other the boats pushed off. That in which the women were lingered
+near, for the brave captain would be the last to leave his ship.
+
+Emil stayed by him till ordered away, and reluctantly obeyed; but it was
+well for him he went, for just as he had regained the boat, rocking far
+below, half hidden by a cloud of smoke, a mast, undermined by the
+fire now raging in the bowels of the ship, fell with a crash, knocking
+Captain Hardy overboard. The boat soon reached him as he floated out
+from the wreck, and Emil sprung into the sea to rescue him, for he was
+wounded and senseless. This accident made it necessary for the young man
+to take command, and he at once ordered the men to pull for their lives,
+as an explosion might occur at any moment.
+
+The other boats were out of danger and all lingered to watch the
+splendid yet awesome spectacle of the burning ship alone on the wide
+sea, reddening the night and casting a lurid glare upon the water, where
+floated the frail boats filled with pale faces, all turned for a last
+look at the fated Brenda, slowly settling to her watery grave. No one
+saw the end, however, for the gale soon swept the watchers far away and
+separated them, some never to meet again till the sea gives up its dead.
+
+The boat whose fortunes we must follow was alone when dawn came up,
+showing these survivors all the dangers of their situation. Food and
+water had been put in, and such provision for comfort and safety as time
+allowed; but it was evident that with a badly wounded man, two women,
+and seven sailors, their supply would not last long, and help was sorely
+needed. Their only hope was in meeting a ship, although the gale, which
+had raged all night, had blown them out of their course. To this hope
+all clung, and wiled away the weary hours, watching the horizon and
+cheering one another with prophecies of speedy rescue.
+
+Second mate Hoffmann was very brave and helpful, though his unexpected
+responsibility weighed heavily on his shoulders; for the captain's state
+seemed desperate, the poor wife's grief wrung his heart, and the blind
+confidence of the young girl in his power to save them made him feel
+that no sign of doubt or fear must lessen it. The men did their part
+readily now, but Emil knew that if starvation and despair made brutes of
+them, his task might be a terrible one. So he clutched his courage with
+both hands, kept up a manly front, and spoke so cheerily of their good
+chances, that all instinctively turned to him for guidance and support.
+
+The first day and night passed in comparative comfort, but when the
+third came, things looked dark and hope began to fail. The wounded man
+was delirious, the wife worn out with anxiety and suspense, the girl
+weak for want of food, having put away half her biscuit for her mother,
+and given her share of water to wet her father's feverish lips. The
+sailors ceased rowing and sat grimly waiting, openly reproaching their
+leader for not following their advice, others demanding more food, all
+waxing dangerous as privation and pain brought out the animal instincts
+lurking in them. Emil did his best, but mortal man was helpless there,
+and he could only turn his haggard face from the pitiless sky, that
+dropped no rain for their thirst, to the boundless sea where no sail
+appeared to gladden their longing eyes. All day he tried to cheer and
+comfort them, while hunger gnawed, thirst parched, and growing fear lay
+heavy at his heart. He told stories to the men, implored them to bear up
+for the helpless women's sake, and promised rewards if they would pull
+while they had strength to regain the lost route, as nearly as he could
+make it out, and increase their chance of rescue. He rigged an awning
+of sailcloth over the suffering man and tended him like a son, comforted
+the wife, and tried to make the pale girl forget herself, by singing
+every song he knew or recounting his adventures by land and sea, till
+she smiled and took heart; for all ended well.
+
+The fourth day came and the supply of food and water was nearly gone.
+Emil proposed to keep it for the sick man and the women, but two of the
+men rebelled, demanding their share. Emil gave up his as an example, and
+several of the good fellows followed it, with the quiet heroism which so
+often crops up in rough but manly natures. This shamed the others,
+and for another day an ominous peace reigned in that little world of
+suffering and suspense. But during the night, while Emil, worn out with
+fatigue, left the watch to the most trustworthy sailor, that he might
+snatch an hour's rest, these two men got at the stores and stole the
+last of the bread and water, and the one bottle of brandy, which was
+carefully hoarded to keep up their strength and make the brackish water
+drinkable. Half mad with thirst, they drank greedily and by morning one
+was in a stupor, from which he never woke; the other so crazed by
+the strong stimulant, that when Emil tried to control him, he leaped
+overboard and was lost. Horror-stricken by this terrible scene, the
+other men were submissive henceforth, and the boat floated on and on
+with its sad freight of suffering souls and bodies.
+
+Another trial came to them that left all more despairing than before. A
+sail appeared, and for a time a frenzy of joy prevailed, to be turned
+to bitterest disappointment when it passed by, too far away to see
+the signals waved to them or hear the frantic cries for help that rang
+across the sea. Emil's heart sank then, for the captain seemed dying,
+and the women could not hold out much longer. He kept up till night
+came; then in the darkness, broken only by the feeble murmuring of the
+sick man, the whispered prayers of the poor wife, the ceaseless swash of
+waves, Emil hid his face, and had an hour of silent agony that aged him
+more than years of happy life could have done. It was not the physical
+hardship that daunted him, though want and weakness tortured him; it was
+his dreadful powerlessness to conquer the cruel fate that seemed hanging
+over them. The men he cared little for, since these perils were but a
+part of the life they chose; but the master he loved, the good woman who
+had been so kind to him, the sweet girl whose winsome presence had made
+the long voyage so pleasant for them all--if he could only save these
+dear and innocent creatures from a cruel death, he felt that he could
+willingly give his life for them.
+
+As he sat there with his head in his hands, bowed down by the first
+great trial of his young life, the starless sky overhead, the restless
+sea beneath, and all around him suffering, for which he had no help, a
+soft sound broke the silence, and he listened like one in a dream. It
+was Mary singing to her mother, who lay sobbing in her arms, spent with
+this long anguish. A very faint and broken voice it was, for the poor
+girl's lips were parched with thirst; but the loving heart turned
+instinctively to the great Helper in this hour of despair, and He heard
+her feeble cry. It was a sweet old hymn often sung at Plumfield; and as
+he listened, all the happy past came back so clearly that Emil forgot
+the bitter present, and was at home again. His talk on the housetop
+with Aunt Jo seemed but yesterday, and, with a pang of self-reproach, he
+thought:
+
+'The scarlet strand! I must remember it, and do my duty to the end.
+Steer straight, old boy; and if you can't come into port, go down with
+all sail set.'
+
+Then, as the soft voice crooned on to lull the weary woman to a
+fitful sleep, Emil for a little while forgot his burden in a dream of
+Plumfield. He saw them all, heard the familiar voices, felt the grip of
+welcoming hands, and seemed to say to himself: 'Well, they shall not be
+ashamed of me if I never see them any more.'
+
+A sudden shout startled him from that brief rest, and a drop on his
+forehead told him that the blessed rain had come at last, bringing
+salvation with it; for thirst is harder to bear than hunger, heat, or
+cold. Welcomed by cries of joy, all lifted up their parched lips, held
+out their hands, and spread their garments to catch the great drops that
+soon came pouring down to cool the sick man's fever, quench the agony of
+thirst, and bring refreshment to every weary body in the boat. All night
+it fell, all night the castaways revelled in the saving shower, and took
+heart again, like dying plants revived by heaven's dew. The clouds broke
+away at dawn, and Emil sprung up, wonderfully braced and cheered by
+those hours of silent gratitude for this answer to their cry for help.
+But this was not all; as his eye swept the horizon, clear against the
+rosy sky shone the white sails of a ship, so near that they could see
+the pennon at her mast-head and black figures moving on the deck.
+
+One cry broke from all those eager throats, and rang across the sea, as
+every man waved hat or handkerchief and the women stretched imploring
+hands towards this great white angel of deliverance coming down upon
+them as if the fresh wind filled every sail to help her on.
+
+No disappointment now; answering signals assured them of help; and in
+the rapture of that moment the happy women fell on Emil's neck,
+giving him his reward in tears and blessings as their grateful hearts
+overflowed. He always said that was the proudest moment of his life,
+as he stood there holding Mary in his arms; for the brave girl, who had
+kept up so long, broke down then, and clung to him half fainting; while
+her mother busied herself about the invalid, who seemed to feel the
+joyful stir, and gave an order, as if again on the deck of his lost
+ship.
+
+It was soon over; and then all were safely aboard the good Urania,
+homeward bound. Emil saw his friends in tender hands, his men among
+their mates, and told the story of the wreck before he thought of
+himself. The savoury odour of the soup, carried by to the cabin for the
+ladies, reminded him that he was starving, and a sudden stagger
+betrayed his weakness. He was instantly borne away, to be half killed by
+kindness, and being fed, clothed, and comforted, was left to rest. Just
+as the surgeon left the state-room, he asked in his broken voice: 'What
+day is this? My head is so confused, I've lost my reckoning.'
+
+'Thanksgiving Day, man! And we'll give you a regular New England dinner,
+if you'll eat it,' answered the surgeon heartily.
+
+But Emil was too spent to do anything, except lie still and give thanks,
+more fervently and gratefully than ever before, for the blessed gift of
+life, which was the sweeter for a sense of duty faithfully performed.
+
+
+
+Chapter 12. DAN'S CHRISTMAS
+
+Where was Dan? In prison. Alas for Mrs Jo! how her heart would have
+ached if she had known that while old Plum shone with Christmas cheer
+her boy sat alone in his cell, trying to read the little book she
+gave him, with eyes dimmed now and then by the hot tears no physical
+suffering had ever wrung from him, and longing with a homesick heart for
+all that he had lost.
+
+Yes, Dan was in prison; but no cry for help from him as he faced the
+terrible strait he was in with the dumb despair of an Indian at the
+stake; for his own bosom sin had brought him there, and this was to
+be the bitter lesson that tamed the lawless spirit and taught him
+self-control.
+
+The story of his downfall is soon told; for it came, as so often
+happens, just when he felt unusually full of high hopes, good
+resolutions, and dreams of a better life. On his journey he met a
+pleasant young fellow, and naturally felt an interest in him, as
+Blair was on his way to join his elder brothers on a ranch in Kansas.
+Card-playing was going on in the smoking-car, and the lad--for he was
+barely twenty--tired with the long journey, beguiled the way with such
+partners as appeared, being full of spirits, and a little intoxicated
+with the freedom of the West. Dan, true to his promise, would not join,
+but watched with intense interest the games that went on, and soon made
+up his mind that two of the men were sharpers anxious to fleece the boy,
+who had imprudently displayed a well-filled pocket-book. Dan always had
+a soft spot in his heart for any younger, weaker creature whom he met,
+and something about the lad reminded him of Teddy; so he kept an eye on
+Blair, and warned him against his new friends.
+
+Vainly, of course; for when all stopped overnight in one of the great
+cities, Dan missed the boy from the hotel whither he had taken him
+for safe-keeping; and learning who had come for him, went to find him,
+calling himself a fool for his pains, yet unable to leave the confiding
+boy to the dangers that surrounded him.
+
+He found him gambling in a low place with the men, who were bound to
+have his money; and by the look of relief on Blair's anxious face when
+he saw him Dan knew without words that things were going badly with him,
+and he saw the peril too late.
+
+'I can't come yet--I've lost; it's not my money; I must get it back, or
+I dare not face my brothers,' whispered the poor lad, when Dan begged
+him to get away without further loss. Shame and fear made him desperate;
+and he played on, sure that he could recover the money confided to
+his care. Seeing Dan's resolute face, keen eye, and travelled air, the
+sharpers were wary, played fair, and let the boy win a little; but they
+had no mind to give up their prey, and finding that Dan stood sentinel
+at the boy's back, an ominous glance was exchanged between them, which
+meant:
+
+'We must get this fellow out of the way.'
+
+Dan saw it, and was on his guard; for he and Blair were strangers, evil
+deeds are easily done in such places, and no tales told. But he would
+not desert the boy, and still kept watch of every card till he plainly
+detected false play, and boldly said so. High words passed, Dan's
+indignation overcame his prudence; and when the cheat refused to restore
+his plunder with insulting words and drawn pistol, Dan's hot temper
+flashed out, and he knocked the man down with a blow that sent him
+crashing head first against a stove, to roll senseless and bleeding to
+the floor. A wild scene followed, but in the midst of it Dan whispered
+to the boy: 'Get away, and hold your tongue. Don't mind me.'
+
+Frightened and bewildered, Blair quitted the city at once, leaving Dan
+to pass the night in the lock-up, and a few days later to stand in court
+charged with manslaughter; for the man was dead. Dan had no friends, and
+having once briefly told the story, held his peace, anxious to keep all
+knowledge of this sad affair from those at home. He even concealed his
+name--giving that of David Kent, as he had done several times before in
+emergencies. It was all over very soon; but as there were extenuating
+circumstances his sentence was a year in prison, with hard labour.
+
+Dazed by the rapidity with which this horrible change in his life came
+upon him, Dan did not fully realize it till the iron door clanged behind
+him and he sat alone in a cell as narrow, cold, and silent as a tomb. He
+knew that a word would bring Mr Laurie to help and comfort him; but he
+could not bear to tell of this disgrace, or see the sorrow and the shame
+it would cause the friends who hoped so much for him.
+
+'No,' he said, clenching his fist, 'I'll let them think me dead first.
+I shall be if I am kept here long'; and he sprang up to pace the stone
+floor like a caged lion, with a turmoil of wrath and grief, rebellion
+and remorse, seething in heart and brain, till he felt as if he should
+go mad and beat upon the walls that shut him away from the liberty which
+was his life. For days he suffered terribly, then worn out, sank into a
+black melancholy sadder to see than his excitement.
+
+The warden of this prison was a rough man who had won the ill will of
+all by unnecessary harshness, but the chaplain was full of sympathy, and
+did his hard duty faithfully and tenderly. He laboured with poor Dan,
+but seemed to make no impression, and was forced to wait till work had
+soothed the excited nerves and captivity tamed the proud spirit that
+would suffer but not complain.
+
+Dan was put in the brush-shop, and feeling that activity was his only
+salvation, worked with a feverish energy that soon won the approval of
+the master and the envy of less skilful mates. Day after day he sat in
+his place, watched by an armed overseer, forbidden any but necessary
+words, no intercourse with the men beside him, no change but from cell
+to shop, no exercise but the dreary marches to and fro, each man's hand
+on the other's shoulder keeping step with the dreary tramp so different
+from the ringing tread of soldiers. Silent, gaunt, and grim, Dan did his
+daily task, ate his bitter bread, and obeyed commands with a rebellious
+flash of the eye, that made the warden say:
+
+'That's a dangerous man. Watch him. He'll break out some day.'
+
+There were others more dangerous than he, because older in crime
+and ready for any desperate outbreak to change the monotony of long
+sentences. These men soon divined Dan's mood, and in the mysterious way
+convicts invent, managed to convey to him before a month was over
+that plans were being made for a mutiny at the first opportunity.
+Thanksgiving Day was one of the few chances for them to speak together
+as they enjoyed an hour of freedom in the prison yard. Then all would
+be settled and the rash attempt made if possible, probably to end in
+bloodshed and defeat for most, but liberty for a few. Dan had already
+planned his own escape and bided his time, growing more and more moody,
+fierce, and rebellious, as loss of liberty wore upon soul and body; for
+this sudden change from his free, healthy life to such a narrow, gloomy,
+and miserable one, could not but have a terrible effect upon one of
+Dan's temperament and age.
+
+He brooded over his ruined life, gave up all his happy hopes and plans,
+felt that he could never face dear old Plumfield again, or touch those
+friendly hands, with the stain of blood upon his own. He did not care
+for the wretched man whom he had killed, for such a life was better
+ended, he thought; but the disgrace of prison would never be wiped out
+of his memory, though the cropped hair would grow again, the grey suit
+easily be replaced, and the bolts and bars left far behind.
+
+'It's all over with me; I've spoilt my life, now let it go. I'll give up
+the fight and get what pleasure I can anywhere, anyhow. They shall think
+me dead and so still care for me, but never know what I am. Poor Mother
+Bhaer! she tried to help me, but it's no use; the firebrand can't be
+saved.'
+
+And dropping his head in his hands as he sat on his low bed, Dan would
+mourn over all he had lost in tearless misery, till merciful sleep would
+comfort him with dreams of the happy days when the boys played together,
+or those still later and happier ones when all smiled on him, and
+Plumfield seemed to have gained a new and curious charm.
+
+There was one poor fellow in Dan's shop whose fate was harder than his,
+for his sentence expired in the spring, but there was little hope of his
+living till that time; and the coldest-hearted man pitied poor Mason as
+he sat coughing his life away in that close place and counting the weary
+days yet to pass before he could see his wife and little child again.
+There was some hope that he might be pardoned out, but he had no friends
+to bestir themselves in the matter, and it was evident that the great
+Judge's pardon would soon end his patient pain for ever.
+
+Dan pitied him more than he dared to show, and this one tender emotion
+in that dark time was like the little flower that sprung up between the
+stones of the prison yard and saved the captive from despair, in the
+beautiful old story. Dan helped Mason with his work when he was too
+feeble to finish his task, and the grateful look that thanked him was
+a ray of sunshine to cheer his cell when he was alone. Mason envied the
+splendid health of his neighbour, and mourned to see it wasting there.
+He was a peaceful soul and tried, as far as a whispered word or warning
+glance could do it, to deter Dan from joining the 'bad lot', as the
+rebels were called. But having turned his face from the light, Dan found
+the downward way easy, and took a grim satisfaction in the prospect of
+a general outbreak during which he might revenge himself upon the
+tyrannical warden, and strike a blow for his own liberty, feeling that
+an hour of insurrection would be a welcome vent for the pent-up passions
+that tormented him. He had tamed many a wild animal, but his own lawless
+spirit was too much for him, till he found the curb that made him master
+of himself.
+
+The Sunday before Thanksgiving, as he sat in chapel, Dan observed
+several guests in the seats reserved for them, and looked anxiously
+to see if any familiar face was there; for he had a mortal fear that
+someone from home would suddenly confront him. No, all were strangers,
+and he soon forgot them in listening to the chaplain's cheerful words,
+and the sad singing of many heavy hearts. People often spoke to the
+convicts, so it caused no surprise when, on being invited to address
+them, one of the ladies rose and said she would tell them a little
+story; which announcement caused the younger listeners to pack up their
+ears, and even the older ones to look interested; for any change in
+their monotonous life was welcome.
+
+The speaker was a middle-aged woman in black, with a sympathetic face,
+eyes full of compassion, and a voice that seemed to warm the heart,
+because of certain motherly tones in it. She reminded Dan of Mrs Jo, and
+he listened intently to every word, feeling that each was meant for him,
+because by chance, they came at the moment when he needed a softening
+memory to break up the ice of despair which was blighting all the good
+impulses of his nature.
+
+It was a very simple little story, but it caught the men's attention at
+once, being about two soldiers in a hospital during the late war,
+both badly wounded in the right arm, and both anxious to save these
+breadwinners and go home unmaimed. One was patient, docile, and
+cheerfully obeyed orders, even when told that the arm must go. He
+submitted and after much suffering recovered, grateful for life, though
+he could fight no more. The other rebelled, would listen to no advice,
+and having delayed too long, died a lingering death, bitterly regretting
+his folly when it was too late. 'Now, as all stories should have a
+little moral, let me tell you mine,' added the lady, with a smile, as
+she looked at the row of young men before her, sadly wondering what
+brought them there.
+
+'This is a hospital for soldiers wounded in life's battle; here are sick
+souls, weak wills, insane passions, blind consciences, all the ills that
+come from broken laws, bringing their inevitable pain and punishment
+with them. There is hope and help for every one, for God's mercy is
+infinite and man's charity is great; but penitence and submission must
+come before the cure is possible. Pay the forfeit manfully, for it is
+just; but from the suffering and shame wring new strength for a nobler
+life. The scar will remain, but it is better for a man to lose both arms
+than his soul; and these hard years, instead of being lost, may be made
+the most precious of your lives, if they teach you to rule yourselves. O
+friends, try to outlive the bitter past, to wash the sin away, and begin
+anew. If not for your own sakes, for that of the dear mothers, wives,
+and children, who wait and hope so patiently for you. Remember them,
+and do not let them love and long in vain. And if there be any here
+so forlorn that they have no friend to care for them, never forget the
+Father whose arms are always open to receive, forgive, and comfort
+His prodigal sons, even at the eleventh hour.' There the little sermon
+ended; but the preacher of it felt that her few hearty words had not
+been uttered in vain, for one boy's head was down, and several faces
+wore the softened look which told that a tender memory was touched. Dan
+was forced to set his lips to keep them steady, and drop his eyes to
+hide the sudden dew that dimmed them when waiting, hoping friends were
+spoken of. He was glad to be alone in his cell again, and sat thinking
+deeply, instead of trying to forget himself in sleep. It seemed as if
+those words were just what he needed to show him where he stood and how
+fateful the next few days might be to him. Should he join the 'bad lot',
+and perhaps add another crime to the one already committed, lengthen the
+sentence already so terrible to bear, deliberately turn his back on all
+that was good, and mar the future that might yet be redeemed? Or should
+he, like the wiser man in the story, submit, bear the just punishment,
+try to be better for it; and though the scar would remain, it might
+serve as a reminder of a battle not wholly lost, since he had saved his
+soul though innocence was gone? Then he would dare go home, perhaps,
+confess, and find fresh strength in the pity and consolation of those
+who never gave him up.
+
+Good and evil fought for Dan that night as did the angel and the devil
+for Sintram, and it was hard to tell whether lawless nature or loving
+heart would conquer. Remorse and resentment, shame and sorrow, pride and
+passion, made a battle-field of that narrow cell, and the poor fellow
+felt as if he had fiercer enemies to fight now than any he had met in
+all his wanderings. A little thing turned the scale, as it so often does
+in these mysterious hearts of ours, and a touch of sympathy helped Dan
+decide the course which would bless or ban his life.
+
+In the dark hour before the dawn, as he lay wakeful on his bed, a ray
+of light shone through the bars, the bolts turned softly, and a man came
+in. It was the good chaplain, led by the same instinct that brings a
+mother to her sick child's pillow; for long experience as nurse of souls
+had taught him to see the signs of hope in the hard faces about him,
+and to know when the moment came for a helpful word and the cordial
+of sincere prayer that brings such comfort and healing to tried and
+troubled hearts. He had been to Dan before at unexpected hours, but
+always found him sullen, indifferent, or rebellious, and had gone away
+to patiently bide his time. Now it had come; a look of relief was in the
+prisoner's face as the light shone on it, and the sound of a human
+voice was strangely comfortable after listening to the whispers of
+the passions, doubts, and fears which had haunted the cell for hours,
+dismaying Dan by their power, and showing him how much he needed help to
+fight the good fight, since he had no armour of his own.
+
+'Kent, poor Mason has gone. He left a message for you, and I felt
+impelled to come and give it now, because I think you were touched by
+what we heard today, and in need of the help Mason tried to give you,'
+said the chaplain, taking the one seat and fixing his kind eyes on the
+grim figure in the bed.
+
+'Thank you, sir, I'd like to hear it,' was all Dan's answer; but he
+forgot himself in pity for the poor fellow dead in prison, with no last
+look at wife or child.
+
+He went suddenly, but remembered you, and begged me to say these words:
+“Tell him not to do it, but to hold on, do his best, and when his time
+is out go right to Mary, and she'll make him welcome for my sake. He's
+got no friends in these parts and will feel lonesome, but a woman's
+always safe and comfortable when a fellow's down on his luck. Give him
+my love and good-bye for he was kind to me, and God will bless him for
+it.” Then he died quietly, and tomorrow will go home with God's pardon,
+since man's came too late.'
+
+Dan said nothing, but laid his arm across his face and lay quite still.
+Seeing that the pathetic little message had done its work even better
+than he hoped, the chaplain went on, unconscious how soothing his
+paternal voice was to the poor prisoner who longed to 'go home', but
+felt he had forfeited the right.
+
+'I hope you won't disappoint this humble friend whose last thought was
+for you. I know that there is trouble brewing, and fear that you may be
+tempted to lend a hand on the wrong side. Don't do it, for the plot will
+not succeed--it never does--and it would be a pity to spoil your record
+which is fair so far. Keep up your courage, my son, and go out at the
+year's end better, not worse, for this hard experience. Remember a
+grateful woman waits to welcome and thank you if you have no friends of
+your own; if you have, do your best for their sake, and let us ask God
+to help you as He only can.'
+
+Then waiting for no answer the good man prayed heartily, and Dan
+listened as he never had before; for the lonely hour, the dying message,
+the sudden uprising of his better self, made it seem as if some kind
+angel had come to save and comfort him. After that night there was a
+change in Dan, though no one knew it but the chaplain; for to all the
+rest he was the same silent, stern, unsocial fellow as before, and
+turning his back on the bad and the good alike, found his only pleasure
+in the books his friend brought him. Slowly, as the steadfast drop wears
+away the rock, the patient kindness of this man won Dan's confidence,
+and led by him he began to climb out of the Valley of Humiliation
+towards the mountains, whence, through the clouds, one can catch
+glimpses of the Celestial City whither all true pilgrims sooner or
+later turn their wistful eyes and stumbling feet. There were many
+back-slidings, many struggles with Giant Despair and fiery Apollyon,
+many heavy hours when life did not seem worth living and Mason's escape
+the only hope. But through all, the grasp of a friendly hand, the sound
+of a brother's voice, the unquenchable desire to atone for the past by a
+better future, and win the right to see home again, kept poor Dan to his
+great task as the old year drew to its end, and the new waited to turn
+another leaf in the book whose hardest lesson he was learning now.
+
+At Christmas he yearned so for Plumfield that he devised a way to send a
+word of greeting to cheer their anxious hearts, and comfort his own. He
+wrote to Mary Mason, who lived in another State, asking her to mail the
+letter he enclosed. In it he merely said he was well and busy, had given
+up the farm, and had other plans which he would tell later; would not
+be home before autumn probably, nor write often, but was all right, and
+sent love and merry Christmas to everyone.
+
+Then he took up his solitary life again, and tried to pay his forfeit
+manfully.
+
+
+
+Chapter 13. NAT'S NEW YEAR
+
+'I don't expect to hear from Emil yet, and Nat writes regularly, but
+where is Dan? Only two or three postals since he went. Such an energetic
+fellow as he is could buy up all the farms in Kansas by this time,' said
+Mrs Jo one morning when the mail came in and no card or envelope bore
+Dan's dashing hand.
+
+'He never writes often, you know, but does his work and then comes
+home. Months and years seem to mean little to him, and he is probably
+prospecting in the wilderness, forgetful of time,' answered Mr Bhaer,
+deep in one of Nat's long letters from Leipzig.
+
+'But he promised he would let me know how he got on, and Dan keeps his
+word if he can. I'm afraid something has happened to him'; and Mrs Jo
+comforted herself by patting Don's head, as he came at the sound of his
+master's name to look at her with eyes almost human in their wistful
+intelligence.
+
+'Don't worry, Mum dear, nothing ever happens to the old fellow. He'll
+turn up all right, and come stalking in some day with a gold-mine in one
+pocket and a prairie in the other, as jolly as a grig,' said Ted, who
+was in no haste to deliver Octoo to her rightful owner.
+
+'Perhaps he has gone to Montana and given up the farm plan. He seemed to
+like Indians best, I thought'; and Rob went to help his mother with her
+pile of letters and his cheerful suggestions.
+
+'I hope so, it would suit him best. But I am sure he would have told us
+his change of plan and sent for some money to work with. No, I feel in
+my prophetic bones that something is wrong,' said Mrs Jo, looking as
+solemn as Fate in a breakfast-cap.
+
+'Then we shall hear; ill news always travels fast. Don't borrow trouble,
+Jo, but hear how well Nat is getting on. I'd no idea the boy would care
+for anything but music. My good friend Baumgarten has launched him well,
+and it will do him good if he lose not his head. A good lad, but new to
+the world, and Leipzig is full of snares for the unwary. Gott be with
+him!'
+
+The Professor read Nat's enthusiastic account of certain literary
+and musical parties he had been to, the splendours of the opera, the
+kindness of his new friends, the delight of studying under such a master
+as Bergmann, his hopes of rapid gain, and his great gratitude to those
+who had opened this enchanted world to him.
+
+'That, now, is satisfactory and comfortable. I felt that Nat had
+unsuspected power in him before he went away; he was so manly and full
+of excellent plans,' said Mrs Jo, in a satisfied tone.
+
+'We shall see. He will doubtless get his lesson and be the better for
+it. That comes to us all in our young days. I hope it will not be too
+hard for our good Jungling,' answered the Professor, with a wise smile,
+remembering his own student life in Germany.
+
+He was right; and Nat was already getting his lesson in life with a
+rapidity which would have astonished his friends at home. The manliness
+over which Mrs Jo rejoiced was developing in unexpected ways, and quiet
+Nat had plunged into the more harmless dissipations of the gay city
+with all the ardour of an inexperienced youth taking his first sip of
+pleasure. The entire freedom and sense of independence was delicious,
+for many benefits began to burden him, and he longed to stand on his
+own legs and make his own way. No one knew his past here; and with a
+well-stocked wardrobe, a handsome sum at his banker's, and the best
+teacher in Leipzig, he made his debut as a musical young gentleman,
+presented by the much-respected Professor Bhaer and the wealthy Mr
+Laurence, who had many friends glad to throw open their houses to
+his protege. Thanks to these introductions, his fluent German, modest
+manners, and undeniable talent, the stranger was cordially welcomed, and
+launched at once into a circle which many an ambitious young man strove
+in vain to enter.
+
+All this rather turned Nat's head; and as he sat in the brilliant
+opera-house, chatted among the ladies at some select coffee-party, or
+whisked an eminent professor's amiable daughter down the room, trying to
+imagine she was Daisy, he often asked himself if this gay fellow could
+be the poor homeless little Street musician who once stood waiting in
+the rain at the gates of Plumfield. His heart was true, his impulses
+good, and his ambitions high; but the weak side of his nature came
+uppermost here; vanity led him astray, pleasure intoxicated him, and for
+a time he forgot everything but the delights of this new and charming
+life. Without meaning to deceive, he allowed people to imagine him a
+youth of good family and prospects; he boasted a little of Mr Laurie's
+wealth and influence, of Professor Bhaer's eminence, and the flourishing
+college at which he himself had been educated. Mrs Jo was introduced to
+the sentimental Frauleins who read her books, and the charms and virtues
+of his own dear Madchen confided to sympathetic mammas. All these boyish
+boastings and innocent vanities were duly circulated among the
+gossips, and his importance much increased thereby, to his surprise and
+gratification, as well as some shame.
+
+But they bore fruit that was bitter in the end; for, finding that he was
+considered one of the upper class, it very soon became impossible
+for him to live in the humble quarters he had chosen, or to lead the
+studious, quiet life planned for him. He met other students, young
+officers, and gay fellows of all sorts, and was flattered at being
+welcomed among them; though it was a costly pleasure, and often left
+a thorn of regret to vex his honest conscience. He was tempted to take
+better rooms in a more fashionable street, leaving good Frau Tetzel to
+lament his loss, and his artist neighbour, Fraulein Vogelstein, to shake
+her grey ringlets and predict his return, a sadder and a wiser man.
+
+The sum placed at his disposal for expenses and such simple pleasures
+as his busy life could command seemed a fortune to Nat, though it was
+smaller than generous Mr Laurie first proposed. Professor Bhaer wisely
+counselled prudence, as Nat was unused to the care of money, and the
+good man knew the temptations that a well-filled purse makes possible at
+this pleasure-loving age. So Nat enjoyed his handsome little apartment
+immensely, and insensibly let many unaccustomed luxuries creep in. He
+loved his music and never missed a lesson; but the hours he should
+have spent in patient practice were too often wasted at theatre, ball,
+beer-garden, or club--doing no harm beyond that waste of precious time,
+and money not his own; for he had no vices, and took his recreation like
+a gentleman, so far. But slowly a change for the worse was beginning to
+show itself, and he felt it. These first steps along the flowery road
+were downward, not upward; and the constant sense of disloyalty which
+soon began to haunt him made Nat feel, in the few quiet hours he gave
+himself, that all was not well with him, spite of the happy whirl in
+which he lived.
+
+'Another month, and then I will be steady,' he said more than once,
+trying to excuse the delay by the fact that all was new to him, that his
+friends at home wished him to be happy, and that society was giving him
+the polish he needed. But as each month slipped away it grew harder to
+escape; he was inevitably drawn on, and it was so easy to drift with
+the tide that he deferred the evil day as long as possible. Winter
+festivities followed the more wholesome summer pleasures, and Nat found
+them more costly; for the hospitable ladies expected some return from
+the stranger; and carriages, bouquets, theatre tickets, and all the
+little expenses a young man cannot escape at such times, told heavily
+on the purse which seemed bottomless at first. Taking Mr Laurie for
+his model, Nat became quite a gallant, and was universally liked; for
+through all the newly acquired airs and graces the genuine honesty
+and simplicity of his character plainly shone, winning confidence and
+affection from all who knew him.
+
+Among these was a certain amiable old lady with a musical
+daughter--well-born but poor, and very anxious to marry the aforesaid
+daughter to some wealthy man. Nat's little fictions concerning his
+prospects and friends charmed the gnadige Frau as much as his music and
+devoted manners did the sentimental Minna. Their quiet parlour seemed
+homelike and restful to Nat, when tired of gayer scenes; and the
+motherly interest of the elder lady was sweet and comfortable to him;
+while the tender blue eyes of the pretty girl were always so full of
+welcome when he came, of regret when he left, and of admiration when
+he played to her, that he found it impossible to keep away from this
+attractive spot. He meant no harm, and feared no danger, having confided
+to the Frau Mamma that he was betrothed; so he continued to call, little
+dreaming what ambitious hopes the old lady cherished, nor the peril
+there was in receiving the adoration of a romantic German girl, till it
+was too late to spare her pain and himself great regret.
+
+Of course some inkling of these new and agreeable experiences got into
+the voluminous letters he never was too gay, too busy, or too tired
+to write each week; and while Daisy rejoiced over his happiness and
+success, and the boys laughed at the idea of 'old Chirper coming out as
+a society man', the elders looked sober, and said among themselves:
+
+'He is going too fast; he must have a word of warning, or trouble may
+come.'
+
+But Mr Laurie said: 'Oh, let him have his fling; he's been dependent and
+repressed long enough. He can't go far with the money he has, and I've
+no fear of his getting into debt. He's too timid and too honest to be
+reckless. It is his first taste of freedom; let him enjoy it, and he'll
+work the better by and by; I know--and I'm sure I'm right.'
+
+So the warnings were very gentle, and the good people waited anxiously
+to hear more of hard study, and less of 'splendid times'. Daisy
+sometimes wondered, with a pang of her faithful heart, if one of the
+charming Minnas, Hildegardes, and Lottchens mentioned were not stealing
+her Nat away from her; but she never asked, always wrote calmly and
+cheerfully, and looked in vain for any hint of change in the letters
+that were worn out with much reading.
+
+Month after month slipped away, till the holidays came with gifts, good
+wishes, and brilliant festivities. Nat expected to enjoy himself very
+much, and did at first; for a German Christmas is a spectacle worth
+seeing. But he paid dearly for the abandon with which he threw himself
+into the gaieties of that memorable week; and on New Year's Day the
+reckoning came. It seemed as if some malicious fairy had prepared the
+surprises that arrived, so unwelcome were they, so magical the change
+they wrought, turning his happy world into a scene of desolation and
+despair as suddenly as a transformation at the pantomime.
+
+The first came in the morning when, duly armed with costly bouquets
+and bon-bons, he went to thank Minna and her mother for the braces
+embroidered with forget-me-nots and the silk socks knit by the old
+lady's nimble fingers, which he had found upon his table that day. The
+Frau Mamma received him graciously; but when he asked for the daughter
+the good lady frankly demanded what his intentions were, adding that
+certain gossip which had reached her ear made it necessary for him
+to declare himself or come no more, as Minna's peace must not be
+compromised.
+
+A more panic-stricken youth was seldom seen than Nat as he received this
+unexpected demand. He saw too late that his American style of gallantry
+had deceived the artless girl, and might be used with terrible effect
+by the artful mother, if she chose to do it. Nothing but the truth could
+save him, and he had the honour and honesty to tell it faithfully. A
+sad scene followed; for Nat was obliged to strip off his fictitious
+splendour, confess himself only a poor student, and humbly ask pardon
+for the thoughtless freedom with which he had enjoyed their too
+confiding hospitality. If he had any doubts of Frau Schomburg's motives
+and desires, they were speedily set at rest by the frankness with which
+she showed her disappointment, the vigour with which she scolded him,
+and the scorn with which she cast him off when her splendid castles in
+the air collapsed.
+
+The sincerity of Nat's penitence softened her a little and she consented
+to a farewell word with Minna, who had listened at the keyhole, and was
+produced drenched in tears, to fall on Nat's bosom, crying: 'Ah, thou
+dear one, never can I forget thee, though my heart is broken!'
+
+This was worse than the scolding; for the stout lady also wept, and it
+was only after much German gush and twaddle that he escaped, feeling
+like another Werther; while the deserted Lotte consoled herself with the
+bonbons, her mother with the more valuable gifts.
+
+The second surprise arrived as he dined with Professor Baumgarten. His
+appetite had been effectually taken away by the scene of the morning,
+and his spirits received another damper when a fellow student cheerfully
+informed him that he was about to go to America, and should make it his
+agreeable duty to call on the 'lieber Herr Professor Bhaer', to tell
+him how gaily his protege was disporting himself at Leipzig. Nat's heart
+died within him as he imagined the effect these glowing tales would have
+at Plumfield--not that he had wilfully deceived them, but in his letters
+many things were left untold; and when Carlsen added, with a friendly
+wink, that he would merely hint at the coming betrothal of the fair
+Minna and his 'heart's friend', Nat found himself devoutly hoping that
+this other inconvenient heart's friend might go to the bottom of the sea
+before he reached Plumfield to blast all his hopes by these tales of a
+mis-spent winter. Collecting his wits, he cautioned Carlsen with what
+he flattered himself was Mephistophelian art, and gave him such confused
+directions that it would be a miracle if he ever found Professor Bhaer.
+But the dinner was spoilt for Nat, and he got away as soon as possible,
+to wander disconsolately about the streets, with no heart for the
+theatre or the supper he was to share with some gay comrades afterwards.
+He comforted himself a little by giving alms to sundry beggars, making
+two children happy with gilded gingerbread, and drinking a lonely glass
+of beer, in which he toasted his Daisy and wished himself a better year
+than the last had been.
+
+Going home at length, he found a third surprise awaiting him in the
+shower of bills which had descended upon him like a snowstorm, burying
+him in an avalanche of remorse, despair, and self-disgust. These bills
+were so many and so large that he was startled and dismayed; for, as
+Mr Bhaer wisely predicted, he knew little about the value of money.
+It would take every dollar at the bankers to pay them all at once, and
+leave him penniless for the next six months, unless he wrote home for
+more. He would rather starve than do that; and his first impulse was to
+seek help at the gaming-table, whither his new friends had often tempted
+him. But he had promised Mr Bhaer to resist what then had seemed an
+impossible temptation; and now he would not add another fault to the
+list already so long. Borrow he would not, nor beg. What could he do?
+For these appalling bills must be paid, and the lessons go on; or his
+journey was an ignominious failure. But he must live meantime. And how?
+Bowed down with remorse for the folly of these months, he saw too late
+whither he was drifting, and for hours paced up and down his pretty
+rooms, floundering in a Slough of Despond, with no helping hand to pull
+him out--at least he thought so till letters were brought in, and among
+fresh bills lay one well-worn envelope with an American stamp in the
+corner.
+
+Ah, how welcome it was! how eagerly he read the long pages full of
+affectionate wishes from all at home! For everyone had sent a line, and
+as each familiar name appeared, his eyes grew dimmer and dimmer till, as
+he read the last--'God bless my boy! Mother Bhaer'--he broke down; and
+laying his head on his arms, blistered the paper with a rain of tears
+that eased his heart and washed away the boyish sins that now lay so
+heavy on his conscience.
+
+'Dear people, how they love and trust me! And how bitterly they would
+be disappointed if they knew what a fool I've been! I'll fiddle in the
+streets again before I'll ask for help from them!' cried Nat, brushing
+away the tears of which he was ashamed, although he felt the good they
+had done.
+
+Now he seemed to see more clearly what to do; for the helping hand had
+been stretched across the sea, and Love, the dear Evangelist, had
+lifted him out of the slough and shown him the narrow gate, beyond which
+deliverance lay. When the letter had been reread, and one corner where
+a daisy was painted, passionately kissed, Nat felt strong enough to face
+the worst and conquer it. Every bill should be paid, every salable thing
+of his own sold, these costly rooms given up; and once back with
+thrifty Frau Tetzel, he would find work of some sort by which to support
+himself, as many another student did. He must give up the new friends,
+turn his back on the gay life, cease to be a butterfly, and take his
+place among the grubs. It was the only honest thing to do, but very hard
+for the poor fellow to crush his little vanities, renounce the delights
+so dear to the young, own his folly, and step down from his pedestal to
+be pitied, laughed at, and forgotten.
+
+It took all Nat's pride and courage to do this, for his was a sensitive
+nature; esteem was very precious to him, failure very bitter, and
+nothing but the inborn contempt for meanness and deceit kept him from
+asking help or trying to hide his need by some dishonest device. As he
+sat alone that night, Mr Bhaer's words came back to him with curious
+clearness, and he saw himself a boy again at Plumfield, punishing his
+teacher as a lesson to himself, when timidity had made him lie.
+
+'He shall not suffer for me again, and I won't be a sneak if I am a
+fool. I'll go and tell Professor Baumgarten all about it and ask his
+advice. I'd rather face a loaded cannon; but it must be done. Then I'll
+sell out, pay my debts, and go back where I belong. Better be an honest
+pauper than a jackdaw among peacocks'; and Nat smiled in the midst of
+his trouble, as he looked about him at the little elegancies of his
+room, remembering what he came from.
+
+He kept his word manfully, and was much comforted to find that his
+experience was an old story to the professor, who approved his plan,
+thinking wisely that the discipline would be good for him, and was very
+kind in offering help and promising to keep the secret of his folly from
+his friend Bhaer till Nat had redeemed himself.
+
+The first week of the new year was spent by our prodigal in carrying out
+his plan with penitent dispatch, and his birthday found him alone in
+the little room high up at Frau Tetzel's, with nothing of his former
+splendour, but sundry unsalable keepsakes from the buxom maidens, who
+mourned his absence deeply. His male friends had ridiculed, pitied,
+and soon left him alone, with one or two exceptions, who offered their
+purses generously and promised to stand by him. He was lonely and
+heavy-hearted, and sat brooding over his small fire as he remembered the
+last New Year's Day at Plumfield, when at this hour he was dancing with
+his Daisy.
+
+A tap at the door roused him, and with a careless 'Herein', he waited
+to see who had climbed so far for his sake. It was the good Frau proudly
+bearing a tray, on which stood a bottle of wine and an astonishing
+cake bedecked with sugar-plums of every hue, and crowned with candles.
+Fraulein Vogelstein followed, embracing a blooming rose-tree, above
+which her grey curls waved and her friendly face beamed joyfully as she
+cried:
+
+'Dear Herr Blak, we bring you greetings and a little gift or two in
+honour of this ever-to-be-remembered day. Best wishes! and may the new
+year bloom for you as beautifully as we your heart-warm friends desire.'
+
+'Yes, yes, in truth we do, dear Herr,' added Frau Tetzel. 'Eat of this
+with-joy-made Kuchen, and drink to the health of the far-away beloved
+ones in the good wine.'
+
+Amused, yet touched by the kindness of the good souls, Nat thanked them
+both, and made them stay to enjoy the humble feast with him. This they
+gladly did, being motherly women full of pity for the dear youth, whose
+straits they knew, and having substantial help to offer, as well as kind
+words and creature comforts.
+
+Frau Tetzel, with some hesitation, mentioned a friend of hers who,
+forced by illness to leave his place in the orchestra of a second-rate
+theatre, would gladly offer it to Nat, if he could accept so humble a
+position. Blushing and toying with the roses like a shy girl, good old
+Vogelstein asked if in his leisure moments he could give English lessons
+in the young ladies' school where she taught painting, adding that a
+small but certain salary would be paid him.
+
+Gratefully Nat accepted both offers, finding it less humiliating to be
+helped by women than by friends of his own sex. This work would support
+him in a frugal way, and certain musical drudgery promised by his master
+assured his own teaching. Delighted with the success of their little
+plot, these friendly neighbours left him with cheery words, warm
+hand-grasps, and faces beaming with feminine satisfaction at the hearty
+kiss Nat put on each faded cheek, as the only return he could make for
+all their helpful kindness.
+
+It was strange how much brighter the world looked after that; for hope
+was a better cordial than the wine, and good resolutions bloomed as
+freshly as the little rose-tree that filled the room with fragrance, as
+Nat woke the echoes with the dear old airs, finding now as always his
+best comforter in music, to whom henceforth he swore to be a more loyal
+subject.
+
+
+
+Chapter 14. PLAYS AT PLUMFIELD
+
+As it is as impossible for the humble historian of the March family to
+write a story without theatricals in it as for our dear Miss Yonge to
+get on with less than twelve or fourteen children in her interesting
+tales, we will accept the fact, and at once cheer ourselves after
+the last afflicting events, by proceeding to the Christmas plays at
+Plumfield; for they influence the fate of several of our characters, and
+cannot well be skipped.
+
+When the college was built Mr Laurie added a charming little theatre
+which not only served for plays, but declamations, lectures, and
+concerts. The drop-curtain displayed Apollo with the Muses grouped about
+him; and as a compliment to the donor of the hall the artist had given
+the god a decided resemblance to our friend, which was considered
+a superb joke by everyone else. Home talent furnished stars, stock
+company, orchestra, and scene painter; and astonishing performances were
+given on this pretty little stage.
+
+Mrs Jo had been trying for some time to produce a play which should
+be an improvement upon the adaptations from the French then in vogue,
+curious mixtures of fine toilettes, false sentiment, and feeble wit,
+with no touch of nature to redeem them. It was easy to plan plays full
+of noble speeches and thrilling situations, but very hard to write them;
+so she contented herself with a few scenes of humble life in which the
+comic and pathetic were mingled; and as she fitted her characters to
+her actors, she hoped the little venture would prove that truth and
+simplicity had not entirely lost their power to charm. Mr Laurie helped
+her, and they called themselves Beaumont and Fletcher, enjoying their
+joint labour very much; for Beaumont's knowledge of dramatic art was
+of great use in curbing Fletcher's too-aspiring pen, and they flattered
+themselves that they had produced a neat and effective bit of work as an
+experiment.
+
+All was ready now; and Christmas Day was much enlivened by last
+rehearsals, the panics of timid actors, the scramble for forgotten
+properties, and the decoration of the theatre. Evergreen and holly from
+the woods, blooming plants from the hothouse on Parnassus, and flags of
+all nations made it very gay that night in honour of the guests who were
+coming, chief among them, Miss Cameron, who kept her promise
+faithfully. The orchestra tuned their instruments with unusual care,
+the scene-shifters set their stage with lavish elegance, the prompter
+heroically took his seat in the stifling nook provided for him, and
+the actors dressed with trembling hands that dropped the pins, and
+perspiring brows whereon the powder wouldn't stick. Beaumont and
+Fletcher were everywhere, feeling that their literary reputation was
+at stake; for sundry friendly critics were invited, and reporters, like
+mosquitoes, cannot be excluded from any earthly scene, be it a great
+man's death-bed or a dime museum.
+
+'Has she come?' was the question asked by every tongue behind the
+curtain; and when Tom, who played an old man, endangered his respectable
+legs among the footlights to peep, announced that he saw Miss Cameron's
+handsome head in the place of honour, a thrill pervaded the entire
+company, and Josie declared with an excited gasp that she was going to
+have stage fright for the first time in her life.
+
+'I'll shake you if you do,' said Mrs Jo, who was in such a wild state
+of dishevelment with her varied labours that she might have gone on as
+Madge Wildlife, without an additional rag or crazy elf-lock.
+
+'You'll have time to get your wits together while we do our piece. We
+are old stagers and calm as clocks,' answered Demi, with a nod towards
+Alice, ready in her pretty dress and all her properties at hand.
+
+But both clocks were going rather faster than usual, as heightened
+colour, brilliant eyes, and a certain flutter under the laces and velvet
+coat betrayed. They were to open the entertainment with a gay little
+piece which they had played before and did remarkably well. Alice was
+a tall girl, with dark hair and eyes, and a face which intelligence,
+health, and a happy heart made beautiful. She was looking her best now,
+for the brocades, plumes, and powder of the Marquise became her stately
+figure; and Demi in his court suit, with sword, three-cornered hat, and
+white wig, made as gallant a Baron as one would wish to see. Josie was
+the maid, and looked her part to the life, being as pretty, pert,
+and inquisitive as any French soubrette. These three were all the
+characters; and the success of the piece depended on the spirit and
+skill with which the quickly changing moods of the quarrelsome lovers
+were given, their witty speeches made to tell, and by-play suited to the
+courtly period in which the scene was laid.
+
+Few would have recognized sober John and studious Alice in the dashing
+gentleman and coquettish lady, who kept the audience laughing at their
+caprices; while they enjoyed the brilliant costumes, and admired the
+ease and grace of the young actors. Josie was a prominent figure in the
+plot, as she listened at keyholes, peeped into notes, and popped in and
+out at all the most inopportune moments, with her nose in the air, her
+hands in her apron-pockets, and curiosity pervading her little figure
+from the topmost bow of her jaunty cap to the red heels of her slippers.
+All went smoothly; and the capricious Marquise, after tormenting the
+devoted Baron to her heart's content, owned herself conquered in the war
+of wits, and was just offering the hand he had fairly won, when a crash
+startled them, and a heavily decorated side-scene swayed forward, ready
+to fall upon Alice. Demi saw it and sprung before her to catch and hold
+it up, standing like a modern Samson with the wall of a house on his
+back. The danger was over in a moment, and he was about to utter his
+last speech, when the excited young scene-shifter, who had flown up a
+ladder to repair the damage, leaned over to whisper 'All right', and
+release Demi from his spread-eagle attitude: as he did so, a hammer
+slipped out of his pocket, to fall upon the upturned face below,
+inflicting a smart blow and literally knocking the Baron's part out of
+his head.
+
+'A quick curtain,' robbed the audience of a pretty little scene not down
+on the bill; for the Marquise flew to staunch the blood with a cry of
+alarm: 'Oh! John, you are hurt! Lean on me'--which John gladly did for a
+moment, being a trifle dazed yet quite able to enjoy the tender touch of
+the hands busied about him and the anxiety of the face so near his own;
+for both told him something which he would have considered cheaply won
+by a rain of hammers and the fall of the whole college on his head.
+
+Nan was on the spot in a moment with the case that never left her
+pocket; and the wound was neatly plastered up by the time Mrs Jo
+arrived, demanding tragically:
+
+'Is he too much hurt to go on again? If he is, my play is lost!'
+
+'I'm all the fitter for it, Aunty; for here's a real instead of a
+painted wound. I'll be ready; don't worry about me.' And catching up
+his wig, Demi was off, with only a very eloquent look of thanks to the
+Marquise, who had spoilt her gloves for his sake, but did not seem to
+mind it at all, though they reached above her elbows, and were most
+expensive.
+
+'How are your nerves, Fletcher?' asked Mr Laurie as they stood together
+during the breathless minute before the last bell rings.
+
+'About as calm as yours, Beaumont,' answered Mrs Jo, gesticulating
+wildly to Mrs Meg to set her cap straight.
+
+'Bear up, partner! I'll stand by you whatever comes!'
+
+'I feel that it ought to go; for, though it's a mere trifle, a good deal
+of honest work and truth have gone into it. Doesn't Meg look the picture
+of a dear old country woman?'
+
+She certainly did, as she sat in the farmhouse kitchen by a cheery fire,
+rocking a cradle and darning stockings, as if she had done nothing else
+all her life. Grey hair, skilfully drawn lines on the forehead, and a
+plain gown, with cap, little shawl, and check apron, changed her into a
+comfortable, motherly creature who found favour the moment the curtain
+went up and discovered her rocking, darning, and crooning an old song.
+In a short soliloquy about Sam, her boy, who wanted to enlist;
+Dolly, her discontented little daughter, who longed for city ease and
+pleasures; and poor 'Elizy', who had married badly, and came home to
+die, bequeathing her baby to her mother, lest its bad father should
+claim it, the little story was very simply opened, and made effective
+by the real boiling of the kettle on the crane, the ticking of a tall
+clock, and the appearance of a pair of blue worsted shoes which
+waved fitfully in the air to the soft babble of a baby's voice. Those
+shapeless little shoes won the first applause; and Mr Laurie, forgetting
+elegance in satisfaction, whispered to his coadjutor:
+
+'I thought the baby would fetch them!'
+
+'If the dear thing won't squall in the wrong place, we are saved. But
+it is risky. Be ready to catch it if all Meg's cuddlings prove in vain,'
+answered Mrs Jo, adding, with a clutch at Mr Laurie's arm as a haggard
+face appeared at the window:
+
+'Here's Demi! I hope no one will recognize him when he comes on as the
+son. I'll never forgive you for not doing the villain yourself.'
+
+'Can't run the thing and act too. He's capitally made up, and likes a
+bit of melodrama.'
+
+'This scene ought to have come later; but I wanted to show that the
+mother was the heroine as soon as possible. I'm tired of love-sick girls
+and runaway wives. We'll prove that there's romance in old women also.
+Now he's coming!'
+
+And in slouched a degraded-looking man, shabby, unshaven, and evil-eyed,
+trying to assume a masterful air as he dismayed the tranquil old woman
+by demanding his child. A powerful scene followed; and Mrs Meg surprised
+even those who knew her best by the homely dignity with which she at
+first met the man she dreaded; then, as he brutally pressed his claim,
+she pleaded with trembling voice and hands to keep the little creature
+she had promised the dying mother to protect; and when he turned to
+take it by force, quite a thrill went through the house as the old woman
+sprung to snatch it from the cradle, and holding it close, defied him in
+God's name to tear it from that sacred refuge. It was really well done;
+and the round of applause that greeted the fine tableau of the indignant
+old woman, the rosy, blinking baby clinging to her neck, and the daunted
+man who dared not execute his evil purpose with such a defender for
+helpless innocence, told the excited authors that their first scene was
+a hit.
+
+The second was quieter, and introduced Josie as a bonny country lass
+setting the supper-table in a bad humour. The pettish way in which she
+slapped down the plates, hustled the cups, and cut the big brown loaf,
+as she related her girlish trials and ambitions, was capital. Mrs Jo
+kept her eye on Miss Cameron, and saw her nod approval several times at
+some natural tone or gesture, some good bit of by-play or a quick change
+of expression in the young face, which was as variable as an April day.
+Her struggle with the toasting-fork made much merriment; so did her
+contempt for the brown sugar, and the relish with which she sweetened
+her irksome duties by eating it; and when she sat, like Cinderella, on
+the hearth, tearfully watching the flames dance on the homely room, a
+girlish voice was heard to exclaim impulsively:
+
+'Poor little thing! she ought to have some fun!'
+
+The old woman enters; and mother and daughter have a pretty scene, in
+which the latter coaxes and threatens, kisses and cries, till she wins
+the reluctant consent of the former to visit a rich relation in the
+city; and from being a little thunder-cloud Dolly becomes bewitchingly
+gay and good, as soon as her wilful wish is granted. The poor old soul
+has hardly recovered from this trial when the son enters, in army
+blue, tells he has enlisted and must go. That is a hard blow; but the
+patriotic mother bears it well, and not till the thoughtless young folks
+have hastened away to tell their good news elsewhere does she break
+down. Then the country kitchen becomes pathetic as the old mother sits
+alone mourning over her children, till the grey head is hidden in the
+hands as she kneels down by the cradle to weep and pray, with only Baby
+to comfort her fond and faithful heart.
+
+Sniffs were audible all through the latter part of this scene; and
+when the curtain fell, people were so busy wiping their eyes that for
+a moment they forgot to applaud. That silent moment was more flattering
+than noise; and as Mrs Jo wiped the real tears off her sister's
+face, she said as solemnly as an unconscious dab of rouge on her nose
+permitted:
+
+'Meg, you have saved my play! Oh, why aren't you a real actress, and I a
+real playwright?'
+
+'Don't gush now, dear, but help me dress Josie; she's in such a quiver
+of excitement, I can't manage her, and this is her best scene, you
+know.'
+
+So it was; for her aunt had written it especially for her, and little Jo
+was happy in a gorgeous dress, with a train long enough to satisfy her
+wildest dreams. The rich relation's parlour was in festival array, and
+the country cousin sails in, looking back at her sweeping flounces with
+such artless rapture that no one had the heart to laugh at the pretty
+jay in borrowed plumes. She has confidences with herself in the mirror,
+from which it is made evident that she had discovered all is not gold
+that glitters, and has found greater temptations than those a girlish
+love of pleasure, luxury, and flattery bring her. She is sought by a
+rich lover; but her honest heart resists the allurements he offers,
+and in its innocent perplexity wishes 'mother' was there to comfort and
+counsel.
+
+A gay little dance, in which Dora, Nan, Bess, and several of the boys
+took part, made a good background for the humble figure of the old woman
+in her widow's bonnet, rusty shawl, big umbrella, and basket. Her naive
+astonishment, as she surveys the spectacle, feels the curtains, and
+smooths her old gloves during the moment she remains unseen, was very
+good; but Josie's unaffected start when she sees her, and the cry:
+'Why, there's mother!' was such a hearty little bit of nature, it hardly
+needed the impatient tripping over her train as she ran into the arms
+that seemed now to be her nearest refuge.
+
+The lover plays his part; and ripples of merriment greeted the old
+woman's searching questions and blunt answers during the interview which
+shows the girl how shallow his love is, and how near she had been to
+ruining her life as bitterly as poor 'Elizy' did. She gives her answer
+frankly, and when they are alone, looks from her own bedizened self
+to the shabby dress, work-worn hands, and tender face, crying with a
+repentant sob and kiss: 'Take me home, mother, and keep me safe. I've
+had enough of this!'
+
+'That will do you good, Maria; don't forget it,' said one lady to her
+daughter as the curtain went down; and the girl answered: 'Well, I'm
+sure I don't see why it's touching; but it is,' as she spread her lace
+handkerchief to dry.
+
+Tom and Nan came out strong in the next scene; for it was a ward in
+an army hospital, and surgeon and nurse went from bed to bed, feeling
+pulses, administering doses, and hearing complaints with an energy and
+gravity which convulsed the audience. The tragic element, never far from
+the comic at such times and places, came in when, while they bandaged
+an arm, the doctor told the nurse about an old woman who was searching
+through the hospital for her son, after days and nights on battlefields,
+through ambulances, and among scenes which would have killed most women.
+
+'She will be here directly, and I dread her coming, for I'm afraid the
+poor lad who has just gone is her boy. I'd rather face a cannon than
+these brave women, with their hope and courage and great sorrow,' says
+the surgeon.
+
+'Ah, these poor mothers break my heart!' adds the nurse, wiping her eyes
+on her big apron; and with the words Mrs Meg came in.
+
+There was the same dress, the basket and umbrella, the rustic speech,
+the simple manners; but all were made pathetic by the terrible
+experience which had changed the tranquil old woman to that haggard
+figure with wild eyes, dusty feet, trembling hands, and an expression of
+mingled anguish, resolution, and despair which gave the homely figure
+a tragic dignity and power that touched all hearts. A few broken words
+told the story of her vain search, and then the sad quest began again.
+People held their breath as, led by the nurse, she went from bed to
+bed, showing in her face the alternations of hope, dread, and bitter
+disappointment as each was passed. On a narrow cot was a long figure
+covered with a sheet, and here she paused to lay one hand on her heart
+and one on her eyes, as if to gather courage to look at the nameless
+dead. Then she drew down the sheet, gave a long shivering sigh of
+relief, saying softly:
+
+'Not my son, thank God! but some mother's boy.' And stooping down, she
+kissed the cold forehead tenderly.
+
+Somebody sobbed there, and Miss Cameron shook two tears out of her eyes,
+anxious to lose no look or gesture as the poor soul, nearly spent with
+the long strain, struggled on down the long line. But her search was
+happily ended for, as if her voice had roused him from his feverish
+sleep, a gaunt, wild-eyed man sat up in his bed, and stretching his arms
+to her, cried in a voice that echoed through the room:
+
+'Mother, mother! I knew you'd come to me!'
+
+She did go to him, with a cry of love and joy that thrilled every
+listener, as she gathered him in her arms with the tears and prayers and
+blessing such as only a fond and faithful old mother could give.
+
+The last scene was a cheerful contrast to this; for the country kitchen
+was bright with Christmas cheer, the wounded hero, with black patch and
+crutches well displayed, sat by the fire in the old chair whose familiar
+creak was soothing to his ear; pretty Dolly was stirring about, gaily
+trimming dresser, settle, high chimney-piece, and old-fashioned cradle
+with mistletoe and holly; while the mother rested beside her son, with
+that blessed baby on her knee. Refreshed by a nap and nourishment, this
+young actor now covered himself with glory by his ecstatic prancings,
+incoherent remarks to the audience, and vain attempts to get to the
+footlights, as he blinked approvingly at these brilliant toys. It was
+good to see Mrs Meg pat him on the back, cuddle the fat legs out of
+sight, and appease his vain longings with a lump of sugar, till Baby
+embraced her with a grateful ardour that brought him a round of applause
+all for his little self.
+
+A sound of singing outside disturbs the happy family, and, after a carol
+in the snowy moonlight, a flock of neighbours troop in with Christmas
+gifts and greetings. Much by-play made this a lively picture; for Sam's
+sweetheart hovered round him with a tenderness the Marquise did not
+show the Baron; and Dolly had a pretty bit under the mistletoe with her
+rustic adorer, who looked so like Ham Peggotty in his cowhide boots,
+rough jacket, and dark beard and wig, that no one would have recognized
+Ted but for the long legs, which no extent of leather could disguise. It
+ended with a homely feast, brought by the guests; and as they sat round
+the table covered with doughnuts and cheese, pumpkin-pie, and other
+delicacies, Sam rises on his crutches to propose the first toast, and
+holding up his mug of cider, says, with a salute, and a choke in his
+voice: 'Mother, God bless her!' All drink it standing, Dolly with her
+arm round the old woman's neck, as she hides her happy tears on her
+daughter's breast; while the irrepressible baby beat rapturously on the
+table with a spoon, and crowed audibly as the curtain went down.
+
+They had it up again in a jiffy to get a last look at the group about
+that central figure, which was showered with bouquets, to the great
+delight of the infant Roscius; till a fat rosebud hit him on the nose,
+and produced the much-dreaded squall, which, fortunately, only added to
+the fun at that moment.
+
+'Well, that will do for a beginning,' said Beaumont, with a sigh of
+relief, as the curtain descended for the last time, and the actors
+scattered to dress for the closing piece.
+
+'As an experiment, it is a success. Now we can venture to begin our
+great American drama,' answered Mrs Jo, full of satisfaction and grand
+ideas for the famous play--which, we may add, she did not write that
+year, owing to various dramatic events in her own family.
+
+The Owlsdark Marbles closed the entertainment, and, being something new,
+proved amusing to this very indulgent audience. The gods and goddesses
+on Parnassus were displayed in full conclave; and, thanks to Mrs Amy's
+skill in draping and posing, the white wigs and cotton-flannel robes
+were classically correct and graceful, though sundry modern additions
+somewhat marred the effect, while adding point to the showman's learned
+remarks. Mr Laurie was Professor Owlsdark in cap and gown; and, after
+a high-flown introduction, he proceeded to exhibit and explain his
+marbles. The first figure was a stately Minerva; but a second glance
+produced a laugh, for the words 'Women's Rights' adorned her shield, a
+scroll bearing the motto 'Vote early and often' hung from the beak of
+the owl perched on her lance, and a tiny pestle and mortar ornamented
+her helmet. Attention was drawn to the firm mouth, the piercing eye, the
+awe-inspiring brow, of the strong-minded woman of antiquity, and some
+scathing remarks made upon the degeneracy of her modern sisters who
+failed to do their duty. Mercury came next, and was very fine in his
+airy attitude, though the winged legs quivered as if it was difficult to
+keep the lively god in his place. His restless nature was dilated upon,
+his mischievous freaks alluded to, and a very bad character given to
+the immortal messenger-boy; which delighted his friends and caused
+the marble nose of the victim to curl visibly with scorn when derisive
+applause greeted a particularly hard hit. A charming little Hebe stood
+next, pouring nectar from a silver teapot into a blue china tea-cup. She
+also pointed a moral; for the Professor explained that the nectar of old
+was the beverage which cheers but does not inebriate, and regretted that
+the excessive devotion of American women to this classic brew proved so
+harmful, owing to the great development of brain their culture produced.
+A touch at modern servants, in contrast to this accomplished table-girl,
+made the statue's cheeks glow under the chalk, and brought her a hearty
+round as the audience recognized Dolly and the smart soubrette.
+
+Jove in all his majesty followed, as he and his wife occupied the
+central pedestals in the half-circle of immortals. A splendid Jupiter,
+with hair well set up off the fine brow, ambrosial beard, silver
+thunderbolts in one hand, and a well-worn ferule in the other. A
+large stuffed eagle from the museum stood at his feet; and the benign
+expression of his august countenance showed that he was in a good
+humour--as well he might be, for he was paid some handsome compliments
+upon his wise rule, the peaceful state of his kingdom, and the brood
+of all-accomplished Pallases that yearly issued from his mighty brain.
+Cheers greeted this and other pleasant words, and caused the thunderer
+to bow his thanks; for 'Jove nods', as everyone knows, and flattery wins
+the heart of gods and men.
+
+Mrs Juno, with her peacocks, darning-needle, pen, and cooking-spoon, did
+not get off so easily; for the Professor was down on her with all manner
+of mirth-provoking accusations, criticisms, and insults even. He alluded
+to her domestic infelicity, her meddlesome disposition, sharp tongue,
+bad temper, and jealousy, closing, however, with a tribute to her
+skill in caring for the wounds and settling the quarrels of belligerent
+heroes, as well as her love for youths in Olympus and on earth. Gales of
+laughter greeted these hits, varied by hisses from some indignant boys,
+who would not bear, even in joke, any disrespect to dear Mother Bhaer,
+who, however, enjoyed it all immensely, as the twinkle in her eye and
+the irrepressible pucker of her lips betrayed.
+
+A jolly Bacchus astride of his cask took Vulcan's place, and appeared to
+be very comfortable with a beer-mug in one hand, a champagne bottle in
+the other, and a garland of grapes on his curly head. He was the text
+of a short temperance lecture, aimed directly at a row of smart young
+gentlemen who lined the walls of the auditorium. George Cole was seen
+to dodge behind a pillar at one point, Dolly nudged his neighbour at
+another, and there was laughter all along the line as the Professor
+glared at them through his big glasses, and dragged their bacchanalian
+orgies to the light and held them up to scorn.
+
+Seeing the execution he had done, the learned man turned to the lovely
+Diana, who stood as white and still as the plaster stag beside her, with
+sandals, bow, and crescent; quite perfect, and altogether the best piece
+of statuary in the show. She was very tenderly treated by the paternal
+critic who, merely alluding to her confirmed spinsterhood, fondness for
+athletic sports, and oracular powers, gave a graceful little exposition
+of true art and passed on to the last figure.
+
+This was Apollo in full fig, his curls skilfully arranged to hide a
+well-whitened patch over the eye, his handsome legs correctly poised,
+and his gifted fingers about to draw divine music from the silvered
+gridiron which was his lyre. His divine attributes were described, as
+well as his little follies and failings, among which were his weakness
+for photography and flute-playing, his attempts to run a newspaper, and
+his fondness for the society of the Muses; which latter slap produced
+giggles and blushes among the girl-graduates, and much mirth among the
+stricken youths; for misery loves company, and after this they began to
+rally.
+
+Then, with a ridiculous conclusion, the Professor bowed his thanks;
+and after several recalls the curtain fell, but not quickly enough to
+conceal Mercury, wildly waving his liberated legs, Hebe dropping her
+teapot, Bacchus taking a lovely roll on his barrel, and Mrs Juno rapping
+the impertinent Owlsdark on the head with Jove's ruler.
+
+While the audience filed out to supper in the hall, the stage was a
+scene of dire confusion as gods and goddesses, farmers and barons,
+maids and carpenters, congratulated one another on the success of their
+labours. Assuming various costumes, actors and actresses soon joined
+their guests, to sip bounteous draughts of praise with their coffee, and
+cool their modest blushes with ice-cream. Mrs Meg was a proud and happy
+woman when Miss Cameron came to her as she sat by Josie, with Demi
+serving both, and said, so cordially that it was impossible to doubt the
+sincerity of her welcome words:
+
+'Mrs Brooke, I no longer wonder where your children get their talent.
+I make my compliments to the Baron and next summer you must let me have
+little “Dolly” as a pupil when we are at the beach.'
+
+One can easily imagine how this offer was received, as well as the
+friendly commendation bestowed by the same kind critic on the work of
+Beaumont and Fletcher, who hastened to explain that this trifle was only
+an attempt to make nature and art go hand in hand, with little help from
+fine writing or imposing scenery. Everybody was in the happiest mood,
+especially 'little Dolly', who danced like a will-o'-the-wisp with
+light-footed Mercury and Apollo as he promenaded with the Marquise on
+his arm, who seemed to have left her coquetry in the green room with her
+rouge.
+
+When all was over, Mrs Juno said to Jove, to whose arm she clung as they
+trudged home along the snowy paths: 'Fritz dear, Christmas is a good
+time for new resolutions, and I've made one never to be impatient or
+fretful with my beloved husband again. I know I am, though you won't own
+it; but Laurie's fun had some truth in it, and I felt hit in a tender
+spot. Henceforth I am a model wife, else I don't deserve the dearest,
+best man ever born'; and being in a dramatic mood, Mrs Juno tenderly
+embraced her excellent Jove in the moonlight, to the great amusement of
+sundry lingerers behind them.
+
+So all three plays might be considered successes, and that merry
+Christmas night a memorable one in the March family; for Demi got an
+unspoken question answered, Josie's fondest wish was granted, and,
+thanks to Professor Owlsdark's jest, Mrs Jo made Professor Bhaer's busy
+life quite a bed of roses by the keeping of her resolution. A few days
+later she had her reward for this burst of virtue in Dan's letter, which
+set her fears at rest and made her very happy, though she was unable to
+tell him so, because he sent her no address.
+
+
+
+Chapter 15. WAITING
+
+'My wife, I have bad news for thee,' said Professor Bhaer, coming in one
+day early in January.
+
+'Please tell it at once. I can't bear to wait, Fritz,' cried Mrs Jo,
+dropping her work and standing up as if to take the shot bravely.
+
+'But we must wait and hope, heart's-dearest. Come and let us bear it
+together. Emil's ship is lost, and as yet no news of him.'
+
+It was well Mr Bhaer had taken his wife into his strong arms, for she
+looked ready to drop, but bore up after a moment, and sitting by her
+good man, heard all that there was to tell. Tidings had been sent to the
+shipowners at Hamburg by some of the survivors, and telegraphed at once
+by Franz to his uncle. As one boat-load was safe, there was hope that
+others might also escape, though the gale had sent two to the bottom.
+A swift-sailing steamer had brought these scanty news, and happier ones
+might come at any hour; but kind Franz had not added that the sailors
+reported the captain's boat as undoubtedly wrecked by the falling mast,
+since the smoke hid its escape, and the gale soon drove all far asunder.
+But this sad rumour reached Plumfield in time; and deep was the mourning
+for the happyhearted Commodore, never to come singing home again. Mrs
+Jo refused to believe it, stoutly insisting that Emil would outlive
+any storm and yet turn up safe and gay. It was well she clung to this
+hopeful view, for poor Mr Bhaer was much afflicted by the loss of his
+boy, because his sister's sons had been his so long he scarcely knew a
+different love for his very own. Now was a chance for Mrs Juno to keep
+her word; and she did, speaking cheerily of Emil, even when hope waxed
+faint and her heart was heavy. If anything could comfort the Bhaers for
+the loss of one boy, it would have been the affection and sorrow shown
+by all the rest. Franz kept the cable busy with his varying messages,
+Nat sent loving letters from Leipzig, and Tom harassed the shipping
+agents for news. Even busy Jack wrote them with unusual warmth; Dolly
+and George came often, bearing the loveliest flowers and the
+daintiest bon-bons to cheer Mrs Bhaer and sweeten Josie's grief; while
+good-hearted Ned travelled all the way from Chicago to press their hands
+and say, with a tear in his eye: 'I was so anxious to hear all about the
+dear old boy, I couldn't keep away.'
+
+'That's right comfortable, and shows me that if I didn't teach my boys
+anything else, I did give them the brotherly love that will make them
+stand by one another all their lives,' said Mrs Jo, when he had gone.
+
+Rob answered reams of sympathizing letters, which showed how many
+friends they had; and the kindly praises of the lost man would have
+made Emil a hero and a saint, had they all been true. The elders bore
+it quietly, having learned submission in life's hard school; but the
+younger people rebelled; some hoped against hope and kept up, others
+despaired at once, and little Josie, Emil's pet cousin and playmate, was
+so broken-hearted nothing could comfort her. Nan dosed in vain, Daisy's
+cheerful words went by like the wind, and Bess's devices to amuse her
+all failed utterly. To cry in mother's arms and talk about the wreck,
+which haunted her even in her sleep, was all she cared to do; and Mrs
+Meg was getting anxious when Miss Cameron sent Josie a kind note bidding
+her learn bravely her first lesson in real tragedy, and be like the
+self-sacrificing heroines she loved to act. That did the little girl
+good, and she made an effort in which Teddy and Octoo helped her much;
+for the boy was deeply impressed by this sudden eclipse of the firefly
+whose light and life all missed when they were gone, and lured her out
+every day for long drives behind the black mare, who shook her silvery
+bells till they made such merry music Josie could not help listening to
+it, and whisked her over the snowy roads at a pace which set the blood
+dancing in her veins and sent her home strengthened and comforted by
+sunshine, fresh air, and congenial society--three aids young sufferers
+seldom can resist.
+
+As Emil was helping nurse Captain Hardy, safe and well, aboard the ship,
+all this sorrow would seem wasted; but it was not, for it drew many
+hearts more closely together by a common grief, taught some patience,
+some sympathy, some regret for faults that lie heavy on the conscience
+when the one sinned against is gone, and all of them the solemn lesson
+to be ready when the summons comes. A hush lay over Plumfield for weeks,
+and the studious faces on the hill reflected the sadness of those in the
+valley. Sacred music sounded from Parnassus to comfort all who heard;
+the brown cottage was beseiged with gifts for the little mourner, and
+Emil's flag hung at half-mast on the roof where he last sat with Mrs Jo.
+
+So the weeks went heavily by till suddenly, like a thunderbolt out of a
+clear sky, came the news, 'All safe, letters on the way.' Then up went
+the flag, out rang the college bells, bang went Teddy's long-unused
+cannon, and a chorus of happy voices cried 'Thank God', as people went
+about, laughing, crying, and embracing one another in a rapture of
+delight. By and by the longed-for letters came, and all the story of the
+wreck was told; briefly by Emil, eloquently by Mrs Hardy, gratefully by
+the captain, while Mary added a few tender words that went straight to
+their hearts and seemed the sweetest of all. Never were letters so read,
+passed round, admired, and cried over as these; for Mrs Jo carried them
+in her pocket when Mr Bhaer did not have them in his, and both took a
+look at them when they said their prayers at night. Now the Professor
+was heard humming like a big bee again as he went to his classes, and
+the lines smoothed out of Mother Bhaer's forehead, while she wrote this
+real story to anxious friends and let her romances wait. Now messages
+of congratulation flowed in, and beaming faces showed everywhere. Rob
+amazed his parents by producing a poem which was remarkably good for one
+of his years, and Demi set it to music that it might be sung when the
+sailor boy returned. Teddy stood on his head literally, and tore about
+the neighbourhood on Octoo, like a second Paul Revere--only his tidings
+were good. But best of all, little Josie lifted up her head as the
+snowdrops did, and began to bloom again, growing tall and quiet, with
+the shadow of past sorrow to tone down her former vivacity and show
+that she had learned a lesson in trying to act well her part on the real
+stage, where all have to take their share in the great drama of life.
+
+Now another sort of waiting began; for the travellers were on their way
+to Hamburg, and would stay there awhile before coming home, as Uncle
+Hermann owned the Brenda, and the captain must report to him. Emil must
+remain to Franz's wedding, deferred till now because of the season of
+mourning, so happily ended. These plans were doubly welcome and pleasant
+after the troublous times which went before, and no spring ever seemed
+so beautiful as this one; for, as Teddy put it:
+
+    'Now is the winter of our discontent
+     Made glorious by these sons of Bhaer!'
+
+Franz and Emil being regarded in the light of elder brothers by the real
+'sons of Bhaer'.
+
+There was great scrubbing and dusting among the matrons as they set
+their houses in order not only for Class Day, but to receive the bride
+and groom, who were to come to them for the honeymoon trip. Great plans
+were made, gifts prepared, and much joy felt at the prospect of seeing
+Franz again; though Emil, who was to accompany them, would be the
+greater hero. Little did the dear souls dream what a surprise was in
+store for them, as they innocently laid their plans and wished all the
+boys could be there to welcome home their eldest and their Casablanca.
+
+While they wait and work so happily, let us see how our other absent
+boys are faring as they too wait and work and hope for better days. Nat
+was toiling steadily along the path he had wisely chosen, though it was
+by no means strewn with flowers--quite thorny was it, in fact, and hard
+to travel, after the taste of ease and pleasure he had got when nibbling
+at forbidden fruit. But his crop of wild oats was a light one, and he
+resolutely reaped what he had sowed, finding some good wheat among
+the tares. He taught by day; he fiddled night after night in the dingy
+little theatre, and he studied so diligently that his master was well
+pleased, and kept him in mind as one to whom preferment was due, if any
+chance occurred. Gay friends forgot him; but the old ones stood fast,
+and cheered him up when Heimweh and weariness made him sad. As spring
+came on things mended--expenses grew less, work pleasanter, and life
+more bearable than when wintry storms beat on his thinly clad back, and
+frost pinched the toes that patiently trudged in old boots. No debts
+burdened him; the year of absence was nearly over; and if he chose to
+stay, Herr Bergmann had hopes for him that would bring independence for
+a time at least. So he walked under the lindens with a lighter heart,
+and in the May evenings went about the city with a band of strolling
+students, making music before houses where he used to sit as guest. No
+one recognized him in the darkness, though old friends often listened
+to the band; and once Minna threw him money, which he humbly received as
+part of his penance, being morbid on the subject of his sins.
+
+His reward came sooner than he expected, and was greater than he
+deserved, he thought, though his heart leaped with joy when his master
+one day informed him that he was chosen, with several other of his most
+promising pupils, to join the musical society which was to take part in
+the great festival in London the next July. Here was not only honour for
+the violinist but happiness for the man, as it brought him nearer home,
+and would open a chance of further promotion and profit in his chosen
+profession.
+
+'Make thyself useful to Bachmeister there in London with thy English,
+and if all goes well with him, he will be glad to take thee to America,
+whither he goes in the early autumn for winter concerts. Thou hast done
+well these last months, and I have hopes of thee.'
+
+As the great Bergmann seldom praised his pupils, these words filled
+Nat's soul with pride and joy, and he worked yet more diligently than
+before to fulfil his master's prophecy. He thought the trip to England
+happiness enough, but found room for more when, early in June, Franz
+and Emil paid him a flying visit, bringing all sorts of good news, kind
+wishes, and comfortable gifts for the lonely fellow, who could have
+fallen on their necks and cried like a girl at seeing his old mates
+again. How glad he was to be found in his little room busy at his proper
+work, not living like an idle gentleman on borrowed money! How proud
+he was to tell his plans, assure them that he had no debts, and receive
+their praises for his improvement in music, their respect for his
+economy and steadfastness in well-doing! How relieved when, having
+honestly confessed his shortcomings, they only laughed, and owned that
+they also had known like experiences, and were the wiser for them. He
+was to go to the wedding late in June, and join his comrades in London.
+As best man, he could not refuse the new suit Franz insisted on ordering
+for him; and a cheque from home about that time made him feel like a
+millionaire--and a happy one; for this was accompanied by such kind
+letters full of delight in his success, he felt that he had earned it,
+and waited for his joyful holiday with the impatience of a boy.
+
+Dan meantime was also counting the weeks till August, when he would
+be free. But neither marriage-bells nor festival music awaited him; no
+friends would greet him as he left the prison; no hopeful prospect lay
+before him; no happy home-going was to be his. Yet his success was far
+greater than Nat's, though only God and one good man saw it. It was
+a hard-won battle; but he would never have to fight so terrible a
+one again; for though enemies would still assail from within and from
+without, he had found the little guide-book that Christian carried in
+his bosom, and Love, Penitence, and Prayer, the three sweet sisters, had
+given him the armour which would keep him safe. He had not learned to
+wear it yet, and chafed against it, though he felt its value, thanks to
+the faithful friend who had stood by him all that bitter year.
+
+Soon he was to be free again, worn and scarred in the fray, but out
+among men in the blessed sun and air. When he thought of it Dan felt as
+if he could not wait, but must burst that narrow cell and fly away,
+as the caddis-worms he used to watch by the brookside shed their stony
+coffins, to climb the ferns and soar into the sky. Night after night he
+lulled himself to sleep with planning how, when he had seen Mary Mason
+according to his promise, he would steer straight for his old friends,
+the Indians, and in the wilderness hide his disgrace and heal his
+wounds. Working to save the many would atone for the sin of killing
+one, he thought; and the old free life would keep him safe from the
+temptations that beset him in cities.
+
+'By and by, when I'm all right again, and have something to tell that
+I'm not ashamed of, I'll go home,' he said, with a quicker beat of the
+impetuous heart that longed to be there so intensely, he found it as
+hard to curb as one of his unbroken horses on the plains. 'Not yet. I
+must get over this first. They'd see and smell and feel the prison taint
+on me, if I went now, and I couldn't look them in the face and hide
+the truth. I can't lose Ted's love, Mother Bhaer's confidence, and the
+respect of the girls, for they did respect my strength, anyway; but now
+they wouldn't touch me.' And poor Dan looked with a shudder at the brown
+fist he clenched involuntarily as he remembered what it had done since
+a certain little white hand had laid in it confidingly. 'I'll make 'em
+proud of me yet; and no one shall ever know of this awful year. I can
+wipe it out, and I will, so help me God!' And the clenched hand was held
+up as if to take a solemn oath that this lost year should yet be made
+good, if resolution and repentance could work the miracle.
+
+
+
+Chapter 16. IN THE TENNIS-COURT
+
+Athletic sports were in high favour at Plumfield; and the river where
+the old punt used to wabble about with a cargo of small boys, or echo to
+the shrill screams of little girls trying to get lilies, now was
+alive with boats of all kinds, from the slender wherry to the trim
+pleasure-craft, gay with cushions, awnings, and fluttering pennons.
+Everyone rowed, and the girls as well as the youths had their races, and
+developed their muscles in the most scientific manner. The large, level
+meadow near the old willow was now the college playground, and here
+baseball battles raged with fury, varied by football, leaping, and
+kindred sports fitted to split the fingers, break the ribs, and strain
+the backs of the too ambitious participants. The gentler pastimes of the
+damsels were at a safe distance from this Champ de Mars; croquet mallets
+clicked under the elms that fringed the field, rackets rose and fell
+energetically in several tennis-courts, and gates of different heights
+were handy to practise the graceful bound by which every girl expected
+to save her life some day when the mad bull, which was always coming but
+never seemed to arrive, should be bellowing at her heels.
+
+One of these tennis grounds was called 'Jo's Court', and here the little
+lady ruled like a queen; for she was fond of the game, and being bent on
+developing her small self to the highest degree of perfection, she was
+to be found at every leisure moment with some victim hard at it. On a
+certain pleasant Saturday afternoon she had been playing with Bess and
+beating her; for, though more graceful, the Princess was less active
+than her cousin, and cultivated her roses by quieter methods.
+
+'Oh dear! you are tired, and every blessed boy is at that stupid
+baseball match. 'What shall I do?' sighed Josie, pushing back the great
+red hat she wore, and gazing sadly round her for more worlds to conquer.
+
+'I'll play presently, when I'm a little cooler. But it is dull work for
+me, as I never win,' answered Bess, fanning herself with a large leaf.
+
+Josie was about to sit down beside her on the rustic seat and wait, when
+her quick eye saw afar off two manly forms arrayed in white flannel;
+their blue legs seemed bearing them towards the battle going on in the
+distance; but they never reached the fray; for with a cry of joy,
+Jo raced away to meet them, bent on securing this heaven-sent
+reinforcement. Both paused as she came flying up, and both raised their
+hats; but oh, the difference there was in the salutes! The stout youth
+pulled his off lazily and put it on again at once, as if glad to get the
+duty over; the slender being, with the crimson tie, lifted his with a
+graceful bend, and held it aloft while he accosted the rosy, breathless
+maid, thus permitting her to see his raven locks smoothly parted, with
+one little curl upon the brow. Dolly prided himself upon that bow, and
+practised it before his glass, but did not bestow it upon all alike,
+regarding it as a work of art, fit only for the fairest and most
+favoured of his female admirers; for he was a pretty youth, and fancied
+himself an Adonis.
+
+Eager Josie evidently did not appreciate the honour he did her, for with
+a nod she begged them both to 'come along and play tennis, not go and
+get all hot and dirty with the boys'. These two adjectives won the day;
+for Stuffy was already warmer than he liked to be, and Dolly had on
+a new suit which he desired to keep immaculate as long as possible,
+conscious that it was very becoming.
+
+'Charmed to oblige,' answered the polite one, with another bend.
+
+'You play, I'll rest,' added the fat boy, yearning for repose and gentle
+converse with the Princess in the cooling shade.
+
+'Well, you can comfort Bess, for I've beaten her all to bits and she
+needs amusing. I know you've got something nice in your pocket, George;
+give her some, and 'Dolphus can have her racket. Now then, fly round';
+and driving her prey before her, Josie returned in triumph to the court.
+
+Casting himself ponderously upon the bench, which creaked under his
+weight, Stuffy--as we will continue to call him, though no one
+else dared to use the old name now--promptly produced the box of
+confectionery, without which he never travelled far, and regaled Bess
+with candied violets and other dainties, while Dolly worked hard to hold
+his own against a most accomplished antagonist. He would have beaten her
+if an unlucky stumble, which produced an unsightly stain upon the knee
+of those new shorts, had not distracted his mind and made him careless.
+Much elated at her victory, Josie permitted him to rest, and offered
+ironical consolation for the mishap which evidently weighed upon his
+mind.
+
+'Don't be an old Betty; it can be cleaned. You must have been a cat
+in some former state, you are so troubled about dirt; or a tailor, and
+lived for clothes.'
+
+'Come now, don't hit a fellow when he is down,' responded Dolly from
+the grass where he and Stuffy now lay to make room for both girls on the
+seat. One handkerchief was spread under him, and his elbow leaned upon
+another, while his eyes were sadly fixed upon the green and brown spot
+which afflicted him. 'I like to be neat; don't think it civil to cut
+about in old shoes and grey flannel shirts before ladies. Our fellows
+are gentlemen, and dress as such,' he added, rather nettled at the
+word 'tailor'; for he owed one of those too attractive persons an
+uncomfortably big bill.
+
+'So are ours; but good clothes alone don't make a gentleman here. We
+require a good deal more,' flashed Josie, in arms at once to defend
+her college. 'You will hear of some of the men in “old boots and grey
+flannel” when you and your fine gentlemen are twiddling your ties and
+scenting your hair in obscurity. I like old boots and wear them, and I
+hate dandies; don't you, Bess?'
+
+'Not when they are kind to me, and belong to our old set,' answered
+Bess, with a nod of thanks to Dolly, who was carefully removing an
+inquisitive caterpillar from one of her little russet shoes.
+
+'I like a lady who is always polite, and doesn't snap a man's head off
+if he has a mind of his own; don't you, George?' asked Dolly, with his
+best smile for Bess and a Harvard stare of disapprobation for Josie.
+
+A tranquil snore was Stuffy's sole reply, and a general laugh restored
+peace for the moment. But Josie loved to harass the lords of creation
+who asserted themselves too much, and bided her time for another attack
+till she had secured more tennis. She got another game; for Dolly was
+a sworn knight of dames, so he obeyed her call, leaving Bess to sketch
+George as he lay upon his back, his stout legs crossed, and his round
+red face partially eclipsed by his hat. Josie got beaten this time and
+came back rather cross, so she woke the peaceful sleeper by tickling his
+nose with a straw till he sneezed himself into a sitting posture, and
+looked wrathfully about for 'that confounded fly'.
+
+'Come, sit up and let us have a little elegant conversation; you
+“howling swells” ought to improve our minds and manners, for we are
+only poor “country girls in dowdy gowns and hats”,' began the gad-fly,
+opening the battle with a sly quotation from one of Dolly's unfortunate
+speeches about certain studious damsels who cared more for books than
+finery.
+
+'I didn't mean you! Your gowns are all right, and those hats the latest
+thing out,' began poor 'Dolphus, convicting himself by the incautious
+exclamation.
+
+'Caught you that time; I thought you fellows were all gentlemen, civil
+as well as nice. But you are always sneering at girls who don't dress
+well and that is a very unmanly thing to do; my mother said so'; and
+Josie felt that she had dealt a shrewd blow at the elegant youth who
+bowed at many shrines if they were well-decorated ones.
+
+'Got you there, old boy, and she's right. You never hear me talk about
+clothes and such twaddle,' said Stuffy, suppressing a yawn, and feeling
+for another bon-bon wherewith to refresh himself.
+
+'You talk about eating, and that is even worse for a man. You will marry
+a cook and keep a restaurant some day,' laughed Josie, down on him at
+once.
+
+This fearful prediction kept him silent for several moments; but Dolly
+rallied, and wisely changing the subject, carried war into the enemy's
+camp.
+
+'As you wanted us to improve your manners, allow me to say that young
+ladies in good society don't make personal remarks or deliver lectures.
+Little girls who are not out do it, and think it witty; but I assure you
+it's not good form.'
+
+Josie paused a moment to recover from the shock of being called 'a
+little girl', when all the honours of her fourteenth birthday were fresh
+upon her; and Bess said, in the lofty tone which was infinitely more
+crushing than Jo's impertinence:
+
+'That is true; but we have lived all our lives with superior people, so
+we have no society talk like your young ladies. We are so accustomed to
+sensible conversation, and helping one another by telling our faults,
+that we have no gossip to offer you.'
+
+When the Princess reproved, the boys seldom resented it; so Dolly held
+his peace, and Josie burst out, following her cousin's lead, which she
+thought a happy one:
+
+'Our boys like to have us talk with them, and take kindly any hints we
+give. They don't think they know everything and are quite perfect at
+eighteen, as I've observed the Harvard men do, especially the very young
+ones.'
+
+Josie took immense satisfaction in that return shot; and Dolly showed
+that he was hit, by the nettled tone in which he answered, with a
+supercilious glance at the hot, dusty, and noisy crowd on the baseball
+ground: 'The class of fellows you have here need all the polish and
+culture you can give them; and I'm glad they get it. Our men are largely
+from the best families all over the country, so we don't need girls to
+teach us anything.'
+
+'It's a pity you don't have more of such “fellows” as ours. They value
+and use well what college gives them, and aren't satisfied to slip
+through, getting all the fun they can and shirking the work. Oh, I've
+heard you “men” talk, and heard your fathers say they wish they hadn't
+wasted time and money just that you might say you'd been through
+college. As for the girls, you'll be much better off in all ways when
+they do get in, and keep you lazy things up to the mark, as we do here.'
+
+'If you have such a poor opinion of us, why do you wear our colour?'
+asked Dolly, painfully conscious that he was not improving the
+advantages his Alma Mater offered him, but bound to defend her.
+
+'I don't; my hat is scarlet, not crimson. Much you know about a colour,'
+scoffed Josie.
+
+'I know that a cross cow would soon set you scampering, if you flaunted
+that red tile under her nose,' retorted Dolly.
+
+'I'm ready for her. Can your fine young ladies do this? or you either?'
+and burning to display her latest accomplishment, Josie ran to the
+nearest gate, put one hand on the top rail, and vaulted over as lightly
+as a bird.
+
+Bess shook her head, and Stuffy languidly applauded; but Dolly scorning
+to be braved by a girl, took a flying leap and landed on his feet beside
+Josie, saying calmly: 'Can you do that?'
+
+'Not yet; but I will by and by.'
+
+As his foe looked a little crestfallen, Dolly relented, and affably
+added sundry feats of a like nature, quite unconscious that he had
+fallen into a dreadful snare; for the dull red paint on the gate, not
+being used to such vigorous handling, came off in streaks upon his
+shoulders when he turned a backward swing and came up smiling, to be
+rewarded with the aggravating remark:
+
+'If you want to know what crimson is, look at your back; it's nicely
+stamped on and won't wash out, I think.'
+
+'The deuce it won't!' cried Dolly, trying to get an impossible view, and
+giving it up in great disgust.
+
+'I guess we'd better be going, Dolf,' said peaceable Stuffy, feeling
+that it would be wise to retreat before another skirmish took place, as
+his side seemed to be getting the worst of it.
+
+'Don't hurry, I beg; stay and rest; you must need it after the
+tremendous amount of brain work you've done this week. It is time for
+our Greek. Come, Bess. Good afternoon, gentlemen.' And, with a sweeping
+courtesy, Josie led the way, with her hat belligerently cocked up, and
+her racket borne like a triumphal banner over one shoulder; for having
+had the last word, she felt that she could retire with the honours of
+war.
+
+Dolly gave Bess his best bow, with the chill on; and Stuffy subsided
+luxuriously, with his legs in the air, murmuring in a dreamy tone:
+
+'Little Jo is as cross as two sticks today. I'm going in for another
+nap: too hot to play anything.'
+
+'So it is. Wonder if Spitfire was right about these beastly spots?'
+And Dolly sat down to try dry cleansing with one of his handkerchiefs.
+'Asleep?' he asked, after a few moments of this cheerful occupation,
+fearing that his chum might be too comfortable when he was in a fume
+himself.
+
+'No. I was thinking that Jo wasn't far wrong about shirking. 'Tis a
+shame to get so little done, when we ought to be grinding like Morton
+and Torry and that lot. I never wanted to go to college; but my governor
+made me. Much good it will do either of us!' answered Stuffy, with a
+groan; for he hated work, and saw two more long years of it before him.
+
+'Gives a man prestige, you know. No need to dig. I mean to have a gay
+old time, and be a “howling swell”, if I choose. Between you and me
+though, it would be no end jolly to have the girls along. Study be
+hanged! But if we've got to turn the grindstone, it would be mighty nice
+to have some of the little dears to lend a hand. Wouldn't it now?'
+
+'I'd like three this minute--one to fan me, one to kiss me, and one
+to give me some iced lemonade!' sighed Stuffy, with a yearning glance
+towards the house, whence no succour appeared.
+
+'How would root-beer do?' asked a voice behind them, which made Dolly
+spring to his feet and Stuffy roll over like a startled porpoise.
+
+Sitting on the stile that crossed the wall near by was Mrs Jo, with two
+jugs slung over her shoulder by a strap, several tin mugs in her hand,
+and an old-fashioned sun-bonnet on her head.
+
+'I knew the boys would be killing themselves with ice-water; so I
+strolled down with some of my good, wholesome beer. They drank like
+fishes. But Silas was with me; so my cruse still holds out. Have some?'
+
+'Yes, thanks, very much. Let us pour it.' And Dolly held the cup while
+Stuffy joyfully filled it; both very grateful, but rather afraid she had
+heard what went before the wish she fulfilled.
+
+She proved that she had by saying, as they stood drinking her health,
+while she sat between them, looking like a middle-aged vivandiere, with
+her jugs and mugs:
+
+'I was glad to hear you say you would like to have girls at your
+college; but I hope you will learn to speak more respectfully of them
+before they come; for that will be the first lesson they will teach
+you.'
+
+'Really, ma'am, I was only joking,' began Stuffy, gulping down his beer
+in a hurry.
+
+'So was I. I'm sure I--I'm devoted to 'em,' stuttered Dolly,
+panic-stricken; for he saw that he was in for a lecture of some sort.
+
+'Not in the right way. Frivolous girls may like to be called “little
+dears” and things of that sort; but the girls who love study wish to be
+treated like reasonable beings, not dolls to flirt with. Yes, I'm going
+to preach; that's my business; so stand up and take it like men.'
+
+Mrs Jo laughed; but she was in earnest; for by various hints and signs
+during the past winter she knew that the boys were beginning to 'see
+life' in the way she especially disapproved. Both were far from home,
+had money enough to waste, and were as inexperienced, curious, and
+credulous as most lads of their age. Not fond of books, therefore
+without the safeguard which keeps many studious fellows out of harm; one
+self-indulgent, indolent, and so used to luxury that pampering of the
+senses was an easy thing; the other vain, as all comely boys are, full
+of conceit, and so eager to find favour in the eyes of his comrades
+that he was ready for anything which would secure it. These traits and
+foibles made both peculiarly liable to the temptations which assail
+pleasure-loving and weak-willed boys. Mrs Jo knew them well, and had
+dropped many a warning word since they went to college; but till lately
+they seemed not to understand some of her friendly hints; now she was
+sure they would, and meant to speak out: for long experience with boys
+made her both bold and skilful in handling some of the dangers usually
+left to silence, till it is too late for anything but pity and reproach.
+
+'I'm going to talk to you like a mother, because yours are far away; and
+there are things that mothers can manage best, if they do their duty,'
+she solemnly began from the depths of the sunbonnet.
+
+'Great Scott! We're in for it now!' thought Dolly, in secret dismay;
+while Stuffy got the first blow by trying to sustain himself with
+another mug of beer.
+
+'That won't hurt you; but I must warn you about drinking other things,
+George. Overeating is an old story; and a few more fits of illness will
+teach you to be wise. But drinking is a more serious thing, and leads
+to worse harm than any that can afflict your body alone. I hear you
+talk about wines as if you knew them and cared more for them than a
+boy should; and several times I've heard jokes that meant mischief. For
+heaven's sake, don't begin to play with this dangerous taste “for fun”,
+as you say, or because it's the fashion, and the other fellows do. Stop
+at once, and learn that temperance in all things is the only safe rule.'
+
+'Upon my honour, I only take wine and iron. I need a tonic, mother
+says, to repair the waste of brain-tissue while I'm studying,' protested
+Stuffy, putting down the mug as if it burnt his fingers.
+
+'Good beef and oatmeal will repair your tissues much better than any
+tonic of that sort. Work and plain fare are what you want; and I wish
+I had you here for a few months out of harm's way. I'd Banting you, and
+fit you to run without puffing, and get on without four or five meals a
+day. What an absurd hand that is for a man! You ought to be ashamed
+of it!' And Mrs Jo caught up the plump fist, with deep dimples at each
+knuckle, which was fumbling distressfully at the buckle of the belt girt
+about a waist far too large for a youth of his age.
+
+'I can't help it--we all grow fat; it's in the family,' said Stuffy in
+self-defence.
+
+'All the more reason you should live carefully. Do you want to die
+early, or be an invalid all your life?'
+
+'No, ma'am!'
+
+Stuffy looked so scared that Mrs Jo could not be hard upon his budding
+sins, for they lay at his overindulgent mother's door line in a great
+measure; so she softened the tone of her voice, and added, with a little
+slap on the fat hand, as she used to do when it was small enough to
+pilfer lumps of sugar from her bowl:
+
+'Then be careful; for a man writes his character in his face; and you
+don't want gluttony and intemperance in yours, I know.'
+
+'I'm sure I don't! Please make out a wholesome bill of fare, and I'll
+stick to it, if I can. I am getting stout, and I don't like it; and my
+liver's torpid, and I have palpitations and headache. Overwork, mother
+says; but it may be overeating.' And Stuffy gave a sigh of mingled
+regret for the good things he renounced, and relief as he finished
+loosening his belt as soon as his hand was free.
+
+'I will; follow it, and in a year you'll be a man and not a meal-bag.
+Now, Dolly'; and Mrs Jo turned to the other culprit, who shook in his
+shoes and wished he hadn't come.
+
+'Are you studying French as industriously as you were last winter?'
+
+'No ma'am; I don't care for it--that is, I, I'm busy with G-Greek just
+now,' answered Dolly, beginning bravely, quite in the dark as to what
+that odd question meant till a sudden memory made him stutter and look
+at his shoes with deep interest.
+
+'Oh, he doesn't study it; only reads French novels and goes to the
+theatre when the opera bouffe is here,' said Stuffy, innocently
+confirming Mrs Jo's suspicions.
+
+'So I understood; and that is what I want to speak about. Ted had a
+sudden desire to learn French in that way, from something you said,
+Dolly; so I went myself, and was quite satisfied that it was no place
+for a decent boy. Your men were out in full force; and I was glad to
+see that some of the younger ones looked as ashamed as I felt. The older
+fellows enjoyed it, and when we came out were waiting to take those
+painted girls to supper. Did you ever go with them?'
+
+'Once.'
+
+'Did you like it?'
+
+'No 'm; I--I came away early,' stammered Dolly, with a face as red as
+his splendid tie.
+
+'I'm glad you have not lost the grace of blushing yet; but you will
+soon, if you keep up this sort of study and forget to be ashamed. The
+society of such women will unfit you for that of good ones, and lead you
+into trouble and sin and shame. Oh, why don't the city fathers stop that
+evil thing, when they know the harm it does? It made my heart ache to
+see those boys, who ought to be at home and in their beds, going off for
+a night of riot which would help to ruin some of them for ever.'
+
+The youths looked scared at Mrs Jo's energetic protest against one of
+the fashionable pleasures of the day, and waited in conscience-stricken
+silence--Stuffy glad that he never went to those gay suppers, and
+Dolly deeply grateful that he 'came away early'. With a hand on either
+shoulder, and all the terrors smoothed from her brow, Mrs Jo went on
+in her most motherly tone, anxious to do for them what no other woman
+would, and do it kindly:
+
+'My dear boys, if I didn't love you, I would not say these things. I
+know they are not pleasant; but my conscience won't let me hold my peace
+when a word may keep you from two of the great sins that curse the world
+and send so many young men to destruction. You are just beginning to
+feel the allurement of them, and soon it will be hard to turn away. Stop
+now, I beg of you, and not only save yourselves but help others by
+a brave example. Come to me if things worry you; don't be afraid or
+ashamed; I have heard many sadder confessions than any you are ever
+likely to bring me, and been able to comfort many poor fellows, gone
+wrong for want of a word in time. Do this, and you will be able to
+kiss your mothers with clean lips, and by and by have the right to ask
+innocent girls to love you.'
+
+'Yes'm, thank you. I suppose you're right; but it's pretty hard work
+to toe the mark when ladies give you wine and gentlemen take their
+daughters to see Aimee,' said Dolly, foreseeing tribulations ahead
+though he knew it was time to 'pull up'.
+
+'So it is; but all the more honour to those who are brave and wise
+enough to resist public opinion, and the easy-going morals of bad or
+careless men and women. Think of the persons whom you respect most, and
+in imitating them you will secure the respect of those who look up to
+you. I'd rather my boys should be laughed at and cold-shouldered by a
+hundred foolish fellows than lose what, once gone, no power can give
+them back--innocence and self-respect. I don't wonder you find it
+“hard to toe the mark”, when books, pictures, ball-rooms, theatres, and
+streets offer temptations; yet you can resist, if you try. Last winter
+Mrs Brooke used to worry about John's being out so late reporting; but
+when she spoke to him about the things he must see and hear on his way
+to and fro from the office at midnight, he said in his sober way, “I
+know what you mean, mother; but no fellow need to go wrong unless he
+wants to.”
+
+'That's like the Deacon!' exclaimed Stuffy, with an approving smile on
+his fat face.
+
+'I'm glad you told me that. He's right; and it's because he doesn't want
+to go wrong we all respect him so,' added Dolly, looking up now with
+an expression which assured his Mentor that the right string had been
+touched, and a spirit of emulation roused, more helpful, perhaps, than
+any words of hers. Seeing this, she was satisfied, and said, as she
+prepared to leave the bar before which her culprits had been tried and
+found guilty, but recommended to mercy:
+
+'Then be to others what John is to you--a good example. Forgive me for
+troubling you, my dear lads, and remember my little preachment. I think
+it will do you good, though I may never know it. Chance words spoken
+in kindness often help amazingly; and that's what old people are here
+for--else their experience is of little use. Now, come and find the
+young folk. I hope I shall never have to shut the gates of Plumfield
+upon you, as I have on some of your “gentlemen”. I mean to keep my
+boys and girls safe if I can, and this a wholesome place where the good
+old-fashioned virtues are lived and taught.'
+
+Much impressed by that dire threat, Dolly helped her from her perch with
+deep respect; and Stuffy relieved her of her empty jugs, solemnly vowing
+to abstain from all fermented beverages except root-beer, as long
+as feeble flesh could hold out. Of course they made light of 'Mother
+Bhaer's lecture' when they were alone--that was to be expected of 'men
+of our class' but in their secret souls they thanked her for giving
+their boyish consciences a jog, and more than once afterward had cause
+to remember gratefully that half-hour in the tennis court.
+
+
+
+Chapter 17. AMONG THE MAIDS
+
+Although this story is about Jo's boys, her girls cannot be neglected,
+because they held a high place in this little republic, and especial
+care was taken to fit them to play their parts worthily in the great
+republic which offered them wider opportunities and more serious duties.
+To many the social influence was the better part of the training
+they received; for education is not confined to books, and the finest
+characters often graduate from no college, but make experience their
+master, and life their book. Others cared only for the mental culture,
+and were in danger of over-studying, under the delusion which pervades
+New England that learning must be had at all costs, forgetting that
+health and real wisdom are better. A third class of ambitious girls
+hardly knew what they wanted, but were hungry for whatever could fit
+them to face the world and earn a living, being driven by necessity,
+the urgency of some half-conscious talent, or the restlessness of
+strong young natures to break away from the narrow life which no longer
+satisfied.
+
+At Plumfield all found something to help them; for the growing
+institution had not yet made its rules as fixed as the laws of the
+Medes and Persians, and believed so heartily in the right of all
+sexes, colours, creeds, and ranks to education, that there was room
+for everyone who knocked, and a welcome to the shabby youths from up
+country, the eager girls from the West, the awkward freedman or woman
+from the South, or the well-born student whose poverty made this college
+a possibility when other doors were barred. There still was prejudice,
+ridicule, neglect in high places, and prophecies of failure to contend
+against; but the Faculty was composed of cheerful, hopeful men and women
+who had seen greater reforms spring from smaller roots, and after stormy
+seasons blossom beautifully, to add prosperity and honour to the nation.
+So they worked on steadily and bided their time, full of increasing
+faith in their attempt as year after year their numbers grew, their
+plans succeeded, and the sense of usefulness in this most vital of all
+professions blessed them with its sweet rewards.
+
+Among the various customs which had very naturally sprung up was one
+especially useful and interesting to 'the girls', as the young women
+liked to be called. It all grew out of the old sewing hour still kept up
+by the three sisters long after the little work-boxes had expanded into
+big baskets full of household mending. They were busy women, yet on
+Saturdays they tried to meet in one of the three sewing-rooms; for
+even classic Parnassus had its nook where Mrs Amy often sat among her
+servants, teaching them to make and mend, thereby giving them a respect
+for economy, since the rich lady did not scorn to darn her hose, and sew
+on buttons. In these household retreats, with books and work, and their
+daughters by them, they read and sewed and talked in the sweet privacy
+that domestic women love, and can make so helpful by a wise mixture of
+cooks and chemistry, table linen and theology, prosaic duties and good
+poetry.
+
+Mrs Meg was the first to propose enlarging this little circle; for as
+she went her motherly rounds among the young women she found a sad lack
+of order, skill, and industry in this branch of education. Latin, Greek,
+the higher mathematics, and science of all sorts prospered finely; but
+the dust gathered on the work-baskets, frayed elbows went unheeded, and
+some of the blue stockings sadly needed mending. Anxious lest the usual
+sneer at learned women should apply to 'our girls', she gently lured two
+or three of the most untidy to her house, and made the hour so pleasant,
+the lesson so kindly, that they took the hint, were grateful for the
+favour, and asked to come again. Others soon begged to make the detested
+weekly duty lighter by joining the party, and soon it was a privilege
+so much desired that the old museum was refitted with sewing-machines,
+tables, rocking-chair, and a cheerful fireplace, so that, rain or shine,
+the needles might go on undisturbed.
+
+Here Mrs Meg was in her glory, and stood wielding her big shears like a
+queen as she cut out white work, fitted dresses, and directed Daisy, her
+special aide, about the trimming of hats, and completing the lace and
+ribbon trifles which add grace to the simplest costume and save poor
+or busy girls so much money and time. Mrs Amy contributed taste, and
+decided the great question of colours and complexions; for few women,
+even the most learned, are without that desire to look well which makes
+many a plain face comely, as well as many a pretty one ugly for want of
+skill and knowledge of the fitness of things. She also took her turn to
+provide books for the readings, and as art was her forte she gave them
+selections from Ruskin, Hamerton, and Mrs Jameson, who is never old.
+Bess read these aloud as her contribution, and Josie took her turn at
+the romances, poetry, and plays her uncles recommended. Mrs Jo gave
+little lectures on health, religion, politics, and the various questions
+in which all should be interested, with copious extracts from Miss
+Cobbe's Duties of Women, Miss Brackett's Education of American Girls,
+Mrs Duffy's No Sex in Education, Mrs Woolson's Dress Reform, and many of
+the other excellent books wise women write for their sisters, now that
+they are waking up and asking: 'What shall we do?'
+
+It was curious to see the prejudices melt away as ignorance was
+enlightened, indifference change to interest, and intelligent minds
+set thinking, while quick wits and lively tongues added spice to the
+discussions which inevitably followed. So the feet that wore the neatly
+mended hose carried wiser heads than before, the pretty gowns covered
+hearts warmed with higher purposes, and the hands that dropped the
+thimbles for pens, lexicons, and celestial globes, were better fitted
+for life's work, whether to rock cradles, tend the sick, or help on the
+great work of the world.
+
+One day a brisk discussion arose concerning careers for women. Mrs Jo
+had read something on the subject and asked each of the dozen girls
+sitting about the room, what she intended to do on leaving college.
+The answers were as usual: 'I shall teach, help mother, study medicine,
+art,' etc.; but nearly all ended with:
+
+'Till I marry.'
+
+'But if you don't marry, what then?' asked Mrs Jo, feeling like a girl
+again as she listened to the answers, and watched the thoughtful, gay,
+or eager faces.
+
+'Be old maids, I suppose. Horrid, but inevitable, since there are so
+many superfluous women,' answered a lively lass, too pretty to fear
+single blessedness unless she chose it.
+
+'It is well to consider that fact, and fit yourselves to be useful, not
+superfluous women. That class, by the way, is largely made up of widows,
+I find; so don't consider it a slur on maidenhood.'
+
+'That's a comfort! Old maids aren't sneered at half as much as they used
+to be, since some of them have grown famous and proved that woman isn't
+a half but a whole human being, and can stand alone.'
+
+'Don't like it all the same. We can't all be like Miss Nightingale, Miss
+Phelps, and the rest.'
+
+So what can we do but sit in a corner and look on?' asked a plain girl
+with a dissatisfied expression.
+
+'Cultivate cheerfulness and content, if nothing else. But there are so
+many little odd jobs waiting to be done that nobody need “sit idle and
+look on”, unless she chooses,' said Mrs Meg, with a smile, laying on the
+girl's head the new hat she had just trimmed.
+
+'Thank you very much. Yes, Mrs Brooke, I see; it's a little job, but
+it makes me neat and happy--and grateful,' she added, looking up with
+brighter eyes as she accepted the labour of love and the lesson as
+sweetly as they were given.
+
+'One of the best and most beloved women I know has been doing odd jobs
+for the Lord for years, and will keep at it till her dear hands are
+folded in her coffin. All sorts of things she does--picks up neglected
+children and puts them in safe homes, saves lost girls, nurses poor
+women in trouble, sews, knits, trots, begs, works for the poor day after
+day with no reward but the thanks of the needy, the love and honour
+of the rich who make Saint Matilda their almoner. That's a life worth
+living; and I think that quiet little woman will get a higher seat in
+Heaven than many of those of whom the world has heard.'
+
+'I know it's lovely, Mrs Bhaer; but it's dull for young folks. We do
+want a little fun before we buckle to,' said a Western girl with a
+wide-awake face.
+
+'Have your fun, my dear; but if you must earn your bread, try to make it
+sweet with cheerfulness, not bitter with the daily regret that it isn't
+cake. I used to think mine was a very hard fate because I had to amuse
+a somewhat fretful old lady; but the books I read in that lonely library
+have been of immense use to me since, and the dear old soul bequeathed
+me Plumfield for my “cheerful service and affectionate care”. I didn't
+deserve it, but I did use to try to be jolly and kind, and get as
+much honey out of duty as I could, thanks to my dear mother's help and
+advice.'
+
+'Gracious! if I could earn a place like this, I'd sing all day and be an
+angel; but you have to take your chance, and get nothing for your pains,
+perhaps. I never do,' said the Westerner, who had a hard time with small
+means and large aspirations.
+
+'Don't do it for the reward; but be sure it will come, though not in the
+shape you expect. I worked hard for fame and money one winter; but I
+got neither, and was much disappointed. A year afterwards I found I had
+earned two prizes: skill with my pen, and Professor Bhaer.'
+
+Mrs Jo's laugh was echoed blithely by the girls, who liked to have these
+conversations enlivened by illustrations from life.
+
+'You are a very lucky woman,' began the discontented damsel, whose soul
+soared above new hats, welcome as they were, but did not quite know
+where to steer.
+
+'Yet her name used to be “Luckless Jo”, and she never had what she
+wanted till she had given up hoping for it,' said Mrs Meg.
+
+'I'll give up hoping, then, right away, and see if my wishes will come.
+I only want to help my folks, and get a good school.'
+
+'Take this proverb for your guide: “Get the distaff ready, and the Lord
+will send the flax”,' answered Mrs Jo.
+
+'We'd better all do that, if we are to be spinsters,' said the pretty
+one, adding gaily, 'I think I should like it, on the whole--they are so
+independent. My Aunt Jenny can do just what she likes, and ask no one's
+leave; but Ma has to consult Pa about everything. Yes, I'll give you my
+chance, Sally, and be a “superfluum”, as Mr Plock says.'
+
+'You'll be one of the first to go into bondage, see if you aren't. Much
+obliged, all the same.'
+
+'Well, I'll get my distaff ready, and take whatever flax the Fates
+send--single, or double-twisted, as the powers please.'
+
+'That is the right spirit, Nelly. Keep it up, and see how happy life
+will be with a brave heart, a willing hand, and plenty to do.'
+
+'No one objects to plenty of domestic work or fashionable pleasure, I
+find; but the minute we begin to study, people tell us we can't bear it,
+and warn us to be very careful. I've tried the other things, and got so
+tired I came to college; though my people predict nervous exhaustion and
+an early death. Do you think there is any danger?' asked a stately girl,
+with an anxious glance at the blooming face reflected in the mirror
+opposite.
+
+'Are you stronger or weaker than when you came two years ago, Miss
+Winthrop?'
+
+'Stronger in body, and much happier in mind. I think I was dying of
+ennui; but the doctors called it inherited delicacy of constitution.
+That is why mamma is so anxious, and I wish not to go too fast.'
+
+'Don't worry, my dear; that active brain of yours was starving for good
+food; it has plenty now, and plain living suits you better than luxury
+and dissipation. It is all nonsense about girls not being able to study
+as well as boys. Neither can bear cramming; but with proper care both
+are better for it; so enjoy the life your instinct led you to, and we
+will prove that wise headwork is a better cure for that sort of delicacy
+than tonics, and novels on the sofa, where far too many of our girls
+go to wreck nowadays. They burn the candle at both ends; and when they
+break down they blame the books, not the balls.'
+
+'Dr Nan was telling me about a patient of hers who thought she had
+heart-complaint, till Nan made her take off her corsets, stopped her
+coffee and dancing all night, and made her eat, sleep, walk, and live
+regularly for a time; and now she's a brilliant cure. Common sense
+versus custom, Nan said.'
+
+'I've had no headaches since I came here, and can do twice as much
+studying as I did at home. It's the air, I think, and the fun of going
+ahead of the boys,' said another girl, tapping her big forehead with
+her thimble, as if the lively brain inside was in good working order and
+enjoyed the daily gymnastics she gave it.
+
+'Quality, not quantity, wins the day, you know. Our brains may be
+smaller, but I don't see that they fall short of what is required of
+them; and if I'm not mistaken, the largest-headed man in our class is
+the dullest,' said Nelly, with a solemn air which produced a gale of
+merriment; for all knew that the young Goliath she mentioned had been
+metaphorically slain by this quick-witted David on many a battle-field,
+to the great disgust of himself and his mates.
+
+'Mrs Brooke, do I gauge on the right or the wrong side?' asked the
+best Greek scholar of her class, eyeing a black silk apron with a lost
+expression.
+
+'The right, Miss Pierson; and leave a space between the tucks; it looks
+prettier so.'
+
+'I'll never make another; but it will save my dresses from ink-stains,
+so I'm glad I've got it'; and the erudite Miss Pierson laboured on,
+finding it a harder task than any Greek root she ever dug up.
+
+'We paper-stainers must learn how to make shields, or we are lost.
+I'll give you a pattern of the pinafore I used to wear in my
+“blood-and-thunder days”, as we call them,' said Mrs Jo, trying to
+remember what became of the old tin-kitchen which used to hold her
+works.
+
+'Speaking of writers reminds me that my ambition is to be a George
+Eliot, and thrill the world! It must be so splendid to know that one
+has such power, and to hear people own that one possesses a “masculine
+intellect”! I don't care for most women's novels, but hers are immense;
+don't you think so, Mrs Bhaer?' asked the girl with the big forehead,
+and torn braid on her skirt.
+
+'Yes; but they don't thrill me as little Charlotte Bronte's books do.
+The brain is there, but the heart seems left out. I admire, but I don't
+love, George Eliot; and her life is far sadder to me than Miss Bronte's,
+because, in spite of the genius, love, and fame, she missed the light
+without which no soul is truly great, good, or happy.'
+
+'Yes'm, I know; but still it's so romantic and sort of new and
+mysterious, and she was great in one sense. Her nerves and dyspepsia do
+rather destroy the illusion; but I adore famous people and mean to go
+and see all I can scare up in London some day.'
+
+'You will find some of the best of them busy about just the work I
+recommend to you; and if you want to see a great lady, I'll tell you
+that Mrs Laurence means to bring one here today. Lady Abercrombie is
+lunching with her, and after seeing the college is to call on us. She
+especially wanted to see our sewing-school, as she is interested in
+things of this sort, and gets them up at home.'
+
+'Bless me! I always imagined lords and ladies did nothing but ride round
+in a coach and six, go to balls, and be presented to the Queen in cocked
+hats, and trains and feathers,' exclaimed an artless young person from
+the wilds of Maine, whither an illustrated paper occasionally wandered.
+
+'Not at all; Lord Abercrombie is over here studying up our American
+prison system, and my lady is busy with the schools--both very
+high-born, but the simplest and most sensible people I've met this long
+time. They are neither of them young nor handsome, and dress plainly;
+so don't expect anything splendid. Mr Laurence was telling me last night
+about a friend of his who met my lord in the hall, and owing to a rough
+greatcoat and a red face, mistook him for a coachman, and said: “Now,
+my man, what do you want here?” Lord Abercrombie mildly mentioned who
+he was, and that he had come to dinner. And the poor host was much
+afflicted, saying afterward: “Why didn't he wear his stars and garters?
+then a fellow would know he was a lord.”'
+
+The girls laughed again, and a general rustle betrayed that each was
+prinking a bit before the titled guest arrived. Even Mrs Jo settled her
+collar, and Mrs Meg felt if her cap was right, while Bess shook out
+her curls and Josie boldly consulted the glass; for they were women, in
+spite of philosophy and philanthropy.
+
+'Shall we all rise?' asked one girl, deeply impressed by the impending
+honour.
+
+'It would be courteous.'
+
+'Shall we shake hands?'
+
+'No, I'll present you en masse, and your pleasant faces will be
+introduction enough.'
+
+'I wish I'd worn my best dress. Ought to have told us,' whispered Sally.
+
+'Won't my folks be surprised when I tell them we have had a real lady to
+call on us?' said another.
+
+'Don't look as if you'd never seen a gentlewoman before, Milly. We are
+not all fresh from the wilderness,' added the stately damsel who, having
+Mayflower ancestors, felt that she was the equal of all the crowned
+heads of Europe.
+
+'Hush, she's coming! Oh, my heart, what a bonnet!' cried the gay girl in
+a stage whisper; and every eye was demurely fixed upon the busy hands as
+the door opened to admit Mrs Laurence and her guest.
+
+It was rather a shock to find, after the general introduction was over,
+that this daughter of a hundred earls was a stout lady in a plain gown,
+and a rather weather-beaten bonnet, with a bag of papers in one hand
+and a note-book in the other. But the face was full of benevolence, the
+sonorous voice very kind, the genial manners very winning, and about the
+whole person an indescribable air of high breeding which made beauty of
+no consequence, costume soon forgotten, and the moment memorable to the
+keen-eyed girls whom nothing escaped.
+
+A little chat about the rise, growth, and success of this particular
+class, and then Mrs Jo led the conversation to the English lady's
+work, anxious to show her pupils how rank dignifies labour, and charity
+blesses wealth.
+
+It was good for these girls to hear of the evening-schools supported and
+taught by women whom they knew and honoured; of Miss Cobbe's eloquent
+protest winning the protection of the law for abused wives; Mrs Butler
+saving the lost; Mrs Taylor, who devoted one room in her historic house
+to a library for the servants; Lord Shaftesbury, busy with his new
+tenement-houses in the slums of London; of prison reforms; and all the
+brave work being done in God's name by the rich and great for the humble
+and the poor. It impressed them more than many quiet home lectures would
+have done, and roused an ambition to help when their time should come,
+well knowing that even in glorious America there is still plenty to be
+done before she is what she should be--truly just, and free, and great.
+They were also quick to see that Lady Abercrombie treated all there as
+her equals, from stately Mrs Laurence, to little Josie, taking notes
+of everything and privately resolving to have some thick-soled English
+boots as soon as possible. No one would have guessed that she had a
+big house in London, a castle in Wales, and a grand country seat in
+Scotland, as she spoke of Parnassus with admiration, Plumfield as a
+'dear old home', and the college as an honour to all concerned in it.
+At that, of course, every head went up a little, and when my lady left,
+every hand was ready for the hearty shake the noble Englishwoman gave
+them, with words they long remembered:
+
+'I am very pleased to see this much-neglected branch of a woman's
+education so well conducted here, and I have to thank my friend
+Mrs Laurence for one of the most charming pictures I've seen in
+America--Penelope among her maids.'
+
+A group of smiling faces watched the stout boots trudge away, respectful
+glances followed the shabby bonnet till it was out of sight, and the
+girls felt a truer respect for their titled guest than if she had come
+in the coach and six, with all her diamonds on.
+
+'I feel better about the “odd jobs” now. I only wish I could do them as
+well as Lady Abercrombie does,' said one.
+
+'I thanked my stars my buttonholes were nice, for she looked at them and
+said: “Quite workmanlike, upon my word,” added another, feeling that her
+gingham gown had come to honour.
+
+'Her manners were as sweet and kind as Mrs Brooke's. Not a bit stiff or
+condescending, as I expected. I see now what you meant, Mrs Bhaer, when
+you said once that well-bred people were the same all the world over.'
+
+Mrs Meg bowed her thanks for the compliment, and Mrs Bhaer said:
+
+'I know them when I see them, but never shall be a model of deportment
+myself. I'm glad you enjoyed the little visit. Now, if you young people
+don't want England to get ahead of us in many ways, you must bestir
+yourselves and keep abreast; for our sisters are in earnest, you see,
+and don't waste time worrying about their sphere, but make it wherever
+duty calls them.'
+
+'We will do our best, ma'am,' answered the girls heartily, and trooped
+away with their work-baskets, feeling that though they might never be
+Harriet Martineaus, Elizabeth Brownings, or George Eliots, they might
+become noble, useful, and independent women, and earn for themselves
+some sweet title from the grateful lips of the poor, better than any a
+queen could bestow.
+
+
+
+Chapter 18. CLASS DAY
+
+The clerk of the weather evidently has a regard for young people, and
+sends sunshine for class days as often as he can. An especially lovely
+one shone over Plumfield as this interesting anniversary came round,
+bringing the usual accompaniments of roses, strawberries, white-gowned
+girls, beaming youths, proud friends, and stately dignitaries full of
+well-earned satisfaction with the yearly harvest. As Laurence College
+was a mixed one, the presence of young women as students gave to the
+occasion a grace and animation entirely wanting where the picturesque
+half of creation appear merely as spectators. The hands that turned the
+pages of wise books also possessed the skill to decorate the hall with
+flowers; eyes tired with study shone with hospitable warmth on the
+assembling guests; and under the white muslins beat hearts as full of
+ambition, hope, and courage as those agitating the broadcloth of the
+ruling sex.
+
+College Hill, Parnassus, and old Plum swarmed with cheery faces, as
+guests, students, and professors hurried to and fro in the pleasant
+excitement of arriving and receiving. Everyone was welcomed cordially,
+whether he rolled up in a fine carriage, or trudged afoot to see the
+good son or daughter come to honour on the happy day that rewarded
+many a mutual sacrifice. Mr Laurie and his wife were on the reception
+committee, and their lovely house was overflowing. Mrs Meg, with Daisy
+and Jo as aides, was in demand among the girls, helping on belated
+toilettes, giving an eye to spreads, and directing the decorations. Mrs
+Jo had her hands full as President's lady, and the mother of Ted; for it
+took all the power and skill of that energetic woman to get her son into
+his Sunday best.
+
+Not that he objected to be well arrayed; far from it; he adored good
+clothes, and owing to his great height already revelled in a dress-suit,
+bequeathed him by a dandy friend. The effect was very funny; but he
+would wear it in spite of the jeers of his mates, and sighed vainly for
+a beaver, because his stern parent drew the line there. He pleaded that
+English lads of ten wore them and were 'no end nobby'; but his mother
+only answered, with a consoling pat of the yellow mane:
+
+'My child, you are absurd enough now; if I let you add a tall hat,
+Plumfield wouldn't hold either of us, such would be the scorn and
+derision of all beholders. Content yourself with looking like the ghost
+of a waiter, and don't ask for the most ridiculous head-gear in the
+known world.'
+
+Denied this noble badge of manhood, Ted soothed his wounded soul by
+appearing in collars of an amazing height and stiffness, and ties which
+were the wonder of all female eyes. This freak was a sort of vengeance
+on his hard-hearted mother; for the collars drove the laundress to
+despair, never being just right, and the ties required such art in
+the tying that three women sometimes laboured long before--like Beau
+Brummel--he turned from a heap of 'failures' with the welcome words:
+'That will do.' Rob was devoted on these trying occasions, his own
+toilet being distinguished only by its speed, simplicity, and neatness.
+Ted was usually in a frenzy before he was suited, and roars, whistles,
+commands, and groans were heard from the den wherein the Lion raged and
+the Lamb patiently toiled. Mrs Jo bore it till boots were hurled and a
+rain of hair-brushes set in, then, fearing for the safety of her eldest,
+she would go to the rescue, and by a wise mixture of fun and authority
+finally succeed in persuading Ted that he was 'a thing of beauty',
+if not 'a joy for ever'. At last he would stalk majestically forth,
+imprisoned in collars compared to which those worn by Dickens's
+afflicted Biler were trifles not worth mentioning. The dresscoat was
+a little loose in the shoulders, but allowed a noble expanse of glossy
+bosom to be seen, and with a delicate handkerchief negligently drooping
+at the proper angle, had a truly fine effect. Boots that shone,
+and likewise pinched, appeared at one end of the 'long, black
+clothes-pin'--as Josie called him---and a youthful but solemn face at
+the other, carried at an angle which, if long continued, would have
+resulted in spinal curvature. Light gloves, a cane, and--oh, bitter drop
+in the cup of joy!--an ignominious straw hat, not to mention a choice
+floweret in the buttonhole, and a festoon of watchguard below, finished
+off this impressive boy.
+
+'How's that for style?' he asked, appearing to his mother and cousins
+whom he was to escort to the hall on this particular occasion.
+
+A shout of laughter greeted him, followed by exclamations of horror;
+for he had artfully added the little blond moustache he often wore when
+acting. It was very becoming, and seemed the only balm to heal the wound
+made by the loss of the beloved hat.
+
+'Take it off this moment, you audacious boy! What would your father say
+to such a prank on this day when we must all behave our best?' said Mrs
+Jo, trying to frown, but privately thinking that among the many youths
+about her none were so beautiful and original as her long son.
+
+'Let him wear it, Aunty; it's so becoming. No one will ever guess he
+isn't eighteen at least,' cried Josie, to whom disguise of any sort was
+always charming.
+
+'Father won't observe it; he'll be absorbed in his big-wigs and the
+girls. No matter if he does, he'll enjoy the joke and introduce me as
+his oldest son. Rob is nowhere when I'm in full fig'; and Ted took the
+stage with a tragic stalk, like Hamlet in a tail-coat and choker.
+
+'My son, obey me!' and when Mrs Jo spoke in that tone her word was
+law. Later, however, the moustache appeared, and many strangers firmly
+believed that there were three young Bhaers. So Ted found one ray of joy
+to light his gloom.
+
+Mr Bhaer was a proud and happy man when, at the appointed hour, he
+looked down upon the parterre of youthful faces before him, thinking of
+the 'little gardens' in which he had hopefully and faithfully sowed good
+seed years ago, and from which this beautiful harvest seemed to have
+sprung. Mr March's fine old face shone with the serenest satisfaction,
+for this was the dream of his life fulfilled after patient waiting; and
+the love and reverence in the countenances of the eager young men and
+women looking up at him plainly showed that the reward he coveted was
+his in fullest measure. Laurie always effaced himself on these occasions
+as much as courtesy would permit; for everyone spoke gratefully in ode,
+poem, and oration of the founder of the college and noble dispenser of
+his beneficence. The three sisters beamed with pride as they sat among
+the ladies, enjoying, as only women can, the honour done the men
+they loved; while 'the original Plums', as the younger ones called
+themselves, regarded the whole affair as their work, receiving the
+curious, admiring, or envious glances of strangers with a mixture of
+dignity and delight rather comical to behold.
+
+The music was excellent, and well it might be when Apollo waved the
+baton. The poems were--as usual on such occasions--of varied excellence,
+as the youthful speakers tried to put old truths into new words, and
+made them forceful by the enthusiasm of their earnest faces and fresh
+voices. It was beautiful to see the eager interest with which the girls
+listened to some brilliant brother-student, and applauded him with a
+rustle as of wind over a bed of flowers. It was still more significant
+and pleasant to watch the young men's faces when a slender white figure
+stood out against the background of black-coated dignitaries, and with
+cheeks that flushed and paled, and lips that trembled till earnest
+purpose conquered maiden fear, spoke to them straight out of a woman's
+heart and brain concerning the hopes and doubts, the aspirations and
+rewards all must know, desire, and labour for. This clear, sweet voice
+seemed to reach and rouse all that was noblest in the souls of these
+youths, and to set a seal upon the years of comradeship which made them
+sacred and memorable for ever.
+
+Alice Heath's oration was unanimously pronounced the success of the day;
+for without being flowery or sentimental, as is too apt to be the case
+with these first efforts of youthful orators, it was earnest, sensible,
+and so inspiring that she left the stage in a storm of applause, the
+good fellows being as much fired by her stirring appeal to 'march
+shoulder to shoulder', as if she had chanted the 'Marseillaise' then
+and there. One young man was so excited that he nearly rushed out of his
+seat to receive her as she hastened to hide herself among her mates, who
+welcomed her with faces full of tender pride and tearful eye. A prudent
+sister detained him, however, and in a moment he was able to listen with
+composure to the President's remarks.
+
+They were worth listening to, for Mr Bhaer spoke like a father to the
+children whom he was dismissing to the battle of life; and his tender,
+wise, and helpful words lingered in their hearts long after the praise
+was forgotten. Then came other exercises peculiar to Plumfield, and the
+end. Why the roof did not fly off when the sturdy lungs of the excited
+young men pealed out the closing hymn will for ever be a mystery; but
+it remained firm, and only the fading garlands vibrated as the waves of
+music rolled up and died away, leaving sweet echoes to haunt the place
+for another year.
+
+Dinners and spreads consumed the afternoon, and at sunset came a slight
+lull as everyone sought some brief repose before the festivities of the
+evening began. The President's reception was one of the enjoyable things
+in store, also dancing on Parnassus, and as much strolling, singing, and
+flirting, as could be compressed into a few hours by youths and maidens
+just out of school.
+
+Carriages were rolling about, and gay groups on piazzas, lawns, and
+window-seats idly speculated as to who the distinguished guests might
+be. The appearance of a very dusty vehicle loaded with trunks at Mr
+Bhaer's hospitably open door caused much curious comment among the
+loungers, especially as two rather foreign-looking gentlemen sprang out,
+followed by two young ladies, all four being greeted with cries of joy
+and much embracing by the Bhaers. Then they all disappeared into the
+house, the luggage followed, and the watchers were left to wonder who
+the mysterious strangers were, till a fair collegian declared that they
+must be the Professor's nephews, one of whom was expected on his wedding
+journey.
+
+She was right; Franz proudly presented his blonde and buxom bride, and
+she was hardly kissed and blessed when Emil led up his bonny English
+Mary, with the rapturous announcement:
+
+'Uncle, Aunt Jo, here's another daughter! Have you room for my wife,
+too?'
+
+There could be no doubt of that; and Mary was with difficulty rescued
+from the glad embraces of her new relatives, who, remembering all the
+young pair had suffered together, felt that this was the natural and
+happy ending of the long voyage so perilously begun.
+
+'But why not tell us, and let us be ready for two brides instead of
+one?' asked Mrs Jo, looking as usual rather demoralizing in a wrapper
+and crimping-pins, having rushed down from her chamber, where she was
+preparing for the labours of the evening.
+
+'Well, I remembered what a good joke you all considered Uncle Laurie's
+marriage, and I thought I'd give you another nice little surprise,'
+laughed Emil. 'I'm off duty, and it seemed best to take advantage of
+wind and tide, and come along as convoy to the old boy here. We hoped to
+get in last night, but couldn't fetch it, so here we are in time for the
+end of the jollification, anyway.'
+
+'Ah, my sons, it is too feeling-full to see you both so happy and again
+in the old home. I haf no words to outpour my gratitude, and can
+only ask of the dear Gott in Himmel to bless and keep you all,' cried
+Professor Bhaer, trying to gather all four into his arms at once, while
+tears rolled down his cheeks, and his English failed him.
+
+An April shower cleared the air and relieved the full hearts of the
+happy family; then of course everyone began to talk--Franz and Ludmilla
+in German with uncle, Emil and Mary with the aunts; and round this group
+gathered the young folk, clamouring to hear all about the wreck, and the
+rescue, and the homeward voyage. It was a very different story from the
+written one; and as they listened to Emil's graphic words, with Mary's
+soft voice breaking in now and then to add some fact that brought out
+the courage, patience, and self-sacrifice he so lightly touched upon, it
+became a solemn and pathetic thing to see and hear these happy creatures
+tell of that great danger and deliverance.
+
+'I never hear the patter of rain now that I don't want to say my
+prayers; and as for women, I'd like to take my hat off to every one of
+'em, for they are braver than any man I ever saw,' said Emil, with the
+new gravity that was as becoming to him as the new gentleness with which
+he treated everyone.
+
+'If women are brave, some men are as tender and self-sacrificing as
+women. I know one who in the night slipped his share of food into a
+girl's pocket, though starving himself, and sat for hours rocking a sick
+man in his arms that he might get a little sleep. No, love, I will tell,
+and you must let me!' cried Mary, holding in both her own the hand he
+laid on her lips to silence her.
+
+'Only did my duty. If that torment had lasted much longer I might
+have been as bad as poor Barry and the boatswain. Wasn't that an awful
+night?' And Emil shuddered as he recalled it.
+
+'Don't think of it, dear. Tell about the happy days on the Urania, when
+papa grew better and we were all safe and homeward bound,' said Mary,
+with the trusting look and comforting touch which seemed to banish the
+dark and recall the bright side of that terrible experience.
+
+Emil cheered up at once, and sitting with his arm about his 'dear lass',
+in true sailor fashion told the happy ending of the tale.
+
+'Such a jolly old time as we had at Hamburg! Uncle Hermann couldn't do
+enough for the captain, and while mamma took care of him, Mary looked
+after me. I had to go into dock for repairs; fire hurt my eyes, and
+watching for a sail and want of sleep made 'em as hazy as a London fog.
+She was pilot and brought me in all right, you see, only I couldn't part
+company, so she came aboard as first mate, and I'm bound straight for
+glory now.'
+
+'Hush! that's silly, dear,' whispered Mary, trying in her turn to stop
+him, with English shyness about tender topics. But he took the soft hand
+in his, and proudly surveying the one ring it wore, went on with the air
+of an admiral aboard his flagship.
+
+'The captain proposed waiting a spell; but I told him we weren't like
+to see any rougher weather than we'd pulled through together, and if we
+didn't know one another after such a year as this, we never should. I
+was sure I shouldn't be worth my pay without this hand on the wheel; so
+I had my way, and my brave little woman has shipped for the long voyage.
+God bless her!'
+
+'Shall you really sail with him?' asked Daisy, admiring her courage, but
+shrinking with cat-like horror from the water.
+
+'I'm not afraid,' answered Mary, with a loyal smile. 'I've proved my
+captain in fair weather and in foul, and if he is ever wrecked again,
+I'd rather be with him than waiting and watching ashore.'
+
+'A true woman, and a born sailor's wife! You are a happy man, Emil, and
+I'm sure this trip will be a prosperous one,' cried Mrs Jo, delighted
+with the briny flavour of this courtship. 'Oh, my dear boy, I always
+felt you'd come back, and when everyone else despaired I never gave up,
+but insisted that you were clinging to the main-top jib somewhere on
+that dreadful sea'; and Mrs Jo illustrated her faith by grasping Emil
+with a truly Pillycoddian gesture.
+
+'Of course I was!' answered Emil heartily; 'and my “main-top jib” in
+this case was the thought of what you and Uncle said to me. That kept
+me up; and among the million thoughts that came to me during those
+long nights none was clearer than the idea of the red strand, you
+remember--English navy, and all that. I liked the notion, and resolved
+that if a bit of my cable was left afloat, the red stripe should be
+there.'
+
+'And it was, my dear, it was! Captain Hardy testifies to that, and here
+is your reward'; and Mrs Jo kissed Mary with a maternal tenderness
+which betrayed that she liked the English rose better than the blue-eyed
+German Kornblumen, sweet and modest though it was.
+
+Emil surveyed the little ceremony with complacency, saying, as he looked
+about the room which he never thought to see again: 'Odd, isn't it,
+how clearly trifles come back to one in times of danger? As we floated
+there, half-starved, and in despair, I used to think I heard the bells
+ringing here, and Ted tramping downstairs, and you calling, “Boys, boys,
+it's time to get up!” I actually smelt the coffee we used to have,
+and one night I nearly cried when I woke from a dream of Asia's ginger
+cookies. I declare, it was one of the bitterest disappointments of my
+life to face hunger with that spicy smell in my nostrils. If you've got
+any, do give me one!'
+
+A pitiful murmur broke from all the aunts and cousins, and Emil was at
+once borne away to feast on the desired cookies, a supply always being
+on hand. Mrs Jo and her sister joined the other group, glad to hear what
+Franz was saying about Nat.
+
+'The minute I saw how thin and shabby he was, I knew that something was
+wrong; but he made light of it, and was so happy over our visit and
+news that I let him off with a brief confession, and went to Professor
+Baumgarten and Bergmann. From them I learned the whole story of
+his spending more money than he ought and trying to atone for it by
+unnecessary work and sacrifice. Baumgarten thought it would do him good,
+so kept his secret till I came. It did him good, and he's paid his debts
+and earned his bread by the sweat of his brow, like an honest fellow.'
+
+'I like that much in Nat. It is, as I said, a lesson, and he learns
+it well. He proves himself a man, and has deserved the place Bergmann
+offers him,' said Mr Bhaer, looking well pleased as Franz added some
+facts already recorded.
+
+'I told you, Meg, that he had good stuff in him, and love for Daisy
+would keep him straight. Dear lad, I wish I had him here this moment!'
+cried Mrs Jo, forgetting in delight the doubts and anxieties which had
+troubled her for months past.
+
+'I am very glad, and suppose I shall give in as I always do, especially
+now that the epidemic rages so among us. You and Emil have set all their
+heads in a ferment, and Josie will be demanding a lover before I can
+turn round,' answered Mrs Meg, in a tone of despair.
+
+But her sister saw that she was touched by Nat's trials, and hastened
+to add the triumphs, that the victory might be complete, for success is
+always charming.
+
+'This offer of Herr Bergmann is a good one, isn't it?' she asked, though
+Mr Laurie had already satisfied her on that point when Nat's letter
+brought the news.
+
+'Very fine in every way. Nat will get capital drill in Bachmeister's
+orchestra, see London in a delightful way, and if he suits come home
+with them, well started among the violins. No great honour, but a sure
+thing and a step up. I congratulated him, and he was very jolly over it,
+saying, like the true lover he is: “Tell Daisy; be sure and tell her all
+about it.” I'll leave that to you, Aunt Meg, and you can also break it
+gently to her that the old boy had a fine blond beard. Very becoming;
+hides his weak mouth, and gives a noble air to his big eyes and
+“Mendelssohnian brow”, as a gushing girl called it. Ludmilla has a photo
+of it for you.'
+
+This amused them; and they listened to many other interesting bits of
+news which kind Franz, even in his own happiness, had not forgotten to
+remember for his friend's sake. He talked so well, and painted Nat's
+patient and pathetic shifts so vividly, that Mrs Meg was half won;
+though if she had learned of the Minna episode and the fiddling in
+beer-gardens and streets, she might not have relented so soon. She
+stored up all she heard, however, and, womanlike, promised herself a
+delicious talk with Daisy, in which she would allow herself to melt by
+degrees, and perhaps change the doubtful 'We shall see' to a cordial 'He
+has done well; be happy, dear'.
+
+In the midst of this agreeable chat the sudden striking of a clock
+recalled Mrs Jo from romance to reality, and she exclaimed, with a
+clutch at her crimping-pins:
+
+'My blessed people, you must eat and rest; and I must dress, or receive
+in this disgraceful rig. Meg, will you take Ludmilla and Mary upstairs
+and see to them? Franz knows the way to the dining-room. Fritz, come
+with me and be made tidy, for what with heat and emotion, we are both
+perfect wrecks.'
+
+
+
+Chapter 19. WHITE ROSES
+
+While the travellers refreshed, and Mrs President struggled into her
+best gown, Josie ran into the garden to gather flowers for the brides.
+The sudden arrival of these interesting beings had quite enchanted
+the romantic girl, and her head was full of heroic rescues, tender
+admiration, dramatic situations, and feminine wonder as to whether the
+lovely creatures would wear their veils or not. She was standing before
+a great bush of white roses, culling the most perfect for the bouquets
+which she meant to tie with the ribbon festooned over her arm, and lay
+on the toilette tables of the new cousins, as a delicate attention. A
+step startled her, and looking up she saw her brother coming down the
+path with folded arms, bent head, and the absent air of one absorbed in
+deep thought.
+
+'Sophy Wackles,' said the sharp child, with a superior smile, as
+she sucked her thumb just pricked by a too eager pull at the thorny
+branches.
+
+'What are you at here, Mischief?' asked Demi, with an Irvingesque start,
+as he felt rather than saw a disturbing influence in his day-dream.
+
+'Getting flowers for “our brides”. Don't you wish you had one?' answered
+Josie, to whom the word 'mischief' suggested her favourite amusement.
+
+'A bride or a flower?' asked Demi calmly, though he eyed the blooming
+bush as if it had a sudden and unusual interest for him.
+
+'Both; you get the one, and I'll give you the other.'
+
+'Wish I could!' and Demi picked a little bud, with a sigh that went to
+Josie's warm heart.
+
+'Why don't you, then? It's lovely to see people so happy. Now's a good
+time to do it if you ever mean to. She will be going away for ever
+soon.'
+
+'Who?' and Demi pulled a half-opened bud, with a sudden colour in his
+own face; which sign of confusion delighted little Jo.
+
+'Don't be a hypocrite. You know I mean Alice. Now, Jack, I'm fond
+of you, and want to help; it's so interesting--all these lovers and
+weddings and things, and we ought to have our share. So you take my
+advice and speak up like a man, and make sure of Alice before she goes.'
+
+Demi laughed at the seriousness of the small girl's advice; but he liked
+it, and showed that it suited him by saying blandly, instead of snubbing
+her as usual:
+
+'You are very kind, child. Since you are so wise, could you give me a
+hint how I'd better 'speak up', as you elegantly express it?'
+
+'Oh, well, there are various ways, you know. In plays the lovers go down
+on their knees; but that's awkward when they have long legs. Ted never
+does it well, though I drill him for hours. You could say, “Be mine,
+be mine!” like the old man who threw cucumbers over the wall to Mrs
+Nickleby, if you want to be gay and easy; or you could write a poetical
+pop. You've tried it, I dare say.'
+
+'But seriously, Jo, I do love Alice, and I think she knows it. I want
+to tell her so; but I lose my head when I try, and don't care to make a
+fool of myself. Thought you might suggest some pretty way; you read so
+much poetry and are so romantic.'
+
+Demi tried to express himself clearly, but forgot his dignity and his
+usual reserve in the sweet perplexity of his love, and asked his little
+sister to teach him how to put the question which a single word can
+answer. The arrival of his happy cousins had scattered all his wise
+plans and brave resolutions to wait still longer. The Christmas play
+had given him courage to hope, and the oration today had filled him with
+tender pride; but the sight of those blooming brides and beaming grooms
+was too much for him, and he panted to secure his Alice without an
+hour's delay. Daisy was his confidante in all things but this; a
+brotherly feeling of sympathy had kept him from telling her his hopes,
+because her own were forbidden. His mother was rather jealous of any
+girl he admired; but knowing that she liked Alice, he loved on and
+enjoyed his secret alone, meaning soon to tell her all about it.
+
+Now suddenly Josie and the rose-bush seemed to suggest a speedy end
+to his tender perplexities; and he was moved to accept her aid as the
+netted lion did that of the mouse.
+
+'I think I'll write,' he was slowly beginning, after a pause during
+which both were trying to strike out a new and brilliant idea.
+
+'I've got it! perfectly lovely! just suit her, and you too, being a
+poet!' cried Josie, with a skip.
+
+'What is it? Don't be ridiculous, please,' begged the bashful lover,
+eager, but afraid of this sharp-tongued bit of womanhood.
+
+'I read in one of Miss Edgeworth's stories about a man who offers three
+roses to his lady--a bud, a half-blown, and a full-blown rose. I don't
+remember which she took; but it's a pretty way; and Alice knows about
+it because she was there when we read it. Here are all kinds; you've got
+the two buds, pick the sweetest rose you can find, and I'll tie them up
+and put them in her room. She is coming to dress with Daisy, so I can do
+it nicely.'
+
+Demi mused a moment with his eyes on the bridal bush, and a smile came
+over his face so unlike any it had ever worn before, that Josie was
+touched, and looked away as if she had no right to see the dawn of the
+great passion which, while it lasts, makes a young man as happy as a
+god.
+
+'Do it,' was all he said, and gathered a full-blown rose to finish his
+floral love-message.
+
+Charmed to have a finger in this romantic pie, Josie tied a graceful
+bow of ribbon about the stems, and finished her last nosegay with much
+content, while Demi wrote upon a card:
+
+DEAR ALICE, You know what the flowers mean. Will you wear one, or all
+tonight, and make me still prouder, fonder, and happier than I am?
+
+Yours entirely,
+
+JOHN
+
+
+Offering this to his sister, he said in a tone that made her feel the
+deep importance of her mission:
+
+'I trust you, Jo. This means everything to me. No jokes, dear, if you
+love me.'
+
+Josie's answer was a kiss that promised all things; and then she ran
+away to do her 'gentle spiriting', like Ariel, leaving Demi to dream
+among the roses like Ferdinand.
+
+Mary and Ludmilla were charmed with their bouquets; and the giver had
+the delight of putting some of the flowers into the dark hair and
+the light as she played maid at the toilettes of 'our brides', which
+consoled her for a disappointment in the matter of veils.
+
+No one helped Alice dress; for Daisy was in the next room with her
+mother; and not even their loving eyes saw the welcome which the little
+posy received, nor the tears and smiles and blushes that came and went
+as she read the note and pondered what answer she should give. There was
+no doubt about the one she wished to give; but duty held her back; for
+at home there was an invalid mother and an old father. She was needed
+there, with all the help she could now bring by the acquirements four
+years of faithful study had given her. Love looked very sweet, and a
+home of her own with John a little heaven on earth; but not yet. And
+she slowly laid away the full-blown rose as she sat before the mirror,
+thinking over the great question of her life.
+
+Was it wise and kind to ask him to wait, to bind him by any promise,
+or even to put into words the love and honour she felt for him? No; it
+would be more generous to make the sacrifice alone, and spare him the
+pain of hope deferred. He was young; he would forget; and she would do
+her duty better, perhaps, if no impatient lover waited for her. With
+eyes that saw but dimly, and a hand that lingered on the stem he had
+stripped of thorns, she laid the half-blown flower by the rose, and
+asked herself if even the little bud might be worn. It looked very poor
+and pale beside the others; yet being in the self-sacrificing mood which
+real love brings, she felt that even a small hope was too much to give,
+if she could not follow it up with more.
+
+As she sat looking sadly down on the symbols of an affection that grew
+dearer every moment, she listened half unconsciously to the murmur of
+voices in the adjoining room. Open windows, thin partitions, and the
+stillness of summer twilight made it impossible to help hearing, and in
+a few moments more she could not refrain; for they were talking of John.
+
+'So nice of Ludmilla to bring us all bottles of real German cologne!
+Just what we need after this tiring day! Be sure John has his! He likes
+it so!'
+
+'Yes, mother. Did you see him jump up when Alice ended her oration?
+He'd have gone to her if I hadn't held him back. I don't wonder he was
+pleased and proud. I spoilt my gloves clapping, and quite forgot my
+dislike of seeing women on platforms, she was so earnest and unconscious
+and sweet after the first moment.'
+
+'Has he said anything to you, dear?'
+
+'No; and I guess why. The kind boy thinks it would make me unhappy. It
+wouldn't. But I know his ways; so I wait, and hope all will go well with
+him.'
+
+'It must. No girl in her senses would refuse our John, though he isn't
+rich, and never will be. Daisy, I've been longing to tell you what he
+did with his money. He told me last night, and I've had no time since to
+tell you. He sent poor young Barton to the hospital, and kept him there
+till his eyes were saved--a costly thing to do. But the man can work now
+and care for his old parents. He was in despair, sick and poor, and too
+proud to beg; and our dear boy found it out, and took every penny he
+had, and never told even his mother till she made him.'
+
+Alice did not hear what Daisy answered, for she was busy with her own
+emotions--happy ones now, to judge from the smile that shone in her eyes
+and the decided gesture with which she put the little bud in her bosom,
+as if she said: 'He deserves some reward for that good deed, and he
+shall have it.'
+
+Mrs Meg was speaking, and still of John, when she could hear again:
+
+'Some people would call it unwise and reckless, when John has so little;
+but I think his first investment a safe and good one, for “he who giveth
+to the poor lendeth to the Lord”; and I was so pleased and proud, I
+wouldn't spoil it by offering him a penny.'
+
+'It is his having nothing to offer that keeps him silent, I think. He
+is so honest, he won't ask till he has much to give. But he forgets that
+love is everything. I know he's rich in that; I see and feel it; and any
+woman should be glad to get it.'
+
+'Right, dear. I felt just so, and was willing to work and wait with and
+for my John.'
+
+'So she will be, and I hope they will find it out. But she is so dutiful
+and good, I'm afraid she won't let herself be happy. You would like it,
+mother?'
+
+'Heartily; for a better, nobler girl doesn't live. She is all I want for
+my son; and I don't mean to lose the dear, brave creature if I can help
+it. Her heart is big enough for both love and duty; and they can wait
+more happily if they do it together--for wait they must, of course.'
+
+'I'm so glad his choice suits you, mother, and he is spared the saddest
+sort of disappointment.'
+
+Daisy's voice broke there; and a sudden rustle, followed by a soft
+murmur, seemed to tell that she was in her mother's arms, seeking and
+finding comfort there.
+
+Alice heard no more, and shut her window with a guilty feeling but a
+shining face; for the proverb about listeners failed here, and she had
+learned more than she dared to hope. Things seemed to change suddenly;
+she felt that her heart was large enough for both love and duty; she
+knew now that she would be welcomed by mother and sister; and the memory
+of Daisy's less happy fate, Nat's weary probation, the long delay,
+and possible separation for ever--all came before her so vividly that
+prudence seemed cruelty; self-sacrifice, sentimental folly; and anything
+but the whole truth, disloyalty to her lover. As she thought thus,
+the half-blown rose went to join the bud; and then, after a pause, she
+slowly kissed the perfect rose, and added it to the tell-tale group,
+saying to herself with a sort of sweet solemnity, as if the words were a
+vow:
+
+'I'll love and work and wait with and for my John.'
+
+It was well for her that Demi was absent when she stole down to join the
+guests who soon began to flow through the house in a steady stream.
+The new brightness which touched her usually thoughtful face was easily
+explained by the congratulations she received as orator, and the slight
+agitation observable, when a fresh batch of gentlemen approached soon
+passed, as none of them noticed the flowers she wore over a very happy
+heart. Demi meantime was escorting certain venerable personages about
+the college, and helping his grandfather entertain them with discussion
+of the Socratic method of instruction, Pythagoras, Pestalozzi, Froebel,
+and the rest, whom he devoutly wished at the bottom of the Red Sea, and
+no wonder, for his head and his heart were full of love and roses, hopes
+and fears. He piloted the 'potent, grave, and reverend seigniors' safely
+down to Plumfield at last, and landed them before his uncle and aunt
+Bhaer, who were receiving in state, the one full of genuine delight in
+all men and things, the other suffering martyrdom with a smile, as she
+stood shaking hand after hand, and affecting utter unconsciousness of
+the sad fact that ponderous Professor Plock had camped upon the train of
+her state and festival velvet gown.
+
+With a long sigh of relief Demi glanced about him for the beloved girl.
+Most persons would have looked some time before any particular angel
+could be discovered among the white-robed throng in parlours, hall,
+and study; but his eye went--like the needle to the pole--to the corner
+where a smooth dark head, with its braided crown, rose like a queen's,
+he thought, above the crowd which surrounded her. Yes, she has a flower
+at her throat; one, two, oh, blessed sight! he saw it all across the
+room, and gave a rapturous sigh which caused Miss Perry's frizzled crop
+to wave with a sudden gust. He did not see the rose, for it was
+hidden by a fold of lace; and it was well, perhaps, that bliss came by
+instalments, or he might have electrified the assembled multitude by
+flying to his idol, there being no Daisy to clutch him by the coat-tail.
+A stout lady, thirsting for information, seized him at that thrilling
+moment, and he was forced to point out celebrities with a saintly
+patience which deserved a better reward than it received; for a certain
+absence of mind and incoherence of speech at times caused the ungrateful
+dowager to whisper to the first friend she met after he had escaped:
+
+'I saw no wine at any of the spreads; but it is plain that young Brooke
+has had too much. Quite gentlemanly, but evidently a trifle intoxicated,
+my dear.'
+
+Ah, so he was! but with a diviner wine than any that ever sparkled at a
+class-day lunch, though many collegians know the taste of it; and when
+the old lady was disposed of, he gladly turned to find the young one,
+bent on having a single word. He saw her standing by the piano now,
+idly turning over music as she talked with several gentlemen. Hiding his
+impatience under an air of scholastic repose, Demi hovered near, ready
+to advance when the happy moment came, wondering meantime why elderly
+persons persisted in absorbing young ones instead of sensibly sitting
+in corners with their contemporaries. The elderly persons in question
+retired at length, but only to be replaced by two impetuous youths who
+begged Miss Heath to accompany them to Parnassus and join the dance.
+Demi thirsted for their blood, but was appeased by hearing George and
+Dolly say, as they lingered a moment after her refusal:
+
+'Really, you know, I'm quite converted to co-education and almost wish
+I'd remained here. It gives a grace to study, a sort of relish even to
+Greek to see charming girls at it,' said Stuffy, who found the feast
+of learning so dry, any sauce was welcome; and he felt as if he had
+discovered a new one.
+
+'Yes, by Jove! we fellows will have to look out or you'll carry off all
+the honours. You were superb today, and held us all like magic, though
+it was so hot there, I really think I couldn't have stood it for anyone
+else,' added Dolly, labouring to be gallant and really offering a
+touching proof of devotion; for the heat melted his collar, took the
+curl out of his hair, and ruined his gloves.
+
+'There is room for all; and if you will leave us the books, we will
+cheerfully yield the baseball, boating, dancing, and flirting, which
+seem to be the branches you prefer,' answered Alice sweetly.
+
+'Ah, now you are too hard upon us! We can't grind all the time and you
+ladies don't seem to mind taking a turn at the two latter “branches” you
+mention,' returned Dolly, with a glance at George which plainly said, 'I
+had her there.'
+
+'Some of us do in our first years. Later we give up childish things, you
+see. Don't let me keep you from Parnassus'; and a smiling nod dismissed
+them, smarting under the bitter consciousness of youth.
+
+'You got it there, Doll. Better not try to fence with these superior
+girls. Sure to be routed, horse, foot, and dragoons,' said Stuffy,
+lumbering away, somewhat cross with too many spreads.
+
+'So deuced sarcastic! Don't believe she's much older than we are.
+Girls grow up quicker, so she needn't put on airs and talk like a
+grandmother,' muttered Dolly, feeling that he had sacrificed his kids
+upon the altar of an ungrateful Pallas.
+
+'Come along and let's find something to eat. I'm faint with so much
+talking. Old Plock cornered me and made my head spin with Kant and Hegel
+and that lot.'
+
+'I promised Dora West I'd give her a turn. Must look her up; she's a
+jolly little thing, and doesn't bother about anything but keeping in
+step.'
+
+And arm in arm the boys strolled away, leaving Alice to read music as
+diligently as if society had indeed no charms for her. As she bent to
+turn a page, the eager young man behind the piano saw the rose and was
+struck speechless with delight. A moment he gazed, then hastened to
+seize the coveted place before a new detachment of bores arrived.
+
+'Alice, I can't believe it--did you understand--how shall I ever thank
+you?' murmured Demi, bending as if he, too, read the song, not a note or
+word of which did he see, however.
+
+'Hush! not now. I understood--I don't deserve it--we are too young, we
+must wait, but--I'm very proud and happy, John!'
+
+What would have happened after that tender whisper I tremble to think,
+if Tom Bangs had not come bustling up, with the cheerful remark:
+
+'Music? just the thing. People are thinning out, and we all want a
+little refreshment. My brain fairly reels with the 'ologies and 'isms
+I've heard discussed tonight. Yes, give us this; sweet thing! Scotch
+songs are always charming.'
+
+Demi glowered; but the obtuse boy never saw it, and Alice, feeling that
+this would be a safe vent for sundry unruly emotions, sat down at once,
+and sang the song which gave her answer better than she could have done:
+
+                BIDE A WEE
+
+    'The puir auld folk at home, ye mind,
+    Are frail and failing sair;
+    And weel I ken they'd miss me, lad,
+    Gin I come hame nae mair.
+    The grist is out, the times are hard,
+    The kine are only three;
+    I canna leave the auld folk now.
+    We'd better bide a wee.
+
+    'I fear me sair they're failing baith;
+    For when I sit apart,
+    They talk o' Heaven so earnestly,
+    It well nigh breaks my heart.
+    So, laddie, dinna urge me now,
+    It surely winna be;
+    I canna leave the auld folk yet.
+    We'd better bide a wee.'
+
+The room was very still before the first verse ended; and Alice skipped
+the next, fearing she could not get through; for John's eyes were on
+her, showing that he knew she sang for him and let the plaintive little
+ballad tell what her reply must be. He took it as she meant it, and
+smiled at her so happily that her heart got the better of her voice, and
+she rose abruptly, saying something about the heat.
+
+'Yes, you are tired; come out and rest, my dearest'; and with a
+masterful air Demi took her into the starlight, leaving Tom to stare
+after them winking as if a sky-rocket had suddenly gone off under his
+nose.
+
+'Bless my soul! the Deacon really meant business last summer and never
+told me. Won't Dora laugh?' And Tom departed in hot haste to impart and
+exult over his discovery.
+
+What was said in the garden was never exactly known; but the Brooke
+family sat up very late that night, and any curious eye at the window
+would have seen Demi receiving the homage of his womankind as he told
+his little romance. Josie took great credit to herself in the matter,
+insisting that she had made the match; Daisy was full of the sweetest
+sympathy and joy, and Mrs Meg so happy that when Jo had gone to dream
+of bridal veils, and Demi sat in his room blissfully playing the air of
+'Bide a Wee', she had her talk about Nat, ending with her arms round her
+dutiful daughter and these welcome words as her reward:
+
+'Wait till Nat comes home, and then my good girl shall wear white roses
+too.'
+
+
+
+Chapter 20. LIFE FOR LIFE
+
+The summer days that followed were full of rest and pleasure for young
+and old, as they did the honours of Plumfield to their happy guests.
+While Franz and Emil were busy with the affairs of Uncle Hermann and
+Captain Hardy, Mary and Ludmilla made friends everywhere; for, though
+very unlike, both were excellent and charming girls. Mrs Meg and Daisy
+found the German bride a Hausfrau after their own hearts, and had
+delightful times learning new dishes, hearing about the semi-yearly
+washes and the splendid linen-room at Hamburg, or discussing domestic
+life in all its branches. Ludmilla not only taught, but learned, many
+things, and went home with many new and useful ideas in her blonde head.
+
+Mary had seen so much of the world that she was unusually lively for
+an English girl; while her various accomplishments made her a most
+agreeable companion. Much good sense gave her ballast; and the late
+experiences of danger and happiness added a sweet gravity at times,
+which contrasted well with her natural gaiety. Mrs Jo was quite
+satisfied with Emil's choice, and felt sure this true and tender pilot
+would bring him safe to port through fair or stormy weather. She had
+feared that Franz would settle down into a comfortable, moneymaking
+burgher, and be content with that; but she soon saw that his love of
+music and his placid Ludmilla put much poetry into his busy life, and
+kept it from being too prosaic. So she felt at rest about these boys,
+and enjoyed their visit with real, maternal satisfaction; parting with
+them in September most regretfully, yet hopefully, as they sailed away
+to the new life that lay before them.
+
+Demi's engagement was confided to the immediate family only, as both
+were pronounced too young to do anything but love and wait. They were
+so happy that time seemed to stand still for them, and after a blissful
+week they parted bravely--Alice to home duties, with a hope that
+sustained and cheered her through many trials; and John to his business,
+full of a new ardour which made all things possible when such a reward
+was offered.
+
+Daisy rejoiced over them, and was never tired of hearing her brother's
+plans for the future. Her own hope soon made her what she used to be--a
+cheery, busy creature, with a smile, kind word, and helping hand for
+all; and as she went singing about the house again, her mother felt that
+the right remedy for past sadness had been found. The dear Pelican still
+had doubts and fears, but kept them wisely to herself, preparing sundry
+searching tests to be applied when Nat came home, and keeping a sharp
+eye on the letters from London; for some mysterious hint had flown
+across the sea, and Daisy's content seemed reflected in Nat's present
+cheerful state of mind.
+
+Having passed through the Werther period, and tried a little Faust--of
+which experience he spoke to his Marguerite as if it had included
+an acquaintance with Mephistopheles, Blocksburg, and Auerbach's
+wine-cellar--he now felt that he was a Wilhelm Meister, serving his
+apprenticeship to the great masters of life. As she knew the truth of
+his small sins and honest repentance, Daisy only smiled at the mixture
+of love and philosophy he sent her, knowing that it was impossible for a
+young man to live in Germany without catching the German spirit.
+
+'His heart is all right; and his head will soon grow clear when he gets
+out of the fog of tobacco, beer, and metaphysics he's been living in.
+England will wake up his common sense, and good salt air blow his little
+follies all away,' said Mrs Jo, much pleased with the good prospects
+of her violinist--whose return was delayed till spring, to his private
+regret, but professional advancement.
+
+Josie had a month with Miss Cameron at the seaside, and threw herself
+so heartily into the lesson given her that her energy, promise, and
+patience laid the foundation of a friendship which was of infinite value
+to her in the busy, brilliant years to come; for little Jo's instincts
+were right; and the dramatic talent of the Marches was to blossom by and
+by into an actress, virtuous, and beloved.
+
+Tom and his Dora were peacefully ambling altar-ward; for Bangs senior
+was so afraid his son would change his mind again and try a third
+profession, that he gladly consented to an early marriage, as a sort
+of anchor to hold the mercurial Thomas fast. Aforesaid Thomas could not
+complain of cold shoulders now; for Dora was a most devoted and adoring
+little mate, and made life so pleasant to him that his gift for getting
+into scrapes seemed lost, and he bade fair to become a thriving man,
+with undeniable talent for the business he had chosen.
+
+'We shall be married in the autumn, and live with my father for a while.
+The governor is getting on, you know, and my wife and I must look after
+him. Later we shall have an establishment of our own,' was a favourite
+speech of his about this time, and usually received with smiles; for the
+idea of Tommy Bangs at the head of an 'establishment' was irresistibly
+funny to all who knew him.
+
+Things were in this flourishing condition, and Mrs Jo was beginning to
+think her trials were over for that year, when a new excitement came.
+Several postal cards had arrived at long intervals from Dan, who gave
+them 'Care of M. Mason, etc.', as his address. By this means he was
+able to gratify his longing for home news, and to send brief messages to
+quiet their surprise at his delay in settling. The last one, which came
+in September, was dated 'Montana', and simply said:
+
+Here at last, trying mining again; but not going to stay long. All sorts
+of luck. Gave up the farm idea. Tell plans soon. Well, busy, and very
+happy. D. K.
+
+If they had known what the heavy dash under 'happy' meant, that postal
+would have been a very eloquent bit of pasteboard; for Dan was free,
+and had gone straight away to the liberty he panted for. Meeting an old
+friend by accident, he obliged him at a pinch by acting as overseer
+for a time, finding the society even of rough miners very sweet, and
+something in the muscular work wonderfully pleasant, after being cooped
+up in the brush-shop so long. He loved to take a pick and wrestle with
+rock and earth till he was weary--which was very soon; for that year of
+captivity had told upon his splendid physique. He longed to go home, but
+waited week after week to get the prison taint off him and the haggard
+look out of his face. Meanwhile he made friends of masters and men;
+and as no one knew his story, he took his place again in the world
+gratefully and gladly--with little pride now, and no plans but to do
+some good somewhere, and efface the past.
+
+Mrs Jo was having a grand clearing-out of her desk one October day,
+while the rain poured outside, and peace reigned in her mansion. Coming
+across the postals, she pondered over them, and then put them carefully
+away in the drawer labelled 'Boys' Letters', saying to herself, as she
+bundled eleven requests for autographs into the waste-paper basket:
+
+'It is quite time for another card, unless he is coming to tell his
+plans. I'm really curious to know what he has been about all this year,
+and how he's getting on now.'
+
+That last wish was granted within an hour; for Ted came rushing in, with
+a newspaper in one hand, a collapsed umbrella in the other, and a face
+full of excitement, announcing, all in one breathless jumble:
+
+'Mine caved in--twenty men shut up--no way out--wives crying--water
+rising--Dan knew the old shaft--risked his life--got 'em out--most
+killed--papers full of it--I knew he'd be a hero--hurray for old Dan!'
+
+'What? Where? When? Who? Stop roaring, and let me read!' commanded his
+mother, entirely bewildered.
+
+Relinquishing the paper, Ted allowed her to read for herself, with
+frequent interruptions from him--and Rob, who soon followed, eager
+for the tale. It was nothing new; but courage and devotion always stir
+generous hearts, and win admiration; so the account was both graphic and
+enthusiastic; and the name of Daniel Kean, the brave man who saved the
+lives of others at the risk of his own, was on many lips that day. Very
+proud were the faces of these friends as they read how their Dan was
+the only one who, in the first panic of the accident, remembered the old
+shaft that led into the mine--walled up, but the only hope of escape,
+if the men could be got out before the rising water drowned them; how he
+was lowered down alone, telling the others to keep back till he saw if
+it was safe; how he heard the poor fellows picking desperately for their
+lives on the other side, and by knocks and calls guided them to the
+right spot; then headed the rescue party, and working like a hero, got
+the men out in time. On being drawn up last of all, the worn rope broke,
+and he had a terrible fall, being much hurt, but was still alive. How
+the grateful women kissed his blackened face and bloody hands, as the
+men bore him away in triumph, and the owners of the mine promised a
+handsome reward, if he lived to receive it!
+
+'He must live; he shall, and come home to be nursed as soon as he can
+stir, if I go and bring him myself! I always knew he'd do something fine
+and brave, if he didn't get shot or hung for some wild prank instead,'
+cried Mrs Jo, much excited.
+
+'Do go, and take me with you, Mum. I ought to be the one, Dan's so fond
+of me and I of him,' began Ted, feeling that this would be an expedition
+after his own heart.
+
+Before his mother could reply, Mr Laurie came in, with almost as much
+noise and flurry as Teddy the second, exclaiming as he waved the evening
+paper:
+
+'Seen the news, Jo? What do you think? Shall I go off at once, and see
+after that brave boy?'
+
+'I wish you would. But the thing may not be all true--rumour lies so.
+Perhaps a few hours will bring an entirely new version of the story.'
+
+'I've telephoned to Demi for all he can find out; and if it's true, I'll
+go at once. Should like the trip. If he's able, I'll bring him home; if
+not, I'll stay and see to him. He'll pull through. Dan will never die of
+a fall on his head. He's got nine lives, and not lost half of them yet.'
+
+'If you go, uncle, mayn't I go with you? I'm just spoiling for a
+journey; and it would be such larks to go out there with you, and see
+the mines and Dan, and hear all about it, and help. I can nurse. Can't
+I, Rob?' cried Teddy, in his most wheedlesome tones.
+
+'Pretty well. But if mother can't spare you, I'm ready if uncle needs
+anyone,' answered Rob, in his quiet way, looking much fitter for the
+trip than excitable Ted.
+
+'I can't spare either of you. My boys get into trouble, unless I keep
+them close at home. I've no right to hold the others; but I won't let
+you out of my sight, or something will happen. Never saw such a year,
+with wrecks and weddings and floods and engagements, and every sort of
+catastrophe!' exclaimed Mrs Jo.
+
+'If you deal in girls and boys, you must expect this sort of thing,
+ma'am. The worst is over, I hope, till these lads begin to go off. Then
+I'll stand by you; for you'll need every kind of support and comfort,
+specially if Ted bolts early,' laughed Mr Laurie, enjoying her
+lamentations.
+
+'I don't think anything can surprise me now; but I am anxious about
+Dan, and feel that someone had better go to him. It's a rough place out
+there, and he may need careful nursing. Poor lad, he seems to get a good
+many hard knocks! But perhaps he needs them as “a mellerin' process”, as
+Hannah used to say.'
+
+'We shall hear from Demi before long, and then I'll be off.' With which
+cheerful promise Mr Laurie departed; and Ted, finding his mother firm,
+soon followed, to coax his uncle to take him.
+
+Further inquiry confirmed and added interest to the news. Mr Laurie was
+off at once; and Ted went into town with him, still vainly imploring to
+be taken to his Dan. He was absent all day; but his mother said, calmly:
+
+'Only a fit of the sulks because he is thwarted. He's safe with Tom or
+Demi, and will come home hungry and meek at night. I know him.'
+
+But she soon found that she could still be surprised; for evening
+brought no Ted, and no one had seen him. Mr Bhaer was just setting
+off to find his lost son, when a telegram arrived, dated at one of the
+way-stations on Mr Laurie's route:
+
+    Found Ted in the cars. Take him along. Write tomorrow.
+
+        T.  LAURENCE
+
+'Ted bolted sooner than you expected, mother. Never mind--uncle will
+take good care of him, and Dan be very glad to see him,' said Rob, as
+Mrs Jo sat, trying to realize that her youngest was actually on his way
+to the wild West.
+
+'Disobedient boy! He shall be severely punished, if I ever get him
+again. Laurie winked at this prank; I know he did. Just like him.
+Won't the two rascals have a splendid time? Wish I was with them! Don't
+believe that crazy boy took even a night-gown with him, or an overcoat.
+Well, there will be two patients for us to nurse when they get back, if
+they ever do. Those reckless express trains always go down precipices,
+and burn up, or telescope. Oh! my Ted, my precious boy, how can I let
+him go so far away from me?'
+
+And mother-like, Mrs Jo forgot the threatened chastisement in tender
+lamentations over the happy scapegrace, now whizzing across the
+continent in high feather at the success of his first revolt. Mr Laurie
+was much amused at his insisting that those words, 'when Ted bolts', put
+the idea into his head; and therefore the responsibility rested upon his
+shoulders. He assumed it kindly from the moment he came upon the runaway
+asleep in a car, with no visible luggage but a bottle of wine for Dan
+and a blacking-brush for himself; and as Mrs Jo suspected, the 'two
+rascals' did have a splendid time. Penitent letters arrived in due
+season, and the irate parents soon forgot to chide in their anxiety
+about Dan, who was very ill, and did not know his friends for several
+days. Then he began to mend; and everyone forgave the bad boy when he
+proudly reported that the first conscious words Dan said were: 'Hallo,
+Ted!' with a smile of pleasure at seeing a familiar face bent over him.
+
+'Glad he went, and I won't scold any more. Now, what shall we put in the
+box for Dan?' And Mrs Jo worked off her impatience to get hold of the
+invalid by sending comforts enough for a hospital.
+
+Cheering accounts soon began to come, and at length Dan was pronounced
+able to travel, but seemed in no haste to go home, though never tired of
+hearing his nurses talk of it.
+
+'Dan is strangely altered,' wrote Laurie to Jo; 'not by this illness
+alone, but by something which has evidently gone before. I don't know
+what, and leave you to ask; but from his ravings when delirious I fear
+he has been in some serious trouble the past year. He seems ten years
+older, but improved, quieter, and so grateful to us. It is pathetic to
+see the hunger in his eyes as they rest on Ted, as if he couldn't see
+enough of him. He says Kansas was a failure, but can't talk much; so I
+bide my time. The people here love him very much, and he cares for that
+sort of thing now; used to scorn any show of emotion, you know; now
+he wants everyone to think well of him, and can't do enough to win
+affection and respect. I may be all wrong. You will soon find out. Ted
+is in clover, and the trip has done him a world of good. Let me take him
+to Europe when we go? Apron-strings don't agree with him any better than
+they did with me when I proposed to run away to Washington with you some
+century ago. Aren't you sorry you didn't?'
+
+This private letter set Mrs Jo's lively fancy in a ferment, and she
+imagined every known crime, affliction, and complication which could
+possibly have befallen Dan. He was too feeble to be worried with
+questions now, but she promised herself most interesting revelations
+when she got him safe at home; for the 'firebrand' was her most
+interesting boy. She begged him to come, and spent more time in
+composing a letter that should bring him, than she did over the most
+thrilling episodes in her 'works'.
+
+No one but Dan saw the letter; but it did bring him, and one November
+day Mr Laurie helped a feeble man out of a carriage at the door of
+Plumfield, and Mother Bhaer received the wanderer like a recovered son;
+while Ted, in a disreputable-looking hat and an astonishing pair of
+boots, performed a sort of war-dance round the interesting group.
+
+'Right upstairs and rest; I'm nurse now, and this ghost must eat before
+he talks to anyone,' commanded Mrs Jo, trying not to show how shocked
+she was at this shorn and shaven, gaunt and pallid shadow of the
+stalwart man she parted with.
+
+He was quite content to obey, and lay on the long lounge in the room
+prepared for him, looking about as tranquilly as a sick child restored
+to its own nursery and mother's arms, while his new nurse fed and
+refreshed him, bravely controlling the questions that burned upon her
+tongue. Being weak and weary, he soon fell asleep; and then she stole
+away to enjoy the society of the 'rascals', whom she scolded and petted,
+pumped and praised, to her heart's content.
+
+'Jo, I think Dan has committed some crime and suffered for it,' said Mr
+Laurie, when Ted had departed to show his boots and tell glowing tales
+of the dangers and delights of the miners' life to his mates. 'Some
+terrible experience has come to the lad, and broken his spirit. He was
+quite out of his head when we arrived, and I took the watching, so I
+heard more of those sad wanderings than anyone else. He talked of the
+“warden”, some trail, a dead man, and Blair and Mason, and would keep
+offering me his hand, asking me if I would take it and forgive him.
+Once, when he was very wild, I held his arms, and he quieted in a
+moment, imploring me not to “put the handcuffs on”. I declare, it was
+quite awful sometimes to hear him in the night talk of old Plum and you,
+and beg to be let out and go home to die.'
+
+'He isn't going to die, but live to repent of anything he may have done;
+so don't harrow me up with these dark hints, Teddy. I don't care if he's
+broken the Ten Commandments, I'll stand by him, and so will you, and
+we'll set him on his feet and make a good man of him yet. I know he's
+not spoilt, by the look in his poor face. Don't say a word to anyone,
+and I'll have the truth before long,' answered Mrs Jo, still loyal to
+her bad boy, though much afflicted by what she had heard.
+
+For some days Dan rested, and saw few people; then good care, cheerful
+surroundings, and the comfort of being at home began to tell, and
+he seemed more like himself, though still very silent as to his late
+experiences, pleading the doctor's orders not to talk much. Everyone
+wanted to see him; but he shrank from any but old friends, and 'wouldn't
+lionize worth a cent', Ted said, much disappointed that he could not
+show off his brave Dan.
+
+'Wasn't a man there who wouldn't have done the same, so why make a row
+over me?' asked the hero, feeling more ashamed than proud of the broken
+arm, which looked so interesting in a sling.
+
+'But isn't it pleasant to think that you saved twenty lives, Dan, and
+gave husbands, sons, and fathers back to the women who loved them?'
+asked Mrs Jo one evening as they were alone together after several
+callers had been sent away.
+
+'Pleasant! it's all that kept me alive, I do believe; yes, I'd rather
+have done it than be made president or any other big bug in the world.
+No one knows what a comfort it is to think I've saved twenty men to more
+than pay for--' There Dan stopped short, having evidently spoken out of
+some strong emotion to which his hearer had no key.
+
+'I thought you'd feel so. It is a splendid thing to save life at the
+risk of one's own, as you did, and nearly lose it,' began Mrs Jo,
+wishing he had gone on with that impulsive speech which was so like his
+old manner.
+
+'“He that loseth his life shall gain it”,' muttered Dan, staring at the
+cheerful fire which lighted the room, and shone on his thin face with a
+ruddy glow.
+
+Mrs Jo was so startled at hearing such words from his lips that she
+exclaimed joyfully:
+
+'Then you did read the little book I gave you, and kept your promise?'
+
+'I read it a good deal after a while. I don't know much yet, but I'm
+ready to learn; and that's something.'
+
+'It's everything. Oh, my dear, tell me about it! I know something lies
+heavy on your heart; let me help you bear it, and so make the burden
+lighter.'
+
+'I know it would; I want to tell; but some things even you couldn't
+forgive; and if you let go of me, I'm afraid I can't keep afloat.'
+
+'Mothers can forgive anything! Tell me all, and be sure that I will
+never let you go, though the whole world should turn from you.'
+
+Mrs Jo took one of the big wasted hands in both of hers and held it
+fast, waiting silently till that sustaining touch warmed poor Dan's
+heart, and gave him courage to speak. Sitting in his old attitude, with
+his head in his hands, he slowly told it all, never once looking up till
+the last words left his lips.
+
+'Now you know; can you forgive a murderer, and keep a jail-bird in your
+house?'
+
+Her only answer was to put her arms about him, and lay the shorn head on
+her breast, with eyes so full of tears they could but dimly see the hope
+and fear that made his own so tragical.
+
+That was better than any words; and poor Dan clung to her in speechless
+gratitude, feeling the blessedness of mother love--that divine gift
+which comforts, purifies, and strengthens all who seek it. Two or three
+great, bitter drops were hidden in the little woollen shawl where Dan's
+cheek rested, and no one ever knew how soft and comfortable it felt to
+him after the hard pillows he had known so long. Suffering of both mind
+and body had broken will and pride, and the lifted burden brought such a
+sense of relief that he paused a moment to enjoy it in dumb delight.
+
+'My poor boy, how you have suffered all this year, when we thought you
+free as air! Why didn't you tell us, Dan, and let us help you? Did you
+doubt your friends?' asked Mrs Jo, forgetting all other emotions in
+sympathy, as she lifted up the hidden face, and looked reproachfully
+into the great hollow eyes that met her own frankly now.
+
+'I was ashamed. I tried to bear it alone rather than shock and
+disappoint you, as I know I have, though you try not to show it. Don't
+mind; I must get used to it'; and Dan's eyes dropped again as if they
+could not bear to see the trouble and dismay his confession painted on
+his best friend's face.
+
+'I am shocked and disappointed by the sin, but I am also very glad and
+proud and grateful that my sinner has repented, atoned, and is ready to
+profit by the bitter lesson. No one but Fritz and Laurie need ever know
+the truth; we owe it to them, and they will feel as I do,' answered Mrs
+Jo, wisely thinking that entire frankness would be a better tonic than
+too much sympathy.
+
+'No, they won't; men never forgive like women. But it's right. Please
+tell 'em for me, and get it over. Mr Laurence knows it, I guess. I
+blabbed when my wits were gone; but he was very kind all the same. I can
+bear their knowing; but oh, not Ted and the girls!' Dan clutched her
+arm with such an imploring face that she hastened to assure him no one
+should know except the two old friends, and he calmed down as if ashamed
+of his sudden panic.
+
+'It wasn't murder, mind you, it was in self-defence; he drew first, and
+I had to hit him. Didn't mean to kill him; but it doesn't worry me as
+much as it ought, I'm afraid. I've more than paid for it, and such a
+rascal is better out of the world than in it, showing boys the way to
+hell. Yes, I know you think that's awful in me; but I can't help it. I
+hate a scamp as I do a skulking coyote, and always want to get a shot at
+'em. Perhaps it would have been better if he had killed me; my life is
+spoilt.'
+
+All the old prison gloom seemed to settle like a black cloud on Dan's
+face as he spoke, and Mrs Jo was frightened at the glimpse it gave her
+of the fire through which he had passed to come out alive, but
+scarred for life. Hoping to turn his mind to happier things, she said
+cheerfully:
+
+'No, it isn't; you have learned to value it more and use it better
+for this trial. It is not a lost year, but one that may prove the most
+helpful of any you ever know. Try to think so, and begin again; we will
+help, and have all the more confidence in you for this failure. We all
+do the same and struggle on.'
+
+'I never can be what I was. I feel about sixty, and don't care for
+anything now I've got here. Let me stay till I'm on my legs, then I'll
+clear out and never trouble you any more,' said Dan despondently.
+
+'You are weak and low in your mind; that will pass, and by and by you
+will go to your missionary work among the Indians with all the old
+energy and the new patience, self-control, and knowledge you have
+gained. Tell me more about that good chaplain and Mary Mason and the
+lady whose chance word helped you so much. I want to know all about the
+trials of my poor boy.'
+
+Won by her tender interest, Dan brightened up and talked on till he had
+poured out all the story of that bitter year, and felt better for the
+load he lifted off.
+
+If he had known how it weighed upon his hearer's heart, he would have
+held his peace; but she hid her sorrow till she had sent him to bed,
+comforted and calm; then she cried her heart out, to the great dismay
+of Fritz and Laurie, till they heard the tale and could mourn with her;
+after which they all cheered up and took counsel together how best to
+help this worst of all the 'catastrophes' the year had brought them.
+
+
+
+Chapter 21. ASLAUGA'S KNIGHT
+
+It was curious to see the change which came over Dan after that talk. A
+weight seemed off his mind; and though the old impetuous spirit flashed
+out at times, he seemed intent on trying to show his gratitude and love
+and honour to these true friends by a new humility and confidence very
+sweet to them, very helpful to him. After hearing the story from Mrs
+Jo, the Professor and Mr Laurie made no allusion to it beyond the hearty
+hand-grasp, the look of compassion, the brief word of good cheer in
+which men convey sympathy, and a redoubled kindness which left no doubt
+of pardon. Mr Laurie began at once to interest influential persons
+in Dan's mission, and set in motion the machinery which needs so much
+oiling before anything can be done where Government is concerned.
+Mr Bhaer, with the skill of a true teacher, gave Dan's hungry mind
+something to do, and helped him understand himself by carrying on the
+good chaplain's task so paternally that the poor fellow often said he
+felt as if he had found a father. The boys took him to drive, and amused
+him with their pranks and plans; while the women, old and young, nursed
+and petted him till he felt like a sultan with a crowd of devoted
+slaves, obedient to his lightest wish. A very little of this was enough
+for Dan, who had a masculine horror of 'molly-coddling', and so brief an
+acquaintance with illness that he rebelled against the doctor's orders
+to keep quiet; and it took all Mrs Jo's authority and the girls'
+ingenuity to keep him from leaving his sofa long before strained back
+and wounded head were well. Daisy cooked for him; Nan attended to his
+medicines; Josie read aloud to while away the long hours of inaction
+that hung so heavily on his hands; while Bess brought all her
+pictures and casts to amuse him, and, at his special desire, set up a
+modelling-stand in his parlour and began to mould the buffalo head he
+gave her. Those afternoons seemed the pleasantest part of his day; and
+Mrs Jo, busy in her study close by, could see the friendly trio and
+enjoy the pretty pictures they made. The girls were much flattered
+by the success of their efforts, and exerted themselves to be very
+entertaining, consulting Dan's moods with the feminine tact most women
+creatures learn before they are out of pinafores. When he was gay, the
+room rang with laughter; when gloomy, they read or worked in respectful
+silence till their sweet patience cheered him up again; and when in pain
+they hovered over him like 'a couple of angels', as he said. He often
+called Josie 'little mother', but Bess was always 'Princess'; and his
+manner to the two cousins was quite different. Josie sometimes fretted
+him with her fussy ways, the long plays she liked to read, and the
+maternal scoldings she administered when he broke the rules; for having
+a lord of creation in her power was so delightful to her that she would
+have ruled him with a rod of iron if he had submitted. To Bess, in her
+gentler ministrations, he never showed either impatience or weariness,
+but obeyed her least word, exerted himself to seem well in her presence,
+and took such interest in her work that he lay looking at her with
+unwearied eyes; while Josie read to him in her best style unheeded.
+
+Mrs Jo observed this, and called them 'Una and the Lion', which suited
+them very well, though the lion's mane was shorn, and Una never tried to
+bridle him. The elder ladies did their part in providing delicacies and
+supplying all his wants; but Mrs Meg was busy at home, Mrs Amy preparing
+for the trip to Europe in the spring, and Mrs Jo hovering on the brink
+of a 'vortex'--for the forthcoming book had been sadly delayed by
+the late domestic events. As she sat at her desk, settling papers or
+meditatively nibbling her pen while waiting for the divine afflatus to
+descend upon her, she often forgot her fictitious heroes and heroines
+in studying the live models before her, and thus by chance looks, words,
+and gestures discovered a little romance unsuspected by anyone else.
+
+The portiere between the rooms was usually drawn aside, giving a view of
+the group in the large bay-window--Bess at one side, in her grey blouse,
+busy with her tools; Josie at the other side with her book; and between,
+on the long couch, propped with many cushions, lay Dan in a many-hued
+eastern dressing-gown presented by Mr Laurie and worn to please
+the girls, though the invalid much preferred an old jacket 'with no
+confounded tail to bother over'. He faced Mrs Jo's room, but never
+seemed to see her, for his eyes were on the slender figure before him,
+with the pale winter sunshine touching her golden head, and the delicate
+hands that shaped the clay so deftly. Josie was just visible, rocking
+violently in a little chair at the head of the couch, and the steady
+murmur of her girlish voice was usually the only sound that broke the
+quiet of the room, unless a sudden discussion arose about the book or
+the buffalo.
+
+Something in the big eyes, bigger and blacker than ever in the thin
+white face, fixed, so steadily on one object, had a sort of fascination
+for Mrs Jo after a time, and she watched the changes in them curiously;
+for Dan's mind was evidently not on the story, and he often forgot to
+laugh or exclaim at the comic or exciting crises. Sometimes they were
+soft and wistful, and the watcher was very glad that neither damsel
+caught that dangerous look for when they spoke it vanished; sometimes
+it was full of eager fire, and the colour came and went rebelliously,
+in spite of his attempt to hide it with an impatient gesture of hand or
+head; but oftenest it was dark, and sad, and stern, as if those gloomy
+eyes looked out of captivity at some forbidden light or joy. This
+expression came so often that it worried Mrs Jo, and she longed to go
+and ask him what bitter memory overshadowed those quiet hours. She knew
+that his crime and its punishment must lie heavy on his mind; but youth,
+and time, and new hopes would bring comfort, and help to wear away
+the first sharpness of the prison brand. It lifted at other times, and
+seemed almost forgotten when he joked with the boys, talked with old
+friends, or enjoyed the first snows as he drove out every fair day. Why
+should the shadow always fall so darkly on him in the society of these
+innocent and friendly girls? They never seemed to see it, and if either
+looked or spoke, a quick smile came like a sunburst through the clouds
+to answer them. So Mrs Jo went on watching, wondering, and discovering,
+till accident confirmed her fears.
+
+Josie was called away one day, and Bess, tired of working, offered to
+take her place if he cared for more reading.
+
+'I do; your reading suits me better than Jo's. She goes so fast my
+stupid head gets in a muddle and soon begins to ache. Don't tell her;
+she's a dear little soul, and so good to sit here with a bear like me.'
+
+The smile was ready as Bess went to the table for a new book, the last
+story being finished.
+
+'You are not a bear, but very good and patient, we think. It is always
+hard for a man to be shut up, mamma says, and must be terrible for you,
+who have always been so free.'
+
+If Bess had not been reading titles she would have seen Dan shrink as
+if her last words hurt him. He made no answer; but other eyes saw and
+understood why he looked as if he would have liked to spring up and rush
+away for one of his long races up the hill, as he used to do when the
+longing for liberty grew uncontrollable. Moved by a sudden impulse, Mrs
+Jo caught up her work-basket and went to join her neighbours, feeling
+that a non-conductor might be needed; for Dan looked like a thundercloud
+full of electricity.
+
+'What shall we read, Aunty? Dan doesn't seem to care. You know his
+taste; tell me something quiet and pleasant and short. Josie will
+be back soon,' said Bess, still turning over the books piled on the
+centre-table.
+
+Before Mrs Jo could answer, Dan pulled a shabby little volume from under
+his pillow, and handing it to her said: 'Please read the third one; it's
+short and pretty--I'm fond of it.' The book opened at the right place,
+as if the third story had been often read, and Bess smiled as she saw
+the name.
+
+'Why, Dan, I shouldn't think you'd care for this romantic German tale.
+There is fighting in it; but it is very sentimental, if I remember
+rightly.'
+
+'I know it; but I've read so few stories, I like the simple ones best.
+Had nothing else to read sometimes; I guess I know it all by heart, and
+never seem to be tired of those fighting fellows, and the fiends and
+angels and lovely ladies. You read “Aslauga's Knight”, and see if you
+don't like it. Edwald was rather too soft for my fancy; but Froda was
+first-rate and the spirit with the golden hair always reminded me of
+you.'
+
+As Dan spoke Mrs Jo settled herself where she could watch him in the
+glass, and Bess took a large chair facing him, saying, as she put up her
+hands to retie the ribbon that held the cluster of thick, soft curls at
+the back of her head:
+
+'I hope Aslauga's hair wasn't as troublesome as mine, for it's always
+tumbling down. I'll be ready in a minute.'
+
+'Don't tie it up; please let it hang. I love to see it shine that way.
+It will rest your head, and be just right for the story, Goldilocks,'
+pleaded Dan, using the childish name and looking more like his boyish
+self than he had done for many a day.
+
+Bess laughed, shook down her pretty hair, and began to read, glad to
+hide her face a little; for compliments made her shy, no matter who paid
+them. Dan listened intently on; and Mrs Jo, with eyes that went often
+from her needle to the glass, could see, without turning, how he
+enjoyed every word as if it had more meaning for him than for the other
+listeners. His face brightened wonderfully, and soon wore the look that
+came when anything brave or beautiful inspired and touched his better
+self. It was Fouque's charming story of the knight Froda, and the fair
+daughter of Sigurd, who was a sort of spirit, appearing to her lover in
+hours of danger and trial, as well as triumph and joy, till she became
+his guide and guard, inspiring him with courage, nobleness, and truth,
+leading him to great deeds in the field, sacrifices for those he loved,
+and victories over himself by the gleaming of her golden hair, which
+shone on him in battle, dreams, and perils by day and night, till after
+death he finds the lovely spirit waiting to receive and to reward him.
+
+Of all the stories in the book this was the last one would have supposed
+Dan would like best, and even Mrs Jo was surprised at his perceiving the
+moral of the tale through the delicate imagery and romantic language by
+which it was illustrated. But as she looked and listened she remembered
+the streak of sentiment and refinement which lay concealed in Dan like
+the gold vein in a rock, making him quick to feel and to enjoy fine
+colour in a flower, grace in an animal, sweetness in women, heroism in
+men, and all the tender ties that bind heart to heart; though he was
+slow to show it, having no words to express the tastes and instincts
+which he inherited from his mother. Suffering of soul and body had
+tamed his stronger passions, and the atmosphere of love and pity now
+surrounding him purified and warmed his heart till it began to hunger
+for the food neglected or denied so long. This was plainly written in
+his too expressive face, as, fancying it unseen, he let it tell the
+longing after beauty, peace, and happiness embodied for him in the
+innocent fair girl before him.
+
+The conviction of this sad yet natural fact came to Mrs Jo with a pang,
+for she felt how utterly hopeless such a longing was; since light and
+darkness were not farther apart than snow-white Bess and sin-stained
+Dan. No dream of such a thing disturbed the young girl, as her entire
+unconsciousness plainly showed. But how long would it be before the
+eloquent eyes betrayed the truth? And then what disappointment for
+Dan, what dismay for Bess, who was as cool and high and pure as her own
+marbles, and shunned all thought of love with maidenly reserve.
+
+'How hard everything is made for my poor boy! How can I spoil his little
+dream, and take away the spirit of good he is beginning to love and long
+for? When my own dear lads are safely settled I'll never try another,
+for these things are heart-breaking, and I can't manage any more,'
+thought Mrs Jo, as she put the lining into Teddy's coat-sleeve upside
+down, so perplexed and grieved was she at this new catastrophe.
+
+The story was soon done, and as Bess shook back her hair, Dan asked as
+eagerly as a boy:
+
+'Don't you like it?'
+
+'Yes, it's very pretty, and I see the meaning of it; but Undine was
+always my favourite.'
+
+'Of course, that's like you--lilies and pearls and souls and pure
+water. Sintram used to be mine; but I took a fancy to this when I
+was--ahem--rather down on my luck one time, and it did me good, it was
+so cheerful and sort of spiritual in its meaning, you know.'
+
+Bess opened her blue eyes in wonder at this fancy of Dan's for anything
+'spiritual'; but she only nodded, saying: 'Some of the little songs are
+sweet and might be set to music.'
+
+Dan laughed; 'I used to sing the last one to a tune of my own sometimes
+at sunset:
+
+    '“Listening to celestial lays,
+      Bending thy unclouded gaze
+      On the pure and living light,
+      Thou art blest, Aslauga's Knight!”
+
+'And I was,' he added, under his breath, as he glanced towards the
+sunshine dancing on the wall.
+
+'This one suits you better now'; and glad to please him by her interest,
+Bess read in her soft voice:
+
+    '“Healfast, healfast, ye hero wounds;
+      O knight, be quickly strong!
+      Beloved strife
+      For fame and life,
+      Oh, tarry not too long!”'
+
+'I'm no hero, never can be, and “fame and life” can't do much for me.
+Never mind, read me that paper, please. This knock on the head has made
+a regular fool of me.'
+
+Dan's voice was gentle; but the light was gone out of his face now, and
+he moved restlessly as if the silken pillows were full of thorns. Seeing
+that his mood had changed, Bess quietly put down the book, took up the
+paper, and glanced along the columns for something to suit him.
+
+'You don't care for the money market, I know, nor musical news. Here's
+a murder; you used to like those; shall I read it? One man kills
+another--,'
+
+'No!'
+
+Only a word, but it gave Mrs Jo a thrill, and for a moment she dared not
+glance at the tell-tale mirror. When she did Dan lay motionless with one
+hand over his eyes, and Bess was happily reading the art news to ears
+that never heard a word. Feeling like a thief who has stolen something
+very precious, Mrs Jo slipped away to her study, and before long Bess
+followed to report that Dan was fast asleep.
+
+Sending her home, with the firm resolve to keep her there as much as
+possible, Mother Bhaer had an hour of serious thought all alone in the
+red sunset; and when a sound in the next room led her there, she found
+that the feigned sleep had become real repose; for Dan lay breathing
+heavily, with a scarlet spot on either cheek, and one hand clinched on
+his broad breast. Yearning over him with a deeper pity than ever before,
+she sat in the little chair beside him, trying to see her way out of
+this tangle, till his hand slipped down, and in doing so snapped a cord
+he wore about his neck and let a small case drop to the floor.
+
+Mrs Jo picked it up, and as he did not wake, sat looking at it, idly
+wondering what charm it held; for the case was of Indian workmanship and
+the broken cord, of closely woven grass, sweet scented and pale yellow.
+
+'I won't pry into any more of the poor fellow's secrets. I'll mend and
+put it back, and never let him know I've seen his talisman.'
+
+As she spoke she turned the little wallet to examine the fracture, and
+a card fell into her lap. It was a photograph, cut to fit its covering,
+and two words were written underneath the face, 'My Aslauga'. For an
+instant Mrs Jo fancied that it might be one of herself, for all the boys
+had them; but as the thin paper fell away, she saw the picture Demi took
+of Bess that happy summer day. There was no doubt now, and with a sigh
+she put it back, and was about to slip it into Dan's bosom so that not
+even a stitch should betray her knowledge, when as she leaned towards
+him, she saw that he was looking straight at her with an expression that
+surprised her more than any of the strange ones she had ever seen in
+that changeful face before.
+
+'Your hand slipped down; it fell; I was putting it back,' explained Mrs
+Jo, feeling like a naughty child caught in mischief.
+
+'You saw the picture?'
+
+'Yes.'
+
+'And know what a fool I am?'
+
+'Yes, Dan, and am so grieved--'
+
+'Don't worry about me. I'm all right--glad you know, though I never
+meant to tell you. Of course it is only a crazy fancy of mine, and
+nothing can ever come of it. Never thought there would. Good Lord! what
+could that little angel ever be to me but what she is--a sort of dream
+of all that's sweet and good?'
+
+More afflicted by the quiet resignation of his look and tone than by
+the most passionate ardour, Mrs Jo could only say, with a face full of
+sympathy:
+
+'It is very hard, dear, but there is no other way to look at it. You are
+wise and brave enough to see that, and to let the secret be ours alone.'
+
+'I swear I will! not a word nor a look if I can help it. No one guesses,
+and if it troubles no one, is there any harm in my keeping this, and
+taking comfort in the pretty fancy that kept me sane in that cursed
+place?'
+
+Dan's face was eager now, and he hid away the little worn case as if
+defying any hand to take it from him. Anxious to know everything before
+giving counsel or comfort, Mrs Jo said quietly:
+
+'Keep it, and tell me all about the “fancy”. Since I have stumbled on
+your secret, let me know how it came, and how I can help to make it
+lighter to bear.'
+
+'You'll laugh; but I don't mind. You always did find out our secrets and
+give us a lift. Well, I never cared much for books, you know; but down
+yonder when the devil tormented me I had to do something or go stark
+mad, so I read both the books you gave me. One was beyond me, till that
+good old man showed me how to read it; but the other, this one, was a
+comfort, I tell you. It amused me, and was as pretty as poetry. I liked
+'em all, and most wore out Sintram. See how used up he is! Then I came
+to this, and it sort of fitted that other happy part of my life, last
+summer--here.'
+
+Dan stopped a moment as the words lingered on his lips; then, with a
+long breath, went on, as if it was hard to lay bare the foolish little
+romance he had woven about a girl, a picture, and a child's story there
+in the darkness of the place which was as terrible to him as Dante's
+Inferno, till he found his Beatrice.
+
+'I couldn't sleep, and had to think about something, so I used to fancy
+I was Folko, and see the shining of Aslauga's hair in the sunset on
+the wall, the gum of the watchman's lamp, and the light that came in at
+dawn. My cell was high. I could see a bit of sky; sometimes there was
+a star in it, and that was most as good as a face. I set great store by
+that patch of blue, and when a white cloud went by, I thought it was the
+prettiest thing in all this world. I guess I was pretty near a fool; but
+those thoughts and things helped me through, so they are all solemn true
+to me, and I can't let them go. The dear shiny head, the white gown, the
+eyes like stars, and sweet, calm ways that set her as high above me as
+the moon in heaven. Don't take it away! it's only a fancy, but a man
+must love something, and I'd better love a spirit like her than any of
+the poor common girls who would care for me.'
+
+The quiet despair in Dan's voice pierced Mrs Jo to the heart; but there
+was no hope and she gave none. Yet she felt that he was right, and that
+his hapless affection might do more to uplift and purify him than any
+other he might know. Few women would care to marry Dan now, except such
+as would hinder, not help, him in the struggle which life would always
+be to him; and it was better to go solitary to his grave than become
+what she suspected his father had been--a handsome, unprincipled, and
+dangerous man, with more than one broken heart to answer for.
+
+'Yes, Dan, it is wise to keep this innocent fancy, if it helps and
+comforts you, till something more real and possible comes to make you
+happier. I wish I could give you any hope; but we both know that the
+dear child is the apple of her father's eye, the pride of her mother's
+heart, and that the most perfect lover they can find will hardly seem to
+them worthy of their precious daughter. Let her remain for you the high,
+bright star that leads you up and makes you believe in heaven.' Mrs Jo
+broke down there; it seemed so cruel to destroy the faint hope Dan's
+eyes betrayed, that she could not moralize when she thought of his hard
+life and lonely future. Perhaps it was the wisest thing she could have
+done, for in her hearty sympathy he found comfort for his own loss, and
+very soon was able to speak again in the manly tone of resignation
+to the inevitable that showed how honest was his effort to give up
+everything but the pale shadow of what, for another, might have been a
+happy possibility.
+
+They talked long and earnestly in the twilight; and this second secret
+bound them closer than the first; for in it there was neither sin nor
+shame--only the tender pain and patience which has made saints and
+heroes of far worse men than our poor Dan. When at length they rose at
+the summons of a bell, all the sunset glory had departed, and in the
+wintry sky there hung one star, large, soft, and clear, above a snowy
+world. Pausing at the window before she dropped the curtains, Mrs Jo
+said cheerfully:
+
+'Come and see how beautiful the evening star is, since you love it so.'
+And as he stood behind her, tall and pale, like the ghost of his former
+self, she added softly: 'And remember, dear, if the sweet girl is denied
+you, the old friend is always here--to love and trust and pray for you.'
+
+This time she was not disappointed; and had she asked any reward for
+many anxieties and cares, she received it when Dan's strong arm came
+round her, as he said, in a voice which showed her that she had not
+laboured in vain to pluck her firebrand from the burning:
+
+'I never can forget that; for she's helped to save my soul, and make me
+dare to look up there and say:
+
+“God bless her!”'
+
+
+
+Chapter 22. POSITIVELY LAST APPEARANCE
+
+'Upon my word, I feel as if I lived in a powder-magazine, and don't
+know which barrel will explode next, and send me flying,' said Mrs Jo
+to herself next day, as she trudged up to Parnassus to suggest to her
+sister that perhaps the most charming of the young nurses had better
+return to her marble gods before she unconsciously added another wound
+to those already won by the human hero. She told no secrets; but a hint
+was sufficient; for Mrs Amy guarded her daughter as a pearl of great
+price, and at once devised a very simple means of escape from danger.
+Mr Laurie was going to Washington on Dan's behalf, and was delighted to
+take his family with him when the idea was carelessly suggested. So the
+conspiracy succeeded finely; and Mrs Jo went home, feeling more like a
+traitor than ever. She expected an explosion; but Dan took the news so
+quietly, it was plain that he cherished no hope; and Mrs Amy was sure
+her romantic sister had been mistaken. If she had seen Dan's face when
+Bess went to say good-bye, her maternal eye would have discovered far
+more than the unconscious girl did. Mrs Jo trembled lest he should
+betray himself; but he had learned self-control in a stern school, and
+would have got through the hard moment bravely, only, when he took both
+hands, saying heartily:
+
+'Good-bye, Princess. If we don't meet again, remember your old friend
+Dan sometimes,' she, touched by his late danger and the wistful look he
+wore, answered with unusual warmth: 'How can I help it, when you make us
+all so proud of you? God bless your mission, and bring you safely home
+to us again!'
+
+As she looked up at him with a face full of frank affection and sweet
+regret, all that he was losing rose so vividly before him that Dan could
+not resist the impulse to take the 'dear goldy head' between his hands
+and kiss it, with a broken 'Good-bye'; then hurried back to his room,
+feeling as if it were the prison-cell again, with no glimpse of heaven's
+blue to comfort him.
+
+This abrupt caress and departure rather startled Bess; for she felt with
+a girl's quick instinct that there was something in that kiss unknown
+before, and looked after him with sudden colour in her cheeks and new
+trouble in her eyes. Mrs Jo saw it, and fearing a very natural question
+answered it before it was put.
+
+'Forgive him, Bess. He has had a great trouble, and it makes him tender
+at parting with old friends; for you know he may never come back from
+the wild world he is going to.'
+
+'You mean the fall and danger of death?' asked Bess, innocently.
+
+'No, dear; a greater trouble than that. But I cannot tell you any
+more--except that he has come through it bravely; so you may trust and
+respect him, as I do.'
+
+'He has lost someone he loved. Poor Dan! We must be very kind to him.'
+
+Bess did not ask the question, but seemed content with her solution of
+the mystery--which was so true that Mrs Jo confirmed it by a nod, and
+let her go away believing that some tender loss and sorrow wrought the
+great change all saw in Dan, and made him so slow to speak concerning
+the past year.
+
+But Ted was less easily satisfied, and this unusual reticence goaded
+him to desperation. His mother had warned him not to trouble Dan with
+questions till he was quite well; but this prospect of approaching
+departure made him resolve to have a full, clear, and satisfactory
+account of the adventures which he felt sure must have been thrilling,
+from stray words Dan let fall in his fever. So one day when the coast
+was clear, Master Ted volunteered to amuse the invalid, and did so in
+the following manner:
+
+'Look here, old boy, if you don't want me to read, you've got to talk,
+and tell me all about Kansas, and the farms, and that part. The Montana
+business I know, but you seem to forget what went before. Brace up, and
+let's have it,' he began, with an abruptness which roused Dan from a
+brown study most effectually.
+
+'No, I don't forget; it isn't interesting to anyone but myself. I didn't
+see any farms--gave it up,' he said slowly.
+
+'Why?'
+
+'Other things to do.'
+
+'What?'
+
+'Well, brush-making for one thing.'
+
+'Don't chaff a fellow. Tell true.'
+
+'I truly did.'
+
+'What for?'
+
+'To keep out of mischief, as much as anything.'
+
+'Well, of all the queer things--and you've done a lot--that's the
+queerest,' cried Ted, taken aback at this disappointing discovery. But
+he didn't mean to give up yet, and began again.
+
+'What mischief, Dan?'
+
+'Never you mind. Boys shouldn't bother.'
+
+'But I do want to know, awfully, because I'm your pal, and care for you
+no end. Always did. Come, now, tell me a good yarn. I love scrapes. I'll
+be mum as an oyster if you don't want it known.'
+
+'Will you?' and Dan looked at him, wondering how the boyish face would
+change if the truth were suddenly told him.
+
+'I'll swear it on locked fists, if you like. I know it was jolly, and
+I'm aching to hear.'
+
+'You are as curious as a girl. More than some--Josie and--and Bess never
+asked a question.'
+
+'They don't care about rows and things; they liked the mine business,
+heroes, and that sort. So do I, and I'm as proud as Punch over it; but
+I see by your eyes that there was something else before that, and I'm
+bound to find out who Blair and Mason are, and who was hit and who ran
+away, and all the rest of it.'
+
+'What!' cried Dan, in a tone that made Ted jump.
+
+'Well, you used to mutter about 'em in your sleep, and Uncle Laurie
+wondered. So did I; but don't mind, if you can't remember, or would
+rather not.'
+
+'What else did I say? Queer, what stuff a man will talk when his wits
+are gone.'
+
+'That's all I heard; but it seemed interesting, and I just mentioned it,
+thinking it might refresh your memory a bit,' said Teddy, very politely;
+for Dan's frown was heavy at that moment.
+
+It cleared off at this reply, and after a look at the boy squirming with
+suppressed impatience in his chair, Dan made up his mind to amuse him
+with a game of cross-purposes and half-truths, hoping to quench his
+curiosity, and so get peace.
+
+'Let me see; Blair was a lad I met in the cars, and Mason a poor fellow
+who was in a--well, a sort of hospital where I happened to be. Blair ran
+off to his brothers, and I suppose I might say Mason was hit, because he
+died there. Does that suit you?'
+
+'No, it doesn't. Why did Blair run? and who hit the other fellow? I'm
+sure there was a fight somewhere, wasn't there?'
+
+'Yes!
+
+'I guess I know what it was about.'
+
+'The devil, you do! Let's hear you guess. Must be amusing,' said Dan,
+affecting an ease he did not feel.
+
+Charmed to be allowed to free his mind, Ted at once unfolded the boyish
+solution of the mystery which he had been cherishing, for he felt that
+there was one somewhere.
+
+'You needn't say yes, if I guess right and you are under oath to keep
+silent. I shall know by your face, and never tell. Now see if I'm not
+right. Out there they have wild doings, and it's my belief you were in
+some of 'em. I don't mean robbing mails, and KluKluxing, and that sort
+of thing; but defending the settlers, or hanging some scamp, or even
+shooting a few, as a fellow must sometimes, in self-defence. Ah, ha!
+I've hit it, I see. Needn't speak; I know the flash of your old eye, and
+the clench of your big fist.' And Ted pranced with satisfaction.
+
+'Drive on, smart boy, and don't lose the trail,' said Dan, finding a
+curious sense of comfort in some of these random words, and longing, but
+not daring, to confirm the true ones. He might have confessed the crime,
+but not the punishment that followed, the sense of its disgrace was
+still so strong upon him.
+
+'I knew I should get it; can't deceive me long,' began Ted, with such an
+air of pride Dan could not help a short laugh.
+
+'It's a relief, isn't it, to have it off your mind? Now, just confide in
+me and it's all safe, unless you've sworn not to tell.'
+
+'I have.'
+
+'Oh, well, then don't'; and Ted's face fell, but he was himself again
+in a moment and said, with the air of a man of the world: 'It's all
+right--I understand--honour binds--silence to death, etc. Glad you stood
+by your mate in the hospital. How many did you kill?'
+
+'Only one.'
+
+'Bad lot, of course?'
+
+'A damned rascal.'
+
+'Well, don't look so fierce; I've no objection. Wouldn't mind popping
+at some of those bloodthirsty blackguards myself. Had to dodge and keep
+quiet after it, I suppose.'
+
+'Pretty quiet for a long spell.'
+
+'Got off all right in the end, and headed for your mines and did that
+jolly brave thing. Now, I call that decidedly interesting and capital.
+I'm glad to know it; but I won't blab.'
+
+'Mind you don't. Look here. Ted, if you'd killed a man, would it trouble
+you--a bad one, I mean?'
+
+The lad opened his mouth to say, 'Not a bit,' but checked that answer as
+if something in Dan's face made him change his mind. 'Well, if it was my
+duty in war or self-defence, I suppose I shouldn't; but if I'd pitched
+into him in a rage, I guess I should be very sorry. Shouldn't wonder if
+he sort of haunted me, and remorse gnawed me as it did Aram and those
+fellows. You don't mind, do you? It was a fair fight, wasn't it?'
+
+'Yes, I was in the right; but I wish I'd been out of it. Women don't see
+it that way, and look horrified at such things. Makes it hard; but it
+don't matter.'
+
+'Don't tell 'em; then they can't worry,' said Ted, with the nod of one
+versed in the management of the sex.
+
+'Don't intend to. Mind you keep your notions to yourself, for some of
+'em are wide of the mark. Now you may read if you like'; and there the
+talk ended; but Ted took great comfort in it, and looked as wise as an
+owl afterwards.
+
+A few quiet weeks followed, during which Dan chafed at the delay; and
+when at length word came that his credentials were ready, he was eager
+to be off, to forget a vain love in hard work, and live for others,
+since he might not for himself.
+
+So one wild March morning our Sintram rode away, with horse and hound,
+to face again the enemies who would have conquered him, but for Heaven's
+help and human pity.
+
+'Ah, me! it does seem as if life was made of partings, and they get
+harder as we go on,' sighed Mrs Jo, a week later, as she sat in the long
+parlour at Parnassus one evening, whither the family had gone to welcome
+the travellers back.
+
+'And meetings too, dear; for here we are, and Nat is on his way at last.
+Look for the silver lining, as Marmee used to say, and be comforted,'
+answered Mrs Amy, glad to be at home and find no wolves prowling near
+her sheepfold.
+
+'I've been so worried lately, I can't help croaking. I wonder what Dan
+thought at not seeing you again? It was wise; but he would have enjoyed
+another look at home faces before he went into the wilderness,' said Mrs
+Jo regretfully.
+
+'Much better so. We left notes and all we could think of that he might
+need, and slipped away before he came. Bess really seemed relieved;
+I'm sure I was'; and Mrs Amy smoothed an anxious line out of her white
+forehead, as she smiled at her daughter, laughing happily among her
+cousins.
+
+Mrs Jo shook her head as if the silver lining of that cloud was hard to
+find; but she had no time to croak again, for just then Mr Laurie came
+in looking well pleased at something.
+
+'A new picture has arrived; face towards the music-room, good people,
+and tell me how you like it. I call it “Only a fiddler”, after
+Andersen's story. What name will you give it?'
+
+As he spoke he threw open the wide doors, and just beyond they saw a
+young man standing, with a beaming face, and a violin in his hand. There
+was no doubt about the name to this picture, and with the cry 'Nat!
+Nat!' there was a general uprising. But Daisy reached him first, and
+seemed to have lost her usual composure somewhere on the way, for she
+clung to him, sobbing with the shock of a surprise and joy too great for
+her to bear quietly. Everything was settled by that tearful and tender
+embrace, for, though Mrs Meg speedily detached her daughter, it was only
+to take her place; while Demi shook Nat's hand with brotherly warmth,
+and Josie danced round them like Macbeth's three witches in one,
+chanting in her most tragic tones:
+
+'Chirper thou wast; second violin thou art; first thou shalt be. Hail,
+all hail!'
+
+This caused a laugh, and made things gay and comfortable at once. Then
+the usual fire of questions and answers began, to be kept up briskly
+while the boys admired Nat's blond beard and foreign clothes, the girls
+his improved appearance--for he was ruddy with good English beef
+and beer, and fresh with the sea-breezes which had blown him swiftly
+home--and the older folk rejoiced over his prospects. Of course all
+wanted to hear him play; and when tongues tired, he gladly did his best
+for them, surprising the most critical by his progress in music even
+more than by the energy and self-possession which made a new man
+of bashful Nat. By and by when the violin--that most human of all
+instruments--had sung to them the loveliest songs without words, he
+said, looking about him at these old friends with what Mr Bhaer called a
+'feeling-full' expression of happiness and content:
+
+'Now let me play something that you will all remember though you won't
+love it as I do'; and standing in the attitude which Ole Bull has
+immortalized, he played the street melody he gave them the first night
+he came to Plumfield. They remembered it, and joined in the plaintive
+chorus, which fitly expressed his own emotions:
+
+    'Oh my heart is sad and weary
+     Everywhere I roam,
+     Longing for the old plantation
+     And for the old folks at home.'
+
+'Now I feel better,' said Mrs Jo, as they all trooped down the hill soon
+after. 'Some of our boys are failures, but I think this one is going to
+be a success, and patient Daisy a happy girl at last. Nat is your work,
+Fritz, and I congratulate you heartily.'
+
+'Ach, we can but sow the seed and trust that it falls on good ground.
+I planted, perhaps, but you watched that the fowls of the air did not
+devour it, and brother Laurie watered generously; so we will share the
+harvest among us, and be glad even for a small one, heart's-dearest.'
+
+'I thought the seed had fallen on very stony ground with my poor Dan;
+but I shall not be surprised if he surpasses all the rest in the real
+success of life, since there is more rejoicing over one repentant sinner
+than many saints,' answered Mrs Jo, still clinging fast to her black
+sheep although a whole flock of white ones trotted happily before her.
+
+It is a strong temptation to the weary historian to close the present
+tale with an earthquake which should engulf Plumfield and its environs
+so deeply in the bowels of the earth that no youthful Schliemann could
+ever find a vestige of it. But as that somewhat melodramatic conclusion
+might shock my gentle readers, I will refrain, and forestall the usual
+question, 'How did they end?' by briefly stating that all the marriages
+turned out well. The boys prospered in their various callings; so did
+the girls, for Bess and Josie won honours in their artistic careers, and
+in the course of time found worthy mates. Nan remained a busy, cheerful,
+independent spinster, and dedicated her life to her suffering sisters
+and their children, in which true woman's work she found abiding
+happiness. Dan never married, but lived, bravely and usefully, among his
+chosen people till he was shot defending them, and at last lay quietly
+asleep in the green wilderness he loved so well, with a lock of golden
+hair upon his breast, and a smile on his face which seemed to say that
+Aslauga's Knight had fought his last fight and was at peace. Stuffy
+became an alderman, and died suddenly of apoplexy after a public dinner.
+Dolly was a society man of mark till he lost his money, when he found
+congenial employment in a fashionable tailoring establishment. Demi
+became a partner, and lived to see his name above the door, and Rob was
+a professor at Laurence College; but Teddy eclipsed them all by becoming
+an eloquent and famous clergyman, to the great delight of his astonished
+mother. And now, having endeavoured to suit everyone by many weddings,
+few deaths, and as much prosperity as the eternal fitness of things will
+permit, let the music stop, the lights die out, and the curtain fall for
+ever on the March family.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Jo's Boys, by Louisa May Alcott
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+
+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en">
+  <head>
+    <title>
+      Jo's Boys, by Louisa M. Alcott
+    </title>
+    <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve">
+
+    body { margin:5%; background:#faebd0; text-align:justify}
+    P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; }
+    H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; }
+    hr  { width: 50%; text-align: center;}
+    .foot { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 90%; }
+    blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;}
+    .mynote    {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;}
+    .toc       { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;}
+    .toc2      { margin-left: 20%;}
+    div.fig    { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; }
+    div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; }
+    .figleft   {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;}
+    .figright  {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;}
+    .pagenum   {display:inline; font-size: 70%; font-style:normal;
+               margin: 0; padding: 0; position: absolute; right: 1%;
+               text-align: right;}
+    pre        { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;}
+
+</style>
+  </head>
+  <body>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Jo's Boys, by Louisa May Alcott
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Jo's Boys
+
+Author: Louisa May Alcott
+
+Release Date: February 5, 2009 [EBook #3499]
+Last Updated: March 10, 2018
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JO'S BOYS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by The Project Gutenberg Alcott Team, and David Widger
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <h1>
+      JO'S BOYS
+    </h1>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      By Louisa M. Alcott
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <blockquote>
+      <p class="toc">
+        <big><b>CONTENTS</b></big>
+      </p>
+      <p>
+        <br /> <a href="#link2HCH0001"> Chapter 1. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;TEN YEARS
+        LATER <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0002"> Chapter 2. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;PARNASSUS
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0003"> Chapter 3. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;JO'S LAST
+        SCRAPE <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0004"> Chapter 4. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;DAN
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0005"> Chapter 5. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;VACATION
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0006"> Chapter 6. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;LAST
+        WORDS <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0007"> Chapter 7. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE
+        LION AND THE LAMB <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0008"> Chapter 8. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;JOSIE
+        PLAYS MERMAID <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0009"> Chapter 9. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;THE
+        WORM TURNS <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0010"> Chapter 10. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;DEMI
+        SETTLES <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0011"> Chapter 11. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;EMIL'S
+        THANKSGIVING <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0012"> Chapter 12. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;DAN'S
+        CHRISTMAS <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0013"> Chapter 13. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;NAT'S
+        NEW YEAR <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0014"> Chapter 14. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;PLAYS
+        AT PLUMFIELD <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0015"> Chapter 15. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;WAITING
+        <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0016"> Chapter 16. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;IN THE
+        TENNIS-COURT <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0017"> Chapter 17. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;AMONG
+        THE MAIDS <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0018"> Chapter 18. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;CLASS
+        DAY <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0019"> Chapter 19. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;WHITE
+        ROSES <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0020"> Chapter 20. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;LIFE
+        FOR LIFE <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0021"> Chapter 21. </a>&nbsp;&nbsp;ASLAUGA'S
+        KNIGHT <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0022"> Chapter 22. &nbsp;&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;POSITIVELY
+        LAST APPEARANCE <br /><br />
+      </p>
+    </blockquote>
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br /> <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      Chapter 1. TEN YEARS LATER
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      'If anyone had told me what wonderful changes were to take place here in
+      ten years, I wouldn't have believed it,' said Mrs Jo to Mrs Meg, as they
+      sat on the piazza at Plumfield one summer day, looking about them with
+      faces full of pride and pleasure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'This is the sort of magic that money and kind hearts can work. I am sure
+      Mr Laurence could have no nobler monument than the college he so
+      generously endowed; and a home like this will keep Aunt March's memory
+      green as long as it lasts,' answered Mrs Meg, always glad to praise the
+      absent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'We used to believe in fairies, you remember, and plan what we'd ask for
+      if we could have three wishes. Doesn't it seem as if mine had been really
+      granted at last? Money, fame, and plenty of the work I love,' said Mrs Jo,
+      carelessly rumpling up her hair as she clasped her hands over her head
+      just as she used to do when a girl.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I have had mine, and Amy is enjoying hers to her heart's content. If dear
+      Marmee, John, and Beth were here, it would be quite perfect,' added Meg,
+      with a tender quiver in her voice; for Marmee's place was empty now.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jo put her hand on her sister's, and both sat silent for a little while,
+      surveying the pleasant scene before them with mingled sad and happy
+      thoughts.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It certainly did look as if magic had been at work, for quiet Plumfield
+      was transformed into a busy little world. The house seemed more hospitable
+      than ever, refreshed now with new paint, added wings, well-kept lawn and
+      garden, and a prosperous air it had not worn when riotous boys swarmed
+      everywhere and it was rather difficult for the Bhaers to make both ends
+      meet. On the hill, where kites used to be flown, stood the fine college
+      which Mr Laurence's munificent legacy had built. Busy students were going
+      to and fro along the paths once trodden by childish feet, and many young
+      men and women were enjoying all the advantages that wealth, wisdom, and
+      benevolence could give them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Just inside the gates of Plumfield a pretty brown cottage, very like the
+      Dovecote, nestled among the trees, and on the green slope westward
+      Laurie's white-pillared mansion glittered in the sunshine; for when the
+      rapid growth of the city shut in the old house, spoilt Meg's nest, and
+      dared to put a soap-factory under Mr Laurence's indignant nose, our
+      friends emigrated to Plumfield, and the great changes began.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      These were the pleasant ones; and the loss of the dear old people was
+      sweetened by the blessings they left behind; so all prospered now in the
+      little community, and Mr Bhaer as president, and Mr March as chaplain of
+      the college, saw their long-cherished dream beautifully realized. The
+      sisters divided the care of the young people among them, each taking the
+      part that suited her best. Meg was the motherly friend of the young women,
+      Jo the confidante and defender of all the youths, and Amy the lady
+      Bountiful who delicately smoothed the way for needy students, and
+      entertained them all so cordially that it was no wonder they named her
+      lovely home Mount Parnassus, so full was it of music, beauty, and the
+      culture hungry young hearts and fancies long for.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The original twelve boys had of course scattered far and wide during these
+      years, but all that lived still remembered old Plumfield, and came
+      wandering back from the four quarters of the earth to tell their various
+      experiences, laugh over the pleasures of the past, and face the duties of
+      the present with fresh courage; for such home-comings keep hearts tender
+      and hands helpful with the memories of young and happy days. A few words
+      will tell the history of each, and then we can go on with the new chapter
+      of their lives.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Franz was with a merchant kinsman in Hamburg, a man of twenty-six now, and
+      doing well. Emil was the jolliest tar that ever 'sailed the ocean blue'.
+      His uncle sent him on a long voyage to disgust him with this adventurous
+      life; but he came home so delighted with it that it was plain this was his
+      profession, and the German kinsman gave him a good chance in his ships; so
+      the lad was happy. Dan was a wanderer still; for after the geological
+      researches in South America he tried sheep-farming in Australia, and was
+      now in California looking up mines. Nat was busy with music at the
+      Conservatory, preparing for a year or two in Germany to finish him off.
+      Tom was studying medicine and trying to like it. Jack was in business with
+      his father, bent on getting rich. Dolly was in college with Stuffy and Ned
+      reading law. Poor little Dick was dead, so was Billy; and no one could
+      mourn for them, since life would never be happy, afflicted as they were in
+      mind and body.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rob and Teddy were called the 'Lion and the Lamb'; for the latter was as
+      rampant as the king of beasts, and the former as gentle as any sheep that
+      ever baaed. Mrs Jo called him 'my daughter', and found him the most
+      dutiful of children, with plenty of manliness underlying the quiet manners
+      and tender nature. But in Ted she seemed to see all the faults, whims,
+      aspirations, and fun of her own youth in a new shape. With his tawny locks
+      always in wild confusion, his long legs and arms, loud voice, and
+      continual activity, Ted was a prominent figure at Plumfield. He had his
+      moods of gloom, and fell into the Slough of Despond about once a week, to
+      be hoisted out by patient Rob or his mother, who understood when to let
+      him alone and when to shake him up. He was her pride and joy as well as
+      torment, being a very bright lad for his age, and so full of all sorts of
+      budding talent, that her maternal mind was much exercised as to what this
+      remarkable boy would become.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Demi had gone through College with honour, and Mrs Meg had set her heart
+      on his being a minister&mdash;picturing in her fond fancy the first sermon
+      her dignified young parson would preach, as well as the long, useful, and
+      honoured life he was to lead. But John, as she called him now, firmly
+      declined the divinity school, saying he had had enough of books, and
+      needed to know more of men and the world, and caused the dear woman much
+      disappointment by deciding to try a journalist's career. It was a blow;
+      but she knew that young minds cannot be driven, and that experience is the
+      best teacher; so she let him follow his own inclinations, still hoping to
+      see him in the pulpit. Aunt Jo raged when she found that there was to be a
+      reporter in the family, and called him 'Jenkins' on the spot. She liked
+      his literary tendencies, but had reason to detest official Paul Prys, as
+      we shall see later. Demi knew his own mind, however, and tranquilly
+      carried out his plans, unmoved by the tongues of the anxious mammas or the
+      jokes of his mates. Uncle Teddy encouraged him, and painted a splendid
+      career, mentioning Dickens and other celebrities who began as reporters
+      and ended as famous novelists or newspaper men.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The girls were all flourishing. Daisy, as sweet and domestic as ever, was
+      her mother's comfort and companion. Josie at fourteen was a most original
+      young person, full of pranks and peculiarities, the latest of which was a
+      passion for the stage, which caused her quiet mother and sister much
+      anxiety as well as amusement. Bess had grown into a tall, beautiful girl
+      looking several years older than she was, with the same graceful ways and
+      dainty tastes which the little Princess had, and a rich inheritance of
+      both the father's and mother's gifts, fostered by every aid love and money
+      could give. But the pride of the community was naughty Nan; for, like so
+      many restless, wilful children, she was growing into a woman full of the
+      energy and promise that suddenly blossoms when the ambitious seeker finds
+      the work she is fitted to do well. Nan began to study medicine at sixteen,
+      and at twenty was getting on bravely; for now, thanks to other intelligent
+      women, colleges and hospitals were open to her. She had never wavered in
+      her purpose from the childish days when she shocked Daisy in the old
+      willow by saying: 'I don't want any family to fuss over. I shall have an
+      office, with bottles and pestle things in it, and drive round and cure
+      folks.' The future foretold by the little girl the young woman was rapidly
+      bringing to pass, and finding so much happiness in it that nothing could
+      win her from the chosen work. Several worthy young gentlemen had tried to
+      make her change her mind and choose, as Daisy did, 'a nice little house
+      and family to take care of'. But Nan only laughed, and routed the lovers
+      by proposing to look at the tongue which spoke of adoration, or
+      professionally felt the pulse in the manly hand offered for her
+      acceptance. So all departed but one persistent youth, who was such a
+      devoted Traddles it was impossible to quench him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This was Tom, who was as faithful to his child sweetheart as she to her
+      'pestle things', and gave a proof of fidelity that touched her very much.
+      He studied medicine for her sake alone, having no taste for it, and a
+      decided fancy for a mercantile life. But Nan was firm, and Tom stoutly
+      kept on, devoutly hoping he might not kill many of his fellow-beings when
+      he came to practise. They were excellent friends, however, and caused much
+      amusement to their comrades, by the vicissitudes of this merry love-chase.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Both were approaching Plumfield on the afternoon when Mrs Meg and Mrs Jo
+      were talking on the piazza. Not together; for Nan was walking briskly
+      along the pleasant road alone, thinking over a case that interested her,
+      and Tom was pegging on behind to overtake her, as if by accident, when the
+      suburbs of the city were past&mdash;a little way of his, which was part of
+      the joke.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nan was a handsome girl, with a fresh colour, clear eye, quick smile, and
+      the self-poised look young women with a purpose always have. She was
+      simply and sensibly dressed, walked easily, and seemed full of vigour,
+      with her broad shoulders well back, arms swinging freely, and the
+      elasticity of youth and health in every motion. The few people she met
+      turned to look at her, as if it was a pleasant sight to see a hearty,
+      happy girl walking countryward that lovely day; and the red-faced young
+      man steaming along behind, hat off and every tight curl wagging with
+      impatience, evidently agreed with them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Presently a mild 'Hallo!' was borne upon the breeze, and pausing, with an
+      effort to look surprised that was an utter failure, Nan said affably:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Oh, is that you, Tom?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Looks like it. Thought you might be walking out today'; and Tom's jovial
+      face beamed with pleasure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You knew it. How is your throat?' asked Nan in her professional tone,
+      which was always a quencher to undue raptures.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Throat? Oh, ah! yes, I remember. It is well. The effect of that
+      prescription was wonderful. I'll never call homoeopathy a humbug again.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You were the humbug this time, and so were the unmedicated pellets I gave
+      you. If sugar or milk can cure diphtheria in this remarkable manner, I'll
+      make a note of it. O Tom, Tom, will you never be done playing tricks?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'O Nan, Nan, will you never be done getting the better of me?' And the
+      merry pair laughed at one another just as they did in the old times, which
+      always came back freshly when they went to Plumfield.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Well, I knew I shouldn't see you for a week if I didn't scare up some
+      excuse for a call at the office. You are so desperately busy all the time
+      I never get a word,' explained Tom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You ought to be busy too, and above such nonsense. Really, Tom, if you
+      don't give your mind to your lectures, you'll never get on,' said Nan
+      soberly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I have quite enough of them as it is,' answered Tom with an air of
+      disgust. 'A fellow must lark a bit after dissecting corpuses all day. I
+      can't stand it long at a time, though some people seem to enjoy it
+      immensely.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Then why not leave it, and do what suits you better? I always thought it
+      a foolish thing, you know,' said Nan, with a trace of anxiety in the keen
+      eyes that searched for signs of illness in a face as ruddy as a Baldwin
+      apple.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You know why I chose it, and why I shall stick to it if it kills me. I
+      may not look delicate, but I've a deep-seated heart complaint, and it will
+      carry me off sooner or later; for only one doctor in the world can cure
+      it, and she won't.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was an air of pensive resignation about Tom that was both comic and
+      pathetic; for he was in earnest, and kept on giving hints of this sort,
+      without the least encouragement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nan frowned; but she was used to it, and knew how to treat him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'She is curing it in the best and only way; but a more refractory patient
+      never lived. Did you go to that ball, as I directed?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I did.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'And devote yourself to pretty Miss West?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Danced with her the whole evening.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'No impression made on that susceptible organ of yours?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Not the slightest. I gaped in her face once, forgot to feed her, and gave
+      a sigh of relief when I handed her over to her mamma.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Repeat the dose as often as possible, and note the symptoms. I predict
+      that you'll &ldquo;cry for it&rdquo; by and by.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Never! I'm sure it doesn't suit my constitution.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'We shall see. Obey orders!' sternly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes, Doctor,' meekly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Silence reigned for a moment; then, as if the bone of contention was
+      forgotten in the pleasant recollections called up by familiar objects, Nan
+      said suddenly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'What fun we used to have in that wood! Do you remember how you tumbled
+      out of the big nut-tree and nearly broke your collar-bones?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't I! and how you steeped me in wormwood till I was a fine mahogany
+      colour, and Aunt Jo wailed over my spoilt jacket,' laughed Tom, a boy
+      again in a minute.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'And how you set the house afire?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'And you ran off for your band-box?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Do you ever say &ldquo;Thunder-turtles&rdquo; now?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Do people ever call you &ldquo;Giddy-gaddy&rdquo;?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Daisy does. Dear thing, I haven't seen her for a week.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I saw Demi this morning, and he said she was keeping house for Mother
+      Bhaer.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'She always does when Aunt Jo gets into a vortex. Daisy is a model
+      housekeeper; and you couldn't do better than make your bow to her, if you
+      can't go to work and wait till you are grown up before you begin
+      lovering.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Nat would break his fiddle over my head if I suggested such a thing. No,
+      thank you. Another name is engraved upon my heart as indelibly as the blue
+      anchor on my arm. &ldquo;Hope&rdquo; is my motto, and &ldquo;No surrender&rdquo;, yours; see who
+      will hold out longest.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You silly boys think we must pair off as we did when children; but we
+      shall do nothing of the kind. How well Parnassus looks from here!' said
+      Nan, abruptly changing the conversation again.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'It is a fine house; but I love old Plum best. Wouldn't Aunt March stare
+      if she could see the changes here?' answered Tom, as they both paused at
+      the great gate to look at the pleasant landscape before them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A sudden whoop startled them, as a long boy with a wild yellow head came
+      leaping over a hedge like a kangaroo, followed by a slender girl, who
+      stuck in the hawthorn, and sat there laughing like a witch. A pretty
+      little lass she was, with curly dark hair, bright eyes, and a very
+      expressive face. Her hat was at her back, and her skirts a good deal the
+      worse for the brooks she had crossed, the trees she had climbed, and the
+      last leap, which added several fine rents.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Take me down, Nan, please. Tom, hold Ted; he's got my book, and I will
+      have it,' called Josie from her perch, not at all daunted by the
+      appearance of her friends.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Tom promptly collared the thief, while Nan picked Josie from among the
+      thorns and set her on her feet without a word of reproof; for having been
+      a romp in her own girlhood, she was very indulgent to like tastes in
+      others. 'What's the matter, dear?' she asked, pinning up the longest rip,
+      while Josie examined the scratches on her hands. 'I was studying my part
+      in the willow, and Ted came slyly up and poked the book out of my hands
+      with his rod. It fell in the brook, and before I could scrabble down he
+      was off. You wretch, give it back this moment or I'll box your ears,'
+      cried Josie, laughing and scolding in the same breath.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Escaping from Tom, Ted struck a sentimental attitude, and with tender
+      glances at the wet, torn young person before him, delivered Claude
+      Melnotte's famous speech in a lackadaisical way that was irresistibly
+      funny, ending with 'Dost like the picture, love?' as he made an object of
+      himself by tying his long legs in a knot and distorting his face horribly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sound of applause from the piazza put a stop to these antics, and the
+      young folks went up the avenue together very much in the old style when
+      Tom drove four in hand and Nan was the best horse in the team. Rosy,
+      breathless, and merry, they greeted the ladies and sat down on the steps
+      to rest, Aunt Meg sewing up her daughter's rags while Mrs Jo smoothed the
+      Lion's mane, and rescued the book. Daisy appeared in a moment to greet her
+      friend, and all began to talk.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Muffins for tea; better stay and eat 'em; Daisy's never fail,' said Ted
+      hospitably.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'He's a judge; he ate nine last time. That's why he's so fat,' added
+      Josie, with a withering glance at her cousin, who was as thin as a lath.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I must go and see Lucy Dove. She has a whitlow, and it's time to lance
+      it. I'll tea at college,' answered Nan, feeling in her pocket to be sure
+      she had not forgotten her case of instruments.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Thanks, I'm going there also. Tom Merryweather has granulated lids, and I
+      promised to touch them up for him. Save a doctor's fee and be good
+      practice for me. I'm clumsy with my thumbs,' said Tom, bound to be near
+      his idol while he could.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Hush! Daisy doesn't like to hear you saw-bones talk of your work. Muffins
+      suit us better'; and Ted grinned sweetly, with a view to future favours in
+      the eating line.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Any news of the Commodore?' asked Tom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'He is on his way home, and Dan hopes to come soon. I long to see my boys
+      together, and have begged the wanderers to come to Thanksgiving, if not
+      before,' answered Mrs Jo, beaming at the thought.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'They'll come, every man of them, if they can. Even Jack will risk losing
+      a dollar for the sake of one of our jolly old dinners,' laughed Tom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'There's the turkey fattening for the feast. I never chase him now, but
+      feed him well; and he's &ldquo;swellin' wisibly&rdquo;, bless his drumsticks!' said
+      Ted, pointing out the doomed fowl proudly parading in a neighbouring
+      field.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'If Nat goes the last of the month we shall want a farewell frolic for
+      him. I suppose the dear old Chirper will come home a second Ole Bull,'
+      said Nan to her friend.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A pretty colour came into Daisy's cheek, and the folds of muslin on her
+      breast rose and fell with a quick breath; but she answered placidly:
+      'Uncle Laurie says he has real talent, and after the training he will get
+      abroad he can command a good living here, though he may never be famous.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Young people seldom turn out as one predicts, so it is of little use to
+      expect anything,' said Mrs Meg with a sigh. 'If our children are good and
+      useful men and women, we should be satisfied; yet it's very natural to
+      wish them to be brilliant and successful.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'They are like my chickens, mighty uncertain. Now, that fine-looking
+      cockerel of mine is the stupidest one of the lot, and the ugly,
+      long-legged chap is the king of the yard, he's so smart; crows loud enough
+      to wake the Seven Sleepers; but the handsome one croaks, and is no end of
+      a coward. I get snubbed; but you wait till I grow up, and then see'; and
+      Ted looked so like his own long-legged pet that everyone laughed at his
+      modest prediction.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I want to see Dan settled somewhere. &ldquo;A rolling stone gathers no moss&rdquo;,
+      and at twenty-five he is still roaming about the world without a tie to
+      hold him, except this'; and Mrs Meg nodded towards her sister.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Dan will find his place at last, and experience is his best teacher. He
+      is rough still, but each time he comes home I see a change for the better,
+      and never lose my faith in him. He may never do anything great, or get
+      rich; but if the wild boy makes an honest man, I'm satisfied,' said Mrs
+      Jo, who always defended the black sheep of her flock.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That's right, mother, stand by Dan! He's worth a dozen Jacks and Neds
+      bragging about money and trying to be swells. You see if he doesn't do
+      something to be proud of and take the wind out of their sails,' added Ted,
+      whose love for his 'Danny' was now strengthened by a boy's admiration for
+      the bold, adventurous man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Hope so, I'm sure. He's just the fellow to do rash things and come to
+      glory&mdash;climbing the Matterhorn, taking a &ldquo;header&rdquo; into Niagara, or
+      finding a big nugget. That's his way of sowing wild oats, and perhaps it's
+      better than ours,' said Tom thoughtfully; for he had gained a good deal of
+      experience in that sort of agriculture since he became a medical student.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Much better!' said Mrs Jo emphatically. 'I'd rather send my boys off to
+      see the world in that way than leave them alone in a city full of
+      temptations, with nothing to do but waste time, money, and health, as so
+      many are left. Dan has to work his way, and that teaches him courage,
+      patience, and self-reliance. I don't worry about him as much as I do about
+      George and Dolly at college, no more fit than two babies to take care of
+      themselves.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'How about John? He's knocking round town as a newspaper man, reporting
+      all sorts of things, from sermons to prize-fights,' asked Tom, who thought
+      that sort of life would be much more to his own taste than medical
+      lectures and hospital wards.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Demi has three safeguards&mdash;good principles, refined tastes, and a
+      wise mother. He won't come to harm, and these experiences will be useful
+      to him when he begins to write, as I'm sure he will in time,' began Mrs Jo
+      in her prophetic tone; for she was anxious to have some of her geese turn
+      out swans.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Speak of Jenkins, and you'll hear the rustling of his paper,' cried Tom,
+      as a fresh-faced, brown-eyed young man came up the avenue, waving a
+      newspaper over his head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Here's your Evening Tattler! Latest Edition! Awful murder! Bank clerk
+      absconded! Powder-mill explosion, and great strike of the Latin School
+      boys!' roared Ted, going to meet his cousin with the graceful gait of a
+      young giraffe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'The Commodore is in, and will cut his cable and run before the wind as
+      soon as he can get off,' called Demi, with 'a nice derangement of nautical
+      epitaphs', as he came up smiling over his good news.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Everyone talked together for a moment, and the paper passed from hand to
+      hand that each eye might rest on the pleasant fact that the Brenda, from
+      Hamburg, was safe in port.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'He'll come lurching out by tomorrow with his usual collection of marine
+      monsters and lively yarns. I saw him, jolly and tarry and brown as a
+      coffee-berry. Had a good run, and hopes to be second mate, as the other
+      chap is laid up with a broken leg,' added Demi.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Wish I had the setting of it,' said Nan to herself, with a professional
+      twist of her hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'How's Franz?' asked Mrs Jo.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'He's going to be married! There's news for you. The first of the flock,
+      Aunty, so say good-bye to him. Her name is Ludmilla Heldegard Blumenthal;
+      good family, well-off, pretty, and of course an angel. The dear old boy
+      wants Uncle's consent, and then he will settle down to be a happy and an
+      honest burgher. Long life to him!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'm glad to hear it. I do so like to settle my boys with a good wife and
+      a nice little home. Now, if all is right, I shall feel as if Franz was off
+      my mind,' said Mrs Jo, folding her hands contentedly; for she often felt
+      like a distracted hen with a large brood of mixed chickens and ducks upon
+      her hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'So do I,' sighed Tom, with a sly glance at Nan. 'That's what a fellow
+      needs to keep him steady; and it's the duty of nice girls to marry as soon
+      as possible, isn't it, Demi?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'If there are enough nice fellows to go round. The female population
+      exceeds the male, you know, especially in New England; which accounts for
+      the high state of culture we are in, perhaps,' answered John, who was
+      leaning over his mother's chair, telling his day's experiences in a
+      whisper.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'It is a merciful provision, my dears; for it takes three or four women to
+      get each man into, through, and out of the world. You are costly
+      creatures, boys; and it is well that mothers, sisters, wives, and
+      daughters love their duty and do it so well, or you would perish off the
+      face of the earth,' said Mrs Jo solemnly, as she took up a basket filled
+      with dilapidated hose; for the good Professor was still hard on his socks,
+      and his sons resembled him in that respect.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Such being the case, there is plenty for the &ldquo;superfluous women&rdquo; to do,
+      in taking care of these helpless men and their families. I see that more
+      clearly every day, and am very glad and grateful that my profession will
+      make me a useful, happy, and independent spinster.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nan's emphasis on the last word caused Tom to groan, and the rest to
+      laugh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I take great pride and solid satisfaction in you, Nan, and hope to see
+      you very successful; for we do need just such helpful women in the world.
+      I sometimes feel as if I've missed my vocation and ought to have remained
+      single; but my duty seemed to point this way, and I don't regret it,' said
+      Mrs Jo, folding a large and very ragged blue sock to her bosom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Neither do I. What should I ever have done without my dearest Mum?' added
+      Ted, with a filial hug which caused both to disappear behind the newspaper
+      in which he had been mercifully absorbed for a few minutes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'My darling boy, if you would wash your hands semi-occasionally, fond
+      caresses would be less disastrous to my collar. Never mind, my precious
+      touslehead, better grass stains and dirt than no cuddlings at all'; and
+      Mrs Jo emerged from that brief eclipse looking much refreshed, though her
+      back hair was caught in Ted's buttons and her collar under one ear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Here Josie, who had been studying her part at the other end of the piazza,
+      suddenly burst forth with a smothered shriek, and gave Juliet's speech in
+      the tomb so effectively that the boys applauded, Daisy shivered, and Nan
+      murmured: 'Too much cerebral excitement for one of her age.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'm afraid you'll have to make up your mind to it, Meg. That child is a
+      born actress. We never did anything so well, not even the Witch's Curse,'
+      said Mrs Jo, casting a bouquet of many-coloured socks at the feet of her
+      flushed and panting niece, when she fell gracefully upon the door-mat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'It is a sort of judgement upon me for my passion for the stage when a
+      girl. Now I know how dear Marmee felt when I begged to be an actress. I
+      never can consent, and yet I may be obliged to give up my wishes, hopes,
+      and plans again.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was an accent of reproach in his mother's voice, which made Demi
+      pick up his sister with a gentle shake, and the stern command to 'drop
+      that nonsense in public'.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Drop me, Minion, or I'll give you the Maniac Bride, with my best Ha-ha!'
+      cried Josie, glaring at him like an offended kitten. Being set on her
+      feet, she made a splendid courtesy, and dramatically proclaiming, 'Mrs
+      Woffington's carriage waits,' swept down the steps and round the corner,
+      trailing Daisy's scarlet shawl majestically behind her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Isn't she great fun? I couldn't stop in this dull place if I hadn't that
+      child to make it lively for me. If ever she turns prim, I'm off; so mind
+      how you nip her in the bud,' said Teddy, frowning at Demi, who was now
+      writing out shorthand notes on the steps.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You two are a team, and it takes a strong hand to drive you, but I rather
+      like it. Josie ought to have been my child, and Rob yours, Meg. Then your
+      house would have been all peace and mine all Bedlam. Now I must go and
+      tell Laurie the news. Come with me, Meg, a little stroll will do us good';
+      and sticking Ted's straw hat on her head, Mrs Jo walked off with her
+      sister, leaving Daisy to attend to the muffins, Ted to appease Josie, and
+      Tom and Nan to give their respective patients a very bad quarter of an
+      hour.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      Chapter 2. PARNASSUS
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      It was well named; and the Muses seemed to be at home that day, for as the
+      newcomers went up the slope appropriate sights and sounds greeted them.
+      Passing an open window, they looked in upon a library presided over by
+      Clio, Calliope, and Urania; Melpomene and Thalia were disporting
+      themselves in the hall, where some young people were dancing and
+      rehearsing a play; Erato was walking in the garden with her lover, and in
+      the music-room Phoebus himself was drilling a tuneful choir.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A mature Apollo was our old friend Laurie, but comely and genial as ever;
+      for time had ripened the freakish boy into a noble man. Care and sorrow,
+      as well as ease and happiness, had done much for him; and the
+      responsibility of carrying out his grandfather's wishes had been a duty
+      most faithfully performed. Prosperity suits some people, and they blossom
+      best in a glow of sunshine; others need the shade, and are the sweeter for
+      a touch of frost. Laurie was one of the former sort, and Amy was another;
+      so life had been a kind of poem to them since they married&mdash;not only
+      harmonious and happy, but earnest, useful, and rich in the beautiful
+      benevolence which can do so much when wealth and wisdom go hand in hand
+      with charity. Their house was full of unostentatious beauty and comfort,
+      and here the art-loving host and hostess attracted and entertained artists
+      of all kinds. Laurie had music enough now, and was a generous patron to
+      the class he most liked to help. Amy had her proteges among ambitious
+      young painters and sculptors, and found her own art double dear as her
+      daughter grew old enough to share its labours and delights with her; for
+      she was one of those who prove that women can be faithful wives and
+      mothers without sacrificing the special gift bestowed upon them for their
+      own development and the good of others.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Her sisters knew where to find her, and Jo went at once to the studio,
+      where mother and daughter worked together. Bess was busy with the bust of
+      a little child, while her mother added the last touches to a fine head of
+      her husband. Time seemed to have stood still with Amy, for happiness had
+      kept her young and prosperity given her the culture she needed. A stately,
+      graceful woman, who showed how elegant simplicity could be made by the
+      taste with which she chose her dress and the grace with which she wore it.
+      As someone said: 'I never know what Mrs Laurence has on, but I always
+      receive the impression that she is the best-dressed lady in the room.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was evident that she adored her daughter, and well she might; for the
+      beauty she had longed for seemed, to her fond eyes at least, to be
+      impersonated in this younger self. Bess inherited her mother's Diana-like
+      figure, blue eyes, fair skin, and golden hair, tied up in the same classic
+      knot of curls. Also&mdash;ah! never-ending source of joy to Amy&mdash;she
+      had her father's handsome nose and mouth, cast in a feminine mould. The
+      severe simplicity of a long linen pinafore suited her; and she worked away
+      with the entire absorption of the true artist, unconscious of the loving
+      eyes upon her, till Aunt Jo came in exclaiming eagerly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'My dear girls, stop your mud-pies and hear the news!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Both artists dropped their tools and greeted the irrepressible woman
+      cordially, though genius had been burning splendidly and her coming spoilt
+      a precious hour. They were in the full tide of gossip when Laurie, who had
+      been summoned by Meg, arrived, and sitting down between the sisters, with
+      no barricade anywhere, listened with interest to the news of Franz and
+      Emil.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'The epidemic has broke out, and now it will rage and ravage your flock.
+      Be prepared for every sort of romance and rashness for the next ten years,
+      Jo. Your boys are growing up and will plunge headlong into a sea of worse
+      scrapes than any you have had yet,' said Laurie, enjoying her look of
+      mingled delight and despair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I know it, and I hope I shall be able to pull them through and land them
+      safely; but it's an awful responsibility, for they will come to me and
+      insist that I can make their poor little loves run smoothly. I like it,
+      though, and Meg is such a mush of sentiment she revels in the prospect,'
+      answered Jo, feeling pretty easy about her own boys, whose youth made them
+      safe for the present.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'm afraid she won't revel when our Nat begins to buzz too near her
+      Daisy. Of course you see what all that means? As musical director I am
+      also his confidante, and would like to know what advice to give,' said
+      Laurie soberly. 'Hush! you forget that child,' began Jo, nodding towards
+      Bess, who was at work again.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Bless you! she's in Athens, and doesn't hear a word. She ought to leave
+      off, though, and go out. My darling, put the baby to sleep, and go for a
+      run. Aunt Meg is in the parlour; go and show her the new pictures till we
+      come,' added Laurie, looking at his tall girl as Pygmalion might have
+      looked at Galatea; for he considered her the finest statue in the house.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes, papa; but please tell me if it is good'; and Bess obediently put
+      down her tools, with a lingering glance at the bust.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'My cherished daughter, truth compels me to confess that one cheek is
+      plumper than the other; and the curls upon its infant brow are rather too
+      much like horns for perfect grace; otherwise it rivals Raphael's Chanting
+      Cherubs, and I'm proud of it.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Laurie was laughing as he spoke; for these first attempts were so like
+      Amy's early ones, it was impossible to regard them as soberly as the
+      enthusiastic mamma did.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You can't see beauty in anything but music,' answered Bess, shaking the
+      golden head that made the one bright spot in the cool north lights of the
+      great studio.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Well, I see beauty in you, dear. And if you are not art, what is? I wish
+      to put a little more nature into you, and get you away from this cold clay
+      and marble into the sunshine, to dance and laugh as the others do. I want
+      a flesh-and-blood girl, not a sweet statue in a grey pinafore, who forgets
+      everything but her work.' As he spoke, two dusty hands came round his
+      neck, and Bess said earnestly, punctuating her words with soft touches of
+      her lips:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I never forget you, papa; but I do want to do something beautiful that
+      you may be proud of me by and by. Mamma often tells me to stop; but when
+      we get in here we forget there is any world outside, we are so busy and so
+      happy. Now I'll go and run and sing, and be a girl to please you.' And
+      throwing away the apron, Bess vanished from the room, seeming to take all
+      the light with her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'm glad you said that. The dear child is too much absorbed in her
+      artistic dreams for one so young. It is my fault; but I sympathize so
+      deeply in it all, I forget to be wise,' sighed Amy, carefully covering the
+      baby with a wet towel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I think this power of living in our children is one of the sweetest
+      things in the world; but I try to remember what Marmee once said to Meg&mdash;that
+      fathers should have their share in the education of both girls and boys;
+      so I leave Ted to his father all I can, and Fritz lends me Rob, whose
+      quiet ways are as restful and good for me as Ted's tempests are for his
+      father. Now I advise you, Amy, to let Bess drop the mud-pies for a time,
+      and take up music with Laurie; then she won't be one-sided, and he won't
+      be jealous.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Hear, hear! A Daniel&mdash;a very Daniel!' cried Laurie, well pleased. 'I
+      thought you'd lend a hand, Jo, and say a word for me. I am a little
+      jealous of Amy, and want more of a share in my girl. Come, my lady, let me
+      have her this summer, and next year, when we go to Rome, I'll give her up
+      to you and high art. Isn't that a fair bargain?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I agree; but in trying your hobby, nature, with music thrown in, don't
+      forget that, though only fifteen, our Bess is older than most girls of
+      that age, and cannot be treated like a child. She is so very precious to
+      me, I feel as if I wanted to keep her always as pure and beautiful as the
+      marble she loves so well.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Amy spoke regretfully as she looked about the lovely room where she had
+      spent so many happy hours with this dear child of hers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      '&ldquo;Turn and turn about is fair play&rdquo;, as we used to say when we all wanted
+      to ride on Ellen Tree or wear the russet boots,' said Jo briskly; 'so you
+      must share your girl between you, and see who will do the most for her.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'We will,' answered the fond parents, laughing at the recollections Jo's
+      proverb brought up to them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'How I did use to enjoy bouncing on the limbs of that old apple-tree! No
+      real horse ever gave me half the pleasure or the exercise,' said Amy,
+      looking out of the high window as if she saw the dear old orchard again
+      and the little girls at play there.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'And what fun I had with those blessed boots!' laughed Jo. 'I've got the
+      relics now. The boys reduced them to rags; but I love them still, and
+      would enjoy a good theatrical stalk in them if it were possible.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'My fondest memories twine about the warming-pan and the sausage. What
+      larks we had! And how long ago it seems!' said Laurie, staring at the two
+      women before him as if he found it hard to realize that they ever had been
+      little Amy and riotous Jo.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't suggest that we are growing old, my Lord. We have only bloomed; and
+      a very nice bouquet we make with our buds about us,' answered Mrs Amy,
+      shaking out the folds of her rosy muslin with much the air of dainty
+      satisfaction the girl used to show in a new dress.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Not to mention our thorns and dead leaves,' added Jo, with a sigh; for
+      life had never been very easy to her, and even now she had her troubles
+      both within and without.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Come and have a dish of tea, old dear, and see what the young folks are
+      about. You are tired, and want to be &ldquo;stayed with flagons and comforted
+      with apples&rdquo;,' said Laurie, offering an arm to each sister, and leading
+      them away to afternoon tea, which flowed as freely on Parnassus as the
+      nectar of old.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They found Meg in the summer-parlour, an airy and delightful room, full
+      now of afternoon sunshine and the rustle of trees; for the three long
+      windows opened on the garden. The great music-room was at one end, and at
+      the other, in a deep alcove hung with purple curtains, a little household
+      shrine had been made. Three portraits hung there, two marble busts stood
+      in the corners, and a couch, an oval table, with its urn of flowers, were
+      the only articles of furniture the nook contained. The busts were John
+      Brooke and Beth&mdash;Amy's work&mdash;both excellent likenesses, and both
+      full of the placid beauty which always recalls the saying, that 'Clay
+      represents life; plaster, death; marble, immortality'. On the right, as
+      became the founder of the house, hung the portrait of Mr Laurence, with
+      its expression of mingled pride and benevolence, as fresh and attractive
+      as when he caught the girl Jo admiring it. Opposite was Aunt March&mdash;a
+      legacy to Amy&mdash;in an imposing turban, immense sleeves, and long
+      mittens decorously crossed on the front of her plum-coloured satin gown.
+      Time had mellowed the severity of her aspect; and the fixed regard of the
+      handsome old gentleman opposite seemed to account for the amiable simper
+      on lips that had not uttered a sharp word for years.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the place of honour, with the sunshine warm upon it, and a green
+      garland always round it, was Marmee's beloved face, painted with grateful
+      skill by a great artist whom she had befriended when poor and unknown. So
+      beautifully lifelike was it that it seemed to smile down upon her
+      daughters, saying cheerfully:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Be happy; I am with you still.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The three sisters stood a moment looking up at the beloved picture with
+      eyes full of tender reverence and the longing that never left them; for
+      this noble mother had been so much to them that no one could ever fill her
+      place. Only two years since she had gone away to live and love anew,
+      leaving such a sweet memory behind her that it was both an inspiration and
+      a comforter to all the household. They felt this as they drew closer to
+      one another, and Laurie put it into words as he said earnestly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I can ask nothing better for my child than that she may be a woman like
+      our mother. Please God, she shall be, if I can do it; for I owe the best I
+      have to this dear saint.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Just then a fresh voice began to sing 'Ave Maria' in the music-room, and
+      Bess unconsciously echoed her father's prayer for her as she dutifully
+      obeyed his wishes. The soft sound of the air Marmee used to sing led the
+      listeners back into the world again from that momentary reaching after the
+      loved and lost, and they sat down together near the open windows enjoying
+      the music, while Laurie brought them tea, making the little service
+      pleasant by the tender care he gave to it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nat came in with Demi, soon followed by Ted and Josie, the Professor and
+      his faithful Rob, all anxious to hear more about 'the boys'. The rattle of
+      cups and tongues grew brisk, and the setting sun saw a cheerful company
+      resting in the bright room after the varied labours of the day.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Professor Bhaer was grey now, but robust and genial as ever; for he had
+      the work he loved, and did it so heartily that the whole college felt his
+      beautiful influence. Rob was as much like him as it was possible for a boy
+      to be, and was already called the 'young Professor', he so adored study
+      and closely imitated his honoured father in all ways.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Well, heart's dearest, we go to have our boys again, all two, and may
+      rejoice greatly,' said Mr Bhaer, seating himself beside Jo with a beaming
+      face and a handshake of congratulation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Oh, Fritz, I'm so delighted about Emil, and if you approve about Franz
+      also. Did you know Ludmilla? Is it a wise match?' asked Mrs Jo, handing
+      him her cup of tea and drawing closer, as if she welcomed her refuge in
+      joy as well as sorrow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'It all goes well. I saw the Madchen when I went over to place Franz. A
+      child then, but most sweet and charming. Blumenthal is satisfied, I think,
+      and the boy will be happy. He is too German to be content away from
+      Vaterland, so we shall have him as a link between the new and the old, and
+      that pleases me much.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'And Emil, he is to be second mate next voyage; isn't that fine? I'm so
+      happy that both your boys have done well; you gave up so much for them and
+      their mother. You make light of it, dear, but I never forget it,' said Jo,
+      with her hand in his as sentimentally as if she was a girl again and her
+      Fritz had come a-wooing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He laughed his cheery laugh, and whispered behind her fan: 'If I had not
+      come to America for the poor lads, I never should have found my Jo. The
+      hard times are very sweet now, and I bless Gott for all I seemed to lose,
+      because I gained the blessing of my life.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Spooning! spooning! Here's an awful flirtation on the sly,' cried Teddy,
+      peering over the fan just at that interesting moment, much to his mother's
+      confusion and his father's amusement; for the Professor never was ashamed
+      of the fact that he still considered his wife the dearest woman in the
+      world. Rob promptly ejected his brother from one window, to see him skip
+      in at the other, while Mrs Jo shut her fan and held it ready to rap her
+      unruly boy's knuckles if he came near her again.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nat approached in answer to Mr Bhaer's beckoning teaspoon, and stood
+      before them with a face full of the respectful affection he felt for the
+      excellent man who had done so much for him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I have the letters ready for thee, my son. They are two old friends of
+      mine in Leipzig, who will befriend thee in that new life. It is well to
+      have them, for thou wilt be heartbroken with Heimweh at the first, Nat,
+      and need comforting,' said the Professor, giving him several letters.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Thanks, sir. Yes, I expect to be pretty lonely till I get started, then
+      my music and the hope of getting on will cheer me up,' answered Nat, who
+      both longed and dreaded to leave all these friends behind him and make new
+      ones.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He was a man now; but the blue eyes were as honest as ever, the mouth
+      still a little weak, in spite of the carefully cherished moustache over
+      it, and the broad forehead more plainly than ever betrayed the
+      music-loving nature of the youth. Modest, affectionate, and dutiful, Nat
+      was considered a pleasant though not a brilliant success by Mrs Jo. She
+      loved and trusted him, and was sure he would do his best, but did not
+      expect that he would be great in any way, unless the stimulus of foreign
+      training and self-dependence made him a better artist and a stronger man
+      than now seemed likely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I've marked all your things&mdash;or rather, Daisy did&mdash;and as soon
+      as your books are collected, we can see about the packing,' said Mrs Jo,
+      who was so used to fitting boys off for all quarters of the globe that a
+      trip to the North Pole would not have been too much for her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nat grew red at mention of that name&mdash;or was it the last glow of
+      sunset on his rather pale cheek?&mdash;and his heart beat happily at the
+      thought of the dear girl working Ns and Bs on his humble socks and
+      handkerchiefs; for Nat adored Daisy, and the cherished dream of his life
+      was to earn a place for himself as a musician and win this angel for his
+      wife. This hope did more for him than the Professor's counsels, Mrs Jo's
+      care, or Mr Laurie's generous help. For her sake he worked, waited, and
+      hoped, finding courage and patience in the dream of that happy future when
+      Daisy should make a little home for him and he fiddle a fortune into her
+      lap. Mrs Jo knew this; and though he was not exactly the man she would
+      have chosen for her niece, she felt that Nat would always need just the
+      wise and loving care Daisy could give him, and that without it there was
+      danger of his being one of the amiable and aimless men who fail for want
+      of the right pilot to steer them safely through the world. Mrs Meg
+      decidedly frowned upon the poor boy's love, and would not hear of giving
+      her dear girl to any but the best man to be found on the face of the
+      earth. She was very kind, but as firm as such gentle souls can be; and Nat
+      fled for comfort to Mrs Jo, who always espoused the interests of her boys
+      heartily. A new set of anxieties was beginning now that the aforesaid boys
+      were growing up, and she foresaw no end of worry as well as amusement in
+      the love-affairs already budding in her flock. Mrs Meg was usually her
+      best ally and adviser, for she loved romances as well now as when a
+      blooming girl herself. But in this case she hardened her heart, and would
+      not hear a word of entreaty. 'Nat was not man enough, never would be, no
+      one knew his family, a musician's life was a hard one; Daisy was too
+      young, five or six years hence when time had proved both perhaps. Let us
+      see what absence will do for him.' And that was the end of it, for when
+      the maternal Pelican was roused she could be very firm, though for her
+      precious children she would have plucked her last feather and given the
+      last drop of her blood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo was thinking of this as she looked at Nat while he talked with her
+      husband about Leipzig, and she resolved to have a clear understanding with
+      him before he went; for she was used to confidences, and talked freely
+      with her boys about the trials and temptations that beset all lives in the
+      beginning, and so often mar them, for want of the right word at the right
+      moment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This is the first duty of parents, and no false delicacy should keep them
+      from the watchful care, the gentle warning, which makes self-knowledge and
+      self-control the compass and pilot of the young as they leave the safe
+      harbour of home.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Plato and his disciples approach,' announced irreverent Teddy, as Mr
+      March came in with several young men and women about him; for the wise old
+      man was universally beloved, and ministered so beautifully to his flock
+      that many of them thanked him all their lives for the help given to both
+      hearts and souls.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Bess went to him at once; for since Marmee died, Grandpapa was her special
+      care, and it was sweet to see the golden head bend over the silver one as
+      she rolled out his easy-chair and waited on him with tender alacrity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Aesthetic tea always on tap here, sir; will you have a flowing bowl or a
+      bit of ambrosia?' asked Laurie, who was wandering about with a sugar-basin
+      in one hand and a plate of cake in the other; for sweetening cups and
+      feeding the hungry was work he loved.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Neither, thanks; this child has taken care of me'; and Mr March turned to
+      Bess, who sat on one arm of his chair, holding a glass of fresh milk.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Long may she live to do it, sir, and I be here to see this pretty
+      contradiction of the song that &ldquo;youth and age cannot live together&rdquo;!'
+      answered Laurie, smiling at the pair. '&ldquo;Crabbed age&rdquo;, papa; that makes all
+      the difference in the world,' said Bess quickly; for she loved poetry, and
+      read the best.
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    'Wouldst thou see fresh roses grow
+     In a reverend bed of snow?'
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      quoted Mr March, as Josie came and perched on the other arm, looking like
+      a very thorny little rose; for she had been having a hot discussion with
+      Ted, and had got the worst of it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Grandpa, must women always obey men and say they are the wisest, just
+      because they are the strongest?' she cried, looking fiercely at her
+      cousin, who came stalking up with a provoking smile on the boyish face
+      that was always very comical atop of that tall figure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Well, my dear, that is the old-fashioned belief, and it will take some
+      time to change it. But I think the woman's hour has struck; and it looks
+      to me as if the boys must do their best, for the girls are abreast now,
+      and may reach the goal first,' answered Mr March, surveying with paternal
+      satisfaction the bright faces of the young women, who were among the best
+      students in the college.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'The poor little Atalantas are sadly distracted and delayed by the
+      obstacles thrown in their way&mdash;not golden apples, by any means&mdash;but
+      I think they will stand a fair chance when they have learned to run
+      better,' laughed Uncle Laurie, stroking Josie's breezy hair, which stood
+      up like the fur of an angry kitten.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Whole barrels of apples won't stop me when I start, and a dozen Teds
+      won't trip me up, though they may try. I'll show him that a woman can act
+      as well, if not better, than a man. It has been done, and will be again;
+      and I'll never own that my brain isn't as good as his, though it may be
+      smaller,' cried the excited young person.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'If you shake your head in that violent way you'll addle what brains you
+      have got; and I'd take care of 'em, if I were you,' began teasing Ted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'What started this civil war?' asked Grandpapa, with a gentle emphasis on
+      the adjective, which caused the combatants to calm their ardour a little.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Why, we were pegging away at the Iliad and came to where Zeus tells Juno
+      not to inquire into his plans or he'll whip her, and Jo was disgusted
+      because Juno meekly hushed up. I said it was all right, and agreed with
+      the old fellow that women didn't know much and ought to obey men,'
+      explained Ted, to the great amusement of his hearers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Goddesses may do as they like, but those Greek and Trojan women were
+      poor-spirited things if they minded men who couldn't fight their own
+      battles and had to be hustled off by Pallas, and Venus, and Juno, when
+      they were going to get beaten. The idea of two armies stopping and sitting
+      down while a pair of heroes flung stones at one another! I don't think
+      much of your old Homer. Give me Napoleon or Grant for my hero.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Josie's scorn was as funny as if a humming-bird scolded at an ostrich, and
+      everyone laughed as she sniffed at the immortal poet and criticized the
+      gods.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Napoleon's Juno had a nice time; didn't she? That's just the way girls
+      argue&mdash;first one way and then the other,' jeered Ted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Like Johnson's young lady, who was &ldquo;not categorical, but all
+      wiggle-waggle&rdquo;,' added Uncle Laurie, enjoying the battle immensely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I was only speaking of them as soldiers. But if you come to the woman
+      side of it, wasn't Grant a kind husband and Mrs Grant a happy woman? He
+      didn't threaten to whip her if she asked a natural question; and if
+      Napoleon did do wrong about Josephine, he could fight, and didn't want any
+      Minerva to come fussing over him. They were a stupid set, from dandified
+      Paris to Achilles sulking in his ships, and I won't change my opinion for
+      all the Hectors and Agamemnons in Greece,' said Josie, still unconquered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You can fight like a Trojan, that's evident; and we will be the two
+      obedient armies looking on while you and Ted have it out,' began Uncle
+      Laurie, assuming the attitude of a warrior leaning on his spear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I fear we must give it up, for Pallas is about to descend and carry off
+      our Hector,' said Mr March, smiling, as Jo came to remind her son that
+      suppertime was near.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'We will fight it out later when there are no goddesses to interfere,'
+      said Teddy, as he turned away with unusual alacrity, remembering the treat
+      in store.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Conquered by a muffin, by Jove!' called Josie after him, exulting in an
+      opportunity to use the classical exclamation forbidden to her sex.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But Ted shot a Parthian arrow as he retired in good order by replying,
+      with a highly virtuous expression:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Obedience is a soldier's first duty.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Bent on her woman's privilege of having the last word, Josie ran after
+      him, but never uttered the scathing speech upon her lips, for a very brown
+      young man in a blue suit came leaping up the steps with a cheery 'Ahoy!
