University of Virginia Library

6. A SHOPPING EXPEDITION

On the following morning, after breakfast, the first question mooted was that of visiting the shops. "I've got to get Arabella a dress," Mrs. Christie declared, "and a hat and shoes as well, before I take her to see her folks."

Arabella shivered at the mention of "folks," though with the reticence which her lonely, unchildlike life had engendered, she made no allusion to what she had overheard. Mrs. Christie, too, felt oppressed by the dreaded ordeal before her of "facing the folks," and the little woman was heartily in sympathy with her fears.

"We must make Arabella look as well as possible," she agreed, "and the Third Avenue shops won't do. We'll have to go over to Sixth Avenue, or even Broadway. Of course, things will be more expensive there, but we must manage."

"There ain't much need of managing," laughed Mrs. Christie. "The lawyer gave me a cheque for present expenses."

Alicia's eyes opened wide.

"How much?" she inquired.

"Two hundred."

"Two hundred!"

"Yes," answered Mrs. Christie, with her grim smile. "I never handled so much money in my born days, and Arabella, she hasn't ever had more 'n a nickel at a time."

Arabella, half stupefied, unable to realize, to understand, listened to this conversation vaguely. When the trio were about ready for the start, Alicia called her sister aside.

"Dear," she said, "I've got a little money saved. I really don't need it now, and you'd better buy a new bonnet before you go with Arabella to see her people."

Mrs. Christie hesitated. Long ago in the olden days, before she had married Silas, when she was a fine, strapping girl, much admired by some of the local youth, she had been very fond of finery. This taste had survived in an active form during the first years of her married life, but it had soon been rendered inoperative by the rigid economy of Silas Christie. Beauty in the matter of dress did not appeal to him. Vague, shadowy gleams of this old desire had, however, remained in the shape of dreams that arose at times and haunted her imagination, and which had sprung up into renewed strength with the suggestion of wealth for Arabella. Amongst these dreams was a velvet hat with a long feather. That would most certainly make an impression upon Arabella's folks, and she did feel that her present head-gear was scarcely suitable to the occasion. Her shrewd common sense, however, suddenly reasserted itself.

"Alicia," she answered, "you keep your money. It's better for her folks to see at once what kind of people the girl's lived among, and I guess they won't care what sort of a hat I've got on."

This silenced Alicia, who secretly had to admit that her sister was right, though she was not quite convinced, and would have dearly liked to send her off to the dread encounter clad in new attire, for the little woman's eyes were sharp and observant, and she knew that the hat which Mrs. Christie wore was far from being in the latest fashion, and that its trimmings were somewhat faded and inclined to tawdriness.

To Arabella it was an exciting moment, when she was actually setting forth to buy new clothes. She had a young girl's natural desire for pretty things, though, indeed, her experience was so limited that she was only vaguely aware that her attire was of an extremely ancient cut, and painfully home-made in appearance. She put on her hat, happily unconscious that it was almost as many years behind the styles as that of her protectress. Miss Alicia, too, looked quainter than ever after she had arrayed herself in a trim little suit of gray, with a toque to match, which fitted her surprisingly well and had quite a smart appearance. For the first time, Arabella, glancing from her costume to that of Mrs. Christie's, and thence to her own, felt something like doubt.

When they went forth Arabella was conscious of an unusual exhilaration and lightness of spirit on seeing the vast city, clothed with the morning sunshine as with a garment. The moving panorama of the crowds, which had terrified her the night before, now amused and interested her. She loved to watch them, as also the number and variety of the vehicles. Alicia hurried them on, away to the westward, saying that they could take the Sixth Avenue elevated train down to the shopping district. She chatted as they went, pointing out now one building, and then another, and giving them little bits of information about the city.

To the young girl, and, indeed, to her older companion, it seemed a wonderful thing, mounting the iron stairs and stepping from the platform into a train, which having received its quota of passengers, darted into space. For a moment Arabella's heart leaped into her mouth. They were so high up, and the huge mass of cars was moving so quickly, that it appeared as if they must certainly be precipitated into the street below.

She was naturally fearless, however, and she presently began to laugh at the glimpses obtained through the windows, and the curious interiors displayed. She also experienced a growing sense of enjoyment in the swift, flying movements. The two women silently watched her, Alicia smilingly responsive to her laughter, and pleased at her pleasure; Mrs. Christie with a grim curiosity, as one making an experiment. She had herself been long enough away from the city to find everything new and strange; changed, too, in many particulars, yet she was most interested in discovering how it would all appear to Arabella — Arabella, who had never seen anything save country sights.

The three descended to the street at the Twenty-third Street station, Alicia declaring that they could walk down from there to visit the big department stores.

It would not be of the least use to attempt a description of Arabella's frame of mind as they went from shop to shop and saw bewildering piles of stuff, and millinery of every description. They were moderate in their purchases for that day. They did not even know how to shop as rich women yet, and kept thinking of the pennies and the shillings. Arabella's breath was fairly taken away as it was, when Alicia, the bolder of the two, chose a few articles.

