'will you step into my parlour?'

the spider and the fly.

celestina hesitated. she was anxious to be friendly to bridget, and she had a strong instinct of hospitality, but the little girl rather took away her breath. just at that moment, luckily, the door between the shop and the parlour—a door in the corner behind the counter—opened, just a little, enough to admit mrs. fairchild, who came in quietly. she had heard voices in the shop, and thought she was probably needed there, though at this time of the morning, especially when celestina was out, she had to be sometimes in the kitchen.

'celestina,' she exclaimed, surprised and not quite sure if she should be pleased, 'what are you doing? you should have come in at once. i have been expecting you.'[84]

then her eyes fell on the three—or four—three and a half, one might say, to be very correct—strangers in the shop, for jane was still wavering on the doorstep, one foot on the pavement outside and one inside.

'won't you come in?' said mrs. fairchild to her civilly; 'it is a cold morning—and then i could shut the door.'

jane moved inwards, though without speaking, and rough darted forward and shut the door carefully.

'thank you, sir,' said mrs. fairchild, with a little smile that lighted up her whole face. she gave a half unconscious glance at her delicate-looking husband, which explained her anxiety. bridget drew near her and looked up in her face. somehow since mrs. fairchild had come in every one seemed more friendly and at ease.

'are you ce—cel—the little-girl-in-the-bazaar's mamma?' asked biddy.

mrs. fairchild smiled again.

'yes,' she said, touching celestina on the shoulder, 'i am her mother. did you see her at the bazaar?'

'she was buying chairs, and that made me buy one too,' replied biddy rather vaguely.[85]

'the young ladies met me after that in the street and asked me the way here. i showed them. that was why i was in the shop,' explained celestina, on whose brow a little wrinkle of uneasiness had remained till she could tell her mother the reason of her moment's lingering.

'i see,' said mrs. fairchild, who would indeed have found it difficult to believe that celestina had been careless or disobedient; and at the words celestina's face recovered its usual quiet, thoughtful, but peaceful expression.

bridget pressed up a little closer to mrs. fairchild.

'you're not vexed with her then,' she said. 'she was quite good. i thought at first you were going to be rather a cross mamma.'

'bridget,' said rosalys, colouring, and in an awful tone. when alie said 'bridget' like that it meant a great deal.

'i didn't mean,' began biddy as usual.

celestina's mother turned to rosalys.

'please do not be vexed with her, miss,' she said, with again that winning smile. and the smile that stole over alie's face in response made mrs. fairchild's gaze linger on the lovely child. 'no, my dear,' she went on, speaking now to biddy, 'it was [86]quite right of celestina to show you the way; and i am glad you happened to meet her.'

during this time, which was really only a minute or so, for it takes much longer to relate a little scene of this kind than for it actually to pass, mr. fairchild had been busy with the contents of the envelope randolph had given him. it contained, besides a note, a list of some books which mr. vane wished to have sent as soon as possible. after knitting his brows over this for some moments, the bookseller came forward.

'i find that mr. vane would like this order executed at once,' he said, addressing randolph.

'i don't know, i'm sure,' said rough; and indeed how was he to know, seeing that the letter had only been given over to his charge by mr. redding?

mr. fairchild looked perplexed.

'oh,' he said, 'i thought that possibly you could have explained a little more fully'—then he considered again. 'i think perhaps i could send specimens of some of the hymn-books, and i can make out a list of the prices, etc., so that mr. vane would have no trouble in selecting what he requires. it will only take me a few minutes, and it would save time if——' he hesitated. 'my errand-boy has gone some distance away this morning.'[87]

'if you mean that it'll save trouble for me to carry the parcel, i don't mind,' said rough in his boyish way.

mr. fairchild thanked him.

'i will see to it at once,' he said, and turning to his desk he began writing down the details of some books which he took down from the shelves behind.

the four children, mrs. fairchild, and jane dodson stood together in the middle of the shop; it was quite small, and with these six people it seemed crowded. there was only one chair, pushed up in a corner by the counter.

'it is draughty near the door, even when it is shut. will you not come farther in, miss vane? or,' with a little hesitation, 'would you step into the parlour—there is a nice fire—and sit down for a few minutes?' said mrs. fairchild to rosalys.

rosalys began to thank her, but before she had time to do more than begin bridget interrupted.

'oh yes, alie, please do,' she said eagerly. 'i do so want to see what a parlour's like. but, please,' she went on to mrs. fairchild, 'would you first tell me what that dear little peep-hole window up in the wall is for? i would so like to look through it.'[88]

alie's face grew red again; she really felt ashamed of biddy.

'and it's worse,' she said to herself, 'to be so forward to people who are not quite the same as us, though i'm sure mrs. fairchild is as nice as any lady.'

and mrs. fairchild confirmed this feeling of alie's by coming again to the rescue.