+      ahoy! where is everybody?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Emil! Emil!' cried Josie, and in a moment Ted was upon him, and the late
+      enemies ended their fray in a joyful welcome to the newcomer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Muffins were forgotten, and towing their cousin like two fussy little tugs
+      with a fine merchantman, the children returned to the parlour, where Emil
+      kissed all the women and shook hands with all the men except his uncle;
+      him he embraced in the good old German style, to the great delight of the
+      observers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Didn't think I could get off today, but found I could, and steered
+      straight for old Plum. Not a soul there, so I luffed and bore away for
+      Parnassus, and here is every man Jack of you. Bless your hearts, how glad
+      I am to see you all!' exclaimed the sailor boy, beaming at them, as he
+      stood with his legs apart as if he still felt the rocking deck under his
+      feet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You ought to &ldquo;shiver your timbers&rdquo;, not &ldquo;bless our hearts&rdquo;, Emil; it's
+      not nautical at all. Oh, how nice and shippy and tarry you do smell!' said
+      Josie, sniffing at him with great enjoyment of the fresh sea odours he
+      brought with him. This was her favourite cousin, and she was his pet; so
+      she knew that the bulging pockets of the blue jacket contained treasures
+      for her at least.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Avast, my hearty, and let me take soundings before you dive,' laughed
+      Emil, understanding her affectionate caresses, and holding her off with
+      one hand while with the other he rummaged out sundry foreign little boxes
+      and parcels marked with different names, and handed them round with
+      appropriate remarks, which caused much laughter; for Emil was a wag.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'There's a hawser that will hold our little cock-boat still about five
+      minutes,' he said, throwing a necklace of pretty pink coral over Josie's
+      head; 'and here's something the mermaids sent to Undine,' he added,
+      handing Bess a string of pearly shells on a silver chain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I thought Daisy would like a fiddle, and Nat can find her a beau,'
+      continued the sailor, with a laugh, as he undid a dainty filigree brooch
+      in the shape of a violin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I know she will, and I'll take it to her,' answered Nat, as he vanished,
+      glad of an errand, and sure that he could find Daisy though Emil had
+      missed her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Emil chuckled, and handed out a quaintly carved bear whose head opened,
+      showing a capacious ink-stand. This he presented, with a scrape, to Aunt
+      Jo.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Knowing your fondness for these fine animals, I brought this one to your
+      pen.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Very good, Commodore! Try again,' said Mrs Jo, much pleased with her
+      gift, which caused the Professor to prophesy 'works of Shakespeare' from
+      its depths, so great would be the inspiration of the beloved bruin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'As Aunt Meg will wear caps, in spite of her youth, I got Ludmilla to get
+      me some bits of lace. Hope you'll like 'em'; and out of a soft paper came
+      some filmy things, one of which soon lay like a net of snowflakes on Mrs
+      Meg's pretty hair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I couldn't find anything swell enough for Aunt Amy, because she has
+      everything she wants, so I brought a little picture that always makes me
+      think of her when Bess was a baby'; and he handed her an oval ivory
+      locket, on which was painted a goldenhaired Madonna, with a rosy child
+      folded in her blue mantle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'How lovely!' cried everyone; and Aunt Amy at once hung it about her neck
+      on the blue ribbon from Bess's hair, charmed with her gift; for it
+      recalled the happiest year of her life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Now, I flatter myself I've got just the thing for Nan, neat but not
+      gaudy, a sort of sign you see, and very appropriate for a doctor,' said
+      Emil, proudly displaying a pair of lava earrings shaped like little
+      skulls.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Horrid!' And Bess, who hated ugly things, turned her eyes to her own
+      pretty shells.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'She won't wear earrings,' said Josie.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Well, she'll enjoy punching your ears then. She's never so happy as when
+      she's overhauling her fellow creatures and going for 'em with a knife,'
+      answered Emil, undisturbed. 'I've got a lot of plunder for you fellows in
+      my chest, but I knew I should have no peace till my cargo for the girls
+      was unloaded. Now tell me all the news.' And, seated on Amy's best
+      marbletopped table, the sailor swung his legs and talked at the rate of
+      ten knots an hour, till Aunt Jo carried them all off to a grand family tea
+      in honour of the Commodore.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      Chapter 3. JO'S LAST SCRAPE
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      The March family had enjoyed a great many surprises in the course of their
+      varied career, but the greatest of all was when the Ugly Duckling turned
+      out to be, not a swan, but a golden goose, whose literary eggs found such
+      an unexpected market that in ten years Jo's wildest and most cherished
+      dream actually came true. How or why it happened she never clearly
+      understood, but all of a sudden she found herself famous in a small way,
+      and, better still, with a snug little fortune in her pocket to clear away
+      the obstacles of the present and assure the future of her boys.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It began during a bad year when everything went wrong at Plumfield; times
+      were hard, the school dwindled, Jo overworked herself and had a long
+      illness; Laurie and Amy were abroad, and the Bhaers too proud to ask help
+      even of those as near and dear as this generous pair. Confined to her
+      room, Jo got desperate over the state of affairs, till she fell back upon
+      the long-disused pen as the only thing she could do to help fill up the
+      gaps in the income. A book for girls being wanted by a certain publisher,
+      she hastily scribbled a little story describing a few scenes and
+      adventures in the lives of herself and sisters, though boys were more in
+      her line, and with very slight hopes of success sent it out to seek its
+      fortune.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Things always went by contraries with Jo. Her first book, laboured over
+      for years, and launched full of the high hopes and ambitious dreams of
+      youth, foundered on its voyage, though the wreck continued to float long
+      afterward, to the profit of the publisher at least. The hastily written
+      story, sent away with no thought beyond the few dollars it might bring,
+      sailed with a fair wind and a wise pilot at the helm into public favour,
+      and came home heavily laden with an unexpected cargo of gold and glory.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A more astonished woman probably never existed than Josephine Bhaer when
+      her little ship came into port with flags flying, cannon that had been
+      silent before now booming gaily, and, better than all, many kind faces
+      rejoicing with her, many friendly hands grasping hers with cordial
+      congratulations. After that it was plain sailing, and she merely had to
+      load her ships and send them off on prosperous trips, to bring home stores
+      of comfort for all she loved and laboured for.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The fame she never did quite accept; for it takes very little fire to make
+      a great deal of smoke nowadays, and notoriety is not real glory. The
+      fortune she could not doubt, and gratefully received; though it was not
+      half so large a one as a generous world reported it to be. The tide having
+      turned continued to rise, and floated the family comfortably into a snug
+      harbour where the older members could rest secure from storms, and whence
+      the younger ones could launch their boats for the voyage of life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All manner of happiness, peace, and plenty came in those years to bless
+      the patient waiters, hopeful workers, and devout believers in the wisdom
+      and justice of Him who sends disappointment, poverty, and sorrow to try
+      the love of human hearts and make success the sweeter when it comes. The
+      world saw the prosperity, and kind souls rejoiced over the improved
+      fortunes of the family; but the success Jo valued most, the happiness that
+      nothing could change or take away, few knew much about.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was the power of making her mother's last years happy and serene; to
+      see the burden of care laid down for ever, the weary hands at rest, the
+      dear face untroubled by any anxiety, and the tender heart free to pour
+      itself out in the wise charity which was its delight. As a girl, Jo's
+      favourite plan had been a room where Marmee could sit in peace and enjoy
+      herself after her hard, heroic life. Now the dream had become a happy
+      fact, and Marmee sat in her pleasant chamber with every comfort and luxury
+      about her, loving daughters to wait on her as infirmities increased, a
+      faithful mate to lean upon, and grand-children to brighten the twilight of
+      life with their dutiful affection. A very precious time to all, for she
+      rejoiced as only mothers can in the good fortunes of their children. She
+      had lived to reap the harvest she sowed; had seen prayers answered, hopes
+      blossom, good gifts bear fruit, peace and prosperity bless the home she
+      had made; and then, like some brave, patient angel, whose work was done,
+      turned her face heavenward, glad to rest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This was the sweet and sacred side of the change; but it had its droll and
+      thorny one, as all things have in this curious world of ours. After the
+      first surprise, incredulity, and joy, which came to Jo, with the
+      ingratitude of human nature, she soon tired of renown, and began to resent
+      her loss of liberty. For suddenly the admiring public took possession of
+      her and all her affairs, past, present, and to come. Strangers demanded to
+      look at her, question, advise, warn, congratulate, and drive her out of
+      her wits by well-meant but very wearisome attentions. If she declined to
+      open her heart to them, they reproached her; if she refused to endow her
+      pet charities, relieve private wants, or sympathize with every ill and
+      trial known to humanity, she was called hard-hearted, selfish, and
+      haughty; if she found it impossible to answer the piles of letters sent
+      her, she was neglectful of her duty to the admiring public; and if she
+      preferred the privacy of home to the pedestal upon which she was requested
+      to pose, 'the airs of literary people' were freely criticized.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She did her best for the children, they being the public for whom she
+      wrote, and laboured stoutly to supply the demand always in the mouths of
+      voracious youth&mdash;'More stories; more right away!' Her family objected
+      to this devotion at their expense, and her health suffered; but for a time
+      she gratefully offered herself up on the altar of juvenile literature,
+      feeling that she owed a good deal to the little friends in whose sight she
+      had found favour after twenty years of effort.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But a time came when her patience gave out; and wearying of being a lion,
+      she became a bear in nature as in name, and returning to her den, growled
+      awfully when ordered out. Her family enjoyed the fun, and had small
+      sympathy with her trials, but Jo came to consider it the worse scrape of
+      her life; for liberty had always been her dearest possession, and it
+      seemed to be fast going from her. Living in a lantern soon loses its
+      charm, and she was too old, too tired, and too busy to like it. She felt
+      that she had done all that could reasonably be required of her when
+      autographs, photographs, and autobiographical sketches had been sown
+      broadcast over the land; when artists had taken her home in all its
+      aspects, and reporters had taken her in the grim one she always assumed on
+      these trying occasions; when a series of enthusiastic boarding-schools had
+      ravaged her grounds for trophies, and a steady stream of amiable pilgrims
+      had worn her doorsteps with their respectful feet; when servants left
+      after a week's trial of the bell that rang all day; when her husband was
+      forced to guard her at meals, and the boys to cover her retreat out of
+      back windows on certain occasions when enterprising guests walked in
+      unannounced at unfortunate moments.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A sketch of one day may perhaps explain the state of things, offer some
+      excuse for the unhappy woman, and give a hint to the autograph-fiend now
+      rampant in the land; for it is a true tale.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'There ought to be a law to protect unfortunate authors,' said Mrs Jo one
+      morning soon after Emil's arrival, when the mail brought her an unusually
+      large and varied assortment of letters. 'To me it is a more vital subject
+      than international copyright; for time is money, peace is health, and I
+      lose both with no return but less respect for my fellow creatures and a
+      wild desire to fly into the wilderness, since I cannot shut my doors even
+      in free America.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Lion-hunters are awful when in search of their prey. If they could change
+      places for a while it would do them good; and they'd see what bores they
+      were when they &ldquo;do themselves the honour of calling to express their
+      admiration of our charming work&rdquo;,' quoted Ted, with a bow to his parent,
+      now frowning over twelve requests for autographs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I have made up my mind on one point,' said Mrs Jo with great firmness. 'I
+      will not answer this kind of letter. I've sent at least six to this boy,
+      and he probably sells them. This girl writes from a seminary, and if I
+      send her one all the other girls will at once write for more. All begin by
+      saying they know they intrude, and that I am of course annoyed by these
+      requests; but they venture to ask because I like boys, or they like the
+      books, or it is only one. Emerson and Whittier put these things in the
+      wastepaper-basket; and though only a literary nursery-maid who provides
+      moral pap for the young, I will follow their illustrious example; for I
+      shall have no time to eat or sleep if I try to satisfy these dear
+      unreasonable children'; and Mrs Jo swept away the entire batch with a sigh
+      of relief.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll open the others and let you eat your breakfast in peace, liebe
+      Mutter,' said Rob, who often acted as her secretary. 'Here's one from the
+      South'; and breaking an imposing seal, he read:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'MADAM, As it has pleased Heaven to bless your efforts with a large
+      fortune, I feel no hesitation in asking you to supply funds to purchase a
+      new communion-service for our church. To whatever denomination you belong,
+      you will of course respond with liberality to such a request,
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Respectfully yours,
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'MRS X.Y. ZAVIER'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Send a civil refusal, dear. All I have to give must go to feed and clothe
+      the poor at my gates. That is my thank-offering for success. Go on,'
+      answered his mother, with a grateful glance about her happy home.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'A literary youth of eighteen proposes that you put your name to a novel
+      he has written; and after the first edition your name is to be taken off
+      and his put on. There's a cool proposal for you. I guess you won't agree
+      to that, in spite of your soft-heartedness towards most of the young
+      scribblers.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Couldn't be done. Tell him so kindly, and don't let him send the
+      manuscript. I have seven on hand now, and barely time to read my own,'
+      said Mrs Jo, pensively fishing a small letter out of the slop-bowl and
+      opening it with care, because the down-hill address suggested that a child
+      wrote it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I will answer this myself. A little sick girl wants a book, and she shall
+      have it, but I can't write sequels to all the rest to please her. I should
+      never come to an end if I tried to suit these voracious little Oliver
+      Twists, clamouring for more. What next, Robin?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'This is short and sweet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'DEAR MRS BHAER, I am now going to give you my opinion of your works. I
+      have read them all many times, and call them first-rate. Please go ahead.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Your admirer,
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'BILLY BABCOCK'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Now that is what I like. Billy is a man of sense and a critic worth
+      having, since he had read my works many times before expressing his
+      opinion. He asks for no answer, so send my thanks and regards.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Here's a lady in England with seven girls, and she wishes to know your
+      views upon education. Also what careers they shall follow the oldest being
+      twelve. Don't wonder she's worried,' laughed Rob.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll try to answer it. But as I have no girls, my opinion isn't worth
+      much and will probably shock her, as I shall tell her to let them run and
+      play and build up good, stout bodies before she talks about careers. They
+      will soon show what they want, if they are let alone, and not all run in
+      the same mould.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Here's a fellow who wants to know what sort of a girl he shall marry, and
+      if you know of any like those in your stories.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Give him Nan's address, and see what he'll get,' proposed Ted, privately
+      resolving to do it himself if possible.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'This is from a lady who wants you to adopt her child and lend her money
+      to study art abroad for a few years. Better take it, and try your hand at
+      a girl, mother.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'No, thank you, I will keep to my own line of business. What is that
+      blotted one? It looks rather awful, to judge by the ink,' asked Mrs Jo,
+      who beguiled her daily task by trying to guess from the outside what was
+      inside her many letters. This proved to be a poem from an insane admirer,
+      to judge by its incoherent style.
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+         'TO J.M.B.
+
+    'Oh, were I a heliotrope,
+     I would play poet,
+     And blow a breeze of fragrance
+     To you; and none should know it.
+
+    'Your form like the stately elm
+     When Phoebus gilds the morning ray;
+     Your cheeks like the ocean bed
+     That blooms a rose in May.
+
+    'Your words are wise and bright,
+     I bequeath them to you a legacy given;
+     And when your spirit takes its flight,
+     May it bloom aflower in heaven.
+
+    'My tongue in flattering language spoke,
+     And sweeter silence never broke
+     in busiest street or loneliest glen.
+     I take you with the flashes of my pen.
+
+    'Consider the lilies, how they grow;
+     They toil not, yet are fair,
+     Gems and flowers and Solomon's seal.
+     The geranium of the world is J. M. Bhaer.
+
+        'JAMES'
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      While the boys shouted over this effusion&mdash;which is a true one&mdash;their
+      mother read several liberal offers from budding magazines for her to edit
+      them gratis; one long letter from a young girl inconsolable because her
+      favourite hero died, and 'would dear Mrs Bhaer rewrite the tale, and make
+      it end good?' another from an irate boy denied an autograph, who darkly
+      foretold financial ruin and loss of favour if she did not send him and all
+      other fellows who asked autographs, photographs, and auto-biographical
+      sketches; a minister wished to know her religion; and an undecided maiden
+      asked which of her two lovers she should marry. These samples will suffice
+      to show a few of the claims made on a busy woman's time, and make my
+      readers pardon Mrs Jo if she did not carefully reply to all.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That job is done. Now I will dust a bit, and then go to my work. I'm all
+      behind-hand, and serials can't wait; so deny me to everybody, Mary. I
+      won't see Queen Victoria if she comes today.' And Mrs Bhaer threw down her
+      napkin as if defying all creation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I hope the day will go well with thee, my dearest,' answered her husband,
+      who had been busy with his own voluminous correspondence. 'I will dine at
+      college with Professor Plock, who is to visit us today. The Junglings can
+      lunch on Parnassus; so thou shalt have a quiet time.' And smoothing the
+      worried lines out of her forehead with his good-bye kiss, the excellent
+      man marched away, both pockets full of books, an old umbrella in one hand,
+      and a bag of stones for the geology class in the other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'If all literary women had such thoughtful angels for husbands, they would
+      live longer and write more. Perhaps that wouldn't be a blessing to the
+      world though, as most of us write too much now,' said Mrs Jo, waving her
+      feather duster to her spouse, who responded with flourishes of the
+      umbrella as he went down the avenue.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rob started for school at the same time, looking so much like him with his
+      books and bag and square shoulders and steady air that his mother laughed
+      as she turned away, saying heartily: 'Bless both my dear professors, for
+      better creatures never lived!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Emil was already gone to his ship in the city; but Ted lingered to steal
+      the address he wanted, ravage the sugar-bowl, and talk with 'Mum'; for the
+      two had great larks together. Mrs Jo always arranged her own parlour,
+      refilled her vases, and gave the little touches that left it cool and neat
+      for the day. Going to draw down the curtain, she beheld an artist
+      sketching on the lawn, and groaned as she hastily retired to the back
+      window to shake her duster.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At that moment the bell rang and the sound of wheels was heard in the
+      road.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll go; Mary lets 'em in'; and Ted smoothed his hair as he made for the
+      hall.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Can't see anyone. Give me a chance to fly upstairs,' whispered Mrs Jo,
+      preparing to escape. But before she could do so, a man appeared at the
+      door with a card in his hand. Ted met him with a stern air, and his mother
+      dodged behind the window-curtains to bide her time for escape.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I am doing a series of articles for the Saturday Tattler, and I called to
+      see Mrs Bhaer the first of all,' began the newcomer in the insinuating
+      tone of his tribe, while his quick eyes were taking in all they could,
+      experience having taught him to make the most of his time, as his visits
+      were usually short ones.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Mrs Bhaer never sees reporters, sir.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'But a few moments will be all I ask,' said the man, edging his way
+      farther in.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You can't see her, for she is out,' replied Teddy, as a backward glance
+      showed him that his unhappy parent had vanished&mdash;through the window,
+      he supposed, as she sometimes did when hard bestead.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Very sorry. I'll call again. Is this her study? Charming room!' And the
+      intruder fell back on the parlour, bound to see something and bag a fact
+      if he died in the attempt. 'It is not,' said Teddy, gently but firmly
+      backing him down the hall, devoutly hoping that his mother had escaped
+      round the corner of the house.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'If you could tell me Mrs Bhaer's age and birthplace, date of marriage,
+      and number of children, I should be much obliged,' continued the unabashed
+      visitor as he tripped over the door-mat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'She is about sixty, born in Nova Zembla, married just forty years ago
+      today, and has eleven daughters. Anything else, sir?' And Ted's sober face
+      was such a funny contrast to his ridiculous reply that the reporter owned
+      himself routed, and retired laughing just as a lady followed by three
+      beaming girls came up the steps.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'We are all the way from Oshkosh, and couldn't go home without seein' dear
+      Aunt Jo. My girls just admire her works, and lot on gettin' a sight of
+      her. I know it's early; but we are goin' to see Holmes and Longfeller, and
+      the rest of the celebrities, so we ran out here fust thing. Mrs Erastus
+      Kingsbury Parmalee, of Oshkosh, tell her. We don't mind waitin'; we can
+      look round a spell if she ain't ready to see folks yet.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All this was uttered with such rapidity that Ted could only stand gazing
+      at the buxom damsels, who fixed their six blue eyes upon him so
+      beseechingly that his native gallantry made it impossible to deny them a
+      civil reply at least.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Mrs Bhaer is not visible today&mdash;out just now, I believe; but you can
+      see the house and grounds if you like,' he murmured, falling back as the
+      four pressed in gazing rapturously about them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Oh, thank you! Sweet, pretty place I'm sure! That's where she writes,
+      ain't it? Do tell me if that's her picture! Looks just as I imagined her!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With these remarks the ladies paused before a fine engraving of the Hon.
+      Mrs Norton, with a pen in her hand and a rapt expression of countenance,
+      likewise a diadem and pearl necklace.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Keeping his gravity with an effort, Teddy pointed to a very bad portrait
+      of Mrs Jo, which hung behind the door, and afforded her much amusement, it
+      was so dismal, in spite of a curious effect of light upon the end of the
+      nose and cheeks as red as the chair she sat in.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'This was taken for my mother; but it is not very good,' he said, enjoying
+      the struggles of the girls not to look dismayed at the sad difference
+      between the real and the ideal. The youngest, aged twelve, could not
+      conceal her disappointment, and turned away, feeling as so many of us have
+      felt when we discover that our idols are very ordinary men and women.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I thought she'd be about sixteen and have her hair braided in two tails
+      down her back. I don't care about seeing her now,' said the honest child,
+      walking off to the hall door, leaving her mother to apologize, and her
+      sisters to declare that the bad portrait was 'perfectly lovely, so
+      speaking and poetic, you know, 'specially about the brow'.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Come girls, we must be goin', if we want to get through today. You can
+      leave your albums and have them sent when Mrs Bhaer has written a
+      sentiment in 'em. We are a thousand times obliged. Give our best love to
+      your ma, and tell her we are so sorry not to see her.' Just as Mrs.
+      Erastus Kingsbury Parmalee uttered the words her eye fell upon a
+      middle-aged woman in a large checked apron, with a handkerchief tied over
+      her head, busily dusting an end room which looked like a study.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'One peep at her sanctum since she is out,' cried the enthusiastic lady,
+      and swept across the hall with her flock before Teddy could warn his
+      mother, whose retreat had been cut off by the artist in front, the
+      reporter at the back of the house&mdash;for he hadn't gone and the ladies
+      in the hall.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'They've got her!' thought Teddy, in comical dismay. 'No use for her to
+      play housemaid since they've seen the portrait.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo did her best, and being a good actress, would have escaped if the
+      fatal picture had not betrayed her. Mrs Parmalee paused at the desk, and
+      regardless of the meerschaum that lay there, the man's slippers close by,
+      and a pile of letters directed to 'Prof. F. Bhaer', she clasped her hands,
+      exclaiming impressively: 'Girls, this is the spot where she wrote those
+      sweet, those moral tales which have thrilled us to the soul! Could I&mdash;ah,
+      could I take one morsel of paper, an old pen, a postage stamp even, as a
+      memento of this gifted woman?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes'm, help yourselves,' replied the maid, moving away with a glance at
+      the boy, whose eyes were now full of merriment he could not suppress.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The oldest girl saw it, guessed the truth, and a quick look at the woman
+      in the apron confirmed her suspicion. Touching her mother, she whispered:
+      'Ma, it's Mrs Bhaer herself. I know it is.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'No? yes? it is! Well, I do declare, how nice that is!' And hastily
+      pursuing the unhappy woman, who was making for the door, Mrs Parmalee
+      cried eagerly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't mind us! I know you're busy, but just let me take your hand and
+      then we'll go.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Giving herself up for lost, Mrs Jo turned and presented her hand like a
+      tea-tray, submitting to have it heartily shaken, as the matron said, with
+      somewhat alarming hospitality:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'If ever you come to Oshkosh, your feet won't be allowed to touch the
+      pavement; for you'll be borne in the arms of the populace, we shall be so
+      dreadful glad to see you.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mentally resolving never to visit that effusive town, Jo responded as
+      cordially as she could; and having written her name in the albums,
+      provided each visitor with a memento, and kissed them all round, they at
+      last departed, to call on 'Longfeller, Holmes, and the rest'&mdash;who
+      were all out, it is devoutly to be hoped.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You villain, why didn't you give me a chance to whip away? Oh, my dear,
+      what fibs you told that man! I hope we shall be forgiven our sins in this
+      line, but I don't know what is to become of us if we don't dodge. So many
+      against one isn't fair play.' And Mrs Jo hung up her apron in the hall
+      closet, with a groan at the trials of her lot.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'More people coming up the avenue! Better dodge while the coast is clear!
+      I'll head them off!' cried Teddy, looking back from the steps, as he was
+      departing to school.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo flew upstairs, and having locked her door, calmly viewed a young
+      ladies' seminary camp on the lawn, and being denied the house, proceed to
+      enjoy themselves by picking the flowers, doing up their hair, eating
+      lunch, and freely expressing their opinion of the place and its possessors
+      before they went.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A few hours of quiet followed, and she was just settling down to a long
+      afternoon of hard work, when Rob came home to tell her that the Young
+      Men's Christian Union would visit the college, and two or three of the
+      fellows whom she knew wanted to pay their respects to her on the way.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'It is going to rain, so they won't come, I dare say; but father thought
+      you'd like to be ready, in case they do call. You always see the boys, you
+      know, though you harden your heart to the poor girls,' said Rob, who had
+      heard from his brother about the morning visitations.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Boys don't gush, so I can stand it. The last time I let in a party of
+      girls one fell into my arms and said, &ldquo;Darling, love me!&rdquo; I wanted to
+      shake her,' answered Mrs Jo, wiping her pen with energy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You may be sure the fellows won't do it, but they will want autographs,
+      so you'd better be prepared with a few dozen,' said Rob, laying out a
+      quire of notepaper, being a hospitable youth and sympathizing with those
+      who admired his mother.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'They can't outdo the girls. At X College I really believe I wrote three
+      hundred during the day I was there, and I left a pile of cards and albums
+      on my table when I came away. It is one of the most absurd and tiresome
+      manias that ever afflicted the world.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nevertheless Mrs Jo wrote her name a dozen times, put on her black silk,
+      and resigned herself to the impending call, praying for rain, however, as
+      she returned to her work.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The shower came, and feeling quite secure, she rumpled up her hair, took
+      off her cuffs, and hurried to finish her chapter; for thirty pages a day
+      was her task, and she liked to have it well done before evening. Josie had
+      brought some flowers for the vases, and was just putting the last touches
+      when she saw several umbrellas bobbing down the hill.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'They are coming, Aunty! I see uncle hurrying across the field to receive
+      them,' she called at the stair-foot.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Keep an eye on them, and let me know when they enter the avenue. It will
+      take but a minute to tidy up and run down,' answered Mrs Jo, scribbling
+      away for dear life, because serials wait for no man, not even the whole
+      Christian Union en masse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'There are more than two or three. I see half a dozen at least,' called
+      sister Ann from the hall door. 'No! a dozen, I do believe; Aunty, look
+      out; they are all coming! What shall we do?' And Josie quailed at the idea
+      of facing the black throng rapidly approaching.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Mercy on us, there are hundreds! Run and put a tub in the back entry for
+      their umbrellas to drip into. Tell them to go down the hall and leave
+      them, and pile their hats on the table; the tree won't hold them all. No
+      use to get mats; my poor carpets!' And down went Mrs Jo to prepare for the
+      invasion, while Josie and the maids flew about dismayed at the prospect of
+      so many muddy boots.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On they came, a long line of umbrellas, with splashed legs and flushed
+      faces underneath; for the gentlemen had been having a good time all over
+      the town, undisturbed by the rain. Professor Bhaer met them at the gate,
+      and was making a little speech of welcome, when Mrs Jo, touched by their
+      bedraggled state, appeared at the door, beckoning them in. Leaving their
+      host to orate bareheaded in the wet, the young men hastened up the steps,
+      merry, warm, and eager, clutching off their hats as they came, and
+      struggling with their umbrellas, as the order was passed to march in and
+      stack arms.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Tramp, tramp, tramp, down the hall went seventy-five pairs of boots; soon
+      seventy-five umbrellas dripped sociably in the hospitable tub, while their
+      owners swarmed all over the lower part of the house; and seventy-five
+      hearty hands were shaken by the hostess without a murmur, though some were
+      wet, some very warm, and nearly all bore trophies of the day's ramble. One
+      impetuous party flourished a small turtle as he made his compliments;
+      another had a load of sticks cut from noted spots; and all begged for some
+      memento of Plumfield. A pile of cards mysteriously appeared on the table,
+      with a written request for autographs; and despite her morning vow, Mrs Jo
+      wrote everyone, while her husband and boys did the honours of the house.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Josie fled to the back parlour, but was discovered by exploring youths,
+      and mortally insulted by one of them, who innocently inquired if she was
+      Mrs Bhaer. The reception did not last long, and the end was better than
+      the beginning; for the rain ceased, and a rainbow shone beautifully over
+      them as the good fellows stood upon the lawn singing sweetly for a
+      farewell. A happy omen, that bow of promise arched over the young heads,
+      as if Heaven smiled upon their union, and showed them that above the muddy
+      earth and rainy skies the blessed sun still shone for all. Three cheers,
+      and then away they went, leaving a pleasant recollection of their visit to
+      amuse the family as they scraped the mud off the carpets with shovels and
+      emptied the tub half-full of water.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Nice, honest, hard-working fellows, and I don't begrudge my half-hour at
+      all; but I must finish, so don't let anyone disturb me till tea-time,'
+      said Mrs Jo, leaving Mary to shut up the house; for papa and the boys had
+      gone off with the guests, and Josie had run home to tell her mother about
+      the fun at Aunt Jo's.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Peace reigned for an hour, then the bell rang and Mary came giggling up to
+      say: 'A queer kind of a lady wants to know if she can catch a grasshopper
+      in the garden.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'A what?' cried Mrs Jo, dropping her pen with a blot; for of all the odd
+      requests ever made, this was the oddest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'A grasshopper, ma'am. I said you was busy, and asked what she wanted, and
+      says she: &ldquo;I've got grasshoppers from the grounds of several famous folks,
+      and I want one from Plumfield to add to my collection.&rdquo; Did you ever?' And
+      Mary giggled again at the idea.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Tell her to take all there are and welcome. I shall be glad to get rid of
+      them; always bouncing in my face and getting in my dress,' laughed Mrs Jo.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mary retired, to return in a moment nearly speechless with merriment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'She's much obliged, ma'am, and she'd like an old gown or a pair of
+      stockings of yours to put in a rug she's making. Got a vest of Emerson's,
+      she says, and a pair of Mr. Holmes's trousers, and a dress of Mrs Stowe's.
+      She must be crazy!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Give her that old red shawl, then I shall make a gay show among the great
+      ones in that astonishing rug. Yes, they are all lunatics, these
+      lion-hunters; but this seems to be a harmless maniac, for she doesn't take
+      my time, and gives me a good laugh,' said Mrs Jo, returning to her work
+      after a glance from the window, which showed her a tall, thin lady in
+      rusty black, skipping wildly to and fro on the lawn in pursuit of the
+      lively insect she wanted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      No more interruptions till the light began to fade, then Mary popped her
+      head in to say a gentleman wished to see Mrs Bhaer, and wouldn't take no
+      for an answer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'He must. I shall not go down. This has been an awful day, and I won't be
+      disturbed again,' replied the harassed authoress, pausing in the midst of
+      the grand finale of her chapter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I told him so, ma'am; but he walked right in as bold as brass. I guess
+      he's another crazy one, and I declare I'm 'most afraid of him, he's so big
+      and black, and cool as cucumbers, though I will say he's good-looking,'
+      added Mary, with a simper; for the stranger had evidently found favour in
+      her sight despite his boldness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'My day has been ruined, and I will have this last half-hour to finish.
+      Tell him to go away; I won't go down,' cried Mrs Jo, fiercely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mary went; and listening, in spite of herself, her mistress heard first a
+      murmur of voices, then a cry from Mary, and remembering the ways of
+      reporters, also that her maid was both pretty and timid, Mrs Bhaer flung
+      down her pen and went to the rescue. Descending with her most majestic air
+      she demanded in an awe-inspiring voice, as she paused to survey the
+      somewhat brigandish intruder, who seemed to be storming the staircase
+      which Mary was gallantly defending:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Who is this person who insists on remaining when I have declined to see
+      him?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'm sure I don't know, ma'am. He won't give no name, and says you'll be
+      sorry if you don't see him,' answered Mary, retiring flushed and indignant
+      from her post.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Won't you be sorry?' asked the stranger, looking up with a pair of black
+      eyes full of laughter, the flash of white teeth through a long beard, and
+      both hands out as he boldly approached the irate lady.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo gave one keen look, for the voice was familiar; then completed
+      Mary's bewilderment by throwing both arms round the brigand's neck,
+      exclaiming joyfully: 'My dearest boy, where did you come from?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'California, on purpose to see you, Mother Bhaer. Now won't you be sorry
+      if I go away?' answered Dan, with a hearty kiss.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'To think of my ordering you out of the house when I've been longing to
+      see you for a year,' laughed Mrs Jo, and she went down to have a good talk
+      with her returned wanderer, who enjoyed the joke immensely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      Chapter 4. DAN
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo often thought that Dan had Indian blood in him, not only because of
+      his love of a wild, wandering life, but his appearance; for as he grew up,
+      this became more striking. At twenty-five he was very tall, with sinewy
+      limbs, a keen, dark face, and the alert look of one whose senses were all
+      alive; rough in manner, full of energy, quick with word and blow, eyes
+      full of the old fire, always watchful as if used to keep guard, and a
+      general air of vigour and freshness very charming to those who knew the
+      dangers and delights of his adventurous life. He was looking his best as
+      he sat talking with 'Mother Bhaer', one strong brown hand in hers, and a
+      world of affection in his voice as he said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Forget old friends! How could I forget the only home I ever knew? Why, I
+      was in such a hurry to come and tell my good luck that I didn't stop to
+      fix up, you see; though I knew you'd think I looked more like a wild
+      buffalo than ever,' with a shake of his shaggy black head, a tug at his
+      beard, and a laugh that made the room ring.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I like it; I always had a fancy for banditti&mdash;and you look just like
+      one. Mary, being a newcomer, was frightened at your looks and manners.
+      Josie won't know you, but Ted will recognize his Danny in spite of the big
+      beard and flowing mane. They will all be here soon to welcome you; so
+      before they come tell me more about yourself. Why, Dan, dear! it's nearly
+      two years since you were here! Has it gone well with you?' asked Mrs Jo,
+      who had been listening with maternal interest to his account of life in
+      California, and the unexpected success of a small investment he had made.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'First-rate! I don't care for the money, you know. I only want a trifle to
+      pay my way&mdash;rather earn as I go, and not be bothered with the care of
+      a lot. It's the fun of the thing coming to me, and my being able to give
+      away, that I like. No use to lay up; I shan't live to be old and need it,&mdash;my
+      sort never do,' said Dan, looking as if his little fortune rather
+      oppressed him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'But if you marry and settle somewhere, as I hope you will, you must have
+      something to begin with, my son. So be prudent and invest your money;
+      don't give it away, for rainy days come to all of us, and dependence would
+      be very hard for you to bear,' answered Mrs Jo with a sage air, though she
+      liked to see that the money-making fever had not seized her lucky boy yet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dan shook his head, and glanced about the room as if he already found it
+      rather confined and longed for all out-of-doors again.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Who would marry a jack-o'-lantern like me? Women like a steady-going man;
+      I shall never be that.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'My dear boy, when I was a girl I liked just such adventurous fellows as
+      you are. Anything fresh and daring, free and romantic, is always
+      attractive to us womenfolk. Don't be discouraged; you'll find an anchor
+      some day, and be content to take shorter voyages and bring home a good
+      cargo.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'What should you say if I brought you an Indian squaw some day?' asked
+      Dan, with a glimmer of mischief in the eyes that rested on a marble bust
+      of Galatea gleaming white and lovely in the corner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Welcome her heartily, if she was a good one. Is there a prospect of it?'
+      and Mrs Jo peered at him with the interest which even literary ladies take
+      in love affairs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Not at present, thank you. I'm too busy &ldquo;to gallivant&rdquo;, as Ted calls it.
+      How is the boy?' asked Dan, skilfully turning the conversation, as if he
+      had had enough of sentiment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo was off at once, and expatiated upon the talents and virtues of her
+      sons till they came bursting in and fell upon Dan like two affectionate
+      young bears, finding a vent for their joyful emotions in a sort of
+      friendly wrestling-match; in which both got worsted, of course, for the
+      hunter soon settled them. The Professor followed, and tongues went like
+      mill-clappers while Mary lighted up and cook devoted herself to an
+      unusually good supper, instinctively divining that this guest was a
+      welcome one.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After tea Dan was walking up and down the long rooms as he talked, with
+      occasional trips into the hall for a fresher breath of air, his lungs
+      seeming to need more than those of civilized people. In one of these trips
+      he saw a white figure framed in the dark doorway, and paused to look at
+      it. Bess paused also, not recognizing her old friend, and quite
+      unconscious of the pretty picture she made standing, tall and slender,
+      against the soft gloom of the summer night, with her golden hair like a
+      halo round her head, and the ends of a white shawl blown out like wings by
+      the cool wind sweeping through the hail. 'Is it Dan?' she asked, coming in
+      with a gracious smile and outstretched hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Looks like it; but I didn't know you, Princess. I thought it was a
+      spirit,' answered Dan, looking down at her with a curious softness and
+      wonder in his face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I've grown very much, but two years have changed you entirely'; and Bess
+      looked up with girlish pleasure at the picturesque figure before her&mdash;for
+      it was a decided contrast to the well-dressed people about her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Before they could say more, Josie rushed in, and, forgetfull of the newly
+      acquired dignity of her teens, let Dan catch her up and kiss her like a
+      child. Not till he set her down did he discover she also was changed, and
+      exclaimed in comic dismay:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Hallo! Why, you are growing up too! What am I going to do, with no young
+      one to play with? Here's Ted going it like a beanstalk, and Bess a young
+      lady, and even you, my mustard-seed, letting down your frocks and putting
+      on airs.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The girls laughed, and Josie blushed as she stared at the tall man,
+      conscious that she had leaped before she looked. They made a pretty
+      contrast, these two young cousins&mdash;one as fair as a lily, the other a
+      little wild rose. And Dan gave a nod of satisfaction as he surveyed them;
+      for he had seen many bonny girls in his travels, and was glad that these
+      old friends were blooming so beautifully.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Here! we can't allow any monopoly of Dan!' called Mrs Jo. 'Bring him back
+      and keep an eye on him, or he will be slipping off for another little run
+      of a year or two before we have half seen him.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Led by these agreeable captors, Dan returned to the parlour to receive a
+      scolding from Josie for getting ahead of all the other boys and looking
+      like a man first.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Emil is older; but he's only a boy, and dances jigs and sings sailor
+      songs just as he used to. You look about thirty, and as big and black as a
+      villain in a play. Oh, I've got a splendid idea! You are just the thing
+      for Arbaces in The Last Days of Pompeii. We want to act it; have the lion
+      and the gladiators and the eruption. Tom and Ted are going to shower
+      bushels of ashes down and roll barrels of stones about. We wanted a dark
+      man for the Egyptian; and you will be gorgeous in red and white shawls.
+      Won't he, Aunt Jo?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This deluge of words made Dan clap his hands over his ears; and before Mrs
+      Bhaer could answer her impetuous niece the Laurences, with Meg and her
+      family, arrived, soon followed by Tom and Nan, and all sat down to listen
+      to Dan's adventures&mdash;told in brief yet effective manner, as the
+      varying expressions of interest, wonder, merriment, and suspense painted
+      on the circle of faces round him plainly showed. The boys all wanted to
+      start at once for California and make fortunes; the girls could hardly
+      wait for the curious and pretty things he had picked up for them in his
+      travels; while the elders rejoiced heartily over the energy and good
+      prospects of their wild boy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Of course you will want to go back for another stroke of luck; and I hope
+      you will have it. But speculation is a dangerous game, and you may lose
+      all you've won,' said Mr Laurie, who had enjoyed the stirring tale as much
+      as any of the boys, and would have liked to rough it with Dan as well as
+      they.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I've had enough of it, for a while at least; too much like gambling. The
+      excitement is all I care for, and it isn't good for me. I have a notion to
+      try farming out West. It's grand on a large scale; and I feel as if steady
+      work would be rather jolly after loafing round so long. I can make a
+      beginning, and you can send me your black sheep to stock my place with. I
+      tried sheep-farming in Australia, and know something about black ones, any
+      way.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A laugh chased away the sober look in Dan's face as he ended; and those
+      who knew him best guessed that he had learned a lesson there in San
+      Francisco, and dared not try again.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That is a capital idea, Dan!' cried Mrs Jo, seeing great hope in this
+      desire to fix himself somewhere and help others. 'We shall know where you
+      are, and can go and see you, and not have half the world between us. I'll
+      send my Ted for a visit. He's such a restless spirit, it would do him
+      good. With you he would be safe while he worked off his surplus energies
+      and learned a wholesome business.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll use the &ldquo;shubble and de hoe&rdquo; like a good one, if I get a chance out
+      there; but the Speranza mines sound rather jollier,' said Ted, examining
+      the samples of ore Dan had brought for the Professor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You go and start a new town, and when we are ready to swarm we will come
+      out and settle there. You will want a newspaper very soon, and I like the
+      idea of running one myself much better than grinding away as I do now,'
+      observed Demi, panting to distinguish himself in the journalistic line.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'We could easily plant a new college there. These sturdy Westerners are
+      hungry for learning, and very quick to see and choose the best,' added
+      ever-young Mr March, beholding with his prophetic eye many duplicates of
+      their own flourishing establishment springing up in the wide West.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Go on, Dan. It is a fine plan, and we will back you up. I shouldn't mind
+      investing in a few prairies and cowboys myself,' said Mr Laurie, always
+      ready to help the lads to help themselves, both by his cheery words and
+      ever-open purse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'A little money sort of ballasts a fellow, and investing it in land
+      anchors him&mdash;for a while, at least. I'd like to see what I can do,
+      but I thought I'd consult you before I decided. Have my doubts about it
+      suiting me for many years; but I can cut loose when I'm tired,' answered
+      Dan, both touched and pleased at the eager interest of these friends in
+      his plans.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I know you won't like it. After having the whole world to roam over, one
+      farm will seem dreadfully small and stupid,' said Josie, who much
+      preferred the romance of the wandering life which brought her thrilling
+      tales and pretty things at each return.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Is there any art out there?' asked Bess, thinking what a good study in
+      black and white Dan would make as he stood talking, half turned from the
+      light.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Plenty of nature, dear; and that is better. You will find splendid
+      animals to model, and scenery such as you never saw in Europe to paint.
+      Even prosaic pumpkins are grand out there. You can play Cinderella in one
+      of them, Josie, when you open your theatre in Dansville,' said Mr Laurie,
+      anxious that no cold water should be thrown on the new plan.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Stage-struck Josie was caught at once, and being promised all the tragic
+      parts on the yet unbuilt stage, she felt a deep interest in the project
+      and begged Dan to lose no time in beginning his experiment. Bess also
+      confessed that studies from nature would be good for her, and wild scenery
+      improve her taste, which might grow over-nice if only the delicate and
+      beautiful were set before her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I speak for the practice of the new town,' said Nan, always eager for
+      fresh enterprises. 'I shall be ready by the time you get well started&mdash;towns
+      grow so fast out there.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Dan isn't going to allow any woman under forty in his place. He doesn't
+      like them, 'specially young and pretty ones,' put in Tom, who was raging
+      with jealousy, because he read admiration for Nan in Dan's eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That won't affect me, because doctors are exceptions to all rules. There
+      won't be much sickness in Dansville, everyone will lead such active,
+      wholesome lives, and only energetic young people will go there. But
+      accidents will be frequent, owing to wild cattle, fast riding, Indian
+      scrimmages, and the recklessness of Western life. That will just suit me.
+      I long for broken bones, surgery is so interesting and I get so little
+      here,' answered Nan, yearning to put out her shingle and begin.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll have you, Doctor, and be glad of such a good sample of what we can
+      do in the East. Peg away, and I'll send for you as soon as I have a roof
+      to cover you. I'll scalp a few red fellows or smash up a dozen or so of
+      cowboys for your special benefit,' laughed Dan, well pleased with the
+      energy and fine physique which made Nan a conspicuous figure among other
+      girls.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Thanks. I'll come. Would you just let me feel your arm? Splendid biceps!
+      Now, boys, see here: this is what I call muscle.' And Nan delivered a
+      short lecture with Dan's sinewy arm to illustrate it. Tom retired to the
+      alcove and glowered at the stars, while he swung his own right arm with a
+      vigour suggestive of knocking someone down.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Make Tom sexton; he'll enjoy burying the patients Nan kills. He's trying
+      to get up the glum expression proper to the business. Don't forget him,
+      Dan,' said Ted, directing attention to the blighted being in the corner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But Tom never sulked long, and came out from his brief eclipse with the
+      cheerful proposition:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Look here, we'll get the city to ship out to Dansville all the cases of
+      yellow fever, smallpox, and cholera that arrive; then Nan will be happy
+      and her mistakes won't matter much with emigrants and convicts.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I should advise settling near Jacksonville, or some such city, that you
+      might enjoy the society of cultivated persons. The Plato Club is there,
+      and a most ardent thirst for philosophy. Everything from the East is
+      welcomed hospitably, and new enterprises would flourish in such kindly
+      soil,' observed Mr March, mildly offering a suggestion, as he sat among
+      the elders enjoying the lively scene.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The idea of Dan studying Plato was very funny; but no one except naughty
+      Ted smiled, and Dan made haste to unfold another plan seething in that
+      active brain of his.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'm not sure the farming will succeed, and have a strong leaning towards
+      my old friends the Montana Indians. They are a peaceful tribe, and need
+      help awfully; hundreds have died of starvation because they don't get
+      their share. The Sioux are fighters, thirty thousand strong, so Government
+      fears 'em, and gives 'em all they want. I call that a damned shame!' Dan
+      stopped short as the oath slipped out, but his eyes flashed, and he went
+      on quickly: 'It is just that, and I won't beg pardon. If I'd had any money
+      when I was there I'd have given every cent to those poor devils, cheated
+      out of everything, and waiting patiently, after being driven from their
+      own land to places where nothing will grow. Now, honest agents could do
+      much, and I've a feeling that I ought to go and lend a hand. I know their
+      lingo, and I like 'em. I've got a few thousands, and I ain't sure I have
+      any right to spend it on myself and settle down to enjoy it. Hey?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dan looked very manly and earnest as he faced his friends, flushed and
+      excited by the energy of his words; and all felt that little thrill of
+      sympathy which links hearts together by the tie of pity for the wronged.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Do it, do it!' cried Mrs Jo, fired at once; for misfortune was much more
+      interesting to her than good luck.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Do it, do it!' echoed Ted, applauding as if at a play, 'and take me along
+      to help. I'm just raging to get among those fine fellows and hunt.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Let us hear more and see if it is wise,' said Mr Laurie, privately
+      resolving to people his as yet unbought prairies with Montana Indians, and
+      increase his donations to the society that sent missionaries to this much
+      wronged people.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dan plunged at once into the history of what he saw among the Dakotas, and
+      other tribes in the Northwest, telling of their wrongs, patience, and
+      courage as if they were his brothers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'They called me Dan Fire Cloud, because my rifle was the best they ever
+      saw. And Black Hawk was as good a friend as a fellow would want; saved my
+      life more than once, and taught me just what will be useful if I go back.
+      They are down on their luck, now, and I'd like to pay my debts.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      By this time everyone was interested, and Dansville began to lose its
+      charm. But prudent Mr Bhaer suggested that one honest agent among many
+      could not do much, and noble as the effort would be, it was wiser to think
+      over the matter carefully, get influence and authority from the right
+      quarters, and meantime look at lands before deciding.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Well, I will. I'm going to take a run to Kansas and see how that
+      promises. Met a fellow in 'Frisco who'd been there, and he spoke well of
+      it. The fact is, there's so much to be done every where that I don't know
+      where to catch on, and half wish I hadn't any money,' answered Dan,
+      knitting his brows in the perplexity all kind souls feel when anxious to
+      help at the great task of the world's charity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll keep it for you till you decide. You are such an impetuous lad
+      you'll give it to the first beggar that gets hold of you. I'll turn it
+      over while you are prospecting, and hand it back when you are ready to
+      invest, shall I?' asked Mr Laurie, who had learned wisdom since the days
+      of his own extravagant youth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Thanky, sir, I'd be glad to get rid of it. You just hold on till I say
+      the word; and if anything happens to me this time, keep it to help some
+      other scamp as you helped me. This is my will, and you all witness it. Now
+      I feel better.' And Dan squared his shoulders as if relieved of a burden,
+      after handing over the belt in which he carried his little fortune.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      No one dreamed how much was to happen before Dan came to take his money
+      back, nor how nearly that act was his last will and testament; and while
+      Mr Laurie was explaining how he would invest it, a cheery voice was heard
+      singing:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    'Oh, Peggy was a jolly lass,
+     Ye heave ho, boys, ye heave ho!
+     She never grudged her Jack a glass,
+     Ye heave ho, boys, ye heave ho!
+     And when he sailed the raging main,
+     She faithful was unto her swain,
+     Ye heave ho, boys, ye heave ho!'
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Emil always announced his arrival in that fashion, and in a moment he came
+      hurrying in with Nat, who had been giving lessons in town all day. It was
+      good to see the latter beam at his friend as he nearly shook his hand off;
+      better still to see how Dan gratefully remembered all he owed Nat, and
+      tried to pay the debt in his rough way; and best of all to hear the two
+      travellers compare notes and reel off yarns to dazzle the land-lubbers and
+      home-keepers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After this addition the house would not contain the gay youngsters, so
+      they migrated to the piazza and settled on the steps, like a flock of
+      night-loving birds. Mr March and the Professor retired to the study, Meg
+      and Amy went to look after the little refection of fruit and cake which
+      was to come, and Mrs Jo and Mr Laurie sat in the long window listening to
+      the chat that went on outside.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'There they are, the flower of our flock!' she said, pointing to the group
+      before them. 'The others are dead or scattered, but these seven boys and
+      four girls are my especial comfort and pride. Counting Alice Heath, my
+      dozen is made up, and my hands are full trying to guide these young lives
+      as far as human skill can do it.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'When we remember how different they are, from what some of them came, and
+      the home influences about others, I think we may feel pretty well
+      satisfied so far,' answered Mr Laurie soberly, as his eyes rested on one
+      bright head among the black and brown ones, for the young moon shone alike
+      on all.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I don't worry about the girls; Meg sees to them, and is so wise and
+      patient and tender they can't help doing well; but my boys are more care
+      every year, and seem to drift farther away from me each time they go,'
+      sighed Mrs Jo. 'They will grow up, and I can only hold them by one little
+      thread, which may snap at any time, as it has with Jack and Ned. Dolly and
+      George still like to come back, and I can say my word to them; and dear
+      old Franz is too true ever to forget his own. But the three who are soon
+      going out into the world again I can't help worrying about. Emil's good
+      heart will keep him straight, I hope, and
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    '&ldquo;A sweet little cherub sits up aloft,
+    To look out for the life of poor Jack.&rdquo;'
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Nat is to make his first flight, and he's weak in spite of your
+      strengthening influence; and Dan is still untamed. I fear it will take
+      some hard lesson to do that.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'He's a fine fellow, Jo, and I almost regret this farming project. A
+      little polish would make a gentleman of him, and who knows what he might
+      become here among us,' answered Mr Laurie, leaning over Mrs Bhaer's chair,
+      just as he used to do years ago when they had mischievous secrets
+      together.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'It wouldn't be safe, Teddy. Work and the free life he loves will make a
+      good man of him, and that is better than any amount of polish, with the
+      dangers an easy life in a city would bring him. We can't change his nature&mdash;only
+      help it to develop in the right direction. The old impulses are there, and
+      must be controlled, or he will go wrong. I see that; but his love for us
+      is a safeguard, and we must keep a hold on him till he is older or has a
+      stronger tie to help him.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo spoke earnestly, for, knowing Dan better than anyone else, she saw
+      that her colt was not thoroughly broken yet, and feared while she hoped,
+      knowing that life would always be hard for one like him. She was sure that
+      before he went away again, in some quiet moment he would give her a
+      glimpse of his inner self, and then she could say the word of warning or
+      encouragement that he needed. So she bided her time, studying him
+      meanwhile, glad to see all that was promising, and quick to detect the
+      harm the world was doing him. She was very anxious to make a success of
+      her 'firebrand' because others predicted failure; but having learned that
+      people cannot be moulded like clay, she contented herself with the hope
+      that this neglected boy might become a good man, and asked no more. Even
+      that was much to expect, so full was he of wayward impulses, strong
+      passions, and the lawless nature born in him. Nothing held him but the one
+      affection of his life&mdash;the memory of Plumfield, the fear of
+      disappointing these faithful friends, the pride, stronger than principle,
+      that made him want to keep the regard of the mates who always had admired
+      and loved him in spite of all his faults.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't fret, old dear; Emil is one of the happy-go-lucky sort who always
+      fall on their legs. I'll see to Nat, and Dan is in a good way now. Let him
+      take a look at Kansas, and if the farm plan loses its charm, he can fall
+      back on poor Lo, and really do good out there. He's unusually fitted for
+      that peculiar task and I hope he'll decide to do it. Fighting oppressors,
+      and befriending the oppressed will keep those dangerous energies of his
+      busy, and the life will suit him better than sheep-folds and
+      wheat-fields.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I hope so. What is that?' and Mrs Jo leaned forward to listen, as
+      exclamations from Ted and Josie caught her ear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'A mustang! a real, live one; and we can ride it. Dan, you are a
+      first-class trump!' cried the boy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'A whole Indian dress for me! Now I can play Namioka, if the boys act
+      Metamora,' added Josie, clapping her hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'A buffalo's head for Bess! Good gracious, Dan, why did you bring such a
+      horrid thing as that to her?' asked Nan.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Thought it would do her good to model something strong and natural.
+      She'll never amount to anything if she keeps on making namby-pamby gods
+      and pet kittens,' answered irreverent Dan, remembering that when he was
+      last here Bess was vibrating distractedly between a head of Apollo and her
+      Persian cat as models.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Thank you; I'll try it, and if I fail we can put the buffalo up in the
+      hall to remind us of you,' said Bess, indignant at the insult offered the
+      gods of her idolatry, but too well bred to show it except in her voice,
+      which was as sweet and as cold as ice-cream.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I suppose you won't come out to see our new settlement when the rest do?
+      Too rough for you?' asked Dan, trying to assume the deferential air all
+      the boys used when addressing their Princess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I am going to Rome to study for years. All the beauty and art of the
+      world is there, and a lifetime isn't long enough to enjoy it,' answered
+      Bess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Rome is a mouldy old tomb compared to the &ldquo;Garden of the gods&rdquo; and my
+      magnificent Rockies. I don't care a hang for art; nature is as much as I
+      can stand, and I guess I could show you things that would knock your old
+      masters higher than kites. Better come, and while Josie rides the horses
+      you can model 'em. If a drove of a hundred or so of wild ones can't show
+      you beauty, I'll give up,' cried Dan, waxing enthusiastic over the wild
+      grace and vigour which he could enjoy but had no power to describe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll come some day with papa, and see if they are better than the horses
+      of St Mark and those on Capitol Hill. Please don't abuse my gods, and I
+      will try to like yours,' said Bess, beginning to think the West might be
+      worth seeing, though no Raphael or Angelo had yet appeared there.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That's a bargain! I do think people ought to see their own country before
+      they go scooting off to foreign parts, as if the new world wasn't worth
+      discovering,' began Dan, ready to bury the hatchet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'It has some advantages, but not all. The women of England can vote, and
+      we can't. I'm ashamed of America that she isn't ahead in all good things,'
+      cried Nan, who held advanced views on all reforms, and was anxious about
+      her rights, having had to fight for some of them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Oh, please don't begin on that. People always quarrel over that question,
+      and call names, and never agree. Do let us be quiet and happy tonight,'
+      pleaded Daisy, who hated discussion as much as Nan loved it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You shall vote as much as you like in our new town, Nan; be mayor and
+      aldermen, and run the whole concern. It's going to be as free as air, or I
+      can't live in it,' said Dan, adding, with a laugh, 'I see Mrs Giddygaddy
+      and Mrs Shakespeare Smith don't agree any better than they used to.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'If everyone agreed, we should never get on. Daisy is a dear, but inclined
+      to be an old fogy; so I stir her up; and next fall she will go and vote
+      with me. Demi will escort us to do the one thing we are allowed to do as
+      yet.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Will you take 'em, Deacon?' asked Dan, using the old name as if he liked
+      it. 'It works capitally in Wyoming.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I shall be proud to do it. Mother and the aunts go every year, and Daisy
+      will come with me. She is my better half still; and I don't mean to leave
+      her behind in anything,' said Demi, with an arm round his sister of whom
+      he was fonder than ever.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dan looked at them wistfully, thinking how sweet it must be to have such a
+      tie; and his lonely youth seemed sadder than ever as he recalled its
+      struggles. A gusty sigh from Tom made sentiment impossible, as he said
+      pensively:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I always wanted to be a twin. It's so sociable and so cosy to have
+      someone glad to lean on a fellow and comfort him, if other girls are
+      cruel.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As Tom's unrequited passion was the standing joke of the family, this
+      allusion produced a laugh, which Nan increased by whipping out a bottle of
+      Nux, saying, with her professional air:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I knew you ate too much lobster for tea. Take four pellets, and your
+      dyspepsia will be all right. Tom always sighs and is silly when he's
+      overeaten.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll take 'em. These are the only sweet things you ever give me.' And Tom
+      gloomily crunched his dose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      '&ldquo;Who can minister to a mind diseased, or pluck out a rooted sorrow?&rdquo;
+       quoted Josie tragically from her perch on the railing.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Come with me, Tommy, and I'll make a man of you. Drop your pills and
+      powders, and cavort round the world a spell, and you'll soon forget you've
+      got a heart, or a stomach either,' said Dan, offering his one panacea for
+      all ills.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Ship with me, Tom. A good fit of seasickness will set you up, and a stiff
+      north-easter blow your blue-devils away. Come along as surgeon&mdash;easy
+      berth, and no end of larks.'
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    '&ldquo;And if your Nancy frowns, my lad,
+      And scorns a jacket blue,
+      Just hoist your sails for other ports,
+      And find a maid more true.&rdquo;'
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      added Emil, who had a fragment of song to cheer every care and sorrow, and
+      freely offered them to his friends.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Perhaps I'll think of it when I've got my diploma. I'm not going to grind
+      three mortal years and have nothing to show for it. Till then,&mdash;'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll never desert Mrs Micawber,' interrupted Teddy, with a gurgling sob.
+      Tom immediately rolled him off the step into the wet grass below; and by
+      the time this slight skirmish was over, the jingle of teaspoons suggested
+      refreshments of a more agreeable sort. In former times the little girls
+      waited on the boys, to save confusion; now the young men flew to serve the
+      ladies, young and old; and that slight fact showed plainly how the tables
+      were turned by time. And what a pleasant arrangement it was! Even Josie
+      sat still, and let Emil bring her berries; enjoying her young lady-hood,
+      till Ted stole her cake, when she forgot manners, and chastised him with a
+      rap on the knuckles. As guest of honour, Dan was only allowed to wait on
+      Bess, who still held the highest place in this small world. Tom carefully
+      selected the best of everything for Nan, to be crushed by the remark:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I never eat at this hour; and you will have a nightmare if you do.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So, dutifully curbing the pangs of hunger, he gave the plate to Daisy, and
+      chewed rose-leaves for his supper.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When a surprising quantity of wholesome nourishment had been consumed,
+      someone said, 'Let's sing!' and a tuneful hour followed. Nat fiddled, Demi
+      piped, Dan strummed the old banjo, and Emil warbled a doleful ballad about
+      the wreck of the Bounding Betsey; then everybody joined in the old songs
+      till there was very decidedly 'music in the air'; and passers-by said, as
+      they listened smiling: 'Old Plum is gay tonight!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When all had gone Dan lingered on the piazza, enjoying the balmy wind that
+      blew up from the hayfields, and brought the breath of flowers from
+      Parnassus; and as he leaned there romantically in the moonlight, Mrs Jo
+      came to shut the door.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Dreaming dreams, Dan?' she asked, thinking the tender moment might have
+      come. Imagine the shock when, instead of some interesting confidence or
+      affectionate word, Dan swung round, saying bluntly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I was wishing I could smoke.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo laughed at the downfall of her hopes, and answered kindly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You may, in your room; but don't set the house afire.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Perhaps Dan saw a little disappointment in her face, or the memory of the
+      sequel of that boyish frolic touched his heart; for he stooped and kissed
+      her, saying in a whisper: 'Good night, mother.' And Mrs Jo was half
+      satisfied.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      Chapter 5. VACATION
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      Everyone was glad of a holiday next morning, and all lingered over the
+      breakfast-table, till Mrs Jo suddenly exclaimed:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Why, there's a dog!' And on the threshold of the door appeared a great
+      deer-hound, standing motionless, with his eyes fixed on Dan.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Hallo, old boy! Couldn't you wait till I came for you? Have you cut away
+      on the sly? Own up now, and take your whipping like a man,' said Dan,
+      rising to meet the dog, who reared on his hind legs to look his master in
+      the face and bark as if uttering an indignant denial of any disobedience.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'All right; Don never lies.' And Dan gave the tall beast a hug, adding as
+      he glanced out of the window, where a man and horse were seen approaching:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I left my plunder at the hotel over night, not knowing how I should find
+      you. Come out and see Octoo, my mustang; she's a beauty.' And Dan was off,
+      with the family streaming after him, to welcome the newcomer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They found her preparing to go up the steps in her eagerness to reach her
+      master, to the great dismay of the man, who was holding her back.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Let her come,' called Dan; 'she climbs like a cat and jumps like a deer.
+      Well, my girl, do you want a gallop?' he asked, as the pretty creature
+      clattered up to him and whinnied with pleasure as he rubbed her nose and
+      slapped her glossy flank.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That's what I call a horse worth having,' said Ted, full of admiration
+      and delight; for he was to have the care of her during Dan's absence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'What intelligent eyes! She looks as if she would speak,' said Mrs Jo.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'She talks like a human in her way. Very little that she don't know. Hey,
+      old Lass?' and Dan laid his cheek to hers as if the little black mare was
+      very dear to him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'What does &ldquo;Octoo&rdquo; mean?' asked Rob.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Lightning; she deserves it, as you'll see. Black Hawk gave her to me for
+      my rifle, and we've had high times together out yonder. She's saved my
+      life more than once. Do you see that scar?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dan pointed to a small one, half hidden by the long mane; and standing
+      with his arm about Octoo's neck, he told the story of it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Black Hawk and I were after buffalo one time, but didn't find 'em as soon
+      as we expected; so our food gave out, and there we were a hundred miles
+      from Red Deer River, where our camp was. I thought we were done for, but
+      my brave pal says: &ldquo;Now I'll show you how we can live till we find the
+      herds.&rdquo; We were unsaddling for the night by a little pond; there wasn't a
+      living creature in sight anywhere, not even a bird, and we could see for
+      miles over the prairies. What do you think we did?' And Dan looked into
+      the faces round him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Ate worms like the Australian fellows,' said Rob. 'Boiled grass or
+      leaves,' added Mrs Jo.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Perhaps filled the stomach with clay, as we read of savages doing?'
+      suggested Mr Bhaer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Killed one of the horses,' cried Ted, eager for bloodshed of some sort.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'No; but we bled one of them. See, just here; filled a tin cup, put some
+      wild sage leaves in it, with water, and heated it over a fire of sticks.
+      It was good, and we slept well.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I guess Octoo didn't.' And Josie patted the animal, with a face full of
+      sympathy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Never minded it a bit. Black Hawk said we could live on the horses
+      several days and still travel before they felt it. But by another morning
+      we found the buffalo, and I shot the one whose head is in my box, ready to
+      hang up and scare brats into fits. He's a fierce old fellow, you bet.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'What is this strap for?' asked Ted, who was busily examining the Indian
+      saddle, the single rein and snaffle, with lariat, and round the neck the
+      leather band he spoke of.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'We hold on to that when we lie along the horse's flank farthest from the
+      enemy, and fire under the neck as we gallop round and round. I'll show
+      you.' And springing into the saddle, Dan was off down the steps, tearing
+      over the lawn at a great pace, sometimes on Octoo's back, sometimes half
+      hidden as he hung by stirrup and strap, and sometimes off altogether,
+      running beside her as she loped along, enjoying the fun immensely; while
+      Don raced after, in a canine rapture at being free again and with his
+      mates.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was a fine sight&mdash;the three wild things at play, so full of
+      vigour, grace, and freedom, that for the moment the smooth lawn seemed a
+      prairie; and the spectators felt as if this glimpse of another life made
+      their own seem rather tame and colourless.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'This is better than a circus!' cried Mrs Jo, wishing she were a girl
+      again, that she might take a gallop on this chained lightning of a horse.
+      'I foresee that Nan will have her hands full setting bones, for Ted will
+      break every one of his trying to rival Dan.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'A few falls will not harm, and this new care and pleasure will be good
+      for him in all ways. But I fear Dan will never follow a plough after
+      riding a Pegasus like that,' answered Mr Bhaer, as the black mare leaped
+      the gate and came flying up the avenue, to stop at a word and stand
+      quivering with excitement, while Dan swung himself off and looked up for
+      applause.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He received plenty of it, and seemed more pleased for his pet's sake than
+      for his own. Ted clamoured for a lesson at once, and was soon at ease in
+      the queer saddle, finding Octoo gentle as a lamb, as he trotted away to
+      show off at college. Bess came hastening down the hill, having seen the
+      race from afar; and all collected on the piazza while Dan 'yanked' the
+      cover off the big box the express had 'dumped' before the door&mdash;to
+      borrow his own words.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dan usually travelled in light marching order, and hated to have more
+      luggage than he could carry in his well-worn valise. But now that he had a
+      little money of his own, he had cumbered himself with a collection of
+      trophies won by his bow and spear, and brought them home to bestow upon
+      his friends.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'We shall be devoured with moths,' thought Mrs Jo, as the shaggy head
+      appeared, followed by a wolf-skin rug for her feet, a bear-skin ditto for
+      the Professor's study, and Indian garments bedecked with foxes' tails for
+      the boys.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All nice and warm for a July day, but received with delight nevertheless.
+      Ted and Josie immediately 'dressed up', learned the war-whoop, and
+      proceeded to astonish their friends by a series of skirmishes about the
+      house and grounds, with tomahawks and bows and arrows, till weariness
+      produced a lull.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Gay birds' wings, plumy pampas grass, strings of wampum, and pretty work
+      in beads, bark, and feathers, pleased the girls. Minerals, arrow-heads,
+      and crude sketches interested the Professor; and when the box was empty,
+      Dan gave Mr Laurie, as his gift, several plaintive Indian songs written on
+      birch-bark.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'We only want a tent over us to be quite perfect. I feel as if I ought to
+      give you parched corn and dried meat for dinner, my braves. Nobody will
+      want lamb and green peas after this splendid pow-wow,' said Mrs Jo,
+      surveying the picturesque confusion of the long hall, where people lay
+      about on the rugs, all more or less bedecked with feathers, moccasins, or
+      beads.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Moose noses, buffalo tongues, bear steaks, and roasted marrow-bones would
+      be the thing, but I don't mind a change; so bring on your baa-baa and
+      green meat,' answered Dan from the box, where he sat in state like a chief
+      among his tribe, with the great hound at his feet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The girls began to clear up, but made little headway; for everything they
+      touched had a story, and all were thrilling, comical, or wild; so they
+      found it hard to settle to their work, till Dan was carried off by Mr
+      Laurie.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This was the beginning of the summer holiday, and it was curious to see
+      what a pleasant little stir Dan's and Emil's coming made in the quiet life
+      of the studious community; for they seemed to bring a fresh breeze with
+      them that enlivened everyone. Many of the collegians remained during
+      vacation; and Plumfield and Parnassus did their best to make these days
+      pleasant for them, since most came from distant States, were poor, and had
+      few opportunities but this for culture or amusement. Emil was
+      hail-fellow-well-met with men and maids, and went rollicking about in true
+      sailor fashion; but Dan stood rather in awe of the 'fair girl-graduates',
+      and was silent when among them, eyeing them as an eagle might a flock of
+      doves. He got on better with the young men, and was their hero at once.
+      Their admiration for his manly accomplishments did him good; because he
+      felt his educational defects keenly, and often wondered if he could find
+      anything in books to satisfy him as thoroughly as did the lessons he was
+      learning from Nature's splendidly illustrated volume. In spite of his
+      silence, the girls found out his good qualities, and regarded 'the
+      Spaniard', as they named him, with great favour; for his black eyes were
+      more eloquent than his tongue, and the kind creatures tried to show their
+      friendly interests in many charming ways.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He saw this, and endeavoured to be worthy of it&mdash;curbing his free
+      speech, toning down his rough manners, and watching the effect of all he
+      said and did, anxious to make a good impression. The social atmosphere
+      warmed his lonely heart, the culture excited him to do his best, and the
+      changes which had taken place during his absence, both in himself and
+      others, made the old home seem like a new world. After the life in
+      California, it was sweet and restful to be here, with these familiar faces
+      round him, helping him to forget much that he regretted, and to resolve to
+      deserve more entirely the confidence of these good fellows, the respect of
+      these innocent girls.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So there was riding, rowing, and picnicking by day, music, dancing, and
+      plays by night; and everyone said there had not been so gay a vacation for
+      years. Bess kept her promise, and let the dust gather on her beloved clay
+      while she went pleasuring with her mates or studied music with her father,
+      who rejoiced over the fresh roses in her cheeks and the laughter which
+      chased away the dreamy look she used to wear. Josie quarrelled less with
+      Ted; for Dan had a way of looking at her which quelled her instantly, and
+      had almost as good an effect upon her rebellious cousin. But Octoo did
+      even more for the lively youth, who found that her charms entirely
+      eclipsed those of the bicycle which had been his heart's delight before.
+      Early and late he rode this untiring beast, and began to gain flesh&mdash;to
+      the great joy of his mother, who feared that her beanstalk was growing too
+      fast for health.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Demi, finding business dull, solaced his leisure by photographing
+      everybody he could induce to sit or stand to him, producing some excellent
+      pictures among many failures; for he had a pretty taste in grouping, and
+      endless patience. He might be said to view the world through the lens of
+      his camera, and seemed to enjoy himself very much squinting at his fellow
+      beings from under a bit of black cambric. Dan was a treasure to him; for
+      he took well, and willingly posed in his Mexican costume, with horse and
+      hound, and all wanted copies of these effective photographs. Bess, also,
+      was a favourite sitter; and Demi received a prize at the Amateur
+      Photographic Exhibition for one of his cousin with all her hair about her
+      face, which rose from the cloud of white lace draping the shoulders. These
+      were freely handed round by the proud artist; and one copy had a tender
+      little history yet to be told.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nat was snatching every minute he could get with Daisy before the long
+      parting; and Mrs Meg relented somewhat, feeling sure that absence would
+      quite cure this unfortunate fancy. Daisy said little; but her gentle face
+      was sad when she was alone, and a few quiet tears dropped on the
+      handkerchiefs she marked so daintily with her own hair. She was sure Nat
+      would not forget her; and life looked rather forlorn without the dear
+      fellow who had been her friend since the days of patty-pans and
+      confidences in the willow-tree. She was an old-fashioned daughter, dutiful
+      and docile, with such love and reverence for her mother that her will was
+      law; and if love was forbidden, friendship must suffice. So she kept her
+      little sorrow to herself, smiled cheerfully at Nat, and made his last days
+      of home-life very happy with every comfort and pleasure she could give,
+      from sensible advice and sweet words to a well-filled work-bag for his
+      bachelor establishment and a box of goodies for the voyage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Tom and Nan took all the time they could spare from their studies to enjoy
+      high jinks at Plumfield with their old friends; for Emil's next voyage was
+      to be a long one, Nat's absence was uncertain, and no one ever knew when
+      Dan would turn up again. They all seemed to feel that life was beginning
+      to grow serious; and even while they enjoyed those lovely summer days
+      together they were conscious that they were children no longer, and often
+      in the pauses of their fun talked soberly of their plans and hopes, as if
+      anxious to know and help one another before they drifted farther apart on
+      their different ways.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A few weeks were all they had; then the Brenda was ready, Nat was to sail
+      from New York, and Dan went along to see him off; for his own plans
+      fermented in his head, and he was eager to be up and doing. A farewell
+      dance was given on Parnassus in honour of the travellers, and all turned
+      out in their best array and gayest spirits. George and Dolly came with the
+      latest Harvard airs and graces, radiant to behold, in dress-suits and
+      'crushed hats', as Josie called the especial pride and joy of their boyish
+      souls. Jack and Ned sent regrets and best wishes, and no one mourned their
+      absence; for they were among what Mrs Jo called her failures. Poor Tom got
+      into trouble, as usual, by deluging his head with some highly scented
+      preparation in the vain hope of making his tight curls lie flat and
+      smooth, as was the style. Unhappily, his rebellious crop only kinked the
+      closer, and the odour of many barbers' shops clung to him in spite of his
+      frantic efforts to banish it. Nan wouldn't allow him near her, and flapped
+      her fan vigorously whenever he was in sight; which cut him to the heart,
+      and made him feel like the Peri shut out from Paradise. Of course his
+      mates jeered at him, and nothing but the unquenchable jollity of his
+      nature kept him from despair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Emil was resplendent in his new uniform, and danced with an abandon which
+      only sailors know. His pumps seemed to be everywhere, and his partners
+      soon lost breath trying to keep up with him; but the girls all declared he
+      steered like an angel, and in spite of his pace no collisions took place;
+      so he was happy, and found no lack of damsels to ship with him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having no dress-suit, Dan had been coaxed to wear his Mexican costume, and
+      feeling at ease in the many-buttoned trousers, loose jacket, and gay sash,
+      flung his serape over his shoulder with a flourish and looked his best,
+      doing great execution with his long spurs, as he taught Josie strange
+      steps or rolled his black eyes admiringly after certain blonde damsels
+      whom he dared not address.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The mammas sat in the alcove, supplying pins, smiles, and kindly words to
+      all, especially the awkward youths new to such scenes, and the bashful
+      girls conscious of faded muslins and cleaned gloves. It was pleasant to
+      see stately Mrs Amy promenade on the arm of a tall country boy, with thick
+      boots and a big forehead, or Mrs Jo dance like a girl with a shy fellow
+      whose arms went like pump-handles, and whose face was scarlet with
+      confusion and pride at the honour of treading on the toes of the
+      president's wife. Mrs Meg always had room on her sofa for two or three
+      girls, and Mr Laurie devoted himself to these plain, poorly dressed
+      damsels with a kindly grace that won their hearts and made them happy. The
+      good Professor circulated like refreshments, and his cheerful face shone
+      on all alike, while Mr March discussed Greek comedy in the study with such
+      serious gentlemen as never unbent their mighty minds to frivolous joys.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The long music-room, parlour, hall, and piazza were full of white-gowned
+      maidens with attendant shadows; the air was full of lively voices, and
+      hearts and feet went lightly together as the home band played vigorously,
+      and the friendly moon did her best to add enchantment to the scene.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Pin me up, Meg; that dear Dunbar boy has nearly rent me &ldquo;in sunder&rdquo;, as
+      Mr Peggotty would say. But didn't he enjoy himself, bumping against his
+      fellow men and swinging me round like a mop. On these occasions I find
+      that I'm not as young as I was, nor as light of foot. In ten years more we
+      shall be meal-bags, sister; so be resigned.' And Mrs Jo subsided into a
+      corner, much dishevelled by her benevolent exertions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I know I shall be stout; but you won't keep still long enough to get much
+      flesh on your bones, dear; and Amy will always keep her lovely figure. She
+      looks about eighteen tonight, in her white gown and roses,' answered Meg,
+      busily pinning up one sister's torn frills, while her eyes fondly followed
+      the other's graceful movements; for Meg still adored Amy in the old
+      fashion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was one of the family jokes that Jo was getting fat, and she kept it
+      up, though as yet she had only acquired a matronly outline, which was very
+      becoming. They were laughing over the impending double chins, when Mr
+      Laurie came off duty for a moment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Repairing damages as usual, Jo? You never could take a little gentle
+      exercise without returning in rags. Come and have a quiet stroll with me
+      and cool off before supper. I've a series of pretty tableaux to show you
+      while Meg listens to the raptures of lisping Miss Carr, whom I made happy
+      by giving her Demi for a partner.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke, Laurie led Jo to the music-room, nearly empty now after a
+      dance which sent the young people into garden and hall. Pausing before the
+      first of the four long windows that opened on a very wide piazza, he
+      pointed to a group outside, saying: 'The name of this is &ldquo;Jack Ashore&rdquo;.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A pair of long, blue legs, ending in very neat pumps, hung from the
+      veranda roof among the vines; and roses, gathered by unseen hands,
+      evidently appertaining to aforesaid legs, were being dropped into the laps
+      of several girls perched like a flock of white birds on the railing below;
+      while a manly voice 'fell like a falling star', as it sung this pensive
+      ditty to a most appreciative audience:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+             MARY'S DREAM
+
+    The moon had climbed the eastern hill
+    Which rises o'er the sands of Dee,
+    And from its highest summit shed
+    A silver light on tower and tree,
+    When Mary laid her down to sleep
+    (Her thoughts on Sandy far at sea);
+    When soft and low a voice was heard,
+    Saying, 'Mary, weep no more for me.'
+
+    She from her pillow gently raised
+    Her head, to see who there might be,
+    And saw young Sandy, shivering stand
+    With visage pale and hollow e'e.
+    'Oh Mary dear, cold is my clay;
+    It lies beneath the stormy sea;
+    Far, far from thee, I sleep in death.
+    Dear Mary, weep no more for me.
+
+    'Three stormy nights and stormy days
+    We tossed upon the raging main.
+    And long we strove our bark to save;
+    But all our striving was in vain.
+    E'en then, when terror chilled my blood,
+    My heart was filled with love of thee.
+    The storm is past, and I'm at rest;
+    So, Mary, weep no more for me.
+
+    'Oh maiden dear, yourself prepare;
+    We soon shall meet upon that shore
+    Where love is free from doubt and care,
+    And you and I shall part no more.'
+    Loud crew the cock, the shadow fled;
+    No more her Sandy did she see;
+    But soft the passing spirit said,
+    'Sweet Mary, weep no more for me.'
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      'The constant jollity of that boy is worth a fortune to him. He'll never
+      sink with such a buoyant spirit to keep him afloat through life,' said Mrs
+      Jo, as the roses were tossed back with much applause when the song ended.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Not he; and it's a blessing to be grateful for, isn't it? We moody people
+      know its worth. Glad you like my first tableau. Come and see number two.
+      Hope it isn't spoilt; it was very pretty just now. This is &ldquo;Othello
+      telling his adventures to Desdemona&rdquo;.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The second window framed a very picturesque group of three. Mr March in an
+      arm-chair, with Bess on a cushion at his feet, was listening to Dan, who,
+      leaning against a pillar, was talking with unusual animation. The old man
+      was in shadow, but little Desdemona was looking up with the moonlight full
+      upon her into young Othello's face, quite absorbed in the story he was
+      telling so well. The gay drapery over Dan's shoulder, his dark colouring,
+      and the gesture of his arm made the picture very striking, and both
+      spectators enjoyed it with silent pleasure, till Mrs Jo said in a quick
+      whisper:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'm glad he's going away. He's too picturesque to have here among so many
+      romantic girls. Afraid his &ldquo;grand, gloomy, and peculiar&rdquo; style will be too
+      much for our simple maids.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'No danger; Dan is in the rough as yet, and always will be, I fancy;
+      though he is improving in many ways. How well Queenie looks in that soft
+      light!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Dear little Goldilocks looks well everywhere.' And with a backward glance
+      full of pride and fondness, Mrs Jo went on. But that scene returned to her
+      long afterward and her own prophetic words also.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Number three was a tragical tableau at first sight; and Mr Laurie stifled
+      a laugh as he whispered 'The Wounded Knight', pointing to Tom with his
+      head enveloped in a large handkerchief, as he knelt before Nan, who was
+      extracting a thorn or splinter from the palm of his hand with great skill,
+      to judge from the patient's blissful expression of countenance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Do I hurt you?' she asked, turning the hand to the moonlight for a better
+      view.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Not a bit; dig away; I like it,' answered Tom, regardless of his aching
+      knees and the damage done to his best trousers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I won't keep you long.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Hours, if you please. Never so happy as here.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Quite unmoved by this tender remark, Nan put on a pair of large,
+      round-eyed glasses, saying in a matter-of-fact tone: 'Now I see it. Only a
+      splinter, and there it is.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'My hand is bleeding; won't you bind it up?' asked Tom, wishing to prolong
+      the situation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Nonsense; suck it. Only take care of it tomorrow if you dissect. Don't
+      want any more blood-poisoning.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That was the only time you were kind to me. Wish I'd lost my arm.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I wish you'd lost your head; it smells more like turpentine and kerosene
+      than ever. Do take a run in the garden and air it.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Fearing to betray themselves by laughter, the watchers went on, leaving
+      the Knight to rush away in despair, and the Lady to bury her nose in the
+      cup of a tall lily for refreshment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Poor Tom, his fate is a hard one, and he's wasting his time! Do advise
+      him to quit philandering and go to work, Jo.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I have, Teddy, often; but it will take some great shock to make that boy
+      wise. I wait with interest to see what it will be. Bless me! what is all
+      this?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She might well ask; for on a rustic stool stood Ted trying to pose on one
+      foot, with the other extended, and both hands waving in the air. Josie,
+      with several young mates, was watching his contortions with deep interest
+      as they talked about 'little wings', 'gilded wire twisted', and a 'cunning
+      skull-cap'.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'This might be called &ldquo;Mercury Trying to Fly&rdquo;,' said Mr Laurie, as they
+      peeped through the lace curtains.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Bless the long legs of that boy! how does he expect to manage them? They
+      are planning for the Owlsdark Marbles, and a nice muddle they will make of
+      my gods and goddesses with no one to show them how,' answered Mrs Jo,
+      enjoying this scene immensely. 'Now, he's got it!' 'That's perfectly
+      splendid!' 'See how long you can keep so!' cried the girls, as Ted managed
+      to maintain his equilibrium a moment by resting one toe on the trellis.
+      Unfortunately this brought all his weight on the other foot; the straw
+      seat of the stool gave way, and the flying Mercury came down with a crash,
+      amid shrieks of laughter from the girls. Being accustomed to ground and
+      lofty tumbling, he quickly recovered himself, and hopped gaily about, with
+      one leg through the stool as he improvised a classic jig.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Thanks for four nice little pictures. You have given me an idea, and I
+      think some time we will get up regular tableaux of this sort and march our
+      company round a set of dissolving views. New and striking; I'll propose it
+      to our manager and give you all the glory,' said Mrs Jo, as they strolled
+      towards the room whence came the clash of glass and china, and glimpses of
+      agitated black coats.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Let us follow the example of our old friends and stroll about among the
+      young people, eavesdropping, so gathering up various little threads to
+      help in the weaving of the story. George and Dolly were at supper, and
+      having served the ladies in their care stood in a corner absorbing
+      nourishment of all kinds with a vain attempt to conceal hearty appetites
+      under an air of elegant indifference.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Good spread, this; Laurence does things in style. First-rate coffee, but
+      no wine, and that's a mistake,' said Stuffy, who still deserved his name,
+      and was a stout youth with a heavy eye and bilious complexion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Bad for boys, he says. Jove! wish he could see us at some of our wines.
+      Don't we just &ldquo;splice the main brace&rdquo; as Emil says,' answered Dolly, the
+      dandy, carefully spreading a napkin over the glossy expanse of shirt-front
+      whereon a diamond stud shone like a lone star. His stutter was nearly
+      outgrown; but he, as well as George, spoke in the tone of condescension,
+      which, with the blase airs they assumed, made a very funny contrast to
+      their youthful faces and foolish remarks. Good-hearted little fellows
+      both, but top-heavy with the pride of being Sophs and the freedom that
+      college life gave them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Little Jo is getting to be a deuced pretty girl, isn't she?' said George,
+      with a long sigh of satisfaction as his first mouthful of ice went slowly
+      down his throat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'H'm&mdash;well, fairish. The Princess is rather more to my taste. I like
+      'em blonde and queenly and elegant, don't you know.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes, Jo is too lively; might as well dance with a grasshopper. I've tried
+      her, and she's one too many for me. Miss Perry is a nice, easy-going girl.
+      Got her for the german.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You'll never be a dancing man. Too lazy. Now I'll undertake to steer any
+      girl and dance down any fellow you please. Dancing's my forte.' And Dolly
+      glanced from his trim feet to his flashing gem with the defiant air of a
+      young turkey-cock on parade.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Miss Grey is looking for you. Wants more grub. Just see if Miss Nelson's
+      plate is empty, there's a good fellow. Can't eat ice in a hurry.' And
+      George remained in his safe corner, while Dolly struggled through the
+      crowd to do his duty, coming back in a fume, with a splash of salad
+      dressing on his coat-cuff.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Confound these country chaps! they go blundering round like so many
+      dor-bugs, and make a deuce of a mess. Better stick to books and not try to
+      be society men. Can't do it. Beastly stain. Give it a rub, and let me bolt
+      a mouthful, I'm starved. Never saw girls eat such a lot. It proves that
+      they ought not to study so much. Never liked co-ed,' growled Dolly, much
+      ruffled in spirit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'So they do. 'Tisn't ladylike. Ought to be satisfied with an ice and a bit
+      of cake, and eat it prettily. Don't like to see a girl feed. We
+      hard-working men need it, and, by Jove, I mean to get some more of that
+      meringue if it's not all gone. Here, waiter! bring along that dish over
+      there, and be lively,' commanded Stuffy, poking a young man in a rather
+      shabby dress-suit, who was passing with a tray of glasses.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His order was obeyed promptly; but George's appetite was taken away the
+      next moment by Dolly's exclaiming, as he looked up from his damaged coat,
+      with a scandalized face:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You've put your foot in it now, old boy! that's Morton, Mr Bhaer's crack
+      man. Knows everything, no end of a &ldquo;dig&rdquo;, and bound to carry off all the
+      honours. You won't hear the last of it in a hurry.' And Dolly laughed so
+      heartily that a spoonful of ice flew upon the head of a lady sitting below
+      him, and got him into a scrape also.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Leaving them to their despair, let us listen to the whispered chat of two
+      girls comfortably seated in a recess waiting till their escorts were fed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I do think the Laurences give lovely parties. Don't you enjoy them?'
+      asked the younger, looking about her with the eager air of one unused to
+      this sort of pleasure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Very much, only I never feel as if I was dressed right. My things seemed
+      elegant at home, and I thought I'd be over over-dressed if anything; but I
+      look countrified and dowdy here. No time or money to change now, even if I
+      knew how to do it,' answered the other, glancing anxiously at her bright
+      pink silk grown, trimmed with cheap lace.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You must get Mrs Brooke to tell you how to fix your things. She was very
+      kind to me. I had a green silk, and it looked so cheap and horrid by the
+      side of the nice dresses here I felt regularly unhappy about it, and asked
+      her how much a dress like one Mrs Laurence had would cost. That looked so
+      simple and elegant I thought it wouldn't be costly; but it was India mull
+      and Valenciennes lace, so, of course, I couldn't have it. Then Mrs Brooke
+      said: &ldquo;Get some muslin to cover the green silk, and wear hops or some
+      white flowers, instead of pink, in your hair, and you will have a pretty
+      suit.&rdquo; Isn't it lovely and becoming?' And Miss Burton surveyed herself
+      with girlish satisfaction; for a little taste had softened the harsh
+      green, and hop-bells became her red hair better than roses.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'It's sweet: I've been admiring it. I'll do mine so and ask about my
+      purple one. Mrs Brooke has helped me to get rid of my headaches, and Mary
+      Clay's dyspepsia is all gone since she gave up coffee and hot bread.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Mrs Laurence advised me to walk and run and use the gymnasium to cure my
+      round shoulders and open my chest, and I'm a much better figure than I
+      was.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Did you know that Mr Laurence pays all Amelia Merrill's bills? Her father
+      failed, and she was heartbroken at having to leave college; but that
+      splendid man just stepped in and made it all right.' 'Yes, and Professor
+      Bhaer has several of the boys down at his house evenings to help them
+      along so they can keep up with the rest; and Mrs Bhaer took care of
+      Charles Mackey herself when he had a fever last year. I do think they are
+      the best and kindest people in the world.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'So do I, and my time here will be the happiest and most useful years of
+      my life.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And both girls forgot their gowns and their suppers for a moment to look
+      with grateful, affectionate eyes at the friends who tried to care for
+      bodies and for souls as well as minds.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Now come to a lively party supping on the stairs, girls like foam at the
+      top, and a substratum of youths below, where the heaviest particles always
+      settle. Emil, who never sat if he could climb or perch, adorned the
+      newel-post; Tom, Nat, Demi, and Dan were camped on the steps, eating
+      busily, as their ladies were well served and they had earned a moment's
+      rest, which they enjoyed with their eyes fixed on the pleasing prospect
+      above them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'm so sorry the boys are going. It will be dreadfully dull without them.
+      Now they have stopped teasing and are polite, I really enjoy them,' said
+      Nan, who felt unusually gracious tonight as Tom's mishap kept him from
+      annoying her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'So do I; and Bess was mourning about it today, though as a general thing
+      she doesn't like boys unless they are models of elegance. She has been
+      doing Dan's head, and it is not quite finished. I never saw her so
+      interested in any work, and it's very well done. He is so striking and big
+      he always makes me think of the Dying Gladiator or some of those antique
+      creatures. There's Bess now. Dear child, how sweet she looks tonight!'
+      answered Daisy, waving her hand as the Princess went by with Grandpa on
+      her arm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I never thought he would turn out so well. Don't you remember how we used
+      to call him &ldquo;the bad boy&rdquo; and be sure he would become a pirate or
+      something awful because he glared at us and swore sometimes? Now he is the
+      handsomest of all the boys, and very entertaining with his stories and
+      plans. I like him very much; he's so big and strong and independent. I'm
+      tired of mollycoddles and book-worms,' said Nan in her decided way.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Not handsomer that Nat!' cried loyal Daisy, contrasting two faces below,
+      one unusually gay, the other sentimentally sober even in the act of
+      munching cake. 'I like Dan, and am glad he is doing well; but he tires me,
+      and I'm still a little afraid of him. Quiet people suit me best.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Life is a fight, and I like a good soldier. Boys take things too easily,
+      don't see how serious it all is and go to work in earnest. Look at that
+      absurd Tom, wasting his time and making an object of himself just because
+      he can't have what he wants, like a baby crying for the moon. I've no
+      patience with such nonsense,' scolded Nan, looking down at the jovial
+      Thomas, who was playfully putting macaroons in Emil's shoes, and trying to
+      beguile his exile as best he could.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Most girls would be touched by such fidelity. I think it's beautiful,'
+      said Daisy behind her fan; for other girls sat just below.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You are a sentimental goose and not a judge. Nat will be twice the man
+      when he comes back after his trip. I wish Tom was going with him. My idea
+      is that if we girls have any influence we should use it for the good of
+      these boys, and not pamper them up, making slaves of ourselves and tyrants
+      of them. Let them prove what they can do and be before they ask anything
+      of us, and give us a chance to do the same. Then we know where we are, and
+      shall not make mistakes to mourn over all our lives.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Hear, hear!' cried Alice Heath, who was a girl after Nan's own heart, and
+      had chosen a career, like a brave and sensible young woman. 'Only give us
+      a chance, and have patience till we can do our best. Now we are expected
+      to be as wise as men who have had generations of all the help there is,
+      and we scarcely anything. Let us have equal opportunities, and in a few
+      generations we will see what the judgement is. I like justice, and we get
+      very little of it.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Still shouting the battle-cry of freedom?' asked Demi, peering through
+      the banisters at this moment. 'Up with your flag! I'll stand by and lend a
+      hand if you want it. With you and Nan to lead the van, I think you won't
+      need much help.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You are a great comfort, Demi, and I'll call on you in all emergencies;
+      for you are an honest boy, and don't forget that you owe much to your
+      mother and your sisters and your aunts,' continued Nan. 'I do like men who
+      come out frankly and own that they are not gods. How can we think them so
+      when such awful mistakes are being made all the time by these great
+      creatures? See them sick, as I do, then you know them.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't hit us when we are down; be merciful, and set us up to bless and
+      believe in you evermore,' pleaded Demi from behind the bars.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'We'll be kind to you if you will be just to us. I don't say generous,
+      only just. I went to a suffrage debate in the Legislature last winter; and
+      of all the feeble, vulgar twaddle I ever heard, that was the worst; and
+      those men were our representatives. I blushed for them, and the wives and
+      mothers. I want an intelligent man to represent me, if I can't do it
+      myself, not a fool.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Nan is on the stump. Now we shall catch it,' cried Tom, putting up an
+      umbrella to shield his unhappy head; for Nan's earnest voice was audible,
+      and her indignant eye happened to rest on him as she spoke.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Go on, go on! I'll take notes, and put in &ldquo;great applause&rdquo; liberally,'
+      added Demi, producing his ball-book and pencil, with his Jenkins air.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Daisy pinched his nose through the bars, and the meeting was rather
+      tumultuous for a moment, for Emil called: 'Avast, avast, here's a squall
+      to wind'ard'; Tom applauded wildly; Dan looked up as if the prospect of a
+      fight, even with words, pleased him, and Nat went to support Demi, as his
+      position seemed to be a good one. At this crisis, when everyone laughed
+      and talked at once, Bess came floating through the upper hall and looked
+      down like an angel of peace upon the noisy group below, as she asked, with
+      wondering eyes and smiling lips:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'What is it?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'An indignation meeting. Nan and Alice are on the rampage, and we are at
+      the bar to be tried for our lives. Will Your Highness preside and judge
+      between us?' answered Demi, as a lull at once took place; for no one
+      rioted in the presence of the Princess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'm not wise enough. I'll sit here and listen. Please go on.' And Bess
+      took her place above them all as cool and calm as a little statue of
+      Justice, with fan and nosegay in place of sword and scales.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Now, ladies, free your minds, only spare us till morning; for we've got a
+      german to dance as soon as everyone is fed, and Parnassus expects every
+      man to do his duty. Mrs President Giddy-gaddy has the floor,' said Demi,
+      who liked this sort of fun better than the very mild sort of flirtation
+      which was allowed at Plumfield, for the simple reason that it could not be
+      entirely banished, and is a part of all education, co- or otherwise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I have only one thing to say, and it is this,' began Nan soberly, though
+      her eyes sparkled with a mixture of fun and earnestness. 'I want to ask
+      every boy of you what you really think on this subject. Dan and Emil have
+      seen the world and ought to know their own minds. Tom and Nat have had
+      five examples before them for years. Demi is ours and we are proud of him.
+      So is Rob. Ted is a weathercock, and Dolly and George, of course, are
+      fogies in spite of the Annex, and girls at Girton going ahead of the men.
+      Commodore, are you ready for the question?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Ay, ay, skipper.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Do you believe in Woman's Suffrage?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Bless your pretty figger head! I do, and I'll ship a crew of girls any
+      time you say so. Aren't they worse than a press-gang to carry a fellow out
+      of his moorings? Don't we all need one as pilot to steer us safe to port?
+      and why shouldn't they share our mess afloat and ashore since we are sure
+      to be wrecked without 'em?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Good for you, Emil! Nan will take you for first mate after that handsome
+      speech,' said Demi, as the girls applauded, and Tom glowered. 'Now, Dan,
+      you love liberty so well yourself, are you willing we should have it?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'All you can get, and I'll fight any man who's mean enough to say you
+      don't deserve it.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This brief and forcible reply delighted the energetic President, and she
+      beamed upon the member from California, as she said briskly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Nat wouldn't dare to say he was on the other side even if he were, but I
+      hope he has made up his mind to pipe for us, at least when we take the
+      field, and not be one of those who wait till the battle is won, and then
+      beat the drums and share the glory.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Giddy-gaddy's doubts were most effectually removed, and her sharp
+      speech regretted, as Nat looked up blushing, but with a new sort of
+      manliness in face and manner, saying, in a tone that touched them all:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I should be the most ungrateful fellow alive if I did not love, honour,
+      and serve women with all my heart and might, for to them I owe everything
+      I am or ever shall be.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Daisy clapped her hands, and Bess threw her bouquet into Nat's lap, while
+      the other girls waved their fans, well pleased; for real feeling made his
+      little speech eloquent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Thomas B. Bangs, come into court, and tell the truth, the whole truth,
+      and nothing but the truth, if you can,' commanded Nan, with a rap to call
+      the meeting to order.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Tom shut the umbrella, and standing up raised his hand, saying solemnly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I believe in suffrage of all kinds. I adore all women, and will die for
+      them at any moment if it will help the cause.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Living and working for it is harder, and therefore more honourable. Men
+      are always ready to die for us, but not to make our lives worth having.
+      Cheap sentiment and bad logic. You will pass, Tom, only don't twaddle.
+      Now, having taken the sense of the meeting we will adjourn, as the hour
+      for festive gymnastics has arrived. I am glad to see that old Plum has
+      given six true men to the world, and hope they will continue to be staunch
+      to her and the principles she has taught them, wherever they may go. Now,
+      girls, don't sit in draughts, and, boys, beware of ice-water when you are
+      warm.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With this characteristic close Nan retired from office, and the girls went
+      to enjoy one of the few rights allowed them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      Chapter 6. LAST WORDS
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      The next day was Sunday, and a goodly troop of young and old set forth to
+      church.&mdash;some driving, some walking, all enjoying the lovely weather
+      and the happy quietude which comes to refresh us when the work and worry
+      of the week are over. Daisy had a headache; and Aunt Jo remained at home
+      to keep her company, knowing very well that the worst ache was in the
+      tender heart struggling dutifully against the love that grew stronger as
+      the parting drew nearer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Daisy knows my wishes, and I trust her. You must keep an eye on Nat, and
+      let him clearly understand that there is to be no &ldquo;lovering&rdquo;, or I shall
+      forbid the letter-writing. I hate to seem cruel, but it is too soon for my
+      dear girl to bind herself in any way,' said Mrs Meg, as she rustled about
+      in her best grey silk, while waiting for Demi, who always escorted his
+      pious mother to church as a peace-offering for crossing her wishes in
+      other things.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I will, dear; I'm lying in wait for all three boys today, like an old
+      spider; and I will have a good talk with each. They know I understand
+      them, and they always open their hearts sooner or later. You look like a
+      nice, plump little Quakeress, Meg; and no one will believe that big boy is
+      your son,' added Mrs Jo, as Demi came in shining with Sunday neatness,
+      from his well-blacked boots to his smooth brown head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You flatter me, to soften my heart toward your boy. I know your ways, Jo,
+      and I don't give in. Be firm, and spare me a scene by and by. As for John,
+      as long as he is satisfied with his old mother, I don't care what people
+      think,' answered Mrs Meg, accepting with a smile the little posy of sweet
+      peas and mignonette Demi brought her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, having buttoned her dove-coloured gloves with care, she took her
+      son's arm and went proudly away to the carriage, where Amy and Bess
+      waited, while Jo called after them, just as Marmee used to do:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Girls, have you got nice pocket-handkerchiefs?' They all smiled at the
+      familiar words, and three white banners waved as they drove away, leaving
+      the spider to watch for her first fly. She did not wait long. Daisy was
+      lying down with a wet cheek on the little hymnbook out of which she and
+      Nat used to sing together; so Mrs Jo strolled about the lawn, looking very
+      like a wandering mushroom with her large buff umbrella.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dan had gone for a ten-mile stroll; and Nat was supposed to have
+      accompanied him, but presently came sneaking back, unable to tear himself
+      away from the Dovecote or lose a moment of nearness to his idol that last
+      day. Mrs Jo saw him at once, and beckoned him to a rustic seat under the
+      old elm, where they could have their confidences undisturbed, and both
+      keep an eye on a certain white-curtained window, half hidden in vines.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Nice and cool here. I'm not up to one of Dan's tramps today&mdash;it's so
+      warm, and he goes so like a steam-engine. He headed for the swamp where
+      his pet snakes used to live, and I begged to be excused,' said Nat,
+      fanning himself with his straw hat, though the day was not oppressive.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'm glad you did. Sit and rest with me, and have one of our good old
+      talks. We've both been so busy lately, I feel as if I didn't half know
+      your plans; and I want to,' answered Mrs Jo, feeling sure that though they
+      might start with Leipzig they would bring up at Plumfield.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You are very kind, and there's nothing I'd like better. I don't realize
+      I'm going so far&mdash;suppose I shan't till I get afloat. It's a splendid
+      start, and I don't know how I can ever thank Mr Laurie for all he's done,
+      or you either,' added Nat, with a break in his voice; for he was a
+      tender-hearted fellow, and never forgot a kindness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You can thank us beautifully by being and doing all we hope and expect of
+      you, my dear. In the new life you are going to there will be a thousand
+      trials and temptations, and only your own wit and wisdom to rely on. That
+      will be the time to test the principles we have tried to give you, and see
+      how firm they are. Of course, you will make mistakes&mdash;we all do; but
+      don't let go of your conscience and drift along blindly. Watch and pray,
+      dear Nat; and while your hand gains skill, let your head grow wiser, and
+      keep your heart as innocent and warm as it is now.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll try, Mother Bhaer, my very best to be a credit to you. I know I
+      shall improve in my music&mdash;can't help it there; but I never shall be
+      very wise, I'm afraid. As for my heart, you know, I leave it behind me in
+      good keeping.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke, Nat's eyes were fixed on the window with a look of love and
+      longing that made his quiet face both manly and sad&mdash;plainly showing
+      how strong a hold this boyish affection had upon him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I want to speak of that; and I know you will forgive what seems hard,
+      because I do most heartily sympathize with you,' said Mrs Jo, glad to have
+      her say.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes, do talk about Daisy! I think of nothing but leaving and losing her.
+      I have no hope&mdash;I suppose it is too much to ask; only I can't help
+      loving her, wherever I am!' cried Nat, with a mixture of defiance and
+      despair in his face that rather startled Mrs Jo.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Listen to me and I'll try to give you both comfort and good advice. We
+      all know that Daisy is fond of you, but her mother objects, and being a
+      good girl she tries to obey. Young people think they never can change, but
+      they do in the most wonderful manner, and very few die of broken hearts.'
+      Mrs Jo smiled as she remembered another boy whom she had once tried to
+      comfort, and then went soberly on while Nat listened as if his fate hung
+      upon her lips.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'One of two things will happen. You will find someone else to love, or,
+      better still, be so busy and happy in your music that you will be willing
+      to wait for time to settle the matter for you both. Daisy will perhaps
+      forget when you are gone, and be glad you are only friends. At any rate it
+      is much wiser to have no promises made; then both are free, and in a year
+      or two may meet to laugh over the little romance nipped in the bud.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Do you honestly think that?' asked Nat, looking at her so keenly that the
+      truth had to come; for all his heart was in those frank blue eyes of his.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'No, I don't!' answered Mrs Jo. 'Then if you were in my place, what would
+      you do?' he added, with a tone of command never heard in his gentle voice
+      before.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Bless me! the boy is in dead earnest, and I shall forget prudence in
+      sympathy I'm afraid,' thought Mrs Jo, surprised and pleased by the
+      unexpected manliness Nat showed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll tell you what I should do. I'd say to myself:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I'll prove that my love is strong and faithful, and make Daisy's mother
+      proud to give her to me by being not only a good musician but an excellent
+      man, and so command respect and confidence. This I will try for; and if I
+      fail, I shall be the better for the effort, and find comfort in the
+      thought that I did my best for her sake.&rdquo;'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That is what I meant to do. But I wanted a word of hope to give me
+      courage,' cried Nat, firing up as if the smouldering spark was set ablaze
+      by a breath of encouragement. 'Other fellows, poorer and stupider than I,
+      have done great things and come to honour. Why may not I, though I'm
+      nothing now? I know Mrs Brooke remembers what I came from, but my father
+      was honest though everything went wrong; and I have nothing to be ashamed
+      of though I was a charity boy. I never will be ashamed of my people or
+      myself, and I'll make other folks respect me if I can.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Good! that's the right spirit, Nat. Hold to it and make yourself a man.
+      No one will be quicker to see and admire the brave work than my sister
+      Meg. She does not despise your poverty or your past; but mothers are very
+      tender over their daughters, and we Marches, though we have been poor,
+      are, I confess, a little proud of our good family. We don't care for
+      money; but a long line of virtuous ancestors is something to desire and to
+      be proud of.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Well, the Blakes are a good lot. I looked 'em up, and not one was ever in
+      prison, hanged, or disgraced in any way. We used to be rich and honoured
+      years ago, but we've died out and got poor, and father was a street
+      musician rather than beg; and I'll be one again before I'll do the mean
+      things some men do and pass muster.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nat was so excited that Mrs Jo indulged in a laugh to calm him, and both
+      went on more quietly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I told my sister all that and it pleased her. I am sure if you do well
+      these next few years that she will relent and all be happily settled,
+      unless that wonderful change, which you don't believe possible, should
+      occur. Now, cheer up; don't be lackadaisical and blue. Say good-bye
+      cheerfully and bravely, show a manly front, and leave a pleasant memory
+      behind you. We all wish you well and hope much for you. Write to me every
+      week and I'll send a good, gossipy answer. Be careful what you write to
+      Daisy; don't gush or wail, for sister Meg will see the letters; and you
+      can help your cause very much by sending sensible, cheery accounts of your
+      life to us all.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I will; I will; it looks brighter and better already, and I won't lose my
+      one comfort by any fault of my own. Thank you so much, Mother Bhaer, for
+      taking my side. I felt so ungrateful and mean and crushed when I thought
+      you all considered me a sneak who had no business to love such a precious
+      girl as Daisy. No one said anything, but I knew how you felt, and that Mr
+      Laurie sent me off partly to get me out of the way. Oh dear, life is
+      pretty tough sometimes, isn't it?' And Nat took his head in both hands as
+      if it ached with the confusion of hopes and fears, passions and plans that
+      proved boyhood was past and manhood had begun.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Very tough, but it is that very struggle with obstacles which does us
+      good. Things have been made easy for you in many ways, but no one can do
+      everything. You must paddle your own canoe now, and learn to avoid the
+      rapids and steer straight to the port you want to reach. I don't know just
+      what your temptations will be for you have no bad habits and seem to love
+      music so well, nothing can lure you from it. I only hope you won't work
+      too hard.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I feel as if I could work like a horse, I'm so eager to get on; but I'll
+      take care. Can't waste time being sick, and you've given me doses enough
+      to keep me all right, I guess.' Nat laughed as he remembered the book of
+      directions Mrs Jo had written for him to consult on all occasions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She immediately added some verbal ones on the subject of foreign messes,
+      and having mounted one of her pet hobbies, was in full gallop when Emil
+      was seen strolling about on the roof of the old house, that being his
+      favourite promenade; for there he could fancy himself walking the deck,
+      with only blue sky and fresh air about him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I want a word with the Commodore, and up there we shall be nice and
+      quiet. Go and play to Daisy: it will put her to sleep and do you both
+      good. Sit in the porch, so I can keep an eye on you as I promised'; and
+      with a motherly pat on the shoulder Mrs Jo left Nat to his delightful task
+      and briskly ascended to the house-top, not up the trellis as of old but by
+      means of the stairs inside.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Emerging on the platform she found Emil cutting his initials afresh in the
+      wood-work and singing 'Pull for the Shore', like the tuneful mariner he
+      was.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Come aboard and make yourself at home, Aunty,' he said, with a playful
+      salute. 'I'm just leaving a P.P.C. in the old place, so when you fly up
+      here for refuge you'll remember me.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Ah, my dear, I'm not likely to forget you. It doesn't need E. B. H. cut
+      on all the trees and railings to remind me of my sailor boy'; and Mrs Jo
+      took the seat nearest the blue figure astride the balustrade, not quite
+      sure how to begin the little sermon she wanted to preach.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Well, you don't pipe your eye and look squally when I sheer off as you
+      used to, and that's a comfort. I like to leave port in fair weather and
+      have a jolly send-off all round. Specially this time, for it will be a
+      year or more before we drop anchor here again,' answered Emil, pushing his
+      cap back, and glancing about him as if he loved old Plum and would be
+      sorry never to see it any more.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You have salt water enough without my adding to it. I'm going to be quite
+      a Spartan mother, and send my sons to battle with no wailing, only the
+      command:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;With your shield or on it&rdquo;,' said Mrs Jo cheerfully, adding after a
+      pause: 'I often wish I could go too, and some day I will, when you are
+      captain and have a ship of your own&mdash;as I've no doubt you will before
+      long, with Uncle Herman to push you on.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'When I do I'll christen her the Jolly Jo and take you as first mate. It
+      would be regular larks to have you aboard, and I'd be a proud man to carry
+      you round the world you've wanted to see so long and never could,'
+      answered Emil, caught at once by this splendid vision.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll make my first voyage with you and enjoy myself immensely in spite of
+      seasickness and all the stormy winds that blow. I've always thought I'd
+      like to see a wreck, a nice safe one with all saved after great danger and
+      heroic deeds, while we clung like Mr Pillicoddy to main-top jibs and lee
+      scuppers.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'No wrecks yet, ma'am, but we'll try to accommodate customers. Captain
+      says I'm a lucky dog and bring fair weather, so we'll save the dirty
+      weather for you if you want it,' laughed Emil, digging at the ship in full
+      sail which he was adding to his design.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Thanks, I hope you will. This long voyage will give you new experiences,
+      and being an officer, you will have new duties and responsibilities. Are
+      you ready for them? You take everything so gaily, I've been wondering if
+      you realized that now you will have not only to obey but to command also,
+      and power is a dangerous thing. Be careful that you don't abuse it or let
+      it make a tyrant of you.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Right you are, ma'am. I've seen plenty of that, and have got my bearings
+      pretty well, I guess. I shan't have very wide swing with Peters over me,
+      but I'll see that the boys don't get abused when he's bowsed up his jib.
+      No right to speak before, but now I won't stand it.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That sounds mysteriously awful; could I ask what nautical torture
+      &ldquo;bowsing jibs&rdquo; is?' asked Mrs Jo, in a tone of deep interest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Getting drunk. Peters can hold more grog than any man I ever saw; he
+      keeps right side up, but is as savage as a norther, and makes things
+      lively all round. I've seen him knock a fellow down with a belaying pin,
+      and couldn't lend a hand. Better luck now, I hope.' And Emil frowned as if
+      he already trod the quarter-deck, lord of all he surveyed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't get into trouble, for even Uncle Herman's favour won't cover
+      insubordination, you know. You have proved yourself a good sailor; now be
+      a good officer, which is a harder thing, I fancy. It takes a fine
+      character to rule justly and kindly; you will have to put by your boyish
+      ways and remember your dignity. That will be excellent training for you,
+      Emil, and sober you down a bit. No more skylarking except here, so mind
+      your ways, and do honour to your buttons,' said Mrs Jo, tapping one of the
+      very bright brass ones that ornamented the new suit Emil was so proud of.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll do my best. I know my time for skirmshander (chaff) is over, and I
+      must steer a straighter course; but don't you fear, Jack ashore is a very
+      different craft from what he is with blue water under his keel. I had a
+      long talk with Uncle last night and got my orders; I won't forget 'em nor
+      all I owe him. As for you, I'll name my first ship as I say, and have your
+      bust for the figurehead, see if I don't,' and Emil gave his aunt a hearty
+      kiss to seal the vow, which proceeding much amused Nat, playing softly in
+      the porch of the Dovecote.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You do me proud, Captain. But, dear, I want to say one thing and then I'm
+      done; for you don't need much advice of mine after my good man has spoken.
+      I read somewhere that every inch of rope used in the British Navy has a
+      strand of red in it, so that wherever a bit of it is found it is known.
+      That is the text of my little sermon to you. Virtue, which means honour,
+      honesty, courage, and all that makes character, is the red thread that
+      marks a good man wherever he is. Keep that always and everywhere, so that
+      even if wrecked by misfortune, that sign shall still be found and
+      recognized. Yours is a rough life, and your mates not all we could wish,
+      but you can be a gentleman in the true sense of the word; and no matter
+      what happens to your body, keep your soul clean, your heart true to those
+      who love you, and do your duty to the end.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As she spoke Emil had risen and stood listening with his cap off and a
+      grave, bright look as if taking orders from a superior officer; when she
+      ended, he answered briefly, but heartily:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Please God, I will!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That's all; I have little fear for you, but one never knows when or how
+      the weak moment may come, and sometimes a chance word helps us, as so many
+      my dear mother spoke come back to me now for my own comfort and the
+      guidance of my boys,' said Mrs Jo, rising; for the words had been said and
+      no more were needed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I've stored 'em up and know where to find 'em when wanted. Often and
+      often in my watch I've seen old Plum, and heard you and Uncle talking so
+      plainly, I'd have sworn I was here. It is a rough life, Aunty, but a
+      wholesome one if a fellow loves it as I do, and has an anchor to windward
+      as I have. Don't worry about me, and I'll come home next year with a chest
+      of tea that will cheer your heart and give you ideas enough for a dozen
+      novels. Going below? All right, steady in the gangway! I'll be along by
+      the time you've got out the cake-box. Last chance for a good old lunch
+      ashore.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo descended laughing, and Emil finished his ship whistling
+      cheerfully, neither dreaming when and where this little chat on the
+      house-top would return to the memory of one of them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dan was harder to catch, and not until evening did a quiet moment come in
+      that busy family; when, while the rest were roaming about, Mrs Jo sat down
+      to read in the study, and presently Dan looked in at the window.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Come and rest after your long tramp; you must be tired,' she called, with
+      an inviting nod towards the big sofa where so many boys had reposed&mdash;as
+      much as that active animal ever does.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Afraid I shall disturb you'; but Dan looked as if he wanted to stay his
+      restless feet somewhere.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Not a bit; I'm always ready to talk, shouldn't be a woman if I were not,'
+      laughed Mrs Jo, as Dan swung himself in and sat down with an air of
+      contentment very pleasant to see.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Last day is over, yet somehow I don't seem to hanker to be off.
+      Generally, I'm rather anxious to cut loose after a short stop. Odd, ain't
+      it?' asked Dan, gravely picking grass and leaves out of his hair and
+      beard; for he had been lying on the grass, thinking many thoughts in the
+      quiet summer night.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Not at all; you are beginning to get civilized. It's a good sign, and I'm
+      glad to see it,' answered Mrs Jo promptly. 'You've had your swing, and
+      want a change. Hope the farming will give it to you, though helping the
+      Indians pleases me more: it is so much better to work for others than for
+      one's self alone.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'So 'tis,' assented Dan heartily. 'I seem to want to root somewhere and
+      have folks of my own to take care of. Tired of my own company, I suppose,
+      now I've seen so much better. I'm a rough, ignorant lot, and I've been
+      thinking maybe I've missed it loafing round creation, instead of going in
+      for education as the other chaps did. Hey?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He looked anxiously at Mrs Jo; and she tried to hide the surprise this new
+      outburst caused her; for till now Dan had scorned books and gloried in his
+      freedom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'No; I don't think so in your case. So far I'm sure the free life was
+      best. Now that you are a man you can control that lawless nature better;
+      but as a boy only great activity and much adventure could keep you out of
+      mischief. Time is taming my colt, you see, and I shall yet be proud of
+      him, whether he makes a pack-horse of himself to carry help to the
+      starving or goes to ploughing as Pegasus did.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dan liked the comparison, and smiled as he lounged in the sofa-corner,
+      with the new thoughtfulness in his eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Glad you think so. The fact is it's going to take a heap of taming to
+      make me go well in harness anywhere. I want to, and I try now and then,
+      but always kick over the traces and run away. No lives lost yet; but I
+      shouldn't wonder if there was some time, and a general smash-up.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Why, Dan, did you have any dangerous adventures during this last absence?
+      I fancied so, but didn't ask before, knowing you'd tell me if I could help
+      in any way. Can I?' And Mrs Jo looked anxiously at him; for a sudden
+      lowering expression had come into his face, and he leaned forward as if to
+      hide it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Nothing very bad; but 'Frisco isn't just a heaven on earth, you know, and
+      it's harder to be a saint there than here,' he answered slowly; then, as
+      if he had made up his mind to ''fess', as the children used to say, he sat
+      up, and added rapidly, in a half-defiant, half-shamefaced way, 'I tried
+      gambling, and it wasn't good for me.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Was that how you made your money?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Not a penny of it! That's all honest, if speculation isn't a bigger sort
+      of gambling. I won a lot; but I lost or gave it away, and cut the whole
+      concern before it got the better of me.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Thank heaven for that! Don't try it again; it may have the terrible
+      fascination for you it has for so many. Keep to your mountains and
+      prairies, and shun cities, if these things tempt you, Dan. Better lose
+      your life than your soul, and one such passion leads to worse sins, as you
+      know better than I.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dan nodded, and seeing how troubled she was, said, in a lighter tone,
+      though still the shadow of that past experience remained:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't be scared; I'm all right now; and a burnt dog dreads the fire. I
+      don't drink, or do the things you dread; don't care for 'em; but I get
+      excited, and then this devilish temper of mine is more than I can manage.
+      Fighting a moose or a buffalo is all right; but when you pitch into a man,
+      no matter how great a scamp he is, you've got to look out. I shall kill
+      someone some day; that's all I'm afraid of. I do hate a sneak!' And Dan
+      brought his fist down on the table with a blow that made the lamp totter
+      and the books skip.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That always was your trial, Dan, and I can sympathize with you; for I've
+      been trying to govern my own temper all my life, and haven't learnt yet,'
+      said Mrs Jo, with a sigh. 'For heaven's sake, guard your demon well, and
+      don't let a moment's fury ruin all your life. As I said to Nat, watch and
+      pray, my dear boy. There is no other help or hope for human weakness but
+      God's love and patience.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Tears were in Mrs Jo's eyes as she spoke; for she felt this deeply, and
+      knew how hard a task it is to rule these bosom sins of ours. Dan looked
+      touched, also uncomfortable, as he always did when religion of any sort
+      was mentioned, though he had a simple creed of his own, and tried to live
+      up to it in his blind way.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I don't do much praying; don't seem to come handy to me; but I can watch
+      like a redskin, only it's easier to mount guard over a lurking grizzly
+      than my own cursed temper. It's that I'm afraid of, if I settle down. I
+      can get on with wild beasts first-rate; but men rile me awfully, and I
+      can't take it out in a free fight, as I can with a bear or a wolf. Guess
+      I'd better head for the Rockies, and stay there a spell longer&mdash;till
+      I'm tame enough for decent folks, if I ever am.' And Dan leaned his rough
+      head on his hands in a despondent attitude.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Try my sort of help, and don't give up. Read more, study a little, and
+      try to meet a better class of people, who won't &ldquo;rile&rdquo;, but soothe and
+      strengthen you. We don't make you savage, I'm sure; for you have been as
+      meek as a lamb, and made us very happy.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Glad of it; but I've felt like a hawk in a hen-house all the same, and
+      wanted to pounce and tear more than once. Not so much as I used, though,'
+      added Dan, after a short laugh at Mrs Jo's surprised face. 'I'll try your
+      plan, and keep good company this bout if I can; but a man can't pick and
+      choose, knocking about as I do.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes, you can this time; for you are going on a peaceful errand and can
+      keep clear of temptation if you try. Take some books and read; that's an
+      immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right
+      sort. Let me pick out some for you.' And Mrs Jo made a bee-line to the
+      well-laden shelves, which were the joy of her heart and the comfort of her
+      life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Give me travels and stories, please; don't want any pious works, can't
+      seem to relish 'em, and won't pretend I do,' said Dan, following to look
+      over her head with small favour at the long lines of well-worn volumes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo turned short round, and putting a hand on either broad shoulder,
+      looked him in the eye, saying soberly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Now, Dan, see here; never sneer at good things or pretend to be worse
+      than you are. Don't let false shame make you neglect the religion without
+      which no man can live. You needn't talk about it if you don't like, but
+      don't shut your heart to it in whatever shape it comes. Nature is your God
+      now; she has done much for you; let her do more, and lead you to know and
+      love a wiser and more tender teacher, friend, and comforter than she can
+      ever be. That is your only hope; don't throw it away, and waste time; for
+      sooner or later you will feel the need of Him, and He will come to you and
+      hold you up when all other help fails.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dan stood motionless, and let her read in his softened eyes the dumb
+      desire that lived in his heart, though he had no words to tell it, and
+      only permitted her to catch a glimpse of the divine spark which smoulders
+      or burns clearly in every human soul. He did not speak; and glad to be
+      spared some answer which should belie his real feelings, Mrs Jo hastened
+      to say, with her most motherly smile:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I saw in your room the little Bible I gave you long ago; it was well worn
+      outside, but fresh within, as if not much read. Will you promise me to
+      read a little once a week, dear, for my sake? Sunday is a quiet day
+      everywhere, and this book is never old nor out of place. Begin with the
+      stories you used to love when I told them to you boys. David was your
+      favourite, you remember? Read him again; he'll suit you even better now,
+      and you'll find his sins and repentance useful reading till you come to
+      the life and work of a diviner example than he. You will do it, for love
+      of mother Bhaer, who always loved her &ldquo;firebrand&rdquo; and hoped to save him?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I will,' answered Dan, with a sudden brightening of face that was like a
+      sunburst through a cloud, full of promise though so short-lived and rare.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo turned at once to the books and began to talk of them, knowing well
+      that Dan would not hear any more just then. He seemed relieved; for it was
+      always hard for him to show his inner self, and he took pride in hiding it
+      as an Indian does in concealing pain or fear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Hallo, here's old Sintram! I remember him; used to like him and his
+      tantrums, and read about 'em to Ted. There he is riding ahead with Death
+      and the Devil alongside.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As Dan looked at the little picture of the young man with horse and hound
+      going bravely up the rocky defile, accompanied by the companions who ride
+      beside most men through this world, a curious impulse made Mrs Jo say
+      quickly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That's you, Dan, just you at this time! Danger and sin are near you in
+      the life you lead; moods and passions torment you; the bad father left you
+      to fight alone, and the wild spirit drives you to wander up and down the
+      world looking for peace and self-control. Even the horse and hound are
+      there, your Octoo and Don, faithful friends, unscared by the strange mates
+      that go with you. You have not got the armour yet, but I'm trying to show
+      you where to find it. Remember the mother Sintram loved and longed to
+      find, and did find when his battle was bravely fought, his reward well
+      earned? You can recollect your mother; and I have always felt that all the
+      good qualities you possess come from her. Act out the beautiful old story
+      in this as in the other parts, and try to give her back a son to be proud
+      of.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Quite carried away by the likeness of the quaint tale to Dan's life and
+      needs, Mrs Jo went on pointing to the various pictures which illustrated
+      it, and when she looked up was surprised to see how struck and interested
+      he seemed to be. Like all people of his temperament he was very
+      impressionable, and his life among hunters and Indians had made him
+      superstitious; he believed in dreams, liked weird tales, and whatever
+      appealed to the eye or mind, vividly impressed him more than the wisest
+      words. The story of poor, tormented Sintram came back clearly as he looked
+      and listened, symbolizing his secret trials even more truly than Mrs Jo
+      knew; and just at that moment this had an effect upon him that never was
+      forgotten. But all he said was:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Small chance of that. I don't take much stock in the idea of meeting
+      folks in heaven. Guess mother won't remember the poor little brat she left
+      so long ago; why should she?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Because true mothers never forget their children; and I know she was one,
+      from the fact that she ran away from the cruel husband, to save her little
+      son from bad influences. Had she lived, life would have been happier for
+      you, with this tender friend to help and comfort you. Never forget that
+      she risked everything for your sake, and don't let it be in vain.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo spoke very earnestly, knowing that this was the one sweet memory of
+      Dan's early life, and glad to have recalled it at this moment; for
+      suddenly a great tear splashed down on the page where Sintram kneels at
+      his mother's feet, wounded, but victorious over sin and death. She looked
+      up, well pleased to have touched Dan to the heart's core, as that drop
+      proved; but a sweep of the arm brushed away the tell-tale, and his beard
+      hid the mate to it, as he shut the book, saying with a suppressed quiver
+      in his strong voice:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll keep this, if nobody wants it. I'll read it over, and maybe it will
+      do me good. I'd like to meet her anywhere, but don't believe I ever
+      shall.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Keep it and welcome. My mother gave it to me; and when you read it try to
+      believe that neither of your mothers will ever forget you.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo gave the book with a caress; and simply saying: 'Thanks; good
+      night,' Dan thrust it into his pocket, and walked straight away to the
+      river to recover from this unwonted mood of tenderness and confidence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Next day the travellers were off. All were in good spirits, and a cloud of
+      handkerchiefs whitened the air as they drove away in the old bus, waving
+      their hats to everyone and kissing their hands, especially to mother
+      Bhaer, who said in her prophetic tone as she wiped her eyes, when the
+      familiar rumble died away:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I have a feeling that something is going to happen to some of them, and
+      they will never come back to me, or come back changed. Well, I can only
+      say, God be with my boys!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And He was.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      Chapter 7. THE LION AND THE LAMB
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      When the boys were gone a lull fell upon Plumfield, and the family
+      scattered to various places for brief outings, as August had come and all
+      felt the need of change. The Professor took Mrs Jo to the mountains. The
+      Laurences were at the seashore, and there Meg's family and the Bhaer boys
+      took turns to visit, as someone must always be at home to keep things in
+      order.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Meg, with Daisy, was in office when the events occurred which we are
+      about to relate. Rob and Ted were just up from Rocky Nook, and Nan was
+      passing a week with her friend as the only relaxation she allowed herself.
+      Demi was off on a run with Tom, so Rob was man of the house, with old
+      Silas as general overseer. The sea air seemed to have gone to Ted's head,
+      for he was unusually freakish, and led his gentle aunt and poor Rob a life
+      of it with his pranks. Octoo was worn out with the wild rides he took, and
+      Don openly rebelled when ordered to leap and show off his accomplishments;
+      while the girls at college were both amused and worried by the ghosts who
+      haunted the grounds at night, the unearthly melodies that disturbed their
+      studious hours, and the hairbreadth escapes of this restless boy by flood
+      and field and fire. Something happened at length which effectually sobered
+      Ted and made a lasting impression on both the boys; for sudden danger and
+      a haunting fear turned the Lion into a lamb and the Lamb into a lion, as
+      far as courage went.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the first of September&mdash;the boys never forgot the date&mdash;after
+      a pleasant tramp and good luck with their fishing, the brothers were
+      lounging in the barn; for Daisy had company, and the lads kept out of the
+      way.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I tell you what it is, Bobby, that dog is sick. He won't play, nor eat,
+      nor drink, and acts queerly. Dan will kill us if anything happens to him,'
+      said Ted, looking at Don, who lay near his kennel resting a moment after
+      one of the restless wanderings which kept him vibrating between the door
+      of Dan's room and the shady corner of the yard, where his master had
+      settled him with an old cap to guard till he came back.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'It's the hot weather, perhaps. But I sometimes think he's pining for Dan.
+      Dogs do, you know, and the poor fellow has been low in his mind ever since
+      the boys went. Maybe something has happened to Dan. Don howled last night
+      and can't rest. I've heard of such things,' answered Rob thoughtfully.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Pooh! he can't know. He's cross. I'll stir him up and take him for a run.
+      Always makes me feel better. Hi, boy! wake up and be jolly'; and Ted
+      snapped his fingers at the dog, who only looked at him with grim
+      indifference.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Better let him alone. If he isn't right tomorrow, we'll take him to Dr
+      Watkins and see what he says.' And Rob went on watching the swallows as he
+      lay in the hay polishing up some Latin verses he had made.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The spirit of perversity entered into Ted, and merely because he was told
+      not to tease Don he went on doing it, pretending that it was for the dog's
+      good. Don took no heed of his pats, commands, reproaches, or insults, till
+      Ted's patience gave out; and seeing a convenient switch near by he could
+      not resist the temptation to conquer the great hound by force, since
+      gentleness failed to win obedience. He had the wisdom to chain Don up
+      first; for a blow from any hand but his master's made him savage, and Ted
+      had more than once tried the experiment, as the dog remembered. This
+      indignity roused Don and he sat up with a growl. Rob heard it, and seeing
+      Ted raise the switch, ran to interfere, exclaiming:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't touch him! Dan forbade it! Leave the poor thing in peace; I won't
+      allow it.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rob seldom commanded, but when he did Master Ted had to give in. His
+      temper was up, and Rob's masterful tone made it impossible to resist one
+      cut at the rebellious dog before he submitted. Only a single blow, but it
+      was a costly one; for as it fell, the dog sprang at Ted with a snarl, and
+      Rob, rushing between the two, felt the sharp teeth pierce his leg. A word
+      made Don let go and drop remorsefully at Rob's feet, for he loved him and
+      was evidently sorry to have hurt his friend by mistake. With a forgiving
+      pat Rob left him, to limp to the barn followed by Ted, whose wrath was
+      changed to shame and sorrow when he saw the red drops on Rob's sock and
+      the little wounds in his leg.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'm awfully sorry. Why did you get in the way? Here, wash it up, and I'll
+      get a rag to tie on it,' he said quickly filling a sponge with water and
+      pulling out a very demoralized handkerchief. Rob usually made light of his
+      own mishaps and was over ready to forgive if others were to blame; but now
+      he sat quite still, looking at the purple marks with such a strange
+      expression on his white face that Ted was troubled, though he added with a
+      laugh: 'Why, you're not afraid of a little dig like that, are you, Bobby?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I am afraid of hydrophobia. But if Don is mad I'd rather be the one to
+      have it,' answered Rob, with a smile and a shiver.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At that dreadful word Ted turned whiter than his brother, and, dropping
+      sponge and handkerchief, stared at him with a frightened face, whispering
+      in a tone of despair:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Oh, Rob, don't say it! What shall we do, what shall we do?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Call Nan; she will know. Don't scare Aunty, or tell a soul but Nan; she's
+      on the back piazza; get her out here as quick as you can. I'll wash it
+      till she comes. Maybe it's nothing; don't look so staggered, Ted. I only
+      thought it might be, as Don is queer.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rob tried to speak bravely; but Ted's long legs felt strangely weak as he
+      hurried away, and it was lucky he met no one, for his face would have
+      betrayed him. Nan was swinging luxuriously in a hammock, amusing herself
+      with a lively treatise on croup, when an agitated boy suddenly clutched
+      her, whispering, as he nearly pulled her overboard:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Come to Rob in the barn! Don's mad and he's bitten him, and we don't know
+      what to do; it's all my fault; no one must know. Oh, do be quick!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nan was on her feet at once, startled, but with her wits about her, and
+      both were off without more words as they dodged round the house where
+      unconscious Daisy chatted with her friends in the parlour and Aunt Meg
+      peacefully took her afternoon nap upstairs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rob was braced up, and was as calm and steady as ever when they found him
+      in the harness-room, whither he had wisely retired, to escape observation.
+      The story was soon told, and after a look at Don, now in his kennel, sad
+      and surly, Nan said slowly, with her eye on the full water-pan:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Rob, there is one thing to do for the sake of safety, and it must be done
+      at once. We can't wait to see if Don is&mdash;sick&mdash;or to go for a
+      doctor. I can do it, and I will; but it is very painful, and I hate to
+      hurt you, dear.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A most unprofessional quiver got into Nan's voice as she spoke, and her
+      keen eyes dimmed as she looked at the two anxious young faces turned so
+      confidingly to her for help.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I know, burn it; well, do it, please; I can bear it. But Ted better go
+      away,' said Rob, with a firm setting of his lips, and a nod at his
+      afflicted brother.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I won't stir; I can stand it if he can, only it ought to be me!' cried
+      Ted, with a desperate effort not to cry, so full of grief and fear and
+      shame was he that it seemed as if he couldn't bear it like a man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'He'd better stay and help; do him good,' answered
+      Nan sternly, because, her heart was faint within her, knowing as she did
+      all that might be in store for both poor boys. 'Keep quiet; I'll be back
+      in a minute,' she added, going towards the house, while her quick mind
+      hastily planned what was best to be done.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was ironing day, and a hot fire still burned in the empty kitchen, for
+      the maids were upstairs resting. Nan put a slender poker to heat, and as
+      she sat waiting for it, covered her face with her hands, asking help in
+      this sudden need for strength, courage, and wisdom; for there was no one
+      else to call upon, and young as she was, she knew what was to be done if
+      she only had the nerve to do it. Any other patient would have been calmly
+      interesting, but dear, good Robin, his father's pride, his mother's
+      comfort, everyone's favourite and friend, that he should be in danger was
+      very terrible; and a few hot tears dropped on the well-scoured table as
+      Nan tried to calm her trouble by remembering how very likely it was to be
+      all a mistake, a natural but vain alarm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I must make light of it, or the boys will break down, and then there will
+      be a panic. Why afflict and frighten everyone when all is in doubt? I
+      won't. I'll take Rob to Dr Morrison at once, and have the dog man see Don.
+      Then, having done all we can, we will either laugh at our scare&mdash;if
+      it is one&mdash;or be ready for whatever comes. Now for my poor boy.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Armed with the red-hot poker, a pitcher of ice-water, and several
+      handkerchiefs from the clotheshorse, Nan went back to the barn ready to do
+      her best in this her most serious 'emergency case'. The boys sat like
+      statues, one of despair, the other of resignation; and it took all Nan's
+      boasted nerve to do her work quickly and well.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Now, Rob, only a minute, then we are safe. Stand by, Ted; he may be a bit
+      faintish.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rob shut his eyes, clinched his hands, and sat like a hero. Ted knelt
+      beside him, white as a sheet, and as weak as a girl; for the pangs of
+      remorse were rending him, and his heart failed at the thought of all this
+      pain because of his wilfulness. It was all over in a moment, with only one
+      little groan; but when Nan looked to her assistant to hand the water, poor
+      Ted needed it the most, for he had fainted away, and lay on the floor in a
+      pathetic heap of arms and legs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rob laughed, and, cheered by that unexpected sound, Nan bound up the wound
+      with hands that never trembled, though great drops stood on her forehead;
+      and she shared the water with patient number one before she turned to
+      patient number two. Ted was much ashamed, and quite broken in spirit, when
+      he found how he had failed at the critical moment, and begged them not to
+      tell, as he really could not help it; then by way of finishing his utter
+      humiliation, a burst of hysterical tears disgraced his manly soul, and did
+      him a world of good.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Never mind, never mind, we are all right now, and no one need be the
+      wiser,' said Nan briskly, as poor Ted hiccoughed on Rob's shoulder,
+      laughing and crying in the most tempestuous manner, while his brother
+      soothed him, and the young doctor fanned both with Silas's old straw hat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Now, boys, listen to me and remember what I say. We won't alarm anyone
+      yet, for I've made up my mind our scare is all nonsense. Don was out
+      lapping the water as I came by, and I don't believe he's mad any more than
+      I am. Still, to ease our minds and compose our spirits, and get our guilty
+      faces out of sight for a while, I think we had better drive into town to
+      my old friend Dr Morrison, and let him just take a look at my work, and
+      give us some quieting little dose; for we are all rather shaken by this
+      flurry. Sit still, Rob; and Ted, you harness up while I run and get my hat
+      and tell Aunty to excuse me to Daisy. I don't know those Penniman girls,
+      and she will be glad of our room at tea, and we'll have a cosy bite at my
+      house, and come home as gay as larks.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nan talked on as a vent for the hidden emotions which professional pride
+      would not allow her to show, and the boys approved her plan at once; for
+      action is always easier than quiet waiting. Ted went staggering away to
+      wash his face at the pump, and rub some colour into his cheeks before he
+      harnessed the horse. Rob lay tranquilly on the hay, looking up at the
+      swallows again as he lived through some very memorable moments. Boy as he
+      was, the thought of death coming suddenly to him, and in this way, might
+      well make him sober; for it is a very solemn thing to be arrested in the
+      midst of busy life by the possibility of the great change. There were no
+      sins to be repented of, few faults, and many happy, dutiful years to
+      remember with infinite comfort. So Rob had no fears to daunt him, no
+      regrets to sadden, and best of all, a very strong and simple piety to
+      sustain and cheer him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Mein Vater,' was his first thought; for Rob was very near the Professor's
+      heart, and the loss of his eldest would have been a bitter blow. These
+      words, whispered with a tremble of the lips that had been so firm when the
+      hot iron burned, recalled that other Father who is always near, always
+      tender and helpful; and, folding his hands, Rob said the heartiest little
+      prayer he ever prayed, there on the hay, to the soft twitter of the
+      brooding birds. It did him good; and wisely laying all his fear and doubt
+      and trouble in God's hand, the boy felt ready for whatever was to come,
+      and from that hour kept steadily before him the one duty that was plain&mdash;to
+      be brave and cheerful, keep silent, and hope for the best.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nan stole her hat, and left a note on Daisy's pincushion, saying she had
+      taken the boys to drive, and all would be out of the way till after tea.
+      Then she hurried back and found her patients much better, the one for
+      work, the other for rest. In they got, and, putting Rob on the back seat
+      with his leg up drove away, looking as gay and care-free as if nothing had
+      happened.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dr Morrison made light of the affair, but told Nan she had done right; and
+      as the much-relieved lads went downstairs, he added in a whisper: 'Send
+      the dog off for a while, and keep your eye on the boy. Don't let him know
+      it, and report to me if anything seems wrong. One never knows in these
+      cases. No harm to be careful.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nan nodded, and feeling much relieved now that the responsibility was off
+      her shoulders, took the lads to Dr Watkins, who promised to come out later
+      and examine Don. A merry tea at Nan's house, which was kept open for her
+      all summer, did them good, and by the time they got home in the cool of
+      the evening no sign of the panic remained but Ted's heavy eyes, and a
+      slight limp when Rob walked. As the guests were still chattering on the
+      front piazza they retired to the back, and Ted soothed his remorseful soul
+      by swinging Rob in the hammock, while Nan told stories till the dog man
+      arrived.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He said Don was a little under the weather, but no more mad than the grey
+      kitten that purred round his legs while the examination went on.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'He wants his master, and feels the heat. Fed too well, perhaps. I'll keep
+      him a few weeks and send him home all right,' said Dr Watkins, as Don laid
+      his great head in his hand, and kept his intelligent eyes on his face,
+      evidently feeling that this man understood his trials, and knew what to do
+      for him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So Don departed without a murmur, and our three conspirators took counsel
+      together how to spare the family all anxiety, and give Rob the rest his
+      leg demanded. Fortunately, he always spent many hours in his little study,
+      so he could lie on the sofa with a book in his hand as long as he liked,
+      without exciting any remark. Being of a quiet temperament, he did not
+      worry himself or Nan with useless fears, but believed what was told him,
+      and dismissing all dark possibilities, went cheerfully on his way, soon
+      recovering from the shock of what he called 'our scare'.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But excitable Ted was harder to manage, and it took all Nan's wit and
+      wisdom to keep him from betraying the secret; for it was best to say
+      nothing and spare all discussion of the subject for Rob's sake. Ted's
+      remorse preyed upon him, and having no 'Mum' to confide in, he was very
+      miserable. By day he devoted himself to Rob, waiting on him, talking to
+      him, gazing anxiously at him, and worrying the good fellow very much;
+      though he wouldn't own it, since Ted found comfort in it. But at night,
+      when all was quiet, Ted's lively imagination and heavy heart got the
+      better of him, and kept him awake, or set him walking in his sleep. Nan
+      had her eye on him, and more than once administered a little dose to give
+      him a rest, read to him, scolded him, and when she caught him haunting the
+      house in the watches of the night, threatened to lock him up if he did not
+      stay in his bed. This wore off after a while; but a change came over the
+      freakish boy, and everyone observed it, even before his mother returned to
+      ask what they had done to quench the Lion's spirits. He was gay, but not
+      so heedless; and often when the old wilfulness beset him, he would check
+      it sharply, look at Rob, and give up, or stalk away to have his sulk out
+      alone. He no longer made fun of his brother's old-fashioned ways and
+      bookish tastes, but treated him with a new and very marked respect, which
+      touched and pleased modest Rob, and much amazed all observers. It seemed
+      as if he felt that he owed him reparation for the foolish act that might
+      have cost him his life; and love being stronger than will, Ted forgot his
+      pride, and paid his debt like an honest boy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I don't understand it,' said Mrs Jo, after a week of home life, much
+      impressed by the good behaviour of her younger son. 'Ted is such a saint,
+      I'm afraid we are going to lose him. Is it Meg's sweet influence, or
+      Daisy's fine cooking, or the pellets I catch Nan giving him on the sly?
+      Some witchcraft has been at work during my absence, and this
+      will-o'-the-wisp is so amiable, quiet, and obedient, I don't know him.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'He is growing up, heart's-dearest, and being a precocious plant, he
+      begins to bloom early. I also see a change in my Robchen. He is more manly
+      and serious than ever, and is seldom far from me, as if his love for the
+      old papa was growing with his growth. Our boys will often surprise us in
+      this way, Jo, and we can only rejoice over them and leave them to become
+      what Gott pleases.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the Professor spoke, his eyes rested proudly on the brothers, who came
+      walking up the steps together, Ted's arm over Rob's shoulder as he
+      listened attentively to some geological remarks Rob was making on a stone
+      he held. Usually, Ted made fun of such tastes, and loved to lay boulders
+      in the student's path, put brickbats under his pillow, gravel in his
+      shoes, or send parcels of dirt by express to 'Prof. R. M. Bhaer'. Lately,
+      he had treated Rob's hobbies respectfully, and had begun to appreciate the
+      good qualities of this quiet brother whom he had always loved but rather
+      undervalued, till his courage under fire won Ted's admiration, and made it
+      impossible to forget a fault, the consequences of which might have been so
+      terrible. The leg was still lame, though doing well, and Ted was always
+      offering an arm as support, gazing anxiously at his brother, and trying to
+      guess his wants; for regret was still keen in Ted's soul, and Rob's
+      forgiveness only made it deeper. A fortunate slip on the stairs gave Rob
+      an excuse for limping, and no one but Nan and Ted saw the wound; so the
+      secret was safe up to this time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'We are talking about you, my lads. Come in and tell us what good fairy
+      has been at work while we were gone. Or is it because absence sharpens our
+      eyes, that we find such pleasant changes when we come back?' said Mrs Jo,
+      patting the sofa on either side, while the Professor forgot his piles of
+      letters to admire the pleasing prospect of his wife in a bower of arms, as
+      the boys sat down beside her, smiling affectionately, but feeling a little
+      guilty; for till now 'Mum' and 'Vater' knew every event in their boyish
+      lives.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Oh, it's only because Bobby and I have been alone so much; we are sort of
+      twins. I stir him up a bit, and he steadies me a great deal. You and
+      father do the same, you know. Nice plan. I like it'; and Ted felt that he
+      had settled the matter capitally.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Mother won't thank you for comparing yourself to her, Ted. I'm flattered
+      at being like father in any way. I try to be,' answered Rob, as they
+      laughed at Ted's compliment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I do thank him, for it's true; and if you, Robin, do half as much for
+      your brother as Papa has for me, your life won't be a failure,' said Mrs
+      Jo heartily. 'I'm very glad to see you helping one another. It's the right
+      way, and we can't begin too soon to try to understand the needs, virtues,
+      and failings of those nearest us. Love should not make us blind to faults,
+      nor familiarity make us too ready to blame the shortcomings we see. So
+      work away, my sonnies, and give us more surprises of this sort as often as
+      you like.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'The liebe Mutter has said all. I too am well pleased at the friendly
+      brother-warmth I find. It is good for everyone; long may it last!' and
+      Professor Bhaer nodded at the boys, who looked gratified, but rather at a
+      loss how to respond to these flattering remarks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rob wisely kept silent, fearing to say too much; but Ted burst out,
+      finding it impossible to help telling something:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'The fact is I've been finding out what a brave good chap Bobby is, and
+      I'm trying to make up for all the bother I've been to him. I knew he was
+      awfully wise, but I thought him rather soft, because he liked books better
+      than larks, and was always fussing about his conscience. But I begin to
+      see that it isn't the fellows who talk the loudest and show off best that
+      are the manliest. No, sir! quiet old Bob is a hero and a trump, and I'm
+      proud of him; so would you be if you knew all about it.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Here a look from Rob brought Ted up with a round turn; he stopped short,
+      grew red, and clapped his hand on his mouth in dismay.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Well, are we not to &ldquo;know all about it&rdquo;?' asked Mrs Jo quickly; for her
+      sharp eye saw signs of danger and her maternal heart felt that something
+      had come between her and her sons. 'Boys,' she went on solemnly, 'I
+      suspect that the change we talk about is not altogether the effect of
+      growing up, as we say. It strikes me that Ted has been in mischief and Rob
+      has got him out of some scrape; hence the lovely mood of my bad boy and
+      the sober one of my conscientious son, who never hides anything from his
+      mother.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rob was as red as Ted now, but after a moment's hesitation he looked up
+      and answered with an air of relief:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes, mother, that's it; but it's all over and no harm done, and I think
+      we'd better let it be, for a while at least. I did feel guilty to keep
+      anything from you, but now you know so much I shall not worry and you
+      needn't either. Ted's sorry, I don't mind, and it has done us both good.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo looked at Ted, who winked hard but bore the look like a man; then
+      she turned to Rob, who smiled at her so cheerfully that she felt
+      reassured; but something in his face struck her, and she saw what it was
+      that made him seem older, graver, yet more lovable than ever. It was the
+      look pain of mind, as well as body, brings, and the patience of a sweet
+      submission to some inevitable trial. Like a flash she guessed that some
+      danger had been near her boy, and the glances she had caught between the
+      two lads and Nan confirmed her fears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Rob, dear, you have been ill, hurt, or seriously troubled by Ted? Tell me
+      at once; I will not have any secrets now. Boys sometimes suffer all their
+      lives from neglected accidents or carelessness. Fritz, make them speak
+      out!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mr Bhaer put down his papers and came to stand before them, saying in a
+      tone that quieted Mrs Jo, and gave the boys courage:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'My sons, give us the truth. We can bear it; do not hold it back to spare
+      us. Ted knows we forgive much because we love him, so be frank, all two.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Ted instantly dived among the sofa pillows and kept there, with only a
+      pair of scarlet ears visible, while Rob in a few words told the little
+      story, truthfully, but as gently as he could, hastening to add the
+      comfortable assurance that Don was not mad, the wound nearly well, and no
+      danger would ever come of it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But Mrs Jo grew so pale he had to put his arms about her, and his father
+      turned and walked away, exclaiming: 'Ach Himmel!' in a tone of such
+      mingled pain, relief, and gratitude, that Ted pulled an extra pillow over
+      his head to smother the sound. They were all right in a minute; but such
+      news is always a shock, even if the peril is past, and Mrs Jo hugged her
+      boy close till his father came and took him away, saying with a strong
+      shake of both hands and a quiver in his voice:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'To be in danger of one's life tries a man's mettle, and you bear it well;
+      but I cannot spare my good boy yet; thank Gott, we keep him safe!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A smothered sound, between a choke and a groan, came from under the
+      pillows, and the writhing of Ted's long legs so plainly expressed despair
+      that his mother relented towards him, and burrowing till she found a
+      tousled yellow head, pulled it out and smoothed it, exclaiming with an
+      irrepressible laugh, though her cheeks were wet with tears:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Come and be forgiven, poor sinner! I know you have suffered enough, and I
+      won't say a word; only if harm had come to Rob you would have made me more
+      miserable than yourself. Oh, Teddy, Teddy, do try to cure that wilful
+      spirit of yours before it is too late!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Oh, Mum, I do try! I never can forget this&mdash;I hope it's cured me; if
+      it hasn't, I am afraid I ain't worth saving,' answered Ted, pulling his
+      own hair as the only way of expressing his deep remorse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes, you are, my dear; I felt just so at fifteen when Amy was nearly
+      drowned, and Marmee helped me as I'll help you. Come to me, Teddy, when
+      the evil one gets hold of you, and together we'll rout him. Ah, me! I've
+      had many a tussle with that old Apollyon, and often got worsted, but not
+      always. Come under my shield, and we'll fight till we win.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      No one spoke for a minute as Ted and his mother laughed and cried in one
+      handkerchief, and Rob stood with his father's arm round him so happy that
+      all was told and forgiven, though never to be forgotten; for such
+      experiences do one good, and knit hearts that love more closely together.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Presently Ted rose straight up and going to his father, said bravely and
+      humbly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I ought to be punished. Please do it; but first say you forgive me, as
+      Rob does.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Always that, mein Sohn, seventy time seven, if needs be, else I am not
+      worthy the name you give me. The punishment has come; I can give no
+      greater. Let it not be in vain. It will not with the help of the mother
+      and the All Father. Room here for both, always!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The good Professor opened his arms and embraced his boys like a true
+      German, not ashamed to express by gesture or by word the fatherly emotions
+      an American would have compressed into a slap on the shoulder and a brief
+      'All right'.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo sat and enjoyed the prospect like a romantic soul as she was, and
+      then they had a quiet talk together, saying freely all that was in their
+      hearts, and finding much comfort in the confidence which comes when love
+      casts out fear. It was agreed that nothing be said except to Nan, who was
+      to be thanked and rewarded for her courage, discretion, and fidelity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I always knew that girl had the making of a fine woman in her, and this
+      proves it. No panics and shrieks and faintings and fuss, but calm sense
+      and energetic skill. Dear child, what can I give or do to show my
+      gratitude?' said Mrs Jo enthusiastically.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Make Tom clear out and leave her in peace,' suggested Ted, almost himself
+      again, though a pensive haze still partially obscured his native gaiety.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes, do! he frets her like a mosquito. She forbade him to come out here
+      while she stayed, and packed him off with Demi. I like old Tom, but he is
+      a regular noodle about Nan,' added Rob, as he went away to help his father
+      with the accumulated letters.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll do it!' said Mrs Jo decidedly. 'That girl's career shall not be
+      hampered by a foolish boy's fancy. In a moment of weariness she may give
+      in, and then it's all over. Wiser women have done so and regretted it all
+      their lives. Nan shall earn her place first, and prove that she can fill
+      it; then she may marry if she likes, and can find a man worthy of her.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But Mrs Jo's help was not needed; for love and gratitude can work
+      miracles, and when youth, beauty, accident, and photography are added,
+      success is sure; as was proved in the case of the unsuspecting but too
+      susceptible Thomas.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      Chapter 8. JOSIE PLAYS MERMAID
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      While the young Bhaers were having serious experiences at home, Josie was
+      enjoying herself immensely at Rocky Nook; for the Laurences knew how to
+      make summer idleness both charming and wholesome. Bess was very fond of
+      her little cousin; Mrs Amy felt that whether her niece was an actress or
+      not she must be a gentlewoman, and gave her the social training which
+      marks the well-bred woman everywhere; while Uncle Laurie was never happier
+      than when rowing, riding, playing, or lounging with two gay girls beside
+      him. Josie bloomed like a wild flower in this free life, Bess grew rosy,
+      brisk, and merry, and both were great favourites with the neighbours,
+      whose villas were by the shore or perched on the cliffs along the pretty
+      bay.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One crumpled rose-leaf disturbed Josie's peace, one baffled wish filled
+      her with a longing which became a mania, and kept her as restless and
+      watchful as a detective with a case to 'work up'. Miss Cameron, the great
+      actress, had hired one of the villas and retired thither to rest and
+      'create' a new part for next season. She saw no one but a friend or two,
+      had a private beach, and was invisible except during her daily drive, or
+      when the opera-glasses of curious gazers were fixed on a blue figure
+      disporting itself in the sea. The Laurences knew her, but respected her
+      privacy, and after a call left her in peace till she expressed a wish for
+      society&mdash;a courtesy which she remembered and repaid later, as we
+      shall see.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But Josie was like a thirsty fly buzzing about a sealed honey-pot, for
+      this nearness to her idol was both delightful and maddening. She pined to
+      see, hear, talk with, and study this great and happy woman who could
+      thrill thousands by her art, and win friends by her virtue, benevolence,
+      and beauty. This was the sort of actress the girl meant to be, and few
+      could object if the gift was really hers; for the stage needs just such
+      women to purify and elevate the profession which should teach as well as
+      amuse. If kindly Miss Cameron had known what passionate love and longing
+      burned in the bosom of the little girl whom she idly observed skipping
+      over the rocks, splashing about the beach, or galloping past her gate on a
+      Shetland pony, she would have made her happy by a look or a word. But
+      being tired with her winter's work and busy with her new part, the lady
+      took no more notice of this young neighbour than of the sea-gulls in the
+      bay or the daisies dancing in the fields. Nosegays left on her doorstep,
+      serenades under her garden-wall, and the fixed stare of admiring eyes were
+      such familiar things that she scarcely minded them; and Josie grew
+      desperate when all her little attempts failed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I might climb that pine-tree and tumble off on her piazza roof, or get
+      Sheltie to throw me just at her gate and be taken in fainting. It's no use
+      to try to drown myself when she is bathing. I can't sink, and she'd only
+      send a man to pull me out. What can I do? I will see her and tell her my
+      hopes and make her say I can act some day. Mamma would believe her; and if&mdash;oh,
+      if she only would let me study with her, what perfect joy that would be!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Josie made these remarks one afternoon as she and Bess prepared for a
+      swim, a fishing party having prevented their morning bathe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You must bide your time, dear, and not be so impatient. Papa promised to
+      give you a chance before the season is over, and he always manages things
+      nicely. That will be better than any queer prank of yours,' answered Bess,
+      tying her pretty hair in a white net to match her suit, while Josie made a
+      little lobster of herself in scarlet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I hate to wait; but I suppose I must. Hope she will bathe this afternoon,
+      though it is low tide. She told Uncle she should have to go in then
+      because in the morning people stared so and went on her beach. Come and
+      have a good dive from the big rock. No one round but nurses and babies, so
+      we can romp and splash as much as we like.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Away they went to have a fine time; for the little bay was free from other
+      bathers, and the babies greatly admired their aquatic gymnastics, both
+      being expert swimmers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As they sat dripping on the big rock Josie suddenly gave a clutch that
+      nearly sent Bess overboard, as she cried excitedly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'There she is! Look! coming to bathe. How splendid! Oh, if she only would
+      drown a little and let me save her! or even get her toe nipped by a crab;
+      anything so I could go and speak!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't seem to look; she comes to be quiet and enjoy herself. Pretend we
+      don't see her, that's only civil,' answered Bess, affecting to be absorbed
+      in a white-winged yacht going by.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Let's carelessly float that way as if going for seaweed on the rocks. She
+      can't mind if we are flat on our backs, with only our noses out. Then when
+      we can't help seeing her, we'll swim back as if anxious to retire. That
+      will impress her, and she may call to thank the very polite young ladies
+      who respect her wishes,' proposed Josie, whose lively fancy was always
+      planning dramatic situations.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Just as they were going to slip from their rock, as if Fate relented at
+      last, Miss Cameron was seen to beckon wildly as she stood waist-deep in
+      the water, looking down. She called to her maid, who seemed searching
+      along the beach for something, and not finding what she sought, waved a
+      towel towards the girls as if summoning them to help her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Run, fly! she wants us, she wants us!' cried Josie, tumbling into the
+      water like a very energetic turtle, and swimming away in her best style
+      towards this long desired haven of joy. Bess followed more slowly, and
+      both came panting and smiling up to Miss Cameron, who never lifted her
+      eyes, but said in that wonderful voice of hers:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I've dropped a bracelet. I see it, but can't get it. Will the little boy
+      find me a long stick? I'll keep my eye on it, so the water shall not wash
+      it away.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll dive for it with pleasure; but I'm not a boy,' answered Josie,
+      laughing as she shook the curly head which at a distance had deceived the
+      lady.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I beg your pardon. Dive away, child; the sand is covering it fast. I
+      value it very much. Never forgot to take it off before.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll get it!' and down went Josie, to come up with a handful of pebbles,
+      but no bracelet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'It's gone; never mind&mdash;my fault,' said Miss Cameron, disappointed,
+      but amused at the girl's dismay as she shook the water out of her eyes and
+      gasped bravely:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'No, it isn't. I'll have it, if I stay down all night!' and with one long
+      breath Josie dived again, leaving nothing but a pair of agitated feet to
+      be seen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'm afraid she will hurt herself,' said Miss Cameron, looking at Bess,
+      whom she recognized by her likeness to her mother.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Oh, no; Josie is a little fish. She likes it'; and Bess smiled happily at
+      this wonderful granting of her cousin's desire.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You are Mr Laurence's daughter, I think? How d'ye do, dear? Tell papa I'm
+      coming to see him soon. Too tired before. Quite savage. Better now. Ah!
+      here's our pearl of divers. What luck?' she asked, as the heels went down
+      and a dripping head came up.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Josie could only choke and splutter at first, being half strangled; but
+      though her hands had failed again, her courage had not; and with a
+      resolute shake of her wet hair, a bright look at the tall lady, and a
+      series of puffs to fill her lungs, she said calmly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      '&ldquo;Never give up&rdquo; is my motto. I'm going to get it, if I go to Liverpool
+      for it! Now, then!' and down went the mermaid quite out of sight this
+      time, groping like a real lobster at the bottom of the sea.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Plucky little girl! I like that. Who is she?' asked the lady, sitting
+      down on a half-covered stone to watch her diver, since the bracelet was
+      lost sight of.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Bess told her, adding, with the persuasive smile of her father: 'Josie
+      longs to be an actress, and has waited for a month to see you. This is a
+      great happiness for her.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Bless the child! why didn't she come and call? I'd have let her in;
+      though usually I avoid stage-struck girls as I do reporters,' laughed Miss
+      Cameron.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was no time for more; a brown hand, grasping the bracelet, rose out
+      of the sea, followed by a purple face as Josie came up so blind and dizzy
+      she could only cling to Bess, half drowned but triumphant.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Miss Cameron drew her to the rock where she sat, and pushing the hair out
+      of her eyes, revived her with a hearty 'Bravo! bravo!' which assured the
+      girl that her first act was a hit. Josie had often imagined her meeting
+      with the great actress&mdash;the dignity and grace with which she would
+      enter and tell her ambitious hopes, the effective dress she would wear,
+      the witty things she would say, the deep impression her budding genius
+      would make. But never in her wildest moments had she imagined an interview
+      like this; scarlet, sandy, streaming, and speechless she leaned against
+      the illustrious shoulder, looking like a beautiful seal as she blinked and
+      wheezed till she could smile joyfully and exclaim proudly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I did get it! I'm so glad!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Now get your breath, my dear; then I shall be glad also. It was very nice
+      of you to take all that trouble for me. How shall I thank you?' asked the
+      lady, looking at her with the beautiful eyes that could say so many things
+      without words.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Josie clasped her hands with a wet spat which rather destroyed the effect
+      of the gesture, and answered in a beseeching tone that would have softened
+      a far harder heart than Miss Cameron's:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Let me come and see you once&mdash;only once! I want you to tell me if I
+      can act; you will know. I'll abide by what you say; and if you think I can&mdash;by
+      and by, when I've studied very hard&mdash;I shall be the happiest girl in
+      the world. May I?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes; come tomorrow at eleven. We'll have a good talk; you shall show me
+      what you can do, and I'll give you my opinion. But you won't like it.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I will, no matter if you tell me I'm a fool. I want it settled; so does
+      mamma. I'll take it bravely if you say no; and if you say yes, I'll never
+      give up till I've done my best&mdash;as you did.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Ah, my child, it's a weary road, and there are plenty of thorns among the
+      roses when you've won them. I think you have the courage, and this proves
+      that you have perseverance. Perhaps you'll do. Come, and we'll see.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Miss Cameron touched the bracelet as she spoke, and smiled so kindly that
+      impetuous Josie wanted to kiss her; but wisely refrained, though her eyes
+      were wet with softer water than any in the sea as she thanked her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'We are keeping Miss Cameron from her bath, and the tide is going out.
+      Come, Josie,' said thoughtful Bess, fearing to outstay their welcome.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Run over the beach and get warm. Thank you very much, little mermaid.
+      Tell papa to bring his daughter to see me any time. Good-bye'; and with a
+      wave of her hand the tragedy queen dismissed her court, but remained on
+      her weedy throne watching the two lithe figures race over the sand with
+      twinkling feet till they were out of sight. Then, as she calmly bobbed up
+      and down in the water, she said to herself: 'The child has a good stage
+      face, vivid, mobile; fine eyes, abandon, pluck, will. Perhaps she'll do.
+      Good stock&mdash;talent in the family. We shall see.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Of course Josie never slept a wink, and was in a fever of joyful
+      excitement next day. Uncle Laurie enjoyed the episode very much, and Aunt
+      Amy looked out her most becoming white dress for the grand occasion; Bess
+      lent her most artistic hat, and Josie ranged the wood and marsh for a
+      bouquet of wild roses, sweet white azalea, ferns, and graceful grasses, as
+      the offering of a very grateful heart.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At ten she solemnly arrayed herself, and then sat looking at her neat
+      gloves and buckled shoes till it was time to go, growing pale and sober
+      with the thought that her fate was soon to be decided; for, like all young
+      people she was sure that her whole life could be settled by one human
+      creature, quite forgetting how wonderfully Providence trains us by
+      disappointment, surprises us with unexpected success, and turns our
+      seeming trials into blessings.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I will go alone: we shall be freer so. Oh, Bess, pray that she may tell
+      me rightly! So much depends on that! Don't laugh, uncle! It is a very
+      serious moment for me. Miss Cameron knows that, and will tell you so. Kiss
+      me, Aunt Amy, since mamma isn't here. If you say I look nice, I'm quite
+      satisfied. Good-bye.' And with a wave of the hand as much like her model's
+      as she could make it, Josie departed, looking very pretty and feeling very
+      tragical.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Sure now of admittance, she boldly rang at the door which excluded so
+      many, and being ushered into a shady parlour, feasted her eyes upon
+      several fine portraits of great actors while she waited. She had read
+      about most of them, and knew their trials and triumphs so well that she
+      soon forgot herself, and tried to imitate Mrs Siddons as Lady Macbeth,
+      looking up at the engraving as she held her nosegay like the candle in the
+      sleep-walking scene, and knit her youthful brows distressfully while
+      murmuring the speech of the haunted queen. So busy was she that Miss
+      Cameron watched her for several minutes unseen, then startled her by
+      suddenly sweeping in with the words upon her lips, the look upon her face,
+      which made that one of her greatest scenes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I never can do it like that; but I'll keep trying, if you say I may,'
+      cried Josie, forgetting her manners in the intense interest of the moment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Show me what you can do,' answered the actress, wisely plunging into the
+      middle of things at once, well knowing that no common chat would satisfy
+      this very earnest little person.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'First let me give you these. I thought you'd like wild things better than
+      hot-house flowers; and I loved to bring them, as I'd no other way to thank
+      you for your great kindness to me,' said Josie, offering her nosegay with
+      a simple warmth that was very sweet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I do love them best, and keep my room full of the posies some good fairy
+      hangs on my gate. Upon my word, I think I've found the fairy out&mdash;these
+      are so like,' she added quickly, as her eye went from the flowers in her
+      hand to others that stood near by, arranged with the same taste.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Josie's blush and smile betrayed her before she said, with a look full of
+      girlish adoration and humility: 'I couldn't help it; I admire you so much.
+      I know it was a liberty; but as I couldn't get in myself, I loved to think
+      my posies pleased you.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Something about the child and her little offering touched the woman, and,
+      drawing Josie to her, she said, with no trace of actress in face or voice:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'They did please me, dear, and so do you. I'm tired of praise; and love is
+      very sweet, when it is simple and sincere like this.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Josie remembered to have heard, among many other stories, that Miss
+      Cameron lost her lover years ago, and since had lived only for art. Now
+      she felt that this might have been true; and pity for the splendid, lonely
+      life made her face very eloquent, as well as grateful. Then, as if anxious
+      to forget the past, her new friend said, in the commanding way that seemed
+      natural to her:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Let me see what you can do. Juliet, of course. All begin with that. Poor
+      soul, how she is murdered!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Now, Josie had intended to begin with Romeo's much-enduring sweetheart,
+      and follow her up with Bianca, Pauline, and several of the favourite idols
+      of stage-struck girls; but being a shrewd little person, she suddenly saw
+      the wisdom of Uncle Laurie's advice, and resolved to follow it. So instead
+      of the rant Miss Cameron expected, Josie gave poor Ophelia's mad scene,
+      and gave it very well, having been trained by the college professor of
+      elocution and done it many times. She was too young, of course, but the
+      white gown, the loose hair, the real flowers she scattered over the
+      imaginary grave, added to the illusion; and she sung the songs sweetly,
+      dropped her pathetic curtsies, and vanished behind the curtain that
+      divided the rooms with a backward look that surprised her critical auditor
+      into a quick gesture of applause. Cheered by that welcome sound, Josie ran
+      back as a little hoyden in one of the farces she had often acted, telling
+      a story full of fun and naughtiness at first, but ending with a sob of
+      repentance and an earnest prayer for pardon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Very good! Try again. Better than I expected,' called the voice of the
+      oracle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Josie tried Portia's speech, and recited very well, giving due emphasis to
+      each fine sentence. Then, unable to refrain from what she considered her
+      greatest effort, she burst into Juliet's balcony scene, ending with the
+      poison and the tomb. She felt sure that she surpassed herself, and waited
+      for applause. A ringing laugh made her tingle with indignation and
+      disappointment, as she went to stand before Miss Cameron, saying in a tone
+      of polite surprise:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I have been told that I did it very well. I'm sorry you don't think so.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'My dear, it's very bad. How can it help being so? What can a child like
+      you know of love and fear and death? Don't try it yet. Leave tragedy alone
+      till you are ready for it.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'But you clapped Ophelia.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes, that was very pretty. Any clever girl can do it effectively. But the
+      real meaning of Shakespeare is far above you yet, child. The comedy bit
+      was best. There you showed real talent. It was both comic and pathetic.
+      That's art. Don't lose it. The Portia was good declamation. Go on with
+      that sort of thing; it trains the voice&mdash;teaches shades of
+      expression. You've a good voice and natural grace&mdash;great helps both,
+      hard to acquire.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Well, I'm glad I've got something,' sighed Josie, sitting meekly on a
+      stool, much crestfallen, but not daunted yet, and bound to have her say
+      out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'My dear little girl, I told you that you would not like what I should say
+      to you; yet I must be honest if I would really help you. I've had to do it
+      for many like you; and most of them have never forgiven me, though my
+      words have proved true, and they are what I advised them to be&mdash;good
+      wives and happy mothers in quiet homes. A few have kept on, and done
+      fairly well. One you will hear of soon, I think; for she has talent,
+      indomitable patience, and mind as well as beauty. You are too young to
+      show to which class you belong. Geniuses are very rare, and even at
+      fifteen seldom give much promise of future power.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Oh, I don't think I'm a genius!' cried Josie, growing calm and sober as
+      she listened to the melodious voice and looked into the expressive face
+      that filled her with confidence, so strong, sincere, and kindly was it. 'I
+      only want to find out if I have talent enough to go on, and after years of
+      study to be able to act well in any of the good plays people never tire of
+      seeing. I don't expect to be a Mrs Siddons or a Miss Cameron, much as I
+      long to be; but it does seem as if I had something in me which can't come
+      out in any way but this. When I act I'm perfectly happy. I seem to live,
+      to be in my own world, and each new part is a new friend. I love
+      Shakespeare, and am never tired of his splendid people. Of course, I don't
+      understand it all; but it's like being alone at night with the mountains
+      and the stars, solemn and grand, and I try to imagine how it will look
+      when the sun comes up, and all is glorious and clear to me. I can't see,
+      but I feel the beauty, and long to express it.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As she spoke with the most perfect self-forgetfulness Josie was pale with
+      excitement, her eyes shone, her lips trembled, and all her little soul
+      seemed trying to put into words the emotions that filled it to
+      overflowing. Miss Cameron understood, felt that this was something more
+      than a girlish whim; and when she answered there was a new tone of
+      sympathy in her voice, a new interest in her face, though she wisely
+      refrained from saying all she thought, well knowing what splendid dreams
+      young people build upon a word, and how bitter is the pain when the bright
+      bubbles burst.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'If you feel this, I can give you no better advice than to go on loving
+      and studying our great master,' she said slowly; but Josie caught the
+      changed tone, and felt, with a thrill of joy, that her new friend was
+      speaking to her now as to a comrade. 'It is an education in itself, and a
+      lifetime is not long enough to teach you all his secret. But there is much
+      to do before you can hope to echo his words. Have you the patience,
+      courage, strength, to begin at the beginning, and slowly, painfully, lay
+      the foundation for future work? Fame is a pearl many dive for and only a
+      few bring up. Even when they do, it is not perfect, and they sigh for
+      more, and lose better things in struggling for them.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The last words seemed spoken more to herself than to her hearer, but Josie
+      answered quickly, with a smile and an expressive gesture:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I got the bracelet in spite of all the bitter water in my eyes.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You did! I don't forget it. A good omen. We will accept it.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Miss Cameron answered the smile with one that was like sunshine to the
+      girl, and stretched her white hands as if taking some invisible gift. Then
+      added in a different tone, watching the effect of her words on the
+      expressive face before her:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Now you will be disappointed, for instead of telling you to come and
+      study with me, or go and act in some second-rate theatre at once, I advise
+      you to go back to school and finish your education. That is the first
+      step, for all accomplishments are needed, and a single talent makes a very
+      imperfect character. Cultivate mind and body, heart and soul, and make
+      yourself an intelligent, graceful, beautiful, and healthy girl. Then, at
+      eighteen or twenty, go into training and try your powers. Better start for
+      the battle with your arms in order, and save the hard lesson which comes
+      when we rush on too soon. Now and then genius carries all before it, but
+      not often. We have to climb slowly, with many slips and falls. Can you
+      wait as well as work?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I will!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'We shall see. It would be pleasant to me to know that when I quit the
+      stage I leave behind me a well-trained, faithful, gifted comrade to more
+      than fill my place, and carry on what I have much at heart&mdash;the
+      purification of the stage. Perhaps you are she; but remember, mere beauty
+      and rich costumes do not make an actress, nor are the efforts of a clever
+      little girl to play great characters real art. It is all dazzle and sham,
+      and a disgrace and disappointment now. Why will the public be satisfied
+      with opera bouffe, or the trash called society plays when a world of truth
+      and beauty, poetry and pathos lies waiting to be interpreted and enjoyed?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Miss Cameron had forgotten to whom she spoke, and walked to and fro, full
+      of the noble regret all cultivated people feel at the low state of the
+      stage nowadays.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That's what Uncle Laurie says; and he and Aunt Jo try to plan plays about
+      true and lovely things&mdash;simple domestic scenes that touch people's
+      hearts, and make them laugh and cry and feel better. Uncle says that sort
+      is my style, and I must not think of tragedy. But it's so much nicer to
+      sweep about in crowns and velvet trains than to wear everyday clothes, and
+      just be myself, though it is so easy.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yet that is high art, child, and what we need for a time till we are
+      ready for the masters. Cultivate that talent of yours. It is a special
+      gift, this power to bring tears and smiles, and a sweeter task to touch
+      the heart than to freeze the blood or fire the imagination. Tell your
+      uncle he is right, and ask your aunt to try a play for you. I'll come and
+      see it when you are ready.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Will you? Oh! will you? We are going to have some at Christmas, with a
+      nice part for me. A simple little thing, but I can do it, and should be so
+      proud, so happy to have you there.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Josie rose as she spoke, for a glance at the clock showed her that her
+      call was a long one; and hard as it was to end this momentous interview,
+      she felt that she must go. Catching up her hat she went to Miss Cameron,
+      who stood looking at her so keenly that she felt as transparent as a pane
+      of glass, and coloured prettily as she looked up, saying, with a grateful
+      little tremor in her voice:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I can never thank you for this hour and all you have told me. I shall do
+      just what you advise, and mamma will be very glad to see me settled at my
+      books again. I can study now with all my heart, because it is to help me
+      on; and I won't hope too much, but work and wait, and try to please you,
+      as the only way to pay my debt.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That reminds me that I have not paid mine. Little friend, wear this for
+      my sake. It is fit for a mermaid, and will remind you of your first dive.
+      May the next bring up a better jewel, and leave no bitter water on your
+      lips!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As she spoke, Miss Cameron took from the lace at her throat a pretty pin
+      of aquamarine, and fastened it like an order on Josie's proud bosom; then
+      lifting the happy little face, she kissed it very tenderly, and watched it
+      go smiling away with eyes that seemed to see into a future full of the
+      trials and the triumphs which she knew so well.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Bess expected to see Josie come flying in, all raptures and excitement, or
+      drowned in tears of disappointment, but was surprised at the expression of
+      calm content and resolution which she wore. Pride and satisfaction, and a
+      new feeling of responsibility both sobered and sustained her, and she felt
+      that any amount of dry study and long waiting would be bearable, if in the
+      glorious future she could be an honour to her profession and a comrade to
+      the new friend whom she already adored with girlish ardour.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She told her little story to a deeply interested audience, and all felt
+      that Miss Cameron's advice was good. Mrs Amy was relieved at the prospect
+      of delay; for she did not want her niece to be an actress and hoped the
+      fancy would die out.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Uncle Laurie was full of charming plans and prophecies and wrote one of
+      his most delightful notes to thank their neighbour for her kindness; while
+      Bess, who loved art of all kinds, fully sympathized with her cousin's
+      ambitious hopes, only wondering why she preferred to act out her visions
+      rather than embody them in marble.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That first interview was not the last; for Miss Cameron was really
+      interested, and had several memorable conversations with the Laurences,
+      while the girls sat by, drinking in every word with the delight all
+      artists feel in their own beautiful world, and learning to see how sacred
+      good gifts are, how powerful, and how faithfully they should be used for
+      high ends, each in its own place helping to educate, refine, and refresh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Josie wrote reams to her mother; and when the visit ended rejoiced her
+      heart by bringing her a somewhat changed little daughter, who fell to work
+      at the once-detested books with a patient energy which surprised and
+      pleased everyone. The right string had been touched, and even French
+      exercises and piano practice became endurable, since accomplishments would
+      be useful by and by; dress, manners, and habits were all interesting now,
+      because 'mind and body, heart and soul, must be cultivated', and while
+      training to become an 'intelligent, graceful, healthy girl', little Josie
+      was unconsciously fitting herself to play her part well on whatever stage
+      the great Manager might prepare for her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      Chapter 9. THE WORM TURNS
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      Two very superior bicycles went twinkling up the road to Plumfield one
+      September afternoon, bearing two brown and dusty riders evidently
+      returning from a successful run, for though their legs might be a trifle
+      weary, their faces beamed as they surveyed the world from their lofty
+      perches with the air of calm content all wheelmen wear after they have
+      learned to ride; before that happy period anguish of mind and body is the
+      chief expression of the manly countenance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Go ahead and report, Tom; I'm due here. See you later,' said Demi,
+      swinging himself down at the door of the Dovecote.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't peach, there's a good fellow. Let me have it out with Mother Bhaer
+      first,' returned Tom, wheeling in at the gate with a heavy sigh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Demi laughed, and his comrade went slowly up the avenue, devoutly hoping
+      that the coast was clear; for he was the bearer of tidings which would, he
+      thought, convulse the entire family with astonishment and dismay.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To his great joy Mrs Jo was discovered alone in a grove of proof-sheets,
+      which she dropped, to greet the returning wanderer cordially. But after
+      the first glance she saw that something was the matter, recent events
+      having made her unusually sharp-eyed and suspicious.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'What is it now, Tom?' she asked, as he subsided into an easy-chair with a
+      curious expression of mingled fear, shame, amusement, and distress in his
+      brick-red countenance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'm in an awful scrape, ma'am.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Of course; I'm always prepared for scrapes when you appear. What is it?
+      Run over some old lady who is going to law about it?' asked Mrs Jo
+      cheerfully.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Worse than that,' groaned Tom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Not poisoned some trusting soul who asked you to prescribe, I hope?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Worse than that.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You haven't let Demi catch any horrid thing and left him behind, have
+      you?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Worse even than that.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I give it up. Tell me quick; I hate to wait for bad news.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having got his listener sufficiently excited, Tom launched his thunderbolt
+      in one brief sentence, and fell back to watch the effect.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'm engaged!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo's proof-sheets flew wildly about as she clasped her hands,
+      exclaiming in dismay:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'If Nan has yielded, I'll never forgive her!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'She hasn't; it's another girl.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Tom's face was so funny as he said the words, that it was impossible to
+      help laughing; for he looked both sheepish and pleased, besides very much
+      perplexed and worried.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'm glad, very glad indeed! Don't care who it is; and I hope you'll be
+      married soon. Now tell me all about it,' commanded Mrs Jo, so much
+      relieved that she felt ready for anything.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'What will Nan say?' demanded Tom, rather taken aback at this view of his
+      predicament.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'She will be rejoiced to get rid of the mosquito who has plagued her so
+      long. Don't worry about Nan. Who is this &ldquo;other girl&rdquo;?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Demi hasn't written about her?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Only something about your upsetting a Miss West down at Quitno; I thought
+      that was scrape enough.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That was only the beginning of a series of scrapes. Just my luck! Of
+      course after sousing the poor girl I had to be attentive to her, hadn't I?
+      Everyone seemed to think so, and I couldn't get away, and so I was lost
+      before I knew it. It's all Demi's fault, he would stay there and fuss with
+      his old photos, because the views were good and all the girls wanted to be
+      taken. Look at these, will you, ma'am? That's the way we spent our time
+      when we weren't playing tennis'; and Tom pulled a handful of pictures from
+      his pocket, displaying several in which he was conspicuous, either holding
+      a sun-umbrella over a very pretty young lady on the rocks, reposing at her
+      feet in the grass, or perched on a piazza railing with other couples in
+      seaside costumes and effective attitudes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'This is she of course?' asked Mrs Jo, pointing to the much-ruffled damsel
+      with the jaunty hat, coquettish shoes, and racquet in her hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That's Dora. Isn't she lovely?' cried Tom, forgetting his tribulations
+      for a moment and speaking with lover-like ardour.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Very nice little person to look at. Hope she is not a Dickens Dora? That
+      curly crop looks like it.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Not a bit; she's very smart; can keep house, and sew, and do lots of
+      things, I assure you, ma'am. All the girls like her, and she's
+      sweet-tempered and jolly, and sings like a bird, and dances beautifully,
+      and loves books. Thinks yours are splendid, and made me talk about you no
+      end.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That last sentence is to flatter me and win my help to get you out of the
+      scrape. Tell me first how you got in'; and Mrs Jo settled herself to
+      listen with interest, never tired of boys' affairs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Tom gave his head a rousing rub all over to clear his wits, and plunged
+      into his story with a will.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Well, we've met her before, but I didn't know she was there. Demi wanted
+      to see a fellow, so we went, and finding it nice and cool rested over
+      Sunday. Found some pleasant people and went out rowing; I had Dora, and
+      came to grief on a confounded rock. She could swim, no harm done, only the
+      scare and the spoilt gown. She took it well, and we got friendly at once&mdash;couldn't
+      help it, scrambling into that beast of a boat while the rest laughed at
+      us. Of course we had to stay another day to see that Dora was all right.
+      Demi wanted to. Alice Heath is down there and two other girls from our
+      college, so we sort of lingered along, and Demi kept taking pictures, and
+      we danced, and got into a tennis tournament; and that was as good exercise
+      as wheeling, we thought. Fact is, tennis is a dangerous game, ma'am. A
+      great deal of courting goes on in those courts, and we fellows find that
+      sort of &ldquo;serving&rdquo; mighty agreeable, don't you know?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Not much tennis in my day, but I understand perfectly,' said Mrs Jo,
+      enjoying it all as much as Tom did.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Upon my word, I hadn't the least idea of being serious,' he continued
+      slowly, as if this part of his tale was hard to tell; 'but everyone else
+      spooned, so I did. Dora seemed to like it and expect it, and of course I
+      was glad to be agreeable. She thought I amounted to something, though Nan
+      does not, and it was pleasant to be appreciated after years of snubbing.
+      Yes, it was right down jolly to have a sweet girl smile at you all day,
+      and blush prettily when you said a neat thing to her, and look glad when
+      you came, sorry when you left, and admire all you did, and make you feel
+      like a man and act your best. That's the sort of treatment a fellow enjoys
+      and ought to get if he behaves himself; not frowns and cold shoulders year
+      in and year out, and made to look like a fool when he means well, and is
+      faithful, and has loved a girl ever since he was a boy. No, by Jove, it's
+      not fair, and I won't stand it!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Tom waxed warm and eloquent as he thought over his wrongs, and bounced up
+      to march about the room, wagging his head and trying to feel aggrieved as
+      usual, but surprised to find that his heart did not ache a bit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I wouldn't. Drop the old fancy, for it was nothing more, and take up the
+      new one, if it is genuine. But how came you to propose, Tom, as you must
+      have done to be engaged?' asked Mrs Jo, impatient for the crisis of the
+      tale.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Oh, that was an accident. I didn't mean it at all; the donkey did it, and
+      I couldn't get out of the scrape without hurting Dora's feelings, you
+      see,' began Tom, seeing that the fatal moment had come.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'So there were two donkeys in it, were there?' said Mrs Jo, foreseeing fun
+      of some sort.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't laugh! It sounds funny, I know; but it might have been awful,'
+      answered Tom darkly, though a twinkle of the eye showed that his love
+      trials did not quite blind him to the comic side of the adventure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'The girls admired our new wheels, and of course we liked to show off.
+      Took 'em to ride, and had larks generally. Well, one day, Dora was on
+      behind, and we were going nicely along a good bit of road, when a
+      ridiculous old donkey got right across the way. I thought he'd move, but
+      he didn't, so I gave him a kick; he kicked back, and over we went in a
+      heap, donkey and all. Such a mess! I thought only of Dora, and she had
+      hysterics; at least, she laughed till she cried, and that beast brayed,
+      and I lost my head. Any fellow would, with a poor girl gasping in the
+      road, and he wiping her tears and begging pardon, not knowing whether her
+      bones were broken or not. I called her my darling, and went on like a fool
+      in my flurry, till she grew calmer, and said, with such a look: &ldquo;I forgive
+      you, Tom. Pick me up, and let us go on again.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      'Wasn't that sweet now, after I'd upset her for the second time? It
+      touched me to the heart; and I said I'd like to go on for ever with such
+      an angel to steer for, and&mdash;well I don't know what I did say; but you
+      might have knocked me down with a feather when she put her arm round my
+      neck and whispered: &ldquo;Tom, dear, with you I'm not afraid of any lions in
+      the path.&rdquo; She might have said donkeys; but she was in earnest, and she
+      spared my feelings. Very nice of the dear girl; but there I am with two
+      sweethearts on my hands, and in a deuce of a scrape.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Finding it impossible to contain herself another moment, Mrs Jo laughed
+      till the tears ran down her cheeks at this characteristic episode; and
+      after one reproachful look, which only added to her merriment, Tom burst
+      into a jolly roar that made the room ring.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Tommy Bangs! Tommy Bangs! who but you could ever get into such a
+      catastrophe?' said Mrs Jo, when she recovered her breath.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Isn't it a muddle all round, and won't everyone chaff me to death about
+      it? I shall have to quit old Plum for a while,' answered Tom, as he mopped
+      his face, trying to realize the full danger of his position.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'No, indeed; I'll stand by you, for I think it the best joke of the
+      season. But tell me how things ended. Is it really serious, or only a
+      summer flirtation? I don't approve of them, but boys and girls will play
+      with edged tools and cut their fingers.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Well, Dora considers herself engaged, and wrote to her people at once. I
+      couldn't say a word when she took it all in solemn earnest and seemed so
+      happy. She's only seventeen, never liked anyone before, and is sure all
+      will be all right; as her father knows mine, and we are both well off. I
+      was so staggered that I said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      '&ldquo;Why, you can't love me really when we know so little of one another?&rdquo;
+       But she answered right out of her tender little heart: &ldquo;Yes, I do, dearly,
+      Tom; you are so gay and kind and honest, I couldn't help it.&rdquo; Now, after
+      that what could I do but go ahead and make her happy while I stayed, and
+      trust to luck to straighten the snarl out afterwards?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'A truly Tomian way of taking things easy. I hope you told your father at
+      once.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Oh yes, I wrote off and broke it to him in three lines. I said: &ldquo;Dear
+      Father, I'm engaged to Dora West, and I hope she will suit the family. She
+      suits me tip-top. Yours ever, Tom.&rdquo; He was all right, never liked Nan, you
+      know; but Dora will suit him down to the ground.' And Tom looked entirely
+      satisfied with his own tact and taste.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'What did Demi say to this rapid and funny lovemaking? Wasn't he
+      scandalized?' asked Mrs Jo, trying not to laugh again as she thought of
+      the unromantic spectacle of donkey, bicycle, boy, and girl all in the dust
+      together.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Not a bit. He was immensely interested and very kind; talked to me like a
+      father; said it was a good thing to steady a fellow, only I must be honest
+      with her and myself and not trifle a moment. Demi is a regular Solomon,
+      especially when he is in the same boat,' answered Tom, looking wise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You don't mean&mdash;?' gasped Mrs Jo, in sudden alarm at the bare idea
+      of more love-affairs just yet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes, I do, please, ma'am; it's a regular sell all the way through, and I
+      owe Demi one for taking me into temptation blindfold. He said he went to
+      Quitno to see Fred Wallace, but he never saw the fellow. How could he,
+      when Wallace was off in his yacht all the time we were there? Alice was
+      the real attraction, and I was left to my fate, while they were maundering
+      round with that old camera. There were three donkeys in this affair, and
+      I'm not the worst one, though I shall have to bear the laugh. Demi will
+      look innocent and sober, and no one will say a word to him.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'The midsummer madness has broken out, and no one knows who will be
+      stricken next. Well, leave Demi to his mother, and let us see what you are
+      going to do, Tom.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I don't know exactly; it's awkward to be in love with two girls at once.
+      What do you advise?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'A common-sense view of the case, by all means. Dora loves you and thinks
+      you love her. Nan does not care for you, and you only care for her as a
+      friend, though you have tried to do more. It is my opinion, Tom, that you
+      love Dora, or are on the way to it; for in all these years I've never seen
+      you look or speak about Nan as you do about Dora. Opposition has made you
+      obstinately cling to her till accident has shown you a more attractive
+      girl. Now, I think you had better take the old love for a friend, the new
+      one for a sweetheart, and in due time, if the sentiment is genuine, marry
+      her.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      If Mrs Jo had any doubts about the matter, Tom's face would have proved
+      the truth of her opinion; for his eyes shone, his lips smiled, and in
+      spite of dust and sunburn a new expression of happiness quite glorified
+      him as he stood silent for a moment, trying to understand the beautiful
+      miracle which real love works when it comes to a young man's heart.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'The fact is I meant to make Nan jealous, for she knows Dora, and I was
+      sure would hear of our doings. I was tired of being walked on, and I
+      thought I'd try to break away and not be a bore and a laughing-stock any
+      more,' he said slowly, as if it relieved him to pour out his doubts and
+      woes and hopes and joys to his old friend. 'I was regularly astonished to
+      find it so easy and so pleasant. I didn't mean to do any harm, but drifted
+      along beautifully, and told Demi to mention things in his letters to
+      Daisy, so Nan might know. Then I forgot Nan altogether, and saw, heard,
+      felt, cared for no one but Dora, till the donkey&mdash;bless his old
+      heart!&mdash;pitched her into my arms and I found she loved me. Upon my
+      soul, I don't see why she should! I'm not half good enough.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Every honest man feels that when an innocent girl puts her hand in his.
+      Make yourself worthy of her, for she isn't an angel, but a woman with
+      faults of her own for you to bear, and forgive, and you must help one
+      another,' said Mrs Jo, trying to realize that this sober youth was her
+      scapegrace Tommy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'What troubles me is that I didn't mean it when I began, and was going to
+      use the dear girl as an instrument of torture for Nan. It wasn't right,
+      and I don't deserve to be so happy. If all my scrapes ended as well as
+      this, what a state of bliss I should be in!' and Tom beamed again at the
+      rapturous prospect.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'My dear boy, it is not a scrape, but a very sweet experience suddenly
+      dawning upon you,' answered Mrs Jo, speaking very soberly; for she saw he
+      was in earnest. 'Enjoy it wisely and be worthy of it, for it is a serious
+      thing to accept a girl's love and trust, and let her look up to you for
+      tenderness and truth in return. Don't let little Dora look in vain, but be
+      a man in all things for her sake, and make this affection a blessing to
+      you both.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll try. Yes, I do love her, only I can't believe it just yet. Wish you
+      knew her. Dear little soul, I long to see her already! She cried when we
+      parted last night and I hated to go.' Tom's hand went to his cheek as if
+      he still felt the rosy little seal Dora had set upon his promise not to
+      forget her, and for the first time in his happy-go-lucky life Tommy Bangs
+      understood the difference between sentiment and sentimentality. The
+      feeling recalled Nan, for he had never known that tender thrill when
+      thinking of her, and the old friendship seemed rather a prosaic affair
+      beside this delightful mingling of romance, surprise, love, and fun. 'I
+      declare, I feel as if a weight was off me, but what the dickens will Nan
+      say when she knows it!' he exclaimed with a chuckle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Knows what?' asked a clear voice that made both start and turn, for there
+      was Nan calmly surveying them from the doorway.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Anxious to put Tom out of suspense and see how Nan would take the news,
+      Mrs Jo answered quickly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Tom's engagement to Dora West.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Really?' and Nan looked so surprised that Mrs Jo was afraid she might be
+      fonder of her old playmate than she knew; but her next words set the fear
+      at rest, and made everything comfortable and merry at once.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I knew my prescription would work wonders if he only took it long enough.
+      Dear old Tom, I'm so glad. Bless you! bless you!' And she shook both his
+      hands with hearty affection.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'It was an accident, Nan. I didn't mean to, but I'm always getting into
+      messes, and I couldn't seem to get out of this any other way. Mother Bhaer
+      will tell you all about it. I must go and make myself tidy. Going to tea
+      with Demi. See you later.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Stammering, blushing, and looking both sheepish and gratified, Tom
+      suddenly bolted, leaving the elder lady to enlighten the younger at
+      length, and have another laugh over this new sort of courtship, which
+      might well be called accidental. Nan was deeply interested, for she knew
+      Dora, thought her a nice little thing, and predicted that in time she
+      would make Tom an excellent wife, since she admired and 'appreciated' him
+      so much.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I shall miss him of course, but it will be a relief to me and better for
+      him; dangling is so bad for a boy. Now he will go into business with his
+      father and do well, and everyone be happy. I shall give Dora an elegant
+      family medicine-chest for a wedding-present, and teach her how to use it.
+      Tom can't be trusted, and is no more fit for the profession than Silas.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The latter part of this speech relieved Mrs Jo's mind, for Nan had looked
+      about her as if she had lost something valuable when she began; but the
+      medicine-chest seemed to cheer her, and the thought of Tom in a safe
+      profession was evidently a great comfort.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'The worm has turned at last, Nan, and your bond-man is free. Let him go,
+      and give your whole mind to your work; for you are fitted for the
+      profession, and will be an honour to it by and by,' she said approvingly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I hope so. That reminds me&mdash;measles are in the village, and you had
+      better tell the girls not to call where there are children. It would be
+      bad to have a run of them just as term begins. Now I'm off to Daisy.
+      Wonder what she will say to Tom. Isn't he great fun?' And Nan departed,
+      laughing over the joke with such genuine satisfaction that it was evident
+      no sentimental regrets disturbed her 'maiden meditation, fancy-free'.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I shall have my eye on Demi, but won't say a word. Meg likes to manage
+      her children in her own way, and a very good way it is. But the dear
+      Pelican will be somewhat ruffled if her boy has caught the epidemic which
+      seems to have broken out among us this summer.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo did not mean the measles, but that more serious malady called love,
+      which is apt to ravage communities, spring and autumn, when winter gaiety
+      and summer idleness produce whole bouquets of engagements, and set young
+      people to pairing off like the birds. Franz began it, Nat was a chronic
+      and Tom a sudden case; Demi seemed to have the symptoms; and worst of all,
+      her own Ted had only the day before calmly said to her: 'Mum, I think I
+      should be happier if I had a sweetheart, like the other boys.' If her
+      cherished son had asked her for dynamite to play with, she would hardly
+      have been more startled, or have more decidedly refused the absurd
+      request.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Well, Barry Morgan said I ought to have one and offered to pick me out a
+      nice one among our set. I asked Josie first, and she hooted at the idea,
+      so I thought I'd let Barry look round. You say it steadies a fellow, and I
+      want to be steady,' explained Ted in a serious tone, which would have
+      convulsed his parent at any other time.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Good lack! What are we coming to in this fast age when babes and boys
+      make such demands and want to play with one of the most sacred things in
+      life?' exclaimed Mrs Jo, and having in a few words set the matter in its
+      true light, sent her son away to wholesome baseball and Octoo for a safe
+      sweetheart.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Now, here was Tom's bomb-shell to explode in their midst, carrying
+      widespread destruction, perhaps; for though one swallow does not make a
+      summer, one engagement is apt to make several, and her boys were, most of
+      them, at the inflammable age when a spark ignites the flame, which soon
+      flickers and dies out, or burns warm and clear for life. Nothing could be
+      done about it but to help them make wise choices, and be worthy of good
+      mates. But of all the lessons Mrs Jo had tried to teach her boys, this
+      great one was the hardest; for love is apt to make lunatics of even saints
+      and sages, so young people cannot be expected to escape the delusions,
+      disappointments, and mistakes, as well as the delights, of this sweet
+      madness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I suppose it is inevitable, since we live in America, so I won't borrow
+      trouble, but hope that some of the new ideas of education will produce a
+      few hearty, happy, capable, and intelligent girls for my lads. Lucky for
+      me that I haven't the whole twelve on my hands, I should lose my wits if I
+      had, for I foresee complications and troubles ahead worse than Tom's
+      boats, bicycles, donkeys, and Doras,' meditated Mrs Jo, as she went back
+      to her neglected proof-sheets.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Tom was quite satisfied with the tremendous effect his engagement produced
+      in the little community at Plumfield.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'It was paralysing,' as Demi said; and astonishment left most of Tom's
+      mates little breath for chaff. That he, the faithful one, should turn from
+      the idol to strange goddesses, was a shock to the romantic and a warning
+      to the susceptible. It was comical to see the airs our Thomas put on; for
+      the most ludicrous parts of the affair were kindly buried in oblivion by
+      the few who knew them, and Tom burst forth as a full-blown hero who had
+      rescued the maiden from a watery grave, and won her gratitude and love by
+      his daring deed. Dora kept the secret, and enjoyed the fun when she came
+      to see Mother Bhaer and pay her respects to the family generally. Everyone
+      liked her at once, for she was a gay and winning little soul; fresh,
+      frank, and so happy, it was beautiful to see her innocent pride in Tom,
+      who was a new boy, or man rather; for with this change in his life a great
+      change took place in him. Jolly he would always be, and impulsive, but he
+      tried to become all that Dora believed him, and his best side came
+      uppermost for everyday wear. It was surprising to see how many good traits
+      Tom had; and his efforts to preserve the manly dignity belonging to his
+      proud position as an engaged man was very comical. So was the entire
+      change from his former abasement and devotion to Nan to a somewhat lordly
+      air with his little betrothed; for Dora made an idol of him, and resented
+      the idea of a fault or a flaw in her Tom. This new state of things suited
+      both, and the once blighted being bloomed finely in the warm atmosphere of
+      appreciation, love, and confidence. He was very fond of the dear girl, but
+      meant to be a slave no longer, and enjoyed his freedom immensely, quite
+      unconscious that the great tyrant of the world had got hold of him for
+      life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      To his father's satisfaction he gave up his medical studies, and prepared
+      to go into business with the old gentleman, who was a flourishing
+      merchant, ready now to make the way smooth and smile upon his marriage
+      with Mr West's well-endowed daughter. The only thorn in Tom's bed of roses
+      was Nan's placid interest in his affairs, and evident relief at his
+      disloyalty. He did not want her to suffer, but a decent amount of regret
+      at the loss of such a lover would have gratified him; a slight melancholy,
+      a word of reproach, a glance of envy as he passed with adoring Dora on his
+      arm, seemed but the fitting tribute to such years of faithful service and
+      sincere affection. But Nan regarded him with a maternal sort of air that
+      nettled him very much, and patted Dora's curly head with a worldlywise air
+      worthy of the withered spinster, Julia Mills, in David Copperfield.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It took some time to get the old and the new emotions comfortably
+      adjusted, but Mrs Jo helped him, and Mr Laurie gave him some wise advice
+      upon the astonishing gymnastic feats the human heart can perform, and be
+      all the better for it if it only held fast to the balancing-pole of truth
+      and common sense. At last our Tommy got his bearings, and as autumn came
+      on Plumfield saw but little of him; for his new lode star was in the city,
+      and business kept him hard at work. He was evidently in his right place
+      now, and soon throve finely, to his father's great contentment; for his
+      jovial presence pervaded the once quiet office like a gale of fresh wind,
+      and his lively wits found managing men and affairs much more congenial
+      employment than studying disease, or playing unseemly pranks with
+      skeletons.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Here we will leave him for a time and turn to the more serious adventures
+      of his mates, though this engagement, so merrily made, was the anchor
+      which kept our mercurial Tom happy, and made a man of him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0010" id="link2HCH0010">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      Chapter 10. DEMI SETTLES
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      'Mother, can I have a little serious conversation with you?' asked Demi
+      one evening, as they sat together enjoying the first fire of the season,
+      while Daisy wrote letters upstairs and Josie was studying in the little
+      library close by.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Certainly, dear. No bad news, I hope?' and Mrs Meg looked up from her
+      sewing with a mixture of pleasure and anxiety on her motherly face; for
+      she dearly loved a good talk with her son, and knew that he always had
+      something worth telling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'It will be good news for you, I think,' answered Demi, smiling as he
+      threw away his paper and went to sit beside her on the little sofa which
+      just held two.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Let me hear it, then, at once.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I know you don't like the reporting, and will be glad to hear that I have
+      given it up.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I am very glad! It is too uncertain a business, and there is no prospect
+      of getting on for a long time. I want you settled in some good place where
+      you can stay, and in time make money. I wish you liked a profession; but
+      as you don't, any clean, well-established business will do.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'What do you say to a railroad office?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I don't like it. A noisy, hurried kind of place, I know, with all sorts
+      of rough men about. I hope it isn't that, dear?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I could have it; but does book-keeping in a wholesale leather business
+      please you better?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'No; you'll get round-shouldered writing at a tall desk; and they say,
+      once a book-keeper always a book-keeper.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'How does a travelling agent suit your views?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Not at all; with all those dreadful accidents, and the exposure and bad
+      food as you go from place to place, you are sure to get killed or lose
+      your health.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I could be private secretary to a literary man; but the salary is small,
+      and may end any time.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That would be better, and more what I want. It isn't that I object to
+      honest work of any kind; but I don't want my son to spend his best years
+      grubbing for a little money in a dark office, or be knocked about in a
+      rough-and-tumble scramble to get on. I want to see you in some business
+      where your tastes and talents can be developed and made useful; where you
+      can go on rising, and in time put in your little fortune and be a partner;
+      so that your years of apprenticeship will not be wasted, but fit you to
+      take your place among the honourable men who make their lives and work
+      useful and respected. I talked it all over with your dear father when you
+      were a child; and if he had lived he would have shown you what I mean, and
+      helped you to be what he was.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Meg wiped away a quiet tear as she spoke; for the memory of her
+      husband was a very tender one, and the education of his children had been
+      a sacred task to which she gave all her heart and life, and so far she had
+      done wonderfully well&mdash;as her good son and loving daughters tried to
+      prove. Demi's arm was round her now, as he said, in a voice so like his
+      father's that it was the sweetest music to her ear:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Mother dear, I think I have got just what you want for me; and it shall
+      not be my fault if I don't become the man you hope to see me. Let me tell
+      you all about it. I didn't say anything till it was sure because it would
+      only worry you; but Aunt Jo and I have been on the look-out for it some
+      time, and now it has come. You know her publisher, Mr Tiber, is one of the
+      most successful men in the business; also generous, kind, and the soul of
+      honour&mdash;as his treatment of Aunty proves. Well, I've rather hankered
+      for that place; for I love books, and as I can't make them I'd like to
+      publish them. That needs some literary taste and judgement, it brings you
+      in contact with fine people, and is an education in itself. Whenever I go
+      into that large, handsome room to see Mr Tiber for Aunt Jo, I always want
+      to stay; for it's lined with books and pictures, famous men and women come
+      and go, and Mr Tiber sits at his desk like a sort of king, receiving his
+      subjects; for the greatest authors are humble to him, and wait his Yes or
+      No with anxiety. Of course I've nothing to do with all that, and may never
+      have; but I like to see it, and the atmosphere is so different from the
+      dark offices and hurly-burly of many other trades, where nothing but money
+      is talked about, that it seems another world, and I feel at home in it.
+      Yes, I'd rather beat the door-mats and make fires there than be head clerk
+      in the great hide and leather store at a big salary.' Here Demi paused for
+      breath; and Mrs Meg, whose face had been growing brighter and brighter,
+      exclaimed eagerly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Just what I should like! Have you got it? Oh, my dear boy! your fortune
+      is made if you go to that well-established and flourishing place, with
+      those good men to help you along!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I think I have, but we mustn't be too sure of anything yet. I may not
+      suit; I'm only on trial, and must begin at the beginning and work my way
+      up faithfully. Mr Tiber was very kind, and will push me on as fast as is
+      fair to the other fellows, and as I prove myself fit to go up. I'm to
+      begin the first of next month in the book-room, filling orders; and I go
+      round and get orders, and do various other things of the sort. I like it.
+      I am ready to do anything about books, if it's only to dust them,' laughed
+      Demi, well pleased with his prospects, for, after trying various things,
+      he seemed at last to have found the sort of work he liked, and a prospect
+      that was very inviting to him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You inherit that love of books from grandpa; he can't live without them.
+      I'm glad of it. Tastes of that kind show a refined nature, and are both a
+      comfort and a help all one's life. I am truly glad and grateful, John,
+      that at last you want to settle, and have got such an entirely
+      satisfactory place. Most boys begin much earlier; but I don't believe in
+      sending them out to face the world so young, just when body and soul need
+      home care and watchfulness. Now you are a man, and must begin your life
+      for yourself. Do your best, and be as honest, useful, and happy as your
+      father, and I won't care about making a fortune.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll try, mother. Couldn't have a better chance; for Tiber &amp; Co.
+      treat their people like gentlemen, and pay generously for faithful work.
+      Things are done in a businesslike way there, and that suits me. I hate
+      promises that are not kept, and shiftless or tyrannical ways anywhere. Mr
+      Tiber said: &ldquo;This is only to teach you the ropes, Brooke; I shall have
+      other work for you by and by.&rdquo; Aunty told him I had done book notices, and
+      had rather a fancy for literature; so though I can't produce any &ldquo;works of
+      Shakespeare&rdquo;, as she says, I may get up some little things later. If I
+      don't, I think it a very honourable and noble profession to select and
+      give good books to the world; and I'm satisfied to be a humble helper in
+      the work.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'm glad you feel so. It adds so much to one's happiness to love the task
+      one does. I used to hate teaching; but housekeeping for my own family was
+      always sweet, though much harder in many ways. Isn't Aunt Jo pleased about
+      all this?' asked Mrs Meg, already seeing in her mind's eye a splendid sign
+      with 'Tiber, Brooke &amp; Co.' over the door of a famous publishing house.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'So pleased that I could hardly keep her from letting the cat out of the
+      bag too soon. I've had so many plans, and disappointed you so often, I
+      wanted to be very sure this time. I had to bribe Rob and Ted to keep her
+      at home tonight till I'd told my news, she was eager to rush down and tell
+      you herself. The castles that dear woman has built for me would fill all
+      Spain, and have kept us jolly while we waited to know our fate. Mr Tiber
+      doesn't do things in a hurry; but when he makes up his mind, you are all
+      right; and I feel that I am fairly launched.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Bless you, dear, I hope so! It is a happy day for me, because I've been
+      so anxious lest, with all my care, I have been too easy and indulgent, and
+      my boy, with his many good gifts, might fritter his time away in harmless
+      but unsatisfactory things. Now I am at ease about you. If only Daisy can
+      be happy, and Josie give up her dream, I shall be quite contented.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Demi let his mother enjoy herself for a few minutes, while he smiled over
+      a certain little dream of his own, not ready yet for the telling; then he
+      said, in the paternal tone which he unconsciously used when speaking of
+      his sisters:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll see to the girls; but I begin to think grandpa is right in saying we
+      must each be what God and nature makes us. We can't change it much&mdash;only
+      help to develop the good and control the bad elements in us. I have
+      fumbled my way into my right place at last, I hope. Let Daisy be happy in
+      her way, since it is a good and womanly one. If Nat comes home all right,
+      I'd say: &ldquo;Bless you, my children,&rdquo; and give them a nest of their own. Then
+      you and I will help little Jo to find out if it is to be &ldquo;All the world's
+      a stage&rdquo; or &ldquo;Home, sweet home&rdquo;, for her.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I suppose we must, John; but I can't help making plans, and hoping they
+      will come to pass. I see that Daisy is bound up in Nat; and if he is
+      worthy of her I shall let them be happy in their own way, as my parents
+      let me. But Josie will be a trial, I foresee; and much as I love the
+      stage, and always did, I don't see how I can ever let my little girl be an
+      actress, though she certainly has great talent for it.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Whose fault is that?' asked Demi, smiling, as he remembered his mother's
+      early triumphs and unquenchable interest in the dramatic efforts of the
+      young people round her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Mine, I know. How could it be otherwise when I acted Babes in the Wood
+      with you and Daisy before you could speak, and taught Josie to declaim
+      Mother Goose in her cradle. Ah, me! the tastes of the mother come out in
+      her children, and she must atone for them by letting them have their own
+      way, I suppose.' And Mrs Meg laughed, even while she shook her head over
+      the undeniable fact that the Marches were a theatrical family.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Why not have a great actress of our name, as well as an authoress, a
+      minister, and an eminent publisher? We don't choose our talents, but we
+      needn't hide them in a napkin because they are not just what we want. I
+      say, let Jo have her way, and do what she can. Here am I to take care of
+      her; and you can't deny you'd enjoy fixing her furbelows, and seeing her
+      shine before the footlights, where you used to long to be. Come, mother,
+      better face the music and march gaily, since your wilful children will
+      &ldquo;gang their ain gait&rdquo;.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I don't see but I must, and &ldquo;leave the consequences to the Lord&rdquo;, as
+      Marmee used to say when she had to decide, and only saw a step of the
+      road. I should enjoy it immensely, if I could only feel that the life
+      would not hurt my girl, and leave her unsatisfied when it was too late to
+      change; for nothing is harder to give up than the excitements of that
+      profession. I know something of it; and if your blessed father had not
+      come along, I'm afraid I should have been an actress in spite of Aunt
+      March and all our honoured ancestors.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Let Josie add new honour to the name, and work out the family talent in
+      its proper place. I'll play dragon to her, and you play nurse, and no harm
+      can come to our little Juliet, no matter how many Romeos spoon under her
+      balcony. Really, ma'am, opposition comes badly from an old lady who is
+      going to wring the hearts of our audience in the heroine's part in Aunty's
+      play next Christmas. It's the most pathetic thing I ever saw, mother; and
+      I'm sorry you didn't become an actress, though we should be nowhere if you
+      had.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Demi was on his legs now, with his back to the fire, in the lordly
+      attitude men like to assume when things go well with them, or they want to
+      lay down the law on any subject.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Meg actually blushed at her son's hearty praise, and could not deny
+      that the sound of applause was as sweet now as when she played the Witch's
+      Curse and The Moorish Maiden's Vow long years ago.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'It's perfectly absurd for me to do it, but I couldn't resist when Jo and
+      Laurie made the part for me, and you children were to act in it. The
+      minute I get on the old mother's dress I forget myself and feel the same
+      thrill at the sound of the bell that I used to feel when we got up plays
+      in the garret. If Daisy would only take the daughter's part it would be so
+      complete; for with you and Josie I am hardly acting, it is all so real.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Especially the hospital scene, where you find the wounded son. Why,
+      mother, do you know when we did that at last rehearsal my face was wet
+      with real tears as you cried over me. It will bring down the house; but
+      don't forget to wipe 'em off, or I shall sneeze,' said Demi, laughing at
+      the recollection of his mother's hit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I won't; but it almost broke my heart to see you so pale and dreadful. I
+      hope there will never be another war in my time, for I should have to let
+      you go; and I never want to live through the same experience we had with
+      father.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't you think Alice does the part better than Daisy would? Daisy hasn't
+      a bit of the actress in her, and Alice puts life into the dullest words
+      she speaks. I think the Marquise is just perfect in our piece,' said Demi,
+      strolling about the room as if the warmth of the fire sent a sudden colour
+      to his face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'So do I. She is a dear girl, and I'm proud and fond of her. Where is she
+      tonight?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Pegging away at her Greek, I suppose. She usually is in the evening.
+      More's the pity,' added Demi, in a low tone, as he stared intently at the
+      book-case, though he couldn't read a title.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Now, there is a girl after my own heart. Pretty, well-bred,
+      well-educated, and yet domestic, a real companion as well as help-meet for
+      some good and intelligent man. I hope she will find one.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'So do I,' muttered Demi.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Meg had taken up her work again, and was surveying a half-finished
+      buttonhole with so much interest that her son's face escaped her eye. He
+      shed a beaming smile upon the rows of poets, as if even in their glass
+      prison they could sympathize and rejoice with him at the first rosy dawn
+      of the great passion which they knew so well. But Demi was a wise youth,
+      and never leaped before looking carefully. He hardly knew his own heart
+      yet, and was contented to wait till the sentiment, the fluttering of those
+      folded wings he began to feel, should escape from the chrysalis and be
+      ready to soar away in the sunshine to seek and claim its lovely mate. He
+      had said nothing; but the brown eyes were eloquent, and there was an
+      unconscious underplot to all the little plays he and Alice Heath acted so
+      well together. She was busy with her books, bound to graduate with high
+      honours, and he was trying to do the same in that larger college open to
+      all, and where each man has his own prize to win or lose. Demi had nothing
+      but himself to offer and, being a modest youth, considered that a poor
+      gift till he had proved his power to earn his living, and the right to
+      take a woman's happiness into his keeping.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      No one guessed that he had caught the fever except sharp-eyed Josie, and
+      she, having a wholesome fear of her brother&mdash;who could be rather
+      awful when she went too far&mdash;wisely contented herself with watching
+      him like a little cat, ready to pounce on the first visible sign of
+      weakness. Demi had taken to playing pensively upon his flute after he was
+      in his room for the night, making this melodious friend his confidante,
+      and breathing into it all the tender hopes and fears that filled his
+      heart. Mrs Meg, absorbed in domestic affairs, and Daisy, who cared for no
+      music but Nat's violin, paid no heed to these chamber concerts, but Josie
+      always murmured to herself, with a naughty chuckle, 'Dick Swiveller is
+      thinking of his Sophy Wackles,' and bided her time to revenge certain
+      wrongs inflicted upon her by Demi, who always took Daisy's side when she
+      tried to curb the spirits of her unruly little sister.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This evening she got her chance, and made the most of it. Mrs Meg was just
+      rounding off her buttonhole, and Demi still strolling restlessly about the
+      room, when a book was heard to slam in the study, followed by an audible
+      yawn and the appearance of the student looking as if sleep and a desire
+      for mischief were struggling which should be master.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I heard my name; have you been saying anything bad about me?' she
+      demanded, perching on the arm of an easychair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Her mother told the good news, over which Josie duly rejoiced, and Demi
+      received her congratulations with a benignant air which made her feel that
+      too much satisfaction was not good for him, and incited her to put a thorn
+      into his bed of roses at once.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I caught something about the play just now, and I want to tell you that
+      I'm going to introduce a song into my part to liven it up a bit. How would
+      this do?' and seating herself at the piano she began to sing to these
+      words the air of 'Kathleen Mavourneen':
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    'Sweetest of maidens, oh, how can I tell
+     The love that transfigures the whole earth to me?
+     The longing that causes my bosom to swell,
+     When I dream of a life all devoted to thee?'
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      She got no further, for Demi, red with wrath, made a rush at her, and the
+      next moment a very agile young person was seen dodging round tables and
+      chairs with the future partner of Tiber &amp; Co. in hot pursuit. 'You
+      monkey, how dare you meddle with my papers?' cried the irate poet, making
+      futile grabs at the saucy girl, who skipped to and fro, waving a bit of
+      paper tantalizingly before him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Didn't; found it in the big &ldquo;Dic&rdquo;. Serves you right if you leave your
+      rubbish about. Don't you like my song? It's very pretty.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll teach you one that you won't like if you don't give me my property.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Come and get it if you can'; and Josie vanished into the study to have
+      out her squabble in peace, for Mrs Meg was already saying:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Children, children! don't quarrel.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The paper was in the fire by the time Demi arrived and he at once calmed
+      down, seeing that the bone of contention was out of the way.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'm glad it's burnt; I don't care for it, only some verse I was trying to
+      set to music for one of the girls. But I'll trouble you to let my papers
+      alone, or I shall take back the advice I gave mother tonight about
+      allowing you to act as much as you like.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Josie was sobered at once by this dire threat, and in her most wheedling
+      tone begged to know what he had said. By way of heaping coals of fire on
+      her head he told her, and this diplomatic performance secured him an ally
+      on the spot.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You dear old boy! I'll never tease you again though you moon and spoon
+      both day and night. If you stand by me, I'll stand by you and never say a
+      word. See here! I've got a note for you from Alice. Won't that be a
+      peace-offering and soothe your little feelings?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Demi's eyes sparkled as Josie held up a paper cocked hat, but as he knew
+      what was probably in it, he took the wind out of Josie's sails, and filled
+      her with blank astonishment by saying carelessly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That's nothing; it's only to say whether she will go to the concert with
+      us tomorrow night. You can read it if you like.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With the natural perversity of her sex Josie ceased to be curious the
+      moment she was told to read it, and meekly handed it over; but she watched
+      Demi as he calmly read the two lines it contained and then threw it into
+      the fire. 'Why, Jack, I thought you'd treasure every scrap the &ldquo;sweetest
+      maid&rdquo; touched. Don't you care for her?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Very much; we all do; but &ldquo;mooning and spooning&rdquo;, as you elegantly
+      express it, is not in my line. My dear little girl, your plays make you
+      romantic, and because Alice and I act lovers sometimes you take it into
+      your silly head that we are really so. Don't waste time hunting mares
+      nests, but attend to your own affairs and leave me to mine. I forgive you,
+      but don't do it again; it's bad taste, and tragedy queens don't romp.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The last cut finished Josie; she humbly begged pardon and went off to bed,
+      while Demi soon followed, feeling that he had not only settled himself but
+      his too inquisitive little sister also. But if he had seen her face as she
+      listened to the soft wailing of his flute he would not have been so sure,
+      for she looked as cunning as a magpie as she said, with a scornful sniff:
+      'Pooh, you can't deceive me; I know Dick is serenading Sophy Wackles.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0011" id="link2HCH0011">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      Chapter 11. EMIL'S THANKSGIVING
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      The Brenda was scudding along with all sail set to catch the rising wind,
+      and everyone on board was rejoicing, for the long voyage was drawing
+      towards an end.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Four weeks more, Mrs Hardy, and we'll give you a cup of tea such as you
+      never had before,' said second mate Hoffmann, as he paused beside two
+      ladies sitting in a sheltered corner of the deck.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I shall be glad to get it, and still gladder to put my feet on solid
+      ground,' answered the elder lady, smiling; for our friend Emil was a
+      favourite, as well he might be, since he devoted himself to the captain's
+      wife and daughter, who were the only passengers on board.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'So shall I, even if I have to wear a pair of shoes like Chinese junks.
+      I've tramped up and down the deck so much, I shall be barefooted if we
+      don't arrive soon,' laughed Mary, the daughter, showing two shabby little
+      boots as she glanced up at the companion of these tramps, remembering
+      gratefully how pleasant he had made them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't think there are any small enough in China,' answered Emil, with a
+      sailor's ready gallantry, privately resolving to hunt up the handsomest
+      shoes he could find the moment he landed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I don't know what you would have done for exercise, dear, if Mr Hoffmann
+      had not made you walk every day. This lazy life is bad for young people,
+      though it suits an old body like me well enough in calm weather. Is this
+      likely to be a gale, think ye?' added Mrs Hardy, with an anxious glance at
+      the west, where the sun was setting redly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Only a capful of wind, ma'am, just enough to send us along lively,'
+      answered Emil, with a comprehensive glance aloft and alow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Please sing, Mr Hoffmann, it's so pleasant to have music at this time. We
+      shall miss it very much when we get ashore,' said Mary, in a persuasive
+      tone which would have won melody from a shark, if such a thing were
+      possible.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Emil had often blessed his one accomplishment during these months, for it
+      cheered the long days, and made the twilight hour his happiest time, wind
+      and weather permitting. So now he gladly tuned his pipe, and leaning on
+      the taffrail near the girl, watched the brown locks blowing in the wind as
+      he sang her favourite song:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    'Give me freshening breeze, my boys,
+     A white and swelling sail,
+     A ship that cuts the dashing waves,
+     And weathers every gale.
+     What life is like a sailor's life,
+     So free, so bold, so brave?
+     His home the ocean's wide expanse,
+     A coral bed his grave.'
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Just as the last notes of the clear, strong voice died away, Mrs Hardy
+      suddenly exclaimed: 'What's that?' Emil's quick eye saw at once the little
+      puff of smoke coming up a hatchway where no smoke should be, and his heart
+      seemed to stand still for an instant as the dread word 'Fire!' flashed
+      through his mind. Then he was quite steady, and strolled away saying
+      quietly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Smoking not allowed there, I'll go and stop it.' But the instant he was
+      out of sight his face changed, and he leaped down the hatchway, thinking,
+      with a queer smile on his lips: 'If we are afire, shouldn't wonder if I
+      did make a coral bed my grave!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He was gone a few minutes, and when he came up, half stifled with smoke,
+      he was as white as a very brown man could be, but calm and cool as he went
+      to report to the captain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Fire in the hold, sir.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't frighten the women,' was Captain Hardy's first order; then both be
+      stirred themselves to discover how strong the treacherous enemy was, and
+      to rout it if possible.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Brenda's cargo was a very combustible one, and in spite of the streams
+      of water poured into the hold it was soon evident that the ship was
+      doomed. Smoke began to ooze up between the planks everywhere, and the
+      rising gale soon fanned the smouldering fire to flames that began to break
+      out here and there, telling the dreadful truth too plainly for anyone to
+      hide. Mrs Hardy and Mary bore the shock bravely when told to be ready to
+      quit the ship at a minute's notice; the boats were hastily prepared, and
+      the men worked with a will to batten down every loophole whence the fire
+      might escape. Soon the poor Brenda was a floating furnace, and the order
+      to 'Take to the boats!' came for all. The women first, of course, and it
+      was fortunate that, being a merchantman, there were no more passengers on
+      board, so there was no panic, and one after the other the boats pushed
+      off. That in which the women were lingered near, for the brave captain
+      would be the last to leave his ship.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Emil stayed by him till ordered away, and reluctantly obeyed; but it was
+      well for him he went, for just as he had regained the boat, rocking far
+      below, half hidden by a cloud of smoke, a mast, undermined by the fire now
+      raging in the bowels of the ship, fell with a crash, knocking Captain
+      Hardy overboard. The boat soon reached him as he floated out from the
+      wreck, and Emil sprung into the sea to rescue him, for he was wounded and
+      senseless. This accident made it necessary for the young man to take
+      command, and he at once ordered the men to pull for their lives, as an
+      explosion might occur at any moment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The other boats were out of danger and all lingered to watch the splendid
+      yet awesome spectacle of the burning ship alone on the wide sea, reddening
+      the night and casting a lurid glare upon the water, where floated the
+      frail boats filled with pale faces, all turned for a last look at the
+      fated Brenda, slowly settling to her watery grave. No one saw the end,
+      however, for the gale soon swept the watchers far away and separated them,
+      some never to meet again till the sea gives up its dead.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The boat whose fortunes we must follow was alone when dawn came up,
+      showing these survivors all the dangers of their situation. Food and water
+      had been put in, and such provision for comfort and safety as time
+      allowed; but it was evident that with a badly wounded man, two women, and
+      seven sailors, their supply would not last long, and help was sorely
+      needed. Their only hope was in meeting a ship, although the gale, which
+      had raged all night, had blown them out of their course. To this hope all
+      clung, and wiled away the weary hours, watching the horizon and cheering
+      one another with prophecies of speedy rescue.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Second mate Hoffmann was very brave and helpful, though his unexpected
+      responsibility weighed heavily on his shoulders; for the captain's state
+      seemed desperate, the poor wife's grief wrung his heart, and the blind
+      confidence of the young girl in his power to save them made him feel that
+      no sign of doubt or fear must lessen it. The men did their part readily
+      now, but Emil knew that if starvation and despair made brutes of them, his
+      task might be a terrible one. So he clutched his courage with both hands,
+      kept up a manly front, and spoke so cheerily of their good chances, that
+      all instinctively turned to him for guidance and support.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The first day and night passed in comparative comfort, but when the third
+      came, things looked dark and hope began to fail. The wounded man was
+      delirious, the wife worn out with anxiety and suspense, the girl weak for
+      want of food, having put away half her biscuit for her mother, and given
+      her share of water to wet her father's feverish lips. The sailors ceased
+      rowing and sat grimly waiting, openly reproaching their leader for not
+      following their advice, others demanding more food, all waxing dangerous
+      as privation and pain brought out the animal instincts lurking in them.
+      Emil did his best, but mortal man was helpless there, and he could only
+      turn his haggard face from the pitiless sky, that dropped no rain for
+      their thirst, to the boundless sea where no sail appeared to gladden their
+      longing eyes. All day he tried to cheer and comfort them, while hunger
+      gnawed, thirst parched, and growing fear lay heavy at his heart. He told
+      stories to the men, implored them to bear up for the helpless women's
+      sake, and promised rewards if they would pull while they had strength to
+      regain the lost route, as nearly as he could make it out, and increase
+      their chance of rescue. He rigged an awning of sailcloth over the
+      suffering man and tended him like a son, comforted the wife, and tried to
+      make the pale girl forget herself, by singing every song he knew or
+      recounting his adventures by land and sea, till she smiled and took heart;
+      for all ended well.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The fourth day came and the supply of food and water was nearly gone. Emil
+      proposed to keep it for the sick man and the women, but two of the men
+      rebelled, demanding their share. Emil gave up his as an example, and
+      several of the good fellows followed it, with the quiet heroism which so
+      often crops up in rough but manly natures. This shamed the others, and for
+      another day an ominous peace reigned in that little world of suffering and
+      suspense. But during the night, while Emil, worn out with fatigue, left
+      the watch to the most trustworthy sailor, that he might snatch an hour's
+      rest, these two men got at the stores and stole the last of the bread and
+      water, and the one bottle of brandy, which was carefully hoarded to keep
+      up their strength and make the brackish water drinkable. Half mad with
+      thirst, they drank greedily and by morning one was in a stupor, from which
+      he never woke; the other so crazed by the strong stimulant, that when Emil
+      tried to control him, he leaped overboard and was lost. Horror-stricken by
+      this terrible scene, the other men were submissive henceforth, and the
+      boat floated on and on with its sad freight of suffering souls and bodies.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Another trial came to them that left all more despairing than before. A
+      sail appeared, and for a time a frenzy of joy prevailed, to be turned to
+      bitterest disappointment when it passed by, too far away to see the
+      signals waved to them or hear the frantic cries for help that rang across
+      the sea. Emil's heart sank then, for the captain seemed dying, and the
+      women could not hold out much longer. He kept up till night came; then in
+      the darkness, broken only by the feeble murmuring of the sick man, the
+      whispered prayers of the poor wife, the ceaseless swash of waves, Emil hid
+      his face, and had an hour of silent agony that aged him more than years of
+      happy life could have done. It was not the physical hardship that daunted
+      him, though want and weakness tortured him; it was his dreadful
+      powerlessness to conquer the cruel fate that seemed hanging over them. The
+      men he cared little for, since these perils were but a part of the life
+      they chose; but the master he loved, the good woman who had been so kind
+      to him, the sweet girl whose winsome presence had made the long voyage so
+      pleasant for them all&mdash;if he could only save these dear and innocent
+      creatures from a cruel death, he felt that he could willingly give his
+      life for them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As he sat there with his head in his hands, bowed down by the first great
+      trial of his young life, the starless sky overhead, the restless sea
+      beneath, and all around him suffering, for which he had no help, a soft
+      sound broke the silence, and he listened like one in a dream. It was Mary
+      singing to her mother, who lay sobbing in her arms, spent with this long
+      anguish. A very faint and broken voice it was, for the poor girl's lips
+      were parched with thirst; but the loving heart turned instinctively to the
+      great Helper in this hour of despair, and He heard her feeble cry. It was
+      a sweet old hymn often sung at Plumfield; and as he listened, all the
+      happy past came back so clearly that Emil forgot the bitter present, and
+      was at home again. His talk on the housetop with Aunt Jo seemed but
+      yesterday, and, with a pang of self-reproach, he thought:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'The scarlet strand! I must remember it, and do my duty to the end. Steer
+      straight, old boy; and if you can't come into port, go down with all sail
+      set.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, as the soft voice crooned on to lull the weary woman to a fitful
+      sleep, Emil for a little while forgot his burden in a dream of Plumfield.
+      He saw them all, heard the familiar voices, felt the grip of welcoming
+      hands, and seemed to say to himself: 'Well, they shall not be ashamed of
+      me if I never see them any more.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A sudden shout startled him from that brief rest, and a drop on his
+      forehead told him that the blessed rain had come at last, bringing
+      salvation with it; for thirst is harder to bear than hunger, heat, or
+      cold. Welcomed by cries of joy, all lifted up their parched lips, held out
+      their hands, and spread their garments to catch the great drops that soon
+      came pouring down to cool the sick man's fever, quench the agony of
+      thirst, and bring refreshment to every weary body in the boat. All night
+      it fell, all night the castaways revelled in the saving shower, and took
+      heart again, like dying plants revived by heaven's dew. The clouds broke
+      away at dawn, and Emil sprung up, wonderfully braced and cheered by those
+      hours of silent gratitude for this answer to their cry for help. But this
+      was not all; as his eye swept the horizon, clear against the rosy sky
+      shone the white sails of a ship, so near that they could see the pennon at
+      her mast-head and black figures moving on the deck.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One cry broke from all those eager throats, and rang across the sea, as
+      every man waved hat or handkerchief and the women stretched imploring
+      hands towards this great white angel of deliverance coming down upon them
+      as if the fresh wind filled every sail to help her on.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      No disappointment now; answering signals assured them of help; and in the
+      rapture of that moment the happy women fell on Emil's neck, giving him his
+      reward in tears and blessings as their grateful hearts overflowed. He
+      always said that was the proudest moment of his life, as he stood there
+      holding Mary in his arms; for the brave girl, who had kept up so long,
+      broke down then, and clung to him half fainting; while her mother busied
+      herself about the invalid, who seemed to feel the joyful stir, and gave an
+      order, as if again on the deck of his lost ship.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was soon over; and then all were safely aboard the good Urania,
+      homeward bound. Emil saw his friends in tender hands, his men among their
+      mates, and told the story of the wreck before he thought of himself. The
+      savoury odour of the soup, carried by to the cabin for the ladies,
+      reminded him that he was starving, and a sudden stagger betrayed his
+      weakness. He was instantly borne away, to be half killed by kindness, and
+      being fed, clothed, and comforted, was left to rest. Just as the surgeon
+      left the state-room, he asked in his broken voice: 'What day is this? My
+      head is so confused, I've lost my reckoning.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Thanksgiving Day, man! And we'll give you a regular New England dinner,
+      if you'll eat it,' answered the surgeon heartily.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But Emil was too spent to do anything, except lie still and give thanks,
+      more fervently and gratefully than ever before, for the blessed gift of
+      life, which was the sweeter for a sense of duty faithfully performed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0012" id="link2HCH0012">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      Chapter 12. DAN'S CHRISTMAS
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      Where was Dan? In prison. Alas for Mrs Jo! how her heart would have ached
+      if she had known that while old Plum shone with Christmas cheer her boy
+      sat alone in his cell, trying to read the little book she gave him, with
+      eyes dimmed now and then by the hot tears no physical suffering had ever
+      wrung from him, and longing with a homesick heart for all that he had
+      lost.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Yes, Dan was in prison; but no cry for help from him as he faced the
+      terrible strait he was in with the dumb despair of an Indian at the stake;
+      for his own bosom sin had brought him there, and this was to be the bitter
+      lesson that tamed the lawless spirit and taught him self-control.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The story of his downfall is soon told; for it came, as so often happens,
+      just when he felt unusually full of high hopes, good resolutions, and
+      dreams of a better life. On his journey he met a pleasant young fellow,
+      and naturally felt an interest in him, as Blair was on his way to join his
+      elder brothers on a ranch in Kansas. Card-playing was going on in the
+      smoking-car, and the lad&mdash;for he was barely twenty&mdash;tired with
+      the long journey, beguiled the way with such partners as appeared, being
+      full of spirits, and a little intoxicated with the freedom of the West.
+      Dan, true to his promise, would not join, but watched with intense
+      interest the games that went on, and soon made up his mind that two of the
+      men were sharpers anxious to fleece the boy, who had imprudently displayed
+      a well-filled pocket-book. Dan always had a soft spot in his heart for any
+      younger, weaker creature whom he met, and something about the lad reminded
+      him of Teddy; so he kept an eye on Blair, and warned him against his new
+      friends.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Vainly, of course; for when all stopped overnight in one of the great
+      cities, Dan missed the boy from the hotel whither he had taken him for
+      safe-keeping; and learning who had come for him, went to find him, calling
+      himself a fool for his pains, yet unable to leave the confiding boy to the
+      dangers that surrounded him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He found him gambling in a low place with the men, who were bound to have
+      his money; and by the look of relief on Blair's anxious face when he saw
+      him Dan knew without words that things were going badly with him, and he
+      saw the peril too late.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I can't come yet&mdash;I've lost; it's not my money; I must get it back,
+      or I dare not face my brothers,' whispered the poor lad, when Dan begged
+      him to get away without further loss. Shame and fear made him desperate;
+      and he played on, sure that he could recover the money confided to his
+      care. Seeing Dan's resolute face, keen eye, and travelled air, the
+      sharpers were wary, played fair, and let the boy win a little; but they
+      had no mind to give up their prey, and finding that Dan stood sentinel at
+      the boy's back, an ominous glance was exchanged between them, which meant:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'We must get this fellow out of the way.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dan saw it, and was on his guard; for he and Blair were strangers, evil
+      deeds are easily done in such places, and no tales told. But he would not
+      desert the boy, and still kept watch of every card till he plainly
+      detected false play, and boldly said so. High words passed, Dan's
+      indignation overcame his prudence; and when the cheat refused to restore
+      his plunder with insulting words and drawn pistol, Dan's hot temper
+      flashed out, and he knocked the man down with a blow that sent him
+      crashing head first against a stove, to roll senseless and bleeding to the
+      floor. A wild scene followed, but in the midst of it Dan whispered to the
+      boy: 'Get away, and hold your tongue. Don't mind me.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Frightened and bewildered, Blair quitted the city at once, leaving Dan to
+      pass the night in the lock-up, and a few days later to stand in court
+      charged with manslaughter; for the man was dead. Dan had no friends, and
+      having once briefly told the story, held his peace, anxious to keep all
+      knowledge of this sad affair from those at home. He even concealed his
+      name&mdash;giving that of David Kent, as he had done several times before
+      in emergencies. It was all over very soon; but as there were extenuating
+      circumstances his sentence was a year in prison, with hard labour.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dazed by the rapidity with which this horrible change in his life came
+      upon him, Dan did not fully realize it till the iron door clanged behind
+      him and he sat alone in a cell as narrow, cold, and silent as a tomb. He
+      knew that a word would bring Mr Laurie to help and comfort him; but he
+      could not bear to tell of this disgrace, or see the sorrow and the shame
+      it would cause the friends who hoped so much for him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'No,' he said, clenching his fist, 'I'll let them think me dead first. I
+      shall be if I am kept here long'; and he sprang up to pace the stone floor
+      like a caged lion, with a turmoil of wrath and grief, rebellion and
+      remorse, seething in heart and brain, till he felt as if he should go mad
+      and beat upon the walls that shut him away from the liberty which was his
+      life. For days he suffered terribly, then worn out, sank into a black
+      melancholy sadder to see than his excitement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The warden of this prison was a rough man who had won the ill will of all
+      by unnecessary harshness, but the chaplain was full of sympathy, and did
+      his hard duty faithfully and tenderly. He laboured with poor Dan, but
+      seemed to make no impression, and was forced to wait till work had soothed
+      the excited nerves and captivity tamed the proud spirit that would suffer
+      but not complain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dan was put in the brush-shop, and feeling that activity was his only
+      salvation, worked with a feverish energy that soon won the approval of the
+      master and the envy of less skilful mates. Day after day he sat in his
+      place, watched by an armed overseer, forbidden any but necessary words, no
+      intercourse with the men beside him, no change but from cell to shop, no
+      exercise but the dreary marches to and fro, each man's hand on the other's
+      shoulder keeping step with the dreary tramp so different from the ringing
+      tread of soldiers. Silent, gaunt, and grim, Dan did his daily task, ate
+      his bitter bread, and obeyed commands with a rebellious flash of the eye,
+      that made the warden say:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That's a dangerous man. Watch him. He'll break out some day.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There were others more dangerous than he, because older in crime and ready
+      for any desperate outbreak to change the monotony of long sentences. These
+      men soon divined Dan's mood, and in the mysterious way convicts invent,
+      managed to convey to him before a month was over that plans were being
+      made for a mutiny at the first opportunity. Thanksgiving Day was one of
+      the few chances for them to speak together as they enjoyed an hour of
+      freedom in the prison yard. Then all would be settled and the rash attempt
+      made if possible, probably to end in bloodshed and defeat for most, but
+      liberty for a few. Dan had already planned his own escape and bided his
+      time, growing more and more moody, fierce, and rebellious, as loss of
+      liberty wore upon soul and body; for this sudden change from his free,
+      healthy life to such a narrow, gloomy, and miserable one, could not but
+      have a terrible effect upon one of Dan's temperament and age.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He brooded over his ruined life, gave up all his happy hopes and plans,
+      felt that he could never face dear old Plumfield again, or touch those
+      friendly hands, with the stain of blood upon his own. He did not care for
+      the wretched man whom he had killed, for such a life was better ended, he
+      thought; but the disgrace of prison would never be wiped out of his
+      memory, though the cropped hair would grow again, the grey suit easily be
+      replaced, and the bolts and bars left far behind.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'It's all over with me; I've spoilt my life, now let it go. I'll give up
+      the fight and get what pleasure I can anywhere, anyhow. They shall think
+      me dead and so still care for me, but never know what I am. Poor Mother
+      Bhaer! she tried to help me, but it's no use; the firebrand can't be
+      saved.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And dropping his head in his hands as he sat on his low bed, Dan would
+      mourn over all he had lost in tearless misery, till merciful sleep would
+      comfort him with dreams of the happy days when the boys played together,
+      or those still later and happier ones when all smiled on him, and
+      Plumfield seemed to have gained a new and curious charm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was one poor fellow in Dan's shop whose fate was harder than his,
+      for his sentence expired in the spring, but there was little hope of his
+      living till that time; and the coldest-hearted man pitied poor Mason as he
+      sat coughing his life away in that close place and counting the weary days
+      yet to pass before he could see his wife and little child again. There was
+      some hope that he might be pardoned out, but he had no friends to bestir
+      themselves in the matter, and it was evident that the great Judge's pardon
+      would soon end his patient pain for ever.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dan pitied him more than he dared to show, and this one tender emotion in
+      that dark time was like the little flower that sprung up between the
+      stones of the prison yard and saved the captive from despair, in the
+      beautiful old story. Dan helped Mason with his work when he was too feeble
+      to finish his task, and the grateful look that thanked him was a ray of
+      sunshine to cheer his cell when he was alone. Mason envied the splendid
+      health of his neighbour, and mourned to see it wasting there. He was a
+      peaceful soul and tried, as far as a whispered word or warning glance
+      could do it, to deter Dan from joining the 'bad lot', as the rebels were
+      called. But having turned his face from the light, Dan found the downward
+      way easy, and took a grim satisfaction in the prospect of a general
+      outbreak during which he might revenge himself upon the tyrannical warden,
+      and strike a blow for his own liberty, feeling that an hour of
+      insurrection would be a welcome vent for the pent-up passions that
+      tormented him. He had tamed many a wild animal, but his own lawless spirit
+      was too much for him, till he found the curb that made him master of
+      himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Sunday before Thanksgiving, as he sat in chapel, Dan observed several
+      guests in the seats reserved for them, and looked anxiously to see if any
+      familiar face was there; for he had a mortal fear that someone from home
+      would suddenly confront him. No, all were strangers, and he soon forgot
+      them in listening to the chaplain's cheerful words, and the sad singing of
+      many heavy hearts. People often spoke to the convicts, so it caused no
+      surprise when, on being invited to address them, one of the ladies rose
+      and said she would tell them a little story; which announcement caused the
+      younger listeners to pack up their ears, and even the older ones to look
+      interested; for any change in their monotonous life was welcome.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The speaker was a middle-aged woman in black, with a sympathetic face,
+      eyes full of compassion, and a voice that seemed to warm the heart,
+      because of certain motherly tones in it. She reminded Dan of Mrs Jo, and
+      he listened intently to every word, feeling that each was meant for him,
+      because by chance, they came at the moment when he needed a softening
+      memory to break up the ice of despair which was blighting all the good
+      impulses of his nature.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was a very simple little story, but it caught the men's attention at
+      once, being about two soldiers in a hospital during the late war, both
+      badly wounded in the right arm, and both anxious to save these
+      breadwinners and go home unmaimed. One was patient, docile, and cheerfully
+      obeyed orders, even when told that the arm must go. He submitted and after
+      much suffering recovered, grateful for life, though he could fight no
+      more. The other rebelled, would listen to no advice, and having delayed
+      too long, died a lingering death, bitterly regretting his folly when it
+      was too late. 'Now, as all stories should have a little moral, let me tell
+      you mine,' added the lady, with a smile, as she looked at the row of young
+      men before her, sadly wondering what brought them there.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'This is a hospital for soldiers wounded in life's battle; here are sick
+      souls, weak wills, insane passions, blind consciences, all the ills that
+      come from broken laws, bringing their inevitable pain and punishment with
+      them. There is hope and help for every one, for God's mercy is infinite
+      and man's charity is great; but penitence and submission must come before
+      the cure is possible. Pay the forfeit manfully, for it is just; but from
+      the suffering and shame wring new strength for a nobler life. The scar
+      will remain, but it is better for a man to lose both arms than his soul;
+      and these hard years, instead of being lost, may be made the most precious
+      of your lives, if they teach you to rule yourselves. O friends, try to
+      outlive the bitter past, to wash the sin away, and begin anew. If not for
+      your own sakes, for that of the dear mothers, wives, and children, who
+      wait and hope so patiently for you. Remember them, and do not let them
+      love and long in vain. And if there be any here so forlorn that they have
+      no friend to care for them, never forget the Father whose arms are always
+      open to receive, forgive, and comfort His prodigal sons, even at the
+      eleventh hour.' There the little sermon ended; but the preacher of it felt
+      that her few hearty words had not been uttered in vain, for one boy's head
+      was down, and several faces wore the softened look which told that a
+      tender memory was touched. Dan was forced to set his lips to keep them
+      steady, and drop his eyes to hide the sudden dew that dimmed them when
+      waiting, hoping friends were spoken of. He was glad to be alone in his
+      cell again, and sat thinking deeply, instead of trying to forget himself
+      in sleep. It seemed as if those words were just what he needed to show him
+      where he stood and how fateful the next few days might be to him. Should
+      he join the 'bad lot', and perhaps add another crime to the one already
+      committed, lengthen the sentence already so terrible to bear, deliberately
+      turn his back on all that was good, and mar the future that might yet be
+      redeemed? Or should he, like the wiser man in the story, submit, bear the
+      just punishment, try to be better for it; and though the scar would
+      remain, it might serve as a reminder of a battle not wholly lost, since he
+      had saved his soul though innocence was gone? Then he would dare go home,
+      perhaps, confess, and find fresh strength in the pity and consolation of
+      those who never gave him up.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Good and evil fought for Dan that night as did the angel and the devil for
+      Sintram, and it was hard to tell whether lawless nature or loving heart
+      would conquer. Remorse and resentment, shame and sorrow, pride and
+      passion, made a battle-field of that narrow cell, and the poor fellow felt
+      as if he had fiercer enemies to fight now than any he had met in all his
+      wanderings. A little thing turned the scale, as it so often does in these
+      mysterious hearts of ours, and a touch of sympathy helped Dan decide the
+      course which would bless or ban his life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the dark hour before the dawn, as he lay wakeful on his bed, a ray of
+      light shone through the bars, the bolts turned softly, and a man came in.
+      It was the good chaplain, led by the same instinct that brings a mother to
+      her sick child's pillow; for long experience as nurse of souls had taught
+      him to see the signs of hope in the hard faces about him, and to know when
+      the moment came for a helpful word and the cordial of sincere prayer that
+      brings such comfort and healing to tried and troubled hearts. He had been
+      to Dan before at unexpected hours, but always found him sullen,
+      indifferent, or rebellious, and had gone away to patiently bide his time.
+      Now it had come; a look of relief was in the prisoner's face as the light
+      shone on it, and the sound of a human voice was strangely comfortable
+      after listening to the whispers of the passions, doubts, and fears which
+      had haunted the cell for hours, dismaying Dan by their power, and showing
+      him how much he needed help to fight the good fight, since he had no
+      armour of his own.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Kent, poor Mason has gone. He left a message for you, and I felt impelled
+      to come and give it now, because I think you were touched by what we heard
+      today, and in need of the help Mason tried to give you,' said the
+      chaplain, taking the one seat and fixing his kind eyes on the grim figure
+      in the bed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Thank you, sir, I'd like to hear it,' was all Dan's answer; but he forgot
+      himself in pity for the poor fellow dead in prison, with no last look at
+      wife or child.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He went suddenly, but remembered you, and begged me to say these words:
+      &ldquo;Tell him not to do it, but to hold on, do his best, and when his time is
+      out go right to Mary, and she'll make him welcome for my sake. He's got no
+      friends in these parts and will feel lonesome, but a woman's always safe
+      and comfortable when a fellow's down on his luck. Give him my love and
+      good-bye for he was kind to me, and God will bless him for it.&rdquo; Then he
+      died quietly, and tomorrow will go home with God's pardon, since man's
+      came too late.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dan said nothing, but laid his arm across his face and lay quite still.
+      Seeing that the pathetic little message had done its work even better than
+      he hoped, the chaplain went on, unconscious how soothing his paternal
+      voice was to the poor prisoner who longed to 'go home', but felt he had
+      forfeited the right.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I hope you won't disappoint this humble friend whose last thought was for
+      you. I know that there is trouble brewing, and fear that you may be
+      tempted to lend a hand on the wrong side. Don't do it, for the plot will
+      not succeed&mdash;it never does&mdash;and it would be a pity to spoil your
+      record which is fair so far. Keep up your courage, my son, and go out at
+      the year's end better, not worse, for this hard experience. Remember a
+      grateful woman waits to welcome and thank you if you have no friends of
+      your own; if you have, do your best for their sake, and let us ask God to
+      help you as He only can.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then waiting for no answer the good man prayed heartily, and Dan listened
+      as he never had before; for the lonely hour, the dying message, the sudden
+      uprising of his better self, made it seem as if some kind angel had come
+      to save and comfort him. After that night there was a change in Dan,
+      though no one knew it but the chaplain; for to all the rest he was the
+      same silent, stern, unsocial fellow as before, and turning his back on the
+      bad and the good alike, found his only pleasure in the books his friend
+      brought him. Slowly, as the steadfast drop wears away the rock, the
+      patient kindness of this man won Dan's confidence, and led by him he began
+      to climb out of the Valley of Humiliation towards the mountains, whence,
+      through the clouds, one can catch glimpses of the Celestial City whither
+      all true pilgrims sooner or later turn their wistful eyes and stumbling
+      feet. There were many back-slidings, many struggles with Giant Despair and
+      fiery Apollyon, many heavy hours when life did not seem worth living and
+      Mason's escape the only hope. But through all, the grasp of a friendly
+      hand, the sound of a brother's voice, the unquenchable desire to atone for
+      the past by a better future, and win the right to see home again, kept
+      poor Dan to his great task as the old year drew to its end, and the new
+      waited to turn another leaf in the book whose hardest lesson he was
+      learning now.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At Christmas he yearned so for Plumfield that he devised a way to send a
+      word of greeting to cheer their anxious hearts, and comfort his own. He
+      wrote to Mary Mason, who lived in another State, asking her to mail the
+      letter he enclosed. In it he merely said he was well and busy, had given
+      up the farm, and had other plans which he would tell later; would not be
+      home before autumn probably, nor write often, but was all right, and sent
+      love and merry Christmas to everyone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then he took up his solitary life again, and tried to pay his forfeit
+      manfully.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0013" id="link2HCH0013">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      Chapter 13. NAT'S NEW YEAR
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      'I don't expect to hear from Emil yet, and Nat writes regularly, but where
+      is Dan? Only two or three postals since he went. Such an energetic fellow
+      as he is could buy up all the farms in Kansas by this time,' said Mrs Jo
+      one morning when the mail came in and no card or envelope bore Dan's
+      dashing hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'He never writes often, you know, but does his work and then comes home.
+      Months and years seem to mean little to him, and he is probably
+      prospecting in the wilderness, forgetful of time,' answered Mr Bhaer, deep
+      in one of Nat's long letters from Leipzig.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'But he promised he would let me know how he got on, and Dan keeps his
+      word if he can. I'm afraid something has happened to him'; and Mrs Jo
+      comforted herself by patting Don's head, as he came at the sound of his
+      master's name to look at her with eyes almost human in their wistful
+      intelligence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't worry, Mum dear, nothing ever happens to the old fellow. He'll turn
+      up all right, and come stalking in some day with a gold-mine in one pocket
+      and a prairie in the other, as jolly as a grig,' said Ted, who was in no
+      haste to deliver Octoo to her rightful owner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Perhaps he has gone to Montana and given up the farm plan. He seemed to
+      like Indians best, I thought'; and Rob went to help his mother with her
+      pile of letters and his cheerful suggestions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I hope so, it would suit him best. But I am sure he would have told us
+      his change of plan and sent for some money to work with. No, I feel in my
+      prophetic bones that something is wrong,' said Mrs Jo, looking as solemn
+      as Fate in a breakfast-cap.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Then we shall hear; ill news always travels fast. Don't borrow trouble,
+      Jo, but hear how well Nat is getting on. I'd no idea the boy would care
+      for anything but music. My good friend Baumgarten has launched him well,
+      and it will do him good if he lose not his head. A good lad, but new to
+      the world, and Leipzig is full of snares for the unwary. Gott be with
+      him!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Professor read Nat's enthusiastic account of certain literary and
+      musical parties he had been to, the splendours of the opera, the kindness
+      of his new friends, the delight of studying under such a master as
+      Bergmann, his hopes of rapid gain, and his great gratitude to those who
+      had opened this enchanted world to him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That, now, is satisfactory and comfortable. I felt that Nat had
+      unsuspected power in him before he went away; he was so manly and full of
+      excellent plans,' said Mrs Jo, in a satisfied tone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'We shall see. He will doubtless get his lesson and be the better for it.
+      That comes to us all in our young days. I hope it will not be too hard for
+      our good Jungling,' answered the Professor, with a wise smile, remembering
+      his own student life in Germany.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He was right; and Nat was already getting his lesson in life with a
+      rapidity which would have astonished his friends at home. The manliness
+      over which Mrs Jo rejoiced was developing in unexpected ways, and quiet
+      Nat had plunged into the more harmless dissipations of the gay city with
+      all the ardour of an inexperienced youth taking his first sip of pleasure.
+      The entire freedom and sense of independence was delicious, for many
+      benefits began to burden him, and he longed to stand on his own legs and
+      make his own way. No one knew his past here; and with a well-stocked
+      wardrobe, a handsome sum at his banker's, and the best teacher in Leipzig,
+      he made his debut as a musical young gentleman, presented by the
+      much-respected Professor Bhaer and the wealthy Mr Laurence, who had many
+      friends glad to throw open their houses to his protege. Thanks to these
+      introductions, his fluent German, modest manners, and undeniable talent,
+      the stranger was cordially welcomed, and launched at once into a circle
+      which many an ambitious young man strove in vain to enter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All this rather turned Nat's head; and as he sat in the brilliant
+      opera-house, chatted among the ladies at some select coffee-party, or
+      whisked an eminent professor's amiable daughter down the room, trying to
+      imagine she was Daisy, he often asked himself if this gay fellow could be
+      the poor homeless little Street musician who once stood waiting in the
+      rain at the gates of Plumfield. His heart was true, his impulses good, and
+      his ambitions high; but the weak side of his nature came uppermost here;
+      vanity led him astray, pleasure intoxicated him, and for a time he forgot
+      everything but the delights of this new and charming life. Without meaning
+      to deceive, he allowed people to imagine him a youth of good family and
+      prospects; he boasted a little of Mr Laurie's wealth and influence, of
+      Professor Bhaer's eminence, and the flourishing college at which he
+      himself had been educated. Mrs Jo was introduced to the sentimental
+      Frauleins who read her books, and the charms and virtues of his own dear
+      Madchen confided to sympathetic mammas. All these boyish boastings and
+      innocent vanities were duly circulated among the gossips, and his
+      importance much increased thereby, to his surprise and gratification, as
+      well as some shame.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But they bore fruit that was bitter in the end; for, finding that he was
+      considered one of the upper class, it very soon became impossible for him
+      to live in the humble quarters he had chosen, or to lead the studious,
+      quiet life planned for him. He met other students, young officers, and gay
+      fellows of all sorts, and was flattered at being welcomed among them;
+      though it was a costly pleasure, and often left a thorn of regret to vex
+      his honest conscience. He was tempted to take better rooms in a more
+      fashionable street, leaving good Frau Tetzel to lament his loss, and his
+      artist neighbour, Fraulein Vogelstein, to shake her grey ringlets and
+      predict his return, a sadder and a wiser man.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sum placed at his disposal for expenses and such simple pleasures as
+      his busy life could command seemed a fortune to Nat, though it was smaller
+      than generous Mr Laurie first proposed. Professor Bhaer wisely counselled
+      prudence, as Nat was unused to the care of money, and the good man knew
+      the temptations that a well-filled purse makes possible at this
+      pleasure-loving age. So Nat enjoyed his handsome little apartment
+      immensely, and insensibly let many unaccustomed luxuries creep in. He
+      loved his music and never missed a lesson; but the hours he should have
+      spent in patient practice were too often wasted at theatre, ball,
+      beer-garden, or club&mdash;doing no harm beyond that waste of precious
+      time, and money not his own; for he had no vices, and took his recreation
+      like a gentleman, so far. But slowly a change for the worse was beginning
+      to show itself, and he felt it. These first steps along the flowery road
+      were downward, not upward; and the constant sense of disloyalty which soon
+      began to haunt him made Nat feel, in the few quiet hours he gave himself,
+      that all was not well with him, spite of the happy whirl in which he
+      lived.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Another month, and then I will be steady,' he said more than once, trying
+      to excuse the delay by the fact that all was new to him, that his friends
+      at home wished him to be happy, and that society was giving him the polish
+      he needed. But as each month slipped away it grew harder to escape; he was
+      inevitably drawn on, and it was so easy to drift with the tide that he
+      deferred the evil day as long as possible. Winter festivities followed the
+      more wholesome summer pleasures, and Nat found them more costly; for the
+      hospitable ladies expected some return from the stranger; and carriages,
+      bouquets, theatre tickets, and all the little expenses a young man cannot
+      escape at such times, told heavily on the purse which seemed bottomless at
+      first. Taking Mr Laurie for his model, Nat became quite a gallant, and was
+      universally liked; for through all the newly acquired airs and graces the
+      genuine honesty and simplicity of his character plainly shone, winning
+      confidence and affection from all who knew him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Among these was a certain amiable old lady with a musical daughter&mdash;well-born
+      but poor, and very anxious to marry the aforesaid daughter to some wealthy
+      man. Nat's little fictions concerning his prospects and friends charmed
+      the gnadige Frau as much as his music and devoted manners did the
+      sentimental Minna. Their quiet parlour seemed homelike and restful to Nat,
+      when tired of gayer scenes; and the motherly interest of the elder lady
+      was sweet and comfortable to him; while the tender blue eyes of the pretty
+      girl were always so full of welcome when he came, of regret when he left,
+      and of admiration when he played to her, that he found it impossible to
+      keep away from this attractive spot. He meant no harm, and feared no
+      danger, having confided to the Frau Mamma that he was betrothed; so he
+      continued to call, little dreaming what ambitious hopes the old lady
+      cherished, nor the peril there was in receiving the adoration of a
+      romantic German girl, till it was too late to spare her pain and himself
+      great regret.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Of course some inkling of these new and agreeable experiences got into the
+      voluminous letters he never was too gay, too busy, or too tired to write
+      each week; and while Daisy rejoiced over his happiness and success, and
+      the boys laughed at the idea of 'old Chirper coming out as a society man',
+      the elders looked sober, and said among themselves:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'He is going too fast; he must have a word of warning, or trouble may
+      come.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But Mr Laurie said: 'Oh, let him have his fling; he's been dependent and
+      repressed long enough. He can't go far with the money he has, and I've no
+      fear of his getting into debt. He's too timid and too honest to be
+      reckless. It is his first taste of freedom; let him enjoy it, and he'll
+      work the better by and by; I know&mdash;and I'm sure I'm right.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So the warnings were very gentle, and the good people waited anxiously to
+      hear more of hard study, and less of 'splendid times'. Daisy sometimes
+      wondered, with a pang of her faithful heart, if one of the charming
+      Minnas, Hildegardes, and Lottchens mentioned were not stealing her Nat
+      away from her; but she never asked, always wrote calmly and cheerfully,
+      and looked in vain for any hint of change in the letters that were worn
+      out with much reading.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Month after month slipped away, till the holidays came with gifts, good
+      wishes, and brilliant festivities. Nat expected to enjoy himself very
+      much, and did at first; for a German Christmas is a spectacle worth
+      seeing. But he paid dearly for the abandon with which he threw himself
+      into the gaieties of that memorable week; and on New Year's Day the
+      reckoning came. It seemed as if some malicious fairy had prepared the
+      surprises that arrived, so unwelcome were they, so magical the change they
+      wrought, turning his happy world into a scene of desolation and despair as
+      suddenly as a transformation at the pantomime.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The first came in the morning when, duly armed with costly bouquets and
+      bon-bons, he went to thank Minna and her mother for the braces embroidered
+      with forget-me-nots and the silk socks knit by the old lady's nimble
+      fingers, which he had found upon his table that day. The Frau Mamma
+      received him graciously; but when he asked for the daughter the good lady
+      frankly demanded what his intentions were, adding that certain gossip
+      which had reached her ear made it necessary for him to declare himself or
+      come no more, as Minna's peace must not be compromised.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A more panic-stricken youth was seldom seen than Nat as he received this
+      unexpected demand. He saw too late that his American style of gallantry
+      had deceived the artless girl, and might be used with terrible effect by
+      the artful mother, if she chose to do it. Nothing but the truth could save
+      him, and he had the honour and honesty to tell it faithfully. A sad scene
+      followed; for Nat was obliged to strip off his fictitious splendour,
+      confess himself only a poor student, and humbly ask pardon for the
+      thoughtless freedom with which he had enjoyed their too confiding
+      hospitality. If he had any doubts of Frau Schomburg's motives and desires,
+      they were speedily set at rest by the frankness with which she showed her
+      disappointment, the vigour with which she scolded him, and the scorn with
+      which she cast him off when her splendid castles in the air collapsed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sincerity of Nat's penitence softened her a little and she consented
+      to a farewell word with Minna, who had listened at the keyhole, and was
+      produced drenched in tears, to fall on Nat's bosom, crying: 'Ah, thou dear
+      one, never can I forget thee, though my heart is broken!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This was worse than the scolding; for the stout lady also wept, and it was
+      only after much German gush and twaddle that he escaped, feeling like
+      another Werther; while the deserted Lotte consoled herself with the
+      bonbons, her mother with the more valuable gifts.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The second surprise arrived as he dined with Professor Baumgarten. His
+      appetite had been effectually taken away by the scene of the morning, and
+      his spirits received another damper when a fellow student cheerfully
+      informed him that he was about to go to America, and should make it his
+      agreeable duty to call on the 'lieber Herr Professor Bhaer', to tell him
+      how gaily his protege was disporting himself at Leipzig. Nat's heart died
+      within him as he imagined the effect these glowing tales would have at
+      Plumfield&mdash;not that he had wilfully deceived them, but in his letters
+      many things were left untold; and when Carlsen added, with a friendly
+      wink, that he would merely hint at the coming betrothal of the fair Minna
+      and his 'heart's friend', Nat found himself devoutly hoping that this
+      other inconvenient heart's friend might go to the bottom of the sea before
+      he reached Plumfield to blast all his hopes by these tales of a mis-spent
+      winter. Collecting his wits, he cautioned Carlsen with what he flattered
+      himself was Mephistophelian art, and gave him such confused directions
+      that it would be a miracle if he ever found Professor Bhaer. But the
+      dinner was spoilt for Nat, and he got away as soon as possible, to wander
+      disconsolately about the streets, with no heart for the theatre or the
+      supper he was to share with some gay comrades afterwards. He comforted
+      himself a little by giving alms to sundry beggars, making two children
+      happy with gilded gingerbread, and drinking a lonely glass of beer, in
+      which he toasted his Daisy and wished himself a better year than the last
+      had been.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Going home at length, he found a third surprise awaiting him in the shower
+      of bills which had descended upon him like a snowstorm, burying him in an
+      avalanche of remorse, despair, and self-disgust. These bills were so many
+      and so large that he was startled and dismayed; for, as Mr Bhaer wisely
+      predicted, he knew little about the value of money. It would take every
+      dollar at the bankers to pay them all at once, and leave him penniless for
+      the next six months, unless he wrote home for more. He would rather starve
+      than do that; and his first impulse was to seek help at the gaming-table,
+      whither his new friends had often tempted him. But he had promised Mr
+      Bhaer to resist what then had seemed an impossible temptation; and now he
+      would not add another fault to the list already so long. Borrow he would
+      not, nor beg. What could he do? For these appalling bills must be paid,
+      and the lessons go on; or his journey was an ignominious failure. But he
+      must live meantime. And how? Bowed down with remorse for the folly of
+      these months, he saw too late whither he was drifting, and for hours paced
+      up and down his pretty rooms, floundering in a Slough of Despond, with no
+      helping hand to pull him out&mdash;at least he thought so till letters
+      were brought in, and among fresh bills lay one well-worn envelope with an
+      American stamp in the corner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Ah, how welcome it was! how eagerly he read the long pages full of
+      affectionate wishes from all at home! For everyone had sent a line, and as
+      each familiar name appeared, his eyes grew dimmer and dimmer till, as he
+      read the last&mdash;'God bless my boy! Mother Bhaer'&mdash;he broke down;
+      and laying his head on his arms, blistered the paper with a rain of tears
+      that eased his heart and washed away the boyish sins that now lay so heavy
+      on his conscience.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Dear people, how they love and trust me! And how bitterly they would be
+      disappointed if they knew what a fool I've been! I'll fiddle in the
+      streets again before I'll ask for help from them!' cried Nat, brushing
+      away the tears of which he was ashamed, although he felt the good they had
+      done.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Now he seemed to see more clearly what to do; for the helping hand had
+      been stretched across the sea, and Love, the dear Evangelist, had lifted
+      him out of the slough and shown him the narrow gate, beyond which
+      deliverance lay. When the letter had been reread, and one corner where a
+      daisy was painted, passionately kissed, Nat felt strong enough to face the
+      worst and conquer it. Every bill should be paid, every salable thing of
+      his own sold, these costly rooms given up; and once back with thrifty Frau
+      Tetzel, he would find work of some sort by which to support himself, as
+      many another student did. He must give up the new friends, turn his back
+      on the gay life, cease to be a butterfly, and take his place among the
+      grubs. It was the only honest thing to do, but very hard for the poor
+      fellow to crush his little vanities, renounce the delights so dear to the
+      young, own his folly, and step down from his pedestal to be pitied,
+      laughed at, and forgotten.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It took all Nat's pride and courage to do this, for his was a sensitive
+      nature; esteem was very precious to him, failure very bitter, and nothing
+      but the inborn contempt for meanness and deceit kept him from asking help
+      or trying to hide his need by some dishonest device. As he sat alone that
+      night, Mr Bhaer's words came back to him with curious clearness, and he
+      saw himself a boy again at Plumfield, punishing his teacher as a lesson to
+      himself, when timidity had made him lie.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'He shall not suffer for me again, and I won't be a sneak if I am a fool.
+      I'll go and tell Professor Baumgarten all about it and ask his advice. I'd
+      rather face a loaded cannon; but it must be done. Then I'll sell out, pay
+      my debts, and go back where I belong. Better be an honest pauper than a
+      jackdaw among peacocks'; and Nat smiled in the midst of his trouble, as he
+      looked about him at the little elegancies of his room, remembering what he
+      came from.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He kept his word manfully, and was much comforted to find that his
+      experience was an old story to the professor, who approved his plan,
+      thinking wisely that the discipline would be good for him, and was very
+      kind in offering help and promising to keep the secret of his folly from
+      his friend Bhaer till Nat had redeemed himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The first week of the new year was spent by our prodigal in carrying out
+      his plan with penitent dispatch, and his birthday found him alone in the
+      little room high up at Frau Tetzel's, with nothing of his former
+      splendour, but sundry unsalable keepsakes from the buxom maidens, who
+      mourned his absence deeply. His male friends had ridiculed, pitied, and
+      soon left him alone, with one or two exceptions, who offered their purses
+      generously and promised to stand by him. He was lonely and heavy-hearted,
+      and sat brooding over his small fire as he remembered the last New Year's
+      Day at Plumfield, when at this hour he was dancing with his Daisy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A tap at the door roused him, and with a careless 'Herein', he waited to
+      see who had climbed so far for his sake. It was the good Frau proudly
+      bearing a tray, on which stood a bottle of wine and an astonishing cake
+      bedecked with sugar-plums of every hue, and crowned with candles. Fraulein
+      Vogelstein followed, embracing a blooming rose-tree, above which her grey
+      curls waved and her friendly face beamed joyfully as she cried:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Dear Herr Blak, we bring you greetings and a little gift or two in honour
+      of this ever-to-be-remembered day. Best wishes! and may the new year bloom
+      for you as beautifully as we your heart-warm friends desire.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes, yes, in truth we do, dear Herr,' added Frau Tetzel. 'Eat of this
+      with-joy-made Kuchen, and drink to the health of the far-away beloved ones
+      in the good wine.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Amused, yet touched by the kindness of the good souls, Nat thanked them
+      both, and made them stay to enjoy the humble feast with him. This they
+      gladly did, being motherly women full of pity for the dear youth, whose
+      straits they knew, and having substantial help to offer, as well as kind
+      words and creature comforts.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Frau Tetzel, with some hesitation, mentioned a friend of hers who, forced
+      by illness to leave his place in the orchestra of a second-rate theatre,
+      would gladly offer it to Nat, if he could accept so humble a position.
+      Blushing and toying with the roses like a shy girl, good old Vogelstein
+      asked if in his leisure moments he could give English lessons in the young
+      ladies' school where she taught painting, adding that a small but certain
+      salary would be paid him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Gratefully Nat accepted both offers, finding it less humiliating to be
+      helped by women than by friends of his own sex. This work would support
+      him in a frugal way, and certain musical drudgery promised by his master
+      assured his own teaching. Delighted with the success of their little plot,
+      these friendly neighbours left him with cheery words, warm hand-grasps,
+      and faces beaming with feminine satisfaction at the hearty kiss Nat put on
+      each faded cheek, as the only return he could make for all their helpful
+      kindness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was strange how much brighter the world looked after that; for hope was
+      a better cordial than the wine, and good resolutions bloomed as freshly as
+      the little rose-tree that filled the room with fragrance, as Nat woke the
+      echoes with the dear old airs, finding now as always his best comforter in
+      music, to whom henceforth he swore to be a more loyal subject.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0014" id="link2HCH0014">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      Chapter 14. PLAYS AT PLUMFIELD
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      As it is as impossible for the humble historian of the March family to
+      write a story without theatricals in it as for our dear Miss Yonge to get
+      on with less than twelve or fourteen children in her interesting tales, we
+      will accept the fact, and at once cheer ourselves after the last
+      afflicting events, by proceeding to the Christmas plays at Plumfield; for
+      they influence the fate of several of our characters, and cannot well be
+      skipped.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When the college was built Mr Laurie added a charming little theatre which
+      not only served for plays, but declamations, lectures, and concerts. The
+      drop-curtain displayed Apollo with the Muses grouped about him; and as a
+      compliment to the donor of the hall the artist had given the god a decided
+      resemblance to our friend, which was considered a superb joke by everyone
+      else. Home talent furnished stars, stock company, orchestra, and scene
+      painter; and astonishing performances were given on this pretty little
+      stage.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo had been trying for some time to produce a play which should be an
+      improvement upon the adaptations from the French then in vogue, curious
+      mixtures of fine toilettes, false sentiment, and feeble wit, with no touch
+      of nature to redeem them. It was easy to plan plays full of noble speeches
+      and thrilling situations, but very hard to write them; so she contented
+      herself with a few scenes of humble life in which the comic and pathetic
+      were mingled; and as she fitted her characters to her actors, she hoped
+      the little venture would prove that truth and simplicity had not entirely
+      lost their power to charm. Mr Laurie helped her, and they called
+      themselves Beaumont and Fletcher, enjoying their joint labour very much;
+      for Beaumont's knowledge of dramatic art was of great use in curbing
+      Fletcher's too-aspiring pen, and they flattered themselves that they had
+      produced a neat and effective bit of work as an experiment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All was ready now; and Christmas Day was much enlivened by last
+      rehearsals, the panics of timid actors, the scramble for forgotten
+      properties, and the decoration of the theatre. Evergreen and holly from
+      the woods, blooming plants from the hothouse on Parnassus, and flags of
+      all nations made it very gay that night in honour of the guests who were
+      coming, chief among them, Miss Cameron, who kept her promise faithfully.
+      The orchestra tuned their instruments with unusual care, the
+      scene-shifters set their stage with lavish elegance, the prompter
+      heroically took his seat in the stifling nook provided for him, and the
+      actors dressed with trembling hands that dropped the pins, and perspiring
+      brows whereon the powder wouldn't stick. Beaumont and Fletcher were
+      everywhere, feeling that their literary reputation was at stake; for
+      sundry friendly critics were invited, and reporters, like mosquitoes,
+      cannot be excluded from any earthly scene, be it a great man's death-bed
+      or a dime museum.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Has she come?' was the question asked by every tongue behind the curtain;
+      and when Tom, who played an old man, endangered his respectable legs among
+      the footlights to peep, announced that he saw Miss Cameron's handsome head
+      in the place of honour, a thrill pervaded the entire company, and Josie
+      declared with an excited gasp that she was going to have stage fright for
+      the first time in her life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll shake you if you do,' said Mrs Jo, who was in such a wild state of
+      dishevelment with her varied labours that she might have gone on as Madge
+      Wildlife, without an additional rag or crazy elf-lock.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You'll have time to get your wits together while we do our piece. We are
+      old stagers and calm as clocks,' answered Demi, with a nod towards Alice,
+      ready in her pretty dress and all her properties at hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But both clocks were going rather faster than usual, as heightened colour,
+      brilliant eyes, and a certain flutter under the laces and velvet coat
+      betrayed. They were to open the entertainment with a gay little piece
+      which they had played before and did remarkably well. Alice was a tall
+      girl, with dark hair and eyes, and a face which intelligence, health, and
+      a happy heart made beautiful. She was looking her best now, for the
+      brocades, plumes, and powder of the Marquise became her stately figure;
+      and Demi in his court suit, with sword, three-cornered hat, and white wig,
+      made as gallant a Baron as one would wish to see. Josie was the maid, and
+      looked her part to the life, being as pretty, pert, and inquisitive as any
+      French soubrette. These three were all the characters; and the success of
+      the piece depended on the spirit and skill with which the quickly changing
+      moods of the quarrelsome lovers were given, their witty speeches made to
+      tell, and by-play suited to the courtly period in which the scene was
+      laid.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Few would have recognized sober John and studious Alice in the dashing
+      gentleman and coquettish lady, who kept the audience laughing at their
+      caprices; while they enjoyed the brilliant costumes, and admired the ease
+      and grace of the young actors. Josie was a prominent figure in the plot,
+      as she listened at keyholes, peeped into notes, and popped in and out at
+      all the most inopportune moments, with her nose in the air, her hands in
+      her apron-pockets, and curiosity pervading her little figure from the
+      topmost bow of her jaunty cap to the red heels of her slippers. All went
+      smoothly; and the capricious Marquise, after tormenting the devoted Baron
+      to her heart's content, owned herself conquered in the war of wits, and
+      was just offering the hand he had fairly won, when a crash startled them,
+      and a heavily decorated side-scene swayed forward, ready to fall upon
+      Alice. Demi saw it and sprung before her to catch and hold it up, standing
+      like a modern Samson with the wall of a house on his back. The danger was
+      over in a moment, and he was about to utter his last speech, when the
+      excited young scene-shifter, who had flown up a ladder to repair the
+      damage, leaned over to whisper 'All right', and release Demi from his
+      spread-eagle attitude: as he did so, a hammer slipped out of his pocket,
+      to fall upon the upturned face below, inflicting a smart blow and
+      literally knocking the Baron's part out of his head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'A quick curtain,' robbed the audience of a pretty little scene not down
+      on the bill; for the Marquise flew to staunch the blood with a cry of
+      alarm: 'Oh! John, you are hurt! Lean on me'&mdash;which John gladly did
+      for a moment, being a trifle dazed yet quite able to enjoy the tender
+      touch of the hands busied about him and the anxiety of the face so near
+      his own; for both told him something which he would have considered
+      cheaply won by a rain of hammers and the fall of the whole college on his
+      head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nan was on the spot in a moment with the case that never left her pocket;
+      and the wound was neatly plastered up by the time Mrs Jo arrived,
+      demanding tragically:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Is he too much hurt to go on again? If he is, my play is lost!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'm all the fitter for it, Aunty; for here's a real instead of a painted
+      wound. I'll be ready; don't worry about me.' And catching up his wig, Demi
+      was off, with only a very eloquent look of thanks to the Marquise, who had
+      spoilt her gloves for his sake, but did not seem to mind it at all, though
+      they reached above her elbows, and were most expensive.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'How are your nerves, Fletcher?' asked Mr Laurie as they stood together
+      during the breathless minute before the last bell rings.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'About as calm as yours, Beaumont,' answered Mrs Jo, gesticulating wildly
+      to Mrs Meg to set her cap straight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Bear up, partner! I'll stand by you whatever comes!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I feel that it ought to go; for, though it's a mere trifle, a good deal
+      of honest work and truth have gone into it. Doesn't Meg look the picture
+      of a dear old country woman?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She certainly did, as she sat in the farmhouse kitchen by a cheery fire,
+      rocking a cradle and darning stockings, as if she had done nothing else
+      all her life. Grey hair, skilfully drawn lines on the forehead, and a
+      plain gown, with cap, little shawl, and check apron, changed her into a
+      comfortable, motherly creature who found favour the moment the curtain
+      went up and discovered her rocking, darning, and crooning an old song. In
+      a short soliloquy about Sam, her boy, who wanted to enlist; Dolly, her
+      discontented little daughter, who longed for city ease and pleasures; and
+      poor 'Elizy', who had married badly, and came home to die, bequeathing her
+      baby to her mother, lest its bad father should claim it, the little story
+      was very simply opened, and made effective by the real boiling of the
+      kettle on the crane, the ticking of a tall clock, and the appearance of a
+      pair of blue worsted shoes which waved fitfully in the air to the soft
+      babble of a baby's voice. Those shapeless little shoes won the first
+      applause; and Mr Laurie, forgetting elegance in satisfaction, whispered to
+      his coadjutor:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I thought the baby would fetch them!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'If the dear thing won't squall in the wrong place, we are saved. But it
+      is risky. Be ready to catch it if all Meg's cuddlings prove in vain,'
+      answered Mrs Jo, adding, with a clutch at Mr Laurie's arm as a haggard
+      face appeared at the window:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Here's Demi! I hope no one will recognize him when he comes on as the
+      son. I'll never forgive you for not doing the villain yourself.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Can't run the thing and act too. He's capitally made up, and likes a bit
+      of melodrama.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'This scene ought to have come later; but I wanted to show that the mother
+      was the heroine as soon as possible. I'm tired of love-sick girls and
+      runaway wives. We'll prove that there's romance in old women also. Now
+      he's coming!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And in slouched a degraded-looking man, shabby, unshaven, and evil-eyed,
+      trying to assume a masterful air as he dismayed the tranquil old woman by
+      demanding his child. A powerful scene followed; and Mrs Meg surprised even
+      those who knew her best by the homely dignity with which she at first met
+      the man she dreaded; then, as he brutally pressed his claim, she pleaded
+      with trembling voice and hands to keep the little creature she had
+      promised the dying mother to protect; and when he turned to take it by
+      force, quite a thrill went through the house as the old woman sprung to
+      snatch it from the cradle, and holding it close, defied him in God's name
+      to tear it from that sacred refuge. It was really well done; and the round
+      of applause that greeted the fine tableau of the indignant old woman, the
+      rosy, blinking baby clinging to her neck, and the daunted man who dared
+      not execute his evil purpose with such a defender for helpless innocence,
+      told the excited authors that their first scene was a hit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The second was quieter, and introduced Josie as a bonny country lass
+      setting the supper-table in a bad humour. The pettish way in which she
+      slapped down the plates, hustled the cups, and cut the big brown loaf, as
+      she related her girlish trials and ambitions, was capital. Mrs Jo kept her
+      eye on Miss Cameron, and saw her nod approval several times at some
+      natural tone or gesture, some good bit of by-play or a quick change of
+      expression in the young face, which was as variable as an April day. Her
+      struggle with the toasting-fork made much merriment; so did her contempt
+      for the brown sugar, and the relish with which she sweetened her irksome
+      duties by eating it; and when she sat, like Cinderella, on the hearth,
+      tearfully watching the flames dance on the homely room, a girlish voice
+      was heard to exclaim impulsively:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Poor little thing! she ought to have some fun!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The old woman enters; and mother and daughter have a pretty scene, in
+      which the latter coaxes and threatens, kisses and cries, till she wins the
+      reluctant consent of the former to visit a rich relation in the city; and
+      from being a little thunder-cloud Dolly becomes bewitchingly gay and good,
+      as soon as her wilful wish is granted. The poor old soul has hardly
+      recovered from this trial when the son enters, in army blue, tells he has
+      enlisted and must go. That is a hard blow; but the patriotic mother bears
+      it well, and not till the thoughtless young folks have hastened away to
+      tell their good news elsewhere does she break down. Then the country
+      kitchen becomes pathetic as the old mother sits alone mourning over her
+      children, till the grey head is hidden in the hands as she kneels down by
+      the cradle to weep and pray, with only Baby to comfort her fond and
+      faithful heart.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Sniffs were audible all through the latter part of this scene; and when
+      the curtain fell, people were so busy wiping their eyes that for a moment
+      they forgot to applaud. That silent moment was more flattering than noise;
+      and as Mrs Jo wiped the real tears off her sister's face, she said as
+      solemnly as an unconscious dab of rouge on her nose permitted:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Meg, you have saved my play! Oh, why aren't you a real actress, and I a
+      real playwright?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't gush now, dear, but help me dress Josie; she's in such a quiver of
+      excitement, I can't manage her, and this is her best scene, you know.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So it was; for her aunt had written it especially for her, and little Jo
+      was happy in a gorgeous dress, with a train long enough to satisfy her
+      wildest dreams. The rich relation's parlour was in festival array, and the
+      country cousin sails in, looking back at her sweeping flounces with such
+      artless rapture that no one had the heart to laugh at the pretty jay in
+      borrowed plumes. She has confidences with herself in the mirror, from
+      which it is made evident that she had discovered all is not gold that
+      glitters, and has found greater temptations than those a girlish love of
+      pleasure, luxury, and flattery bring her. She is sought by a rich lover;
+      but her honest heart resists the allurements he offers, and in its
+      innocent perplexity wishes 'mother' was there to comfort and counsel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A gay little dance, in which Dora, Nan, Bess, and several of the boys took
+      part, made a good background for the humble figure of the old woman in her
+      widow's bonnet, rusty shawl, big umbrella, and basket. Her naive
+      astonishment, as she surveys the spectacle, feels the curtains, and
+      smooths her old gloves during the moment she remains unseen, was very
+      good; but Josie's unaffected start when she sees her, and the cry: 'Why,
+      there's mother!' was such a hearty little bit of nature, it hardly needed
+      the impatient tripping over her train as she ran into the arms that seemed
+      now to be her nearest refuge.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The lover plays his part; and ripples of merriment greeted the old woman's
+      searching questions and blunt answers during the interview which shows the
+      girl how shallow his love is, and how near she had been to ruining her
+      life as bitterly as poor 'Elizy' did. She gives her answer frankly, and
+      when they are alone, looks from her own bedizened self to the shabby
+      dress, work-worn hands, and tender face, crying with a repentant sob and
+      kiss: 'Take me home, mother, and keep me safe. I've had enough of this!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That will do you good, Maria; don't forget it,' said one lady to her
+      daughter as the curtain went down; and the girl answered: 'Well, I'm sure
+      I don't see why it's touching; but it is,' as she spread her lace
+      handkerchief to dry.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Tom and Nan came out strong in the next scene; for it was a ward in an
+      army hospital, and surgeon and nurse went from bed to bed, feeling pulses,
+      administering doses, and hearing complaints with an energy and gravity
+      which convulsed the audience. The tragic element, never far from the comic
+      at such times and places, came in when, while they bandaged an arm, the
+      doctor told the nurse about an old woman who was searching through the
+      hospital for her son, after days and nights on battlefields, through
+      ambulances, and among scenes which would have killed most women.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'She will be here directly, and I dread her coming, for I'm afraid the
+      poor lad who has just gone is her boy. I'd rather face a cannon than these
+      brave women, with their hope and courage and great sorrow,' says the
+      surgeon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Ah, these poor mothers break my heart!' adds the nurse, wiping her eyes
+      on her big apron; and with the words Mrs Meg came in.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was the same dress, the basket and umbrella, the rustic speech, the
+      simple manners; but all were made pathetic by the terrible experience
+      which had changed the tranquil old woman to that haggard figure with wild
+      eyes, dusty feet, trembling hands, and an expression of mingled anguish,
+      resolution, and despair which gave the homely figure a tragic dignity and
+      power that touched all hearts. A few broken words told the story of her
+      vain search, and then the sad quest began again. People held their breath
+      as, led by the nurse, she went from bed to bed, showing in her face the
+      alternations of hope, dread, and bitter disappointment as each was passed.
