ralph's mother was a widow. she had traveled on the continent for a long time, but had at last taken a small house in london. sir john intended week after week to go and see his sister, and week after week put off doing so, until it suddenly dawned upon him that ralph's society might do his own little princess good. sir john told his wife to say nothing to maggie about her cousin's visit, as it was quite uncertain whether his mother would spare him, and he did not wish the little maid to be disappointed. maggie, however, was a very sharp child, and she was much interested in sundry mysterious preparations which were taking place in a certain very pretty bedroom not far from her own nurseries. a little brass bedstead, quite new and bright,[pg 13] was being covered with snowy draperies; and sundry articles which girls were not supposed to care about, but which, nevertheless, maggie looked at with eyes of the deepest veneration and curiosity, were being placed in the room; among these articles might have been seen some cricket-bats, a pair of boxing-gloves, a couple of racket-balls, and even a little miniature gun. the little gun was harmless enough in its way; it had belonged to sir john when a lad, but why was it placed in this room, and what did all these preparations mean? maggie eagerly questioned rosalie, the under-housemaid, but rosalie could tell her nothing, beyond the fact that she was bid to make certain preparations in the room, and she supposed one of master's visitors was expected.
"he must be a very short man," said maggie, laying herself down at full length on the little white bed, and measuring the distance between her feet and the bright brass bars at the bottom; "he'll be about half a foot bigger than me," and then she scampered off to miss grey.
"father's visitor's room is all ready," she[pg 14] said. "how tall should you think he'd be, miss grey?"
"dear me, maggie, how can i tell? if the visitor is a man, he'll be sure to be somewhere between five feet and six feet; i can't tell you the exact number of inches."
"no, you're as wrong as possible," answered maggie, clapping her hands. "there's a visitor coming to father, and of course he's a man, or he wouldn't be father's visitor, and he's only about one head bigger than me. he's very manly, too; he likes cricket, and racket, and boxing, and firing guns. his room is full of all those 'licious things. oh, i wish i was a man too. miss grey, darling, how soon shall i be growed up?"
"not for a long, long time yet. now do sit straight, dear, and don't cross your legs. sit upright on your chair, maggie, like a little lady. here is your hemming, love; i have turned down a nice piece for you. now be sure you put in small stitches, and don't prick your finger."
these remarks and these little injunctions[pg 15] always drew a deep frown between maggie's arched brows.
"sewing isn't meant for rich little girls like me," she said. "i'm not going to sew when i grow up; i know what i'll do then. i know quite well; when i'm tired i'll sit in an easy-chair and eat lollipops, and when i'm not tired i'll ride on all the wildest horses i can find, and i'll play cricket, and fire guns, and fish, and—and—oh, i wish i was grown up."
miss grey, who was by this time quite accustomed to maggie's erratic speeches, thought it best to take no notice whatever of her present remarks. maggie would have liked her to argue with her and remonstrate; she would have preferred anything to the calm and perfect stillness of the governess. she was allowed to talk a little while she was at her hemming, and she now turned her conversation into a different channel.
"miss grey," she said, "which do you think are the best off, very rich little only children girls, or very poor little many children girls?"
"maggie dear," replied her governess, "you[pg 16] are asking me, as usual, a silly question. the fact of a little girl being rich and an only child, or the fact of a little girl being poor and having a great many brothers and sisters, has really much less to do with happiness than people think. happiness is a very precious possession, and sometimes it is given to people who look very pale and suffering, and sometimes it is denied to those who look as if they wanted for nothing."
"that's me," said maggie, uttering a profound sigh. "i'm rich and i want for nothing, and i'm the mis'rable one, and jim, the cripple in our village, is poor, and he hasn't got no nice things, and he's the happy one. oh, how i wish i was jim the cripple."
"why, maggie, you would not surely like to give up your dear father and mother to be somebody else's child."
"no, of course not. they'd have to be poor too. mother would have to take in washing and father—i'm afraid father would have to put on ragged clothes, and go about begging from place to place. i don't think jim, the[pg 17] cripple, has any father, but i couldn't do without mine, so he'd have to be a beggar and go about from place to place to get pennies for mother and me. we'd be darling and poor, and we couldn't afford to keep you, miss grey, and i wouldn't mind that at all, 'cause then i need never do reading and hemming, and i'd be as ignoram as possible all my days."
just at this moment somebody called maggie, and she was told to put on her out-door things, and to go for a drive with her mother in the carriage.
maggie was a very sharp little girl, and she could not help noticing a certain air of expectancy on lady ascot's face, and a certain brightening of her eyes, particularly when maggie, in her usual impetuous fashion, asked eager questions about the very short gentleman visitor who was coming to stay with father.