What most delighted the little girl was a checked silk, blue and white, a very ordinary one, indeed, but in her eyes a perfect dream. She had never before possessed — had never even dreamed of possessing anything in silk. Its very rustle had been awe-inspiring, and now to have one of her own, and such a sweet pattern, seemed almost too much good fortune.

Alicia, seeing her delight, ventured farther and bought her a couple of very elaborate stocks, some bright ribbons, dainty little collars, and also two pairs of fancy hose. These latter remained for long afterwards a thing of wonder and delight to Arabella, as she surveyed them upon her feet with their bright polka dots. These were supplemented by a dainty and very pretty pair of shoes, and wonder of wonders, gloves.

Against some of these items Mrs. Christie almost rebelled. She called it a tempting of Providence to spend money on such frippery, but Alicia stood firm in her metropolitan knowledge, fortified by Arabella's half bewildered joy in all these new possessions. When they had ventured much farther than Arabella's thoughts had ever gone, even her fairy book scarcely furnishing her with a parallel, Alicia proposed that they should go and take a bite to eat. This latter expedition was to be altogether at her expense.

This was another and delightful experience to the little country mouse. Even the very modest restaurant to which Alicia led her guests seemed palatial to Arabella. She felt a certain awe of the waiter, and was amazed that the gentle little woman should so freely give him her orders. And what nice things he brought, and how the plated silver shone, and the mirrors reflected everything in a most marvelous way! The little girl delighted in pouring out her own coffee from the dainty little coffee pot, and putting in the cream and sugar from the diminutive jug and bowl. For, after all, it is the little things of life that often please children, as well as grown people, and add to their enjoyment.

It was good to see Arabella's brown eyes dance with merriment and quite redeem the decided snub of her nose and the complexion that had grown too red from exposure to sun and wind. Alicia constantly nodded and smiled at her, and the child smiled back again. For already she loved the little woman, and considered her as an important factor in her present happiness. She appeared, indeed, like some benevolent fairy, very trim and dapper in her neat suit of gray, with her curls escaping from underneath her toque. Mrs. Christie, looking at her admiringly, wished that she, instead of herself, could go to meet the awful bugbear of the grand relations.

Orders were left for a hat to be trimmed for Arabella, which the smart little milliner could not promise for three days, at least.

After their luncheon they repaired to a dressmaker, who undertook to make a cloth street costume in the same period of three days, and also to make and send the cherished silk dress after them into the country. This three days gave them a respite. They could not go to see the grand relations before Arabella's things came home.

When the orders were all given, Arabella said to the little woman, for she had not lost her awe of Mrs. Christie, though she felt very kind and grateful towards her because of the sentiments she had expressed on the previous night.

"Is that money mine?"

"Yes, dear," answered the little woman, in some surprise.

"Then," said Arabella, "I want you to buy Mrs. Christie a hat, too; a nice one; oh, a very nice one."

The little woman pressed her hand. She would have liked to hug her. It was a proud and joyful moment for Arabella when Mrs. Christie consented to choose a head-gear which partially, at least, realized her dreams, though to Arabella's disappointment, neither of them would consent to venture on a feather, nor would they agree to any further purchases on her part. It was well that the happy trio could not see the smiles that passed among the milliners, nor hear the witty remarks of the dressmaker's assistants on the unusual customers. And the sum of happiness is not so great, for anyone, that it can afford to be spoiled by ill-natured remarks.

But neither Arabella nor Mrs. Christie was to appear before the great folks in that mode which they had chosen. The fancied security of the three days was rudely broken by the appearance in Alicia's little home of the same smart lawyer's clerk who had carried confusion into the Christie homestead. He came to say that, according to the instructions of his employer, they were to lose no time in presenting themselves to the relatives. When they objected on the score of dress, he dismissed the matter so entirely that they were ashamed to insist any further. For, though he had satisfied himself by a hasty glance that their worst fears on that score were, indeed, justified, he well knew that the improvements they were likely to make would be of small consequence to the new relations, who were prepared to accept Arabella with varied emotions, in which favorable anticipation played no part.

They expected nothing but the worst, and perhaps it was as well that they should see the worst at once. In any case, instructions were instructions, and Arabella had to be formally accepted by her newly found kindred, and her claim on them established before it was possible to decide upon any future course of action. Her grandfather — if, as seemed almost certain, she was the rightful heir — had left her curiously free, and had even insisted that she should not be thwarted in anything save grave matters of right and wrong. The situation was a difficult one. The lawyers were anxious to shift or to share the responsibility.

Hence the two women, dressed precisely as they were, followed the dapper youth down stairs and were handed into a cab. Mrs. Christie sat very erect, steadying herself with as dignified an aspect as possible upon the velvet seat of the carriage. Inwardly she was quaking as she had never quaked before in her life. Arabella, too, was disturbed, and she was awkwardly conscious of the young man, who sat opposite her and scrutinized her keenly, as he would not venture to do, once she had been accepted.

She, on her part, took a dislike to him on the spot, and somewhat unreasonably decided that she hated him. Otherwise she would have enjoyed her first experience of a city carriage. And so with mingled feelings they jolted over the pavements or glided over the smooth macadam into another life for that child of good fortune.