+      On a narrow cot was a long figure covered with a sheet, and here she
+      paused to lay one hand on her heart and one on her eyes, as if to gather
+      courage to look at the nameless dead. Then she drew down the sheet, gave a
+      long shivering sigh of relief, saying softly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Not my son, thank God! but some mother's boy.' And stooping down, she
+      kissed the cold forehead tenderly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Somebody sobbed there, and Miss Cameron shook two tears out of her eyes,
+      anxious to lose no look or gesture as the poor soul, nearly spent with the
+      long strain, struggled on down the long line. But her search was happily
+      ended for, as if her voice had roused him from his feverish sleep, a
+      gaunt, wild-eyed man sat up in his bed, and stretching his arms to her,
+      cried in a voice that echoed through the room:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Mother, mother! I knew you'd come to me!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She did go to him, with a cry of love and joy that thrilled every
+      listener, as she gathered him in her arms with the tears and prayers and
+      blessing such as only a fond and faithful old mother could give.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The last scene was a cheerful contrast to this; for the country kitchen
+      was bright with Christmas cheer, the wounded hero, with black patch and
+      crutches well displayed, sat by the fire in the old chair whose familiar
+      creak was soothing to his ear; pretty Dolly was stirring about, gaily
+      trimming dresser, settle, high chimney-piece, and old-fashioned cradle
+      with mistletoe and holly; while the mother rested beside her son, with
+      that blessed baby on her knee. Refreshed by a nap and nourishment, this
+      young actor now covered himself with glory by his ecstatic prancings,
+      incoherent remarks to the audience, and vain attempts to get to the
+      footlights, as he blinked approvingly at these brilliant toys. It was good
+      to see Mrs Meg pat him on the back, cuddle the fat legs out of sight, and
+      appease his vain longings with a lump of sugar, till Baby embraced her
+      with a grateful ardour that brought him a round of applause all for his
+      little self.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A sound of singing outside disturbs the happy family, and, after a carol
+      in the snowy moonlight, a flock of neighbours troop in with Christmas
+      gifts and greetings. Much by-play made this a lively picture; for Sam's
+      sweetheart hovered round him with a tenderness the Marquise did not show
+      the Baron; and Dolly had a pretty bit under the mistletoe with her rustic
+      adorer, who looked so like Ham Peggotty in his cowhide boots, rough
+      jacket, and dark beard and wig, that no one would have recognized Ted but
+      for the long legs, which no extent of leather could disguise. It ended
+      with a homely feast, brought by the guests; and as they sat round the
+      table covered with doughnuts and cheese, pumpkin-pie, and other
+      delicacies, Sam rises on his crutches to propose the first toast, and
+      holding up his mug of cider, says, with a salute, and a choke in his
+      voice: 'Mother, God bless her!' All drink it standing, Dolly with her arm
+      round the old woman's neck, as she hides her happy tears on her daughter's
+      breast; while the irrepressible baby beat rapturously on the table with a
+      spoon, and crowed audibly as the curtain went down.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They had it up again in a jiffy to get a last look at the group about that
+      central figure, which was showered with bouquets, to the great delight of
+      the infant Roscius; till a fat rosebud hit him on the nose, and produced
+      the much-dreaded squall, which, fortunately, only added to the fun at that
+      moment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Well, that will do for a beginning,' said Beaumont, with a sigh of
+      relief, as the curtain descended for the last time, and the actors
+      scattered to dress for the closing piece.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'As an experiment, it is a success. Now we can venture to begin our great
+      American drama,' answered Mrs Jo, full of satisfaction and grand ideas for
+      the famous play&mdash;which, we may add, she did not write that year,
+      owing to various dramatic events in her own family.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Owlsdark Marbles closed the entertainment, and, being something new,
+      proved amusing to this very indulgent audience. The gods and goddesses on
+      Parnassus were displayed in full conclave; and, thanks to Mrs Amy's skill
+      in draping and posing, the white wigs and cotton-flannel robes were
+      classically correct and graceful, though sundry modern additions somewhat
+      marred the effect, while adding point to the showman's learned remarks. Mr
+      Laurie was Professor Owlsdark in cap and gown; and, after a high-flown
+      introduction, he proceeded to exhibit and explain his marbles. The first
+      figure was a stately Minerva; but a second glance produced a laugh, for
+      the words 'Women's Rights' adorned her shield, a scroll bearing the motto
+      'Vote early and often' hung from the beak of the owl perched on her lance,
+      and a tiny pestle and mortar ornamented her helmet. Attention was drawn to
+      the firm mouth, the piercing eye, the awe-inspiring brow, of the
+      strong-minded woman of antiquity, and some scathing remarks made upon the
+      degeneracy of her modern sisters who failed to do their duty. Mercury came
+      next, and was very fine in his airy attitude, though the winged legs
+      quivered as if it was difficult to keep the lively god in his place. His
+      restless nature was dilated upon, his mischievous freaks alluded to, and a
+      very bad character given to the immortal messenger-boy; which delighted
+      his friends and caused the marble nose of the victim to curl visibly with
+      scorn when derisive applause greeted a particularly hard hit. A charming
+      little Hebe stood next, pouring nectar from a silver teapot into a blue
+      china tea-cup. She also pointed a moral; for the Professor explained that
+      the nectar of old was the beverage which cheers but does not inebriate,
+      and regretted that the excessive devotion of American women to this
+      classic brew proved so harmful, owing to the great development of brain
+      their culture produced. A touch at modern servants, in contrast to this
+      accomplished table-girl, made the statue's cheeks glow under the chalk,
+      and brought her a hearty round as the audience recognized Dolly and the
+      smart soubrette.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Jove in all his majesty followed, as he and his wife occupied the central
+      pedestals in the half-circle of immortals. A splendid Jupiter, with hair
+      well set up off the fine brow, ambrosial beard, silver thunderbolts in one
+      hand, and a well-worn ferule in the other. A large stuffed eagle from the
+      museum stood at his feet; and the benign expression of his august
+      countenance showed that he was in a good humour&mdash;as well he might be,
+      for he was paid some handsome compliments upon his wise rule, the peaceful
+      state of his kingdom, and the brood of all-accomplished Pallases that
+      yearly issued from his mighty brain. Cheers greeted this and other
+      pleasant words, and caused the thunderer to bow his thanks; for 'Jove
+      nods', as everyone knows, and flattery wins the heart of gods and men.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Juno, with her peacocks, darning-needle, pen, and cooking-spoon, did
+      not get off so easily; for the Professor was down on her with all manner
+      of mirth-provoking accusations, criticisms, and insults even. He alluded
+      to her domestic infelicity, her meddlesome disposition, sharp tongue, bad
+      temper, and jealousy, closing, however, with a tribute to her skill in
+      caring for the wounds and settling the quarrels of belligerent heroes, as
+      well as her love for youths in Olympus and on earth. Gales of laughter
+      greeted these hits, varied by hisses from some indignant boys, who would
+      not bear, even in joke, any disrespect to dear Mother Bhaer, who, however,
+      enjoyed it all immensely, as the twinkle in her eye and the irrepressible
+      pucker of her lips betrayed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A jolly Bacchus astride of his cask took Vulcan's place, and appeared to
+      be very comfortable with a beer-mug in one hand, a champagne bottle in the
+      other, and a garland of grapes on his curly head. He was the text of a
+      short temperance lecture, aimed directly at a row of smart young gentlemen
+      who lined the walls of the auditorium. George Cole was seen to dodge
+      behind a pillar at one point, Dolly nudged his neighbour at another, and
+      there was laughter all along the line as the Professor glared at them
+      through his big glasses, and dragged their bacchanalian orgies to the
+      light and held them up to scorn.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Seeing the execution he had done, the learned man turned to the lovely
+      Diana, who stood as white and still as the plaster stag beside her, with
+      sandals, bow, and crescent; quite perfect, and altogether the best piece
+      of statuary in the show. She was very tenderly treated by the paternal
+      critic who, merely alluding to her confirmed spinsterhood, fondness for
+      athletic sports, and oracular powers, gave a graceful little exposition of
+      true art and passed on to the last figure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This was Apollo in full fig, his curls skilfully arranged to hide a
+      well-whitened patch over the eye, his handsome legs correctly poised, and
+      his gifted fingers about to draw divine music from the silvered gridiron
+      which was his lyre. His divine attributes were described, as well as his
+      little follies and failings, among which were his weakness for photography
+      and flute-playing, his attempts to run a newspaper, and his fondness for
+      the society of the Muses; which latter slap produced giggles and blushes
+      among the girl-graduates, and much mirth among the stricken youths; for
+      misery loves company, and after this they began to rally.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then, with a ridiculous conclusion, the Professor bowed his thanks; and
+      after several recalls the curtain fell, but not quickly enough to conceal
+      Mercury, wildly waving his liberated legs, Hebe dropping her teapot,
+      Bacchus taking a lovely roll on his barrel, and Mrs Juno rapping the
+      impertinent Owlsdark on the head with Jove's ruler.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While the audience filed out to supper in the hall, the stage was a scene
+      of dire confusion as gods and goddesses, farmers and barons, maids and
+      carpenters, congratulated one another on the success of their labours.
+      Assuming various costumes, actors and actresses soon joined their guests,
+      to sip bounteous draughts of praise with their coffee, and cool their
+      modest blushes with ice-cream. Mrs Meg was a proud and happy woman when
+      Miss Cameron came to her as she sat by Josie, with Demi serving both, and
+      said, so cordially that it was impossible to doubt the sincerity of her
+      welcome words:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Mrs Brooke, I no longer wonder where your children get their talent. I
+      make my compliments to the Baron and next summer you must let me have
+      little &ldquo;Dolly&rdquo; as a pupil when we are at the beach.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One can easily imagine how this offer was received, as well as the
+      friendly commendation bestowed by the same kind critic on the work of
+      Beaumont and Fletcher, who hastened to explain that this trifle was only
+      an attempt to make nature and art go hand in hand, with little help from
+      fine writing or imposing scenery. Everybody was in the happiest mood,
+      especially 'little Dolly', who danced like a will-o'-the-wisp with
+      light-footed Mercury and Apollo as he promenaded with the Marquise on his
+      arm, who seemed to have left her coquetry in the green room with her
+      rouge.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When all was over, Mrs Juno said to Jove, to whose arm she clung as they
+      trudged home along the snowy paths: 'Fritz dear, Christmas is a good time
+      for new resolutions, and I've made one never to be impatient or fretful
+      with my beloved husband again. I know I am, though you won't own it; but
+      Laurie's fun had some truth in it, and I felt hit in a tender spot.
+      Henceforth I am a model wife, else I don't deserve the dearest, best man
+      ever born'; and being in a dramatic mood, Mrs Juno tenderly embraced her
+      excellent Jove in the moonlight, to the great amusement of sundry
+      lingerers behind them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So all three plays might be considered successes, and that merry Christmas
+      night a memorable one in the March family; for Demi got an unspoken
+      question answered, Josie's fondest wish was granted, and, thanks to
+      Professor Owlsdark's jest, Mrs Jo made Professor Bhaer's busy life quite a
+      bed of roses by the keeping of her resolution. A few days later she had
+      her reward for this burst of virtue in Dan's letter, which set her fears
+      at rest and made her very happy, though she was unable to tell him so,
+      because he sent her no address.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0015" id="link2HCH0015">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      Chapter 15. WAITING
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      'My wife, I have bad news for thee,' said Professor Bhaer, coming in one
+      day early in January.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Please tell it at once. I can't bear to wait, Fritz,' cried Mrs Jo,
+      dropping her work and standing up as if to take the shot bravely.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'But we must wait and hope, heart's-dearest. Come and let us bear it
+      together. Emil's ship is lost, and as yet no news of him.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was well Mr Bhaer had taken his wife into his strong arms, for she
+      looked ready to drop, but bore up after a moment, and sitting by her good
+      man, heard all that there was to tell. Tidings had been sent to the
+      shipowners at Hamburg by some of the survivors, and telegraphed at once by
+      Franz to his uncle. As one boat-load was safe, there was hope that others
+      might also escape, though the gale had sent two to the bottom. A
+      swift-sailing steamer had brought these scanty news, and happier ones
+      might come at any hour; but kind Franz had not added that the sailors
+      reported the captain's boat as undoubtedly wrecked by the falling mast,
+      since the smoke hid its escape, and the gale soon drove all far asunder.
+      But this sad rumour reached Plumfield in time; and deep was the mourning
+      for the happyhearted Commodore, never to come singing home again. Mrs Jo
+      refused to believe it, stoutly insisting that Emil would outlive any storm
+      and yet turn up safe and gay. It was well she clung to this hopeful view,
+      for poor Mr Bhaer was much afflicted by the loss of his boy, because his
+      sister's sons had been his so long he scarcely knew a different love for
+      his very own. Now was a chance for Mrs Juno to keep her word; and she did,
+      speaking cheerily of Emil, even when hope waxed faint and her heart was
+      heavy. If anything could comfort the Bhaers for the loss of one boy, it
+      would have been the affection and sorrow shown by all the rest. Franz kept
+      the cable busy with his varying messages, Nat sent loving letters from
+      Leipzig, and Tom harassed the shipping agents for news. Even busy Jack
+      wrote them with unusual warmth; Dolly and George came often, bearing the
+      loveliest flowers and the daintiest bon-bons to cheer Mrs Bhaer and
+      sweeten Josie's grief; while good-hearted Ned travelled all the way from
+      Chicago to press their hands and say, with a tear in his eye: 'I was so
+      anxious to hear all about the dear old boy, I couldn't keep away.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That's right comfortable, and shows me that if I didn't teach my boys
+      anything else, I did give them the brotherly love that will make them
+      stand by one another all their lives,' said Mrs Jo, when he had gone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Rob answered reams of sympathizing letters, which showed how many friends
+      they had; and the kindly praises of the lost man would have made Emil a
+      hero and a saint, had they all been true. The elders bore it quietly,
+      having learned submission in life's hard school; but the younger people
+      rebelled; some hoped against hope and kept up, others despaired at once,
+      and little Josie, Emil's pet cousin and playmate, was so broken-hearted
+      nothing could comfort her. Nan dosed in vain, Daisy's cheerful words went
+      by like the wind, and Bess's devices to amuse her all failed utterly. To
+      cry in mother's arms and talk about the wreck, which haunted her even in
+      her sleep, was all she cared to do; and Mrs Meg was getting anxious when
+      Miss Cameron sent Josie a kind note bidding her learn bravely her first
+      lesson in real tragedy, and be like the self-sacrificing heroines she
+      loved to act. That did the little girl good, and she made an effort in
+      which Teddy and Octoo helped her much; for the boy was deeply impressed by
+      this sudden eclipse of the firefly whose light and life all missed when
+      they were gone, and lured her out every day for long drives behind the
+      black mare, who shook her silvery bells till they made such merry music
+      Josie could not help listening to it, and whisked her over the snowy roads
+      at a pace which set the blood dancing in her veins and sent her home
+      strengthened and comforted by sunshine, fresh air, and congenial society&mdash;three
+      aids young sufferers seldom can resist.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As Emil was helping nurse Captain Hardy, safe and well, aboard the ship,
+      all this sorrow would seem wasted; but it was not, for it drew many hearts
+      more closely together by a common grief, taught some patience, some
+      sympathy, some regret for faults that lie heavy on the conscience when the
+      one sinned against is gone, and all of them the solemn lesson to be ready
+      when the summons comes. A hush lay over Plumfield for weeks, and the
+      studious faces on the hill reflected the sadness of those in the valley.
+      Sacred music sounded from Parnassus to comfort all who heard; the brown
+      cottage was beseiged with gifts for the little mourner, and Emil's flag
+      hung at half-mast on the roof where he last sat with Mrs Jo.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So the weeks went heavily by till suddenly, like a thunderbolt out of a
+      clear sky, came the news, 'All safe, letters on the way.' Then up went the
+      flag, out rang the college bells, bang went Teddy's long-unused cannon,
+      and a chorus of happy voices cried 'Thank God', as people went about,
+      laughing, crying, and embracing one another in a rapture of delight. By
+      and by the longed-for letters came, and all the story of the wreck was
+      told; briefly by Emil, eloquently by Mrs Hardy, gratefully by the captain,
+      while Mary added a few tender words that went straight to their hearts and
+      seemed the sweetest of all. Never were letters so read, passed round,
+      admired, and cried over as these; for Mrs Jo carried them in her pocket
+      when Mr Bhaer did not have them in his, and both took a look at them when
+      they said their prayers at night. Now the Professor was heard humming like
+      a big bee again as he went to his classes, and the lines smoothed out of
+      Mother Bhaer's forehead, while she wrote this real story to anxious
+      friends and let her romances wait. Now messages of congratulation flowed
+      in, and beaming faces showed everywhere. Rob amazed his parents by
+      producing a poem which was remarkably good for one of his years, and Demi
+      set it to music that it might be sung when the sailor boy returned. Teddy
+      stood on his head literally, and tore about the neighbourhood on Octoo,
+      like a second Paul Revere&mdash;only his tidings were good. But best of
+      all, little Josie lifted up her head as the snowdrops did, and began to
+      bloom again, growing tall and quiet, with the shadow of past sorrow to
+      tone down her former vivacity and show that she had learned a lesson in
+      trying to act well her part on the real stage, where all have to take
+      their share in the great drama of life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Now another sort of waiting began; for the travellers were on their way to
+      Hamburg, and would stay there awhile before coming home, as Uncle Hermann
+      owned the Brenda, and the captain must report to him. Emil must remain to
+      Franz's wedding, deferred till now because of the season of mourning, so
+      happily ended. These plans were doubly welcome and pleasant after the
+      troublous times which went before, and no spring ever seemed so beautiful
+      as this one; for, as Teddy put it:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    'Now is the winter of our discontent
+     Made glorious by these sons of Bhaer!'
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Franz and Emil being regarded in the light of elder brothers by the real
+      'sons of Bhaer'.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There was great scrubbing and dusting among the matrons as they set their
+      houses in order not only for Class Day, but to receive the bride and
+      groom, who were to come to them for the honeymoon trip. Great plans were
+      made, gifts prepared, and much joy felt at the prospect of seeing Franz
+      again; though Emil, who was to accompany them, would be the greater hero.
+      Little did the dear souls dream what a surprise was in store for them, as
+      they innocently laid their plans and wished all the boys could be there to
+      welcome home their eldest and their Casablanca.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While they wait and work so happily, let us see how our other absent boys
+      are faring as they too wait and work and hope for better days. Nat was
+      toiling steadily along the path he had wisely chosen, though it was by no
+      means strewn with flowers&mdash;quite thorny was it, in fact, and hard to
+      travel, after the taste of ease and pleasure he had got when nibbling at
+      forbidden fruit. But his crop of wild oats was a light one, and he
+      resolutely reaped what he had sowed, finding some good wheat among the
+      tares. He taught by day; he fiddled night after night in the dingy little
+      theatre, and he studied so diligently that his master was well pleased,
+      and kept him in mind as one to whom preferment was due, if any chance
+      occurred. Gay friends forgot him; but the old ones stood fast, and cheered
+      him up when Heimweh and weariness made him sad. As spring came on things
+      mended&mdash;expenses grew less, work pleasanter, and life more bearable
+      than when wintry storms beat on his thinly clad back, and frost pinched
+      the toes that patiently trudged in old boots. No debts burdened him; the
+      year of absence was nearly over; and if he chose to stay, Herr Bergmann
+      had hopes for him that would bring independence for a time at least. So he
+      walked under the lindens with a lighter heart, and in the May evenings
+      went about the city with a band of strolling students, making music before
+      houses where he used to sit as guest. No one recognized him in the
+      darkness, though old friends often listened to the band; and once Minna
+      threw him money, which he humbly received as part of his penance, being
+      morbid on the subject of his sins.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      His reward came sooner than he expected, and was greater than he deserved,
+      he thought, though his heart leaped with joy when his master one day
+      informed him that he was chosen, with several other of his most promising
+      pupils, to join the musical society which was to take part in the great
+      festival in London the next July. Here was not only honour for the
+      violinist but happiness for the man, as it brought him nearer home, and
+      would open a chance of further promotion and profit in his chosen
+      profession.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Make thyself useful to Bachmeister there in London with thy English, and
+      if all goes well with him, he will be glad to take thee to America,
+      whither he goes in the early autumn for winter concerts. Thou hast done
+      well these last months, and I have hopes of thee.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As the great Bergmann seldom praised his pupils, these words filled Nat's
+      soul with pride and joy, and he worked yet more diligently than before to
+      fulfil his master's prophecy. He thought the trip to England happiness
+      enough, but found room for more when, early in June, Franz and Emil paid
+      him a flying visit, bringing all sorts of good news, kind wishes, and
+      comfortable gifts for the lonely fellow, who could have fallen on their
+      necks and cried like a girl at seeing his old mates again. How glad he was
+      to be found in his little room busy at his proper work, not living like an
+      idle gentleman on borrowed money! How proud he was to tell his plans,
+      assure them that he had no debts, and receive their praises for his
+      improvement in music, their respect for his economy and steadfastness in
+      well-doing! How relieved when, having honestly confessed his shortcomings,
+      they only laughed, and owned that they also had known like experiences,
+      and were the wiser for them. He was to go to the wedding late in June, and
+      join his comrades in London. As best man, he could not refuse the new suit
+      Franz insisted on ordering for him; and a cheque from home about that time
+      made him feel like a millionaire&mdash;and a happy one; for this was
+      accompanied by such kind letters full of delight in his success, he felt
+      that he had earned it, and waited for his joyful holiday with the
+      impatience of a boy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dan meantime was also counting the weeks till August, when he would be
+      free. But neither marriage-bells nor festival music awaited him; no
+      friends would greet him as he left the prison; no hopeful prospect lay
+      before him; no happy home-going was to be his. Yet his success was far
+      greater than Nat's, though only God and one good man saw it. It was a
+      hard-won battle; but he would never have to fight so terrible a one again;
+      for though enemies would still assail from within and from without, he had
+      found the little guide-book that Christian carried in his bosom, and Love,
+      Penitence, and Prayer, the three sweet sisters, had given him the armour
+      which would keep him safe. He had not learned to wear it yet, and chafed
+      against it, though he felt its value, thanks to the faithful friend who
+      had stood by him all that bitter year.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Soon he was to be free again, worn and scarred in the fray, but out among
+      men in the blessed sun and air. When he thought of it Dan felt as if he
+      could not wait, but must burst that narrow cell and fly away, as the
+      caddis-worms he used to watch by the brookside shed their stony coffins,
+      to climb the ferns and soar into the sky. Night after night he lulled
+      himself to sleep with planning how, when he had seen Mary Mason according
+      to his promise, he would steer straight for his old friends, the Indians,
+      and in the wilderness hide his disgrace and heal his wounds. Working to
+      save the many would atone for the sin of killing one, he thought; and the
+      old free life would keep him safe from the temptations that beset him in
+      cities.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'By and by, when I'm all right again, and have something to tell that I'm
+      not ashamed of, I'll go home,' he said, with a quicker beat of the
+      impetuous heart that longed to be there so intensely, he found it as hard
+      to curb as one of his unbroken horses on the plains. 'Not yet. I must get
+      over this first. They'd see and smell and feel the prison taint on me, if
+      I went now, and I couldn't look them in the face and hide the truth. I
+      can't lose Ted's love, Mother Bhaer's confidence, and the respect of the
+      girls, for they did respect my strength, anyway; but now they wouldn't
+      touch me.' And poor Dan looked with a shudder at the brown fist he
+      clenched involuntarily as he remembered what it had done since a certain
+      little white hand had laid in it confidingly. 'I'll make 'em proud of me
+      yet; and no one shall ever know of this awful year. I can wipe it out, and
+      I will, so help me God!' And the clenched hand was held up as if to take a
+      solemn oath that this lost year should yet be made good, if resolution and
+      repentance could work the miracle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0016" id="link2HCH0016">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      Chapter 16. IN THE TENNIS-COURT
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      Athletic sports were in high favour at Plumfield; and the river where the
+      old punt used to wabble about with a cargo of small boys, or echo to the
+      shrill screams of little girls trying to get lilies, now was alive with
+      boats of all kinds, from the slender wherry to the trim pleasure-craft,
+      gay with cushions, awnings, and fluttering pennons. Everyone rowed, and
+      the girls as well as the youths had their races, and developed their
+      muscles in the most scientific manner. The large, level meadow near the
+      old willow was now the college playground, and here baseball battles raged
+      with fury, varied by football, leaping, and kindred sports fitted to split
+      the fingers, break the ribs, and strain the backs of the too ambitious
+      participants. The gentler pastimes of the damsels were at a safe distance
+      from this Champ de Mars; croquet mallets clicked under the elms that
+      fringed the field, rackets rose and fell energetically in several
+      tennis-courts, and gates of different heights were handy to practise the
+      graceful bound by which every girl expected to save her life some day when
+      the mad bull, which was always coming but never seemed to arrive, should
+      be bellowing at her heels.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One of these tennis grounds was called 'Jo's Court', and here the little
+      lady ruled like a queen; for she was fond of the game, and being bent on
+      developing her small self to the highest degree of perfection, she was to
+      be found at every leisure moment with some victim hard at it. On a certain
+      pleasant Saturday afternoon she had been playing with Bess and beating
+      her; for, though more graceful, the Princess was less active than her
+      cousin, and cultivated her roses by quieter methods.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Oh dear! you are tired, and every blessed boy is at that stupid baseball
+      match. 'What shall I do?' sighed Josie, pushing back the great red hat she
+      wore, and gazing sadly round her for more worlds to conquer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll play presently, when I'm a little cooler. But it is dull work for
+      me, as I never win,' answered Bess, fanning herself with a large leaf.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Josie was about to sit down beside her on the rustic seat and wait, when
+      her quick eye saw afar off two manly forms arrayed in white flannel; their
+      blue legs seemed bearing them towards the battle going on in the distance;
+      but they never reached the fray; for with a cry of joy, Jo raced away to
+      meet them, bent on securing this heaven-sent reinforcement. Both paused as
+      she came flying up, and both raised their hats; but oh, the difference
+      there was in the salutes! The stout youth pulled his off lazily and put it
+      on again at once, as if glad to get the duty over; the slender being, with
+      the crimson tie, lifted his with a graceful bend, and held it aloft while
+      he accosted the rosy, breathless maid, thus permitting her to see his
+      raven locks smoothly parted, with one little curl upon the brow. Dolly
+      prided himself upon that bow, and practised it before his glass, but did
+      not bestow it upon all alike, regarding it as a work of art, fit only for
+      the fairest and most favoured of his female admirers; for he was a pretty
+      youth, and fancied himself an Adonis.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Eager Josie evidently did not appreciate the honour he did her, for with a
+      nod she begged them both to 'come along and play tennis, not go and get
+      all hot and dirty with the boys'. These two adjectives won the day; for
+      Stuffy was already warmer than he liked to be, and Dolly had on a new suit
+      which he desired to keep immaculate as long as possible, conscious that it
+      was very becoming.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Charmed to oblige,' answered the polite one, with another bend.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You play, I'll rest,' added the fat boy, yearning for repose and gentle
+      converse with the Princess in the cooling shade.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Well, you can comfort Bess, for I've beaten her all to bits and she needs
+      amusing. I know you've got something nice in your pocket, George; give her
+      some, and 'Dolphus can have her racket. Now then, fly round'; and driving
+      her prey before her, Josie returned in triumph to the court.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Casting himself ponderously upon the bench, which creaked under his
+      weight, Stuffy&mdash;as we will continue to call him, though no one else
+      dared to use the old name now&mdash;promptly produced the box of
+      confectionery, without which he never travelled far, and regaled Bess with
+      candied violets and other dainties, while Dolly worked hard to hold his
+      own against a most accomplished antagonist. He would have beaten her if an
+      unlucky stumble, which produced an unsightly stain upon the knee of those
+      new shorts, had not distracted his mind and made him careless. Much elated
+      at her victory, Josie permitted him to rest, and offered ironical
+      consolation for the mishap which evidently weighed upon his mind.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't be an old Betty; it can be cleaned. You must have been a cat in
+      some former state, you are so troubled about dirt; or a tailor, and lived
+      for clothes.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Come now, don't hit a fellow when he is down,' responded Dolly from the
+      grass where he and Stuffy now lay to make room for both girls on the seat.
+      One handkerchief was spread under him, and his elbow leaned upon another,
+      while his eyes were sadly fixed upon the green and brown spot which
+      afflicted him. 'I like to be neat; don't think it civil to cut about in
+      old shoes and grey flannel shirts before ladies. Our fellows are
+      gentlemen, and dress as such,' he added, rather nettled at the word
+      'tailor'; for he owed one of those too attractive persons an uncomfortably
+      big bill.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'So are ours; but good clothes alone don't make a gentleman here. We
+      require a good deal more,' flashed Josie, in arms at once to defend her
+      college. 'You will hear of some of the men in &ldquo;old boots and grey flannel&rdquo;
+       when you and your fine gentlemen are twiddling your ties and scenting your
+      hair in obscurity. I like old boots and wear them, and I hate dandies;
+      don't you, Bess?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Not when they are kind to me, and belong to our old set,' answered Bess,
+      with a nod of thanks to Dolly, who was carefully removing an inquisitive
+      caterpillar from one of her little russet shoes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I like a lady who is always polite, and doesn't snap a man's head off if
+      he has a mind of his own; don't you, George?' asked Dolly, with his best
+      smile for Bess and a Harvard stare of disapprobation for Josie.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A tranquil snore was Stuffy's sole reply, and a general laugh restored
+      peace for the moment. But Josie loved to harass the lords of creation who
+      asserted themselves too much, and bided her time for another attack till
+      she had secured more tennis. She got another game; for Dolly was a sworn
+      knight of dames, so he obeyed her call, leaving Bess to sketch George as
+      he lay upon his back, his stout legs crossed, and his round red face
+      partially eclipsed by his hat. Josie got beaten this time and came back
+      rather cross, so she woke the peaceful sleeper by tickling his nose with a
+      straw till he sneezed himself into a sitting posture, and looked
+      wrathfully about for 'that confounded fly'.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Come, sit up and let us have a little elegant conversation; you &ldquo;howling
+      swells&rdquo; ought to improve our minds and manners, for we are only poor
+      &ldquo;country girls in dowdy gowns and hats&rdquo;,' began the gad-fly, opening the
+      battle with a sly quotation from one of Dolly's unfortunate speeches about
+      certain studious damsels who cared more for books than finery.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I didn't mean you! Your gowns are all right, and those hats the latest
+      thing out,' began poor 'Dolphus, convicting himself by the incautious
+      exclamation.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Caught you that time; I thought you fellows were all gentlemen, civil as
+      well as nice. But you are always sneering at girls who don't dress well
+      and that is a very unmanly thing to do; my mother said so'; and Josie felt
+      that she had dealt a shrewd blow at the elegant youth who bowed at many
+      shrines if they were well-decorated ones.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Got you there, old boy, and she's right. You never hear me talk about
+      clothes and such twaddle,' said Stuffy, suppressing a yawn, and feeling
+      for another bon-bon wherewith to refresh himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You talk about eating, and that is even worse for a man. You will marry a
+      cook and keep a restaurant some day,' laughed Josie, down on him at once.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This fearful prediction kept him silent for several moments; but Dolly
+      rallied, and wisely changing the subject, carried war into the enemy's
+      camp.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'As you wanted us to improve your manners, allow me to say that young
+      ladies in good society don't make personal remarks or deliver lectures.
+      Little girls who are not out do it, and think it witty; but I assure you
+      it's not good form.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Josie paused a moment to recover from the shock of being called 'a little
+      girl', when all the honours of her fourteenth birthday were fresh upon
+      her; and Bess said, in the lofty tone which was infinitely more crushing
+      than Jo's impertinence:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That is true; but we have lived all our lives with superior people, so we
+      have no society talk like your young ladies. We are so accustomed to
+      sensible conversation, and helping one another by telling our faults, that
+      we have no gossip to offer you.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When the Princess reproved, the boys seldom resented it; so Dolly held his
+      peace, and Josie burst out, following her cousin's lead, which she thought
+      a happy one:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Our boys like to have us talk with them, and take kindly any hints we
+      give. They don't think they know everything and are quite perfect at
+      eighteen, as I've observed the Harvard men do, especially the very young
+      ones.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Josie took immense satisfaction in that return shot; and Dolly showed that
+      he was hit, by the nettled tone in which he answered, with a supercilious
+      glance at the hot, dusty, and noisy crowd on the baseball ground: 'The
+      class of fellows you have here need all the polish and culture you can
+      give them; and I'm glad they get it. Our men are largely from the best
+      families all over the country, so we don't need girls to teach us
+      anything.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'It's a pity you don't have more of such &ldquo;fellows&rdquo; as ours. They value and
+      use well what college gives them, and aren't satisfied to slip through,
+      getting all the fun they can and shirking the work. Oh, I've heard you
+      &ldquo;men&rdquo; talk, and heard your fathers say they wish they hadn't wasted time
+      and money just that you might say you'd been through college. As for the
+      girls, you'll be much better off in all ways when they do get in, and keep
+      you lazy things up to the mark, as we do here.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'If you have such a poor opinion of us, why do you wear our colour?' asked
+      Dolly, painfully conscious that he was not improving the advantages his
+      Alma Mater offered him, but bound to defend her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I don't; my hat is scarlet, not crimson. Much you know about a colour,'
+      scoffed Josie.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I know that a cross cow would soon set you scampering, if you flaunted
+      that red tile under her nose,' retorted Dolly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'm ready for her. Can your fine young ladies do this? or you either?'
+      and burning to display her latest accomplishment, Josie ran to the nearest
+      gate, put one hand on the top rail, and vaulted over as lightly as a bird.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Bess shook her head, and Stuffy languidly applauded; but Dolly scorning to
+      be braved by a girl, took a flying leap and landed on his feet beside
+      Josie, saying calmly: 'Can you do that?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Not yet; but I will by and by.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As his foe looked a little crestfallen, Dolly relented, and affably added
+      sundry feats of a like nature, quite unconscious that he had fallen into a
+      dreadful snare; for the dull red paint on the gate, not being used to such
+      vigorous handling, came off in streaks upon his shoulders when he turned a
+      backward swing and came up smiling, to be rewarded with the aggravating
+      remark:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'If you want to know what crimson is, look at your back; it's nicely
+      stamped on and won't wash out, I think.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'The deuce it won't!' cried Dolly, trying to get an impossible view, and
+      giving it up in great disgust.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I guess we'd better be going, Dolf,' said peaceable Stuffy, feeling that
+      it would be wise to retreat before another skirmish took place, as his
+      side seemed to be getting the worst of it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't hurry, I beg; stay and rest; you must need it after the tremendous
+      amount of brain work you've done this week. It is time for our Greek.
+      Come, Bess. Good afternoon, gentlemen.' And, with a sweeping courtesy,
+      Josie led the way, with her hat belligerently cocked up, and her racket
+      borne like a triumphal banner over one shoulder; for having had the last
+      word, she felt that she could retire with the honours of war.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dolly gave Bess his best bow, with the chill on; and Stuffy subsided
+      luxuriously, with his legs in the air, murmuring in a dreamy tone:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Little Jo is as cross as two sticks today. I'm going in for another nap:
+      too hot to play anything.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'So it is. Wonder if Spitfire was right about these beastly spots?' And
+      Dolly sat down to try dry cleansing with one of his handkerchiefs.
+      'Asleep?' he asked, after a few moments of this cheerful occupation,
+      fearing that his chum might be too comfortable when he was in a fume
+      himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'No. I was thinking that Jo wasn't far wrong about shirking. 'Tis a shame
+      to get so little done, when we ought to be grinding like Morton and Torry
+      and that lot. I never wanted to go to college; but my governor made me.
+      Much good it will do either of us!' answered Stuffy, with a groan; for he
+      hated work, and saw two more long years of it before him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Gives a man prestige, you know. No need to dig. I mean to have a gay old
+      time, and be a &ldquo;howling swell&rdquo;, if I choose. Between you and me though, it
+      would be no end jolly to have the girls along. Study be hanged! But if
+      we've got to turn the grindstone, it would be mighty nice to have some of
+      the little dears to lend a hand. Wouldn't it now?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'd like three this minute&mdash;one to fan me, one to kiss me, and one
+      to give me some iced lemonade!' sighed Stuffy, with a yearning glance
+      towards the house, whence no succour appeared.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'How would root-beer do?' asked a voice behind them, which made Dolly
+      spring to his feet and Stuffy roll over like a startled porpoise.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Sitting on the stile that crossed the wall near by was Mrs Jo, with two
+      jugs slung over her shoulder by a strap, several tin mugs in her hand, and
+      an old-fashioned sun-bonnet on her head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I knew the boys would be killing themselves with ice-water; so I strolled
+      down with some of my good, wholesome beer. They drank like fishes. But
+      Silas was with me; so my cruse still holds out. Have some?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes, thanks, very much. Let us pour it.' And Dolly held the cup while
+      Stuffy joyfully filled it; both very grateful, but rather afraid she had
+      heard what went before the wish she fulfilled.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She proved that she had by saying, as they stood drinking her health,
+      while she sat between them, looking like a middle-aged vivandiere, with
+      her jugs and mugs:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I was glad to hear you say you would like to have girls at your college;
+      but I hope you will learn to speak more respectfully of them before they
+      come; for that will be the first lesson they will teach you.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Really, ma'am, I was only joking,' began Stuffy, gulping down his beer in
+      a hurry.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'So was I. I'm sure I&mdash;I'm devoted to 'em,' stuttered Dolly,
+      panic-stricken; for he saw that he was in for a lecture of some sort.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Not in the right way. Frivolous girls may like to be called &ldquo;little
+      dears&rdquo; and things of that sort; but the girls who love study wish to be
+      treated like reasonable beings, not dolls to flirt with. Yes, I'm going to
+      preach; that's my business; so stand up and take it like men.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo laughed; but she was in earnest; for by various hints and signs
+      during the past winter she knew that the boys were beginning to 'see life'
+      in the way she especially disapproved. Both were far from home, had money
+      enough to waste, and were as inexperienced, curious, and credulous as most
+      lads of their age. Not fond of books, therefore without the safeguard
+      which keeps many studious fellows out of harm; one self-indulgent,
+      indolent, and so used to luxury that pampering of the senses was an easy
+      thing; the other vain, as all comely boys are, full of conceit, and so
+      eager to find favour in the eyes of his comrades that he was ready for
+      anything which would secure it. These traits and foibles made both
+      peculiarly liable to the temptations which assail pleasure-loving and
+      weak-willed boys. Mrs Jo knew them well, and had dropped many a warning
+      word since they went to college; but till lately they seemed not to
+      understand some of her friendly hints; now she was sure they would, and
+      meant to speak out: for long experience with boys made her both bold and
+      skilful in handling some of the dangers usually left to silence, till it
+      is too late for anything but pity and reproach.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'm going to talk to you like a mother, because yours are far away; and
+      there are things that mothers can manage best, if they do their duty,' she
+      solemnly began from the depths of the sunbonnet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Great Scott! We're in for it now!' thought Dolly, in secret dismay; while
+      Stuffy got the first blow by trying to sustain himself with another mug of
+      beer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That won't hurt you; but I must warn you about drinking other things,
+      George. Overeating is an old story; and a few more fits of illness will
+      teach you to be wise. But drinking is a more serious thing, and leads to
+      worse harm than any that can afflict your body alone. I hear you talk
+      about wines as if you knew them and cared more for them than a boy should;
+      and several times I've heard jokes that meant mischief. For heaven's sake,
+      don't begin to play with this dangerous taste &ldquo;for fun&rdquo;, as you say, or
+      because it's the fashion, and the other fellows do. Stop at once, and
+      learn that temperance in all things is the only safe rule.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Upon my honour, I only take wine and iron. I need a tonic, mother says,
+      to repair the waste of brain-tissue while I'm studying,' protested Stuffy,
+      putting down the mug as if it burnt his fingers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Good beef and oatmeal will repair your tissues much better than any tonic
+      of that sort. Work and plain fare are what you want; and I wish I had you
+      here for a few months out of harm's way. I'd Banting you, and fit you to
+      run without puffing, and get on without four or five meals a day. What an
+      absurd hand that is for a man! You ought to be ashamed of it!' And Mrs Jo
+      caught up the plump fist, with deep dimples at each knuckle, which was
+      fumbling distressfully at the buckle of the belt girt about a waist far
+      too large for a youth of his age.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I can't help it&mdash;we all grow fat; it's in the family,' said Stuffy
+      in self-defence.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'All the more reason you should live carefully. Do you want to die early,
+      or be an invalid all your life?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'No, ma'am!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Stuffy looked so scared that Mrs Jo could not be hard upon his budding
+      sins, for they lay at his overindulgent mother's door line in a great
+      measure; so she softened the tone of her voice, and added, with a little
+      slap on the fat hand, as she used to do when it was small enough to pilfer
+      lumps of sugar from her bowl:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Then be careful; for a man writes his character in his face; and you
+      don't want gluttony and intemperance in yours, I know.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'm sure I don't! Please make out a wholesome bill of fare, and I'll
+      stick to it, if I can. I am getting stout, and I don't like it; and my
+      liver's torpid, and I have palpitations and headache. Overwork, mother
+      says; but it may be overeating.' And Stuffy gave a sigh of mingled regret
+      for the good things he renounced, and relief as he finished loosening his
+      belt as soon as his hand was free.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I will; follow it, and in a year you'll be a man and not a meal-bag. Now,
+      Dolly'; and Mrs Jo turned to the other culprit, who shook in his shoes and
+      wished he hadn't come.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Are you studying French as industriously as you were last winter?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'No ma'am; I don't care for it&mdash;that is, I, I'm busy with G-Greek
+      just now,' answered Dolly, beginning bravely, quite in the dark as to what
+      that odd question meant till a sudden memory made him stutter and look at
+      his shoes with deep interest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Oh, he doesn't study it; only reads French novels and goes to the theatre
+      when the opera bouffe is here,' said Stuffy, innocently confirming Mrs
+      Jo's suspicions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'So I understood; and that is what I want to speak about. Ted had a sudden
+      desire to learn French in that way, from something you said, Dolly; so I
+      went myself, and was quite satisfied that it was no place for a decent
+      boy. Your men were out in full force; and I was glad to see that some of
+      the younger ones looked as ashamed as I felt. The older fellows enjoyed
+      it, and when we came out were waiting to take those painted girls to
+      supper. Did you ever go with them?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Once.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Did you like it?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'No 'm; I&mdash;I came away early,' stammered Dolly, with a face as red as
+      his splendid tie.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'm glad you have not lost the grace of blushing yet; but you will soon,
+      if you keep up this sort of study and forget to be ashamed. The society of
+      such women will unfit you for that of good ones, and lead you into trouble
+      and sin and shame. Oh, why don't the city fathers stop that evil thing,
+      when they know the harm it does? It made my heart ache to see those boys,
+      who ought to be at home and in their beds, going off for a night of riot
+      which would help to ruin some of them for ever.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The youths looked scared at Mrs Jo's energetic protest against one of the
+      fashionable pleasures of the day, and waited in conscience-stricken
+      silence&mdash;Stuffy glad that he never went to those gay suppers, and
+      Dolly deeply grateful that he 'came away early'. With a hand on either
+      shoulder, and all the terrors smoothed from her brow, Mrs Jo went on in
+      her most motherly tone, anxious to do for them what no other woman would,
+      and do it kindly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'My dear boys, if I didn't love you, I would not say these things. I know
+      they are not pleasant; but my conscience won't let me hold my peace when a
+      word may keep you from two of the great sins that curse the world and send
+      so many young men to destruction. You are just beginning to feel the
+      allurement of them, and soon it will be hard to turn away. Stop now, I beg
+      of you, and not only save yourselves but help others by a brave example.
+      Come to me if things worry you; don't be afraid or ashamed; I have heard
+      many sadder confessions than any you are ever likely to bring me, and been
+      able to comfort many poor fellows, gone wrong for want of a word in time.
+      Do this, and you will be able to kiss your mothers with clean lips, and by
+      and by have the right to ask innocent girls to love you.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes'm, thank you. I suppose you're right; but it's pretty hard work to
+      toe the mark when ladies give you wine and gentlemen take their daughters
+      to see Aimee,' said Dolly, foreseeing tribulations ahead though he knew it
+      was time to 'pull up'.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'So it is; but all the more honour to those who are brave and wise enough
+      to resist public opinion, and the easy-going morals of bad or careless men
+      and women. Think of the persons whom you respect most, and in imitating
+      them you will secure the respect of those who look up to you. I'd rather
+      my boys should be laughed at and cold-shouldered by a hundred foolish
+      fellows than lose what, once gone, no power can give them back&mdash;innocence
+      and self-respect. I don't wonder you find it &ldquo;hard to toe the mark&rdquo;, when
+      books, pictures, ball-rooms, theatres, and streets offer temptations; yet
+      you can resist, if you try. Last winter Mrs Brooke used to worry about
+      John's being out so late reporting; but when she spoke to him about the
+      things he must see and hear on his way to and fro from the office at
+      midnight, he said in his sober way, &ldquo;I know what you mean, mother; but no
+      fellow need to go wrong unless he wants to.&rdquo;
+     </p>
+    <p>
+      'That's like the Deacon!' exclaimed Stuffy, with an approving smile on his
+      fat face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'm glad you told me that. He's right; and it's because he doesn't want
+      to go wrong we all respect him so,' added Dolly, looking up now with an
+      expression which assured his Mentor that the right string had been
+      touched, and a spirit of emulation roused, more helpful, perhaps, than any
+      words of hers. Seeing this, she was satisfied, and said, as she prepared
+      to leave the bar before which her culprits had been tried and found
+      guilty, but recommended to mercy:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Then be to others what John is to you&mdash;a good example. Forgive me
+      for troubling you, my dear lads, and remember my little preachment. I
+      think it will do you good, though I may never know it. Chance words spoken
+      in kindness often help amazingly; and that's what old people are here for&mdash;else
+      their experience is of little use. Now, come and find the young folk. I
+      hope I shall never have to shut the gates of Plumfield upon you, as I have
+      on some of your &ldquo;gentlemen&rdquo;. I mean to keep my boys and girls safe if I
+      can, and this a wholesome place where the good old-fashioned virtues are
+      lived and taught.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Much impressed by that dire threat, Dolly helped her from her perch with
+      deep respect; and Stuffy relieved her of her empty jugs, solemnly vowing
+      to abstain from all fermented beverages except root-beer, as long as
+      feeble flesh could hold out. Of course they made light of 'Mother Bhaer's
+      lecture' when they were alone&mdash;that was to be expected of 'men of our
+      class' but in their secret souls they thanked her for giving their boyish
+      consciences a jog, and more than once afterward had cause to remember
+      gratefully that half-hour in the tennis court.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0017" id="link2HCH0017">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      Chapter 17. AMONG THE MAIDS
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      Although this story is about Jo's boys, her girls cannot be neglected,
+      because they held a high place in this little republic, and especial care
+      was taken to fit them to play their parts worthily in the great republic
+      which offered them wider opportunities and more serious duties. To many
+      the social influence was the better part of the training they received;
+      for education is not confined to books, and the finest characters often
+      graduate from no college, but make experience their master, and life their
+      book. Others cared only for the mental culture, and were in danger of
+      over-studying, under the delusion which pervades New England that learning
+      must be had at all costs, forgetting that health and real wisdom are
+      better. A third class of ambitious girls hardly knew what they wanted, but
+      were hungry for whatever could fit them to face the world and earn a
+      living, being driven by necessity, the urgency of some half-conscious
+      talent, or the restlessness of strong young natures to break away from the
+      narrow life which no longer satisfied.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At Plumfield all found something to help them; for the growing institution
+      had not yet made its rules as fixed as the laws of the Medes and Persians,
+      and believed so heartily in the right of all sexes, colours, creeds, and
+      ranks to education, that there was room for everyone who knocked, and a
+      welcome to the shabby youths from up country, the eager girls from the
+      West, the awkward freedman or woman from the South, or the well-born
+      student whose poverty made this college a possibility when other doors
+      were barred. There still was prejudice, ridicule, neglect in high places,
+      and prophecies of failure to contend against; but the Faculty was composed
+      of cheerful, hopeful men and women who had seen greater reforms spring
+      from smaller roots, and after stormy seasons blossom beautifully, to add
+      prosperity and honour to the nation. So they worked on steadily and bided
+      their time, full of increasing faith in their attempt as year after year
+      their numbers grew, their plans succeeded, and the sense of usefulness in
+      this most vital of all professions blessed them with its sweet rewards.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Among the various customs which had very naturally sprung up was one
+      especially useful and interesting to 'the girls', as the young women liked
+      to be called. It all grew out of the old sewing hour still kept up by the
+      three sisters long after the little work-boxes had expanded into big
+      baskets full of household mending. They were busy women, yet on Saturdays
+      they tried to meet in one of the three sewing-rooms; for even classic
+      Parnassus had its nook where Mrs Amy often sat among her servants,
+      teaching them to make and mend, thereby giving them a respect for economy,
+      since the rich lady did not scorn to darn her hose, and sew on buttons. In
+      these household retreats, with books and work, and their daughters by
+      them, they read and sewed and talked in the sweet privacy that domestic
+      women love, and can make so helpful by a wise mixture of cooks and
+      chemistry, table linen and theology, prosaic duties and good poetry.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Meg was the first to propose enlarging this little circle; for as she
+      went her motherly rounds among the young women she found a sad lack of
+      order, skill, and industry in this branch of education. Latin, Greek, the
+      higher mathematics, and science of all sorts prospered finely; but the
+      dust gathered on the work-baskets, frayed elbows went unheeded, and some
+      of the blue stockings sadly needed mending. Anxious lest the usual sneer
+      at learned women should apply to 'our girls', she gently lured two or
+      three of the most untidy to her house, and made the hour so pleasant, the
+      lesson so kindly, that they took the hint, were grateful for the favour,
+      and asked to come again. Others soon begged to make the detested weekly
+      duty lighter by joining the party, and soon it was a privilege so much
+      desired that the old museum was refitted with sewing-machines, tables,
+      rocking-chair, and a cheerful fireplace, so that, rain or shine, the
+      needles might go on undisturbed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Here Mrs Meg was in her glory, and stood wielding her big shears like a
+      queen as she cut out white work, fitted dresses, and directed Daisy, her
+      special aide, about the trimming of hats, and completing the lace and
+      ribbon trifles which add grace to the simplest costume and save poor or
+      busy girls so much money and time. Mrs Amy contributed taste, and decided
+      the great question of colours and complexions; for few women, even the
+      most learned, are without that desire to look well which makes many a
+      plain face comely, as well as many a pretty one ugly for want of skill and
+      knowledge of the fitness of things. She also took her turn to provide
+      books for the readings, and as art was her forte she gave them selections
+      from Ruskin, Hamerton, and Mrs Jameson, who is never old. Bess read these
+      aloud as her contribution, and Josie took her turn at the romances,
+      poetry, and plays her uncles recommended. Mrs Jo gave little lectures on
+      health, religion, politics, and the various questions in which all should
+      be interested, with copious extracts from Miss Cobbe's Duties of Women,
+      Miss Brackett's Education of American Girls, Mrs Duffy's No Sex in
+      Education, Mrs Woolson's Dress Reform, and many of the other excellent
+      books wise women write for their sisters, now that they are waking up and
+      asking: 'What shall we do?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was curious to see the prejudices melt away as ignorance was
+      enlightened, indifference change to interest, and intelligent minds set
+      thinking, while quick wits and lively tongues added spice to the
+      discussions which inevitably followed. So the feet that wore the neatly
+      mended hose carried wiser heads than before, the pretty gowns covered
+      hearts warmed with higher purposes, and the hands that dropped the
+      thimbles for pens, lexicons, and celestial globes, were better fitted for
+      life's work, whether to rock cradles, tend the sick, or help on the great
+      work of the world.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One day a brisk discussion arose concerning careers for women. Mrs Jo had
+      read something on the subject and asked each of the dozen girls sitting
+      about the room, what she intended to do on leaving college. The answers
+      were as usual: 'I shall teach, help mother, study medicine, art,' etc.;
+      but nearly all ended with:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Till I marry.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'But if you don't marry, what then?' asked Mrs Jo, feeling like a girl
+      again as she listened to the answers, and watched the thoughtful, gay, or
+      eager faces.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Be old maids, I suppose. Horrid, but inevitable, since there are so many
+      superfluous women,' answered a lively lass, too pretty to fear single
+      blessedness unless she chose it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'It is well to consider that fact, and fit yourselves to be useful, not
+      superfluous women. That class, by the way, is largely made up of widows, I
+      find; so don't consider it a slur on maidenhood.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That's a comfort! Old maids aren't sneered at half as much as they used
+      to be, since some of them have grown famous and proved that woman isn't a
+      half but a whole human being, and can stand alone.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't like it all the same. We can't all be like Miss Nightingale, Miss
+      Phelps, and the rest.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So what can we do but sit in a corner and look on?' asked a plain girl
+      with a dissatisfied expression.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Cultivate cheerfulness and content, if nothing else. But there are so
+      many little odd jobs waiting to be done that nobody need &ldquo;sit idle and
+      look on&rdquo;, unless she chooses,' said Mrs Meg, with a smile, laying on the
+      girl's head the new hat she had just trimmed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Thank you very much. Yes, Mrs Brooke, I see; it's a little job, but it
+      makes me neat and happy&mdash;and grateful,' she added, looking up with
+      brighter eyes as she accepted the labour of love and the lesson as sweetly
+      as they were given.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'One of the best and most beloved women I know has been doing odd jobs for
+      the Lord for years, and will keep at it till her dear hands are folded in
+      her coffin. All sorts of things she does&mdash;picks up neglected children
+      and puts them in safe homes, saves lost girls, nurses poor women in
+      trouble, sews, knits, trots, begs, works for the poor day after day with
+      no reward but the thanks of the needy, the love and honour of the rich who
+      make Saint Matilda their almoner. That's a life worth living; and I think
+      that quiet little woman will get a higher seat in Heaven than many of
+      those of whom the world has heard.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I know it's lovely, Mrs Bhaer; but it's dull for young folks. We do want
+      a little fun before we buckle to,' said a Western girl with a wide-awake
+      face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Have your fun, my dear; but if you must earn your bread, try to make it
+      sweet with cheerfulness, not bitter with the daily regret that it isn't
+      cake. I used to think mine was a very hard fate because I had to amuse a
+      somewhat fretful old lady; but the books I read in that lonely library
+      have been of immense use to me since, and the dear old soul bequeathed me
+      Plumfield for my &ldquo;cheerful service and affectionate care&rdquo;. I didn't
+      deserve it, but I did use to try to be jolly and kind, and get as much
+      honey out of duty as I could, thanks to my dear mother's help and advice.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Gracious! if I could earn a place like this, I'd sing all day and be an
+      angel; but you have to take your chance, and get nothing for your pains,
+      perhaps. I never do,' said the Westerner, who had a hard time with small
+      means and large aspirations.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't do it for the reward; but be sure it will come, though not in the
+      shape you expect. I worked hard for fame and money one winter; but I got
+      neither, and was much disappointed. A year afterwards I found I had earned
+      two prizes: skill with my pen, and Professor Bhaer.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo's laugh was echoed blithely by the girls, who liked to have these
+      conversations enlivened by illustrations from life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You are a very lucky woman,' began the discontented damsel, whose soul
+      soared above new hats, welcome as they were, but did not quite know where
+      to steer.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yet her name used to be &ldquo;Luckless Jo&rdquo;, and she never had what she wanted
+      till she had given up hoping for it,' said Mrs Meg.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll give up hoping, then, right away, and see if my wishes will come. I
+      only want to help my folks, and get a good school.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Take this proverb for your guide: &ldquo;Get the distaff ready, and the Lord
+      will send the flax&rdquo;,' answered Mrs Jo.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'We'd better all do that, if we are to be spinsters,' said the pretty one,
+      adding gaily, 'I think I should like it, on the whole&mdash;they are so
+      independent. My Aunt Jenny can do just what she likes, and ask no one's
+      leave; but Ma has to consult Pa about everything. Yes, I'll give you my
+      chance, Sally, and be a &ldquo;superfluum&rdquo;, as Mr Plock says.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You'll be one of the first to go into bondage, see if you aren't. Much
+      obliged, all the same.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Well, I'll get my distaff ready, and take whatever flax the Fates send&mdash;single,
+      or double-twisted, as the powers please.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That is the right spirit, Nelly. Keep it up, and see how happy life will
+      be with a brave heart, a willing hand, and plenty to do.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'No one objects to plenty of domestic work or fashionable pleasure, I
+      find; but the minute we begin to study, people tell us we can't bear it,
+      and warn us to be very careful. I've tried the other things, and got so
+      tired I came to college; though my people predict nervous exhaustion and
+      an early death. Do you think there is any danger?' asked a stately girl,
+      with an anxious glance at the blooming face reflected in the mirror
+      opposite.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Are you stronger or weaker than when you came two years ago, Miss
+      Winthrop?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Stronger in body, and much happier in mind. I think I was dying of ennui;
+      but the doctors called it inherited delicacy of constitution. That is why
+      mamma is so anxious, and I wish not to go too fast.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't worry, my dear; that active brain of yours was starving for good
+      food; it has plenty now, and plain living suits you better than luxury and
+      dissipation. It is all nonsense about girls not being able to study as
+      well as boys. Neither can bear cramming; but with proper care both are
+      better for it; so enjoy the life your instinct led you to, and we will
+      prove that wise headwork is a better cure for that sort of delicacy than
+      tonics, and novels on the sofa, where far too many of our girls go to
+      wreck nowadays. They burn the candle at both ends; and when they break
+      down they blame the books, not the balls.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Dr Nan was telling me about a patient of hers who thought she had
+      heart-complaint, till Nan made her take off her corsets, stopped her
+      coffee and dancing all night, and made her eat, sleep, walk, and live
+      regularly for a time; and now she's a brilliant cure. Common sense versus
+      custom, Nan said.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I've had no headaches since I came here, and can do twice as much
+      studying as I did at home. It's the air, I think, and the fun of going
+      ahead of the boys,' said another girl, tapping her big forehead with her
+      thimble, as if the lively brain inside was in good working order and
+      enjoyed the daily gymnastics she gave it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Quality, not quantity, wins the day, you know. Our brains may be smaller,
+      but I don't see that they fall short of what is required of them; and if
+      I'm not mistaken, the largest-headed man in our class is the dullest,'
+      said Nelly, with a solemn air which produced a gale of merriment; for all
+      knew that the young Goliath she mentioned had been metaphorically slain by
+      this quick-witted David on many a battle-field, to the great disgust of
+      himself and his mates.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Mrs Brooke, do I gauge on the right or the wrong side?' asked the best
+      Greek scholar of her class, eyeing a black silk apron with a lost
+      expression.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'The right, Miss Pierson; and leave a space between the tucks; it looks
+      prettier so.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll never make another; but it will save my dresses from ink-stains, so
+      I'm glad I've got it'; and the erudite Miss Pierson laboured on, finding
+      it a harder task than any Greek root she ever dug up.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'We paper-stainers must learn how to make shields, or we are lost. I'll
+      give you a pattern of the pinafore I used to wear in my &ldquo;blood-and-thunder
+      days&rdquo;, as we call them,' said Mrs Jo, trying to remember what became of
+      the old tin-kitchen which used to hold her works.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Speaking of writers reminds me that my ambition is to be a George Eliot,
+      and thrill the world! It must be so splendid to know that one has such
+      power, and to hear people own that one possesses a &ldquo;masculine intellect&rdquo;!
+      I don't care for most women's novels, but hers are immense; don't you
+      think so, Mrs Bhaer?' asked the girl with the big forehead, and torn braid
+      on her skirt.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes; but they don't thrill me as little Charlotte Bronte's books do. The
+      brain is there, but the heart seems left out. I admire, but I don't love,
+      George Eliot; and her life is far sadder to me than Miss Bronte's,
+      because, in spite of the genius, love, and fame, she missed the light
+      without which no soul is truly great, good, or happy.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes'm, I know; but still it's so romantic and sort of new and mysterious,
+      and she was great in one sense. Her nerves and dyspepsia do rather destroy
+      the illusion; but I adore famous people and mean to go and see all I can
+      scare up in London some day.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You will find some of the best of them busy about just the work I
+      recommend to you; and if you want to see a great lady, I'll tell you that
+      Mrs Laurence means to bring one here today. Lady Abercrombie is lunching
+      with her, and after seeing the college is to call on us. She especially
+      wanted to see our sewing-school, as she is interested in things of this
+      sort, and gets them up at home.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Bless me! I always imagined lords and ladies did nothing but ride round
+      in a coach and six, go to balls, and be presented to the Queen in cocked
+      hats, and trains and feathers,' exclaimed an artless young person from the
+      wilds of Maine, whither an illustrated paper occasionally wandered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Not at all; Lord Abercrombie is over here studying up our American prison
+      system, and my lady is busy with the schools&mdash;both very high-born,
+      but the simplest and most sensible people I've met this long time. They
+      are neither of them young nor handsome, and dress plainly; so don't expect
+      anything splendid. Mr Laurence was telling me last night about a friend of
+      his who met my lord in the hall, and owing to a rough greatcoat and a red
+      face, mistook him for a coachman, and said: &ldquo;Now, my man, what do you want
+      here?&rdquo; Lord Abercrombie mildly mentioned who he was, and that he had come
+      to dinner. And the poor host was much afflicted, saying afterward: &ldquo;Why
+      didn't he wear his stars and garters? then a fellow would know he was a
+      lord.&rdquo;'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The girls laughed again, and a general rustle betrayed that each was
+      prinking a bit before the titled guest arrived. Even Mrs Jo settled her
+      collar, and Mrs Meg felt if her cap was right, while Bess shook out her
+      curls and Josie boldly consulted the glass; for they were women, in spite
+      of philosophy and philanthropy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Shall we all rise?' asked one girl, deeply impressed by the impending
+      honour.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'It would be courteous.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Shall we shake hands?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'No, I'll present you en masse, and your pleasant faces will be
+      introduction enough.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I wish I'd worn my best dress. Ought to have told us,' whispered Sally.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Won't my folks be surprised when I tell them we have had a real lady to
+      call on us?' said another.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't look as if you'd never seen a gentlewoman before, Milly. We are not
+      all fresh from the wilderness,' added the stately damsel who, having
+      Mayflower ancestors, felt that she was the equal of all the crowned heads
+      of Europe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Hush, she's coming! Oh, my heart, what a bonnet!' cried the gay girl in a
+      stage whisper; and every eye was demurely fixed upon the busy hands as the
+      door opened to admit Mrs Laurence and her guest.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was rather a shock to find, after the general introduction was over,
+      that this daughter of a hundred earls was a stout lady in a plain gown,
+      and a rather weather-beaten bonnet, with a bag of papers in one hand and a
+      note-book in the other. But the face was full of benevolence, the sonorous
+      voice very kind, the genial manners very winning, and about the whole
+      person an indescribable air of high breeding which made beauty of no
+      consequence, costume soon forgotten, and the moment memorable to the
+      keen-eyed girls whom nothing escaped.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A little chat about the rise, growth, and success of this particular
+      class, and then Mrs Jo led the conversation to the English lady's work,
+      anxious to show her pupils how rank dignifies labour, and charity blesses
+      wealth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was good for these girls to hear of the evening-schools supported and
+      taught by women whom they knew and honoured; of Miss Cobbe's eloquent
+      protest winning the protection of the law for abused wives; Mrs Butler
+      saving the lost; Mrs Taylor, who devoted one room in her historic house to
+      a library for the servants; Lord Shaftesbury, busy with his new
+      tenement-houses in the slums of London; of prison reforms; and all the
+      brave work being done in God's name by the rich and great for the humble
+      and the poor. It impressed them more than many quiet home lectures would
+      have done, and roused an ambition to help when their time should come,
+      well knowing that even in glorious America there is still plenty to be
+      done before she is what she should be&mdash;truly just, and free, and
+      great. They were also quick to see that Lady Abercrombie treated all there
+      as her equals, from stately Mrs Laurence, to little Josie, taking notes of
+      everything and privately resolving to have some thick-soled English boots
+      as soon as possible. No one would have guessed that she had a big house in
+      London, a castle in Wales, and a grand country seat in Scotland, as she
+      spoke of Parnassus with admiration, Plumfield as a 'dear old home', and
+      the college as an honour to all concerned in it. At that, of course, every
+      head went up a little, and when my lady left, every hand was ready for the
+      hearty shake the noble Englishwoman gave them, with words they long
+      remembered:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I am very pleased to see this much-neglected branch of a woman's
+      education so well conducted here, and I have to thank my friend Mrs
+      Laurence for one of the most charming pictures I've seen in America&mdash;Penelope
+      among her maids.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A group of smiling faces watched the stout boots trudge away, respectful
+      glances followed the shabby bonnet till it was out of sight, and the girls
+      felt a truer respect for their titled guest than if she had come in the
+      coach and six, with all her diamonds on.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I feel better about the &ldquo;odd jobs&rdquo; now. I only wish I could do them as
+      well as Lady Abercrombie does,' said one.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I thanked my stars my buttonholes were nice, for she looked at them and
+      said: &ldquo;Quite workmanlike, upon my word,&rdquo; added another, feeling that her
+      gingham gown had come to honour.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Her manners were as sweet and kind as Mrs Brooke's. Not a bit stiff or
+      condescending, as I expected. I see now what you meant, Mrs Bhaer, when
+      you said once that well-bred people were the same all the world over.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Meg bowed her thanks for the compliment, and Mrs Bhaer said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I know them when I see them, but never shall be a model of deportment
+      myself. I'm glad you enjoyed the little visit. Now, if you young people
+      don't want England to get ahead of us in many ways, you must bestir
+      yourselves and keep abreast; for our sisters are in earnest, you see, and
+      don't waste time worrying about their sphere, but make it wherever duty
+      calls them.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'We will do our best, ma'am,' answered the girls heartily, and trooped
+      away with their work-baskets, feeling that though they might never be
+      Harriet Martineaus, Elizabeth Brownings, or George Eliots, they might
+      become noble, useful, and independent women, and earn for themselves some
+      sweet title from the grateful lips of the poor, better than any a queen
+      could bestow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0018" id="link2HCH0018">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      Chapter 18. CLASS DAY
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      The clerk of the weather evidently has a regard for young people, and
+      sends sunshine for class days as often as he can. An especially lovely one
+      shone over Plumfield as this interesting anniversary came round, bringing
+      the usual accompaniments of roses, strawberries, white-gowned girls,
+      beaming youths, proud friends, and stately dignitaries full of well-earned
+      satisfaction with the yearly harvest. As Laurence College was a mixed one,
+      the presence of young women as students gave to the occasion a grace and
+      animation entirely wanting where the picturesque half of creation appear
+      merely as spectators. The hands that turned the pages of wise books also
+      possessed the skill to decorate the hall with flowers; eyes tired with
+      study shone with hospitable warmth on the assembling guests; and under the
+      white muslins beat hearts as full of ambition, hope, and courage as those
+      agitating the broadcloth of the ruling sex.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      College Hill, Parnassus, and old Plum swarmed with cheery faces, as
+      guests, students, and professors hurried to and fro in the pleasant
+      excitement of arriving and receiving. Everyone was welcomed cordially,
+      whether he rolled up in a fine carriage, or trudged afoot to see the good
+      son or daughter come to honour on the happy day that rewarded many a
+      mutual sacrifice. Mr Laurie and his wife were on the reception committee,
+      and their lovely house was overflowing. Mrs Meg, with Daisy and Jo as
+      aides, was in demand among the girls, helping on belated toilettes, giving
+      an eye to spreads, and directing the decorations. Mrs Jo had her hands
+      full as President's lady, and the mother of Ted; for it took all the power
+      and skill of that energetic woman to get her son into his Sunday best.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Not that he objected to be well arrayed; far from it; he adored good
+      clothes, and owing to his great height already revelled in a dress-suit,
+      bequeathed him by a dandy friend. The effect was very funny; but he would
+      wear it in spite of the jeers of his mates, and sighed vainly for a
+      beaver, because his stern parent drew the line there. He pleaded that
+      English lads of ten wore them and were 'no end nobby'; but his mother only
+      answered, with a consoling pat of the yellow mane:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'My child, you are absurd enough now; if I let you add a tall hat,
+      Plumfield wouldn't hold either of us, such would be the scorn and derision
+      of all beholders. Content yourself with looking like the ghost of a
+      waiter, and don't ask for the most ridiculous head-gear in the known
+      world.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Denied this noble badge of manhood, Ted soothed his wounded soul by
+      appearing in collars of an amazing height and stiffness, and ties which
+      were the wonder of all female eyes. This freak was a sort of vengeance on
+      his hard-hearted mother; for the collars drove the laundress to despair,
+      never being just right, and the ties required such art in the tying that
+      three women sometimes laboured long before&mdash;like Beau Brummel&mdash;he
+      turned from a heap of 'failures' with the welcome words: 'That will do.'
+      Rob was devoted on these trying occasions, his own toilet being
+      distinguished only by its speed, simplicity, and neatness. Ted was usually
+      in a frenzy before he was suited, and roars, whistles, commands, and
+      groans were heard from the den wherein the Lion raged and the Lamb
+      patiently toiled. Mrs Jo bore it till boots were hurled and a rain of
+      hair-brushes set in, then, fearing for the safety of her eldest, she would
+      go to the rescue, and by a wise mixture of fun and authority finally
+      succeed in persuading Ted that he was 'a thing of beauty', if not 'a joy
+      for ever'. At last he would stalk majestically forth, imprisoned in
+      collars compared to which those worn by Dickens's afflicted Biler were
+      trifles not worth mentioning. The dresscoat was a little loose in the
+      shoulders, but allowed a noble expanse of glossy bosom to be seen, and
+      with a delicate handkerchief negligently drooping at the proper angle, had
+      a truly fine effect. Boots that shone, and likewise pinched, appeared at
+      one end of the 'long, black clothes-pin'&mdash;as Josie called him&mdash;-and
+      a youthful but solemn face at the other, carried at an angle which, if
+      long continued, would have resulted in spinal curvature. Light gloves, a
+      cane, and&mdash;oh, bitter drop in the cup of joy!&mdash;an ignominious
+      straw hat, not to mention a choice floweret in the buttonhole, and a
+      festoon of watchguard below, finished off this impressive boy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'How's that for style?' he asked, appearing to his mother and cousins whom
+      he was to escort to the hall on this particular occasion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A shout of laughter greeted him, followed by exclamations of horror; for
+      he had artfully added the little blond moustache he often wore when
+      acting. It was very becoming, and seemed the only balm to heal the wound
+      made by the loss of the beloved hat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Take it off this moment, you audacious boy! What would your father say to
+      such a prank on this day when we must all behave our best?' said Mrs Jo,
+      trying to frown, but privately thinking that among the many youths about
+      her none were so beautiful and original as her long son.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Let him wear it, Aunty; it's so becoming. No one will ever guess he isn't
+      eighteen at least,' cried Josie, to whom disguise of any sort was always
+      charming.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Father won't observe it; he'll be absorbed in his big-wigs and the girls.
+      No matter if he does, he'll enjoy the joke and introduce me as his oldest
+      son. Rob is nowhere when I'm in full fig'; and Ted took the stage with a
+      tragic stalk, like Hamlet in a tail-coat and choker.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'My son, obey me!' and when Mrs Jo spoke in that tone her word was law.
+      Later, however, the moustache appeared, and many strangers firmly believed
+      that there were three young Bhaers. So Ted found one ray of joy to light
+      his gloom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mr Bhaer was a proud and happy man when, at the appointed hour, he looked
+      down upon the parterre of youthful faces before him, thinking of the
+      'little gardens' in which he had hopefully and faithfully sowed good seed
+      years ago, and from which this beautiful harvest seemed to have sprung. Mr
+      March's fine old face shone with the serenest satisfaction, for this was
+      the dream of his life fulfilled after patient waiting; and the love and
+      reverence in the countenances of the eager young men and women looking up
+      at him plainly showed that the reward he coveted was his in fullest
+      measure. Laurie always effaced himself on these occasions as much as
+      courtesy would permit; for everyone spoke gratefully in ode, poem, and
+      oration of the founder of the college and noble dispenser of his
+      beneficence. The three sisters beamed with pride as they sat among the
+      ladies, enjoying, as only women can, the honour done the men they loved;
+      while 'the original Plums', as the younger ones called themselves,
+      regarded the whole affair as their work, receiving the curious, admiring,
+      or envious glances of strangers with a mixture of dignity and delight
+      rather comical to behold.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The music was excellent, and well it might be when Apollo waved the baton.
+      The poems were&mdash;as usual on such occasions&mdash;of varied
+      excellence, as the youthful speakers tried to put old truths into new
+      words, and made them forceful by the enthusiasm of their earnest faces and
+      fresh voices. It was beautiful to see the eager interest with which the
+      girls listened to some brilliant brother-student, and applauded him with a
+      rustle as of wind over a bed of flowers. It was still more significant and
+      pleasant to watch the young men's faces when a slender white figure stood
+      out against the background of black-coated dignitaries, and with cheeks
+      that flushed and paled, and lips that trembled till earnest purpose
+      conquered maiden fear, spoke to them straight out of a woman's heart and
+      brain concerning the hopes and doubts, the aspirations and rewards all
+      must know, desire, and labour for. This clear, sweet voice seemed to reach
+      and rouse all that was noblest in the souls of these youths, and to set a
+      seal upon the years of comradeship which made them sacred and memorable
+      for ever.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Alice Heath's oration was unanimously pronounced the success of the day;
+      for without being flowery or sentimental, as is too apt to be the case
+      with these first efforts of youthful orators, it was earnest, sensible,
+      and so inspiring that she left the stage in a storm of applause, the good
+      fellows being as much fired by her stirring appeal to 'march shoulder to
+      shoulder', as if she had chanted the 'Marseillaise' then and there. One
+      young man was so excited that he nearly rushed out of his seat to receive
+      her as she hastened to hide herself among her mates, who welcomed her with
+      faces full of tender pride and tearful eye. A prudent sister detained him,
+      however, and in a moment he was able to listen with composure to the
+      President's remarks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They were worth listening to, for Mr Bhaer spoke like a father to the
+      children whom he was dismissing to the battle of life; and his tender,
+      wise, and helpful words lingered in their hearts long after the praise was
+      forgotten. Then came other exercises peculiar to Plumfield, and the end.
+      Why the roof did not fly off when the sturdy lungs of the excited young
+      men pealed out the closing hymn will for ever be a mystery; but it
+      remained firm, and only the fading garlands vibrated as the waves of music
+      rolled up and died away, leaving sweet echoes to haunt the place for
+      another year.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dinners and spreads consumed the afternoon, and at sunset came a slight
+      lull as everyone sought some brief repose before the festivities of the
+      evening began. The President's reception was one of the enjoyable things
+      in store, also dancing on Parnassus, and as much strolling, singing, and
+      flirting, as could be compressed into a few hours by youths and maidens
+      just out of school.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Carriages were rolling about, and gay groups on piazzas, lawns, and
+      window-seats idly speculated as to who the distinguished guests might be.
+      The appearance of a very dusty vehicle loaded with trunks at Mr Bhaer's
+      hospitably open door caused much curious comment among the loungers,
+      especially as two rather foreign-looking gentlemen sprang out, followed by
+      two young ladies, all four being greeted with cries of joy and much
+      embracing by the Bhaers. Then they all disappeared into the house, the
+      luggage followed, and the watchers were left to wonder who the mysterious
+      strangers were, till a fair collegian declared that they must be the
+      Professor's nephews, one of whom was expected on his wedding journey.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She was right; Franz proudly presented his blonde and buxom bride, and she
+      was hardly kissed and blessed when Emil led up his bonny English Mary,
+      with the rapturous announcement:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Uncle, Aunt Jo, here's another daughter! Have you room for my wife, too?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There could be no doubt of that; and Mary was with difficulty rescued from
+      the glad embraces of her new relatives, who, remembering all the young
+      pair had suffered together, felt that this was the natural and happy
+      ending of the long voyage so perilously begun.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'But why not tell us, and let us be ready for two brides instead of one?'
+      asked Mrs Jo, looking as usual rather demoralizing in a wrapper and
+      crimping-pins, having rushed down from her chamber, where she was
+      preparing for the labours of the evening.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Well, I remembered what a good joke you all considered Uncle Laurie's
+      marriage, and I thought I'd give you another nice little surprise,'
+      laughed Emil. 'I'm off duty, and it seemed best to take advantage of wind
+      and tide, and come along as convoy to the old boy here. We hoped to get in
+      last night, but couldn't fetch it, so here we are in time for the end of
+      the jollification, anyway.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Ah, my sons, it is too feeling-full to see you both so happy and again in
+      the old home. I haf no words to outpour my gratitude, and can only ask of
+      the dear Gott in Himmel to bless and keep you all,' cried Professor Bhaer,
+      trying to gather all four into his arms at once, while tears rolled down
+      his cheeks, and his English failed him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      An April shower cleared the air and relieved the full hearts of the happy
+      family; then of course everyone began to talk&mdash;Franz and Ludmilla in
+      German with uncle, Emil and Mary with the aunts; and round this group
+      gathered the young folk, clamouring to hear all about the wreck, and the
+      rescue, and the homeward voyage. It was a very different story from the
+      written one; and as they listened to Emil's graphic words, with Mary's
+      soft voice breaking in now and then to add some fact that brought out the
+      courage, patience, and self-sacrifice he so lightly touched upon, it
+      became a solemn and pathetic thing to see and hear these happy creatures
+      tell of that great danger and deliverance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I never hear the patter of rain now that I don't want to say my prayers;
+      and as for women, I'd like to take my hat off to every one of 'em, for
+      they are braver than any man I ever saw,' said Emil, with the new gravity
+      that was as becoming to him as the new gentleness with which he treated
+      everyone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'If women are brave, some men are as tender and self-sacrificing as women.
+      I know one who in the night slipped his share of food into a girl's
+      pocket, though starving himself, and sat for hours rocking a sick man in
+      his arms that he might get a little sleep. No, love, I will tell, and you
+      must let me!' cried Mary, holding in both her own the hand he laid on her
+      lips to silence her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Only did my duty. If that torment had lasted much longer I might have
+      been as bad as poor Barry and the boatswain. Wasn't that an awful night?'
+      And Emil shuddered as he recalled it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't think of it, dear. Tell about the happy days on the Urania, when
+      papa grew better and we were all safe and homeward bound,' said Mary, with
+      the trusting look and comforting touch which seemed to banish the dark and
+      recall the bright side of that terrible experience.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Emil cheered up at once, and sitting with his arm about his 'dear lass',
+      in true sailor fashion told the happy ending of the tale.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Such a jolly old time as we had at Hamburg! Uncle Hermann couldn't do
+      enough for the captain, and while mamma took care of him, Mary looked
+      after me. I had to go into dock for repairs; fire hurt my eyes, and
+      watching for a sail and want of sleep made 'em as hazy as a London fog.
+      She was pilot and brought me in all right, you see, only I couldn't part
+      company, so she came aboard as first mate, and I'm bound straight for
+      glory now.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Hush! that's silly, dear,' whispered Mary, trying in her turn to stop
+      him, with English shyness about tender topics. But he took the soft hand
+      in his, and proudly surveying the one ring it wore, went on with the air
+      of an admiral aboard his flagship.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'The captain proposed waiting a spell; but I told him we weren't like to
+      see any rougher weather than we'd pulled through together, and if we
+      didn't know one another after such a year as this, we never should. I was
+      sure I shouldn't be worth my pay without this hand on the wheel; so I had
+      my way, and my brave little woman has shipped for the long voyage. God
+      bless her!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Shall you really sail with him?' asked Daisy, admiring her courage, but
+      shrinking with cat-like horror from the water.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'm not afraid,' answered Mary, with a loyal smile. 'I've proved my
+      captain in fair weather and in foul, and if he is ever wrecked again, I'd
+      rather be with him than waiting and watching ashore.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'A true woman, and a born sailor's wife! You are a happy man, Emil, and
+      I'm sure this trip will be a prosperous one,' cried Mrs Jo, delighted with
+      the briny flavour of this courtship. 'Oh, my dear boy, I always felt you'd
+      come back, and when everyone else despaired I never gave up, but insisted
+      that you were clinging to the main-top jib somewhere on that dreadful
+      sea'; and Mrs Jo illustrated her faith by grasping Emil with a truly
+      Pillycoddian gesture.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Of course I was!' answered Emil heartily; 'and my &ldquo;main-top jib&rdquo; in this
+      case was the thought of what you and Uncle said to me. That kept me up;
+      and among the million thoughts that came to me during those long nights
+      none was clearer than the idea of the red strand, you remember&mdash;English
+      navy, and all that. I liked the notion, and resolved that if a bit of my
+      cable was left afloat, the red stripe should be there.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'And it was, my dear, it was! Captain Hardy testifies to that, and here is
+      your reward'; and Mrs Jo kissed Mary with a maternal tenderness which
+      betrayed that she liked the English rose better than the blue-eyed German
+      Kornblumen, sweet and modest though it was.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Emil surveyed the little ceremony with complacency, saying, as he looked
+      about the room which he never thought to see again: 'Odd, isn't it, how
+      clearly trifles come back to one in times of danger? As we floated there,
+      half-starved, and in despair, I used to think I heard the bells ringing
+      here, and Ted tramping downstairs, and you calling, &ldquo;Boys, boys, it's time
+      to get up!&rdquo; I actually smelt the coffee we used to have, and one night I
+      nearly cried when I woke from a dream of Asia's ginger cookies. I declare,
+      it was one of the bitterest disappointments of my life to face hunger with
+      that spicy smell in my nostrils. If you've got any, do give me one!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A pitiful murmur broke from all the aunts and cousins, and Emil was at
+      once borne away to feast on the desired cookies, a supply always being on
+      hand. Mrs Jo and her sister joined the other group, glad to hear what
+      Franz was saying about Nat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'The minute I saw how thin and shabby he was, I knew that something was
+      wrong; but he made light of it, and was so happy over our visit and news
+      that I let him off with a brief confession, and went to Professor
+      Baumgarten and Bergmann. From them I learned the whole story of his
+      spending more money than he ought and trying to atone for it by
+      unnecessary work and sacrifice. Baumgarten thought it would do him good,
+      so kept his secret till I came. It did him good, and he's paid his debts
+      and earned his bread by the sweat of his brow, like an honest fellow.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I like that much in Nat. It is, as I said, a lesson, and he learns it
+      well. He proves himself a man, and has deserved the place Bergmann offers
+      him,' said Mr Bhaer, looking well pleased as Franz added some facts
+      already recorded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I told you, Meg, that he had good stuff in him, and love for Daisy would
+      keep him straight. Dear lad, I wish I had him here this moment!' cried Mrs
+      Jo, forgetting in delight the doubts and anxieties which had troubled her
+      for months past.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I am very glad, and suppose I shall give in as I always do, especially
+      now that the epidemic rages so among us. You and Emil have set all their
+      heads in a ferment, and Josie will be demanding a lover before I can turn
+      round,' answered Mrs Meg, in a tone of despair.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But her sister saw that she was touched by Nat's trials, and hastened to
+      add the triumphs, that the victory might be complete, for success is
+      always charming.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'This offer of Herr Bergmann is a good one, isn't it?' she asked, though
+      Mr Laurie had already satisfied her on that point when Nat's letter
+      brought the news.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Very fine in every way. Nat will get capital drill in Bachmeister's
+      orchestra, see London in a delightful way, and if he suits come home with
+      them, well started among the violins. No great honour, but a sure thing
+      and a step up. I congratulated him, and he was very jolly over it, saying,
+      like the true lover he is: &ldquo;Tell Daisy; be sure and tell her all about
+      it.&rdquo; I'll leave that to you, Aunt Meg, and you can also break it gently to
+      her that the old boy had a fine blond beard. Very becoming; hides his weak
+      mouth, and gives a noble air to his big eyes and &ldquo;Mendelssohnian brow&rdquo;, as
+      a gushing girl called it. Ludmilla has a photo of it for you.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This amused them; and they listened to many other interesting bits of news
+      which kind Franz, even in his own happiness, had not forgotten to remember
+      for his friend's sake. He talked so well, and painted Nat's patient and
+      pathetic shifts so vividly, that Mrs Meg was half won; though if she had
+      learned of the Minna episode and the fiddling in beer-gardens and streets,
+      she might not have relented so soon. She stored up all she heard, however,
+      and, womanlike, promised herself a delicious talk with Daisy, in which she
+      would allow herself to melt by degrees, and perhaps change the doubtful
+      'We shall see' to a cordial 'He has done well; be happy, dear'.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the midst of this agreeable chat the sudden striking of a clock
+      recalled Mrs Jo from romance to reality, and she exclaimed, with a clutch
+      at her crimping-pins:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'My blessed people, you must eat and rest; and I must dress, or receive in
+      this disgraceful rig. Meg, will you take Ludmilla and Mary upstairs and
+      see to them? Franz knows the way to the dining-room. Fritz, come with me
+      and be made tidy, for what with heat and emotion, we are both perfect
+      wrecks.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0019" id="link2HCH0019">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      Chapter 19. WHITE ROSES
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      While the travellers refreshed, and Mrs President struggled into her best
+      gown, Josie ran into the garden to gather flowers for the brides. The
+      sudden arrival of these interesting beings had quite enchanted the
+      romantic girl, and her head was full of heroic rescues, tender admiration,
+      dramatic situations, and feminine wonder as to whether the lovely
+      creatures would wear their veils or not. She was standing before a great
+      bush of white roses, culling the most perfect for the bouquets which she
+      meant to tie with the ribbon festooned over her arm, and lay on the
+      toilette tables of the new cousins, as a delicate attention. A step
+      startled her, and looking up she saw her brother coming down the path with
+      folded arms, bent head, and the absent air of one absorbed in deep
+      thought.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Sophy Wackles,' said the sharp child, with a superior smile, as she
+      sucked her thumb just pricked by a too eager pull at the thorny branches.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'What are you at here, Mischief?' asked Demi, with an Irvingesque start,
+      as he felt rather than saw a disturbing influence in his day-dream.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Getting flowers for &ldquo;our brides&rdquo;. Don't you wish you had one?' answered
+      Josie, to whom the word 'mischief' suggested her favourite amusement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'A bride or a flower?' asked Demi calmly, though he eyed the blooming bush
+      as if it had a sudden and unusual interest for him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Both; you get the one, and I'll give you the other.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Wish I could!' and Demi picked a little bud, with a sigh that went to
+      Josie's warm heart.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Why don't you, then? It's lovely to see people so happy. Now's a good
+      time to do it if you ever mean to. She will be going away for ever soon.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Who?' and Demi pulled a half-opened bud, with a sudden colour in his own
+      face; which sign of confusion delighted little Jo.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't be a hypocrite. You know I mean Alice. Now, Jack, I'm fond of you,
+      and want to help; it's so interesting&mdash;all these lovers and weddings
+      and things, and we ought to have our share. So you take my advice and
+      speak up like a man, and make sure of Alice before she goes.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Demi laughed at the seriousness of the small girl's advice; but he liked
+      it, and showed that it suited him by saying blandly, instead of snubbing
+      her as usual:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You are very kind, child. Since you are so wise, could you give me a hint
+      how I'd better 'speak up', as you elegantly express it?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Oh, well, there are various ways, you know. In plays the lovers go down
+      on their knees; but that's awkward when they have long legs. Ted never
+      does it well, though I drill him for hours. You could say, &ldquo;Be mine, be
+      mine!&rdquo; like the old man who threw cucumbers over the wall to Mrs Nickleby,
+      if you want to be gay and easy; or you could write a poetical pop. You've
+      tried it, I dare say.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'But seriously, Jo, I do love Alice, and I think she knows it. I want to
+      tell her so; but I lose my head when I try, and don't care to make a fool
+      of myself. Thought you might suggest some pretty way; you read so much
+      poetry and are so romantic.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Demi tried to express himself clearly, but forgot his dignity and his
+      usual reserve in the sweet perplexity of his love, and asked his little
+      sister to teach him how to put the question which a single word can
+      answer. The arrival of his happy cousins had scattered all his wise plans
+      and brave resolutions to wait still longer. The Christmas play had given
+      him courage to hope, and the oration today had filled him with tender
+      pride; but the sight of those blooming brides and beaming grooms was too
+      much for him, and he panted to secure his Alice without an hour's delay.
+      Daisy was his confidante in all things but this; a brotherly feeling of
+      sympathy had kept him from telling her his hopes, because her own were
+      forbidden. His mother was rather jealous of any girl he admired; but
+      knowing that she liked Alice, he loved on and enjoyed his secret alone,
+      meaning soon to tell her all about it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Now suddenly Josie and the rose-bush seemed to suggest a speedy end to his
+      tender perplexities; and he was moved to accept her aid as the netted lion
+      did that of the mouse.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I think I'll write,' he was slowly beginning, after a pause during which
+      both were trying to strike out a new and brilliant idea.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I've got it! perfectly lovely! just suit her, and you too, being a poet!'
+      cried Josie, with a skip.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'What is it? Don't be ridiculous, please,' begged the bashful lover,
+      eager, but afraid of this sharp-tongued bit of womanhood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I read in one of Miss Edgeworth's stories about a man who offers three
+      roses to his lady&mdash;a bud, a half-blown, and a full-blown rose. I
+      don't remember which she took; but it's a pretty way; and Alice knows
+      about it because she was there when we read it. Here are all kinds; you've
+      got the two buds, pick the sweetest rose you can find, and I'll tie them
+      up and put them in her room. She is coming to dress with Daisy, so I can
+      do it nicely.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Demi mused a moment with his eyes on the bridal bush, and a smile came
+      over his face so unlike any it had ever worn before, that Josie was
+      touched, and looked away as if she had no right to see the dawn of the
+      great passion which, while it lasts, makes a young man as happy as a god.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Do it,' was all he said, and gathered a full-blown rose to finish his
+      floral love-message.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Charmed to have a finger in this romantic pie, Josie tied a graceful bow
+      of ribbon about the stems, and finished her last nosegay with much
+      content, while Demi wrote upon a card:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      DEAR ALICE, You know what the flowers mean. Will you wear one, or all
+      tonight, and make me still prouder, fonder, and happier than I am?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Yours entirely,
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      JOHN
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Offering this to his sister, he said in a tone that made her feel the deep
+      importance of her mission:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I trust you, Jo. This means everything to me. No jokes, dear, if you love
+      me.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Josie's answer was a kiss that promised all things; and then she ran away
+      to do her 'gentle spiriting', like Ariel, leaving Demi to dream among the
+      roses like Ferdinand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mary and Ludmilla were charmed with their bouquets; and the giver had the
+      delight of putting some of the flowers into the dark hair and the light as
+      she played maid at the toilettes of 'our brides', which consoled her for a
+      disappointment in the matter of veils.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      No one helped Alice dress; for Daisy was in the next room with her mother;
+      and not even their loving eyes saw the welcome which the little posy
+      received, nor the tears and smiles and blushes that came and went as she
+      read the note and pondered what answer she should give. There was no doubt
+      about the one she wished to give; but duty held her back; for at home
+      there was an invalid mother and an old father. She was needed there, with
+      all the help she could now bring by the acquirements four years of
+      faithful study had given her. Love looked very sweet, and a home of her
+      own with John a little heaven on earth; but not yet. And she slowly laid
+      away the full-blown rose as she sat before the mirror, thinking over the
+      great question of her life.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Was it wise and kind to ask him to wait, to bind him by any promise, or
+      even to put into words the love and honour she felt for him? No; it would
+      be more generous to make the sacrifice alone, and spare him the pain of
+      hope deferred. He was young; he would forget; and she would do her duty
+      better, perhaps, if no impatient lover waited for her. With eyes that saw
+      but dimly, and a hand that lingered on the stem he had stripped of thorns,
+      she laid the half-blown flower by the rose, and asked herself if even the
+      little bud might be worn. It looked very poor and pale beside the others;
+      yet being in the self-sacrificing mood which real love brings, she felt
+      that even a small hope was too much to give, if she could not follow it up
+      with more.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As she sat looking sadly down on the symbols of an affection that grew
+      dearer every moment, she listened half unconsciously to the murmur of
+      voices in the adjoining room. Open windows, thin partitions, and the
+      stillness of summer twilight made it impossible to help hearing, and in a
+      few moments more she could not refrain; for they were talking of John.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'So nice of Ludmilla to bring us all bottles of real German cologne! Just
+      what we need after this tiring day! Be sure John has his! He likes it so!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes, mother. Did you see him jump up when Alice ended her oration? He'd
+      have gone to her if I hadn't held him back. I don't wonder he was pleased
+      and proud. I spoilt my gloves clapping, and quite forgot my dislike of
+      seeing women on platforms, she was so earnest and unconscious and sweet
+      after the first moment.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Has he said anything to you, dear?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'No; and I guess why. The kind boy thinks it would make me unhappy. It
+      wouldn't. But I know his ways; so I wait, and hope all will go well with
+      him.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'It must. No girl in her senses would refuse our John, though he isn't
+      rich, and never will be. Daisy, I've been longing to tell you what he did
+      with his money. He told me last night, and I've had no time since to tell
+      you. He sent poor young Barton to the hospital, and kept him there till
+      his eyes were saved&mdash;a costly thing to do. But the man can work now
+      and care for his old parents. He was in despair, sick and poor, and too
+      proud to beg; and our dear boy found it out, and took every penny he had,
+      and never told even his mother till she made him.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Alice did not hear what Daisy answered, for she was busy with her own
+      emotions&mdash;happy ones now, to judge from the smile that shone in her
+      eyes and the decided gesture with which she put the little bud in her
+      bosom, as if she said: 'He deserves some reward for that good deed, and he
+      shall have it.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Meg was speaking, and still of John, when she could hear again:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Some people would call it unwise and reckless, when John has so little;
+      but I think his first investment a safe and good one, for &ldquo;he who giveth
+      to the poor lendeth to the Lord&rdquo;; and I was so pleased and proud, I
+      wouldn't spoil it by offering him a penny.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'It is his having nothing to offer that keeps him silent, I think. He is
+      so honest, he won't ask till he has much to give. But he forgets that love
+      is everything. I know he's rich in that; I see and feel it; and any woman
+      should be glad to get it.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Right, dear. I felt just so, and was willing to work and wait with and
+      for my John.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'So she will be, and I hope they will find it out. But she is so dutiful
+      and good, I'm afraid she won't let herself be happy. You would like it,
+      mother?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Heartily; for a better, nobler girl doesn't live. She is all I want for
+      my son; and I don't mean to lose the dear, brave creature if I can help
+      it. Her heart is big enough for both love and duty; and they can wait more
+      happily if they do it together&mdash;for wait they must, of course.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'm so glad his choice suits you, mother, and he is spared the saddest
+      sort of disappointment.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Daisy's voice broke there; and a sudden rustle, followed by a soft murmur,
+      seemed to tell that she was in her mother's arms, seeking and finding
+      comfort there.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Alice heard no more, and shut her window with a guilty feeling but a
+      shining face; for the proverb about listeners failed here, and she had
+      learned more than she dared to hope. Things seemed to change suddenly; she
+      felt that her heart was large enough for both love and duty; she knew now
+      that she would be welcomed by mother and sister; and the memory of Daisy's
+      less happy fate, Nat's weary probation, the long delay, and possible
+      separation for ever&mdash;all came before her so vividly that prudence
+      seemed cruelty; self-sacrifice, sentimental folly; and anything but the
+      whole truth, disloyalty to her lover. As she thought thus, the half-blown
+      rose went to join the bud; and then, after a pause, she slowly kissed the
+      perfect rose, and added it to the tell-tale group, saying to herself with
+      a sort of sweet solemnity, as if the words were a vow:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll love and work and wait with and for my John.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was well for her that Demi was absent when she stole down to join the
+      guests who soon began to flow through the house in a steady stream. The
+      new brightness which touched her usually thoughtful face was easily
+      explained by the congratulations she received as orator, and the slight
+      agitation observable, when a fresh batch of gentlemen approached soon
+      passed, as none of them noticed the flowers she wore over a very happy
+      heart. Demi meantime was escorting certain venerable personages about the
+      college, and helping his grandfather entertain them with discussion of the
+      Socratic method of instruction, Pythagoras, Pestalozzi, Froebel, and the
+      rest, whom he devoutly wished at the bottom of the Red Sea, and no wonder,
+      for his head and his heart were full of love and roses, hopes and fears.
+      He piloted the 'potent, grave, and reverend seigniors' safely down to
+      Plumfield at last, and landed them before his uncle and aunt Bhaer, who
+      were receiving in state, the one full of genuine delight in all men and
+      things, the other suffering martyrdom with a smile, as she stood shaking
+      hand after hand, and affecting utter unconsciousness of the sad fact that
+      ponderous Professor Plock had camped upon the train of her state and
+      festival velvet gown.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With a long sigh of relief Demi glanced about him for the beloved girl.
+      Most persons would have looked some time before any particular angel could
+      be discovered among the white-robed throng in parlours, hall, and study;
+      but his eye went&mdash;like the needle to the pole&mdash;to the corner
+      where a smooth dark head, with its braided crown, rose like a queen's, he
+      thought, above the crowd which surrounded her. Yes, she has a flower at
+      her throat; one, two, oh, blessed sight! he saw it all across the room,
+      and gave a rapturous sigh which caused Miss Perry's frizzled crop to wave
+      with a sudden gust. He did not see the rose, for it was hidden by a fold
+      of lace; and it was well, perhaps, that bliss came by instalments, or he
+      might have electrified the assembled multitude by flying to his idol,
+      there being no Daisy to clutch him by the coat-tail. A stout lady,
+      thirsting for information, seized him at that thrilling moment, and he was
+      forced to point out celebrities with a saintly patience which deserved a
+      better reward than it received; for a certain absence of mind and
+      incoherence of speech at times caused the ungrateful dowager to whisper to
+      the first friend she met after he had escaped:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I saw no wine at any of the spreads; but it is plain that young Brooke
+      has had too much. Quite gentlemanly, but evidently a trifle intoxicated,
+      my dear.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Ah, so he was! but with a diviner wine than any that ever sparkled at a
+      class-day lunch, though many collegians know the taste of it; and when the
+      old lady was disposed of, he gladly turned to find the young one, bent on
+      having a single word. He saw her standing by the piano now, idly turning
+      over music as she talked with several gentlemen. Hiding his impatience
+      under an air of scholastic repose, Demi hovered near, ready to advance
+      when the happy moment came, wondering meantime why elderly persons
+      persisted in absorbing young ones instead of sensibly sitting in corners
+      with their contemporaries. The elderly persons in question retired at
+      length, but only to be replaced by two impetuous youths who begged Miss
+      Heath to accompany them to Parnassus and join the dance. Demi thirsted for
+      their blood, but was appeased by hearing George and Dolly say, as they
+      lingered a moment after her refusal:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Really, you know, I'm quite converted to co-education and almost wish I'd
+      remained here. It gives a grace to study, a sort of relish even to Greek
+      to see charming girls at it,' said Stuffy, who found the feast of learning
+      so dry, any sauce was welcome; and he felt as if he had discovered a new
+      one.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes, by Jove! we fellows will have to look out or you'll carry off all
+      the honours. You were superb today, and held us all like magic, though it
+      was so hot there, I really think I couldn't have stood it for anyone
+      else,' added Dolly, labouring to be gallant and really offering a touching
+      proof of devotion; for the heat melted his collar, took the curl out of
+      his hair, and ruined his gloves.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'There is room for all; and if you will leave us the books, we will
+      cheerfully yield the baseball, boating, dancing, and flirting, which seem
+      to be the branches you prefer,' answered Alice sweetly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Ah, now you are too hard upon us! We can't grind all the time and you
+      ladies don't seem to mind taking a turn at the two latter &ldquo;branches&rdquo; you
+      mention,' returned Dolly, with a glance at George which plainly said, 'I
+      had her there.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Some of us do in our first years. Later we give up childish things, you
+      see. Don't let me keep you from Parnassus'; and a smiling nod dismissed
+      them, smarting under the bitter consciousness of youth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You got it there, Doll. Better not try to fence with these superior
+      girls. Sure to be routed, horse, foot, and dragoons,' said Stuffy,
+      lumbering away, somewhat cross with too many spreads.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'So deuced sarcastic! Don't believe she's much older than we are. Girls
+      grow up quicker, so she needn't put on airs and talk like a grandmother,'
+      muttered Dolly, feeling that he had sacrificed his kids upon the altar of
+      an ungrateful Pallas.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Come along and let's find something to eat. I'm faint with so much
+      talking. Old Plock cornered me and made my head spin with Kant and Hegel
+      and that lot.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I promised Dora West I'd give her a turn. Must look her up; she's a jolly
+      little thing, and doesn't bother about anything but keeping in step.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And arm in arm the boys strolled away, leaving Alice to read music as
+      diligently as if society had indeed no charms for her. As she bent to turn
+      a page, the eager young man behind the piano saw the rose and was struck
+      speechless with delight. A moment he gazed, then hastened to seize the
+      coveted place before a new detachment of bores arrived.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Alice, I can't believe it&mdash;did you understand&mdash;how shall I ever
+      thank you?' murmured Demi, bending as if he, too, read the song, not a
+      note or word of which did he see, however.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Hush! not now. I understood&mdash;I don't deserve it&mdash;we are too
+      young, we must wait, but&mdash;I'm very proud and happy, John!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      What would have happened after that tender whisper I tremble to think, if
+      Tom Bangs had not come bustling up, with the cheerful remark:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Music? just the thing. People are thinning out, and we all want a little
+      refreshment. My brain fairly reels with the 'ologies and 'isms I've heard
+      discussed tonight. Yes, give us this; sweet thing! Scotch songs are always
+      charming.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Demi glowered; but the obtuse boy never saw it, and Alice, feeling that
+      this would be a safe vent for sundry unruly emotions, sat down at once,
+      and sang the song which gave her answer better than she could have done:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+                BIDE A WEE
+
+    'The puir auld folk at home, ye mind,
+    Are frail and failing sair;
+    And weel I ken they'd miss me, lad,
+    Gin I come hame nae mair.
+    The grist is out, the times are hard,
+    The kine are only three;
+    I canna leave the auld folk now.
+    We'd better bide a wee.
+
+    'I fear me sair they're failing baith;
+    For when I sit apart,
+    They talk o' Heaven so earnestly,
+    It well nigh breaks my heart.
+    So, laddie, dinna urge me now,
+    It surely winna be;
+    I canna leave the auld folk yet.
+    We'd better bide a wee.'
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      The room was very still before the first verse ended; and Alice skipped
+      the next, fearing she could not get through; for John's eyes were on her,
+      showing that he knew she sang for him and let the plaintive little ballad
+      tell what her reply must be. He took it as she meant it, and smiled at her
+      so happily that her heart got the better of her voice, and she rose
+      abruptly, saying something about the heat.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes, you are tired; come out and rest, my dearest'; and with a masterful
+      air Demi took her into the starlight, leaving Tom to stare after them
+      winking as if a sky-rocket had suddenly gone off under his nose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Bless my soul! the Deacon really meant business last summer and never
+      told me. Won't Dora laugh?' And Tom departed in hot haste to impart and
+      exult over his discovery.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      What was said in the garden was never exactly known; but the Brooke family
+      sat up very late that night, and any curious eye at the window would have
+      seen Demi receiving the homage of his womankind as he told his little
+      romance. Josie took great credit to herself in the matter, insisting that
+      she had made the match; Daisy was full of the sweetest sympathy and joy,
+      and Mrs Meg so happy that when Jo had gone to dream of bridal veils, and
+      Demi sat in his room blissfully playing the air of 'Bide a Wee', she had
+      her talk about Nat, ending with her arms round her dutiful daughter and
+      these welcome words as her reward:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Wait till Nat comes home, and then my good girl shall wear white roses
+      too.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0020" id="link2HCH0020">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      Chapter 20. LIFE FOR LIFE
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      The summer days that followed were full of rest and pleasure for young and
+      old, as they did the honours of Plumfield to their happy guests. While
+      Franz and Emil were busy with the affairs of Uncle Hermann and Captain
+      Hardy, Mary and Ludmilla made friends everywhere; for, though very unlike,
+      both were excellent and charming girls. Mrs Meg and Daisy found the German
+      bride a Hausfrau after their own hearts, and had delightful times learning
+      new dishes, hearing about the semi-yearly washes and the splendid
+      linen-room at Hamburg, or discussing domestic life in all its branches.
+      Ludmilla not only taught, but learned, many things, and went home with
+      many new and useful ideas in her blonde head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mary had seen so much of the world that she was unusually lively for an
+      English girl; while her various accomplishments made her a most agreeable
+      companion. Much good sense gave her ballast; and the late experiences of
+      danger and happiness added a sweet gravity at times, which contrasted well
+      with her natural gaiety. Mrs Jo was quite satisfied with Emil's choice,
+      and felt sure this true and tender pilot would bring him safe to port
+      through fair or stormy weather. She had feared that Franz would settle
+      down into a comfortable, moneymaking burgher, and be content with that;
+      but she soon saw that his love of music and his placid Ludmilla put much
+      poetry into his busy life, and kept it from being too prosaic. So she felt
+      at rest about these boys, and enjoyed their visit with real, maternal
+      satisfaction; parting with them in September most regretfully, yet
+      hopefully, as they sailed away to the new life that lay before them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Demi's engagement was confided to the immediate family only, as both were
+      pronounced too young to do anything but love and wait. They were so happy
+      that time seemed to stand still for them, and after a blissful week they
+      parted bravely&mdash;Alice to home duties, with a hope that sustained and
+      cheered her through many trials; and John to his business, full of a new
+      ardour which made all things possible when such a reward was offered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Daisy rejoiced over them, and was never tired of hearing her brother's
+      plans for the future. Her own hope soon made her what she used to be&mdash;a
+      cheery, busy creature, with a smile, kind word, and helping hand for all;
+      and as she went singing about the house again, her mother felt that the
+      right remedy for past sadness had been found. The dear Pelican still had
+      doubts and fears, but kept them wisely to herself, preparing sundry
+      searching tests to be applied when Nat came home, and keeping a sharp eye
+      on the letters from London; for some mysterious hint had flown across the
+      sea, and Daisy's content seemed reflected in Nat's present cheerful state
+      of mind.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having passed through the Werther period, and tried a little Faust&mdash;of
+      which experience he spoke to his Marguerite as if it had included an
+      acquaintance with Mephistopheles, Blocksburg, and Auerbach's wine-cellar&mdash;he
+      now felt that he was a Wilhelm Meister, serving his apprenticeship to the
+      great masters of life. As she knew the truth of his small sins and honest
+      repentance, Daisy only smiled at the mixture of love and philosophy he
+      sent her, knowing that it was impossible for a young man to live in
+      Germany without catching the German spirit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'His heart is all right; and his head will soon grow clear when he gets
+      out of the fog of tobacco, beer, and metaphysics he's been living in.
+      England will wake up his common sense, and good salt air blow his little
+      follies all away,' said Mrs Jo, much pleased with the good prospects of
+      her violinist&mdash;whose return was delayed till spring, to his private
+      regret, but professional advancement.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Josie had a month with Miss Cameron at the seaside, and threw herself so
+      heartily into the lesson given her that her energy, promise, and patience
+      laid the foundation of a friendship which was of infinite value to her in
+      the busy, brilliant years to come; for little Jo's instincts were right;
+      and the dramatic talent of the Marches was to blossom by and by into an
+      actress, virtuous, and beloved.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Tom and his Dora were peacefully ambling altar-ward; for Bangs senior was
+      so afraid his son would change his mind again and try a third profession,
+      that he gladly consented to an early marriage, as a sort of anchor to hold
+      the mercurial Thomas fast. Aforesaid Thomas could not complain of cold
+      shoulders now; for Dora was a most devoted and adoring little mate, and
+      made life so pleasant to him that his gift for getting into scrapes seemed
+      lost, and he bade fair to become a thriving man, with undeniable talent
+      for the business he had chosen.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'We shall be married in the autumn, and live with my father for a while.
+      The governor is getting on, you know, and my wife and I must look after
+      him. Later we shall have an establishment of our own,' was a favourite
+      speech of his about this time, and usually received with smiles; for the
+      idea of Tommy Bangs at the head of an 'establishment' was irresistibly
+      funny to all who knew him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Things were in this flourishing condition, and Mrs Jo was beginning to
+      think her trials were over for that year, when a new excitement came.
+      Several postal cards had arrived at long intervals from Dan, who gave them
+      'Care of M. Mason, etc.', as his address. By this means he was able to
+      gratify his longing for home news, and to send brief messages to quiet
+      their surprise at his delay in settling. The last one, which came in
+      September, was dated 'Montana', and simply said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Here at last, trying mining again; but not going to stay long. All sorts
+      of luck. Gave up the farm idea. Tell plans soon. Well, busy, and very
+      happy. D. K.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      If they had known what the heavy dash under 'happy' meant, that postal
+      would have been a very eloquent bit of pasteboard; for Dan was free, and
+      had gone straight away to the liberty he panted for. Meeting an old friend
+      by accident, he obliged him at a pinch by acting as overseer for a time,
+      finding the society even of rough miners very sweet, and something in the
+      muscular work wonderfully pleasant, after being cooped up in the
+      brush-shop so long. He loved to take a pick and wrestle with rock and
+      earth till he was weary&mdash;which was very soon; for that year of
+      captivity had told upon his splendid physique. He longed to go home, but
+      waited week after week to get the prison taint off him and the haggard
+      look out of his face. Meanwhile he made friends of masters and men; and as
+      no one knew his story, he took his place again in the world gratefully and
+      gladly&mdash;with little pride now, and no plans but to do some good
+      somewhere, and efface the past.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo was having a grand clearing-out of her desk one October day, while
+      the rain poured outside, and peace reigned in her mansion. Coming across
+      the postals, she pondered over them, and then put them carefully away in
+      the drawer labelled 'Boys' Letters', saying to herself, as she bundled
+      eleven requests for autographs into the waste-paper basket:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'It is quite time for another card, unless he is coming to tell his plans.
+      I'm really curious to know what he has been about all this year, and how
+      he's getting on now.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That last wish was granted within an hour; for Ted came rushing in, with a
+      newspaper in one hand, a collapsed umbrella in the other, and a face full
+      of excitement, announcing, all in one breathless jumble:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Mine caved in&mdash;twenty men shut up&mdash;no way out&mdash;wives
+      crying&mdash;water rising&mdash;Dan knew the old shaft&mdash;risked his
+      life&mdash;got 'em out&mdash;most killed&mdash;papers full of it&mdash;I
+      knew he'd be a hero&mdash;hurray for old Dan!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'What? Where? When? Who? Stop roaring, and let me read!' commanded his
+      mother, entirely bewildered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Relinquishing the paper, Ted allowed her to read for herself, with
+      frequent interruptions from him&mdash;and Rob, who soon followed, eager
+      for the tale. It was nothing new; but courage and devotion always stir
+      generous hearts, and win admiration; so the account was both graphic and
+      enthusiastic; and the name of Daniel Kean, the brave man who saved the
+      lives of others at the risk of his own, was on many lips that day. Very
+      proud were the faces of these friends as they read how their Dan was the
+      only one who, in the first panic of the accident, remembered the old shaft
+      that led into the mine&mdash;walled up, but the only hope of escape, if
+      the men could be got out before the rising water drowned them; how he was
+      lowered down alone, telling the others to keep back till he saw if it was
+      safe; how he heard the poor fellows picking desperately for their lives on
+      the other side, and by knocks and calls guided them to the right spot;
+      then headed the rescue party, and working like a hero, got the men out in
+      time. On being drawn up last of all, the worn rope broke, and he had a
+      terrible fall, being much hurt, but was still alive. How the grateful
+      women kissed his blackened face and bloody hands, as the men bore him away
+      in triumph, and the owners of the mine promised a handsome reward, if he
+      lived to receive it!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'He must live; he shall, and come home to be nursed as soon as he can
+      stir, if I go and bring him myself! I always knew he'd do something fine
+      and brave, if he didn't get shot or hung for some wild prank instead,'
+      cried Mrs Jo, much excited.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Do go, and take me with you, Mum. I ought to be the one, Dan's so fond of
+      me and I of him,' began Ted, feeling that this would be an expedition
+      after his own heart.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Before his mother could reply, Mr Laurie came in, with almost as much
+      noise and flurry as Teddy the second, exclaiming as he waved the evening
+      paper:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Seen the news, Jo? What do you think? Shall I go off at once, and see
+      after that brave boy?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I wish you would. But the thing may not be all true&mdash;rumour lies so.
+      Perhaps a few hours will bring an entirely new version of the story.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I've telephoned to Demi for all he can find out; and if it's true, I'll
+      go at once. Should like the trip. If he's able, I'll bring him home; if
+      not, I'll stay and see to him. He'll pull through. Dan will never die of a
+      fall on his head. He's got nine lives, and not lost half of them yet.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'If you go, uncle, mayn't I go with you? I'm just spoiling for a journey;
+      and it would be such larks to go out there with you, and see the mines and
+      Dan, and hear all about it, and help. I can nurse. Can't I, Rob?' cried
+      Teddy, in his most wheedlesome tones.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Pretty well. But if mother can't spare you, I'm ready if uncle needs
+      anyone,' answered Rob, in his quiet way, looking much fitter for the trip
+      than excitable Ted.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I can't spare either of you. My boys get into trouble, unless I keep them
+      close at home. I've no right to hold the others; but I won't let you out
+      of my sight, or something will happen. Never saw such a year, with wrecks
+      and weddings and floods and engagements, and every sort of catastrophe!'
+      exclaimed Mrs Jo.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'If you deal in girls and boys, you must expect this sort of thing, ma'am.
+      The worst is over, I hope, till these lads begin to go off. Then I'll
+      stand by you; for you'll need every kind of support and comfort, specially
+      if Ted bolts early,' laughed Mr Laurie, enjoying her lamentations.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I don't think anything can surprise me now; but I am anxious about Dan,
+      and feel that someone had better go to him. It's a rough place out there,
+      and he may need careful nursing. Poor lad, he seems to get a good many
+      hard knocks! But perhaps he needs them as &ldquo;a mellerin' process&rdquo;, as Hannah
+      used to say.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'We shall hear from Demi before long, and then I'll be off.' With which
+      cheerful promise Mr Laurie departed; and Ted, finding his mother firm,
+      soon followed, to coax his uncle to take him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Further inquiry confirmed and added interest to the news. Mr Laurie was
+      off at once; and Ted went into town with him, still vainly imploring to be
+      taken to his Dan. He was absent all day; but his mother said, calmly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Only a fit of the sulks because he is thwarted. He's safe with Tom or
+      Demi, and will come home hungry and meek at night. I know him.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But she soon found that she could still be surprised; for evening brought
+      no Ted, and no one had seen him. Mr Bhaer was just setting off to find his
+      lost son, when a telegram arrived, dated at one of the way-stations on Mr
+      Laurie's route:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    Found Ted in the cars. Take him along. Write tomorrow.
+
+        T.  LAURENCE
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      'Ted bolted sooner than you expected, mother. Never mind&mdash;uncle will
+      take good care of him, and Dan be very glad to see him,' said Rob, as Mrs
+      Jo sat, trying to realize that her youngest was actually on his way to the
+      wild West.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Disobedient boy! He shall be severely punished, if I ever get him again.
+      Laurie winked at this prank; I know he did. Just like him. Won't the two
+      rascals have a splendid time? Wish I was with them! Don't believe that
+      crazy boy took even a night-gown with him, or an overcoat. Well, there
+      will be two patients for us to nurse when they get back, if they ever do.
+      Those reckless express trains always go down precipices, and burn up, or
+      telescope. Oh! my Ted, my precious boy, how can I let him go so far away
+      from me?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And mother-like, Mrs Jo forgot the threatened chastisement in tender
+      lamentations over the happy scapegrace, now whizzing across the continent
+      in high feather at the success of his first revolt. Mr Laurie was much
+      amused at his insisting that those words, 'when Ted bolts', put the idea
+      into his head; and therefore the responsibility rested upon his shoulders.
+      He assumed it kindly from the moment he came upon the runaway asleep in a
+      car, with no visible luggage but a bottle of wine for Dan and a
+      blacking-brush for himself; and as Mrs Jo suspected, the 'two rascals' did
+      have a splendid time. Penitent letters arrived in due season, and the
+      irate parents soon forgot to chide in their anxiety about Dan, who was
+      very ill, and did not know his friends for several days. Then he began to
+      mend; and everyone forgave the bad boy when he proudly reported that the
+      first conscious words Dan said were: 'Hallo, Ted!' with a smile of
+      pleasure at seeing a familiar face bent over him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Glad he went, and I won't scold any more. Now, what shall we put in the
+      box for Dan?' And Mrs Jo worked off her impatience to get hold of the
+      invalid by sending comforts enough for a hospital.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Cheering accounts soon began to come, and at length Dan was pronounced
+      able to travel, but seemed in no haste to go home, though never tired of
+      hearing his nurses talk of it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Dan is strangely altered,' wrote Laurie to Jo; 'not by this illness
+      alone, but by something which has evidently gone before. I don't know
+      what, and leave you to ask; but from his ravings when delirious I fear he
+      has been in some serious trouble the past year. He seems ten years older,
+      but improved, quieter, and so grateful to us. It is pathetic to see the
+      hunger in his eyes as they rest on Ted, as if he couldn't see enough of
+      him. He says Kansas was a failure, but can't talk much; so I bide my time.
+      The people here love him very much, and he cares for that sort of thing
+      now; used to scorn any show of emotion, you know; now he wants everyone to
+      think well of him, and can't do enough to win affection and respect. I may
+      be all wrong. You will soon find out. Ted is in clover, and the trip has
+      done him a world of good. Let me take him to Europe when we go?
+      Apron-strings don't agree with him any better than they did with me when I
+      proposed to run away to Washington with you some century ago. Aren't you
+      sorry you didn't?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This private letter set Mrs Jo's lively fancy in a ferment, and she
+      imagined every known crime, affliction, and complication which could
+      possibly have befallen Dan. He was too feeble to be worried with questions
+      now, but she promised herself most interesting revelations when she got
+      him safe at home; for the 'firebrand' was her most interesting boy. She
+      begged him to come, and spent more time in composing a letter that should
+      bring him, than she did over the most thrilling episodes in her 'works'.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      No one but Dan saw the letter; but it did bring him, and one November day
+      Mr Laurie helped a feeble man out of a carriage at the door of Plumfield,
+      and Mother Bhaer received the wanderer like a recovered son; while Ted, in
+      a disreputable-looking hat and an astonishing pair of boots, performed a
+      sort of war-dance round the interesting group.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Right upstairs and rest; I'm nurse now, and this ghost must eat before he
+      talks to anyone,' commanded Mrs Jo, trying not to show how shocked she was
+      at this shorn and shaven, gaunt and pallid shadow of the stalwart man she
+      parted with.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He was quite content to obey, and lay on the long lounge in the room
+      prepared for him, looking about as tranquilly as a sick child restored to
+      its own nursery and mother's arms, while his new nurse fed and refreshed
+      him, bravely controlling the questions that burned upon her tongue. Being
+      weak and weary, he soon fell asleep; and then she stole away to enjoy the
+      society of the 'rascals', whom she scolded and petted, pumped and praised,
+      to her heart's content.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Jo, I think Dan has committed some crime and suffered for it,' said Mr
+      Laurie, when Ted had departed to show his boots and tell glowing tales of
+      the dangers and delights of the miners' life to his mates. 'Some terrible
+      experience has come to the lad, and broken his spirit. He was quite out of
+      his head when we arrived, and I took the watching, so I heard more of
+      those sad wanderings than anyone else. He talked of the &ldquo;warden&rdquo;, some
+      trail, a dead man, and Blair and Mason, and would keep offering me his
+      hand, asking me if I would take it and forgive him. Once, when he was very
+      wild, I held his arms, and he quieted in a moment, imploring me not to
+      &ldquo;put the handcuffs on&rdquo;. I declare, it was quite awful sometimes to hear
+      him in the night talk of old Plum and you, and beg to be let out and go
+      home to die.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'He isn't going to die, but live to repent of anything he may have done;
+      so don't harrow me up with these dark hints, Teddy. I don't care if he's
+      broken the Ten Commandments, I'll stand by him, and so will you, and we'll
+      set him on his feet and make a good man of him yet. I know he's not
+      spoilt, by the look in his poor face. Don't say a word to anyone, and I'll
+      have the truth before long,' answered Mrs Jo, still loyal to her bad boy,
+      though much afflicted by what she had heard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For some days Dan rested, and saw few people; then good care, cheerful
+      surroundings, and the comfort of being at home began to tell, and he
+      seemed more like himself, though still very silent as to his late
+      experiences, pleading the doctor's orders not to talk much. Everyone
+      wanted to see him; but he shrank from any but old friends, and 'wouldn't
+      lionize worth a cent', Ted said, much disappointed that he could not show
+      off his brave Dan.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Wasn't a man there who wouldn't have done the same, so why make a row
+      over me?' asked the hero, feeling more ashamed than proud of the broken
+      arm, which looked so interesting in a sling.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'But isn't it pleasant to think that you saved twenty lives, Dan, and gave
+      husbands, sons, and fathers back to the women who loved them?' asked Mrs
+      Jo one evening as they were alone together after several callers had been
+      sent away.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Pleasant! it's all that kept me alive, I do believe; yes, I'd rather have
+      done it than be made president or any other big bug in the world. No one
+      knows what a comfort it is to think I've saved twenty men to more than pay
+      for&mdash;' There Dan stopped short, having evidently spoken out of some
+      strong emotion to which his hearer had no key.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I thought you'd feel so. It is a splendid thing to save life at the risk
+      of one's own, as you did, and nearly lose it,' began Mrs Jo, wishing he
+      had gone on with that impulsive speech which was so like his old manner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      '&ldquo;He that loseth his life shall gain it&rdquo;,' muttered Dan, staring at the
+      cheerful fire which lighted the room, and shone on his thin face with a
+      ruddy glow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo was so startled at hearing such words from his lips that she
+      exclaimed joyfully:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Then you did read the little book I gave you, and kept your promise?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I read it a good deal after a while. I don't know much yet, but I'm ready
+      to learn; and that's something.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'It's everything. Oh, my dear, tell me about it! I know something lies
+      heavy on your heart; let me help you bear it, and so make the burden
+      lighter.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I know it would; I want to tell; but some things even you couldn't
+      forgive; and if you let go of me, I'm afraid I can't keep afloat.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Mothers can forgive anything! Tell me all, and be sure that I will never
+      let you go, though the whole world should turn from you.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo took one of the big wasted hands in both of hers and held it fast,
+      waiting silently till that sustaining touch warmed poor Dan's heart, and
+      gave him courage to speak. Sitting in his old attitude, with his head in
+      his hands, he slowly told it all, never once looking up till the last
+      words left his lips.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Now you know; can you forgive a murderer, and keep a jail-bird in your
+      house?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Her only answer was to put her arms about him, and lay the shorn head on
+      her breast, with eyes so full of tears they could but dimly see the hope
+      and fear that made his own so tragical.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That was better than any words; and poor Dan clung to her in speechless
+      gratitude, feeling the blessedness of mother love&mdash;that divine gift
+      which comforts, purifies, and strengthens all who seek it. Two or three
+      great, bitter drops were hidden in the little woollen shawl where Dan's
+      cheek rested, and no one ever knew how soft and comfortable it felt to him
+      after the hard pillows he had known so long. Suffering of both mind and
+      body had broken will and pride, and the lifted burden brought such a sense
+      of relief that he paused a moment to enjoy it in dumb delight.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'My poor boy, how you have suffered all this year, when we thought you
+      free as air! Why didn't you tell us, Dan, and let us help you? Did you
+      doubt your friends?' asked Mrs Jo, forgetting all other emotions in
+      sympathy, as she lifted up the hidden face, and looked reproachfully into
+      the great hollow eyes that met her own frankly now.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I was ashamed. I tried to bear it alone rather than shock and disappoint
+      you, as I know I have, though you try not to show it. Don't mind; I must
+      get used to it'; and Dan's eyes dropped again as if they could not bear to
+      see the trouble and dismay his confession painted on his best friend's
+      face.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I am shocked and disappointed by the sin, but I am also very glad and
+      proud and grateful that my sinner has repented, atoned, and is ready to
+      profit by the bitter lesson. No one but Fritz and Laurie need ever know
+      the truth; we owe it to them, and they will feel as I do,' answered Mrs
+      Jo, wisely thinking that entire frankness would be a better tonic than too
+      much sympathy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'No, they won't; men never forgive like women. But it's right. Please tell
+      'em for me, and get it over. Mr Laurence knows it, I guess. I blabbed when
+      my wits were gone; but he was very kind all the same. I can bear their
+      knowing; but oh, not Ted and the girls!' Dan clutched her arm with such an
+      imploring face that she hastened to assure him no one should know except
+      the two old friends, and he calmed down as if ashamed of his sudden panic.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'It wasn't murder, mind you, it was in self-defence; he drew first, and I
+      had to hit him. Didn't mean to kill him; but it doesn't worry me as much
+      as it ought, I'm afraid. I've more than paid for it, and such a rascal is
+      better out of the world than in it, showing boys the way to hell. Yes, I
+      know you think that's awful in me; but I can't help it. I hate a scamp as
+      I do a skulking coyote, and always want to get a shot at 'em. Perhaps it
+      would have been better if he had killed me; my life is spoilt.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All the old prison gloom seemed to settle like a black cloud on Dan's face
+      as he spoke, and Mrs Jo was frightened at the glimpse it gave her of the
+      fire through which he had passed to come out alive, but scarred for life.
+      Hoping to turn his mind to happier things, she said cheerfully:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'No, it isn't; you have learned to value it more and use it better for
+      this trial. It is not a lost year, but one that may prove the most helpful
+      of any you ever know. Try to think so, and begin again; we will help, and
+      have all the more confidence in you for this failure. We all do the same
+      and struggle on.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I never can be what I was. I feel about sixty, and don't care for
+      anything now I've got here. Let me stay till I'm on my legs, then I'll
+      clear out and never trouble you any more,' said Dan despondently.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You are weak and low in your mind; that will pass, and by and by you will
+      go to your missionary work among the Indians with all the old energy and
+      the new patience, self-control, and knowledge you have gained. Tell me
+      more about that good chaplain and Mary Mason and the lady whose chance
+      word helped you so much. I want to know all about the trials of my poor
+      boy.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Won by her tender interest, Dan brightened up and talked on till he had
+      poured out all the story of that bitter year, and felt better for the load
+      he lifted off.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      If he had known how it weighed upon his hearer's heart, he would have held
+      his peace; but she hid her sorrow till she had sent him to bed, comforted
+      and calm; then she cried her heart out, to the great dismay of Fritz and
+      Laurie, till they heard the tale and could mourn with her; after which
+      they all cheered up and took counsel together how best to help this worst
+      of all the 'catastrophes' the year had brought them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0021" id="link2HCH0021">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      Chapter 21. ASLAUGA'S KNIGHT
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      It was curious to see the change which came over Dan after that talk. A
+      weight seemed off his mind; and though the old impetuous spirit flashed
+      out at times, he seemed intent on trying to show his gratitude and love
+      and honour to these true friends by a new humility and confidence very
+      sweet to them, very helpful to him. After hearing the story from Mrs Jo,
+      the Professor and Mr Laurie made no allusion to it beyond the hearty
+      hand-grasp, the look of compassion, the brief word of good cheer in which
+      men convey sympathy, and a redoubled kindness which left no doubt of
+      pardon. Mr Laurie began at once to interest influential persons in Dan's
+      mission, and set in motion the machinery which needs so much oiling before
+      anything can be done where Government is concerned. Mr Bhaer, with the
+      skill of a true teacher, gave Dan's hungry mind something to do, and
+      helped him understand himself by carrying on the good chaplain's task so
+      paternally that the poor fellow often said he felt as if he had found a
+      father. The boys took him to drive, and amused him with their pranks and
+      plans; while the women, old and young, nursed and petted him till he felt
+      like a sultan with a crowd of devoted slaves, obedient to his lightest
+      wish. A very little of this was enough for Dan, who had a masculine horror
+      of 'molly-coddling', and so brief an acquaintance with illness that he
+      rebelled against the doctor's orders to keep quiet; and it took all Mrs
+      Jo's authority and the girls' ingenuity to keep him from leaving his sofa
+      long before strained back and wounded head were well. Daisy cooked for
+      him; Nan attended to his medicines; Josie read aloud to while away the
+      long hours of inaction that hung so heavily on his hands; while Bess
+      brought all her pictures and casts to amuse him, and, at his special
+      desire, set up a modelling-stand in his parlour and began to mould the
+      buffalo head he gave her. Those afternoons seemed the pleasantest part of
+      his day; and Mrs Jo, busy in her study close by, could see the friendly
+      trio and enjoy the pretty pictures they made. The girls were much
+      flattered by the success of their efforts, and exerted themselves to be
+      very entertaining, consulting Dan's moods with the feminine tact most
+      women creatures learn before they are out of pinafores. When he was gay,
+      the room rang with laughter; when gloomy, they read or worked in
+      respectful silence till their sweet patience cheered him up again; and
+      when in pain they hovered over him like 'a couple of angels', as he said.
+      He often called Josie 'little mother', but Bess was always 'Princess'; and
+      his manner to the two cousins was quite different. Josie sometimes fretted
+      him with her fussy ways, the long plays she liked to read, and the
+      maternal scoldings she administered when he broke the rules; for having a
+      lord of creation in her power was so delightful to her that she would have
+      ruled him with a rod of iron if he had submitted. To Bess, in her gentler
+      ministrations, he never showed either impatience or weariness, but obeyed
+      her least word, exerted himself to seem well in her presence, and took
+      such interest in her work that he lay looking at her with unwearied eyes;
+      while Josie read to him in her best style unheeded.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo observed this, and called them 'Una and the Lion', which suited
+      them very well, though the lion's mane was shorn, and Una never tried to
+      bridle him. The elder ladies did their part in providing delicacies and
+      supplying all his wants; but Mrs Meg was busy at home, Mrs Amy preparing
+      for the trip to Europe in the spring, and Mrs Jo hovering on the brink of
+      a 'vortex'&mdash;for the forthcoming book had been sadly delayed by the
+      late domestic events. As she sat at her desk, settling papers or
+      meditatively nibbling her pen while waiting for the divine afflatus to
+      descend upon her, she often forgot her fictitious heroes and heroines in
+      studying the live models before her, and thus by chance looks, words, and
+      gestures discovered a little romance unsuspected by anyone else.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The portiere between the rooms was usually drawn aside, giving a view of
+      the group in the large bay-window&mdash;Bess at one side, in her grey
+      blouse, busy with her tools; Josie at the other side with her book; and
+      between, on the long couch, propped with many cushions, lay Dan in a
+      many-hued eastern dressing-gown presented by Mr Laurie and worn to please
+      the girls, though the invalid much preferred an old jacket 'with no
+      confounded tail to bother over'. He faced Mrs Jo's room, but never seemed
+      to see her, for his eyes were on the slender figure before him, with the
+      pale winter sunshine touching her golden head, and the delicate hands that
+      shaped the clay so deftly. Josie was just visible, rocking violently in a
+      little chair at the head of the couch, and the steady murmur of her
+      girlish voice was usually the only sound that broke the quiet of the room,
+      unless a sudden discussion arose about the book or the buffalo.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Something in the big eyes, bigger and blacker than ever in the thin white
+      face, fixed, so steadily on one object, had a sort of fascination for Mrs
+      Jo after a time, and she watched the changes in them curiously; for Dan's
+      mind was evidently not on the story, and he often forgot to laugh or
+      exclaim at the comic or exciting crises. Sometimes they were soft and
+      wistful, and the watcher was very glad that neither damsel caught that
+      dangerous look for when they spoke it vanished; sometimes it was full of
+      eager fire, and the colour came and went rebelliously, in spite of his
+      attempt to hide it with an impatient gesture of hand or head; but oftenest
+      it was dark, and sad, and stern, as if those gloomy eyes looked out of
+      captivity at some forbidden light or joy. This expression came so often
+      that it worried Mrs Jo, and she longed to go and ask him what bitter
+      memory overshadowed those quiet hours. She knew that his crime and its
+      punishment must lie heavy on his mind; but youth, and time, and new hopes
+      would bring comfort, and help to wear away the first sharpness of the
+      prison brand. It lifted at other times, and seemed almost forgotten when
+      he joked with the boys, talked with old friends, or enjoyed the first
+      snows as he drove out every fair day. Why should the shadow always fall so
+      darkly on him in the society of these innocent and friendly girls? They
+      never seemed to see it, and if either looked or spoke, a quick smile came
+      like a sunburst through the clouds to answer them. So Mrs Jo went on
+      watching, wondering, and discovering, till accident confirmed her fears.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Josie was called away one day, and Bess, tired of working, offered to take
+      her place if he cared for more reading.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I do; your reading suits me better than Jo's. She goes so fast my stupid
+      head gets in a muddle and soon begins to ache. Don't tell her; she's a
+      dear little soul, and so good to sit here with a bear like me.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The smile was ready as Bess went to the table for a new book, the last
+      story being finished.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You are not a bear, but very good and patient, we think. It is always
+      hard for a man to be shut up, mamma says, and must be terrible for you,
+      who have always been so free.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      If Bess had not been reading titles she would have seen Dan shrink as if
+      her last words hurt him. He made no answer; but other eyes saw and
+      understood why he looked as if he would have liked to spring up and rush
+      away for one of his long races up the hill, as he used to do when the
+      longing for liberty grew uncontrollable. Moved by a sudden impulse, Mrs Jo
+      caught up her work-basket and went to join her neighbours, feeling that a
+      non-conductor might be needed; for Dan looked like a thundercloud full of
+      electricity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'What shall we read, Aunty? Dan doesn't seem to care. You know his taste;
+      tell me something quiet and pleasant and short. Josie will be back soon,'
+      said Bess, still turning over the books piled on the centre-table.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Before Mrs Jo could answer, Dan pulled a shabby little volume from under
+      his pillow, and handing it to her said: 'Please read the third one; it's
+      short and pretty&mdash;I'm fond of it.' The book opened at the right
+      place, as if the third story had been often read, and Bess smiled as she
+      saw the name.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Why, Dan, I shouldn't think you'd care for this romantic German tale.
+      There is fighting in it; but it is very sentimental, if I remember
+      rightly.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I know it; but I've read so few stories, I like the simple ones best. Had
+      nothing else to read sometimes; I guess I know it all by heart, and never
+      seem to be tired of those fighting fellows, and the fiends and angels and
+      lovely ladies. You read &ldquo;Aslauga's Knight&rdquo;, and see if you don't like it.
+      Edwald was rather too soft for my fancy; but Froda was first-rate and the
+      spirit with the golden hair always reminded me of you.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As Dan spoke Mrs Jo settled herself where she could watch him in the
+      glass, and Bess took a large chair facing him, saying, as she put up her
+      hands to retie the ribbon that held the cluster of thick, soft curls at
+      the back of her head:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I hope Aslauga's hair wasn't as troublesome as mine, for it's always
+      tumbling down. I'll be ready in a minute.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't tie it up; please let it hang. I love to see it shine that way. It
+      will rest your head, and be just right for the story, Goldilocks,' pleaded
+      Dan, using the childish name and looking more like his boyish self than he
+      had done for many a day.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Bess laughed, shook down her pretty hair, and began to read, glad to hide
+      her face a little; for compliments made her shy, no matter who paid them.
+      Dan listened intently on; and Mrs Jo, with eyes that went often from her
+      needle to the glass, could see, without turning, how he enjoyed every word
+      as if it had more meaning for him than for the other listeners. His face
+      brightened wonderfully, and soon wore the look that came when anything
+      brave or beautiful inspired and touched his better self. It was Fouque's
+      charming story of the knight Froda, and the fair daughter of Sigurd, who
+      was a sort of spirit, appearing to her lover in hours of danger and trial,
+      as well as triumph and joy, till she became his guide and guard, inspiring
+      him with courage, nobleness, and truth, leading him to great deeds in the
+      field, sacrifices for those he loved, and victories over himself by the
+      gleaming of her golden hair, which shone on him in battle, dreams, and
+      perils by day and night, till after death he finds the lovely spirit
+      waiting to receive and to reward him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Of all the stories in the book this was the last one would have supposed
+      Dan would like best, and even Mrs Jo was surprised at his perceiving the
+      moral of the tale through the delicate imagery and romantic language by
+      which it was illustrated. But as she looked and listened she remembered
+      the streak of sentiment and refinement which lay concealed in Dan like the
+      gold vein in a rock, making him quick to feel and to enjoy fine colour in
+      a flower, grace in an animal, sweetness in women, heroism in men, and all
+      the tender ties that bind heart to heart; though he was slow to show it,
+      having no words to express the tastes and instincts which he inherited
+      from his mother. Suffering of soul and body had tamed his stronger
+      passions, and the atmosphere of love and pity now surrounding him purified
+      and warmed his heart till it began to hunger for the food neglected or
+      denied so long. This was plainly written in his too expressive face, as,
+      fancying it unseen, he let it tell the longing after beauty, peace, and
+      happiness embodied for him in the innocent fair girl before him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The conviction of this sad yet natural fact came to Mrs Jo with a pang,
+      for she felt how utterly hopeless such a longing was; since light and
+      darkness were not farther apart than snow-white Bess and sin-stained Dan.
+      No dream of such a thing disturbed the young girl, as her entire
+      unconsciousness plainly showed. But how long would it be before the
+      eloquent eyes betrayed the truth? And then what disappointment for Dan,
+      what dismay for Bess, who was as cool and high and pure as her own
+      marbles, and shunned all thought of love with maidenly reserve.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'How hard everything is made for my poor boy! How can I spoil his little
+      dream, and take away the spirit of good he is beginning to love and long
+      for? When my own dear lads are safely settled I'll never try another, for
+      these things are heart-breaking, and I can't manage any more,' thought Mrs
+      Jo, as she put the lining into Teddy's coat-sleeve upside down, so
+      perplexed and grieved was she at this new catastrophe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The story was soon done, and as Bess shook back her hair, Dan asked as
+      eagerly as a boy:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't you like it?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes, it's very pretty, and I see the meaning of it; but Undine was always
+      my favourite.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Of course, that's like you&mdash;lilies and pearls and souls and pure
+      water. Sintram used to be mine; but I took a fancy to this when I was&mdash;ahem&mdash;rather
+      down on my luck one time, and it did me good, it was so cheerful and sort
+      of spiritual in its meaning, you know.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Bess opened her blue eyes in wonder at this fancy of Dan's for anything
+      'spiritual'; but she only nodded, saying: 'Some of the little songs are
+      sweet and might be set to music.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dan laughed; 'I used to sing the last one to a tune of my own sometimes at
+      sunset:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    '&ldquo;Listening to celestial lays,
+      Bending thy unclouded gaze
+      On the pure and living light,
+      Thou art blest, Aslauga's Knight!&rdquo;
+ </pre>
+    <p>
+      'And I was,' he added, under his breath, as he glanced towards the
+      sunshine dancing on the wall.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'This one suits you better now'; and glad to please him by her interest,
+      Bess read in her soft voice:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    '&ldquo;Healfast, healfast, ye hero wounds;
+      O knight, be quickly strong!
+      Beloved strife
+      For fame and life,
+      Oh, tarry not too long!&rdquo;'
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      'I'm no hero, never can be, and &ldquo;fame and life&rdquo; can't do much for me.
+      Never mind, read me that paper, please. This knock on the head has made a
+      regular fool of me.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dan's voice was gentle; but the light was gone out of his face now, and he
+      moved restlessly as if the silken pillows were full of thorns. Seeing that
+      his mood had changed, Bess quietly put down the book, took up the paper,
+      and glanced along the columns for something to suit him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You don't care for the money market, I know, nor musical news. Here's a
+      murder; you used to like those; shall I read it? One man kills another&mdash;,'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'No!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Only a word, but it gave Mrs Jo a thrill, and for a moment she dared not
+      glance at the tell-tale mirror. When she did Dan lay motionless with one
+      hand over his eyes, and Bess was happily reading the art news to ears that
+      never heard a word. Feeling like a thief who has stolen something very
+      precious, Mrs Jo slipped away to her study, and before long Bess followed
+      to report that Dan was fast asleep.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Sending her home, with the firm resolve to keep her there as much as
+      possible, Mother Bhaer had an hour of serious thought all alone in the red
+      sunset; and when a sound in the next room led her there, she found that
+      the feigned sleep had become real repose; for Dan lay breathing heavily,
+      with a scarlet spot on either cheek, and one hand clinched on his broad
+      breast. Yearning over him with a deeper pity than ever before, she sat in
+      the little chair beside him, trying to see her way out of this tangle,
+      till his hand slipped down, and in doing so snapped a cord he wore about
+      his neck and let a small case drop to the floor.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo picked it up, and as he did not wake, sat looking at it, idly
+      wondering what charm it held; for the case was of Indian workmanship and
+      the broken cord, of closely woven grass, sweet scented and pale yellow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I won't pry into any more of the poor fellow's secrets. I'll mend and put
+      it back, and never let him know I've seen his talisman.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As she spoke she turned the little wallet to examine the fracture, and a
+      card fell into her lap. It was a photograph, cut to fit its covering, and
+      two words were written underneath the face, 'My Aslauga'. For an instant
+      Mrs Jo fancied that it might be one of herself, for all the boys had them;
+      but as the thin paper fell away, she saw the picture Demi took of Bess
+      that happy summer day. There was no doubt now, and with a sigh she put it
+      back, and was about to slip it into Dan's bosom so that not even a stitch
+      should betray her knowledge, when as she leaned towards him, she saw that
+      he was looking straight at her with an expression that surprised her more
+      than any of the strange ones she had ever seen in that changeful face
+      before.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Your hand slipped down; it fell; I was putting it back,' explained Mrs
+      Jo, feeling like a naughty child caught in mischief.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You saw the picture?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'And know what a fool I am?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes, Dan, and am so grieved&mdash;'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't worry about me. I'm all right&mdash;glad you know, though I never
+      meant to tell you. Of course it is only a crazy fancy of mine, and nothing
+      can ever come of it. Never thought there would. Good Lord! what could that
+      little angel ever be to me but what she is&mdash;a sort of dream of all
+      that's sweet and good?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      More afflicted by the quiet resignation of his look and tone than by the
+      most passionate ardour, Mrs Jo could only say, with a face full of
+      sympathy:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'It is very hard, dear, but there is no other way to look at it. You are
+      wise and brave enough to see that, and to let the secret be ours alone.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I swear I will! not a word nor a look if I can help it. No one guesses,
+      and if it troubles no one, is there any harm in my keeping this, and
+      taking comfort in the pretty fancy that kept me sane in that cursed
+      place?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dan's face was eager now, and he hid away the little worn case as if
+      defying any hand to take it from him. Anxious to know everything before
+      giving counsel or comfort, Mrs Jo said quietly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Keep it, and tell me all about the &ldquo;fancy&rdquo;. Since I have stumbled on your
+      secret, let me know how it came, and how I can help to make it lighter to
+      bear.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You'll laugh; but I don't mind. You always did find out our secrets and
+      give us a lift. Well, I never cared much for books, you know; but down
+      yonder when the devil tormented me I had to do something or go stark mad,
+      so I read both the books you gave me. One was beyond me, till that good
+      old man showed me how to read it; but the other, this one, was a comfort,
+      I tell you. It amused me, and was as pretty as poetry. I liked 'em all,
+      and most wore out Sintram. See how used up he is! Then I came to this, and
+      it sort of fitted that other happy part of my life, last summer&mdash;here.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dan stopped a moment as the words lingered on his lips; then, with a long
+      breath, went on, as if it was hard to lay bare the foolish little romance
+      he had woven about a girl, a picture, and a child's story there in the
+      darkness of the place which was as terrible to him as Dante's Inferno,
+      till he found his Beatrice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I couldn't sleep, and had to think about something, so I used to fancy I
+      was Folko, and see the shining of Aslauga's hair in the sunset on the
+      wall, the gum of the watchman's lamp, and the light that came in at dawn.
+      My cell was high. I could see a bit of sky; sometimes there was a star in
+      it, and that was most as good as a face. I set great store by that patch
+      of blue, and when a white cloud went by, I thought it was the prettiest
+      thing in all this world. I guess I was pretty near a fool; but those
+      thoughts and things helped me through, so they are all solemn true to me,
+      and I can't let them go. The dear shiny head, the white gown, the eyes
+      like stars, and sweet, calm ways that set her as high above me as the moon
+      in heaven. Don't take it away! it's only a fancy, but a man must love
+      something, and I'd better love a spirit like her than any of the poor
+      common girls who would care for me.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The quiet despair in Dan's voice pierced Mrs Jo to the heart; but there
+      was no hope and she gave none. Yet she felt that he was right, and that
+      his hapless affection might do more to uplift and purify him than any
+      other he might know. Few women would care to marry Dan now, except such as
+      would hinder, not help, him in the struggle which life would always be to
+      him; and it was better to go solitary to his grave than become what she
+      suspected his father had been&mdash;a handsome, unprincipled, and
+      dangerous man, with more than one broken heart to answer for.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes, Dan, it is wise to keep this innocent fancy, if it helps and
+      comforts you, till something more real and possible comes to make you
+      happier. I wish I could give you any hope; but we both know that the dear
+      child is the apple of her father's eye, the pride of her mother's heart,
+      and that the most perfect lover they can find will hardly seem to them
+      worthy of their precious daughter. Let her remain for you the high, bright
+      star that leads you up and makes you believe in heaven.' Mrs Jo broke down
+      there; it seemed so cruel to destroy the faint hope Dan's eyes betrayed,
+      that she could not moralize when she thought of his hard life and lonely
+      future. Perhaps it was the wisest thing she could have done, for in her
+      hearty sympathy he found comfort for his own loss, and very soon was able
+      to speak again in the manly tone of resignation to the inevitable that
+      showed how honest was his effort to give up everything but the pale shadow
+      of what, for another, might have been a happy possibility.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They talked long and earnestly in the twilight; and this second secret
+      bound them closer than the first; for in it there was neither sin nor
+      shame&mdash;only the tender pain and patience which has made saints and
+      heroes of far worse men than our poor Dan. When at length they rose at the
+      summons of a bell, all the sunset glory had departed, and in the wintry
+      sky there hung one star, large, soft, and clear, above a snowy world.
+      Pausing at the window before she dropped the curtains, Mrs Jo said
+      cheerfully:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Come and see how beautiful the evening star is, since you love it so.'
+      And as he stood behind her, tall and pale, like the ghost of his former
+      self, she added softly: 'And remember, dear, if the sweet girl is denied
+      you, the old friend is always here&mdash;to love and trust and pray for
+      you.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This time she was not disappointed; and had she asked any reward for many
+      anxieties and cares, she received it when Dan's strong arm came round her,
+      as he said, in a voice which showed her that she had not laboured in vain
+      to pluck her firebrand from the burning:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I never can forget that; for she's helped to save my soul, and make me
+      dare to look up there and say:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;God bless her!&rdquo;'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2HCH0022" id="link2HCH0022">
+      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      Chapter 22. POSITIVELY LAST APPEARANCE
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      'Upon my word, I feel as if I lived in a powder-magazine, and don't know
+      which barrel will explode next, and send me flying,' said Mrs Jo to
+      herself next day, as she trudged up to Parnassus to suggest to her sister
+      that perhaps the most charming of the young nurses had better return to
+      her marble gods before she unconsciously added another wound to those
+      already won by the human hero. She told no secrets; but a hint was
+      sufficient; for Mrs Amy guarded her daughter as a pearl of great price,
+      and at once devised a very simple means of escape from danger. Mr Laurie
+      was going to Washington on Dan's behalf, and was delighted to take his
+      family with him when the idea was carelessly suggested. So the conspiracy
+      succeeded finely; and Mrs Jo went home, feeling more like a traitor than
+      ever. She expected an explosion; but Dan took the news so quietly, it was
+      plain that he cherished no hope; and Mrs Amy was sure her romantic sister
+      had been mistaken. If she had seen Dan's face when Bess went to say
+      good-bye, her maternal eye would have discovered far more than the
+      unconscious girl did. Mrs Jo trembled lest he should betray himself; but
+      he had learned self-control in a stern school, and would have got through
+      the hard moment bravely, only, when he took both hands, saying heartily:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Good-bye, Princess. If we don't meet again, remember your old friend Dan
+      sometimes,' she, touched by his late danger and the wistful look he wore,
+      answered with unusual warmth: 'How can I help it, when you make us all so
+      proud of you? God bless your mission, and bring you safely home to us
+      again!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As she looked up at him with a face full of frank affection and sweet
+      regret, all that he was losing rose so vividly before him that Dan could
+      not resist the impulse to take the 'dear goldy head' between his hands and
+      kiss it, with a broken 'Good-bye'; then hurried back to his room, feeling
+      as if it were the prison-cell again, with no glimpse of heaven's blue to
+      comfort him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This abrupt caress and departure rather startled Bess; for she felt with a
+      girl's quick instinct that there was something in that kiss unknown
+      before, and looked after him with sudden colour in her cheeks and new
+      trouble in her eyes. Mrs Jo saw it, and fearing a very natural question
+      answered it before it was put.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Forgive him, Bess. He has had a great trouble, and it makes him tender at
+      parting with old friends; for you know he may never come back from the
+      wild world he is going to.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You mean the fall and danger of death?' asked Bess, innocently.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'No, dear; a greater trouble than that. But I cannot tell you any more&mdash;except
+      that he has come through it bravely; so you may trust and respect him, as
+      I do.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'He has lost someone he loved. Poor Dan! We must be very kind to him.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Bess did not ask the question, but seemed content with her solution of the
+      mystery&mdash;which was so true that Mrs Jo confirmed it by a nod, and let
+      her go away believing that some tender loss and sorrow wrought the great
+      change all saw in Dan, and made him so slow to speak concerning the past
+      year.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But Ted was less easily satisfied, and this unusual reticence goaded him
+      to desperation. His mother had warned him not to trouble Dan with
+      questions till he was quite well; but this prospect of approaching
+      departure made him resolve to have a full, clear, and satisfactory account
+      of the adventures which he felt sure must have been thrilling, from stray
+      words Dan let fall in his fever. So one day when the coast was clear,
+      Master Ted volunteered to amuse the invalid, and did so in the following
+      manner:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Look here, old boy, if you don't want me to read, you've got to talk, and
+      tell me all about Kansas, and the farms, and that part. The Montana
+      business I know, but you seem to forget what went before. Brace up, and
+      let's have it,' he began, with an abruptness which roused Dan from a brown
+      study most effectually.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'No, I don't forget; it isn't interesting to anyone but myself. I didn't
+      see any farms&mdash;gave it up,' he said slowly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Why?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Other things to do.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'What?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Well, brush-making for one thing.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't chaff a fellow. Tell true.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I truly did.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'What for?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'To keep out of mischief, as much as anything.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Well, of all the queer things&mdash;and you've done a lot&mdash;that's
+      the queerest,' cried Ted, taken aback at this disappointing discovery. But
+      he didn't mean to give up yet, and began again.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'What mischief, Dan?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Never you mind. Boys shouldn't bother.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'But I do want to know, awfully, because I'm your pal, and care for you no
+      end. Always did. Come, now, tell me a good yarn. I love scrapes. I'll be
+      mum as an oyster if you don't want it known.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Will you?' and Dan looked at him, wondering how the boyish face would
+      change if the truth were suddenly told him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I'll swear it on locked fists, if you like. I know it was jolly, and I'm
+      aching to hear.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You are as curious as a girl. More than some&mdash;Josie and&mdash;and
+      Bess never asked a question.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'They don't care about rows and things; they liked the mine business,
+      heroes, and that sort. So do I, and I'm as proud as Punch over it; but I
+      see by your eyes that there was something else before that, and I'm bound
+      to find out who Blair and Mason are, and who was hit and who ran away, and
+      all the rest of it.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'What!' cried Dan, in a tone that made Ted jump.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Well, you used to mutter about 'em in your sleep, and Uncle Laurie
+      wondered. So did I; but don't mind, if you can't remember, or would rather
+      not.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'What else did I say? Queer, what stuff a man will talk when his wits are
+      gone.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'That's all I heard; but it seemed interesting, and I just mentioned it,
+      thinking it might refresh your memory a bit,' said Teddy, very politely;
+      for Dan's frown was heavy at that moment.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It cleared off at this reply, and after a look at the boy squirming with
+      suppressed impatience in his chair, Dan made up his mind to amuse him with
+      a game of cross-purposes and half-truths, hoping to quench his curiosity,
+      and so get peace.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Let me see; Blair was a lad I met in the cars, and Mason a poor fellow
+      who was in a&mdash;well, a sort of hospital where I happened to be. Blair
+      ran off to his brothers, and I suppose I might say Mason was hit, because
+      he died there. Does that suit you?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'No, it doesn't. Why did Blair run? and who hit the other fellow? I'm sure
+      there was a fight somewhere, wasn't there?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I guess I know what it was about.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'The devil, you do! Let's hear you guess. Must be amusing,' said Dan,
+      affecting an ease he did not feel.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Charmed to be allowed to free his mind, Ted at once unfolded the boyish
+      solution of the mystery which he had been cherishing, for he felt that
+      there was one somewhere.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'You needn't say yes, if I guess right and you are under oath to keep
+      silent. I shall know by your face, and never tell. Now see if I'm not
+      right. Out there they have wild doings, and it's my belief you were in
+      some of 'em. I don't mean robbing mails, and KluKluxing, and that sort of
+      thing; but defending the settlers, or hanging some scamp, or even shooting
+      a few, as a fellow must sometimes, in self-defence. Ah, ha! I've hit it, I
+      see. Needn't speak; I know the flash of your old eye, and the clench of
+      your big fist.' And Ted pranced with satisfaction.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Drive on, smart boy, and don't lose the trail,' said Dan, finding a
+      curious sense of comfort in some of these random words, and longing, but
+      not daring, to confirm the true ones. He might have confessed the crime,
+      but not the punishment that followed, the sense of its disgrace was still
+      so strong upon him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I knew I should get it; can't deceive me long,' began Ted, with such an
+      air of pride Dan could not help a short laugh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'It's a relief, isn't it, to have it off your mind? Now, just confide in
+      me and it's all safe, unless you've sworn not to tell.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I have.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Oh, well, then don't'; and Ted's face fell, but he was himself again in a
+      moment and said, with the air of a man of the world: 'It's all right&mdash;I
+      understand&mdash;honour binds&mdash;silence to death, etc. Glad you stood
+      by your mate in the hospital. How many did you kill?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Only one.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Bad lot, of course?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'A damned rascal.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Well, don't look so fierce; I've no objection. Wouldn't mind popping at
+      some of those bloodthirsty blackguards myself. Had to dodge and keep quiet
+      after it, I suppose.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Pretty quiet for a long spell.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Got off all right in the end, and headed for your mines and did that
+      jolly brave thing. Now, I call that decidedly interesting and capital. I'm
+      glad to know it; but I won't blab.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Mind you don't. Look here. Ted, if you'd killed a man, would it trouble
+      you&mdash;a bad one, I mean?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The lad opened his mouth to say, 'Not a bit,' but checked that answer as
+      if something in Dan's face made him change his mind. 'Well, if it was my
+      duty in war or self-defence, I suppose I shouldn't; but if I'd pitched
+      into him in a rage, I guess I should be very sorry. Shouldn't wonder if he
+      sort of haunted me, and remorse gnawed me as it did Aram and those
+      fellows. You don't mind, do you? It was a fair fight, wasn't it?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Yes, I was in the right; but I wish I'd been out of it. Women don't see
+      it that way, and look horrified at such things. Makes it hard; but it
+      don't matter.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't tell 'em; then they can't worry,' said Ted, with the nod of one
+      versed in the management of the sex.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Don't intend to. Mind you keep your notions to yourself, for some of 'em
+      are wide of the mark. Now you may read if you like'; and there the talk
+      ended; but Ted took great comfort in it, and looked as wise as an owl
+      afterwards.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A few quiet weeks followed, during which Dan chafed at the delay; and when
+      at length word came that his credentials were ready, he was eager to be
+      off, to forget a vain love in hard work, and live for others, since he
+      might not for himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So one wild March morning our Sintram rode away, with horse and hound, to
+      face again the enemies who would have conquered him, but for Heaven's help
+      and human pity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Ah, me! it does seem as if life was made of partings, and they get harder
+      as we go on,' sighed Mrs Jo, a week later, as she sat in the long parlour
+      at Parnassus one evening, whither the family had gone to welcome the
+      travellers back.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'And meetings too, dear; for here we are, and Nat is on his way at last.
+      Look for the silver lining, as Marmee used to say, and be comforted,'
+      answered Mrs Amy, glad to be at home and find no wolves prowling near her
+      sheepfold.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I've been so worried lately, I can't help croaking. I wonder what Dan
+      thought at not seeing you again? It was wise; but he would have enjoyed
+      another look at home faces before he went into the wilderness,' said Mrs
+      Jo regretfully.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Much better so. We left notes and all we could think of that he might
+      need, and slipped away before he came. Bess really seemed relieved; I'm
+      sure I was'; and Mrs Amy smoothed an anxious line out of her white
+      forehead, as she smiled at her daughter, laughing happily among her
+      cousins.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Mrs Jo shook her head as if the silver lining of that cloud was hard to
+      find; but she had no time to croak again, for just then Mr Laurie came in
+      looking well pleased at something.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'A new picture has arrived; face towards the music-room, good people, and
+      tell me how you like it. I call it &ldquo;Only a fiddler&rdquo;, after Andersen's
+      story. What name will you give it?'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke he threw open the wide doors, and just beyond they saw a young
+      man standing, with a beaming face, and a violin in his hand. There was no
+      doubt about the name to this picture, and with the cry 'Nat! Nat!' there
+      was a general uprising. But Daisy reached him first, and seemed to have
+      lost her usual composure somewhere on the way, for she clung to him,
+      sobbing with the shock of a surprise and joy too great for her to bear
+      quietly. Everything was settled by that tearful and tender embrace, for,
+      though Mrs Meg speedily detached her daughter, it was only to take her
+      place; while Demi shook Nat's hand with brotherly warmth, and Josie danced
+      round them like Macbeth's three witches in one, chanting in her most
+      tragic tones:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Chirper thou wast; second violin thou art; first thou shalt be. Hail, all
+      hail!'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This caused a laugh, and made things gay and comfortable at once. Then the
+      usual fire of questions and answers began, to be kept up briskly while the
+      boys admired Nat's blond beard and foreign clothes, the girls his improved
+      appearance&mdash;for he was ruddy with good English beef and beer, and
+      fresh with the sea-breezes which had blown him swiftly home&mdash;and the
+      older folk rejoiced over his prospects. Of course all wanted to hear him
+      play; and when tongues tired, he gladly did his best for them, surprising
+      the most critical by his progress in music even more than by the energy
+      and self-possession which made a new man of bashful Nat. By and by when
+      the violin&mdash;that most human of all instruments&mdash;had sung to them
+      the loveliest songs without words, he said, looking about him at these old
+      friends with what Mr Bhaer called a 'feeling-full' expression of happiness
+      and content:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Now let me play something that you will all remember though you won't
+      love it as I do'; and standing in the attitude which Ole Bull has
+      immortalized, he played the street melody he gave them the first night he
+      came to Plumfield. They remembered it, and joined in the plaintive chorus,
+      which fitly expressed his own emotions:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    'Oh my heart is sad and weary
+     Everywhere I roam,
+     Longing for the old plantation
+     And for the old folks at home.'
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      'Now I feel better,' said Mrs Jo, as they all trooped down the hill soon
+      after. 'Some of our boys are failures, but I think this one is going to be
+      a success, and patient Daisy a happy girl at last. Nat is your work,
+      Fritz, and I congratulate you heartily.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'Ach, we can but sow the seed and trust that it falls on good ground. I
+      planted, perhaps, but you watched that the fowls of the air did not devour
+      it, and brother Laurie watered generously; so we will share the harvest
+      among us, and be glad even for a small one, heart's-dearest.'
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      'I thought the seed had fallen on very stony ground with my poor Dan; but
+      I shall not be surprised if he surpasses all the rest in the real success
+      of life, since there is more rejoicing over one repentant sinner than many
+      saints,' answered Mrs Jo, still clinging fast to her black sheep although
+      a whole flock of white ones trotted happily before her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is a strong temptation to the weary historian to close the present tale
+      with an earthquake which should engulf Plumfield and its environs so
+      deeply in the bowels of the earth that no youthful Schliemann could ever
+      find a vestige of it. But as that somewhat melodramatic conclusion might
+      shock my gentle readers, I will refrain, and forestall the usual question,
+      'How did they end?' by briefly stating that all the marriages turned out
+      well. The boys prospered in their various callings; so did the girls, for
+      Bess and Josie won honours in their artistic careers, and in the course of
+      time found worthy mates. Nan remained a busy, cheerful, independent
+      spinster, and dedicated her life to her suffering sisters and their
+      children, in which true woman's work she found abiding happiness. Dan
+      never married, but lived, bravely and usefully, among his chosen people
+      till he was shot defending them, and at last lay quietly asleep in the
+      green wilderness he loved so well, with a lock of golden hair upon his
+      breast, and a smile on his face which seemed to say that Aslauga's Knight
+      had fought his last fight and was at peace. Stuffy became an alderman, and
+      died suddenly of apoplexy after a public dinner. Dolly was a society man
+      of mark till he lost his money, when he found congenial employment in a
+      fashionable tailoring establishment. Demi became a partner, and lived to
+      see his name above the door, and Rob was a professor at Laurence College;
+      but Teddy eclipsed them all by becoming an eloquent and famous clergyman,
+      to the great delight of his astonished mother. And now, having endeavoured
+      to suit everyone by many weddings, few deaths, and as much prosperity as
+      the eternal fitness of things will permit, let the music stop, the lights
+      die out, and the curtain fall for ever on the March family.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Jo's Boys, by Louisa May Alcott
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+
+
+
+
+
+Jo's Boys
+
+by Louisa M. Alcott
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 1    Ten Years Later
+Chapter 2    Parnassus
+Chapter 3    Jo's Last Scrape
+Chapter 4    Dan
+Chapter 5    Vacation
+Chapter 6    Last Words
+Chapter 7    The Lion and the Lamb
+Chapter 8    Josie Plays Mermaid
+Chapter 9    The Worm Turns
+Chapter 10   Demi Settles
+Chapter 11   Emil's Thanksgiving
+Chapter 12   Dan's Christmas
+Chapter 13   Nat's New Year
+Chapter 14   Plays at Plumfield
+Chapter 15   Waiting
+Chapter 16   In the Tennis-court
+Chapter 17   Among the Maids
+Chapter 18   Class Day
+Chapter 19   White Roses
+Chapter 20   Life for Life
+Chapter 21   Aslauga's Knight
+Chapter 22   Positively Last Appearance
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 1 TEN YEARS LATER
+
+If anyone had told me what wonderful changes were to take place
+here in ten years, I wouldn't have believed it,' said Mrs Jo to Mrs
+Meg, as they sat on the piazza at Plumfield one summer day,
+looking about them with faces full of pride and pleasure.
+
+'This is the sort of magic that money and kind hearts can work. I
+am sure Mr Laurence could have no nobler monument than the
+college he so generously endowed; and a home like this will keep
+Aunt March's memory green as long as it lasts,' answered Mrs
+Meg, always glad to praise the absent.
+
+'We used to believe in fairies, you remember, and plan what we'd
+ask for if we could have three wishes. Doesn't it seem as if mine
+had been really granted at last? Money, fame, and plenty of the
+work I love,' said Mrs Jo, carelessly rumpling up her hair as she
+clasped her hands over her head just as she used to do when a girl.
+
+'I have had mine, and Amy is enjoying hers to her heart's content.
+If dear Marmee, John, and Beth were here, it would be quite
+perfect,' added Meg, with a tender quiver in her voice; for
+Marmee's place was empty now.
+
+Jo put her hand on her sister's, and both sat silent for a little while,
+surveying the pleasant scene before them with mingled sad and
+happy thoughts.
+
+It certainly did look as if magic had been at work, for quiet
+Plumfield was transformed into a busy little world. The house
+seemed more hospitable than ever, refreshed now with new paint,
+added wings, well-kept lawn and garden, and a prosperous air it
+had not worn when riotous boys swarmed everywhere and it was
+rather difficult for the Bhaers to make both ends meet. On the hill,
+where kites used to be flown, stood the fine college which Mr
+Laurence's munificent legacy had built. Busy students were going
+to and fro along the paths once trodden by childish feet, and many
+young men and women were enjoying all the advantages that
+wealth, wisdom, and benevolence could give them.
+
+Just inside the gates of Plumfield a pretty brown cottage, very like
+the Dovecote, nestled among the trees, and on the green slope
+westward Laurie's white-pillared mansion glittered in the sunshine;
+for when the rapid growth of the city shut in the old house, spoilt
+Meg's nest, and dared to put a soap-factory under Mr Laurence's
+indignant nose, our friends emigrated to Plumfield, and the great
+changes began.
+
+These were the pleasant ones; and the loss of the dear old people
+was sweetened by the blessings they left behind; so all prospered
+now in the little community, and Mr Bhaer as president, and Mr
+March as chaplain of the college, saw their long-cherished dream
+beautifully realized. The sisters divided the care of the young
+people among them, each taking the part that suited her best. Meg
+was the motherly friend of the young women, Jo the confidante
+and defender of all the youths, and Amy the lady Bountiful who
+delicately smoothed the way for needy students, and entertained
+them all so cordially that it was no wonder they named her lovely
+home Mount Parnassus, so full was it of music, beauty, and the
+culture hungry young hearts and fancies long for.
+
+The original twelve boys had of course scattered far and wide
+during these years, but all that lived still remembered old
+Plumfield, and came wandering back from the four quarters of the
+earth to tell their various experiences, laugh over the pleasures of
+the past, and face the duties of the present with fresh courage; for
+such home-comings keep hearts tender and hands helpful with the
+memories of young and happy days. A few words will tell the
+history of each, and then we can go on with the new chapter of
+their lives.
+
+Franz was with a merchant kinsman in Hamburg, a man of
+twenty-six now, and doing well. Emil was the jolliest tar that ever
+'sailed the ocean blue'. His uncle sent him on a long voyage to
+disgust him with this adventurous life; but he came home so
+delighted with it that it was plain this was his profession, and the
+German kinsman gave him a good chance in his ships; so the lad
+was happy. Dan was a wanderer still; for after the geological
+researches in South America he tried sheep-farming in Australia,
+and was now in California looking up mines. Nat was busy with
+music at the Conservatory, preparing for a year or two in Germany
+to finish him off. Tom was studying medicine and trying to like it.
+Jack was in business with his father, bent on getting rich. Dolly
+was in college with Stuffy and Ned reading law. Poor little Dick
+was dead, so was Billy; and no one could mourn for them, since
+life would never be happy, afflicted as they were in mind and
+body.
+
+Rob and Teddy were called the 'Lion and the Lamb'; for the latter
+was as rampant as the king of beasts, and the former as gentle as
+any sheep that ever baaed. Mrs Jo called him 'my daughter', and
+found him the most dutiful of children, with plenty of manliness
+underlying the quiet manners and tender nature. But in Ted she
+seemed to see all the faults, whims, aspirations, and fun of her own
+youth in a new shape. With his tawny locks always in wild
+confusion, his long legs and arms, loud voice, and continual
+activity, Ted was a prominent figure at Plumfield. He had his
+moods of gloom, and fell into the Slough of Despond about once a
+week, to be hoisted out by patient Rob or his mother, who
+understood when to let him alone and when to shake him up. He
+was her pride and joy as well as torment, being a very bright lad
+for his age, and so full of all sorts of budding talent, that her
+maternal mind was much exercised as to what this remarkable boy
+would become.
+
+Demi had gone through College with honour, and Mrs Meg had set
+her heart on his being a minister   picturing in her fond fancy the
+first sermon her dignified young parson would preach, as well as
+the long, useful, and honoured life he was to lead. But John, as she
+called him now, firmly declined the divinity school, saying he had
+had enough of books, and needed to know more of men and the
+world, and caused the dear woman much disappointment by
+deciding to try a journalist's career. It was a blow; but she knew
+that young minds cannot be driven, and that experience is the best
+teacher; so she let him follow his own inclina tions, still hoping to
+see him in the pulpit. Aunt Jo raged when she found that there was
+to be a reporter in the family, and called him 'Jenkins' on the spot.
+She liked his literary tendencies, but had reason to detest official
+Paul Prys, as we shall see later. Demi knew his own mind,
+however, and tranquilly carried out his plans, unmoved by the
+tongues of the anxious mammas or the jokes of his mates. Uncle
+Teddy encouraged him, and painted a splendid career, mentioning
+Dickens and other celebrities who began as reporters and ended as
+famous novelists or newspaper men.
+
+The girls were all flourishing. Daisy, as sweet and domestic as
+ever, was her mother's comfort and companion. Josie at fourteen
+was a most original young person, full of pranks and peculiarities,
+the latest of which was a passion for the stage, which caused her
+quiet mother and sister much anxiety as well as amusement. Bess
+had grown into a tall, beautiful girl looking several years older
+than she was, with the same graceful ways and dainty tastes which
+the little Princess had, and a rich inheritance of both the father's
+and mother's gifts, fostered by every aid love and money could
+give. But the pride of the community was naughty Nan; for, like so
+many restless, wilful children, she was growing into a woman full
+of the energy and promise that suddenly blossoms when the
+ambitious seeker finds the work she is fitted to do well. Nan began
+to study medicine at sixteen, and at twenty was getting on bravely;
+for now, thanks to other intelligent women, colleges and hospitals
+were open to her. She had never wavered in her purpose from the
+childish days when she shocked Daisy in the old willow by saying:
+'I don't want any family to fuss over. I shall have an office, with
+bottles and pestle things in it, and drive round and cure folks.' The
+future foretold by the little girl the young woman was rapidly
+bringing to pass, and finding so much happiness in it that nothing
+could win her from the chosen work. Several worthy young
+gentlemen had tried to make her change her mind and choose, as
+Daisy did, 'a nice little house and family to take care of'. But Nan
+only laughed, and routed the lovers by proposing to look at the
+tongue which spoke of adoration, or professionally felt the pulse in
+the manly hand offered for her acceptance. So all departed but one
+persistent youth, who was such a devoted Traddles it was
+impossible to quench him.
+
+This was Tom, who was as faithful to his child sweetheart as she
+to her 'pestle things', and gave a proof of fidelity that touched her
+very much. He studied medicine for her sake alone, having no taste
+for it, and a decided fancy for a mercantile life. But Nan was firm,
+and Tom stoutly kept on, devoutly hoping he might not kill many
+of his fellow-beings when he came to practise. They were
+excellent friends, however, and caused much amusement to their
+comrades, by the vicissitudes of this merry love-chase.
+
+Both were approaching Plumfield on the afternoon when Mrs Meg
+and Mrs Jo were talking on the piazza. Not together; for Nan was
+walking briskly along the pleasant road alone, thinking over a case
+that interested her, and Tom was pegging on behind to overtake
+her, as if by accident, when the suburbs of the city were past   a
+little way of his, which was part of the joke.
+
+Nan was a handsome girl, with a fresh colour, clear eye, quick
+smile, and the self-poised look young women with a purpose
+always have. She was simply and sensi bly dressed, walked easily,
+and seemed full of vigour, with her broad shoulders well back,
+arms swinging freely, and the elasticity of youth and health in
+every motion. The few people she met turned to look at her, as if it
+was a pleasant sight to see a hearty, happy girl walking
+countryward that lovely day; and the red-faced young man
+steaming along behind, hat off and every tight curl wagging with
+impatience, evidently agreed with them.
+
+Presently a mild 'Hallo!' was borne upon the breeze, and pausing,
+with an effort to look surprised that was an utter failure, Nan said
+affably:
+
+'Oh, is that you, Tom?'
+
+'Looks like it. Thought you might be walking out today'; and Tom's
+jovial face beamed with pleasure.
+
+'You knew it. How is your throat?' asked Nan in her professional
+tone, which was always a quencher to undue raptures.
+
+'Throat? Oh, ah! yes, I remember. It is well. The effect of that
+prescription was wonderful. I'll never call homoeopathy a humbug
+again.'
+
+'You were the humbug this time, and so were the unmedicated
+pellets I gave you. If sugar or milk can cure diphtheria in this
+remarkable manner, I'll make a note of ~t. 0 Tom, Tom, will you
+never be done playing tricks?'
+
+'0 Nan, Nan, will you never be done getting the better of me?' And
+the merry pair laughed at one another just as they did in the old
+times, which always came back freshly when they went to
+Plumfield.
+
+'Well, I knew I shouldn't see you for a week if I didn't scare up
+some excuse for a call at the office.
+
+ 8 JO'S BOYS
+
+
+
+You are so desperately busy all the time I never get a word,'
+explained Tom.
+
+'You ought to be busy too, and above such nonsense. Really, Tom,
+if you don't give your mind to your lectures, you'll never get on,'
+said Nan soberly.
+
+'I have quite enough of them as it is,' answered Tom with an air of
+disgust. 'A fellow must lark a bit after dissecting corpuses all day. I
+can't stand it long at a time, though some people seem to enjoy it
+immensely.'
+
+'Then why not leave it, and do what suits you better? I always
+thought it a foolish thing, you know,' said Nan, with a trace of
+anxiety in the keen eyes that searched for signs of illness in a face
+as ruddy as a Baldwin apple.
+
+'You know why I chose it, and why I shall stick to it if it kills me. I
+may not look delicate, but I've a deep-seated heart complaint, and
+it will carry me off sooner or later; for only one doctor in the world
+can cure it, and she won't.'
+
+There was an air of pensive resignation about Tom that was both
+comic and pathetic; for he was in earnest, and kept on giving hints
+of this sort, without the least encouragement.
+
+Nan frowned; but she was used to it, and knew how to treat him.
+
+'She is curing it in the best and only way; but a more refractory
+patient never lived. Did you go to that ball, as I directed?'
+
+'I did.'
+
+'And devote yourself to pretty Miss West?'
+
+'Danced with her the whole evening.'
+
+'No impression made on that susceptible organ of yours?' 'Not the
+slightest. I gaped in her face once, forgot to feed her, and gave a
+sigh of relief when I handed her over to her mamma.'
+
+'Repeat the dose as often as possible, and note the symptoms. I
+predict that you'll "cry for it" by and by.'
+
+'Never! I'm sure it doesn't suit my constitution.'
+
+'We shall see. Obey orders!' sternly.
+
+'Yes, Doctor,' meekly.
+
+Silence reigned for a moment; then, as if the bone of contention
+was forgotten in the pleasant recollections called up by familiar
+objects, Nan said suddenly:
+
+'What fun we used to have in that wood! Do you remember how
+you tumbled out of the big nut-tree and nearly broke your
+collar-bones?'
+
+'Don't I! and how you steeped me in wormwood till I was a fine
+mahogany colour, and Aunt Jo wailed over my spoilt jacket,'
+laughed Tom, a boy again in a minute.
+
+'And how you set the house afire?'
+
+'And you ran off for your band-box?'
+
+'Do you ever say "Thunder-turtles" now?'
+
+'Do people ever call you "Giddy-gaddy"?'
+
+'Daisy does. Dear thing, I haven't seen her for a week.'
+
+'I saw Demi this morning, and he said she was keeping house for
+Mother Bhaer.'
+
+'She always does when Aunt Jo gets into a vortex. Daisy is a model
+housekeeper; and you couldn't do better than make your bow to
+her, if you can't go to work and wait till you are grown up before
+you begin lovering.'
+
+'Nat would break his fiddle over my head if I sug gested such a
+thing. No, thank you. Another name is engraved upon my heart as
+indelibly as the blue anchor on my arm. "Hope" is my motto, and
+"No surrender", yours; see who will hold out longest.'
+
+'You silly boys think we must pair off as we did when children; but
+we shall do nothing of the kind. How well Parnassus looks from
+here!' said Nan, abruptly changing the conversation again.
+
+'It is a fine house; but I love old Plum best. Wouldn't Aunt March
+stare if she could see the changes here?' answered Tom, as they
+both paused at the great gate to look at the pleasant landscape
+before them.
+
+A sudden whoop startled them, as a long boy with a wild yellow
+head came leaping over a hedge like a kangaroo, followed by a
+slender girl, who stuck in the hawthorn, and sat there laughing like
+a witch. A pretty little lass she was, with curly dark hair, bright
+eyes, and a very expressive face. Her hat was at her back, and her
+skirts a good deal the worse for the brooks she had crossed, the
+trees she had climbed, and the last leap, which added several fine
+rents.
+
+'Take me down, Nan, please. Tom, hold Ted; he's got my book,
+and I will have it,' called Josie from her perch, not at all daunted
+by the appearance of her friends.
+
+Tom promptly collared the thief, while Nan picked Josie from
+among the thorns and set her on her feet without a word of
+reproof; for having been a romp in her own girlhood, she was very
+indulgent to like tastes in others. "What's the matter, dear?' she
+asked, pinning up the longest rip, while Josie examined the
+scratches on her hands. 'I was studying my part in the willow, and
+Ted came slyly up and poked the book out of my hands with his
+rod. It fell in the brook, and before I could scrabble down he was
+off. You wretch, give it back this moment or I'll box your ears,'
+cried Josie, laughing and scolding in the same breath.
+
+Escaping from Tom, Ted struck a sentimental attitude, and with
+tender glances at the wet, torn young person before him, delivered
+Claude Melnotte's famous speech in a lackadaisical way that was
+irresistibly funny, ending with 'Dost like the picture, love?' as he
+made an object of himself by tying his long legs in a knot and
+distorting his face horribly.
+
+The sound of applause from the piazza put a stop to these antics,
+and the young folks went up the avenue together very much in the
+old style when Tom drove four in hand and Nan was the best horse
+in the team. Rosy, breathless, and merry, they greeted the ladies
+and sat down on the steps to rest, Aunt Meg sewing up her
+daughter's rags while Mrs Jo smoothed the Lion's mane, and
+rescued the book. Daisy appeared in a moment to greet her friend,
+and all began to talk.
+
+'Muffins for tea; better stay and eat 'em; Daisy's never fail,' said
+Ted hospitably.
+
+'He's a judge; he ate nine last time. That's why he's so fat,' added
+Josie, with a withering glance at her cousin, who was as thin as a
+lath.
+
+'I must go and see Lucy Dove. She has a whitlow, and it's time to
+lance it. I'll tea at college,' answered Nan, feeling in her pocket to
+be sure she had not forgotten her case of instruments.
+
+'Thanks, I'm going there also. Tom Merryweather has granulated
+lids, and I promised to touch them up for him. Save a doctor's fee
+and be good practice for me. I'm clumsy with my thumbs,' said
+Tom, bound to be near his idol while he could.
+
+'Hush! Daisy doesn't like to hear you saw-bones talk of your work.
+Muffins suit us better'; and Ted grinned sweetly, with a view to
+future favours in the eating line.
+
+'Any news of the Commodore?' asked Tom.
+
+'He is on his way home, and Dan hopes to come soon. I long to see
+my boys together, and have begged the wanderers to come to
+Thanksgiving, if not before,' answered Mrs Jo, beaming at the
+thought.
+
+'They'll come, every man of them, if they can. Even Jack will risk
+losing a dollar for the sake of one of our jolly old dinners,' laughed
+Tom.
+
+'There's the turkey fattening for the feast. I never chase him now,
+but feed him well; and he's "swellin' wisibly", bless his
+drumsticks!' said Ted, pointing out the doomed fowl proudly
+parading in a neighbouring field.
+
+'If Nat goes the last of the month we shall want a farewell frolic for
+him. I suppose the dear old Chirper will come home a second Ole
+Bull,' said Nan to her friend.
+
+A pretty colour came into Daisy's cheek, and the folds of muslin on
+her breast rose and fell with a quick breath; but she answered
+placidly: 'Uncle Laurie says he has real talent, and after the
+training he will get abroad he can command a good living here,
+though he may never be famous.'
+
+'Young people seldom turn out as one predicts, so it is of little use
+to expect anything,' said Mrs Meg with a sigh. 'If our children are
+good and useful men and women, we should be satisfied; yet it's
+very natural to wish them to be brilliant and successful.'
+
+'They are like my chickens, mighty uncertain. Now, that
+fine-looking cockerel of mine is the stupidest one of the lot, and
+the ugly, long-legged chap is the king of the yard, he's so smart;
+crows loud enough to wake the Seven Sleepers; but the handsome
+one croaks, and is no end of a coward. I get snubbed; but you wait
+till I grow up, and then see'; and Ted looked so like his own
+long-legged pet that everyone laughed at his modest prediction.
+
+'I want to see Dan settled somewhere. "A rolling stone gathers no
+moss", and at twenty-five he is still roaming about the world
+without a tie to hold him, except this'; and Mrs Meg nodded
+towards her sister.
+
+'Dan will find his place at last, and experience is his best teacher.
+He is rough still, but each time he comes home I see a change for
+the better, and never lose my faith in him. He may never do
+anything great, or get rich; but if the wild boy makes an honest
+man, I'm satisfied,' said Mrs Jo, who always defended the black
+sheep of her flock.
+
+'That's right, mother, stand by Dan! He's worth a dozen Jacks and
+Neds bragging about money and trying to be swells. You see if he
+doesn't do something to be proud of and take the wind out of their
+sails,' added Ted, whose love for his 'Danny' was now strengthened
+by a boy's admiration for the bold, adventurous man.
+
+'Hope so, I'm sure. He's just the fellow to do rash things and come
+to glory   climbing the Matterhorn, taking a "header" into Niagara,
+or finding a big nugget. That's his way of sowing wild oats, and
+per- haps it's better than ours,' said Tom thoughtfully; for he had
+gained a good deal of experience in that sort of agriculture since
+he became a medical student.
+
+'Much better!' said Mrs Jo emphatically. 'I'd rather send my boys
+off to see the world in that way than leave them alone in a city full
+of temptations, with nothing to do but waste time, money, and
+health, as so many are left. Dan has to work his way, and that
+teaches him courage, patience, and self-reliance. I don't worry
+about him as much as I do about George and Dolly at college, no
+more fit than two babies to take care of themselves.'
+
+'How about John? He's knocking round town as a newspaper man,
+reporting all sorts of things, from sermons to prize-fights,' asked
+Tom, who thought that sort of life would be much more to his own
+taste than medical lectures and hospital wards.
+
+'Demi has three safeguards   good principles, refined tastes, and a
+wise mother. He won't come to harm, and these experiences will
+be useful to him when he begins to write, as I'm sure he will in
+time,' began Mrs Jo in her prophetic tone; for she was anxious to
+have some of her geese turn out swans.
+
+'Speak of Jenkins, and you'll hear the rustling of his paper,' cried
+Tom, as a fresh-faced, brown-eyed young man came up the
+avenue, waving a newspaper over his head.
+
+'Here's your Evening Tattler! Latest Edition! Awful murder! Bank
+clerk absconded! Powder-mill explosion, and great strike of the
+Latin School boys!' roared Ted, going to meet his cousin with the
+graceful gait of a young giraffe.
+
+'The Commodore is in, and will cut his cable and run before the
+wind as soon as he can get off,' called Demi, with 'a nice
+derangement of nautical epitaphs', as he came up smiling over his
+good news.
+
+Everyone talked together for a moment, and the paper passed from
+hand to hand that each eye might rest on the pleasant fact that the
+Brenda, from Hamburg, was safe in port.
+
+'He'll come lurching out by tomorrow with his usual collection of
+marine monsters and lively yarns. I saw him, jolly and tarry and
+brown as a coffee-berry. Had a good run, and hopes to be second
+mate, as the other chap is laid up with a broken leg,' added Demi.
+
+'Wish I had the setting of it,' said Nan to herself, with a
+professional twist of her hand.
+
+'How's Franz?' asked Mrs Jo.
+
+'He's going to be married! There's news for you. The first of the
+flock, Aunty, so say good-bye to him. Her name is Ludmilla
+Heldegard Blumenthal; good family, well-off, pretty, and of course
+an angel. The dear old boy wants Uncle's consent, and then he will
+settle down to be a happy and an honest burgher. Long life to him!'
+
+'I'm glad to hear jt. I do so like to settle my boys with a good wife
+and a nice little home. Now, if all is right, I shall feel as if Franz
+was off my mind,' said Mrs Jo, folding her hands contentedly; for
+she often felt like a distracted hen with a large brood of mixed
+chickens and ducks upon her hands.
+
+'So do I,' sighed Tom, with a sly glance at Nan. 'That's what a
+fellow needs to keep him steady; and it's the duty of nice girls to
+marry as soon as possible, isn't it, Demi?' 'If there are enough nice
+fellows to go round. The female population exceeds the male, you
+know, especially in New England; which accounts for the high
+state of culture we are in, perhaps,' answered John, who was
+leaning over his mother's chair, telling his day's experiences in a
+whisper.
+
+'It is a merciful provision, my dears; for it takes three or four
+women to get each man into, through, and out of the world. You
+are costly cteatures, boys; and it is well that mothers, sisters,
+wives, and daughters love their duty and do it so well, or you
+would perish off the face of the earth,' said Mrs Jo solemnly, as she
+took up a basket filled with dilapidated hose; for the good
+Professor was still hard on his socks, and his sons resembled him
+in that respect.
+
+'Such being the case, there is plenty for the "superfluous women"
+to do, in taking care of these helpless men and their families. I see
+that more clearly every day, and am very glad and grateful that my
+profession will make me a useful, happy, and independent
+spinster.'
+
+Nan's emphasis on the last word caused Tom to groan, and the rest
+to laugh.
+
+'I take great pride and solid satisfaction in you, Nan, and hope to
+see you very successful; for we do need just such helpful women
+in the world. I sometimes feel as if I've missed my vocation and
+ought to have remained single; but my duty seemed to point this
+way, and I don't regret it,' said Mrs Jo, folding a large and very
+ragged blue sock to her bosom.
+
+'Neither do I. What should I ever have done without my dearest
+Mum?' added Ted, with a filial hug which caused both to disappear
+behind the newspaper in which he had been mercifully absorbed
+for a few minutes.
+
+'My darling boy, if you would wash your hands semi-occasionally,
+fond caresses would be less disastrous to my collar. Never mind,
+my precious touslehead, better grass stains and dirt than no
+cuddlings at all'; and Mrs Jo emerged from that brief eclipse
+looking much refreshed, though her back hair was caught in Ted's
+buttons and her collar under one ear.
+
+Here Josie, who had been studying her part at the other end of the
+piazza, suddenly burst forth with a smothered shriek, and gave
+Juliet's speech in the tomb so effectively that the boys applauded,
+Daisy shivered, and Nan murmured: 'Too much cerebral
+excitement for one of her age.'
+
+'I'm afraid you'll have to make up your mind to it, Meg. That child
+is a born actress. We never did anything so well, not even the
+Witch's Curse,' said Mrs Jo, casting a bouquet of many-coloured
+socks at the feet of her flushed and panting niece, when she fell
+gracefully upon the door-mat.
+
+'It is a sort of judgement upon me for my passion for the stage
+when a girl. Now I know how dear Marmee felt when I begged to
+be an actress. I never can consent, and yet I may be obliged to give
+up my wishes, hopes, and plans again.'
+
+There was an accent of reproach in his mother's voice, which made
+Demi pick up his sister with a gentle shake, and the stern
+command to 'drop that nonsense in public'.
+
+'Drop me, Minion, or I'll give you the Maniac Bride, with my best
+Ha-ha!' cried Josie, glaring at him like an offended kitten. Being
+set on her feet, she made a splendid courtesy, and dramatically
+proclaiming, 'Mrs Woffington's carriage waits,' swept down the
+steps and round the corner, trailing Daisy's scarlet shawl
+majestically behind her.
+
+'Isn't she great fun? I couldn't stop in this dull place if I hadn't that
+child to make it lively for me. If ever she turns prim, I'm off; so
+mind how you nip her in the bud,' said Teddy, frowning at Demi,
+who was now writing out shorthand notes on the steps.
+
+'You two are a team, and it takes a strong hand to drive you, but I
+rather like it. Josie ought to have been my child, and Rob yours,
+Meg. Then your house would have been all peace and mine all
+Bedlam. Now I must go and tell Laurie the news. Come with me,
+Meg, a little stroll will do us good'; and sticking Ted's straw hat on
+her head, Mrs Jo walked off with her sister, leaving Daisy to attend
+to the muffins, Ted to appease Josie, and Tom and Nan to give
+their respective patients a very bad quarter of an hour.
+
+Chapter 2  PARNASSUS
+
+It was well named; and the Muses seemed to be at home that day,
+for as the newcomers went up the slope appropriate sights and
+sounds greeted them. Passing an open window, they looked in
+upon a library presided over by Clio, Calliope, and Urania;
+Melpomene and Thalia were disporting themselves in the hall,
+where some young people were dancing and rehearsing a play;
+Erato was walking in the garden with her lover, and in the
+music-room Phoebus himself was drilling a tuneful choir.
+
+A mature Apollo was our old friend Laurie, but comely and genial
+as ever; for time had ripened the freakish boy into a noble man.
+Care and sorrow, as well as ease and happiness, had done much for
+him; and the responsibility of carrying out his grandfather's wishes
+had been a duty most faithfully performed. Prosperity suits some
+people, and they blossom best in a glow of sunshine; others need
+the shade, and are the sweeter for a touch of frost. Laurie was one
+of the former sort, and Amy was another; so life had been a kind of
+poem to them since they married   not only harmonious and happy,
+but earnest, useful, and rich in the beautiful benevolence which
+can do so much when wealth and wisdom go hand in hand with
+charity. Their house was full of unostentatious beauty and comfort,
+and here the art-loving host and hostess attracted and entertained
+artists of all kinds. Laurie had music enough now, and was a
+generous patron to the class he most liked to help. Amy had her
+proteges among ambitious young painters and sculptors, and found
+her own art double dear as her daughter grew old enough to share
+its labours and delights with her; for she was one of those who
+prove that women can be faithful wives and mothers without
+sacrificing the special gift bestowed upon them for their own
+development and the good of others.
+
+Her sisters knew where to find her, and Jo went at once to the
+studio, where mother and daughter worked together. Bess was
+busy with the bust of a little child, while her mother added the last
+touches to a fine head of her husband. Time seemed to have stood
+still with Amy, for happiness had kept her young and prosperity
+given her the culture she needed. A stately, graceful woman, who
+showed how elegant simplicity could be made by the taste with
+which she chose her dress and the grace with which she wore it. As
+someone said: 'I never know what Mrs Laurence has on, but I
+always receive the impression that she is the best-dressed lady in
+the room.'
+
+It was evident that she adored her daughter, and well she might;
+for the beauty she had longed for seemed, to her fond eyes at least,
+to be impersonated in this younger self. Bess inherited her mother's
+Diana-like figure, blue eyes, fair skin, and golden hair, tied up in
+the same classic knot of curls. Also   ah! never-ending source of
+joy to Amy   she had her father's handsome nose and mouth, cast in
+a feminine mould. The severe simplicity of a long linen pinafore
+suited her; and she worked away with the entire absorption of the
+true artist, unconscious of the loving eyes upon her, till Aunt Jo
+came in exclaiming eagerly:
+
+'My dear girls, stop your mud-pies and hear the news!'
+
+Both artists dropped their tools and greeted the irrepressible
+woman cordially, though genius had been burning splendidly and
+her coming spoilt a precious hour. They were in the full tide of
+gossip when Laurie, who had been summoned by Meg, arrived,
+and sitting down between the sisters, with no barricade anywhere,
+listened with interest to the news of Franz and Emil.
+
+'The epidemic has broke out, and now it will rage and ravage your
+flock. Be prepared for every sort of romance and rashness for the
+next ten years, Jo. Your boys are growing up and will plunge
+headlong into a sea of worse scrapes than any you have had yet,'
+said Laurie, enjoying her look of mingled delight and despair.
+
+'I know it, and I hope I shall be able to pull them through and land
+them safely; but it's an awful responsibility, for they will come to
+me and insist that I can make their poor little loves run smoothly. I
+like it, though, and Meg is such a mush of sentiment she revels in
+the prospect,' answered Jo, feeling pretty easy about her own boys,
+whose youth made them safe for the present.
+
+'I'm afraid she won't revel when our Nat begins to buzz too near
+her Daisy. Of course you see what all that means? As musical
+director I am also his confidante, and would like to know what
+advice to give,' said Laurie soberly. 'Hush! you forget that child,'
+began Jo, nodding towards Bess, who was at work again.
+
+'Bless you! she's in Athens, and doesn't hear a word. She ought to
+leave off, though, and go out. My darling, put the baby to sleep,
+and go for a run. Aunt Meg is in the parlour; go and show her the
+new pictures till we come,' added Laurie, looking at his tall girl as
+Pygmalion might have looked at Galatea; for he considered her the
+finest statue in the house.
+
+'Yes, papa; but please tell me if it is good'; and Bess obediently put
+down her tools, with a lingering glance at the bust.
+
+'My cherished daughter, truth compels me to confess that one
+cheek is plumper than the other; and the curls upon its infant brow
+are rather too much like horns for perfect grace; otherwise it rivals
+Raphael's Chanting Cherubs, and I'm proud of it.'
+
+Laurie was laughing as he spoke; for these first attempts were so
+like Amy's early ones, it was impossible to regard them as soberly
+as the enthusiastic mamma did.
+
+'You can't see beauty in anything but music,' answered Bess,
+shaking the golden head that made the one bright spot in the cool
+north lights of the great studio.
+
+'Well, I see beauty in you, dear. And if you are not art, what is? 1
+wish to put a little more nature into you, and get you away from
+this cold clay and marble into the sunshine, to dance and laugh as
+the others do. I want a flesh-and-blood girl, not a sweet statue in a
+grey pinafore, who forgets everything but her work.' and Bess said
+earnestly, punctuating her words with soft touches of her lips:
+
+'I never forget you, papa; but I do want to do something beautiful
+that you may be proud of me by and by. Mamma often tells me to
+stop; but when we get in here we forget there is any world outside,
+we are so busy and so happy. Now I'll go and run and sing, and be
+a girl to please you.' And throwing away the apron, Bess vanished
+from the room, seeming to take all the light with her.
+
+'I'm glad you said that. The dear child is too much absorbed in her
+artistic dreams for one so young. It is my fault; but I sympathize so
+deeply in it all, I forget to be wise,' sighed Amy, carefully covering
+the baby with a wet towel.
+
+'I think this power of living in our children is one of the sweetest
+things in the world; but I try to remember what Marmee once said
+to Meg   that fathers should have their share in the education of
+both girls and boys; so I leave Ted to his father all I can, and Fritz
+lends me Rob, whose quiet ways are as restful and good for me as
+Ted's tempests are for his father. Now I advise you, Amy, to let
+Bess drop the mud-pies for a time, and take up music with Laurie;
+then she won't be one-sided, and he won't be jealous.'
+
+'Hear, hear! A Daniel   a very Daniel!' cried Laurie, well pleased. 'I
+thought you'd lend a hand, Jo, and say a word for me. I am a little
+jealous of Amy, and want more of a share in my girl. Come, my
+lady, let me have her this summer, and next year, when we go to
+Rome, I'll give her up to you and high art. Isn't that a fair bargain?'
+
+'I agree; but in trying your hobby, nature, with music thrown in,
+don't forget that, though only fifteen, our Bess is older than most
+girls of that age, and cannot be treated like a child. She is so very
+precious to me, I feel as if I wanted to keep her always as pure and
+beautiful as the marble she loves so well.'
+
+Amy spoke regretfully as she looked about the lovely room where
+she had spent so many happy hours with this dear child of hers.
+
+"Turn and turn about is fair play", as we used to say when we all
+wanted to ride on Ellen Tree or wear the russet boots,' said Jo
+briskly; 'so you must share your girl between you, and see who will
+do the most for her.'
+
+'We will,' answered the fond parents, laughing at the recollections
+Jo's proverb brought up to them.
+
+'How I did use to enjoy bouncing on the limbs of that old
+apple-tree! No real horse ever gave me half the pleasure or the
+exercise,' said Amy, looking out of the high window as if she saw
+the dear old orchard again and the little girls at play there.
+
+'And what fun I had with those blessed boots!' laughed Jo. 'I've got
+the relics now. The boys reduced them to rags; but I love them
+still, and would enjoy a good theatrical stalk in them if it were
+possible.'
+
+'My fondest memories twine about the warming-pan and the
+sausage. What larks we had! And how long ago it seems!' said
+Laurie, staring at the two women before him as if he found it hard
+to realize that they ever had been little Amy and riotous Jo.
+
+'Don't suggest that we are growing old, my Lord. We have only
+bloomed; and a very nice bouquet we make with our buds about
+us,' answered Mrs Amy, shaking out the folds of her rosy muslin
+with much the air of dainty satisfaction the girl used to show in a
+new dress.
+
+'Not to mention our thorns and dead leaves,' added Jo, with a sigh;
+for life had never been very easy to her, and even now she had her
+troubles both within and without.
+
+'Come and have a dish of tea, old dear, and see what the young
+folks are about. You are tired, and want to be "stayed with flagons
+and comforted with apples",' said Laurie, offering an arm to each
+sister, and leading them away to afternoon tea, which flowed as
+freely on Parnassus as the nectar of old.
+
+They found Meg in the summer-parlour, an airy and delightful
+room, full now of afternoon sunshine and the rustle of trees; for
+the three long windows opened on the garden. The great
+music-room was at one end, and at the other, in a deep alcove
+hung with purple curtains, a little household shrine had been made.
+Three portraits hung there, two marble busts stood in the corners,
+and a couch, an oval table, with its urn of flowers, were the only
+articles of furniture the nook contained. The busts were John
+Brooke and Beth   Amy's work   both excellent likenesses, and
+both full of the placid beauty which always recalls the saying, that
+'Clay represents life; plaster, death; marble, immortality'. On the
+right, as became the founder of the house, hung the portrait of Mr
+Laurence, with its expression of mingled pride and benevolence, as
+fresh and attractive as when he caught the girl Jo admiring it.
+Opposite was Aunt March   a legacy to Amy   in an imposing
+turban, immense sleeves, and long mittens decorously crossed on
+the front of her plum-coloured satin gown. Time had mellowed the
+severity of her aspect; and the fixed regard of the handsome old
+gentleman opposite seemed to account for the amiable simper on
+lips that had not uttered a sharp word for years.
+
+In the place of honour, with the sunshine warm upon it, and a
+green garland always round it, was Marmee's beloved face, painted
+with grateful skill by a great artist whom she had befriended when
+poor and unknown. So beautifully lifelike was it that it seemed to
+smile down upon her daughters, saying cheerfully:
+
+'Be happy; I am with you still.'
+
+The three sisters stood a moment looking up at the beloved picture
+with eyes full of tender reverence and the longing that never left
+them; for this noble mother had been so much to them that no one
+could ever fill her place. Only two years since she had gone away
+to live and love anew, leaving such a sweet memory behind her
+that it was both an inspiration and a comforter to all the household.
+They felt this as they drew closer to one another, and Laurie put it
+into words as he said earnestly:
+
+'I can ask nothing better for my child than that she may be a
+woman like our mother. Please God, she shall be, if I can do it; for
+I owe the best I have to this dear saint.'
+
+Just then a fresh voice began to sing 'Ave Maria' in the
+music-room, and Bess unconsciously echoed her father's prayer for
+her as she dutifully obeyed his wished. The soft sound of the air
+Marmee used to sing led the listeners back into the world again
+from that momentary reaching after the loved and lost, and they sat
+down together near the open windows enjoying the music, while
+Laurie brought them tea, making the little service pleasant by the
+tender care he gave to it.
+
+Nat came in with Demi, soon followed by Ted and Josie, the
+Professor and his faithful Rob, all anxious to hear more about 'the
+boys'. The rattle of cups and tongues grew brisk, and the setting
+sun saw a cheerful company resting in the bright room after the
+varied labours of the day.
+
+Professor I3haer was grey now, but robust and genial as ever; for
+he had the work he loved, and did it so heartily that the whole
+college felt his beautiful influence. Rob was as much like him as it
+was possible for a boy to be, and was already called the 'young
+Professor', he so adored study and closely imitated his honoured
+father in all ways.
+
+'Well, heart's dearest, we go to have our boys again, all two, and
+may rejoice greatly,' said Mr Bhaer, seating himself beside Jo with
+a beaming face and a handshake of congratulation.
+
+'Oh, Fritz, I'm so delighted about Emil, and if you approve about
+Franz also. Did you know Ludmilla? Is it a wise match?' asked Mrs
+Jo, handing him her cup of tea and drawing closer, as if she
+welcomed her refuge in joy as well as sorrow.
+
+'It all goes well. I saw the M dchen when I went over to place
+Franz. A child then, but most sweet and charming. Blumenthal is
+satisfied, I think, and the boy will be happy. He is too German to
+be content away from Vaterland, so we shall have him as a link
+between the new and the old, and that pleases me much.'
+
+'And Emil, he is to be second mate next voyage; isn't that fine? I'm
+so happy that both your boys have done well; you gave up so much
+for them and their mother. You make light of it, dear, but I never
+forget it,' said Jo, with her hand in his as sentimentally as if she
+was a girl again and her Fritz had come a-wooing.
+
+He laughed his cheery laugh, and whispered behind her fan: 'If I
+had not come to America for the poor lads, I never should have
+found my Jo. The hard times are very sweet now, and I bless Gott
+for all I seemed to lose, because I gained the blessing of my life.'
+
+'Spooning! spooning! Here's an awful flirtation on the sly,' cried
+Teddy, peering over the fan just at that interesting moment, much
+to his mother's confusion and his father's amusement; for the
+Professor never was ashamed of the fact that he still considered his
+wife the dearest woman in the world. Rob promptly ejected his
+brother from one window, to see him skip in at the other, while
+Mrs Jo shut her fan and held it ready to rap her unruly boy's
+knuckles if he came near her again.
+
+Nat approached in answer to Mr Bhaer's beckoning teaspoon, and
+stood before them with a face full of the respectful affection he
+felt for the excellent man who had done so much for him.
+
+'I have the letters ready for thee, my son. They are two old friends
+of mine in Leipzig, who will befriend thee in that new life. It is
+well to have them, for thou wilt be heartbroken with Heimweh at
+the first, Nat, and need comforting,' said the Professor, giving him
+several letters.
+
+'Thanks, sir. Yes, I expect to be pretty lonely till I get started, then
+my music and the hope of getting on will cheer me up,' answered
+Nat, who both longed and dreaded to leave all these friends behind
+him and make new ones.
+
+He was a man now; but the blue eyes were as honest as ever, the
+mouth still a little weak, in spite of the carefully cherished
+moustache over it, and the broad forehead more plainly than ever
+betrayed the music-loving nature of the youth. Modest,
+affectionate, and dutiful, Nat was considered a pleasant though not
+a brilliant success by Mrs Jo. She loved and trusted him, and was
+sure he would do his best, but did not expect that he would be
+great in any way, unless the stimulus of foreign training and
+self-dependence made him a better artist and a stronger man than
+now seemed likely.
+
+'I've marked all your things   or rather, Daisy did   and as soon as
+your books are collected, we can see about the packing,' said Mrs
+Jo, who was so used to fitting boys off for all quarters of the globe
+that a trip to the North Pole would not have been too much for her.
+
+Nat grew red at mention of that name~  or was it the last glow of
+sunset on his rather pale cheek?   and his heart beat happily at the
+thought of the dear girl working Ns and Bs on his humble socks
+and handkerchiefs; for Nat adored Daisy, and the cherished dream
+of his life was to earn a place for himself as a musician and win
+this angel for his wife. This hope did more for him than the
+Professor's counsels, Mrs Jo's care, or Mr Laurie's generous help.
+For her sake he worked, waited, and hoped, finding courage and
+patience in the dream of that happy future when Daisy should
+make a little home for him and he fiddle a fortune into her lap.
+Mrs Jo knew this; and though he was not exactly the man she
+would have chosen for her niece, she felt that Nat would always
+need just the wise and loving care Daisy could give him, and that
+without it there was danger of his being one of the amiable and
+aimless men who fail for want of the right pilot to steer them
+safely through the world. Mrs Meg decidedly frowned upon the
+poor boy's love, and would not hear of giving her dear girl to any
+but the best man to be found on the face of the earth. She was very
+kind, but as firm as such gentle souls can be; and Nat fled for
+comfort to Mrs Jo, who always espoused the interests of her boys
+heartily. A new set of anxieties was beginning now that the
+aforesaid boys were growing up, and she foresaw no end of worry
+as well as amusement in the love-affairs alrcady budding in her
+flock. Mrs Meg was usually her best ally and adviser, for she loved
+romances as well now as when a blooming girl herself. But in this
+case she hardened her heart, and would not hear a word of
+entreaty. 'Nat was not man enough, never would be, no one knew
+his family, a musician's life was a hard one; Daisy was too young,
+five or six years hence when time had proved both perhaps. Let us
+see what absence will do for him.' And that was the end of it, for
+when the maternal Pelican was roused she could be very firm,
+though for her precious children she would have plucked her last
+feather and given the last drop of her blood.
+
+Mrs Jo was thinking of this as she looked at Nat while he talked
+with her husband about Leipzig, and she resolved to have a clear
+understanding with him before he went; for she was used to
+confidences, and talked freely with her boys about the trials and
+temptations that beset all lives in the beginning, and so often mar
+them, for want of the right word at the right moment.
+
+This is the first duty of parents, and no false delicacy should keep
+them from the watchful care, the gentle warning, which makes
+self-knowledge and self-control the compass and pilot of the young
+as they leave the safe harbour of home.
+
+'Plato and his disciples approach,' announced irreverent Teddy, as
+Mr March came in with several young men and women about him;
+for the wise old man was universally beloved, and ministered so
+beautifully to his flock that many of them thanked him all their
+lives for the help given to both hearts and souls.
+
+Bess went to him at once; for since Marmee died, Grandpapa was
+her special care, and it was sweet to see the golden head bend over
+the silver one as she rolled out his easy-chair and waited on him
+with tender alacrity.
+
+'Aesthetic tea always on tap here, sir; will you have a flowing bowl
+or a bit of ambrosia?' asked Laurie, who was wandering about with
+a sugar-basin in one hand and a plate of cake in the other; for
+sweetening cups and feeding the hungry was work he loved.
+
+'Neither, thanks; this child has taken care of me'; and Mr March
+turned to Bess, who sat on one arm of his chair, holding a glass of
+fresh milk.
+
+'Long may she live to do it, sir, and I be here to see this pretty
+contradiction of the song that "youth and age cannot live
+together"!' answered Laurie, smiling at the pair. "Crabbed age",
+papa; that makes all the difference in the world,' said Bess quickly;
+for she loved poetry, and read the best.
+
+'Wouldst thou see fresh roses grow
+
+In a reverend bed of snow?'
+
+quoted Mr March, as Josie came and perched on the other arm,
+looking like a very thorny little rose; for she had been having a hot
+discussion with Ted, and had got the worst of it.
+
+'Grandpa, must women always obey men and say th~y arc the
+wi~c~t, ju~t bt~AU~ Ihey are the strongest?' she cried, looking
+fiercely at her cousin, who came stalking up with a provoking
+smile on the boyish face that was always very comical ~ that tall
+ligur~..
+
+'Well, my dear, that is the old-fashioned belief, and it will take
+some time to change it. But I think the woman's hour has struck;
+and it looks to me as if the boys must do their best, for the girls are
+abreast now, and may reach the goal first,' answered Mr March,
+surveying with paternal satisfaction the bright faces of the young
+women, who were among the best students in the college.
+
+'The poor little Atalantas are sadly distracted and delayed by the
+obstacles thrown in their way   not golden apples, by any means
+but I think they will stand a fair chance when they have learned to
+run better,' laughed Uncle Laurie, stroking Josie's breezy hair,
+which stood up like the fur of an angry kitten.
+
+'Whole barrels of apples won't stop me when I start, and a dozen
+Teds Won't trip me up, though they may try. I'll show him that a
+woman can act as well, if not better, than a man. It has been done,
+and will be again; and I'll never own that my brain isn't as good as
+his, though it may be smaller,' cried the excited young person.
+
+'If you shake your head in that violent way you'll addle what brains
+you have got; and I'd take care of 'em, if I were you,' began teasing
+Ted.
+
+'What started this civil war?' asked Grandpapa, with a gentle
+emphasis on the adjective, which caused the combatants to calm
+their ardour a little.
+
+'Why, we were pegging away at the Iliad and came to where Zeus
+tells Juno not to inquire into his plans or he'll whip her, and Jo was
+disgusted because Juno meekly hushed up. I said it was all right,
+and agreed with the old fellow that women didn't know much and
+ought to obey men,' explained Ted, to the great amusement of his
+hearers.
+
+'Goddesses may do as they like, but those Greek and Trojan
+women were poor-spirited things if they minded men who couldn't
+fight their own battles and had to be hustled off by Pallas, and
+Venus, and Juno, when they were going to get beaten. The idea of
+two armies stopping and sitting down while a pair of heroes flung
+stones at one another! I don't think much of your old Homer. Give
+me Napoleon or Grant for my hero.'
+
+Josie's scorn was as funny as if a humming-bird scolded at an
+ostrich, and everyone laughed as she sniffed at the immortal poet
+and criticized the gods.
+
+'Napoleon's Juno had a nice time; didn't she? That's just the way
+girls argue   first one way and then the other,' jeered Ted.
+
+'Like Johnson's young lady, who was "not categori cal, but all
+wiggle-waggle",' added Uncle Laurie, enjoying the battle
+immensely.
+
+'I was only speaking of them as soldiers. But if you come to the
+woman side of it, wasn't Grant a kind husband and Mrs Grant a
+happy woman? He didn't threaten to whip her if she asked a natural
+question; and if Napoleon did do wrong about Josephine, he could
+fight, and didn't want any Minerva to come fussing over him. They
+were a stupid set, from dandified Paris to Achilles sulking in his
+ships, and I won't change my opinion for all the Hectors and
+Agamemnons in Greece,' said Josie, still unconquered.
+
+'You can fight like a Trojan, that's evident; and we will be the two
+obedient armies looking on while you and Ted have it out,' began
+Uncle Laurie, assuming the attitude of a warrior leaning on his
+spear.
+
+'I fear we must give it up, for Pallas is about to descend and carry
+off our Hector,' said Mr March, smiling, as Jo came to remind her
+son that suppertime was near.
+
+'We will fight it out later when there are no goddesses to interfere,'
+said Teddy, as he turned away with unusual alacrity, remembering
+the treat in store.
+
+'Conquered by a muffin, by Jove!' called Josie after him, exulting
+in an opportunity to use the classical exclamation forbidden to her
+sex.
+
+But Ted shot a Parthian arrow as he retired in good order by
+replying, with a highly virtuous expression:
+
+'Obedience is a soldier's first duty.'
+
+Bent on her woman's privilege of having the last word, Josie ran
+after him, but never uttered the scathing speech upon her lips, for a
+very brown young man in a blue suit came leaping up the steps
+with a cheery 'Ahoy! ahoy! where is everybody?'
+
+'Emil! Emil!' cried Josie, and in a moment Ted was upon him, and
+the late enemies ended their fray in a joyful welcome to the
+newcomer.
+
+Muffins were forgotten, and towing their cousin like two fussy
+little tugs with a fine merchantman, the children returned to the
+parlour, where Emil kissed all the women and shook hands with
+all the men except his uncle; him he embraced in the good old
+German style, to the great delight of the observers.
+
+'Didn't think I could get off today, but found I could, and steered
+straight for old Plum. Not a soul there, so I luffed and bore away
+for Parnassus, and here is every man Jack of you. Bless your
+hearts, how glad I am to see you all!' exclaimed the sailor boy,
+beaming at them, as he stood with his legs apart as if he still felt
+the rocking deck under his feet.
+
+'You ought to "shiver your timbers", not "bless our hearts", Emil;
+it's not nautical at all. Oh, how nice and shippy and tarry you do
+smell!' said Josie, sniffing at him with great enjoyment of the fresh
+sea odours he brought with him. This was her favourite cousin, and
+she was his pet; so she knew that the bulging pockets of the blue
+jacket contained treasures for her at least.
+
+'Avast, my hearty, and let me take soundings before you dive,'
+laughed Emil, understanding her affectionate caresses, and holding
+her off with one hand while with the other he rummaged out
+sundry foreign little boxes and parcels marked with different
+names, and handed them round with appropriate remarks, which
+caused much laughter; for Emil was a wag.
+
+'There's a hawser that will hold our little cock-boat still about five
+minutes,' he said, throwing a necklace of pretty pink coral over
+Josie's head; sand here's something the mermaids sent to Undine,'
+he added, handing Bess a string of pearly shells on a silver chain.
+
+gh~ ~i~y wcu~ci ~ij�� ~ fI�idle1 and Nat can find her a beau,'
+continued the sailor, with a laugh, as he undid a dainty filigree
+brooch in the shape of a violin.
+
+'I know she will, and I'll take it to her,' answered Nat, as he
+vanished, glad of an errand, and sure that he could find Daisy
+though Emil had missed her.
+
+Emil chuckled, and handed out a quaintly carved bear whose head
+opened, showing a capacious ink-stand. This he presented, with a
+scrape, to Aunt Jo.
+
+'Knowing your fondness for these fine animals, I brought this one
+to your pen.'
+
+'Very good, Commodore! Try again,' said Mrs Jo, much pleased
+with her gift, which caused the Professor to prophesy 'works of
+Shakespeare' from its depths, so great would be the inspiration of
+the beloved bruin.
+
+'As Aunt Meg will wear caps, in spite of her youth, I got Ludmilla
+to get me some bits of lace. Hope you'll like 'em'; and out of a soft
+paper came some filmy things, one of which soon lay like a net of
+snowflakes on Mrs Meg's pretty hair.
+
+'I couldn't find anything swell enough for Aunt Amy, because she
+has everything she wants, so I brought a little picture that always
+makes me think of her when Bess was a baby'; and he handed her
+an oval ivory locket, on which was painted a goldenhaired
+Madonna, with a rosy child folded in her blue mantle.
+
+'How lovely!' cried everyone; and Aunt Amy at once hung it about
+her neck on the blue ribbon from Bess's hair, charmed with her
+gift; for it recalled the happiest year of her life.
+
+'Now, I flatter myself I've got just the thing for Nan, neat but not
+gaudy, a sort of sign you see, and very appropriate for a doctor,'
+said Emil, proudly displaying a pair of lava earrings shaped like
+little skulls.
+
+'Horrid!' And Bess, who hated ugly things, turned her eyes to her
+own pretty shells.
+
+'She won't wear earrings,' said Josie.
+
+'Well, she'll enjoy punching your ears then. She's never so happy as
+when she's overhauling her fellow creatures and going for 'em with
+a knife,' answered Emil, undisturbed. 'I've got a lot of plunder for
+you fellows in my chest, but I knew I should have no peace till my
+cargo for the girls was unloaded. Now tell me all the news.' And,
+seated on Amy's best marbletopped table, the sailor swung his legs
+and talked at the rate of ten knots an hour, till Aunt Jo carried
+them all off to a grand family tea in honour of the Commodore.
+
+Chapter 3 JO'S LAST SCRAPE
+
+The March family had enjoyed a great many surprises in the course
+of their varied career, but the greatest of all was when the Ugly
+Duckling turned out to be, not a swan, but a golden goose, whose
+literary eggs found such an unexpected market that in ten years
+Jo's wildest and most cherished dream actually came true. How or
+why it happened she never clearly understood, but all of a sudden
+she found herself famous in a small way, and, better still, with a
+snug little fortune in her pocket to clear away the obstacles of the
+present and assure the future of her boys.
+
+It began during a bad year when everything went wrong at
+Plumfield; times were hard, the school dwindled, Jo overworked
+herself and had a long illness; Laurie and Amy were abroad, and
+the Bhaers too proud to ask help even of those as near and dear as
+this generous pair. Confined to her room, Jo got desperate over the
+state of affairs, till she fell back upon the long-disused pen as the
+only thing she could do to help fill up the gaps in the income. A
+book for girls being wanted by a certain publisher, she hastily
+scribbled a little story describing a few scenes and adventures in
+the lives of herself and sisters   though boys were more in her line
+and with very slight hopes of success sent it out to seek its fortune.
+
+Things always went by contraries with Jo. Her first book, laboured
+over for years, and launched full of the high hopes and ambitious
+dreams of youth, foundered on its voyage, though the wreck
+continued to float long afterward, to the profit of the publisher at
+least. The hastily written story, sent away with no thought beyond
+the few dollars it might bring, sailed with a
+
+rair wind and a wise pilot at the helm into public favour, and came
+home heavily laden with an unexpected cargo of gold and glory.
+
+A more astonished woman probably never existed than Josephine
+Bhaer when her little ship came into port with flags flying, cannon
+that had been silent before now booming gaily, and, better than all,
+many kind faces rejoicing with her, many friendly hands grasping
+hers with cordial congratulations. After that it was plain sailing,
+and she merely had to load her ships and send them off on
+prosperous trips, to bring home stores of comfort for all she loved
+and laboured for.
+
+The fame she never did quite accept; for it takes very little fire to
+make a great deal of smoke nowadays, and notoriety is not real
+glory. The fortune she could not doubt, and gratefully received;
+though it was not half so large a one as a generous world reported
+it to be. The tide having turned continued to rise, and floated the
+family comfortably into a snug harbour where the older members
+could rest secure from storms, and whence the younger ones could
+launch their boats for the voyage of life.
+
+All manner of happiness, peace, and plenty came in those years to
+bless the patient waiters, hopeful work- ers, and devout believers
+in the wisdom and justice of Him who sends disappointment,
+poverty, and sorrow to try the love of human hearts and make
+success the sweeter when it comes. The world saw the prosperity,
+and kind souls rejoiced over the improved fortunes of the family;
+but the success Jo valued most, the happiness that nothing could
+change or take away, few knew much about.
+
+It was the power of making her mother's last years happy and
+serene; to see the burden of care laid down for ever, the weary
+hands at rest, the dear face untroubled by any anxiety, and the
+tender heart free to pour itself out in the wise charity which was its
+delight. As a girl, Jo's favourite plan had been a room where
+Marmee could sit in peace and enjoy herself after her hard, heroic
+life. Now the dream had become a happy fact, and Marmee sat in
+her pleasant chamber with every comfort and luxury about her,
+loving daughters to wait on her as infirmities increased, a faithful
+mate to lean upon, and grand-children to brighten the twilight of
+life with their dutiful affection. A very precious time to all, for she
+rejoiced as only mothers can in the good fortunes of their children.
+She had lived to reap the harvest she sowed; had seen prayers
+answered, hopes blossom, good gifts bear fruit, peace and
+prosperity bless the home she had made; and then, like some
+brave, patient angel, whose work was done, turned her face
+heavenward, glad to rest.
+
+This was the sweet and sacred side of the change; but it had its
+droll and thorny one, as all things have in this curious world of
+ours. After the first surprise, incredulity, and joy, which came to
+Jo, with the ingratitude of human nature, she soon tired of renown,
+and began to resent her loss of liberty. For suddenly the admiring
+public took possession of her and all her affairs, past, present, and
+to come. Strangers demanded to look at her, question, advise,
+warn, congratulate, and drive her out of her wits by well-meant but
+very wearisome attentions. If she declined to open her heart to
+them, they reproached her; if she refused to endow her pet
+charities, relieve private wants, or sympathize with every ill and
+trial known to humanity, she was called hard-hearted, selfish, and
+haughty; if she found it impossible to answer the piles of letters
+sent her, she was neglectful of her duty to the admiring public; and
+if she preferred the privacy of home to the pedestal upon which
+she was requested to pose, 'the airs of literary people' were freely
+criticized.
+
+She did her best for the children, they being the public for whom
+she wrote, and laboured stoutly to supply the demand always in the
+mouths of voracious youth   'More stories; more right away!' Her
+family objected to this devotion at their expense, and her health
+suffered; but for a time she gratefully offered herself up on the
+altar of juvenile literature, feeling that she owed a good deal to the
+little friends in whose sight she had found favour after twenty
+years of effort.
+
+But a time came when her patience gave out; and wearying of
+being a lion, she became a bear in nature as in name, and returning
+to her den, growled awfully when ordered out. Her family enjoyed
+the fun, and had small sympathy with her trials, but Jo came to
+consider it the worse scrape of her life; for liberty had always been
+her dearest possession, and it seemed to be fast going from her.
+Living in a lantern soon loses its charm, and she was too old, too
+tired, and too busy to like it. She felt that she had done all that
+could reasonably be required of her when autographs, photographs,
+and autobiographical sketches had been sown broadcast over the
+land; when artists had taken her home in all its aspects, and
+reporters had taken her in the grim one she always assumed on
+these trying occasions; when a series of enthusiastic
+boarding-schools had ravaged her grounds for trophies, and a
+steady stream of amiable pilgrims had worn her doorsteps with
+their respectful feet; when servants left after a week's trial of the
+bell that rang all day; when her husband was forced to guard her at
+meals, and the boys to cover her retreat out of back windows on
+certain occasions when enterprising guests walked in unannounced
+at unfortunate moments.
+
+A sketch of one day may perhaps explain the state of things, offer
+some excuse for the unhappy woman, and give a hint to the
+autograph-fiend now rampant in the land; for it is a true tale.
+
+'There ought to be a law to protect unfortunate authors,' said Mrs
+Jo one morning soon after Emil's arrival, when the mail brought
+her an unusually large and varied assortment of letters. 'To me it is
+a more vital subject than international copyright; for time is
+money, peace is health, and I lose both with no return but less
+respect for my fellow creatures and a wild desire to fly into the
+wilderness, since I cannot shut my doors even in free America.'
+
+'Lion-hunters are awful when in search of their prey. If they could
+change places for a while it would do them good; and they'd see
+what bores they were when they "do themselves the honour of
+calling to express their admiration of our charming work",' quoted
+Ted, with a bow to his parent, now frowning over twelve requests
+for autographs.
+
+'I have made up my mind on one point,' said Mrs Jo with great
+firmness. 'I will not answer this kind of letter. I've sent at least six
+to this boy, and he probably sells them. This girl writes from a
+seminary, and if I send her one all the other girls will at once write
+for more. All begin by saying they know they intrude, and that I
+am of course annoyed by these requests; but they venture to ask
+because I like boys, or they like the books, or it is only one.
+Emerson and Whittier put these things in the wastepaper-basket;
+and though only a literary nursery-maid who provides moral pap
+for the young, I will follow their illustrious example; for I shall
+have no time to eat or sleep if I try to satisfy these dear
+unreasonable children'; and Mrs Jo swept away the entire batch
+with a sigh of relief.
+
+'I'll open the others and let you eat your breakfast in peace, liebe
+Mutter,' said Rob, who often acted as her secretary. 'Here's one
+from the South'; and breaking an imposing seal, he read:
+
+'MADAM, As it has pleased Heaven t� l~�~ ~ efforts with a large
+fortune, I feel no hesitation in asking you to supply funds to
+purchase a new communion-service for our church. To whatever
+denomination you belong, you will of course respond with
+liberality to such a request,
+
+     'Respectfully yours,
+
+'MRS X.Y. ZAVIER'
+
+
+
+'Send a civil refusal, dear. All I have to give must go to feed and
+clothe the poor at my gates. That is my thank-offering for success.
+Go on,' answered his mother, with a grateful glance about her
+happy home.
+
+'A literary youth of eighteen proposes that you put your name to a
+novel he has written; and after the first edition your name is to be
+taken off and his put on. There's a cool proposal for you. I guess
+you won't agree to that, in spite of your soft-heartedness towards
+most of the young scribblers.'
+
+'Couldn't be done. Tell him so kindly, and don't let him send the
+manuscript. I have seven on hand now, and barely time to read my
+own,' said Mrs Jo, pensively fishing a small letter out of the
+slop-bowl and opening it with care, because the down-hill address
+suggested that a child wrote it.
+
+'I will answer this myself. A little sick girl wants a book, and she
+shall have it, but I can't write sequels to all the rest to please her. I
+should never come to an end if I tried to suit these voracious little
+Oliver Twists, clamouring for more. What next, Robin?'
+
+'This is short and sweet.
+
+'DEAR MRS BHAER, I am now going to give you my opinion of
+your works. I have read them all many times, and call them
+first-rate. Please go ahead.
+
+'Your admirer,
+
+'BILLY BABCOCK'
+
+
+
+'Now that is what I like. Billy is a man of sense and a critic worth
+having, since he had read my works many times before expressing
+his opinion. He asks for no answer, so send my thanks and regards.'
+
+'Here's a lady in England with seven girls, and she wishes to know
+your views upon education. Also what careers they shall follow
+the oldest being twelve. Don't wonder she's worried,' laughed Rob.
+
+'I'll try to answer it. But as I have no girls, my opinion isn't worth
+much and will probably shock her, as I shall tell her to let them run
+and play and build up good, stout bodies before she talks about
+careers. They will soon show what they want, if they are let alone,
+and not all run in the same mould.'
+
+'Here's a fellow who wants to know what sort of a girl he shall
+marry, and if you know of any like those in your stories.'
+
+'Give him Nan's address, and see what he'll get,' proposed Ted,
+privately resolving to do it himself if possible.
+
+'This is from a lady who wants you to adopt her child and lend her
+money to study art abroad for a few years. Better take it, and try
+your hand at a girl, mother.'
+
+'No, thank you, I will keep to my own line of business. What is that
+blotted one? It looks rather awful, to judge by the ink,' asked Mrs
+Jo, who beguiled her daily task by trying to guess from the outside
+what was inside her many letters. This proved to be a poem from
+an insane admirer, to judge by its incoherent style.
+
+
+
+     'TO J.M.B.
+
+'Oh, were I a heliotrope,
+
+I would play poet,
+
+And blow a breeze of fragrance
+
+To you; and none should know it. 'Your form like the stately elm
+
+When Phoebus gilds the morning ray;
+
+Your cheeks like the ocean bed
+
+That blooms a rose in May.
+
+'Your words are wise and bright,
+
+I bequeath them to you a legacy given;
+
+And when your spirit takes its flight,
+
+May it bloom aflower in heaven.
+
+'My tongue in flattering language spoke, And sweeter silence never
+broke
+
+in busiest street or loneliest glen.
+
+I take you with the flashes of my pen.
+
+'Consider the lilies, how they grow;
+
+They toil not, yet are fair,
+
+Gems and flowers and Solomon's seal.
+
+The geranium of the world isj. M. Bhaer.
+
+'JAMES'
+
+
+
+While the boys shouted over this effusion   which is a true one
+their mother read several liberal offers from budding magazines
+for her to edit them gratis; one long letter from a young girl
+inconsolable because her favourite hero died, and 'would dear Mrs
+Bhaer rewrite the tale, and make it end good?' another from an
+irate boy denied an autograph, who darkly foretold financial ruin
+and loss of favour if she did not send him and all other fellows
+who asked autographs, photographs, and auto- biographical
+sketches; a minister wished to know her religion; and an
+undecided maiden asked which of her two lovers she should
+marry. These samples will suffice to show a few of the claims
+made on a busy woman's time, and make my readers pardon Mrs
+Jo if she did not carefully reply to all.
+
+'That job is done. Now I will dust a bit, and then go to my work.
+I'm all behind-hand, and serials can't wait; so deny me to
+everybody, Mary. I won't see Queen Victoria if she comes today.'
+And Mrs Bhaer threw down her napkin as if defying all creation.
+
+'I hope the day will go well with thee, my dearest,' answered her
+husband, who had been busy with his own voluminous
+correspondence. 'I will dine at college with Professor Plock, who is
+to visit us today. The Junglings can lunch on Parnassus; so thou
+shalt have a quiet time.' And smoothing the worried lines out of
+her forehead with his good-bye kiss, the excellent man marched
+away, both pockets full of books, an old umbrella in one hand, and
+a bag of stones for the geology class in the other.
+
+'If all literary women had such thoughtful angels for husbands,
+they would live longer and write more. Perhaps that wouldn't be a
+blessing to the world though, as most of us write too much now,'
+said Mrs Jo, waving her feather duster to her spouse, who
+responded with flourishes of the umbrella as he went down the
+avenue.
+
+Rob started for school at the same time, looking so much like him
+with his books and bag and square shoulders and steady air that his
+mother laughed as she turned away, saying heartily: 'Bless both my
+dear professors, for better creatures never lived!'
+
+Emil was already gone to his ship in the city; but Ted lingered to
+steal the address he wanted, ravage the sugar-bowl, and talk with
+'Mum'; for the two had great larks together. Mrs Jo always
+arranged her own parlour, refilled her vases, and gave the little
+touches that left it cool and neat for the day. Going to draw down
+the curtain, she beheld an artist sketching on the lawn, and groaned
+as she hastily retired to the back window to shake her duster.
+
+At that moment the bell rang and the sound of wheels was heard in
+the road.
+
+'I'll go; Mary lets 'em in'; and Ted smoothed his hair as he made for
+the hall.
+
+'Can't see anyone. Give me a chance to fly upstairs,' whispered Mrs
+Jo, preparing to escape. But before she could do so, a man
+appeared at the door with a card in his hand. Ted met him with a
+stern air, and his mother dodged behind the window-curtains to
+bide her time for escape.
+
+'I am doing a series of articles for the Saturday Tattler, and I called
+to see Mrs Bhaer the first of all,' began the newcomer in the
+insinuating tone of his tribe, while his quick eyes were taking in all
+they could, experience having taught him to make the most of his
+time, as his visits were usually short ones.
+
+'Mrs Bhaer never sees reporters, sir.'
+
+'But a few moments will be all I ask,' said the man, edging his way
+farther in.
+
+'You can't see her, for she is out,' replied Teddy, as a backward
+glance showed him that his unhappy parent had vanished   through
+the window, he supposed, as she sometimes did when hard bested.
+
+'Very sorry. I'll call again. Is this her study? Charming room!' And
+the intruder fell back on the parlour, bound to see something and
+bag a fact if he died in the attempt. 'It is not,' said Teddy, gently
+but firmly backing him down the hall, devoutly hoping that his
+mother had escaped round the corner of the house.
+
+'If you could tell me Mrs Bhaer's age and birthplace, date of
+marriage, and number of children, I should be much obliged,'
+continued the unabashed visitor as he tripped over the door-mat.
+
+'She is about sixty, born in Nova Zembla, married just forty years
+ago today, and has eleven daughters. Anything else, sir?' And Ted's
+sober face was such a funny contrast to his ridiculous reply that the
+reporter owned himself routed, and retired laughing just as a lady
+followed by three beaming girls came up the steps.
+
+'We are all the way from Oshkosh, and couldn't go home without
+seem' dear Aunt Jo. My girls just admire her works, and lot on
+gettin' a sight of her. I know it's early; but we are goin' to see
+Holmes and Longfeller, and the rest of the celebrities, so we ran
+out here fust thing. Mrs Erastus Kingsbury Parmalee, of Oshkosh,
+tell her. We don't mind waitin'; we can took round a spell if she
+ain't ready to see folks yet.'
+
+All this was uttered with such rapidity that Ted could only stand
+gazing at the buxom damsels, who fixed their six blue eyes upon
+him so beseechingly that his native gallantry made it impossible to
+deny them a civil reply at least.
+
+'Mrs Bhaer is not visible today   out just now, I believe; but you
+can see the house and grounds if you like,' he murmured, falling
+back as the four pressed in gazing rapturously about them.
+
+'Oh, thank you! Sweet, pretty place I'm sure! That's where she
+writes, ain't it? Do tell me if that's her picture! Looks just as I
+imagined her!'
+
+With these remarks the ladies paused before a fine engraving of
+the Hon. Mrs Norton, with a pen in her hand and a rapt expression
+of countenance, likewise a diadem and pearl necklace.
+
+Keeping his gravity with an effort, Teddy pointed to a very bad
+portrait of Mrs Jo, which hung behind the door, and afforded her
+much amusement, it was so dismal, in spite of a curious effect of
+light upon the end of the nose and cheeks as red as the chair she
+sat
+
+in.
+
+'This was taken for my mother; but it is not very good,' he said,
+enjoying the struggles of the girls not to look dismayed at the sad
+difference between the real and the ideal. The youngest, aged
+twelve, could not conceal her disappointment, and turned away,
+feeling as so many of us have felt when we discover that our idols
+are very ordinary men and women.
+
+'I thought she'd be about sixteen and have her hair braided in two
+tails down her back. I don't care about seeing her now,' said the
+honest child, walking off to the hall door, leaving her mother to
+apologize, and her sisters to declare that the bad portrait was
+'perfectly lovely, so speaking and poetic, you know, 'specially
+about the brow'.
+
+'Come girls, we must be goin', if we want to get through today.
+You can leave your albums and have them sent when Mrs Bhaer
+has written a sentiment in 'em. We are a thousand times obliged.
+Give our best love to your ma, and tell her we are so sorry not to
+see her.' words her eye fell upon a middle-aged woman in a large
+checked apron, with a handkerchief tied over her head, busily
+dusting an end room which looked like a study.
+
+'One peep at her sanctum since she is out,' cried the enthusiastic
+lady, and swept across the hall with her flock before Teddy could
+warn his mother, whose retreat had been cut off by the artist in
+front, the reporter at the back of the house   for he hadn't gone
+and the ladies in the hall.
+
+'They've got her!' thought Teddy, in comical dismay. 'No use for
+her to play housemaid since they've seen the portrait.'
+
+Mrs Jo did her best, and being a good actress, would have escaped
+if the fatal picture had not betrayed her. Mrs Parmalee paused at
+the desk, and regardless of the meerschaum that lay there, the
+man's slippers close by, and a pile of letters directed to 'Prof.
+
+F. Bhaer', she clasped her hands, exclaiming impressively: 'Girls,
+this is the spot where she wrote those sweet, those moral tales
+which have thrilled us to the soul! Could I   ah, could I take one
+morsel of paper, an old pen, a postage stamp even, as a memento
+of this gifted woman?'
+
+'Yes'm, help yourselves,' replied the maid, moving away with a
+glance at the boy, whose eyes were now full of merriment he could
+not suppress.
+
+The oldest girl saw it, guessed the truth, and a quick look at the
+woman in the apron confirmed her suspicion. Touching her
+mother, she whispered: 'Ma, it's Mrs Bhaer herself. I know it is.'
+
+'No? yes? it is! Well, I do declare, how nice that is!' And hastily
+pursuing the unhappy woman, who was making for the door, Mrs
+Parmalee cried eagerly:
+
+'Don't mind US! I know you're busy, but just let me take your hand
+and then we'll go.'
+
+Giving herself up for lost, Mrs Jo turned and presented her hand
+like a tea-tray, submitting to have it heartily shaken, as the matron
+said, with somewhat alarming hospitality:
+
+'If ever you come to Oshkosh, your feet won't be allowed to touch
+the pavement; for you'll be borne in the arms of the populace, we
+shall be so dreadful glad to see you.'
+
+Mentally resolving never to visit that effusive town, Jo responded
+as cordially as she could; and having written her name in the
+albums, provided each visitor with a memento, and kissed them all
+round, they at last departed, to call on 'Longfeller, Holmes, and the
+rest'   who were all out, it is devoutly to be hoped.
+
+'You villain, why didn't you give me a chance to whip away? Oh,
+my dear, what fibs you told that man! I hope we shall be forgiven
+our sins in this line, but I don't know what is to become of us if we
+don't dodge. So many against one isn't fair play.' And Mrs Jo hung
+up her apron in the hall closet, with a groan at the trials of her lot.
+
+'More people coming up the avenue! Better dodge while the coast
+is clear! I'll head them off!' cried Teddy, looking back from the
+steps, as he was departing to school.
+
+Mrs Jo flew upstairs, and having locked her door, calmly viewed a
+young ladies' seminary camp on the lawn, and being denied the
+house, proceed to enjoy themselves by picking the flowers, doing
+up their hair, eating lunch, and freely expressing their opinion of
+the place and its possessors before they went.
+
+A few hours of quiet followed, and she was just settling down to a
+long afternoon of hard work, when Rob came home to tell her that
+the Young Men's Christian Union would visit the college, and two
+or three of the fellows whom she knew wanted to pay their
+respects to her on the way.
+
+'It is going to rain, so they won't come, I dare say; but father
+thought you'd like to be ready, in case they do call. You always see
+the boys, you know, though you harden your heart to the poor
+girls,' said Rob, who had heard from his brother about the morning
+visitations.
+
+'Boys don't gush, so I can stand it. The last time I let in a party of
+girls one fell into my arms and said, "Darling, love me!" I wanted
+to shake her,' answered Mrs Jo, wiping her pen with energy.
+
+'You may be sure the fellows won't do it, but they will want
+autographs, so you'd better be prepared with a few dozen,' said
+Rob, laying out a quire of notepaper, being a hospitable youth and
+sympathizing with those who admired his mother.
+
+'They can't outdo the girls. At X College I really believe I wrote
+three hundred during the day I was there, and I left a pile of cards
+and albums on my table when I came away. It is one of the most
+absurd and tiresome manias that ever afflicted the world.'
+
+Nevertheless Mrs Jo wrote her name a dozen times, put on her
+black silk, and resigned herself to the impending call, praying for
+rain, however, as she returned to her work.
+
+The shower came, and feeling quite secure, she rumpled up her
+hair, took off her cuffs, and hurried to finish her chapter; for thirty
+pages a day was her task, and she liked to have it well done before
+evening. Josie had brought some flowers for the vases, and was
+just putting the last touches when she saw several umbrellas
+bobbing down the hill.
+
+'They are coming, Aunty! I see uncle hurrying across the field to
+receive them,' she called at the stair-foot.
+
+'Keep an eye on them, and let me know when they enter the
+avenue. It will take but a minute to tidy up and run down,'
+answered Mrs Jo, scribbling away for dear life, because serials
+wait for no man, not even the whole Christian Union en masse.
+
+'There are more than two or three. I see half a dozen at least,'
+called sister Ann from the hall door. 'No! a dozen, I do believe;
+Aunty, look out; they are all coming! What shall we do?' And Josie
+quailed at the idea of facing the black throng rapidly approaching.
+
+'Mercy on us, there are hundreds! Run and put a tub in the back
+entry for their umbrellas to drip into. Tell them to go down the hall
+and leave them, and pile their hats on the table; the tree won't hold
+them all. No use to get mats; my poor carpets!' And down went
+Mrs Jo to prepare for the invasion, while Josie and the maids flew
+about dismayed at the prospect of so many muddy boots.
+
+On they came, a long line of umbrellas, with splashed legs and
+flushed faces underneath; for the gentlemen had been having a
+good time all over the town, undisturbed by the rain. Professor
+Bhaer met them at the gate, and was making a little speech of
+welcome, when Mrs Jo, touched by their bedraggled state,
+appeared at the door, beckoning them in. Leaving their host to
+orate bareheaded in the wet, the young men hastened up the steps,
+merry, warm, and eager, clutching off their hats as they came, and
+struggling with their umbrellas, as the order was passed to march
+in and stack arms.
+
+Tramp, tramp, tramp, down the hall went seventy-five pairs of
+boots; soon seventy-five umbrellas dripped sociably in the
+hospitable tub, while their owners swarmed all over the lower part
+of the house; and seventy-five hearty hands were shaken by the
+hostess without a murmur, though some were wet, some very
+warm, and nearly all bore trophies of the day's ramble. One
+impetuous party flourished a small turtle as he made his
+compliments; another had a load of sticks cut from noted spots;
+and all begged for some memento of Plumfield. A pile of cards
+mysteriously appeared on the table, with a written request for
+autographs; and despite her morning vow, Mrs Jo wrote everyone,
+while her husband and boys did the honours of the house.
+
+Josie fled to the back parlour, but was discovered by exploring
+youths, and mortally insulted by one of them, who innocently
+inquired if she was Mrs Bhaer. The reception did not last long, and
+the end was better than the beginning; for the rain ceased, and a
+rainbow shone beautifully over them as the good fellows stood
+upon the lawn singing sweetly for a farewell. A happy omen, that
+bow of promise arched over the young heads, as if Heaven smiled
+upon their union, and showed them that above the muddy earth
+and rainy skies the blessed sun still shone for all. Three cheers, and
+then away they went, leaving a pleasant recollection of their visit
+to amuse the family as they scraped the mud off the carpets with
+shovels and emptied the tub half-full of water.
+
+'Nice, honest, hard-working fellows, and I don't begrudge my
+half-hour at all; but I must finish, so don't let anyone disturb me till
+tea-time,' said Mrs Jo, leaving Mary to shut up the house; for papa
+and the boys had gone off with the guests, and Josie had run home
+to tell her mother about the fun at Aunt Jo's.
+
+Peace reigned for an hour, then the bell rang and Mary came
+giggling up to say: 'A queer kind of a lady wants to know if she can
+catch a grasshopper in the garden.'
+
+'A what?' cried Mrs Jo, dropping her pen with a blot; for of all the
+odd requests ever made, this was the oddest.
+
+'A grasshopper, ma'am. I said you was busy, and asked what she
+wanted, and says she: "I've got grasshoppers from the grounds of
+several famous folks, and I want one from Plumfield to add to my
+collection." Did you ever?' And Mary giggled again at the idea.
+
+'Tell her to take all there are and welcome. I shall be glad to get rid
+of them; always bouncing in my face and getting in my dress,'
+laughed Mrs Jo.
+
+Mary retired, to return in a moment nearly speechless with
+merriment.
+
+'She's much obliged, ma'am, and she'd like an old gown or a pair of
+stockings of yours to put in a rug she's making. Got a vest of
+Emerson's, she says, and a
+
+piir of MF S!~i~s trousers, anJ a dress of Mrs Stowe's. She must be
+crazy!'
+
+'Give her that old red shawl, then I shall make a gay show among
+the great ones in that astonishing rug. Yes, they are all lunatics,
+these lion-hunters; but this seems to be a harmless maniac, for she
+doesn't take my time, and gives me a good laugh,' said Mrs Jo,
+returning to her work after a glance from the window, which
+showed her a tall, thin lady in rusty black, skipping wildly to and
+fro on the lawn in pursuit of the lively insect she wanted.
+
+No more interruptions till the light began to fade, then Mary
+popped her head in to say a gentleman wished to see Mrs Bhaer,
+and wouldn't take no for an answer.
+
+'He must. I shall not go down. This has been an awful day, and I
+won't be disturbed again,' replied the harassed authoress, pausing
+in the midst of the grand finale of her chapter.
+
+'I told him so, ma'am; but he walked right in as bold as brass. I
+guess he's another crazy one, and I declare I'm 'most afraid of him,
+he's so big and black, and cool as cucumbers, though I will say he's
+good-looking,' added Mary, with a simper; for the stranger had
+evidently found favour in her sight despite his boldness.
+
+'My day has been ruined, and I will have this last half-hour to
+finish. Tell him to go away; I won't go down,' cried Mrs Jo,
+fiercely.
+
+Mary went; and listening, in spite of herself, her mistress heard
+first a murmur of voices, then a cry from Mary, and remembering
+the ways of reporters, also that her maid was both pretty and timid,
+Mrs Bhaer flung down her pen and went to the rescue. Descending
+with her most majestic air she demanded in an awe-inspiring
+voice, as she paused to survey the somewhat brigandish intruder,
+who seemed to be storming the staircase which Mary was gallantly
+defending:
+
+'Who is this person who insists on remaining when I have declined
+to see him?'
+
+'I'm sure I don't know, ma'am. He won't give no name, and says
+you'll be sorry if you don't see him,' answered Mary, retiring
+flushed and indignant from her post.
+
+'Won't you be sorry?' asked the stranger, looking up with a pair of
+black eyes full of laughter, the flash of white teeth through a long
+beard, and both hands out as he boldly approached the irate lady.
+
+Mrs Jo gave one keen look, for the voice was familiar; then
+completed Mary's bewilderment by throwing both arms round the
+brigand's neck, exclaiming joyfully: 'My dearest boy, where did
+you come from?'
+
+'California, on purpose to see you, Mother Bhaer. Now won't you
+be sorry if I go away?' answered Dan, with a hearty kiss.
+
+'To think of my ordering you out of the house when I've been
+longing to see you for a year,' laughed Mrs Jo, and she went down
+to have a good talk with her returned wanderer, who enjoyed the
+joke immensely.
+
+Chapter 4 DAN
+
+Mrs Jo often thought that Dan had Indian blood in him, not only
+because of his love of a wild, wandering life, but his appearance;
+for as he grew up, this became more striking. At twenty-five he
+was very tall, with sinewy limbs, a keen, dark face, and the alert
+look of one whose senses were all alive; rough in manner, full of
+energy, quick with word and blow, eyes full of the old fire, always
+watchful as if used to keep guard, and a general air of vigour and
+freshness very charming to those who knew the dangers and
+delights of his adventurous life. He was looking his best as he sat
+talking with 'Mother Bhaer', one strong brown hand in hers, and a
+world of affection in his voice as he said:
+
+'Forget old friends! How could I forget the only home I ever knew?
+Why, I was in such a hurry to come and tell my good luck that I
+didn't stop to fix up, you see; though I knew you'd think I looked
+more like a wild buffalo than ever,' with a shake of his shaggy
+black head, a tug at his beard, and a laugh that made the room ring.
+
+'I like it; I always had a fancy for banditti   and you look just like
+one. Mary, being a newcomer, was frightened at your looks and
+manners. Josie won't know you, but Ted will recognize his Danny
+in spite of the big beard and flowing mane. They will all be here
+soon to welcome you; so before they come tell me more about
+yourself. Why, Dan, dear! it's nearly two years since you were
+here! Has it gone well with you?' asked Mrs Jo, who had been
+listening with maternal interest to his account of life in California,
+and the unexpected success of a small investment he had made.
+
+'First-rate! I don't care for the money, you know. I only want a
+trifle to pay my way   rather earn as I go, and not be bothered with
+the care of a lot. It's the fun of the thing coming to me, and my
+being able to give away, that I like. No use to lay up; I shan't live
+to be old and need it my sort never do,' said Dan, looking as if his
+little fortune rather oppressed him.
+
+'But if you marry and settle somewhere, as I hope you will, you
+must have something to begin with, my son. So be prudent and
+invest your money; don't give it away, for rainy days come to all of
+us, and dependence would be very hard for you to bear,' answered
+Mrs Jo with a sage air, though she liked to see that the
+money-making fever had not seized her lucky boy yet.
+
+Dan shook his head, and glanced about the room as if he already
+found it rather confined and longed for all out-of-doors again.
+
+'Who would marry a jack-o'-lantern like me? Women like a
+steady-going man; I shall never be that.'
+
+'My dear boy, when I was a girl I liked just such adventurous
+fellows as you are. Anything fresh and daring, free and romantic, is
+always attractive to us womenfolk. Don't be discouraged; you'll
+find an anchor some day, and be content to take shorter voyages
+and bring home a good cargo.'
+
+ DAN 61
+
+
+
+'What should you say if I brought you an Indian squaw some day?'
+asked Dan, with a glimmer of mischief in the eyes that rested on a
+marble bust of Galatea gleaming white and lovely in the corner.
+
+'Welcome her heartily, if she was a good one. Is there a prospect of
+it?' and Mrs Jo peered at him with the interest which even literary
+ladies take in love affairs.
+
+'Not at present, thank you. I'm too busy "to gallivant", as Ted calls
+it. How is the boy?' asked Dan, skilfully turning the conversation,
+as if he had had enough of sentiment.
+
+Mrs Jo was off at once, and expatiated upon the talents and virtues
+of her sons till they came bursting in and fell upon Dan like two
+affectionate young bears, finding a vent for their joyful emotions
+in a sort of friendly wrestling-match; in which both got worsted, of
+course, for the hunter soon settled them. The Professor followed,
+and tongues went like mill-clappers while Mary lighted up and
+cook devoted herself to an unusually good supper, instinctively
+divining that this guest was a welcome one.
+
+After tea Dan was walking up and down the long rooms as he
+talked, with occasional trips into the hall for a fresher breath of air,
+his lungs seeming to need more than those of civilized people. In
+one of these trips he saw a white figure framed in the dark
+doorway, and paused to look at it. Bess paused also, not
+recognizing her old friend, and quite unconscious of the pretty
+picture she made standing, tall and slender, against the soft gloom
+of the summer night, with her golden hair like a halo round her
+head, and the ends of a white shawl blown out like wings by the
+cool wind sweeping through the hail. 'Is it Dan?' she asked, coming
+in with a gracious smile and outstretched hand.
+
+'Looks like it; but I didn't know you, Princess. I thought it was a
+spirit,' answered Dan, looking down at her with a curious softness
+and wonder in his face.
+
+'I've grown very much, but two years have changed you entirely';
+and Bess looked up with girlish pleasure at the picturesque figure
+before her   for it was a
+
+decideci contrast to the well~dressed people about
+
+her.
+
+Before they could say more, Josie rushed in, and, forgetfull of the
+newly acquired dignity of her teens, let Dan catch her up and kiss
+her like a child. Not till he set her down did he discover she also
+was changed, and exclaimed in comic dismay:
+
+'Hallo! Why, you are growing up too! What am I going   to do, with
+no young one to play with? Here's Ted going it like a beanstalk,
+and Bess a young lady, and even you, my mustard-seed, letting
+down your frocks and putting on airs.'
+
+The girls laughed, and Josie blushed as she stared at the tall man,
+conscious that she had leaped before she looked. They made a
+pretty contrast, these two young cousins   one as fair as a lily, the
+other a little wild rose. And Dan gave a nod of satisfaction as he
+surveyed them; for he had seen many bonny girls in his travels, and
+was glad that these old friends were blooming so beautifully.
+
+'Here! we can't allow any monopoly of Dan!' called Mrs Jo. 'Bring
+him back and keep an eye on him, or he will be slipping off for
+another little run of a year or two before we have half seen him.'
+
+Led by these agreeable captors, Dan returned to the
+
+ DAN 63
+
+
+
+parlour to receive a scolding from Josie for getting ahead of all the
+other boys and looking like a man first.
+
+'Emil is older; but he's only a boy, and dances jigs and sings sailor
+songs just as he used to. You look about thirty, and as big and
+black as a villain in a play. Oh, I've got a splendid idea! You are
+just the thing for Arbaces in The Last Days of Pompeii. We want
+to act it; have the lion and the gladiators and the eruption. Tom
+and Ted are going to shower bushels of ashes down and roll barrels
+of stones about. We wanted a dark man for the Egyptian; and you
+will be gorgeous in red and white shawls. Won't he, Aunt Jo?'
+
+This deluge of words made Dan clap his hands over his ears; and
+before Mrs Bhaer could answer her impetuous niece the
+Laurences, with Meg and her family, arrived, soon followed by
+Tom and Nan, and all sat down to listen to Dan's adventures   told
+in brief yet effective manner, as the varying expressions of interest,
+wonder, merriment, and suspense painted on the circle of faces
+round him plainly showed. The boys all wanted to start at once for
+California and make fortunes; the girls could hardly wait for the
+curious and pretty things he had picked up for them in his travels;
+while the elders rejoiced heartily over the energy and good
+prospects of their wild boy.
+
+'Of course you will want to go back for another stroke of luck; and
+I hope you will have it. But speculation is a dangerous game, and
+you may lose all you've won,' said Mr Laurie, who had enjoyed the
+stirring tale as much as any of the boys, and would have liked to
+rough it with Dan as well as they.
+
+'I've had enough of it, for a while at least; too much like gambling.
+The excitement is all I care for, and it isn't good for me. I have a
+notion to try farming out West. It's grand on a large scale; and I
+feel as if steady work would be rather jolly after loafing round so
+long. I can make a beginning, and you can send me your black
+sheep to stock my place with. I tried sheep-farming in Australia,
+and know something about black ones, any way.'
+
+A laugh chased away the sober look in Dan's face as he ended; and
+those who knew him best guessed that he had learned a lesson
+there in San Francisco, and dared not try again.
+
+'That is a capital idea, Dan!' cried Mrs Jo, seeing great hope in this
+desire to fix himself somewhere and help others. 'We shall know
+where you are, and can go and see you, and not have half the world
+between us. I'll send my Ted for a visit. He's such a restless spirit,
+it would do him good. With you he would be safe while he worked
+off his surplus energies and learned a wholesome business.'
+
+'I'll use the "shubble and de hoe" like a good one, if I get a chance
+out there; but the Speranza mines sound rather jollier,' said Ted,
+examining the samples of ore Dan had brought for the Professor.
+
+'You go and start a new town, and when we are ready to swarm we
+will come out and settle there. You will want a newspaper very
+soon, and I like the idea of running one myself much better than
+grinding away as I do now,' observed Demi, panting to distinguish
+himself in the journalistic line.
+
+'We could easily plant a new college there. These sturdy
+Westerners are hungry for learning, and very quick to see and
+choose the best,' added ever-young Mr March, beholding with his
+prophetic eye many duplicates of their own flourishing
+establishment springing up in the wide West.
+
+'Go on, Dan. It is a fine plan, and we will back you up. I shouldn't
+mind investing in a few prairies and cowboys myself,' said Mr
+Laurie, always ready to help the lads to help themselves, both by
+his cheery words and ever-open purse.
+
+'A little money sort of ballasts a fellow, and investing it in land
+anchors him   for a while, at least. I'd like to see what I can do, but
+I thought I'd consult you before I decided. Have my doubts about it
+suiting me for many years; but I can cut loose when I'm tired,'
+answered Dan, both touched and pleased at the eager interest of
+these friends in his plans.
+
+'I know you won't like it. After having the whole world to roam
+over, one farm will seem dreadfully small and stupid,' said Josie,
+who much preferred the romance of the wandering life which
+brought her thrilling tales and pretty things at each return.
+
+'Is there any art out there?' asked Bess, thinking what a good study
+in black and white Dan would make as he stood talking, half
+turned from the light.
+
+'Plenty of nature, dear; and that is better. You will find splendid
+animals to model, and scenery such as you never saw in Europe to
+paint. Even prosaic pumpkins are grand out there. You can play
+Cinderella in one of them, Josie, when you open your theatre in
+Dansville,' said Mr Laurie, anxious that no cold water should be
+thrown on the new plan.
+
+Stage-struck Josie was caught at once, and being promised all the
+tragic parts on the yet unbuilt stage, she felt a deep interest in the
+project and begged Dan to lose no time in beginning his
+experiment. Bess also confessed that studies from nature would be
+good for her, and wild scenery improve her taste, which might
+grow over-nice if only the delicate and beautiful were set before
+her.
+
+'I speak for the practice of the new town,' said Nan, always eager
+for fresh enterprises. 'I shall be ready by the time you get well
+started   towns grow so fast out there.'
+
+'Dan isn't going to allow any woman under forty in his place. He
+doesn't like them, 'specially young and pretty ones, put in Tom,
+who was raging with jealousy, because he read admiration for Nan
+in Dan's eyes.
+
+'That won't affect me, because doctors are exceptions to all rules.
+There won't be much sickness in Dansville, everyone will lead
+such active, wholesome lives, and only energetic young people
+will go there. But accidents will be frequent, owing to wild cattle,
+fast riding, Indian scrimmages, and the recklessness of Western
+life. That will just suit me. I long for broken bones, surgery is so
+interesting and I get so little here,' answered Nan, yearning to put
+out her shingle and begin.
+
+'I'll have you, Doctor, and be glad of such a good sample of what
+we can do in the East. Peg away, and I'll send for you as soon as I
+have a roof to cover you. I'll scalp a few red fellows or smash up a
+dozen or so of cowboys for your special benefit,' laughed Dan,
+well pleased with the energy and fine physique which made Nan a
+conspicuous figure among other girls.
+
+'Thanks. I'll come. Would you just let me feel your arm? Splendid
+biceps! Now, boys, see here: this is what I call muscle.' And Nan
+delivered a short lecture with Dan's sinewy arm to illustrate it.
+Tom retired to the alcove and glowered at the stars, while he
+swung his own right arm with a vigour suggestive of knocking
+someone down.
+
+'Make Tom sexton; he'll enjoy burying the patients Nan kills. He's
+trying to get up the glum expression proper to the business. Don't
+forget him, Dan,' said Ted, directing attention to the blighted being
+in the corner.
+
+But Tom never sulked long, and came out from his brief eclipse
+with the cheerful proposition:
+
+'Look here, we'll get the city to ship out to Dansville all the cases
+of yellow fever, smallpox, and cholera that arrive; then Nan will
+be happy and her mistakes won't matter much with emigrants and
+convicts.'
+
+'I should advise settling near Jacksonville, or some such city, that
+you might enjoy the society of cultivated persons. The Plato Club
+is there, and a most ardent thirst for philosophy. Everything from
+the East is welcomed hospitably, and new enterprises would
+flourish in such kindly soil,' observed Mr March, mildly offering a
+suggestion, as he sat among the elders enjoying the lively scene.
+
+The idea of Dan studying Plato was very funny; but no one except
+naughty Ted smiled, and Dan made haste to unfold another plan
+seething in that active brain of his.
+
+'I'm not sure the farming will succeed, and have a strong leaning
+towards my old friends the Montana Indians. They are a peaceful
+tribe, and need help awfully; hundreds have died of starvation
+because they don't get their share. The Sioux are fighters, thirty
+thousand strong, so Government fears 'em, and gives 'em all they
+want. I call that a damned shame!' Dan stopped short as the oath
+slipped out, but his eyes flashed, and he went on quickly: 'It is just
+that, and I won't beg pardon. If I'd had any money when I was there
+I'd have given every cent to those poor devils, cheated out of
+everything, and waiting patiently, after being driven from their
+own land to places where nothing will grow. Now, honest agents
+could do much, and I've a feeling that I ought to go and lend a
+hand. I know their lingo, and I like 'em. I've got a few thousands,
+and I ain't sure I have any right to spend it on myself and settle
+down to enjoy it. Hey?'
+
+Dan looked very manly and earnest as he faced his friends, flushed
+and excited by the energy of his words; and all felt that little thrill
+of sympathy which links hearts together by the tie of pity for the
+wronged.
+
+'Do it, do it!' cried Mrs Jo, fired at once; for misfortune was much
+more interesting to her than good luck.
+
+'Do it, do it!' echoed Ted, applauding as if at a play, 'and take me
+along to help. I'm just raging to get among those fine fellows and
+hunt.'
+
+'Let us hear more and see if it is wise,' said Mr Laurie, privately
+resolving to people his as yet unbought prairies with Montana
+Indians, and increase his donations to the society that sent
+missionaries to this much wronged people.
+
+Dan plunged at once into the history of what he saw among the
+Dakotas, and other tribes in the Northwest, telling of their wrongs,
+patience, and courage as if they were his brothers.
+
+'They called me Dan Fire Cloud, because my rifle was the best
+they ever saw. And Black Hawk was as good a friend as a fellow
+would want; saved my life more than once, and taught me just
+what will be useful if I go back. They are down on their luck, now,
+and I'd like to pay my debts.'
+
+By this time everyone was interested, and Dansville began to lose
+its charm. But prudent Mr Bhaer suggested that one honest agent
+among many could not do much, and noble as the effort would be,
+it was wiser to think over the matter carefully, get influence and
+authority from the right quarters, and meantime look at lands
+before deciding.
+
+'Well, I will. I'm going to take a run to Kansas and see how that
+promises. Met a fellow in 'Frisco who'd been there, and he spoke
+well of it. The fact is, there's so much to be done every where that I
+don't know where to catch on, and half wish I hadn't any money,'
+answered Dan, knitting his brows in the perplexity all kind souls
+feel when anxious to help at the great task of the world's charity.
+
+'I'll keep it for you till you decide. You are such an impetuous lad
+you'll give it to the first beggar that gets hold of you. I'll turn it
+over while you are prospecting, and hand it back when you are
+ready to invest, shall I?' asked Mr Laurie, who had learned wisdom
+since the days of his own extravagant youth.
+
+'Thanky, sir, I'd be glad to get rid of it. You just hold on till I say
+the word; and if anything happens to me this time, keep it to help
+some other scamp as you helped me. This is my will, and you all
+witness it. Now I feel better.' And Dan squared his shoulders as if
+relieved of a burden, after handing over the belt in which he
+carried his little fortune.
+
+No one dreamed how much was to happen before Dan came to
+take his money back, nor how nearly that act was his last will and
+testament; and while Mr Laurie was explaining how he would
+invest it, a cheery voice was heard singing:
+
+'Oh, Peggy was a jolly lass,
+
+Ye heave ho, boys, ye heave ho!
+
+She never grudged her Jack a glass,
+
+Ye heave ho, boys, ye heave ho!
+
+And when he sailed the raging main,
+
+She faithful was unto her swain,
+
+Ye heave ho, boys, he yeave ho!'
+
+Emil always announced his arrival in that fashion, and in a
+moment he came hurrying in with Nat, who had been giving
+lessons in town all day. It was good to see the latter beam at his
+friend as he nearly shook his hand off; better still to see how Dan
+gratefully remembered all he owed Nat, and tried to pay the debt
+in his rough way; and best of all to hear the two travellers compare
+notes and reel off yarns to dazzle the land-lubbers and
+home-keepers.
+
+After this addition the house would not contain the gay youngsters,
+so they migrated to the piazza and settled on the steps, like a flock
+of night-loving birds. Mr March and the Professor retired to the
+study, Meg and Amy went to look after the little refection of fruit
+and cake which was to come, and Mrs Jo and Mr Laurie sat in the
+long window listening to the chat that went on outside.
+
+'There they are, the flower of our flock!' she said, pointing to the
+group before them. 'The others are dead or scattered, but these
+seven boys and four girls are my especial comfort and pride.
+Counting Alice Heath, my dozen is made up, and my hands are full
+trying to guide these young lives as far as human skill can do it.'
+
+'When we remember how different they are, from what some of
+them came, and the home influences about others, I think we may
+feel pretty wellsatisfied so far,' answered Mr Laurie soberly, as his
+eyes rested on one bright head among the black and brown ones,
+for the young moon shone alike on all.
+
+'I don't worry about the girls; Meg sees to them, and is so wise and
+patient and tender they can't help doing well; but my boys are more
+care every year, and seem to drift farther away from me each time
+they go,' sighed Mrs Jo. 'They will grow up, and I can only hold
+them by one little thread, which may snap at any time, as it has
+with Jack and Ned. Dolly and George still like to come back, and I
+can say my word to them; and dear old Franz is too true ever to
+forget his own. But the three who are soon going out into the world
+again I can't help worrying about. Emil's good heart will keep him
+straight, I hope, and   A sweet little cherub sits up aloft,
+
+To look out for the life of poor Jack.
+
+Nat is to make his first flight, and he's weak in spite of your
+strengthening influence; and Dan is still untamed. I fear it will take
+some hard lesson to do that.'
+
+'He's a fine fellow, Jo, and I almost regret this farming project. A
+little polish would make a gentleman of him, and who knows what
+he might become here among us,' answered Mr Laurie, leaning
+over Mrs Bhaer's chair, just as he used to do years ago when they
+had mischievous secrets together. 'It wouldn't be safe, Teddy.
+Work and the free life he loves will make a good man of him, and
+that is better than any amount of polish, with the dangers an easy
+life in a city would bring him. We can't change his nature   only
+help it to develop in the right direction. The old impulses are there,
+and must be controlled, or he will go wrong. I see that; but his love
+for us is a safeguard, and we must keep a hold on him till he is
+older or has a stronger tie to help him.'
+
+Mrs Jo spoke earnestly, for, knowing Dan better than anyone else,
+she saw that her colt was not thoroughly broken yet, and feared
+while she hoped, knowing that life would always be hard for one
+like him. She was sure that before he went away again, in some
+quiet moment he would give her a glimpse of his inner self, and
+then she could say the word of warning or encouragement that he
+needed. So she bided her time, studying him meanwhile, glad to
+see all that was promising, and quick to detect the harm the world
+was doing him. She was very anxious to make a success of her
+'firebrand' because others predicted failure; but having learned that
+people cannot be moulded like clay, she contented herself with the
+hope that this neglected boy might become a good man, and asked
+no more. Even that was much to expect, so full was he of wayward
+impulses, strong passions, and the lawless nature born in him.
+Nothing held him but the one affection of his life   the memory of
+Plumfield, the fear of disappointing these faithful friends, the
+pride, stronger than principle, that made him want to keep the
+regard of the mates who always had admired and loved him in
+spite of all his faults.
+
+'Don't fret, old dear; Emil is one of the happy-go- lucky sort who
+always fall on their legs. I'll see to Nat, and Dan is in a good way
+now. Let him take a look at Kansas, and if the farm plan loses its
+charm, he can fall back on poor Lo, and really do good out there.
+He's unusually fitted for that peculiar task and I hope he'll decide
+to do it. Fighting oppressors, and befriending the oppressed will
+keep those dangerous energies of his busy, and the life will suit
+him better than sheep-folds and wheat-fields.'
+
+'I hope so. What is that?' and Mrs Jo leaned forward to listen, as
+exclamations from Ted and Josie caught her ear.
+
+'A mustang! a real, live one; and we can ride it. Dan, you are a
+first-class trump!' cried the boy.
+
+'A whole Indian dress for me! Now I can play Namioka, if the boys
+act Metamora,' added Josie, clapping her hands.
+
+'A buffalo's head for Bess! Good gracious, Dan, why did you bring
+such a horrid thing as that to her?' asked Nan.
+
+'Thought it would do her good to model something strong and
+natural. She'll never amount to anything if she keeps on making
+namby-pamby gods and pet kittens,' answered irreverent Dan,
+remembering that when he was last here Bess was vibrating
+distractedly between a head of Apollo and her Persian cat as
+models.
+
+'Thank you; I'll try it, and if I fail we can put the buffalo up in the
+hail to remind us of you,' said Bess, indignant at the insult offered
+the gods of her idolatry, but too well bred to show it except in her
+voice, which was as sweet and as cold as ice-cream.
+
+'I suppose you won't come out to see our new settlement when the
+rest do? Too rough for you?' asked Dan, trying to assume the
+deferential air all the boys used when addressing their Princess.
+
+'I am going to Rome to study for years. All the beauty and art of
+the world is there, and a lifetime isn't long enough to enjoy it,'
+answered Bess.
+
+'Rome is a mouldy old tomb compared to the "Garden of the gods"
+and my magnificent Rockies. I don't care a hang for art; nature is
+as much as I can stand, and I guess I could show you things that
+would knock your old masters higher than kites. Better come, and
+while Josie rides the horses you can model 'em. If a drove of a
+hundred or so of wild ones can't show you beauty, I'll give up,'
+cried Dan, waxing enthusiastic over the wild grace and vigour
+which he could enjoy but had rio power to describe.
+
+'I'll come some day with papa, and see if they are better than the
+horses of St Mark and those on Capitol Hill. Please don't abuse my
+gods, and I will try to like yours,' said Bess, beginning to think the
+West might be worth seeing, though no Raphael or Angelo had yet
+appeared there.
+
+'That's a bargain! I do think people ought to see their own country
+before they go scooting off to foreign parts, as if the new world
+wasn't worth discovering,' began Dan, ready to bury the hatchet.
+
+'It has some advantages, but not all. The women of England can
+vote, and we can't. I'm ashamed of America that she isn't ahead in
+all good things,' cried Nan, who held advanced views on all
+reforms, and was anxious about her rights, having had to fight for
+some of them.
+
+'Oh, please don't begin on that. People always quar
+
+ DAN 75
+
+
+
+rei over that question, and call names, and never agree. Do let us
+be quiet and happy tonight,' pleaded Daisy, who hated discussion
+as much as Nan loved
+
+it.
+
+'You shall vote as much as you like in our new town, Nan; be
+mayor and aldermen, and run the whole concern. It's going to be as
+free-as air, or I can't live in it,' said Dan, adding, with a laugh, 'I see
+Mrs Giddygaddy and Mrs Shakespeare Smith don't agree any
+better than they used to.'
+
+'If everyone agreed, we should never get on. Daisy is a dear, but
+inclined to be an old fogy; so I stir her up; and next fall she will go
+and vote with me. Demi will escort us to do the one thing we are
+allowed to do as yet.'
+
+'Will you take 'em, Deacon?' asked Dan, using the old name as if
+he liked it. 'It works capitally in Wyoming.'
+
+'I shall be proud to do it. Mother and the aunts go every year, and
+Daisy will come with me. She is my better half still; and I don't
+mean to leave her behind in anything,' said Demi, with an arm
+round his sister of whom he was fonder than ever.
+
+Dan looked at them wistfully, thinking how sweet it must be to
+have such a tie; and his lonely youth seemed sadder than ever as he
+recalled its struggles. A gusty sigh from Tom made sentiment
+impossible, as he said pensively:
+
+'I always wanted to be a twin. It's so sociable and so cosy to have
+someone glad to lean on a fellow and comfort him, if other girls
+are cruel.'