"he's not four feet high," said maggie. "i am sure i shall like him greatly; he'll be a sort of companion to me, and i know he must be very brave."
"why do you know that, little woman?" asked lady ascot in an amused voice[pg 18] "oh, 'cause, 'cause—his gun, and his fishing-tackle, and his boxing-gloves have been sent on already. of course he must be brave and manly, or father would have nothing to say to him. but as he's only three inches taller than me, i'm thinking perhaps he'll be tired keeping up with father's long steps, when they go out shooting together; and so perhaps he will really like to make a companion of me."
"i should not be surprised, maggie—i should not be the least surprised, and now i'm going to tell you a secret. we are going at this very moment to drive to ashburnham station to meet father and his gentleman visitor."
"oh, mother!" exclaimed maggie, "and do you know the visitor? have you seen him before? what is his name?"
"his name is ralph, and though i have heard a great deal about him, it so happens i have never seen him."
"mr. ralph," repeated maggie, softly; "it's a nice short name, and easy to remember. i think mr. ralph is a very good name indeed for father's little tiny gentleman visitor."[pg 19]
all during their drive to ashburnham maggie chattered, and laughed, and wondered. her bright little face looked its brightest, and her merry blue eyes quite danced with fun and happiness. no wonder her mother thought her a most charming little girl, and no wonder the village children looked at the pretty and beautifully dressed child with eyes of envy and admiration!
when they reached ashburnham station, lady ascot got out of the carriage, and taking maggie's hand in hers, went on the platform. they had scarcely arrived there before the train from london puffed into the station, and sir john ascot was seen to jump out of a first-class smoking carriage, accompanied by a brown-faced, slender-looking boy, whose hands were full of parcels, and who began to help sir john vigorously, and to indignantly disdain the services of the porter, and of sir john's own groom, who came up at that moment.
"no, thank you; i wish to hold these rabbits myself," he exclaimed, "and my[pg 20] pigeons. uncle john, will you please hand me down that cage? oh, aren't my fantails beauties!"
"mother," exclaimed maggie in a low, breathless voice, "is that the gentleman visitor?"
"yes, darling, your cousin ralph grenville. ralph is your visitor, maggie, not your father's. come up and let me introduce you. ralph, my dear boy, how do you do? i am your aunt. i am very glad to see you. welcome to tower hill!"
"are you aunt beatrice?" answered the brown-faced boy. "how do you do, aunt beatrice? oh, i do hope my fishing-tackle is safe."
"and this is your cousin maggie," proceeded lady ascot. "you and maggie must be great friends."
"do you like fantails?" asked ralph, looking full at his little cousin.
"do you mean those darling white birds in the cage?" answered maggie, her cheeks crimsoning.
"yes; i've got some pouters at home, but i only brought the fantails here. i hope you've got a nice pigeon-cote at tower hill. oh, my rabbits, my bunnies! help me, maggie; one of them has got loose; help me, maggie, to catch him."
before either sir john or lady ascot could interfere, the two children had disappeared into a crowd of porters, passengers, and luggage. lady ascot uttered a scream of dismay, but sir john said coolly:
"let them be. the little lad has got his head screwed on the right way; and if i don't mistake, my pretty maid can hold her own with anybody. don't agitate yourself, bee; they'll be back all right in a moment."
so they were, maggie holding a huge white rabbit clasped against her beautiful embroidered frock. the rabbit scratched and struggled, but maggie held him without flinching, although her face was very red.
"i caught him my own self," she screamed. "ralph couldn't, 'cause his hands were too full."[pg 22]
"pop him into this cage now," exclaimed the boy. "uncle john, has a separate trap come for all the luggage? and if so, may i go home in it? i must watch my bunnies, and i should like to keep the fantails on my lap."
"well, yes, ralph," replied sir john ascot in an amused voice. "i have no doubt the dog-cart has turned up by now. do you think you can manage to stick on, my boy? the mare is very fresh."
"i stick on? rather!" answered ralph. "you may hold the cage with the bunnies, if you like, while i step up, jo—maggie, i mean."
"i'd like to go up there, too, father," whispered little miss ascot's full round tones.
"no, no, bairnie," answered the baronet. "i don't want your pretty little neck to be broken. there, hop into the carriage beside mother, and i'll get in the dog-cart to keep this young scamp out of mischief. now then, off we go. we'll all be at home in a twinkling."