'certainly, my dear,' she said, smiling. 'you shall look through the window from the other side. there's pretty sure to be a chair in front of it, if you are not tall enough. my little girl is very fond of looking through that funny window.'

she led the way through another door—a door facing the street entrance—into a very small passage, whence a narrow staircase ran up to the first floor. the children could scarcely see where they were, for the passage was dark, till mrs. fairchild opened another door leading into the parlour, and even then it was not very light, for the parlour window, as i think i said before, looked on to a little yard, and there were the walls of other houses round this yard.

it was a very neat, but to the children's eyes a rather dreary-looking little room.

biddy turned to celestina.[89]

'i think i like droind-rooms better than parlours,' she said, returning to their conversation in the street, 'except for the sweet little window,' and in another instant she had mounted the chair and was peering through. 'oh, it is nice,' she said. 'i can see roughie'—for rough, had considered it more manly to stay in the shop—'and mr.—your papa, celestina. it's like a magic-lantern; no, i mean a peep-show. i wish we had one in our house. alie, do look.'

rosalys came forward, not so eager to take advantage of biddy's obliging offer as to seize the chance of giving her a little private admonition.

'biddy,' she whispered, 'i'm ashamed of you. i never knew you so free and rude before.'

bridget descended dolefully from the chair.

'i'm very sorry,' she said; 'please, ma'am,' and she turned to mrs. fairchild, 'i didn't mean to be free and rude.'

the babyishness of her round fat face, and her brown eyes looking quite ready to cry, touched mrs. fairchild, though it is fair to add that she approved of alie's checking the child. she would have been perfectly shocked if celestina even when younger than biddy had behaved to strangers as the little visitor was doing. children were kept much more [90]in the background forty years ago than now. on the whole i don't know that it was altogether a bad thing for them, though in some cases it was carried too far, much farther than you, dear children of to-day, would find at all pleasant, or than i should like to see.

'no, my dear, i am sure you did not mean any harm,' said mrs. fairchild. 'we all have to learn, but it is very nice for you to have a kind elder sister to direct you.'

biddy did not seem at that moment very keenly to appreciate this privilege.

'i'd rather have a littler sister,' she said; but as she caught sight of celestina's astonished face, 'i don't mean for alie to be away—alie's very kind—but i'd like a littler one too. it's very dull playing alone. and oh, please,' as the word 'playing' recalled the bazaar and their purchases, 'mayn't i see her dolls' house?' and she pointed to celestina.

rosalys sighed. bridget was incorrigible.

'it isn't a house,' said celestina, 'it's only a room. may i get it, mother? i do so want to see if the new chairs will do,' she went on, for the first time disengaging the toys from her handkerchief. 'the others are so big that when the dolls sit on them [91]their legs go all over the top of the table instead of underneath.'

'i know,' said alie, 'that's how mine used to do when i was a little girl and played with our doll-house. but mamma got some for me from germany all the proper size, on purpose. the doll-house was really very pretty then.'

celestina looked up with eager eyes.

'oh, i would like to see it,' she said. 'it must be beautiful.'

'no' said rosalys, 'it isn't now. some of the furniture's broken, and nearly all the chair-seats need new covers. but it might be made very nice with a little trouble, only you see bridget has never cared to play with it.'

biddy had drawn near and was standing listening.

'i daresay i would care if i had anybody to play with me,' she said. 'you know you're too big, alie. i wish celestina could come and play with me. won't you let her, if mamma says she may?' she went on, turning to mrs. fairchild.

celestina's eyes sparkled, but her mother looked rather grave.

'my dear young lady,' she said to biddy, 'you are rather too young to plan things of that kind till you [92]have talked about them to your mamma. besides celestina almost never goes anywhere.'

'i went to tea at miss bankes's once,' said celestina. 'that's where i used to go to school, but i didn't like it much—they played such noisy games and they were all so smart. and once i went to nelly tasker's, and that was nice, but they've left seacove a long time ago.'

mrs. fairchild looked at celestina in some surprise. it was seldom the little girl was so communicative, especially to strangers. but then, as she said to her husband afterwards—

'miss vane is a very sweet girl, and the little one chatters as if she'd known you for years. they certainly have a very friendly way with them: i couldn't exactly wonder at celestina.'

'i'll ask mamma. you'll see if i don't,' said biddy, nodding her head with determination. 'and please, celestina, do let me see your doll-room, if that's what you call it?'

'may i fetch it, mother?' asked the child. but at that moment randolph put his head in at the door.

'we must be going,' he said. 'come along, girls. i've got the parcel. thank you,' he added to mrs. fairchild, 'and good-morning.'[93]

alie and biddy turned to follow him. but first they shook hands with celestina and her mother.

'i'm so sorry,' said biddy, 'not to see the dolls' room. wouldn't rough wait a minute, alie?'

'no,' the elder sister replied. 'we've been out a good while and there's no reason for waiting now the parcel's ready.'

'well i'll come again. you'll let me, won't you?' said bride, and not content with shaking hands, she held up her round rosy mouth for a kiss.

'bless you, love,' kind mrs. fairchild could not resist saying, as she stooped to her.

'she is a very nice mamma, isn't she, alie?' said biddy with satisfaction, when they found themselves out in the street again.