+
+As Tom's unrequited passion was the standing joke of the family,
+this allusion produced a laugh, which Nan increased by whipping
+out a bottle of Nux, saying, with her professional air:
+
+'I knew you ate too much lobster for tea. Take four pellets, and
+your dyspepsia will be all right. Tom always sighs and is silly
+when he's overeaten.'
+
+'I'll take 'em. These are the only sweet things you ever give me.'
+And Tom gloomily crunched his dose.
+
+'"Who can minister to a mind diseased, or pluck out a rooted
+sorrow?" quoted Josie tragically from her perch on the railing.
+
+'Come with me, Tommy, and I'll make a man of you. Drop your
+pills and powders, and cavort round the world a spell, and you'll
+soon forget you've got a heart, or a stomach either,' said Dan,
+offering his one panacea for all ills.
+
+'Ship with me, Tom. A good fit of seasickness will set you up, and
+a stiff north-easter blow your blue-devils away. Come along as
+surgeon   easy berth, and no end of larks.'
+
+'And if your Nancy frowns, my lad,
+
+And scorns a jacket blue,
+
+Just hoist your sails for other ports,
+
+And find a maid more true.'   added Emil, who had a fragment of
+song to cheer
+
+every care and sorrow, and freely offered them to his friends.
+
+'Perhaps I'll think of it when I've got my diploma. I'm not going to
+grind three mortal years and have nothing to show for it. Till then  '
+
+'I'll never desert Mrs Micawber,' interrupted Teddy, with a gurgling
+sob. Tom immediately rolled him off the step into the wet grass
+below; and by the time this slight skirmish was over, the jingle of
+teaspoons suggested refreshments of a more agreeable sort. In
+former times the little girls waited on the boys, to save confusion;
+now the young men flew to serve the ladies, young and old; and
+that slight fact showed plainly how the tables were turned by time.
+And what a pleasant arrangement it was! Even Josie sat still, and
+let Emil bring her berries; enjoying her young lady-hood, till Ted
+stole her cake, when she forgot manners, and chastised him with a
+rap on the knuckles. As guest of honour, Dan was only allowed to
+wait on Bess, who still held the highest place in this small world.
+Tom carefully selected the best of everything for Nan, to be
+crushed by the remark:
+
+'I never eat at this hour; and you will have a nightmare if you do.'
+
+So, dutifully curbing the pangs of hunger, he gave the plate to
+Daisy, and chewed rose-leaves for his supper.
+
+When a surprising quantity of wholesome nourishment had been
+consumed, someone said, 'Let's sing!' and a tuneful hour followed.
+Nat fiddled, Demi piped, Dan strummed the old banjo, and Emil
+warbled a doleful ballad about the wreck of the Bounding Betsey;
+then everybody joined in the old songs till there was very
+decidedly 'music in the air'; and passers-by said, as they listened
+smiling: 'Old Plum is gay tonight!'
+
+When all had gone Dan lingered on the piazza, enjoying the balmy
+wind that blew up from the hayfields, and brought the breath of
+flowers from Parnas
+
+ 78 JO'S BOYS
+
+
+
+sus; and as he leaned there romantically in the moonlight, Mrs Jo
+came to shut the door.
+
+'Dreaming dreams, Dan?' she asked, thinking the tender moment
+might have come. Imagine the shock when, instead of some
+interesting confidence or affectionate word, Dan swung round,
+saying bluntly:
+
+'I was wishing I could smoke.'
+
+Mrs Jo laughed at the downfall of her hopes, and answered kindly:
+
+'You may, in your room; but don't set the house afire.'
+
+Perhaps Dan saw a little disappointment in her face, or the
+memory of the sequel of that boyish frolic touched his heart; for he
+stooped and kissed her, saying in a whisper: 'Good night, mother.'
+And Mrs Jo was half satisfied.
+
+Chapter 5 VACATION
+
+Everyone was glad of a holiday next morning, and all lingered over
+the breakfast-table, till Mrs Jo suddenly exclaimed:
+
+'Why, there's a dog!' And on the threshold of the door appeared a
+great deer-hound, standing motionless, wi' his eyes fixed on Dan.
+
+'Hallo, old boy! Couldn't you wait till I came for you? Have you cut
+away on the sly? Own up now, and take your whipping like a man,'
+said Dan, rising to meet the dog, who reared on his hind legs to
+look his master in the face and bark as if uttering an indignant
+denial of any disobedience.
+
+'All right; Don never lies.' And Dan gave the tall beast a hug,
+adding as he glanced out of the window, where a man and horse
+were seen approaching:
+
+'I left my plunder at the hotel over night, not knowing how I should
+find you. Come out and see Octoo, my mustang; she's a beauty.'
+And Dan was off, with the family streaming after him, to welcome
+the newcomer.
+
+They found her preparing to go up the steps in her eagerness to
+reach her master, to the great dismay of the man, who was holding
+her back.
+
+'Let her come,' called Dan; 'she climbs like a cat and jumps like a
+deer. Well, my girl, do you want a gallop?' he asked, as the pretty
+creature clattered up to him and whinnied with pleasure as he
+rubbed her nose and slapped her glossy flank.
+
+'That's what I call a horse worth having,' said Ted, full of
+admiration and delight; for he was to have the care of her during
+Dan's absence.
+
+'What intelligent eyes! She looks as if she would speak,' said Mrs
+Jo.
+
+'She talks like a human in her way. Very little that she don't know.
+Hey, old Lass?' and Dan laid his cheek to hers as if the little black
+mare was very dear to him.
+
+'What does "Octoo" mean?' asked Rob.
+
+'Lightning; she deserves it, as you'll see. Black Hawk gave her to
+me for my rifle, and we've had high times together out yonder.
+She's saved my life more than once. Do you see that scar?'
+
+Dan pointed to a small one, half hidden by the long mane; and
+standing with his arm about Octoo's neck, he told the story of it.
+
+'Black Hawk and I were after buffalo one time, but didn't find 'em
+as soon as we expected; so our food gave out, and there we were a
+hundred miles from Red Deer River, where our camp was. I
+thought we were done for, but my brave pal says: "Now I'll show
+you how we can live till we find the herds." We were unsaddling
+for the night by a little pond; there wasn't a living creature in sight
+anywhere, not even a bird, and we could see for miles over the
+prairies. What do you think we did?' And Dan looked into the faces
+round him.
+
+'Ate worms like the Australian fellows,' said Rob. 'Boiled grass or
+leaves,' added Mrs Jo.
+
+'Perhaps filled the stomach with clay, as we read of savages doing?'
+suggested Mr Bhaer.
+
+'Killed one of the horses,' cried Ted, eager for bloodshed of some
+sort.
+
+'No; but we bled one of them. See, just here; filled a tin cup, put
+some wild sage leaves in it, with water, and heated it over a fire of
+sticks. It was good, and we slept well.'
+
+'I guess Octoo didn't.' And Josie patted the animal, with a face full
+of sympathy.
+
+'Never minded it a bit. Black Hawk said we could live on the
+horses several days and still travel before they felt it. But by
+another morning we found the buffalo, and I shot the one whose
+head is in my box, ready to hang up and scare brats into fits. He's a
+fierce old fellow, you bet.'
+
+'What is this strap for?' asked Ted, who was busily examining the
+Indian saddle, the single rein and snaffle, with lariat, and round the
+neck the leather band he spoke of.
+
+'We hold on to that when we lie along the horse's flank farthest
+from the enemy, and fire under the neck as we gallop round and
+round. I'll show you.' And springing into the saddle, Dan was off
+down the steps, tearing over the lawn at a great pace, sometimes
+on Octoo's back, sometimes half hidden as he hung by stirrup and
+strap, and sometimes off altogether, running beside her as she
+loped along, enjoying the fun immensely; while Don raced after, in
+a canine rapture at being free again and with his mates.
+
+It was a fine sight   the three wild things at play, so full of vigour,
+grace, and freedom, that for the moment the smooth lawn seemed
+a prairie; and the spectators felt as if this glimpse of another life
+made their own seem rather tame and colourless.
+
+'This is better than a circus!' cried Mrs Jo, wishing she were a girl
+again, that she might take a gallop on this chained lightning of a
+horse. 'I foresee that Nan will have her hands full setting bones, for
+Ted will break every one of his trying to rival Dan.'
+
+'A few falls will not harm, and this new care and pleasure will be
+good for him in all ways. But I fear Dan will never follow a plough
+after riding a Pegasus like that,' answered Mr Bhaer, as the black
+mare leaped the gate and came flying up the avenue, to stop at a
+word and stand quivering with excitement, while Dan swung
+himself off and looked up for applause.
+
+He received plenty of it, and seemed more pleased for his pet's
+sake than for his own. Ted clamoured for a lesson at once, and was
+soon at ease in the queer saddle, finding Octoo gentle as a lamb, as
+he trotted away to show off at college. Bess came hastening down
+the hill, having seen the race from afar; and all collected on the
+piazza while Dan 'yanked' the cover off the big box the express had
+'dumped' before the door   to borrow his own words.
+
+Dan usually travelled in light marching order, and hated to have
+more luggage than he could carry in his well-worn valise. But now
+that he had a little money of his own, he had cumbered himself
+with a collection of trophies won by his bow and spear, and
+brought them home to bestow upon his friends.
+
+'We shall be devoured with moths,' thought Mrs Jo, as the shaggy
+head appeared, followed by a wolf-skin rug for her feet, a
+bear-skin ditto for the Professor's study, and Indian garments
+bedecked with foxes' tails for the boys.
+
+All nice and warm for a July day, but received with delight
+nevertheless. Ted and Josie immediately 'dressed up', learned the
+war-whoop, and proceeded to astonish their friends by a series of
+skirmishes about the house and grounds, with tomahawks and
+bows and arrows, till weariness produced a lull.
+
+Gay birds' wings, plumy pampas grass, strings of wampum, and
+pretty work in beads, bark, and feathers, pleased the girls.
+Minerals, arrow-heads, and crude sketches interested the
+Professor; and when the box was empty, Dan gave Mr Laurie, as
+his gift, several plaintive Indian songs written on birch-bark.
+
+'We only want a tent over us to be quite perfect. I feel as if I ought
+to give you parched corn and dried meat for dinner, my braves.
+Nobody will want lamb and green peas after this splendid
+pow-wow,' said Mrs Jo, surveying the picturesque confusion of the
+long hall, where people lay about on the rugs, all more or less
+bedecked with feathers, moccasins, or beads.
+
+'Moose noses, buffalo tongues, bear steaks, and roasted
+marrow-bones would be the thing, but I don't mind a change; so
+bring on your baa-baa and green meat,' answered Dan from the
+box, where he sat in state like a chief among his tribe, with the
+great hound at his feet.
+
+The girls began to clear up, but made little headway; for
+everything they touched had a story, and all were thrilling,
+comical, or wild; so they found it hard to settle to their work, till
+Dan was carried off by Mr Laurie.
+
+This was the beginning of the summer holiday, and it was curious
+to see what a pleasant little stir Dan's and Emil's coming made in
+the quiet life of the studious community; for they seemed to bring
+a fresh breeze with them that enlivened everyone. Many of the
+collegians remained during vacation; and Plumfield and Parnassus
+did their best to make these days pleasant for them, since most
+came from distant States, were poor, and had few opportunities but
+this for culture or amusement. Emil was hail-fellow-well-met with
+men and maids, and went rollicking about in true sailor fashion;
+but Dan stood rather in awe of the 'fair girl-graduates', and was
+silent when among them, eyeing them as an eagle might a flock of
+doves. He got on better with the young men, and was their hero at
+once. Their admiration for his manly accomplishments did him
+good; because he felt his educational defects keenly, add often
+wondered if he could find anything in books to satisfy him as
+thoroughly as did the lessons he was learning from Nature's
+splendidly illustrated volume. In spite of his silence, the girls
+found out his good qualities, and regarded 'the Spaniard', as they
+named him, with great favour; for his black eyes were more
+eloquent than his tongue, and the kind creatures tried to show their
+friendly interests in many charming ways.
+
+He saw this, and endeavoured to be worthy of it   curbing his free
+speech, toning down his rough manners, and watching the effect of
+all he said and did, anxious to make a good impression. The social
+atmosphere warmed his lonely heart, the culture excited him to do
+his best, and the changes which had taken place during his
+absence, both in himself and others, made the old home seem like
+a new world. After the life in California, it was sweet and restful to
+be here, with these familiar faces round him, helping him to forget
+much that he regretted, and to resolve to deserve more entirely the
+confidence of these good fellows, the respect of these innocent
+girls.
+
+So there was riding, rowing, and picnicking by day, music,
+dancing, and plays by night; and everyone said there had not been
+so gay a vacation for years. Bess kept her promise, and let the dust
+gather on her beloved clay while she went pleasuring with her
+mates or studied music with her father, who rejoiced over the fresh
+roses in her cheeks and the laughter which chased away the
+dreamy look she used to wear. Josie quarrelled less with Ted; for
+Dan had a way of looking at her which quelled her instantly, and
+had almost as good an effect upon her rebellious cousin. But Octoo
+did even more for the lively youth, who found that her charms
+entirely eclipsed those of the bicycle which had been his heart's
+delight before. Early and late he rode this untiring beast, and began
+to gain flesh   to the great joy of his mother, who feared that her
+beanstalk was growing too fast for health.
+
+Demi, finding business dull, solaced his leisure by
+
+rhobo~fhhuhi ~)i1Jtil1~J j~ ~Ull1~ 1II~llC[ III ~1t 011
+
+stand to him, producing some excellent pictures among many
+failures; for he had a pretty taste in grouping, and endless patience.
+He might be said to view the world through the lens of his camera,
+and seemed to enjoy himself very much squinting at his fellow
+beings from under a bit of black cambric. Dan was a treasure to
+him; for he took well, and willingly posed in his Mexican costume,
+with horse and hound, and all wanted copies of these effective
+photographs. Bess, also, was a favourite sitter; and Demi received
+a prize at the Amateur Photographic Exhibition for one of his
+cousin with all her hair about her face, which rose from the cloud
+of white lace draping the shoulders. These were freely handed
+round by the proud artist; and one copy had a tender little history
+yet to be told.
+
+Nat was snatching every minute he could get with Daisy before the
+long parting; and Mrs Meg relented somewhat, feeling sure that
+absence would quite cure this unfortunate fancy. Daisy said little;
+but her gentle face was sad when she was alone, and a few quiet
+tears dropped on the handkerchiefs she marked so daintily with her
+Own hair. She was sure Nat would not forget her; and life looked
+rather forlorn without the dear fellow who had been her friend
+since the days of patty-pans and confidences in the willow-tree.
+She was an old-fashioned daughter, dutiful and docile, with such
+love and reverence for her mother that her will was law; and if
+love was forbidden, friendship must suffice. So she kept her little
+sorrow to herself, smiled cheerfully at Nat, and made his last days
+of home-life very happy with every comfort and pleasure she could
+give, from sensible advice and sweet words to a well-filled
+work-bag for his bachelor establishment and a box of goodies for
+the voyage.
+
+Tom and Nan took all the time they could spare from their studies
+to enjoy high jinks at Plumfield with their old friends; for Emil's
+next voyage was to be a long one, Nat's absence was uncertain, and
+no one ever knew when Dan would turn up again. They all seemed
+to feel that life was beginning to grow serious; and even while they
+enjoyed those lovely summer days together they were conscious
+that they were children no longer, and often in the pauses of their
+fun talked soberly of their plans and hopes, as if anxious to know
+and help one another before they drifted farther apart on their
+different ways.
+
+A few weeks were all they had; then the Brenda was ready, Nat
+was to sail from New York, and Dan went along to see him off; for
+his own plans fermented in his head, and he was eager to be up
+and doing. A farewell dance was given on Parnassus in honour of
+the travellers, and all turned out in their best array and gayest
+spirits. George and Dolly came with the latest Harvard airs and
+graces, radiant to behold, in dresssuits and 'crushed hats', as Josie
+called the especial pride and joy of their boyish souls. Jack and
+Ned sent regrets and best wishes, and no one mourned their
+absence; for they were among what Mrs Jo called her failures.
+Poor Tom got into trouble, as usual, by deluging his head with
+some highly scented preparation in the vain hope of making his
+tight curls lie flat and smooth, as was the style. Unhappily, his
+rebellious crop only kinked the closer, and the odour of many
+barbers' shops clung to him in spite of his frantic efforts to banish
+it. Nan wouldn't allow him near her, and flapped her fan
+vigorously whenever he was in sight; which cut him to the heart,
+and made him feel like the Pen shut out from Paradise. Of course
+his mates jeered at him, and nothing but the unquenchable jollity
+of his nature kept him from despair.
+
+Emil was resplendent in his new uniform, and danced with an
+abandon which only sailors know. His pumps seemed to be
+everywhere, and his partners soon lost breath trying to keep up
+with him; but the girls all declared he steered like an angel, and in
+spite of his pace no collisions took place; so he was happy, and
+found no lack of damsels to ship with him.
+
+Having no dress-suit, Dan had been coaxed to wear his Mexican
+costume, and feeling at ease in the many-buttoned trousers, loose
+jacket, and gay sash, flung his serape over his shoulder with a
+flourish and looked his best, doing great execution with his long
+spurs, as he taught Josie strange steps or rolled his black eyes
+admiringly after certain blonde damsels whom he dared not
+address.
+
+The mammas sat in the alcove, supplying pins, smiles, and kindly
+words to all, especially the awkward youths new to such scenes,
+and the bashful girls conscious of faded muslins and cleaned
+gloves. It was pleasant to see stately Mrs Amy promenade on the
+arm of a tall country boy, with thick boots and a big forehead, or
+Mrs Jo dance like a girl with a shy fellow whose arms went like
+pump-handles, and whose face was scarlet with confusion and
+pride at the honour of treading on the toes of the president's wife.
+Mrs Meg always had room on her sofa for two or three girls, and
+Mr Laurie devoted himself to these plain, poorly dressed damsels
+with a kindly grace that won their hearts and made them happy.
+The good Professor circulated like refreshments, and his cheerful
+face shone on all alike, while Mr March discussed Greek comedy
+in the study with such serious gentlemen as never unbent their
+mighty minds to frivolous joys.
+
+The long music-room, parlour, hall, and piazza were full of
+white-gowned maidens with attendant shadows; the air was full of
+lively voices, and hearts and feet went lightly together as the home
+band played vigor- ously, and the friendly moon did her best to add
+enchantment to the scene.
+
+'Pin me up, Meg; that dear Dunbar boy has nearly rent me "in
+sunder", as Mr Peggotty would say. But didn't he enjoy himself,
+bumping against his fellow men and swinging me round like a
+mop. On these occasions I find that I'm not as young as I was, nor
+as light of foot. In ten years more we shall be meal-bags, sister; so
+be resigned.' And Mrs Jo subsided into a corner, much dishevelled
+by her benevolent exertions.
+
+'I know I shall be stout; but you won't keep still long enough to get
+much flesh on your bones, dear; and Amy will always keep her
+lovely figure. She looks about eighteen tonight, in her white gown
+and roses,' answered Meg, busily pinning up one sister's torn frills,
+while her eyes fondly followed the other's graceful movements; for
+Meg still adored Amy in the old fashion.
+
+It was one of the family jokes that Jo was getting fat, and she kept
+it up, though as yet she had only acquired a matronly outline,
+which was very becoming. They were laughing over the impending
+double chins, when Mr Laurie came off duty for a moment.
+
+'Repairing damages as usual, Jo? You never could take a little
+gentle exercise without returning in rags. Come and have a quiet
+stroll with me and cool off before supper. I've a series of pretty
+tableaux to show you while Meg listens to the raptures of lisping
+Miss Carr, whom I made happy by giving her Demi for a partner.'
+
+As he spoke, Laurie led Jo to the music-room, nearly empty now
+after a dance which sent the young people into garden and hail.
+Pausing before the first of the four long windows that opened on a
+very wide piazza, he pointed to a group outside, saying: 'The name
+of this is "Jack Ashore".'
+
+A pair of long, blue legs, ending in very neat pumps, hung from the
+veranda roof among the vines; and roses, gathered by unseen
+hands, evidently appertaining to aforesaid legs, were being
+dropped into the laps of several girls perched like a flock of white
+birds on the railing below; while a manly voice 'fell like a falling
+star', as it sung this pensive ditty to a most appreciative audience:
+
+     MARY'S DREAM
+
+'The moon had climbed the eastern hill
+
+Which rises o'er the sands of Dee,
+
+And from its highest summit shed
+
+A silver light on tower and tree,
+
+When Mary laid her down to sleep
+
+(Her thoughts on Sandy far at sea);
+
+When soft and low a voice was heard,
+
+Saying, "Mary, weep no more for me."
+
+'She from her pillow gently raised
+
+Her head, to see who there might be,
+
+And saw young Sandy, shivering stand With visage pale and
+hollow e'e.
+
+"Oh Mary dear, cold is my clay;
+
+It lies beneath the stormy sea;
+
+Far,far from thee, I sleep in death.
+
+Dear Mary, weep no more for me.
+
+"Three stormy nights and stormy days We tossed upon the raging
+main. And long we strove our bark to save; But all our striving was
+in vain.
+
+E'en then, when terror chilled my blood, My heart was filled with
+love of thee.
+
+The storm is past, andJ'm at rest;
+
+So, Mary, weep no more for me.
+
+"Oh maiden dear, yourself prepare;
+
+We soon shall meet upon that shore
+
+Where love is free from doubt and care, And you and I shall part
+no more."
+
+Loud crew the cock, the shadow fled;
+
+No more her Sandy did she see;
+
+But soft the passing spirit said,
+
+"Sweet Mary, weep no more for me."
+
+'The constant jollity of that boy is worth a fortune to him. He'll
+never sink with such a buoyant spirit to keep him afloat through
+life,' said Mrs Jo, as the roses were tossed back with much
+applause when the song �rided.
+
+'Not he; and it's a blessing to be grateful for, isn't it? We moody
+people know its worth. Glad you like my first tableau. Come and
+see number two. Hope it isn't spoilt; it was very pretty just now.
+This is "Othello telling his adventures to Desdemona".'
+
+The second window framed a very picturesque group of three. Mr
+March in an arm-chair, with Bess on a cushion at his feet, was
+listening to Dan, who, leaning against a pillar, was talking with
+unusual animation. The old man was in shadow, but little
+Desdemona was looking up with the moonlight full upon her into
+young Othello's face, quite absorbed in the story he was telling so
+well. The gay drapery over Dan's shoul der, his dark colouring, and
+the gesture of his arm made the picture very striking, and both
+spectators enjoyed it with silent pleasure, till Mrs Jo said in a
+quick whisper:
+
+'I'm glad he's going away. He's too picturesque to have here among
+so many romantic girls. Afraid his "grand, gloomy, and peculiar"
+style will be too much for our simple maids.'
+
+'No danger; Dan is in the rough as yet, and always will be, I fancy;
+though he is improving in many ways. How well Queenie looks in
+that soft light!'
+
+'Dear little Goldilocks looks well everywhere.' And
+
+with a backward glance full of pride and fondness, Mrs Jo went
+on. But that scene returned to her long afterward and her own
+prophetic words also.
+
+Number three was a tragical tableau at first sight; and Mr Laurie
+stifled a laugh as he whispered 'The Wounded Knight', pointing to
+Tom with his head enveloped in a large handkerchief, as he knelt
+before Nan, who was extracting a thorn or splinter from the palm
+of his hand with great skill, to judge from the patient's blissful
+expression of countenance.
+
+'Do I hurt you?' she asked, turning the hand to the moonlight for a
+better view.
+
+'Not a bit; dig away; I like it,' answered Tom, regardless of his
+aching knees and the damage done to his best trousers.
+
+'I won't keep you long.'
+
+'Hours, if you please. Never so happy as here.'
+
+Quite unmoved by this tender remark, Nan put on a pair of large,
+round-eyed glasses, saying in a matterof-fact tone: 'Now I see it.
+Only a splinter, and there it 'My hand is bleeding; won't you bind-it
+up?' asked Tom, wishing to prolong the situation.
+
+'Nonsense; suck it. Only take care of it tomorrow if you dissect.
+Don't want any more blood-poisoning.'
+
+'That was the only time you were kind to me. Wish I'd lost my
+arm.'
+
+'I wish you'd lost your head; it smells more like turpentine and
+kerosene than ever. Do take a run in the garden and air it.'
+
+Fearing to betray themselves by laughter, the watchers went on,
+leaving the Knight to rush away in despair, and the Lady to bury
+her nose in the cup of a tall lily for refreshment.
+
+'Poor Tom, his fate is a hard one, and he's wasting his time! Do
+advise him to quit philandering and go to work, Jo.'
+
+'I have, Teddy, often; but it will take some great shock to make
+that boy wise. I wait with interest to see what it will be. Bless me!
+what is all this?'
+
+She might well ask; for on a rustic stool stood Ted trying to pose
+on one foot, with the other extended, and both hands waving in the
+air. Josie, with several young mates, was watching his contortions
+with deep interest as they talked about 'little wings', 'gilded wire
+twisted', and a 'cunning skull-cap'.
+
+'This might be called "Mercury Trying to Fly",' said Mr Laurie, as
+they peeped through the lace curtains.
+
+'Bless the long legs of that boy! how does he expect to manage
+them? They are planning for the Owlsdark Marbles, and a nice
+muddle they will make of my gods and goddesses with no one to
+show them how,' answered Mrs Jo, enjoying this scene immensely.
+'Now, he's got it!' 'That's perfectly splendid!' 'See how long you can
+keep so!' cried the girls, as Ted managed to maintain his
+equilibrium a moment by resting one toe on the trellis.
+Unfortunately this brought all his weight on the other foot; the
+straw seat of the stool gave way, and the flying Mercury came
+down with a crash, amid shrieks of laughter from the girls. Being
+accustomed to ground and lofty tumbling, he quickly recovered
+himself, and hopped gaily about, with one leg through the stool as
+he improvised a classic jig.
+
+'Thanks for four nice little pictures. You have given me an idea,
+and I think some time we will get up regular tableaux of this sort
+and march our company round a set of dissolving views. New and
+striking; I'll propose it to our manager and give you all the glory,'
+said Mrs Jo, as they strolled towards the room whence came the
+clash of glass and china, and glimpses of agitated black coats.
+
+Let us follow the example of our old friends and stroll about
+among the young people, eavesdropping, so gathering up various
+little threads to help in the weaving of the story. George and Dolly
+were at supper, and having served the ladies in their care stood in a
+corner absorbing nourishment of all kinds with a vain attempt to
+conceal hearty appetites under an air of elegant indifference.
+
+'Good spread, this; Laurence does things in style. First-rate coffee,
+but no wine, and that's a mistake,' said Stuffy, who still deserved
+his name, and was a stout youth with a heavy eye and bilious
+complexion.
+
+'Bad for boys, he says. Jove! wish he could see us at some of our
+wines. Don't we just "splice the main- brace" as Emil says,'
+answered Dolly, the dandy, carefully spreading a napkin over the
+glossy expanse of shirt-front whereon a diamond stud shone like a
+lone star. His stutter was nearly outgrown; but he, as well as
+George, spoke in the tone of condescension, which, with the blas�
+airs they assumed, made a very funny contrast to their youthful
+faces and foolish remarks. Good-hearted little fellows both, but
+top-heavy with the pride of being Sophs and the freedom that
+college life gave them.
+
+'Little Jo is getting to be a deuced pretty girl, isn't she?' said
+George, with a long sigh of satisfaction as his first mouthful of ice
+went slowly down his throat.
+
+'H'm   well, fairish. The Princess is rather more to my taste. I like
+'em blonde and queenly and elegant, don't you know.'
+
+'Yes, Jo is too lively; might as well dance with a grasshopper. I've
+tried her, and she's one too many for me. Miss Perry is a nice,
+easy-going girl. Got her for the german.'
+
+'You'll never be a dancing man. Too lazy. Now I'll undertake to
+steer any girl and dance down any fellow you please. Dancing's my
+forte.' And Dolly glanced from his trim feet to his flashing gem
+with the defiant air of a young turkey-cock on parade.
+
+'Miss Grey is looking for you. Wants more grub. Just see if Miss
+Nelson's plate is empty, there's a good fellow. Can't eat ice in a
+hurry.' And George remained in his safe corner, while Dolly
+struggled through the crowd to do his duty, coming back in a fume,
+with a splash of salad dressing on his coat-cuff.
+
+'Confound these country chaps! they go blundering round like so
+many dor-bugs, and make a deuce of a mess. Better stick to books
+and not try to be society men. Can't do it. Beastly stain. Give it a
+rub, and let me bolt a mouthful, I'm starved. Never saw girls eat
+such a lot. It proves that they ought not to study so much. Never
+liked co-ed,' growled Dolly, much ruffled in spirit.
+
+'So they do. 'Tisn't ladylike. Ought to be satisfied with an ice and a
+bit of cake, and eat it prettily. Don't like to see a girl feed. We
+hard-working men need it, and, by Jove, I mean to get some more
+of that meringue if it's not all gone. Here, waiter! bring along that
+dish over there, and be lively,' commanded Stuffy, poking a young
+man in a rather shabby dress-suit, who was passing with a tray of
+glasses.
+
+His order was obeyed promptly; but George's appetite was taken
+away the next moment by Dolly's exclaiming, as he looked up
+from his damaged coat, with a scandalized face:
+
+'You've put your foot in it now, old boy! that's Morton, Mr Bhaer's
+crack man. Knows everything, no end of a "dig", and bound to
+carry off all the honours. You won't hear the last of it in a hurry.'
+And Dolly laughed so heartily that a spoonful of ice flew upon the
+head of a lady sitting below him, and got him into a scrape also.
+
+Leaving them to their despair, let us listen to the whispered chat of
+two girls comfortably seated in a recess waiting till their escorts
+were fed.
+
+'I do think the Laurences give lovely parties. Don't you enjoy
+them?' asked the younger, looking about her with the eager air of
+one unused to this sort of pleasure.
+
+'Very much, only I never feel as if I was dressed right. My things
+seemed elegant at home, and I thought I'd be over over-dressed if
+anything; but I look countrified and dowdy here. No time or money
+to change now, even if I knew how to do it,' answered the other,
+glancing anxiously at her bright pink silk grown, trimmed with
+cheap lace.
+
+'You must get Mrs Brooke to tell you how to fix your things. She
+was very kind to me. I had a green silk, and it looked so cheap and
+horrid by the side of the nice dresses here I felt regularly unhappy
+about it, and asked her how much a dress like one Mrs Laurence
+had would cost. That looked so simple and elegant I thought it
+wouldn't be costly; but it was India mull and Valenciennes lace, so,
+of course, I couldn't have it. Then Mrs Brooke said: "Get some
+muslin to cover the green silk, and wear hops or some white
+flowers, instead of pink, in your hair, and you will have a pretty
+suit." Isn't it lovely and becoming?' And Miss Burton surveyed
+herself with girlish satisfaction; for a little taste had softened the
+harsh green, and hop-bells became her red hair better than roses.
+
+'It's sweet: I've been admiring it. I'll do mine so and ask about my
+purple one. Mrs Brooke has helped me tO get rid of my headaches,
+and Mary Clay's dyspepsia is all gone since she gave up coffee and
+hot bread.'
+
+'Mrs Laurence advised me to walk and run and use the gymnasium
+to cure my round shoulders and open my chest, and I'm a much
+better figure than I was.'
+
+'Did you know that Mr Laurence pays all Amelia Merrill's bills?
+Her father failed, and she was heartbroken at having to leave
+college; but that splendid man just stepped in and made it all right.'
+'Yes, and Professor Bhaer has several of the boys down at his
+house evenings to help them along so they can keep up with the
+rest; and Mrs Bhaer took care of Charles Mackey herself when he
+had a fever last year. I do think they are the best and kindest
+people in the world.'
+
+'So do I, and my time here will be the happiest and most useful
+years of my life.'
+
+And both girls forgot their gowns and their suppers for a moment
+to look with grateful, affectionate eyes at the friends who tried to
+care for bodies and for souls as well as minds.
+
+Now come to a lively party supping on the stairs, girls like foam at
+the top, and a substratum of youths below, where the heaviest
+particles always settle. Emil, who never sat if he could climb or
+perch, adorned the newel-post; Tom, Nat, Demi, and Dan were
+camped on the steps, eating busily, as their ladies were well served
+and they had earned a moment's rest, which they enjoyed with their
+eyes fixed on the pleasing prospect above them.
+
+'I'm so sorry the boys are going. It will be dreadfully dull without
+them. Now they have stopped teasing and are polite, I really enjoy
+them,' said Nan, who felt unusually gracious tonight as Tom's
+mishap kept him from annoying her.
+
+'So do I; and Bess was mourning about it today, though as a
+general thing she doesn't like boys unless they are models of
+elegance. She has been doing Dan's head, and it is not quite
+finished. I never saw her so interested in any work, and it's very
+well done. He is so striking and big he always makes me think of
+the Dying Gladiator or some of those antique creatures. There's
+Bess now. Dear child, how sweet she looks tonight!' answered
+Daisy, waving her hand as the Princess went by with Grandpa on
+her arm.
+
+'I never thought he would turn out so well. Don't you remember
+how we used to call him "the bad boy" and be sure he would
+become a pirate or something awful because he glared at us and
+swore sometimes? Now he is the handsomest of all the boys, and
+very entertaining with his stories and plans. I like him very much;
+he's so big and strong and independent. I'm tired of mollycoddles
+and book-worms,' said Nan in her decided way.
+
+'Not handsomer that Nat!' cried loyal Daisy, contrasting two faces
+below, one unusually gay, the other sentimentally sober even in the
+act of munching cake. 'I like Dan, and am glad he is doing well;
+but he tires me, and I'm still a little afraid of him. Quiet people suit
+me best.'
+
+'Life is a fight, and I like a good soldier. Boys take things too
+easily, don't see how serious it all is and go to work in earnest.
+Look at that absurd Tom, wasting his time and making an object of
+himself just because he can't have what he wants, like a baby
+crying for the moon. I've no patience with such nonsense, scolded
+Nan, looking down at the jovial Thomas, who was playfully
+putting macaroons in Emil's shoes, and trying to beguile his exile
+as best he could.
+
+'Most girls would be touched by such fidelity. I think it's beautiful,'
+said Daisy behind her fan; for other girls sat just below.
+
+'You are a sentimental goose and not a judge. Nat will be twice the
+man when he comes back after his trip. I wish Tom was going with
+him. My idea is that if we girls have any influence we should use it
+for the good of these boys, and not pamper them up, making slaves
+of ourselves and tyrants of them. Let them prove what they can do
+and be before they ask anything of us, and give us a chance to do
+the same. Then we know where we are, and shall not make
+mistakes to mourn over all our lives.'
+
+'Hear, hear!' cried Alice Heath, who was a girl after Nan's own
+heart, and had chosen a career, like a brave and sensible young
+woman. 'Only give us a chance, and have patience till we can do
+our best. Now we are expected to be as wise as men who have had
+generations of all the help there is, and we scarcely anything. Let
+us have equal opportunities, and in a few generations we will see
+what the judgement is. I like justice, and we get very little of it.'
+
+'Still shouting the battle-cry of freedom?' asked Demi, peering
+through the banisters at this moment. 'Up with your flag! I'll stand
+by and lend a hand if you want it. With you and Nan to lead the
+van, I think you won't need much help.'
+
+'You are a great comfort, Demi, and I'll call on you in all
+emergencies; for you are an honest boy, and don't forget that you
+owe much to your mother and your sisters and your aunts,'
+continued Nan. 'I do like men who come out frankly and own that
+they are not gods. How can we think them so when such awful
+mistakes are being made all the time by these great creatures? See
+them sick, as I do, then you know them.'
+
+'Don't hit us when we are down; be merciful, and set us up to bless
+and believe in you evermore,' pleaded Demi from behind the bars.
+'We'll be kind to you if you will be just to us. I don't say generous,
+only just. I went to a suffrage debate in the Legislature last winter;
+and of all the feeble, vulgar twaddle I ever heard, that was the
+worst; and those men were our representatives. I blushed for them,
+and the wives and mothers. I want an intelligent man to represent
+me, if I can't do it myself, not a fool.'
+
+'Nan is on the stump. Now we shall catch it,' cried Tom, putting up
+an umbrella to shield his unhappy head; for Nan's earnest voice
+was audible, and her indignant eye happened to rest on him as she
+spoke.
+
+'Go on, go on! I'll take notes, and put in "great applause" liberally,'
+added Demi, producing his ball-book and pencil, with his Jenkins
+air.
+
+Daisy pinched his nose through the bars, and the meeting was
+rather tumultuous for a moment, for Emil called: 'Avast, avast,
+here's a squall to wind'ard'; Tom applauded wildly; Dan looked up
+as if the prospect of a fight, even with words, pleased him, and Nat
+went to support Demi, as his position seemed to be a good one. At
+this crisis, when everyone laughed and talked at once, Bess came
+floating through the upper hall and looked down like an angel of
+peace upon the noisy group below, as she asked, with wondering
+eyes and smiling lips:
+
+'What is it?'
+
+'An indignation meeting. Nan and Alice are on the rampage, and
+we are at the bar to be tried for our lives. Will Your Highness
+preside and judge between us?' answered Demi, as a lull at once
+took place; for no one rioted in the presence of the Princess.
+
+'I'm not wise enough. I'll sit here and listen. Please go on.' And
+Bess took her place above them all as cool and calm as a little
+statue of Justice, with fan and nosegay in place of sword and
+scales.
+
+'Now, ladies, free your minds, only spare us till morning; for we've
+got a german to dance as soon as everyone is fed, and Parnassus
+expects every man to do his duty. Mrs President Giddy-gaddy has
+the floor,' said Demi, who liked this Sort of fun better than the very
+mild sort of flirtation which was allowed at Plum-field, for the
+simple reason that it could not be entirely banished, and is a part of
+all education, co   or
+
+otherwise.
+
+'I have only one thing to say, and it is this,' began Nan soberly,
+though her eyes sparkled with a mixture of fun and earnestness. 'I
+want to ask every boy of you what you really think on this subject.
+Dan and Emil have seen the world and ought to know their own
+minds. Tom and Nat have had five examples before them for
+years. Demi is ours and we are proud of him. So is Rob. Ted is a
+weathercock, and Dolly and George, of course, are fogies in spite
+of the Annex, and girls at Girton going ahead of the men.
+Commodore, are you ready for the question?'
+
+'Ay, ay, skipper.'
+
+'Do you believe in Woman's Suffrage?'
+
+'Bless your pretty figger head! I do, and I'll ship a crew of girls any
+time you say so. Aren't they worse than a press-gang to carry a
+fellow out of his moorings? Don't we all need one as pilot to steer
+us safe to port? and why shouldn't they share our mess afloat and
+ashore since we are sure to be wrecked without 'em?'
+
+'Good for you, Emil! Nan will take you for first mate after that
+handsome speech,' said Demi, as the girls applauded, and Tom
+glowered. 'Now, Dan, you love liberty so well yourself, are you
+willing we should have it?'
+
+'All you can get, and I'll fight any man who's mean enough to say
+you don't deserve it.'
+
+This brief and forcible reply delighted the energetic President, and
+she beamed upon the member from California, as she said briskly:
+
+'Nat wouldn't dare to say he was on the other side even if he were,
+but I hope he has made up his mind to pipe for us, at least when
+we take the field, and not be one of those who wait till the battle is
+won, and
+
+rii~n IJ~ ~ ~ ~n�l share the glory.'
+
+Mrs Giddy-gaddy's doubts were most effectually removed, and her
+sharp speech regretted, as Nat looked up blushing, but with a new
+sort of manliness in face and manner, saying, in a tone that
+touched them all:
+
+'I should be the most ungrateful fellow alive if I did not love,
+honour, and serve women with all my heart and might, for to them
+I owe everything I am or ever shall be.'
+
+Daisy clapped her hands, and Bess threw her bouquet into Nat's
+lap, while the other girls waved their fans, well pleased; for real
+feeling made his little speech eloquent.
+
+'Thomas B. Bangs, come into court, and tell the truth, the whole
+truth, and nothing but the truth, if you can,' commanded Nan, with
+a rap to call the meeting to order.
+
+Tom shut the umbrella, and standing up raised his hand, saying
+solemnly:
+
+'I believe in suffrage of all kinds. I adore all women, and will die
+for them at any moment if it will help the cause.'
+
+'Living and working for it is harder, and therefore more
+honourable. Men are always ready to die for us, but not to make
+our lives worth having. Cheap sentiment and bad logic. You will
+pass, Tom, only don't twaddle. Now, having taken the sense of the
+meeting we will adjourn, as the hour for festive gymnastics has
+arrived. I am glad to see that old Plum has given six true men to
+the world, and hope they will continue to be staunch to her and the
+principles she has taught them, wherever they may go. Now, girls,
+don't sit in draughts, and, boys, beware of ice-water when you are
+warm.'
+
+With this characteristic close Nan retired from office, and the girls
+went to enjoy one of the few rights allowed them.
+
+Chapter 6 LAST WORDS
+
+The next day was Sunday, and a goodly troop of young and old set
+forth to church   some driving, some walking, all enjoying the
+lovely weather and the happy quietude which comes to refresh us
+when the work and worry of the week are over. Daisy had a
+headache; and Aunt Jo remained at home to keep her company,
+knowing very well that the worst ache was in the tender heart
+struggling dutifully against the love that grew stronger as the
+parting drew nearer.
+
+'Daisy knows my wishes, and I trust her. You must keep an eye on
+Nat, and let him clearly understand that there is to be no
+"lovering", or I shall forbid the letter-writing. I hate to seem cruel,
+but it is too soon for my dear girl to bind herself in any way,' said
+Mrs Meg, as she rustled about in her best grey silk, while waiting
+for Demi, who always escorted his pious mother to church as a
+peace-offering for crossing her wishes in other things.
+
+'I will, dear; I'm lying in wait for all three boys today, like an old
+spider; and I will have a good talk with each. They know I
+understand them, and they always open their hearts sooner or later.
+You look like a nice, plump little Quakeress, Meg; and no one will
+believe that big boy is your son,' added Mrs Jo, as Demi came in
+shining with Sunday neatness, from his well-blacked boots to his
+smooth brown head.
+
+'You flatter me, to soften my heart toward your boy. I know your
+ways, Jo, and I don't give in. Be firm, and spare me a scene by and
+by. As for John, as long as he is satisfied with his old mother, I
+don't care what people think,' answered Mrs Meg, accepting with a
+smile the little posy of sweet peas and mignonette Demi brought
+her.
+
+Then, having buttoned her dove-coloured gloves with care, she
+took her son's arm and went proudly away to the carriage, where
+Amy and Bess waited, while Jo called after them, just as Marmee
+used to do:
+
+'Girls, have you got nice pocket-handkerchiefs?' They all smiled at
+the familiar words, and three white banners waved as they drove
+away, leaving the spider to watch for her first fly. She did not wait
+long. Daisy was lying down with a wet cheek on the little
+hymnbook out of which she and Nat used to sing together; so Mrs
+Jo strolled about the lawn, looking very like a wandering
+mushroom with her large buff umbrella.
+
+Dan had gone for a ten-mile stroll; and Nat was supposed to have
+accompanied him, but presently came sneaking back, unable to
+tear himself away from the Dovecote or lose a moment of nearness
+to his idol that last day. Mrs Jo saw him at once, and beckoned him
+to a rustic seat under the old elm, where they could have their
+confidences undisturbed, and both keep an eye on a certain
+white-curtained window, half hidden in vines.
+
+'Nice and cool here. I'm not up to one of Dan's tramps today   it's so
+warm, and he goes so like a steam-engine. He headed for the
+swamp where his pet snakes used to live, and I begged to be
+excused,' said Nat, fanning himself with his straw hat, though the
+day was not oppressive.
+
+'I'm glad you did. Sit and rest with me, and have one of our good
+old talks. We've both been so busy lately, I feel as if I didn't half
+know your plans; and I want to,' answered Mrs Jo, feeling sure that
+though they might start with Leipzig they would bring up at
+Plumfielcj,
+
+'You are very kind, and there's nothing I'd like better. I don't realize
+I'm going so far   suppose I shan't till I get afloat. It's a splendid
+start, and I don't know how 1 can ever thank Mr Laurie for all he's
+done, or you either,' added Nat, with a break in his voice; for he
+was a tender-hearted fellow, and never forgot a kindness.
+
+'You can thank us beautifully by being and doing all we hope and
+expect of you, my dear. In the new life you are going to there will
+be a thousand trials and temptations, and only your own wit and
+wisdom to rely on. That will be the time to test the principles we
+have tried to give you, and see how firm they are. Of course, you
+will make mistakes   we all do; but don't let go of your conscience
+and drift along blindly. Watch and pray, dear Nat; and while your
+hand gains skill, let your head grow wiser, and keep your heart as
+innocent and warm as it is now.'
+
+'I'll try, Mother Bhaer, my very best to be a credit to you. I know I
+shall improve in my music   can't help it there; but I never shall be
+very wise, I'm afraid. As for my heart, you know, I leave it behind
+me in good keeping.'
+
+As he spoke, Nat's eyes were fixed on the window with a look of
+love and longing that made his quiet face both manly and sad
+plainly showing how strong a hold this boyish affection had upon
+him.
+
+'I want to speak of that; and I know you will forgive what seems
+hard, because I do most heartily sympathize with you,' said Mrs Jo,
+glad to have her say.
+
+'Yes, do talk about Daisy! I think of nothing but leaving and losing
+her. I have no hope   I suppose it is too much to ask; only I can't
+help loving her, wherever I am!' cried Nat, with a mixture of
+defiance and despair in his face that rather startled Mrs Jo.
+
+'Listen to me and I'll try to give you both comfort and good advice.
+We all know that Daisy is fond of you, but her mother objects, and
+being a good girl she tries to obey. Young people think they never
+can change, but they do in the most wonderful manner, and very
+few die of broken hearts.' Mrs Jo smiled as she remembered
+another boy whom she had once tried to comfort, and then went
+soberly on while Nat listened as if his fate hung upon her lips.
+
+'One of two things will happen. You will find someone else to
+love, or, better still, be so busy and happy in your music that you
+will be willing to wait for time to settle the matter for you both.
+Daisy will perhaps forget when you are gone, and be glad you are
+only friends. At any rate it is much wiser to have no promises
+made; then both are free, and in a year or two may meet to laugh
+over the little romance nipped in the bud.'
+
+'Do you honestly think that?' asked Nat, looking at her so keenly
+that the truth had to come; for all his heart was in those frank blue
+eyes of his.
+
+'No, I don't!' answered Mrs Jo. 'Then if you were in my place, what
+would you do?' he added, with a tone of command never heard in
+his gentle voice before.
+
+'Bless me! the boy is in dead earnest, and I shall forget prudence in
+sympathy I'm afraid,' thought Mrs Jo, surprised and pleased by the
+unexpected manliness Nat showed.
+
+'I'll tell you what I should do. I'd say to myself:
+
+"I'll prove that my love is strong and faithful, and make Daisy's
+mother proud to give her to me by being not only a good musician
+but an excellent man, and so command respect and confidence.
+This I will try for; and if I fail, I shall be the better for the effort,
+and find comfort in the thought that I did my best for her sake."'
+
+'That is what I meant to do. But I wanted a word of hope to give
+me courage,' cried Nat, firing up as if the smouldering spark was
+set ablaze by a breath of encouragement. 'Other fellows, poorer
+and stupider than I, have done great things and come to honour.
+Why may not I, though I'm nothing now? I know Mrs Brooke
+remembers what I came from, but my father was honest though
+everything went wrong; and I have nothing to be ashamed of
+though I was a charity boy. I never will be ashamed of my people
+or myself, and I'll make other folks respect me if I can.'
+
+'Good! that's the right spirit, Nat. Hold to it and make yourself a
+man. No one will be quicker to see and admire the brave work
+than my sister Meg. She does not despise your poverty or your
+past; but mothers are very tender over their daughters, and we
+Marches, though we have been poor, are, I confess, a little proud
+of our good family. We don't care for money; but a long line of
+virtuous ancestors is something to desire and to be proud of.'
+
+'Well, the Blakes are a good lot. I looked 'em up, and not one was
+ever in prison, hanged, or disgraced in any way. We used to be rich
+and honoured years ago, but we've died out and got poor, and
+father was a street musician rather than beg; and I'll be one again
+before I'll do the mean things some men do and pass muster.'
+
+Nat was so excited that Mrs Jo indulged in a laugh to calm him,
+and both went on more quietly.
+
+'I told my sister all that and it pleased her. I am sure if you do well
+these next few years that she will relent and all be happily settled,
+unless that wonderful change, which you don't believe possible,
+should occur. Now, cheer up; don't be lackadaisical and blue. Say
+good-bye cheerfully and bravely, show a manly front, and leave a
+pleasant memory behind you. We all wish you well and hope much
+for you. Write to me every week and I'll send a good, gossipy
+answer. Be careful what you write to Daisy; don't gush or wail, for
+sister Meg will see the letters; and you can help your cause very
+much by sending sensible, cheery accounts of your life to us all.'
+
+'I will; I will; it looks brighter and better already, and I won't lose
+my one comfort by any fault of my own. Thank you so much,
+Mother Bhaer, for taking my side. I felt so ungrateful and mean
+and crushed when I thought you all considered me a sneak1 whc
+had no business to love such a precious girl as Daisy. No one said
+anything, but I knew how you felt, and that Mr Laurie sent me off
+partly to get me out of the way. Oh dear, life is pretty tough
+sometimes, isn't it?' And Nat took his head in both hands as if it
+ached with the confusion of hopes and fears, passions and plans
+that proved boyhood was past and manhood had begun.
+
+'Very tough, but it is that very struggle with obstacles which does
+us good. Things have been made easy for you in many ways, but
+no on� can do evcrything. You must paddle your own canoe now,
+and learn to avoid the rapids and steer straight to the port you want
+to reach. I don't know just what your temptatiQflS will he~ for you
+have n~ bad habits and seem to
+
+love music so well, nothing can lure you from it. I only hope you
+won't work too hard.'
+
+'I feel as if I could work like a horse, I'm so eager to get on; but I'll
+take care. Can't waste time being sick, and you've given me doses
+enough to keep me all right, I guess.' Nat laughed as he
+remembered the book of directions Mrs Jo had written for him to
+consult on all occasions.
+
+She immediately added some verbal ones on the subject of foreign
+messes, and having mounted one of her pet hobbies, was in full
+gallop when Emil was seen strolling about on the roof of the old
+house, that being his favourite promenade; for there he could fancy
+himself walking the deck, with only blue sky and fresh air about
+him.
+
+'I want a word with the Commodore, and up there we shall be nice
+and quiet. Go and play to Daisy: it will put her to sleep and do you
+both good. Sit in the porch, so I can keep an eye on you as I
+promised'; and with a motherly pat on the shoulder Mrs Jo left Nat
+to his delightful task and briskly ascended to the house- top, not up
+the trellis as of old but by means of the stairs inside.
+
+Emerging on the platform she found Emil cutting his initials afresh
+in the wood-work and singing 'Pull for the Shore', like the tuneful
+mariner he was.
+
+'Come aboard and make yourself at home, Aunty,' he said, with a
+playful salute. 'I'm just leaving a P.P.C. in the old place, so when
+you fly up here for refuge you'll remember me.'
+
+'Ah, my dear, I'm not likely to forget you. It doesn't need E. B. H.
+cut on all the trees and railings to remind me of my sailor boy'; and
+Mrs Jo took the seat nearest the blue figure astride the balustrade,
+not quite sure how to begin the little sermon she wanted to preach.
+
+'Well, you don't pipe your eye and look squally when I sheer off as
+you used to, and that's a comfort. I like to leave port in fair weather
+and have a jolly send-off all round. Specially this time, for it will
+be a year or more before we drop anchor here again,' answered
+Emil, pushing his cap back, and glancing about him as if he loved
+old Plum and would be sorry never to see it any more.
+
+'You have salt water enough without my adding to it. I'm going to
+be quite a Spartan mother, and send my sons to battle with no
+wailing, only the command:
+
+"With your shield or on it",' said Mrs Jo cheerfully, adding after a
+pause: 'I often wish I could go too, and some day I will, when you
+are captain and have a ship of your own   as I've no doubt you will
+before long, with Uncle Herman to push you on.'
+
+'When I do I'll christen her the Jolly Jo and take you as first mate.
+It would be regular larks to have you aboard, and I'd be a proud
+man to carry you round the world you've wanted to see so long and
+never could,' answered Emil, caught at once by this splendid
+vision.
+
+'I'll make my first voyage with you and enjoy myself immensely in
+spite of seasickness and all the stormy winds that blow. I've always
+thought I'd like to see a wreck, a nice safe one with all saved after
+great danger and heroic deeds, while we clung like Mr Pillicoddy
+to main-top jibs and lee scuppers.'
+
+'No wrecks yet, ma'am, but we'll try to accommodate customers.
+Captain says I'm a lucky dog and bring fair weather, so we'll save
+the dirty weather for you if you want it,' laughed Emil, digging at
+the ship in full sail which he was adding to his design.
+
+'Thanks, I hope you will. This long voyage will give you new
+experiences, and being an officer, you will have new duties and
+responsibilities. Are you ready for them? You take everything so
+gaily, I've been wondering if you realized that now you will have
+not only to obey but to command also, and power is a dangerous
+thing. Be careful that you don't abuse it- or let it make a tyrant of
+you.'
+
+'Right you are, ma'am. I've seen plenty of that, and have got my
+bearings pretty well, I guess. I shan't have very wide swing with
+Peters over me, but I'll see that the boys don't get abused when he's
+bowsed up his jib. No right to speak before, but now I won't stand
+it.'
+
+'That sounds mysteriously awful; could I ask what nautical torture
+"bowsing jibs" is?' asked Mrs Jo, in a tone of deep interest.
+
+'Getting drunk. Peters can hold more grog than any man I ever saw;
+he keeps right side up, but is as savage as a norther, and makes
+things lively all round. I've seen him knock a fellow down with a
+belaying pin, and couldn't lend a hand. Better luck now, I hope.'
+And Emil frowned as if he already trod the quarter-deck, lord of all
+he surveyed.
+
+'Don't get into trouble, for even Uncle Herman's favour won't cover
+insubordination, you know. You have proved yourself a good
+sailor; now be a good officer, which is a harder thing, I fancy. It
+takes a fine character to rule justly and kindly; you will have to put
+by your boyish ways and remember your dignity. That will be
+excellent training for you, Emil, and sober you down a bit. No
+more skylarking except here, so mind your ways, and do honour to
+your buttons,' said Mrs Jo, tapping one of the very bright brass
+ones that ornamented the new suit Emil was so proud of.
+
+'I'll do my best. I know my time for skirmshander (chaff) is over,
+and I must steer a straighter course; but don't you fear, Jack ashore
+is a very different craft from what he is with blue water under his
+keel. I had a long talk with Uncle last night and got my orders; I
+won't forget 'em nor all I owe him. As for you, I'll name my first
+ship as I say, and have your bust for the figurehead, see if I don't;
+and Emil gave his aunt a hearty kiss to seal the vow, which
+proceeding much amused Nat, playing softly in the porch of the
+
+Dovecote.
+
+'You do me proud, Captain. But, dear, I want to say one thing and
+then I'm done; for you don't need much advice of mine after my
+good man has spoken. I read somewhere that every inch of rope
+used in the British Navy has a strand of red in it, so that wherever a
+bit of it is found it is known. That is the text of my little sermon to
+you. Virtue, which means honour, honesty, courage, and all that
+makes character, is the red thread that marks a good man wherever
+he is. Keep that always and everywhere, so that even if wrecked by
+misfortune, that sign shall still be found and recognized. Yours is a
+rough life, and your mates not all we could wish, but you can be a
+gentleman in the true sense of the word; and no matter what
+happens to your body, keep your soul clean, your heart true to
+those who love you, and do your duty to the end.'
+
+As she spoke Emil had risen and stood listening with his cap off
+and a grave, bright look as if taking orders from a superior officer;
+when she ended, he answered briefly, but heartily:
+
+'Please God, I will!'
+
+'That's all; I have little fear for you, but one never knows when or
+how the weak moment may come, and sometimes a chance word
+helps us, as so many my dear mother spoke come back to me now
+for my own comfort and the guidance of my boys,' said Mrs Jo,
+rising; for the words had been said and no more were needed.
+
+'I've stored 'em up and know where to find 'em when wanted. Often
+and often in my watch I've seen old Plum, and heard you and
+Uncle talking so plainly, I'd have sworn I was here. It is a rough
+life, Aunty, but a wholesome one if a fellow loves it as I do, and
+has an anchor to windward as I have. Don't worry about me, and
+I'll come home next year with a chest of tea that will cheer your
+heart and give you ideas enough for a dozen novels. Going below?
+All right, steady in the gangway! I'll be along by the time you've
+got out the cake-box. Last chance for a good old lunch ashore.'
+
+Mrs Jo descended laughing, and Emil finished his ship whistling
+cheerfully, neither dreaming when and where this little chat on the
+house-top would return to the memory of one of them.
+
+Dan was harder to catch, and not until evening did a quiet moment
+come in that busy family; when, while the rest were roaming
+about, Mrs Jo sat down to read in the study, and presently Dan
+looked in at the window.
+
+'Come and rest after your long tramp; you must be tired,' she
+called, with an inviting nod towards the big sofa where so many
+boys had reposed   as much as that active animal ever does.
+
+'Afraid I shall disturb you'; but Dan looked as if he wanted to stay
+his restless feet somewhere.
+
+'Not a bit; I'm always ready to talk, shouldn't be a woman if I were
+not,' laughed Mrs Jo, as Dan swung himself in and sat down with
+an air of contentment very pleasant to see.
+
+'Last day is over, yet somehow I don't seem to hanker to be off.
+Generally, I'm rather anxious to cut loose after a short stop. Odd,
+ain't it?' asked Dan, gravely picking grass and leave's out of his hair
+and beard; for he had been lying on the grass, thinking many
+thoughts in the quiet summer night.
+
+'Not at all; you are beginning to get civilized. It's a good sign, and
+I'm glad to see it,' answered Mrs Jo promptly. 'You've had your
+swing, and want a change. Hope the farming will give it to you,
+though helping the Indians pleases me more: it is so much better to
+work for others than for one's self alone.' 'So 'tis,' assented Dan
+heartily. 'I seem to want to root somewhere and have folks of my
+own to take care
+
+of. Tired of my own company, I suppose, now I've seen so much
+better. I'm a rough, ignorant lot, and I've been thinking maybe I've
+missed it loafing round creation, instead of going in for education
+as the other chaps did. Hey?'
+
+He looked anxiously at Mrs Jo; and she tried to hide the surprise
+this new outburst caused her; for till now Dan had scorned books
+and gloried in his freedom.
+
+'No; I don't think so in your case. So far I'm sure the free life was
+best. Now that you are a man you can control that lawless nature
+better; but as a boy only great activity and much adventure could
+keep you out of mischief. Time is taming my colt, you see, and I
+shall yet be proud of him, whether he makes a pack-horse of
+himself to carry help to the starving or goes to ploughing as
+Pegasus did.'
+
+Dan liked the comparison, and smiled as he lounged in the
+sofa-corner, with the new thoughtfulness in his eyes.
+
+'Glad you think so. The fact is it's going to take a heap of taming to
+make me go well in harness anywhere. I want to, and I try now and
+then, but always kick over the traces and run away. No lives lost
+yet; but I shouldn't wonder if there was some time, and a general
+smash-up.'
+
+'Why, Dan, did you have any dangerous adventures during this last
+absence? I fancied so, but didn't ask before, knowing you'd tell me
+if I could help in any way. Can I?' And Mrs Jo looked anxiously at
+him; for a sudden lowering expression had come into his face, and
+he leaned forward as if to hide it. 'Nothing very bad; but 'Frisco
+isn't just a heaven on earth, you know, and it's harder to be a saint
+there than here,' he answered slowly; then, as if he had made up his
+mind to ''fess', as the children used to say, he sat up, and added
+rapidly, in a half-defiant, half-shamefaced way, 'I tried gambling,
+and it wasn't good for me.'
+
+'Was that how you made your money?'
+
+'Not a penny of it! That's all honest, if speculation isn't a bigger
+sort of gambling. I won a lot; but I lost or gave it away, and cut the
+whole concern before it got the better of me.'
+
+'Thank heaven for that! Don't try it again; it may have the terrible
+fascination for you it has for so many. Keep to your mountains and
+prairies, and shun cities, if these things tempt you, Dan. Better lose
+your life than your soul, and one such passion leads to worse sins,
+as you know better than I.'
+
+Dan nodded, and seeing how troubled she was, said, in a lighter
+tone, though still the shadow of that past experience remained:
+
+'Don't be scared; I'm all right now; and a burnt dog dreads the fire.
+I don't drink, or do the things you dread; don't care for 'em; but I
+get excited, and then this devilish temper of mine is more than I
+can manage. Fighting a moose or a buffalo is all right; but when
+you pitch into a man, no matter how great a scamp he is, you've
+got to look out. I shall kill someone some day; that's all I'm afraid
+of. I do hate a sneak!' And Dan brought his fist down on the table
+with a blow that made the lamp totter and the books skip.
+
+'That always was your trial, Dan, and I can sympathize with you;
+for I've been trying to govern my own temper all my life, and
+haven't learnt yet,' said Mrs Jo, with a sigh. 'For heaven's sake,
+guard your demon well, and don't let a moment's fury ruin all your
+life. As I said to Nat, watch and pray, my dear boy. There is no
+other help or hope for human weakness but God's love and
+patience.'
+
+Tears were in Mrs Jo's eyes as she spoke; for she felt this deeply,
+and knew how hard a task it is to rule these bosom sins of ours.
+Dan looked touched, also uncomfortable, as he always did when
+religion of any sort was mentioned, though he had a simple creed
+of his own, and tried to live up to it in his blind way.
+
+'I don't do much praying; don't seem to come handy to me; but I
+can watch like a redskin, only it's easier to mount guard over a
+lurking grizzly than my own cursed temper. It's that I'm afraid of, if
+I settle down. I can get on with wild beasts first-rate; but men rile
+me awfully, and I can't take it out in a free fight, as I can with a
+bear or a wolf. Guess I'd better head for the Rockies, and stay there
+a spell longer   till I'm tame enough for decent folks, if I ever am.'
+And Dan leaned his rough head on his hands in a despondent
+attitude.
+
+'Try my sort of help, and don't give up. Read more, study a little,
+and try to meet a better class of people, who won't "rile", but
+soothe and strengthen you. We don't make you savage, I'm sure;
+for you have been as meek as a lamb, and made us very happy.'
+
+'Glad of it; but I've felt like a hawk in a hen-house all the same,
+and wanted to pounce and tear more than once. Not so much as I
+used, though,' added Dan, after a short laugh at Mrs Jo's surprised
+face. 'I'll try your plan, and keep good company this bout if I can;
+but a man can't pick and choose, knocking about as I do.'
+
+'Yes, you can this time; for you are going on a peaceful errand and
+can keep clear of temptation if you try. Take some books and read;
+that's an immense help; and books are always good company if you
+have the right sort. Let me pick out some for you.' And Mrs Jo
+made a bee-line to the well-laden shelves, which were the joy of
+her heart and the comfort of her life.
+
+'Give me travels and stories, please; don't want any pious works,
+can't seem to relish 'em, and won't pretend I do,' said Dan,
+following to look over her head with small favour at the long lines
+of well-worn volumes.
+
+Mrs Jo turned short round, and putting a hand on either broad
+shoulder, looked him in the eye, saying soberly: -
+
+'Now, Dan, see here; never sneer at good things or pretend to be
+worse than you are. Don't let false shame make you neglect the
+religion without which no man can live. You needn't talk about it
+if you don't like, but don't shut your heart to it in whatever shape it
+comes. Nature is your God now; she has done much for you; let
+her do more, and lead you to know and love a wiser and more
+tender teacher, friend, and comforter than she can ever be. That is
+your only hope; don't throw it away, and waste time; for sooner or
+later you will feel the need of Him, and He will come to you and
+hold you up when all other help fails.'
+
+Dan stood motionless, and let her read in his softened eyes the
+dumb desire that lived in his heart, though he had no words to tell
+it, and only permitted her to itch a glimpse of the divine spark
+which smoulders or burns clearly in every human soul. He did not
+speak; and glad to be spared some answer which should belie his
+real feelings, Mrs Jo hastened to say, with her most motherly
+smile:
+
+'I saw in your room the little Bible I gave you long ago; it was well
+worn outside, but fresh within, as if not much read. Will you
+promise me to read a little once a week, dear, for my sake? Sunday
+is a quiet day everywhere, and this book is never old nor out of
+place. Begin with the stories you used to love when I told them to
+you boys. David was your favourite, you remember? Read him
+again; he'll suit you even better now, and you'll find his sins and
+repentance useful reading till you come to the life and work of a
+diviner example than he. You will do it, for love of mother Bhaer,
+who always loved her "firebrand" and hoped to save him?'
+
+'I will,' answered Dan, with a sudden brightening of face that was
+like a sunburst through a cloud, full of promise though so
+short-lived and rare.
+
+Mrs Jo turned at once to the books and began to talk of them,
+knowing well that Dan would not hear any more just then. He
+seemed relieved; for it was always hard for him to show his inner
+self, and he took pride in hiding it as an Indian does in concealing
+pain or fear.
+
+'Hallo, here's old Sintram! I remember him; used to like him and
+his tantrums, and read about 'em to Ted. There he is riding ahead
+with Death and the Devil
+
+alongside.'
+
+As Dan looked at the little picture of the young man with horse
+and hound going bravely up the rocky defile, accompanied by the
+companions who ride beside most men through this world, a
+curious impulse made Mrs Jo say quickly:
+
+'That's you, Dan, just you at this time! Danger and sin are near you
+in the life you lead; moods and passions torment you; the bad
+father left you to fight alone, and the wild spirit drives you to
+wander up and down the world looking for peace and self-control.
+Even the horse and hound are there, your Octoo and Don, faithful
+friends, unscared by the strange mates that go with you. You have
+not got the armour yet, but I'm trying to show you where to find it.
+Remember the mother Sintram loved and longed to find, and did
+find when his battle was bravely fought, his reward well earned?
+You can recollect your mother; and I have always felt that all the
+good qualities you possess come from her. Act out the beautiful
+old story in this as in the other parts, and try to give her back a son
+to be proud of.'
+
+Quite carried away by the likeness of the quaint tale to Dan's life
+and needs, Mrs Jo went on pointing to the various pictures which
+illustrated it, and when she looked up was surprised to see how
+struck and interested he seemed to be. Like all people of his
+temperament he was very impressionable, and his life among
+hunters and Indians had made him superstitious; he believed in
+dreams, liked weird tales, and whatever appealed to the eye or
+mind, vividly impressed him more than the wisest words. The
+story of poor, tormented Sintram came back clearly as he looked
+and listened, symbolizing his secret trials even more truly than Mrs
+Jo knew; and just at that moment this had an effect upon him that
+never was forgotten. But all he said was:
+
+'Small chance of that. I don't take much stock in the idea of
+meeting folks in heaven. Guess mother won't remember the poor
+little brat she left so long ago; why should she?'
+
+'Because true mothers never forget their children; and I know she
+was one, from the fact that she ran away from the cruel husband,
+to save her little son from bad influences. Had she lived, life would
+have been happier for you, with this tender friend to help and
+comfort you. Never forget that she risked everything for your sake,
+and don't let it be in vain.'
+
+Mrs Jo spoke very earnestly, knowing that this was the one sweet
+memory of Dan's early life, and glad to have recalled it at this
+moment; for suddenly a great tear splashed down on the page
+where Sintram kneels at his mother's feet, wounded, but victorious
+over sin and death. She looked up, well pleased to have touched
+Dan to the heart's core, as that drop proved; but a sweep of the arm
+brushed away the tell-tale, and his beard hid the mate to it, as he
+shut the book, saying with a suppressed quiver in his strong voice:
+
+'I'll keep this, if nobody wants it. I'll read it over, and maybe it will
+do me good. I'd like to meet her anywhere, but don't believe I ever
+shall.'
+
+'Keep it and welcome. My mother gave it to me; and when you
+read it try to believe that neither of your mothers will ever forget
+you.'
+
+Mrs Jo gave the book with a caress; and simply saying: 'Thanks;
+good night,' Dan thrust it into his pocket, and walked straight away
+to the river to recover
+
+ 124 JO'S BOYS
+
+from this unwonted mood of tenderness and confidence.
+
+Next day the travellers were off. All were in good spirits, and a
+cloud of handkerchiefs whitened the air as they drove away in the
+old bus, waving their hats to everyone and kissing their hands,
+especially to mother Bhaer, who said in her prophetic tone as she
+wiped her eyes, when the familiar rumble died away:
+
+'I have a feeling that something is going to happen to some of
+them, and they will never come back to me, or come back
+changed. Well, I can only say, God be with my boys!'
+
+And He was.
+
+Chapter 7 THE LION AND THE LAMB
+
+When the boys were gone a lull fell upon Plumfield, and the
+family scattered to various places for brief outings, as August had
+come and all felt the need of change. The Professor took Mrs Jo to
+the mountains. The Laurences were at the seashore, and there
+Meg's family and the Bhaer boys took turns to visit, as someone
+must always be at home to keep things in order.
+
+Mrs Meg, with Daisy, was in office when the events occurred
+which we are about to relate. Rob and Ted were just up from
+Rocky Nook, and Nan was passing a week with her friend as the
+only relaxation she allowed herself. Demi was off on a run with
+Tom, so Rob was man of the house, with old Silas as general
+overseer. The sea air seemed to have gone to Ted's head, for he
+was unusually freakish, and led his gentle aunt and poor Rob a life
+of it with his pranks. Octoo was worn out with the wild rides he
+took, and Don openly rebelled when ordered to leap and show off
+his accomplishments; while the girls at college were both amused
+and worried by the ghosts who haunted the grounds at night, the
+unearthly melodies that disturbed their studious hours, and the
+hairbreadth escapes of this restless boy by flood and field and fire.
+Something happened at length which effectually sobered Ted and
+made a lasting impression on both the boys; for sudden danger and
+a haunting fear turned the Lion into a lamb and the Lamb into a
+lion, as far as courage went.
+
+On the first of September   the boys never forgot the date   after a
+pleasant tramp and good luck with their fishing, the brothers were
+lounging in the barn; for Daisy had company, and the lads kept out
+of the
+
+way.
+
+'I tell you what it is, Bobby, that dog is sick. He won't play, nor eat,
+nor drink, and acts queerly. Dan will kill us if anything happens to
+him,' said Ted, looking at Don, who lay near his kennel resting a
+moment after one of the restless wanderings which kept him
+vibrating between the door of Dan's room and the shady corner of
+the yard, where his master had settled him with an old cap tO
+guard till he came back.
+
+'It's the hot weather, perhaps. But I sometimes think he's pining for
+Dan. Dogs do, you know, and the poor fellow has been low in his
+mind ever since the boys went. Maybe something has happened to
+Dan. Don howled last night and can't rest. I've heard of such
+things,' answered Rob thoughtfully.
+
+'Pooh! he can't know. He's cross. I'll stir him up and take him for a
+run. Always makes me feel better. Hi, boy! wake up and be jolly';
+and Ted snapped his fingers at the dog, who only looked at him
+with grim
+
+indifference.
+
+'Better let him alone. If he isn't right tomorrow, we'll take him to
+Dr Watkins and see what he says.' And Rob went on watching the
+swallows as he lay in the hay polishing up some Latin verses he
+had made.
+
+The spirit of perversity entered into Ted, and merely because he
+was told not to tease Don he went on doing it, pretending that it
+was for the dog's good. Don took no heed of his pats, commands,
+reproaches, or insults, till Ted's patience gave out; and seeing a
+convenient switch near by he could not resist the temptation to
+conquer the great hound by force, since gentleness failed to win
+obedience. He had the wisdom to chain Don up first; for a blow
+from any hand but his master's mide him ~av~gi', iI?ILI T~4 had
+more than once tr~ed
+
+the experiment, as the dog remembered. This indignity roused Don
+and he sat up with a growl. Rob heard it, and seeing Ted raise the
+switch, ran to interfere, exclaiming:
+
+'Don't touch him! Dan forbade it! Leave the poor thing in peace; I
+won't allow it.'
+
+Rob seldom commanded, but when he did Master Ted had to give
+in. His temper was up, and Rob's masterful tone made it
+impossible to resist one cut at the rebellious dog before he
+submitted. Only a single blow, but it was a costly one; for as it fell,
+the dog sprang at Ted with a snarl, and Rob, rushing between the
+two, felt the sharp teeth pierce his leg. A word made Don let go
+and drop remorsefully at Rob's feet, for he loved him and was
+evidently sorry to have hurt his friend by mistake. With a forgiving
+pat Rob left him, to limp to the barn followed by Ted, whose wrath
+was changed to shame and sorrow when he saw the red drops on
+Rob's sock and the little wounds in his leg.
+
+'I'm awfully sorry. Why did you get in the way? Here, wash it up,
+and I'll get a rag to tie on it,' he said quickly filling a sponge with
+water and pulling out a very demoralized handkerchief. Rob
+usually made light of his own mishaps and was over ready to
+forgive if others were to blame; but now he sat quite still, looking
+at the purple marks with such a strange expression on his white
+face that Ted was troubled, though he added with a laugh: 'Why,
+you're not afraid of a little dig like that, are you, Bobby?'
+
+'I am afraid of hydrophobia. But if Don is mad I'd rather be the one
+to have it,' answered Rob, with a smile and a shiver.
+
+At that dreadful word Ted turned whiter than his brother, and,
+dropping sponge and handkerchief, stared at him with a frightened
+face, whispering in a tone of despair:
+
+'Oh, Rob, don't say it! What shall we do, what shall we do?'
+
+'Call Nan; she will know. Don't scare Aunty, or tell a soul but Nan;
+she's on the back piazza; get her out here as quick as you can. I'll
+wash it till she comes.
+
+Maybe it's nothing; don't look so staggered, Ted. I only thought it
+might be, as Don is queer.'
+
+Rob tried to speak bravely; but Ted's long legs felt strangely weak
+as he hurried away, and it was lucky he met no one, for his face
+would have betrayed him. Nan was swinging luxuriously in a
+hammock, amusing herself with a lively treatise on croup, when an
+agitated boy suddenly clutched her, whispering, as he nearly pulled
+her overboard:
+
+'Come to Rob in the barn! Don's mad and he's bitten him, and we
+don't know what to do; it's all my fault; no one must know. Oh, do
+be quick!'
+
+Nan was on her feet at once, startled, but with her wits about her,
+and both were off without more words as they dodged round the
+house where unconscious Daisy chatted with her friends in the
+parlour and Aunt Meg peacefully took her afternoon nap upstairs.
+
+Rob was braced up, and was as calm and steady as ever when they
+found him in the harness-room, whither he had wisely retired, to
+escape observation. The story was soon told, and after a look at
+Don, now in his kennel, sad and surly, Nan said slowly, with her
+eye on the full water-pan:
+
+'Rob, there is one thing to do for the sake of safety, and it must be
+done at once. We can't wait to see if Don is   sick   or to go for a
+doctor. I can do it, and I will; but it is very painful, and I hate to
+hurt you, dear.'
+
+A most unprofessional quiver got into Nan's voice as she spoke,
+and her keen eyes dimmed as she looked at the two anxious young
+faces turned so confidingly to her for help.
+
+'I know, burn it; well, do it, please; I can bear it. But Ted better go
+away,' said Rob, with a firm setting of his lips, and a nod at his
+afflicted brother.
+
+'I won't stir; I can stand it if he can, only it ought to be me!' cried
+Ted, with a desperate effort not to cry, so full of grief and fear and
+shame was he that it seemed as if he couldn't bear it like a man.
+
+'He'd better stay and help; do him good,' answered
+
+Nun ~tcrn1~, bccaui,~ h~r 1i~oir w~ P~ti~ Wthin her, knowing as
+she did all that might be in store for both poor boys. 'Keep quiet;
+I'll be back in a minute,' she added, going towards the house, while
+her quick mind hastily planned what was best to be done.
+
+It was ironing day, and a hot fire still burned in the empty kitchen,
+for the maids were upstairs resting. Nan put a slender poker to
+heat, and as she sat waiting for it, covered her face with her hands,
+asking help in this sudden need   strength, courage, and wisdom;
+for there was no one else to call upon, and young as she was, she
+knew what was to be done if she only had the nerve to do it. Any
+other patient would have been calmly interesting, but dear, good
+Robin, his father's pride, his mother's comfort, everyone's favourite
+and friend, that he should be in danger was very terrible; and a few
+hot tears dropped on the well-scoured table as Nan tried to calm
+her trouble by remembering how very likely it was to be all a
+mistake, a natural but vain
+
+alarm.
+
+'I must make light of it, or the boys will break down, and then there
+will be a panic. Why afflict and frighten everyone when all is in
+doubt? I won't. I'll take Rob to Dr Morrison at once, and have the
+dog man see Don. Then, having done all we can, we will either
+laugh at our scare   if it is one   or be ready for whatever comes.
+Now for my poor boy.'
+
+Armed with the red-hot poker, a pitcher of ice-water, and several
+handkerchiefs from the clotheshorse, Nan went back to the barn
+ready to do her best in this her most serious 'emergency case'. The
+boys sat like statues, one of despair, the other of resignation; and it
+took all Nan's boasted nerve to do her work quickly and well.
+
+'Now, Rob, only a minute, then we are safe. Stand by, Ted; he may
+be a bit faintish.'
+
+Rob shut his eyes, clinched his hands, and sat like a hero. Ted
+knelt beside him, white as a sheet, and as weak as a girl; for the
+pangs of remorse were rending him, and his heart failed at the
+thought of all this pain because of his wilfulness. It was all over in
+a moment, with only one little groan; but when Nan looked to her
+assistant to hand the water, poor Ted needed it the most, for he had
+fainted away, and lay on the floor in a pathetic heap of arms and
+legs.
+
+Rob laughed, and, cheered by that unexpected sound, Nan bound
+up the wound with hands that never trembled, though great drops
+stood on her forehead; and she shared the water with patient
+number one before she turned to patient number two. Ted was
+much ashamed, and quite broken in spirit, when he found how he
+had failed at the critical moment, and begged them not to tell, as
+he really could not help it; then by way of finishing his utter
+humiliation, a burst of hysterical tears disgraced his manly soul,
+and did him a world of good.
+
+'Never mind, never mind, we are all right now, and no one need be
+the wiser,' said Nan briskly, as poor Ted hiccoughed on Rob's
+shoulder, laughing and crying in   the most tempestuous manner,
+while his brother soothed him, and the young doctor fanned both
+with Silas's old straw hat.
+
+'Now, boys, listen to me and remember what I say. We won't alarm
+anyone yet, for I've made up my mind our scare is all nonsense.
+Don was out lapping the water as I came by, and I don't believe
+he's mad any more than I am. Still, to ease our minds and compose
+our spirits, and get our guilty faces out of sight for a while, I think
+we had better drive into town to my old friend Dr Morrison, and
+let him just take a look at my work, and give us some quieting
+little dose; for we are all rather shaken by this flurry. Sit still, Rob;
+and Ted, you harness up while I run and get my hat and tell Aunty
+to excuse me to Daisy. I don't know those Penniman girls, and she
+will be glad of our room at tea, and we'll have a cosy bite at my
+house, and come home as gay as larks.'
+
+Nan talked on as a vent for the hidden emotions which
+professional pride would not allow her to show, and the boys
+approved her plan at once; for action is always easier than quiet
+waiting. Ted went staggering away to wash his face at the pump,
+and rub some colour into his cheeks before he harnessed the horse.
+Rob lay tranquilly on the hay, looking up at the swallows again as
+he lived through some very memorable moments. Boy as he was,
+the thought of death coming suddenly to him, and in this way,
+might well make him sober; for it is a very solemn thing to be
+arrested in the midst of busy life by the possibility of the great
+change. There were no sins to be repented of, few faults, and many
+happy, dutiful years to remember with, infinite comfort. So Rob
+had no fears to daunt him, no regrets to sadden, and best of all, a
+very strong and simple piety to sustain and cheer him.
+
+'Mein Vater,' was his first thought; for Rob was very near the
+Professor's heart, and the loss of his eldest would have been a
+bitter blow. These words, whispered with a tremble of the lips that
+had been so firm when the hot iron burned, recalled that other
+Father who is always near, always tender and helpful; and, folding
+his hands, Rob said the heartiest little prayer he ever prayed, there
+on the hay, to the soft twitter of the brooding birds. It did him
+good; and wisely laying all his fear and doubt and trouble in God's
+hand, the boy felt ready for whatever was to come, and from that
+hour kept steadily before him the one duty that was plain   to be
+brave and cheerful, keep silent, and hope for the best.
+
+Nan stole her hat, and left a note on Daisy's pincushion, saying she
+had taken the boys to drive, and all would be out of the way till
+after tea. Then she hurried back and found her patients much
+better, the one for work, the other for rest. In they got, and, putting
+Rob on the back seat with his leg up drove away, looking as gay
+and care-free as if nothing had happened.
+
+Dr Morrison made light of the affair, but told Nan she had done
+right; and as the much-relieved lads went downstairs, he added in a
+whisper: 'Send the dog off for a while, and keep your eye on the
+boy. Don't let him know it, and report to me if anything seems
+wrong. One never knows in these cases. No harm to be careful.'
+
+Nan nodded, and feeling much relieved now that the responsibility
+was off her shoulders, took the lads to Dr Watkins, who promised
+to come out later and examine Don. A merry tea at Nan's house,
+which was kept open for her all summer, did them good, and by
+the time they got home in the cool of the evening no sign of the
+panic remained but Ted's heavy eyes, and a slight limp when Rob
+walked. As the guests were still chattering on the front piazza they
+retired to the back, and Ted soothed his remorseful soul by
+swinging Rob in the hammock, while Nan told stories till the dog
+man arrived.
+
+He said Don was a little under the weather, but no more mad than
+the grey kitten that purred round his legs while the examination
+went on.
+
+'He wants his master, and feels the heat. Fed too well, perhaps. I'll
+keep him a few weeks and send him home all right,' said Dr
+Watkins, as Don laid his great head in his hand, and kept his
+intelligent eyes on his face, evidently feeling that this man
+understood his trials, and knew what to do for him.
+
+So Don departed without a murmur, and our three conspirators
+took counsel together how to spare the family all anxiety, and give
+Rob the rest his leg demanded. Fortunately, he always spent many
+hours in his little study, so he could lie on the sofa with a book in
+his hand as long as he liked, without exciting any remark. Being of
+a quiet temperament, he did not worry himself or Nan with useless
+fears, but believed what was told him, and dismissing all dark
+possibilities, went cheerfully on his way, soon recovering from the
+shock of what he called 'our scare'.
+
+But excitable Ted was harder to manage, and it took all Nan's wit
+and wisdom to keep him from betraying the secret; for it was best
+to say nothing and spare all discussion of the subject for Rob's
+sake. Ted's remorse preyed upon him, and having no 'Mum' to
+confide in, he was very miserable. By day he devoted himself to
+Rob, waiting on him, talking to him, gazing anxiously at him, and
+worrying the good fellow very much; though he wouldn't own it,
+since Ted found comfort in it. But at night, when all was quiet,
+Ted's lively imagination and heavy heart got the better of him, and
+kept him awake, or set him walking in his sleep. Nan had her eye
+on him, and more than once administered a little dose to give him
+a rest, read to him, scolded him, and when she caught him
+haunting the house in the watches of the night, threatened to lock
+him up if he did not stay in his bed. This wore off after a while;
+but a change came over the freakish boy, and everyone observed it,
+even before his mother returned to ask what they had done to
+quench the Lion's spirits. He was gay, but not so heedless; and
+often when the old wilfulness beset him, he would check it
+sharply, look at Rob, and give up, or stalk away to have his sulk
+out alone. He no longer made fun of his brother's old-fashioned
+ways and bookish tastes, but treated him with a new and very
+marked respect, which touched and pleased modest Rob, and much
+amazed all observers. It seemed as if he felt that he owed him
+reparation for the foolish act that might have cost him his life; and
+love being stronger than will, Ted forgot his pride, and paid his
+debt like an honest boy.
+
+'I don't understand it,' said Mrs Jo, after a week of home life, much
+impressed by the good behaviour of her younger son. 'Ted is such a
+saint, I'm afraid we are going to lose him. Is it Meg's sweet
+influence, or Daisy's fine cooking, or the pellets I catch Nan giving
+him on the sly? Some witchcraft has been at work during my
+absence, and this will-o'-the-wisp is so amiable, quiet, and
+obedient, I don't know him.'
+
+'He is growing up, heart's-dearest, and being a precocious plant, he
+begins to bloom early. I also see a change in my Robchen. He is
+more manly and serious than ever, and is seldom far from me, as if
+his love for the old papa was growing with his growth. Our boys
+will often surprise us in this way, Jo, and we can only rejoice over
+them and leave them to become what Gott pleases.'
+
+As the Professor spoke, his eyes rested proudly on the brothers,
+who came walking up the steps together, Ted's arm over Rob's
+shoulder as he listened attentively to some geological remarks Rob
+was making on a stone he held. Usually, Ted made fun of such
+tastes, and loved to lay boulders in the student's path, put brickbats
+under his pillow, gravel in his shoes, or send parcels of dirt by
+express to 'Prof. R. M. Bhaer'. Lately, he had treated Rob's hobbies
+respectfully, and had begun to appreciate the good qualities of this
+quiet brother whom he had always loved but rather undervalued,
+till his courage under fire won Ted's admiration, and made it
+impossible to forget a fault, the consequences of which might have
+been so terrible. The leg was still lame, though doing well, and
+Ted was always offering an arm as support, gazing anxiously at his
+brother, and trying to guess his wants; for regret was still keen in
+Ted's soul, and Rob's forgiveness only made it deeper. A fortunate
+slip on the stairs gave Rob an excuse for limping, and no one but
+Nan and Ted saw the wound; so the secret was safe up to this time.
+
+'We are talking about you, my lads. Come in and tell us what good
+fairy has been at work while we were gone. Or is it because
+absence sharpens our eyes, that we find such pleasant changes
+when we come back?' said Mrs Jo, patting the sofa on either side,
+while the Professor forgot his piles of letters to admire the pleasing
+prospect of his wife in a bower of arms, as the boys sat down
+beside her, smiling affectionately, but feeling a little guilty; for till
+now 'Mum' and 'Vater' knew every event in their boyish lives.
+
+'Oh, it's only because Bobby and I have been alone so much; we
+are sort of twins. I stir him up a bit, and he steadies me a great
+deal. You and father do the same, you know. Nice plan. I like it';
+and Ted felt that he had settled the matter capitally.
+
+'Mother won't thank you for comparing yourself to her, Ted. I'm
+flattered at being like father in any way. I try to be,' answered Rob,
+as they laughed at Ted's compliment.
+
+'I do thank him, for it's true; and if you, Robin, do half as much for
+your brother as Papa has for me, your life won't be a failure,' said
+Mrs Jo heartily. 'I'm very glad to see you helping one another. It's
+the right way, and we can't begin too soon to try to understand the
+needs, virtues, and failings of those nearest us. Love should not
+make us blind to faults, nor familiarity make us too ready to blame
+the shortcomings we see. So work away, my sonnies, and give us
+more surprises of this sort as often as you like.'
+
+'The liebe Mutter has said all. I too am well pleased at the friendly
+brother-warmth I find. It is good for everyone; long may it last!'
+and Professor Bhaer nodded at the boys, who looked gratified, but
+rather at a loss how to respond to these flattering remarks.
+
+Rob wisely kept silent, fearing to say too much; but Ted burst out,
+finding it impossible to help telling something:
+
+'The fact is I've been finding out what a brave good chap Bobby is,
+and I'm trying to make up for all the bother I've been to him. I
+knew he was awfully wise, but I thought him rather soft, because
+he liked books better than larks, and was always fussing about his
+conscience. But I begin to see that it isn't the fellows who talk the
+loudest and show off best that are the manliest. No, sir! quiet old
+Bob is a hero and a trump, and I'm proud of him; so would you be
+if you knew all about it.'
+
+Here a look from Rob brought Ted up with a round turn; he
+stopped short, grew red, and clapped his hand on his mouth in
+dismay.
+
+'Well, are we not to "know all about it"?' asked Mrs Jo quickly; for
+her sharp eye saw signs of danger and her maternal heart felt that
+something had come between her and her sons. 'Boys,' she went on
+solemnly, 'I suspect that the change we talk about is not altogether
+the effect of growing up, as we say. It strikes me that Ted has been
+in mischief and Rob has got him out of some scrape; hence the
+lovely mood of my bad boy and the sober one of my conscientious
+son, who never hides anything from his mother.'
+
+Rob was as red as Ted now, but after a moment's hesitation he
+looked up and answered with an air of relief:
+
+'Yes, mother, that's it; but it's all over and no harm done, and I
+think we'd better let it be, for a while at least. I did feel guilty to
+keep anything from you, but now you know so much I shall not
+worry and you needn't either. Ted's sorry, I don't mind, and it has
+done us both good.'
+
+Mrs Jo looked at Ted, who winked hard but bore the look like a
+man; then she turned to Rob, who smiled at her so cheerfully that
+she felt reassured; but something in his face struck her, and she
+saw what it was that made him seem older, graver, yet more
+lovable than ever. It was the look pain of mind, as well as body,
+brings, and the patience of a sweet submission to some inevitable
+trial. Like a flash she guessed that some danger had been near her
+boy, and the glances she had caught between the two lads and Nan
+confirmed her fears.
+
+'Rob, dear, you have been ill, hurt, or seriously troubled by Ted?
+Tell me at once; I will not have any secrets now. Boys sometimes
+suffer all their lives from neglected accidents or carelessness.
+Fritz, make them speak out!'
+
+Mr Bhaer put down his papers and came to stand before them,
+saying in a tone that quieted Mrs Jo, and gave the boys courage:
+
+'My sons, give us the truth. We can bear it; do not hold it back to
+spare us. Ted knows we forgive much because we love him, so be
+frank, all two.'
+
+Ted instantly dived among the sofa pillows and kept there, with
+only a pair of scarlet ears visible, while Rob in a few words told
+the little story, truthfully, but as gently as he could, hastening to
+add the comfortable assurance that Don was not mad, the wound
+nearly well, and no danger would ever come of it.
+
+But Mrs Jo grew so pale he had to put his arms about her, and his
+father turned and walked away, exclaiming: 'Ach Himmel!' in a
+tone of such mingled pain, relief, and gratitude, that Ted pulled an
+extra pillow over his head to smother the sound. They were all
+right in a minute; but such news is always a shock, even if the peril
+is past, and Mrs Jo hugged her boy close till his father came and
+took him away, saying with a strong shake of both hands and a
+quiver in his voice:
+
+'To be in danger of one's life tries a man's mettle, and you bear it
+well; but I cannot spare my good boy yet; thank Gott, we keep him
+safe!'
+
+A smothered sound, between a choke and a groan, came from
+under the pillows, and the writhing of Ted's long legs so plainly
+expressed despair that his mother relented towards him, and
+burrowing till she found a tousled yellow head, pulled it out and
+smoothed it, exclaiming with an irrepressible laugh, though her
+cheeks were wet with tears:
+
+'Come and be forgiven, poor sinner! I know you have suffered
+enough, and I won't say a word; only if harm had come to Rob you
+would have made me more miserable than yourself. Oh, Teddy,
+Teddy, do try to cure that wilful spirit of yours before it is too late!'
+
+'Oh, Mum, I do try! I never can forget this   I hope it's cured me; if
+it hasn't, I am afraid I ain't worth saving,' answered Ted, pulling his
+own hair as the only way of expressing his deep remorse.
+
+'Yes, you are, my dear; I felt just so at fifteen when Amy was
+nearly drowned, and Marmee helped me as I'll help you. Come to
+me, Teddy, when the evil one gets hold of you, and together we'll
+rout him. Ah, me! I've had many a tussle with that old Apollyon,
+and often got worsted, but not always. Come under my shield, and
+we'll fight till we win.'
+
+No one spoke for a minute as Ted and his mother laughed and
+cried in one handkerchief, and Rob stood with his father's arm
+round him so happy that all was told and forgiven, though never to
+be forgotten; for such experiences do one good, and knit hearts
+that love more closely together.
+
+Presently Ted rose straight up and going to his father, said bravely
+and humbly:
+
+'I ought to be punished. Please do it; but first say you forgive me,
+as Rob does.'
+
+'Always that, mein Sohn, seventy time seven, if needs be, else I am
+not worthy the name you give me. The punishment has come; I can
+give no greater. Let it not be in vain. It will not with the help of the
+mother and the All Father. Room here for both, always!'
+
+The good Professor opened his arms and embraced his boys like a
+true German, not ashamed to express by gesture or by word the
+fatherly emotions an American would have compressed into a slap
+on the shoulder and a brief 'All right'.
+
+Mrs Jo sat and enjoyed the prospect like a romantic soul as she
+was, and then they had a quiet talk together, saying freely all that
+was in their hearts, and finding much comfort in the confidence
+which comes when love casts out fear. It was agreed that nothing
+be said except to Nan, who was to be thanked and rewarded for her
+courage, discretion, and fidelity.
+
+'I always knew that girl had the making of a fine woman in her,
+and this proves it. No panics and shrieks and faintings and fuss,
+but calm sense and energetic skill. Dear child, what can I give or
+do to show my gratitude?' said Mrs Jo enthusiastically.
+
+'Make Tom clear out and leave her in peace,' suggested Ted,
+almost himself again, though a pensive haze still partially obscured
+his native gaiety.
+
+'Yes, do! he frets her like a mosquito. She forbade him to come out
+here while she stayed, and packed him off with Demi. I like old
+Tom, but he is a regular noodle about Nan,' added Rob, as he went
+away to help his father with the accumulated letters.
+
+'I'll do it!' said Mrs Jo decidedly. 'That girl's career shall nor be
+hampered by a foolish boy's fancy. In a moment of weariness she
+may give in, and then it's all over. Wiser women have done so and
+regretted it all their lives. Nan shall earn her place first, and prove
+that she can fill it; then she may marry if she likes, and can find a
+man worthy of her.'
+
+But Mrs Jo's help was not needed; for love and gratitude can work
+miracles, and when youth, beauty, accident, and photography are
+added, success is sure; as was proved in the case of the
+unsuspecting but too susceptible Thomas.
+
+Chapter 8 JOSIE PLAYS MERMAID
+
+While the young Bhaers were having serious experiences at home,
+Josie was enjoying herself immensely at Rocky Nook; for the
+Laurences knew how to make summer idleness both charming and
+wholesome. Bess was very fond of her little cousin; Mrs Amy felt
+that whether her niece was an actress or not she must be a
+gentlewoman, and gave her the social training which marks the
+well-bred woman everywhere; while Uncle Laurie was never
+happier than when rowing, riding, playing, or lounging with two
+gay girls beside him. Josie bloomed like a wild flower in this free
+life, Bess grew rosy, brisk, and merry, and both were great
+favourites with the neighbours, whose villas were by the shore or
+perched on the cliffs along the pretty bay.
+
+One crumpled rose-leaf disturbed Josie's peace, one baffled wish
+filled her with a longing which became a mania, and kept her as
+restless and watchful as a detective with a case to 'work up'. Miss
+Cameron, the great actress, had hired one of the villas and retired
+thither to rest and 'create' a new part for next season. She saw no
+one but a friend or two, had a private beach, and was invisible
+except during her daily drive, or when the opera-glasses of curious
+gazers were fixed on a blue figure disporting itself in the sea. The
+Lau rences knew her, but respected her privacy, and after a call left
+her in peace till she expressed a wish for society   a courtesy which
+she remembered and repaid later, as we shall see.
+
+But Josie was like a thirsty fly buzzing about a sealed honey-pot,
+for this nearness to her idol was both delightful and maddening.
+She pined to see, hear, talk with, and study this great and happy
+woman who could thrill thousands by her art, and win friends by
+her virtue, benevolence, and beauty. This was the sort of actress
+the girl meant to be, and few could object if the gift was really
+hers; for the stage needs just such women to purify and elevate the
+profession which should teach as well as amuse. If kindly Miss
+Cameron had known what passionate love and longing burned in
+the bosom of the little girl whom she idly observed skipping over
+the rocks, splashing about the beach, or galloping past her gate on
+a Shetland pony, she would have made her happy by a look or a
+word. But being tired with her winter's work and busy with her
+new part, the lady took no more notice of this young neighbour
+than of the sea-gulls in the bay or the daisies dancing in the fields.
+Nosegays left on her doorstep, serenades under her garden-wall,
+and the fixed stare of admiring eyes were such familiar things that
+she scarcely minded them; and Josie grew desperate when all her
+little attempts failed.
+
+'I might climb that pine-tree and tumble off on her piazza roof, or
+get Sheltie to throw me just at her gate and be taken in fainting. It's
+no use to try to drown myself when she is bathing. I can't sink, and
+she'd only send a man to pull me out. What can I do? I will see her
+and tell her my hopes and make her say I can act some day.
+Mamma would believe her; and if   oh, if she only would let me
+study with her, what perfect joy that would be!'
+
+Josie made these remarks one afternoon as she and Bess prepared
+for a swim, a fishing party having prevented their morning bathe.
+
+'You must bide your time, dear, and not be so impatient. Papa
+promised to give you a chance before the season is over, and he
+always manages things nicely. That will be better than any queer
+prank of yours,' answered Bess, tying her pretty hair in a white net
+to match her suit, while Josie made a little lobster of herself in
+scarlet.
+
+'I hate to wait; but I suppose I must. Hope she will bathe this
+afternoon, though it is low tide. She told Uncle she should have to
+go in then because in the morning people stared so and went on
+her beach. Come and have a good dive from the big rock. No one
+round but nurses and babies, so we can romp and splash as much
+as we like.'
+
+Away they went to have a fine time; for the little bay was free
+from other bathers, and the babies greatly admired their aquatic
+gymnastics, both being expert swimmers.
+
+As they sat dripping on the big rock Josie suddenly gave a clutch
+that nearly sent Bess overboard, as she cried excitedly:
+
+'There she is! Look! coming to bathe. How splendid! Oh, if she
+only would drown a little and let me save her! or even get her toe
+nipped by a crab; anything so I could go and speak!'
+
+'Don't seem to look; she comes to be quiet and enjoy herself.
+Pretend we don't see her, that's only civil,' answered Bess, affecting
+to be absorbed in a white-winged yacht going by.
+
+'Let's carelessly float that way as if going for seaweed on the rocks.
+She can't mind if we are flat on our backs, with only our noses out.
+Then when we can't help seeing her, we'll swim back as if anxious
+to retire. That will impress her, and she may call to thank the very
+polite young ladies who respect her wishes,' proposed Josie, whose
+lively fancy was always planning dramatic situations.
+
+Just as they were going to slip from their rock, as if Fate relented
+at last, Miss Cameron was seen to beckon wildly as she stood
+waist-deep in the water, looking down. She called to her maid,
+who seemed searching along the beach for something, and not
+finding what she sought, waved a towel towards the girls as if
+summoning them to help her.
+
+'Run, fly! she wants us, she wants us!' cried Josie, tumbling into
+the water like a very energetic turtle, and swimming away in her
+best style towards this long desired haven of joy. Bess followed
+more slowly, and both came panting and smiling up to Miss
+Cameron, who never lifted her eyes, but said in that wonderful
+voice of hers:
+
+'I've dropped a bracelet. I see it, but can't get it. Will the little boy
+find me a long stick? I'll keep my eye on it, so the water shall not
+wash it away.'
+
+'I'll dive for it with pleasure; but I'm not a boy,' answered Josie,
+laughing as she shook the curly head which at a distance had
+deceived the lady.
+
+'I beg your pardon. Dive away, child; the sand is covering it fast. I
+value it very much. Never forgot to take it off before.' 'I'll get it!'
+and down went Josie, to come up with a handful of pebbles, but no
+bracelet.
+
+'It's gone; never mind   my fault,' said Miss Cameron, disappointed,
+but amused at the girl's dismay as she shook the water out of her
+eyes and gasped bravely:
+
+'No, it isn't. I'll have it, if I stay down all night!' and with one long
+breath Josie dived again, leaving nothing but a pair of agitated feet
+to be seen.
+
+'I'm afraid she will hurt herself,' said Miss Cameron, looking at
+Bess, whom she recognized by her likeness to her mother.
+
+'Oh, no; Josie is a little fish. She likes it'; and Bess smiled happily
+at this wonderful granting of her cousin's desire.
+
+'You are Mr Laurence's daughter, I think? How d'ye do, dear? Tell
+papa I'm coming to see him soon. Too tired before. Quite savage.
+Better now. Ah! here's our pearl of divers. What luck?' she asked,
+as the heels went down and a dripping head came up.
+
+Josie could only choke and splutter at first, being half strangled;
+but though her hands had failed again, her courage had not; and
+with a resolute shake of her wet hair, a bright look at the tall lady,
+and a series of puffs to fill her lungs, she said calmly:
+
+"Never give up" is my motto. I'm going to get it, if I go to
+Liverpool for it! Now, then!' and down went the mermaid quite out
+of sight this time, groping like a real lobster at the bottom of the
+sea.
+
+'Plucky little girl! I like that. Who is she?' asked the lady, sitting
+down on a half-covered stone to watch her diver, since the bracelet
+was lost sight of.
+
+Bess told her, adding, with the persuasive smile of her father:
+'Josie longs to be an actress, and has waited for a month to see you.
+This is a great happiness for her.'
+
+'Bless the child! why didn't she come and call? I'd have let her in;
+though usually I avoid stage-struck girls as I do reporters,' laughed
+Miss Cameron.
+
+There was no time for more; a brown hand, grasping the bracelet,
+rose out of the sea, followed by a purple face as Josie came up so
+blind and dizzy she could only cling to Bess, half drowned but
+triumphant.
+
+Miss Cameron drew her to the rock where she sat, and pushing the
+hair out of her eyes, revived her with a hearty 'Bravo! bravo!'
+which assured the girl that her first act was a hit. Josie had often
+imagined her meeting with the great actress   the dignity and grace
+with which she would enter and tell her ambitious hopes, the
+effective dress she would wear, she witty things she would say, the
+deep impression her budding genius would make. But never in her
+wildest moments had she imagined an interview like this; scarlet,
+sandy, streaming, and speechless she leaned against the illustrious
+shoulder, looking like a beautiful seal as she blinked and wheezed
+till she could smile joyfully and exclaim proudly:
+
+'I did get it! I'm so glad!'
+
+'Now get your breath, my dear; then I shall be glad also. It was
+very nice of you to take all that trouble for me. How shall I thank
+you?' asked the lady, looking at her with the beautiful eyes that
+could say so many things without words.
+
+Josie clasped her hands with a wet spat which rather destroyed the
+effect of the gesture, and answered in a beseeching tone that would
+have softened a far harder heart than Miss Cameron's:
+
+'Let me come and see you once   only once! I want you to tell me if
+I can act; you will know. I'll abide by what you say; and if you
+think I can   by and by, when I've studied very hard   I shall be the
+happiest girl in the world. May I?'
+
+'Yes; come tomorrow at eleven. We'll have a good talk; you shall
+show me what you can do, and I'll give you my opinion. But you
+won't like it.'
+
+'I will, no matter if you tell me I'm a fool. I want it settled; so does
+mamma. I'll take it bravely if you say no; and if you say yes, I'll
+never give up till I've done my best   as you did.'
+
+'Ah, my child, it's a weary road, and there are plenty of thorns
+among the roses when you've won them. I think you have the
+courage, and this proves that you have perseverance. Perhaps you'll
+do. Come, and we'll see.'
+
+Miss Cameron touched the bracelet as she spoke, and smiled so
+kindly that impetuous Josie wanted to kiss her; but wisely
+refrained, though her eyes were wet with softer water than any in
+the sea as she thanked her.
+
+'We are keeping Miss Cameron from her bathe, and the tide is
+going out. Come, Josie,' said thoughtful Bess, fearing to outstay
+their welcome.
+
+'Run over the beach and get warm. Thank you very much, little
+mermaid. Tell papa to bring his daughter to see me any time.
+Good-bye'; and with a wave of her hand the tragedy queen
+dismissed her court, but remained on her weedy throne watching
+the two lithe figures race over the sand with twinkling feet till they
+were out of sight. Then, as she calmly bobbed up and down in the
+water, she said to herself: 'The child has a good stage face, vivid,
+mobile; fine eyes, abandon, pluck, will. Perhaps she'll do. Good
+stock   talent in the family. We shall see.'
+
+Of course Josie never slept a wink, and was in a fever of joyful
+excitement next day. Uncle Laurie enjoyed the episode very much,
+and Aunt Amy looked out her most becoming white dress for the
+grand occasion; Bess lent her most artistic hat, and Josie ranged
+the wood and marsh for a bouquet of wild roses, sweet white
+azalea, ferns, and graceful grasses, as the offering of a very
+grateful heart.
+
+At ten she solemnly arrayed herself, and then sat looking at her
+neat gloves and buckled shoes till it was time to go, growing pale
+and sober with the thought that her fate was soon to be decided;
+for, like all young people she was sure that her whole life could be
+settled by one human creature, quite forgetting how wonderfully
+Providence trains us by disappointment, surprises us with
+unexpected success, and turns our seeming trials into blessings.
+
+'I will go alone: we shall be freer so. Oh, Bess, pray that she may
+tell me rightly! So much depends on that! Don't laugh, uncle! It is a
+very serious moment for me. Miss Cameron knows that, and will
+tell you so. Kiss me, Aunt Amy, since mamma isn't here. If you say
+I look nice, I'm quite satisfied. Good-bye.' And with a wave of the
+hand as much like her model's as she could make it, Josie
+departed, looking very pretty and feeling very tragical.
+
+Sure now of admittance, she boldly rang at the door which
+excluded so many, and being ushered into a shady parlour, feasted
+her eyes upon several fine portraits of great actors while she
+waited. She had read about most of them, and knew their trials and
+triumphs so well that she soon forgot herself, and tried to imitate
+Mrs Siddons as Lady Macbeth, looking up at the engraving as she
+held her nosegay like the candle in the sleep-walking scene, and
+knit her youthful brows distressfully while murmuring the speech
+of the haunted queen. So busy was she that Miss Cameron watched
+her for several minutes unseen, then startled her by suddenly
+sweeping in with the words upon her lips, the look upon her face,
+which made that one of her greatest scenes.
+
+'I never can do it like that; but I'll keep trying, if you say I may,'
+cried Josie, forgetting her manners in the intense interest of the
+moment.
+
+'Show me what you can do,' answered the actress, wisely plunging
+into the middle of things at once, well knowing that no common
+chat would satisfy this very earnest little person.
+
+'First let me give you these. I thought you'd like wild things better
+than hot-house flowers; and I loved to bring them, as I'd no other
+way to thank you for your great kindness to me,' said Josie,
+offering her nosegay with a simple warmth that was very sweet.
+
+'I do love them best, and keep my room full of the posies some
+good fairy hangs on my gate. Upon my word, I think I've found the
+fairy out   these are so like,' she added quickly, as her eye went
+from the flowers in her hand to others that stood near by, arranged
+with the same taste.
+
+Josie's blush and smile betrayed her before she said, with a look
+full of girlish adoration and humility: 'I couldn't help it; I admire
+you so much. I know it was a liberty; but as I couldn't get in
+myself, I loved to think my posies pleased you.'
+
+Something about the child and her little offering touched the
+woman, and, drawing Josie to her, she said, with no trace of
+actress in face or voice:
+
+'They did please me, dear, and so do you. I'm tired of praise; and
+love is very sweet, when it is simple and sincere like this.'
+
+Josie remembered to have heard, among many other stories, that
+Miss Cameron lost her lover years ago, and since had lived only
+for art. Now she felt that this might have been true; and pity for the
+splendid, lonely life made her face very eloquent, as well as
+grateful. Then, as if anxious to forget the past, her new friend
+
+said, in the commanding way that seemed natural to her:
+
+'Let me see what you can do. Juliet, of course. All begin with that.
+Poor soul, how she is murdered!'
+
+Now, Josie had intended to begin with Romeo's much- enduring
+sweetheart, and follow her up with Bianca, Pauline, and several of
+the favourite idols of stage-struck girls; but being a shrewd little
+person, she suddenly saw the wisdom of Uncle Laurie's advice, and
+resolved to follow it. So instead of the rant Miss Cameron
+expected, Josie gave poor Ophelia's mad scene, and gave it very
+well, having been trained by the college professor of elocution and
+done it many times. She was too young, of course, but the white
+gown, the loose hair, the real flowers she scattered over the
+imaginary grave, added to the illusion; and she sung the songs
+sweetly, dropped her pathetic curtsies, and vanished behind the
+curtain that divided the rooms with a backward look that surprised
+her critical auditor into a quick gesture of applause. Cheered by
+that welcome sound, Josie ran back as a little hoyden in one of the
+farces she had often acted, telling a story full of fun and
+naughtiness at first, but ending with a sob of repentance and an
+earnest prayer for pardon.
+
+'Very good! Try again. Better than I expected,' called the voice of
+the oracle.
+
+Josie tried Portia's speech, and recited very well, giving due
+emphasis to each fine sentence. Then, unable to refrain from what
+she considered her greatest effort, she burst into Juliet's balcony
+scene, ending with the poison and the tomb. She felt sure that she
+surpassed herself, and waited for applause. A ringing laugh made
+her tingle with indignation and disappointment, as she went to
+stand before Miss Cameron, saying in a tone of polite surprise:
+
+'I have been told that I did it very well. I'm sorry you don't think
+so.'
+
+'My dear, it's very bad. How can it help being so? What can a child
+like you know of love and fear and death? Don't try it yet. Leave
+tragedy alone till you are ready for it.'
+
+'But you clapped Ophelia.'
+
+'Yes, that was very pretty. Any clever girl can do it effectively. But
+the real meaning of Shakespeare is far above you yet, child. The
+comedy bit was best. There you showed real talent. It was both
+comic and pathetic. That's art. Don't lose it. The Portia was good
+declamation. Go on with that sort of thing; it trains the voice
+teaches shades of expression. You've a good voice and natural
+grace   great helps both, hard to acquire.'
+
+'Well, I'm glad I've got something,' sighed Josie, sitting meekly on
+a stool, much crestfallen, but not daunted yet, and bound to have
+her say out.
+
+'My dear little girl, I told you that you would not like what I should
+say to you; yet I must be honest if I would really help you. I've had
+to do it for many like you; and most of them have never forgiven
+me, though my words have proved true, and they are what I
+advised them to be   good wives and happy mothers in quiet
+homes. A few have kept on, and done fairly well. One you will
+hear of soon, I think; for she has talent, indomitable patience, and
+mind as well as beauty. You are too young to show to which class
+you belong. Geniuses are very rare, and even at fifteen seldom give
+much promise of future power.'
+
+'Oh, I don't think I'm a genius!' cried Josie, growing calm and sober
+as she listened to the melodious voice and looked into the
+expressive face that filled her with confidence, so strong, sincere,
+and kindly was it. 'I only want to find out if I have talent enough to
+go on, and after years of study to be able to act well in any of the
+good plays people never tire of seeing. I don't expect to be a Mrs
+Siddons or a Miss Cameron, much as I long to be; but it does seem
+as if I had something in me which can't come out in any way but
+this. When I act I'm perfectly happy. I seem to live, to be in my
+own world, and each new part is a new friend. I love Shakespeare,
+and am never tired of his splendid people. Of course, I don't
+understand it all; but it's like being alone at night with the
+mountains and the stars, solemn and grand, and I try to imagine
+how it will look when the sun comes up, and all is glorious and
+clear to me. I can't see, but I feel the beauty, and long to express it.'
+
+As she spoke with the most perfect self-forgetfulness Josie was
+pale with excitement, her eyes shone, her lips trembled, and all her
+little soul seemed trying to put into words the emotions that filled
+it to overflowing. Miss Cameron understood, felt that this was
+something more than a girlish whim; and when she answered there
+was a new tone of sympathy in her voice, a new interest in her
+face, though she wisely refrained from saying all she thought, well
+knowing what splendid dreams young people build upon a word,
+and how bitter is the pain when the bright bubbles burst.
+
+'If you feel this, I can give you no better advice than to go on
+loving and studying our great master,' she said slowly; but Josie
+caught the changed tone, and felt, with a thrill of joy, that her new
+friend was speaking to her now as to a comrade. 'It is an education
+in itself, and a lifetime is not long enough to teach you all his
+secret. But there is much to do before you can hope to echo his
+words. Have you the patience, courage, strength, to begin at the
+beginning, and slowly, painfully, lay the foundation for future
+work? Fame is a pearl many dive for and only a few bring up. Even
+when they do, it is not perfect, and they sigh for more, and lose
+better things in struggling for them.'
+
+The last words seemed spoken more to herself than to her hearer,
+but Josie answered quickly, with a smile and an expressive
+gesture:
+
+'I got the bracelet in spite of all the bitter water in my eyes.'
+
+'You did! I don't forget it. A good omen. We will accept it.'
+
+Miss Cameron answered the smile with one that was like sunshine
+to the girl, and stretched her white hands as if taking some
+invisible gift. Then added in a different tone, watching the effect
+of her words on the expressive face before her:
+
+'Now you will be disappointed, for instead of telling you to come
+and study with me, or go and act in some second-rate theatre at
+once, I advise you to go back to school and finish your education.
+That is the first step, for all accomplishments are needed, and a
+single talent makes a very imperfect character. Cultivate mind and
+body, heart and soul, and make yourself an intelligent, graceful,
+beautiful, and healthy girl. Then, at eighteen or twenty, go into
+training and try your powers. Better start for the battle with your
+arms in order, and save the hard lesson which comes when we rush
+on too soon. Now and then genius carries all before it, but not
+often. We have to climb slowly, with many slips and falls. Can you
+wait as well as work?'
+
+'I will!'
+
+'We shall see. It would be pleasant to me to know that when I quit
+the stage I leave behind me a well-trained, faithful, gifted comrade
+to more than fill my place, and carry on what I have much at heart
+the purification of the stage. Perhaps you are she; but remember,
+mere beauty and rich costumes do not make an actress, nor are the
+efforts of a clever little girl to play great characters real art. It is all
+dazzle and sham, and a disgrace and disappointment now. Why
+will the public be satisfied with opera bouffe, or the trash called
+society plays when a world of truth and beauty, poetry and pathos
+lies waiting to be interpreted and enjoyed?'
+
+Miss Cameron had forgotten to whom she spoke, and walked to
+and fro, full of the noble regret all cultivated people feel at the low
+state of the stage nowadays.
+
+'That's what Uncle Laurie says; and he and Aunt Jo try to plan
+plays about true and lovely things   simple domestic scenes that
+touch people's hearts, and make them laugh and cry and feel better.
+Uncle says that sort is my style, and I must not think of tragedy.
+But it's so much nicer to sweep about in crowns and velvet trains
+than to wear everyday clothes, and just be myself, though it is so
+easy.'
+
+'Yet that is high art, child, and what we need for a time till we are
+ready for the masters. Cultivate that talent of yours. It is a special
+gift, this power to bring tears and smiles, and a sweeter task to
+touch the heart than to freeze the blood or fire the imagination.
+Tell your uncle he is right, and ask your aunt to try a play for you.
+I'll come and see it when you are ready.'
+
+'Will you? Oh! will you? We are going to have some at Christmas,
+with a nice part for me. A simple little thing, but I can do it, and
+should be so proud, so happy to have you there.'
+
+Josie rose as she spoke, for a glance at the clock showed her that
+her call was a long one; and hard as it was to end this momentous
+interview, she felt that she must go. Catching up her hat she went
+to Miss Cameron, who stood looking at her so keenly that she felt
+as transparent as a pane of glass, and coloured prettily as she
+looked up, saying, with a grateful little tremor in her voice:
+
+'I can never thank you for this hour and all you have told me. I
+shall do just what you advise, and mamma will be very glad to see
+me settled at my books again. I can study now with all my heart,
+because it is to help me on; and I won't hope too much, but work
+and wait, and try to please you, as the only way to pay my debt.'
+
+'That reminds me that I have not paid mine. Little friend, wear this
+for my sake. It is fit for a mermaid, and will remind you of your
+first dive. May the next bring up a better jewel, and leave no bitter
+water on your lips!'
+
+As she spoke, Miss Cameron took from the lace at her throat a
+pretty pin of aquamarine, and fastened it like an order on Josie's
+proud bosom; then lifting the happy little face, she kissed it very
+tenderly, and watched it go smiling away with eyes that seemed to
+see into a future full of the trials and the triumphs which she knew
+so well.
+
+Bess expected to see Josie come flying in, all raptures and
+excitement, or drowned in tears of disappointment, but was
+surprised at the expression of calm content and resolution which
+she wore. Pride and satisfaction, and a new feeling of
+responsibility both sobered and sustained her, and she felt that any
+amount of dry study and long waiting would be bearable, if in the
+glorious future she could be an honour to her profession and a
+comrade to the new friend whom she already adored with girlish
+ardour.
+
+She told her little story to a deeply interested audience, and all felt
+that Miss Cameron's advice was good. Mrs Amy was relieved at
+the prospect of delay; for she did not want her niece to be an
+actress and hoped the fancy would die out.
+
+Uncle Laurie was full of charming plans and prophecies and wrote
+one of his most delightful notes to thank their neighbour for her
+kindness; while Bess, who loved art of all kinds, fully sympathized
+with her cousin's ambitious hopes, only wondering why she
+preferred to act out her visions rather than embody them in marble.
+
+That first interview was not the last; for Miss Cameron was really
+interested, and had several memorable conversations with the
+Laurences, while the girls sat by, drinking in every word with the
+delight all artists feel in their own beautiful world, and learning to
+see how sacred good gifts are, how powerful, and how faithfully
+they should be used for high ends, each in its own place helping to
+educate, refine, and refresh.
+
+Josie wrote reams to her mother; and when the visit ended rejoiced
+her heart by bringing her a somewhat changed little daughter, who
+fell to work at the once-detested books with a patient energy which
+surprised and pleased everyone. The right string had been touched,
+and even French exercises and piano practice became endurable,
+since accomplishments would be useful by and by; dress, manners,
+and habits were all interesting now, because 'mind and body, heart
+and soul, must be cultivated', and while training to become an
+'intelligent, graceful, healthy girl', little Josie was unconsciously
+fitting herself to play her part well on whatever stage the great
+Manager might prepare for her.
+
+Chapter THE WORM TURNS
+
+Two very superior bicycles went twinkling up the road to
+Plumfield one September afternoon, bearing two brown and dusty
+riders evidently returning from a successful run, for though their
+legs might be a trifle weary, their faces beamed as they surveyed
+the world from their lofty perches with the air of calm content all
+wheelmen wear after they have learned to ride; before that happy
+period anguish of mind and body is the chief expression of the
+manly countenance.
+
+'Go ahead and report, Tom; I'm due here. See you later,' said Demi,
+swinging himself down at the door of the Dovecote.
+
+'Don't peach, there's a good fellow. Let me have it out with Mother
+Bhaer first,' returned Tom, wheeling in at the gate with a heavy
+sigh.
+
+Demi laughed, and his comrade went slowly up the avenue,
+devoutly hoping that the coast was clear; for he was the bearer of
+tidings which would, he thought, convulse the entire family with
+-astonishment and dismay.
+
+To his great joy Mrs Jo was discovered alone in a grove of
+proof-sheets, which she dropped, to greet the returning wanderer
+cordially. But after the first glance she saw that something was the
+matter, recent events having made her unusually sharp-eyed and
+suspicious.
+
+'What is it now, Tom?' she asked, as he subsided into an easy-chair
+with a curious expression of mingled fear, shame, amusement, and
+distress in his brick-red countenance.
+
+'I'm in an awful scrape, ma'am.'
+
+'Of course; I'm always prepared for scrapes when you appear. What
+is it? Run over some old lady who is going to law about it?' asked
+Mrs Jo cheerfully.
+
+'Worse than that,' groaned Tom.
+
+'Not poisoned some trusting soul who asked you to prescribe, I
+hope?'
+
+'Worse than that.'
+
+'You haven't let Demi catch any horrid thing and left him behind,
+have you?'
+
+'Worse even than that.'
+
+'I give it up. Tell me quick; I hate to wait for bad news.'
+
+Having got his listener sufficiently excited, Tom launched his
+thunderbolt in one brief sentence, and fell back to watch the effect.
+
+'I'm engaged!'
+
+Mrs Jo's proof-sheets flew wildly about as she clasped her hands,
+exclaiming in dismay:
+
+'If Nan has yielded, I'll never forgive her!'
+
+'She hasn't; it's another girl.'
+
+Tom's face was so funny as he said the words, that it was
+impossible to help laughing; for he looked both sheepish and
+pleased, besides very much perplexed and worried.
+
+'I'm glad, very glad indeed! Don't care who it is; and I hope you'll
+be married soon. Now tell me all about it,' commanded Mrs Jo, so
+much relieved that she felt ready for anything.
+
+'What will Nan say?' demanded Tom, rather taken aback at this
+view of his predicament.
+
+'She will be rejoiced to get rid of the mosquito who has plagued
+her so long. Don't worry about Nan. Who is this "other girl"?'
+
+'Demi hasn't written about her?'
+
+'Only something about your upsetting a Miss West down at Quitno;
+I thought that was scrape enough.'
+
+'That was only the beginning of a series of scrapes. Just my luck!
+Of course after sousing the poor girl I had to be attentive to her,
+hadn't I? Everyone seemed to think so, and I couldn't get away, and
+so I was lost before I knew it. It's all Demi's fault, he would stay
+there and fuss with his old photos, because the views were good
+and all the girls wanted to be taken. Look at these, will you,
+ma'am? That's the way we spent our time when we weren't playing
+tennis'; and Tom pulled a handful of pictures from his pocket,
+displaying several in which he was conspicuous, either holding a
+sun-umbrella over a very pretty young lady on the rocks, reposing
+at her feet in the grass, or perched on a piazza railing with other
+couples in seaside costumes and effective attitudes.
+
+'This is she of course?' asked Mrs Jo, pointing to the much-ruffled
+damsel with the jaunty hat, coquettish shoes, and racket in her
+hand.
+
+'That's Dora. Isn't she lovely?' cried Tom, forgetting his tribulations
+for a moment and speaking with lover-like ardour.
+
+'Very nice little person to look at. Hope she is not a Dickens Dora?
+That curly crop looks like it.' 'Not a bit; she's very smart; can keep
+house, and sew, and do lots of things, I assure you, ma'am. All the
+girls like her, and she's sweet-tempered and jolly, and sings like a
+bird, and dances beautifully, and loves books. Thinks yours are
+splendid, and made me talk about you no end.'
+
+'That last sentence is to flatter me and win my help to get you out
+of the scrape. Tell me first how you got in'; and Mrs Jo settled
+herself to listen with interest, never tired of boys' affairs.
+
+Tom gave his head a rousing rub all over to clear his wits, and
+plunged into his story with a will.
+
+'Well, we've met her before, but I didn't know she was there. Demi
+wanted to see a fellow, so we went, and finding it nice and cool
+rested over Sunday. Found some pleasant people and went out
+rowing; I had Dora, and came to grief on a confounded rock. She
+could swim, no harm done, only the scare and the spoilt gown. She
+took it well, and we got friendly at once   couldn't help it,
+scrambling into that beast of a boat while the rest laughed at us. Of
+course we had to stay another day to see that Dora was all right.
+Demi wanted to. Alice Heath is down there and two other girls
+from our college, so we sort of lingered along, and Demi kept
+taking pictures, and we danced, and got into a tennis tournament;
+and that was as good exercise as wheeling, we thought. Fact is,
+tennis is a dangerous game, ma'am. A great deal of courting goes
+on in those courts, and we fellows find that sort of "serving"
+mighty agreeable, don't you know?'
+
+'Not much tennis in my day, but I understand perfectly,' said Mrs
+Jo, enjoying it all as much as Tom did. 'Upon my word, I hadn't the
+least idea of being serious,' he continued slowly, as if this part of
+his tale was hard to tell; 'but everyone else spooned, so I did. Dora
+seemed to like it and expect it, and of course I was glad to be
+agreeable. She thought I amounted to something, though Nan does
+not, and it was pleasant to be appreciated after years of snubbing.
+Yes, it was right down jolly to have a sweet girl smile at you all
+day, and blush prettily when you said a neat thing to her, and look
+glad when you came, sorry when you left, and admire all you did,
+and make you feel like a man and act your best. That's the sort of
+treatment a fellow enjoys and ought to get if he behaves himself;
+not frowns and cold shoulders year in and year out, and made to
+look like a fool when he means well, and is faithful, and has loved
+a girl ever since he was a boy. No, by Jove, it's not fair, and I won't
+stand it!'
+
+Tom waxed warm and eloquent as he thought over his wrongs, and
+bounced up to march about the room, wagging his head and trying
+to feel aggrieved as usual, but surprised to find that his heart did
+not ache a bit.
+
+'I wouldn't. Drop the old fancy, for it was nothing more   and take
+up the new one, if it is genuine. But how came you to propose,
+Tom, as you must have done to be engaged?' asked Mrs Jo,
+impatient for the crisis of the tale.
+
+'Oh, that was an accident. I didn't mean it at all; the donkey did it,
+and I couldn't get out of the scrape without hurting Dora's feelings,
+you see,' began Tom, seeing that the fatal moment had come.
+
+'So there were two donkeys in it, were there?' said Mrs Jo,
+foreseeing fun of some sort.
+
+'Don't laugh! It sounds funny, I know; but it might have been
+awful,' answered Tom darkly, though a twinkle of the eye showed
+that his love trials did not quite blind him to the comic side of the
+adventure.
+
+'The girls admired our new wheels, and of course we liked to show
+off. Took 'em to ride, and had larks generally. Well, one day, Dora
+was on behind, and we were going nicely along a good bit of road,
+when a ridiculous old donkey got right across the way. I thought
+he'd move, but he didn't, so I gave him a kick; he kicked back, and
+over we went in a heap, donkey and all. Such a mess! I thought
+only of Dora, and she had hysterics; at least, she laughed till she
+cried, and that beast brayed, and I lost my head. Any fellow would,
+with a poor girl gasping in the road, and he wiping her tears and
+begging pardon, not knowing whether her bones were broken or
+not. I called her my darling, and went on like a fool in my flurry,
+till she grew calmer, and said, with such a look: "I forgive you,
+Tom. Pick me up, and let us go on again."
+
+'Wasn't that sweet now, after I'd upset her for the second time? It
+touched me to the heart; and I said I'd like to go on for ever with
+such an angel to steer for, and - well I don't know what I did say;
+but you might have knocked me down with a feather when she put
+her arm round my neck and whispered: "Tom, dear, with you I'm
+not afraid of any lions in the path." She might have said donkeys;
+but she was in earnest, and she spared my feelings. Very nice of
+the dear girl; but there I am with two sweethearts on my hands,
+and in a deu~ of a scrape.'
+
+Finding it impossible to contain herself another moment, Mrs Jo
+laughed till the tears ran down her cheeks at this characteristic
+episode; and after one reproachful look, which only added to her
+merriment, Tom burst into a jolly roar that made the room ring.
+
+'Tommy Bangs! Tommy Bangs! who but you could ever get into
+such a catastrophe?' said Mrs Jo, when she recovered her breath.
+
+'Isn't it a muddle all round, and won't everyone chaff me to death
+about it? I shall have to quit old Plum for a while,' answered Tom,
+as he mopped his face, trying to realize the full danger of his
+position.
+
+'No, indeed; I'll stand by you, for I think it the best joke of the
+season. But tell me how things ended. Is it really serious, or only a
+summer flirtation? I don't approve of them, but boys and girls will
+play with edged tools and cut their fingers.'
+
+'Well, Dora considers herself engaged, and wrote to her people at
+once. I couldn't say a word when she took it all in solemn earnest
+and seemed so happy. She's only seventeen, never liked anyone
+before, and is sure all will be all right; as her father knows mine,
+and we are both well off. I was so staggered that I said:
+
+"Why, you can't love me really when we know so little of one
+another?" But she answered right out of her tender little heart:
+"Yes, I do, dearly, Tom; you are so gay and kind and honest, I
+couldn't help it." Now, after that what could I do but go ahead and
+make her happy while I stayed, and trust to luck to straighten the
+snarl out afterwards?'
+
+'A truly Tomian way of taking things easy. I hope you told your
+father at once.'
+
+'Oh yes, I wrote off and broke it to him in three lines. I said: "Dear
+Father, I'm engaged to Dora West, and I hope she will suit the
+family. She suits me tip-top. Yours ever, Tom." He was all right,
+never liked Nan, you know; but Dora will suit him down to the
+ground.' And Tom looked entirely satisfied with his own tact and
+taste.
+
+'What did Demi say to this rapid and funny lovemaking? Wasn't he
+scandalized?' asked Mrs Jo, trying not to laugh again as she
+thought of the unromantic spectacle of donkey, bicycle, boy, and
+girl all in the dust together.
+
+'Not a bit. He was immensely interested and very kind; talked to
+me like a father; said it was a good thing to steady a fellow, only I
+must be honest with her and myself and not trifle a moment. Demi
+is a regular Solomon, especially when he is in the same boat,'
+answered Tom, looking wise.
+
+'You don't mean   ?' gasped Mrs Jo, in sudden alarm at the bare
+idea of more love-affairs just yet.
+
+'Yes, I do, please, ma'am; it's a regular sell all the way through, and
+I owe Demi one for taking me into temptation blindfold. He said
+he went to Quitno to see Fred Wallace, but he never saw the
+fellow. How could he, when Wallace was off in his yacht all the
+time we were there? Alice was the real attraction, and I was left to
+my fate, while they were maundering round with that old camera.
+There were three donkeys in this affair, and I'm not the worst one,
+though I shall have to bear the laugh. Demi will look innocent and
+sober, and no one will say a word to him.'
+
+'The midsummer madness has broken out, and no one knows who
+will be stricken next. Well, leave Demi to his mother, and let us
+see what you are going to do, Tom.'
+
+'I don't know exactly; it's awkward to be in love with two girls at
+once. What do you advise?' 'A common-sense view of the case, by
+all means. Dora loves you and thinks you love her. Nan does not
+care for you, and you only care for her as a friend, though you have
+tried to do more. It is my opinion, Tom, that you love Dora, or are
+on the way to it; for in all these years I've never seen you look or
+speak about Nan as you do about Dora. Opposition has made you
+obstinately cling to her till accident has shown you a more
+attractive girl. Now, I think you had better take the old love for a
+friend, the new one for a sweetheart, and in due time, if the
+sentiment is genuine, marry her.'
+
+If Mrs Jo had any doubts about the matter, Tom's face would have
+proved the truth of her opinion; for his eyes shone, his lips smiled,
+and in spite of dust and sunburn a new expression of happiness
+quite glorified him as he stood silent for a moment, trying to
+understand the beautiful miracle which real love works when it
+comes to a young man's heart.
+
+'The fact is I meant to make Nan jealous, for she knows Dora, and
+I was sure would hear of our doings. I was tired of being walked
+on, and I thought I'd try to break away and not be a bore and a
+laughing-stock any more,' he said slowly, as if it relieved him to
+pour out his doubts and woes and hopes and joys to his old friend.
+'I was regularly astonished to find it so easy and so pleasant. I
+didn't mean to do any harm, but drifted along beautifully, and told
+Demi to mention things in his letters to Daisy, so Nan might know.
+Then I forgot Nan altogether, and saw, heard, felt, cared for no one
+but Dora, till the donkey   bless his old heart!   pitched her into my
+arms and I found she loved me. Upon my soul, I don't see why she
+should! I'm not half good enough.' 'Every honest man feels that
+when an innocent girl puts her hand in his. Make yourself worthy
+of her, for she isn't an angel, but a woman with faults of her own
+for you to bear, and forgive, and you must help one another,' said
+Mrs Jo, trying to realize that this sober youth was her scapegrace
+Tommy.
+
+'What troubles me is that I didn't mean it when I began, and was
+going to use the dear girl as an instrument of torture for Nan. It
+wasn't right, and I don't deserve to be so happy. If all my scrapes
+ended as well as this, what a state of bliss I should be in!' and Tom
+beamed again at the rapturous prospect.
+
+'My dear boy, it is not a scrape, but a very sweet experience
+suddenly dawning upon you,' answered Mrs Jo, speaking very
+soberly; for she saw he was in earnest. 'Enjoy it wisely and be
+worthy of it, for it is a serious thing to accept a girl's love and trust,
+and let her look up to you for tenderness and truth in return. Don't
+let little Dora look in vain, but be a man in all things for her sake,
+and make this affection a blessing to you both.'
+
+'I'll try. Yes, I do love her, only I can't believe it just yet. Wish you
+knew her. Dear little soul, I long to see her already! She cried
+when we parted last night and I hated to go.' Tom's hand went to
+his cheek as if he still felt the rosy little seal Dora had set upon his
+promise not to forget her, and for the first time in his
+happy-go-lucky life Tommy Bangs understood the difference
+between sentiment and sentimentality. The feeling recalled Nan,
+for he had never known that tender thrill when thinking of her, and
+the old friendship seemed rather a prosaic affair beside this
+delightful mingling of romance, surprise, love, and fun. 'I declare, I
+feel as if a weight was off me, but what the dickens will Nan say
+when she knows it!' he exclaimed with a chuckle.
+
+'Knows what?' asked a clear voice that made both start and turn,
+for there was Nan calmly surveying them from the doorway.
+
+Anxious to put Tom out of suspense and see how Nan would take
+the news, Mrs Jo answered quickly:
+
+'Tom's engagement to Dora West.'
+
+'Really?' and Nan looked so surprised that Mrs Jo was afraid she
+might be fonder of her old playmate than she knew; but her next
+words set the fear at rest, and made everything comfortable and
+merry at once.
+
+'I knew my prescription would work wonders if he only took it
+long enough. Dear old Tom, I'm so glad. Bless you! bless you!'
+And she shook both his hands with hearty affection.
+
+'It was an accident, Nan. I didn't mean to, but I'm always getting
+into messes, and I couldn't seem to get out of this any other way.
+Mother Bhaer will tell you all about it. I must go and make myself
+tidy. Going to tea with Demi. See you later.'
+
+Stammering, blushing, and looking both sheepish and gratified,
+Tom suddenly bolted, leaving the elder lady to enlighten the
+younger at length, and have another laugh over this new sort of
+courtship, which might well be called accidental. Nan was deeply
+interested, for she knew Dora, thought her a nice little thing, and
+predicted that in time she would make Tom an excellent wife,
+since she admired and 'appreciated' him so much.
+
+'I shall miss him of course, but it will be a relief to me and better
+for him; dangling is so bad for a boy. Now he will go into business
+with his father and do well, and everyone be happy. I shall give
+Dora an elegant family medicine-chest for a wedding-present, and
+teach her how to use it. Tom can't be trusted, and is no more fit for
+the profession than Silas.'
+
+The latter part of this speech relieved Mrs Jo's mind, for Nan had
+looked about her as if she had lost something valuable when she
+began; but the medicine-chest seemed to cheer her, and the
+thought of Tom in a safe profession was evidently a great comfort.
+
+'The worm has turned at last, Nan, and your bond-man is free. Let
+him go, and give your whole mind to your work; for you are fitted
+for the profession, and will be an honour to it by and by,' she said
+approvingly.
+
+'I hope so. That reminds me   measles are in the village, and you
+had better tell the girls not to call where there are children. It
+would be bad to have a run of them just as term begins. Now I'm
+off to Daisy. Wonder what she will say to Tom. Isn't he great fun?'
+And Nan departed, laughing over the joke with such genuine
+satisfaction that it was evident no sentimental regrets disturbed her
+'maiden meditation, fancy-free'.
+
+'I shall have my eye on Demi, but won't say a word. Meg likes to
+manage her children in her own way, and a very good way it is.
+But the dear Pelican will be somewhat ruffled if her boy has
+caught the epidemic which seems to have broken out among us
+this summer.'
+
+Mrs Jo did not mean the measles, but that more serious malady
+called love, which is apt to ravage communities, spring and
+autumn, when winter gaiety and summer idleness produce whole
+bouquets of en- gagements, and set young people to pairing off
+like the birds. Franz began it, Nat was a chronic and Tom a sudden
+case; Demi seemed to have the symptoms; and worst of all, her
+own Ted had only the day before calmly said to her: 'Mum, I think
+I should be happier if I had a sweetheart, like the other boys.' If her
+cherished son had asked her for dynamite to play with, she would
+hardly have been more startled, or have more decidedly refused the
+absurd request.
+
+'Well, Barry Morgan said I ought to have one and
+
+offered to pick me out a nice one among our set. I
+
+asked Josie first, and she hooted at the idea, so I
+
+thought I'd let Barry look round. You say it steadies a
+
+fellow, and I want to be steady,' explained Ted in a
+
+serious tone, which would have convulsed his parent
+
+at any other time.
+
+'Good lack! What are we coming to in this fast age when babes and
+boys make such demands and want to play with one of the most
+sacred things in life?' exclaimed Mrs Jo, and having in a few words
+set the matter in its true light, sent her son away to wholesome
+baseball and Octoo for a safe sweetheart.
+
+Now, here was Tom's bomb-shell to explode in their midst,
+carrying widespread destruction, perhaps; for though one swallow
+does not make a summer, one engagement is apt to make several,
+and her boys were, most of them, at the inflammable age when a
+spark ignites the flame, which soon flickers and dies out, or burns
+warm and clear for life. Nothing could be done about it but to help
+them make wise choices, and be worthy of good mates. But of all
+the lessons Mrs Jo had tried to teach her boys, this great one was
+the hardest; for love is apt to make lunatics of even saints and
+sages, so young people cannot be expected to escape the delusions,
+disappointments, and mistakes, as well as the delights, of this
+sweet madness.
+
+'I suppose it is inevitable, since we live in America, so I won't
+borrow trouble, but hope that some of the new ideas of education
+will produce a few hearty, happy, capable, and intelligent girls for
+my lads. Lucky for me that I haven't the whole twelve on my
+hands, I should lose my wits if I had, for I foresee complications
+and troubles ahead worse than Tom's boats, bicycles, donkeys, and
+Doras,' meditated Mrs Jo, as she went back to her neglected
+proof-sheets.
+
+Tom was quite satisfied with the tremendous effect his
+engagement produced in the little community at Plum-field. 'It was
+paralysing,' as Demi said; and astonishment left most of Tom's
+mates little breath for chaff. That he, the faithful one, should turn
+from the idol to strange goddesses, was a shock to the romantic
+and a warning to the susceptible. It was comical to see the airs our
+Thomas put on; for the most ludicrous parts of the affair were
+kindly buried in oblivion by the few who knew them, and Tom
+burst forth as a full-blown hero who had rescued the maiden from
+a watery grave, and won her gratitude and love by his daring deed.
+Dora kept the secret, and enjoyed the fun when she came to see
+Mother Bhaer and pay her respects to the family generally.
+Everyone liked her at once, for she was a gay and winning little
+soul; fresh, frank, and so happy, it was beautiful to see her
+innocent pride in Tom, who was a new boy, or man rather; for with
+this change in his life a great change took place in him. Jolly he
+would always be, and impulsive, but he tried to become all that
+Dora believed him, and his best side came uppermost for everyday
+wear. It was surprising to see how many good traits Tom had; and
+his efforts to preserve the manly dignity belonging to his proud
+position as an engaged man was very comical. So was the entire
+change from his former abasement and devotion to Nan to a
+somewhat lordly air with his little betrothed; for Dora made an
+idol of him, and resented the idea of a fault or a flaw in her Tom.
+This new state of things suited both, and the once blighted being
+bloomed finely in the warm atmosphere of appreciation, love, and
+confidence. He was very fond of the dear girl, but meant to be a
+slave no longer, and enjoyed his freedom immensely, quite
+unconscious that the great tyrant of the world had got hold of him
+for life.
+
+To his father's satisfaction he gave up his medical studies, and
+prepared to go into business with the old gentleman, who was a
+flourishing merchant, ready now to make the way smooth and
+smile upon his marriage with Mr West's well-endowed daughter.
+The only thorn in Tom's bed of roses was Nan's placid interest in
+his affairs, and evident relief at his disloyalty. He did not want her
+to suffer, but a decent amount of regret at the loss of such a lover
+would have gratified him; a slight melancholy, a word of reproach,
+a glance of envy as he passed with adoring Dora on his arm,
+seemed but the fitting tribute to such years of faithful service and
+sincere affection. But Nan regarded him with a maternal sort of air
+that nettled him very much, and patted Dora's curly head with a
+worldlywise air worthy of the withered spinster, Julia Mills, in
+David Copperfield.
+
+It took some time to get the old and the new emo tions
+comfortably adjusted, but Mrs Jo helped him, and Mr Laurie gave
+him some wise advice upon the astonishing gymnastic feats the
+human heart can perform, and be all the better for it if it only held
+fast to the balancing-pole of truth and common sense. At last our
+Tommy got his bearings, and as autumn came on Plumfield saw
+but little of him; for his new lode star was in the city, and business
+kept him hard at work. He was evidently in his right place now,
+and soon throve finely, to his father's great contentment; for his
+jovial presence pervaded the once quiet office like a gale of fresh
+wind, and his lively wits found managing men and affairs much
+more congenial employment than studying disease, or playing
+unseemly pranks with skeletons.
+
+Here we will leave him for a time and turn to the more serious
+adventures of his mates, though this engagement, so merrily made,
+was the anchor which kept our mercurial Tom happy, and made a
+man of
+
+Chapter 10 DEMI SETTLES
+
+'Mother, can I have a little serious conversation with you?' asked
+Demi one evening, as they sat together enjoying the first fire of the
+season, while Daisy wrote letters upstairs and Josie was studying
+in the little library close by.
+
+'Certainly, dear. No bad news, I hope?' and Mrs Meg looked up
+from her sewing with a mixture of pleasure and anxiety on her
+motherly face; for she dearly loved a good talk with her son, and
+knew that he always had something worth telling.
+
+'It will be good news for you, I think,' answered Demi, smiling as
+he threw away his paper and went to sit beside her on the little sofa
+which just held two.
+
+'Let me hear it, then, at once.'
+
+'I know you don't like the reporting, and will be glad to hear that I
+have given it up.'
+
+'I am very glad! It is too uncertain a business, and there is no
+prospect of getting on for a long time. I want you settled in some
+good place where you can stay, and in time make money. I wish
+you liked a profession; but as you don't, any clean, well-established
+business will do.'
+
+'What do you say to a railroad office?'
+
+'I don't like it. A noisy, hurried kind of place, I know, with all sorts
+of rough men about. I hope it isn't that, dear?'
+
+'I could have it; but does book-keeping in a wholesale leather
+business please you better?'
+
+'No; you'll get round-shouldered writing at a tall desk; and they
+say, once a book-keeper always a bookkeeper.'
+
+'How does a travelling agent suit your views?'
+
+'Not at all; with all those dreadful accidents, and the exposure and
+bad food as you go from place to place, you are sure to get killed
+or lose your health.'
+
+'I could be private secretary to a. literary man; but the salary is
+small, and may end any time.'
+
+'That would be better, and more what I want. It isn't that I object to
+honest work of any kind; but I don't want my son to spend his best
+years grubbing for a little money in a dark office, or be knocked
+about in a rough-and-tumble scramble to get on. I want to see you
+in some business where your tastes and talents can be developed
+and made useful; where you can go on rising, and in time put in
+your little fortune and be a partner; so that your years of
+apprenticeship will not be wasted, but fit you to take your place
+among the honourable men who make their lives and work useful
+and respected. I talked it all over with your dear father when you
+were a child; and if he had lived he would have shown you what I
+mean, and helped you to be what he was.'
+
+Mrs Meg wiped away a quiet tear as she spoke; for the memory of
+her husband was a very tender one, and the education of his
+children had been a sacred task to which she gave all her heart and
+life, and so far she had done wonderfully well   as her good son
+and loving daughters tried to prove. Demi's arm was round her
+now, as he said, in a voice so like his father's that it was the
+sweetest music to her ear:
+
+'Mother dear, I think I have got just what you want ~or me; and h
+shall not be �~ fMll? ~f I don't b~comr the man you hope to see
+me. Let me tell you all about
+
+it. I didn't ~ay anything till it was surer because ~t would only
+worry you; but Aunt Jo and I have been on the look-out for it some
+time, and now it has come. You know her publisher, Mr Tiber, is
+one of the most successful men in the business; also generous,
+kind, and the soul of honour   as his treatment of Aunty proves.
+Well, I've rather hankered for that place; for I love books, and as I
+can't make them I'd like to publish them. That needs some literary
+taste and judgement, it brings you in contact with fine people, and
+is an education in itself. Whenever I go into that large, handsome
+room to see Mr Tiber for Aunt Jo, I always want to stay; for it's
+lined with books and pictures, famous men and women come and
+go, and Mr Tiber sits at his desk like a sort of king, receiving his
+subjects; for the greatest authors are humble to him, and wait his
+Yes or No with anxiety. Of course I've nothing to do with all that,
+and may never have; but I like to see it, and the atmosphere is so
+different from the dark offices and hurly-burly of many other
+trades, where nothing but money is talked about, that it seems
+another world, and I feel at home in it. Yes, I'd rather beat the
+door-mats and make fires there than be head clerk in the great hide
+and leather store at a big salary.' Here Demi paused for breath; and
+Mrs Meg, whose face had been growing brighter and brighter,
+exclaimed eagerly: 'Just what I should like! Have you got it? Oh,
+my dear boy! your fortune is made if you go to that
+well-established and flourishing place, with those good men to
+help you along!'
+
+'I think I have, but we mustn't be too sure of anything yet. I may
+not suit; I'm only on trial, and must begin at the beginning and
+work my way up faithfully. Mr Tiber was very kind, and will push
+me on as fast as is fair to the other fellows, and as I prove myself
+fit to go up. I'm to begin the first of next month in the book-room,
+filing orders; and I go round and get orders, and do various other
+things of the sort. I like it. I am ready to do anything about books,
+if it's only to dust them,' laughed Demi, well pleased with his
+prospects, for, after trying various things, he seemed at last to have
+found the sort of work he liked, and a prospect that was very
+inviting to him.
+
+'You inherit that love of books from grandpa; he can't live without
+them. I'm glad of it. Tastes of that kind show a refined nature, and
+are both a comfort and a help all one's life. I am truly glad and
+grateful, John, that at last you want to settle, and have got such an
+entirely satisfactory place. Most boys begin much earlier; but I
+don't believe in sending them out to face the world so young, just
+when body and soul need home care and watchfulness. Now you
+are a man, and must begin your life for yourself. Do your best, and
+be as honest, useful, and happy as your father, and I won't care
+about making a fortune.'
+
+'I'll try, mother. Couldn't have a better chance; for Tiber & Co.
+treat their people like gentlemen, and pay generously for faithful
+work. Things are done in a businesslike way there, and that suits
+me. I hate prom- ises that are not kept, and shiftless or tyrannical
+ways anywhere. Mr Tiber said: "This is only to teach you the
+ropes, Brooke; I shall have other work for you by and by." Aunty
+told him I had done book notices, and
+
+had rather a ~M 1it~!!iltllP~ ~O t11Oll~h I CIfl't produce any
+"works of Shakespeare", as she says, I may get up some little
+things later. If I don't, I think it a very honourable and noble
+profession to select and give good books to the world; and I'm
+satisfied to be a humble helper in the work.'
+
+'I'm glad you feel so. It adds so much to one's happiness to love the
+task one does. I used to hate teaching; but housekeeping for my
+own family was always sweet, though much harder in many ways.
+Isn't Aunt Jo pleased about all this?' asked Mrs Meg, already
+seeing in her mind's eye a splendid sign with 'Tiber, Brooke & Co.'
+over the door of a famous publishing house.
+
+'So pleased that I could hardly keep her from letting the cat out of
+the bag too soon. I've had so many plans, and disappointed you so
+often, I wanted to be very sure this time. I had to bribe Rob and
+Ted to keep her at home tonight till I'd told my news, she was
+eager to rush down and tell you herself. The castles that dear
+woman has built for me would fill all Spain, and have kept us jolly
+while we waited to know our fate. Mr Tiber doesn't do things in a
+hurry; but when he makes up his mind, you are all right; and I feel
+that I am fairly launched.'
+
+'Bless you, dear, I hope so! It is a happy day for me, because I've
+been so anxious lest, with all my care, I have been too easy and
+indulgent, and my boy, with his many good gifts, might fritter his
+time away in harmless but unsatisfactory things. Now I am at ease
+about you. If only Daisy can be happy, and Josie give up her
+dream, I shall be quite contented.'
+
+Demi let his mother enjoy herself for a few minutes, while he
+smiled over a certain little dream of his own, not ready yet for the
+telling; then he said, in the paternal tone which he unconsciously
+used when speaking of his sisters:
+
+'I'll see to the girls; but I begin to think grandpa is right in saying
+we must each be what God and nature makes us. We can't change
+it much   only help to develop the good and control the bad
+elements in us. I have fumbled my way into my right place at last, I
+hope. Let Daisy be happy in her way, since it is a good and
+womanly one. If Nat comes home all right, I'd say: "Bless you, my
+children," and.give them a nest of their own. Then you and I will
+help little Jo to find out if it is to be "All the world's a stage" or
+"Home, sweet home", for her.'
+
+'I suppose we must, John; but I can't help making plans, and
+hoping they will come to pass. I see that Daisy is bound up in Nat;
+and if he is worthy of her I shall let them be happy in their own
+way, as my parents let me. But Josie will be a trial, I foresee; and
+much as I love the stage, and always did, I don't see how 1 can ever
+let my little girl be an actress, though she certainly has great talent
+for it.'
+
+'Whose fault is that?' asked Demi, smiling, as he remembered his
+mother's early triumphs and unquenchable interest in the dramatic
+efforts of the young people round her.
+
+'Mine, I know. How could it be otherwise when I acted Babes in
+the Wood with you and Daisy before you could speak, and taught
+Josie to declaim Mother Goose in her cradle. Ah, me! the tastes of
+the mother come out in her children, and she must atone for them
+by letting them have their own way, I suppose.' And Mrs Meg
+laughed, even while she shook her head over the undeniable fact
+that the Marches were a theatrical family.
+
+'Why not have a great actress of our name, as well as an authoress,
+a minister, and an eminent publisher? We don't choose our talents,
+but we needn't hide them in a napkin because they are not just
+what we want. I say, let Jo have her way, and do what she can.
+Here am I to take care of her; and you can't deny you'd enjoy fixing
+her furbelows, and seeing her shine before the footlights, where
+you used to long to be. Come, mother, better face the music and
+march gaily, since your wilful children will "gang their am gait".'
+
+'I don't see but I must, and "leave the consequences to the Lord", as
+Marmee used to say when she had to decide, and only saw a step
+of the road. I should enjoy it immensely, if I could only feel that
+the life would not hurt my girl, and leave her unsatisfied when it
+was too late to change; for nothing is harder to give up than the
+excitements of that profession. I know something of it; and if your
+blessed father had not come along, I'm afraid I should have been
+an actress in spite of Aunt March and all our honoured ancestors.'
+
+'Let Josie add new honour to the name, and work out the family
+talent in its proper place. I'll play dragon to her, and you play
+nurse, and no harm can come to our little Juliet, no matter how
+many Romeos spoon under her balcony. Really, ma'am, opposition
+comes badly from an old lady who is going to wring the hearts of
+our audience in the heroine's part in Aunty's play next Christmas.
+It's the most pathetic thing I ever saw, mother; and I'm sorry you
+didn't become an actress, though we should be nowhere if you had.'
+
+Demi was on his legs now, with his back to the fire, in the lordly
+attitude men like to assume when things go well with them, or they
+want to lay down the law on any subject.
+
+Mrs Meg actually blushed at her son's hearty praise, and could not
+deny that the sound of applause was as sweet now as when she
+played the Witch's Curse and The Moorish Maiden's Vow long
+years ago.
+
+'It's perfectly absurd for me to do it, but I couldn't resist when Jo
+and Laurie made the part for me, and you children were to act in it.
+The minute I get on the old mother's dress I forget myself and feel
+the same thrill at the sound of the bell that I used to feel when we
+got up plays in the garret. If Daisy would only take the daughter's
+part it would be so complete; for with you and Josie I am hardly
+acting, it is all so real.'
+
+'Especially the hospital scene, where you find the wounded son.
+Why, mother, do you know when we did that at last rehearsal my
+face was wet with real tears as you cried over me. It will bring
+down the house; but don't forget to wipe 'em off, or I shall sneeze,'
+said Demi, laughing at the recollection of his mother's hit.
+
+'I won't; but it almost broke my heart to see you so pale and
+dreadful. I hope there will never he another war in my time, for I
+should have to let you go; and I never want to live through the
+same experience we had with father.' 'Don't you think Alice does
+the part better than Daisy would? Daisy hasn't a bit of the actress
+in her, and Alice puts llPe into the dullest words she speaks. I think
+the Marquise is just perfect in our piece,' said Demi, strolling
+about the room as if the warmth of the fire sent a sudden colour to
+his face.
+
+'So do I. She is a dear girl, and I'm proud and fond of her. Where is
+she tonight?'
+
+'Pegging away at her Greek, I suppose. She usually is in the
+evening. More's the pity,' added Demi, in a low tone, as he stared
+intently at the book-case, though he couldn't read a title.
+
+'Now, there is a girl after my own heart. Pretty, well-bred,
+well-educated, and yet domestic, a real companion as well as
+help-meet for some good and intelligent man. I hope she will find
+one.'
+
+'So do I,' muttered Demi.
+
+Mrs Meg had taken up her work again, and was surveying a
+half-finished buttonhole with so much interest that her son's face
+escaped her eye. He shed a beaming smile upon the rows of poets,
+as if even in their glass prison they could sympathize and rejoice
+with him at the first rosy dawn of the great passion which they
+knew so well. But Demi was a wise youth, and never leaped before
+looking carefully. He hardly knew his own heart yet, and was
+contented to wait till the sentiment, the fluttering of those folded
+wings he began to feel, should escape from the chrysalis and be
+ready to soar away in the sunshine to seek and claim its lovely
+mate. He had said nothing; but the brown eyes were eloquent, and
+there was an unconscious underplot to all the little plays he and
+Alice Heath acted so well together. She was busy with her books,
+bound to graduate with high honours, and he was trying to do the
+same in that larger college open to all, and where each man has his
+own prize to win or lose. Demi had nothing but himself to offer
+and, being a modest youth, considered that a poor gift till he had
+proved his power to earn his living, and the right to take a woman's
+happiness into his keeping.
+
+No one guessed that he had caught the fever except sharp-eyed
+Josie, and she, having a wholesome fear of her brother   who could
+be rather awful when she went too far   wisely contented herself
+with watching him like a little cat, ready to pounce on the first
+visible sign of weakness. Demi had taken to playing pensively
+upon his flute after he was in his room for the night, making this
+melodious friend his confidante, and breathing into it all the tender
+hopes and fears that filled his heart. Mrs Meg, absorbed in
+domestic affairs, and Daisy, who cared for no music but Nat's
+violin, paid no heed to these chamber concerts, but Josie always
+murmured to herself, with a naughty chuckle, 'Dick Swiveller is
+thinking of his Sophy Wackles,' and bided her time to revenge
+certain wrongs inflicted upon her by Demi, who always took
+Daisy's side when she tried to curb the spirits of her unruly little
+sister.
+
+This evening she got her chance, and made the most of it. Mrs
+Meg was just rounding off her buttonhole, and Demi still strolling
+restlessly about the room, when a book was heard to slam in the
+study, followed by an audible yawn and the appearance of the
+student looking as if sleep and a desire for mischief were
+struggling which should be master.
+
+'I heard my name; have you been saying anything bad about mc?'
+she demanded, perching on the arm of an easychair.
+
+Her mother told the good news, over which Josie duly rejoiced,
+and Demi received her congratulations with a benignant air which
+made her feel that too much satisfaction was not good for him, and
+incited her to put a thorn into his bed of roses at once.
+
+'I caught something about the play just now, and I want to tell you
+that I'm going to introduce a song into my part to liven it up a bit.
+How would this do?' and seating herself at the piano she began to
+sing to these words the air of 'Kathleen Mavourneen':
+
+'Sweetest of maidens, oh, how can I tell
+
+The love that transfigures the whole earth to me? The longing that
+causes my bosom to swell,
+
+When I dream of a life all devoted to thee?'
+
+She got no further, for Demi, red with wrath, made a rush at her,
+and the next moment a very agile young person was seen dodging
+round tables and chairs with the future partner of Tiber & Co. in
+hot pursuit. 'You monkey, how dare you meddle with my papers?'
+cried the irate poet, making futile grabs at the saucy girl, who
+skipped to and fro, waving a bit of paper tantalizingly before him.
+
+'Didn't; found it in the big "Dic". Serves you right if you leave your
+rubbish about. Don't you like my song? It's very pretty.'
+
+'I'll teach you one that you won't like if you don't give me my
+property.'
+
+'Come and get it if you can'; and Josie vanished into the study to
+have out her squabble in peace, for Mrs Meg was already saying:
+
+'Children, children! don't quarrel.'
+
+The paper was in the fire by the time Demi arrived and he at once
+calmed down, seeing that the bone of contention was out of the
+way.
+
+'I'm glad it's burnt; I don't care for it, only some verse I was trying
+to set to music for one of the girls. But I'll trouble you to let my
+papers alone, or I shall take back the advice I gave mother tonight
+about allowing you to act as much as you like.'
+
+Josie was sobered at once by this dire threat, and in her most
+wheedling tone begged to know what he had said. By way of
+heaping coals of fire on her head he told her, and this diplomatic
+performance secured him an ally on the spot.
+
+'You dear old boy! I'll never tease you again though you moon and
+spoon both day and night. If you stand by me, I'll stand by you and
+never say a word. See here! I've got a note for you from Alice.
+Won't that be a peace-offering and soothe your little feelings?'
+
+Demi's eyes sparkled as Josie held up a paper cocked hat, but as he
+knew what was probably in it, he took the wind out of Josie's sails,
+and filled her with blank astonishment by saying carelessly:
+
+'That's nothing; it's only to say whether she will go to the concert
+with us tomorrow night. You can read it if you like.'
+
+With the natural perversity of her sex Josie ceased to be curious
+the moment she was told to read it, and meekly handed it over; but
+she watched Demi as he calmly read the two lines it contained and
+then threw it into the fire. 'Why~ Ja~K~ I thci~gh~ y~'~ ~i~~t~is
+cyc~y ~crap the
+
+"sweetest maid" touched. Don't you care for her?'
+
+'Very much; we all do; but "mooning and spooning", as you
+elegantly express it, is not in my line. My dear little girl, your plays
+make you romantic, and because Alice and I act lovers sometimes
+you take it into your silly head that we are really so. Don't waste
+time hunting mares nests, but attend to your own affairs and leave
+me to mine. I forgive you, but don't do it again; it's bad taste, and
+tragedy queens don't romp.'
+
+The last cut finished Josie; she humbly begged pardon and went
+off to bed, while Demi soon followed, feeling that he had not only
+settled himself but his too inquisitive little sister also. But if he had
+seen her face as she listened to the soft wailing of his flute he
+would not have been so sure, for she looked as cunning as a
+magpie as she said, with a scornful sniff: 'Pooh, you can't deceive
+me; I know Dick is serenading Sophy Wackles.'
+
+Chapter 11 EMIL'S THANKSGIVING
+
+The Brenda was scudding along with all sail set to catch the rising
+wind, and everyone on board was rejoicing, for the long voyage
+was drawing towards an end.
+
+'Four weeks more, Mrs Hardy, and we'll give you a cup of tea such
+as you never had before,' said second mate Hoffmann, as he paused
+beside two ladies sitting in a sheltered corner of the deck.
+
+'I shall be glad to get it, and still gladder to put my feet on solid
+ground,' answered the elder lady, smiling; for our friend Emil was
+a favourite, as well he might be, since he devoted himself to the
+captain's wife and daughter, who were the only passengers on
+board.
+
+'So shall I, even if I have to wear a pair of shoes like Chinese
+junks. I've tramped up and down the deck so much, I shall be
+barefooted if we don't arrive soon,' laughed Mary, the daughter,
+showing two shabby little boots as she glanced up at the
+companion of these tramps, remembering gratefully how pleasant
+he had made them.
+
+'Don't think there are any small enough in China,' answered Emil,
+with a sailor's ready gallantry, privately resolving to hunt up the
+handsomest shoes he could find the moment he landed.
+
+'I don't know what you would have done for exer cise, dear, if Mr
+Hoffmann had not made you walk every day. This lazy life is bad
+for young people, though it suits an old body like me well enough
+in calm weather. Is this likely to be a gale, think ye?' added Mrs
+Hardy, with an anxious glance at the west, where the sun was
+setting redly.
+
+'Only a capful of wind, ma'am, just enough to send us along lively,'
+answered Emil, with a comprehensive glance aloft and alow.
+
+'Please sing, Mr Hoffmann, it's so pleasant to have music at this
+time. We shall miss it very much when we get ashore,' said Mary,
+in a persuasive tone which would have won melody from a shark,
+if such a thing were possible.
+
+Emil had often blessed his one accomplishment during these
+months, for it cheered the long days, and made the twilight hour
+his happiest time, wind and weather permitting. So now he gladly
+tuned his pipe, and leaning on the taffrail near the girl, watched the
+brown locks blowing in the wind as he sang her favourite song:
+
+'Give me freshening breeze, my boys,
+A white and swelling sail,
+A ship that cuts the dashing waves,
+And weathers every gale.
+     What lzfe is like a sailor's life,
+So free, so bold, so brave?
+His home the ocean's wide expanse,
+A coral bed his grave.'
+
+Just as the last notes of the clear, strong voice died away, Mrs
+Hardy suddenly exclaimed: 'What's that?' Emil's quick eye saw at
+once the little puff of smoke coming up a hatchway where no
+smoke should be, and his heart seemed to stand still for an instant
+as the dread word 'Fire!' flashed through his mind. Then he was
+quite steady, and strolled away saying quietly:
+
+'Smoking not allowed there, I'll go and stop it.' But the instant he
+was out of sight his face changed, and he leaped down the
+hatchway, thinking, with a queer smile on his lips: 'If we are afire,
+shouldn't wonder if I did make a coral bed my grave!'
+
+He was gone a few minutes, and when he came up, half stifled
+with smoke, he was as white as a very brown man could be, but
+calm and cool as he went to report to the captain.
+
+'Fire in the hold, sir.'
+
+'Don't frighten the women,' was Captain Hardy's first order; then
+both be stirred themselves to discover how strong the treacherous
+enemy was, and to rout it if possible.
+
+The Brenda's cargo was a very combustible one, and in spite of the
+streams of water poured into the hold it was soon evident that the
+ship was doomed. Smoke began to ooze up between the planks
+everywhere, and the rising gale soon fanned the smouldering fire
+to flames that began to break out here and there, telling the
+dreadful truth too plainly for anyone to hide. Mrs Hardy and Mary
+bore the shock bravely when told to be ready to quit the ship at a
+minute's notice; the boats were hastily prepared, and the men
+worked with a will to batten down every loophole whence the fire
+might escape. Soon the poor Brenda was a floating furnace, and
+the order to 'Take to the boats!' came for all. The women first, of
+course, and it was fortunate that, being a merchantman, there were
+no more passengers on board, so there was no panic, and one after
+the other the boats pushed off. That in which the women were
+lingered near, for the brave captain would be the last to leave his
+ship.
+
+Emil stayed by him till ordered away, and reluctantly obeyed; but
+it was well for him he went, for just as he had regained the boat,
+rocking far below, half hidden by a cloud of smoke, a mast,
+undermined by the fire now raging in the bowels of the ship, fell
+with a crash, knocking Captain Hardy overboard. The boat soon
+reached him as he floated out from the wreck, and Emil sprung
+into the sea to rescue him, for he was wounded and senseless. This
+accident made it necessary for the young man to take command,
+and he at once ordered the men to pull for their lives, as an
+explosion might occur at any moment.
+
+The other boats were out of danger and all lingered to watch the
+splendid yet awesome spectacle of the burning ship alone on the
+wide sea, reddening the night and casting a lurid glare upon the
+water, where floated the frail boats filled with pale faces, all
+turned for a last look at the fated Brenda, slowly settling to her
+watery grave. No one saw the end, however, for the gale soon
+swept the watchers far away and separated them, some never to
+meet again till the sea gives up its dead.
+
+The boat whose fortunes we must follow was alone when dawn
+came up, showing these survivors all the dangers of their situation.
+Food and water had been put in, and such provision for comfort
+and safety as time allowed; but it was evident that with a badly
+wounded man, two women, and seven sailors, their supply would
+not last long, and help was sorely needed. Their only hope was in
+meeting a ship, although the gale, which had raged all night, had
+blown them out of their course. To this hope all clung, and wiled
+away the weary hours, watching the horizon and cheering one
+another with prophecies of speedy rescue.
+
+Second mate Hoffmann was very brave and helpful, though his
+unexpected responsibility weighed heavily on his shoulders; for
+the captain's state seemed desperate, the poor wife's grief wrung
+his heart, and the blind confidence of the young girl in his power
+to save them made him feel that no sign of doubt or fear must
+lessen it. The men did their part readily now, but Emil knew that if
+starvation and despair made brutes of them, his task might be a
+terrible one. So he clutched
+
+his courage with both handg, kept up a manly front, and spoke so
+cheerily of their good chances, that all instinctively turned to him
+for guidance and support.
+
+The first day and night passed in comparative comfort, but when
+the third came, things looked dark and hope began to fail. The
+wounded man was delirious, the wife worn out with anxiety and
+suspense, the girl weak for want of food, having put away half her
+biscuit for her mother, and given her share of water to wet her
+father's feverish lips. The sailors ceased rowing and sat grimly
+waiting, openly reproaching their leader for not following their
+advice, others demanding more food, all waxing dangerous as
+privation and pain brought out the animal instincts lurking in them.
+Emil did his best, but mortal man was helpless there, and he could
+only turn his haggard face from the pitiless sky, that dropped no
+rain for their thirst, to the boundless sea where no sail appeared to
+gladden their longing eyes. All day he tried to cheer and comfort
+them, while hunger gnawed, thirst parched, and growing fear lay
+heavy at his heart. He told stories to the men, implored them to
+bear up for the helpless women's sake, and promised rewards if
+they would pull while they had strength to regain the lost route, as
+nearly as he could make it out, and increase their chance of rescue.
+He rigged an awning of sailcloth over the suffering man and
+tended him like a son, comforted the wife, and tried to make the
+pale girl forget herself, by singing every song he knew or
+recounting his adventures by land and sea, till she smiled and took
+heart; for all ended well.
+
+The fourth day came and the supply of food and water was nearly
+gone. Emil proposed to keep it for the sick man and the women,
+but two of the men rebelled, demanding their share. Emil gave up
+his as an example, and several of the good fellows followed it,
+with the quiet heroism which so often crops up in rough but manly
+natures. This shamed the others, and for another day an ominous
+peace reigned in that little world of suffering and suspense. But
+during the night, while Emil, worn out with fatigue, left the watch
+to the most trustworthy sailor, that he might snatch an hour's rest,
+these two men got at the stores and stole the last of the bread and
+water, and the one bottle of brandy, which was carefully hoarded
+to keep up their strength and make the brackish water drinkable.
+Half mad with thirst, they drank greedily and by morning one was
+in a stupor, from which he never woke; the other so crazed by the
+strong stimulant, that when Emil tried to control him, he leaped
+overboard and was lost. Horror-stricken by this terrible scene, the
+other men were submissive henceforth? and the boat floated on
+and on with its sad freight of suffering souls and bodies.
+
+Another trial came to them that left all more despairing than
+before. A sail appeared, and for a time a frenzy of joy ptevthled, to
+be turned to bitterest disappointment when it passed by, too far
+away to see the signals waved to them or hear the frantic cries for
+help that rang across the sea. Emil's heart sank then, for the captain
+seemed dying, and the women could not hold out much longer. He
+kept up till night came; then in the darkness, broken only by the
+feeble murmuring of the sick man, the whispered prayers of the
+poor wife, the ceaseless swash of waves, Emil hid his face, and
+had an hour of silent agony that aged him more than years of
+happy life could have done. It was not the physical hardship that
+daunted him, though want and weakness tortured him; it was his
+dreadful powerlessness to conquer the cruel fate that seemed
+hanging over them. The men he cared little for, since these perils
+were but a part of the life they chose; but the master he loved, the
+good woman who had been so kind to him, the sweet girl whose
+winsome presence had made the long voyage so pleasant for them
+all   if he could only save these dear and innocent creatures from a
+cruel death, he felt that he could willingly give his life for them.
+
+As he sat there with his head in his hands, bowed down by the first
+great trial of his young life, the starless sky overhead, the restless
+sea beneath, and all around him suffering, for which he had no
+help, a soft sound broke the silence, and he listened like one in a
+dream. It was Mary singing to her mother, who lay sobbing in her
+arms, spent with this long anguish. A very faint and broken voice it
+was, for the poor girl's lips were parched with thirst; but the loving
+heart turned instinctively to the great Helper in this hour of
+despair, and He heard her feeble cry. It was a sweet old hynm often
+sung at Plumfield; and as he listened, all the happy past came back
+so clearly that Emil forgot the bitter present, and was at home
+again. His talk on the housetop with Aunt Jo seemed but yesterday,
+and, with a pang of self-reproach, he thought:
+
+'The scarlet strand! I must remember it, and do my duty to the end.
+Steer straight, old boy; and if you can't come into port, go down
+with all sail set.'
+
+Then, as the soft voice crooned on to lull the weary woman to a
+fitful sleep, Emil for a little while forgot his burden in a dream of
+Plumfield. He saw them all, heard the familiar voices, felt the grip
+of welcoming hands, and seemed to say to himself: 'Well, they
+shall not be ashamed of me if I never see them any more.'
+
+A sudden shout startled him from that brief rest, and a drop on his
+forehead told him that the blessed rain had come at last, bringing
+salvation with it; for thirst is harder to bear than hunger, heat, or
+cold. Welcomed by cries of joy, all lifted up their parched lips,
+held out their hands, and spread their garments to catch the great
+drops that soon came pouring down to cool the sick man's fever,
+quench the agony of thirst, and bring refreshment to every weary
+body in the boat. All night it fell, all night the castaways revelled
+in the saving shower, and took heart again, like dying plants
+revived by heaven's dew. The clouds broke away at dawn, and
+Emil sprung up, wonderfully braced and cheered by those hours of
+silent gratitude f& this answer to their cry ~or help. But this was
+not all; as his eye swept the horizon, clear against the rosy sky
+shone the white sails of a ship, so near that they could see the
+pennon at her mast-head and black figures moving on the deck.
+
+One cry broke from all those eager throats, and rang across the sea,
+as every man waved hat or handkerchief and the women stretched
+imploring hands towards this great white angel of deliverance
+coming down upon them as if the fresh wind filled every sail to
+help her on.
+
+No disappointment now; answering signals assured them of help;
+and in the rapture of that moment the happy women fell on Emil's
+neck, giving him his reward in tears and blessings as their grateful
+hearts overflowed. He always said that was the proudest moment
+of his life, as he stood there holding Mary in his arms; for the
+brave girl, who had kept up so long, broke down then, and clung to
+him half fainting; while her mother busied herself about the
+invalid, who seemed to feel the joyful stir, and gave an order, as if
+again on the deck of his lost ship.
+
+It was soon over; and then all were safely aboard the good Urania,
+homeward bound. Emil saw his friends in tender hands, his men
+among their mates, and told the story of the wreck before he
+thought of himself. The savoury odour of the soup, carried by to
+the cabin for the ladies, reminded him that he was starving, and a
+sudden stagger betrayed his weakness. He was instantly borne
+away, to be half killed by kindness, and being fed, clothed, and
+comforted, was left to rest. Just as the surgeon left the state-room,
+he asked in his
+
+ 198 JO'S BOYS
+
+broken voice: 'What day is this? My head is so confused, I've lost
+my reckoning.'
+
+'Thanksgiving Day, man! And we'll give you a regular New
+England dinner, if you'll eat it,' answered the surgeon heartily.
+
+But Emil was too spent to do anything, except lie still and give
+thanks, more fervently and gratefully than ever before, for the
+blessed gift of life, which was the sweeter for a sense of duty
+faithfully performed.
+
+Chapter 12 DAN'S CHRISTMAS
+
+Where was Dan? In prison. Alas for Mrs Jo! how her heart would
+have ached if she had known that while old Plum shone with
+Christmas cheer her boy sat alone in his cell, trying to read the
+little book she gave him, with eyes dimmed now and then by the
+hot tears no physical suffering had ever wrung from him, and
+longing with a homesick heart for all that he had lost.
+
+Yes, Dan was in prison; but no cry for help from him as he faced
+the terrible strait he was in with the dumb despair of an Indian at
+the stake; for his own bosom sin had brought him there, and this
+was to be the bitter lesson that tamed the lawless spirit and taught
+him self-control.
+
+The story of his downfall is soon told; for it came, as so often
+happens, just when he felt unusually full of high hopes, good
+resolutions, and dreams of a better life. On his journey he met a
+pleasant young fellow, and naturally felt an interest in him, as
+Blair was on his way to join his elder brothers on a ranch in
+Kansas. Card-playing was going on in the smoking-car, and the lad
+ for he was barely twenty   tired with the long journey, beguiled the
+way with such partners as appeared, being full of spirits, and a
+little intoxicated with the freedom of the West. Dan, true to his
+promise, would not join, but watched with intense interest the
+games that went on, and soon made up his mind that two of the
+men were sharpers anxious to fleece the boy, who had imprudently
+displayed a well-filled pocket-book. Dan always had a soft spot in
+his heart for any younger, weaker creature whom he met, and
+something about the lad reminded him of Teddy; so he kept an eye
+on Blair, and warned him against his new friends.
+
+Vainly, of course; for when all stopped overnight in one of the
+great cities, Dan missed the boy from the hotel whither he had
+taken him for safe-keeping; and learning who had come for him,
+went to find him, calling himself a fool for his pains, yet unable to
+leave the confiding boy to the dangers that surrounded him.
+
+He found him gambling in a low place with the men, who were
+bound to have his money; and by the look of relief on Blair's
+anxious face when he saw him Dan knew without words that
+things were going badly with him, and he saw the peril too late.
+
+'I can't come yet   I've lost; it's not my money; I must get it back, or
+I dare not face my brothers,' whispered the poor lad, when Dan
+begged him to get away without further loss. Shame and fear made
+him desperate; and he played on, sure that he could recover the
+money confided to his care. Seeing Dan's resolute face, keen eye,
+and travelled air, the sharpers were wary, played fair, and let the
+boy win a little; but they had no mind to give up their prey, and
+finding that Dan stood sentinel at the boy's back, an ominous
+glance was exchanged between them, which meant:
+
+'We must get this fellow out of the way.'
+
+Dan saw it, and was on his guard; for he and Blair were strangers,
+evil deeds are easily done in such places, and no tales told. But he
+would not desert the boy, and still kept watch of every card till he
+plainly detected false play, and boldly said so. High words passed,
+Dan's indignation overcame his prudence; and when the cheat
+refused to restore his plunder with insulting words and drawn
+pistol, Dan's hot temper flashed out, and he knocked the man down
+with a blow that sent him crashing head first against a stove, to roll
+senseless and bleeding to the floor. A wild scene followed, but in
+the midst of it Dan whispered to the boy: 'Get away, and hold your
+tongue. Don't mind me.'
+
+Frightened and bewildered, Blair quitted the city at once, leaving
+Dan to pass the night in the lock-up, and a few days later to stand
+in court charged with manslaughter; for the man was dead. Dan
+had no friends, and having once briefly told the story, held his
+peace, anxious to keep all knowledge of this sad affair from those
+at home. He even concealed his name   giving that of David Kent,
+as he had done several times before in emergencies. It was all over
+very soon; but as there were extenuating circumstances his
+sentence was a year in prison, with hard labour.
+
+Dazed by the rapidity with which this horrible change in his life
+came upon him, Dan did not fully realize it till the iron door
+clanged behind him and he sat alone in a cell as narrow, cold, and
+silent as a tomb. He knew that a word would bring Mr Laurie to
+help and comfort him; but he could not bear to tell of this disgrace,
+or see the sorrow and the shame it would cause the friends who
+hoped so much for him.
+
+'No,' he said, clenching his fist, 'I'll let them think me dead first. I
+shall be if I am kept here long'; and he sprang up to pace the stone
+floor like a caged lion, with a turmoil of wrath and grief, rebellion
+and remorse, seething in heart and brain, till he felt as if he should
+go mad and beat upon the walls that shut him away from the
+liberty which was his life. For days he suffered terribly, then worn
+out, sank into a black melancholy sadder to see than his
+excitement.
+
+The warden of this prison was a rough man who had won the ill
+will of all by unnecessary harshness, but the chaplain was full of
+sympathy, and did his hard duty faithfully and tenderly. He
+laboured with poor Dan, but seemed to make no impression, and
+was forced to wait till work had soothed the excited nerves and
+captivity tamed the proud spirit that would suffer but not
+complain.
+
+Dan was put in the brush-shop, and feeling that activity was his
+only salvation, worked with a feverish energy that soon won the
+approval of the master and the envy of less skilful mates. Day after
+day he sat in his place, watched by an armed overseer, forbidden
+any but necessary words, no intercourse with the men beside him,
+no change but from cell to shop, no exercise but the dreary
+marches to and fro, each man's hand on the other's shoulder
+keeping step with the dreary tramp so different from the ringing
+tread of soldiers. Silent, gaunt, and grim, Dan did his daily task,
+ate his bitter bread, and obeyed commands with a rebellious flash
+of the eye, that made the warden say:
+
+'That's a dangerous man. Watch him. He'll break out some day.'
+
+There were others more dangerous than he, because older in crime
+and ready for any desperate outbreak to change the monotony of
+long sentences. These men soon divined Dan's mood, and in the
+mysterious way convicts invent, managed to convey to him before
+a month was over that plans were being made for a mutiny at the
+first opportunity. Thanksgiving Day was one of the few chances
+for them to speak together as they enjoyed an hour of freedom in
+the prison yard. Then all would be settled and the rash attempt
+made if possible, probably to end in bloodshed and defeat for
+most, but liberty for a few. Dan had already planned his own
+escape and bided his time, growing more and more moody, fierce,
+and rebellious, as loss of liberty wore upon soul and body; for this
+sudden change from his free, healthy life to such a narrow,
+gloomy, and miserable one, could not but have a terrible effect
+upon one of Dan's temperament and age.
+
+He brooded over his ruined life, gave up all his happy hopes and
+plans, felt that he could never face dear old Plumfield again, or
+touch those friendly hands, with the stain of blood upon his own.
+He did not care for the wretched man whom he had killed, for such
+a life was better ended, he thought; but the disgrace of prison
+would never be wiped out of his memory, though the cropped hair
+would grow again, the grey suit easily be replaced, and the bolts
+and bars left far behind.
+
+'It's all over with me; I've spoilt my life, now let it go. I'll give up
+the fight and get what pleasure I can anywhere, anyhow. They shall
+think me dead and so still care for me, but never know what I am.
+Poor Mother Bhaer! she tried to help me, but it's no use; the
+firebrand can't be saved.'
+
+And dropping his head in his hands as he sat on his low bed, Dan
+would mourn over all he had lost in tearless misery, till merciful
+sleep would comfort him with dreams of the happy days when the
+boys played together, or those still later and happier ones when all
+smiled on him, and Plumfield seemed to have gained a new and
+curious charm.
+
+There was one poor fellow in Dan's shop whose fate was harder
+than his, for his sentence expired in the spring, but there was little
+hope of his living till that time; and the coldest-hearted man pitied
+poor Mason as he sat coughing his life away in that close place and
+counting the weary days yet to pass before he could see his wife
+and little child again. There was some hope that he might be
+pardoned out, but he had no friends to bestir themselves in the
+matter, and it was evident that the great Judge's pardon would soon
+end his patient pain for ever.
+
+Dan pitied him more than he dared to show, and this one tender
+emotion in that dark time was like the little flower that sprung up
+between the stones of the prison yard and saved the captive from
+despair, in the beautiful old story. Dan helped Mason with his
+work when he was too feeble to finish his task, and the grateful
+look that thanked him was a ray of sunshine to cheer his cell when
+he was alone. Mason envied the splendid health of his neighbour,
+and mourned to see it wasting there. He was a peaceful soul and
+tried, as far as a whispered word or warning glance could do it, to
+deter Dan from joining the 'bad lot', as the rebels were called. But
+having turned his face from the light, Dan found the downward
+way easy, and took a grim satisfaction in the prospect of a general
+outbreak during which he might revenge himself upon the
+tyrannical warden, and strike a blow for his own liberty, feeling
+that an hour of insurrection would be a welcome vent for the
+pent-up passions that tormented him. He had tamed many a wild
+animal, but his own lawless spirit was too much for him, till he
+found the curb that made him master of himself.
+
+The Sunday before Thanksgiving, as he sat in chapel, Dan
+observed several guests in the seats reserved for them, and looked
+anxiously to see if any familiar face was there; for he had a mortal
+fear that someone from home would suddenly confront him. No,
+all were strangers, and he soon forgot them in listening to the
+chaplain's cheerful words, and the sad singing of many heavy
+hearts. People often spoke to the convicts, so it caused no surprise
+when, on being invited to address them, one of the ladies rose and
+said she would tell them a little story; which announcement caused
+the younger listeners to pack up their ears, and even the older ones
+to look interested; for any change in their monotonous life was
+welcome.
+
+The speaker was a middle-aged woman in black, with a
+sympathetic face, eyes full of compassion, and a voice that seemed
+to warm the heart, because of certain motherly tones in it. She
+reminded Dan of Mrs Jo, and he listened intently to every word,
+feeling that each was meant for him, because by chance, they came
+at the moment when he needed a softening memory to break up the
+ice of despair which was blighting all the good impulses of his
+nature.
+
+It was a very simple little story, but it caught the men's attention at
+once, being about two soldiers in a hospital during the late war,
+both badly wounded in the right arm, and both anxious to save
+these breadwin ners and go home unmaimed. One was patient,
+docile, and cheerfully obeyed orders, even when told that the arm
+must go. He submitted and after much suffering recovered,
+grateful for life, though he could fight no more. The other rebelled,
+would listen to no advice, and having delayed too long, died a
+lingering death, bitterly regretting his folly when it was too late.
+'Now, as all stories should have a little moral, let me tell you mine,'
+added the lady, with a smile, as she looked at the row of young
+men before her, sadly wondering what brought them there.
+
+'This is a hospital for soldiers wounded in life's battle; here are
+sick souls, weak wills, insane passions, blind consciences, all the
+ills that come from broken laws, bringing their inevitable pain and
+punishment with them, There is hope and help for every one, for
+God's mercy is infinite and man's charity is great; but penitence
+and submission must come before the cure is possible. Pay the
+forfeit manfully, for it is just; but from the suffering and shame
+wring new strength for a noblerlife. The scar will remain, but it is
+better for a man to lose both arms than his soul; and these hard
+years, instead of being lost, may be made the most precious of
+your lives, if they teach you to rule yourselves. 0 friends, try to
+outlive the bitter past, to wash the sin away, and begin anew. If not
+for your own sakes, for that of the dear mothers, wives, and
+children, who wait and hope so patiently for you. Remember them,
+and do not let them love and long in vain. And if there be any here
+so forlorn that they have no friend to care for them, never forget
+the Father whose arms are always open to receive, forgive, and
+comfort His prodigal sons, even at the eleventh hour.' There the
+little sermon ended; but the preacher of it felt that her few hearty
+words had not been uttered in vain, for one boy's head was down,
+and several faces wore the softened look which told that a tender
+memory was touched. Dan was forced to set his lips to keep them
+steady, and drop his eyes to hide the sudden dew that dimmed
+them when waiting, hoping friends were spoken of. He was glad to
+be alone in his cell again, and sat thinking deeply, instead of trying
+to forget himself in sleep. It seemed as if those words were just
+what he needed to show him where he stood and how fateful the
+next few days might be to him. Should he join the 'bad lot', and
+perhaps add another crime to the one already committed, lengthen
+the sentence already so terrible to bear, deliberately turn his back
+on all that was good, and mar the future that might yet be
+redeemed? Or should he, like the wiser man in the story, submit,
+bear the just punishment, try to be better for it; and though the scar
+would remain, it might serve as a reminder of a battle not wholly
+lost, since he had saved his soul though innocence was gone? Then
+he would dare go home, perhaps, confess, and find fresh strength
+in the pity and consolation of those who never gave him up.
+
+Good and evil fought for Dan that night as did the angel and the
+devil for Sintram, and it was hard to tell whether lawless nature or
+loving heart would conquer. Remorse and resentment, shame and
+sorrow, pride and passion, made a battle-field of that narrow cell,
+and the poor fellow felt as if he had fiercer enemies to fight now
+than any he had met in all his wanderings. A little thing turned the
+scale, as it so often does in these mysterious hearts of ours, and a
+touch of sympathy helped Dan decide the course which would
+bless or ban his life.
+
+In the dark hour before the dawn, as he lay wakeful on his bed, a
+ray of light shone through the bars, the bolts turned softly, and a
+man came in. It was the good chaplain, led by the same instinct
+that brings a mother to her sick child's pillow; for long experience
+as nurse of souls had taught him to see the signs of hope in the
+hard faces about him, and to know when the moment came for a
+helpful word and the cordial of sincere prayer that brings such
+comfort and healing to tried and troubled hearts. He had been to
+Dan before at unexpected hours, but always found him sullen,
+indifferent, or rebellious, and had gone away to patiently bide his
+time. Now it had come; a look of relief was in the prisoner's face
+as the light shone on it, and the sound of a human voice was
+strangely comfortable after listening to the whispers of the
+passions, doubts, and fears which had haunted the cell for hours,
+dismaying Dan by their power, and showing him how much he
+needed help to fight the good fight, since he had no armour of his
+own.
+
+'Kent, poor Mason has gone. He left a message for you, and I felt
+impelled to come and give it now, because I think you were
+touched by what we heard today, and in need of the help Mason
+tried to give you,' said the chaplain, taking the one seat and fixing
+his kind eyes on the grim figure in the bed.
+
+'Thank you, sir, I'd like to hear it,' was all Dan's answer; but he
+forgot himself in pity for the poor fellow dead in prison, with no
+last look at wife or child. begged me to say these words: "Tell him
+not to do it, but to hold on, do his best, and when his time is out go
+right to Mary, and she'll make him welcome for my sake. He's got
+no friends in these parts and will feel lonesome, but a woman's
+always safe and comfortable when a fellow's down on his luck.
+Give him my love and good-bye for he was kind to me, and God
+will bless him for it." Then he died quietly, and tomorrow will go
+home with God's pardon, since man's came too late.'
+
+Dan said nothing, but laid his arm across his face and lay quite
+still. Seeing that the pathetic little message had done its work even
+better than he hoped, the chaplain went on, unconscious how
+soothing his paternal voice was to the poor prisoner who longed to
+'go home', but felt he had forfeited the right.
+
+'I hope you won't disappoint this humble friend whose last thought
+was for you. I know that there is trouble brewing, and fear that you
+may be tempted to lend a hand on the wrong side. Don't do it, for
+the plot will not succeed   it never does   and it would be a pity to
+spoil your record which is fair so far. Keep up your courage, my
+son, and go out at the year's end better, not worse, for this hard
+experience. Remember a grateful woman waits to welcome and
+thank you if you have no friends of your own; if you have, do your
+best for their sake, and let us ask God to help you as Heonlycan.'
+
+Then waiting for no answer the good man prayed heartily, and Dan
+listened as he never had before; for the lonely hour, the dying
+message, the sudden uprising of his better self, made it seem as if
+some kind angel had come to save and comfort him. After that
+night there was a change in Dan, though no one knew it but the
+chaplain; for to all the rest he was the same silent, stern, unsocial
+fellow as before, and turning his back on the bad and the good
+alike, found his only pleasure in the books his friend brought him.
+Slowly, as the steadfast drop wears away the rock, the patient
+kindness of this man won Dan's confidence, and led by him he
+began to climb out of the Valley of Humiliation towards the
+mountains, whence, through the clouds, one can catch glimpses of
+the Celestial City whither all true pilgrims sooner or later turn
+their wistful eyes and stumbling feet. There were many
+back-slidings, many struggles with Giant Despair and fiery
+Apollyon, many heavy hours when life did not seem worth living
+and Mason's escape the only hope. But through all, the grasp of a
+friendly hand, the sound of a brother's voice, the unquenchable
+desire to atone for the past by a better future, and win the right to
+see home again, kept poor Dan to his great task as the old year
+drew to its end, and the new waited to turn another leaf in the book
+whose hardest lesson he was learning now.
+
+At Christmas he yearned so for Plumfield that he devised a way to
+send a word of greeting to cheer their anxious hearts, and comfort
+his own. He wrote to Mary Mason, who lived in another State,
+asking her to mail the letter he enclosed. In it he merely said he
+was well and busy, had given up the farm, and had other plans
+which he would tell later; would not be home before autumn
+probably, nor write often, but was all right, and sent love and
+merry Christmas to everyone.
+
+Then he took up his solitary life again, and tried to pay his forfeit
+manfully.
+
+Chapter 13 NAT'S NEW YEAR
+
+'I don't expect to hear from Emil yet, and Nat writes regularly, but
+where is Dan? Only two or three postals since he went. Such an
+energetic fellow as he is could buy up all the farms in Kansas by
+this time,' said Mrs Jo one morning when the mail came in and no
+card or envelope bore Dan's dashing hand.
+
+'He never writes often, you know, but does his work and then
+comes home. Months and years seem to mean little to him, and he
+is probably prospecting in the wilderness, forgetful of time,'
+answered Mr Bhaer, deep in one of Nat's long letters from Leipzig.
+
+'But he promised he would let me know how he got on, and Dan
+keeps his word if he can. I'm afraid something has happened to
+him'; and Mrs Jo comforted herself by patting Don's head, as he
+came at the sound of his master's name to look at her with eyes
+almost human in their wistful intelligence.
+
+'Don't worry, Mum dear, nothing ever happens to the old fellow.
+He'll turn up all right, and come stalking in some day with a
+gold-mine in one pocket and a prairie in the other, as jolly as a
+grig,' said Ted, who was in no haste to deliver Octoo to her rightful
+owner.
+
+'Perhaps he has gone to Montana and given up the farm plan. He
+seemed to like Indians best, I thought'; and Rob went to help his
+mother with her pile of letters and his cheerful suggestions.
+
+'I hope so, it would suit him best. But I am sure he would have told
+us his change of plan and sent for some money to work with. No, I
+feel in my prophetic bones that something is wrong,' said Mrs Jo,
+looking as solemn as Fate in a breakfast-cap.
+
+'Then we shall hear; ill news always travels fast. Don't borrow
+trouble, Jo, but hear how well Nat is getting on. I'd no idea the boy
+would care for anything but music. My good friend Baumgarten
+has launched him well, and it will do him good if he lose not his
+head. A good lad, but new to the world, and Leipzig is full of
+snares for the unwary. Gott be with him!'
+
+The Professor read Nat's enthusiastic account of certain literary
+and musical parties he had been to, the splendours of the opera, the
+kindness of his new friends, the delight of studying under such a
+master as Bergmann, his hopes of rapid gain, and his great
+gratitude to those who had opened this enchanted world to him.
+
+'That, now, is satisfactory and comfortable. I felt that Nat had
+unsuspected power in him before he went away; he was so manly
+and full of excellent plans,' said Mrs Jo, in a satisfied tone.
+
+'We shall see. He will doubtless get his lesson and be the better for
+it. That comes to us all in our young days. I hope it will not be too
+hard for our good Jungling,' answered the Professor, with a wise
+smile, remembering his own student life in Germany.
+
+He was right; and Nat was already getting his lesson in life with a
+rapidity which would have astonished his friends at home. The
+manliness over which Mrs Jo rejoiced was developing in
+unexpected ways, and quiet Nat had plunged into the more
+harmless dissipations of the gay city with all the ardour of an
+inexperienced youth taking his first sip of pleasure. The entire
+freedom and sense of independence was delicious, for many
+benefits began to burden him, and he longed to stand on his own
+legs and make his own way. No one knew his past here; and with a
+well-stocked wardrobe, a handsome sum at his banker's, and the
+best teacher in Leipzig, he made his debut as a musical young
+gentleman, presented by the much-respected Professor Bhaer and
+the wealthy Mr Laurence, who had many friends glad to throw
+open their houses to his prot�g�. Thanks to these introductions, his
+fluent German, modest manners, and undeniable talent, the
+stranger was cordially welcomed, and launched at once into a
+circle which many an ambitious young man strove in vain to enter.
+
+All this rather turned Nat's head; and as he sat in the brilliant
+opera-house, chatted among the ladies at some select coffee-party,
+or whisked an eminent professor's amiable daughter down the
+room, trying to imagine she was Daisy, he often asked himself if
+this gay fellow could be the poor homeless little Street musician
+who once stood waiting in the rain at the gates of Plumfield. His
+heart was true, his impulses good, and his ambitions high; but the
+weak side of his nature came uppermost here; vanity led him
+astray, pleasure intoxicated him, and for a time he forgot
+everything but the delights of this new and charming life. Without
+meaning to deceive, he allowed people to imagine him a youth of
+good family and prospects; he boasted a little of Mr Laurie's
+wealth and influence, of Professor Bhaer's eminence, and the
+flourishing college at which he himself had been educated. Mrs Jo
+was introduced to the sentimental Fr uleins who read her books,
+and the charms and virtues of his own dear M�dchen confided to
+sympathetic mammas. All these boyish boastings and innocent
+vanities were duly circulated among the gossips, and his
+importance much increased thereby, to his surprise and
+gratification, as well as some shame.
+
+But they bore fruit that was bitter in the end; for, finding that he
+was considered one of the upper class, it very soon became
+impossible for him to live in the humble quarters he had chosen, or
+to lead the studious, quiet life planned for him. He met other
+students, young officers, and gay fellows of all sorts, and was
+flattered at being welcomed among them; though it was a costly
+pleasure, and often left a thorn of regret to vex his honest
+conscience. He was tempted to take better rooms in a more
+fashionable street, leaving good Frau Tetzel to lament his loss, and
+his artist neighbour, Fr�ulein Vogelstein, to shake her grey ringlets
+and predict his return, a sadder and a wiser man.
+
+The sum placed at his disposal for expenses and such simple
+pleasures as his busy life could command seemed a fortune to Nat,
+though it was smaller than generous Mr Laurie first proposed.
+Professor Bhaer wisely counselled prudence, as Nat was unused to
+the care of money, and the good man knew the temptations that a
+well-filled purse makes possible at this pleasure-loving age. So
+Nat enjoyed his handsome little apartment immensely, and
+insensibly let many unaccustomed luxuries creep in. He loved his
+music and never missed a lesson; but the hours he should have
+spent in patient practice were too often wasted at theatre, ball,
+beer-garden, or club   doing no harm beyond that waste of precious
+time, and money not his own; for he had no vices, and took his
+recreation like a gentleman, so far. But slowly a change for the
+worse was beginning to show itself, and he felt it. These first steps
+along the flowery road were downward, not upward; and the
+constant sense of disloyalty which soon began to haunt him made
+Nat feel, in the few quiet hours he gave himself, that all was not
+well with him, spite of the happy whirl in which he lived.
+
+'Another month, and then I will be steady,' he said more than once,
+trying to excuse the delay by the fact that all was new to him, that
+his friends at home wished him to be happy, and that society was
+giving him the polish he needed. But as each month slipped away
+it grew harder to escape; he was inevitably drawn on, and it was so
+easy to drift with the tide that he deferred the evil day as long as
+possible. Winter festivities followed the more wholesome summer
+pleasures, and Nat found them more costly; for the hospitable
+ladies expected some return from the stranger; and carriages,
+bouquets, theatre tickets, and all the little expenses a young man
+cannot escape at such times, told heavily on the purse which
+seemed bottomless at first. Taking Mr Laurie for his model, Nat
+became quite a gallant, and was universally liked; for through all
+the newly acquired airs and graces the genuine honesty and
+simplicity of his character plainly shone, winning confidence and
+affection from all who knew him. musical daughter   well-born but
+poor, and very anxious to marry the aforesaid daughter to some
+wealthy man. Nat's little fictions concerning his prospects and
+friends charmed the gn�dige Frau as much as his music and
+devoted manners did the sentimental Minna. Their quiet parlour
+seemed homelike and restful to Nat, when tired of gayer scenes;
+and the motherly interest of the elder lady was sweet and
+comfortable to him; while the tender blue eyes of the pretty girl
+were always so full of welcome when he came, of regret when he
+left, and of admiration when he played to her, that he found it
+impossible to keep away from this attractive spot. He meant no
+harm, and feared no danger, having confided to the Frau Mamma
+that he was betrothed; so he continued to call, little dreaming what
+ambitious hopes the old lady cherished, nor the peril there was in
+receiving the adoration of a romantic German girl, till it was too
+late to spare her pain and himself great regret.
+
+Of course some inkling of these new and agreeable experiences
+got into the voluminous letters he never was too gay, too busy, or
+too tired to write each week; and while Daisy rejoiced over his
+happiness and success, and the boys laughed at the idea of 'old
+Chirper coming out as a society man', the elders looked sober, and
+said among themselves:
+
+'He is going too fast; he must have a word of warning, or trouble
+may come.'
+
+But Mr Laurie said: 'Oh, let him have his fling; he's been
+dependent and repressed long enough. He can't go far with the
+money he has, and I've no fear of his getting into debt. He's too
+timid and too honest to be reckless. It is his first taste of freedom;
+let him enjoy it, and he'll work the better by and by; I know   and
+I'm sure I'm right.'
+
+So the warnings were very gentle, and the good people waited
+anxiously to hear more of hard study, and less of 'splendid times'.
+Daisy sometimes wondered, with a pang of her faithful heart, if
+one of the charming Minnas, Hildegardes, and Lottchens
+mentioned were not stealing her Nat away from her; but she never
+asked, always wrote calmly and cheerfully, and looked in vain for
+any hint of change in the letters that were worn out with much
+reading.
+
+Month after month slipped away, till the holidays came with gifts,
+good wishes, and brilliant festivities. Nat expected to enjoy
+himself very much, and did at first; for a German Christmas is a
+spectacle worth seeing. I~ut he paid dearly for the abandon with
+which he threw himself into the gaieties of that memorable week;
+and on New Year's Day the reckoning came. It seemed as if some
+malicious fairy had prepared the surprises that arrived, so
+unwelcome were they, so magical the change they wrought,
+turning his happy world into a scene of desolation and despair as
+suddenly as a transformation at the pantomime.
+
+The first came in the morning when, duly armed with costly
+bouquets and bon-bons, he went to thank Minna and her mother
+for the braces embroidered with forget-me-nots and the silk socks
+knit by the old lady's nimble fingers, which he had found upon his
+table that day. The Frau Mamma received him graciously; but
+when he asked for the daughter the good lady frankly demanded
+what his intentions were, adding that certain gossip which had
+reached her ear made it necessary for him to declare himself or
+come no more, as Minna's peace must not be compromised.
+
+A more panic-stricken youth was seldom seen than Nat as he
+received this unexpected demand. He saw too late that his
+American style of gallantry had deceived the artless girl, and might
+be used with terrible effect by the artful mother, if she chose to do
+it. Nothing but the truth could save him, and he had the honour and
+honesty to tell it faithfully. A sad scene followed; for Nat was
+obliged to strip off his fictitious splendour, confess himself only a
+poor student, and humbly ask pardon for the thoughtless freedom
+with which he had enjoyed their too confiding hospitality. If he
+had any doubts of Frau Schomburg's motives and desires, they
+were speedily set at rest by the frankness with which she showed
+her disappointment, the vigour with which she scolded him, and
+the scorn with which she cast him off when her splendid castles in
+the air collapsed.
+
+The sincerity of Nat's penitence softened her a little and she
+consented to a farewell word with Minna, who had listened at the
+keyhole, and was produced drenched in tears, to fall on Nat's
+bosom, crying: 'Ah, thou dear one, never can I forget thee, though
+my heart is broken!'
+
+This was worse than the scolding; for the stout lady also wept, and
+it was only after much German gush and twaddle that he escaped,
+feeling like another Werther; while the deserted Lotte consoled
+herself self with the bonbons, her mother with the more valuable
+gifts.
+
+The second surprise arrived as he dined with Professor
+Baumgarten. His appetite had been effectually taken away by the
+scene of the morning, and his spirits received another damper
+when a fellow student cheerfully informed him that he was about
+to go to America, and should make it his agreeable duty to call on
+the 'lieber Herr Professor Bhaer', to tell him how gaily his prot�g�
+was disporting himself at Leipzig. Nat's heart died within him as
+he imagined the effect these glowing tales would have at
+Plumfield   not that he had wilfully deceived them, but in his
+letters many things were left untold; and when Carlsen added, with
+a friendly wink, that he would merely hint at the coming betrothal
+of the fair Minna and his 'heart's friend', Nat found himself
+devoutly hoping that this other inconvenient heart's friend might
+go to the bottom of the sea before he reached Plumfield to blast all
+his hopes by these tales of a mis-spent winter. Collecting his wits,
+he cautioned Carlsen with what he flattered himself was
+Mephistophelian art, and gave him such confused directions that it
+would be a miracle if he ever found Professor Bhaer. But the
+dinner was spoilt for Nat, and he got away as soon as possible, to
+wander disconsolately about the streets, with no heart for the
+theatre or the supper he was to share with some gay comrades
+afterwards. He comforted himself a little by giving aims to sundry
+beggars, making two children happy with gilded gingerbread, and
+drinking a lonely glass of beer, in which he toasted his Daisy and
+wished himself a better year than the last had been.
+
+Going home at length, he found a third surprise awaiting him in
+the shower of bills which had descended upon him like a
+snowstorm, burying him in an avalanche of remorse, despair, and
+self-disgust. These bills were so many and so large that he was
+startled and dismayed; for, as Mr Bhaer wisely pre dicted, he knew
+little about the value of money. It would take every dollar at the
+bankers to pay them all at once, and leave him penniless for the
+next six months, unless he wrote home for more. He would rather
+starve than do that; and his first impulse was to seek help at the
+gaming-table, whither his new friends had often tempted him. But
+he had promised Mr Bhaer to resist what then had seemed an
+impossible temptation; and now he would not add another fault to
+the list already so long. Borrow he would not, nor beg. What could
+he do? For these appalling bills must be paid, and the lessons go
+on; or his journey was an ignominious failure. But he must live
+meantime. And how? Bowed down with remorse for the folly of
+these months, he saw too late whither he was drifting, and for
+hours paced up and down his pretty rooms, floundering in a Slough
+of Despond, with no helping hand to pull him out   at least he
+thought so till letters were brought in, and among fresh bills lay
+one well-worn envelope with an American stamp in the corner.
+
+Ah, how welcome it was! how eagerly he read the long pages full
+of affectionate wishes from all at home! For everyone had sent a
+line, and as each familiar name appeared, his eyes grew dimmer
+and dimmer till, as he read the last   'God bless my boy! Mother
+Bhaer'   he broke down; and laying his head on his arms, blistered
+the paper with a rain of tears that eased his heart and washed away
+the boyish sins that now lay so heavy on his conscience.
+
+'Dear people, how they love and trust me! And how bitterly they
+would be disappointed if they knew what a fool I've been! I'll
+fiddle in the streets again before I'll ask for help from them!' cried
+Nat, brushing away the tears of which he was ashamed, although
+he felt the good they had done.
+
+Now he seemed to see more clearly what to do; for the helping
+hand had been stretched across the sea, and Love, the dear
+Evangelist, had lifted him out of the slough and shown him the
+narrow gate, beyond which deliverance lay. When the letter had
+been reread, and one corner where a daisy was painted,
+passionately kissed, Nat felt strong enough to face the worst and
+conquer it. Every bill should be paid, every salable thing of his
+own sold, these costly rooms given up; and once back with thrifty
+Frau Tetzel, he would find work of some sort by which to support
+himself, as many another student did. He must give up the new
+friends, turn his back on the gay life, cease to be a butterfly, and
+take his place among the grubs. It was the only honest thing to do,
+but very hard for the poor fellow to crush his little vanities,
+renounce the delights so dear to the young, own his folly, and step
+down from his pedestal to be pitied, laughed at, and forgotten.
+
+It took all Nat's pride and courage to do this, for his was a sensitive
+nature; esteem was very precious to him, failure very bitter, and
+nothing but the inborn contempt for meanness and deceit kept him
+from asking help or trying to hide his need by some dishonest
+device. As he sat alone that night, Mr Bhaer's words came back to
+him with curious clearness, and he saw himself a boy again at
+Plumfield, punishing his teacher as a lesson to himself, when
+timidity had made him lie.
+
+'He shall not suffer for me again, and I won't be a sneak if I am a
+fool. I'll go and tell Professor Baum- garten all about it and ask his
+advice. I'd rather face a loaded cannon; but it must be done. Then
+I'll sell out, pay my debts, and go back where I belong. Better be an
+honest pauper than a jackdaw among peacocks'; and Nat smiled in
+the midst of his trouble, as he looked about him at the little
+elegancies of his room, remembering what he came from.
+
+He kept his word manfully, and was much comforted to find that
+his experience was an old story to the professor, who approved his
+plan, thinking wisely that the discipline would be good for him,
+and was very kind in offering help and promising to keep the
+secret of his folly from his friend Bhaer till Nat had redeemed
+himself.
+
+The first week of the new year was spent by our prodigal in
+carrying out his plan with penitent dispatch, and his birthday found
+him alone in the little room high up at Frau Tetzel's, with nothing
+of his former splendour, but sundry unsalable keepsakes from the
+buxom maidens, who mourned his absence deeply. His male
+friends had ridiculed, pitied, and soon left him alone, with one or
+two exceptions, who offered their purses generously and promised
+to stand by him. He was lonely and heavy-hearted, and sat
+brooding over his small fire as he remembered the last New Year's
+Day at Plumfield, when at this hour he was dancing with his Daisy.
+
+A tap at the door roused him, and with a careless 'Herein', he
+waited to see who had climbed so far for his sake. It was the good
+Frau proudly bearing a tray, on which stood a bottle of wine and an
+astonishing cake bedecked with sugar-plums of every hue, and
+crowned with candles. Fr�ulein Vogelstein followed, embracing a
+blooming rose-tree, above which her grey curls waved and her
+friendly face beamed joyfully as she cried:
+
+'Dear Herr Blak, we bring you greetings and a little gift or two in
+honour of this ever-to-be-remembered day. Best wishes! and may
+the new year bloom for you as beautifully as we your heart-warm
+friends desire.'
+
+'Yes, yes, in truth we do, dear Herr,' added Frau Tetzel. 'Eat of this
+with-joy-made Kuchen, and drink to the health of the far-away
+beloved ones in the good wine.'
+
+Amused, yet touched by the kindness of the good souls, Nat
+thanked them both, and made them stay to enjoy the humble feast
+with him. This they gladly did, being motherly women full of pity
+for the dear youth, whose straits they knew, and having substantial
+help to offer, as well as kind words and creature comforts.
+
+Frau Tetzel, with some hesitation, mentioned a friend of hers who,
+forced by illness to leave his place in the orchestra of a second-rate
+theatre, would gladly offer it to Nat, if he could accept so humble a
+position. Blushing and toying with the roses like a shy girl, good
+old Vogelstein asked if in his leisure moments he could give
+English lessons in the young ladies' school where she taught
+painting, adding that a small but certain salary would be paid him.
+
+Gratefully Nat accepted both offers, finding it less humiliating to
+be helped by women than by friends of his own sex. This work
+would support him in a frugal way, and certain musical drudgery
+promised by his master assured his own teaching. Delighted with
+the success of their little plot, these friendly neighbours left him
+with cheery words, warm hand-grasps, and faces beaming with
+feminine satisfaction at the hearty kiss Nat put on each faded
+cheek, as the only return he could make for all their helpful
+kindness.
+
+It was strange how much brighter the world looked after that; for
+hope was a better cordial than the wine, and good resolutions
+bloomed as freshly as the little rose-tree that filled the room with
+fragrance, as Nat woke the echoes with the dear old airs, finding
+now as always his best comforter in music, to whom henceforth he
+swore to be a more loyal subject.
+
+Chapter 14 PLAYS AT PLUMFIELD
+
+As it is as impossible for the humble historian of the March family
+to write a story without theatricals in it as for our dear Miss Yonge
+to get on with less than twelve or fourteen children in her
+interesting tales, we will accept the fact, and at once cheer
+ourselves after the last afflicting events, by proceeding to the
+Christmas plays at Plumfield; for they influence the fate of several
+of our characters, and cannot well be skipped.
+
+When the college was built Mr Laurie added a charming little
+theatre which not only served for plays, but declamations, lectures,
+and concerts. The drop-curtain displayed Apollo with the Muses
+grouped about him; and as a compliment to the donor of the hall
+the artist had given the god a decided resemblance to our friend,
+which was considered a superb joke by everyone else. Home talent
+furnished stars, stock company, orchestra, and scene painter; and
+astonishing performances were given on this pretty little stage.
+
+Mrs Jo had been trying for some time to produce a play which
+should be an improvement upon the adaptations from the French
+then in vogue, curious mixtures of fine toilettes, false sentiment,
+and feeble wit, with no touch of nature to redeem them. It was
+easy to plan plays full of noble speeches and thrilling situations,
+but very hard to write them; so she contented herself with a few
+scenes of humble life in which the comic and pathetic were
+mingled; and as she fitted her characters to her actors, she hoped
+the little venture would prove that truth and simplicity had not
+entirely lost their power to charm. Mr Laurie helped her, and they
+called themselves Beaumont and Fletcher, enjoying their joint
+labour very much; for Beaumont's knowledge of dramatic art was
+of great use in curbing Fletcher's too-aspiring pen, and they
+flattered themselves that they had produced a neat and effective bit
+of work as an experiment.
+
+All was ready now; and Christmas Day was much enlivened by last
+rehearsals, the panics of timid actors, the scramble for forgotten
+properties, and the decoration of the theatre. Evergreen and holly
+from the woods, blooming plants from the hothouse on Parnassus,
+and flags of all nations made it very gay that night in honour of the
+guests who were coming, chief among them, Miss Cameron, who
+kept her promise faithfully. The orchestra tuned their instruments
+with unusual care, the scene-shifters set their stage with lavish
+elegance, the prompter heroically took his seat in the stifling nook
+provided for him, and the actors dressed with trembling hands that
+dropped the pins, and perspiring brows whereon the powder
+wouldn't stick. Beaumont and Fletcher were everywhere, feeling
+that their literary reputation was at stake; for sundry friendly critics
+were invited, and reporters, like mosquitoes, cannot be excluded
+from any earthly scene, be it a great man's death-bed or a dime
+museum.
+
+'Has she come?' was the question asked by every tongue behind the
+curtain; and when Tom, who played an old man, endangered his
+respectable legs among the footlights to peep, announced that he
+saw Miss Cameron's handsome head in the place of honour, a thrill
+pervaded the entire company, and Josie declared with an excited
+gasp that she was going to have stage fright for the first time in her
+life.
+
+'I'll shake you if you do,' said Mrs Jo, who was in such a wild state
+of dishevelment with her varied labours that she might have gone
+on as Madge Wildlife, without an additional rag or crazy elf-lock.
+
+'You'll have time to get your wits together while we do our piece.
+We are old stagers and calm as clocks,' answered Demi, with a nod
+towards Alice, ready in her pretty dress and all her properties at
+hand.
+
+But both clocks were going rather faster than usual, as heightened
+colour, brilliant eyes, and a certain flutter under the laces and
+velvet coat betrayed. They were to open the entertainment with a
+gay little piece which they had played before and did remarkably
+well. Alice was a tall girl, with dark hair and eyes, and a face
+which intelligence, health, and a happy heart made beautiful. She
+was looking her best now, for the brocades, plumes, and powder of
+the Marquise became her stately figure; and Demi in his court suit,
+with sword, three-cornered hat, and white wig, made as gallant a
+Baron as one would wish to see. Josie was the maid, and looked
+her part to the life, being as pretty, pert, and inquisitive as any
+French soubrette. These three were all the characters; and the
+success of the piece depended on the spirit and skill with which
+the quickly changing moods of the quarrelsome lovers were given,
+their witty speeches made to tell, and by- play suited to the courtly
+period in which the scene was laid.
+
+Few would have recognized sober John and studious Alice in the
+dashing gentleman and coquettish lady, who kept the audience
+laughing at their caprices; while they enjoyed the brilliant
+costumes, and admired the ease and grace of the young actors.
+Josie was a prominent figure in the plot, as she listened at
+keyholes, peeped into notes, and popped in and out at all the most
+inopportune moments, with her nose in the air, her hands in her
+apron-pockets, and curiosity pervading her little figure from the
+topmost bow of her jaunty cap to the red heels of her slippers. All
+went smoothly; and the capricious Marquise, after tormenting the
+devoted Baron to her heart's content, owned herself conquered in
+the war of wits, and was just offering the hand he had fairly won,
+when a crash startled them, and a heavily decorated side-scene
+swayed forward, ready to fall upon Alice. Demi saw it and sprung
+before her to catch and hold it up, standing like a modern Samson
+with the wall of a house on his back. The danger was over in a
+moment, and he was about to utter his last speech, when the
+excited young scene-shifter, who had flown up a ladder to repair
+the damage, leaned over to whisper 'All right', and release Demi
+from his spread-eagle attitude: as he did so, a hammer slipped out
+of his pocket, to fall upon the upturned face below, inflicting a
+smart blow and literally knocking the Baron's part out of his head.
+
+'A quick curtain,' robbed the audience of a pretty little scene not
+down on the bill; for the Marquise flew to staunch the blood with a
+cry of alarm: 'Oh! John, you are hurt! Lean on me'   which John
+gladly did for a moment, being a trifle dazed yet quite able to
+enjoy the tender touch of the hands busied about him and the
+anxiety of the face so near his own; for both told him something
+which he would have considered cheaply won by a rain of
+hammers and the fall of the whole college on his head.
+
+Nan was on the spot in a moment with the case that never left her
+pocket; and the wound was neatly plastered up by the time Mrs Jo
+arrived, demanding
+
+tragically:
+
+'Is he too much hurt to go on again? If he is, my play is lost!'
+
+'I'm all the fitter for it, Aunty; for here's a real instead of a painted
+wound. I'll be ready; don't worry about me.' And catching up his
+wig, Demi was off, with only a very eloquent look of thanks to the
+Marquise, who had spoilt her gloves for his sake, but did not seem
+to mind it at all, though they reached above her elbows, and were
+most expensive.
+
+'How are your nerves, Fletcher?' asked Mr Laurie as they stood
+together during the breathless minute before the last bell rings.
+
+'About as calm as yours, Beaumont,' answered Mrs Jo,
+gesticulating wildly to Mrs Meg to set her cap straight.
+
+'Bear up, partner! I'll stand by you whatever comes!'
+
+'I feel that it ought to go; for, though it's a mere trifle, a good deal
+of honest work and truth have gone into it. Doesn't Meg look the
+picture of a dear old country woman?'
+
+She certainly did, as she sat in the farmhouse kitchen by a cheery
+fire, rocking a cradle and darning stock- ings, as if she had done
+nothing else all her life. Grey hair, skilfully drawn lines on the
+forehead, and a plain gown, with cap, little shawl, and check
+apron, changed her into a comfortable, motherly creature who
+found favour the moment the curtain went up and discovered her
+rocking, darning, and crooning an old song. In a short soliloquy
+about Sam, her boy, who wanted to enlist; Dolly, her discontented
+little daughter, who longed for city ease and pleasures; and poor
+'Elizy', who had married badly, and came home to die, bequeathing
+her baby to her mother, lest its bad father should claim it, the little
+story was very simply opened, and made effective by the real
+boiling of the kettle on the crane, the ticking of a tall clock, and
+the appearance of a pair of blue worsted shoes which waved
+fitfully in the air to the soft babble of a baby's voice. Those
+shapeless little shoes won the first applause; and Mr Laurie,
+forgetting elegance in satisfaction, whispered to his coadjutor:
+
+'I thought the baby would fetch them!'
+
+'If the dear thing won't squall in the wrong place, we are saved. But
+it is risky. Be ready to catch it if all Meg's cuddlings prove in vain,'
+answered Mrs Jo, adding, with a clutch at Mr Laurie's arm as a
+haggard face appeared at the window:
+
+'Here's Demi! I hope no one will recognize him when he comes on
+as the son. I'll never forgive you for not doing the villain yourself.'
+
+'Can't run the thing and act too. He's capitally made up, and likes a
+bit of melodrama.'
+
+'This scene ought to have come later; but I wanted to show that the
+mother was the heroine as soon as possible. I'm tired of love-sick
+girls and runaway wives. We'll prove that there's romance in old
+women also. Now he's coming!'
+
+And in slouched a degraded-looking man, shabby, unshaven, and
+evil-eyed, trying to assume a masterful air as he dismayed the
+tranquil old woman by demanding his child. A powerful scene
+followed; and Mrs Meg surprised even those who knew her best by
+the homely dignity with which she at first met the man she
+dreaded; then, as he brutally pressed his claim, she pleaded with
+trembling voice and hands to keep the little creature she had
+promised the dying mother to protect; and when he turned to take
+it by force, quite a thrill went through the house as the old woman
+sprung to snatch it from the cradle, and holding it close, defied
+him in God's name to tear it from that sacred refuge. It was really
+well done; and the round of applause that greeted the fine tableau
+of the indignant old woman, the rosy, blinking baby clinging to her
+neck, and the daunted man who dared not execute his evil purpose
+with such a defender for helpless innocence, told the excited
+authors that their first scene was a hit.
+
+The second was quieter, and introduced Josie as a bonny country
+lass setting the supper-table in a bad humour. The pettish way in
+which she slapped down the plates, hustled the cups, and cut the
+big brown loaf, as she related her girlish trials and ambitions, was
+capital. Mrs Jo kept her eye on Miss Cameron, and saw her nod
+approval several times at some natural tone or gesture, some good
+bit of by-play or a quick change of expression in the young face,
+which was as variable as an April day. Her struggle with the
+toasting-fork made much merriment; so did her con- tempt for the
+brown sugar, and the relish with which she sweetened her irksome
+duties by eating it; and when she sat, like Cinderella, on the hearth,
+tearfully watching the flames dance on the homely room, a girlish
+voice was heard to exclaim impulsively:
+
+'Poor little thing! she ought to have some fun!'
+
+The old woman enters; and mother and daughter have a pretty
+scene, in which the latter coaxes and threatens, kisses and cries,
+till she wins the reluctant consent of the former to visit a rich
+relation in the city; and from being a little thunder-cloud Dolly
+becomes bewitchingly gay and good, as soon as her wilful wish is
+granted. The poor old soul has hardly recovered from this trial
+when the son enters, in army blue, tells he has enlisted and must
+go. That is a hard blow; but the patriotic mother bears it well, and
+not till the thoughtless young folks have hastened away to tell their
+good news elsewhere does she break down. Then the country
+kitchen becomes pathetic as the old mother sits alone mourning
+over her children, till the grey head is hidden in the hands as she
+kneels down by the cradle to weep and pray, with only Baby to
+comfort her fond and faithful heart.
+
+Sniffs were audible all through the latter part of this scene; and
+when the curtain fell, people were so busy wiping their eyes that
+for a moment they forgot to applaud. That silent moment was more
+flattering than noise; and as Mrs Jo wiped the real tears off her
+sister's face, she said as solemnly as an unconscious dab of rouge
+on her nose permitted:
+
+'Meg, you have saved my play! Oh, why aren't you a real actress,
+and I a real playwright?'
+
+'Don't gush now, dear, but help me dress Josie; she's in such a
+quiver of excitement, I can't manage her, and this is her best scene,
+you know.'
+
+So it was; for her aunt had written it especially for her, and little Jo
+was happy in a gorgeous dress, with a train long enough to satisfy
+her wildest dreams. The rich relation's parlour was in festival
+array, and the country cousin sails in, looking back at her sweeping
+flounces with such artless rapture that no one had the heart to
+laugh at the pretty jay in borrowed plumes. She has confidences
+with herself in the mirror, from which it is made evident that she
+had discovered all is not gold that glitters, and has found greater
+temptations than those a girlish love of pleasure, luxury, and
+flattery bring her. She is sought by a rich lover; but her honest
+heart resists the allurements he offers, and in its innocent
+perplexity wishes 'mother' was there to comfort and counsel.
+
+A gay little dance, in which Dora, Nan, Bess, and several of the
+boys took part, made a good background for the humble figure of
+the old woman in her widow's bonnet, rusty shawl, big umbrella,
+and basket. Her na�ve astonishment, as she surveys the spectacle,
+feels the curtains, and smooths her old gloves during the moment
+she remains unseen, was very good; but Josie's unaffected start
+when she sees her, and the cry: 'Why, there's mother!' was such a
+hearty little bit of nature, it hardly needed the impatient tripping
+over her train as she ran into the arms that seemed now to be her
+nearest refuge.
+
+The lover plays his part; and ripples of merriment greeted the old
+woman's searching questions and blunt answers during the
+interview which shows the girl how shallow his love is, and how
+near she had been to ruining her life as bitterly as poor 'Elizy' did.
+She gives her answer frankly, and when they are alone, looks from
+her own bedizened self to the shabby dress, work-worn hands, and
+tender face, crying with a repentant sob and kiss: 'Take me home,
+mother, and keep me safe. I've had enough of this!'
+
+'That will do you good, Maria; don't forget it,' said one lady to her
+daughter as the curtain went down; and the girl answered: 'Well,
+I'm sure I don't see why it's touching; but it is,' as she spread her
+lace handkerchief to dry.
+
+Tom and Nan came out strong in the next scene; for it was a ward
+in an army hospital, and surgeon and nurse went from bed to bed,
+feeling pulses, administering doses, and hearing complaints with
+an energy and gravity which convulsed the audience. The tragic
+element, never far from the comic at such times and places, came
+in when, while they bandaged an arm, the doctor told the nurse
+about an old woman who was searching through the hospital for
+her son, after days and nights on battlefields, through ambulances,
+and among scenes which would have killed most women.
+
+'she will fli lirrc dircctly, ~nd I drc~i1 11cr coming, for I'm afraid
+the poor lad who has just gone is her boy. I'd rather face a cannon
+than these brave women, with their hope and courage and great
+sorrow,' says the surgeon.
+
+'Ah, these poor mothers break my heart!' adds the nurse, wiping
+her eyes on her big apron; and with the words Mrs Meg came in.
+
+There was the same dress, the basket and umbrella, the rustic
+speech, the simple manners; but all were made pathetic by the
+terrible experience which had changed the tranquil old woman to
+that haggard figure with wild eyes, dusty feet, trembling hands,
+and an expression of mingled anguish, resolution, and despair
+which gave the homely figure a tragic dignity and power that
+touched all hearts. A few broken words told the story of her vain
+search, and then the sad quest began again. People held their
+breath as, led by the nurse, she went from bed to bed, showing in
+her face the alternations of hope, dread, and bitter disappointment
+as each was passed. On a narrow cot was a long figure covered
+with a sheet, and here she paused to lay one hand on her heart and
+one on her eyes, as if to gather courage to look at the nameless
+dead. Then she drew down the sheet, gave a long shivering sigh of
+relief, saying softly:
+
+'Not my son, thank God! but some mother's boy.' And stooping
+down, she kissed the cold forehead tenderly.
+
+Somebody sobbed there, and Miss Cameron shook two tears out of
+her eyes, anxious to lose no look or gesture as the poor soul, nearly
+spent with the long strain, struggled on down the long line. But her
+search wa~ happily ended~ for, as if her voice had rou~d him from
+his feverish sleep, a gaunt, wild-eyed man sat up in his bed, and
+stretching his arms to her, cried in a voice that echoed through the
+room:
+
+'Mother, mother! I knew you'd come to me!'
+
+She did go to him, with a cry of love and joy that thrilled every
+listener, as she gathered him in her arms with the tears and prayers
+and blessing such as only a fond and faithful old mother could
+give.
+
+The last scene was a cheerful contrast to this; for the country
+kitchen was bright with Christmas cheer, the wounded hero, with
+black patch and crutches well displayed, sat by the fire in the old
+chair whose familiar creak was soothing to his ear; pretty Dolly
+was stirring about, gaily trimming dresser, settle, high
+chimney-piece, and old-fashioned cradle with mistletoe and holly;
+while the mother rested beside her son, with that blessed baby on
+her knee. Refreshed by a nap and nourishment, this young actor
+now covered himself with glory by his ecstatic prancings,
+incoherent remarks to the audience, and vain attempts to get to the
+footlights, as he blinked approvingly at these brilliant toys. It was
+good to see Mrs Meg pat him on the back, cuddle the fat legs out
+of sight, and appease his vain longings with a lump of sugar, till
+Baby embraced her with a grateful ardour that brought him a round
+of applause all for his little self.
+
+A sound of singing outside disturbs the happy family, and, after a
+carol in the snowy moonlight, a flock of neighbours troop in with
+Christmas gifts and greetings. Much by-play made this a lively
+picture; for Sam's sweetheart hovered round him with a tenderness
+the Marquise did not show the Baron; and Dolly had a pretty bit
+under the mistletoe with her rustic adorer, who looked so like Ham
+Peggotty in his cowhide boots, rough jacket, and dark beard and
+wig, that no one would have recognized Ted but for the long legs,
+which no extent of leather could disguise. It ended with a homely
+feast, brought by the guests; and as they sat round the table
+covered with doughnuts and cheese, pumpkin-pie, and other
+delicacies, Sam rises on his crutches to propose the first toast, and
+holding up his mug of cider, says, with a salute, and a choke in his
+voice: 'Mother, God bless her!' All drink it stand- ing, Dolly with
+her arm round the old woman's neck, as she hides her happy tears
+on her daughter's breast; while the irrepressible baby beat
+rapturously on the table with a spoon, and crowed audibly as the
+curtain went down.
+
+They had it up again in a jiffy to get a last look at the group about
+that central figure, which was showered with bouquets, to the great
+delight of the infant Roscius; till a fat rosebud hit him on the nose,
+and produced the much-dreaded squall, which, fortunately, only
+added to the fun at that moment.
+
+'Well, that will do for a beginning,' said Beaumont, with a sigh of
+relief, as the curtain descended for the last time, and the actors
+scattered to dress for the closing piece.
+
+'As an experiment, it is a success. Now we can venture to begin
+our great American drama,' answered Mrs Jo, full of satisfaction
+and grand ideas for the famous play   which, we may add, she did
+not write that year, owing to various dramatic events in her own
+family.
+
+The Owisdark Marbles closed the entertainment, and, being
+something new, proved amusing to this very indulgent audience.
+The gods and goddesses on Parnassus were displayed in full
+conclave; and, thanks to Mrs Amy's skill in draping and posing, the
+white wigs and cotton-flannel robes were classically correct and
+graceful, though sundry modern additions somewhat marred the
+effect, while adding point to the showman's learned remarks. Mr
+Laurie was Professor Owisdark in cap and gown; and, after a
+high-flown introduction, he proceeded to exhibit and explain his
+marbles. The first figure was a stately Minerva; but a second
+glance produced a laugh, for the words
+
+'Women's Rights' adorned her shield, a scroll bearing the motto
+'Vote early and often' hung from the beak of the owl perched on
+her lance, and a tiny pestle and mortar ornamented her helmet.
+Attention was drawn to the firm mouth, the piercing eye, the
+awe-inspiring brow, of the strong-minded woman of antiquity, and
+some scathing remarks made upon the degeneracy of her modern
+sisters who failed to do their duty. Mercury came next, and was
+very fine in his airy attitude, though the winged legs quivered as if
+it was difficult to keep the lively god in his place. His restless
+nature was dilated upon, his mischievous freaks alluded to, and a
+very bad character given to the immortal messenger-boy; which
+delighted his friends and caused the marble nose of the victim to
+curl visibly with scorn when derisive applause greeted a
+particularly hard hit. A charming little Hebe stood next, pouring
+nectar from a silver teapot into a blue china tea-cup. She also
+pointed a moral; for the Professor explained that the nectar of old
+was the beverage which cheers but does not inebriate, and
+regretted that the excessive devotion of American women to this
+classic brew proved so harmful, owing to the great development of
+brain their culture produced. A touch at modern servants, in
+contrast to this accomplished table-girl, made the statue's cheeks
+glow under the chalk, and brought her a hearty round as the
+audience recognized Dolly and the smart soubrette.
+
+Jove in all his majesty followed, as he and his wife occupied the
+central pedestals in the half-circle of immortals. A splendid
+Jupiter, with hair well set up off the fine brow, ambrosial beard,
+silver thunderbolts in one hand, and a well-worn ferule in the
+other. A large stuffed eagle from the museum stood at his feet; and
+the benign expression of his august countenance showed that he
+was in a good humour   as well he might be, for he was paid some
+handsome compliments upon his wise rule, the peaceful state of
+his kingdom, and the brood of all-accomplished Pallases that
+yearly issued from his mighty brain. Cheers greeted this and other
+pleasant words, and caused the thunderer to bow his thanks; for
+'Jove nods', as everyone knows, and flattery wins the heart of gods
+and men.
+
+Mrs Juno, with her peacocks, darning-needle, pen, and
+cooking-spoon, did not get off so easily; for the Professor was
+down on her with all manner of mirth-provoking accusations,
+criticisms, and insults even. He alluded to her domestic infelicity,
+her meddlesome disposition, sharp tongue, bad temper, and
+jealousy, closing, however, with a tribute to her skill in caring for
+the wounds and settling the quarrels of belligerent heroes, as well
+as her love for youths in Olympus and on earth. Gales of laughter
+greeted these hits, varied by hisses from some indignant boys, who
+would not bear, even in joke, any disrespect to dear Mother Bhaer,
+who, however, enjoyed it all immensely, as the twinkle in her eye
+and the irrepressible pucker of her lips betrayed.
+
+A jolly Bacchus astride of his cask took Vulcan's place, and
+appeared to be very comfortable with a beer-mug in one hand, a
+champagne bottle in the other, and a garland of grapes on his curly
+head. He was the text of a short temperance lecture, aimed directly
+at a row of smart young gentlemen who lined the walls of the
+auditorium. George Cole was seen to dodge behind a pillar at one
+point, Dolly nudged his neighbour at another, and there was
+laughter all along the line as the Professor glared at them through
+his big glasses, and dragged their bacchanalian orgies to the light
+and held them up to scorn.
+
+Seeing the execution he had done, the learned man turned to the
+lovely Diana, who stood as white and still as the plaster stag beside
+her, with sandals, bow, and crescent; quite perfect, and altogether
+the best piece of statuary in the show. She was very tenderly
+treated by the paternal critic who, merely alluding to her
+confirmed spinsterhood, fondness for athletic sports, and oracular
+powers, gave a graceful little exposition of true art and passed on
+to the last figure.
+
+This was Apollo in full fig, his curls skilfully arranged to hide a
+well-whitened patch over the eye, his handsome legs correctly
+poised, and his gifted fingers about to draw divine music from the
+silvered gridiron which was his lyre. His divine attributes were
+described, as well as his little follies and failings, among which
+were his weakness for photography and flute-playing, his attempts
+to run a newspaper, and his fondness for the society of the Muses;
+which latter slap produced giggles and blushes among the
+girl-graduates, and much mirth among the stricken youths; for
+misery loves company, and after this they began to rally.
+
+Then, with a ridiculous conclusion, the Professor bowed his
+thanks; and after several recalls the curtain fell, but not quickly
+enough to conceal Mercury, wildly waving his liberated legs, Hebe
+dropping her teapot, Bacchus taking a lovely roll on his barrel, and
+Mrs Juno rapping the impertinent Owlsdark on the head with
+Jove's ruler.
+
+While the audience filed out to supper in the hall, the stage was a
+scene of dire confusion as gods and goddesses, farmers and barons,
+maids and carpenters, congratulated one another on the success of
+their labours. Assuming various costumes, actors and actresses
+soon joined their guests, to sip bounteous draughts of praise with
+their coffee, and cool their modest blushes with ice-cream. Mrs
+Meg was a proud and happy woman when Miss Cameron came to
+her as she sat by Josie, with Demi serving both, and said, so
+cordially that it was impossible to doubt the sincerity of her
+welcome words:
+
+'Mrs Brooke, I no longer wonder where your children get their
+talent. I make my compliments to the Baron and next summer you
+must let me have little "Dolly" as a pupil when we are at the
+beach.'
+
+One can easily imagine how this offer was received, as well as the
+friendly commendation bestowed by the same kind critic on the
+work of Beaumont and Fletcher, who hastened to explain that this
+trifle was only an attempt to make nature and art go hand in hand,
+with little help from fine writing or imposing scenery. Everybody
+was in the happiest mood, especially 'little Dolly', who danced like
+a will-o'-the-wisp with light-footed Mercury and Apollo as he
+promenaded with the Marquise on his arm, who seemed to have
+left her coquetry in the green room with her rouge.
+
+When all was over, Mrs Juno said to Jove, to whose arm she clung
+as they trudged home along the snowy paths: 'Fritz dear, Christmas
+is a good time for new resolutions, and I've made one never to be
+impatient or fretful with my beloved husband again. I know I am,
+though you won't own it; but Laurie's fun had some truth in it, and
+I felt hit in a tender spot. Henceforth I am a model wife, else I
+don't deserve the dearest, best man ever born'; and being in a
+dramatic mood, Mrs Juno tenderly embraced her excellent Jove in
+the moonlight, to the great amusement of sundry lingerers behind
+them.
+
+So all three plays might be considered successes, and that merry
+Christmas night a memorable one in the March family; for Demi
+got an unspoken question answered, Josie's fondest wish was
+granted, and, thanks to Professor Owlsdark's jest, Mrs Jo made
+Professor Bhaer's busy life quite a bed of roses by the keeping of
+her resolution. A few days later she had her reward for this burst of
+virtue in Dan's letter, which set her fears at rest and made her very
+happy, though she was unable to tell him so, because he sent her
+no address.
+
+Chapter 15 WAITING
+
+'My wife, I have bad news for thee,' said Professor Bhaer, coming
+in one day early in January.
+
+'Please tell it at once. I can't bear to wait, Fritz,' cried Mrs Jo,
+dropping her work and standing up as if to take the shot bravely.
+
+'But we must wait and hope, heart's-dearest. Come and let us bear
+it together. Emil's ship is lost, and as yet no news of him.'
+
+It was well Mr Bhaer had taken his wife into his strong arms, for
+she looked ready to drop, but bore up after a moment, and sitting
+by her good man, heard all that there was to tell. Tidings had been
+sent to the shipowners at Hamburg by some of the survivors, and
+telegraphed at once by Franz to his uncle. As one boat-load was
+safe, there was hope that others might also escape, though the gale
+had sent two to the bottom. A swift-sailing steamer had brought
+these scanty news, and happier ones might come at any hour; but
+kind Franz had not added that the sailors reported the captain's
+boat as undoubtedly wrecked by the falling mast, since the smoke
+hid its escape, and the gale soon drove all far asunder. But this sad
+rumour reached Plumfield in time; and deep was the mourning for
+the happyhearted Commodore, never to come singing home again.
+Mrs Jo refused to believe it, stoutly insisting that Emil would
+outlive any storm and yet turn up safe and gay. It was well she
+clung to this hopeful view, for poor Mr Bhaer was much afflicted
+by the loss of his boy, because his sister's sons had been his so long
+he scarcely knew a different love for his very own. Now was a
+chance for Mrs Juno to keep her word; and she did, speaking
+cheerily of Emil, even when hope waxed faint and her heart was
+heavy. If anything could comfort the Bhaers for the loss of one
+boy, it would have been the affection and sorrow shown by all the
+rest. Franz kept the cable busy with his varying messages, Nat sent
+loving letters from Leipzig, and Tom harassed the shipping agents
+for news. Even busy Jack wrote them with unusual warmth; Dolly
+and George came often, bearing the loveliest flowers and the
+daintiest bon-bons to cheer Mrs Bhaer and sweeten Josie's grief;
+while good-hearted Ned travelled all the way from Chicago to
+press their hands and say, with a tear in his eye: 'I was so anxious
+to hear all about the dear old boy, I couldn't keep away.'
+
+'That's right comfortable, and shows me that if I didn't teach my
+boys anything else, I did give them the brotherly love that will
+make them stand by one another all their lives,' said Mrs Jo, when
+he had gone.
+
+Rob answered reams of sympathizing letters, which showed how
+many friends they had; and the kindly praises of the lost man
+would have made Emil a hero and a saint, had they all been true.
+The elders bore it quietly, having learned submission in life's hard
+school; but the younger people rebelled; some hoped against hope
+and kept up, others despaired at once, and little Josie, Emil's pet
+cousin and playmate, was so broken-hearted nothing could comfort
+her. Nan dosed in vain, Daisy's cheerful words went by like the
+wind, and Bess's devices to amuse her all failed utterly. To cry in
+mother's arms and talk about the wreck, which haunted her even in
+her sleep, was all she cared to do; and Mrs Meg was getting
+anxious when Miss Cameron sent Josie a kind note bidding her
+learn bravely her first lesson in real tragedy, and be like the
+self-sacrificing heroines she loved to act. That did the little girl
+good, and she made an effort in which Teddy and Octoo helped
+her much; for the boy was deeply impressed by this sudden eclipse
+of the firefly whose light and life all missed when they were gone,
+and lured her out every day for long drives behind the black mare,
+who shook her silvery bells till they made such merry music Josie
+could not help listening to it, and whisked her over the snowy
+roads at a pace which set the blood dancing in her veins and sent
+her home strengthened and comforted by sunshine, fresh air, and
+congenial society   three aids young sufferers seldom can resist.
+
+As Emil was helping nurse Captain Hardy, safe and well, aboard
+the ship, all this sorrow would seem wasted; but it was not, for it
+drew many hearts more closely together by a common grief, taught
+some patience, some sympathy, some regret for faults that lie
+heavy on the conscience when the one sinned against is gone, and
+all of them the solemn lesson to be ready when the summons
+comes. A hush lay over Plumfield for weeks, and the studious
+faces on the hill reflected the sadness of those in the valley. Sacred
+music sounded from Parnassus to comfort all who heard; the
+brown cottage was beseiged with gifts for the little mourner, and
+Emil's flag hung at half-mast on the roof where he last sat with
+Mrs Jo.
+
+So the weeks went heavily by till suddenly, like a thunderbolt out
+of a clear sky, came the news, 'All safe, letters on the way.' Then
+up went the flag, out rang the college bells, bang went Teddy's
+long-unused cannon, and a chorus of happy voices cried 'Thank
+God', as people went about, laughing, crying, and embracing one
+another in a rapture of delight. By and by the longed-for letters
+came, and all the story of the wreck was told; briefly by Emil,
+eloquently by Mrs Hardy, gratefully by the captain, while Mary
+added a few tender words that went straight to their hearts and
+seemed the sweetest of all. Never were letters so read, passed
+round, admired, and cried over as these; for Mrs Jo carried them in
+her pocket when Mr Bhaer did not have them in his, and both took
+a look at them when they said their prayers at night. Now the
+Professor was heard humming like a big bee again as he went to
+his classes, and the lines smoothed out of Mother Bhaer's forehead,
+while she wrote this real story to anxious friends and let her
+romances wait. Now messages of congratulation flowed in, and
+beaming faces showed everywhere. Rob amazed his parents by
+producing a poem which was remarkably good for one of his years,
+and Demi set it to music that it might be sung when the sailor boy
+returned. Teddy stood on his head literally, and tore about the
+neighbourhood on Octoo, like a second Paul Revere   only his
+tidings were good. But best of all, little Josie lifted up her head as
+the snowdrops did, and began to bloom again, growing tall and
+quiet, with the shadow of past sorrow to tone down her former
+vivacity and show that she had learned a lesson in trying to act
+well her part on the real stage, where all have to take their share in
+the great drama of life.
+
+Now another sort of waiting began; for the travellers were on their
+way to Hamburg, and would stay there awhile before coming
+home, as Uncle Hermann owned the Brenda, and the captain must
+report to him. Emil must remain to Franz's wedding, deferred till
+now because of the season of mourning, so happily ended. These
+plans were doubly welcome and pleasant after the troublous times
+which went before, and no spring ever seemed so beautiful as this
+one; for, as Teddy put it:
+
+'Now is the winter of our discontent
+Made glorious by these sons of Bhaer!'
+
+Franz and Emil being regarded in the light of elder brothers by the
+real 'sons of Bhaer'.
+
+There was great scrubbing and dusting among the matrons as they
+set their houses in order not only for Class Day, but to receive the
+bride and groom, who were to come to them for the honeymoon
+trip. Great plans were made, gifts prepared, and much joy felt at
+the prospect of seeing Franz again; though Emil, who was to
+accompany them, would be the greater hero. Little did the dear
+souls dream what a surprise was in store for them, as they
+innocently laid their plans and wished all the boys could be there
+to welcome home their eldest and their Casablanca.
+
+While they wait and work so happily, let us see how our other
+absent boys are faring as they too wait and work and hope for
+better days. Nat was toiling steadily along the path he had wisely
+chosen, though it was by no means strewn with flowers   quite
+thorny was it, in fact, and hard to travel, after the taste of ease and
+pleasure he had got when nibbling at forbidden fruit. But his crop
+of wild oats was a light one, and he resolutely reaped what he had
+sowed, finding some good wheat among the tares. He taught by
+day; he fiddled night after night in the dingy little theatre, and he
+studied so diligently that his master was well pleased, and kept
+him in mind as one to whom preferment was due, if any chance
+occurred. Gay friends forgot him; but the old ones stood fast, and
+cheered him up when Heimweh and weariness made him sad. As
+spring came on things mended   expenses grew less, work
+pleasanter, and life more bearable than when wintry storms beat on
+his thinly clad back, and frost pinched the toes that patiently
+trudged in old boots. No debts burdened him; the year of absence
+was nearly over; and if he chose to stay, Herr Berg-mann had
+hopes for him that would bring independence for a time at least.
+So he walked under the lindens with a lighter heart, and in the May
+evenings went about the city with a band of strolling students,
+making music before houses where he used to sit as guest. No one
+recognized him in the darkness, though old friends often listened
+to the band; and once Minna threw him money, which he humbly
+received as part of his penance, being morbid on the subject of his
+sins.
+
+His reward came sooner than he expected, and was greater than he
+deserved, he thought, though his heart leaped with joy when his
+master one day informed him that he was chosen, with several
+other of his most promising pupils, to join the musical society
+which was to take part in the great festival in London the next July.
+Here was not only honour for the violinist but happiness for the
+man, as it brought him nearer home, and would open a chance of
+further promotion and profit in his chosen profession.
+
+'Make thyself useful to Bachmeister there in London with thy
+English, and if all goes well with him, he will be glad to take thee
+to America, whither he goes in the early autumn for winter
+concerts. Thou hast done well these last months, and I have hopes
+of thee.'
+
+As the great Bergmann seldom praised his pupils, these words
+filled Nat's soul with pride and joy, and he worked yet more
+diligently than before to fulfil his master's prophecy. He thought
+the trip to England happiness enough, but found room for more
+when, early in June, Franz and Emil paid him a flying visit,
+bringing all sorts of good news, kind wishes, and comfortable gifts
+for the lonely fellow, who could have fallen on their necks and
+cried like a girl at seeing his old mates again. How glad he was to
+be found in his little room busy at his proper work, not living like
+an idle gentleman on borrowed money! How proud he was to tell
+his plans, assure them that he had no debts, and receive their
+praises for his improvement in music, their respect for his
+economy and steadfastness in well-doing! How relieved when,
+having honestly confessed his shortcomings, they only laughed,
+and owned that they also had known like experiences, and were
+the wiser for them. He was to go to the wedding late in June, and
+join his comrades in London. As best man, he could not refuse the
+new suit Franz insisted on ordering for him; and a cheque from
+home about that time made him feel like a millionaire   and a
+happy one; for this was accompanied by such kind letters full of
+delight in his success, he felt that he had earned it, and waited for
+his joyful holiday with the impatience of a boy.
+
+Dan meantime was also counting the weeks till August, when he
+would be free. But neither marriage-bells nor festival music
+awaited him; no friends would greet him as he left the prison; no
+hopeful prospect lay before him; no happy home-going was to be
+his. Yet his success was far greater than Nat's, though only God
+and one good man saw it. It was a hard-won battle; but he would
+never have to fight so terrible a one again; for though enemies
+would still assail from within and from without, he had found the
+little guide-book that Christian carried in his bosom, and Love,
+Penitence, and Prayer, the three sweet sisters, had given him the
+armour which would keep him safe. He had not learned to wear it
+yet, and chafed against it, though he felt its value, thanks to the
+faithful friend who had stood by him all that bitter year.
+
+Soon he was to be free again, worn and scarred in the fray, but out
+among men in the blessed sun and air. When he thought of it Dan
+felt as if he could not wait, but must burst that narrow cell and fly
+away, as the caddis-worms he used to watch by the brookside shed
+their stony coffins, to climb the ferns and soar into the sky. Night
+after night he lulled himself to sleep with planning how, when he
+had seen Mary Mason according to his promise, he would steer
+straight for his old friends, the Indians, and in the wilderness hide
+his disgrace and heal his wounds. Working to save the many would
+atone for the sin of killing one, he thought; and the old free life
+would keep him safe from the temptations that beset him in cities.
+
+'By and by, when I'm all right again, and have something to tell
+that I'm not ashamed of, I'll go home,' he said, with a quicker beat
+of the impetuous heart that longed to be there so intensely, he
+found it as hard to curb as one of his unbroken horses on the
+plains. 'Not yet. I must get over this first. They'd see and smell and
+feel the prison taint on me, if I went now, and I couldn't look them
+in the face and hide the truth. I can't lose Ted's love, Mother
+Bhaer's confidence, and the respect of   of   the girls   for they did
+respect my strength, anyway; but now they wouldn't touch me.'
+And poor Dan looked with a shudder at the brown fist he clenched
+involuntarily as he remembered what it had done since a certain
+little white hand had laid in it confidingly. 'I'll make 'em prOud of
+me yet; and no one shall ever know of this awful year. I can wipe it
+out, and I will, so help me God!' And the clenched hand was held
+up as if to take a solemn oath that this lost year should yet be made
+good, if resolution and repentance could work the miracles
+
+Chapter 16 IN THE TENNIS-COURT
+
+Athletic sports were in high favour at Plumfield; and the river
+where the old punt used to wabble about with a cargo of small
+boys, or echo to the shrill screams of little girls trying to get lilies,
+now was alive with boats of all kinds, from the slender wherry to
+the trim pleasure-craft, gay with cushions, awnings, and fluttering
+pennons. Everyone rowed, and the girls as well as the youths had
+their races, and developed their muscles in the most scientific
+manner. The large, level meadow near the old willow was now the
+college playground, and here baseball battles raged with fury,
+varied by football, leaping, and kindred sports fitted to split the
+fingers, break the ribs, and strain the backs of the too ambitious
+participants. The gentler pastimes of the damsels were at a safe
+distance from this Champ de Mars; croquet mallets clicked under
+the elms that fringed the field, rackets rose and fell energetically in
+several tennis-courts, and gates of different heights were handy to
+practise the graceful bound by which every girl expected to save
+her life some day when the mad bull, which was always coming
+but never seemed to arrive, should be bellowing at her heels.
+
+One of these tennis grounds was called 'Jo's Court', and here the
+little lady ruled like a queen; for she was fond of the game, and
+being bent on developing her small self to the highest degree of
+perfection, she was to be found at every leisure moment with some
+victim hard at it. On a certain pleasant Saturday afternoon she had
+been playing with Bess and beating her; for, though more graceful,
+the Princess was less active than her cousin, and cultivated her
+roses by quieter methods.
+
+'Oh dear! you are tired, and every blessed boy is at that stupid
+baseball match. 'What shall I do?' sighed Josie, pushing back the
+great red hat she wore, and gazing sadly round her for more worlds
+to conquer.
+
+'I'll play presently, when I'm a little cooler. But it is dull work for
+me, as I never win,' answered Bess, fanning herself with a large
+leaf.
+
+Josie was about to sit down beside her on the rustic seat and wait,
+when her quick eye saw afar off two manly forms arrayed in white
+flannel; their blue legs seemed bearing them towards the battle
+going on in the distance; but they never reached the fray; for with a
+cry of joy, Jo raced away to meet them, bent on securing this
+heaven-sent reinforcement. Both paused as she came flying up,
+and both raised their hats; but oh, the difference there was in the
+salutes! The stout youth pulled his off lazily and put it on again at
+once, as if glad to get the duty over; the slender being, with the
+crimson tie, lifted his with a graceful bend, and held it aloft while
+he accosted the rosy, breathless maid, thus permitting her to see
+his raven locks smoothly parted, with one little curl upon the brow.
+Dolly prided himself upon that bow, and practised it before his
+glass, but did not bestow it upon all alike, regarding it as a work of
+art, fit only for the fairest and most favoured of his female
+admirers; for he was a pretty youth, and fancied himself an
+Adonis.
+
+Eager Josie evidently did not appreciate the honour he did her, for
+with a nod she begged them both to 'come along and play tennis,
+not go and get all hot and dirty with the boys'. These two
+adjectives won the day; for Stuffy was already warmer than he
+liked to be, and Dolly had on a new suit which he desired to keep
+immaculate as long as possible, conscious that it was very
+becoming.
+
+'Charmed to oblige,' answered the polite one, with another bend.
+
+'You play, I'll rest,' added the fat boy, yearning for repose and
+gentle converse with the Princess in the cooling shade.
+
+'Well, you can comfort Bess, for I've beaten her all to bits and she
+needs amusing. I know you've got something nice in your pocket,
+George; give her some, and 'Dolphus can have her racket. Now
+then, fly round'; and driving her prey before her, Josie returned in
+triumph to the court.
+
+Casting himself ponderously upon the bench, which creaked under
+his weight, Stuffy   as we will continue to call him, though no one
+else dared to use the old name now   promptly produced the box of
+confectionery, without which he never travelled far, and regaled
+Bess with candied violets and other dainties, while Dolly worked
+hard to hold his own against a most accomplished antagonist. He
+would have beaten her if an unlucky stumble, which produced an
+unsightly stain upon the knee of those new shorts, had not
+distracted his mind and made him careless. Much elated at her
+victory, Josie permitted him to rest, and offered ironi cal
+consolation for the mishap which evidently weighed upon his
+mind.
+
+'Don't be an old Betty; it can be cleaned. You must have been a cat
+in some former state, you are so troubled about dirt; or a tailor, and
+lived for clothes.'
+
+'Come now, don't hit a fellow when he is down,' responded Dolly
+from the grass where he and Stuffy now lay to make room for both
+girls on the seat. One handkerchief was spread under him, and his
+elbow leaned upon another, while his eyes were sadly fixed upon
+the green and brown spot which afflicted him. 'I like to be neat;
+don't think it civil to cut about in old shoes and grey flannel shirts
+before ladies. Our fellows are gentlemen, and dress as such,' he
+added, rather nettled at the word 'tailor'; for he owed one of those
+too attractive persons an uncomfortably big bill.
+
+'So are ours; but good clothes alone don't make a gentleman here.
+We require a good deal more,' flashed Josie, in arms at once to
+defend her college. 'You will hear of some of the men in "old boots
+and grey flannel" when you and your fine gentlemen are twiddling
+your ties and scenting your hair in obscurity. I like old boots and
+wear them, and I hate dandies; don't you, Bess?'
+
+'Not when they are kind to me, and belong to our old set,' answered
+Bess, with a nod of thanks to Dolly, who was carefully removing
+an inquisitive caterpillar from one of her little russet shoes.
+
+'I like a lady who is always polite, and doesn't snap a man's head
+off if he has a mind of his own; don't you, George?' asked Dolly,
+with his best smile for Bess and a Harvard stare of disapprobation
+for Josie.
+
+A tranquil snore was Stuffy's sole reply, and a gen eral laugh
+restored peace for the moment. But Josie loved to harass the lords
+of creation who asserted themselves too much, and bided her time
+for another attack till she had secured more tennis. She got another
+game; for Dolly was a sworn knight of dames, so he obeyed her
+call, leaving Bess to sketch George as he lay upon his back, his
+stout legs crossed, and his round red face partially eclipsed by his
+hat. Josie got beaten this time and came back rather cross, so she
+woke the peaceful sleeper by tickling his nose with a straw till he
+sneezed himself into a sitting posture, and looked wrathfully about
+for 'that confounded fly'.
+
+'Come, sit up and let us have a little elegant conversation; you
+"howling swells" ought to improve our minds and manners, for we
+are only poor "country girls in dowdy gowns and hats",' began the
+gad-fly, opening the battle with a sly quotation from one of Dolly's
+unfortunate speeches about certain studious damsels who cared
+more for books than finery.
+
+'I didn't mean you! Your gowns are all right, and those hats the
+latest thing out,' began poor 'Dolphus, convicting himself by the
+incautious exclamation.
+
+'Caught you that time; I thought you fellows were all gentlemen,
+civil as well as nice. But you are always sneering at girls who don't
+dress well and that is a very unmanly thing to do; my mother said
+so'; and Josie felt that she had dealt a shrewd blow at the elegant
+youth who bowed at many shrines if they were welldecorated ones.
+
+'Got you there, old boy, and she's right. You never hear me talk
+about clothes and such twaddle,' said Stuffy, suppressing a yawn,
+and feeling for another bon-bon wherewith to refresh himself. 'You
+talk about eating, and that is even worse for a man. You will marry
+a cook and keep a restaurant some day,' laughed Josie, down on
+him at once.
+
+This fearful prediction kept him silent for several moments; but
+Dolly rallied, and wisely changing the subject, carried war into the
+enemy's camp.
+
+'As you wanted us to improve your manners, allow me to say that
+young ladies in good society don't make personal remarks or
+deliver lectures. Little girls who are not out do it, and think it
+witty; but I assure you it's not good form.'
+
+Josie paused a moment to recover from the shock of being called 'a
+little girl', when all the honours of her fourteenth birthday were
+fresh upon her; and Bess said, in the lofty tone which was
+infinitely more crushing than Jo's impertinence:
+
+'That is true; but we have lived all our lives with superior people,
+so we have no society talk like your young ladies. We are so
+accustomed to sensible conversation, and helping one another by
+telling our faults, that we have no gossip to offer you.'
+
+When the Princess reproved, the boys seldom resented it; so Dolly
+held his peace, and Josie burst out, following her cousin's lead,
+which she thought a happy one:
+
+'Our boys like to have us talk with them, and take kindly any hints
+we give. They don't think they know everything and are quite
+perfect at eighteen, as I've observed the Harvard men do,
+especially the very young ones.'
+
+Josie took immense satisfaction in that return shot; and Dolly
+showed that he was hit, by the nettled tone in which he answered,
+with a supercilious glance at the hot, dusty, and noisy crowd on the
+baseball ground: 'The class of fellows you have here need all the
+polish and culture you can give them; and I'm glad they get it. Our
+men are largely from the best families all over the country, so we
+don't need girls to teach us anything.'
+
+'It's a pity you don't have more of such "fellows" as ours. They
+value and use well what college gives them, and aren't satisfied to
+slip through, getting all the fun they can and shirking the work. Oh,
+I've heard you "men" talk, and heard your fathers say they wish
+they hadn't wasted time and money just that you might say you'd
+been through college. As for the girls, you'll be much better off in
+all ways when they do get in, and keep you lazy things up to the
+mark, as we do here.'
+
+'If you have such a poor opinion of us, why do you wear our
+colour?' asked Dolly, painfully conscious that he was not
+improving the advantages his Alma Mater offered him, but bound
+to defend her.
+
+'I don't; my hat is scarlet, not crimson. Much you know about a
+colour,' scoffed Josie.
+
+'I know that a cross cow would soon set you scampering, if you
+flaunted that red tile under her nose,' retorted Dolly.
+
+'I'm ready for her. Can your fine young ladies do this? or you
+either?' and burning to display her latest accomplishment, Josie ran
+to the nearest gate, put one hand on the top rail, and vaulted over
+as lightly as a bird.
+
+Bess shook her head, and Stuffy languidly applauded; but Dolly
+scorning to be braved by a girl, took a flying leap and landed on
+his feet beside Josie, saying calmly: 'Can you do that?'
+
+'Not yet; but I will by and by.'
+
+As his foe looked a little crestfallen, Dolly relented, and affably
+added sundry feats of a like nature, quite unconscious that he had
+fallen into a dreadful snare; for the dull red paint on the gate, not
+being used to such vigorous handling, came off in streaks upon his
+shoulders when he turned a backward swing and came up smiling,
+to be rewarded with the aggravating remark:
+
+'If you want to know what crimson is, look at your back; it's nicely
+stamped on and won't wash out, I think.'
+
+'The deuce it won't!' cried Dolly, trying to get an impossible view,
+and giving it up in great disgust.
+
+'I guess we'd better be going, Doif,' said peaceable Stuffy, feeling
+that it would be wise to retreat before another skirmish took place,
+as his side seemed to be getting the worst of it.
+
+'Don't hurry, I beg; stay and rest; you must need it after the
+tremendous amount of brain work you've done this week. It is time
+for our Greek. Come, Bess. Good afternoon, gentlemen.' And, with
+a sweeping courtesy, Josie led the way, with her hat belligerently
+cocked up, and her racket borne like a triumphal banner over one
+shoulder; for having had the last word, she felt that she could retire
+with the honours of war.
+
+Dolly gave Bess his best bow, with the chill on; and Stuffy
+subsided luxuriously, with his legs in the air, murmuring in a
+dreamy tone:
+
+'Little Jo is as cross as two sticks today. I'm going in for another
+nap: too hot to play anything.' 'So it is. Wonder if Spitfire was right
+about these beastly spots?' And Dolly sat down to try dry cleansing
+with one of his handkerchiefs. 'Asleep?' he asked, after a few
+moments of this cheerful occupation, fearing that his chum might
+be too comfortable when he was in a fume himself.
+
+'No. I was thinking that Jo wasn't far wrong about shirking. 'Tis a
+shame to get so little done, when we ought to be grinding like
+Morton and Torry and that lot. I never wanted to go to college; but
+my governor made me. Much good it will do either of us!'
+answered Stuffy, with a groan; for he hated work, and saw two
+more long years of it before him.
+
+'Gives a man prestige, you know. No need to dig. I mean to have a
+gay old time, and be a "howling swell", if I choose. Between you
+and me though, it would be no end jolly to have the girls along.
+Study be hanged! But if we've got to turn the grindstone, it would
+be mighty nice to have some of the little dears to lend a hand.
+Wouldn't it now?'
+
+'I'd like three this minute   one to fan me, one to kiss me, and one
+to give me some iced lemonade!' sighed Stuffy, with a yearning
+glance towards the house, whence no succour appeared.
+
+'How would root-beer do?' asked a voice behind them, which made
+Dolly spring to his feet and Stuffy roll over like a startled porpoise.
+
+Sitting on the stile that crossed the wall near by was Mrs Jo, with
+two jugs slung over her shoulder by a strap, several tin mugs in her
+hand, and an oldfashioned sun-bonnet on her head.
+
+'I knew the boys would be killing themselves with ice-water; so I
+strolled down with some of my good, wholesome beer. They drank
+like fishes. But Silas was with me; so my cruse still holds out.
+Have some?'
+
+'Yes, thanks, very much. Let us pour it.' And Dolly held the cup
+while Stuffy joyfully filled it; both very grateful, but rather afraid
+she had heard what went before the wish she fulfilled.
+
+She proved that she had by saying, as they stood drinking her
+health, while she sat between them, looking like a middle-aged
+vivandi�re, with her jugs and mugs:
+
+'I was glad to hear you say you would like to have girls at your
+college; but I hope you will learn to speak more respectfully of
+them before they come; for that will be the first lesson they will
+teach you.'
+
+'Really, ma'am, I was only joking,' began Stuffy, gulping down his
+beer in a hurry.
+
+'So was I. I'm sure I   I'm devoted to 'em,' stuttered Dolly,
+panic-stricken; for he saw that he was in for a lecture of some sort.
+
+'Not in the right way. Frivolous girls may like to be called "little
+dears" and things of that sort; but the girls who love study wish to
+be treated like reasonable beings, not dolls to flirt with. Yes, I'm
+going to preach; that's my business; so stand up and take it like
+men.'
+
+Mrs Jo laughed; but she was in earnest; for by various hints and
+signs during the past winter she knew that the boys were beginning
+to 'see life' in the way she especially disapproved. Both were far
+from home, had money enough to waste, and were as
+inexperienced, curious, and credulous as most lads of their age.
+Not fond of books, therefore without the safeguard which keeps
+many studious fellows out of harm; one selfindulgent, indolent,
+and so used to luxury that pampering of the senses was an easy
+thing; the other vain, as all comely boys are, full of conceit, and so
+eager to find favour in the eyes of his comrades that he was ready
+for anything which would secure it. These traits and foibles made
+both peculiarly liable to the temptations which assail
+pleasure-loving and weak-willed boys. Mrs Jo knew them well,
+and had dropped many a warning word since they went to college;
+but till lately they seemed not to understand some of her friendly
+hints; now she was sure they would, and meant to speak out: for
+long experience with boys made her both bold and skilful in
+handling some of the dangers usually left to silence, till it is too
+late for anything but pity and reproach.
+
+'I'm going to talk to you like a mother, because yours are far away;
+and there are things that mothers can manage best, if they do their
+duty,' she solemnly began from the depths of the sunbonnet.
+
+'Great Scott! We're in for it now!' thought Dolly, in secret dismay;
+while Stuffy got the first blow by trying to Sustain himself with
+another mug of beer.
+
+'That won't hurt you; but I must warn you about drinking other
+things, George. Overeating is an old story; and a few more fits of
+illness will teach you to be wise. But drinking is a more serious
+thing, and leads to worse harm than any that can afflict your body
+alone. I hear you talk about wines as if you knew them and cared
+more for them than a boy should; and several times I've heard
+jokes that meant mischief. For heaven's sake, don't begin to play
+with this dangerous taste "for fun", as you say, or because it's the
+fashion, and the other fellows do. Stop at once, and learn that
+temperance in all things is the only safe rule.' 'Upon my honour, I
+only take wine and iron. I need a tonic, mother says, to repair the
+waste of brain-tissue while I'm studying,' protested Stuffy, putting
+down the mug as if it burnt his fingers.
+
+'Good beef and oatmeal will repair your tissues much better than
+any tonic of that sort. Work and plain fare are what you want; and
+I wish I had you here for a few months out of harm's way. I'd
+Banting you, and fit you to run without puffing, and get on without
+four or five meals a day. What an absurd hand that is for a man!
+You ought to be ashamed of it!' And Mrs Jo caught up the plump
+fist, with deep dimples at each knuckle, which was fumbling
+distressfully at the buckle of the belt girt about a waist far too large
+for a youth of his age.
+
+'I can't help it   we all grow fat; it's in the family,' said Stuffy in
+self-defence,
+
+'All the more reason you should live carefully. Do you want to die
+early, or be an invalid all your life?'
+
+'No, ma'am!'
+
+Stuffy looked so scared that Mrs Jo could not be hard upon his
+budding sins, for they lay at his overindulgent mother's door line in
+a great measure; so she softened the tone of her voice, and added,
+with a little slap on the fat hand, as she used to do when it was
+small enough to pilfer lumps of sugar from her bowl:
+
+'Then be careful; for a man Writes his character in his face; and
+you don't want gluttony and intemperance in yours, I know.'
+
+'I'm sure I don't! Please make out a wholesome bill of fare, and I'll
+stick to it, if~I can. I am getting stout, and I don't like it; and my
+liver's torpid, and I have palpitations and headache. Overwork,
+mother says; but it may be overeating.' And Stuffy gave a sigh of
+mingled regret for the good things he renounced, and relief as he
+finished loosening his belt as soon as his hand was free.
+
+'I will; follow it, and in a year you'll be a man and not a meal-bag.
+Now, Dolly'; and Mrs Jo turned to the other culprit, who shook in
+his shoes and wished he hadn't come.
+
+'Are you studying French as industriously as you were last winter?'
+
+'No ma'am; I don't care for it   that is, I   I'm busy with G-Greek just
+now,' answered Dolly, beginning bravely, quite in the dark as to
+what that odd question meant till a sudden memory made him
+stutter and look at his shoes with deep interest.
+
+'Oh, he doesn't study it; only reads French novels and goes to the
+theatre when the opera bouffe is here,' said Stuffy, innocently
+confirming Mrs Jo's suspicions.
+
+'So I understood; and that is what I want to speak about. Ted had a
+sudden desire to learn French in that way, from something you
+said, Dolly; so I went myself, and was quite satisfied that it was no
+place for a decent boy. Your men were out in full force; and I was
+glad to see that some of the younger ones looked as ashamed as I
+felt. The older fellows enjoyed it, and when we came out were
+waiting to take those painted girls to supper. Did you ever go with
+them?'
+
+'Once.'
+
+'Did you like it?'
+
+'No 'm; I   I came away early,' stammered Dolly, with a face as red
+as his splendid tie. 'I'm glad you have not lost the grace of blushing
+yet; but you will soon, if you keep up this sort of study and forget
+to be ashamed. The society of such women will unfit you for that
+of good ones, and lead you into trouble and sin and shame. Oh,
+why don't the city fathers stop that evil thing, when they know the
+harm it does? It made my heart ache to see those boys, who ought
+to be at home and in their beds, going off for a night of riot which
+would help to ruin some of them for ever.'
+
+The youths looked scared at Mrs Jo's energetic protest against one
+of the fashionable pleasures of the day, and waited in
+conscience-stricken silence   Stuffy glad that he never went to
+those gay suppers, and Dolly deeply grateful that he 'came away
+early'. With a hand on either shoulder, and all the terrors smoothed
+from her brow, Mrs Jo went on in her most motherly tone, anxious
+to do for them what no other woman would, and do it kindly:
+
+'My dear boys, if I didn't love you, I would not say these things. I
+know they are not pleasant; but my conscience won't let me hold
+my peace when a word may keep you from two of the great sins
+that curse the world and send so many young men to destruction.
+You are just beginning to feel the allurement of them, and soon it
+will be hard to turn away. Stop now, I beg of you, and not only
+save yourselves but help others by a brave example. Come to me if
+things worry you; don't be afraid or ashamed; I have heard many
+sadder confessions than any you are ever likely to bring me, and
+been able to comfort many poor fellows, gone wrong for want of a
+word in time. Do this, and you will be able to kiss your mothers
+with clean lips, and by and by have the right to ask innocent girls
+to love you.'
+
+'Yes'm, thank you. I suppose you're right; but it's pretty hard work
+to toe the mark when ladies give you wine and gentlemen take
+their daughters to see Aim�e,' said Dolly, foreseeing tribulations
+ahead though he knew it was time to 'pull up'.
+
+'So it is; but all the more honour to those who are brave and wise
+enough to resist public opinion, and the easy-going morals of bad
+or careless men and women. Think of the persons whom you
+respect most, and in imitating them you will secure the respect of
+those who look up to you. I'd rather my boys should be laughed at
+and cold-shouldered by a hundred foolish fellows than lose what,
+once gone, no power can give them back   innocence and
+self-respect. I don't wonder you find it "hard to toe the mark",
+when books, pictures, ball-rooms, theatres, and streets offer
+temptations; yet you can resist, if you try. Last winter Mrs Brooke
+used to worry about John's being out so late reporting; but when
+she spoke to him about the things he must see and hear on his way
+to and fro from the office at midnight, he said in his sober way, "I
+know what you mean, mother; but no fellow need to go wrong
+unless he wants to."
+
+'That's like the Deacon!' exclaimed Stuffy, with an approving smile
+on his fat face.
+
+'I'm glad you told me that. He's right; and it's because he doesn't
+want to go wrong we all respect him so,' added Dolly, looking up
+now with an expression which assured his Mentor that the right
+string had been touched, and a spirit of emulation roused, more
+helpful, perhaps, than any words of hers. Seeing this, she was
+satisfied, and said, as she prepared to leave the bar before which
+her culprits had been tried and found guilty, but recommended to
+mercy:
+
+'Then be to others what John is to you   a good example. Forgive
+me for troubling you, my dear lads, and remember my little
+preachment. I think it will do you good, though I may never know
+it. Chance words spoken in kindness often help amazingly; and
+that's what old people are here for   else their experience is of little
+use. Now, come and find the young folk. I hope I shall never have
+to shut the gates of Plumfield upon you, as I have on some of your
+"gentlemen". I mean to keep my boys and girls safe if I can, and
+this a wholesome place where the good old-fashioned virtues are
+lived and taught.'
+
+Much impressed by that dire threat, Dolly helped her from her
+perch with deep respect; and Stuffy relieved her of her empty jugs,
+solemnly vowing to abstain from all fermented beverages except
+root-beer, as long as feeble flesh could hold out. Of course they
+made light of 'Mother Bhaer's lecture' when they were alone   that
+was to be expected of 'men of our class' but in their secret souls
+they thanked her for giving their boyish consciences a jog, and
+more than once afterward had cause to remember gratefully that
+halfhour in the tennis-court.
+
+Chapter 17 AMONG THE MAIDS
+
+Although this story is about Jo's boys, her girls cannot be
+neglected, because they held a high place in this little republic, and
+especial care was taken to fit them to play their parts worthily in
+the great republic which offered them wider opportunities and
+more serious duties. To many the social influence was the better
+part of the training they received; for education is not confined to
+books, and the finest characters often graduate from no college,
+but make experience their master, and life their book. Others cared
+only for the mental culture, and were in danger of over-studying,
+under the delusion which pervades New England that learning
+must be had at all costs, forgetting that health and real wisdom are
+better. A third class of ambitious girls hardly knew what they
+wanted, but were hungry for whatever could fit them to face the
+world and earn a living, being driven by necessity, the urgency of
+some half-conscious talent, or the restlessness of strong young
+natures to break away from the narrow life which no longer
+satisfied.
+
+At Plumfield all found something to help them; for the growing
+institution had not yet made its rules as fixed as the laws of the
+Medes and Persians, and believed so heartily in the right of all
+sexes, colours, creeds, and ranks to education, that there was room
+for everyone who knocked, and a welcome to the shabby youths
+from up country, the eager girls from the West, the awkward
+freedman or woman from the South, or the well-born student
+whose poverty made this college a possibility when other doors
+were barred. There still was prejudice, ridicule, neglect in high
+places, and prophecies of failure to contend against; but the
+Faculty was composed of cheerful, hopeful men and women who
+had seen greater reforms spring from smaller roots, and after
+stormy seasons blossom beautifully, to add prosperity and honour
+to the nation. So they worked on steadily and bided their time, full
+of increasing faith in their attempt as year after year their numbers
+grew, their plans succeeded, and the sense of usefulness in this
+most vital of all professions blessed them with its sweet rewards.
+
+Among the various customs which had very naturally sprung up
+was one especially useful and interesting to 'the girls', as the young
+women liked to be called. It all grew out of the old sewing hour
+still kept up by the three sisters long after the little work-boxes had
+expanded into big baskets full of household mending. They were
+busy women, yet on Saturdays they tried to meet in one of the
+three sewing-rooms; for even classic Parnassus had its nook where
+Mrs Amy often sat among her servants, teaching them to make and
+mend, thereby giving them a respect for economy, since the rich
+lady did not scorn to darn her hose, and sew on buttons. In these
+household retreats, with books and work, and their daughters by
+them, they read and sewed and talked in the sweet privacy that
+domestic women love, and can make so helpful by a wise mixture
+of cooks and chemistry, table linen and theology, prosaic duties
+and good poetry.
+
+Mrs Meg was the first to propose enlarging this little circle; for as
+she went her motherly rounds among the young women she found
+a sad lack of order, skill, and industry in this branch of education.
+Latin, Greek, the higher mathematics, and science of all sorts
+prospered finely; but the dust gathered on the work-baskets, frayed
+elbows went unheeded, and some of the blue stockings sadly
+needed mending. Anxious lest the usual sneer at learned women
+should apply to 'our girls', she gently lured two or three of the most
+untidy to her house, and made the hour so pleasant, the lesson so
+kindly, that they took the hint, were grateful for the favour, and
+asked to come again. Others soon begged to make the detested
+weekly duty lighter by joining the party, and soon it was a
+privilege so much desired that the old museum was refitted with
+sewing-machines, tables, rocking-chair, and a cheerful fireplace,
+so that, rain or shine, the needles might go on undisturbed.
+
+Here Mrs Meg was in her glory, and stood wielding her big shears
+like a queen as she cut out white work, fitted dresses, and directed
+Daisy, her special aide, about the trimming of hats, and completing
+the lace and ribbon trifles which add grace to the simplest costume
+and save poor or busy girls so much money and time. Mrs Amy
+contributed taste, and decided the great question of colours and
+complexions; for few women, even the most learned, are without
+that desire to look well which makes many a plain face comely, as
+well as many a pretty one ugly for want of skill and knowledge of
+the fitness of things. She also took her turn to provide books for
+the readings, and as art was her forte she gave them selections
+from Ruskin, Hamerton, and Mrs Jameson, who is never old. Bess
+read these aloud as her contribution, and Josie took her turn at the
+romances, poetry, and plays her uncles recommended. Mrs Jo gave
+little lectures on health, religion, politics, and the various questions
+in which all should be interested, with copious extracts from Miss
+Cobbe's Duties of Women, Miss Brackett's Education of American
+Girls, Mrs Duffy's No Sex in Education, Mrs Woolson's Dress
+Reform, and many of the other excellent books wise women write
+for their sisters, now that they are waking up and asking: 'What
+shall we do?'
+
+It was curious to see the prejudices melt away as ignorance was
+enlightened, indifference change to interest, and intelligent minds
+set thinking, while quick wits and lively tongues added spice to the
+discussions which inevitably followed. So the feet that wore the
+neatly mended hose carried wiser heads than before, the pretty
+gowns covered hearts warmed with higher purposes, and the hands
+that dropped the thimbles for pens, lexicons, and celestial globes,
+were better fitted for life's work, whether to rock cradles, tend the
+sick, or help on the great work of the world.
+
+One day a brisk discussion arose concerning careers for women.
+Mrs Jo had read something on the subject and asked each of the
+dozen girls sitting about the room, what she intended to do on
+leaving college. The answers were as usual: 'I shall teach, help
+mother, study medicine, art,' etc.; but nearly all ended with:
+
+'Till I marry.'
+
+'But if you don't marry, what then?' asked Mrs Jo, feeling like a girl
+again as she listened to the answers, and watched the thoughtful,
+gay, or eager faces.
+
+'Be old maids, I suppose. Horrid, but inevitable, since there are so
+many superfluous women,' answered a lively lass, too pretty to fear
+single blessedness unless she chose it.
+
+'It is well to consider that fact, and fit yourselves to be useful, not
+superfluous women. That class, by the way, is largely made up of
+widows, I find; so don't consider it a slur on maidenhood.'
+
+'That's a comfort! Old maids aren't sneered at half as much as they
+used to be, since some of them have grown famous and proved that
+woman isn't a half but a whole human being, and can stand alone.'
+
+'Don't like it all the same. We can't all be like Miss
+
+~    Mii~ Ni~hhngale, Miss Phelps, and the rest.
+
+So what can we do but sit in a corner and look on?' asked a plain
+girl with a dissatisfied expression.
+
+'Cultivate cheerfulness and content, if nothing else. But there are
+so many little odd jobs waiting to be done that nobody need "sit
+idle and look on", unless she chooses,' said Mrs Meg, with a smile,
+laying on the girl's head the new hat she had just trimmed.
+
+'Thank you very much. Yes, Mrs Brooke, I see; it's a little job, but
+it makes me neat and happy   and grateful,' she added, looking up
+with brighter eyes as she accepted the labour of love and the lesson
+as sweetly as they were given.
+
+'One of the best and most beloved women I know has been doing
+odd jobs for the Lord for years, and will keep at it till her dear
+hands are folded in her coffin. All sorts of things she does   picks
+up neglected children and puts them in safe homes, saves lost girls,
+nurses poor women in trouble, sews, knits, trots, begs, works for
+the poor day after day with no reward but the thanks of the needy,
+the love and honour of the rich who make Saint Matilda their
+almoner. That's a life worth living; and I think that quiet little
+woman will get a higher seat in Heaven than many of those of
+whom the world has heard.'
+
+'I know it's lovely, Mrs Bhaer; but it's dull for young folks. We do
+want a little fun before we buckle to,' said a Western girl with a
+wide-awake face.
+
+'Have your fun, my dear; but if you must earn your bread, try to
+make it sweet with cheerfulness, not bitter with the daily regret
+that it isn't cake. I used to think mine was a very hard fate because
+I had to amuse a somewhat fretful old lady; but the books I read in
+that lonely library have been of immense use to me since, and the
+dear old soul bequeathed me Plum-field for my "cheerful service
+and affectionate care". I didn't deserve it, but I did use to try to be
+jolly and kind, and get as much honey out of duty as I could,
+thanks to my dear mother's help and advice.'
+
+'Gracious! if I could earn a place like this, I'd sing all day and be an
+angel; but you have to take your chance, and get nothing for your
+pains, perhaps. I never do,' said the Westerner, who had a hard
+time with small means and large aspirations.
+
+'Don't do it for the reward; but be sure it will come, though not in
+the shape you expect. I worked hard for fame and money one
+winter; but I got neither, and was much disappointed. A year
+afterwards I found I had earned two prizes: skill with my pen, and
+Professor Bhaer.'
+
+Mrs Jo's laugh was echoed blithely by the girls, who liked to have
+these conversations enlivened by illustrations from life.
+
+'You are a very lucky woman,' began the discontented damsel,
+whose soul soared above new hats, welcome as they were, but did
+not quite know where
+
+to steer.
+
+'Yet her name used to be "Luckless Jo", and she never had what
+she wanted till she had given up hoping for it,' said Mrs Meg.
+
+'I'll give up hoping, then, right away, and see if my wishes will
+come. I only want to help my folks, and get a good school.'
+
+'Take this proverb for your guide: "Get the distaff ready, and the
+Lord will send the flax",' answered Mrs Jo.
+
+'We'd better all do that, if we are to be spinst~r~,' said the pretty
+one, adding gaily, 'I think I should like it, on the whole   they are
+so independent. My Aunt Jenny can do just what she likes, and ask
+no one's leave; but Ma has to consult Pa about everything. Yes, I'll
+give you my chance, Sally, and be a "superfluum", as Mr Plock
+says.'
+
+'You'll be one of the first to go into bondage, see if you aren't.
+Much obliged, all the same.'
+
+'Well, I'll get my distaff ready, and take whatever flax the Fates
+send   single, or double-twisted, as the powers please.'
+
+'That is the right spirit, Nelly. Keep it up, and see how happy life
+will be with a brave heart, a willing hand, and plenty to do.'
+
+'No one objects to plenty of domestic work or fashionable
+pleasure, I find; but the minute we begin to study, people tell us we
+can't bear it, and warn us to be very careful. I've tried the other
+things, and got so tired I came to college; though my people
+predict nervous exhaustion and an early death. Do you think there
+is any danger?' asked a stately girl, with an anxious glance at the
+blooming face reflected in the mirror opposite.
+
+'Are you stronger or weaker than when you came two years ago,
+Miss Winthrop?'
+
+'Stronger in body, and much happier in mind. I think I was dying of
+ennui; but the doctors called it inherited delicacy of constitution.
+That is why mamma is so anxious, and I wish not to go too fast.'
+
+'Don't worry, my dear; that active brain of yours was starving for
+good food; it has plenty now, and plain living suits you better than
+luxury and dissipation. It is all nonsense about girls not being able
+to study as well as boys. Neither can bear cramming; but with
+proper care both are better for it; so enjoy the life your instinct led
+you to, and we will prove that wise headwork is a better cure for
+that sort of delicacy than tonics, and novels on the sofa, where far
+too many of our girls go to wreck nowadays. They burn the candle
+at both ends; and when they break down they blame the books, not
+the balls.'
+
+'Dr Nan was telling me about a patient of hers who thought she had
+heart-complaint, till Nan made her take off her corsets, stopped her
+coffee and dancing all night, and made her eat, sleep, walk, and
+live regularly for a time; and now she's a brilliant cure. Common
+sense versus custom, Nan said.'
+
+'I've had no headaches siflce I came here, and can do twice as
+much studying as I did at home. It's the air, I think, and the fun of
+going ahead of the boys,' said another girl, tapping her big
+forehead with her thimble, as if the lively brain inside was in good
+working order and enjoyed the daily gymnastics she gave it.
+
+'Quality, not quantity, wins the day, you know. Our brains may be
+smaller, but I don't see that they fall short of what is required of
+them; and if I'm not mistaken, the largest-headed man in our class
+is the dullest,' said Nelly, with a solemn air which produced a gale
+of merriment; for all knew that the young Goliath she mentioned
+had been metaphorically slain by this quick-witted David on many
+a battle-field, to the great disgust of himself and his mates.
+
+'Mrs Brooke, do I gauge on the right or the wrong side?' asked the
+best Greek scholar of her class, eyeing a black silk apron with a
+lost expression.
+
+'The right, Miss Pierson; and leave a space between the tucks; it
+looks prettier so.'
+
+'I'll never make another; but it will save my dresses from
+ink-stains, so I'm glad I've got it'; and the erudite Miss Pierson
+laboured on, finding it a harder task than any Greek root she ever
+dug up.
+
+'We paper-stainers must learn how to make shields, or we are lost.
+I'll give you a pattern of the pinafore I used to wear in my
+"blood-and-thunder days", as we call them,' said Mrs Jo, trying to
+remember what became of the old tin-kitchen which used to hold
+her works.
+
+'Speaking of writers reminds me that my ambition is to be a
+George Eliot, and thrill the world! It must be so splendid to know
+that one has such power, and to hear people own that one
+possesses a "masculine intellect"! I don't care for most women's
+novels, but hers are immense; don't you think so, Mrs Bhaer?'
+asked the girl with the big forehead, and torn braid on her skirt.
+
+'Yes; but they don't thrill me as little Charlotte Bront�'s books do.
+The brain is there, but the heart seems left out. I admire, but I don't
+love, George Eliot; and her life is far sadder to me than Miss
+Bront�'s, because, in spite of the genius, love, and fame, she
+missed the light without which no soul is truly great, good, or
+happy.'
+
+'Yes'm, I know; but still it's so romantic and sort of new and
+mysterious, and she was great in one sense. Her nerves and
+dyspepsia do rather destroy the illusion; but I adore famous people
+and mean to go and see all I can scare up in London some day.'
+
+'You will find some of the best of them busy about just the work I
+recommend to you; and if you want to see a great lady, I'll tell you
+that Mrs Laurence means to bring one here today. Lady
+Abercrombie is lunching with her, and after seeing the college is to
+call on us. She especially wanted to see our sewing-school, as she
+is interested in things of this sort, and gets them up at home.'
+
+'Bless me! I always imagined lords and ladies did nothing but ride
+round in a coach and six, go to balls, and be presented to the
+Queen in cocked hats, and trains and feathers,' exclaimed an
+artless young person from the wilds of Maine, whither an
+illustrated paper occasionally wandered.
+
+'Not at all; Lord Abercrombie is over here studying up our
+American prison system, and my lady is busy with the schools
+both very high-born, but the simplest and most sensible people I've
+met this long time. They are neither of them young nor handsome,
+and dress plainly; so don't expect anything splendid. Mr Laurence
+was telling me last night about a friend of his who met my lord in
+the hall, and owing to a rough greatcoat and a red face, mistook
+him for a coachman, and said: "Now, my man, what do you want
+here?" Lord Abercrombie mildly mentioned who he was, and that
+he had come to dinner. And the poor host was much afflicted,
+saying afterward: "Why didn't he wear his stars and garters? then a
+fellow would know he was a lord."'
+
+The girls laughed again, and a general rustle betrayed that each
+was prinking a bit before the titled guest arrived. Even Mrs Jo
+settled her collar, and Mrs Meg felt if her cap was right, while
+Bess shook out her curls and Josie boldly consulted the glass; for
+they were women, in spite of philosophy and philanthropy.
+
+'Shall we all rise?' asked one girl, deeply impressed by the
+impending honour.
+
+'It would be courteous.'
+
+'Shall we shake hands?'
+
+'No, I'll present you en masse, and your pleasant faces will be
+introduction enough.'
+
+'I wish I'd worn my best dress. Ought to have told us,' whispered
+Sally.
+
+'Won't my folks be surprised when I tell them we have had a real
+lady to call on us?' said another.
+
+'Don't look as if you'd never seen a gentlewoman before, Milly. We
+are not all fresh from the wilderness,' added the stately damsel
+who, having Mayflower ancestors, felt that she was the equal of all
+the crowned heads of Europe.
+
+'Hush, she's coming! Oh, my heart, what a bonnet!' cried the gay
+girl in a stage whisper; and every eye was demurely fixed upon the
+busy hands as the door opened to admit Mrs Laurence and her
+guest.
+
+It was rather a shock to find, after the general introduction was
+over, that this daughter of a hundred earls was a stout lady in a
+plain gown, and a rather weather-beaten bonnet, with a bag of
+papers in one hand and a note-book in the other. But the face was
+full ~f benevolence, the sonorous voice very kind, the genial
+manners very winning, and about the whole person an
+indescribable air of high breeding which made beauty of no
+consequence, costume soon forgotten, and the moment memorable
+to the keen-eyed girls whom nothing escaped.
+
+A little chat about the rise, growth, and success of this particular
+class, and then Mrs Jo led the conversation to the English lady's
+work, anxious to show her pupils how rank dignifies labour, and
+charity blesses wealth.
+
+It was good for these girls to hear of the evening-schools supported
+and taught by women whom they knew and honoured; of Miss
+Cobbe's eloquent protest winning the protection of the law for
+abused wives; Mrs Butler saving the lost; Mrs Taylor, who devoted
+one room in her historic house to a library for the servants; Lord
+Shaftesbury, busy with his new tenement-houses in the slums of
+London; of prison reforms; and all the brave work being done in
+God's name by the rich and great for the humble and the poor. It
+impressed them more than many quiet home lectures would have
+done, and roused an ambition to help when their time should
+come, well knowing that even in glorious America there is still
+plenty to be done before she is what she should be   truly just, and
+free, and great. They were also quick to see that Lady Abercrombie
+treated all there as her equals, from stately Mrs Laurence, to little
+Josie, taking notes of everything and privately resolving to have
+some thick-soled English boots as soon as possible. No one would
+have guessed that she had a big house in London, a castle in
+Wales, and a grand country seat in Scotland, as she spoke of
+Parnassus with admiration, Plumfield as a 'dear old home', and the
+college as an honour to all concerned in it. At that, of course, every
+head went up a little, and when my lady left, every hand was ready
+for the hearty shake the noble Englishwoman gave them, with
+words they long remembered:
+
+'I am very pleased to see this much-neglected branch of a woman's
+education so well conducted here, and I have to thank my friend
+Mrs Laurence for one of the most charming pictures I've seen in
+America   Penelope among her maids.'
+
+A group of smiling faces watched the stout boots trudge away,
+respectful glances followed the shabby bonnet till it was out of
+sight, and the girls felt a truer respect for their titled guest than if
+she had come in the coach and six, with all her diamonds on.
+
+'I feel better about the "odd jobs" now. I only wish I could do them
+as well as Lady Abercrombie does,' said one.
+
+'I thanked my stars my buttonholes were nice, for she looked at
+them and said: "Quite workmanlike, upon my word," added
+another, feeling that her gingham gown had come to honour.
+
+'Her manners were as sweet and kind as Mrs Brooke's. Not a bit
+stiff or condescending, as I ex pected. I see now what you meant,
+Mrs Bhaer, when you said once that well-bred people were the
+same all the world over.'
+
+Mrs Meg bowed her thanks for the compliment, and Mrs Bhaer
+said:
+
+'I know them when I see them, but never shall be a model of
+deportment myself. I'm glad you enjoyed the little visit. Now, if
+you young people don't want England to get ahead of us in many
+ways, you must bestir yourselves and keep abreast; for our sisters
+are in earnest, you see, and don't waste time worrying about their
+sphere, but make it wherever duty calls them.'
+
+'We will do our best, ma'am,' answered the girls heartily, and
+trooped away with their work-baskets, feeling that though they
+might never be Harriet Martineaus, Elizabeth Brownings, or
+George Eliots, they might become noble, useful, and independent
+women, and earn for themselves some sweet title from the grateful
+lips of the poor, better than any a queen could bestow.
+
+Chapter 18 CLASS DAY
+
+The clerk of the weather evidently has a regard for young people,
+and sends sunshine for class days as often as he can. An especially
+lovely one shone over Plumfield as this interesting anniversary
+came round, bringing the usual accompaniments of roses,
+strawberries, white-gowned girls, beaming youths, proud friends,
+and stately dignitaries full of well-earned satisfaction with the
+yearly harvest. As Laurence College was a mixed one, the presence
+of young women as students gave to the occasion a grace and
+animation entirely wanting where the picturesque half of creation
+appear merely as spectators. The hands that turned the pages of
+wise books also possessed the skill to decorate the hall with
+flowers; eyes tired with study shone with hospitable warmth on the
+assembling guests; and under the white muslins beat hearts as full
+of ambition, hope, and courage as those agitating the broadcloth of
+the ruling sex.
+
+College Hill, Parnassus, and old Plum swarmed with cheery faces,
+as guests, students, and professors hurried to and fro in the
+pleasant excitement of arriving and receiving. Everyone was
+welcomed cordially, whether he rolled up in a fine carriage, or
+trudged afoot to see the good son or daughter come to honour on
+the happy day that rewarded many a mutual sacrifice. Mr Laurie
+and his wife were on the reception committee, and their lovely
+house was overflowing. Mrs Meg, with Daisy and Jo as aides, was
+in demand among the girls, helping on belated toilettes, giving an
+eye to spreads, and directing the decorations. Mrs Jo had her hands
+full as President's lady, and the mother of Ted; for it took all the
+power and skill of that energetic woman to get her son into his
+Sunday best.
+
+Not that he objected to be well arrayed; far from it; he adored good
+clothes, and owing to his great height already revelled in a
+dress-suit, bequeathed him by a dandy friend. The effect was very
+funny; but he would wear it in spite of the jeers of his mates, and
+sighed vainly for a beaver, because his stern parent drew the line
+there. He pleaded that English lads of ten wore them and were 'no
+end nobby'; but his mother only answered, with a consoling pat of
+the yellow mane:
+
+'My child, you are absurd enough now; if I let you add a tall hat,
+Plumfield wouldn't hold either of us, such would be the scorn and
+derision of all beholders. Content yourself with looking like the
+ghost of a waiter, and don't ask for the most ridiculous head-gear
+in the known world.'
+
+Denied this noble badge of manhood, Ted soothed his wounded
+soul by appearing in collars of an amazing height and stiffness, and
+ties which were the wonder of all female eyes. This freak was a
+sort of vengeance on his hard-hearted mother; for the collars drove
+the laundress to despair, never being just right, and the ties
+required such art in the tying that three women sometimes
+laboured long before   like Beau Brummel
+
+     he turned from a heap of 'failures' with the welcome words:
+'That will do.' Rob was devoted on these trying occasions, his own
+toilet being distinguished only by its speed, simplicity, and
+neatness. Ted was usually in a frenzy before he was suited, and
+roars, whistles, commands, and groans were heard from the den
+wherein the Lion raged and the Lamb patiently toiled. Mrs Jo bore
+it till boots were hurled and a rain of hair-brushes set in, then,
+fearing for the safety of her eldest, she would go to the rescue, and
+by a wise mixture of fun and authority finally succeed in
+persuading Ted that he was 'a thing of beauty', if not 'a joy for
+ever'. At last he would stalk majestically forth, imprisoned in
+collars compared to which those worn by Dickens's afflicted Biler
+were trifles not worth mentioning. The dresscoat was a little loose
+in the shoulders, but allowed a noble expanse of glossy bosom to
+be seen, and with a delicate handkerchief negligently drooping at
+the proper angle, had a truly fine effect. Boots that shone, and
+likewise pinched, appeared at one end of the 'long, black
+clothes-pin'   as Josie called him   and a youthful but solemn face
+at the other, carried at an angle which, if long continued, would
+have resulted in spinal curvature. Light gloves, a cane, and   oh,
+bitter drop in the cup of joy!   an ignominious straw hat, not to
+mention a choice floweret in the buttonhole, and a festoon of
+watchguard below, finished off this impressive boy.
+
+'How's that for style?' he asked, appearing to his mother and
+cousins whom he was to escort to the hall on this particular
+occasion.
+
+A shout of laughter greeted him, followed by exclamations of
+horror; for he had artfully added the little blond moustache he
+often wore when acting. It was very becoming, and seemed the
+only balm to heal the wound made by the loss of the beloved hat.
+
+'Take it off this moment, you audacious boy! What would your
+father say to such a prank on this day when we must all behave our
+best?' said Mrs Jo, trying to frown, but privately thinking that
+among the many youths about her none were so beautiful and
+original as her long son.
+
+'Let him wear it, Aunty; it's so becoming. No one will ever guess
+he isn't eighteen at least,' cried Josie, to whom disguise of any sort
+was always charming.
+
+'Father won't observe it; he'll be absorbed in his big-wigs and the
+girls. No matter if he does, he'll enjoy the joke and introduce me as
+his oldest son. Rob is nowhere when I'm in full fig'; and Ted took
+the stage with a tragic stalk, like Hamlet in a tail-coat and choker.
+
+'My son, obey me!' and when Mrs Jo spoke in that tone her word
+was law. Later, however, the moustache appeared, and many
+strangers firmly believed that there were three young Bhaers. So
+Ted found one ray of joy to light his gloom.
+
+Mr Bhaer was a proud and happy man when, at the appointed hour,
+he looked down upon the parterre of youthful faces before him,
+thinking of the 'little gardens' in which he had hopefully and
+faithfully sowed good seed years ago, and from which this
+beautiful harvest seemed to have sprung. Mr March's fine old face
+shone with the serenest satisfaction, for this was the dream of his
+life fulfilled after patient waiting; and the love and reverence in
+the countenances of the eager young men and women looking up
+at him plainly showed that the reward he coveted was his in fullest
+measure. Laurie always effaced himself on these occasions as
+much as courtesy would permit; for everyone spoke gratefully in
+ode, poem, and oration of the founder of the college and noble
+dispenser of his beneficence. The three sisters beamed with pride
+as they sat among the ladies, enjoying, as only women can, the
+honour done the men they loved; while 'the original Plums', as the
+younger ones called themselves, regarded the whole affair as their
+work, receiving the curious, admiring, or envious glances of
+strangers with a mixture of dignity and delight rather comical to
+behold.
+
+The music was excellent, and well it might be when Apollo waved
+the baton. The poems were   as usual on such occasions   of varied
+excellence, as the youthful speakers tried to put old truths into new
+words, and made them forceful by the enthusiasm of their earnest
+faces and fresh voices. It was beautiful to see the eager interest
+with which the girls listened to some brilliant brother-student, and
+applauded him with a rustle as of wind over a bed of flowers. It
+was still more significant and pleasant to watch the young men's
+faces when a slender white figure stood out against the background
+of black-coated dignitaries, and with cheeks that flushed and
+paled, and lips that trembled till earnest purpose conquered
+maiden fear, spoke to them straight out of a woman's heart and
+brain concerning the hopes and doubts, the aspirations and rewards
+all must know, desire, and labour for. This clear, sweet voice
+seemed to reach and rouse all that was noblest in the souls of these
+youths, and to set a seal upon the years of comradeship which
+made them sacred and memorable for ever.
+
+Alice Heath's oration was unanimously pronounced the success of
+the day; for without being flowery or sentimental, as is too apt to
+be the case with these first efforts of youthful orators, it was
+earnest, sensible, and so inspiring that she left the stage in a storm
+of applause, the good fellows being as much fired by her stirring
+appeal to 'march shoulder to shoulder', as if she had chanted the
+'Marseillaise' then and there. One young man was so excited that
+he nearly rushed out of his seat to receive her as she hastened to
+hide herself among her mates, who welcomed her with faces full
+of tender pride and tearful eye. A prudent sister detained him,
+however, and in a moment he was able to listen with composure to
+the President's remarks.
+
+They were worth listening to, for Mr Bhaer spoke like a father to
+the children whom he was dismissing to the battle of life; and his
+tender, wise, and helpful words lingered in their hearts long after
+the praise was forgotten. Then came other exercises peculiar to
+Plum-field, and the end. Why the roof did not fly off when the
+sturdy lungs of the excited young men pealed out the closing hymn
+will for ever be a mystery; but it remained firm, and only the
+fading garlands vibrated as the waves of music rolled up and died
+away, leaving sweet echoes to haunt the place for another year.
+
+Dinners and spreads consumed the afternoon, and at sunset came a
+slight lull as everyone sought some brief repose before the
+festivities of the evening began. The President's reception was one
+of the enjoyable things in store, also dancing on Parnassus, and as
+much strolling, singing, and flirting, as could be corn- pressed into
+a few hours by youths and maidens just out of school.
+
+Carriages were rolling about, and gay groups on piazzas, lawns,
+and window-seats idly speculated as to who the distinguished
+guests might be. The appearance of a very dusty vehicle loaded
+with trunks at Mr Bhaer's hospitably open door caused much
+curious comment among the loungers, especially as two rather
+foreign-looking gentlemen sprang out, followed by two young
+ladies, all four being greeted with cries of joy and much embracing
+by the Bhaers. Then they all disappeared into the house, the
+luggage followed, and the watchers were left to wonder who the
+mysterious strangers were, till a fair collegian declared that they
+must be the Professor's nephews, one of whom was expected on
+his wedding journey.
+
+She was right; Franz proudly presented his blonde and buxom
+bride, and she was hardly kissed and blessed when Emil led up his
+bonny English Mary, with the rapturous announcement:
+
+'Uncle, Aunt, Jo, here's another daughter! Have you room for my
+wife, too?'
+
+There could be no doubt of that; and Mary was with difficulty
+rescued from the glad embraces of her new relatives, who,
+remembering all the young pair had suffered together, felt that this
+was the natural and happy ending of the long voyage so perilously
+begun.
+
+'But why not tell us, and let us be ready for two brides instead of
+one?' asked Mrs Jo, looking as usual rather demoralizing in a
+wrapper and crimping-pins, having rushed down from her
+chamber, where she was preparing for the labours of the evening.
+
+'Well, I remembered what a good joke you all consid ered Uncle
+Laurie's marriage, and I thought I'd give you another nice little
+surprise,' laughed Emil. 'I'm off duty, and it seemed best to take
+advantage of wind and tide, and come along as convoy to the old
+boy here. We hoped to get in last night, but couldn't fetch it, so
+here we are in time for the end of the jollification, anyway.'
+
+'Ah, my sons, it is too feeling-full to see you both so happy and
+again in the old home. I haf no words to outpour my gratitude, and
+can only ask of the dear Gott in Himmel to bless and keep you all,'
+cried Professor Bhaer, trying to gather all four into his arms at
+once, while tears rolled down his cheeks, and his English failed
+him.
+
+An April shower cleared the air and relieved the full hearts of the
+happy family; then of course everyone began to talk   Franz and
+Ludmilla in German with uncle, Emil and Mary with the aunts;
+and round this group gathered the young folk, clamouring to hear
+all about the wreck, and the rescue, and the homeward voyage. It
+was a very different story from the written one; and as they
+listened to Emil's graphic words, with Mary's soft voice breaking
+in now and then to add some fact that brought out the courage,
+patience, and self-sacrifice he so lightly touched upon, it became a
+solemn and pathetic thing to see and hear these happy creatures
+tell of that great danger and deliverance.
+
+'I never hear the patter of rain now that I don't want to say my
+prayers; and as for women, I'd like to take my hat off to every one
+of 'em, for they are braver than any man I ever saw,' said Emil,
+with the new gravity that was as becoming to him as the new
+gentleness with which he treated everyone. 'If women are brave,
+some men are as tender and self-sacrificing as women. I know one
+who in the night slipped his share of food into a girl's pocket,
+though starving himself, and sat for hours rocking a sick man in
+his arms that he might get a little sleep. No, love, I will tell, and
+you must let me!' cried Mary, holding in both her own the hand he
+laid on her lips to silence her.
+
+'Only did my duty. If that torment had lasted much longer I might
+have been as bad as poor Barry and the boatswain. Wasn't that an
+awful night?' And Emil shuddered as he recalled it.
+
+'Don't think of it, dear. 'Tell about the happy days on the Urania,
+when papa grew better and we were all safe and homeward bound,'
+said Mary, with the trusting look and comforting touch which
+seemed to banish the dark and recall the bright side of that terrible
+experience.
+
+Emil cheered up at once, and sitting with his arm about his 'dear
+lass', in true sailor fashion told the happy ending of the tale.
+
+'Such a jolly old time as we had at Hamburg! Uncle Hermann
+couldn't do enough for the captain, and while mamma took care of
+him, Mary looked after me. I had to go into dock for repairs; fire
+hurt my eyes, and watching for a sail and want of sleep made 'em
+as hazy as a London fog. She was pilot and brought me in all right,
+you see, only I couldn't part company, so she came aboard as first
+mate, and I'm bound straight
+
+for glory now.'
+
+'Hush! that's silly, dear,' whispered Mary, trying in her turn to stop
+him, with English shyness about tender topics. But he took the soft
+hand in his, and proudly surveying the one ring it wore, went on
+with the air of an admiral aboard his flagship.
+
+'The captain proposed waiting a spell; but I told him we weren't
+like to see any rougher weather than we'd pulled through together,
+and if we didn't know one another after such a year as this, we
+never should. I was sure I shouldn't be worth my pay without this
+hand on the wheel; so I had my way, and my brave little woman
+has shipped for the long voyage. God bless her!'
+
+'Shall you really sail with him?' asked Daisy, admiring her courage,
+but shrinking with cat-like horror from the water.
+
+'I'm not afraid,' answered Mary, with a loyal smile. 'I've proved my
+captain in fair weather and in foul, and if he is ever wrecked again,
+I'd rather be with him than waiting and watching ashore.'
+
+'A true woman, and a born sailor's wife! You are a happy man,
+Emil, and I'm sure this trip will be a prosperous one,' cried Mrs Jo,
+delighted with the briny flavour of this courtship. 'Oh, my dear
+boy, I always felt you'd come back, and when everyone else
+despaired I never gave up, but insisted that you were clinging to
+the main-top jib somewhere on that dreadful sea'; and Mrs Jo
+illustrated her faith by grasping Emil with a truly Pillycoddian
+gesture.
+
+'Of course I was!' answered Emil heartily; 'and my "main-top jib"
+in this case was the thought of what you and Uncle said to me.
+That kept me up; and among the million thoughts that came to me
+during those long nights none was clearer than the idea of the red
+strand, you remember   English navy, and all that. I liked the
+notion, and resolved that if a bit of my cable was left afloat, the
+red stripe should be there.' 'And it was, my dear, it was! Captain
+Hardy testifies to that, and here is your reward'; and Mrs Jo kissed
+Mary with a maternal tenderness which betrayed that she liked the
+English rose better than the blue-eyed German Kornblumen, sweet
+and modest though it
+
+was.
+
+Emil surveyed the little ceremony with complacency, saying, as he
+looked about the room which he never thought to see again: 'Odd,
+isn't it, how clearly trifles come back to one in times of danger? As
+we floated there, half-starved, and in despair, I used to think I
+heard the bells ringing here, and Ted tramping downstairs, and you
+calling, "Boys, boys, it's time to get up!" I actually smelt the coffee
+we used to have, and one night I nearly cried when I woke from a
+dream of Asia's ginger cookies. I declare, it was one of the bitterest
+disappointments of my life to face hunger with that spicy smell in
+my nostrils. If you've got any, do give me one!'
+
+A pitiful murmur broke from all the aunts and cousins, and Emil
+was at once borne away to feast on the desired cookies, a supply
+always being on hand. Mrs Jo and her sister joined the other group,
+glad to hear what Franz was saying about Nat.
+
+'The minute I saw how thin and shabby he was, I knew that
+something was wrong; but he made light of it, and was so happy
+over our visit and news that I let him off with a brief confession,
+and went to Professor Baumgarten and Bergmann. From them I
+learned the whole story of his spending more money than he ought
+and trying to atone for it by unnecessary work and sacrifice.
+Baumgarten thought it would do him good, so kept his secret till I
+came. It did him good, and he's paid his debts and earned his bread
+by the sweat of his brow, like an honest fellow.'
+
+'I like that much in Nat. It is, as I said, a lesson, and he learns it
+well. He proves himself a man, and has deserved the place
+Bergmann offers him,' said Mr Bhaer, looking well pleased as
+Franz added some facts already recorded.
+
+'I told you, Meg, that he had good stuff in him, and love for Daisy
+would keep him straight. Dear lad, I wish I had him here this
+moment!' cried Mrs Jo, forgetting in delight the doubts and
+anxieties which had troubled her for months past.
+
+'I am very glad, and suppose I shall give in as I always do,
+especially now that the epidemic rages so among us. You and Emil
+have set all their heads in a ferment, and Josie will be demanding a
+lover before I can turn round,' answered Mrs Meg, in a tone of
+despair.
+
+But her sister saw that she was touched by Nat's trials, and
+hastened to add the triumphs, that the victory might be complete,
+for success is always charming.
+
+'This offer of Herr Bergmann is a good one, isn't it?' she asked,
+though Mr Laurie had already satisfied her on that point when
+Nat's letter brought the news.
+
+'Very fine in every way. Nat will get capital drill in Bachmeister's
+orchestra, see London in a delightful way, and if he suits come
+home with them, well started among the violins. No great honour,
+but a sure thing and a step up. I congratulated him, and he was
+very jolly over it, saying, like the true lover he is: "Tell Daisy; be
+sure and tell her all about it." I'll leave that to you, Aunt Meg, and
+you can also break it gently to her that the old boy had a fine blond
+beard. Very becoming; hides his weak mouth, and gives a noble air
+to his big eyes and "Mendelssohnian brow", as a gushing girl
+called it. Ludmilla has a photo of it for you.'
+
+This amused them; and they listened to many other interesting bits
+of news which kind Franz, even in his own happiness, had not
+forgotten to remember for his friend's sake. He talked so well, and
+painted Nat's patient and pathetic shifts so vividly, that Mrs Meg
+was half won; though if she had learned of the Minna episode and
+the fiddling in beer-gardens and streets, she might not have
+relented so soon. She stored up all she heard, however, and,
+womanlike, promised herself a delicious talk with Daisy, in which
+she would allow herself to melt by degrees, and perhaps change
+the doubtful 'We shall see' to a cordial 'He has done well; be
+happy, dear'.
+
+In the midst of this agreeable chat the sudden striking of a clock
+recalled Mrs Jo from romance to reality, and she exclaimed, with a
+clutch at her crimping-pins:
+
+'My blessed people, you must eat and rest; and I must dress, or
+receive in this disgraceful rig. Meg, will you take Ludmilla and
+Mary upstairs and see to them? Franz knows the way to the
+dining-room. Fritz, come with me and be made tidy, for what with
+heat and emotion, we are both perfect wrecks.'
+
+Chapter 19 WHITE ROSES
+
+While the travellers refreshed, and Mrs President struggled into
+her best gown, Josie ran into the garden to gather flowers for the
+brides. The sudden arrival of these interesting beings had quite
+enchanted the romantic girl, and her head was full of heroic
+rescues, tender admiration, dramatic situations, and feminine
+wonder as to whether the lovely creatures would wear their veils or
+not. She was standing before a great bush of white roses, culling
+the most perfect for the bouquets which she meant to tie with the
+ribbon festooned over her arm, and lay on the toilette tables of the
+new cousins, as a delicate attention. A step startled her, and
+looking up she saw her brother coming down the path with folded
+arms, bent head, and the absent air of one absorbed in deep
+thought.
+
+'Sophy Wackles,' said the sharp child, with a superior smile, as she
+sucked her thumb just pricked by a too eager pull at the thorny
+branches.
+
+'What are you at here, Mischief?' asked Demi, with an Irvingesque
+start, as he felt rather than saw a disturbing influence in his
+day-dream.
+
+'Getting flowers for "our brides". Don't you wish you had one?'
+answered Josie, to whom the word 'mischief' suggested her
+favourite amusement. 'A bride or a flower?' asked Demi calmly,
+though he eyed the blooming bush as if it had a sudden and
+unusual interest for him.
+
+'Both; you get the one, and I'll give you the other.'
+
+'Wish I could!' and Demi picked a little bud, with a sigh that went
+to Josie's warm heart.
+
+'Why don't you, then? It's lovely to see people so happy. Now's a
+good time to do it if you ever mean to. She will be going away for
+ever soon.'
+
+'Who?' and Demi pulled a half-opened bud, with a sudden colour
+in his own face; which sign of confusion delighted little Jo.
+
+'Don't be a hypocrite. You know I mean Alice. Now, Jack, I'm fond
+of you, and want to help; it's so interesting   all these lovers and
+weddings and things, and we ought to have our share. So you take
+my advice and speak up like a man, and make sure of Alice before
+she goes.'
+
+Demi laughed at the seriousness of the small girl's advice; but he
+liked it, and showed that it suited him by saying blandly, instead of
+snubbing her as usual:
+
+'You are very kind, child. Since you are so wise, could you give me
+a hint how I'd better 'speak up', as you elegantly express it?'
+
+'Oh, well, there are various ways, you know. In plays the lovers go
+down on their knees; but that's awkward when they have long legs.
+Ted never does it well, though I drill him for hours. You could say,
+"Be mine, be mine!" like the old man who threw cucumbers over
+the wall to Mrs Nickleby, if you want to be gay and easy; or you
+could write a poetical pop. You've tried ~t, I dare say.'
+
+'But seriously, Jo, I do love Alice, and I think she knows it. I want
+to tell her so; but I lose my head when I try, and don't care to make
+a fool of myself. Thought you might suggest some pretty way; you
+read so much poetry and are so romantic.'
+
+Demi tried to express himself clearly, but forgot his dignity and his
+usual reserve in the sweet perplexity of his love, and asked his
+little sister to teach him how to put the question which a single
+word can answer. The arrival of his happy cousins had scattered all
+his wise plans and brave resolutions to wait still longer. The
+Christmas play had given him courage to hope, and the oration
+today had filled him with tender pride; but the sight of those
+blooming brides and beaming grooms was too much for him, and
+he panted to secure his Alice without an hour's delay. Daisy was
+his confidante in all things but this; a brotherly feeling of
+sympathy had kept him from telling her his hopes, because her
+own were forbidden. His mother was rather jealous of any girl he
+admired; but knowing that she liked Alice, he loved on and
+enjoyed his secret alone, meaning soon to tell her all about it.
+
+Now suddenly Josie and the rose-bush seemed to suggest a speedy
+end to his tender perplexities; and he was moved to accept her aid
+as the netted lion did that of the mouse.
+
+'I think I'll write,' he was slowly beginning, after a pause during
+which both were trying to strike out a new and brilliant idea.
+
+'I've got it! perfectly lovely! just suit her, and you too, being a
+poet!' cried Josie, with a skip.
+
+'What is it? Don't be ridiculous, please,' begged the bashful lover,
+eager, but afraid of this sharp-tongued bit of womanhood. 'I read in
+one of Miss Edgeworth's stories about a man who offers three
+roses to his lady   a bud, a half-blown, and a full-blown rose. I
+don't remember which she took; but it's a pretty way; and Alice
+knows about it because she was there when we read it. Here are all
+kinds; you've got the two buds, pick the sweetest rose you can find,
+and I'll tie them up and put them in her room. She is coming to
+dress with Daisy, so I can do it nicely.'
+
+Demi mused a moment with his eyes on the bridal bush, and a
+smile came over his face so unlike any it had ever worn before,
+that Josie was touched, and looked away as if she had no right to
+see the dawn of the great passion which, while it lasts, makes a
+young man as happy as a god.
+
+'Do it,' was all he said, and gathered a full-blown rose to finish his
+floral love-message.
+
+Charmed to have a finger in this romantic pie, Josie tied a graceful
+bow of ribbon about the stems, and finished her last nosegay with
+much content, while Demi wrote upon a card:
+
+DEAR ALICE, You know what the flowers mean. Will you wear
+one, or all tonight, and make me still prouder, fonder, and happier
+than I am?
+
+Yours entirely,
+
+JOHN
+
+Offering this to his sister, he said in a tone that made her feel the
+deep importance of her mission:
+
+'I trust you, Jo. This means everything to me. No jokes, dear, if you
+love me.'
+
+Josie's answer was a kiss that promised all things; and then she ran
+away to do her 'gentle spiriting', like Ariel, leaving Demi to dream
+among the roses like Ferdinand.
+
+Mary and Ludmilla were charmed with their bouquets; and the
+giver had the delight of putting some of the flowers into the dark
+hair and the light as she played maid at the toilettes of 'our brides',
+which consoled her for a disappointment in the matter of veils.
+
+No one helped Alice dress; for Daisy was in the next room with
+her mother; and not even their loving eyes saw the welcome which
+the little posy received, nor the tears and smiles and blushes that
+came and went as she read the note and pondered what answer she
+should give. There was no doubt about the one she wished to give;
+but duty held her back; for at home there was an invalid mother
+and an old father. She was needed there, with all the help she
+could now bring by the acquirements four years of faithful study
+had given her. Love looked very sweet, and a home of her own
+with John a little heaven on earth; but not yet. And she slowly laid
+away the full-blown rose as she sat before the mirror, thinking over
+the great question of her life.
+
+Was it wise and kind to ask him to wait, to bind him by any
+promise, or even to put into words the love and honour she felt for
+him? No; it would be more generous to make the sacrifice alone,
+and spare him the pain of hope deferred. He was young; he would
+forget; and she would do her duty better, perhaps, if no impatient
+lover waited for her. With eyes that saw but dimly, and a hand that
+lingered on the stem he had stripped of thorns, she laid the
+half-blown flower by the rose, and asked herself if even the little
+bud might be worn. It looked very poor and pale beside the others;
+yet being in the self-sacrificing mood which real love brings, she
+felt that even a small hope was too much to give, if she could not
+follow it up with more.
+
+As she sat looking sadly down on the symbols of an affection that
+grew dearer every moment, she listened half unconsciously to the
+murmur of voices in the adjoining room. Open windows, thin
+partitions, and the stillness of summer twilight made it impossible
+to help hearing, and in a few moments more she could not refrain;
+for they were talking of John.
+
+'So nice of Ludmilla to bring us all bottles of real German cologne!
+Just what we need after this tiring day! Be sure John has his! He
+likes it so!'
+
+'Yes, mother. Did you see him jump up when Alice ended her
+oration? He'd have gone to her if I hadn't held him back. I don't
+wonder he was pleased and proud. I spoilt my gloves clapping, and
+quite forgot my dislike of seeing women on platforms, she was so
+earnest and unconscious and sweet after the first moment.'
+
+'Has he said anything to you, dear?'
+
+'No; and I guess why. The kind boy thinks it would make me
+unhappy. It wouldn't. But I know his ways; so I wait, and hope all
+will go well with him.'
+
+'It must. No girl in her senses would refuse our John, though he
+isn't rich, and never will be. Daisy, I've been longing to tell you
+what he did with his money. He told me last night, and I've had no
+time since to tell you. He sent poor young Barton to the hospital,
+and kept him there till his eyes were saved   a costly thing to do.
+But the man can work now and care for his old parents. He was in
+despair, sick and poor, and too proud to beg; and our dear boy
+found it out, and took every penny he had, and never told even his
+mother till she made him.'
+
+Alice did not hear what Daisy answered, for she was busy with her
+own emotions   happy ones now, to judge from the smile that
+shone in her eyes and the decided gesture with which she put the
+little bud in her bosom, as if she said: 'He deserves some reward
+for that good deed, and he shall have it.'
+
+Mrs Meg was speaking, and still of John, when she could hear
+again:
+
+'Some people would call it unwise and reckless,
+
+when John has so little; but I think his first investment
+
+a safe and good one, for "he who giveth to the poor
+
+lendeth to the Lord"; and I was so pleased and proud,
+
+I wouldn't spoil it by offering him a penny.'
+
+'It is his having nothing to offer that keeps him silent, I think. He is
+so honest, he won't ask till he has much to give. But he forgets that
+love is everything. I know he's rich in that; I see and feel it; and
+any woman should be glad to get it.'
+
+'Right, dear. I felt just so, and was willing to work and wait with
+and for my John.'
+
+'So she will be, and I hope they will find it out. But she is so
+dutiful and good, I'm afraid she won't let herself be happy. You
+would like it, mother?'
+
+'Heartily; for a better, nobler girl doesn't live. She is all I want for
+my son; and I don't mean to lose the dear, brave creature if I can
+help it. Her heart is big enough for both love and duty; and they
+can wait more happily if they do it together   for wait they must, of
+course.' 'I'm so glad his choice suits you, mother, and he is spared
+the saddest sort of disappointment.'
+
+Daisy's voice broke there; and a sudden rustle, followed by a soft
+murmur, seemed to tell that she was in her mother's arms, seeking
+and finding comfort there.
+
+Alice heard no more, and shut her window with a guilty feeling but
+a shining face; for the proverb about listeners failed here, and she
+had learned more than she dared to hope. Things seemed to change
+suddenly; she felt that her heart was large enough for both love and
+duty; she knew now that she would be welcomed by mother and
+sister; and the memory of Daisy's less happy fate, Nat's weary
+probation, the long delay, and possible separation for ever   all
+came before her so vividly that prudence seemed cruelty;
+self-sacrifice, sentimental folly; and anything but the whole truth,
+disloyalty to her lover. As she thought thus, the half-blown rose
+went to join the bud; and then, after a pause, she slowly kissed the
+perfect rose, and added it to the tell-tale group, saying to herself
+with a sort of sweet solemnity, as if the words were a vow:
+
+'I'll love and work and wait with and for my John.'
+
+It was well for her that Demi was absent when she stole down to
+join the guests who soon began to flow through the house in a
+steady stream. The new brightness which touched her usually
+thoughtful face was easily explained by the congratulations she
+received as orator, and the slight agitation observable, when a
+fresh batch of gentlemen approached soon passed, as none of them
+noticed the flowers she wore over a very happy heart. Demi
+meantime was escorting certain venerable personages about the
+college, and helping his grandfather entertain them with discussion
+of the Socratic method of instruction, Pythagoras, Pestalozzi,
+Froebel, and the rest, whom he devoutly wished at the bottom of
+the Red Sea, and no wonder, for his head and his heart were full of
+love and roses, hopes and fears. He piloted the 'potent, grave, and
+reverend seigniors' safely down to Plumfield at last, and landed
+them before his uncle and aunt Bhaer, who were receiving in state,
+the one full of genuine delight in all men and things, the other
+suffering martyrdom with a smile, as she stood shaking hand after
+hand, and affecting utter unconsciousness of the sad fact that
+ponderous Professor Plock had camped upon the train of her state
+and festival velvet gown.
+
+With a long sigh of relief Demi glanced about him for the beloved
+girl. Most persons would have looked some time before any
+particular angel could be discovered among the white-robed throng
+in parlours, hall, and study; but his eye went   like the needle to the
+pole   to the corner where a smooth dark head, with its braided
+crown, rose like a queen's, he thought, above the crowd which
+surrounded her. Yes, she has a flower at her throat; one, two, oh,
+blessed sight! he saw it all across the room, and gave a rapturous
+sigh which caused Miss Perry's frizzled crop to wave with a sudden
+gust. He did not see the rose, for it was hidden by a fold of lace;
+and it was well, perhaps, that bliss came by instalments, or he
+might have electrified the assembled multitude by flying to his
+idol, there being no Daisy to clutch him by the coat-tail. A stout
+lady, thirsting for information, seized him at that thrilling moment,
+and he was forced to point out celebrities with a saintly patience
+which deserved a better reward than it received; for a certain
+absence of mind and incoherence of speech at times caused the
+ungrateful dowager to whisper to the first friend she met after he
+had escaped:
+
+'I saw no wine at any of the spreads; but it is plain that young
+Brooke has had too much. Quite gentlemanly, but evidently a trifle
+intoxicated, my dear.'
+
+Ah, so he was! but with a diviner wine than any that ever sparkled
+at a class-day lunch, though many collegians know the taste of it;
+and when the old lady was disposed of, he gladly turned to find the
+young one, bent on having a single word. He saw her standing by
+the piano now, idly turning over music as she talked with several
+gentlemen. Hiding his impatience under an air of scholastic
+repose, Demi hovered near, ready to advance when the happy
+moment came, wondering meantime why elderly persons persisted
+in absorbing young ones instead of sensibly sitting in corners with
+their contemporaries. The elderly persons in question retired at
+length, but only to be replaced by two impetuous youths who
+begged Miss Heath to accompany them to Parnassus and join the
+dance. Demi thirsted for their blood, but was appeased by hearing
+George and Dolly say, as they lingered a moment after her refusal:
+
+'Really, you know, I'm quite converted to co-education and almost
+wish I'd remained here. It gives a grace to study, a sort of relish
+even to Greek to see charming girls at it,' said Stuffy, who found
+the feast of learning so dry, any sauce was welcome; and he felt as
+if he had discovered a new one.
+
+'Yes, by Jove! we fellows will have to look out or you'll carry off
+all the honours. You were superb today, and held us all like magic,
+though it was so hot there, I really think I couldn't have stood it for
+anyone else,' added Dolly, labouring to be gallant and really
+offering a touching proof of devotion; for the heat melted his
+collar, took the curl out of his hair, and ruined his gloves.
+
+'There is room for all; and if you will leave us the books, we will
+cheerfully yield the baseball, boating, dancing, and flirting, which
+seem to be the branches you prefer,' answered Alice sweetly.
+
+'Ah, now you are too hard upon us! We can't grind all the time and
+you ladies don't seem to mind taking a turn at the two latter
+"branches" you mention,' returned Dolly, with a glance at George
+which plainly said, 'I had her there.'
+
+'Some of us do in our first years. Later we give up childish things,
+you see. Don't let me keep you from Parnassus'; and a smiling nod
+dismissed them, smarting under the bitter consciousness of youth.
+
+'You got it there, Doll. Better not try to fence with these superior
+girls. Sure to be routed, horse, foot, and dragoons,' said Stuffy,
+lumbering away, somewhat cross with too many spreads.
+
+'So deuced sarcastic! Don't believe she's much older than we are.
+Girls grow up quicker, so she needn't put on airs and talk like a
+grandmother,' muttered Dolly, feeling that he had sacrificed his
+kids upon the altar of an ungrateful Pallas.
+
+'Come along and let's find something to eat. I'm faint with so much
+talking. Old Plock cornered me and made my head spin with Kant
+and Hegel and that lot.'
+
+'I promised Dora West I'd give her a turn. Must look her up; she's a
+jolly little thing, and doesn't bother about anything but keeping in
+step.'
+
+And arm in arm the boys strolled away, leaving Alice to read
+music as diligently as if society had indeed no charms for her. As
+she bent to turn a page, the eager young man behind the piano saw
+the rose and was struck speechless with delight. A moment he
+gazed, then hastened to seize the coveted place before a new
+detachment of bores arrived.
+
+'Alice, I can't believe it   did you understand   how shall I ever
+thank you?' murmured Demi, bending as if he, too, read the song,
+not a note or word of which did he see, however.
+
+'Hush! not now. I understood   I don't deserve it   we are too young,
+we must wait, but   I'm very proud and happy, John!'
+
+What would have happened after that tender whisper I tremble to
+think, if Tom Bangs had not come bustling up, with the cheerful
+remark:
+
+'Music? just the thing. People are thinning out, and we all want a
+little refreshment. My brain fairly reels with the 'ologies and 'isms
+I've heard discussed tonight. Yes, give us this; sweet thing! Scotch
+songs are always charming.'
+
+Demi glowered; but the obtuse boy never saw it, and Alice, feeling
+that this would be a safe vent for sundry unruly emotions, sat down
+at once, and sang the song which gave her answer better than she
+could have done:    BIDE A WEE
+
+'The puir auld folk at home, ye mind,
+
+Are frail and failing sair;
+
+And weel I ken they'd miss me, lad,
+
+Gin I come hame nae mair.
+
+The grist is out, the times are hard,
+
+The kine are only three;
+
+I canna leave the auld folk now.
+
+We'd better bide a wee.
+
+'Ifear me sair they're failing baith;
+
+For when I sit apart,
+
+They talk o' Heaven so earnestly,
+
+It welinigh breaks my heart.
+
+So, laddie, dinna urge me now,
+
+It surely winna be;
+
+I canna leave the auld folk yet.
+
+We'd better bide a wee.'
+
+The room was very still before the first verse ended; and Alice
+skipped the next, fearing she could not get through; for John's eyes
+were on her, showing that he knew she sang for him and let the
+plaintive little ballad tell what her reply must be. He took it as she
+meant it, and smiled at her so happily that her heart got the better
+of her voice, and she rose abruptly, saying something about the
+heat.
+
+'Yes, you are tired; come out and rest, my dearest'; and with a
+masterful air Demi took her into the starlight, leaving Tom to stare
+after them winking as if a sky-rocket had suddenly gone off under
+his nose.
+
+'Bless my soul! the Deacon really meant business last summer and
+never told me. Won't Dora laugh?' And Tom departed in hot haste
+to impart and exult over his discovery.
+
+What was said in the garden was never exactly known; but the
+Brooke family sat up very late that night, and any curious eye at
+the window would have seen Demi receiving the homage of his
+womankind as he told his little romance. Josie took great credit to
+herself in the matter, insisting that she had made the match; Daisy
+was full of the sweetest sympathy and joy, and Mrs Meg so happy
+that when Jo had gone to dream of bridal veils, and Demi sat in his
+room blissfully playing the air of 'Bide a Wee', she had her talk
+about Nat, ending with her arms round her dutiful daughter and
+these welcome words as her reward:
+
+'Wait till Nat coma home, find thei~ my good girl shall wear white
+roses too.'
+
+Chapter 20 LIFE FOR LIFE
+
+The summer days that followed were full of rest and pleasure for
+young and old, as they did the honours of Plumfield to their happy
+guests. While Franz and Emil were busy with the affairs of Uncle
+Hermann and Captain Hardy, Mary and Ludmilla made friends
+everywhere; for, though very unlike, both were excellent and
+charming girls. Mrs Meg and Daisy found the German bride a
+Hausfrau after their own hearts, and had delightful times learning
+new dishes, hearing about the semi-yearly washes and the splendid
+linen-room at Hamburg, or discussing domestic life in all its
+branches. Ludmilla not only taught, but learned, many things, and
+went home with many new and useful ideas in her blonde head.
+
+Mary had seen so much of the world that she was unusually lively
+for an English girl; while her various accomplishments made her a
+most agreeable companion. Much good sense gave her ballast; and
+the late experiences of danger and happiness added a sweet gravity
+at times, which contrasted well with her natural gaiety. Mrs Jo was
+quite satisfied with Emil's choice, and felt sure this true and tender
+pilot would bring him safe to port through fair or stormy weather.
+She had feared that Franz would settle down into a comfort- able,
+moneymaking burgher, and be content with that; but she soon saw
+that his love of music and his placid Ludmilla put much poetry
+into his busy life, and kept it from being too prosaic. So she felt at
+rest about these boys, and enjoyed their visit with real, maternal
+satisfaction; parting with them in September most regretfully, yet
+hopefully, as they sailed away to the new life that lay before them.
+
+Demi's engagement was confided to the immediate family only, as
+both were pronounced too young to do anything but love and wait.
+They were so happy that time seemed to stand still for them, and
+after a blissful week they parted bravely   Alice to home duties,
+with a hope that sustained and cheered her through many trials;
+and John to his business, full of a new ardour which made all
+things possible when such a reward was offered.
+
+Daisy rejoiced over them, and was never tired of hearing her
+brother's plans for the future. Her own hope soon made her what
+she used to be   a cheery, busy creature, with a smile, kind word,
+and helping hand for all; and as she went singing about the house
+again, her mother felt that the right remedy for past sadness had
+been found. The dear Pelican still had doubts and fears, but kept
+them wisely to herself, preparing sundry searching tests to be
+applied when Nat came home, and keeping a sharp eye on the
+letters from London; for some mysterious hint had flown across
+the sea, and Daisy's content seemed reflected in Nat's present
+cheerful state of mind.
+
+Having passed through the Werther period, and tried a little Faust
+of which experience he spoke to his Marguerite as if it had
+included an acquaintance with Mephistopheles, Blocksburg, and
+Auerbach's wine-cellar   he now felt that he was a Wilhelm
+Meister, serving his apprenticeship to the great masters of life. As
+she knew the truth of his small sins and honest repentance, Daisy
+only smiled at the mixture of love and philosophy he sent her,
+knowing that it was impossible for a young man to live in
+Germany without catching the German spirit.
+
+'His heart is all right; and his head will soon grow clear when he
+gets out of the fog of tobacco, beer, and metaphysics he's been
+living in. England will wake up his common sense, and good salt
+air blow his little follies all away,' said Mrs Jo, much pleased with
+the good prospects of her violinist   whose return was delayed till
+spring, to his private regret, but professional advancement.
+
+Josie had a month with Miss Cameron at the seaside, and threw
+herself so heartily into the lesson given her that her energy,
+promise, and patience laid the foundation of a friendship which
+was of infinite value to her in the busy, brilliant years to come; for
+little Jo's instincts were right; and the dramatic talent of the
+Marches was to blossom by and by into an actress, virtuous, and
+beloved.
+
+Tom and his Dora were peacefully ambling altar-ward; for Bangs
+senior was so afraid his son would change his mind again and try a
+third profession, that he gladly consented to an early marriage, as a
+sort of anchor to hold the mercurial Thomas fast. Aforesaid
+Thomas could not complain of cold shoulders now; for Dora was a
+most devoted and adoring little mate, and made life so pleasant to
+him that his gift for getting into scrapes seemed lost, and he bade
+fair to become a thriving man, with undeniable talent for the
+business he had chosen.
+
+'We shall be married in the autumn, and live with my father for a
+while. The governor is getting on, you know, and my wife and I
+must look after him. Later we shall have an establishment of our
+own,' was a favourite speech of his about this time, and usually
+received with smiles; for the idea of Tommy Bangs at the head of
+an 'establishment' was irresistibly funny to all who knew him.
+
+Things were in this flourishing condition, and Mrs Jo was
+beginning to think her trials were over for that year, when a new
+excitement came. Several postal cards had arrived at long intervals
+from Dan, who gave them 'Care of M. Mason, etc.', as his address.
+By this means he was able to gratify his longing for home news,
+and to send brief messages to quiet their surprise at his delay in
+settling. The last one, which came in September, was dated
+'Montana', and simply said:
+
+Here at last, trying mining again; but not going to stay long. All
+sorts of luck. Cave up the farm idea. Tell plans soon. Well, busy,
+and very happy. D. K.
+
+If they had known what the heavy dash under 'happy' meant, that
+postal would have been a very eloquent bit of pasteboard; for Dan
+was free, and had gone straight away to the liberty he panted for.
+Meeting an old friend by accident, he obliged him at a pinch by
+acting as overseer for a time, finding the society even of rough
+miners very sweet, and something in the muscular work
+wonderfully pleasant, after being cooped up in the brush-shop so
+long. He loved to take a pick and wrestle with rock and earth till
+he was weary   which was very soon; for that year of captivity had
+told upon his splendid physique. He longed to go home, but waited
+week after week to get the prison taint off him and the haggard
+look out Qf h~s face. Meanwhile he made friends of masters and
+men; and as no one knew his story, he took his place again in the
+world gratefully and gladly   with little pride now, and no plans but
+to do some good somewhere, and efface the past.
+
+Mrs Jo was having a grand clearing-out of her desk one October
+day, while the rain poured outside, and peace reigned in her
+mansion. Coming across the postals, she pondered over them, and
+then put them carefully away In the drawer labelled 'Boys' Letters',
+saying to herself, as she bundled eleven requests for autographs
+into the waste-paper basket:
+
+'It is quite time for another card, unless he is coming to tell his
+plans. I'm really curious to know what he has been about all this
+year, and how he's getting on now.'
+
+That last wish was granted within an hour; for Ted came rushing
+in, with a newspaper in one hand, a collapsed umbrella in the
+other, and a face full of excitement, announcing, all in one
+breathless jumble:
+
+'Mine caved in   twenty men shut up   no way out   wives crying
+water rising   Dan knew the old shaft
+
+risked his life   got 'em out   most killed   papers full of it   I knew
+he'd be a hero   hurray for old Dan!'
+
+'What? Where? When? Who? Stop roaring, and let me read!'
+commanded his mother, entirely bewildered.
+
+Relinquishing the paper, Ted allowed her to read for herself, with
+frequent interruptions from him   and Rob, who soon followed,
+eager for the tale. It was nothing new; but courage and devotion
+always stir generous hearts, and win admiration; so the account
+was both graphic and enthusiastic; and the name of Daniel Kean,
+the brave man who saved the lives of others at the risk of his own,
+was on many lips that day. Very proud were the faces of these
+friends as they read how their Dan was the only one who, in the
+first panic of the accident, remembered the old shaft that led into
+the mine   walled up, but the only hope of escape, if the men could
+be got out before the rising water drowned them; how he was
+lowered down alone, telling the others to keep back till he saw if it
+was safe; how he heard the poor fellows picking desperately for
+their lives on the other side, and by knocks and calls guided them
+to the right spot; then headed the rescue party, and working like a
+hero, got the men out in time. On being drawn up last of all, the
+worn rope broke, and he had a terrible fall, being much hurt, but
+was still alive. How the grateful women kissed his blackened face
+and bloody hands, as the men bore him away in triumph, and the
+owners of the mine promised a handsome reward, if he lived to
+receive it!
+
+'He must live; he shall, and come home to be nursed as soon as he
+can stir, if I go and bring him myself! I always knew he'd do
+something fine and brave, if he didn't get shot or hung for some
+wild prank instead,' cried Mrs Jo, much excited.
+
+'Do go, and take me with you, Mum. I ought to be the one, Dan's so
+fond of me and I of him,' began Ted, feeling that this would be an
+expedition after his own heart.
+
+Before his mother could reply, Mr Laurie came in, with almost as
+much noise and flurry as Teddy the second, exclaiming as he
+waved the evening paper:
+
+'Seen the news, Jo? What do you think? Shall I go off at once, and
+see after that brave boy?'
+
+'I wish you would. But the thing may not be all true
+
+  rumour lies so. Perhaps a few hours will bring an entirely new
+version of the story.'
+
+'I've telephoned to Demi for all he can find out; and if it's true, I'll
+go at once. Should like the trip. If he's able, I'll bring him home; if
+not, I'll stay and see to him. He'll pull through. Dan will never die
+of a fall on his head. He's got nine lives, and not lost half of them
+yet.'
+
+'If you go, uncle, mayn't I go with you? I'm just spoiling for a
+journey; and it would be such larks to go out there with you, and
+see the mines and Dan, and hear all about it, and help. I can nurse.
+Can't I, Rob?' cried Teddy, in his most wheedlesome tones.
+
+'Pretty well. But if mother can't spare you, I'm ready if uncle needs
+anyone,' answered Rob, in his quiet way, looking much fitter for
+the trip than excitable Ted.
+
+'I can't spare either of you. My boys get into trouble, unless I keep
+them close at home. I've no right to hold the others; but I won't let
+you out of my sight, or something will happen. Never saw such a
+year, with wrecks and weddings and floods and engagements, and
+every sort of catastrophe!' exclaimed Mrs Jo.
+
+'If you deal in girls and boys, you must expect this sort of thing,
+ma'am. The worst is over, I hope, till these lads begin to go off.
+Then I'll stand by you; for you'll need every kind of support and
+comfort, specially if Ted bolts early,' laughed Mr Laurie, enjoying
+her lamentations.
+
+'I don't think anything can surprise me now; but I am anxious about
+Dan, and feel that someone had better go to him. It's a rough place
+out there, and he may need careful nursing. Poor lad, he seems to
+get a good many hard knocks! But perhaps he needs them as "a
+mellerin' process", as Hannah used to say.'
+
+'We shall hear from Demi before long, and then I'll be off.' With
+which cheerful promise Mr Laurie departed; and Ted, finding his
+mother firm, soon followed, to coax his uncle to take him.
+
+Further inquiry confirmed and added interest to the news. Mr
+Laurie was off at once; and Ted went into town with him, still
+vainly imploring to be taken to his Dan. He was absent all day; but
+his mother said, calmly:
+
+'Only a fit of the sulks because he is thwarted. He's safe with Tom
+or Demi, and will come home hungry and meek at night. I know
+him.'
+
+But she soon found that she could still be surprised; for evening
+brought no Ted, and no one had seen him. Mr Bhaer was just
+setting off to find his lost son, when a telegram arrived, dated at
+one of the way-stations on Mr Laurie's route:
+
+Found Ted in the cars. Take him along. Write tomorrow.
+
+T.   LAURENCE
+
+'Ted bolted sooner than you expected, mother. Never mind   uncle
+will take good care of him, and Dan be very glad to see him,' said
+Rob, as Mrs Jo sat, trying to realize that her youngest was actually
+on his way to the wild West.
+
+'Disobedient boy! He shall be severely punished, if I ever get him
+again. Laurie winked at this prank; I know he did. Just like him.
+Won't the two rascals have a splendid time? Wish I was with them!
+Don't believe that crazy boy took even a night-gown with him, or
+an overcoat. Well, there will be two patients for us to nurse when
+they get back, if they ever do. Those reckless express trains always
+go down precipices, and burn up, or telescope. Oh! my Ted, my
+precious boy, how can I let him go so far away from me?'
+
+And mother-like, Mrs Jo forgot the threatened chastisement in
+tender lamentations over the happy scapegrace, now whizzing
+across the continent in high feather at the success of his first
+revolt. Mr Laurie was much amused at his insisting that those
+words, 'when Ted bolts', put the idea into his head; and therefore
+the responsibility rested upon his shoulders. He assumed it kindly
+from the moment he came upon the runaway asleep in a car, with
+no visible- luggage but a bottle of wine for Dan and a
+blacking-brush for himself; and as Mrs Jo suspected, the 'two
+rascals' did have a splendid time. Penitent letters arrived in due
+season, and the irate parents soon forgot to chide in their anxiety
+about Dan, who was very ill, and did not know his friends for
+several days. Then he began to mend; and everyone forgave the
+bad boy when he proudly reported that the first conscious words
+Dan said were: 'Hallo, Ted!' with a smile of pleasure at seeing a
+familiar face bent over him.
+
+'Glad he went, and I won't scold any more. Now, what shall we put
+in the box for Dan?' And Mrs Jo worked off her impatience to get
+hold of the invalid by sending comforts enough for a hospital.
+
+Cheering accounts soon began to come, and at length Dan was
+pronounced able to travel, but seemed ifi hO haste to go home,
+though never tired of hearing his nurses talk of it.
+
+'Dan is strangely altered,' wrote Laurie to Jo; 'not by this illness
+alone, but by something which has evidently gone before. I don't
+know what, and leave you to ask; but from his ravings when
+delirious I fear he has been in some serious trouble the past year.
+He seems ten years older, but improved, quieter, and so grateful to
+us. It is pathetic to see the hunger in his eyes as they rest on Ted,
+as if he couldn't see enough of him. He says Kansas was a failure,
+but can't talk much; so I bide my time. The people here love him
+very much, and he cares for that sort of thing now; used to scorn
+any show of emotion, you know; now he wants everyone to think
+well of him, and can't do enough to win affection and respect. I
+may be all wrong. You will soon find out. Ted is in clover, and the
+trip has done him a world of good. Let me take him to Europe
+when we go? Apron-strings don't agree with him any better than
+they did with me when I proposed to run away to Washington with
+you some century ago. Aren't you sorry you didn't?'
+
+This private letter set Mrs Jo's lively fancy in a ferment, and she
+imagined every known crime, affliction, and complication which
+could possibly have befallen Dan. He was too feeble to be worried
+with questions now, but she promised herself most interesting
+revelations when she got him safe at home; for the 'firebrand' was
+her most interesting boy. She begged him to come, and spent more
+time in composing a letter that should bring him, than she did over
+the
+
+a~t thrilling ~pi~o~c~i in hcr 'work~'.
+
+No one but Dan saw the letter; but it did bring him, and one
+November day Mr Laurie helped a feeble man out of a carriage at
+the door of Plumfield, and Mother Bhaer received the wanderer
+like a recovered son; while Ted, in a disreputable-looking hat and
+an astonishing pair of boots, performed a sort of war-dance round
+the interesting group.
+
+'Right upstairs and rest; I'm nurse now, and this ghost must eat
+before he talks to anyone,' commanded Mrs Jo, trying not to show
+how shocked she was at this shorn and shaven, gaunt and pallid
+shadow of the stalwart man she parted with.
+
+He was quite content to obey, and lay on the long lounge in the
+room prepared for him, looking about as tranquilly as a sick child
+restored to its own nursery and mother's arms, while his new nurse
+fed and refreshed him, bravely controlling the questions that
+burned upon her tongue. Being weak and weary, he soon fell
+asleep; and then she stole away to enjoy the society of the 'rascals',
+whom she scolded and petted, pumped and praised, to her heart's
+content.
+
+'Jo, I think Dan has committed some crime and suffered for it,' said
+Mr Laurie, when Ted had departed to show his boots and tell
+glowing tales of the dangers and delights of the miners' life to his
+mates. 'Some terrible experience has come to the lad, and broken
+his spirit. He was quite out of his head when we arrived, and I took
+the watching, so I heard more of those sad wanderings than anyone
+else. He talked of the "warden", some trail, a dead man, and Blair
+and Mason, and would keep offering me his hand, asking me if I
+would take it and forgive him. Once, when he was very wild, I held
+his arms, and he quieted in a moment, imploring me not to "put the
+handcuffs on". I declare, it was quite awful sometimes to hear him
+in the night talk of old Plum and you, and beg to be let out and go
+home to die.'
+
+'He isn't going to die, but live to repent of anything he may have
+done; so don't harrow me up with these dark hints, Teddy. I don't
+care if he's broken the Ten Commandments, I'll stand by him, and
+so will you, and we'll set him on his feet and make a good man of
+him yet. I know he's not spoilt, by the look in his poor face. Don't
+say a word to anyone, and I'll have the truth before long,' answered
+Mrs Jo, still loyal to her bad boy, though much afflicted by what
+she had heard.
+
+For some days Dan rested, and saw few people; their good care,
+cheerful surroundings, and the comfort of being at home began to
+tell, and he seemed more like himself, though still very silent as to
+his late experiences, pleading the doctor's orders not to talk much.
+Everyone wanted to see him; but he shrank from any but old
+friends, and 'wouldn't lionize worth a cent', Ted said, much
+disappointed that he could not show off his brave Dan.
+
+'Wasn't a man there who wouldn't have done the same, so why
+make a row over me?' asked the hero, feeling more ashamed than
+proud of the broken arm, which looked so interesting in a sling.
+
+'But isn't it pleasant to think that you saved twenty lives, Dan, and
+gave husbands, sons, and fathers back to the women who loved
+them?' asked Mrs Jo one evening as they were alone together after
+several callers had been sent away.
+
+'Pleasant! it's all that kept me alive, I do believe; yes, I'd rather
+have done it than be made president or any other big bug in the
+world. No one knows what a comfort it is to think I've saved
+twenty men to more than pay for  , There Dan stopped short,
+having evidently spoken out of some strong emotion to which his
+hearer had no key.'
+
+'I thought you'd feel so. It is a splendid thing to save life at the risk
+of one's own, as you did, and nearly lose it,' began Mrs Jo, wishing
+he had gone on with that impulsive speech which was so like his
+old
+
+manner.   -
+
+'"He that loseth his life shall gain it",' muttered Dan, staring at the
+cheerful fire which lighted the room, and shone on his thin face
+with a ruddy glow.
+
+Mrs Jo was so startled at hearing such words from his lips that she
+exclaimed joyfully:
+
+'Then you did read the little book I gave you, and kept your
+promise?'
+
+'I read it a good deal after a while. I don't know much yet, but I'm
+ready to learn; and that's something.'
+
+'It's everything. Oh, my dear, tell me about it! I know something
+lies heavy on your heart; let me help you bear it, and so make the
+burden lighter.'
+
+'I know it would; I want to tell; but some things even you couldn't
+forgive; and if you let go of me, I'm afraid I can't keep afloat.'
+
+'Mothers can forgive anything! Tell me all, and be sure that I will
+never let you go, though the whole world should turn from you.'
+Mrs Jo took one of the big wasted hands in both of hers and held it
+fast, waiting silently till that sustaining touch warmed poor Dan's
+heart, and gave him courage to speak. Sitting in his old attitude,
+with his head in his hands, he slowly told it all, never once looking
+up till the last words left his lips.
+
+'Now you know; can you forgive a murderer, and keep a jail-bird in
+your house?'
+
+Her only answer was to put her arms about him, and lay the shorn
+head on her breast, with eyes so full of tears they could but dimly
+see the hope and fear that made his own so tragical.
+
+That was better than any words; and poor Dan clung to her in
+speechless gratitude, feeling the blessedness of mother love   that
+divine gift which comforts, purifies, and strengthens all who seek
+it. Two or three great, bitter drops were hidden in the little woollen
+shawl where Dan's cheek rested, and no one ever knew how soft
+and comfortable it felt to him after the hard pillows he had known
+so long. Suffering of both mind and body had broken will and
+pride, and the lifted burden brought such a sense of relief that he
+paused a moment to enjoy it in dumb delight.
+
+'My poor boy, how you have suffered all this year, when we
+thought you free as air! Why didn't you tell us, Dan, and let us help
+you? Did you doubt your friends?' asked Mrs Jo, forgetting all
+other emotions in sympathy, as she lifted up the hidden face, and
+looked reproachfully into the great hollow eyes that met her own
+frankly now.
+
+'I was ashamed. I tried to bear it alone rather than shock and
+disappoint you, as I know I have, though you try not to show it.
+Don't mind; I must get used to it'; and Dan's eyes dropped again as
+if they could not bear to see the trouble and dismay his confession
+painted on his best friend's face.
+
+'I am shocked and disappointed by the sin, but I am also very glad
+and proud and grateful that my sinner has repented, atoned, and is
+ready to profit by the bitter lesson. No one but Fritz and Laurie
+need ever know the truth; we owe it to them, and they will feel as I
+do,' answered Mrs Jo, wisely thinking that entire frankness would
+be a better tonic than too much sympathy.
+
+'No, they won't; men never forgive like women. But it's right.
+Please tell 'em for me, and get it over. Mr Laurence knows it, I
+guess. I blabbed when my wits were gone; but he was very kind all
+the same. I can bear their knowing; but oh, not Ted and the girls!'
+Dan clutched her arm with such an imploring face that she
+hastened to assure him no one should know except the two old
+friends, and he calmed down as if ashamed of his sudden panic.
+
+'It wasn't murder, mind you, it was in self-defence; he drew first,
+and I had to hit him. Didn't mean to kill him; but it doesn't worry
+me as much as it ought, I'm afraid. I've more than paid for it, and
+such a rascal is better out of the world than in it, showing boys the
+way to hell. Yes, I know you think that's awful in me; but I can't
+help ~t. I hate a scamp as I do a skulking coyote, and always want
+to get a shot at 'em. Perhaps it would have been better if he had
+killed me; my life
+
+is spoilt.'
+
+All the old prison gloom seemed to settle like a black cloud on
+Dan's face as he spoke, and Mrs Jo was frightened at the glimpse it
+gave her of the fire through which he had passed to come out alive,
+but scarred for life. Hoping to turn his mind to happier things, she
+said cheerfully:
+
+'No, it isn't; you have learned to value it more and use it better for
+this trial. It is not a lost year, but one that may prove the most
+helpful of any you ever know. Try to think so, and begin again; we
+will help, and have all the more confidence in you for this failure.
+We all do the same and struggle on.'
+
+'I never can be what I was. I feel about sixty, and don't care for
+anything now I've got here. Let me stay till I'm on my legs, then I'll
+clear out and never trouble you any more,' said Dan despondently.
+
+'You are weak and low in your mind; that will pass, and by and by
+you will go to your missionary work among the Indians with all the
+old energy and the new patience, self-control, and knowledge you
+have gained. Tell me more about that good chaplain and Mary
+Mason and the lady whose chance word helped you so much. I
+want to know all about the trials of my poor boy.'
+
+Won by her tender interest, Dan brightened up and talked on till he
+had poured out all the story of that bitter year, and felt better for
+the load he lifted off.
+
+If he had known how it weighed upon his hearer's heart, he would
+have held his peace; but she hid her sorrow till she had sent him to
+bed, comforted and calm; then she cried her heart out, to the great
+dismay of Fritz and Laurie, till they heard the tale and could mourn
+with her; after which they all cheered up and took counsel together
+how best to help this worst of all the 'catastrophes' the year had
+brought them.
+
+Chapter 21 ASLAUGA'S KNIGHT
+
+It was curious to see the change which came over Dan after that
+talk. A weight seemed off his mind; and though the old impetuous
+spirit flashed out at times, he seemed intent on trying to show his
+gratitude and love and honour to these true friends by a new
+humility and confidence very sweet to them, very helpful to him.
+After hearing the story from Mrs Jo, the Professor and Mr Laurie
+made no allusion to it beyond the hearty hand-grasp, the look of
+compassion, the brief word of good cheer in which men convey
+sympathy, and a redoubled kindness which left no doubt of pardon.
+Mr Laurie began at once to interest influential persons in Dan's
+mission, and set in motion the machinery which needs so much
+oiling before anything can be done where Government is
+concerned. Mr Bhaer, with the skill of a true teacher, gave Dan's
+hungry mind something to do, and helped him understand himself
+by carrying on the good chaplain's task so paternally that the poor
+fellow often said he felt as if he had found a father. The boys took
+him to drive, and amused him with their pranks and plans; while
+the women, old and young, nursed and petted him till he felt like a
+sultan with a crowd of devoted slaves, obedient to his lightest
+wish. A very little of this was enough for Dan, who had a
+masculine horror of 'molly-coddling', and so brief an acquaintance
+with illness that he rebelled against the doctor's orders to keep
+quiet; and it took all Mrs Jo's authority and the girls' ingenuity to
+keep him from leaving his sofa long before strained back and
+wounded head were well. Daisy cooked for him; Nan attended to
+his medicines; Josie read aloud to while away the long hours of
+inaction that hung so heavily on his hands; while Bess brought all
+her pictures and casts to amuse him, and, at his special desire, set
+up a modelling-stand in his parlour and began to mould the buffalo
+head he gave her. Those afternoons seemed the pleasantest part of
+his day; and Mrs Jo, busy in her study close by, could see the
+friendly trio and enjoy the pretty pictures they made. The girls
+were much flattered by the success of their efforts, and exerted
+themselves to be very entertaining, consulting Dan's moods with
+the feminine tact most women creatures learn before they are out
+of pinafores. When he was gay, the room rang with laughter; when
+gloomy, they read or worked in respectful silence till their sweet
+patience cheered him up again; and when in pain they hovered
+over him like 'a couple of angels', as he said. He often called Josie
+'little mother', but Bess was always 'Princess'; and his manner to
+the two cousins was quite different. Josie sometimes fretted him
+with her fussy ways, the long plays she liked to read, and the
+maternal scoldings she administered when he broke the rules; for
+having a lord of creation in her power was so delightful to her that
+she would have ruled him with a rod of iron if he had submitted.
+To Bess, in her gentler ministrations, he never showed either
+impatience or weariness, but obeyed her least word, exerted
+himself to seem well in her presence, and took such interest in her
+work that he lay looking at her with unwearied eyes; while Josie
+read to him in her best style unheeded.
+
+Mrs Jo observed this, and called them 'Una and the Lion', which
+suited them very well, though the lion's mane was shorn, and Una
+never tried to bridle him. The elder ladies did their part in
+providing delicacies and supplying all his wants; but Mrs Meg was
+busy at home, Mrs Amy preparing for the trip to Europe in the
+spring, and Mrs Jo hovering on the brink of a 'vortex'   for the
+forthcoming book had been sadly delayed by the late domestic
+events. As she sat at her desk, settling papers or meditatively
+nibbling her pen while waiting for the divine afflants to descend
+upon her, she often forgot her fictitious heroes and heroines in
+studying the live models before her, and thus by chance looks,
+words, and gestures discovered a little romance unsuspected by
+anyone else.
+
+The porti�re between the rooms was usually drawn aside, giving a
+view of the group in the large bay-window   Bess at one side, in
+her grey blouse, busy with her tools; Josie at the other side with
+her book; and between, on the long couch, propped with many
+cushions, lay Dan in a many-hued eastern dressing-gown presented
+by Mr Laurie and worn to please the girls, though the invalid much
+preferred an old jacket 'with no confounded tail to bother over'. He
+faced Mrs Jo's room, but never seemed to see her, for his eyes
+were on the slender figure before him, with the pale winter
+sunshine touching her golden head, and the delicate hands that
+shaped the clay so deftly. Josie was just visible, rocking violently
+in a little chair at the head of the couch, and the steady murmur of
+her girlish voice was usually the only sound that broke the quiet of
+the room, unless a sudden discussion arose about the book or the
+buffalo.
+
+Something in the big eyes, bigger and blacker than ever in the thin
+white face, fixed, so steadily on one object, had a sort of
+fascination for Mrs Jo after a time, and she watched the changes in
+them curiously; for Dan's mind was evidently not on the story, and
+he often forgot to laugh or exclaim at the comic or exciting crises.
+Sometimes they were soft and wistful, and the watcher was very
+glad that neither damsel caught that dangerous look for when they
+spoke it vanished; sometimes it was full of eager fire, and the
+colour came and went rebelliously, in spite of his attempt to hide it
+with an impatient gesture of hand or head; but oftenest it was dark,
+and sad, and stern, as if those gloomy eyes looked out of captivity
+at some forbidden light or joy. This expression came so often that
+it worried Mrs Jo, and she longed to go and ask him what bitter
+memory overshadowed those quiet hours. She knew that his crime
+and its punishment must lie heavy on his mind; but youth, and
+time, and new hopes would bring comfort, and help to wear away
+the first sharpness of the prison brand. It lifted at other times, and
+seemed almost forgotten when he joked with the boys, talked with
+old friends, or enjoyed the first snows as he drove out every fair
+day. Why should the shadow always fall so darkly on him in the
+society of these innocent and friendly girls? They never seemed to
+see it, and if either looked or spoke, a quick smile came like a
+sunburst through the clouds to answer them. So Mrs Jo went on
+watching, wondering, and discovering, till accident confirmed her
+fears.
+
+Josie was called away one day, and Bess, tired of working, offered
+to take her place if he cared for more reading.
+
+'I do; your reading suits me better than Jo's. She goes so fast my
+stupid head gets in a muddle and soon begins to ache. Don't tell
+her; she's a dear little soul, and so good to sit here with a bear like
+me.'
+
+The smile was ready as Bess went to the table for a new book, the
+last story being finished.
+
+'You are not a bear, but very good and patient, we think. It is
+always hard for a man to be shut up, mamma says, and must be
+terrible for you, who have always been so free.'
+
+If Bess had not been reading titles she would have seen Dan shrink
+as if her last words hurt him. He made no answer; but other eyes
+saw and understood why he looked as if he would have liked to
+spring up and rush away for one of his long races up the hill, as he
+used to do when the longing for liberty grew uncontrollable.
+Moved by a sudden impulse, Mrs Jo caught
+
+up h~r wor1c-~a~1cct ~ wcn~ w j~�~ hcr neighbours, feeling that
+a non-conductor might be needed; for Dan looked like a
+thundercloud full of electricity.
+
+'What shall we read, Aunty? Dan doesn't seem to care. You know
+his taste; tell me something quiet and pleasant and short. Josie will
+be back soon,' said Bess, still turning over the books piled on the
+centre-table.
+
+Before Mrs Jo could answer, Dan pulled a shabby little volume
+from under his pillow, and handing it to her said: 'Please read the
+third one; it's short and pretty  I'm fond of it.' The book opened at
+the right place, as if the third story had been often read, and Bess
+smiled as she saw the name.
+
+'Why, Dan, I shouldn't think you'd care for this romantic German
+tale. There is fighting in it; but it is very sentimental, if I remember
+rightly.'
+
+'I know it; but I've read so few stories, I like the simple ones best.
+Had nothing else to read sometimes; I guess I know it all by heart,
+and never seem to be tired of those fighting fellows, and the fiends
+and angels and lovely ladies. You read "Aslauga's Knight", and see
+if you don't like it. Edwald was rather too soft for my fancy; but
+Froda was first-rate and the spirit with the golden hair always
+reminded me of you.'
+
+As Dan spoke Mrs Jo settled herself where she could watch him in
+the glass, and Bess took a large chair facing him, saying, as she put
+up her hands to retie the ribbon that held the cluster of thick, soft
+curls at the back of her head:
+
+'I hope Aslauga's hair wasn't as troublesome as mine, for it's always
+tumbling down. I'll be ready in a minute.'
+
+'Don't tie it up; please let it hang. I love to see it shine that way. It
+will rest your head, and be just right for the story, Goldilocks,'
+pleaded Dan, using the childish name and looking more like his
+boyish self than he had done for many a day.
+
+Bess -laughed, shook down her pretty hair, and began to read, glad
+to hide her face a little; for compliments made her shy, no matter
+who paid them. Dan listened intently on; and Mrs Jo, with eyes
+that went often from her needle to the glass, could see, without
+turning, how he enjoyed every word as if it had more meaning for
+him than for the other listeners. His face brightened wonderfully,
+and soon wore the look that came when anything brave or
+beautiful inspired and touched his better self. It was Fouqu�'s
+charming story of the knight Froda, and the fair daughter of
+Sigurd, who was a sort of spirit, appearing to her lover in hours of
+danger and trial, as well as triumph and joy, till she became his
+guide and guard, inspiring him with courage, nobleness, and truth,
+leading him to great deeds in the field, sacrifices for those he
+loved, and victories over himself by the gleaming of her golden
+hair, which shone on him in battle, dreams, and perils by day and
+night, till after death he finds the lovely spirit waiting to receive
+and to reward him.
+
+Of all the stories in the book this was the last one would have
+supposed Dan would like best, and even Mrs Jo was surprised at
+his perceiving the moral of the tale through the delicate imagery
+and romantic language by which it was illustrated. But as she
+looked and listened she remembered the streak of sentiment and
+refinement which lay concealed in Dan like the gold vein in a
+rock, making him quick to feel and to enjoy fine colour in a
+flower, grace in an animal, sweetness in women, heroism in men,
+and all the tender ties that bind heart to heart; though he was slow
+to show it, having no words to express the tastes and instincts
+which he inherited from his mother. Suffering of soul and body
+had tamed his stronger passions, and the atmosphere of love and
+pity now surrounding him purified and warmed his heart till it
+began to hunger for the food neglected or denied so long. This was
+plainly written in his too expressive face, as, fancying it unseen, he
+let it tell the longing after beauty, peace, and happiness embodied
+for him in the innocent fair girl before him.
+
+The conviction of this sad yet natural fact came to Mrs Jo with a
+pang, for she felt how utterly hopeless such a longing was; since
+light and darkness were not farther apart than snow-white Bess and
+sin-stained Dan. No dream of such a thing disturbed the young girl,
+as her entire unconsciousness plainly showed. But how long would
+it be before the eloquent eyes betrayed the truth? And then what
+disappointment for Dan, what dismay for Bess, who was as cool
+and high and pure as her own marbles, and shunned all thought of
+love with maidenly reserve.
+
+'How hard everything is made for my poor boy! How can I spoil his
+little dream, and take away the spirit of good he is beginning to
+love and long for? When my own dear lads are safely settled I'll
+never try another, for these things are heart-breaking, and I can't
+manage any more,' thought Mrs Jo, as she put the lining into
+Teddy's coat-sleeve upside down, so perplexed and grieved was
+she at this new catastrophe.
+
+The story was soon done, and as Bess shook back her hair, Dan
+asked as eagerly as a boy:
+
+'Don't you like it?'
+
+'Yes, it's very pretty, and I see the meaning of it; but Undine was
+always my favourite.'
+
+'Of course, that's like you   lilies and pearls and souls and pure
+water. Sintram used to be mine; but I took a fancy to this when I
+was   ahem   rather down on my luck one time, and it did me good,
+it was so cheerful and sort of spiritual in its meaning, you know.'
+Dan's for anything 'spiritual'; but she only nodded, saying: 'Some of
+the little songs are sweet and might be set to music.'
+
+Dan laughed; 'I used to sing the last one to a tune of my own
+sometimes at sunset:
+
+Listening to celestial lays,
+
+Bending thy unclouded gaze
+
+(in the pure and h'vi'ng light,
+
+Thou art blest, Aslauga's Knight!
+
+And I was,' he added, under his breath, as he glanced towards the
+sunshine dancing on the wall.
+
+'This one suits you better now'; and glad to please him by her
+interest, Bess read in her soft voice:
+
+'Healfast, healfast, ye hero wounds;
+
+O    knight, be quickly strong! Beloved strife
+
+For fame and life,
+
+Oh, tarry not too long!'
+
+'I'm no hero, never can be, and "fame and life" can't do much for
+me. Never mind, read me that paper, please. This knock on the
+head has made a regular fool of me.'
+
+Dan's voice was gentle; but the light was gone out of his face now,
+and he moved restlessly as if the silken pillows were full of thorns.
+Seeing that his mood had changed, Bess quietly put down the
+book, took up the paper, and glanced along the columns for
+something to suit him.
+
+'You don't care for the money market, I know, nor musical news.
+Here's a murder; you used to like those; shall I read it? One man
+kills another  ,
+
+'No!'
+
+Only a word, but it gave Mrs Jo a thrill, and for a moment she
+dared not glance at the tell-tale mirror. When she did Dan lay
+motionless with one hand over his eyes, and Bess was happily
+reading the art news to ears that never heard a word. Feeling like a
+thief who has stolen something very precious, Mrs Jo slipped away
+to her study, and before long Bess followed to report that Dan was
+fast asleep.
+
+Sending her home, with the firm resolve to keep her there as much
+as possible, Mother Bhaer had an hour of serious thought all alone
+in the red sunset; and when a sound in the next room led her there,
+she found that the feigned sleep had become real repose; for Dan
+lay breathing heavily, with a scarlet spot on either cheek, and one
+hand clinched on his broad breast. Yearning over him with a
+deeper pity than ever before, she sat in the little chair beside him,
+trying to see her way out of this tangle, till his hand slipped down,
+and in doing so snapped a cord he wore about his neck and let a
+small case drop to the floor.
+
+Mrs Jo picked it up, and as he did not wake, sat looking at it, idly
+wondering what charm it held; for the case was of Indian
+workmanship and the broken cord, of closely woven grass, sweet
+scented and pale yellow.
+
+'I won't pry into any more of the poor fellow's secrets. I'll mend and
+put it back, and never let him know I've seen his talisman.'
+
+As she spoke she turned the little wallet to examine the fracture,
+and a card fell into her lap. It was a photograph, cut to fit its
+covering, and two words were written underneath the face, 'My
+Aslauga'. For an instant Mrs Jo fancied that it might be one of
+herself, for all the boys had them; but as the thin paper fell away,
+she saw the picture Demi took of Bess that happy summer day.
+There was no doubt now, and with a sigh she put it back, and was
+about to slip it into Dan's bosom so that not even a stitch should
+betray her knowledge, when as she leaned towards him, she saw
+that he was looking straight at her with an expression that
+surprised her more than any of the strange ones she had ever seen
+in that changeful face before.
+
+'Your hand slipped down; it fell; I was putting it back,' explained
+Mrs Jo, feeling like a naughty child caught in mischief.
+
+'You saw the picture?'
+
+'Yes.'
+
+'And know what a fool I am?'
+
+'Yes, Dan, and am so grieved  '
+
+'Don't worry about me. I'm all right   glad you know, though I never
+meant to tell you. Of course it is only a crazy fancy of mine, and
+nothing can ever come of it. Never thought there would. Good
+Lord! what could that little angel ever be to me but what she is   a
+sort of dream of all that's sweet and good?'
+
+More afflicted by the quiet resignation of his look and tone than by
+the most passionate ardour, Mrs Jo could only say, with a face full
+of sympathy:
+
+'It is very hard, dear, but there is no other way to look at it. You are
+wise and brave enough to see that, and to let the secret be ours
+alone.'
+
+'I swear I will! not a word nor a look if I can help it. No one
+guesses, and if it troubles no one, is there any harm in my keeping
+this, and taking comfort in the pretty fancy that kept me sane in
+that cursed place?'
+
+Dan's face was eager now, and he hid away the little worn case as
+if defying any hand to take it from him. Anxious to know
+everything before giving counsel or comfort, Mrs Jo said quietly:
+
+'Keep it, and tell me all about the "fancy". Since I have stumbled
+on your secret, let me know how it came, and how I can help to
+make it lighter to bear.'
+
+'You'll laugh; but I don't mind. You always did find out our secrets
+and give us a lift. Well, I never cared much for books, you know;
+but down yonder when the devil tormented me I had to do
+something or go stark mad, so I read both the books you gave me.
+One was beyond me, till that good old man showed me how to
+read it; but the other, this one, was a comfort, I tell you. It amused
+me, and was as pretty as poetry. I liked 'em all, and most wore out
+Sintram. See how used up he is! Then I came to this, and it sort of
+fitted that other happy part of my life, last summer   here.'
+
+Dan stopped a moment as the words lingered on his lips; then,
+with a long breath, went on, as if it was hard to lay bare the foolish
+little romance he had woven about a girl, a picture, and a child's
+story there in the darkness of the place which was as terrible to
+him as Dante's Inferno, till he found his Beatrice.
+
+'I couldn't sleep, and had to think about something, so I used to
+fancy I was Folko, and see the shining of Aslauga's hair in the
+sunset on the wall, the gum of the watchman's lamp, and the light
+that came in at dawn. My cell was high. I could see a bit of sky;
+sometimes there was a star in it, and that was most as good as a
+face. I set great store by that patch of blue, and when a white cloud
+went by, I thought it was the prettiest thing in all this world. I
+guess I was pretty near a fool; but those thoughts and things helped
+me through, so they are all solemn true to me, and I can't let them
+go. The dear shiny head, the white gown, the eyes like stars, and
+sweet, calm ways that set her as high above me as the moon in
+heaven. Don't take it away! it's only a fancy, but a man must love
+something, and I'd better love a spirit like her than any of the poor
+common girls who would care for me.'
+
+The quiet despair in Dan's voice pierced Mrs Jo to the heart; but
+there was no hope and she gave none. Yet she felt that he was
+right, and that his hapless affection might do more to uplift and
+purify him than any other he might know. Few women would care
+to marry Dan now, except such as would hinder, not help, him in
+the struggle which life would always be to him; and it was better to
+go solitary to his grave than become what she suspected his father
+had been   a handsome, unprincipled, and dangerous man, with
+more than one broken heart to answer for.
+
+'Yes, Dan, it is wise to keep this innocent fancy, if it helps and
+comforts you, till something more real and possible comes to make
+you happier. I wish I could give you ~ny hope; but we both know
+that the dear child is the apple of her father's eye, the pride of her
+mother's heart, and that the most perfect lover they can find will
+hardly seem to them worthy of their precious daughter. Let her
+remain for you the high, bright star that leads you up and makes
+you believe in heaven.' Mrs Jo broke down there; it seemed so
+cruel to destroy the faint hope Dan's eyes betrayed, that she could
+not moralize when she thought of his hard life and lonely future.
+Perhaps it was the wisest thing she could have done, for in her
+hearty sympathy he found comfort for his own loss, and very soon
+was able to speak again in the manly tone of resignation to the
+inevitable that showed how honest was his effort to give up
+everything but the pale shadow of what, for another, might have
+been a happy possibility.
+
+They talked long and earnestly in the twilight; and this second
+secret bound them closer than the first; for in it there was neither
+sin nor shame   only the tender pain and patience which has made
+saints and heroes of far worse men than our poor Dan. When at
+length they rose at the summons of a bell, all the sunset glory had
+departed, and in the wintry sky there hung one star, large, soft, and
+clear, above a snowy world. Pausing at the window before she
+dropped the curtains, Mrs Jo said cheerfully:
+
+'Come and see how beautiful the evening star is, since you love it
+so.' And as he stood behind her, tall and pale, like the ghost of his
+former self, she added softly: 'And remember, dear, if the sweet
+girl is denied you, the old friend is always here-to love and trust
+and pray for you.'
+
+This time she was not disappointed; and had she asked any reward
+for many anxieties and cares, she received it when Dan's strong
+arm came round her, as he said, in a voice which showed her that
+she had not laboured in vain to pluck her firebrand from the
+burning:
+
+'I never can forget that; for she's helped to save my soul, and make
+me dare to look u.p there and say:
+
+"God bless her!"'
+
+Chapter 22 POSITIVELY LAST APPEARANCE
+
+'Upon my word, I feel as if I lived in a powder-magazine, and don't
+know which barrel will explode next, and send me flying,' said
+Mrs Jo to herself next day, as she trudged up to Parnassus to
+suggest to her sister that perhaps the most charming of the young
+nurses had better return to her marble gods before she
+unconsciously added another wound to those already won by the
+human hero. She told no secrets; but a hint was sufficient; for Mrs
+Amy guarded her daughter as a pearl of great price, and at once
+devised a very simple means of escape from danger. Mr Laurie
+was going to Washington on Dan's behalf, and was delighted to
+take his family with him when the idea was carelessly suggested.
+So the conspiracy succeeded finely; and Mrs Jo went home,
+feeling more like a traitor than ever. She expected an explosion;
+but Dan took the news so quietly, it was plain that he cherished no
+hope; and Mrs Amy was sure her romantic sister had been
+mistaken. If she had seen Dan's face when Bess went to say
+good-bye, her maternal eye would have discovered far more than
+the unconscious girl did. Mrs Jo trembled lest he should betray
+himself; but he had learned self-control in a stern school, and
+would have got through the hard moment bravely, only, when he
+took both hands, saying heartily:
+
+'Good-bye, Princess. If we don't meet again, remember your old
+friend Dan sometimes,' she, touched by his late danger and the
+wistful look he wore, answered with unusual warmth: 'How can I
+help it, when you make us all so proud of you? God bless your
+mission, and bring you safely home to us again!'
+
+As she looked up at him with a face full of frank affection and
+sweet regret, all that he was losing rose so vividly before him that
+Dan could not resist the impulse to take the 'dear goldy head'
+between his hands and kiss it, with a broken 'Good-bye'; then
+hurried back to his room, feeling as if it were the prison-cell again,
+with no glimpse of heaven's blue to comfort him.
+
+This abrupt caress and departure rather startled Bess; for she felt
+with a girl's quick instinct that there was something in that kiss
+unknown before, and looked after him with sudden colour in her
+cheeks and new trouble in her eyes. Mrs Jo saw it, and fearing a
+very natural question answered it before it was put.
+
+'Forgive him, Bess. He has had a great trouble, and it makes him
+tender at parting with old friends; for you know he may never
+come back from the wild world he is going to.'
+
+'You mean the fall and danger of death?' asked Bess, innocently.
+
+'No, dear; a greater trouble than that. But I cannot tell you any
+more   except that he has come through it bravely; so you may trust
+and respect him, as I do.'
+
+'He has lost someone he loved. Poor Dan! We must be very kind to
+him.'
+
+Bess did not ask the question, but seemed content with her solution
+of the mystery   which was so true that Mrs Jo confirmed it by a
+nod, and let her go away believing that some tender loss and
+sorrow wrought the great change all saw in Dan, and made him so
+slow to speak concerning the past year.
+
+But Ted was less easily satisfied, and this unusual reticence
+goaded him to desperation. His mother had warned him not to
+trouble Dan with questions till he was quite well; but this prospect
+of approaching departure made him resolve to have a full, clear,
+and satisfactory account of the adventures which he felt sure must
+have been thrilling, from stray words Dan let fall in his fever. so
+one day when the coast was clear, Master Ted volunteered to
+amuse the invalid, and did so in the following manner:
+
+'Look here, old boy, if you don't want me to read, you've got to
+talk, and tell me all about Kansas, and the farms, and that part. The
+Montana business I know, but you seem to forget what went
+before. Brace up, and let's have it,' he began, with an abruptness
+which roused Dan from a brown study most effectually.
+
+'No, I don't forget; it isn't interesting to anyone but myself. I didn't
+see any farms gave it up,' he said slowly.
+
+'Why?'
+
+'Other things to do.'
+
+'What?'
+
+'Well, brush-making for one thing.'
+
+'Don't chaff a fellow. Tell true.'
+
+'I truly did.'
+
+'What for?'
+
+'To keep out of mischief, as much as anything.'
+
+'Well, of all the queer things   and you've done a lot   that's the
+queerest,' cried Ted, taken aback at this disappointing discovery.
+But he didn't mean to give up yet, and began again.
+
+'What mischief, Dan?'
+
+'Never you mind. Boys shouldn't bother.'
+
+'But I do want to know, awfully, because I'm your pal, and care for
+you no end. Always did. Come, now, tell me a good yarn. I love
+scrapes. I'll be mum as an oyster if you don't want it known.'
+
+'Will you?' and Dan looked at him, wondering how the boyish face
+would change if the truth were suddenly told him.
+
+'I'll swear it on locked fists, if you like. I know it was jolly, and I'm
+aching to hear.'
+
+'You are as curious as a girl. More than some   Josie and   and Bess
+never asked a question.'
+
+'They don't care about rows and things; they liked the mine
+business, heroes, and that sort. So do I, and I'm as proud as Punch
+over it; but I see by your eyes that there was something else before
+that, and I'm bound to find out who Blair and Mason are, and who
+was hit and who ran away, and all the rest of it.'
+
+'What!' cried Dan, in a tone that made Ted jump.
+
+'Well, you used to mutter about 'em in your sleep, and Uncle
+Laurie wondered. So did I; but don't mind, if you can't remember,
+or would rather not.'
+
+'What else did I say? Queer, what stuff a man will talk when his
+wits are gone.'
+
+'That's all I heard; but it seemed interesting, and I just mentioned
+it, thinking it might refresh your memory a bit,' said Teddy, very
+politely; for Dan's frown was heavy at that moment.
+
+It cleared off at this reply, and after a look at the boy squirming
+with suppressed impatience in his chair, Dan made up his mind to
+amuse him with a game of cross-purposes and half-truths, hoping
+to quench his curiosity, and so get peace.
+
+'Let me see; Blair was a lad I met in the cars, and Mason a poor
+fellow who was in a   well, a sort of hospital where I happened to
+be. Blair ran off to his brothers, and I suppose I might say Mason
+was hit, because he died there. Does that suit you?'
+
+'No, it doesn't. Why did Blair run? and who hit the other fellow?
+I'm sure there was a fight somewhere, wasn't there?'
+
+'Yes!
+
+'I guess I know what it was about.'
+
+'The devil, you do! Let's hear you guess. Must be amusing,' said
+Dan, affecting an ease he did not feel.
+
+Charmed to be allowed to free his mind, Ted at once unfolded the
+boyish solution of the mystery which he had been cherishing, for
+he felt that there was one somewhere.
+
+'You needn't say yes, if I guess right and you are under oath to keep
+silent. I shall know by your face, and never tell. Now see if I'm not
+right. Out there they have wild doings, and it's my belief you were
+in
+
+some of 'em. I don't mean robbing mails, and KluKluxing, and that
+sort of thing; but defending the settlers, or hanging some scamp, or
+even shooting a few, as a fellow must sometimes, in self-defence.
+Ah, ha! I've hit it, I see. Needn't speak; I know the flash of your old
+eye, and the clench of your big fist.' And Ted pranced with
+satisfaction.
+
+'Drive on, smart boy, and don't lose the trail,' said Dan, finding a
+curious sense of comfort in some of these random words, and
+longing, but not daring, to confirm the true ones. He might have
+confessed the crime, but not the punishment that followed, the
+sense of its disgrace was still so strong upon him.
+
+'I knew I should get it; can't deceive me long,'
+
+began Ted, with such an air of pride Dan could not help a short
+laugh.
+
+'It's a relief, isn't it, to have it off your mind? Now, just confide in
+me and it's all safe, unless you've sworn not to tell.'
+
+'I have.'
+
+'Oh, well, then don't'; and Ted's face fell, but he was himself again
+in a moment and said, with the air of a man of the world: 'It's all
+right   I understand   honour binds   silence to death, etc. Glad you
+stood
+
+by your mate in the hospital. How many did you kill?'
+
+'Only one.'
+
+'Bad lot, of Course?'
+
+'A damned rascal.'
+
+'Well, don't look so fierce; I've no objection. Wouldn't mind
+popping at some of those bloodthirsty blackguards myself. Had to
+dodge and keep quiet after it, I suppose.'
+
+'Pretty quiet for a long spell.'
+
+'Got off all right in the end, and headed for your mines and did that
+jolly brave thing. Now, I call that decidedly interesting and capital.
+I'm glad to know it; but I won't blab.'
+
+'Mind you don't. Look here. Ted, if you'd killed a man, would it
+trouble you   a bad one, I mean?'
+
+The lad opened his mouth to say, 'Not a bit,' but checked that
+answer as if something in Dan's face made him change his mind.
+'Well, if it was my duty in war or self-defence, I suppose I
+shouldn't; but if I'd pitched into him in a rage, I guess I should be
+very sorry. Shouldn't wonder if he sort of haunted me, and remorse
+gnawed me as it did Aram and those fellows. You don't mind, do
+you? It was a fair fight, wasn't it?'
+
+'Yes, I was in the right; but I wish I'd been out of it. Women don't
+see it that way, and look horrified at such things. Makes it hard;
+but it don't matter.'
+
+'Don't tell 'em; then they can't worry,' said Ted, with the nod of one
+versed in the management of the sex.
+
+'Don't intend to. Mind you keep your notions to yourself, for some
+of 'em are wide of the mark. Now you may read if you like'; and
+there the talk ended; but Ted took great comfort in it, and looked
+as wise as an owl afterwards.
+
+A few quiet weeks followed, during which Dan chafed at the
+delay; and when at length word came that his credentials were
+ready, he was eager to be off, to forget a vain love in hard work,
+and live for others, since he might not for himself.
+
+So one wild March morning our Smtram rode away, with horse
+and hound, to face again the enemies who would have conquered
+him, but for Heaven's help and human pity.
+
+'Ah, me! it does seem as if life was made of partings, and they get
+harder as we go on,' sighed Mrs Jo, a week later, as she sat in the
+long parlour at Parnassus one evening, whither the family had gone
+to welcome the travellers back.
+
+'And meetings too, dear; for here we are, and Nat is on his way at
+last. Look for the silver lining, as Marmee used to say, and be
+comforted,' answered Mrs Amy, glad to be at home and find no
+wolves prowling near her sheepfold.
+
+'I've been so worried lately, I can't help croaking. I wonder what
+Dan thought at not seeing you again? It was wise; but he would
+have enjoyed another look at home faces before he went into the
+wilderness,' said
+
+Mrs Jo regretfully.
+
+'Much better so. We left notes and all we could think of that he
+might need, and slipped away before he came. Bess really seemed
+relieved; I'm sure I was'; and Mrs Amy smoothed an anxious line
+out of her white forehead, as she smiled at her daughter, laughing
+
+happily among her cousins.
+
+Mrs Jo shook her head as if the silver lining of that cloud was hard
+to find; but she had no time to croak
+
+again, for just then Mr Laurie camn~ in lo~JRin~ well pleased at
+something.
+
+'A new picture has arrived; face towards the music-room, good
+people, and tell me how you like it. I call it "Only a fiddler", after
+Andersen's story. What name will you give it?'
+
+As he spoke he threw open the wide doors, and just beyond they
+saw a young man standing, with a beaming face, and a violin in his
+hand. There was no doubt about the name to this picture, and with
+the cry 'Nat!
+
+Nat!' there was a general uprising. But Daisy reached him first, and
+seemed to have lost her usual composure somewhere on the way,
+for she clung to him, sobbing with the shock of a surprise and joy
+too great for her to bear quietly. Everything was settled by that
+tearful and tender embrace, for, though Mrs Meg speedily
+detached her daughter, it was only to take her place; while Demi
+shook Nat's hand with brotherly warmth, and Josie danced round
+them like Macbeth's three witches in one, chanting in her most
+tragic tones:
+
+'Chirper thou wast; second violin thou art; first thou shalt be. Hail,
+all hail!'
+
+This caused a laugh, and made things gay and comfortable at once.
+Then the usual fire of questions and answers began, to be kept up
+briskly while the boys admired Nat's blond beard and foreign
+clothes, the girls his improved appearance   for he was ruddy with
+good English beef and beer, and fresh with the sea-breezes which
+had blown him swiftly home   and the older folk rejoiced over his
+prospects. Of course all wanted to hear him play; and when
+tongues tired, he gladly did his best for them, surprising the most
+critical by his progress in music even more than by the energy and
+self-possession which made a new man of bashful Nat. By and by
+when the violin   that most human of all instruments   had sung to
+them the loveliest songs without words, he said, looking about him
+at these old friends with what Mr Bhaer called a 'feeling-full'
+expression of happiness and content:
+
+'Now let me play something that you will all remember though you
+won't love it as I do'; and standing in the attitude which Ole Bull
+has immortalized, he played the street melody he gave them the
+first night he came to Plumfield. They remembered it, and joined
+in the plaintive chorus, which fitly expressed his own emotions:
+
+'Oh my heart is sad and weary
+Everywhere I roam,
+Longing for the old plant ation
+And for the old folks at home.'
+
+'Now I feel better,' said Mrs Jo, as they all trooped down the hill
+soon after. 'Some of our boys are failures, but I think this one is
+going to be a success, and patient Daisy a happy girl at last. Nat is
+your work, Fritz, and I congratulate you heartily.'
+
+'Ach, we can but sow the seed and trust that it falls on good
+ground. I planted, perhaps, but you watched that the fowls of the
+air did not devour it, and brother Laurie watered generously; so we
+will share the harvest among us, and be glad even for a small one,
+heart's-dearest.'
+
+'I thought the seed had fallen on very stony ground with my poor
+Dan; but I shall not be surprised if he surpasses all the rest in the
+real success of life, since there is more rejoicing over one
+repentant sinner than many saints,' answered Mrs Jo, still clinging
+fast to her black sheep although a whole flock of white ones
+trotted happily before her.
+
+It is a strong temptation to the weary historian to close the present
+tale with an earthquake which should engulf Plumfield and its
+environs so deeply in the bowels of the earth that no youthful
+Schliemann could ever find a vestige of it. But as that somewhat
+melodramatic conclusion might shock my gentle readers, I will
+refrain, and forestall the usual question, 'How did they end?' by
+briefly stating that all the marriages turned out well. The boys
+prospered in their various callings; so did the girls, for Bess and
+Josie won honours in their artistic careers, and in the course of
+time found worthy mates. Nan remained a busy, cheerful,
+independent spinster, and dedicated her life to her suffering sisters
+and their children, in which true woman's work she found abiding
+happiness. Dan never married, but lived, bravely and usefully,
+among his chosen people till he was shot defending them, and at
+last lay quietly asleep in the green wilderness he loved so well,
+with a lock of golden hair upon his breast, and a smile on his face
+which seemed to say that Aslauga's Knight had fought his last fight
+and was at peace. Stuffy became an alderman, and died suddenly
+of apoplexy after a public dinner. Dolly was a society man of mark
+till he lost his money, when he found congenial employment in a
+fashionable tailoring establishment. Demi became a partner, and
+lived to see his name above the door, and Rob was a professor at
+Laurence College; but Teddy eclipsed them all by becoming an
+eloquent and famous clergyman, to the great delight of his
+astonished mother. And now, having endeavoured to suit everyone
+by many weddings, few deaths, and as much prosperity as the
+eternal fitness of things will permit, let the music stop, the lights
+die out, and the curtain fall for ever on the March family.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of The Project Gutenberg Etext of Jo's Boys, by Louisa May Alcott
+
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+*The Project Gutenberg Etext of Jo's Boys, by Louisa May Alcott*
+#8 in our series by Louisa M. Alcott
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+Title: Jo's Boys
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+Author:  Louisa May Alcott
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+This edition produced the the Project Gutenberg Alcott Team,
+who managed this new edition in less than one week from the
+date it was requested by one of our readers on the eBook list.
+
+
+
+
+
+Jo's Boys
+
+by Louisa M. Alcott
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 1    Ten Years Later
+Chapter 2    Parnassus
+Chapter 3    Jo's Last Scrape
+Chapter 4    Dan
+Chapter 5    Vacation
+Chapter 6    Last Words
+Chapter 7    The Lion and the Lamb
+Chapter 8    Josie Plays Mermaid
+Chapter 9    The Worm Turns
+Chapter 10   Demi Settles
+Chapter 11   Emil's Thanksgiving
+Chapter 12   Dan's Christmas
+Chapter 13   Nat's New Year
+Chapter 14   Plays at Plumfield
+Chapter 15   Waiting
+Chapter 16   In the Tennis-court
+Chapter 17   Among the Maids
+Chapter 18   Class Day
+Chapter 19   White Roses
+Chapter 20   Life for Life
+Chapter 21   Aslauga's Knight
+Chapter 22   Positively Last Appearance
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 1 TEN YEARS LATER
+
+'If anyone had told me what wonderful changes were to take place
+here in ten years, I wouldn't have believed it,' said Mrs Jo to Mrs
+Meg, as they sat on the piazza at Plumfield one summer day,
+looking about them with faces full of pride and pleasure.
+
+'This is the sort of magic that money and kind hearts can work. I
+am sure Mr Laurence could have no nobler monument than the
+college he so generously endowed; and a home like this will keep
+Aunt March's memory green as long as it lasts,' answered Mrs
+Meg, always glad to praise the absent.
+
+'We used to believe in fairies, you remember, and plan what we'd
+ask for if we could have three wishes. Doesn't it seem as if mine
+had been really granted at last? Money, fame, and plenty of the
+work I love,' said Mrs Jo, carelessly rumpling up her hair as she
+clasped her hands over her head just as she used to do when a girl.
+
+'I have had mine, and Amy is enjoying hers to her heart's content.
+If dear Marmee, John, and Beth were here, it would be quite
+perfect,' added Meg, with a tender quiver in her voice; for
+Marmee's place was empty now.
+
+Jo put her hand on her sister's, and both sat silent for a little while,
+surveying the pleasant scene before them with mingled sad and
+happy thoughts.
+
+It certainly did look as if magic had been at work, for quiet
+Plumfield was transformed into a busy little world. The house
+seemed more hospitable than ever, refreshed now with new paint,
+added wings, well-kept lawn and garden, and a prosperous air it
+had not worn when riotous boys swarmed everywhere and it was
+rather difficult for the Bhaers to make both ends meet. On the hill,
+where kites used to be flown, stood the fine college which Mr
+Laurence's munificent legacy had built. Busy students were going
+to and fro along the paths once trodden by childish feet, and many
+young men and women were enjoying all the advantages that
+wealth, wisdom, and benevolence could give them.
+
+Just inside the gates of Plumfield a pretty brown cottage, very like
+the Dovecote, nestled among the trees, and on the green slope
+westward Laurie's white-pillared mansion glittered in the sunshine;
+for when the rapid growth of the city shut in the old house, spoilt
+Meg's nest, and dared to put a soap-factory under Mr Laurence's
+indignant nose, our friends emigrated to Plumfield, and the great
+changes began.
+
+These were the pleasant ones; and the loss of the dear old people
+was sweetened by the blessings they left behind; so all prospered
+now in the little community, and Mr Bhaer as president, and Mr
+March as chaplain of the college, saw their long-cherished dream
+beautifully realized. The sisters divided the care of the young
+people among them, each taking the part that suited her best. Meg
+was the motherly friend of the young women, Jo the confidante
+and defender of all the youths, and Amy the lady Bountiful who
+delicately smoothed the way for needy students, and entertained
+them all so cordially that it was no wonder they named her lovely
+home Mount Parnassus, so full was it of music, beauty, and the
+culture hungry young hearts and fancies long for.
+
+The original twelve boys had of course scattered far and wide
+during these years, but all that lived still remembered old
+Plumfield, and came wandering back from the four quarters of the
+earth to tell their various experiences, laugh over the pleasures of
+the past, and face the duties of the present with fresh courage; for
+such home-comings keep hearts tender and hands helpful with the
+memories of young and happy days. A few words will tell the
+history of each, and then we can go on with the new chapter of
+their lives.
+
+Franz was with a merchant kinsman in Hamburg, a man of
+twenty-six now, and doing well. Emil was the jolliest tar that ever
+'sailed the ocean blue'. His uncle sent him on a long voyage to
+disgust him with this adventurous life; but he came home so
+delighted with it that it was plain this was his profession, and the
+German kinsman gave him a good chance in his ships; so the lad
+was happy. Dan was a wanderer still; for after the geological
+researches in South America he tried sheep-farming in Australia,
+and was now in California looking up mines. Nat was busy with
+music at the Conservatory, preparing for a year or two in Germany
+to finish him off. Tom was studying medicine and trying to like it.
+Jack was in business with his father, bent on getting rich. Dolly
+was in college with Stuffy and Ned reading law. Poor little Dick
+was dead, so was Billy; and no one could mourn for them, since
+life would never be happy, afflicted as they were in mind and
+body.
+
+Rob and Teddy were called the 'Lion and the Lamb'; for the latter
+was as rampant as the king of beasts, and the former as gentle as
+any sheep that ever baaed. Mrs Jo called him 'my daughter', and
+found him the most dutiful of children, with plenty of manliness
+underlying the quiet manners and tender nature. But in Ted she
+seemed to see all the faults, whims, aspirations, and fun of her own
+youth in a new shape. With his tawny locks always in wild
+confusion, his long legs and arms, loud voice, and continual
+activity, Ted was a prominent figure at Plumfield. He had his
+moods of gloom, and fell into the Slough of Despond about once a
+week, to be hoisted out by patient Rob or his mother, who
+understood when to let him alone and when to shake him up. He
+was her pride and joy as well as torment, being a very bright lad
+for his age, and so full of all sorts of budding talent, that her
+maternal mind was much exercised as to what this remarkable boy
+would become.
+
+Demi had gone through College with honour, and Mrs Meg had set
+her heart on his being a minister -- picturing in her fond fancy the
+first sermon her dignified young parson would preach, as well as
+the long, useful, and honoured life he was to lead. But John, as she
+called him now, firmly declined the divinity school, saying he had
+had enough of books, and needed to know more of men and the
+world, and caused the dear woman much disappointment by
+deciding to try a journalist's career. It was a blow; but she knew
+that young minds cannot be driven, and that experience is the best
+teacher; so she let him follow his own inclinations, still hoping to
+see him in the pulpit. Aunt Jo raged when she found that there was
+to be a reporter in the family, and called him 'Jenkins' on the spot.
+She liked his literary tendencies, but had reason to detest official
+Paul Prys, as we shall see later. Demi knew his own mind,
+however, and tranquilly carried out his plans, unmoved by the
+tongues of the anxious mammas or the jokes of his mates. Uncle
+Teddy encouraged him, and painted a splendid career, mentioning
+Dickens and other celebrities who began as reporters and ended as
+famous novelists or newspaper men.
+
+The girls were all flourishing. Daisy, as sweet and domestic as
+ever, was her mother's comfort and companion. Josie at fourteen
+was a most original young person, full of pranks and peculiarities,
+the latest of which was a passion for the stage, which caused her
+quiet mother and sister much anxiety as well as amusement. Bess
+had grown into a tall, beautiful girl looking several years older
+than she was, with the same graceful ways and dainty tastes which
+the little Princess had, and a rich inheritance of both the father's
+and mother's gifts, fostered by every aid love and money could
+give. But the pride of the community was naughty Nan; for, like so
+many restless, wilful children, she was growing into a woman full
+of the energy and promise that suddenly blossoms when the
+ambitious seeker finds the work she is fitted to do well. Nan began
+to study medicine at sixteen, and at twenty was getting on bravely;
+for now, thanks to other intelligent women, colleges and hospitals
+were open to her. She had never wavered in her purpose from the
+childish days when she shocked Daisy in the old willow by saying:
+'I don't want any family to fuss over. I shall have an office, with
+bottles and pestle things in it, and drive round and cure folks.' The
+future foretold by the little girl the young woman was rapidly
+bringing to pass, and finding so much happiness in it that nothing
+could win her from the chosen work. Several worthy young
+gentlemen had tried to make her change her mind and choose, as
+Daisy did, 'a nice little house and family to take care of'. But Nan
+only laughed, and routed the lovers by proposing to look at the
+tongue which spoke of adoration, or professionally felt the pulse in
+the manly hand offered for her acceptance. So all departed but one
+persistent youth, who was such a devoted Traddles it was
+impossible to quench him.
+
+This was Tom, who was as faithful to his child sweetheart as she
+to her 'pestle things', and gave a proof of fidelity that touched her
+very much. He studied medicine for her sake alone, having no taste
+for it, and a decided fancy for a mercantile life. But Nan was firm,
+and Tom stoutly kept on, devoutly hoping he might not kill many
+of his fellow-beings when he came to practise. They were
+excellent friends, however, and caused much amusement to their
+comrades, by the vicissitudes of this merry love-chase.
+
+Both were approaching Plumfield on the afternoon when Mrs Meg
+and Mrs Jo were talking on the piazza. Not together; for Nan was
+walking briskly along the pleasant road alone, thinking over a case
+that interested her, and Tom was pegging on behind to overtake
+her, as if by accident, when the suburbs of the city were past -- a
+little way of his, which was part of the joke.
+
+Nan was a handsome girl, with a fresh colour, clear eye, quick
+smile, and the self-poised look young women with a purpose
+always have. She was simply and sensibly dressed, walked easily,
+and seemed full of vigour, with her broad shoulders well back,
+arms swinging freely, and the elasticity of youth and health in
+every motion. The few people she met turned to look at her, as if it
+was a pleasant sight to see a hearty, happy girl walking
+countryward that lovely day; and the red-faced young man
+steaming along behind, hat off and every tight curl wagging with
+impatience, evidently agreed with them.
+
+Presently a mild 'Hallo!' was borne upon the breeze, and pausing,
+with an effort to look surprised that was an utter failure, Nan said
+affably:
+
+'Oh, is that you, Tom?'
+
+'Looks like it. Thought you might be walking out today'; and Tom's
+jovial face beamed with pleasure.
+
+'You knew it. How is your throat?' asked Nan in her professional
+tone, which was always a quencher to undue raptures.
+
+'Throat? Oh, ah! yes, I remember. It is well. The effect of that
+prescription was wonderful. I'll never call homoeopathy a humbug
+again.'
+
+'You were the humbug this time, and so were the unmedicated
+pellets I gave you. If sugar or milk can cure diphtheria in this
+remarkable manner, I'll make a note of it. O Tom, Tom, will you
+never be done playing tricks?'
+
+'O Nan, Nan, will you never be done getting the better of me?' And
+the merry pair laughed at one another just as they did in the old
+times, which always came back freshly when they went to
+Plumfield.
+
+'Well, I knew I shouldn't see you for a week if I didn't scare up
+some excuse for a call at the office. You are so desperately busy all the time I never get a word,' explained Tom.
+
+'You ought to be busy too, and above such nonsense. Really, Tom,
+if you don't give your mind to your lectures, you'll never get on,'
+said Nan soberly.
+
+'I have quite enough of them as it is,' answered Tom with an air of
+disgust. 'A fellow must lark a bit after dissecting corpuses all day. I
+can't stand it long at a time, though some people seem to enjoy it
+immensely.'
+
+'Then why not leave it, and do what suits you better? I always
+thought it a foolish thing, you know,' said Nan, with a trace of
+anxiety in the keen eyes that searched for signs of illness in a face
+as ruddy as a Baldwin apple.
+
+'You know why I chose it, and why I shall stick to it if it kills me. I
+may not look delicate, but I've a deep-seated heart complaint, and
+it will carry me off sooner or later; for only one doctor in the world
+can cure it, and she won't.'
+
+There was an air of pensive resignation about Tom that was both
+comic and pathetic; for he was in earnest, and kept on giving hints
+of this sort, without the least encouragement.
+
+Nan frowned; but she was used to it, and knew how to treat him.
+
+'She is curing it in the best and only way; but a more refractory
+patient never lived. Did you go to that ball, as I directed?'
+
+'I did.'
+
+'And devote yourself to pretty Miss West?'
+
+'Danced with her the whole evening.'
+
+'No impression made on that susceptible organ of yours?' 
+
+'Not the slightest. I gaped in her face once, forgot to feed her, and gave a sigh of relief when I handed her over to her mamma.'
+
+'Repeat the dose as often as possible, and note the symptoms. I
+predict that you'll "cry for it" by and by.'
+
+'Never! I'm sure it doesn't suit my constitution.'
+
+'We shall see. Obey orders!' sternly.
+
+'Yes, Doctor,' meekly.
+
+Silence reigned for a moment; then, as if the bone of contention
+was forgotten in the pleasant recollections called up by familiar
+objects, Nan said suddenly:
+
+'What fun we used to have in that wood! Do you remember how
+you tumbled out of the big nut-tree and nearly broke your
+collar-bones?'
+
+'Don't I! and how you steeped me in wormwood till I was a fine
+mahogany colour, and Aunt Jo wailed over my spoilt jacket,'
+laughed Tom, a boy again in a minute.
+
+'And how you set the house afire?'
+
+'And you ran off for your band-box?'
+
+'Do you ever say "Thunder-turtles" now?'
+
+'Do people ever call you "Giddy-gaddy"?'
+
+'Daisy does. Dear thing, I haven't seen her for a week.'
+
+'I saw Demi this morning, and he said she was keeping house for
+Mother Bhaer.'
+
+'She always does when Aunt Jo gets into a vortex. Daisy is a model
+housekeeper; and you couldn't do better than make your bow to
+her, if you can't go to work and wait till you are grown up before
+you begin lovering.'
+
+'Nat would break his fiddle over my head if I suggested such a
+thing. No, thank you. Another name is engraved upon my heart as
+indelibly as the blue anchor on my arm. "Hope" is my motto, and
+"No surrender", yours; see who will hold out longest.'
+
+'You silly boys think we must pair off as we did when children; but
+we shall do nothing of the kind. How well Parnassus looks from
+here!' said Nan, abruptly changing the conversation again.
+
+'It is a fine house; but I love old Plum best. Wouldn't Aunt March
+stare if she could see the changes here?' answered Tom, as they
+both paused at the great gate to look at the pleasant landscape
+before them.
+
+A sudden whoop startled them, as a long boy with a wild yellow
+head came leaping over a hedge like a kangaroo, followed by a
+slender girl, who stuck in the hawthorn, and sat there laughing like
+a witch. A pretty little lass she was, with curly dark hair, bright
+eyes, and a very expressive face. Her hat was at her back, and her
+skirts a good deal the worse for the brooks she had crossed, the
+trees she had climbed, and the last leap, which added several fine
+rents.
+
+'Take me down, Nan, please. Tom, hold Ted; he's got my book,
+and I will have it,' called Josie from her perch, not at all daunted
+by the appearance of her friends.
+
+Tom promptly collared the thief, while Nan picked Josie from
+among the thorns and set her on her feet without a word of
+reproof; for having been a romp in her own girlhood, she was very
+indulgent to like tastes in others. 'What's the matter, dear?' she
+asked, pinning up the longest rip, while Josie examined the
+scratches on her hands. 'I was studying my part in the willow, and
+Ted came slyly up and poked the book out of my hands with his
+rod. It fell in the brook, and before I could scrabble down he was
+off. You wretch, give it back this moment or I'll box your ears,'
+cried Josie, laughing and scolding in the same breath.
+
+Escaping from Tom, Ted struck a sentimental attitude, and with
+tender glances at the wet, torn young person before him, delivered
+Claude Melnotte's famous speech in a lackadaisical way that was
+irresistibly funny, ending with 'Dost like the picture, love?' as he
+made an object of himself by tying his long legs in a knot and
+distorting his face horribly.
+
+The sound of applause from the piazza put a stop to these antics,
+and the young folks went up the avenue together very much in the
+old style when Tom drove four in hand and Nan was the best horse
+in the team. Rosy, breathless, and merry, they greeted the ladies
+and sat down on the steps to rest, Aunt Meg sewing up her
+daughter's rags while Mrs Jo smoothed the Lion's mane, and
+rescued the book. Daisy appeared in a moment to greet her friend,
+and all began to talk.
+
+'Muffins for tea; better stay and eat 'em; Daisy's never fail,' said
+Ted hospitably.
+
+'He's a judge; he ate nine last time. That's why he's so fat,' added
+Josie, with a withering glance at her cousin, who was as thin as a
+lath.
+
+'I must go and see Lucy Dove. She has a whitlow, and it's time to
+lance it. I'll tea at college,' answered Nan, feeling in her pocket to
+be sure she had not forgotten her case of instruments.
+
+'Thanks, I'm going there also. Tom Merryweather has granulated
+lids, and I promised to touch them up for him. Save a doctor's fee
+and be good practice for me. I'm clumsy with my thumbs,' said
+Tom, bound to be near his idol while he could.
+
+'Hush! Daisy doesn't like to hear you saw-bones talk of your work.
+Muffins suit us better'; and Ted grinned sweetly, with a view to
+future favours in the eating line.
+
+'Any news of the Commodore?' asked Tom.
+
+'He is on his way home, and Dan hopes to come soon. I long to see
+my boys together, and have begged the wanderers to come to
+Thanksgiving, if not before,' answered Mrs Jo, beaming at the
+thought.
+
+'They'll come, every man of them, if they can. Even Jack will risk
+losing a dollar for the sake of one of our jolly old dinners,' laughed
+Tom.
+
+'There's the turkey fattening for the feast. I never chase him now,
+but feed him well; and he's "swellin' wisibly", bless his
+drumsticks!' said Ted, pointing out the doomed fowl proudly
+parading in a neighbouring field.
+
+'If Nat goes the last of the month we shall want a farewell frolic for
+him. I suppose the dear old Chirper will come home a second Ole
+Bull,' said Nan to her friend.
+
+A pretty colour came into Daisy's cheek, and the folds of muslin on
+her breast rose and fell with a quick breath; but she answered
+placidly: 'Uncle Laurie says he has real talent, and after the
+training he will get abroad he can command a good living here,
+though he may never be famous.'
+
+'Young people seldom turn out as one predicts, so it is of little use
+to expect anything,' said Mrs Meg with a sigh. 'If our children are
+good and useful men and women, we should be satisfied; yet it's
+very natural to wish them to be brilliant and successful.'
+
+'They are like my chickens, mighty uncertain. Now, that
+fine-looking cockerel of mine is the stupidest one of the lot, and
+the ugly, long-legged chap is the king of the yard, he's so smart;
+crows loud enough to wake the Seven Sleepers; but the handsome
+one croaks, and is no end of a coward. I get snubbed; but you wait
+till I grow up, and then see'; and Ted looked so like his own
+long-legged pet that everyone laughed at his modest prediction.
+
+'I want to see Dan settled somewhere. "A rolling stone gathers no
+moss", and at twenty-five he is still roaming about the world
+without a tie to hold him, except this'; and Mrs Meg nodded
+towards her sister.
+
+'Dan will find his place at last, and experience is his best teacher.
+He is rough still, but each time he comes home I see a change for
+the better, and never lose my faith in him. He may never do
+anything great, or get rich; but if the wild boy makes an honest
+man, I'm satisfied,' said Mrs Jo, who always defended the black
+sheep of her flock.
+
+'That's right, mother, stand by Dan! He's worth a dozen Jacks and
+Neds bragging about money and trying to be swells. You see if he
+doesn't do something to be proud of and take the wind out of their
+sails,' added Ted, whose love for his 'Danny' was now strengthened
+by a boy's admiration for the bold, adventurous man.
+
+'Hope so, I'm sure. He's just the fellow to do rash things and come
+to glory -- climbing the Matterhorn, taking a "header" into Niagara,
+or finding a big nugget. That's his way of sowing wild oats, and
+perhaps it's better than ours,' said Tom thoughtfully; for he had
+gained a good deal of experience in that sort of agriculture since
+he became a medical student.
+
+'Much better!' said Mrs Jo emphatically. 'I'd rather send my boys
+off to see the world in that way than leave them alone in a city full
+of temptations, with nothing to do but waste time, money, and
+health, as so many are left. Dan has to work his way, and that
+teaches him courage, patience, and self-reliance. I don't worry
+about him as much as I do about George and Dolly at college, no
+more fit than two babies to take care of themselves.'
+
+'How about John? He's knocking round town as a newspaper man,
+reporting all sorts of things, from sermons to prize-fights,' asked
+Tom, who thought that sort of life would be much more to his own
+taste than medical lectures and hospital wards.
+
+'Demi has three safeguards -- good principles, refined tastes, and a
+wise mother. He won't come to harm, and these experiences will
+be useful to him when he begins to write, as I'm sure he will in
+time,' began Mrs Jo in her prophetic tone; for she was anxious to
+have some of her geese turn out swans.
+
+'Speak of Jenkins, and you'll hear the rustling of his paper,' cried
+Tom, as a fresh-faced, brown-eyed young man came up the avenue, waving
+a newspaper over his head.
+
+'Here's your Evening Tattler! Latest Edition! Awful murder! Bank
+clerk absconded! Powder-mill explosion, and great strike of the
+Latin School boys!' roared Ted, going to meet his cousin with the
+graceful gait of a young giraffe.
+
+'The Commodore is in, and will cut his cable and run before the
+wind as soon as he can get off,' called Demi, with 'a nice
+derangement of nautical epitaphs', as he came up smiling over his
+good news.
+
+Everyone talked together for a moment, and the paper passed from
+hand to hand that each eye might rest on the pleasant fact that the
+Brenda, from Hamburg, was safe in port.
+
+'He'll come lurching out by tomorrow with his usual collection of
+marine monsters and lively yarns. I saw him, jolly and tarry and
+brown as a coffee-berry. Had a good run, and hopes to be second
+mate, as the other chap is laid up with a broken leg,' added Demi.
+
+'Wish I had the setting of it,' said Nan to herself, with a
+professional twist of her hand.
+
+'How's Franz?' asked Mrs Jo.
+
+'He's going to be married! There's news for you. The first of the
+flock, Aunty, so say good-bye to him. Her name is Ludmilla
+Heldegard Blumenthal; good family, well-off, pretty, and of course
+an angel. The dear old boy wants Uncle's consent, and then he will
+settle down to be a happy and an honest burgher. Long life to him!'
+
+'I'm glad to hear it. I do so like to settle my boys with a good wife
+and a nice little home. Now, if all is right, I shall feel as if Franz
+was off my mind,' said Mrs Jo, folding her hands contentedly; for
+she often felt like a distracted hen with a large brood of mixed
+chickens and ducks upon her hands.
+
+'So do I,' sighed Tom, with a sly glance at Nan. 'That's what a
+fellow needs to keep him steady; and it's the duty of nice girls to
+marry as soon as possible, isn't it, Demi?' 
+
+'If there are enough nice
+fellows to go round. The female population exceeds the male, you
+know, especially in New England; which accounts for the high
+state of culture we are in, perhaps,' answered John, who was
+leaning over his mother's chair, telling his day's experiences in a
+whisper.
+
+'It is a merciful provision, my dears; for it takes three or four
+women to get each man into, through, and out of the world. You
+are costly creatures, boys; and it is well that mothers, sisters,
+wives, and daughters love their duty and do it so well, or you
+would perish off the face of the earth,' said Mrs Jo solemnly, as she
+took up a basket filled with dilapidated hose; for the good
+Professor was still hard on his socks, and his sons resembled him
+in that respect.
+
+'Such being the case, there is plenty for the "superfluous women"
+to do, in taking care of these helpless men and their families. I see
+that more clearly every day, and am very glad and grateful that my
+profession will make me a useful, happy, and independent
+spinster.'
+
+Nan's emphasis on the last word caused Tom to groan, and the rest
+to laugh.
+
+'I take great pride and solid satisfaction in you, Nan, and hope to
+see you very successful; for we do need just such helpful women
+in the world. I sometimes feel as if I've missed my vocation and
+ought to have remained single; but my duty seemed to point this
+way, and I don't regret it,' said Mrs Jo, folding a large and very
+ragged blue sock to her bosom.
+
+'Neither do I. What should I ever have done without my dearest
+Mum?' added Ted, with a filial hug which caused both to disappear
+behind the newspaper in which he had been mercifully absorbed
+for a few minutes.
+
+'My darling boy, if you would wash your hands semi-occasionally,
+fond caresses would be less disastrous to my collar. Never mind,
+my precious touslehead, better grass stains and dirt than no
+cuddlings at all'; and Mrs Jo emerged from that brief eclipse
+looking much refreshed, though her back hair was caught in Ted's
+buttons and her collar under one ear.
+
+Here Josie, who had been studying her part at the other end of the
+piazza, suddenly burst forth with a smothered shriek, and gave
+Juliet's speech in the tomb so effectively that the boys applauded,
+Daisy shivered, and Nan murmured: 'Too much cerebral
+excitement for one of her age.'
+
+'I'm afraid you'll have to make up your mind to it, Meg. That child
+is a born actress. We never did anything so well, not even the
+Witch's Curse,' said Mrs Jo, casting a bouquet of many-coloured
+socks at the feet of her flushed and panting niece, when she fell
+gracefully upon the door-mat.
+
+'It is a sort of judgement upon me for my passion for the stage
+when a girl. Now I know how dear Marmee felt when I begged to
+be an actress. I never can consent, and yet I may be obliged to give
+up my wishes, hopes, and plans again.'
+
+There was an accent of reproach in his mother's voice, which made
+Demi pick up his sister with a gentle shake, and the stern
+command to 'drop that nonsense in public'.
+
+'Drop me, Minion, or I'll give you the Maniac Bride, with my best
+Ha-ha!' cried Josie, glaring at him like an offended kitten. Being
+set on her feet, she made a splendid courtesy, and dramatically
+proclaiming, 'Mrs Woffington's carriage waits,' swept down the
+steps and round the corner, trailing Daisy's scarlet shawl
+majestically behind her.
+
+'Isn't she great fun? I couldn't stop in this dull place if I hadn't that
+child to make it lively for me. If ever she turns prim, I'm off; so
+mind how you nip her in the bud,' said Teddy, frowning at Demi,
+who was now writing out shorthand notes on the steps.
+
+'You two are a team, and it takes a strong hand to drive you, but I
+rather like it. Josie ought to have been my child, and Rob yours,
+Meg. Then your house would have been all peace and mine all
+Bedlam. Now I must go and tell Laurie the news. Come with me,
+Meg, a little stroll will do us good'; and sticking Ted's straw hat on
+her head, Mrs Jo walked off with her sister, leaving Daisy to attend
+to the muffins, Ted to appease Josie, and Tom and Nan to give
+their respective patients a very bad quarter of an hour.
+
+Chapter 2  PARNASSUS
+
+It was well named; and the Muses seemed to be at home that day,
+for as the newcomers went up the slope appropriate sights and
+sounds greeted them. Passing an open window, they looked in
+upon a library presided over by Clio, Calliope, and Urania;
+Melpomene and Thalia were disporting themselves in the hall,
+where some young people were dancing and rehearsing a play;
+Erato was walking in the garden with her lover, and in the
+music-room Phoebus himself was drilling a tuneful choir.
+
+A mature Apollo was our old friend Laurie, but comely and genial
+as ever; for time had ripened the freakish boy into a noble man.
+Care and sorrow, as well as ease and happiness, had done much for
+him; and the responsibility of carrying out his grandfather's wishes
+had been a duty most faithfully performed. Prosperity suits some
+people, and they blossom best in a glow of sunshine; others need
+the shade, and are the sweeter for a touch of frost. Laurie was one
+of the former sort, and Amy was another; so life had been a kind of
+poem to them since they married -- not only harmonious and happy,
+but earnest, useful, and rich in the beautiful benevolence which
+can do so much when wealth and wisdom go hand in hand with
+charity. Their house was full of unostentatious beauty and comfort,
+and here the art-loving host and hostess attracted and entertained
+artists of all kinds. Laurie had music enough now, and was a
+generous patron to the class he most liked to help. Amy had her
+proteges among ambitious young painters and sculptors, and found
+her own art double dear as her daughter grew old enough to share
+its labours and delights with her; for she was one of those who
+prove that women can be faithful wives and mothers without
+sacrificing the special gift bestowed upon them for their own
+development and the good of others.
+
+Her sisters knew where to find her, and Jo went at once to the
+studio, where mother and daughter worked together. Bess was
+busy with the bust of a little child, while her mother added the last
+touches to a fine head of her husband. Time seemed to have stood
+still with Amy, for happiness had kept her young and prosperity
+given her the culture she needed. A stately, graceful woman, who
+showed how elegant simplicity could be made by the taste with
+which she chose her dress and the grace with which she wore it. As
+someone said: 'I never know what Mrs Laurence has on, but I
+always receive the impression that she is the best-dressed lady in
+the room.'
+
+It was evident that she adored her daughter, and well she might;
+for the beauty she had longed for seemed, to her fond eyes at least,
+to be impersonated in this younger self. Bess inherited her mother's
+Diana-like figure, blue eyes, fair skin, and golden hair, tied up in
+the same classic knot of curls. Also -- ah! never-ending source of
+joy to Amy -- she had her father's handsome nose and mouth, cast in
+a feminine mould. The severe simplicity of a long linen pinafore
+suited her; and she worked away with the entire absorption of the
+true artist, unconscious of the loving eyes upon her, till Aunt Jo
+came in exclaiming eagerly:
+
+'My dear girls, stop your mud-pies and hear the news!'
+
+Both artists dropped their tools and greeted the irrepressible
+woman cordially, though genius had been burning splendidly and
+her coming spoilt a precious hour. They were in the full tide of
+gossip when Laurie, who had been summoned by Meg, arrived,
+and sitting down between the sisters, with no barricade anywhere,
+listened with interest to the news of Franz and Emil.
+
+'The epidemic has broke out, and now it will rage and ravage your
+flock. Be prepared for every sort of romance and rashness for the
+next ten years, Jo. Your boys are growing up and will plunge
+headlong into a sea of worse scrapes than any you have had yet,'
+said Laurie, enjoying her look of mingled delight and despair.
+
+'I know it, and I hope I shall be able to pull them through and land
+them safely; but it's an awful responsibility, for they will come to
+me and insist that I can make their poor little loves run smoothly. I
+like it, though, and Meg is such a mush of sentiment she revels in
+the prospect,' answered Jo, feeling pretty easy about her own boys,
+whose youth made them safe for the present.
+
+'I'm afraid she won't revel when our Nat begins to buzz too near
+her Daisy. Of course you see what all that means? As musical
+director I am also his confidante, and would like to know what
+advice to give,' said Laurie soberly. 'Hush! you forget that child,'
+began Jo, nodding towards Bess, who was at work again.
+
+'Bless you! she's in Athens, and doesn't hear a word. She ought to
+leave off, though, and go out. My darling, put the baby to sleep,
+and go for a run. Aunt Meg is in the parlour; go and show her the
+new pictures till we come,' added Laurie, looking at his tall girl as
+Pygmalion might have looked at Galatea; for he considered her the
+finest statue in the house.
+
+'Yes, papa; but please tell me if it is good'; and Bess obediently put
+down her tools, with a lingering glance at the bust.
+
+'My cherished daughter, truth compels me to confess that one
+cheek is plumper than the other; and the curls upon its infant brow
+are rather too much like horns for perfect grace; otherwise it rivals
+Raphael's Chanting Cherubs, and I'm proud of it.'
+
+Laurie was laughing as he spoke; for these first attempts were so
+like Amy's early ones, it was impossible to regard them as soberly
+as the enthusiastic mamma did.
+
+'You can't see beauty in anything but music,' answered Bess,
+shaking the golden head that made the one bright spot in the cool
+north lights of the great studio.
+
+'Well, I see beauty in you, dear. And if you are not art, what is? I
+wish to put a little more nature into you, and get you away from
+this cold clay and marble into the sunshine, to dance and laugh as
+the others do. I want a flesh-and-blood girl, not a sweet statue in a
+grey pinafore, who forgets everything but her work.' As he spoke, two
+dusty hands came round his neck, and Bess said earnestly, punctuating
+her words with soft touches of her lips:
+
+'I never forget you, papa; but I do want to do something beautiful
+that you may be proud of me by and by. Mamma often tells me to
+stop; but when we get in here we forget there is any world outside,
+we are so busy and so happy. Now I'll go and run and sing, and be
+a girl to please you.' And throwing away the apron, Bess vanished
+from the room, seeming to take all the light with her.
+
+'I'm glad you said that. The dear child is too much absorbed in her
+artistic dreams for one so young. It is my fault; but I sympathize so
+deeply in it all, I forget to be wise,' sighed Amy, carefully covering
+the baby with a wet towel.
+
+'I think this power of living in our children is one of the sweetest
+things in the world; but I try to remember what Marmee once said
+to Meg -- that fathers should have their share in the education of
+both girls and boys; so I leave Ted to his father all I can, and Fritz
+lends me Rob, whose quiet ways are as restful and good for me as
+Ted's tempests are for his father. Now I advise you, Amy, to let
+Bess drop the mud-pies for a time, and take up music with Laurie;
+then she won't be one-sided, and he won't be jealous.'
+
+'Hear, hear! A Daniel -- a very Daniel!' cried Laurie, well pleased. 'I
+thought you'd lend a hand, Jo, and say a word for me. I am a little
+jealous of Amy, and want more of a share in my girl. Come, my
+lady, let me have her this summer, and next year, when we go to
+Rome, I'll give her up to you and high art. Isn't that a fair bargain?'
+
+'I agree; but in trying your hobby, nature, with music thrown in,
+don't forget that, though only fifteen, our Bess is older than most
+girls of that age, and cannot be treated like a child. She is so very
+precious to me, I feel as if I wanted to keep her always as pure and
+beautiful as the marble she loves so well.'
+
+Amy spoke regretfully as she looked about the lovely room where
+she had spent so many happy hours with this dear child of hers.
+
+'"Turn and turn about is fair play", as we used to say when we all
+wanted to ride on Ellen Tree or wear the russet boots,' said Jo
+briskly; 'so you must share your girl between you, and see who will
+do the most for her.'
+
+'We will,' answered the fond parents, laughing at the recollections
+Jo's proverb brought up to them.
+
+'How I did use to enjoy bouncing on the limbs of that old
+apple-tree! No real horse ever gave me half the pleasure or the
+exercise,' said Amy, looking out of the high window as if she saw
+the dear old orchard again and the little girls at play there.
+
+'And what fun I had with those blessed boots!' laughed Jo. 'I've got
+the relics now. The boys reduced them to rags; but I love them
+still, and would enjoy a good theatrical stalk in them if it were
+possible.'
+
+'My fondest memories twine about the warming-pan and the
+sausage. What larks we had! And how long ago it seems!' said
+Laurie, staring at the two women before him as if he found it hard
+to realize that they ever had been little Amy and riotous Jo.
+
+'Don't suggest that we are growing old, my Lord. We have only
+bloomed; and a very nice bouquet we make with our buds about
+us,' answered Mrs Amy, shaking out the folds of her rosy muslin
+with much the air of dainty satisfaction the girl used to show in a
+new dress.
+
+'Not to mention our thorns and dead leaves,' added Jo, with a sigh;
+for life had never been very easy to her, and even now she had her
+troubles both within and without.
+
+'Come and have a dish of tea, old dear, and see what the young
+folks are about. You are tired, and want to be "stayed with flagons
+and comforted with apples",' said Laurie, offering an arm to each
+sister, and leading them away to afternoon tea, which flowed as
+freely on Parnassus as the nectar of old.
+
+They found Meg in the summer-parlour, an airy and delightful
+room, full now of afternoon sunshine and the rustle of trees; for
+the three long windows opened on the garden. The great
+music-room was at one end, and at the other, in a deep alcove
+hung with purple curtains, a little household shrine had been made.
+Three portraits hung there, two marble busts stood in the corners,
+and a couch, an oval table, with its urn of flowers, were the only
+articles of furniture the nook contained. The busts were John
+Brooke and Beth -- Amy's work -- both excellent likenesses, and
+both full of the placid beauty which always recalls the saying, that
+'Clay represents life; plaster, death; marble, immortality'. On the
+right, as became the founder of the house, hung the portrait of Mr
+Laurence, with its expression of mingled pride and benevolence, as
+fresh and attractive as when he caught the girl Jo admiring it.
+Opposite was Aunt March -- a legacy to Amy -- in an imposing
+turban, immense sleeves, and long mittens decorously crossed on
+the front of her plum-coloured satin gown. Time had mellowed the
+severity of her aspect; and the fixed regard of the handsome old
+gentleman opposite seemed to account for the amiable simper on
+lips that had not uttered a sharp word for years.
+
+In the place of honour, with the sunshine warm upon it, and a
+green garland always round it, was Marmee's beloved face, painted
+with grateful skill by a great artist whom she had befriended when
+poor and unknown. So beautifully lifelike was it that it seemed to
+smile down upon her daughters, saying cheerfully:
+
+'Be happy; I am with you still.'
+
+The three sisters stood a moment looking up at the beloved picture
+with eyes full of tender reverence and the longing that never left
+them; for this noble mother had been so much to them that no one
+could ever fill her place. Only two years since she had gone away
+to live and love anew, leaving such a sweet memory behind her
+that it was both an inspiration and a comforter to all the household.
+They felt this as they drew closer to one another, and Laurie put it
+into words as he said earnestly:
+
+'I can ask nothing better for my child than that she may be a
+woman like our mother. Please God, she shall be, if I can do it; for
+I owe the best I have to this dear saint.'
+
+Just then a fresh voice began to sing 'Ave Maria' in the
+music-room, and Bess unconsciously echoed her father's prayer for
+her as she dutifully obeyed his wishes. The soft sound of the air
+Marmee used to sing led the listeners back into the world again
+from that momentary reaching after the loved and lost, and they sat
+down together near the open windows enjoying the music, while
+Laurie brought them tea, making the little service pleasant by the
+tender care he gave to it.
+
+Nat came in with Demi, soon followed by Ted and Josie, the
+Professor and his faithful Rob, all anxious to hear more about 'the
+boys'. The rattle of cups and tongues grew brisk, and the setting
+sun saw a cheerful company resting in the bright room after the
+varied labours of the day.
+
+Professor Bhaer was grey now, but robust and genial as ever; for
+he had the work he loved, and did it so heartily that the whole
+college felt his beautiful influence. Rob was as much like him as it
+was possible for a boy to be, and was already called the 'young
+Professor', he so adored study and closely imitated his honoured
+father in all ways.
+
+'Well, heart's dearest, we go to have our boys again, all two, and
+may rejoice greatly,' said Mr Bhaer, seating himself beside Jo with
+a beaming face and a handshake of congratulation.
+
+'Oh, Fritz, I'm so delighted about Emil, and if you approve about
+Franz also. Did you know Ludmilla? Is it a wise match?' asked Mrs
+Jo, handing him her cup of tea and drawing closer, as if she
+welcomed her refuge in joy as well as sorrow.
+
+'It all goes well. I saw the Madchen when I went over to place
+Franz. A child then, but most sweet and charming. Blumenthal is
+satisfied, I think, and the boy will be happy. He is too German to
+be content away from Vaterland, so we shall have him as a link
+between the new and the old, and that pleases me much.'
+
+'And Emil, he is to be second mate next voyage; isn't that fine? I'm
+so happy that both your boys have done well; you gave up so much
+for them and their mother. You make light of it, dear, but I never
+forget it,' said Jo, with her hand in his as sentimentally as if she
+was a girl again and her Fritz had come a-wooing.
+
+He laughed his cheery laugh, and whispered behind her fan: 'If I
+had not come to America for the poor lads, I never should have
+found my Jo. The hard times are very sweet now, and I bless Gott
+for all I seemed to lose, because I gained the blessing of my life.'
+
+'Spooning! spooning! Here's an awful flirtation on the sly,' cried
+Teddy, peering over the fan just at that interesting moment, much
+to his mother's confusion and his father's amusement; for the
+Professor never was ashamed of the fact that he still considered his
+wife the dearest woman in the world. Rob promptly ejected his
+brother from one window, to see him skip in at the other, while
+Mrs Jo shut her fan and held it ready to rap her unruly boy's
+knuckles if he came near her again.
+
+Nat approached in answer to Mr Bhaer's beckoning teaspoon, and
+stood before them with a face full of the respectful affection he
+felt for the excellent man who had done so much for him.
+
+'I have the letters ready for thee, my son. They are two old friends
+of mine in Leipzig, who will befriend thee in that new life. It is
+well to have them, for thou wilt be heartbroken with Heimweh at
+the first, Nat, and need comforting,' said the Professor, giving him
+several letters.
+
+'Thanks, sir. Yes, I expect to be pretty lonely till I get started, then
+my music and the hope of getting on will cheer me up,' answered
+Nat, who both longed and dreaded to leave all these friends behind
+him and make new ones.
+
+He was a man now; but the blue eyes were as honest as ever, the
+mouth still a little weak, in spite of the carefully cherished
+moustache over it, and the broad forehead more plainly than ever
+betrayed the music-loving nature of the youth. Modest,
+affectionate, and dutiful, Nat was considered a pleasant though not
+a brilliant success by Mrs Jo. She loved and trusted him, and was
+sure he would do his best, but did not expect that he would be
+great in any way, unless the stimulus of foreign training and
+self-dependence made him a better artist and a stronger man than
+now seemed likely.
+
+'I've marked all your things -- or rather, Daisy did -- and as soon as
+your books are collected, we can see about the packing,' said Mrs
+Jo, who was so used to fitting boys off for all quarters of the globe
+that a trip to the North Pole would not have been too much for her.
+
+Nat grew red at mention of that name -- or was it the last glow of
+sunset on his rather pale cheek? -- and his heart beat happily at the
+thought of the dear girl working Ns and Bs on his humble socks
+and handkerchiefs; for Nat adored Daisy, and the cherished dream
+of his life was to earn a place for himself as a musician and win
+this angel for his wife. This hope did more for him than the
+Professor's counsels, Mrs Jo's care, or Mr Laurie's generous help.
+For her sake he worked, waited, and hoped, finding courage and
+patience in the dream of that happy future when Daisy should
+make a little home for him and he fiddle a fortune into her lap.
+Mrs Jo knew this; and though he was not exactly the man she
+would have chosen for her niece, she felt that Nat would always
+need just the wise and loving care Daisy could give him, and that
+without it there was danger of his being one of the amiable and
+aimless men who fail for want of the right pilot to steer them
+safely through the world. Mrs Meg decidedly frowned upon the
+poor boy's love, and would not hear of giving her dear girl to any
+but the best man to be found on the face of the earth. She was very
+kind, but as firm as such gentle souls can be; and Nat fled for
+comfort to Mrs Jo, who always espoused the interests of her boys
+heartily. A new set of anxieties was beginning now that the
+aforesaid boys were growing up, and she foresaw no end of worry
+as well as amusement in the love-affairs already budding in her
+flock. Mrs Meg was usually her best ally and adviser, for she loved
+romances as well now as when a blooming girl herself. But in this
+case she hardened her heart, and would not hear a word of
+entreaty. 'Nat was not man enough, never would be, no one knew
+his family, a musician's life was a hard one; Daisy was too young,
+five or six years hence when time had proved both perhaps. Let us
+see what absence will do for him.' And that was the end of it, for
+when the maternal Pelican was roused she could be very firm,
+though for her precious children she would have plucked her last
+feather and given the last drop of her blood.
+
+Mrs Jo was thinking of this as she looked at Nat while he talked
+with her husband about Leipzig, and she resolved to have a clear
+understanding with him before he went; for she was used to
+confidences, and talked freely with her boys about the trials and
+temptations that beset all lives in the beginning, and so often mar
+them, for want of the right word at the right moment.
+
+This is the first duty of parents, and no false delicacy should keep
+them from the watchful care, the gentle warning, which makes
+self-knowledge and self-control the compass and pilot of the young
+as they leave the safe harbour of home.
+
+'Plato and his disciples approach,' announced irreverent Teddy, as
+Mr March came in with several young men and women about him;
+for the wise old man was universally beloved, and ministered so
+beautifully to his flock that many of them thanked him all their
+lives for the help given to both hearts and souls.
+
+Bess went to him at once; for since Marmee died, Grandpapa was
+her special care, and it was sweet to see the golden head bend over
+the silver one as she rolled out his easy-chair and waited on him
+with tender alacrity.
+
+'Aesthetic tea always on tap here, sir; will you have a flowing bowl
+or a bit of ambrosia?' asked Laurie, who was wandering about with
+a sugar-basin in one hand and a plate of cake in the other; for
+sweetening cups and feeding the hungry was work he loved.
+
+'Neither, thanks; this child has taken care of me'; and Mr March
+turned to Bess, who sat on one arm of his chair, holding a glass of
+fresh milk.
+
+'Long may she live to do it, sir, and I be here to see this pretty
+contradiction of the song that "youth and age cannot live
+together"!' answered Laurie, smiling at the pair. '"Crabbed age",
+papa; that makes all the difference in the world,' said Bess quickly;
+for she loved poetry, and read the best.
+
+'Wouldst thou see fresh roses grow
+
+In a reverend bed of snow?'
+
+quoted Mr March, as Josie came and perched on the other arm,
+looking like a very thorny little rose; for she had been having a hot
+discussion with Ted, and had got the worst of it.
+
+'Grandpa, must women always obey men and say they are the
+wisest, just because they are the strongest?' she cried, looking
+fiercely at her cousin, who came stalking up with a provoking
+smile on the boyish face that was always very comical atop of that tall
+figure.
+
+'Well, my dear, that is the old-fashioned belief, and it will take
+some time to change it. But I think the woman's hour has struck;
+and it looks to me as if the boys must do their best, for the girls are
+abreast now, and may reach the goal first,' answered Mr March,
+surveying with paternal satisfaction the bright faces of the young
+women, who were among the best students in the college.
+
+'The poor little Atalantas are sadly distracted and delayed by the
+obstacles thrown in their way -- not golden apples, by any means --
+but I think they will stand a fair chance when they have learned to
+run better,' laughed Uncle Laurie, stroking Josie's breezy hair,
+which stood up like the fur of an angry kitten.
+
+'Whole barrels of apples won't stop me when I start, and a dozen
+Teds won't trip me up, though they may try. I'll show him that a
+woman can act as well, if not better, than a man. It has been done,
+and will be again; and I'll never own that my brain isn't as good as
+his, though it may be smaller,' cried the excited young person.
+
+'If you shake your head in that violent way you'll addle what brains
+you have got; and I'd take care of 'em, if I were you,' began teasing
+Ted.
+
+'What started this civil war?' asked Grandpapa, with a gentle
+emphasis on the adjective, which caused the combatants to calm
+their ardour a little.
+
+'Why, we were pegging away at the Iliad and came to where Zeus
+tells Juno not to inquire into his plans or he'll whip her, and Jo was
+disgusted because Juno meekly hushed up. I said it was all right,
+and agreed with the old fellow that women didn't know much and
+ought to obey men,' explained Ted, to the great amusement of his
+hearers.
+
+'Goddesses may do as they like, but those Greek and Trojan
+women were poor-spirited things if they minded men who couldn't
+fight their own battles and had to be hustled off by Pallas, and
+Venus, and Juno, when they were going to get beaten. The idea of
+two armies stopping and sitting down while a pair of heroes flung
+stones at one another! I don't think much of your old Homer. Give
+me Napoleon or Grant for my hero.'
+
+Josie's scorn was as funny as if a humming-bird scolded at an
+ostrich, and everyone laughed as she sniffed at the immortal poet
+and criticized the gods.
+
+'Napoleon's Juno had a nice time; didn't she? That's just the way
+girls argue   first one way and then the other,' jeered Ted.
+
+'Like Johnson's young lady, who was "not categorical, but all
+wiggle-waggle",' added Uncle Laurie, enjoying the battle
+immensely.
+
+'I was only speaking of them as soldiers. But if you come to the
+woman side of it, wasn't Grant a kind husband and Mrs Grant a
+happy woman? He didn't threaten to whip her if she asked a natural
+question; and if Napoleon did do wrong about Josephine, he could
+fight, and didn't want any Minerva to come fussing over him. They
+were a stupid set, from dandified Paris to Achilles sulking in his
+ships, and I won't change my opinion for all the Hectors and
+Agamemnons in Greece,' said Josie, still unconquered.
+
+'You can fight like a Trojan, that's evident; and we will be the two
+obedient armies looking on while you and Ted have it out,' began
+Uncle Laurie, assuming the attitude of a warrior leaning on his
+spear.
+
+'I fear we must give it up, for Pallas is about to descend and carry
+off our Hector,' said Mr March, smiling, as Jo came to remind her
+son that suppertime was near.
+
+'We will fight it out later when there are no goddesses to interfere,'
+said Teddy, as he turned away with unusual alacrity, remembering
+the treat in store.
+
+'Conquered by a muffin, by Jove!' called Josie after him, exulting
+in an opportunity to use the classical exclamation forbidden to her
+sex.
+
+But Ted shot a Parthian arrow as he retired in good order by
+replying, with a highly virtuous expression:
+
+'Obedience is a soldier's first duty.'
+
+Bent on her woman's privilege of having the last word, Josie ran
+after him, but never uttered the scathing speech upon her lips, for a
+very brown young man in a blue suit came leaping up the steps
+with a cheery 'Ahoy! ahoy! where is everybody?'
+
+'Emil! Emil!' cried Josie, and in a moment Ted was upon him, and
+the late enemies ended their fray in a joyful welcome to the
+newcomer.
+
+Muffins were forgotten, and towing their cousin like two fussy
+little tugs with a fine merchantman, the children returned to the
+parlour, where Emil kissed all the women and shook hands with
+all the men except his uncle; him he embraced in the good old
+German style, to the great delight of the observers.
+
+'Didn't think I could get off today, but found I could, and steered
+straight for old Plum. Not a soul there, so I luffed and bore away
+for Parnassus, and here is every man Jack of you. Bless your
+hearts, how glad I am to see you all!' exclaimed the sailor boy,
+beaming at them, as he stood with his legs apart as if he still felt
+the rocking deck under his feet.
+
+'You ought to "shiver your timbers", not "bless our hearts", Emil;
+it's not nautical at all. Oh, how nice and shippy and tarry you do
+smell!' said Josie, sniffing at him with great enjoyment of the fresh
+sea odours he brought with him. This was her favourite cousin, and
+she was his pet; so she knew that the bulging pockets of the blue
+jacket contained treasures for her at least.
+
+'Avast, my hearty, and let me take soundings before you dive,'
+laughed Emil, understanding her affectionate caresses, and holding
+her off with one hand while with the other he rummaged out
+sundry foreign little boxes and parcels marked with different
+names, and handed them round with appropriate remarks, which
+caused much laughter; for Emil was a wag.
+
+'There's a hawser that will hold our little cock-boat still about five
+minutes,' he said, throwing a necklace of pretty pink coral over
+Josie's head; sand here's something the mermaids sent to Undine,'
+he added, handing Bess a string of pearly shells on a silver chain.
+
+I thought Daisy would like a fiddle, and Nat can find her a beau,'
+continued the sailor, with a laugh, as he undid a dainty filigree
+brooch in the shape of a violin.
+
+'I know she will, and I'll take it to her,' answered Nat, as he
+vanished, glad of an errand, and sure that he could find Daisy
+though Emil had missed her.
+
+Emil chuckled, and handed out a quaintly carved bear whose head
+opened, showing a capacious ink-stand. This he presented, with a
+scrape, to Aunt Jo.
+
+'Knowing your fondness for these fine animals, I brought this one
+to your pen.'
+
+'Very good, Commodore! Try again,' said Mrs Jo, much pleased
+with her gift, which caused the Professor to prophesy 'works of
+Shakespeare' from its depths, so great would be the inspiration of
+the beloved bruin.
+
+'As Aunt Meg will wear caps, in spite of her youth, I got Ludmilla
+to get me some bits of lace. Hope you'll like 'em'; and out of a soft
+paper came some filmy things, one of which soon lay like a net of
+snowflakes on Mrs Meg's pretty hair.
+
+'I couldn't find anything swell enough for Aunt Amy, because she
+has everything she wants, so I brought a little picture that always
+makes me think of her when Bess was a baby'; and he handed her
+an oval ivory locket, on which was painted a goldenhaired
+Madonna, with a rosy child folded in her blue mantle.
+
+'How lovely!' cried everyone; and Aunt Amy at once hung it about
+her neck on the blue ribbon from Bess's hair, charmed with her
+gift; for it recalled the happiest year of her life.
+
+'Now, I flatter myself I've got just the thing for Nan, neat but not
+gaudy, a sort of sign you see, and very appropriate for a doctor,'
+said Emil, proudly displaying a pair of lava earrings shaped like
+little skulls.
+
+'Horrid!' And Bess, who hated ugly things, turned her eyes to her
+own pretty shells.
+
+'She won't wear earrings,' said Josie.
+
+'Well, she'll enjoy punching your ears then. She's never so happy as
+when she's overhauling her fellow creatures and going for 'em with
+a knife,' answered Emil, undisturbed. 'I've got a lot of plunder for
+you fellows in my chest, but I knew I should have no peace till my
+cargo for the girls was unloaded. Now tell me all the news.' And,
+seated on Amy's best marbletopped table, the sailor swung his legs
+and talked at the rate of ten knots an hour, till Aunt Jo carried
+them all off to a grand family tea in honour of the Commodore.
+
+Chapter 3 JO'S LAST SCRAPE
+
+The March family had enjoyed a great many surprises in the course
+of their varied career, but the greatest of all was when the Ugly
+Duckling turned out to be, not a swan, but a golden goose, whose
+literary eggs found such an unexpected market that in ten years
+Jo's wildest and most cherished dream actually came true. How or
+why it happened she never clearly understood, but all of a sudden
+she found herself famous in a small way, and, better still, with a
+snug little fortune in her pocket to clear away the obstacles of the
+present and assure the future of her boys.
+
+It began during a bad year when everything went wrong at
+Plumfield; times were hard, the school dwindled, Jo overworked
+herself and had a long illness; Laurie and Amy were abroad, and
+the Bhaers too proud to ask help even of those as near and dear as
+this generous pair. Confined to her room, Jo got desperate over the
+state of affairs, till she fell back upon the long-disused pen as the
+only thing she could do to help fill up the gaps in the income. A
+book for girls being wanted by a certain publisher, she hastily
+scribbled a little story describing a few scenes and adventures in
+the lives of herself and sisters   though boys were more in her line
+and with very slight hopes of success sent it out to seek its fortune.
+
+Things always went by contraries with Jo. Her first book, laboured
+over for years, and launched full of the high hopes and ambitious
+dreams of youth, foundered on its voyage, though the wreck
+continued to float long afterward, to the profit of the publisher at
+least. The hastily written story, sent away with no thought beyond
+the few dollars it might bring, sailed with a fair wind and a wise
+pilot at the helm into public favour, and came home heavily laden with
+an unexpected cargo of gold and glory.
+
+A more astonished woman probably never existed than Josephine
+Bhaer when her little ship came into port with flags flying, cannon
+that had been silent before now booming gaily, and, better than all,
+many kind faces rejoicing with her, many friendly hands grasping
+hers with cordial congratulations. After that it was plain sailing,
+and she merely had to load her ships and send them off on
+prosperous trips, to bring home stores of comfort for all she loved
+and laboured for.
+
+The fame she never did quite accept; for it takes very little fire to
+make a great deal of smoke nowadays, and notoriety is not real
+glory. The fortune she could not doubt, and gratefully received;
+though it was not half so large a one as a generous world reported
+it to be. The tide having turned continued to rise, and floated the
+family comfortably into a snug harbour where the older members
+could rest secure from storms, and whence the younger ones could
+launch their boats for the voyage of life.
+
+All manner of happiness, peace, and plenty came in those years to
+bless the patient waiters, hopeful workers, and devout believers
+in the wisdom and justice of Him who sends disappointment,
+poverty, and sorrow to try the love of human hearts and make
+success the sweeter when it comes. The world saw the prosperity,
+and kind souls rejoiced over the improved fortunes of the family;
+but the success Jo valued most, the happiness that nothing could
+change or take away, few knew much about.
+
+It was the power of making her mother's last years happy and
+serene; to see the burden of care laid down for ever, the weary
+hands at rest, the dear face untroubled by any anxiety, and the
+tender heart free to pour itself out in the wise charity which was its
+delight. As a girl, Jo's favourite plan had been a room where
+Marmee could sit in peace and enjoy herself after her hard, heroic
+life. Now the dream had become a happy fact, and Marmee sat in
+her pleasant chamber with every comfort and luxury about her,
+loving daughters to wait on her as infirmities increased, a faithful
+mate to lean upon, and grand-children to brighten the twilight of
+life with their dutiful affection. A very precious time to all, for she
+rejoiced as only mothers can in the good fortunes of their children.
+She had lived to reap the harvest she sowed; had seen prayers
+answered, hopes blossom, good gifts bear fruit, peace and
+prosperity bless the home she had made; and then, like some
+brave, patient angel, whose work was done, turned her face
+heavenward, glad to rest.
+
+This was the sweet and sacred side of the change; but it had its
+droll and thorny one, as all things have in this curious world of
+ours. After the first surprise, incredulity, and joy, which came to
+Jo, with the ingratitude of human nature, she soon tired of renown,
+and began to resent her loss of liberty. For suddenly the admiring
+public took possession of her and all her affairs, past, present, and
+to come. Strangers demanded to look at her, question, advise,
+warn, congratulate, and drive her out of her wits by well-meant but
+very wearisome attentions. If she declined to open her heart to
+them, they reproached her; if she refused to endow her pet
+charities, relieve private wants, or sympathize with every ill and
+trial known to humanity, she was called hard-hearted, selfish, and
+haughty; if she found it impossible to answer the piles of letters
+sent her, she was neglectful of her duty to the admiring public; and
+if she preferred the privacy of home to the pedestal upon which
+she was requested to pose, 'the airs of literary people' were freely
+criticized.
+
+She did her best for the children, they being the public for whom
+she wrote, and laboured stoutly to supply the demand always in the
+mouths of voracious youth -- 'More stories; more right away!' Her
+family objected to this devotion at their expense, and her health
+suffered; but for a time she gratefully offered herself up on the
+altar of juvenile literature, feeling that she owed a good deal to the
+little friends in whose sight she had found favour after twenty
+years of effort.
+
+But a time came when her patience gave out; and wearying of
+being a lion, she became a bear in nature as in name, and returning
+to her den, growled awfully when ordered out. Her family enjoyed
+the fun, and had small sympathy with her trials, but Jo came to
+consider it the worse scrape of her life; for liberty had always been
+her dearest possession, and it seemed to be fast going from her.
+Living in a lantern soon loses its charm, and she was too old, too
+tired, and too busy to like it. She felt that she had done all that
+could reasonably be required of her when autographs, photographs,
+and autobiographical sketches had been sown broadcast over the
+land; when artists had taken her home in all its aspects, and
+reporters had taken her in the grim one she always assumed on
+these trying occasions; when a series of enthusiastic
+boarding-schools had ravaged her grounds for trophies, and a
+steady stream of amiable pilgrims had worn her doorsteps with
+their respectful feet; when servants left after a week's trial of the
+bell that rang all day; when her husband was forced to guard her at
+meals, and the boys to cover her retreat out of back windows on
+certain occasions when enterprising guests walked in unannounced
+at unfortunate moments.
+
+A sketch of one day may perhaps explain the state of things, offer
+some excuse for the unhappy woman, and give a hint to the
+autograph-fiend now rampant in the land; for it is a true tale.
+
+'There ought to be a law to protect unfortunate authors,' said Mrs
+Jo one morning soon after Emil's arrival, when the mail brought
+her an unusually large and varied assortment of letters. 'To me it is
+a more vital subject than international copyright; for time is
+money, peace is health, and I lose both with no return but less
+respect for my fellow creatures and a wild desire to fly into the
+wilderness, since I cannot shut my doors even in free America.'
+
+'Lion-hunters are awful when in search of their prey. If they could
+change places for a while it would do them good; and they'd see
+what bores they were when they "do themselves the honour of
+calling to express their admiration of our charming work",' quoted
+Ted, with a bow to his parent, now frowning over twelve requests
+for autographs.
+
+'I have made up my mind on one point,' said Mrs Jo with great
+firmness. 'I will not answer this kind of letter. I've sent at least six
+to this boy, and he probably sells them. This girl writes from a
+seminary, and if I send her one all the other girls will at once write
+for more. All begin by saying they know they intrude, and that I
+am of course annoyed by these requests; but they venture to ask
+because I like boys, or they like the books, or it is only one.
+Emerson and Whittier put these things in the wastepaper-basket;
+and though only a literary nursery-maid who provides moral pap
+for the young, I will follow their illustrious example; for I shall
+have no time to eat or sleep if I try to satisfy these dear
+unreasonable children'; and Mrs Jo swept away the entire batch
+with a sigh of relief.
+
+'I'll open the others and let you eat your breakfast in peace, liebe
+Mutter,' said Rob, who often acted as her secretary. 'Here's one
+from the South'; and breaking an imposing seal, he read:
+
+'MADAM, As it has pleased Heaven to bless your efforts with a large
+fortune, I feel no hesitation in asking you to supply funds to
+purchase a new communion-service for our church. To whatever
+denomination you belong, you will of course respond with
+liberality to such a request,
+
+     'Respectfully yours,
+
+'MRS X.Y. ZAVIER'
+
+
+
+'Send a civil refusal, dear. All I have to give must go to feed and
+clothe the poor at my gates. That is my thank-offering for success.
+Go on,' answered his mother, with a grateful glance about her
+happy home.
+
+'A literary youth of eighteen proposes that you put your name to a
+novel he has written; and after the first edition your name is to be
+taken off and his put on. There's a cool proposal for you. I guess
+you won't agree to that, in spite of your soft-heartedness towards
+most of the young scribblers.'
+
+'Couldn't be done. Tell him so kindly, and don't let him send the
+manuscript. I have seven on hand now, and barely time to read my
+own,' said Mrs Jo, pensively fishing a small letter out of the
+slop-bowl and opening it with care, because the down-hill address
+suggested that a child wrote it.
+
+'I will answer this myself. A little sick girl wants a book, and she
+shall have it, but I can't write sequels to all the rest to please her. 
+I should never come to an end if I tried to suit these voracious little
+Oliver Twists, clamouring for more. What next, Robin?'
+
+'This is short and sweet.
+
+'DEAR MRS BHAER, I am now going to give you my opinion of
+your works. I have read them all many times, and call them
+first-rate. Please go ahead.
+
+'Your admirer,
+
+'BILLY BABCOCK'
+
+
+
+'Now that is what I like. Billy is a man of sense and a critic worth
+having, since he had read my works many times before expressing
+his opinion. He asks for no answer, so send my thanks and regards.'
+
+'Here's a lady in England with seven girls, and she wishes to know
+your views upon education. Also what careers they shall follow
+the oldest being twelve. Don't wonder she's worried,' laughed Rob.
+
+'I'll try to answer it. But as I have no girls, my opinion isn't worth
+much and will probably shock her, as I shall tell her to let them run
+and play and build up good, stout bodies before she talks about
+careers. They will soon show what they want, if they are let alone,
+and not all run in the same mould.'
+
+'Here's a fellow who wants to know what sort of a girl he shall
+marry, and if you know of any like those in your stories.'
+
+'Give him Nan's address, and see what he'll get,' proposed Ted,
+privately resolving to do it himself if possible.
+
+'This is from a lady who wants you to adopt her child and lend her
+money to study art abroad for a few years. Better take it, and try
+your hand at a girl, mother.'
+
+'No, thank you, I will keep to my own line of business. What is that
+blotted one? It looks rather awful, to judge by the ink,' asked Mrs
+Jo, who beguiled her daily task by trying to guess from the outside
+what was inside her many letters. This proved to be a poem from
+an insane admirer, to judge by its incoherent style.
+
+
+
+     'TO J.M.B.
+
+'Oh, were I a heliotrope,
+
+I would play poet,
+
+And blow a breeze of fragrance
+
+To you; and none should know it. 
+
+'Your form like the stately elm
+
+When Phoebus gilds the morning ray;
+
+Your cheeks like the ocean bed
+
+That blooms a rose in May.
+
+'Your words are wise and bright,
+
+I bequeath them to you a legacy given;
+
+And when your spirit takes its flight,
+
+May it bloom aflower in heaven.
+
+'My tongue in flattering language spoke,
+
+And sweeter silence never broke
+
+in busiest street or loneliest glen.
+
+I take you with the flashes of my pen.
+
+'Consider the lilies, how they grow;
+
+They toil not, yet are fair,
+
+Gems and flowers and Solomon's seal.
+
+The geranium of the world is J. M. Bhaer.
+
+'JAMES'
+
+
+
+While the boys shouted over this effusion -- which is a true one --
+their mother read several liberal offers from budding magazines
+for her to edit them gratis; one long letter from a young girl
+inconsolable because her favourite hero died, and 'would dear Mrs
+Bhaer rewrite the tale, and make it end good?' another from an
+irate boy denied an autograph, who darkly foretold financial ruin
+and loss of favour if she did not send him and all other fellows
+who asked autographs, photographs, and auto- biographical
+sketches; a minister wished to know her religion; and an
+undecided maiden asked which of her two lovers she should
+marry. These samples will suffice to show a few of the claims
+made on a busy woman's time, and make my readers pardon Mrs
+Jo if she did not carefully reply to all.
+
+'That job is done. Now I will dust a bit, and then go to my work.
+I'm all behind-hand, and serials can't wait; so deny me to
+everybody, Mary. I won't see Queen Victoria if she comes today.'
+And Mrs Bhaer threw down her napkin as if defying all creation.
+
+'I hope the day will go well with thee, my dearest,' answered her
+husband, who had been busy with his own voluminous
+correspondence. 'I will dine at college with Professor Plock, who is
+to visit us today. The Junglings can lunch on Parnassus; so thou
+shalt have a quiet time.' And smoothing the worried lines out of
+her forehead with his good-bye kiss, the excellent man marched
+away, both pockets full of books, an old umbrella in one hand, and
+a bag of stones for the geology class in the other.
+
+'If all literary women had such thoughtful angels for husbands,
+they would live longer and write more. Perhaps that wouldn't be a
+blessing to the world though, as most of us write too much now,'
+said Mrs Jo, waving her feather duster to her spouse, who
+responded with flourishes of the umbrella as he went down the
+avenue.
+
+Rob started for school at the same time, looking so much like him
+with his books and bag and square shoulders and steady air that his
+mother laughed as she turned away, saying heartily: 'Bless both my
+dear professors, for better creatures never lived!'
+
+Emil was already gone to his ship in the city; but Ted lingered to
+steal the address he wanted, ravage the sugar-bowl, and talk with
+'Mum'; for the two had great larks together. Mrs Jo always
+arranged her own parlour, refilled her vases, and gave the little
+touches that left it cool and neat for the day. Going to draw down
+the curtain, she beheld an artist sketching on the lawn, and groaned
+as she hastily retired to the back window to shake her duster.
+
+At that moment the bell rang and the sound of wheels was heard in
+the road.
+
+'I'll go; Mary lets 'em in'; and Ted smoothed his hair as he made for
+the hall.
+
+'Can't see anyone. Give me a chance to fly upstairs,' whispered Mrs
+Jo, preparing to escape. But before she could do so, a man
+appeared at the door with a card in his hand. Ted met him with a
+stern air, and his mother dodged behind the window-curtains to
+bide her time for escape.
+
+'I am doing a series of articles for the Saturday Tattler, and I called
+to see Mrs Bhaer the first of all,' began the newcomer in the
+insinuating tone of his tribe, while his quick eyes were taking in all
+they could, experience having taught him to make the most of his
+time, as his visits were usually short ones.
+
+'Mrs Bhaer never sees reporters, sir.'
+
+'But a few moments will be all I ask,' said the man, edging his way
+farther in.
+
+'You can't see her, for she is out,' replied Teddy, as a backward
+glance showed him that his unhappy parent had vanished   through
+the window, he supposed, as she sometimes did when hard bestead.
+
+'Very sorry. I'll call again. Is this her study? Charming room!' And
+the intruder fell back on the parlour, bound to see something and
+bag a fact if he died in the attempt. 'It is not,' said Teddy, gently
+but firmly backing him down the hall, devoutly hoping that his
+mother had escaped round the corner of the house.
+
+'If you could tell me Mrs Bhaer's age and birthplace, date of
+marriage, and number of children, I should be much obliged,'
+continued the unabashed visitor as he tripped over the door-mat.
+
+'She is about sixty, born in Nova Zembla, married just forty years
+ago today, and has eleven daughters. Anything else, sir?' And Ted's
+sober face was such a funny contrast to his ridiculous reply that the
+reporter owned himself routed, and retired laughing just as a lady
+followed by three beaming girls came up the steps.
+
+'We are all the way from Oshkosh, and couldn't go home without
+seein' dear Aunt Jo. My girls just admire her works, and lot on
+gettin' a sight of her. I know it's early; but we are goin' to see
+Holmes and Longfeller, and the rest of the celebrities, so we ran
+out here fust thing. Mrs Erastus Kingsbury Parmalee, of Oshkosh,
+tell her. We don't mind waitin'; we can look round a spell if she
+ain't ready to see folks yet.'
+
+All this was uttered with such rapidity that Ted could only stand
+gazing at the buxom damsels, who fixed their six blue eyes upon
+him so beseechingly that his native gallantry made it impossible to
+deny them a civil reply at least.
+
+'Mrs Bhaer is not visible today -- out just now, I believe; but you
+can see the house and grounds if you like,' he murmured, falling
+back as the four pressed in gazing rapturously about them.
+
+'Oh, thank you! Sweet, pretty place I'm sure! That's where she
+writes, ain't it? Do tell me if that's her picture! Looks just as I
+imagined her!'
+
+With these remarks the ladies paused before a fine engraving of
+the Hon. Mrs Norton, with a pen in her hand and a rapt expression
+of countenance, likewise a diadem and pearl necklace.
+
+Keeping his gravity with an effort, Teddy pointed to a very bad
+portrait of Mrs Jo, which hung behind the door, and afforded her
+much amusement, it was so dismal, in spite of a curious effect of
+light upon the end of the nose and cheeks as red as the chair she
+sat
+
+in.
+
+'This was taken for my mother; but it is not very good,' he said,
+enjoying the struggles of the girls not to look dismayed at the sad
+difference between the real and the ideal. The youngest, aged
+twelve, could not conceal her disappointment, and turned away,
+feeling as so many of us have felt when we discover that our idols
+are very ordinary men and women.
+
+'I thought she'd be about sixteen and have her hair braided in two
+tails down her back. I don't care about seeing her now,' said the
+honest child, walking off to the hall door, leaving her mother to
+apologize, and her sisters to declare that the bad portrait was
+'perfectly lovely, so speaking and poetic, you know, 'specially
+about the brow'.
+
+'Come girls, we must be goin', if we want to get through today.
+You can leave your albums and have them sent when Mrs Bhaer
+has written a sentiment in 'em. We are a thousand times obliged.
+Give our best love to your ma, and tell her we are so sorry not to
+see her.' Just as Mrs. Erastus Kingsbury Parmalee uttered the words
+her eye fell upon a middle-aged woman in a large
+checked apron, with a handkerchief tied over her head, busily
+dusting an end room which looked like a study.
+
+'One peep at her sanctum since she is out,' cried the enthusiastic
+lady, and swept across the hall with her flock before Teddy could
+warn his mother, whose retreat had been cut off by the artist in
+front, the reporter at the back of the house -- for he hadn't gone
+and the ladies in the hall.
+
+'They've got her!' thought Teddy, in comical dismay. 'No use for
+her to play housemaid since they've seen the portrait.'
+
+Mrs Jo did her best, and being a good actress, would have escaped
+if the fatal picture had not betrayed her. Mrs Parmalee paused at
+the desk, and regardless of the meerschaum that lay there, the
+man's slippers close by, and a pile of letters directed to 'Prof.
+
+F. Bhaer', she clasped her hands, exclaiming impressively: 'Girls,
+this is the spot where she wrote those sweet, those moral tales
+which have thrilled us to the soul! Could I -- ah, could I take one
+morsel of paper, an old pen, a postage stamp even, as a memento
+of this gifted woman?'
+
+'Yes'm, help yourselves,' replied the maid, moving away with a
+glance at the boy, whose eyes were now full of merriment he could
+not suppress.
+
+The oldest girl saw it, guessed the truth, and a quick look at the
+woman in the apron confirmed her suspicion. Touching her
+mother, she whispered: 'Ma, it's Mrs Bhaer herself. I know it is.'
+
+'No? yes? it is! Well, I do declare, how nice that is!' And hastily
+pursuing the unhappy woman, who was making for the door, Mrs
+Parmalee cried eagerly:
+
+'Don't mind us! I know you're busy, but just let me take your hand
+and then we'll go.'
+
+Giving herself up for lost, Mrs Jo turned and presented her hand
+like a tea-tray, submitting to have it heartily shaken, as the matron
+said, with somewhat alarming hospitality:
+
+'If ever you come to Oshkosh, your feet won't be allowed to touch
+the pavement; for you'll be borne in the arms of the populace, we
+shall be so dreadful glad to see you.'
+
+Mentally resolving never to visit that effusive town, Jo responded
+as cordially as she could; and having written her name in the
+albums, provided each visitor with a memento, and kissed them all
+round, they at last departed, to call on 'Longfeller, Holmes, and the
+rest' -- who were all out, it is devoutly to be hoped.
+
+'You villain, why didn't you give me a chance to whip away? Oh,
+my dear, what fibs you told that man! I hope we shall be forgiven
+our sins in this line, but I don't know what is to become of us if we
+don't dodge. So many against one isn't fair play.' And Mrs Jo hung
+up her apron in the hall closet, with a groan at the trials of her lot.
+
+'More people coming up the avenue! Better dodge while the coast
+is clear! I'll head them off!' cried Teddy, looking back from the
+steps, as he was departing to school.
+
+Mrs Jo flew upstairs, and having locked her door, calmly viewed a
+young ladies' seminary camp on the lawn, and being denied the
+house, proceed to enjoy themselves by picking the flowers, doing
+up their hair, eating lunch, and freely expressing their opinion of
+the place and its possessors before they went.
+
+A few hours of quiet followed, and she was just settling down to a
+long afternoon of hard work, when Rob came home to tell her that
+the Young Men's Christian Union would visit the college, and two
+or three of the fellows whom she knew wanted to pay their
+respects to her on the way.
+
+'It is going to rain, so they won't come, I dare say; but father
+thought you'd like to be ready, in case they do call. You always see
+the boys, you know, though you harden your heart to the poor
+girls,' said Rob, who had heard from his brother about the morning
+visitations.
+
+'Boys don't gush, so I can stand it. The last time I let in a party of
+girls one fell into my arms and said, "Darling, love me!" I wanted
+to shake her,' answered Mrs Jo, wiping her pen with energy.
+
+'You may be sure the fellows won't do it, but they will want
+autographs, so you'd better be prepared with a few dozen,' said
+Rob, laying out a quire of notepaper, being a hospitable youth and
+sympathizing with those who admired his mother.
+
+'They can't outdo the girls. At X College I really believe I wrote
+three hundred during the day I was there, and I left a pile of cards
+and albums on my table when I came away. It is one of the most
+absurd and tiresome manias that ever afflicted the world.'
+
+Nevertheless Mrs Jo wrote her name a dozen times, put on her
+black silk, and resigned herself to the impending call, praying for
+rain, however, as she returned to her work.
+
+The shower came, and feeling quite secure, she rumpled up her
+hair, took off her cuffs, and hurried to finish her chapter; for thirty
+pages a day was her task, and she liked to have it well done before
+evening. Josie had brought some flowers for the vases, and was
+just putting the last touches when she saw several umbrellas
+bobbing down the hill.
+
+'They are coming, Aunty! I see uncle hurrying across the field to
+receive them,' she called at the stair-foot.
+
+'Keep an eye on them, and let me know when they enter the
+avenue. It will take but a minute to tidy up and run down,'
+answered Mrs Jo, scribbling away for dear life, because serials
+wait for no man, not even the whole Christian Union en masse.
+
+'There are more than two or three. I see half a dozen at least,'
+called sister Ann from the hall door. 'No! a dozen, I do believe;
+Aunty, look out; they are all coming! What shall we do?' And Josie
+quailed at the idea of facing the black throng rapidly approaching.
+
+'Mercy on us, there are hundreds! Run and put a tub in the back
+entry for their umbrellas to drip into. Tell them to go down the hall
+and leave them, and pile their hats on the table; the tree won't hold
+them all. No use to get mats; my poor carpets!' And down went
+Mrs Jo to prepare for the invasion, while Josie and the maids flew
+about dismayed at the prospect of so many muddy boots.
+
+On they came, a long line of umbrellas, with splashed legs and
+flushed faces underneath; for the gentlemen had been having a
+good time all over the town, undisturbed by the rain. Professor
+Bhaer met them at the gate, and was making a little speech of
+welcome, when Mrs Jo, touched by their bedraggled state,
+appeared at the door, beckoning them in. Leaving their host to
+orate bareheaded in the wet, the young men hastened up the steps,
+merry, warm, and eager, clutching off their hats as they came, and
+struggling with their umbrellas, as the order was passed to march
+in and stack arms.
+
+Tramp, tramp, tramp, down the hall went seventy-five pairs of
+boots; soon seventy-five umbrellas dripped sociably in the
+hospitable tub, while their owners swarmed all over the lower part
+of the house; and seventy-five hearty hands were shaken by the
+hostess without a murmur, though some were wet, some very
+warm, and nearly all bore trophies of the day's ramble. One
+impetuous party flourished a small turtle as he made his
+compliments; another had a load of sticks cut from noted spots;
+and all begged for some memento of Plumfield. A pile of cards
+mysteriously appeared on the table, with a written request for
+autographs; and despite her morning vow, Mrs Jo wrote everyone,
+while her husband and boys did the honours of the house.
+
+Josie fled to the back parlour, but was discovered by exploring
+youths, and mortally insulted by one of them, who innocently
+inquired if she was Mrs Bhaer. The reception did not last long, and
+the end was better than the beginning; for the rain ceased, and a
+rainbow shone beautifully over them as the good fellows stood
+upon the lawn singing sweetly for a farewell. A happy omen, that
+bow of promise arched over the young heads, as if Heaven smiled
+upon their union, and showed them that above the muddy earth
+and rainy skies the blessed sun still shone for all. Three cheers, and
+then away they went, leaving a pleasant recollection of their visit
+to amuse the family as they scraped the mud off the carpets with
+shovels and emptied the tub half-full of water.
+
+'Nice, honest, hard-working fellows, and I don't begrudge my
+half-hour at all; but I must finish, so don't let anyone disturb me till
+tea-time,' said Mrs Jo, leaving Mary to shut up the house; for papa
+and the boys had gone off with the guests, and Josie had run home
+to tell her mother about the fun at Aunt Jo's.
+
+Peace reigned for an hour, then the bell rang and Mary came
+giggling up to say: 'A queer kind of a lady wants to know if she can
+catch a grasshopper in the garden.'
+
+'A what?' cried Mrs Jo, dropping her pen with a blot; for of all the
+odd requests ever made, this was the oddest.
+
+'A grasshopper, ma'am. I said you was busy, and asked what she
+wanted, and says she: "I've got grasshoppers from the grounds of
+several famous folks, and I want one from Plumfield to add to my
+collection." Did you ever?' And Mary giggled again at the idea.
+
+'Tell her to take all there are and welcome. I shall be glad to get rid
+of them; always bouncing in my face and getting in my dress,'
+laughed Mrs Jo.
+
+Mary retired, to return in a moment nearly speechless with
+merriment.
+
+'She's much obliged, ma'am, and she'd like an old gown or a pair of
+stockings of yours to put in a rug she's making. Got a vest of
+Emerson's, she says, and a
+
+pair of Mr. Holmes's trousers, and a dress of Mrs Stowe's. She must be
+crazy!'
+
+'Give her that old red shawl, then I shall make a gay show among
+the great ones in that astonishing rug. Yes, they are all lunatics,
+these lion-hunters; but this seems to be a harmless maniac, for she
+doesn't take my time, and gives me a good laugh,' said Mrs Jo,
+returning to her work after a glance from the window, which
+showed her a tall, thin lady in rusty black, skipping wildly to and
+fro on the lawn in pursuit of the lively insect she wanted.
+
+No more interruptions till the light began to fade, then Mary
+popped her head in to say a gentleman wished to see Mrs Bhaer,
+and wouldn't take no for an answer.
+
+'He must. I shall not go down. This has been an awful day, and I
+won't be disturbed again,' replied the harassed authoress, pausing
+in the midst of the grand finale of her chapter.
+
+'I told him so, ma'am; but he walked right in as bold as brass. I
+guess he's another crazy one, and I declare I'm 'most afraid of him,
+he's so big and black, and cool as cucumbers, though I will say he's
+good-looking,' added Mary, with a simper; for the stranger had
+evidently found favour in her sight despite his boldness.
+
+'My day has been ruined, and I will have this last half-hour to
+finish. Tell him to go away; I won't go down,' cried Mrs Jo,
+fiercely.
+
+Mary went; and listening, in spite of herself, her mistress heard
+first a murmur of voices, then a cry from Mary, and remembering
+the ways of reporters, also that her maid was both pretty and timid,
+Mrs Bhaer flung down her pen and went to the rescue. Descending
+with her most majestic air she demanded in an awe-inspiring
+voice, as she paused to survey the somewhat brigandish intruder,
+who seemed to be storming the staircase which Mary was gallantly
+defending:
+
+'Who is this person who insists on remaining when I have declined
+to see him?'
+
+'I'm sure I don't know, ma'am. He won't give no name, and says
+you'll be sorry if you don't see him,' answered Mary, retiring
+flushed and indignant from her post.
+
+'Won't you be sorry?' asked the stranger, looking up with a pair of
+black eyes full of laughter, the flash of white teeth through a long
+beard, and both hands out as he boldly approached the irate lady.
+
+Mrs Jo gave one keen look, for the voice was familiar; then
+completed Mary's bewilderment by throwing both arms round the
+brigand's neck, exclaiming joyfully: 'My dearest boy, where did
+you come from?'
+
+'California, on purpose to see you, Mother Bhaer. Now won't you
+be sorry if I go away?' answered Dan, with a hearty kiss.
+
+'To think of my ordering you out of the house when I've been
+longing to see you for a year,' laughed Mrs Jo, and she went down
+to have a good talk with her returned wanderer, who enjoyed the
+joke immensely.
+
+
+Chapter 4 DAN
+
+Mrs Jo often thought that Dan had Indian blood in him, not only
+because of his love of a wild, wandering life, but his appearance;
+for as he grew up, this became more striking. At twenty-five he
+was very tall, with sinewy limbs, a keen, dark face, and the alert
+look of one whose senses were all alive; rough in manner, full of
+energy, quick with word and blow, eyes full of the old fire, always
+watchful as if used to keep guard, and a general air of vigour and
+freshness very charming to those who knew the dangers and
+delights of his adventurous life. He was looking his best as he sat
+talking with 'Mother Bhaer', one strong brown hand in hers, and a
+world of affection in his voice as he said:
+
+'Forget old friends! How could I forget the only home I ever knew?
+Why, I was in such a hurry to come and tell my good luck that I
+didn't stop to fix up, you see; though I knew you'd think I looked
+more like a wild buffalo than ever,' with a shake of his shaggy
+black head, a tug at his beard, and a laugh that made the room ring.
+
+'I like it; I always had a fancy for banditti--and you look just like
+one. Mary, being a newcomer, was frightened at your looks and
+manners. Josie won't know you, but Ted will recognize his Danny
+in spite of the big beard and flowing mane. They will all be here
+soon to welcome you; so before they come tell me more about
+yourself. Why, Dan, dear! it's nearly two years since you were
+here! Has it gone well with you?' asked Mrs Jo, who had been
+listening with maternal interest to his account of life in California,
+and the unexpected success of a small investment he had made.
+
+'First-rate! I don't care for the money, you know. I only want a
+trifle to pay my way--rather earn as I go, and not be bothered with
+the care of a lot. It's the fun of the thing coming to me, and my
+being able to give away, that I like. No use to lay up; I shan't live
+to be old and need it,--my sort never do,' said Dan, looking as if his
+little fortune rather oppressed him.
+
+'But if you marry and settle somewhere, as I hope you will, you
+must have something to begin with, my son. So be prudent and
+invest your money; don't give it away, for rainy days come to all of
+us, and dependence would be very hard for you to bear,' answered
+Mrs Jo with a sage air, though she liked to see that the
+money-making fever had not seized her lucky boy yet.
+
+Dan shook his head, and glanced about the room as if he already
+found it rather confined and longed for all out-of-doors again.
+
+'Who would marry a jack-o'-lantern like me? Women like a
+steady-going man; I shall never be that.'
+
+'My dear boy, when I was a girl I liked just such adventurous
+fellows as you are. Anything fresh and daring, free and romantic, is
+always attractive to us womenfolk. Don't be discouraged; you'll
+find an anchor some day, and be content to take shorter voyages
+and bring home a good cargo.'
+
+'What should you say if I brought you an Indian squaw some day?'
+asked Dan, with a glimmer of mischief in the eyes that rested on a
+marble bust of Galatea gleaming white and lovely in the corner.
+
+'Welcome her heartily, if she was a good one. Is there a prospect of
+it?' and Mrs Jo peered at him with the interest which even literary
+ladies take in love affairs.
+
+'Not at present, thank you. I'm too busy "to gallivant", as Ted calls
+it. How is the boy?' asked Dan, skilfully turning the conversation,
+as if he had had enough of sentiment.
+
+Mrs Jo was off at once, and expatiated upon the talents and virtues
+of her sons till they came bursting in and fell upon Dan like two
+affectionate young bears, finding a vent for their joyful emotions
+in a sort of friendly wrestling-match; in which both got worsted, of
+course, for the hunter soon settled them. The Professor followed,
+and tongues went like mill-clappers while Mary lighted up and
+cook devoted herself to an unusually good supper, instinctively
+divining that this guest was a welcome one.
+
+After tea Dan was walking up and down the long rooms as he
+talked, with occasional trips into the hall for a fresher breath of air,
+his lungs seeming to need more than those of civilized people. In
+one of these trips he saw a white figure framed in the dark
+doorway, and paused to look at it. Bess paused also, not
+recognizing her old friend, and quite unconscious of the pretty
+picture she made standing, tall and slender, against the soft gloom
+of the summer night, with her golden hair like a halo round her
+head, and the ends of a white shawl blown out like wings by the
+cool wind sweeping through the hail. 'Is it Dan?' she asked, coming
+in with a gracious smile and outstretched hand.
+
+'Looks like it; but I didn't know you, Princess. I thought it was a
+spirit,' answered Dan, looking down at her with a curious softness
+and wonder in his face.
+
+'I've grown very much, but two years have changed you entirely';
+and Bess looked up with girlish pleasure at the picturesque figure
+before her--for it was a decided contrast to the well-dressed people
+about her.
+
+Before they could say more, Josie rushed in, and, forgetfull of the
+newly acquired dignity of her teens, let Dan catch her up and kiss
+her like a child. Not till he set her down did he discover she also
+was changed, and exclaimed in comic dismay:
+
+'Hallo! Why, you are growing up too! What am I going to do, with
+no young one to play with? Here's Ted going it like a beanstalk,
+and Bess a young lady, and even you, my mustard-seed, letting
+down your frocks and putting on airs.'
+
+The girls laughed, and Josie blushed as she stared at the tall man,
+conscious that she had leaped before she looked. They made a
+pretty contrast, these two young cousins--one as fair as a lily, the
+other a little wild rose. And Dan gave a nod of satisfaction as he
+surveyed them; for he had seen many bonny girls in his travels, and
+was glad that these old friends were blooming so beautifully.
+
+'Here! we can't allow any monopoly of Dan!' called Mrs Jo. 'Bring
+him back and keep an eye on him, or he will be slipping off for
+another little run of a year or two before we have half seen him.'
+
+Led by these agreeable captors, Dan returned to the parlour to 
+receive a scolding from Josie for getting ahead of all the
+other boys and looking like a man first.
+
+'Emil is older; but he's only a boy, and dances jigs and sings sailor
+songs just as he used to. You look about thirty, and as big and
+black as a villain in a play. Oh, I've got a splendid idea! You are
+just the thing for Arbaces in The Last Days of Pompeii. We want
+to act it; have the lion and the gladiators and the eruption. Tom
+and Ted are going to shower bushels of ashes down and roll barrels
+of stones about. We wanted a dark man for the Egyptian; and you
+will be gorgeous in red and white shawls. Won't he, Aunt Jo?'
+
+This deluge of words made Dan clap his hands over his ears; and
+before Mrs Bhaer could answer her impetuous niece the
+Laurences, with Meg and her family, arrived, soon followed by
+Tom and Nan, and all sat down to listen to Dan's adventures--told
+in brief yet effective manner, as the varying expressions of interest,
+wonder, merriment, and suspense painted on the circle of faces
+round him plainly showed. The boys all wanted to start at once for
+California and make fortunes; the girls could hardly wait for the
+curious and pretty things he had picked up for them in his travels;
+while the elders rejoiced heartily over the energy and good
+prospects of their wild boy.
+
+'Of course you will want to go back for another stroke of luck; and
+I hope you will have it. But speculation is a dangerous game, and
+you may lose all you've won,' said Mr Laurie, who had enjoyed the
+stirring tale as much as any of the boys, and would have liked to
+rough it with Dan as well as they.
+
+'I've had enough of it, for a while at least; too much like gambling.
+The excitement is all I care for, and it isn't good for me. I have a
+notion to try farming out West. It's grand on a large scale; and I
+feel as if steady work would be rather jolly after loafing round so
+long. I can make a beginning, and you can send me your black
+sheep to stock my place with. I tried sheep-farming in Australia,
+and know something about black ones, any way.'
+
+A laugh chased away the sober look in Dan's face as he ended; and
+those who knew him best guessed that he had learned a lesson
+there in San Francisco, and dared not try again.
+
+'That is a capital idea, Dan!' cried Mrs Jo, seeing great hope in this
+desire to fix himself somewhere and help others. 'We shall know
+where you are, and can go and see you, and not have half the world
+between us. I'll send my Ted for a visit. He's such a restless spirit,
+it would do him good. With you he would be safe while he worked
+off his surplus energies and learned a wholesome business.'
+
+'I'll use the "shubble and de hoe" like a good one, if I get a chance
+out there; but the Speranza mines sound rather jollier,' said Ted,
+examining the samples of ore Dan had brought for the Professor.
+
+'You go and start a new town, and when we are ready to swarm we
+will come out and settle there. You will want a newspaper very
+soon, and I like the idea of running one myself much better than
+grinding away as I do now,' observed Demi, panting to distinguish
+himself in the journalistic line.
+
+'We could easily plant a new college there. These sturdy
+Westerners are hungry for learning, and very quick to see and
+choose the best,' added ever-young Mr March, beholding with his
+prophetic eye many duplicates of their own flourishing
+establishment springing up in the wide West.
+
+'Go on, Dan. It is a fine plan, and we will back you up. I shouldn't
+mind investing in a few prairies and cowboys myself,' said Mr
+Laurie, always ready to help the lads to help themselves, both by
+his cheery words and ever-open purse.
+
+'A little money sort of ballasts a fellow, and investing it in land
+anchors him--for a while, at least. I'd like to see what I can do, but
+I thought I'd consult you before I decided. Have my doubts about it
+suiting me for many years; but I can cut loose when I'm tired,'
+answered Dan, both touched and pleased at the eager interest of
+these friends in his plans.
+
+'I know you won't like it. After having the whole world to roam
+over, one farm will seem dreadfully small and stupid,' said Josie,
+who much preferred the romance of the wandering life which
+brought her thrilling tales and pretty things at each return.
+
+'Is there any art out there?' asked Bess, thinking what a good study
+in black and white Dan would make as he stood talking, half
+turned from the light.
+
+'Plenty of nature, dear; and that is better. You will find splendid
+animals to model, and scenery such as you never saw in Europe to
+paint. Even prosaic pumpkins are grand out there. You can play
+Cinderella in one of them, Josie, when you open your theatre in
+Dansville,' said Mr Laurie, anxious that no cold water should be
+thrown on the new plan.
+
+Stage-struck Josie was caught at once, and being promised all the
+tragic parts on the yet unbuilt stage, she felt a deep interest in the
+project and begged Dan to lose no time in beginning his
+experiment. Bess also confessed that studies from nature would be
+good for her, and wild scenery improve her taste, which might
+grow over-nice if only the delicate and beautiful were set before
+her.
+
+'I speak for the practice of the new town,' said Nan, always eager
+for fresh enterprises. 'I shall be ready by the time you get well
+started--towns grow so fast out there.'
+
+'Dan isn't going to allow any woman under forty in his place. He
+doesn't like them, 'specially young and pretty ones,' put in Tom,
+who was raging with jealousy, because he read admiration for Nan
+in Dan's eyes.
+
+'That won't affect me, because doctors are exceptions to all rules.
+There won't be much sickness in Dansville, everyone will lead
+such active, wholesome lives, and only energetic young people
+will go there. But accidents will be frequent, owing to wild cattle,
+fast riding, Indian scrimmages, and the recklessness of Western
+life. That will just suit me. I long for broken bones, surgery is so
+interesting and I get so little here,' answered Nan, yearning to put
+out her shingle and begin.
+
+'I'll have you, Doctor, and be glad of such a good sample of what
+we can do in the East. Peg away, and I'll send for you as soon as I
+have a roof to cover you. I'll scalp a few red fellows or smash up a
+dozen or so of cowboys for your special benefit,' laughed Dan,
+well pleased with the energy and fine physique which made Nan a
+conspicuous figure among other girls.
+
+'Thanks. I'll come. Would you just let me feel your arm? Splendid
+biceps! Now, boys, see here: this is what I call muscle.' And Nan
+delivered a short lecture with Dan's sinewy arm to illustrate it.
+Tom retired to the alcove and glowered at the stars, while he
+swung his own right arm with a vigour suggestive of knocking
+someone down.
+
+'Make Tom sexton; he'll enjoy burying the patients Nan kills. He's
+trying to get up the glum expression proper to the business. Don't
+forget him, Dan,' said Ted, directing attention to the blighted being
+in the corner.
+
+But Tom never sulked long, and came out from his brief eclipse
+with the cheerful proposition:
+
+'Look here, we'll get the city to ship out to Dansville all the cases
+of yellow fever, smallpox, and cholera that arrive; then Nan will
+be happy and her mistakes won't matter much with emigrants and
+convicts.'
+
+'I should advise settling near Jacksonville, or some such city, that
+you might enjoy the society of cultivated persons. The Plato Club
+is there, and a most ardent thirst for philosophy. Everything from
+the East is welcomed hospitably, and new enterprises would
+flourish in such kindly soil,' observed Mr March, mildly offering a
+suggestion, as he sat among the elders enjoying the lively scene.
+
+The idea of Dan studying Plato was very funny; but no one except
+naughty Ted smiled, and Dan made haste to unfold another plan
+seething in that active brain of his.
+
+'I'm not sure the farming will succeed, and have a strong leaning
+towards my old friends the Montana Indians. They are a peaceful
+tribe, and need help awfully; hundreds have died of starvation
+because they don't get their share. The Sioux are fighters, thirty
+thousand strong, so Government fears 'em, and gives 'em all they
+want. I call that a damned shame!' Dan stopped short as the oath
+slipped out, but his eyes flashed, and he went on quickly: 'It is just
+that, and I won't beg pardon. If I'd had any money when I was there
+I'd have given every cent to those poor devils, cheated out of
+everything, and waiting patiently, after being driven from their
+own land to places where nothing will grow. Now, honest agents
+could do much, and I've a feeling that I ought to go and lend a
+hand. I know their lingo, and I like 'em. I've got a few thousands,
+and I ain't sure I have any right to spend it on myself and settle
+down to enjoy it. Hey?'
+
+Dan looked very manly and earnest as he faced his friends, flushed
+and excited by the energy of his words; and all felt that little thrill
+of sympathy which links hearts together by the tie of pity for the
+wronged.
+
+'Do it, do it!' cried Mrs Jo, fired at once; for misfortune was much
+more interesting to her than good luck.
+
+'Do it, do it!' echoed Ted, applauding as if at a play, 'and take me
+along to help. I'm just raging to get among those fine fellows and
+hunt.'
+
+'Let us hear more and see if it is wise,' said Mr Laurie, privately
+resolving to people his as yet unbought prairies with Montana
+Indians, and increase his donations to the society that sent
+missionaries to this much wronged people.
+
+Dan plunged at once into the history of what he saw among the
+Dakotas, and other tribes in the Northwest, telling of their wrongs,
+patience, and courage as if they were his brothers.
+
+'They called me Dan Fire Cloud, because my rifle was the best
+they ever saw. And Black Hawk was as good a friend as a fellow
+would want; saved my life more than once, and taught me just
+what will be useful if I go back. They are down on their luck, now,
+and I'd like to pay my debts.'
+
+By this time everyone was interested, and Dansville began to lose
+its charm. But prudent Mr Bhaer suggested that one honest agent
+among many could not do much, and noble as the effort would be,
+it was wiser to think over the matter carefully, get influence and
+authority from the right quarters, and meantime look at lands
+before deciding.
+
+'Well, I will. I'm going to take a run to Kansas and see how that
+promises. Met a fellow in 'Frisco who'd been there, and he spoke
+well of it. The fact is, there's so much to be done every where that I
+don't know where to catch on, and half wish I hadn't any money,'
+answered Dan, knitting his brows in the perplexity all kind souls
+feel when anxious to help at the great task of the world's charity.
+
+'I'll keep it for you till you decide. You are such an impetuous lad
+you'll give it to the first beggar that gets hold of you. I'll turn it
+over while you are prospecting, and hand it back when you are
+ready to invest, shall I?' asked Mr Laurie, who had learned wisdom
+since the days of his own extravagant youth.
+
+'Thanky, sir, I'd be glad to get rid of it. You just hold on till I say
+the word; and if anything happens to me this time, keep it to help
+some other scamp as you helped me. This is my will, and you all
+witness it. Now I feel better.' And Dan squared his shoulders as if
+relieved of a burden, after handing over the belt in which he
+carried his little fortune.
+
+No one dreamed how much was to happen before Dan came to
+take his money back, nor how nearly that act was his last will and
+testament; and while Mr Laurie was explaining how he would
+invest it, a cheery voice was heard singing:
+
+'Oh, Peggy was a jolly lass,
+
+Ye heave ho, boys, ye heave ho!
+
+She never grudged her Jack a glass,
+
+Ye heave ho, boys, ye heave ho!
+
+And when he sailed the raging main,
+
+She faithful was unto her swain,
+
+Ye heave ho, boys, ye heave ho!'
+
+Emil always announced his arrival in that fashion, and in a
+moment he came hurrying in with Nat, who had been giving
+lessons in town all day. It was good to see the latter beam at his
+friend as he nearly shook his hand off; better still to see how Dan
+gratefully remembered all he owed Nat, and tried to pay the debt
+in his rough way; and best of all to hear the two travellers compare
+notes and reel off yarns to dazzle the land-lubbers and
+home-keepers.
+
+After this addition the house would not contain the gay youngsters,
+so they migrated to the piazza and settled on the steps, like a flock
+of night-loving birds. Mr March and the Professor retired to the
+study, Meg and Amy went to look after the little refection of fruit
+and cake which was to come, and Mrs Jo and Mr Laurie sat in the
+long window listening to the chat that went on outside.
+
+'There they are, the flower of our flock!' she said, pointing to the
+group before them. 'The others are dead or scattered, but these
+seven boys and four girls are my especial comfort and pride.
+Counting Alice Heath, my dozen is made up, and my hands are full
+trying to guide these young lives as far as human skill can do it.'
+
+'When we remember how different they are, from what some of
+them came, and the home influences about others, I think we may
+feel pretty well satisfied so far,' answered Mr Laurie soberly, as his
+eyes rested on one bright head among the black and brown ones,
+for the young moon shone alike on all.
+
+'I don't worry about the girls; Meg sees to them, and is so wise and
+patient and tender they can't help doing well; but my boys are more
+care every year, and seem to drift farther away from me each time
+they go,' sighed Mrs Jo. 'They will grow up, and I can only hold
+them by one little thread, which may snap at any time, as it has
+with Jack and Ned. Dolly and George still like to come back, and I
+can say my word to them; and dear old Franz is too true ever to
+forget his own. But the three who are soon going out into the world
+again I can't help worrying about. Emil's good heart will keep him
+straight, I hope, and
+
+'"A sweet little cherub sits up aloft,
+To look out for the life of poor Jack."'
+
+Nat is to make his first flight, and he's weak in spite of your
+strengthening influence; and Dan is still untamed. I fear it will take
+some hard lesson to do that.'
+
+'He's a fine fellow, Jo, and I almost regret this farming project. A
+little polish would make a gentleman of him, and who knows what
+he might become here among us,' answered Mr Laurie, leaning
+over Mrs Bhaer's chair, just as he used to do years ago when they
+had mischievous secrets together. 
+
+'It wouldn't be safe, Teddy. Work and the free life he loves will 
+make a good man of him, and that is better than any amount of polish,
+with the dangers an easy life in a city would bring him. We can't 
+change his nature--only help it to develop in the right direction. 
+The old impulses are there, and must be controlled, or he will go 
+wrong. I see that; but his love for us is a safeguard, and we must 
+keep a hold on him till he is older or has a stronger tie to help him.'
+
+Mrs Jo spoke earnestly, for, knowing Dan better than anyone else,
+she saw that her colt was not thoroughly broken yet, and feared
+while she hoped, knowing that life would always be hard for one
+like him. She was sure that before he went away again, in some
+quiet moment he would give her a glimpse of his inner self, and
+then she could say the word of warning or encouragement that he
+needed. So she bided her time, studying him meanwhile, glad to
+see all that was promising, and quick to detect the harm the world
+was doing him. She was very anxious to make a success of her
+'firebrand' because others predicted failure; but having learned that
+people cannot be moulded like clay, she contented herself with the
+hope that this neglected boy might become a good man, and asked
+no more. Even that was much to expect, so full was he of wayward
+impulses, strong passions, and the lawless nature born in him.
+Nothing held him but the one affection of his life--the memory of
+Plumfield, the fear of disappointing these faithful friends, the
+pride, stronger than principle, that made him want to keep the
+regard of the mates who always had admired and loved him in
+spite of all his faults.
+
+'Don't fret, old dear; Emil is one of the happy-go-lucky sort who
+always fall on their legs. I'll see to Nat, and Dan is in a good way
+now. Let him take a look at Kansas, and if the farm plan loses its
+charm, he can fall back on poor Lo, and really do good out there.
+He's unusually fitted for that peculiar task and I hope he'll decide
+to do it. Fighting oppressors, and befriending the oppressed will
+keep those dangerous energies of his busy, and the life will suit
+him better than sheep-folds and wheat-fields.'
+
+'I hope so. What is that?' and Mrs Jo leaned forward to listen, as
+exclamations from Ted and Josie caught her ear.
+
+'A mustang! a real, live one; and we can ride it. Dan, you are a
+first-class trump!' cried the boy.
+
+'A whole Indian dress for me! Now I can play Namioka, if the boys
+act Metamora,' added Josie, clapping her hands.
+
+'A buffalo's head for Bess! Good gracious, Dan, why did you bring
+such a horrid thing as that to her?' asked Nan.
+
+'Thought it would do her good to model something strong and
+natural. She'll never amount to anything if she keeps on making
+namby-pamby gods and pet kittens,' answered irreverent Dan,
+remembering that when he was last here Bess was vibrating
+distractedly between a head of Apollo and her Persian cat as
+models.
+
+'Thank you; I'll try it, and if I fail we can put the buffalo up in the
+hall to remind us of you,' said Bess, indignant at the insult offered
+the gods of her idolatry, but too well bred to show it except in her
+voice, which was as sweet and as cold as ice-cream.
+
+'I suppose you won't come out to see our new settlement when the
+rest do? Too rough for you?' asked Dan, trying to assume the
+deferential air all the boys used when addressing their Princess.
+
+'I am going to Rome to study for years. All the beauty and art of
+the world is there, and a lifetime isn't long enough to enjoy it,'
+answered Bess.
+
+'Rome is a mouldy old tomb compared to the "Garden of the gods"
+and my magnificent Rockies. I don't care a hang for art; nature is
+as much as I can stand, and I guess I could show you things that
+would knock your old masters higher than kites. Better come, and
+while Josie rides the horses you can model 'em. If a drove of a
+hundred or so of wild ones can't show you beauty, I'll give up,'
+cried Dan, waxing enthusiastic over the wild grace and vigour
+which he could enjoy but had no power to describe.
+
+'I'll come some day with papa, and see if they are better than the
+horses of St Mark and those on Capitol Hill. Please don't abuse my
+gods, and I will try to like yours,' said Bess, beginning to think the
+West might be worth seeing, though no Raphael or Angelo had yet
+appeared there.
+
+'That's a bargain! I do think people ought to see their own country
+before they go scooting off to foreign parts, as if the new world
+wasn't worth discovering,' began Dan, ready to bury the hatchet.
+
+'It has some advantages, but not all. The women of England can
+vote, and we can't. I'm ashamed of America that she isn't ahead in
+all good things,' cried Nan, who held advanced views on all
+reforms, and was anxious about her rights, having had to fight for
+some of them.
+
+'Oh, please don't begin on that. People always quarrel over that 
+question, and call names, and never agree. Do let us
+be quiet and happy tonight,' pleaded Daisy, who hated discussion
+as much as Nan loved it.
+
+'You shall vote as much as you like in our new town, Nan; be
+mayor and aldermen, and run the whole concern. It's going to be as
+free as air, or I can't live in it,' said Dan, adding, with a laugh, 'I see
+Mrs Giddygaddy and Mrs Shakespeare Smith don't agree any
+better than they used to.'
+
+'If everyone agreed, we should never get on. Daisy is a dear, but
+inclined to be an old fogy; so I stir her up; and next fall she will go
+and vote with me. Demi will escort us to do the one thing we are
+allowed to do as yet.'
+
+'Will you take 'em, Deacon?' asked Dan, using the old name as if
+he liked it. 'It works capitally in Wyoming.'
+
+'I shall be proud to do it. Mother and the aunts go every year, and
+Daisy will come with me. She is my better half still; and I don't
+mean to leave her behind in anything,' said Demi, with an arm
+round his sister of whom he was fonder than ever.
+
+Dan looked at them wistfully, thinking how sweet it must be to
+have such a tie; and his lonely youth seemed sadder than ever as he
+recalled its struggles. A gusty sigh from Tom made sentiment
+impossible, as he said pensively:
+
+'I always wanted to be a twin. It's so sociable and so cosy to have
+someone glad to lean on a fellow and comfort him, if other girls
+are cruel.'
+
+As Tom's unrequited passion was the standing joke of the family,
+this allusion produced a laugh, which Nan increased by whipping
+out a bottle of Nux, saying, with her professional air:
+
+'I knew you ate too much lobster for tea. Take four pellets, and
+your dyspepsia will be all right. Tom always sighs and is silly
+when he's overeaten.'
+
+'I'll take 'em. These are the only sweet things you ever give me.'
+And Tom gloomily crunched his dose.
+
+'"Who can minister to a mind diseased, or pluck out a rooted
+sorrow?" quoted Josie tragically from her perch on the railing.
+
+'Come with me, Tommy, and I'll make a man of you. Drop your
+pills and powders, and cavort round the world a spell, and you'll
+soon forget you've got a heart, or a stomach either,' said Dan,
+offering his one panacea for all ills.
+
+'Ship with me, Tom. A good fit of seasickness will set you up, and
+a stiff north-easter blow your blue-devils away. Come along as
+surgeon--easy berth, and no end of larks.'
+
+'"And if your Nancy frowns, my lad,
+And scorns a jacket blue,
+Just hoist your sails for other ports,
+And find a maid more true."'   
+
+added Emil, who had a fragment of song to cheer
+
+every care and sorrow, and freely offered them to his friends.
+
+'Perhaps I'll think of it when I've got my diploma. I'm not going to
+grind three mortal years and have nothing to show for it. Till then,--'
+
+'I'll never desert Mrs Micawber,' interrupted Teddy, with a gurgling
+sob. Tom immediately rolled him off the step into the wet grass
+below; and by the time this slight skirmish was over, the jingle of
+teaspoons suggested refreshments of a more agreeable sort. In
+former times the little girls waited on the boys, to save confusion;
+now the young men flew to serve the ladies, young and old; and
+that slight fact showed plainly how the tables were turned by time.
+And what a pleasant arrangement it was! Even Josie sat still, and
+let Emil bring her berries; enjoying her young lady-hood, till Ted
+stole her cake, when she forgot manners, and chastised him with a
+rap on the knuckles. As guest of honour, Dan was only allowed to
+wait on Bess, who still held the highest place in this small world.
+Tom carefully selected the best of everything for Nan, to be
+crushed by the remark:
+
+'I never eat at this hour; and you will have a nightmare if you do.'
+
+So, dutifully curbing the pangs of hunger, he gave the plate to
+Daisy, and chewed rose-leaves for his supper.
+
+When a surprising quantity of wholesome nourishment had been
+consumed, someone said, 'Let's sing!' and a tuneful hour followed.
+Nat fiddled, Demi piped, Dan strummed the old banjo, and Emil
+warbled a doleful ballad about the wreck of the Bounding Betsey;
+then everybody joined in the old songs till there was very
+decidedly 'music in the air'; and passers-by said, as they listened
+smiling: 'Old Plum is gay tonight!'
+
+When all had gone Dan lingered on the piazza, enjoying the balmy
+wind that blew up from the hayfields, and brought the breath of
+flowers from Parnassus; and as he leaned there romantically in the moonlight, Mrs Jo
+came to shut the door.
+
+'Dreaming dreams, Dan?' she asked, thinking the tender moment
+might have come. Imagine the shock when, instead of some
+interesting confidence or affectionate word, Dan swung round,
+saying bluntly:
+
+'I was wishing I could smoke.'
+
+Mrs Jo laughed at the downfall of her hopes, and answered kindly:
+
+'You may, in your room; but don't set the house afire.'
+
+Perhaps Dan saw a little disappointment in her face, or the
+memory of the sequel of that boyish frolic touched his heart; for he
+stooped and kissed her, saying in a whisper: 'Good night, mother.'
+And Mrs Jo was half satisfied.
+
+Chapter 5 VACATION
+
+Everyone was glad of a holiday next morning, and all lingered over
+the breakfast-table, till Mrs Jo suddenly exclaimed:
+
+'Why, there's a dog!' And on the threshold of the door appeared a
+great deer-hound, standing motionless, with his eyes fixed on Dan.
+
+'Hallo, old boy! Couldn't you wait till I came for you? Have you cut
+away on the sly? Own up now, and take your whipping like a man,'
+said Dan, rising to meet the dog, who reared on his hind legs to
+look his master in the face and bark as if uttering an indignant
+denial of any disobedience.
+
+'All right; Don never lies.' And Dan gave the tall beast a hug,
+adding as he glanced out of the window, where a man and horse
+were seen approaching:
+
+'I left my plunder at the hotel over night, not knowing how I should
+find you. Come out and see Octoo, my mustang; she's a beauty.'
+And Dan was off, with the family streaming after him, to welcome
+the newcomer.
+
+They found her preparing to go up the steps in her eagerness to
+reach her master, to the great dismay of the man, who was holding
+her back.
+
+'Let her come,' called Dan; 'she climbs like a cat and jumps like a
+deer. Well, my girl, do you want a gallop?' he asked, as the pretty
+creature clattered up to him and whinnied with pleasure as he
+rubbed her nose and slapped her glossy flank.
+
+'That's what I call a horse worth having,' said Ted, full of
+admiration and delight; for he was to have the care of her during
+Dan's absence.
+
+'What intelligent eyes! She looks as if she would speak,' said Mrs
+Jo.
+
+'She talks like a human in her way. Very little that she don't know.
+Hey, old Lass?' and Dan laid his cheek to hers as if the little black
+mare was very dear to him.
+
+'What does "Octoo" mean?' asked Rob.
+
+'Lightning; she deserves it, as you'll see. Black Hawk gave her to
+me for my rifle, and we've had high times together out yonder.
+She's saved my life more than once. Do you see that scar?'
+
+Dan pointed to a small one, half hidden by the long mane; and
+standing with his arm about Octoo's neck, he told the story of it.
+
+'Black Hawk and I were after buffalo one time, but didn't find 'em
+as soon as we expected; so our food gave out, and there we were a
+hundred miles from Red Deer River, where our camp was. I
+thought we were done for, but my brave pal says: "Now I'll show
+you how we can live till we find the herds." We were unsaddling
+for the night by a little pond; there wasn't a living creature in sight
+anywhere, not even a bird, and we could see for miles over the
+prairies. What do you think we did?' And Dan looked into the faces
+round him.
+
+'Ate worms like the Australian fellows,' said Rob. 'Boiled grass or
+leaves,' added Mrs Jo.
+
+'Perhaps filled the stomach with clay, as we read of savages doing?'
+suggested Mr Bhaer.
+
+'Killed one of the horses,' cried Ted, eager for bloodshed of some
+sort.
+
+'No; but we bled one of them. See, just here; filled a tin cup, put
+some wild sage leaves in it, with water, and heated it over a fire of
+sticks. It was good, and we slept well.'
+
+'I guess Octoo didn't.' And Josie patted the animal, with a face full
+of sympathy.
+
+'Never minded it a bit. Black Hawk said we could live on the
+horses several days and still travel before they felt it. But by
+another morning we found the buffalo, and I shot the one whose
+head is in my box, ready to hang up and scare brats into fits. He's a
+fierce old fellow, you bet.'
+
+'What is this strap for?' asked Ted, who was busily examining the
+Indian saddle, the single rein and snaffle, with lariat, and round the
+neck the leather band he spoke of.
+
+'We hold on to that when we lie along the horse's flank farthest
+from the enemy, and fire under the neck as we gallop round and
+round. I'll show you.' And springing into the saddle, Dan was off
+down the steps, tearing over the lawn at a great pace, sometimes
+on Octoo's back, sometimes half hidden as he hung by stirrup and
+strap, and sometimes off altogether, running beside her as she
+loped along, enjoying the fun immensely; while Don raced after, in
+a canine rapture at being free again and with his mates.
+
+It was a fine sight--the three wild things at play, so full of vigour,
+grace, and freedom, that for the moment the smooth lawn seemed
+a prairie; and the spectators felt as if this glimpse of another life
+made their own seem rather tame and colourless.
+
+'This is better than a circus!' cried Mrs Jo, wishing she were a girl
+again, that she might take a gallop on this chained lightning of a
+horse. 'I foresee that Nan will have her hands full setting bones, for
+Ted will break every one of his trying to rival Dan.'
+
+'A few falls will not harm, and this new care and pleasure will be
+good for him in all ways. But I fear Dan will never follow a plough
+after riding a Pegasus like that,' answered Mr Bhaer, as the black
+mare leaped the gate and came flying up the avenue, to stop at a
+word and stand quivering with excitement, while Dan swung
+himself off and looked up for applause.
+
+He received plenty of it, and seemed more pleased for his pet's
+sake than for his own. Ted clamoured for a lesson at once, and was
+soon at ease in the queer saddle, finding Octoo gentle as a lamb, as
+he trotted away to show off at college. Bess came hastening down
+the hill, having seen the race from afar; and all collected on the
+piazza while Dan 'yanked' the cover off the big box the express had
+'dumped' before the door--to borrow his own words.
+
+Dan usually travelled in light marching order, and hated to have
+more luggage than he could carry in his well-worn valise. But now
+that he had a little money of his own, he had cumbered himself
+with a collection of trophies won by his bow and spear, and
+brought them home to bestow upon his friends.
+
+'We shall be devoured with moths,' thought Mrs Jo, as the shaggy
+head appeared, followed by a wolf-skin rug for her feet, a
+bear-skin ditto for the Professor's study, and Indian garments
+bedecked with foxes' tails for the boys.
+
+All nice and warm for a July day, but received with delight
+nevertheless. Ted and Josie immediately 'dressed up', learned the
+war-whoop, and proceeded to astonish their friends by a series of
+skirmishes about the house and grounds, with tomahawks and
+bows and arrows, till weariness produced a lull.
+
+Gay birds' wings, plumy pampas grass, strings of wampum, and
+pretty work in beads, bark, and feathers, pleased the girls.
+Minerals, arrow-heads, and crude sketches interested the
+Professor; and when the box was empty, Dan gave Mr Laurie, as
+his gift, several plaintive Indian songs written on birch-bark.
+
+'We only want a tent over us to be quite perfect. I feel as if I ought
+to give you parched corn and dried meat for dinner, my braves.
+Nobody will want lamb and green peas after this splendid
+pow-wow,' said Mrs Jo, surveying the picturesque confusion of the
+long hall, where people lay about on the rugs, all more or less
+bedecked with feathers, moccasins, or beads.
+
+'Moose noses, buffalo tongues, bear steaks, and roasted
+marrow-bones would be the thing, but I don't mind a change; so
+bring on your baa-baa and green meat,' answered Dan from the
+box, where he sat in state like a chief among his tribe, with the
+great hound at his feet.
+
+The girls began to clear up, but made little headway; for
+everything they touched had a story, and all were thrilling,
+comical, or wild; so they found it hard to settle to their work, till
+Dan was carried off by Mr Laurie.
+
+This was the beginning of the summer holiday, and it was curious
+to see what a pleasant little stir Dan's and Emil's coming made in
+the quiet life of the studious community; for they seemed to bring
+a fresh breeze with them that enlivened everyone. Many of the
+collegians remained during vacation; and Plumfield and Parnassus
+did their best to make these days pleasant for them, since most
+came from distant States, were poor, and had few opportunities but
+this for culture or amusement. Emil was hail-fellow-well-met with
+men and maids, and went rollicking about in true sailor fashion;
+but Dan stood rather in awe of the 'fair girl-graduates', and was
+silent when among them, eyeing them as an eagle might a flock of
+doves. He got on better with the young men, and was their hero at
+once. Their admiration for his manly accomplishments did him
+good; because he felt his educational defects keenly, and often
+wondered if he could find anything in books to satisfy him as
+thoroughly as did the lessons he was learning from Nature's
+splendidly illustrated volume. In spite of his silence, the girls
+found out his good qualities, and regarded 'the Spaniard', as they
+named him, with great favour; for his black eyes were more
+eloquent than his tongue, and the kind creatures tried to show their
+friendly interests in many charming ways.
+
+He saw this, and endeavoured to be worthy of it--curbing his free
+speech, toning down his rough manners, and watching the effect of
+all he said and did, anxious to make a good impression. The social
+atmosphere warmed his lonely heart, the culture excited him to do
+his best, and the changes which had taken place during his
+absence, both in himself and others, made the old home seem like
+a new world. After the life in California, it was sweet and restful to
+be here, with these familiar faces round him, helping him to forget
+much that he regretted, and to resolve to deserve more entirely the
+confidence of these good fellows, the respect of these innocent
+girls.
+
+So there was riding, rowing, and picnicking by day, music,
+dancing, and plays by night; and everyone said there had not been
+so gay a vacation for years. Bess kept her promise, and let the dust
+gather on her beloved clay while she went pleasuring with her
+mates or studied music with her father, who rejoiced over the fresh
+roses in her cheeks and the laughter which chased away the
+dreamy look she used to wear. Josie quarrelled less with Ted; for
+Dan had a way of looking at her which quelled her instantly, and
+had almost as good an effect upon her rebellious cousin. But Octoo
+did even more for the lively youth, who found that her charms
+entirely eclipsed those of the bicycle which had been his heart's
+delight before. Early and late he rode this untiring beast, and began
+to gain flesh--to the great joy of his mother, who feared that her
+beanstalk was growing too fast for health.
+
+Demi, finding business dull, solaced his leisure by
+photographing everybody he could induce to sit or
+stand to him, producing some excellent pictures among many
+failures; for he had a pretty taste in grouping, and endless patience.
+He might be said to view the world through the lens of his camera,
+and seemed to enjoy himself very much squinting at his fellow
+beings from under a bit of black cambric. Dan was a treasure to
+him; for he took well, and willingly posed in his Mexican costume,
+with horse and hound, and all wanted copies of these effective
+photographs. Bess, also, was a favourite sitter; and Demi received
+a prize at the Amateur Photographic Exhibition for one of his
+cousin with all her hair about her face, which rose from the cloud
+of white lace draping the shoulders. These were freely handed
+round by the proud artist; and one copy had a tender little history
+yet to be told.
+
+Nat was snatching every minute he could get with Daisy before the
+long parting; and Mrs Meg relented somewhat, feeling sure that
+absence would quite cure this unfortunate fancy. Daisy said little;
+but her gentle face was sad when she was alone, and a few quiet
+tears dropped on the handkerchiefs she marked so daintily with her
+wn hair. She was sure Nat would not forget her; and life looked
+rather forlorn without the dear fellow who had been her friend
+since the days of patty-pans and confidences in the willow-tree.
+She was an old-fashioned daughter, dutiful and docile, with such
+love and reverence for her mother that her will was law; and if
+love was forbidden, friendship must suffice. So she kept her little
+sorrow to herself, smiled cheerfully at Nat, and made his last days
+of home-life very happy with every comfort and pleasure she could
+give, from sensible advice and sweet words to a well-filled
+work-bag for his bachelor establishment and a box of goodies for
+the voyage.
+
+Tom and Nan took all the time they could spare from their studies
+to enjoy high jinks at Plumfield with their old friends; for Emil's
+next voyage was to be a long one, Nat's absence was uncertain, and
+no one ever knew when Dan would turn up again. They all seemed
+to feel that life was beginning to grow serious; and even while they
+enjoyed those lovely summer days together they were conscious
+that they were children no longer, and often in the pauses of their
+fun talked soberly of their plans and hopes, as if anxious to know
+and help one another before they drifted farther apart on their
+different ways.
+
+A few weeks were all they had; then the Brenda was ready, Nat
+was to sail from New York, and Dan went along to see him off; for
+his own plans fermented in his head, and he was eager to be up
+and doing. A farewell dance was given on Parnassus in honour of
+the travellers, and all turned out in their best array and gayest
+spirits. George and Dolly came with the latest Harvard airs and
+graces, radiant to behold, in dress-suits and 'crushed hats', as Josie
+called the especial pride and joy of their boyish souls. Jack and
+Ned sent regrets and best wishes, and no one mourned their
+absence; for they were among what Mrs Jo called her failures.
+Poor Tom got into trouble, as usual, by deluging his head with
+some highly scented preparation in the vain hope of making his
+tight curls lie flat and smooth, as was the style. Unhappily, his
+rebellious crop only kinked the closer, and the odour of many
+barbers' shops clung to him in spite of his frantic efforts to banish
+it. Nan wouldn't allow him near her, and flapped her fan
+vigorously whenever he was in sight; which cut him to the heart,
+and made him feel like the Peri shut out from Paradise. Of course
+his mates jeered at him, and nothing but the unquenchable jollity
+of his nature kept him from despair.
+
+Emil was resplendent in his new uniform, and danced with an
+abandon which only sailors know. His pumps seemed to be
+everywhere, and his partners soon lost breath trying to keep up
+with him; but the girls all declared he steered like an angel, and in
+spite of his pace no collisions took place; so he was happy, and
+found no lack of damsels to ship with him.
+
+Having no dress-suit, Dan had been coaxed to wear his Mexican
+costume, and feeling at ease in the many-buttoned trousers, loose
+jacket, and gay sash, flung his serape over his shoulder with a
+flourish and looked his best, doing great execution with his long
+spurs, as he taught Josie strange steps or rolled his black eyes
+admiringly after certain blonde damsels whom he dared not
+address.
+
+The mammas sat in the alcove, supplying pins, smiles, and kindly
+words to all, especially the awkward youths new to such scenes,
+and the bashful girls conscious of faded muslins and cleaned
+gloves. It was pleasant to see stately Mrs Amy promenade on the
+arm of a tall country boy, with thick boots and a big forehead, or
+Mrs Jo dance like a girl with a shy fellow whose arms went like
+pump-handles, and whose face was scarlet with confusion and
+pride at the honour of treading on the toes of the president's wife.
+Mrs Meg always had room on her sofa for two or three girls, and
+Mr Laurie devoted himself to these plain, poorly dressed damsels
+with a kindly grace that won their hearts and made them happy.
+The good Professor circulated like refreshments, and his cheerful
+face shone on all alike, while Mr March discussed Greek comedy
+in the study with such serious gentlemen as never unbent their
+mighty minds to frivolous joys.
+
+The long music-room, parlour, hall, and piazza were full of
+white-gowned maidens with attendant shadows; the air was full of
+lively voices, and hearts and feet went lightly together as the home
+band played vigorously, and the friendly moon did her best to add
+enchantment to the scene.
+
+'Pin me up, Meg; that dear Dunbar boy has nearly rent me "in
+sunder", as Mr Peggotty would say. But didn't he enjoy himself,
+bumping against his fellow men and swinging me round like a
+mop. On these occasions I find that I'm not as young as I was, nor
+as light of foot. In ten years more we shall be meal-bags, sister; so
+be resigned.' And Mrs Jo subsided into a corner, much dishevelled
+by her benevolent exertions.
+
+'I know I shall be stout; but you won't keep still long enough to get
+much flesh on your bones, dear; and Amy will always keep her
+lovely figure. She looks about eighteen tonight, in her white gown
+and roses,' answered Meg, busily pinning up one sister's torn frills,
+while her eyes fondly followed the other's graceful movements; for
+Meg still adored Amy in the old fashion.
+
+It was one of the family jokes that Jo was getting fat, and she kept
+it up, though as yet she had only acquired a matronly outline,
+which was very becoming. They were laughing over the impending
+double chins, when Mr Laurie came off duty for a moment.
+
+'Repairing damages as usual, Jo? You never could take a little
+gentle exercise without returning in rags. Come and have a quiet
+stroll with me and cool off before supper. I've a series of pretty
+tableaux to show you while Meg listens to the raptures of lisping
+Miss Carr, whom I made happy by giving her Demi for a partner.'
+
+As he spoke, Laurie led Jo to the music-room, nearly empty now
+after a dance which sent the young people into garden and hall.
+Pausing before the first of the four long windows that opened on a
+very wide piazza, he pointed to a group outside, saying: 'The name
+of this is "Jack Ashore".'
+
+A pair of long, blue legs, ending in very neat pumps, hung from the
+veranda roof among the vines; and roses, gathered by unseen
+hands, evidently appertaining to aforesaid legs, were being
+dropped into the laps of several girls perched like a flock of white
+birds on the railing below; while a manly voice 'fell like a falling
+star', as it sung this pensive ditty to a most appreciative audience:
+
+     MARY'S DREAM
+
+The moon had climbed the eastern hill
+Which rises o'er the sands of Dee,
+And from its highest summit shed
+A silver light on tower and tree,
+When Mary laid her down to sleep
+(Her thoughts on Sandy far at sea);
+When soft and low a voice was heard,
+Saying, 'Mary, weep no more for me.'
+
+She from her pillow gently raised
+Her head, to see who there might be,
+And saw young Sandy, shivering stand 
+With visage pale and hollow e'e.
+'Oh Mary dear, cold is my clay;
+It lies beneath the stormy sea;
+Far, far from thee, I sleep in death.
+Dear Mary, weep no more for me.
+
+'Three stormy nights and stormy days 
+We tossed upon the raging main. 
+And long we strove our bark to save; 
+But all our striving was in vain.
+E'en then, when terror chilled my blood, 
+My heart was filled with love of thee.
+The storm is past, and I'm at rest;
+So, Mary, weep no more for me.
+
+'Oh maiden dear, yourself prepare;
+We soon shall meet upon that shore
+Where love is free from doubt and care, 
+And you and I shall part no more.'
+Loud crew the cock, the shadow fled;
+No more her Sandy did she see;
+But soft the passing spirit said,
+'Sweet Mary, weep no more for me.'
+
+'The constant jollity of that boy is worth a fortune to him. He'll
+never sink with such a buoyant spirit to keep him afloat through
+life,' said Mrs Jo, as the roses were tossed back with much
+applause when the song ended.
+
+'Not he; and it's a blessing to be grateful for, isn't it? We moody
+people know its worth. Glad you like my first tableau. Come and
+see number two. Hope it isn't spoilt; it was very pretty just now.
+This is "Othello telling his adventures to Desdemona".'
+
+The second window framed a very picturesque group of three. Mr
+March in an arm-chair, with Bess on a cushion at his feet, was
+listening to Dan, who, leaning against a pillar, was talking with
+unusual animation. The old man was in shadow, but little
+Desdemona was looking up with the moonlight full upon her into
+young Othello's face, quite absorbed in the story he was telling so
+well. The gay drapery over Dan's shoulder, his dark colouring, and
+the gesture of his arm made the picture very striking, and both
+spectators enjoyed it with silent pleasure, till Mrs Jo said in a
+quick whisper:
+
+'I'm glad he's going away. He's too picturesque to have here among
+so many romantic girls. Afraid his "grand, gloomy, and peculiar"
+style will be too much for our simple maids.'
+
+'No danger; Dan is in the rough as yet, and always will be, I fancy;
+though he is improving in many ways. How well Queenie looks in
+that soft light!'
+
+'Dear little Goldilocks looks well everywhere.' And with a backward 
+glance full of pride and fondness, Mrs Jo went on. But that scene 
+returned to her long afterward and her own prophetic words also.
+
+Number three was a tragical tableau at first sight; and Mr Laurie
+stifled a laugh as he whispered 'The Wounded Knight', pointing to
+Tom with his head enveloped in a large handkerchief, as he knelt
+before Nan, who was extracting a thorn or splinter from the palm
+of his hand with great skill, to judge from the patient's blissful
+expression of countenance.
+
+'Do I hurt you?' she asked, turning the hand to the moonlight for a
+better view.
+
+'Not a bit; dig away; I like it,' answered Tom, regardless of his
+aching knees and the damage done to his best trousers.
+
+'I won't keep you long.'
+
+'Hours, if you please. Never so happy as here.'
+
+Quite unmoved by this tender remark, Nan put on a pair of large,
+round-eyed glasses, saying in a matterof-fact tone: 'Now I see it.
+Only a splinter, and there it is.
+
+'My hand is bleeding; won't you bind it up?' asked Tom, wishing to
+prolong the situation.
+
+'Nonsense; suck it. Only take care of it tomorrow if you dissect.
+Don't want any more blood-poisoning.'
+
+'That was the only time you were kind to me. Wish I'd lost my
+arm.'
+
+'I wish you'd lost your head; it smells more like turpentine and
+kerosene than ever. Do take a run in the garden and air it.'
+
+Fearing to betray themselves by laughter, the watchers went on,
+leaving the Knight to rush away in despair, and the Lady to bury
+her nose in the cup of a tall lily for refreshment.
+
+'Poor Tom, his fate is a hard one, and he's wasting his time! Do
+advise him to quit philandering and go to work, Jo.'
+
+'I have, Teddy, often; but it will take some great shock to make
+that boy wise. I wait with interest to see what it will be. Bless me!
+what is all this?'
+
+She might well ask; for on a rustic stool stood Ted trying to pose
+on one foot, with the other extended, and both hands waving in the
+air. Josie, with several young mates, was watching his contortions
+with deep interest as they talked about 'little wings', 'gilded wire
+twisted', and a 'cunning skull-cap'.
+
+'This might be called "Mercury Trying to Fly",' said Mr Laurie, as
+they peeped through the lace curtains.
+
+'Bless the long legs of that boy! how does he expect to manage
+them? They are planning for the Owlsdark Marbles, and a nice
+muddle they will make of my gods and goddesses with no one to
+show them how,' answered Mrs Jo, enjoying this scene immensely.
+'Now, he's got it!' 'That's perfectly splendid!' 'See how long you can
+keep so!' cried the girls, as Ted managed to maintain his
+equilibrium a moment by resting one toe on the trellis.
+Unfortunately this brought all his weight on the other foot; the
+straw seat of the stool gave way, and the flying Mercury came
+down with a crash, amid shrieks of laughter from the girls. Being
+accustomed to ground and lofty tumbling, he quickly recovered
+himself, and hopped gaily about, with one leg through the stool as
+he improvised a classic jig.
+
+'Thanks for four nice little pictures. You have given me an idea,
+and I think some time we will get up regular tableaux of this sort
+and march our company round a set of dissolving views. New and
+striking; I'll propose it to our manager and give you all the glory,'
+said Mrs Jo, as they strolled towards the room whence came the
+clash of glass and china, and glimpses of agitated black coats.
+
+Let us follow the example of our old friends and stroll about
+among the young people, eavesdropping, so gathering up various
+little threads to help in the weaving of the story. George and Dolly
+were at supper, and having served the ladies in their care stood in a
+corner absorbing nourishment of all kinds with a vain attempt to
+conceal hearty appetites under an air of elegant indifference.
+
+'Good spread, this; Laurence does things in style. First-rate coffee,
+but no wine, and that's a mistake,' said Stuffy, who still deserved
+his name, and was a stout youth with a heavy eye and bilious
+complexion.
+
+'Bad for boys, he says. Jove! wish he could see us at some of our
+wines. Don't we just "splice the main brace" as Emil says,'
+answered Dolly, the dandy, carefully spreading a napkin over the
+glossy expanse of shirt-front whereon a diamond stud shone like a
+lone star. His stutter was nearly outgrown; but he, as well as
+George, spoke in the tone of condescension, which, with the blase�
+airs they assumed, made a very funny contrast to their youthful
+faces and foolish remarks. Good-hearted little fellows both, but
+top-heavy with the pride of being Sophs and the freedom that
+college life gave them.
+
+'Little Jo is getting to be a deuced pretty girl, isn't she?' said
+George, with a long sigh of satisfaction as his first mouthful of ice
+went slowly down his throat.
+
+'H'm--well, fairish. The Princess is rather more to my taste. I like
+'em blonde and queenly and elegant, don't you know.'
+
+'Yes, Jo is too lively; might as well dance with a grasshopper. I've
+tried her, and she's one too many for me. Miss Perry is a nice,
+easy-going girl. Got her for the german.'
+
+'You'll never be a dancing man. Too lazy. Now I'll undertake to
+steer any girl and dance down any fellow you please. Dancing's my
+forte.' And Dolly glanced from his trim feet to his flashing gem
+with the defiant air of a young turkey-cock on parade.
+
+'Miss Grey is looking for you. Wants more grub. Just see if Miss
+Nelson's plate is empty, there's a good fellow. Can't eat ice in a
+hurry.' And George remained in his safe corner, while Dolly
+struggled through the crowd to do his duty, coming back in a fume,
+with a splash of salad dressing on his coat-cuff.
+
+'Confound these country chaps! they go blundering round like so
+many dor-bugs, and make a deuce of a mess. Better stick to books
+and not try to be society men. Can't do it. Beastly stain. Give it a
+rub, and let me bolt a mouthful, I'm starved. Never saw girls eat
+such a lot. It proves that they ought not to study so much. Never
+liked co-ed,' growled Dolly, much ruffled in spirit.
+
+'So they do. 'Tisn't ladylike. Ought to be satisfied with an ice and a
+bit of cake, and eat it prettily. Don't like to see a girl feed. We
+hard-working men need it, and, by Jove, I mean to get some more
+of that meringue if it's not all gone. Here, waiter! bring along that
+dish over there, and be lively,' commanded Stuffy, poking a young
+man in a rather shabby dress-suit, who was passing with a tray of
+glasses.
+
+His order was obeyed promptly; but George's appetite was taken
+away the next moment by Dolly's exclaiming, as he looked up
+from his damaged coat, with a scandalized face:
+
+'You've put your foot in it now, old boy! that's Morton, Mr Bhaer's
+crack man. Knows everything, no end of a "dig", and bound to
+carry off all the honours. You won't hear the last of it in a hurry.'
+And Dolly laughed so heartily that a spoonful of ice flew upon the
+head of a lady sitting below him, and got him into a scrape also.
+
+Leaving them to their despair, let us listen to the whispered chat of
+two girls comfortably seated in a recess waiting till their escorts
+were fed.
+
+'I do think the Laurences give lovely parties. Don't you enjoy
+them?' asked the younger, looking about her with the eager air of
+one unused to this sort of pleasure.
+
+'Very much, only I never feel as if I was dressed right. My things
+seemed elegant at home, and I thought I'd be over over-dressed if
+anything; but I look countrified and dowdy here. No time or money
+to change now, even if I knew how to do it,' answered the other,
+glancing anxiously at her bright pink silk grown, trimmed with
+cheap lace.
+
+'You must get Mrs Brooke to tell you how to fix your things. She
+was very kind to me. I had a green silk, and it looked so cheap and
+horrid by the side of the nice dresses here I felt regularly unhappy
+about it, and asked her how much a dress like one Mrs Laurence
+had would cost. That looked so simple and elegant I thought it
+wouldn't be costly; but it was India mull and Valenciennes lace, so,
+of course, I couldn't have it. Then Mrs Brooke said: "Get some
+muslin to cover the green silk, and wear hops or some white
+flowers, instead of pink, in your hair, and you will have a pretty
+suit." Isn't it lovely and becoming?' And Miss Burton surveyed
+herself with girlish satisfaction; for a little taste had softened the
+harsh green, and hop-bells became her red hair better than roses.
+
+'It's sweet: I've been admiring it. I'll do mine so and ask about my
+purple one. Mrs Brooke has helped me tO get rid of my headaches,
+and Mary Clay's dyspepsia is all gone since she gave up coffee and
+hot bread.'
+
+'Mrs Laurence advised me to walk and run and use the gymnasium
+to cure my round shoulders and open my chest, and I'm a much
+better figure than I was.'
+
+'Did you know that Mr Laurence pays all Amelia Merrill's bills?
+Her father failed, and she was heartbroken at having to leave
+college; but that splendid man just stepped in and made it all right.'
+'Yes, and Professor Bhaer has several of the boys down at his
+house evenings to help them along so they can keep up with the
+rest; and Mrs Bhaer took care of Charles Mackey herself when he
+had a fever last year. I do think they are the best and kindest
+people in the world.'
+
+'So do I, and my time here will be the happiest and most useful
+years of my life.'
+
+And both girls forgot their gowns and their suppers for a moment
+to look with grateful, affectionate eyes at the friends who tried to
+care for bodies and for souls as well as minds.
+
+Now come to a lively party supping on the stairs, girls like foam at
+the top, and a substratum of youths below, where the heaviest
+particles always settle. Emil, who never sat if he could climb or
+perch, adorned the newel-post; Tom, Nat, Demi, and Dan were
+camped on the steps, eating busily, as their ladies were well served
+and they had earned a moment's rest, which they enjoyed with their
+eyes fixed on the pleasing prospect above them.
+
+'I'm so sorry the boys are going. It will be dreadfully dull without
+them. Now they have stopped teasing and are polite, I really enjoy
+them,' said Nan, who felt unusually gracious tonight as Tom's
+mishap kept him from annoying her.
+
+'So do I; and Bess was mourning about it today, though as a
+general thing she doesn't like boys unless they are models of
+elegance. She has been doing Dan's head, and it is not quite
+finished. I never saw her so interested in any work, and it's very
+well done. He is so striking and big he always makes me think of
+the Dying Gladiator or some of those antique creatures. There's
+Bess now. Dear child, how sweet she looks tonight!' answered
+Daisy, waving her hand as the Princess went by with Grandpa on
+her arm.
+
+'I never thought he would turn out so well. Don't you remember
+how we used to call him "the bad boy" and be sure he would
+become a pirate or something awful because he glared at us and
+swore sometimes? Now he is the handsomest of all the boys, and
+very entertaining with his stories and plans. I like him very much;
+he's so big and strong and independent. I'm tired of mollycoddles
+and book-worms,' said Nan in her decided way.
+
+'Not handsomer that Nat!' cried loyal Daisy, contrasting two faces
+below, one unusually gay, the other sentimentally sober even in the
+act of munching cake. 'I like Dan, and am glad he is doing well;
+but he tires me, and I'm still a little afraid of him. Quiet people suit
+me best.'
+
+'Life is a fight, and I like a good soldier. Boys take things too
+easily, don't see how serious it all is and go to work in earnest.
+Look at that absurd Tom, wasting his time and making an object of
+himself just because he can't have what he wants, like a baby
+crying for the moon. I've no patience with such nonsense,' scolded
+Nan, looking down at the jovial Thomas, who was playfully
+putting macaroons in Emil's shoes, and trying to beguile his exile
+as best he could.
+
+'Most girls would be touched by such fidelity. I think it's beautiful,'
+said Daisy behind her fan; for other girls sat just below.
+
+'You are a sentimental goose and not a judge. Nat will be twice the
+man when he comes back after his trip. I wish Tom was going with
+him. My idea is that if we girls have any influence we should use it
+for the good of these boys, and not pamper them up, making slaves
+of ourselves and tyrants of them. Let them prove what they can do
+and be before they ask anything of us, and give us a chance to do
+the same. Then we know where we are, and shall not make
+mistakes to mourn over all our lives.'
+
+'Hear, hear!' cried Alice Heath, who was a girl after Nan's own
+heart, and had chosen a career, like a brave and sensible young
+woman. 'Only give us a chance, and have patience till we can do
+our best. Now we are expected to be as wise as men who have had
+generations of all the help there is, and we scarcely anything. Let
+us have equal opportunities, and in a few generations we will see
+what the judgement is. I like justice, and we get very little of it.'
+
+'Still shouting the battle-cry of freedom?' asked Demi, peering
+through the banisters at this moment. 'Up with your flag! I'll stand
+by and lend a hand if you want it. With you and Nan to lead the
+van, I think you won't need much help.'
+
+'You are a great comfort, Demi, and I'll call on you in all
+emergencies; for you are an honest boy, and don't forget that you
+owe much to your mother and your sisters and your aunts,'
+continued Nan. 'I do like men who come out frankly and own that
+they are not gods. How can we think them so when such awful
+mistakes are being made all the time by these great creatures? See
+them sick, as I do, then you know them.'
+
+'Don't hit us when we are down; be merciful, and set us up to bless
+and believe in you evermore,' pleaded Demi from behind the bars.
+
+'We'll be kind to you if you will be just to us. I don't say generous,
+only just. I went to a suffrage debate in the Legislature last winter;
+and of all the feeble, vulgar twaddle I ever heard, that was the
+worst; and those men were our representatives. I blushed for them,
+and the wives and mothers. I want an intelligent man to represent
+me, if I can't do it myself, not a fool.'
+
+'Nan is on the stump. Now we shall catch it,' cried Tom, putting up
+an umbrella to shield his unhappy head; for Nan's earnest voice
+was audible, and her indignant eye happened to rest on him as she
+spoke.
+
+'Go on, go on! I'll take notes, and put in "great applause" liberally,'
+added Demi, producing his ball-book and pencil, with his Jenkins
+air.
+
+Daisy pinched his nose through the bars, and the meeting was
+rather tumultuous for a moment, for Emil called: 'Avast, avast,
+here's a squall to wind'ard'; Tom applauded wildly; Dan looked up
+as if the prospect of a fight, even with words, pleased him, and Nat
+went to support Demi, as his position seemed to be a good one. At
+this crisis, when everyone laughed and talked at once, Bess came
+floating through the upper hall and looked down like an angel of
+peace upon the noisy group below, as she asked, with wondering
+eyes and smiling lips:
+
+'What is it?'
+
+'An indignation meeting. Nan and Alice are on the rampage, and
+we are at the bar to be tried for our lives. Will Your Highness
+preside and judge between us?' answered Demi, as a lull at once
+took place; for no one rioted in the presence of the Princess.
+
+'I'm not wise enough. I'll sit here and listen. Please go on.' And
+Bess took her place above them all as cool and calm as a little
+statue of Justice, with fan and nosegay in place of sword and
+scales.
+
+'Now, ladies, free your minds, only spare us till morning; for we've
+got a german to dance as soon as everyone is fed, and Parnassus
+expects every man to do his duty. Mrs President Giddy-gaddy has
+the floor,' said Demi, who liked this sort of fun better than the very
+mild sort of flirtation which was allowed at Plumfield, for the
+simple reason that it could not be entirely banished, and is a part of
+all education, co- or otherwise.
+
+'I have only one thing to say, and it is this,' began Nan soberly,
+though her eyes sparkled with a mixture of fun and earnestness. 'I
+want to ask every boy of you what you really think on this subject.
+Dan and Emil have seen the world and ought to know their own
+minds. Tom and Nat have had five examples before them for
+years. Demi is ours and we are proud of him. So is Rob. Ted is a
+weathercock, and Dolly and George, of course, are fogies in spite
+of the Annex, and girls at Girton going ahead of the men.
+Commodore, are you ready for the question?'
+
+'Ay, ay, skipper.'
+
+'Do you believe in Woman's Suffrage?'
+
+'Bless your pretty figger head! I do, and I'll ship a crew of girls any
+time you say so. Aren't they worse than a press-gang to carry a
+fellow out of his moorings? Don't we all need one as pilot to steer
+us safe to port? and why shouldn't they share our mess afloat and
+ashore since we are sure to be wrecked without 'em?'
+
+'Good for you, Emil! Nan will take you for first mate after that
+handsome speech,' said Demi, as the girls applauded, and Tom
+glowered. 'Now, Dan, you love liberty so well yourself, are you
+willing we should have it?'
+
+'All you can get, and I'll fight any man who's mean enough to say
+you don't deserve it.'
+
+This brief and forcible reply delighted the energetic President, and
+she beamed upon the member from California, as she said briskly:
+
+'Nat wouldn't dare to say he was on the other side even if he were,
+but I hope he has made up his mind to pipe for us, at least when
+we take the field, and not be one of those who wait till the battle is
+won, and then beat the drums and share the glory.'
+
+Mrs Giddy-gaddy's doubts were most effectually removed, and her
+sharp speech regretted, as Nat looked up blushing, but with a new
+sort of manliness in face and manner, saying, in a tone that
+touched them all:
+
+'I should be the most ungrateful fellow alive if I did not love,
+honour, and serve women with all my heart and might, for to them
+I owe everything I am or ever shall be.'
+
+Daisy clapped her hands, and Bess threw her bouquet into Nat's
+lap, while the other girls waved their fans, well pleased; for real
+feeling made his little speech eloquent.
+
+'Thomas B. Bangs, come into court, and tell the truth, the whole
+truth, and nothing but the truth, if you can,' commanded Nan, with
+a rap to call the meeting to order.
+
+Tom shut the umbrella, and standing up raised his hand, saying
+solemnly:
+
+'I believe in suffrage of all kinds. I adore all women, and will die
+for them at any moment if it will help the cause.'
+
+'Living and working for it is harder, and therefore more
+honourable. Men are always ready to die for us, but not to make
+our lives worth having. Cheap sentiment and bad logic. You will
+pass, Tom, only don't twaddle. Now, having taken the sense of the
+meeting we will adjourn, as the hour for festive gymnastics has
+arrived. I am glad to see that old Plum has given six true men to
+the world, and hope they will continue to be staunch to her and the
+principles she has taught them, wherever they may go. Now, girls,
+don't sit in draughts, and, boys, beware of ice-water when you are
+warm.'
+
+With this characteristic close Nan retired from office, and the girls
+went to enjoy one of the few rights allowed them.
+
+Chapter 6 LAST WORDS
+
+The next day was Sunday, and a goodly troop of young and old set
+forth to church.--some driving, some walking, all enjoying the
+lovely weather and the happy quietude which comes to refresh us
+when the work and worry of the week are over. Daisy had a
+headache; and Aunt Jo remained at home to keep her company,
+knowing very well that the worst ache was in the tender heart
+struggling dutifully against the love that grew stronger as the
+parting drew nearer.
+
+'Daisy knows my wishes, and I trust her. You must keep an eye on
+Nat, and let him clearly understand that there is to be no
+"lovering", or I shall forbid the letter-writing. I hate to seem cruel,
+but it is too soon for my dear girl to bind herself in any way,' said
+Mrs Meg, as she rustled about in her best grey silk, while waiting
+for Demi, who always escorted his pious mother to church as a
+peace-offering for crossing her wishes in other things.
+
+'I will, dear; I'm lying in wait for all three boys today, like an old
+spider; and I will have a good talk with each. They know I
+understand them, and they always open their hearts sooner or later.
+You look like a nice, plump little Quakeress, Meg; and no one will
+believe that big boy is your son,' added Mrs Jo, as Demi came in
+shining with Sunday neatness, from his well-blacked boots to his
+smooth brown head.
+
+'You flatter me, to soften my heart toward your boy. I know your
+ways, Jo, and I don't give in. Be firm, and spare me a scene by and
+by. As for John, as long as he is satisfied with his old mother, I
+don't care what people think,' answered Mrs Meg, accepting with a
+smile the little posy of sweet peas and mignonette Demi brought
+her.
+
+Then, having buttoned her dove-coloured gloves with care, she
+took her son's arm and went proudly away to the carriage, where
+Amy and Bess waited, while Jo called after them, just as Marmee
+used to do:
+
+'Girls, have you got nice pocket-handkerchiefs?' They all smiled at
+the familiar words, and three white banners waved as they drove
+away, leaving the spider to watch for her first fly. She did not wait
+long. Daisy was lying down with a wet cheek on the little
+hymnbook out of which she and Nat used to sing together; so Mrs
+Jo strolled about the lawn, looking very like a wandering
+mushroom with her large buff umbrella.
+
+Dan had gone for a ten-mile stroll; and Nat was supposed to have
+accompanied him, but presently came sneaking back, unable to
+tear himself away from the Dovecote or lose a moment of nearness
+to his idol that last day. Mrs Jo saw him at once, and beckoned him
+to a rustic seat under the old elm, where they could have their
+confidences undisturbed, and both keep an eye on a certain
+white-curtained window, half hidden in vines.
+
+'Nice and cool here. I'm not up to one of Dan's tramps today--it's so
+warm, and he goes so like a steam-engine. He headed for the
+swamp where his pet snakes used to live, and I begged to be
+excused,' said Nat, fanning himself with his straw hat, though the
+day was not oppressive.
+
+'I'm glad you did. Sit and rest with me, and have one of our good
+old talks. We've both been so busy lately, I feel as if I didn't half
+know your plans; and I want to,' answered Mrs Jo, feeling sure that
+though they might start with Leipzig they would bring up at
+Plumfield,
+
+'You are very kind, and there's nothing I'd like better. I don't realize
+I'm going so far--suppose I shan't till I get afloat. It's a splendid
+start, and I don't know how I can ever thank Mr Laurie for all he's
+done, or you either,' added Nat, with a break in his voice; for he
+was a tender-hearted fellow, and never forgot a kindness.
+
+'You can thank us beautifully by being and doing all we hope and
+expect of you, my dear. In the new life you are going to there will
+be a thousand trials and temptations, and only your own wit and
+wisdom to rely on. That will be the time to test the principles we
+have tried to give you, and see how firm they are. Of course, you
+will make mistakes--we all do; but don't let go of your conscience
+and drift along blindly. Watch and pray, dear Nat; and while your
+hand gains skill, let your head grow wiser, and keep your heart as
+innocent and warm as it is now.'
+
+'I'll try, Mother Bhaer, my very best to be a credit to you. I know I
+shall improve in my music--can't help it there; but I never shall be
+very wise, I'm afraid. As for my heart, you know, I leave it behind
+me in good keeping.'
+
+As he spoke, Nat's eyes were fixed on the window with a look of
+love and longing that made his quiet face both manly and sad--
+plainly showing how strong a hold this boyish affection had upon
+him.
+
+'I want to speak of that; and I know you will forgive what seems
+hard, because I do most heartily sympathize with you,' said Mrs Jo,
+glad to have her say.
+
+'Yes, do talk about Daisy! I think of nothing but leaving and losing
+her. I have no hope--I suppose it is too much to ask; only I can't
+help loving her, wherever I am!' cried Nat, with a mixture of
+defiance and despair in his face that rather startled Mrs Jo.
+
+'Listen to me and I'll try to give you both comfort and good advice.
+We all know that Daisy is fond of you, but her mother objects, and
+being a good girl she tries to obey. Young people think they never
+can change, but they do in the most wonderful manner, and very
+few die of broken hearts.' Mrs Jo smiled as she remembered
+another boy whom she had once tried to comfort, and then went
+soberly on while Nat listened as if his fate hung upon her lips.
+
+'One of two things will happen. You will find someone else to
+love, or, better still, be so busy and happy in your music that you
+will be willing to wait for time to settle the matter for you both.
+Daisy will perhaps forget when you are gone, and be glad you are
+only friends. At any rate it is much wiser to have no promises
+made; then both are free, and in a year or two may meet to laugh
+over the little romance nipped in the bud.'
+
+'Do you honestly think that?' asked Nat, looking at her so keenly
+that the truth had to come; for all his heart was in those frank blue
+eyes of his.
+
+'No, I don't!' answered Mrs Jo. 'Then if you were in my place, what
+would you do?' he added, with a tone of command never heard in
+his gentle voice before.
+
+'Bless me! the boy is in dead earnest, and I shall forget prudence in
+sympathy I'm afraid,' thought Mrs Jo, surprised and pleased by the
+unexpected manliness Nat showed.
+
+'I'll tell you what I should do. I'd say to myself:
+
+"I'll prove that my love is strong and faithful, and make Daisy's
+mother proud to give her to me by being not only a good musician
+but an excellent man, and so command respect and confidence.
+This I will try for; and if I fail, I shall be the better for the effort,
+and find comfort in the thought that I did my best for her sake."'
+
+'That is what I meant to do. But I wanted a word of hope to give
+me courage,' cried Nat, firing up as if the smouldering spark was
+set ablaze by a breath of encouragement. 'Other fellows, poorer
+and stupider than I, have done great things and come to honour.
+Why may not I, though I'm nothing now? I know Mrs Brooke
+remembers what I came from, but my father was honest though
+everything went wrong; and I have nothing to be ashamed of
+though I was a charity boy. I never will be ashamed of my people
+or myself, and I'll make other folks respect me if I can.'
+
+'Good! that's the right spirit, Nat. Hold to it and make yourself a
+man. No one will be quicker to see and admire the brave work
+than my sister Meg. She does not despise your poverty or your
+past; but mothers are very tender over their daughters, and we
+Marches, though we have been poor, are, I confess, a little proud
+of our good family. We don't care for money; but a long line of
+virtuous ancestors is something to desire and to be proud of.'
+
+'Well, the Blakes are a good lot. I looked 'em up, and not one was
+ever in prison, hanged, or disgraced in any way. We used to be rich
+and honoured years ago, but we've died out and got poor, and
+father was a street musician rather than beg; and I'll be one again
+before I'll do the mean things some men do and pass muster.'
+
+Nat was so excited that Mrs Jo indulged in a laugh to calm him,
+and both went on more quietly.
+
+'I told my sister all that and it pleased her. I am sure if you do well
+these next few years that she will relent and all be happily settled,
+unless that wonderful change, which you don't believe possible,
+should occur. Now, cheer up; don't be lackadaisical and blue. Say
+good-bye cheerfully and bravely, show a manly front, and leave a
+pleasant memory behind you. We all wish you well and hope much
+for you. Write to me every week and I'll send a good, gossipy
+answer. Be careful what you write to Daisy; don't gush or wail, for
+sister Meg will see the letters; and you can help your cause very
+much by sending sensible, cheery accounts of your life to us all.'
+
+'I will; I will; it looks brighter and better already, and I won't lose
+my one comfort by any fault of my own. Thank you so much,
+Mother Bhaer, for taking my side. I felt so ungrateful and mean
+and crushed when I thought you all considered me a sneak who
+had no business to love such a precious girl as Daisy. No one said
+anything, but I knew how you felt, and that Mr Laurie sent me off
+partly to get me out of the way. Oh dear, life is pretty tough
+sometimes, isn't it?' And Nat took his head in both hands as if it
+ached with the confusion of hopes and fears, passions and plans
+that proved boyhood was past and manhood had begun.
+
+'Very tough, but it is that very struggle with obstacles which does
+us good. Things have been made easy for you in many ways, but
+no one can do everything. You must paddle your own canoe now,
+and learn to avoid the rapids and steer straight to the port you want
+to reach. I don't know just what your temptations will be for you
+have no bad habits and seem to love music so well, nothing can lure 
+you from it. I only hope you won't work too hard.'
+
+'I feel as if I could work like a horse, I'm so eager to get on; but 
+I'll take care. Can't waste time being sick, and you've given me doses
+enough to keep me all right, I guess.' Nat laughed as he
+remembered the book of directions Mrs Jo had written for him to
+consult on all occasions.
+
+She immediately added some verbal ones on the subject of foreign
+messes, and having mounted one of her pet hobbies, was in full
+gallop when Emil was seen strolling about on the roof of the old
+house, that being his favourite promenade; for there he could fancy
+himself walking the deck, with only blue sky and fresh air about
+him.
+
+'I want a word with the Commodore, and up there we shall be nice
+and quiet. Go and play to Daisy: it will put her to sleep and do you
+both good. Sit in the porch, so I can keep an eye on you as I
+promised'; and with a motherly pat on the shoulder Mrs Jo left Nat
+to his delightful task and briskly ascended to the house- top, not up
+the trellis as of old but by means of the stairs inside.
+
+Emerging on the platform she found Emil cutting his initials afresh
+in the wood-work and singing 'Pull for the Shore', like the tuneful
+mariner he was.
+
+'Come aboard and make yourself at home, Aunty,' he said, with a
+playful salute. 'I'm just leaving a P.P.C. in the old place, so when
+you fly up here for refuge you'll remember me.'
+
+'Ah, my dear, I'm not likely to forget you. It doesn't need E. B. H.
+cut on all the trees and railings to remind me of my sailor boy'; and
+Mrs Jo took the seat nearest the blue figure astride the balustrade,
+not quite sure how to begin the little sermon she wanted to preach.
+
+'Well, you don't pipe your eye and look squally when I sheer off as
+you used to, and that's a comfort. I like to leave port in fair weather
+and have a jolly send-off all round. Specially this time, for it will
+be a year or more before we drop anchor here again,' answered
+Emil, pushing his cap back, and glancing about him as if he loved
+old Plum and would be sorry never to see it any more.
+
+'You have salt water enough without my adding to it. I'm going to
+be quite a Spartan mother, and send my sons to battle with no
+wailing, only the command:
+
+"With your shield or on it",' said Mrs Jo cheerfully, adding after a
+pause: 'I often wish I could go too, and some day I will, when you
+are captain and have a ship of your own--as I've no doubt you will
+before long, with Uncle Herman to push you on.'
+
+'When I do I'll christen her the Jolly Jo and take you as first mate.
+It would be regular larks to have you aboard, and I'd be a proud
+man to carry you round the world you've wanted to see so long and
+never could,' answered Emil, caught at once by this splendid
+vision.
+
+'I'll make my first voyage with you and enjoy myself immensely in
+spite of seasickness and all the stormy winds that blow. I've always
+thought I'd like to see a wreck, a nice safe one with all saved after
+great danger and heroic deeds, while we clung like Mr Pillicoddy
+to main-top jibs and lee scuppers.'
+
+'No wrecks yet, ma'am, but we'll try to accommodate customers.
+Captain says I'm a lucky dog and bring fair weather, so we'll save
+the dirty weather for you if you want it,' laughed Emil, digging at
+the ship in full sail which he was adding to his design.
+
+'Thanks, I hope you will. This long voyage will give you new
+experiences, and being an officer, you will have new duties and
+responsibilities. Are you ready for them? You take everything so
+gaily, I've been wondering if you realized that now you will have
+not only to obey but to command also, and power is a dangerous
+thing. Be careful that you don't abuse it or let it make a tyrant of
+you.'
+
+'Right you are, ma'am. I've seen plenty of that, and have got my
+bearings pretty well, I guess. I shan't have very wide swing with
+Peters over me, but I'll see that the boys don't get abused when he's
+bowsed up his jib. No right to speak before, but now I won't stand
+it.'
+
+'That sounds mysteriously awful; could I ask what nautical torture
+"bowsing jibs" is?' asked Mrs Jo, in a tone of deep interest.
+
+'Getting drunk. Peters can hold more grog than any man I ever saw;
+he keeps right side up, but is as savage as a norther, and makes
+things lively all round. I've seen him knock a fellow down with a
+belaying pin, and couldn't lend a hand. Better luck now, I hope.'
+And Emil frowned as if he already trod the quarter-deck, lord of all
+he surveyed.
+
+'Don't get into trouble, for even Uncle Herman's favour won't cover
+insubordination, you know. You have proved yourself a good
+sailor; now be a good officer, which is a harder thing, I fancy. It
+takes a fine character to rule justly and kindly; you will have to put
+by your boyish ways and remember your dignity. That will be
+excellent training for you, Emil, and sober you down a bit. No
+more skylarking except here, so mind your ways, and do honour to
+your buttons,' said Mrs Jo, tapping one of the very bright brass
+ones that ornamented the new suit Emil was so proud of.
+
+'I'll do my best. I know my time for skirmshander (chaff) is over,
+and I must steer a straighter course; but don't you fear, Jack ashore
+is a very different craft from what he is with blue water under his
+keel. I had a long talk with Uncle last night and got my orders; I
+won't forget 'em nor all I owe him. As for you, I'll name my first
+ship as I say, and have your bust for the figurehead, see if I don't,'
+and Emil gave his aunt a hearty kiss to seal the vow, which
+proceeding much amused Nat, playing softly in the porch of the
+Dovecote.