'yes,' said rosalys. but she spoke rather absently. she was wondering what made bridget so nice sometimes, and sometimes so very tiresome and heedless.

'i wonder if it would have been better for her if she was more like that little celestina,' she thought. 'i'm sure they're very strict with her, and yet i'm sure she's very fond of her mother and very obedient. but it must be rather a dull life for a little girl, only she seems so womanly; as if she really felt she was useful.'[94]

it was almost dinner-time—their dinner-time, that is to say—when the children reached the rectory, and there was something of a scramble to get hands washed, hair smoothed, and thick boots changed so as to be in time and not keep papa and mamma waiting. randolph came into the dining-room, carrying the parcel of books.

'papa,' he said, 'these are the books you told redding to order for you—at least there are some of them, and if they are right, or if you'll mark down which of them are not right, fairchild the bookseller will order what you want at once.'

'i'll look at them immediately after luncheon,' mr. vane replied. 'but how did they come into your hands, my boy? has redding been here again?'

'no,' rough explained, 'we met him,' and then he went on to tell the history of the morning.

'and she 'avited us—the little-girl-in-the-bazaar's mother, i mean,' biddy hastened to add, 'to step into the parlour. i never saw a parlour before; it's not as nice as a droind-room, except for the dear little window up in the wall. couldn't we have a little window like that in our schoolroom, mamma? and i'm to go another day to see the room; it's not a [95]proper doll-house, she says; only a room, and i said i was sure i might ask her to come here, but she said i must ask my mamma first. i thought at first she was going to be rather a cross sort of a mamma, but i don't think she is—do you, alie?'

biddy ran off this long story so fast that mrs. vane could only stare at her in amazement.

'my dear biddy!' she said at last. 'alie, you were there? you don't mean to say that you let bride run into the toy-shop people's house and make friends with their children, and—and——' mrs. vane stopped short, at a loss for words.

mr. vane looked up.

'my dear child,' he said too, to bridget, 'you must be careful. and here—where everybody is sure to know who you are, and when you should set a good example of nice manners—you must not behave in this wild sort of way.'

'i didn't mean,' began biddy plaintively.

but this time she was not chidden for her doleful tone—both alie and rough came to the rescue.

'please, mamma, oh please, papa, you don't understand,' began rosalys.

'it wasn't the bazaar people at all,' said rough, chiming in; 'it was all right. only, biddy, you [96]are really too stupid, the muddley way you tell things——'

'yes,' agreed alie, with natural vexation, 'you needn't make it seem as if we had all gone out of our minds, really.'

'i didn't mean,' started biddy again, and still more lugubriously.

'stop, bride,' said mr. vane authoritatively, laying down his knife and fork as he spoke. 'now, rosalys, tell the whole story properly.'

alie did so, and as randolph had already explained about meeting mr. redding, it was not long before his father and mother understood the real facts clearly.

'we couldn't have refused to go into the parlour when mrs. fairchild asked us like that—could we, mamma?' rosalys wound up.

'and she asked us to step in so nicely. and there were no chairs in the shop, 'cept only one. and i did so want to see a parlour,' added biddy, reviving under alie's support.

'no, you did quite right,' said mrs. vane to the elder ones. 'but biddy must not begin making friends with every child she comes across and inviting them to come here. you are not a baby now; you should have more sense.'[97]

the tears collected in bridget's eyes; they were very obedient to her summons, it must be allowed. rosalys felt sorry for her.

'mamma,' she said, 'of course biddy shouldn't invite anybody without your leave first, but still this little celestina isn't at all a common child. she's so neat and quiet, and she speaks so nicely. and her mother is nearly as pretty as you, not quite of course.'

'she's awfully jolly,' put in rough.

mrs. vane smiled.

'what an uncommon name,' she said. '"célestine," did you say? it is french.'

'no, mamma, not "célestine,"' said alie, '"celestina." i suppose it's the english of the other.'

'i never heard it in english before,' said mrs. vane, 'though i once had a dear old friend in france called "célestine"—you remember madame d'ermont, bernard? i've not heard from her for ever so long.'

'celestina was going to tell us about her name, but something interrupted her and then she forgot,' said alie. 'perhaps they've got some french relations, mamma.'

'it isn't likely,' her mother replied. 'but some [98]day when i am in the village, or town—should we call it "town," bernard?'

'it is a seaport, so it must be a town, i suppose,' said mr. vane.

'i should like to see the little girl and her mother,' mrs. vane continued.

'and oh, mamma,' cried biddy, jumping up and down in her chair as her spirits rose again, 'when you do, mayn't i go with you, and then celestina would show me her dolls' room?'

'we shall see, my dear,' her mother replied.

biddy was not at all fond of the reply, 'we shall see.' 'it's only a perlite way of saying "no,"' she once said, but she dared not tease her mother any more.

'nobody cares about what i like,' she said to herself disconsolately.

perhaps she would not have thought so if she had heard what her mother and rosalys were talking about later that afternoon.[99]