+
+'You do me proud, Captain. But, dear, I want to say one thing and
+then I'm done; for you don't need much advice of mine after my
+good man has spoken. I read somewhere that every inch of rope
+used in the British Navy has a strand of red in it, so that wherever a
+bit of it is found it is known. That is the text of my little sermon to
+you. Virtue, which means honour, honesty, courage, and all that
+makes character, is the red thread that marks a good man wherever
+he is. Keep that always and everywhere, so that even if wrecked by
+misfortune, that sign shall still be found and recognized. Yours is a
+rough life, and your mates not all we could wish, but you can be a
+gentleman in the true sense of the word; and no matter what
+happens to your body, keep your soul clean, your heart true to
+those who love you, and do your duty to the end.'
+
+As she spoke Emil had risen and stood listening with his cap off
+and a grave, bright look as if taking orders from a superior officer;
+when she ended, he answered briefly, but heartily:
+
+'Please God, I will!'
+
+'That's all; I have little fear for you, but one never knows when or
+how the weak moment may come, and sometimes a chance word
+helps us, as so many my dear mother spoke come back to me now
+for my own comfort and the guidance of my boys,' said Mrs Jo,
+rising; for the words had been said and no more were needed.
+
+'I've stored 'em up and know where to find 'em when wanted. Often
+and often in my watch I've seen old Plum, and heard you and
+Uncle talking so plainly, I'd have sworn I was here. It is a rough
+life, Aunty, but a wholesome one if a fellow loves it as I do, and
+has an anchor to windward as I have. Don't worry about me, and
+I'll come home next year with a chest of tea that will cheer your
+heart and give you ideas enough for a dozen novels. Going below?
+All right, steady in the gangway! I'll be along by the time you've
+got out the cake-box. Last chance for a good old lunch ashore.'
+
+Mrs Jo descended laughing, and Emil finished his ship whistling
+cheerfully, neither dreaming when and where this little chat on the
+house-top would return to the memory of one of them.
+
+Dan was harder to catch, and not until evening did a quiet moment
+come in that busy family; when, while the rest were roaming
+about, Mrs Jo sat down to read in the study, and presently Dan
+looked in at the window.
+
+'Come and rest after your long tramp; you must be tired,' she
+called, with an inviting nod towards the big sofa where so many
+boys had reposed--as much as that active animal ever does.
+
+'Afraid I shall disturb you'; but Dan looked as if he wanted to stay
+his restless feet somewhere.
+
+'Not a bit; I'm always ready to talk, shouldn't be a woman if I were
+not,' laughed Mrs Jo, as Dan swung himself in and sat down with
+an air of contentment very pleasant to see.
+
+'Last day is over, yet somehow I don't seem to hanker to be off.
+Generally, I'm rather anxious to cut loose after a short stop. Odd,
+ain't it?' asked Dan, gravely picking grass and leaves out of his hair
+and beard; for he had been lying on the grass, thinking many
+thoughts in the quiet summer night.
+
+'Not at all; you are beginning to get civilized. It's a good sign, and
+I'm glad to see it,' answered Mrs Jo promptly. 'You've had your
+swing, and want a change. Hope the farming will give it to you,
+though helping the Indians pleases me more: it is so much better to
+work for others than for one's self alone.' 
+
+'So 'tis,' assented Dan heartily. 'I seem to want to root somewhere 
+and have folks of my own to take care of. Tired of my own company, I 
+suppose, now I've seen so much better. I'm a rough, ignorant lot, and 
+I've been thinking maybe I've missed it loafing round creation, instead
+of going in for education as the other chaps did. Hey?'
+
+He looked anxiously at Mrs Jo; and she tried to hide the surprise
+this new outburst caused her; for till now Dan had scorned books
+and gloried in his freedom.
+
+'No; I don't think so in your case. So far I'm sure the free life was
+best. Now that you are a man you can control that lawless nature
+better; but as a boy only great activity and much adventure could
+keep you out of mischief. Time is taming my colt, you see, and I
+shall yet be proud of him, whether he makes a pack-horse of
+himself to carry help to the starving or goes to ploughing as
+Pegasus did.'
+
+Dan liked the comparison, and smiled as he lounged in the
+sofa-corner, with the new thoughtfulness in his eyes.
+
+'Glad you think so. The fact is it's going to take a heap of taming to
+make me go well in harness anywhere. I want to, and I try now and
+then, but always kick over the traces and run away. No lives lost
+yet; but I shouldn't wonder if there was some time, and a general
+smash-up.'
+
+'Why, Dan, did you have any dangerous adventures during this last
+absence? I fancied so, but didn't ask before, knowing you'd tell me
+if I could help in any way. Can I?' And Mrs Jo looked anxiously at
+him; for a sudden lowering expression had come into his face, and
+he leaned forward as if to hide it. 
+
+'Nothing very bad; but 'Frisco isn't just a heaven on earth, you know, 
+and it's harder to be a saint there than here,' he answered slowly; 
+then, as if he had made up his mind to ''fess', as the children used 
+to say, he sat up, and added rapidly, in a half-defiant, half-shamefaced
+way, 'I tried gambling, and it wasn't good for me.'
+
+'Was that how you made your money?'
+
+'Not a penny of it! That's all honest, if speculation isn't a bigger
+sort of gambling. I won a lot; but I lost or gave it away, and cut the
+whole concern before it got the better of me.'
+
+'Thank heaven for that! Don't try it again; it may have the terrible
+fascination for you it has for so many. Keep to your mountains and
+prairies, and shun cities, if these things tempt you, Dan. Better lose
+your life than your soul, and one such passion leads to worse sins,
+as you know better than I.'
+
+Dan nodded, and seeing how troubled she was, said, in a lighter
+tone, though still the shadow of that past experience remained:
+
+'Don't be scared; I'm all right now; and a burnt dog dreads the fire.
+I don't drink, or do the things you dread; don't care for 'em; but I
+get excited, and then this devilish temper of mine is more than I
+can manage. Fighting a moose or a buffalo is all right; but when
+you pitch into a man, no matter how great a scamp he is, you've
+got to look out. I shall kill someone some day; that's all I'm afraid
+of. I do hate a sneak!' And Dan brought his fist down on the table
+with a blow that made the lamp totter and the books skip.
+
+'That always was your trial, Dan, and I can sympathize with you;
+for I've been trying to govern my own temper all my life, and
+haven't learnt yet,' said Mrs Jo, with a sigh. 'For heaven's sake,
+guard your demon well, and don't let a moment's fury ruin all your
+life. As I said to Nat, watch and pray, my dear boy. There is no
+other help or hope for human weakness but God's love and
+patience.'
+
+Tears were in Mrs Jo's eyes as she spoke; for she felt this deeply,
+and knew how hard a task it is to rule these bosom sins of ours.
+Dan looked touched, also uncomfortable, as he always did when
+religion of any sort was mentioned, though he had a simple creed
+of his own, and tried to live up to it in his blind way.
+
+'I don't do much praying; don't seem to come handy to me; but I
+can watch like a redskin, only it's easier to mount guard over a
+lurking grizzly than my own cursed temper. It's that I'm afraid of, if
+I settle down. I can get on with wild beasts first-rate; but men rile
+me awfully, and I can't take it out in a free fight, as I can with a
+bear or a wolf. Guess I'd better head for the Rockies, and stay there
+a spell longer--till I'm tame enough for decent folks, if I ever am.'
+And Dan leaned his rough head on his hands in a despondent
+attitude.
+
+'Try my sort of help, and don't give up. Read more, study a little,
+and try to meet a better class of people, who won't "rile", but
+soothe and strengthen you. We don't make you savage, I'm sure;
+for you have been as meek as a lamb, and made us very happy.'
+
+'Glad of it; but I've felt like a hawk in a hen-house all the same,
+and wanted to pounce and tear more than once. Not so much as I
+used, though,' added Dan, after a short laugh at Mrs Jo's surprised
+face. 'I'll try your plan, and keep good company this bout if I can;
+but a man can't pick and choose, knocking about as I do.'
+
+'Yes, you can this time; for you are going on a peaceful errand and
+can keep clear of temptation if you try. Take some books and read;
+that's an immense help; and books are always good company if you
+have the right sort. Let me pick out some for you.' And Mrs Jo
+made a bee-line to the well-laden shelves, which were the joy of
+her heart and the comfort of her life.
+
+'Give me travels and stories, please; don't want any pious works,
+can't seem to relish 'em, and won't pretend I do,' said Dan,
+following to look over her head with small favour at the long lines
+of well-worn volumes.
+
+Mrs Jo turned short round, and putting a hand on either broad
+shoulder, looked him in the eye, saying soberly: 
+
+'Now, Dan, see here; never sneer at good things or pretend to be
+worse than you are. Don't let false shame make you neglect the
+religion without which no man can live. You needn't talk about it
+if you don't like, but don't shut your heart to it in whatever shape it
+comes. Nature is your God now; she has done much for you; let
+her do more, and lead you to know and love a wiser and more
+tender teacher, friend, and comforter than she can ever be. That is
+your only hope; don't throw it away, and waste time; for sooner or
+later you will feel the need of Him, and He will come to you and
+hold you up when all other help fails.'
+
+Dan stood motionless, and let her read in his softened eyes the
+dumb desire that lived in his heart, though he had no words to tell
+it, and only permitted her to catch a glimpse of the divine spark
+which smoulders or burns clearly in every human soul. He did not
+speak; and glad to be spared some answer which should belie his
+real feelings, Mrs Jo hastened to say, with her most motherly
+smile:
+
+'I saw in your room the little Bible I gave you long ago; it was well
+worn outside, but fresh within, as if not much read. Will you
+promise me to read a little once a week, dear, for my sake? Sunday
+is a quiet day everywhere, and this book is never old nor out of
+place. Begin with the stories you used to love when I told them to
+you boys. David was your favourite, you remember? Read him
+again; he'll suit you even better now, and you'll find his sins and
+repentance useful reading till you come to the life and work of a
+diviner example than he. You will do it, for love of mother Bhaer,
+who always loved her "firebrand" and hoped to save him?'
+
+'I will,' answered Dan, with a sudden brightening of face that was
+like a sunburst through a cloud, full of promise though so
+short-lived and rare.
+
+Mrs Jo turned at once to the books and began to talk of them,
+knowing well that Dan would not hear any more just then. He
+seemed relieved; for it was always hard for him to show his inner
+self, and he took pride in hiding it as an Indian does in concealing
+pain or fear.
+
+'Hallo, here's old Sintram! I remember him; used to like him and
+his tantrums, and read about 'em to Ted. There he is riding ahead
+with Death and the Devil
+
+alongside.'
+
+As Dan looked at the little picture of the young man with horse
+and hound going bravely up the rocky defile, accompanied by the
+companions who ride beside most men through this world, a
+curious impulse made Mrs Jo say quickly:
+
+'That's you, Dan, just you at this time! Danger and sin are near you
+in the life you lead; moods and passions torment you; the bad
+father left you to fight alone, and the wild spirit drives you to
+wander up and down the world looking for peace and self-control.
+Even the horse and hound are there, your Octoo and Don, faithful
+friends, unscared by the strange mates that go with you. You have
+not got the armour yet, but I'm trying to show you where to find it.
+Remember the mother Sintram loved and longed to find, and did
+find when his battle was bravely fought, his reward well earned?
+You can recollect your mother; and I have always felt that all the
+good qualities you possess come from her. Act out the beautiful
+old story in this as in the other parts, and try to give her back a son
+to be proud of.'
+
+Quite carried away by the likeness of the quaint tale to Dan's life
+and needs, Mrs Jo went on pointing to the various pictures which
+illustrated it, and when she looked up was surprised to see how
+struck and interested he seemed to be. Like all people of his
+temperament he was very impressionable, and his life among
+hunters and Indians had made him superstitious; he believed in
+dreams, liked weird tales, and whatever appealed to the eye or
+mind, vividly impressed him more than the wisest words. The
+story of poor, tormented Sintram came back clearly as he looked
+and listened, symbolizing his secret trials even more truly than Mrs
+Jo knew; and just at that moment this had an effect upon him that
+never was forgotten. But all he said was:
+
+'Small chance of that. I don't take much stock in the idea of
+meeting folks in heaven. Guess mother won't remember the poor
+little brat she left so long ago; why should she?'
+
+'Because true mothers never forget their children; and I know she
+was one, from the fact that she ran away from the cruel husband,
+to save her little son from bad influences. Had she lived, life would
+have been happier for you, with this tender friend to help and
+comfort you. Never forget that she risked everything for your sake,
+and don't let it be in vain.'
+
+Mrs Jo spoke very earnestly, knowing that this was the one sweet
+memory of Dan's early life, and glad to have recalled it at this
+moment; for suddenly a great tear splashed down on the page
+where Sintram kneels at his mother's feet, wounded, but victorious
+over sin and death. She looked up, well pleased to have touched
+Dan to the heart's core, as that drop proved; but a sweep of the arm
+brushed away the tell-tale, and his beard hid the mate to it, as he
+shut the book, saying with a suppressed quiver in his strong voice:
+
+'I'll keep this, if nobody wants it. I'll read it over, and maybe it will
+do me good. I'd like to meet her anywhere, but don't believe I ever
+shall.'
+
+'Keep it and welcome. My mother gave it to me; and when you
+read it try to believe that neither of your mothers will ever forget
+you.'
+
+Mrs Jo gave the book with a caress; and simply saying: 'Thanks;
+good night,' Dan thrust it into his pocket, and walked straight away
+to the river to recover from this unwonted mood of tenderness and 
+confidence.
+
+Next day the travellers were off. All were in good spirits, and a
+cloud of handkerchiefs whitened the air as they drove away in the
+old bus, waving their hats to everyone and kissing their hands,
+especially to mother Bhaer, who said in her prophetic tone as she
+wiped her eyes, when the familiar rumble died away:
+
+'I have a feeling that something is going to happen to some of
+them, and they will never come back to me, or come back
+changed. Well, I can only say, God be with my boys!'
+
+And He was.
+
+
+Chapter 7 THE LION AND THE LAMB
+
+When the boys were gone a lull fell upon Plumfield, and the
+family scattered to various places for brief outings, as August had
+come and all felt the need of change. The Professor took Mrs Jo to
+the mountains. The Laurences were at the seashore, and there
+Meg's family and the Bhaer boys took turns to visit, as someone
+must always be at home to keep things in order.
+
+Mrs Meg, with Daisy, was in office when the events occurred
+which we are about to relate. Rob and Ted were just up from
+Rocky Nook, and Nan was passing a week with her friend as the
+only relaxation she allowed herself. Demi was off on a run with
+Tom, so Rob was man of the house, with old Silas as general
+overseer. The sea air seemed to have gone to Ted's head, for he
+was unusually freakish, and led his gentle aunt and poor Rob a life
+of it with his pranks. Octoo was worn out with the wild rides he
+took, and Don openly rebelled when ordered to leap and show off
+his accomplishments; while the girls at college were both amused
+and worried by the ghosts who haunted the grounds at night, the
+unearthly melodies that disturbed their studious hours, and the
+hairbreadth escapes of this restless boy by flood and field and fire.
+Something happened at length which effectually sobered Ted and
+made a lasting impression on both the boys; for sudden danger and
+a haunting fear turned the Lion into a lamb and the Lamb into a
+lion, as far as courage went.
+
+On the first of September--the boys never forgot the date--after a
+pleasant tramp and good luck with their fishing, the brothers were
+lounging in the barn; for Daisy had company, and the lads kept out
+of the way.
+
+'I tell you what it is, Bobby, that dog is sick. He won't play, nor eat,
+nor drink, and acts queerly. Dan will kill us if anything happens to
+him,' said Ted, looking at Don, who lay near his kennel resting a
+moment after one of the restless wanderings which kept him
+vibrating between the door of Dan's room and the shady corner of
+the yard, where his master had settled him with an old cap to
+guard till he came back.
+
+'It's the hot weather, perhaps. But I sometimes think he's pining for
+Dan. Dogs do, you know, and the poor fellow has been low in his
+mind ever since the boys went. Maybe something has happened to
+Dan. Don howled last night and can't rest. I've heard of such
+things,' answered Rob thoughtfully.
+
+'Pooh! he can't know. He's cross. I'll stir him up and take him for a
+run. Always makes me feel better. Hi, boy! wake up and be jolly';
+and Ted snapped his fingers at the dog, who only looked at him
+with grim indifference.
+
+'Better let him alone. If he isn't right tomorrow, we'll take him to
+Dr Watkins and see what he says.' And Rob went on watching the
+swallows as he lay in the hay polishing up some Latin verses he
+had made.
+
+The spirit of perversity entered into Ted, and merely because he
+was told not to tease Don he went on doing it, pretending that it
+was for the dog's good. Don took no heed of his pats, commands,
+reproaches, or insults, till Ted's patience gave out; and seeing a
+convenient switch near by he could not resist the temptation to
+conquer the great hound by force, since gentleness failed to win
+obedience. He had the wisdom to chain Don up first; for a blow
+from any hand but his master's made him savage, and Ted had
+more than once tried the experiment, as the dog remembered. This 
+indignity roused Don and he sat up with a growl. Rob heard it, and 
+seeing Ted raise the switch, ran to interfere, exclaiming:
+
+'Don't touch him! Dan forbade it! Leave the poor thing in peace; I
+won't allow it.'
+
+Rob seldom commanded, but when he did Master Ted had to give
+in. His temper was up, and Rob's masterful tone made it
+impossible to resist one cut at the rebellious dog before he
+submitted. Only a single blow, but it was a costly one; for as it fell,
+the dog sprang at Ted with a snarl, and Rob, rushing between the
+two, felt the sharp teeth pierce his leg. A word made Don let go
+and drop remorsefully at Rob's feet, for he loved him and was
+evidently sorry to have hurt his friend by mistake. With a forgiving
+pat Rob left him, to limp to the barn followed by Ted, whose wrath
+was changed to shame and sorrow when he saw the red drops on
+Rob's sock and the little wounds in his leg.
+
+'I'm awfully sorry. Why did you get in the way? Here, wash it up,
+and I'll get a rag to tie on it,' he said quickly filling a sponge with
+water and pulling out a very demoralized handkerchief. Rob
+usually made light of his own mishaps and was over ready to
+forgive if others were to blame; but now he sat quite still, looking
+at the purple marks with such a strange expression on his white
+face that Ted was troubled, though he added with a laugh: 'Why,
+you're not afraid of a little dig like that, are you, Bobby?'
+
+'I am afraid of hydrophobia. But if Don is mad I'd rather be the one
+to have it,' answered Rob, with a smile and a shiver.
+
+At that dreadful word Ted turned whiter than his brother, and,
+dropping sponge and handkerchief, stared at him with a frightened
+face, whispering in a tone of despair:
+
+'Oh, Rob, don't say it! What shall we do, what shall we do?'
+
+'Call Nan; she will know. Don't scare Aunty, or tell a soul but Nan;
+she's on the back piazza; get her out here as quick as you can. I'll
+wash it till she comes. Maybe it's nothing; don't look so staggered, 
+Ted. I only thought it might be, as Don is queer.'
+
+Rob tried to speak bravely; but Ted's long legs felt strangely weak
+as he hurried away, and it was lucky he met no one, for his face
+would have betrayed him. Nan was swinging luxuriously in a
+hammock, amusing herself with a lively treatise on croup, when an
+agitated boy suddenly clutched her, whispering, as he nearly pulled
+her overboard:
+
+'Come to Rob in the barn! Don's mad and he's bitten him, and we
+don't know what to do; it's all my fault; no one must know. Oh, do
+be quick!'
+
+Nan was on her feet at once, startled, but with her wits about her,
+and both were off without more words as they dodged round the
+house where unconscious Daisy chatted with her friends in the
+parlour and Aunt Meg peacefully took her afternoon nap upstairs.
+
+Rob was braced up, and was as calm and steady as ever when they
+found him in the harness-room, whither he had wisely retired, to
+escape observation. The story was soon told, and after a look at
+Don, now in his kennel, sad and surly, Nan said slowly, with her
+eye on the full water-pan:
+
+'Rob, there is one thing to do for the sake of safety, and it must be
+done at once. We can't wait to see if Don is--sick--or to go for a
+doctor. I can do it, and I will; but it is very painful, and I hate to
+hurt you, dear.'
+
+A most unprofessional quiver got into Nan's voice as she spoke,
+and her keen eyes dimmed as she looked at the two anxious young
+faces turned so confidingly to her for help.
+
+'I know, burn it; well, do it, please; I can bear it. But Ted better go
+away,' said Rob, with a firm setting of his lips, and a nod at his
+afflicted brother.
+
+'I won't stir; I can stand it if he can, only it ought to be me!' cried
+Ted, with a desperate effort not to cry, so full of grief and fear and
+shame was he that it seemed as if he couldn't bear it like a man.
+
+'He'd better stay and help; do him good,' answered
+
+Nan sternly, because, her heart was faint within her, knowing as
+she did all that might be in store for both poor boys. 'Keep quiet;
+I'll be back in a minute,' she added, going towards the house, while
+her quick mind hastily planned what was best to be done.
+
+It was ironing day, and a hot fire still burned in the empty kitchen,
+for the maids were upstairs resting. Nan put a slender poker to
+heat, and as she sat waiting for it, covered her face with her hands,
+asking help in this sudden need   strength, courage, and wisdom;
+for there was no one else to call upon, and young as she was, she
+knew what was to be done if she only had the nerve to do it. Any
+other patient would have been calmly interesting, but dear, good
+Robin, his father's pride, his mother's comfort, everyone's favourite
+and friend, that he should be in danger was very terrible; and a few
+hot tears dropped on the well-scoured table as Nan tried to calm
+her trouble by remembering how very likely it was to be all a
+mistake, a natural but vain alarm.
+
+'I must make light of it, or the boys will break down, and then there
+will be a panic. Why afflict and frighten everyone when all is in
+doubt? I won't. I'll take Rob to Dr Morrison at once, and have the
+dog man see Don. Then, having done all we can, we will either
+laugh at our scare--if it is one--or be ready for whatever comes.
+Now for my poor boy.'
+
+Armed with the red-hot poker, a pitcher of ice-water, and several
+handkerchiefs from the clotheshorse, Nan went back to the barn
+ready to do her best in this her most serious 'emergency case'. The
+boys sat like statues, one of despair, the other of resignation; and it
+took all Nan's boasted nerve to do her work quickly and well.
+
+'Now, Rob, only a minute, then we are safe. Stand by, Ted; he may
+be a bit faintish.'
+
+Rob shut his eyes, clinched his hands, and sat like a hero. Ted
+knelt beside him, white as a sheet, and as weak as a girl; for the
+pangs of remorse were rending him, and his heart failed at the
+thought of all this pain because of his wilfulness. It was all over in
+a moment, with only one little groan; but when Nan looked to her
+assistant to hand the water, poor Ted needed it the most, for he had
+fainted away, and lay on the floor in a pathetic heap of arms and
+legs.
+
+Rob laughed, and, cheered by that unexpected sound, Nan bound
+up the wound with hands that never trembled, though great drops
+stood on her forehead; and she shared the water with patient
+number one before she turned to patient number two. Ted was
+much ashamed, and quite broken in spirit, when he found how he
+had failed at the critical moment, and begged them not to tell, as
+he really could not help it; then by way of finishing his utter
+humiliation, a burst of hysterical tears disgraced his manly soul,
+and did him a world of good.
+
+'Never mind, never mind, we are all right now, and no one need be
+the wiser,' said Nan briskly, as poor Ted hiccoughed on Rob's
+shoulder, laughing and crying in the most tempestuous manner,
+while his brother soothed him, and the young doctor fanned both
+with Silas's old straw hat.
+
+'Now, boys, listen to me and remember what I say. We won't alarm
+anyone yet, for I've made up my mind our scare is all nonsense.
+Don was out lapping the water as I came by, and I don't believe
+he's mad any more than I am. Still, to ease our minds and compose
+our spirits, and get our guilty faces out of sight for a while, I think
+we had better drive into town to my old friend Dr Morrison, and
+let him just take a look at my work, and give us some quieting
+little dose; for we are all rather shaken by this flurry. Sit still, Rob;
+and Ted, you harness up while I run and get my hat and tell Aunty
+to excuse me to Daisy. I don't know those Penniman girls, and she
+will be glad of our room at tea, and we'll have a cosy bite at my
+house, and come home as gay as larks.'
+
+Nan talked on as a vent for the hidden emotions which
+professional pride would not allow her to show, and the boys
+approved her plan at once; for action is always easier than quiet
+waiting. Ted went staggering away to wash his face at the pump,
+and rub some colour into his cheeks before he harnessed the horse.
+Rob lay tranquilly on the hay, looking up at the swallows again as
+he lived through some very memorable moments. Boy as he was,
+the thought of death coming suddenly to him, and in this way,
+might well make him sober; for it is a very solemn thing to be
+arrested in the midst of busy life by the possibility of the great
+change. There were no sins to be repented of, few faults, and many
+happy, dutiful years to remember with infinite comfort. So Rob
+had no fears to daunt him, no regrets to sadden, and best of all, a
+very strong and simple piety to sustain and cheer him.
+
+'Mein Vater,' was his first thought; for Rob was very near the
+Professor's heart, and the loss of his eldest would have been a
+bitter blow. These words, whispered with a tremble of the lips that
+had been so firm when the hot iron burned, recalled that other
+Father who is always near, always tender and helpful; and, folding
+his hands, Rob said the heartiest little prayer he ever prayed, there
+on the hay, to the soft twitter of the brooding birds. It did him
+good; and wisely laying all his fear and doubt and trouble in God's
+hand, the boy felt ready for whatever was to come, and from that
+hour kept steadily before him the one duty that was plain--to be
+brave and cheerful, keep silent, and hope for the best.
+
+Nan stole her hat, and left a note on Daisy's pincushion, saying she
+had taken the boys to drive, and all would be out of the way till
+after tea. Then she hurried back and found her patients much
+better, the one for work, the other for rest. In they got, and, putting
+Rob on the back seat with his leg up drove away, looking as gay
+and care-free as if nothing had happened.
+
+Dr Morrison made light of the affair, but told Nan she had done
+right; and as the much-relieved lads went downstairs, he added in a
+whisper: 'Send the dog off for a while, and keep your eye on the
+boy. Don't let him know it, and report to me if anything seems
+wrong. One never knows in these cases. No harm to be careful.'
+
+Nan nodded, and feeling much relieved now that the responsibility
+was off her shoulders, took the lads to Dr Watkins, who promised
+to come out later and examine Don. A merry tea at Nan's house,
+which was kept open for her all summer, did them good, and by
+the time they got home in the cool of the evening no sign of the
+panic remained but Ted's heavy eyes, and a slight limp when Rob
+walked. As the guests were still chattering on the front piazza they
+retired to the back, and Ted soothed his remorseful soul by
+swinging Rob in the hammock, while Nan told stories till the dog
+man arrived.
+
+He said Don was a little under the weather, but no more mad than
+the grey kitten that purred round his legs while the examination
+went on.
+
+'He wants his master, and feels the heat. Fed too well, perhaps. I'll
+keep him a few weeks and send him home all right,' said Dr
+Watkins, as Don laid his great head in his hand, and kept his
+intelligent eyes on his face, evidently feeling that this man
+understood his trials, and knew what to do for him.
+
+So Don departed without a murmur, and our three conspirators
+took counsel together how to spare the family all anxiety, and give
+Rob the rest his leg demanded. Fortunately, he always spent many
+hours in his little study, so he could lie on the sofa with a book in
+his hand as long as he liked, without exciting any remark. Being of
+a quiet temperament, he did not worry himself or Nan with useless
+fears, but believed what was told him, and dismissing all dark
+possibilities, went cheerfully on his way, soon recovering from the
+shock of what he called 'our scare'.
+
+But excitable Ted was harder to manage, and it took all Nan's wit
+and wisdom to keep him from betraying the secret; for it was best
+to say nothing and spare all discussion of the subject for Rob's
+sake. Ted's remorse preyed upon him, and having no 'Mum' to
+confide in, he was very miserable. By day he devoted himself to
+Rob, waiting on him, talking to him, gazing anxiously at him, and
+worrying the good fellow very much; though he wouldn't own it,
+since Ted found comfort in it. But at night, when all was quiet,
+Ted's lively imagination and heavy heart got the better of him, and
+kept him awake, or set him walking in his sleep. Nan had her eye
+on him, and more than once administered a little dose to give him
+a rest, read to him, scolded him, and when she caught him
+haunting the house in the watches of the night, threatened to lock
+him up if he did not stay in his bed. This wore off after a while;
+but a change came over the freakish boy, and everyone observed it,
+even before his mother returned to ask what they had done to
+quench the Lion's spirits. He was gay, but not so heedless; and
+often when the old wilfulness beset him, he would check it
+sharply, look at Rob, and give up, or stalk away to have his sulk
+out alone. He no longer made fun of his brother's old-fashioned
+ways and bookish tastes, but treated him with a new and very
+marked respect, which touched and pleased modest Rob, and much
+amazed all observers. It seemed as if he felt that he owed him
+reparation for the foolish act that might have cost him his life; and
+love being stronger than will, Ted forgot his pride, and paid his
+debt like an honest boy.
+
+'I don't understand it,' said Mrs Jo, after a week of home life, much
+impressed by the good behaviour of her younger son. 'Ted is such a
+saint, I'm afraid we are going to lose him. Is it Meg's sweet
+influence, or Daisy's fine cooking, or the pellets I catch Nan giving
+him on the sly? Some witchcraft has been at work during my
+absence, and this will-o'-the-wisp is so amiable, quiet, and
+obedient, I don't know him.'
+
+'He is growing up, heart's-dearest, and being a precocious plant, he
+begins to bloom early. I also see a change in my Robchen. He is
+more manly and serious than ever, and is seldom far from me, as if
+his love for the old papa was growing with his growth. Our boys
+will often surprise us in this way, Jo, and we can only rejoice over
+them and leave them to become what Gott pleases.'
+
+As the Professor spoke, his eyes rested proudly on the brothers,
+who came walking up the steps together, Ted's arm over Rob's
+shoulder as he listened attentively to some geological remarks Rob
+was making on a stone he held. Usually, Ted made fun of such
+tastes, and loved to lay boulders in the student's path, put brickbats
+under his pillow, gravel in his shoes, or send parcels of dirt by
+express to 'Prof. R. M. Bhaer'. Lately, he had treated Rob's hobbies
+respectfully, and had begun to appreciate the good qualities of this
+quiet brother whom he had always loved but rather undervalued,
+till his courage under fire won Ted's admiration, and made it
+impossible to forget a fault, the consequences of which might have
+been so terrible. The leg was still lame, though doing well, and
+Ted was always offering an arm as support, gazing anxiously at his
+brother, and trying to guess his wants; for regret was still keen in
+Ted's soul, and Rob's forgiveness only made it deeper. A fortunate
+slip on the stairs gave Rob an excuse for limping, and no one but
+Nan and Ted saw the wound; so the secret was safe up to this time.
+
+'We are talking about you, my lads. Come in and tell us what good
+fairy has been at work while we were gone. Or is it because
+absence sharpens our eyes, that we find such pleasant changes
+when we come back?' said Mrs Jo, patting the sofa on either side,
+while the Professor forgot his piles of letters to admire the pleasing
+prospect of his wife in a bower of arms, as the boys sat down
+beside her, smiling affectionately, but feeling a little guilty; for till
+now 'Mum' and 'Vater' knew every event in their boyish lives.
+
+'Oh, it's only because Bobby and I have been alone so much; we
+are sort of twins. I stir him up a bit, and he steadies me a great
+deal. You and father do the same, you know. Nice plan. I like it';
+and Ted felt that he had settled the matter capitally.
+
+'Mother won't thank you for comparing yourself to her, Ted. I'm
+flattered at being like father in any way. I try to be,' answered Rob,
+as they laughed at Ted's compliment.
+
+'I do thank him, for it's true; and if you, Robin, do half as much for
+your brother as Papa has for me, your life won't be a failure,' said
+Mrs Jo heartily. 'I'm very glad to see you helping one another. It's
+the right way, and we can't begin too soon to try to understand the
+needs, virtues, and failings of those nearest us. Love should not
+make us blind to faults, nor familiarity make us too ready to blame
+the shortcomings we see. So work away, my sonnies, and give us
+more surprises of this sort as often as you like.'
+
+'The liebe Mutter has said all. I too am well pleased at the friendly
+brother-warmth I find. It is good for everyone; long may it last!'
+and Professor Bhaer nodded at the boys, who looked gratified, but
+rather at a loss how to respond to these flattering remarks.
+
+Rob wisely kept silent, fearing to say too much; but Ted burst out,
+finding it impossible to help telling something:
+
+'The fact is I've been finding out what a brave good chap Bobby is,
+and I'm trying to make up for all the bother I've been to him. I
+knew he was awfully wise, but I thought him rather soft, because
+he liked books better than larks, and was always fussing about his
+conscience. But I begin to see that it isn't the fellows who talk the
+loudest and show off best that are the manliest. No, sir! quiet old
+Bob is a hero and a trump, and I'm proud of him; so would you be
+if you knew all about it.'
+
+Here a look from Rob brought Ted up with a round turn; he
+stopped short, grew red, and clapped his hand on his mouth in
+dismay.
+
+'Well, are we not to "know all about it"?' asked Mrs Jo quickly; for
+her sharp eye saw signs of danger and her maternal heart felt that
+something had come between her and her sons. 'Boys,' she went on
+solemnly, 'I suspect that the change we talk about is not altogether
+the effect of growing up, as we say. It strikes me that Ted has been
+in mischief and Rob has got him out of some scrape; hence the
+lovely mood of my bad boy and the sober one of my conscientious
+son, who never hides anything from his mother.'
+
+Rob was as red as Ted now, but after a moment's hesitation he
+looked up and answered with an air of relief:
+
+'Yes, mother, that's it; but it's all over and no harm done, and I
+think we'd better let it be, for a while at least. I did feel guilty to
+keep anything from you, but now you know so much I shall not
+worry and you needn't either. Ted's sorry, I don't mind, and it has
+done us both good.'
+
+Mrs Jo looked at Ted, who winked hard but bore the look like a
+man; then she turned to Rob, who smiled at her so cheerfully that
+she felt reassured; but something in his face struck her, and she
+saw what it was that made him seem older, graver, yet more
+lovable than ever. It was the look pain of mind, as well as body,
+brings, and the patience of a sweet submission to some inevitable
+trial. Like a flash she guessed that some danger had been near her
+boy, and the glances she had caught between the two lads and Nan
+confirmed her fears.
+
+'Rob, dear, you have been ill, hurt, or seriously troubled by Ted?
+Tell me at once; I will not have any secrets now. Boys sometimes
+suffer all their lives from neglected accidents or carelessness.
+Fritz, make them speak out!'
+
+Mr Bhaer put down his papers and came to stand before them,
+saying in a tone that quieted Mrs Jo, and gave the boys courage:
+
+'My sons, give us the truth. We can bear it; do not hold it back to
+spare us. Ted knows we forgive much because we love him, so be
+frank, all two.'
+
+Ted instantly dived among the sofa pillows and kept there, with
+only a pair of scarlet ears visible, while Rob in a few words told
+the little story, truthfully, but as gently as he could, hastening to
+add the comfortable assurance that Don was not mad, the wound
+nearly well, and no danger would ever come of it.
+
+But Mrs Jo grew so pale he had to put his arms about her, and his
+father turned and walked away, exclaiming: 'Ach Himmel!' in a
+tone of such mingled pain, relief, and gratitude, that Ted pulled an
+extra pillow over his head to smother the sound. They were all
+right in a minute; but such news is always a shock, even if the peril
+is past, and Mrs Jo hugged her boy close till his father came and
+took him away, saying with a strong shake of both hands and a
+quiver in his voice:
+
+'To be in danger of one's life tries a man's mettle, and you bear it
+well; but I cannot spare my good boy yet; thank Gott, we keep him
+safe!'
+
+A smothered sound, between a choke and a groan, came from
+under the pillows, and the writhing of Ted's long legs so plainly
+expressed despair that his mother relented towards him, and
+burrowing till she found a tousled yellow head, pulled it out and
+smoothed it, exclaiming with an irrepressible laugh, though her
+cheeks were wet with tears:
+
+'Come and be forgiven, poor sinner! I know you have suffered
+enough, and I won't say a word; only if harm had come to Rob you
+would have made me more miserable than yourself. Oh, Teddy,
+Teddy, do try to cure that wilful spirit of yours before it is too late!'
+
+'Oh, Mum, I do try! I never can forget this--I hope it's cured me; if
+it hasn't, I am afraid I ain't worth saving,' answered Ted, pulling his
+own hair as the only way of expressing his deep remorse.
+
+'Yes, you are, my dear; I felt just so at fifteen when Amy was
+nearly drowned, and Marmee helped me as I'll help you. Come to
+me, Teddy, when the evil one gets hold of you, and together we'll
+rout him. Ah, me! I've had many a tussle with that old Apollyon,
+and often got worsted, but not always. Come under my shield, and
+we'll fight till we win.'
+
+No one spoke for a minute as Ted and his mother laughed and
+cried in one handkerchief, and Rob stood with his father's arm
+round him so happy that all was told and forgiven, though never to
+be forgotten; for such experiences do one good, and knit hearts
+that love more closely together.
+
+Presently Ted rose straight up and going to his father, said bravely
+and humbly:
+
+'I ought to be punished. Please do it; but first say you forgive me,
+as Rob does.'
+
+'Always that, mein Sohn, seventy time seven, if needs be, else I am
+not worthy the name you give me. The punishment has come; I can
+give no greater. Let it not be in vain. It will not with the help of the
+mother and the All Father. Room here for both, always!'
+
+The good Professor opened his arms and embraced his boys like a
+true German, not ashamed to express by gesture or by word the
+fatherly emotions an American would have compressed into a slap
+on the shoulder and a brief 'All right'.
+
+Mrs Jo sat and enjoyed the prospect like a romantic soul as she
+was, and then they had a quiet talk together, saying freely all that
+was in their hearts, and finding much comfort in the confidence
+which comes when love casts out fear. It was agreed that nothing
+be said except to Nan, who was to be thanked and rewarded for her
+courage, discretion, and fidelity.
+
+'I always knew that girl had the making of a fine woman in her,
+and this proves it. No panics and shrieks and faintings and fuss,
+but calm sense and energetic skill. Dear child, what can I give or
+do to show my gratitude?' said Mrs Jo enthusiastically.
+
+'Make Tom clear out and leave her in peace,' suggested Ted,
+almost himself again, though a pensive haze still partially obscured
+his native gaiety.
+
+'Yes, do! he frets her like a mosquito. She forbade him to come out
+here while she stayed, and packed him off with Demi. I like old
+Tom, but he is a regular noodle about Nan,' added Rob, as he went
+away to help his father with the accumulated letters.
+
+'I'll do it!' said Mrs Jo decidedly. 'That girl's career shall not be
+hampered by a foolish boy's fancy. In a moment of weariness she
+may give in, and then it's all over. Wiser women have done so and
+regretted it all their lives. Nan shall earn her place first, and prove
+that she can fill it; then she may marry if she likes, and can find a
+man worthy of her.'
+
+But Mrs Jo's help was not needed; for love and gratitude can work
+miracles, and when youth, beauty, accident, and photography are
+added, success is sure; as was proved in the case of the
+unsuspecting but too susceptible Thomas.
+
+
+Chapter 8 JOSIE PLAYS MERMAID
+
+While the young Bhaers were having serious experiences at home,
+Josie was enjoying herself immensely at Rocky Nook; for the
+Laurences knew how to make summer idleness both charming and
+wholesome. Bess was very fond of her little cousin; Mrs Amy felt
+that whether her niece was an actress or not she must be a
+gentlewoman, and gave her the social training which marks the
+well-bred woman everywhere; while Uncle Laurie was never
+happier than when rowing, riding, playing, or lounging with two
+gay girls beside him. Josie bloomed like a wild flower in this free
+life, Bess grew rosy, brisk, and merry, and both were great
+favourites with the neighbours, whose villas were by the shore or
+perched on the cliffs along the pretty bay.
+
+One crumpled rose-leaf disturbed Josie's peace, one baffled wish
+filled her with a longing which became a mania, and kept her as
+restless and watchful as a detective with a case to 'work up'. Miss
+Cameron, the great actress, had hired one of the villas and retired
+thither to rest and 'create' a new part for next season. She saw no
+one but a friend or two, had a private beach, and was invisible
+except during her daily drive, or when the opera-glasses of curious
+gazers were fixed on a blue figure disporting itself in the sea. The
+Laurences knew her, but respected her privacy, and after a call left
+her in peace till she expressed a wish for society--a courtesy which
+she remembered and repaid later, as we shall see.
+
+But Josie was like a thirsty fly buzzing about a sealed honey-pot,
+for this nearness to her idol was both delightful and maddening.
+She pined to see, hear, talk with, and study this great and happy
+woman who could thrill thousands by her art, and win friends by
+her virtue, benevolence, and beauty. This was the sort of actress
+the girl meant to be, and few could object if the gift was really
+hers; for the stage needs just such women to purify and elevate the
+profession which should teach as well as amuse. If kindly Miss
+Cameron had known what passionate love and longing burned in
+the bosom of the little girl whom she idly observed skipping over
+the rocks, splashing about the beach, or galloping past her gate on
+a Shetland pony, she would have made her happy by a look or a
+word. But being tired with her winter's work and busy with her
+new part, the lady took no more notice of this young neighbour
+than of the sea-gulls in the bay or the daisies dancing in the fields.
+Nosegays left on her doorstep, serenades under her garden-wall,
+and the fixed stare of admiring eyes were such familiar things that
+she scarcely minded them; and Josie grew desperate when all her
+little attempts failed.
+
+'I might climb that pine-tree and tumble off on her piazza roof, or
+get Sheltie to throw me just at her gate and be taken in fainting. It's
+no use to try to drown myself when she is bathing. I can't sink, and
+she'd only send a man to pull me out. What can I do? I will see her
+and tell her my hopes and make her say I can act some day.
+Mamma would believe her; and if--oh, if she only would let me
+study with her, what perfect joy that would be!'
+
+Josie made these remarks one afternoon as she and Bess prepared
+for a swim, a fishing party having prevented their morning bathe.
+
+'You must bide your time, dear, and not be so impatient. Papa
+promised to give you a chance before the season is over, and he
+always manages things nicely. That will be better than any queer
+prank of yours,' answered Bess, tying her pretty hair in a white net
+to match her suit, while Josie made a little lobster of herself in
+scarlet.
+
+'I hate to wait; but I suppose I must. Hope she will bathe this
+afternoon, though it is low tide. She told Uncle she should have to
+go in then because in the morning people stared so and went on
+her beach. Come and have a good dive from the big rock. No one
+round but nurses and babies, so we can romp and splash as much
+as we like.'
+
+Away they went to have a fine time; for the little bay was free
+from other bathers, and the babies greatly admired their aquatic
+gymnastics, both being expert swimmers.
+
+As they sat dripping on the big rock Josie suddenly gave a clutch
+that nearly sent Bess overboard, as she cried excitedly:
+
+'There she is! Look! coming to bathe. How splendid! Oh, if she
+only would drown a little and let me save her! or even get her toe
+nipped by a crab; anything so I could go and speak!'
+
+'Don't seem to look; she comes to be quiet and enjoy herself.
+Pretend we don't see her, that's only civil,' answered Bess, affecting
+to be absorbed in a white-winged yacht going by.
+
+'Let's carelessly float that way as if going for seaweed on the rocks.
+She can't mind if we are flat on our backs, with only our noses out.
+Then when we can't help seeing her, we'll swim back as if anxious
+to retire. That will impress her, and she may call to thank the very
+polite young ladies who respect her wishes,' proposed Josie, whose
+lively fancy was always planning dramatic situations.
+
+Just as they were going to slip from their rock, as if Fate relented
+at last, Miss Cameron was seen to beckon wildly as she stood
+waist-deep in the water, looking down. She called to her maid,
+who seemed searching along the beach for something, and not
+finding what she sought, waved a towel towards the girls as if
+summoning them to help her.
+
+'Run, fly! she wants us, she wants us!' cried Josie, tumbling into
+the water like a very energetic turtle, and swimming away in her
+best style towards this long desired haven of joy. Bess followed
+more slowly, and both came panting and smiling up to Miss
+Cameron, who never lifted her eyes, but said in that wonderful
+voice of hers:
+
+'I've dropped a bracelet. I see it, but can't get it. Will the little boy
+find me a long stick? I'll keep my eye on it, so the water shall not
+wash it away.'
+
+'I'll dive for it with pleasure; but I'm not a boy,' answered Josie,
+laughing as she shook the curly head which at a distance had
+deceived the lady.
+
+'I beg your pardon. Dive away, child; the sand is covering it fast. I
+value it very much. Never forgot to take it off before.'
+
+'I'll get it!' and down went Josie, to come up with a handful of 
+pebbles, but no bracelet.
+
+'It's gone; never mind--my fault,' said Miss Cameron, disappointed,
+but amused at the girl's dismay as she shook the water out of her
+eyes and gasped bravely:
+
+'No, it isn't. I'll have it, if I stay down all night!' and with one long
+breath Josie dived again, leaving nothing but a pair of agitated feet
+to be seen.
+
+'I'm afraid she will hurt herself,' said Miss Cameron, looking at
+Bess, whom she recognized by her likeness to her mother.
+
+'Oh, no; Josie is a little fish. She likes it'; and Bess smiled happily
+at this wonderful granting of her cousin's desire.
+
+'You are Mr Laurence's daughter, I think? How d'ye do, dear? Tell
+papa I'm coming to see him soon. Too tired before. Quite savage.
+Better now. Ah! here's our pearl of divers. What luck?' she asked,
+as the heels went down and a dripping head came up.
+
+Josie could only choke and splutter at first, being half strangled;
+but though her hands had failed again, her courage had not; and
+with a resolute shake of her wet hair, a bright look at the tall lady,
+and a series of puffs to fill her lungs, she said calmly:
+
+'"Never give up" is my motto. I'm going to get it, if I go to
+Liverpool for it! Now, then!' and down went the mermaid quite out
+of sight this time, groping like a real lobster at the bottom of the
+sea.
+
+'Plucky little girl! I like that. Who is she?' asked the lady, sitting
+down on a half-covered stone to watch her diver, since the bracelet
+was lost sight of.
+
+Bess told her, adding, with the persuasive smile of her father:
+'Josie longs to be an actress, and has waited for a month to see you.
+This is a great happiness for her.'
+
+'Bless the child! why didn't she come and call? I'd have let her in;
+though usually I avoid stage-struck girls as I do reporters,' laughed
+Miss Cameron.
+
+There was no time for more; a brown hand, grasping the bracelet,
+rose out of the sea, followed by a purple face as Josie came up so
+blind and dizzy she could only cling to Bess, half drowned but
+triumphant.
+
+Miss Cameron drew her to the rock where she sat, and pushing the
+hair out of her eyes, revived her with a hearty 'Bravo! bravo!'
+which assured the girl that her first act was a hit. Josie had often
+imagined her meeting with the great actress--the dignity and grace
+with which she would enter and tell her ambitious hopes, the
+effective dress she would wear, the witty things she would say, the
+deep impression her budding genius would make. But never in her
+wildest moments had she imagined an interview like this; scarlet,
+sandy, streaming, and speechless she leaned against the illustrious
+shoulder, looking like a beautiful seal as she blinked and wheezed
+till she could smile joyfully and exclaim proudly:
+
+'I did get it! I'm so glad!'
+
+'Now get your breath, my dear; then I shall be glad also. It was
+very nice of you to take all that trouble for me. How shall I thank
+you?' asked the lady, looking at her with the beautiful eyes that
+could say so many things without words.
+
+Josie clasped her hands with a wet spat which rather destroyed the
+effect of the gesture, and answered in a beseeching tone that would
+have softened a far harder heart than Miss Cameron's:
+
+'Let me come and see you once--only once! I want you to tell me if
+I can act; you will know. I'll abide by what you say; and if you
+think I can--by and by, when I've studied very hard--I shall be the
+happiest girl in the world. May I?'
+
+'Yes; come tomorrow at eleven. We'll have a good talk; you shall
+show me what you can do, and I'll give you my opinion. But you
+won't like it.'
+
+'I will, no matter if you tell me I'm a fool. I want it settled; so does
+mamma. I'll take it bravely if you say no; and if you say yes, I'll
+never give up till I've done my best--as you did.'
+
+'Ah, my child, it's a weary road, and there are plenty of thorns
+among the roses when you've won them. I think you have the
+courage, and this proves that you have perseverance. Perhaps you'll
+do. Come, and we'll see.'
+
+Miss Cameron touched the bracelet as she spoke, and smiled so
+kindly that impetuous Josie wanted to kiss her; but wisely
+refrained, though her eyes were wet with softer water than any in
+the sea as she thanked her.
+
+'We are keeping Miss Cameron from her bath, and the tide is
+going out. Come, Josie,' said thoughtful Bess, fearing to outstay
+their welcome.
+
+'Run over the beach and get warm. Thank you very much, little
+mermaid. Tell papa to bring his daughter to see me any time.
+Good-bye'; and with a wave of her hand the tragedy queen
+dismissed her court, but remained on her weedy throne watching
+the two lithe figures race over the sand with twinkling feet till they
+were out of sight. Then, as she calmly bobbed up and down in the
+water, she said to herself: 'The child has a good stage face, vivid,
+mobile; fine eyes, abandon, pluck, will. Perhaps she'll do. Good
+stock--talent in the family. We shall see.'
+
+Of course Josie never slept a wink, and was in a fever of joyful
+excitement next day. Uncle Laurie enjoyed the episode very much,
+and Aunt Amy looked out her most becoming white dress for the
+grand occasion; Bess lent her most artistic hat, and Josie ranged
+the wood and marsh for a bouquet of wild roses, sweet white
+azalea, ferns, and graceful grasses, as the offering of a very
+grateful heart.
+
+At ten she solemnly arrayed herself, and then sat looking at her
+neat gloves and buckled shoes till it was time to go, growing pale
+and sober with the thought that her fate was soon to be decided;
+for, like all young people she was sure that her whole life could be
+settled by one human creature, quite forgetting how wonderfully
+Providence trains us by disappointment, surprises us with
+unexpected success, and turns our seeming trials into blessings.
+
+'I will go alone: we shall be freer so. Oh, Bess, pray that she may
+tell me rightly! So much depends on that! Don't laugh, uncle! It is a
+very serious moment for me. Miss Cameron knows that, and will
+tell you so. Kiss me, Aunt Amy, since mamma isn't here. If you say
+I look nice, I'm quite satisfied. Good-bye.' And with a wave of the
+hand as much like her model's as she could make it, Josie
+departed, looking very pretty and feeling very tragical.
+
+Sure now of admittance, she boldly rang at the door which
+excluded so many, and being ushered into a shady parlour, feasted
+her eyes upon several fine portraits of great actors while she
+waited. She had read about most of them, and knew their trials and
+triumphs so well that she soon forgot herself, and tried to imitate
+Mrs Siddons as Lady Macbeth, looking up at the engraving as she
+held her nosegay like the candle in the sleep-walking scene, and
+knit her youthful brows distressfully while murmuring the speech
+of the haunted queen. So busy was she that Miss Cameron watched
+her for several minutes unseen, then startled her by suddenly
+sweeping in with the words upon her lips, the look upon her face,
+which made that one of her greatest scenes.
+
+'I never can do it like that; but I'll keep trying, if you say I may,'
+cried Josie, forgetting her manners in the intense interest of the
+moment.
+
+'Show me what you can do,' answered the actress, wisely plunging
+into the middle of things at once, well knowing that no common
+chat would satisfy this very earnest little person.
+
+'First let me give you these. I thought you'd like wild things better
+than hot-house flowers; and I loved to bring them, as I'd no other
+way to thank you for your great kindness to me,' said Josie,
+offering her nosegay with a simple warmth that was very sweet.
+
+'I do love them best, and keep my room full of the posies some
+good fairy hangs on my gate. Upon my word, I think I've found the
+fairy out--these are so like,' she added quickly, as her eye went
+from the flowers in her hand to others that stood near by, arranged
+with the same taste.
+
+Josie's blush and smile betrayed her before she said, with a look
+full of girlish adoration and humility: 'I couldn't help it; I admire
+you so much. I know it was a liberty; but as I couldn't get in
+myself, I loved to think my posies pleased you.'
+
+Something about the child and her little offering touched the
+woman, and, drawing Josie to her, she said, with no trace of
+actress in face or voice:
+
+'They did please me, dear, and so do you. I'm tired of praise; and
+love is very sweet, when it is simple and sincere like this.'
+
+Josie remembered to have heard, among many other stories, that
+Miss Cameron lost her lover years ago, and since had lived only
+for art. Now she felt that this might have been true; and pity for the
+splendid, lonely life made her face very eloquent, as well as
+grateful. Then, as if anxious to forget the past, her new friend
+
+said, in the commanding way that seemed natural to her:
+
+'Let me see what you can do. Juliet, of course. All begin with that.
+Poor soul, how she is murdered!'
+
+Now, Josie had intended to begin with Romeo's much-enduring
+sweetheart, and follow her up with Bianca, Pauline, and several of
+the favourite idols of stage-struck girls; but being a shrewd little
+person, she suddenly saw the wisdom of Uncle Laurie's advice, and
+resolved to follow it. So instead of the rant Miss Cameron
+expected, Josie gave poor Ophelia's mad scene, and gave it very
+well, having been trained by the college professor of elocution and
+done it many times. She was too young, of course, but the white
+gown, the loose hair, the real flowers she scattered over the
+imaginary grave, added to the illusion; and she sung the songs
+sweetly, dropped her pathetic curtsies, and vanished behind the
+curtain that divided the rooms with a backward look that surprised
+her critical auditor into a quick gesture of applause. Cheered by
+that welcome sound, Josie ran back as a little hoyden in one of the
+farces she had often acted, telling a story full of fun and
+naughtiness at first, but ending with a sob of repentance and an
+earnest prayer for pardon.
+
+'Very good! Try again. Better than I expected,' called the voice of
+the oracle.
+
+Josie tried Portia's speech, and recited very well, giving due
+emphasis to each fine sentence. Then, unable to refrain from what
+she considered her greatest effort, she burst into Juliet's balcony
+scene, ending with the poison and the tomb. She felt sure that she
+surpassed herself, and waited for applause. A ringing laugh made
+her tingle with indignation and disappointment, as she went to
+stand before Miss Cameron, saying in a tone of polite surprise:
+
+'I have been told that I did it very well. I'm sorry you don't think
+so.'
+
+'My dear, it's very bad. How can it help being so? What can a child
+like you know of love and fear and death? Don't try it yet. Leave
+tragedy alone till you are ready for it.'
+
+'But you clapped Ophelia.'
+
+'Yes, that was very pretty. Any clever girl can do it effectively. But
+the real meaning of Shakespeare is far above you yet, child. The
+comedy bit was best. There you showed real talent. It was both
+comic and pathetic. That's art. Don't lose it. The Portia was good
+declamation. Go on with that sort of thing; it trains the voice--
+teaches shades of expression. You've a good voice and natural
+grace--great helps both, hard to acquire.'
+
+'Well, I'm glad I've got something,' sighed Josie, sitting meekly on
+a stool, much crestfallen, but not daunted yet, and bound to have
+her say out.
+
+'My dear little girl, I told you that you would not like what I should
+say to you; yet I must be honest if I would really help you. I've had
+to do it for many like you; and most of them have never forgiven
+me, though my words have proved true, and they are what I
+advised them to be--good wives and happy mothers in quiet
+homes. A few have kept on, and done fairly well. One you will
+hear of soon, I think; for she has talent, indomitable patience, and
+mind as well as beauty. You are too young to show to which class
+you belong. Geniuses are very rare, and even at fifteen seldom give
+much promise of future power.'
+
+'Oh, I don't think I'm a genius!' cried Josie, growing calm and sober
+as she listened to the melodious voice and looked into the
+expressive face that filled her with confidence, so strong, sincere,
+and kindly was it. 'I only want to find out if I have talent enough to
+go on, and after years of study to be able to act well in any of the
+good plays people never tire of seeing. I don't expect to be a Mrs
+Siddons or a Miss Cameron, much as I long to be; but it does seem
+as if I had something in me which can't come out in any way but
+this. When I act I'm perfectly happy. I seem to live, to be in my
+own world, and each new part is a new friend. I love Shakespeare,
+and am never tired of his splendid people. Of course, I don't
+understand it all; but it's like being alone at night with the
+mountains and the stars, solemn and grand, and I try to imagine
+how it will look when the sun comes up, and all is glorious and
+clear to me. I can't see, but I feel the beauty, and long to express it.'
+
+As she spoke with the most perfect self-forgetfulness Josie was
+pale with excitement, her eyes shone, her lips trembled, and all her
+little soul seemed trying to put into words the emotions that filled
+it to overflowing. Miss Cameron understood, felt that this was
+something more than a girlish whim; and when she answered there
+was a new tone of sympathy in her voice, a new interest in her
+face, though she wisely refrained from saying all she thought, well
+knowing what splendid dreams young people build upon a word,
+and how bitter is the pain when the bright bubbles burst.
+
+'If you feel this, I can give you no better advice than to go on
+loving and studying our great master,' she said slowly; but Josie
+caught the changed tone, and felt, with a thrill of joy, that her new
+friend was speaking to her now as to a comrade. 'It is an education
+in itself, and a lifetime is not long enough to teach you all his
+secret. But there is much to do before you can hope to echo his
+words. Have you the patience, courage, strength, to begin at the
+beginning, and slowly, painfully, lay the foundation for future
+work? Fame is a pearl many dive for and only a few bring up. Even
+when they do, it is not perfect, and they sigh for more, and lose
+better things in struggling for them.'
+
+The last words seemed spoken more to herself than to her hearer,
+but Josie answered quickly, with a smile and an expressive
+gesture:
+
+'I got the bracelet in spite of all the bitter water in my eyes.'
+
+'You did! I don't forget it. A good omen. We will accept it.'
+
+Miss Cameron answered the smile with one that was like sunshine
+to the girl, and stretched her white hands as if taking some
+invisible gift. Then added in a different tone, watching the effect
+of her words on the expressive face before her:
+
+'Now you will be disappointed, for instead of telling you to come
+and study with me, or go and act in some second-rate theatre at
+once, I advise you to go back to school and finish your education.
+That is the first step, for all accomplishments are needed, and a
+single talent makes a very imperfect character. Cultivate mind and
+body, heart and soul, and make yourself an intelligent, graceful,
+beautiful, and healthy girl. Then, at eighteen or twenty, go into
+training and try your powers. Better start for the battle with your
+arms in order, and save the hard lesson which comes when we rush
+on too soon. Now and then genius carries all before it, but not
+often. We have to climb slowly, with many slips and falls. Can you
+wait as well as work?'
+
+'I will!'
+
+'We shall see. It would be pleasant to me to know that when I quit
+the stage I leave behind me a well-trained, faithful, gifted comrade
+to more than fill my place, and carry on what I have much at heart--
+the purification of the stage. Perhaps you are she; but remember,
+mere beauty and rich costumes do not make an actress, nor are the
+efforts of a clever little girl to play great characters real art. 
+It is all dazzle and sham, and a disgrace and disappointment now. Why
+will the public be satisfied with opera bouffe, or the trash called
+society plays when a world of truth and beauty, poetry and pathos
+lies waiting to be interpreted and enjoyed?'
+
+Miss Cameron had forgotten to whom she spoke, and walked to
+and fro, full of the noble regret all cultivated people feel at the low
+state of the stage nowadays.
+
+'That's what Uncle Laurie says; and he and Aunt Jo try to plan
+plays about true and lovely things--simple domestic scenes that
+touch people's hearts, and make them laugh and cry and feel better.
+Uncle says that sort is my style, and I must not think of tragedy.
+But it's so much nicer to sweep about in crowns and velvet trains
+than to wear everyday clothes, and just be myself, though it is so
+easy.'
+
+'Yet that is high art, child, and what we need for a time till we are
+ready for the masters. Cultivate that talent of yours. It is a special
+gift, this power to bring tears and smiles, and a sweeter task to
+touch the heart than to freeze the blood or fire the imagination.
+Tell your uncle he is right, and ask your aunt to try a play for you.
+I'll come and see it when you are ready.'
+
+'Will you? Oh! will you? We are going to have some at Christmas,
+with a nice part for me. A simple little thing, but I can do it, and
+should be so proud, so happy to have you there.'
+
+Josie rose as she spoke, for a glance at the clock showed her that
+her call was a long one; and hard as it was to end this momentous
+interview, she felt that she must go. Catching up her hat she went
+to Miss Cameron, who stood looking at her so keenly that she felt
+as transparent as a pane of glass, and coloured prettily as she
+looked up, saying, with a grateful little tremor in her voice:
+
+'I can never thank you for this hour and all you have told me. I
+shall do just what you advise, and mamma will be very glad to see
+me settled at my books again. I can study now with all my heart,
+because it is to help me on; and I won't hope too much, but work
+and wait, and try to please you, as the only way to pay my debt.'
+
+'That reminds me that I have not paid mine. Little friend, wear this
+for my sake. It is fit for a mermaid, and will remind you of your
+first dive. May the next bring up a better jewel, and leave no bitter
+water on your lips!'
+
+As she spoke, Miss Cameron took from the lace at her throat a
+pretty pin of aquamarine, and fastened it like an order on Josie's
+proud bosom; then lifting the happy little face, she kissed it very
+tenderly, and watched it go smiling away with eyes that seemed to
+see into a future full of the trials and the triumphs which she knew
+so well.
+
+Bess expected to see Josie come flying in, all raptures and
+excitement, or drowned in tears of disappointment, but was
+surprised at the expression of calm content and resolution which
+she wore. Pride and satisfaction, and a new feeling of
+responsibility both sobered and sustained her, and she felt that any
+amount of dry study and long waiting would be bearable, if in the
+glorious future she could be an honour to her profession and a
+comrade to the new friend whom she already adored with girlish
+ardour.
+
+She told her little story to a deeply interested audience, and all felt
+that Miss Cameron's advice was good. Mrs Amy was relieved at
+the prospect of delay; for she did not want her niece to be an
+actress and hoped the fancy would die out.
+
+Uncle Laurie was full of charming plans and prophecies and wrote
+one of his most delightful notes to thank their neighbour for her
+kindness; while Bess, who loved art of all kinds, fully sympathized
+with her cousin's ambitious hopes, only wondering why she
+preferred to act out her visions rather than embody them in marble.
+
+That first interview was not the last; for Miss Cameron was really
+interested, and had several memorable conversations with the
+Laurences, while the girls sat by, drinking in every word with the
+delight all artists feel in their own beautiful world, and learning to
+see how sacred good gifts are, how powerful, and how faithfully
+they should be used for high ends, each in its own place helping to
+educate, refine, and refresh.
+
+Josie wrote reams to her mother; and when the visit ended rejoiced
+her heart by bringing her a somewhat changed little daughter, who
+fell to work at the once-detested books with a patient energy which
+surprised and pleased everyone. The right string had been touched,
+and even French exercises and piano practice became endurable,
+since accomplishments would be useful by and by; dress, manners,
+and habits were all interesting now, because 'mind and body, heart
+and soul, must be cultivated', and while training to become an
+'intelligent, graceful, healthy girl', little Josie was unconsciously
+fitting herself to play her part well on whatever stage the great
+Manager might prepare for her.
+
+
+Chapter 9 THE WORM TURNS
+
+Two very superior bicycles went twinkling up the road to
+Plumfield one September afternoon, bearing two brown and dusty
+riders evidently returning from a successful run, for though their
+legs might be a trifle weary, their faces beamed as they surveyed
+the world from their lofty perches with the air of calm content all
+wheelmen wear after they have learned to ride; before that happy
+period anguish of mind and body is the chief expression of the
+manly countenance.
+
+'Go ahead and report, Tom; I'm due here. See you later,' said Demi,
+swinging himself down at the door of the Dovecote.
+
+'Don't peach, there's a good fellow. Let me have it out with Mother
+Bhaer first,' returned Tom, wheeling in at the gate with a heavy
+sigh.
+
+Demi laughed, and his comrade went slowly up the avenue,
+devoutly hoping that the coast was clear; for he was the bearer of
+tidings which would, he thought, convulse the entire family with
+astonishment and dismay.
+
+To his great joy Mrs Jo was discovered alone in a grove of
+proof-sheets, which she dropped, to greet the returning wanderer
+cordially. But after the first glance she saw that something was the
+matter, recent events having made her unusually sharp-eyed and
+suspicious.
+
+'What is it now, Tom?' she asked, as he subsided into an easy-chair
+with a curious expression of mingled fear, shame, amusement, and
+distress in his brick-red countenance.
+
+'I'm in an awful scrape, ma'am.'
+
+'Of course; I'm always prepared for scrapes when you appear. What
+is it? Run over some old lady who is going to law about it?' asked
+Mrs Jo cheerfully.
+
+'Worse than that,' groaned Tom.
+
+'Not poisoned some trusting soul who asked you to prescribe, I
+hope?'
+
+'Worse than that.'
+
+'You haven't let Demi catch any horrid thing and left him behind,
+have you?'
+
+'Worse even than that.'
+
+'I give it up. Tell me quick; I hate to wait for bad news.'
+
+Having got his listener sufficiently excited, Tom launched his
+thunderbolt in one brief sentence, and fell back to watch the effect.
+
+'I'm engaged!'
+
+Mrs Jo's proof-sheets flew wildly about as she clasped her hands,
+exclaiming in dismay:
+
+'If Nan has yielded, I'll never forgive her!'
+
+'She hasn't; it's another girl.'
+
+Tom's face was so funny as he said the words, that it was
+impossible to help laughing; for he looked both sheepish and
+pleased, besides very much perplexed and worried.
+
+'I'm glad, very glad indeed! Don't care who it is; and I hope you'll
+be married soon. Now tell me all about it,' commanded Mrs Jo, so
+much relieved that she felt ready for anything.
+
+'What will Nan say?' demanded Tom, rather taken aback at this
+view of his predicament.
+
+'She will be rejoiced to get rid of the mosquito who has plagued
+her so long. Don't worry about Nan. Who is this "other girl"?'
+
+'Demi hasn't written about her?'
+
+'Only something about your upsetting a Miss West down at Quitno;
+I thought that was scrape enough.'
+
+'That was only the beginning of a series of scrapes. Just my luck!
+Of course after sousing the poor girl I had to be attentive to her,
+hadn't I? Everyone seemed to think so, and I couldn't get away, and
+so I was lost before I knew it. It's all Demi's fault, he would stay
+there and fuss with his old photos, because the views were good
+and all the girls wanted to be taken. Look at these, will you,
+ma'am? That's the way we spent our time when we weren't playing
+tennis'; and Tom pulled a handful of pictures from his pocket,
+displaying several in which he was conspicuous, either holding a
+sun-umbrella over a very pretty young lady on the rocks, reposing
+at her feet in the grass, or perched on a piazza railing with other
+couples in seaside costumes and effective attitudes.
+
+'This is she of course?' asked Mrs Jo, pointing to the much-ruffled
+damsel with the jaunty hat, coquettish shoes, and racquet in her
+hand.
+
+'That's Dora. Isn't she lovely?' cried Tom, forgetting his tribulations
+for a moment and speaking with lover-like ardour.
+
+'Very nice little person to look at. Hope she is not a Dickens Dora?
+That curly crop looks like it.'
+
+'Not a bit; she's very smart; can keep house, and sew, and do lots of 
+things, I assure you, ma'am. All the girls like her, and she's 
+sweet-tempered and jolly, and sings like a bird, and dances beautifully,
+and loves books. Thinks yours are splendid, and made me talk about 
+you no end.'
+
+'That last sentence is to flatter me and win my help to get you out
+of the scrape. Tell me first how you got in'; and Mrs Jo settled
+herself to listen with interest, never tired of boys' affairs.
+
+Tom gave his head a rousing rub all over to clear his wits, and
+plunged into his story with a will.
+
+'Well, we've met her before, but I didn't know she was there. Demi
+wanted to see a fellow, so we went, and finding it nice and cool
+rested over Sunday. Found some pleasant people and went out
+rowing; I had Dora, and came to grief on a confounded rock. She
+could swim, no harm done, only the scare and the spoilt gown. She
+took it well, and we got friendly at once--couldn't help it,
+scrambling into that beast of a boat while the rest laughed at us. Of
+course we had to stay another day to see that Dora was all right.
+Demi wanted to. Alice Heath is down there and two other girls
+from our college, so we sort of lingered along, and Demi kept
+taking pictures, and we danced, and got into a tennis tournament;
+and that was as good exercise as wheeling, we thought. Fact is,
+tennis is a dangerous game, ma'am. A great deal of courting goes
+on in those courts, and we fellows find that sort of "serving"
+mighty agreeable, don't you know?'
+
+'Not much tennis in my day, but I understand perfectly,' said Mrs
+Jo, enjoying it all as much as Tom did. 
+
+'Upon my word, I hadn't the least idea of being serious,' he 
+continued slowly, as if this part of his tale was hard to tell; 
+'but everyone else spooned, so I did. Dora seemed to like it and 
+expect it, and of course I was glad to be agreeable. She thought I 
+amounted to something, though Nan does not, and it was pleasant to 
+be appreciated after years of snubbing. Yes, it was right down jolly 
+to have a sweet girl smile at you all day, and blush prettily when 
+you said a neat thing to her, and look glad when you came, sorry when
+ you left, and admire all you did, and make you feel like a man and 
+act your best. That's the sort of treatment a fellow enjoys and 
+ought to get if he behaves himself; not frowns and cold shoulders 
+year in and year out, and made to look like a fool when he means 
+well, and is faithful, and has loved a girl ever since he was a boy. 
+No, by Jove, it's not fair, and I won't stand it!'
+
+Tom waxed warm and eloquent as he thought over his wrongs, and
+bounced up to march about the room, wagging his head and trying
+to feel aggrieved as usual, but surprised to find that his heart did
+not ache a bit.
+
+'I wouldn't. Drop the old fancy, for it was nothing more   and take
+up the new one, if it is genuine. But how came you to propose,
+Tom, as you must have done to be engaged?' asked Mrs Jo,
+impatient for the crisis of the tale.
+
+'Oh, that was an accident. I didn't mean it at all; the donkey did it,
+and I couldn't get out of the scrape without hurting Dora's feelings,
+you see,' began Tom, seeing that the fatal moment had come.
+
+'So there were two donkeys in it, were there?' said Mrs Jo,
+foreseeing fun of some sort.
+
+'Don't laugh! It sounds funny, I know; but it might have been
+awful,' answered Tom darkly, though a twinkle of the eye showed
+that his love trials did not quite blind him to the comic side of the
+adventure.
+
+'The girls admired our new wheels, and of course we liked to show
+off. Took 'em to ride, and had larks generally. Well, one day, Dora
+was on behind, and we were going nicely along a good bit of road,
+when a ridiculous old donkey got right across the way. I thought
+he'd move, but he didn't, so I gave him a kick; he kicked back, and
+over we went in a heap, donkey and all. Such a mess! I thought
+only of Dora, and she had hysterics; at least, she laughed till she
+cried, and that beast brayed, and I lost my head. Any fellow would,
+with a poor girl gasping in the road, and he wiping her tears and
+begging pardon, not knowing whether her bones were broken or
+not. I called her my darling, and went on like a fool in my flurry,
+till she grew calmer, and said, with such a look: "I forgive you,
+Tom. Pick me up, and let us go on again."
+
+'Wasn't that sweet now, after I'd upset her for the second time? It
+touched me to the heart; and I said I'd like to go on for ever with
+such an angel to steer for, and--well I don't know what I did say;
+but you might have knocked me down with a feather when she put
+her arm round my neck and whispered: "Tom, dear, with you I'm
+not afraid of any lions in the path." She might have said donkeys;
+but she was in earnest, and she spared my feelings. Very nice of
+the dear girl; but there I am with two sweethearts on my hands,
+and in a deuce of a scrape.'
+
+Finding it impossible to contain herself another moment, Mrs Jo
+laughed till the tears ran down her cheeks at this characteristic
+episode; and after one reproachful look, which only added to her
+merriment, Tom burst into a jolly roar that made the room ring.
+
+'Tommy Bangs! Tommy Bangs! who but you could ever get into
+such a catastrophe?' said Mrs Jo, when she recovered her breath.
+
+'Isn't it a muddle all round, and won't everyone chaff me to death
+about it? I shall have to quit old Plum for a while,' answered Tom,
+as he mopped his face, trying to realize the full danger of his
+position.
+
+'No, indeed; I'll stand by you, for I think it the best joke of the
+season. But tell me how things ended. Is it really serious, or only a
+summer flirtation? I don't approve of them, but boys and girls will
+play with edged tools and cut their fingers.'
+
+'Well, Dora considers herself engaged, and wrote to her people at
+once. I couldn't say a word when she took it all in solemn earnest
+and seemed so happy. She's only seventeen, never liked anyone
+before, and is sure all will be all right; as her father knows mine,
+and we are both well off. I was so staggered that I said:
+
+'"Why, you can't love me really when we know so little of one
+another?" But she answered right out of her tender little heart:
+"Yes, I do, dearly, Tom; you are so gay and kind and honest, I
+couldn't help it." Now, after that what could I do but go ahead and
+make her happy while I stayed, and trust to luck to straighten the
+snarl out afterwards?'
+
+'A truly Tomian way of taking things easy. I hope you told your
+father at once.'
+
+'Oh yes, I wrote off and broke it to him in three lines. I said: "Dear
+Father, I'm engaged to Dora West, and I hope she will suit the
+family. She suits me tip-top. Yours ever, Tom." He was all right,
+never liked Nan, you know; but Dora will suit him down to the
+ground.' And Tom looked entirely satisfied with his own tact and
+taste.
+
+'What did Demi say to this rapid and funny lovemaking? Wasn't he
+scandalized?' asked Mrs Jo, trying not to laugh again as she
+thought of the unromantic spectacle of donkey, bicycle, boy, and
+girl all in the dust together.
+
+'Not a bit. He was immensely interested and very kind; talked to
+me like a father; said it was a good thing to steady a fellow, only I
+must be honest with her and myself and not trifle a moment. Demi
+is a regular Solomon, especially when he is in the same boat,'
+answered Tom, looking wise.
+
+'You don't mean--?' gasped Mrs Jo, in sudden alarm at the bare
+idea of more love-affairs just yet.
+
+'Yes, I do, please, ma'am; it's a regular sell all the way through, and
+I owe Demi one for taking me into temptation blindfold. He said
+he went to Quitno to see Fred Wallace, but he never saw the
+fellow. How could he, when Wallace was off in his yacht all the
+time we were there? Alice was the real attraction, and I was left to
+my fate, while they were maundering round with that old camera.
+There were three donkeys in this affair, and I'm not the worst one,
+though I shall have to bear the laugh. Demi will look innocent and
+sober, and no one will say a word to him.'
+
+'The midsummer madness has broken out, and no one knows who
+will be stricken next. Well, leave Demi to his mother, and let us
+see what you are going to do, Tom.'
+
+'I don't know exactly; it's awkward to be in love with two girls at
+once. What do you advise?'
+
+'A common-sense view of the case, by all means. Dora loves you and 
+thinks you love her. Nan does not care for you, and you only care 
+for her as a friend, though you have tried to do more. It is my 
+opinion, Tom, that you love Dora, or are on the way to it; for in 
+all these years I've never seen you look or speak about Nan as you 
+do about Dora. Opposition has made you obstinately cling to her 
+till accident has shown you a more attractive girl. Now, I think 
+you had better take the old love for a friend, the new one for a 
+sweetheart, and in due time, if the sentiment is genuine, marry her.'
+
+If Mrs Jo had any doubts about the matter, Tom's face would have
+proved the truth of her opinion; for his eyes shone, his lips smiled,
+and in spite of dust and sunburn a new expression of happiness
+quite glorified him as he stood silent for a moment, trying to
+understand the beautiful miracle which real love works when it
+comes to a young man's heart.
+
+'The fact is I meant to make Nan jealous, for she knows Dora, and
+I was sure would hear of our doings. I was tired of being walked
+on, and I thought I'd try to break away and not be a bore and a
+laughing-stock any more,' he said slowly, as if it relieved him to
+pour out his doubts and woes and hopes and joys to his old friend.
+'I was regularly astonished to find it so easy and so pleasant. I
+didn't mean to do any harm, but drifted along beautifully, and told
+Demi to mention things in his letters to Daisy, so Nan might know.
+Then I forgot Nan altogether, and saw, heard, felt, cared for no one
+but Dora, till the donkey--bless his old heart!--pitched her into my
+arms and I found she loved me. Upon my soul, I don't see why she
+should! I'm not half good enough.' 
+
+'Every honest man feels that when an innocent girl puts her hand 
+in his. Make yourself worthy of her, for she isn't an angel, but a 
+woman with faults of her own for you to bear, and forgive, and you 
+must help one another,' said Mrs Jo, trying to realize that this 
+sober youth was her scapegrace Tommy.
+
+'What troubles me is that I didn't mean it when I began, and was
+going to use the dear girl as an instrument of torture for Nan. It
+wasn't right, and I don't deserve to be so happy. If all my scrapes
+ended as well as this, what a state of bliss I should be in!' and Tom
+beamed again at the rapturous prospect.
+
+'My dear boy, it is not a scrape, but a very sweet experience
+suddenly dawning upon you,' answered Mrs Jo, speaking very
+soberly; for she saw he was in earnest. 'Enjoy it wisely and be
+worthy of it, for it is a serious thing to accept a girl's love and trust,
+and let her look up to you for tenderness and truth in return. Don't
+let little Dora look in vain, but be a man in all things for her sake,
+and make this affection a blessing to you both.'
+
+'I'll try. Yes, I do love her, only I can't believe it just yet. Wish you
+knew her. Dear little soul, I long to see her already! She cried
+when we parted last night and I hated to go.' Tom's hand went to
+his cheek as if he still felt the rosy little seal Dora had set upon his
+promise not to forget her, and for the first time in his
+happy-go-lucky life Tommy Bangs understood the difference
+between sentiment and sentimentality. The feeling recalled Nan,
+for he had never known that tender thrill when thinking of her, and
+the old friendship seemed rather a prosaic affair beside this
+delightful mingling of romance, surprise, love, and fun. 'I declare, I
+feel as if a weight was off me, but what the dickens will Nan say
+when she knows it!' he exclaimed with a chuckle.
+
+'Knows what?' asked a clear voice that made both start and turn,
+for there was Nan calmly surveying them from the doorway.
+
+Anxious to put Tom out of suspense and see how Nan would take
+the news, Mrs Jo answered quickly:
+
+'Tom's engagement to Dora West.'
+
+'Really?' and Nan looked so surprised that Mrs Jo was afraid she
+might be fonder of her old playmate than she knew; but her next
+words set the fear at rest, and made everything comfortable and
+merry at once.
+
+'I knew my prescription would work wonders if he only took it
+long enough. Dear old Tom, I'm so glad. Bless you! bless you!'
+And she shook both his hands with hearty affection.
+
+'It was an accident, Nan. I didn't mean to, but I'm always getting
+into messes, and I couldn't seem to get out of this any other way.
+Mother Bhaer will tell you all about it. I must go and make myself
+tidy. Going to tea with Demi. See you later.'
+
+Stammering, blushing, and looking both sheepish and gratified,
+Tom suddenly bolted, leaving the elder lady to enlighten the
+younger at length, and have another laugh over this new sort of
+courtship, which might well be called accidental. Nan was deeply
+interested, for she knew Dora, thought her a nice little thing, and
+predicted that in time she would make Tom an excellent wife,
+since she admired and 'appreciated' him so much.
+
+'I shall miss him of course, but it will be a relief to me and better
+for him; dangling is so bad for a boy. Now he will go into business
+with his father and do well, and everyone be happy. I shall give
+Dora an elegant family medicine-chest for a wedding-present, and
+teach her how to use it. Tom can't be trusted, and is no more fit for
+the profession than Silas.'
+
+The latter part of this speech relieved Mrs Jo's mind, for Nan had
+looked about her as if she had lost something valuable when she
+began; but the medicine-chest seemed to cheer her, and the
+thought of Tom in a safe profession was evidently a great comfort.
+
+'The worm has turned at last, Nan, and your bond-man is free. Let
+him go, and give your whole mind to your work; for you are fitted
+for the profession, and will be an honour to it by and by,' she said
+approvingly.
+
+'I hope so. That reminds me--measles are in the village, and you
+had better tell the girls not to call where there are children. It
+would be bad to have a run of them just as term begins. Now I'm
+off to Daisy. Wonder what she will say to Tom. Isn't he great fun?'
+And Nan departed, laughing over the joke with such genuine
+satisfaction that it was evident no sentimental regrets disturbed her
+'maiden meditation, fancy-free'.
+
+'I shall have my eye on Demi, but won't say a word. Meg likes to
+manage her children in her own way, and a very good way it is.
+But the dear Pelican will be somewhat ruffled if her boy has
+caught the epidemic which seems to have broken out among us
+this summer.'
+
+Mrs Jo did not mean the measles, but that more serious malady
+called love, which is apt to ravage communities, spring and
+autumn, when winter gaiety and summer idleness produce whole
+bouquets of engagements, and set young people to pairing off
+like the birds. Franz began it, Nat was a chronic and Tom a sudden
+case; Demi seemed to have the symptoms; and worst of all, her
+own Ted had only the day before calmly said to her: 'Mum, I think
+I should be happier if I had a sweetheart, like the other boys.' If her
+cherished son had asked her for dynamite to play with, she would
+hardly have been more startled, or have more decidedly refused the
+absurd request.
+
+'Well, Barry Morgan said I ought to have one and offered to pick me 
+out a nice one among our set. I asked Josie first, and she hooted 
+at the idea, so I thought I'd let Barry look round. You say it steadies
+a fellow, and I want to be steady,' explained Ted in a serious tone, 
+which would have convulsed his parent at any other time.
+
+'Good lack! What are we coming to in this fast age when babes and
+boys make such demands and want to play with one of the most
+sacred things in life?' exclaimed Mrs Jo, and having in a few words
+set the matter in its true light, sent her son away to wholesome
+baseball and Octoo for a safe sweetheart.
+
+Now, here was Tom's bomb-shell to explode in their midst,
+carrying widespread destruction, perhaps; for though one swallow
+does not make a summer, one engagement is apt to make several,
+and her boys were, most of them, at the inflammable age when a
+spark ignites the flame, which soon flickers and dies out, or burns
+warm and clear for life. Nothing could be done about it but to help
+them make wise choices, and be worthy of good mates. But of all
+the lessons Mrs Jo had tried to teach her boys, this great one was
+the hardest; for love is apt to make lunatics of even saints and
+sages, so young people cannot be expected to escape the delusions,
+disappointments, and mistakes, as well as the delights, of this
+sweet madness.
+
+'I suppose it is inevitable, since we live in America, so I won't
+borrow trouble, but hope that some of the new ideas of education
+will produce a few hearty, happy, capable, and intelligent girls for
+my lads. Lucky for me that I haven't the whole twelve on my
+hands, I should lose my wits if I had, for I foresee complications
+and troubles ahead worse than Tom's boats, bicycles, donkeys, and
+Doras,' meditated Mrs Jo, as she went back to her neglected
+proof-sheets.
+
+Tom was quite satisfied with the tremendous effect his
+engagement produced in the little community at Plumfield. 
+
+'It was paralysing,' as Demi said; and astonishment left most of Tom's
+mates little breath for chaff. That he, the faithful one, should turn
+from the idol to strange goddesses, was a shock to the romantic
+and a warning to the susceptible. It was comical to see the airs our
+Thomas put on; for the most ludicrous parts of the affair were
+kindly buried in oblivion by the few who knew them, and Tom
+burst forth as a full-blown hero who had rescued the maiden from
+a watery grave, and won her gratitude and love by his daring deed.
+Dora kept the secret, and enjoyed the fun when she came to see
+Mother Bhaer and pay her respects to the family generally.
+Everyone liked her at once, for she was a gay and winning little
+soul; fresh, frank, and so happy, it was beautiful to see her
+innocent pride in Tom, who was a new boy, or man rather; for with
+this change in his life a great change took place in him. Jolly he
+would always be, and impulsive, but he tried to become all that
+Dora believed him, and his best side came uppermost for everyday
+wear. It was surprising to see how many good traits Tom had; and
+his efforts to preserve the manly dignity belonging to his proud
+position as an engaged man was very comical. So was the entire
+change from his former abasement and devotion to Nan to a
+somewhat lordly air with his little betrothed; for Dora made an
+idol of him, and resented the idea of a fault or a flaw in her Tom.
+This new state of things suited both, and the once blighted being
+bloomed finely in the warm atmosphere of appreciation, love, and
+confidence. He was very fond of the dear girl, but meant to be a
+slave no longer, and enjoyed his freedom immensely, quite
+unconscious that the great tyrant of the world had got hold of him
+for life.
+
+To his father's satisfaction he gave up his medical studies, and
+prepared to go into business with the old gentleman, who was a
+flourishing merchant, ready now to make the way smooth and
+smile upon his marriage with Mr West's well-endowed daughter.
+The only thorn in Tom's bed of roses was Nan's placid interest in
+his affairs, and evident relief at his disloyalty. He did not want her
+to suffer, but a decent amount of regret at the loss of such a lover
+would have gratified him; a slight melancholy, a word of reproach,
+a glance of envy as he passed with adoring Dora on his arm,
+seemed but the fitting tribute to such years of faithful service and
+sincere affection. But Nan regarded him with a maternal sort of air
+that nettled him very much, and patted Dora's curly head with a
+worldlywise air worthy of the withered spinster, Julia Mills, in
+David Copperfield.
+
+It took some time to get the old and the new emotions
+comfortably adjusted, but Mrs Jo helped him, and Mr Laurie gave
+him some wise advice upon the astonishing gymnastic feats the
+human heart can perform, and be all the better for it if it only held
+fast to the balancing-pole of truth and common sense. At last our
+Tommy got his bearings, and as autumn came on Plumfield saw
+but little of him; for his new lode star was in the city, and business
+kept him hard at work. He was evidently in his right place now,
+and soon throve finely, to his father's great contentment; for his
+jovial presence pervaded the once quiet office like a gale of fresh
+wind, and his lively wits found managing men and affairs much
+more congenial employment than studying disease, or playing
+unseemly pranks with skeletons.
+
+Here we will leave him for a time and turn to the more serious
+adventures of his mates, though this engagement, so merrily made,
+was the anchor which kept our mercurial Tom happy, and made a
+man of him.
+
+Chapter 10 DEMI SETTLES
+
+'Mother, can I have a little serious conversation with you?' asked
+Demi one evening, as they sat together enjoying the first fire of the
+season, while Daisy wrote letters upstairs and Josie was studying
+in the little library close by.
+
+'Certainly, dear. No bad news, I hope?' and Mrs Meg looked up
+from her sewing with a mixture of pleasure and anxiety on her
+motherly face; for she dearly loved a good talk with her son, and
+knew that he always had something worth telling.
+
+'It will be good news for you, I think,' answered Demi, smiling as
+he threw away his paper and went to sit beside her on the little sofa
+which just held two.
+
+'Let me hear it, then, at once.'
+
+'I know you don't like the reporting, and will be glad to hear that I
+have given it up.'
+
+'I am very glad! It is too uncertain a business, and there is no
+prospect of getting on for a long time. I want you settled in some
+good place where you can stay, and in time make money. I wish
+you liked a profession; but as you don't, any clean, well-established
+business will do.'
+
+'What do you say to a railroad office?'
+
+'I don't like it. A noisy, hurried kind of place, I know, with all sorts
+of rough men about. I hope it isn't that, dear?'
+
+'I could have it; but does book-keeping in a wholesale leather
+business please you better?'
+
+'No; you'll get round-shouldered writing at a tall desk; and they
+say, once a book-keeper always a book-keeper.'
+
+'How does a travelling agent suit your views?'
+
+'Not at all; with all those dreadful accidents, and the exposure and
+bad food as you go from place to place, you are sure to get killed
+or lose your health.'
+
+'I could be private secretary to a literary man; but the salary is
+small, and may end any time.'
+
+'That would be better, and more what I want. It isn't that I object to
+honest work of any kind; but I don't want my son to spend his best
+years grubbing for a little money in a dark office, or be knocked
+about in a rough-and-tumble scramble to get on. I want to see you
+in some business where your tastes and talents can be developed
+and made useful; where you can go on rising, and in time put in
+your little fortune and be a partner; so that your years of
+apprenticeship will not be wasted, but fit you to take your place
+among the honourable men who make their lives and work useful
+and respected. I talked it all over with your dear father when you
+were a child; and if he had lived he would have shown you what I
+mean, and helped you to be what he was.'
+
+Mrs Meg wiped away a quiet tear as she spoke; for the memory of
+her husband was a very tender one, and the education of his
+children had been a sacred task to which she gave all her heart and
+life, and so far she had done wonderfully well--as her good son
+and loving daughters tried to prove. Demi's arm was round her
+now, as he said, in a voice so like his father's that it was the
+sweetest music to her ear:
+
+'Mother dear, I think I have got just what you want for me; and it
+shall not be my fault if I don't become the man you hope to see 
+me. Let me tell you all about it. I didn't say anything till it was 
+sure because it would only worry you; but Aunt Jo and I have been 
+on the look-out for it some time, and now it has come. You know her
+publisher, Mr Tiber, is one of the most successful men in the business;
+also generous, kind, and the soul of honour--as his treatment of Aunty 
+proves. Well, I've rather hankered for that place; for I love books, 
+and as I can't make them I'd like to publish them. That needs some 
+literary taste and judgement, it brings you in contact with fine people, 
+and is an education in itself. Whenever I go into that large, handsome
+room to see Mr Tiber for Aunt Jo, I always want to stay; for it's
+lined with books and pictures, famous men and women come and
+go, and Mr Tiber sits at his desk like a sort of king, receiving his
+subjects; for the greatest authors are humble to him, and wait his
+Yes or No with anxiety. Of course I've nothing to do with all that,
+and may never have; but I like to see it, and the atmosphere is so
+different from the dark offices and hurly-burly of many other
+trades, where nothing but money is talked about, that it seems
+another world, and I feel at home in it. Yes, I'd rather beat the
+door-mats and make fires there than be head clerk in the great hide
+and leather store at a big salary.' Here Demi paused for breath; and
+Mrs Meg, whose face had been growing brighter and brighter,
+exclaimed eagerly: 
+
+'Just what I should like! Have you got it? Oh,
+my dear boy! your fortune is made if you go to that
+well-established and flourishing place, with those good men to
+help you along!'
+
+'I think I have, but we mustn't be too sure of anything yet. I may
+not suit; I'm only on trial, and must begin at the beginning and
+work my way up faithfully. Mr Tiber was very kind, and will push
+me on as fast as is fair to the other fellows, and as I prove myself
+fit to go up. I'm to begin the first of next month in the book-room,
+filling orders; and I go round and get orders, and do various other
+things of the sort. I like it. I am ready to do anything about books,
+if it's only to dust them,' laughed Demi, well pleased with his
+prospects, for, after trying various things, he seemed at last to have
+found the sort of work he liked, and a prospect that was very
+inviting to him.
+
+'You inherit that love of books from grandpa; he can't live without
+them. I'm glad of it. Tastes of that kind show a refined nature, and
+are both a comfort and a help all one's life. I am truly glad and
+grateful, John, that at last you want to settle, and have got such an
+entirely satisfactory place. Most boys begin much earlier; but I
+don't believe in sending them out to face the world so young, just
+when body and soul need home care and watchfulness. Now you
+are a man, and must begin your life for yourself. Do your best, and
+be as honest, useful, and happy as your father, and I won't care
+about making a fortune.'
+
+'I'll try, mother. Couldn't have a better chance; for Tiber & Co.
+treat their people like gentlemen, and pay generously for faithful
+work. Things are done in a businesslike way there, and that suits
+me. I hate promises that are not kept, and shiftless or tyrannical
+ways anywhere. Mr Tiber said: "This is only to teach you the
+ropes, Brooke; I shall have other work for you by and by." Aunty
+told him I had done book notices, and had rather a fancy for 
+literature; so though I can't produce any "works of Shakespeare", 
+as she says, I may get up some little things later. If I don't, 
+I think it a very honourable and noble profession to select and 
+give good books to the world; and I'm satisfied to be a humble 
+helper in the work.'
+
+'I'm glad you feel so. It adds so much to one's happiness to love the
+task one does. I used to hate teaching; but housekeeping for my
+own family was always sweet, though much harder in many ways.
+Isn't Aunt Jo pleased about all this?' asked Mrs Meg, already
+seeing in her mind's eye a splendid sign with 'Tiber, Brooke & Co.'
+over the door of a famous publishing house.
+
+'So pleased that I could hardly keep her from letting the cat out of
+the bag too soon. I've had so many plans, and disappointed you so
+often, I wanted to be very sure this time. I had to bribe Rob and
+Ted to keep her at home tonight till I'd told my news, she was
+eager to rush down and tell you herself. The castles that dear
+woman has built for me would fill all Spain, and have kept us jolly
+while we waited to know our fate. Mr Tiber doesn't do things in a
+hurry; but when he makes up his mind, you are all right; and I feel
+that I am fairly launched.'
+
+'Bless you, dear, I hope so! It is a happy day for me, because I've
+been so anxious lest, with all my care, I have been too easy and
+indulgent, and my boy, with his many good gifts, might fritter his
+time away in harmless but unsatisfactory things. Now I am at ease
+about you. If only Daisy can be happy, and Josie give up her
+dream, I shall be quite contented.'
+
+Demi let his mother enjoy herself for a few minutes, while he
+smiled over a certain little dream of his own, not ready yet for the
+telling; then he said, in the paternal tone which he unconsciously
+used when speaking of his sisters:
+
+'I'll see to the girls; but I begin to think grandpa is right in saying
+we must each be what God and nature makes us. We can't change
+it much--only help to develop the good and control the bad
+elements in us. I have fumbled my way into my right place at last, I
+hope. Let Daisy be happy in her way, since it is a good and
+womanly one. If Nat comes home all right, I'd say: "Bless you, my
+children," and give them a nest of their own. Then you and I will
+help little Jo to find out if it is to be "All the world's a stage" or
+"Home, sweet home", for her.'
+
+'I suppose we must, John; but I can't help making plans, and
+hoping they will come to pass. I see that Daisy is bound up in Nat;
+and if he is worthy of her I shall let them be happy in their own
+way, as my parents let me. But Josie will be a trial, I foresee; and
+much as I love the stage, and always did, I don't see how 1 can ever
+let my little girl be an actress, though she certainly has great talent
+for it.'
+
+'Whose fault is that?' asked Demi, smiling, as he remembered his
+mother's early triumphs and unquenchable interest in the dramatic
+efforts of the young people round her.
+
+'Mine, I know. How could it be otherwise when I acted Babes in
+the Wood with you and Daisy before you could speak, and taught
+Josie to declaim Mother Goose in her cradle. Ah, me! the tastes of
+the mother come out in her children, and she must atone for them
+by letting them have their own way, I suppose.' And Mrs Meg
+laughed, even while she shook her head over the undeniable fact
+that the Marches were a theatrical family.
+
+'Why not have a great actress of our name, as well as an authoress,
+a minister, and an eminent publisher? We don't choose our talents,
+but we needn't hide them in a napkin because they are not just
+what we want. I say, let Jo have her way, and do what she can.
+Here am I to take care of her; and you can't deny you'd enjoy fixing
+her furbelows, and seeing her shine before the footlights, where
+you used to long to be. Come, mother, better face the music and
+march gaily, since your wilful children will "gang their ain gait".'
+
+'I don't see but I must, and "leave the consequences to the Lord", as
+Marmee used to say when she had to decide, and only saw a step
+of the road. I should enjoy it immensely, if I could only feel that
+the life would not hurt my girl, and leave her unsatisfied when it
+was too late to change; for nothing is harder to give up than the
+excitements of that profession. I know something of it; and if your
+blessed father had not come along, I'm afraid I should have been
+an actress in spite of Aunt March and all our honoured ancestors.'
+
+'Let Josie add new honour to the name, and work out the family
+talent in its proper place. I'll play dragon to her, and you play
+nurse, and no harm can come to our little Juliet, no matter how
+many Romeos spoon under her balcony. Really, ma'am, opposition
+comes badly from an old lady who is going to wring the hearts of
+our audience in the heroine's part in Aunty's play next Christmas.
+It's the most pathetic thing I ever saw, mother; and I'm sorry you
+didn't become an actress, though we should be nowhere if you had.'
+
+Demi was on his legs now, with his back to the fire, in the lordly
+attitude men like to assume when things go well with them, or they
+want to lay down the law on any subject.
+
+Mrs Meg actually blushed at her son's hearty praise, and could not
+deny that the sound of applause was as sweet now as when she
+played the Witch's Curse and The Moorish Maiden's Vow long
+years ago.
+
+'It's perfectly absurd for me to do it, but I couldn't resist when Jo
+and Laurie made the part for me, and you children were to act in it.
+The minute I get on the old mother's dress I forget myself and feel
+the same thrill at the sound of the bell that I used to feel when we
+got up plays in the garret. If Daisy would only take the daughter's
+part it would be so complete; for with you and Josie I am hardly
+acting, it is all so real.'
+
+'Especially the hospital scene, where you find the wounded son.
+Why, mother, do you know when we did that at last rehearsal my
+face was wet with real tears as you cried over me. It will bring
+down the house; but don't forget to wipe 'em off, or I shall sneeze,'
+said Demi, laughing at the recollection of his mother's hit.
+
+'I won't; but it almost broke my heart to see you so pale and
+dreadful. I hope there will never he another war in my time, for I
+should have to let you go; and I never want to live through the
+same experience we had with father.' 
+
+'Don't you think Alice does the part better than Daisy would? 
+Daisy hasn't a bit of the actress in her, and Alice puts life into 
+the dullest words she speaks. I think the Marquise is just perfect 
+in our piece,' said Demi, strolling about the room as if the warmth 
+of the fire sent a sudden colour to his face.
+
+'So do I. She is a dear girl, and I'm proud and fond of her. Where is
+she tonight?'
+
+'Pegging away at her Greek, I suppose. She usually is in the
+evening. More's the pity,' added Demi, in a low tone, as he stared
+intently at the book-case, though he couldn't read a title.
+
+'Now, there is a girl after my own heart. Pretty, well-bred,
+well-educated, and yet domestic, a real companion as well as
+help-meet for some good and intelligent man. I hope she will find
+one.'
+
+'So do I,' muttered Demi.
+
+Mrs Meg had taken up her work again, and was surveying a
+half-finished buttonhole with so much interest that her son's face
+escaped her eye. He shed a beaming smile upon the rows of poets,
+as if even in their glass prison they could sympathize and rejoice
+with him at the first rosy dawn of the great passion which they
+knew so well. But Demi was a wise youth, and never leaped before
+looking carefully. He hardly knew his own heart yet, and was
+contented to wait till the sentiment, the fluttering of those folded
+wings he began to feel, should escape from the chrysalis and be
+ready to soar away in the sunshine to seek and claim its lovely
+mate. He had said nothing; but the brown eyes were eloquent, and
+there was an unconscious underplot to all the little plays he and
+Alice Heath acted so well together. She was busy with her books,
+bound to graduate with high honours, and he was trying to do the
+same in that larger college open to all, and where each man has his
+own prize to win or lose. Demi had nothing but himself to offer
+and, being a modest youth, considered that a poor gift till he had
+proved his power to earn his living, and the right to take a woman's
+happiness into his keeping.
+
+No one guessed that he had caught the fever except sharp-eyed
+Josie, and she, having a wholesome fear of her brother--who could
+be rather awful when she went too far--wisely contented herself
+with watching him like a little cat, ready to pounce on the first
+visible sign of weakness. Demi had taken to playing pensively
+upon his flute after he was in his room for the night, making this
+melodious friend his confidante, and breathing into it all the tender
+hopes and fears that filled his heart. Mrs Meg, absorbed in
+domestic affairs, and Daisy, who cared for no music but Nat's
+violin, paid no heed to these chamber concerts, but Josie always
+murmured to herself, with a naughty chuckle, 'Dick Swiveller is
+thinking of his Sophy Wackles,' and bided her time to revenge
+certain wrongs inflicted upon her by Demi, who always took
+Daisy's side when she tried to curb the spirits of her unruly little
+sister.
+
+This evening she got her chance, and made the most of it. Mrs
+Meg was just rounding off her buttonhole, and Demi still strolling
+restlessly about the room, when a book was heard to slam in the
+study, followed by an audible yawn and the appearance of the
+student looking as if sleep and a desire for mischief were
+struggling which should be master.
+
+'I heard my name; have you been saying anything bad about mc?'
+she demanded, perching on the arm of an easychair.
+
+Her mother told the good news, over which Josie duly rejoiced,
+and Demi received her congratulations with a benignant air which
+made her feel that too much satisfaction was not good for him, and
+incited her to put a thorn into his bed of roses at once.
+
+'I caught something about the play just now, and I want to tell you
+that I'm going to introduce a song into my part to liven it up a bit.
+How would this do?' and seating herself at the piano she began to
+sing to these words the air of 'Kathleen Mavourneen':
+
+'Sweetest of maidens, oh, how can I tell
+The love that transfigures the whole earth to me? 
+The longing that causes my bosom to swell,
+When I dream of a life all devoted to thee?'
+
+She got no further, for Demi, red with wrath, made a rush at her,
+and the next moment a very agile young person was seen dodging
+round tables and chairs with the future partner of Tiber & Co. in
+hot pursuit. 'You monkey, how dare you meddle with my papers?'
+cried the irate poet, making futile grabs at the saucy girl, who
+skipped to and fro, waving a bit of paper tantalizingly before him.
+
+'Didn't; found it in the big "Dic". Serves you right if you leave your
+rubbish about. Don't you like my song? It's very pretty.'
+
+'I'll teach you one that you won't like if you don't give me my
+property.'
+
+'Come and get it if you can'; and Josie vanished into the study to
+have out her squabble in peace, for Mrs Meg was already saying:
+
+'Children, children! don't quarrel.'
+
+The paper was in the fire by the time Demi arrived and he at once
+calmed down, seeing that the bone of contention was out of the
+way.
+
+'I'm glad it's burnt; I don't care for it, only some verse I was trying
+to set to music for one of the girls. But I'll trouble you to let my
+papers alone, or I shall take back the advice I gave mother tonight
+about allowing you to act as much as you like.'
+
+Josie was sobered at once by this dire threat, and in her most
+wheedling tone begged to know what he had said. By way of
+heaping coals of fire on her head he told her, and this diplomatic
+performance secured him an ally on the spot.
+
+'You dear old boy! I'll never tease you again though you moon and
+spoon both day and night. If you stand by me, I'll stand by you and
+never say a word. See here! I've got a note for you from Alice.
+Won't that be a peace-offering and soothe your little feelings?'
+
+Demi's eyes sparkled as Josie held up a paper cocked hat, but as he
+knew what was probably in it, he took the wind out of Josie's sails,
+and filled her with blank astonishment by saying carelessly:
+
+'That's nothing; it's only to say whether she will go to the concert
+with us tomorrow night. You can read it if you like.'
+
+With the natural perversity of her sex Josie ceased to be curious
+the moment she was told to read it, and meekly handed it over; but
+she watched Demi as he calmly read the two lines it contained and
+then threw it into the fire. 'Why, Jack, I thought you'd treasure 
+every scrap the "sweetest maid" touched. Don't you care for her?'
+
+'Very much; we all do; but "mooning and spooning", as you
+elegantly express it, is not in my line. My dear little girl, your plays
+make you romantic, and because Alice and I act lovers sometimes
+you take it into your silly head that we are really so. Don't waste
+time hunting mares nests, but attend to your own affairs and leave
+me to mine. I forgive you, but don't do it again; it's bad taste, and
+tragedy queens don't romp.'
+
+The last cut finished Josie; she humbly begged pardon and went
+off to bed, while Demi soon followed, feeling that he had not only
+settled himself but his too inquisitive little sister also. But if he had
+seen her face as she listened to the soft wailing of his flute he
+would not have been so sure, for she looked as cunning as a
+magpie as she said, with a scornful sniff: 'Pooh, you can't deceive
+me; I know Dick is serenading Sophy Wackles.'
+
+Chapter 11 EMIL'S THANKSGIVING
+
+The Brenda was scudding along with all sail set to catch the rising
+wind, and everyone on board was rejoicing, for the long voyage
+was drawing towards an end.
+
+'Four weeks more, Mrs Hardy, and we'll give you a cup of tea such
+as you never had before,' said second mate Hoffmann, as he paused
+beside two ladies sitting in a sheltered corner of the deck.
+
+'I shall be glad to get it, and still gladder to put my feet on solid
+ground,' answered the elder lady, smiling; for our friend Emil was
+a favourite, as well he might be, since he devoted himself to the
+captain's wife and daughter, who were the only passengers on
+board.
+
+'So shall I, even if I have to wear a pair of shoes like Chinese
+junks. I've tramped up and down the deck so much, I shall be
+barefooted if we don't arrive soon,' laughed Mary, the daughter,
+showing two shabby little boots as she glanced up at the
+companion of these tramps, remembering gratefully how pleasant
+he had made them.
+
+'Don't think there are any small enough in China,' answered Emil,
+with a sailor's ready gallantry, privately resolving to hunt up the
+handsomest shoes he could find the moment he landed.
+
+'I don't know what you would have done for exercise, dear, if Mr
+Hoffmann had not made you walk every day. This lazy life is bad
+for young people, though it suits an old body like me well enough
+in calm weather. Is this likely to be a gale, think ye?' added Mrs
+Hardy, with an anxious glance at the west, where the sun was
+setting redly.
+
+'Only a capful of wind, ma'am, just enough to send us along lively,'
+answered Emil, with a comprehensive glance aloft and alow.
+
+'Please sing, Mr Hoffmann, it's so pleasant to have music at this
+time. We shall miss it very much when we get ashore,' said Mary,
+in a persuasive tone which would have won melody from a shark,
+if such a thing were possible.
+
+Emil had often blessed his one accomplishment during these
+months, for it cheered the long days, and made the twilight hour
+his happiest time, wind and weather permitting. So now he gladly
+tuned his pipe, and leaning on the taffrail near the girl, watched the
+brown locks blowing in the wind as he sang her favourite song:
+
+'Give me freshening breeze, my boys,
+A white and swelling sail,
+A ship that cuts the dashing waves,
+And weathers every gale.
+What life is like a sailor's life,
+So free, so bold, so brave?
+His home the ocean's wide expanse,
+A coral bed his grave.'
+
+Just as the last notes of the clear, strong voice died away, Mrs
+Hardy suddenly exclaimed: 'What's that?' Emil's quick eye saw at
+once the little puff of smoke coming up a hatchway where no
+smoke should be, and his heart seemed to stand still for an instant
+as the dread word 'Fire!' flashed through his mind. Then he was
+quite steady, and strolled away saying quietly:
+
+'Smoking not allowed there, I'll go and stop it.' But the instant he
+was out of sight his face changed, and he leaped down the
+hatchway, thinking, with a queer smile on his lips: 'If we are afire,
+shouldn't wonder if I did make a coral bed my grave!'
+
+He was gone a few minutes, and when he came up, half stifled
+with smoke, he was as white as a very brown man could be, but
+calm and cool as he went to report to the captain.
+
+'Fire in the hold, sir.'
+
+'Don't frighten the women,' was Captain Hardy's first order; then
+both be stirred themselves to discover how strong the treacherous
+enemy was, and to rout it if possible.
+
+The Brenda's cargo was a very combustible one, and in spite of the
+streams of water poured into the hold it was soon evident that the
+ship was doomed. Smoke began to ooze up between the planks
+everywhere, and the rising gale soon fanned the smouldering fire
+to flames that began to break out here and there, telling the
+dreadful truth too plainly for anyone to hide. Mrs Hardy and Mary
+bore the shock bravely when told to be ready to quit the ship at a
+minute's notice; the boats were hastily prepared, and the men
+worked with a will to batten down every loophole whence the fire
+might escape. Soon the poor Brenda was a floating furnace, and
+the order to 'Take to the boats!' came for all. The women first, of
+course, and it was fortunate that, being a merchantman, there were
+no more passengers on board, so there was no panic, and one after
+the other the boats pushed off. That in which the women were
+lingered near, for the brave captain would be the last to leave his
+ship.
+
+Emil stayed by him till ordered away, and reluctantly obeyed; but
+it was well for him he went, for just as he had regained the boat,
+rocking far below, half hidden by a cloud of smoke, a mast,
+undermined by the fire now raging in the bowels of the ship, fell
+with a crash, knocking Captain Hardy overboard. The boat soon
+reached him as he floated out from the wreck, and Emil sprung
+into the sea to rescue him, for he was wounded and senseless. This
+accident made it necessary for the young man to take command,
+and he at once ordered the men to pull for their lives, as an
+explosion might occur at any moment.
+
+The other boats were out of danger and all lingered to watch the
+splendid yet awesome spectacle of the burning ship alone on the
+wide sea, reddening the night and casting a lurid glare upon the
+water, where floated the frail boats filled with pale faces, all
+turned for a last look at the fated Brenda, slowly settling to her
+watery grave. No one saw the end, however, for the gale soon
+swept the watchers far away and separated them, some never to
+meet again till the sea gives up its dead.
+
+The boat whose fortunes we must follow was alone when dawn
+came up, showing these survivors all the dangers of their situation.
+Food and water had been put in, and such provision for comfort
+and safety as time allowed; but it was evident that with a badly
+wounded man, two women, and seven sailors, their supply would
+not last long, and help was sorely needed. Their only hope was in
+meeting a ship, although the gale, which had raged all night, had
+blown them out of their course. To this hope all clung, and wiled
+away the weary hours, watching the horizon and cheering one
+another with prophecies of speedy rescue.
+
+Second mate Hoffmann was very brave and helpful, though his
+unexpected responsibility weighed heavily on his shoulders; for
+the captain's state seemed desperate, the poor wife's grief wrung
+his heart, and the blind confidence of the young girl in his power
+to save them made him feel that no sign of doubt or fear must
+lessen it. The men did their part readily now, but Emil knew that if
+starvation and despair made brutes of them, his task might be a
+terrible one. So he clutched his courage with both handg, kept up a 
+manly front, and spoke so cheerily of their good chances, that all 
+instinctively turned to him for guidance and support.
+
+The first day and night passed in comparative comfort, but when
+the third came, things looked dark and hope began to fail. The
+wounded man was delirious, the wife worn out with anxiety and
+suspense, the girl weak for want of food, having put away half her
+biscuit for her mother, and given her share of water to wet her
+father's feverish lips. The sailors ceased rowing and sat grimly
+waiting, openly reproaching their leader for not following their
+advice, others demanding more food, all waxing dangerous as
+privation and pain brought out the animal instincts lurking in them.
+Emil did his best, but mortal man was helpless there, and he could
+only turn his haggard face from the pitiless sky, that dropped no
+rain for their thirst, to the boundless sea where no sail appeared to
+gladden their longing eyes. All day he tried to cheer and comfort
+them, while hunger gnawed, thirst parched, and growing fear lay
+heavy at his heart. He told stories to the men, implored them to
+bear up for the helpless women's sake, and promised rewards if
+they would pull while they had strength to regain the lost route, as
+nearly as he could make it out, and increase their chance of rescue.
+He rigged an awning of sailcloth over the suffering man and
+tended him like a son, comforted the wife, and tried to make the
+pale girl forget herself, by singing every song he knew or
+recounting his adventures by land and sea, till she smiled and took
+heart; for all ended well.
+
+The fourth day came and the supply of food and water was nearly
+gone. Emil proposed to keep it for the sick man and the women,
+but two of the men rebelled, demanding their share. Emil gave up
+his as an example, and several of the good fellows followed it,
+with the quiet heroism which so often crops up in rough but manly
+natures. This shamed the others, and for another day an ominous
+peace reigned in that little world of suffering and suspense. But
+during the night, while Emil, worn out with fatigue, left the watch
+to the most trustworthy sailor, that he might snatch an hour's rest,
+these two men got at the stores and stole the last of the bread and
+water, and the one bottle of brandy, which was carefully hoarded
+to keep up their strength and make the brackish water drinkable.
+Half mad with thirst, they drank greedily and by morning one was
+in a stupor, from which he never woke; the other so crazed by the
+strong stimulant, that when Emil tried to control him, he leaped
+overboard and was lost. Horror-stricken by this terrible scene, the
+other men were submissive henceforth, and the boat floated on
+and on with its sad freight of suffering souls and bodies.
+
+Another trial came to them that left all more despairing than
+before. A sail appeared, and for a time a frenzy of joy prevailed, to
+be turned to bitterest disappointment when it passed by, too far
+away to see the signals waved to them or hear the frantic cries for
+help that rang across the sea. Emil's heart sank then, for the captain
+seemed dying, and the women could not hold out much longer. He
+kept up till night came; then in the darkness, broken only by the
+feeble murmuring of the sick man, the whispered prayers of the
+poor wife, the ceaseless swash of waves, Emil hid his face, and
+had an hour of silent agony that aged him more than years of
+happy life could have done. It was not the physical hardship that
+daunted him, though want and weakness tortured him; it was his
+dreadful powerlessness to conquer the cruel fate that seemed
+hanging over them. The men he cared little for, since these perils
+were but a part of the life they chose; but the master he loved, the
+good woman who had been so kind to him, the sweet girl whose
+winsome presence had made the long voyage so pleasant for them
+all--if he could only save these dear and innocent creatures from a
+cruel death, he felt that he could willingly give his life for them.
+
+As he sat there with his head in his hands, bowed down by the first
+great trial of his young life, the starless sky overhead, the restless
+sea beneath, and all around him suffering, for which he had no
+help, a soft sound broke the silence, and he listened like one in a
+dream. It was Mary singing to her mother, who lay sobbing in her
+arms, spent with this long anguish. A very faint and broken voice it
+was, for the poor girl's lips were parched with thirst; but the loving
+heart turned instinctively to the great Helper in this hour of
+despair, and He heard her feeble cry. It was a sweet old hynm often
+sung at Plumfield; and as he listened, all the happy past came back
+so clearly that Emil forgot the bitter present, and was at home
+again. His talk on the housetop with Aunt Jo seemed but yesterday,
+and, with a pang of self-reproach, he thought:
+
+'The scarlet strand! I must remember it, and do my duty to the end.
+Steer straight, old boy; and if you can't come into port, go down
+with all sail set.'
+
+Then, as the soft voice crooned on to lull the weary woman to a
+fitful sleep, Emil for a little while forgot his burden in a dream of
+Plumfield. He saw them all, heard the familiar voices, felt the grip
+of welcoming hands, and seemed to say to himself: 'Well, they
+shall not be ashamed of me if I never see them any more.'
+
+A sudden shout startled him from that brief rest, and a drop on his
+forehead told him that the blessed rain had come at last, bringing
+salvation with it; for thirst is harder to bear than hunger, heat, or
+cold. Welcomed by cries of joy, all lifted up their parched lips,
+held out their hands, and spread their garments to catch the great
+drops that soon came pouring down to cool the sick man's fever,
+quench the agony of thirst, and bring refreshment to every weary
+body in the boat. All night it fell, all night the castaways revelled
+in the saving shower, and took heart again, like dying plants
+revived by heaven's dew. The clouds broke away at dawn, and
+Emil sprung up, wonderfully braced and cheered by those hours of
+silent gratitude for this answer to their cry for help. But this was
+not all; as his eye swept the horizon, clear against the rosy sky
+shone the white sails of a ship, so near that they could see the
+pennon at her mast-head and black figures moving on the deck.
+
+One cry broke from all those eager throats, and rang across the sea,
+as every man waved hat or handkerchief and the women stretched
+imploring hands towards this great white angel of deliverance
+coming down upon them as if the fresh wind filled every sail to
+help her on.
+
+No disappointment now; answering signals assured them of help;
+and in the rapture of that moment the happy women fell on Emil's
+neck, giving him his reward in tears and blessings as their grateful
+hearts overflowed. He always said that was the proudest moment
+of his life, as he stood there holding Mary in his arms; for the
+brave girl, who had kept up so long, broke down then, and clung to
+him half fainting; while her mother busied herself about the
+invalid, who seemed to feel the joyful stir, and gave an order, as if
+again on the deck of his lost ship.
+
+It was soon over; and then all were safely aboard the good Urania,
+homeward bound. Emil saw his friends in tender hands, his men
+among their mates, and told the story of the wreck before he
+thought of himself. The savoury odour of the soup, carried by to
+the cabin for the ladies, reminded him that he was starving, and a
+sudden stagger betrayed his weakness. He was instantly borne
+away, to be half killed by kindness, and being fed, clothed, and
+comforted, was left to rest. Just as the surgeon left the state-room,
+he asked in his broken voice: 'What day is this? My head is so confused, 
+I've lost my reckoning.'
+
+'Thanksgiving Day, man! And we'll give you a regular New
+England dinner, if you'll eat it,' answered the surgeon heartily.
+
+But Emil was too spent to do anything, except lie still and give
+thanks, more fervently and gratefully than ever before, for the
+blessed gift of life, which was the sweeter for a sense of duty
+faithfully performed.
+
+Chapter 12 DAN'S CHRISTMAS
+
+Where was Dan? In prison. Alas for Mrs Jo! how her heart would
+have ached if she had known that while old Plum shone with
+Christmas cheer her boy sat alone in his cell, trying to read the
+little book she gave him, with eyes dimmed now and then by the
+hot tears no physical suffering had ever wrung from him, and
+longing with a homesick heart for all that he had lost.
+
+Yes, Dan was in prison; but no cry for help from him as he faced
+the terrible strait he was in with the dumb despair of an Indian at
+the stake; for his own bosom sin had brought him there, and this
+was to be the bitter lesson that tamed the lawless spirit and taught
+him self-control.
+
+The story of his downfall is soon told; for it came, as so often
+happens, just when he felt unusually full of high hopes, good
+resolutions, and dreams of a better life. On his journey he met a
+pleasant young fellow, and naturally felt an interest in him, as
+Blair was on his way to join his elder brothers on a ranch in
+Kansas. Card-playing was going on in the smoking-car, and the lad--
+for he was barely twenty--tired with the long journey, beguiled the
+way with such partners as appeared, being full of spirits, and a
+little intoxicated with the freedom of the West. Dan, true to his
+promise, would not join, but watched with intense interest the
+games that went on, and soon made up his mind that two of the
+men were sharpers anxious to fleece the boy, who had imprudently
+displayed a well-filled pocket-book. Dan always had a soft spot in
+his heart for any younger, weaker creature whom he met, and
+something about the lad reminded him of Teddy; so he kept an eye
+on Blair, and warned him against his new friends.
+
+Vainly, of course; for when all stopped overnight in one of the
+great cities, Dan missed the boy from the hotel whither he had
+taken him for safe-keeping; and learning who had come for him,
+went to find him, calling himself a fool for his pains, yet unable to
+leave the confiding boy to the dangers that surrounded him.
+
+He found him gambling in a low place with the men, who were
+bound to have his money; and by the look of relief on Blair's
+anxious face when he saw him Dan knew without words that
+things were going badly with him, and he saw the peril too late.
+
+'I can't come yet--I've lost; it's not my money; I must get it back, or
+I dare not face my brothers,' whispered the poor lad, when Dan
+begged him to get away without further loss. Shame and fear made
+him desperate; and he played on, sure that he could recover the
+money confided to his care. Seeing Dan's resolute face, keen eye,
+and travelled air, the sharpers were wary, played fair, and let the
+boy win a little; but they had no mind to give up their prey, and
+finding that Dan stood sentinel at the boy's back, an ominous
+glance was exchanged between them, which meant:
+
+'We must get this fellow out of the way.'
+
+Dan saw it, and was on his guard; for he and Blair were strangers,
+evil deeds are easily done in such places, and no tales told. But he
+would not desert the boy, and still kept watch of every card till he
+plainly detected false play, and boldly said so. High words passed,
+Dan's indignation overcame his prudence; and when the cheat
+refused to restore his plunder with insulting words and drawn
+pistol, Dan's hot temper flashed out, and he knocked the man down
+with a blow that sent him crashing head first against a stove, to roll
+senseless and bleeding to the floor. A wild scene followed, but in
+the midst of it Dan whispered to the boy: 'Get away, and hold your
+tongue. Don't mind me.'
+
+Frightened and bewildered, Blair quitted the city at once, leaving
+Dan to pass the night in the lock-up, and a few days later to stand
+in court charged with manslaughter; for the man was dead. Dan
+had no friends, and having once briefly told the story, held his
+peace, anxious to keep all knowledge of this sad affair from those
+at home. He even concealed his name--giving that of David Kent,
+as he had done several times before in emergencies. It was all over
+very soon; but as there were extenuating circumstances his
+sentence was a year in prison, with hard labour.
+
+Dazed by the rapidity with which this horrible change in his life
+came upon him, Dan did not fully realize it till the iron door
+clanged behind him and he sat alone in a cell as narrow, cold, and
+silent as a tomb. He knew that a word would bring Mr Laurie to
+help and comfort him; but he could not bear to tell of this disgrace,
+or see the sorrow and the shame it would cause the friends who
+hoped so much for him.
+
+'No,' he said, clenching his fist, 'I'll let them think me dead first. I
+shall be if I am kept here long'; and he sprang up to pace the stone
+floor like a caged lion, with a turmoil of wrath and grief, rebellion
+and remorse, seething in heart and brain, till he felt as if he should
+go mad and beat upon the walls that shut him away from the
+liberty which was his life. For days he suffered terribly, then worn
+out, sank into a black melancholy sadder to see than his
+excitement.
+
+The warden of this prison was a rough man who had won the ill
+will of all by unnecessary harshness, but the chaplain was full of
+sympathy, and did his hard duty faithfully and tenderly. He
+laboured with poor Dan, but seemed to make no impression, and
+was forced to wait till work had soothed the excited nerves and
+captivity tamed the proud spirit that would suffer but not
+complain.
+
+Dan was put in the brush-shop, and feeling that activity was his
+only salvation, worked with a feverish energy that soon won the
+approval of the master and the envy of less skilful mates. Day after
+day he sat in his place, watched by an armed overseer, forbidden
+any but necessary words, no intercourse with the men beside him,
+no change but from cell to shop, no exercise but the dreary
+marches to and fro, each man's hand on the other's shoulder
+keeping step with the dreary tramp so different from the ringing
+tread of soldiers. Silent, gaunt, and grim, Dan did his daily task,
+ate his bitter bread, and obeyed commands with a rebellious flash
+of the eye, that made the warden say:
+
+'That's a dangerous man. Watch him. He'll break out some day.'
+
+There were others more dangerous than he, because older in crime
+and ready for any desperate outbreak to change the monotony of
+long sentences. These men soon divined Dan's mood, and in the
+mysterious way convicts invent, managed to convey to him before
+a month was over that plans were being made for a mutiny at the
+first opportunity. Thanksgiving Day was one of the few chances
+for them to speak together as they enjoyed an hour of freedom in
+the prison yard. Then all would be settled and the rash attempt
+made if possible, probably to end in bloodshed and defeat for
+most, but liberty for a few. Dan had already planned his own
+escape and bided his time, growing more and more moody, fierce,
+and rebellious, as loss of liberty wore upon soul and body; for this
+sudden change from his free, healthy life to such a narrow,
+gloomy, and miserable one, could not but have a terrible effect
+upon one of Dan's temperament and age.
+
+He brooded over his ruined life, gave up all his happy hopes and
+plans, felt that he could never face dear old Plumfield again, or
+touch those friendly hands, with the stain of blood upon his own.
+He did not care for the wretched man whom he had killed, for such
+a life was better ended, he thought; but the disgrace of prison
+would never be wiped out of his memory, though the cropped hair
+would grow again, the grey suit easily be replaced, and the bolts
+and bars left far behind.
+
+'It's all over with me; I've spoilt my life, now let it go. I'll give up
+the fight and get what pleasure I can anywhere, anyhow. They shall
+think me dead and so still care for me, but never know what I am.
+Poor Mother Bhaer! she tried to help me, but it's no use; the
+firebrand can't be saved.'
+
+And dropping his head in his hands as he sat on his low bed, Dan
+would mourn over all he had lost in tearless misery, till merciful
+sleep would comfort him with dreams of the happy days when the
+boys played together, or those still later and happier ones when all
+smiled on him, and Plumfield seemed to have gained a new and
+curious charm.
+
+There was one poor fellow in Dan's shop whose fate was harder
+than his, for his sentence expired in the spring, but there was little
+hope of his living till that time; and the coldest-hearted man pitied
+poor Mason as he sat coughing his life away in that close place and
+counting the weary days yet to pass before he could see his wife
+and little child again. There was some hope that he might be
+pardoned out, but he had no friends to bestir themselves in the
+matter, and it was evident that the great Judge's pardon would soon
+end his patient pain for ever.
+
+Dan pitied him more than he dared to show, and this one tender
+emotion in that dark time was like the little flower that sprung up
+between the stones of the prison yard and saved the captive from
+despair, in the beautiful old story. Dan helped Mason with his
+work when he was too feeble to finish his task, and the grateful
+look that thanked him was a ray of sunshine to cheer his cell when
+he was alone. Mason envied the splendid health of his neighbour,
+and mourned to see it wasting there. He was a peaceful soul and
+tried, as far as a whispered word or warning glance could do it, to
+deter Dan from joining the 'bad lot', as the rebels were called. But
+having turned his face from the light, Dan found the downward
+way easy, and took a grim satisfaction in the prospect of a general
+outbreak during which he might revenge himself upon the
+tyrannical warden, and strike a blow for his own liberty, feeling
+that an hour of insurrection would be a welcome vent for the
+pent-up passions that tormented him. He had tamed many a wild
+animal, but his own lawless spirit was too much for him, till he
+found the curb that made him master of himself.
+
+The Sunday before Thanksgiving, as he sat in chapel, Dan
+observed several guests in the seats reserved for them, and looked
+anxiously to see if any familiar face was there; for he had a mortal
+fear that someone from home would suddenly confront him. No,
+all were strangers, and he soon forgot them in listening to the
+chaplain's cheerful words, and the sad singing of many heavy
+hearts. People often spoke to the convicts, so it caused no surprise
+when, on being invited to address them, one of the ladies rose and
+said she would tell them a little story; which announcement caused
+the younger listeners to pack up their ears, and even the older ones
+to look interested; for any change in their monotonous life was
+welcome.
+
+The speaker was a middle-aged woman in black, with a
+sympathetic face, eyes full of compassion, and a voice that seemed
+to warm the heart, because of certain motherly tones in it. She
+reminded Dan of Mrs Jo, and he listened intently to every word,
+feeling that each was meant for him, because by chance, they came
+at the moment when he needed a softening memory to break up the
+ice of despair which was blighting all the good impulses of his
+nature.
+
+It was a very simple little story, but it caught the men's attention at
+once, being about two soldiers in a hospital during the late war,
+both badly wounded in the right arm, and both anxious to save
+these breadwinners and go home unmaimed. One was patient,
+docile, and cheerfully obeyed orders, even when told that the arm
+must go. He submitted and after much suffering recovered,
+grateful for life, though he could fight no more. The other rebelled,
+would listen to no advice, and having delayed too long, died a
+lingering death, bitterly regretting his folly when it was too late.
+'Now, as all stories should have a little moral, let me tell you mine,'
+added the lady, with a smile, as she looked at the row of young
+men before her, sadly wondering what brought them there.
+
+'This is a hospital for soldiers wounded in life's battle; here are
+sick souls, weak wills, insane passions, blind consciences, all the
+ills that come from broken laws, bringing their inevitable pain and
+punishment with them, There is hope and help for every one, for
+God's mercy is infinite and man's charity is great; but penitence
+and submission must come before the cure is possible. Pay the
+forfeit manfully, for it is just; but from the suffering and shame
+wring new strength for a nobler life. The scar will remain, but it is
+better for a man to lose both arms than his soul; and these hard
+years, instead of being lost, may be made the most precious of
+your lives, if they teach you to rule yourselves. O friends, try to
+outlive the bitter past, to wash the sin away, and begin anew. If not
+for your own sakes, for that of the dear mothers, wives, and
+children, who wait and hope so patiently for you. Remember them,
+and do not let them love and long in vain. And if there be any here
+so forlorn that they have no friend to care for them, never forget
+the Father whose arms are always open to receive, forgive, and
+comfort His prodigal sons, even at the eleventh hour.' There the
+little sermon ended; but the preacher of it felt that her few hearty
+words had not been uttered in vain, for one boy's head was down,
+and several faces wore the softened look which told that a tender
+memory was touched. Dan was forced to set his lips to keep them
+steady, and drop his eyes to hide the sudden dew that dimmed
+them when waiting, hoping friends were spoken of. He was glad to
+be alone in his cell again, and sat thinking deeply, instead of trying
+to forget himself in sleep. It seemed as if those words were just
+what he needed to show him where he stood and how fateful the
+next few days might be to him. Should he join the 'bad lot', and
+perhaps add another crime to the one already committed, lengthen
+the sentence already so terrible to bear, deliberately turn his back
+on all that was good, and mar the future that might yet be
+redeemed? Or should he, like the wiser man in the story, submit,
+bear the just punishment, try to be better for it; and though the scar
+would remain, it might serve as a reminder of a battle not wholly
+lost, since he had saved his soul though innocence was gone? Then
+he would dare go home, perhaps, confess, and find fresh strength
+in the pity and consolation of those who never gave him up.
+
+Good and evil fought for Dan that night as did the angel and the
+devil for Sintram, and it was hard to tell whether lawless nature or
+loving heart would conquer. Remorse and resentment, shame and
+sorrow, pride and passion, made a battle-field of that narrow cell,
+and the poor fellow felt as if he had fiercer enemies to fight now
+than any he had met in all his wanderings. A little thing turned the
+scale, as it so often does in these mysterious hearts of ours, and a
+touch of sympathy helped Dan decide the course which would
+bless or ban his life.
+
+In the dark hour before the dawn, as he lay wakeful on his bed, a
+ray of light shone through the bars, the bolts turned softly, and a
+man came in. It was the good chaplain, led by the same instinct
+that brings a mother to her sick child's pillow; for long experience
+as nurse of souls had taught him to see the signs of hope in the
+hard faces about him, and to know when the moment came for a
+helpful word and the cordial of sincere prayer that brings such
+comfort and healing to tried and troubled hearts. He had been to
+Dan before at unexpected hours, but always found him sullen,
+indifferent, or rebellious, and had gone away to patiently bide his
+time. Now it had come; a look of relief was in the prisoner's face
+as the light shone on it, and the sound of a human voice was
+strangely comfortable after listening to the whispers of the
+passions, doubts, and fears which had haunted the cell for hours,
+dismaying Dan by their power, and showing him how much he
+needed help to fight the good fight, since he had no armour of his
+own.
+
+'Kent, poor Mason has gone. He left a message for you, and I felt
+impelled to come and give it now, because I think you were
+touched by what we heard today, and in need of the help Mason
+tried to give you,' said the chaplain, taking the one seat and fixing
+his kind eyes on the grim figure in the bed.
+
+'Thank you, sir, I'd like to hear it,' was all Dan's answer; but he
+forgot himself in pity for the poor fellow dead in prison, with no
+last look at wife or child. 
+
+He went suddenly, but remembered you, and begged me to say these 
+words: "Tell him not to do it, but to hold on, do his best, and 
+when his time is out go right to Mary, and she'll make him welcome 
+for my sake. He's got no friends in these parts and will feel lonesome, 
+but a woman's always safe and comfortable when a fellow's down on his 
+luck. Give him my love and good-bye for he was kind to me, and God
+will bless him for it." Then he died quietly, and tomorrow will go
+home with God's pardon, since man's came too late.'
+
+Dan said nothing, but laid his arm across his face and lay quite
+still. Seeing that the pathetic little message had done its work even
+better than he hoped, the chaplain went on, unconscious how
+soothing his paternal voice was to the poor prisoner who longed to
+'go home', but felt he had forfeited the right.
+
+'I hope you won't disappoint this humble friend whose last thought
+was for you. I know that there is trouble brewing, and fear that you
+may be tempted to lend a hand on the wrong side. Don't do it, for
+the plot will not succeed--it never does--and it would be a pity to
+spoil your record which is fair so far. Keep up your courage, my
+son, and go out at the year's end better, not worse, for this hard
+experience. Remember a grateful woman waits to welcome and
+thank you if you have no friends of your own; if you have, do your
+best for their sake, and let us ask God to help you as He only can.'
+
+Then waiting for no answer the good man prayed heartily, and Dan
+listened as he never had before; for the lonely hour, the dying
+message, the sudden uprising of his better self, made it seem as if
+some kind angel had come to save and comfort him. After that
+night there was a change in Dan, though no one knew it but the
+chaplain; for to all the rest he was the same silent, stern, unsocial
+fellow as before, and turning his back on the bad and the good
+alike, found his only pleasure in the books his friend brought him.
+Slowly, as the steadfast drop wears away the rock, the patient
+kindness of this man won Dan's confidence, and led by him he
+began to climb out of the Valley of Humiliation towards the
+mountains, whence, through the clouds, one can catch glimpses of
+the Celestial City whither all true pilgrims sooner or later turn
+their wistful eyes and stumbling feet. There were many
+back-slidings, many struggles with Giant Despair and fiery
+Apollyon, many heavy hours when life did not seem worth living
+and Mason's escape the only hope. But through all, the grasp of a
+friendly hand, the sound of a brother's voice, the unquenchable
+desire to atone for the past by a better future, and win the right to
+see home again, kept poor Dan to his great task as the old year
+drew to its end, and the new waited to turn another leaf in the book
+whose hardest lesson he was learning now.
+
+At Christmas he yearned so for Plumfield that he devised a way to
+send a word of greeting to cheer their anxious hearts, and comfort
+his own. He wrote to Mary Mason, who lived in another State,
+asking her to mail the letter he enclosed. In it he merely said he
+was well and busy, had given up the farm, and had other plans
+which he would tell later; would not be home before autumn
+probably, nor write often, but was all right, and sent love and
+merry Christmas to everyone.
+
+Then he took up his solitary life again, and tried to pay his forfeit
+manfully.
+
+Chapter 13 NAT'S NEW YEAR
+
+'I don't expect to hear from Emil yet, and Nat writes regularly, but
+where is Dan? Only two or three postals since he went. Such an
+energetic fellow as he is could buy up all the farms in Kansas by
+this time,' said Mrs Jo one morning when the mail came in and no
+card or envelope bore Dan's dashing hand.
+
+'He never writes often, you know, but does his work and then
+comes home. Months and years seem to mean little to him, and he
+is probably prospecting in the wilderness, forgetful of time,'
+answered Mr Bhaer, deep in one of Nat's long letters from Leipzig.
+
+'But he promised he would let me know how he got on, and Dan
+keeps his word if he can. I'm afraid something has happened to
+him'; and Mrs Jo comforted herself by patting Don's head, as he
+came at the sound of his master's name to look at her with eyes
+almost human in their wistful intelligence.
+
+'Don't worry, Mum dear, nothing ever happens to the old fellow.
+He'll turn up all right, and come stalking in some day with a
+gold-mine in one pocket and a prairie in the other, as jolly as a
+grig,' said Ted, who was in no haste to deliver Octoo to her rightful
+owner.
+
+'Perhaps he has gone to Montana and given up the farm plan. He
+seemed to like Indians best, I thought'; and Rob went to help his
+mother with her pile of letters and his cheerful suggestions.
+
+'I hope so, it would suit him best. But I am sure he would have told
+us his change of plan and sent for some money to work with. No, I
+feel in my prophetic bones that something is wrong,' said Mrs Jo,
+looking as solemn as Fate in a breakfast-cap.
+
+'Then we shall hear; ill news always travels fast. Don't borrow
+trouble, Jo, but hear how well Nat is getting on. I'd no idea the boy
+would care for anything but music. My good friend Baumgarten
+has launched him well, and it will do him good if he lose not his
+head. A good lad, but new to the world, and Leipzig is full of
+snares for the unwary. Gott be with him!'
+
+The Professor read Nat's enthusiastic account of certain literary
+and musical parties he had been to, the splendours of the opera, the
+kindness of his new friends, the delight of studying under such a
+master as Bergmann, his hopes of rapid gain, and his great
+gratitude to those who had opened this enchanted world to him.
+
+'That, now, is satisfactory and comfortable. I felt that Nat had
+unsuspected power in him before he went away; he was so manly
+and full of excellent plans,' said Mrs Jo, in a satisfied tone.
+
+'We shall see. He will doubtless get his lesson and be the better for
+it. That comes to us all in our young days. I hope it will not be too
+hard for our good Jungling,' answered the Professor, with a wise
+smile, remembering his own student life in Germany.
+
+He was right; and Nat was already getting his lesson in life with a
+rapidity which would have astonished his friends at home. The
+manliness over which Mrs Jo rejoiced was developing in
+unexpected ways, and quiet Nat had plunged into the more
+harmless dissipations of the gay city with all the ardour of an
+inexperienced youth taking his first sip of pleasure. The entire
+freedom and sense of independence was delicious, for many
+benefits began to burden him, and he longed to stand on his own
+legs and make his own way. No one knew his past here; and with a
+well-stocked wardrobe, a handsome sum at his banker's, and the
+best teacher in Leipzig, he made his debut as a musical young
+gentleman, presented by the much-respected Professor Bhaer and
+the wealthy Mr Laurence, who had many friends glad to throw
+open their houses to his protege. Thanks to these introductions, his
+fluent German, modest manners, and undeniable talent, the
+stranger was cordially welcomed, and launched at once into a
+circle which many an ambitious young man strove in vain to enter.
+
+All this rather turned Nat's head; and as he sat in the brilliant
+opera-house, chatted among the ladies at some select coffee-party,
+or whisked an eminent professor's amiable daughter down the
+room, trying to imagine she was Daisy, he often asked himself if
+this gay fellow could be the poor homeless little Street musician
+who once stood waiting in the rain at the gates of Plumfield. His
+heart was true, his impulses good, and his ambitions high; but the
+weak side of his nature came uppermost here; vanity led him
+astray, pleasure intoxicated him, and for a time he forgot
+everything but the delights of this new and charming life. Without
+meaning to deceive, he allowed people to imagine him a youth of
+good family and prospects; he boasted a little of Mr Laurie's
+wealth and influence, of Professor Bhaer's eminence, and the
+flourishing college at which he himself had been educated. Mrs Jo
+was introduced to the sentimental Frauleins who read her books,
+and the charms and virtues of his own dear Madchen confided to
+sympathetic mammas. All these boyish boastings and innocent
+vanities were duly circulated among the gossips, and his
+importance much increased thereby, to his surprise and
+gratification, as well as some shame.
+
+But they bore fruit that was bitter in the end; for, finding that he
+was considered one of the upper class, it very soon became
+impossible for him to live in the humble quarters he had chosen, or
+to lead the studious, quiet life planned for him. He met other
+students, young officers, and gay fellows of all sorts, and was
+flattered at being welcomed among them; though it was a costly
+pleasure, and often left a thorn of regret to vex his honest
+conscience. He was tempted to take better rooms in a more
+fashionable street, leaving good Frau Tetzel to lament his loss, and
+his artist neighbour, Fraulein Vogelstein, to shake her grey ringlets
+and predict his return, a sadder and a wiser man.
+
+The sum placed at his disposal for expenses and such simple
+pleasures as his busy life could command seemed a fortune to Nat,
+though it was smaller than generous Mr Laurie first proposed.
+Professor Bhaer wisely counselled prudence, as Nat was unused to
+the care of money, and the good man knew the temptations that a
+well-filled purse makes possible at this pleasure-loving age. So
+Nat enjoyed his handsome little apartment immensely, and
+insensibly let many unaccustomed luxuries creep in. He loved his
+music and never missed a lesson; but the hours he should have
+spent in patient practice were too often wasted at theatre, ball,
+beer-garden, or club--doing no harm beyond that waste of precious
+time, and money not his own; for he had no vices, and took his
+recreation like a gentleman, so far. But slowly a change for the
+worse was beginning to show itself, and he felt it. These first steps
+along the flowery road were downward, not upward; and the
+constant sense of disloyalty which soon began to haunt him made
+Nat feel, in the few quiet hours he gave himself, that all was not
+well with him, spite of the happy whirl in which he lived.
+
+'Another month, and then I will be steady,' he said more than once,
+trying to excuse the delay by the fact that all was new to him, that
+his friends at home wished him to be happy, and that society was
+giving him the polish he needed. But as each month slipped away
+it grew harder to escape; he was inevitably drawn on, and it was so
+easy to drift with the tide that he deferred the evil day as long as
+possible. Winter festivities followed the more wholesome summer
+pleasures, and Nat found them more costly; for the hospitable
+ladies expected some return from the stranger; and carriages,
+bouquets, theatre tickets, and all the little expenses a young man
+cannot escape at such times, told heavily on the purse which
+seemed bottomless at first. Taking Mr Laurie for his model, Nat
+became quite a gallant, and was universally liked; for through all
+the newly acquired airs and graces the genuine honesty and
+simplicity of his character plainly shone, winning confidence and
+affection from all who knew him. 
+
+Among these was a certain amiable old lady with a musical 
+daughter--well-born but poor, and very anxious to marry the 
+aforesaid daughter to some wealthy man. Nat's little fictions 
+concerning his prospects and friends charmed the gnadige Frau as 
+much as his music and devoted manners did the sentimental Minna. 
+Their quiet parlour seemed homelike and restful to Nat, when tired
+of gayer scenes; and the motherly interest of the elder lady was 
+sweet and comfortable to him; while the tender blue eyes of the 
+pretty girl were always so full of welcome when he came, of regret 
+when he left, and of admiration when he played to her, that he found 
+it impossible to keep away from this attractive spot. He meant no
+harm, and feared no danger, having confided to the Frau Mamma
+that he was betrothed; so he continued to call, little dreaming what
+ambitious hopes the old lady cherished, nor the peril there was in
+receiving the adoration of a romantic German girl, till it was too
+late to spare her pain and himself great regret.
+
+Of course some inkling of these new and agreeable experiences
+got into the voluminous letters he never was too gay, too busy, or
+too tired to write each week; and while Daisy rejoiced over his
+happiness and success, and the boys laughed at the idea of 'old
+Chirper coming out as a society man', the elders looked sober, and
+said among themselves:
+
+'He is going too fast; he must have a word of warning, or trouble
+may come.'
+
+But Mr Laurie said: 'Oh, let him have his fling; he's been
+dependent and repressed long enough. He can't go far with the
+money he has, and I've no fear of his getting into debt. He's too
+timid and too honest to be reckless. It is his first taste of freedom;
+let him enjoy it, and he'll work the better by and by; I know--and
+I'm sure I'm right.'
+
+So the warnings were very gentle, and the good people waited
+anxiously to hear more of hard study, and less of 'splendid times'.
+Daisy sometimes wondered, with a pang of her faithful heart, if
+one of the charming Minnas, Hildegardes, and Lottchens
+mentioned were not stealing her Nat away from her; but she never
+asked, always wrote calmly and cheerfully, and looked in vain for
+any hint of change in the letters that were worn out with much
+reading.
+
+Month after month slipped away, till the holidays came with gifts,
+good wishes, and brilliant festivities. Nat expected to enjoy
+himself very much, and did at first; for a German Christmas is a
+spectacle worth seeing. But he paid dearly for the abandon with
+which he threw himself into the gaieties of that memorable week;
+and on New Year's Day the reckoning came. It seemed as if some
+malicious fairy had prepared the surprises that arrived, so
+unwelcome were they, so magical the change they wrought,
+turning his happy world into a scene of desolation and despair as
+suddenly as a transformation at the pantomime.
+
+The first came in the morning when, duly armed with costly
+bouquets and bon-bons, he went to thank Minna and her mother
+for the braces embroidered with forget-me-nots and the silk socks
+knit by the old lady's nimble fingers, which he had found upon his
+table that day. The Frau Mamma received him graciously; but
+when he asked for the daughter the good lady frankly demanded
+what his intentions were, adding that certain gossip which had
+reached her ear made it necessary for him to declare himself or
+come no more, as Minna's peace must not be compromised.
+
+A more panic-stricken youth was seldom seen than Nat as he
+received this unexpected demand. He saw too late that his
+American style of gallantry had deceived the artless girl, and might
+be used with terrible effect by the artful mother, if she chose to do
+it. Nothing but the truth could save him, and he had the honour and
+honesty to tell it faithfully. A sad scene followed; for Nat was
+obliged to strip off his fictitious splendour, confess himself only a
+poor student, and humbly ask pardon for the thoughtless freedom
+with which he had enjoyed their too confiding hospitality. If he
+had any doubts of Frau Schomburg's motives and desires, they
+were speedily set at rest by the frankness with which she showed
+her disappointment, the vigour with which she scolded him, and
+the scorn with which she cast him off when her splendid castles in
+the air collapsed.
+
+The sincerity of Nat's penitence softened her a little and she
+consented to a farewell word with Minna, who had listened at the
+keyhole, and was produced drenched in tears, to fall on Nat's
+bosom, crying: 'Ah, thou dear one, never can I forget thee, though
+my heart is broken!'
+
+This was worse than the scolding; for the stout lady also wept, and
+it was only after much German gush and twaddle that he escaped,
+feeling like another Werther; while the deserted Lotte consoled
+herself with the bonbons, her mother with the more valuable
+gifts.
+
+The second surprise arrived as he dined with Professor
+Baumgarten. His appetite had been effectually taken away by the
+scene of the morning, and his spirits received another damper
+when a fellow student cheerfully informed him that he was about
+to go to America, and should make it his agreeable duty to call on
+the 'lieber Herr Professor Bhaer', to tell him how gaily his protege
+was disporting himself at Leipzig. Nat's heart died within him as
+he imagined the effect these glowing tales would have at
+Plumfield--not that he had wilfully deceived them, but in his
+letters many things were left untold; and when Carlsen added, with
+a friendly wink, that he would merely hint at the coming betrothal
+of the fair Minna and his 'heart's friend', Nat found himself
+devoutly hoping that this other inconvenient heart's friend might
+go to the bottom of the sea before he reached Plumfield to blast all
+his hopes by these tales of a mis-spent winter. Collecting his wits,
+he cautioned Carlsen with what he flattered himself was
+Mephistophelian art, and gave him such confused directions that it
+would be a miracle if he ever found Professor Bhaer. But the
+dinner was spoilt for Nat, and he got away as soon as possible, to
+wander disconsolately about the streets, with no heart for the
+theatre or the supper he was to share with some gay comrades
+afterwards. He comforted himself a little by giving alms to sundry
+beggars, making two children happy with gilded gingerbread, and
+drinking a lonely glass of beer, in which he toasted his Daisy and
+wished himself a better year than the last had been.
+
+Going home at length, he found a third surprise awaiting him in
+the shower of bills which had descended upon him like a
+snowstorm, burying him in an avalanche of remorse, despair, and
+self-disgust. These bills were so many and so large that he was
+startled and dismayed; for, as Mr Bhaer wisely predicted, he knew
+little about the value of money. It would take every dollar at the
+bankers to pay them all at once, and leave him penniless for the
+next six months, unless he wrote home for more. He would rather
+starve than do that; and his first impulse was to seek help at the
+gaming-table, whither his new friends had often tempted him. But
+he had promised Mr Bhaer to resist what then had seemed an
+impossible temptation; and now he would not add another fault to
+the list already so long. Borrow he would not, nor beg. What could
+he do? For these appalling bills must be paid, and the lessons go
+on; or his journey was an ignominious failure. But he must live
+meantime. And how? Bowed down with remorse for the folly of
+these months, he saw too late whither he was drifting, and for
+hours paced up and down his pretty rooms, floundering in a Slough
+of Despond, with no helping hand to pull him out--at least he
+thought so till letters were brought in, and among fresh bills lay
+one well-worn envelope with an American stamp in the corner.
+
+Ah, how welcome it was! how eagerly he read the long pages full
+of affectionate wishes from all at home! For everyone had sent a
+line, and as each familiar name appeared, his eyes grew dimmer
+and dimmer till, as he read the last--'God bless my boy! Mother
+Bhaer'--he broke down; and laying his head on his arms, blistered
+the paper with a rain of tears that eased his heart and washed away
+the boyish sins that now lay so heavy on his conscience.
+
+'Dear people, how they love and trust me! And how bitterly they
+would be disappointed if they knew what a fool I've been! I'll
+fiddle in the streets again before I'll ask for help from them!' cried
+Nat, brushing away the tears of which he was ashamed, although
+he felt the good they had done.
+
+Now he seemed to see more clearly what to do; for the helping
+hand had been stretched across the sea, and Love, the dear
+Evangelist, had lifted him out of the slough and shown him the
+narrow gate, beyond which deliverance lay. When the letter had
+been reread, and one corner where a daisy was painted,
+passionately kissed, Nat felt strong enough to face the worst and
+conquer it. Every bill should be paid, every salable thing of his
+own sold, these costly rooms given up; and once back with thrifty
+Frau Tetzel, he would find work of some sort by which to support
+himself, as many another student did. He must give up the new
+friends, turn his back on the gay life, cease to be a butterfly, and
+take his place among the grubs. It was the only honest thing to do,
+but very hard for the poor fellow to crush his little vanities,
+renounce the delights so dear to the young, own his folly, and step
+down from his pedestal to be pitied, laughed at, and forgotten.
+
+It took all Nat's pride and courage to do this, for his was a sensitive
+nature; esteem was very precious to him, failure very bitter, and
+nothing but the inborn contempt for meanness and deceit kept him
+from asking help or trying to hide his need by some dishonest
+device. As he sat alone that night, Mr Bhaer's words came back to
+him with curious clearness, and he saw himself a boy again at
+Plumfield, punishing his teacher as a lesson to himself, when
+timidity had made him lie.
+
+'He shall not suffer for me again, and I won't be a sneak if I am a
+fool. I'll go and tell Professor Baumgarten all about it and ask his
+advice. I'd rather face a loaded cannon; but it must be done. Then
+I'll sell out, pay my debts, and go back where I belong. Better be an
+honest pauper than a jackdaw among peacocks'; and Nat smiled in
+the midst of his trouble, as he looked about him at the little
+elegancies of his room, remembering what he came from.
+
+He kept his word manfully, and was much comforted to find that
+his experience was an old story to the professor, who approved his
+plan, thinking wisely that the discipline would be good for him,
+and was very kind in offering help and promising to keep the
+secret of his folly from his friend Bhaer till Nat had redeemed
+himself.
+
+The first week of the new year was spent by our prodigal in
+carrying out his plan with penitent dispatch, and his birthday found
+him alone in the little room high up at Frau Tetzel's, with nothing
+of his former splendour, but sundry unsalable keepsakes from the
+buxom maidens, who mourned his absence deeply. His male
+friends had ridiculed, pitied, and soon left him alone, with one or
+two exceptions, who offered their purses generously and promised
+to stand by him. He was lonely and heavy-hearted, and sat
+brooding over his small fire as he remembered the last New Year's
+Day at Plumfield, when at this hour he was dancing with his Daisy.
+
+A tap at the door roused him, and with a careless 'Herein', he
+waited to see who had climbed so far for his sake. It was the good
+Frau proudly bearing a tray, on which stood a bottle of wine and an
+astonishing cake bedecked with sugar-plums of every hue, and
+crowned with candles. Fraulein Vogelstein followed, embracing a
+blooming rose-tree, above which her grey curls waved and her
+friendly face beamed joyfully as she cried:
+
+'Dear Herr Blak, we bring you greetings and a little gift or two in
+honour of this ever-to-be-remembered day. Best wishes! and may
+the new year bloom for you as beautifully as we your heart-warm
+friends desire.'
+
+'Yes, yes, in truth we do, dear Herr,' added Frau Tetzel. 'Eat of this
+with-joy-made Kuchen, and drink to the health of the far-away
+beloved ones in the good wine.'
+
+Amused, yet touched by the kindness of the good souls, Nat
+thanked them both, and made them stay to enjoy the humble feast
+with him. This they gladly did, being motherly women full of pity
+for the dear youth, whose straits they knew, and having substantial
+help to offer, as well as kind words and creature comforts.
+
+Frau Tetzel, with some hesitation, mentioned a friend of hers who,
+forced by illness to leave his place in the orchestra of a second-rate
+theatre, would gladly offer it to Nat, if he could accept so humble a
+position. Blushing and toying with the roses like a shy girl, good
+old Vogelstein asked if in his leisure moments he could give
+English lessons in the young ladies' school where she taught
+painting, adding that a small but certain salary would be paid him.
+
+Gratefully Nat accepted both offers, finding it less humiliating to
+be helped by women than by friends of his own sex. This work
+would support him in a frugal way, and certain musical drudgery
+promised by his master assured his own teaching. Delighted with
+the success of their little plot, these friendly neighbours left him
+with cheery words, warm hand-grasps, and faces beaming with
+feminine satisfaction at the hearty kiss Nat put on each faded
+cheek, as the only return he could make for all their helpful
+kindness.
+
+It was strange how much brighter the world looked after that; for
+hope was a better cordial than the wine, and good resolutions
+bloomed as freshly as the little rose-tree that filled the room with
+fragrance, as Nat woke the echoes with the dear old airs, finding
+now as always his best comforter in music, to whom henceforth he
+swore to be a more loyal subject.
+
+
+Chapter 14 PLAYS AT PLUMFIELD
+
+As it is as impossible for the humble historian of the March family
+to write a story without theatricals in it as for our dear Miss Yonge
+to get on with less than twelve or fourteen children in her
+interesting tales, we will accept the fact, and at once cheer
+ourselves after the last afflicting events, by proceeding to the
+Christmas plays at Plumfield; for they influence the fate of several
+of our characters, and cannot well be skipped.
+
+When the college was built Mr Laurie added a charming little
+theatre which not only served for plays, but declamations, lectures,
+and concerts. The drop-curtain displayed Apollo with the Muses
+grouped about him; and as a compliment to the donor of the hall
+the artist had given the god a decided resemblance to our friend,
+which was considered a superb joke by everyone else. Home talent
+furnished stars, stock company, orchestra, and scene painter; and
+astonishing performances were given on this pretty little stage.
+
+Mrs Jo had been trying for some time to produce a play which
+should be an improvement upon the adaptations from the French
+then in vogue, curious mixtures of fine toilettes, false sentiment,
+and feeble wit, with no touch of nature to redeem them. It was
+easy to plan plays full of noble speeches and thrilling situations,
+but very hard to write them; so she contented herself with a few
+scenes of humble life in which the comic and pathetic were
+mingled; and as she fitted her characters to her actors, she hoped
+the little venture would prove that truth and simplicity had not
+entirely lost their power to charm. Mr Laurie helped her, and they
+called themselves Beaumont and Fletcher, enjoying their joint
+labour very much; for Beaumont's knowledge of dramatic art was
+of great use in curbing Fletcher's too-aspiring pen, and they
+flattered themselves that they had produced a neat and effective bit
+of work as an experiment.
+
+All was ready now; and Christmas Day was much enlivened by last
+rehearsals, the panics of timid actors, the scramble for forgotten
+properties, and the decoration of the theatre. Evergreen and holly
+from the woods, blooming plants from the hothouse on Parnassus,
+and flags of all nations made it very gay that night in honour of the
+guests who were coming, chief among them, Miss Cameron, who
+kept her promise faithfully. The orchestra tuned their instruments
+with unusual care, the scene-shifters set their stage with lavish
+elegance, the prompter heroically took his seat in the stifling nook
+provided for him, and the actors dressed with trembling hands that
+dropped the pins, and perspiring brows whereon the powder
+wouldn't stick. Beaumont and Fletcher were everywhere, feeling
+that their literary reputation was at stake; for sundry friendly critics
+were invited, and reporters, like mosquitoes, cannot be excluded
+from any earthly scene, be it a great man's death-bed or a dime
+museum.
+
+'Has she come?' was the question asked by every tongue behind the
+curtain; and when Tom, who played an old man, endangered his
+respectable legs among the footlights to peep, announced that he
+saw Miss Cameron's handsome head in the place of honour, a thrill
+pervaded the entire company, and Josie declared with an excited
+gasp that she was going to have stage fright for the first time in her
+life.
+
+'I'll shake you if you do,' said Mrs Jo, who was in such a wild state
+of dishevelment with her varied labours that she might have gone
+on as Madge Wildlife, without an additional rag or crazy elf-lock.
+
+'You'll have time to get your wits together while we do our piece.
+We are old stagers and calm as clocks,' answered Demi, with a nod
+towards Alice, ready in her pretty dress and all her properties at
+hand.
+
+But both clocks were going rather faster than usual, as heightened
+colour, brilliant eyes, and a certain flutter under the laces and
+velvet coat betrayed. They were to open the entertainment with a
+gay little piece which they had played before and did remarkably
+well. Alice was a tall girl, with dark hair and eyes, and a face
+which intelligence, health, and a happy heart made beautiful. She
+was looking her best now, for the brocades, plumes, and powder of
+the Marquise became her stately figure; and Demi in his court suit,
+with sword, three-cornered hat, and white wig, made as gallant a
+Baron as one would wish to see. Josie was the maid, and looked
+her part to the life, being as pretty, pert, and inquisitive as any
+French soubrette. These three were all the characters; and the
+success of the piece depended on the spirit and skill with which
+the quickly changing moods of the quarrelsome lovers were given,
+their witty speeches made to tell, and by-play suited to the courtly
+period in which the scene was laid.
+
+Few would have recognized sober John and studious Alice in the
+dashing gentleman and coquettish lady, who kept the audience
+laughing at their caprices; while they enjoyed the brilliant
+costumes, and admired the ease and grace of the young actors.
+Josie was a prominent figure in the plot, as she listened at
+keyholes, peeped into notes, and popped in and out at all the most
+inopportune moments, with her nose in the air, her hands in her
+apron-pockets, and curiosity pervading her little figure from the
+topmost bow of her jaunty cap to the red heels of her slippers. All
+went smoothly; and the capricious Marquise, after tormenting the
+devoted Baron to her heart's content, owned herself conquered in
+the war of wits, and was just offering the hand he had fairly won,
+when a crash startled them, and a heavily decorated side-scene
+swayed forward, ready to fall upon Alice. Demi saw it and sprung
+before her to catch and hold it up, standing like a modern Samson
+with the wall of a house on his back. The danger was over in a
+moment, and he was about to utter his last speech, when the
+excited young scene-shifter, who had flown up a ladder to repair
+the damage, leaned over to whisper 'All right', and release Demi
+from his spread-eagle attitude: as he did so, a hammer slipped out
+of his pocket, to fall upon the upturned face below, inflicting a
+smart blow and literally knocking the Baron's part out of his head.
+
+'A quick curtain,' robbed the audience of a pretty little scene not
+down on the bill; for the Marquise flew to staunch the blood with a
+cry of alarm: 'Oh! John, you are hurt! Lean on me'--which John
+gladly did for a moment, being a trifle dazed yet quite able to
+enjoy the tender touch of the hands busied about him and the
+anxiety of the face so near his own; for both told him something
+which he would have considered cheaply won by a rain of
+hammers and the fall of the whole college on his head.
+
+Nan was on the spot in a moment with the case that never left her
+pocket; and the wound was neatly plastered up by the time Mrs Jo
+arrived, demanding tragically:
+
+'Is he too much hurt to go on again? If he is, my play is lost!'
+
+'I'm all the fitter for it, Aunty; for here's a real instead of a painted
+wound. I'll be ready; don't worry about me.' And catching up his
+wig, Demi was off, with only a very eloquent look of thanks to the
+Marquise, who had spoilt her gloves for his sake, but did not seem
+to mind it at all, though they reached above her elbows, and were
+most expensive.
+
+'How are your nerves, Fletcher?' asked Mr Laurie as they stood
+together during the breathless minute before the last bell rings.
+
+'About as calm as yours, Beaumont,' answered Mrs Jo,
+gesticulating wildly to Mrs Meg to set her cap straight.
+
+'Bear up, partner! I'll stand by you whatever comes!'
+
+'I feel that it ought to go; for, though it's a mere trifle, a good deal
+of honest work and truth have gone into it. Doesn't Meg look the
+picture of a dear old country woman?'
+
+She certainly did, as she sat in the farmhouse kitchen by a cheery
+fire, rocking a cradle and darning stockings, as if she had done
+nothing else all her life. Grey hair, skilfully drawn lines on the
+forehead, and a plain gown, with cap, little shawl, and check
+apron, changed her into a comfortable, motherly creature who
+found favour the moment the curtain went up and discovered her
+rocking, darning, and crooning an old song. In a short soliloquy
+about Sam, her boy, who wanted to enlist; Dolly, her discontented
+little daughter, who longed for city ease and pleasures; and poor
+'Elizy', who had married badly, and came home to die, bequeathing
+her baby to her mother, lest its bad father should claim it, the little
+story was very simply opened, and made effective by the real
+boiling of the kettle on the crane, the ticking of a tall clock, and
+the appearance of a pair of blue worsted shoes which waved
+fitfully in the air to the soft babble of a baby's voice. Those
+shapeless little shoes won the first applause; and Mr Laurie,
+forgetting elegance in satisfaction, whispered to his coadjutor:
+
+'I thought the baby would fetch them!'
+
+'If the dear thing won't squall in the wrong place, we are saved. But
+it is risky. Be ready to catch it if all Meg's cuddlings prove in vain,'
+answered Mrs Jo, adding, with a clutch at Mr Laurie's arm as a
+haggard face appeared at the window:
+
+'Here's Demi! I hope no one will recognize him when he comes on
+as the son. I'll never forgive you for not doing the villain yourself.'
+
+'Can't run the thing and act too. He's capitally made up, and likes a
+bit of melodrama.'
+
+'This scene ought to have come later; but I wanted to show that the
+mother was the heroine as soon as possible. I'm tired of love-sick
+girls and runaway wives. We'll prove that there's romance in old
+women also. Now he's coming!'
+
+And in slouched a degraded-looking man, shabby, unshaven, and
+evil-eyed, trying to assume a masterful air as he dismayed the
+tranquil old woman by demanding his child. A powerful scene
+followed; and Mrs Meg surprised even those who knew her best by
+the homely dignity with which she at first met the man she
+dreaded; then, as he brutally pressed his claim, she pleaded with
+trembling voice and hands to keep the little creature she had
+promised the dying mother to protect; and when he turned to take
+it by force, quite a thrill went through the house as the old woman
+sprung to snatch it from the cradle, and holding it close, defied
+him in God's name to tear it from that sacred refuge. It was really
+well done; and the round of applause that greeted the fine tableau
+of the indignant old woman, the rosy, blinking baby clinging to her
+neck, and the daunted man who dared not execute his evil purpose
+with such a defender for helpless innocence, told the excited
+authors that their first scene was a hit.
+
+The second was quieter, and introduced Josie as a bonny country
+lass setting the supper-table in a bad humour. The pettish way in
+which she slapped down the plates, hustled the cups, and cut the
+big brown loaf, as she related her girlish trials and ambitions, was
+capital. Mrs Jo kept her eye on Miss Cameron, and saw her nod
+approval several times at some natural tone or gesture, some good
+bit of by-play or a quick change of expression in the young face,
+which was as variable as an April day. Her struggle with the
+toasting-fork made much merriment; so did her contempt for the
+brown sugar, and the relish with which she sweetened her irksome
+duties by eating it; and when she sat, like Cinderella, on the hearth,
+tearfully watching the flames dance on the homely room, a girlish
+voice was heard to exclaim impulsively:
+
+'Poor little thing! she ought to have some fun!'
+
+The old woman enters; and mother and daughter have a pretty
+scene, in which the latter coaxes and threatens, kisses and cries,
+till she wins the reluctant consent of the former to visit a rich
+relation in the city; and from being a little thunder-cloud Dolly
+becomes bewitchingly gay and good, as soon as her wilful wish is 
+granted. The poor old soul has hardly recovered from this trial
+when the son enters, in army blue, tells he has enlisted and must
+go. That is a hard blow; but the patriotic mother bears it well, and
+not till the thoughtless young folks have hastened away to tell their
+good news elsewhere does she break down. Then the country
+kitchen becomes pathetic as the old mother sits alone mourning
+over her children, till the grey head is hidden in the hands as she
+kneels down by the cradle to weep and pray, with only Baby to
+comfort her fond and faithful heart.
+
+Sniffs were audible all through the latter part of this scene; and
+when the curtain fell, people were so busy wiping their eyes that
+for a moment they forgot to applaud. That silent moment was more
+flattering than noise; and as Mrs Jo wiped the real tears off her
+sister's face, she said as solemnly as an unconscious dab of rouge
+on her nose permitted:
+
+'Meg, you have saved my play! Oh, why aren't you a real actress,
+and I a real playwright?'
+
+'Don't gush now, dear, but help me dress Josie; she's in such a
+quiver of excitement, I can't manage her, and this is her best scene,
+you know.'
+
+So it was; for her aunt had written it especially for her, and little Jo
+was happy in a gorgeous dress, with a train long enough to satisfy
+her wildest dreams. The rich relation's parlour was in festival
+array, and the country cousin sails in, looking back at her sweeping
+flounces with such artless rapture that no one had the heart to
+laugh at the pretty jay in borrowed plumes. She has confidences
+with herself in the mirror, from which it is made evident that she
+had discovered all is not gold that glitters, and has found greater
+temptations than those a girlish love of pleasure, luxury, and
+flattery bring her. She is sought by a rich lover; but her honest
+heart resists the allurements he offers, and in its innocent
+perplexity wishes 'mother' was there to comfort and counsel.
+
+A gay little dance, in which Dora, Nan, Bess, and several of the
+boys took part, made a good background for the humble figure of
+the old woman in her widow's bonnet, rusty shawl, big umbrella,
+and basket. Her naive astonishment, as she surveys the spectacle,
+feels the curtains, and smooths her old gloves during the moment
+she remains unseen, was very good; but Josie's unaffected start
+when she sees her, and the cry: 'Why, there's mother!' was such a
+hearty little bit of nature, it hardly needed the impatient tripping
+over her train as she ran into the arms that seemed now to be her
+nearest refuge.
+
+The lover plays his part; and ripples of merriment greeted the old
+woman's searching questions and blunt answers during the
+interview which shows the girl how shallow his love is, and how
+near she had been to ruining her life as bitterly as poor 'Elizy' did.
+She gives her answer frankly, and when they are alone, looks from
+her own bedizened self to the shabby dress, work-worn hands, and
+tender face, crying with a repentant sob and kiss: 'Take me home,
+mother, and keep me safe. I've had enough of this!'
+
+'That will do you good, Maria; don't forget it,' said one lady to her
+daughter as the curtain went down; and the girl answered: 'Well,
+I'm sure I don't see why it's touching; but it is,' as she spread her
+lace handkerchief to dry.
+
+Tom and Nan came out strong in the next scene; for it was a ward
+in an army hospital, and surgeon and nurse went from bed to bed,
+feeling pulses, administering doses, and hearing complaints with
+an energy and gravity which convulsed the audience. The tragic
+element, never far from the comic at such times and places, came
+in when, while they bandaged an arm, the doctor told the nurse
+about an old woman who was searching through the hospital for
+her son, after days and nights on battlefields, through ambulances,
+and among scenes which would have killed most women.
+
+'She will be here directly, and I dread her coming, for I'm afraid
+the poor lad who has just gone is her boy. I'd rather face a cannon
+than these brave women, with their hope and courage and great
+sorrow,' says the surgeon.
+
+'Ah, these poor mothers break my heart!' adds the nurse, wiping
+her eyes on her big apron; and with the words Mrs Meg came in.
+
+There was the same dress, the basket and umbrella, the rustic
+speech, the simple manners; but all were made pathetic by the
+terrible experience which had changed the tranquil old woman to
+that haggard figure with wild eyes, dusty feet, trembling hands,
+and an expression of mingled anguish, resolution, and despair
+which gave the homely figure a tragic dignity and power that
+touched all hearts. A few broken words told the story of her vain
+search, and then the sad quest began again. People held their
+breath as, led by the nurse, she went from bed to bed, showing in
+her face the alternations of hope, dread, and bitter disappointment
+as each was passed. On a narrow cot was a long figure covered
+with a sheet, and here she paused to lay one hand on her heart and
+one on her eyes, as if to gather courage to look at the nameless
+dead. Then she drew down the sheet, gave a long shivering sigh of
+relief, saying softly:
+
+'Not my son, thank God! but some mother's boy.' And stooping
+down, she kissed the cold forehead tenderly.
+
+Somebody sobbed there, and Miss Cameron shook two tears out of
+her eyes, anxious to lose no look or gesture as the poor soul, nearly
+spent with the long strain, struggled on down the long line. But her
+search was happily ended for, as if her voice had roused him from
+his feverish sleep, a gaunt, wild-eyed man sat up in his bed, and
+stretching his arms to her, cried in a voice that echoed through the
+room:
+
+'Mother, mother! I knew you'd come to me!'
+
+She did go to him, with a cry of love and joy that thrilled every
+listener, as she gathered him in her arms with the tears and prayers
+and blessing such as only a fond and faithful old mother could
+give.
+
+The last scene was a cheerful contrast to this; for the country
+kitchen was bright with Christmas cheer, the wounded hero, with
+black patch and crutches well displayed, sat by the fire in the old
+chair whose familiar creak was soothing to his ear; pretty Dolly
+was stirring about, gaily trimming dresser, settle, high
+chimney-piece, and old-fashioned cradle with mistletoe and holly;
+while the mother rested beside her son, with that blessed baby on
+her knee. Refreshed by a nap and nourishment, this young actor
+now covered himself with glory by his ecstatic prancings,
+incoherent remarks to the audience, and vain attempts to get to the
+footlights, as he blinked approvingly at these brilliant toys. It was
+good to see Mrs Meg pat him on the back, cuddle the fat legs out
+of sight, and appease his vain longings with a lump of sugar, till
+Baby embraced her with a grateful ardour that brought him a round
+of applause all for his little self.
+
+A sound of singing outside disturbs the happy family, and, after a
+carol in the snowy moonlight, a flock of neighbours troop in with
+Christmas gifts and greetings. Much by-play made this a lively
+picture; for Sam's sweetheart hovered round him with a tenderness
+the Marquise did not show the Baron; and Dolly had a pretty bit
+under the mistletoe with her rustic adorer, who looked so like Ham
+Peggotty in his cowhide boots, rough jacket, and dark beard and
+wig, that no one would have recognized Ted but for the long legs,
+which no extent of leather could disguise. It ended with a homely
+feast, brought by the guests; and as they sat round the table
+covered with doughnuts and cheese, pumpkin-pie, and other
+delicacies, Sam rises on his crutches to propose the first toast, and
+holding up his mug of cider, says, with a salute, and a choke in his
+voice: 'Mother, God bless her!' All drink it standing, Dolly with
+her arm round the old woman's neck, as she hides her happy tears
+on her daughter's breast; while the irrepressible baby beat
+rapturously on the table with a spoon, and crowed audibly as the
+curtain went down.
+
+They had it up again in a jiffy to get a last look at the group about
+that central figure, which was showered with bouquets, to the great
+delight of the infant Roscius; till a fat rosebud hit him on the nose,
+and produced the much-dreaded squall, which, fortunately, only
+added to the fun at that moment.
+
+'Well, that will do for a beginning,' said Beaumont, with a sigh of
+relief, as the curtain descended for the last time, and the actors
+scattered to dress for the closing piece.
+
+'As an experiment, it is a success. Now we can venture to begin
+our great American drama,' answered Mrs Jo, full of satisfaction
+and grand ideas for the famous play -- which, we may add, she did
+not write that year, owing to various dramatic events in her own
+family.
+
+The Owlsdark Marbles closed the entertainment, and, being
+something new, proved amusing to this very indulgent audience.
+The gods and goddesses on Parnassus were displayed in full
+conclave; and, thanks to Mrs Amy's skill in draping and posing, the
+white wigs and cotton-flannel robes were classically correct and
+graceful, though sundry modern additions somewhat marred the
+effect, while adding point to the showman's learned remarks. Mr
+Laurie was Professor Owlsdark in cap and gown; and, after a
+high-flown introduction, he proceeded to exhibit and explain his
+marbles. The first figure was a stately Minerva; but a second
+glance produced a laugh, for the words 'Women's Rights' adorned 
+her shield, a scroll bearing the motto 'Vote early and often' 
+hung from the beak of the owl perched on her lance, and a tiny 
+pestle and mortar ornamented her helmet. Attention was drawn to the firm mouth, the piercing eye, the awe-inspiring brow, of the strong-minded woman of antiquity, and some scathing remarks made upon the degeneracy of her modern
+sisters who failed to do their duty. Mercury came next, and was
+very fine in his airy attitude, though the winged legs quivered as if
+it was difficult to keep the lively god in his place. His restless
+nature was dilated upon, his mischievous freaks alluded to, and a
+very bad character given to the immortal messenger-boy; which
+delighted his friends and caused the marble nose of the victim to
+curl visibly with scorn when derisive applause greeted a
+particularly hard hit. A charming little Hebe stood next, pouring
+nectar from a silver teapot into a blue china tea-cup. She also
+pointed a moral; for the Professor explained that the nectar of old
+was the beverage which cheers but does not inebriate, and
+regretted that the excessive devotion of American women to this
+classic brew proved so harmful, owing to the great development of
+brain their culture produced. A touch at modern servants, in
+contrast to this accomplished table-girl, made the statue's cheeks
+glow under the chalk, and brought her a hearty round as the
+audience recognized Dolly and the smart soubrette.
+
+Jove in all his majesty followed, as he and his wife occupied the
+central pedestals in the half-circle of immortals. A splendid
+Jupiter, with hair well set up off the fine brow, ambrosial beard,
+silver thunderbolts in one hand, and a well-worn ferule in the
+other. A large stuffed eagle from the museum stood at his feet; and
+the benign expression of his august countenance showed that he
+was in a good humour -- as well he might be, for he was paid some
+handsome compliments upon his wise rule, the peaceful state of
+his kingdom, and the brood of all-accomplished Pallases that
+yearly issued from his mighty brain. Cheers greeted this and other
+pleasant words, and caused the thunderer to bow his thanks; for
+'Jove nods', as everyone knows, and flattery wins the heart of gods
+and men.
+
+Mrs Juno, with her peacocks, darning-needle, pen, and
+cooking-spoon, did not get off so easily; for the Professor was
+down on her with all manner of mirth-provoking accusations,
+criticisms, and insults even. He alluded to her domestic infelicity,
+her meddlesome disposition, sharp tongue, bad temper, and
+jealousy, closing, however, with a tribute to her skill in caring for
+the wounds and settling the quarrels of belligerent heroes, as well
+as her love for youths in Olympus and on earth. Gales of laughter
+greeted these hits, varied by hisses from some indignant boys, who
+would not bear, even in joke, any disrespect to dear Mother Bhaer,
+who, however, enjoyed it all immensely, as the twinkle in her eye
+and the irrepressible pucker of her lips betrayed.
+
+A jolly Bacchus astride of his cask took Vulcan's place, and
+appeared to be very comfortable with a beer-mug in one hand, a
+champagne bottle in the other, and a garland of grapes on his curly
+head. He was the text of a short temperance lecture, aimed directly
+at a row of smart young gentlemen who lined the walls of the
+auditorium. George Cole was seen to dodge behind a pillar at one
+point, Dolly nudged his neighbour at another, and there was
+laughter all along the line as the Professor glared at them through
+his big glasses, and dragged their bacchanalian orgies to the light
+and held them up to scorn.
+
+Seeing the execution he had done, the learned man turned to the
+lovely Diana, who stood as white and still as the plaster stag beside
+her, with sandals, bow, and crescent; quite perfect, and altogether
+the best piece of statuary in the show. She was very tenderly
+treated by the paternal critic who, merely alluding to her
+confirmed spinsterhood, fondness for athletic sports, and oracular
+powers, gave a graceful little exposition of true art and passed on
+to the last figure.
+
+This was Apollo in full fig, his curls skilfully arranged to hide a
+well-whitened patch over the eye, his handsome legs correctly
+poised, and his gifted fingers about to draw divine music from the
+silvered gridiron which was his lyre. His divine attributes were
+described, as well as his little follies and failings, among which
+were his weakness for photography and flute-playing, his attempts
+to run a newspaper, and his fondness for the society of the Muses;
+which latter slap produced giggles and blushes among the
+girl-graduates, and much mirth among the stricken youths; for
+misery loves company, and after this they began to rally.
+
+Then, with a ridiculous conclusion, the Professor bowed his
+thanks; and after several recalls the curtain fell, but not quickly
+enough to conceal Mercury, wildly waving his liberated legs, Hebe
+dropping her teapot, Bacchus taking a lovely roll on his barrel, and
+Mrs Juno rapping the impertinent Owlsdark on the head with
+Jove's ruler.
+
+While the audience filed out to supper in the hall, the stage was a
+scene of dire confusion as gods and goddesses, farmers and barons,
+maids and carpenters, congratulated one another on the success of
+their labours. Assuming various costumes, actors and actresses
+soon joined their guests, to sip bounteous draughts of praise with
+their coffee, and cool their modest blushes with ice-cream. Mrs
+Meg was a proud and happy woman when Miss Cameron came to
+her as she sat by Josie, with Demi serving both, and said, so
+cordially that it was impossible to doubt the sincerity of her
+welcome words:
+
+'Mrs Brooke, I no longer wonder where your children get their
+talent. I make my compliments to the Baron and next summer you
+must let me have little "Dolly" as a pupil when we are at the
+beach.'
+
+One can easily imagine how this offer was received, as well as the
+friendly commendation bestowed by the same kind critic on the
+work of Beaumont and Fletcher, who hastened to explain that this
+trifle was only an attempt to make nature and art go hand in hand,
+with little help from fine writing or imposing scenery. Everybody
+was in the happiest mood, especially 'little Dolly', who danced like
+a will-o'-the-wisp with light-footed Mercury and Apollo as he
+promenaded with the Marquise on his arm, who seemed to have
+left her coquetry in the green room with her rouge.
+
+When all was over, Mrs Juno said to Jove, to whose arm she clung
+as they trudged home along the snowy paths: 'Fritz dear, Christmas
+is a good time for new resolutions, and I've made one never to be
+impatient or fretful with my beloved husband again. I know I am,
+though you won't own it; but Laurie's fun had some truth in it, and
+I felt hit in a tender spot. Henceforth I am a model wife, else I
+don't deserve the dearest, best man ever born'; and being in a
+dramatic mood, Mrs Juno tenderly embraced her excellent Jove in
+the moonlight, to the great amusement of sundry lingerers behind
+them.
+
+So all three plays might be considered successes, and that merry
+Christmas night a memorable one in the March family; for Demi
+got an unspoken question answered, Josie's fondest wish was
+granted, and, thanks to Professor Owlsdark's jest, Mrs Jo made
+Professor Bhaer's busy life quite a bed of roses by the keeping of
+her resolution. A few days later she had her reward for this burst of
+virtue in Dan's letter, which set her fears at rest and made her very
+happy, though she was unable to tell him so, because he sent her
+no address.
+
+Chapter 15 WAITING
+
+'My wife, I have bad news for thee,' said Professor Bhaer, coming
+in one day early in January.
+
+'Please tell it at once. I can't bear to wait, Fritz,' cried Mrs Jo,
+dropping her work and standing up as if to take the shot bravely.
+
+'But we must wait and hope, heart's-dearest. Come and let us bear
+it together. Emil's ship is lost, and as yet no news of him.'
+
+It was well Mr Bhaer had taken his wife into his strong arms, for
+she looked ready to drop, but bore up after a moment, and sitting
+by her good man, heard all that there was to tell. Tidings had been
+sent to the shipowners at Hamburg by some of the survivors, and
+telegraphed at once by Franz to his uncle. As one boat-load was
+safe, there was hope that others might also escape, though the gale
+had sent two to the bottom. A swift-sailing steamer had brought
+these scanty news, and happier ones might come at any hour; but
+kind Franz had not added that the sailors reported the captain's
+boat as undoubtedly wrecked by the falling mast, since the smoke
+hid its escape, and the gale soon drove all far asunder. But this sad
+rumour reached Plumfield in time; and deep was the mourning for
+the happyhearted Commodore, never to come singing home again.
+Mrs Jo refused to believe it, stoutly insisting that Emil would
+outlive any storm and yet turn up safe and gay. It was well she
+clung to this hopeful view, for poor Mr Bhaer was much afflicted
+by the loss of his boy, because his sister's sons had been his so long
+he scarcely knew a different love for his very own. Now was a
+chance for Mrs Juno to keep her word; and she did, speaking
+cheerily of Emil, even when hope waxed faint and her heart was
+heavy. If anything could comfort the Bhaers for the loss of one
+boy, it would have been the affection and sorrow shown by all the
+rest. Franz kept the cable busy with his varying messages, Nat sent
+loving letters from Leipzig, and Tom harassed the shipping agents
+for news. Even busy Jack wrote them with unusual warmth; Dolly
+and George came often, bearing the loveliest flowers and the
+daintiest bon-bons to cheer Mrs Bhaer and sweeten Josie's grief;
+while good-hearted Ned travelled all the way from Chicago to
+press their hands and say, with a tear in his eye: 'I was so anxious
+to hear all about the dear old boy, I couldn't keep away.'
+
+'That's right comfortable, and shows me that if I didn't teach my
+boys anything else, I did give them the brotherly love that will
+make them stand by one another all their lives,' said Mrs Jo, when
+he had gone.
+
+Rob answered reams of sympathizing letters, which showed how
+many friends they had; and the kindly praises of the lost man
+would have made Emil a hero and a saint, had they all been true.
+The elders bore it quietly, having learned submission in life's hard
+school; but the younger people rebelled; some hoped against hope
+and kept up, others despaired at once, and little Josie, Emil's pet
+cousin and playmate, was so broken-hearted nothing could comfort
+her. Nan dosed in vain, Daisy's cheerful words went by like the
+wind, and Bess's devices to amuse her all failed utterly. To cry in
+mother's arms and talk about the wreck, which haunted her even in
+her sleep, was all she cared to do; and Mrs Meg was getting
+anxious when Miss Cameron sent Josie a kind note bidding her
+learn bravely her first lesson in real tragedy, and be like the
+self-sacrificing heroines she loved to act. That did the little girl
+good, and she made an effort in which Teddy and Octoo helped
+her much; for the boy was deeply impressed by this sudden eclipse
+of the firefly whose light and life all missed when they were gone,
+and lured her out every day for long drives behind the black mare,
+who shook her silvery bells till they made such merry music Josie
+could not help listening to it, and whisked her over the snowy
+roads at a pace which set the blood dancing in her veins and sent
+her home strengthened and comforted by sunshine, fresh air, and
+congenial society -- three aids young sufferers seldom can resist.
+
+As Emil was helping nurse Captain Hardy, safe and well, aboard
+the ship, all this sorrow would seem wasted; but it was not, for it
+drew many hearts more closely together by a common grief, taught
+some patience, some sympathy, some regret for faults that lie
+heavy on the conscience when the one sinned against is gone, and
+all of them the solemn lesson to be ready when the summons
+comes. A hush lay over Plumfield for weeks, and the studious
+faces on the hill reflected the sadness of those in the valley. Sacred
+music sounded from Parnassus to comfort all who heard; the
+brown cottage was beseiged with gifts for the little mourner, and
+Emil's flag hung at half-mast on the roof where he last sat with
+Mrs Jo.
+
+So the weeks went heavily by till suddenly, like a thunderbolt out
+of a clear sky, came the news, 'All safe, letters on the way.' Then
+up went the flag, out rang the college bells, bang went Teddy's
+long-unused cannon, and a chorus of happy voices cried 'Thank
+God', as people went about, laughing, crying, and embracing one
+another in a rapture of delight. By and by the longed-for letters
+came, and all the story of the wreck was told; briefly by Emil,
+eloquently by Mrs Hardy, gratefully by the captain, while Mary
+added a few tender words that went straight to their hearts and
+seemed the sweetest of all. Never were letters so read, passed
+round, admired, and cried over as these; for Mrs Jo carried them in
+her pocket when Mr Bhaer did not have them in his, and both took
+a look at them when they said their prayers at night. Now the
+Professor was heard humming like a big bee again as he went to
+his classes, and the lines smoothed out of Mother Bhaer's forehead,
+while she wrote this real story to anxious friends and let her
+romances wait. Now messages of congratulation flowed in, and
+beaming faces showed everywhere. Rob amazed his parents by
+producing a poem which was remarkably good for one of his years,
+and Demi set it to music that it might be sung when the sailor boy
+returned. Teddy stood on his head literally, and tore about the
+neighbourhood on Octoo, like a second Paul Revere -- only his
+tidings were good. But best of all, little Josie lifted up her head as
+the snowdrops did, and began to bloom again, growing tall and
+quiet, with the shadow of past sorrow to tone down her former
+vivacity and show that she had learned a lesson in trying to act
+well her part on the real stage, where all have to take their share in
+the great drama of life.
+
+Now another sort of waiting began; for the travellers were on their
+way to Hamburg, and would stay there awhile before coming
+home, as Uncle Hermann owned the Brenda, and the captain must
+report to him. Emil must remain to Franz's wedding, deferred till
+now because of the season of mourning, so happily ended. These
+plans were doubly welcome and pleasant after the troublous times
+which went before, and no spring ever seemed so beautiful as this
+one; for, as Teddy put it:
+
+'Now is the winter of our discontent
+Made glorious by these sons of Bhaer!'
+
+Franz and Emil being regarded in the light of elder brothers by the
+real 'sons of Bhaer'.
+
+There was great scrubbing and dusting among the matrons as they
+set their houses in order not only for Class Day, but to receive the
+bride and groom, who were to come to them for the honeymoon
+trip. Great plans were made, gifts prepared, and much joy felt at
+the prospect of seeing Franz again; though Emil, who was to
+accompany them, would be the greater hero. Little did the dear
+souls dream what a surprise was in store for them, as they
+innocently laid their plans and wished all the boys could be there
+to welcome home their eldest and their Casablanca.
+
+While they wait and work so happily, let us see how our other
+absent boys are faring as they too wait and work and hope for
+better days. Nat was toiling steadily along the path he had wisely
+chosen, though it was by no means strewn with flowers -- quite
+thorny was it, in fact, and hard to travel, after the taste of ease and
+pleasure he had got when nibbling at forbidden fruit. But his crop
+of wild oats was a light one, and he resolutely reaped what he had
+sowed, finding some good wheat among the tares. He taught by
+day; he fiddled night after night in the dingy little theatre, and he
+studied so diligently that his master was well pleased, and kept
+him in mind as one to whom preferment was due, if any chance
+occurred. Gay friends forgot him; but the old ones stood fast, and
+cheered him up when Heimweh and weariness made him sad. As
+spring came on things mended -- expenses grew less, work
+pleasanter, and life more bearable than when wintry storms beat on
+his thinly clad back, and frost pinched the toes that patiently
+trudged in old boots. No debts burdened him; the year of absence
+was nearly over; and if he chose to stay, Herr Bergmann had
+hopes for him that would bring independence for a time at least.
+So he walked under the lindens with a lighter heart, and in the May
+evenings went about the city with a band of strolling students,
+making music before houses where he used to sit as guest. No one
+recognized him in the darkness, though old friends often listened
+to the band; and once Minna threw him money, which he humbly
+received as part of his penance, being morbid on the subject of his
+sins.
+
+His reward came sooner than he expected, and was greater than he
+deserved, he thought, though his heart leaped with joy when his
+master one day informed him that he was chosen, with several
+other of his most promising pupils, to join the musical society
+which was to take part in the great festival in London the next July.
+Here was not only honour for the violinist but happiness for the
+man, as it brought him nearer home, and would open a chance of
+further promotion and profit in his chosen profession.
+
+'Make thyself useful to Bachmeister there in London with thy
+English, and if all goes well with him, he will be glad to take thee
+to America, whither he goes in the early autumn for winter
+concerts. Thou hast done well these last months, and I have hopes
+of thee.'
+
+As the great Bergmann seldom praised his pupils, these words
+filled Nat's soul with pride and joy, and he worked yet more
+diligently than before to fulfil his master's prophecy. He thought
+the trip to England happiness enough, but found room for more
+when, early in June, Franz and Emil paid him a flying visit,
+bringing all sorts of good news, kind wishes, and comfortable gifts
+for the lonely fellow, who could have fallen on their necks and
+cried like a girl at seeing his old mates again. How glad he was to
+be found in his little room busy at his proper work, not living like
+an idle gentleman on borrowed money! How proud he was to tell
+his plans, assure them that he had no debts, and receive their
+praises for his improvement in music, their respect for his
+economy and steadfastness in well-doing! How relieved when,
+having honestly confessed his shortcomings, they only laughed,
+and owned that they also had known like experiences, and were
+the wiser for them. He was to go to the wedding late in June, and
+join his comrades in London. As best man, he could not refuse the
+new suit Franz insisted on ordering for him; and a cheque from
+home about that time made him feel like a millionaire -- and a
+happy one; for this was accompanied by such kind letters full of
+delight in his success, he felt that he had earned it, and waited for
+his joyful holiday with the impatience of a boy.
+
+Dan meantime was also counting the weeks till August, when he
+would be free. But neither marriage-bells nor festival music
+awaited him; no friends would greet him as he left the prison; no
+hopeful prospect lay before him; no happy home-going was to be
+his. Yet his success was far greater than Nat's, though only God
+and one good man saw it. It was a hard-won battle; but he would
+never have to fight so terrible a one again; for though enemies
+would still assail from within and from without, he had found the
+little guide-book that Christian carried in his bosom, and Love,
+Penitence, and Prayer, the three sweet sisters, had given him the
+armour which would keep him safe. He had not learned to wear it
+yet, and chafed against it, though he felt its value, thanks to the
+faithful friend who had stood by him all that bitter year.
+
+Soon he was to be free again, worn and scarred in the fray, but out
+among men in the blessed sun and air. When he thought of it Dan
+felt as if he could not wait, but must burst that narrow cell and fly
+away, as the caddis-worms he used to watch by the brookside shed
+their stony coffins, to climb the ferns and soar into the sky. Night
+after night he lulled himself to sleep with planning how, when he
+had seen Mary Mason according to his promise, he would steer
+straight for his old friends, the Indians, and in the wilderness hide
+his disgrace and heal his wounds. Working to save the many would
+atone for the sin of killing one, he thought; and the old free life
+would keep him safe from the temptations that beset him in cities.
+
+'By and by, when I'm all right again, and have something to tell
+that I'm not ashamed of, I'll go home,' he said, with a quicker beat
+of the impetuous heart that longed to be there so intensely, he
+found it as hard to curb as one of his unbroken horses on the
+plains. 'Not yet. I must get over this first. They'd see and smell and
+feel the prison taint on me, if I went now, and I couldn't look them
+in the face and hide the truth. I can't lose Ted's love, Mother
+Bhaer's confidence, and the respect of the girls, for they did
+respect my strength, anyway; but now they wouldn't touch me.'
+And poor Dan looked with a shudder at the brown fist he clenched
+involuntarily as he remembered what it had done since a certain
+little white hand had laid in it confidingly. 'I'll make 'em proud of
+me yet; and no one shall ever know of this awful year. I can wipe it
+out, and I will, so help me God!' And the clenched hand was held
+up as if to take a solemn oath that this lost year should yet be made
+good, if resolution and repentance could work the miracle.
+
+Chapter 16 IN THE TENNIS-COURT
+
+Athletic sports were in high favour at Plumfield; and the river
+where the old punt used to wabble about with a cargo of small
+boys, or echo to the shrill screams of little girls trying to get lilies,
+now was alive with boats of all kinds, from the slender wherry to
+the trim pleasure-craft, gay with cushions, awnings, and fluttering
+pennons. Everyone rowed, and the girls as well as the youths had
+their races, and developed their muscles in the most scientific
+manner. The large, level meadow near the old willow was now the
+college playground, and here baseball battles raged with fury,
+varied by football, leaping, and kindred sports fitted to split the
+fingers, break the ribs, and strain the backs of the too ambitious
+participants. The gentler pastimes of the damsels were at a safe
+distance from this Champ de Mars; croquet mallets clicked under
+the elms that fringed the field, rackets rose and fell energetically in
+several tennis-courts, and gates of different heights were handy to
+practise the graceful bound by which every girl expected to save
+her life some day when the mad bull, which was always coming
+but never seemed to arrive, should be bellowing at her heels.
+
+One of these tennis grounds was called 'Jo's Court', and here the
+little lady ruled like a queen; for she was fond of the game, and
+being bent on developing her small self to the highest degree of
+perfection, she was to be found at every leisure moment with some
+victim hard at it. On a certain pleasant Saturday afternoon she had
+been playing with Bess and beating her; for, though more graceful,
+the Princess was less active than her cousin, and cultivated her
+roses by quieter methods.
+
+'Oh dear! you are tired, and every blessed boy is at that stupid
+baseball match. 'What shall I do?' sighed Josie, pushing back the
+great red hat she wore, and gazing sadly round her for more worlds
+to conquer.
+
+'I'll play presently, when I'm a little cooler. But it is dull work for
+me, as I never win,' answered Bess, fanning herself with a large
+leaf.
+
+Josie was about to sit down beside her on the rustic seat and wait,
+when her quick eye saw afar off two manly forms arrayed in white
+flannel; their blue legs seemed bearing them towards the battle
+going on in the distance; but they never reached the fray; for with a
+cry of joy, Jo raced away to meet them, bent on securing this
+heaven-sent reinforcement. Both paused as she came flying up,
+and both raised their hats; but oh, the difference there was in the
+salutes! The stout youth pulled his off lazily and put it on again at
+once, as if glad to get the duty over; the slender being, with the
+crimson tie, lifted his with a graceful bend, and held it aloft while
+he accosted the rosy, breathless maid, thus permitting her to see
+his raven locks smoothly parted, with one little curl upon the brow.
+Dolly prided himself upon that bow, and practised it before his
+glass, but did not bestow it upon all alike, regarding it as a work of
+art, fit only for the fairest and most favoured of his female
+admirers; for he was a pretty youth, and fancied himself an
+Adonis.
+
+Eager Josie evidently did not appreciate the honour he did her, for
+with a nod she begged them both to 'come along and play tennis,
+not go and get all hot and dirty with the boys'. These two
+adjectives won the day; for Stuffy was already warmer than he
+liked to be, and Dolly had on a new suit which he desired to keep
+immaculate as long as possible, conscious that it was very
+becoming.
+
+'Charmed to oblige,' answered the polite one, with another bend.
+
+'You play, I'll rest,' added the fat boy, yearning for repose and
+gentle converse with the Princess in the cooling shade.
+
+'Well, you can comfort Bess, for I've beaten her all to bits and she
+needs amusing. I know you've got something nice in your pocket,
+George; give her some, and 'Dolphus can have her racket. Now
+then, fly round'; and driving her prey before her, Josie returned in
+triumph to the court.
+
+Casting himself ponderously upon the bench, which creaked under
+his weight, Stuffy -- as we will continue to call him, though no one
+else dared to use the old name now -- promptly produced the box of
+confectionery, without which he never travelled far, and regaled
+Bess with candied violets and other dainties, while Dolly worked
+hard to hold his own against a most accomplished antagonist. He
+would have beaten her if an unlucky stumble, which produced an
+unsightly stain upon the knee of those new shorts, had not
+distracted his mind and made him careless. Much elated at her
+victory, Josie permitted him to rest, and offered ironical
+consolation for the mishap which evidently weighed upon his
+mind.
+
+'Don't be an old Betty; it can be cleaned. You must have been a cat
+in some former state, you are so troubled about dirt; or a tailor, and
+lived for clothes.'
+
+'Come now, don't hit a fellow when he is down,' responded Dolly
+from the grass where he and Stuffy now lay to make room for both
+girls on the seat. One handkerchief was spread under him, and his
+elbow leaned upon another, while his eyes were sadly fixed upon
+the green and brown spot which afflicted him. 'I like to be neat;
+don't think it civil to cut about in old shoes and grey flannel shirts
+before ladies. Our fellows are gentlemen, and dress as such,' he
+added, rather nettled at the word 'tailor'; for he owed one of those
+too attractive persons an uncomfortably big bill.
+
+'So are ours; but good clothes alone don't make a gentleman here.
+We require a good deal more,' flashed Josie, in arms at once to
+defend her college. 'You will hear of some of the men in "old boots
+and grey flannel" when you and your fine gentlemen are twiddling
+your ties and scenting your hair in obscurity. I like old boots and
+wear them, and I hate dandies; don't you, Bess?'
+
+'Not when they are kind to me, and belong to our old set,' answered
+Bess, with a nod of thanks to Dolly, who was carefully removing
+an inquisitive caterpillar from one of her little russet shoes.
+
+'I like a lady who is always polite, and doesn't snap a man's head
+off if he has a mind of his own; don't you, George?' asked Dolly,
+with his best smile for Bess and a Harvard stare of disapprobation
+for Josie.
+
+A tranquil snore was Stuffy's sole reply, and a general laugh
+restored peace for the moment. But Josie loved to harass the lords
+of creation who asserted themselves too much, and bided her time
+for another attack till she had secured more tennis. She got another
+game; for Dolly was a sworn knight of dames, so he obeyed her
+call, leaving Bess to sketch George as he lay upon his back, his
+stout legs crossed, and his round red face partially eclipsed by his
+hat. Josie got beaten this time and came back rather cross, so she
+woke the peaceful sleeper by tickling his nose with a straw till he
+sneezed himself into a sitting posture, and looked wrathfully about
+for 'that confounded fly'.
+
+'Come, sit up and let us have a little elegant conversation; you
+"howling swells" ought to improve our minds and manners, for we
+are only poor "country girls in dowdy gowns and hats",' began the
+gad-fly, opening the battle with a sly quotation from one of Dolly's
+unfortunate speeches about certain studious damsels who cared
+more for books than finery.
+
+'I didn't mean you! Your gowns are all right, and those hats the
+latest thing out,' began poor 'Dolphus, convicting himself by the
+incautious exclamation.
+
+'Caught you that time; I thought you fellows were all gentlemen,
+civil as well as nice. But you are always sneering at girls who don't
+dress well and that is a very unmanly thing to do; my mother said
+so'; and Josie felt that she had dealt a shrewd blow at the elegant
+youth who bowed at many shrines if they were well-decorated ones.
+'Got you there, old boy, and she's right. You never hear me talk
+about clothes and such twaddle,' said Stuffy, suppressing a yawn,
+and feeling for another bon-bon wherewith to refresh himself. 
+
+'You talk about eating, and that is even worse for a man. You will 
+marry a cook and keep a restaurant some day,' laughed Josie, down on
+him at once.
+
+This fearful prediction kept him silent for several moments; but
+Dolly rallied, and wisely changing the subject, carried war into the
+enemy's camp.
+
+'As you wanted us to improve your manners, allow me to say that
+young ladies in good society don't make personal remarks or
+deliver lectures. Little girls who are not out do it, and think it
+witty; but I assure you it's not good form.'
+
+Josie paused a moment to recover from the shock of being called 'a
+little girl', when all the honours of her fourteenth birthday were
+fresh upon her; and Bess said, in the lofty tone which was
+infinitely more crushing than Jo's impertinence:
+
+'That is true; but we have lived all our lives with superior people,
+so we have no society talk like your young ladies. We are so
+accustomed to sensible conversation, and helping one another by
+telling our faults, that we have no gossip to offer you.'
+
+When the Princess reproved, the boys seldom resented it; so Dolly
+held his peace, and Josie burst out, following her cousin's lead,
+which she thought a happy one:
+
+'Our boys like to have us talk with them, and take kindly any hints
+we give. They don't think they know everything and are quite
+perfect at eighteen, as I've observed the Harvard men do,
+especially the very young ones.'
+
+Josie took immense satisfaction in that return shot; and Dolly
+showed that he was hit, by the nettled tone in which he answered,
+with a supercilious glance at the hot, dusty, and noisy crowd on the
+baseball ground: 'The class of fellows you have here need all the
+polish and culture you can give them; and I'm glad they get it. Our
+men are largely from the best families all over the country, so we
+don't need girls to teach us anything.'
+
+'It's a pity you don't have more of such "fellows" as ours. They
+value and use well what college gives them, and aren't satisfied to
+slip through, getting all the fun they can and shirking the work. Oh,
+I've heard you "men" talk, and heard your fathers say they wish
+they hadn't wasted time and money just that you might say you'd
+been through college. As for the girls, you'll be much better off in
+all ways when they do get in, and keep you lazy things up to the
+mark, as we do here.'
+
+'If you have such a poor opinion of us, why do you wear our
+colour?' asked Dolly, painfully conscious that he was not
+improving the advantages his Alma Mater offered him, but bound
+to defend her.
+
+'I don't; my hat is scarlet, not crimson. Much you know about a
+colour,' scoffed Josie.
+
+'I know that a cross cow would soon set you scampering, if you
+flaunted that red tile under her nose,' retorted Dolly.
+
+'I'm ready for her. Can your fine young ladies do this? or you
+either?' and burning to display her latest accomplishment, Josie ran
+to the nearest gate, put one hand on the top rail, and vaulted over
+as lightly as a bird.
+
+Bess shook her head, and Stuffy languidly applauded; but Dolly
+scorning to be braved by a girl, took a flying leap and landed on
+his feet beside Josie, saying calmly: 'Can you do that?'
+
+'Not yet; but I will by and by.'
+
+As his foe looked a little crestfallen, Dolly relented, and affably
+added sundry feats of a like nature, quite unconscious that he had
+fallen into a dreadful snare; for the dull red paint on the gate, not
+being used to such vigorous handling, came off in streaks upon his
+shoulders when he turned a backward swing and came up smiling,
+to be rewarded with the aggravating remark:
+
+'If you want to know what crimson is, look at your back; it's nicely
+stamped on and won't wash out, I think.'
+
+'The deuce it won't!' cried Dolly, trying to get an impossible view,
+and giving it up in great disgust.
+
+'I guess we'd better be going, Dolf,' said peaceable Stuffy, feeling
+that it would be wise to retreat before another skirmish took place,
+as his side seemed to be getting the worst of it.
+
+'Don't hurry, I beg; stay and rest; you must need it after the
+tremendous amount of brain work you've done this week. It is time
+for our Greek. Come, Bess. Good afternoon, gentlemen.' And, with
+a sweeping courtesy, Josie led the way, with her hat belligerently
+cocked up, and her racket borne like a triumphal banner over one
+shoulder; for having had the last word, she felt that she could retire
+with the honours of war.
+
+Dolly gave Bess his best bow, with the chill on; and Stuffy
+subsided luxuriously, with his legs in the air, murmuring in a
+dreamy tone:
+
+'Little Jo is as cross as two sticks today. I'm going in for another
+nap: too hot to play anything.' 
+
+'So it is. Wonder if Spitfire was right
+about these beastly spots?' And Dolly sat down to try dry cleansing
+with one of his handkerchiefs. 'Asleep?' he asked, after a few
+moments of this cheerful occupation, fearing that his chum might
+be too comfortable when he was in a fume himself.
+
+'No. I was thinking that Jo wasn't far wrong about shirking. 'Tis a
+shame to get so little done, when we ought to be grinding like
+Morton and Torry and that lot. I never wanted to go to college; but
+my governor made me. Much good it will do either of us!'
+answered Stuffy, with a groan; for he hated work, and saw two
+more long years of it before him.
+
+'Gives a man prestige, you know. No need to dig. I mean to have a
+gay old time, and be a "howling swell", if I choose. Between you
+and me though, it would be no end jolly to have the girls along.
+Study be hanged! But if we've got to turn the grindstone, it would
+be mighty nice to have some of the little dears to lend a hand.
+Wouldn't it now?'
+
+'I'd like three this minute -- one to fan me, one to kiss me, and one
+to give me some iced lemonade!' sighed Stuffy, with a yearning
+glance towards the house, whence no succour appeared.
+
+'How would root-beer do?' asked a voice behind them, which made
+Dolly spring to his feet and Stuffy roll over like a startled porpoise.
+
+Sitting on the stile that crossed the wall near by was Mrs Jo, with
+two jugs slung over her shoulder by a strap, several tin mugs in her
+hand, and an old-fashioned sun-bonnet on her head.
+'I knew the boys would be killing themselves with ice-water; so I
+strolled down with some of my good, wholesome beer. They drank
+like fishes. But Silas was with me; so my cruse still holds out.
+Have some?'
+
+'Yes, thanks, very much. Let us pour it.' And Dolly held the cup
+while Stuffy joyfully filled it; both very grateful, but rather afraid
+she had heard what went before the wish she fulfilled.
+
+She proved that she had by saying, as they stood drinking her
+health, while she sat between them, looking like a middle-aged
+vivandiere, with her jugs and mugs:
+'I was glad to hear you say you would like to have girls at your
+college; but I hope you will learn to speak more respectfully of
+them before they come; for that will be the first lesson they will
+teach you.'
+
+'Really, ma'am, I was only joking,' began Stuffy, gulping down his
+beer in a hurry.
+
+'So was I. I'm sure I -- I'm devoted to 'em,' stuttered Dolly,
+panic-stricken; for he saw that he was in for a lecture of some sort.
+
+'Not in the right way. Frivolous girls may like to be called "little
+dears" and things of that sort; but the girls who love study wish to
+be treated like reasonable beings, not dolls to flirt with. Yes, I'm
+going to preach; that's my business; so stand up and take it like
+men.'
+
+Mrs Jo laughed; but she was in earnest; for by various hints and
+signs during the past winter she knew that the boys were beginning
+to 'see life' in the way she especially disapproved. Both were far
+from home, had money enough to waste, and were as
+inexperienced, curious, and credulous as most lads of their age.
+Not fond of books, therefore without the safeguard which keeps
+many studious fellows out of harm; one self-indulgent, indolent,
+and so used to luxury that pampering of the senses was an easy
+thing; the other vain, as all comely boys are, full of conceit, and so
+eager to find favour in the eyes of his comrades that he was ready
+for anything which would secure it. These traits and foibles made
+both peculiarly liable to the temptations which assail
+pleasure-loving and weak-willed boys. Mrs Jo knew them well,
+and had dropped many a warning word since they went to college;
+but till lately they seemed not to understand some of her friendly
+hints; now she was sure they would, and meant to speak out: for
+long experience with boys made her both bold and skilful in
+handling some of the dangers usually left to silence, till it is too
+late for anything but pity and reproach.
+
+'I'm going to talk to you like a mother, because yours are far away;
+and there are things that mothers can manage best, if they do their
+duty,' she solemnly began from the depths of the sunbonnet.
+
+'Great Scott! We're in for it now!' thought Dolly, in secret dismay;
+while Stuffy got the first blow by trying to sustain himself with
+another mug of beer.
+
+'That won't hurt you; but I must warn you about drinking other
+things, George. Overeating is an old story; and a few more fits of
+illness will teach you to be wise. But drinking is a more serious
+thing, and leads to worse harm than any that can afflict your body
+alone. I hear you talk about wines as if you knew them and cared
+more for them than a boy should; and several times I've heard
+jokes that meant mischief. For heaven's sake, don't begin to play
+with this dangerous taste "for fun", as you say, or because it's the
+fashion, and the other fellows do. Stop at once, and learn that
+temperance in all things is the only safe rule.' 
+
+'Upon my honour, I only take wine and iron. I need a tonic, mother says, 
+to repair the waste of brain-tissue while I'm studying,' protested Stuffy,
+putting down the mug as if it burnt his fingers.
+
+'Good beef and oatmeal will repair your tissues much better than
+any tonic of that sort. Work and plain fare are what you want; and
+I wish I had you here for a few months out of harm's way. I'd
+Banting you, and fit you to run without puffing, and get on without
+four or five meals a day. What an absurd hand that is for a man!
+You ought to be ashamed of it!' And Mrs Jo caught up the plump
+fist, with deep dimples at each knuckle, which was fumbling
+distressfully at the buckle of the belt girt about a waist far too large
+for a youth of his age.
+
+'I can't help it -- we all grow fat; it's in the family,' said Stuffy in
+self-defence.
+
+'All the more reason you should live carefully. Do you want to die
+early, or be an invalid all your life?'
+
+'No, ma'am!'
+
+Stuffy looked so scared that Mrs Jo could not be hard upon his
+budding sins, for they lay at his overindulgent mother's door line in
+a great measure; so she softened the tone of her voice, and added,
+with a little slap on the fat hand, as she used to do when it was
+small enough to pilfer lumps of sugar from her bowl:
+
+'Then be careful; for a man writes his character in his face; and
+you don't want gluttony and intemperance in yours, I know.'
+
+'I'm sure I don't! Please make out a wholesome bill of fare, and I'll
+stick to it, if I can. I am getting stout, and I don't like it; and my
+liver's torpid, and I have palpitations and headache. Overwork,
+mother says; but it may be overeating.' And Stuffy gave a sigh of
+mingled regret for the good things he renounced, and relief as he
+finished loosening his belt as soon as his hand was free.
+
+'I will; follow it, and in a year you'll be a man and not a meal-bag.
+Now, Dolly'; and Mrs Jo turned to the other culprit, who shook in
+his shoes and wished he hadn't come.
+
+'Are you studying French as industriously as you were last winter?'
+
+'No ma'am; I don't care for it -- that is, I, I'm busy with G-Greek just
+now,' answered Dolly, beginning bravely, quite in the dark as to
+what that odd question meant till a sudden memory made him
+stutter and look at his shoes with deep interest.
+
+'Oh, he doesn't study it; only reads French novels and goes to the
+theatre when the opera bouffe is here,' said Stuffy, innocently
+confirming Mrs Jo's suspicions.
+
+'So I understood; and that is what I want to speak about. Ted had a
+sudden desire to learn French in that way, from something you
+said, Dolly; so I went myself, and was quite satisfied that it was no
+place for a decent boy. Your men were out in full force; and I was
+glad to see that some of the younger ones looked as ashamed as I
+felt. The older fellows enjoyed it, and when we came out were
+waiting to take those painted girls to supper. Did you ever go with
+them?'
+
+'Once.'
+
+'Did you like it?'
+
+'No 'm; I -- I came away early,' stammered Dolly, with a face as red
+as his splendid tie. 
+
+'I'm glad you have not lost the grace of blushing
+yet; but you will soon, if you keep up this sort of study and forget
+to be ashamed. The society of such women will unfit you for that
+of good ones, and lead you into trouble and sin and shame. Oh,
+why don't the city fathers stop that evil thing, when they know the
+harm it does? It made my heart ache to see those boys, who ought
+to be at home and in their beds, going off for a night of riot which
+would help to ruin some of them for ever.'
+
+The youths looked scared at Mrs Jo's energetic protest against one
+of the fashionable pleasures of the day, and waited in
+conscience-stricken silence -- Stuffy glad that he never went to
+those gay suppers, and Dolly deeply grateful that he 'came away
+early'. With a hand on either shoulder, and all the terrors smoothed
+from her brow, Mrs Jo went on in her most motherly tone, anxious
+to do for them what no other woman would, and do it kindly:
+
+'My dear boys, if I didn't love you, I would not say these things. I
+know they are not pleasant; but my conscience won't let me hold
+my peace when a word may keep you from two of the great sins
+that curse the world and send so many young men to destruction.
+You are just beginning to feel the allurement of them, and soon it
+will be hard to turn away. Stop now, I beg of you, and not only
+save yourselves but help others by a brave example. Come to me if
+things worry you; don't be afraid or ashamed; I have heard many
+sadder confessions than any you are ever likely to bring me, and
+been able to comfort many poor fellows, gone wrong for want of a
+word in time. Do this, and you will be able to kiss your mothers
+with clean lips, and by and by have the right to ask innocent girls
+to love you.'
+
+'Yes'm, thank you. I suppose you're right; but it's pretty hard work
+to toe the mark when ladies give you wine and gentlemen take
+their daughters to see Aimee,' said Dolly, foreseeing tribulations
+ahead though he knew it was time to 'pull up'.
+
+'So it is; but all the more honour to those who are brave and wise
+enough to resist public opinion, and the easy-going morals of bad
+or careless men and women. Think of the persons whom you
+respect most, and in imitating them you will secure the respect of
+those who look up to you. I'd rather my boys should be laughed at
+and cold-shouldered by a hundred foolish fellows than lose what,
+once gone, no power can give them back -- innocence and
+self-respect. I don't wonder you find it "hard to toe the mark",
+when books, pictures, ball-rooms, theatres, and streets offer
+temptations; yet you can resist, if you try. Last winter Mrs Brooke
+used to worry about John's being out so late reporting; but when
+she spoke to him about the things he must see and hear on his way
+to and fro from the office at midnight, he said in his sober way, "I
+know what you mean, mother; but no fellow need to go wrong
+unless he wants to."
+
+'That's like the Deacon!' exclaimed Stuffy, with an approving smile
+on his fat face.
+
+'I'm glad you told me that. He's right; and it's because he doesn't
+want to go wrong we all respect him so,' added Dolly, looking up
+now with an expression which assured his Mentor that the right
+string had been touched, and a spirit of emulation roused, more
+helpful, perhaps, than any words of hers. Seeing this, she was
+satisfied, and said, as she prepared to leave the bar before which
+her culprits had been tried and found guilty, but recommended to
+mercy:
+
+'Then be to others what John is to you -- a good example. Forgive
+me for troubling you, my dear lads, and remember my little
+preachment. I think it will do you good, though I may never know
+it. Chance words spoken in kindness often help amazingly; and
+that's what old people are here for -- else their experience is of little
+use. Now, come and find the young folk. I hope I shall never have
+to shut the gates of Plumfield upon you, as I have on some of your
+"gentlemen". I mean to keep my boys and girls safe if I can, and
+this a wholesome place where the good old-fashioned virtues are
+lived and taught.'
+
+Much impressed by that dire threat, Dolly helped her from her
+perch with deep respect; and Stuffy relieved her of her empty jugs,
+solemnly vowing to abstain from all fermented beverages except
+root-beer, as long as feeble flesh could hold out. Of course they
+made light of 'Mother Bhaer's lecture' when they were alone -- that
+was to be expected of 'men of our class' but in their secret souls
+they thanked her for giving their boyish consciences a jog, and
+more than once afterward had cause to remember gratefully that
+half-hour in the tennis court.
+
+Chapter 17 AMONG THE MAIDS
+
+Although this story is about Jo's boys, her girls cannot be
+neglected, because they held a high place in this little republic, and
+especial care was taken to fit them to play their parts worthily in
+the great republic which offered them wider opportunities and
+more serious duties. To many the social influence was the better
+part of the training they received; for education is not confined to
+books, and the finest characters often graduate from no college,
+but make experience their master, and life their book. Others cared
+only for the mental culture, and were in danger of over-studying,
+under the delusion which pervades New England that learning
+must be had at all costs, forgetting that health and real wisdom are
+better. A third class of ambitious girls hardly knew what they
+wanted, but were hungry for whatever could fit them to face the
+world and earn a living, being driven by necessity, the urgency of
+some half-conscious talent, or the restlessness of strong young
+natures to break away from the narrow life which no longer
+satisfied.
+
+At Plumfield all found something to help them; for the growing
+institution had not yet made its rules as fixed as the laws of the
+Medes and Persians, and believed so heartily in the right of all
+sexes, colours, creeds, and ranks to education, that there was room
+for everyone who knocked, and a welcome to the shabby youths
+from up country, the eager girls from the West, the awkward
+freedman or woman from the South, or the well-born student
+whose poverty made this college a possibility when other doors
+were barred. There still was prejudice, ridicule, neglect in high
+places, and prophecies of failure to contend against; but the
+Faculty was composed of cheerful, hopeful men and women who
+had seen greater reforms spring from smaller roots, and after
+stormy seasons blossom beautifully, to add prosperity and honour
+to the nation. So they worked on steadily and bided their time, full
+of increasing faith in their attempt as year after year their numbers
+grew, their plans succeeded, and the sense of usefulness in this
+most vital of all professions blessed them with its sweet rewards.
+
+Among the various customs which had very naturally sprung up
+was one especially useful and interesting to 'the girls', as the young
+women liked to be called. It all grew out of the old sewing hour
+still kept up by the three sisters long after the little work-boxes had
+expanded into big baskets full of household mending. They were
+busy women, yet on Saturdays they tried to meet in one of the
+three sewing-rooms; for even classic Parnassus had its nook where
+Mrs Amy often sat among her servants, teaching them to make and
+mend, thereby giving them a respect for economy, since the rich
+lady did not scorn to darn her hose, and sew on buttons. In these
+household retreats, with books and work, and their daughters by
+them, they read and sewed and talked in the sweet privacy that
+domestic women love, and can make so helpful by a wise mixture
+of cooks and chemistry, table linen and theology, prosaic duties
+and good poetry.
+
+Mrs Meg was the first to propose enlarging this little circle; for as
+she went her motherly rounds among the young women she found
+a sad lack of order, skill, and industry in this branch of education.
+Latin, Greek, the higher mathematics, and science of all sorts
+prospered finely; but the dust gathered on the work-baskets, frayed
+elbows went unheeded, and some of the blue stockings sadly
+needed mending. Anxious lest the usual sneer at learned women
+should apply to 'our girls', she gently lured two or three of the most
+untidy to her house, and made the hour so pleasant, the lesson so
+kindly, that they took the hint, were grateful for the favour, and
+asked to come again. Others soon begged to make the detested
+weekly duty lighter by joining the party, and soon it was a
+privilege so much desired that the old museum was refitted with
+sewing-machines, tables, rocking-chair, and a cheerful fireplace,
+so that, rain or shine, the needles might go on undisturbed.
+
+Here Mrs Meg was in her glory, and stood wielding her big shears
+like a queen as she cut out white work, fitted dresses, and directed
+Daisy, her special aide, about the trimming of hats, and completing
+the lace and ribbon trifles which add grace to the simplest costume
+and save poor or busy girls so much money and time. Mrs Amy
+contributed taste, and decided the great question of colours and
+complexions; for few women, even the most learned, are without
+that desire to look well which makes many a plain face comely, as
+well as many a pretty one ugly for want of skill and knowledge of
+the fitness of things. She also took her turn to provide books for
+the readings, and as art was her forte she gave them selections
+from Ruskin, Hamerton, and Mrs Jameson, who is never old. Bess
+read these aloud as her contribution, and Josie took her turn at the
+romances, poetry, and plays her uncles recommended. Mrs Jo gave
+little lectures on health, religion, politics, and the various questions
+in which all should be interested, with copious extracts from Miss
+Cobbe's Duties of Women, Miss Brackett's Education of American
+Girls, Mrs Duffy's No Sex in Education, Mrs Woolson's Dress
+Reform, and many of the other excellent books wise women write
+for their sisters, now that they are waking up and asking: 'What
+shall we do?'
+
+It was curious to see the prejudices melt away as ignorance was
+enlightened, indifference change to interest, and intelligent minds
+set thinking, while quick wits and lively tongues added spice to the
+discussions which inevitably followed. So the feet that wore the
+neatly mended hose carried wiser heads than before, the pretty
+gowns covered hearts warmed with higher purposes, and the hands
+that dropped the thimbles for pens, lexicons, and celestial globes,
+were better fitted for life's work, whether to rock cradles, tend the
+sick, or help on the great work of the world.
+
+One day a brisk discussion arose concerning careers for women.
+Mrs Jo had read something on the subject and asked each of the
+dozen girls sitting about the room, what she intended to do on
+leaving college. The answers were as usual: 'I shall teach, help
+mother, study medicine, art,' etc.; but nearly all ended with:
+
+'Till I marry.'
+
+'But if you don't marry, what then?' asked Mrs Jo, feeling like a girl
+again as she listened to the answers, and watched the thoughtful,
+gay, or eager faces.
+
+'Be old maids, I suppose. Horrid, but inevitable, since there are so
+many superfluous women,' answered a lively lass, too pretty to fear
+single blessedness unless she chose it.
+
+'It is well to consider that fact, and fit yourselves to be useful, not
+superfluous women. That class, by the way, is largely made up of
+widows, I find; so don't consider it a slur on maidenhood.'
+
+'That's a comfort! Old maids aren't sneered at half as much as they
+used to be, since some of them have grown famous and proved that
+woman isn't a half but a whole human being, and can stand alone.'
+
+'Don't like it all the same. We can't all be like Miss Nightingale, Miss Phelps, and the rest.'
+
+So what can we do but sit in a corner and look on?' asked a plain
+girl with a dissatisfied expression.
+
+'Cultivate cheerfulness and content, if nothing else. But there are
+so many little odd jobs waiting to be done that nobody need "sit
+idle and look on", unless she chooses,' said Mrs Meg, with a smile,
+laying on the girl's head the new hat she had just trimmed.
+
+'Thank you very much. Yes, Mrs Brooke, I see; it's a little job, but
+it makes me neat and happy -- and grateful,' she added, looking up
+with brighter eyes as she accepted the labour of love and the lesson
+as sweetly as they were given.
+
+'One of the best and most beloved women I know has been doing
+odd jobs for the Lord for years, and will keep at it till her dear
+hands are folded in her coffin. All sorts of things she does -- picks
+up neglected children and puts them in safe homes, saves lost girls,
+nurses poor women in trouble, sews, knits, trots, begs, works for
+the poor day after day with no reward but the thanks of the needy,
+the love and honour of the rich who make Saint Matilda their
+almoner. That's a life worth living; and I think that quiet little
+woman will get a higher seat in Heaven than many of those of
+whom the world has heard.'
+
+'I know it's lovely, Mrs Bhaer; but it's dull for young folks. We do
+want a little fun before we buckle to,' said a Western girl with a
+wide-awake face.
+
+'Have your fun, my dear; but if you must earn your bread, try to
+make it sweet with cheerfulness, not bitter with the daily regret
+that it isn't cake. I used to think mine was a very hard fate because
+I had to amuse a somewhat fretful old lady; but the books I read in
+that lonely library have been of immense use to me since, and the
+dear old soul bequeathed me Plumfield for my "cheerful service
+and affectionate care". I didn't deserve it, but I did use to try to be
+jolly and kind, and get as much honey out of duty as I could,
+thanks to my dear mother's help and advice.'
+
+'Gracious! if I could earn a place like this, I'd sing all day and be an
+angel; but you have to take your chance, and get nothing for your
+pains, perhaps. I never do,' said the Westerner, who had a hard
+time with small means and large aspirations.
+
+'Don't do it for the reward; but be sure it will come, though not in
+the shape you expect. I worked hard for fame and money one
+winter; but I got neither, and was much disappointed. A year
+afterwards I found I had earned two prizes: skill with my pen, and
+Professor Bhaer.'
+
+Mrs Jo's laugh was echoed blithely by the girls, who liked to have
+these conversations enlivened by illustrations from life.
+
+'You are a very lucky woman,' began the discontented damsel,
+whose soul soared above new hats, welcome as they were, but did
+not quite know where to steer.
+
+'Yet her name used to be "Luckless Jo", and she never had what
+she wanted till she had given up hoping for it,' said Mrs Meg.
+
+'I'll give up hoping, then, right away, and see if my wishes will
+come. I only want to help my folks, and get a good school.'
+
+'Take this proverb for your guide: "Get the distaff ready, and the
+Lord will send the flax",' answered Mrs Jo.
+
+'We'd better all do that, if we are to be spinsters,' said the pretty
+one, adding gaily, 'I think I should like it, on the whole -- they are
+so independent. My Aunt Jenny can do just what she likes, and ask
+no one's leave; but Ma has to consult Pa about everything. Yes, I'll
+give you my chance, Sally, and be a "superfluum", as Mr Plock
+says.'
+
+'You'll be one of the first to go into bondage, see if you aren't.
+Much obliged, all the same.'
+
+'Well, I'll get my distaff ready, and take whatever flax the Fates
+send -- single, or double-twisted, as the powers please.'
+
+'That is the right spirit, Nelly. Keep it up, and see how happy life
+will be with a brave heart, a willing hand, and plenty to do.'
+
+'No one objects to plenty of domestic work or fashionable
+pleasure, I find; but the minute we begin to study, people tell us we
+can't bear it, and warn us to be very careful. I've tried the other
+things, and got so tired I came to college; though my people
+predict nervous exhaustion and an early death. Do you think there
+is any danger?' asked a stately girl, with an anxious glance at the
+blooming face reflected in the mirror opposite.
+
+'Are you stronger or weaker than when you came two years ago,
+Miss Winthrop?'
+
+'Stronger in body, and much happier in mind. I think I was dying of
+ennui; but the doctors called it inherited delicacy of constitution.
+That is why mamma is so anxious, and I wish not to go too fast.'
+
+'Don't worry, my dear; that active brain of yours was starving for
+good food; it has plenty now, and plain living suits you better than
+luxury and dissipation. It is all nonsense about girls not being able
+to study as well as boys. Neither can bear cramming; but with
+proper care both are better for it; so enjoy the life your instinct led
+you to, and we will prove that wise headwork is a better cure for
+that sort of delicacy than tonics, and novels on the sofa, where far
+too many of our girls go to wreck nowadays. They burn the candle
+at both ends; and when they break down they blame the books, not
+the balls.'
+
+'Dr Nan was telling me about a patient of hers who thought she had
+heart-complaint, till Nan made her take off her corsets, stopped her
+coffee and dancing all night, and made her eat, sleep, walk, and
+live regularly for a time; and now she's a brilliant cure. Common
+sense versus custom, Nan said.'
+
+'I've had no headaches since I came here, and can do twice as
+much studying as I did at home. It's the air, I think, and the fun of
+going ahead of the boys,' said another girl, tapping her big
+forehead with her thimble, as if the lively brain inside was in good
+working order and enjoyed the daily gymnastics she gave it.
+
+'Quality, not quantity, wins the day, you know. Our brains may be
+smaller, but I don't see that they fall short of what is required of
+them; and if I'm not mistaken, the largest-headed man in our class
+is the dullest,' said Nelly, with a solemn air which produced a gale
+of merriment; for all knew that the young Goliath she mentioned
+had been metaphorically slain by this quick-witted David on many
+a battle-field, to the great disgust of himself and his mates.
+
+'Mrs Brooke, do I gauge on the right or the wrong side?' asked the
+best Greek scholar of her class, eyeing a black silk apron with a
+lost expression.
+
+'The right, Miss Pierson; and leave a space between the tucks; it
+looks prettier so.'
+
+'I'll never make another; but it will save my dresses from
+ink-stains, so I'm glad I've got it'; and the erudite Miss Pierson
+laboured on, finding it a harder task than any Greek root she ever
+dug up.
+
+'We paper-stainers must learn how to make shields, or we are lost.
+I'll give you a pattern of the pinafore I used to wear in my
+"blood-and-thunder days", as we call them,' said Mrs Jo, trying to
+remember what became of the old tin-kitchen which used to hold
+her works.
+
+'Speaking of writers reminds me that my ambition is to be a
+George Eliot, and thrill the world! It must be so splendid to know
+that one has such power, and to hear people own that one
+possesses a "masculine intellect"! I don't care for most women's
+novels, but hers are immense; don't you think so, Mrs Bhaer?'
+asked the girl with the big forehead, and torn braid on her skirt.
+
+'Yes; but they don't thrill me as little Charlotte Bronte's books do.
+The brain is there, but the heart seems left out. I admire, but I don't
+love, George Eliot; and her life is far sadder to me than Miss
+Bronte's, because, in spite of the genius, love, and fame, she
+missed the light without which no soul is truly great, good, or
+happy.'
+
+'Yes'm, I know; but still it's so romantic and sort of new and
+mysterious, and she was great in one sense. Her nerves and
+dyspepsia do rather destroy the illusion; but I adore famous people
+and mean to go and see all I can scare up in London some day.'
+
+'You will find some of the best of them busy about just the work I
+recommend to you; and if you want to see a great lady, I'll tell you
+that Mrs Laurence means to bring one here today. Lady
+Abercrombie is lunching with her, and after seeing the college is to
+call on us. She especially wanted to see our sewing-school, as she
+is interested in things of this sort, and gets them up at home.'
+
+'Bless me! I always imagined lords and ladies did nothing but ride
+round in a coach and six, go to balls, and be presented to the
+Queen in cocked hats, and trains and feathers,' exclaimed an
+artless young person from the wilds of Maine, whither an
+illustrated paper occasionally wandered.
+
+'Not at all; Lord Abercrombie is over here studying up our
+American prison system, and my lady is busy with the schools--
+both very high-born, but the simplest and most sensible people I've
+met this long time. They are neither of them young nor handsome,
+and dress plainly; so don't expect anything splendid. Mr Laurence
+was telling me last night about a friend of his who met my lord in
+the hall, and owing to a rough greatcoat and a red face, mistook
+him for a coachman, and said: "Now, my man, what do you want
+here?" Lord Abercrombie mildly mentioned who he was, and that
+he had come to dinner. And the poor host was much afflicted,
+saying afterward: "Why didn't he wear his stars and garters? then a
+fellow would know he was a lord."'
+
+The girls laughed again, and a general rustle betrayed that each
+was prinking a bit before the titled guest arrived. Even Mrs Jo
+settled her collar, and Mrs Meg felt if her cap was right, while
+Bess shook out her curls and Josie boldly consulted the glass; for
+they were women, in spite of philosophy and philanthropy.
+
+'Shall we all rise?' asked one girl, deeply impressed by the
+impending honour.
+
+'It would be courteous.'
+
+'Shall we shake hands?'
+
+'No, I'll present you en masse, and your pleasant faces will be
+introduction enough.'
+
+'I wish I'd worn my best dress. Ought to have told us,' whispered
+Sally.
+
+'Won't my folks be surprised when I tell them we have had a real
+lady to call on us?' said another.
+
+'Don't look as if you'd never seen a gentlewoman before, Milly. We
+are not all fresh from the wilderness,' added the stately damsel
+who, having Mayflower ancestors, felt that she was the equal of all
+the crowned heads of Europe.
+
+'Hush, she's coming! Oh, my heart, what a bonnet!' cried the gay
+girl in a stage whisper; and every eye was demurely fixed upon the
+busy hands as the door opened to admit Mrs Laurence and her
+guest.
+
+It was rather a shock to find, after the general introduction was
+over, that this daughter of a hundred earls was a stout lady in a
+plain gown, and a rather weather-beaten bonnet, with a bag of
+papers in one hand and a note-book in the other. But the face was
+full of benevolence, the sonorous voice very kind, the genial
+manners very winning, and about the whole person an
+indescribable air of high breeding which made beauty of no
+consequence, costume soon forgotten, and the moment memorable
+to the keen-eyed girls whom nothing escaped.
+
+A little chat about the rise, growth, and success of this particular
+class, and then Mrs Jo led the conversation to the English lady's
+work, anxious to show her pupils how rank dignifies labour, and
+charity blesses wealth.
+
+It was good for these girls to hear of the evening-schools supported
+and taught by women whom they knew and honoured; of Miss
+Cobbe's eloquent protest winning the protection of the law for
+abused wives; Mrs Butler saving the lost; Mrs Taylor, who devoted
+one room in her historic house to a library for the servants; Lord
+Shaftesbury, busy with his new tenement-houses in the slums of
+London; of prison reforms; and all the brave work being done in
+God's name by the rich and great for the humble and the poor. It
+impressed them more than many quiet home lectures would have
+done, and roused an ambition to help when their time should
+come, well knowing that even in glorious America there is still
+plenty to be done before she is what she should be -- truly just, and
+free, and great. They were also quick to see that Lady Abercrombie
+treated all there as her equals, from stately Mrs Laurence, to little
+Josie, taking notes of everything and privately resolving to have
+some thick-soled English boots as soon as possible. No one would
+have guessed that she had a big house in London, a castle in
+Wales, and a grand country seat in Scotland, as she spoke of
+Parnassus with admiration, Plumfield as a 'dear old home', and the
+college as an honour to all concerned in it. At that, of course, every
+head went up a little, and when my lady left, every hand was ready
+for the hearty shake the noble Englishwoman gave them, with
+words they long remembered:
+
+'I am very pleased to see this much-neglected branch of a woman's
+education so well conducted here, and I have to thank my friend
+Mrs Laurence for one of the most charming pictures I've seen in
+America -- Penelope among her maids.'
+
+A group of smiling faces watched the stout boots trudge away,
+respectful glances followed the shabby bonnet till it was out of
+sight, and the girls felt a truer respect for their titled guest than if
+she had come in the coach and six, with all her diamonds on.
+
+'I feel better about the "odd jobs" now. I only wish I could do them
+as well as Lady Abercrombie does,' said one.
+
+'I thanked my stars my buttonholes were nice, for she looked at
+them and said: "Quite workmanlike, upon my word," added
+another, feeling that her gingham gown had come to honour.
+
+'Her manners were as sweet and kind as Mrs Brooke's. Not a bit
+stiff or condescending, as I expected. I see now what you meant,
+Mrs Bhaer, when you said once that well-bred people were the
+same all the world over.'
+
+Mrs Meg bowed her thanks for the compliment, and Mrs Bhaer
+said:
+
+'I know them when I see them, but never shall be a model of
+deportment myself. I'm glad you enjoyed the little visit. Now, if
+you young people don't want England to get ahead of us in many
+ways, you must bestir yourselves and keep abreast; for our sisters
+are in earnest, you see, and don't waste time worrying about their
+sphere, but make it wherever duty calls them.'
+
+'We will do our best, ma'am,' answered the girls heartily, and
+trooped away with their work-baskets, feeling that though they
+might never be Harriet Martineaus, Elizabeth Brownings, or
+George Eliots, they might become noble, useful, and independent
+women, and earn for themselves some sweet title from the grateful
+lips of the poor, better than any a queen could bestow.
+
+Chapter 18 CLASS DAY
+
+The clerk of the weather evidently has a regard for young people,
+and sends sunshine for class days as often as he can. An especially
+lovely one shone over Plumfield as this interesting anniversary
+came round, bringing the usual accompaniments of roses,
+strawberries, white-gowned girls, beaming youths, proud friends,
+and stately dignitaries full of well-earned satisfaction with the
+yearly harvest. As Laurence College was a mixed one, the presence
+of young women as students gave to the occasion a grace and
+animation entirely wanting where the picturesque half of creation
+appear merely as spectators. The hands that turned the pages of
+wise books also possessed the skill to decorate the hall with
+flowers; eyes tired with study shone with hospitable warmth on the
+assembling guests; and under the white muslins beat hearts as full
+of ambition, hope, and courage as those agitating the broadcloth of
+the ruling sex.
+
+College Hill, Parnassus, and old Plum swarmed with cheery faces,
+as guests, students, and professors hurried to and fro in the
+pleasant excitement of arriving and receiving. Everyone was
+welcomed cordially, whether he rolled up in a fine carriage, or
+trudged afoot to see the good son or daughter come to honour on
+the happy day that rewarded many a mutual sacrifice. Mr Laurie
+and his wife were on the reception committee, and their lovely
+house was overflowing. Mrs Meg, with Daisy and Jo as aides, was
+in demand among the girls, helping on belated toilettes, giving an
+eye to spreads, and directing the decorations. Mrs Jo had her hands
+full as President's lady, and the mother of Ted; for it took all the
+power and skill of that energetic woman to get her son into his
+Sunday best.
+
+Not that he objected to be well arrayed; far from it; he adored good
+clothes, and owing to his great height already revelled in a
+dress-suit, bequeathed him by a dandy friend. The effect was very
+funny; but he would wear it in spite of the jeers of his mates, and
+sighed vainly for a beaver, because his stern parent drew the line
+there. He pleaded that English lads of ten wore them and were 'no
+end nobby'; but his mother only answered, with a consoling pat of
+the yellow mane:
+
+'My child, you are absurd enough now; if I let you add a tall hat,
+Plumfield wouldn't hold either of us, such would be the scorn and
+derision of all beholders. Content yourself with looking like the
+ghost of a waiter, and don't ask for the most ridiculous head-gear
+in the known world.'
+
+Denied this noble badge of manhood, Ted soothed his wounded
+soul by appearing in collars of an amazing height and stiffness, and
+ties which were the wonder of all female eyes. This freak was a
+sort of vengeance on his hard-hearted mother; for the collars drove
+the laundress to despair, never being just right, and the ties
+required such art in the tying that three women sometimes
+laboured long before--like Beau Brummel--he turned from a heap of
+'failures' with the welcome words: 'That will do.' Rob was devoted
+on these trying occasions, his own toilet being distinguished only
+by its speed, simplicity, and neatness. Ted was usually in a frenzy
+before he was suited, and roars, whistles, commands, and groans were
+heard from the den wherein the Lion raged and the Lamb patiently
+toiled. Mrs Jo bore it till boots were hurled and a rain of
+hair-brushes set in, then, fearing for the safety of her eldest,
+she would go to the rescue, and by a wise mixture of fun and
+authority finally succeed in persuading Ted that he was 'a thing
+of beauty', if not 'a joy for ever'. At last he would stalk
+majestically forth, imprisoned in collars compared to which those
+worn by Dickens's afflicted Biler were trifles not worth mentioning.
+The dresscoat was a little loose in the shoulders, but allowed a
+noble expanse of glossy bosom to be seen, and with a delicate
+handkerchief negligently drooping at the proper angle, had a truly
+fine effect. Boots that shone, and likewise pinched, appeared at
+one end of the 'long, black clothes-pin'--as Josie called him---and
+a youthful but solemn face at the other, carried at an angle which,
+if long continued, would have resulted in spinal curvature. Light
+gloves, a cane, and--oh, bitter drop in the cup of joy!--an
+ignominious straw hat, not to mention a choice floweret in the
+buttonhole, and a festoon of watchguard below, finished off this
+impressive boy.
+
+'How's that for style?' he asked, appearing to his mother and
+cousins whom he was to escort to the hall on this particular
+occasion.
+
+A shout of laughter greeted him, followed by exclamations of
+horror; for he had artfully added the little blond moustache he
+often wore when acting. It was very becoming, and seemed the
+only balm to heal the wound made by the loss of the beloved hat.
+
+'Take it off this moment, you audacious boy! What would your
+father say to such a prank on this day when we must all behave our
+best?' said Mrs Jo, trying to frown, but privately thinking that
+among the many youths about her none were so beautiful and
+original as her long son.
+
+'Let him wear it, Aunty; it's so becoming. No one will ever guess
+he isn't eighteen at least,' cried Josie, to whom disguise of any sort
+was always charming.
+
+'Father won't observe it; he'll be absorbed in his big-wigs and the
+girls. No matter if he does, he'll enjoy the joke and introduce me as
+his oldest son. Rob is nowhere when I'm in full fig'; and Ted took
+the stage with a tragic stalk, like Hamlet in a tail-coat and choker.
+
+'My son, obey me!' and when Mrs Jo spoke in that tone her word
+was law. Later, however, the moustache appeared, and many
+strangers firmly believed that there were three young Bhaers. So
+Ted found one ray of joy to light his gloom.
+
+Mr Bhaer was a proud and happy man when, at the appointed hour,
+he looked down upon the parterre of youthful faces before him,
+thinking of the 'little gardens' in which he had hopefully and
+faithfully sowed good seed years ago, and from which this
+beautiful harvest seemed to have sprung. Mr March's fine old face
+shone with the serenest satisfaction, for this was the dream of his
+life fulfilled after patient waiting; and the love and reverence in
+the countenances of the eager young men and women looking up
+at him plainly showed that the reward he coveted was his in fullest
+measure. Laurie always effaced himself on these occasions as
+much as courtesy would permit; for everyone spoke gratefully in
+ode, poem, and oration of the founder of the college and noble
+dispenser of his beneficence. The three sisters beamed with pride
+as they sat among the ladies, enjoying, as only women can, the
+honour done the men they loved; while 'the original Plums', as the
+younger ones called themselves, regarded the whole affair as their
+work, receiving the curious, admiring, or envious glances of
+strangers with a mixture of dignity and delight rather comical to
+behold.
+
+The music was excellent, and well it might be when Apollo waved
+the baton. The poems were--as usual on such occasions--of varied
+excellence, as the youthful speakers tried to put old truths into new
+words, and made them forceful by the enthusiasm of their earnest
+faces and fresh voices. It was beautiful to see the eager interest
+with which the girls listened to some brilliant brother-student, and
+applauded him with a rustle as of wind over a bed of flowers. It
+was still more significant and pleasant to watch the young men's
+faces when a slender white figure stood out against the background
+of black-coated dignitaries, and with cheeks that flushed and
+paled, and lips that trembled till earnest purpose conquered
+maiden fear, spoke to them straight out of a woman's heart and
+brain concerning the hopes and doubts, the aspirations and rewards
+all must know, desire, and labour for. This clear, sweet voice
+seemed to reach and rouse all that was noblest in the souls of these
+youths, and to set a seal upon the years of comradeship which
+made them sacred and memorable for ever.
+
+Alice Heath's oration was unanimously pronounced the success of
+the day; for without being flowery or sentimental, as is too apt to
+be the case with these first efforts of youthful orators, it was
+earnest, sensible, and so inspiring that she left the stage in a storm
+of applause, the good fellows being as much fired by her stirring
+appeal to 'march shoulder to shoulder', as if she had chanted the
+'Marseillaise' then and there. One young man was so excited that
+he nearly rushed out of his seat to receive her as she hastened to
+hide herself among her mates, who welcomed her with faces full
+of tender pride and tearful eye. A prudent sister detained him,
+however, and in a moment he was able to listen with composure to
+the President's remarks.
+
+They were worth listening to, for Mr Bhaer spoke like a father to
+the children whom he was dismissing to the battle of life; and his
+tender, wise, and helpful words lingered in their hearts long after
+the praise was forgotten. Then came other exercises peculiar to
+Plumfield, and the end. Why the roof did not fly off when the
+sturdy lungs of the excited young men pealed out the closing hymn
+will for ever be a mystery; but it remained firm, and only the
+fading garlands vibrated as the waves of music rolled up and died
+away, leaving sweet echoes to haunt the place for another year.
+
+Dinners and spreads consumed the afternoon, and at sunset came a
+slight lull as everyone sought some brief repose before the
+festivities of the evening began. The President's reception was one
+of the enjoyable things in store, also dancing on Parnassus, and as
+much strolling, singing, and flirting, as could be compressed into
+a few hours by youths and maidens just out of school.
+
+Carriages were rolling about, and gay groups on piazzas, lawns,
+and window-seats idly speculated as to who the distinguished
+guests might be. The appearance of a very dusty vehicle loaded
+with trunks at Mr Bhaer's hospitably open door caused much
+curious comment among the loungers, especially as two rather
+foreign-looking gentlemen sprang out, followed by two young
+ladies, all four being greeted with cries of joy and much embracing
+by the Bhaers. Then they all disappeared into the house, the
+luggage followed, and the watchers were left to wonder who the
+mysterious strangers were, till a fair collegian declared that they
+must be the Professor's nephews, one of whom was expected on
+his wedding journey.
+
+She was right; Franz proudly presented his blonde and buxom
+bride, and she was hardly kissed and blessed when Emil led up his
+bonny English Mary, with the rapturous announcement:
+
+'Uncle, Aunt Jo, here's another daughter! Have you room for my
+wife, too?'
+
+There could be no doubt of that; and Mary was with difficulty
+rescued from the glad embraces of her new relatives, who,
+remembering all the young pair had suffered together, felt that this
+was the natural and happy ending of the long voyage so perilously
+begun.
+
+'But why not tell us, and let us be ready for two brides instead of
+one?' asked Mrs Jo, looking as usual rather demoralizing in a
+wrapper and crimping-pins, having rushed down from her
+chamber, where she was preparing for the labours of the evening.
+
+'Well, I remembered what a good joke you all considered Uncle
+Laurie's marriage, and I thought I'd give you another nice little
+surprise,' laughed Emil. 'I'm off duty, and it seemed best to take
+advantage of wind and tide, and come along as convoy to the old
+boy here. We hoped to get in last night, but couldn't fetch it, so
+here we are in time for the end of the jollification, anyway.'
+
+'Ah, my sons, it is too feeling-full to see you both so happy and
+again in the old home. I haf no words to outpour my gratitude, and
+can only ask of the dear Gott in Himmel to bless and keep you all,'
+cried Professor Bhaer, trying to gather all four into his arms at
+once, while tears rolled down his cheeks, and his English failed
+him.
+
+An April shower cleared the air and relieved the full hearts of the
+happy family; then of course everyone began to talk--Franz and
+Ludmilla in German with uncle, Emil and Mary with the aunts;
+and round this group gathered the young folk, clamouring to hear
+all about the wreck, and the rescue, and the homeward voyage. It
+was a very different story from the written one; and as they
+listened to Emil's graphic words, with Mary's soft voice breaking
+in now and then to add some fact that brought out the courage,
+patience, and self-sacrifice he so lightly touched upon, it became a
+solemn and pathetic thing to see and hear these happy creatures
+tell of that great danger and deliverance.
+
+'I never hear the patter of rain now that I don't want to say my
+prayers; and as for women, I'd like to take my hat off to every one
+of 'em, for they are braver than any man I ever saw,' said Emil,
+with the new gravity that was as becoming to him as the new
+gentleness with which he treated everyone. 
+
+'If women are brave, some men are as tender and self-sacrificing as women.
+I know one who in the night slipped his share of food into a girl's pocket,
+though starving himself, and sat for hours rocking a sick man in
+his arms that he might get a little sleep. No, love, I will tell, and
+you must let me!' cried Mary, holding in both her own the hand he
+laid on her lips to silence her.
+
+'Only did my duty. If that torment had lasted much longer I might
+have been as bad as poor Barry and the boatswain. Wasn't that an
+awful night?' And Emil shuddered as he recalled it.
+
+'Don't think of it, dear. Tell about the happy days on the Urania,
+when papa grew better and we were all safe and homeward bound,'
+said Mary, with the trusting look and comforting touch which
+seemed to banish the dark and recall the bright side of that terrible
+experience.
+
+Emil cheered up at once, and sitting with his arm about his 'dear
+lass', in true sailor fashion told the happy ending of the tale.
+
+'Such a jolly old time as we had at Hamburg! Uncle Hermann
+couldn't do enough for the captain, and while mamma took care of
+him, Mary looked after me. I had to go into dock for repairs; fire
+hurt my eyes, and watching for a sail and want of sleep made 'em
+as hazy as a London fog. She was pilot and brought me in all right,
+you see, only I couldn't part company, so she came aboard as first
+mate, and I'm bound straight for glory now.'
+
+'Hush! that's silly, dear,' whispered Mary, trying in her turn to stop
+him, with English shyness about tender topics. But he took the soft
+hand in his, and proudly surveying the one ring it wore, went on
+with the air of an admiral aboard his flagship.
+
+'The captain proposed waiting a spell; but I told him we weren't
+like to see any rougher weather than we'd pulled through together,
+and if we didn't know one another after such a year as this, we
+never should. I was sure I shouldn't be worth my pay without this
+hand on the wheel; so I had my way, and my brave little woman
+has shipped for the long voyage. God bless her!'
+
+'Shall you really sail with him?' asked Daisy, admiring her courage,
+but shrinking with cat-like horror from the water.
+
+'I'm not afraid,' answered Mary, with a loyal smile. 'I've proved my
+captain in fair weather and in foul, and if he is ever wrecked again,
+I'd rather be with him than waiting and watching ashore.'
+
+'A true woman, and a born sailor's wife! You are a happy man,
+Emil, and I'm sure this trip will be a prosperous one,' cried Mrs Jo,
+delighted with the briny flavour of this courtship. 'Oh, my dear
+boy, I always felt you'd come back, and when everyone else
+despaired I never gave up, but insisted that you were clinging to
+the main-top jib somewhere on that dreadful sea'; and Mrs Jo
+illustrated her faith by grasping Emil with a truly Pillycoddian
+gesture.
+
+'Of course I was!' answered Emil heartily; 'and my "main-top jib"
+in this case was the thought of what you and Uncle said to me.
+That kept me up; and among the million thoughts that came to me
+during those long nights none was clearer than the idea of the red
+strand, you remember--English navy, and all that. I liked the
+notion, and resolved that if a bit of my cable was left afloat, the
+red stripe should be there.'
+
+'And it was, my dear, it was! Captain Hardy testifies to that, and
+here is your reward'; and Mrs Jo kissed Mary with a maternal
+tenderness which betrayed that she liked the English rose better
+than the blue-eyed German Kornblumen, sweet and modest though it was.
+
+Emil surveyed the little ceremony with complacency, saying, as he
+looked about the room which he never thought to see again: 'Odd,
+isn't it, how clearly trifles come back to one in times of danger? As
+we floated there, half-starved, and in despair, I used to think I
+heard the bells ringing here, and Ted tramping downstairs, and you
+calling, "Boys, boys, it's time to get up!" I actually smelt the coffee
+we used to have, and one night I nearly cried when I woke from a
+dream of Asia's ginger cookies. I declare, it was one of the bitterest
+disappointments of my life to face hunger with that spicy smell in
+my nostrils. If you've got any, do give me one!'
+
+A pitiful murmur broke from all the aunts and cousins, and Emil
+was at once borne away to feast on the desired cookies, a supply
+always being on hand. Mrs Jo and her sister joined the other group,
+glad to hear what Franz was saying about Nat.
+
+'The minute I saw how thin and shabby he was, I knew that
+something was wrong; but he made light of it, and was so happy
+over our visit and news that I let him off with a brief confession,
+and went to Professor Baumgarten and Bergmann. From them I
+learned the whole story of his spending more money than he ought
+and trying to atone for it by unnecessary work and sacrifice.
+Baumgarten thought it would do him good, so kept his secret till I
+came. It did him good, and he's paid his debts and earned his bread
+by the sweat of his brow, like an honest fellow.'
+
+'I like that much in Nat. It is, as I said, a lesson, and he learns it
+well. He proves himself a man, and has deserved the place
+Bergmann offers him,' said Mr Bhaer, looking well pleased as
+Franz added some facts already recorded.
+
+'I told you, Meg, that he had good stuff in him, and love for Daisy
+would keep him straight. Dear lad, I wish I had him here this
+moment!' cried Mrs Jo, forgetting in delight the doubts and
+anxieties which had troubled her for months past.
+
+'I am very glad, and suppose I shall give in as I always do,
+especially now that the epidemic rages so among us. You and Emil
+have set all their heads in a ferment, and Josie will be demanding a
+lover before I can turn round,' answered Mrs Meg, in a tone of
+despair.
+
+But her sister saw that she was touched by Nat's trials, and
+hastened to add the triumphs, that the victory might be complete,
+for success is always charming.
+
+'This offer of Herr Bergmann is a good one, isn't it?' she asked,
+though Mr Laurie had already satisfied her on that point when
+Nat's letter brought the news.
+
+'Very fine in every way. Nat will get capital drill in Bachmeister's
+orchestra, see London in a delightful way, and if he suits come
+home with them, well started among the violins. No great honour,
+but a sure thing and a step up. I congratulated him, and he was
+very jolly over it, saying, like the true lover he is: "Tell Daisy; be
+sure and tell her all about it." I'll leave that to you, Aunt Meg, and
+you can also break it gently to her that the old boy had a fine blond
+beard. Very becoming; hides his weak mouth, and gives a noble air
+to his big eyes and "Mendelssohnian brow", as a gushing girl
+called it. Ludmilla has a photo of it for you.'
+
+This amused them; and they listened to many other interesting bits
+of news which kind Franz, even in his own happiness, had not
+forgotten to remember for his friend's sake. He talked so well, and
+painted Nat's patient and pathetic shifts so vividly, that Mrs Meg
+was half won; though if she had learned of the Minna episode and
+the fiddling in beer-gardens and streets, she might not have
+relented so soon. She stored up all she heard, however, and,
+womanlike, promised herself a delicious talk with Daisy, in which
+she would allow herself to melt by degrees, and perhaps change
+the doubtful 'We shall see' to a cordial 'He has done well; be
+happy, dear'.
+
+In the midst of this agreeable chat the sudden striking of a clock
+recalled Mrs Jo from romance to reality, and she exclaimed, with a
+clutch at her crimping-pins:
+
+'My blessed people, you must eat and rest; and I must dress, or
+receive in this disgraceful rig. Meg, will you take Ludmilla and
+Mary upstairs and see to them? Franz knows the way to the
+dining-room. Fritz, come with me and be made tidy, for what with
+heat and emotion, we are both perfect wrecks.'
+Chapter 19 WHITE ROSES
+
+While the travellers refreshed, and Mrs President struggled into
+her best gown, Josie ran into the garden to gather flowers for the
+brides. The sudden arrival of these interesting beings had quite
+enchanted the romantic girl, and her head was full of heroic
+rescues, tender admiration, dramatic situations, and feminine
+wonder as to whether the lovely creatures would wear their veils or
+not. She was standing before a great bush of white roses, culling
+the most perfect for the bouquets which she meant to tie with the
+ribbon festooned over her arm, and lay on the toilette tables of the
+new cousins, as a delicate attention. A step startled her, and
+looking up she saw her brother coming down the path with folded
+arms, bent head, and the absent air of one absorbed in deep
+thought.
+
+'Sophy Wackles,' said the sharp child, with a superior smile, as she
+sucked her thumb just pricked by a too eager pull at the thorny
+branches.
+
+'What are you at here, Mischief?' asked Demi, with an Irvingesque
+start, as he felt rather than saw a disturbing influence in his
+day-dream.
+
+'Getting flowers for "our brides". Don't you wish you had one?'
+answered Josie, to whom the word 'mischief' suggested her
+favourite amusement. 
+
+'A bride or a flower?' asked Demi calmly,
+though he eyed the blooming bush as if it had a sudden and
+unusual interest for him.
+
+'Both; you get the one, and I'll give you the other.'
+
+'Wish I could!' and Demi picked a little bud, with a sigh that went
+to Josie's warm heart.
+
+'Why don't you, then? It's lovely to see people so happy. Now's a
+good time to do it if you ever mean to. She will be going away for
+ever soon.'
+
+'Who?' and Demi pulled a half-opened bud, with a sudden colour
+in his own face; which sign of confusion delighted little Jo.
+
+'Don't be a hypocrite. You know I mean Alice. Now, Jack, I'm fond
+of you, and want to help; it's so interesting--all these lovers and
+weddings and things, and we ought to have our share. So you take
+my advice and speak up like a man, and make sure of Alice before
+she goes.'
+
+Demi laughed at the seriousness of the small girl's advice; but he
+liked it, and showed that it suited him by saying blandly, instead of
+snubbing her as usual:
+
+'You are very kind, child. Since you are so wise, could you give me
+a hint how I'd better 'speak up', as you elegantly express it?'
+
+'Oh, well, there are various ways, you know. In plays the lovers go
+down on their knees; but that's awkward when they have long legs.
+Ted never does it well, though I drill him for hours. You could say,
+"Be mine, be mine!" like the old man who threw cucumbers over
+the wall to Mrs Nickleby, if you want to be gay and easy; or you
+could write a poetical pop. You've tried it, I dare say.'
+
+'But seriously, Jo, I do love Alice, and I think she knows it. I want
+to tell her so; but I lose my head when I try, and don't care to make
+a fool of myself. Thought you might suggest some pretty way; you
+read so much poetry and are so romantic.'
+
+Demi tried to express himself clearly, but forgot his dignity and his
+usual reserve in the sweet perplexity of his love, and asked his
+little sister to teach him how to put the question which a single
+word can answer. The arrival of his happy cousins had scattered all
+his wise plans and brave resolutions to wait still longer. The
+Christmas play had given him courage to hope, and the oration
+today had filled him with tender pride; but the sight of those
+blooming brides and beaming grooms was too much for him, and
+he panted to secure his Alice without an hour's delay. Daisy was
+his confidante in all things but this; a brotherly feeling of
+sympathy had kept him from telling her his hopes, because her
+own were forbidden. His mother was rather jealous of any girl he
+admired; but knowing that she liked Alice, he loved on and
+enjoyed his secret alone, meaning soon to tell her all about it.
+
+Now suddenly Josie and the rose-bush seemed to suggest a speedy
+end to his tender perplexities; and he was moved to accept her aid
+as the netted lion did that of the mouse.
+
+'I think I'll write,' he was slowly beginning, after a pause during
+which both were trying to strike out a new and brilliant idea.
+
+'I've got it! perfectly lovely! just suit her, and you too, being a
+poet!' cried Josie, with a skip.
+
+'What is it? Don't be ridiculous, please,' begged the bashful lover,
+eager, but afraid of this sharp-tongued bit of womanhood.
+
+'I read in one of Miss Edgeworth's stories about a man who offers
+three roses to his lady--a bud, a half-blown, and a full-blown rose. I
+don't remember which she took; but it's a pretty way; and Alice
+knows about it because she was there when we read it. Here are all
+kinds; you've got the two buds, pick the sweetest rose you can find,
+and I'll tie them up and put them in her room. She is coming to
+dress with Daisy, so I can do it nicely.'
+
+Demi mused a moment with his eyes on the bridal bush, and a
+smile came over his face so unlike any it had ever worn before,
+that Josie was touched, and looked away as if she had no right to
+see the dawn of the great passion which, while it lasts, makes a
+young man as happy as a god.
+
+'Do it,' was all he said, and gathered a full-blown rose to finish his
+floral love-message.
+
+Charmed to have a finger in this romantic pie, Josie tied a graceful
+bow of ribbon about the stems, and finished her last nosegay with
+much content, while Demi wrote upon a card:
+
+DEAR ALICE, You know what the flowers mean. Will you wear
+one, or all tonight, and make me still prouder, fonder, and happier
+than I am?
+
+Yours entirely,
+
+JOHN
+
+Offering this to his sister, he said in a tone that made her feel the
+deep importance of her mission:
+
+'I trust you, Jo. This means everything to me. No jokes, dear, if you
+love me.'
+
+Josie's answer was a kiss that promised all things; and then she ran
+away to do her 'gentle spiriting', like Ariel, leaving Demi to dream
+among the roses like Ferdinand.
+
+Mary and Ludmilla were charmed with their bouquets; and the
+giver had the delight of putting some of the flowers into the dark
+hair and the light as she played maid at the toilettes of 'our brides',
+which consoled her for a disappointment in the matter of veils.
+
+No one helped Alice dress; for Daisy was in the next room with
+her mother; and not even their loving eyes saw the welcome which
+the little posy received, nor the tears and smiles and blushes that
+came and went as she read the note and pondered what answer she
+should give. There was no doubt about the one she wished to give;
+but duty held her back; for at home there was an invalid mother
+and an old father. She was needed there, with all the help she
+could now bring by the acquirements four years of faithful study
+had given her. Love looked very sweet, and a home of her own
+with John a little heaven on earth; but not yet. And she slowly laid
+away the full-blown rose as she sat before the mirror, thinking over
+the great question of her life.
+
+Was it wise and kind to ask him to wait, to bind him by any
+promise, or even to put into words the love and honour she felt for
+him? No; it would be more generous to make the sacrifice alone,
+and spare him the pain of hope deferred. He was young; he would
+forget; and she would do her duty better, perhaps, if no impatient
+lover waited for her. With eyes that saw but dimly, and a hand that
+lingered on the stem he had stripped of thorns, she laid the
+half-blown flower by the rose, and asked herself if even the little
+bud might be worn. It looked very poor and pale beside the others;
+yet being in the self-sacrificing mood which real love brings, she
+felt that even a small hope was too much to give, if she could not
+follow it up with more.
+
+As she sat looking sadly down on the symbols of an affection that
+grew dearer every moment, she listened half unconsciously to the
+murmur of voices in the adjoining room. Open windows, thin
+partitions, and the stillness of summer twilight made it impossible
+to help hearing, and in a few moments more she could not refrain;
+for they were talking of John.
+
+'So nice of Ludmilla to bring us all bottles of real German cologne!
+Just what we need after this tiring day! Be sure John has his! He
+likes it so!'
+
+'Yes, mother. Did you see him jump up when Alice ended her
+oration? He'd have gone to her if I hadn't held him back. I don't
+wonder he was pleased and proud. I spoilt my gloves clapping, and
+quite forgot my dislike of seeing women on platforms, she was so
+earnest and unconscious and sweet after the first moment.'
+
+'Has he said anything to you, dear?'
+
+'No; and I guess why. The kind boy thinks it would make me
+unhappy. It wouldn't. But I know his ways; so I wait, and hope all
+will go well with him.'
+
+'It must. No girl in her senses would refuse our John, though he
+isn't rich, and never will be. Daisy, I've been longing to tell you
+what he did with his money. He told me last night, and I've had no
+time since to tell you. He sent poor young Barton to the hospital,
+and kept him there till his eyes were saved--a costly thing to do.
+But the man can work now and care for his old parents. He was in
+despair, sick and poor, and too proud to beg; and our dear boy
+found it out, and took every penny he had, and never told even his
+mother till she made him.'
+
+Alice did not hear what Daisy answered, for she was busy with her
+own emotions--happy ones now, to judge from the smile that
+shone in her eyes and the decided gesture with which she put the
+little bud in her bosom, as if she said: 'He deserves some reward
+for that good deed, and he shall have it.'
+
+Mrs Meg was speaking, and still of John, when she could hear
+again:
+
+'Some people would call it unwise and reckless, when John has so
+little; but I think his first investment a safe and good one, for "he
+who giveth to the poor lendeth to the Lord"; and I was so pleased
+and proud, I wouldn't spoil it by offering him a penny.'
+
+'It is his having nothing to offer that keeps him silent, I think. He is
+so honest, he won't ask till he has much to give. But he forgets that
+love is everything. I know he's rich in that; I see and feel it; and
+any woman should be glad to get it.'
+
+'Right, dear. I felt just so, and was willing to work and wait with
+and for my John.'
+
+'So she will be, and I hope they will find it out. But she is so
+dutiful and good, I'm afraid she won't let herself be happy. You
+would like it, mother?'
+
+'Heartily; for a better, nobler girl doesn't live. She is all I want for
+my son; and I don't mean to lose the dear, brave creature if I can
+help it. Her heart is big enough for both love and duty; and they
+can wait more happily if they do it together--for wait they must, of
+course.'
+
+'I'm so glad his choice suits you, mother, and he is spared
+the saddest sort of disappointment.'
+
+Daisy's voice broke there; and a sudden rustle, followed by a soft
+murmur, seemed to tell that she was in her mother's arms, seeking
+and finding comfort there.
+
+Alice heard no more, and shut her window with a guilty feeling but
+a shining face; for the proverb about listeners failed here, and she
+had learned more than she dared to hope. Things seemed to change
+suddenly; she felt that her heart was large enough for both love and
+duty; she knew now that she would be welcomed by mother and
+sister; and the memory of Daisy's less happy fate, Nat's weary
+probation, the long delay, and possible separation for ever--all
+came before her so vividly that prudence seemed cruelty;
+self-sacrifice, sentimental folly; and anything but the whole truth,
+disloyalty to her lover. As she thought thus, the half-blown rose
+went to join the bud; and then, after a pause, she slowly kissed the
+perfect rose, and added it to the tell-tale group, saying to herself
+with a sort of sweet solemnity, as if the words were a vow:
+
+'I'll love and work and wait with and for my John.'
+
+It was well for her that Demi was absent when she stole down to
+join the guests who soon began to flow through the house in a
+steady stream. The new brightness which touched her usually
+thoughtful face was easily explained by the congratulations she
+received as orator, and the slight agitation observable, when a
+fresh batch of gentlemen approached soon passed, as none of them
+noticed the flowers she wore over a very happy heart. Demi
+meantime was escorting certain venerable personages about the
+college, and helping his grandfather entertain them with discussion
+of the Socratic method of instruction, Pythagoras, Pestalozzi,
+Froebel, and the rest, whom he devoutly wished at the bottom of
+the Red Sea, and no wonder, for his head and his heart were full of
+love and roses, hopes and fears. He piloted the 'potent, grave, and
+reverend seigniors' safely down to Plumfield at last, and landed
+them before his uncle and aunt Bhaer, who were receiving in state,
+the one full of genuine delight in all men and things, the other
+suffering martyrdom with a smile, as she stood shaking hand after
+hand, and affecting utter unconsciousness of the sad fact that
+ponderous Professor Plock had camped upon the train of her state
+and festival velvet gown.
+
+With a long sigh of relief Demi glanced about him for the beloved
+girl. Most persons would have looked some time before any
+particular angel could be discovered among the white-robed throng
+in parlours, hall, and study; but his eye went--like the needle to the
+pole--to the corner where a smooth dark head, with its braided
+crown, rose like a queen's, he thought, above the crowd which
+surrounded her. Yes, she has a flower at her throat; one, two, oh,
+blessed sight! he saw it all across the room, and gave a rapturous
+sigh which caused Miss Perry's frizzled crop to wave with a sudden
+gust. He did not see the rose, for it was hidden by a fold of lace;
+and it was well, perhaps, that bliss came by instalments, or he
+might have electrified the assembled multitude by flying to his
+idol, there being no Daisy to clutch him by the coat-tail. A stout
+lady, thirsting for information, seized him at that thrilling moment,
+and he was forced to point out celebrities with a saintly patience
+which deserved a better reward than it received; for a certain
+absence of mind and incoherence of speech at times caused the
+ungrateful dowager to whisper to the first friend she met after he
+had escaped:
+
+'I saw no wine at any of the spreads; but it is plain that young
+Brooke has had too much. Quite gentlemanly, but evidently a trifle
+intoxicated, my dear.'
+
+Ah, so he was! but with a diviner wine than any that ever sparkled
+at a class-day lunch, though many collegians know the taste of it;
+and when the old lady was disposed of, he gladly turned to find the
+young one, bent on having a single word. He saw her standing by
+the piano now, idly turning over music as she talked with several
+gentlemen. Hiding his impatience under an air of scholastic
+repose, Demi hovered near, ready to advance when the happy
+moment came, wondering meantime why elderly persons persisted
+in absorbing young ones instead of sensibly sitting in corners with
+their contemporaries. The elderly persons in question retired at
+length, but only to be replaced by two impetuous youths who
+begged Miss Heath to accompany them to Parnassus and join the
+dance. Demi thirsted for their blood, but was appeased by hearing
+George and Dolly say, as they lingered a moment after her refusal:
+
+'Really, you know, I'm quite converted to co-education and almost
+wish I'd remained here. It gives a grace to study, a sort of relish
+even to Greek to see charming girls at it,' said Stuffy, who found
+the feast of learning so dry, any sauce was welcome; and he felt as
+if he had discovered a new one.
+
+'Yes, by Jove! we fellows will have to look out or you'll carry off
+all the honours. You were superb today, and held us all like magic,
+though it was so hot there, I really think I couldn't have stood it for
+anyone else,' added Dolly, labouring to be gallant and really
+offering a touching proof of devotion; for the heat melted his
+collar, took the curl out of his hair, and ruined his gloves.
+
+'There is room for all; and if you will leave us the books, we will
+cheerfully yield the baseball, boating, dancing, and flirting, which
+seem to be the branches you prefer,' answered Alice sweetly.
+
+'Ah, now you are too hard upon us! We can't grind all the time and
+you ladies don't seem to mind taking a turn at the two latter
+"branches" you mention,' returned Dolly, with a glance at George
+which plainly said, 'I had her there.'
+
+'Some of us do in our first years. Later we give up childish things,
+you see. Don't let me keep you from Parnassus'; and a smiling nod
+dismissed them, smarting under the bitter consciousness of youth.
+
+'You got it there, Doll. Better not try to fence with these superior
+girls. Sure to be routed, horse, foot, and dragoons,' said Stuffy,
+lumbering away, somewhat cross with too many spreads.
+
+'So deuced sarcastic! Don't believe she's much older than we are.
+Girls grow up quicker, so she needn't put on airs and talk like a
+grandmother,' muttered Dolly, feeling that he had sacrificed his
+kids upon the altar of an ungrateful Pallas.
+
+'Come along and let's find something to eat. I'm faint with so much
+talking. Old Plock cornered me and made my head spin with Kant
+and Hegel and that lot.'
+
+'I promised Dora West I'd give her a turn. Must look her up; she's a
+jolly little thing, and doesn't bother about anything but keeping in
+step.'
+
+And arm in arm the boys strolled away, leaving Alice to read
+music as diligently as if society had indeed no charms for her. As
+she bent to turn a page, the eager young man behind the piano saw
+the rose and was struck speechless with delight. A moment he
+gazed, then hastened to seize the coveted place before a new
+detachment of bores arrived.
+
+'Alice, I can't believe it--did you understand--how shall I ever
+thank you?' murmured Demi, bending as if he, too, read the song,
+not a note or word of which did he see, however.
+
+'Hush! not now. I understood--I don't deserve it--we are too young,
+we must wait, but--I'm very proud and happy, John!'
+
+What would have happened after that tender whisper I tremble to
+think, if Tom Bangs had not come bustling up, with the cheerful
+remark:
+
+'Music? just the thing. People are thinning out, and we all want a
+little refreshment. My brain fairly reels with the 'ologies and 'isms
+I've heard discussed tonight. Yes, give us this; sweet thing! Scotch
+songs are always charming.'
+
+Demi glowered; but the obtuse boy never saw it, and Alice, feeling
+that this would be a safe vent for sundry unruly emotions, sat down
+at once, and sang the song which gave her answer better than she
+could have done:
+
+BIDE A WEE
+
+'The puir auld folk at home, ye mind,
+
+Are frail and failing sair;
+
+And weel I ken they'd miss me, lad,
+
+Gin I come hame nae mair.
+
+The grist is out, the times are hard,
+
+The kine are only three;
+
+I canna leave the auld folk now.
+
+We'd better bide a wee.
+
+'I fear me sair they're failing baith;
+
+For when I sit apart,
+
+They talk o' Heaven so earnestly,
+
+It well nigh breaks my heart.
+
+So, laddie, dinna urge me now,
+
+It surely winna be;
+
+I canna leave the auld folk yet.
+
+We'd better bide a wee.'
+
+The room was very still before the first verse ended; and Alice
+skipped the next, fearing she could not get through; for John's eyes
+were on her, showing that he knew she sang for him and let the
+plaintive little ballad tell what her reply must be. He took it as she
+meant it, and smiled at her so happily that her heart got the better
+of her voice, and she rose abruptly, saying something about the
+heat.
+
+'Yes, you are tired; come out and rest, my dearest'; and with a
+masterful air Demi took her into the starlight, leaving Tom to stare
+after them winking as if a sky-rocket had suddenly gone off under
+his nose.
+
+'Bless my soul! the Deacon really meant business last summer and
+never told me. Won't Dora laugh?' And Tom departed in hot haste
+to impart and exult over his discovery.
+
+What was said in the garden was never exactly known; but the
+Brooke family sat up very late that night, and any curious eye at
+the window would have seen Demi receiving the homage of his
+womankind as he told his little romance. Josie took great credit to
+herself in the matter, insisting that she had made the match; Daisy
+was full of the sweetest sympathy and joy, and Mrs Meg so happy
+that when Jo had gone to dream of bridal veils, and Demi sat in his
+room blissfully playing the air of 'Bide a Wee', she had her talk
+about Nat, ending with her arms round her dutiful daughter and
+these welcome words as her reward:
+
+'Wait till Nat comes home, and then my good girl shall wear white
+roses too.'
+Chapter 20 LIFE FOR LIFE
+
+The summer days that followed were full of rest and pleasure for
+young and old, as they did the honours of Plumfield to their happy
+guests. While Franz and Emil were busy with the affairs of Uncle
+Hermann and Captain Hardy, Mary and Ludmilla made friends
+everywhere; for, though very unlike, both were excellent and
+charming girls. Mrs Meg and Daisy found the German bride a
+Hausfrau after their own hearts, and had delightful times learning
+new dishes, hearing about the semi-yearly washes and the splendid
+linen-room at Hamburg, or discussing domestic life in all its
+branches. Ludmilla not only taught, but learned, many things, and
+went home with many new and useful ideas in her blonde head.
+
+Mary had seen so much of the world that she was unusually lively
+for an English girl; while her various accomplishments made her a
+most agreeable companion. Much good sense gave her ballast; and
+the late experiences of danger and happiness added a sweet gravity
+at times, which contrasted well with her natural gaiety. Mrs Jo was
+quite satisfied with Emil's choice, and felt sure this true and tender
+pilot would bring him safe to port through fair or stormy weather.
+She had feared that Franz would settle down into a comfortable,
+moneymaking burgher, and be content with that; but she soon saw
+that his love of music and his placid Ludmilla put much poetry
+into his busy life, and kept it from being too prosaic. So she felt at
+rest about these boys, and enjoyed their visit with real, maternal
+satisfaction; parting with them in September most regretfully, yet
+hopefully, as they sailed away to the new life that lay before them.
+
+Demi's engagement was confided to the immediate family only, as
+both were pronounced too young to do anything but love and wait.
+They were so happy that time seemed to stand still for them, and
+after a blissful week they parted bravely--Alice to home duties,
+with a hope that sustained and cheered her through many trials;
+and John to his business, full of a new ardour which made all
+things possible when such a reward was offered.
+
+Daisy rejoiced over them, and was never tired of hearing her
+brother's plans for the future. Her own hope soon made her what
+she used to be--a cheery, busy creature, with a smile, kind word,
+and helping hand for all; and as she went singing about the house
+again, her mother felt that the right remedy for past sadness had
+been found. The dear Pelican still had doubts and fears, but kept
+them wisely to herself, preparing sundry searching tests to be
+applied when Nat came home, and keeping a sharp eye on the
+letters from London; for some mysterious hint had flown across
+the sea, and Daisy's content seemed reflected in Nat's present
+cheerful state of mind.
+
+Having passed through the Werther period, and tried a little Faust--
+of which experience he spoke to his Marguerite as if it had
+included an acquaintance with Mephistopheles, Blocksburg, and
+Auerbach's wine-cellar--he now felt that he was a Wilhelm
+Meister, serving his apprenticeship to the great masters of life. As
+she knew the truth of his small sins and honest repentance, Daisy
+only smiled at the mixture of love and philosophy he sent her,
+knowing that it was impossible for a young man to live in
+Germany without catching the German spirit.
+
+'His heart is all right; and his head will soon grow clear when he
+gets out of the fog of tobacco, beer, and metaphysics he's been
+living in. England will wake up his common sense, and good salt
+air blow his little follies all away,' said Mrs Jo, much pleased with
+the good prospects of her violinist--whose return was delayed till
+spring, to his private regret, but professional advancement.
+
+Josie had a month with Miss Cameron at the seaside, and threw
+herself so heartily into the lesson given her that her energy,
+promise, and patience laid the foundation of a friendship which
+was of infinite value to her in the busy, brilliant years to come; for
+little Jo's instincts were right; and the dramatic talent of the
+Marches was to blossom by and by into an actress, virtuous, and
+beloved.
+
+Tom and his Dora were peacefully ambling altar-ward; for Bangs
+senior was so afraid his son would change his mind again and try a
+third profession, that he gladly consented to an early marriage, as a
+sort of anchor to hold the mercurial Thomas fast. Aforesaid
+Thomas could not complain of cold shoulders now; for Dora was a
+most devoted and adoring little mate, and made life so pleasant to
+him that his gift for getting into scrapes seemed lost, and he bade
+fair to become a thriving man, with undeniable talent for the
+business he had chosen.
+
+'We shall be married in the autumn, and live with my father for a
+while. The governor is getting on, you know, and my wife and I
+must look after him. Later we shall have an establishment of our
+own,' was a favourite speech of his about this time, and usually
+received with smiles; for the idea of Tommy Bangs at the head of
+an 'establishment' was irresistibly funny to all who knew him.
+
+Things were in this flourishing condition, and Mrs Jo was
+beginning to think her trials were over for that year, when a new
+excitement came. Several postal cards had arrived at long intervals
+from Dan, who gave them 'Care of M. Mason, etc.', as his address.
+By this means he was able to gratify his longing for home news,
+and to send brief messages to quiet their surprise at his delay in
+settling. The last one, which came in September, was dated
+'Montana', and simply said:
+
+Here at last, trying mining again; but not going to stay long. All
+sorts of luck. Gave up the farm idea. Tell plans soon. Well, busy,
+and very happy. D. K.
+
+If they had known what the heavy dash under 'happy' meant, that
+postal would have been a very eloquent bit of pasteboard; for Dan
+was free, and had gone straight away to the liberty he panted for.
+Meeting an old friend by accident, he obliged him at a pinch by
+acting as overseer for a time, finding the society even of rough
+miners very sweet, and something in the muscular work
+wonderfully pleasant, after being cooped up in the brush-shop so
+long. He loved to take a pick and wrestle with rock and earth till
+he was weary--which was very soon; for that year of captivity had
+told upon his splendid physique. He longed to go home, but waited
+week after week to get the prison taint off him and the haggard
+look out of his face. Meanwhile he made friends of masters and
+men; and as no one knew his story, he took his place again in the
+world gratefully and gladly--with little pride now, and no plans but
+to do some good somewhere, and efface the past.
+
+Mrs Jo was having a grand clearing-out of her desk one October
+day, while the rain poured outside, and peace reigned in her
+mansion. Coming across the postals, she pondered over them, and
+then put them carefully away in the drawer labelled 'Boys' Letters',
+saying to herself, as she bundled eleven requests for autographs
+into the waste-paper basket:
+
+'It is quite time for another card, unless he is coming to tell his
+plans. I'm really curious to know what he has been about all this
+year, and how he's getting on now.'
+
+That last wish was granted within an hour; for Ted came rushing
+in, with a newspaper in one hand, a collapsed umbrella in the
+other, and a face full of excitement, announcing, all in one
+breathless jumble:
+
+'Mine caved in--twenty men shut up--no way out--wives crying--
+water rising--Dan knew the old shaft--risked his life--got 'em out
+--most killed--papers full of it--I knew he'd be a hero--hurray for
+old Dan!'
+
+'What? Where? When? Who? Stop roaring, and let me read!'
+commanded his mother, entirely bewildered.
+
+Relinquishing the paper, Ted allowed her to read for herself, with
+frequent interruptions from him--and Rob, who soon followed,
+eager for the tale. It was nothing new; but courage and devotion
+always stir generous hearts, and win admiration; so the account
+was both graphic and enthusiastic; and the name of Daniel Kean,
+the brave man who saved the lives of others at the risk of his own,
+was on many lips that day. Very proud were the faces of these
+friends as they read how their Dan was the only one who, in the
+first panic of the accident, remembered the old shaft that led into
+the mine--walled up, but the only hope of escape, if the men could
+be got out before the rising water drowned them; how he was
+lowered down alone, telling the others to keep back till he saw if it
+was safe; how he heard the poor fellows picking desperately for
+their lives on the other side, and by knocks and calls guided them
+to the right spot; then headed the rescue party, and working like a
+hero, got the men out in time. On being drawn up last of all, the
+worn rope broke, and he had a terrible fall, being much hurt, but
+was still alive. How the grateful women kissed his blackened face
+and bloody hands, as the men bore him away in triumph, and the
+owners of the mine promised a handsome reward, if he lived to
+receive it!
+
+'He must live; he shall, and come home to be nursed as soon as he
+can stir, if I go and bring him myself! I always knew he'd do
+something fine and brave, if he didn't get shot or hung for some
+wild prank instead,' cried Mrs Jo, much excited.
+
+'Do go, and take me with you, Mum. I ought to be the one, Dan's so
+fond of me and I of him,' began Ted, feeling that this would be an
+expedition after his own heart.
+
+Before his mother could reply, Mr Laurie came in, with almost as
+much noise and flurry as Teddy the second, exclaiming as he
+waved the evening paper:
+
+'Seen the news, Jo? What do you think? Shall I go off at once, and
+see after that brave boy?'
+
+'I wish you would. But the thing may not be all true--rumour lies so.
+Perhaps a few hours will bring an entirely new version of the story.'
+
+'I've telephoned to Demi for all he can find out; and if it's true, I'll
+go at once. Should like the trip. If he's able, I'll bring him home; if
+not, I'll stay and see to him. He'll pull through. Dan will never die
+of a fall on his head. He's got nine lives, and not lost half of them
+yet.'
+
+'If you go, uncle, mayn't I go with you? I'm just spoiling for a
+journey; and it would be such larks to go out there with you, and
+see the mines and Dan, and hear all about it, and help. I can nurse.
+Can't I, Rob?' cried Teddy, in his most wheedlesome tones.
+
+'Pretty well. But if mother can't spare you, I'm ready if uncle needs
+anyone,' answered Rob, in his quiet way, looking much fitter for
+the trip than excitable Ted.
+
+'I can't spare either of you. My boys get into trouble, unless I keep
+them close at home. I've no right to hold the others; but I won't let
+you out of my sight, or something will happen. Never saw such a
+year, with wrecks and weddings and floods and engagements, and
+every sort of catastrophe!' exclaimed Mrs Jo.
+
+'If you deal in girls and boys, you must expect this sort of thing,
+ma'am. The worst is over, I hope, till these lads begin to go off.
+Then I'll stand by you; for you'll need every kind of support and
+comfort, specially if Ted bolts early,' laughed Mr Laurie, enjoying
+her lamentations.
+
+'I don't think anything can surprise me now; but I am anxious about
+Dan, and feel that someone had better go to him. It's a rough place
+out there, and he may need careful nursing. Poor lad, he seems to
+get a good many hard knocks! But perhaps he needs them as "a
+mellerin' process", as Hannah used to say.'
+
+'We shall hear from Demi before long, and then I'll be off.' With
+which cheerful promise Mr Laurie departed; and Ted, finding his
+mother firm, soon followed, to coax his uncle to take him.
+
+Further inquiry confirmed and added interest to the news. Mr
+Laurie was off at once; and Ted went into town with him, still
+vainly imploring to be taken to his Dan. He was absent all day; but
+his mother said, calmly:
+
+'Only a fit of the sulks because he is thwarted. He's safe with Tom
+or Demi, and will come home hungry and meek at night. I know
+him.'
+
+But she soon found that she could still be surprised; for evening
+brought no Ted, and no one had seen him. Mr Bhaer was just
+setting off to find his lost son, when a telegram arrived, dated at
+one of the way-stations on Mr Laurie's route:
+
+Found Ted in the cars. Take him along. Write tomorrow.
+
+T.   LAURENCE
+
+'Ted bolted sooner than you expected, mother. Never mind--uncle
+will take good care of him, and Dan be very glad to see him,' said
+Rob, as Mrs Jo sat, trying to realize that her youngest was actually
+on his way to the wild West.
+
+'Disobedient boy! He shall be severely punished, if I ever get him
+again. Laurie winked at this prank; I know he did. Just like him.
+Won't the two rascals have a splendid time? Wish I was with them!
+Don't believe that crazy boy took even a night-gown with him, or
+an overcoat. Well, there will be two patients for us to nurse when
+they get back, if they ever do. Those reckless express trains always
+go down precipices, and burn up, or telescope. Oh! my Ted, my
+precious boy, how can I let him go so far away from me?'
+
+And mother-like, Mrs Jo forgot the threatened chastisement in
+tender lamentations over the happy scapegrace, now whizzing
+across the continent in high feather at the success of his first
+revolt. Mr Laurie was much amused at his insisting that those
+words, 'when Ted bolts', put the idea into his head; and therefore
+the responsibility rested upon his shoulders. He assumed it kindly
+from the moment he came upon the runaway asleep in a car, with
+no visible luggage but a bottle of wine for Dan and a
+blacking-brush for himself; and as Mrs Jo suspected, the 'two
+rascals' did have a splendid time. Penitent letters arrived in due
+season, and the irate parents soon forgot to chide in their anxiety
+about Dan, who was very ill, and did not know his friends for
+several days. Then he began to mend; and everyone forgave the
+bad boy when he proudly reported that the first conscious words
+Dan said were: 'Hallo, Ted!' with a smile of pleasure at seeing a
+familiar face bent over him.
+
+'Glad he went, and I won't scold any more. Now, what shall we put
+in the box for Dan?' And Mrs Jo worked off her impatience to get
+hold of the invalid by sending comforts enough for a hospital.
+
+Cheering accounts soon began to come, and at length Dan was
+pronounced able to travel, but seemed in no haste to go home,
+though never tired of hearing his nurses talk of it.
+
+'Dan is strangely altered,' wrote Laurie to Jo; 'not by this illness
+alone, but by something which has evidently gone before. I don't
+know what, and leave you to ask; but from his ravings when
+delirious I fear he has been in some serious trouble the past year.
+He seems ten years older, but improved, quieter, and so grateful to
+us. It is pathetic to see the hunger in his eyes as they rest on Ted,
+as if he couldn't see enough of him. He says Kansas was a failure,
+but can't talk much; so I bide my time. The people here love him
+very much, and he cares for that sort of thing now; used to scorn
+any show of emotion, you know; now he wants everyone to think
+well of him, and can't do enough to win affection and respect. I
+may be all wrong. You will soon find out. Ted is in clover, and the
+trip has done him a world of good. Let me take him to Europe
+when we go? Apron-strings don't agree with him any better than
+they did with me when I proposed to run away to Washington with
+you some century ago. Aren't you sorry you didn't?'
+
+This private letter set Mrs Jo's lively fancy in a ferment, and she
+imagined every known crime, affliction, and complication which
+could possibly have befallen Dan. He was too feeble to be worried
+with questions now, but she promised herself most interesting
+revelations when she got him safe at home; for the 'firebrand' was
+her most interesting boy. She begged him to come, and spent more
+time in composing a letter that should bring him, than she did over
+the most thrilling episodes in her 'works'.
+
+No one but Dan saw the letter; but it did bring him, and one
+November day Mr Laurie helped a feeble man out of a carriage at
+the door of Plumfield, and Mother Bhaer received the wanderer
+like a recovered son; while Ted, in a disreputable-looking hat and
+an astonishing pair of boots, performed a sort of war-dance round
+the interesting group.
+
+'Right upstairs and rest; I'm nurse now, and this ghost must eat
+before he talks to anyone,' commanded Mrs Jo, trying not to show
+how shocked she was at this shorn and shaven, gaunt and pallid
+shadow of the stalwart man she parted with.
+
+He was quite content to obey, and lay on the long lounge in the
+room prepared for him, looking about as tranquilly as a sick child
+restored to its own nursery and mother's arms, while his new nurse
+fed and refreshed him, bravely controlling the questions that
+burned upon her tongue. Being weak and weary, he soon fell
+asleep; and then she stole away to enjoy the society of the 'rascals',
+whom she scolded and petted, pumped and praised, to her heart's
+content.
+
+'Jo, I think Dan has committed some crime and suffered for it,' said
+Mr Laurie, when Ted had departed to show his boots and tell
+glowing tales of the dangers and delights of the miners' life to his
+mates. 'Some terrible experience has come to the lad, and broken
+his spirit. He was quite out of his head when we arrived, and I took
+the watching, so I heard more of those sad wanderings than anyone
+else. He talked of the "warden", some trail, a dead man, and Blair
+and Mason, and would keep offering me his hand, asking me if I
+would take it and forgive him. Once, when he was very wild, I held
+his arms, and he quieted in a moment, imploring me not to "put the
+handcuffs on". I declare, it was quite awful sometimes to hear him
+in the night talk of old Plum and you, and beg to be let out and go
+home to die.'
+
+'He isn't going to die, but live to repent of anything he may have
+done; so don't harrow me up with these dark hints, Teddy. I don't
+care if he's broken the Ten Commandments, I'll stand by him, and
+so will you, and we'll set him on his feet and make a good man of
+him yet. I know he's not spoilt, by the look in his poor face. Don't
+say a word to anyone, and I'll have the truth before long,' answered
+Mrs Jo, still loyal to her bad boy, though much afflicted by what
+she had heard.
+
+For some days Dan rested, and saw few people; then good care,
+cheerful surroundings, and the comfort of being at home began to
+tell, and he seemed more like himself, though still very silent as to
+his late experiences, pleading the doctor's orders not to talk much.
+Everyone wanted to see him; but he shrank from any but old
+friends, and 'wouldn't lionize worth a cent', Ted said, much
+disappointed that he could not show off his brave Dan.
+
+'Wasn't a man there who wouldn't have done the same, so why
+make a row over me?' asked the hero, feeling more ashamed than
+proud of the broken arm, which looked so interesting in a sling.
+
+'But isn't it pleasant to think that you saved twenty lives, Dan, and
+gave husbands, sons, and fathers back to the women who loved
+them?' asked Mrs Jo one evening as they were alone together after
+several callers had been sent away.
+
+'Pleasant! it's all that kept me alive, I do believe; yes, I'd rather
+have done it than be made president or any other big bug in the
+world. No one knows what a comfort it is to think I've saved
+twenty men to more than pay for--' There Dan stopped short,
+having evidently spoken out of some strong emotion to which his
+hearer had no key.
+
+'I thought you'd feel so. It is a splendid thing to save life at the risk
+of one's own, as you did, and nearly lose it,' began Mrs Jo, wishing
+he had gone on with that impulsive speech which was so like his
+old manner.
+
+'"He that loseth his life shall gain it",' muttered Dan, staring at the
+cheerful fire which lighted the room, and shone on his thin face
+with a ruddy glow.
+
+Mrs Jo was so startled at hearing such words from his lips that she
+exclaimed joyfully:
+
+'Then you did read the little book I gave you, and kept your
+promise?'
+
+'I read it a good deal after a while. I don't know much yet, but I'm
+ready to learn; and that's something.'
+
+'It's everything. Oh, my dear, tell me about it! I know something
+lies heavy on your heart; let me help you bear it, and so make the
+burden lighter.'
+
+'I know it would; I want to tell; but some things even you couldn't
+forgive; and if you let go of me, I'm afraid I can't keep afloat.'
+
+'Mothers can forgive anything! Tell me all, and be sure that I will
+never let you go, though the whole world should turn from you.'
+
+Mrs Jo took one of the big wasted hands in both of hers and held it
+fast, waiting silently till that sustaining touch warmed poor Dan's
+heart, and gave him courage to speak. Sitting in his old attitude,
+with his head in his hands, he slowly told it all, never once looking
+up till the last words left his lips.
+
+'Now you know; can you forgive a murderer, and keep a jail-bird in
+your house?'
+
+Her only answer was to put her arms about him, and lay the shorn
+head on her breast, with eyes so full of tears they could but dimly
+see the hope and fear that made his own so tragical.
+
+That was better than any words; and poor Dan clung to her in
+speechless gratitude, feeling the blessedness of mother love--that
+divine gift which comforts, purifies, and strengthens all who seek
+it. Two or three great, bitter drops were hidden in the little woollen
+shawl where Dan's cheek rested, and no one ever knew how soft
+and comfortable it felt to him after the hard pillows he had known
+so long. Suffering of both mind and body had broken will and
+pride, and the lifted burden brought such a sense of relief that he
+paused a moment to enjoy it in dumb delight.
+
+'My poor boy, how you have suffered all this year, when we
+thought you free as air! Why didn't you tell us, Dan, and let us help
+you? Did you doubt your friends?' asked Mrs Jo, forgetting all
+other emotions in sympathy, as she lifted up the hidden face, and
+looked reproachfully into the great hollow eyes that met her own
+frankly now.
+
+'I was ashamed. I tried to bear it alone rather than shock and
+disappoint you, as I know I have, though you try not to show it.
+Don't mind; I must get used to it'; and Dan's eyes dropped again as
+if they could not bear to see the trouble and dismay his confession
+painted on his best friend's face.
+
+'I am shocked and disappointed by the sin, but I am also very glad
+and proud and grateful that my sinner has repented, atoned, and is
+ready to profit by the bitter lesson. No one but Fritz and Laurie
+need ever know the truth; we owe it to them, and they will feel as I
+do,' answered Mrs Jo, wisely thinking that entire frankness would
+be a better tonic than too much sympathy.
+
+'No, they won't; men never forgive like women. But it's right.
+Please tell 'em for me, and get it over. Mr Laurence knows it, I
+guess. I blabbed when my wits were gone; but he was very kind all
+the same. I can bear their knowing; but oh, not Ted and the girls!'
+Dan clutched her arm with such an imploring face that she
+hastened to assure him no one should know except the two old
+friends, and he calmed down as if ashamed of his sudden panic.
+
+'It wasn't murder, mind you, it was in self-defence; he drew first,
+and I had to hit him. Didn't mean to kill him; but it doesn't worry
+me as much as it ought, I'm afraid. I've more than paid for it, and
+such a rascal is better out of the world than in it, showing boys the
+way to hell. Yes, I know you think that's awful in me; but I can't
+help it. I hate a scamp as I do a skulking coyote, and always want
+to get a shot at 'em. Perhaps it would have been better if he had
+killed me; my life is spoilt.'
+
+All the old prison gloom seemed to settle like a black cloud on
+Dan's face as he spoke, and Mrs Jo was frightened at the glimpse it
+gave her of the fire through which he had passed to come out alive,
+but scarred for life. Hoping to turn his mind to happier things, she
+said cheerfully:
+
+'No, it isn't; you have learned to value it more and use it better for
+this trial. It is not a lost year, but one that may prove the most
+helpful of any you ever know. Try to think so, and begin again; we
+will help, and have all the more confidence in you for this failure.
+We all do the same and struggle on.'
+
+'I never can be what I was. I feel about sixty, and don't care for
+anything now I've got here. Let me stay till I'm on my legs, then I'll
+clear out and never trouble you any more,' said Dan despondently.
+
+'You are weak and low in your mind; that will pass, and by and by
+you will go to your missionary work among the Indians with all the
+old energy and the new patience, self-control, and knowledge you
+have gained. Tell me more about that good chaplain and Mary
+Mason and the lady whose chance word helped you so much. I
+want to know all about the trials of my poor boy.'
+
+Won by her tender interest, Dan brightened up and talked on till he
+had poured out all the story of that bitter year, and felt better for
+the load he lifted off.
+
+If he had known how it weighed upon his hearer's heart, he would
+have held his peace; but she hid her sorrow till she had sent him to
+bed, comforted and calm; then she cried her heart out, to the great
+dismay of Fritz and Laurie, till they heard the tale and could mourn
+with her; after which they all cheered up and took counsel together
+how best to help this worst of all the 'catastrophes' the year had
+brought them.
+
+Chapter 21 ASLAUGA'S KNIGHT
+
+It was curious to see the change which came over Dan after that
+talk. A weight seemed off his mind; and though the old impetuous
+spirit flashed out at times, he seemed intent on trying to show his
+gratitude and love and honour to these true friends by a new
+humility and confidence very sweet to them, very helpful to him.
+After hearing the story from Mrs Jo, the Professor and Mr Laurie
+made no allusion to it beyond the hearty hand-grasp, the look of
+compassion, the brief word of good cheer in which men convey
+sympathy, and a redoubled kindness which left no doubt of pardon.
+Mr Laurie began at once to interest influential persons in Dan's
+mission, and set in motion the machinery which needs so much
+oiling before anything can be done where Government is
+concerned. Mr Bhaer, with the skill of a true teacher, gave Dan's
+hungry mind something to do, and helped him understand himself
+by carrying on the good chaplain's task so paternally that the poor
+fellow often said he felt as if he had found a father. The boys took
+him to drive, and amused him with their pranks and plans; while
+the women, old and young, nursed and petted him till he felt like a
+sultan with a crowd of devoted slaves, obedient to his lightest
+wish. A very little of this was enough for Dan, who had a
+masculine horror of 'molly-coddling', and so brief an acquaintance
+with illness that he rebelled against the doctor's orders to keep
+quiet; and it took all Mrs Jo's authority and the girls' ingenuity to
+keep him from leaving his sofa long before strained back and
+wounded head were well. Daisy cooked for him; Nan attended to
+his medicines; Josie read aloud to while away the long hours of
+inaction that hung so heavily on his hands; while Bess brought all
+her pictures and casts to amuse him, and, at his special desire, set
+up a modelling-stand in his parlour and began to mould the buffalo
+head he gave her. Those afternoons seemed the pleasantest part of
+his day; and Mrs Jo, busy in her study close by, could see the
+friendly trio and enjoy the pretty pictures they made. The girls
+were much flattered by the success of their efforts, and exerted
+themselves to be very entertaining, consulting Dan's moods with
+the feminine tact most women creatures learn before they are out
+of pinafores. When he was gay, the room rang with laughter; when
+gloomy, they read or worked in respectful silence till their sweet
+patience cheered him up again; and when in pain they hovered
+over him like 'a couple of angels', as he said. He often called Josie
+'little mother', but Bess was always 'Princess'; and his manner to
+the two cousins was quite different. Josie sometimes fretted him
+with her fussy ways, the long plays she liked to read, and the
+maternal scoldings she administered when he broke the rules; for
+having a lord of creation in her power was so delightful to her that
+she would have ruled him with a rod of iron if he had submitted.
+To Bess, in her gentler ministrations, he never showed either
+impatience or weariness, but obeyed her least word, exerted
+himself to seem well in her presence, and took such interest in her
+work that he lay looking at her with unwearied eyes; while Josie
+read to him in her best style unheeded.
+
+Mrs Jo observed this, and called them 'Una and the Lion', which
+suited them very well, though the lion's mane was shorn, and Una
+never tried to bridle him. The elder ladies did their part in
+providing delicacies and supplying all his wants; but Mrs Meg was
+busy at home, Mrs Amy preparing for the trip to Europe in the
+spring, and Mrs Jo hovering on the brink of a 'vortex'--for the
+forthcoming book had been sadly delayed by the late domestic
+events. As she sat at her desk, settling papers or meditatively
+nibbling her pen while waiting for the divine afflatus to descend
+upon her, she often forgot her fictitious heroes and heroines in
+studying the live models before her, and thus by chance looks,
+words, and gestures discovered a little romance unsuspected by
+anyone else.
+
+The portiere between the rooms was usually drawn aside, giving a
+view of the group in the large bay-window--Bess at one side, in
+her grey blouse, busy with her tools; Josie at the other side with
+her book; and between, on the long couch, propped with many
+cushions, lay Dan in a many-hued eastern dressing-gown presented
+by Mr Laurie and worn to please the girls, though the invalid much
+preferred an old jacket 'with no confounded tail to bother over'. He
+faced Mrs Jo's room, but never seemed to see her, for his eyes
+were on the slender figure before him, with the pale winter
+sunshine touching her golden head, and the delicate hands that
+shaped the clay so deftly. Josie was just visible, rocking violently
+in a little chair at the head of the couch, and the steady murmur of
+her girlish voice was usually the only sound that broke the quiet of
+the room, unless a sudden discussion arose about the book or the
+buffalo.
+
+Something in the big eyes, bigger and blacker than ever in the thin
+white face, fixed, so steadily on one object, had a sort of
+fascination for Mrs Jo after a time, and she watched the changes in
+them curiously; for Dan's mind was evidently not on the story, and
+he often forgot to laugh or exclaim at the comic or exciting crises.
+Sometimes they were soft and wistful, and the watcher was very
+glad that neither damsel caught that dangerous look for when they
+spoke it vanished; sometimes it was full of eager fire, and the
+colour came and went rebelliously, in spite of his attempt to hide it
+with an impatient gesture of hand or head; but oftenest it was dark,
+and sad, and stern, as if those gloomy eyes looked out of captivity
+at some forbidden light or joy. This expression came so often that
+it worried Mrs Jo, and she longed to go and ask him what bitter
+memory overshadowed those quiet hours. She knew that his crime
+and its punishment must lie heavy on his mind; but youth, and
+time, and new hopes would bring comfort, and help to wear away
+the first sharpness of the prison brand. It lifted at other times, and
+seemed almost forgotten when he joked with the boys, talked with
+old friends, or enjoyed the first snows as he drove out every fair
+day. Why should the shadow always fall so darkly on him in the
+society of these innocent and friendly girls? They never seemed to
+see it, and if either looked or spoke, a quick smile came like a
+sunburst through the clouds to answer them. So Mrs Jo went on
+watching, wondering, and discovering, till accident confirmed her
+fears.
+
+Josie was called away one day, and Bess, tired of working, offered
+to take her place if he cared for more reading.
+
+'I do; your reading suits me better than Jo's. She goes so fast my
+stupid head gets in a muddle and soon begins to ache. Don't tell
+her; she's a dear little soul, and so good to sit here with a bear like
+me.'
+
+The smile was ready as Bess went to the table for a new book, the
+last story being finished.
+
+'You are not a bear, but very good and patient, we think. It is
+always hard for a man to be shut up, mamma says, and must be
+terrible for you, who have always been so free.'
+
+If Bess had not been reading titles she would have seen Dan shrink
+as if her last words hurt him. He made no answer; but other eyes
+saw and understood why he looked as if he would have liked to
+spring up and rush away for one of his long races up the hill, as he
+used to do when the longing for liberty grew uncontrollable.
+Moved by a sudden impulse, Mrs Jo caught up her work-basket and 
+went to join her neighbours, feeling that a non-conductor might be
+needed; for Dan looked like a thundercloud full of electricity.
+
+'What shall we read, Aunty? Dan doesn't seem to care. You know
+his taste; tell me something quiet and pleasant and short. Josie will
+be back soon,' said Bess, still turning over the books piled on the
+centre-table.
+
+Before Mrs Jo could answer, Dan pulled a shabby little volume
+from under his pillow, and handing it to her said: 'Please read the
+third one; it's short and pretty--I'm fond of it.' The book opened at
+the right place, as if the third story had been often read, and Bess
+smiled as she saw the name.
+
+'Why, Dan, I shouldn't think you'd care for this romantic German
+tale. There is fighting in it; but it is very sentimental, if I remember
+rightly.'
+
+'I know it; but I've read so few stories, I like the simple ones best.
+Had nothing else to read sometimes; I guess I know it all by heart,
+and never seem to be tired of those fighting fellows, and the fiends
+and angels and lovely ladies. You read "Aslauga's Knight", and see
+if you don't like it. Edwald was rather too soft for my fancy; but
+Froda was first-rate and the spirit with the golden hair always
+reminded me of you.'
+
+As Dan spoke Mrs Jo settled herself where she could watch him in
+the glass, and Bess took a large chair facing him, saying, as she put
+up her hands to retie the ribbon that held the cluster of thick, soft
+curls at the back of her head:
+
+'I hope Aslauga's hair wasn't as troublesome as mine, for it's always
+tumbling down. I'll be ready in a minute.'
+
+'Don't tie it up; please let it hang. I love to see it shine that way. 
+It will rest your head, and be just right for the story, Goldilocks,'
+pleaded Dan, using the childish name and looking more like his
+boyish self than he had done for many a day.
+
+Bess laughed, shook down her pretty hair, and began to read, glad
+to hide her face a little; for compliments made her shy, no matter
+who paid them. Dan listened intently on; and Mrs Jo, with eyes
+that went often from her needle to the glass, could see, without
+turning, how he enjoyed every word as if it had more meaning for
+him than for the other listeners. His face brightened wonderfully,
+and soon wore the look that came when anything brave or
+beautiful inspired and touched his better self. It was Fouqu�'s
+charming story of the knight Froda, and the fair daughter of
+Sigurd, who was a sort of spirit, appearing to her lover in hours of
+danger and trial, as well as triumph and joy, till she became his
+guide and guard, inspiring him with courage, nobleness, and truth,
+leading him to great deeds in the field, sacrifices for those he
+loved, and victories over himself by the gleaming of her golden
+hair, which shone on him in battle, dreams, and perils by day and
+night, till after death he finds the lovely spirit waiting to receive
+and to reward him.
+
+Of all the stories in the book this was the last one would have
+supposed Dan would like best, and even Mrs Jo was surprised at
+his perceiving the moral of the tale through the delicate imagery
+and romantic language by which it was illustrated. But as she
+looked and listened she remembered the streak of sentiment and
+refinement which lay concealed in Dan like the gold vein in a
+rock, making him quick to feel and to enjoy fine colour in a
+flower, grace in an animal, sweetness in women, heroism in men,
+and all the tender ties that bind heart to heart; though he was slow
+to show it, having no words to express the tastes and instincts
+which he inherited from his mother. Suffering of soul and body
+had tamed his stronger passions, and the atmosphere of love and
+pity now surrounding him purified and warmed his heart till it
+began to hunger for the food neglected or denied so long. This was
+plainly written in his too expressive face, as, fancying it unseen, he
+let it tell the longing after beauty, peace, and happiness embodied
+for him in the innocent fair girl before him.
+
+The conviction of this sad yet natural fact came to Mrs Jo with a
+pang, for she felt how utterly hopeless such a longing was; since
+light and darkness were not farther apart than snow-white Bess and
+sin-stained Dan. No dream of such a thing disturbed the young girl,
+as her entire unconsciousness plainly showed. But how long would
+it be before the eloquent eyes betrayed the truth? And then what
+disappointment for Dan, what dismay for Bess, who was as cool
+and high and pure as her own marbles, and shunned all thought of
+love with maidenly reserve.
+
+'How hard everything is made for my poor boy! How can I spoil his
+little dream, and take away the spirit of good he is beginning to
+love and long for? When my own dear lads are safely settled I'll
+never try another, for these things are heart-breaking, and I can't
+manage any more,' thought Mrs Jo, as she put the lining into
+Teddy's coat-sleeve upside down, so perplexed and grieved was
+she at this new catastrophe.
+
+The story was soon done, and as Bess shook back her hair, Dan
+asked as eagerly as a boy:
+
+'Don't you like it?'
+
+'Yes, it's very pretty, and I see the meaning of it; but Undine was
+always my favourite.'
+
+'Of course, that's like you--lilies and pearls and souls and pure
+water. Sintram used to be mine; but I took a fancy to this when I
+was--ahem--rather down on my luck one time, and it did me good,
+it was so cheerful and sort of spiritual in its meaning, you know.'
+
+Bess opened her blue eyes in wonder at this fancy of
+Dan's for anything 'spiritual'; but she only nodded, saying: 'Some of
+the little songs are sweet and might be set to music.'
+
+Dan laughed; 'I used to sing the last one to a tune of my own
+sometimes at sunset:
+
+'"Listening to celestial lays,
+Bending thy unclouded gaze
+On the pure and living light,
+Thou art blest, Aslauga's Knight!"
+
+And I was,' he added, under his breath, as he glanced towards the
+sunshine dancing on the wall.
+
+'This one suits you better now'; and glad to please him by her
+interest, Bess read in her soft voice:
+
+'"Healfast, healfast, ye hero wounds;
+O knight, be quickly strong! 
+Beloved strife
+For fame and life,
+Oh, tarry not too long!"'
+
+'I'm no hero, never can be, and "fame and life" can't do much for
+me. Never mind, read me that paper, please. This knock on the
+head has made a regular fool of me.'
+
+Dan's voice was gentle; but the light was gone out of his face now,
+and he moved restlessly as if the silken pillows were full of thorns.
+Seeing that his mood had changed, Bess quietly put down the
+book, took up the paper, and glanced along the columns for
+something to suit him.
+
+'You don't care for the money market, I know, nor musical news.
+Here's a murder; you used to like those; shall I read it? One man
+kills another--,'
+
+'No!'
+
+Only a word, but it gave Mrs Jo a thrill, and for a moment she
+dared not glance at the tell-tale mirror. When she did Dan lay
+motionless with one hand over his eyes, and Bess was happily
+reading the art news to ears that never heard a word. Feeling like a
+thief who has stolen something very precious, Mrs Jo slipped away
+to her study, and before long Bess followed to report that Dan was
+fast asleep.
+
+Sending her home, with the firm resolve to keep her there as much
+as possible, Mother Bhaer had an hour of serious thought all alone
+in the red sunset; and when a sound in the next room led her there,
+she found that the feigned sleep had become real repose; for Dan
+lay breathing heavily, with a scarlet spot on either cheek, and one
+hand clinched on his broad breast. Yearning over him with a
+deeper pity than ever before, she sat in the little chair beside him,
+trying to see her way out of this tangle, till his hand slipped down,
+and in doing so snapped a cord he wore about his neck and let a
+small case drop to the floor.
+
+Mrs Jo picked it up, and as he did not wake, sat looking at it, idly
+wondering what charm it held; for the case was of Indian
+workmanship and the broken cord, of closely woven grass, sweet
+scented and pale yellow.
+
+'I won't pry into any more of the poor fellow's secrets. I'll mend and
+put it back, and never let him know I've seen his talisman.'
+
+As she spoke she turned the little wallet to examine the fracture,
+and a card fell into her lap. It was a photograph, cut to fit its
+covering, and two words were written underneath the face, 'My
+Aslauga'. For an instant Mrs Jo fancied that it might be one of
+herself, for all the boys had them; but as the thin paper fell away,
+she saw the picture Demi took of Bess that happy summer day.
+There was no doubt now, and with a sigh she put it back, and was
+about to slip it into Dan's bosom so that not even a stitch should
+betray her knowledge, when as she leaned towards him, she saw
+that he was looking straight at her with an expression that
+surprised her more than any of the strange ones she had ever seen
+in that changeful face before.
+
+'Your hand slipped down; it fell; I was putting it back,' explained
+Mrs Jo, feeling like a naughty child caught in mischief.
+
+'You saw the picture?'
+
+'Yes.'
+
+'And know what a fool I am?'
+
+'Yes, Dan, and am so grieved--'
+
+'Don't worry about me. I'm all right--glad you know, though I never
+meant to tell you. Of course it is only a crazy fancy of mine, and
+nothing can ever come of it. Never thought there would. Good
+Lord! what could that little angel ever be to me but what she is--a
+sort of dream of all that's sweet and good?'
+
+More afflicted by the quiet resignation of his look and tone than by
+the most passionate ardour, Mrs Jo could only say, with a face full
+of sympathy:
+
+'It is very hard, dear, but there is no other way to look at it. You are
+wise and brave enough to see that, and to let the secret be ours
+alone.'
+
+'I swear I will! not a word nor a look if I can help it. No one
+guesses, and if it troubles no one, is there any harm in my keeping
+this, and taking comfort in the pretty fancy that kept me sane in
+that cursed place?'
+
+Dan's face was eager now, and he hid away the little worn case as
+if defying any hand to take it from him. Anxious to know
+everything before giving counsel or comfort, Mrs Jo said quietly:
+
+'Keep it, and tell me all about the "fancy". Since I have stumbled
+on your secret, let me know how it came, and how I can help to
+make it lighter to bear.'
+
+'You'll laugh; but I don't mind. You always did find out our secrets
+and give us a lift. Well, I never cared much for books, you know;
+but down yonder when the devil tormented me I had to do
+something or go stark mad, so I read both the books you gave me.
+One was beyond me, till that good old man showed me how to
+read it; but the other, this one, was a comfort, I tell you. It amused
+me, and was as pretty as poetry. I liked 'em all, and most wore out
+Sintram. See how used up he is! Then I came to this, and it sort of
+fitted that other happy part of my life, last summer--here.'
+
+Dan stopped a moment as the words lingered on his lips; then,
+with a long breath, went on, as if it was hard to lay bare the foolish
+little romance he had woven about a girl, a picture, and a child's
+story there in the darkness of the place which was as terrible to
+him as Dante's Inferno, till he found his Beatrice.
+
+'I couldn't sleep, and had to think about something, so I used to
+fancy I was Folko, and see the shining of Aslauga's hair in the
+sunset on the wall, the gum of the watchman's lamp, and the light
+that came in at dawn. My cell was high. I could see a bit of sky;
+sometimes there was a star in it, and that was most as good as a
+face. I set great store by that patch of blue, and when a white cloud
+went by, I thought it was the prettiest thing in all this world. I
+guess I was pretty near a fool; but those thoughts and things helped
+me through, so they are all solemn true to me, and I can't let them
+go. The dear shiny head, the white gown, the eyes like stars, and
+sweet, calm ways that set her as high above me as the moon in
+heaven. Don't take it away! it's only a fancy, but a man must love
+something, and I'd better love a spirit like her than any of the poor
+common girls who would care for me.'
+
+The quiet despair in Dan's voice pierced Mrs Jo to the heart; but
+there was no hope and she gave none. Yet she felt that he was
+right, and that his hapless affection might do more to uplift and
+purify him than any other he might know. Few women would care
+to marry Dan now, except such as would hinder, not help, him in
+the struggle which life would always be to him; and it was better to
+go solitary to his grave than become what she suspected his father
+had been--a handsome, unprincipled, and dangerous man, with
+more than one broken heart to answer for.
+
+'Yes, Dan, it is wise to keep this innocent fancy, if it helps and
+comforts you, till something more real and possible comes to make
+you happier. I wish I could give you any hope; but we both know
+that the dear child is the apple of her father's eye, the pride of her
+mother's heart, and that the most perfect lover they can find will
+hardly seem to them worthy of their precious daughter. Let her
+remain for you the high, bright star that leads you up and makes
+you believe in heaven.' Mrs Jo broke down there; it seemed so
+cruel to destroy the faint hope Dan's eyes betrayed, that she could
+not moralize when she thought of his hard life and lonely future.
+Perhaps it was the wisest thing she could have done, for in her
+hearty sympathy he found comfort for his own loss, and very soon
+was able to speak again in the manly tone of resignation to the
+inevitable that showed how honest was his effort to give up
+everything but the pale shadow of what, for another, might have
+been a happy possibility.
+
+They talked long and earnestly in the twilight; and this second
+secret bound them closer than the first; for in it there was neither
+sin nor shame--only the tender pain and patience which has made
+saints and heroes of far worse men than our poor Dan. When at
+length they rose at the summons of a bell, all the sunset glory had
+departed, and in the wintry sky there hung one star, large, soft, and
+clear, above a snowy world. Pausing at the window before she
+dropped the curtains, Mrs Jo said cheerfully:
+
+'Come and see how beautiful the evening star is, since you love it
+so.' And as he stood behind her, tall and pale, like the ghost of his
+former self, she added softly: 'And remember, dear, if the sweet
+girl is denied you, the old friend is always here-to love and trust
+and pray for you.'
+
+This time she was not disappointed; and had she asked any reward
+for many anxieties and cares, she received it when Dan's strong
+arm came round her, as he said, in a voice which showed her that
+she had not laboured in vain to pluck her firebrand from the
+burning:
+
+'I never can forget that; for she's helped to save my soul, and make
+me dare to look u.p there and say:
+
+"God bless her!"'
+
+Chapter 22 POSITIVELY LAST APPEARANCE
+
+'Upon my word, I feel as if I lived in a powder-magazine, and don't
+know which barrel will explode next, and send me flying,' said
+Mrs Jo to herself next day, as she trudged up to Parnassus to
+suggest to her sister that perhaps the most charming of the young
+nurses had better return to her marble gods before she
+unconsciously added another wound to those already won by the
+human hero. She told no secrets; but a hint was sufficient; for Mrs
+Amy guarded her daughter as a pearl of great price, and at once
+devised a very simple means of escape from danger. Mr Laurie
+was going to Washington on Dan's behalf, and was delighted to
+take his family with him when the idea was carelessly suggested.
+So the conspiracy succeeded finely; and Mrs Jo went home,
+feeling more like a traitor than ever. She expected an explosion;
+but Dan took the news so quietly, it was plain that he cherished no
+hope; and Mrs Amy was sure her romantic sister had been
+mistaken. If she had seen Dan's face when Bess went to say
+good-bye, her maternal eye would have discovered far more than
+the unconscious girl did. Mrs Jo trembled lest he should betray
+himself; but he had learned self-control in a stern school, and
+would have got through the hard moment bravely, only, when he
+took both hands, saying heartily:
+
+'Good-bye, Princess. If we don't meet again, remember your old
+friend Dan sometimes,' she, touched by his late danger and the
+wistful look he wore, answered with unusual warmth: 'How can I
+help it, when you make us all so proud of you? God bless your
+mission, and bring you safely home to us again!'
+
+As she looked up at him with a face full of frank affection and
+sweet regret, all that he was losing rose so vividly before him that
+Dan could not resist the impulse to take the 'dear goldy head'
+between his hands and kiss it, with a broken 'Good-bye'; then
+hurried back to his room, feeling as if it were the prison-cell again,
+with no glimpse of heaven's blue to comfort him.
+
+This abrupt caress and departure rather startled Bess; for she felt
+with a girl's quick instinct that there was something in that kiss
+unknown before, and looked after him with sudden colour in her
+cheeks and new trouble in her eyes. Mrs Jo saw it, and fearing a
+very natural question answered it before it was put.
+
+'Forgive him, Bess. He has had a great trouble, and it makes him
+tender at parting with old friends; for you know he may never
+come back from the wild world he is going to.'
+
+'You mean the fall and danger of death?' asked Bess, innocently.
+
+'No, dear; a greater trouble than that. But I cannot tell you any
+more--except that he has come through it bravely; so you may trust
+and respect him, as I do.'
+
+'He has lost someone he loved. Poor Dan! We must be very kind to
+him.'
+
+Bess did not ask the question, but seemed content with her solution
+of the mystery--which was so true that Mrs Jo confirmed it by a
+nod, and let her go away believing that some tender loss and
+sorrow wrought the great change all saw in Dan, and made him so
+slow to speak concerning the past year.
+
+But Ted was less easily satisfied, and this unusual reticence
+goaded him to desperation. His mother had warned him not to
+trouble Dan with questions till he was quite well; but this prospect
+of approaching departure made him resolve to have a full, clear,
+and satisfactory account of the adventures which he felt sure must
+have been thrilling, from stray words Dan let fall in his fever. so
+one day when the coast was clear, Master Ted volunteered to
+amuse the invalid, and did so in the following manner:
+
+'Look here, old boy, if you don't want me to read, you've got to
+talk, and tell me all about Kansas, and the farms, and that part. The
+Montana business I know, but you seem to forget what went
+before. Brace up, and let's have it,' he began, with an abruptness
+which roused Dan from a brown study most effectually.
+
+'No, I don't forget; it isn't interesting to anyone but myself. I didn't
+see any farms--gave it up,' he said slowly.
+
+'Why?'
+
+'Other things to do.'
+
+'What?'
+
+'Well, brush-making for one thing.'
+
+'Don't chaff a fellow. Tell true.'
+
+'I truly did.'
+
+'What for?'
+
+'To keep out of mischief, as much as anything.'
+
+'Well, of all the queer things--and you've done a lot--that's the
+queerest,' cried Ted, taken aback at this disappointing discovery.
+But he didn't mean to give up yet, and began again.
+
+'What mischief, Dan?'
+
+'Never you mind. Boys shouldn't bother.'
+
+'But I do want to know, awfully, because I'm your pal, and care for
+you no end. Always did. Come, now, tell me a good yarn. I love
+scrapes. I'll be mum as an oyster if you don't want it known.'
+
+'Will you?' and Dan looked at him, wondering how the boyish face
+would change if the truth were suddenly told him.
+
+'I'll swear it on locked fists, if you like. I know it was jolly, and I'm
+aching to hear.'
+
+'You are as curious as a girl. More than some--Josie and--and Bess
+never asked a question.'
+
+'They don't care about rows and things; they liked the mine
+business, heroes, and that sort. So do I, and I'm as proud as Punch
+over it; but I see by your eyes that there was something else before
+that, and I'm bound to find out who Blair and Mason are, and who
+was hit and who ran away, and all the rest of it.'
+
+'What!' cried Dan, in a tone that made Ted jump.
+
+'Well, you used to mutter about 'em in your sleep, and Uncle
+Laurie wondered. So did I; but don't mind, if you can't remember,
+or would rather not.'
+
+'What else did I say? Queer, what stuff a man will talk when his
+wits are gone.'
+
+'That's all I heard; but it seemed interesting, and I just mentioned
+it, thinking it might refresh your memory a bit,' said Teddy, very
+politely; for Dan's frown was heavy at that moment.
+
+It cleared off at this reply, and after a look at the boy squirming
+with suppressed impatience in his chair, Dan made up his mind to
+amuse him with a game of cross-purposes and half-truths, hoping
+to quench his curiosity, and so get peace.
+
+'Let me see; Blair was a lad I met in the cars, and Mason a poor
+fellow who was in a--well, a sort of hospital where I happened to
+be. Blair ran off to his brothers, and I suppose I might say Mason
+was hit, because he died there. Does that suit you?'
+
+'No, it doesn't. Why did Blair run? and who hit the other fellow?
+I'm sure there was a fight somewhere, wasn't there?'
+
+'Yes!
+
+'I guess I know what it was about.'
+
+'The devil, you do! Let's hear you guess. Must be amusing,' said
+Dan, affecting an ease he did not feel.
+
+Charmed to be allowed to free his mind, Ted at once unfolded the
+boyish solution of the mystery which he had been cherishing, for
+he felt that there was one somewhere.
+
+'You needn't say yes, if I guess right and you are under oath to keep
+silent. I shall know by your face, and never tell. Now see if I'm not
+right. Out there they have wild doings, and it's my belief you were
+in some of 'em. I don't mean robbing mails, and KluKluxing, and that
+sort of thing; but defending the settlers, or hanging some scamp, or
+even shooting a few, as a fellow must sometimes, in self-defence.
+Ah, ha! I've hit it, I see. Needn't speak; I know the flash of your old
+eye, and the clench of your big fist.' And Ted pranced with
+satisfaction.
+
+'Drive on, smart boy, and don't lose the trail,' said Dan, finding a
+curious sense of comfort in some of these random words, and
+longing, but not daring, to confirm the true ones. He might have
+confessed the crime, but not the punishment that followed, the
+sense of its disgrace was still so strong upon him.
+
+'I knew I should get it; can't deceive me long,'
+began Ted, with such an air of pride Dan could not help a short
+laugh.
+
+'It's a relief, isn't it, to have it off your mind? Now, just confide in
+me and it's all safe, unless you've sworn not to tell.'
+
+'I have.'
+
+'Oh, well, then don't'; and Ted's face fell, but he was himself again
+in a moment and said, with the air of a man of the world: 'It's all
+right--I understand--honour binds--silence to death, etc. Glad you
+stood by your mate in the hospital. How many did you kill?'
+
+'Only one.'
+
+'Bad lot, of course?'
+
+'A damned rascal.'
+
+'Well, don't look so fierce; I've no objection. Wouldn't mind
+popping at some of those bloodthirsty blackguards myself. Had to
+dodge and keep quiet after it, I suppose.'
+
+'Pretty quiet for a long spell.'
+
+'Got off all right in the end, and headed for your mines and did that
+jolly brave thing. Now, I call that decidedly interesting and capital.
+I'm glad to know it; but I won't blab.'
+
+'Mind you don't. Look here. Ted, if you'd killed a man, would it
+trouble you--a bad one, I mean?'
+
+The lad opened his mouth to say, 'Not a bit,' but checked that
+answer as if something in Dan's face made him change his mind.
+'Well, if it was my duty in war or self-defence, I suppose I
+shouldn't; but if I'd pitched into him in a rage, I guess I should be
+very sorry. Shouldn't wonder if he sort of haunted me, and remorse
+gnawed me as it did Aram and those fellows. You don't mind, do
+you? It was a fair fight, wasn't it?'
+
+'Yes, I was in the right; but I wish I'd been out of it. Women don't
+see it that way, and look horrified at such things. Makes it hard;
+but it don't matter.'
+
+'Don't tell 'em; then they can't worry,' said Ted, with the nod of one
+versed in the management of the sex.
+
+'Don't intend to. Mind you keep your notions to yourself, for some
+of 'em are wide of the mark. Now you may read if you like'; and
+there the talk ended; but Ted took great comfort in it, and looked
+as wise as an owl afterwards.
+
+A few quiet weeks followed, during which Dan chafed at the
+delay; and when at length word came that his credentials were
+ready, he was eager to be off, to forget a vain love in hard work,
+and live for others, since he might not for himself.
+
+So one wild March morning our Sintram rode away, with horse
+and hound, to face again the enemies who would have conquered
+him, but for Heaven's help and human pity.
+
+'Ah, me! it does seem as if life was made of partings, and they get
+harder as we go on,' sighed Mrs Jo, a week later, as she sat in the
+long parlour at Parnassus one evening, whither the family had gone
+to welcome the travellers back.
+
+'And meetings too, dear; for here we are, and Nat is on his way at
+last. Look for the silver lining, as Marmee used to say, and be
+comforted,' answered Mrs Amy, glad to be at home and find no
+wolves prowling near her sheepfold.
+
+'I've been so worried lately, I can't help croaking. I wonder what
+Dan thought at not seeing you again? It was wise; but he would
+have enjoyed another look at home faces before he went into the
+wilderness,' said Mrs Jo regretfully.
+
+'Much better so. We left notes and all we could think of that he
+might need, and slipped away before he came. Bess really seemed
+relieved; I'm sure I was'; and Mrs Amy smoothed an anxious line
+out of her white forehead, as she smiled at her daughter, laughing
+happily among her cousins.
+
+Mrs Jo shook her head as if the silver lining of that cloud was hard
+to find; but she had no time to croak again, for just then Mr Laurie 
+came in looking well pleased at something.
+
+'A new picture has arrived; face towards the music-room, good
+people, and tell me how you like it. I call it "Only a fiddler", after
+Andersen's story. What name will you give it?'
+
+As he spoke he threw open the wide doors, and just beyond they
+saw a young man standing, with a beaming face, and a violin in his
+hand. There was no doubt about the name to this picture, and with
+the cry 'Nat! Nat!' there was a general uprising. But Daisy reached
+him first, and seemed to have lost her usual composure somewhere on 
+the way, for she clung to him, sobbing with the shock of a surprise 
+and joy too great for her to bear quietly. Everything was settled by 
+that tearful and tender embrace, for, though Mrs Meg speedily
+detached her daughter, it was only to take her place; while Demi
+shook Nat's hand with brotherly warmth, and Josie danced round
+them like Macbeth's three witches in one, chanting in her most
+tragic tones:
+
+'Chirper thou wast; second violin thou art; first thou shalt be. Hail,
+all hail!'
+
+This caused a laugh, and made things gay and comfortable at once.
+Then the usual fire of questions and answers began, to be kept up
+briskly while the boys admired Nat's blond beard and foreign
+clothes, the girls his improved appearance--for he was ruddy with
+good English beef and beer, and fresh with the sea-breezes which
+had blown him swiftly home--and the older folk rejoiced over his
+prospects. Of course all wanted to hear him play; and when
+tongues tired, he gladly did his best for them, surprising the most
+critical by his progress in music even more than by the energy and
+self-possession which made a new man of bashful Nat. By and by
+when the violin--that most human of all instruments--had sung to
+them the loveliest songs without words, he said, looking about him
+at these old friends with what Mr Bhaer called a 'feeling-full'
+expression of happiness and content:
+
+'Now let me play something that you will all remember though you
+won't love it as I do'; and standing in the attitude which Ole Bull
+has immortalized, he played the street melody he gave them the
+first night he came to Plumfield. They remembered it, and joined
+in the plaintive chorus, which fitly expressed his own emotions:
+
+'Oh my heart is sad and weary
+Everywhere I roam,
+Longing for the old plantation
+And for the old folks at home.'
+
+'Now I feel better,' said Mrs Jo, as they all trooped down the hill
+soon after. 'Some of our boys are failures, but I think this one is
+going to be a success, and patient Daisy a happy girl at last. Nat is
+your work, Fritz, and I congratulate you heartily.'
+
+'Ach, we can but sow the seed and trust that it falls on good
+ground. I planted, perhaps, but you watched that the fowls of the
+air did not devour it, and brother Laurie watered generously; so we
+will share the harvest among us, and be glad even for a small one,
+heart's-dearest.'
+
+'I thought the seed had fallen on very stony ground with my poor
+Dan; but I shall not be surprised if he surpasses all the rest in the
+real success of life, since there is more rejoicing over one
+repentant sinner than many saints,' answered Mrs Jo, still clinging
+fast to her black sheep although a whole flock of white ones
+trotted happily before her.
+
+It is a strong temptation to the weary historian to close the present
+tale with an earthquake which should engulf Plumfield and its
+environs so deeply in the bowels of the earth that no youthful
+Schliemann could ever find a vestige of it. But as that somewhat
+melodramatic conclusion might shock my gentle readers, I will
+refrain, and forestall the usual question, 'How did they end?' by
+briefly stating that all the marriages turned out well. The boys
+prospered in their various callings; so did the girls, for Bess and
+Josie won honours in their artistic careers, and in the course of
+time found worthy mates. Nan remained a busy, cheerful,
+independent spinster, and dedicated her life to her suffering sisters
+and their children, in which true woman's work she found abiding
+happiness. Dan never married, but lived, bravely and usefully,
+among his chosen people till he was shot defending them, and at
+last lay quietly asleep in the green wilderness he loved so well,
+with a lock of golden hair upon his breast, and a smile on his face
+which seemed to say that Aslauga's Knight had fought his last fight
+and was at peace. Stuffy became an alderman, and died suddenly
+of apoplexy after a public dinner. Dolly was a society man of mark
+till he lost his money, when he found congenial employment in a
+fashionable tailoring establishment. Demi became a partner, and
+lived to see his name above the door, and Rob was a professor at
+Laurence College; but Teddy eclipsed them all by becoming an
+eloquent and famous clergyman, to the great delight of his
+astonished mother. And now, having endeavoured to suit everyone
+by many weddings, few deaths, and as much prosperity as the
+eternal fitness of things will permit, let the music stop, the lights
+die out, and the curtain fall for ever on the March family.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of The Project Gutenberg Etext of Jo's Boys, by Louisa May Alcott
+
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+*The Project Gutenberg Etext of Jo's Boys, by Louisa May Alcott*
+#8 in our series by Louisa M. Alcott
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+Title: Jo's Boys
+
+Author:  Louisa May Alcott
+
+Official Release Date: October, 2002  [Etext #3499]
+[Yes, we are about one year ahead of schedule]
+[The actual date this eText first posted = 04/30/01]
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+
+
+
+
+Edition 11 produced by the Project Gutenberg Alcott Team,
+who managed this new edition in less than one week from the
+date it was requested by one of our readers on the eBook list.
+This version 12 corrects some minor errata, and improves the layout.
+
+
+
+
+Jo's Boys
+
+by Louisa M. Alcott
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 1    Ten Years Later
+Chapter 2    Parnassus
+Chapter 3    Jo's Last Scrape
+Chapter 4    Dan
+Chapter 5    Vacation
+Chapter 6    Last Words
+Chapter 7    The Lion and the Lamb
+Chapter 8    Josie Plays Mermaid
+Chapter 9    The Worm Turns
+Chapter 10   Demi Settles
+Chapter 11   Emil's Thanksgiving
+Chapter 12   Dan's Christmas
+Chapter 13   Nat's New Year
+Chapter 14   Plays at Plumfield
+Chapter 15   Waiting
+Chapter 16   In the Tennis-court
+Chapter 17   Among the Maids
+Chapter 18   Class Day
+Chapter 19   White Roses
+Chapter 20   Life for Life
+Chapter 21   Aslauga's Knight
+Chapter 22   Positively Last Appearance
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 1 
+
+TEN YEARS LATER
+
+'If anyone had told me what wonderful changes were to take place here
+in ten years, I wouldn't have believed it,' said Mrs Jo to Mrs Meg,
+as they sat on the piazza at Plumfield one summer day, looking about
+them with faces full of pride and pleasure.
+
+'This is the sort of magic that money and kind hearts can work. I am
+sure Mr Laurence could have no nobler monument than the college he so
+generously endowed; and a home like this will keep Aunt March's
+memory green as long as it lasts,' answered Mrs Meg, always glad to
+praise the absent.
+
+'We used to believe in fairies, you remember, and plan what we'd ask
+for if we could have three wishes. Doesn't it seem as if mine had
+been really granted at last? Money, fame, and plenty of the work I
+love,' said Mrs Jo, carelessly rumpling up her hair as she clasped
+her hands over her head just as she used to do when a girl.
+
+'I have had mine, and Amy is enjoying hers to her heart's content.
+If dear Marmee, John, and Beth were here, it would be quite perfect,'
+added Meg, with a tender quiver in her voice; for Marmee's place was
+empty now.
+
+Jo put her hand on her sister's, and both sat silent for a little
+while, surveying the pleasant scene before them with mingled sad and
+happy thoughts.
+
+It certainly did look as if magic had been at work, for quiet
+Plumfield was transformed into a busy little world. The house seemed
+more hospitable than ever, refreshed now with new paint, added wings,
+well-kept lawn and garden, and a prosperous air it had not worn when
+riotous boys swarmed everywhere and it was rather difficult for the
+Bhaers to make both ends meet. On the hill, where kites used to be
+flown, stood the fine college which Mr Laurence's munificent legacy
+had built. Busy students were going to and fro along the paths once
+trodden by childish feet, and many young men and women were enjoying
+all the advantages that wealth, wisdom, and benevolence could give
+them.
+
+Just inside the gates of Plumfield a pretty brown cottage, very like
+the Dovecote, nestled among the trees, and on the green slope
+westward Laurie's white-pillared mansion glittered in the sunshine;
+for when the rapid growth of the city shut in the old house, spoilt
+Meg's nest, and dared to put a soap-factory under Mr Laurence's
+indignant nose, our friends emigrated to Plumfield, and the great
+changes began.
+
+These were the pleasant ones; and the loss of the dear old people was
+sweetened by the blessings they left behind; so all prospered now in
+the little community, and Mr Bhaer as president, and Mr March as
+chaplain of the college, saw their long-cherished dream beautifully
+realized. The sisters divided the care of the young people among
+them, each taking the part that suited her best. Meg was the motherly
+friend of the young women, Jo the confidante and defender of all the
+youths, and Amy the lady Bountiful who delicately smoothed the way
+for needy students, and entertained them all so cordially that it was
+no wonder they named her lovely home Mount Parnassus, so full was it
+of music, beauty, and the culture hungry young hearts and fancies
+long for.
+
+The original twelve boys had of course scattered far and wide during
+these years, but all that lived still remembered old Plumfield, and
+came wandering back from the four quarters of the earth to tell their
+various experiences, laugh over the pleasures of the past, and face
+the duties of the present with fresh courage; for such home-comings
+keep hearts tender and hands helpful with the memories of young and
+happy days. A few words will tell the history of each, and then we
+can go on with the new chapter of their lives.
+
+Franz was with a merchant kinsman in Hamburg, a man of twenty-six
+now, and doing well. Emil was the jolliest tar that ever 'sailed the
+ocean blue'. His uncle sent him on a long voyage to disgust him with
+this adventurous life; but he came home so delighted with it that it
+was plain this was his profession, and the German kinsman gave him a
+good chance in his ships; so the lad was happy. Dan was a wanderer
+still; for after the geological researches in South America he tried
+sheep-farming in Australia, and was now in California looking up
+mines. Nat was busy with music at the Conservatory, preparing for a
+year or two in Germany to finish him off. Tom was studying medicine
+and trying to like it. Jack was in business with his father, bent on
+getting rich. Dolly was in college with Stuffy and Ned reading law.
+Poor little Dick was dead, so was Billy; and no one could mourn for
+them, since life would never be happy, afflicted as they were in mind
+and body.
+
+Rob and Teddy were called the 'Lion and the Lamb'; for the latter was
+as rampant as the king of beasts, and the former as gentle as any
+sheep that ever baaed. Mrs Jo called him 'my daughter', and found him
+the most dutiful of children, with plenty of manliness underlying the
+quiet manners and tender nature. But in Ted she seemed to see all the
+faults, whims, aspirations, and fun of her own youth in a new shape.
+With his tawny locks always in wild confusion, his long legs and
+arms, loud voice, and continual activity, Ted was a prominent figure
+at Plumfield. He had his moods of gloom, and fell into the Slough of
+Despond about once a week, to be hoisted out by patient Rob or his
+mother, who understood when to let him alone and when to shake him
+up. He was her pride and joy as well as torment, being a very bright
+lad for his age, and so full of all sorts of budding talent, that her
+maternal mind was much exercised as to what this remarkable boy would
+become.
+
+Demi had gone through College with honour, and Mrs Meg had set her
+heart on his being a minister--picturing in her fond fancy the first
+sermon her dignified young parson would preach, as well as the long,
+useful, and honoured life he was to lead. But John, as she called him
+now, firmly declined the divinity school, saying he had had enough of
+books, and needed to know more of men and the world, and caused the
+dear woman much disappointment by deciding to try a journalist's
+career. It was a blow; but she knew that young minds cannot be
+driven, and that experience is the best teacher; so she let him
+follow his own inclinations, still hoping to see him in the pulpit.
+Aunt Jo raged when she found that there was to be a reporter in the
+family, and called him 'Jenkins' on the spot.  She liked his literary
+tendencies, but had reason to detest official Paul Prys, as we shall
+see later. Demi knew his own mind, however, and tranquilly carried
+out his plans, unmoved by the tongues of the anxious mammas or the
+jokes of his mates. Uncle Teddy encouraged him, and painted a
+splendid career, mentioning Dickens and other celebrities who began
+as reporters and ended as famous novelists or newspaper men.
+
+The girls were all flourishing. Daisy, as sweet and domestic as ever,
+was her mother's comfort and companion. Josie at fourteen was a most
+original young person, full of pranks and peculiarities, the latest
+of which was a passion for the stage, which caused her quiet mother
+and sister much anxiety as well as amusement. Bess had grown into a
+tall, beautiful girl looking several years older than she was, with
+the same graceful ways and dainty tastes which the little Princess
+had, and a rich inheritance of both the father's and mother's gifts,
+fostered by every aid love and money could give. But the pride of the
+community was naughty Nan; for, like so many restless, wilful
+children, she was growing into a woman full of the energy and promise
+that suddenly blossoms when the ambitious seeker finds the work she
+is fitted to do well. Nan began to study medicine at sixteen, and at
+twenty was getting on bravely; for now, thanks to other intelligent
+women, colleges and hospitals were open to her. She had never wavered
+in her purpose from the childish days when she shocked Daisy in the
+old willow by saying:  'I don't want any family to fuss over. I shall
+have an office, with bottles and pestle things in it, and drive round
+and cure folks.' The future foretold by the little girl the young
+woman was rapidly bringing to pass, and finding so much happiness in
+it that nothing could win her from the chosen work. Several worthy
+young gentlemen had tried to make her change her mind and choose, as
+Daisy did, 'a nice little house and family to take care of'. But Nan
+only laughed, and routed the lovers by proposing to look at the
+tongue which spoke of adoration, or professionally felt the pulse in
+the manly hand offered for her acceptance. So all departed but one
+persistent youth, who was such a devoted Traddles it was impossible
+to quench him.
+
+This was Tom, who was as faithful to his child sweetheart as she to
+her 'pestle things', and gave a proof of fidelity that touched her
+very much. He studied medicine for her sake alone, having no taste
+for it, and a decided fancy for a mercantile life. But Nan was firm,
+and Tom stoutly kept on, devoutly hoping he might not kill many of
+his fellow-beings when he came to practise. They were excellent
+friends, however, and caused much amusement to their comrades, by the
+vicissitudes of this merry love-chase.
+
+Both were approaching Plumfield on the afternoon when Mrs Meg and Mrs
+Jo were talking on the piazza. Not together; for Nan was walking
+briskly along the pleasant road alone, thinking over a case that
+interested her, and Tom was pegging on behind to overtake her, as if
+by accident, when the suburbs of the city were past--a little way of
+his, which was part of the joke.
+
+Nan was a handsome girl, with a fresh colour, clear eye, quick smile,
+and the self-poised look young women with a purpose always have. She
+was simply and sensibly dressed, walked easily, and seemed full of
+vigour, with her broad shoulders well back, arms swinging freely, and
+the elasticity of youth and health in every motion. The few people
+she met turned to look at her, as if it was a pleasant sight to see a
+hearty, happy girl walking countryward that lovely day; and the
+red-faced young man steaming along behind, hat off and every tight
+curl wagging with impatience, evidently agreed with them.
+
+Presently a mild 'Hallo!' was borne upon the breeze, and pausing,
+with an effort to look surprised that was an utter failure, Nan said
+affably:
+
+'Oh, is that you, Tom?'
+
+'Looks like it. Thought you might be walking out today'; and Tom's
+jovial face beamed with pleasure.
+
+'You knew it. How is your throat?' asked Nan in her professional
+tone, which was always a quencher to undue raptures.
+
+'Throat? Oh, ah! yes, I remember. It is well. The effect of that
+prescription was wonderful. I'll never call homoeopathy a humbug
+again.'
+
+'You were the humbug this time, and so were the unmedicated pellets I
+gave you. If sugar or milk can cure diphtheria in this remarkable
+manner, I'll make a note of it. O Tom, Tom, will you never be done
+playing tricks?'
+
+'O Nan, Nan, will you never be done getting the better of me?' And
+the merry pair laughed at one another just as they did in the old
+times, which always came back freshly when they went to Plumfield.
+
+'Well, I knew I shouldn't see you for a week if I didn't scare up
+some excuse for a call at the office. You are so desperately busy all
+the time I never get a word,' explained Tom.
+
+'You ought to be busy too, and above such nonsense. Really, Tom, if
+you don't give your mind to your lectures, you'll never get on,' said
+Nan soberly.
+
+'I have quite enough of them as it is,' answered Tom with an air of
+disgust. 'A fellow must lark a bit after dissecting corpuses all day.
+I can't stand it long at a time, though some people seem to enjoy it
+immensely.'
+
+'Then why not leave it, and do what suits you better? I always
+thought it a foolish thing, you know,' said Nan, with a trace of
+anxiety in the keen eyes that searched for signs of illness in a face
+as ruddy as a Baldwin apple.
+
+'You know why I chose it, and why I shall stick to it if it kills me.
+I may not look delicate, but I've a deep-seated heart complaint, and
+it will carry me off sooner or later; for only one doctor in the
+world can cure it, and she won't.'
+
+There was an air of pensive resignation about Tom that was both comic
+and pathetic; for he was in earnest, and kept on giving hints of this
+sort, without the least encouragement.
+
+Nan frowned; but she was used to it, and knew how to treat him.
+
+'She is curing it in the best and only way; but a more refractory
+patient never lived. Did you go to that ball, as I directed?'
+
+'I did.'
+
+'And devote yourself to pretty Miss West?'
+
+'Danced with her the whole evening.'
+
+'No impression made on that susceptible organ of yours?' 
+
+'Not the slightest. I gaped in her face once, forgot to feed her, and
+gave a sigh of relief when I handed her over to her mamma.'
+
+'Repeat the dose as often as possible, and note the symptoms. I
+predict that you'll "cry for it" by and by.'
+
+'Never! I'm sure it doesn't suit my constitution.'
+
+'We shall see. Obey orders!' sternly.
+
+'Yes, Doctor,' meekly.
+
+Silence reigned for a moment; then, as if the bone of contention was
+forgotten in the pleasant recollections called up by familiar
+objects, Nan said suddenly:
+
+'What fun we used to have in that wood! Do you remember how you
+tumbled out of the big nut-tree and nearly broke your collar-bones?'
+
+'Don't I! and how you steeped me in wormwood till I was a fine
+mahogany colour, and Aunt Jo wailed over my spoilt jacket,' laughed
+Tom, a boy again in a minute.
+
+'And how you set the house afire?'
+
+'And you ran off for your band-box?'
+
+'Do you ever say "Thunder-turtles" now?'
+
+'Do people ever call you "Giddy-gaddy"?'
+
+'Daisy does. Dear thing, I haven't seen her for a week.'
+
+'I saw Demi this morning, and he said she was keeping house for
+Mother Bhaer.'
+
+'She always does when Aunt Jo gets into a vortex. Daisy is a model
+housekeeper; and you couldn't do better than make your bow to her, if
+you can't go to work and wait till you are grown up before you begin
+lovering.'
+
+'Nat would break his fiddle over my head if I suggested such a thing.
+No, thank you. Another name is engraved upon my heart as indelibly as
+the blue anchor on my arm. "Hope" is my motto, and "No surrender",
+yours; see who will hold out longest.'
+
+'You silly boys think we must pair off as we did when children; but
+we shall do nothing of the kind. How well Parnassus looks from here!'
+said Nan, abruptly changing the conversation again.
+
+'It is a fine house; but I love old Plum best. Wouldn't Aunt March
+stare if she could see the changes here?' answered Tom, as they both
+paused at the great gate to look at the pleasant landscape before
+them.
+
+A sudden whoop startled them, as a long boy with a wild yellow head
+came leaping over a hedge like a kangaroo, followed by a slender
+girl, who stuck in the hawthorn, and sat there laughing like a witch.
+A pretty little lass she was, with curly dark hair, bright eyes, and
+a very expressive face. Her hat was at her back, and her skirts a
+good deal the worse for the brooks she had crossed, the trees she had
+climbed, and the last leap, which added several fine rents.
+
+'Take me down, Nan, please. Tom, hold Ted; he's got my book, and I
+will have it,' called Josie from her perch, not at all daunted by the
+appearance of her friends.
+
+Tom promptly collared the thief, while Nan picked Josie from among
+the thorns and set her on her feet without a word of reproof; for
+having been a romp in her own girlhood, she was very indulgent to
+like tastes in others. 'What's the matter, dear?' she asked, pinning
+up the longest rip, while Josie examined the scratches on her hands.
+'I was studying my part in the willow, and Ted came slyly up and
+poked the book out of my hands with his rod. It fell in the brook,
+and before I could scrabble down he was off. You wretch, give it back
+this moment or I'll box your ears,' cried Josie, laughing and
+scolding in the same breath.
+
+Escaping from Tom, Ted struck a sentimental attitude, and with tender
+glances at the wet, torn young person before him, delivered Claude
+Melnotte's famous speech in a lackadaisical way that was irresistibly
+funny, ending with 'Dost like the picture, love?' as he made an
+object of himself by tying his long legs in a knot and distorting his
+face horribly.
+
+The sound of applause from the piazza put a stop to these antics, and
+the young folks went up the avenue together very much in the old
+style when Tom drove four in hand and Nan was the best horse in the
+team. Rosy, breathless, and merry, they greeted the ladies and sat
+down on the steps to rest, Aunt Meg sewing up her daughter's rags
+while Mrs Jo smoothed the Lion's mane, and rescued the book. Daisy
+appeared in a moment to greet her friend, and all began to talk.
+
+'Muffins for tea; better stay and eat 'em; Daisy's never fail,' said
+Ted hospitably.
+
+'He's a judge; he ate nine last time. That's why he's so fat,' added
+Josie, with a withering glance at her cousin, who was as thin as a
+lath.
+
+'I must go and see Lucy Dove. She has a whitlow, and it's time to
+lance it. I'll tea at college,' answered Nan, feeling in her pocket
+to be sure she had not forgotten her case of instruments.
+
+'Thanks, I'm going there also. Tom Merryweather has granulated lids,
+and I promised to touch them up for him. Save a doctor's fee and be
+good practice for me. I'm clumsy with my thumbs,' said Tom, bound to
+be near his idol while he could.
+
+'Hush! Daisy doesn't like to hear you saw-bones talk of your work.
+Muffins suit us better'; and Ted grinned sweetly, with a view to
+future favours in the eating line.
+
+'Any news of the Commodore?' asked Tom.
+
+'He is on his way home, and Dan hopes to come soon. I long to see my
+boys together, and have begged the wanderers to come to Thanksgiving,
+if not before,' answered Mrs Jo, beaming at the thought.
+
+'They'll come, every man of them, if they can. Even Jack will risk
+losing a dollar for the sake of one of our jolly old dinners,'
+laughed Tom.
+
+'There's the turkey fattening for the feast. I never chase him now,
+but feed him well; and he's "swellin' wisibly", bless his
+drumsticks!' said Ted, pointing out the doomed fowl proudly parading
+in a neighbouring field.
+
+'If Nat goes the last of the month we shall want a farewell frolic
+for him. I suppose the dear old Chirper will come home a second Ole
+Bull,' said Nan to her friend.
+
+A pretty colour came into Daisy's cheek, and the folds of muslin on
+her breast rose and fell with a quick breath; but she answered
+placidly: 'Uncle Laurie says he has real talent, and after the
+training he will get abroad he can command a good living here, though
+he may never be famous.'
+
+'Young people seldom turn out as one predicts, so it is of little use
+to expect anything,' said Mrs Meg with a sigh. 'If our children are
+good and useful men and women, we should be satisfied; yet it's very
+natural to wish them to be brilliant and successful.'
+
+'They are like my chickens, mighty uncertain. Now, that fine-looking
+cockerel of mine is the stupidest one of the lot, and the ugly,
+long-legged chap is the king of the yard, he's so smart; crows loud
+enough to wake the Seven Sleepers; but the handsome one croaks, and
+is no end of a coward. I get snubbed; but you wait till I grow up,
+and then see'; and Ted looked so like his own long-legged pet that
+everyone laughed at his modest prediction.
+
+'I want to see Dan settled somewhere. "A rolling stone gathers no
+moss", and at twenty-five he is still roaming about the world without
+a tie to hold him, except this'; and Mrs Meg nodded towards her
+sister.
+
+'Dan will find his place at last, and experience is his best teacher.
+He is rough still, but each time he comes home I see a change for the
+better, and never lose my faith in him. He may never do anything
+great, or get rich; but if the wild boy makes an honest man, I'm
+satisfied,' said Mrs Jo, who always defended the black sheep of her
+flock.
+
+'That's right, mother, stand by Dan! He's worth a dozen Jacks and
+Neds bragging about money and trying to be swells. You see if he
+doesn't do something to be proud of and take the wind out of their
+sails,' added Ted, whose love for his 'Danny' was now strengthened by
+a boy's admiration for the bold, adventurous man.
+
+'Hope so, I'm sure. He's just the fellow to do rash things and come
+to glory--climbing the Matterhorn, taking a "header" into Niagara, or
+finding a big nugget. That's his way of sowing wild oats, and perhaps
+it's better than ours,' said Tom thoughtfully; for he had gained a
+good deal of experience in that sort of agriculture since he became a
+medical student.
+
+'Much better!' said Mrs Jo emphatically. 'I'd rather send my boys off
+to see the world in that way than leave them alone in a city full of
+temptations, with nothing to do but waste time, money, and health, as
+so many are left. Dan has to work his way, and that teaches him
+courage, patience, and self-reliance. I don't worry about him as much
+as I do about George and Dolly at college, no more fit than two
+babies to take care of themselves.'
+
+'How about John? He's knocking round town as a newspaper man,
+reporting all sorts of things, from sermons to prize-fights,' asked
+Tom, who thought that sort of life would be much more to his own
+taste than medical lectures and hospital wards.
+
+'Demi has three safeguards--good principles, refined tastes, and a
+wise mother. He won't come to harm, and these experiences will be
+useful to him when he begins to write, as I'm sure he will in time,'
+began Mrs Jo in her prophetic tone; for she was anxious to have some
+of her geese turn out swans.
+
+'Speak of Jenkins, and you'll hear the rustling of his paper,' cried
+Tom, as a fresh-faced, brown-eyed young man came up the avenue,
+waving a newspaper over his head.
+
+'Here's your Evening Tattler! Latest Edition! Awful murder! Bank
+clerk absconded! Powder-mill explosion, and great strike of the Latin
+School boys!' roared Ted, going to meet his cousin with the graceful
+gait of a young giraffe.
+
+'The Commodore is in, and will cut his cable and run before the wind
+as soon as he can get off,' called Demi, with 'a nice derangement of
+nautical epitaphs', as he came up smiling over his good news.
+
+Everyone talked together for a moment, and the paper passed from hand
+to hand that each eye might rest on the pleasant fact that the
+Brenda, from Hamburg, was safe in port.
+
+'He'll come lurching out by tomorrow with his usual collection of
+marine monsters and lively yarns. I saw him, jolly and tarry and
+brown as a coffee-berry. Had a good run, and hopes to be second mate,
+as the other chap is laid up with a broken leg,' added Demi.
+
+'Wish I had the setting of it,' said Nan to herself, with a
+professional twist of her hand.
+
+'How's Franz?' asked Mrs Jo.
+
+'He's going to be married! There's news for you. The first of the
+flock, Aunty, so say good-bye to him. Her name is Ludmilla Heldegard
+Blumenthal; good family, well-off, pretty, and of course an angel.
+The dear old boy wants Uncle's consent, and then he will settle down
+to be a happy and an honest burgher. Long life to him!'
+
+'I'm glad to hear it. I do so like to settle my boys with a good wife
+and a nice little home. Now, if all is right, I shall feel as if
+Franz was off my mind,' said Mrs Jo, folding her hands contentedly;
+for she often felt like a distracted hen with a large brood of mixed
+chickens and ducks upon her hands.
+
+'So do I,' sighed Tom, with a sly glance at Nan. 'That's what a
+fellow needs to keep him steady; and it's the duty of nice girls to
+marry as soon as possible, isn't it, Demi?' 
+
+'If there are enough nice fellows to go round. The female population
+exceeds the male, you know, especially in New England; which accounts
+for the high state of culture we are in, perhaps,' answered John, who
+was leaning over his mother's chair, telling his day's experiences in
+a whisper.
+
+'It is a merciful provision, my dears; for it takes three or four
+women to get each man into, through, and out of the world. You are
+costly creatures, boys; and it is well that mothers, sisters, wives,
+and daughters love their duty and do it so well, or you would perish
+off the face of the earth,' said Mrs Jo solemnly, as she took up a
+basket filled with dilapidated hose; for the good Professor was still
+hard on his socks, and his sons resembled him in that respect.
+
+'Such being the case, there is plenty for the "superfluous women" to
+do, in taking care of these helpless men and their families. I see
+that more clearly every day, and am very glad and grateful that my
+profession will make me a useful, happy, and independent spinster.'
+
+Nan's emphasis on the last word caused Tom to groan, and the rest to
+laugh.
+
+'I take great pride and solid satisfaction in you, Nan, and hope to
+see you very successful; for we do need just such helpful women in
+the world. I sometimes feel as if I've missed my vocation and ought
+to have remained single; but my duty seemed to point this way, and I
+don't regret it,' said Mrs Jo, folding a large and very ragged blue
+sock to her bosom.
+
+'Neither do I. What should I ever have done without my dearest Mum?'
+added Ted, with a filial hug which caused both to disappear behind
+the newspaper in which he had been mercifully absorbed for a few
+minutes.
+
+'My darling boy, if you would wash your hands semi-occasionally, fond
+caresses would be less disastrous to my collar. Never mind, my
+precious touslehead, better grass stains and dirt than no cuddlings
+at all'; and Mrs Jo emerged from that brief eclipse looking much
+refreshed, though her back hair was caught in Ted's buttons and her
+collar under one ear.
+
+Here Josie, who had been studying her part at the other end of the
+piazza, suddenly burst forth with a smothered shriek, and gave
+Juliet's speech in the tomb so effectively that the boys applauded,
+Daisy shivered, and Nan murmured: 'Too much cerebral excitement for
+one of her age.'
+
+'I'm afraid you'll have to make up your mind to it, Meg. That child
+is a born actress. We never did anything so well, not even the
+Witch's Curse,' said Mrs Jo, casting a bouquet of many-coloured socks
+at the feet of her flushed and panting niece, when she fell
+gracefully upon the door-mat.
+
+'It is a sort of judgement upon me for my passion for the stage when
+a girl. Now I know how dear Marmee felt when I begged to be an
+actress. I never can consent, and yet I may be obliged to give up my
+wishes, hopes, and plans again.'
+
+There was an accent of reproach in his mother's voice, which made
+Demi pick up his sister with a gentle shake, and the stern command to
+'drop that nonsense in public'.
+
+'Drop me, Minion, or I'll give you the Maniac Bride, with my best
+Ha-ha!' cried Josie, glaring at him like an offended kitten. Being
+set on her feet, she made a splendid courtesy, and dramatically
+proclaiming, 'Mrs Woffington's carriage waits,' swept down the steps
+and round the corner, trailing Daisy's scarlet shawl majestically
+behind her.
+
+'Isn't she great fun? I couldn't stop in this dull place if I hadn't
+that child to make it lively for me. If ever she turns prim, I'm off;
+so mind how you nip her in the bud,' said Teddy, frowning at Demi,
+who was now writing out shorthand notes on the steps.
+
+'You two are a team, and it takes a strong hand to drive you, but I
+rather like it. Josie ought to have been my child, and Rob yours,
+Meg. Then your house would have been all peace and mine all Bedlam.
+Now I must go and tell Laurie the news. Come with me, Meg, a little
+stroll will do us good'; and sticking Ted's straw hat on her head,
+Mrs Jo walked off with her sister, leaving Daisy to attend to the
+muffins, Ted to appease Josie, and Tom and Nan to give their
+respective patients a very bad quarter of an hour.
+
+
+
+Chapter 2
+
+PARNASSUS
+
+It was well named; and the Muses seemed to be at home that day, for
+as the newcomers went up the slope appropriate sights and sounds
+greeted them. Passing an open window, they looked in upon a library
+presided over by Clio, Calliope, and Urania; Melpomene and Thalia
+were disporting themselves in the hall, where some young people were
+dancing and rehearsing a play; Erato was walking in the garden with
+her lover, and in the music-room Phoebus himself was drilling a
+tuneful choir.
+
+A mature Apollo was our old friend Laurie, but comely and genial as
+ever; for time had ripened the freakish boy into a noble man.  Care
+and sorrow, as well as ease and happiness, had done much for him; and
+the responsibility of carrying out his grandfather's wishes had been
+a duty most faithfully performed. Prosperity suits some people, and
+they blossom best in a glow of sunshine; others need the shade, and
+are the sweeter for a touch of frost. Laurie was one of the former
+sort, and Amy was another; so life had been a kind of poem to them
+since they married--not only harmonious and happy, but earnest,
+useful, and rich in the beautiful benevolence which can do so much
+when wealth and wisdom go hand in hand with charity. Their house was
+full of unostentatious beauty and comfort, and here the art-loving
+host and hostess attracted and entertained artists of all kinds.
+Laurie had music enough now, and was a generous patron to the class
+he most liked to help. Amy had her proteges among ambitious young
+painters and sculptors, and found her own art double dear as her
+daughter grew old enough to share its labours and delights with her;
+for she was one of those who prove that women can be faithful wives
+and mothers without sacrificing the special gift bestowed upon them
+for their own development and the good of others.
+
+Her sisters knew where to find her, and Jo went at once to the
+studio, where mother and daughter worked together. Bess was busy with
+the bust of a little child, while her mother added the last touches
+to a fine head of her husband. Time seemed to have stood still with
+Amy, for happiness had kept her young and prosperity given her the
+culture she needed. A stately, graceful woman, who showed how elegant
+simplicity could be made by the taste with which she chose her dress
+and the grace with which she wore it. As someone said: 'I never know
+what Mrs Laurence has on, but I always receive the impression that
+she is the best-dressed lady in the room.'
+
+It was evident that she adored her daughter, and well she might; for
+the beauty she had longed for seemed, to her fond eyes at least, to
+be impersonated in this younger self. Bess inherited her mother's
+Diana-like figure, blue eyes, fair skin, and golden hair, tied up in
+the same classic knot of curls. Also--ah! never-ending source of joy
+to Amy--she had her father's handsome nose and mouth, cast in a
+feminine mould. The severe simplicity of a long linen pinafore suited
+her; and she worked away with the entire absorption of the true
+artist, unconscious of the loving eyes upon her, till Aunt Jo came in
+exclaiming eagerly:
+
+'My dear girls, stop your mud-pies and hear the news!'
+
+Both artists dropped their tools and greeted the irrepressible woman
+cordially, though genius had been burning splendidly and her coming
+spoilt a precious hour. They were in the full tide of gossip when
+Laurie, who had been summoned by Meg, arrived, and sitting down
+between the sisters, with no barricade anywhere, listened with
+interest to the news of Franz and Emil.
+
+'The epidemic has broke out, and now it will rage and ravage your
+flock. Be prepared for every sort of romance and rashness for the
+next ten years, Jo. Your boys are growing up and will plunge headlong
+into a sea of worse scrapes than any you have had yet,' said Laurie,
+enjoying her look of mingled delight and despair.
+
+'I know it, and I hope I shall be able to pull them through and land
+them safely; but it's an awful responsibility, for they will come to
+me and insist that I can make their poor little loves run smoothly. I
+like it, though, and Meg is such a mush of sentiment she revels in
+the prospect,' answered Jo, feeling pretty easy about her own boys,
+whose youth made them safe for the present.
+
+'I'm afraid she won't revel when our Nat begins to buzz too near her
+Daisy. Of course you see what all that means? As musical director I
+am also his confidante, and would like to know what advice to give,'
+said Laurie soberly. 'Hush! you forget that child,' began Jo, nodding
+towards Bess, who was at work again.
+
+'Bless you! she's in Athens, and doesn't hear a word. She ought to
+leave off, though, and go out. My darling, put the baby to sleep, and
+go for a run. Aunt Meg is in the parlour; go and show her the new
+pictures till we come,' added Laurie, looking at his tall girl as
+Pygmalion might have looked at Galatea; for he considered her the
+finest statue in the house.
+
+'Yes, papa; but please tell me if it is good'; and Bess obediently
+put down her tools, with a lingering glance at the bust.
+
+'My cherished daughter, truth compels me to confess that one cheek is
+plumper than the other; and the curls upon its infant brow are rather
+too much like horns for perfect grace; otherwise it rivals Raphael's
+Chanting Cherubs, and I'm proud of it.'
+
+Laurie was laughing as he spoke; for these first attempts were so
+like Amy's early ones, it was impossible to regard them as soberly as
+the enthusiastic mamma did.
+
+'You can't see beauty in anything but music,' answered Bess, shaking
+the golden head that made the one bright spot in the cool north
+lights of the great studio.
+
+'Well, I see beauty in you, dear. And if you are not art, what is? I
+wish to put a little more nature into you, and get you away from this
+cold clay and marble into the sunshine, to dance and laugh as the
+others do. I want a flesh-and-blood girl, not a sweet statue in a
+grey pinafore, who forgets everything but her work.' As he spoke, two
+dusty hands came round his neck, and Bess said earnestly, punctuating
+her words with soft touches of her lips:
+
+'I never forget you, papa; but I do want to do something beautiful
+that you may be proud of me by and by. Mamma often tells me to stop;
+but when we get in here we forget there is any world outside, we are
+so busy and so happy. Now I'll go and run and sing, and be a girl to
+please you.' And throwing away the apron, Bess vanished from the
+room, seeming to take all the light with her.
+
+'I'm glad you said that. The dear child is too much absorbed in her
+artistic dreams for one so young. It is my fault; but I sympathize so
+deeply in it all, I forget to be wise,' sighed Amy, carefully
+covering the baby with a wet towel.
+
+'I think this power of living in our children is one of the sweetest
+things in the world; but I try to remember what Marmee once said to
+Meg--that fathers should have their share in the education of both
+girls and boys; so I leave Ted to his father all I can, and Fritz
+lends me Rob, whose quiet ways are as restful and good for me as
+Ted's tempests are for his father. Now I advise you, Amy, to let Bess
+drop the mud-pies for a time, and take up music with Laurie; then she
+won't be one-sided, and he won't be jealous.'
+
+'Hear, hear! A Daniel--a very Daniel!' cried Laurie, well pleased. 'I
+thought you'd lend a hand, Jo, and say a word for me. I am a little
+jealous of Amy, and want more of a share in my girl. Come, my lady,
+let me have her this summer, and next year, when we go to Rome, I'll
+give her up to you and high art. Isn't that a fair bargain?'
+
+'I agree; but in trying your hobby, nature, with music thrown in,
+don't forget that, though only fifteen, our Bess is older than most
+girls of that age, and cannot be treated like a child. She is so very
+precious to me, I feel as if I wanted to keep her always as pure and
+beautiful as the marble she loves so well.'
+
+Amy spoke regretfully as she looked about the lovely room where she
+had spent so many happy hours with this dear child of hers.
+
+'"Turn and turn about is fair play", as we used to say when we all
+wanted to ride on Ellen Tree or wear the russet boots,' said Jo
+briskly; 'so you must share your girl between you, and see who will
+do the most for her.'
+
+'We will,' answered the fond parents, laughing at the recollections
+Jo's proverb brought up to them.
+
+'How I did use to enjoy bouncing on the limbs of that old apple-tree!
+No real horse ever gave me half the pleasure or the exercise,' said
+Amy, looking out of the high window as if she saw the dear old
+orchard again and the little girls at play there.
+
+'And what fun I had with those blessed boots!' laughed Jo. 'I've got
+the relics now. The boys reduced them to rags; but I love them still,
+and would enjoy a good theatrical stalk in them if it were possible.'
+
+'My fondest memories twine about the warming-pan and the sausage.
+What larks we had! And how long ago it seems!' said Laurie, staring
+at the two women before him as if he found it hard to realize that
+they ever had been little Amy and riotous Jo.
+
+'Don't suggest that we are growing old, my Lord. We have only
+bloomed; and a very nice bouquet we make with our buds about us,'
+answered Mrs Amy, shaking out the folds of her rosy muslin with much
+the air of dainty satisfaction the girl used to show in a new dress.
+
+'Not to mention our thorns and dead leaves,' added Jo, with a sigh;
+for life had never been very easy to her, and even now she had her
+troubles both within and without.
+
+'Come and have a dish of tea, old dear, and see what the young folks
+are about. You are tired, and want to be "stayed with flagons and
+comforted with apples",' said Laurie, offering an arm to each sister,
+and leading them away to afternoon tea, which flowed as freely on
+Parnassus as the nectar of old.
+
+They found Meg in the summer-parlour, an airy and delightful room,
+full now of afternoon sunshine and the rustle of trees; for the three
+long windows opened on the garden. The great music-room was at one
+end, and at the other, in a deep alcove hung with purple curtains, a
+little household shrine had been made.  Three portraits hung there,
+two marble busts stood in the corners, and a couch, an oval table,
+with its urn of flowers, were the only articles of furniture the nook
+contained. The busts were John Brooke and Beth--Amy's work--both
+excellent likenesses, and both full of the placid beauty which always
+recalls the saying, that 'Clay represents life; plaster, death;
+marble, immortality'. On the right, as became the founder of the
+house, hung the portrait of Mr Laurence, with its expression of
+mingled pride and benevolence, as fresh and attractive as when he
+caught the girl Jo admiring it.  Opposite was Aunt March--a legacy to
+Amy--in an imposing turban, immense sleeves, and long mittens
+decorously crossed on the front of her plum-coloured satin gown. Time
+had mellowed the severity of her aspect; and the fixed regard of the
+handsome old gentleman opposite seemed to account for the amiable
+simper on lips that had not uttered a sharp word for years.
+
+In the place of honour, with the sunshine warm upon it, and a green
+garland always round it, was Marmee's beloved face, painted with
+grateful skill by a great artist whom she had befriended when poor
+and unknown. So beautifully lifelike was it that it seemed to smile
+down upon her daughters, saying cheerfully:
+
+'Be happy; I am with you still.'
+
+The three sisters stood a moment looking up at the beloved picture
+with eyes full of tender reverence and the longing that never left
+them; for this noble mother had been so much to them that no one
+could ever fill her place. Only two years since she had gone away to
+live and love anew, leaving such a sweet memory behind her that it
+was both an inspiration and a comforter to all the household.  They
+felt this as they drew closer to one another, and Laurie put it into
+words as he said earnestly:
+
+'I can ask nothing better for my child than that she may be a woman
+like our mother. Please God, she shall be, if I can do it; for I owe
+the best I have to this dear saint.'
+
+Just then a fresh voice began to sing 'Ave Maria' in the music-room,
+and Bess unconsciously echoed her father's prayer for her as she
+dutifully obeyed his wishes. The soft sound of the air Marmee used to
+sing led the listeners back into the world again from that momentary
+reaching after the loved and lost, and they sat down together near
+the open windows enjoying the music, while Laurie brought them tea,
+making the little service pleasant by the tender care he gave to it.
+
+Nat came in with Demi, soon followed by Ted and Josie, the Professor
+and his faithful Rob, all anxious to hear more about 'the boys'. The
+rattle of cups and tongues grew brisk, and the setting sun saw a
+cheerful company resting in the bright room after the varied labours
+of the day.
+
+Professor Bhaer was grey now, but robust and genial as ever; for he
+had the work he loved, and did it so heartily that the whole college
+felt his beautiful influence. Rob was as much like him as it was
+possible for a boy to be, and was already called the 'young
+Professor', he so adored study and closely imitated his honoured
+father in all ways.
+
+'Well, heart's dearest, we go to have our boys again, all two, and
+may rejoice greatly,' said Mr Bhaer, seating himself beside Jo with a
+beaming face and a handshake of congratulation.
+
+'Oh, Fritz, I'm so delighted about Emil, and if you approve about
+Franz also. Did you know Ludmilla? Is it a wise match?' asked Mrs Jo,
+handing him her cup of tea and drawing closer, as if she welcomed her
+refuge in joy as well as sorrow.
+
+'It all goes well. I saw the Madchen when I went over to place Franz.
+A child then, but most sweet and charming. Blumenthal is satisfied, I
+think, and the boy will be happy. He is too German to be content away
+from Vaterland, so we shall have him as a link between the new and
+the old, and that pleases me much.'
+
+'And Emil, he is to be second mate next voyage; isn't that fine? I'm
+so happy that both your boys have done well; you gave up so much for
+them and their mother. You make light of it, dear, but I never forget
+it,' said Jo, with her hand in his as sentimentally as if she was a
+girl again and her Fritz had come a-wooing.
+
+He laughed his cheery laugh, and whispered behind her fan: 'If I had
+not come to America for the poor lads, I never should have found my
+Jo. The hard times are very sweet now, and I bless Gott for all I
+seemed to lose, because I gained the blessing of my life.'
+
+'Spooning! spooning! Here's an awful flirtation on the sly,' cried
+Teddy, peering over the fan just at that interesting moment, much to
+his mother's confusion and his father's amusement; for the Professor
+never was ashamed of the fact that he still considered his wife the
+dearest woman in the world. Rob promptly ejected his brother from one
+window, to see him skip in at the other, while Mrs Jo shut her fan
+and held it ready to rap her unruly boy's knuckles if he came near
+her again.
+
+Nat approached in answer to Mr Bhaer's beckoning teaspoon, and stood
+before them with a face full of the respectful affection he felt for
+the excellent man who had done so much for him.
+
+'I have the letters ready for thee, my son. They are two old friends
+of mine in Leipzig, who will befriend thee in that new life. It is
+well to have them, for thou wilt be heartbroken with Heimweh at the
+first, Nat, and need comforting,' said the Professor, giving him
+several letters.
+
+'Thanks, sir. Yes, I expect to be pretty lonely till I get started,
+then my music and the hope of getting on will cheer me up,' answered
+Nat, who both longed and dreaded to leave all these friends behind
+him and make new ones.
+
+He was a man now; but the blue eyes were as honest as ever, the mouth
+still a little weak, in spite of the carefully cherished moustache
+over it, and the broad forehead more plainly than ever betrayed the
+music-loving nature of the youth. Modest, affectionate, and dutiful,
+Nat was considered a pleasant though not a brilliant success by Mrs
+Jo. She loved and trusted him, and was sure he would do his best, but
+did not expect that he would be great in any way, unless the stimulus
+of foreign training and self-dependence made him a better artist and
+a stronger man than now seemed likely.
+
+'I've marked all your things--or rather, Daisy did--and as soon as
+your books are collected, we can see about the packing,' said Mrs Jo,
+who was so used to fitting boys off for all quarters of the globe
+that a trip to the North Pole would not have been too much for her.
+
+Nat grew red at mention of that name--or was it the last glow of
+sunset on his rather pale cheek?--and his heart beat happily at the
+thought of the dear girl working Ns and Bs on his humble socks and
+handkerchiefs; for Nat adored Daisy, and the cherished dream of his
+life was to earn a place for himself as a musician and win this angel
+for his wife. This hope did more for him than the Professor's
+counsels, Mrs Jo's care, or Mr Laurie's generous help.  For her sake
+he worked, waited, and hoped, finding courage and patience in the
+dream of that happy future when Daisy should make a little home for
+him and he fiddle a fortune into her lap.  Mrs Jo knew this; and
+though he was not exactly the man she would have chosen for her
+niece, she felt that Nat would always need just the wise and loving
+care Daisy could give him, and that without it there was danger of
+his being one of the amiable and aimless men who fail for want of the
+right pilot to steer them safely through the world. Mrs Meg decidedly
+frowned upon the poor boy's love, and would not hear of giving her
+dear girl to any but the best man to be found on the face of the
+earth. She was very kind, but as firm as such gentle souls can be;
+and Nat fled for comfort to Mrs Jo, who always espoused the interests
+of her boys heartily. A new set of anxieties was beginning now that
+the aforesaid boys were growing up, and she foresaw no end of worry
+as well as amusement in the love-affairs already budding in her
+flock. Mrs Meg was usually her best ally and adviser, for she loved
+romances as well now as when a blooming girl herself. But in this
+case she hardened her heart, and would not hear a word of entreaty.
+'Nat was not man enough, never would be, no one knew his family, a
+musician's life was a hard one; Daisy was too young, five or six
+years hence when time had proved both perhaps. Let us see what
+absence will do for him.' And that was the end of it, for when the
+maternal Pelican was roused she could be very firm, though for her
+precious children she would have plucked her last feather and given
+the last drop of her blood.
+
+Mrs Jo was thinking of this as she looked at Nat while he talked with
+her husband about Leipzig, and she resolved to have a clear
+understanding with him before he went; for she was used to
+confidences, and talked freely with her boys about the trials and
+temptations that beset all lives in the beginning, and so often mar
+them, for want of the right word at the right moment.
+
+This is the first duty of parents, and no false delicacy should keep
+them from the watchful care, the gentle warning, which makes
+self-knowledge and self-control the compass and pilot of the young as
+they leave the safe harbour of home.
+
+'Plato and his disciples approach,' announced irreverent Teddy, as Mr
+March came in with several young men and women about him; for the
+wise old man was universally beloved, and ministered so beautifully
+to his flock that many of them thanked him all their lives for the
+help given to both hearts and souls.
+
+Bess went to him at once; for since Marmee died, Grandpapa was her
+special care, and it was sweet to see the golden head bend over the
+silver one as she rolled out his easy-chair and waited on him with
+tender alacrity.
+
+'Aesthetic tea always on tap here, sir; will you have a flowing bowl
+or a bit of ambrosia?' asked Laurie, who was wandering about with a
+sugar-basin in one hand and a plate of cake in the other; for
+sweetening cups and feeding the hungry was work he loved.
+
+'Neither, thanks; this child has taken care of me'; and Mr March
+turned to Bess, who sat on one arm of his chair, holding a glass of
+fresh milk.
+
+'Long may she live to do it, sir, and I be here to see this pretty
+contradiction of the song that "youth and age cannot live together"!'
+answered Laurie, smiling at the pair. '"Crabbed age", papa; that
+makes all the difference in the world,' said Bess quickly; for she
+loved poetry, and read the best.
+
+    'Wouldst thou see fresh roses grow
+     In a reverend bed of snow?'
+
+quoted Mr March, as Josie came and perched on the other arm, looking
+like a very thorny little rose; for she had been having a hot
+discussion with Ted, and had got the worst of it.
+
+'Grandpa, must women always obey men and say they are the wisest,
+just because they are the strongest?' she cried, looking fiercely at
+her cousin, who came stalking up with a provoking smile on the boyish
+face that was always very comical atop of that tall figure.
+
+'Well, my dear, that is the old-fashioned belief, and it will take
+some time to change it. But I think the woman's hour has struck; and
+it looks to me as if the boys must do their best, for the girls are
+abreast now, and may reach the goal first,' answered Mr March,
+surveying with paternal satisfaction the bright faces of the young
+women, who were among the best students in the college.
+
+'The poor little Atalantas are sadly distracted and delayed by the
+obstacles thrown in their way--not golden apples, by any means -- but
+I think they will stand a fair chance when they have learned to run
+better,' laughed Uncle Laurie, stroking Josie's breezy hair, which
+stood up like the fur of an angry kitten.
+
+'Whole barrels of apples won't stop me when I start, and a dozen Teds
+won't trip me up, though they may try. I'll show him that a woman can
+act as well, if not better, than a man. It has been done, and will be
+again; and I'll never own that my brain isn't as good as his, though
+it may be smaller,' cried the excited young person.
+
+'If you shake your head in that violent way you'll addle what brains
+you have got; and I'd take care of 'em, if I were you,' began teasing
+Ted.
+
+'What started this civil war?' asked Grandpapa, with a gentle
+emphasis on the adjective, which caused the combatants to calm their
+ardour a little.
+
+'Why, we were pegging away at the Iliad and came to where Zeus tells
+Juno not to inquire into his plans or he'll whip her, and Jo was
+disgusted because Juno meekly hushed up. I said it was all right, and
+agreed with the old fellow that women didn't know much and ought to
+obey men,' explained Ted, to the great amusement of his hearers.
+
+'Goddesses may do as they like, but those Greek and Trojan women were
+poor-spirited things if they minded men who couldn't fight their own
+battles and had to be hustled off by Pallas, and Venus, and Juno,
+when they were going to get beaten. The idea of two armies stopping
+and sitting down while a pair of heroes flung stones at one another!
+I don't think much of your old Homer. Give me Napoleon or Grant for
+my hero.'
+
+Josie's scorn was as funny as if a humming-bird scolded at an
+ostrich, and everyone laughed as she sniffed at the immortal poet and
+criticized the gods.
+
+'Napoleon's Juno had a nice time; didn't she? That's just the way
+girls argue--first one way and then the other,' jeered Ted.
+
+'Like Johnson's young lady, who was "not categorical, but all
+wiggle-waggle",' added Uncle Laurie, enjoying the battle immensely.
+
+'I was only speaking of them as soldiers. But if you come to the
+woman side of it, wasn't Grant a kind husband and Mrs Grant a happy
+woman? He didn't threaten to whip her if she asked a natural
+question; and if Napoleon did do wrong about Josephine, he could
+fight, and didn't want any Minerva to come fussing over him. They
+were a stupid set, from dandified Paris to Achilles sulking in his
+ships, and I won't change my opinion for all the Hectors and
+Agamemnons in Greece,' said Josie, still unconquered.
+
+'You can fight like a Trojan, that's evident; and we will be the two
+obedient armies looking on while you and Ted have it out,' began
+Uncle Laurie, assuming the attitude of a warrior leaning on his
+spear.
+
+'I fear we must give it up, for Pallas is about to descend and carry
+off our Hector,' said Mr March, smiling, as Jo came to remind her son
+that suppertime was near.
+
+'We will fight it out later when there are no goddesses to
+interfere,' said Teddy, as he turned away with unusual alacrity,
+remembering the treat in store.
+
+'Conquered by a muffin, by Jove!' called Josie after him, exulting in
+an opportunity to use the classical exclamation forbidden to her sex.
+
+But Ted shot a Parthian arrow as he retired in good order by
+replying, with a highly virtuous expression:
+
+'Obedience is a soldier's first duty.'
+
+Bent on her woman's privilege of having the last word, Josie ran
+after him, but never uttered the scathing speech upon her lips, for a
+very brown young man in a blue suit came leaping up the steps with a
+cheery 'Ahoy! ahoy! where is everybody?'
+
+'Emil! Emil!' cried Josie, and in a moment Ted was upon him, and the
+late enemies ended their fray in a joyful welcome to the newcomer.
+
+Muffins were forgotten, and towing their cousin like two fussy little
+tugs with a fine merchantman, the children returned to the parlour,
+where Emil kissed all the women and shook hands with all the men
+except his uncle; him he embraced in the good old German style, to
+the great delight of the observers.
+
+'Didn't think I could get off today, but found I could, and steered
+straight for old Plum. Not a soul there, so I luffed and bore away
+for Parnassus, and here is every man Jack of you. Bless your hearts,
+how glad I am to see you all!' exclaimed the sailor boy, beaming at
+them, as he stood with his legs apart as if he still felt the rocking
+deck under his feet.
+
+'You ought to "shiver your timbers", not "bless our hearts", Emil;
+it's not nautical at all. Oh, how nice and shippy and tarry you do
+smell!' said Josie, sniffing at him with great enjoyment of the fresh
+sea odours he brought with him. This was her favourite cousin, and
+she was his pet; so she knew that the bulging pockets of the blue
+jacket contained treasures for her at least.
+
+'Avast, my hearty, and let me take soundings before you dive,'
+laughed Emil, understanding her affectionate caresses, and holding
+her off with one hand while with the other he rummaged out sundry
+foreign little boxes and parcels marked with different names, and
+handed them round with appropriate remarks, which caused much
+laughter; for Emil was a wag.
+
+'There's a hawser that will hold our little cock-boat still about
+five minutes,' he said, throwing a necklace of pretty pink coral over
+Josie's head; 'and here's something the mermaids sent to Undine,' he
+added, handing Bess a string of pearly shells on a silver chain.
+
+I thought Daisy would like a fiddle, and Nat can find her a beau,'
+continued the sailor, with a laugh, as he undid a dainty filigree
+brooch in the shape of a violin.
+
+'I know she will, and I'll take it to her,' answered Nat, as he
+vanished, glad of an errand, and sure that he could find Daisy though
+Emil had missed her.
+
+Emil chuckled, and handed out a quaintly carved bear whose head
+opened, showing a capacious ink-stand. This he presented, with a
+scrape, to Aunt Jo.
+
+'Knowing your fondness for these fine animals, I brought this one to
+your pen.'
+
+'Very good, Commodore! Try again,' said Mrs Jo, much pleased with her
+gift, which caused the Professor to prophesy 'works of Shakespeare'
+from its depths, so great would be the inspiration of the beloved
+bruin.
+
+'As Aunt Meg will wear caps, in spite of her youth, I got Ludmilla to
+get me some bits of lace. Hope you'll like 'em'; and out of a soft
+paper came some filmy things, one of which soon lay like a net of
+snowflakes on Mrs Meg's pretty hair.
+
+'I couldn't find anything swell enough for Aunt Amy, because she has
+everything she wants, so I brought a little picture that always makes
+me think of her when Bess was a baby'; and he handed her an oval
+ivory locket, on which was painted a goldenhaired Madonna, with a
+rosy child folded in her blue mantle.
+
+'How lovely!' cried everyone; and Aunt Amy at once hung it about her
+neck on the blue ribbon from Bess's hair, charmed with her gift; for
+it recalled the happiest year of her life.
+
+'Now, I flatter myself I've got just the thing for Nan, neat but not
+gaudy, a sort of sign you see, and very appropriate for a doctor,'
+said Emil, proudly displaying a pair of lava earrings shaped like
+little skulls.
+
+'Horrid!' And Bess, who hated ugly things, turned her eyes to her own
+pretty shells.
+
+'She won't wear earrings,' said Josie.
+
+'Well, she'll enjoy punching your ears then. She's never so happy as
+when she's overhauling her fellow creatures and going for 'em with a
+knife,' answered Emil, undisturbed. 'I've got a lot of plunder for
+you fellows in my chest, but I knew I should have no peace till my
+cargo for the girls was unloaded. Now tell me all the news.' And,
+seated on Amy's best marbletopped table, the sailor swung his legs
+and talked at the rate of ten knots an hour, till Aunt Jo carried
+them all off to a grand family tea in honour of the Commodore.
+
+
+
+Chapter 3 
+
+JO'S LAST SCRAPE
+
+The March family had enjoyed a great many surprises in the course of
+their varied career, but the greatest of all was when the Ugly
+Duckling turned out to be, not a swan, but a golden goose, whose
+literary eggs found such an unexpected market that in ten years Jo's
+wildest and most cherished dream actually came true. How or why it
+happened she never clearly understood, but all of a sudden she found
+herself famous in a small way, and, better still, with a snug little
+fortune in her pocket to clear away the obstacles of the present and
+assure the future of her boys.
+
+It began during a bad year when everything went wrong at Plumfield;
+times were hard, the school dwindled, Jo overworked herself and had a
+long illness; Laurie and Amy were abroad, and the Bhaers too proud to
+ask help even of those as near and dear as this generous pair.
+Confined to her room, Jo got desperate over the state of affairs,
+till she fell back upon the long-disused pen as the only thing she
+could do to help fill up the gaps in the income. A book for girls
+being wanted by a certain publisher, she hastily scribbled a little
+story describing a few scenes and adventures in the lives of herself
+and sisters, though boys were more in her line, and with very slight
+hopes of success sent it out to seek its fortune.
+
+Things always went by contraries with Jo. Her first book, laboured
+over for years, and launched full of the high hopes and ambitious
+dreams of youth, foundered on its voyage, though the wreck continued
+to float long afterward, to the profit of the publisher at least. The
+hastily written story, sent away with no thought beyond the few
+dollars it might bring, sailed with a fair wind and a wise pilot at
+the helm into public favour, and came home heavily laden with an
+unexpected cargo of gold and glory.
+
+A more astonished woman probably never existed than Josephine Bhaer
+when her little ship came into port with flags flying, cannon that
+had been silent before now booming gaily, and, better than all, many
+kind faces rejoicing with her, many friendly hands grasping hers with
+cordial congratulations. After that it was plain sailing, and she
+merely had to load her ships and send them off on prosperous trips,
+to bring home stores of comfort for all she loved and laboured for.
+
+The fame she never did quite accept; for it takes very little fire to
+make a great deal of smoke nowadays, and notoriety is not real glory.
+The fortune she could not doubt, and gratefully received; though it
+was not half so large a one as a generous world reported it to be.
+The tide having turned continued to rise, and floated the family
+comfortably into a snug harbour where the older members could rest
+secure from storms, and whence the younger ones could launch their
+boats for the voyage of life.
+
+All manner of happiness, peace, and plenty came in those years to
+bless the patient waiters, hopeful workers, and devout believers in
+the wisdom and justice of Him who sends disappointment, poverty, and
+sorrow to try the love of human hearts and make success the sweeter
+when it comes. The world saw the prosperity, and kind souls rejoiced
+over the improved fortunes of the family; but the success Jo valued
+most, the happiness that nothing could change or take away, few knew
+much about.
+
+It was the power of making her mother's last years happy and serene;
+to see the burden of care laid down for ever, the weary hands at
+rest, the dear face untroubled by any anxiety, and the tender heart
+free to pour itself out in the wise charity which was its delight. As
+a girl, Jo's favourite plan had been a room where Marmee could sit in
+peace and enjoy herself after her hard, heroic life. Now the dream
+had become a happy fact, and Marmee sat in her pleasant chamber with
+every comfort and luxury about her, loving daughters to wait on her
+as infirmities increased, a faithful mate to lean upon, and
+grand-children to brighten the twilight of life with their dutiful
+affection. A very precious time to all, for she rejoiced as only
+mothers can in the good fortunes of their children.  She had lived to
+reap the harvest she sowed; had seen prayers answered, hopes blossom,
+good gifts bear fruit, peace and prosperity bless the home she had
+made; and then, like some brave, patient angel, whose work was done,
+turned her face heavenward, glad to rest.
+
+This was the sweet and sacred side of the change; but it had its
+droll and thorny one, as all things have in this curious world of
+ours. After the first surprise, incredulity, and joy, which came to
+Jo, with the ingratitude of human nature, she soon tired of renown,
+and began to resent her loss of liberty. For suddenly the admiring
+public took possession of her and all her affairs, past, present, and
+to come. Strangers demanded to look at her, question, advise, warn,
+congratulate, and drive her out of her wits by well-meant but very
+wearisome attentions. If she declined to open her heart to them, they
+reproached her; if she refused to endow her pet charities, relieve
+private wants, or sympathize with every ill and trial known to
+humanity, she was called hard-hearted, selfish, and haughty; if she
+found it impossible to answer the piles of letters sent her, she was
+neglectful of her duty to the admiring public; and if she preferred
+the privacy of home to the pedestal upon which she was requested to
+pose, 'the airs of literary people' were freely criticized.
+
+She did her best for the children, they being the public for whom she
+wrote, and laboured stoutly to supply the demand always in the mouths
+of voracious youth--'More stories; more right away!' Her family
+objected to this devotion at their expense, and her health suffered;
+but for a time she gratefully offered herself up on the altar of
+juvenile literature, feeling that she owed a good deal to the little
+friends in whose sight she had found favour after twenty years of
+effort.
+
+But a time came when her patience gave out; and wearying of being a
+lion, she became a bear in nature as in name, and returning to her
+den, growled awfully when ordered out. Her family enjoyed the fun,
+and had small sympathy with her trials, but Jo came to consider it
+the worse scrape of her life; for liberty had always been her dearest
+possession, and it seemed to be fast going from her.  Living in a
+lantern soon loses its charm, and she was too old, too tired, and too
+busy to like it. She felt that she had done all that could reasonably
+be required of her when autographs, photographs, and autobiographical
+sketches had been sown broadcast over the land; when artists had
+taken her home in all its aspects, and reporters had taken her in the
+grim one she always assumed on these trying occasions; when a series
+of enthusiastic boarding-schools had ravaged her grounds for
+trophies, and a steady stream of amiable pilgrims had worn her
+doorsteps with their respectful feet; when servants left after a
+week's trial of the bell that rang all day; when her husband was
+forced to guard her at meals, and the boys to cover her retreat out
+of back windows on certain occasions when enterprising guests walked
+in unannounced at unfortunate moments.
+
+A sketch of one day may perhaps explain the state of things, offer
+some excuse for the unhappy woman, and give a hint to the
+autograph-fiend now rampant in the land; for it is a true tale.
+
+'There ought to be a law to protect unfortunate authors,' said Mrs Jo
+one morning soon after Emil's arrival, when the mail brought her an
+unusually large and varied assortment of letters. 'To me it is a more
+vital subject than international copyright; for time is money, peace
+is health, and I lose both with no return but less respect for my
+fellow creatures and a wild desire to fly into the wilderness, since
+I cannot shut my doors even in free America.'
+
+'Lion-hunters are awful when in search of their prey. If they could
+change places for a while it would do them good; and they'd see what
+bores they were when they "do themselves the honour of calling to
+express their admiration of our charming work",' quoted Ted, with a
+bow to his parent, now frowning over twelve requests for autographs.
+
+'I have made up my mind on one point,' said Mrs Jo with great
+firmness. 'I will not answer this kind of letter. I've sent at least
+six to this boy, and he probably sells them. This girl writes from a
+seminary, and if I send her one all the other girls will at once
+write for more. All begin by saying they know they intrude, and that
+I am of course annoyed by these requests; but they venture to ask
+because I like boys, or they like the books, or it is only one.
+Emerson and Whittier put these things in the wastepaper-basket; and
+though only a literary nursery-maid who provides moral pap for the
+young, I will follow their illustrious example; for I shall have no
+time to eat or sleep if I try to satisfy these dear unreasonable
+children'; and Mrs Jo swept away the entire batch with a sigh of
+relief.
+
+'I'll open the others and let you eat your breakfast in peace, liebe
+Mutter,' said Rob, who often acted as her secretary. 'Here's one from
+the South'; and breaking an imposing seal, he read:
+
+'MADAM, As it has pleased Heaven to bless your efforts
+with a large fortune, I feel no hesitation in asking you
+to supply funds to purchase a new communion-service for
+our church. To whatever denomination you belong, you will
+of course respond with liberality to such a request,
+
+    'Respectfully yours,
+
+    'MRS X.Y. ZAVIER'
+
+
+'Send a civil refusal, dear. All I have to give must go to feed and
+clothe the poor at my gates. That is my thank-offering for success.
+Go on,' answered his mother, with a grateful glance about her happy
+home.
+
+'A literary youth of eighteen proposes that you put your name to a
+novel he has written; and after the first edition your name is to be
+taken off and his put on. There's a cool proposal for you. I guess
+you won't agree to that, in spite of your soft-heartedness towards
+most of the young scribblers.'
+
+'Couldn't be done. Tell him so kindly, and don't let him send the
+manuscript. I have seven on hand now, and barely time to read my
+own,' said Mrs Jo, pensively fishing a small letter out of the
+slop-bowl and opening it with care, because the down-hill address
+suggested that a child wrote it.
+
+'I will answer this myself. A little sick girl wants a book, and she
+shall have it, but I can't write sequels to all the rest to please
+her. I should never come to an end if I tried to suit these voracious
+little Oliver Twists, clamouring for more. What next, Robin?'
+
+'This is short and sweet.
+
+'DEAR MRS BHAER, I am now going to give you my opinion of
+your works. I have read them all many times, and call them
+first-rate. Please go ahead.
+
+'Your admirer,
+
+'BILLY BABCOCK'
+
+
+
+'Now that is what I like. Billy is a man of sense and a critic worth
+having, since he had read my works many times before expressing his
+opinion. He asks for no answer, so send my thanks and regards.'
+
+'Here's a lady in England with seven girls, and she wishes to know
+your views upon education. Also what careers they shall follow the
+oldest being twelve. Don't wonder she's worried,' laughed Rob.
+
+'I'll try to answer it. But as I have no girls, my opinion isn't
+worth much and will probably shock her, as I shall tell her to let
+them run and play and build up good, stout bodies before she talks
+about careers. They will soon show what they want, if they are let
+alone, and not all run in the same mould.'
+
+'Here's a fellow who wants to know what sort of a girl he shall
+marry, and if you know of any like those in your stories.'
+
+'Give him Nan's address, and see what he'll get,' proposed Ted,
+privately resolving to do it himself if possible.
+
+'This is from a lady who wants you to adopt her child and lend her
+money to study art abroad for a few years. Better take it, and try
+your hand at a girl, mother.'
+
+'No, thank you, I will keep to my own line of business. What is that
+blotted one? It looks rather awful, to judge by the ink,' asked Mrs
+Jo, who beguiled her daily task by trying to guess from the outside
+what was inside her many letters. This proved to be a poem from an
+insane admirer, to judge by its incoherent style.
+
+
+
+         'TO J.M.B.
+
+    'Oh, were I a heliotrope,
+     I would play poet,
+     And blow a breeze of fragrance
+     To you; and none should know it. 
+
+    'Your form like the stately elm
+     When Phoebus gilds the morning ray;
+     Your cheeks like the ocean bed
+     That blooms a rose in May.
+
+    'Your words are wise and bright,
+     I bequeath them to you a legacy given;
+     And when your spirit takes its flight,
+     May it bloom aflower in heaven.
+
+    'My tongue in flattering language spoke,
+     And sweeter silence never broke
+     in busiest street or loneliest glen.
+     I take you with the flashes of my pen.
+
+    'Consider the lilies, how they grow;
+     They toil not, yet are fair,
+     Gems and flowers and Solomon's seal.
+     The geranium of the world is J. M. Bhaer.
+
+        'JAMES'
+
+
+
+While the boys shouted over this effusion--which is a true one--
+their mother read several liberal offers from budding magazines for
+her to edit them gratis; one long letter from a young girl
+inconsolable because her favourite hero died, and 'would dear Mrs
+Bhaer rewrite the tale, and make it end good?' another from an irate
+boy denied an autograph, who darkly foretold financial ruin and loss
+of favour if she did not send him and all other fellows who asked
+autographs, photographs, and auto-biographical sketches; a minister
+wished to know her religion; and an undecided maiden asked which of
+her two lovers she should marry. These samples will suffice to show a
+few of the claims made on a busy woman's time, and make my readers
+pardon Mrs Jo if she did not carefully reply to all.
+
+'That job is done. Now I will dust a bit, and then go to my work.
+I'm all behind-hand, and serials can't wait; so deny me to everybody,
+Mary. I won't see Queen Victoria if she comes today.' And Mrs Bhaer
+threw down her napkin as if defying all creation.
+
+'I hope the day will go well with thee, my dearest,' answered her
+husband, who had been busy with his own voluminous correspondence. 'I
+will dine at college with Professor Plock, who is to visit us today.
+The Junglings can lunch on Parnassus; so thou shalt have a quiet
+time.' And smoothing the worried lines out of her forehead with his
+good-bye kiss, the excellent man marched away, both pockets full of
+books, an old umbrella in one hand, and a bag of stones for the
+geology class in the other.
+
+'If all literary women had such thoughtful angels for husbands, they
+would live longer and write more. Perhaps that wouldn't be a blessing
+to the world though, as most of us write too much now,' said Mrs Jo,
+waving her feather duster to her spouse, who responded with
+flourishes of the umbrella as he went down the avenue.
+
+Rob started for school at the same time, looking so much like him
+with his books and bag and square shoulders and steady air that his
+mother laughed as she turned away, saying heartily: 'Bless both my
+dear professors, for better creatures never lived!'
+
+Emil was already gone to his ship in the city; but Ted lingered to
+steal the address he wanted, ravage the sugar-bowl, and talk with
+'Mum'; for the two had great larks together. Mrs Jo always arranged
+her own parlour, refilled her vases, and gave the little touches that
+left it cool and neat for the day. Going to draw down the curtain,
+she beheld an artist sketching on the lawn, and groaned as she
+hastily retired to the back window to shake her duster.
+
+At that moment the bell rang and the sound of wheels was heard in the
+road.
+
+'I'll go; Mary lets 'em in'; and Ted smoothed his hair as he made for
+the hall.
+
+'Can't see anyone. Give me a chance to fly upstairs,' whispered Mrs
+Jo, preparing to escape. But before she could do so, a man appeared
+at the door with a card in his hand. Ted met him with a stern air,
+and his mother dodged behind the window-curtains to bide her time for
+escape.
+
+'I am doing a series of articles for the Saturday Tattler, and I
+called to see Mrs Bhaer the first of all,' began the newcomer in the
+insinuating tone of his tribe, while his quick eyes were taking in
+all they could, experience having taught him to make the most of his
+time, as his visits were usually short ones.
+
+'Mrs Bhaer never sees reporters, sir.'
+
+'But a few moments will be all I ask,' said the man, edging his way
+farther in.
+
+'You can't see her, for she is out,' replied Teddy, as a backward
+glance showed him that his unhappy parent had vanished--through the
+window, he supposed, as she sometimes did when hard bestead.
+
+'Very sorry. I'll call again. Is this her study? Charming room!' And
+the intruder fell back on the parlour, bound to see something and bag
+a fact if he died in the attempt. 'It is not,' said Teddy, gently but
+firmly backing him down the hall, devoutly hoping that his mother had
+escaped round the corner of the house.
+
+'If you could tell me Mrs Bhaer's age and birthplace, date of
+marriage, and number of children, I should be much obliged,'
+continued the unabashed visitor as he tripped over the door-mat.
+
+'She is about sixty, born in Nova Zembla, married just forty years
+ago today, and has eleven daughters. Anything else, sir?' And Ted's
+sober face was such a funny contrast to his ridiculous reply that the
+reporter owned himself routed, and retired laughing just as a lady
+followed by three beaming girls came up the steps.
+
+'We are all the way from Oshkosh, and couldn't go home without seein'
+dear Aunt Jo. My girls just admire her works, and lot on gettin' a
+sight of her. I know it's early; but we are goin' to see Holmes and
+Longfeller, and the rest of the celebrities, so we ran out here fust
+thing. Mrs Erastus Kingsbury Parmalee, of Oshkosh, tell her. We don't
+mind waitin'; we can look round a spell if she ain't ready to see
+folks yet.'
+
+All this was uttered with such rapidity that Ted could only stand
+gazing at the buxom damsels, who fixed their six blue eyes upon him
+so beseechingly that his native gallantry made it impossible to deny
+them a civil reply at least.
+
+'Mrs Bhaer is not visible today--out just now, I believe; but you can
+see the house and grounds if you like,' he murmured, falling back as
+the four pressed in gazing rapturously about them.
+
+'Oh, thank you! Sweet, pretty place I'm sure! That's where she
+writes, ain't it? Do tell me if that's her picture! Looks just as I
+imagined her!'
+
+With these remarks the ladies paused before a fine engraving of the
+Hon. Mrs Norton, with a pen in her hand and a rapt expression of
+countenance, likewise a diadem and pearl necklace.
+
+Keeping his gravity with an effort, Teddy pointed to a very bad
+portrait of Mrs Jo, which hung behind the door, and afforded her much
+amusement, it was so dismal, in spite of a curious effect of light
+upon the end of the nose and cheeks as red as the chair she sat in.
+
+'This was taken for my mother; but it is not very good,' he said,
+enjoying the struggles of the girls not to look dismayed at the sad
+difference between the real and the ideal. The youngest, aged twelve,
+could not conceal her disappointment, and turned away, feeling as so
+many of us have felt when we discover that our idols are very
+ordinary men and women.
+
+'I thought she'd be about sixteen and have her hair braided in two
+tails down her back. I don't care about seeing her now,' said the
+honest child, walking off to the hall door, leaving her mother to
+apologize, and her sisters to declare that the bad portrait was
+'perfectly lovely, so speaking and poetic, you know, 'specially about
+the brow'.
+
+'Come girls, we must be goin', if we want to get through today. You
+can leave your albums and have them sent when Mrs Bhaer has written a
+sentiment in 'em. We are a thousand times obliged. Give our best love
+to your ma, and tell her we are so sorry not to see her.' Just as
+Mrs.  Erastus Kingsbury Parmalee uttered the words her eye fell upon
+a middle-aged woman in a large checked apron, with a handkerchief
+tied over her head, busily dusting an end room which looked like a
+study.
+
+'One peep at her sanctum since she is out,' cried the enthusiastic
+lady, and swept across the hall with her flock before Teddy could
+warn his mother, whose retreat had been cut off by the artist in
+front, the reporter at the back of the house--for he hadn't gone and
+the ladies in the hall.
+
+'They've got her!' thought Teddy, in comical dismay. 'No use for her
+to play housemaid since they've seen the portrait.'
+
+Mrs Jo did her best, and being a good actress, would have escaped if
+the fatal picture had not betrayed her. Mrs Parmalee paused at the
+desk, and regardless of the meerschaum that lay there, the man's
+slippers close by, and a pile of letters directed to 'Prof.  F.
+Bhaer', she clasped her hands, exclaiming impressively: 'Girls, this
+is the spot where she wrote those sweet, those moral tales which have
+thrilled us to the soul! Could I--ah, could I take one morsel of
+paper, an old pen, a postage stamp even, as a memento of this gifted
+woman?'
+
+'Yes'm, help yourselves,' replied the maid, moving away with a glance
+at the boy, whose eyes were now full of merriment he could not
+suppress.
+
+The oldest girl saw it, guessed the truth, and a quick look at the
+woman in the apron confirmed her suspicion. Touching her mother, she
+whispered: 'Ma, it's Mrs Bhaer herself. I know it is.'
+
+'No? yes? it is! Well, I do declare, how nice that is!' And hastily
+pursuing the unhappy woman, who was making for the door, Mrs Parmalee
+cried eagerly:
+
+'Don't mind us! I know you're busy, but just let me take your hand
+and then we'll go.'
+
+Giving herself up for lost, Mrs Jo turned and presented her hand like
+a tea-tray, submitting to have it heartily shaken, as the matron
+said, with somewhat alarming hospitality:
+
+'If ever you come to Oshkosh, your feet won't be allowed to touch the
+pavement; for you'll be borne in the arms of the populace, we shall
+be so dreadful glad to see you.'
+
+Mentally resolving never to visit that effusive town, Jo responded as
+cordially as she could; and having written her name in the albums,
+provided each visitor with a memento, and kissed them all round, they
+at last departed, to call on 'Longfeller, Holmes, and the rest'--who
+were all out, it is devoutly to be hoped.
+
+'You villain, why didn't you give me a chance to whip away? Oh, my
+dear, what fibs you told that man! I hope we shall be forgiven our
+sins in this line, but I don't know what is to become of us if we
+don't dodge. So many against one isn't fair play.' And Mrs Jo hung up
+her apron in the hall closet, with a groan at the trials of her lot.
+
+'More people coming up the avenue! Better dodge while the coast is
+clear! I'll head them off!' cried Teddy, looking back from the steps,
+as he was departing to school.
+
+Mrs Jo flew upstairs, and having locked her door, calmly viewed a
+young ladies' seminary camp on the lawn, and being denied the house,
+proceed to enjoy themselves by picking the flowers, doing up their
+hair, eating lunch, and freely expressing their opinion of the place
+and its possessors before they went.
+
+A few hours of quiet followed, and she was just settling down to a
+long afternoon of hard work, when Rob came home to tell her that the
+Young Men's Christian Union would visit the college, and two or three
+of the fellows whom she knew wanted to pay their respects to her on
+the way.
+
+'It is going to rain, so they won't come, I dare say; but father
+thought you'd like to be ready, in case they do call. You always see
+the boys, you know, though you harden your heart to the poor girls,'
+said Rob, who had heard from his brother about the morning
+visitations.
+
+'Boys don't gush, so I can stand it. The last time I let in a party
+of girls one fell into my arms and said, "Darling, love me!" I wanted
+to shake her,' answered Mrs Jo, wiping her pen with energy.
+
+'You may be sure the fellows won't do it, but they will want
+autographs, so you'd better be prepared with a few dozen,' said Rob,
+laying out a quire of notepaper, being a hospitable youth and
+sympathizing with those who admired his mother.
+
+'They can't outdo the girls. At X College I really believe I wrote
+three hundred during the day I was there, and I left a pile of cards
+and albums on my table when I came away. It is one of the most absurd
+and tiresome manias that ever afflicted the world.'
+
+Nevertheless Mrs Jo wrote her name a dozen times, put on her black
+silk, and resigned herself to the impending call, praying for rain,
+however, as she returned to her work.
+
+The shower came, and feeling quite secure, she rumpled up her hair,
+took off her cuffs, and hurried to finish her chapter; for thirty
+pages a day was her task, and she liked to have it well done before
+evening. Josie had brought some flowers for the vases, and was just
+putting the last touches when she saw several umbrellas bobbing down
+the hill.
+
+'They are coming, Aunty! I see uncle hurrying across the field to
+receive them,' she called at the stair-foot.
+
+'Keep an eye on them, and let me know when they enter the avenue. It
+will take but a minute to tidy up and run down,' answered Mrs Jo,
+scribbling away for dear life, because serials wait for no man, not
+even the whole Christian Union en masse.
+
+'There are more than two or three. I see half a dozen at least,'
+called sister Ann from the hall door. 'No! a dozen, I do believe;
+Aunty, look out; they are all coming! What shall we do?' And Josie
+quailed at the idea of facing the black throng rapidly approaching.
+
+'Mercy on us, there are hundreds! Run and put a tub in the back entry
+for their umbrellas to drip into. Tell them to go down the hall and
+leave them, and pile their hats on the table; the tree won't hold
+them all. No use to get mats; my poor carpets!' And down went Mrs Jo
+to prepare for the invasion, while Josie and the maids flew about
+dismayed at the prospect of so many muddy boots.
+
+On they came, a long line of umbrellas, with splashed legs and
+flushed faces underneath; for the gentlemen had been having a good
+time all over the town, undisturbed by the rain. Professor Bhaer met
+them at the gate, and was making a little speech of welcome, when Mrs
+Jo, touched by their bedraggled state, appeared at the door,
+beckoning them in. Leaving their host to orate bareheaded in the wet,
+the young men hastened up the steps, merry, warm, and eager,
+clutching off their hats as they came, and struggling with their
+umbrellas, as the order was passed to march in and stack arms.
+
+Tramp, tramp, tramp, down the hall went seventy-five pairs of boots;
+soon seventy-five umbrellas dripped sociably in the hospitable tub,
+while their owners swarmed all over the lower part of the house; and
+seventy-five hearty hands were shaken by the hostess without a
+murmur, though some were wet, some very warm, and nearly all bore
+trophies of the day's ramble. One impetuous party flourished a small
+turtle as he made his compliments; another had a load of sticks cut
+from noted spots; and all begged for some memento of Plumfield. A
+pile of cards mysteriously appeared on the table, with a written
+request for autographs; and despite her morning vow, Mrs Jo wrote
+everyone, while her husband and boys did the honours of the house.
+
+Josie fled to the back parlour, but was discovered by exploring
+youths, and mortally insulted by one of them, who innocently inquired
+if she was Mrs Bhaer. The reception did not last long, and the end
+was better than the beginning; for the rain ceased, and a rainbow
+shone beautifully over them as the good fellows stood upon the lawn
+singing sweetly for a farewell. A happy omen, that bow of promise
+arched over the young heads, as if Heaven smiled upon their union,
+and showed them that above the muddy earth and rainy skies the
+blessed sun still shone for all. Three cheers, and then away they
+went, leaving a pleasant recollection of their visit to amuse the
+family as they scraped the mud off the carpets with shovels and
+emptied the tub half-full of water.
+
+'Nice, honest, hard-working fellows, and I don't begrudge my
+half-hour at all; but I must finish, so don't let anyone disturb me
+till tea-time,' said Mrs Jo, leaving Mary to shut up the house; for
+papa and the boys had gone off with the guests, and Josie had run
+home to tell her mother about the fun at Aunt Jo's.
+
+Peace reigned for an hour, then the bell rang and Mary came giggling
+up to say: 'A queer kind of a lady wants to know if she can catch a
+grasshopper in the garden.'
+
+'A what?' cried Mrs Jo, dropping her pen with a blot; for of all the
+odd requests ever made, this was the oddest.
+
+'A grasshopper, ma'am. I said you was busy, and asked what she
+wanted, and says she: "I've got grasshoppers from the grounds of
+several famous folks, and I want one from Plumfield to add to my
+collection." Did you ever?' And Mary giggled again at the idea.
+
+'Tell her to take all there are and welcome. I shall be glad to get
+rid of them; always bouncing in my face and getting in my dress,'
+laughed Mrs Jo.
+
+Mary retired, to return in a moment nearly speechless with merriment.
+
+'She's much obliged, ma'am, and she'd like an old gown or a pair of
+stockings of yours to put in a rug she's making. Got a vest of
+Emerson's, she says, and a pair of Mr. Holmes's trousers, and a dress
+of Mrs Stowe's. She must be crazy!'
+
+'Give her that old red shawl, then I shall make a gay show among the
+great ones in that astonishing rug. Yes, they are all lunatics, these
+lion-hunters; but this seems to be a harmless maniac, for she doesn't
+take my time, and gives me a good laugh,' said Mrs Jo, returning to
+her work after a glance from the window, which showed her a tall,
+thin lady in rusty black, skipping wildly to and fro on the lawn in
+pursuit of the lively insect she wanted.
+
+No more interruptions till the light began to fade, then Mary popped
+her head in to say a gentleman wished to see Mrs Bhaer, and wouldn't
+take no for an answer.
+
+'He must. I shall not go down. This has been an awful day, and I
+won't be disturbed again,' replied the harassed authoress, pausing in
+the midst of the grand finale of her chapter.
+
+'I told him so, ma'am; but he walked right in as bold as brass. I
+guess he's another crazy one, and I declare I'm 'most afraid of him,
+he's so big and black, and cool as cucumbers, though I will say he's
+good-looking,' added Mary, with a simper; for the stranger had
+evidently found favour in her sight despite his boldness.
+
+'My day has been ruined, and I will have this last half-hour to
+finish. Tell him to go away; I won't go down,' cried Mrs Jo,
+fiercely.
+
+Mary went; and listening, in spite of herself, her mistress heard
+first a murmur of voices, then a cry from Mary, and remembering the
+ways of reporters, also that her maid was both pretty and timid, Mrs
+Bhaer flung down her pen and went to the rescue. Descending with her
+most majestic air she demanded in an awe-inspiring voice, as she
+paused to survey the somewhat brigandish intruder, who seemed to be
+storming the staircase which Mary was gallantly defending:
+
+'Who is this person who insists on remaining when I have declined to
+see him?'
+
+'I'm sure I don't know, ma'am. He won't give no name, and says you'll
+be sorry if you don't see him,' answered Mary, retiring flushed and
+indignant from her post.
+
+'Won't you be sorry?' asked the stranger, looking up with a pair of
+black eyes full of laughter, the flash of white teeth through a long
+beard, and both hands out as he boldly approached the irate lady.
+
+Mrs Jo gave one keen look, for the voice was familiar; then completed
+Mary's bewilderment by throwing both arms round the brigand's neck,
+exclaiming joyfully: 'My dearest boy, where did you come from?'
+
+'California, on purpose to see you, Mother Bhaer. Now won't you be
+sorry if I go away?' answered Dan, with a hearty kiss.
+
+'To think of my ordering you out of the house when I've been longing
+to see you for a year,' laughed Mrs Jo, and she went down to have a
+good talk with her returned wanderer, who enjoyed the joke immensely.
+
+
+
+Chapter 4 
+
+DAN
+
+Mrs Jo often thought that Dan had Indian blood in him, not only
+because of his love of a wild, wandering life, but his appearance;
+for as he grew up, this became more striking. At twenty-five he was
+very tall, with sinewy limbs, a keen, dark face, and the alert look
+of one whose senses were all alive; rough in manner, full of energy,
+quick with word and blow, eyes full of the old fire, always watchful
+as if used to keep guard, and a general air of vigour and freshness
+very charming to those who knew the dangers and delights of his
+adventurous life. He was looking his best as he sat talking with
+'Mother Bhaer', one strong brown hand in hers, and a world of
+affection in his voice as he said:
+
+'Forget old friends! How could I forget the only home I ever knew?
+Why, I was in such a hurry to come and tell my good luck that I
+didn't stop to fix up, you see; though I knew you'd think I looked
+more like a wild buffalo than ever,' with a shake of his shaggy black
+head, a tug at his beard, and a laugh that made the room ring.
+
+'I like it; I always had a fancy for banditti--and you look just like
+one. Mary, being a newcomer, was frightened at your looks and
+manners. Josie won't know you, but Ted will recognize his Danny in
+spite of the big beard and flowing mane. They will all be here soon
+to welcome you; so before they come tell me more about yourself. Why,
+Dan, dear! it's nearly two years since you were here! Has it gone
+well with you?' asked Mrs Jo, who had been listening with maternal
+interest to his account of life in California, and the unexpected
+success of a small investment he had made.
+
+'First-rate! I don't care for the money, you know. I only want a
+trifle to pay my way--rather earn as I go, and not be bothered with
+the care of a lot. It's the fun of the thing coming to me, and my
+being able to give away, that I like. No use to lay up; I shan't live
+to be old and need it,--my sort never do,' said Dan, looking as if
+his little fortune rather oppressed him.
+
+'But if you marry and settle somewhere, as I hope you will, you must
+have something to begin with, my son. So be prudent and invest your
+money; don't give it away, for rainy days come to all of us, and
+dependence would be very hard for you to bear,' answered Mrs Jo with
+a sage air, though she liked to see that the money-making fever had
+not seized her lucky boy yet.
+
+Dan shook his head, and glanced about the room as if he already found
+it rather confined and longed for all out-of-doors again.
+
+'Who would marry a jack-o'-lantern like me? Women like a steady-going
+man; I shall never be that.'
+
+'My dear boy, when I was a girl I liked just such adventurous fellows
+as you are. Anything fresh and daring, free and romantic, is always
+attractive to us womenfolk. Don't be discouraged; you'll find an
+anchor some day, and be content to take shorter voyages and bring
+home a good cargo.'
+
+'What should you say if I brought you an Indian squaw some day?'
+asked Dan, with a glimmer of mischief in the eyes that rested on a
+marble bust of Galatea gleaming white and lovely in the corner.
+
+'Welcome her heartily, if she was a good one. Is there a prospect of
+it?' and Mrs Jo peered at him with the interest which even literary
+ladies take in love affairs.
+
+'Not at present, thank you. I'm too busy "to gallivant", as Ted calls
+it. How is the boy?' asked Dan, skilfully turning the conversation,
+as if he had had enough of sentiment.
+
+Mrs Jo was off at once, and expatiated upon the talents and virtues
+of her sons till they came bursting in and fell upon Dan like two
+affectionate young bears, finding a vent for their joyful emotions in
+a sort of friendly wrestling-match; in which both got worsted, of
+course, for the hunter soon settled them. The Professor followed, and
+tongues went like mill-clappers while Mary lighted up and cook
+devoted herself to an unusually good supper, instinctively divining
+that this guest was a welcome one.
+
+After tea Dan was walking up and down the long rooms as he talked,
+with occasional trips into the hall for a fresher breath of air, his
+lungs seeming to need more than those of civilized people. In one of
+these trips he saw a white figure framed in the dark doorway, and
+paused to look at it. Bess paused also, not recognizing her old
+friend, and quite unconscious of the pretty picture she made
+standing, tall and slender, against the soft gloom of the summer
+night, with her golden hair like a halo round her head, and the ends
+of a white shawl blown out like wings by the cool wind sweeping
+through the hail. 'Is it Dan?' she asked, coming in with a gracious
+smile and outstretched hand.
+
+'Looks like it; but I didn't know you, Princess. I thought it was a
+spirit,' answered Dan, looking down at her with a curious softness
+and wonder in his face.
+
+'I've grown very much, but two years have changed you entirely'; and
+Bess looked up with girlish pleasure at the picturesque figure before
+her--for it was a decided contrast to the well-dressed people about
+her.
+
+Before they could say more, Josie rushed in, and, forgetfull of the
+newly acquired dignity of her teens, let Dan catch her up and kiss
+her like a child. Not till he set her down did he discover she also
+was changed, and exclaimed in comic dismay:
+
+'Hallo! Why, you are growing up too! What am I going to do, with no
+young one to play with? Here's Ted going it like a beanstalk, and
+Bess a young lady, and even you, my mustard-seed, letting down your
+frocks and putting on airs.'
+
+The girls laughed, and Josie blushed as she stared at the tall man,
+conscious that she had leaped before she looked. They made a pretty
+contrast, these two young cousins--one as fair as a lily, the other a
+little wild rose. And Dan gave a nod of satisfaction as he surveyed
+them; for he had seen many bonny girls in his travels, and was glad
+that these old friends were blooming so beautifully.
+
+'Here! we can't allow any monopoly of Dan!' called Mrs Jo. 'Bring him
+back and keep an eye on him, or he will be slipping off for another
+little run of a year or two before we have half seen him.'
+
+Led by these agreeable captors, Dan returned to the parlour to 
+receive a scolding from Josie for getting ahead of all the other boys
+and looking like a man first.
+
+'Emil is older; but he's only a boy, and dances jigs and sings sailor
+songs just as he used to. You look about thirty, and as big and black
+as a villain in a play. Oh, I've got a splendid idea! You are just
+the thing for Arbaces in The Last Days of Pompeii. We want to act it;
+have the lion and the gladiators and the eruption. Tom and Ted are
+going to shower bushels of ashes down and roll barrels of stones
+about. We wanted a dark man for the Egyptian; and you will be
+gorgeous in red and white shawls. Won't he, Aunt Jo?'
+
+This deluge of words made Dan clap his hands over his ears; and
+before Mrs Bhaer could answer her impetuous niece the Laurences, with
+Meg and her family, arrived, soon followed by Tom and Nan, and all
+sat down to listen to Dan's adventures--told in brief yet effective
+manner, as the varying expressions of interest, wonder, merriment,
+and suspense painted on the circle of faces round him plainly showed.
+The boys all wanted to start at once for California and make
+fortunes; the girls could hardly wait for the curious and pretty
+things he had picked up for them in his travels; while the elders
+rejoiced heartily over the energy and good prospects of their wild
+boy.
+
+'Of course you will want to go back for another stroke of luck; and I
+hope you will have it. But speculation is a dangerous game, and you
+may lose all you've won,' said Mr Laurie, who had enjoyed the
+stirring tale as much as any of the boys, and would have liked to
+rough it with Dan as well as they.
+
+'I've had enough of it, for a while at least; too much like gambling.
+The excitement is all I care for, and it isn't good for me. I have a
+notion to try farming out West. It's grand on a large scale; and I
+feel as if steady work would be rather jolly after loafing round so
+long. I can make a beginning, and you can send me your black sheep to
+stock my place with. I tried sheep-farming in Australia, and know
+something about black ones, any way.'
+
+A laugh chased away the sober look in Dan's face as he ended; and
+those who knew him best guessed that he had learned a lesson there in
+San Francisco, and dared not try again.
+
+'That is a capital idea, Dan!' cried Mrs Jo, seeing great hope in
+this desire to fix himself somewhere and help others. 'We shall know
+where you are, and can go and see you, and not have half the world
+between us. I'll send my Ted for a visit. He's such a restless
+spirit, it would do him good. With you he would be safe while he
+worked off his surplus energies and learned a wholesome business.'
+
+'I'll use the "shubble and de hoe" like a good one, if I get a chance
+out there; but the Speranza mines sound rather jollier,' said Ted,
+examining the samples of ore Dan had brought for the Professor.
+
+'You go and start a new town, and when we are ready to swarm we will
+come out and settle there. You will want a newspaper very soon, and I
+like the idea of running one myself much better than grinding away as
+I do now,' observed Demi, panting to distinguish himself in the
+journalistic line.
+
+'We could easily plant a new college there. These sturdy Westerners
+are hungry for learning, and very quick to see and choose the best,'
+added ever-young Mr March, beholding with his prophetic eye many
+duplicates of their own flourishing establishment springing up in the
+wide West.
+
+'Go on, Dan. It is a fine plan, and we will back you up. I shouldn't
+mind investing in a few prairies and cowboys myself,' said Mr Laurie,
+always ready to help the lads to help themselves, both by his cheery
+words and ever-open purse.
+
+'A little money sort of ballasts a fellow, and investing it in land
+anchors him--for a while, at least. I'd like to see what I can do,
+but I thought I'd consult you before I decided. Have my doubts about
+it suiting me for many years; but I can cut loose when I'm tired,'
+answered Dan, both touched and pleased at the eager interest of these
+friends in his plans.
+
+'I know you won't like it. After having the whole world to roam over,
+one farm will seem dreadfully small and stupid,' said Josie, who much
+preferred the romance of the wandering life which brought her
+thrilling tales and pretty things at each return.
+
+'Is there any art out there?' asked Bess, thinking what a good study
+in black and white Dan would make as he stood talking, half turned
+from the light.
+
+'Plenty of nature, dear; and that is better. You will find splendid
+animals to model, and scenery such as you never saw in Europe to
+paint. Even prosaic pumpkins are grand out there. You can play
+Cinderella in one of them, Josie, when you open your theatre in
+Dansville,' said Mr Laurie, anxious that no cold water should be
+thrown on the new plan.
+
+Stage-struck Josie was caught at once, and being promised all the
+tragic parts on the yet unbuilt stage, she felt a deep interest in
+the project and begged Dan to lose no time in beginning his
+experiment. Bess also confessed that studies from nature would be
+good for her, and wild scenery improve her taste, which might grow
+over-nice if only the delicate and beautiful were set before her.
+
+'I speak for the practice of the new town,' said Nan, always eager
+for fresh enterprises. 'I shall be ready by the time you get well
+started--towns grow so fast out there.'
+
+'Dan isn't going to allow any woman under forty in his place. He
+doesn't like them, 'specially young and pretty ones,' put in Tom, who
+was raging with jealousy, because he read admiration for Nan in Dan's
+eyes.
+
+'That won't affect me, because doctors are exceptions to all rules.
+There won't be much sickness in Dansville, everyone will lead such
+active, wholesome lives, and only energetic young people will go
+there. But accidents will be frequent, owing to wild cattle, fast
+riding, Indian scrimmages, and the recklessness of Western life. That
+will just suit me. I long for broken bones, surgery is so interesting
+and I get so little here,' answered Nan, yearning to put out her
+shingle and begin.
+
+'I'll have you, Doctor, and be glad of such a good sample of what we
+can do in the East. Peg away, and I'll send for you as soon as I have
+a roof to cover you. I'll scalp a few red fellows or smash up a dozen
+or so of cowboys for your special benefit,' laughed Dan, well pleased
+with the energy and fine physique which made Nan a conspicuous figure
+among other girls.
+
+'Thanks. I'll come. Would you just let me feel your arm? Splendid
+biceps! Now, boys, see here: this is what I call muscle.' And Nan
+delivered a short lecture with Dan's sinewy arm to illustrate it.
+Tom retired to the alcove and glowered at the stars, while he swung
+his own right arm with a vigour suggestive of knocking someone down.
+
+'Make Tom sexton; he'll enjoy burying the patients Nan kills. He's
+trying to get up the glum expression proper to the business. Don't
+forget him, Dan,' said Ted, directing attention to the blighted being
+in the corner.
+
+But Tom never sulked long, and came out from his brief eclipse with
+the cheerful proposition:
+
+'Look here, we'll get the city to ship out to Dansville all the cases
+of yellow fever, smallpox, and cholera that arrive; then Nan will be
+happy and her mistakes won't matter much with emigrants and
+convicts.'
+
+'I should advise settling near Jacksonville, or some such city, that
+you might enjoy the society of cultivated persons. The Plato Club is
+there, and a most ardent thirst for philosophy. Everything from the
+East is welcomed hospitably, and new enterprises would flourish in
+such kindly soil,' observed Mr March, mildly offering a suggestion,
+as he sat among the elders enjoying the lively scene.
+
+The idea of Dan studying Plato was very funny; but no one except
+naughty Ted smiled, and Dan made haste to unfold another plan
+seething in that active brain of his.
+
+'I'm not sure the farming will succeed, and have a strong leaning
+towards my old friends the Montana Indians. They are a peaceful
+tribe, and need help awfully; hundreds have died of starvation
+because they don't get their share. The Sioux are fighters, thirty
+thousand strong, so Government fears 'em, and gives 'em all they
+want. I call that a damned shame!' Dan stopped short as the oath
+slipped out, but his eyes flashed, and he went on quickly: 'It is
+just that, and I won't beg pardon. If I'd had any money when I was
+there I'd have given every cent to those poor devils, cheated out of
+everything, and waiting patiently, after being driven from their own
+land to places where nothing will grow. Now, honest agents could do
+much, and I've a feeling that I ought to go and lend a hand. I know
+their lingo, and I like 'em. I've got a few thousands, and I ain't
+sure I have any right to spend it on myself and settle down to enjoy
+it. Hey?'
+
+Dan looked very manly and earnest as he faced his friends, flushed
+and excited by the energy of his words; and all felt that little
+thrill of sympathy which links hearts together by the tie of pity for
+the wronged.
+
+'Do it, do it!' cried Mrs Jo, fired at once; for misfortune was much
+more interesting to her than good luck.
+
+'Do it, do it!' echoed Ted, applauding as if at a play, 'and take me
+along to help. I'm just raging to get among those fine fellows and
+hunt.'
+
+'Let us hear more and see if it is wise,' said Mr Laurie, privately
+resolving to people his as yet unbought prairies with Montana
+Indians, and increase his donations to the society that sent
+missionaries to this much wronged people.
+
+Dan plunged at once into the history of what he saw among the
+Dakotas, and other tribes in the Northwest, telling of their wrongs,
+patience, and courage as if they were his brothers.
+
+'They called me Dan Fire Cloud, because my rifle was the best they
+ever saw. And Black Hawk was as good a friend as a fellow would want;
+saved my life more than once, and taught me just what will be useful
+if I go back. They are down on their luck, now, and I'd like to pay
+my debts.'
+
+By this time everyone was interested, and Dansville began to lose its
+charm. But prudent Mr Bhaer suggested that one honest agent among
+many could not do much, and noble as the effort would be, it was
+wiser to think over the matter carefully, get influence and authority
+from the right quarters, and meantime look at lands before deciding.
+
+'Well, I will. I'm going to take a run to Kansas and see how that
+promises. Met a fellow in 'Frisco who'd been there, and he spoke well
+of it. The fact is, there's so much to be done every where that I
+don't know where to catch on, and half wish I hadn't any money,'
+answered Dan, knitting his brows in the perplexity all kind souls
+feel when anxious to help at the great task of the world's charity.
+
+'I'll keep it for you till you decide. You are such an impetuous lad
+you'll give it to the first beggar that gets hold of you. I'll turn
+it over while you are prospecting, and hand it back when you are
+ready to invest, shall I?' asked Mr Laurie, who had learned wisdom
+since the days of his own extravagant youth.
+
+'Thanky, sir, I'd be glad to get rid of it. You just hold on till I
+say the word; and if anything happens to me this time, keep it to
+help some other scamp as you helped me. This is my will, and you all
+witness it. Now I feel better.' And Dan squared his shoulders as if
+relieved of a burden, after handing over the belt in which he carried
+his little fortune.
+
+No one dreamed how much was to happen before Dan came to take his
+money back, nor how nearly that act was his last will and testament;
+and while Mr Laurie was explaining how he would invest it, a cheery
+voice was heard singing:
+
+    'Oh, Peggy was a jolly lass,
+     Ye heave ho, boys, ye heave ho!
+     She never grudged her Jack a glass,
+     Ye heave ho, boys, ye heave ho!
+     And when he sailed the raging main,
+     She faithful was unto her swain,
+     Ye heave ho, boys, ye heave ho!'
+
+Emil always announced his arrival in that fashion, and in a moment he
+came hurrying in with Nat, who had been giving lessons in town all
+day. It was good to see the latter beam at his friend as he nearly
+shook his hand off; better still to see how Dan gratefully remembered
+all he owed Nat, and tried to pay the debt in his rough way; and best
+of all to hear the two travellers compare notes and reel off yarns to
+dazzle the land-lubbers and home-keepers.
+
+After this addition the house would not contain the gay youngsters,
+so they migrated to the piazza and settled on the steps, like a flock
+of night-loving birds. Mr March and the Professor retired to the
+study, Meg and Amy went to look after the little refection of fruit
+and cake which was to come, and Mrs Jo and Mr Laurie sat in the long
+window listening to the chat that went on outside.
+
+'There they are, the flower of our flock!' she said, pointing to the
+group before them. 'The others are dead or scattered, but these seven
+boys and four girls are my especial comfort and pride.  Counting
+Alice Heath, my dozen is made up, and my hands are full trying to
+guide these young lives as far as human skill can do it.'
+
+'When we remember how different they are, from what some of them
+came, and the home influences about others, I think we may feel
+pretty well satisfied so far,' answered Mr Laurie soberly, as his
+eyes rested on one bright head among the black and brown ones, for
+the young moon shone alike on all.
+
+'I don't worry about the girls; Meg sees to them, and is so wise and
+patient and tender they can't help doing well; but my boys are more
+care every year, and seem to drift farther away from me each time
+they go,' sighed Mrs Jo. 'They will grow up, and I can only hold them
+by one little thread, which may snap at any time, as it has with Jack
+and Ned. Dolly and George still like to come back, and I can say my
+word to them; and dear old Franz is too true ever to forget his own.
+But the three who are soon going out into the world again I can't
+help worrying about. Emil's good heart will keep him straight, I
+hope, and
+
+    '"A sweet little cherub sits up aloft,
+    To look out for the life of poor Jack."'
+
+Nat is to make his first flight, and he's weak in spite of your
+strengthening influence; and Dan is still untamed. I fear it will
+take some hard lesson to do that.'
+
+'He's a fine fellow, Jo, and I almost regret this farming project. A
+little polish would make a gentleman of him, and who knows what he
+might become here among us,' answered Mr Laurie, leaning over Mrs
+Bhaer's chair, just as he used to do years ago when they had
+mischievous secrets together. 
+
+'It wouldn't be safe, Teddy. Work and the free life he loves will 
+make a good man of him, and that is better than any amount of polish,
+with the dangers an easy life in a city would bring him. We can't 
+change his nature--only help it to develop in the right direction. 
+The old impulses are there, and must be controlled, or he will go 
+wrong. I see that; but his love for us is a safeguard, and we must 
+keep a hold on him till he is older or has a stronger tie to help
+him.'
+
+Mrs Jo spoke earnestly, for, knowing Dan better than anyone else, she
+saw that her colt was not thoroughly broken yet, and feared while she
+hoped, knowing that life would always be hard for one like him. She
+was sure that before he went away again, in some quiet moment he
+would give her a glimpse of his inner self, and then she could say
+the word of warning or encouragement that he needed. So she bided her
+time, studying him meanwhile, glad to see all that was promising, and
+quick to detect the harm the world was doing him. She was very
+anxious to make a success of her 'firebrand' because others predicted
+failure; but having learned that people cannot be moulded like clay,
+she contented herself with the hope that this neglected boy might
+become a good man, and asked no more. Even that was much to expect,
+so full was he of wayward impulses, strong passions, and the lawless
+nature born in him.  Nothing held him but the one affection of his
+life--the memory of Plumfield, the fear of disappointing these
+faithful friends, the pride, stronger than principle, that made him
+want to keep the regard of the mates who always had admired and loved
+him in spite of all his faults.
+
+'Don't fret, old dear; Emil is one of the happy-go-lucky sort who
+always fall on their legs. I'll see to Nat, and Dan is in a good way
+now. Let him take a look at Kansas, and if the farm plan loses its
+charm, he can fall back on poor Lo, and really do good out there.
+He's unusually fitted for that peculiar task and I hope he'll decide
+to do it. Fighting oppressors, and befriending the oppressed will
+keep those dangerous energies of his busy, and the life will suit him
+better than sheep-folds and wheat-fields.'
+
+'I hope so. What is that?' and Mrs Jo leaned forward to listen, as
+exclamations from Ted and Josie caught her ear.
+
+'A mustang! a real, live one; and we can ride it. Dan, you are a
+first-class trump!' cried the boy.
+
+'A whole Indian dress for me! Now I can play Namioka, if the boys act
+Metamora,' added Josie, clapping her hands.
+
+'A buffalo's head for Bess! Good gracious, Dan, why did you bring
+such a horrid thing as that to her?' asked Nan.
+
+'Thought it would do her good to model something strong and natural.
+She'll never amount to anything if she keeps on making namby-pamby
+gods and pet kittens,' answered irreverent Dan, remembering that when
+he was last here Bess was vibrating distractedly between a head of
+Apollo and her Persian cat as models.
+
+'Thank you; I'll try it, and if I fail we can put the buffalo up in
+the hall to remind us of you,' said Bess, indignant at the insult
+offered the gods of her idolatry, but too well bred to show it except
+in her voice, which was as sweet and as cold as ice-cream.
+
+'I suppose you won't come out to see our new settlement when the rest
+do? Too rough for you?' asked Dan, trying to assume the deferential
+air all the boys used when addressing their Princess.
+
+'I am going to Rome to study for years. All the beauty and art of the
+world is there, and a lifetime isn't long enough to enjoy it,'
+answered Bess.
+
+'Rome is a mouldy old tomb compared to the "Garden of the gods" and
+my magnificent Rockies. I don't care a hang for art; nature is as
+much as I can stand, and I guess I could show you things that would
+knock your old masters higher than kites. Better come, and while
+Josie rides the horses you can model 'em. If a drove of a hundred or
+so of wild ones can't show you beauty, I'll give up,' cried Dan,
+waxing enthusiastic over the wild grace and vigour which he could
+enjoy but had no power to describe.
+
+'I'll come some day with papa, and see if they are better than the
+horses of St Mark and those on Capitol Hill. Please don't abuse my
+gods, and I will try to like yours,' said Bess, beginning to think
+the West might be worth seeing, though no Raphael or Angelo had yet
+appeared there.
+
+'That's a bargain! I do think people ought to see their own country
+before they go scooting off to foreign parts, as if the new world
+wasn't worth discovering,' began Dan, ready to bury the hatchet.
+
+'It has some advantages, but not all. The women of England can vote,
+and we can't. I'm ashamed of America that she isn't ahead in all good
+things,' cried Nan, who held advanced views on all reforms, and was
+anxious about her rights, having had to fight for some of them.
+
+'Oh, please don't begin on that. People always quarrel over that 
+question, and call names, and never agree. Do let us be quiet and
+happy tonight,' pleaded Daisy, who hated discussion as much as Nan
+loved it.
+
+'You shall vote as much as you like in our new town, Nan; be mayor
+and aldermen, and run the whole concern. It's going to be as free as
+air, or I can't live in it,' said Dan, adding, with a laugh, 'I see
+Mrs Giddygaddy and Mrs Shakespeare Smith don't agree any better than
+they used to.'
+
+'If everyone agreed, we should never get on. Daisy is a dear, but
+inclined to be an old fogy; so I stir her up; and next fall she will
+go and vote with me. Demi will escort us to do the one thing we are
+allowed to do as yet.'
+
+'Will you take 'em, Deacon?' asked Dan, using the old name as if he
+liked it. 'It works capitally in Wyoming.'
+
+'I shall be proud to do it. Mother and the aunts go every year, and
+Daisy will come with me. She is my better half still; and I don't
+mean to leave her behind in anything,' said Demi, with an arm round
+his sister of whom he was fonder than ever.
+
+Dan looked at them wistfully, thinking how sweet it must be to have
+such a tie; and his lonely youth seemed sadder than ever as he
+recalled its struggles. A gusty sigh from Tom made sentiment
+impossible, as he said pensively:
+
+'I always wanted to be a twin. It's so sociable and so cosy to have
+someone glad to lean on a fellow and comfort him, if other girls are
+cruel.'
+
+As Tom's unrequited passion was the standing joke of the family, this
+allusion produced a laugh, which Nan increased by whipping out a
+bottle of Nux, saying, with her professional air:
+
+'I knew you ate too much lobster for tea. Take four pellets, and your
+dyspepsia will be all right. Tom always sighs and is silly when he's
+overeaten.'
+
+'I'll take 'em. These are the only sweet things you ever give me.'
+And Tom gloomily crunched his dose.
+
+'"Who can minister to a mind diseased, or pluck out a rooted sorrow?"
+quoted Josie tragically from her perch on the railing.
+
+'Come with me, Tommy, and I'll make a man of you. Drop your pills and
+powders, and cavort round the world a spell, and you'll soon forget
+you've got a heart, or a stomach either,' said Dan, offering his one
+panacea for all ills.
+
+'Ship with me, Tom. A good fit of seasickness will set you up, and a
+stiff north-easter blow your blue-devils away. Come along as
+surgeon--easy berth, and no end of larks.'
+
+    '"And if your Nancy frowns, my lad,
+      And scorns a jacket blue,
+      Just hoist your sails for other ports,
+      And find a maid more true."'   
+
+added Emil, who had a fragment of song to cheer every care and 
+sorrow, and freely offered them to his friends.
+
+'Perhaps I'll think of it when I've got my diploma. I'm not going to
+grind three mortal years and have nothing to show for it. Till then,--'
+
+'I'll never desert Mrs Micawber,' interrupted Teddy, with a gurgling
+sob. Tom immediately rolled him off the step into the wet grass
+below; and by the time this slight skirmish was over, the jingle of
+teaspoons suggested refreshments of a more agreeable sort. In former
+times the little girls waited on the boys, to save confusion; now the
+young men flew to serve the ladies, young and old; and that slight
+fact showed plainly how the tables were turned by time.  And what a
+pleasant arrangement it was! Even Josie sat still, and let Emil bring
+her berries; enjoying her young lady-hood, till Ted stole her cake,
+when she forgot manners, and chastised him with a rap on the
+knuckles. As guest of honour, Dan was only allowed to wait on Bess,
+who still held the highest place in this small world.  Tom carefully
+selected the best of everything for Nan, to be crushed by the remark:
+
+'I never eat at this hour; and you will have a nightmare if you do.'
+
+So, dutifully curbing the pangs of hunger, he gave the plate to
+Daisy, and chewed rose-leaves for his supper.
+
+When a surprising quantity of wholesome nourishment had been
+consumed, someone said, 'Let's sing!' and a tuneful hour followed.
+Nat fiddled, Demi piped, Dan strummed the old banjo, and Emil warbled
+a doleful ballad about the wreck of the Bounding Betsey; then
+everybody joined in the old songs till there was very decidedly
+'music in the air'; and passers-by said, as they listened smiling:
+'Old Plum is gay tonight!'
+
+When all had gone Dan lingered on the piazza, enjoying the balmy wind
+that blew up from the hayfields, and brought the breath of flowers
+from Parnassus; and as he leaned there romantically in the moonlight,
+Mrs Jo came to shut the door.
+
+'Dreaming dreams, Dan?' she asked, thinking the tender moment might
+have come. Imagine the shock when, instead of some interesting
+confidence or affectionate word, Dan swung round, saying bluntly:
+
+'I was wishing I could smoke.'
+
+Mrs Jo laughed at the downfall of her hopes, and answered kindly:
+
+'You may, in your room; but don't set the house afire.'
+
+Perhaps Dan saw a little disappointment in her face, or the memory of
+the sequel of that boyish frolic touched his heart; for he stooped
+and kissed her, saying in a whisper: 'Good night, mother.' And Mrs Jo
+was half satisfied.
+
+
+
+Chapter 5 
+
+VACATION
+
+Everyone was glad of a holiday next morning, and all lingered over
+the breakfast-table, till Mrs Jo suddenly exclaimed:
+
+'Why, there's a dog!' And on the threshold of the door appeared a
+great deer-hound, standing motionless, with his eyes fixed on Dan.
+
+'Hallo, old boy! Couldn't you wait till I came for you? Have you cut
+away on the sly? Own up now, and take your whipping like a man,' said
+Dan, rising to meet the dog, who reared on his hind legs to look his
+master in the face and bark as if uttering an indignant denial of any
+disobedience.
+
+'All right; Don never lies.' And Dan gave the tall beast a hug,
+adding as he glanced out of the window, where a man and horse were
+seen approaching:
+
+'I left my plunder at the hotel over night, not knowing how I should
+find you. Come out and see Octoo, my mustang; she's a beauty.' And
+Dan was off, with the family streaming after him, to welcome the
+newcomer.
+
+They found her preparing to go up the steps in her eagerness to reach
+her master, to the great dismay of the man, who was holding her back.
+
+'Let her come,' called Dan; 'she climbs like a cat and jumps like a
+deer. Well, my girl, do you want a gallop?' he asked, as the pretty
+creature clattered up to him and whinnied with pleasure as he rubbed
+her nose and slapped her glossy flank.
+
+'That's what I call a horse worth having,' said Ted, full of
+admiration and delight; for he was to have the care of her during
+Dan's absence.
+
+'What intelligent eyes! She looks as if she would speak,' said Mrs Jo.
+
+'She talks like a human in her way. Very little that she don't know.
+Hey, old Lass?' and Dan laid his cheek to hers as if the little black
+mare was very dear to him.
+
+'What does "Octoo" mean?' asked Rob.
+
+'Lightning; she deserves it, as you'll see. Black Hawk gave her to me
+for my rifle, and we've had high times together out yonder.  She's
+saved my life more than once. Do you see that scar?'
+
+Dan pointed to a small one, half hidden by the long mane; and
+standing with his arm about Octoo's neck, he told the story of it.
+
+'Black Hawk and I were after buffalo one time, but didn't find 'em as
+soon as we expected; so our food gave out, and there we were a
+hundred miles from Red Deer River, where our camp was. I thought we
+were done for, but my brave pal says: "Now I'll show you how we can
+live till we find the herds." We were unsaddling for the night by a
+little pond; there wasn't a living creature in sight anywhere, not
+even a bird, and we could see for miles over the prairies. What do
+you think we did?' And Dan looked into the faces round him.
+
+'Ate worms like the Australian fellows,' said Rob. 'Boiled grass or
+leaves,' added Mrs Jo.
+
+'Perhaps filled the stomach with clay, as we read of savages doing?'
+suggested Mr Bhaer.
+
+'Killed one of the horses,' cried Ted, eager for bloodshed of some
+sort.
+
+'No; but we bled one of them. See, just here; filled a tin cup, put
+some wild sage leaves in it, with water, and heated it over a fire of
+sticks. It was good, and we slept well.'
+
+'I guess Octoo didn't.' And Josie patted the animal, with a face full
+of sympathy.
+
+'Never minded it a bit. Black Hawk said we could live on the horses
+several days and still travel before they felt it. But by another
+morning we found the buffalo, and I shot the one whose head is in my
+box, ready to hang up and scare brats into fits. He's a fierce old
+fellow, you bet.'
+
+'What is this strap for?' asked Ted, who was busily examining the
+Indian saddle, the single rein and snaffle, with lariat, and round
+the neck the leather band he spoke of.
+
+'We hold on to that when we lie along the horse's flank farthest from
+the enemy, and fire under the neck as we gallop round and round. I'll
+show you.' And springing into the saddle, Dan was off down the steps,
+tearing over the lawn at a great pace, sometimes on Octoo's back,
+sometimes half hidden as he hung by stirrup and strap, and sometimes
+off altogether, running beside her as she loped along, enjoying the
+fun immensely; while Don raced after, in a canine rapture at being
+free again and with his mates.
+
+It was a fine sight--the three wild things at play, so full of
+vigour, grace, and freedom, that for the moment the smooth lawn
+seemed a prairie; and the spectators felt as if this glimpse of
+another life made their own seem rather tame and colourless.
+
+'This is better than a circus!' cried Mrs Jo, wishing she were a girl
+again, that she might take a gallop on this chained lightning of a
+horse. 'I foresee that Nan will have her hands full setting bones,
+for Ted will break every one of his trying to rival Dan.'
+
+'A few falls will not harm, and this new care and pleasure will be
+good for him in all ways. But I fear Dan will never follow a plough
+after riding a Pegasus like that,' answered Mr Bhaer, as the black
+mare leaped the gate and came flying up the avenue, to stop at a word
+and stand quivering with excitement, while Dan swung himself off and
+looked up for applause.
+
+He received plenty of it, and seemed more pleased for his pet's sake
+than for his own. Ted clamoured for a lesson at once, and was soon at
+ease in the queer saddle, finding Octoo gentle as a lamb, as he
+trotted away to show off at college. Bess came hastening down the
+hill, having seen the race from afar; and all collected on the piazza
+while Dan 'yanked' the cover off the big box the express had 'dumped'
+before the door--to borrow his own words.
+
+Dan usually travelled in light marching order, and hated to have more
+luggage than he could carry in his well-worn valise. But now that he
+had a little money of his own, he had cumbered himself with a
+collection of trophies won by his bow and spear, and brought them
+home to bestow upon his friends.
+
+'We shall be devoured with moths,' thought Mrs Jo, as the shaggy head
+appeared, followed by a wolf-skin rug for her feet, a bear-skin ditto
+for the Professor's study, and Indian garments bedecked with foxes'
+tails for the boys.
+
+All nice and warm for a July day, but received with delight
+nevertheless. Ted and Josie immediately 'dressed up', learned the
+war-whoop, and proceeded to astonish their friends by a series of
+skirmishes about the house and grounds, with tomahawks and bows and
+arrows, till weariness produced a lull.
+
+Gay birds' wings, plumy pampas grass, strings of wampum, and pretty
+work in beads, bark, and feathers, pleased the girls.  Minerals,
+arrow-heads, and crude sketches interested the Professor; and when
+the box was empty, Dan gave Mr Laurie, as his gift, several plaintive
+Indian songs written on birch-bark.
+
+'We only want a tent over us to be quite perfect. I feel as if I
+ought to give you parched corn and dried meat for dinner, my braves.
+Nobody will want lamb and green peas after this splendid pow-wow,'
+said Mrs Jo, surveying the picturesque confusion of the long hall,
+where people lay about on the rugs, all more or less bedecked with
+feathers, moccasins, or beads.
+
+'Moose noses, buffalo tongues, bear steaks, and roasted marrow-bones
+would be the thing, but I don't mind a change; so bring on your
+baa-baa and green meat,' answered Dan from the box, where he sat in
+state like a chief among his tribe, with the great hound at his feet.
+
+The girls began to clear up, but made little headway; for everything
+they touched had a story, and all were thrilling, comical, or wild;
+so they found it hard to settle to their work, till Dan was carried
+off by Mr Laurie.
+
+This was the beginning of the summer holiday, and it was curious to
+see what a pleasant little stir Dan's and Emil's coming made in the
+quiet life of the studious community; for they seemed to bring a
+fresh breeze with them that enlivened everyone. Many of the
+collegians remained during vacation; and Plumfield and Parnassus did
+their best to make these days pleasant for them, since most came from
+distant States, were poor, and had few opportunities but this for
+culture or amusement. Emil was hail-fellow-well-met with men and
+maids, and went rollicking about in true sailor fashion; but Dan
+stood rather in awe of the 'fair girl-graduates', and was silent when
+among them, eyeing them as an eagle might a flock of doves. He got on
+better with the young men, and was their hero at once. Their
+admiration for his manly accomplishments did him good; because he
+felt his educational defects keenly, and often wondered if he could
+find anything in books to satisfy him as thoroughly as did the
+lessons he was learning from Nature's splendidly illustrated volume.
+In spite of his silence, the girls found out his good qualities, and
+regarded 'the Spaniard', as they named him, with great favour; for
+his black eyes were more eloquent than his tongue, and the kind
+creatures tried to show their friendly interests in many charming
+ways.
+
+He saw this, and endeavoured to be worthy of it--curbing his free
+speech, toning down his rough manners, and watching the effect of all
+he said and did, anxious to make a good impression. The social
+atmosphere warmed his lonely heart, the culture excited him to do his
+best, and the changes which had taken place during his absence, both
+in himself and others, made the old home seem like a new world. After
+the life in California, it was sweet and restful to be here, with
+these familiar faces round him, helping him to forget much that he
+regretted, and to resolve to deserve more entirely the confidence of
+these good fellows, the respect of these innocent girls.
+
+So there was riding, rowing, and picnicking by day, music, dancing,
+and plays by night; and everyone said there had not been so gay a
+vacation for years. Bess kept her promise, and let the dust gather on
+her beloved clay while she went pleasuring with her mates or studied
+music with her father, who rejoiced over the fresh roses in her
+cheeks and the laughter which chased away the dreamy look she used to
+wear. Josie quarrelled less with Ted; for Dan had a way of looking at
+her which quelled her instantly, and had almost as good an effect
+upon her rebellious cousin. But Octoo did even more for the lively
+youth, who found that her charms entirely eclipsed those of the
+bicycle which had been his heart's delight before. Early and late he
+rode this untiring beast, and began to gain flesh--to the great joy
+of his mother, who feared that her beanstalk was growing too fast for
+health.
+
+Demi, finding business dull, solaced his leisure by photographing
+everybody he could induce to sit or stand to him, producing some
+excellent pictures among many failures; for he had a pretty taste in
+grouping, and endless patience. He might be said to view the world
+through the lens of his camera, and seemed to enjoy himself very much
+squinting at his fellow beings from under a bit of black cambric. Dan
+was a treasure to him; for he took well, and willingly posed in his
+Mexican costume, with horse and hound, and all wanted copies of these
+effective photographs. Bess, also, was a favourite sitter; and Demi
+received a prize at the Amateur Photographic Exhibition for one of
+his cousin with all her hair about her face, which rose from the
+cloud of white lace draping the shoulders. These were freely handed
+round by the proud artist; and one copy had a tender little history
+yet to be told.
+
+Nat was snatching every minute he could get with Daisy before the
+long parting; and Mrs Meg relented somewhat, feeling sure that
+absence would quite cure this unfortunate fancy. Daisy said little;
+but her gentle face was sad when she was alone, and a few quiet tears
+dropped on the handkerchiefs she marked so daintily with her own
+hair. She was sure Nat would not forget her; and life looked rather
+forlorn without the dear fellow who had been her friend since the
+days of patty-pans and confidences in the willow-tree.  She was an
+old-fashioned daughter, dutiful and docile, with such love and
+reverence for her mother that her will was law; and if love was
+forbidden, friendship must suffice. So she kept her little sorrow to
+herself, smiled cheerfully at Nat, and made his last days of
+home-life very happy with every comfort and pleasure she could give,
+from sensible advice and sweet words to a well-filled work-bag for
+his bachelor establishment and a box of goodies for the voyage.
+
+Tom and Nan took all the time they could spare from their studies to
+enjoy high jinks at Plumfield with their old friends; for Emil's next
+voyage was to be a long one, Nat's absence was uncertain, and no one
+ever knew when Dan would turn up again. They all seemed to feel that
+life was beginning to grow serious; and even while they enjoyed those
+lovely summer days together they were conscious that they were
+children no longer, and often in the pauses of their fun talked
+soberly of their plans and hopes, as if anxious to know and help one
+another before they drifted farther apart on their different ways.
+
+A few weeks were all they had; then the Brenda was ready, Nat was to
+sail from New York, and Dan went along to see him off; for his own
+plans fermented in his head, and he was eager to be up and doing. A
+farewell dance was given on Parnassus in honour of the travellers,
+and all turned out in their best array and gayest spirits. George and
+Dolly came with the latest Harvard airs and graces, radiant to
+behold, in dress-suits and 'crushed hats', as Josie called the
+especial pride and joy of their boyish souls. Jack and Ned sent
+regrets and best wishes, and no one mourned their absence; for they
+were among what Mrs Jo called her failures.  Poor Tom got into
+trouble, as usual, by deluging his head with some highly scented
+preparation in the vain hope of making his tight curls lie flat and
+smooth, as was the style. Unhappily, his rebellious crop only kinked
+the closer, and the odour of many barbers' shops clung to him in
+spite of his frantic efforts to banish it. Nan wouldn't allow him
+near her, and flapped her fan vigorously whenever he was in sight;
+which cut him to the heart, and made him feel like the Peri shut out
+from Paradise. Of course his mates jeered at him, and nothing but the
+unquenchable jollity of his nature kept him from despair.
+
+Emil was resplendent in his new uniform, and danced with an abandon
+which only sailors know. His pumps seemed to be everywhere, and his
+partners soon lost breath trying to keep up with him; but the girls
+all declared he steered like an angel, and in spite of his pace no
+collisions took place; so he was happy, and found no lack of damsels
+to ship with him.
+
+Having no dress-suit, Dan had been coaxed to wear his Mexican
+costume, and feeling at ease in the many-buttoned trousers, loose
+jacket, and gay sash, flung his serape over his shoulder with a
+flourish and looked his best, doing great execution with his long
+spurs, as he taught Josie strange steps or rolled his black eyes
+admiringly after certain blonde damsels whom he dared not address.
+
+The mammas sat in the alcove, supplying pins, smiles, and kindly
+words to all, especially the awkward youths new to such scenes, and
+the bashful girls conscious of faded muslins and cleaned gloves. It
+was pleasant to see stately Mrs Amy promenade on the arm of a tall
+country boy, with thick boots and a big forehead, or Mrs Jo dance
+like a girl with a shy fellow whose arms went like pump-handles, and
+whose face was scarlet with confusion and pride at the honour of
+treading on the toes of the president's wife.  Mrs Meg always had
+room on her sofa for two or three girls, and Mr Laurie devoted
+himself to these plain, poorly dressed damsels with a kindly grace
+that won their hearts and made them happy.  The good Professor
+circulated like refreshments, and his cheerful face shone on all
+alike, while Mr March discussed Greek comedy in the study with such
+serious gentlemen as never unbent their mighty minds to frivolous
+joys.
+
+The long music-room, parlour, hall, and piazza were full of
+white-gowned maidens with attendant shadows; the air was full of
+lively voices, and hearts and feet went lightly together as the home
+band played vigorously, and the friendly moon did her best to add
+enchantment to the scene.
+
+'Pin me up, Meg; that dear Dunbar boy has nearly rent me "in sunder",
+as Mr Peggotty would say. But didn't he enjoy himself, bumping
+against his fellow men and swinging me round like a mop. On these
+occasions I find that I'm not as young as I was, nor as light of
+foot. In ten years more we shall be meal-bags, sister; so be
+resigned.' And Mrs Jo subsided into a corner, much dishevelled by her
+benevolent exertions.
+
+'I know I shall be stout; but you won't keep still long enough to get
+much flesh on your bones, dear; and Amy will always keep her lovely
+figure. She looks about eighteen tonight, in her white gown and
+roses,' answered Meg, busily pinning up one sister's torn frills,
+while her eyes fondly followed the other's graceful movements; for
+Meg still adored Amy in the old fashion.
+
+It was one of the family jokes that Jo was getting fat, and she kept
+it up, though as yet she had only acquired a matronly outline, which
+was very becoming. They were laughing over the impending double
+chins, when Mr Laurie came off duty for a moment.
+
+'Repairing damages as usual, Jo? You never could take a little gentle
+exercise without returning in rags. Come and have a quiet stroll with
+me and cool off before supper. I've a series of pretty tableaux to
+show you while Meg listens to the raptures of lisping Miss Carr, whom
+I made happy by giving her Demi for a partner.'
+
+As he spoke, Laurie led Jo to the music-room, nearly empty now after
+a dance which sent the young people into garden and hall.  Pausing
+before the first of the four long windows that opened on a very wide
+piazza, he pointed to a group outside, saying: 'The name of this is
+"Jack Ashore".'
+
+A pair of long, blue legs, ending in very neat pumps, hung from the
+veranda roof among the vines; and roses, gathered by unseen hands,
+evidently appertaining to aforesaid legs, were being dropped into the
+laps of several girls perched like a flock of white birds on the
+railing below; while a manly voice 'fell like a falling star', as it
+sung this pensive ditty to a most appreciative audience:
+
+             MARY'S DREAM
+
+    The moon had climbed the eastern hill
+    Which rises o'er the sands of Dee,
+    And from its highest summit shed
+    A silver light on tower and tree,
+    When Mary laid her down to sleep
+    (Her thoughts on Sandy far at sea);
+    When soft and low a voice was heard,
+    Saying, 'Mary, weep no more for me.'
+
+    She from her pillow gently raised
+    Her head, to see who there might be,
+    And saw young Sandy, shivering stand 
+    With visage pale and hollow e'e.
+    'Oh Mary dear, cold is my clay;
+    It lies beneath the stormy sea;
+    Far, far from thee, I sleep in death.
+    Dear Mary, weep no more for me.
+
+    'Three stormy nights and stormy days 
+    We tossed upon the raging main. 
+    And long we strove our bark to save; 
+    But all our striving was in vain.
+    E'en then, when terror chilled my blood, 
+    My heart was filled with love of thee.
+    The storm is past, and I'm at rest;
+    So, Mary, weep no more for me.
+
+    'Oh maiden dear, yourself prepare;
+    We soon shall meet upon that shore
+    Where love is free from doubt and care, 
+    And you and I shall part no more.'
+    Loud crew the cock, the shadow fled;
+    No more her Sandy did she see;
+    But soft the passing spirit said,
+    'Sweet Mary, weep no more for me.'
+
+'The constant jollity of that boy is worth a fortune to him. He'll
+never sink with such a buoyant spirit to keep him afloat through
+life,' said Mrs Jo, as the roses were tossed back with much applause
+when the song ended.
+
+'Not he; and it's a blessing to be grateful for, isn't it? We moody
+people know its worth. Glad you like my first tableau. Come and see
+number two. Hope it isn't spoilt; it was very pretty just now.  This
+is "Othello telling his adventures to Desdemona".'
+
+The second window framed a very picturesque group of three. Mr March
+in an arm-chair, with Bess on a cushion at his feet, was listening to
+Dan, who, leaning against a pillar, was talking with unusual
+animation. The old man was in shadow, but little Desdemona was
+looking up with the moonlight full upon her into young Othello's
+face, quite absorbed in the story he was telling so well. The gay
+drapery over Dan's shoulder, his dark colouring, and the gesture of
+his arm made the picture very striking, and both spectators enjoyed
+it with silent pleasure, till Mrs Jo said in a quick whisper:
+
+'I'm glad he's going away. He's too picturesque to have here among so
+many romantic girls. Afraid his "grand, gloomy, and peculiar" style
+will be too much for our simple maids.'
+
+'No danger; Dan is in the rough as yet, and always will be, I fancy;
+though he is improving in many ways. How well Queenie looks in that
+soft light!'
+
+'Dear little Goldilocks looks well everywhere.' And with a backward 
+glance full of pride and fondness, Mrs Jo went on. But that scene 
+returned to her long afterward and her own prophetic words also.
+
+Number three was a tragical tableau at first sight; and Mr Laurie
+stifled a laugh as he whispered 'The Wounded Knight', pointing to Tom
+with his head enveloped in a large handkerchief, as he knelt before
+Nan, who was extracting a thorn or splinter from the palm of his hand
+with great skill, to judge from the patient's blissful expression of
+countenance.
+
+'Do I hurt you?' she asked, turning the hand to the moonlight for a
+better view.
+
+'Not a bit; dig away; I like it,' answered Tom, regardless of his
+aching knees and the damage done to his best trousers.
+
+'I won't keep you long.'
+
+'Hours, if you please. Never so happy as here.'
+
+Quite unmoved by this tender remark, Nan put on a pair of large,
+round-eyed glasses, saying in a matter-of-fact tone: 'Now I see it.
+Only a splinter, and there it is.
+
+'My hand is bleeding; won't you bind it up?' asked Tom, wishing to
+prolong the situation.
+
+'Nonsense; suck it. Only take care of it tomorrow if you dissect.
+Don't want any more blood-poisoning.'
+
+'That was the only time you were kind to me. Wish I'd lost my arm.'
+
+'I wish you'd lost your head; it smells more like turpentine and
+kerosene than ever. Do take a run in the garden and air it.'
+
+Fearing to betray themselves by laughter, the watchers went on,
+leaving the Knight to rush away in despair, and the Lady to bury her
+nose in the cup of a tall lily for refreshment.
+
+'Poor Tom, his fate is a hard one, and he's wasting his time! Do
+advise him to quit philandering and go to work, Jo.'
+
+'I have, Teddy, often; but it will take some great shock to make that
+boy wise. I wait with interest to see what it will be. Bless me!
+what is all this?'
+
+She might well ask; for on a rustic stool stood Ted trying to pose on
+one foot, with the other extended, and both hands waving in the air.
+Josie, with several young mates, was watching his contortions with
+deep interest as they talked about 'little wings', 'gilded wire
+twisted', and a 'cunning skull-cap'.
+
+'This might be called "Mercury Trying to Fly",' said Mr Laurie, as
+they peeped through the lace curtains.
+
+'Bless the long legs of that boy! how does he expect to manage them?
+They are planning for the Owlsdark Marbles, and a nice muddle they
+will make of my gods and goddesses with no one to show them how,'
+answered Mrs Jo, enjoying this scene immensely.  'Now, he's got it!'
+'That's perfectly splendid!' 'See how long you can keep so!' cried
+the girls, as Ted managed to maintain his equilibrium a moment by
+resting one toe on the trellis.  Unfortunately this brought all his
+weight on the other foot; the straw seat of the stool gave way, and
+the flying Mercury came down with a crash, amid shrieks of laughter
+from the girls. Being accustomed to ground and lofty tumbling, he
+quickly recovered himself, and hopped gaily about, with one leg
+through the stool as he improvised a classic jig.
+
+'Thanks for four nice little pictures. You have given me an idea, and
+I think some time we will get up regular tableaux of this sort and
+march our company round a set of dissolving views. New and striking;
+I'll propose it to our manager and give you all the glory,' said Mrs
+Jo, as they strolled towards the room whence came the clash of glass
+and china, and glimpses of agitated black coats.
+
+Let us follow the example of our old friends and stroll about among
+the young people, eavesdropping, so gathering up various little
+threads to help in the weaving of the story. George and Dolly were at
+supper, and having served the ladies in their care stood in a corner
+absorbing nourishment of all kinds with a vain attempt to conceal
+hearty appetites under an air of elegant indifference.
+
+'Good spread, this; Laurence does things in style. First-rate coffee,
+but no wine, and that's a mistake,' said Stuffy, who still deserved
+his name, and was a stout youth with a heavy eye and bilious
+complexion.
+
+'Bad for boys, he says. Jove! wish he could see us at some of our
+wines. Don't we just "splice the main brace" as Emil says,' answered
+Dolly, the dandy, carefully spreading a napkin over the glossy
+expanse of shirt-front whereon a diamond stud shone like a lone star.
+His stutter was nearly outgrown; but he, as well as George, spoke in
+the tone of condescension, which, with the blase airs they assumed,
+made a very funny contrast to their youthful faces and foolish
+remarks. Good-hearted little fellows both, but top-heavy with the
+pride of being Sophs and the freedom that college life gave them.
+
+'Little Jo is getting to be a deuced pretty girl, isn't she?' said
+George, with a long sigh of satisfaction as his first mouthful of ice
+went slowly down his throat.
+
+'H'm--well, fairish. The Princess is rather more to my taste. I like
+'em blonde and queenly and elegant, don't you know.'
+
+'Yes, Jo is too lively; might as well dance with a grasshopper. I've
+tried her, and she's one too many for me. Miss Perry is a nice,
+easy-going girl. Got her for the german.'
+
+'You'll never be a dancing man. Too lazy. Now I'll undertake to steer
+any girl and dance down any fellow you please. Dancing's my forte.'
+And Dolly glanced from his trim feet to his flashing gem with the
+defiant air of a young turkey-cock on parade.
+
+'Miss Grey is looking for you. Wants more grub. Just see if Miss
+Nelson's plate is empty, there's a good fellow. Can't eat ice in a
+hurry.' And George remained in his safe corner, while Dolly struggled
+through the crowd to do his duty, coming back in a fume, with a
+splash of salad dressing on his coat-cuff.
+
+'Confound these country chaps! they go blundering round like so many
+dor-bugs, and make a deuce of a mess. Better stick to books and not
+try to be society men. Can't do it. Beastly stain. Give it a rub, and
+let me bolt a mouthful, I'm starved. Never saw girls eat such a lot.
+It proves that they ought not to study so much. Never liked co-ed,'
+growled Dolly, much ruffled in spirit.
+
+'So they do. 'Tisn't ladylike. Ought to be satisfied with an ice and
+a bit of cake, and eat it prettily. Don't like to see a girl feed. We
+hard-working men need it, and, by Jove, I mean to get some more of
+that meringue if it's not all gone. Here, waiter! bring along that
+dish over there, and be lively,' commanded Stuffy, poking a young man
+in a rather shabby dress-suit, who was passing with a tray of
+glasses.
+
+His order was obeyed promptly; but George's appetite was taken away
+the next moment by Dolly's exclaiming, as he looked up from his
+damaged coat, with a scandalized face:
+
+'You've put your foot in it now, old boy! that's Morton, Mr Bhaer's
+crack man. Knows everything, no end of a "dig", and bound to carry
+off all the honours. You won't hear the last of it in a hurry.' And
+Dolly laughed so heartily that a spoonful of ice flew upon the head
+of a lady sitting below him, and got him into a scrape also.
+
+Leaving them to their despair, let us listen to the whispered chat of
+two girls comfortably seated in a recess waiting till their escorts
+were fed.
+
+'I do think the Laurences give lovely parties. Don't you enjoy them?'
+asked the younger, looking about her with the eager air of one unused
+to this sort of pleasure.
+
+'Very much, only I never feel as if I was dressed right. My things
+seemed elegant at home, and I thought I'd be over over-dressed if
+anything; but I look countrified and dowdy here. No time or money to
+change now, even if I knew how to do it,' answered the other,
+glancing anxiously at her bright pink silk grown, trimmed with cheap
+lace.
+
+'You must get Mrs Brooke to tell you how to fix your things. She was
+very kind to me. I had a green silk, and it looked so cheap and
+horrid by the side of the nice dresses here I felt regularly unhappy
+about it, and asked her how much a dress like one Mrs Laurence had
+would cost. That looked so simple and elegant I thought it wouldn't
+be costly; but it was India mull and Valenciennes lace, so, of
+course, I couldn't have it. Then Mrs Brooke said: "Get some muslin to
+cover the green silk, and wear hops or some white flowers, instead of
+pink, in your hair, and you will have a pretty suit." Isn't it lovely
+and becoming?' And Miss Burton surveyed herself with girlish
+satisfaction; for a little taste had softened the harsh green, and
+hop-bells became her red hair better than roses.
+
+'It's sweet: I've been admiring it. I'll do mine so and ask about my
+purple one. Mrs Brooke has helped me to get rid of my headaches, and
+Mary Clay's dyspepsia is all gone since she gave up coffee and hot
+bread.'
+
+'Mrs Laurence advised me to walk and run and use the gymnasium to
+cure my round shoulders and open my chest, and I'm a much better
+figure than I was.'
+
+'Did you know that Mr Laurence pays all Amelia Merrill's bills?  Her
+father failed, and she was heartbroken at having to leave college;
+but that splendid man just stepped in and made it all right.' 'Yes,
+and Professor Bhaer has several of the boys down at his house
+evenings to help them along so they can keep up with the rest; and
+Mrs Bhaer took care of Charles Mackey herself when he had a fever
+last year. I do think they are the best and kindest people in the
+world.'
+
+'So do I, and my time here will be the happiest and most useful years
+of my life.'
+
+And both girls forgot their gowns and their suppers for a moment to
+look with grateful, affectionate eyes at the friends who tried to
+care for bodies and for souls as well as minds.
+
+Now come to a lively party supping on the stairs, girls like foam at
+the top, and a substratum of youths below, where the heaviest
+particles always settle. Emil, who never sat if he could climb or
+perch, adorned the newel-post; Tom, Nat, Demi, and Dan were camped on
+the steps, eating busily, as their ladies were well served and they
+had earned a moment's rest, which they enjoyed with their eyes fixed
+on the pleasing prospect above them.
+
+'I'm so sorry the boys are going. It will be dreadfully dull without
+them. Now they have stopped teasing and are polite, I really enjoy
+them,' said Nan, who felt unusually gracious tonight as Tom's mishap
+kept him from annoying her.
+
+'So do I; and Bess was mourning about it today, though as a general
+thing she doesn't like boys unless they are models of elegance. She
+has been doing Dan's head, and it is not quite finished. I never saw
+her so interested in any work, and it's very well done. He is so
+striking and big he always makes me think of the Dying Gladiator or
+some of those antique creatures. There's Bess now. Dear child, how
+sweet she looks tonight!' answered Daisy, waving her hand as the
+Princess went by with Grandpa on her arm.
+
+'I never thought he would turn out so well. Don't you remember how we
+used to call him "the bad boy" and be sure he would become a pirate
+or something awful because he glared at us and swore sometimes? Now
+he is the handsomest of all the boys, and very entertaining with his
+stories and plans. I like him very much; he's so big and strong and
+independent. I'm tired of mollycoddles and book-worms,' said Nan in
+her decided way.
+
+'Not handsomer that Nat!' cried loyal Daisy, contrasting two faces
+below, one unusually gay, the other sentimentally sober even in the
+act of munching cake. 'I like Dan, and am glad he is doing well; but
+he tires me, and I'm still a little afraid of him. Quiet people suit
+me best.'
+
+'Life is a fight, and I like a good soldier. Boys take things too
+easily, don't see how serious it all is and go to work in earnest.
+Look at that absurd Tom, wasting his time and making an object of
+himself just because he can't have what he wants, like a baby crying
+for the moon. I've no patience with such nonsense,' scolded Nan,
+looking down at the jovial Thomas, who was playfully putting
+macaroons in Emil's shoes, and trying to beguile his exile as best he
+could.
+
+'Most girls would be touched by such fidelity. I think it's
+beautiful,' said Daisy behind her fan; for other girls sat just
+below.
+
+'You are a sentimental goose and not a judge. Nat will be twice the
+man when he comes back after his trip. I wish Tom was going with him.
+My idea is that if we girls have any influence we should use it for
+the good of these boys, and not pamper them up, making slaves of
+ourselves and tyrants of them. Let them prove what they can do and be
+before they ask anything of us, and give us a chance to do the same.
+Then we know where we are, and shall not make mistakes to mourn over
+all our lives.'
+
+'Hear, hear!' cried Alice Heath, who was a girl after Nan's own
+heart, and had chosen a career, like a brave and sensible young
+woman. 'Only give us a chance, and have patience till we can do our
+best. Now we are expected to be as wise as men who have had
+generations of all the help there is, and we scarcely anything. Let
+us have equal opportunities, and in a few generations we will see
+what the judgement is. I like justice, and we get very little of it.'
+
+'Still shouting the battle-cry of freedom?' asked Demi, peering
+through the banisters at this moment. 'Up with your flag! I'll stand
+by and lend a hand if you want it. With you and Nan to lead the van,
+I think you won't need much help.'
+
+'You are a great comfort, Demi, and I'll call on you in all
+emergencies; for you are an honest boy, and don't forget that you owe
+much to your mother and your sisters and your aunts,' continued Nan.
+'I do like men who come out frankly and own that they are not gods.
+How can we think them so when such awful mistakes are being made all
+the time by these great creatures? See them sick, as I do, then you
+know them.'
+
+'Don't hit us when we are down; be merciful, and set us up to bless
+and believe in you evermore,' pleaded Demi from behind the bars.
+
+'We'll be kind to you if you will be just to us. I don't say
+generous, only just. I went to a suffrage debate in the Legislature
+last winter; and of all the feeble, vulgar twaddle I ever heard, that
+was the worst; and those men were our representatives. I blushed for
+them, and the wives and mothers. I want an intelligent man to
+represent me, if I can't do it myself, not a fool.'
+
+'Nan is on the stump. Now we shall catch it,' cried Tom, putting up
+an umbrella to shield his unhappy head; for Nan's earnest voice was
+audible, and her indignant eye happened to rest on him as she spoke.
+
+'Go on, go on! I'll take notes, and put in "great applause"
+liberally,' added Demi, producing his ball-book and pencil, with his
+Jenkins air.
+
+Daisy pinched his nose through the bars, and the meeting was rather
+tumultuous for a moment, for Emil called: 'Avast, avast, here's a
+squall to wind'ard'; Tom applauded wildly; Dan looked up as if the
+prospect of a fight, even with words, pleased him, and Nat went to
+support Demi, as his position seemed to be a good one. At this
+crisis, when everyone laughed and talked at once, Bess came floating
+through the upper hall and looked down like an angel of peace upon
+the noisy group below, as she asked, with wondering eyes and smiling
+lips:
+
+'What is it?'
+
+'An indignation meeting. Nan and Alice are on the rampage, and we are
+at the bar to be tried for our lives. Will Your Highness preside and
+judge between us?' answered Demi, as a lull at once took place; for
+no one rioted in the presence of the Princess.
+
+'I'm not wise enough. I'll sit here and listen. Please go on.' And
+Bess took her place above them all as cool and calm as a little
+statue of Justice, with fan and nosegay in place of sword and scales.
+
+'Now, ladies, free your minds, only spare us till morning; for we've
+got a german to dance as soon as everyone is fed, and Parnassus
+expects every man to do his duty. Mrs President Giddy-gaddy has the
+floor,' said Demi, who liked this sort of fun better than the very
+mild sort of flirtation which was allowed at Plumfield, for the
+simple reason that it could not be entirely banished, and is a part
+of all education, co- or otherwise.
+
+'I have only one thing to say, and it is this,' began Nan soberly,
+though her eyes sparkled with a mixture of fun and earnestness. 'I
+want to ask every boy of you what you really think on this subject.
+Dan and Emil have seen the world and ought to know their own minds.
+Tom and Nat have had five examples before them for years. Demi is
+ours and we are proud of him. So is Rob. Ted is a weathercock, and
+Dolly and George, of course, are fogies in spite of the Annex, and
+girls at Girton going ahead of the men.  Commodore, are you ready for
+the question?'
+
+'Ay, ay, skipper.'
+
+'Do you believe in Woman's Suffrage?'
+
+'Bless your pretty figger head! I do, and I'll ship a crew of girls
+any time you say so. Aren't they worse than a press-gang to carry a
+fellow out of his moorings? Don't we all need one as pilot to steer
+us safe to port? and why shouldn't they share our mess afloat and
+ashore since we are sure to be wrecked without 'em?'
+
+'Good for you, Emil! Nan will take you for first mate after that
+handsome speech,' said Demi, as the girls applauded, and Tom
+glowered. 'Now, Dan, you love liberty so well yourself, are you
+willing we should have it?'
+
+'All you can get, and I'll fight any man who's mean enough to say you
+don't deserve it.'
+
+This brief and forcible reply delighted the energetic President, and
+she beamed upon the member from California, as she said briskly:
+
+'Nat wouldn't dare to say he was on the other side even if he were,
+but I hope he has made up his mind to pipe for us, at least when we
+take the field, and not be one of those who wait till the battle is
+won, and then beat the drums and share the glory.'
+
+Mrs Giddy-gaddy's doubts were most effectually removed, and her sharp
+speech regretted, as Nat looked up blushing, but with a new sort of
+manliness in face and manner, saying, in a tone that touched them
+all:
+
+'I should be the most ungrateful fellow alive if I did not love,
+honour, and serve women with all my heart and might, for to them I
+owe everything I am or ever shall be.'
+
+Daisy clapped her hands, and Bess threw her bouquet into Nat's lap,
+while the other girls waved their fans, well pleased; for real
+feeling made his little speech eloquent.
+
+'Thomas B. Bangs, come into court, and tell the truth, the whole
+truth, and nothing but the truth, if you can,' commanded Nan, with a
+rap to call the meeting to order.
+
+Tom shut the umbrella, and standing up raised his hand, saying
+solemnly:
+
+'I believe in suffrage of all kinds. I adore all women, and will die
+for them at any moment if it will help the cause.'
+
+'Living and working for it is harder, and therefore more honourable.
+Men are always ready to die for us, but not to make our lives worth
+having. Cheap sentiment and bad logic. You will pass, Tom, only don't
+twaddle. Now, having taken the sense of the meeting we will adjourn,
+as the hour for festive gymnastics has arrived. I am glad to see that
+old Plum has given six true men to the world, and hope they will
+continue to be staunch to her and the principles she has taught them,
+wherever they may go. Now, girls, don't sit in draughts, and, boys,
+beware of ice-water when you are warm.'
+
+With this characteristic close Nan retired from office, and the girls
+went to enjoy one of the few rights allowed them.
+
+
+
+Chapter 6 
+
+LAST WORDS
+
+The next day was Sunday, and a goodly troop of young and old set
+forth to church.--some driving, some walking, all enjoying the lovely
+weather and the happy quietude which comes to refresh us when the
+work and worry of the week are over. Daisy had a headache; and Aunt
+Jo remained at home to keep her company, knowing very well that the
+worst ache was in the tender heart struggling dutifully against the
+love that grew stronger as the parting drew nearer.
+
+'Daisy knows my wishes, and I trust her. You must keep an eye on Nat,
+and let him clearly understand that there is to be no "lovering", or
+I shall forbid the letter-writing. I hate to seem cruel, but it is
+too soon for my dear girl to bind herself in any way,' said Mrs Meg,
+as she rustled about in her best grey silk, while waiting for Demi,
+who always escorted his pious mother to church as a peace-offering
+for crossing her wishes in other things.
+
+'I will, dear; I'm lying in wait for all three boys today, like an
+old spider; and I will have a good talk with each. They know I
+understand them, and they always open their hearts sooner or later.
+You look like a nice, plump little Quakeress, Meg; and no one will
+believe that big boy is your son,' added Mrs Jo, as Demi came in
+shining with Sunday neatness, from his well-blacked boots to his
+smooth brown head.
+
+'You flatter me, to soften my heart toward your boy. I know your
+ways, Jo, and I don't give in. Be firm, and spare me a scene by and
+by. As for John, as long as he is satisfied with his old mother, I
+don't care what people think,' answered Mrs Meg, accepting with a
+smile the little posy of sweet peas and mignonette Demi brought her.
+
+Then, having buttoned her dove-coloured gloves with care, she took
+her son's arm and went proudly away to the carriage, where Amy and
+Bess waited, while Jo called after them, just as Marmee used to do:
+
+'Girls, have you got nice pocket-handkerchiefs?' They all smiled at
+the familiar words, and three white banners waved as they drove away,
+leaving the spider to watch for her first fly. She did not wait long.
+Daisy was lying down with a wet cheek on the little hymnbook out of
+which she and Nat used to sing together; so Mrs Jo strolled about the
+lawn, looking very like a wandering mushroom with her large buff
+umbrella.
+
+Dan had gone for a ten-mile stroll; and Nat was supposed to have
+accompanied him, but presently came sneaking back, unable to tear
+himself away from the Dovecote or lose a moment of nearness to his
+idol that last day. Mrs Jo saw him at once, and beckoned him to a
+rustic seat under the old elm, where they could have their
+confidences undisturbed, and both keep an eye on a certain
+white-curtained window, half hidden in vines.
+
+'Nice and cool here. I'm not up to one of Dan's tramps today--it's so
+warm, and he goes so like a steam-engine. He headed for the swamp
+where his pet snakes used to live, and I begged to be excused,' said
+Nat, fanning himself with his straw hat, though the day was not
+oppressive.
+
+'I'm glad you did. Sit and rest with me, and have one of our good old
+talks. We've both been so busy lately, I feel as if I didn't half
+know your plans; and I want to,' answered Mrs Jo, feeling sure that
+though they might start with Leipzig they would bring up at
+Plumfield,
+
+'You are very kind, and there's nothing I'd like better. I don't
+realize I'm going so far--suppose I shan't till I get afloat. It's a
+splendid start, and I don't know how I can ever thank Mr Laurie for
+all he's done, or you either,' added Nat, with a break in his voice;
+for he was a tender-hearted fellow, and never forgot a kindness.
+
+'You can thank us beautifully by being and doing all we hope and
+expect of you, my dear. In the new life you are going to there will
+be a thousand trials and temptations, and only your own wit and
+wisdom to rely on. That will be the time to test the principles we
+have tried to give you, and see how firm they are. Of course, you
+will make mistakes--we all do; but don't let go of your conscience
+and drift along blindly. Watch and pray, dear Nat; and while your
+hand gains skill, let your head grow wiser, and keep your heart as
+innocent and warm as it is now.'
+
+'I'll try, Mother Bhaer, my very best to be a credit to you. I know I
+shall improve in my music--can't help it there; but I never shall be
+very wise, I'm afraid. As for my heart, you know, I leave it behind
+me in good keeping.'
+
+As he spoke, Nat's eyes were fixed on the window with a look of love
+and longing that made his quiet face both manly and sad-- plainly
+showing how strong a hold this boyish affection had upon him.
+
+'I want to speak of that; and I know you will forgive what seems
+hard, because I do most heartily sympathize with you,' said Mrs Jo,
+glad to have her say.
+
+'Yes, do talk about Daisy! I think of nothing but leaving and losing
+her. I have no hope--I suppose it is too much to ask; only I can't
+help loving her, wherever I am!' cried Nat, with a mixture of
+defiance and despair in his face that rather startled Mrs Jo.
+
+'Listen to me and I'll try to give you both comfort and good advice.
+We all know that Daisy is fond of you, but her mother objects, and
+being a good girl she tries to obey. Young people think they never
+can change, but they do in the most wonderful manner, and very few
+die of broken hearts.' Mrs Jo smiled as she remembered another boy
+whom she had once tried to comfort, and then went soberly on while
+Nat listened as if his fate hung upon her lips.
+
+'One of two things will happen. You will find someone else to love,
+or, better still, be so busy and happy in your music that you will be
+willing to wait for time to settle the matter for you both.  Daisy
+will perhaps forget when you are gone, and be glad you are only
+friends. At any rate it is much wiser to have no promises made; then
+both are free, and in a year or two may meet to laugh over the little
+romance nipped in the bud.'
+
+'Do you honestly think that?' asked Nat, looking at her so keenly
+that the truth had to come; for all his heart was in those frank blue
+eyes of his.
+
+'No, I don't!' answered Mrs Jo. 'Then if you were in my place, what
+would you do?' he added, with a tone of command never heard in his
+gentle voice before.
+
+'Bless me! the boy is in dead earnest, and I shall forget prudence in
+sympathy I'm afraid,' thought Mrs Jo, surprised and pleased by the
+unexpected manliness Nat showed.
+
+'I'll tell you what I should do. I'd say to myself:
+
+"I'll prove that my love is strong and faithful, and make Daisy's
+mother proud to give her to me by being not only a good musician but
+an excellent man, and so command respect and confidence.  This I will
+try for; and if I fail, I shall be the better for the effort, and
+find comfort in the thought that I did my best for her sake."'
+
+'That is what I meant to do. But I wanted a word of hope to give me
+courage,' cried Nat, firing up as if the smouldering spark was set
+ablaze by a breath of encouragement. 'Other fellows, poorer and
+stupider than I, have done great things and come to honour.  Why may
+not I, though I'm nothing now? I know Mrs Brooke remembers what I
+came from, but my father was honest though everything went wrong; and
+I have nothing to be ashamed of though I was a charity boy. I never
+will be ashamed of my people or myself, and I'll make other folks
+respect me if I can.'
+
+'Good! that's the right spirit, Nat. Hold to it and make yourself a
+man. No one will be quicker to see and admire the brave work than my
+sister Meg. She does not despise your poverty or your past; but
+mothers are very tender over their daughters, and we Marches, though
+we have been poor, are, I confess, a little proud of our good family.
+We don't care for money; but a long line of virtuous ancestors is
+something to desire and to be proud of.'
+
+'Well, the Blakes are a good lot. I looked 'em up, and not one was
+ever in prison, hanged, or disgraced in any way. We used to be rich
+and honoured years ago, but we've died out and got poor, and father
+was a street musician rather than beg; and I'll be one again before
+I'll do the mean things some men do and pass muster.'
+
+Nat was so excited that Mrs Jo indulged in a laugh to calm him, and
+both went on more quietly.
+
+'I told my sister all that and it pleased her. I am sure if you do
+well these next few years that she will relent and all be happily
+settled, unless that wonderful change, which you don't believe
+possible, should occur. Now, cheer up; don't be lackadaisical and
+blue. Say good-bye cheerfully and bravely, show a manly front, and
+leave a pleasant memory behind you. We all wish you well and hope
+much for you. Write to me every week and I'll send a good, gossipy
+answer. Be careful what you write to Daisy; don't gush or wail, for
+sister Meg will see the letters; and you can help your cause very
+much by sending sensible, cheery accounts of your life to us all.'
+
+'I will; I will; it looks brighter and better already, and I won't
+lose my one comfort by any fault of my own. Thank you so much, Mother
+Bhaer, for taking my side. I felt so ungrateful and mean and crushed
+when I thought you all considered me a sneak who had no business to
+love such a precious girl as Daisy. No one said anything, but I knew
+how you felt, and that Mr Laurie sent me off partly to get me out of
+the way. Oh dear, life is pretty tough sometimes, isn't it?' And Nat
+took his head in both hands as if it ached with the confusion of
+hopes and fears, passions and plans that proved boyhood was past and
+manhood had begun.
+
+'Very tough, but it is that very struggle with obstacles which does
+us good. Things have been made easy for you in many ways, but no one
+can do everything. You must paddle your own canoe now, and learn to
+avoid the rapids and steer straight to the port you want to reach. I
+don't know just what your temptations will be for you have no bad
+habits and seem to love music so well, nothing can lure you from it.
+I only hope you won't work too hard.'
+
+'I feel as if I could work like a horse, I'm so eager to get on; but 
+I'll take care. Can't waste time being sick, and you've given me
+doses enough to keep me all right, I guess.' Nat laughed as he
+remembered the book of directions Mrs Jo had written for him to
+consult on all occasions.
+
+She immediately added some verbal ones on the subject of foreign
+messes, and having mounted one of her pet hobbies, was in full gallop
+when Emil was seen strolling about on the roof of the old house, that
+being his favourite promenade; for there he could fancy himself
+walking the deck, with only blue sky and fresh air about him.
+
+'I want a word with the Commodore, and up there we shall be nice and
+quiet. Go and play to Daisy: it will put her to sleep and do you both
+good. Sit in the porch, so I can keep an eye on you as I promised';
+and with a motherly pat on the shoulder Mrs Jo left Nat to his
+delightful task and briskly ascended to the house-top, not up the
+trellis as of old but by means of the stairs inside.
+
+Emerging on the platform she found Emil cutting his initials afresh
+in the wood-work and singing 'Pull for the Shore', like the tuneful
+mariner he was.
+
+'Come aboard and make yourself at home, Aunty,' he said, with a
+playful salute. 'I'm just leaving a P.P.C. in the old place, so when
+you fly up here for refuge you'll remember me.'
+
+'Ah, my dear, I'm not likely to forget you. It doesn't need E. B. H.
+cut on all the trees and railings to remind me of my sailor boy'; and
+Mrs Jo took the seat nearest the blue figure astride the balustrade,
+not quite sure how to begin the little sermon she wanted to preach.
+
+'Well, you don't pipe your eye and look squally when I sheer off as
+you used to, and that's a comfort. I like to leave port in fair
+weather and have a jolly send-off all round. Specially this time, for
+it will be a year or more before we drop anchor here again,' answered
+Emil, pushing his cap back, and glancing about him as if he loved old
+Plum and would be sorry never to see it any more.
+
+'You have salt water enough without my adding to it. I'm going to be
+quite a Spartan mother, and send my sons to battle with no wailing,
+only the command:
+
+"With your shield or on it",' said Mrs Jo cheerfully, adding after a
+pause: 'I often wish I could go too, and some day I will, when you
+are captain and have a ship of your own--as I've no doubt you will
+before long, with Uncle Herman to push you on.'
+
+'When I do I'll christen her the Jolly Jo and take you as first mate.
+It would be regular larks to have you aboard, and I'd be a proud man
+to carry you round the world you've wanted to see so long and never
+could,' answered Emil, caught at once by this splendid vision.
+
+'I'll make my first voyage with you and enjoy myself immensely in
+spite of seasickness and all the stormy winds that blow. I've always
+thought I'd like to see a wreck, a nice safe one with all saved after
+great danger and heroic deeds, while we clung like Mr Pillicoddy to
+main-top jibs and lee scuppers.'
+
+'No wrecks yet, ma'am, but we'll try to accommodate customers.
+Captain says I'm a lucky dog and bring fair weather, so we'll save
+the dirty weather for you if you want it,' laughed Emil, digging at
+the ship in full sail which he was adding to his design.
+
+'Thanks, I hope you will. This long voyage will give you new
+experiences, and being an officer, you will have new duties and
+responsibilities. Are you ready for them? You take everything so
+gaily, I've been wondering if you realized that now you will have not
+only to obey but to command also, and power is a dangerous thing. Be
+careful that you don't abuse it or let it make a tyrant of you.'
+
+'Right you are, ma'am. I've seen plenty of that, and have got my
+bearings pretty well, I guess. I shan't have very wide swing with
+Peters over me, but I'll see that the boys don't get abused when he's
+bowsed up his jib. No right to speak before, but now I won't stand
+it.'
+
+'That sounds mysteriously awful; could I ask what nautical torture
+"bowsing jibs" is?' asked Mrs Jo, in a tone of deep interest.
+
+'Getting drunk. Peters can hold more grog than any man I ever saw; he
+keeps right side up, but is as savage as a norther, and makes things
+lively all round. I've seen him knock a fellow down with a belaying
+pin, and couldn't lend a hand. Better luck now, I hope.' And Emil
+frowned as if he already trod the quarter-deck, lord of all he
+surveyed.
+
+'Don't get into trouble, for even Uncle Herman's favour won't cover
+insubordination, you know. You have proved yourself a good sailor;
+now be a good officer, which is a harder thing, I fancy. It takes a
+fine character to rule justly and kindly; you will have to put by
+your boyish ways and remember your dignity. That will be excellent
+training for you, Emil, and sober you down a bit. No more skylarking
+except here, so mind your ways, and do honour to your buttons,' said
+Mrs Jo, tapping one of the very bright brass ones that ornamented the
+new suit Emil was so proud of.
+
+'I'll do my best. I know my time for skirmshander (chaff) is over,
+and I must steer a straighter course; but don't you fear, Jack ashore
+is a very different craft from what he is with blue water under his
+keel. I had a long talk with Uncle last night and got my orders; I
+won't forget 'em nor all I owe him. As for you, I'll name my first
+ship as I say, and have your bust for the figurehead, see if I
+don't,' and Emil gave his aunt a hearty kiss to seal the vow, which
+proceeding much amused Nat, playing softly in the porch of the
+Dovecote.
+
+'You do me proud, Captain. But, dear, I want to say one thing and
+then I'm done; for you don't need much advice of mine after my good
+man has spoken. I read somewhere that every inch of rope used in the
+British Navy has a strand of red in it, so that wherever a bit of it
+is found it is known. That is the text of my little sermon to you.
+Virtue, which means honour, honesty, courage, and all that makes
+character, is the red thread that marks a good man wherever he is.
+Keep that always and everywhere, so that even if wrecked by
+misfortune, that sign shall still be found and recognized. Yours is a
+rough life, and your mates not all we could wish, but you can be a
+gentleman in the true sense of the word; and no matter what happens
+to your body, keep your soul clean, your heart true to those who love
+you, and do your duty to the end.'
+
+As she spoke Emil had risen and stood listening with his cap off and
+a grave, bright look as if taking orders from a superior officer;
+when she ended, he answered briefly, but heartily:
+
+'Please God, I will!'
+
+'That's all; I have little fear for you, but one never knows when or
+how the weak moment may come, and sometimes a chance word helps us,
+as so many my dear mother spoke come back to me now for my own
+comfort and the guidance of my boys,' said Mrs Jo, rising; for the
+words had been said and no more were needed.
+
+'I've stored 'em up and know where to find 'em when wanted. Often and
+often in my watch I've seen old Plum, and heard you and Uncle talking
+so plainly, I'd have sworn I was here. It is a rough life, Aunty, but
+a wholesome one if a fellow loves it as I do, and has an anchor to
+windward as I have. Don't worry about me, and I'll come home next
+year with a chest of tea that will cheer your heart and give you
+ideas enough for a dozen novels. Going below?  All right, steady in
+the gangway! I'll be along by the time you've got out the cake-box.
+Last chance for a good old lunch ashore.'
+
+Mrs Jo descended laughing, and Emil finished his ship whistling
+cheerfully, neither dreaming when and where this little chat on the
+house-top would return to the memory of one of them.
+
+Dan was harder to catch, and not until evening did a quiet moment
+come in that busy family; when, while the rest were roaming about,
+Mrs Jo sat down to read in the study, and presently Dan looked in at
+the window.
+
+'Come and rest after your long tramp; you must be tired,' she called,
+with an inviting nod towards the big sofa where so many boys had
+reposed--as much as that active animal ever does.
+
+'Afraid I shall disturb you'; but Dan looked as if he wanted to stay
+his restless feet somewhere.
+
+'Not a bit; I'm always ready to talk, shouldn't be a woman if I were
+not,' laughed Mrs Jo, as Dan swung himself in and sat down with an
+air of contentment very pleasant to see.
+
+'Last day is over, yet somehow I don't seem to hanker to be off.
+Generally, I'm rather anxious to cut loose after a short stop. Odd,
+ain't it?' asked Dan, gravely picking grass and leaves out of his
+hair and beard; for he had been lying on the grass, thinking many
+thoughts in the quiet summer night.
+
+'Not at all; you are beginning to get civilized. It's a good sign,
+and I'm glad to see it,' answered Mrs Jo promptly. 'You've had your
+swing, and want a change. Hope the farming will give it to you,
+though helping the Indians pleases me more: it is so much better to
+work for others than for one's self alone.' 
+
+'So 'tis,' assented Dan heartily. 'I seem to want to root somewhere 
+and have folks of my own to take care of. Tired of my own company, I 
+suppose, now I've seen so much better. I'm a rough, ignorant lot, and
+I've been thinking maybe I've missed it loafing round creation,
+instead of going in for education as the other chaps did. Hey?'
+
+He looked anxiously at Mrs Jo; and she tried to hide the surprise
+this new outburst caused her; for till now Dan had scorned books and
+gloried in his freedom.
+
+'No; I don't think so in your case. So far I'm sure the free life was
+best. Now that you are a man you can control that lawless nature
+better; but as a boy only great activity and much adventure could
+keep you out of mischief. Time is taming my colt, you see, and I
+shall yet be proud of him, whether he makes a pack-horse of himself
+to carry help to the starving or goes to ploughing as Pegasus did.'
+
+Dan liked the comparison, and smiled as he lounged in the
+sofa-corner, with the new thoughtfulness in his eyes.
+
+'Glad you think so. The fact is it's going to take a heap of taming
+to make me go well in harness anywhere. I want to, and I try now and
+then, but always kick over the traces and run away. No lives lost
+yet; but I shouldn't wonder if there was some time, and a general
+smash-up.'
+
+'Why, Dan, did you have any dangerous adventures during this last
+absence? I fancied so, but didn't ask before, knowing you'd tell me
+if I could help in any way. Can I?' And Mrs Jo looked anxiously at
+him; for a sudden lowering expression had come into his face, and he
+leaned forward as if to hide it. 
+
+'Nothing very bad; but 'Frisco isn't just a heaven on earth, you know,
+and it's harder to be a saint there than here,' he answered slowly; 
+then, as if he had made up his mind to ''fess', as the children used 
+to say, he sat up, and added rapidly, in a half-defiant,
+half-shamefaced way, 'I tried gambling, and it wasn't good for me.'
+
+'Was that how you made your money?'
+
+'Not a penny of it! That's all honest, if speculation isn't a bigger
+sort of gambling. I won a lot; but I lost or gave it away, and cut
+the whole concern before it got the better of me.'
+
+'Thank heaven for that! Don't try it again; it may have the terrible
+fascination for you it has for so many. Keep to your mountains and
+prairies, and shun cities, if these things tempt you, Dan. Better
+lose your life than your soul, and one such passion leads to worse
+sins, as you know better than I.'
+
+Dan nodded, and seeing how troubled she was, said, in a lighter tone,
+though still the shadow of that past experience remained:
+
+'Don't be scared; I'm all right now; and a burnt dog dreads the fire.
+I don't drink, or do the things you dread; don't care for 'em; but I
+get excited, and then this devilish temper of mine is more than I can
+manage. Fighting a moose or a buffalo is all right; but when you
+pitch into a man, no matter how great a scamp he is, you've got to
+look out. I shall kill someone some day; that's all I'm afraid of. I
+do hate a sneak!' And Dan brought his fist down on the table with a
+blow that made the lamp totter and the books skip.
+
+'That always was your trial, Dan, and I can sympathize with you; for
+I've been trying to govern my own temper all my life, and haven't
+learnt yet,' said Mrs Jo, with a sigh. 'For heaven's sake, guard your
+demon well, and don't let a moment's fury ruin all your life. As I
+said to Nat, watch and pray, my dear boy. There is no other help or
+hope for human weakness but God's love and patience.'
+
+Tears were in Mrs Jo's eyes as she spoke; for she felt this deeply,
+and knew how hard a task it is to rule these bosom sins of ours.  Dan
+looked touched, also uncomfortable, as he always did when religion of
+any sort was mentioned, though he had a simple creed of his own, and
+tried to live up to it in his blind way.
+
+'I don't do much praying; don't seem to come handy to me; but I can
+watch like a redskin, only it's easier to mount guard over a lurking
+grizzly than my own cursed temper. It's that I'm afraid of, if I
+settle down. I can get on with wild beasts first-rate; but men rile
+me awfully, and I can't take it out in a free fight, as I can with a
+bear or a wolf. Guess I'd better head for the Rockies, and stay there
+a spell longer--till I'm tame enough for decent folks, if I ever am.'
+And Dan leaned his rough head on his hands in a despondent attitude.
+
+'Try my sort of help, and don't give up. Read more, study a little,
+and try to meet a better class of people, who won't "rile", but
+soothe and strengthen you. We don't make you savage, I'm sure; for
+you have been as meek as a lamb, and made us very happy.'
+
+'Glad of it; but I've felt like a hawk in a hen-house all the same,
+and wanted to pounce and tear more than once. Not so much as I used,
+though,' added Dan, after a short laugh at Mrs Jo's surprised face.
+'I'll try your plan, and keep good company this bout if I can; but a
+man can't pick and choose, knocking about as I do.'
+
+'Yes, you can this time; for you are going on a peaceful errand and
+can keep clear of temptation if you try. Take some books and read;
+that's an immense help; and books are always good company if you have
+the right sort. Let me pick out some for you.' And Mrs Jo made a
+bee-line to the well-laden shelves, which were the joy of her heart
+and the comfort of her life.
+
+'Give me travels and stories, please; don't want any pious works,
+can't seem to relish 'em, and won't pretend I do,' said Dan,
+following to look over her head with small favour at the long lines
+of well-worn volumes.
+
+Mrs Jo turned short round, and putting a hand on either broad
+shoulder, looked him in the eye, saying soberly: 
+
+'Now, Dan, see here; never sneer at good things or pretend to be
+worse than you are. Don't let false shame make you neglect the
+religion without which no man can live. You needn't talk about it if
+you don't like, but don't shut your heart to it in whatever shape it
+comes. Nature is your God now; she has done much for you; let her do
+more, and lead you to know and love a wiser and more tender teacher,
+friend, and comforter than she can ever be. That is your only hope;
+don't throw it away, and waste time; for sooner or later you will
+feel the need of Him, and He will come to you and hold you up when
+all other help fails.'
+
+Dan stood motionless, and let her read in his softened eyes the dumb
+desire that lived in his heart, though he had no words to tell it,
+and only permitted her to catch a glimpse of the divine spark which
+smoulders or burns clearly in every human soul. He did not speak; and
+glad to be spared some answer which should belie his real feelings,
+Mrs Jo hastened to say, with her most motherly smile:
+
+'I saw in your room the little Bible I gave you long ago; it was well
+worn outside, but fresh within, as if not much read. Will you promise
+me to read a little once a week, dear, for my sake? Sunday is a quiet
+day everywhere, and this book is never old nor out of place. Begin
+with the stories you used to love when I told them to you boys. David
+was your favourite, you remember? Read him again; he'll suit you even
+better now, and you'll find his sins and repentance useful reading
+till you come to the life and work of a diviner example than he. You
+will do it, for love of mother Bhaer, who always loved her
+"firebrand" and hoped to save him?'
+
+'I will,' answered Dan, with a sudden brightening of face that was
+like a sunburst through a cloud, full of promise though so
+short-lived and rare.
+
+Mrs Jo turned at once to the books and began to talk of them, knowing
+well that Dan would not hear any more just then. He seemed relieved;
+for it was always hard for him to show his inner self, and he took
+pride in hiding it as an Indian does in concealing pain or fear.
+
+'Hallo, here's old Sintram! I remember him; used to like him and his
+tantrums, and read about 'em to Ted. There he is riding ahead with
+Death and the Devil alongside.'
+
+As Dan looked at the little picture of the young man with horse and
+hound going bravely up the rocky defile, accompanied by the
+companions who ride beside most men through this world, a curious
+impulse made Mrs Jo say quickly:
+
+'That's you, Dan, just you at this time! Danger and sin are near you
+in the life you lead; moods and passions torment you; the bad father
+left you to fight alone, and the wild spirit drives you to wander up
+and down the world looking for peace and self-control.  Even the
+horse and hound are there, your Octoo and Don, faithful friends,
+unscared by the strange mates that go with you. You have not got the
+armour yet, but I'm trying to show you where to find it.  Remember
+the mother Sintram loved and longed to find, and did find when his
+battle was bravely fought, his reward well earned?  You can recollect
+your mother; and I have always felt that all the good qualities you
+possess come from her. Act out the beautiful old story in this as in
+the other parts, and try to give her back a son to be proud of.'
+
+Quite carried away by the likeness of the quaint tale to Dan's life
+and needs, Mrs Jo went on pointing to the various pictures which
+illustrated it, and when she looked up was surprised to see how
+struck and interested he seemed to be. Like all people of his
+temperament he was very impressionable, and his life among hunters
+and Indians had made him superstitious; he believed in dreams, liked
+weird tales, and whatever appealed to the eye or mind, vividly
+impressed him more than the wisest words. The story of poor,
+tormented Sintram came back clearly as he looked and listened,
+symbolizing his secret trials even more truly than Mrs Jo knew; and
+just at that moment this had an effect upon him that never was
+forgotten. But all he said was:
+
+'Small chance of that. I don't take much stock in the idea of meeting
+folks in heaven. Guess mother won't remember the poor little brat she
+left so long ago; why should she?'
+
+'Because true mothers never forget their children; and I know she was
+one, from the fact that she ran away from the cruel husband, to save
+her little son from bad influences. Had she lived, life would have
+been happier for you, with this tender friend to help and comfort
+you. Never forget that she risked everything for your sake, and don't
+let it be in vain.'
+
+Mrs Jo spoke very earnestly, knowing that this was the one sweet
+memory of Dan's early life, and glad to have recalled it at this
+moment; for suddenly a great tear splashed down on the page where
+Sintram kneels at his mother's feet, wounded, but victorious over sin
+and death. She looked up, well pleased to have touched Dan to the
+heart's core, as that drop proved; but a sweep of the arm brushed
+away the tell-tale, and his beard hid the mate to it, as he shut the
+book, saying with a suppressed quiver in his strong voice:
+
+'I'll keep this, if nobody wants it. I'll read it over, and maybe it
+will do me good. I'd like to meet her anywhere, but don't believe I
+ever shall.'
+
+'Keep it and welcome. My mother gave it to me; and when you read it
+try to believe that neither of your mothers will ever forget you.'
+
+Mrs Jo gave the book with a caress; and simply saying: 'Thanks; good
+night,' Dan thrust it into his pocket, and walked straight away to
+the river to recover from this unwonted mood of tenderness and 
+confidence.
+
+Next day the travellers were off. All were in good spirits, and a
+cloud of handkerchiefs whitened the air as they drove away in the old
+bus, waving their hats to everyone and kissing their hands,
+especially to mother Bhaer, who said in her prophetic tone as she
+wiped her eyes, when the familiar rumble died away:
+
+'I have a feeling that something is going to happen to some of them,
+and they will never come back to me, or come back changed. Well, I
+can only say, God be with my boys!'
+
+And He was.
+
+
+
+Chapter 7 
+
+THE LION AND THE LAMB
+
+When the boys were gone a lull fell upon Plumfield, and the family
+scattered to various places for brief outings, as August had come and
+all felt the need of change. The Professor took Mrs Jo to the
+mountains. The Laurences were at the seashore, and there Meg's family
+and the Bhaer boys took turns to visit, as someone must always be at
+home to keep things in order.
+
+Mrs Meg, with Daisy, was in office when the events occurred which we
+are about to relate. Rob and Ted were just up from Rocky Nook, and
+Nan was passing a week with her friend as the only relaxation she
+allowed herself. Demi was off on a run with Tom, so Rob was man of
+the house, with old Silas as general overseer. The sea air seemed to
+have gone to Ted's head, for he was unusually freakish, and led his
+gentle aunt and poor Rob a life of it with his pranks. Octoo was worn
+out with the wild rides he took, and Don openly rebelled when ordered
+to leap and show off his accomplishments; while the girls at college
+were both amused and worried by the ghosts who haunted the grounds at
+night, the unearthly melodies that disturbed their studious hours,
+and the hairbreadth escapes of this restless boy by flood and field
+and fire.  Something happened at length which effectually sobered Ted
+and made a lasting impression on both the boys; for sudden danger and
+a haunting fear turned the Lion into a lamb and the Lamb into a lion,
+as far as courage went.
+
+On the first of September--the boys never forgot the date--after a
+pleasant tramp and good luck with their fishing, the brothers were
+lounging in the barn; for Daisy had company, and the lads kept out of
+the way.
+
+'I tell you what it is, Bobby, that dog is sick. He won't play, nor
+eat, nor drink, and acts queerly. Dan will kill us if anything
+happens to him,' said Ted, looking at Don, who lay near his kennel
+resting a moment after one of the restless wanderings which kept him
+vibrating between the door of Dan's room and the shady corner of the
+yard, where his master had settled him with an old cap to guard till
+he came back.
+
+'It's the hot weather, perhaps. But I sometimes think he's pining for
+Dan. Dogs do, you know, and the poor fellow has been low in his mind
+ever since the boys went. Maybe something has happened to Dan. Don
+howled last night and can't rest. I've heard of such things,'
+answered Rob thoughtfully.
+
+'Pooh! he can't know. He's cross. I'll stir him up and take him for a
+run. Always makes me feel better. Hi, boy! wake up and be jolly'; and
+Ted snapped his fingers at the dog, who only looked at him with grim
+indifference.
+
+'Better let him alone. If he isn't right tomorrow, we'll take him to
+Dr Watkins and see what he says.' And Rob went on watching the
+swallows as he lay in the hay polishing up some Latin verses he had
+made.
+
+The spirit of perversity entered into Ted, and merely because he was
+told not to tease Don he went on doing it, pretending that it was for
+the dog's good. Don took no heed of his pats, commands, reproaches,
+or insults, till Ted's patience gave out; and seeing a convenient
+switch near by he could not resist the temptation to conquer the
+great hound by force, since gentleness failed to win obedience. He
+had the wisdom to chain Don up first; for a blow from any hand but
+his master's made him savage, and Ted had more than once tried the
+experiment, as the dog remembered. This indignity roused Don and he
+sat up with a growl. Rob heard it, and seeing Ted raise the switch,
+ran to interfere, exclaiming:
+
+'Don't touch him! Dan forbade it! Leave the poor thing in peace; I
+won't allow it.'
+
+Rob seldom commanded, but when he did Master Ted had to give in. His
+temper was up, and Rob's masterful tone made it impossible to resist
+one cut at the rebellious dog before he submitted. Only a single
+blow, but it was a costly one; for as it fell, the dog sprang at Ted
+with a snarl, and Rob, rushing between the two, felt the sharp teeth
+pierce his leg. A word made Don let go and drop remorsefully at Rob's
+feet, for he loved him and was evidently sorry to have hurt his
+friend by mistake. With a forgiving pat Rob left him, to limp to the
+barn followed by Ted, whose wrath was changed to shame and sorrow
+when he saw the red drops on Rob's sock and the little wounds in his
+leg.
+
+'I'm awfully sorry. Why did you get in the way? Here, wash it up, and
+I'll get a rag to tie on it,' he said quickly filling a sponge with
+water and pulling out a very demoralized handkerchief. Rob usually
+made light of his own mishaps and was over ready to forgive if others
+were to blame; but now he sat quite still, looking at the purple
+marks with such a strange expression on his white face that Ted was
+troubled, though he added with a laugh: 'Why, you're not afraid of a
+little dig like that, are you, Bobby?'
+
+'I am afraid of hydrophobia. But if Don is mad I'd rather be the one
+to have it,' answered Rob, with a smile and a shiver.
+
+At that dreadful word Ted turned whiter than his brother, and,
+dropping sponge and handkerchief, stared at him with a frightened
+face, whispering in a tone of despair:
+
+'Oh, Rob, don't say it! What shall we do, what shall we do?'
+
+'Call Nan; she will know. Don't scare Aunty, or tell a soul but Nan;
+she's on the back piazza; get her out here as quick as you can. I'll
+wash it till she comes. Maybe it's nothing; don't look so staggered, 
+Ted. I only thought it might be, as Don is queer.'
+
+Rob tried to speak bravely; but Ted's long legs felt strangely weak
+as he hurried away, and it was lucky he met no one, for his face
+would have betrayed him. Nan was swinging luxuriously in a hammock,
+amusing herself with a lively treatise on croup, when an agitated boy
+suddenly clutched her, whispering, as he nearly pulled her overboard:
+
+'Come to Rob in the barn! Don's mad and he's bitten him, and we don't
+know what to do; it's all my fault; no one must know. Oh, do be
+quick!'
+
+Nan was on her feet at once, startled, but with her wits about her,
+and both were off without more words as they dodged round the house
+where unconscious Daisy chatted with her friends in the parlour and
+Aunt Meg peacefully took her afternoon nap upstairs.
+
+Rob was braced up, and was as calm and steady as ever when they found
+him in the harness-room, whither he had wisely retired, to escape
+observation. The story was soon told, and after a look at Don, now in
+his kennel, sad and surly, Nan said slowly, with her eye on the full
+water-pan:
+
+'Rob, there is one thing to do for the sake of safety, and it must be
+done at once. We can't wait to see if Don is--sick--or to go for a
+doctor. I can do it, and I will; but it is very painful, and I hate
+to hurt you, dear.'
+
+A most unprofessional quiver got into Nan's voice as she spoke, and
+her keen eyes dimmed as she looked at the two anxious young faces
+turned so confidingly to her for help.
+
+'I know, burn it; well, do it, please; I can bear it. But Ted better
+go away,' said Rob, with a firm setting of his lips, and a nod at his
+afflicted brother.
+
+'I won't stir; I can stand it if he can, only it ought to be me!'
+cried Ted, with a desperate effort not to cry, so full of grief and
+fear and shame was he that it seemed as if he couldn't bear it like a
+man.
+
+'He'd better stay and help; do him good,' answered
+
+Nan sternly, because, her heart was faint within her, knowing as she
+did all that might be in store for both poor boys. 'Keep quiet; I'll
+be back in a minute,' she added, going towards the house, while her
+quick mind hastily planned what was best to be done.
+
+It was ironing day, and a hot fire still burned in the empty kitchen,
+for the maids were upstairs resting. Nan put a slender poker to heat,
+and as she sat waiting for it, covered her face with her hands,
+asking help in this sudden need for strength, courage, and wisdom;
+for there was no one else to call upon, and young as she was, she
+knew what was to be done if she only had the nerve to do it. Any
+other patient would have been calmly interesting, but dear, good
+Robin, his father's pride, his mother's comfort, everyone's favourite
+and friend, that he should be in danger was very terrible; and a few
+hot tears dropped on the well-scoured table as Nan tried to calm her
+trouble by remembering how very likely it was to be all a mistake, a
+natural but vain alarm.
+
+'I must make light of it, or the boys will break down, and then there
+will be a panic. Why afflict and frighten everyone when all is in
+doubt? I won't. I'll take Rob to Dr Morrison at once, and have the
+dog man see Don. Then, having done all we can, we will either laugh
+at our scare--if it is one--or be ready for whatever comes.  Now for
+my poor boy.'
+
+Armed with the red-hot poker, a pitcher of ice-water, and several
+handkerchiefs from the clotheshorse, Nan went back to the barn ready
+to do her best in this her most serious 'emergency case'. The boys
+sat like statues, one of despair, the other of resignation; and it
+took all Nan's boasted nerve to do her work quickly and well.
+
+'Now, Rob, only a minute, then we are safe. Stand by, Ted; he may be
+a bit faintish.'
+
+Rob shut his eyes, clinched his hands, and sat like a hero. Ted knelt
+beside him, white as a sheet, and as weak as a girl; for the pangs of
+remorse were rending him, and his heart failed at the thought of all
+this pain because of his wilfulness. It was all over in a moment,
+with only one little groan; but when Nan looked to her assistant to
+hand the water, poor Ted needed it the most, for he had fainted away,
+and lay on the floor in a pathetic heap of arms and legs.
+
+Rob laughed, and, cheered by that unexpected sound, Nan bound up the
+wound with hands that never trembled, though great drops stood on her
+forehead; and she shared the water with patient number one before she
+turned to patient number two. Ted was much ashamed, and quite broken
+in spirit, when he found how he had failed at the critical moment,
+and begged them not to tell, as he really could not help it; then by
+way of finishing his utter humiliation, a burst of hysterical tears
+disgraced his manly soul, and did him a world of good.
+
+'Never mind, never mind, we are all right now, and no one need be the
+wiser,' said Nan briskly, as poor Ted hiccoughed on Rob's shoulder,
+laughing and crying in the most tempestuous manner, while his brother
+soothed him, and the young doctor fanned both with Silas's old straw
+hat.
+
+'Now, boys, listen to me and remember what I say. We won't alarm
+anyone yet, for I've made up my mind our scare is all nonsense.  Don
+was out lapping the water as I came by, and I don't believe he's mad
+any more than I am. Still, to ease our minds and compose our spirits,
+and get our guilty faces out of sight for a while, I think we had
+better drive into town to my old friend Dr Morrison, and let him just
+take a look at my work, and give us some quieting little dose; for we
+are all rather shaken by this flurry. Sit still, Rob; and Ted, you
+harness up while I run and get my hat and tell Aunty to excuse me to
+Daisy. I don't know those Penniman girls, and she will be glad of our
+room at tea, and we'll have a cosy bite at my house, and come home as
+gay as larks.'
+
+Nan talked on as a vent for the hidden emotions which professional
+pride would not allow her to show, and the boys approved her plan at
+once; for action is always easier than quiet waiting. Ted went
+staggering away to wash his face at the pump, and rub some colour
+into his cheeks before he harnessed the horse.  Rob lay tranquilly on
+the hay, looking up at the swallows again as he lived through some
+very memorable moments. Boy as he was, the thought of death coming
+suddenly to him, and in this way, might well make him sober; for it
+is a very solemn thing to be arrested in the midst of busy life by
+the possibility of the great change. There were no sins to be
+repented of, few faults, and many happy, dutiful years to remember
+with infinite comfort. So Rob had no fears to daunt him, no regrets
+to sadden, and best of all, a very strong and simple piety to sustain
+and cheer him.
+
+'Mein Vater,' was his first thought; for Rob was very near the
+Professor's heart, and the loss of his eldest would have been a
+bitter blow. These words, whispered with a tremble of the lips that
+had been so firm when the hot iron burned, recalled that other Father
+who is always near, always tender and helpful; and, folding his
+hands, Rob said the heartiest little prayer he ever prayed, there on
+the hay, to the soft twitter of the brooding birds. It did him good;
+and wisely laying all his fear and doubt and trouble in God's hand,
+the boy felt ready for whatever was to come, and from that hour kept
+steadily before him the one duty that was plain--to be brave and
+cheerful, keep silent, and hope for the best.
+
+Nan stole her hat, and left a note on Daisy's pincushion, saying she
+had taken the boys to drive, and all would be out of the way till
+after tea. Then she hurried back and found her patients much better,
+the one for work, the other for rest. In they got, and, putting Rob
+on the back seat with his leg up drove away, looking as gay and
+care-free as if nothing had happened.
+
+Dr Morrison made light of the affair, but told Nan she had done
+right; and as the much-relieved lads went downstairs, he added in a
+whisper: 'Send the dog off for a while, and keep your eye on the boy.
+Don't let him know it, and report to me if anything seems wrong. One
+never knows in these cases. No harm to be careful.'
+
+Nan nodded, and feeling much relieved now that the responsibility was
+off her shoulders, took the lads to Dr Watkins, who promised to come
+out later and examine Don. A merry tea at Nan's house, which was kept
+open for her all summer, did them good, and by the time they got home
+in the cool of the evening no sign of the panic remained but Ted's
+heavy eyes, and a slight limp when Rob walked. As the guests were
+still chattering on the front piazza they retired to the back, and
+Ted soothed his remorseful soul by swinging Rob in the hammock, while
+Nan told stories till the dog man arrived.
+
+He said Don was a little under the weather, but no more mad than the
+grey kitten that purred round his legs while the examination went on.
+
+'He wants his master, and feels the heat. Fed too well, perhaps. I'll
+keep him a few weeks and send him home all right,' said Dr Watkins,
+as Don laid his great head in his hand, and kept his intelligent eyes
+on his face, evidently feeling that this man understood his trials,
+and knew what to do for him.
+
+So Don departed without a murmur, and our three conspirators took
+counsel together how to spare the family all anxiety, and give Rob
+the rest his leg demanded. Fortunately, he always spent many hours in
+his little study, so he could lie on the sofa with a book in his hand
+as long as he liked, without exciting any remark. Being of a quiet
+temperament, he did not worry himself or Nan with useless fears, but
+believed what was told him, and dismissing all dark possibilities,
+went cheerfully on his way, soon recovering from the shock of what he
+called 'our scare'.
+
+But excitable Ted was harder to manage, and it took all Nan's wit and
+wisdom to keep him from betraying the secret; for it was best to say
+nothing and spare all discussion of the subject for Rob's sake. Ted's
+remorse preyed upon him, and having no 'Mum' to confide in, he was
+very miserable. By day he devoted himself to Rob, waiting on him,
+talking to him, gazing anxiously at him, and worrying the good fellow
+very much; though he wouldn't own it, since Ted found comfort in it.
+But at night, when all was quiet, Ted's lively imagination and heavy
+heart got the better of him, and kept him awake, or set him walking
+in his sleep. Nan had her eye on him, and more than once administered
+a little dose to give him a rest, read to him, scolded him, and when
+she caught him haunting the house in the watches of the night,
+threatened to lock him up if he did not stay in his bed. This wore
+off after a while; but a change came over the freakish boy, and
+everyone observed it, even before his mother returned to ask what
+they had done to quench the Lion's spirits. He was gay, but not so
+heedless; and often when the old wilfulness beset him, he would check
+it sharply, look at Rob, and give up, or stalk away to have his sulk
+out alone. He no longer made fun of his brother's old-fashioned ways
+and bookish tastes, but treated him with a new and very marked
+respect, which touched and pleased modest Rob, and much amazed all
+observers. It seemed as if he felt that he owed him reparation for
+the foolish act that might have cost him his life; and love being
+stronger than will, Ted forgot his pride, and paid his debt like an
+honest boy.
+
+'I don't understand it,' said Mrs Jo, after a week of home life, much
+impressed by the good behaviour of her younger son. 'Ted is such a
+saint, I'm afraid we are going to lose him. Is it Meg's sweet
+influence, or Daisy's fine cooking, or the pellets I catch Nan giving
+him on the sly? Some witchcraft has been at work during my absence,
+and this will-o'-the-wisp is so amiable, quiet, and obedient, I don't
+know him.'
+
+'He is growing up, heart's-dearest, and being a precocious plant, he
+begins to bloom early. I also see a change in my Robchen. He is more
+manly and serious than ever, and is seldom far from me, as if his
+love for the old papa was growing with his growth. Our boys will
+often surprise us in this way, Jo, and we can only rejoice over them
+and leave them to become what Gott pleases.'
+
+As the Professor spoke, his eyes rested proudly on the brothers, who
+came walking up the steps together, Ted's arm over Rob's shoulder as
+he listened attentively to some geological remarks Rob was making on
+a stone he held. Usually, Ted made fun of such tastes, and loved to
+lay boulders in the student's path, put brickbats under his pillow,
+gravel in his shoes, or send parcels of dirt by express to 'Prof. R.
+M. Bhaer'. Lately, he had treated Rob's hobbies respectfully, and had
+begun to appreciate the good qualities of this quiet brother whom he
+had always loved but rather undervalued, till his courage under fire
+won Ted's admiration, and made it impossible to forget a fault, the
+consequences of which might have been so terrible. The leg was still
+lame, though doing well, and Ted was always offering an arm as
+support, gazing anxiously at his brother, and trying to guess his
+wants; for regret was still keen in Ted's soul, and Rob's forgiveness
+only made it deeper. A fortunate slip on the stairs gave Rob an
+excuse for limping, and no one but Nan and Ted saw the wound; so the
+secret was safe up to this time.
+
+'We are talking about you, my lads. Come in and tell us what good
+fairy has been at work while we were gone. Or is it because absence
+sharpens our eyes, that we find such pleasant changes when we come
+back?' said Mrs Jo, patting the sofa on either side, while the
+Professor forgot his piles of letters to admire the pleasing prospect
+of his wife in a bower of arms, as the boys sat down beside her,
+smiling affectionately, but feeling a little guilty; for till now
+'Mum' and 'Vater' knew every event in their boyish lives.
+
+'Oh, it's only because Bobby and I have been alone so much; we are
+sort of twins. I stir him up a bit, and he steadies me a great deal.
+You and father do the same, you know. Nice plan. I like it'; and Ted
+felt that he had settled the matter capitally.
+
+'Mother won't thank you for comparing yourself to her, Ted. I'm
+flattered at being like father in any way. I try to be,' answered
+Rob, as they laughed at Ted's compliment.
+
+'I do thank him, for it's true; and if you, Robin, do half as much
+for your brother as Papa has for me, your life won't be a failure,'
+said Mrs Jo heartily. 'I'm very glad to see you helping one another.
+It's the right way, and we can't begin too soon to try to understand
+the needs, virtues, and failings of those nearest us. Love should not
+make us blind to faults, nor familiarity make us too ready to blame
+the shortcomings we see. So work away, my sonnies, and give us more
+surprises of this sort as often as you like.'
+
+'The liebe Mutter has said all. I too am well pleased at the friendly
+brother-warmth I find. It is good for everyone; long may it last!'
+and Professor Bhaer nodded at the boys, who looked gratified, but
+rather at a loss how to respond to these flattering remarks.
+
+Rob wisely kept silent, fearing to say too much; but Ted burst out,
+finding it impossible to help telling something:
+
+'The fact is I've been finding out what a brave good chap Bobby is,
+and I'm trying to make up for all the bother I've been to him. I knew
+he was awfully wise, but I thought him rather soft, because he liked
+books better than larks, and was always fussing about his conscience.
+But I begin to see that it isn't the fellows who talk the loudest and
+show off best that are the manliest. No, sir! quiet old Bob is a hero
+and a trump, and I'm proud of him; so would you be if you knew all
+about it.'
+
+Here a look from Rob brought Ted up with a round turn; he stopped
+short, grew red, and clapped his hand on his mouth in dismay.
+
+'Well, are we not to "know all about it"?' asked Mrs Jo quickly; for
+her sharp eye saw signs of danger and her maternal heart felt that
+something had come between her and her sons. 'Boys,' she went on
+solemnly, 'I suspect that the change we talk about is not altogether
+the effect of growing up, as we say. It strikes me that Ted has been
+in mischief and Rob has got him out of some scrape; hence the lovely
+mood of my bad boy and the sober one of my conscientious son, who
+never hides anything from his mother.'
+
+Rob was as red as Ted now, but after a moment's hesitation he looked
+up and answered with an air of relief:
+
+'Yes, mother, that's it; but it's all over and no harm done, and I
+think we'd better let it be, for a while at least. I did feel guilty
+to keep anything from you, but now you know so much I shall not worry
+and you needn't either. Ted's sorry, I don't mind, and it has done us
+both good.'
+
+Mrs Jo looked at Ted, who winked hard but bore the look like a man;
+then she turned to Rob, who smiled at her so cheerfully that she felt
+reassured; but something in his face struck her, and she saw what it
+was that made him seem older, graver, yet more lovable than ever. It
+was the look pain of mind, as well as body, brings, and the patience
+of a sweet submission to some inevitable trial. Like a flash she
+guessed that some danger had been near her boy, and the glances she
+had caught between the two lads and Nan confirmed her fears.
+
+'Rob, dear, you have been ill, hurt, or seriously troubled by Ted?
+Tell me at once; I will not have any secrets now. Boys sometimes
+suffer all their lives from neglected accidents or carelessness.
+Fritz, make them speak out!'
+
+Mr Bhaer put down his papers and came to stand before them, saying in
+a tone that quieted Mrs Jo, and gave the boys courage:
+
+'My sons, give us the truth. We can bear it; do not hold it back to
+spare us. Ted knows we forgive much because we love him, so be frank,
+all two.'
+
+Ted instantly dived among the sofa pillows and kept there, with only
+a pair of scarlet ears visible, while Rob in a few words told the
+little story, truthfully, but as gently as he could, hastening to add
+the comfortable assurance that Don was not mad, the wound nearly
+well, and no danger would ever come of it.
+
+But Mrs Jo grew so pale he had to put his arms about her, and his
+father turned and walked away, exclaiming: 'Ach Himmel!' in a tone of
+such mingled pain, relief, and gratitude, that Ted pulled an extra
+pillow over his head to smother the sound. They were all right in a
+minute; but such news is always a shock, even if the peril is past,
+and Mrs Jo hugged her boy close till his father came and took him
+away, saying with a strong shake of both hands and a quiver in his
+voice:
+
+'To be in danger of one's life tries a man's mettle, and you bear it
+well; but I cannot spare my good boy yet; thank Gott, we keep him
+safe!'
+
+A smothered sound, between a choke and a groan, came from under the
+pillows, and the writhing of Ted's long legs so plainly expressed
+despair that his mother relented towards him, and burrowing till she
+found a tousled yellow head, pulled it out and smoothed it,
+exclaiming with an irrepressible laugh, though her cheeks were wet
+with tears:
+
+'Come and be forgiven, poor sinner! I know you have suffered enough,
+and I won't say a word; only if harm had come to Rob you would have
+made me more miserable than yourself. Oh, Teddy, Teddy, do try to
+cure that wilful spirit of yours before it is too late!'
+
+'Oh, Mum, I do try! I never can forget this--I hope it's cured me; if
+it hasn't, I am afraid I ain't worth saving,' answered Ted, pulling
+his own hair as the only way of expressing his deep remorse.
+
+'Yes, you are, my dear; I felt just so at fifteen when Amy was nearly
+drowned, and Marmee helped me as I'll help you. Come to me, Teddy,
+when the evil one gets hold of you, and together we'll rout him. Ah,
+me! I've had many a tussle with that old Apollyon, and often got
+worsted, but not always. Come under my shield, and we'll fight till
+we win.'
+
+No one spoke for a minute as Ted and his mother laughed and cried in
+one handkerchief, and Rob stood with his father's arm round him so
+happy that all was told and forgiven, though never to be forgotten;
+for such experiences do one good, and knit hearts that love more
+closely together.
+
+Presently Ted rose straight up and going to his father, said bravely
+and humbly:
+
+'I ought to be punished. Please do it; but first say you forgive me,
+as Rob does.'
+
+'Always that, mein Sohn, seventy time seven, if needs be, else I am
+not worthy the name you give me. The punishment has come; I can give
+no greater. Let it not be in vain. It will not with the help of the
+mother and the All Father. Room here for both, always!'
+
+The good Professor opened his arms and embraced his boys like a true
+German, not ashamed to express by gesture or by word the fatherly
+emotions an American would have compressed into a slap on the
+shoulder and a brief 'All right'.
+
+Mrs Jo sat and enjoyed the prospect like a romantic soul as she was,
+and then they had a quiet talk together, saying freely all that was
+in their hearts, and finding much comfort in the confidence which
+comes when love casts out fear. It was agreed that nothing be said
+except to Nan, who was to be thanked and rewarded for her courage,
+discretion, and fidelity.
+
+'I always knew that girl had the making of a fine woman in her, and
+this proves it. No panics and shrieks and faintings and fuss, but
+calm sense and energetic skill. Dear child, what can I give or do to
+show my gratitude?' said Mrs Jo enthusiastically.
+
+'Make Tom clear out and leave her in peace,' suggested Ted, almost
+himself again, though a pensive haze still partially obscured his
+native gaiety.
+
+'Yes, do! he frets her like a mosquito. She forbade him to come out
+here while she stayed, and packed him off with Demi. I like old Tom,
+but he is a regular noodle about Nan,' added Rob, as he went away to
+help his father with the accumulated letters.
+
+'I'll do it!' said Mrs Jo decidedly. 'That girl's career shall not be
+hampered by a foolish boy's fancy. In a moment of weariness she may
+give in, and then it's all over. Wiser women have done so and
+regretted it all their lives. Nan shall earn her place first, and
+prove that she can fill it; then she may marry if she likes, and can
+find a man worthy of her.'
+
+But Mrs Jo's help was not needed; for love and gratitude can work
+miracles, and when youth, beauty, accident, and photography are
+added, success is sure; as was proved in the case of the unsuspecting
+but too susceptible Thomas.
+
+
+
+Chapter 8 
+
+JOSIE PLAYS MERMAID
+
+While the young Bhaers were having serious experiences at home, Josie
+was enjoying herself immensely at Rocky Nook; for the Laurences knew
+how to make summer idleness both charming and wholesome. Bess was
+very fond of her little cousin; Mrs Amy felt that whether her niece
+was an actress or not she must be a gentlewoman, and gave her the
+social training which marks the well-bred woman everywhere; while
+Uncle Laurie was never happier than when rowing, riding, playing, or
+lounging with two gay girls beside him. Josie bloomed like a wild
+flower in this free life, Bess grew rosy, brisk, and merry, and both
+were great favourites with the neighbours, whose villas were by the
+shore or perched on the cliffs along the pretty bay.
+
+One crumpled rose-leaf disturbed Josie's peace, one baffled wish
+filled her with a longing which became a mania, and kept her as
+restless and watchful as a detective with a case to 'work up'. Miss
+Cameron, the great actress, had hired one of the villas and retired
+thither to rest and 'create' a new part for next season. She saw no
+one but a friend or two, had a private beach, and was invisible
+except during her daily drive, or when the opera-glasses of curious
+gazers were fixed on a blue figure disporting itself in the sea. The
+Laurences knew her, but respected her privacy, and after a call left
+her in peace till she expressed a wish for society--a courtesy which
+she remembered and repaid later, as we shall see.
+
+But Josie was like a thirsty fly buzzing about a sealed honey-pot,
+for this nearness to her idol was both delightful and maddening.  She
+pined to see, hear, talk with, and study this great and happy woman
+who could thrill thousands by her art, and win friends by her virtue,
+benevolence, and beauty. This was the sort of actress the girl meant
+to be, and few could object if the gift was really hers; for the
+stage needs just such women to purify and elevate the profession
+which should teach as well as amuse. If kindly Miss Cameron had known
+what passionate love and longing burned in the bosom of the little
+girl whom she idly observed skipping over the rocks, splashing about
+the beach, or galloping past her gate on a Shetland pony, she would
+have made her happy by a look or a word. But being tired with her
+winter's work and busy with her new part, the lady took no more
+notice of this young neighbour than of the sea-gulls in the bay or
+the daisies dancing in the fields.  Nosegays left on her doorstep,
+serenades under her garden-wall, and the fixed stare of admiring eyes
+were such familiar things that she scarcely minded them; and Josie
+grew desperate when all her little attempts failed.
+
+'I might climb that pine-tree and tumble off on her piazza roof, or
+get Sheltie to throw me just at her gate and be taken in fainting.
+It's no use to try to drown myself when she is bathing. I can't sink,
+and she'd only send a man to pull me out. What can I do? I will see
+her and tell her my hopes and make her say I can act some day.  Mamma
+would believe her; and if--oh, if she only would let me study with
+her, what perfect joy that would be!'
+
+Josie made these remarks one afternoon as she and Bess prepared for a
+swim, a fishing party having prevented their morning bathe.
+
+'You must bide your time, dear, and not be so impatient. Papa
+promised to give you a chance before the season is over, and he
+always manages things nicely. That will be better than any queer
+prank of yours,' answered Bess, tying her pretty hair in a white net
+to match her suit, while Josie made a little lobster of herself in
+scarlet.
+
+'I hate to wait; but I suppose I must. Hope she will bathe this
+afternoon, though it is low tide. She told Uncle she should have to
+go in then because in the morning people stared so and went on her
+beach. Come and have a good dive from the big rock. No one round but
+nurses and babies, so we can romp and splash as much as we like.'
+
+Away they went to have a fine time; for the little bay was free from
+other bathers, and the babies greatly admired their aquatic
+gymnastics, both being expert swimmers.
+
+As they sat dripping on the big rock Josie suddenly gave a clutch
+that nearly sent Bess overboard, as she cried excitedly:
+
+'There she is! Look! coming to bathe. How splendid! Oh, if she only
+would drown a little and let me save her! or even get her toe nipped
+by a crab; anything so I could go and speak!'
+
+'Don't seem to look; she comes to be quiet and enjoy herself.
+Pretend we don't see her, that's only civil,' answered Bess,
+affecting to be absorbed in a white-winged yacht going by.
+
+'Let's carelessly float that way as if going for seaweed on the
+rocks.  She can't mind if we are flat on our backs, with only our
+noses out.  Then when we can't help seeing her, we'll swim back as if
+anxious to retire. That will impress her, and she may call to thank
+the very polite young ladies who respect her wishes,' proposed Josie,
+whose lively fancy was always planning dramatic situations.
+
+Just as they were going to slip from their rock, as if Fate relented
+at last, Miss Cameron was seen to beckon wildly as she stood
+waist-deep in the water, looking down. She called to her maid, who
+seemed searching along the beach for something, and not finding what
+she sought, waved a towel towards the girls as if summoning them to
+help her.
+
+'Run, fly! she wants us, she wants us!' cried Josie, tumbling into
+the water like a very energetic turtle, and swimming away in her best
+style towards this long desired haven of joy. Bess followed more
+slowly, and both came panting and smiling up to Miss Cameron, who
+never lifted her eyes, but said in that wonderful voice of hers:
+
+'I've dropped a bracelet. I see it, but can't get it. Will the little
+boy find me a long stick? I'll keep my eye on it, so the water shall
+not wash it away.'
+
+'I'll dive for it with pleasure; but I'm not a boy,' answered Josie,
+laughing as she shook the curly head which at a distance had deceived
+the lady.
+
+'I beg your pardon. Dive away, child; the sand is covering it fast. I
+value it very much. Never forgot to take it off before.'
+
+'I'll get it!' and down went Josie, to come up with a handful of 
+pebbles, but no bracelet.
+
+'It's gone; never mind--my fault,' said Miss Cameron, disappointed,
+but amused at the girl's dismay as she shook the water out of her
+eyes and gasped bravely:
+
+'No, it isn't. I'll have it, if I stay down all night!' and with one
+long breath Josie dived again, leaving nothing but a pair of agitated
+feet to be seen.
+
+'I'm afraid she will hurt herself,' said Miss Cameron, looking at
+Bess, whom she recognized by her likeness to her mother.
+
+'Oh, no; Josie is a little fish. She likes it'; and Bess smiled
+happily at this wonderful granting of her cousin's desire.
+
+'You are Mr Laurence's daughter, I think? How d'ye do, dear? Tell
+papa I'm coming to see him soon. Too tired before. Quite savage.
+Better now. Ah! here's our pearl of divers. What luck?' she asked, as
+the heels went down and a dripping head came up.
+
+Josie could only choke and splutter at first, being half strangled;
+but though her hands had failed again, her courage had not; and with
+a resolute shake of her wet hair, a bright look at the tall lady, and
+a series of puffs to fill her lungs, she said calmly:
+
+'"Never give up" is my motto. I'm going to get it, if I go to
+Liverpool for it! Now, then!' and down went the mermaid quite out of
+sight this time, groping like a real lobster at the bottom of the
+sea.
+
+'Plucky little girl! I like that. Who is she?' asked the lady,
+sitting down on a half-covered stone to watch her diver, since the
+bracelet was lost sight of.
+
+Bess told her, adding, with the persuasive smile of her father:
+'Josie longs to be an actress, and has waited for a month to see you.
+This is a great happiness for her.'
+
+'Bless the child! why didn't she come and call? I'd have let her in;
+though usually I avoid stage-struck girls as I do reporters,' laughed
+Miss Cameron.
+
+There was no time for more; a brown hand, grasping the bracelet, rose
+out of the sea, followed by a purple face as Josie came up so blind
+and dizzy she could only cling to Bess, half drowned but triumphant.
+
+Miss Cameron drew her to the rock where she sat, and pushing the hair
+out of her eyes, revived her with a hearty 'Bravo! bravo!' which
+assured the girl that her first act was a hit. Josie had often
+imagined her meeting with the great actress--the dignity and grace
+with which she would enter and tell her ambitious hopes, the
+effective dress she would wear, the witty things she would say, the
+deep impression her budding genius would make. But never in her
+wildest moments had she imagined an interview like this; scarlet,
+sandy, streaming, and speechless she leaned against the illustrious
+shoulder, looking like a beautiful seal as she blinked and wheezed
+till she could smile joyfully and exclaim proudly:
+
+'I did get it! I'm so glad!'
+
+'Now get your breath, my dear; then I shall be glad also. It was very
+nice of you to take all that trouble for me. How shall I thank you?'
+asked the lady, looking at her with the beautiful eyes that could say
+so many things without words.
+
+Josie clasped her hands with a wet spat which rather destroyed the
+effect of the gesture, and answered in a beseeching tone that would
+have softened a far harder heart than Miss Cameron's:
+
+'Let me come and see you once--only once! I want you to tell me if I
+can act; you will know. I'll abide by what you say; and if you think
+I can--by and by, when I've studied very hard--I shall be the
+happiest girl in the world. May I?'
+
+'Yes; come tomorrow at eleven. We'll have a good talk; you shall show
+me what you can do, and I'll give you my opinion. But you won't like
+it.'
+
+'I will, no matter if you tell me I'm a fool. I want it settled; so
+does mamma. I'll take it bravely if you say no; and if you say yes,
+I'll never give up till I've done my best--as you did.'
+
+'Ah, my child, it's a weary road, and there are plenty of thorns
+among the roses when you've won them. I think you have the courage,
+and this proves that you have perseverance. Perhaps you'll do. Come,
+and we'll see.'
+
+Miss Cameron touched the bracelet as she spoke, and smiled so kindly
+that impetuous Josie wanted to kiss her; but wisely refrained, though
+her eyes were wet with softer water than any in the sea as she
+thanked her.
+
+'We are keeping Miss Cameron from her bath, and the tide is going
+out. Come, Josie,' said thoughtful Bess, fearing to outstay their
+welcome.
+
+'Run over the beach and get warm. Thank you very much, little
+mermaid. Tell papa to bring his daughter to see me any time.
+Good-bye'; and with a wave of her hand the tragedy queen dismissed
+her court, but remained on her weedy throne watching the two lithe
+figures race over the sand with twinkling feet till they were out of
+sight. Then, as she calmly bobbed up and down in the water, she said
+to herself: 'The child has a good stage face, vivid, mobile; fine
+eyes, abandon, pluck, will. Perhaps she'll do. Good stock--talent in
+the family. We shall see.'
+
+Of course Josie never slept a wink, and was in a fever of joyful
+excitement next day. Uncle Laurie enjoyed the episode very much, and
+Aunt Amy looked out her most becoming white dress for the grand
+occasion; Bess lent her most artistic hat, and Josie ranged the wood
+and marsh for a bouquet of wild roses, sweet white azalea, ferns, and
+graceful grasses, as the offering of a very grateful heart.
+
+At ten she solemnly arrayed herself, and then sat looking at her neat
+gloves and buckled shoes till it was time to go, growing pale and
+sober with the thought that her fate was soon to be decided; for,
+like all young people she was sure that her whole life could be
+settled by one human creature, quite forgetting how wonderfully
+Providence trains us by disappointment, surprises us with unexpected
+success, and turns our seeming trials into blessings.
+
+'I will go alone: we shall be freer so. Oh, Bess, pray that she may
+tell me rightly! So much depends on that! Don't laugh, uncle! It is a
+very serious moment for me. Miss Cameron knows that, and will tell
+you so. Kiss me, Aunt Amy, since mamma isn't here. If you say I look
+nice, I'm quite satisfied. Good-bye.' And with a wave of the hand as
+much like her model's as she could make it, Josie departed, looking
+very pretty and feeling very tragical.
+
+Sure now of admittance, she boldly rang at the door which excluded so
+many, and being ushered into a shady parlour, feasted her eyes upon
+several fine portraits of great actors while she waited. She had read
+about most of them, and knew their trials and triumphs so well that
+she soon forgot herself, and tried to imitate Mrs Siddons as Lady
+Macbeth, looking up at the engraving as she held her nosegay like the
+candle in the sleep-walking scene, and knit her youthful brows
+distressfully while murmuring the speech of the haunted queen. So
+busy was she that Miss Cameron watched her for several minutes
+unseen, then startled her by suddenly sweeping in with the words upon
+her lips, the look upon her face, which made that one of her greatest
+scenes.
+
+'I never can do it like that; but I'll keep trying, if you say I
+may,' cried Josie, forgetting her manners in the intense interest of
+the moment.
+
+'Show me what you can do,' answered the actress, wisely plunging into
+the middle of things at once, well knowing that no common chat would
+satisfy this very earnest little person.
+
+'First let me give you these. I thought you'd like wild things better
+than hot-house flowers; and I loved to bring them, as I'd no other
+way to thank you for your great kindness to me,' said Josie, offering
+her nosegay with a simple warmth that was very sweet.
+
+'I do love them best, and keep my room full of the posies some good
+fairy hangs on my gate. Upon my word, I think I've found the fairy
+out--these are so like,' she added quickly, as her eye went from the
+flowers in her hand to others that stood near by, arranged with the
+same taste.
+
+Josie's blush and smile betrayed her before she said, with a look
+full of girlish adoration and humility: 'I couldn't help it; I admire
+you so much. I know it was a liberty; but as I couldn't get in
+myself, I loved to think my posies pleased you.'
+
+Something about the child and her little offering touched the woman,
+and, drawing Josie to her, she said, with no trace of actress in face
+or voice:
+
+'They did please me, dear, and so do you. I'm tired of praise; and
+love is very sweet, when it is simple and sincere like this.'
+
+Josie remembered to have heard, among many other stories, that Miss
+Cameron lost her lover years ago, and since had lived only for art.
+Now she felt that this might have been true; and pity for the
+splendid, lonely life made her face very eloquent, as well as
+grateful. Then, as if anxious to forget the past, her new friend
+said, in the commanding way that seemed natural to her:
+
+'Let me see what you can do. Juliet, of course. All begin with that.
+Poor soul, how she is murdered!'
+
+Now, Josie had intended to begin with Romeo's much-enduring
+sweetheart, and follow her up with Bianca, Pauline, and several of
+the favourite idols of stage-struck girls; but being a shrewd little
+person, she suddenly saw the wisdom of Uncle Laurie's advice, and
+resolved to follow it. So instead of the rant Miss Cameron expected,
+Josie gave poor Ophelia's mad scene, and gave it very well, having
+been trained by the college professor of elocution and done it many
+times. She was too young, of course, but the white gown, the loose
+hair, the real flowers she scattered over the imaginary grave, added
+to the illusion; and she sung the songs sweetly, dropped her pathetic
+curtsies, and vanished behind the curtain that divided the rooms with
+a backward look that surprised her critical auditor into a quick
+gesture of applause. Cheered by that welcome sound, Josie ran back as
+a little hoyden in one of the farces she had often acted, telling a
+story full of fun and naughtiness at first, but ending with a sob of
+repentance and an earnest prayer for pardon.
+
+'Very good! Try again. Better than I expected,' called the voice of
+the oracle.
+
+Josie tried Portia's speech, and recited very well, giving due
+emphasis to each fine sentence. Then, unable to refrain from what she
+considered her greatest effort, she burst into Juliet's balcony
+scene, ending with the poison and the tomb. She felt sure that she
+surpassed herself, and waited for applause. A ringing laugh made her
+tingle with indignation and disappointment, as she went to stand
+before Miss Cameron, saying in a tone of polite surprise:
+
+'I have been told that I did it very well. I'm sorry you don't think
+so.'
+
+'My dear, it's very bad. How can it help being so? What can a child
+like you know of love and fear and death? Don't try it yet. Leave
+tragedy alone till you are ready for it.'
+
+'But you clapped Ophelia.'
+
+'Yes, that was very pretty. Any clever girl can do it effectively.
+But the real meaning of Shakespeare is far above you yet, child. The
+comedy bit was best. There you showed real talent. It was both comic
+and pathetic. That's art. Don't lose it. The Portia was good
+declamation. Go on with that sort of thing; it trains the voice--
+teaches shades of expression. You've a good voice and natural
+grace--great helps both, hard to acquire.'
+
+'Well, I'm glad I've got something,' sighed Josie, sitting meekly on
+a stool, much crestfallen, but not daunted yet, and bound to have her
+say out.
+
+'My dear little girl, I told you that you would not like what I
+should say to you; yet I must be honest if I would really help you.
+I've had to do it for many like you; and most of them have never
+forgiven me, though my words have proved true, and they are what I
+advised them to be--good wives and happy mothers in quiet homes. A
+few have kept on, and done fairly well. One you will hear of soon, I
+think; for she has talent, indomitable patience, and mind as well as
+beauty. You are too young to show to which class you belong. Geniuses
+are very rare, and even at fifteen seldom give much promise of future
+power.'
+
+'Oh, I don't think I'm a genius!' cried Josie, growing calm and sober
+as she listened to the melodious voice and looked into the expressive
+face that filled her with confidence, so strong, sincere, and kindly
+was it. 'I only want to find out if I have talent enough to go on,
+and after years of study to be able to act well in any of the good
+plays people never tire of seeing. I don't expect to be a Mrs Siddons
+or a Miss Cameron, much as I long to be; but it does seem as if I had
+something in me which can't come out in any way but this. When I act
+I'm perfectly happy. I seem to live, to be in my own world, and each
+new part is a new friend. I love Shakespeare, and am never tired of
+his splendid people. Of course, I don't understand it all; but it's
+like being alone at night with the mountains and the stars, solemn
+and grand, and I try to imagine how it will look when the sun comes
+up, and all is glorious and clear to me. I can't see, but I feel the
+beauty, and long to express it.'
+
+As she spoke with the most perfect self-forgetfulness Josie was pale
+with excitement, her eyes shone, her lips trembled, and all her
+little soul seemed trying to put into words the emotions that filled
+it to overflowing. Miss Cameron understood, felt that this was
+something more than a girlish whim; and when she answered there was a
+new tone of sympathy in her voice, a new interest in her face, though
+she wisely refrained from saying all she thought, well knowing what
+splendid dreams young people build upon a word, and how bitter is the
+pain when the bright bubbles burst.
+
+'If you feel this, I can give you no better advice than to go on
+loving and studying our great master,' she said slowly; but Josie
+caught the changed tone, and felt, with a thrill of joy, that her new
+friend was speaking to her now as to a comrade. 'It is an education
+in itself, and a lifetime is not long enough to teach you all his
+secret. But there is much to do before you can hope to echo his
+words. Have you the patience, courage, strength, to begin at the
+beginning, and slowly, painfully, lay the foundation for future work?
+Fame is a pearl many dive for and only a few bring up. Even when they
+do, it is not perfect, and they sigh for more, and lose better things
+in struggling for them.'
+
+The last words seemed spoken more to herself than to her hearer, but
+Josie answered quickly, with a smile and an expressive gesture:
+
+'I got the bracelet in spite of all the bitter water in my eyes.'
+
+'You did! I don't forget it. A good omen. We will accept it.'
+
+Miss Cameron answered the smile with one that was like sunshine to
+the girl, and stretched her white hands as if taking some invisible
+gift. Then added in a different tone, watching the effect of her
+words on the expressive face before her:
+
+'Now you will be disappointed, for instead of telling you to come and
+study with me, or go and act in some second-rate theatre at once, I
+advise you to go back to school and finish your education.  That is
+the first step, for all accomplishments are needed, and a single
+talent makes a very imperfect character. Cultivate mind and body,
+heart and soul, and make yourself an intelligent, graceful,
+beautiful, and healthy girl. Then, at eighteen or twenty, go into
+training and try your powers. Better start for the battle with your
+arms in order, and save the hard lesson which comes when we rush on
+too soon. Now and then genius carries all before it, but not often.
+We have to climb slowly, with many slips and falls. Can you wait as
+well as work?'
+
+'I will!'
+
+'We shall see. It would be pleasant to me to know that when I quit
+the stage I leave behind me a well-trained, faithful, gifted comrade
+to more than fill my place, and carry on what I have much at heart--
+the purification of the stage. Perhaps you are she; but remember,
+mere beauty and rich costumes do not make an actress, nor are the
+efforts of a clever little girl to play great characters real art. It
+is all dazzle and sham, and a disgrace and disappointment now. Why
+will the public be satisfied with opera bouffe, or the trash called
+society plays when a world of truth and beauty, poetry and pathos
+lies waiting to be interpreted and enjoyed?'
+
+Miss Cameron had forgotten to whom she spoke, and walked to and fro,
+full of the noble regret all cultivated people feel at the low state
+of the stage nowadays.
+
+'That's what Uncle Laurie says; and he and Aunt Jo try to plan plays
+about true and lovely things--simple domestic scenes that touch
+people's hearts, and make them laugh and cry and feel better.  Uncle
+says that sort is my style, and I must not think of tragedy.  But
+it's so much nicer to sweep about in crowns and velvet trains than to
+wear everyday clothes, and just be myself, though it is so easy.'
+
+'Yet that is high art, child, and what we need for a time till we are
+ready for the masters. Cultivate that talent of yours. It is a
+special gift, this power to bring tears and smiles, and a sweeter
+task to touch the heart than to freeze the blood or fire the
+imagination.  Tell your uncle he is right, and ask your aunt to try a
+play for you.  I'll come and see it when you are ready.'
+
+'Will you? Oh! will you? We are going to have some at Christmas, with
+a nice part for me. A simple little thing, but I can do it, and
+should be so proud, so happy to have you there.'
+
+Josie rose as she spoke, for a glance at the clock showed her that
+her call was a long one; and hard as it was to end this momentous
+interview, she felt that she must go. Catching up her hat she went to
+Miss Cameron, who stood looking at her so keenly that she felt as
+transparent as a pane of glass, and coloured prettily as she looked
+up, saying, with a grateful little tremor in her voice:
+
+'I can never thank you for this hour and all you have told me. I
+shall do just what you advise, and mamma will be very glad to see me
+settled at my books again. I can study now with all my heart, because
+it is to help me on; and I won't hope too much, but work and wait,
+and try to please you, as the only way to pay my debt.'
+
+'That reminds me that I have not paid mine. Little friend, wear this
+for my sake. It is fit for a mermaid, and will remind you of your
+first dive. May the next bring up a better jewel, and leave no bitter
+water on your lips!'
+
+As she spoke, Miss Cameron took from the lace at her throat a pretty
+pin of aquamarine, and fastened it like an order on Josie's proud
+bosom; then lifting the happy little face, she kissed it very
+tenderly, and watched it go smiling away with eyes that seemed to see
+into a future full of the trials and the triumphs which she knew so
+well.
+
+Bess expected to see Josie come flying in, all raptures and
+excitement, or drowned in tears of disappointment, but was surprised
+at the expression of calm content and resolution which she wore.
+Pride and satisfaction, and a new feeling of responsibility both
+sobered and sustained her, and she felt that any amount of dry study
+and long waiting would be bearable, if in the glorious future she
+could be an honour to her profession and a comrade to the new friend
+whom she already adored with girlish ardour.
+
+She told her little story to a deeply interested audience, and all
+felt that Miss Cameron's advice was good. Mrs Amy was relieved at the
+prospect of delay; for she did not want her niece to be an actress
+and hoped the fancy would die out.
+
+Uncle Laurie was full of charming plans and prophecies and wrote one
+of his most delightful notes to thank their neighbour for her
+kindness; while Bess, who loved art of all kinds, fully sympathized
+with her cousin's ambitious hopes, only wondering why she preferred
+to act out her visions rather than embody them in marble.
+
+That first interview was not the last; for Miss Cameron was really
+interested, and had several memorable conversations with the
+Laurences, while the girls sat by, drinking in every word with the
+delight all artists feel in their own beautiful world, and learning
+to see how sacred good gifts are, how powerful, and how faithfully
+they should be used for high ends, each in its own place helping to
+educate, refine, and refresh.
+
+Josie wrote reams to her mother; and when the visit ended rejoiced
+her heart by bringing her a somewhat changed little daughter, who
+fell to work at the once-detested books with a patient energy which
+surprised and pleased everyone. The right string had been touched,
+and even French exercises and piano practice became endurable, since
+accomplishments would be useful by and by; dress, manners, and habits
+were all interesting now, because 'mind and body, heart and soul,
+must be cultivated', and while training to become an 'intelligent,
+graceful, healthy girl', little Josie was unconsciously fitting
+herself to play her part well on whatever stage the great Manager
+might prepare for her.
+
+
+
+Chapter 9 
+
+THE WORM TURNS
+
+Two very superior bicycles went twinkling up the road to Plumfield
+one September afternoon, bearing two brown and dusty riders evidently
+returning from a successful run, for though their legs might be a
+trifle weary, their faces beamed as they surveyed the world from
+their lofty perches with the air of calm content all wheelmen wear
+after they have learned to ride; before that happy period anguish of
+mind and body is the chief expression of the manly countenance.
+
+'Go ahead and report, Tom; I'm due here. See you later,' said Demi,
+swinging himself down at the door of the Dovecote.
+
+'Don't peach, there's a good fellow. Let me have it out with Mother
+Bhaer first,' returned Tom, wheeling in at the gate with a heavy
+sigh.
+
+Demi laughed, and his comrade went slowly up the avenue, devoutly
+hoping that the coast was clear; for he was the bearer of tidings
+which would, he thought, convulse the entire family with astonishment
+and dismay.
+
+To his great joy Mrs Jo was discovered alone in a grove of
+proof-sheets, which she dropped, to greet the returning wanderer
+cordially. But after the first glance she saw that something was the
+matter, recent events having made her unusually sharp-eyed and
+suspicious.
+
+'What is it now, Tom?' she asked, as he subsided into an easy-chair
+with a curious expression of mingled fear, shame, amusement, and
+distress in his brick-red countenance.
+
+'I'm in an awful scrape, ma'am.'
+
+'Of course; I'm always prepared for scrapes when you appear. What is
+it? Run over some old lady who is going to law about it?' asked Mrs
+Jo cheerfully.
+
+'Worse than that,' groaned Tom.
+
+'Not poisoned some trusting soul who asked you to prescribe, I hope?'
+
+'Worse than that.'
+
+'You haven't let Demi catch any horrid thing and left him behind,
+have you?'
+
+'Worse even than that.'
+
+'I give it up. Tell me quick; I hate to wait for bad news.'
+
+Having got his listener sufficiently excited, Tom launched his
+thunderbolt in one brief sentence, and fell back to watch the effect.
+
+'I'm engaged!'
+
+Mrs Jo's proof-sheets flew wildly about as she clasped her hands,
+exclaiming in dismay:
+
+'If Nan has yielded, I'll never forgive her!'
+
+'She hasn't; it's another girl.'
+
+Tom's face was so funny as he said the words, that it was impossible
+to help laughing; for he looked both sheepish and pleased, besides
+very much perplexed and worried.
+
+'I'm glad, very glad indeed! Don't care who it is; and I hope you'll
+be married soon. Now tell me all about it,' commanded Mrs Jo, so much
+relieved that she felt ready for anything.
+
+'What will Nan say?' demanded Tom, rather taken aback at this view of
+his predicament.
+
+'She will be rejoiced to get rid of the mosquito who has plagued her
+so long. Don't worry about Nan. Who is this "other girl"?'
+
+'Demi hasn't written about her?'
+
+'Only something about your upsetting a Miss West down at Quitno; I
+thought that was scrape enough.'
+
+'That was only the beginning of a series of scrapes. Just my luck!
+Of course after sousing the poor girl I had to be attentive to her,
+hadn't I? Everyone seemed to think so, and I couldn't get away, and
+so I was lost before I knew it. It's all Demi's fault, he would stay
+there and fuss with his old photos, because the views were good and
+all the girls wanted to be taken. Look at these, will you, ma'am?
+That's the way we spent our time when we weren't playing tennis'; and
+Tom pulled a handful of pictures from his pocket, displaying several
+in which he was conspicuous, either holding a sun-umbrella over a
+very pretty young lady on the rocks, reposing at her feet in the
+grass, or perched on a piazza railing with other couples in seaside
+costumes and effective attitudes.
+
+'This is she of course?' asked Mrs Jo, pointing to the much-ruffled
+damsel with the jaunty hat, coquettish shoes, and racquet in her
+hand.
+
+'That's Dora. Isn't she lovely?' cried Tom, forgetting his
+tribulations for a moment and speaking with lover-like ardour.
+
+'Very nice little person to look at. Hope she is not a Dickens Dora?
+That curly crop looks like it.'
+
+'Not a bit; she's very smart; can keep house, and sew, and do lots of
+things, I assure you, ma'am. All the girls like her, and she's 
+sweet-tempered and jolly, and sings like a bird, and dances
+beautifully, and loves books. Thinks yours are splendid, and made me
+talk about you no end.'
+
+'That last sentence is to flatter me and win my help to get you out
+of the scrape. Tell me first how you got in'; and Mrs Jo settled
+herself to listen with interest, never tired of boys' affairs.
+
+Tom gave his head a rousing rub all over to clear his wits, and
+plunged into his story with a will.
+
+'Well, we've met her before, but I didn't know she was there. Demi
+wanted to see a fellow, so we went, and finding it nice and cool
+rested over Sunday. Found some pleasant people and went out rowing; I
+had Dora, and came to grief on a confounded rock. She could swim, no
+harm done, only the scare and the spoilt gown. She took it well, and
+we got friendly at once--couldn't help it, scrambling into that beast
+of a boat while the rest laughed at us. Of course we had to stay
+another day to see that Dora was all right.  Demi wanted to. Alice
+Heath is down there and two other girls from our college, so we sort
+of lingered along, and Demi kept taking pictures, and we danced, and
+got into a tennis tournament; and that was as good exercise as
+wheeling, we thought. Fact is, tennis is a dangerous game, ma'am. A
+great deal of courting goes on in those courts, and we fellows find
+that sort of "serving" mighty agreeable, don't you know?'
+
+'Not much tennis in my day, but I understand perfectly,' said Mrs Jo,
+enjoying it all as much as Tom did. 
+
+'Upon my word, I hadn't the least idea of being serious,' he 
+continued slowly, as if this part of his tale was hard to tell; 'but
+everyone else spooned, so I did. Dora seemed to like it and expect
+it, and of course I was glad to be agreeable. She thought I amounted
+to something, though Nan does not, and it was pleasant to be
+appreciated after years of snubbing. Yes, it was right down jolly to
+have a sweet girl smile at you all day, and blush prettily when you
+said a neat thing to her, and look glad when you came, sorry when you
+left, and admire all you did, and make you feel like a man and act
+your best. That's the sort of treatment a fellow enjoys and ought to
+get if he behaves himself; not frowns and cold shoulders year in and
+year out, and made to look like a fool when he means well, and is
+faithful, and has loved a girl ever since he was a boy. No, by Jove,
+it's not fair, and I won't stand it!'
+
+Tom waxed warm and eloquent as he thought over his wrongs, and
+bounced up to march about the room, wagging his head and trying to
+feel aggrieved as usual, but surprised to find that his heart did not
+ache a bit.
+
+'I wouldn't. Drop the old fancy, for it was nothing more, and take up
+the new one, if it is genuine. But how came you to propose, Tom, as
+you must have done to be engaged?' asked Mrs Jo, impatient for the
+crisis of the tale.
+
+'Oh, that was an accident. I didn't mean it at all; the donkey did
+it, and I couldn't get out of the scrape without hurting Dora's
+feelings, you see,' began Tom, seeing that the fatal moment had come.
+
+'So there were two donkeys in it, were there?' said Mrs Jo,
+foreseeing fun of some sort.
+
+'Don't laugh! It sounds funny, I know; but it might have been awful,'
+answered Tom darkly, though a twinkle of the eye showed that his love
+trials did not quite blind him to the comic side of the adventure.
+
+'The girls admired our new wheels, and of course we liked to show
+off. Took 'em to ride, and had larks generally. Well, one day, Dora
+was on behind, and we were going nicely along a good bit of road,
+when a ridiculous old donkey got right across the way. I thought he'd
+move, but he didn't, so I gave him a kick; he kicked back, and over
+we went in a heap, donkey and all. Such a mess! I thought only of
+Dora, and she had hysterics; at least, she laughed till she cried,
+and that beast brayed, and I lost my head. Any fellow would, with a
+poor girl gasping in the road, and he wiping her tears and begging
+pardon, not knowing whether her bones were broken or not. I called
+her my darling, and went on like a fool in my flurry, till she grew
+calmer, and said, with such a look: "I forgive you, Tom. Pick me up,
+and let us go on again."
+
+'Wasn't that sweet now, after I'd upset her for the second time? It
+touched me to the heart; and I said I'd like to go on for ever with
+such an angel to steer for, and--well I don't know what I did say;
+but you might have knocked me down with a feather when she put her
+arm round my neck and whispered: "Tom, dear, with you I'm not afraid
+of any lions in the path." She might have said donkeys; but she was
+in earnest, and she spared my feelings. Very nice of the dear girl;
+but there I am with two sweethearts on my hands, and in a deuce of a
+scrape.'
+
+Finding it impossible to contain herself another moment, Mrs Jo
+laughed till the tears ran down her cheeks at this characteristic
+episode; and after one reproachful look, which only added to her
+merriment, Tom burst into a jolly roar that made the room ring.
+
+'Tommy Bangs! Tommy Bangs! who but you could ever get into such a
+catastrophe?' said Mrs Jo, when she recovered her breath.
+
+'Isn't it a muddle all round, and won't everyone chaff me to death
+about it? I shall have to quit old Plum for a while,' answered Tom,
+as he mopped his face, trying to realize the full danger of his
+position.
+
+'No, indeed; I'll stand by you, for I think it the best joke of the
+season. But tell me how things ended. Is it really serious, or only a
+summer flirtation? I don't approve of them, but boys and girls will
+play with edged tools and cut their fingers.'
+
+'Well, Dora considers herself engaged, and wrote to her people at
+once. I couldn't say a word when she took it all in solemn earnest
+and seemed so happy. She's only seventeen, never liked anyone before,
+and is sure all will be all right; as her father knows mine, and we
+are both well off. I was so staggered that I said:
+
+'"Why, you can't love me really when we know so little of one
+another?" But she answered right out of her tender little heart:
+"Yes, I do, dearly, Tom; you are so gay and kind and honest, I
+couldn't help it." Now, after that what could I do but go ahead and
+make her happy while I stayed, and trust to luck to straighten the
+snarl out afterwards?'
+
+'A truly Tomian way of taking things easy. I hope you told your
+father at once.'
+
+'Oh yes, I wrote off and broke it to him in three lines. I said:
+"Dear Father, I'm engaged to Dora West, and I hope she will suit the
+family. She suits me tip-top. Yours ever, Tom." He was all right,
+never liked Nan, you know; but Dora will suit him down to the
+ground.' And Tom looked entirely satisfied with his own tact and
+taste.
+
+'What did Demi say to this rapid and funny lovemaking? Wasn't he
+scandalized?' asked Mrs Jo, trying not to laugh again as she thought
+of the unromantic spectacle of donkey, bicycle, boy, and girl all in
+the dust together.
+
+'Not a bit. He was immensely interested and very kind; talked to me
+like a father; said it was a good thing to steady a fellow, only I
+must be honest with her and myself and not trifle a moment. Demi is a
+regular Solomon, especially when he is in the same boat,' answered
+Tom, looking wise.
+
+'You don't mean--?' gasped Mrs Jo, in sudden alarm at the bare idea
+of more love-affairs just yet.
+
+'Yes, I do, please, ma'am; it's a regular sell all the way through,
+and I owe Demi one for taking me into temptation blindfold. He said
+he went to Quitno to see Fred Wallace, but he never saw the fellow.
+How could he, when Wallace was off in his yacht all the time we were
+there? Alice was the real attraction, and I was left to my fate,
+while they were maundering round with that old camera.  There were
+three donkeys in this affair, and I'm not the worst one, though I
+shall have to bear the laugh. Demi will look innocent and sober, and
+no one will say a word to him.'
+
+'The midsummer madness has broken out, and no one knows who will be
+stricken next. Well, leave Demi to his mother, and let us see what
+you are going to do, Tom.'
+
+'I don't know exactly; it's awkward to be in love with two girls at
+once. What do you advise?'
+
+'A common-sense view of the case, by all means. Dora loves you and 
+thinks you love her. Nan does not care for you, and you only care for
+her as a friend, though you have tried to do more. It is my opinion,
+Tom, that you love Dora, or are on the way to it; for in all these
+years I've never seen you look or speak about Nan as you do about
+Dora. Opposition has made you obstinately cling to her till accident
+has shown you a more attractive girl. Now, I think you had better
+take the old love for a friend, the new one for a sweetheart, and in
+due time, if the sentiment is genuine, marry her.'
+
+If Mrs Jo had any doubts about the matter, Tom's face would have
+proved the truth of her opinion; for his eyes shone, his lips smiled,
+and in spite of dust and sunburn a new expression of happiness quite
+glorified him as he stood silent for a moment, trying to understand
+the beautiful miracle which real love works when it comes to a young
+man's heart.
+
+'The fact is I meant to make Nan jealous, for she knows Dora, and I
+was sure would hear of our doings. I was tired of being walked on,
+and I thought I'd try to break away and not be a bore and a
+laughing-stock any more,' he said slowly, as if it relieved him to
+pour out his doubts and woes and hopes and joys to his old friend.
+'I was regularly astonished to find it so easy and so pleasant. I
+didn't mean to do any harm, but drifted along beautifully, and told
+Demi to mention things in his letters to Daisy, so Nan might know.
+Then I forgot Nan altogether, and saw, heard, felt, cared for no one
+but Dora, till the donkey--bless his old heart!--pitched her into my
+arms and I found she loved me. Upon my soul, I don't see why she
+should! I'm not half good enough.' 
+
+'Every honest man feels that when an innocent girl puts her hand in
+his. Make yourself worthy of her, for she isn't an angel, but a woman
+with faults of her own for you to bear, and forgive, and you must
+help one another,' said Mrs Jo, trying to realize that this sober
+youth was her scapegrace Tommy.
+
+'What troubles me is that I didn't mean it when I began, and was
+going to use the dear girl as an instrument of torture for Nan. It
+wasn't right, and I don't deserve to be so happy. If all my scrapes
+ended as well as this, what a state of bliss I should be in!' and Tom
+beamed again at the rapturous prospect.
+
+'My dear boy, it is not a scrape, but a very sweet experience
+suddenly dawning upon you,' answered Mrs Jo, speaking very soberly;
+for she saw he was in earnest. 'Enjoy it wisely and be worthy of it,
+for it is a serious thing to accept a girl's love and trust, and let
+her look up to you for tenderness and truth in return. Don't let
+little Dora look in vain, but be a man in all things for her sake,
+and make this affection a blessing to you both.'
+
+'I'll try. Yes, I do love her, only I can't believe it just yet. Wish
+you knew her. Dear little soul, I long to see her already! She cried
+when we parted last night and I hated to go.' Tom's hand went to his
+cheek as if he still felt the rosy little seal Dora had set upon his
+promise not to forget her, and for the first time in his
+happy-go-lucky life Tommy Bangs understood the difference between
+sentiment and sentimentality. The feeling recalled Nan, for he had
+never known that tender thrill when thinking of her, and the old
+friendship seemed rather a prosaic affair beside this delightful
+mingling of romance, surprise, love, and fun. 'I declare, I feel as
+if a weight was off me, but what the dickens will Nan say when she
+knows it!' he exclaimed with a chuckle.
+
+'Knows what?' asked a clear voice that made both start and turn, for
+there was Nan calmly surveying them from the doorway.
+
+Anxious to put Tom out of suspense and see how Nan would take the
+news, Mrs Jo answered quickly:
+
+'Tom's engagement to Dora West.'
+
+'Really?' and Nan looked so surprised that Mrs Jo was afraid she
+might be fonder of her old playmate than she knew; but her next words
+set the fear at rest, and made everything comfortable and merry at
+once.
+
+'I knew my prescription would work wonders if he only took it long
+enough. Dear old Tom, I'm so glad. Bless you! bless you!' And she
+shook both his hands with hearty affection.
+
+'It was an accident, Nan. I didn't mean to, but I'm always getting
+into messes, and I couldn't seem to get out of this any other way.
+Mother Bhaer will tell you all about it. I must go and make myself
+tidy. Going to tea with Demi. See you later.'
+
+Stammering, blushing, and looking both sheepish and gratified, Tom
+suddenly bolted, leaving the elder lady to enlighten the younger at
+length, and have another laugh over this new sort of courtship, which
+might well be called accidental. Nan was deeply interested, for she
+knew Dora, thought her a nice little thing, and predicted that in
+time she would make Tom an excellent wife, since she admired and
+'appreciated' him so much.
+
+'I shall miss him of course, but it will be a relief to me and better
+for him; dangling is so bad for a boy. Now he will go into business
+with his father and do well, and everyone be happy. I shall give Dora
+an elegant family medicine-chest for a wedding-present, and teach her
+how to use it. Tom can't be trusted, and is no more fit for the
+profession than Silas.'
+
+The latter part of this speech relieved Mrs Jo's mind, for Nan had
+looked about her as if she had lost something valuable when she
+began; but the medicine-chest seemed to cheer her, and the thought of
+Tom in a safe profession was evidently a great comfort.
+
+'The worm has turned at last, Nan, and your bond-man is free. Let him
+go, and give your whole mind to your work; for you are fitted for the
+profession, and will be an honour to it by and by,' she said
+approvingly.
+
+'I hope so. That reminds me--measles are in the village, and you had
+better tell the girls not to call where there are children. It would
+be bad to have a run of them just as term begins. Now I'm off to
+Daisy. Wonder what she will say to Tom. Isn't he great fun?' And Nan
+departed, laughing over the joke with such genuine satisfaction that
+it was evident no sentimental regrets disturbed her 'maiden
+meditation, fancy-free'.
+
+'I shall have my eye on Demi, but won't say a word. Meg likes to
+manage her children in her own way, and a very good way it is.  But
+the dear Pelican will be somewhat ruffled if her boy has caught the
+epidemic which seems to have broken out among us this summer.'
+
+Mrs Jo did not mean the measles, but that more serious malady called
+love, which is apt to ravage communities, spring and autumn, when
+winter gaiety and summer idleness produce whole bouquets of
+engagements, and set young people to pairing off like the birds.
+Franz began it, Nat was a chronic and Tom a sudden case; Demi seemed
+to have the symptoms; and worst of all, her own Ted had only the day
+before calmly said to her: 'Mum, I think I should be happier if I had
+a sweetheart, like the other boys.' If her cherished son had asked
+her for dynamite to play with, she would hardly have been more
+startled, or have more decidedly refused the absurd request.
+
+'Well, Barry Morgan said I ought to have one and offered to pick me 
+out a nice one among our set. I asked Josie first, and she hooted at
+the idea, so I thought I'd let Barry look round. You say it steadies
+a fellow, and I want to be steady,' explained Ted in a serious tone, 
+which would have convulsed his parent at any other time.
+
+'Good lack! What are we coming to in this fast age when babes and
+boys make such demands and want to play with one of the most sacred
+things in life?' exclaimed Mrs Jo, and having in a few words set the
+matter in its true light, sent her son away to wholesome baseball and
+Octoo for a safe sweetheart.
+
+Now, here was Tom's bomb-shell to explode in their midst, carrying
+widespread destruction, perhaps; for though one swallow does not make
+a summer, one engagement is apt to make several, and her boys were,
+most of them, at the inflammable age when a spark ignites the flame,
+which soon flickers and dies out, or burns warm and clear for life.
+Nothing could be done about it but to help them make wise choices,
+and be worthy of good mates. But of all the lessons Mrs Jo had tried
+to teach her boys, this great one was the hardest; for love is apt to
+make lunatics of even saints and sages, so young people cannot be
+expected to escape the delusions, disappointments, and mistakes, as
+well as the delights, of this sweet madness.
+
+'I suppose it is inevitable, since we live in America, so I won't
+borrow trouble, but hope that some of the new ideas of education will
+produce a few hearty, happy, capable, and intelligent girls for my
+lads. Lucky for me that I haven't the whole twelve on my hands, I
+should lose my wits if I had, for I foresee complications and
+troubles ahead worse than Tom's boats, bicycles, donkeys, and Doras,'
+meditated Mrs Jo, as she went back to her neglected proof-sheets.
+
+Tom was quite satisfied with the tremendous effect his engagement
+produced in the little community at Plumfield. 
+
+'It was paralysing,' as Demi said; and astonishment left most of
+Tom's mates little breath for chaff. That he, the faithful one,
+should turn from the idol to strange goddesses, was a shock to the
+romantic and a warning to the susceptible. It was comical to see the
+airs our Thomas put on; for the most ludicrous parts of the affair
+were kindly buried in oblivion by the few who knew them, and Tom
+burst forth as a full-blown hero who had rescued the maiden from a
+watery grave, and won her gratitude and love by his daring deed.
+Dora kept the secret, and enjoyed the fun when she came to see Mother
+Bhaer and pay her respects to the family generally.  Everyone liked
+her at once, for she was a gay and winning little soul; fresh, frank,
+and so happy, it was beautiful to see her innocent pride in Tom, who
+was a new boy, or man rather; for with this change in his life a
+great change took place in him. Jolly he would always be, and
+impulsive, but he tried to become all that Dora believed him, and his
+best side came uppermost for everyday wear. It was surprising to see
+how many good traits Tom had; and his efforts to preserve the manly
+dignity belonging to his proud position as an engaged man was very
+comical. So was the entire change from his former abasement and
+devotion to Nan to a somewhat lordly air with his little betrothed;
+for Dora made an idol of him, and resented the idea of a fault or a
+flaw in her Tom.  This new state of things suited both, and the once
+blighted being bloomed finely in the warm atmosphere of appreciation,
+love, and confidence. He was very fond of the dear girl, but meant to
+be a slave no longer, and enjoyed his freedom immensely, quite
+unconscious that the great tyrant of the world had got hold of him
+for life.
+
+To his father's satisfaction he gave up his medical studies, and
+prepared to go into business with the old gentleman, who was a
+flourishing merchant, ready now to make the way smooth and smile upon
+his marriage with Mr West's well-endowed daughter.  The only thorn in
+Tom's bed of roses was Nan's placid interest in his affairs, and
+evident relief at his disloyalty. He did not want her to suffer, but
+a decent amount of regret at the loss of such a lover would have
+gratified him; a slight melancholy, a word of reproach, a glance of
+envy as he passed with adoring Dora on his arm, seemed but the
+fitting tribute to such years of faithful service and sincere
+affection. But Nan regarded him with a maternal sort of air that
+nettled him very much, and patted Dora's curly head with a
+worldlywise air worthy of the withered spinster, Julia Mills, in
+David Copperfield.
+
+It took some time to get the old and the new emotions comfortably
+adjusted, but Mrs Jo helped him, and Mr Laurie gave him some wise
+advice upon the astonishing gymnastic feats the human heart can
+perform, and be all the better for it if it only held fast to the
+balancing-pole of truth and common sense. At last our Tommy got his
+bearings, and as autumn came on Plumfield saw but little of him; for
+his new lode star was in the city, and business kept him hard at
+work. He was evidently in his right place now, and soon throve
+finely, to his father's great contentment; for his jovial presence
+pervaded the once quiet office like a gale of fresh wind, and his
+lively wits found managing men and affairs much more congenial
+employment than studying disease, or playing unseemly pranks with
+skeletons.
+
+Here we will leave him for a time and turn to the more serious
+adventures of his mates, though this engagement, so merrily made, was
+the anchor which kept our mercurial Tom happy, and made a man of him.
+
+
+
+Chapter 10 
+
+DEMI SETTLES
+
+'Mother, can I have a little serious conversation with you?' asked
+Demi one evening, as they sat together enjoying the first fire of the
+season, while Daisy wrote letters upstairs and Josie was studying in
+the little library close by.
+
+'Certainly, dear. No bad news, I hope?' and Mrs Meg looked up from
+her sewing with a mixture of pleasure and anxiety on her motherly
+face; for she dearly loved a good talk with her son, and knew that he
+always had something worth telling.
+
+'It will be good news for you, I think,' answered Demi, smiling as he
+threw away his paper and went to sit beside her on the little sofa
+which just held two.
+
+'Let me hear it, then, at once.'
+
+'I know you don't like the reporting, and will be glad to hear that I
+have given it up.'
+
+'I am very glad! It is too uncertain a business, and there is no
+prospect of getting on for a long time. I want you settled in some
+good place where you can stay, and in time make money. I wish you
+liked a profession; but as you don't, any clean, well-established
+business will do.'
+
+'What do you say to a railroad office?'
+
+'I don't like it. A noisy, hurried kind of place, I know, with all
+sorts of rough men about. I hope it isn't that, dear?'
+
+'I could have it; but does book-keeping in a wholesale leather
+business please you better?'
+
+'No; you'll get round-shouldered writing at a tall desk; and they
+say, once a book-keeper always a book-keeper.'
+
+'How does a travelling agent suit your views?'
+
+'Not at all; with all those dreadful accidents, and the exposure and
+bad food as you go from place to place, you are sure to get killed or
+lose your health.'
+
+'I could be private secretary to a literary man; but the salary is
+small, and may end any time.'
+
+'That would be better, and more what I want. It isn't that I object
+to honest work of any kind; but I don't want my son to spend his best
+years grubbing for a little money in a dark office, or be knocked
+about in a rough-and-tumble scramble to get on. I want to see you in
+some business where your tastes and talents can be developed and made
+useful; where you can go on rising, and in time put in your little
+fortune and be a partner; so that your years of apprenticeship will
+not be wasted, but fit you to take your place among the honourable
+men who make their lives and work useful and respected. I talked it
+all over with your dear father when you were a child; and if he had
+lived he would have shown you what I mean, and helped you to be what
+he was.'
+
+Mrs Meg wiped away a quiet tear as she spoke; for the memory of her
+husband was a very tender one, and the education of his children had
+been a sacred task to which she gave all her heart and life, and so
+far she had done wonderfully well--as her good son and loving
+daughters tried to prove. Demi's arm was round her now, as he said,
+in a voice so like his father's that it was the sweetest music to her
+ear:
+
+'Mother dear, I think I have got just what you want for me; and it
+shall not be my fault if I don't become the man you hope to see me.
+Let me tell you all about it. I didn't say anything till it was sure
+because it would only worry you; but Aunt Jo and I have been on the
+look-out for it some time, and now it has come. You know her
+publisher, Mr Tiber, is one of the most successful men in the
+business; also generous, kind, and the soul of honour--as his
+treatment of Aunty proves. Well, I've rather hankered for that place;
+for I love books, and as I can't make them I'd like to publish them.
+That needs some literary taste and judgement, it brings you in
+contact with fine people, and is an education in itself. Whenever I
+go into that large, handsome room to see Mr Tiber for Aunt Jo, I
+always want to stay; for it's lined with books and pictures, famous
+men and women come and go, and Mr Tiber sits at his desk like a sort
+of king, receiving his subjects; for the greatest authors are humble
+to him, and wait his Yes or No with anxiety. Of course I've nothing
+to do with all that, and may never have; but I like to see it, and
+the atmosphere is so different from the dark offices and hurly-burly
+of many other trades, where nothing but money is talked about, that
+it seems another world, and I feel at home in it. Yes, I'd rather
+beat the door-mats and make fires there than be head clerk in the
+great hide and leather store at a big salary.' Here Demi paused for
+breath; and Mrs Meg, whose face had been growing brighter and
+brighter, exclaimed eagerly: 
+
+'Just what I should like! Have you got it? Oh, my dear boy! your
+fortune is made if you go to that well-established and flourishing
+place, with those good men to help you along!'
+
+'I think I have, but we mustn't be too sure of anything yet. I may
+not suit; I'm only on trial, and must begin at the beginning and work
+my way up faithfully. Mr Tiber was very kind, and will push me on as
+fast as is fair to the other fellows, and as I prove myself fit to go
+up. I'm to begin the first of next month in the book-room, filling
+orders; and I go round and get orders, and do various other things of
+the sort. I like it. I am ready to do anything about books, if it's
+only to dust them,' laughed Demi, well pleased with his prospects,
+for, after trying various things, he seemed at last to have found the
+sort of work he liked, and a prospect that was very inviting to him.
+
+'You inherit that love of books from grandpa; he can't live without
+them. I'm glad of it. Tastes of that kind show a refined nature, and
+are both a comfort and a help all one's life. I am truly glad and
+grateful, John, that at last you want to settle, and have got such an
+entirely satisfactory place. Most boys begin much earlier; but I
+don't believe in sending them out to face the world so young, just
+when body and soul need home care and watchfulness. Now you are a
+man, and must begin your life for yourself. Do your best, and be as
+honest, useful, and happy as your father, and I won't care about
+making a fortune.'
+
+'I'll try, mother. Couldn't have a better chance; for Tiber & Co.
+treat their people like gentlemen, and pay generously for faithful
+work. Things are done in a businesslike way there, and that suits me.
+I hate promises that are not kept, and shiftless or tyrannical ways
+anywhere. Mr Tiber said: "This is only to teach you the ropes,
+Brooke; I shall have other work for you by and by." Aunty told him I
+had done book notices, and had rather a fancy for literature; so
+though I can't produce any "works of Shakespeare", as she says, I may
+get up some little things later. If I don't, I think it a very
+honourable and noble profession to select and give good books to the
+world; and I'm satisfied to be a humble helper in the work.'
+
+'I'm glad you feel so. It adds so much to one's happiness to love the
+task one does. I used to hate teaching; but housekeeping for my own
+family was always sweet, though much harder in many ways.  Isn't Aunt
+Jo pleased about all this?' asked Mrs Meg, already seeing in her
+mind's eye a splendid sign with 'Tiber, Brooke & Co.' over the door
+of a famous publishing house.
+
+'So pleased that I could hardly keep her from letting the cat out of
+the bag too soon. I've had so many plans, and disappointed you so
+often, I wanted to be very sure this time. I had to bribe Rob and Ted
+to keep her at home tonight till I'd told my news, she was eager to
+rush down and tell you herself. The castles that dear woman has built
+for me would fill all Spain, and have kept us jolly while we waited
+to know our fate. Mr Tiber doesn't do things in a hurry; but when he
+makes up his mind, you are all right; and I feel that I am fairly
+launched.'
+
+'Bless you, dear, I hope so! It is a happy day for me, because I've
+been so anxious lest, with all my care, I have been too easy and
+indulgent, and my boy, with his many good gifts, might fritter his
+time away in harmless but unsatisfactory things. Now I am at ease
+about you. If only Daisy can be happy, and Josie give up her dream, I
+shall be quite contented.'
+
+Demi let his mother enjoy herself for a few minutes, while he smiled
+over a certain little dream of his own, not ready yet for the
+telling; then he said, in the paternal tone which he unconsciously
+used when speaking of his sisters:
+
+'I'll see to the girls; but I begin to think grandpa is right in
+saying we must each be what God and nature makes us. We can't change
+it much--only help to develop the good and control the bad elements
+in us. I have fumbled my way into my right place at last, I hope. Let
+Daisy be happy in her way, since it is a good and womanly one. If Nat
+comes home all right, I'd say: "Bless you, my children," and give
+them a nest of their own. Then you and I will help little Jo to find
+out if it is to be "All the world's a stage" or "Home, sweet home",
+for her.'
+
+'I suppose we must, John; but I can't help making plans, and hoping
+they will come to pass. I see that Daisy is bound up in Nat; and if
+he is worthy of her I shall let them be happy in their own way, as my
+parents let me. But Josie will be a trial, I foresee; and much as I
+love the stage, and always did, I don't see how I can ever let my
+little girl be an actress, though she certainly has great talent for
+it.'
+
+'Whose fault is that?' asked Demi, smiling, as he remembered his
+mother's early triumphs and unquenchable interest in the dramatic
+efforts of the young people round her.
+
+'Mine, I know. How could it be otherwise when I acted Babes in the
+Wood with you and Daisy before you could speak, and taught Josie to
+declaim Mother Goose in her cradle. Ah, me! the tastes of the mother
+come out in her children, and she must atone for them by letting them
+have their own way, I suppose.' And Mrs Meg laughed, even while she
+shook her head over the undeniable fact that the Marches were a
+theatrical family.
+
+'Why not have a great actress of our name, as well as an authoress, a
+minister, and an eminent publisher? We don't choose our talents, but
+we needn't hide them in a napkin because they are not just what we
+want. I say, let Jo have her way, and do what she can.  Here am I to
+take care of her; and you can't deny you'd enjoy fixing her
+furbelows, and seeing her shine before the footlights, where you used
+to long to be. Come, mother, better face the music and march gaily,
+since your wilful children will "gang their ain gait".'
+
+'I don't see but I must, and "leave the consequences to the Lord", as
+Marmee used to say when she had to decide, and only saw a step of the
+road. I should enjoy it immensely, if I could only feel that the life
+would not hurt my girl, and leave her unsatisfied when it was too
+late to change; for nothing is harder to give up than the excitements
+of that profession. I know something of it; and if your blessed
+father had not come along, I'm afraid I should have been an actress
+in spite of Aunt March and all our honoured ancestors.'
+
+'Let Josie add new honour to the name, and work out the family talent
+in its proper place. I'll play dragon to her, and you play nurse, and
+no harm can come to our little Juliet, no matter how many Romeos
+spoon under her balcony. Really, ma'am, opposition comes badly from
+an old lady who is going to wring the hearts of our audience in the
+heroine's part in Aunty's play next Christmas.  It's the most
+pathetic thing I ever saw, mother; and I'm sorry you didn't become an
+actress, though we should be nowhere if you had.'
+
+Demi was on his legs now, with his back to the fire, in the lordly
+attitude men like to assume when things go well with them, or they
+want to lay down the law on any subject.
+
+Mrs Meg actually blushed at her son's hearty praise, and could not
+deny that the sound of applause was as sweet now as when she played
+the Witch's Curse and The Moorish Maiden's Vow long years ago.
+
+'It's perfectly absurd for me to do it, but I couldn't resist when Jo
+and Laurie made the part for me, and you children were to act in it.
+The minute I get on the old mother's dress I forget myself and feel
+the same thrill at the sound of the bell that I used to feel when we
+got up plays in the garret. If Daisy would only take the daughter's
+part it would be so complete; for with you and Josie I am hardly
+acting, it is all so real.'
+
+'Especially the hospital scene, where you find the wounded son.  Why,
+mother, do you know when we did that at last rehearsal my face was
+wet with real tears as you cried over me. It will bring down the
+house; but don't forget to wipe 'em off, or I shall sneeze,' said
+Demi, laughing at the recollection of his mother's hit.
+
+'I won't; but it almost broke my heart to see you so pale and
+dreadful. I hope there will never he another war in my time, for I
+should have to let you go; and I never want to live through the same
+experience we had with father.' 
+
+'Don't you think Alice does the part better than Daisy would? Daisy
+hasn't a bit of the actress in her, and Alice puts life into the
+dullest words she speaks. I think the Marquise is just perfect in our
+piece,' said Demi, strolling about the room as if the warmth of the
+fire sent a sudden colour to his face.
+
+'So do I. She is a dear girl, and I'm proud and fond of her. Where is
+she tonight?'
+
+'Pegging away at her Greek, I suppose. She usually is in the evening.
+More's the pity,' added Demi, in a low tone, as he stared intently at
+the book-case, though he couldn't read a title.
+
+'Now, there is a girl after my own heart. Pretty, well-bred,
+well-educated, and yet domestic, a real companion as well as
+help-meet for some good and intelligent man. I hope she will find
+one.'
+
+'So do I,' muttered Demi.
+
+Mrs Meg had taken up her work again, and was surveying a
+half-finished buttonhole with so much interest that her son's face
+escaped her eye. He shed a beaming smile upon the rows of poets, as
+if even in their glass prison they could sympathize and rejoice with
+him at the first rosy dawn of the great passion which they knew so
+well. But Demi was a wise youth, and never leaped before looking
+carefully. He hardly knew his own heart yet, and was contented to
+wait till the sentiment, the fluttering of those folded wings he
+began to feel, should escape from the chrysalis and be ready to soar
+away in the sunshine to seek and claim its lovely mate. He had said
+nothing; but the brown eyes were eloquent, and there was an
+unconscious underplot to all the little plays he and Alice Heath
+acted so well together. She was busy with her books, bound to
+graduate with high honours, and he was trying to do the same in that
+larger college open to all, and where each man has his own prize to
+win or lose. Demi had nothing but himself to offer and, being a
+modest youth, considered that a poor gift till he had proved his
+power to earn his living, and the right to take a woman's happiness
+into his keeping.
+
+No one guessed that he had caught the fever except sharp-eyed Josie,
+and she, having a wholesome fear of her brother--who could be rather
+awful when she went too far--wisely contented herself with watching
+him like a little cat, ready to pounce on the first visible sign of
+weakness. Demi had taken to playing pensively upon his flute after he
+was in his room for the night, making this melodious friend his
+confidante, and breathing into it all the tender hopes and fears that
+filled his heart. Mrs Meg, absorbed in domestic affairs, and Daisy,
+who cared for no music but Nat's violin, paid no heed to these
+chamber concerts, but Josie always murmured to herself, with a
+naughty chuckle, 'Dick Swiveller is thinking of his Sophy Wackles,'
+and bided her time to revenge certain wrongs inflicted upon her by
+Demi, who always took Daisy's side when she tried to curb the spirits
+of her unruly little sister.
+
+This evening she got her chance, and made the most of it. Mrs Meg was
+just rounding off her buttonhole, and Demi still strolling restlessly
+about the room, when a book was heard to slam in the study, followed
+by an audible yawn and the appearance of the student looking as if
+sleep and a desire for mischief were struggling which should be
+master.
+
+'I heard my name; have you been saying anything bad about me?' she
+demanded, perching on the arm of an easychair.
+
+Her mother told the good news, over which Josie duly rejoiced, and
+Demi received her congratulations with a benignant air which made her
+feel that too much satisfaction was not good for him, and incited her
+to put a thorn into his bed of roses at once.
+
+'I caught something about the play just now, and I want to tell you
+that I'm going to introduce a song into my part to liven it up a bit.
+How would this do?' and seating herself at the piano she began to
+sing to these words the air of 'Kathleen Mavourneen':
+
+    'Sweetest of maidens, oh, how can I tell
+     The love that transfigures the whole earth to me? 
+     The longing that causes my bosom to swell,
+     When I dream of a life all devoted to thee?'
+
+She got no further, for Demi, red with wrath, made a rush at her, and
+the next moment a very agile young person was seen dodging round
+tables and chairs with the future partner of Tiber & Co. in hot
+pursuit. 'You monkey, how dare you meddle with my papers?' cried the
+irate poet, making futile grabs at the saucy girl, who skipped to and
+fro, waving a bit of paper tantalizingly before him.
+
+'Didn't; found it in the big "Dic". Serves you right if you leave
+your rubbish about. Don't you like my song? It's very pretty.'
+
+'I'll teach you one that you won't like if you don't give me my
+property.'
+
+'Come and get it if you can'; and Josie vanished into the study to
+have out her squabble in peace, for Mrs Meg was already saying:
+
+'Children, children! don't quarrel.'
+
+The paper was in the fire by the time Demi arrived and he at once
+calmed down, seeing that the bone of contention was out of the way.
+
+'I'm glad it's burnt; I don't care for it, only some verse I was
+trying to set to music for one of the girls. But I'll trouble you to
+let my papers alone, or I shall take back the advice I gave mother
+tonight about allowing you to act as much as you like.'
+
+Josie was sobered at once by this dire threat, and in her most
+wheedling tone begged to know what he had said. By way of heaping
+coals of fire on her head he told her, and this diplomatic
+performance secured him an ally on the spot.
+
+'You dear old boy! I'll never tease you again though you moon and
+spoon both day and night. If you stand by me, I'll stand by you and
+never say a word. See here! I've got a note for you from Alice.
+Won't that be a peace-offering and soothe your little feelings?'
+
+Demi's eyes sparkled as Josie held up a paper cocked hat, but as he
+knew what was probably in it, he took the wind out of Josie's sails,
+and filled her with blank astonishment by saying carelessly:
+
+'That's nothing; it's only to say whether she will go to the concert
+with us tomorrow night. You can read it if you like.'
+
+With the natural perversity of her sex Josie ceased to be curious the
+moment she was told to read it, and meekly handed it over; but she
+watched Demi as he calmly read the two lines it contained and then
+threw it into the fire. 'Why, Jack, I thought you'd treasure every
+scrap the "sweetest maid" touched. Don't you care for her?'
+
+'Very much; we all do; but "mooning and spooning", as you elegantly
+express it, is not in my line. My dear little girl, your plays make
+you romantic, and because Alice and I act lovers sometimes you take
+it into your silly head that we are really so. Don't waste time
+hunting mares nests, but attend to your own affairs and leave me to
+mine. I forgive you, but don't do it again; it's bad taste, and
+tragedy queens don't romp.'
+
+The last cut finished Josie; she humbly begged pardon and went off to
+bed, while Demi soon followed, feeling that he had not only settled
+himself but his too inquisitive little sister also. But if he had
+seen her face as she listened to the soft wailing of his flute he
+would not have been so sure, for she looked as cunning as a magpie as
+she said, with a scornful sniff: 'Pooh, you can't deceive me; I know
+Dick is serenading Sophy Wackles.'
+
+
+
+Chapter 11 
+
+EMIL'S THANKSGIVING
+
+The Brenda was scudding along with all sail set to catch the rising
+wind, and everyone on board was rejoicing, for the long voyage was
+drawing towards an end.
+
+'Four weeks more, Mrs Hardy, and we'll give you a cup of tea such as
+you never had before,' said second mate Hoffmann, as he paused beside
+two ladies sitting in a sheltered corner of the deck.
+
+'I shall be glad to get it, and still gladder to put my feet on solid
+ground,' answered the elder lady, smiling; for our friend Emil was a
+favourite, as well he might be, since he devoted himself to the
+captain's wife and daughter, who were the only passengers on board.
+
+'So shall I, even if I have to wear a pair of shoes like Chinese
+junks. I've tramped up and down the deck so much, I shall be
+barefooted if we don't arrive soon,' laughed Mary, the daughter,
+showing two shabby little boots as she glanced up at the companion of
+these tramps, remembering gratefully how pleasant he had made them.
+
+'Don't think there are any small enough in China,' answered Emil,
+with a sailor's ready gallantry, privately resolving to hunt up the
+handsomest shoes he could find the moment he landed.
+
+'I don't know what you would have done for exercise, dear, if Mr
+Hoffmann had not made you walk every day. This lazy life is bad for
+young people, though it suits an old body like me well enough in calm
+weather. Is this likely to be a gale, think ye?' added Mrs Hardy,
+with an anxious glance at the west, where the sun was setting redly.
+
+'Only a capful of wind, ma'am, just enough to send us along lively,'
+answered Emil, with a comprehensive glance aloft and alow.
+
+'Please sing, Mr Hoffmann, it's so pleasant to have music at this
+time. We shall miss it very much when we get ashore,' said Mary, in a
+persuasive tone which would have won melody from a shark, if such a
+thing were possible.
+
+Emil had often blessed his one accomplishment during these months,
+for it cheered the long days, and made the twilight hour his happiest
+time, wind and weather permitting. So now he gladly tuned his pipe,
+and leaning on the taffrail near the girl, watched the brown locks
+blowing in the wind as he sang her favourite song:
+
+    'Give me freshening breeze, my boys,
+     A white and swelling sail,
+     A ship that cuts the dashing waves,
+     And weathers every gale.
+     What life is like a sailor's life,
+     So free, so bold, so brave?
+     His home the ocean's wide expanse,
+     A coral bed his grave.'
+
+Just as the last notes of the clear, strong voice died away, Mrs
+Hardy suddenly exclaimed: 'What's that?' Emil's quick eye saw at once
+the little puff of smoke coming up a hatchway where no smoke should
+be, and his heart seemed to stand still for an instant as the dread
+word 'Fire!' flashed through his mind. Then he was quite steady, and
+strolled away saying quietly:
+
+'Smoking not allowed there, I'll go and stop it.' But the instant he
+was out of sight his face changed, and he leaped down the hatchway,
+thinking, with a queer smile on his lips: 'If we are afire, shouldn't
+wonder if I did make a coral bed my grave!'
+
+He was gone a few minutes, and when he came up, half stifled with
+smoke, he was as white as a very brown man could be, but calm and
+cool as he went to report to the captain.
+
+'Fire in the hold, sir.'
+
+'Don't frighten the women,' was Captain Hardy's first order; then
+both be stirred themselves to discover how strong the treacherous
+enemy was, and to rout it if possible.
+
+The Brenda's cargo was a very combustible one, and in spite of the
+streams of water poured into the hold it was soon evident that the
+ship was doomed. Smoke began to ooze up between the planks
+everywhere, and the rising gale soon fanned the smouldering fire to
+flames that began to break out here and there, telling the dreadful
+truth too plainly for anyone to hide. Mrs Hardy and Mary bore the
+shock bravely when told to be ready to quit the ship at a minute's
+notice; the boats were hastily prepared, and the men worked with a
+will to batten down every loophole whence the fire might escape. Soon
+the poor Brenda was a floating furnace, and the order to 'Take to the
+boats!' came for all. The women first, of course, and it was
+fortunate that, being a merchantman, there were no more passengers on
+board, so there was no panic, and one after the other the boats
+pushed off. That in which the women were lingered near, for the brave
+captain would be the last to leave his ship.
+
+Emil stayed by him till ordered away, and reluctantly obeyed; but it
+was well for him he went, for just as he had regained the boat,
+rocking far below, half hidden by a cloud of smoke, a mast,
+undermined by the fire now raging in the bowels of the ship, fell
+with a crash, knocking Captain Hardy overboard. The boat soon reached
+him as he floated out from the wreck, and Emil sprung into the sea to
+rescue him, for he was wounded and senseless. This accident made it
+necessary for the young man to take command, and he at once ordered
+the men to pull for their lives, as an explosion might occur at any
+moment.
+
+The other boats were out of danger and all lingered to watch the
+splendid yet awesome spectacle of the burning ship alone on the wide
+sea, reddening the night and casting a lurid glare upon the water,
+where floated the frail boats filled with pale faces, all turned for
+a last look at the fated Brenda, slowly settling to her watery grave.
+No one saw the end, however, for the gale soon swept the watchers far
+away and separated them, some never to meet again till the sea gives
+up its dead.
+
+The boat whose fortunes we must follow was alone when dawn came up,
+showing these survivors all the dangers of their situation.  Food and
+water had been put in, and such provision for comfort and safety as
+time allowed; but it was evident that with a badly wounded man, two
+women, and seven sailors, their supply would not last long, and help
+was sorely needed. Their only hope was in meeting a ship, although
+the gale, which had raged all night, had blown them out of their
+course. To this hope all clung, and wiled away the weary hours,
+watching the horizon and cheering one another with prophecies of
+speedy rescue.
+
+Second mate Hoffmann was very brave and helpful, though his
+unexpected responsibility weighed heavily on his shoulders; for the
+captain's state seemed desperate, the poor wife's grief wrung his
+heart, and the blind confidence of the young girl in his power to
+save them made him feel that no sign of doubt or fear must lessen it.
+The men did their part readily now, but Emil knew that if starvation
+and despair made brutes of them, his task might be a terrible one. So
+he clutched his courage with both handg, kept up a manly front, and
+spoke so cheerily of their good chances, that all instinctively
+turned to him for guidance and support.
+
+The first day and night passed in comparative comfort, but when the
+third came, things looked dark and hope began to fail. The wounded
+man was delirious, the wife worn out with anxiety and suspense, the
+girl weak for want of food, having put away half her biscuit for her
+mother, and given her share of water to wet her father's feverish
+lips. The sailors ceased rowing and sat grimly waiting, openly
+reproaching their leader for not following their advice, others
+demanding more food, all waxing dangerous as privation and pain
+brought out the animal instincts lurking in them.  Emil did his best,
+but mortal man was helpless there, and he could only turn his haggard
+face from the pitiless sky, that dropped no rain for their thirst, to
+the boundless sea where no sail appeared to gladden their longing
+eyes. All day he tried to cheer and comfort them, while hunger
+gnawed, thirst parched, and growing fear lay heavy at his heart. He
+told stories to the men, implored them to bear up for the helpless
+women's sake, and promised rewards if they would pull while they had
+strength to regain the lost route, as nearly as he could make it out,
+and increase their chance of rescue.  He rigged an awning of
+sailcloth over the suffering man and tended him like a son, comforted
+the wife, and tried to make the pale girl forget herself, by singing
+every song he knew or recounting his adventures by land and sea, till
+she smiled and took heart; for all ended well.
+
+The fourth day came and the supply of food and water was nearly gone.
+Emil proposed to keep it for the sick man and the women, but two of
+the men rebelled, demanding their share. Emil gave up his as an
+example, and several of the good fellows followed it, with the quiet
+heroism which so often crops up in rough but manly natures. This
+shamed the others, and for another day an ominous peace reigned in
+that little world of suffering and suspense. But during the night,
+while Emil, worn out with fatigue, left the watch to the most
+trustworthy sailor, that he might snatch an hour's rest, these two
+men got at the stores and stole the last of the bread and water, and
+the one bottle of brandy, which was carefully hoarded to keep up
+their strength and make the brackish water drinkable.  Half mad with
+thirst, they drank greedily and by morning one was in a stupor, from
+which he never woke; the other so crazed by the strong stimulant,
+that when Emil tried to control him, he leaped overboard and was
+lost. Horror-stricken by this terrible scene, the other men were
+submissive henceforth, and the boat floated on and on with its sad
+freight of suffering souls and bodies.
+
+Another trial came to them that left all more despairing than before.
+A sail appeared, and for a time a frenzy of joy prevailed, to be
+turned to bitterest disappointment when it passed by, too far away to
+see the signals waved to them or hear the frantic cries for help that
+rang across the sea. Emil's heart sank then, for the captain seemed
+dying, and the women could not hold out much longer. He kept up till
+night came; then in the darkness, broken only by the feeble murmuring
+of the sick man, the whispered prayers of the poor wife, the
+ceaseless swash of waves, Emil hid his face, and had an hour of
+silent agony that aged him more than years of happy life could have
+done. It was not the physical hardship that daunted him, though want
+and weakness tortured him; it was his dreadful powerlessness to
+conquer the cruel fate that seemed hanging over them. The men he
+cared little for, since these perils were but a part of the life they
+chose; but the master he loved, the good woman who had been so kind
+to him, the sweet girl whose winsome presence had made the long
+voyage so pleasant for them all--if he could only save these dear and
+innocent creatures from a cruel death, he felt that he could
+willingly give his life for them.
+
+As he sat there with his head in his hands, bowed down by the first
+great trial of his young life, the starless sky overhead, the
+restless sea beneath, and all around him suffering, for which he had
+no help, a soft sound broke the silence, and he listened like one in
+a dream. It was Mary singing to her mother, who lay sobbing in her
+arms, spent with this long anguish. A very faint and broken voice it
+was, for the poor girl's lips were parched with thirst; but the
+loving heart turned instinctively to the great Helper in this hour of
+despair, and He heard her feeble cry. It was a sweet old hynm often
+sung at Plumfield; and as he listened, all the happy past came back
+so clearly that Emil forgot the bitter present, and was at home
+again. His talk on the housetop with Aunt Jo seemed but yesterday,
+and, with a pang of self-reproach, he thought:
+
+'The scarlet strand! I must remember it, and do my duty to the end.
+Steer straight, old boy; and if you can't come into port, go down
+with all sail set.'
+
+Then, as the soft voice crooned on to lull the weary woman to a
+fitful sleep, Emil for a little while forgot his burden in a dream of
+Plumfield. He saw them all, heard the familiar voices, felt the grip
+of welcoming hands, and seemed to say to himself: 'Well, they shall
+not be ashamed of me if I never see them any more.'
+
+A sudden shout startled him from that brief rest, and a drop on his
+forehead told him that the blessed rain had come at last, bringing
+salvation with it; for thirst is harder to bear than hunger, heat, or
+cold. Welcomed by cries of joy, all lifted up their parched lips,
+held out their hands, and spread their garments to catch the great
+drops that soon came pouring down to cool the sick man's fever,
+quench the agony of thirst, and bring refreshment to every weary body
+in the boat. All night it fell, all night the castaways revelled in
+the saving shower, and took heart again, like dying plants revived by
+heaven's dew. The clouds broke away at dawn, and Emil sprung up,
+wonderfully braced and cheered by those hours of silent gratitude for
+this answer to their cry for help. But this was not all; as his eye
+swept the horizon, clear against the rosy sky shone the white sails
+of a ship, so near that they could see the pennon at her mast-head
+and black figures moving on the deck.
+
+One cry broke from all those eager throats, and rang across the sea,
+as every man waved hat or handkerchief and the women stretched
+imploring hands towards this great white angel of deliverance coming
+down upon them as if the fresh wind filled every sail to help her on.
+
+No disappointment now; answering signals assured them of help; and in
+the rapture of that moment the happy women fell on Emil's neck,
+giving him his reward in tears and blessings as their grateful hearts
+overflowed. He always said that was the proudest moment of his life,
+as he stood there holding Mary in his arms; for the brave girl, who
+had kept up so long, broke down then, and clung to him half fainting;
+while her mother busied herself about the invalid, who seemed to feel
+the joyful stir, and gave an order, as if again on the deck of his
+lost ship.
+
+It was soon over; and then all were safely aboard the good Urania,
+homeward bound. Emil saw his friends in tender hands, his men among
+their mates, and told the story of the wreck before he thought of
+himself. The savoury odour of the soup, carried by to the cabin for
+the ladies, reminded him that he was starving, and a sudden stagger
+betrayed his weakness. He was instantly borne away, to be half killed
+by kindness, and being fed, clothed, and comforted, was left to rest.
+Just as the surgeon left the state-room, he asked in his broken
+voice: 'What day is this? My head is so confused, I've lost my
+reckoning.'
+
+'Thanksgiving Day, man! And we'll give you a regular New England
+dinner, if you'll eat it,' answered the surgeon heartily.
+
+But Emil was too spent to do anything, except lie still and give
+thanks, more fervently and gratefully than ever before, for the
+blessed gift of life, which was the sweeter for a sense of duty
+faithfully performed.
+
+
+
+Chapter 12 
+
+DAN'S CHRISTMAS
+
+Where was Dan? In prison. Alas for Mrs Jo! how her heart would have
+ached if she had known that while old Plum shone with Christmas cheer
+her boy sat alone in his cell, trying to read the little book she
+gave him, with eyes dimmed now and then by the hot tears no physical
+suffering had ever wrung from him, and longing with a homesick heart
+for all that he had lost.
+
+Yes, Dan was in prison; but no cry for help from him as he faced the
+terrible strait he was in with the dumb despair of an Indian at the
+stake; for his own bosom sin had brought him there, and this was to
+be the bitter lesson that tamed the lawless spirit and taught him
+self-control.
+
+The story of his downfall is soon told; for it came, as so often
+happens, just when he felt unusually full of high hopes, good
+resolutions, and dreams of a better life. On his journey he met a
+pleasant young fellow, and naturally felt an interest in him, as
+Blair was on his way to join his elder brothers on a ranch in Kansas.
+Card-playing was going on in the smoking-car, and the lad--for he
+was barely twenty--tired with the long journey, beguiled the way with
+such partners as appeared, being full of spirits, and a little
+intoxicated with the freedom of the West. Dan, true to his promise,
+would not join, but watched with intense interest the games that went
+on, and soon made up his mind that two of the men were sharpers
+anxious to fleece the boy, who had imprudently displayed a
+well-filled pocket-book. Dan always had a soft spot in his heart for
+any younger, weaker creature whom he met, and something about the lad
+reminded him of Teddy; so he kept an eye on Blair, and warned him
+against his new friends.
+
+Vainly, of course; for when all stopped overnight in one of the great
+cities, Dan missed the boy from the hotel whither he had taken him
+for safe-keeping; and learning who had come for him, went to find
+him, calling himself a fool for his pains, yet unable to leave the
+confiding boy to the dangers that surrounded him.
+
+He found him gambling in a low place with the men, who were bound to
+have his money; and by the look of relief on Blair's anxious face
+when he saw him Dan knew without words that things were going badly
+with him, and he saw the peril too late.
+
+'I can't come yet--I've lost; it's not my money; I must get it back,
+or I dare not face my brothers,' whispered the poor lad, when Dan
+begged him to get away without further loss. Shame and fear made him
+desperate; and he played on, sure that he could recover the money
+confided to his care. Seeing Dan's resolute face, keen eye, and
+travelled air, the sharpers were wary, played fair, and let the boy
+win a little; but they had no mind to give up their prey, and finding
+that Dan stood sentinel at the boy's back, an ominous glance was
+exchanged between them, which meant:
+
+'We must get this fellow out of the way.'
+
+Dan saw it, and was on his guard; for he and Blair were strangers,
+evil deeds are easily done in such places, and no tales told. But he
+would not desert the boy, and still kept watch of every card till he
+plainly detected false play, and boldly said so. High words passed,
+Dan's indignation overcame his prudence; and when the cheat refused
+to restore his plunder with insulting words and drawn pistol, Dan's
+hot temper flashed out, and he knocked the man down with a blow that
+sent him crashing head first against a stove, to roll senseless and
+bleeding to the floor. A wild scene followed, but in the midst of it
+Dan whispered to the boy: 'Get away, and hold your tongue. Don't mind
+me.'
+
+Frightened and bewildered, Blair quitted the city at once, leaving
+Dan to pass the night in the lock-up, and a few days later to stand
+in court charged with manslaughter; for the man was dead. Dan had no
+friends, and having once briefly told the story, held his peace,
+anxious to keep all knowledge of this sad affair from those at home.
+He even concealed his name--giving that of David Kent, as he had done
+several times before in emergencies. It was all over very soon; but
+as there were extenuating circumstances his sentence was a year in
+prison, with hard labour.
+
+Dazed by the rapidity with which this horrible change in his life
+came upon him, Dan did not fully realize it till the iron door
+clanged behind him and he sat alone in a cell as narrow, cold, and
+silent as a tomb. He knew that a word would bring Mr Laurie to help
+and comfort him; but he could not bear to tell of this disgrace, or
+see the sorrow and the shame it would cause the friends who hoped so
+much for him.
+
+'No,' he said, clenching his fist, 'I'll let them think me dead first.
+I shall be if I am kept here long'; and he sprang up to pace the
+stone floor like a caged lion, with a turmoil of wrath and grief,
+rebellion and remorse, seething in heart and brain, till he felt as
+if he should go mad and beat upon the walls that shut him away from
+the liberty which was his life. For days he suffered terribly, then
+worn out, sank into a black melancholy sadder to see than his
+excitement.
+
+The warden of this prison was a rough man who had won the ill will of
+all by unnecessary harshness, but the chaplain was full of sympathy,
+and did his hard duty faithfully and tenderly. He laboured with poor
+Dan, but seemed to make no impression, and was forced to wait till
+work had soothed the excited nerves and captivity tamed the proud
+spirit that would suffer but not complain.
+
+Dan was put in the brush-shop, and feeling that activity was his only
+salvation, worked with a feverish energy that soon won the approval
+of the master and the envy of less skilful mates. Day after day he
+sat in his place, watched by an armed overseer, forbidden any but
+necessary words, no intercourse with the men beside him, no change
+but from cell to shop, no exercise but the dreary marches to and fro,
+each man's hand on the other's shoulder keeping step with the dreary
+tramp so different from the ringing tread of soldiers. Silent, gaunt,
+and grim, Dan did his daily task, ate his bitter bread, and obeyed
+commands with a rebellious flash of the eye, that made the warden
+say:
+
+'That's a dangerous man. Watch him. He'll break out some day.'
+
+There were others more dangerous than he, because older in crime and
+ready for any desperate outbreak to change the monotony of long
+sentences. These men soon divined Dan's mood, and in the mysterious
+way convicts invent, managed to convey to him before a month was over
+that plans were being made for a mutiny at the first opportunity.
+Thanksgiving Day was one of the few chances for them to speak
+together as they enjoyed an hour of freedom in the prison yard. Then
+all would be settled and the rash attempt made if possible, probably
+to end in bloodshed and defeat for most, but liberty for a few. Dan
+had already planned his own escape and bided his time, growing more
+and more moody, fierce, and rebellious, as loss of liberty wore upon
+soul and body; for this sudden change from his free, healthy life to
+such a narrow, gloomy, and miserable one, could not but have a
+terrible effect upon one of Dan's temperament and age.
+
+He brooded over his ruined life, gave up all his happy hopes and
+plans, felt that he could never face dear old Plumfield again, or
+touch those friendly hands, with the stain of blood upon his own.  He
+did not care for the wretched man whom he had killed, for such a life
+was better ended, he thought; but the disgrace of prison would never
+be wiped out of his memory, though the cropped hair would grow again,
+the grey suit easily be replaced, and the bolts and bars left far
+behind.
+
+'It's all over with me; I've spoilt my life, now let it go. I'll give
+up the fight and get what pleasure I can anywhere, anyhow. They shall
+think me dead and so still care for me, but never know what I am.
+Poor Mother Bhaer! she tried to help me, but it's no use; the
+firebrand can't be saved.'
+
+And dropping his head in his hands as he sat on his low bed, Dan
+would mourn over all he had lost in tearless misery, till merciful
+sleep would comfort him with dreams of the happy days when the boys
+played together, or those still later and happier ones when all
+smiled on him, and Plumfield seemed to have gained a new and curious
+charm.
+
+There was one poor fellow in Dan's shop whose fate was harder than
+his, for his sentence expired in the spring, but there was little
+hope of his living till that time; and the coldest-hearted man pitied
+poor Mason as he sat coughing his life away in that close place and
+counting the weary days yet to pass before he could see his wife and
+little child again. There was some hope that he might be pardoned
+out, but he had no friends to bestir themselves in the matter, and it
+was evident that the great Judge's pardon would soon end his patient
+pain for ever.
+
+Dan pitied him more than he dared to show, and this one tender
+emotion in that dark time was like the little flower that sprung up
+between the stones of the prison yard and saved the captive from
+despair, in the beautiful old story. Dan helped Mason with his work
+when he was too feeble to finish his task, and the grateful look that
+thanked him was a ray of sunshine to cheer his cell when he was
+alone. Mason envied the splendid health of his neighbour, and mourned
+to see it wasting there. He was a peaceful soul and tried, as far as
+a whispered word or warning glance could do it, to deter Dan from
+joining the 'bad lot', as the rebels were called. But having turned
+his face from the light, Dan found the downward way easy, and took a
+grim satisfaction in the prospect of a general outbreak during which
+he might revenge himself upon the tyrannical warden, and strike a
+blow for his own liberty, feeling that an hour of insurrection would
+be a welcome vent for the pent-up passions that tormented him. He had
+tamed many a wild animal, but his own lawless spirit was too much for
+him, till he found the curb that made him master of himself.
+
+The Sunday before Thanksgiving, as he sat in chapel, Dan observed
+several guests in the seats reserved for them, and looked anxiously
+to see if any familiar face was there; for he had a mortal fear that
+someone from home would suddenly confront him. No, all were
+strangers, and he soon forgot them in listening to the chaplain's
+cheerful words, and the sad singing of many heavy hearts. People
+often spoke to the convicts, so it caused no surprise when, on being
+invited to address them, one of the ladies rose and said she would
+tell them a little story; which announcement caused the younger
+listeners to pack up their ears, and even the older ones to look
+interested; for any change in their monotonous life was welcome.
+
+The speaker was a middle-aged woman in black, with a sympathetic
+face, eyes full of compassion, and a voice that seemed to warm the
+heart, because of certain motherly tones in it. She reminded Dan of
+Mrs Jo, and he listened intently to every word, feeling that each was
+meant for him, because by chance, they came at the moment when he
+needed a softening memory to break up the ice of despair which was
+blighting all the good impulses of his nature.
+
+It was a very simple little story, but it caught the men's attention
+at once, being about two soldiers in a hospital during the late war,
+both badly wounded in the right arm, and both anxious to save these
+breadwinners and go home unmaimed. One was patient, docile, and
+cheerfully obeyed orders, even when told that the arm must go. He
+submitted and after much suffering recovered, grateful for life,
+though he could fight no more. The other rebelled, would listen to no
+advice, and having delayed too long, died a lingering death, bitterly
+regretting his folly when it was too late.  'Now, as all stories
+should have a little moral, let me tell you mine,' added the lady,
+with a smile, as she looked at the row of young men before her, sadly
+wondering what brought them there.
+
+'This is a hospital for soldiers wounded in life's battle; here are
+sick souls, weak wills, insane passions, blind consciences, all the
+ills that come from broken laws, bringing their inevitable pain and
+punishment with them, There is hope and help for every one, for God's
+mercy is infinite and man's charity is great; but penitence and
+submission must come before the cure is possible. Pay the forfeit
+manfully, for it is just; but from the suffering and shame wring new
+strength for a nobler life. The scar will remain, but it is better
+for a man to lose both arms than his soul; and these hard years,
+instead of being lost, may be made the most precious of your lives,
+if they teach you to rule yourselves. O friends, try to outlive the
+bitter past, to wash the sin away, and begin anew. If not for your
+own sakes, for that of the dear mothers, wives, and children, who
+wait and hope so patiently for you. Remember them, and do not let
+them love and long in vain. And if there be any here so forlorn that
+they have no friend to care for them, never forget the Father whose
+arms are always open to receive, forgive, and comfort His prodigal
+sons, even at the eleventh hour.' There the little sermon ended; but
+the preacher of it felt that her few hearty words had not been
+uttered in vain, for one boy's head was down, and several faces wore
+the softened look which told that a tender memory was touched. Dan
+was forced to set his lips to keep them steady, and drop his eyes to
+hide the sudden dew that dimmed them when waiting, hoping friends
+were spoken of. He was glad to be alone in his cell again, and sat
+thinking deeply, instead of trying to forget himself in sleep. It
+seemed as if those words were just what he needed to show him where
+he stood and how fateful the next few days might be to him. Should he
+join the 'bad lot', and perhaps add another crime to the one already
+committed, lengthen the sentence already so terrible to bear,
+deliberately turn his back on all that was good, and mar the future
+that might yet be redeemed? Or should he, like the wiser man in the
+story, submit, bear the just punishment, try to be better for it; and
+though the scar would remain, it might serve as a reminder of a
+battle not wholly lost, since he had saved his soul though innocence
+was gone? Then he would dare go home, perhaps, confess, and find
+fresh strength in the pity and consolation of those who never gave
+him up.
+
+Good and evil fought for Dan that night as did the angel and the
+devil for Sintram, and it was hard to tell whether lawless nature or
+loving heart would conquer. Remorse and resentment, shame and sorrow,
+pride and passion, made a battle-field of that narrow cell, and the
+poor fellow felt as if he had fiercer enemies to fight now than any
+he had met in all his wanderings. A little thing turned the scale, as
+it so often does in these mysterious hearts of ours, and a touch of
+sympathy helped Dan decide the course which would bless or ban his
+life.
+
+In the dark hour before the dawn, as he lay wakeful on his bed, a ray
+of light shone through the bars, the bolts turned softly, and a man
+came in. It was the good chaplain, led by the same instinct that
+brings a mother to her sick child's pillow; for long experience as
+nurse of souls had taught him to see the signs of hope in the hard
+faces about him, and to know when the moment came for a helpful word
+and the cordial of sincere prayer that brings such comfort and
+healing to tried and troubled hearts. He had been to Dan before at
+unexpected hours, but always found him sullen, indifferent, or
+rebellious, and had gone away to patiently bide his time. Now it had
+come; a look of relief was in the prisoner's face as the light shone
+on it, and the sound of a human voice was strangely comfortable after
+listening to the whispers of the passions, doubts, and fears which
+had haunted the cell for hours, dismaying Dan by their power, and
+showing him how much he needed help to fight the good fight, since he
+had no armour of his own.
+
+'Kent, poor Mason has gone. He left a message for you, and I felt
+impelled to come and give it now, because I think you were touched by
+what we heard today, and in need of the help Mason tried to give
+you,' said the chaplain, taking the one seat and fixing his kind eyes
+on the grim figure in the bed.
+
+'Thank you, sir, I'd like to hear it,' was all Dan's answer; but he
+forgot himself in pity for the poor fellow dead in prison, with no
+last look at wife or child. 
+
+He went suddenly, but remembered you, and begged me to say these 
+words: "Tell him not to do it, but to hold on, do his best, and when
+his time is out go right to Mary, and she'll make him welcome for my
+sake. He's got no friends in these parts and will feel lonesome, but
+a woman's always safe and comfortable when a fellow's down on his 
+luck. Give him my love and good-bye for he was kind to me, and God
+will bless him for it." Then he died quietly, and tomorrow will go
+home with God's pardon, since man's came too late.'
+
+Dan said nothing, but laid his arm across his face and lay quite
+still. Seeing that the pathetic little message had done its work even
+better than he hoped, the chaplain went on, unconscious how soothing
+his paternal voice was to the poor prisoner who longed to 'go home',
+but felt he had forfeited the right.
+
+'I hope you won't disappoint this humble friend whose last thought
+was for you. I know that there is trouble brewing, and fear that you
+may be tempted to lend a hand on the wrong side. Don't do it, for the
+plot will not succeed--it never does--and it would be a pity to spoil
+your record which is fair so far. Keep up your courage, my son, and
+go out at the year's end better, not worse, for this hard experience.
+Remember a grateful woman waits to welcome and thank you if you have
+no friends of your own; if you have, do your best for their sake, and
+let us ask God to help you as He only can.'
+
+Then waiting for no answer the good man prayed heartily, and Dan
+listened as he never had before; for the lonely hour, the dying
+message, the sudden uprising of his better self, made it seem as if
+some kind angel had come to save and comfort him. After that night
+there was a change in Dan, though no one knew it but the chaplain;
+for to all the rest he was the same silent, stern, unsocial fellow as
+before, and turning his back on the bad and the good alike, found his
+only pleasure in the books his friend brought him.  Slowly, as the
+steadfast drop wears away the rock, the patient kindness of this man
+won Dan's confidence, and led by him he began to climb out of the
+Valley of Humiliation towards the mountains, whence, through the
+clouds, one can catch glimpses of the Celestial City whither all true
+pilgrims sooner or later turn their wistful eyes and stumbling feet.
+There were many back-slidings, many struggles with Giant Despair and
+fiery Apollyon, many heavy hours when life did not seem worth living
+and Mason's escape the only hope. But through all, the grasp of a
+friendly hand, the sound of a brother's voice, the unquenchable
+desire to atone for the past by a better future, and win the right to
+see home again, kept poor Dan to his great task as the old year drew
+to its end, and the new waited to turn another leaf in the book whose
+hardest lesson he was learning now.
+
+At Christmas he yearned so for Plumfield that he devised a way to
+send a word of greeting to cheer their anxious hearts, and comfort
+his own. He wrote to Mary Mason, who lived in another State, asking
+her to mail the letter he enclosed. In it he merely said he was well
+and busy, had given up the farm, and had other plans which he would
+tell later; would not be home before autumn probably, nor write
+often, but was all right, and sent love and merry Christmas to
+everyone.
+
+Then he took up his solitary life again, and tried to pay his forfeit
+manfully.
+
+
+
+Chapter 13 
+
+NAT'S NEW YEAR
+
+'I don't expect to hear from Emil yet, and Nat writes regularly, but
+where is Dan? Only two or three postals since he went. Such an
+energetic fellow as he is could buy up all the farms in Kansas by
+this time,' said Mrs Jo one morning when the mail came in and no card
+or envelope bore Dan's dashing hand.
+
+'He never writes often, you know, but does his work and then comes
+home. Months and years seem to mean little to him, and he is probably
+prospecting in the wilderness, forgetful of time,' answered Mr Bhaer,
+deep in one of Nat's long letters from Leipzig.
+
+'But he promised he would let me know how he got on, and Dan keeps
+his word if he can. I'm afraid something has happened to him'; and
+Mrs Jo comforted herself by patting Don's head, as he came at the
+sound of his master's name to look at her with eyes almost human in
+their wistful intelligence.
+
+'Don't worry, Mum dear, nothing ever happens to the old fellow.
+He'll turn up all right, and come stalking in some day with a
+gold-mine in one pocket and a prairie in the other, as jolly as a
+grig,' said Ted, who was in no haste to deliver Octoo to her rightful
+owner.
+
+'Perhaps he has gone to Montana and given up the farm plan. He seemed
+to like Indians best, I thought'; and Rob went to help his mother
+with her pile of letters and his cheerful suggestions.
+
+'I hope so, it would suit him best. But I am sure he would have told
+us his change of plan and sent for some money to work with. No, I
+feel in my prophetic bones that something is wrong,' said Mrs Jo,
+looking as solemn as Fate in a breakfast-cap.
+
+'Then we shall hear; ill news always travels fast. Don't borrow
+trouble, Jo, but hear how well Nat is getting on. I'd no idea the boy
+would care for anything but music. My good friend Baumgarten has
+launched him well, and it will do him good if he lose not his head. A
+good lad, but new to the world, and Leipzig is full of snares for the
+unwary. Gott be with him!'
+
+The Professor read Nat's enthusiastic account of certain literary and
+musical parties he had been to, the splendours of the opera, the
+kindness of his new friends, the delight of studying under such a
+master as Bergmann, his hopes of rapid gain, and his great gratitude
+to those who had opened this enchanted world to him.
+
+'That, now, is satisfactory and comfortable. I felt that Nat had
+unsuspected power in him before he went away; he was so manly and
+full of excellent plans,' said Mrs Jo, in a satisfied tone.
+
+'We shall see. He will doubtless get his lesson and be the better for
+it. That comes to us all in our young days. I hope it will not be too
+hard for our good Jungling,' answered the Professor, with a wise
+smile, remembering his own student life in Germany.
+
+He was right; and Nat was already getting his lesson in life with a
+rapidity which would have astonished his friends at home. The
+manliness over which Mrs Jo rejoiced was developing in unexpected
+ways, and quiet Nat had plunged into the more harmless dissipations
+of the gay city with all the ardour of an inexperienced youth taking
+his first sip of pleasure. The entire freedom and sense of
+independence was delicious, for many benefits began to burden him,
+and he longed to stand on his own legs and make his own way. No one
+knew his past here; and with a well-stocked wardrobe, a handsome sum
+at his banker's, and the best teacher in Leipzig, he made his debut
+as a musical young gentleman, presented by the much-respected
+Professor Bhaer and the wealthy Mr Laurence, who had many friends
+glad to throw open their houses to his protege. Thanks to these
+introductions, his fluent German, modest manners, and undeniable
+talent, the stranger was cordially welcomed, and launched at once
+into a circle which many an ambitious young man strove in vain to
+enter.
+
+All this rather turned Nat's head; and as he sat in the brilliant
+opera-house, chatted among the ladies at some select coffee-party, or
+whisked an eminent professor's amiable daughter down the room, trying
+to imagine she was Daisy, he often asked himself if this gay fellow
+could be the poor homeless little Street musician who once stood
+waiting in the rain at the gates of Plumfield. His heart was true,
+his impulses good, and his ambitions high; but the weak side of his
+nature came uppermost here; vanity led him astray, pleasure
+intoxicated him, and for a time he forgot everything but the delights
+of this new and charming life. Without meaning to deceive, he allowed
+people to imagine him a youth of good family and prospects; he
+boasted a little of Mr Laurie's wealth and influence, of Professor
+Bhaer's eminence, and the flourishing college at which he himself had
+been educated. Mrs Jo was introduced to the sentimental Frauleins who
+read her books, and the charms and virtues of his own dear Madchen
+confided to sympathetic mammas. All these boyish boastings and
+innocent vanities were duly circulated among the gossips, and his
+importance much increased thereby, to his surprise and gratification,
+as well as some shame.
+
+But they bore fruit that was bitter in the end; for, finding that he
+was considered one of the upper class, it very soon became impossible
+for him to live in the humble quarters he had chosen, or to lead the
+studious, quiet life planned for him. He met other students, young
+officers, and gay fellows of all sorts, and was flattered at being
+welcomed among them; though it was a costly pleasure, and often left
+a thorn of regret to vex his honest conscience. He was tempted to
+take better rooms in a more fashionable street, leaving good Frau
+Tetzel to lament his loss, and his artist neighbour, Fraulein
+Vogelstein, to shake her grey ringlets and predict his return, a
+sadder and a wiser man.
+
+The sum placed at his disposal for expenses and such simple pleasures
+as his busy life could command seemed a fortune to Nat, though it was
+smaller than generous Mr Laurie first proposed.  Professor Bhaer
+wisely counselled prudence, as Nat was unused to the care of money,
+and the good man knew the temptations that a well-filled purse makes
+possible at this pleasure-loving age. So Nat enjoyed his handsome
+little apartment immensely, and insensibly let many unaccustomed
+luxuries creep in. He loved his music and never missed a lesson; but
+the hours he should have spent in patient practice were too often
+wasted at theatre, ball, beer-garden, or club--doing no harm beyond
+that waste of precious time, and money not his own; for he had no
+vices, and took his recreation like a gentleman, so far. But slowly a
+change for the worse was beginning to show itself, and he felt it.
+These first steps along the flowery road were downward, not upward;
+and the constant sense of disloyalty which soon began to haunt him
+made Nat feel, in the few quiet hours he gave himself, that all was
+not well with him, spite of the happy whirl in which he lived.
+
+'Another month, and then I will be steady,' he said more than once,
+trying to excuse the delay by the fact that all was new to him, that
+his friends at home wished him to be happy, and that society was
+giving him the polish he needed. But as each month slipped away it
+grew harder to escape; he was inevitably drawn on, and it was so easy
+to drift with the tide that he deferred the evil day as long as
+possible. Winter festivities followed the more wholesome summer
+pleasures, and Nat found them more costly; for the hospitable ladies
+expected some return from the stranger; and carriages, bouquets,
+theatre tickets, and all the little expenses a young man cannot
+escape at such times, told heavily on the purse which seemed
+bottomless at first. Taking Mr Laurie for his model, Nat became quite
+a gallant, and was universally liked; for through all the newly
+acquired airs and graces the genuine honesty and simplicity of his
+character plainly shone, winning confidence and affection from all
+who knew him. 
+
+Among these was a certain amiable old lady with a musical 
+daughter--well-born but poor, and very anxious to marry the aforesaid
+daughter to some wealthy man. Nat's little fictions concerning his
+prospects and friends charmed the gnadige Frau as much as his music
+and devoted manners did the sentimental Minna. Their quiet parlour
+seemed homelike and restful to Nat, when tired of gayer scenes; and
+the motherly interest of the elder lady was sweet and comfortable to
+him; while the tender blue eyes of the pretty girl were always so
+full of welcome when he came, of regret when he left, and of
+admiration when he played to her, that he found it impossible to keep
+away from this attractive spot. He meant no harm, and feared no
+danger, having confided to the Frau Mamma that he was betrothed; so
+he continued to call, little dreaming what ambitious hopes the old
+lady cherished, nor the peril there was in receiving the adoration of
+a romantic German girl, till it was too late to spare her pain and
+himself great regret.
+
+Of course some inkling of these new and agreeable experiences got
+into the voluminous letters he never was too gay, too busy, or too
+tired to write each week; and while Daisy rejoiced over his happiness
+and success, and the boys laughed at the idea of 'old Chirper coming
+out as a society man', the elders looked sober, and said among
+themselves:
+
+'He is going too fast; he must have a word of warning, or trouble may
+come.'
+
+But Mr Laurie said: 'Oh, let him have his fling; he's been dependent
+and repressed long enough. He can't go far with the money he has, and
+I've no fear of his getting into debt. He's too timid and too honest
+to be reckless. It is his first taste of freedom; let him enjoy it,
+and he'll work the better by and by; I know--and I'm sure I'm right.'
+
+So the warnings were very gentle, and the good people waited
+anxiously to hear more of hard study, and less of 'splendid times'.
+Daisy sometimes wondered, with a pang of her faithful heart, if one
+of the charming Minnas, Hildegardes, and Lottchens mentioned were not
+stealing her Nat away from her; but she never asked, always wrote
+calmly and cheerfully, and looked in vain for any hint of change in
+the letters that were worn out with much reading.
+
+Month after month slipped away, till the holidays came with gifts,
+good wishes, and brilliant festivities. Nat expected to enjoy himself
+very much, and did at first; for a German Christmas is a spectacle
+worth seeing. But he paid dearly for the abandon with which he threw
+himself into the gaieties of that memorable week; and on New Year's
+Day the reckoning came. It seemed as if some malicious fairy had
+prepared the surprises that arrived, so unwelcome were they, so
+magical the change they wrought, turning his happy world into a scene
+of desolation and despair as suddenly as a transformation at the
+pantomime.
+
+The first came in the morning when, duly armed with costly bouquets
+and bon-bons, he went to thank Minna and her mother for the braces
+embroidered with forget-me-nots and the silk socks knit by the old
+lady's nimble fingers, which he had found upon his table that day.
+The Frau Mamma received him graciously; but when he asked for the
+daughter the good lady frankly demanded what his intentions were,
+adding that certain gossip which had reached her ear made it
+necessary for him to declare himself or come no more, as Minna's
+peace must not be compromised.
+
+A more panic-stricken youth was seldom seen than Nat as he received
+this unexpected demand. He saw too late that his American style of
+gallantry had deceived the artless girl, and might be used with
+terrible effect by the artful mother, if she chose to do it. Nothing
+but the truth could save him, and he had the honour and honesty to
+tell it faithfully. A sad scene followed; for Nat was obliged to
+strip off his fictitious splendour, confess himself only a poor
+student, and humbly ask pardon for the thoughtless freedom with which
+he had enjoyed their too confiding hospitality. If he had any doubts
+of Frau Schomburg's motives and desires, they were speedily set at
+rest by the frankness with which she showed her disappointment, the
+vigour with which she scolded him, and the scorn with which she cast
+him off when her splendid castles in the air collapsed.
+
+The sincerity of Nat's penitence softened her a little and she
+consented to a farewell word with Minna, who had listened at the
+keyhole, and was produced drenched in tears, to fall on Nat's bosom,
+crying: 'Ah, thou dear one, never can I forget thee, though my heart
+is broken!'
+
+This was worse than the scolding; for the stout lady also wept, and
+it was only after much German gush and twaddle that he escaped,
+feeling like another Werther; while the deserted Lotte consoled
+herself with the bonbons, her mother with the more valuable gifts.
+
+The second surprise arrived as he dined with Professor Baumgarten.
+His appetite had been effectually taken away by the scene of the
+morning, and his spirits received another damper when a fellow
+student cheerfully informed him that he was about to go to America,
+and should make it his agreeable duty to call on the 'lieber Herr
+Professor Bhaer', to tell him how gaily his protege was disporting
+himself at Leipzig. Nat's heart died within him as he imagined the
+effect these glowing tales would have at Plumfield--not that he had
+wilfully deceived them, but in his letters many things were left
+untold; and when Carlsen added, with a friendly wink, that he would
+merely hint at the coming betrothal of the fair Minna and his
+'heart's friend', Nat found himself devoutly hoping that this other
+inconvenient heart's friend might go to the bottom of the sea before
+he reached Plumfield to blast all his hopes by these tales of a
+mis-spent winter. Collecting his wits, he cautioned Carlsen with what
+he flattered himself was Mephistophelian art, and gave him such
+confused directions that it would be a miracle if he ever found
+Professor Bhaer. But the dinner was spoilt for Nat, and he got away
+as soon as possible, to wander disconsolately about the streets, with
+no heart for the theatre or the supper he was to share with some gay
+comrades afterwards. He comforted himself a little by giving alms to
+sundry beggars, making two children happy with gilded gingerbread,
+and drinking a lonely glass of beer, in which he toasted his Daisy
+and wished himself a better year than the last had been.
+
+Going home at length, he found a third surprise awaiting him in the
+shower of bills which had descended upon him like a snowstorm,
+burying him in an avalanche of remorse, despair, and self-disgust.
+These bills were so many and so large that he was startled and
+dismayed; for, as Mr Bhaer wisely predicted, he knew little about the
+value of money. It would take every dollar at the bankers to pay them
+all at once, and leave him penniless for the next six months, unless
+he wrote home for more. He would rather starve than do that; and his
+first impulse was to seek help at the gaming-table, whither his new
+friends had often tempted him. But he had promised Mr Bhaer to resist
+what then had seemed an impossible temptation; and now he would not
+add another fault to the list already so long. Borrow he would not,
+nor beg. What could he do? For these appalling bills must be paid,
+and the lessons go on; or his journey was an ignominious failure. But
+he must live meantime. And how? Bowed down with remorse for the folly
+of these months, he saw too late whither he was drifting, and for
+hours paced up and down his pretty rooms, floundering in a Slough of
+Despond, with no helping hand to pull him out--at least he thought so
+till letters were brought in, and among fresh bills lay one well-worn
+envelope with an American stamp in the corner.
+
+Ah, how welcome it was! how eagerly he read the long pages full of
+affectionate wishes from all at home! For everyone had sent a line,
+and as each familiar name appeared, his eyes grew dimmer and dimmer
+till, as he read the last--'God bless my boy! Mother Bhaer'--he broke
+down; and laying his head on his arms, blistered the paper with a
+rain of tears that eased his heart and washed away the boyish sins
+that now lay so heavy on his conscience.
+
+'Dear people, how they love and trust me! And how bitterly they would
+be disappointed if they knew what a fool I've been! I'll fiddle in
+the streets again before I'll ask for help from them!' cried Nat,
+brushing away the tears of which he was ashamed, although he felt the
+good they had done.
+
+Now he seemed to see more clearly what to do; for the helping hand
+had been stretched across the sea, and Love, the dear Evangelist, had
+lifted him out of the slough and shown him the narrow gate, beyond
+which deliverance lay. When the letter had been reread, and one
+corner where a daisy was painted, passionately kissed, Nat felt
+strong enough to face the worst and conquer it. Every bill should be
+paid, every salable thing of his own sold, these costly rooms given
+up; and once back with thrifty Frau Tetzel, he would find work of
+some sort by which to support himself, as many another student did.
+He must give up the new friends, turn his back on the gay life, cease
+to be a butterfly, and take his place among the grubs. It was the
+only honest thing to do, but very hard for the poor fellow to crush
+his little vanities, renounce the delights so dear to the young, own
+his folly, and step down from his pedestal to be pitied, laughed at,
+and forgotten.
+
+It took all Nat's pride and courage to do this, for his was a
+sensitive nature; esteem was very precious to him, failure very
+bitter, and nothing but the inborn contempt for meanness and deceit
+kept him from asking help or trying to hide his need by some
+dishonest device. As he sat alone that night, Mr Bhaer's words came
+back to him with curious clearness, and he saw himself a boy again at
+Plumfield, punishing his teacher as a lesson to himself, when
+timidity had made him lie.
+
+'He shall not suffer for me again, and I won't be a sneak if I am a
+fool. I'll go and tell Professor Baumgarten all about it and ask his
+advice. I'd rather face a loaded cannon; but it must be done. Then
+I'll sell out, pay my debts, and go back where I belong. Better be an
+honest pauper than a jackdaw among peacocks'; and Nat smiled in the
+midst of his trouble, as he looked about him at the little elegancies
+of his room, remembering what he came from.
+
+He kept his word manfully, and was much comforted to find that his
+experience was an old story to the professor, who approved his plan,
+thinking wisely that the discipline would be good for him, and was
+very kind in offering help and promising to keep the secret of his
+folly from his friend Bhaer till Nat had redeemed himself.
+
+The first week of the new year was spent by our prodigal in carrying
+out his plan with penitent dispatch, and his birthday found him alone
+in the little room high up at Frau Tetzel's, with nothing of his
+former splendour, but sundry unsalable keepsakes from the buxom
+maidens, who mourned his absence deeply. His male friends had
+ridiculed, pitied, and soon left him alone, with one or two
+exceptions, who offered their purses generously and promised to stand
+by him. He was lonely and heavy-hearted, and sat brooding over his
+small fire as he remembered the last New Year's Day at Plumfield,
+when at this hour he was dancing with his Daisy.
+
+A tap at the door roused him, and with a careless 'Herein', he waited
+to see who had climbed so far for his sake. It was the good Frau
+proudly bearing a tray, on which stood a bottle of wine and an
+astonishing cake bedecked with sugar-plums of every hue, and crowned
+with candles. Fraulein Vogelstein followed, embracing a blooming
+rose-tree, above which her grey curls waved and her friendly face
+beamed joyfully as she cried:
+
+'Dear Herr Blak, we bring you greetings and a little gift or two in
+honour of this ever-to-be-remembered day. Best wishes! and may the
+new year bloom for you as beautifully as we your heart-warm friends
+desire.'
+
+'Yes, yes, in truth we do, dear Herr,' added Frau Tetzel. 'Eat of
+this with-joy-made Kuchen, and drink to the health of the far-away
+beloved ones in the good wine.'
+
+Amused, yet touched by the kindness of the good souls, Nat thanked
+them both, and made them stay to enjoy the humble feast with him.
+This they gladly did, being motherly women full of pity for the dear
+youth, whose straits they knew, and having substantial help to offer,
+as well as kind words and creature comforts.
+
+Frau Tetzel, with some hesitation, mentioned a friend of hers who,
+forced by illness to leave his place in the orchestra of a
+second-rate theatre, would gladly offer it to Nat, if he could accept
+so humble a position. Blushing and toying with the roses like a shy
+girl, good old Vogelstein asked if in his leisure moments he could
+give English lessons in the young ladies' school where she taught
+painting, adding that a small but certain salary would be paid him.
+
+Gratefully Nat accepted both offers, finding it less humiliating to
+be helped by women than by friends of his own sex. This work would
+support him in a frugal way, and certain musical drudgery promised by
+his master assured his own teaching. Delighted with the success of
+their little plot, these friendly neighbours left him with cheery
+words, warm hand-grasps, and faces beaming with feminine satisfaction
+at the hearty kiss Nat put on each faded cheek, as the only return he
+could make for all their helpful kindness.
+
+It was strange how much brighter the world looked after that; for
+hope was a better cordial than the wine, and good resolutions bloomed
+as freshly as the little rose-tree that filled the room with
+fragrance, as Nat woke the echoes with the dear old airs, finding now
+as always his best comforter in music, to whom henceforth he swore to
+be a more loyal subject.
+
+
+
+Chapter 14 
+
+PLAYS AT PLUMFIELD
+
+As it is as impossible for the humble historian of the March family
+to write a story without theatricals in it as for our dear Miss Yonge
+to get on with less than twelve or fourteen children in her
+interesting tales, we will accept the fact, and at once cheer
+ourselves after the last afflicting events, by proceeding to the
+Christmas plays at Plumfield; for they influence the fate of several
+of our characters, and cannot well be skipped.
+
+When the college was built Mr Laurie added a charming little theatre
+which not only served for plays, but declamations, lectures, and
+concerts. The drop-curtain displayed Apollo with the Muses grouped
+about him; and as a compliment to the donor of the hall the artist
+had given the god a decided resemblance to our friend, which was
+considered a superb joke by everyone else. Home talent furnished
+stars, stock company, orchestra, and scene painter; and astonishing
+performances were given on this pretty little stage.
+
+Mrs Jo had been trying for some time to produce a play which should
+be an improvement upon the adaptations from the French then in vogue,
+curious mixtures of fine toilettes, false sentiment, and feeble wit,
+with no touch of nature to redeem them. It was easy to plan plays
+full of noble speeches and thrilling situations, but very hard to
+write them; so she contented herself with a few scenes of humble life
+in which the comic and pathetic were mingled; and as she fitted her
+characters to her actors, she hoped the little venture would prove
+that truth and simplicity had not entirely lost their power to charm.
+Mr Laurie helped her, and they called themselves Beaumont and
+Fletcher, enjoying their joint labour very much; for Beaumont's
+knowledge of dramatic art was of great use in curbing Fletcher's
+too-aspiring pen, and they flattered themselves that they had
+produced a neat and effective bit of work as an experiment.
+
+All was ready now; and Christmas Day was much enlivened by last
+rehearsals, the panics of timid actors, the scramble for forgotten
+properties, and the decoration of the theatre. Evergreen and holly
+from the woods, blooming plants from the hothouse on Parnassus, and
+flags of all nations made it very gay that night in honour of the
+guests who were coming, chief among them, Miss Cameron, who kept her
+promise faithfully. The orchestra tuned their instruments with
+unusual care, the scene-shifters set their stage with lavish
+elegance, the prompter heroically took his seat in the stifling nook
+provided for him, and the actors dressed with trembling hands that
+dropped the pins, and perspiring brows whereon the powder wouldn't
+stick. Beaumont and Fletcher were everywhere, feeling that their
+literary reputation was at stake; for sundry friendly critics were
+invited, and reporters, like mosquitoes, cannot be excluded from any
+earthly scene, be it a great man's death-bed or a dime museum.
+
+'Has she come?' was the question asked by every tongue behind the
+curtain; and when Tom, who played an old man, endangered his
+respectable legs among the footlights to peep, announced that he saw
+Miss Cameron's handsome head in the place of honour, a thrill
+pervaded the entire company, and Josie declared with an excited gasp
+that she was going to have stage fright for the first time in her
+life.
+
+'I'll shake you if you do,' said Mrs Jo, who was in such a wild state
+of dishevelment with her varied labours that she might have gone on
+as Madge Wildlife, without an additional rag or crazy elf-lock.
+
+'You'll have time to get your wits together while we do our piece.
+We are old stagers and calm as clocks,' answered Demi, with a nod
+towards Alice, ready in her pretty dress and all her properties at
+hand.
+
+But both clocks were going rather faster than usual, as heightened
+colour, brilliant eyes, and a certain flutter under the laces and
+velvet coat betrayed. They were to open the entertainment with a gay
+little piece which they had played before and did remarkably well.
+Alice was a tall girl, with dark hair and eyes, and a face which
+intelligence, health, and a happy heart made beautiful. She was
+looking her best now, for the brocades, plumes, and powder of the
+Marquise became her stately figure; and Demi in his court suit, with
+sword, three-cornered hat, and white wig, made as gallant a Baron as
+one would wish to see. Josie was the maid, and looked her part to the
+life, being as pretty, pert, and inquisitive as any French soubrette.
+These three were all the characters; and the success of the piece
+depended on the spirit and skill with which the quickly changing
+moods of the quarrelsome lovers were given, their witty speeches made
+to tell, and by-play suited to the courtly period in which the scene
+was laid.
+
+Few would have recognized sober John and studious Alice in the
+dashing gentleman and coquettish lady, who kept the audience laughing
+at their caprices; while they enjoyed the brilliant costumes, and
+admired the ease and grace of the young actors.  Josie was a
+prominent figure in the plot, as she listened at keyholes, peeped
+into notes, and popped in and out at all the most inopportune
+moments, with her nose in the air, her hands in her apron-pockets,
+and curiosity pervading her little figure from the topmost bow of her
+jaunty cap to the red heels of her slippers. All went smoothly; and
+the capricious Marquise, after tormenting the devoted Baron to her
+heart's content, owned herself conquered in the war of wits, and was
+just offering the hand he had fairly won, when a crash startled them,
+and a heavily decorated side-scene swayed forward, ready to fall upon
+Alice. Demi saw it and sprung before her to catch and hold it up,
+standing like a modern Samson with the wall of a house on his back.
+The danger was over in a moment, and he was about to utter his last
+speech, when the excited young scene-shifter, who had flown up a
+ladder to repair the damage, leaned over to whisper 'All right', and
+release Demi from his spread-eagle attitude: as he did so, a hammer
+slipped out of his pocket, to fall upon the upturned face below,
+inflicting a smart blow and literally knocking the Baron's part out
+of his head.
+
+'A quick curtain,' robbed the audience of a pretty little scene not
+down on the bill; for the Marquise flew to staunch the blood with a
+cry of alarm: 'Oh! John, you are hurt! Lean on me'--which John gladly
+did for a moment, being a trifle dazed yet quite able to enjoy the
+tender touch of the hands busied about him and the anxiety of the
+face so near his own; for both told him something which he would have
+considered cheaply won by a rain of hammers and the fall of the whole
+college on his head.
+
+Nan was on the spot in a moment with the case that never left her
+pocket; and the wound was neatly plastered up by the time Mrs Jo
+arrived, demanding tragically:
+
+'Is he too much hurt to go on again? If he is, my play is lost!'
+
+'I'm all the fitter for it, Aunty; for here's a real instead of a
+painted wound. I'll be ready; don't worry about me.' And catching up
+his wig, Demi was off, with only a very eloquent look of thanks to
+the Marquise, who had spoilt her gloves for his sake, but did not
+seem to mind it at all, though they reached above her elbows, and
+were most expensive.
+
+'How are your nerves, Fletcher?' asked Mr Laurie as they stood
+together during the breathless minute before the last bell rings.
+
+'About as calm as yours, Beaumont,' answered Mrs Jo, gesticulating
+wildly to Mrs Meg to set her cap straight.
+
+'Bear up, partner! I'll stand by you whatever comes!'
+
+'I feel that it ought to go; for, though it's a mere trifle, a good
+deal of honest work and truth have gone into it. Doesn't Meg look the
+picture of a dear old country woman?'
+
+She certainly did, as she sat in the farmhouse kitchen by a cheery
+fire, rocking a cradle and darning stockings, as if she had done
+nothing else all her life. Grey hair, skilfully drawn lines on the
+forehead, and a plain gown, with cap, little shawl, and check apron,
+changed her into a comfortable, motherly creature who found favour
+the moment the curtain went up and discovered her rocking, darning,
+and crooning an old song. In a short soliloquy about Sam, her boy,
+who wanted to enlist; Dolly, her discontented little daughter, who
+longed for city ease and pleasures; and poor 'Elizy', who had married
+badly, and came home to die, bequeathing her baby to her mother, lest
+its bad father should claim it, the little story was very simply
+opened, and made effective by the real boiling of the kettle on the
+crane, the ticking of a tall clock, and the appearance of a pair of
+blue worsted shoes which waved fitfully in the air to the soft babble
+of a baby's voice. Those shapeless little shoes won the first
+applause; and Mr Laurie, forgetting elegance in satisfaction,
+whispered to his coadjutor:
+
+'I thought the baby would fetch them!'
+
+'If the dear thing won't squall in the wrong place, we are saved. But
+it is risky. Be ready to catch it if all Meg's cuddlings prove in
+vain,' answered Mrs Jo, adding, with a clutch at Mr Laurie's arm as a
+haggard face appeared at the window:
+
+'Here's Demi! I hope no one will recognize him when he comes on as
+the son. I'll never forgive you for not doing the villain yourself.'
+
+'Can't run the thing and act too. He's capitally made up, and likes a
+bit of melodrama.'
+
+'This scene ought to have come later; but I wanted to show that the
+mother was the heroine as soon as possible. I'm tired of love-sick
+girls and runaway wives. We'll prove that there's romance in old
+women also. Now he's coming!'
+
+And in slouched a degraded-looking man, shabby, unshaven, and
+evil-eyed, trying to assume a masterful air as he dismayed the
+tranquil old woman by demanding his child. A powerful scene followed;
+and Mrs Meg surprised even those who knew her best by the homely
+dignity with which she at first met the man she dreaded; then, as he
+brutally pressed his claim, she pleaded with trembling voice and
+hands to keep the little creature she had promised the dying mother
+to protect; and when he turned to take it by force, quite a thrill
+went through the house as the old woman sprung to snatch it from the
+cradle, and holding it close, defied him in God's name to tear it
+from that sacred refuge. It was really well done; and the round of
+applause that greeted the fine tableau of the indignant old woman,
+the rosy, blinking baby clinging to her neck, and the daunted man who
+dared not execute his evil purpose with such a defender for helpless
+innocence, told the excited authors that their first scene was a hit.
+
+The second was quieter, and introduced Josie as a bonny country lass
+setting the supper-table in a bad humour. The pettish way in which
+she slapped down the plates, hustled the cups, and cut the big brown
+loaf, as she related her girlish trials and ambitions, was capital.
+Mrs Jo kept her eye on Miss Cameron, and saw her nod approval several
+times at some natural tone or gesture, some good bit of by-play or a
+quick change of expression in the young face, which was as variable
+as an April day. Her struggle with the toasting-fork made much
+merriment; so did her contempt for the brown sugar, and the relish
+with which she sweetened her irksome duties by eating it; and when
+she sat, like Cinderella, on the hearth, tearfully watching the
+flames dance on the homely room, a girlish voice was heard to exclaim
+impulsively:
+
+'Poor little thing! she ought to have some fun!'
+
+The old woman enters; and mother and daughter have a pretty scene, in
+which the latter coaxes and threatens, kisses and cries, till she
+wins the reluctant consent of the former to visit a rich relation in
+the city; and from being a little thunder-cloud Dolly becomes
+bewitchingly gay and good, as soon as her wilful wish is granted. The
+poor old soul has hardly recovered from this trial when the son
+enters, in army blue, tells he has enlisted and must go. That is a
+hard blow; but the patriotic mother bears it well, and not till the
+thoughtless young folks have hastened away to tell their good news
+elsewhere does she break down. Then the country kitchen becomes
+pathetic as the old mother sits alone mourning over her children,
+till the grey head is hidden in the hands as she kneels down by the
+cradle to weep and pray, with only Baby to comfort her fond and
+faithful heart.
+
+Sniffs were audible all through the latter part of this scene; and
+when the curtain fell, people were so busy wiping their eyes that for
+a moment they forgot to applaud. That silent moment was more
+flattering than noise; and as Mrs Jo wiped the real tears off her
+sister's face, she said as solemnly as an unconscious dab of rouge on
+her nose permitted:
+
+'Meg, you have saved my play! Oh, why aren't you a real actress, and
+I a real playwright?'
+
+'Don't gush now, dear, but help me dress Josie; she's in such a
+quiver of excitement, I can't manage her, and this is her best scene,
+you know.'
+
+So it was; for her aunt had written it especially for her, and little
+Jo was happy in a gorgeous dress, with a train long enough to satisfy
+her wildest dreams. The rich relation's parlour was in festival
+array, and the country cousin sails in, looking back at her sweeping
+flounces with such artless rapture that no one had the heart to laugh
+at the pretty jay in borrowed plumes. She has confidences with
+herself in the mirror, from which it is made evident that she had
+discovered all is not gold that glitters, and has found greater
+temptations than those a girlish love of pleasure, luxury, and
+flattery bring her. She is sought by a rich lover; but her honest
+heart resists the allurements he offers, and in its innocent
+perplexity wishes 'mother' was there to comfort and counsel.
+
+A gay little dance, in which Dora, Nan, Bess, and several of the boys
+took part, made a good background for the humble figure of the old
+woman in her widow's bonnet, rusty shawl, big umbrella, and basket.
+Her naive astonishment, as she surveys the spectacle, feels the
+curtains, and smooths her old gloves during the moment she remains
+unseen, was very good; but Josie's unaffected start when she sees
+her, and the cry: 'Why, there's mother!' was such a hearty little bit
+of nature, it hardly needed the impatient tripping over her train as
+she ran into the arms that seemed now to be her nearest refuge.
+
+The lover plays his part; and ripples of merriment greeted the old
+woman's searching questions and blunt answers during the interview
+which shows the girl how shallow his love is, and how near she had
+been to ruining her life as bitterly as poor 'Elizy' did.  She gives
+her answer frankly, and when they are alone, looks from her own
+bedizened self to the shabby dress, work-worn hands, and tender face,
+crying with a repentant sob and kiss: 'Take me home, mother, and keep
+me safe. I've had enough of this!'
+
+'That will do you good, Maria; don't forget it,' said one lady to her
+daughter as the curtain went down; and the girl answered: 'Well, I'm
+sure I don't see why it's touching; but it is,' as she spread her
+lace handkerchief to dry.
+
+Tom and Nan came out strong in the next scene; for it was a ward in
+an army hospital, and surgeon and nurse went from bed to bed, feeling
+pulses, administering doses, and hearing complaints with an energy
+and gravity which convulsed the audience. The tragic element, never
+far from the comic at such times and places, came in when, while they
+bandaged an arm, the doctor told the nurse about an old woman who was
+searching through the hospital for her son, after days and nights on
+battlefields, through ambulances, and among scenes which would have
+killed most women.
+
+'She will be here directly, and I dread her coming, for I'm afraid
+the poor lad who has just gone is her boy. I'd rather face a cannon
+than these brave women, with their hope and courage and great
+sorrow,' says the surgeon.
+
+'Ah, these poor mothers break my heart!' adds the nurse, wiping her
+eyes on her big apron; and with the words Mrs Meg came in.
+
+There was the same dress, the basket and umbrella, the rustic speech,
+the simple manners; but all were made pathetic by the terrible
+experience which had changed the tranquil old woman to that haggard
+figure with wild eyes, dusty feet, trembling hands, and an expression
+of mingled anguish, resolution, and despair which gave the homely
+figure a tragic dignity and power that touched all hearts. A few
+broken words told the story of her vain search, and then the sad
+quest began again. People held their breath as, led by the nurse, she
+went from bed to bed, showing in her face the alternations of hope,
+dread, and bitter disappointment as each was passed. On a narrow cot
+was a long figure covered with a sheet, and here she paused to lay
+one hand on her heart and one on her eyes, as if to gather courage to
+look at the nameless dead. Then she drew down the sheet, gave a long
+shivering sigh of relief, saying softly:
+
+'Not my son, thank God! but some mother's boy.' And stooping down,
+she kissed the cold forehead tenderly.
+
+Somebody sobbed there, and Miss Cameron shook two tears out of her
+eyes, anxious to lose no look or gesture as the poor soul, nearly
+spent with the long strain, struggled on down the long line. But her
+search was happily ended for, as if her voice had roused him from his
+feverish sleep, a gaunt, wild-eyed man sat up in his bed, and
+stretching his arms to her, cried in a voice that echoed through the
+room:
+
+'Mother, mother! I knew you'd come to me!'
+
+She did go to him, with a cry of love and joy that thrilled every
+listener, as she gathered him in her arms with the tears and prayers
+and blessing such as only a fond and faithful old mother could give.
+
+The last scene was a cheerful contrast to this; for the country
+kitchen was bright with Christmas cheer, the wounded hero, with black
+patch and crutches well displayed, sat by the fire in the old chair
+whose familiar creak was soothing to his ear; pretty Dolly was
+stirring about, gaily trimming dresser, settle, high chimney-piece,
+and old-fashioned cradle with mistletoe and holly; while the mother
+rested beside her son, with that blessed baby on her knee. Refreshed
+by a nap and nourishment, this young actor now covered himself with
+glory by his ecstatic prancings, incoherent remarks to the audience,
+and vain attempts to get to the footlights, as he blinked approvingly
+at these brilliant toys. It was good to see Mrs Meg pat him on the
+back, cuddle the fat legs out of sight, and appease his vain longings
+with a lump of sugar, till Baby embraced her with a grateful ardour
+that brought him a round of applause all for his little self.
+
+A sound of singing outside disturbs the happy family, and, after a
+carol in the snowy moonlight, a flock of neighbours troop in with
+Christmas gifts and greetings. Much by-play made this a lively
+picture; for Sam's sweetheart hovered round him with a tenderness the
+Marquise did not show the Baron; and Dolly had a pretty bit under the
+mistletoe with her rustic adorer, who looked so like Ham Peggotty in
+his cowhide boots, rough jacket, and dark beard and wig, that no one
+would have recognized Ted but for the long legs, which no extent of
+leather could disguise. It ended with a homely feast, brought by the
+guests; and as they sat round the table covered with doughnuts and
+cheese, pumpkin-pie, and other delicacies, Sam rises on his crutches
+to propose the first toast, and holding up his mug of cider, says,
+with a salute, and a choke in his voice: 'Mother, God bless her!' All
+drink it standing, Dolly with her arm round the old woman's neck, as
+she hides her happy tears on her daughter's breast; while the
+irrepressible baby beat rapturously on the table with a spoon, and
+crowed audibly as the curtain went down.
+
+They had it up again in a jiffy to get a last look at the group about
+that central figure, which was showered with bouquets, to the great
+delight of the infant Roscius; till a fat rosebud hit him on the
+nose, and produced the much-dreaded squall, which, fortunately, only
+added to the fun at that moment.
+
+'Well, that will do for a beginning,' said Beaumont, with a sigh of
+relief, as the curtain descended for the last time, and the actors
+scattered to dress for the closing piece.
+
+'As an experiment, it is a success. Now we can venture to begin our
+great American drama,' answered Mrs Jo, full of satisfaction and
+grand ideas for the famous play--which, we may add, she did not write
+that year, owing to various dramatic events in her own family.
+
+The Owlsdark Marbles closed the entertainment, and, being something
+new, proved amusing to this very indulgent audience.  The gods and
+goddesses on Parnassus were displayed in full conclave; and, thanks
+to Mrs Amy's skill in draping and posing, the white wigs and
+cotton-flannel robes were classically correct and graceful, though
+sundry modern additions somewhat marred the effect, while adding
+point to the showman's learned remarks. Mr Laurie was Professor
+Owlsdark in cap and gown; and, after a high-flown introduction, he
+proceeded to exhibit and explain his marbles. The first figure was a
+stately Minerva; but a second glance produced a laugh, for the words
+'Women's Rights' adorned her shield, a scroll bearing the motto 'Vote
+early and often' hung from the beak of the owl perched on her lance,
+and a tiny pestle and mortar ornamented her helmet. Attention was
+drawn to the firm mouth, the piercing eye, the awe-inspiring brow, of
+the strong-minded woman of antiquity, and some scathing remarks made
+upon the degeneracy of her modern sisters who failed to do their
+duty. Mercury came next, and was very fine in his airy attitude,
+though the winged legs quivered as if it was difficult to keep the
+lively god in his place. His restless nature was dilated upon, his
+mischievous freaks alluded to, and a very bad character given to the
+immortal messenger-boy; which delighted his friends and caused the
+marble nose of the victim to curl visibly with scorn when derisive
+applause greeted a particularly hard hit. A charming little Hebe
+stood next, pouring nectar from a silver teapot into a blue china
+tea-cup. She also pointed a moral; for the Professor explained that
+the nectar of old was the beverage which cheers but does not
+inebriate, and regretted that the excessive devotion of American
+women to this classic brew proved so harmful, owing to the great
+development of brain their culture produced. A touch at modern
+servants, in contrast to this accomplished table-girl, made the
+statue's cheeks glow under the chalk, and brought her a hearty round
+as the audience recognized Dolly and the smart soubrette.
+
+Jove in all his majesty followed, as he and his wife occupied the
+central pedestals in the half-circle of immortals. A splendid
+Jupiter, with hair well set up off the fine brow, ambrosial beard,
+silver thunderbolts in one hand, and a well-worn ferule in the other.
+A large stuffed eagle from the museum stood at his feet; and the
+benign expression of his august countenance showed that he was in a
+good humour--as well he might be, for he was paid some handsome
+compliments upon his wise rule, the peaceful state of his kingdom,
+and the brood of all-accomplished Pallases that yearly issued from
+his mighty brain. Cheers greeted this and other pleasant words, and
+caused the thunderer to bow his thanks; for 'Jove nods', as everyone
+knows, and flattery wins the heart of gods and men.
+
+Mrs Juno, with her peacocks, darning-needle, pen, and cooking-spoon,
+did not get off so easily; for the Professor was down on her with all
+manner of mirth-provoking accusations, criticisms, and insults even.
+He alluded to her domestic infelicity, her meddlesome disposition,
+sharp tongue, bad temper, and jealousy, closing, however, with a
+tribute to her skill in caring for the wounds and settling the
+quarrels of belligerent heroes, as well as her love for youths in
+Olympus and on earth. Gales of laughter greeted these hits, varied by
+hisses from some indignant boys, who would not bear, even in joke,
+any disrespect to dear Mother Bhaer, who, however, enjoyed it all
+immensely, as the twinkle in her eye and the irrepressible pucker of
+her lips betrayed.
+
+A jolly Bacchus astride of his cask took Vulcan's place, and appeared
+to be very comfortable with a beer-mug in one hand, a champagne
+bottle in the other, and a garland of grapes on his curly head. He
+was the text of a short temperance lecture, aimed directly at a row
+of smart young gentlemen who lined the walls of the auditorium.
+George Cole was seen to dodge behind a pillar at one point, Dolly
+nudged his neighbour at another, and there was laughter all along the
+line as the Professor glared at them through his big glasses, and
+dragged their bacchanalian orgies to the light and held them up to
+scorn.
+
+Seeing the execution he had done, the learned man turned to the
+lovely Diana, who stood as white and still as the plaster stag beside
+her, with sandals, bow, and crescent; quite perfect, and altogether
+the best piece of statuary in the show. She was very tenderly treated
+by the paternal critic who, merely alluding to her confirmed
+spinsterhood, fondness for athletic sports, and oracular powers, gave
+a graceful little exposition of true art and passed on to the last
+figure.
+
+This was Apollo in full fig, his curls skilfully arranged to hide a
+well-whitened patch over the eye, his handsome legs correctly poised,
+and his gifted fingers about to draw divine music from the silvered
+gridiron which was his lyre. His divine attributes were described, as
+well as his little follies and failings, among which were his
+weakness for photography and flute-playing, his attempts to run a
+newspaper, and his fondness for the society of the Muses; which
+latter slap produced giggles and blushes among the girl-graduates,
+and much mirth among the stricken youths; for misery loves company,
+and after this they began to rally.
+
+Then, with a ridiculous conclusion, the Professor bowed his thanks;
+and after several recalls the curtain fell, but not quickly enough to
+conceal Mercury, wildly waving his liberated legs, Hebe dropping her
+teapot, Bacchus taking a lovely roll on his barrel, and Mrs Juno
+rapping the impertinent Owlsdark on the head with Jove's ruler.
+
+While the audience filed out to supper in the hall, the stage was a
+scene of dire confusion as gods and goddesses, farmers and barons,
+maids and carpenters, congratulated one another on the success of
+their labours. Assuming various costumes, actors and actresses soon
+joined their guests, to sip bounteous draughts of praise with their
+coffee, and cool their modest blushes with ice-cream. Mrs Meg was a
+proud and happy woman when Miss Cameron came to her as she sat by
+Josie, with Demi serving both, and said, so cordially that it was
+impossible to doubt the sincerity of her welcome words:
+
+'Mrs Brooke, I no longer wonder where your children get their talent.
+I make my compliments to the Baron and next summer you must let me
+have little "Dolly" as a pupil when we are at the beach.'
+
+One can easily imagine how this offer was received, as well as the
+friendly commendation bestowed by the same kind critic on the work of
+Beaumont and Fletcher, who hastened to explain that this trifle was
+only an attempt to make nature and art go hand in hand, with little
+help from fine writing or imposing scenery. Everybody was in the
+happiest mood, especially 'little Dolly', who danced like a
+will-o'-the-wisp with light-footed Mercury and Apollo as he
+promenaded with the Marquise on his arm, who seemed to have left her
+coquetry in the green room with her rouge.
+
+When all was over, Mrs Juno said to Jove, to whose arm she clung as
+they trudged home along the snowy paths: 'Fritz dear, Christmas is a
+good time for new resolutions, and I've made one never to be
+impatient or fretful with my beloved husband again. I know I am,
+though you won't own it; but Laurie's fun had some truth in it, and I
+felt hit in a tender spot. Henceforth I am a model wife, else I don't
+deserve the dearest, best man ever born'; and being in a dramatic
+mood, Mrs Juno tenderly embraced her excellent Jove in the moonlight,
+to the great amusement of sundry lingerers behind them.
+
+So all three plays might be considered successes, and that merry
+Christmas night a memorable one in the March family; for Demi got an
+unspoken question answered, Josie's fondest wish was granted, and,
+thanks to Professor Owlsdark's jest, Mrs Jo made Professor Bhaer's
+busy life quite a bed of roses by the keeping of her resolution. A
+few days later she had her reward for this burst of virtue in Dan's
+letter, which set her fears at rest and made her very happy, though
+she was unable to tell him so, because he sent her no address.
+
+
+
+Chapter 15 
+
+WAITING
+
+'My wife, I have bad news for thee,' said Professor Bhaer, coming in
+one day early in January.
+
+'Please tell it at once. I can't bear to wait, Fritz,' cried Mrs Jo,
+dropping her work and standing up as if to take the shot bravely.
+
+'But we must wait and hope, heart's-dearest. Come and let us bear it
+together. Emil's ship is lost, and as yet no news of him.'
+
+It was well Mr Bhaer had taken his wife into his strong arms, for she
+looked ready to drop, but bore up after a moment, and sitting by her
+good man, heard all that there was to tell. Tidings had been sent to
+the shipowners at Hamburg by some of the survivors, and telegraphed
+at once by Franz to his uncle. As one boat-load was safe, there was
+hope that others might also escape, though the gale had sent two to
+the bottom. A swift-sailing steamer had brought these scanty news,
+and happier ones might come at any hour; but kind Franz had not added
+that the sailors reported the captain's boat as undoubtedly wrecked
+by the falling mast, since the smoke hid its escape, and the gale
+soon drove all far asunder. But this sad rumour reached Plumfield in
+time; and deep was the mourning for the happyhearted Commodore, never
+to come singing home again.  Mrs Jo refused to believe it, stoutly
+insisting that Emil would outlive any storm and yet turn up safe and
+gay. It was well she clung to this hopeful view, for poor Mr Bhaer
+was much afflicted by the loss of his boy, because his sister's sons
+had been his so long he scarcely knew a different love for his very
+own. Now was a chance for Mrs Juno to keep her word; and she did,
+speaking cheerily of Emil, even when hope waxed faint and her heart
+was heavy. If anything could comfort the Bhaers for the loss of one
+boy, it would have been the affection and sorrow shown by all the
+rest. Franz kept the cable busy with his varying messages, Nat sent
+loving letters from Leipzig, and Tom harassed the shipping agents for
+news. Even busy Jack wrote them with unusual warmth; Dolly and George
+came often, bearing the loveliest flowers and the daintiest bon-bons
+to cheer Mrs Bhaer and sweeten Josie's grief; while good-hearted Ned
+travelled all the way from Chicago to press their hands and say, with
+a tear in his eye: 'I was so anxious to hear all about the dear old
+boy, I couldn't keep away.'
+
+'That's right comfortable, and shows me that if I didn't teach my
+boys anything else, I did give them the brotherly love that will make
+them stand by one another all their lives,' said Mrs Jo, when he had
+gone.
+
+Rob answered reams of sympathizing letters, which showed how many
+friends they had; and the kindly praises of the lost man would have
+made Emil a hero and a saint, had they all been true.  The elders
+bore it quietly, having learned submission in life's hard school; but
+the younger people rebelled; some hoped against hope and kept up,
+others despaired at once, and little Josie, Emil's pet cousin and
+playmate, was so broken-hearted nothing could comfort her. Nan dosed
+in vain, Daisy's cheerful words went by like the wind, and Bess's
+devices to amuse her all failed utterly. To cry in mother's arms and
+talk about the wreck, which haunted her even in her sleep, was all
+she cared to do; and Mrs Meg was getting anxious when Miss Cameron
+sent Josie a kind note bidding her learn bravely her first lesson in
+real tragedy, and be like the self-sacrificing heroines she loved to
+act. That did the little girl good, and she made an effort in which
+Teddy and Octoo helped her much; for the boy was deeply impressed by
+this sudden eclipse of the firefly whose light and life all missed
+when they were gone, and lured her out every day for long drives
+behind the black mare, who shook her silvery bells till they made
+such merry music Josie could not help listening to it, and whisked
+her over the snowy roads at a pace which set the blood dancing in her
+veins and sent her home strengthened and comforted by sunshine, fresh
+air, and congenial society--three aids young sufferers seldom can
+resist.
+
+As Emil was helping nurse Captain Hardy, safe and well, aboard the
+ship, all this sorrow would seem wasted; but it was not, for it drew
+many hearts more closely together by a common grief, taught some
+patience, some sympathy, some regret for faults that lie heavy on the
+conscience when the one sinned against is gone, and all of them the
+solemn lesson to be ready when the summons comes. A hush lay over
+Plumfield for weeks, and the studious faces on the hill reflected the
+sadness of those in the valley. Sacred music sounded from Parnassus
+to comfort all who heard; the brown cottage was beseiged with gifts
+for the little mourner, and Emil's flag hung at half-mast on the roof
+where he last sat with Mrs Jo.
+
+So the weeks went heavily by till suddenly, like a thunderbolt out of
+a clear sky, came the news, 'All safe, letters on the way.' Then up
+went the flag, out rang the college bells, bang went Teddy's
+long-unused cannon, and a chorus of happy voices cried 'Thank God',
+as people went about, laughing, crying, and embracing one another in
+a rapture of delight. By and by the longed-for letters came, and all
+the story of the wreck was told; briefly by Emil, eloquently by Mrs
+Hardy, gratefully by the captain, while Mary added a few tender words
+that went straight to their hearts and seemed the sweetest of all.
+Never were letters so read, passed round, admired, and cried over as
+these; for Mrs Jo carried them in her pocket when Mr Bhaer did not
+have them in his, and both took a look at them when they said their
+prayers at night. Now the Professor was heard humming like a big bee
+again as he went to his classes, and the lines smoothed out of Mother
+Bhaer's forehead, while she wrote this real story to anxious friends
+and let her romances wait. Now messages of congratulation flowed in,
+and beaming faces showed everywhere. Rob amazed his parents by
+producing a poem which was remarkably good for one of his years, and
+Demi set it to music that it might be sung when the sailor boy
+returned. Teddy stood on his head literally, and tore about the
+neighbourhood on Octoo, like a second Paul Revere--only his tidings
+were good. But best of all, little Josie lifted up her head as the
+snowdrops did, and began to bloom again, growing tall and quiet, with
+the shadow of past sorrow to tone down her former vivacity and show
+that she had learned a lesson in trying to act well her part on the
+real stage, where all have to take their share in the great drama of
+life.
+
+Now another sort of waiting began; for the travellers were on their
+way to Hamburg, and would stay there awhile before coming home, as
+Uncle Hermann owned the Brenda, and the captain must report to him.
+Emil must remain to Franz's wedding, deferred till now because of the
+season of mourning, so happily ended. These plans were doubly welcome
+and pleasant after the troublous times which went before, and no
+spring ever seemed so beautiful as this one; for, as Teddy put it:
+
+    'Now is the winter of our discontent
+     Made glorious by these sons of Bhaer!'
+
+Franz and Emil being regarded in the light of elder brothers by the
+real 'sons of Bhaer'.
+
+There was great scrubbing and dusting among the matrons as they set
+their houses in order not only for Class Day, but to receive the
+bride and groom, who were to come to them for the honeymoon trip.
+Great plans were made, gifts prepared, and much joy felt at the
+prospect of seeing Franz again; though Emil, who was to accompany
+them, would be the greater hero. Little did the dear souls dream what
+a surprise was in store for them, as they innocently laid their plans
+and wished all the boys could be there to welcome home their eldest
+and their Casablanca.
+
+While they wait and work so happily, let us see how our other absent
+boys are faring as they too wait and work and hope for better days.
+Nat was toiling steadily along the path he had wisely chosen, though
+it was by no means strewn with flowers--quite thorny was it, in fact,
+and hard to travel, after the taste of ease and pleasure he had got
+when nibbling at forbidden fruit. But his crop of wild oats was a
+light one, and he resolutely reaped what he had sowed, finding some
+good wheat among the tares. He taught by day; he fiddled night after
+night in the dingy little theatre, and he studied so diligently that
+his master was well pleased, and kept him in mind as one to whom
+preferment was due, if any chance occurred. Gay friends forgot him;
+but the old ones stood fast, and cheered him up when Heimweh and
+weariness made him sad. As spring came on things mended--expenses
+grew less, work pleasanter, and life more bearable than when wintry
+storms beat on his thinly clad back, and frost pinched the toes that
+patiently trudged in old boots. No debts burdened him; the year of
+absence was nearly over; and if he chose to stay, Herr Bergmann had
+hopes for him that would bring independence for a time at least.  So
+he walked under the lindens with a lighter heart, and in the May
+evenings went about the city with a band of strolling students,
+making music before houses where he used to sit as guest. No one
+recognized him in the darkness, though old friends often listened to
+the band; and once Minna threw him money, which he humbly received as
+part of his penance, being morbid on the subject of his sins.
+
+His reward came sooner than he expected, and was greater than he
+deserved, he thought, though his heart leaped with joy when his
+master one day informed him that he was chosen, with several other of
+his most promising pupils, to join the musical society which was to
+take part in the great festival in London the next July.  Here was
+not only honour for the violinist but happiness for the man, as it
+brought him nearer home, and would open a chance of further promotion
+and profit in his chosen profession.
+
+'Make thyself useful to Bachmeister there in London with thy English,
+and if all goes well with him, he will be glad to take thee to
+America, whither he goes in the early autumn for winter concerts.
+Thou hast done well these last months, and I have hopes of thee.'
+
+As the great Bergmann seldom praised his pupils, these words filled
+Nat's soul with pride and joy, and he worked yet more diligently than
+before to fulfil his master's prophecy. He thought the trip to
+England happiness enough, but found room for more when, early in
+June, Franz and Emil paid him a flying visit, bringing all sorts of
+good news, kind wishes, and comfortable gifts for the lonely fellow,
+who could have fallen on their necks and cried like a girl at seeing
+his old mates again. How glad he was to be found in his little room
+busy at his proper work, not living like an idle gentleman on
+borrowed money! How proud he was to tell his plans, assure them that
+he had no debts, and receive their praises for his improvement in
+music, their respect for his economy and steadfastness in well-doing!
+How relieved when, having honestly confessed his shortcomings, they
+only laughed, and owned that they also had known like experiences,
+and were the wiser for them. He was to go to the wedding late in
+June, and join his comrades in London. As best man, he could not
+refuse the new suit Franz insisted on ordering for him; and a cheque
+from home about that time made him feel like a millionaire--and a
+happy one; for this was accompanied by such kind letters full of
+delight in his success, he felt that he had earned it, and waited for
+his joyful holiday with the impatience of a boy.
+
+Dan meantime was also counting the weeks till August, when he would
+be free. But neither marriage-bells nor festival music awaited him;
+no friends would greet him as he left the prison; no hopeful prospect
+lay before him; no happy home-going was to be his. Yet his success
+was far greater than Nat's, though only God and one good man saw it.
+It was a hard-won battle; but he would never have to fight so
+terrible a one again; for though enemies would still assail from
+within and from without, he had found the little guide-book that
+Christian carried in his bosom, and Love, Penitence, and Prayer, the
+three sweet sisters, had given him the armour which would keep him
+safe. He had not learned to wear it yet, and chafed against it,
+though he felt its value, thanks to the faithful friend who had stood
+by him all that bitter year.
+
+Soon he was to be free again, worn and scarred in the fray, but out
+among men in the blessed sun and air. When he thought of it Dan felt
+as if he could not wait, but must burst that narrow cell and fly
+away, as the caddis-worms he used to watch by the brookside shed
+their stony coffins, to climb the ferns and soar into the sky. Night
+after night he lulled himself to sleep with planning how, when he had
+seen Mary Mason according to his promise, he would steer straight for
+his old friends, the Indians, and in the wilderness hide his disgrace
+and heal his wounds. Working to save the many would atone for the sin
+of killing one, he thought; and the old free life would keep him safe
+from the temptations that beset him in cities.
+
+'By and by, when I'm all right again, and have something to tell that
+I'm not ashamed of, I'll go home,' he said, with a quicker beat of
+the impetuous heart that longed to be there so intensely, he found it
+as hard to curb as one of his unbroken horses on the plains. 'Not
+yet. I must get over this first. They'd see and smell and feel the
+prison taint on me, if I went now, and I couldn't look them in the
+face and hide the truth. I can't lose Ted's love, Mother Bhaer's
+confidence, and the respect of the girls, for they did respect my
+strength, anyway; but now they wouldn't touch me.' And poor Dan
+looked with a shudder at the brown fist he clenched involuntarily as
+he remembered what it had done since a certain little white hand had
+laid in it confidingly. 'I'll make 'em proud of me yet; and no one
+shall ever know of this awful year. I can wipe it out, and I will, so
+help me God!' And the clenched hand was held up as if to take a
+solemn oath that this lost year should yet be made good, if
+resolution and repentance could work the miracle.
+
+
+
+Chapter 16 
+
+IN THE TENNIS-COURT
+
+Athletic sports were in high favour at Plumfield; and the river where
+the old punt used to wabble about with a cargo of small boys, or echo
+to the shrill screams of little girls trying to get lilies, now was
+alive with boats of all kinds, from the slender wherry to the trim
+pleasure-craft, gay with cushions, awnings, and fluttering pennons.
+Everyone rowed, and the girls as well as the youths had their races,
+and developed their muscles in the most scientific manner. The large,
+level meadow near the old willow was now the college playground, and
+here baseball battles raged with fury, varied by football, leaping,
+and kindred sports fitted to split the fingers, break the ribs, and
+strain the backs of the too ambitious participants. The gentler
+pastimes of the damsels were at a safe distance from this Champ de
+Mars; croquet mallets clicked under the elms that fringed the field,
+rackets rose and fell energetically in several tennis-courts, and
+gates of different heights were handy to practise the graceful bound
+by which every girl expected to save her life some day when the mad
+bull, which was always coming but never seemed to arrive, should be
+bellowing at her heels.
+
+One of these tennis grounds was called 'Jo's Court', and here the
+little lady ruled like a queen; for she was fond of the game, and
+being bent on developing her small self to the highest degree of
+perfection, she was to be found at every leisure moment with some
+victim hard at it. On a certain pleasant Saturday afternoon she had
+been playing with Bess and beating her; for, though more graceful,
+the Princess was less active than her cousin, and cultivated her
+roses by quieter methods.
+
+'Oh dear! you are tired, and every blessed boy is at that stupid
+baseball match. 'What shall I do?' sighed Josie, pushing back the
+great red hat she wore, and gazing sadly round her for more worlds to
+conquer.
+
+'I'll play presently, when I'm a little cooler. But it is dull work
+for me, as I never win,' answered Bess, fanning herself with a large
+leaf.
+
+Josie was about to sit down beside her on the rustic seat and wait,
+when her quick eye saw afar off two manly forms arrayed in white
+flannel; their blue legs seemed bearing them towards the battle going
+on in the distance; but they never reached the fray; for with a cry
+of joy, Jo raced away to meet them, bent on securing this heaven-sent
+reinforcement. Both paused as she came flying up, and both raised
+their hats; but oh, the difference there was in the salutes! The
+stout youth pulled his off lazily and put it on again at once, as if
+glad to get the duty over; the slender being, with the crimson tie,
+lifted his with a graceful bend, and held it aloft while he accosted
+the rosy, breathless maid, thus permitting her to see his raven locks
+smoothly parted, with one little curl upon the brow.  Dolly prided
+himself upon that bow, and practised it before his glass, but did not
+bestow it upon all alike, regarding it as a work of art, fit only for
+the fairest and most favoured of his female admirers; for he was a
+pretty youth, and fancied himself an Adonis.
+
+Eager Josie evidently did not appreciate the honour he did her, for
+with a nod she begged them both to 'come along and play tennis, not
+go and get all hot and dirty with the boys'. These two adjectives won
+the day; for Stuffy was already warmer than he liked to be, and Dolly
+had on a new suit which he desired to keep immaculate as long as
+possible, conscious that it was very becoming.
+
+'Charmed to oblige,' answered the polite one, with another bend.
+
+'You play, I'll rest,' added the fat boy, yearning for repose and
+gentle converse with the Princess in the cooling shade.
+
+'Well, you can comfort Bess, for I've beaten her all to bits and she
+needs amusing. I know you've got something nice in your pocket,
+George; give her some, and 'Dolphus can have her racket. Now then,
+fly round'; and driving her prey before her, Josie returned in
+triumph to the court.
+
+Casting himself ponderously upon the bench, which creaked under his
+weight, Stuffy--as we will continue to call him, though no one else
+dared to use the old name now--promptly produced the box of
+confectionery, without which he never travelled far, and regaled Bess
+with candied violets and other dainties, while Dolly worked hard to
+hold his own against a most accomplished antagonist. He would have
+beaten her if an unlucky stumble, which produced an unsightly stain
+upon the knee of those new shorts, had not distracted his mind and
+made him careless. Much elated at her victory, Josie permitted him to
+rest, and offered ironical consolation for the mishap which evidently
+weighed upon his mind.
+
+'Don't be an old Betty; it can be cleaned. You must have been a cat
+in some former state, you are so troubled about dirt; or a tailor,
+and lived for clothes.'
+
+'Come now, don't hit a fellow when he is down,' responded Dolly from
+the grass where he and Stuffy now lay to make room for both girls on
+the seat. One handkerchief was spread under him, and his elbow leaned
+upon another, while his eyes were sadly fixed upon the green and
+brown spot which afflicted him. 'I like to be neat; don't think it
+civil to cut about in old shoes and grey flannel shirts before
+ladies. Our fellows are gentlemen, and dress as such,' he added,
+rather nettled at the word 'tailor'; for he owed one of those too
+attractive persons an uncomfortably big bill.
+
+'So are ours; but good clothes alone don't make a gentleman here.  We
+require a good deal more,' flashed Josie, in arms at once to defend
+her college. 'You will hear of some of the men in "old boots and grey
+flannel" when you and your fine gentlemen are twiddling your ties and
+scenting your hair in obscurity. I like old boots and wear them, and
+I hate dandies; don't you, Bess?'
+
+'Not when they are kind to me, and belong to our old set,' answered
+Bess, with a nod of thanks to Dolly, who was carefully removing an
+inquisitive caterpillar from one of her little russet shoes.
+
+'I like a lady who is always polite, and doesn't snap a man's head
+off if he has a mind of his own; don't you, George?' asked Dolly,
+with his best smile for Bess and a Harvard stare of disapprobation
+for Josie.
+
+A tranquil snore was Stuffy's sole reply, and a general laugh
+restored peace for the moment. But Josie loved to harass the lords of
+creation who asserted themselves too much, and bided her time for
+another attack till she had secured more tennis. She got another
+game; for Dolly was a sworn knight of dames, so he obeyed her call,
+leaving Bess to sketch George as he lay upon his back, his stout legs
+crossed, and his round red face partially eclipsed by his hat. Josie
+got beaten this time and came back rather cross, so she woke the
+peaceful sleeper by tickling his nose with a straw till he sneezed
+himself into a sitting posture, and looked wrathfully about for 'that
+confounded fly'.
+
+'Come, sit up and let us have a little elegant conversation; you
+"howling swells" ought to improve our minds and manners, for we are
+only poor "country girls in dowdy gowns and hats",' began the
+gad-fly, opening the battle with a sly quotation from one of Dolly's
+unfortunate speeches about certain studious damsels who cared more
+for books than finery.
+
+'I didn't mean you! Your gowns are all right, and those hats the
+latest thing out,' began poor 'Dolphus, convicting himself by the
+incautious exclamation.
+
+'Caught you that time; I thought you fellows were all gentlemen,
+civil as well as nice. But you are always sneering at girls who don't
+dress well and that is a very unmanly thing to do; my mother said
+so'; and Josie felt that she had dealt a shrewd blow at the elegant
+youth who bowed at many shrines if they were well-decorated ones.
+
+'Got you there, old boy, and she's right. You never hear me talk
+about clothes and such twaddle,' said Stuffy, suppressing a yawn, and
+feeling for another bon-bon wherewith to refresh himself. 
+
+'You talk about eating, and that is even worse for a man. You will 
+marry a cook and keep a restaurant some day,' laughed Josie, down on
+him at once.
+
+This fearful prediction kept him silent for several moments; but
+Dolly rallied, and wisely changing the subject, carried war into the
+enemy's camp.
+
+'As you wanted us to improve your manners, allow me to say that young
+ladies in good society don't make personal remarks or deliver
+lectures. Little girls who are not out do it, and think it witty; but
+I assure you it's not good form.'
+
+Josie paused a moment to recover from the shock of being called 'a
+little girl', when all the honours of her fourteenth birthday were
+fresh upon her; and Bess said, in the lofty tone which was infinitely
+more crushing than Jo's impertinence:
+
+'That is true; but we have lived all our lives with superior people,
+so we have no society talk like your young ladies. We are so
+accustomed to sensible conversation, and helping one another by
+telling our faults, that we have no gossip to offer you.'
+
+When the Princess reproved, the boys seldom resented it; so Dolly
+held his peace, and Josie burst out, following her cousin's lead,
+which she thought a happy one:
+
+'Our boys like to have us talk with them, and take kindly any hints
+we give. They don't think they know everything and are quite perfect
+at eighteen, as I've observed the Harvard men do, especially the very
+young ones.'
+
+Josie took immense satisfaction in that return shot; and Dolly showed
+that he was hit, by the nettled tone in which he answered, with a
+supercilious glance at the hot, dusty, and noisy crowd on the
+baseball ground: 'The class of fellows you have here need all the
+polish and culture you can give them; and I'm glad they get it. Our
+men are largely from the best families all over the country, so we
+don't need girls to teach us anything.'
+
+'It's a pity you don't have more of such "fellows" as ours. They
+value and use well what college gives them, and aren't satisfied to
+slip through, getting all the fun they can and shirking the work. Oh,
+I've heard you "men" talk, and heard your fathers say they wish they
+hadn't wasted time and money just that you might say you'd been
+through college. As for the girls, you'll be much better off in all
+ways when they do get in, and keep you lazy things up to the mark, as
+we do here.'
+
+'If you have such a poor opinion of us, why do you wear our colour?'
+asked Dolly, painfully conscious that he was not improving the
+advantages his Alma Mater offered him, but bound to defend her.
+
+'I don't; my hat is scarlet, not crimson. Much you know about a
+colour,' scoffed Josie.
+
+'I know that a cross cow would soon set you scampering, if you
+flaunted that red tile under her nose,' retorted Dolly.
+
+'I'm ready for her. Can your fine young ladies do this? or you
+either?' and burning to display her latest accomplishment, Josie ran
+to the nearest gate, put one hand on the top rail, and vaulted over
+as lightly as a bird.
+
+Bess shook her head, and Stuffy languidly applauded; but Dolly
+scorning to be braved by a girl, took a flying leap and landed on his
+feet beside Josie, saying calmly: 'Can you do that?'
+
+'Not yet; but I will by and by.'
+
+As his foe looked a little crestfallen, Dolly relented, and affably
+added sundry feats of a like nature, quite unconscious that he had
+fallen into a dreadful snare; for the dull red paint on the gate, not
+being used to such vigorous handling, came off in streaks upon his
+shoulders when he turned a backward swing and came up smiling, to be
+rewarded with the aggravating remark:
+
+'If you want to know what crimson is, look at your back; it's nicely
+stamped on and won't wash out, I think.'
+
+'The deuce it won't!' cried Dolly, trying to get an impossible view,
+and giving it up in great disgust.
+
+'I guess we'd better be going, Dolf,' said peaceable Stuffy, feeling
+that it would be wise to retreat before another skirmish took place,
+as his side seemed to be getting the worst of it.
+
+'Don't hurry, I beg; stay and rest; you must need it after the
+tremendous amount of brain work you've done this week. It is time for
+our Greek. Come, Bess. Good afternoon, gentlemen.' And, with a
+sweeping courtesy, Josie led the way, with her hat belligerently
+cocked up, and her racket borne like a triumphal banner over one
+shoulder; for having had the last word, she felt that she could
+retire with the honours of war.
+
+Dolly gave Bess his best bow, with the chill on; and Stuffy subsided
+luxuriously, with his legs in the air, murmuring in a dreamy tone:
+
+'Little Jo is as cross as two sticks today. I'm going in for another
+nap: too hot to play anything.' 
+
+'So it is. Wonder if Spitfire was right about these beastly spots?'
+And Dolly sat down to try dry cleansing with one of his
+handkerchiefs.  'Asleep?' he asked, after a few moments of this
+cheerful occupation, fearing that his chum might be too comfortable
+when he was in a fume himself.
+
+'No. I was thinking that Jo wasn't far wrong about shirking. 'Tis a
+shame to get so little done, when we ought to be grinding like Morton
+and Torry and that lot. I never wanted to go to college; but my
+governor made me. Much good it will do either of us!' answered
+Stuffy, with a groan; for he hated work, and saw two more long years
+of it before him.
+
+'Gives a man prestige, you know. No need to dig. I mean to have a gay
+old time, and be a "howling swell", if I choose. Between you and me
+though, it would be no end jolly to have the girls along.  Study be
+hanged! But if we've got to turn the grindstone, it would be mighty
+nice to have some of the little dears to lend a hand.  Wouldn't it
+now?'
+
+'I'd like three this minute--one to fan me, one to kiss me, and one
+to give me some iced lemonade!' sighed Stuffy, with a yearning glance
+towards the house, whence no succour appeared.
+
+'How would root-beer do?' asked a voice behind them, which made Dolly
+spring to his feet and Stuffy roll over like a startled porpoise.
+
+Sitting on the stile that crossed the wall near by was Mrs Jo, with
+two jugs slung over her shoulder by a strap, several tin mugs in her
+hand, and an old-fashioned sun-bonnet on her head.
+
+'I knew the boys would be killing themselves with ice-water; so I
+strolled down with some of my good, wholesome beer. They drank like
+fishes. But Silas was with me; so my cruse still holds out.  Have
+some?'
+
+'Yes, thanks, very much. Let us pour it.' And Dolly held the cup
+while Stuffy joyfully filled it; both very grateful, but rather
+afraid she had heard what went before the wish she fulfilled.
+
+She proved that she had by saying, as they stood drinking her health,
+while she sat between them, looking like a middle-aged vivandiere,
+with her jugs and mugs:
+
+'I was glad to hear you say you would like to have girls at your
+college; but I hope you will learn to speak more respectfully of them
+before they come; for that will be the first lesson they will teach
+you.'
+
+'Really, ma'am, I was only joking,' began Stuffy, gulping down his
+beer in a hurry.
+
+'So was I. I'm sure I--I'm devoted to 'em,' stuttered Dolly,
+panic-stricken; for he saw that he was in for a lecture of some sort.
+
+'Not in the right way. Frivolous girls may like to be called "little
+dears" and things of that sort; but the girls who love study wish to
+be treated like reasonable beings, not dolls to flirt with. Yes, I'm
+going to preach; that's my business; so stand up and take it like
+men.'
+
+Mrs Jo laughed; but she was in earnest; for by various hints and
+signs during the past winter she knew that the boys were beginning to
+'see life' in the way she especially disapproved. Both were far from
+home, had money enough to waste, and were as inexperienced, curious,
+and credulous as most lads of their age. Not fond of books, therefore
+without the safeguard which keeps many studious fellows out of harm;
+one self-indulgent, indolent, and so used to luxury that pampering of
+the senses was an easy thing; the other vain, as all comely boys are,
+full of conceit, and so eager to find favour in the eyes of his
+comrades that he was ready for anything which would secure it. These
+traits and foibles made both peculiarly liable to the temptations
+which assail pleasure-loving and weak-willed boys. Mrs Jo knew them
+well, and had dropped many a warning word since they went to college;
+but till lately they seemed not to understand some of her friendly
+hints; now she was sure they would, and meant to speak out: for long
+experience with boys made her both bold and skilful in handling some
+of the dangers usually left to silence, till it is too late for
+anything but pity and reproach.
+
+'I'm going to talk to you like a mother, because yours are far away;
+and there are things that mothers can manage best, if they do their
+duty,' she solemnly began from the depths of the sunbonnet.
+
+'Great Scott! We're in for it now!' thought Dolly, in secret dismay;
+while Stuffy got the first blow by trying to sustain himself with
+another mug of beer.
+
+'That won't hurt you; but I must warn you about drinking other
+things, George. Overeating is an old story; and a few more fits of
+illness will teach you to be wise. But drinking is a more serious
+thing, and leads to worse harm than any that can afflict your body
+alone. I hear you talk about wines as if you knew them and cared more
+for them than a boy should; and several times I've heard jokes that
+meant mischief. For heaven's sake, don't begin to play with this
+dangerous taste "for fun", as you say, or because it's the fashion,
+and the other fellows do. Stop at once, and learn that temperance in
+all things is the only safe rule.' 
+
+'Upon my honour, I only take wine and iron. I need a tonic, mother
+says, to repair the waste of brain-tissue while I'm studying,'
+protested Stuffy, putting down the mug as if it burnt his fingers.
+
+'Good beef and oatmeal will repair your tissues much better than any
+tonic of that sort. Work and plain fare are what you want; and I wish
+I had you here for a few months out of harm's way. I'd Banting you,
+and fit you to run without puffing, and get on without four or five
+meals a day. What an absurd hand that is for a man!  You ought to be
+ashamed of it!' And Mrs Jo caught up the plump fist, with deep
+dimples at each knuckle, which was fumbling distressfully at the
+buckle of the belt girt about a waist far too large for a youth of
+his age.
+
+'I can't help it--we all grow fat; it's in the family,' said Stuffy
+in self-defence.
+
+'All the more reason you should live carefully. Do you want to die
+early, or be an invalid all your life?'
+
+'No, ma'am!'
+
+Stuffy looked so scared that Mrs Jo could not be hard upon his
+budding sins, for they lay at his overindulgent mother's door line in
+a great measure; so she softened the tone of her voice, and added,
+with a little slap on the fat hand, as she used to do when it was
+small enough to pilfer lumps of sugar from her bowl:
+
+'Then be careful; for a man writes his character in his face; and you
+don't want gluttony and intemperance in yours, I know.'
+
+'I'm sure I don't! Please make out a wholesome bill of fare, and I'll
+stick to it, if I can. I am getting stout, and I don't like it; and
+my liver's torpid, and I have palpitations and headache. Overwork,
+mother says; but it may be overeating.' And Stuffy gave a sigh of
+mingled regret for the good things he renounced, and relief as he
+finished loosening his belt as soon as his hand was free.
+
+'I will; follow it, and in a year you'll be a man and not a meal-bag.
+Now, Dolly'; and Mrs Jo turned to the other culprit, who shook in his
+shoes and wished he hadn't come.
+
+'Are you studying French as industriously as you were last winter?'
+
+'No ma'am; I don't care for it--that is, I, I'm busy with G-Greek
+just now,' answered Dolly, beginning bravely, quite in the dark as to
+what that odd question meant till a sudden memory made him stutter
+and look at his shoes with deep interest.
+
+'Oh, he doesn't study it; only reads French novels and goes to the
+theatre when the opera bouffe is here,' said Stuffy, innocently
+confirming Mrs Jo's suspicions.
+
+'So I understood; and that is what I want to speak about. Ted had a
+sudden desire to learn French in that way, from something you said,
+Dolly; so I went myself, and was quite satisfied that it was no place
+for a decent boy. Your men were out in full force; and I was glad to
+see that some of the younger ones looked as ashamed as I felt. The
+older fellows enjoyed it, and when we came out were waiting to take
+those painted girls to supper. Did you ever go with them?'
+
+'Once.'
+
+'Did you like it?'
+
+'No 'm; I--I came away early,' stammered Dolly, with a face as red as
+his splendid tie. 
+
+'I'm glad you have not lost the grace of blushing yet; but you will
+soon, if you keep up this sort of study and forget to be ashamed. The
+society of such women will unfit you for that of good ones, and lead
+you into trouble and sin and shame. Oh, why don't the city fathers
+stop that evil thing, when they know the harm it does? It made my
+heart ache to see those boys, who ought to be at home and in their
+beds, going off for a night of riot which would help to ruin some of
+them for ever.'
+
+The youths looked scared at Mrs Jo's energetic protest against one of
+the fashionable pleasures of the day, and waited in
+conscience-stricken silence--Stuffy glad that he never went to those
+gay suppers, and Dolly deeply grateful that he 'came away early'.
+With a hand on either shoulder, and all the terrors smoothed from her
+brow, Mrs Jo went on in her most motherly tone, anxious to do for
+them what no other woman would, and do it kindly:
+
+'My dear boys, if I didn't love you, I would not say these things. I
+know they are not pleasant; but my conscience won't let me hold my
+peace when a word may keep you from two of the great sins that curse
+the world and send so many young men to destruction.  You are just
+beginning to feel the allurement of them, and soon it will be hard to
+turn away. Stop now, I beg of you, and not only save yourselves but
+help others by a brave example. Come to me if things worry you; don't
+be afraid or ashamed; I have heard many sadder confessions than any
+you are ever likely to bring me, and been able to comfort many poor
+fellows, gone wrong for want of a word in time. Do this, and you will
+be able to kiss your mothers with clean lips, and by and by have the
+right to ask innocent girls to love you.'
+
+'Yes'm, thank you. I suppose you're right; but it's pretty hard work
+to toe the mark when ladies give you wine and gentlemen take their
+daughters to see Aimee,' said Dolly, foreseeing tribulations ahead
+though he knew it was time to 'pull up'.
+
+'So it is; but all the more honour to those who are brave and wise
+enough to resist public opinion, and the easy-going morals of bad or
+careless men and women. Think of the persons whom you respect most,
+and in imitating them you will secure the respect of those who look
+up to you. I'd rather my boys should be laughed at and
+cold-shouldered by a hundred foolish fellows than lose what, once
+gone, no power can give them back--innocence and self-respect. I
+don't wonder you find it "hard to toe the mark", when books,
+pictures, ball-rooms, theatres, and streets offer temptations; yet
+you can resist, if you try. Last winter Mrs Brooke used to worry
+about John's being out so late reporting; but when she spoke to him
+about the things he must see and hear on his way to and fro from the
+office at midnight, he said in his sober way, "I know what you mean,
+mother; but no fellow need to go wrong unless he wants to."
+
+'That's like the Deacon!' exclaimed Stuffy, with an approving smile
+on his fat face.
+
+'I'm glad you told me that. He's right; and it's because he doesn't
+want to go wrong we all respect him so,' added Dolly, looking up now
+with an expression which assured his Mentor that the right string had
+been touched, and a spirit of emulation roused, more helpful,
+perhaps, than any words of hers. Seeing this, she was satisfied, and
+said, as she prepared to leave the bar before which her culprits had
+been tried and found guilty, but recommended to mercy:
+
+'Then be to others what John is to you--a good example. Forgive me
+for troubling you, my dear lads, and remember my little preachment. I
+think it will do you good, though I may never know it. Chance words
+spoken in kindness often help amazingly; and that's what old people
+are here for--else their experience is of little use. Now, come and
+find the young folk. I hope I shall never have to shut the gates of
+Plumfield upon you, as I have on some of your "gentlemen". I mean to
+keep my boys and girls safe if I can, and this a wholesome place
+where the good old-fashioned virtues are lived and taught.'
+
+Much impressed by that dire threat, Dolly helped her from her perch
+with deep respect; and Stuffy relieved her of her empty jugs,
+solemnly vowing to abstain from all fermented beverages except
+root-beer, as long as feeble flesh could hold out. Of course they
+made light of 'Mother Bhaer's lecture' when they were alone--that was
+to be expected of 'men of our class' but in their secret souls they
+thanked her for giving their boyish consciences a jog, and more than
+once afterward had cause to remember gratefully that half-hour in the
+tennis court.
+
+
+
+Chapter 17 
+
+AMONG THE MAIDS
+
+Although this story is about Jo's boys, her girls cannot be
+neglected, because they held a high place in this little republic,
+and especial care was taken to fit them to play their parts worthily
+in the great republic which offered them wider opportunities and more
+serious duties. To many the social influence was the better part of
+the training they received; for education is not confined to books,
+and the finest characters often graduate from no college, but make
+experience their master, and life their book. Others cared only for
+the mental culture, and were in danger of over-studying, under the
+delusion which pervades New England that learning must be had at all
+costs, forgetting that health and real wisdom are better. A third
+class of ambitious girls hardly knew what they wanted, but were
+hungry for whatever could fit them to face the world and earn a
+living, being driven by necessity, the urgency of some half-conscious
+talent, or the restlessness of strong young natures to break away
+from the narrow life which no longer satisfied.
+
+At Plumfield all found something to help them; for the growing
+institution had not yet made its rules as fixed as the laws of the
+Medes and Persians, and believed so heartily in the right of all
+sexes, colours, creeds, and ranks to education, that there was room
+for everyone who knocked, and a welcome to the shabby youths from up
+country, the eager girls from the West, the awkward freedman or woman
+from the South, or the well-born student whose poverty made this
+college a possibility when other doors were barred. There still was
+prejudice, ridicule, neglect in high places, and prophecies of
+failure to contend against; but the Faculty was composed of cheerful,
+hopeful men and women who had seen greater reforms spring from
+smaller roots, and after stormy seasons blossom beautifully, to add
+prosperity and honour to the nation. So they worked on steadily and
+bided their time, full of increasing faith in their attempt as year
+after year their numbers grew, their plans succeeded, and the sense
+of usefulness in this most vital of all professions blessed them with
+its sweet rewards.
+
+Among the various customs which had very naturally sprung up was one
+especially useful and interesting to 'the girls', as the young women
+liked to be called. It all grew out of the old sewing hour still kept
+up by the three sisters long after the little work-boxes had expanded
+into big baskets full of household mending. They were busy women, yet
+on Saturdays they tried to meet in one of the three sewing-rooms; for
+even classic Parnassus had its nook where Mrs Amy often sat among her
+servants, teaching them to make and mend, thereby giving them a
+respect for economy, since the rich lady did not scorn to darn her
+hose, and sew on buttons. In these household retreats, with books and
+work, and their daughters by them, they read and sewed and talked in
+the sweet privacy that domestic women love, and can make so helpful
+by a wise mixture of cooks and chemistry, table linen and theology,
+prosaic duties and good poetry.
+
+Mrs Meg was the first to propose enlarging this little circle; for as
+she went her motherly rounds among the young women she found a sad
+lack of order, skill, and industry in this branch of education.
+Latin, Greek, the higher mathematics, and science of all sorts
+prospered finely; but the dust gathered on the work-baskets, frayed
+elbows went unheeded, and some of the blue stockings sadly needed
+mending. Anxious lest the usual sneer at learned women should apply
+to 'our girls', she gently lured two or three of the most untidy to
+her house, and made the hour so pleasant, the lesson so kindly, that
+they took the hint, were grateful for the favour, and asked to come
+again. Others soon begged to make the detested weekly duty lighter by
+joining the party, and soon it was a privilege so much desired that
+the old museum was refitted with sewing-machines, tables,
+rocking-chair, and a cheerful fireplace, so that, rain or shine, the
+needles might go on undisturbed.
+
+Here Mrs Meg was in her glory, and stood wielding her big shears like
+a queen as she cut out white work, fitted dresses, and directed
+Daisy, her special aide, about the trimming of hats, and completing
+the lace and ribbon trifles which add grace to the simplest costume
+and save poor or busy girls so much money and time. Mrs Amy
+contributed taste, and decided the great question of colours and
+complexions; for few women, even the most learned, are without that
+desire to look well which makes many a plain face comely, as well as
+many a pretty one ugly for want of skill and knowledge of the fitness
+of things. She also took her turn to provide books for the readings,
+and as art was her forte she gave them selections from Ruskin,
+Hamerton, and Mrs Jameson, who is never old. Bess read these aloud as
+her contribution, and Josie took her turn at the romances, poetry,
+and plays her uncles recommended. Mrs Jo gave little lectures on
+health, religion, politics, and the various questions in which all
+should be interested, with copious extracts from Miss Cobbe's Duties
+of Women, Miss Brackett's Education of American Girls, Mrs Duffy's No
+Sex in Education, Mrs Woolson's Dress Reform, and many of the other
+excellent books wise women write for their sisters, now that they are
+waking up and asking: 'What shall we do?'
+
+It was curious to see the prejudices melt away as ignorance was
+enlightened, indifference change to interest, and intelligent minds
+set thinking, while quick wits and lively tongues added spice to the
+discussions which inevitably followed. So the feet that wore the
+neatly mended hose carried wiser heads than before, the pretty gowns
+covered hearts warmed with higher purposes, and the hands that
+dropped the thimbles for pens, lexicons, and celestial globes, were
+better fitted for life's work, whether to rock cradles, tend the
+sick, or help on the great work of the world.
+
+One day a brisk discussion arose concerning careers for women.  Mrs
+Jo had read something on the subject and asked each of the dozen
+girls sitting about the room, what she intended to do on leaving
+college. The answers were as usual: 'I shall teach, help mother,
+study medicine, art,' etc.; but nearly all ended with:
+
+'Till I marry.'
+
+'But if you don't marry, what then?' asked Mrs Jo, feeling like a
+girl again as she listened to the answers, and watched the
+thoughtful, gay, or eager faces.
+
+'Be old maids, I suppose. Horrid, but inevitable, since there are so
+many superfluous women,' answered a lively lass, too pretty to fear
+single blessedness unless she chose it.
+
+'It is well to consider that fact, and fit yourselves to be useful,
+not superfluous women. That class, by the way, is largely made up of
+widows, I find; so don't consider it a slur on maidenhood.'
+
+'That's a comfort! Old maids aren't sneered at half as much as they
+used to be, since some of them have grown famous and proved that
+woman isn't a half but a whole human being, and can stand alone.'
+
+'Don't like it all the same. We can't all be like Miss Nightingale, 
+Miss Phelps, and the rest.'
+
+So what can we do but sit in a corner and look on?' asked a plain
+girl with a dissatisfied expression.
+
+'Cultivate cheerfulness and content, if nothing else. But there are
+so many little odd jobs waiting to be done that nobody need "sit idle
+and look on", unless she chooses,' said Mrs Meg, with a smile, laying
+on the girl's head the new hat she had just trimmed.
+
+'Thank you very much. Yes, Mrs Brooke, I see; it's a little job, but
+it makes me neat and happy--and grateful,' she added, looking up with
+brighter eyes as she accepted the labour of love and the lesson as
+sweetly as they were given.
+
+'One of the best and most beloved women I know has been doing odd
+jobs for the Lord for years, and will keep at it till her dear hands
+are folded in her coffin. All sorts of things she does--picks up
+neglected children and puts them in safe homes, saves lost girls,
+nurses poor women in trouble, sews, knits, trots, begs, works for the
+poor day after day with no reward but the thanks of the needy, the
+love and honour of the rich who make Saint Matilda their almoner.
+That's a life worth living; and I think that quiet little woman will
+get a higher seat in Heaven than many of those of whom the world has
+heard.'
+
+'I know it's lovely, Mrs Bhaer; but it's dull for young folks. We do
+want a little fun before we buckle to,' said a Western girl with a
+wide-awake face.
+
+'Have your fun, my dear; but if you must earn your bread, try to make
+it sweet with cheerfulness, not bitter with the daily regret that it
+isn't cake. I used to think mine was a very hard fate because I had
+to amuse a somewhat fretful old lady; but the books I read in that
+lonely library have been of immense use to me since, and the dear old
+soul bequeathed me Plumfield for my "cheerful service and
+affectionate care". I didn't deserve it, but I did use to try to be
+jolly and kind, and get as much honey out of duty as I could, thanks
+to my dear mother's help and advice.'
+
+'Gracious! if I could earn a place like this, I'd sing all day and be
+an angel; but you have to take your chance, and get nothing for your
+pains, perhaps. I never do,' said the Westerner, who had a hard time
+with small means and large aspirations.
+
+'Don't do it for the reward; but be sure it will come, though not in
+the shape you expect. I worked hard for fame and money one winter;
+but I got neither, and was much disappointed. A year afterwards I
+found I had earned two prizes: skill with my pen, and Professor
+Bhaer.'
+
+Mrs Jo's laugh was echoed blithely by the girls, who liked to have
+these conversations enlivened by illustrations from life.
+
+'You are a very lucky woman,' began the discontented damsel, whose
+soul soared above new hats, welcome as they were, but did not quite
+know where to steer.
+
+'Yet her name used to be "Luckless Jo", and she never had what she
+wanted till she had given up hoping for it,' said Mrs Meg.
+
+'I'll give up hoping, then, right away, and see if my wishes will
+come. I only want to help my folks, and get a good school.'
+
+'Take this proverb for your guide: "Get the distaff ready, and the
+Lord will send the flax",' answered Mrs Jo.
+
+'We'd better all do that, if we are to be spinsters,' said the pretty
+one, adding gaily, 'I think I should like it, on the whole--they are
+so independent. My Aunt Jenny can do just what she likes, and ask no
+one's leave; but Ma has to consult Pa about everything. Yes, I'll
+give you my chance, Sally, and be a "superfluum", as Mr Plock says.'
+
+'You'll be one of the first to go into bondage, see if you aren't.
+Much obliged, all the same.'
+
+'Well, I'll get my distaff ready, and take whatever flax the Fates
+send--single, or double-twisted, as the powers please.'
+
+'That is the right spirit, Nelly. Keep it up, and see how happy life
+will be with a brave heart, a willing hand, and plenty to do.'
+
+'No one objects to plenty of domestic work or fashionable pleasure, I
+find; but the minute we begin to study, people tell us we can't bear
+it, and warn us to be very careful. I've tried the other things, and
+got so tired I came to college; though my people predict nervous
+exhaustion and an early death. Do you think there is any danger?'
+asked a stately girl, with an anxious glance at the blooming face
+reflected in the mirror opposite.
+
+'Are you stronger or weaker than when you came two years ago, Miss
+Winthrop?'
+
+'Stronger in body, and much happier in mind. I think I was dying of
+ennui; but the doctors called it inherited delicacy of constitution.
+That is why mamma is so anxious, and I wish not to go too fast.'
+
+'Don't worry, my dear; that active brain of yours was starving for
+good food; it has plenty now, and plain living suits you better than
+luxury and dissipation. It is all nonsense about girls not being able
+to study as well as boys. Neither can bear cramming; but with proper
+care both are better for it; so enjoy the life your instinct led you
+to, and we will prove that wise headwork is a better cure for that
+sort of delicacy than tonics, and novels on the sofa, where far too
+many of our girls go to wreck nowadays. They burn the candle at both
+ends; and when they break down they blame the books, not the balls.'
+
+'Dr Nan was telling me about a patient of hers who thought she had
+heart-complaint, till Nan made her take off her corsets, stopped her
+coffee and dancing all night, and made her eat, sleep, walk, and live
+regularly for a time; and now she's a brilliant cure. Common sense
+versus custom, Nan said.'
+
+'I've had no headaches since I came here, and can do twice as much
+studying as I did at home. It's the air, I think, and the fun of
+going ahead of the boys,' said another girl, tapping her big forehead
+with her thimble, as if the lively brain inside was in good working
+order and enjoyed the daily gymnastics she gave it.
+
+'Quality, not quantity, wins the day, you know. Our brains may be
+smaller, but I don't see that they fall short of what is required of
+them; and if I'm not mistaken, the largest-headed man in our class is
+the dullest,' said Nelly, with a solemn air which produced a gale of
+merriment; for all knew that the young Goliath she mentioned had been
+metaphorically slain by this quick-witted David on many a
+battle-field, to the great disgust of himself and his mates.
+
+'Mrs Brooke, do I gauge on the right or the wrong side?' asked the
+best Greek scholar of her class, eyeing a black silk apron with a
+lost expression.
+
+'The right, Miss Pierson; and leave a space between the tucks; it
+looks prettier so.'
+
+'I'll never make another; but it will save my dresses from
+ink-stains, so I'm glad I've got it'; and the erudite Miss Pierson
+laboured on, finding it a harder task than any Greek root she ever
+dug up.
+
+'We paper-stainers must learn how to make shields, or we are lost.
+I'll give you a pattern of the pinafore I used to wear in my
+"blood-and-thunder days", as we call them,' said Mrs Jo, trying to
+remember what became of the old tin-kitchen which used to hold her
+works.
+
+'Speaking of writers reminds me that my ambition is to be a George
+Eliot, and thrill the world! It must be so splendid to know that one
+has such power, and to hear people own that one possesses a
+"masculine intellect"! I don't care for most women's novels, but hers
+are immense; don't you think so, Mrs Bhaer?' asked the girl with the
+big forehead, and torn braid on her skirt.
+
+'Yes; but they don't thrill me as little Charlotte Bronte's books do.
+The brain is there, but the heart seems left out. I admire, but I
+don't love, George Eliot; and her life is far sadder to me than Miss
+Bronte's, because, in spite of the genius, love, and fame, she missed
+the light without which no soul is truly great, good, or happy.'
+
+'Yes'm, I know; but still it's so romantic and sort of new and
+mysterious, and she was great in one sense. Her nerves and dyspepsia
+do rather destroy the illusion; but I adore famous people and mean to
+go and see all I can scare up in London some day.'
+
+'You will find some of the best of them busy about just the work I
+recommend to you; and if you want to see a great lady, I'll tell you
+that Mrs Laurence means to bring one here today. Lady Abercrombie is
+lunching with her, and after seeing the college is to call on us. She
+especially wanted to see our sewing-school, as she is interested in
+things of this sort, and gets them up at home.'
+
+'Bless me! I always imagined lords and ladies did nothing but ride
+round in a coach and six, go to balls, and be presented to the Queen
+in cocked hats, and trains and feathers,' exclaimed an artless young
+person from the wilds of Maine, whither an illustrated paper
+occasionally wandered.
+
+'Not at all; Lord Abercrombie is over here studying up our American
+prison system, and my lady is busy with the schools-- both very
+high-born, but the simplest and most sensible people I've met this
+long time. They are neither of them young nor handsome, and dress
+plainly; so don't expect anything splendid. Mr Laurence was telling
+me last night about a friend of his who met my lord in the hall, and
+owing to a rough greatcoat and a red face, mistook him for a
+coachman, and said: "Now, my man, what do you want here?" Lord
+Abercrombie mildly mentioned who he was, and that he had come to
+dinner. And the poor host was much afflicted, saying afterward: "Why
+didn't he wear his stars and garters? then a fellow would know he was
+a lord."'
+
+The girls laughed again, and a general rustle betrayed that each was
+prinking a bit before the titled guest arrived. Even Mrs Jo settled
+her collar, and Mrs Meg felt if her cap was right, while Bess shook
+out her curls and Josie boldly consulted the glass; for they were
+women, in spite of philosophy and philanthropy.
+
+'Shall we all rise?' asked one girl, deeply impressed by the
+impending honour.
+
+'It would be courteous.'
+
+'Shall we shake hands?'
+
+'No, I'll present you en masse, and your pleasant faces will be
+introduction enough.'
+
+'I wish I'd worn my best dress. Ought to have told us,' whispered
+Sally.
+
+'Won't my folks be surprised when I tell them we have had a real lady
+to call on us?' said another.
+
+'Don't look as if you'd never seen a gentlewoman before, Milly. We
+are not all fresh from the wilderness,' added the stately damsel who,
+having Mayflower ancestors, felt that she was the equal of all the
+crowned heads of Europe.
+
+'Hush, she's coming! Oh, my heart, what a bonnet!' cried the gay girl
+in a stage whisper; and every eye was demurely fixed upon the busy
+hands as the door opened to admit Mrs Laurence and her guest.
+
+It was rather a shock to find, after the general introduction was
+over, that this daughter of a hundred earls was a stout lady in a
+plain gown, and a rather weather-beaten bonnet, with a bag of papers
+in one hand and a note-book in the other. But the face was full of
+benevolence, the sonorous voice very kind, the genial manners very
+winning, and about the whole person an indescribable air of high
+breeding which made beauty of no consequence, costume soon forgotten,
+and the moment memorable to the keen-eyed girls whom nothing escaped.
+
+A little chat about the rise, growth, and success of this particular
+class, and then Mrs Jo led the conversation to the English lady's
+work, anxious to show her pupils how rank dignifies labour, and
+charity blesses wealth.
+
+It was good for these girls to hear of the evening-schools supported
+and taught by women whom they knew and honoured; of Miss Cobbe's
+eloquent protest winning the protection of the law for abused wives;
+Mrs Butler saving the lost; Mrs Taylor, who devoted one room in her
+historic house to a library for the servants; Lord Shaftesbury, busy
+with his new tenement-houses in the slums of London; of prison
+reforms; and all the brave work being done in God's name by the rich
+and great for the humble and the poor. It impressed them more than
+many quiet home lectures would have done, and roused an ambition to
+help when their time should come, well knowing that even in glorious
+America there is still plenty to be done before she is what she
+should be--truly just, and free, and great. They were also quick to
+see that Lady Abercrombie treated all there as her equals, from
+stately Mrs Laurence, to little Josie, taking notes of everything and
+privately resolving to have some thick-soled English boots as soon as
+possible. No one would have guessed that she had a big house in
+London, a castle in Wales, and a grand country seat in Scotland, as
+she spoke of Parnassus with admiration, Plumfield as a 'dear old
+home', and the college as an honour to all concerned in it. At that,
+of course, every head went up a little, and when my lady left, every
+hand was ready for the hearty shake the noble Englishwoman gave them,
+with words they long remembered:
+
+'I am very pleased to see this much-neglected branch of a woman's
+education so well conducted here, and I have to thank my friend Mrs
+Laurence for one of the most charming pictures I've seen in
+America--Penelope among her maids.'
+
+A group of smiling faces watched the stout boots trudge away,
+respectful glances followed the shabby bonnet till it was out of
+sight, and the girls felt a truer respect for their titled guest than
+if she had come in the coach and six, with all her diamonds on.
+
+'I feel better about the "odd jobs" now. I only wish I could do them
+as well as Lady Abercrombie does,' said one.
+
+'I thanked my stars my buttonholes were nice, for she looked at them
+and said: "Quite workmanlike, upon my word," added another, feeling
+that her gingham gown had come to honour.
+
+'Her manners were as sweet and kind as Mrs Brooke's. Not a bit stiff
+or condescending, as I expected. I see now what you meant, Mrs Bhaer,
+when you said once that well-bred people were the same all the world
+over.'
+
+Mrs Meg bowed her thanks for the compliment, and Mrs Bhaer said:
+
+'I know them when I see them, but never shall be a model of
+deportment myself. I'm glad you enjoyed the little visit. Now, if you
+young people don't want England to get ahead of us in many ways, you
+must bestir yourselves and keep abreast; for our sisters are in
+earnest, you see, and don't waste time worrying about their sphere,
+but make it wherever duty calls them.'
+
+'We will do our best, ma'am,' answered the girls heartily, and
+trooped away with their work-baskets, feeling that though they might
+never be Harriet Martineaus, Elizabeth Brownings, or George Eliots,
+they might become noble, useful, and independent women, and earn for
+themselves some sweet title from the grateful lips of the poor,
+better than any a queen could bestow.
+
+
+
+Chapter 18 
+
+CLASS DAY
+
+The clerk of the weather evidently has a regard for young people, and
+sends sunshine for class days as often as he can. An especially
+lovely one shone over Plumfield as this interesting anniversary came
+round, bringing the usual accompaniments of roses, strawberries,
+white-gowned girls, beaming youths, proud friends, and stately
+dignitaries full of well-earned satisfaction with the yearly harvest.
+As Laurence College was a mixed one, the presence of young women as
+students gave to the occasion a grace and animation entirely wanting
+where the picturesque half of creation appear merely as spectators.
+The hands that turned the pages of wise books also possessed the
+skill to decorate the hall with flowers; eyes tired with study shone
+with hospitable warmth on the assembling guests; and under the white
+muslins beat hearts as full of ambition, hope, and courage as those
+agitating the broadcloth of the ruling sex.
+
+College Hill, Parnassus, and old Plum swarmed with cheery faces, as
+guests, students, and professors hurried to and fro in the pleasant
+excitement of arriving and receiving. Everyone was welcomed
+cordially, whether he rolled up in a fine carriage, or trudged afoot
+to see the good son or daughter come to honour on the happy day that
+rewarded many a mutual sacrifice. Mr Laurie and his wife were on the
+reception committee, and their lovely house was overflowing. Mrs Meg,
+with Daisy and Jo as aides, was in demand among the girls, helping on
+belated toilettes, giving an eye to spreads, and directing the
+decorations. Mrs Jo had her hands full as President's lady, and the
+mother of Ted; for it took all the power and skill of that energetic
+woman to get her son into his Sunday best.
+
+Not that he objected to be well arrayed; far from it; he adored good
+clothes, and owing to his great height already revelled in a
+dress-suit, bequeathed him by a dandy friend. The effect was very
+funny; but he would wear it in spite of the jeers of his mates, and
+sighed vainly for a beaver, because his stern parent drew the line
+there. He pleaded that English lads of ten wore them and were 'no end
+nobby'; but his mother only answered, with a consoling pat of the
+yellow mane:
+
+'My child, you are absurd enough now; if I let you add a tall hat,
+Plumfield wouldn't hold either of us, such would be the scorn and
+derision of all beholders. Content yourself with looking like the
+ghost of a waiter, and don't ask for the most ridiculous head-gear in
+the known world.'
+
+Denied this noble badge of manhood, Ted soothed his wounded soul by
+appearing in collars of an amazing height and stiffness, and ties
+which were the wonder of all female eyes. This freak was a sort of
+vengeance on his hard-hearted mother; for the collars drove the
+laundress to despair, never being just right, and the ties required
+such art in the tying that three women sometimes laboured long
+before--like Beau Brummel--he turned from a heap of 'failures' with
+the welcome words: 'That will do.' Rob was devoted on these trying
+occasions, his own toilet being distinguished only by its speed,
+simplicity, and neatness. Ted was usually in a frenzy before he was
+suited, and roars, whistles, commands, and groans were heard from the
+den wherein the Lion raged and the Lamb patiently toiled. Mrs Jo bore
+it till boots were hurled and a rain of hair-brushes set in, then,
+fearing for the safety of her eldest, she would go to the rescue, and
+by a wise mixture of fun and authority finally succeed in persuading
+Ted that he was 'a thing of beauty', if not 'a joy for ever'. At last
+he would stalk majestically forth, imprisoned in collars compared to
+which those worn by Dickens's afflicted Biler were trifles not worth
+mentioning.  The dresscoat was a little loose in the shoulders, but
+allowed a noble expanse of glossy bosom to be seen, and with a
+delicate handkerchief negligently drooping at the proper angle, had a
+truly fine effect. Boots that shone, and likewise pinched, appeared
+at one end of the 'long, black clothes-pin'--as Josie called
+him---and a youthful but solemn face at the other, carried at an
+angle which, if long continued, would have resulted in spinal
+curvature. Light gloves, a cane, and--oh, bitter drop in the cup of
+joy!--an ignominious straw hat, not to mention a choice floweret in
+the buttonhole, and a festoon of watchguard below, finished off this
+impressive boy.
+
+'How's that for style?' he asked, appearing to his mother and cousins
+whom he was to escort to the hall on this particular occasion.
+
+A shout of laughter greeted him, followed by exclamations of horror;
+for he had artfully added the little blond moustache he often wore
+when acting. It was very becoming, and seemed the only balm to heal
+the wound made by the loss of the beloved hat.
+
+'Take it off this moment, you audacious boy! What would your father
+say to such a prank on this day when we must all behave our best?'
+said Mrs Jo, trying to frown, but privately thinking that among the
+many youths about her none were so beautiful and original as her long
+son.
+
+'Let him wear it, Aunty; it's so becoming. No one will ever guess he
+isn't eighteen at least,' cried Josie, to whom disguise of any sort
+was always charming.
+
+'Father won't observe it; he'll be absorbed in his big-wigs and the
+girls. No matter if he does, he'll enjoy the joke and introduce me as
+his oldest son. Rob is nowhere when I'm in full fig'; and Ted took
+the stage with a tragic stalk, like Hamlet in a tail-coat and choker.
+
+'My son, obey me!' and when Mrs Jo spoke in that tone her word was
+law. Later, however, the moustache appeared, and many strangers
+firmly believed that there were three young Bhaers. So Ted found one
+ray of joy to light his gloom.
+
+Mr Bhaer was a proud and happy man when, at the appointed hour, he
+looked down upon the parterre of youthful faces before him, thinking
+of the 'little gardens' in which he had hopefully and faithfully
+sowed good seed years ago, and from which this beautiful harvest
+seemed to have sprung. Mr March's fine old face shone with the
+serenest satisfaction, for this was the dream of his life fulfilled
+after patient waiting; and the love and reverence in the countenances
+of the eager young men and women looking up at him plainly showed
+that the reward he coveted was his in fullest measure. Laurie always
+effaced himself on these occasions as much as courtesy would permit;
+for everyone spoke gratefully in ode, poem, and oration of the
+founder of the college and noble dispenser of his beneficence. The
+three sisters beamed with pride as they sat among the ladies,
+enjoying, as only women can, the honour done the men they loved;
+while 'the original Plums', as the younger ones called themselves,
+regarded the whole affair as their work, receiving the curious,
+admiring, or envious glances of strangers with a mixture of dignity
+and delight rather comical to behold.
+
+The music was excellent, and well it might be when Apollo waved the
+baton. The poems were--as usual on such occasions--of varied
+excellence, as the youthful speakers tried to put old truths into new
+words, and made them forceful by the enthusiasm of their earnest
+faces and fresh voices. It was beautiful to see the eager interest
+with which the girls listened to some brilliant brother-student, and
+applauded him with a rustle as of wind over a bed of flowers. It was
+still more significant and pleasant to watch the young men's faces
+when a slender white figure stood out against the background of
+black-coated dignitaries, and with cheeks that flushed and paled, and
+lips that trembled till earnest purpose conquered maiden fear, spoke
+to them straight out of a woman's heart and brain concerning the
+hopes and doubts, the aspirations and rewards all must know, desire,
+and labour for. This clear, sweet voice seemed to reach and rouse all
+that was noblest in the souls of these youths, and to set a seal upon
+the years of comradeship which made them sacred and memorable for
+ever.
+
+Alice Heath's oration was unanimously pronounced the success of the
+day; for without being flowery or sentimental, as is too apt to be
+the case with these first efforts of youthful orators, it was
+earnest, sensible, and so inspiring that she left the stage in a
+storm of applause, the good fellows being as much fired by her
+stirring appeal to 'march shoulder to shoulder', as if she had
+chanted the 'Marseillaise' then and there. One young man was so
+excited that he nearly rushed out of his seat to receive her as she
+hastened to hide herself among her mates, who welcomed her with faces
+full of tender pride and tearful eye. A prudent sister detained him,
+however, and in a moment he was able to listen with composure to the
+President's remarks.
+
+They were worth listening to, for Mr Bhaer spoke like a father to the
+children whom he was dismissing to the battle of life; and his
+tender, wise, and helpful words lingered in their hearts long after
+the praise was forgotten. Then came other exercises peculiar to
+Plumfield, and the end. Why the roof did not fly off when the sturdy
+lungs of the excited young men pealed out the closing hymn will for
+ever be a mystery; but it remained firm, and only the fading garlands
+vibrated as the waves of music rolled up and died away, leaving sweet
+echoes to haunt the place for another year.
+
+Dinners and spreads consumed the afternoon, and at sunset came a
+slight lull as everyone sought some brief repose before the
+festivities of the evening began. The President's reception was one
+of the enjoyable things in store, also dancing on Parnassus, and as
+much strolling, singing, and flirting, as could be compressed into a
+few hours by youths and maidens just out of school.
+
+Carriages were rolling about, and gay groups on piazzas, lawns, and
+window-seats idly speculated as to who the distinguished guests might
+be. The appearance of a very dusty vehicle loaded with trunks at Mr
+Bhaer's hospitably open door caused much curious comment among the
+loungers, especially as two rather foreign-looking gentlemen sprang
+out, followed by two young ladies, all four being greeted with cries
+of joy and much embracing by the Bhaers. Then they all disappeared
+into the house, the luggage followed, and the watchers were left to
+wonder who the mysterious strangers were, till a fair collegian
+declared that they must be the Professor's nephews, one of whom was
+expected on his wedding journey.
+
+She was right; Franz proudly presented his blonde and buxom bride,
+and she was hardly kissed and blessed when Emil led up his bonny
+English Mary, with the rapturous announcement:
+
+'Uncle, Aunt Jo, here's another daughter! Have you room for my wife,
+too?'
+
+There could be no doubt of that; and Mary was with difficulty rescued
+from the glad embraces of her new relatives, who, remembering all the
+young pair had suffered together, felt that this was the natural and
+happy ending of the long voyage so perilously begun.
+
+'But why not tell us, and let us be ready for two brides instead of
+one?' asked Mrs Jo, looking as usual rather demoralizing in a wrapper
+and crimping-pins, having rushed down from her chamber, where she was
+preparing for the labours of the evening.
+
+'Well, I remembered what a good joke you all considered Uncle
+Laurie's marriage, and I thought I'd give you another nice little
+surprise,' laughed Emil. 'I'm off duty, and it seemed best to take
+advantage of wind and tide, and come along as convoy to the old boy
+here. We hoped to get in last night, but couldn't fetch it, so here
+we are in time for the end of the jollification, anyway.'
+
+'Ah, my sons, it is too feeling-full to see you both so happy and
+again in the old home. I haf no words to outpour my gratitude, and
+can only ask of the dear Gott in Himmel to bless and keep you all,'
+cried Professor Bhaer, trying to gather all four into his arms at
+once, while tears rolled down his cheeks, and his English failed him.
+
+An April shower cleared the air and relieved the full hearts of the
+happy family; then of course everyone began to talk--Franz and
+Ludmilla in German with uncle, Emil and Mary with the aunts; and
+round this group gathered the young folk, clamouring to hear all
+about the wreck, and the rescue, and the homeward voyage. It was a
+very different story from the written one; and as they listened to
+Emil's graphic words, with Mary's soft voice breaking in now and then
+to add some fact that brought out the courage, patience, and
+self-sacrifice he so lightly touched upon, it became a solemn and
+pathetic thing to see and hear these happy creatures tell of that
+great danger and deliverance.
+
+'I never hear the patter of rain now that I don't want to say my
+prayers; and as for women, I'd like to take my hat off to every one
+of 'em, for they are braver than any man I ever saw,' said Emil, with
+the new gravity that was as becoming to him as the new gentleness
+with which he treated everyone. 
+
+'If women are brave, some men are as tender and self-sacrificing as
+women.  I know one who in the night slipped his share of food into a
+girl's pocket, though starving himself, and sat for hours rocking a
+sick man in his arms that he might get a little sleep. No, love, I
+will tell, and you must let me!' cried Mary, holding in both her own
+the hand he laid on her lips to silence her.
+
+'Only did my duty. If that torment had lasted much longer I might
+have been as bad as poor Barry and the boatswain. Wasn't that an
+awful night?' And Emil shuddered as he recalled it.
+
+'Don't think of it, dear. Tell about the happy days on the Urania,
+when papa grew better and we were all safe and homeward bound,' said
+Mary, with the trusting look and comforting touch which seemed to
+banish the dark and recall the bright side of that terrible
+experience.
+
+Emil cheered up at once, and sitting with his arm about his 'dear
+lass', in true sailor fashion told the happy ending of the tale.
+
+'Such a jolly old time as we had at Hamburg! Uncle Hermann couldn't
+do enough for the captain, and while mamma took care of him, Mary
+looked after me. I had to go into dock for repairs; fire hurt my
+eyes, and watching for a sail and want of sleep made 'em as hazy as a
+London fog. She was pilot and brought me in all right, you see, only
+I couldn't part company, so she came aboard as first mate, and I'm
+bound straight for glory now.'
+
+'Hush! that's silly, dear,' whispered Mary, trying in her turn to
+stop him, with English shyness about tender topics. But he took the
+soft hand in his, and proudly surveying the one ring it wore, went on
+with the air of an admiral aboard his flagship.
+
+'The captain proposed waiting a spell; but I told him we weren't like
+to see any rougher weather than we'd pulled through together, and if
+we didn't know one another after such a year as this, we never
+should. I was sure I shouldn't be worth my pay without this hand on
+the wheel; so I had my way, and my brave little woman has shipped for
+the long voyage. God bless her!'
+
+'Shall you really sail with him?' asked Daisy, admiring her courage,
+but shrinking with cat-like horror from the water.
+
+'I'm not afraid,' answered Mary, with a loyal smile. 'I've proved my
+captain in fair weather and in foul, and if he is ever wrecked again,
+I'd rather be with him than waiting and watching ashore.'
+
+'A true woman, and a born sailor's wife! You are a happy man, Emil,
+and I'm sure this trip will be a prosperous one,' cried Mrs Jo,
+delighted with the briny flavour of this courtship. 'Oh, my dear boy,
+I always felt you'd come back, and when everyone else despaired I
+never gave up, but insisted that you were clinging to the main-top
+jib somewhere on that dreadful sea'; and Mrs Jo illustrated her faith
+by grasping Emil with a truly Pillycoddian gesture.
+
+'Of course I was!' answered Emil heartily; 'and my "main-top jib" in
+this case was the thought of what you and Uncle said to me.  That
+kept me up; and among the million thoughts that came to me during
+those long nights none was clearer than the idea of the red strand,
+you remember--English navy, and all that. I liked the notion, and
+resolved that if a bit of my cable was left afloat, the red stripe
+should be there.'
+
+'And it was, my dear, it was! Captain Hardy testifies to that, and
+here is your reward'; and Mrs Jo kissed Mary with a maternal
+tenderness which betrayed that she liked the English rose better than
+the blue-eyed German Kornblumen, sweet and modest though it was.
+
+Emil surveyed the little ceremony with complacency, saying, as he
+looked about the room which he never thought to see again: 'Odd,
+isn't it, how clearly trifles come back to one in times of danger? As
+we floated there, half-starved, and in despair, I used to think I
+heard the bells ringing here, and Ted tramping downstairs, and you
+calling, "Boys, boys, it's time to get up!" I actually smelt the
+coffee we used to have, and one night I nearly cried when I woke from
+a dream of Asia's ginger cookies. I declare, it was one of the
+bitterest disappointments of my life to face hunger with that spicy
+smell in my nostrils. If you've got any, do give me one!'
+
+A pitiful murmur broke from all the aunts and cousins, and Emil was
+at once borne away to feast on the desired cookies, a supply always
+being on hand. Mrs Jo and her sister joined the other group, glad to
+hear what Franz was saying about Nat.
+
+'The minute I saw how thin and shabby he was, I knew that something
+was wrong; but he made light of it, and was so happy over our visit
+and news that I let him off with a brief confession, and went to
+Professor Baumgarten and Bergmann. From them I learned the whole
+story of his spending more money than he ought and trying to atone
+for it by unnecessary work and sacrifice.  Baumgarten thought it
+would do him good, so kept his secret till I came. It did him good,
+and he's paid his debts and earned his bread by the sweat of his
+brow, like an honest fellow.'
+
+'I like that much in Nat. It is, as I said, a lesson, and he learns
+it well. He proves himself a man, and has deserved the place Bergmann
+offers him,' said Mr Bhaer, looking well pleased as Franz added some
+facts already recorded.
+
+'I told you, Meg, that he had good stuff in him, and love for Daisy
+would keep him straight. Dear lad, I wish I had him here this
+moment!' cried Mrs Jo, forgetting in delight the doubts and anxieties
+which had troubled her for months past.
+
+'I am very glad, and suppose I shall give in as I always do,
+especially now that the epidemic rages so among us. You and Emil have
+set all their heads in a ferment, and Josie will be demanding a lover
+before I can turn round,' answered Mrs Meg, in a tone of despair.
+
+But her sister saw that she was touched by Nat's trials, and hastened
+to add the triumphs, that the victory might be complete, for success
+is always charming.
+
+'This offer of Herr Bergmann is a good one, isn't it?' she asked,
+though Mr Laurie had already satisfied her on that point when Nat's
+letter brought the news.
+
+'Very fine in every way. Nat will get capital drill in Bachmeister's
+orchestra, see London in a delightful way, and if he suits come home
+with them, well started among the violins. No great honour, but a
+sure thing and a step up. I congratulated him, and he was very jolly
+over it, saying, like the true lover he is: "Tell Daisy; be sure and
+tell her all about it." I'll leave that to you, Aunt Meg, and you can
+also break it gently to her that the old boy had a fine blond beard.
+Very becoming; hides his weak mouth, and gives a noble air to his big
+eyes and "Mendelssohnian brow", as a gushing girl called it. Ludmilla
+has a photo of it for you.'
+
+This amused them; and they listened to many other interesting bits of
+news which kind Franz, even in his own happiness, had not forgotten
+to remember for his friend's sake. He talked so well, and painted
+Nat's patient and pathetic shifts so vividly, that Mrs Meg was half
+won; though if she had learned of the Minna episode and the fiddling
+in beer-gardens and streets, she might not have relented so soon. She
+stored up all she heard, however, and, womanlike, promised herself a
+delicious talk with Daisy, in which she would allow herself to melt
+by degrees, and perhaps change the doubtful 'We shall see' to a
+cordial 'He has done well; be happy, dear'.
+
+In the midst of this agreeable chat the sudden striking of a clock
+recalled Mrs Jo from romance to reality, and she exclaimed, with a
+clutch at her crimping-pins:
+
+'My blessed people, you must eat and rest; and I must dress, or
+receive in this disgraceful rig. Meg, will you take Ludmilla and Mary
+upstairs and see to them? Franz knows the way to the dining-room.
+Fritz, come with me and be made tidy, for what with heat and emotion,
+we are both perfect wrecks.'
+
+
+
+Chapter 19 
+
+WHITE ROSES
+
+While the travellers refreshed, and Mrs President struggled into her
+best gown, Josie ran into the garden to gather flowers for the
+brides. The sudden arrival of these interesting beings had quite
+enchanted the romantic girl, and her head was full of heroic rescues,
+tender admiration, dramatic situations, and feminine wonder as to
+whether the lovely creatures would wear their veils or not. She was
+standing before a great bush of white roses, culling the most perfect
+for the bouquets which she meant to tie with the ribbon festooned
+over her arm, and lay on the toilette tables of the new cousins, as a
+delicate attention. A step startled her, and looking up she saw her
+brother coming down the path with folded arms, bent head, and the
+absent air of one absorbed in deep thought.
+
+'Sophy Wackles,' said the sharp child, with a superior smile, as she
+sucked her thumb just pricked by a too eager pull at the thorny
+branches.
+
+'What are you at here, Mischief?' asked Demi, with an Irvingesque
+start, as he felt rather than saw a disturbing influence in his
+day-dream.
+
+'Getting flowers for "our brides". Don't you wish you had one?'
+answered Josie, to whom the word 'mischief' suggested her favourite
+amusement. 
+
+'A bride or a flower?' asked Demi calmly, though he eyed the blooming
+bush as if it had a sudden and unusual interest for him.
+
+'Both; you get the one, and I'll give you the other.'
+
+'Wish I could!' and Demi picked a little bud, with a sigh that went
+to Josie's warm heart.
+
+'Why don't you, then? It's lovely to see people so happy. Now's a
+good time to do it if you ever mean to. She will be going away for
+ever soon.'
+
+'Who?' and Demi pulled a half-opened bud, with a sudden colour in his
+own face; which sign of confusion delighted little Jo.
+
+'Don't be a hypocrite. You know I mean Alice. Now, Jack, I'm fond of
+you, and want to help; it's so interesting--all these lovers and
+weddings and things, and we ought to have our share. So you take my
+advice and speak up like a man, and make sure of Alice before she
+goes.'
+
+Demi laughed at the seriousness of the small girl's advice; but he
+liked it, and showed that it suited him by saying blandly, instead of
+snubbing her as usual:
+
+'You are very kind, child. Since you are so wise, could you give me a
+hint how I'd better 'speak up', as you elegantly express it?'
+
+'Oh, well, there are various ways, you know. In plays the lovers go
+down on their knees; but that's awkward when they have long legs.
+Ted never does it well, though I drill him for hours. You could say,
+"Be mine, be mine!" like the old man who threw cucumbers over the
+wall to Mrs Nickleby, if you want to be gay and easy; or you could
+write a poetical pop. You've tried it, I dare say.'
+
+'But seriously, Jo, I do love Alice, and I think she knows it. I want
+to tell her so; but I lose my head when I try, and don't care to make
+a fool of myself. Thought you might suggest some pretty way; you read
+so much poetry and are so romantic.'
+
+Demi tried to express himself clearly, but forgot his dignity and his
+usual reserve in the sweet perplexity of his love, and asked his
+little sister to teach him how to put the question which a single
+word can answer. The arrival of his happy cousins had scattered all
+his wise plans and brave resolutions to wait still longer. The
+Christmas play had given him courage to hope, and the oration today
+had filled him with tender pride; but the sight of those blooming
+brides and beaming grooms was too much for him, and he panted to
+secure his Alice without an hour's delay. Daisy was his confidante in
+all things but this; a brotherly feeling of sympathy had kept him
+from telling her his hopes, because her own were forbidden. His
+mother was rather jealous of any girl he admired; but knowing that
+she liked Alice, he loved on and enjoyed his secret alone, meaning
+soon to tell her all about it.
+
+Now suddenly Josie and the rose-bush seemed to suggest a speedy end
+to his tender perplexities; and he was moved to accept her aid as the
+netted lion did that of the mouse.
+
+'I think I'll write,' he was slowly beginning, after a pause during
+which both were trying to strike out a new and brilliant idea.
+
+'I've got it! perfectly lovely! just suit her, and you too, being a
+poet!' cried Josie, with a skip.
+
+'What is it? Don't be ridiculous, please,' begged the bashful lover,
+eager, but afraid of this sharp-tongued bit of womanhood.
+
+'I read in one of Miss Edgeworth's stories about a man who offers
+three roses to his lady--a bud, a half-blown, and a full-blown rose.
+I don't remember which she took; but it's a pretty way; and Alice
+knows about it because she was there when we read it. Here are all
+kinds; you've got the two buds, pick the sweetest rose you can find,
+and I'll tie them up and put them in her room. She is coming to dress
+with Daisy, so I can do it nicely.'
+
+Demi mused a moment with his eyes on the bridal bush, and a smile
+came over his face so unlike any it had ever worn before, that Josie
+was touched, and looked away as if she had no right to see the dawn
+of the great passion which, while it lasts, makes a young man as
+happy as a god.
+
+'Do it,' was all he said, and gathered a full-blown rose to finish
+his floral love-message.
+
+Charmed to have a finger in this romantic pie, Josie tied a graceful
+bow of ribbon about the stems, and finished her last nosegay with
+much content, while Demi wrote upon a card:
+
+DEAR ALICE, You know what the flowers mean. Will you wear
+one, or all tonight, and make me still prouder, fonder, and
+happier than I am?
+
+Yours entirely,
+
+JOHN
+
+
+Offering this to his sister, he said in a tone that made her feel the
+deep importance of her mission:
+
+'I trust you, Jo. This means everything to me. No jokes, dear, if you
+love me.'
+
+Josie's answer was a kiss that promised all things; and then she ran
+away to do her 'gentle spiriting', like Ariel, leaving Demi to dream
+among the roses like Ferdinand.
+
+Mary and Ludmilla were charmed with their bouquets; and the giver had
+the delight of putting some of the flowers into the dark hair and the
+light as she played maid at the toilettes of 'our brides', which
+consoled her for a disappointment in the matter of veils.
+
+No one helped Alice dress; for Daisy was in the next room with her
+mother; and not even their loving eyes saw the welcome which the
+little posy received, nor the tears and smiles and blushes that came
+and went as she read the note and pondered what answer she should
+give. There was no doubt about the one she wished to give; but duty
+held her back; for at home there was an invalid mother and an old
+father. She was needed there, with all the help she could now bring
+by the acquirements four years of faithful study had given her. Love
+looked very sweet, and a home of her own with John a little heaven on
+earth; but not yet. And she slowly laid away the full-blown rose as
+she sat before the mirror, thinking over the great question of her
+life.
+
+Was it wise and kind to ask him to wait, to bind him by any promise,
+or even to put into words the love and honour she felt for him? No;
+it would be more generous to make the sacrifice alone, and spare him
+the pain of hope deferred. He was young; he would forget; and she
+would do her duty better, perhaps, if no impatient lover waited for
+her. With eyes that saw but dimly, and a hand that lingered on the
+stem he had stripped of thorns, she laid the half-blown flower by the
+rose, and asked herself if even the little bud might be worn. It
+looked very poor and pale beside the others; yet being in the
+self-sacrificing mood which real love brings, she felt that even a
+small hope was too much to give, if she could not follow it up with
+more.
+
+As she sat looking sadly down on the symbols of an affection that
+grew dearer every moment, she listened half unconsciously to the
+murmur of voices in the adjoining room. Open windows, thin
+partitions, and the stillness of summer twilight made it impossible
+to help hearing, and in a few moments more she could not refrain; for
+they were talking of John.
+
+'So nice of Ludmilla to bring us all bottles of real German cologne!
+Just what we need after this tiring day! Be sure John has his! He
+likes it so!'
+
+'Yes, mother. Did you see him jump up when Alice ended her oration?
+He'd have gone to her if I hadn't held him back. I don't wonder he
+was pleased and proud. I spoilt my gloves clapping, and quite forgot
+my dislike of seeing women on platforms, she was so earnest and
+unconscious and sweet after the first moment.'
+
+'Has he said anything to you, dear?'
+
+'No; and I guess why. The kind boy thinks it would make me unhappy.
+It wouldn't. But I know his ways; so I wait, and hope all will go
+well with him.'
+
+'It must. No girl in her senses would refuse our John, though he
+isn't rich, and never will be. Daisy, I've been longing to tell you
+what he did with his money. He told me last night, and I've had no
+time since to tell you. He sent poor young Barton to the hospital,
+and kept him there till his eyes were saved--a costly thing to do.
+But the man can work now and care for his old parents. He was in
+despair, sick and poor, and too proud to beg; and our dear boy found
+it out, and took every penny he had, and never told even his mother
+till she made him.'
+
+Alice did not hear what Daisy answered, for she was busy with her own
+emotions--happy ones now, to judge from the smile that shone in her
+eyes and the decided gesture with which she put the little bud in her
+bosom, as if she said: 'He deserves some reward for that good deed,
+and he shall have it.'
+
+Mrs Meg was speaking, and still of John, when she could hear again:
+
+'Some people would call it unwise and reckless, when John has so
+little; but I think his first investment a safe and good one, for "he
+who giveth to the poor lendeth to the Lord"; and I was so pleased and
+proud, I wouldn't spoil it by offering him a penny.'
+
+'It is his having nothing to offer that keeps him silent, I think. He
+is so honest, he won't ask till he has much to give. But he forgets
+that love is everything. I know he's rich in that; I see and feel it;
+and any woman should be glad to get it.'
+
+'Right, dear. I felt just so, and was willing to work and wait with
+and for my John.'
+
+'So she will be, and I hope they will find it out. But she is so
+dutiful and good, I'm afraid she won't let herself be happy. You
+would like it, mother?'
+
+'Heartily; for a better, nobler girl doesn't live. She is all I want
+for my son; and I don't mean to lose the dear, brave creature if I
+can help it. Her heart is big enough for both love and duty; and they
+can wait more happily if they do it together--for wait they must, of
+course.'
+
+'I'm so glad his choice suits you, mother, and he is spared the
+saddest sort of disappointment.'
+
+Daisy's voice broke there; and a sudden rustle, followed by a soft
+murmur, seemed to tell that she was in her mother's arms, seeking and
+finding comfort there.
+
+Alice heard no more, and shut her window with a guilty feeling but a
+shining face; for the proverb about listeners failed here, and she
+had learned more than she dared to hope. Things seemed to change
+suddenly; she felt that her heart was large enough for both love and
+duty; she knew now that she would be welcomed by mother and sister;
+and the memory of Daisy's less happy fate, Nat's weary probation, the
+long delay, and possible separation for ever--all came before her so
+vividly that prudence seemed cruelty; self-sacrifice, sentimental
+folly; and anything but the whole truth, disloyalty to her lover. As
+she thought thus, the half-blown rose went to join the bud; and then,
+after a pause, she slowly kissed the perfect rose, and added it to
+the tell-tale group, saying to herself with a sort of sweet
+solemnity, as if the words were a vow:
+
+'I'll love and work and wait with and for my John.'
+
+It was well for her that Demi was absent when she stole down to join
+the guests who soon began to flow through the house in a steady
+stream. The new brightness which touched her usually thoughtful face
+was easily explained by the congratulations she received as orator,
+and the slight agitation observable, when a fresh batch of gentlemen
+approached soon passed, as none of them noticed the flowers she wore
+over a very happy heart. Demi meantime was escorting certain
+venerable personages about the college, and helping his grandfather
+entertain them with discussion of the Socratic method of instruction,
+Pythagoras, Pestalozzi, Froebel, and the rest, whom he devoutly
+wished at the bottom of the Red Sea, and no wonder, for his head and
+his heart were full of love and roses, hopes and fears. He piloted
+the 'potent, grave, and reverend seigniors' safely down to Plumfield
+at last, and landed them before his uncle and aunt Bhaer, who were
+receiving in state, the one full of genuine delight in all men and
+things, the other suffering martyrdom with a smile, as she stood
+shaking hand after hand, and affecting utter unconsciousness of the
+sad fact that ponderous Professor Plock had camped upon the train of
+her state and festival velvet gown.
+
+With a long sigh of relief Demi glanced about him for the beloved
+girl. Most persons would have looked some time before any particular
+angel could be discovered among the white-robed throng in parlours,
+hall, and study; but his eye went--like the needle to the pole--to
+the corner where a smooth dark head, with its braided crown, rose
+like a queen's, he thought, above the crowd which surrounded her.
+Yes, she has a flower at her throat; one, two, oh, blessed sight! he
+saw it all across the room, and gave a rapturous sigh which caused
+Miss Perry's frizzled crop to wave with a sudden gust. He did not see
+the rose, for it was hidden by a fold of lace; and it was well,
+perhaps, that bliss came by instalments, or he might have electrified
+the assembled multitude by flying to his idol, there being no Daisy
+to clutch him by the coat-tail. A stout lady, thirsting for
+information, seized him at that thrilling moment, and he was forced
+to point out celebrities with a saintly patience which deserved a
+better reward than it received; for a certain absence of mind and
+incoherence of speech at times caused the ungrateful dowager to
+whisper to the first friend she met after he had escaped:
+
+'I saw no wine at any of the spreads; but it is plain that young
+Brooke has had too much. Quite gentlemanly, but evidently a trifle
+intoxicated, my dear.'
+
+Ah, so he was! but with a diviner wine than any that ever sparkled at
+a class-day lunch, though many collegians know the taste of it; and
+when the old lady was disposed of, he gladly turned to find the young
+one, bent on having a single word. He saw her standing by the piano
+now, idly turning over music as she talked with several gentlemen.
+Hiding his impatience under an air of scholastic repose, Demi hovered
+near, ready to advance when the happy moment came, wondering meantime
+why elderly persons persisted in absorbing young ones instead of
+sensibly sitting in corners with their contemporaries. The elderly
+persons in question retired at length, but only to be replaced by two
+impetuous youths who begged Miss Heath to accompany them to Parnassus
+and join the dance. Demi thirsted for their blood, but was appeased
+by hearing George and Dolly say, as they lingered a moment after her
+refusal:
+
+'Really, you know, I'm quite converted to co-education and almost
+wish I'd remained here. It gives a grace to study, a sort of relish
+even to Greek to see charming girls at it,' said Stuffy, who found
+the feast of learning so dry, any sauce was welcome; and he felt as
+if he had discovered a new one.
+
+'Yes, by Jove! we fellows will have to look out or you'll carry off
+all the honours. You were superb today, and held us all like magic,
+though it was so hot there, I really think I couldn't have stood it
+for anyone else,' added Dolly, labouring to be gallant and really
+offering a touching proof of devotion; for the heat melted his
+collar, took the curl out of his hair, and ruined his gloves.
+
+'There is room for all; and if you will leave us the books, we will
+cheerfully yield the baseball, boating, dancing, and flirting, which
+seem to be the branches you prefer,' answered Alice sweetly.
+
+'Ah, now you are too hard upon us! We can't grind all the time and
+you ladies don't seem to mind taking a turn at the two latter
+"branches" you mention,' returned Dolly, with a glance at George
+which plainly said, 'I had her there.'
+
+'Some of us do in our first years. Later we give up childish things,
+you see. Don't let me keep you from Parnassus'; and a smiling nod
+dismissed them, smarting under the bitter consciousness of youth.
+
+'You got it there, Doll. Better not try to fence with these superior
+girls. Sure to be routed, horse, foot, and dragoons,' said Stuffy,
+lumbering away, somewhat cross with too many spreads.
+
+'So deuced sarcastic! Don't believe she's much older than we are.
+Girls grow up quicker, so she needn't put on airs and talk like a
+grandmother,' muttered Dolly, feeling that he had sacrificed his kids
+upon the altar of an ungrateful Pallas.
+
+'Come along and let's find something to eat. I'm faint with so much
+talking. Old Plock cornered me and made my head spin with Kant and
+Hegel and that lot.'
+
+'I promised Dora West I'd give her a turn. Must look her up; she's a
+jolly little thing, and doesn't bother about anything but keeping in
+step.'
+
+And arm in arm the boys strolled away, leaving Alice to read music as
+diligently as if society had indeed no charms for her. As she bent to
+turn a page, the eager young man behind the piano saw the rose and
+was struck speechless with delight. A moment he gazed, then hastened
+to seize the coveted place before a new detachment of bores arrived.
+
+'Alice, I can't believe it--did you understand--how shall I ever
+thank you?' murmured Demi, bending as if he, too, read the song, not
+a note or word of which did he see, however.
+
+'Hush! not now. I understood--I don't deserve it--we are too young,
+we must wait, but--I'm very proud and happy, John!'
+
+What would have happened after that tender whisper I tremble to
+think, if Tom Bangs had not come bustling up, with the cheerful
+remark:
+
+'Music? just the thing. People are thinning out, and we all want a
+little refreshment. My brain fairly reels with the 'ologies and 'isms
+I've heard discussed tonight. Yes, give us this; sweet thing! Scotch
+songs are always charming.'
+
+Demi glowered; but the obtuse boy never saw it, and Alice, feeling
+that this would be a safe vent for sundry unruly emotions, sat down
+at once, and sang the song which gave her answer better than she
+could have done:
+
+                BIDE A WEE
+
+    'The puir auld folk at home, ye mind,
+    Are frail and failing sair;
+    And weel I ken they'd miss me, lad,
+    Gin I come hame nae mair.
+    The grist is out, the times are hard,
+    The kine are only three;
+    I canna leave the auld folk now.
+    We'd better bide a wee.
+
+    'I fear me sair they're failing baith;
+    For when I sit apart,
+    They talk o' Heaven so earnestly,
+    It well nigh breaks my heart.
+    So, laddie, dinna urge me now,
+    It surely winna be;
+    I canna leave the auld folk yet.
+    We'd better bide a wee.'
+
+The room was very still before the first verse ended; and Alice
+skipped the next, fearing she could not get through; for John's eyes
+were on her, showing that he knew she sang for him and let the
+plaintive little ballad tell what her reply must be. He took it as
+she meant it, and smiled at her so happily that her heart got the
+better of her voice, and she rose abruptly, saying something about
+the heat.
+
+'Yes, you are tired; come out and rest, my dearest'; and with a
+masterful air Demi took her into the starlight, leaving Tom to stare
+after them winking as if a sky-rocket had suddenly gone off under his
+nose.
+
+'Bless my soul! the Deacon really meant business last summer and
+never told me. Won't Dora laugh?' And Tom departed in hot haste to
+impart and exult over his discovery.
+
+What was said in the garden was never exactly known; but the Brooke
+family sat up very late that night, and any curious eye at the window
+would have seen Demi receiving the homage of his womankind as he told
+his little romance. Josie took great credit to herself in the matter,
+insisting that she had made the match; Daisy was full of the sweetest
+sympathy and joy, and Mrs Meg so happy that when Jo had gone to dream
+of bridal veils, and Demi sat in his room blissfully playing the air
+of 'Bide a Wee', she had her talk about Nat, ending with her arms
+round her dutiful daughter and these welcome words as her reward:
+
+'Wait till Nat comes home, and then my good girl shall wear white
+roses too.'
+
+
+
+Chapter 20 
+
+LIFE FOR LIFE
+
+The summer days that followed were full of rest and pleasure for
+young and old, as they did the honours of Plumfield to their happy
+guests. While Franz and Emil were busy with the affairs of Uncle
+Hermann and Captain Hardy, Mary and Ludmilla made friends everywhere;
+for, though very unlike, both were excellent and charming girls. Mrs
+Meg and Daisy found the German bride a Hausfrau after their own
+hearts, and had delightful times learning new dishes, hearing about
+the semi-yearly washes and the splendid linen-room at Hamburg, or
+discussing domestic life in all its branches. Ludmilla not only
+taught, but learned, many things, and went home with many new and
+useful ideas in her blonde head.
+
+Mary had seen so much of the world that she was unusually lively for
+an English girl; while her various accomplishments made her a most
+agreeable companion. Much good sense gave her ballast; and the late
+experiences of danger and happiness added a sweet gravity at times,
+which contrasted well with her natural gaiety. Mrs Jo was quite
+satisfied with Emil's choice, and felt sure this true and tender
+pilot would bring him safe to port through fair or stormy weather.
+She had feared that Franz would settle down into a comfortable,
+moneymaking burgher, and be content with that; but she soon saw that
+his love of music and his placid Ludmilla put much poetry into his
+busy life, and kept it from being too prosaic. So she felt at rest
+about these boys, and enjoyed their visit with real, maternal
+satisfaction; parting with them in September most regretfully, yet
+hopefully, as they sailed away to the new life that lay before them.
+
+Demi's engagement was confided to the immediate family only, as both
+were pronounced too young to do anything but love and wait.  They
+were so happy that time seemed to stand still for them, and after a
+blissful week they parted bravely--Alice to home duties, with a hope
+that sustained and cheered her through many trials; and John to his
+business, full of a new ardour which made all things possible when
+such a reward was offered.
+
+Daisy rejoiced over them, and was never tired of hearing her
+brother's plans for the future. Her own hope soon made her what she
+used to be--a cheery, busy creature, with a smile, kind word, and
+helping hand for all; and as she went singing about the house again,
+her mother felt that the right remedy for past sadness had been
+found. The dear Pelican still had doubts and fears, but kept them
+wisely to herself, preparing sundry searching tests to be applied
+when Nat came home, and keeping a sharp eye on the letters from
+London; for some mysterious hint had flown across the sea, and
+Daisy's content seemed reflected in Nat's present cheerful state of
+mind.
+
+Having passed through the Werther period, and tried a little Faust--
+of which experience he spoke to his Marguerite as if it had included
+an acquaintance with Mephistopheles, Blocksburg, and Auerbach's
+wine-cellar--he now felt that he was a Wilhelm Meister, serving his
+apprenticeship to the great masters of life. As she knew the truth of
+his small sins and honest repentance, Daisy only smiled at the
+mixture of love and philosophy he sent her, knowing that it was
+impossible for a young man to live in Germany without catching the
+German spirit.
+
+'His heart is all right; and his head will soon grow clear when he
+gets out of the fog of tobacco, beer, and metaphysics he's been
+living in. England will wake up his common sense, and good salt air
+blow his little follies all away,' said Mrs Jo, much pleased with the
+good prospects of her violinist--whose return was delayed till
+spring, to his private regret, but professional advancement.
+
+Josie had a month with Miss Cameron at the seaside, and threw herself
+so heartily into the lesson given her that her energy, promise, and
+patience laid the foundation of a friendship which was of infinite
+value to her in the busy, brilliant years to come; for little Jo's
+instincts were right; and the dramatic talent of the Marches was to
+blossom by and by into an actress, virtuous, and beloved.
+
+Tom and his Dora were peacefully ambling altar-ward; for Bangs senior
+was so afraid his son would change his mind again and try a third
+profession, that he gladly consented to an early marriage, as a sort
+of anchor to hold the mercurial Thomas fast. Aforesaid Thomas could
+not complain of cold shoulders now; for Dora was a most devoted and
+adoring little mate, and made life so pleasant to him that his gift
+for getting into scrapes seemed lost, and he bade fair to become a
+thriving man, with undeniable talent for the business he had chosen.
+
+'We shall be married in the autumn, and live with my father for a
+while. The governor is getting on, you know, and my wife and I must
+look after him. Later we shall have an establishment of our own,' was
+a favourite speech of his about this time, and usually received with
+smiles; for the idea of Tommy Bangs at the head of an 'establishment'
+was irresistibly funny to all who knew him.
+
+Things were in this flourishing condition, and Mrs Jo was beginning
+to think her trials were over for that year, when a new excitement
+came. Several postal cards had arrived at long intervals from Dan,
+who gave them 'Care of M. Mason, etc.', as his address.  By this
+means he was able to gratify his longing for home news, and to send
+brief messages to quiet their surprise at his delay in settling. The
+last one, which came in September, was dated 'Montana', and simply
+said:
+
+Here at last, trying mining again; but not going to stay long. All
+sorts of luck. Gave up the farm idea. Tell plans soon. Well, busy,
+and very happy. D. K.
+
+If they had known what the heavy dash under 'happy' meant, that
+postal would have been a very eloquent bit of pasteboard; for Dan was
+free, and had gone straight away to the liberty he panted for.
+Meeting an old friend by accident, he obliged him at a pinch by
+acting as overseer for a time, finding the society even of rough
+miners very sweet, and something in the muscular work wonderfully
+pleasant, after being cooped up in the brush-shop so long. He loved
+to take a pick and wrestle with rock and earth till he was
+weary--which was very soon; for that year of captivity had told upon
+his splendid physique. He longed to go home, but waited week after
+week to get the prison taint off him and the haggard look out of his
+face. Meanwhile he made friends of masters and men; and as no one
+knew his story, he took his place again in the world gratefully and
+gladly--with little pride now, and no plans but to do some good
+somewhere, and efface the past.
+
+Mrs Jo was having a grand clearing-out of her desk one October day,
+while the rain poured outside, and peace reigned in her mansion.
+Coming across the postals, she pondered over them, and then put them
+carefully away in the drawer labelled 'Boys' Letters', saying to
+herself, as she bundled eleven requests for autographs into the
+waste-paper basket:
+
+'It is quite time for another card, unless he is coming to tell his
+plans. I'm really curious to know what he has been about all this
+year, and how he's getting on now.'
+
+That last wish was granted within an hour; for Ted came rushing in,
+with a newspaper in one hand, a collapsed umbrella in the other, and
+a face full of excitement, announcing, all in one breathless jumble:
+
+'Mine caved in--twenty men shut up--no way out--wives crying-- water
+rising--Dan knew the old shaft--risked his life--got 'em out --most
+killed--papers full of it--I knew he'd be a hero--hurray for old
+Dan!'
+
+'What? Where? When? Who? Stop roaring, and let me read!' commanded
+his mother, entirely bewildered.
+
+Relinquishing the paper, Ted allowed her to read for herself, with
+frequent interruptions from him--and Rob, who soon followed, eager
+for the tale. It was nothing new; but courage and devotion always
+stir generous hearts, and win admiration; so the account was both
+graphic and enthusiastic; and the name of Daniel Kean, the brave man
+who saved the lives of others at the risk of his own, was on many
+lips that day. Very proud were the faces of these friends as they
+read how their Dan was the only one who, in the first panic of the
+accident, remembered the old shaft that led into the mine--walled up,
+but the only hope of escape, if the men could be got out before the
+rising water drowned them; how he was lowered down alone, telling the
+others to keep back till he saw if it was safe; how he heard the poor
+fellows picking desperately for their lives on the other side, and by
+knocks and calls guided them to the right spot; then headed the
+rescue party, and working like a hero, got the men out in time. On
+being drawn up last of all, the worn rope broke, and he had a
+terrible fall, being much hurt, but was still alive. How the grateful
+women kissed his blackened face and bloody hands, as the men bore him
+away in triumph, and the owners of the mine promised a handsome
+reward, if he lived to receive it!
+
+'He must live; he shall, and come home to be nursed as soon as he can
+stir, if I go and bring him myself! I always knew he'd do something
+fine and brave, if he didn't get shot or hung for some wild prank
+instead,' cried Mrs Jo, much excited.
+
+'Do go, and take me with you, Mum. I ought to be the one, Dan's so
+fond of me and I of him,' began Ted, feeling that this would be an
+expedition after his own heart.
+
+Before his mother could reply, Mr Laurie came in, with almost as much
+noise and flurry as Teddy the second, exclaiming as he waved the
+evening paper:
+
+'Seen the news, Jo? What do you think? Shall I go off at once, and
+see after that brave boy?'
+
+'I wish you would. But the thing may not be all true--rumour lies so.
+Perhaps a few hours will bring an entirely new version of the story.'
+
+'I've telephoned to Demi for all he can find out; and if it's true,
+I'll go at once. Should like the trip. If he's able, I'll bring him
+home; if not, I'll stay and see to him. He'll pull through. Dan will
+never die of a fall on his head. He's got nine lives, and not lost
+half of them yet.'
+
+'If you go, uncle, mayn't I go with you? I'm just spoiling for a
+journey; and it would be such larks to go out there with you, and see
+the mines and Dan, and hear all about it, and help. I can nurse.
+Can't I, Rob?' cried Teddy, in his most wheedlesome tones.
+
+'Pretty well. But if mother can't spare you, I'm ready if uncle needs
+anyone,' answered Rob, in his quiet way, looking much fitter for the
+trip than excitable Ted.
+
+'I can't spare either of you. My boys get into trouble, unless I keep
+them close at home. I've no right to hold the others; but I won't let
+you out of my sight, or something will happen. Never saw such a year,
+with wrecks and weddings and floods and engagements, and every sort
+of catastrophe!' exclaimed Mrs Jo.
+
+'If you deal in girls and boys, you must expect this sort of thing,
+ma'am. The worst is over, I hope, till these lads begin to go off.
+Then I'll stand by you; for you'll need every kind of support and
+comfort, specially if Ted bolts early,' laughed Mr Laurie, enjoying
+her lamentations.
+
+'I don't think anything can surprise me now; but I am anxious about
+Dan, and feel that someone had better go to him. It's a rough place
+out there, and he may need careful nursing. Poor lad, he seems to get
+a good many hard knocks! But perhaps he needs them as "a mellerin'
+process", as Hannah used to say.'
+
+'We shall hear from Demi before long, and then I'll be off.' With
+which cheerful promise Mr Laurie departed; and Ted, finding his
+mother firm, soon followed, to coax his uncle to take him.
+
+Further inquiry confirmed and added interest to the news. Mr Laurie
+was off at once; and Ted went into town with him, still vainly
+imploring to be taken to his Dan. He was absent all day; but his
+mother said, calmly:
+
+'Only a fit of the sulks because he is thwarted. He's safe with Tom
+or Demi, and will come home hungry and meek at night. I know him.'
+
+But she soon found that she could still be surprised; for evening
+brought no Ted, and no one had seen him. Mr Bhaer was just setting
+off to find his lost son, when a telegram arrived, dated at one of
+the way-stations on Mr Laurie's route:
+
+    Found Ted in the cars. Take him along. Write tomorrow.
+
+        T.  LAURENCE
+
+'Ted bolted sooner than you expected, mother. Never mind--uncle will
+take good care of him, and Dan be very glad to see him,' said Rob, as
+Mrs Jo sat, trying to realize that her youngest was actually on his
+way to the wild West.
+
+'Disobedient boy! He shall be severely punished, if I ever get him
+again. Laurie winked at this prank; I know he did. Just like him.
+Won't the two rascals have a splendid time? Wish I was with them!
+Don't believe that crazy boy took even a night-gown with him, or an
+overcoat. Well, there will be two patients for us to nurse when they
+get back, if they ever do. Those reckless express trains always go
+down precipices, and burn up, or telescope. Oh! my Ted, my precious
+boy, how can I let him go so far away from me?'
+
+And mother-like, Mrs Jo forgot the threatened chastisement in tender
+lamentations over the happy scapegrace, now whizzing across the
+continent in high feather at the success of his first revolt. Mr
+Laurie was much amused at his insisting that those words, 'when Ted
+bolts', put the idea into his head; and therefore the responsibility
+rested upon his shoulders. He assumed it kindly from the moment he
+came upon the runaway asleep in a car, with no visible luggage but a
+bottle of wine for Dan and a blacking-brush for himself; and as Mrs
+Jo suspected, the 'two rascals' did have a splendid time. Penitent
+letters arrived in due season, and the irate parents soon forgot to
+chide in their anxiety about Dan, who was very ill, and did not know
+his friends for several days. Then he began to mend; and everyone
+forgave the bad boy when he proudly reported that the first conscious
+words Dan said were: 'Hallo, Ted!' with a smile of pleasure at seeing
+a familiar face bent over him.
+
+'Glad he went, and I won't scold any more. Now, what shall we put in
+the box for Dan?' And Mrs Jo worked off her impatience to get hold of
+the invalid by sending comforts enough for a hospital.
+
+Cheering accounts soon began to come, and at length Dan was
+pronounced able to travel, but seemed in no haste to go home, though
+never tired of hearing his nurses talk of it.
+
+'Dan is strangely altered,' wrote Laurie to Jo; 'not by this illness
+alone, but by something which has evidently gone before. I don't know
+what, and leave you to ask; but from his ravings when delirious I
+fear he has been in some serious trouble the past year.  He seems ten
+years older, but improved, quieter, and so grateful to us. It is
+pathetic to see the hunger in his eyes as they rest on Ted, as if he
+couldn't see enough of him. He says Kansas was a failure, but can't
+talk much; so I bide my time. The people here love him very much, and
+he cares for that sort of thing now; used to scorn any show of
+emotion, you know; now he wants everyone to think well of him, and
+can't do enough to win affection and respect. I may be all wrong. You
+will soon find out. Ted is in clover, and the trip has done him a
+world of good. Let me take him to Europe when we go? Apron-strings
+don't agree with him any better than they did with me when I proposed
+to run away to Washington with you some century ago. Aren't you sorry
+you didn't?'
+
+This private letter set Mrs Jo's lively fancy in a ferment, and she
+imagined every known crime, affliction, and complication which could
+possibly have befallen Dan. He was too feeble to be worried with
+questions now, but she promised herself most interesting revelations
+when she got him safe at home; for the 'firebrand' was her most
+interesting boy. She begged him to come, and spent more time in
+composing a letter that should bring him, than she did over the most
+thrilling episodes in her 'works'.
+
+No one but Dan saw the letter; but it did bring him, and one November
+day Mr Laurie helped a feeble man out of a carriage at the door of
+Plumfield, and Mother Bhaer received the wanderer like a recovered
+son; while Ted, in a disreputable-looking hat and an astonishing pair
+of boots, performed a sort of war-dance round the interesting group.
+
+'Right upstairs and rest; I'm nurse now, and this ghost must eat
+before he talks to anyone,' commanded Mrs Jo, trying not to show how
+shocked she was at this shorn and shaven, gaunt and pallid shadow of
+the stalwart man she parted with.
+
+He was quite content to obey, and lay on the long lounge in the room
+prepared for him, looking about as tranquilly as a sick child
+restored to its own nursery and mother's arms, while his new nurse
+fed and refreshed him, bravely controlling the questions that burned
+upon her tongue. Being weak and weary, he soon fell asleep; and then
+she stole away to enjoy the society of the 'rascals', whom she
+scolded and petted, pumped and praised, to her heart's content.
+
+'Jo, I think Dan has committed some crime and suffered for it,' said
+Mr Laurie, when Ted had departed to show his boots and tell glowing
+tales of the dangers and delights of the miners' life to his mates.
+'Some terrible experience has come to the lad, and broken his spirit.
+He was quite out of his head when we arrived, and I took the
+watching, so I heard more of those sad wanderings than anyone else.
+He talked of the "warden", some trail, a dead man, and Blair and
+Mason, and would keep offering me his hand, asking me if I would take
+it and forgive him. Once, when he was very wild, I held his arms, and
+he quieted in a moment, imploring me not to "put the handcuffs on". I
+declare, it was quite awful sometimes to hear him in the night talk
+of old Plum and you, and beg to be let out and go home to die.'
+
+'He isn't going to die, but live to repent of anything he may have
+done; so don't harrow me up with these dark hints, Teddy. I don't
+care if he's broken the Ten Commandments, I'll stand by him, and so
+will you, and we'll set him on his feet and make a good man of him
+yet. I know he's not spoilt, by the look in his poor face. Don't say
+a word to anyone, and I'll have the truth before long,' answered Mrs
+Jo, still loyal to her bad boy, though much afflicted by what she had
+heard.
+
+For some days Dan rested, and saw few people; then good care,
+cheerful surroundings, and the comfort of being at home began to
+tell, and he seemed more like himself, though still very silent as to
+his late experiences, pleading the doctor's orders not to talk much.
+Everyone wanted to see him; but he shrank from any but old friends,
+and 'wouldn't lionize worth a cent', Ted said, much disappointed that
+he could not show off his brave Dan.
+
+'Wasn't a man there who wouldn't have done the same, so why make a
+row over me?' asked the hero, feeling more ashamed than proud of the
+broken arm, which looked so interesting in a sling.
+
+'But isn't it pleasant to think that you saved twenty lives, Dan, and
+gave husbands, sons, and fathers back to the women who loved them?'
+asked Mrs Jo one evening as they were alone together after several
+callers had been sent away.
+
+'Pleasant! it's all that kept me alive, I do believe; yes, I'd rather
+have done it than be made president or any other big bug in the
+world. No one knows what a comfort it is to think I've saved twenty
+men to more than pay for--' There Dan stopped short, having evidently
+spoken out of some strong emotion to which his hearer had no key.
+
+'I thought you'd feel so. It is a splendid thing to save life at the
+risk of one's own, as you did, and nearly lose it,' began Mrs Jo,
+wishing he had gone on with that impulsive speech which was so like
+his old manner.
+
+'"He that loseth his life shall gain it",' muttered Dan, staring at
+the cheerful fire which lighted the room, and shone on his thin face
+with a ruddy glow.
+
+Mrs Jo was so startled at hearing such words from his lips that she
+exclaimed joyfully:
+
+'Then you did read the little book I gave you, and kept your
+promise?'
+
+'I read it a good deal after a while. I don't know much yet, but I'm
+ready to learn; and that's something.'
+
+'It's everything. Oh, my dear, tell me about it! I know something
+lies heavy on your heart; let me help you bear it, and so make the
+burden lighter.'
+
+'I know it would; I want to tell; but some things even you couldn't
+forgive; and if you let go of me, I'm afraid I can't keep afloat.'
+
+'Mothers can forgive anything! Tell me all, and be sure that I will
+never let you go, though the whole world should turn from you.'
+
+Mrs Jo took one of the big wasted hands in both of hers and held it
+fast, waiting silently till that sustaining touch warmed poor Dan's
+heart, and gave him courage to speak. Sitting in his old attitude,
+with his head in his hands, he slowly told it all, never once looking
+up till the last words left his lips.
+
+'Now you know; can you forgive a murderer, and keep a jail-bird in
+your house?'
+
+Her only answer was to put her arms about him, and lay the shorn head
+on her breast, with eyes so full of tears they could but dimly see
+the hope and fear that made his own so tragical.
+
+That was better than any words; and poor Dan clung to her in
+speechless gratitude, feeling the blessedness of mother love--that
+divine gift which comforts, purifies, and strengthens all who seek
+it. Two or three great, bitter drops were hidden in the little
+woollen shawl where Dan's cheek rested, and no one ever knew how soft
+and comfortable it felt to him after the hard pillows he had known so
+long. Suffering of both mind and body had broken will and pride, and
+the lifted burden brought such a sense of relief that he paused a
+moment to enjoy it in dumb delight.
+
+'My poor boy, how you have suffered all this year, when we thought
+you free as air! Why didn't you tell us, Dan, and let us help you?
+Did you doubt your friends?' asked Mrs Jo, forgetting all other
+emotions in sympathy, as she lifted up the hidden face, and looked
+reproachfully into the great hollow eyes that met her own frankly
+now.
+
+'I was ashamed. I tried to bear it alone rather than shock and
+disappoint you, as I know I have, though you try not to show it.
+Don't mind; I must get used to it'; and Dan's eyes dropped again as
+if they could not bear to see the trouble and dismay his confession
+painted on his best friend's face.
+
+'I am shocked and disappointed by the sin, but I am also very glad
+and proud and grateful that my sinner has repented, atoned, and is
+ready to profit by the bitter lesson. No one but Fritz and Laurie
+need ever know the truth; we owe it to them, and they will feel as I
+do,' answered Mrs Jo, wisely thinking that entire frankness would be
+a better tonic than too much sympathy.
+
+'No, they won't; men never forgive like women. But it's right.
+Please tell 'em for me, and get it over. Mr Laurence knows it, I
+guess. I blabbed when my wits were gone; but he was very kind all the
+same. I can bear their knowing; but oh, not Ted and the girls!' Dan
+clutched her arm with such an imploring face that she hastened to
+assure him no one should know except the two old friends, and he
+calmed down as if ashamed of his sudden panic.
+
+'It wasn't murder, mind you, it was in self-defence; he drew first,
+and I had to hit him. Didn't mean to kill him; but it doesn't worry
+me as much as it ought, I'm afraid. I've more than paid for it, and
+such a rascal is better out of the world than in it, showing boys the
+way to hell. Yes, I know you think that's awful in me; but I can't
+help it. I hate a scamp as I do a skulking coyote, and always want to
+get a shot at 'em. Perhaps it would have been better if he had killed
+me; my life is spoilt.'
+
+All the old prison gloom seemed to settle like a black cloud on Dan's
+face as he spoke, and Mrs Jo was frightened at the glimpse it gave
+her of the fire through which he had passed to come out alive, but
+scarred for life. Hoping to turn his mind to happier things, she said
+cheerfully:
+
+'No, it isn't; you have learned to value it more and use it better
+for this trial. It is not a lost year, but one that may prove the
+most helpful of any you ever know. Try to think so, and begin again;
+we will help, and have all the more confidence in you for this
+failure.  We all do the same and struggle on.'
+
+'I never can be what I was. I feel about sixty, and don't care for
+anything now I've got here. Let me stay till I'm on my legs, then
+I'll clear out and never trouble you any more,' said Dan
+despondently.
+
+'You are weak and low in your mind; that will pass, and by and by you
+will go to your missionary work among the Indians with all the old
+energy and the new patience, self-control, and knowledge you have
+gained. Tell me more about that good chaplain and Mary Mason and the
+lady whose chance word helped you so much. I want to know all about
+the trials of my poor boy.'
+
+Won by her tender interest, Dan brightened up and talked on till he
+had poured out all the story of that bitter year, and felt better for
+the load he lifted off.
+
+If he had known how it weighed upon his hearer's heart, he would have
+held his peace; but she hid her sorrow till she had sent him to bed,
+comforted and calm; then she cried her heart out, to the great dismay
+of Fritz and Laurie, till they heard the tale and could mourn with
+her; after which they all cheered up and took counsel together how
+best to help this worst of all the 'catastrophes' the year had
+brought them.
+
+
+
+Chapter 21 
+
+ASLAUGA'S KNIGHT
+
+It was curious to see the change which came over Dan after that talk.
+A weight seemed off his mind; and though the old impetuous spirit
+flashed out at times, he seemed intent on trying to show his
+gratitude and love and honour to these true friends by a new humility
+and confidence very sweet to them, very helpful to him.  After
+hearing the story from Mrs Jo, the Professor and Mr Laurie made no
+allusion to it beyond the hearty hand-grasp, the look of compassion,
+the brief word of good cheer in which men convey sympathy, and a
+redoubled kindness which left no doubt of pardon.  Mr Laurie began at
+once to interest influential persons in Dan's mission, and set in
+motion the machinery which needs so much oiling before anything can
+be done where Government is concerned. Mr Bhaer, with the skill of a
+true teacher, gave Dan's hungry mind something to do, and helped him
+understand himself by carrying on the good chaplain's task so
+paternally that the poor fellow often said he felt as if he had found
+a father. The boys took him to drive, and amused him with their
+pranks and plans; while the women, old and young, nursed and petted
+him till he felt like a sultan with a crowd of devoted slaves,
+obedient to his lightest wish. A very little of this was enough for
+Dan, who had a masculine horror of 'molly-coddling', and so brief an
+acquaintance with illness that he rebelled against the doctor's
+orders to keep quiet; and it took all Mrs Jo's authority and the
+girls' ingenuity to keep him from leaving his sofa long before
+strained back and wounded head were well. Daisy cooked for him; Nan
+attended to his medicines; Josie read aloud to while away the long
+hours of inaction that hung so heavily on his hands; while Bess
+brought all her pictures and casts to amuse him, and, at his special
+desire, set up a modelling-stand in his parlour and began to mould
+the buffalo head he gave her. Those afternoons seemed the pleasantest
+part of his day; and Mrs Jo, busy in her study close by, could see
+the friendly trio and enjoy the pretty pictures they made. The girls
+were much flattered by the success of their efforts, and exerted
+themselves to be very entertaining, consulting Dan's moods with the
+feminine tact most women creatures learn before they are out of
+pinafores. When he was gay, the room rang with laughter; when gloomy,
+they read or worked in respectful silence till their sweet patience
+cheered him up again; and when in pain they hovered over him like 'a
+couple of angels', as he said. He often called Josie 'little mother',
+but Bess was always 'Princess'; and his manner to the two cousins was
+quite different. Josie sometimes fretted him with her fussy ways, the
+long plays she liked to read, and the maternal scoldings she
+administered when he broke the rules; for having a lord of creation
+in her power was so delightful to her that she would have ruled him
+with a rod of iron if he had submitted.  To Bess, in her gentler
+ministrations, he never showed either impatience or weariness, but
+obeyed her least word, exerted himself to seem well in her presence,
+and took such interest in her work that he lay looking at her with
+unwearied eyes; while Josie read to him in her best style unheeded.
+
+Mrs Jo observed this, and called them 'Una and the Lion', which
+suited them very well, though the lion's mane was shorn, and Una
+never tried to bridle him. The elder ladies did their part in
+providing delicacies and supplying all his wants; but Mrs Meg was
+busy at home, Mrs Amy preparing for the trip to Europe in the spring,
+and Mrs Jo hovering on the brink of a 'vortex'--for the forthcoming
+book had been sadly delayed by the late domestic events. As she sat
+at her desk, settling papers or meditatively nibbling her pen while
+waiting for the divine afflatus to descend upon her, she often forgot
+her fictitious heroes and heroines in studying the live models before
+her, and thus by chance looks, words, and gestures discovered a
+little romance unsuspected by anyone else.
+
+The portiere between the rooms was usually drawn aside, giving a view
+of the group in the large bay-window--Bess at one side, in her grey
+blouse, busy with her tools; Josie at the other side with her book;
+and between, on the long couch, propped with many cushions, lay Dan
+in a many-hued eastern dressing-gown presented by Mr Laurie and worn
+to please the girls, though the invalid much preferred an old jacket
+'with no confounded tail to bother over'. He faced Mrs Jo's room, but
+never seemed to see her, for his eyes were on the slender figure
+before him, with the pale winter sunshine touching her golden head,
+and the delicate hands that shaped the clay so deftly. Josie was just
+visible, rocking violently in a little chair at the head of the
+couch, and the steady murmur of her girlish voice was usually the
+only sound that broke the quiet of the room, unless a sudden
+discussion arose about the book or the buffalo.
+
+Something in the big eyes, bigger and blacker than ever in the thin
+white face, fixed, so steadily on one object, had a sort of
+fascination for Mrs Jo after a time, and she watched the changes in
+them curiously; for Dan's mind was evidently not on the story, and he
+often forgot to laugh or exclaim at the comic or exciting crises.
+Sometimes they were soft and wistful, and the watcher was very glad
+that neither damsel caught that dangerous look for when they spoke it
+vanished; sometimes it was full of eager fire, and the colour came
+and went rebelliously, in spite of his attempt to hide it with an
+impatient gesture of hand or head; but oftenest it was dark, and sad,
+and stern, as if those gloomy eyes looked out of captivity at some
+forbidden light or joy. This expression came so often that it worried
+Mrs Jo, and she longed to go and ask him what bitter memory
+overshadowed those quiet hours. She knew that his crime and its
+punishment must lie heavy on his mind; but youth, and time, and new
+hopes would bring comfort, and help to wear away the first sharpness
+of the prison brand. It lifted at other times, and seemed almost
+forgotten when he joked with the boys, talked with old friends, or
+enjoyed the first snows as he drove out every fair day. Why should
+the shadow always fall so darkly on him in the society of these
+innocent and friendly girls? They never seemed to see it, and if
+either looked or spoke, a quick smile came like a sunburst through
+the clouds to answer them. So Mrs Jo went on watching, wondering, and
+discovering, till accident confirmed her fears.
+
+Josie was called away one day, and Bess, tired of working, offered to
+take her place if he cared for more reading.
+
+'I do; your reading suits me better than Jo's. She goes so fast my
+stupid head gets in a muddle and soon begins to ache. Don't tell her;
+she's a dear little soul, and so good to sit here with a bear like
+me.'
+
+The smile was ready as Bess went to the table for a new book, the
+last story being finished.
+
+'You are not a bear, but very good and patient, we think. It is
+always hard for a man to be shut up, mamma says, and must be terrible
+for you, who have always been so free.'
+
+If Bess had not been reading titles she would have seen Dan shrink as
+if her last words hurt him. He made no answer; but other eyes saw and
+understood why he looked as if he would have liked to spring up and
+rush away for one of his long races up the hill, as he used to do
+when the longing for liberty grew uncontrollable.  Moved by a sudden
+impulse, Mrs Jo caught up her work-basket and went to join her
+neighbours, feeling that a non-conductor might be needed; for Dan
+looked like a thundercloud full of electricity.
+
+'What shall we read, Aunty? Dan doesn't seem to care. You know his
+taste; tell me something quiet and pleasant and short. Josie will be
+back soon,' said Bess, still turning over the books piled on the
+centre-table.
+
+Before Mrs Jo could answer, Dan pulled a shabby little volume from
+under his pillow, and handing it to her said: 'Please read the third
+one; it's short and pretty--I'm fond of it.' The book opened at the
+right place, as if the third story had been often read, and Bess
+smiled as she saw the name.
+
+'Why, Dan, I shouldn't think you'd care for this romantic German
+tale. There is fighting in it; but it is very sentimental, if I
+remember rightly.'
+
+'I know it; but I've read so few stories, I like the simple ones
+best.  Had nothing else to read sometimes; I guess I know it all by
+heart, and never seem to be tired of those fighting fellows, and the
+fiends and angels and lovely ladies. You read "Aslauga's Knight", and
+see if you don't like it. Edwald was rather too soft for my fancy;
+but Froda was first-rate and the spirit with the golden hair always
+reminded me of you.'
+
+As Dan spoke Mrs Jo settled herself where she could watch him in the
+glass, and Bess took a large chair facing him, saying, as she put up
+her hands to retie the ribbon that held the cluster of thick, soft
+curls at the back of her head:
+
+'I hope Aslauga's hair wasn't as troublesome as mine, for it's always
+tumbling down. I'll be ready in a minute.'
+
+'Don't tie it up; please let it hang. I love to see it shine that way.
+It will rest your head, and be just right for the story, Goldilocks,'
+pleaded Dan, using the childish name and looking more like his boyish
+self than he had done for many a day.
+
+Bess laughed, shook down her pretty hair, and began to read, glad to
+hide her face a little; for compliments made her shy, no matter who
+paid them. Dan listened intently on; and Mrs Jo, with eyes that went
+often from her needle to the glass, could see, without turning, how
+he enjoyed every word as if it had more meaning for him than for the
+other listeners. His face brightened wonderfully, and soon wore the
+look that came when anything brave or beautiful inspired and touched
+his better self. It was Fouque's charming story of the knight Froda,
+and the fair daughter of Sigurd, who was a sort of spirit, appearing
+to her lover in hours of danger and trial, as well as triumph and
+joy, till she became his guide and guard, inspiring him with courage,
+nobleness, and truth, leading him to great deeds in the field,
+sacrifices for those he loved, and victories over himself by the
+gleaming of her golden hair, which shone on him in battle, dreams,
+and perils by day and night, till after death he finds the lovely
+spirit waiting to receive and to reward him.
+
+Of all the stories in the book this was the last one would have
+supposed Dan would like best, and even Mrs Jo was surprised at his
+perceiving the moral of the tale through the delicate imagery and
+romantic language by which it was illustrated. But as she looked and
+listened she remembered the streak of sentiment and refinement which
+lay concealed in Dan like the gold vein in a rock, making him quick
+to feel and to enjoy fine colour in a flower, grace in an animal,
+sweetness in women, heroism in men, and all the tender ties that bind
+heart to heart; though he was slow to show it, having no words to
+express the tastes and instincts which he inherited from his mother.
+Suffering of soul and body had tamed his stronger passions, and the
+atmosphere of love and pity now surrounding him purified and warmed
+his heart till it began to hunger for the food neglected or denied so
+long. This was plainly written in his too expressive face, as,
+fancying it unseen, he let it tell the longing after beauty, peace,
+and happiness embodied for him in the innocent fair girl before him.
+
+The conviction of this sad yet natural fact came to Mrs Jo with a
+pang, for she felt how utterly hopeless such a longing was; since
+light and darkness were not farther apart than snow-white Bess and
+sin-stained Dan. No dream of such a thing disturbed the young girl,
+as her entire unconsciousness plainly showed. But how long would it
+be before the eloquent eyes betrayed the truth? And then what
+disappointment for Dan, what dismay for Bess, who was as cool and
+high and pure as her own marbles, and shunned all thought of love
+with maidenly reserve.
+
+'How hard everything is made for my poor boy! How can I spoil his
+little dream, and take away the spirit of good he is beginning to
+love and long for? When my own dear lads are safely settled I'll
+never try another, for these things are heart-breaking, and I can't
+manage any more,' thought Mrs Jo, as she put the lining into Teddy's
+coat-sleeve upside down, so perplexed and grieved was she at this new
+catastrophe.
+
+The story was soon done, and as Bess shook back her hair, Dan asked
+as eagerly as a boy:
+
+'Don't you like it?'
+
+'Yes, it's very pretty, and I see the meaning of it; but Undine was
+always my favourite.'
+
+'Of course, that's like you--lilies and pearls and souls and pure
+water. Sintram used to be mine; but I took a fancy to this when I
+was--ahem--rather down on my luck one time, and it did me good, it
+was so cheerful and sort of spiritual in its meaning, you know.'
+
+Bess opened her blue eyes in wonder at this fancy of Dan's for
+anything 'spiritual'; but she only nodded, saying: 'Some of the
+little songs are sweet and might be set to music.'
+
+Dan laughed; 'I used to sing the last one to a tune of my own
+sometimes at sunset:
+
+    '"Listening to celestial lays,
+      Bending thy unclouded gaze
+      On the pure and living light,
+      Thou art blest, Aslauga's Knight!"
+
+'And I was,' he added, under his breath, as he glanced towards the
+sunshine dancing on the wall.
+
+'This one suits you better now'; and glad to please him by her
+interest, Bess read in her soft voice:
+
+    '"Healfast, healfast, ye hero wounds;
+      O knight, be quickly strong! 
+      Beloved strife
+      For fame and life,
+      Oh, tarry not too long!"'
+
+'I'm no hero, never can be, and "fame and life" can't do much for me.
+Never mind, read me that paper, please. This knock on the head has
+made a regular fool of me.'
+
+Dan's voice was gentle; but the light was gone out of his face now,
+and he moved restlessly as if the silken pillows were full of thorns.
+Seeing that his mood had changed, Bess quietly put down the book,
+took up the paper, and glanced along the columns for something to
+suit him.
+
+'You don't care for the money market, I know, nor musical news.
+Here's a murder; you used to like those; shall I read it? One man
+kills another--,'
+
+'No!'
+
+Only a word, but it gave Mrs Jo a thrill, and for a moment she dared
+not glance at the tell-tale mirror. When she did Dan lay motionless
+with one hand over his eyes, and Bess was happily reading the art
+news to ears that never heard a word. Feeling like a thief who has
+stolen something very precious, Mrs Jo slipped away to her study, and
+before long Bess followed to report that Dan was fast asleep.
+
+Sending her home, with the firm resolve to keep her there as much as
+possible, Mother Bhaer had an hour of serious thought all alone in
+the red sunset; and when a sound in the next room led her there, she
+found that the feigned sleep had become real repose; for Dan lay
+breathing heavily, with a scarlet spot on either cheek, and one hand
+clinched on his broad breast. Yearning over him with a deeper pity
+than ever before, she sat in the little chair beside him, trying to
+see her way out of this tangle, till his hand slipped down, and in
+doing so snapped a cord he wore about his neck and let a small case
+drop to the floor.
+
+Mrs Jo picked it up, and as he did not wake, sat looking at it, idly
+wondering what charm it held; for the case was of Indian workmanship
+and the broken cord, of closely woven grass, sweet scented and pale
+yellow.
+
+'I won't pry into any more of the poor fellow's secrets. I'll mend
+and put it back, and never let him know I've seen his talisman.'
+
+As she spoke she turned the little wallet to examine the fracture,
+and a card fell into her lap. It was a photograph, cut to fit its
+covering, and two words were written underneath the face, 'My
+Aslauga'. For an instant Mrs Jo fancied that it might be one of
+herself, for all the boys had them; but as the thin paper fell away,
+she saw the picture Demi took of Bess that happy summer day.  There
+was no doubt now, and with a sigh she put it back, and was about to
+slip it into Dan's bosom so that not even a stitch should betray her
+knowledge, when as she leaned towards him, she saw that he was
+looking straight at her with an expression that surprised her more
+than any of the strange ones she had ever seen in that changeful face
+before.
+
+'Your hand slipped down; it fell; I was putting it back,' explained
+Mrs Jo, feeling like a naughty child caught in mischief.
+
+'You saw the picture?'
+
+'Yes.'
+
+'And know what a fool I am?'
+
+'Yes, Dan, and am so grieved--'
+
+'Don't worry about me. I'm all right--glad you know, though I never
+meant to tell you. Of course it is only a crazy fancy of mine, and
+nothing can ever come of it. Never thought there would. Good Lord!
+what could that little angel ever be to me but what she is--a sort of
+dream of all that's sweet and good?'
+
+More afflicted by the quiet resignation of his look and tone than by
+the most passionate ardour, Mrs Jo could only say, with a face full
+of sympathy:
+
+'It is very hard, dear, but there is no other way to look at it. You
+are wise and brave enough to see that, and to let the secret be ours
+alone.'
+
+'I swear I will! not a word nor a look if I can help it. No one
+guesses, and if it troubles no one, is there any harm in my keeping
+this, and taking comfort in the pretty fancy that kept me sane in
+that cursed place?'
+
+Dan's face was eager now, and he hid away the little worn case as if
+defying any hand to take it from him. Anxious to know everything
+before giving counsel or comfort, Mrs Jo said quietly:
+
+'Keep it, and tell me all about the "fancy". Since I have stumbled on
+your secret, let me know how it came, and how I can help to make it
+lighter to bear.'
+
+'You'll laugh; but I don't mind. You always did find out our secrets
+and give us a lift. Well, I never cared much for books, you know; but
+down yonder when the devil tormented me I had to do something or go
+stark mad, so I read both the books you gave me.  One was beyond me,
+till that good old man showed me how to read it; but the other, this
+one, was a comfort, I tell you. It amused me, and was as pretty as
+poetry. I liked 'em all, and most wore out Sintram. See how used up
+he is! Then I came to this, and it sort of fitted that other happy
+part of my life, last summer--here.'
+
+Dan stopped a moment as the words lingered on his lips; then, with a
+long breath, went on, as if it was hard to lay bare the foolish
+little romance he had woven about a girl, a picture, and a child's
+story there in the darkness of the place which was as terrible to him
+as Dante's Inferno, till he found his Beatrice.
+
+'I couldn't sleep, and had to think about something, so I used to
+fancy I was Folko, and see the shining of Aslauga's hair in the
+sunset on the wall, the gum of the watchman's lamp, and the light
+that came in at dawn. My cell was high. I could see a bit of sky;
+sometimes there was a star in it, and that was most as good as a
+face. I set great store by that patch of blue, and when a white cloud
+went by, I thought it was the prettiest thing in all this world. I
+guess I was pretty near a fool; but those thoughts and things helped
+me through, so they are all solemn true to me, and I can't let them
+go. The dear shiny head, the white gown, the eyes like stars, and
+sweet, calm ways that set her as high above me as the moon in heaven.
+Don't take it away! it's only a fancy, but a man must love something,
+and I'd better love a spirit like her than any of the poor common
+girls who would care for me.'
+
+The quiet despair in Dan's voice pierced Mrs Jo to the heart; but
+there was no hope and she gave none. Yet she felt that he was right,
+and that his hapless affection might do more to uplift and purify him
+than any other he might know. Few women would care to marry Dan now,
+except such as would hinder, not help, him in the struggle which life
+would always be to him; and it was better to go solitary to his grave
+than become what she suspected his father had been--a handsome,
+unprincipled, and dangerous man, with more than one broken heart to
+answer for.
+
+'Yes, Dan, it is wise to keep this innocent fancy, if it helps and
+comforts you, till something more real and possible comes to make you
+happier. I wish I could give you any hope; but we both know that the
+dear child is the apple of her father's eye, the pride of her
+mother's heart, and that the most perfect lover they can find will
+hardly seem to them worthy of their precious daughter. Let her remain
+for you the high, bright star that leads you up and makes you believe
+in heaven.' Mrs Jo broke down there; it seemed so cruel to destroy
+the faint hope Dan's eyes betrayed, that she could not moralize when
+she thought of his hard life and lonely future.  Perhaps it was the
+wisest thing she could have done, for in her hearty sympathy he found
+comfort for his own loss, and very soon was able to speak again in
+the manly tone of resignation to the inevitable that showed how
+honest was his effort to give up everything but the pale shadow of
+what, for another, might have been a happy possibility.
+
+They talked long and earnestly in the twilight; and this second
+secret bound them closer than the first; for in it there was neither
+sin nor shame--only the tender pain and patience which has made
+saints and heroes of far worse men than our poor Dan. When at length
+they rose at the summons of a bell, all the sunset glory had
+departed, and in the wintry sky there hung one star, large, soft, and
+clear, above a snowy world. Pausing at the window before she dropped
+the curtains, Mrs Jo said cheerfully:
+
+'Come and see how beautiful the evening star is, since you love it
+so.' And as he stood behind her, tall and pale, like the ghost of his
+former self, she added softly: 'And remember, dear, if the sweet girl
+is denied you, the old friend is always here--to love and trust and
+pray for you.'
+
+This time she was not disappointed; and had she asked any reward for
+many anxieties and cares, she received it when Dan's strong arm came
+round her, as he said, in a voice which showed her that she had not
+laboured in vain to pluck her firebrand from the burning:
+
+'I never can forget that; for she's helped to save my soul, and make
+me dare to look up there and say:
+
+"God bless her!"'
+
+
+
+Chapter 22 
+
+POSITIVELY LAST APPEARANCE
+
+'Upon my word, I feel as if I lived in a powder-magazine, and don't
+know which barrel will explode next, and send me flying,' said Mrs Jo
+to herself next day, as she trudged up to Parnassus to suggest to her
+sister that perhaps the most charming of the young nurses had better
+return to her marble gods before she unconsciously added another
+wound to those already won by the human hero. She told no secrets;
+but a hint was sufficient; for Mrs Amy guarded her daughter as a
+pearl of great price, and at once devised a very simple means of
+escape from danger. Mr Laurie was going to Washington on Dan's
+behalf, and was delighted to take his family with him when the idea
+was carelessly suggested.  So the conspiracy succeeded finely; and
+Mrs Jo went home, feeling more like a traitor than ever. She expected
+an explosion; but Dan took the news so quietly, it was plain that he
+cherished no hope; and Mrs Amy was sure her romantic sister had been
+mistaken. If she had seen Dan's face when Bess went to say good-bye,
+her maternal eye would have discovered far more than the unconscious
+girl did. Mrs Jo trembled lest he should betray himself; but he had
+learned self-control in a stern school, and would have got through
+the hard moment bravely, only, when he took both hands, saying
+heartily:
+
+'Good-bye, Princess. If we don't meet again, remember your old friend
+Dan sometimes,' she, touched by his late danger and the wistful look
+he wore, answered with unusual warmth: 'How can I help it, when you
+make us all so proud of you? God bless your mission, and bring you
+safely home to us again!'
+
+As she looked up at him with a face full of frank affection and sweet
+regret, all that he was losing rose so vividly before him that Dan
+could not resist the impulse to take the 'dear goldy head' between
+his hands and kiss it, with a broken 'Good-bye'; then hurried back to
+his room, feeling as if it were the prison-cell again, with no
+glimpse of heaven's blue to comfort him.
+
+This abrupt caress and departure rather startled Bess; for she felt
+with a girl's quick instinct that there was something in that kiss
+unknown before, and looked after him with sudden colour in her cheeks
+and new trouble in her eyes. Mrs Jo saw it, and fearing a very
+natural question answered it before it was put.
+
+'Forgive him, Bess. He has had a great trouble, and it makes him
+tender at parting with old friends; for you know he may never come
+back from the wild world he is going to.'
+
+'You mean the fall and danger of death?' asked Bess, innocently.
+
+'No, dear; a greater trouble than that. But I cannot tell you any
+more--except that he has come through it bravely; so you may trust
+and respect him, as I do.'
+
+'He has lost someone he loved. Poor Dan! We must be very kind to
+him.'
+
+Bess did not ask the question, but seemed content with her solution
+of the mystery--which was so true that Mrs Jo confirmed it by a nod,
+and let her go away believing that some tender loss and sorrow
+wrought the great change all saw in Dan, and made him so slow to
+speak concerning the past year.
+
+But Ted was less easily satisfied, and this unusual reticence goaded
+him to desperation. His mother had warned him not to trouble Dan with
+questions till he was quite well; but this prospect of approaching
+departure made him resolve to have a full, clear, and satisfactory
+account of the adventures which he felt sure must have been
+thrilling, from stray words Dan let fall in his fever. So one day
+when the coast was clear, Master Ted volunteered to amuse the
+invalid, and did so in the following manner:
+
+'Look here, old boy, if you don't want me to read, you've got to
+talk, and tell me all about Kansas, and the farms, and that part. The
+Montana business I know, but you seem to forget what went before.
+Brace up, and let's have it,' he began, with an abruptness which
+roused Dan from a brown study most effectually.
+
+'No, I don't forget; it isn't interesting to anyone but myself. I
+didn't see any farms--gave it up,' he said slowly.
+
+'Why?'
+
+'Other things to do.'
+
+'What?'
+
+'Well, brush-making for one thing.'
+
+'Don't chaff a fellow. Tell true.'
+
+'I truly did.'
+
+'What for?'
+
+'To keep out of mischief, as much as anything.'
+
+'Well, of all the queer things--and you've done a lot--that's the
+queerest,' cried Ted, taken aback at this disappointing discovery.
+But he didn't mean to give up yet, and began again.
+
+'What mischief, Dan?'
+
+'Never you mind. Boys shouldn't bother.'
+
+'But I do want to know, awfully, because I'm your pal, and care for
+you no end. Always did. Come, now, tell me a good yarn. I love
+scrapes. I'll be mum as an oyster if you don't want it known.'
+
+'Will you?' and Dan looked at him, wondering how the boyish face
+would change if the truth were suddenly told him.
+
+'I'll swear it on locked fists, if you like. I know it was jolly, and
+I'm aching to hear.'
+
+'You are as curious as a girl. More than some--Josie and--and Bess
+never asked a question.'
+
+'They don't care about rows and things; they liked the mine business,
+heroes, and that sort. So do I, and I'm as proud as Punch over it;
+but I see by your eyes that there was something else before that, and
+I'm bound to find out who Blair and Mason are, and who was hit and
+who ran away, and all the rest of it.'
+
+'What!' cried Dan, in a tone that made Ted jump.
+
+'Well, you used to mutter about 'em in your sleep, and Uncle Laurie
+wondered. So did I; but don't mind, if you can't remember, or would
+rather not.'
+
+'What else did I say? Queer, what stuff a man will talk when his wits
+are gone.'
+
+'That's all I heard; but it seemed interesting, and I just mentioned
+it, thinking it might refresh your memory a bit,' said Teddy, very
+politely; for Dan's frown was heavy at that moment.
+
+It cleared off at this reply, and after a look at the boy squirming
+with suppressed impatience in his chair, Dan made up his mind to
+amuse him with a game of cross-purposes and half-truths, hoping to
+quench his curiosity, and so get peace.
+
+'Let me see; Blair was a lad I met in the cars, and Mason a poor
+fellow who was in a--well, a sort of hospital where I happened to be.
+Blair ran off to his brothers, and I suppose I might say Mason was
+hit, because he died there. Does that suit you?'
+
+'No, it doesn't. Why did Blair run? and who hit the other fellow?
+I'm sure there was a fight somewhere, wasn't there?'
+
+'Yes!
+
+'I guess I know what it was about.'
+
+'The devil, you do! Let's hear you guess. Must be amusing,' said Dan,
+affecting an ease he did not feel.
+
+Charmed to be allowed to free his mind, Ted at once unfolded the
+boyish solution of the mystery which he had been cherishing, for he
+felt that there was one somewhere.
+
+'You needn't say yes, if I guess right and you are under oath to keep
+silent. I shall know by your face, and never tell. Now see if I'm not
+right. Out there they have wild doings, and it's my belief you were
+in some of 'em. I don't mean robbing mails, and KluKluxing, and that
+sort of thing; but defending the settlers, or hanging some scamp, or
+even shooting a few, as a fellow must sometimes, in self-defence.
+Ah, ha! I've hit it, I see. Needn't speak; I know the flash of your
+old eye, and the clench of your big fist.' And Ted pranced with
+satisfaction.
+
+'Drive on, smart boy, and don't lose the trail,' said Dan, finding a
+curious sense of comfort in some of these random words, and longing,
+but not daring, to confirm the true ones. He might have confessed the
+crime, but not the punishment that followed, the sense of its
+disgrace was still so strong upon him.
+
+'I knew I should get it; can't deceive me long,' began Ted, with such
+an air of pride Dan could not help a short laugh.
+
+'It's a relief, isn't it, to have it off your mind? Now, just confide
+in me and it's all safe, unless you've sworn not to tell.'
+
+'I have.'
+
+'Oh, well, then don't'; and Ted's face fell, but he was himself again
+in a moment and said, with the air of a man of the world: 'It's all
+right--I understand--honour binds--silence to death, etc. Glad you
+stood by your mate in the hospital. How many did you kill?'
+
+'Only one.'
+
+'Bad lot, of course?'
+
+'A damned rascal.'
+
+'Well, don't look so fierce; I've no objection. Wouldn't mind popping
+at some of those bloodthirsty blackguards myself. Had to dodge and
+keep quiet after it, I suppose.'
+
+'Pretty quiet for a long spell.'
+
+'Got off all right in the end, and headed for your mines and did that
+jolly brave thing. Now, I call that decidedly interesting and
+capital.  I'm glad to know it; but I won't blab.'
+
+'Mind you don't. Look here. Ted, if you'd killed a man, would it
+trouble you--a bad one, I mean?'
+
+The lad opened his mouth to say, 'Not a bit,' but checked that answer
+as if something in Dan's face made him change his mind.  'Well, if it
+was my duty in war or self-defence, I suppose I shouldn't; but if I'd
+pitched into him in a rage, I guess I should be very sorry. Shouldn't
+wonder if he sort of haunted me, and remorse gnawed me as it did Aram
+and those fellows. You don't mind, do you? It was a fair fight,
+wasn't it?'
+
+'Yes, I was in the right; but I wish I'd been out of it. Women don't
+see it that way, and look horrified at such things. Makes it hard;
+but it don't matter.'
+
+'Don't tell 'em; then they can't worry,' said Ted, with the nod of
+one versed in the management of the sex.
+
+'Don't intend to. Mind you keep your notions to yourself, for some of
+'em are wide of the mark. Now you may read if you like'; and there
+the talk ended; but Ted took great comfort in it, and looked as wise
+as an owl afterwards.
+
+A few quiet weeks followed, during which Dan chafed at the delay; and
+when at length word came that his credentials were ready, he was
+eager to be off, to forget a vain love in hard work, and live for
+others, since he might not for himself.
+
+So one wild March morning our Sintram rode away, with horse and
+hound, to face again the enemies who would have conquered him, but
+for Heaven's help and human pity.
+
+'Ah, me! it does seem as if life was made of partings, and they get
+harder as we go on,' sighed Mrs Jo, a week later, as she sat in the
+long parlour at Parnassus one evening, whither the family had gone to
+welcome the travellers back.
+
+'And meetings too, dear; for here we are, and Nat is on his way at
+last. Look for the silver lining, as Marmee used to say, and be
+comforted,' answered Mrs Amy, glad to be at home and find no wolves
+prowling near her sheepfold.
+
+'I've been so worried lately, I can't help croaking. I wonder what
+Dan thought at not seeing you again? It was wise; but he would have
+enjoyed another look at home faces before he went into the
+wilderness,' said Mrs Jo regretfully.
+
+'Much better so. We left notes and all we could think of that he
+might need, and slipped away before he came. Bess really seemed
+relieved; I'm sure I was'; and Mrs Amy smoothed an anxious line out
+of her white forehead, as she smiled at her daughter, laughing
+happily among her cousins.
+
+Mrs Jo shook her head as if the silver lining of that cloud was hard
+to find; but she had no time to croak again, for just then Mr Laurie 
+came in looking well pleased at something.
+
+'A new picture has arrived; face towards the music-room, good people,
+and tell me how you like it. I call it "Only a fiddler", after
+Andersen's story. What name will you give it?'
+
+As he spoke he threw open the wide doors, and just beyond they saw a
+young man standing, with a beaming face, and a violin in his hand.
+There was no doubt about the name to this picture, and with the cry
+'Nat! Nat!' there was a general uprising. But Daisy reached him
+first, and seemed to have lost her usual composure somewhere on the
+way, for she clung to him, sobbing with the shock of a surprise and
+joy too great for her to bear quietly. Everything was settled by that
+tearful and tender embrace, for, though Mrs Meg speedily detached her
+daughter, it was only to take her place; while Demi shook Nat's hand
+with brotherly warmth, and Josie danced round them like Macbeth's
+three witches in one, chanting in her most tragic tones:
+
+'Chirper thou wast; second violin thou art; first thou shalt be.
+Hail, all hail!'
+
+This caused a laugh, and made things gay and comfortable at once.
+Then the usual fire of questions and answers began, to be kept up
+briskly while the boys admired Nat's blond beard and foreign clothes,
+the girls his improved appearance--for he was ruddy with good English
+beef and beer, and fresh with the sea-breezes which had blown him
+swiftly home--and the older folk rejoiced over his prospects. Of
+course all wanted to hear him play; and when tongues tired, he gladly
+did his best for them, surprising the most critical by his progress
+in music even more than by the energy and self-possession which made
+a new man of bashful Nat. By and by when the violin--that most human
+of all instruments--had sung to them the loveliest songs without
+words, he said, looking about him at these old friends with what Mr
+Bhaer called a 'feeling-full' expression of happiness and content:
+
+'Now let me play something that you will all remember though you
+won't love it as I do'; and standing in the attitude which Ole Bull
+has immortalized, he played the street melody he gave them the first
+night he came to Plumfield. They remembered it, and joined in the
+plaintive chorus, which fitly expressed his own emotions:
+
+    'Oh my heart is sad and weary
+     Everywhere I roam,
+     Longing for the old plantation
+     And for the old folks at home.'
+
+'Now I feel better,' said Mrs Jo, as they all trooped down the hill
+soon after. 'Some of our boys are failures, but I think this one is
+going to be a success, and patient Daisy a happy girl at last. Nat is
+your work, Fritz, and I congratulate you heartily.'
+
+'Ach, we can but sow the seed and trust that it falls on good ground.
+I planted, perhaps, but you watched that the fowls of the air did not
+devour it, and brother Laurie watered generously; so we will share
+the harvest among us, and be glad even for a small one,
+heart's-dearest.'
+
+'I thought the seed had fallen on very stony ground with my poor Dan;
+but I shall not be surprised if he surpasses all the rest in the real
+success of life, since there is more rejoicing over one repentant
+sinner than many saints,' answered Mrs Jo, still clinging fast to her
+black sheep although a whole flock of white ones trotted happily
+before her.
+
+It is a strong temptation to the weary historian to close the present
+tale with an earthquake which should engulf Plumfield and its
+environs so deeply in the bowels of the earth that no youthful
+Schliemann could ever find a vestige of it. But as that somewhat
+melodramatic conclusion might shock my gentle readers, I will
+refrain, and forestall the usual question, 'How did they end?' by
+briefly stating that all the marriages turned out well. The boys
+prospered in their various callings; so did the girls, for Bess and
+Josie won honours in their artistic careers, and in the course of
+time found worthy mates. Nan remained a busy, cheerful, independent
+spinster, and dedicated her life to her suffering sisters and their
+children, in which true woman's work she found abiding happiness. Dan
+never married, but lived, bravely and usefully, among his chosen
+people till he was shot defending them, and at last lay quietly
+asleep in the green wilderness he loved so well, with a lock of
+golden hair upon his breast, and a smile on his face which seemed to
+say that Aslauga's Knight had fought his last fight and was at peace.
+Stuffy became an alderman, and died suddenly of apoplexy after a
+public dinner. Dolly was a society man of mark till he lost his
+money, when he found congenial employment in a fashionable tailoring
+establishment. Demi became a partner, and lived to see his name above
+the door, and Rob was a professor at Laurence College; but Teddy
+eclipsed them all by becoming an eloquent and famous clergyman, to
+the great delight of his astonished mother. And now, having
+endeavoured to suit everyone by many weddings, few deaths, and as
+much prosperity as the eternal fitness of things will permit, let the
+music stop, the lights die out, and the curtain fall for ever on the
+March family.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of The Project Gutenberg Etext of Jo's Boys, by Louisa May Alcott
+
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